ED MILIBAND marked his first speech as the new leader of Labour with an attempt to move his party away from the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown era.
Mr Miliband said he believed that the Iraq war was "wrong", and that he understood why voters were angry about the deregulation of the City and Mr Brown's promise of an end to 'boom and bust'.
The keynote address was Mr Miliband's first major job in his new role since he beat his brother David and three other candidates in the leadership election result on Saturday.
Mr Miliband won with 50.65% of the overall vote as compared to David's share of 49.35% in the final round after the elimination of Diane Abbott, Andy Burnham and Ed Balls.
During the campaign, Mr Miliband - who only entered Parliament in 2005 as MP for Doncaster North - had already positioned himself as the man who represented change.
For instance, he had already stated that he was opposed to the Iraq war in 2003.
By contrast, David Miliband was seen as the Blairite candidate of continuity, likely to keep faith with the New Labour ethos that had brought 13 years of power.
But that period ended in acrimony with policy created on the hoof, almost daily battles between Blairites and Brownites, an obsession with spin, and five million lost votes.
When Peter Mandleson criticised Mr Miliband's 2010 manifesto and put his weight behind frontrunner David, it was perhaps the last thing the older brother needed.
Not that the eventual victor Ed avoided scrutiny too.
Indeed, while the backing of the majority of the unions ultimately ensured his victory, it also led to the right-wing press almost immediately terming him 'Red Ed' for an apparent lurch to the left-wing.
Today, Mr Miliband shrugged off the nickname, stating he would not support "irresponsible strikes" and demanding a "grown up debate" on the state of politics to be held.
But he might be entering into that discourse without defeated brother David who is still yet to confirm whether he will stand in the ballot to enter the Shadow Cabinet.
The ballot closes at 5pm tomorrow evening and the longer it takes for David to make up his mind, the more likely it seems that the elder brother will be leaving frontline politics.
South Shields MP David has been nothing less than gracious since Saturday's defeat but notably disagreed with his younger brother's stance on Iraq, refusing to applaud that bit of the speech.
A snub from former foreign secretary David would be a hard early blow for Mr Miliband but at least the leadership election and conference has his party in an unfamiliar position of strength.
The coverage of the Labour conference has helped the party achieve a poll lead over the Conservatives in the Sun's YouGov daily tracker for the first time since the 'non-election' in the autumn of 2007.
It is also the first time in three years that Labour has polled at 40 percent, well up on the 29 percent they polled in May's general election.
But the lead is likely to be short-lived given the Tories are still just a point behind and will expect to see a similar boost from their conference next week.
The more pertinent aspects of the poll centred on Mr Miliband himself with a plurality of 43% expecting him to do well as Labour leader, against 23% who do not. 34% are undecided.
One-third of those surveyed thought trade unions will have too much influence over him while 29% disagreed and 38% didn't know.
Finally, 42% considered that he had moved the party to the left but only 19% thought that 'Red Ed' moniker was justified.
However, on the point of the 'Red Ed' description, again 51% were undecided - that is hardly a surprise so early into his leadership.
And so, it would seem Labour has actually made a sound choice in electing Mr Miliband ahead of his brother.
To the majority of the electorate, he is a blank canvas and, seemingly, the most convincing candidate with whom to make a clean break.
Being on the opposition benches can be a stifling, depressing existence but the new leader has made a solid, if rather unspectacular, start in his attempts to engage the public and move his party on.
But, having already spent six months of the new Parliament on electing a new leader, now is the time for Labour to provide some effective and, importantly, some united opposition.
That is ultimately the factor on which Ed Miliband will be judged.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Wednesday, 22 September 2010
England end tumultuous summer on top
ENGLAND claimed a highly satisfying win over Pakistan in the fifth One-Day International to complete a clean sweep of series wins this summer.
Eoin Morgan hit an unbeaten century while Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad took three wickets each as England bowled Pakistan out for 135 to win by 121 runs.
Victory at the Rose Bowl gave England a 3-2 series win to add to their 3-1 success against the Pakistanis in Test cricket and the 2-0 win in the Twenty20 series.
But the latter part of this summer has been a torturous affair of rumour and innuendo with Pakistan in the dock over spot-fixing allegations.
The story first came to light in the News of the World on the fourth and final day of the fourth and final Test which England won massively by an innings and 225 runs.
