Great Britain have not known a more successful couple of qualifying days at an international rowing regatta as they have had at Banyoles, Spain, this week. Sixteen British crews will start in the 14 remaining finals of this year's first World Cup tomorrow, including two in both the women's double scull and women’s pair, and there is a decent chance that half of them will walk off the podium with gold medals.
Adam Freeman-Pask was a seventeenth British finalist in the lightweight men’s single, which was held today, and won the bronze medal, behind Greece and Italy.
A caveat should be made. The global recession and tighter budgets in the year after an Olympics have prevented some nations from taking part. There is no one here from Australia, New Zealand and China. Germany are barely represented and the United States and Canada have sent only their smaller boats. There is a strong presence from other European countries, however, and the reduced field increases the pressure on the stronger nations to perform.
As with the quads and eights, the women's single scull race on Friday was to decide lanes in the final, with only six entries after three withdrew, but Katherine Grainger, the Glasgow sculler, was pleased with her first race in a new event. "I didn't know if my start would be fast enough," she said afterwards, but it destroyed her rivals. After 500 metres she was five seconds ahead of second place, and although Grainger eased back in the final stretch she beat Brett Sickler, of the United States, across the line by a length.
Peter Reed and Andrew Triggs Hodge, competing in a pair for the first time, won their second race of the regatta to reach Sunday’s final. The pair flew away off the start, working up a lead of almost two lengths before relaxing on the run-in. Reed said that he knew Britain would win after the first two strokes. They will be tested on Sunday, but if they can find the same rhythm, they probably have too much class.
"I could feel the strength in the boat and that gave me a lot of confidence," Hodge said. The women's lead pair of Louisa Reeve and Olivia Whitlam had the opposite strategy in their race. They were third after 500 metres but were the fastest in the second half of the race to claim the win.
The first-string women's double of Anna Bebington and Annabel Vernon, who qualified directly for their final on Friday, will be joined on Sunday by Britain's second double of Beth Rodford and Katie Greves, who were second in a repechage, as were the men's and women's lightweight doubles. Matt Wells and Stephen Rowbotham continue to look like the crew to beat in the heavyweight double after a controlled semi-final win.
Alan Campbell, in the single, was also impressive, opening up a gap of 1.5 seconds in the start and eventually finishing almost two lengths clear of Olaf Tufte, the Olympic champion from Norway. Campbell's task in the final will be a little easier, although Tufte should never be written off, after Ondrej Synek, the Olympic silver medal-winner, got caught in weeds and came last in his semi-final.
If there is one cloud at this sun-kissed regatta, it was the uninspiring display given by the men's eight in their race for lanes. They finished fast but were well off the pace for much of the race and have a lot to prove in the final. It is a development crew, with only two of the eight in Beijing last year, but in the absence of so many strong eights nations, their sluggish display is a worry.
Source:The times
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Roger Federer hitting form in French Open
A splendid recovery in Paris shows the former world No1 is almost back to his best after months of anguish and uncertainty
There is an air of hope and vitality in Paris, for Roger Federer and all who are moved by the rich uncertainties of sporting contest. Only a few weeks ago, the prospect of another title for Rafael Nadal, claimed without challenge and concluded by a ritual thrashing of Federer, invited boredom for most, dread for the Swiss.
But after months of anguish and uncertainty, Federer seems a liberated man, the attacking genius of old. Yesterday, he dealt with difficult conditions, with the red dust swirling around as if it was a Texas cattle drive, and an awkward opponent, in Paul-Henri Mathieu, who went for his shots with nothing to lose and made an outrageous number of them. After losing the first set, Federer tightened his game and took control, winning the third-round match 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-4.
His cause was further improved by the very surprising straight-sets defeat of Novak Djokovic, who was the most obvious danger on his side of the draw. Djokovic was flat, almost mediocre, as he lost all three sets to Philipp Kohlschreiber by six games to four. Sometimes, Djokovic wilts in the heat and he admitted that he had no answers to the German, who played as well as required. Nor did Djokovic have a good answer to what was wrong. “I played too passive,” he said. “I couldn’t find my rhythm at all.”
After holding match points against Nadal in Madrid, Djokovic had legitimate hopes of challenging him for the French title and he was very disappointed. But he has a history of losing the physical battle. At the Australian Open this year, he pulled out during his match with Andy Roddick, just as he had at Monte Carlo against Federer in 2008.
It’s not hard to trace Federer’s new-found spirit and confidence, for a fortnight back he cast aside his misery and five consecutive defeats against Nadal by beating him emphatically in Madrid, and on clay. Now that Nadal owns all that Federer holds dear in the game, the psychological tables are turned. Nadal has to defend his position as No 1, as well as his titles, and holding the castle is less natural to him than marauding. Furthermore, those clamouring at the walls are acting for the moment in the common interest to bring him down. In Madrid, Djokovic wounded Nadal in the semi-finals in a three-set match lasting four hours; Federer finished him off.
When Federer was at the summit, he had one adversary to really worry about: Nadal. Nadal has several: Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Federer.
While Djokovic lost tamely, others who might threaten Nadal remain. Del Potro beat Igor Andreev with ease and has yet to drop a set in three rounds. Nor has Tsonga, who brushed aside Christophe Rochus. But it is the resurgence of Federer that is most intriguing and welcome. His fall over the past year had a tragic quality. Hailed as the athletic wonder of our age, his adornments were stripped from him one by one.
When he lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final, Federer wept, and even those who support and admire Nadal had to shed a tear. For while Nadal and most in the hunting pack all have astonishing and varied gifts, none brings such fearful beauty to the game as Federer.
Perhaps he needed to hit the bottom before he could rebound. During the clay-court season, he worked hard on his game and condition, trying to take his game from 98% to 100%, the margin by which he reckoned he had slipped.
He found the two per cent and although there were extenuating circumstances for Nadal in Madrid, Federer was scintillating, his old self, attacking flat out, imposing his own game rather than trying to prove he could match Nadal in a war of attrition. And the weapons, so recently rusty, gleamed in the sun. Federer’s service thundered; his forehand was devastating, but sure.
Most of all, he had the surge of confidence, and that, of course, comes in and recedes not in margins but floods.
The imperative question is whether Federer can sustain his resurgence, the flood-tide of optimism. If he can, he might not be able to win at Roland Garros — with Nadal around, that seems beyond him, and Nadal is crushing all-comers as usual. But Federer might manage to give Nadal a contest and go on to achieve two goals closer to his heart: he can win Wimbledon again; and before the year is out he can be the world No 1.
Source:The times
There is an air of hope and vitality in Paris, for Roger Federer and all who are moved by the rich uncertainties of sporting contest. Only a few weeks ago, the prospect of another title for Rafael Nadal, claimed without challenge and concluded by a ritual thrashing of Federer, invited boredom for most, dread for the Swiss.
But after months of anguish and uncertainty, Federer seems a liberated man, the attacking genius of old. Yesterday, he dealt with difficult conditions, with the red dust swirling around as if it was a Texas cattle drive, and an awkward opponent, in Paul-Henri Mathieu, who went for his shots with nothing to lose and made an outrageous number of them. After losing the first set, Federer tightened his game and took control, winning the third-round match 4-6 6-1 6-4 6-4.
His cause was further improved by the very surprising straight-sets defeat of Novak Djokovic, who was the most obvious danger on his side of the draw. Djokovic was flat, almost mediocre, as he lost all three sets to Philipp Kohlschreiber by six games to four. Sometimes, Djokovic wilts in the heat and he admitted that he had no answers to the German, who played as well as required. Nor did Djokovic have a good answer to what was wrong. “I played too passive,” he said. “I couldn’t find my rhythm at all.”
After holding match points against Nadal in Madrid, Djokovic had legitimate hopes of challenging him for the French title and he was very disappointed. But he has a history of losing the physical battle. At the Australian Open this year, he pulled out during his match with Andy Roddick, just as he had at Monte Carlo against Federer in 2008.
It’s not hard to trace Federer’s new-found spirit and confidence, for a fortnight back he cast aside his misery and five consecutive defeats against Nadal by beating him emphatically in Madrid, and on clay. Now that Nadal owns all that Federer holds dear in the game, the psychological tables are turned. Nadal has to defend his position as No 1, as well as his titles, and holding the castle is less natural to him than marauding. Furthermore, those clamouring at the walls are acting for the moment in the common interest to bring him down. In Madrid, Djokovic wounded Nadal in the semi-finals in a three-set match lasting four hours; Federer finished him off.
When Federer was at the summit, he had one adversary to really worry about: Nadal. Nadal has several: Djokovic, Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Federer.
While Djokovic lost tamely, others who might threaten Nadal remain. Del Potro beat Igor Andreev with ease and has yet to drop a set in three rounds. Nor has Tsonga, who brushed aside Christophe Rochus. But it is the resurgence of Federer that is most intriguing and welcome. His fall over the past year had a tragic quality. Hailed as the athletic wonder of our age, his adornments were stripped from him one by one.
When he lost to Nadal in the Australian Open final, Federer wept, and even those who support and admire Nadal had to shed a tear. For while Nadal and most in the hunting pack all have astonishing and varied gifts, none brings such fearful beauty to the game as Federer.
Perhaps he needed to hit the bottom before he could rebound. During the clay-court season, he worked hard on his game and condition, trying to take his game from 98% to 100%, the margin by which he reckoned he had slipped.
He found the two per cent and although there were extenuating circumstances for Nadal in Madrid, Federer was scintillating, his old self, attacking flat out, imposing his own game rather than trying to prove he could match Nadal in a war of attrition. And the weapons, so recently rusty, gleamed in the sun. Federer’s service thundered; his forehand was devastating, but sure.
Most of all, he had the surge of confidence, and that, of course, comes in and recedes not in margins but floods.
The imperative question is whether Federer can sustain his resurgence, the flood-tide of optimism. If he can, he might not be able to win at Roland Garros — with Nadal around, that seems beyond him, and Nadal is crushing all-comers as usual. But Federer might manage to give Nadal a contest and go on to achieve two goals closer to his heart: he can win Wimbledon again; and before the year is out he can be the world No 1.
Source:The times
Lee Byrne cleans up Royal mess
Royal XV 25 British and Irish Lions 37
WITH only 13 minutes remaining of this vibrant but often alarming occasion on the parched Highveld at the Royal Bafokeng stadium, the Royal XV were leading by 25-13; they needed only a quiet few minutes to seal a famous win and to send shudders down so many British and Irish spines that it would have measured on the Richter Scale.
As it turned out, the Lions flatly denied their valiant hosts that quiet period. They came with a desperate and yet also impressive late charge, which brought them three tries and 24 points in that last 13 minutes, and sent them on to Ellis Park, for the game against the Golden Lions on Wednesday, in better heart. And in the knowledge that they will have to improve mightily.
The tour management bemoaned the large number of basic errors, but there was more to it than that. These Lions were disjointed; it was often difficult to find evidence of a strategy or a wavelength. They never even threatened to win a Royal lineout and, for too long, their only attacking weapon was to send the impressive Jamie Roberts up the middle.
However, class did squeeze through at the end. The Lions can heartily thank Lee Byrne, easily the most accomplished Lion on the field, not only for hitting back and exhuming their chances with a splendid individual try to kick off the final surge, but also for his composure, his footballing excellence and his kicking game.
The Lions also scrummaged well, when they were allowed to by the referee. Some of their driving mauls were also excellent, and how wonderful it is to have this phase back in rugby to clear the field.
Furthermore, Paul O’Connell was impressive as a beacon for his team, and Ronan O’Gara kept his head in the bad times and scored 22 points into the bargain.
Up front, Andrew Sheridan was outstanding at close quarters and in the scrum, probably tearing up the notion that Gethin Jenkins has only to stand up to play in the Tests. However, some of the Lions as individuals were not nearly so impressive. Keith Earls, who seemed overwhelmed by the occasion from an early stage; and the experiment of playing David Wallace at No 8 looked to be a failure.
There was no shame in being taken all the way by the Royal XV because this amalgamation of five of the smaller provinces were not only full-time professionals to a man, but packed full of commitment and good sense and, in Jonathan Makuena, they had the player of the match by a distance.
They were also calm at half-back, where Naas Olivier was superb, but they did struggle up front, and it is difficult to believe that a player has ever been so aptly named in the context of any one game as was Albertus Buckle in the scrum.
There was nothing of a fluke about the Royals’ 18-3 lead approaching half-time, either. They scored when a superb pass behind his back by Hanno Coetzee put captain Wilhelm Koch over for a try, and later in the half when Rayno Barnes, the hooker, exploded out of the heart of a driving maul and scored.
This was all a shock to British and Irish systems and it meant the Lions were desperate for a try before half-time to provide some evidence they were still on the field. And they got one. Roberts and Earls made ground up the middle, the Lions set up a driving maul with Simon Shaw and Sheridan prominent, and when the ball came back, O’Gara fed Tommy Bowe with a delightful flip pass, with Bowe scoring under the posts to make it an acceptable 18-10 at half-time.
When O’Gara kicked a penalty to bring it back to 18-13 there were hints that the Lions would cruise home. But no such luck. First of all, their finishing and their final passes went to pot, costing them two or three tries. And then, to their eternal credit, the Royals came beasting their way back, launching a clever move which sent Bees Roux over the line, with the conversion making it 25-13 and leaving the Lions staring squarely down the barrel.
This was the time when the Royals needed calm. Instead, almost from the kick-off, Byrne launched another chip-and-chase, and even though he could not quite reach the ball as it fell he kicked at it, sprinted on and regathered and made the line. The conversion made it 25-20 and at least the Lions had had to contemplate an impending defeat only for a few seconds.
On they came, by now with regal stride. Alun Wyn Jones forced his way over after powerful forward play and then later, with Byrne running riot, the Lions scored again with Martyn Williams sending O’Gara to the posts.
At the end, the King of Bafokeng presented a gigantic trophy to O’Connell, apparently based on the design of an enormous wooden cake. His Majesty came so close to presenting it to his own subjects.
The first game of any tour is soon forgotten. But this one should live in the memory. It turned back the clock, it brought the Lions out of their extravagant big city lair and even if the attraction of the Super 14 final meant that the crowd was sparse, then it was still memorable for many.
“It was a fantastic honour to play against the Lions, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Koch. Well spoken, and well played. All we know for sure at the moment is that the Lions can finish a game extremely well.
Star man: Jonathan Makuena (Royal XV)
Scorers: Royal XV: Tries: Koch 17, Barnes 27, Roux 66 Con: Olivier, Viljoen Pens: Olivier (2)
Lions: Tries: Bowe 38, Byrne 67, AW Jones 76, O’Gara 80 Cons: O’Gara (4) Pens: O’Gara (3)
Referee: M Jonker (South Africa)
Attendance: 12,352
ROYAL XV: R Jeacocks; E Seconds, D van Rensburg, H Coetzee, B Basson; N Olivier (R Viljoen 58min), S Pretorius (J Coetzee 68min); A Buckle (S Roberts 60min), R Barnes (P van der Westhuizen 68min), B Roux, R Mathee, J Lombard (L Landman 56min), W Koch (capt), J Makuena, D Raubenheimer (R Kember 71min)
LIONS: L Byrne; T Bowe, K Earls (R Flutey 69min), J Roberts, S Williams; R O’Gara, M Blair (M Phillips 66min); A Sheridan, M Rees (L Mears 69min), A Jones (P Vickery 66min), S Shaw (AW Jones 66min), P O'Connell (capt), J Worsley, D Wallace (J Heaslip 66min), M Williams
Source:The times
WITH only 13 minutes remaining of this vibrant but often alarming occasion on the parched Highveld at the Royal Bafokeng stadium, the Royal XV were leading by 25-13; they needed only a quiet few minutes to seal a famous win and to send shudders down so many British and Irish spines that it would have measured on the Richter Scale.
As it turned out, the Lions flatly denied their valiant hosts that quiet period. They came with a desperate and yet also impressive late charge, which brought them three tries and 24 points in that last 13 minutes, and sent them on to Ellis Park, for the game against the Golden Lions on Wednesday, in better heart. And in the knowledge that they will have to improve mightily.
The tour management bemoaned the large number of basic errors, but there was more to it than that. These Lions were disjointed; it was often difficult to find evidence of a strategy or a wavelength. They never even threatened to win a Royal lineout and, for too long, their only attacking weapon was to send the impressive Jamie Roberts up the middle.
However, class did squeeze through at the end. The Lions can heartily thank Lee Byrne, easily the most accomplished Lion on the field, not only for hitting back and exhuming their chances with a splendid individual try to kick off the final surge, but also for his composure, his footballing excellence and his kicking game.
The Lions also scrummaged well, when they were allowed to by the referee. Some of their driving mauls were also excellent, and how wonderful it is to have this phase back in rugby to clear the field.
Furthermore, Paul O’Connell was impressive as a beacon for his team, and Ronan O’Gara kept his head in the bad times and scored 22 points into the bargain.
Up front, Andrew Sheridan was outstanding at close quarters and in the scrum, probably tearing up the notion that Gethin Jenkins has only to stand up to play in the Tests. However, some of the Lions as individuals were not nearly so impressive. Keith Earls, who seemed overwhelmed by the occasion from an early stage; and the experiment of playing David Wallace at No 8 looked to be a failure.
There was no shame in being taken all the way by the Royal XV because this amalgamation of five of the smaller provinces were not only full-time professionals to a man, but packed full of commitment and good sense and, in Jonathan Makuena, they had the player of the match by a distance.
They were also calm at half-back, where Naas Olivier was superb, but they did struggle up front, and it is difficult to believe that a player has ever been so aptly named in the context of any one game as was Albertus Buckle in the scrum.
There was nothing of a fluke about the Royals’ 18-3 lead approaching half-time, either. They scored when a superb pass behind his back by Hanno Coetzee put captain Wilhelm Koch over for a try, and later in the half when Rayno Barnes, the hooker, exploded out of the heart of a driving maul and scored.
This was all a shock to British and Irish systems and it meant the Lions were desperate for a try before half-time to provide some evidence they were still on the field. And they got one. Roberts and Earls made ground up the middle, the Lions set up a driving maul with Simon Shaw and Sheridan prominent, and when the ball came back, O’Gara fed Tommy Bowe with a delightful flip pass, with Bowe scoring under the posts to make it an acceptable 18-10 at half-time.
When O’Gara kicked a penalty to bring it back to 18-13 there were hints that the Lions would cruise home. But no such luck. First of all, their finishing and their final passes went to pot, costing them two or three tries. And then, to their eternal credit, the Royals came beasting their way back, launching a clever move which sent Bees Roux over the line, with the conversion making it 25-13 and leaving the Lions staring squarely down the barrel.
This was the time when the Royals needed calm. Instead, almost from the kick-off, Byrne launched another chip-and-chase, and even though he could not quite reach the ball as it fell he kicked at it, sprinted on and regathered and made the line. The conversion made it 25-20 and at least the Lions had had to contemplate an impending defeat only for a few seconds.
On they came, by now with regal stride. Alun Wyn Jones forced his way over after powerful forward play and then later, with Byrne running riot, the Lions scored again with Martyn Williams sending O’Gara to the posts.
At the end, the King of Bafokeng presented a gigantic trophy to O’Connell, apparently based on the design of an enormous wooden cake. His Majesty came so close to presenting it to his own subjects.
The first game of any tour is soon forgotten. But this one should live in the memory. It turned back the clock, it brought the Lions out of their extravagant big city lair and even if the attraction of the Super 14 final meant that the crowd was sparse, then it was still memorable for many.
“It was a fantastic honour to play against the Lions, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Koch. Well spoken, and well played. All we know for sure at the moment is that the Lions can finish a game extremely well.
