England Welcomes The West Indies
THE WEST INDIES arrived in England rather disheveled with injuries, visa problems and a missing Marion Samuels who was due to arrive after playing in the Indian Super League. The tour, May 4-June 24, opened at Hove against Sussex, where the visitors were unsure if they would actually have eleven players for selection. They need not have worried however as rain washed the three-day fixture out and after just 34 overs bowled and with the West Indies 90-3; the sides decide a draw was appropriate. At Northampton, in a four day game against the England Lions, the Windies were beaten by 10 wickets. West Indies 147 and 390 (Kieran Powell 108). The Lions 341 (James Taylor 1180 and 197 (Joe Root 115 not out)-0 at close. England won the first Test at Lords by five wickets. West Indies 243 (Shiv Chanderpaul 87 not out) and 345. England 398 (Andy Strauss 122) and 193-5 at close.
Last year’s county champions Lancashire, had a disastrous start to the season. They lost three of their first four games. Beaten by Sussex by 10 wickets, Warwickshire by five wickets and 185 runs by Nottinghamshire, though they did draw with Somerset. Warwickshire led the County Championship mid-May, with three wins from five games and 80pts, with Nottinghamshire chasing with three wins from six games and 78pts. Derbyshire led division two with three wins from six games and 88pts, followed by Yorkshire on 74pts.
The Australians beat the West Indies in their third and final Test at Dominca by 75 runs to win the series 2-0. During the match, Shiv Chanderpaul became only the second West Indian to hit over 10,000 career Test runs.
Australia 328 and 259. The West Indies 218 and 294.
Ronnie Is World Champion
Ronnie O’Sullivan has threatened retirement because of the length and stresses of the world snooker tour, but the 36-year-old midlander from Wordsley, put his discontent aside May 5, to produce some scintillating snooker as he won his fourth World Championship at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, confidently beat Ali Carter in the final 18-11. O’Sullivan showed he was no mood for taking prisoners in the early rounds, chopping the legs from under recent China Open winner Peter Ebdon 10-4, former world champion Mark Williams was felled 13-6, Australian, Neil Robertson 13-10, and he slammed Matthew Stevens 17-10, in the semi-finals. His decision on retirement is on hold, and he says he will take six months off to decide his future. The future looked clearer to former seven time world champion Stephen Hendry, who after getting hammered in the quarter-finals 13-2, by Stephen Maquire, announced his immediate retirement from a game he has dominated over the years.
Tennis
Andy Murray had mixed results losing in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters to Tomas Berydich, where previously he’d been ousted by Milos Raonic of Canada, in the quarters of the Barcelona Open. Judy Murray, skipper of Britain’s Federation Cup squad saw her girls’ tumble 1-4 to Sweden in the World Group One play-offs. Elena Baltacha and Heather Watson saved the whitewash by winning the doubles … Murray did not compete at the Madrid Open because of injuries, but he celebrated his 25th birthday during the Italian Open,13-20 May, although the champagne effect worked only marginally. After beating David Nalbandian of Argentina in his opening match, the Frenchman, Richard Gasquet, ousted him 6-7 (2-7) 6-3,6-2 in the third round. Nadal beat Djokovic 7-5,6-3, in the final … British women’s number one Elena Baltacha, reached the semi-finals of the Sparta Prague Open, before being beaten by the Czech number two seed, Klara Zakopalova 6-1,6-3.
