Ed Warner: British amateur sport must take a match to bonfire of bureaucracy April 13, 2023 Different patterns of belonging in this social media age are a stiff challenge to those of us attempting to build membership rosters for sporting bodies. What can we offer to persuade amateur athletes and casual fans to give a chunk of their identities – and a few quid from their virtual wallets – to organisations [...]
Billy Vunipola facing defeat in battle to force England World Cup recall April 12, 2023 England No8 Billy Vunipola is a major doubt for this year’s Rugby World Cup after being ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury. The bulldozing back row is set to undergo surgery on Thursday after suffering the problem in Saracens’ bruising Champions Cup defeat at La Rochelle on Sunday. Vunipola’s [...]
Demachine a monster price at 25/1 to win Topham April 12, 2023 WITH plenty of rain in the air, the best short-priced bet on Friday’s Aintree card could well be GERRI COLOMBE in the opening Mildmay Novices’ Chase (1.45pm). Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old was arguably unlucky not to reel in The Real Whacker at Cheltenham and the return to a more conventional track will help too. Davy Russell [...]
Zanahiyr to chase home superstar Constitution Hill April 12, 2023 YOU DON’T need me to tell you that the star of the show on Thursday is Constitution Hill, and barring one of the biggest shocks in living memory, he will win the William Hill Aintree Hurdle (3.30pm) with ease. His price of 1/8 suggests just that and the fact firms are betting on how far [...]
PM Rishi Sunak lays out plans for biggest sporting event ever hosted by UK and Ireland April 12, 2023 Euro 2028 will be “the biggest sporting event our islands have ever jointly staged”, says Prime Minster Rishi Sunak, after the UK and Ireland confirmed details of their bid to stage the international football tournament. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland today formally submitted their proposal to governing body Uefa, which [...]
The future is orange for rugby referees as chiefs ponder new card for World Cup April 12, 2023 World Rugby is considering giving referees the option of “orange cards” at this year’s World Cup, according to the governing body’s head of match officials. A form of the yellow card review system is currently being trialled in Super Rugby Pacific and it could be fast-tracked into the global showpiece hosted by France this autumn. [...]
EP: 194 Aintree – Thursday April 12, 2023 EP: 194 Aintree – Thursday It’s the first of three days’ racing at Aintree and jumps fans get to see no less than four Grade 1’s, including the much awaited return of both Constitution Hill and Shishkin for trainer Nicky Henderson. The Grand National fences are also in action during the Foxhunters’ Chase later in [...]
Aintree Thursday The Punter Summary Podcast April 12, 2023 You can now hear all of City AM racing editor Bill Esdaile’s best tips for Thursday at Aintree in a short, summary episode of ‘The Punter Podcast’ alongside Chris Barnett. The full preview is also available on the City AM website. The Punter ‘The Punter’ has been City AM’s dedicated sports betting section for over [...]
Lampard rejects Di Matteo parallels as Chelsea eye new Champions League miracle April 11, 2023 Frank Lampard has played down comparisons with Champions League-winning Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo and told his players to make their own history against Real Madrid. Former Blues midfielder Di Matteo was handed the reins for the last few weeks of the 2011-12 season and ended up guiding them to European club football’s most [...]
Manchester United sale: Glazers risk aggravating buyers with third round of bids April 11, 2023 Manchester United owners the Glazer family have risked aggravating would-be buyers by taking their sale of the club to a third round of bidding. More than two weeks after the deadline for second offers, bankers the Raine Group finally broke their silence to bidders – only to inform them that the Glazers want another round [...]