Higgins defends Welsh title February 20, 2011 John Higgins beat Stephen Maguire 9-6 to secure back-to-back Welsh Open titles. Maguire dominated early on but only managed to open up a 5-3 lead. Maguire had plenty more chances in the evening session, but the world No1 was ruthless as he won five frames in succession. Maguire stopped the rot with a 75 but [...]
BARCA WIN IS OUR CATALYST February 17, 2011 ARSENAL captain Cesc Fabregas has urged his team to use their watershed victory over Barcelona as the springboard for success in a four-pronged challenge for silverware. The Gunners sent shockwaves throughout Europe by coming from behind on Wednesday night to topple Barca, a team widely regarded as the best in the world. Manager Arsene Wenger [...]
Cheapest public seat for final to cost £163 February 17, 2011 EUROPEAN chiefs last night defended ticket prices for the Champions League final after revealing that the general public will have to pay £163, at the very least, to attend the Wembley showdown in May. Governing body Uefa has set aside 11,000 tickets for general release, with prices ranging from £150 to £300. Fans are limited [...]
Ignore doom merchants, World Cup still matters February 17, 2011 THE 50-OVER World Cup might have lost some of its prestige and allure as a result of the boom in Twenty20 cricket, but reports of its demise are greatly exaggerated. Four years ago in the Caribbean the authorities got things badly wrong. Poor crowds, the lack of a genuine threat to Australia and a convoluted [...]
Carry on swallow diving, Johnson tells star Ashton February 17, 2011 ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson has given star winger Chris Ashton the green light to continue his controversial ‘swallow dive’ celebration. Ashton (right) was warned about showboating before last weekend’s RBS 6 Nations clash with Italy, but defied orders and dived over the line for two of his four tries. “We are not here to stamp [...]
Boss Hanks leaves off-form Wasps February 17, 2011 FORMER Gloucester and Bristol boss Dean Ryan has been touted as a possible replacement for Tony Hanks after Wasps parted company with the New Zealander yesterday. Hanks departs after a run of just one win in six games and a group stage exit from the Heineken Cup. Head coach Shaun Edwards has been placed in [...]
Liverpool forced to dig deep for draw February 17, 2011 LIVERPOOL’S 0-0 draw against Sparta Prague still gives them plenty to do in next week’s second leg of their Europa League round of 32 clash at Anfield. Kenny Dalglish, managing the club for the first time in Europe, saw Sparta create most of the chances in a disjointed affair. Pepe Reina pulled off several good [...]
Jordan blasts Gattuso over racism claim February 17, 2011 TOTTENHAM coach Joe Jordan branded AC Milan captain Gennaro Gattuso “pathetic” for claiming racism played a part in their fracas in the San Siro on Tuesday. Gattuso, who claims Jordan called him a “f***** Italian b*****”, was yesterday charged with gross misconduct by Uefa. Jordan said: “To come up with something like that is pathetic. It is [...]
Crawley boss jittery over meeting Fergie February 17, 2011 CRAWLEY TOWN boss Steve Evans admits he will be wracked with nerves when they take on Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round tomorrow. He said: “I’ll be meeting Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in front of 75,000 Manchester United fans. Of course I’m nervous.”
Watson stumbles in Memphis February 17, 2011 TENNIS: British number three Heather Watson’s Cellular South Cup run in Memphis ended at the quarter-final stage with a 6-3 6-4 defeat by Evgeniya Rodina. The 18-year-old qualifier had won four matches to reach the last eight but was ousted by the Russian.