Cricket Comment: England still facing uphill task to win series July 31, 2014 IMPRESSIVE though it was, yesterday marked England’s first victory for almost a year and talk of them now steamrolling India and winning the series is premature. Positives weren’t hard to come by, though, so let’s enjoy those first. Alastair Cook got big scores and won the match, and nobody is questioning his captaincy skills. He [...]
Dowsett turns Tour de France anger into gold July 31, 2014 RESURGENT cyclist Alex Dowsett insisted his time trial gold at the Commonwealth Games yesterday was inevitable after wrestling with the agony of missing out on Tour de France selection. The 25-year-old trailed Australian Rohan Dennis by 5.92 seconds after the middle section of the 38.4km course before storming back to win by 9.30. England’s Dowsett, [...]
Heavy Metal can extend Johnston’s strong record in the Betfred Mile July 31, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE LAST TWO DAYS OF GLORIOUS GOODWOOD MARK JOHNSTON is enjoying a good week at Glorious Goodwood and the trainer has excellent chances of adding two more big prizes to his haul today. The Scottish handler has won the Betfred Mile (3.05pm) three times in the last five years and his HEAVY [...]
Film review: Mood Indigo July 31, 2014 ★★★☆☆ Mood Indigo is a return to form for the tirelessly creative French director Michel Gondry, albeit one with some rather large caveats. The surreal, densely-packed opus combines the DIY aesthetic of his Be Kind Rewind with the darker, more psychological tone of the sublime Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (and, thankfully, nothing at [...]
Film review: A Promise July 31, 2014 ★★☆☆☆ Director Patrice Leconte’s A Promise is an implausible, often ridiculous period drama revolving around a predictably doomed love affair. Richard Madden stars as brooding Friedrich, an ambitious clerk in a steelworks in early 20th century Germany. He catches the eye of the boss Herr Hoffmeister, played by an austere Alan Rickman, who recruits Friedrich [...]
Film review: Guardians of the Galaxy July 31, 2014 ★★★★★ The Guardians of the Galaxy marketing team have been flogging their horse so long and hard it’s a wonder it’s not already dead. With hype so merciless and protracted, the latest Marvel movie seemed destined to disappoint. Factor in that it’s based on a relatively minor branch of the Marvel comics universe and stars [...]
Theatre review: A Streetcar Named Desire July 31, 2014 ★★★★★ Is there room in that hot, sweaty, studio-flat for more than one great performance? Gillian Anderson runs away with it in this, Benedict Andrews’ brilliant, sultry, disorientating, modern dress production. There are strong supporting turns from Vanessa Kirby and Ben Foster but Anderson owns the stage with a captivating interpretation of the fantasist Blanche [...]
£28m Lukaku quits Chelsea for Toffees July 30, 2014 BELGIUM striker Romelu Lukaku last night revealed that he jumped at the chance to leave Chelsea and rejoin Everton on a permanent transfer for a club record £28m. Lukaku, who scored 16 in 33 games on loan last term, said signing for the Toffees “felt right” because the coaches had faith in him. He only [...]
Kingman on track to bow out at Ascot after dethroning Toronado July 30, 2014 KINGMAN is likely to be aimed at the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October after underlining his status as the leading miler with victory in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood yesterday. The John Gosden-trained three-year-old won his Duel on the Downs with Toronado, beating last year’s winner by a length in a [...]
Rutherford repeats London triumph as England jump top of medal table July 30, 2014 OLYMPIC long jump champion Greg Rutherford shrugged off fitness concerns to win Commonwealth gold at Hampden Park last night before insisting there are more titles to come. The 27-year-old leaped 8.20m on his third jump to beat South African Zarck Visser, as England went top of the medal table on day seven of the Games. [...]