Star man: Jonathan Makuena (Royal XV)
Scorers: Royal XV: Tries: Koch 17, Barnes 27, Roux 66 Con: Olivier, Viljoen Pens: Olivier (2)
Lions: Tries: Bowe 38, Byrne 67, AW Jones 76, O’Gara 80 Cons: O’Gara (4) Pens: O’Gara (3)
Referee: M Jonker (South Africa)
Attendance: 12,352
ROYAL XV: R Jeacocks; E Seconds, D van Rensburg, H Coetzee, B Basson; N Olivier (R Viljoen 58min), S Pretorius (J Coetzee 68min); A Buckle (S Roberts 60min), R Barnes (P van der Westhuizen 68min), B Roux, R Mathee, J Lombard (L Landman 56min), W Koch (capt), J Makuena, D Raubenheimer (R Kember 71min)
LIONS: L Byrne; T Bowe, K Earls (R Flutey 69min), J Roberts, S Williams; R O’Gara, M Blair (M Phillips 66min); A Sheridan, M Rees (L Mears 69min), A Jones (P Vickery 66min), S Shaw (AW Jones 66min), P O'Connell (capt), J Worsley, D Wallace (J Heaslip 66min), M Williams
Source:The times
Lee Briers kicks Wolves through
Hull KR 24 Warrington 25
LEE BRIERS dropped an extra-time goal to put Warrington through to the semi-finals rugby league’s Challenge Cup yesterday. Michael Dobson had kicked a penalty with just two minutes left on the clock to take the match into extra time.
Warrington looked to have won the game through Chris Bridge’s try in the 70th minute, but back came Hull KR to claim a vital penalty, which Dobson converted.
Both teams came into this game with a confidence born of recent success, Warrington having won four of their past five league games, Rovers all five, but the cautious opening forecast by some as a consequence did not materialise.
The match was still in the fourth minute when Wolves centre Simon Grix lost the ball in the tackle, conceding possession. Rovers worked the ball left, where Paul Cooke’s cut-out pass sent Peter Fox clear down the touchline. The wing drew Wolves full-back Richie Mathers before passing inside for centre Kris Welham to cross.
Warrington should have been back on level terms almost immediately, Grix failing to release Chris Riley when the young winger appeared to have a clear run to the line, but only the presence of an alert Dobson prevented Vinnie Anderson’s kick-through being touched down as the Wolves put Rovers’ defence under sustained pressure.
It paid off on the quarter hour, when Michael Monaghan’s brilliant and brave inside pass put Anderson over near the posts.
Only an outstanding last-ditch tackle by Shaun Briscoe prevented Anderson getting a second soon afterwards, and defence became the dominant theme of the remainder of the half.
Briers, with a chip and gather, looked to have created a breakthrough shortly before the break, but with players in support, the Warrington stand-off took the wrong option, attempting a kick-through that Briscoe blocked.
Throughout the half referee Phil Bentham had not impressed the home supporters, refusing to penalise what they felt were a series of offsides and forward passes. Their anger when Warrington took the lead shortly after the break was therefore considerable, because the pass from the right wing with which Matt King put Jon Clarke over appeared to be yards rather than inches forward.
Again, the response was immediate. First Dobson timed his short pass perfectly for prop Clint Newton, running on the angle, to breach the Wolves’ defensive line with surprising ease; then Cooke’s well-weighted grubber kick bounced unkindly for Mathers, and Ben Galea, following up, got just enough downward pressure on the ball to satisfy the video referee Richard Silverwood.
Gaps were beginning to appear, and on the hour, Scott Murrell’s sidestep and half-break set Rovers on their way to a length-of-the-field try which put them two scores clear. Daniel Fitzhenry took the ball on and released Dobson, who in turn sent Jake Webster clear.
The Rovers fans began to celebrate, but prematurely, as Briers’ kick was caught by King to keep the Wolves in touch. Bridge’s touchline goal reduced the gap to just four points.
And with 10 minutes remaining, Bridge turned try scorer, taking full advantage of Adrian Morley’s powerful break down the middle, and then goaling to put the Wolves ahead. But the drama for both sets of supporters did not finish there, with Dobson landing a penalty with two minutes left to take the tie in extra time.
Star man: Michael Dobson (Hull KR)
Scorers: Hull KR: Tries: Welham, Newton, Galea, Webster Goals: Dobson (4)
Warrington: Tries: V Anderson, Clarke, King, Bridge Goals: Bridge (4) Drop Goal: Briers
Referee: P Bentham
HULL KR: S Briscoe; P Fox, Webster, K Welham, L Colbon; P Cooke, M Dobson; N Fozzard, B Fisher, C Newton, S Gene, B Galea, S Murrell. Substitutes: M Aizue, D Fitzhenry, S Wheeldon, C Walker
WARRINGTON: R Mathers; C Riley, C Bridge, S Grix, M King; L Briers, M Monaghan; A Morley (capt), J Clarke, G Carvell, L Anderson, B Westwood, V Anderson. Substitutes: B Harrison, M Higham, P Rauhihi, P Wood
Source:The times
LEE BRIERS dropped an extra-time goal to put Warrington through to the semi-finals rugby league’s Challenge Cup yesterday. Michael Dobson had kicked a penalty with just two minutes left on the clock to take the match into extra time.
Warrington looked to have won the game through Chris Bridge’s try in the 70th minute, but back came Hull KR to claim a vital penalty, which Dobson converted.
Both teams came into this game with a confidence born of recent success, Warrington having won four of their past five league games, Rovers all five, but the cautious opening forecast by some as a consequence did not materialise.
The match was still in the fourth minute when Wolves centre Simon Grix lost the ball in the tackle, conceding possession. Rovers worked the ball left, where Paul Cooke’s cut-out pass sent Peter Fox clear down the touchline. The wing drew Wolves full-back Richie Mathers before passing inside for centre Kris Welham to cross.
Warrington should have been back on level terms almost immediately, Grix failing to release Chris Riley when the young winger appeared to have a clear run to the line, but only the presence of an alert Dobson prevented Vinnie Anderson’s kick-through being touched down as the Wolves put Rovers’ defence under sustained pressure.
It paid off on the quarter hour, when Michael Monaghan’s brilliant and brave inside pass put Anderson over near the posts.
Only an outstanding last-ditch tackle by Shaun Briscoe prevented Anderson getting a second soon afterwards, and defence became the dominant theme of the remainder of the half.
Briers, with a chip and gather, looked to have created a breakthrough shortly before the break, but with players in support, the Warrington stand-off took the wrong option, attempting a kick-through that Briscoe blocked.
Throughout the half referee Phil Bentham had not impressed the home supporters, refusing to penalise what they felt were a series of offsides and forward passes. Their anger when Warrington took the lead shortly after the break was therefore considerable, because the pass from the right wing with which Matt King put Jon Clarke over appeared to be yards rather than inches forward.
Again, the response was immediate. First Dobson timed his short pass perfectly for prop Clint Newton, running on the angle, to breach the Wolves’ defensive line with surprising ease; then Cooke’s well-weighted grubber kick bounced unkindly for Mathers, and Ben Galea, following up, got just enough downward pressure on the ball to satisfy the video referee Richard Silverwood.
Gaps were beginning to appear, and on the hour, Scott Murrell’s sidestep and half-break set Rovers on their way to a length-of-the-field try which put them two scores clear. Daniel Fitzhenry took the ball on and released Dobson, who in turn sent Jake Webster clear.
The Rovers fans began to celebrate, but prematurely, as Briers’ kick was caught by King to keep the Wolves in touch. Bridge’s touchline goal reduced the gap to just four points.
And with 10 minutes remaining, Bridge turned try scorer, taking full advantage of Adrian Morley’s powerful break down the middle, and then goaling to put the Wolves ahead. But the drama for both sets of supporters did not finish there, with Dobson landing a penalty with two minutes left to take the tie in extra time.
Star man: Michael Dobson (Hull KR)
Scorers: Hull KR: Tries: Welham, Newton, Galea, Webster Goals: Dobson (4)
Warrington: Tries: V Anderson, Clarke, King, Bridge Goals: Bridge (4) Drop Goal: Briers
Referee: P Bentham
HULL KR: S Briscoe; P Fox, Webster, K Welham, L Colbon; P Cooke, M Dobson; N Fozzard, B Fisher, C Newton, S Gene, B Galea, S Murrell. Substitutes: M Aizue, D Fitzhenry, S Wheeldon, C Walker
WARRINGTON: R Mathers; C Riley, C Bridge, S Grix, M King; L Briers, M Monaghan; A Morley (capt), J Clarke, G Carvell, L Anderson, B Westwood, V Anderson. Substitutes: B Harrison, M Higham, P Rauhihi, P Wood
Source:The times
Will Mick Kinane and Sea the Stars win the Derby?
In the aftermath of Sea The Stars’ brilliant victory in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket earlier this month, no one could wipe the smile off the face of Mick Kinane, the winning jockey. Kinane has seen it all in a career that began 35 years ago at Leopardstown and, with his 50th birthday looming, he knows that retirement cannot be postponed for too much longer. But when a horse nurtured on the gallops turns out to be as good as you expected on the racetrack, the thrill cuts away the years. “If you felt nothing, it would be time to go,” says the Irishman.
Kinane and Sea The Stars will team up on Saturday for a tilt at the history books. The last horse to win the 2000 Guineas and the Derby was Nashwan, 20 years ago; the one before that was Nijinsky, who won the Triple Crown in 1970. If Kinane’s robust confidence is justified around Epsom’s unique contours, the son of Cape Cross will pass into the ranks of the turf’s true aristocracy. “These horses are a rarity,” says Kinane, his tone almost hushed in wonder. “I’ve been waiting for one to come along for a couple of years now and you have to enjoy it when they do.”
Kinane has known more rarities than most, including his two Derby winners, Commander-in-Chief for Henry Cecil and Galileo for Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore, his former employers. O’Brien and Kinane split at the end of a fraught 2003 season, which led many to predict a slow descent into the twilight for Kinane. Instead, John Oxx, another quiet genius of the Irish turf, snapped up the services of a jockey he knew well, prompting a welcome and unexpected Indian summer for the 13 times Irish champion.
After the hothouse atmosphere of Ballydoyle, life at Oxx’s must seem like a cool shower. But the pair have had to bide their time, watching as O’Brien swept all before him. Now, it is their turn and, despite the potential presence of nine Coolmore runners in the Derby field, neither Oxx nor Kinane would swap one of them for their own champion.
“We knew from day one he (Sea The Stars) was a lovely horse,” says Kinane. “He has the class and the pace and he’s got a great temperament. You don’t have to worry about the occasion getting to this fella. He’ll be counting the crowd.”
As a previous victim of Coolmore’s annual embarrassment of riches, Kinane will be watching with interest which horse his old rival, Johnny Murtagh, will pick. The choice mirrors that made by Kinane seven years ago. For Hawk Wing read Rip van Winkle and for Fame and Glory read High Chaparral, the former oozing speed and class, but not certain to stay, the latter solid and strong, sure to be in the frame. Kinane chose Hawk Wing and knew, as soon as he felt the rain on Oaks day, that he had made a mistake. Murtagh duly rode High Chaparral to victory, two lengths ahead of Hawk Wing.
“It’s a very fine line and Johnny won’t get much help from the gallops because Aidan won’t work any of them together,” says Kinane. “You might find out how well some of them have come out of their races, but it’s not easy. I’d say Johnny was definitely taken by the way Rip van Winkle ran in the Guineas. He can’t get that out of his head, but Fame and Glory has been impressive and likes the trip. It’s hard to see him being out of the first three.”
Murtagh’s nerve-ends will be taut enough without any further twists from Kinane, but all is fair in the psychological preliminaries to the big day. There have been signs, notably at Chester and, more recently, on Air Chief Marshal at the Curragh last weekend, of an erratic streak in Murtagh’s riding that was not visible last year. He has made the wrong choice twice already this season and will not relish getting it wrong for a third time when it really matters. “There’s always disappointment when you choose the wrong one,” says Kinane, suppressing a chuckle.
Kinane has experienced every emotion in his 20 rides around the one and a half miles of the world’s most quixotic racetrack. On King’s Theatre, he had the race won until Erhaab came out of nowhere to snatch the prize; on Commander-in-Chief, he turned a second-string ride into unexpected victory and on Galileo he had the rare joy of knowing he would win a long way from home.
“That was the armchair ride of them all,” he says. “It was a smallish field and I was in control every step, which meant I was able to enjoy it. That doesn’t happen very often in any race, let alone the Derby. You’ve got to have a horse with pace, otherwise you’ll be in trouble. But there’s also a brick wall halfway down the straight and a lot of horses can hit the wall after going so quick.”
The question most asked of both Oxx and Kinane over the past month is whether Sea The Stars will be one of them. Kinane has always been more bullish about the colt’s stamina than the more naturally cautious trainer. “It felt like the mile of the Guineas would be the minimum trip for him,” he says.
Perceptions, though, have changed in recent weeks and a horse that was once shorter odds for the Derby, the first under the sponsorship of Investec, than the Guineas is now speared with the suspicion of being best at a mile or 10 furlongs. In part, the fault lies with Sea The Stars, who won the Guineas too comfortably to be a Derby horse, and with history, which dictates that another colt will improve more or be stronger on Derby day. Jim Bolger’s Gan Amhras (third) and Rip van Winkle (fourth) chased Sea The Stars home in the Guineas and would not need much to reverse the places.
“As soon as a horse like Sea The Stars walks through the gates, your hopes are high,” says Oxx. “He’s a big strong horse, he eats, he sleeps, he’s a tremendous athlete, but you don’t know if he’ll stay until the day.”
If it comes down to the coolness and confidence of the men in the saddle, Oxx, who has had a win (Sin-ndar) and a third (Alamshar) from his two previous runners, need have no concerns. Kinane might be 50 in three weeks, but retirement is not in the wind, not when there are good horses to be ridden and big races to be won. “I’ve still got that competitive edge and, thankfully, I’m in good shape physically,” says Kinane. “When the time comes, I’ll be the first to know.”
Sea The Stars could not be in better hands on Saturday.
Source:The times
Kinane and Sea The Stars will team up on Saturday for a tilt at the history books. The last horse to win the 2000 Guineas and the Derby was Nashwan, 20 years ago; the one before that was Nijinsky, who won the Triple Crown in 1970. If Kinane’s robust confidence is justified around Epsom’s unique contours, the son of Cape Cross will pass into the ranks of the turf’s true aristocracy. “These horses are a rarity,” says Kinane, his tone almost hushed in wonder. “I’ve been waiting for one to come along for a couple of years now and you have to enjoy it when they do.”
Kinane has known more rarities than most, including his two Derby winners, Commander-in-Chief for Henry Cecil and Galileo for Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore, his former employers. O’Brien and Kinane split at the end of a fraught 2003 season, which led many to predict a slow descent into the twilight for Kinane. Instead, John Oxx, another quiet genius of the Irish turf, snapped up the services of a jockey he knew well, prompting a welcome and unexpected Indian summer for the 13 times Irish champion.
After the hothouse atmosphere of Ballydoyle, life at Oxx’s must seem like a cool shower. But the pair have had to bide their time, watching as O’Brien swept all before him. Now, it is their turn and, despite the potential presence of nine Coolmore runners in the Derby field, neither Oxx nor Kinane would swap one of them for their own champion.
“We knew from day one he (Sea The Stars) was a lovely horse,” says Kinane. “He has the class and the pace and he’s got a great temperament. You don’t have to worry about the occasion getting to this fella. He’ll be counting the crowd.”
As a previous victim of Coolmore’s annual embarrassment of riches, Kinane will be watching with interest which horse his old rival, Johnny Murtagh, will pick. The choice mirrors that made by Kinane seven years ago. For Hawk Wing read Rip van Winkle and for Fame and Glory read High Chaparral, the former oozing speed and class, but not certain to stay, the latter solid and strong, sure to be in the frame. Kinane chose Hawk Wing and knew, as soon as he felt the rain on Oaks day, that he had made a mistake. Murtagh duly rode High Chaparral to victory, two lengths ahead of Hawk Wing.
“It’s a very fine line and Johnny won’t get much help from the gallops because Aidan won’t work any of them together,” says Kinane. “You might find out how well some of them have come out of their races, but it’s not easy. I’d say Johnny was definitely taken by the way Rip van Winkle ran in the Guineas. He can’t get that out of his head, but Fame and Glory has been impressive and likes the trip. It’s hard to see him being out of the first three.”
Murtagh’s nerve-ends will be taut enough without any further twists from Kinane, but all is fair in the psychological preliminaries to the big day. There have been signs, notably at Chester and, more recently, on Air Chief Marshal at the Curragh last weekend, of an erratic streak in Murtagh’s riding that was not visible last year. He has made the wrong choice twice already this season and will not relish getting it wrong for a third time when it really matters. “There’s always disappointment when you choose the wrong one,” says Kinane, suppressing a chuckle.
Kinane has experienced every emotion in his 20 rides around the one and a half miles of the world’s most quixotic racetrack. On King’s Theatre, he had the race won until Erhaab came out of nowhere to snatch the prize; on Commander-in-Chief, he turned a second-string ride into unexpected victory and on Galileo he had the rare joy of knowing he would win a long way from home.
“That was the armchair ride of them all,” he says. “It was a smallish field and I was in control every step, which meant I was able to enjoy it. That doesn’t happen very often in any race, let alone the Derby. You’ve got to have a horse with pace, otherwise you’ll be in trouble. But there’s also a brick wall halfway down the straight and a lot of horses can hit the wall after going so quick.”
The question most asked of both Oxx and Kinane over the past month is whether Sea The Stars will be one of them. Kinane has always been more bullish about the colt’s stamina than the more naturally cautious trainer. “It felt like the mile of the Guineas would be the minimum trip for him,” he says.
Perceptions, though, have changed in recent weeks and a horse that was once shorter odds for the Derby, the first under the sponsorship of Investec, than the Guineas is now speared with the suspicion of being best at a mile or 10 furlongs. In part, the fault lies with Sea The Stars, who won the Guineas too comfortably to be a Derby horse, and with history, which dictates that another colt will improve more or be stronger on Derby day. Jim Bolger’s Gan Amhras (third) and Rip van Winkle (fourth) chased Sea The Stars home in the Guineas and would not need much to reverse the places.
“As soon as a horse like Sea The Stars walks through the gates, your hopes are high,” says Oxx. “He’s a big strong horse, he eats, he sleeps, he’s a tremendous athlete, but you don’t know if he’ll stay until the day.”
If it comes down to the coolness and confidence of the men in the saddle, Oxx, who has had a win (Sin-ndar) and a third (Alamshar) from his two previous runners, need have no concerns. Kinane might be 50 in three weeks, but retirement is not in the wind, not when there are good horses to be ridden and big races to be won. “I’ve still got that competitive edge and, thankfully, I’m in good shape physically,” says Kinane. “When the time comes, I’ll be the first to know.”
Sea The Stars could not be in better hands on Saturday.
Source:The times
England prepare to stand alone at 2012 Olympics
A young English manager could be given the opportunity to lead an Olympic football team on home soil after the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish said that they would play no part in the 2012 campaign.
An all-England line-up agreed yesterday under a compromise deal between the four home nations opens the way for Stuart Pearce, the England Under-21 head coach, or an up-and-coming coach seeking international management experience to step into the role.
Fabio Capello, the England manager, has expressed an interest and is a frontrunner. But Pearce's chances would be strengthened if Fifa, the world governing body, reduces the age limit of Olympic footballers from under-23 plus three over-age players to under-21 across the board.
Fifa members could do this next week at their congress in the Bahamas in a move that would dash the hopes of David Beckham captaining an Olympic team and would keep Theo Walcott out of the side.
