West Ham dig their heels in over rebel Dimitri Payet and reject second Marseille bid January 16, 2017 West Ham have underlined their refusal to be bullied into selling Dimitri Payet at a knockdown price by rejecting an improved £20m bid from Marseille for the wantaway midfielder. The offer for Payet, a hike of little more than £1m from the Ligue 1 club’s opening bid, is believed to have been rebuffed by Hammers [...]
Why England’s spate of injuries could be a blessing in disguise for Eddie Jones January 16, 2017 England’s so-called injury crisis may be lengthening bookies’ odds for a repeat Grand Slam, but it is causing little harm in the medium-term. Eddie Jones’s team can still win the tournament in the absence of some of their regulars, although it will certainly be a greater feat with Ireland confident and France having all the [...]
FiSahara takes place under the baking heat of the African sun. Alex Dudok de Wit finds an event unlike any other January 16, 2017 There’s a territory sandwiched between Morocco and Mauritania, divided from the former in atlases by a dotted line, that carries the opaque name of Western Sahara. You might occasionally spot footage of it on the news, grainy shots of a sand wall lined with landmines and Moroccan soldiers, although most will struggle to place it [...]
Valtteri Bottas predicts great success for Mercedes after joining forces with Lewis Hamilton January 16, 2017 Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas is convinced that he and three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will form a formidable partnership after succeeding Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. The 27-year-old arrives at Mercedes following four years at Williams and replaces Rosberg, who dramatically quit the sport just five days after securing his maiden world championship crown in Abu Dhabi [...]
Roger Federer wobbles and attracts swipe from Nick Kyrgios on difficult opening day for top men’s seeds at Australian Open January 16, 2017 Four-time Australian Open winner Roger Federer was one of a host of big names to survive major scares as the first round of the men’s draw got underway in Melbourne on Monday. Fourth seed Stan Wawrinka, fifth seed Kei Nishikori and seventh seed Marin Cilic all needed five sets to keep their hopes alive against [...]
World No4 Simona Halep becomes first big-hitter to crash out of Australian Open as Angelique Kerber squeezes through January 16, 2017 World No4 Simona Halep became the first major casualty of the Australian Open after crashing out in the opening round following defeat to American Shelby Rogers. For the second successive year Romania’s Halep stumbled at the first hurdle of the season-commencing grand slam, losing 6-3, 6-1 to power-hitting Rogers, herself a first-round loser in her [...]
Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce not prepared to risk Premier League safety for FA Cup run January 16, 2017 Crystal Palace boss Sam Allardyce insists he is not prepared to risk his side’s Premier League safety for the sake of an FA Cup run as the Eagles prepare for their third round replay against Bolton. Palace host Allardyce’s former club, who are third in League One but lost at home to Swindon on Saturday, [...]
Golf’s world top 10 has never been as strong as it is now – and it makes for a fascinating season January 16, 2017 When Graeme Storm stepped off the last green at Vilamoura in October, having just missed the par putt he needed to retain his European Tour card, his world must have been shattered. Storm had been among a number of players still vying to make the top 111 on the order of merit – the cut-off [...]
Andy Murray struggles with Melbourne heat as world No1 and fellow Briton Dan Evans clear first hurdle at Australian Open January 16, 2017 Top seed Sir Andy Murray admitted struggling with temperatures of 32C in Melbourne after he laboured to victory in the first round of the Australian Open on Monday. Murray, playing his first grand slam match since becoming world No1, beat Ukrainian Illya Marchenko 7-5, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, although the contest was more competitive than the [...]
Scarlets 22, Saracens 22: Last-gasp Sarries seal place in European Champions Cup quarter-finals January 15, 2017 Saracens boss Mark McCall praised his side’s doggedness after a last-gasp Chris Ashton try snatched a dramatic 22-22 draw with Scarlets and sealed their passage to the European Champions Cup quarter-finals. Ashton crossed the line for the second time with the final play of the game and Owen Farrell duly converted, after Wales centre Scott [...]