Watson takes Sharapova to the brink August 29, 2011 BRITAIN’S Heather Watson narrowly failed to secure the biggest win of her fledgling career after third seed Maria Sharapova came from a set down to secure her place in the second round of the US Open. The Russian was pushed all the way by the 17-year-old in a match that lasted over two-and-a-half hours but [...]
Johnson: Injured stars will be ready for World Cup duty August 29, 2011 ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson expects to have a fully fit squad to select from when his side begin their World Cup campaign against Argentina in just under two weeks’ time. All but one of Johnson’s 30-man party will touch down in New Zealand today, with Wasps forward Simon Shaw scheduled to fly out later once [...]
Turner prize: Brit claims surprise bronze after Robles is disqualified August 29, 2011 BRITAIN’S Andy Turner claimed bronze in the 110m hurdles at the World Championships in Daegu after he profited from the second high-profile disqualification in the space of 24 hours. Olympic champion Dayron Robles made contact with China’s Liu Xiang and was disqualified, just as 100m world record holder Usain Bolt was on Sunday for a [...]
No U-turn over false starts August 29, 2011 A leading athletics official has warned against making any knee-jerk response to Usain Bolt’s disqualification from the World Championships 100m final. Bolt left the blocks early, leading to talk that the sport’s governing body, the IAAF, could amend the false-start rule it introduced in 2010. But its vice-president Bob Hersh countered: “It would be a [...]
Fabregas stars in Barca romp August 29, 2011 Barcelona opened the defence of their La Liga title with a 5-0 win over Villarreal at Camp Nou. Cesc Fabregas and Chile winger Alexis Sanchez both scored on their home debuts.
Parker next as Spurs grab Adebayor August 25, 2011 West Ham star in Tottenham’s sights after Diarra snub TOTTENHAM (0) vs HEARTS (0) Tottenham win 5-0 on aggregate TOTTENHAM manager Harry Redknapp is thought to be targeting West Ham midfielder Scott Parker next after tying up a loan deal for Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Former Arsenal star Adebayor completed a season-long move from [...]
City get tough group draw August 25, 2011 MANCHESTER CITY have been handed the toughest draw of all English sides on their Champions League debut, but Chelsea and Arsenal also face tricky groups. European giants Bayern Munich and the less glamorous but no less dangerous Villarreal and Napoli stand between City and a place in the knockout stage. Chelsea face Valencia, meaning new [...]
PLUCK OF THE IRISH August 25, 2011 IRISH minnows Shamrock Rovers created history by becoming the first part-time team to reach the Europa League group stages after they knocked out Partizan Belgrade. Stephen O’Donnell’s extra-time penalty earned a 2-1 win in Belgrade to take them through 3-2 on aggregate after last week’s draw in Dublin. The achievement was put into perspective by [...]
Wilkinson’s World Cup boost August 25, 2011 ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson has declared Jonny Wilkinson his first choice fly-half after selecting the veteran No10 for tomorrow’s final World Cup warm-up against Ireland. Johnson has opted for Wilkinson over Toby Flood, who disappointed in the defeat to Wales last time out, in a move that puts the 2003 World Cup winner in pole [...]
Riise injury sours Jol’s night August 25, 2011 DNIPRO (1) vs FULHAM (0) Fulham manager Martin Jol admitted John Arne Riise’s leg injury is “serious” after his team booked their place in the Europa League group stage last night. The Cottagers lost on the night in Ukraine but last week’s 3-0 success in the first leg enabled their European adventure to continue. However, [...]