Lukaku bid turns up heat in Chelsea striker rivalry July 20, 2011 COMPETITION for forward places is only likely to get fiercer at Chelsea, but Nicolas Anelka and Daniel Sturridge, two of the men whose places look most under threat, insist they are in no mood to step aside. Anelka’s place has been increasingly under threat since January, when Roman Abramovich sanctioned the £50m signing of Fernando [...]
Boassen Haggen claims stage victory as Cavendish closes in on green jersey July 20, 2011 FRANCE’S Thomas Voeckler maintained his ownership of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France but conceded 27 seconds to his closest rivals as Edvald Boasson Hagen claimed the 17th stage for Team Sky. The latest standings see Voeckler’s general classification lead over Cadel Evans cut to one minute and 18 seconds, with Frank Schleck [...]
Riise ready to make belated Fulham bow July 20, 2011 NEW FULHAM signing John Arne Riise is ready to make his club debut in tonight’s Europa League qualifier against Crusaders a decade on from the collapse of a proposed transfer. The Norway international spurned the opportunity to join the Cottagers back in 2001 when Liverpool registered last minute interest. Fulham head into the tie against the [...]
Saracens start at Treviso July 20, 2011 RUGBY UNION: Premiership champions Saracens will begin their Heineken Cup campaign at home to Benetton Treviso in November and have confirmed they will tackle Welsh region Ospreys at Wembley on 10 December. Last year’s runners-up Northampton face a daunting trip to two-time champions Munster on the opening weekend.
I’m Britain’s best, claims Khan July 20, 2011 BOXING: Amir Khan believes his world title unification fight against Zab Judah on Saturday will prove beyond doubt he is Britain’s premier fighter. Khan, 24, will be defending his WBA light-welterweight crown in Las Vegas against IBF title-holder Judah. “Pound-for pound, I’m way ahead of all the other British fighters, and I think people know [...]
McLaren not ruffled by Ferrari July 20, 2011 FORMULA ONE: McLaren say they are “not intimidated” by Ferrari’s resurgence and plan to renew their rivalry with Red Bull at the German Grand Prix. Fernando Alonso took Ferrari’s first win of 2011 in Britain with McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton only coming fourth and Jenson Button being forced to retire. But McLaren managing director Jonathan Neale said: [...]
GB pair fail to secure 2012 place July 20, 2011 OLYMPICS: British open water swimmers Dan Fogg and Tom Allen missed out on a chance to qualify for the London 2012 Olympics by finishing outside the top 10 at the World Championships. The pair could not repeat the success of Keri-Anne Payne, who won the women’s event on Tuesday to become the first British athlete [...]
NBA star Ming forced to retire July 20, 2011 BASKETBALL: China’s biggest sporting star Yao Ming has confirmed that he is retiring from basketball, after suffering a series of injuries. The 7ft 6in Houston Rockets player, 30, broke his foot year. NBA official David Stern said: “Yao Ming has been a transformational player for our league and a source of enormous pride to the [...]
India hold no fears for us, insists Swann July 19, 2011 ENGLAND spinner Graeme Swann can’t wait to finally get down to the serious business of the summer and wrestle the No1 Test ranking from India’s grasp. The visit of a limited Sri Lankan side represented a low-key start to England’s summer campaign in a series heavily disrupted by the weather. India, cricket’s current world superpower [...]
Payne wins gold – and a 2012 place July 19, 2011 SWIMMER Keri-Anne Payne has admitted her “massive relief” after becoming the first British athlete in any discipline to guarantee their place at London 2012. The 23-year-old from Stockport ensured her qualification by defending her 10km open water title at the Fina World Championships in Shanghai yesterday. Payne said: “I really wish I could swear right [...]