Ferguson: I’m finished spending July 25, 2011 MANCHESTER UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson has appeared to rule out a move for Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder by declaring his summer transfer business all but over. Holland playmaker Sneijder has been touted as the missing piece in Ferguson’s jigsaw, with former Old Trafford star David Beckham among those backing a move for him. United [...]
Barca chief: Fabregas talks going in the right direction July 25, 2011 BARCELONA chiefs insist they are closing in on a deal for Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas despite committing £33m to signing Chile forward Alexis Sanchez. The Spanish club’s sporting vice-president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, said long-running and tense negotiations with the Gunners were now progressing well. “They are going in the right direction,” he said. “We will [...]
FIVE-STAR ANDERSON FIRES ENGLAND July 25, 2011 Paceman blitzes India to earn 196-run victory and take series lead against the No1 ranked Test team in the world ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss momentarily abandoned his characteristic restraint after seeing his team eclipse India, the world’s finest, at Lord’s yesterday, hailing what he termed an almost perfect bowling display. Paceman James Anderson starred on [...]
Cricketmania as Lord’s inundated July 25, 2011 REPORTS of the death of Test cricket are greatly exaggerated – if the sell-out crowd who flocked to pack out Lord’s yesterday are anything to go by. Discounted tickets for the final day of a nail-biting first match between England and India drew swarms of cricket lovers to north-west London, where queues snaked all the [...]
Dhoni: If it could go wrong, it did July 25, 2011 INDIA captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed injuries and illness for their defeat to England in the first Test. Key bowler Zaheer Khan missed most of the match with a hamstring strain while star batsman Sachin Tendulkar was hindered by a virus. “Most of the things that could have gone wrong in the game went wrong,” [...]
No respite for hero Cavendish July 25, 2011 BRITAIN’S Tour de France hero Mark Cavendish admits he won’t recover from his green jersey-winning exertions until the end of the year. The Isle of Man rider has only the briefest of rests before climbing back into the saddle – the 26-year-old is set to race again this evening. His first competition on home soil [...]
Qatar bid to host Tour de France July 25, 2011 QATAR has launched an audacious bid to host the opening stage of the Tour de France in 2016. The Grand Depart is often held in a neighbouring country, with London kicking off the 2007 Tour, but moving to the Middle East would be a major change in policy. The Gulf kingdom is becoming an increasingly [...]
Wasps hire Turner as coach July 25, 2011 RUGBY UNION: Wasps boss Dai Young has recruited former Newport-Gwent Dragons head coach Paul Turner as an attack and skills coach. Turner, 51, left Dragons in February after criticising the Welsh Rugby Union’s treatment of the club’s players.
Albert ball for London 2012 July 25, 2011 OLYMPICS: The football used in the London 2012 Games will be called ‘The Albert’, the Cockney rhyming slang for ball, manufacturers Adidas said yesterday. The name – a shortened version of Albert Hall – was chosen following a nationwide competition.
Mixed pool fortunes for Brits July 25, 2011 SWIMMING: Britain’s Gemma Spofforth has failed to defend her 100m backstroke title at the Fina World Championships. Spofforth, hampered by illness, did not even make the semi-finals, but Lizzie Simmonds qualified for the final in Shanghai.