Golf Comment: Spieth delights again but Zach is danger man July 16, 2015 PERFECT weather yesterday made St Andrews look very beatable but the Old Course started to show its teeth in the afternoon and the forecast suggests today could be very tough. Dustin Johnson showed that he has forgotten his disappointment at the US Open by playing beautifully, although I was even more impressed with Jordan Spieth. [...]
Smith taunts defensive England as Aussies make Ashes statement July 16, 2015 AUSTRALIA vice-captain Steve Smith accused England of reneging on their much-vaunted attacking mantra after his side surged back into Ashes contention by dominating day one of the second Test at Lord’s yesterday. England were subjected to a gruelling stint in the field as the tourists won a crucial toss on a benign wicket to amass [...]
Britain handed Gasquet let-off as they eye end to 34-year wait July 16, 2015 GREAT Britain will not face a singles match against the Frenchman who went furthest at Wimbledon when the two nations clash in a Davis Cup quarter-final at Queen’s Club, starting today. World No13 Richard Gasquet, who reached the semi-finals at the All England Club before losing to eventual winner Novak Djokovic, has been selected solely [...]
Unsung hero Thomas rides to the rescue to preserve Froome’s lead July 16, 2015 BRITAIN’S Chris Froome paid tribute to colleague Geraint Thomas after the unsung Welshman fought off repeated threats to the Team Sky star’s Tour de France advantage yesterday. Froome came under attack from yellow jersey rivals Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali on a taxing 16km climb in the Pyrenees on stage 12, but Thomas [...]
Europa League: Last-gasp salvo for Hammers as Downing leaves July 16, 2015 WEST HAM UNITED 1 BIRKIRKARA FC 0 WEST Ham boss Slaven Bilic admitted that he tried to convince midfielder Stewart Downing to remain at the club before sanctioning his return to Middlesbrough in a deal which could net the Hammers £7m. Bilic was speaking after defender James Tomkins spared his side’s blushes with a last-gasp [...]
Together Forever looks over-priced in the Irish Oaks July 16, 2015 Bill Esdaile previews the best of the weekend’s UK and Irish racing FOLLOWING the English and French Oaks, the three-year-old fillies will now do battle in tomorrow’s Irish version at the Curragh (5.50pm). Taking into account the form from both Epsom and France, TOGETHER FOREVER looks a great each-way bet at 12/1 with Betway. Having [...]
Buckwheat to score Summer Hurdle hat-trick for Fergie July 16, 2015 THIS is one of the more low-key weekends of the Flat racing calendar and for that reason I’m also going to take a look at tomorrow’s decent National Hunt card at Market Rasen. John Ferguson only started training jumpers four years ago, but he’s still managed to win the last two editions of the Summer [...]
Spieth: I prepared for my Open bid on a simulator July 15, 2015 OPEN favourite Jordan Spieth has revealed he turned to a video simulation of St Andrews after leaving himself short of practice rounds for the year’s third Major, which starts today. Spieth – aiming to land the third leg of a grand slam, having already won the Masters and US Open – only touched down in [...]
Sam Torrance on The Open 2015: Subtleties of St Andrews take players a short while to notice but far longer to truly master July 15, 2015 It may be the Home of Golf and one of the most iconic settings in sport, but St Andrews is actually not the toughest course on which to make a reasonable score. The Old Course is no Royal Birkdale; you can hook the ball 100 yards off each tee and still make the fairway, [...]
Chris Tremlett’s cricket comment: After a bad Ashes opener, Aussies should bounce back at Lord’s July 15, 2015 I didn’t think England would beat Australia at all during this Ashes summer, let alone thrash them by 169 runs inside four days in the series opener at Cardiff. It was great to see. But while there has been a shift in momentum towards England, I don’t think there has been a major change in [...]