Most Recent News
BBC Sport | Latest Published Stories | UK Edition
-
MLS: Five things we learned in week 11 | Graham Parker and Joe Prince-Wright
-
• Chivas sign Juan Agudelo and Danny Califf and win at home
• Fredy Montero with another late goal for Seattle Sounders
• Is Saer Sene the true heir to Taylor Twellman?Chivas spin the trade wheel - with instant results
On Thursday afternoon, Chivas stole the headlines ahead of Saturday night's SuperClasico against Los Angeles Galaxy, with a double swoop for Juan Agudelo and Danny Califf, moves that also sent Heath Pearce and Michael Lahoud to the opposite coast. On Saturday night both new arrivals started against the Galaxy and Chivas ran out 1-0 winners.
The Agudelo move in particular caught the eye - something he's had a knack for since bursting onto the scene in 2010, as a precocious talent from New York's academy. Ironically enough, he first made an impression playing alongside his new team-mate Juan Pablo Angel in the New York legend's last game for the Red Bulls. After his scintillating display in that play-off defeat, Agudelo was brought in for a national team debut in a friendly against South Africa - and with his eye for the big moment, scored the winner in that game and an equalizer against Argentina the next time out, to cement his status in the minds of many casual observers as the next big thing.
The problem was, it seems to have cemented that status in Agudelo's mind as well - while he was appearing in ads and next-big-thing photoshoots, it became clear to nearly everyone except him that he and Henry would struggle to fit on the same team, due to a redundancy of styles and Agudelo's still raw positional sense. There was also the sense that in his head he was convinced he was ready for prime time - certainly in MLS, but perhaps also in Europe. So as first Luke Rodgers in 2011, then Kenny Cooper in 2012, slotted in to the team ahead of him (as better fits for the overall team shape), Agudelo grew frustrated - despite the fact that his total minutes on the pitch compared very favorably to other MLS youngsters at a similar stage in their careers. When he got his chance there were still flashes of inspired invention (such as the bicycle kick he fashioned from nothing against Philadelphia last week), but there have been diminishing returns in terms of allying that flair to tangible production, and his chances were restricted accordingly.
With Chivas lacking a spark in the final third, the gamble Robin Fraser has taken is that Agudelo's inventiveness can be allied to application. The early impression was inconclusive - Agudelo looked fairly anonymous on Saturday night against the Galaxy - though that's perhaps to be expected, given that he's coming off both an injury and the bench he's been riding in New Jersey.
One new player whose application and discipline won't be a cause for concern for Robin Fraser, is Danny Califf, who shrugged off the hurt he felt at being railroaded out of Philadelphia (he reportedly "felt sick" when he heard the news he was on his way out...), to have a very solid debut at the heart of the Chivas defense, as they fought their way to their first home points of the season against their LA rivals, via a Correa penalty and a sending off for LA's Lopes for his part in the incident that led to it.
Califf's departure was a tough sell to Union fans who'd already seen LeToux and Mondragon leave before the start of the season. The Union fans are unlikely to be appeased by the makeweight signing of Michael Lahoud - a decent man and decent footballer, but anonymous in comparison to Califf's iconic stature with the Union fans. The only consolation for them is that Philadelphia appear to be sitting on a pile of allocation money, so hopefully there are signings on the way. If not the mutinous atmosphere at PPL Park might get ugly. Their injury-ravaged side did get a battling point against fellow strugglers Dallas on Saturday night, but all is not well down in Chester.
Meanwhile Agudelo's former club were much happier with their acquisition of Heath Pearce to add to their stretched defense. Pearce had a solid enough debut, though one mis-timed tackle could have been costly in the second half. But the Red Bulls won't argue with taking a 10-man, 2-1 victory to bring their winning streak to five (their best since 2003) - and in doing so ending Montreal's unbeaten home start. With Agudelo down the pecking order at the Red Bulls (and their sporting director Erik Soler quietly confident Luke Rodgers will be on his way back to New York at the end of June), the New York management were happy to make the trade to get some defensive experience from the US international Pearce. Scoring goals has not been their problem (as Agudelo found to his cost) - so this looks like a good move for them on paper. Of course on paper their makeshift defense should have conceded a hatful in the last five games, instead of taking maximum points. Funny old game...GP
You have to watch Fredy Montero every minute of the game
Last week we discussed how New York's back and forth 3-2 victory over ten man Philadelphia was like a karaoke version of the Manchester City vs QPR game that came before it. When Vancouver and Seattle got under way in their Cascadia Cup clash on Saturday, the Champions League Final was still under way, but there were echoes this week as well. There were more goals at BC Place than in Munich, but the decisive ones came at similar stages of the match. After Eddie Johnson had cancelled out Rochat's early opener with a fierce header, moments into the second half, the two sides seemed destined for a draw. Then, with the sides entertaining the crowd but threatening to cancel each other out, Camilo's long free kick curled past everyone and just inside the far post, on 83 minutes. Just as Bayern thought their goal at the same stage was enough to give them the trophy, so Vancouver seemed to believe they'd done enough to condemn Seattle to their second straight defeat.
But just as Bayern forgot to watch Drogba in the last minute and found that the one chance they gave him ultimately proved fatal to their chances, in the 89th minute in Vancouver, the Whitecap's back two lost sight of the ever dangerous Fredy Montero, who wriggled into position and then hit the most perfectly struck sand wedge of a shot past Joe Cannon. Cannon knew he was beaten the second Montero hit it, and could only watch, flat-footed, as the ball nestled into the corner.
.
A draw was about a fair result. Vancouver will be sickened to have dropped the points so late in the game, but in retrospect will be pleased to have become the only team to have scored more than once against Seattle this season. Hassli didn't score, coming off the bench, but his revived goalscoring form seems to have sparked confidence throughout the team in their goalscoring ability, which had stuttered for a little while there. Seattle will take an away tie and yet more evidence that the Montero/Johnson partnership has potential - the latter's barging run in to score showed the Sounders can be direct when needs be, while the latter showed that it's dangerous to switch off against them, even for a second, when Montero's on the field. GP
LennyWatch
San Jose should be renamed The Comeback Kings and Alan Gordon should take his rightful place on the throne, after yet another last-gasp equalizer. The Quakes once again claimed a point after trailing Columbus - courtesy of this beauty from Justin Meram - from the stroke of half time until the last minute. That's when Gordon came up big, with a spectacular flying scissor kick to snatch a draw.
It's not the first time San Jose have struck late: Against Chivas USA last week Gordon jumped off the bench to net an equalizer in the 89th minute; in SJ's comeback win against Vancouver earlier in the season, Gordon again came off the bench to win the game, with a spectacular diving header. San Jose also hit a late winner against RSL. After joining the Quakes during the 2011 season, Gordon also scored twice in the last 15 minutes last season.
Gordon spent the first five years of his MLS career with the LA Galaxy, winning the MLS cup with them in 2005. He then endured a nomadic period, spending brief spells at Chivas USA, Toronto FC and finally ending up back in his native California with the Earthquakes. One man has both stood in Gordon's way and aided him during his injury-hit time with the Quakes: Steven Lenhart. LennyWatch has been action-packed in recent weeks. Gordon's late equalizer against the Crew could have been a winner, had Chris Wondolowski converted a first half penalty that was brilliantly stopped by Andy Gruenebaum. Who won the PK? Lenhart. His tireless effort typifies San Jose's never-say-die attitude and Gordon both applauds and benefits directly from the mischievous striker.
Said Gordon:
"Lenny does a lot of dirty work, a lot of hard work for a long time up there. He really gives the back four a rough night every night. When I come in, I think they're a little bit worn down. I've been able to reap the benefits of his hard work. I'm here to push Lenny, and be there when called upon. Frank (Yallop) knows he can trust me to come in and do a job. And that's what I've done."
JPWSene: the new savior?
Since Taylor Twellman left in 2010 New England Revolution fans have been craving a goal scorer. Now they seem to finally have one.
With two goals in Saturday's 2-2 tie with the Houston Dynamo, Saer Sene and his golden Mohawk improved his tally to six for the season, making him fourth top scorer in the league in just his first season in the US.
The Frenchman was picked up after leaving this weekend's Champions' League runners-up, Bayern Munich. Sene had been with Bayern for three years, scoring 19 times in 55 appearances for the reserve side.
His first goal in the draw with Houston came from the penalty spot – maybe he could teach former teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ivica Olic a few lessons? – while his second was a peach of a strike.
Sene was named man of the match by the sponsors and looked to have given the home side all three points until Brazilian Luis Camargo scored his first goal for the Dynamo with another of the weekend's late game changers.
The 25-year-old Sene, who has a habit of finding space in a crowded box, will next week travel to in-form D.C. United in a game which will be a true yardstick of the Revs improvement. JPW
DeRo on a roll but Toronto on a roll of a different kind
At 34, Canadian striker Dwayne De Rosario leads the way for a surging D.C. United who recorded their second win in four days on Saturday, against a hapless Toronto FC. DeRo, a native of Toronto and former TFC captain, didn't waste any time piling on the misery for his hometown side as he scored United's first after just 55 seconds.
The famed bird walk celebration was seen at RFK twice on Saturday night and it's been seen with increased regularity of late. De Rosario has scored five times in his last six appearances, adding three assist along the way. United have lost just two of their last 12 games, as Ben Olsen has utilized his squad remarkably well. In the wins over Colorado – a 2-0 success on Wednesday with goals from De Rosario and Salihi – and Toronto, the names you would expect to see on United's team sheet weren't there: No Chris Ponitus, no Maicon Santos, no Nick DeLeon and no Emiliano Dudar. Pontius, Santos and DeLeon have 18 of United's 25 goals between them. Such is the strength of D.C.'s squad this term; those players weren't missed.
As for De Rosario's former team Toronto FC, the pain of an embarrassing stretch of consecutive defeats continues. The streak now stands at nine. Against D.C. they showed some spirit in the second half, as Danny Koevermans came off the bench and reduced the deficit to 2-1. Yet less than two minutes later the Canadians gifted Salihi a third for D.C. and the final 15 minutes saw a lifeless display from the demoralized Reds.
Next up, the Vancouver Whitecaps in the second leg of the Amway Canadian Championship, the one competition which has given them respite in 2012. Toronto seem to be a team for cup competition - after their brief success in reaching the semis of the CONCACAF Champions League - but this cup competition come to an end on Wednesday night. Then it's back to the nightmare that is their 2012 MLS campaign. JPW
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Edinson Cavani leads Napoli to Italian Cup glory against Juventus
-
Juventus 0-2 Napoli
Napoli won their first major trophy for 22 years and denied Juventus the double by beating the Turin side 2-0 in the Italian Cup final on Sunday.
After a goalless first half at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Edinson Cavani broke the deadlock from the penalty spot just past the hour mark after Ezequiel Lavezzi was brought down by the Juventus goalkeeper Marco Storari. Marek Hamsik then finished off a counter-attack to seal the win and a first trophy for Napoli since the title-winning side of 1990.
Juventus had won the Serie A title without losing a game, but the double was beyond them and the bianconeri also had the substitute Fabio Quagliarella sent off for elbowing Salvatore Aronica in the closing moments.
The result denied the Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero a winning send-off in his final match after 19 years at the club.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Ian Holloway lines up crucial money talks with Blackpool chairman
-
• Blackpool's players 'deserve an awful lot more than they get'
• 'I don't think the chairman realises how football is'Ian Holloway will go on holiday to Italy this week before returning to hold talks with Karl Oyston, the Blackpool chairman, about the need for realism over how football operates financially. He will stress the importance of investing more money in a team who have been punching well above their weight for the past few years.
Blackpool's unlucky Championship play‑off final defeat against West Ham United, in which they outplayed Sam Allardyce's side for long periods in the second half and could easily have grabbed a second goal before Ricardo Vaz Tê's late winner, has cast doubt on Holloway's future after three years in charge at Bloomfield Road.
Although Holloway never suggested that his time could be up at Blackpool, he made no attempt to conceal his frustration with the constraints he remains under at what he described as "a skeleton club compared to everyone else and [where] we do things on a shoestring".
The Blackpool manager believes that his players "deserve an awful lot more money than they get" and, in the wake of their failure to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, expressed fears that the most talented members of his squad could be tempted to leave this summer, much like 12 months ago, when Charlie Adam, DJ Campbell, David Vaughan and Luke Varney departed after relegation from the top flight.
Asked what defeat in the play-off final means for Blackpool, Holloway replied: "What it means is another season of Championship slog and 'what's happening?' and 'will we lose some of them?' and 'will we get people putting in offers for some of the young ones?' That's what it means.
"We need certain things in place because at the moment we've had to beg steal and borrow and I need some more coming through. I need to talk to my chairman about what we're going to do and how we're going to keep building. It's really important he actually understands where I believe we can go, because I think this was a shock to him again.
"I don't think he realises how football is, and how you can play and what you can achieve by playing that way. I have to say I'm proud to put my name to that, that's all I can ever do.
"I'm almost not looking forward to those chats because he gets on his high horse and starts bellowing about 'they're all wrong, everybody pays more than they should'. Sometimes you've got to look at it. But I'm not here to break the bank, I'm here to add to things. I think he should know what I can do now. As an investment for his football club, I almost got him another £90m. Before I came here, his dad [Owen] was worth £105m, now it's £200m-215m."
After three relentless seasons, Holloway said that he is desperate to have a breather and escape from football for a while. "I'm just going on holiday and I think I deserve that, to be blunt. He [the chairman] has had a couple of holidays this year. It feels like three years all in one go – went up through the play-offs, then Premier League survival when everyone joked us off and that hurt, everyone writing us off as the worst Premier League team in history, [saying] we wouldn't get 10 points, then our season went longer than the Championship and we had to start earlier. Now we've gone to the play-off final again, which I wouldn't swap for the world. But now I need a break."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Sam Allardyce praises Carlton Cole's 'show of love' for West Ham
-
• Striker took a pay cut to help fire West Ham back to top flight
• Contract talks with Robert Green a priority for West HamDavid Gold had a smile from ear to ear, Mark Noble was proudly wearing the play‑off winner's medal that was going with him on his stag-do in Dubai later that evening while the man who scored the opening goal and also had a hand in the winner could not help but chuckle at the "Sex, Drugs and Carlton Cole" banner held up by West Ham United supporters. "I can't condone the drugs part," Cole said, "but sex, we all love. You know what I mean?"
It was that sort of day at Wembley as West Ham raucously celebrated their return to the Premier League after a 12‑month hiatus that would have brought considerable financial pain had it been extended. "It would have cost probably another £30m," said Gold, West Ham's co‑owner, when asked what the ramifications would have been in the event of defeat. "It's painful. If you own 150 oil wells, then it's no problem. If you own 150 Ann Summers shops …"
Now there is another, albeit much more welcome, need for investment. Gold predicted "the club's got to find £20m to ensure it doesn't get relegated" from the Premier League, which seemed like a reasonable figure to put on the price of survival on the back of West Ham's performance against Blackpool. Blackpool had three decent opportunities before West Ham took the lead and Ian Holloway's side also dominated for long periods after the interval, carving open a defence who always looked vulnerable.
Had a couple of those Blackpool chances been converted, Sam Allardyce may have been facing a fight to hold on to his job this week. Instead, the West Ham manager was asked whether a new contract, to replace the 12 months remaining on his existing one, was likely.
"Not for me. I don't need one. I'm my own man now," said Allardyce, sounding a lot more confident than he had looked in the tunnel before kick-off. "I don't need the security of a contract to work in this game. Somewhere down the line in the middle of next year maybe, but not now."
Other contract talks are more pressing. West Ham have made a priority of negotiations with Robert Green, the former England goalkeeper who is out of contract in the summer. Discussions with Noble and Cole, who both have 12 months remaining on their deals, are expected to take place soon afterwards. Cole was close to joining Stoke City last summer but rejected the move and sacrificed a fair bit of money in the process to lead the line in West Ham's promotion assault.
