IF ANDY MURRAY learnt anything through his tempestuous period of tutelage from Brad Gilbert, it was surely the ability to win ugly. Such a requirement was necessary as the Scot got off to a shaky start in a Sony Ericsson Open campaign that he hopes will propel him to a position of third-best player in the world.
Six days after being blown away by a combination of a desert storm and the magnificence of Rafael Nadal on the opposite side of the United States in Indian Wells, Murray again struggled with the elements as he made tough work of acclimatising to the conditions in Miami.
Argentina’s Juan Monaco will never be the most testing of opponents but Murray also had to battle against his own early lethargy before finally getting to grips with the task in hand and winning through 4-6 6-3 6-2.
“I was not at my best at the start and found things difficult to begin with,” said Murray, who admitted he was so fatigued after reaching last week’s final so soon since recovering from a virus that he was forced to take a couple of days away from the practice court.
I found it virtually impossible to serve from one end of the court because of the sun, which made things really tough. Once I got going things became a little better, but it was a very difficult match.”
Temperatures nudging towards the 90-degree mark, humidity in excess of 76% and a fierce overhead sun combined to send Murray scuttling outside his comfort zone but after reverting to his recently abandoned baseball cap he somehow found a way to better his performance of a year ago, when he lost his initial match in the tournament to Croatia’s Mario Ancic.
For much of the time his tennis was not pretty, and unforced errors proliferated in a first set that seemed to suggest he was destined for another early exit. Murray, however, finally hit something approaching his normal rhythm.
More than once rallies in excess of 40 shots tested the determination of both players, but Murray’s superior ability at the net, more consistent serve in the later stages and greater variety saw him through.
Miami Open, tonight, British Eurosport, 10pm
Source:the times
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Colin Montgomerie leads the way in Seville
Colin Montgomerie was right where he wanted to be today on his 500th European Tour appearance as a professional - at the top of the leaderboard.
Europe's new Ryder Cup captain, with only three top-10 finishes to his name since the start of last season, raced to five under par after 12 holes of the Andalucian Open in Seville.
It put Montgomerie, now a lowly 137th in the world and with no hope of qualifying for The Masters in two weeks, two strokes ahead of England's John Mellor and John E Morgan, Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin, winner of last year's European Masters.
The 45-year-old Scot was presented with a cake yesterday to celebrate his landmark appearance, and he was optimistic about the state of his game.
Montgomerie went on to birdie four of the first six holes on the back nine and after going in the lake for a bogey six at the long 16th, responded by picking up further strokes at the 18th and first.
Putts of 15 and 30 feet found the target there and an 18-footer was needed for par on the next before he bogeyed the 436-yard fourth to slip back to four under.
Montgomerie is the 18th player to reach 500 tournament appearances and has notched top 10 finishes in 182 of them.
His last top 10 finish was his second place to Pablo Larrazabal at last June’s French Open, but he is hungry for more.
“I’d like to get to 200. I’m busier than ever, but I’m still competitive enough to be able to contend,” Montgomerie said.
Europe's new Ryder Cup captain, with only three top-10 finishes to his name since the start of last season, raced to five under par after 12 holes of the Andalucian Open in Seville.
It put Montgomerie, now a lowly 137th in the world and with no hope of qualifying for The Masters in two weeks, two strokes ahead of England's John Mellor and John E Morgan, Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin, winner of last year's European Masters.
The 45-year-old Scot was presented with a cake yesterday to celebrate his landmark appearance, and he was optimistic about the state of his game.
Montgomerie went on to birdie four of the first six holes on the back nine and after going in the lake for a bogey six at the long 16th, responded by picking up further strokes at the 18th and first.
Putts of 15 and 30 feet found the target there and an 18-footer was needed for par on the next before he bogeyed the 436-yard fourth to slip back to four under.
Montgomerie is the 18th player to reach 500 tournament appearances and has notched top 10 finishes in 182 of them.
His last top 10 finish was his second place to Pablo Larrazabal at last June’s French Open, but he is hungry for more.
“I’d like to get to 200. I’m busier than ever, but I’m still competitive enough to be able to contend,” Montgomerie said.
Jenson Button wins Australian Grand Prix after perfect drive
Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello secured a dream debut victory for Brawn GP with a memorable one-two in today's Australian Grand Prix.
Button led from start to finish ahead of his team-mate Barrichello, who recovered after being slow off the line at the start line, and Lewis Hamilton, with the race finishing under safety car conditions following a late accident.
Hamilton, who started 18th after a catastrophic gearbox failure in qualifying, was promoted from fourth to third place after Italian Jarno Trulli was given a 25-second penalty for overtaking while the safety car was on the track.
No Formula One team had won on their debut since Wolf in 1977 while the last to secure the top two places first time out was Mercedes in 1954.
"This is a fairytale ending for the first race," Button, who secured only his second win in his 10th year of racing, said. "Some people may say its a pity the race finished under the safety car but I don't care, I won the race and that's all I care about."
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW's Robert Kubica collided while running second and third with only four laps to go, ending their races and bringing out the safety car. Vettel will drop ten grid places in the next race in Malaysia next weekend for causing the collision.
Toyota's Timo Glock finished fifth ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg of Williams and Red Bull's Sebastien Buemi, who got one point in his first grand prix.
For the second year running, Ferrari finished without a point in the season opener. Felipe Massa was running in third place before sustaining a reliability failure on lap 45, three laps after Kimi Raikkonen spun out.
There was a crash at the first corner that ended the race for McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, and forced BMW's Nick Heidfeld, Red Bull's Mark Webber and Force India's Adrian Sutil to immediately pit, effectively ending their chances.
Leading Final Positions after Race (58 Laps): 1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1hr 34mins 15.784secs, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:34:16.591, 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:34:18.698, 4 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:34:42.388, 5 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:34:20.219, 6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:34:20.663, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:34:21.506, 8 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34:21.788, 9 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34:22.082, 10 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:34:22.119, 11 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:34:22.869, 12 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1:34:23.158, 13 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull at 1 lap, 14 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull at 2 laps, 15 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber at 3 laps, 16 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari at 3 laps
Not Classified: 17 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 45 laps completed, 18 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Bra) Renault 24 laps completed, 19 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 17 laps completed, 20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 0 laps completed
Leading World Championship Standings After Australian Grand Prix:
Drivers: 1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 10pts, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 8, 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 6, 4 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota5, 5 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 4, 6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 3, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 2, 8 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
Manufacturers: 1 Brawn GP 18pts, 2 Toyota 9, 3 McLaren 6, 4 Renault 3, 5 Williams 2, 6 Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
Button led from start to finish ahead of his team-mate Barrichello, who recovered after being slow off the line at the start line, and Lewis Hamilton, with the race finishing under safety car conditions following a late accident.
Hamilton, who started 18th after a catastrophic gearbox failure in qualifying, was promoted from fourth to third place after Italian Jarno Trulli was given a 25-second penalty for overtaking while the safety car was on the track.
No Formula One team had won on their debut since Wolf in 1977 while the last to secure the top two places first time out was Mercedes in 1954.
"This is a fairytale ending for the first race," Button, who secured only his second win in his 10th year of racing, said. "Some people may say its a pity the race finished under the safety car but I don't care, I won the race and that's all I care about."
Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and BMW's Robert Kubica collided while running second and third with only four laps to go, ending their races and bringing out the safety car. Vettel will drop ten grid places in the next race in Malaysia next weekend for causing the collision.
Toyota's Timo Glock finished fifth ahead of Renault's Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg of Williams and Red Bull's Sebastien Buemi, who got one point in his first grand prix.
For the second year running, Ferrari finished without a point in the season opener. Felipe Massa was running in third place before sustaining a reliability failure on lap 45, three laps after Kimi Raikkonen spun out.
There was a crash at the first corner that ended the race for McLaren's Heikki Kovalainen, and forced BMW's Nick Heidfeld, Red Bull's Mark Webber and Force India's Adrian Sutil to immediately pit, effectively ending their chances.
Leading Final Positions after Race (58 Laps): 1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1hr 34mins 15.784secs, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:34:16.591, 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 1:34:18.698, 4 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:34:42.388, 5 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:34:20.219, 6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 1:34:20.663, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:34:21.506, 8 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34:21.788, 9 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:34:22.082, 10 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India 1:34:22.119, 11 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 1:34:22.869, 12 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1:34:23.158, 13 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull at 1 lap, 14 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull at 2 laps, 15 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber at 3 laps, 16 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari at 3 laps
Not Classified: 17 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 45 laps completed, 18 Nelson Piquet Jr. (Bra) Renault 24 laps completed, 19 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 17 laps completed, 20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 0 laps completed
Leading World Championship Standings After Australian Grand Prix:
Drivers: 1 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 10pts, 2 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 8, 3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren 6, 4 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota5, 5 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 4, 6 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault 3, 7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 2, 8 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
Manufacturers: 1 Brawn GP 18pts, 2 Toyota 9, 3 McLaren 6, 4 Renault 3, 5 Williams 2, 6 Scuderia Toro Rosso 1
Injuries mar England’s stroll
ENGLAND’S satisfaction with an emphatic victory was tempered by injuries to Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole, who are in danger of missing the far more important World Cup qualifying tie against Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday. Fabio Capello’s first- and second-choice centre-forwards had to be substituted in the first half, as did their eventual replacement, Peter Crouch, with Wednesday in mind.
On the credit side, England are in good heart, and impressive form, for the resumption of the World Cup qualifying campaign after winning with plenty to spare, with two goals from the pugilist-cum-predator they call Wayne Rooney and one apiece from Heskey and Frank Lampard.
If this friendly fixture is to linger long in the memory, though, it will be as the occasion when David Beckham, on as second-half substitute for Aaron Lennon, beat Bobby Moore’s record for an outfield player of 108 caps. Emotional as ever, old “Goldenballs” was in tears as he ran off, milking Wembley’s warm applause, at the end.
The past week has seen so much talk of Rooney’s combustible temperament that it would hardly have been a surprise had he taken the field wearing gumshield and boxing gloves. To universal relief, the Scouse scrapper was on his best behaviour. Afterwards Capello indicated that he would be happy to play Rooney as a lone striker. “He is my joker in the pack, he can play anywhere,” the head coach said. David James retained his place in goal, and Rio Ferdinand’s recurrence of groin and back trouble let in Matthew Upson in central defence. Ferdinand will be fit to return against Ukraine. Shaun Wright-Phillips’s calf injury saw Lennon on the right wing for his first cap since March 2007.
Steven Gerrard instigated the first goal. His pass released Rooney, who returned the compliment for Gerrard to make ground before crossing low for Heskey to shuffle his feet and turn the ball in with his left, from three yards. After nine minutes Heskey reacted horribly to Rooney’s inviting cross from near the byline on the left, heading over from a central position, four yards out.
With only 14 minutes gone, Heskey had to withdraw from the fray. Here was his career in microcosm — goal, fluffed chance, injured. He gave way to Carlton Cole, whose second appearance for his country lasted just 20 minutes. Cole collapsed with a muscular injury and was replaced by Crouch.
Slovakia’s first semblance of a chance came in the 20th minute, when Stanislav Sestak, under challenge by Upson, struck a volley from 15 yards not too far over James’s bar, from a right-wing cross. The lack of cover in front of Ashley Cole in this situation pointed up the problems inherent in allocating Gerrard a starting position on the left. He is allowed to roam when England have possession, but when they lose the ball he can be caught AWOL from his defensive station. Rooney’s attempts to shift across and fill the gap were not always successful.
On the other flank, Lennon, in splendidly resurgent form for Tottenham of late, came to the fore after 28 minutes, when his cross was cleared only as far as Lampard, whose shot was saved, unconvincingly, by Stefan Senecky. Almost immediately the Spurs flyer was set up on the left by Gerrard’s clever back-heel, only to cross wastefully behind the goal.
James was required to make a notable save after half an hour, when he plunged to his right to keep out Miroslav Karhan’s meaty drive from the 18-yard line, but England quickly resumed the initiative, and a trademark sprint on the right culminated in a shot from Lennon that Senecky beat out straight to Gerrard. The consequent header was repelled by the keeper at whites-of-the-eyes range. Senecky has yet to keep a clean sheet in Slovakia’s World Cup qualifiers, and was keeping England at bay as much by luck as judgment.
Ashley Cole, savaged in the past by the Wembley crowd for carelessly giving the ball away, probably expected censure again when he surrendered possession for Robert Vittek to get in a strong shot that James was happy to tip over.
The half-time reshuffle that is de rigueur in friendlies gave Ben Foster a rare chance in goal, and both wide players were replaced. The introduction of Beckham, flagged up as inevitable, was at Lennon’s expense, while Stewart Downing, who is considerably less dynamic than Gerrard, at least gave England a left-footer on the left. Beckham quickly delivered a trademark free kick, which came to nought. His appearance, and almost every touch, was greeted with an ovation from the adoring, near-capacity crowd, but whether he deserves his place right up there alongside Moore in the pantheon is debatable for those of us who were fortunate to see England’s World Cup-winning captain in his pomp. This peerless defender did not have the benefit of late appearances as substitute — he had to play the full 90 minutes, and sometimes more, for every one of his caps.
On the credit side, England are in good heart, and impressive form, for the resumption of the World Cup qualifying campaign after winning with plenty to spare, with two goals from the pugilist-cum-predator they call Wayne Rooney and one apiece from Heskey and Frank Lampard.
If this friendly fixture is to linger long in the memory, though, it will be as the occasion when David Beckham, on as second-half substitute for Aaron Lennon, beat Bobby Moore’s record for an outfield player of 108 caps. Emotional as ever, old “Goldenballs” was in tears as he ran off, milking Wembley’s warm applause, at the end.
The past week has seen so much talk of Rooney’s combustible temperament that it would hardly have been a surprise had he taken the field wearing gumshield and boxing gloves. To universal relief, the Scouse scrapper was on his best behaviour. Afterwards Capello indicated that he would be happy to play Rooney as a lone striker. “He is my joker in the pack, he can play anywhere,” the head coach said. David James retained his place in goal, and Rio Ferdinand’s recurrence of groin and back trouble let in Matthew Upson in central defence. Ferdinand will be fit to return against Ukraine. Shaun Wright-Phillips’s calf injury saw Lennon on the right wing for his first cap since March 2007.
Steven Gerrard instigated the first goal. His pass released Rooney, who returned the compliment for Gerrard to make ground before crossing low for Heskey to shuffle his feet and turn the ball in with his left, from three yards. After nine minutes Heskey reacted horribly to Rooney’s inviting cross from near the byline on the left, heading over from a central position, four yards out.
With only 14 minutes gone, Heskey had to withdraw from the fray. Here was his career in microcosm — goal, fluffed chance, injured. He gave way to Carlton Cole, whose second appearance for his country lasted just 20 minutes. Cole collapsed with a muscular injury and was replaced by Crouch.
Slovakia’s first semblance of a chance came in the 20th minute, when Stanislav Sestak, under challenge by Upson, struck a volley from 15 yards not too far over James’s bar, from a right-wing cross. The lack of cover in front of Ashley Cole in this situation pointed up the problems inherent in allocating Gerrard a starting position on the left. He is allowed to roam when England have possession, but when they lose the ball he can be caught AWOL from his defensive station. Rooney’s attempts to shift across and fill the gap were not always successful.
On the other flank, Lennon, in splendidly resurgent form for Tottenham of late, came to the fore after 28 minutes, when his cross was cleared only as far as Lampard, whose shot was saved, unconvincingly, by Stefan Senecky. Almost immediately the Spurs flyer was set up on the left by Gerrard’s clever back-heel, only to cross wastefully behind the goal.
James was required to make a notable save after half an hour, when he plunged to his right to keep out Miroslav Karhan’s meaty drive from the 18-yard line, but England quickly resumed the initiative, and a trademark sprint on the right culminated in a shot from Lennon that Senecky beat out straight to Gerrard. The consequent header was repelled by the keeper at whites-of-the-eyes range. Senecky has yet to keep a clean sheet in Slovakia’s World Cup qualifiers, and was keeping England at bay as much by luck as judgment.
Ashley Cole, savaged in the past by the Wembley crowd for carelessly giving the ball away, probably expected censure again when he surrendered possession for Robert Vittek to get in a strong shot that James was happy to tip over.
The half-time reshuffle that is de rigueur in friendlies gave Ben Foster a rare chance in goal, and both wide players were replaced. The introduction of Beckham, flagged up as inevitable, was at Lennon’s expense, while Stewart Downing, who is considerably less dynamic than Gerrard, at least gave England a left-footer on the left. Beckham quickly delivered a trademark free kick, which came to nought. His appearance, and almost every touch, was greeted with an ovation from the adoring, near-capacity crowd, but whether he deserves his place right up there alongside Moore in the pantheon is debatable for those of us who were fortunate to see England’s World Cup-winning captain in his pomp. This peerless defender did not have the benefit of late appearances as substitute — he had to play the full 90 minutes, and sometimes more, for every one of his caps.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Swop looks one to stick with in Lincoln at Doncaster
The most valuable race in the world is run in Dubai today, but British punters will be focused on the first day of the turf Flat season, with Swop fancied to land the William Hill Lincoln Heritage Handicap (3.55) at Doncaster.
Trained by Luca Cumani, Swop has spent the winter in Dubai and showed his wellbeing with a tidy success at Nad Al Sheba last month, producing a sharp turn of foot to lead in the closing stages. Swop was unfortunate not to win a valuable handicap last season, finishing second at Goodwood, just failing to last home when third over an extra quarter-mile at Sandown Park and then again shaping as though his stamina was stretched when third in the Cambridgeshire.
A strongly-run mile here should be ideal and, lightly raced for a six-year-old, Swop is a fair bet at 8-1 with the sponsor to gain a deserved big-race success.
The William Hill Spring Mile Handicap (2.45) - a consolation race for those that missed the cut in the Lincoln - can go to Fireside. Highly regarded when trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, he ran in the 2,000 Guineas on just his third career start, but struck into himself during the race. Subsequently switched to Michael Jarvis's yard, he has been off the track for 11 months but remains a colt of enormous potential and could well have been let in lightly.
Frank Sheridan has done well since switching his training operation from Italy to Shropshire last season and Icelandic can provide him with a sixth win this year in the williamhill.com - Play Live Casino Cammidge Trophy (3.20).
The best bet of the day is Kandidate, who is fancied to repeat last year's success in the williamhill.com Magnolia Stakes (3.35) at Kempton Park. He has been below par on his past two starts at Lingfield Park, but front-running tactics are much harder to execute there and Kandidate can make it four wins from five starts back on this more suitable track.
Sweet Lightning is another with a good course record and looks too big at 25-1 with Ladbrokes for the williamhill.com Rosebery Heritage Handicap (3.00).
Muhannak provides the only British-trained interest in the Dubai World Cup (5.30) at Nad Al Sheba, but preference is for the Japanese raider, Casino Drive. The Japanese can underline their growing bloodstock strength through Vodka, their 2008 Horse of the Year, in the Dubai Duty Free (3.55), while Doctor Dino, the consistent French runner, can take the Dubai Sheema Classic (4.40).