Westwood & Carly Booth Win, McIlroy & Laird Go Close
“Hopefully this will kick start my year,” said Lee Westwood who retain his Indonesian Masters Title late April, carding a 16 under 272 … Guan Tian-lang became the youngest person to compete in a European Tour event, when the Chinese youngster at 13 years and 173 days, old fired off a five over 77 during the first round of the China Open … Rory McIIroy went in to a three-way play-off at the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, after Rick Fowler, DA Points and the Irishman carded a 14 under 274. Winning his first PGA event, Fowler won it on the first play-off hole. Tiger Woods did not survive the cut at the where his level par total saw him ousted. It’s only the eighth time in Woods pro-career that he has failed to make the cut … Scottish teenager Carly Booth, won the Scottish Ladies Open at the Archerfield Links in East Lothian, May 6, where the nineteen-year-old’s four under 212, gave her a one stroke advantage over the field … At the Players Championship at Ponte Vedra, Florida, May 10-13, Rory McIIroy was cut after two rounds after carding a four over 148, but Scotland’s Martin Laird put in a powerful challenge. A 65 on the first round, one over on the second, level on the third and five under on the fourth saw him two distant of winner Matt Kuchar, who finished with a 13 under 275. Laird was runners up alongside Rick Fowler, Zach Johnson and Ben Curtis, with Luke Donald another stroke distant.
Sailing
The Volvo Ocean race (formerly the Whitbread Round the World Race) reached the end of the sixth leg in Miami, last month, with skipper Ken Read’s Puma arriving first. Camper was second with Groupama third, and Telefonica that leads the race overall, fourth. Team Telefonica lead the race. The fleet left Miami, May 20, headed for Lisbon in Portugal, then to L’Orient, France, with the race finishing at Galway in Ireland, early July.
Olympic champions Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson missed out on the gold medal by just two points in the final of the Star class world championships in Hyeres, France, and had to be satisfied with the silver behind Brazilians Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada. There were gold medals for Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark in the 470 class world championships in Barcelona, and Ben Ainslie won his sixth career gold at the world Finn championships at Falmouth, Cornwall.
David Price Wins British Crown Gold For Savannah
Liverpudlian David Price, became the new British heavyweight champion after a four round stoppage against Sam Sexton (15-3) at Aintree, May 19. The unbeaten Price (13-0) collected Sexton’s Commonwealth title too, where a flurry of vicious right hands saw the contest end early. Former Brit champion Tyson Fury had earlier resigned his titles after a dispute over money with Price, but the pair look likely to meet in the future … The British Boxing Board of Control will not sanction a fight between former heavyweight champion David Haye and former British heavyweight champion Derek Chisora, scheduled for Upton Park, London, mid-July. Haye and Chisora had a run in after Chisora unsuccessful bout with Wladimir Klitscho, and neither man holds a boxer license in Britain. Frank Warren is promoting the fight, and says it is a legitimate and legal contest licensed under the Luxemburg Boxing Federation … Hartlepool’s Savannah Marshall, won Britain’s only gold medal at the women’s world boxing championships in Qinhuangdao, China, when she claimed the middleweight crown after beating Elena Vystropova of Azerbaijan in the final.
More Sport
The finals of the top European Rugby Union competitions were without any British representation this year. Biarritz won the Amlin Challenge Cup at Twickenham, May 18, with a 21-18 result over Toulon. At Croke Park, Dublin, the following day, the all-Irish European Heineken Cup Final saw Leinster beat Ulster 14-6 in front of an 81,000 plus crowd … Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins who won the Paris-Nice road race recently, was on the podium again last month after winning the Tour de Romandie for Team Sky. Bradley was nine seconds behind the leader on the final 16.5km Crans-Montana stage, which he won by just one second, that gave him an overall 12 second lead over the field … World triathlon champion Helen Jenkins, won the San Diego Triathlon, May 12, which is part of the world triathlon series. The 28-year-old Welsh athlete, finished ahead of Aussie rival, Erin Densham … The European Gymnastic Championships in Brussels, saw Britain struggle for medals with the absence of the injured Beth Tweddle. Hannah Whelan put Britain on the map however, with two bronzes in the beam and floor routine.
Racing
A five-year-old thoroughbred by the name of Black Caviar, is raising curiosity and awareness after the mare won her 21st consecutive race in Adelaide, Australia last month. Owned by a consortium, and trained by Peter Moody, the horse could be flown to England for the prestigious Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot, later this month. The horse’s ancestry includes Nijinsky, which won the English Triple Crown in 1969, and Northern Dancer, a Canadian horse that won 14 of her 18 outings, winning most of America’s big races in the process.
