Smith taunts defensive England as Aussies make Ashes statement July 16, 2015 AUSTRALIA vice-captain Steve Smith accused England of reneging on their much-vaunted attacking mantra after his side surged back into Ashes contention by dominating day one of the second Test at Lord’s yesterday. England were subjected to a gruelling stint in the field as the tourists won a crucial toss on a benign wicket to amass [...]
Britain handed Gasquet let-off as they eye end to 34-year wait July 16, 2015 GREAT Britain will not face a singles match against the Frenchman who went furthest at Wimbledon when the two nations clash in a Davis Cup quarter-final at Queen’s Club, starting today. World No13 Richard Gasquet, who reached the semi-finals at the All England Club before losing to eventual winner Novak Djokovic, has been selected solely [...]
Unsung hero Thomas rides to the rescue to preserve Froome’s lead July 16, 2015 BRITAIN’S Chris Froome paid tribute to colleague Geraint Thomas after the unsung Welshman fought off repeated threats to the Team Sky star’s Tour de France advantage yesterday. Froome came under attack from yellow jersey rivals Nairo Quintana, Alberto Contador and Vincenzo Nibali on a taxing 16km climb in the Pyrenees on stage 12, but Thomas [...]
Europa League: Last-gasp salvo for Hammers as Downing leaves July 16, 2015 WEST HAM UNITED 1 BIRKIRKARA FC 0 WEST Ham boss Slaven Bilic admitted that he tried to convince midfielder Stewart Downing to remain at the club before sanctioning his return to Middlesbrough in a deal which could net the Hammers £7m. Bilic was speaking after defender James Tomkins spared his side’s blushes with a last-gasp [...]
Spieth: I prepared for my Open bid on a simulator July 15, 2015 OPEN favourite Jordan Spieth has revealed he turned to a video simulation of St Andrews after leaving himself short of practice rounds for the year’s third Major, which starts today. Spieth – aiming to land the third leg of a grand slam, having already won the Masters and US Open – only touched down in [...]
Sam Torrance on The Open 2015: Subtleties of St Andrews take players a short while to notice but far longer to truly master July 15, 2015 It may be the Home of Golf and one of the most iconic settings in sport, but St Andrews is actually not the toughest course on which to make a reasonable score. The Old Course is no Royal Birkdale; you can hook the ball 100 yards off each tee and still make the fairway, [...]
Chris Tremlett’s cricket comment: After a bad Ashes opener, Aussies should bounce back at Lord’s July 15, 2015 I didn’t think England would beat Australia at all during this Ashes summer, let alone thrash them by 169 runs inside four days in the series opener at Cardiff. It was great to see. But while there has been a shift in momentum towards England, I don’t think there has been a major change in [...]
Attacking Australia is only way to maintain Ashes lead, says Cook July 15, 2015 SKIPPER Alastair Cook has vowed to attack Australia with the same vigour which saw England annihilate the Ashes holders in the series opener when the second Investec Test at Lord’s gets underway today. The hosts surged into a 1-0 lead after mauling Australia by 169 runs inside four days at Cardiff, as they bid to [...]
Clarke: I have every faith in rookie Nevill July 15, 2015 AUSTRALIA captain Michael Clarke insists he has no qualms about thrusting uncapped wicketkeeper Peter Nevill into the heat of Ashes battle as the Test rookie prepares for his debut at Lord’s today. Nevill is set to replace perennial England nemesis Brad Haddin behind the stumps after the veteran wicketkeeper withdrew from the second Test due [...]
Crolla enjoying spoils of concrete attack infamy July 15, 2015 Fighter is latest to turn grisly setback to his favour IT SOUNDS strange but what happened was probably a blessing in disguise.” That is the philosophical outlook of British boxer Anthony Crolla as he reflects on the brutal assault with a concrete slab that left his skull fractured and his career hanging in the balance. [...]