Wednesday 23 November 2011

TIME FOR RFU TO SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY.

It appears that the investigation into the dismal performance of the England team in the recent Rugby World Cup has determined that a number of the players were effectively out of control and more interested in their pay than anything else. By implication, manager Martin Johnson, now departed, must have been ineffective and has also been criticised.

Where the ultimate blame should rest is unclear but it is clear that the Rugby Football Union has failed quite miserably to establish a framework within which English rugby can flourish. Martin Johnson and his players were at the sharp end and obviously failed to deliver, but what of those behind and above them ? If the RFU wants to put its house in order it will have to take a long, hard look at itself as well as throwing stones at others, something which history suggests will not happen.

AWESOME FEDERER STILL A FORCE

As Andy Murray, our perennial nearly-man, makes yet another early exit from a major tournament, the seemingly ageless Roger Federer storms on.

Federer's ruthless demolition of Rafael Nadal in the World Tour Finals yesterday demonstrated just how wrong are those who've written him off as a major force in world tennis. He may not be the player he was 5 years ago but he's en-route to a return to the top 3 ranking, overtaking the hapless Murray, by the end of the season.

Whether or not Federer ever wins another Grand Slam event, he has been an awesome presence in the sport for a decade and no one can ignore the continued threat that he presents. What price for him to win the Australian Open in January ?

Wednesday 16 November 2011

WHOOPEE ! ENGLAND TO WIN WORLD CUP !

So, the English football team has won a couple of matches including one against the current world champions, Spain. This seems to be real headline news and, no doubt, will encourage die-hard supporters to believe in the impossible dream, that England will win the next World Cup tournament.

Of course, these matches were friendlies and have no relevance in the real world of true competition. What little I saw of the games told me that England were pretty much as toothless as they've now been for 15 or 20 years, and that their opponents weren't terribly interested in playing at all.

The sad truth is that the top English clubs have no interest in developing home-grown players when they can import ready-made foreigners to help them win leagues, cups and whatever. Our domestic league may be the best in the world, but it's built on foreign talent; when it comes to putting a national squad on the field, it's a very different matter. How many of England's current squad would even be considered for a place in a World XI, let alone actually get in to one ?

The chances of England winning the next World Cup are next to nil. They may progress through the 'Group stage' but once they have to compete against real talent, it'll be curtains. They aren't good enough and never will be until we stop treating third rate players like superstars, stop lauding their every 'near miss', and 'unlucky shot', and stop paying them ludicrous amounts of money for playing a childrens' game.

Wednesday 9 November 2011

POPPIES DEVALUED BY SPAT WITH FIFA.

What on earth is this drivel about whether or not a football team or two can have a poppy on their sleeves at the weekend ?

There are times when I despair of everything and this is one of them. Yes, the poppy is a symbol of remebrance and particularly so at this coming weekend, but what this can possibly have to do with what footballers wear escapes me entirely. It is even more astonishing that this issue has drawn the serious attention of our Prime Minister at a time when the economies of the western world are in melt-down.

Cameron clearly wanted an easy victory over some foreign power and FIFA provided a convenient adversary that could be seen off with minimal fuss; the incident is reminiscent of the manufactured 'Euro-sausage' fiasco that eventually propelled Jim Hacker to the Premiership in the final episode of that magnificent comedy satire, 'Yes Minister'.

Is this really something that is newsworthy ? Is it a worthy cause at all, or is it just another way of marketing a devalued sport and a devalued brand, politicians ?

Thursday 3 November 2011

RFU : A NATIONAL DISGRACE

Ever since England's dramatic win in the Rugby Union World Cup of 2003, their performances have fallen short of expectations. At the same time, the governing body the RFU, has been in increasing turmoil, never more so than in the last few weeks. The dismal performance of the English team at the World Cup tournament in New Zealand has left the most serious question marks over the future of the team manager, Martin Johnson, and over the entire make-up of the RFU.

Today it's been announced that the Acting Chief Executive of the RFU, Martyn Thomas, is to stand down in mid-December. Thomas only took over the post last June when the previous Chief Executive, John Steele, left after less than a year in post, having commissioned reviews that revealed deep seated problems in the whole organistaion and administration of the RFU. It would appear that Steele's approach, and proposed actions, did not find favour with the rest of the RFU's board, and he was forced out; at that time, Thomas was Chairman and he subsequently assumed the role of Acting Chief Executive as well. A review of the surrounding events, conducted by Judge Jeff Blackett, was highly critical of the RFU and by inference, Thomas, and made many recommendations, however, many of these seem to have been ignored. Thomas did resign his position as Chairman last July, but has remained as Acting Chief Executive until now while the turmoil has continued, unabated.

Given this backdrop, is it any wonder that England performed so badly at the recent World Cup ? Martin Johnson must have been left almost completely to his own devices as the RFU's management squabbled and bickered amongst themselves like a gaggle of old crones waiting for the next execution, with Thomas in the middle of it all. Now that he's going, perhaps there will be an opportunity for the RFU to begin to restore some order to its activities and to establish a structure that will ensure England will be a contender at the next World Cup, to be held here in 2015. Or is that expecting too much of this closed-shop, 'old boys' club' ?

Wednesday 2 November 2011

TERRY POLICE WAY OFF THE MARK

I've read with some amazement that the police are investigating allegations of racial abuse made against Chelsea's footballing superstar, John Terry. Have they nothing better to do ?

Football was once referred to as the 'gentleman's game played by ruffians', and that is precisely what it is. The assorted yobs and thugs who adorn our national game, who foul and cheat whenever they can and hurl violent abuse at the referee with shocking regularity would surely consider a bit of racial abuse as merely another part of the game. Even if they don't, the day-to-language of such low-life is splattered with terms such as nigger, nig-nog, wog, wop, spik, dago, towel-head, honky, chink, nip, frog, kraut and all of the rest. Go into any pub and have a chat with some of the locals and you'll hear words and opinions that will make your blood curdle.

That the police seem to be so unaware of this that they're pursuing some uttelry insignificant allegation of so-called abuse against any footballer, while doing nothing about the sometimes vicious physical violence perpetrated on our football grounds every week, speaks volumes for the way in which our society has been subverted in favour of treating what are no more than 'thought-crimes' as being far worse than what most of us would consider true crimes. 

Sunday 23 October 2011

NEW ZEALAND WIN LACKLUSTRE RUGBY FINAL

Earlier today, New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup with a narrow vctory over the extreme underdogs, France. On Friday, Australia won the loser's prize of 3rd place against a Wales side that seemed to have lost at least half of it's raison d'etre.

It's hard to dent the All Blacks moment of triumph but this was not a good performance. It could even be argued that, on the day, the French were more deserving of victory. The problem is that it was not a match to savour and neither side was particularly good; given a following wind, Wales would have beaten both, but for an unfortunate exit at the semi-final stage, by a single point to France while playing with only 14 men.

New Zealand won and lifted the trophy. So what ? It was not a good tournament and there was no outstanding team; the best were probably South Africa, the defending champions who were ousted, unaccountably, by Australia, and Wales, along with New Zealand. The French were never in real contention until the final and, even them they came up short, though only just.

Overall, it was a disappointing tournament, with too many of the old guard representing the major players; it was a competition for a lot of tired old men trying to grab a moment they were no longer entitled to. I don't begrudge New Zealand their victory, in fact I shouted them on, but it was far from the exhibition of Rugby that it should have been. Let's hope that 2015, in England and Wales, will be a little different.

MONEY WINS THE BATTLE OF MANCHESTER

Today's football scores have produced one of the most amazing results of the last 60 or more years.

There have obviously been a few eccentric results in the past, sometimes with top-flight teams being beaten by supposedly vastly inferior oppostion, but has there ever been a more extraordinary result than the 1-6 drubbing suffered by Manchester United at home to their arch rivals, Manchester City, today ?

The simple answer has to be 'NO' but that is to ignore the true facts behind this match. Manchester United played a large part of the game with 10 men, after one of their number was sent off, and 3 of the goals were scored on, or after, the end of normal time. Not that any of this will be any consolation to the distraught United fans, nor of any interest to the elated City followers.

What is of greatest importance is how this result has come about. A few weeks ago, Manchester City thumped Tottenham 5-1 at White Hart Lane; since then, they've run up a string of wins with goals galore and now head the Premier League by a distance. Unless something untoward happens, they could be crowned Champions tomorrow as there's little likelihood of anyone challenging them. All this from a team that a couple of years ago were struggling to escape from mid-table at best; how has this happened ?

Manchester City has been bought by an Arabic conglomerate that has injected a ludicrous amount of money into the team, having seen a business opportunity in exploiting the football-mad youth, and others, of the world. In the short term, they will undoubtedly make a lot of money, but what will happen when the bubble bursts, as all bubbles eventually do ? We are currently in a casino where the player with the biggest wallet wins because no one can afford to 'see' his hand, but what happens when the other players all drop out and refuse to play any further ?

