Sport
WORLD No1 Tiger Woods claimed his fourth win of the year at The Players Championship on Sunday and, for me, it was his most impressive victory since recapturing something approaching his best form.
KEY British and Irish Lions squad members could become victims of their own success, after coach Warren Gatland revealed those still striving to win major club honours this season will be at the back of the queue to be selected for the first Test.
ENGLAND bowler Tim Bresnan hopes to prove his worth in the next 48 hours and force his selection for Thursday’s Test with New Zealand.
The 28-year-old has played in just two Test matches since August and had elbow surgery in February.
BRITISH No1 Laura Robson fulfilled a childhood dream when she beat former world No1 Venus Williams in the Rome Open first round.
The 19-year-old triumphed 6-3 6-2 and now faces Venus’s sister Serena in round two.
STRIKER Wilfried Zaha bagged a brace to send Crystal Palace to the Championship play-off final at the expense of fierce rivals Brighton last night.
IT’S a sad moment for football, but it had to happen: Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, a friend and fellow Scot, is retiring, but what a 27 years of unparallelled success he has given Reds fans around the world.
FOOTBALL: Former England striker James Beattie, 35, has been appointed manager of League Two club Accrington Stanley.
CRICKET: Wicketkeeper Matt Prior has been named England Cricketer of the Year for 2012-13. Bowler Katherine Brunt won the women’s award.
FOOTBALL: Chelsea suffered a 3-2 defeat to Norwich City in the FA Youth Cup final second leg at Stamford Bridge, losing 4-2 on aggregate.
MALAGA manager Manuel Pellegrini is expected to succeed Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini as early as this week after the Italian’s reign ended in ignominy with Saturday’s 1-0 FA Cup final defeat by Wigan.
CAUSE and effect. In the dark days of football hooliganism, when we were penned in cages, the argument against fencing in spectators was that if you treat people like animals they will, more often than not, behave like them.
SARACENS boss Mark McCall admitted his men had lost to the better side after Northampton Saints shocked them 27-13 in the Aviva Premiership play-offs yesterday to set up a debut final against Leicester Tigers.
NORWICH and Newcastle attained Premier League safety in emphatic style yesterday, but Wigan still harbour hopes of catching Sunderland who were held to a 1-1 draw by Southampton.
WORLD No1 Tiger Woods won his war with rival Sergio Garcia last night after clinching the Players Championship at Sawgrass when the Spaniard shot a cataclysmic quadruple bogey on the 17th hole.
ENGLAND coach Ashley Giles insists no pressure should be put upon in-form batsman Joe Root, after the 22-year-old Lions captain blasted 179 runs in a rain-affected draw with New Zealand.
RETIRING Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed Wayne Rooney has handed in a transfer request but will not be allowed to follow the 71-year-old Scot out of the Old Trafford exit door.
FERRARI’S Fernando Alonso closed the gap on Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel with a home triumph at the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona yesterday.
CYCLING: Britain’s Sir Bradley Wiggins dug in to remain fourth, just over a minute behind leader Vincenzo Nibali, yesterday in stage nine of the Giro d’Italia.
FOOTBALL: Watford clinched a Championship play-off final place in breathless style yesterday when Troy Deeney scored in injury time to seal a 3-2 aggregate win over Leicester.
OUTGOING Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed David Moyes was the unanimous choice to succeed him after the Everton manager was officially anointed his heir yesterday.
RECORD-chasing Frank Lampard may have just 90 minutes left of his Chelsea career to score the two goals he requires to become the club’s all-time leading scorer.
WORLD No2 Rory McIlroy made a storming start to the Players Championship at Sawgrass, carding a career-best six-under par for a share of second place.
NEW Zealand batsman Hamish Rutherford hit an unbeaten ton on the first day of his team’s tour match with England Lions to help settle his nerves ahead of next week’s first Test at Lord’s.
OLYMPIC champion Andrew Simpson, 36, has died after a catamaran capsized during an America’s Cup training session in San Francisco Bay.