The reports surrounded three of Pakistan players - captain Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and 18-year-old Mohammed Amir - who allegedly agreed to bowl three no-balls to order on the first two days of the Test.
No-balls were indeed bowled at the supposedly pre-determined times by Amir and Asif, and the three players have been provisionally suspended and charged by the sport's governing body, the ICC.
Scotland Yard has also opened an investigation and the players were interviewed by the Metropolitan Police who believe the video evidence to be genuine.
The evidence is now with the Crown Prosecution Service who must decide whether to proceed with the case.
But the incident may not have been isolated. After the third ODI match, the ICC announced it was opening a separate investigation into a suspicious scoring pattern following a tip-off by The Sun.
The ECB confirmed no English players were involved in that investigation either.
However, the squad then became embroiled in the controvery after the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt alleged England had been paid to lose the third ODI.
Butt has presented no evidence for his claim which was strenuously denied by skipper Strauss and the rest of the squad.
Indeed, the England team has now called on Butt to make an unreserved apology or face legal proceedings.
Altogether, the ongoing saga has left a nasty taste in the mouth and made it difficult to enjoy the actual cricket being played.
Even Strauss said the England team had played the last two ODI matches "through gritted teeth".
When it is clear the players are not enjoying the contest, it is more difficult still for supporters which is a shame because, until this controversy, England had enjoyed a fruitful season.
In May, the shortest form of the game landed England their first ever senior ICC World Cup, beating Australia in the Final.
Then, back home, England beat Bangladesh as expected in the opening two Test matches of the summer at Lord's and at Old Trafford, although it was perhaps not as easy as the final score suggests.
At Lord's, Jonathan Trott scored 226 of England's 505 first innings runs while Bangladesh could only respond with 282.
Following on, the Bangladeshis did rather better, scoring 382, mainly down to Tamim Iqbal's particularly impressive 103.
Nevertheless, England knocked off the required runs by tea and Steve Finn won man of the match by taking match figures of 9-187.
The second Test against Bangladesh at Old Trafford was rather more straightforward. England again made a decent first innings total of 419, man of the match Ian Bell with 128 and Matt Prior with 93.
This time, Bangladesh collapsed horribly in successive sessions. With rain having affected the early part of the match, the tourists had an outside chance of a draw on 126-1.
But, despite Iqbal's second century of the series, Bangladesh were all out for 216 by the end of an elongated Saturday evening session.
Having just failed to make the follow-on, the Bangladeshi batsmen wearily took the crease again on Sunday morning.
They were bowled out for 123 in 34.1 overs and England had won a match by lunch on the third day when it had looked evenly matched at tea on the second day.
Limited overs cricket would dominate for the next part of the summer as England took on Australia, smarting from their Test series draw with Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
England took advantage of a vulnerable Aussie team to win the first three of five ODIs.
Morgan starred in the first at the Rose Bowl, scoring an unbeaten 103 as England chased down their target of 268 with four wickets and fully four overs to spare.
In the second match in Cardiff, Stuart Broad took four wickets and helped restrict Australia to 239 which England again chased successfully with four wickets and over four overs in hand.
England's third victory at Old Trafford was much tigher. The hosts won the toss and man of the match Swann took 4-37 as Australia scored 212.
Andrew Strauss scored 87 as England scrambled over the line to win by one wicket with five balls left thanks to Tim Bresnan's unbeaten 14 runs.
Despite the third loss confirming a series defeat for the Aussies, the tightness of the match seemed to have swayed in the momentum in their favour.
Indeed, Ricky Ponting's men somewhat saved face with easy victories in the last two matches, by 78 runs and 42 runs at the Oval and Lord's respectively.
England also seemed to lose focus in a second set of ODIs, this time against Bangladesh.
Having won the first match easily enough, England collapsed to 231 in the second ODI in Bristol, five runs short of Bangladesh's total, despite Trott's best attempts as last man out on 94.
It was the first time the Tigers had beaten England in any form of the game and set up an unlikely decider at Trent Bridge two days later.
England responded well to that unexpected setback by thrashing Bangladesh in the third ODI.
Strauss and Trott scored centuries to set a huge total of 347-7, far too much for the tourists who were out for 203 in 45 overs.
