Els pips Goosen to reign supreme December 19, 2010 SOUTH AFRICA’S Ernie Els beat compatriot Retief Goosen by a single shot to win his home Open for the fifth time, but only after rain saw him play two rounds in one day. It was a triumph of skill and endurance for the 41-year-old with storm delays forcing him into putting in some overtime. Els’ [...]
SPORTS PERSONALITY IS THE REAL MCCOY December 19, 2010 GRAND NATIONAL winning jockey Tony McCoy was last night voted the 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year. The 36-year-old has been the champion jump jockey 15 times and becomes the first rider to win the BBC award in its 57-year history after claiming just over 40 per cent of the vote. McCoy won the Grand [...]
Fixtures frozen as snow decimates sport schedule December 19, 2010 SNOW and freezing temperatures wreaked havoc on the sporting weekend, but tonight’s Premier League clash between Manchester City and Everton is set to go ahead. Chelsea’s top-of-the-table meeting with Manchester United, which was due to take place yesterday afternoon, was the most high-profile casualty, while Tottenham and Arsenal’s weekend matches were also postponed. Rugby also [...]
Rush of blood sparks Saints win December 19, 2010 Xavier Rush’s second-half red card was the turning point as Northampton took control of Heineken Cup Pool One. Steve Myler and Dan Parks traded kick for kick in a brutal game, before Blues wing Richard Mustoe got the first try. But in a match of three sin-binnings Rush saw a straight red for a high [...]
Late penalty denies Leicester December 19, 2010 Nicolas Laharrague’s penalty denied Leicester a home victory in a thrilling 22-22 draw in Heineken Cup Pool Five. Alesana Tuilagi scored a try early on, with Billy Twelvetrees kicking six more points to give the Tigers a 13-9 lead at the break. David Mele scored for the French after the restart but Twelvetrees kicked nine [...]
Sachin heroics won’t save India December 19, 2010 South Africa are closing in on victory over India in the first Test in Centurion despite Sachin Tendulkar’s 50th Test hundred. India reached 454-8 in their second innings at the close, with Tendulkar 107 not out, on day four, still trailing South Africa by 30 runs. Dale Steyn took the crucial wicket of India captain [...]
Pendleton wins World Cup gold December 19, 2010 Britain’s Victoria Pendleton won her second gold medal at the World Cup in Colombia with victory in the keirin. Pendleton, who won the team sprint on Thursday, held off a six-woman field to win from French duo Sandie Clair and Virginie Cueff. Hoy beat teammate Matt Crampton and world champion Gregory Bauge on his way [...]
Wenger still to forgive Shawcross December 16, 2010 ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has rejected the opportunity to absolve Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross of any blame for the tackle that broke Aaron Ramsey’s leg last season. The fractious relationship, which already existed between the two clubs, was accentuated by Shawcross’s actions back in February, when he inflicted a potentially career ending injury on the [...]
Dallaglio: Sarries and ERC both at fault for Venter farce December 16, 2010 ENGLAND great Lawrence Dallaglio says European chiefs and Saracens are both to blame for Brendan Venter’s farcical post-match interview. Deadpan Sarries director of rugby Venter’s bizarre exchange after last weekend’s Heineken Cup defeat to Racing Metro 92 has become an internet sensation and earned the South African a warning from European Rugby Cup (ERC) officials. [...]
Confidence: England’s magic ingredient working wonders December 16, 2010 OUR cricket columnist, former England batsman and Warwickshire chairman Andy Lloyd, has been poring over all the Ashes action. Here he dissects what he’s learned from the play so far. CONFIDENCE Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp: all the best sports coaches instil confidence in their teams because it makes all the difference. In [...]