Quins and Wasps triumph to boost Euro prospects December 15, 2013 HARLEQUINS continued their Heineken Cup resurgence with a 17-3 win over Racing Metro yesterday and director of rugby Conor O’Shea insists his side are right back in the hunt for a quarter-final berth. Fly-half Nick Evans kicked three penalties before suffering a shoulder injury, while wing Charlie Walker crossed just seconds before the break to [...]
Wimbledon champ is top sports star of 2013 December 15, 2013 ANDY Murray, who in July became the first British man to win a Wimbledon singles’ title since 1936, was last night crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The Scot did not attend the awards in Leeds, but received the trophy in Miami where he is training. “I know sometimes I’m not the easiest person [...]
Swans earn a draw at Norwich December 15, 2013 FOOTBALL: Swansea held onto their top-half position in the Premier League yesterday with a 1-1 draw at Norwich. Nathan Dyer put the visitors in front before Gary Hooper equalised.
Sacked Clarke: I had more to give December 15, 2013 FOOTBALL: Steve Clarke insists he had more to offer West Brom despite being sacked on Saturday night. “I believe I have unfinished business at WBA so it is with deep regret that I was relieved of duties,” he said yesterday.
Garcia wins first title of 2013 December 15, 2013 GOLF: Spain’s Sergio Garcia won his first title of 2013 yesterday at the Thailand Golf Championship, ending four shots clear of Sweden’s Henrik Stenson. England’s Justin Rose finished fourth.
A classy end to a successful season of Michael Grandage December 12, 2013 THEATRE HENRY V Noël Coward theatre | By Xenobe Purvis Four Stars OVER the course of Michael Grandage’s five-play season at the Noel Coward Theatre, the venue has seen star-studded casts perform parts as diverse as spliff-smoking fairies and cross-dressing soldiers. And now it is home to Henry V, which – although offering us nothing [...]
The Bottle Opener: Champagne’s leading man December 12, 2013 The last eponymous head of a champagne house talks about his passion for fizz Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, the last eponymous head of a great champagne house, personifies the wine he has spent his life making and selling; full of elegance, charm and effervescence. “I am a singular man. I am an iconoclast. My favourite food is [...]
Rewarding – if you battle through all the way to end December 12, 2013 FILM THE HOBBIT Cert PG | By Melissa York Three Stars THE DESOLATION of Smaug opens in a tavern a year before An Unexpected Journey (the first instalment). It’s here that Gandalf the Grey bumps into Thorin Oakenshield, the would-be king of dwarves, and convinces him to steal the precious Arkenstone from underneath a fire-breathing [...]
Cook: Record breaking feat is worthless if we lose urn December 12, 2013 IT MAY be an honour that places him among the most distinguished cricketers of all time but England captain Alastair Cook insists winning his 100th cap in Perth will be meaningless if he does not keep one hand on the Ashes. Cook, 28, was last night poised to become only the 11th Englishman to amass [...]
Tennis slammed as participation falls despite Wimbledon factor December 12, 2013 FOOTBALL and tennis chiefs have been warned their funding could be cut after both suffered drops in levels of participation. A Sport England survey found football had lost the most participants since April and is now only the fourth most played sport in the country, with 1.84m playing at least 30 minutes a week. Despite [...]