"I've kept my mouth shut for quite a while but I did take a wage cut to stay in the Championship," Cole said. "Half my wages just went. I thought 'I want to help the club get back to where we belong'. I didn't want to leave the ship. I would not have been able to live with myself. It is just such a reward to get to the Premier League again with West Ham at the first time of asking. It was like D‑Day for all of us.
"No contract talks have been planned but we will see what happens. Hopefully both sides will be happy that I sign a new contract. I am here to help West Ham and if there is a relegation clause, then I am happy to do it. You can't be on Premier League wages in the Championship. I know money is a massive factor in everyone's career, and obviously I want to earn as much as I can, but when you don't deserve it, as you have been relegated, you need to work back to where you need to get to."
Allardyce paid tribute to Cole for demonstrating "a real show of love for this club" as well as for scoring 15 goals this season, the last of which was the superbly taken strike that gave West Ham the lead here. Ian Evatt was caught ball-watching on that occasion and Blackpool will also have nightmares about Ricardo Vaz Tê's scrappy winner, when the forward rammed home from close range after Cole's stabbed effort had squirted into his path via a touch from Matt Gilks, the goalkeeper.
Thomas Ince scored in-between to equalise for Blackpool, and for a period it seemed only a matter of time before Holloway's side would add a second. "They had gone and I think we had them," Evatt said. "Sometimes in football, you don't get what you deserve and we definitely didn't get what we deserved. I think we were much the better team. I think we play the game in the modern way, we don't smash it up to certain players, we try to pass it properly and play through midfield and that's something to be proud of."
Evatt's comments felt like a less than discreet dig at West Ham's style of play, which has also been a source of frustration for the club's supporters at times this season. For Allardyce, though, it was always all about getting West Ham back in the big time.
"The fans will know we're not going to win as many games next season as probably we've won this one," he said. "But if we get the right team together and get the right team spirit, then we'll give it a right good go."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Marlon Samuels and Shivnarine Chanderpaul 'madden' England bowlers
-
• Graeme Swann says fast men were 'unlucky'
• Ottis Gibson praises West Indies' fightbackIt was a long, hard and often frustrating day at the office for the England bowlers, of a type they had not experienced in the whole of their last home series against India. Few would have expected West Indies to be still batting beyond 6pm when they resumed their second innings on 120 for four, and certainly not when they slipped to 65 for four on Saturday evening. But they ended up posting a higher total than India had managed in eight innings last summer and leaving England needing to equal their third highest successful fourth-innings run chase at Lord's to open the series with the anticipated win.
That was also against West Indies, in 2000, and ended with Dominic Cork smiting a boundary in the dusk after England had slipped to 149 for seven. Even after the late losses of Andrew Strauss and James Anderson to Kemar Roach Graeme Swann remained confident that this victory target should be achieved more comfortably.
"It's unfortunate to lose the skipper, especially after his first-innings century," said Swann, who admitted he was surprised to be given end-of-play media commitments largely on the basis of becoming the first England bowler to dismiss Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the series. "But that was always going to be a tricky 15 minutes, batting in the gloom against a quality bowler like Roach. We've got through it relatively unscathed, with Trotty and Cooky still there, and we'll be confident going into the last day knowing the wicket is very good for batting – if anything even better than it was in the first innings."
The West Indies coach, Ottis Gibson, tacitly endorsed that confidence in preferring to express pride in his team's battling performance thus far rather than building further pressure on England. "Look, they've got a strong batting line-up," he said. "But we're coming back to make them fight and taking those two wickets gives us a lot of hope.
"They weren't even selling tickets for the last day, maybe because they didn't expect the game to still be going. But we said before the series that our bowling attack could cause a few problems. We know there's only 180 left but this will be a good test."
Swann sprang to the defence of the England seamers, despite the problems they had in winkling out the last six West Indies wickets. "They were very unlucky I thought," he said, describing as "maddening" the number of occasions on which Shivnarine Chanderpaul played and missed. He admitted that the restraint shown by Marlon Samuels had "surprised me", conceding: "He probably deserved a hundred."
"Chanderpaul and Samuels were outstanding," said Gibson. "A lot was said before the start of the series about the inexperience of our side. The experienced guys are taking more and more responsibility, leading from the front, and that's what we need."
Broad still managed to complete match figures of 11 for 165, earning a second entry on the bowling honours' board in the home dressing room in the space of three days after he completed career-best innings figures of seven for 72 first thing on Friday. His match analysis was the best by an England bowler since Anderson took 11 for 71 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 2010, and the best for England at Lord's since Ian Botham's 11 for 140 against New Zealand in 1978.
"Hats off to him, he's on all three boards now," added Swann, Broad having earned his place on the batting honours board two years ago with a century against Pakistan. "That's Broady for you, isn't it? I've played with him in a couple of games at Notts before this and he'd admit he wasn't at his best. But he's a man for the big occasion. He's going to be a guy who breaks record after record — I'm just glad he's in my team."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
How Chelsea's defensive blanket wrapped up Bayern Munich's star duo | David Pleat
-
Roberto Di Matteo constructed a gameplan that his players adhered to perfectly to land the ultimate prize
It takes two to tango and Chelsea refused to dance to Bayern Munich's early tune. Holding their ground and sure of their gameplan, they forced the hosts to play across the front of their defence. Once wide, Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben were discouraged to go on the outside and instead induced to work the ball back inside or take one touch too many. Both were disappointing; Robben, in particular, was a disaster.
As expected, Bayern dominated early possession as Chelsea dropped deep. It was not glamorous stuff as Bayern switched their attackers and swirled around the blue barrier. Chelsea's isolated counterattacks were handicapped by a lack of midfield pace but it was ultimately from their big-hearted defensive display that the medals were gained. Mikel John Obi was superbly disciplined in front of the blockers, David Luiz and Gary Cahill.
Bayern developed most of their attacks from wide areas and, particularly during the first-half, down the left, where Diego Contento joined the over‑indulgent Ribéry. As half-time approached Chelsea's belief grew and they gained glimpses of the Munich half, but they knew this would leave them exposed to the counter. However, Mario Gomez was wasteful and Thomas Müller unsure, and Chelsea could have gone into the break ahead through Salomon Kalou's threatening strike.
For 83 minutes, Roberto Di Matteo's well-rehearsed blanket defence had repelled all attempts, bringing back memories of their battle with Barcelona in the semi‑final. It was a simple theory and a case of survivor's luck, with Chelsea's full‑backs positioned close to their central defenders, never leaving space for Bayern to expose. The German side dallied up front and, ultimately, Ashley Cole read Robben, Cahill battled well against Gomez, David Luiz put in arguably his best display for the club and José Bosingwa constantly frustrated Ribéry.
Since being put in charge, Di Matteo has perfectly played to his team's strengths, maximising their ability against superior technicians on three different European occasions, with the last of those proving to be the finest night in the club's history. Football, what a game.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Joe Schmidt boldly leads Leinster to where no team have gone before
-
• Heineken Cup final win over Ulster is Blues' third in four years
• Schmidt already talking about next season's tournamentThe euro may be wobbling but Leinster's European stock continues to soar. To win three Heineken Cups in four years is a massive achievement. To boldly go where no champion team have gone before in terms of quality and ruthless execution is something else. Next year's final is set for Dublin and Leinster's noisy fans can already consider booking ahead with some confidence.
Their next trophy celebration may, in fact, be only days away. The Leo Cullen Blues Band are back on their home stage at the RDS on Sunday in the RaboDirect Pro 12 final against the Ospreys, seeking to become the first team to secure a Celtic League and Heineken Cup double. Having already finished 10 points clear of the rest in the regular season, only the bravest punters would bet against them.
It is not the statistics, even so, which define them as the most formidable European squad since the tournament started in 1995. When the big questions are asked they consistently deliver, notably in the second half against Northampton last year, in a brutal semi-final against Clermont Auvergne and against an Ulster team who, remember, beat Leicester, Clermont and Munster en route.
They are also artful assassins. Dan Tuohy's lone try for Ulster was the only five-pointer Leinster conceded in three knockout stage games, proof that Cullen and co can be stubbornly gritty when they want to be. Yet what sets them apart is not their defence but the breadth of their attacking ambition and the determination to maximise their talent. To watch Jonathan Sexton combining so sweetly with the evergreen Brian O'Driscoll was reminiscent of the smoothest All Black or Wallaby backlines, for whom drop-goals were generally an indicator of failure.
Credit must go to Joe Schmidt, the Kiwi head coach whose perfectionist instincts have improved, rather than stifled, the players at his disposal. Not many sides in England and France play like Leinster; fewer still have the belief to try to do so, particularly on the big occasion. No wonder unflattering comparisons are being made with Ireland's under-performing national team. The contrast in Sexton's body language is particularly obvious.
How refreshing it would be if Ireland – not to mention Wales and England – headed to the southern hemisphere this summer and played with similar freedom. In fairness to the Ireland coach Declan Kidney, he cannot pick Brad Thorn, Richardt Strauss, Isa Nacewa or Ulster's John Afoa, all of whom have added greatly to the sum of Irish rugby's parts.
Thorn is not so much gravel‑voiced as bitumen-toned nowadays but the 37-year-old, the oldest player to feature in a Heineken Cup final, is officially planet rugby's most successful individual. No one else has achieved a clean sweep of World Cup, Super Rugby and Heineken Cup success; Thorn has done the lot and could still add a Pro12 title to the four NRL Premiership titles he won with the Brisbane Broncos.
Several other unsung players deserve recognition – this was Eoin Reddan's third European final, with two clubs, and he has not lost yet – but any side containing Sean O'Brien, Rob Kearney and O'Driscoll are always going to win more than they lose. The Lions tour to Australia next year already has a delicious feel to it and, even with his creaking body, the 33-year-old O'Driscoll still looks well capable of making it.
O'Brien was a deserved man of the match, scoring his side's first try and then seizing on O'Driscoll's lovely offload before Cian Healy's rolling score, again from turnover ball. Despite one of the finest penalty kicks ever seen at Twickenham – Ruan Pienaar's 60-metre effort cleared the bar and metaphorically raised it as well – Ulster's fate was effectively sealed when they conceded a penalty try five minutes after the interval. Further late tries from Heinke van der Merwe and Sean Cronin secured final records for points scored and winning margin, as well as underlining Leinster's impressive depth. "If you give them an inch they'll take a mile," said Ulster's outgoing head coach, Brian McLaughlin. "They're an exceptional side and I wouldn't take anything away from them."
The crowd of 81,774 was also a Heineken Cup record, leaving only two nagging issues. The first is the off-field uncertainty swirling around the organisers, with disgruntled French and English clubs entitled to give two years' notice from 1 June of their intention to withdraw from the current arrangements. Alternative structures for the tournament are set to be tabled, notably a 20-team format featuring the top six sides from the three main European leagues plus the Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup winners.
As yet European Rugby Cup Ltd has received nothing formal, while officials also stress that England's leading clubs' existing agreement with the Rugby Football Union runs until 2016. The 2015-16 season coincides with the World Cup, however, and the calendar will need thinning. The trick is to ensure more quality occasions like Saturday in a fixture grid which assists player welfare without reducing the all-important tribal element.
Which leads us to ERC's second worry: can Leinster be beaten in the forseeable future? This was their 15th game unbeaten in the Heineken Cup, another record.
"I just hope we get a good pool," Schmidt said, already looking forward to another campaign. As far as Leinster's high-achievers are concerned, this is just the start.
Leinster R Kearney (D Kearney, 73); McFadden, O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Nacewa; J Sexton (Madigan, 74), E Reddan (J Cooney, 74); C Healy (Van der Merwe, 61), Strauss (S Cronin, 67), Ross (White, 69), Cullen (capt, Toner 58), Thorn, McLaughlin (Jennings, 62), O'Brien, Heaslip.
Tries O'Brien, Healy, penalty try, Van der Merwe, Cronin Cons Sexton 3, McFadden Pens Sexton 3.
Ulster Terblanche; Trimble (D'Arcy, 79), Cave, Wallace, Gilroy; Jackson (Humphreys, 45; Marshall, 69), Pienaar; Court (McAllister, 75), Best, Afoa (Fitzpatrick, 75), Muller (capt), Tuohy (Stevenson, 79), Ferris, Henry (Faloon, 67), Wannenburg.
Try Tuohy Pens Pienaar 3.
Sin-bin Terblanche 73.
Referee N Owens (Wales) Attendance 81,774.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Republic of Ireland hopes rise over Robbie Keane's Euro 2012 fitness
-
• Giovanni Trapattoni reassured by results of hamstring scan
• Ankle problem restricts defender John O'Shea to light trainingGiovanni Trapattoni is confident that his Republic of Ireland captain, Robbie Keane, will be fit to start preparations for Euro 2012 after an injury scare.
The 31-year-old Los Angeles Galaxy striker is due to arrive in Dublin from the United States on Monday after having a scan on a hamstring strain. The Republic's manager said: "The news is the scan was not bad. We are not worried and we await him with confidence."
All but two of the 23-strong party have arrived at Ireland's Portmarnock base. The midfielder Glenn Whelan will also join up after being allowed an extra day off following his wedding on Saturday.
Trapattoni added of Keane: "Robbie for us is important. I think we have enough time for him to recover. We have three or four options, also important options, but obviously Robbie is our captain, our opponents have respect for him and he's experienced. He's important."
While most members of the squad trained at Gannon Park on Sunday, there were notable absences with the Sunderland defender John O'Shea among them. The 31-year-old, a key member of Ireland's defence throughout the last two campaigns, aggravated an ankle problem in his club's final day 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester United, although, again, a scan allayed Trapattoni's worst fears.
O'Shea trained only in the gym on Sunday, while Keith Fahey and Kevin Foley, who have groin and hamstring problems respectively, worked apart from the group.
Trapattoni said: "John O'Shea has a little bit of an ankle problem, a little bit of a knock, but it's no problem. Maybe tomorrow, he can start the training.
"Foley and Fahey trained separately but we have confidence about their situation. I think in two or three days, they can be ready."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Maria Sharapova fights back to overcome Li Na in Italian Open final
-
• Sharapova battles to win rain-interrupted final 4-6, 6-4, 7-6
• Li Na falters in third-set tie-break to hand match to RussianMaria Sharapova retained the Italian Open title on Sunday with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 victory over Li Na in a match dominated by wild swings of momentum and interrupted twice by rain.
The Chinese appeared to be on course for victory as she stormed into a 6-4, 4-0 lead but 24 unforced errors from the French Open champion allowed Sharapova to take the next six games and the set.
Sharapova then seemed certain to cruise to victory when it began to drizzle. The Russian took a 4-1 lead in the third but Li fought back to win four successive games to take a 5-4 lead.
Both held their serves the rest of the way and the match went into a tie‑break. After waiting in the changing rooms for two hours because of the rain, the decider was over in five minutes as Li hit into the tramlines, handing Sharapova victory in 2hr 52min.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Jessica Ennis angry at farcical error in Manchester 100m hurdles race
-
• Organisers apologise after setting up one hurdle short
• Dwain Chambers delighted by reception on UK returnA technical hitch in the 100m hurdles left Jessica Ennis frustrated here on Sunday after the poster girl for the London Games thought she had run a personal best, only to discover that UK Athletics officials had laid out only nine hurdles on the track running through the centre of Manchester instead of 10.
The 26-year-old heptathlete had been delighted on crossing the line, punching the air to celebrate a new best time of 12.75sec, having beaten two world‑class hurdles specialists in the defending Olympic champion, Dawn Harper, and the world silver medallist, Danielle Carruthers, at the Powerade Great CityGames. But within minutes suspicions arose that something was amiss as Ennis's British rival, the Olympic bronze medallist Kelly Sotherton, tweeted: "Thought 100m hurdles was great but I'm sure that there was only nine hurdles not 10."
"I feel let down," said Ennis, in a rare show of frustration. "I felt like it was a good race, I was running well, I was obviously coming through at the end, stick another hurdle on there it would have been the same outcome but, argh, I'm so annoyed. What can I say? I've still had a good competitive race but I've just not got the result that I wanted."