It was a slow month for British drivers in Formula One, where Sebastian Vettel won the controversial Bahrain Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton lost his pole position in the Spanish Grand Prix, May 13, when he ran out of fuel during practice and was unable to provide a sample for officials. He was demoted to back of the grid, but still managed to be the top finishing Brit in eighth place. Pastor Maldonado of Venezuela, in only his second year of Formula One won his very first race. Vettell and Fernando Alonso led the driver’s table with 61pts apiece.
Roy Hodgson Is England”S New Boss
The money seemed to be on Spurs’ Harry Redknapp to take over from Fabio Capello as the new England coach, but the English FA stuck to experience and chose West Bromich Albion manager, Roy Hodgson. His days as a professional soccer player did not include any fashionable sides, and his appearances were mainly with non-league clubs. But as soccer coach of some 36 years standing he’s been everywhere. He coached national sides like Finland, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, plus clubs in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Italy. The 64-year-old Croydon man, commenced his management career as a 31-year-old at Halmstad, Sweden back in 1976. He has been in charge at Inter-Milan, Blackburn, Liverpool and led Fulham to a recent Europa League Cup Final. West Bromich Albion was his 18th term as a coach. He has been given a four year contract which will include the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 European Championships.
Cup Double For Chelsea
Didier Drogba proved his inspirational best at Wembley, May 6, where Chelsea claimed the FA Cup for the seventh time, when a 52nd minute netting by the Ivory Coast striker gave the blues a 2-1 victory over Liverpool.
Ramires put Chelsea ahead in the 11th minute, followed by the Drogba special that was witnessed by a full-house Wembley crowd of over 89,000. Substitute Andy Carroll put Liverpool back in contention in the 64th minute, but the Londoners continued their forward motion, always looking for that scoring opportunity until the very end. It was Chelsea’s fourth FA Cup victory since 2007.
The Champions League Cup final, May 19, had Chelsea not only facing Bayern Munich in Munich, but injuries and suspension saw them without Raul Meireles, Ramires, skipper John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic. Bayern pushed heavily forward and dominated the game for long periods, but Chelsea just hung on in there, accepting any opportunities that came their way. Thomas Mueller found the net in the 83rd minute, and the German crowd immediately sensed victory as the noise level reached deafening decibels. Chelsea had not collapsed however, and their Ivory Coast striker of renown, Didier Drogba, leveled the score two minutes from the end. Four minutes into extra time, Drogba fouled Franck Ribery in the area, but Arjen Robben could not put the penalty away. The penalty shootout saw Chelsea win 4-3, thus claiming their very first European Championship in their 107 years old history.
The all-Spanish, Europa League Cup final at Bucharest, May 5, witnessed Atletico Madrid beat Atletico Bilbao 3-0. Falcao (7th & 34th minutes, plus a Diego goal five minutes decided the result.
West Ham Promoted
West Ham Utd beat Blackpool 2-1, in the championship play-off final at Wembley, May 19, that sees them playing Premier League soccer next season. A 78,000-plus crowd watched as Carlton Cole broke the ice for the Hammers in the 35th minute, but Thomas Ince, put Blackpool back in the game two minutes after the break. A Ricardo Vaz Te netting three minutes before time gave the Londoners the honours and a return to the top flight of English football. West Ham had beaten Cardiff City 2-0 away and 3-0 at home to reach the play-off final, while Blackpool had beaten Birmingham City 1-0 at Bloomfield Road, and tied 2-2 at St Andrews.