The importance of football has been exaggerated to a point of lunacy. The pay of the players has reached a level that is completely unsustainable without the vast advertising revenues that are currently attracted and that has no connection with pay in the real world that the supporters inhabit. This is, after all, a game that is basically played by children in school playgrounds and fields and yet the status awarded to the players is something that eclipses the greatest statesmen, scientists and philosophers by many times. This has to, and will, end.

Today's result at Old Trafford was, in reality, only to be expected; it was not all that extraordinary at all. It was a consequence of a concatenation of events, the most potent of which, financial speculation, will inevitably lead to an eventual collapse in the finances of the game. At some point, interests will change and profits will fall, or, quite simply, the current investors will see greater profit in some other venture. However it happens, football will oneday become nothing more than the the game it once was; sadly, that day may be some-way off and, by then, it's quite possible that Manchester City will be nothing more than a name in football history.

Wednesday 19 October 2011

ALL BLACKS TO BRING FRANCE TO JUSTICE.

England's exit from the Rugby World Cup after their abject performance in the quarter-final allied with the departure of a poor Ireland, left those from these islands with only Wales to cheer on. Happily, their performances gave us real hope that they would make it past France and head into the Final with a genuine chance of ultimate victory.

How disappointing, then, to see the 'Men from the Valleys' go down to an undeserved defeat after playing most of their semi-final match with only 14 men. Sam Warburton's sending-off may have been within the letter of the law but every former player who was asked for a view seemed to have the same one - a penalty, certainly; a 'yellow card', yes; but not a sending off. Referee Rolland ruined the match, according to the great South African, Francois Pienaar, and effectively doomed Wales to defeat.

What followed Warburton's dismissal showed just how right Pienaar was, at least in terms of ruing Welsh chances of victory. Despite being a man short for so long, Wales outplayed the French, scored the only try of the match and came within a single point of forcing extra-time; had they had a full team, they would surely have put France to the sword and emerged as deserved winners. As it was, a poor French side has found itself in next Sunday's final after losing 2 of its 'pool' matches, scraping past an utterly disjointed and incompetent England and now just beating a team of 14.

The second semi-final saw the right result if not a convincing one. Australia rarely threatened the All Blacks' try-line, but then neither did the All Blacks show their traditional flowing style of rugby. This match was a dour affair, eventually won, and rightly so, by the All Blacks who must now be odds-on favourites to lift the trophy and delight their entire nation. It's inconceivable that France can cause an upset as the latest William Hills' odds suggest - New Zealand 1/8; France 11/2 - but then this has been a World Cup full of surprises, with the best, or favoured teams, not always doing so well.

Still, my money, if I had a bet, would be firmly on the All Blacks.

Of course, there's also another match taking place which is the game on Friday neither side wanted to be in; the play-off for 3rd and 4th places between Australia and Wales. This one is much more difficult to call and much may depend on which side has put their disappointments of last weekend behind them most effectively. My heart wants Wales, but my head suspects that the Wallabies might just shade it; whichever way it goes, it ought to be close and may well be a better match than Sunday's final.

Sunday 9 October 2011

IF ONLY WE WERE GERMAN------ OR FRENCH !

It's been a while since my last post but then not that much has been happening - until this weekend.

Today, Sebastian Vettel became World Formula 1 Motor Racing champion, even though he didn't win the Japanese Grand Prix; that honour went to Jensen Button, the only man to have challenged Vettel to any extent in recent races. Today's was an eventful race but, in at least one sense, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. As long as Vettel scored a single point or, even if he didn't Button didn't win, he would be the champion; in the event, Button won but Vettel got more than his single point and that was that. The remainder of the season has still to unfold but Button now looks like a good bet to eclipse his team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, and heaven alone knows what that will do to relationships within the McLaren team. Next week they do it all over again in Korea - watch this space.

While Vettel was winning his championship, South Africa were trying to defend their Rugby Union crown in a quarter-final against Australia, unsuccessfully as it turned out, though heaven knows how. The Springboks totally dominated the match and yet couldn't breach the Wallabies defencies; the result was an exit for the defending champions and a crippling blow to national moral. Later, the home nation, New Zealand, eventually beat off the challenge of Argentina with an incredibly flattering 33-10 victory. For much of the match, the Argentines were arguably the more impressive side, certainly putting up much more of a fight than many had predicted, and the eventual scoreline did not reflect the problems that the All Blacks had in subduing them. New Zealand will now face their close neighbours in next week's semi-finals, with the winners likely to be considered hot favourites to take the title.

Yesterday, we saw the first 2 Rugby quarter-finals, involving northern hemisphere teams. Firstly, Wales played their socks off to make the Irish look pretty worn out and to establish themselves as real contenders for the title. Playing fast and aggressive Rugby, they put Ireland to the sword and never really looked in danger of losing. Wales' semi-final opponents will be France, who overcame a pathetic England; any decent side would have destroyed them. Despite their clean sweep in the group matches, England were never a match for a French side which played reasonably well but did little more than exploit English deficiencies. England were, frankly, quite awful; they played with little spirit or determination, were disjointed and offered little threat to their opponents line. They had no 'cutting edge' and played with a stale approach that gave their supporters little hope, all this against a team which is a shadow of many former selves. Martin Johnson may have been a fine captain but, sadly, he is clearly no manager; it is time to clear away the old and bring in the new and that will mean parting with some much-loved figures - Wilkinson, Tindall, Cueto, Thompson, Moody among them - and start building again. This was a tired performance that we can only hope will never be repeated.

The semi-final line-up is, therefore, New Zealand v Australia and Wales v France; I can't see Dragons failing to beat the Frogs, and the All Blacks really should beat the Wallabies, so Wales v New Zealand should be the final in a fortnight's time; though my predictions rarely come true.

Sunday 28 August 2011

ANOTHER CHANCE FOR MURRAY

The final tennis 'Grand Slam' of the year gets under way shortly with the now usual British expectations of Andy Murray success.

Those who apparently know, believe that the US Open is Murray's best chance of Grand Slam success; let's wait and see. Quarter final should be the least expectation, semi-final should be achievable, but a place in the final or, even, overall victory, is a different matter. My money has to be on Djokovic whose form this year has been nothing short of remarkable. Nadal, the defending champion, will be looking for revenge for his Wimbledon defeat by the Serb, and Federer may still try to prove that he's a runner; Murray is some way behind these three in the stakes.

All we can do is watch the results and hope.

In the meantime, we also have Elena Baltacha, Heather Watson and Laura Robson in the ladies event - what price all three making it to the second round ? Or what price one of them ? Sadly, my money would probably be on none.

ARSENAL JOIN TOTTENHAM IN TEARS.

My day of gloom has been relieved to some extent by the knowledge that Tottenham's arch rivals, Arsenal, have been beaten 8-2 by Manchester United.

I suspect it will take the statisticians some time to discover when Arsenal last conceded 8 goals but I also suspect that this result may sound the death knell for Arsenal's long-standing manager, Arsene Wenger; no trophies for 6 or 7 years is one thing, to be beaten so horribly is quite another.

The worst part of today's results is that it's now abundantly clear that no one can compete with the financial muscle of the Manchester clubs and, possibly, Chelsea. That much of their money comes from foreign billionaires who've invested for purely personal reasons, seems to be ignored, as does the fact that football, as any sort of genuinely competitive sport, is being destroyed by the lust for success of both the owners and supporters.

Scottish football has been a joke for years, with Rangers and Celtic sharing the league title for decades, interrupted only rarely by others. The English league is now on the verge of joining them as being a pointless exercise for all but 3 or 4 clubs supported by Russian, or other, oligarchs; it's pathetic and ridiculous. It makes a mockery of our premier national sport.

Will, or can, anyone do anything about it ?

WHO'D BE A SPURS' SUPPORTER ?

Being a Tottenham supporter, today's result against Manchester City is horrific. To lose at home is bad enough but to lose 5-1 is shocking.

Tottenham have a problem in scoring goals, that is known; for all the hype, Defoe and Crouch really don't 'cut the mustard' in the Premier League, but our defence has usually been able to keep the opponents out most of the time. Today's defensive failure suggests that we may be in for a pretty dreadful season.

Yet again, Tottenham have built a basis for giving their supporters expectations of success only to let them down in a big way.

Saturday 6 August 2011

ENGLAND : BEST OF A BAD BUNCH ?

India's pathetic surrender in the last Test Match surely throws doubt on the nonsense that, by beating them, England could become the best cricket team in the world. England did not win the last match so much as India simply gave up; that's not to say that England may not well have won anyway, but the way in which India allowed England to dominate after having such a terrible start was hardly the mark of a side hitherto considered to be the number 1 international team. The truth is that India, Dravid and Tendulkar excepted, showed no steel and were pretty poor opposition.

On the other hand, England are a competent side, if not a great one. They have a number of players with undoubted ability, but rarely hit peak form at the same time; the opening partnership is too often a short one, and there is too often far too much reliance on the lower order to retrieve a wobbly situation. The bowling seems to be problematic, Anderson sometimes looking like a genuine world-class performer and sometimes not, while Swan seems to have gone off the boil; Bresnan, Broad, Tremlett and Finn, despite occasional top-flight showings, don't really seem to be consistent enough and wonders which of them might have found a place in an England team of earlier times.

