Portsmouth to appeal for Euro licence reprieve April 12, 2010 PORTSMOUTH are to make a desperate plea to the Football Association to allow them play in Europe next season. The relegated south-coast club secured a place in next season’s Europa League after winning through to the FA Cup final against Chelsea on 15 May with victory over Tottenham on Sunday. But with the club in [...]
Westwood’s time will come April 12, 2010 WELL, he’s getting closer but Lee Westwood is certainly being made to work in his quest for a first major title. Westwood played beautifully all week but just didn’t quite do enough on the final day to hold off the resurgent Phil Mickelson, who, in the end, was a worthy winner of the best Masters [...]
Taylor slams Wembley pitch April 12, 2010 PLAYERS’ chief Gordon Taylor has added to the wave of discontent surrounding the state of the Wembley pitch, branding it an “embarrassment”. The surface was slammed by both Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp and Portsmouth boss Avram Grant after Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final where players complained that excessive watering had made it too skiddy. The national [...]
Adebayor quits Togo after Angola gun attack April 12, 2010 MANCHESTER CITY striker Emmanuel Adebayor last night announced his decision to retire from international football in the wake of the gun attack on the Togo team bus earlier this year. The 26-year-old admitted he couldn’t come to terms with the attack at this year’s African Nations Cup, which killed three people. In a statement, Adebayor [...]
Murray factor earns Smith Davis role April 12, 2010 GREAT Britain’s new Davis Cup captain Leon Smith insists his good relations with the country’s top players will help him reverse the team’s humiliating slide. Britain must beat Turkey in July to avoid relegation to Europe/Africa Zone Group III – the lowest tier of the competition. And Smith, who used to be Andy Murray’s coach, [...]
Five-star ten Doeschate gets Essex off to a flier April 12, 2010 PART-TIME bowler Ryan ten Doeschate claimed a match-winning 5-13 to help Essex claim victory in their season opener with Hampshire at Chelmsford. The Dutch medium-pacer tore through the Hampshire tail to skittle the visitors out for just 185 – 63 runs short of their victory target. Meanwhile, a six-wicket stand of 153 between Jacques Rudolph [...]
Klitschko makes Haye call April 12, 2010 BOXING: Wladimir Klitschko has laid down the gauntlet to Britain’s WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye to agree to a unification showdown this year. Klitschko, the IBF and WBO title holder, withdrew from a fight with Haye last June with injury but now claims Haye is “running away”. “I am officially calling you out to [...]
Walsh out for up to 10 weeks April 12, 2010 RACING: Top jockey Ruby Walsh could be out for up to 10 weeks after breaking his arm at Aintree on Saturday. Walsh missed riding Big Fella Thanks in the Grand National after falling on Celestial Halo in the Aintree Hurdle.
Italian on brink of outdoing Mourinho April 12, 2010 JUST a few weeks ago the scandals surrounding the alleged extra-marital activities of John Terry and Ashley Cole looked like being the most memorable things to happen to Chelsea this season. Struggling for form in the Premier League and then dumped out of Europe by Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan, the Blues’ campaign was in danger [...]
Mickelson the Master sees off Westwood April 11, 2010 American clinches third Green Jacket with superb final round as Englishman proves nearly-man again PHIL Mickelson produced a magical five-under-par final round to earn a third Masters title and prolong Englishman Lee Westwood’s major title heartache. Mickelson started the day one shot behind overnight leader Westwood but the American overhauled him to deservedly snatch the [...]