Esteban Cambiasso’s refusal to go quietly is the mark Posted on - June 24 Wednesday, 2015 Leicester’s talisman could have seen out his twilight football years in comfier surroundings than a relegation dogfight but like Gianfranco Zola, Mark Hughes and Johan Cruyff before him, he was raging against the dying light “Do not go gentle into that good night … Old age should burn and rave at close of day … Rage, rage against the dying of the light” – Dylan Thomas. There is a depressing inevitability about...

Uruguay have the history to hit Copa América heights against Posted on - June 24 Wednesday, 2015 Chile have scored more than twice as many goals as anybody else in this Copa América. They will be playing at home in front of 40,000 red-shirted fans. They have played with a verve and a fluidity nobody else in this tournament has matched and, if anything, Arturo Vidal’s drink-driving charge, which could have been a destabilising influence, seems to have given them an enhanced sense of purpose. Uruguay scraped...

Proud Mark Sampson heaps praise on England after comeback World Posted on - June 23 Tuesday, 2015 Women’s World Cup last 16: Norway 1-2 England Second-half goals from Houghton and Bronze secure quarter-final spot n overjoyed Mark Sampson was in jocular mood after his England side reached a significant milestone in their history, posting their first knockout stage victory in any World Cup finals with a 2-1 win over Norway in Ottawa. “Don’t drop it,” the coach said as Karen Bardsley, his goalkeeper, was presented with her much-deserved player...

Women's World Cup 2015: Abby Wambach fires USA through and Posted on - June 17 Wednesday, 2015 USA 1-0 Nigeria | Group D Wambach scores late in the first half as USA win the group Australia show their mettle to qualify for knockout stage   It was perhaps not the most confidence-boosting performance as they enter the knockout rounds, but USA probably won’t mind too much. For the Americans, a 1-0 win Tuesday over Nigeria was just enough to top Group D and secure a considerably easier path to the Women’s World...

Stuart Broad hails ‘dream’ day as historic haul puts England Posted on - August 06 Thursday, 2015 Bowler claimed career-best figures of eight for 15 on day one at Trent Bridge ‘It’s great to have a personal best against Australia,’ says Broad Stuart Broad reflected on a dream performance after delivering on the request from his captain, Alastair Cook, to make history in the fourth Test with the greatest Ashes figures ever returned by a fast bowler, claiming eight for 15 on day one at Trent Bridge that means...

Australia’s Chris Rogers apologises for his role in resale of Posted on - June 24 Wednesday, 2015 Rogers banned from selling Ashes tickets for Lord’s Test Opener insists Middlesex were fully aware of his intentions The Australian opener Chris Rogers offered an apology for his role in the unsanctioned resale of Ashes tickets for this summer’s Test at Lord’s but has been left disappointed after insisting Middlesex were fully aware of his intentions. Rogers, who retires from international cricket following the series in England, set up a company called Inside...

Trevor Bayliss: ODI victory over New Zealand bodes well for Posted on - June 24 Wednesday, 2015 England coach is scheduled to start his new role on Thursday ‘It sounds like they’re in a good place and they’re enjoying themselves’ The new England coach, Trevor Bayliss, believes the recent one-day international series victory over New Zealand bodes well for their chances in this summer’s Ashes. Bayliss is scheduled to start work in his new post on Thursday before the five-match series, which begins in Cardiff on 8 July. A 14-man...

Alastair Cook and cricket greatness Posted on - June 23 Tuesday, 2015 His sheer bloody-minded self-belief has brought with it 114 England caps, 27 hundreds and 9,000 Test runs, but has Cook lifted himself among the greats? Nine thousand runs, 27 hundreds, 114 caps; more runs and more centuries than any other Englishman, the eternal Graham Gooch eclipsed... We must start to consider the greatness of Alastair Cook: the statistics alone demand it. It feels strange to do so, because Cook is so evidently...

Self-defeating Bernard Tomic tries to give point to his Washington Posted on - August 06 Thursday, 2015 Mercurial Australian plays to his own plan during a bewildering three-set loss to Steve Johnson in the US If the goal was to unsettle his opponent, it didn’t work. The ever-frustrating Bernard Tomic strolled, smiled and backchatted his way to a dismal defeat against Steve Johnson in the Washington Open, on one occasion unsuccessfully challenging a point he had already won. The search for consistency continued for the 11th seed who lost...

Andy Murray stunned by Teymuraz Gabashvili at Citi Open in Posted on - August 06 Thursday, 2015 Gabashvili beats Murray 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6-4) in second round ‘It wasn’t like I was blown off the court,’ says disappointed but upbeat Scot Andy Murray’s preparations for the US Open got off to a poor start when the Briton suffered a stunning 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (6-4) loss to unseeded Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili in the second round of the Citi Open in Washington. The top-seeded Murray was never allowed to settle by the...