If England do achieve the number 1 spot, it will, I feel, say a lot more about how weak international cricket now is, rather than how strong England are.

VETTEL AND RED BULL HEAD FOR THE SKY.

Despite Jenson Button's well-earned victory in last week's Hungarian Grand Prix, the drivers' championship seems destined to go the the reigning world champion, Sebastian Vettel. There's no doubt that Vettel, and the Red Bull team, no longer has the advantage over other teams that they enjoyed earlier in the year, but they have built up such a lead in the 2 championships that relatively mediocre performances in the remaining races will suffice to see them safely home.

The only question really now to be answered is 'who will come second to Vettel ?'. His team mate, Mark Webber, the 2 McClaren drivers, Button and Lewis Hamilton, and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso are all within a handful of points of each and any of them could end up taking the runners-up spot. It should really be Mark Webber, given that he's clearly had the better car for the season so far, but he's failed to capitalise in the way that his team mate has and I can't see him outscoring the others in the rest of the season. Alonso is a driver who, like Michael Schumacher in the past, gets the very best, and then a bit more, out of his car and it did look as though he might be coming into his own but Hungary surprisingly showed that McClaren seem to have made a huge stride forward in the last few weeks. If there are more wet races, and Belgium, Singapore, Japan and Brazil could all provide damp conditions at least, then Jenson Button may be the man to sneak second place, otherwise I think my money's on his team mate, Hamilton, to get there. Whatever the outcome, the eight remaining races are sure to provide plenty of drama.

The rest of this F1 season will also provide us with the last opportunity to watch a complete F1 championship on free-to-air television. With the BBC looking to save whatever money it can, the deal to allow Sky to take the lead in FI means that only half of next year's races will be shown live on BBC, the rest, as I understand it being restricted to the practice sessions, qualifying and race highlights. One has to wonder what this will actually do to the popularity of F1, as it's unlikely that many people will be willing to take out new Sky subscriptions just for FI, while many of those who've traditionally followed the sport on terrestrial television  may find themselves losing interest with what will become a disjointed coverage. I've followed the sport since the days of Graham Hill and Jim Clark and now watch every race, whatever time of day they're on; even so, I'm far from certain which direction my own future viewing choice will take. Do I fork out a fortune to Sky, or simply accept that this is yet another sport that's no longer one that can be followed with any consistency ?

Sunday 17 July 2011

DARREN CLARKE : OPEN CHAMPION !

The open Golf Championship at Royal St George's was a right old test of stamina, skill and determination. The weather was, to say the least, changeable, sometimes not too bad, sometimes pretty rough and sometimes downright horrible. To add to the players' misery, these conditions seemed to occur in very close proximity, sometimes no more than minutes apart.

Before the event, all eyes were on Rory McIlroy, the new 'Wonder-boy' of British golf. His recent success in the US overode all semblance of common sense as he was made the bookies' favourite to win this week's tournament; of course, this was nonsese. McIlroy is a fine golfer but he is still very young and placing great expectations on him was always likely to be misplaced. In the event, he showed that he does not play well in difficult weather; he never got to grips with the wind and rain and, in his after-match interview, even said that he really did not like playing in such conditions. Perversely, he also seemed to think that he could win the Open in the future without changing his approach, as long as the weather was good ! This was an astonishingly naive remark from the young man and one can only hope that, with age, will come a little more understanding of the game that he is so good at. Perhaps he should spend a little time talking to the 'Grand Old Man' of golf, Tom Watson, who, at the age of almost 62, beat the young Irishman by a shot; I guarantee that Tom never had any such silly thoughts.

With McIlroy's eclipse, the way was open for some other young gun to claim the prize and one or two did try. In the event, however, it was another 'Grand Old Man' (though not one as venerable as Tom) who played the tournament of his life. Darren Clarke played 4 rounds without going over par; he maintained an air of quiet control and confidence throughout, playing through rain, wind and shine, to triumph by 3 shots, that could have been 4 but for him being ultra-cautious over the last 2 holes. After 20 years of trying, this quiet Northern Irishman enjoyed enormous support from the crowds around the course and never once looked like faltering. In the final round, when Phil Mickelson joined him in the lead, he simply carried on; when Mickelson fell away and Dustin Johnson threatened, he ignored it. He played near faultless golf in difficult conditions and was, quite simply, the best player of the week.

Darren Clarke deservedly won the Open Championship, and in true style, but the presentation of the famous Claret Jug does not mention the tournament : he was simply pronounced 'Winner of the Gold Medal and Champion Golfer of the Year' - now there's something to be proud of !

FORMULA 1 : WHO'LL BE SECOND ?

It's difficult to know whether the British Grand Prix was a turning point or not and, if it was, whether it will make any difference.

Red Bull didn't win it, but they were still second and third and, a miracle notwithstanding, are heading for a repeat of last year's double triumph. The constructor's title is their's barring an act of God and Sebastian Vettel seems certain to retain the driver's championship. What did seem to change last weekend was the position of McClaren who are now looking at third place amongst the front runners, rather than being the only serious contenders to Red Bull.

Ferrari are always a team to be reckoned with but when one of their drivers is Fernando Alonso this is more so. Alonso's win last weekend may well have been a turning point in this year's title race, though it's probably too late to make any difference to the eventual outcome, and Alonso's team-mate, Massa, hasn't yet really troubled the scorers very much this year. It looks as though Alonso could be a real challenger in the coming races but Red Bull's, and Vettel's, lead is already so vast as to be almost unassailable.

With all of this, what of McClaren ? Their season seems to be a mess, with Hamilton struggling to reach the end of the race because of fuel issues and Button being forced to drop out after a botched pit-stop; it suggests that all is not well with the Woking-based team. A poor result at the German Grand Prix next weekend and the sporting press will be infested with suggestions that the team is in turmoil, that Hamilton and/or Button are headed for pastures new etc., etc.

For what it's worth, I see Alonso as the main man in Germany, followed by Vettel and Webber; Hamilton and Button will be lucky to make to the top 6, with Massa, Rosberg and Schumacher likely to be close competitors. It won't be long before McClaren give up on this year and starting looking to next.

WIMBLEDON SURPRISES.

Sadly, it's now a while since the Wimbledon competitors showed me to be a pretty poor predictor but, nonetheless, it's time I commented on the eventual outcomes.

The Ladies event went in an entirely unexpected direction with Maria Sharapova being comprehensively out-gunned by the eventual Champion, Petra Kvitova. I can't pretend to have heard of Kvitova before, though I suppose I must have as she made good progress at last year's event, but, at least, she'd made no impression. That cannot be said of her this year. Sharapova, the hot pre-match favourite never got a look-in as she was simply blown away by this 'new kid on the block'. Kvitova looks and plays like a real all-rounder, her physique is perfect and her game strong and complete; in contrast, Sharapova is a bean-pole who grunts a lot. The rest of the women's top seeds simply faded away, with the Williams sisters lack of play catching up with them, Caroline Wozniacki showing, yet again, that her ranking is laughabale, and Azarenka falling short. My tip, Sabine Lisicki, seemed to run out of steam towards the end but she will have moved a long way up the rankings by next year and will be a genuine contender then.

The men were, as expected, highly predictable until the very end. No one would have bet on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga coming back from 2 sets down against Roger Federer but the fact that he did tells me that Federer's time is over; he will never win another Grand Slam event. Our own 'Great White Hope', Andy Murray, yet again showed that he does not have what it takes at the highest level; after making his way to the semi-final with few alarms and even having the temerity to take the first set off of Nadal, his challenge simply faded away in the light of reality. Djokovic, of course, beat Tsonga in the other semi-final to set up a final with last year's Champion but by now most people were still expecting a Nadal victory.

In the event, the first set went with serve for the first 7 or 8 games until the Serb took charge; suddenly he was 2 sets up and no time seemed to have passed. In all honesty, Djokovic's play for that period was probably the best ever seen on any tennis court anywhere; he had Nadal, undoubtedly one of the best 2 or 3 players of all time, chasing the ball helplessly. Astonishingly, after such a tremendous display, the third set was a total reversal of the second and Djokovic found himself unable to present any challenge to an increasingly confident Nadal : 2 sets to 1 and the smart money was now all moving towards the Spaniard. The fourth set was a topsy-turvy affair with both players having their moments until Djokovic suddenly regained his balance and form to take both set and match and, with it, the Wimbledon crown. It was a good final though not one of the best; both players had brilliant spells but both also had times of seriously below-par performance.

In the end, Djokovic was a worthy winner and I certainly won't bet against him repeating the triumph next year; by then Federer will be out of contention, Murray will still be a semi-finalist, and Nadal may or may not be fit. The only other likely challenger will be Juan Martin Del Potro but 12 months can bring a lot of changes so let's not get too sure of ourselves just yet.

Sunday 26 June 2011

OLYMPIC CON-TRICK.

