Cleverley thankful for Olympics October 14, 2012 Manchester United and England midfielder Tom Cleverley believes playing for Great Britain at London 2012 has helped him become a regular international player. He said: “The Olympics were very important to me. It was perfect to get games and play competitive matches on a big stage. Roy Hodgson was at a couple of the games, [...]
DeGale targets Pavlik showdown October 14, 2012 European super-middleweight champion James DeGale says he has asked promoter Mick Hennessy to set up a fight with America’s former world champion Kelly Pavlik. “I think Kelly Pavlik is there for the taking,” said DeGale, who fights next on December 8. “He’s a massive name and it would sell out. I’ve spoken to Mick about [...]
Olympiad has the class to defy wide draw in the Cesarewitch October 11, 2012 TOMORROW’S Dubai Future Champions Day at Newmarket promises to showcase some of the best juvenile talent around but, from a punting perspective, it is the long distance stayers that take centre stage in the Betfred Cesarewitch (3.35pm). Even though this marathon test is run over 2m2f, the draw can still play a big part with [...]
Excitement builds ahead of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot October 11, 2012 THE inaugural QIPCO British Champions Series culminated in glorious fashion last October on British Champions Day and this year’s sell-out edition next weekend promises to be even better. A richly endowed six -ace card featuring five Group contests has attracted a stellar field and worldwide attention. Much of the focus revolves around Sir Henry Cecil’s [...]
Goal thirsty England can enjoy a 7 Up at Wembley October 11, 2012 WITH an international goals-per-game ratio only a little better than Emile Heskey’s seven strikes in 62 appearances for England, it takes San Marino an average of exactly six matches to score. But despite managing to put the ball in an opponent’s net on just 19 occasions in 114 fixtures, the tiny nation can still lay [...]
French champions Toulouse look the value for European glory in competitive Heineken Cup field October 11, 2012 RUGBY’S best northern hemisphere cup competition kicks-off this evening as the strongest sides around battle for the Heineken Cup crown. It’s a grueling seven months and the question on everyone’s mind is whether anyone can stop the formidable Leinster. The defending champions obliterated rivals Ulster in last year’s final 42-14 at Twickenham to bring home [...]
Hodgson backs Bertrand after latest England Twitter gaffe October 11, 2012 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson has refused to criticise defender Ryan Bertrand for creating football’s latest Twitter controversy but accepts that his decision to swear was ultimately wrong. The furore surrounding Ashley Cole’s contentious labelling of the Football Association as a “bunch of t***s” had yet to completely clear when Bertrand, the left-back’s understudy at Chelsea, [...]
History with the minnows October 11, 2012 HOW THREE LIONS HAVE FARED AGAINST SAN MARINO, THE JOINT 207TH-BEST TEAM IN THE WORLD There have been two previous fixtures between England and San Marino. Both were during the Three Lions’ doomed campaign to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in USA, even though both ended in six-goal victories. Worryingly, there are several similarities [...]
Nike sticks by Armstrong despite dope row October 11, 2012 SPORTSWEAR giant Nike has refused to bow to mounting pressure to sever ties with Lance Armstrong, despite the cyclist being accused of masterminding sport’s most sophisticated doping programme ever. The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Wednesday backed up its claims against the seven-time Tour de France winner by publishing more than 1,000 pages of what [...]
Armitage: London Irish lure forced me to end France Exile October 11, 2012 AHEAD of London Irish’s Amlin Cup match away to Bordeaux-Begles, Exiles centre Guy Armitage has revealed that the pull of returning to the club persuaded him to leave his brothers in Toulon. In addition to his siblings Delon and Steffon, Armitage earlier this year agreed a transfer to Toulon before returning to Irish on a [...]