Premiership faces having just one team in Champions Cup quarter-final unless Exeter Chiefs pull off an historic win at Munster January 16, 2019 England's hopes of having more than one team in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals were given a lifeline last weekend as Exeter Chiefs rallied to a bonus point win over Castres at Sandy Park. Despite that statement performance, the Chiefs will have to gather themselves and go again this weekend if they are to progress [...]
London could get second NBA game as basketball league considers European expansion January 16, 2019 Tickets are like gold dust, those who manage to buy them flock from across continental Europe to London just for the privilege, and celebrities clamour to be courtside. By most metrics, the NBA’s annual regular-season game at the O2 is a resounding success. This year’s match, which sees the New York Knicks take on the [...]
The Hundred shows Tom Harrison and the ECB putting all of its eggs into one basket – will the gamble pay off? January 15, 2019 For a competition that doesn’t yet exist The Hundred – if, as expected, that is what it will eventually be called – has caused an awful lot of consternation. Since being announced in April, information about the new 100-ball format has leaked gradually, like a broken tap, with each drop prompting more questions than the [...]
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a perfect fit for the Manchester United job and has given the club a decision to make January 15, 2019 Less than month ago Manchester United were a dysfunctional club, with a team susceptible to being turned over and a manager who had lost the dressing room. Now, under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, they have been galvanised, their collective spirit is back and, with six wins from six games, they are an opponent to be feared [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Phantom Falcon looks set to soar to victory under Dylan Mo January 15, 2019 LUCK is likely to play a major part in Happy Valley’s trickiest and most competitive race on the card, the six-furlong Craigengower Cricket Club Challenge Cup (1.15pm). Various form lines for half-a-dozen of the contenders suggests there is only a length between them all, so jockeys and trainers are going to need things to go [...]
Hong Kong Horse Racing Tips: Seven Heavens can put punters on cloud nine January 15, 2019 HONG Kong’s Happy Valley hosts eight races today, all of which look fiendishly difficult puzzles to solve. A word of advice, don’t rush in on the short-priced favourites as this racecard will have form students scratching their heads. From a handicapping point of view, you could throw a blanket over at least half-a-dozen horses in [...]
Old friends become foes as Arsenal legends Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira face each other as managers for the first time January 15, 2019 They stood side by side for club and country over a decade ago, winning just about every trophy there was to be won, but on Wednesday evening, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira will put their playing pasts behind them as they go head to head as managers for the first time. The Arsenal and France [...]
Is this the end? Andy Murray’s emotional Australian Open defeat by Roberto Bautista Agut leaves tennis fans in limbo January 14, 2019 “If today was my last match, it was a brilliant way to finish.” That was how Andy Murray summed up an epic, gutsy and emotional contest with Roberto Bautista Agut at the Australian Open which left tennis fans in an enthralled yet slightly confused state. In the end Murray lost the five-set, first-round contest 6-4, [...]
Big brands doing big deals show the UK sports sponsorship industry remains in rude health January 14, 2019 January is typically the time to look forward, to forecast and predict what will happen in the coming year. To understand the state of the UK sponsorship industry, however, it’s more worthwhile to look at what happened in the months leading up to Christmas. Rewind to the week after Black Friday in December and big [...]
Tottenham 0-1 Manchester United: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer shows tactical prowess as Marcus Rashford makes it six straight wins January 13, 2019 Talk of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s perfect start to life as Manchester United manager has tended to be accompanied by caveats. Easy run of fixtures. Class players. Made to look good by what preceded him. Barring the latter, none of those points hold true any more after a 1-0 win over Tottenham at Wembley which showed Solskjaer [...]