Spain can hold their nerve to lift the title July 8, 2010 HOLLAND vs SPAIN SUNDAY – 7.30PM BBC 1 AND ITV 1 MOST football purists would have been purring at the start of the tournament if I’d said it was going to be a Netherlands v Spain final in Johannesburg on Sunday 11th July. However, the Dutch have taken a far more pragmatic approach to this [...]
Flying filly Fleeting Spirit to take July Cup for second year running July 8, 2010 THERE is an international flavour to today’s July Cup at Newmarket with speedsters from Australia, the US, France and Ireland taking on the home contingent. However, I think the prize will stay in Newmarket and Jeremy Noseda’s FLEETING SPIRIT can become the first horse since Right Boy in 1959 to win the race back-to-back. This [...]
The INSIDER July 8, 2010 Ihaven’t had too many two-yearold bets so far this season but I’ll be changing that tomorrow with a hefty wager on MAJOR CONQUEST (8%) in the nursery at Ascot (2.20pm). John Hills’ runners often improve and this son of Librettist has been going the right way. The form in the book is very strong with [...]
Puyol power takes Spain to the brink July 7, 2010 GERMANY (0) VS SPAIN (1) CARLES PUYOL finally broke German hearts by heading Spain into their first-ever World Cup final in an intriguing match in Durban. The Barcelona centre-back thundered home a winner from Xavi’s corner 17 minutes from time to hand the European champions a date with Holland – their first-ever World Cup meeting [...]
It’s a final for the purists July 7, 2010 WITH their slick passing styles and fantastic quality on show, Holland and Spain will provide the perfect showpiece at Soccer City on Sunday. We saw last night just what a complete side Spain are. Xavi and Andreas Iniesta controlled the midfield, while Carles Puyol was a real hero at either end, scoring what proved to [...]
Koscielny seals £10m Arsenal deal July 7, 2010 ARSENAL new boy Laurent Koscielny set his sights on the Premier League title after completing his £10m move to Emirates Stadium last night. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has tracked the 24-year-old centre back for some time after he impressed for French Ligue 1 side Lorient. And Koscielny, who can play for either France or Poland, [...]
Cash-strapped Barca haven’t paid last month’s wages July 7, 2010 BARCELONA’S reputation as a model club is in tatters after their new president admitted they need a £125m loan because they still have not paid last month’s wages. Sandro Rosell, who succeeded Joan Laporta last week, said he had been forced to offload defender Dmitro Chygrinskiy to raise funds to ease cash-flow. “We found a [...]
Strauss eyes Bangladesh whitewash July 7, 2010 ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss is targeting three wins out of three from the one-day series against Bangladesh, which starts today at Trent Bridge. The hosts will be expected to achieve the clean sweep, having just wrapped up a one-day series victory over Australia, who represent far more daunting opponents. England also enjoyed three ODI triumphs [...]
Aviva agree £20m rugby deal July 7, 2010 AVIVA have agreed a £20m deal to become the new sponsors of Premiership rugby. The insurance giants penned a four-year deal to replace Guinness as the top-flight’s title sponsors, starting immediately. Premiership chiefs confirmed that both parties have agreed to make “significant investment in community programmes” as part of the deal. “This is a fantastic [...]
Oranje-Boom! Holland march into World Cup final July 6, 2010 URUGUAY (2) vs HOLLAND (3) HOLLAND survived late Uruguayan pressure to maintain their incredible 25-game winning streak and book their place in the World Cup final. The Cape Town skyline descended into a sea of orange as Bert van Marwijk’s side remained on course to lift the country’s first-ever world trophy and finally bury the [...]