Next up was Pakistan but they proved just as fragile as Bangladesh in losing the first two Tests of the series by being bowled out for their lowest score against England twice in successive matches.
Before this summer, that record low stood at 87 but Pakistan were bowled out for 80 in the first Test and 72 in the second Test to rewrite the record books twice.
In the first Test, Morgan and Prior scored a centuries in each innings as England won by 354 runs.
And in the second Test, Strauss and Trott both hit unbeaten half-centuries as England chased down a target of 118 runs with nine wickets to spare.
Remarkably, the third Test was then won by Pakistan as England struggled this time with the bat.
Out-of-form Alastair Cook hit a welcome second innings century but had little help from his team mates as the hosts were bowled out for 222 to set Pakistan 148 to win.
The tourists looked like strolling to their target on 103-2 but lost four wickets for 29 runs in a middle-order wobble before Umar Akmal and Amir kept the series alive.
But, having produced some fighting spirit, Pakistan reverted to type in a fourth Test which will now be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
It should have been remembered for the record eighth-wicket stand in Test history between Trott and man of the match Stuart Broad whose partnership was worth an outstanding 332 runs.
Pakistan had put England in some trouble having won the toss and England were staring down the barrel at 102-7.
But Trott's 184 and Broad's 169 took the match completely away from Pakistan who then compounded their failure to capitalise by being bowled out for 74.
Following on, there was only a little more resistance in the second innings as Pakistan were bowled out for 174 amid a mournful atmosphere at Lord's after the morning's spot-fixing allegations.
It was no surprise that the dispirited tourists were then turned over four times in quick succession by England - twice in the Twenty20s and then in the first two ODIs.
Then, Pakistan showed some fight for only the second time all summer to win back-to-back ODIs and set up today's decider.
Morgan's century and Swann's bowling kept England's excellent recent record going and the squad should travel to Australia to defend the Ashes in good spirits.
As for Pakistan - they will have to face whatever repercussions come their way if the allegations are proven.
Having done their best to spoil the summer, I do not think I will be alone in being glad to see the back of Pakistan, for now at least.
ENGLAND'S SUMMER RESULTS SUMMARY
Npower Test match series vs Bangladesh
England won series 2-0
First Test (Lord's) England 505 & 160-2 bt Bangladesh 282 & 382 by 8 wickets
Second Test (Old Trafford) England 419 bt Bangladesh 216 & 123 by an innings and 80 runs
Natwest ODI series vs Australia
England won series 3-2
22.06 Rose Bowl England 268-6 bt Australia 267-7 by four wickets (24 balls left)
24.06 Sophia Gardens England 243-6 bt Australia 239-7 by four wickets (28 balls)
27.06 Old Trafford England 214-9 bt Australia 212 by one wicket (five balls left)
30.06 The Oval Australia 290-5 bt England 212 by 78 runs
03.07 Lord's Australia 277-7 bt England 235 by 42 runs
Natwest ODI series vs Bangladesh
England won series 2-1
08.07 Trent Bridge England 251-4 bt Bangladesh 250-9 by six wickets (29 balls left)
10.07 Bristol Bangladesh 236-7 bt England 231 bt five runs
12.07 Edgbaston England 347-7 bt Bangladesh 203 by 144 runs
Npower Test match series vs Pakistan
England won series 3-1
First Test (Trent Bridge) England 354 & 262-9dec bt Pakistan 182 & 80 by 354 runs
Second Test (Edgbaston) England 251 & 118-1 bt Pakistan 72 & 296 by nine wickets
Third Test (The Oval) Pakistan 308 & 148-6 bt England 233 & 222 by four wickets
Fourth Test (Lord's) England 446 bt Pakistan 74 & 147 by an innings and 225 runs
Natwest Twenty20 series vs Pakistan
England won series 2-0
05.09 Sophia Gardens England 129-5 bt Pakistan 126-4 by five wickets (17 balls left)
07.09 Sophia Gardens England 90-4 bt Pakistan 89 by six wickets (36 balls left)
Natwest ODI series vs Pakistan
England/Pakistan won series 3-2
10.09 Chester-le-Street England 274-6 bt Pakistan 250-9 by 24 runs
12.09 Headingley England 295-6 bt Pakistan 294-8 by four wickets (three balls left)
17.09 The Oval Pakistan 241 bt England 218 by 23 runs
20.09 Lord's Pakistan 265-7 bt England 227 by 38 runs
22.09 Rose Bowl England 256-6 bt Pakistan 135 by 135 runs
DOMESTIC SEASON
Nottinghamshire won the County Championship for the sixth time in their history in dramatic style, pipping perennial bridesmaids Somerset in the final session of the final day of the season.