Source:the times
Trained by Luca Cumani, Swop has spent the winter in Dubai and showed his wellbeing with a tidy success at Nad Al Sheba last month, producing a sharp turn of foot to lead in the closing stages. Swop was unfortunate not to win a valuable handicap last season, finishing second at Goodwood, just failing to last home when third over an extra quarter-mile at Sandown Park and then again shaping as though his stamina was stretched when third in the Cambridgeshire.
A strongly-run mile here should be ideal and, lightly raced for a six-year-old, Swop is a fair bet at 8-1 with the sponsor to gain a deserved big-race success.
The William Hill Spring Mile Handicap (2.45) - a consolation race for those that missed the cut in the Lincoln - can go to Fireside. Highly regarded when trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, he ran in the 2,000 Guineas on just his third career start, but struck into himself during the race. Subsequently switched to Michael Jarvis's yard, he has been off the track for 11 months but remains a colt of enormous potential and could well have been let in lightly.
Frank Sheridan has done well since switching his training operation from Italy to Shropshire last season and Icelandic can provide him with a sixth win this year in the williamhill.com - Play Live Casino Cammidge Trophy (3.20).
The best bet of the day is Kandidate, who is fancied to repeat last year's success in the williamhill.com Magnolia Stakes (3.35) at Kempton Park. He has been below par on his past two starts at Lingfield Park, but front-running tactics are much harder to execute there and Kandidate can make it four wins from five starts back on this more suitable track.
Sweet Lightning is another with a good course record and looks too big at 25-1 with Ladbrokes for the williamhill.com Rosebery Heritage Handicap (3.00).
Muhannak provides the only British-trained interest in the Dubai World Cup (5.30) at Nad Al Sheba, but preference is for the Japanese raider, Casino Drive. The Japanese can underline their growing bloodstock strength through Vodka, their 2008 Horse of the Year, in the Dubai Duty Free (3.55), while Doctor Dino, the consistent French runner, can take the Dubai Sheema Classic (4.40).
Source:the times
Colin Montgomerie leads the way in Seville
Colin Montgomerie was right where he wanted to be today on his 500th European Tour appearance as a professional - at the top of the leaderboard.
Europe's new Ryder Cup captain, with only three top-10 finishes to his name since the start of last season, raced to five under par after 12 holes of the Andalucian Open in Seville.
It put Montgomerie, now a lowly 137th in the world and with no hope of qualifying for The Masters in two weeks, two strokes ahead of England's John Mellor and John E Morgan, Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin, winner of last year's European Masters.The 45-year-old Scot was presented with a cake yesterday to celebrate his landmark appearance, and he was optimistic about the state of his game.
Montgomerie went on to birdie four of the first six holes on the back nine and after going in the lake for a bogey six at the long 16th, responded by picking up further strokes at the 18th and first.
Putts of 15 and 30 feet found the target there and an 18-footer was needed for par on the next before he bogeyed the 436-yard fourth to slip back to four under.
Montgomerie is the 18th player to reach 500 tournament appearances and has notched top 10 finishes in 182 of them.
His last top 10 finish was his second place to Pablo Larrazabal at last June’s French Open, but he is hungry for more.
“I’d like to get to 200. I’m busier than ever, but I’m still competitive enough to be able to contend,” Montgomerie said.
Source:the times
Europe's new Ryder Cup captain, with only three top-10 finishes to his name since the start of last season, raced to five under par after 12 holes of the Andalucian Open in Seville.
It put Montgomerie, now a lowly 137th in the world and with no hope of qualifying for The Masters in two weeks, two strokes ahead of England's John Mellor and John E Morgan, Spaniard Jose Manuel Lara and Frenchman Jean-Francois Lucquin, winner of last year's European Masters.The 45-year-old Scot was presented with a cake yesterday to celebrate his landmark appearance, and he was optimistic about the state of his game.
Montgomerie went on to birdie four of the first six holes on the back nine and after going in the lake for a bogey six at the long 16th, responded by picking up further strokes at the 18th and first.
Putts of 15 and 30 feet found the target there and an 18-footer was needed for par on the next before he bogeyed the 436-yard fourth to slip back to four under.
Montgomerie is the 18th player to reach 500 tournament appearances and has notched top 10 finishes in 182 of them.
His last top 10 finish was his second place to Pablo Larrazabal at last June’s French Open, but he is hungry for more.
“I’d like to get to 200. I’m busier than ever, but I’m still competitive enough to be able to contend,” Montgomerie said.
Source:the times
Lewis Hamilton starts from 18th place
McLaren's Lewis Hamilton will start from 18th place in his first race as Formula One world champion after suffering a gearbox failure in Australian Grand Prix qualifying on Saturday.
The 24-year-old Briton, who won from pole position in Melbourne last year, did not take part in Saturday's second stage of qualifying after finishing 15th in the first session.
"A gear catastrophically failed," McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told reporters.
"We will be changing the box so we're going to take the hit of a gearbox change so Lewis will start from 20th place tomorrow." Since then, Toyota's Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli have been sent to the back of the grid, bumping Hamilton up the order by two. Normally, under Formula One regulations, gearboxes must last four successive races with a five-place penalty on the starting grid for any unscheduled changes.
Hamilton sounded calm in the face of his worst Formula One qualifying performance.
"I don't really have a game plan, just go for it," he said. "It can't really get worse than last place so we'll do the best job from there.
"We are a bit quicker than some of the other guys in front of us and we have to make sure that we extract the best from our strategy...it's a challenge and I'm looking forward to it."
Source:the times
The 24-year-old Briton, who won from pole position in Melbourne last year, did not take part in Saturday's second stage of qualifying after finishing 15th in the first session.
"A gear catastrophically failed," McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh told reporters.
"We will be changing the box so we're going to take the hit of a gearbox change so Lewis will start from 20th place tomorrow." Since then, Toyota's Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli have been sent to the back of the grid, bumping Hamilton up the order by two. Normally, under Formula One regulations, gearboxes must last four successive races with a five-place penalty on the starting grid for any unscheduled changes.
Hamilton sounded calm in the face of his worst Formula One qualifying performance.
"I don't really have a game plan, just go for it," he said. "It can't really get worse than last place so we'll do the best job from there.
"We are a bit quicker than some of the other guys in front of us and we have to make sure that we extract the best from our strategy...it's a challenge and I'm looking forward to it."
Source:the times
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Steven Gerrard is confident he can recreate his blistering form for England
Steven Gerrard is confident he can recreate his club form for England ahead of the friendly with Slovakia on Saturday and next Wednesday's crucial World Cup qualifying match against Ukraine. The Liverpool captain has scored six goals in the last three games, including a hat-trick against Aston Villa on Sunday.
"I'm on a high," Gerrard said. "Things have been going really well at the club. My last performance for England I was really happy with. I was under a slight pressure before that game to put in a good performance and I thought I delivered that.
"I missed a few games with injury since then but I've found my form quickly after the latest hamstring injury and at the moment I'm full of confidence."
Liverpool narrowed the gap behind leaders Manchester United to one point at the weekend, but Gerrard insists he is totally focused on England and is not thinking about the title race.
"It's easy enough to re-focus," he said. "We're with England now and the big club games will have to wait. Everyone's focused on the job in hand and focused on getting a good win on Saturday and three important points on Wednesday night to go top of the group."
Gerrard also believes Ledley King's withdrawal from England's squad today will not inhibit his chances of further call-ups to the national team.
Fabio Capello, the England manager, sprang a surprise when he named King in his squad as it is well documented the Tottenham defender rarely trains. Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, was critical of the move, suggesting that if the 28-year-old featured against Ukraine he could not be considered for club duty against Blackburn Rovers on April 4.
Today, King has returned to his club without taking any part in England training.
"Ledley is highly thought of by his club and country," Gerrard said. "Both want him fit and ready to play and I'm sorry to see him go home. It would have been nice to have him available, but he is a Tottenham player and you have got to respect whatever decision is made.
"When he is out there he is top drawer. I've been lucky enough to play with him a few times, when he's fit he's as good as anyone.
"I don't know the extent of his injury problem but in terms of ability he is definitely good enough to be in the World Cup squad. We will be keeping our fingers crossed nearer the time that he will be fit and available."
"I'm on a high," Gerrard said. "Things have been going really well at the club. My last performance for England I was really happy with. I was under a slight pressure before that game to put in a good performance and I thought I delivered that.
"I missed a few games with injury since then but I've found my form quickly after the latest hamstring injury and at the moment I'm full of confidence."
Liverpool narrowed the gap behind leaders Manchester United to one point at the weekend, but Gerrard insists he is totally focused on England and is not thinking about the title race.
"It's easy enough to re-focus," he said. "We're with England now and the big club games will have to wait. Everyone's focused on the job in hand and focused on getting a good win on Saturday and three important points on Wednesday night to go top of the group."
Gerrard also believes Ledley King's withdrawal from England's squad today will not inhibit his chances of further call-ups to the national team.
Fabio Capello, the England manager, sprang a surprise when he named King in his squad as it is well documented the Tottenham defender rarely trains. Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager, was critical of the move, suggesting that if the 28-year-old featured against Ukraine he could not be considered for club duty against Blackburn Rovers on April 4.
Today, King has returned to his club without taking any part in England training.
"Ledley is highly thought of by his club and country," Gerrard said. "Both want him fit and ready to play and I'm sorry to see him go home. It would have been nice to have him available, but he is a Tottenham player and you have got to respect whatever decision is made.
"When he is out there he is top drawer. I've been lucky enough to play with him a few times, when he's fit he's as good as anyone.
"I don't know the extent of his injury problem but in terms of ability he is definitely good enough to be in the World Cup squad. We will be keeping our fingers crossed nearer the time that he will be fit and available."
England allow Ledley King to return to Tottenham Hotspur
Ledley King, the Tottenham Hotspur defender, has returned to his club and will play no further part in England’s preparations for Saturday’s friendly match with Slovakia nor the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.
The move, taken with the full agreement of both the England and Tottenham coaching staff, brings a predictable end to a strange 48 hours for the defender, who is unable to train with his club-mates due to a chronic knee condition.
Fabio Capello sprung a major surprise when he picked King in his 24-man squad and angered the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who said if King played against Ukraine he could not be considered for club duty against Blackburn on April 4.
King joined up with the England squad last night, and boarded the team bus that went to training at Arsenal’s London Colney complex this morning, but returned to the England squad’s base in Watford without taking part. "Ledley King has returned to Spurs Lodge to continue his rehabilitation over the course of the international break, following discussions and assessments overnight by the medical staff of the club and the England national team,” an FA statement said. “It has been agreed by both parties that the best interests of the player are served by continuing his individual training programme at the club.''
The move, taken with the full agreement of both the England and Tottenham coaching staff, brings a predictable end to a strange 48 hours for the defender, who is unable to train with his club-mates due to a chronic knee condition.
Fabio Capello sprung a major surprise when he picked King in his 24-man squad and angered the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who said if King played against Ukraine he could not be considered for club duty against Blackburn on April 4.
King joined up with the England squad last night, and boarded the team bus that went to training at Arsenal’s London Colney complex this morning, but returned to the England squad’s base in Watford without taking part. "Ledley King has returned to Spurs Lodge to continue his rehabilitation over the course of the international break, following discussions and assessments overnight by the medical staff of the club and the England national team,” an FA statement said. “It has been agreed by both parties that the best interests of the player are served by continuing his individual training programme at the club.''
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Winning the Formula One economy drive
Formula One is digesting the most important technical changes in its history just as it faces serious financial challenges. The reality of the global economic meltdown hit F1 when Honda made a swift exit in December. That distant boardroom decision refocused the minds of the remaining teams, the governing body and the holders of the sport’s commercial rights.
That is the backdrop as we embark on a new season. The opening salvos were fired last week with a highly provocative plan for 2010 announced by FIA president Max Mosley, under which teams who agree to an audited budget cap — set at £30m, or 80% less than the current spend of the top teams — will be allowed significant technical advantages, such as higher engine revs and less restrictive aerodynamics.
Amid that dust storm, we look set for a fascinating season. Recent testing suggests that world champion Lewis Hamilton will struggle in the early races with a midfield car, while 29-year-old Jenson Button, who was potentially staring at the end of his career a few weeks ago, could be top Brit at the front of the field with Brawn GP, which has risen from the ashes of Honda.
Hamilton down the grid? Button at the front? Honda replaced by Brawn? That’s just for starters. This year sees radical regulation changes, with aerodynamic and tyre alterations, the incorporation of regenerative energy KERS devices, no in- season testing, and a limit on the use of engines. The FIA also declared that whoever won the most races, regardless of points, would be crowned the world champion. It’s a concept not far removed from Bernie Ecclestone’s idea of a gold, silver and bronze medal system, and it might have been Hamilton’s best hope of retaining his title, given that he could fall behind on points if his McLaren team struggle.
I was sanguine about this proposed change if it created more aggressive race action. However, after a challenge over its validity because of a lack of unanimous team support, this hot potato has been deferred until at least 2010.
Although McLaren appear to have made last-minute progress, further track time is now largely restricted to Grand Prix weekends, when tyre and engine availability issues come into play. This could be a long, hard season for Hamilton, who has not driven a midfield car in his career.
The general testing form has confounded most insiders. Designers, engineers and drivers were predicting that the regulation changes would spread the field, but the opposite appears to have happened. While Ferrari and BMW have looked consistently strong, Toyota, Renault, Williams and Red Bull have been very closely matched too. Joining the party just before the music stopped — with a hurriedly bolted-on Mercedes-Benz customer engine, and sticking to the track like a Scalextric car going round for hundreds of laps faster than anything else — has been the Brawn.
The drivers face fresh challenges too. The new “slick” dry tyres yield more grip to the front end than the rear — because removing the four grooves on the narrower front tyres has given them proportionately more rubber biting into the track — so the performance of the rear tyres is fading more quickly. Regulations dictate that drivers must use two different and more widely spaced rubber compounds during a race. The result is that a badly handled or aggressively driven car will destroy its rear tyres exponentially faster.
Furthermore, the drivers must manage the KERS energy recovery device from a button on the steering wheel, using either a trickle of extra power generated from the normally wasted braking energy for improved lap time, or as a burst of energy to defend or pass. These costly devices are not compulsory, and less than half the grid will have them fitted at the first race next weekend, which rather sends out the wrong message.
KERS brings associated problems of weight distribution, cooling and safety, but there is every incentive to get on top of such problems, given that an extra 80 horsepower is available, representing a 12% power boost for just under seven seconds each lap.
The new aerodynamic rules tax the drivers further because of a cockpit-adjustable front wing flap. The angle of the flap can be changed twice per lap over a six-degree range to fine-tune the car, especially when following others in close formation and turbulent air. Despite their intention to halve aerodynamic downforce, the skill and resources of the teams have limited this to 25%. With the extra grip of the slick tyres, the cars are only about a second per lap slower. But in the rain, with the same wet tyres as before, it’s a different matter. It could be chaos — although Stirling Moss would have loved a quarter as much grip in his day. The drivers will just have to manage.
Welcome to the year of the intelligent driver. Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost would have loved these cars. Of the current crop, you’d have to back Fernando Alonso’s ability to out-think his opponents.
The team bosses are on the offensive too, judging by the reaction of Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo to the FIA’s announcement of second-tier budget-capped teams for 2010. This is explosive territory, in that “Fred Bloggs Racing” will be able to run a car with a significant and variable technical advantage over Ferrari, McLaren, BMW and Toyota for a fraction of their budgets. In reality, the minnows should still not be competitive, but a two-class field could be confusing.
The politics run deeper. There is now no binding Concorde agreement between the teams, the FIA and the commercial rights-holder, Ecclestone’s Formula One Management. The Memorandum of Understanding they operate under expires in 2012. With this plan, while also moving to protect F1 from the recession, Mosley and Ecclestone are trying to protect their control of the sport by having some alternative and more manageable teams filling the 12 available franchise slots.The teams’ association, FOTA, has been punchy in announcing its own blueprint of F1’s future, along with predicted 50% budget cuts. I suspect the new £30m budget limit is a negotiating stance, but I have never seen the teams so galvanised and cohesive. Mosley and Ecclestone will be assuming that when they start racing and protesting against each others’ cars, such accord will dissolve.
I doubt that it’s possible to audit and police the F1 spend of global organisations such as BMW and Toyota, with multiple facilities. The cost allocation of myriad research and development, parts, materials and overheads will be impossible to agree. It will be easy to create value for key personnel in other ways.
I dislike contrived equivalency formulas in motor sport. They are a necessary scourge of touring car and sports car racing, but not F1. This appears to be an invitation for the manufacturer to reduce its operations drastically and fall into line, or leave the sport.
It must be said that Mosley is fundamentally right, in that the current costs are unsustainable and the teams have been too slow to react.
Ecclestone’s view is that the capped budget teams are not going to be running at the front because they will not have comparable know-how. He is probably right, but F1 is all about excellence, not the lowest common denominator. He says he is more concerned about not having a grid full of cars, which is valid.
Amusingly, the only costs allowed outside of the proposed budget cap are motorhomes to keep the paddock looking smart, and FIA fines. Until now the teams have attempted to bring Mosley and Ecclestone along with them in their vision of the future, almost naively expecting agreement. Historically the teams have lacked the resolve, continuity and balls to win, but they seem more organised now. Everything depends on what Di Montezemolo at Ferrari wants to do. The climbdown on Friday on the “winner takes all” regulation was a big U-turn for the FIA.
Let battle commence, on and off the track.
GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
Mar 29 Melbourne Apr 5 Kuala Lumpur Apr 19 Shanghai Apr 26 Bahrain May 10 Barcelona May 24 Monte Carlo Jun 7 Istanbul Jun 21 Silverstone Jul 12 Nurburgring Jul 26 Budapest Aug 23 Valencia Aug 30 Spa Sep 13 Monza Sep 27 Singapore Oct 4 Suzuka Oct 18 Sao Paulo Nov 1 Abu Dhabi
That is the backdrop as we embark on a new season. The opening salvos were fired last week with a highly provocative plan for 2010 announced by FIA president Max Mosley, under which teams who agree to an audited budget cap — set at £30m, or 80% less than the current spend of the top teams — will be allowed significant technical advantages, such as higher engine revs and less restrictive aerodynamics.
Amid that dust storm, we look set for a fascinating season. Recent testing suggests that world champion Lewis Hamilton will struggle in the early races with a midfield car, while 29-year-old Jenson Button, who was potentially staring at the end of his career a few weeks ago, could be top Brit at the front of the field with Brawn GP, which has risen from the ashes of Honda.
Hamilton down the grid? Button at the front? Honda replaced by Brawn? That’s just for starters. This year sees radical regulation changes, with aerodynamic and tyre alterations, the incorporation of regenerative energy KERS devices, no in- season testing, and a limit on the use of engines. The FIA also declared that whoever won the most races, regardless of points, would be crowned the world champion. It’s a concept not far removed from Bernie Ecclestone’s idea of a gold, silver and bronze medal system, and it might have been Hamilton’s best hope of retaining his title, given that he could fall behind on points if his McLaren team struggle.
I was sanguine about this proposed change if it created more aggressive race action. However, after a challenge over its validity because of a lack of unanimous team support, this hot potato has been deferred until at least 2010.
Although McLaren appear to have made last-minute progress, further track time is now largely restricted to Grand Prix weekends, when tyre and engine availability issues come into play. This could be a long, hard season for Hamilton, who has not driven a midfield car in his career.