Hopes for a fully represented Team GB collapsed when the Scottish FA, the chief intransigent, made it clear this week that it remained “resolutely opposed” to the idea because it threatened Scotland's independent future at international level.
But, with the 2012 Games taking part largely in England, the other home nations agreed that they could not stand in the way of both men's and women's teams being fielded. The indecision risked hurting England's 2018 World Cup bid.
Fifa set a deadline of May 31 for a resolution. It could ratify the deal at its congress next week which will be attended by Lord Triesman, the FA chairman, and Lord Coe, a director of the 2018 bid. The Olympic football competition will be held in stadiums around the UK, including Old Trafford and Hampden Park. The final will take place at Wembley Stadium
Source: The times
An all-England line-up agreed yesterday under a compromise deal between the four home nations opens the way for Stuart Pearce, the England Under-21 head coach, or an up-and-coming coach seeking international management experience to step into the role.
Fabio Capello, the England manager, has expressed an interest and is a frontrunner. But Pearce's chances would be strengthened if Fifa, the world governing body, reduces the age limit of Olympic footballers from under-23 plus three over-age players to under-21 across the board.
Fifa members could do this next week at their congress in the Bahamas in a move that would dash the hopes of David Beckham captaining an Olympic team and would keep Theo Walcott out of the side.
Hopes for a fully represented Team GB collapsed when the Scottish FA, the chief intransigent, made it clear this week that it remained “resolutely opposed” to the idea because it threatened Scotland's independent future at international level.
But, with the 2012 Games taking part largely in England, the other home nations agreed that they could not stand in the way of both men's and women's teams being fielded. The indecision risked hurting England's 2018 World Cup bid.
Fifa set a deadline of May 31 for a resolution. It could ratify the deal at its congress next week which will be attended by Lord Triesman, the FA chairman, and Lord Coe, a director of the 2018 bid. The Olympic football competition will be held in stadiums around the UK, including Old Trafford and Hampden Park. The final will take place at Wembley Stadium
Source: The times
Ferrari lead teams back into the fray
The white flags were going up over the Formula One battlefield yesterday when Ferrari led the rest of the teams back into the pits where Messrs Ecclestone and Mosley rule supreme.
For weeks, the foot soldiers of the revolution at Ferrari have been trying to convince us that the threat by Luca Di Montezemolo, the company president, to leave Formula One because of the FIA’s plans for a budget cap was serious. But few people outside Maranello believed it and last night the joke doing the rounds in the corridors of Formula One power was: “How many reverse gears does a Ferrari have?”
After hours of negotiations among themselves, the teams under the banner of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) led by the Scuderia, submitted their entries for next season in time for yesterday’s deadline. They did so, however, on a conditional basis. They said they would race next season so long as a new accord — the so-called Concorde Agreement — was signed between them and Bernie Ecclestone, the commercial rights-holder, and the FIA, setting out the way the sport will be run until 2012.
“The renewal of the agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance,” the teams said. (A potential sticking point here is that Ecclestone wants the commitment from the teams to Formula One to be for five more years, not two).
A second condition was that the teams will participate next year only under the regulations for this season. On the face of it, this appears to amount to a wholesale rejection of the budget cap being proposed by Max Mosley, the FIA president. But sources close to Mosley, were sounding confident last night that the cap would still come in, even if the target figure of £40 million may not be reached until 2011.
Ecclestone was also confident about the cap. “I am sure there will be a cap,” he said. “I think we are seeing the start of what is going to be a huge row,” he said, jokingly. “No, this is the beginning of something positive.”
In addition to the two main conditions, the teams underlined again that they have no interest in a so-called two-tier series in which budget-capped teams race with less technical restrictions than those on unlimited budgets, as had been originally proposed by the FIA.
“All Fota entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole,” the teams said.
“All Fota teams look forward with optimism to collaborating productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing stability and sound governance.”
Source: The times
For weeks, the foot soldiers of the revolution at Ferrari have been trying to convince us that the threat by Luca Di Montezemolo, the company president, to leave Formula One because of the FIA’s plans for a budget cap was serious. But few people outside Maranello believed it and last night the joke doing the rounds in the corridors of Formula One power was: “How many reverse gears does a Ferrari have?”
After hours of negotiations among themselves, the teams under the banner of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) led by the Scuderia, submitted their entries for next season in time for yesterday’s deadline. They did so, however, on a conditional basis. They said they would race next season so long as a new accord — the so-called Concorde Agreement — was signed between them and Bernie Ecclestone, the commercial rights-holder, and the FIA, setting out the way the sport will be run until 2012.
“The renewal of the agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance,” the teams said. (A potential sticking point here is that Ecclestone wants the commitment from the teams to Formula One to be for five more years, not two).
A second condition was that the teams will participate next year only under the regulations for this season. On the face of it, this appears to amount to a wholesale rejection of the budget cap being proposed by Max Mosley, the FIA president. But sources close to Mosley, were sounding confident last night that the cap would still come in, even if the target figure of £40 million may not be reached until 2011.
Ecclestone was also confident about the cap. “I am sure there will be a cap,” he said. “I think we are seeing the start of what is going to be a huge row,” he said, jokingly. “No, this is the beginning of something positive.”
In addition to the two main conditions, the teams underlined again that they have no interest in a so-called two-tier series in which budget-capped teams race with less technical restrictions than those on unlimited budgets, as had been originally proposed by the FIA.
“All Fota entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole,” the teams said.
“All Fota teams look forward with optimism to collaborating productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing stability and sound governance.”
Source: The times
Agony for Ricky Ponting as Aussie injury jinx returns
RICKY PONTING gave Australia their first injury scare of the summer yesterday when his part in the team’s first full practice session in Nottingham was curtailed after he received a fierce blow on his right wrist.
Ponting lay prone on the ground for a couple of minutes, teammates huddling around him, before being taken away for treatment. In an echo of the mishap that ruled Glenn McGrath out of the Edgbaston Test in 2005 — when McGrath stood on a stray ball on the outfield — Ponting’s injury was the result of a basic error.
About to begin his first batting session, he went to pick up a ball by the side netting just as Mike Hussey played a shot in the adjoining net, the ball hitting Ponting full on the wrist. He was given ice treatment but not sent for an X-ray. This is the same wrist on which Ponting had major reconstructive surgery in July last year after problems in the Caribbean. However, he is expected to be fit for Australia’s first warm-up match against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge tomorrow.
Earlier, Michael Clarke, the vice-captain, had spoken fulsomely about Ponting’s energy and enthusiasm. Clarke said that, contrary to what recent results and Ponting’s own form might suggest, the Australia captain remained at the top of his game as both player and leader.
Since mid-October, Ponting has averaged a meagre 36.1 in Tests and has presided over five defeats that in any other Australian era would each be regarded as a catastrophe — by 320 runs and 172 runs to India; by six wickets, nine wickets, and an innings and 20 runs to South Africa.
Clarke also expressed the surprising hope that Ponting, who at 34 is six years older than his deputy, would lead Australia for the rest of Clarke’s career. “I’m definitely not ready yet with the captain we’ve got,” Clarke said. “Ricky is an amazing cricketer. There are not too many around today who are as good a player as him or as good a leader.
“One of his strengths is that he can not only lead someone like Shane Warne, an all-time great spin bowler, but also Phil Hughes, a 20-year-old kid playing Test cricket for the first time. He’s been one of Australia’s great leaders and is keen to continue playing. I think he has got a long time yet left in all forms of the game.”
Clarke added that English audiences should not underestimate this Australian team just because it contained some unfamiliar names. “It’s been a long time since the likes of Warne and McGrath were playing and we as a team have moved well and truly beyond that. We will never be able to replace those guys but we are not trying to either. It has given new guys an opportunity and those who had theirs in South Africa really made the most of it. If we play the cricket we know we can we might surprise a few English fans.”
While Clarke, like Ponting, declined to predict an Ashes scoreline, Brett Lee ventured that the series would be close.
“It’s going to be tight again and it’s going to be played in the same spirit as 2005,” Lee said. “I just want England at full strength. I want Freddie Flintoff out there, I want Kevin Pietersen playing. I want to test myself against the best. I want packed crowds. I want it to be on again like it was four years ago. Playing it in England feels like the real Ashes to me . . . There’s all the hype, all the attention, all the theatre.”
Meanwhile, Stuart Clark’s hopes of getting up to speed for the Ashes with two championship appearances for Gloucestershire next month have been all but dashed by visa problems. “The chances of Stuart coming are slim,” a club official said.
Like Clark, who underwent elbow surgery earlier this year, Ryan Sidebottom is facing a battle to get enough overs under his belt in time for the first Test. The England left-armer has made a good recovery from an Achilles operation but his inclusion in England’s World Twenty20 squad means his bowling opportunities are limited.
If England reach the semi-finals, Sidebottom may play only one first-class match before the Ashes, barely sufficient for someone who benefits from regular work. He says he may have to look elsewhere. “The is to try and get in as much bowling and cricket as possible, whether I practise in the nets or get some cricket somewhere else,” he said. “I’ve played club cricket for Leek this season and would do it again if the opportunity arose. I need to bowl regularly and prove I am 100% fit, and not 80% and getting through a game umming and ahhing. I’ve worked hard on my fitness and lost a lot of weight. I see myself down the pecking order. All I can do is push hard those players who are doing well.”
WORLD TWENTY20 GROUP AND KNOCKOUT STAGES
Group A
India, Bangladesh, Ireland
Group B
Pakistan, England, Holland
Group C
Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies
Group D
New Zealand, S Africa, Scotland
Super eight phase:
Group E (probable)
India, England, Australia, South Africa
Group F (probable)
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand
- Semi-finals on June 18-19
- Final takes place at Lord’s on Sunday, June 21
- All matches live on Sky Sports
Source:The times
Ponting lay prone on the ground for a couple of minutes, teammates huddling around him, before being taken away for treatment. In an echo of the mishap that ruled Glenn McGrath out of the Edgbaston Test in 2005 — when McGrath stood on a stray ball on the outfield — Ponting’s injury was the result of a basic error.
About to begin his first batting session, he went to pick up a ball by the side netting just as Mike Hussey played a shot in the adjoining net, the ball hitting Ponting full on the wrist. He was given ice treatment but not sent for an X-ray. This is the same wrist on which Ponting had major reconstructive surgery in July last year after problems in the Caribbean. However, he is expected to be fit for Australia’s first warm-up match against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge tomorrow.
Earlier, Michael Clarke, the vice-captain, had spoken fulsomely about Ponting’s energy and enthusiasm. Clarke said that, contrary to what recent results and Ponting’s own form might suggest, the Australia captain remained at the top of his game as both player and leader.
Since mid-October, Ponting has averaged a meagre 36.1 in Tests and has presided over five defeats that in any other Australian era would each be regarded as a catastrophe — by 320 runs and 172 runs to India; by six wickets, nine wickets, and an innings and 20 runs to South Africa.
Clarke also expressed the surprising hope that Ponting, who at 34 is six years older than his deputy, would lead Australia for the rest of Clarke’s career. “I’m definitely not ready yet with the captain we’ve got,” Clarke said. “Ricky is an amazing cricketer. There are not too many around today who are as good a player as him or as good a leader.
“One of his strengths is that he can not only lead someone like Shane Warne, an all-time great spin bowler, but also Phil Hughes, a 20-year-old kid playing Test cricket for the first time. He’s been one of Australia’s great leaders and is keen to continue playing. I think he has got a long time yet left in all forms of the game.”
Clarke added that English audiences should not underestimate this Australian team just because it contained some unfamiliar names. “It’s been a long time since the likes of Warne and McGrath were playing and we as a team have moved well and truly beyond that. We will never be able to replace those guys but we are not trying to either. It has given new guys an opportunity and those who had theirs in South Africa really made the most of it. If we play the cricket we know we can we might surprise a few English fans.”
While Clarke, like Ponting, declined to predict an Ashes scoreline, Brett Lee ventured that the series would be close.
“It’s going to be tight again and it’s going to be played in the same spirit as 2005,” Lee said. “I just want England at full strength. I want Freddie Flintoff out there, I want Kevin Pietersen playing. I want to test myself against the best. I want packed crowds. I want it to be on again like it was four years ago. Playing it in England feels like the real Ashes to me . . . There’s all the hype, all the attention, all the theatre.”
Meanwhile, Stuart Clark’s hopes of getting up to speed for the Ashes with two championship appearances for Gloucestershire next month have been all but dashed by visa problems. “The chances of Stuart coming are slim,” a club official said.
Like Clark, who underwent elbow surgery earlier this year, Ryan Sidebottom is facing a battle to get enough overs under his belt in time for the first Test. The England left-armer has made a good recovery from an Achilles operation but his inclusion in England’s World Twenty20 squad means his bowling opportunities are limited.
If England reach the semi-finals, Sidebottom may play only one first-class match before the Ashes, barely sufficient for someone who benefits from regular work. He says he may have to look elsewhere. “The is to try and get in as much bowling and cricket as possible, whether I practise in the nets or get some cricket somewhere else,” he said. “I’ve played club cricket for Leek this season and would do it again if the opportunity arose. I need to bowl regularly and prove I am 100% fit, and not 80% and getting through a game umming and ahhing. I’ve worked hard on my fitness and lost a lot of weight. I see myself down the pecking order. All I can do is push hard those players who are doing well.”
WORLD TWENTY20 GROUP AND KNOCKOUT STAGES
Group A
India, Bangladesh, Ireland
Group B
Pakistan, England, Holland
Group C
Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies
Group D
New Zealand, S Africa, Scotland
Super eight phase:
Group E (probable)
India, England, Australia, South Africa
Group F (probable)
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand
- Semi-finals on June 18-19
- Final takes place at Lord’s on Sunday, June 21
- All matches live on Sky Sports
Source:The times
Frank Lampard hands Guus Hiddink perfect parting gift
Chelsea 2 Everton 1
AND SO Guus Hiddink got what he wanted. Sunshine, champagne spray at Wembley and a “beautiful ending” to his three-and-a-half months with
Chelsea. His parting gift ensured he will forever be cherished by the club of which he has been temporary manager since February. Not only is the FA Cup football’s most holy hunk of silverware, this was Chelsea’s first trophy since Jose Mourinho and perhaps now they can finally move on from the Portuguese demagogue whose shadow was such that his 2007 dismissal was still being picked over on newspaper back pages yesterday.
Chelsea’s next manager can now start the job in the manner Hiddink left — on his own terms. Carlo Ancelotti is favourite to be appointed, but some qualities of the Blues seem destined to remain constant regardless of who is their boss. Frank Lampard’s ability to influence matches is prime among these and after Louis Saha invigorated the occasion with the quickest ever FA Cup final goal, Lampard decided it with one of the greatest, following Didier Drogba’s equaliser.
After seeing the sweet embrace of ball by net after his shot beat Tim Howard, the midfielder ran to the corner flag and jigged his way around it, mimicking the goal celebration of his father, Frank Lampard Sr, when scoring the winner for West Ham against Everton in a 1980 FA Cup semi-final.
This was a fair result, not least because minutes after Lampard made it 2-1 a refereeing mistake denied Chelsea when Florent Malouda “scored” with an even better strike, a Scud missile of a shot that dipped and wobbled over Howard before exploding off the underside of the bar and coming to earth beyond the goalline. The ball bounced back out and Howard Webb’s assistant referee, believing the ball had not crossed the line, declined to signal a goal.
A score of 3-1 would have been about right. Everton’s commitment was supreme, David Moyes’s tactical set-up was clever and players such as Saha, Joleon Lescott, Phil Neville and Steven Pienaar played at or near to their maximum. But they had needed Chelsea, with resources so superior, to have an off-day and Chelsea didn’t. It was poignant to see Mikel Arteta in a suit, not a strip. Had he, Phil Jagielka and Yakubu not been injured, it might just have been different.
Both sets of supporters were marvellously lusty. Everton’s had waited a long time for an occasion of this size but received instant gratification. Their team’s blade was on Chelsea’s jugular immediately. From the kick-off, Moyes’s midfield worked their way into an attacking position and Pienaar sent in the first of several penetrating crosses he was able to deliver. John Mikel Obi headed weakly, and Alex failed to clear as Marouane Fellaini rose to challenge him. The ball dropped towards the the penalty spot and there, Saha connected perfectly with a left-footed volley to leave Petr Cech sprawling. Everton were ahead with 25 seconds gone. Saha’s goal was the fastest in FA Cup final history, beating one scored by the talkative-sounding Bob Chatt, 30 seconds into this fixture in 1895.
Hiddink had unveiled the only selection surprise, starting with Mikel instead of Michael Ballack so Chelsea could use two holding midfield players against Fellaini and Tim Cahill. The parts played in the goal by both Mikel and Fellaini made this seem a mistake but the next 89 minutes and 35 seconds vindicated the Dutchman. Neither could get on the ball for long and with Everton unable to hold possession upfield, they retreated into their defensive third.
Chelsea flooded forward. Hiddink had also detailed Malouda and Nicolas Anelka to drop off before striking at Everton with pacy runs from deep and Moyes’s full-backs suffered, especially Tony Hibbert. With 21 minutes gone sustained Chelsea pressure was rewarded when Anelka came deep to find Lampard, who spread the ball nicely to Malouda. The Frenchman’s perfect cross curved into Everton’s area for Drogba to outmanoeuvre Lescott and head home. Lampard put one close from distance and Ashley Cole botched an opportunity when Malouda’s ball ricocheted off Fellaini into his path.
Moyes’s men were defending tenaciously. Neville lost possession but hounded Drogba to win it back, Pienaar pressured Anelka into running the ball out for a goal-kick when trying to tee up a shot and even Saha, the lone striker, was glimpsed in the left-back position.
The question was: Could Everton keep it up? Temperatures down on the pitch were touching 40 degrees and their manager did not think so. In the first half, Moyes stood in his technical area waving his players forward in vain. At half-time Hibbert, neutered as a tackler since an early booking, was replaced by Lars Jacobsen, an experienced Dane. Cahill and Fellaini swapped places so the Australian could play off Saha. For a while it worked, Everton got forward more and Saha had a sight of goal but headed over from 10 yards.
Then Lampard struck. Ballack, on for Essien, slipped a pass to Anelka, who found Lampard near the rim of Everton’s penalty area. Neville strained sinew to get back but Lampard checked inside him , slipping as he did so. Yet up he sprang and with his left foot caught the ball’s sweet spot, sending it scorching away from Howard who, despite getting both hands on the orb, could only push it into his net.
Lampard was subsequently booked for trying to win a penalty with a sneaky dive but this only slightly tarnished his afternoon. He was prominent among the Chelsea performers, yet did not outdo Cole, who plucked a ball from Drogba out of the air with an outrageously skilful touch and was justifiably named man of the match.
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, gave John Terry the old trophy and Hiddink was invited to be the last to hold it, but graciously insisted he raise it jointly with Ray Wilkins, his assistant. He is gone but not forgotten and, after some dreary recent finals, the pageant and quality of yesterday’s will also last in the memory.
CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Essien (Ballack 61min), Mikel, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Malouda
EVERTON: Howard, Hibbert (Jacobsen h-t), Yobo, Lescott, Baines, Osman (Gosling 83min), Neville, Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini, Saha (Vaughan 77min)
Source:The times
AND SO Guus Hiddink got what he wanted. Sunshine, champagne spray at Wembley and a “beautiful ending” to his three-and-a-half months with
Chelsea. His parting gift ensured he will forever be cherished by the club of which he has been temporary manager since February. Not only is the FA Cup football’s most holy hunk of silverware, this was Chelsea’s first trophy since Jose Mourinho and perhaps now they can finally move on from the Portuguese demagogue whose shadow was such that his 2007 dismissal was still being picked over on newspaper back pages yesterday.
