Ireland look to Lee for World Cup seam lift February 5, 2015 FORMER Australia seamer Brett Lee has agreed a short-term contract to coach Ireland’s bowlers during their pre-World Cup training camp in Sydney. The two-time World Cup winner retired from all forms of cricket last month after claiming 310 Test and 380 one-day international (ODI) wickets for his country. “It’s a fantastic opportunity for our bowlers [...]
Woods leaves Torrey Pines with back pain February 5, 2015 FORMER world No1 Tiger Woods was last night forced to withdraw from the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in California due to apparent back pain, the PGA Tour announced. The 14-time Major champion was two over par when forced to withdraw after 11 holes of his first round yesterday, which follows the disappointment of [...]
Pochettino still wary of Arsenal firepower despite Alexis injury February 5, 2015 TOTTENHAM manager Mauricio Pochettino insists Arsenal will not miss injured leading scorer Alexis Sanchez in tomorrow’s north London derby. Sanchez has scored 18 goals in 32 Gunners matches since his £30m summer transfer from Barcelona but has failed to recover from a hamstring injury in time for the trip to White Hart Lane. “Arsenal have [...]
Sherwood’s QPR rivals McClaren and Clement rule themselves out February 5, 2015 FORMER England manager Steve McClaren and Real Madrid No2 Paul Clement have cleared the way for Tim Sherwood to take the Queens Park Rangers job by ruling themselves out. McClaren said he remained committed to Championship high-flyers Derby – the same response he gave when asked about the Newcastle vacancy in January. “I answered that [...]
Vunipola: I was borderline arrogant February 5, 2015 As he prepares to battle his cousin tonight in the Six Nations, England’s wrecking ball tells Ross McLean about his fall from grace ENGLAND will bid to exorcise the ghost of a harrowing and Grand Slam-ending defeat to Wales at the Millennium Stadium tonight, but the clash also presents a chance for powerhouse Billy Vunipola [...]
Rugby Comment: England ready to win Six Nations but don’t expect a Grand Slam February 5, 2015 WE SEEM to say it every year but I think the Six Nations is genuinely very open this time. There are a number of teams who could be top of the pile come the end – England, Ireland, Wales – while we’ve seen Scotland’s type of rugby improve already under Vern Cotter and Italy get [...]
Sire De Grugy on comeback trail in Game Spirit Chase February 5, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS PREVIEWS TOMORROW’S CLASSY CARD AT NEWBURY SIRE DE Grugy is set to make his eagerly-awaited reappearance in tomorrow’s Game Spirit Chase at Newbury (3.00pm) with a defence of his Betway Champion Chase crown at the Cheltenham Festival in March the ultimate goal. Gary Moore has written exclusively for Betway over the last [...]
Road to Cheltenham February 5, 2015 THIS year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup is extremely open with a nice ante-post shape. Dual-King George winner Silviniaco Conti is a class horse, but Paul Nicholls’ inmate has had two cracks at the blue riband event and has failed to even finish in the top three. In fairness to him, there’s nothing to suggest he doesn’t [...]
Experienced Wales can edge past new-look England in Cardiff February 5, 2015 HARRY MADLEY PREVIEWS THE SIX NATIONS CURTAIN-RAISER AND BEN CLEMINSON WITH HIS BEST BETS FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY THE ANTICIPATION surrounding the opening fixture of the Six Nations will reach its climax at 8.05pm this evening as Wales host England at the Millennium Stadium, a venue which has seen the Red Rose win just [...]
Improving north London pair set to share spoils at the Lane February 5, 2015 AFTER a poor start to the campaign, Arsene Wenger has turned the negativity around Arsenal into optimism. Performances have improved and the club are favourites on Sporting Index’s FA Cup Index to retain that trophy. The Gunners were never going to win the Premier League this year but victory tomorrow at Tottenham will put them [...]