The general testing form has confounded most insiders. Designers, engineers and drivers were predicting that the regulation changes would spread the field, but the opposite appears to have happened. While Ferrari and BMW have looked consistently strong, Toyota, Renault, Williams and Red Bull have been very closely matched too. Joining the party just before the music stopped — with a hurriedly bolted-on Mercedes-Benz customer engine, and sticking to the track like a Scalextric car going round for hundreds of laps faster than anything else — has been the Brawn.
The drivers face fresh challenges too. The new “slick” dry tyres yield more grip to the front end than the rear — because removing the four grooves on the narrower front tyres has given them proportionately more rubber biting into the track — so the performance of the rear tyres is fading more quickly. Regulations dictate that drivers must use two different and more widely spaced rubber compounds during a race. The result is that a badly handled or aggressively driven car will destroy its rear tyres exponentially faster.
Furthermore, the drivers must manage the KERS energy recovery device from a button on the steering wheel, using either a trickle of extra power generated from the normally wasted braking energy for improved lap time, or as a burst of energy to defend or pass. These costly devices are not compulsory, and less than half the grid will have them fitted at the first race next weekend, which rather sends out the wrong message.
KERS brings associated problems of weight distribution, cooling and safety, but there is every incentive to get on top of such problems, given that an extra 80 horsepower is available, representing a 12% power boost for just under seven seconds each lap.
The new aerodynamic rules tax the drivers further because of a cockpit-adjustable front wing flap. The angle of the flap can be changed twice per lap over a six-degree range to fine-tune the car, especially when following others in close formation and turbulent air. Despite their intention to halve aerodynamic downforce, the skill and resources of the teams have limited this to 25%. With the extra grip of the slick tyres, the cars are only about a second per lap slower. But in the rain, with the same wet tyres as before, it’s a different matter. It could be chaos — although Stirling Moss would have loved a quarter as much grip in his day. The drivers will just have to manage.
Welcome to the year of the intelligent driver. Michael Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost would have loved these cars. Of the current crop, you’d have to back Fernando Alonso’s ability to out-think his opponents.
The team bosses are on the offensive too, judging by the reaction of Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo to the FIA’s announcement of second-tier budget-capped teams for 2010. This is explosive territory, in that “Fred Bloggs Racing” will be able to run a car with a significant and variable technical advantage over Ferrari, McLaren, BMW and Toyota for a fraction of their budgets. In reality, the minnows should still not be competitive, but a two-class field could be confusing.
The politics run deeper. There is now no binding Concorde agreement between the teams, the FIA and the commercial rights-holder, Ecclestone’s Formula One Management. The Memorandum of Understanding they operate under expires in 2012. With this plan, while also moving to protect F1 from the recession, Mosley and Ecclestone are trying to protect their control of the sport by having some alternative and more manageable teams filling the 12 available franchise slots.The teams’ association, FOTA, has been punchy in announcing its own blueprint of F1’s future, along with predicted 50% budget cuts. I suspect the new £30m budget limit is a negotiating stance, but I have never seen the teams so galvanised and cohesive. Mosley and Ecclestone will be assuming that when they start racing and protesting against each others’ cars, such accord will dissolve.
I doubt that it’s possible to audit and police the F1 spend of global organisations such as BMW and Toyota, with multiple facilities. The cost allocation of myriad research and development, parts, materials and overheads will be impossible to agree. It will be easy to create value for key personnel in other ways.
I dislike contrived equivalency formulas in motor sport. They are a necessary scourge of touring car and sports car racing, but not F1. This appears to be an invitation for the manufacturer to reduce its operations drastically and fall into line, or leave the sport.
It must be said that Mosley is fundamentally right, in that the current costs are unsustainable and the teams have been too slow to react.
Ecclestone’s view is that the capped budget teams are not going to be running at the front because they will not have comparable know-how. He is probably right, but F1 is all about excellence, not the lowest common denominator. He says he is more concerned about not having a grid full of cars, which is valid.
Amusingly, the only costs allowed outside of the proposed budget cap are motorhomes to keep the paddock looking smart, and FIA fines. Until now the teams have attempted to bring Mosley and Ecclestone along with them in their vision of the future, almost naively expecting agreement. Historically the teams have lacked the resolve, continuity and balls to win, but they seem more organised now. Everything depends on what Di Montezemolo at Ferrari wants to do. The climbdown on Friday on the “winner takes all” regulation was a big U-turn for the FIA.
Let battle commence, on and off the track.
GRAND PRIX CALENDAR
Mar 29 Melbourne Apr 5 Kuala Lumpur Apr 19 Shanghai Apr 26 Bahrain May 10 Barcelona May 24 Monte Carlo Jun 7 Istanbul Jun 21 Silverstone Jul 12 Nurburgring Jul 26 Budapest Aug 23 Valencia Aug 30 Spa Sep 13 Monza Sep 27 Singapore Oct 4 Suzuka Oct 18 Sao Paulo Nov 1 Abu Dhabi
Beaten Manchester United see red
YOU wait an age for one shocking disintegration of poise and invulnerability and suddenly two come along at once. Eight days ago Manchester United were skipping through the forest with seemingly nothing to stop them popping trophies in their basket.
Now they are as edgy as Little Red Riding Hoods who have just seen the Big Bad Wolf. Sir Alex Ferguson scoffed that he’d need to “read more Freud” in order to fathom Rafael Benitez, but if his nemesis can fashion a win over Aston Villa this afternoon, the joke will be on Ferguson. Liverpool would move to within a point of United with a chance, thanks to the fixture list, to regain leadership of the Premier League before United play again. It is Ferguson and his players who seem in need of psychoanalysis, if only to understand what inner collapse has caused such a sudden loss of authority.
Ferguson did his best to preserve any remaining veneer of calm as the teams left the pitch. He ordered Carlos Tevez, then Edwin Van der Sar to stop harranguing Phil Dowd, the referee, but nobody was fooled.
Apoplexy overcame Ferguson in his post-match interview. After complaining about the sending-offs of both Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes (questioning the latter, for blatant handball on the goalline seemed even more one-eyed than claiming United were “the better team” in their 4-1 defeat by Liverpool last week) exasperation caused Ferguson to tail off. “Ach . . . I mean . . . oh,” he said, “what can you say about that?”Fulham were magnificent, feisty, resolute, intelligent, controlled by United’s old bugbear Danny Murphy in the first period and kept intact by Mark Schwarzer’s heroic goalkeeping in the second. They were rocking only briefly, when United shelled Schwarzer’s goal for 10 minutes either side of the hour mark but that was it.
Ferguson’s assertion following the Liverpool defeat that “we will respond” was not borne out and for once the manager is grateful for an international break. He should have been thanking Dowd.
Cristiano Ronaldo could easily have earned the same penalty as Rooney and Scholes, who will miss United’s next fixture, versus Aston Villa, for a foot-off-the-ground lunge on Murphy for which he was yellow carded but might have seen red, and a prissy show of dissent minutes later, for which the referee merely warned him.
Dowd was more punitive towards Rooney. With a minute left the forward hurled the ball away when Dowd ordered a free kick to be retaken. He had already been cautioned for a cynical shirt-pull on Olivier Dacourt and was ordered to leave the field after being booked again. On his way off, Rooney landed a meaty punch upon the corner flag but it was United who had received the knockout blow.
Moments earlier Zoltan Gera had settled matters by scoring with a bicycle kick, teeing himself up cleverly after interplay with Andy Johnson.
Fulham’s early lead arrived when Brede Hangeland flicked on at a corner, Van der Sar saved Bobby Zamora’s header and Scholes palmed the ball away when Zamora followed up with another headed effort. Murphy stroked the penalty past Van der Sar and Ferguson’s gamble of recalling Scholes at Michael Carrick’s expense had failed. Dimitar Berbatov and Ronaldo, chosen as the front-line ahead of Rooney and Carlos Tevez, were indolent and indulgent respectively. Rooney, on at striker after replacing Berbatov at half-time, was the inspiration behind United’s comeback and it stalled the moment Ferguson brought on Tevez and moved Rooney to the right.
Fulham should have added to their first goal earlier but Clint Dempsey and Zamora missed chances and there were too many long-range shots.
Giggs released Ronaldo with a gorgeous pass and Schwarzer saved with his body when Park Ji-Sung attempted to convert the cross. Rooney went for goal with the rebound and Schwarzer saved again.
When Murphy made it 1-0 the cameras panned to the bench and you could see the gum turning round in Ferguson’s mouth at the speed of clothes in a spin cycle. At 2-0 he leaned back open mouthed. The chewing, and United’s world, had stopped.
FULHAM: Schwarzer 9, Pantsil 7, Hughes 7, Hangeland 8, Konchesky 7, Dempsey 7 (Gera 81min), Murphy 9 (Dacourt 67min), Etuhu 7, Davies 7, Johnson 6, Zamora 6 (Kamara 77min)
MAN UTD: Van der Sar 8, O’Shea 5 (Tevez 70min), Evans 5, Ferdinand 6, Evra 5, Ronaldo 5, Fletcher 5, Scholes 3, Park 5, Giggs 6, Berbatov 6 (Rooney ht, 5)
Star man: Danny Murphy (Fulham)
Yellow cards: Fulham: Pantsil, Dempsey Man Utd: Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Rooney
Red cards: Man Utd: Scholes, Rooney
Referee: P Dowd
Attendance: 25,652
Source:the times
Now they are as edgy as Little Red Riding Hoods who have just seen the Big Bad Wolf. Sir Alex Ferguson scoffed that he’d need to “read more Freud” in order to fathom Rafael Benitez, but if his nemesis can fashion a win over Aston Villa this afternoon, the joke will be on Ferguson. Liverpool would move to within a point of United with a chance, thanks to the fixture list, to regain leadership of the Premier League before United play again. It is Ferguson and his players who seem in need of psychoanalysis, if only to understand what inner collapse has caused such a sudden loss of authority.
Ferguson did his best to preserve any remaining veneer of calm as the teams left the pitch. He ordered Carlos Tevez, then Edwin Van der Sar to stop harranguing Phil Dowd, the referee, but nobody was fooled.
Apoplexy overcame Ferguson in his post-match interview. After complaining about the sending-offs of both Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes (questioning the latter, for blatant handball on the goalline seemed even more one-eyed than claiming United were “the better team” in their 4-1 defeat by Liverpool last week) exasperation caused Ferguson to tail off. “Ach . . . I mean . . . oh,” he said, “what can you say about that?”Fulham were magnificent, feisty, resolute, intelligent, controlled by United’s old bugbear Danny Murphy in the first period and kept intact by Mark Schwarzer’s heroic goalkeeping in the second. They were rocking only briefly, when United shelled Schwarzer’s goal for 10 minutes either side of the hour mark but that was it.
Ferguson’s assertion following the Liverpool defeat that “we will respond” was not borne out and for once the manager is grateful for an international break. He should have been thanking Dowd.
Cristiano Ronaldo could easily have earned the same penalty as Rooney and Scholes, who will miss United’s next fixture, versus Aston Villa, for a foot-off-the-ground lunge on Murphy for which he was yellow carded but might have seen red, and a prissy show of dissent minutes later, for which the referee merely warned him.
Dowd was more punitive towards Rooney. With a minute left the forward hurled the ball away when Dowd ordered a free kick to be retaken. He had already been cautioned for a cynical shirt-pull on Olivier Dacourt and was ordered to leave the field after being booked again. On his way off, Rooney landed a meaty punch upon the corner flag but it was United who had received the knockout blow.
Moments earlier Zoltan Gera had settled matters by scoring with a bicycle kick, teeing himself up cleverly after interplay with Andy Johnson.
Fulham’s early lead arrived when Brede Hangeland flicked on at a corner, Van der Sar saved Bobby Zamora’s header and Scholes palmed the ball away when Zamora followed up with another headed effort. Murphy stroked the penalty past Van der Sar and Ferguson’s gamble of recalling Scholes at Michael Carrick’s expense had failed. Dimitar Berbatov and Ronaldo, chosen as the front-line ahead of Rooney and Carlos Tevez, were indolent and indulgent respectively. Rooney, on at striker after replacing Berbatov at half-time, was the inspiration behind United’s comeback and it stalled the moment Ferguson brought on Tevez and moved Rooney to the right.
Fulham should have added to their first goal earlier but Clint Dempsey and Zamora missed chances and there were too many long-range shots.
Giggs released Ronaldo with a gorgeous pass and Schwarzer saved with his body when Park Ji-Sung attempted to convert the cross. Rooney went for goal with the rebound and Schwarzer saved again.
When Murphy made it 1-0 the cameras panned to the bench and you could see the gum turning round in Ferguson’s mouth at the speed of clothes in a spin cycle. At 2-0 he leaned back open mouthed. The chewing, and United’s world, had stopped.
FULHAM: Schwarzer 9, Pantsil 7, Hughes 7, Hangeland 8, Konchesky 7, Dempsey 7 (Gera 81min), Murphy 9 (Dacourt 67min), Etuhu 7, Davies 7, Johnson 6, Zamora 6 (Kamara 77min)
MAN UTD: Van der Sar 8, O’Shea 5 (Tevez 70min), Evans 5, Ferdinand 6, Evra 5, Ronaldo 5, Fletcher 5, Scholes 3, Park 5, Giggs 6, Berbatov 6 (Rooney ht, 5)
Star man: Danny Murphy (Fulham)
Yellow cards: Fulham: Pantsil, Dempsey Man Utd: Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Rooney
Red cards: Man Utd: Scholes, Rooney
Referee: P Dowd
Attendance: 25,652
Source:the times
Saturday, March 21, 2009
England celebrate after West Indies blunder
This, presumably, was not what Darren Sammy had in mind when he urged West Indies to keep their feet on opposition throats and grind them into the dust. After 13 unsuccessful international matches in five months, England put the “win” back into “winter” thanks to a bizarre and costly miscalculation from the annals of fiction.
Perhaps John Dyson, the West Indies coach, was humming a Christmas carol to himself while he scanned the Duckworth/Lewis sheet and decided to call in his batsmen after an offer of bad light, believing his side to be one run ahead. Amid gloom, confusion and ultimately embarrassment, the loss of Denesh Ramdin had nudged the advantage to England.
Generosity is rare in cricket and the crestfallen Dyson was a picture of disbelief as Javagal Srinath, the match referee, confirmed what Andrew Strauss already knew. The England captain recognised Dyson’s monumental blunder immediately, but continued to peer at the figures as though he could not believe his luck.
West Indies, stimulated by a blistering innings by Shivnarine Chanderpaul in which he cracked 26 runs from a single Stephen Harmison over, needed 27 runs to win from 22 balls at the end. The crowd of 19,000 were told by the public address announcer that their side had won; it was probably as well there was no correction.
England had done quite a few things well through the game. Owais Shah continued his form from the one-day series in India, Stuart Broad led the bowling attack maturely and Paul Collingwood battled through a migraine to top score and make an impact with the ball.
Strauss won an important toss, but walked off ruefully after following the first boundary of the match — in the seventh over — by slicing what would have been a comfortable wide from Daren Powell to backward point. The sight of Kevin Pietersen then struggling for timing no doubt influenced England’s estimation of a par score.
Ravi Bopara played nicely alongside Shah, especially in the early overs of Nikita Miller’s spin, and Collingwood gave the innings impetus straight away. But showers could not have halted play at a worse time for England with the fourth-wicket pair gathering momentum and preparing to call for the batting powerplay.
A total of about 300 was not unrealistic, but with Shah top-edging a pull having struck 62 from 86 balls and Dimitri Mascarenhas succumbing to slightly low bounce second ball, the five overs of fielding restrictions yielded only 19 runs.
Chasing 271, Ramnaresh Sarwan, as befitting a batsman in the form of his life, looked at ease without ever threatening to tear apart the attack and Lendl Simmons appeared jittery whenever he went a few balls without a run. The loss of both men inside three overs handed England the advantage.
That was to reckon without Chanderpaul. He lofted his first ball, from Collingwood, over mid-on to the boundary to bring his local crowd, now filling the National Stadium, to its feet in a frenzy. The assault on Harmison could be described as bullying but for the fact that Harmison is the giant, Chanderpaul the titch.
The first ball of the 40th over, short and wide, was drilled past cover point, the next flipped over fine leg for six. Two forcing strokes pierced the offside ring before a straight drive and a slash over cover completed the over. Regret when he fell almost immediately afterwards was palpable.
But the impact of that over on Harmison became clear as he allowed a straightforward catch at long-on from Pollard, off Gareth Batty, to slip through his hands and creep over the rope. His place for the second game here tomorrow is far from assured.
England*A J Strauss c Bravo b Powell 15R S Bopara lbw b Miller 43K P Pietersen c Powell b Bravo 17O A Shah c Ramdin b Bravo 62P D Collingwood c Bravo b Pollard 69A D Mascarenhas lbw b Pollard 0†M J Prior not out 26S C J Broad run out 8G J Batty not out 2Extras (lb 4, w 23, nb 1) 28Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 270
S J Harmison and J M Anderson did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-64, 3-117, 4-215, 5-216, 6-243, 7-263.
Bowling: Powell 5-0-27-1; Edwards 5-0-23-0; Bravo 10-0-65-2; Sammy 10-0-43-0; Miller 9-0-48-1; Pollard 8-0-46-2; Gayle 3-0-14-0.
West Indies*C H Gayle lbw b Broad 2L M P Simmons c Anderson b Batty 62R R Sarwan c Strauss b Collingwood 57S Chanderpaul c Strauss b Broad 46K A Pollard c Harmison b Anderson 42D J Bravo c Bopara b Anderson 1†D Ramdin lbw b Broad 11D J G Sammy not out 0Extras (b 5, lb 4, w 14) 23Total (7 wkts, 46.2 overs) 244
N O Miller, F H Edwards, D B L Powell did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-131, 3-152, 4-212, 5-213, 6-242, 7-244.
Bowling: Broad 9.2-2-41-3; Anderson 8-0-39-2; Harmison 7-0-51-0; Mascarenhas 8-0-33-0; Batty 7-0-34-1; Collingwood 7-0-37-1.
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and C R Duncan.
One-day schedule: Guyana: Tomorrow: Second one-day international. Bridgetown: Friday: Third one-day international. Bridgetown: Sunday, March 29: Fourth one-day international. Gros Islet, St Lucia: Friday, March 3: Fifth one-day international.
Source:the times
Perhaps John Dyson, the West Indies coach, was humming a Christmas carol to himself while he scanned the Duckworth/Lewis sheet and decided to call in his batsmen after an offer of bad light, believing his side to be one run ahead. Amid gloom, confusion and ultimately embarrassment, the loss of Denesh Ramdin had nudged the advantage to England.
Generosity is rare in cricket and the crestfallen Dyson was a picture of disbelief as Javagal Srinath, the match referee, confirmed what Andrew Strauss already knew. The England captain recognised Dyson’s monumental blunder immediately, but continued to peer at the figures as though he could not believe his luck.
West Indies, stimulated by a blistering innings by Shivnarine Chanderpaul in which he cracked 26 runs from a single Stephen Harmison over, needed 27 runs to win from 22 balls at the end. The crowd of 19,000 were told by the public address announcer that their side had won; it was probably as well there was no correction.
England had done quite a few things well through the game. Owais Shah continued his form from the one-day series in India, Stuart Broad led the bowling attack maturely and Paul Collingwood battled through a migraine to top score and make an impact with the ball.