Neither Ennis nor her coach, Toni Minichello, had had any inkling of a mistake following the race, with the Sheffield athlete confirming that she had never experienced such an error, even at school-level competition. "I can't believe that. It's a great event but that's a massive, massive mess-up … As an athlete you expect that everything should be set up properly and there should be no mistakes like that so I am pretty disappointed with that."
"I was just talking to Dawn Harper and to me it didn't feel any different but Gemma Bennett was saying she felt that it was a long run off, but you just run, don't you? You expect that all the hurdles will be out and everything's the way it should be and you just run as fast as you can and get across the line and that's what I did but unfortunately it wasn't set up right."
Ennis later joked that she would be counting the hurdles at her next competition, the IAAF multi-event challenge in Götzis, Austria, this weekend. Sotherton, 35, who had entertained hopes of competing at the London Olympics in one final heptathlon, which looks unlikely after she withdrew injured this month from her first multi-event competition in four years, tweeted her regret over alerting the organisers: "I feel bad! People probably think I'm being a cow bag!"
The 35-year-old had a similar experience before the Beijing Olympic Games when the third hurdle in the race at Crystal Palace was positioned wrongly forcing her to pull up and the race to be annulled and eventually re-run at the end of the night.
the event organisers, Nova International, issued a statement to apologise. "We can confirm that due to human error only nine sets of hurdles rather than the required 10 were put out on track for the women's 100m hurdles event this afternoon. We employ leading UKA officials to manage this vital element of the event on our behalf and we will of course be investigating this unfortunate occurrence with them."
Dwain Chambers was greeted with applause from the Manchester crowd at his first appearance in the UK since the court of arbitration for sport ruling that cleared him to compete at the Olympic Games in London.
After getting a great start the 34-year-old faded to finish runner-up in the 150m race with a time of 15.27sec. The US sprinter Wallace Spearmon, a world silver and bronze medallist over 200m, took the victory in 14.87sec, half a second off Usain Bolt's 2009 record mark of 14.35sec.
Chambers, who will attempt to qualify for the London Games at the Team GB trials in Birmingham next month, admitted to having been apprehensive before the race, unsure of how the public would react to his first paid appearance on home soil in six years. "It is a great feeling," he said. "This has been a special day. I was unsure how the reception would be. I was a bit scared, to be honest. But it was really good. It's been a long time since I've been able to compete in front of a home crowd and that's been one of the missing pieces for me."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Tottenham share Bayern Munich's pain after Chelsea triumph
-
• Chelsea deny Tottenham lucrative Champions League place
• Spurs face possible trip to Armenia in Europa LeagueThe pain felt by Bayern Munich was shared by Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Redknapp had hoped his team's fourth-place Premier League finish would earn a Champions League play‑off in late August and the chance to keep company with Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, Milan, Bayern Munich and others in the group stage and beyond.
Instead, Chelsea's win means Spurs drop into the considerably less lucrative and less glamorous Europa League for nights on Channel 5. They enter at the group stage, the draw for which is made on 31 August. Clubs playing in the round before that include Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Starting in the first qualifying round are, among others, Kazakhstan's Zhetysu, Armenia's Pyunik and UE Santa Coloma of Andorra. Poor form from late February to late April has cost Spurs dear.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Graeme McDowell beaten by Nicolas Colsaerts on final hole in Spain
-
• Belgian missed routine putt on 17th to take contest to last hole
• Dream comes true for Colsaerts in brutal conditionsGraeme McDowell lost out on the World Match Play Championship on the last hole as the Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts won the title in Casares, Spain, on Sunday.
In tricky, windy conditions Colsaerts never trailed in the tightly contested match and went two up with two to play on the 16th hole on the Finca Cortesin. McDowell was ready to shake hands on the par-three 17th but Colsaerts missed a routine four-foot par putt to extend the contest down the par-five 18th.
A venomous drive from Colsaerts gave him the advantage and he then chipped to 10 feet and then rolled his ball up to the hole for a guaranteed par that McDowell could not better. Colsaerts' second European Tour win, after breaking through at last year's China Open, gave him the biggest payday of his career, a cool €700,000 (£565,000).
"I had to dig deep all day, the conditions this afternoon were brutal and we had to fight and grind all the way," said the 29-year-old, who has had seven top 10 finishes in 11 tournaments this year. "I can't feel anything right now, to have my name on this trophy next to major winner and all these players, it's a dream come true. When you play Graeme in these conditions you know it's going to be tough because he's [Northern] Irish and plays lots of links golf. But I've been playing well for a while now."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Shivnarine Chanderpaul back in the groove and proving test for England | Vic Marks
-
The West Indies batsman nicknamed 'Tiger' will take some taming in this Test series
There was huge relief in the England camp when Shivnarine Chanderpaul finally succumbed to the 425th delivery he faced in the match. At last Andrew Strauss and his team could see a way through. There were still obstacles. Darren Sammy would come out and deliver an entertaining cameo in a helter-skelter partnership with Denesh Ramdin and the last pair wriggled. But once Chanderpaul had gone it was a question of "how many runs?" rather than "when can we have another bat?"
When Chanderpaul is in the groove he is like Old Man River – he just keeps rolling along. He was in the groove in 2007 in England when he scored 558 runs at an average of 111. And he is there again. In the recent three-Test series against Australia in the Caribbean he gleaned 346 runs at an average of 86. Now another 178 runs at Lord's and dismissed only once. It would save England a lot of time over the next couple of weeks if they could find a way to dispose of Chanderpaul more quickly.
No doubt the ECB's laptop has been buzzing furiously as the analysts seek some sort of solution to the Chanderpaul conundrum. They may be able to summon up footage of all of his 202 dismissals in Test cricket – 130 caught, 22 bowled (which is low) and 47 lbw (which is high) and no stumpings (well, everyone knows he rarely bats like D'Artagnan).
The Guardian, more rustically, has been trying to do the same. The suggestion that we should study the 2009 mini-series when Chanderpaul failed to reach 50 in any of his four innings seemed a good one. Which bowlers undermined him then and should England get them in the team straightaway? The answers were Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann (twice) – all tormented by Chanderpaul here.
In the end on Sunday it was Swann who dispatched him in this Test. Chanderpaul should have known better than to attack Swann in the first over of a new spell. He missed a sweep and on review the umpire Marais Erasmus's verdict was confirmed. Chanderpaul had played Swann much better than the vast majority of the world's left-handers but there is some hope here. Swann never bowls without hope.
There was also some encouragement for England's pacemen. They beat the outside edge of Chanderpaul's bat several times but he looked unconcerned. On countless other occasions he feinted to play but withdrew his bat at the last moment. He has the time to delay making his final decision mid cross-crease-shuffle.
Only the very best can play so late without appearing hurried. Even when the ball swings Chanderpaul seems to be waiting for it. Early on Broad propelled what was almost the perfect in-swinger, which swerved from off-stump to middle, but it was slightly overpitched. Chanderpaul flicked the ball to the mid-wicket boundary as if it was the safest shot in the world.
He looks so unflappable out there even when he is beaten. A brief conversation with Dennis Waight, the old physio of the great West Indies side, earlier this summer suggested that this was not always the case. Early in his Test career he once lost his temper in the dressing room with Curtly Ambrose, a silly thing to do and an event which led to him being nicknamed "Tiger". He lashed out at the giant fast bowler, without managing to touch him. Ambrose's long arm, deftly placed on Chanderpaul's forehead, kept him well out of range despite his fury. After that he remained "Tiger" for a long while.
The bad news for England is that he likes batting in this country. He averages more here (70) than anywhere in the world and, though no sentimentalist – as far as can be judged – he loves batting at Lord's, where he averages over a hundred.
So, apart from the fact that England will not have to bowl at him again at Lord's, is there any more cheering news for Strauss and his men? It might help if West Indies followed the advice of their former captain Brian Lara by pushing Chanderpaul up the order.
The statistics suggest this would be counterproductive: he averages 34 and 35 respectively as a number three and four but 55 and 67 at five and six. Staying down the order suits some of the greats technically and temperamentally: think of Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers.
And, in desperation, it may be worth noting that Chanderpaul has been dismissed most frequently in Test cricket by Kumble, Kallis and Kaneria. A solution beckons at last. England need bowlers beginning with K. An SOS to Old Trafford is the answer. Keedy or Kerrigan should do.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Tom Daley regains European diving title in last event before Olympics
-
• Early 18th birthday present for London 2012 hopeful
• Daley regains 10m title he won as 13-year-old in same cityTom Daley will celebrate his 18th birthday on Monday as the European 10‑metre platform champion after a dominant performance in Eindhoven on Sunday night.
Daley had blitzed his rivals in the morning's preliminary round and there was no let‑up in the final as he comfortably reclaimed the crown he first won as a 13-year-old in this same city.
Daley twice scored 10s, and could have even attracted more for his most difficult front four-and-a-half somersaults dive, on way to a personal best 565.05. Russia's Victor Minibaev was his closest challenger 49.65 points behind, in Daley's last international competition before the Olympic Games.
In qualifying, Daley had stamped his class with a near-faultless display to score 531.85, including a score of 10 on his final reverse three-and-a-half somersaults dive. Daley has delivered his London hopes a sizeable boost in the past three months, following his public criticism by the performance director, Alexei Evangulov, capped by Sunday night's display.
After Evangulov's comments he has won silver at the opening three legs of the World Series before finishing with gold, in the absence of world champion Qiu Bo, in Mexico last month. That performance was his previous best and he believes his continued improvement could be a reason for consternation amongst his Chinese rivals.
"I think they'll notice," he said. "I don't know if they'll be watching the European Championships too closely but I guess the word will spread about my score. It might say to them I'm coming up and doing it consistently to challenge them.
"I guess it will. That said while it might be good to try and intimidate them I don't think they get too intimidated!"
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Olympic Park's former artist in residence to deal with disillusionment
-
Neville Gabie's next project will 'explore how far away we might have moved from the original spirit of the Games'
The former artist in residence at the Olympic Park plans to create a new artwork – by being as far away as possible from Stratford during the Games.
Neville Gabie was artist in residence in the Olympic Park between September 2010 and January this year when organisers took over the site.
He is now launching a public discussion on where he should spend the night of the opening ceremony on 27 July.
The artist said he had decided on the plan after becoming disillusioned with aspects of the modern Olympics, and in particular its commercialisation.
"When you're involved close up with something like that you start to worry about the ethos of the Olympics and whether the original spirit of the Games is really reflected in what we have now," he said. "This project is an idea to explore how far away we might have moved from the original spirit of the Games."
Gabie said he was open-minded about whether or not "the greatest distance" from the Games at 7.30pm on the night of Danny Boyle's opening ceremony would be represented physically or metaphorically.
"I want to explore whether being disenfranchised is a social, economic, physical or cultural thing," he said. "I consider it an extension of the body of work I did with the ODA. For me it's really important it's seen in the context of all the other work I did on the Olympic Park."
Gabie, who completed several works on the park including an homage to Seurat's Bathers at Asnières with construction workers and a project where he attempted to sit in every seat in the stadium, will appeal for suggestions through his blog.
The Free Word centre in London, which is staging a series of exhibitions and talks on politics and the Olympics throughout the summer, will also help solicit suggestions. Gabie eventual destination will be decided by a panel.
"I am passionate about sport myself. But sometimes those things appear to be very compromised by the power of that cold, corporate involvement," said Gabie.
"The whole of London becomes a militarised zone for the period of the Olympics and sport has moved so far from a celebration of amateur athletes and the world coming together peacefully."
Gabie said his period as artist in residence for the Olympic delivery authority was a "fantastic opportunity" and praised the skill and spirit of those who built the venues. But he said other aspects of the modern Games had made him uneasy.
"There were lots of things I saw there, some very positive and some less so. I see my role as an artist to reflect all those opinions," he said.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
No sentiment in next chapter of Roberto Di Matteo's Chelsea story | Richard Williams
-
Di Matteo has supplied Roman Abramovich with his heart's desire but he will take a pragmatic view of the Italian's future
If the fans had a vote, they would give him the job today. At least for a season, to see if he could build on the miracle of Munich. And if it didn't work out, there would be a decent chance that Pep Guardiola might be feeling suitably refreshed after his sabbatical and ready for the serious challenge of rebuilding Roman Abramovich's Chelsea.
But it was Roberto Di Matteo who made Chelsea the champions of Europe for the first time, who picked them up at the start of March, when they were at their lowest ebb in terms of results and morale since Abramovich bought the club from Ken Bates in 2003, and who, with the help of his assistant, Eddie Newton, somehow freed a bunch of sulking players to rediscover their better selves. However large the win bonus and the severance cheque, it would be harsh to send him packing in his hour of unexpected triumph.
Yet although Abramovich and Di Matteo shared an embrace as the interim manager went up with the players to receive the trophy, the Russian billionaire did not amass his fortune and his power by giving way to sentimental urges. In the cold light of a Chelsea morning he may feel that one season and promotion from the third to the second tier of English football with MK Dons, followed by a spell with West Bromwich Albion that came to an unhappy conclusion halfway through the second year, do not represent a managerial curriculum vitae substantial enough to entitle its owner to be entrusted with the work that must follow Saturday night's outpouring of joy and relief.
Which would be sad, particularly since Di Matteo now has another Chelsea distinction to add to that 42-second goal in the 1997 FA Cup final – as has the admirable Newton, who also scored for the Blues at Wembley. It is always good to see former players succeeding as managers and coaches of their old clubs, although the fate of Kenny Dalglish last week emphasises that when it goes wrong, the pain can be redoubled by the intimacy of the relationship and the strength of the emotions involved.
It would be easy to conclude that, once André Villas-Boas had been given his marching papers at the beginning of March, the suddenly promoted Di Matteo and his team did no more than make the older players feel good again by restoring their sense of power in the dressing room. If that was indeed all it took, then in the short term it paid a handsome dividend. Despite finishing a disappointing sixth in the Premier League, Chelsea can go into next season with something close to the degree of pride and self-confidence they displayed while José Mourinho was in charge.
But two or three things about the way the team have been managed in recent weeks suggest that Di Matteo is good at more than merely making Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba feel central to the side once again. The first and most obvious is the application of a pragmatic attitude to tactics which may not have conformed with Abramovich's vision of the kind of football he would like to see the team playing but which ensured that, even in their reduced state, they were capable of securing big results.
Having spent several months watching the team's struggles from the vantage point of assistant manager, Di Matteo swiftly dismantled the 4‑3‑3 formation that Villas‑Boas had inherited as part of Mourinho's legacy and switched to the 4‑2‑3‑1 that has become the preferred system of most top international and club sides. He wanted to use two shielding midfield players to strengthen the defence, and he had the men with whom to do it. Even deprived of his four suspended players against Bayern, he was able to organise the rearguard with a clarity of design and purpose that enabled all the defensive players to produce memorable performances. The pairing of David Luiz and Gary Cahill in central defence looked as though it could be good for years to come, as long as Chelsea can keep David Luiz out of the clutches of Barcelona, who are said to see him as a replacement for the creaking Carles Puyol.
The second and third signs were to do with individuals rather than systems. Whereas Villas-Boas had attempted to use Fernando Torres as a replacement for Drogba, Di Matteo restored the ageing but still talismanic Ivorian to pre-eminence. That meant relegating Torres to a place among the substitutes, a state of affairs clearly not to the troubled Spaniard's liking. Somehow, nonetheless, Di Matteo managed to coax from the £50m misfit the kind of performances that even Carlo Ancelotti never came close to eliciting.
It was Torres who came on to score that marvellous game-killing second goal in the Camp Nou, having previously shown a willingness to help with the mucking-out in defence, and on Saturday night his arrival as a replacement for Salomon Kalou on the right wing in the 84th minute prefaced a display that hinted at what he may bring to his future career in the blue shirt. There were a couple of terrific dribbles down the flank in which he relieved the pressure by taking on and occupying the attention of a number of defenders, and a tremendous cross that deserved a better response from his colleagues. His offer to take a penalty was rejected by Di Matteo but his commitment was never in doubt.