What is all the fuss about tickets for the Olympics ? Anyone with half a brain knew that tickets for anything worth watching would be like gold dust, while tickets for Graeco-Roman wrestling, rhythmic gymnastics and tiddlywinks would be theirs for the asking. The entire ticketting process also seems to have been a laughable mess, overseen by the slimy and egregious Lord Coe.

The whole thing is a massive con-trick, simply devised to try to ensure full arenas at all of the events while extracting the maximun amount of cash out of the idiot punters.

The Olympics as originally envisaged no longer exist. Instead, it's a platform for highly trained professional athletes plus an enormous range of participants in so-called sports that the Greeks had never heard of; instead of being competition between individuals, it's now a competition between nations. Countries import performers and short-cut their naturalisation procedures in pursuit of gold medals, happily aided by their governments; in reality, it's war without the guns.

Of course, I like to see our people doing well, but by 'our people' I don't mean the latest import from the US or Somalia; I mean someone brought up in this country. I also see the Olympics as being an occasion for proper sports, not volleyball, synchronised swimming or mountain biking, and also not the sports the Greeks never played - football, rugby, golf, tennis etc. None of these have any place in the Olympics and their inclusion is nothing more than an ego trip for the organisations than oversee them worldwide. How long will it be before we have a 'Formula 1' Olympic event ?

Those who applied for tickets are idiots. The Olympics are now an occasion for the political classes to show off at; they all get tickets, free, gratis and for nothing, because of their positions. The real people of the country have to pay through the nose for tickets to see events they've never heard of. It's a con. It's a disgrace, but it's also headed by another FIFA, the IOC, with its vast array of delegates, members and officials, all guaranteed tickets for whatever they want to see. It's also another corrupt organisation that seems to be wholely unaccountable. Thank god that 2012 will be the one and only time we have to endure this grotesquely bloated nonsense in this country in my lifetime.

WIMBLEDON, ONE WEEK IN.

As we embark on the business end of the Wimmbledon fortnight, it's interesting to reflect on what's happened so far.

In the mens' championship, the 'Big 3' are all through to round 4, though Djokovic had a mighty struggle against Baghdatis on Saturday. He looked tired and not altogether comfortable although he summoned enough from memory to take him through; whether he can go much further has to be seen. He has to get passed Llodra before he would then face an easy next match on paper in the quarters, but late on Saturday, he looked as though walking on to court might be a problem.

In contrast, Nadal has looked increasingly confident and Federer has looked back to his (almost) invincible best; he's strolled through his matches so far and has carried on the superb form he showed in Paris. The difference is that this is grass, not clay, and that might be enough to see him win the trophy. Nadal now has to face the big-hitting Del Potro, followed by Berdych or Fish before he gets to Murray - will confidence be enough ? Federer has to see off Youzny and either Ferrer or Tsonga - on current form, no problem.

Our own 'Great White Hope'. Andy Murray, has also progressed well after a nervous start. and will come up against an old adversary, Richard Gasquet, on Monday. He ought to win and should make it through to the semi-final, as his presumed quarter final opponent is one of the unseeded Kubot or Lopez.

Who will prevail ? For me, it's a straight fight between the 'Big 2' - Nadal and Federer, with Federer just shading it because of the surface. Djokovic looks spent and Murray is Murray.

In the womens', it's service as usual. Many of the seeds have gone and the Williams sisters, despite hardly playing for ages, are still there. The main contenders ought to be the world number 1, Caroline Wozniacki, Sharapova and Azarenka, but who would bet against another Williams victory ? Wozniacki, in my book, has no chance, Sharapova tends to be brittle and Azarenka has guts but can she really win ? The dark horse, without a doubt, is the unseeded Sabine Lisicki, a player who's been out of action with injuries for a long time but would have been well up in the seedings otherwise. Her prospective quarter final opponent is Serena, and the winner of this match will probably make the final; on the other side of the net could well be the 5 times champion, Venus, though Azarenka has a clear shout.

If Serena retains her title after her year out and pretty horrific time, it would be a miracle; if Venus wins, it won't be far short. I'd go for a final between Azarenka and Lisicki, with something of a fairytale finish for the unseeded German but, with the women, anything's possible.

Monday 20 June 2011

WELL DONE, RORY McILROY, BUT .......

Inevitably, Rory McIlroy's tremendous win in the US Open golf championship has spawned the usual stupid responses and comments that accompany every home triumph or, even, minor success.

Jack Nicklaus, a truly great player, has been quoted as saying "I think this kid's going to have a great career", surely one of the most banal remarks possible, while McIlroy's Northern Irish compatriot Graeme McDowell has apparently said "He's potentially the next Tiger Woods". This last statement is so moronically meaningless as to make me want to vomit. Every new player is 'potentially' a great player, but no one is ever the 'next' somebody else. Rory McIlroy is not the next anyone, he is the one and only Rory McIlroy; if he can continue his recent form, he could eventually become one of the game's great players, but please don't get caught up in the nonsensical hyperbole so beloved of our bone-headed media.

Tuesday 14 June 2011

MURRAY'S WIMBLEDON DREAM.

Unfortunately, Andy Murray has managed to win the Queen's Club tournament with a fairly rousing performance against the talented Frenchman, Jo-Wilfrid Tsonga. I say 'unfortunately' because his victory has added even more fuel to the media storm that erupts every year at this time, when the chances of a Briton winning the Wimbledon championship are hotly debated.

For several years, it was Tim Henman who was our 'Great White Hope' and now it is Murray. Henman was never quite good enough even to reach a Grand Slam final, but that didn't stop the media from 'talking-up' his chances, year after year. Murray is almost certainly a better player than Henman ever was and may well be our best ever; he has reached 3 Grand Slam finals but suffered crushing defeats every time. The Britsih media choose to ignore this last point and simply repeat, ad nauseam, that 'This could be his year !'

Murray is playing well, of that there is no doubt; he is a fine player, again no doubt. But is he really good enough to beat Nadal, Djokovic or Federer over 5 sets in a major championship ? If he is, his cause is not helped by the ridiculous jingoistic clap-trap spouted by our press and media, in particular the sycophantic commentary team on the BBC. Listening to the tripe pouring from Andrew Castle, John Lloyd and even Sue Barker, made me want to switch off. All 3 were decent players in their own right, Barker being genuine top class, but as commentators they are definitely 'bottom-drawer'. Disappointingly, Barker used to be one of the more enjoyable presenters but, over the years, she has descended to the same level as the rest of the BBC's sports commentary squad.

Murray could win Wimbledon, if Nadal, Djokovic and Federer suffer an upset. Even then, he would be no more than 1 of 3 or 4 second-line contenders; his chances with the 'Big 3' in place, are remote. Why can't the media accept this and leave any celebrations until AFTER the tournament ?

Wednesday 8 June 2011

BAHRAIN GETS BLACK-FLAGGED.

Motar sport has hardly covered itself in glory in recent times, with total confusion over the Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The race, initially scheduled for March, was 'suspended' due to unrest in that country with the intention of rescheduling it later in the year. Last week, the motorsport governing body, the FIA, announced that the race would take place in October, with the Indian GP being pushed back to December. Rather unsurprisingly, there was a degree of unhappiness about this proposal, both due to the apparent disregard the decision showed for the recent actions of the Bahraini government, and for the disruption that was to be caused to the end of the F1 season. Yesterday, the F1 teams association, FOTA, expressed their view that the proposals were unacceptable and today Bernie Ecclestone, the effective boss of F1 has said that they are simply 'no-go', so it looks as though the saga is now at an end.

How Formula 1 got itself in this mess in the first place may be a question that needs considering but at least they've arrived at the right answer in the end.

NADAL STILL THE KING OF ROLAND GARROS !

Despite all of the earlier worries about Rafael Nadal not liking the new balls and not being in his usual form, he still ended the French Open Tennis Championships as Champion. Match by match, he grew in confidence and his defeat of Andy Murray in the semi-final showed that the Scot still has a long way to go before he can really challenge for top honours. In the final, he eventually showed his top form and proved, again, too strong for his opponent, Roger Federer. Federer had already achieved the result of the tournament with a brilliant performance against the hitherto unbeaten, and seemingly unbeatable, Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. The Swiss showed just why he's been so good for so long with a masterful and unexpected victory that reminded us all that he is still very much a contender for major trophies. In the end, he didn't quite have the weapons to see off Nadal as well and lost to the Spaniard for the fourth time in a French Open final, not a record he'll want to be reminded of.

The women's tournament saw the defending champion, Francesca Schiavone, defy a poor run so far this year and reach the final, only to fall victim to the power of the first Chinese to win a major title, Na Li. Schiavone had had her difficulties during the rounds, but had begun to look good for a repeat of last year until Na Li simply out-powered her and Schiavone seemed to run out of steam.

Now it's on to Wimbledon in a couple of weeks and we can look forward to the British press hyping up the chances of Andy Murray, yet again. In truth, Murray has next to no chance, with the 'Big 3' of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer way out ahead of everyone else in the field. With a decent draw, Murray may well get to the semi-final, which would be no bad performance, but his chances of going any further really rely on his likely opponent at that stage, Nadal, slipping up earlier on. Nothing is sport is certain, but if the Wimbledon champion isn't one of Nadal, Djokovic or Federer, it'll be a major surprise. The women's championship could, however, be won by any of a dozen competitors though Na Li must now be near the top of the list, along with Maria Sharapova. All will be revealed by 3rd July.