Strauss won an important toss, but walked off ruefully after following the first boundary of the match — in the seventh over — by slicing what would have been a comfortable wide from Daren Powell to backward point. The sight of Kevin Pietersen then struggling for timing no doubt influenced England’s estimation of a par score.
Ravi Bopara played nicely alongside Shah, especially in the early overs of Nikita Miller’s spin, and Collingwood gave the innings impetus straight away. But showers could not have halted play at a worse time for England with the fourth-wicket pair gathering momentum and preparing to call for the batting powerplay.
A total of about 300 was not unrealistic, but with Shah top-edging a pull having struck 62 from 86 balls and Dimitri Mascarenhas succumbing to slightly low bounce second ball, the five overs of fielding restrictions yielded only 19 runs.
Chasing 271, Ramnaresh Sarwan, as befitting a batsman in the form of his life, looked at ease without ever threatening to tear apart the attack and Lendl Simmons appeared jittery whenever he went a few balls without a run. The loss of both men inside three overs handed England the advantage.
That was to reckon without Chanderpaul. He lofted his first ball, from Collingwood, over mid-on to the boundary to bring his local crowd, now filling the National Stadium, to its feet in a frenzy. The assault on Harmison could be described as bullying but for the fact that Harmison is the giant, Chanderpaul the titch.
The first ball of the 40th over, short and wide, was drilled past cover point, the next flipped over fine leg for six. Two forcing strokes pierced the offside ring before a straight drive and a slash over cover completed the over. Regret when he fell almost immediately afterwards was palpable.
But the impact of that over on Harmison became clear as he allowed a straightforward catch at long-on from Pollard, off Gareth Batty, to slip through his hands and creep over the rope. His place for the second game here tomorrow is far from assured.
England*A J Strauss c Bravo b Powell 15R S Bopara lbw b Miller 43K P Pietersen c Powell b Bravo 17O A Shah c Ramdin b Bravo 62P D Collingwood c Bravo b Pollard 69A D Mascarenhas lbw b Pollard 0†M J Prior not out 26S C J Broad run out 8G J Batty not out 2Extras (lb 4, w 23, nb 1) 28Total (7 wkts, 50 overs) 270
S J Harmison and J M Anderson did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-64, 3-117, 4-215, 5-216, 6-243, 7-263.
Bowling: Powell 5-0-27-1; Edwards 5-0-23-0; Bravo 10-0-65-2; Sammy 10-0-43-0; Miller 9-0-48-1; Pollard 8-0-46-2; Gayle 3-0-14-0.
West Indies*C H Gayle lbw b Broad 2L M P Simmons c Anderson b Batty 62R R Sarwan c Strauss b Collingwood 57S Chanderpaul c Strauss b Broad 46K A Pollard c Harmison b Anderson 42D J Bravo c Bopara b Anderson 1†D Ramdin lbw b Broad 11D J G Sammy not out 0Extras (b 5, lb 4, w 14) 23Total (7 wkts, 46.2 overs) 244
N O Miller, F H Edwards, D B L Powell did not bat.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-131, 3-152, 4-212, 5-213, 6-242, 7-244.
Bowling: Broad 9.2-2-41-3; Anderson 8-0-39-2; Harmison 7-0-51-0; Mascarenhas 8-0-33-0; Batty 7-0-34-1; Collingwood 7-0-37-1.
Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and C R Duncan.
One-day schedule: Guyana: Tomorrow: Second one-day international. Bridgetown: Friday: Third one-day international. Bridgetown: Sunday, March 29: Fourth one-day international. Gros Islet, St Lucia: Friday, March 3: Fifth one-day international.
Source:the times
Andy Murray gets used to taking his place at the top table
Andy Murray’s elevated status in the tennis world meant that he was one of those singled out for special attention here by Adam Helfant, the new chief executive and chairman of the ATP World Tour. Murray brought Ross Hutchins, his doubles partner, along to the dinner table for company and Helfant walked away highly impressed with what the British No 1 had to say on all manner of strategic and political issues.
It is symptomatic of the Scot’s position both as a defining player for his nation and right up there among the world’s best that, when he speaks, influential ears are cocked and, when he plays, everyone stops to have a look.
That has been Roger Federer’s position for years, one enhanced by his recent elevation to president of the ATP Player Council, which gives the view from the coalface.
Today, in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Federer and Murray meet for the sixth time in just over a year in official competition — seven if you count January’s exhibition in Abu Dhabi — and the British No 1 has triumphed in the past four. Both men are feeling their way back into the bear pit of competition, both have been a bit edgy, though Murray has not dropped a single set here and Federer just one.
“Great players are tough to play against,” Federer said.” “I’m still figuring Andy out a little bit. He is very consistent for someone so young and that’s impressive.”
Where Murray has been ultra-consistent is his in dislike of the “whereabouts” rule, imposed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) programme, which means that a player has to let the authorities know where he is going to be for one hour of every day.
It got to the ludicrous situation on the way here that, as Murray decided to leave his hotel early to beat the notorious Los Angeles freeway snarls, he realised that he needed to update his position to the doping controllers or risk a strike against his unblemished record. Hasty calls were made back to Britain, plans updated and the risk averted.
Murray says the ATP’s doping guidelines could be amended. “It would make sense for the ATP to have a company that is used where we know that everything is going to be fine. If not, I am scared to take anything – I literally felt like I was dying in bed a couple of weeks ago and all I could take is paracetamol, three times a day.
“At least the women’s tour has a company they turn to which basically guarantees they are going to be safe. We don’t have anything like that.”
Which is something he will definitely be taking up with Helfant and his political top brass, the next time he is invited to dinner.
Source:the times
It is symptomatic of the Scot’s position both as a defining player for his nation and right up there among the world’s best that, when he speaks, influential ears are cocked and, when he plays, everyone stops to have a look.
That has been Roger Federer’s position for years, one enhanced by his recent elevation to president of the ATP Player Council, which gives the view from the coalface.
Today, in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Federer and Murray meet for the sixth time in just over a year in official competition — seven if you count January’s exhibition in Abu Dhabi — and the British No 1 has triumphed in the past four. Both men are feeling their way back into the bear pit of competition, both have been a bit edgy, though Murray has not dropped a single set here and Federer just one.
“Great players are tough to play against,” Federer said.” “I’m still figuring Andy out a little bit. He is very consistent for someone so young and that’s impressive.”
Where Murray has been ultra-consistent is his in dislike of the “whereabouts” rule, imposed by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) as a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) programme, which means that a player has to let the authorities know where he is going to be for one hour of every day.
It got to the ludicrous situation on the way here that, as Murray decided to leave his hotel early to beat the notorious Los Angeles freeway snarls, he realised that he needed to update his position to the doping controllers or risk a strike against his unblemished record. Hasty calls were made back to Britain, plans updated and the risk averted.
Murray says the ATP’s doping guidelines could be amended. “It would make sense for the ATP to have a company that is used where we know that everything is going to be fine. If not, I am scared to take anything – I literally felt like I was dying in bed a couple of weeks ago and all I could take is paracetamol, three times a day.
“At least the women’s tour has a company they turn to which basically guarantees they are going to be safe. We don’t have anything like that.”
Which is something he will definitely be taking up with Helfant and his political top brass, the next time he is invited to dinner.
Source:the times
Colin Montgomerie welcomes additional help
Colin Montgomerie will be contractually obliged to have at least two vice-captains when he leads Europe in the Ryder Cup against the United States at Celtic Manor in September next year. For the first time, this requirement will be part of the agreement made between the captain and the European Tour.
Such a move could be interpreted as being a direct result of Nick Faldo, captain of the losing Europe team in Louisville last September, choosing to have only one vicecaptain, José MarÃa Olazábal. Though that was Faldo's decision, others looking at the Europe team during their comprehensive defeat came to the conclusion that Faldo had left himself too much to do.
In fact, Montgomerie may even have four vice-captains. “I have got to have two,” Montgomerie, 45, said. “You can envisage that number being doubled by the time the Ryder Cup comes round.
“One of them will be Olly [Olazábal], unless he is playing. His first request to me is to try and compete as a player, but if that does not happen, we have a pact that he will come and help me as the No1 vice-captain.”Watching the previous Ryder Cup from afar, Montgomerie was most impressed with the job that the American vice-captains, Ray Floyd, Dave Stockton and Olin Browne, did for Paul Azinger, their captain. Each vice-captain was put in charge of one four-man unit from the start of the week to the end, leaving Azinger free to roam. “That is exactly what Nick unfortunately couldn't do because he was more on his own,” Montgomerie said.
“You can't watch three or four groups. You just can't do it. You can't give that time. The way that Paul delegated to Ray Floyd and Dave Stockton, two very hard and competitive men, was possibly the winning of the Ryder Cup for the US and why we lost it. We didn't have the depth of backroom staff.”
Annika Sorenstam, 38, who retired from the LPGA Tour last year after 72 victories and 10 major tournament wins saying that she wanted to start a business and a family, announced last night that she and Mike McGee, her husband, are expecting their first child in the autumn.
Source:the times
Such a move could be interpreted as being a direct result of Nick Faldo, captain of the losing Europe team in Louisville last September, choosing to have only one vicecaptain, José MarÃa Olazábal. Though that was Faldo's decision, others looking at the Europe team during their comprehensive defeat came to the conclusion that Faldo had left himself too much to do.
In fact, Montgomerie may even have four vice-captains. “I have got to have two,” Montgomerie, 45, said. “You can envisage that number being doubled by the time the Ryder Cup comes round.
“One of them will be Olly [Olazábal], unless he is playing. His first request to me is to try and compete as a player, but if that does not happen, we have a pact that he will come and help me as the No1 vice-captain.”Watching the previous Ryder Cup from afar, Montgomerie was most impressed with the job that the American vice-captains, Ray Floyd, Dave Stockton and Olin Browne, did for Paul Azinger, their captain. Each vice-captain was put in charge of one four-man unit from the start of the week to the end, leaving Azinger free to roam. “That is exactly what Nick unfortunately couldn't do because he was more on his own,” Montgomerie said.
“You can't watch three or four groups. You just can't do it. You can't give that time. The way that Paul delegated to Ray Floyd and Dave Stockton, two very hard and competitive men, was possibly the winning of the Ryder Cup for the US and why we lost it. We didn't have the depth of backroom staff.”
Annika Sorenstam, 38, who retired from the LPGA Tour last year after 72 victories and 10 major tournament wins saying that she wanted to start a business and a family, announced last night that she and Mike McGee, her husband, are expecting their first child in the autumn.
Source:the times
Bronze Cannon can hit the target at Lingfield Park
Flat racing returns to turf at Doncaster in a week's time, but the climax of the all-weather season takes centre stage today with the sportingbet.com Winter Derby (3.05) at Lingfield Park. John Gosden has his horses in excellent form already - he saddled Mafaaz to win the Kentucky Derby Trial at Kempton Park on Wednesday - and the classy Bronze Cannon can give him another valuable prize.
Touted as a possible for the real thing at Epsom after showing smart form in winning two handicaps at Newmarket early last year, Bronze Cannon instead went to Royal Ascot for the King Edward VII Stakes, finishing a disappointing seventh having been sent off second favourite.
He returned to form after a four-month break when a good third in this grade back at Newmarket and was then unsuited by a slow early pace when only fifth to Yahrab over this course and distance in November.
Twice a winner over a mile on this surface at Kempton Park, he has a good record when fresh and still has the potential to be a cut above these rivals. The booking of champion jockey Ryan Moore, who returned to Britain this week, adds to confidence and Bronze Cannon looks too big at a general 6-1 this morning.
The main threat comes from Premio Loco. Brought along with typical patience by Chris Wall, Premio Loco has been beaten just once in six starts on the all-weather and has looked a class act on his past two starts over a mile here and at Kempton Park. The doubt is whether he will be as effective over this longer trip as, while he is bred to stay, he races keenly and appeared not to last home over a furlong shorter when sixth in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.
The sportingbet.com Spring Cup (2.35) has also attracted a good-class field, with Damien taken to come out on top. He showed smart form in going close in valuable sales races at Newmarket and Doncaster before an excellent fourth to Lord Shanakill in the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury in September. Sure to have been freshened up by a five-month break since disappointing at Chantilly, he can bounce back to form.
Matsunosuke will appreciate a return to the minimum trip and can add to his excellent course record in the sportingbet.com Hever Sprint Stakes (2.05). He has racked up four wins, a second (in this race 12 months ago) and two thirds in seven starts here and is fancied to prove too strong for the front-running Arganil in the closing stages.
Over jumps at Newbury, Dancingwithbubbles, trained by Alan King, is sure to go close in the EBF Byrne Bros Mares Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final (3.30). She showed smart form in bumpers and has progressed well in three starts since switching to hurdles.
Unsuited by heavy ground on her reappearance, she then found Carole's Legacy just too strong at Ludlow in December before winning in tidy fashion at the same track last time. Weighted to turn the tables on Carole's Legacy, she should be more effective back on better ground and can continue her rise through the ranks.
Source:the times
Touted as a possible for the real thing at Epsom after showing smart form in winning two handicaps at Newmarket early last year, Bronze Cannon instead went to Royal Ascot for the King Edward VII Stakes, finishing a disappointing seventh having been sent off second favourite.
He returned to form after a four-month break when a good third in this grade back at Newmarket and was then unsuited by a slow early pace when only fifth to Yahrab over this course and distance in November.
Twice a winner over a mile on this surface at Kempton Park, he has a good record when fresh and still has the potential to be a cut above these rivals. The booking of champion jockey Ryan Moore, who returned to Britain this week, adds to confidence and Bronze Cannon looks too big at a general 6-1 this morning.
The main threat comes from Premio Loco. Brought along with typical patience by Chris Wall, Premio Loco has been beaten just once in six starts on the all-weather and has looked a class act on his past two starts over a mile here and at Kempton Park. The doubt is whether he will be as effective over this longer trip as, while he is bred to stay, he races keenly and appeared not to last home over a furlong shorter when sixth in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.
The sportingbet.com Spring Cup (2.35) has also attracted a good-class field, with Damien taken to come out on top. He showed smart form in going close in valuable sales races at Newmarket and Doncaster before an excellent fourth to Lord Shanakill in the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury in September. Sure to have been freshened up by a five-month break since disappointing at Chantilly, he can bounce back to form.
Matsunosuke will appreciate a return to the minimum trip and can add to his excellent course record in the sportingbet.com Hever Sprint Stakes (2.05). He has racked up four wins, a second (in this race 12 months ago) and two thirds in seven starts here and is fancied to prove too strong for the front-running Arganil in the closing stages.
Over jumps at Newbury, Dancingwithbubbles, trained by Alan King, is sure to go close in the EBF Byrne Bros Mares Novices' Handicap Hurdle Final (3.30). She showed smart form in bumpers and has progressed well in three starts since switching to hurdles.
Unsuited by heavy ground on her reappearance, she then found Carole's Legacy just too strong at Ludlow in December before winning in tidy fashion at the same track last time. Weighted to turn the tables on Carole's Legacy, she should be more effective back on better ground and can continue her rise through the ranks.
Source:the times
Alex Ferguson and Rafael Benitez at loggerheads over spending
Rafael BenÃtez has hit back at Sir Alex Ferguson and told him to “check his figures” after the Manchester United manager dismissed his Liverpool counterpart’s claims that the Merseyside club have spent less money than the Barclays Premier League champions over the past five years.
Ferguson claimed yesterday that Liverpool were “well ahead of us in spending in the last five years”, but the statistics appear to support BenÃtez. United’s gross spending since June 2004, when the Spaniard arrived at Anfield, totals £221.95 million compared with £212.6 million by Liverpool. Ferguson’s net spending over that period is £147.90 million compared with BenÃtez’s £111.39 million.
The row marks the latest chapter in the escalating tension between the pair, whose rivalry is fast becoming the fiercest in English football. Ferguson branded BenÃtez “disturbed” after the Liverpool manager accused him in January of wielding an unfair influence over referees during a calculated attack, and on the eve of United’s 4-1 defeat by Liverpool at Old Trafford a week ago Ferguson resumed the spat by claiming that he would need to “read up on Freud” to make sense of the Spaniard’s remarks.
“Check the figures,” BenÃtez said. “It doesn’t matter what Ferguson says about money. They [Liverpool] have more money and can spend more than us, so we have to manage and do our best in every single deal.” Ferguson had sparked the debate when he claimed that he had instructed United’s staff to survey the statistics after growing tired of listening to BenÃtez reiterating that Liverpool had spent less. “I was amazed when I saw that [],” Ferguson said. “I talked to some of the people in the sports technology department and said, ‘Check that out.’
“I am sure I have not spent that much money. I worked out in the last five years that Liverpool have spent £24 million more than Manchester United. The most amazing fact about them is that they have used 60 players in the reserves this season.”
Ferguson is under no illusions, though, that BenÃtez will spend big in the summer after signing a new five-year contract. As revealed by The Times yesterday, he is expected to have at least £30 million plus whatever he can recoup in sales to spend.
“You will see Rafa produce an incredible spending spree — that is an absolute certainty now he has signed a new contract,” the United manager said. “They talk of a recession, but there will not be one at Liverpool.”
Ferguson is more concerned about returning to winning ways away to Fulham in the league this afternoon, however, and believes that the embarrassing defeat by Liverpool last weekend could serve as a wake-up call to his players, whom he fears were becoming distracted by all the talk of an unprecedented quintuple.
Jonny Evans, the defender, will replace Nemanja Vidic, who is suspended after being sent off against Liverpool, and Gary Neville, the captain, is available after injury.
“The club has to recover from a defeat and travelling away to Fulham represents a good challenge,” Ferguson said. “It is hard to defend a 4-1 defeat. We suffered from self-inflicted wounds and mistakes you don’t expect. For weeks we had to listen to eulogies and compliments about how good this side of ours was. I kept deflecting that and saying how tough this league was and this \ was just a reminder to us. In a way, it will help us because we realise there is a lot of work to be done. You have to answer tough questions every time Manchester United lose a game. There were no lives lost last week.”
Facts in figures
£221.95m: Manchester United’s gross spend on transfers (£147.90 million net) since June 2004, when Rafael BenÃtez was appointed Liverpool manager, up to and including January 2009 transfer window
£212.60m: Liverpool’s spending (£111.39 million net) during same period
Source:the times
Ferguson claimed yesterday that Liverpool were “well ahead of us in spending in the last five years”, but the statistics appear to support BenÃtez. United’s gross spending since June 2004, when the Spaniard arrived at Anfield, totals £221.95 million compared with £212.6 million by Liverpool. Ferguson’s net spending over that period is £147.90 million compared with BenÃtez’s £111.39 million.
The row marks the latest chapter in the escalating tension between the pair, whose rivalry is fast becoming the fiercest in English football. Ferguson branded BenÃtez “disturbed” after the Liverpool manager accused him in January of wielding an unfair influence over referees during a calculated attack, and on the eve of United’s 4-1 defeat by Liverpool at Old Trafford a week ago Ferguson resumed the spat by claiming that he would need to “read up on Freud” to make sense of the Spaniard’s remarks.