Third comes the case of Ryan Bertrand, the young left‑back who had played in only seven games in the Premier League this season and had never had a sniff of Europe's top club competition before Di Matteo selected him for the final. Bertrand's contribution was not an unqualified success, and he was withdrawn after 73 minutes, but he had done the job Di Matteo required of him, filling the space on the left of midfield and inhibiting Philipp Lahm's desire to move up in support of Arjen Robben, thus allowing Ashley Cole to deal with the wily and persistent Dutchman one on one.
Di Matteo had come up with the idea while observing the players in training in the week before the match, and he may also have been reminded of the occasions on which Cole and Wayne Bridge were used in a similar configuration. The decision showed intelligence, imagination and a willingness to try something unorthodox on the very biggest of occasions. Even so, it may not be enough to sway a man whose own decisions are sometimes made according to more enigmatic criteria.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
West Indies 243 & 345, England 398 & 10-2 | First Test day four report
-
• West Indies 243 & 345, England 398 & 10-2
It was cold at Lord's on Sunday, bitterly so as a brisk northerly cracked in over the Grandstand where once stood Father Time. Visitors from the Caribbean might be expected to keep themselves tucked indoors on days such as this, and right until the last few overs of the day West Indies batsmen, between them, ensured that this was precisely where their team‑mates were able to remain. It was a defiant effort from a side that have deservedly gathered a reputation in recent years of philanthropy towards bowlers.
By the time Graeme Swann ended the West Indies second innings, begun midway through the third day, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels had taken their fifth‑wicket partnership to 157 before Samuels succumbed for 86 to Stuart Broad and the second new ball. Chanderpaul himself, unbeaten for 87 in the first innings, added 91 in the second before Swann, with the first ball of a speculative pre-tea over, had him lbw as he attempted to sweep. In the end West Indies reached 345. It took England almost 10 and a half hours to shift Chanderpaul, a monumental feat of concentration if small beer to some with his history of crease occupation.
There had been further contributions from the wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin, who made 43, and Darren Sammy, whose robust 37 changed the tempo of the innings in its latter stages so that the last four wickets were able to add 84 runs. It left England requiring 191 to win, which in theory ought not to trouble them unduly unless the ball moves around, in which case the West Indies bowlers, more used to the conditions second time around, might be expected to make life awkward even when the newness has left the ball.
But the Lord's pitch, which seems not to have suffered from denting on the first day when it was at its most damp, has played increasingly easily, slow on to the bat, with time to adjust. If it makes scoring more difficult, it also does the same for wicket‑taking. However, England were left with a tricky potential seven overs before the close, four of which were delivered, during which time Fidel Edwards and Kemar Roach worked up to deliver the quickest bowling of the match.
It was too much for the first‑innings centurion Andrew Strauss certainly, who could only fend, from the shoulder of his bat, a lifter from Roach that carried gently to the floating slip position, one of five catchers posted on the offside. It was too much for the nightwatchman Jimmy Anderson, too, given out caught down the leg-side off Roach. He appeared on replay not to have hit it with anything other than his shirt, but decided not to review it. And it was almost too much for Jonathan Trott, who was within a smidgen of being lbw first ball, saved only by the not-out decision and, on review, the umpire deciding his pad was struck only the merest fraction outside the line of off‑stump.
Stumps came with England on 10 for two. They should still get the runs. Monday morning will find the adrenaline levels of the bowlers down on those of the evening charge and England will have had time to regroup. A further five overs in the evening and they might have suffered untold damage.
There has proved a remarkable disparity in the returns enjoyed (or not in several cases) by the three England seamers. Ever since Broad got through a rusty spell on the first morning, a function of a lack of competitive cricket brought about by injury, he has bowled with a rhythmical urgency that has brought its rewards. The second innings proved much harder work, the ball not so compliant to his will as the conditions changed, but he hammered away and finished with four for 93, giving him match figures of 11 for 165, only the third time that an England bowler has taken 10 in a Lord's Test against West Indies.
Equally special, it places him alongside Gubby Allen, Ian Botham and Keith Miller as the only cricketers to appear on all three Lord's honours' boards, home dressing room or away, to have scored a century, taken five wickets in an innings and 10 in a match. Whether he celebrated as either of the latter two might is doubtful but it has been a tremendous display from someone who has learned how to make it count when it is his day.
It remains baffling how Anderson, on the other hand, could bowl with such consistent skill and yet come away with such scant reward as 3 for 126 from 61 overs. Much the same was said of Tony Lock when Jim Laker managed 19 wickets to his one. Maybe he bowled too many overs from the wrong end, for 14 West Indian wickets fell when bowling was from Anderson's less favoured Nursery end. He ought not to be so reluctant: the prevailing wind and the way the slope will set a bowler at the crease makes it a great end from which to deliver swing. Finally, just when it seemed he might never take one, he found a way inside Ramdin's defence. Tim Bresnan has proved diligent but generally less threatening without the help he needed in the air and, whatever the outcome here, he might well be replaced by Steve Finn on the faster pitch at Trent Bridge.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Challenge for Paralympics to change lives and perceptions
-
Wheelchair basketball medallist Ade Adepitan praises transport aid that is threatened by cuts
There's a sense of fizzing excitement around this summer's Paralympics. The games are "coming home" – the first forerunner to the Paralympics took place in Stoke Mandeville in 1948 – and for Team GB supporters there are expectations of an avalanche of golden moments to match the second place in the medal table achieved in Beijing.
But it's not just about sporting spectacle, human drama and podium glory in what are predicted to be the biggest Paralympics, with 165 countries set to compete, compared to 146 in Beijing.
As with the Olympics, the Paralympics bears responsibility for a series of expansive legacy promises, including a vow to "change the lives" of 10 million disabled people by "increasing participation in sport and physical activity"; and to transform "attitudes and perceptions of disabled people" in wider society.
"It will change people's perceptions of disability, and not just able-bodied people," predicts Ade Adepitan, the wheelchair basketball Paralympic medallist who will help anchor Channel 4's coverage of the games.
"If you are a disabled kid and you see someone like you competing, who also happens to be a great athlete, imagine the confidence boost that will give and the impact on your life."
Sprinter Sophia Warner, who is targeting medals in the 100m and 200m at the Paralympics, and is ranked no 2 in the world, is equally optimistic. She says the games can address the "lack of understanding in society" that she believes represents the "biggest challenge to being a disabled athlete or being a disabled person".
She says: "[The Paralympics] will educate people and … will intrigue people. Instead of disabled people taking a backseat, we've all chosen to put ourselves out there in the limelight, in an exhibition if you like. The Paralympics will put us all out there for people to make their own judgment and their own understanding."
Such optimism is widespread. But athletes and disability campaigners alike are also wary of the weight of legacy expectation placed on the games. "It's an amazing spectacle, there's a good message, it shows what disabled people can do," says Lady Grey-Thompson, Britain's best-known Paralympian. "But it puts a lot of pressure on the Paralympics to change attitudes."
Grey-Thompson, who as a cross-bencher in the Lords, spoke out against the government's welfare reform bill earlier this year, points out that the games take place at a time when financial pressures have increased on many disabled people as a result of widespread cuts to disability benefits and social care budgets – the social supports that give disabled people the opportunity to participate not just in sport but in society generally.
She says that changes to the disability living allowance (DLA), a payment worth between £20 and £131.50 a week which helps disabled individuals meet extra costs of transport, food and other special requirements, could undermine the legacy aim of involving more disabled people in sport. Government figures suggest that up to 500,000 disabled people will lose out when DLA is replaced by Personal Independence Payments in 2013. DLA is essential to meet the higher costs of transport and sporting equipment so vital to sports participation, says Grey-Thompson.
Adepitan says DLA enabled him to acquire an otherwise unaffordable car through the Motability scheme to get himself to training and competitions. Public transport was largely inaccessible, and when early in his career he temporarily lost DLA he was forced to propel himself to training by wheelchair, a 12-mile daily round trip along the pavements of east London. "Without DLA I would not have been able to do what I did, or be a top athlete," he says.
On Monday, Grey-Thompson will help to launch an £8m Sport England fund to improve levels of participation in grassroots sport among disabled people. While about 38% of non-disabled people aged over 16 participate in at least 30 minutes of sport a week, that figure drops to 18% for disabled adults.
Sport England chief executive Jennie Price admits that it is "an uncomfortable truth that disabled people enjoy fewer opportunities to get involved in sport".
If the UK is to capitalise on the potential surge in interest generated by the games it has to overcome the access problem that Sport England identifies, says Ben Rushgrove, a Paralympian sprinter and silver medallist at the Bejing games.
Not just access to leisure facilities and sports clubs, but to the kind of expert coaching and knowledge of the emotional and psychological needs of disabled youngsters that he received at his specialist school. "That's the biggest barrier," he says.
He adds: "I have been lucky. I had a great school, and my parents were amazingly supportive. I'm afraid that others won't get the help and support that they need."
Geraint Richards, GB wheelchair tennis head of performance, hopes that the games will "open the eyes not only of the public but of local authorities", which run or fund many public sporting facilities.
Council leisure services budgets are coping with unprecedented cuts. But it will be local grassroots facilities that deliver the games' legacy.
"The big beauty of wheelchair tennis is that you don't have to play against other wheelchair players. I'd like to see every tennis club in the country open its doors to disabled players … It's the most inclusive sport around and there's no reason why existing facilities can't be opened up to wheelchairs," says Richards.
Changing wider public attitudes towards disabled people, generally regarded to be deteriorating, will be a tough legacy task.
Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK, says: "The Paralympics could be a real opportunity, a great platform for showing what disabled people can achieve and contribute to society. But it's not a panacea. Attitudes towards disability are hardening.
A recent survey by the MS Society of 2,000 British adults revealed that a fifth of those surveyed felt disabled people "need to accept they cannot have the same opportunities in life as non-disabled people". One in seven disabled people felt that negative public perceptions of disability had hardened as a result of the use of the phrase "benefit scroungers" by politicians and the media, according to The Papworth trust, a disability charity.
Some Paralympians, such as nine-times dressage gold medallist Lee Pearson, have called on their fellow athletes to use the games as an opportunity to educate the public about their disabilities and the challenges they face.
But others argue that their only responsibility is to their sport. They hope that by bringing home medals, they can inspire change. Asked about Paralympic legacy aims, Jamie Burdekin, a Liverpudlian wheelchair tennis player who won a bronze in the doubles in Beijing and is ranked fifth in the world, says: "I don't get mixed up in any of that kind of stuff. I just turn up on the day and play tennis. It's a healthy lifestyle, you go around the world and I'm delighted to be in it."
Sporting achievement, understandably, is the primary focus of the athletes.
For two exciting weeks this summer, legacy concerns will evaporate. As Adepitan says: "Life does not get much better than when you are competing in front of thousands of people, you are wearing your country's shirt, and playing the sport that you love."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
I'll Have Another's Triple Crown bid threatens to cause a US hangover
-
Kentucky Derby winner lifts Preakness but trainer's denials of 'milkshaking' other horses have yet to convince all in US racing
Saturday proved a significant day for racing on both sides of the Atlantic, as Frankel returned at Newbury and extended his unbeaten record to 10 races while at Pimlico in Maryland I'll Have Another added the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the US Triple Crown, to his victory in the Kentucky Derby.
These two horses seem destined to define the racing seasons in Europe and America but the reaction to their successes says a great deal about the relative health of the sport in their respective spheres of influence.
Frankel's five-length victory in the Lockinge Stakes was a cause for delight and relief, since a seasonal debut is never an easy race to negotiate, and attention now turns to Royal Ascot and beyond. The only potential cause for concern is whether the "Go Frankel!" banners and flags that proved so popular at Newbury will contravene the Royal meeting's strict new dress code. The joy over I'll Have Another's victory, however, has been a little more qualified.
It is not that American sports fans are not eager to see another Triple Crown winner. It is now 34 years since Affirmed and Steve Cauthen completed the set in the Belmont Stakes and 11 horses have since taken the first two legs, only to fail the final test. Several of those were short-priced favourites to earn their place in racing history, the most recent being Big Brown, who was a 3-10 shot but was pulled up on the home turn.
There were about 100,000 spectators at Belmont Park that afternoon and there was no disguising both the eagerness of their desire to see racing history made and the bitter disappointment at yet another failure. One punter, who had backed the 39-1 winner Da' Tara, had to cut short his celebrations when another racegoer attacked him. Let no one say that the Americans do not take the Triple Crown seriously.
The problem with I'll Have Another, though, is his trainer. Doug O'Neill runs a very successful operation on the west coast but, when it comes to violations of US racing's rules on medication, O'Neill's rap sheet – as the New York Times pointed out shortly after the Derby – is long and inglorious. It includes more than a dozen breaches of the rules in four different states while he also faces suspension of his licence for up to six months after one of his horses, Argenta, showed a raised level of TCO2 – the mark of a "milkshake".
"Milkshaking" means forcing a bicarbonate solution into a horse's stomach via a tube inserted into its nose, a procedure which is as crude and unpleasant as it sounds. The theory is that the alkaline solution counteracts the effects of lactic acid building up in a horse's system when it exercises and thus delays fatigue. The practice is generally accepted to have been rife in US racing until quite recently, on the west coast in particular.
O'Neill says – indeed, he swears on his "children's eyes" – that he has never milkshaked a horse and claims to be funding research into the possibility that legal raceday drugs, such as the anti-bleeding agent furosemide, might have caused the positive test. He is still fighting the Argenta case, nearly two years after the positive test.
I'll Have Another's attempt to become the 12th horse to win the Triple Crown will be the focus of much attention in the United States over the next three weeks. What the sport's more thoughtful participants and observers appreciate, though, is that a story which should be a reason to celebrate what is good in American racing is just as likely to advertise what is rotten.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Tanni Grey-Thompson warns that Paralympic legacy threatened by cuts
-
Former athlete, who won 11 gold medals, says welfare reforms are putting wider access to sport for disabled people at risk
Britain's greatest Paralympian, Lady Tanni Grey-Thompson, has warned that disability benefit cuts will affect the development of top athletes and undermine the Games' key legacy aim of widening access to sport for disabled people.
Hundreds of thousands of working age people will lose disability benefits over the next four years as a result of the government's controversial welfare reforms.
Grey-Thompson, who won 11 Paralympic gold medals as a wheelchair athlete, said disability living allowance (DLA) had been crucial in enabling her and many other disabled athletes to participate and compete. "It's important to recognise that the cuts will affect Paralympians, who have higher living costs as a result of their impairment."
Her comments come as the starting gun is fired on the 100-day countdown to the Paralympics, which take place at the end of August.
She said that although the very top disabled athletes might get financial help from sponsors, many others would find it difficult to compete if they lost the benefit. "I know someone who is on the edge of qualification who has had her DLA removed. It impacts on her ability to get involved in society, not just sport."
DLA is a non-means tested benefit, worth between £20 and £131.50 a week, paid to disabled people to help with the extra costs of transport, equipment, care and other specialist needs.
The government plans to replace DLA, which goes to about 3.2 million people at an annual cost of £12.6bn, with personal independence payments (PIP) from 2013. It estimates that up to 500,000 people will lose entitlement to the benefit over the next four years as eligibility criteria are tightened and claims reassessed.
Disability benefit cuts are proving increasingly controversial for ministers. The Royal British Legion has called for disabled ex-service personnel to be given special treatment after it emerged that many limbless war veterans with mobility impairments would not qualify for disability benefit under the proposed new PIP rules.
Grey-Thompson added that it was not just an issue for elite athletes but would affect the health and wellbeing of thousands of disabled people whose ability to participate in sport would be curtailed if they lost financial support. This would drive up social care and NHS costs in the long term. Ministers hope an increase in sporting activity among disabled people, and improved wider public perceptions of disability, will be key long-term legacies of the Games.
Grey-Thompson is spearheading an £8m Sport England programme, launched on Monday, that is aimed at increasing participation in sport by disabled people. At present only about 18% of disabled adults undertake physical activity for more than 30 minutes a week, compared with 38% of non-disabled adults.