Sunday 29 May 2011

ROLAND GARROS: WEEK 1 AND CONTRASTING FORTUNES.

As the French Open Tennis Championships roll on, the fields have been whittled down and we are now on the verge of the second week, when the minnows have mostly been eliminated and only the major contenders remain.

That said, the womens' tournament has been exceptional this year as both of the top 2 seeds have been beaten already. Kim Clijsters, the number 2, collapsed completely against a young Dutch girl, but has the excuse that she's played very little in recent weeks due to injury. The current world number 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, on the other hand, has no such excuses for her thumping by Daniela Hantuchova, having played regularly for months. Wozniacki must count as one of the poorest players ever to reach the top spot, never having won a grand slam tournament and only having reached one such final, that of the 2009 US Open when she was beaten by Clijsters who'd only just returned from 2 years away from the sport. Wozniacki is a generally solid though entirely unspectacular player who seems to rely more on her opponents' mistakes than on her own abilities and would surely never have reached the lofty heights of World number 1 if the Williams sisters or Clijsters had been fit and playing regularly. The womens' event has also lost last year's runner-up, Sam Stosur, beaten by the unseeded Gisela Dulko, and who's going to win the title is now anyone's guess. Defending champion, Francesca Schiavone, seems to be in great form, and the assortment of Russians and other eastern Europeans, Zvonareva, Sharapova, Kuznetsova, Kirilenko et al., will undoubtedly have a say. The smart money may well be on Schaivone to repeat last year's triumph.

The men's event has been in almost total contrast to the womens' with the top 5 seeds all safely through to the 4th round and no one really looking beyond these 5 for a potential champion. Nadal has gained form and confidence as the matches have progressed, and Federer has looked to be much more of his old self and has regained some of his former imperious style. The man of the moment, Djokovic, looked to be suffering a slight drop in form against Del Potro, but he regained his composure to continue his quest for another title and the world number 1 ranking. Andy Murray has also been looking good, but gave his supporters a few anxious moments in his 3rd round match when he seemed to have suffered a serious ankle injury; fortunately, he was able to continue and saw off his opponent quite easily, and we can only wait to see if he will be able to continue his campaign in the 4th round tomorrow. Fifth seed, Robin Soderling, has reached the final at each of the last 2 French Opens, so can't be ignored, however, he doesn't seem to be in quite the same class as the top 4 in the draw. Djokovic is probably the favourite notwithstanding Nadal's dominance here over the years. but there's little to choose between them and Federer so far; I don't see Murray really threatening though he should reach the semi-final, injury permitting. For me, Federer is the dark horse and I'd have a crafty bet on him.

BARCELONA PUT FERGUSON IN HIS PLACE.

Barcelona proved their credentials and duely beat Manchester United quite comfortably in yesterday's Champions' League final.

In any sane world, that result would cause the pundits to shut up for a while about the greatness of Manchester United, the Premier Laegue and British football generally but the world of football punditry is far from sane, No doubt we'll be regaled with stories lauding United and telling us that losing 3-1 was a much better result than any other team could have achieved; we'll be told that they were, of course, up against the best team in the world, so we could hardly expect them to win, etc., etc.

At least the football season is almost over though it will begin again all too soon, and the media coverage will hardly be any less as they witter about summer transfers and the prospects for the New Season. God help us.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

GREAT TOURNAMENT, SHAME ABOUT THE COMMENTATORS.

Watching coverage of the French Open Tennis championships on the BBC's 'Red Button' service, I find myself increasingly annoyed by the inane ramblings of the commentators.

These goons seem to have little to say and yet take for ever to say it; they exist upon a string of clichés which they trot out ad nauseam. The likes of Andrew Castle and John Lloyd seem incapable of making any sort of honest statements about the performances of the players and, instead, insist on repeating that 'so-and so's level has dropped', or that 'thingumyjig's looking a bit jaded today'. They are masters of stating the obvious and being wise after the event; John Lloyd, in particular, and someone who was a good player in his day, really has no place in the commentary box. Why can't they just commentate, and make some honest statements that reflect what is really happening on court, rather than provide a constant stream of drivel ? The only bright spot is the contribution of Sam Smith, another former player, but who is far less intrusive or cliché driven, and much more informative and viewer-friendly.

I've just watched a large part of one of the least exciting matches ever, between Frenchman Gael Monfils and another Frenchman of whom no one has ever heard. Instead of bemoaning the excrutiatingly dull nature of this match, the commentators did their usual and tried to pretend it was all ever so exciting; given that this tournament is in France and that both contestants in this match were French, anyone would have thought that the total lack of enthusiasm from the crowd might have given the two goons a hint but no, no such luck. They just droned on, and on, and on ............. . 

Well done to the Beeb for covering the tournament, but 'Oh Dear !', what a pity about the commentary.

Thursday 19 May 2011

MURRAY WINS FRENCH CROWN : A DREAM ?

Next week we have the French Open, the second Tennis Grand Slam of the year. Rafael Nadal will, obviously, be the favourite, but Novak Djokovic may well give him a better run for his money than he's had from anyone in the last 5 or 6 years and, in that, I include Roger Federer. Federer, great champion and player though he's been, has never loved clay and his only French success was when Nadal was absent through injury.

The British hope, as usual these days, is Andy Murray. Murray has shown a smidgeon of form at last with his performance against Djokovic last week, but his overall form since the Australian Open in January has been abysmal. Hopefully, he'll have an easy first couple of matches which will see him gain a bit of confidence and then he'll become a genuine contender. He does have the ability to reach the semi-final; whether or not he can get to the final is a different matter, and winning the crown ........................... ??

Sunday 15 May 2011

THIS REALLY ISN'T CRICKET.

This weekend, I was tempted to make a 100 mile journey to watch a bit of cricket at Uxbridge, a nice ground where my team, Middlesex, are entertaining the Sri Lankan tourists. How glad am I that I decided not to go.

Middlesex appear to have put out a second eleven composed of players who've never been heard of and the match seems to be nothing more than a practice 'knock-about' for the tourists and also for the England captain, Andrew Strauss, who hasn't wielded a bat in anger for several weeks, if not months.

There was a time when matches against the touring team were highly prized as opportunities for good county players to show their credentials and try to impress the selectors; no more it seems. Seven of the Middlesex team hadn't appeared for the county in a serious match yet this season; the bowling attack. if that's the right word, were unheard of. Nonetheless, spectators will no doubt have been charged the usual, or perhaps even enhanced rates, for the privilege of watching.

This 'match' is a shocking example of eveything that's wrong with English sport today; no longer does local competition matter but everything has to defer to the needs of the international arena. In this latest game, Middlesex have served simply as a mechanism to allow the tourists a bit of practice before the first test match; the game at Uxbridge is, itself, utterly pointless and an abuse of the spectators who've taken the trouble to go to see it.

As someone who's been following and watching cricket, and Middlesex in particular, for almost 50 years, I find myself starting to despise the game I used to love.

ANDY MURRAY : ANOTHER 'GREAT WHITE HOPE' LOST ?

Andy Murray is a good tennis player but is he ever going to be the great one that Britain craves ?

It's decades since any British man won a major international tournament though Murray has managed to get himself into 3 'Grand Slam' finals in the last few years, something even the sainted Tim Henman couldn't manage. Murray got to the final of the Australian Open in January of this year, and was thoroughly trounced by a genuinely top-notch player, Novak Djokovich. Ever since, he's barely been able to put racket to ball as he's been thumped by people who'd have trouble beating my old auntie Mabel, who's 88, by the way.

Yesterday, Murray showed signs that he was returning to some sort of form by not quite beating Djokovich in the semi-finals of the Italian Open. He is still, somehow, ranked as number 4 in the world and the French Open will be upon us momentarily, quickly followed by Wimbledon. With Roger Federer nowhere near the force he used to be, there are not too many serious contenders for major titles these days; Nadal, of course with injuries permitting, and Djokovich, perhaps Soderling, and Berdych, but who else ? IF Murray is able to show any sort of form, he may be have a genuine chance of creating his own iece of histry; IF.

Sunday 8 May 2011

SEVE FINDS A FINAL BUNKER.

The news of the death of Severiano Ballesteros will not only have saddened those who knew him but also the hordes of supported that he'd accumulated over the years.

Universally known as 'Seve' his appearance on the golfing scene over 30 years ago brought a new style and exuberance to the game, similar to the way that Lee Trevino had done a decade earlier. 'Seve' was one of those rare sporting figures who transcends his sport, becoming an inspirational figure to many who probably had little interest in golf. His recent struggles with cancer only served to enhance his reputation and his passing diminishes us all.

'Seve' was a great golfer and universally admired. He will be missed.

Wednesday 4 May 2011

HIGGINS TRUMPS TRUMP - JUST.