It should have been so much easier for Notts who held a handsome lead with a month of the campaign left.
But successive heavy defeats to Durham and Yorkshire, where they were bowled out for 59, threw the title race wide open and Somerset looked set to capitalise.
Notts were then frustrated in the final round of matches against Lancashire with only 28 overs played in the first three days because of persistent rain in Manchester.
In the meantime, Somerset were on top against outgoing champions Durham at Chester-le-Street, collecting maximum batting points and a first innings lead of 140.
But a failure to bowl out Durham quickly on the final day would cost Somerset who were unable to mount a serious attempt at chasing down 181 after the loss of three early wickets.
With Somerset having had to settle for a draw, the title was back in Notts' hands - but only if they could score 400 runs and then take three Lancashire wickets.
Resuming on 89-2, Notts scored quickly but lost regular wickets after the fifth-wicket partnership of 153 by Adam Voges and Samit Patel had been broken up.
When Andre Adams departed on 390-9, Notts still required 10 more runs for a vital batting bonus point.
Ryan Sidebottom and Darren Pattinson held their nerve to reach 400 and Notts had 17 overs left to take three Lancashire wickets for the title.
Notts capped an excellent performance, considering how limited their time on the field had been, by taking just 30 balls to claim the required wickets.
Sidebottom struck first to remove Karl Brown before Adams took the wickets of Mark Chilton and Shiv Chanderpaul in the same over as the rain started to fall again.
It was a cruel blow for Somerset who had been unbeaten in the Championship since April after two defeats in their first two matches.
Somerset had also lost the Friends Provident Twenty20 Final on account of having lost one more wicket than Hampshire after both teams finished their 20 overs on 173.
And, as if to prove such misfortunes come in threes, Somerset lost the Clydesdale Bank 40 over Final at Lord's to Warwickshire by three wickets.
Thus, the men from Taunton remarkably finished runners-up in all three of this season's competitions.
LV County Championship
Champions: Nottinghamshire 214pts, seven wins
Runners-up: Somerset 214pts, six wins
Relegated: Kent 151pts, Essex 126pts
Promoted: Sussex 235pts, Worcestershire 208pts
Wooden spoon: Derbyshire 138pts
Clydesdale Bank 40
Final: Warwickshire 200-7 bt Somerset 199 by three wickets
Semi Finals: Somerset 312-6 bt Essex 217 by 95 runs
Warwickshire 260-6 bt Yorkshire 257-5 by four wickets
Friends Provident Twenty20
Final: Hampshire 173-5 bt Somerset 173-6 on fewer wickets lost
Semi Finals: Hampshire 157-4 bt Essex 156-7 by six wickets
Somerset 182-5 bt Nottinghamshire 117-4 by three runs (D/L)
Eoin Morgan hit an unbeaten century while Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad took three wickets each as England bowled Pakistan out for 135 to win by 121 runs.
Victory at the Rose Bowl gave England a 3-2 series win to add to their 3-1 success against the Pakistanis in Test cricket and the 2-0 win in the Twenty20 series.
But the latter part of this summer has been a torturous affair of rumour and innuendo with Pakistan in the dock over spot-fixing allegations.
The story first came to light in the News of the World on the fourth and final day of the fourth and final Test which England won massively by an innings and 225 runs.
The reports surrounded three of Pakistan players - captain Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and 18-year-old Mohammed Amir - who allegedly agreed to bowl three no-balls to order on the first two days of the Test.
No-balls were indeed bowled at the supposedly pre-determined times by Amir and Asif, and the three players have been provisionally suspended and charged by the sport's governing body, the ICC.
Scotland Yard has also opened an investigation and the players were interviewed by the Metropolitan Police who believe the video evidence to be genuine.
The evidence is now with the Crown Prosecution Service who must decide whether to proceed with the case.
But the incident may not have been isolated. After the third ODI match, the ICC announced it was opening a separate investigation into a suspicious scoring pattern following a tip-off by The Sun.