Her comments were backed by other Paralympians. Ben Rushgrove, a sprinter and silver medallist at the Beijing Games, said that while he had no problem with the principle of welfare reform, the loss of disability benefit would be an obstacle to sporting participation for many people. "Because of cuts people are going to go back into themselves a little. They won't have the funds to get out and about.
He added: "We have to ask what type of society people want. In the UK years ago we made a decision to support those people who are the most vulnerable in society and we would not let them fall by the wayside. I feel that idea is being eroded away.
"There will always be people who game the system. But most disabled people are living hand to mouth. It's about getting the change right and the pace of change right."
Ade Adepitan, the Paralympian wheelchair basketball medallist, who grew up in the East End of London, said disability benefit had been vital to enable him to travel to training and competitions. "Without DLA I would not have been able to do what I did or be a top athlete."
Adepitan, who is co-presenting TV coverage of the games for Channel 4, said that people "need to get their facts straight" on disability benefits. Politicians' rhetoric about benefit cuts was in danger of "turning people against each other" and leading people to think incorrectly that "everyone on benefits is a scrounger".
The rower Alan Crowther, who won four world championship gold medals and has competed in able-bodied teams, said DLA had been crucial to his development as a top disabled athlete: "If you took disability benefit away from me I'd be sat in the house unable to go anywhere."
Crowther, who is blind, warned that disability benefit cuts, along with cuts to council social care budgets, would prevent many younger disabled people from participating in grassroots sport. "The government has played DLA totally wrong," he said.
Sport England said challenges facing disabled people wanting to take part in sport included a lack of specialist equipment, transport issues, difficulty accessing sport facilities, poor information about sporting opportunities, and a lack of self-confidence among disabled people.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said DLA was outdated and the new PIP support would be focused on those disabled people "who need it most".
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Roger Mosey interview: BBC will show every Olympics event
-
Corporation's Games chief outlines 2,500 hours of coverage on television, radio and online that he thinks will unite Britain again
The 1908 Olympics took place in White City, just yards from where the BBC's director of London 2012 is now sipping a cappuccino, and they started amid hubristic high hopes. But the Games ended in bitter, soggy acrimony following a string of disqualifications, allegations of cheating, diplomatic incidents and lashings of rain.
Given the grandstanding presentation that Roger Mosey last week oversaw as he unveiled the BBC's Games coverage plans, there appears to be a degree of confidence that history won't repeat itself. With the arrival of the flame at Land's End, covered in a primetime One Show special on Friday, an orgy of Olympic programming began.
Like the London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, Mosey appears convinced the 70-day torch relay around the UK will light a spark of excitement for the Games across a nation that remains split in its attitude towards it.
"It's an interesting national story but it's an even bigger local story. I think the level of interest will be very pleasing," he says. BBC cameras will follow around 80% of the torch relay live (though what they shoot will mostly be broadcast online). Every BBC region will have a special show when the torch reaches its area.
The Olympics will all but take over BBC1 and an extended-hours BBC3 for 17 days this summer, and 24 new dedicated channels besides on cable and satellite. Mosey promises "every event from the first thing in the morning to the last thing at night", offering 2,500 hours of sports coverage alone – 1,000 more than from Beijing.
The huge choice, including a new digital dashboard that will allow viewers to build their own schedule of live and recorded events, could lead to paralysis or diminish the ability to tell the "story" of the Games. Mosey concedes navigation is "a major challenge" but thinks his team have got the balance right.
"For most people, linear TV and BBC1 will remain the biggest beast in the jungle," he says. "But while on the opening night everyone will watch the opening ceremony on BBC1, the next morning you might have the rowing on one channel, the men's road race on another and the prelims in various sports. That's where you can personalise your Olympics. It's not either/or, it's both/and."
This is far more than a sporting event for the BBC, with everything from a Shakespeare season to a Radio 1 festival plus dramas and documentaries pegged to the Games. It is also the anchor for a so-called "summer like no other" that the BBC hopes will underline its position as the place where the nation comes together for big moments – whether the men's 100m final, the Diamond Jubilee or England v France in Euro 2012.
It will also be the swansong for Mark Thompson, a director general who has not shown a great affinity for sport but who has fully embraced what coverage of major events represents, a populist expression of Reithian values.
For all the talk about the digital innovations that will accompany London 2012, variously described as "the first broadband Games" or "the first Twitter Olympics", the BBC's primary role will be as it ever was – to bring a mass audience together for the biggest moments, whether in living rooms or at 22 "live sites" around the country.
"When people were thinking about analogue switchoff and a fully digital world, there was a sense you might lose those big channels that bring people together. That wish to come together for those big moments is still absolutely there in the UK," says Mosey.
Not only that, he detects an increased desire for life-affirming communal viewing experiences during difficult times.
"In our research, we found people do want the country to be better. They want a better Britain for their children and their grandchildren," he says. "We, of course, remain completely impartial on the legacy issues but among the audience, the hunger for something better – and that the Olympics could be the catalyst for that – is definitely there."
Appointed in April 2009 with the mandate of planning the BBC's London 2012 coverage across all genres and platforms, Mosey has largely had to invent his own job description.
As a former editor of the Today programme who counts stints as head of television news, controller of Radio 5 Live and, most recently, director of sport on his CV, Mosey's ability to pick his way through internal BBC politics and the protocol of the Olympic world has helped. But, like Team GB, he must soon deliver under the harshest of spotlights.
"We have five big targets. One, bringing the nation together around big events. Second, brilliant coverage of the sport. Thirdly, independence and impartiality of the news coverage. The fourth is driving digital. And the fifth is about legacy."
He admits the "L-word", an Olympic cliche brilliantly skewered by BBC2's comedy TwentyTwelve, is hard to pin down but points to an inclusive apprenticeship programme that is pegged to the Games as one success.
There was consternation at the International Olympic Committee's headquarters in Lausanne at last year's drive to slash 20% from the BBC sports rights budget. And, for all the protestations of BBC Sport executives to the contrary, Sir Paul Fox is not alone in speculating that this Games could be the last on the BBC.
Despite the protection of listed events legislation for now, rights negotiations that will begin after the Games are likely to consider the option of splitting them between broadcasters.
"As you know, we never talk about future rights deals. But the BBC has shown huge resilience in its portfolio. You can't compare it with the 1970s and 1980s when there were monopoly providers. Sky Sports does a fantastic job and we'd be poorer without it, but we'd equally be poorer if you didn't have the big events free to air, live on the BBC," says Mosey.
For a BBC Sport department that has had a fairly traumatic few years as rights budgets have been slashed and half of its staff left before the move to Salford, the London Games is a chance to restate its prowess in covering major events and lay down a marker ahead of the arrival of a new director general.
A key challenge will be getting the tone right. The BBC faced criticism that its royal wedding coverage was overly portentous and reverential, and there is a danger that the orgy of pageantry this summer could lead to a dearth of irreverence to balance the authority.
A BBC man to his bones, Mosey sounds momentarily hurt. "We felt our royal wedding coverage was really strong and we were enormously proud of it. We were the BBC, doing a big occasion, and there is an element where we do have a Radio 4 role as the national broadcaster," he responds. "When you get to the Olympics, there is a range of voices. We're doing TwentyTwelve, the Ab Fab specials and so on. Trevor Nelson will be part of the commentary team for the opening ceremony – a Hackney boy, Olympics mad."
If the BBC needs the Olympics, Lord Coe and company need the BBC too. As the prism through which the majority of the nation, particularly those outside London, will watch the Games, it will play a key role in shaping perceptions.
Mosey seems sure that once the opening bars of Elbow's BBC Olympic theme are heard ahead of the opening ceremony, they will drown out the last remaining cynics. "The thing about tracking research is that people tend to underestimate their level of enthusiasm. Not many people are excited about the Olympics on a wet February day. But, come July 27, that will go up exponentially and you'll get a massive level of interest. These are going to be great events we'll never have again in our lifetime. Most people will take full advantage of that."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Widnes 34-42 Catalan Dragons | Super League match report
-
• Widnes 34-42 Catalan Dragons
The Catalan Dragons coach, Trent Robinson, heaped praise on the Super League strugglers Widnes and felt they deserved to take something out of Sunday's 14-try thriller.
Catalan bounced back from their Challenge Cup quarter-final defeat by Warrington to claim a hard-fought victory over Widnes, the bottom club, at Stobart Stadium Halton. But the Vikings, hammered 76-6 by the Dragons in March, might have got even closer to their opponents had it not been for Lloyd White and Joe Mellor being carried off on a stretcher and the team conceding two tries when their captain, Jon Clarke, was in the sin-bin. Clarke was issued a yellow card for a challenge on Scott Dureau early in the second half.
Robinson said: "Widnes were outstanding and pressurised us all over the park. Widnes deserved something out of the game. We could see their desperation and they fought tooth and nail. They lost a couple of players but can take a lot out of the match."
The Dragons raced into a 14-0 lead but Widnes rallied to trail 20-18 at the break with Rhys Hanbury, the man of the match, scoring a spectacular long-range try right on half-time.
"That try gave Widnes a fair bit of momentum after we started really well," said Robinson. "We hit our marks and had a lot of quality ball early on."
The Widnes coach, Denis Betts, was unhappy with Clarke's sin-binning. "Clarkey was sin-binned for nothing," he said. "The touch-judges and referee didn't see anything and it was a poor call after all the players started pushing and shoving. We are disappointed with the loss because it was a great team effort. We fell for the sucker-punch early on but if we can show the same effort we can get some wins."
Regarding the two players who were carried off, Betts said: "We lost Joe Mellor with an ankle injury and Lloyd White did his knee but it's too early to say the extent of the damage.
"It was all hands to the deck after that but we are slowly getting there and just need a bit of luck. Nobody has had to do what we have done coming from a non‑professional to full-time environment.
"Leon Pryce and Scott Dureau played well for Catalan who are a quality side and Vinnie Anderson was outstanding."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Warrington coach praises Stefan Ratchford's double try-scoring return
-
• Stand-off back a month before schedule after shoulder injury
• Castleford earn best Super League win, 70-12, at Hull KRThe Warrington coach, Tony Smith, was full of praise for Stefan Ratchford after the stand-off's try-scoring efforts helped the Wolves move to within a point of the Super League leaders, Wigan, with a 42-12 win over Wakefield.
The former Salford utility back, who had been out for 11 weeks with a shoulder injury, returned a month earlier than expected and made an immediate impact with two tries in 13 minutes. "It was pretty good for someone who has out for so long with a substantial injury," Smith said. "I thought he did a great job.
"I threw him in at the deep end but he's been training with such enthusiasm for the last few weeks that I knew he would do a good job. He was jumping out of his skin to play in this game."
The depth of Castleford's squad was evident at Hull KR as the injury-ravaged Tigers were thrashed 70-12 by a Robins side who posted their best Super League win. Danny Tickle's late penalty proved crucial as Hull FC edged out London Broncos 14-12 at Priestfield Stadium.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Leinster's success finds base in relentless pursuit of excellence
-
• Irish province has become major force in Heineken Cup
• Supporters travel to European matches in numbersNext season's Heineken Cup final is in Dublin, fittingly so as Ireland is the country the trophy has called home for five of the last seven seasons. A competition that in its first few years was regarded as a fight between England and France has turned green, along with the clubs in the Aviva Premiership and the Top 14.
Much has been made in England and France about an inherent advantage enjoyed by the leading Ireland provinces. Not only do they not have to worry about relegation with the RaboDirect Pro12 ring‑fenced but qualification for the following season's Heineken Cup is never an issue. They are, it is said, free to concentrate on Europe.
The failure of any of Wales's four regions to make an impact in the Heineken Cup is never cited in evidence, and Scottish sides have only twice made it to the knockout stage. What is also ignored is that Irish sides have won the RaboDirect, formerly the Magners League, in three of the past four seasons. Leinster face Ospreys in the play-off final in Dublin on Sunday.
The notion is that everything for Leinster revolves around the Heineken Cup is anathema to their Lions full-back, Rob Kearney. "The league is our bread and butter," he said. "We were really disappointed at the way our season ended last year. We beat Northampton to clinch the Heineken Cup but then lost to Munster in the Magners play-off final. The league is important to us and we want to do something special."
The Irish sides not only struggled in the early years of the Heineken Cup but failed to attract much in the way of support. The demands of professionalism meant that the Irish and Scots, followed by Wales in 2003, relegated their club system, concentrating their resources on provincial and regional sides.
If Scotland and Wales had identity problems, Ireland's four provinces were steeped in the public consciousness. The Interprovincial championship there had started in the 1920s and they had a stronger base than their Celtic rivals and many English clubs who reinvented themselves by moving grounds, renaming and rebranding.
Leinster in the 1990s attracted crowds of between 500 and 2,000. By 2006, a year when they were routed in the Heineken Cup semi-final by Munster, they had nearly 4,000 season-ticket holders. That number has swelled to 12,500 and their average crowd for a league match is almost 17,000. And, like Munster and Ulster, their supporters travel all over Europe in their numbers.
"When we were driving to the ground on Saturday the pavements were a sea of blue," said the Leinster captain, Leo Cullen. "The support we get is ridiculous. There must have been 50,000 Leinster fans in the ground and what was an already special day was made by their presence. We are delighted to play for them."
As Leinster's support has grown, so they have become a major force in Europe. A team that used to be bullied by Munster and Leicester in the knockout stages has become the first team to win the Heineken Cup three times in four years and has already been installed as the favourites to prevail in the tournament next season.
Ireland tour New Zealand this summer and an article on the official All Blacks website on Sunday likened Leinster to a Super 15 side. "If Irish coach Declan Kidney can lift some of the magic that lurks within the Leinster jersey, then the All Blacks will be on high alert," it ran. "Leinster are the best drilled outfit in the northern hemisphere, sweeping their attack out wide gracefully, mixing it up with some sublime angles and brilliant hands, while being able to spearhead their attack through the heart of even the most resilient defence."
One respondent suggested that Kidney should be replaced by the Leinster coach, Joe Schmidt, a New Zealander. It was a question put on Saturday evening to the Ireland captain and Leinster talisman, Brian O'Driscoll, who was far too shrewd to walk into such a trap, paying tribute to both.
When Michael Cheika left Leinster after their first Heineken Cup triumph in 2009, they were fancied to struggle but Schmidt has taken them to another level. "Michael Cheika changed our mentality," said Cullen. "In 2007 I could not see how we were going to be successful in the immediate future, crashing out of Europe embarrassingly on a few occasions. Joe has brought a relentless pursuit of excellence. He is great for the players and, to quote Bubba Watson, I have not got that far in my dreams."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Frankel likely to start off Royal Ascot meeting 'with a bang'
-
• Frankel aimed at Queen Anne, royal meeting's opening race
• 'We like the idea of starting with a bang,' says Ascot officialFrankel, the world's top-rated horse, was "fine and very pleased with himself" following his five-length success in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury the previous day, Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to the colt's owner Prince Khalid Abdullah, said on Sunday.
Grimthorpe also confirmed that Frankel is likely to stick to the same one-mile trip when he goes to Royal Ascot next month, which means that he will appear in the first race of the meeting, the Queen Anne Stakes, on Tuesday 19 June. "It was very pleasing the way that he did it at Newbury," Grimthorpe said. "Obviously we were a bit apprehensive after his injury scare but he's done it really nicely so we're delighted. All being well, it will be Ascot next. I'd think the Queen Anne would be the most likely race."
Nick Smith, Ascot's spokesman, said on Sunday that there was no chance that the Queen Anne would be moved to later in the card to allow more of a buildup to Frankel's next appearance.
"We like the idea of starting the meeting with a bang," Smith said. "Also, you have to consider what would happen if, for whatever reason, he did not make the race. It could easily end up being just four or five runners. You can't build things around one or two individual horses. It can't work like that."