Chelsea’s next manager can now start the job in the manner Hiddink left — on his own terms. Carlo Ancelotti is favourite to be appointed, but some qualities of the Blues seem destined to remain constant regardless of who is their boss. Frank Lampard’s ability to influence matches is prime among these and after Louis Saha invigorated the occasion with the quickest ever FA Cup final goal, Lampard decided it with one of the greatest, following Didier Drogba’s equaliser.
After seeing the sweet embrace of ball by net after his shot beat Tim Howard, the midfielder ran to the corner flag and jigged his way around it, mimicking the goal celebration of his father, Frank Lampard Sr, when scoring the winner for West Ham against Everton in a 1980 FA Cup semi-final.
This was a fair result, not least because minutes after Lampard made it 2-1 a refereeing mistake denied Chelsea when Florent Malouda “scored” with an even better strike, a Scud missile of a shot that dipped and wobbled over Howard before exploding off the underside of the bar and coming to earth beyond the goalline. The ball bounced back out and Howard Webb’s assistant referee, believing the ball had not crossed the line, declined to signal a goal.
A score of 3-1 would have been about right. Everton’s commitment was supreme, David Moyes’s tactical set-up was clever and players such as Saha, Joleon Lescott, Phil Neville and Steven Pienaar played at or near to their maximum. But they had needed Chelsea, with resources so superior, to have an off-day and Chelsea didn’t. It was poignant to see Mikel Arteta in a suit, not a strip. Had he, Phil Jagielka and Yakubu not been injured, it might just have been different.
Both sets of supporters were marvellously lusty. Everton’s had waited a long time for an occasion of this size but received instant gratification. Their team’s blade was on Chelsea’s jugular immediately. From the kick-off, Moyes’s midfield worked their way into an attacking position and Pienaar sent in the first of several penetrating crosses he was able to deliver. John Mikel Obi headed weakly, and Alex failed to clear as Marouane Fellaini rose to challenge him. The ball dropped towards the the penalty spot and there, Saha connected perfectly with a left-footed volley to leave Petr Cech sprawling. Everton were ahead with 25 seconds gone. Saha’s goal was the fastest in FA Cup final history, beating one scored by the talkative-sounding Bob Chatt, 30 seconds into this fixture in 1895.
Hiddink had unveiled the only selection surprise, starting with Mikel instead of Michael Ballack so Chelsea could use two holding midfield players against Fellaini and Tim Cahill. The parts played in the goal by both Mikel and Fellaini made this seem a mistake but the next 89 minutes and 35 seconds vindicated the Dutchman. Neither could get on the ball for long and with Everton unable to hold possession upfield, they retreated into their defensive third.
Chelsea flooded forward. Hiddink had also detailed Malouda and Nicolas Anelka to drop off before striking at Everton with pacy runs from deep and Moyes’s full-backs suffered, especially Tony Hibbert. With 21 minutes gone sustained Chelsea pressure was rewarded when Anelka came deep to find Lampard, who spread the ball nicely to Malouda. The Frenchman’s perfect cross curved into Everton’s area for Drogba to outmanoeuvre Lescott and head home. Lampard put one close from distance and Ashley Cole botched an opportunity when Malouda’s ball ricocheted off Fellaini into his path.
Moyes’s men were defending tenaciously. Neville lost possession but hounded Drogba to win it back, Pienaar pressured Anelka into running the ball out for a goal-kick when trying to tee up a shot and even Saha, the lone striker, was glimpsed in the left-back position.
The question was: Could Everton keep it up? Temperatures down on the pitch were touching 40 degrees and their manager did not think so. In the first half, Moyes stood in his technical area waving his players forward in vain. At half-time Hibbert, neutered as a tackler since an early booking, was replaced by Lars Jacobsen, an experienced Dane. Cahill and Fellaini swapped places so the Australian could play off Saha. For a while it worked, Everton got forward more and Saha had a sight of goal but headed over from 10 yards.
Then Lampard struck. Ballack, on for Essien, slipped a pass to Anelka, who found Lampard near the rim of Everton’s penalty area. Neville strained sinew to get back but Lampard checked inside him , slipping as he did so. Yet up he sprang and with his left foot caught the ball’s sweet spot, sending it scorching away from Howard who, despite getting both hands on the orb, could only push it into his net.
Lampard was subsequently booked for trying to win a penalty with a sneaky dive but this only slightly tarnished his afternoon. He was prominent among the Chelsea performers, yet did not outdo Cole, who plucked a ball from Drogba out of the air with an outrageously skilful touch and was justifiably named man of the match.
Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary-general, gave John Terry the old trophy and Hiddink was invited to be the last to hold it, but graciously insisted he raise it jointly with Ray Wilkins, his assistant. He is gone but not forgotten and, after some dreary recent finals, the pageant and quality of yesterday’s will also last in the memory.
CHELSEA: Cech, Bosingwa, Alex, Terry, A Cole, Essien (Ballack 61min), Mikel, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Malouda
EVERTON: Howard, Hibbert (Jacobsen h-t), Yobo, Lescott, Baines, Osman (Gosling 83min), Neville, Pienaar, Cahill, Fellaini, Saha (Vaughan 77min)
Source:The times
Mike Ashley puts Newcastle on the block
THE sportswear tycoon Mike Ashley is to put Newcastle United football club up for sale with a £100m price tag.
Ashley will appoint Keith Harris, chairman of Seymour Pierce, or bankers at NM Rothschild this week with a mandate to achieve a quick sale. His decision comes just days after the club was relegated from the Premier League.
The asking price is £34m less than Ashley paid for the club two years ago. Since then he has ploughed £110m of his own money into the northeast team to pay down its debts.
Ashley told The Sunday Times: “It has been catastrophic for everybody. I’ve lost my money and I’ve made terrible decisions. Now I want to sell it as soon as I can . . . advisers will be appointed shortly.”
If Ashley manages to find a buyer it will put an end to his controversial and occasionally acrimonious two-year spell in control at St James’ Park, having initially put the club up for sale for £400m last September because of a series of protests and demonstrations following Kevin Keegan’s departure as manager.
But dropping out of the top flight of English football has slashed the value of the club.
There has been some interest from Nigeria and South Africa but no firm takeover offers. The club’s demotion will make it harder to drum up bid interest.
Asked if he regretted his decision to buy the club two years ago, Ashley, who owns the sportswear chain Sports Direct, said: “Of course I regret it. I never said I was an expert in football clubs. I was just a fan – although a very wealthy fan. But I’m not so wealthy now. I put my money into it and I tried my best. But I accept my best was woefully short. I am genuinely sorry for everybody about what has happened.”
Ashley landed a £929m pay-day when he floated Sports Direct on the London stock exchange in 2007, but the credit crunch and a string of ill-fated gambles have slashed his wealth from £1.4 billion to £700m, according to this year’s Sunday Times Rich List.
The news comes as talks to give Alan Shearer, the care-taker manager, a full-time contract to rebuild Newcastle United were continuing this weekend.
Ashley also praised former interim manager Joe Kinnear, who took temporary charge of the club after Keegan quit last autumn. “I personally thought Joe put the club back on the right track. He took it from second bottom to 13th but things went against him,” said Ashley. Kinnear was forced to stand down because of ill health.
After its relegation from the Premier League, the club faces a big restructuring that is likely to lead to a clear-out of the first-team playing squad to balance the books. At present, Newcastle relies on a £40m work-ing-capital facility from Bar-clays bank.
Meanwhile, West Ham United is poised to be taken over by its creditors in coming weeks. Sources close to the east London football club say the huge debts of former owner Bjorgol-fur Gudmundsson and those of the club itself have all but killed the chances of any rescue.
This means it will fall into the hands of Icelandic bank Straumur and a consortium of other financial institutions.
Straumur is owed about £100m by Gudmundsson, while the club owes about £45m to a group of banks including RBS.
The Icelandic bank is expected to hold on to the club for between two and three years before putting it up for sale.
Source:The times
Ashley will appoint Keith Harris, chairman of Seymour Pierce, or bankers at NM Rothschild this week with a mandate to achieve a quick sale. His decision comes just days after the club was relegated from the Premier League.
The asking price is £34m less than Ashley paid for the club two years ago. Since then he has ploughed £110m of his own money into the northeast team to pay down its debts.
Ashley told The Sunday Times: “It has been catastrophic for everybody. I’ve lost my money and I’ve made terrible decisions. Now I want to sell it as soon as I can . . . advisers will be appointed shortly.”
If Ashley manages to find a buyer it will put an end to his controversial and occasionally acrimonious two-year spell in control at St James’ Park, having initially put the club up for sale for £400m last September because of a series of protests and demonstrations following Kevin Keegan’s departure as manager.
But dropping out of the top flight of English football has slashed the value of the club.
There has been some interest from Nigeria and South Africa but no firm takeover offers. The club’s demotion will make it harder to drum up bid interest.
Asked if he regretted his decision to buy the club two years ago, Ashley, who owns the sportswear chain Sports Direct, said: “Of course I regret it. I never said I was an expert in football clubs. I was just a fan – although a very wealthy fan. But I’m not so wealthy now. I put my money into it and I tried my best. But I accept my best was woefully short. I am genuinely sorry for everybody about what has happened.”
Ashley landed a £929m pay-day when he floated Sports Direct on the London stock exchange in 2007, but the credit crunch and a string of ill-fated gambles have slashed his wealth from £1.4 billion to £700m, according to this year’s Sunday Times Rich List.
The news comes as talks to give Alan Shearer, the care-taker manager, a full-time contract to rebuild Newcastle United were continuing this weekend.
Ashley also praised former interim manager Joe Kinnear, who took temporary charge of the club after Keegan quit last autumn. “I personally thought Joe put the club back on the right track. He took it from second bottom to 13th but things went against him,” said Ashley. Kinnear was forced to stand down because of ill health.
After its relegation from the Premier League, the club faces a big restructuring that is likely to lead to a clear-out of the first-team playing squad to balance the books. At present, Newcastle relies on a £40m work-ing-capital facility from Bar-clays bank.
Meanwhile, West Ham United is poised to be taken over by its creditors in coming weeks. Sources close to the east London football club say the huge debts of former owner Bjorgol-fur Gudmundsson and those of the club itself have all but killed the chances of any rescue.
This means it will fall into the hands of Icelandic bank Straumur and a consortium of other financial institutions.
Straumur is owed about £100m by Gudmundsson, while the club owes about £45m to a group of banks including RBS.
The Icelandic bank is expected to hold on to the club for between two and three years before putting it up for sale.
Source:The times
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Mike Tyson's daughter Exodus dies after accident
The four-year-old daughter of former boxer Mike Tyson has died after she was critically injured when her neck was caught in a cord on a treadmill machine at her home in Arizona.
Exodus Tyson was playing near the exercise equipment in the family home in Phoenix when the accident happened on Monday morning.
Police said her seven-year-old brother, who was playing in another room, found Exodus with the cord around her neck and immediately alerted their mother, who had been cleaning elsewhere in the house. She was taken to hospital in critical condition and placed on life support but died a few hours later.
"Somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there's a cord that hangs under the console — it's kind of a loop," police Sergeant Andy Hill told Fox news. "Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it."
Her mother took Exodus off the cable and immediately attempted to revive her. She then called police and the child was rushed to St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Centre in central Phoenix.
Sergeant Hill said everything in the investigation pointed to an accident. "There's nothing in the investigation that revealed anything suspicious," he said.
Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, had been in Las Vegas but flew to Phoenix immediately after learning of the accident. Brief TV footage showed Tyson arriving at the hospital in a white button-up and black pants, and looking around with a frown before going inside.
In a statement released early this morning, the Tyson family said: "There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus. We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal."
Exodus was described by neighbours as a friendly, lively child, who regularly played outside the family home in the quiet, modest neighbourhood.
Dinka Radic, who lives across the street, said Exodus would ask her if she had any chocolate. When Ms Radic gave her some, the young child would hug the woman's knees and “kiss, kiss, kiss”.
“She'd say ‘hi’ to everybody. She was really friendly,” Abdul Khalik, 53, who lives next door, told Associated Press.
He said Exodus rode her bicycle around the neighbourhood and often played with his two children and his niece.
Ben Brodhurst, 20, who lives across the street, said Exodus was “very lively, very enjoyable to be around”.
Once dubbed “the baddest man on the planet” - famously, the boxer partially bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off in a championship bout, an action that cost him a $3 million (£2 million) fine - Tyson has retired from competitive boxing.
“Iron Mike” was the subject of a documentary by director James Toback, which was released in Britain in March. The retired boxer remains the youngest man ever to win the top three world heavyweight titles after winning the World Boxing Council title at the age of 20.
Now 42, he does exhibition boxing shows and product endorsements. Tyson has been embroiled in many controversies over the years, having been convicted and served time for rape and separately for drug possession and drink driving.
He has been married twice and has six children with several women. He served three years in prison after being convicted in 1992 of raping a former beauty queen, the 18-year-old Desiree Washington, in a hotel room.
He said recently: “I was a hero under dark circumstances. I allowed it to happen. I’ve got nobody to blame but myself. I got bad advisers and I must have run through $300 or $400 million. I just about killed myself in pursuit of money, drugs and sex."
Source:The times
Exodus Tyson was playing near the exercise equipment in the family home in Phoenix when the accident happened on Monday morning.
Police said her seven-year-old brother, who was playing in another room, found Exodus with the cord around her neck and immediately alerted their mother, who had been cleaning elsewhere in the house. She was taken to hospital in critical condition and placed on life support but died a few hours later.
"Somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there's a cord that hangs under the console — it's kind of a loop," police Sergeant Andy Hill told Fox news. "Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it."
Her mother took Exodus off the cable and immediately attempted to revive her. She then called police and the child was rushed to St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Centre in central Phoenix.
Sergeant Hill said everything in the investigation pointed to an accident. "There's nothing in the investigation that revealed anything suspicious," he said.
Tyson, the former heavyweight champion, had been in Las Vegas but flew to Phoenix immediately after learning of the accident. Brief TV footage showed Tyson arriving at the hospital in a white button-up and black pants, and looking around with a frown before going inside.
In a statement released early this morning, the Tyson family said: "There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus. We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal."
Exodus was described by neighbours as a friendly, lively child, who regularly played outside the family home in the quiet, modest neighbourhood.
Dinka Radic, who lives across the street, said Exodus would ask her if she had any chocolate. When Ms Radic gave her some, the young child would hug the woman's knees and “kiss, kiss, kiss”.
“She'd say ‘hi’ to everybody. She was really friendly,” Abdul Khalik, 53, who lives next door, told Associated Press.
He said Exodus rode her bicycle around the neighbourhood and often played with his two children and his niece.
Ben Brodhurst, 20, who lives across the street, said Exodus was “very lively, very enjoyable to be around”.
Once dubbed “the baddest man on the planet” - famously, the boxer partially bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off in a championship bout, an action that cost him a $3 million (£2 million) fine - Tyson has retired from competitive boxing.
“Iron Mike” was the subject of a documentary by director James Toback, which was released in Britain in March. The retired boxer remains the youngest man ever to win the top three world heavyweight titles after winning the World Boxing Council title at the age of 20.
Now 42, he does exhibition boxing shows and product endorsements. Tyson has been embroiled in many controversies over the years, having been convicted and served time for rape and separately for drug possession and drink driving.
He has been married twice and has six children with several women. He served three years in prison after being convicted in 1992 of raping a former beauty queen, the 18-year-old Desiree Washington, in a hotel room.
He said recently: “I was a hero under dark circumstances. I allowed it to happen. I’ve got nobody to blame but myself. I got bad advisers and I must have run through $300 or $400 million. I just about killed myself in pursuit of money, drugs and sex."
Source:The times
Andy Murray through to third round of French Open
Andy Murray is through to the third round of the French Open after overcoming a brief scare against the stubborn Potito Starace. The British No 1 won 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 against the Italian on Philippe Chatrier court, setting up a third-round match with either Janko Tipsarevic or Feliciano Lopez, the 28th seed.
Murray started and finished solidly but his form dipped dramatically in the second and third sets, when he lost 11 out of 13 games to the World No 104. In that third set, he recovered from 5-1 down to win six games in a row, and that laid the platform for his battling victory. It is the second year in a row he has made the third round at Roland Garros.
As Murray predicted, Starace stuck stubbornly behind his baseline throughout but after a slow start the 27-year-old showed why the Scot had dubbed him a clay-court specialist and a "top player" on the eve of the match. The first set was all about Murray's nagging consistency. Although he landed just 62 per cent of his first serves, that department was very solid as he dropped just three points on serve.
It meant Starace was always under pressure on his serve, and after Murray squandered two break points in the third game, he earned two more in game five, taking the second of them with a fading backhand down the line.
The Scot took the 31-minute set at the first time of asking when Starace netted trying to retrieve a cute Murray drop shot but the flow of the match suddenly changed. Starace upped both his intensity and aggression, and Murray - whose first-serve percentage slipped to 52% - suffered.
The Briton saved two early break points but was up against it in his next service game, in the third game of the set, as he faced five more. He saved the first four, each time coming to the net, but on the fifth Starace emerged triumphant thanks to a blocked backhand at the end of a wonderful rally.
A powerful cross-court backhand on the first of two break points allowed Starace to go 4-1 up and he did not wilt in the face of fierce Murray resistance when serving for the set, taking it at the fourth time of asking.
Murray was just as error-prone at the start of a riveting third set, as he was broken twice to slip 5-1 down. The 22-year-old looked down and out but after saving a set point the next game, he launched a memorable comeback.
Retrieving drop-shots he was not making earlier, Murray won another five games in the spin - one of which contained another Starace set point - as he broke three times to claim a set that looked to have got away from him.
The fourth and final set went with serve until 5-4, when Murray claimed a hard-fought victory on his third match point with a fiercely whipped, cross-court forehand.
Source:The times
Murray started and finished solidly but his form dipped dramatically in the second and third sets, when he lost 11 out of 13 games to the World No 104. In that third set, he recovered from 5-1 down to win six games in a row, and that laid the platform for his battling victory. It is the second year in a row he has made the third round at Roland Garros.
As Murray predicted, Starace stuck stubbornly behind his baseline throughout but after a slow start the 27-year-old showed why the Scot had dubbed him a clay-court specialist and a "top player" on the eve of the match. The first set was all about Murray's nagging consistency. Although he landed just 62 per cent of his first serves, that department was very solid as he dropped just three points on serve.
It meant Starace was always under pressure on his serve, and after Murray squandered two break points in the third game, he earned two more in game five, taking the second of them with a fading backhand down the line.
The Scot took the 31-minute set at the first time of asking when Starace netted trying to retrieve a cute Murray drop shot but the flow of the match suddenly changed. Starace upped both his intensity and aggression, and Murray - whose first-serve percentage slipped to 52% - suffered.
The Briton saved two early break points but was up against it in his next service game, in the third game of the set, as he faced five more. He saved the first four, each time coming to the net, but on the fifth Starace emerged triumphant thanks to a blocked backhand at the end of a wonderful rally.
A powerful cross-court backhand on the first of two break points allowed Starace to go 4-1 up and he did not wilt in the face of fierce Murray resistance when serving for the set, taking it at the fourth time of asking.
Murray was just as error-prone at the start of a riveting third set, as he was broken twice to slip 5-1 down. The 22-year-old looked down and out but after saving a set point the next game, he launched a memorable comeback.
Retrieving drop-shots he was not making earlier, Murray won another five games in the spin - one of which contained another Starace set point - as he broke three times to claim a set that looked to have got away from him.
The fourth and final set went with serve until 5-4, when Murray claimed a hard-fought victory on his third match point with a fiercely whipped, cross-court forehand.
