Kvitova, Errani and Venus crash in Melbourne January 13, 2014 FORMER Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was at a loss to explain her shock exit after becoming the biggest casualty of the first day at the Australian Open yesterday. Sixth seed Kvitova fell to Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in one of several upsets in the women’s draw, which also saw Venus Williams and Italian [...]
Golf Comment: Super Swede the man to beat as Euro stars begin Gulf Swing January 13, 2014 ALL eyes will be on 2013’s indisputable star Henrik Stenson this weekend as the European Tour begins its Gulf Swing with the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship. The golf world will be fascinated to see whether the Swede can maintain the form that saw him win both the European and US tours last term in his [...]
England women close on Ashes defence and leave men in shade January 13, 2014 ENGLAND’S women restored some pride to the national cricketing set-up yesterday by taking a major step towards retaining the Ashes in Australia. Their 61-run triumph in the sole Test of the series means they only need to win two of the six limited-overs matches to retain the urn. England bowler Anya Shrubsole took three wickets [...]
Welfare lesson for rugby pros January 13, 2014 ALL professional rugby union players in England must complete an online concussion education programme ahead of the 2014-15 season. Players and coaches at teams playing in the top two tiers of English rugby, plus those at regional academy teams, will complete the programme amid growing concerns over player welfare as a result of sustaining concussion [...]
Pardew escapes disciplinary action January 13, 2014 FOOTBALL: Newcastle manager Alan Pardew learnt yesterday he will face no action from the Football Association for his expletive-laden rant at Manchester City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini in Sunday’s match. Pardew was incensed after a goal from midfielder Cheick Tiote was contentiously ruled out for offside by referee Mike Jones, who will not officiate in the [...]
No Godolphin return for Al Zarooni January 13, 2014 HORSE RACING: Disgraced trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni will never work for Godolphin again, according to its owner Sheikh Mohammed. Al Zarooni is serving an eight-year ban for administering banned anabolic steroids to 22 horses in his care. But Sheikh Mohammed said: “They gave him eight years and I gave him a lifetime, finished. He comes [...]
Trump falls to Fu at first hurdle January 13, 2014 SNOOKER: World No4 Judd Trump suffered a surprise first round exit at the Masters yesterday, losing 6-5 to Marco Fu at Alexandra Palace. The 24-year-old fought back from 5-4 down to force a deciding frame, where a break of 78 sent Fu into the quarter-finals. Scotland’s Stephen Maguire also booked his place in the last [...]
Banks cut hours for junior staff January 12, 2014 A NUMBER of City banks are examining plans to cut the hours worked by interns and junior staff in their investment banking units, City A.M understands, following criticism some are working dangerously hard. After months of intense scrutiny of the industry’s practices, Barclays is thought to be considering increasing the number of junior staff it [...]
Local councils get bigger slice of fracking cash January 12, 2014 SHALE GAS exploration was given a further boost by the government today, as local councils were told that they could keep 100 per cent of business rates from developed sites. The increase from the current 50 per cent figure could be worth up to £1.7m per year for a typical site, the government claims. “This [...]
The lights go out on HMV’s flagship Oxford Street store January 12, 2014 HMV’S flagship store at 150 Oxford Street closed its doors for the last time yesterday, almost 30 years after it was first opened. The world’s biggest music store, which opened in 1986, will be converted into a Sports Direct after the sportswear giant snapped up the lease to the 60,000 square foot shop. The troubled [...]
