City poised to land Vieira as Veron shuns England return January 6, 2010 MANCHESTER City are on the brink of completing a loan deal for one former Premier League star in Patrick Vieira but have failed in a bid to sign another in Juan Sebastian Veron. Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that former Arsenal captain Vieira, 33, is on the brink of sealing a return to [...]
Collingwood could be key if England are to salvage draw January 6, 2010 LET’S give credit where’s it’s due, South Africa have played extremely well these last two days to take this stranglehold on the third Test. Graeme Smith, in particular, batted superbly in the second innings to take the game away from England, and after losing three wickets in the crucial final hour yesterday, the tourists have [...]
Australia conjure miracle to beat stunned Pakistan January 6, 2010 CAPTAIN Ricky Ponting hailed one of the most satisfying wins of his 141-Test career after his Australia side hit back to force an unlikely victory over Pakistan in the second Test in Sydney. The Aussies dismissed the tourists for just 139 on a dramatic fourth day with Pakistan needing a modest 176 to claim a [...]
Murray and Robson edge Great Britain closer to Hopman final January 6, 2010 BRITAIN’S Andy Murray insists he will have enough practice before the Australian Open despite speeding to another victory in the Hopman Cup yesterday. Murray and 15-year-old Laura Robson took a step closer to the final as Great Britain beat Germany 2-1 in the group stage in Perth. The Scot needed just 57 minutes to win [...]
Venter charged for ref remarks January 6, 2010 RUGBY UNION: Saracens boss Brendan Venter has been charged by the Rugby Football Union for questioning the integrity of referee David Rose. The RFU said Venter had committed “conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game” by appearing to suggest after the Premiership leaders’ defeat to Leicester on Saturday that Rose had been influenced at [...]
Ferguson takes charge of Posh January 6, 2010 FOOTBALL: Former Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson is aiming to join his father in the Premier League with Preston North End. The 37-year-old, son of Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, was unveiled as Preston’s new boss yesterday after signing a three-year deal at Deepdale. “It’s a fantastic football club and I can’t wait to get [...]
Henin into Brisbane last eight January 6, 2010 TENNIS: Former world No1 Justine Henin continued her winning comeback from retirement with a straight-sets victory over Sesil Karatantcheva at the Brisbane International. The Belgian, playing in her first official tournament in almost two years, came through 6-4, 6-3 to set up a quarter-final clash with Hungary’s Melinda Czink. In the men’s draw, top seed [...]
Haye: I’ve got a weak chin January 6, 2010 BOXING: World heavyweight champion David Haye admits he will always have a suspect chin – but insists it will not stop him in his tracks. The Londoner brilliantly dispatched Russian giant Nikolay Valuev to take the WBA title in November, but critics question whether he can achieve his aim of unifying the belts against the [...]
England face battle to save third Test in South Africa January 6, 2010 KEVIN PIETERSEN suffered yet another Test agony to leave England facing a gruelling uphill battle to save the third Test with South Africa at Newlands. The out-of-form batsman lasted just 22 balls before playing across his stumps to fall lbw to paceman Dale Steyn – adding to his second-ball duck in the first innings. It [...]
Football, racing and rugby hit by big freeze January 6, 2010 HEAVY snowfall continued to wreak havoc on the sporting calendar yesterday, with last night’s scheduled Premier League clash between Arsenal and Bolton the most high-profile event to be called off. Horse racing was also severely hit, while several of the weekend’s rugby union fixtures have already been put back. Arsenal had been hopeful earlier in [...]