“Check the figures,” BenÃtez said. “It doesn’t matter what Ferguson says about money. They [Liverpool] have more money and can spend more than us, so we have to manage and do our best in every single deal.” Ferguson had sparked the debate when he claimed that he had instructed United’s staff to survey the statistics after growing tired of listening to BenÃtez reiterating that Liverpool had spent less. “I was amazed when I saw that [],” Ferguson said. “I talked to some of the people in the sports technology department and said, ‘Check that out.’
“I am sure I have not spent that much money. I worked out in the last five years that Liverpool have spent £24 million more than Manchester United. The most amazing fact about them is that they have used 60 players in the reserves this season.”
Ferguson is under no illusions, though, that BenÃtez will spend big in the summer after signing a new five-year contract. As revealed by The Times yesterday, he is expected to have at least £30 million plus whatever he can recoup in sales to spend.
“You will see Rafa produce an incredible spending spree — that is an absolute certainty now he has signed a new contract,” the United manager said. “They talk of a recession, but there will not be one at Liverpool.”
Ferguson is more concerned about returning to winning ways away to Fulham in the league this afternoon, however, and believes that the embarrassing defeat by Liverpool last weekend could serve as a wake-up call to his players, whom he fears were becoming distracted by all the talk of an unprecedented quintuple.
Jonny Evans, the defender, will replace Nemanja Vidic, who is suspended after being sent off against Liverpool, and Gary Neville, the captain, is available after injury.
“The club has to recover from a defeat and travelling away to Fulham represents a good challenge,” Ferguson said. “It is hard to defend a 4-1 defeat. We suffered from self-inflicted wounds and mistakes you don’t expect. For weeks we had to listen to eulogies and compliments about how good this side of ours was. I kept deflecting that and saying how tough this league was and this \ was just a reminder to us. In a way, it will help us because we realise there is a lot of work to be done. You have to answer tough questions every time Manchester United lose a game. There were no lives lost last week.”
Facts in figures
£221.95m: Manchester United’s gross spend on transfers (£147.90 million net) since June 2004, when Rafael BenÃtez was appointed Liverpool manager, up to and including January 2009 transfer window
£212.60m: Liverpool’s spending (£111.39 million net) during same period
Source:the times
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Manchester United will not win the quintuple
Manchester United cannot do the quintuple. Who says so? None other than Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager.
In a wide-ranging interview with his friend Alastair Campbell, the communications and strategy secretary to Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister, Ferguson says that a clean sweep of five trophies is “too tough a call”.
He also picks his Manchester United dream team — well, two, actually — and names Ryan Giggs as the player he would “never, ever leave out” of his best side. He admits that his biggest mistake was letting go of Jaap Stam, the Holland defender, and that his biggest regret was failing to sign Paul Gascoigne.
Ferguson believes that his present squad is the best he has managed, but although United have won the Club World Cup and Carling Cup and are favourites to retain the Barclays Premier League title despite last Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat by Liverpool, Ferguson fears that cup football’s unpredictable nature means that they could come unstuck in the FA Cup, in which they play Everton at Wembley in the semi-finals, or the Champions League, in which their quarter and possible semi-final opponents will be revealed tomorrow. “The thing about cup football is you need to be the best, but you also need a lot of luck, and I think it’s asking too much for all the games to go your way,” he said.
When asked by Campbell in today’s New Statesman to pick his best United XI, Ferguson, who took over at Old Trafford in 1986, says: “My problem is I have had so many great players that I can’t do one dream team.
“I ask myself who were the players you could not leave out. Roy Keane, Scholes, Giggs — [I would] never, ever leave him out if I was playing my best team. Ronaldo and Cantona are both ‘never leave out’ players. You’d have Beckham knocking on the door. As for Rooney, if I left him out, I’d have to do it by e-mail or I’d never hear the end of it. God, when you go through it like that, I have been blessed with terrific players.”
Ferguson’s relationship with Stam soured after the player published an autobiography, Head To Head, in which he revealed behind-the-scenes secrets from the United training ground. The former Holland centre back, who joined the club in 1998 and had been a mainstay of United’s 1999 treble-winning team, was sold to Lazio for £16.5 million. Although Ferguson was reported to have questioned Stam’s long-term fitness after Achilles tendon surgery, he went on to play at the highest level for several seasons. His departure left a hole in the United rearguard and it cost £30 million to fill, with the signing of Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United 11 months later.
Ferguson, 67, also discusses politics and the early experiences that have made him a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party, and names the players and managers that he admires.
He also reveals that he supports in principle the idea of a Great Britain side at the 2012 Olympic Games, although he is noncommittal about the prospect of managing it.
Furthermore, he mentions his eventual retirement — although Messrs BenÃtez, Wenger and others will be disappointed to learn that he is unwilling to name the date.
Source:the times
In a wide-ranging interview with his friend Alastair Campbell, the communications and strategy secretary to Tony Blair when he was Prime Minister, Ferguson says that a clean sweep of five trophies is “too tough a call”.
He also picks his Manchester United dream team — well, two, actually — and names Ryan Giggs as the player he would “never, ever leave out” of his best side. He admits that his biggest mistake was letting go of Jaap Stam, the Holland defender, and that his biggest regret was failing to sign Paul Gascoigne.
Ferguson believes that his present squad is the best he has managed, but although United have won the Club World Cup and Carling Cup and are favourites to retain the Barclays Premier League title despite last Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat by Liverpool, Ferguson fears that cup football’s unpredictable nature means that they could come unstuck in the FA Cup, in which they play Everton at Wembley in the semi-finals, or the Champions League, in which their quarter and possible semi-final opponents will be revealed tomorrow. “The thing about cup football is you need to be the best, but you also need a lot of luck, and I think it’s asking too much for all the games to go your way,” he said.
When asked by Campbell in today’s New Statesman to pick his best United XI, Ferguson, who took over at Old Trafford in 1986, says: “My problem is I have had so many great players that I can’t do one dream team.
“I ask myself who were the players you could not leave out. Roy Keane, Scholes, Giggs — [I would] never, ever leave him out if I was playing my best team. Ronaldo and Cantona are both ‘never leave out’ players. You’d have Beckham knocking on the door. As for Rooney, if I left him out, I’d have to do it by e-mail or I’d never hear the end of it. God, when you go through it like that, I have been blessed with terrific players.”
Ferguson’s relationship with Stam soured after the player published an autobiography, Head To Head, in which he revealed behind-the-scenes secrets from the United training ground. The former Holland centre back, who joined the club in 1998 and had been a mainstay of United’s 1999 treble-winning team, was sold to Lazio for £16.5 million. Although Ferguson was reported to have questioned Stam’s long-term fitness after Achilles tendon surgery, he went on to play at the highest level for several seasons. His departure left a hole in the United rearguard and it cost £30 million to fill, with the signing of Rio Ferdinand from Leeds United 11 months later.
Ferguson, 67, also discusses politics and the early experiences that have made him a lifelong supporter of the Labour Party, and names the players and managers that he admires.
He also reveals that he supports in principle the idea of a Great Britain side at the 2012 Olympic Games, although he is noncommittal about the prospect of managing it.
Furthermore, he mentions his eventual retirement — although Messrs BenÃtez, Wenger and others will be disappointed to learn that he is unwilling to name the date.
Source:the times
Hull City manager Phil Brown fined £2,500 for touchline skirmish
Phil Brown, the outspoken Hull City manager, has been fined £2,500 and warned as to future conduct by the FA after admitting a charge of improper conduct.
The charge relates to an incident that took place at St James' Park on January 14, when Brown and Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle manager, were involved in a touchline row during the FA Cup third-round match.
The pair were sent to the stands by referee Phil Dowd, with the matter then taken up by the FA's disciplinary department. Brown admitted the charge and requested a personal hearing, but has escaped a touchline ban.
"At a regulatory commission hearing today, Hull City manager Phil Brown was warned as to future conduct and fined £2,500," a statement from the FA read. "Brown admitted a charge of improper conduct relating to a touchline confrontation involving himself and Joe Kinnear during an FA Cup match at St James' Park on 14 January."
Kinnear is currently recovering from heart surgery, and his hearing has been scheduled for a later date.
Source:the times
The charge relates to an incident that took place at St James' Park on January 14, when Brown and Joe Kinnear, the Newcastle manager, were involved in a touchline row during the FA Cup third-round match.
The pair were sent to the stands by referee Phil Dowd, with the matter then taken up by the FA's disciplinary department. Brown admitted the charge and requested a personal hearing, but has escaped a touchline ban.
"At a regulatory commission hearing today, Hull City manager Phil Brown was warned as to future conduct and fined £2,500," a statement from the FA read. "Brown admitted a charge of improper conduct relating to a touchline confrontation involving himself and Joe Kinnear during an FA Cup match at St James' Park on 14 January."
Kinnear is currently recovering from heart surgery, and his hearing has been scheduled for a later date.
Source:the times
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks never doubted Rafael Benitez would stay
Tom Hicks, the Liverpool co-owner, says he never doubted that Rafael Benitez would commit his long-term future to the club.
The Liverpool manager ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a new contract last night that will keep him at Anfield until 2014. Internal politics had led to doubts about his position at the club but Hicks believes there was never a real possibility of him leaving.
"I was never worried we would lose Rafa Benitez," Hicks said. Hicks added: "These things are complicated. A five-year contract is complicated, so I'm just relieved we finally got it done. Rafa has such a passion for Liverpool. I looked him in the eyes and I knew he'd sign.
"From the supporters' point of view, to have it done on top of such a great week on the pitch is great."
Hicks played down long-running reports that the delay was down to a power struggle - and in particular wrangling over transfer policy.
"That was in the media but it was never really true," he said. "I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget.
"He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
The American is happy with the Reds' improvement in the Premier League and added: "We have a chance to catch Manchester United. It's not a great chance, but it's a chance."
Hicks said the club would continue to back Benitez in the transfer market. "We have signed Martin Skrtel, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun. We even signed Robbie Keane. But that didn't work out."
"I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget," he said. "He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
Hicks dismissed the idea that the club was imminently going to be sold to businessmen in the middle-east and reaffirmed his commitment to staying at Anfield.
"I'm going to be here the next five years, Rafa will be here for five years," he said. "I think George will be here for the next five years, though I can't answer for him. We all want to be here for the new stadium."
On the subject of the proposed new ground at Stanley Park, Hicks added: "We want to build that sucker," he said. "But the reality is that we have had to totally redesign it. We'll get financing for the stadium.
"Plans are done and we continue to move forward with architects and designers. With the economic slowdown the price of concrete, labour and steel have come down and that will save us about 30 per cent on the cost of the stadium. I'm hesitant to pick a date. It's not being mothballed, its going to happen."
Source:the times
The Liverpool manager ended months of bitter wrangling over his future by signing a new contract last night that will keep him at Anfield until 2014. Internal politics had led to doubts about his position at the club but Hicks believes there was never a real possibility of him leaving.
"I was never worried we would lose Rafa Benitez," Hicks said. Hicks added: "These things are complicated. A five-year contract is complicated, so I'm just relieved we finally got it done. Rafa has such a passion for Liverpool. I looked him in the eyes and I knew he'd sign.
"From the supporters' point of view, to have it done on top of such a great week on the pitch is great."
Hicks played down long-running reports that the delay was down to a power struggle - and in particular wrangling over transfer policy.
"That was in the media but it was never really true," he said. "I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget.
"He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
The American is happy with the Reds' improvement in the Premier League and added: "We have a chance to catch Manchester United. It's not a great chance, but it's a chance."
Hicks said the club would continue to back Benitez in the transfer market. "We have signed Martin Skrtel, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and Yossi Benayoun. We even signed Robbie Keane. But that didn't work out."
"I sat down with Rafa a couple of months ago and he made it very clear that he knows a manager can't have control over transfer budget," he said. "He has had his frustrations over the last five years and those are well chronicled but he will make the recommendations about which players we sign and the new CEO, the owners and the board will make the final financial commitment. And that is the way it needs to be."
Hicks dismissed the idea that the club was imminently going to be sold to businessmen in the middle-east and reaffirmed his commitment to staying at Anfield.
"I'm going to be here the next five years, Rafa will be here for five years," he said. "I think George will be here for the next five years, though I can't answer for him. We all want to be here for the new stadium."
On the subject of the proposed new ground at Stanley Park, Hicks added: "We want to build that sucker," he said. "But the reality is that we have had to totally redesign it. We'll get financing for the stadium.
"Plans are done and we continue to move forward with architects and designers. With the economic slowdown the price of concrete, labour and steel have come down and that will save us about 30 per cent on the cost of the stadium. I'm hesitant to pick a date. It's not being mothballed, its going to happen."
Source:the times
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Rory McIlroy is roaring after Tiger
RORY McILROY was described by no less than Tiger Woods last night as having “all the components to be the best player in the world” but golf’s most talented teenager saw his challenge dissipate late in the third round of the CA Championship at Doral in Florida.
Three-time major winner Phil Mickelson and fellow American Nick Watney, both on 16 under par, will take a four-shot lead over Colombian Camilo Villegas and India’s Jeev Singh into today’s final round, six shots ahead of McIlroy, who lost his way on the back nine after closing to within one shot of Mickelson through 12 holes.
His ball-striking failed to match the consistent sharpness so evident in his first and second rounds in which he shot 68 and 66. From the outset, he was ragged off the tee, dragging his opening drive of 330 yards left into the rough. He salvaged a birdie with an excellent approach shot to within 20ft of the pin and an undemanding two-putt and his mindset remained indefatigably positive. A bogey on the par-three fourth when he pulled his tee shot into a greenside bunker did not dent his confidence, for he responded immediately with a birdie on the short par-four fifth hole when he executed his approach shot to within 3ft of the flagstick. Another up-and-down from behind the green on the par-five 10th moved him to 12-under and a two-putt birdie on the 12th left him within striking distance of Watney and Mickelson.
Then his assault began to fall apart. He missed the green on the par-four 14th and failed to get up and down after using his three-wood out of the fringe rough. Duffed chips and further bogeys on the 15th and 17th quickly followed and a round so full of promise two-thirds of the way through finished disappointingly in 72 strokes to leave him where he had started the day on 10 under par. He lost position in the field from third to 10th. “It was a pretty difficult day out there and I thought I was doing very well as three-under through 13 was a good score,” he reflected. “But I just let a few slip at the end. I hit a bad drive at the 14th, got away with it, just missed the green to the right and had a terrible lie. It could have been better but I am still there or thereabouts. It has been a great three weeks but it would be nice to shoot a good round tomorrow before I head home for a couple of weeks.”
The 19-year-old from Holywood, Co Down, has demonstrated a precocious talent in America and in only his second strokeplay tournament on the PGA Tour his performance here has been extraordinary. He is unlikely to become the youngest winner in the history of American professional golf today, breaking by two days the record of Philadelphia’s Johnny McDermott, who was aged 19 years and 315 days when he won the US Open in 1911, but even Woods, who walked off with a satisfying four-under-par 68 to move to seven-under overall, has noted his potential.
“There’s no doubt, no doubt, hopefully while I’m not around or even while I am around,” Woods declared when asked if he has seen golf’s future No 1 in McIlroy. “The guy’s a talent, he certainly has the talent and we can all see it, the way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip and get up and down. He has the composure and all of the components to be the best player in the world, there’s no doubt. It’s just a matter of time and then basically gaining that experience in big events. That takes time and, jeez, I mean he’s only 19. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll be there.”
Confronted by the same challenge in their second rounds on the Blue Monster course, Woods and McIlroy reacted in ways that said much about them both. On the par-five eighth hole Woods drove his ball 281 yards, leaving a shot of 270 yards over water to the pin. “I can’t get there,” he decided. “It’s 250 into the wind to the front of the green. Over water, there’s no way.” He laid up, pitched to 25ft and took two putts for par.
Then came McIlroy. Bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes had stalled the teenager’s momentum but his drive bounded 284 yards down the fairway, so 268 yards — over water — remained to the pin. He unleashed his three-wood, the ball arrowed through the wind onto the middle of the green and came to a stop 7ft from the flagstick. “The two best shots I think I’ve ever hit,” McIlroy reflected, referring to this and the four-iron he hit off the fairway on the 18th hole to 8ft, which yielded a birdie to add to his eagle on the eighth. Uninhibited youth had prevailed spectacularly.
Woods once played like this, too, but we may have to become accustomed to the more calculating version. The surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which required an eight-month programme of rest and rehabilitation, seems to have forced him to play less aggressively. He played his best golf of the week but continued to struggle with his putter in yesterday’s third round, missing birdie efforts from 11ft on the second green after a two-putt birdie on the first, from 8ft on the fifth and 15ft on the sixth, much to his chagrin. But a beautiful tee shot to the ninth to 15ft was followed by a perfect putt, moving him to five under par, and he went six-under with another two-putt birdie on the par-five 10th before missing from inside 9ft again on the 12th, another par-five. He birdied the 14th and holed out from a greenside bunker on the 16th to go eight- under but a bogey on 17 spoilt his finish.
Luke Donald shot a 68 to move to nine-under, Padraig Harrington carded 71 for eight-under and Paul Casey remained at seven-under with a 72.
Source:the times
Three-time major winner Phil Mickelson and fellow American Nick Watney, both on 16 under par, will take a four-shot lead over Colombian Camilo Villegas and India’s Jeev Singh into today’s final round, six shots ahead of McIlroy, who lost his way on the back nine after closing to within one shot of Mickelson through 12 holes.
His ball-striking failed to match the consistent sharpness so evident in his first and second rounds in which he shot 68 and 66. From the outset, he was ragged off the tee, dragging his opening drive of 330 yards left into the rough. He salvaged a birdie with an excellent approach shot to within 20ft of the pin and an undemanding two-putt and his mindset remained indefatigably positive. A bogey on the par-three fourth when he pulled his tee shot into a greenside bunker did not dent his confidence, for he responded immediately with a birdie on the short par-four fifth hole when he executed his approach shot to within 3ft of the flagstick. Another up-and-down from behind the green on the par-five 10th moved him to 12-under and a two-putt birdie on the 12th left him within striking distance of Watney and Mickelson.
Then his assault began to fall apart. He missed the green on the par-four 14th and failed to get up and down after using his three-wood out of the fringe rough. Duffed chips and further bogeys on the 15th and 17th quickly followed and a round so full of promise two-thirds of the way through finished disappointingly in 72 strokes to leave him where he had started the day on 10 under par. He lost position in the field from third to 10th. “It was a pretty difficult day out there and I thought I was doing very well as three-under through 13 was a good score,” he reflected. “But I just let a few slip at the end. I hit a bad drive at the 14th, got away with it, just missed the green to the right and had a terrible lie. It could have been better but I am still there or thereabouts. It has been a great three weeks but it would be nice to shoot a good round tomorrow before I head home for a couple of weeks.”
The 19-year-old from Holywood, Co Down, has demonstrated a precocious talent in America and in only his second strokeplay tournament on the PGA Tour his performance here has been extraordinary. He is unlikely to become the youngest winner in the history of American professional golf today, breaking by two days the record of Philadelphia’s Johnny McDermott, who was aged 19 years and 315 days when he won the US Open in 1911, but even Woods, who walked off with a satisfying four-under-par 68 to move to seven-under overall, has noted his potential.
