2010: A rollercoaster year of sport
JANUARY
TENNIS: Andy Murray misses out on a maiden grand slam when he is beaten by Roger Federer in the Australian Open final; FOOTBALL: David Sullivan and David Gold take over at West Ham; terrorists attack the Togo team at the Africa Cup of Nations in Angola, killing three; CRICKET: England are denied series win in South Africa by loss in the final Test.
FEBRUARY
WINTER OLYMPICS: Amy Williams wins gold for Great Britain in the skeleton bob; FOOTBALL: Man Utd win Carling Cup; John Terry is stripped of the England captaincy amid rumours about his private life; Portsmouth become the first top flight club to go into administration; GOLF: England’s Ian Poulter wins the WGC Match Play in Arizona.
MARCH
rugby union: France clinch the Six Nations by beating England; FOOTBALL: Wayne Rooney injures ankle as Man Utd lose at Bayern Munich; FORMULA ONE: Fernando Alonso wins on Ferrari debut in Bahrain; HORSE RACING: Imperial Commander upstages Denman and Kauto Star to win Cheltenham Gold Cup
APRIL
FOOTBALL: Lionel Messi hits four goals as Barcelona destroy Arsenal; GOLF: Tiger Woods returns at the Masters, where Phil Mickelson pips Lee Westwood; HORSE RACING: Tony McCoy wins the Grand National at the 15th attempt, on board Don’t Push It; BOXING: David Haye defends his WBA world heavyweight title by beating John Ruiz
MAY
CRICKET: Paul Collingwood leads England to victory at the World Twenty20 in Barbados, their first triumph at an ICC event; FOOTBALL: Chelsea win the league and cup double; Fulham lose Europa League final to Atletico Madrid; West Ham avoid the drop but still sack boss Gianfranco Zola; RUGBY UNION: Leicester edge Saracens to win a thrilling Premiership final.
JUNE
FOOTBALL: England crash out of the World Cup early, losing 4-1 to Germany in the second round; GOLF: Graeme McDowell becomes the first European to win the US Open since 1970; RUGBY UNION: England enjoy morale-boosting win over Australia in Sydney; TENNIS: John Isner eventually beats Nicolas Mahut in the longest match ever, lasting 11 hours over three days at Wimbledon
JULY
ATHLETICS: Phillips Idowu is among Britain’s gold medal winners at the European Championships; FOOTBALL: Spain beat Holland in the final to win the World Cup; TENNIS: Rafael Nadal wins his second Wimbledon title; CRICKET:?England beat Australia 3-2 in home one-day series; CYCLING: Alberto Contador wins the Tour de France; GOLF: Louis Oosthuizen wins The Open; SNOOKER: Alex Higgins dies, aged 61.
AUGUST
GOLF: Martin Kaymer, 25, wins first major after a play-off at US PGA Championship; FOOTBALL:?Tottenham clinch historic place in Champions League group stage; Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill quits days before new season; Man City complete £130m summer spree; TENNIS: Andy Murray warms up for US ‘Open by winning the Rogers Cup in Toronto; CRICKET: Allegations emerge that Pakistan players fixed elements of matches against England.
SEPTEMBER
CRICKET: Pakistan chief Ijaz Butt causes storm by claiming that rumours abound that England players fixed elements of recent clashes; Andrew Flintoff retires from all forms of the game; FOOTBALL: Wayne Rooney’s miserable form is compounded by allegations he cheated on his wife with a prostitute; BOXING: Ricky Hatton loses licence over cocaine claims.
OCTOBER
FOOTBALL: Boston Red Sox owner John Henry sees off High Court legal challenges to complete a £220m buyout of Liverpool; GOLF: Captain Colin Montgomerie leads Europe to Ryder Cup glory at Celtic Manor; Lee Westwood dethrones Tiger Woods as world No1; RUGBY UNION: Saracens sign Gavin Henson, a move revealed by City A.M.
NOVEMBER
FORMULA ONE: Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest world champion ever; CRICKET: England save a draw in first Ashes Test; RUGBY UNION: Chris Ashton’s 80m try against Australia is highlight of strong autumn for England; FOOTBALL: Glazer family spark Man Utd sale rumours by paying off £220m of costly PIK loans.
DECEMBER
CRICKET: England take lead in the Ashes with second Test romp but are pegged back to 1-1 in the third; FOOTBALL: England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup is humiliated as Russia win the vote; Newcastle sack Chris Hughton and Blackburn dump Sam Allardyce despite good results; GOLF: Graeme McDowell beats Tiger Woods in play-off at Chevron World Challenge.
QUIZ OF THE YEAR: THEY SAID WHAT?
Not everything sports stars say is cliched nonsense. But can you guess who uttered these gems? Answers on page 26
1. “I walked in at half-time and said sorry to the chaps – and now I apologise to the millions of people back home.”
2. “Once the match got past, you know, 25-all, I wasn’t really thinking. Hitting a serve and trying to hit a forehand winner is the only thing I was doing.”
3. “Bit of genius… Bit of magic… Sireli Bobo… Very interesting, very good yeah, very good. Three cheers for Sireli Bobo!”
4. “They got him sent off, everyone sprinted towards the referee. Typical Germans.”
5. “Next thing I said: ‘Isn’t that a gun?’ and as, the driver angled the car and floored it. That’s when we saw six men, all brandishing machine guns.”
6. “In all honestly I became very worried at the way the conversation went. I was really spooked. I wanted to get out of the hotel and on the plane.”
7. “I might be in a bit of a Skoda garage rather than a Mercedes garage, but I am telling you some old bangers don’t half polish up great.”
8. “Turnover, Ben [Youngs] got the ball, pass, I drew the man, gave the pass to Chris [Ashton], basic rugby, nothing spectacular.”
9. “Now I’m retired my dream job would to be the landlord of the Rovers Return. Any chance ITV?”
10. “The ‘Hand of God’ now belongs to me. Mine is the real ‘Hand Of God’. I made the best save of the tournament.”