Murray down to sixth in the world January 27, 2014 TENNIS: British No1 Andy Murray fell to No6 in the world rankings yesterday, his lowest position since August 2008. Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka climbed up to third place following his victory in the Australian Open final over Spain’s Rafael Nadal, who retains the No1 spot from Novak Djokovic.
FA Cup: Pressure is on City, says Chelsea boss January 26, 2014 AT STAMFORD BRIDGE CHELSEA 1 vs STOKE CITY 0 BIRTHDAY boy Jose Mourinho insisted last night his Chelsea side will be underdogs for their heavyweight FA Cup fifth-round clash with all-conquering Manchester City. A stunning first-half free-kick from Oscar was enough to ensure the Blues’ safe passage to an eye-catching last-16 draw yesterday, which also [...]
FA Cup: Fulham face fixture woe January 26, 2014 SHEFFIELD UNITED 1 vs FULHAM 1 FULHAM boss Rene Meulensteen has lashed out at a congested fixture list that he blames for forcing him to change the entire starting XI for yesterday’s 1-1 draw at Sheffield United. The Cottagers needed a 75th-minute equaliser by Hugo Rodallega to stay in the FA Cup, after Chris Porter [...]
Wawrinka stunned by maiden slam success January 26, 2014 LATE bloomer Stanislas Wawrinka admitted he was in dreamland yesterday after the Swiss eighth seed upset world No1 Rafael Nadal to claim his first tennis grand slam title at the age of 28. Wawrinka had never even taken a set off Nadal, 27, in 12 previous meetings but this time dropped just one as he [...]
Sport Comment: Denying kids competitive sport will only put them off January 26, 2014 PARENTS of sporting children beware! The spectre of the ultimate oxymoron, non-competitive competition, long-lost in Labour days of yore, is set to return. Surrey Rugby have just sent out invitations to their mini-festivals decreeing that their upcoming events will have no overall winners. If that is not enough, coaches are to tailor their teams to [...]
Industrious Saracens clip Falcons’ wings and glide into semi-finals January 26, 2014 SARACENS forwards coach Alex Sanderson hailed his side’s tireless work-rate after they sealed an LV= Cup semi-final place with a 41-8 victory over Newcastle Falcons. Two tries from Jackson Wray, a Ben Ransom score and Tom Jubb’s late effort, plus 21 points from Ben Spencer’s boot, saw Saracens take an unassailable lead at the top [...]
Captain Cook drops out of tour of West Indies after latest loss January 26, 2014 ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook revealed he will skip next month’s trip to the Caribbean after his side lost the final one-day international in Australia yesterday. Cook hit 39 in Adelaide, while decent innings from Joe Root and Eoin Morgan – adding 55 runs and 39 runs respectively – gave the tourists a good chance of [...]
Li Na looks towards career slam January 26, 2014 TENNIS: China’s Li Na has set her sights on a career slam after winning the Australian Open over the weekend, having won the French Open in 2011. “Of course if I want to win another one or two. I have to get back on the court working hard and even tougher than before, otherwise no [...]
Hurricane Fly extends record run January 26, 2014 HORSE RACING: Hurricane Fly overcame a bruised foot to win the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown yesterday, beating Our Conor in a thrilling finish. It was the fourth time he has won the race, and extends his world record run of Grade One victories to 19. The 10-year-old Irish thoroughbred has now won 23 out [...]
Garcia moves into world’s top 10 January 26, 2014 GOLF: Spain’s Sergio Garcia will move into the top 10 in the world when the rankings are updated today, having claimed victory via a play-off at the Qatar Masters over the weekend. Garcia finished on 16 under par, level with Mikko Ilonen, yet overcame the Finn after playing the 18th for a third time.