Fame And Glory, last year's Gold Cup winner at Ascot, made a successful seasonal debut in the Vintage Crop Stakes at Navan on Sunday, and is now top-priced at 5-2 for a repeat victory at the royal meeting. Sent off favourite at 5-4, Fame And Glory did not require significant urging from Joseph O'Brien, his jockey, to beat Unaccompanied and Steps To Freedom, and his record is now 14 wins from 22 starts, with his defeats including second place behind Sea The Stars in the 2009 Derby.
"He ran quite fresh down the back," O'Brien said. "I had a nice position on the bend going away from the stands and then he changed his legs and took off a bit. He just got a bit tired which he was entitled to on his first run of the year."
Danedream, who ran away with last year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, also made a successful return to action in the Group Two Grosser Preis Der Badischen Unternehmer at Baden-Baden. Peter Schiergen's filly beat Ovambo Queen by three-quarters of a length.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Chelsea's Champions League victory parade - in pictures
-
Scenes from Chelsea's parade in west London, following their Champions League final victory against Bayern Munich
-
Champions League final shootout distracts G8 leaders
-
David Cameron and Dmitry Medvedev all smiles at Chelsea win, after Angela Merkel interrupts Syria talks to watch penalties
David Cameron gave Angela Merkel a conciliatory hug at the G8 summit in Washington after watching Chelsea beat Bayern Munich on penalties in the Champions League final. Merkel, a keen football fan, was the first to disrupt discussions on Syria when she saw on her iPad that the match had gone to a shootout, and said she had to watch it. Barack Obama then turned to Cameron to ask why he did not want to join her, to which the prime minister replied: "What's the point, we never win."
Germany beat England in the World Cup while Cameron was attending a G20 summit in Canada in 2010. But after noise from the adjoining room on Saturday he did slip away, followed by the rest. By that time Chelsea were trailing in the shootout, but his arrival coincided with a change of luck for the London club. "It was extremely exciting. It is a privilege of the job to watch a penalty shootout in the presence of the German chancellor and win," Cameron said. "It was very good-natured. There was a short hug afterwards."
Other sources said Merkel was momentarily cross, saying "scheisse" under her breath. According to Cameron, the person who was smiling the most was Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, since "he thought there was some Russian skin in the game" – a reference to Roman Abramovich, Chelsea's Russian owner.
Cameron said it was "an extraordinary experience to go and watch a penalty shootout between an English team and German team and to end up triumphant". He added hastily that he was back to work before he saw the Chelsea captain, John Terry, lift the cup. There had been suggestions that Cameron had been caught off camera earlier on Saturday making disparaging remarks about Terry to Obama.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
England v West Indies – as it happened | Tom Lutz and Rob Smyth
-
England closed on 10 for two, chasing 191 to win at Lord's, after a brilliant performance from the West Indies on day four
Preamble: So England are in the ascendancy here, with Shiv Chanderpaul – even more immovable than a red wine stain on a pristine white sofa – the main obstacle for them to remove. You would with the weather forecast picking up - dry today and the sun (THE SUN!) coming out tomorrow - the tourists don't have much chance of saving this Test. But then again, the third-best club in London are officially the best club in Europe so odd things do happen.
Oh, and we've got an email too:
"I know this isn't cricket," says John Felham. Correct John, it's an email. "But last night I texted my friend Greg telling him that 'Bayern are even effing (but I didn't write effing) worse than England at penalties than effing (but I didn't write effing) England." But sent it to Grandma rather than Greg. I have yet to get a response." Why? Is your grandma a Bayern fan?
During my ill-starred loan-spell on the travel desk I accidentally sent an email complaining of my lack of foreign trips to the travel editor rather than my friend. I ended up going to Cologne for three days and watching snooker on Eurosport in my hotel room. I even got one of those expensive fluffy white towelling robes to sit in.
Graham Gooch is on Sky analysing West Ham's play-off victory. We will talk about cricket at some point.
"Morning Tom," says Simon McMahon. "What's your prediction for when this match will finish? I said yesterday that England should have it wrapped up by about tea time and I'm standing by that. By 8 wickets. Of course I could be wrong ..." That's a fair shout. Depends on how long Shiv hangs around for. If he's out quickly it could be over before tea. Either way, I wouldn't worry too much about clearing your schedule for tomorrow. As a caveat, the last time I did an over-by-over this happened.
"Having arisen at 4am to watch the CL final, I then punched out a 10km run, caught another 2 footy codes from the comfort of my sofa and am now ready for the main event. Which, unfortunately for me, seems to be sleep rather than the cricket," says Jonny Hodgetts. "After a day on the cans for the Tennant Creek races yesterday, I'm beginning to regret my early start. Any chance England can wrap this up by lunch so I can get a good Sunday night sleep?" Don't worry, my commentary is sure to send you to sleep. By the way, congratulations on a full day, judging by Google maps, it's a bit of a slog to find stuff to do around Tennant Creek.
51st over: West Indies 120-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 34, Samuels 26) Lots of shots of people in the crowd looking cold. Anderson to Samuels and the batsman pushes at the ball, and it drops just short of Bresnan in the slips. Not a promising start to the day for West Indies. "Cold and grey in Tottenham for Day four at Lord's," says Keith Flett. "The kind of weather I expect when Chelsea win the Champions League with George Osborne in attendance." Yes, it was with mounting horror that I realised last night was a victory for George Osborne as well as Chelsea.
52nd over: West Indies 120-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 34, Samuels 26) Broad comes in from the Nursery End. Broad sends his first ball wide, we'll put that down to the cold. And the second one. Chanderpaul only has to play at one ball the entire over, the rest he leaves with disdain. "Sorry about all the fitba chat, Tom, but cross-promotion is surely where it's at," says Ryan Dunne. "I fondly remember Andrew Strauss being interviewed after England crashed out of the World Cup (2010, but it could be any of them really), asking if feels up to the challenge of lifting the nation. Talk about a big ask. And if John Terry was really as classless as people say, wouldn't he have unveiled a 'David Cameron - GIRFUY!' t-shirt last night, under his full kit? Perhaps he's still holding out hope of an MBE or Knighthood."
53rd over: West Indies 124-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 35, Samuels 29) Samuels gets the first runs of the day, stroked down to deep mid-wicket. Shiv also snicks one away to get off the mark for the morning.
54th over: West Indies 125-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 35, Samuels 29) Shiv ducks a Broad bouncer and then squirts a single away to end the over. The scoreboard at Lord's has started working after a brief power outage but it's for the score wrong. It only tok me two overs to get the score right this morning, so I'm already winning. "I'm surprised you came to Cologne's Museum of Chocolate with a 'finally' as for many people I know it's the primary reason for a visit," says John Starbuck. "Still, this piece was written a long time ago and no doubt you've revised your outlook since then." As I say, the snooker was very good, John and Harry Potter was on afterwards. I really soaked up the atmosphere of the place.
55th over: West Indies 127-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 37, Samuels 30) Anderson comes round the wicket to start the over, Shiv plays through unbothered. Anderson then bashes one into his body but the batsman plays it down to leg gully. The final ball of the over is promising for England, Anderson beating Chanderpaul's outside edge.
56th over: West Indies 130-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 38, Samuels 32) Samuels shuffles over and gets a single off the first ball of the over. Samuels drops another one short of the slips towards the end of the over, this time it plops six inches or so short. Encouraging for England though.
57th over: West Indies 132-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 39, Samuels 33) Chance of a run-out the scourge of West Indies in this test so far. Chanderpaul is jogging between the wickets when he should really be sprinting, KP flicks the ball underarm at the stumps but it sails wide. He had a bit more time to set himself, with the pace Shiv was running.
58th over: West Indies 135-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 40, Samuels 35) Broad continues. Shot of the day from Samuels who drives Broad down the ground, doesn't have the pace to reach the boundary though. "It's not too difficult to work out why your stint on the travel desk was ill-starred," tuts Harvey Mayne. "Some schoolboy errors mar what is otherwise quite an entertaining description of Cologne. 1) You should probably have pointed out that Kölsch is only served in 0.2 glasses, making it one of the smallest beers you can drink in Germany. 2) It is in no way a 'light' beer, comparable to most other German beers and having a stronger ABV than, say, Fuller's London Pride. 3) Curried sausage is not a local speciality. You get it all over Germany and it is widely regarded as having been invented in Berlin." You try writing a travel piece having never left the hotel room.
59th over: West Indies 137-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 41, Samuels 36) Chanderpaul flicks the second ball of the over. That one ball that beat the edge aside, he's been comfortable this morning. Ominously comfortable. "As a Spurs fan, I'm thrilled to hear the Chancellor was in Munich last night - could any team have a more embarrassing celebrity fan," says Russell Hope. "And I bet David Mellor was there, too. Tottenham's worst would be, er, Ian Duncan Smith?" I was glad when Mike Skinner stepped up and replaced Jasper Carrott as Birmingham City's most famous fan.
60th over: West Indies 147-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 42, Samuels 45) England are desperately trying to get the ball changed, the umpires have a look and the message is: wait another 21 overs. Broad rattles one in and Samuels gets a blow on his shoulder. It will have warmed up a very small part of his body at least. Samuels is obviously affected and the next ball is played just wide of the slips without too much control. Samuels recovers and smacks the ball down to deep fine leg for the first boundary of the day. He looks peppy after that and crunches another boundary through midwicket.
61st over: West Indies 147-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 42, Samuels 45) The pace of the pitch has hurt England today, another ball doesn't travel to the slips – Chanderpaul this time. A good over for Anderson continues as Shiv plays and misses. He then does his best to run Samuels out going for a single while his partner is looking the other way. He gets back in time though. "Could we not work it so that Osborne stays in Munich," says David Featherstone forlornly.
62nd over: West Indies 148-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 42, Samuels 46) Bresnan is into the attack for Broad. Chanderpaul's running really has been dreadful today. It's not like he hasn't done it 7,000 or so times (I'm not including boundaries) at Test level. "Re: embarassing celebrity fans, I give you Zippy from Rainbow, supporter of the world famous Dundee United FC," says Simon McMahon. "Legend has it that he was going to be blue, the colour our neighbours up the road, until Geoffrey, who had lived in Dundee and supported United, insisted he be tangerine." It's better than Osborne and Mellor though, isn't it?
63rd over: West Indies 152-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 42, Samuels 50) Samuels brings up his 50, getting on to his front foot and driving the ball down to long off. The partership is approaching 100 and it's been crucial after the mess West Indies were in yesterday evening. "Embarassing celebrity fans," starts John Felham. "I think John Terry is an England fan."
64th over: West Indies 152-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 42, Samuels 50) Bresnan attempts to rattle Chanderpaul with a bouncer but it was a bouncer designed for someone who stands 6ft 7in and Shiv is untroubled. A few worryingly wayward deliveries from Bresnan there. "Not being able to switch off from, or erase the memory of, the football, I wondered if a Test match is ever won by team as happy to defend as Chelsea were," says Ian Copestake. "Can one defend one's way to a win in Test cricket?" I know a man who tried.
65th over: West Indies 160-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 42, Samuels 58) England turn to Swann. Not a great start: Samuels hits him through the covers for consecutive boundaries and West Indies are in the lead.
66th over: West Indies 164-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 46, Samuels 58) This is turning into a very good session for West Indies. Samuels in particular has started to accelerate. Anyway, Bresnan is back after drinks and is ready to bowl. Shiv glides the ball away through the covers for four. Effortless. "Christian from Germany here - yes a real German not an expat," says Christian Krämer. "I feel the urge to say something about Champions League last night. Not that I mind Bayern too much but don't be fooled over there. With four Brits in the team the regular 'England can't win penalty shoot outs against Germans' is still in place. Bayern lost to a Russian team as far as we are concerned. And now back to cricket please!"
67th over: West Indies 166-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 46, Samuels 60) Samuels gets a couple, guiding past the slips and that's the century partnership. "Up until a couple of years ago I'd have emailed in saying Alastair Cook and Ian Bell were both, embarrassingly, fans of my beloved Northampton Saints," says Dan Lucas. "But I guess that to do so now would be a churlish attempt at just getting an email finally published in this series." It worked though.
68th over: West Indies 172-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 52, Samuels 60) Chanderpaul gets his 50 but he didn't know much about it. He chops the ball down and it misses the stumps before running away for four. On balance, he deserves any fortune he gts. "Come now, Chelsea also have Damon Albarn (trendy, Guardian-friendly) and David Baddiel (ish?) to balance out Mellor and Osborne," says Ryan Dunne. "I think Arsenal should win an award for having the most eclectic celebrity support, running as it does from Dermot O'Leary, to Osama Bin Laden, Jay-Z and Her Majesty the Queen." The Queen? Surely as a (sometime) resident of Surrey she's more of a Man Utd fan.
69th over: West Indies 181-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 52, Samuels 69) A shout from Swann for lbw but it was going over - encouraging for Swann though in that there was bounce and turn. It's followed up with something less encouraging – a four straight down the ground from Samuels. The next shot is a carbon copy. "While were are (back) on that other game, perhaps we can ask Christian Kraemer why Bayern Munich are called that in England and not Bavaria Munich or Bayern Muenchen," says Scott Poynting. "I really just want an excuse to get the 'name of two halves' in."
70th over: West Indies 186-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 56, Samuels 70) England turn to the lightning pace of Trott to blast West Indies away. It alarms Samuels anyway who stays back and the inside edge saves him after an lbw shout. "Since we are all just waiting for the inevitable (Shiv running Samuels out), could you give a big cheer for Slovakia (trying to beat Russia in the Ice Hockey World Championship final here in Helsinki tonight) and Finland (trying to salvage pride by beating the Czech Republic to the bronze in a couple of hours)," says Sara Torvalds. "It's not as if were discussing cricket..." I was about to get onto the ice hockey after we'd discussed the modern pentathlon and lacrosse.
71st over: West Indies 187-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 56, Samuels 71) Bresnan is back on. West Indies still untroubled. "I get the feeling that we ain't seen nothing yet, as far as celebrity fans go," says Matt Dony. "Just wait for the wave of 'Of course, I've always followed Man City. Up the Blue Moons!' Not that there are any fickle celebrities, or anything..."
72nd over: West Indies 189-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 57, Samuels 72) It's early early days but with the West Indies pair looking settled at what point do England get worried about the run chase. 250 ahead? They're 30 or so ahead at the moment. Admittedly, four wickets down.
73rd over: West Indies 194-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 62, Samuels 72) Shiv hooks the ball away for four. Bresnan hits back though and gets one to move away from Chanderpaul and it beats the bat. No doubt if England do get a wicket, someone will be joining in the celebrations.
74th over: West Indies 197-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 64, Samuels 73) Trott is still bowling. It's not like the fierce heat exhausted Anderson and Broad. Still, new ball isn't too far away so they'll be fresh for it.
75th over: West Indies 199-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 66, Samuels 73) Chanderpaul flicks the ball down to mid-wicekt for a couple. The lead's up to 44. "If we're discussing Helsinki and lacrosse, might I point out that the English bowlers would have an even harder time shifting this pair if they were playing here," says Adriaqn Goldman. "The sun is shining, hardly a breeze and there isn't a trace of swing on offer in the ice hockey stadium." Skiddy surface there though.
76th over: West Indies 203-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 67, Samuels 76) Swann comes into the attack - stepping up the pace from Trott by about 20mph. Samuels gets a couple through midwicket to bring up the 200. "Charlton Athletic have the double misfortune to have not only Gary Bushell but also Jim Davidson as celebroty fans," sobs Tom Janes. "So that's nice for us..."
77th over: West Indies 209-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 72, Samuels 77) Bresnan has had some encouraging moments against Chanderpaul - more so than Samuels. He beats the outside edge again. Another hairy moment for West Indies, this time it's Samuels who can't get his hook under control. Luckily for him it drops short of the fielder. "Re: Scott Poynting (69th over). Nobody with an English mother tongue should be force to pronounce anything with in Umlaut in, says Christian Krämer. "It is probably one of those EU laws that England has to call Bayern München, Bayern Munich. We totally can't stand it if you guys screw these words up. So you guys are doing fine!"
