The doom-mongers are wrong, it’s not all gloomy for England December 14, 2016 There seems to be quite a lot of negativity being written and spoken about English cricket at the moment and quite honestly a lot of it is a load of rubbish. Yes, England have been hammered by India and defeat in Mumbai was their seventh Test loss of 2016. A further setback during the fifth [...]
Chelsea escape points deduction following Etihad Stadium brawl, while Blues defender signs new deal December 13, 2016 Chelsea have avoided a points deduction after being slapped with a £100,000 fine following the mass brawl which concluded their Premier League victory at Manchester City earlier this month. The ugly scenes prompted the Stamford Bridge club’s fifth charge of failing to control their players in 19 months, which brought with it the threat of [...]
Working Lunch: Think you know what Venetian food is? Educate and treat yourself at the same time at Veneta in St James’ Market December 13, 2016 Veneta St James’ Market, SW1Y WHAT? Everyone knows what Italian food is about, but could you name a distinctly Venetian dish? If you can’t, educate and treat yourself at the same time with a visit to Veneta. Stuffed full of regional delicacies like bigoli (fat spaghetti) and spice trade seasonings (plenty of saffron and cardamom), [...]
Alastair Cook to consider future as England captain after talking up readiness of Joe Root to lead and India drubbing December 12, 2016 England skipper Alastair Cook admits the severity of his side’s hammering during the fourth Test in Mumbai and series drubbing against India will force him to consider his future as captain. Cook, who has led England since 2012, plans to hold talks with director of cricket Andrew Strauss in the New Year and, should he [...]
Horse racing betting tips: Village Vic back to pitch his tent at Cheltenham December 9, 2016 WHEN the rain finally arrived a month ago in time for Cheltenham’s Open meeting, trainers breathed a sigh of relief at the prospect of some proper winter jumping conditions. Yet, just four weeks on and clerk of the course Simon Claisse has been forced to turn on the taps to maintain decent ground. It’s been [...]
Opinion: Head of Savills’ Auctions on why owner occupiers are still the minority buying homes under the hammer December 8, 2016 Property auctions have changed dramatically over the last 30 years, evolving from small-scale events focused on lower value property, to day-long sales featuring a wide cross-section of the market. And the sector continues to grow. Savills Auctions has sold over £300m worth of property in 2016. Over the past three decades the reasons for selling [...]
The alchemists of time: How watch companies combine age-old techniques with cutting edge materials December 8, 2016 Let’s face it: a finely made timepiece is, in a rather nice twist of irony, a flashy anachronism. For starters, no one really needs a watch these days, finely made or not. Secondly, the delicate concoction of wheels, springs and levers driving a mechanical watch is based on an ancient principle – 200-year-old technology that [...]
The London luxury properties that have had their prices slashed by over 30 per cent December 7, 2016 London's high-end homes are in crisis. House prices in prime central London have been falling since 2014, when former chancellor George Osborne slapped higher rates of stamp duty on homes worth over £1m. This year, he introduced a further three per cent hike for people buying second homes. Read more: This is how far house prices have fallen [...]
Chris Grayling: All rail commuters will be able to use Oyster-style cards by 2018 December 6, 2016 Chris Grayling's announcement on splitting up Network Rail's dominance over track maintenance has caused a stir, but it's not the only change the transport secretary has unveiled. Rail commuters will be able to use an Oyster-style pay-as-you-go smart card to travel anywhere in the country by the end of 2018. Writing in the Telegraph, Grayling said: "We [...]
Edinburgh: a city of lights offering a box of delights December 6, 2016 The festive season is a magical time. Comforting childhood memories of twinkling city centre lights, carol singers and sipping hot chocolate mingle with familiar festive music and echoes of the butterflies once felt before meeting Santa in the local department store. Today, the hot chocolate might have been supplanted by a mug of warming mulled [...]