King Contador claims third crown as Cav ends on high July 25, 2010 ALBERTO CONTADOR cruised to his third Tour de France title in four years after Britain’s Mark Cavendish clinched the final stage in Paris for the second year running. Contador ensured Spain held onto the yellow jersey for the fifth successive year after safely arriving at the Champs Elysees 39 seconds ahead of nearest rival Andy [...]
‘He was genius, but there was also the other side’ July 25, 2010 TRIBUTES continued to flood in last night for the first true legend of snooker, Alex Higgins, who died on Saturday, aged 61, following a long battle with cancer. With his enigmatic approach to the game, the ‘Hurricane’ became the first true bastion of ‘sexy snooker’, helping the raise the profile of the sport to a [...]
New boy Kolarov backs City to rule Europe July 25, 2010 MANCHESTER CITY’S latest recruit Aleksandar Kolarov believes the club can become kings of Europe. The Serbian full-back turned down offers from several other clubs to join Roberto Mancini’s men in a £19m deal from Lazio. And the 24-year-old has already set his sights on winning silverware – including the top prize in European football.“The Premier [...]
Miller revels in tough call as Morgan edges Bopara July 25, 2010 NATIONAL selector Geoff Miller admits he was forced into making a number of difficult decisions on announcing the England squad for Thursday’s first Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge. In-form Essex batsman Ravi Bopara was the most notable absentee, losing out to Middlesex’s Eoin Morgan, while fast bowler Ajmal Shahzad got the nod over all-rounder [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF July 25, 2010 Open success for Langer GOLF: Bernhard Langer showed nerves of steel to card a final round 72 and clinch his first senior Major in the British Seniors Open at Caroustie. The German held off the challenge of American Ryder Cup captain Corey Pavin to finish one shot clear on five-under-par to end a run of [...]
Sven back on Fulham radar after Jol blow July 22, 2010 FULHAM could revive their interest in former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson after a drawn-out attempt to lure Martin Jol from Ajax ended in embarrassing failure yesterday. Ivory Coast coach Eriksson was on the Cottagers’ initial shortlist to replace Roy Hodgson and was said to be aggrieved at the club opting to pursue ex-Spurs boss Jol [...]
I’ll let Milner leave if Man City’s price is right, says O’Neill July 22, 2010 ASTON VILLA manager Martin O’Neill has told James Milner he can leave if Manchester City table an acceptable offer after admitting the sought-after midfielder has asked to leave. Manchester City have had one bid, thought to be worth £20m, turned down by Villa, who are holding out for nearer £30m. But the big-spending Eastlands outfit [...]
Magic man Murali bows out in style July 22, 2010 SPIN king Muttiah Muralitharan enjoyed a dream farewell to Test cricket in Galle yesterday after claiming his 800th wicket with the very last ball of his career. The Sri Lankan rewrote the history books when he had Indian tail-ender Pragyan Ojha caught by Mahela Jayawardene at slip for his milestone wicket, while helping his country [...]
Alex and Benayoun add to Chelsea’s injury woes July 22, 2010 CHELSEA boss Carlo Ancelotti has now been handed a triple injury blow ahead of his side’s defence of the Premier League crown. Just 24 hours after goalkeeper Petr Cech was ruled out for the start of the new season with a calf strain, the Italian has now lost defender Alex and new signing Yossi Benayoun [...]
Defiant Schumacher insists he won’t abort comeback and eyes eighth title July 22, 2010 SEVEN-TIME champion Michael Schumacher has categorically denied he could abort his comeback after an underwhelming first half of the season and confirmed he will definitely race again next year. Schumacher had been tipped to challenge for an eighth title after ending his self-imposed exile and agreeing to drive for the revamped Mercedes team. But the [...]