Source:The times
Warren Gatland hopes Waikato can do Lions a favour
Warren Gatland knows a Lions tour from both sides of the fence. He understands the furious motivation of those who play against the Lions, knowing it to be an opportunity unlikely to recur because the touring side only come by every 12 years, and now he is discovering the hazards of putting together the disparate elements that comprise the best of the home unions.
Gatland was captain of the exceptional Waikato XV that put the Lions to the sword 38-10 in the penultimate match of the 1993 series in New Zealand. This week he became the second New Zealander - Graham Henry, in 2001, was the first - to help to prepare a Lions XV for a tour.
This year's Lions begin in Rustenburg on Saturday against the Royal XV, a conglomerate drawn from the Griquas, Leopards and Pumas, based respectively in Kimberley, Potchefstroom and Witbank. The Lions' first opponents include half-a-dozen players with Super 14 experience, notably at half back where Naas Olivier and Sarel Pretorius will direct the Royal XV at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace. The selection is dominated by the Griquas, winners in 2007 of the Vodacom Cup and semi-finalists last year; they have 11 players in the starting XV but the Leopards provide the captain in Wilhelm Koch, the flanker related to the Springbok prop, Chris Koch, who played against the 1955 Lions.
As head coach of Wales, Gatland has enjoyed lobbing verbal stones at the opposition in the build-up to matches, although his suggestion in March that the Welsh hate the Irish rebounded badly when Ireland completed their grand slam in Cardiff. Here there will be no hostages to fortune; the coaching staff have their work cut out building the togetherness essential to success, starting with three matches on unyielding surfaces on the high veld. But Gatland will also keep an eye on his old mates from Waikato, who, as the Chiefs, contest the Super 14 final in Pretoria on Saturday. If they beat the Bulls they bring down the team likely to provide the biggest representation to the Springboks.
Having a team in the Super 14 final is an advantage, players will come into the Springbok squad with real confidence,” the Lions forwards coach said. “But we have a group of players who have achieved things in the Heineken Cup [although the seven players involved in last weekend's European finals will not play on Saturday].”
He understands, too, the need for the Lions to go back to basics. A year ago, Gatland brought Wales to South Africa for two internationals thinking he could pick up where he had left off after their 2008 grand slam, but the ten-week break had to be made up. Wales were well beaten in the first international, improved hugely a week later and then nearly beat the world champions at the Millennium Stadium in November.
“Bringing a group of players together like this, you're starting from scratch,” Gatland said. “So we're very pleased with the progress we made in our first week together. If we thought it was hopeless, we shouldn't be here - you have to have that desire, ambition and self-belief that you can put a performance together.”
Royal XV
R Jeacocks; E Seconds, D van Rensburg, H Coetzee, B Basson; N Olivier, S Pretorius; A Buckle, R Barnes, B Roux, R Mathee, J Lombaard, W Koch, D Raubenheim, J Mokuena. Replacements: P van der Westhuizen, S Roberts, R Landman, R W Kember, V Coetzee, R Viljoen, V Bowles.
Source:The times
Gatland was captain of the exceptional Waikato XV that put the Lions to the sword 38-10 in the penultimate match of the 1993 series in New Zealand. This week he became the second New Zealander - Graham Henry, in 2001, was the first - to help to prepare a Lions XV for a tour.
This year's Lions begin in Rustenburg on Saturday against the Royal XV, a conglomerate drawn from the Griquas, Leopards and Pumas, based respectively in Kimberley, Potchefstroom and Witbank. The Lions' first opponents include half-a-dozen players with Super 14 experience, notably at half back where Naas Olivier and Sarel Pretorius will direct the Royal XV at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace. The selection is dominated by the Griquas, winners in 2007 of the Vodacom Cup and semi-finalists last year; they have 11 players in the starting XV but the Leopards provide the captain in Wilhelm Koch, the flanker related to the Springbok prop, Chris Koch, who played against the 1955 Lions.
As head coach of Wales, Gatland has enjoyed lobbing verbal stones at the opposition in the build-up to matches, although his suggestion in March that the Welsh hate the Irish rebounded badly when Ireland completed their grand slam in Cardiff. Here there will be no hostages to fortune; the coaching staff have their work cut out building the togetherness essential to success, starting with three matches on unyielding surfaces on the high veld. But Gatland will also keep an eye on his old mates from Waikato, who, as the Chiefs, contest the Super 14 final in Pretoria on Saturday. If they beat the Bulls they bring down the team likely to provide the biggest representation to the Springboks.
Having a team in the Super 14 final is an advantage, players will come into the Springbok squad with real confidence,” the Lions forwards coach said. “But we have a group of players who have achieved things in the Heineken Cup [although the seven players involved in last weekend's European finals will not play on Saturday].”
He understands, too, the need for the Lions to go back to basics. A year ago, Gatland brought Wales to South Africa for two internationals thinking he could pick up where he had left off after their 2008 grand slam, but the ten-week break had to be made up. Wales were well beaten in the first international, improved hugely a week later and then nearly beat the world champions at the Millennium Stadium in November.
“Bringing a group of players together like this, you're starting from scratch,” Gatland said. “So we're very pleased with the progress we made in our first week together. If we thought it was hopeless, we shouldn't be here - you have to have that desire, ambition and self-belief that you can put a performance together.”
Royal XV
R Jeacocks; E Seconds, D van Rensburg, H Coetzee, B Basson; N Olivier, S Pretorius; A Buckle, R Barnes, B Roux, R Mathee, J Lombaard, W Koch, D Raubenheim, J Mokuena. Replacements: P van der Westhuizen, S Roberts, R Landman, R W Kember, V Coetzee, R Viljoen, V Bowles.
Source:The times
Keith Senior inspires Rhinos to find their feet again on home turf
Leeds Rhinos, after three consecutive defeats at Headingley Carnegie and in danger of suffering their worst losing sequence there since 1985, responded with their first home win for two months last night to move back to within two points of St Helens and a point of Hull Kingston Rovers at the top of the engage Super League.
Hull’s hopes of exploiting any Leeds nerves were comprehensively dashed by the champions, who produced their biggest win of the year. As well as failing to handle the Rhinos’ superior pace, their defence was unpicked at the fringes in succumbing to eight tries, two of them by Keith Senior — the veteran centre’s 151st and 152nd on his 300th Leeds appearance.
Although competitive in the first half, Hull fell away badly in a seventh defeat that leaves them struggling to keep a toehold in the top eight. Lee Smith opened Leeds’s account with the first of his two tries, to which Richard Whiting swiftly replied by pocketing Lee Radford’s kick to the corner.
Senior re-established the home team’s lead and Brent Webb stretched the advantage with a wonderful piece of athleticism to shrug off Chris Thorman and catch Danny McGuire’s chip at full stretch and touch down. Kirk Yeaman did equally well to ground Richard Horne’s grubber for Hull’s second try, but they let their concentration slip as half-time sounded in allowing Carl Ablett to score. Sam Moa’s knock-on after the resumption resulted in Smith’s second try from a scrum on halfway. Hull’s vulnerability from the set-piece was again exposed by Senior’s blind-side run, before McGuire put Senior into a yawning gap and Kevin Sinfield completed the rout.
- Scorers: Leeds Rhinos: Tries: Smith 2, Senior 2, Webb, Ablett, Hall, Sinfield. Goals: Sinfield 7. Hull: Tries: Whiting, Yeaman, Radford. Goals: Tickle 2.
Leeds Rhinos: B Webb; S Donald, L Smith, K Senior, R Hall; K Sinfield, D McGuire; K Leuluai, D Buderus, J Peacock, J Jones-Buchanan, I Kirke, C Ablett. Interchange: R Bailey, A Lauitiiti, M Diskin, L Burgess.
Hull: M Tony; M Calderwood, R Whiting, K Yeaman, G Raynor; R Horne, C Thorman; E Dowes, S Berrigan, J Thackray, M Burnett, D Tickle, L Radford. Interchange: P King, D Houghton, T Lee, S Moa.
Referee: T Alibert.
Source:The times
Hull’s hopes of exploiting any Leeds nerves were comprehensively dashed by the champions, who produced their biggest win of the year. As well as failing to handle the Rhinos’ superior pace, their defence was unpicked at the fringes in succumbing to eight tries, two of them by Keith Senior — the veteran centre’s 151st and 152nd on his 300th Leeds appearance.
Although competitive in the first half, Hull fell away badly in a seventh defeat that leaves them struggling to keep a toehold in the top eight. Lee Smith opened Leeds’s account with the first of his two tries, to which Richard Whiting swiftly replied by pocketing Lee Radford’s kick to the corner.
Senior re-established the home team’s lead and Brent Webb stretched the advantage with a wonderful piece of athleticism to shrug off Chris Thorman and catch Danny McGuire’s chip at full stretch and touch down. Kirk Yeaman did equally well to ground Richard Horne’s grubber for Hull’s second try, but they let their concentration slip as half-time sounded in allowing Carl Ablett to score. Sam Moa’s knock-on after the resumption resulted in Smith’s second try from a scrum on halfway. Hull’s vulnerability from the set-piece was again exposed by Senior’s blind-side run, before McGuire put Senior into a yawning gap and Kevin Sinfield completed the rout.
- Scorers: Leeds Rhinos: Tries: Smith 2, Senior 2, Webb, Ablett, Hall, Sinfield. Goals: Sinfield 7. Hull: Tries: Whiting, Yeaman, Radford. Goals: Tickle 2.
Leeds Rhinos: B Webb; S Donald, L Smith, K Senior, R Hall; K Sinfield, D McGuire; K Leuluai, D Buderus, J Peacock, J Jones-Buchanan, I Kirke, C Ablett. Interchange: R Bailey, A Lauitiiti, M Diskin, L Burgess.
Hull: M Tony; M Calderwood, R Whiting, K Yeaman, G Raynor; R Horne, C Thorman; E Dowes, S Berrigan, J Thackray, M Burnett, D Tickle, L Radford. Interchange: P King, D Houghton, T Lee, S Moa.
Referee: T Alibert.
Source:The times
Conduit tops bill on absorbing evening card at Sandown Park
Great trainers are not so much defined by big triumphs as by the top races they have yet to win. Those races are few and far between where Sir Michael Stoute is concerned, and the horse which ended Stoute's St Leger drought last season now takes his first step towards the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. That is another rare prize that has eluded him.
Indeed, of the 32 championship races run in Britain each year, the only one to escape Stoute's clutches is the Middle Park Stakes. He also has a Champion Hurdle on his CV, courtesy of Kribensis, and while the likes of Dafayna won the Golden Jubilee Stakes before it gained group one status, the Newmarket trainer will almost certainly address such nit-picking before long.
Conduit, then, is the main attraction on a fascinating Blue Square-sponsored card at Sandown this evening. However, the four-year-old is up against it with the 7lb penalty he carries for winning the St Leger and Breeders' Cup Turf. He will be that much worse off with Campanologist, who bettered him at Royal Ascot last term, yet Conduit's rate of progress was such that few expect those placings to be confirmed.
Campanologist is another making his seasonal debut in the ten-furlong Brigadier Gerard Stakes and Saeed bin Suroor, his trainer, acknowledged the size of the task facing his colt. “It looks more like a group one race than a group three,” he said, “but Campanologist is in good order. I am hopeful that he will run a nice race.”
Also in the line-up are Cima de Triomphe, last year's winner of the Italian Derby now trained by Luca Cumani, and Pipedreamer, trained by John Gosden for the Thompson family's Cheveley Park Stud. Pipedreamer was touched off by Tartan Bearer on his own comeback at Sandown last month and connections are expecting another forward showing.
“He showed a good turn of foot that day and was perhaps unlucky to get caught,” Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud, said yesterday. “He has progressed for it, receives weight from Conduit, and while Conduit is a top-class horse, he might benefit from racing over farther.”
Richardson reported that Phillipina, the Stoute-trained Oaks entry, did some pleasing work on the gallops yesterday. However, he said: “From our point of view, we are keener on the Ribblesdale Stakes because Epsom might just be a bit tough for her. She still runs a bit green and still works that way, too. The Thompsons enjoy Royal Ascot so much, and it has been a lucky meeting for them in the past.”
Stoute ruled out another Oaks candidate yesterday when he diverted Leocorno to the Ribblesdale Stakes. Like Conduit and Tartan Bearer, Leocorno is owned by Ballymacoll Stud, whose livery is also carried by Patkai at Sandown this evening. The four-year-old, ante-post favourite for the Gold Cup, will be a warm order in the Henry II Stakes after his processional victory at Ascot four weeks ago.
That was Patkai's second victory from as many starts over two miles. Among his opponents are Geordieland and Fiulin, both of whom excel on a sound surface, and Tastahil, whose connections are hoping for further rain.
Whatever the weather, Patkai should take plenty of stopping en route to a Royal Ascot prize that Stoute landed for the first and only time with Shangamuzo 31 years ago.
Source:The times
Indeed, of the 32 championship races run in Britain each year, the only one to escape Stoute's clutches is the Middle Park Stakes. He also has a Champion Hurdle on his CV, courtesy of Kribensis, and while the likes of Dafayna won the Golden Jubilee Stakes before it gained group one status, the Newmarket trainer will almost certainly address such nit-picking before long.
Conduit, then, is the main attraction on a fascinating Blue Square-sponsored card at Sandown this evening. However, the four-year-old is up against it with the 7lb penalty he carries for winning the St Leger and Breeders' Cup Turf. He will be that much worse off with Campanologist, who bettered him at Royal Ascot last term, yet Conduit's rate of progress was such that few expect those placings to be confirmed.
Campanologist is another making his seasonal debut in the ten-furlong Brigadier Gerard Stakes and Saeed bin Suroor, his trainer, acknowledged the size of the task facing his colt. “It looks more like a group one race than a group three,” he said, “but Campanologist is in good order. I am hopeful that he will run a nice race.”
Also in the line-up are Cima de Triomphe, last year's winner of the Italian Derby now trained by Luca Cumani, and Pipedreamer, trained by John Gosden for the Thompson family's Cheveley Park Stud. Pipedreamer was touched off by Tartan Bearer on his own comeback at Sandown last month and connections are expecting another forward showing.
“He showed a good turn of foot that day and was perhaps unlucky to get caught,” Chris Richardson, managing director of Cheveley Park Stud, said yesterday. “He has progressed for it, receives weight from Conduit, and while Conduit is a top-class horse, he might benefit from racing over farther.”
Richardson reported that Phillipina, the Stoute-trained Oaks entry, did some pleasing work on the gallops yesterday. However, he said: “From our point of view, we are keener on the Ribblesdale Stakes because Epsom might just be a bit tough for her. She still runs a bit green and still works that way, too. The Thompsons enjoy Royal Ascot so much, and it has been a lucky meeting for them in the past.”
Stoute ruled out another Oaks candidate yesterday when he diverted Leocorno to the Ribblesdale Stakes. Like Conduit and Tartan Bearer, Leocorno is owned by Ballymacoll Stud, whose livery is also carried by Patkai at Sandown this evening. The four-year-old, ante-post favourite for the Gold Cup, will be a warm order in the Henry II Stakes after his processional victory at Ascot four weeks ago.
That was Patkai's second victory from as many starts over two miles. Among his opponents are Geordieland and Fiulin, both of whom excel on a sound surface, and Tastahil, whose connections are hoping for further rain.
Whatever the weather, Patkai should take plenty of stopping en route to a Royal Ascot prize that Stoute landed for the first and only time with Shangamuzo 31 years ago.
Source:The times
US drug 'candy stores' under spotlight
In a candid interview, Doug Logan, the chief executive of USA Track & Field (USATF), also spoke of his admiration for the controversial life ban used by the British Olympic Association (BOA), accused other sports of “burying the problem” and laid the ground rules for Justin Gatlin's controversial return to the sport next year.
Logan, who drug-tested his staff when he became Major League Soccer's first commissioner, said: “You can get whatever you want in any gym in the United States. It's like a candy store. Nine-year-old kids know the pharmacology and know how to get access to it. We need to develop a collective national conscience and bring about a culture change.
“In the past there has not been the determination to clean it up. People said it was an aberration. Then when the numbers got bigger the apologists still said it was only 4 per cent. Sports management is a very defensive profession and wants to protect the image. For too long it's been an exercise in defensiveness - well, we have to admit the magnitude of the problem.”
Where the United States was once seen as the root of much evil, the post-Balco landscape has slowly started to change; the cynical explanation for the men's dismal showing in last year's Olympics in Beijing was that they were off drugs. Logan, who took his job just before the Games, knows the problem will never be solved and that, for an issue that appears black and white, there are many grey areas. Hence, he applauds the BOA ban that prevented Dwain Chambers from running in Beijing, but talks of America as a “redemptive society”.
He also has no problem with the return of Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100 metres champion who has twice failed drugs tests. “There has to be a price you pay in coming back,” Logan said, citing three “tolls”. “If you took money unfairly there has to be restitution. Secondly, there has to be some form of community service that helps our battle, participation in clinics and advocacy, so people can learn from your mistakes. Thirdly, a key ingredient is to come clean in what they did and who they did it with. 'I didn't know it was happening' is no longer acceptable.”
To date that has been Gatlin's response, blaming his second positive drugs test in 2006 on sabotage. So had Gatlin, who this year settled his civil suit against USATF and other agencies regarding his first positive test, been more candid in private? “Yes,” Logan said. “We have a statement from Justin which comes very close to what we are looking for with regards to what occurred. Those three elements will be there.” Rules regarding dopers returning to action and coaching are due to be released this summer.
The return of Gatlin, 27, will be a huge event. He might have had a life ban but for cutting a deal with the anti-doping agencies and last year had a career-ending eight-year ban halved by the American Arbitration Association. Now he says he and not Usain Bolt should be the world No1.
The “redemptive society” notwithstanding, Logan said there had been “discussions” with regards to adopting a BOA-type ban. “I admire what has been done in Britain regards sanctions and wish our sanctions were steeper,” he said. “But you also have to remember that, on a sport-by-sport basis, we have the stiffest penalties. A first offence in baseball is 50 games, which sounds a lot but is two months. A first offence in football is four games. In athletics it's two years - that's career-changing, possibly termination.
“There's an issue of drugs in just about every sport. That's the reality. In team sports, well, managers are still happy to bury the issue. You have to accept it, then fight it.”
- The Project 30 Task Force, including athletes such as Carl Lewis and Deena Kastor, delivered its verdict on US athletics this year. It handed Logan a 69-page report that claimed athletes did not conduct themselves in a professional manner and that spending $1million (about £650,000) on the relay had proved a waste of money.
Source:The times
Logan, who drug-tested his staff when he became Major League Soccer's first commissioner, said: “You can get whatever you want in any gym in the United States. It's like a candy store. Nine-year-old kids know the pharmacology and know how to get access to it. We need to develop a collective national conscience and bring about a culture change.
“In the past there has not been the determination to clean it up. People said it was an aberration. Then when the numbers got bigger the apologists still said it was only 4 per cent. Sports management is a very defensive profession and wants to protect the image. For too long it's been an exercise in defensiveness - well, we have to admit the magnitude of the problem.”
Where the United States was once seen as the root of much evil, the post-Balco landscape has slowly started to change; the cynical explanation for the men's dismal showing in last year's Olympics in Beijing was that they were off drugs. Logan, who took his job just before the Games, knows the problem will never be solved and that, for an issue that appears black and white, there are many grey areas. Hence, he applauds the BOA ban that prevented Dwain Chambers from running in Beijing, but talks of America as a “redemptive society”.
He also has no problem with the return of Gatlin, the 2004 Olympic 100 metres champion who has twice failed drugs tests. “There has to be a price you pay in coming back,” Logan said, citing three “tolls”. “If you took money unfairly there has to be restitution. Secondly, there has to be some form of community service that helps our battle, participation in clinics and advocacy, so people can learn from your mistakes. Thirdly, a key ingredient is to come clean in what they did and who they did it with. 'I didn't know it was happening' is no longer acceptable.”
