World Cup in brief June 26, 2014 Del Bosque defends Spain squad SPAIN boss Vincent del Bosque insists he has no regrets regarding squad selection. Manchester City pair Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas were among the big-name absentees from the 23-man squad. But Del Bosque said: “I don’t think it would have changed the fundamentals very much. This ending was unthinkable.” Scapegoat [...]
Watson slams Brits who fail to fulfil potential June 26, 2014 BRITISH No1 Heather Watson last night blasted her compatriots who do not take their tennis seriously enough and are dragging down the reputation of the national game. Watson became the last British woman to bow out of the singles draw with a brave 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 defeat to world No7 Angelique Kerber on Centre Court. [...]
Murray out to trample Bautista green shoots June 26, 2014 WIMBLEDON champion Andy Murray earned almost an extra day off this week such was the efficient manner of his second-round victory, but the Scot can anticipate a far greater test against old friend Roberto Bautista Agut today. The pair became close when practicing together on the clay courts of Valencia – the favoured surface of [...]
Nadal dodges a bullet on crazy day for upsets June 26, 2014 WORLD No1 Rafael Nadal believes he is in a strong position to win his third Wimbledon crown – and first in four years – after overcoming an early wobble against Lukas Rosol on Centre Court yesterday. On a “crazy day” at Wimbledon, as No13 seed Eugenie Bouchard described it, three of the top men’s seeds [...]
India batsman in injury scare June 26, 2014 INDIA suffered an injury scare to batsman Shikhar Dhawan ahead of next month’s Test series with England after he was struck by a delivery during the first day’s play of their tour. Opener Dhawan left the crease immediately after being hit on the elbow by a ball from seamer Atif Sheikh, having scored 60 as [...]
Team performance spread betting June 26, 2014 Football may well be a team game, but there is no getting away from the fact that several sides have become hugely reliant on the performances of particular individuals at this World Cup. It can certainly be argued in the case of Argentina (Lionel Messi) and Brazil (Neymar) that they wouldn’t have enjoyed such easy [...]
Football Comment: Liverpool being hit hardest by Suarez bite ban June 26, 2014 DEBATE will rage on over whether Luis Suarez’s four-month ban from all football, plus nine international games, is a fitting punishment for his latest biting incident, but amid all the madness the biggest losers from this sorry episode are Liverpool. The Reds have just had a magnificent season and Suarez has been at the heart [...]
United clinch £29m Herrera deal after late buyout clause wrangle June 26, 2014 MANCHESTER United assistant Ryan Giggs has hailed Ander Herrera as one of Spain’s brightest prospects after the club overcame a last-minute hitch to sign the £29m midfielder from Athletic Bilbao. The deal only came about after Herrera, 24, agreed to pay his own buy-out clause of €36m, with United reimbursing him immediately, after Athletic had [...]
British racing outlines a zero-tolerance rules for steroid use June 26, 2014 BRITISH horse racing chiefs have announced tougher measures to prevent a repeat of the doping scandals that embroiled high-profile trainers Mahmood Al Zarooni and Gerard Butler last year. The changes mean it is prohibited to administer anabolic steroids, and that any horse that tests positive for the banned drugs faces a racing ban of 14 [...]
27 June on this day… June 26, 2014 1998: IT IS 16 years since New Zealand won the second Test at Eden Park on England’s infamous Tour of Hell when all seven games were lost, including a 76-0 thrashing by Australia. It’s unusual to see hooker Richard Cockerill (left) and prop Graham Rowntree so close to Jonah Lomu, but England’s front-row clearly think there [...]