Sirvino and Nanton the best bets in John Smith’s July 9, 2009 THERE have been some fantastic handicaps over the past few weeks, but the 50th running of the John Smith’s Cup at York tomorrow promises to be something special. The Queen’s Kingdom of Fife is likely to start favourite and will have plenty of supporters after his comfortable win in the Zetland Cup at the end [...]
England make solid start in quest to win back Ashes July 8, 2009 ENGLAND will resume their attempt to regain the Ashes this morning with the first Test delicately poised after an encouraging first day in Cardiff. Andrew Strauss’s men recovered from the loss of three wickets before lunch to finish on 336-7, thanks largely to a 138-run stand between Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood. Matt Prior and [...]
KP blames dismissal on his helmet July 8, 2009 ENGLAND batsman Kevin Pietersen declared himself satisfied after the home side ended day one of the first Ashes Test 336-7. Pietersen top scored with 69 as England recovered from slumping to 90-3 before lunch. It might have been even better, had Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff avoided falling just before the close, but Pietersen refused [...]
It’s honours even but England have very little to fear July 8, 2009 WHILE the losses of Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff late last night were a blow, it should not detract from what was an encouraging day’s cricket for England. Yes, the untimely wickets may have proved the difference between England’s opening day and honours even, but captain Andrew Strauss and his top order will be spurred [...]
F1 rules row reignited as rebels walk out of talks July 8, 2009 THE future of the sport was plunged into fresh doubt yesterday when a meeting between F1 chiefs and teams to discuss next year’s rules ended in chaos. Eight rebel teams, who until last month had been set to break away in protest at proposed radical changes, walked out of the meeting at Germany’s Nurburgring. Governing [...]
Arsenal keep Usmanov at arm’s length by rejecting proposal for rights issue July 8, 2009 ARSENAL’S second largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov last night responded frostily after the Premier League club rejected his proposal of a rights issue. Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis said yesterday that the board had discussed the fund-raising exercise but concluded it would not greatly improve their financial position. Usmanov, who owns a 25 per cent stake [...]
Chelsea dismiss claims of keeping Terry in the dark July 8, 2009 CHELSEA last night angrily hit back at claims they haven’t contacted captain John Terry over Manchester City’s interest in him. Reports suggested Chelsea had kept Terry in the dark over a £30m bid received last week while the England captain was away on holiday. “It is total nonsense, we’ve spoken to him a number of [...]
United swoop for France U21 star Obertan July 8, 2009 FRANCE Under-21 winger Gabriel Obertan has vowed to seize his chance after completing a surprise move to Premier League champions Manchester United. Obertan, 20, yesterday sealed his switch from French title winners Bordeaux by signing a deal that will keep him at Old Trafford until 2013. United have not disclosed the fee, with reports in [...]
Wilkinson freed up for England return July 8, 2009 JONNY WILKINSON has been cleared to join up with his England team-mates next month by his club Toulon. Wilkinson, 30, was recalled to England’s elite 32-man squad on Tuesday for the forthcoming autumn internationals. Coach Martin Johnson feared a backlash, however, as Wilkinson was ordered to meet up with the squad on August 9-14 – clashing with [...]
Liebherr is the Saints saviour July 8, 2009 SOUTHAMPTON have been saved from the brink of extinction after Swiss businessman Markus Liebherr announced the completion of his takeover of the League One club yesterday. The 61-year-old has an estimated fortune of £2.5bn and paid an undisclosed fee for the club. Liebherr owns and controls the Swiss-based Mali Group, which consists of five companies [...]