Sarries staying upbeat despite double defeat June 1, 2014 SARACENS may be reeling from a double dose of final misery but director of rugby Mark McCall insists their season has still been one to remember. Saturday’s nail-biting 24-20 extra-time loss to Northampton Saints in the Aviva Premiership Rugby showpiece followed hot on the heels of the Heineken Cup final disappointment against Toulon a week [...]
Sleepless Murray holds nerve to reach round four June 1, 2014 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray confessed to having a sleepless night before finishing the longest match of his career yesterday to reach the French Open fourth round, while the exit of former world No1 Roger Federer boosted the Scotsman’s hopes of winning a third grand slam title. Deadlocked at 7-7 in a fifth and final set on [...]
Froch looks towards Vegas for glamour bout June 1, 2014 REIGNING world champion Carl Froch has his eyes on the bright lights of Las Vegas, after the 36-year-old saw off George Groves’ challenge for the IBF and WBA super-middleweight titles at Wembley over the weekend. Nottingham-born Froch said yesterday that he would have retired if he had lost Saturday’s blockbuster re-match. Yet the eighth-round knockout [...]
Sport Comment: Wilkinson retirement leaves tears in our eyes June 1, 2014 IF EVERYONE who claims to have been at school with Jonny Wilkinson really was, then the education authorities should be investigating historic allegations of class sizes in the 1980s and ‘90s that must have run into the thousands. However, and bizarrely, an English tennis fan approached me at Roland Garros last week, and showed me [...]
Young England side succumbs to Barbarians June 1, 2014 WASPS youngster Elliot Daly said he was proud to play at Twickenham for the first time in an England shirt yesterday, despite his team losing 39-29 to Barbarians. England fielded an inexperienced side after coach Stuart Lancaster had picked a separate group of 30 players for the upcoming three-Test series in New Zealand, starting on [...]
Quintana wins key Italy tour June 1, 2014 COLOMBIAN Nairo Quintana says he has learnt how to lead a team from the front, after securing his first ever Grand Tour victory at the Giro d’Italia yesterday. Quintana, who rides for the Movistar team, beat compatriot Rigoberto Uran by two minutes and 58 seconds overall. “I’ve learnt to overcome adversity and to manage a [...]
Arsenal claim FA Cup double June 1, 2014 ARSENAL Ladies captain Kelly Smith believes yesterday’s FA Cup final victory could mark a turnaround point for the Gunners. The 2-0 win over Everton came two weeks after the Arsenal men’s team won the FA Cup with a 3-2 victory against Hull City. It is the second time the north London club has won the [...]
Young stars to get senior call June 1, 2014 ENGLAND Under-21 manager Gareth Southgate believes the performances of his young squad at this week’s Toulon Tournament show the national game is in good health. As the senior team flew to Miami ahead of the summer’s World Cup, Southgate’s side lost 1-0 to Portugal in yesterday’s third/fourth place play-off, with Brazil winning the tournament after [...]
How the Qatari chaos has unfolded June 1, 2014 THE BIDDING PROCESS BEGINS March 2009: Fifa open the bidding process to host the World Cup in 2022. Qatar are among five potential host nations BLATTER BACKS QATAR CAUSE April 2010: Sepp Blatter says: “The Arabic world deserves a World Cup. They have 22 countries and have not had any opportunity to organise the tournament.” [...]
Three lions on a plane June 1, 2014 CAPTAIN Steven Gerrard flew with his England team-mates from Luton to Miami yesterday for a warm-weather training camp, plus friendlies against Honduras and Ecuador. The next stop will be Brazil for their World Cup opening match against Italy in Manaus on 14 June. Manager Roy Hodgson must confirm his 23-man squad today.