New deals for Root and Onions April 7, 2014 CRICKET: England batsman Joe Root yesterday signed a contract extension to stay with Yorkshire until 2016. The 23-year-old is currently sidelined with a fractured thumb. Bowler Graham Onions, meanwhile, has signed a new two-year contract with County Champions Durham.
Why the NPFL is the best thing to happen to CrossFit yet April 7, 2014 CrossFit, the fitness craze that's seen rapid growth first in Santa Cruz, California, then the rest of the world, finally has some competition of its own. Right now it's sometimes difficult to follow some of the CrossFit frenetic workouts out there – usually some combination of weightlifting and gymnastics – unless you're already clued in [...]
Premier League: Pressure on City as Reds return to top April 6, 2014 AT UPTON PARK WEST HAM UNITED 1 LIVERPOOL 2 BUOYANT Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers expects his table-topping team to adopt a fearless approach when title rivals Manchester City visit Anfield next weekend. Two penalties from captain Steven Gerrard yesterday was enough to down West Ham – who netted contentiously through Guy Demel – and earn [...]
Sarries ordered to sharpen up for Saints clash April 6, 2014 SARACENS director of rugby Mark McCall admits his side must work on their frailties ahead of next Sunday’s crunch Aviva Premiership clash with Northampton Saints after riding their luck against 14-man Ulster in the Heineken Cup quarter-final. Sarries booked their place in the last-four – where they will play Clermont Auvergne at Twickenham – but [...]
Weary Murray and British Davis Cup bid sunk by Italian fightback April 6, 2014 WIMBLEDON champion Andy Murray refused to blame fatigue after his straight-sets defeat to Fabio Fognini contributed to Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final elimination yesterday. Leon Smith’s team went into the final day in Naples with a 2-1 lead and in touching distance of reaching the last four for the first time since 1981, but Murray [...]
Premier League: Wenger admits top four finish will be tough April 6, 2014 EVERTON 3 ARSENAL 0 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger conceded his team face an uphill battle to achieve a 17th straight year of Champions League qualification, after the Gunners were convincingly beaten at Goodison Park yesterday. Everton are now just one point behind Arsenal with a game in hand. Goals from Steven Naismith, Romelu Lukaku, and [...]
Sport Comment: National has evolved but drama remains undiminished April 6, 2014 THE ANIMAL welfare groups who were shouting from the rooftops after the opening day of Cheltenham about the cruelty of National Hunt racing were mercifully quiet after Saturday’s Grand National, and for that we should all be thankful, not least to those very same activists. The race was its usual mixture of farce – another [...]
Hughton sacked as Norwich turn to untried Adams April 6, 2014 NORWICH have charged youth team manager Neil Adams with guiding them to Premier League safety after last night sacking manager Chris Hughton with five games of the season remaining. Saturday’s home defeat to fellow strugglers West Brom left Norwich one place and five points clear of the relegation zone, leading some angry supporters to throw [...]
England captain stays upbeat despite World Cup final defeat April 6, 2014 ENGLAND skipper Charlotte Edwards insists that yesterday’s six-wicket defeat in the Twenty20 World Cup final in Mirpur has not dampened her enthusiasm for captaining the side. Edwards still has “more motivation than ever” despite losing to an Australia side that surpassed England’s total with 29 balls to spare. “I’m really enjoying [my job as captain], [...]
Second place for Armitstead April 6, 2014 BRITAIN’S Lizzie Armitstead sprinted to second place in the Tour of Flanders yesterday, cementing her lead in cycling’s World Cup. The Olympic silver medallist pipped Swede Emma Johansson to finish behind her Dutch team-mate Ellen van Dijk in a Boels-Dolmans one-two. Armitstead’s third podium from three World Cup events this year kept her top of [...]