Winners meet Berliners July 16, 2014 THOUSANDS of fans lined Berlin’s streets yesterday to see Germany’s World Cup winning team parade the trophy. Arsenal’s Per Mertesacker (second from left) and Lukas Podolski (furthest right) soaked up the adulation, while some team-mates amused spectators by performing choreographed dance routines on a specially erected stage. Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final in [...]
Woods not content to make up the numbers July 16, 2014 IT MAY be six traumatic years since he last won a Major, but former world No1 Tiger Woods insists he is ready to claim his fourth Open Championship, starting tomorrow. The American was on bullish form yesterday when asked what would constitute a satisfactory result in only his second event since back surgery. “First,” he [...]
Graeme McDowell to plot his way to Open glory at Royal Liverpool July 16, 2014 This year’s Open Championship will be the 143rd renewal of the oldest golf Major, with the 2014 edition hosted at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake. The famous Wirral links course welcomes the special tournament for the 12th occasion and the first since 2006. There have been a few subtle tweaks to the course in the [...]
Finishing positions spread betting July 16, 2014 Betting on golf can be an immensely frustrating experience for punters. You may have backed three players in the outright market before the Open and after poor first rounds from all three you know you are cooked. It therefore pays to have a more long-term bet and one of the best of these is trading [...]
The World Cup is over… here’s how to fill the gaping void July 15, 2014 The fat lady has finally sung, and the England squad has had plenty of time to settle back to reality. Here are some ways to keep yourself busy without Messi and co to entertain you: The Honourable WomanBBC2, Thursdays, 9pmThe Honourable Woman is the BBC’s big summer blockbuster, starring none other than Hollywood megastar Maggie [...]
Critics mad to write off Woods, warns Watson July 14, 2014 FIVE-TIME Open champion Tom Watson has warned Tiger Woods’s doubters that the injury-hit former world No1 could prove them spectacularly wrong at Hoylake this week. Woods, 38, failed to make the cut last month in his sole appearance since back surgery in March, but is hoping a return to the scene of his 2006 Open [...]
Golf Comment: You can’t overpower strategic Hoylake, it’s like a game of chess July 14, 2014 ACCOLADES for British golf courses do not come much higher than a place on the Open Championship rota, so that speaks volumes for the quality of Hoylake, where the year’s third Major begins on Thursday. Like Royal Aberdeen, which staged the latest instalment of the Scottish Open last week, it is a class act. It [...]
United share price boosted by £750m kit deal windfall July 14, 2014 MANCHESTER United’s share price surged yesterday following confirmation of the Premier League club’s record-breaking £750m shirt deal with German sportswear giant Adidas. The 10-year agreement, which takes effect from the 2015-16 season, is the most lucrative of its kind in any sport and worth more than double any other shirt deal in football. United’s share [...]
Contador battles in vain to ride on with broken leg July 14, 2014 A GRUELLING Tour de France claimed its latest high-profile victim yesterday when two-time winner Alberto Contador was forced to retire after breaking his leg in a crash. Patched-up and bleeding, the Spanish rider ploughed on for 20km with a fractured right shin before admitting defeat and joining 2013 champion Chris Froome and fellow Briton Mark [...]
Even Blatter surprised by Messi World Cup best player decision July 14, 2014 WORLD football chief Sepp Blatter has admitted that even he was surprised by the much-criticised decision to award Argentina’s Lionel Messi the Golden Ball for the World Cup’s best player. Messi finished with four goals – two behind top scorer James Rodriguez, of Colombia – but did not register at all during the knockout stages [...]