Kvitova, Errani and Venus crash in Melbourne January 13, 2014 FORMER Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was at a loss to explain her shock exit after becoming the biggest casualty of the first day at the Australian Open yesterday. Sixth seed Kvitova fell to Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in one of several upsets in the women’s draw, which also saw Venus Williams and Italian [...]
Golf Comment: Super Swede the man to beat as Euro stars begin Gulf Swing January 13, 2014 ALL eyes will be on 2013’s indisputable star Henrik Stenson this weekend as the European Tour begins its Gulf Swing with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The golf world will be fascinated to see whether the Swede can maintain the form that saw him win both the European and US tours last term in his [...]
England women close on Ashes defence and leave men in shade January 13, 2014 ENGLAND’S women restored some pride to the national cricketing set-up yesterday by taking a major step towards retaining the Ashes in Australia. Their 61-run triumph in the sole Test of the series means they only need to win two of the six limited-overs matches to retain the urn. England bowler Anya Shrubsole took three wickets [...]
Welfare lesson for rugby pros January 13, 2014 ALL professional rugby union players in England must complete an online concussion education programme ahead of the 2014-15 season. Players and coaches at teams playing in the top two tiers of English rugby, plus those at regional academy teams, will complete the programme amid growing concerns over player welfare as a result of sustaining concussion [...]
Pardew escapes disciplinary action January 13, 2014 FOOTBALL: Newcastle manager Alan Pardew learnt yesterday he will face no action from the Football Association for his expletive-laden rant at Manchester City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini in Sunday’s match. Pardew was incensed after a goal from midfielder Cheick Tiote was contentiously ruled out for offside by referee Mike Jones, who will not officiate in the [...]
No Godolphin return for Al Zarooni January 13, 2014 HORSE RACING: Disgraced trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni will never work for Godolphin again, according to its owner Sheikh Mohammed. Al Zarooni is serving an eight-year ban for administering banned anabolic steroids to 22 horses in his care. But Sheikh Mohammed said: “They gave him eight years and I gave him a lifetime, finished. He comes [...]
Trump falls to Fu at first hurdle January 13, 2014 SNOOKER: World No4 Judd Trump suffered a surprise first round exit at the Masters yesterday, losing 6-5 to Marco Fu at Alexandra Palace. The 24-year-old fought back from 5-4 down to force a deciding frame, where a break of 78 sent Fu into the quarter-finals. Scotland’s Stephen Maguire also booked his place in the last [...]
Premier League: Pardew sorry for foul rant at Pellegrini January 12, 2014 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0 vs MANCHESTER CITY 2 NEWCASTLE manager Alan Pardew was forced to apologise for an expletive-laden tirade at opposite number Manuel Pellegrini yesterday as Manchester City reclaimed top spot in the Premier League. Pardew, 52, was caught on camera calling Pellegrini, 60, a “f****** old ****” in a touchline row that followed the [...]
England misery drags on January 12, 2014 Cook accepts blame after Australia dish out another beating ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook admits that he must start setting a better example to his fellow top-order batsmen, after the tourists were comprehensively beaten once again in Australia yesterday. Having succumbed to a whitewash 5-0 defeat in the Ashes, England began their one-day international series with [...]
Sport Comment: Old-school thrills abound beyond top flight January 12, 2014 LET’S hazard a guess at some of the things that annoy you about Premier League football. Players feigning injury, players kicking the ball out of play to allow other players who aren’t injured to get treatment, referees insisting on free kicks being taken from exactly the right spot, and without a rolling ball, referees demanding [...]