“There’s no doubt, no doubt, hopefully while I’m not around or even while I am around,” Woods declared when asked if he has seen golf’s future No 1 in McIlroy. “The guy’s a talent, he certainly has the talent and we can all see it, the way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip and get up and down. He has the composure and all of the components to be the best player in the world, there’s no doubt. It’s just a matter of time and then basically gaining that experience in big events. That takes time and, jeez, I mean he’s only 19. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll be there.”
Confronted by the same challenge in their second rounds on the Blue Monster course, Woods and McIlroy reacted in ways that said much about them both. On the par-five eighth hole Woods drove his ball 281 yards, leaving a shot of 270 yards over water to the pin. “I can’t get there,” he decided. “It’s 250 into the wind to the front of the green. Over water, there’s no way.” He laid up, pitched to 25ft and took two putts for par.
Then came McIlroy. Bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes had stalled the teenager’s momentum but his drive bounded 284 yards down the fairway, so 268 yards — over water — remained to the pin. He unleashed his three-wood, the ball arrowed through the wind onto the middle of the green and came to a stop 7ft from the flagstick. “The two best shots I think I’ve ever hit,” McIlroy reflected, referring to this and the four-iron he hit off the fairway on the 18th hole to 8ft, which yielded a birdie to add to his eagle on the eighth. Uninhibited youth had prevailed spectacularly.
Woods once played like this, too, but we may have to become accustomed to the more calculating version. The surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which required an eight-month programme of rest and rehabilitation, seems to have forced him to play less aggressively. He played his best golf of the week but continued to struggle with his putter in yesterday’s third round, missing birdie efforts from 11ft on the second green after a two-putt birdie on the first, from 8ft on the fifth and 15ft on the sixth, much to his chagrin. But a beautiful tee shot to the ninth to 15ft was followed by a perfect putt, moving him to five under par, and he went six-under with another two-putt birdie on the par-five 10th before missing from inside 9ft again on the 12th, another par-five. He birdied the 14th and holed out from a greenside bunker on the 16th to go eight- under but a bogey on 17 spoilt his finish.
Luke Donald shot a 68 to move to nine-under, Padraig Harrington carded 71 for eight-under and Paul Casey remained at seven-under with a 72.
Source:the times
Max Mosley intends driving through Formula One budget limits
Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, launched a Formula One revolution yesterday by proposing a stringent budget cap in an attempt to ensure the sport’s survival, but was immediately accused by some of going too far.
While fans of grand-prix racing may have paid more attention to a restructuring of the points-scoring system, which means that the driver who wins most races will become world champion — a practice that would have deprived Lewis Hamilton of the title last season — it is Mosley’s dramatic initiative of a £30 million budget limit that will have the most far-reaching implications.
The cap is voluntary in theory, but Mosley has also slanted a series of new technical regulations to favour heavily teams that opt for it, allowing them complete freedom to design their cars and the use of unrestricted engines. As a result, he and Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, believe that most of the teams, some of whom were spending more than £200 million a season until last year, will go for the new deal. “What team can afford not to accept the new proposal?” Ecclestone said.
However, the two most powerful men in the world’s richest sport appear to be facing a backlash. Luca di Montezemolo, the president of Ferrari and chairman of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota), said he was disappointed by what he regards as “unilateral” measures by Mosley that “run the risk of turning on its head the very essence of Formula One and the principles that make it one of the most popular and appealing sports”. While Fota claims to speak for all the participants on the grid this season, Di Montezemolo’s criticism did not reflect reaction in some quarters, especially outside of Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes, where inquiries by The Times suggested that the budget cap was being cautiously welcomed. If Mosley and Ecclestone were hoping to use this initiative to help to split Fota, they may have made some headway.
Mosley’s new world order reflects his conviction that the global recession, which has affected the car industry more than most, represents a serious threat to Formula One’s survival. He said that an initiative by the teams to cut costs by 50 per cent last December was a step in the right direction, but subsequent events had shown that it was not enough.
“The world economic crisis has worsened very significantly since then,” Mosley said. “No one can say the situation will not deteriorate further in the coming months. If this happens, we may lose other manufacturers or even independent teams, despite their best intentions. If we wait, and things get worse, it will be too late.”
He was confident that the limit of £30 million, which is likely to lead to huge job losses, was realistic. “It has been carefully costed,” he said. “The cars will be much less refined in detail, because teams will not be able to spend huge sums on minute advantages — for example, $1,200 (about £850) on a wheel nut which is only used once — but from the grandstand or on television they won’t look or sound any less ‘Formula One’ than the current, ultra-expensive cars.”
The new budgetary regime is a massive shock to the system in a sport in which even the back markers on the grid are spending almost £150 million a year on staff, design, car- building, logistics, entertainment and public relations.
It is also inevitably going to affect drivers, some of whom — such as Hamilton, McLaren’s British world champion, and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari — are among the world’s highest-paid sportsmen.
However, Mosley has softened the blow for the stars of the sport by suggesting that they could be paid outside the cap through dividends from shares in the companies they represent.
Source:the times
While fans of grand-prix racing may have paid more attention to a restructuring of the points-scoring system, which means that the driver who wins most races will become world champion — a practice that would have deprived Lewis Hamilton of the title last season — it is Mosley’s dramatic initiative of a £30 million budget limit that will have the most far-reaching implications.
The cap is voluntary in theory, but Mosley has also slanted a series of new technical regulations to favour heavily teams that opt for it, allowing them complete freedom to design their cars and the use of unrestricted engines. As a result, he and Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One commercial rights-holder, believe that most of the teams, some of whom were spending more than £200 million a season until last year, will go for the new deal. “What team can afford not to accept the new proposal?” Ecclestone said.
However, the two most powerful men in the world’s richest sport appear to be facing a backlash. Luca di Montezemolo, the president of Ferrari and chairman of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota), said he was disappointed by what he regards as “unilateral” measures by Mosley that “run the risk of turning on its head the very essence of Formula One and the principles that make it one of the most popular and appealing sports”. While Fota claims to speak for all the participants on the grid this season, Di Montezemolo’s criticism did not reflect reaction in some quarters, especially outside of Ferrari and McLaren Mercedes, where inquiries by The Times suggested that the budget cap was being cautiously welcomed. If Mosley and Ecclestone were hoping to use this initiative to help to split Fota, they may have made some headway.
Mosley’s new world order reflects his conviction that the global recession, which has affected the car industry more than most, represents a serious threat to Formula One’s survival. He said that an initiative by the teams to cut costs by 50 per cent last December was a step in the right direction, but subsequent events had shown that it was not enough.
“The world economic crisis has worsened very significantly since then,” Mosley said. “No one can say the situation will not deteriorate further in the coming months. If this happens, we may lose other manufacturers or even independent teams, despite their best intentions. If we wait, and things get worse, it will be too late.”
He was confident that the limit of £30 million, which is likely to lead to huge job losses, was realistic. “It has been carefully costed,” he said. “The cars will be much less refined in detail, because teams will not be able to spend huge sums on minute advantages — for example, $1,200 (about £850) on a wheel nut which is only used once — but from the grandstand or on television they won’t look or sound any less ‘Formula One’ than the current, ultra-expensive cars.”
The new budgetary regime is a massive shock to the system in a sport in which even the back markers on the grid are spending almost £150 million a year on staff, design, car- building, logistics, entertainment and public relations.
It is also inevitably going to affect drivers, some of whom — such as Hamilton, McLaren’s British world champion, and Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari — are among the world’s highest-paid sportsmen.
However, Mosley has softened the blow for the stars of the sport by suggesting that they could be paid outside the cap through dividends from shares in the companies they represent.
Source:the times
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Ruby Walsh goes to town
The bookmakers were still counting the cost of their defeat by the time the architect of it emerged from the weighing room on Friday night. There was no time to spare, let alone celebrate. “Got six rides at Naas tomorrow,” he explained. After riding an unprecedented seven winners over the four days of the Festival, Ruby Walsh could fly there by himself.
“I don’t know how you can ride today,” his trainer Paul Nicholls rang to tell Walsh yesterday. “I’m knackered.” But Walsh knew exactly what kept him going. “It’s easy, Paul, if you’re riding good horses,” he answered.
Yesterday, the villagers of Ditcheat, home of the most powerful jump racing stable in the land, turned out once again to honour their stars, the ones they hear clicking to work every morning. No-one knew the small Somerset village had so many residents. The main street was blocked and the Gold Cup was passed round like a loving cup, returning every now and again to its keeper.
Only little Olivia, Nicholls’ youngest daughter, seemed less than overwhelmed by the photo-opportunity.
Last year, the stable celebrated 1-2-3 in the Gold Cup and in Master Minded the horse of the Festival; this time, it was 1-2-4-5, with only the defeat by a neck of Celestial Halo denying the champion trainer a clean sweep of the major championship races. Master Minded defended his title in the Queen Mother Chase, Big Buck’s landed the World Hurdle and, unforgettably, Kauto Star became the first horse in Cheltenham history to reclaim his Gold Cup crown, sweeping aside the indignities of 12 months ago with a 13-length victory over Denman, his stablemate and old foe.
“There can be no doubts now,” said Nicholls yesterday. “He’s one of the greatest horses ever. To do what he did in the Gold Cup ended all arguments. If we keep him fresh and fit, he could run in another three Gold Cups. Who knows?”
Walsh was there in spirit alone, his pursuit of perfection on both sides of the Irish Sea undimmed by its near- attainment on the biggest stage of all. Nicholls was still shaking his head at Walsh’s ride on Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle. “A lot of jockeys would have gone wide but he switched him back inside,” he said. “No fear, you see.” Walsh also changed his whip hand within sight of the post. Not many would have attempted that.
Nobody who has studied the graph of Walsh’s career, the steeply rising curve of a prodigy, would be remotely surprised by the revelation. His later days at school were spent pestering his sister, and now agent, Jennifer to find him rides at weekends.
As an amateur, he emulated his father, Ted, by winning the title and riding a Festival winner (Alexander Banquet); in his first year as a professional, barely out of his teens, he won the senior title, too. At the age of 20, he rode Papillon, a horse trained by his father, to win the Grand National, a day of high emotion that still claims pride of place in his affections nine years on. Soon after came the introduction to the rigours of his chosen profession as well: one broken collarbone and two broken legs in his second full season in the senior ranks.
“His finishes: excellent. His ability to get a horse jumping: excellent. He is very good at thinking a race through for himself, but he’s also very capable of listening.” An apt summary of Walsh’s strengths over the past week? No, that was the Irish trainer Willie Mullins listing the talents of his new young jockey in the winter of 1998.
Walsh’s link with the Cheltenham Festival stretches back a further decade, to the day in 1986 when his father won on Attitude Adjuster. On the horse and off it, Ted was a force of nature, never the most stylish of riders but a highly effective communicator with both whip and microphone. Ted Walsh moved seamlessly from the saddle to the commentary booth, while training a dozen or so horses in his spare time. Once sure of his son’s talent and ambition, Ted made it his business to pass on his own knowledge and experience.
“Dad taught me everything, what kind of horses to ride, which way to ride, dealing with trainers, owners and press,” Walsh said. “Even now he puts me right.” At the yard of Enda Bolger, Ruby — he was christened Rupert, but, like his grandfather, quickly became “Ruby” — also learnt to sit quietly on a horse and use his legs rather than his arms to communicate. “I am not a big one-two-three bang jockey,” he once said. “The less you interfere, the better.”
The measure of Walsh’s success both as a person and a jockey is that, somehow, armed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of flight timetables and a fetching way, he manages to keep the most powerful trainers in England and Ireland just about happy, just about all the time.
“We’re just great friends,” said Nicholls of his stable jockey. “He’s intelligent and he’s a great team player. The other day he came down to the yard just to watch two lots. He didn’t have to do that. Before him, we had all sorts of nightmares on the jockey front, but he’s tactically brilliant and he’s smart. We’ll all have to watch out if he ever starts training.”
Watching Walsh handle himself in the aftermath of Kauto Star’s historic win on Friday was to see a man in utter command of his destiny. No question was left unanswered but daft questions were summarily dispatched. Had he been impressed by Kauto Star’s victory? “Obviously, he won by 13 lengths.” But there were no recriminations, there was no attempt to settle scores from the previous year when Walsh had chosen Kauto Star over Denman and been proved wrong. Denman’s performance, Walsh said, had surprised him more than Kauto Star’s.
Standing on the steps of the weighing room as the twilight descended on another Festival, Charlie Swan recalled some early jousts with a young but already greying Ruby Walsh.
“He was really clued in from the start,” said the most prolific Irish jump jockey of all time. “He would ask a lot of questions. Mind you, he used to follow me a lot in those days.”
It is the rest who are left in Ruby’s wake now.
WHY RUBY IS ROLLING IN IT AFTER CHELTENHAM
Jump jockeys are the poor relations of racing, although Tony McCoy, who has a multimillion-pound contract to ride for top Irish owner JP McManus, and Ruby Walsh, who rides for the biggest stables in Ireland and England without a contract, are starting to right the financial imbalance with the stars of the Flat. By winning the Gold Cup (£270,798), the World Hurdle (£148,226) and the Champion Chase (£182,432), Walsh earned the horses’ owners more than £600,000 in prize money. In total, the Irish champion netted £817,933 from seven winning rides. His share would be 10%. On top of that, Walsh would earn a statutory fee of £120 to £150 for every ride at the Festival and bonuses at the discretion of grateful owners.
Source:the times
“I don’t know how you can ride today,” his trainer Paul Nicholls rang to tell Walsh yesterday. “I’m knackered.” But Walsh knew exactly what kept him going. “It’s easy, Paul, if you’re riding good horses,” he answered.
Yesterday, the villagers of Ditcheat, home of the most powerful jump racing stable in the land, turned out once again to honour their stars, the ones they hear clicking to work every morning. No-one knew the small Somerset village had so many residents. The main street was blocked and the Gold Cup was passed round like a loving cup, returning every now and again to its keeper.
Only little Olivia, Nicholls’ youngest daughter, seemed less than overwhelmed by the photo-opportunity.
Last year, the stable celebrated 1-2-3 in the Gold Cup and in Master Minded the horse of the Festival; this time, it was 1-2-4-5, with only the defeat by a neck of Celestial Halo denying the champion trainer a clean sweep of the major championship races. Master Minded defended his title in the Queen Mother Chase, Big Buck’s landed the World Hurdle and, unforgettably, Kauto Star became the first horse in Cheltenham history to reclaim his Gold Cup crown, sweeping aside the indignities of 12 months ago with a 13-length victory over Denman, his stablemate and old foe.
“There can be no doubts now,” said Nicholls yesterday. “He’s one of the greatest horses ever. To do what he did in the Gold Cup ended all arguments. If we keep him fresh and fit, he could run in another three Gold Cups. Who knows?”
Walsh was there in spirit alone, his pursuit of perfection on both sides of the Irish Sea undimmed by its near- attainment on the biggest stage of all. Nicholls was still shaking his head at Walsh’s ride on Big Buck’s in the World Hurdle. “A lot of jockeys would have gone wide but he switched him back inside,” he said. “No fear, you see.” Walsh also changed his whip hand within sight of the post. Not many would have attempted that.
Nobody who has studied the graph of Walsh’s career, the steeply rising curve of a prodigy, would be remotely surprised by the revelation. His later days at school were spent pestering his sister, and now agent, Jennifer to find him rides at weekends.
As an amateur, he emulated his father, Ted, by winning the title and riding a Festival winner (Alexander Banquet); in his first year as a professional, barely out of his teens, he won the senior title, too. At the age of 20, he rode Papillon, a horse trained by his father, to win the Grand National, a day of high emotion that still claims pride of place in his affections nine years on. Soon after came the introduction to the rigours of his chosen profession as well: one broken collarbone and two broken legs in his second full season in the senior ranks.
“His finishes: excellent. His ability to get a horse jumping: excellent. He is very good at thinking a race through for himself, but he’s also very capable of listening.” An apt summary of Walsh’s strengths over the past week? No, that was the Irish trainer Willie Mullins listing the talents of his new young jockey in the winter of 1998.
Walsh’s link with the Cheltenham Festival stretches back a further decade, to the day in 1986 when his father won on Attitude Adjuster. On the horse and off it, Ted was a force of nature, never the most stylish of riders but a highly effective communicator with both whip and microphone. Ted Walsh moved seamlessly from the saddle to the commentary booth, while training a dozen or so horses in his spare time. Once sure of his son’s talent and ambition, Ted made it his business to pass on his own knowledge and experience.
“Dad taught me everything, what kind of horses to ride, which way to ride, dealing with trainers, owners and press,” Walsh said. “Even now he puts me right.” At the yard of Enda Bolger, Ruby — he was christened Rupert, but, like his grandfather, quickly became “Ruby” — also learnt to sit quietly on a horse and use his legs rather than his arms to communicate. “I am not a big one-two-three bang jockey,” he once said. “The less you interfere, the better.”
The measure of Walsh’s success both as a person and a jockey is that, somehow, armed with an encyclopaedic knowledge of flight timetables and a fetching way, he manages to keep the most powerful trainers in England and Ireland just about happy, just about all the time.
“We’re just great friends,” said Nicholls of his stable jockey. “He’s intelligent and he’s a great team player. The other day he came down to the yard just to watch two lots. He didn’t have to do that. Before him, we had all sorts of nightmares on the jockey front, but he’s tactically brilliant and he’s smart. We’ll all have to watch out if he ever starts training.”
Watching Walsh handle himself in the aftermath of Kauto Star’s historic win on Friday was to see a man in utter command of his destiny. No question was left unanswered but daft questions were summarily dispatched. Had he been impressed by Kauto Star’s victory? “Obviously, he won by 13 lengths.” But there were no recriminations, there was no attempt to settle scores from the previous year when Walsh had chosen Kauto Star over Denman and been proved wrong. Denman’s performance, Walsh said, had surprised him more than Kauto Star’s.
Standing on the steps of the weighing room as the twilight descended on another Festival, Charlie Swan recalled some early jousts with a young but already greying Ruby Walsh.
“He was really clued in from the start,” said the most prolific Irish jump jockey of all time. “He would ask a lot of questions. Mind you, he used to follow me a lot in those days.”
It is the rest who are left in Ruby’s wake now.
WHY RUBY IS ROLLING IN IT AFTER CHELTENHAM
Jump jockeys are the poor relations of racing, although Tony McCoy, who has a multimillion-pound contract to ride for top Irish owner JP McManus, and Ruby Walsh, who rides for the biggest stables in Ireland and England without a contract, are starting to right the financial imbalance with the stars of the Flat. By winning the Gold Cup (£270,798), the World Hurdle (£148,226) and the Champion Chase (£182,432), Walsh earned the horses’ owners more than £600,000 in prize money. In total, the Irish champion netted £817,933 from seven winning rides. His share would be 10%. On top of that, Walsh would earn a statutory fee of £120 to £150 for every ride at the Festival and bonuses at the discretion of grateful owners.
Source:the times
Rory McIlroy is roaring after Tiger
RORY McILROY was described by no less than Tiger Woods last night as having “all the components to be the best player in the world” but golf’s most talented teenager saw his challenge dissipate late in the third round of the CA Championship at Doral in Florida.
Three-time major winner Phil Mickelson and fellow American Nick Watney, both on 16 under par, will take a four-shot lead over Colombian Camilo Villegas and India’s Jeev Singh into today’s final round, six shots ahead of McIlroy, who lost his way on the back nine after closing to within one shot of Mickelson through 12 holes.
