Cheer up, England have good reason to be happy September 22, 2011 YOU wouldn’t know it from much of the media coverage or the vibes surrounding the camp, but I think England have made a good start to this World Cup. An overreaction to the performance against Georgia last week combined with the nonsense about players’ off-field pursuits has created a cloud. There is no doubt that [...]
Legend Walsh laments Windies slide September 22, 2011 THE CRICKETING summer began with the release of Fire in Babylon, a rousing film charting the exploits of the all-conquering West Indies team of the late 1970s and ‘80s. It will end this week at The Oval in the shape of two Twenty20 matches – the first today – crowbarred into an already packed schedule, [...]
Hargreaves frightened by end of injury ordeal September 22, 2011 REVITALISED Owen Hargreaves admits he was scared before making a triumphant Manchester City debut in Wednesday’s Carling Cup win over holders Birmingham. The midfielder’s injury-ravaged career looked all but over, having barely played at all in the last three years, until City took a chance and signed the 30-year-old free agent last month. He repaid [...]
Van Persie: We’ll fight out of crisis September 22, 2011 ARSENAL captain Robin van Persie has urged the beleaguered Gunners to come out fighting when they resume their Premier League nightmare against Bolton tomorrow. Last week’s defeat at struggling Blackburn marked another low in an already testing season and prompted fresh questions about manager Arsene Wenger’s future. But Van Persie said: “We realise this is [...]
Vettel in no hurry to seal successful title defence September 22, 2011 DEFENDING champion Sebastian Vettel could clinch back-to-back titles in Singapore this weekend but the German insists he is in no hurry to put the seal on another season of glory. A maiden win at Marina Bay coupled with off days for nearest challengers Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Mark Webber would be sufficient for runaway [...]
THE BREAKDOWN | WORLD CUP BRIEFS September 22, 2011 MURRAY IN SUNDAYS PLEA Scotland prop Euan Murray has called for Sunday matches to be removed form the calendar for religious reasons. Murray, a Christian, has elected to sit out this weekend’s crunch Pool B clash with Argentina because of his faith. He said: “I don’t see why there have to be games on Sundays. [...]
No Ashes Tests for Headingley September 22, 2011 CRICKET: The Oval, Lord’s, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, and the Riverside in Durham will host the 2013 Ashes Tests, it was announced yesterday. The latter two will be replaced by Edgbaston and Cardiff’s Swalec Stadium for the 2015 series. Headingley and the Rose Bowl feature only in one-day international against Australia.
Wiggins wants Tour over gold September 22, 2011 CYCLING: Britain’s Bradley Wiggins admits he will jeopardise his London 2012 chances by prioritising the Tour de France. Wiggins, who has three Olympic golds, is still to decide between track and road at the Games. “As big as the Olympics are, being in London, it’s kind of ‘been there, done that’,” he said. “It’d be [...]
Rookie Lewis toils on pro debut September 22, 2011 GOLF: Welshman Liam Bond goes into the second day of the Austrian Open as the surprise leader after English rookie Tom Lewis endured a difficult baptism. Bond, who came through qualifying school last year at the 16th attempt, shot a six-under-par 66. Lewis, who led the Open as an amateur this year, fired a two-over [...]
Bloodbath: Equities and commodities plunge on fears over global recovery September 22, 2011 A FRANTIC sell-off saw stock markets tumble yesterday while commodities collapsed, as spooked investors retreated from mounting signs of global economic weakness. The world economy is “in a danger zone”, World Bank chief Robert Zoellick said yesterday, while International Monetary Fund (IMF) boss Christine Lagarde again said that the path to recovery is “narrowing”. At [...]
