SPORT | IN BRIEF March 21, 2010 YAMAUCHI TRIUMPHS IN NEW YORK ATHLETICS: Britain’s Mara Yamauchi stepped up her preparations for next month’s London Marathon by winning the New York Half Marathon. Yamauchi set a new course record of one hour, nine minutes and 17 seconds and succeeds fellow Briton Paul Radcliffe as winner. The 36-year-old chased down American Deena Kastor and [...]
VITAL SIGNS | HOW THE TITLE RIVALS ARE SHAPING UP March 21, 2010 Manchester United appear to have the bit firmly between their teeth as the end of the season nears. A slip at Everton aside, they have swatted opponents aside with ominous ease lately, propelled by Wayne Rooney in the richest vein of form of his career. A Rooney injury seems the only way the champions can [...]
BITTERSWEET DAY FOR KP March 21, 2010 ENGLAND’S Kevin Pietersen was one of three batsmen to fall cheaply as the tourists endured a frustrating day against Bangladesh. After finally dismissing the Tigers for 419, England reached 171-3 on the second day of the second Test, aided only slightly by Alastair Cook (21) and Paull Collingwood (0). It was not all bad news [...]
How can England spoil French party? March 18, 2010 CHANGING your team around for one match is a big gamble by Martin Johnson. Sometimes these gambles come off, other times they don’t, but it could just give England the extra incentive they need to shock the French in Paris. All of a sudden, Johnson has the likes of Northampton’s excellent young pair Chris Ashton, [...]
‘I came close to quitting’, admits Ashton March 18, 2010 DEBUTANT Chris Ashton has told how he almost quit the sport six months ago after doubting whether he would ever make the grade. The Northampton winger comes into the England Test side for the first time in Paris tomorrow as a replacement for the injured Ugo Monye. But the former rugby league star admits he [...]
Plucky Fulham stun Juventus March 18, 2010 FULHAM (4) v/s JUVENTUS (1) ROY HODGSON admitted to feeling “on top of the world” after Fulham completed a remarkable fightback to send Italian giants Juventus crashing out of Europe. Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, the Cottagers looked down and out, especially after Juve striker David Trezeguet increased the lead further in just the [...]
Managers eyeing job swaps March 18, 2010 A MANAGER’S future is notoriously precarious but even by those standards this summer is shaping up to be a jamboree of job changes, with Europe’s biggest clubs training their sights on some prestigious names. Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho brought the scramble into sharp focus this week with renewed and feverish speculation about their current [...]
Lievremont stunned at Wilko snub March 18, 2010 FRANCE coach Marc Lievremont admits he was shocked to see Jonny Wilkinson dropped by England – but is still not ruling out the fly-half making a match-winning cameo. England boss Martin Johnson has preferred Toby Flood over the world record points scorer as he looks to end the Six Nations on a high note. Lievremont [...]
Nicholls charge finally earns Big Buck’s for the bookies March 18, 2010 TRAINER Paul Nicholls hailed the “hugely talented” Big Buck’s after finally bringing joy to favourite backers and claiming back-to-back victories in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham. After defeats to Dunguib and Master Minded earlier in the week, the 5-6 on shot finally got the bookmakers paying out for red-hot favourites with a dominant display. [...]
Imperial a decent tip to finish in top three March 18, 2010 WE’VE had the thriller in Manila and the rumble in the jungle. Now it’s the War of the Wolds. Kauto v Denman III isn’t going to be quite the classic decider we have all wanted since the Tank and AP had that difference of opinion the first time they stepped out together at Newbury. Kauto [...]