His ball-striking failed to match the consistent sharpness so evident in his first and second rounds in which he shot 68 and 66. From the outset, he was ragged off the tee, dragging his opening drive of 330 yards left into the rough. He salvaged a birdie with an excellent approach shot to within 20ft of the pin and an undemanding two-putt and his mindset remained indefatigably positive. A bogey on the par-three fourth when he pulled his tee shot into a greenside bunker did not dent his confidence, for he responded immediately with a birdie on the short par-four fifth hole when he executed his approach shot to within 3ft of the flagstick. Another up-and-down from behind the green on the par-five 10th moved him to 12-under and a two-putt birdie on the 12th left him within striking distance of Watney and Mickelson.
Then his assault began to fall apart. He missed the green on the par-four 14th and failed to get up and down after using his three-wood out of the fringe rough. Duffed chips and further bogeys on the 15th and 17th quickly followed and a round so full of promise two-thirds of the way through finished disappointingly in 72 strokes to leave him where he had started the day on 10 under par. He lost position in the field from third to 10th.
“It was a pretty difficult day out there and I thought I was doing very well as three-under through 13 was a good score,” he reflected. “But I just let a few slip at the end. I hit a bad drive at the 14th, got away with it, just missed the green to the right and had a terrible lie. It could have been better but I am still there or thereabouts. It has been a great three weeks but it would be nice to shoot a good round tomorrow before I head home for a couple of weeks.”
The 19-year-old from Holywood, Co Down, has demonstrated a precocious talent in America and in only his second strokeplay tournament on the PGA Tour his performance here has been extraordinary. He is unlikely to become the youngest winner in the history of American professional golf today, breaking by two days the record of Philadelphia’s Johnny McDermott, who was aged 19 years and 315 days when he won the US Open in 1911, but even Woods, who walked off with a satisfying four-under-par 68 to move to seven-under overall, has noted his potential.
“There’s no doubt, no doubt, hopefully while I’m not around or even while I am around,” Woods declared when asked if he has seen golf’s future No 1 in McIlroy. “The guy’s a talent, he certainly has the talent and we can all see it, the way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip and get up and down. He has the composure and all of the components to be the best player in the world, there’s no doubt. It’s just a matter of time and then basically gaining that experience in big events. That takes time and, jeez, I mean he’s only 19. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll be there.”
Confronted by the same challenge in their second rounds on the Blue Monster course, Woods and McIlroy reacted in ways that said much about them both. On the par-five eighth hole Woods drove his ball 281 yards, leaving a shot of 270 yards over water to the pin. “I can’t get there,” he decided. “It’s 250 into the wind to the front of the green. Over water, there’s no way.” He laid up, pitched to 25ft and took two putts for par.
Then came McIlroy. Bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes had stalled the teenager’s momentum but his drive bounded 284 yards down the fairway, so 268 yards — over water — remained to the pin. He unleashed his three-wood, the ball arrowed through the wind onto the middle of the green and came to a stop 7ft from the flagstick. “The two best shots I think I’ve ever hit,” McIlroy reflected, referring to this and the four-iron he hit off the fairway on the 18th hole to 8ft, which yielded a birdie to add to his eagle on the eighth. Uninhibited youth had prevailed spectacularly.
Woods once played like this, too, but we may have to become accustomed to the more calculating version. The surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which required an eight-month programme of rest and rehabilitation, seems to have forced him to play less aggressively. He played his best golf of the week but continued to struggle with his putter in yesterday’s third round, missing birdie efforts from 11ft on the second green after a two-putt birdie on the first, from 8ft on the fifth and 15ft on the sixth, much to his chagrin. But a beautiful tee shot to the ninth to 15ft was followed by a perfect putt, moving him to five under par, and he went six-under with another two-putt birdie on the par-five 10th before missing from inside 9ft again on the 12th, another par-five. He birdied the 14th and holed out from a greenside bunker on the 16th to go eight- under but a bogey on 17 spoilt his finish.
Luke Donald shot a 68 to move to nine-under, Padraig Harrington carded 71 for eight-under and Paul Casey remained at seven-under with a 72.
Three-time major winner Phil Mickelson and fellow American Nick Watney, both on 16 under par, will take a four-shot lead over Colombian Camilo Villegas and India’s Jeev Singh into today’s final round, six shots ahead of McIlroy, who lost his way on the back nine after closing to within one shot of Mickelson through 12 holes.
His ball-striking failed to match the consistent sharpness so evident in his first and second rounds in which he shot 68 and 66. From the outset, he was ragged off the tee, dragging his opening drive of 330 yards left into the rough. He salvaged a birdie with an excellent approach shot to within 20ft of the pin and an undemanding two-putt and his mindset remained indefatigably positive. A bogey on the par-three fourth when he pulled his tee shot into a greenside bunker did not dent his confidence, for he responded immediately with a birdie on the short par-four fifth hole when he executed his approach shot to within 3ft of the flagstick. Another up-and-down from behind the green on the par-five 10th moved him to 12-under and a two-putt birdie on the 12th left him within striking distance of Watney and Mickelson.
Then his assault began to fall apart. He missed the green on the par-four 14th and failed to get up and down after using his three-wood out of the fringe rough. Duffed chips and further bogeys on the 15th and 17th quickly followed and a round so full of promise two-thirds of the way through finished disappointingly in 72 strokes to leave him where he had started the day on 10 under par. He lost position in the field from third to 10th.
“It was a pretty difficult day out there and I thought I was doing very well as three-under through 13 was a good score,” he reflected. “But I just let a few slip at the end. I hit a bad drive at the 14th, got away with it, just missed the green to the right and had a terrible lie. It could have been better but I am still there or thereabouts. It has been a great three weeks but it would be nice to shoot a good round tomorrow before I head home for a couple of weeks.”
The 19-year-old from Holywood, Co Down, has demonstrated a precocious talent in America and in only his second strokeplay tournament on the PGA Tour his performance here has been extraordinary. He is unlikely to become the youngest winner in the history of American professional golf today, breaking by two days the record of Philadelphia’s Johnny McDermott, who was aged 19 years and 315 days when he won the US Open in 1911, but even Woods, who walked off with a satisfying four-under-par 68 to move to seven-under overall, has noted his potential.
“There’s no doubt, no doubt, hopefully while I’m not around or even while I am around,” Woods declared when asked if he has seen golf’s future No 1 in McIlroy. “The guy’s a talent, he certainly has the talent and we can all see it, the way he hits the golf ball, the way he putts, the way he can chip and get up and down. He has the composure and all of the components to be the best player in the world, there’s no doubt. It’s just a matter of time and then basically gaining that experience in big events. That takes time and, jeez, I mean he’s only 19. Just give him some time and I’m sure he’ll be there.”
Confronted by the same challenge in their second rounds on the Blue Monster course, Woods and McIlroy reacted in ways that said much about them both. On the par-five eighth hole Woods drove his ball 281 yards, leaving a shot of 270 yards over water to the pin. “I can’t get there,” he decided. “It’s 250 into the wind to the front of the green. Over water, there’s no way.” He laid up, pitched to 25ft and took two putts for par.
Then came McIlroy. Bogeys on the fifth and seventh holes had stalled the teenager’s momentum but his drive bounded 284 yards down the fairway, so 268 yards — over water — remained to the pin. He unleashed his three-wood, the ball arrowed through the wind onto the middle of the green and came to a stop 7ft from the flagstick. “The two best shots I think I’ve ever hit,” McIlroy reflected, referring to this and the four-iron he hit off the fairway on the 18th hole to 8ft, which yielded a birdie to add to his eagle on the eighth. Uninhibited youth had prevailed spectacularly.
Woods once played like this, too, but we may have to become accustomed to the more calculating version. The surgery to repair the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, which required an eight-month programme of rest and rehabilitation, seems to have forced him to play less aggressively. He played his best golf of the week but continued to struggle with his putter in yesterday’s third round, missing birdie efforts from 11ft on the second green after a two-putt birdie on the first, from 8ft on the fifth and 15ft on the sixth, much to his chagrin. But a beautiful tee shot to the ninth to 15ft was followed by a perfect putt, moving him to five under par, and he went six-under with another two-putt birdie on the par-five 10th before missing from inside 9ft again on the 12th, another par-five. He birdied the 14th and holed out from a greenside bunker on the 16th to go eight- under but a bogey on 17 spoilt his finish.
Luke Donald shot a 68 to move to nine-under, Padraig Harrington carded 71 for eight-under and Paul Casey remained at seven-under with a 72.
Liverpool stun Manchester United
So who says the title, and a clean sweep of all the honours, is a shoo-in for Manchester United now? After humiliating Real Madrid in midweek, Liverpool scored four again at Old Trafford yesterday and, to borrow Sir Alex Ferguson’s memorable phrase, it really is “squeaky bum time” for United now.
Resurgent Chelsea, undefeated under Guus Hiddink, could narrow the gap at the top of the table to four points by beating Manchester City at home this afternoon. That said, the talk of football today will be the comprehensive nature of Liverpol’s triumph here — the first time Rafa Benitez had experienced victory after enduring so many nightmares at the self-styled “Theatre of Dreams”.
Ferguson’s claim that United were the better team was ridiculously biased, even by the old grouse’s notoriously one-eyed standards. It was too risible for Benitez to bother to gainsay. The stats border on the historic.
It was the first time United had conceded four goals at home since 1992, when Queens Park Rangers upset the odds under Gerry Francis, with the unsung Dennis Bailey contributing a hat-trick.
Steven Gerrard’s penalty was the first the hosts had conceded at Old Trafford in the Premier League for two years. The result completed a home and away double for Liverpool over their great rivals, while for the league leaders it halted a run of 11 league wins on the trot. Nemanja Vidic was sent off for fouling Gerrard, reducing United to 10 men, but that was after 75 minutes, by which time Liverpool were 2-1 up and looking good.
For the typically voluble scouse contingent it was a red-letter day to evoke misty-eyed memories of their club’s halcyon years. For Graeme Souness read the leonine Gerrard, for Ian Rush the predatory Fernando Torres. After he had scored twice against Real, Gerrard was lauded as “the best player in the world” by a judge with personal experience of such things, Zinedine Zidane. The dynamic midfielder was again a colossal influence but had to share top billing with the pacy, gimlet-eyed Torres.
The outcome was all the more remarkable after the afternoon had begun badly for Liverpool. The influential Xabi Alonso was unfit and Alvaro Arbeloa tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up, necessitating a defensive shuffle. Jamie Carragher switched to right-back and Sami Hyypia was drafted in at centre-half. The implications of Hyypia’s lack of pace were still being digested when bad became worse for Benitez and company midway through the first half, Pepe Reina bringing down Ji-Sung Park for an obvious penalty, efficiently dispatched by Cristiano Ronaldo.
You would have staked a bank’s Government bailout against what was to follow. Ferguson, standing on the touchline in a coat reminiscent of Michael Foot, had the legs cut from under him and took to twitching from a seat in the dugout when his previously parsimonious defence leaked a soft equaliser within five minutes. Martin Skrtel’s long clearance upfield saw Torres stride clear of Nemanja Vidic, who was left crimson-faced on his backside as Spain’s European Championship-winning striker tucked a characteristically composed finish into Edwin Van der Sar’s right-hand corner.
Liverpool had an adrenaline rush, United were deflated and the initiative changed hands. Rio Ferdinand’s customary sang-froid deserted him and the accomplished defender was booked for upending Dirk Kuyt.
Liverpool’s stirring march from deficit to profit saw them take the lead shortly before the interval with a collector’s item — a penalty against United at Old Trafford. Gerrard, brought down by Patrice Evra, got up to beat Van der Sar from 12 yards with a shot low to the goalkeeper’s left. Suddenly, the best team in the country were in trouble. A fearful hush came over nine-tenths of the stadium and, as Anderson whirled his arms, calling urgently for more support, the Liverpudlian minority chortled: “Fergie’s right, your fans are s***.” The fans were not alone.
Ronaldo was anonymous, well contained by Fabio Aurelio, and Carlos Tevez was in blunt instrument mode, notably when Wayne Rooney’s inviting layoff caught the Argentinian maladroitly positioned at close range. The crowd called for Ryan Giggs, whose exclusion from the starting line-up after his outstanding performance against Internazionale was as surprising as Ferguson’s preference for Tevez over Dimitar Berbatov.
With 20 minutes left, the cavalry were finally brought into the fray, with Giggs, Berbatov and Paul Scholes sent on to rescue the game. Unfortunately for United, before the reinforcements could have any effect they were negated by the dismissal of Vidic, shown a straight red card by Alan Wiley for pulling down Gerrard 20 yards out. Aurelio stepped up and, from the inside-right channel, curled a delicious free kick, left-footed, over the defensive wall and into Van der Sar’s left corner. It was the crucial goal and, the match won, Benitez brought off Torres with next weekend’s visit of Aston Villa in mind. But if the manager was satisfied, his players weren’t, and in the 90th minute John O’Shea made the costly mistake of allowing a clearance from Reina to bounce, and Andrea Dossena, on for Albert Riera, chipped Van der Sar with the accuracy that brought him similar late success against Real.
Over to Chelsea, who will be hoping their neighbours, Fulham, can do them another favour when United travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday. Vidic’s suspension for that fixture will further encourage Hiddink and his charges.
Click hereto see how Liverpool stormed Old Trafford.
Star man: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Yellow cards: Man Utd: Ferdinand, Van der Sar. Liverpool: Carragher, Skrtel, Mascherano.
Red card: Man Utd: Vidic
Referee: A Wiley. Attendance: 75,569.
Manchester United: Van der Sar 6, O’Shea 5, Ferdinand 6, Vidic 5, Evra 6, Ronaldo 5, Carrick 5 (Giggs 74min), Anderson 5 (Scholes 73min), Park 5 (Berbatov 74min), Rooney 7, Tevez 5.
Liverpool: Reina 6, Carragher 6, Skrtel 6, Hyypia 6, Aurelio 7, Mascherano 6, Lucas 6, Kuyt 6, Gerrard 9 (El Zhar 90min), Riera 5 (Dossena 67min), Torres 9 (Babel 81min).
Source:the times
Resurgent Chelsea, undefeated under Guus Hiddink, could narrow the gap at the top of the table to four points by beating Manchester City at home this afternoon. That said, the talk of football today will be the comprehensive nature of Liverpol’s triumph here — the first time Rafa Benitez had experienced victory after enduring so many nightmares at the self-styled “Theatre of Dreams”.
Ferguson’s claim that United were the better team was ridiculously biased, even by the old grouse’s notoriously one-eyed standards. It was too risible for Benitez to bother to gainsay. The stats border on the historic.
It was the first time United had conceded four goals at home since 1992, when Queens Park Rangers upset the odds under Gerry Francis, with the unsung Dennis Bailey contributing a hat-trick.
Steven Gerrard’s penalty was the first the hosts had conceded at Old Trafford in the Premier League for two years. The result completed a home and away double for Liverpool over their great rivals, while for the league leaders it halted a run of 11 league wins on the trot. Nemanja Vidic was sent off for fouling Gerrard, reducing United to 10 men, but that was after 75 minutes, by which time Liverpool were 2-1 up and looking good.
For the typically voluble scouse contingent it was a red-letter day to evoke misty-eyed memories of their club’s halcyon years. For Graeme Souness read the leonine Gerrard, for Ian Rush the predatory Fernando Torres. After he had scored twice against Real, Gerrard was lauded as “the best player in the world” by a judge with personal experience of such things, Zinedine Zidane. The dynamic midfielder was again a colossal influence but had to share top billing with the pacy, gimlet-eyed Torres.
The outcome was all the more remarkable after the afternoon had begun badly for Liverpool. The influential Xabi Alonso was unfit and Alvaro Arbeloa tweaked a hamstring in the warm-up, necessitating a defensive shuffle. Jamie Carragher switched to right-back and Sami Hyypia was drafted in at centre-half. The implications of Hyypia’s lack of pace were still being digested when bad became worse for Benitez and company midway through the first half, Pepe Reina bringing down Ji-Sung Park for an obvious penalty, efficiently dispatched by Cristiano Ronaldo.
You would have staked a bank’s Government bailout against what was to follow. Ferguson, standing on the touchline in a coat reminiscent of Michael Foot, had the legs cut from under him and took to twitching from a seat in the dugout when his previously parsimonious defence leaked a soft equaliser within five minutes. Martin Skrtel’s long clearance upfield saw Torres stride clear of Nemanja Vidic, who was left crimson-faced on his backside as Spain’s European Championship-winning striker tucked a characteristically composed finish into Edwin Van der Sar’s right-hand corner.
Liverpool had an adrenaline rush, United were deflated and the initiative changed hands. Rio Ferdinand’s customary sang-froid deserted him and the accomplished defender was booked for upending Dirk Kuyt.
Liverpool’s stirring march from deficit to profit saw them take the lead shortly before the interval with a collector’s item — a penalty against United at Old Trafford. Gerrard, brought down by Patrice Evra, got up to beat Van der Sar from 12 yards with a shot low to the goalkeeper’s left. Suddenly, the best team in the country were in trouble. A fearful hush came over nine-tenths of the stadium and, as Anderson whirled his arms, calling urgently for more support, the Liverpudlian minority chortled: “Fergie’s right, your fans are s***.” The fans were not alone.
Ronaldo was anonymous, well contained by Fabio Aurelio, and Carlos Tevez was in blunt instrument mode, notably when Wayne Rooney’s inviting layoff caught the Argentinian maladroitly positioned at close range. The crowd called for Ryan Giggs, whose exclusion from the starting line-up after his outstanding performance against Internazionale was as surprising as Ferguson’s preference for Tevez over Dimitar Berbatov.
With 20 minutes left, the cavalry were finally brought into the fray, with Giggs, Berbatov and Paul Scholes sent on to rescue the game. Unfortunately for United, before the reinforcements could have any effect they were negated by the dismissal of Vidic, shown a straight red card by Alan Wiley for pulling down Gerrard 20 yards out. Aurelio stepped up and, from the inside-right channel, curled a delicious free kick, left-footed, over the defensive wall and into Van der Sar’s left corner. It was the crucial goal and, the match won, Benitez brought off Torres with next weekend’s visit of Aston Villa in mind. But if the manager was satisfied, his players weren’t, and in the 90th minute John O’Shea made the costly mistake of allowing a clearance from Reina to bounce, and Andrea Dossena, on for Albert Riera, chipped Van der Sar with the accuracy that brought him similar late success against Real.
Over to Chelsea, who will be hoping their neighbours, Fulham, can do them another favour when United travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday. Vidic’s suspension for that fixture will further encourage Hiddink and his charges.
Click hereto see how Liverpool stormed Old Trafford.
Star man: Fernando Torres (Liverpool)
Yellow cards: Man Utd: Ferdinand, Van der Sar. Liverpool: Carragher, Skrtel, Mascherano.
Red card: Man Utd: Vidic
Referee: A Wiley. Attendance: 75,569.
Manchester United: Van der Sar 6, O’Shea 5, Ferdinand 6, Vidic 5, Evra 6, Ronaldo 5, Carrick 5 (Giggs 74min), Anderson 5 (Scholes 73min), Park 5 (Berbatov 74min), Rooney 7, Tevez 5.