The New Saints (TNS) won the Welsh championship, winning 23 of their 32 games for a total of 74pts. Bangor City was runners up five points distant. TNS made it a double by winning the Welsh Cup at Bangor, May 6, beating Cefn Druids 2-0. Afan Lido won the Welsh League Cup, after a 1-1 tie with Newtown brought on a penalty shootout that they won 3-2 … York City won the FA Trophy final with a 2-0 win over Newport County, and then went on to win the Blue Square Conference play-off final against Luton Town at Wembley, winning 2-1; thus earning them a place in Division Two after an eight year absence.
More Soccer
The Lionel Messi goal scoring machine went in to the European history books after he scored his 68th goal for Barcelona last month, breaking the record of 67 goals in a European season originally set by Gerd Mueller.
A game between the Montreal Impact and the LA Galaxy, May 12, produced a record crowd of 60,080, for a professional soccer match in Canada.
David Beckham bent a free kick around the Impact’s defence in the 62nd minute to conclude the match with a 1-1 result … Former Manchester United favourite Ruud van Nistelrooy has hung up his boots. Nistelrooy ended his career at the Spanish club Malaga, where the 36-year-old announced his retirement. The Dutchman scored 150 goals during his stay at Old Trafford.
Hearts Win Scottish Cup
Hibernian last won the Scottish Cup back in 1902, and barely escaped relegation from the Scottish Premier League this year, but saw their hopes of a revival and a little glory disappear with the sending off of Pa Kulaji, just after the break during the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park, May 19. Hearts strode to a 5-1 win and their eighth Scottish Cup victory. Darren Barr put Hearts ahead in the 15th minute and Rudi Skacel added the second twelve minutes later, then James McPake got one back for Hibs four minutes before the half-time whistle. A match that looked even, changed entirely with the exit of Kulaji however, whose deadly foul against Suso Santana, produced a successful penalty by Danny Grainger. Ryan McGowan made it four, and in the fiftieth minute Rudi Skacel scored again.
New Scottish champions Celtic, seen off Rangers at Parkhead, April 29, as the last “old firm” derby of the season produced a 3-0, Hoops victory.
Charlie Mulgrew opened the account in the 17th minute, Kris Commons netted in the 31st minute and nine minutes after the break Gary Hooper hit the third. Rangers financial problems appeared to be affecting players on the field as pay-cut and contracts are not renewed. Celtic’s end of the season run in did not go completely as planned however, and at Tannadice, May 6, a Scott Robertson goal in the 21st minute gave Dundee Utd a 1-0 win over the Parkhead squad. It was only Celtic’s fifth defeat of the season. Motherwell will play in the Champions League next season for the very first time, courtesy of their third place finish in the Scottish Premier. Coach Stuart McCall is thoroughly chuffed. Rangers who were runners up, are ineligible because of the financial turmoil. Hibernian resisted relegation with a 4-0 win over Dunfermline in their final home match of the season, which ultimately sent the Pars in to Division One.
The Rangers saga appears to have been concluded with administrators accepting the bid of Charles Green, a former CEO who led Sheffield Utd in the mid-1990s. Green heads a consortium of some twenty international investors.
His job immediately got more complicated however, when a SFA tribunal refused to rescind the £160,000 fine that had been levered on the club for six breaches of SFA rules and also refused to lift the transfer embargo.
Sporting Passings
A London dustman with an enthusiasm for fisticuffs, having been brought on to the British’s boxing team because of injuries to other fighters, would prove his mettle by winning the gold medal in the featherweight division at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956. Terry Spinks was just eighteen-years-old at that time and his victory over Romanian, Mircia Dobrescu, would make him a national hero. He was the youngest British boxer ever to win a gold medal. He turned pro, and became British champion some years later, before the vicious and hard-hitting Welshman, Howard Winstone, beat him twice, and at the relatively young age of 25, retired from the sport. Spinks was renowned for his speed rather than his power, winning 41 of his 49 pro-fights and remained a sporting personality the rest of his life. He coached the South Korean boxing team at the Munich Olympics in 1972, and was one of the first persons to spot the terrorists. He quickly alerted officials, during an early morning training run. Terry Spinks was 74.