To date that has been Gatlin's response, blaming his second positive drugs test in 2006 on sabotage. So had Gatlin, who this year settled his civil suit against USATF and other agencies regarding his first positive test, been more candid in private? “Yes,” Logan said. “We have a statement from Justin which comes very close to what we are looking for with regards to what occurred. Those three elements will be there.” Rules regarding dopers returning to action and coaching are due to be released this summer.
The return of Gatlin, 27, will be a huge event. He might have had a life ban but for cutting a deal with the anti-doping agencies and last year had a career-ending eight-year ban halved by the American Arbitration Association. Now he says he and not Usain Bolt should be the world No1.
The “redemptive society” notwithstanding, Logan said there had been “discussions” with regards to adopting a BOA-type ban. “I admire what has been done in Britain regards sanctions and wish our sanctions were steeper,” he said. “But you also have to remember that, on a sport-by-sport basis, we have the stiffest penalties. A first offence in baseball is 50 games, which sounds a lot but is two months. A first offence in football is four games. In athletics it's two years - that's career-changing, possibly termination.
“There's an issue of drugs in just about every sport. That's the reality. In team sports, well, managers are still happy to bury the issue. You have to accept it, then fight it.”
- The Project 30 Task Force, including athletes such as Carl Lewis and Deena Kastor, delivered its verdict on US athletics this year. It handed Logan a 69-page report that claimed athletes did not conduct themselves in a professional manner and that spending $1million (about £650,000) on the relay had proved a waste of money.
Source:The times
Major success the next goal for Paul Casey after he climbs to third in world
In years to come, Paul Casey will look back on his career and give praise to Wentworth. Three years ago, the Englishman walked away from the West Course with the World Match Play Championship in his pocket and yesterday he went one better when he held his nerve under intense pressure to win the most prestigious of European Tour titles, the BMW PGA Championship.
It moved the Europe Ryder Cup player to No 3 in the world and allowed him to join an exclusive club. Only four other British players have climbed so high in the world rankings and Casey admitted that he was flattered to be spoken of in the same breath as Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie, three of whom are major champions.
“That’s very impressive,” he said. “But I have a long way to go to get close to achieving what they have.” On his immediate radar, however, is a serious attempt to win his first major championship, starting with the US Open at Bethpage State Park, New York, next month. At 31, Casey knows he is about to enter his prime and has taken consolation in the past from the fact that Faldo was 30 when he won the first of his six major championships. Things are about to get serious.
Casey, who had led the field by three shots at the start of the round, was chased all the way to the finishing line by Ross Fisher, a fellow Englishman, who started the day five shots behind but threw down the gauntlet with a stunning round of 64 that left Casey requiring a birdie at the last, the par-five 18th, to guarantee victory. By this stage Soren Kjeldsen, his playing partner, had fallen away.
There might have been a flutter of anxiety when Casey found a bunker at the front of the green with his approach. But he hit an exquisite shot over the flag and to within five feet of the hole and rolled in the putt for a 68 in a 17-under-par total of 271 and victory by one stroke. It was his third title this year, his eleventh in all, and, with a winner’s cheque of about £670,000, it moved him to the top of the standings in the Race to Dubai. His form is something to behold.
It would be true to say that Casey has made heavy weather of closing out tournaments in the past. At the Wales Open in 2004, he surrendered a four-shot lead with seven holes to play before losing out to Simon Khan in a sudden-death play-off. But what in the past has hurt him has now made him stronger.
At the Abu Dhabi Championship this year, he held a comfortable lead in the final round before wobbling down the stretch on his way to victory. And at the Shell Houston Open he needed a par at the last to win outright but bogeyed the hole before going on to beat J. B. Holmes in a play-off for his first win on American soil. But as Tiger Woods says, it is the W (a win) that counts, however it might be achieved.
Casey was disappointed not to have won in 2008 — after all, he had at least one victory to his name every year since 2005 — but has made up for it this year in spectacular fashion, also getting to the final of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, in Tucson, Arizona, where he lost to Geoff Ogilvy in the final. He blames the barren year on focusing too hard on the majors but now says he concentrates only on the immediate problem in front of him.
His interview style, like his golf this year, has taken on a slightly more conservative approach. As with his shots, he chooses his words carefully and does not wish to be thought of as brash. His golf, he hopes, will do most of the speaking for him.
Casey’s shot of the day yesterday was one of 160 yards from a fairway bunker at the 3rd to within two feet of the flag. It was his first birdie of the day and retrieved the shot he had dropped at the 1st. He tended to use fairway woods off most of the tees, relying on his considerable power and the fact that in warm, dry conditions, the course was running fast. It was sensible, no-nonsense play.
In one light-hearted moment at the 7th, his caddie asked a follower on the fairway to move out of Casey’s eyeline. “He probably owns BMW,” Casey said as an aside. In fact it was Richard Carey, the owner of Wentworth, who moved just slowly enough to let people know he was more than a little important.
As he was standing waiting to putt at the 9th, the cheers that poured all the way back from the 10th let Casey know that Fisher was on the move. He had already bagged four birdies in reaching the turn in 31 and another, this time courtesy of a putt from around 25 feet, drew him level, on 13 under par, at the top of the leaderboard. But Casey was not to be denied. At no point was he behind and birdies at the 12th, 15th, 17th and 18th secured a well-deserved victory. He had reached the turn in 35 and came home in 33.
- Colin Montgomerie, who scored 76 in his final round at Wentworth, gave up on the chance to play in the US Open by pulling out of the 36-hole qualifying tournament at Walton Heath today. The only time Montgomerie had previously missed the US Open since finishing third on his debut in 1992 was in 2004.
Great Britain or Ireland unless stated:
271: P Casey 69, 67, 67, 68. 272: R Fisher 68, 73, 67, 64. 275: S Kjeldsen (Den) 69, 69, 68, 69. 276: S Dodd 71, 68, 70, 67. 278: R McIlroy 72, 70, 65, 71. 279: A Wall 67, 71, 72, 69; C Schwartzel (SA) 68, 72, 68, 71; B Curtis (US) 69, 70, 73, 67. 280: T Levet (Fr) 70, 71, 68, 71. 281: T Aiken (SA) 72, 67, 74, 68. 282: M Kaymer (Ger) 72, 70, 70, 70; G Fernández-Castaño (Sp) 67, 77, 70, 68. 283: G McDowell 75, 71, 68, 69; A Tadini (It) 74, 71, 69, 69; N Dougherty 73, 71, 67, 72. 284: R Rock 71, 74, 69, 70; T Björn (Den) 73, 73, 70, 68; J-F Lucquin (Fr) 70, 72, 72, 70; S Dyson 74, 69, 68, 73; Á Quirós (Sp) 69, 71, 73, 71. 285: RJ Derksen (Neth) 71, 74, 69, 71; A Hansen (Den) 72, 70, 71, 72; S Hansen (Den) 73, 70, 71, 71; P Waring 75, 71, 70, 69; P Broadhurst 73, 72, 68, 72; M Warren 72, 66, 71, 76; A Noren (Swe) 69, 71, 72, 73; E Els (SA) 73, 73, 70, 69; M Brier (Austria) 70, 74, 72, 69; F Zanotti (Par) 70, 75, 71, 69; R Green (Aus) 72, 74, 68, 71. 286: R Karlsson (Swe) 69, 74, 72, 71; Paul Lawrie 72, 71, 70, 73; J Donaldson 70, 71, 73, 72. 287: F Molinari (It) 77, 68, 70, 72; S Kapur (India) 73, 72, 70, 72; C Montgomerie 69, 73, 69, 76; B Barham 72, 73, 72, 70; L Slattery 70, 72, 74, 71; N Fasth (Swe) 68, 74, 73, 72; A Forsyth 70, 75, 75, 67; L Donald 74, 72, 71, 70.
Source:The times
It moved the Europe Ryder Cup player to No 3 in the world and allowed him to join an exclusive club. Only four other British players have climbed so high in the world rankings and Casey admitted that he was flattered to be spoken of in the same breath as Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie, three of whom are major champions.
“That’s very impressive,” he said. “But I have a long way to go to get close to achieving what they have.” On his immediate radar, however, is a serious attempt to win his first major championship, starting with the US Open at Bethpage State Park, New York, next month. At 31, Casey knows he is about to enter his prime and has taken consolation in the past from the fact that Faldo was 30 when he won the first of his six major championships. Things are about to get serious.
Casey, who had led the field by three shots at the start of the round, was chased all the way to the finishing line by Ross Fisher, a fellow Englishman, who started the day five shots behind but threw down the gauntlet with a stunning round of 64 that left Casey requiring a birdie at the last, the par-five 18th, to guarantee victory. By this stage Soren Kjeldsen, his playing partner, had fallen away.
There might have been a flutter of anxiety when Casey found a bunker at the front of the green with his approach. But he hit an exquisite shot over the flag and to within five feet of the hole and rolled in the putt for a 68 in a 17-under-par total of 271 and victory by one stroke. It was his third title this year, his eleventh in all, and, with a winner’s cheque of about £670,000, it moved him to the top of the standings in the Race to Dubai. His form is something to behold.
It would be true to say that Casey has made heavy weather of closing out tournaments in the past. At the Wales Open in 2004, he surrendered a four-shot lead with seven holes to play before losing out to Simon Khan in a sudden-death play-off. But what in the past has hurt him has now made him stronger.
At the Abu Dhabi Championship this year, he held a comfortable lead in the final round before wobbling down the stretch on his way to victory. And at the Shell Houston Open he needed a par at the last to win outright but bogeyed the hole before going on to beat J. B. Holmes in a play-off for his first win on American soil. But as Tiger Woods says, it is the W (a win) that counts, however it might be achieved.
Casey was disappointed not to have won in 2008 — after all, he had at least one victory to his name every year since 2005 — but has made up for it this year in spectacular fashion, also getting to the final of the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship, in Tucson, Arizona, where he lost to Geoff Ogilvy in the final. He blames the barren year on focusing too hard on the majors but now says he concentrates only on the immediate problem in front of him.
His interview style, like his golf this year, has taken on a slightly more conservative approach. As with his shots, he chooses his words carefully and does not wish to be thought of as brash. His golf, he hopes, will do most of the speaking for him.
Casey’s shot of the day yesterday was one of 160 yards from a fairway bunker at the 3rd to within two feet of the flag. It was his first birdie of the day and retrieved the shot he had dropped at the 1st. He tended to use fairway woods off most of the tees, relying on his considerable power and the fact that in warm, dry conditions, the course was running fast. It was sensible, no-nonsense play.
In one light-hearted moment at the 7th, his caddie asked a follower on the fairway to move out of Casey’s eyeline. “He probably owns BMW,” Casey said as an aside. In fact it was Richard Carey, the owner of Wentworth, who moved just slowly enough to let people know he was more than a little important.
As he was standing waiting to putt at the 9th, the cheers that poured all the way back from the 10th let Casey know that Fisher was on the move. He had already bagged four birdies in reaching the turn in 31 and another, this time courtesy of a putt from around 25 feet, drew him level, on 13 under par, at the top of the leaderboard. But Casey was not to be denied. At no point was he behind and birdies at the 12th, 15th, 17th and 18th secured a well-deserved victory. He had reached the turn in 35 and came home in 33.
- Colin Montgomerie, who scored 76 in his final round at Wentworth, gave up on the chance to play in the US Open by pulling out of the 36-hole qualifying tournament at Walton Heath today. The only time Montgomerie had previously missed the US Open since finishing third on his debut in 1992 was in 2004.
Great Britain or Ireland unless stated:
271: P Casey 69, 67, 67, 68. 272: R Fisher 68, 73, 67, 64. 275: S Kjeldsen (Den) 69, 69, 68, 69. 276: S Dodd 71, 68, 70, 67. 278: R McIlroy 72, 70, 65, 71. 279: A Wall 67, 71, 72, 69; C Schwartzel (SA) 68, 72, 68, 71; B Curtis (US) 69, 70, 73, 67. 280: T Levet (Fr) 70, 71, 68, 71. 281: T Aiken (SA) 72, 67, 74, 68. 282: M Kaymer (Ger) 72, 70, 70, 70; G Fernández-Castaño (Sp) 67, 77, 70, 68. 283: G McDowell 75, 71, 68, 69; A Tadini (It) 74, 71, 69, 69; N Dougherty 73, 71, 67, 72. 284: R Rock 71, 74, 69, 70; T Björn (Den) 73, 73, 70, 68; J-F Lucquin (Fr) 70, 72, 72, 70; S Dyson 74, 69, 68, 73; Á Quirós (Sp) 69, 71, 73, 71. 285: RJ Derksen (Neth) 71, 74, 69, 71; A Hansen (Den) 72, 70, 71, 72; S Hansen (Den) 73, 70, 71, 71; P Waring 75, 71, 70, 69; P Broadhurst 73, 72, 68, 72; M Warren 72, 66, 71, 76; A Noren (Swe) 69, 71, 72, 73; E Els (SA) 73, 73, 70, 69; M Brier (Austria) 70, 74, 72, 69; F Zanotti (Par) 70, 75, 71, 69; R Green (Aus) 72, 74, 68, 71. 286: R Karlsson (Swe) 69, 74, 72, 71; Paul Lawrie 72, 71, 70, 73; J Donaldson 70, 71, 73, 72. 287: F Molinari (It) 77, 68, 70, 72; S Kapur (India) 73, 72, 70, 72; C Montgomerie 69, 73, 69, 76; B Barham 72, 73, 72, 70; L Slattery 70, 72, 74, 71; N Fasth (Swe) 68, 74, 73, 72; A Forsyth 70, 75, 75, 67; L Donald 74, 72, 71, 70.
Source:The times
Jenson Button's dominant form has drawback
Six races into the Formula One season, it is already as good as over as far as the drivers' championship is concerned. An all-conquering Brawn GP car driven by Jenson Button, who showed all his class and experience to trounce the field at the Monaco Grand Prix on Sunday, is proving unstoppable and the Briton could be champion by the end of August or early September.
This would leave up to four “dead rubbers” at the end of the season - the second night-time grand prix in Singapore and the races in Japan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. This would be a huge turn-off for spectators around the world and a commercial disaster for the sport's sponsors. It would be particularly painful for Abu Dhabi, which is still in the building phase of the most expensive racetrack in the world, at a cost of more than £1 billion. Sadly, its much-hyped season-ending “climax” could mean nothing.
No wonder Donald MacKenzie, the managing partner of CVC Capital Partners, the principal owner of Formula One, was overheard in Monaco congratulating Nick Fry, the chief executive of Brawn GP, in one breath and, in the next, remarking that his team's supremacy is not doing his business “any good”. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights-holder, was also bemoaning the predictability of this year's title race, even before Button drove to glory around the streets of the Principality.
The points system under which the drivers' championship is scored was changed in 2003, after Michael Schumacher won the previous year's title in July at the French Grand Prix, precisely to avoid this situation. This time it will be strung out a little longer than in 2002, but Button is already looking impregnable. (Had Ecclestone's medals-based scoring system come into force, he would now be two or three wins from the title, something that is likely to consign that idea to the dustbin.)
With five wins in six starts, Button's nearest challenger is his team-mate, Rubens Barrichello, who is 16 points adrift. Yet, in reality, the Brazilian is no challenger at all and is already sounding resigned to the runners-up spot, a role he knows so well from his years at Ferrari with Schumacher.
That leaves Red Bull as the real threat. But despite having an, at times, faster car, the team have shown tactical naivety under pressure and their lead driver, Sebastian Vettel, has looked unconvincing. On Sunday his inexperience was obvious, as he wrecked his tyres and crashed out, leaving him 28 points adrift of the Briton. Of the underperforming bigger teams, only Ferrari look to have made definite progress, but Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are already 42 and 43 points behind respectively.
In the past a runaway leader has attracted the attention of the FIA, which has stepped in to find something illegal on a hot car. This can never be ruled out in the weird world of Formula One. On the other hand, Button or his car could suffer a catastrophic loss of form, but this is unlikely. The driver in question knows his business and is handling success as well as he did failure. In Ross Brawn, his team principal, he has the best man in the pitlane to manage the campaign and the development of the car.
Meanwhile, the background hiss in Formula One, otherwise known as the row over the FIA's proposed “voluntary” budget cap for next season, took a new turn yesterday when the Williams team said that they have entered the 2010 championship, despite having also signed a letter to the FIA from all the teams maintaining that they would not do so unless the new rules for next season are scrapped. The FIA were cock a hoop that Williams had been “flushed out” because, in the governing body's view, the move underlines that the teams are not as united as they claim to be.
In an initiative to break the deadlock, with Max Mosley, the FIA president, still determined to bring in a cap of £40million, senior executives from Mercedes Benz are trying to broker a compromise arrangement under which next year would be treated as a transition season on the way to the full cap being brought in, in 2011. An FIA source said that Mosley was prepared at least to consider any proposals from Mercedes.
Source:The times
This would leave up to four “dead rubbers” at the end of the season - the second night-time grand prix in Singapore and the races in Japan, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. This would be a huge turn-off for spectators around the world and a commercial disaster for the sport's sponsors. It would be particularly painful for Abu Dhabi, which is still in the building phase of the most expensive racetrack in the world, at a cost of more than £1 billion. Sadly, its much-hyped season-ending “climax” could mean nothing.
No wonder Donald MacKenzie, the managing partner of CVC Capital Partners, the principal owner of Formula One, was overheard in Monaco congratulating Nick Fry, the chief executive of Brawn GP, in one breath and, in the next, remarking that his team's supremacy is not doing his business “any good”. Bernie Ecclestone, the sport's commercial rights-holder, was also bemoaning the predictability of this year's title race, even before Button drove to glory around the streets of the Principality.
The points system under which the drivers' championship is scored was changed in 2003, after Michael Schumacher won the previous year's title in July at the French Grand Prix, precisely to avoid this situation. This time it will be strung out a little longer than in 2002, but Button is already looking impregnable. (Had Ecclestone's medals-based scoring system come into force, he would now be two or three wins from the title, something that is likely to consign that idea to the dustbin.)
With five wins in six starts, Button's nearest challenger is his team-mate, Rubens Barrichello, who is 16 points adrift. Yet, in reality, the Brazilian is no challenger at all and is already sounding resigned to the runners-up spot, a role he knows so well from his years at Ferrari with Schumacher.
That leaves Red Bull as the real threat. But despite having an, at times, faster car, the team have shown tactical naivety under pressure and their lead driver, Sebastian Vettel, has looked unconvincing. On Sunday his inexperience was obvious, as he wrecked his tyres and crashed out, leaving him 28 points adrift of the Briton. Of the underperforming bigger teams, only Ferrari look to have made definite progress, but Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa are already 42 and 43 points behind respectively.
In the past a runaway leader has attracted the attention of the FIA, which has stepped in to find something illegal on a hot car. This can never be ruled out in the weird world of Formula One. On the other hand, Button or his car could suffer a catastrophic loss of form, but this is unlikely. The driver in question knows his business and is handling success as well as he did failure. In Ross Brawn, his team principal, he has the best man in the pitlane to manage the campaign and the development of the car.
Meanwhile, the background hiss in Formula One, otherwise known as the row over the FIA's proposed “voluntary” budget cap for next season, took a new turn yesterday when the Williams team said that they have entered the 2010 championship, despite having also signed a letter to the FIA from all the teams maintaining that they would not do so unless the new rules for next season are scrapped. The FIA were cock a hoop that Williams had been “flushed out” because, in the governing body's view, the move underlines that the teams are not as united as they claim to be.