The World Snooker final was, in the end, every bit as good and exciting as had been hoped. Young Judd Trump continued to thrill the crowd with his audacious potting, while John Higgins proved, as usual, to be a man it's very hard to beat.

Day one saw Higgins well below his best form while Trump potted balls from all angles and positions. Higgins clung on tenaciously but could be seen looking pretty rattled more than once. Somehow, he kept the score within bounds and was level at 7-7 before Trump  took the last 3 frames of the day and looked as though he was beginning to get up a real head of steam.

Day two saw Higgins looking more settled and the pair shared the first 4 frames before, finally, Trump began to sink under the pressure of Higgins tenacity. From 9-12 behind, Higgins won 5 frames to lead 14-12 and he never looked back; although Trump continued to play some astonishing pots and drew level in frame 28, it was Higgins who was the more consistent and pulled away again to lead 17-15.

The final frame brought about one of the more memorable climaxes as Higgins, needing 2 4-point snookers to win, cleared the colours up to the blue and obtained a single snooker on the pink which Trump missed. Higgins then potted the very awkward pink left by Trump, before taking the black and the Crown.

This was a match that pitted age and experience against youth and daring; in the end, it was age and experience that, rightly, triumphed as Higgins grew stronger and played better as the match progressed, while Trump played more reckless shots and tended to lose position, relying more and more on his extraordinary potting to get him out of trouble. Sadly for him, he found out that this game is not just about potting.

This was Higgins' fourth World Title, a number beaten by only three players in the modern era, Ray Reardon, Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. In this championship, he showed amazing resilience, coming back from losing positions against 2 other great players, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Mark Williams, before his exploits in the final, and has truly established himself as one of the greatest players in the game's history. After a traumatic year, this was almost a preordained victory and he could well win more titles yet.

While every snooker buff knew of John Higgins, Judd Trump was the discovery of the championship. His performances throughout the tournament, from his first round victory over last year's champion, Neil Robertson, to his epic semi-final against Ding Junhui, showed that this young man has well and truly arrived on the scene and will be a force for many years to come. While his positional play sometimes let him down, he will undoubtedly improve further and next year he could well be unstoppable. His manner in defeat was relaxed and gentlemanly and also did him much credit.

What a shame that we have to wait almost another full year for a repeat performance !

Monday 2 May 2011

TED IS SNOOKERED, HENRY KO'd.

The news of the last couple of days has carried the stories of the loss to us of two great sporting figures, Ted Lowe and Henry Cooper.

'Whispering' Ted Lowe was the man who brought snooker to a wide audience as commentator on the wonderful 'Pot Black' series, from its beginning in 1969, through to the 1980s by when the game had gained much greater popular appeal. His hushed tones were exactly right for the snooker-room atmosphere and he was always an understated commentator, never shouting at his audience and never saying more than was necessary, as so many do today. Snooker is a game that benefited greatly from the advent of colour television and it also gave rise to Ted Lowe's immortal line "and for those of you who are watching in black and white, the pink is next to the green" ! Ted also gave us an unforgettable quote about the great Fred Davis when he explained Fred's difficulty in reaching a long shot by saying that Fred "is getting on a bit and is having trouble getting his leg over". Ted Lowe was 90 and sadly died on the first morning of this year's World Championship final; it would be nice to think that, having watched the two terrific semi-finals, he didn't want to see either contestant lose in the final, and so did the gentlemanly thing and made himself unavailable. He will be missed.

While Ted Lowe was a commentator rather than a participator, Sir Henry Cooper was exactly the opposite. From humble beginnings, 'our Henery' became a national icon, one of the best boxers this country has ever produced. British heavyweight champion from 1959 until 1967 and again in 1970/71, Commonwealth and European champion too, and nearly a conqueror of Cassius Clay before he became Muhammed Ali. As a heavyweight, Henry was really too light and his tendency to cut easily was a blight on his career that prevented him from rising to the very top, which he would undoubtedly have done otherwise. Henry was always a man of few words and usually let his manager, Jim Wicks, do the talking for him - Henry did his in the ring. His last fight, against  Joe Bugner, produced one of the most incredible results in the history of the sport as Bugner was deemed the winner of a bout that Henry had clearly done at least enough to draw, if not to win himself. This result brought about Henry's retirement from the sport he loved but his universal popularity saw him return to television screens in advertisements and as captain of one of the 'Question of Sport' teams from 1970 until 1977. Henry was a true 'Gentle Giant', notwithstanding his sporting activities, and was deservedly given a knighthood in 2000. A Sporting Great who will live long in our hearts.

Saturday 30 April 2011

THIRTY FIVE FRAMES TO GO.

What a terrific day of snooker ! Two contrasting semi-finals, both closely contested and producing a final tomorrow to make the mouth water.

Judd Trump's triumph over Ding Junhui was an astonishing achievement for a young lad of 21. The final session produced snooker of immense quality and, as was said by one of the commentators, Ding didn't lose it, Trump won it. That this young man could produce such a mature performance says an awful lot about his temperament as well as his skill.

The second semi-final was a very different affair, played between two much older and more experienced men, John Higgins and Mark Williams. Williams held the whip-hand early on and Higgins struggled to stay in touch. Somehow, Higgins not only stayed in touch but slowly drew level and then moved ahead. The last few frames, in huge contrast to the Ding-Trump match, were nervous and strewn with errors as both players felt the tension. In the end, it was Mark Williams who missed one too many pots and John Higgins who emerged as the winner.

Tomorrow, we'll see Higgins, already 4 times a finalist and 3 times a champion, and Judd Trump, at 21 the second youngest finalist ever and whose only previous visit to the Crucible ended in a first round defeat at the hands of Shaun Murphy in 2007. The contrast could hardly be greater.

Who will win the best-of-35 frame final ? Logic says Higgins, though Trump will probably be the 'peoples' favourite'; the Final ought to be a cracker and either will be a worthy Champion.

FRANKEL, THE WONDER HORSE !

Forget television's old equine hero, 'Champion, The Wonder Horse', anyone who saw the 2,000 Guineas run at Newmarket this afternoon cannot fail to have been impressed by the astonishing performance of the winner, Frankel.

This horse, admittedly a hot favourite, simply ran away from the rest of the field from the start. He even left his own pacemaker trailing in his wake as he built a huge lead by the halfway stage, and clung on to win by some 6 lengths. He's already a strong favourite for the Derby, though whether he can win that longer race in a similar way is surely debatable; one imagines that his jockey will have to hold him back if he's not to simply exhaust himself long before the finishing post.

Roll on June 4th when all may be revealed.

Thursday 28 April 2011

WHO WILL POT THE FINAL BLACK ?

As the World Snooker Championship approaches it's final stages, it seems we're in for a battle between young and old. On the one hand, Judd Trump, 21, and Ding Junhui, 24, will contest one semi-final, while on the other, Mark Williams, 36, and John Higgins, 36 next month, will contest the other. Williams and Higgins have 5 World titles, and 7 appearenaces in the final, between them, while neither of the two youngsters has even reached the semi-final stage before.

The standard at this year's championship has, in my inexpert view, been excellent. Any of the remaining competitors would be a worthy champion as all have shown plenty of grit and determination as well as amazing skill so far. In particular, perhaps, young Judd Trump has exceeded all expectations with some remarkable displays of potting, now allied to at least some semblance of a 'safety game'. The two 'old-stagers' have both had their troubles in recent years but have battled immensely hard to put themselves firmly in the frame yet again, and Ding Junhui has added an entirely new dimension to the game's international appeal. Only a handful of players from outside of the traditional 'white european' culture (in which I include former colonial countries such as Australia and Canada) have ever made a mark in the game and Ding can make history by becoming the first Asian player to win the crown; he has already achieved the distinction of being the first Asian semi-finalist.

Who will triumph ? For once, I don't really have a favourite; gone are the days when I'd shout my support for Steve Davis or Jimmy White at the television and, in different ways, I can see reasons for supporting all four players. Williams for his dramatic return to form after years in the wilderness and Higgins for his rehabilitation after the match-fixing scandal of last year; young Trump as, perhaps, the most exciting player and the 'face of the future', and Ding as the man whose success so far has brought snooker to a wider audience than ever before and whose success here could revolutionise it.

I have a sneaking feeling that the final may be Williams against Trump, but then again it could be Higgins against Ding .......... or Williams against Ding .......... or Higgins against Trump. Oh dear, it could be anyone !

Saturday 23 April 2011

CRICKET, LOVELY CRICKET.

A couple of days ago, I found myself sitting at the Derbyshire County Cricket ground, in the sun and having a beer. The only thing really unusual about this was that it was still April.

I've been watching cricket for almost 50 years since my first visit to Lord's in 1962 and this, as far as I can remember, is the first time I've ever been to a County Championship match in April. In years gone by, the season used to start around 20th April; the Championship might have begun at the end of April, but teams would certainly not have played more than one match before the end of that month. Now, with the advent of the egregious 20-20, the Championship, the season starts at the end of March while the premier tournament, is relegated to April and May, August and September; the best months of June and July are reserved, almost exclusively, for knock-about games that draw the uneducated masses.

