Can tiddlywinks be saved?

Next Wednesday could have been a significant date in the history of this country. And we are not talking about the Budget. March 16 was scheduled to be the final meeting of the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club.

Next Wednesday could have been a significant date in the history of this country. And we are not talking about the Budget. March 16 was scheduled to be the final meeting of the Cambridge University Tiddlywinks Club.

This venerable institution has fallen on hard times. Membership has collapsed and apathy reigns among those "winkers" who remain. The inter-college championship has not been contested since 1998. Many say that the natural next step is to disband the club. Such a drastic move has - thankfully - been declared unconstitutional, but the threat that Cambridge winking may soon die out remains.

Cambridge has been the spiritual home of tiddlywinks since it was invented in its modern form half a century ago. If the Cambridge Club falls into desuetude, the whole fragile edifice could come crashing down.

This cannot be allowed to happen. Someone of stature must step in to save this noble sport. What better way for the Chancellor to open his Budget speech next week than to announce a tax break for British tiddlywinks?