The ECB confirmed no English players were involved in that investigation either.
However, the squad then became embroiled in the controvery after the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt alleged England had been paid to lose the third ODI.
Butt has presented no evidence for his claim which was strenuously denied by skipper Strauss and the rest of the squad.
Indeed, the England team has now called on Butt to make an unreserved apology or face legal proceedings.
Altogether, the ongoing saga has left a nasty taste in the mouth and made it difficult to enjoy the actual cricket being played.
Even Strauss said the England team had played the last two ODI matches "through gritted teeth".
When it is clear the players are not enjoying the contest, it is more difficult still for supporters which is a shame because, until this controversy, England had enjoyed a fruitful season.
In May, the shortest form of the game landed England their first ever senior ICC World Cup, beating Australia in the Final.
Then, back home, England beat Bangladesh as expected in the opening two Test matches of the summer at Lord's and at Old Trafford, although it was perhaps not as easy as the final score suggests.
At Lord's, Jonathan Trott scored 226 of England's 505 first innings runs while Bangladesh could only respond with 282.
Following on, the Bangladeshis did rather better, scoring 382, mainly down to Tamim Iqbal's particularly impressive 103.
Nevertheless, England knocked off the required runs by tea and Steve Finn won man of the match by taking match figures of 9-187.
The second Test against Bangladesh at Old Trafford was rather more straightforward. England again made a decent first innings total of 419, man of the match Ian Bell with 128 and Matt Prior with 93.
This time, Bangladesh collapsed horribly in successive sessions. With rain having affected the early part of the match, the tourists had an outside chance of a draw on 126-1.
But, despite Iqbal's second century of the series, Bangladesh were all out for 216 by the end of an elongated Saturday evening session.
Having just failed to make the follow-on, the Bangladeshi batsmen wearily took the crease again on Sunday morning.
They were bowled out for 123 in 34.1 overs and England had won a match by lunch on the third day when it had looked evenly matched at tea on the second day.
Limited overs cricket would dominate for the next part of the summer as England took on Australia, smarting from their Test series draw with Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
England took advantage of a vulnerable Aussie team to win the first three of five ODIs.
Morgan starred in the first at the Rose Bowl, scoring an unbeaten 103 as England chased down their target of 268 with four wickets and fully four overs to spare.
In the second match in Cardiff, Stuart Broad took four wickets and helped restrict Australia to 239 which England again chased successfully with four wickets and over four overs in hand.
England's third victory at Old Trafford was much tigher. The hosts won the toss and man of the match Swann took 4-37 as Australia scored 212.
Andrew Strauss scored 87 as England scrambled over the line to win by one wicket with five balls left thanks to Tim Bresnan's unbeaten 14 runs.
Despite the third loss confirming a series defeat for the Aussies, the tightness of the match seemed to have swayed in the momentum in their favour.
Indeed, Ricky Ponting's men somewhat saved face with easy victories in the last two matches, by 78 runs and 42 runs at the Oval and Lord's respectively.
England also seemed to lose focus in a second set of ODIs, this time against Bangladesh.
Having won the first match easily enough, England collapsed to 231 in the second ODI in Bristol, five runs short of Bangladesh's total, despite Trott's best attempts as last man out on 94.
It was the first time the Tigers had beaten England in any form of the game and set up an unlikely decider at Trent Bridge two days later.
England responded well to that unexpected setback by thrashing Bangladesh in the third ODI.
Strauss and Trott scored centuries to set a huge total of 347-7, far too much for the tourists who were out for 203 in 45 overs.
Next up was Pakistan but they proved just as fragile as Bangladesh in losing the first two Tests of the series by being bowled out for their lowest score against England twice in successive matches.
Before this summer, that record low stood at 87 but Pakistan were bowled out for 80 in the first Test and 72 in the second Test to rewrite the record books twice.
In the first Test, Morgan and Prior scored a centuries in each innings as England won by 354 runs.
And in the second Test, Strauss and Trott both hit unbeaten half-centuries as England chased down a target of 118 runs with nine wickets to spare.
Remarkably, the third Test was then won by Pakistan as England struggled this time with the bat.
Out-of-form Alastair Cook hit a welcome second innings century but had little help from his team mates as the hosts were bowled out for 222 to set Pakistan 148 to win.