78th over: West Indies 210-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 72, Samuels 78) Swann puts the shackles on Samuels. Before he gets a single off the final ball of the over. All the talk has been about Chanderpaul, but Samuels has been untroubled this morning – more so than his partner – and has played some exquisite shots.
79th over: West Indies 212-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 73, Samuels 79) West Indies look like they're playing out the overs before lunch - who can blame them if they go in without losing a wicket it will have been by far their best session of the Test. And they do so. It's been West Indies' day but the new ball is due after lunch. And that is indeed lunch. Rob Smyth will be your host for the rest of the day, email him at rob.smyth@guardian.co.uk.
LUNCH
Afternoon. In the very first episode of Peep Show, Mark Corrigan fantasises about being left alone the next-door neighbour Toni. When it actually happens at the end of the party, his internal voice warns him: "Okay, Mark, you asked for it, now you've got it." At this point, he proceeds to mess things up in the comedy style.
Those of us who craved a contest in this series are starting to know how he feels. A wonderful fifth-wicket partnership of 147 between Shivnarine Chanderpaul (73 not out) and Marlon Samuels (79 not out) has taken West Indies to 212 for four at lunch, a lead of 57. England won't be worried until that lead reaches 200 or so; equally, it's not the greatest insight in the history of great insights to say that England could use a wicket or three with the second new ball, which is due in an over's time.
80th over: West Indies 212-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 73, Samuels 79) Graeme Swann will bowl the first over of the session, and the last with the old ball. It's a maiden to Chanderpaul. Right, let's see that box of balls, umpire. "Is Chanderpaul the only cricketer to have a novel about his technique written by a Nobel Laureate?" asks Niall Mullen. You mean you haven't read 'Dilscoop' by Wole Soyinka?
81st over: West Indies 214-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 73, Samuels 81) Jimmy Anderson will take the new ball, of course. There are no-brainers and there is giving Jimmy Anderson the new ball. He gets a hint of swing to Samuels, who drives a couple through extra cover.
82nd over: West Indies 216-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 74, Samuels 81) Chanderpaul fences Broad around the corner for a single. On Sky, Nasser Hussain reckons England should bowl much fuller and a bit straighter to him. Very few deliveries to Chanderpaul have been hitting the stumps in this innings. Anyway that single brings Samuels on strike, and he fresh-airs a windy woof at a wide, fuller delivery.
"Good Morning from the West Coast of the US of A," says a chipper Ginny Barbour. "Jet lag is has its upsides as it means you can read the OBO with no guilt or sense that you should be doing something more productive. Who needs sleep anyway? A wicket or two would be much appreciated though." If they get one soon you would expect them to get a few with the new ball. But the first one will be tricky because these two are entrenched.
83rd over: West Indies 216-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 74, Samuels 81) Chanderpaul is leaving, baby, and that means a maiden from Anderson. "Reagan Minehead (Lloyd Griffiths) here, distractedly staring into a 3000 word-in-one-day-essay-abyss," says Lloyd Griffiths. "I am planning for my mate's b'day and would love to get him besuited and splendorous in an MCC eggs-n-bacon striped tie or jacket. Anyone know a decent place to get them, other than waiting 60 years to grow a cumbersome belly, buying a pipe and get one by default? (They come with your first pension packet, right?) The internet seems to be hiding any retailers. It's almost as if you have to be in a secret club to get them..." It can't be long before Top Man starts selling them in a grand ironic gesture, surely.
84th over: West Indies 218-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 75, Samuels 82) Samuels squeezes a fuller delivery to leg for a single and then Chanderpaul tucks another off the body. The new ball has moved a little but there have been few alarms for the West Indies thus far, just that one play-and-miss from Samuels.
85th over: West Indies 218-4 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 75, Samuels 82) Chanderpaul is beaten a couple of times during a maiden from Anderson. The first ball was a nasty lifter, the second a fuller delivery that moved away sharply. Beautifully bowled.
WICKET! West Indies 222-5 (Samuels c Swann b Broad 86) A fine piece of bowling from Stuart Broad gets the wicket. That delivery was fuller and curved away to take the edge as Marlon Samuels lunged into a leaden-footed drive, and Graeme Swann took a comfortable catch at second slip. Samuels is really upset, disappointment written all over his coupon. He can barely drag himself from the field; as he does so he receives a warm ovation for an excellent innings.
86th over: West Indies 222-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 75, Ramdin 0) Ramdin is beaten third ball by a full-length jaffa. These are now the best match figures of Stuart Broad's Test career: nine for 128. "Perhaps you want to pass this link on to Lloyd – probably what he's looking for," says Jos Roberts. "Or suggest he googles 'MCC tie for sale'."
£42.50?! You could get eight ties off Nobby Burton for that.
87th over: West Indies 223-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 76, Ramdin 0) Anderson has a strangled shout for LBW against Ramdin, who pushed around a big inswinger. If England can get Ramdin early they could clean up.
88th over: West Indies 228-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 81, Ramdin 0) Broad tries a full, straight delivery to Chanderpaul, who crunches it through midwicket for four; later in the over, Ramdin is beaten by another peach from Broad. Meanwhile, a good spot here from Edward Weech. "Samuels' wicket takes Broad's bowling average below Anderson's – for the first time I imagine?" Yes it must be the first time. Broad's average has dropped from 36 to 30 in the last nine months. By the end of this match all four England bowlers will probably have an average in the twenties. When did that last happen? Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad also have a bowling average below 30.
89th over: West Indies 230-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 81, Ramdin 2) A big escape for Ramdin, who tries to turn Anderson to leg and gets a leading edge that goads Anderson by looping gently back over his head.
"My American cousin and her boyfriend are staying with me for a week and I'm trying (and failing) to teach him about cricket," says Lorraine Reese. "Any suggestions on how to explain cricket to Americans?" Buy him American Wisden? (Okay, it's actually called Young Wisden but it fulfils a similar purpose.)
90th over: West Indies 231-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 82, Ramdin 2) Chanderpaul pads up to Broad, prompting a big shout for LBW. It looked too high and may well have pitched outside leg as well, so Andrew Strauss decides not to review. In fact it pitched on the stumps but was comfortably over (and wide of) the off stump.
91st over: West Indies 231-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 82, Ramdin 2) Bresnan replaces Anderson; his first over is a maiden to the strokeless Ramdin. West Indies lead by 76. To my left, Tom Lutz is sulking because we've all just criticised his drinks-carrying abilities. He is rubbish; he doesn't even fill the water bottles to the top!
"Way back when we were all in Abu Dhabi or maybe Dubai or at any rate one of those places where Test results don't really count, Mike Selvey elevated himself to the hitherto unfilled post of OBO cookery adviser and posted a recipe for three bean stew," says Angus Doulton. "It included the ingredient TK. Alert as any OBO follower, I quickly worked out what TK stood for and was truly horrified that our standards (we do have standards, don't we?) could sink to this. But when I emailed Chef to point this out he told me that every MasterChef, most definitely including himself, nowadays uses TK instead of that stuff that grows mould in fine cultures at the back of the fridge. Well, I tried it. He's right. Sorry ever to have doubted you, Chef. But, surely, the talent doesn't stop at three bean stew. Do you think we could request one Selvey recipe a day from here on in. Alternatively perhaps the Smyth recipe for the days when takeaway chicken vindaloo won't do would be of interest." I've never eaten takeaway chicken vindaloo I'll have you know.
92nd over: West Indies 233-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 83, Ramdin 3) It's really cold at Lord's today. A number of the crowd are huddled under actual blankets, rather than the usual booze blanket. Ramdin is squared up by a good one from Broad and edges it short of Bresnan at fourth slip. Then an LBW shout against Chanderpaul is caught in the throat because of a last-gasp inside edge. He would have been plumb.
93rd over: West Indies 233-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 83, Ramdin 3) Bresnan drives Ramdin back into his crease and then beats him with a fuller, slightly wider delivery. Textbook bowling, and he goes past the edge later in the over as well. "Hmm, Lorraine Reese thinks she's got problems," says Philip Keegan. I once had to explain cricket in German to a couple of Austrian waiters in a betting shop in Graz. You try translating silly mid off and backward point in German. I told them offside meant the same as it does in football and I still feel guilty about that."
94th over: West Indies 235-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 84, Ramdin 4) Ramdin tucks a straight delivery from Broad off the pads for a single. The runs have dried up a bit – this 13-run partnership has taken nearly nine overs – but West Indies's main concern is seeing off the new ball.
95th over: West Indies 242-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 84, Ramdin 11) Ramdin smashes a cut off Bresnan that is half stopped by Bairstow at backward point and drifts away for a couple of runs. He is starting to settle in after a dodgy start to his innings. Saying which, a thick edge goes wide of gully for three.
"I once told my friend that I wouldn't be going shopping with her because I was watching the cricket and she asked whether is was a good film and who was in it because we could always go and see it at the cinema after shopping," says Natasha Dickinson. "We are no longer friends." How was she to know?
96th over: West Indies 248-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 84, Ramdin 17) Anderson replaces Broad, and his first is driven classily down the ground for four by Ramdin. The lead is now 93. "In my view you cannot 'explain' cricket to anyone, especially Americans," says Simon McMahon. "I bought Mrs McMahon a copy of Young Wisden for Christmas last year and she's not looked at it and never will. Pity, cos it's a good read. I should explain that's not all I got her – You Are The Umpire and My Favourite Cricketer were in there too. Maybe this year she'll get an MCC silk tie?" Few things say 'I love you' like an MCC silk tie.
97th over: West Indies 249-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 85, Ramdin 17) Chanderpaul is beaten by consecutive deliveries, the second a lifting, seaming brute. A superb over continues when the driving Ramdin is beaten on the inside by a big inswinger, and finally Ramdin survives a big shout for LBW. There was an inside edge, and Aleem Dar shakes his head apologetically.
"If you know baseball then you can easily explain cricket to Americans," says Victoria Ashton. "And you can do it in an incredibly condescending manner, so they'll realise how awful baseball is and be converted forever. I finally managed to get around the controls at work so I can listen to the cricket on the internet. That's how I spent an hour of my workday. I hope the NHS is proud of itself."
98th over: West Indies 250-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 86, Ramdin 17) "Surely pushing people out of third-storey windows, even in Manchester, isn't really cricket?" says Adam Czarnowski.
99th over: West Indies 251-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 87, Ramdin 17) Bresnan collects the ball in his follow through and throws it back at Ramdin, who instinctively smacks it down the ground. The umpires have a word with Ramdin, which seems a bit harsh.
At ease, everyone: Heston Blumenselve is in the office. "It was three bean soup actually," says Mike Selvey. "But you could call it stew if it was too thick I suppose. Way to perfect basmati rice:
1lb rice (450g)
I pint water (600l)Rinse the rice a few times.
Put in saucepan with the water.
Bring to the boil, then cover with foil and the lid to seal it, and cook on lowest possible light for precisely 10mins.
Remove from heat and leave for further 5 mins.
Fluff it up with a fork.Easy."
100th over: West Indies 251-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 87, Ramdin 17) Chanderpaul pushes at a fuller delivery from Anderson and drags it just wide of the stumps. He is becalmed at the moment, and that's another maiden.
101st over: West Indies 252-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 87, Ramdin 18) Trott replaces Bresnan, who has left the field. Ramdin clatters a wide delivery towards midd off, where the diving Cook does excellently to save a boundary.
"Expensive ties," says Ryan Dunne. "How about the quarter million (the third one down)? Not sure if the sunglasses come with it though."
102nd over: West Indies 256-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 88, Ramdin 21) Anderson has a big shout for LBW against Ramdin turned down by Marais Erasmus. It was close but I reckon Ramdin just got outside the line, and Andrew Strauss decides not to review. Replays shot the point of contact on both pad and stumps were 'umpire's call', so the original decision would have stood. A back-foot force from Ramdin takes West Indies' lead into three figures. Suddenly Anderson is angry; after the last delivery he pretends to hurl the ball back at Ramdin.
103rd over: West Indies 258-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 90, Ramdin 21) Chanderpaul cuts Trott for two to move into the nerveless nineties. England are never going to get him out. "The Selve is absolutely correct," says Nicky Turner, "but what if you don't want a whole lb of rice??? Here's what also works.
Put sufficient rice in saucepan
Cover with water 3/8" above rice leveel.
Bring to boil
Immediately turn heat down to LOW and do as the Selve (tea towel works
pretty well too).
Perfection in rice form."104th over: West Indies 260-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 90, Ramdin 23) In 2012, Chanderpaul's Test average (130.75) is greater than his highest score (103 not out). Few players in the history of cricket have done purple patches quite like Shiv. In 2002 he went 25 hours without being dismissed in Tests. Yes, that is a record.
105th over: West Indies 261-5 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Chanderpaul 91, Ramdin 23) A short ball from Trott follows Chanderpaul, who just manages to get on top of it and glove it to the ground.
"I once tried to explain cricket to three young ladies, from Denmark, France and the Netherlands, who'd imagined it was 'like baseball'," says John Starbuck. "I must have done a good job because this was in a hotel in Leeds in the mid-70s and no Yorkshire person interrupted to put me right."WICKET! West Indies 261-6 (Chanderpaul LBW b Swann 91) Swann gets Chanderpaul with the first ball of a new spell, although Chanderpaul has reviewed the decision. He missed a sweep at a delivery that went straight on to hit the pad. It might just have been sneaking down the leg side. No, I think he's plumb. Chanderpaul is out! Shiv has been shivved by the sweep. The ball was hitting enough of leg stump for us to stay with the on-field decision – and after 178 runs, 425 balls and 973 crushed souls, England have finally dismissed Chanderpaul. It's not quite Steve Waugh in 1989, but this is still a big moment. Chanderpaul walks off to a deserved standing ovation after an awesome performance.
106th over: West Indies 264-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 23, Sammy 3) So Swann strikes in the first over of a spell, yet again. He almost gets another when Sammy just manages to jab away a big-spinning delivery. West Indies lead by 109, and there's one over remaining before tea.
107th over: West Indies 265-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 23, Sammy 4) One more wicket and England are into the tail. It doesn't come in that Broad over, which is the last before tea. West Indies lead by 110, and the dream, the wonderful dream, of getting an unexpected day off tomorrow is just about still alive. See you in 15 minutes for the evening session
with Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley.TEA
108th over: West Indies 267-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 23, Sammy 6) Darren Sammy tends not to hang around with the bat – his Test strike rate of 68 is the highest on either side apart from Graeme Swann. He is facing Swann in the first over after tea, and settles for a couple of runs into the leg side.
"As much as I enjoyed steve lamacq, I always associated the evening session with the original Mark Goodier," says Jeremy Last. "Those were the days, when the coolest indie music show was presented by the bloke who also did the top 40 countdown on a Sunday."
109th over: West Indies 268-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 24, Sammy 6) Bresnan has a huge shout for LBW rightly turned down by the peerless Aleem Dar. It was a good delivery that snaked back in to Sammy, but it looked high and England decide not to risk their final review. He was outside the line anyway.
"Hate to be a cooking know-it-all," says Russell Hope, CKIA, "but Selve is way offside on the rice recipe. All you do is heat a little olive oil, and stir in a cup of (unwashed) rice. Once all grains are coated, add two cups of boiling water. Stir once, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer on a really low heat for about 20 mins. Hey presto – perfect rice and the right amount for 2/3 people. A kilo of rice, my arse!" That's Lord Selve to you, sir.
110th over: West Indies 272-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 28, Sammy 6) An eventful over from Broad to Ramdin, who does well to get on top of a lifter, spanks four through extra cover and is beaten by a good one.
"With Shiv out, you are all on the edge of your seats, so I can tell you Finland is fighting: it's now 2-3 in the ice hockey," says Sara Torvalds. "Finland has two minutes to equalize against the Czech in order to have a a chance to win the bronze." Oh, have the Olympics started?
