Tiger is cracking value at a venue where he is peerless July 13, 2010 TIGER Woods is again the favourite to win a third successive Open on the St Andrews course although his odds of 11/2 to lift the famous Claret Jug are the biggest he’s been to win an Open since 2004. When you consider Tiger had been just 2/1 to win this tournament 12 months ago it [...]
Foot injury rules Bell out of Pakistan Test series July 13, 2010 ENGLAND batsman Ian Bell has been ruled out of the forthcoming Test series with Pakistan after undergoing foot surgery. Bell fractured a metatarsal in Saturday’s one-day defeat to Bangladesh in Bristol and had a routine operation on Monday evening. The foot is encased in a protective boot and Bell is expected to make a full [...]
Wiggins’ Tour chances rocked July 13, 2010 TEAM Sky’s Bradley Wiggins has admitted he may have to settle for a top-10 spot in the Tour de France after losing major ground on the leaders in yesterday’s ninth stage. The Englishman finished almost five minutes behind stage winner Sandy Casal and now lies more than seven minutes behind new race leader Andy Schleck. [...]
Aussies pegged back by Pakistan July 13, 2010 CRICKET: Australia squandered a healthy start to their first Test with Pakistan at Lord’s, slipping from 171-2 to finish day one on 229-9. Aussie batsmen Simon Katich and Michael Clarke hit 80 and 47 respectively and enjoyed a third-wicket stand that reaped 120 runs. But fast-bowler Mohamed Asif struck three wickets in seven balls either [...]
Yankees chief Steinbrenner dies July 13, 2010 BASEBALL: George Steinbrenner, the owner who turned the New York Yankees into a sporting superpower, died yesterday aged 80. Steinbrenner, who bought the franchise in 1973 and oversaw 11 Major League titles and seven World Series wins, suffered a massive heart attack. His family paid tribute in a statement, calling him “a visionary and a [...]
Powell inks one-year Wasps deal July 13, 2010 RUGBY UNION: Wales No8 Andy Powell has signed a one-year contract with Wasps after being released by Cardiff Blues. Powell, whose arrest for drink-driving a golf buggy on the motorway in February contributed to his Blues exit, is reunited with Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards at Wasps. “This is a pure rugby decision,” said the [...]
REIGN IN SPAIN July 12, 2010 SPAIN enjoyed a heroes’ welcome yesterday as legions of ecstatic fans and the country’s top dignitaries alike clamoured to greet the returning world champions. Around a million supporters lined the streets of Madrid to cheer the team, who celebrated a maiden World Cup triumph with an open-top bus parade. King Juan Carlos and Prime Minister [...]
Strauss inspires series win July 12, 2010 ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss toasted a timely riposte from his side after inspiring them to an emphatic 144-run triumph that clinched a 2-1 one-day series win over Bangladesh. Strauss led by example, bludgeoning a boundary-laden 154 and sharing a 250-run partnership with Jonathan Trott as the hosts racked up an imposing 347-7 at Edgbaston. Recalled [...]
Webb had ‘hard task’ admits chief Blatter July 12, 2010 FIFA president Sepp Blatter yesterday leapt to the defence of under-fire referee Howard Webb for his handling of Sunday’s ill-tempered World Cup final in Johannesburg. Englishman Webb brandished 14 yellow cards and one red to Holland’s John Heitinga in an incident-packed game, which saw Spain lift the trophy for the first time, courtesy of 1-0 [...]
BBC take ITV to the cleaners in World Cup final ratings war July 12, 2010 THE BBC proved the big winner in the ratings war with ITV for the World Cup final with almost five times as many people tuning in to their coverage. More than 21 million British viewers saw Spain lift the trophy for the first time in their history with a 1-0 extra-time win over Holland. The [...]