In an initiative to break the deadlock, with Max Mosley, the FIA president, still determined to bring in a cap of £40million, senior executives from Mercedes Benz are trying to broker a compromise arrangement under which next year would be treated as a transition season on the way to the full cap being brought in, in 2011. An FIA source said that Mosley was prepared at least to consider any proposals from Mercedes.
Source:The times
Andrew Flintoff definitely out of Twenty20 World Cup
Andrew Flintoff will miss the ICC World Twenty20 after England conceded that the all rounder would not be fit following his recent surgery on a slight tear to the meniscus in his right knee.
Flintoff, who will be replaced by Adil Rashid, of Yorkshire, had surgery last month and yesterday visited his surgeon for an update on his progress.
Nick Peirce, the ECB Chief Medical Officer, said: “Andrew is making excellent progress and there is no swelling or pain now in the knee. He has been putting in some extremely hard training with Lancashire and should start running and practising this week. After discussions with his surgeon we have decided that he should continue the remainder of his rehabilitation with physio Dave Roberts, who has overseen his previous rehabilitations.”
National selector Geoff Miller said that Flintoff's disappointment could prove to be a golden opportunity for Rashid.
There is a lot of cricket still to play this year and it is important Andrew is fully fit for it," Miller said.
"Meanwhile it is an exciting opportunity for Adil Rashid, who was in the original 30 we named in early April. He has impressed the England management after being a part of the Test tour to India and the subsequent Caribbean tour and deserves his chance."
England approached the ICC World Twenty20 technical committee for permission to nominate Rashid as a replacement for Flintoff in the 15-man squad that was announced on May 1.
Source:The times
Flintoff, who will be replaced by Adil Rashid, of Yorkshire, had surgery last month and yesterday visited his surgeon for an update on his progress.
Nick Peirce, the ECB Chief Medical Officer, said: “Andrew is making excellent progress and there is no swelling or pain now in the knee. He has been putting in some extremely hard training with Lancashire and should start running and practising this week. After discussions with his surgeon we have decided that he should continue the remainder of his rehabilitation with physio Dave Roberts, who has overseen his previous rehabilitations.”
National selector Geoff Miller said that Flintoff's disappointment could prove to be a golden opportunity for Rashid.
There is a lot of cricket still to play this year and it is important Andrew is fully fit for it," Miller said.
"Meanwhile it is an exciting opportunity for Adil Rashid, who was in the original 30 we named in early April. He has impressed the England management after being a part of the Test tour to India and the subsequent Caribbean tour and deserves his chance."
England approached the ICC World Twenty20 technical committee for permission to nominate Rashid as a replacement for Flintoff in the 15-man squad that was announced on May 1.
Source:The times
Peace prevails in Rome as Champions League final draws near
As kick-off in the Champions League final neared it looked as if the Eternal City was putting on its best face. Temperatures, which had been well in excess of 35C in the previous 48 hours had conveniently begun to dip. A slight breeze blew down from Monte Mario and the millennial treasures of the world's most historic city seemed to glow in the afternoon light.
The previous night may have been marred by two stabbings (of which little is known at this time, beyond the identity of the victims, a Briton and an American), but for most who had ventured into the Roman evening, things passed without incident. There was plenty of alcohol and singing in Campo de Fiori, Rome's answer to the Bigg Market, mostly from United fans, while Barcelona supporters preferred to sample some of the culinary delights across the Tiber in Trastevere or, for the more au fait, down in San Lorenzo or Pigneto.
By this morning the fans were everywhere and readily visible: United supporters, with their AIG-emblazoned kit, and the Barca faithful, clad in "azulgrana".
Somewhere the two sides were preparing for the culmination of the club football season. Most of the players had already been in a European final, a testament to the clubs' pedigrees. You felt sorry for those missing out. Among the United ranks, Darren Fletcher stands out, but also Owen Hargreaves, no doubt watching from wherever he has chosen to rehab his umpteenth injury. And, among the Catalans, Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves are both suspended for this final, while Rafael Marquez is out through injury.
Indeed, as kick-off approached you wondered what was going through the minds of the "marginals", those players who, whether through injury or managerial preference, were in doubt. Had Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry recovered enough to start? (Odds are they have.) Is Rio Ferdinand ready to start? (Almost certainly, yes.) Would there be a role for Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez, some £60m of striking talent? (Possibly, but almost definitely not from the start.)
And what of Gary Neville, that most loyal of club servants and still United's club captain? Would he really have to sit this one out? (Looks that way - unless United get a big lead and he gets sent on as a reward.) And, with Fletcher out, which of United's two golden oldies - Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - would get a crack at the starting XI? Or would they both be included? (Odds are it will be one or the other, though whoever is left out will get some playing time.)
And out there, somewhere, locked in their own private thoughts, were the world's two best footballers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Inhabiting a plane most of us can't even relate to, it's impossible to know what they were thinking. Both have already won this trophy, both have already been hailed as the best on the planet, both are still young: 21 and 24 respectively. Did they see it as a personal battle? Did they fear the weight of responsibility and expectation? Or, when you're that good, do you lock everything out of your mind and simply focus on what will happen once you cross that white line?
As for Rome, the city itself has seen it all before. There is a reason it's the Eternal City. Nothing fazes it, hardened by history, ennobled by beauty, it can distance itself from those it welcomes as guests. But those who come here, especially those who aim to make history, can never fully leave this place. They will forever leave a piece of themselves behind. If they can be the ones who lift the trophy in a few hours' time, that will be a price worth paying for the United and Barca faithful alike.
Source:The times
The previous night may have been marred by two stabbings (of which little is known at this time, beyond the identity of the victims, a Briton and an American), but for most who had ventured into the Roman evening, things passed without incident. There was plenty of alcohol and singing in Campo de Fiori, Rome's answer to the Bigg Market, mostly from United fans, while Barcelona supporters preferred to sample some of the culinary delights across the Tiber in Trastevere or, for the more au fait, down in San Lorenzo or Pigneto.
By this morning the fans were everywhere and readily visible: United supporters, with their AIG-emblazoned kit, and the Barca faithful, clad in "azulgrana".
Somewhere the two sides were preparing for the culmination of the club football season. Most of the players had already been in a European final, a testament to the clubs' pedigrees. You felt sorry for those missing out. Among the United ranks, Darren Fletcher stands out, but also Owen Hargreaves, no doubt watching from wherever he has chosen to rehab his umpteenth injury. And, among the Catalans, Eric Abidal and Daniel Alves are both suspended for this final, while Rafael Marquez is out through injury.
Indeed, as kick-off approached you wondered what was going through the minds of the "marginals", those players who, whether through injury or managerial preference, were in doubt. Had Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry recovered enough to start? (Odds are they have.) Is Rio Ferdinand ready to start? (Almost certainly, yes.) Would there be a role for Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez, some £60m of striking talent? (Possibly, but almost definitely not from the start.)
And what of Gary Neville, that most loyal of club servants and still United's club captain? Would he really have to sit this one out? (Looks that way - unless United get a big lead and he gets sent on as a reward.) And, with Fletcher out, which of United's two golden oldies - Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs - would get a crack at the starting XI? Or would they both be included? (Odds are it will be one or the other, though whoever is left out will get some playing time.)
And out there, somewhere, locked in their own private thoughts, were the world's two best footballers, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Inhabiting a plane most of us can't even relate to, it's impossible to know what they were thinking. Both have already won this trophy, both have already been hailed as the best on the planet, both are still young: 21 and 24 respectively. Did they see it as a personal battle? Did they fear the weight of responsibility and expectation? Or, when you're that good, do you lock everything out of your mind and simply focus on what will happen once you cross that white line?
As for Rome, the city itself has seen it all before. There is a reason it's the Eternal City. Nothing fazes it, hardened by history, ennobled by beauty, it can distance itself from those it welcomes as guests. But those who come here, especially those who aim to make history, can never fully leave this place. They will forever leave a piece of themselves behind. If they can be the ones who lift the trophy in a few hours' time, that will be a price worth paying for the United and Barca faithful alike.
Source:The times
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Goldie Sayers determined to take care of business
If anything highlights the thin line between success and failure then it is the fact that Goldie Sayers was 38 centimetres short of a seat in business class. The javelin thrower boarded the plane home from Beijing and turned right while her team-mates mixed medals and metal cutlery to the left.
It was a small thing that niggled away at a woman who was among the unluckiest on the Great Britain Olympic team. Her best throw of 65.75 metres would have given her a medal in the 2004 Games in Athens and at the World Championships in 2007. She also had to contend with having to rush her last throw after confusion over the countdown clock and watching as Mariya Abakumova, of Russia, won silver.
“To be beaten by someone who came from nowhere and threw over 70 metres means you just have to smile,” Sayers said in the aftermath, prompting a smattering of “cheated” headlines. Given the sting that ensnared seven Russian athletes on the eve of the Games, any rapid improvement inevitably raises suspicion. However, Abakumova has never failed a drugs test and Sayers knows she cannot allow any doubts to fester.
Instead, she believes she can soon break the British record she set at the Olympics. “I’m making big strides,” she said. “I will go to the World Championships in Berlin in August with confidence and I certainly don’t want to be fourth again. It was a horrible feeling, but I also knew I’d done well and that throwing that far would have brought me two or three medals in recent times.”
Sayers is also getting better under the stewardship of her coach, Mark Roberson, and is now well versed in dealing with flying doctors. “I was training in Italy last week and the field doubled as a landing pad for helicopters,” she said. “That was quite an experience. I threw really well, although the propellers blew my marker, a Coke can, away.” Paramedics helped her to look for the can under the helicopter while they waited for a patient.
It was an unusual training session but Sayers, 26, is one of the more interesting athletes. She has a first-class degree in sport and exercise science, was an under-11 national table tennis champion and is the daughter of Pete Sayers, the late bluegrass singer.
The multitasker from Cambridge is also taking a diploma in marketing and so will have pre-championship exams to contend with this year. The javelin, however, remains her main focus and she explained its attraction.
“It is a very technical thing but basically I am like the bow for an arrow,” she said. “I get into a rhythm and can tell from my run-up if it’s going to be a good one. There are only 4.3 seconds so once you start down the runway there’s not a lot you can do to change. I focus on a spot in the sky and just love the buzz of seeing the javelin fly.
“There’s a lot more to it than people think. It’s quite spectacular if you are down at ground level and far more complicated than running, which is basically putting one foot in front of the other. If my foot is an inch out, it can cost me three or four metres.”
Despite a modest start to the season at the Loughborough International on Sunday, where she threw 59.77 metres, she thinks she can throw 68 metres this summer, which should give her a medal in Berlin and form a timeline back to stars such as Steve Backley, Fatima Whitbread and Tessa Sanderson.
Barbora Spotakova, of the Czech Republic, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, appears to be out of sight on the back of a training regime that involves drinking a beer a day, but Sayers can threaten the rest. And despite the frustration of Beijing, she says that “every second of blood, sweat, tears, moods, heartbreak and emotion” was worth it.
Though disappointed, she said she felt proud as she sat by the toilets at the back of the plane from Beijing, but would have loved to have been part of the knees-up. However, she believes she will be peaking perfectly to claim a better seat at the 2012 party.
Source:The times
It was a small thing that niggled away at a woman who was among the unluckiest on the Great Britain Olympic team. Her best throw of 65.75 metres would have given her a medal in the 2004 Games in Athens and at the World Championships in 2007. She also had to contend with having to rush her last throw after confusion over the countdown clock and watching as Mariya Abakumova, of Russia, won silver.
“To be beaten by someone who came from nowhere and threw over 70 metres means you just have to smile,” Sayers said in the aftermath, prompting a smattering of “cheated” headlines. Given the sting that ensnared seven Russian athletes on the eve of the Games, any rapid improvement inevitably raises suspicion. However, Abakumova has never failed a drugs test and Sayers knows she cannot allow any doubts to fester.
Instead, she believes she can soon break the British record she set at the Olympics. “I’m making big strides,” she said. “I will go to the World Championships in Berlin in August with confidence and I certainly don’t want to be fourth again. It was a horrible feeling, but I also knew I’d done well and that throwing that far would have brought me two or three medals in recent times.”
Sayers is also getting better under the stewardship of her coach, Mark Roberson, and is now well versed in dealing with flying doctors. “I was training in Italy last week and the field doubled as a landing pad for helicopters,” she said. “That was quite an experience. I threw really well, although the propellers blew my marker, a Coke can, away.” Paramedics helped her to look for the can under the helicopter while they waited for a patient.
It was an unusual training session but Sayers, 26, is one of the more interesting athletes. She has a first-class degree in sport and exercise science, was an under-11 national table tennis champion and is the daughter of Pete Sayers, the late bluegrass singer.
The multitasker from Cambridge is also taking a diploma in marketing and so will have pre-championship exams to contend with this year. The javelin, however, remains her main focus and she explained its attraction.
“It is a very technical thing but basically I am like the bow for an arrow,” she said. “I get into a rhythm and can tell from my run-up if it’s going to be a good one. There are only 4.3 seconds so once you start down the runway there’s not a lot you can do to change. I focus on a spot in the sky and just love the buzz of seeing the javelin fly.
“There’s a lot more to it than people think. It’s quite spectacular if you are down at ground level and far more complicated than running, which is basically putting one foot in front of the other. If my foot is an inch out, it can cost me three or four metres.”
Despite a modest start to the season at the Loughborough International on Sunday, where she threw 59.77 metres, she thinks she can throw 68 metres this summer, which should give her a medal in Berlin and form a timeline back to stars such as Steve Backley, Fatima Whitbread and Tessa Sanderson.
Barbora Spotakova, of the Czech Republic, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, appears to be out of sight on the back of a training regime that involves drinking a beer a day, but Sayers can threaten the rest. And despite the frustration of Beijing, she says that “every second of blood, sweat, tears, moods, heartbreak and emotion” was worth it.
Though disappointed, she said she felt proud as she sat by the toilets at the back of the plane from Beijing, but would have loved to have been part of the knees-up. However, she believes she will be peaking perfectly to claim a better seat at the 2012 party.
Source:The times
Obstacles block hunt for next Nicole Cooke
They returned from Britain’s most successful Olympic Games in 100 years as heroes, garlanded with medals, to inspire thousands to get on their bikes. But now cycling is facing up to the home truths of a bureaucracy that seems determined to block the progress of a new generation of champions.
For the message that has gone out from government ministers encouraging families on to their bikes to take up a sport in which Britain leads the world has not yet reached the corridors of officialdom.
Amateurs should have been taking to the roads in droves this weekend, with many youngsters hoping to emulate the success of Nicole Cooke, the world and Olympic road race champion, and Mark Cavendish, rated as the world’s fastest man on the road racing circuit, who has lit up the Giro d’Italia this month with his raw speed.
But a lack of police co-operation and bureaucratic obstacles erected by the Highways Agency are taking their toll of the sort of events in which Cooke and Cavendish learnt their trade. Four of 12 scheduled amateur tour events this year have been cancelled, including the Tour of Wessex road race, which was to have taken place on Bank Holiday Monday.
Although a fun cycle event will go ahead, plans for the road race were scrapped after police wanted about £140,000 to provide and train motor-cycle outriders.
“Nicole Cooke and Mark Cavendish started their careers in these kind of events,” Nicholas Bourne, director of Pendragon Sports, the organiser of the Tour of Wessex, said. “But where will the new riders get their experience? Sport for the grass roots is organised by volunteers but there is no encouragement, just these blockages.
“We simply wanted to encourage cycling by bringing a national event to the West Country. Somerset County Council were right behind it, even sponsoring the event. But then the Highways Agency stepped in and the police wanted us to pay for training motorcycle outriders for almost a week before the event. The result is that we couldn’t go ahead.”
The timing of cycling’s problems could not be more frustrating. Membership of British Cycling has jumped by 10,000 in three years to more than 25,000, cycling for pleasure is enjoying an unprecedented boom and there are ambitious plans to launch a road race team next year, possibly with Cavendish leading a strong line-up of British racers to spearhead an assault on the Tour de France.
While praise is heaped on British Cycling, Peter King, the executive director, who established the organisation as a world leader in little more than a decade, fears that the messages from Government for Britain to get on its collective bike fall on deaf ears in the boardrooms of officials who are responsible for giving the green light to events around the country.
“These road races put on by volunteers all over the country are the lifeblood of the sport,” he said. “They are the feeder system for our Olympic champions. We listen to the encouraging words of ministers and agree with them, but it is difficult to square that with what is actually happening.
“The Olympic team have brought thousands of people into cycling but they need to be encouraged, not put off. It is time to think through what exactly we want to do about cycling.”
The Tour Series will begin tomorrow, although the events will be limited to city streets easily controlled and closed off and will be exclusive to professional riders. Milton Keynes hosts the first of the series, featuring Olympians such as Ed Clancy, Chris Newton and Rob Hayles, before the tour moves on to nine other venues, including Exeter, Woking and Blackpool.
Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, has promised to get cycle racing back on the roads, while British Cycling is training dozens of volunteers who can help to marshal roads. But it is too late for the Tour of Wessex and other events that are the victims of the sort of bureaucratic roadblock that could cost Britain medals at the Olympics.
Source:The times
For the message that has gone out from government ministers encouraging families on to their bikes to take up a sport in which Britain leads the world has not yet reached the corridors of officialdom.
Amateurs should have been taking to the roads in droves this weekend, with many youngsters hoping to emulate the success of Nicole Cooke, the world and Olympic road race champion, and Mark Cavendish, rated as the world’s fastest man on the road racing circuit, who has lit up the Giro d’Italia this month with his raw speed.
But a lack of police co-operation and bureaucratic obstacles erected by the Highways Agency are taking their toll of the sort of events in which Cooke and Cavendish learnt their trade. Four of 12 scheduled amateur tour events this year have been cancelled, including the Tour of Wessex road race, which was to have taken place on Bank Holiday Monday.
Although a fun cycle event will go ahead, plans for the road race were scrapped after police wanted about £140,000 to provide and train motor-cycle outriders.
“Nicole Cooke and Mark Cavendish started their careers in these kind of events,” Nicholas Bourne, director of Pendragon Sports, the organiser of the Tour of Wessex, said. “But where will the new riders get their experience? Sport for the grass roots is organised by volunteers but there is no encouragement, just these blockages.
“We simply wanted to encourage cycling by bringing a national event to the West Country. Somerset County Council were right behind it, even sponsoring the event. But then the Highways Agency stepped in and the police wanted us to pay for training motorcycle outriders for almost a week before the event. The result is that we couldn’t go ahead.”
The timing of cycling’s problems could not be more frustrating. Membership of British Cycling has jumped by 10,000 in three years to more than 25,000, cycling for pleasure is enjoying an unprecedented boom and there are ambitious plans to launch a road race team next year, possibly with Cavendish leading a strong line-up of British racers to spearhead an assault on the Tour de France.
While praise is heaped on British Cycling, Peter King, the executive director, who established the organisation as a world leader in little more than a decade, fears that the messages from Government for Britain to get on its collective bike fall on deaf ears in the boardrooms of officials who are responsible for giving the green light to events around the country.
“These road races put on by volunteers all over the country are the lifeblood of the sport,” he said. “They are the feeder system for our Olympic champions. We listen to the encouraging words of ministers and agree with them, but it is difficult to square that with what is actually happening.
“The Olympic team have brought thousands of people into cycling but they need to be encouraged, not put off. It is time to think through what exactly we want to do about cycling.”
The Tour Series will begin tomorrow, although the events will be limited to city streets easily controlled and closed off and will be exclusive to professional riders. Milton Keynes hosts the first of the series, featuring Olympians such as Ed Clancy, Chris Newton and Rob Hayles, before the tour moves on to nine other venues, including Exeter, Woking and Blackpool.
Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, has promised to get cycle racing back on the roads, while British Cycling is training dozens of volunteers who can help to marshal roads. But it is too late for the Tour of Wessex and other events that are the victims of the sort of bureaucratic roadblock that could cost Britain medals at the Olympics.
Source:The times
Floyd Mayweather Jr shows he is still a crowd-pleaser
When Floyd Mayweather Jr insisted that he wanted to allow the public to attend a workout in East London yesterday afternoon, he possibly expected a few dozen fans to turn up. Instead thousands came.
Fans are believed to have arrived at the Peacock gym in Canning Town as early as 6am - nine hours before the scheduled start time. By 11am, a large crowd was waiting, by 3pm, the doors had long been locked. The forecourt was jammed with hundreds of fans, the street outside was blocked, with traffic backed up, and some even stood on the flyover overlooking the gym to grab a glimpse of the former five-weight world champion. Eventually police arrived to ensure order.
Mayweather was on a two-day trip to London to promote his bout against Juan Manuel Márquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, in Las Vegas on July 18. It is the 32-year-old Mayweather's first bout since retiring from the sport after beating Ricky Hatton in December 2007.“It is like Beatlemania,” Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy, the promoter, said. “Floyd's car could not get through the crowds. People were surrounding the car, taking pictures. This is why we wanted to come. The British fans are the best.”
Mayweather seemed shocked and slightly overwhelmed. “There are no fans like the London fans and the British fans,” he said. “I'm appreciative and I'll try to put on a show.”
In sauna-like temperatures inside the gym, the workout was further delayed when crash barriers were overrun. But Mayweather finally put on his show, dazzling on the pads with his uncle, Roger, his trainer. For those that got to see it, and Mayweather, who flies home today, it was something they would not forget.
- Tyson Fury, the 6ft 9in 20-year-old heavyweight hope from Manchester, faces the first real test of his fledgeling professional career against Scott Belshaw, a 6ft 7in Ulsterman who has lost once in 11 bouts, in Watford tonight. Darren Barker, from Barnet, tops the bill, making the third defence of his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.
Source:The times
Fans are believed to have arrived at the Peacock gym in Canning Town as early as 6am - nine hours before the scheduled start time. By 11am, a large crowd was waiting, by 3pm, the doors had long been locked. The forecourt was jammed with hundreds of fans, the street outside was blocked, with traffic backed up, and some even stood on the flyover overlooking the gym to grab a glimpse of the former five-weight world champion. Eventually police arrived to ensure order.
Mayweather was on a two-day trip to London to promote his bout against Juan Manuel Márquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, in Las Vegas on July 18. It is the 32-year-old Mayweather's first bout since retiring from the sport after beating Ricky Hatton in December 2007.“It is like Beatlemania,” Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy, the promoter, said. “Floyd's car could not get through the crowds. People were surrounding the car, taking pictures. This is why we wanted to come. The British fans are the best.”
Mayweather seemed shocked and slightly overwhelmed. “There are no fans like the London fans and the British fans,” he said. “I'm appreciative and I'll try to put on a show.”
In sauna-like temperatures inside the gym, the workout was further delayed when crash barriers were overrun. But Mayweather finally put on his show, dazzling on the pads with his uncle, Roger, his trainer. For those that got to see it, and Mayweather, who flies home today, it was something they would not forget.
- Tyson Fury, the 6ft 9in 20-year-old heavyweight hope from Manchester, faces the first real test of his fledgeling professional career against Scott Belshaw, a 6ft 7in Ulsterman who has lost once in 11 bouts, in Watford tonight. Darren Barker, from Barnet, tops the bill, making the third defence of his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.
Source:The times
Andy Murray has designs on the French Open
He is next in line and has been since Novak Djokovic split the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal hegemony at the Australian Open in 2008, after which the pair closed ranks again, extending their dominion to 15 of the past 16 grand-slam tournaments.
Andy Murray is now in the position of man most likely, heir apparent, expectant champion.
“I had played the final of the US Open and a couple of semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and that obviously proved my quality,” Djokovic, the Serb, said yesterday, reminiscing about his Melbourne breakthrough. “I wasn't sure, firstly for myself and then for everybody else, that I was able to do that, to make that final step. It is a whole different world when you win one [a grand slam], with more appreciation from your colleagues, the people, tennis lovers everywhere.”
Nadal, who broke his grand-slam duck at the French Open in 2005, is seeking to win his fifth consecutive title and could also recall his days of doubt. “All your life you are working for that moment,” he said. “It was difficult to accept when everyone was saying I was the favourite [in 2005] but I won. It was really, really special.”
Murray is in the same half of the Roland Garros draw as Nadal and said that he would be shocked if the Spaniard did not reach the final, so perhaps we should not expect to see Scottish hands clasping the Coupe des Mousquetaires tomorrow fortnight. At Wimbledon? That's a discussion for another day.
In the first round, Murray plays Juan Ignacio Chela, one of the players Tim Henman defeated en route to the Paris semi-finals five years ago. Tall and angular, the Argentinian ought to be right at home in these surroundings, but he has reached the second week only once in eight attempts.
Murray is unlikely to be rushing the net as Henman did until he went a set up in the semi-final against Guillermo Coria, became aware of the immensity of what he was about to achieve and froze. The present British No 1 is more tortoise than hare, biding his time, injecting the venom and waiting for it to spread.
“What I've done better this year is not to treat clay as a different surface, to totally change my game pattern,” Murray said. “Against the clay-courters, you can try to make it a hard-court match by playing a little bit flatter, coming to the net more and shortening the points.
“I do feel much more comfortable. Physically, I feel better. I did not have the best run coming into the French Open last year so confidence is a big factor this time. But there are things I could do better, like returning.”
Nadal might have been expecting a few searching questions after his loss to Federer in the final of the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid last Sunday, and was not disappointed. A clay-court defeat for the Spaniard equates to a 7.5 reading on the Richter Scale. Nadal said that he accepted it as a hazard of the job.
It was mentioned that conditions here are appreciably slower and heavier than in the Spanish capital. His eyes twinkled. “In Madrid, you touch the ball, the ball goes out of the racket very fast and very early,” he said. “Here, the feeling is that the ball stays here, you can feel it more. It may be heavier, but for me, it is easier to play.”
Nadal was asked to confirm that he had said that the French Open is the most beautiful tournament in the world. Nadal, mindful of his diplomatic status, interrupted. “No, I never said that, because I like a lot of tournaments,” he said. “But sure, it is one of the nicest.” And one that nobody in their right mind can see anyone else winning.
Source:The times
Andy Murray is now in the position of man most likely, heir apparent, expectant champion.
“I had played the final of the US Open and a couple of semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and that obviously proved my quality,” Djokovic, the Serb, said yesterday, reminiscing about his Melbourne breakthrough. “I wasn't sure, firstly for myself and then for everybody else, that I was able to do that, to make that final step. It is a whole different world when you win one [a grand slam], with more appreciation from your colleagues, the people, tennis lovers everywhere.”
Nadal, who broke his grand-slam duck at the French Open in 2005, is seeking to win his fifth consecutive title and could also recall his days of doubt. “All your life you are working for that moment,” he said. “It was difficult to accept when everyone was saying I was the favourite [in 2005] but I won. It was really, really special.”
Murray is in the same half of the Roland Garros draw as Nadal and said that he would be shocked if the Spaniard did not reach the final, so perhaps we should not expect to see Scottish hands clasping the Coupe des Mousquetaires tomorrow fortnight. At Wimbledon? That's a discussion for another day.
In the first round, Murray plays Juan Ignacio Chela, one of the players Tim Henman defeated en route to the Paris semi-finals five years ago. Tall and angular, the Argentinian ought to be right at home in these surroundings, but he has reached the second week only once in eight attempts.
Murray is unlikely to be rushing the net as Henman did until he went a set up in the semi-final against Guillermo Coria, became aware of the immensity of what he was about to achieve and froze. The present British No 1 is more tortoise than hare, biding his time, injecting the venom and waiting for it to spread.
“What I've done better this year is not to treat clay as a different surface, to totally change my game pattern,” Murray said. “Against the clay-courters, you can try to make it a hard-court match by playing a little bit flatter, coming to the net more and shortening the points.
“I do feel much more comfortable. Physically, I feel better. I did not have the best run coming into the French Open last year so confidence is a big factor this time. But there are things I could do better, like returning.”
Nadal might have been expecting a few searching questions after his loss to Federer in the final of the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid last Sunday, and was not disappointed. A clay-court defeat for the Spaniard equates to a 7.5 reading on the Richter Scale. Nadal said that he accepted it as a hazard of the job.
It was mentioned that conditions here are appreciably slower and heavier than in the Spanish capital. His eyes twinkled. “In Madrid, you touch the ball, the ball goes out of the racket very fast and very early,” he said. “Here, the feeling is that the ball stays here, you can feel it more. It may be heavier, but for me, it is easier to play.”
Nadal was asked to confirm that he had said that the French Open is the most beautiful tournament in the world. Nadal, mindful of his diplomatic status, interrupted. “No, I never said that, because I like a lot of tournaments,” he said. “But sure, it is one of the nicest.” And one that nobody in their right mind can see anyone else winning.
Source:The times
Sean Long enhances claim to new deal
Sean Long has been told by St Helens that he can speak to rival clubs, but the much-decorated former Great Britain scrum half underlined his value to the club he has served with distinction for 12 years with a typically inspirational display in maintaining Saints' one-point league leadership last night.
Long, 32, is holding out for a two-year contract, but will be offered only a 12-month extension and is attracting interest from Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Wildcats. Having said that it would “kill” him to leave Knowsley Road, Long made his point with a hand in two of three tries and a crucial try-saving tackle on Rob Purdham, although his pass that was intercepted by Luke Dorn for a second Harlequins try made for a nervous finish.
Keiron Cunningham sealed the victory a minute from time with a trademark wrestle and lunge from dummy half, which Long improved with his 999th goal for St Helens. But if Long led the way, some of his team-mates did not always follow and the lack of first-choice wings in Ade Gardner and Francis Meli compromised Saints' attacking ambition.
As doggedly as Harlequins fought, it took them 56 minutes to produce their first try. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, their elite England squad prop, caught St Helens square with a quickly taken penalty. When Dorn read Long's pass 90 metres out and Purdham added a second conversion, Harlequins were within four points. It was as near as they got before succumbing to the strength of Cunningham and only their second away defeat.
Earlier Harlequins fell behind to Chris Flannery's try in the corner. They held firm for a further half-hour, but after being penalised for offside, Long got the ball wide and Paul Wellens squeezed over.
Hull Kingston Rovers kept up their pursuit with a 16-6 defeat of Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves beat Wigan Warriors 16-8 and Salford City Reds heaped more misery on Bradford Bulls in an 18-10 win.
Scorers: St Helens: Tries: Flannery, Wellens, Roby, Cunningham. Goals: Long 3. Harlequins: Tries: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Dorn. Goals: Purdham 3.
St Helens: P Wellens; K Eastmond, M Gidley, LGilmour, G Wheeler; L Pryce, S Long; J Graham, K Cunningham, J Emmitt, C Flannery, J Wilkin, TPuletua. Interchange: J Roby, P Clough, MFa'asavalu, M Ashurst.
Harlequins: J Wells; J O'Callaghan, M Gafa, DHowell, W Sharp; L Dorn, D Orr; K Temata, CRandall, D Heckenberg, J Golden, L Williamson, RPurdham. Interchange: L McCarthy-Scarsbrook, TClubb, B Kaye, J Grayshon.
Referee: S Ganson.
Source:The times
Long, 32, is holding out for a two-year contract, but will be offered only a 12-month extension and is attracting interest from Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Wildcats. Having said that it would “kill” him to leave Knowsley Road, Long made his point with a hand in two of three tries and a crucial try-saving tackle on Rob Purdham, although his pass that was intercepted by Luke Dorn for a second Harlequins try made for a nervous finish.
Keiron Cunningham sealed the victory a minute from time with a trademark wrestle and lunge from dummy half, which Long improved with his 999th goal for St Helens. But if Long led the way, some of his team-mates did not always follow and the lack of first-choice wings in Ade Gardner and Francis Meli compromised Saints' attacking ambition.
As doggedly as Harlequins fought, it took them 56 minutes to produce their first try. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, their elite England squad prop, caught St Helens square with a quickly taken penalty. When Dorn read Long's pass 90 metres out and Purdham added a second conversion, Harlequins were within four points. It was as near as they got before succumbing to the strength of Cunningham and only their second away defeat.
Earlier Harlequins fell behind to Chris Flannery's try in the corner. They held firm for a further half-hour, but after being penalised for offside, Long got the ball wide and Paul Wellens squeezed over.
Hull Kingston Rovers kept up their pursuit with a 16-6 defeat of Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves beat Wigan Warriors 16-8 and Salford City Reds heaped more misery on Bradford Bulls in an 18-10 win.
Scorers: St Helens: Tries: Flannery, Wellens, Roby, Cunningham. Goals: Long 3. Harlequins: Tries: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Dorn. Goals: Purdham 3.
St Helens: P Wellens; K Eastmond, M Gidley, LGilmour, G Wheeler; L Pryce, S Long; J Graham, K Cunningham, J Emmitt, C Flannery, J Wilkin, TPuletua. Interchange: J Roby, P Clough, MFa'asavalu, M Ashurst.
Harlequins: J Wells; J O'Callaghan, M Gafa, DHowell, W Sharp; L Dorn, D Orr; K Temata, CRandall, D Heckenberg, J Golden, L Williamson, RPurdham. Interchange: L McCarthy-Scarsbrook, TClubb, B Kaye, J Grayshon.
Referee: S Ganson.
Source:The times
Alwaary declines chance to run in Derby
Devoid, as it was, of Irish horses, the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood yesterday promised to throw up a rare British runner in the Derby. Victory for the Queen's Free Agent would have been better still, yet neither aspiration came to pass. Alwaary's fluent score served only to fine-tune him for the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Free Agent ran perfectly well to finish fourth after he fared worst in a three-way photo for second place. It was the colt's first run for 11 months, during which he was confined to his box for much of the winter after a bone flake was removed from a hind leg. In the circumstances it was always unrealistic to expect too much of him - much less to carry the nation's fortunes at Epsom.
Ironically, his task was summed up perfectly by John Gosden, who explained that Alwaary, too, had failed to thrive over the winter. In dismissing a Derby bid for Hamdan's al-Maktoum's homebred, Gosden said: “When they get behind, you can't catch up. You have to accept it, otherwise you'll soon be left with no horse.”
Richard Hannon, who trains Free Agent, effectively concurred. “There will be no Derby for him,” Hannon said. “I thought I had him fairly fit, but it turned out that he needed it. He's been off for a long time and he was probably a bit rusty.”
The sedate pace dictated by Frankie Dettori aboard Chock A Block was not what Hannon wanted to see. He had instructed Richard Hughes to settle the colt regardless of the pace. “On reflection, it might have been different if he'd gone off quickly from the front,” the trainer said.
Nevertheless, Free Agent held his corner when the pace quickened in the straight. He had no answer to the winner's surge from the rear, but Hughes was easy on him thereafter. “I know that he's a decent horse,” Hannon said. “He's done us one good turn so far and I'm sure he'll do us more.”
A return to Royal Ascot, where he won last season, now beckons Free Agent. Like Alwaary, he will have the King Edward VII entry in addition to one in the Queen's Vase over two miles. That the Queen will have up to six runners at the royal meeting attests to the recent revival in her bloodstock fortunes.
It has been kick-started by her commitment to deploying some of Europe's more expensive stallions on her broodmare band. The revival has certainly brought joy to long-standing followers of the turf, and if rather too much Derby expectation was invested in Free Agent, it was exacerbated by the paucity of British-trained candidates to repel the hordes from Ireland.
The first six in William Hill's betting all hail from across the Irish Sea. They are headed by Fame And Glory and Sea The Stars, from the stables of Aidan O'Brien and John Oxx respectively. The most advanced British-trained horse is the 16-1 chance, Crowded House, who must rate a doubtful starter after his Dante disappointment. Godolphin's Kite Wood stands at 20-1, with Debussy, a stablemate of Alwaary, at 25-1.
At least Debussy is a definite starter. “He has won at Epsom,” Gosden said of the colt who finished third in the Chester Vase last time. “He has come on for that, but he'll need to. Someone's got to turn up from our country, although it does look between Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory. They look like very good horses. That's why we can't match them.”
Hannon's Derby dreams evaporated with Free Agent but he did not leave Goodwood empty-handed after sending out La Pantera to win a two-year-old maiden that he has farmed down the years. He is also looking forward to running Soul City in the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, although heavy ground at the Curragh tempers his enthusiasm. “I spoke to Dessie Hughes and he told me the course was waterlogged in places,” Hannon said. “The horse has won on soft ground before, but soft is very different to heavy. Still, he is fit, and we'll take our chance.”
Source:The times
Free Agent ran perfectly well to finish fourth after he fared worst in a three-way photo for second place. It was the colt's first run for 11 months, during which he was confined to his box for much of the winter after a bone flake was removed from a hind leg. In the circumstances it was always unrealistic to expect too much of him - much less to carry the nation's fortunes at Epsom.
Ironically, his task was summed up perfectly by John Gosden, who explained that Alwaary, too, had failed to thrive over the winter. In dismissing a Derby bid for Hamdan's al-Maktoum's homebred, Gosden said: “When they get behind, you can't catch up. You have to accept it, otherwise you'll soon be left with no horse.”
Richard Hannon, who trains Free Agent, effectively concurred. “There will be no Derby for him,” Hannon said. “I thought I had him fairly fit, but it turned out that he needed it. He's been off for a long time and he was probably a bit rusty.”
The sedate pace dictated by Frankie Dettori aboard Chock A Block was not what Hannon wanted to see. He had instructed Richard Hughes to settle the colt regardless of the pace. “On reflection, it might have been different if he'd gone off quickly from the front,” the trainer said.
Nevertheless, Free Agent held his corner when the pace quickened in the straight. He had no answer to the winner's surge from the rear, but Hughes was easy on him thereafter. “I know that he's a decent horse,” Hannon said. “He's done us one good turn so far and I'm sure he'll do us more.”
A return to Royal Ascot, where he won last season, now beckons Free Agent. Like Alwaary, he will have the King Edward VII entry in addition to one in the Queen's Vase over two miles. That the Queen will have up to six runners at the royal meeting attests to the recent revival in her bloodstock fortunes.
It has been kick-started by her commitment to deploying some of Europe's more expensive stallions on her broodmare band. The revival has certainly brought joy to long-standing followers of the turf, and if rather too much Derby expectation was invested in Free Agent, it was exacerbated by the paucity of British-trained candidates to repel the hordes from Ireland.
The first six in William Hill's betting all hail from across the Irish Sea. They are headed by Fame And Glory and Sea The Stars, from the stables of Aidan O'Brien and John Oxx respectively. The most advanced British-trained horse is the 16-1 chance, Crowded House, who must rate a doubtful starter after his Dante disappointment. Godolphin's Kite Wood stands at 20-1, with Debussy, a stablemate of Alwaary, at 25-1.
At least Debussy is a definite starter. “He has won at Epsom,” Gosden said of the colt who finished third in the Chester Vase last time. “He has come on for that, but he'll need to. Someone's got to turn up from our country, although it does look between Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory. They look like very good horses. That's why we can't match them.”
Hannon's Derby dreams evaporated with Free Agent but he did not leave Goodwood empty-handed after sending out La Pantera to win a two-year-old maiden that he has farmed down the years. He is also looking forward to running Soul City in the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, although heavy ground at the Curragh tempers his enthusiasm. “I spoke to Dessie Hughes and he told me the course was waterlogged in places,” Hannon said. “The horse has won on soft ground before, but soft is very different to heavy. Still, he is fit, and we'll take our chance.”
Source:The times
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