111th over: West Indies 282-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 28, Sammy 16) Sammy picks up two boundaries off three balls from Bresnan with a push down the ground and a beautiful cover drive on the up. The lead is 127. If they double that we'll have quite the final day. "Cricket as I understand it: 1057 nerds emailing the OBO and Gary Naylor wins," says Phil Podolsky.
112th over: West Indies 284-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 29, Sammy 17) The ball has gone out of shape and will be changed, so there's a bit of a delay. Leave that F5 button alone; nothing is happening. Stuart Broad isn't impressed with the replacement ball. The look on his coupon! He's looking at it with a combination of confusion and contempt, the same way the fashionistas of the Guardian look at the members of the sports desk. 'Is that a string vest'. He looks a bit happier with the ball when it snaps past Sammy's outside edge.
"I'm emailing from a different address than usual, as I'm assuming my other missives have been quarantined by the Guardian system," says Mac Millings. "I mean, what other than an overzealous filter could be responsible for the non-publication of 57 riff-supporting emails on subjects as diversely fascinating as explaining polo to visiting Chinese mathematicians, my prescription for the perfect cup of tea (the magic ingredient? TK!), and how the Millings children are woken from their peaceful slumber the morning after their father had a takeaway chicken vindaloo?"
113th over: West Indies 294-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 30, Sammy 27) Sammy nails Bresnan through the covers for four – and then he does it again three balls later. This is a fine cameo from a dangerous lower-order batsman that has changed the pace and the mood of the match. There's a danger he could get carried away, however; he essays a disgraceful yahoo at the final ball of the over, slicing it high over the slips for a couple.
"Like Jeremy Last, I associate the Evening Session with Mark Goodier too," says Niall Smith. "He wasn't always so smashy and nicey though. He played Skunk Anansie's 'Yes it's fracking political' once with all the rude words in. He got about halfway through the first chorus before having to apologise and stop the track. He went up in my estimation for that." You have to love those desperate apologies. Was Goodier as, er, good as this one? AMATEURS! You also have to love it when there's a swear word before 9pm without people realising. Like this (which, obviously, is not safe for work. Well, it might be; it depends where you work I suppose).
114th over: West Indies 298-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 31, Sammy 29) "Hmm," says Jeff Goines. "This Mac Millings diary seems to have a cricket problem." Millings has got 999,999,999,999,999 problems but cricket ain't one.
115th over: West Indies 305-6 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 31, Sammy 36) Sammy smokes a full delivery from Bresnan straight back over the bowler's head for four. Oof! England have a problem here because Sammy is playing a shot a ball. He has raced to 36 from 45 balls. "Nope, no Finnish goal in the final seconds and the Czech Republic takes the bronze in the Ice Hockey World Championship," says Sara Torvalds. "Congratulations to them! Now I hope the Slovaks beat the Russians in the final tonight. And ut's a consilation the Swedes are already out. Along with the Americans and Canadians."
WICKET! West Indies 307-7 (Sammy c Prior b Broad 37) Stuart Broad ends Darren Sammy's entertaining cameo and seals the first ten-for of his Test career. Sammy shaped to belabour a delivery that was wide and very short; he could barely reach it, in fact, and tried to abort the shot at the last minute. It was too late and he got a thin underedge through to Matt Prior.
116th over: West Indies 307-7 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 32, Roach 0) I have no idea what sort of shot that was from Sammy. It's probably fair to call that a unique dismissal.
117th over: West Indies 312-7 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 33, Roach 4) Anderson comes on for Bresnan and is squirted for four by the new batsman Kemar Roach. "I was successful in getting Olympic tickets earlier this year," says Dominic Riches. "Choosing which ones to apply for with my wife we got hockey group matches. Earlier this month we were planning our trip and she couldn't understand why we weren't going to an ice rink. I tried really hard not to be patronising but I failed."
WICKET! West Indies 313-8 (Roach c Bell b Broad 4) Eleven wickets for Broad. Roach slices an expansive drive to backward point, where Bell talks a routine catch above his head and, as usual, throws the ball away almost in disgust to demonstrate his contempt for the straightforwardness of the catch. West Indies lead by 158.
118th over: West Indies 313-8 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 34, Edwards 0) Broad needs another wicket to move alongside Fred Trueman to move alongside Fred Trueman on the list of best bowling figures by an Englishman against West Indies. On Sky, this prompts Bumble to launch into a gloriously naff Fred Trueman impersonation – it amounts to nothing more than a single grunt that is half Fred Trueman, half Elvis. Broad thinks he has that 12th wicket, and two in two balls, when the new batsman Edwards gets in a tangle. Broad went up for LBW but it actually came straight off the bat. You can see why Broad appealed, though, because the bat came through the flap of the pad to get to the ball.
119th over: West Indies 314-8 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 35, Edwards 0) Edwards defends solidly against Anderson. Drinks. "This one is nice first thing in the morning," says Joanne Beasley. "And I thought he was such a nice boy."
120th over: West Indies 318-8 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 38, Edwards 1) Edwards takes a very dodgy to single to cover off Broad, and he would have been miles out had Bairstow's throw hit the stumps. "With the weather as it is at the moment," begin Maggie Miller, "the Olympic hockey may well be played on ice." It's been a chastening month for those of us with a full summer wardrobe of string vests, hot pants and flip-flops.
121st over: West Indies 320-8 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 39, Edwards 2) "Broad is the first England bowler to go on the Lord's Honours Board in 24 years, joining illustrious company like Jason Statham and Johnny Briggs," says Kieron Shaw. "In all seriousness, only 14 names on there, and yet he still doesn't really doesn't get the plaudits he deserves, does he? I suspect all that 'enforcer' petulance, while long gone – he's now a very, very accomplished bowler – still lives long in the memory of those who used to bleat about it." Yes I agree. I also think it takes us a while to come to terms with the idea of an English fast bowler being really, really good. It was the same with Anderson. In the last two years Broad has 75 Test wickets at 23.32.
122nd over: West Indies 324-8 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Ramdin 43, Edwards 2) Ramdin whips around a full delivery form Ramdin, which brings yet another mighty LBW shout. I reckon that was slipping down leg; so did Marais Erasmus and so does Andrew Strauss, who eschews the review. Hawkeye shows it was hitting the stumps – but Hotspot shows that Ramdin got an inside edge. Hotspot 1-0 Hawkeye. Ramdin exacerbates Broad's radge by cutting the next ball crisply for four.
WICKET! West Indies 325-9 (Ramdin b Anderson 43) Jimmy Anderson finally gets his first wicket of the innings in his 35th over. It was a majestic delivery that lured Ramdin forward and seamed back through the gate to hit the top of off stump. That really is wonderful bowling.
123rd over: West Indies 325-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 3, Gabriel 0) Shannon Gabriel is on a king pair on debut.
124th over: West Indies 326-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 3, Gabriel 1) Shannon Gabriel avoids a king pair on debut – and then he avoids a bogstandard pair by tucking his second ball off the hip for a single.
125th over: West Indies 332-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 3, Gabriel 7) Gabriel is beaten by a magnificent outswinger from Broad. In fact England thought he might have edged it, but Marais Erasmus said not out and Hotspot supported the decision. There was a noise but it was bat on pad. Erasmus has had a very good game. The standard of umpiring is mind-blowingly high at the moment. Gabriel gets his first boundary later in the over with a flick off the pads. The lead is 177.
"I gave up on the fried rice/simmering lark after several failures, it's totally unreliable," says Paul Feasey. "I put unwashed basmati in boiling water and cook with no lid for six to eight minutes depending on volume, stir as often as you like. Drain then cover and leave for five minutes, fluff up with fork for perfect rice every time."
126th over: West Indies 335-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 4, Gabriel 9) Gabriel survives an LBW shout from Anderson – too high – and then mangles a short delivery extravagantly over extra cover for two. Anderson is having a few words with Edwards and Gabriel. Edwards seems to be enjoying himself. West Indies' attitude in this match has been so impressive.
127th over: West Indies 335-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 4, Gabriel 9) After a long spell, Stuart Broad is replaced by Tim Bresnan. It's a maiden to Edwards, who is batting responsibly and has four from 21 balls. The lead is 180.
128th over: West Indies 339-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 4, Gabriel 13) England turn to Swann, presumably hoping a bit of flight will tempt one of these two into something injudicious. It does just that, with Gabriel dragging a slog sweep back onto his body. That could have gone anywhere. He gets it right too bails later, striking a ferocious slog sweep to cow corner for four. "That's four recipes for bloody boiled rice," chirps Angus Doulton. "Doesn't anyone have anything else to offer or would you all like my unfailing recipe for perfect boiled eggs."
129th over: West Indies 340-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 5, Gabriel 13) Edwards is beaten by a monstrous lifter from Bresnan that growls past the edge. The next ball swerves back appreciably to beat the inside edge. Dumb luck for Bresnan. "It's too easy to bat at Lord's on days four and five," says Gary Naylor. "Here's a Smythian stat: since the new drainage system was laid in late 2002, sides have posted six of
the 14 highest second innings totals in all Lord's 124 Tests." Sensational work from Naylor. I completely agree. It's the same on a fair few Test pitches these days.130th over: West Indies 344-9 (trailed by 155 on first innings; Edwards 9, Gabriel 13) Gabriel survives a run-out referral. He came back for a really tight second run to long off and would have been out with a better throw to Swann. It was very tight anyway, and the third umpire needed around 15 replays before he decided Gabriel was not out.
WICKET! West Indies 345 all out (Gabriel b Swann 13) Flight does the trick from Graeme Swann. He tossed one up invitingly to Gabriel, who missed an almighty yahoo across the line and was bowled. That was a really good effort from the West Indies – not just the 345 runs they scored but the 130.5 overs they batted. So England need 191 to win the match. It should be routine. Should. There will be seven or eight overs before the close.
INNINGS BREAK
1st over: England 1-0 (target: 191; Strauss 1, Cook 0) In fact the West Indies won't get the seven overs in, because play will finish at 6.30. Edwards storms in to Strauss, who is smacked on the glove by a lifter but just about gets the ball down safely. One from the over.
WICKET! England 1-1 (Strauss c Powell b Roach 1) Gone! Andrew Strauss has gone to a beauty from Kemar Roach. He fenced at a superb lifter from over the wicket and the ball flew off the shoulder of the bat to Kieran Powell in the gully. That is an excellent piece of bowling. The line was immaculate and meant Strauss had nowhere to go; the length meant he couldn't get over the ball.
2nd over: England 8-1 (target: 191; Cook 0, Anderson 5) Anderson, trying to turn a short ball from Roach to leg, gets a leading edge over the slip cordon for four. Then Cook leaves a ball on length that doesn't bounce over the stumps by much.
3rd over: England 9-1 (target: 191; Cook 0, Anderson 6) Anderson takes a single from the first ball of Edwards's over, which is a dubious tactic for a nightwatchman. It doesn't matter because Cook comfortably survives the remaining five deliveries. There's one over from Roach remaining before stumps.
WICKET! England 10-2 (Anderson c Ramdin b Roach 6) Anderson has gone, caught down the leg side off Roach. It was another short ball that shaved the glove before bursting through his jumper and into the hands of Ramdin. Hotspot confirms it was an exceptional decision from Aleem Dar, because the ball just skimmed the bottom of the glove.
REVIEW! England 10-2 (Trott not out 0) Trott survives a massive LBW shout first ball, but it's been reviewed by Darren Sammy. This is desperately close. He crabbed around a superb delivery that seamed back sharply – but Hawkeye shows he just got outside the line of off stump. The point of contact was 'umpire's call', so if Aleem Dar had given him out it would have stayed out. Oof.
4th over: England 10-2 (target: 191; Cook 0, Trott 0) That's the end of a splendid day's play, which belongs emphatically to the West Indies. England are still favourites, but the pride, discipline and intensity with which the Windies played was extremely impressive. And if Kemar Roach bowls like that tomorrow, they could pull off a famous victory. Thanks for your emails; see you in the morning.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
New York Red Bulls claim fifth straight win, but Toronto FC have ninth consecutive defeat
-
• New York Red Bulls beat Montreal Impact 2-1
• Toronto FC lose ninth straight to DC United
• Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders draw 2-2
• Five things we learned in week 11Montreal Impact 1-2 New York Red Bulls
Dane Richards scored in the 67th minute with New York playing a man short as the Red Bulls beat the Montreal Impact 2-1 on Saturday to extend its Major League Soccer winning streak to five games.Kenny Cooper scored his 10th goal to draw the Red Bulls (8-3-1) even as both teams converted penalty kicks in the first half. The striker drove a shot into the top right corner in the 37th minute.
Cooper moved past injured teammate Thierry Henry for the team lead in goals.
Bernardo Corradi scored his team-leading fourth goal 22 minutes in for Montreal.
Chivas USA 1-0 LA Galaxy
As it happened
Jose Erik Correa scored from a penalty in the 72nd minute as Chivas USA beat Los Angeles in the SuperClasico at Carson California.The victory was Chivas' first at home this season and first against the Galaxy since 2007.
Referee Mark Geiger awarded a penalty when Correa fired a shot into the outstretched arm of David Junior Lopes, leading to a red card for the Brazilian. Correa buried the penalty for his second goal in two games.
DC United 3-1 Toronto FC
Dwayne De Rosario scored two first-half goals at Washington as D.C. United handed Toronto FC its MLS-record ninth loss to open the season.Hamdi Salihi added a second-half goal for United, while Danny Koevermans scored for Toronto.
Vancouver Whitecaps 2-2 Seattle Sounders
At Vancouver, British Columbia, Fredy Montero scored in the final minute to give Seattle the draw with Vancouver.Eddie Johnson also scored for Seattle. Alain Rochat and Camilo scored for Vancouver.
Colorado Rapids 2-2 Sporting Kansas City
Tyrone Marshall and Kosuke Kimura scored in the second half to help Colorado salvage a home draw with Sporting Kansas City. Teal Bunbury scored twice for Kansas City.New England Revolution 2-2 Houston Dynamo
Saer Sene scored twice for New England at Foxborough, Massachusetts and Houston's Luiz Camargo equalized with 3 minutes left in regulation.Sene, a 25-year old Frenchman in his first MLS season, opened the scoring with a penalty in the 26th minute and made it 2-1 in the 57th with his sixth goal of the season.
Will Bruin also scored for Houston.
FC Dallas 1-1 Philadelphia Union
At Frisco, Texas, Gabriel Gomez scored in the 56th minute to help Philadelphia earn a draw with Dallas after Blas Perez opened in the seventh minute.San Jose Earthquakes 1-1 Columbus Crew
Alan Gordon found the equalizer for San Jose in the final minute against Columbus at Santa Clara, California.Columbus' Justin Meram, making his first MLS start, scored during first-half stoppage time.
MLS: five things we learned in week 11
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds -
Horse racing tips: Monday 21 May
-
Bridgehampton appeals in the final race at Leicester's evening meeting
Leicester
6.20 King Zeal 6.50 Benandonner 7.20 Smoothtalkinrascal 7.50 Dixie's Dream 8.20 Ladyship 8.50 Bridgehampton (nap)
Newton Abbot
2.20 Briefcase 2.50 Miss Saffron 3.20 Katchmore 3.50 Overdante 4.20 Tornade D'Estruval 4.50 Its A Mistake 5.20 King Cyrus
Redcar
2.10 Hiddon Coin 2.40 Srinagar Girl 3.10 My Guardian Angel 3.40 Noodles Blue Boy (nb) 4.10 Lexi The Princess 4.40 Salacia 5.10 Lady Kashaan 5.40 Fine Altomis
Windsor
6.10 Polar Annie 6.40 Miss Diva 7.10 Al Baidaa 7.40 Hairy Rocket 8.10 Purification 8.40 O'Gorman
Wolverhampton
2.30 Scamperdale 3.00 The Black Jacobin 3.30 Circuitous 4.00 Lord Buffhead 4.30 Sharp Shoes 5.00 Song Of Joy 5.30 Lastkingofscotland 6.00 Waabel
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds - Schedule/results 2012 - All the results from around the world as well as the latest schedule.