Laura Robson makes comeback in Eastbourne after 17 months out Posted on - June 16 Tuesday, 2015 Robson has not played since 2014 Australian Open due to wrist injury First match set for Saturday putting Robson on track for Wimbledon After a series of false dawns, Laura Robson will make her comeback after 17 months out with injury when she plays in the qualifying event of the Aegon International in Eastbourne this weekend. The 21-year-old has not played since last year’s Australian Open because of an injury to her left...

Andy Murray quickly finds his feet to move past Lu Posted on - June 16 Tuesday, 2015 Murray beats Taiwanese qualifier 6-4, 7-5 in first match on grass Scot pleased with new footwear after serving 12 aces While drama spread elsewhere, Andy Murray moved with encouraging dexterity on his return to grass on Tuesday and progressed serenely into the second round at Queen’s. He saw the first set of Rafael Nadal’s shock defeat by Alexandr Dolgopolov, and reckoned it looked a tricky assignment for the Spaniard, before following him...

Winner of next month’s Open will receive more than Posted on - June 24 Wednesday, 2015  R&A confirms total pot for St Andrews has increased by £900,000 ‘This increase is appropriate for an event with the Open’s global appeal’ The winner of the Open Championship will earn more than £1m for the first time ever at St Andrews next month, the R&A announced on Wednesday. The overall prize fund for the game’s oldest major championship has increased by £900,000 to £6.3m, with the champion receiving £1,150,000. That is £175,000...

Jordan Spieth ready for Open hype but plays down Rory Posted on - June 24 Wednesday, 2015 US Open winner praises Rory McIlroy as ‘a guy I can look up to’ Jordan Spieth seeking rare feat of winning three consecutive majors in a year Jordan Spieth knows precisely what level of expectation awaits at next month’s Open Championship. The 21-year-old admits his biggest challenge at St Andrews will be handling such background noise. Spieth’s success on Sunday at the US Open at Chambers Bay means he has claimed the first...

European Tour to co-sanction Australian PGA Championship Posted on - June 23 Tuesday, 2015 Prize money increases to $1.75 million Becomes Australia’s richest golf tournament This year’s Australian PGA Championship will be co-sanctioned by the European Tour and boast the richest purse in the 120-year history of the tournament, the PGA of Australia has said. The tournament, which will take place at the Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast in early December, will offer a total of $1.75 million in prize money. The winner will receive a...

Rory McIlroy charges up US Open leaderboard but leaves Posted on - June 22 Monday, 2015 World No1 shoots final-round 66 to end on level-par aggregate Terrific late effort cannot haul in leaders at Chambers Bay Rory McIlroy was still 16 years from being born the last time the final round of a US Open began with a four-way tie. And yet, somehow, the world No1 summoned the spirit of 1973 on Sunday at Chambers Bay. US Open 2015: final round – live! | Scott Murray On that historic occasion...

‘42 is the new 32’: Oscar De La Hoya considering Posted on - June 23 Tuesday, 2015 ‘It’s got to be worth my while but this is very serious’ De La Hoya targets Floyd Mayweather or Gennady Golovkin Oscar De La Hoya says the is very serious about making a surprise boxing comeback, more than six years since announcing his retirement. De La Hoya, whose last bout was a defeat to Manny Pacquiao in December 2008, last week ruled out a return after Floyd Mayweather had hinted the six-weight world...

Deontay Wilder’s lethargic win shows Anthony Joshua has nothing to Posted on - June 15 Monday, 2015 There is much media agonising about who should be the next man to stand in front of Anthony Joshua on his road to world heavyweight title glory. Here is a foolproof solution: track Deontay Wilder’s opponents, starting with his latest patsy, the underwhelming Eric “The Drummer Boy” Molina, then go looking for the former champion Bermane Stiverne, the only opponent to take Wilder the distance. He won’t be hard to...

Middleweight terror Golovkin set for stay-busy fight against Willie Monroe Posted on - May 15 Friday, 2015 Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, the best middleweight in the world and one of boxing’s pound-for-pound greats, will fight on Saturday in Inglewood, California. Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs) is one of the planet’s most feared boxers and as such he has had a difficult time finding quality opponents willing to face him. In three days, at The Forum, he will try and extend his knockout streak to 20 straight against unsung challenger, Willie...

Deontay Wilder to make first WBC heavyweight title defense in Posted on - May 14 Thursday, 2015 Deontay Wilder is staying close to home for his first defense of the WBC heavyweight title. Wilder will fight Texan Eric Molina on 13 June at UAB’s Bartow Arena, about an hour from his Tuscaloosa hometown. It will be the first title fight held in Alabama, a state that has produced past champions Evander Holyfield (Atmore) and Joe Louis (Lafayette). The 12-round bout was announced on Friday and will be televised by...