One-Day Cup final: Somerset’s young gun Tom Banton won’t be fazed by Lord’s occasion, says Marcus Trescothick May 22, 2019 Marcus Trescothick has seen enough batsmen in his 26 years of first-class cricket to know a good one when he sees him. Tom Banton may be just 20 and only have a similar number of matches behind him, but he’s already done enough to excite Somerset’s senior player. The Somerset academy graduate has taken the [...]
Chris Tremlett: Well-rounded England justify their position as World Cup favourites May 22, 2019 Three weeks ago England’s World Cup campaign could have been derailed. Alex Hales was withdrawn from the squad after failing a drugs test and the storm that followed could have thrown their preparations off. But to their credit England dealt with the incident quickly and bypassed any distractions. Now, with the tournament just a week [...]
Football’s most lucrative match stagnates in value amid Premier League rights growth slowdown May 22, 2019 The Championship play-off final, which takes place on Monday at Wembley and pits Aston Villa against Derby County for the last remaining spot in next season’s Premier League, is well established as the most lucrative one-off match in the world of club football. Worth an estimated minimum of £170m to the victors – 10 times [...]
Exeter’s chief Tony Rowe has overseen the club’s rise to the top of English rugby – now he’s dreaming of a second Premiership title May 22, 2019 When Tony Rowe sat down with Exeter chairman John Baxter in 1993 to discuss a £4,000 sponsorship deal, neither could have envisaged the success that was to follow. Exeter were in English rugby’s fourth tier and struggling, but local businessman Rowe, owner of South West Communications, was sold by Baxter’s passion. So began a 26-year [...]
“We’re not just competing against other sports”: The Hundred’s managing director explains why English cricket needs a new format May 21, 2019 The staggered launch of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s great new hope hasn’t gone exactly to plan. Although it was always unlikely to begin in textbook fashion, The Hundred has so far experienced the full repertoire of problems on the runway, leaving the majority of its passengers apprehensive ahead of take-off. After all, the [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: My Ally can defy handicapper and bowl over his rivals May 21, 2019 SUCH is the handicap system in Hong Kong, with relatively few racehorses totalling around 1300, it’s guaranteed that the majority of races are going to be tight and exciting finishes. Horses that collect penalties for a win will always find it hard to successfully follow up unless they are very progressive or potentially smart gallopers. [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Time for punters to shell out on Lor’s Fat Turtle May 21, 2019 REIGNING champion Zac Purton, with 123 victories this season, is already over the hill and far away as he closes in on his third jockeys’ title ahead of today’s Happy Valley action. He currently leads his nearest pursuer Karis Teetan by 48 winners but looks even more determined in his quest to overhaul his best [...]
Horse Racing: Gosden gives glowing update on his leading Oaks pair May 21, 2019 WHILE we won’t see the long-time Investec Derby favourite Too Darn Hot next week, John Gosden has high hopes in Friday’s feature, the Investec Oaks. The Newmarket-based trainer is set to be represented by both Mehdaayih and Anapurna in the fillies’ Classic, both of whom were impressive winners of their respective trials at Chester and [...]
Horse Racing: Dragonet set to lead good crew from Ballydoyle in Investec Derby May 21, 2019 DESPITE a sharp drift in the betting a few days ago casting major doubt over the participation of Aidan O’Brien’s ante post Investec Derby favourite Sir Dragonet, the latest report from the trainer suggests otherwise. Speaking at the annual Breakfast with the Stars event at Epsom Downs Racecourse yesterday, the six-time Derby-winning trainer far from [...]
From the World Cup to Ashes series and The Hundred: English cricket’s battle for hearts and minds May 21, 2019 With the biggest ever summer of international cricket about to start, featuring a men’s World Cup as well as men’s and women’s Ashes series, the sport faces perhaps its greatest challenge. But will such riches put cricket back in the public consciousness for the first time since 2005? That year’s Ashes series marked the end [...]