Jonny Bairstow, that World Twenty20 final and Virat Kohli: Chris Tremlett’s guide to the best of 2016 December 21, 2016 England player of the year It took Jonny Bairstow a while to find his feet in Test cricket but he has dug England out of trouble on many occasions this year. The 27-year-old didn’t score a century in his first 21 Tests but racked up three during 2016 as well as eight half centuries. He [...]
Australian Open 2017 prize money: Earnings boost to lower levels in bid to spread tennis wealth December 21, 2016 More prize money will be up for grabs than ever before at next month's Australian Open, after the Grand Slam increased its fund by 14 per cent to AUS$50m (£29.4m). The winner of the tournament, which starts on 16 January, will receive AUS$3.7m (£2.2m) — AUS$300,000 more than last year's winner Novak Djokovic was paid. The [...]
Assassin’s Creed review: Confusing garbage even fans won’t forgive December 21, 2016 I am a cool and popular dude, so I have played pretty much all of the Assassin’s Creed games. From the first one, in which you play a man who runs around on rooftops stabbing popes, to the most recent one, in which you play a man who runs around on rooftops stabbing French aristocrats. [...]
Passengers review: In space no one can hear you be a massive creep December 21, 2016 A contender for one of the most misleading trailers of the year, Passengers is not so much about Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence tootling about the cosmos on a broken ship. Rather, it’s about one man’s selfish decision to doom a woman he fancies by prematurely yanking her out of her hyperspace sleeping pod for [...]
Meet Tom Vernon, the former Manchester United scout and founder of Africa’s top football academy out to turn the sport on its head December 21, 2016 There is something extraordinary about the union between FC Nordsjaelland, an unremarkable Danish first division football club to the north-west of Copenhagen, and the Right To Dream academy in Ghana. It is not just because the club, from the modest 19,000-person town of Farum, is some 5,000 miles away from Right To Dream’s football-oriented residential [...]
Millwall v Charlton: The South London derby overshadowed by fans’ fighting for their future off the pitch December 21, 2016 In different circumstances, Charlton’s meeting with Millwall at The Den tonight could be a Sky Sports blockbuster capable of capturing the capital’s attention. The “South London showdown” could sit alongside the “Mersey Monday” with the broadcaster’s branding makeover. It sees two clubs who are producers of England internationals, can boast of a combined 28 seasons spent in [...]
Johan Goosen: Players retiring from rugby early should not be a shock December 21, 2016 Last week, Racing 92 announced the “shock” retirement of 24-year-old fly-half Johan Goosen, the reigning Top 14 player of the year – a significant achievement in a league boasting multiple superstars. Goosen reportedly decided to leave the club to become a commercial director in his native South Africa, although one might be forgiven for wondering [...]
Why you should serve a magnum on Christmas day December 21, 2016 Yes, Yes, Christmas is a time for giving. But it is also a time for a decent glass of wine or two and sharing them with friends and family. One of the greatest pleasures in collecting and appreciating wine is choosing the wines that will work just right with the occasion and the planned menu [...]
Calls for Alastair Cook to quit as Test skipper after latest England flop December 20, 2016 England skipper Alastair Cook insists he will take time to consider his future after conceding that stagnation has crept into the side this year as the harrowing series in India climaxed with another spectacular implosion. The tourists were hammered by an innings and 75 runs after being dismissed for 207 as India completed a 4-0 series [...]
Real Madrid free to sign players next summer after transfer ban is halved December 20, 2016 Real Madrid will be free to sign new players next summer after their transfer ban was halved following an appeal. Fifa had initially banned the club from all transfer activity for two windows starting last summer, for violating rules on signing players 18 or younger. The ban was pushed back to cover this January and next summer after Real [...]