Clarke named as Aussie skipper March 30, 2011 CRICKET: Michael Clarke has been confirmed as Ricky Ponting’s successor as Australia captain and will lead the side on the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. Clarke, who turns 30 on Saturday, said: “It was a huge surprise to see Ricky stand down. I want to thank him for his help, support and guidance, and look forward [...]
Long Run set for Aintree March 30, 2011 HORSE RACING: Nicky Henderson fully intends to run Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Long Run at Aintree next week – provided ground conditions are in his favour. The six-year-old, who produced a superb performance to get the better of Denman and Kauto Star, will only run if there is some give in the ground. Henderson said: [...]
Robson confident of recovery March 30, 2011 FOOTBALL: Former England captain Bryan Robson is hopeful of making a full recovery from throat cancer having undergone an operation to remove a tumour earlier this month. The 54-year-old, who won 90 caps for his country, said: “The support from people all around the world has been fantastic. I feel fine and will carry on [...]
McCaw snubs Royal wedding March 30, 2011 RUGBY UNION: Richie McCaw has turned down an invitation to attend Prince William’s wedding next month because he wants to focus on getting fit to lead the All Blacks at this year’s Rugby World Cup. McCaw gave Prince William a tour of Eden Park – venue for the World Cup Final – during his three-day [...]
CARROLL SMILEY March 29, 2011 Liverpool’s £35m man breaks his England duck but Gyan spoils the party with late strike ENGLAND (1) vs GHANA (1) ENGLAND striker Andy Carroll scored his first goal for his country last night in emphatic style and then declared: I’m here to stay. The 22-year-old, making only his second appearance for his country, produced the [...]
Waugh: Outgoing Ponting is one of the great captains March 29, 2011 Ashes defeats won’t take gloss off former skipper’s reign, says fellow Aussie legend FORMER Australia batsman Mark Waugh believes outgoing skipper Ricky Ponting will go down as one of his nation’s great captains, despite him overseeing three Ashes series defeats. Ponting, 36, stood down from the position he had held for eight years yesterday but [...]
Don’t be surprised to see a familiar face back in 2013 March 29, 2011 AS AN international cricket captain you can only hope that when your time is up you can leave the position with dignity. Thankfully, Ricky Ponting had the benefit of that when he announced his retirement and although he’s had his low points, notably against England, he’s never hidden and always stood up for his team. [...]
FA admit to errors over Capello deal March 29, 2011 ENGLAND chiefs have admitted they should not have controversially removed an exit clause from manager Fabio Capello’s contract on the eve of last year’s World Cup without consulting the whole Football Association board. Senior figures at the FA hurriedly amended Capello’s deal amid fears he could walk away straight after the tournament, only for England [...]
Government refuses to help BOA in row over London 2012 profits March 29, 2011 THE BRITISH Olympic Association suffered a major blow in its battle with London 2012 organisers Locog yesterday when the Government snubbed their plea for help. Under-fire BOA chairman Lord Moynihan (above) met sports minister Hugh Robertson to ask for assistance in its row with Locog over the proportion of profits it receives from next year’s [...]
Murray splits with Corretja and mulls big name mentor March 29, 2011 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray has paved the way for the appointment of a big-name coach by parting company with consultant and long-term ally Alex Corretja. The split comes after a woeful series of defeats since the Australian Open final in January, most recently at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, which have contributed to a [...]