The tourists looked like strolling to their target on 103-2 but lost four wickets for 29 runs in a middle-order wobble before Umar Akmal and Amir kept the series alive.
But, having produced some fighting spirit, Pakistan reverted to type in a fourth Test which will now be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
It should have been remembered for the record eighth-wicket stand in Test history between Trott and man of the match Stuart Broad whose partnership was worth an outstanding 332 runs.
Pakistan had put England in some trouble having won the toss and England were staring down the barrel at 102-7.
But Trott's 184 and Broad's 169 took the match completely away from Pakistan who then compounded their failure to capitalise by being bowled out for 74.
Following on, there was only a little more resistance in the second innings as Pakistan were bowled out for 174 amid a mournful atmosphere at Lord's after the morning's spot-fixing allegations.
It was no surprise that the dispirited tourists were then turned over four times in quick succession by England - twice in the Twenty20s and then in the first two ODIs.
Then, Pakistan showed some fight for only the second time all summer to win back-to-back ODIs and set up today's decider.
Morgan's century and Swann's bowling kept England's excellent recent record going and the squad should travel to Australia to defend the Ashes in good spirits.
As for Pakistan - they will have to face whatever repercussions come their way if the allegations are proven.
Having done their best to spoil the summer, I do not think I will be alone in being glad to see the back of Pakistan, for now at least.
ENGLAND'S SUMMER RESULTS SUMMARY
Npower Test match series vs Bangladesh
England won series 2-0
First Test (Lord's) England 505 & 160-2 bt Bangladesh 282 & 382 by 8 wickets
Second Test (Old Trafford) England 419 bt Bangladesh 216 & 123 by an innings and 80 runs
Natwest ODI series vs Australia
England won series 3-2
22.06 Rose Bowl England 268-6 bt Australia 267-7 by four wickets (24 balls left)
24.06 Sophia Gardens England 243-6 bt Australia 239-7 by four wickets (28 balls)
27.06 Old Trafford England 214-9 bt Australia 212 by one wicket (five balls left)
30.06 The Oval Australia 290-5 bt England 212 by 78 runs
03.07 Lord's Australia 277-7 bt England 235 by 42 runs
Natwest ODI series vs Bangladesh
England won series 2-1
08.07 Trent Bridge England 251-4 bt Bangladesh 250-9 by six wickets (29 balls left)
10.07 Bristol Bangladesh 236-7 bt England 231 bt five runs
12.07 Edgbaston England 347-7 bt Bangladesh 203 by 144 runs
Npower Test match series vs Pakistan
England won series 3-1
First Test (Trent Bridge) England 354 & 262-9dec bt Pakistan 182 & 80 by 354 runs
Second Test (Edgbaston) England 251 & 118-1 bt Pakistan 72 & 296 by nine wickets
Third Test (The Oval) Pakistan 308 & 148-6 bt England 233 & 222 by four wickets
Fourth Test (Lord's) England 446 bt Pakistan 74 & 147 by an innings and 225 runs
Natwest Twenty20 series vs Pakistan
England won series 2-0
05.09 Sophia Gardens England 129-5 bt Pakistan 126-4 by five wickets (17 balls left)
07.09 Sophia Gardens England 90-4 bt Pakistan 89 by six wickets (36 balls left)
Natwest ODI series vs Pakistan
England/Pakistan won series 3-2
10.09 Chester-le-Street England 274-6 bt Pakistan 250-9 by 24 runs
12.09 Headingley England 295-6 bt Pakistan 294-8 by four wickets (three balls left)
17.09 The Oval Pakistan 241 bt England 218 by 23 runs
20.09 Lord's Pakistan 265-7 bt England 227 by 38 runs
22.09 Rose Bowl England 256-6 bt Pakistan 135 by 135 runs
DOMESTIC SEASON
Nottinghamshire won the County Championship for the sixth time in their history in dramatic style, pipping perennial bridesmaids Somerset in the final session of the final day of the season.
It should have been so much easier for Notts who held a handsome lead with a month of the campaign left.
But successive heavy defeats to Durham and Yorkshire, where they were bowled out for 59, threw the title race wide open and Somerset looked set to capitalise.
Notts were then frustrated in the final round of matches against Lancashire with only 28 overs played in the first three days because of persistent rain in Manchester.