BRITISH rider Mark Cavendish hailed his Omega Pharma Quick-Step team-mates for helping him secure victory in the sixth stage of the Giro D’Italia. The 27-year-old said: “It’s beautiful. There are all those bits of the engine that fit together.
TENNIS: British No1 Andy Murray survived a third round scare to beat Gilles Simon in three sets at the Madrid Open. But reigning champion Roger Federer lost to Kei Nishikori.
FOOTBALL: Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov, 33, has announced his retirement as he continues his recovery from acute leukaemia.
BEN CLEMINSON AND BILL ESDAILE BRING YOU THE BEST FOOTBALL AND RACING BETS OF THE WEEKEND
ASCOT’S Victoria Cup at 3.50pm tomorrow is always a hugely competitive handicap and the draw will play a big part.
THIS week’s Players Championship will draw the cream of golf to a tournament justifiably dubbed the Fifth Major, yet the world’s top two, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, have surprisingly poor records at Sawgrass.
EVERTON’S David Moyes is expected to be confirmed as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor before the weekend after the Manchester United manager yesterday announced the end of arguably the greatest career in English football.
CHELSEA 2 vs TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 2
TYPICAL of the man, Sir Alex Ferguson surprised us all with the timing of his announcement and I’m sure he has approved the identity of his replacement.
RUGBY UNION: England captain Chris Robshaw has been rested for the tour to Uruguay and Argentina this summer. Flanker Tom Wood will skipper Stuart Lancaster’s squad which features 11 uncapped players.
CYCLING: Team Sky rider Sir Bradley Wiggins remains 34 seconds behind Giro D’Italia leader Luca Paolini after a crash in the peloton, on stage five, saw the Briton awarded the same time as winner John Degenkolb.
MANCHESTER United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could be about to walk away from Old Trafford after 27 years at the helm after the club’s players were reportedly told to brace themselves for an announcement.
A PROSPECTIVE summer reunion between Champions League chasing Chelsea and former manager Jose Mourinho could yet be blocked by a clause in his contract with current club Real Madrid.
BRITISH No1 Andy Murray’s clay court struggles continued yesterday when the Scot suffered a major scare before battling into round three of the Madrid Open.
TEAM Sky rider Sir Bradley Wiggins lost ground on the Giro D’Italia leaders after being slowed down by a collision as a wet and foggy stage four drew to its close yesterday.
FORMER Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni has launched an appeal against his eight-year ban from racing for doping 15 horses at the Newmarket base of Sheikh Mohammed’s prestigious operation.
WIGAN ATHLETIC 2 vs SWANSEA CITY 3
WIGAN boss Roberto Martinez insists his team must fight for every remaining point after last night’s defeat put a severe dent in their Premier League survival hopes.
FOOTBALL: Manager Kenny Jackett has resigned from his position with Millwall after six seasons at the Den.
CRICKET: Batsman Graham Napier hit an unbeaten 102 as Essex were bowled out for 226 against Lancashire at Old Trafford on day one of their County match. The home side posted 7/1 in reply.
BOXING: Former seven-weight world champion Manny Pacquiao will end 11 months away from the ring when he fights Brandon Rios in China on 24 November.
TEAM Sky principal Dave Brailsford has reiterated British rider Chris Froome will spearhead their challenge at the Tour de France this year, despite Sir Bradley Wiggins’ hopes he would get the nod to defend his title.
A LAWYER behind the Bosman ruling, which irrevocably changed the world of football transfers, has launched the first legal challenge to European chiefs Uefa’s nascent Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
ARSENAL goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has questioned whether Tottenham possess the quality to finish in the Premier League’s top four as the battle for Champions League qualification between London’s top clubs intensifies.
SUNDERLAND 1 vs STOKE CITY 1
SUNDERLAND manager Paolo Di Canio has labelled Sunday’s match against fellow strugglers Southampton “our Champions League final”, after coming from behind to earn a valuable draw against Stoke with 10 men.
SARACENS go into Sunday’s play-off semi-final with Northampton Saints buoyant after finishing top of the Aviva Premiership for the first time in their history and with director of rugby Mark McCall delighted at turning winning into a habit.