Last Wednesday was a beautiful day. The weather was fantastic, as good as July or August, and my team did well; the trouble is that this was very exceptional. More often than not April is a dull, wet and windy month, not very conducive to cricket; championship games suffer and end in draws, while the players gain no form to take forward into the rest of the season. This year, players and supporters have had an unusually clement start to the season; all any of us can do is take advantage while we can. The one-day, even the 2 or 3 hour, tripe will be on us all too soon.

Monday 11 April 2011

SCHWARTZEL IS THE MASTER

Sadly for golfing enthusiasts in the UK, Rory McIlroy failed in his bid to lead the Masters championship from start to finish; he did, though, manage to lead it for 63 of the 72 holes and it was only a catastrophic last nine that undid him. At 21, he was hoping to become the second youngest winner of the tournament, after Tiger Woods, but it wasn't to be. Nonetheless, this young man has an enormous talent and will surely improve for the disappointment of Sunday; winning a golfing 'Major', or even several, must be very likely.

With McIlroy falling away, the door was left open for others and it was a relatively obscure South African, Charl Schwartzel, who eventually triumphed in fairly spectacular style, with birdies at each of the last four holes leaving his challengers floundering. For a time, it had looked as though Tiger Woods might put in a dramatic challenge but he was unable to improve his score from the 8th hole and finished 4 behind the winner. In typical Woods fashion, his responses to the immediate post-round interview were terse, bordering on the rude; this man may be a great golfer but he still has a lot to learn about manners and accepting defeat with good grace. He could do worse than read a little Kipling or, if that's too much for him, visit the Centre Court at Wimbledon for a lesson :

"If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat these two imposters just the same"

While McIlroy finished at 4 under par, still a good score, the UK had 4 other players who finished high on the leader board in Luke Donald, Justin Rose, Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher. As McIlroy faded, Donald came into genuine contention but was unable to keep up with the pace and eventually tied for 4th with Woods and Geoff Ogilvy; Rose and Westwood both finished on 5 under and are assured of their invitations to compete again next year, as are Fisher and McIlroy who tied in 15th place.

One 'Major' down and 3 more to go. Perhaps McIlroy or one of the others will have better luck in Bethesda in June, at Royal St George's in July or John's Creek in August. Those of us on this sdie of the Atlantic can only keep our fingers crossed !

Sunday 10 April 2011

SPIRIT OF RED RUM LIVES ON

Yesterday's Grand National was yet another great race in the history of this Great Race. Nowhere else in the world is there a steeplechase to match this extraordinary test of stamina and jumping, a race first run in 1839 and won by a horse very appropriately named 'Lottery'.

This year's race was one that confirmed the credentials of the McCain family, the winner being trained by the son of the great Donald "Ginger" McCain, the man who brought 'Red Rum' to Aintree for 5 unforgettable years of drama and success - no other horse in the history of the race has ever achieved 3 wins and 2 seconds, or become quite such a 'people's favourite'. McCain gained another triumph with 'Amberleigh House' in 2004 and now his son, another Donald, has also won this most famous of national hunt horse races with 'Ballabriggs'.

Inevitably there are people who want to see the race banned due to the danger it holds for the horses. It has to be acknowledged that the race is hazardous to both horses and jockeys, but it's interesting to note that no one has recently made any serious representation on behalf of the jockeys. Every year, an assortment of animal rights organisations use any opportunity to argue for the races' abandonment and, this year, sadly, 2 horses did suffer fatal injuries. The question that arises is "Should the race continue ?"

Race horses are, essentially, wild animals that have been tamed and trained by humans; as wild animals, they are natural runners and jumpers. In race situations, it can be seen that even after parting with their jockey, a horse will usually continue running and jumping alongside their companions in a race, and this includes the Grand National. Red Rum was never seen to complain or to baulk at the challenge of Aintree's mamoth fences, and actually seemed to relish them; in 5 visits, he completed the course every time, fighting to the finish on each occasion.

It's also the case that there are thousands of national hunt races very year and comparatively few fatalities, although animal rights organisations will use every available mechanism to make the numbers seem as bad and frightening as possible. At the same time, the horse racing authorities and enthusiasts will use every possible arguement to make the losses appear as insignificant as possible.

What can we make of all of this ? Actually, very little. The majority of people in the western world think very little of the origin of their dinners - beef, lamb, pork, chicken etc. don't grow on trees - and yet many of them consider the eating of other animals, horses or dogs, to be disgusting. Some find the hunting of vermin such as foxes to be cruel and inhumane, others think it's perfectly reasonable sport. Some believe that keeping their homes full of dogs and cats is quite normal, others find it pretty filthy.

In reality, it all seems to be a matter of cultural beliefs and a degree of somewhat irrational attachment to animals that have very little in the way of anything that can be called true consciousness. Why we should be so concerned about horses when we happily kill and eat cows, sheep, pigs and chickens, as well as geese, ducks, rabbits and loads of other creatures, is a bit of a mystery; at least the horses go out as free animals, doing something that they are naturally inclined to do.

On balance, I think that those who are calling for the banning of the Grand National should be ignored. They may be well-meaning, but they're misguided. If we take their views to the extreme we won't just be having a referendum on 'AV' in a few weeks time, we'll be having another on whether rodents should have the vote in a a few decades. People are people and animals are animals; humans have been using animals in a variety of ways for thousands of years and some animals have certainly profited from eating the occasional human, but with no overall ill-effect to either group. I don't believe that horse racing is cruel and I don't believe that the Grand National should be banned; I believe that the killjoys who have so little to do that their main "raison d'etre" is worrying about animals, should open their eyes and start thinking about their fellow human beings a bit more.

Friday 8 April 2011

WILL NO ONE RID US OF THIS EGREGIOUS SCOT ?

Alex Ferguson, the loud-mouthed Scottish yob who runs Manchester United, is at it again.

After the disgusting behaviour of his protegé, Wayne Rooney, last week, Ferguson has found what he sees as yet another injustice being done to his players and his team. Rooney was censured and banned for his very public outburst, a penalty that he and, presumably, his manager, felt was too harsh; the fact that it meant he'd miss the FA Cup semi-final was, of course, nothing to do with it.

Rooney appealed against the ban and was rightly told to go away. Now Ferguson is claiming, apparently on the say-so of the relevant referee's fellow officials, that the referee was 'put under pressure' to make the report that led to Rooney's ban. The fact that the idiot's actions were seen and heard by millions of TV viewers which must, itself, have raised the ante somewhat, seems to have escaped Ferguson, as he berates and pressurises yet another referee.

One wonders how many referees the egregious Scot is now happy to have controlling matches involving his team; one might also wonder how many refeees 'throw a sickie' when told that they've drawn the short straw. If he has a complaint against a referee, by all means make it, but in private and not through the media. When players misbehave, they are rightly penalised; the same should apply to managers, however high and mighty they are. It really is time that the FA took some serious action against this man.

Wednesday 6 April 2011

SPURS COME UNSTUCK - BIG TIME.

So Tottenham's magical run in the Champions' League has almost certainly come to a shuddering halt at the hands, or feet, of Real Madrid.

Tottenham have been living on borrowed time for longer than it's healthy to remember. Their recent league result, draws with 3 of the bottom clubs in the Premier league, have hardly suggested they were really Champions' League material and Real have driven the point home, emphatically. It may be fair to say that the loss of Peter Crouch inside the first 15 minutes was a major factor but his wasn't the first dismissal the club has suffered in an important match this season; after all, it was only after they were reduced to 10 men that they nearly staged an astonishing come-back against Inter Milan at the San Siro, but making a habit of such situations is surely something that should be avoided.

Tottenham are a decent side but nothing very special. Their progress in the Champions' League this season has been pretty amazing but now, bar an act of god, it's over. Sadly, their recent league performances have been such as to make it very unlikely that they will qualify for next year's Champions' League and they will have to settle for the lesser UEFA League and even that could be problematic if they don't start scoring a few goals. Their strikers have been a largely impotent force this season while their defence has been less than impenetrable - not a recipe for success.

What Harry Redknapp has done with this team is remarkable but he's reached the end of what can be achieved without long term committment and major investment, neither of which seem to be in the minds of the Tottenham Board. While Arsenal and Manchester United have picked a manager and then given him time to properly develop a team and a philosophy, Tottenham have changed managers more times than I've changed my socks. Harry is, sadly, too old to be a long term proposition but what is the Board doing about finding a man who can lead this team for the next 10, 15 or 20 years ? This is what they must have if they are ever going to be real challengers for major trophies. Instead, the Board seems to want to move the team to the outskirts of East London, at the Olympic stadium site, alienating it from its supporters and its roots.

50 years after their great double-winning season, Tottenham have yet to find any sort of consistency in play or in management. Their overall record, even including this year's heights, speaks for itself - mediocre, at best - while neighbours Arsenal have outstripped them in every way. Sad, but true.

Monday 4 April 2011

ROONEY'S FOUL-MOUTHED OUTBURST.