Liverpool: Reina 6, Carragher 6, Skrtel 6, Hyypia 6, Aurelio 7, Mascherano 6, Lucas 6, Kuyt 6, Gerrard 9 (El Zhar 90min), Riera 5 (Dossena 67min), Torres 9 (Babel 81min).
Source:the times
Amir Khan stops Marco Antonio Barrera in five
The rehabilitation of Amir Khan continued last night with what was, on paper and ultimately in reality, the most impressive victory of his career to date. The 22-year-old former Olympic silver medallist was a long way ahead on the cards of all three judges when his fight against the former three-time world champion Marco Antonio Barrera had to be stopped shortly before the end of round five.
The veteran Mexican had been badly cut in an accidental clash of heads at the end of the first round and the blood flowed so profusely thereafter that it was disquieting the fight was not stopped at least a round earlier.
Even so, Khan had already shown more than enough to make clear he has learnt from the months he has spent with new trainer Freddy Roach.
His right hand was high, guarding his suspect chin against the left hook with which three opponents — Breidis Prescott and before him Michael Gomez and Willie Limond — have dropped him. Roach has also had Khan working on specific punches, including a counter left hook, and that punch rattled Barrera several times. He has also introduced exercises intended to strengthen the legs of his young charge. Khan looked strong and, more importantly, balanced throughout.
Whether, as promoter Frank Warren believes, he has now put himself in line for a world title shot depends on what one makes of the challenge offered by Barrera. He was unquestionably a great fighter but the suspicion that he was not only past his peak — at 35, that much had to be taken for granted — but was so far past it that his presence amounted to little more than being delivered up to give credence to the relaunch of Khan’s career had been hardening in the days leading up to the fight.
Although the list of the Mexican’s former world titles is a long one, his last successful defence, of the WBC super-featherweight championship, was in October 2006. His insistence beforehand that he was determined to become the first Mexican-born fighter to win world championships in four different weight divisions was unconvincing, the more so because he is now being promoted by Don King. Even so, Barrera had been stopped only once before in his 19-year career, and he was cheered to the ring by the Manchester crowd.
Khan by contrast received what might kindly be described as a mixed reception. The memory of Prescott reducing Khan’s legs to jelly in the first round of the Briton’s defence of his WBO intercontinental lightweight championship last September clearly remain uncomfortably fresh but once again, Khan proved that offensively, he has the power and ability to hurt good fighters. His jab, always strong and fast, thumped into Barrera’s face, and his combination work was intelligent, as was his movement. If Barrera wasn’t the fighter he was, however, he looked as durable as ever, so it was doubly unfortunate that a clash of heads should cut him so deeply, close to the hairline over his left eye. By the end of the second round the left side of his face was a mask of blood and it was hard to believe he was seeing the swinging short right hands that Khan thumped in.
A minute into the fourth round, referee Terry O’Connor called the doctor to inspect the wound. Barrera was fighting gamely but constantly blinking and wiping blood away from his eye with his glove.
Remarkably, he was given the go-ahead to continue. By now Khan was doing almost as his pleased. The end came when O’Connor finally ruled Barrera unable to go on.
Enzo Maccarinelli, well beaten by David Haye in his attempt to unify the WBO, WBC and WBA cruiserweight titles this time last year, was hoping to defeat Ola Afolabi and set himself on the way to a rematch. Unfortunately for Maccarinelli, Afolabi, born in London but now living in California, proved a tough as well as entertainingly stylish opponent and the fight was stopped after he floored the Welshman with a clean right in the ninth.
Earlier, Nicky Cook failed to defend his WBO super-featherweight world championship against the unbeaten Puerto Rican Roman Martinez. Cook was an unexpected winner of the title when he beat the fancied Alex Arthur on points in this ring last September.
A left hook dropped him in the fourth last night and, though he just beat the count, a second knockdown moments later left the referee little option but to stop the fight.
Source:the times
The veteran Mexican had been badly cut in an accidental clash of heads at the end of the first round and the blood flowed so profusely thereafter that it was disquieting the fight was not stopped at least a round earlier.
Even so, Khan had already shown more than enough to make clear he has learnt from the months he has spent with new trainer Freddy Roach.
His right hand was high, guarding his suspect chin against the left hook with which three opponents — Breidis Prescott and before him Michael Gomez and Willie Limond — have dropped him. Roach has also had Khan working on specific punches, including a counter left hook, and that punch rattled Barrera several times. He has also introduced exercises intended to strengthen the legs of his young charge. Khan looked strong and, more importantly, balanced throughout.
Whether, as promoter Frank Warren believes, he has now put himself in line for a world title shot depends on what one makes of the challenge offered by Barrera. He was unquestionably a great fighter but the suspicion that he was not only past his peak — at 35, that much had to be taken for granted — but was so far past it that his presence amounted to little more than being delivered up to give credence to the relaunch of Khan’s career had been hardening in the days leading up to the fight.
Although the list of the Mexican’s former world titles is a long one, his last successful defence, of the WBC super-featherweight championship, was in October 2006. His insistence beforehand that he was determined to become the first Mexican-born fighter to win world championships in four different weight divisions was unconvincing, the more so because he is now being promoted by Don King. Even so, Barrera had been stopped only once before in his 19-year career, and he was cheered to the ring by the Manchester crowd.
Khan by contrast received what might kindly be described as a mixed reception. The memory of Prescott reducing Khan’s legs to jelly in the first round of the Briton’s defence of his WBO intercontinental lightweight championship last September clearly remain uncomfortably fresh but once again, Khan proved that offensively, he has the power and ability to hurt good fighters. His jab, always strong and fast, thumped into Barrera’s face, and his combination work was intelligent, as was his movement. If Barrera wasn’t the fighter he was, however, he looked as durable as ever, so it was doubly unfortunate that a clash of heads should cut him so deeply, close to the hairline over his left eye. By the end of the second round the left side of his face was a mask of blood and it was hard to believe he was seeing the swinging short right hands that Khan thumped in.
A minute into the fourth round, referee Terry O’Connor called the doctor to inspect the wound. Barrera was fighting gamely but constantly blinking and wiping blood away from his eye with his glove.
Remarkably, he was given the go-ahead to continue. By now Khan was doing almost as his pleased. The end came when O’Connor finally ruled Barrera unable to go on.
Enzo Maccarinelli, well beaten by David Haye in his attempt to unify the WBO, WBC and WBA cruiserweight titles this time last year, was hoping to defeat Ola Afolabi and set himself on the way to a rematch. Unfortunately for Maccarinelli, Afolabi, born in London but now living in California, proved a tough as well as entertainingly stylish opponent and the fight was stopped after he floored the Welshman with a clean right in the ninth.
Earlier, Nicky Cook failed to defend his WBO super-featherweight world championship against the unbeaten Puerto Rican Roman Martinez. Cook was an unexpected winner of the title when he beat the fancied Alex Arthur on points in this ring last September.
A left hook dropped him in the fourth last night and, though he just beat the count, a second knockdown moments later left the referee little option but to stop the fight.
Source:the times
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Dubai event in doubt as Andy Ram awaits news
The totally disinterested look on the face of the vanquished Dinara Safina was hardly the perfect illustration for the competitive element on view but the ongoing political situation at the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships is proof there is far more to tennis than hitting fluffy yellow balls back and forth.
The very future of this tournament may be hanging in the balance following the decision by the United Arab Emirates Government to deny Shahar Peer, of Israel, an entry visa to contest this week’s women’s event. Political negotiations are ongoing as her countryman Andy Ram, one of the world’s top doubles players, awaits news of whether he can contest next week’s men’s event.
Dubai has long been regarded as one of the most forward thinking events on the world tour. In the 17 years of competition at the Aviation Club, the tournament has led the way as the Arabian Gulf has become one of the true bastions of world tennis. Nine years ago, a WTA event was added, and now the tournament features almost every top 10-ranked player, both men and women. Last year more than 125,000 people attended.
Indeed, the current site is now becoming too small for such a prestigious gathering of talent, and plans are under way to move to a new location. "We are in discussions with the authorities at the Dubai Sports City for hosting the tournament there," said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, owners and organizers of the $4 million event. But the events of the past few days have thrown everything in doubt.
Larry Scott, chief executive of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, insists debate will be thorough on whether to continue with the event in forthcoming years. Pessimists are even speculating that next week’s ATP event, set to include Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and, if fit enough, world No 1 Rafael Nadal, will not take place if Ram is treated the same as Peer.
Justin Gimelstob, an ATP board member, was one of many who looked on in dismay as the WTA simply shook their heads, voiced their disappointment and told the rest of their players to get on with the tournament.
Gimelstob was adamant the ATP would be firm in their support of Ram and said: "We are very disappointed to hear about the decision with Shahar Peer and we are looking at it and are very concerned."
"We believe very strongly that players of all religions, ethnicities and nationalities be allowed to play. We discussed that with Dubai and are adamant all players get access to the tournament.
"If Andy Ram were not to get his visa that would be very troubling. It's a clear-cut rule that everyone should be allowed to play tour events. We are on top of it and are trying to sort out the information."
There are of course two sides to every story. While Francisco Ricci Bitti, the International Tennis Federation's president, reminded the UAE politicians that sport should not be used as a political tool but rather as a unifying force, tournament officials maintain they took the decision over Peer.
Feelings understandably remain very high among the Arabic residents of Dubai after the three-week Israeli offensive in Gaza, which killed 1,300 Palestinians. Concerns were rife that local fans would have boycotted the event if Peer had played and she in turn would have been in danger.
"Public sentiment remains high in the Middle East and it is believed that Ms Peer's presence would have antagonised our fans who have watched live television coverage of recent attacks in Gaza," Salah Tahlak, the tournament director, said in an official statement. "Ms Peer personally witnessed protests against her at another tournament in New Zealand only a few weeks ago.
"Concern was raised about her well-being and her presence triggering similar protests. Given public sentiment, the entire tournament could have been boycotted by protesters.We do not wish to politicise sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events in the region and not alienate or put at risk the players and the many tennis fans of different nationalities that we have here in the UAE."
Meanwhile Safina, completely humbled by Serena Williams in the Australian Open final two-and-a-half weeks ago, simply cocooned herself in her own world. Just when women’s tennis needed a boost to its credibility, the Russian, who has surged to second spot in the world rankings, produced a display perhaps even more indolent and inept than her display at Melbourne Park.
As Safina lost out 6-4,6-2 to Italy’s Flavia Penetta, she looked like somebody who simply didn’t want to be on the court. “It was a bad day,”she mumbled. “Probably worse than the Australian Open final. I don’t know why.”
Source:the times
The very future of this tournament may be hanging in the balance following the decision by the United Arab Emirates Government to deny Shahar Peer, of Israel, an entry visa to contest this week’s women’s event. Political negotiations are ongoing as her countryman Andy Ram, one of the world’s top doubles players, awaits news of whether he can contest next week’s men’s event.
Dubai has long been regarded as one of the most forward thinking events on the world tour. In the 17 years of competition at the Aviation Club, the tournament has led the way as the Arabian Gulf has become one of the true bastions of world tennis. Nine years ago, a WTA event was added, and now the tournament features almost every top 10-ranked player, both men and women. Last year more than 125,000 people attended.
Indeed, the current site is now becoming too small for such a prestigious gathering of talent, and plans are under way to move to a new location. "We are in discussions with the authorities at the Dubai Sports City for hosting the tournament there," said Colm McLoughlin, Managing Director of Dubai Duty Free, owners and organizers of the $4 million event. But the events of the past few days have thrown everything in doubt.
Larry Scott, chief executive of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, insists debate will be thorough on whether to continue with the event in forthcoming years. Pessimists are even speculating that next week’s ATP event, set to include Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and, if fit enough, world No 1 Rafael Nadal, will not take place if Ram is treated the same as Peer.
Justin Gimelstob, an ATP board member, was one of many who looked on in dismay as the WTA simply shook their heads, voiced their disappointment and told the rest of their players to get on with the tournament.
Gimelstob was adamant the ATP would be firm in their support of Ram and said: "We are very disappointed to hear about the decision with Shahar Peer and we are looking at it and are very concerned."
"We believe very strongly that players of all religions, ethnicities and nationalities be allowed to play. We discussed that with Dubai and are adamant all players get access to the tournament.
"If Andy Ram were not to get his visa that would be very troubling. It's a clear-cut rule that everyone should be allowed to play tour events. We are on top of it and are trying to sort out the information."
There are of course two sides to every story. While Francisco Ricci Bitti, the International Tennis Federation's president, reminded the UAE politicians that sport should not be used as a political tool but rather as a unifying force, tournament officials maintain they took the decision over Peer.
Feelings understandably remain very high among the Arabic residents of Dubai after the three-week Israeli offensive in Gaza, which killed 1,300 Palestinians. Concerns were rife that local fans would have boycotted the event if Peer had played and she in turn would have been in danger.
"Public sentiment remains high in the Middle East and it is believed that Ms Peer's presence would have antagonised our fans who have watched live television coverage of recent attacks in Gaza," Salah Tahlak, the tournament director, said in an official statement. "Ms Peer personally witnessed protests against her at another tournament in New Zealand only a few weeks ago.
"Concern was raised about her well-being and her presence triggering similar protests. Given public sentiment, the entire tournament could have been boycotted by protesters.We do not wish to politicise sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events in the region and not alienate or put at risk the players and the many tennis fans of different nationalities that we have here in the UAE."
Meanwhile Safina, completely humbled by Serena Williams in the Australian Open final two-and-a-half weeks ago, simply cocooned herself in her own world. Just when women’s tennis needed a boost to its credibility, the Russian, who has surged to second spot in the world rankings, produced a display perhaps even more indolent and inept than her display at Melbourne Park.
As Safina lost out 6-4,6-2 to Italy’s Flavia Penetta, she looked like somebody who simply didn’t want to be on the court. “It was a bad day,”she mumbled. “Probably worse than the Australian Open final. I don’t know why.”
Source:the times
Andy Murray feels the heat in Indian Wells
Roger Federer struts on to the court where Andy Murray's practice has not exactly been perfect. Federer is radiating health and wellbeing, blue initialled cap pulled low, not a stitch out of place, the collar of his training top clipping the ear lobes just so, socks at precisely the same height, calves shimmering. Murray is caked in sweat. They exchange the odd word, the Scot sits on the bench and watches Federer ease sweetly into his rhythm for a few minutes before taking his leave.
It is a common enough scene in the paradise venues of professional tennis, but you stop and wonder about the two men, their places in the sport and how the next 12 months will shape their careers. Federer is going to become a father; heck, they quizzed Murray on whether he thought impending parenthood for the Swiss might have an impression on the title race. “For me, family is the most important thing,” he answered. “Tim Henman had babies and it didn't affect his career too much.”
Murray has beaten Federer in five of their past six meetings, the bragging rights are his and may be enhanced here if both reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Scot has not played since February 25. He then retired at the Barclays Dubai Championships and staggered into the office of Gerry Armstrong, the British ATP supervisor, who thought he had seen a ghost. The last sighting of Federer was the Australian Open final, marked for his tearful outpourings after a defeat by Rafael Nadal, the world No 1.
This is the first time since Melbourne that the elite are all in one place, Novak Djokovic completing the leading foursome after a spectacularly frenzied taxi ride from Gatwick to Heathrow, concluding the Serb's complex journey from a Davis Cup tie in Benidorm to the Coachella Valley in southern California. Djokovic is defending champion here, one of two Masters Series titles he won in 2008, a year that culminated in him taking the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
Murray's first opponent in the singles today is Albert Montañés, a Spaniard whom he defeated en route to the ExxonMobil Qatar Open title in Doha in January. The British No 1 looked lean and lithe yesterday, although he had a tendency to swallow hard before every sentence, giving the impression that something nasty was lodged in the back of his throat. “I don't exactly know how I caught this virus or exactly what it was because my symptoms changed a lot,” he said. “I went from having a sore throat, to night sweats, an upset stomach, nosebleeds and was throwing up. I feel OK now, but matches are a lot more stressful than practice. My blood tests show that I am better. I'm up for it.
“But there's no point in me coming here and saying I'm feeling perfect and I've had the best preparation possible. I didn't feel my best going into Rotterdam [for the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament] last month, but I found a way to win the tournament. As you get older, you start to understand you're not going to feel perfect every week.”
So we are not sure what we should expect from the world No 4. Barring Nadal, whose victory sweep against Serbia in the Davis Cup last weekend was frighteningly conclusive but who has woken up at 4 the past two mornings and been hitting golf balls at 6.30am, there is not much of a form guide for the favourites.
The air is clear, the sun is high and the temperatures are set to soar next week, which adds to the desirability of the location but will test athletes - and certainly those at less than 100 per cent - to the extreme. In Murray's case, just to be here beats lying in bed, watching what was left of Great Britain's Davis Cup team disappearing down the plughole last weekend.
Source:the times
It is a common enough scene in the paradise venues of professional tennis, but you stop and wonder about the two men, their places in the sport and how the next 12 months will shape their careers. Federer is going to become a father; heck, they quizzed Murray on whether he thought impending parenthood for the Swiss might have an impression on the title race. “For me, family is the most important thing,” he answered. “Tim Henman had babies and it didn't affect his career too much.”
Murray has beaten Federer in five of their past six meetings, the bragging rights are his and may be enhanced here if both reach the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open. The Scot has not played since February 25. He then retired at the Barclays Dubai Championships and staggered into the office of Gerry Armstrong, the British ATP supervisor, who thought he had seen a ghost. The last sighting of Federer was the Australian Open final, marked for his tearful outpourings after a defeat by Rafael Nadal, the world No 1.
This is the first time since Melbourne that the elite are all in one place, Novak Djokovic completing the leading foursome after a spectacularly frenzied taxi ride from Gatwick to Heathrow, concluding the Serb's complex journey from a Davis Cup tie in Benidorm to the Coachella Valley in southern California. Djokovic is defending champion here, one of two Masters Series titles he won in 2008, a year that culminated in him taking the Masters Cup in Shanghai.
Murray's first opponent in the singles today is Albert Montañés, a Spaniard whom he defeated en route to the ExxonMobil Qatar Open title in Doha in January. The British No 1 looked lean and lithe yesterday, although he had a tendency to swallow hard before every sentence, giving the impression that something nasty was lodged in the back of his throat. “I don't exactly know how I caught this virus or exactly what it was because my symptoms changed a lot,” he said. “I went from having a sore throat, to night sweats, an upset stomach, nosebleeds and was throwing up. I feel OK now, but matches are a lot more stressful than practice. My blood tests show that I am better. I'm up for it.
“But there's no point in me coming here and saying I'm feeling perfect and I've had the best preparation possible. I didn't feel my best going into Rotterdam [for the ABN Amro World Tennis Tournament] last month, but I found a way to win the tournament. As you get older, you start to understand you're not going to feel perfect every week.”
So we are not sure what we should expect from the world No 4. Barring Nadal, whose victory sweep against Serbia in the Davis Cup last weekend was frighteningly conclusive but who has woken up at 4 the past two mornings and been hitting golf balls at 6.30am, there is not much of a form guide for the favourites.
The air is clear, the sun is high and the temperatures are set to soar next week, which adds to the desirability of the location but will test athletes - and certainly those at less than 100 per cent - to the extreme. In Murray's case, just to be here beats lying in bed, watching what was left of Great Britain's Davis Cup team disappearing down the plughole last weekend.
Source:the times
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