Wayne Rooney may be a good footballer, though he is certainly not a great one. What he is, without any doubt, is a foul-mouthed and illiterate yob.

His manner and behaviour on the field is nothing for anyone to promote or be proud of. He may well be doing nothing more than behaving in a way that is commonplace to many people but, given the huge prominence of football in today's society, it is unacceptable. That his manager is equally, if not even more guilty, is probably his only real defence.

In this country, football has led the way in degrading our society; as the game has risen in prominence, so the moral standards of our society have declined. Players are paid obscene amounts of money for kicking a ball around, essentially for playing a child's game; they behave in a way that leads our children to believe that aggression and confrontation are the norm, that it is perfectly acceptable to challenge any decision that you don't like in a threatening manner.

While I'm quite sure that top level football is now a huge detriment to our society, what I'm not sure of is whether it is football that has led the way or other issues in our society that have created an environment in which the abominable atmosphere of senior football can thrive. Whichever it is, footballers, their managers and clubs have a duty to clean up their acts and, if they won't do it, sponsors and broadcasters should take the matter out of their hands.

Sunday 3 April 2011

A LAMENT FOR CRICKETING GHOSTS.

The Cricket World Cup is, thankfully, over. India has won in an apparently exciting match that avoided any serious crowd disturbance and there were no terrorist attacks. Glory Be.

This competition is an invention of the need for sports to be elevated many strata above their real position of importance in the world. Instead of sports being played for fun and the entertainment of the spectators, they are now essentially about the amount of money that can be attracted to support the grossly overpaid prima donnas who inhabit the largely new and very alien world of modern sporting celebrity.

As a lad of 9 or 10, I was taken to my first matches at Lords, the home of cricket, by my father. I watched Middlesex, which became 'my' team, I saw England, and regularly enjoyed seeing many of the world's greatest players in an amosphere of awe and wonder. Later, I was privileged to be present at a couple of one day Finals, the Gillete in 1971 and the NatWest in 1980, both of which were great games played in front of an appreciative audience. Over a period of years, I saw Australian, West Indian, and Pakistani touring teams; I saw Colin Cowdrey score 155 and Geoff Boycott make 182 (not out, mind you !) and watched as Barry Richards and Mike Proctor showed just how good they were - extraordinary !

Since those heady days, my attendance at matches has dwindled. Test matches are now the province of the inane masses, those who would otherwise be throwing bricks at referees from the football terraces. One day games are frequently the same, often with so much moronic chanting as to destroy the experience of anyone who actually wants to enjoy the skill of the cricketers on the field. Real cricket, the County Championship, has been wholly devalued by the withdrawal of most of the best players, deemed to be needed for the Test side and who mustn't be 'overplayed', and by the stupid introduction of a 4-day format. This is supposed to prepare our younger players for Test cricket but how is yet to be made clear. Attendances at County Championship matches, certainly at Lords, are abysmal; one or two other grounds I've visited possibly fare a little better but it's a losing battle. The Championship, in its current format, is doomed; it will no doubt be replaced by a limited overs event before very long.

There is so much wrong with the current structure of cricket in this country that it's impossible to know where to begin. Our players are feted as being sporting stars when most of them have never been heard of beyond the boundaries of their home grounds. Some of them, far too many, are paid stupid amounts of money on the back of unsustainable sponsorship deals; most of them are nothing like as good as the media makes out. They play little cricket outside of the international merry-go-round of Tests, one-dayers and the egregious 20-20. The game has become a spectacle for the uneducated masses, in which the batsmen are expected to hit every ball for 4 or 6 and the bowler is nothing more than an obliging adjunct. The ball has been doctored to make it as unhelpful to the bowlers as possible, the wickets are as flat as any pancake one can imagine and are covered at the slightest sign of a dewdrop. The game I watched as a youngster no longer exists.

Of course, there are still some good, even great, players who would prosper whatever the type of game and whatever the conditions. It's hard to believe that Sachin Tendulkar or Muttiah Muralitharan would not have found a place in most international sides of the last 100 years, but they are the exception; there are few, if any, English players of recent decades who have reached such heights of brilliance and consistency. This situation will continue for as long as we insist on heaping plaudits on players every time they do anything of note, rather than holding back praise until it is really deserved.

Thursday 31 March 2011

WHO WANTS TO COACH MURRAY ?

Apparently, Andy Murray, who some may remember used to be a tennis player, wants to appoint a new coach 'as soon as possible'.

Murray, who was the great white hope of British tennis only a short time ago, has played only 4 matches since his crushing defeat in the final of the Australian Open Chamionship and has lost all of them; I think his last 2 losses have been to qualifiers, ranked so far below him as to be visible only under a microscope.

Murray has had an assortment of coaching arrangements in his career and now seems to want a new one within a matter of days; whether anyone is actually stupid enough to want to be the coach of this increasingly annoying young man is debatable. He was, at one time, a fairly attractive character but he has become more of a pain than anything else. His demeanour on court is, too often, that of a man who has the weight of the world on his shoulders; he has repeatedly shown that he is incapable of winning the most important matches or, more significantly, of putting up a serious fight in them. Having risen, rather fortuitously, to number 2 in the world, he is now back to number 4 and will almost certainly sink to at least 6 once Robin Soderling gains more consistency and Martin del Potro comes back into the equation; close behind them is Thomas Berdych and who knows who else. Bad tempered though he can be, Murray is no McEnroe and, good player though he can be, he has probably already achieved all he ever will. That is not to say that he will never reach another Grand Slam final, but he's very unlikely to ever win one.

Tennis is a solitary sport and every player is responsible for their own coaching arrangements. If Murray wants to appoint a new coach quickly, presumably the only barriers are availability, willingness and money. These are all matters which are under his own control so what's the problem ? Presumably, it's the willingness, which is unsurprising.

I don't write this with any pleasure as I would dearly love to see a British Grand Slam winner; what could be better than Murray winning Wimbledon in the Diamond Jubilee year of 2012 but, unless there is a dramatic, and very unlikely, change in his performances, it ain't going to happen. Murray can do it, but simply appointing a new coach will not make it happen; he has to learn to accept advice; he has to learn to accept defeat and move on; in simple terms, he has to grow up.

Sunday 27 March 2011

FORMULA 1 OFF TO A FLYER.

The Formula 1 season finally got under way again today, 2 weeks late following the postponemnat of the intended season-opener in Bahrain, and what a race it was. With new tyres, moveable rear wings and re-instated 'kers', there were many unknowns; add to these the pre-season woes of McLaren and some high expectations from Renault and Sauber, and the outcome was clearly uncertain.

After pre-season testing, it had seemed a certainty that Red Bull would be at thr front with Ferrari and that Renault and Sauber could well compete for places in the top 10, while McLaren might be lucky to be anywhere. In the event, qualifying saw Red Bull, through Sebastien Vettel, take pole position but, out of the blue, Lewis Hamilton joined him on the front row; Mark Webber, and another surprise, Jensen Button, filled the second row, while Ferrari struggled. Somehow, McLaren had found oodles of speed while Ferrari had lost theirs, and it all looked pretty interesting.

The race itself was almost 2 races. At the front, Vettel and Hamilton gradually pulled away from the rest, and stayed in position, while there was a fair amount of 'chopping and changing' throughout the field. The new adjustable rear wing, apparently called the 'DRS' seemed to be of limited use and 'kers' was similarly lacking in its impact. The new tyres had all the drivers, bar one, making 2 or 3 stops to counter degradation, but Mexican rookie, Perez, in the Sauber, managed to make full distance with just one stop. No doubt the other teams will want to know how he did it as the tyres really are supposed to last for much less time than they did for him.

From the start, Jensen Button found himself falling back behind the surprise package of the race, Vitaly Petrov, as well as Felipe Massa and, try as he might, he could not re-pass the Ferrari; eventually, he managed it, only to be penalised for doing so by illegally leaving the racing circuit and a drive through penalty saw him pushed back to 12th spot. He did claw his way back to 6th, but he was more than half a minute behind his team mate who'd driven much of the race with a damaged underfloor. Petrov proved a revelation, maintaining 3rd place to the finish, with Alonso in 4th and Mark Webber 5th, also after having some less well defined problems with the car.

Further back, Sergio Perez in his debut in Formula 1 was a highly creditable 7th (how did he preserve those tyres ?), Kobayashi in the second Sauber was 8th, Felipe Massa came in 9th and Sebastien Buemi was 10th for Torro Ross. Paul di Resta in his first race was 12th but both Mercedes, of Rosberg and Schumacher, went out, Rosberg after a collision with Barrichello and Schumacher as a delayed result of a very early rear end impact from Jaime Alguersuari.

And so the 2011 championship started as that of 2010 ended, with a dominant drive from World Champion Sebastien Vettel and Lewis Hamilton following him home. While Red Bull, and Vettel, must be highly satisfied with the result, McLaren must surely be purring; that they could turn around such a poor pre-season to finish 2nd and 6th, while Ferrari clearly had slower cars, must bode well for the next few races at least. Expect Lewis and Jensen to be well in the mix in Malaysia in a fortnight's time.