In the meantime, Somerset were on top against outgoing champions Durham at Chester-le-Street, collecting maximum batting points and a first innings lead of 140.
But a failure to bowl out Durham quickly on the final day would cost Somerset who were unable to mount a serious attempt at chasing down 181 after the loss of three early wickets.
With Somerset having had to settle for a draw, the title was back in Notts' hands - but only if they could score 400 runs and then take three Lancashire wickets.
Resuming on 89-2, Notts scored quickly but lost regular wickets after the fifth-wicket partnership of 153 by Adam Voges and Samit Patel had been broken up.
When Andre Adams departed on 390-9, Notts still required 10 more runs for a vital batting bonus point.
Ryan Sidebottom and Darren Pattinson held their nerve to reach 400 and Notts had 17 overs left to take three Lancashire wickets for the title.
Notts capped an excellent performance, considering how limited their time on the field had been, by taking just 30 balls to claim the required wickets.
Sidebottom struck first to remove Karl Brown before Adams took the wickets of Mark Chilton and Shiv Chanderpaul in the same over as the rain started to fall again.
It was a cruel blow for Somerset who had been unbeaten in the Championship since April after two defeats in their first two matches.
Somerset had also lost the Friends Provident Twenty20 Final on account of having lost one more wicket than Hampshire after both teams finished their 20 overs on 173.
And, as if to prove such misfortunes come in threes, Somerset lost the Clydesdale Bank 40 over Final at Lord's to Warwickshire by three wickets.
Thus, the men from Taunton remarkably finished runners-up in all three of this season's competitions.
LV County Championship
Champions: Nottinghamshire 214pts, seven wins
Runners-up: Somerset 214pts, six wins
Relegated: Kent 151pts, Essex 126pts
Promoted: Sussex 235pts, Worcestershire 208pts
Wooden spoon: Derbyshire 138pts
Clydesdale Bank 40
Final: Warwickshire 200-7 bt Somerset 199 by three wickets
Semi Finals: Somerset 312-6 bt Essex 217 by 95 runs
Warwickshire 260-6 bt Yorkshire 257-5 by four wickets
Friends Provident Twenty20
Final: Hampshire 173-5 bt Somerset 173-6 on fewer wickets lost
Semi Finals: Hampshire 157-4 bt Essex 156-7 by six wickets
Somerset 182-5 bt Nottinghamshire 117-4 by three runs (D/L)
Monday, 20 September 2010
Lib Dem conference: Clegg confronts his critics but the real pressure is yet to come
LIBERAL DEMOCRATS leader Nick Clegg defended his party's record in government at their historic conference in Liverpool yesterday.
For the first time in more than 60 years, a Liberal party is in government, and Mr Clegg has been at pains to stress that the members of his party should enjoy their taste of power.
But that is easier said than done in a time when the news agenda is set to be dominated by cuts to public services.
And, rather than this being a cause for widespread celebration, many delegates are deeply worried by the party's direction in their coalition with the Conservatives.
Since the election in May, poll figures for the Lib Dems have plummeted as low as 11% with predictions that the rating could be even worse by the time local elections are held next May.
The choice of Liverpool as the venue for the conference probably did not help the mood, either.
To some, it would have acted as a reminder that control of the city council - held by the Lib Dems for 12 years between 1998 and 2010 - was lost back to Labour in May. It seems inevitable that more will follow next year.
Mr Clegg has faced accusations of being too cosy with Prime Minister David Cameron, and of leading the party in a more right-wing direction.
The Lib Dem leader risked losing even more support from the Left after Saturday's interview with The Independent in which he claimed that his party "never were and aren't a receptacle for left-wing dissatisfaction with the Labour party".
This is despite Mr Clegg appealing directly to Labour voters in June 2009 when he said: "Anyone who supported Labour in 1997 because they wanted fairness... turn to the Liberal Democrats. We carry the torch of progress now."
At least Mr Clegg confirmed this week that the agreement with the Tories was for one term only, and that there was no chance of the two parties forming an electoral pact.
But, looking more specifically about the current state of coalition, Lib Dem supporters' worries are not without merit.
The VAT rise to 20% from January, announced in June's emergency budget, and the scrapping of the Building Schools for the Future programme have unsurprisingly caused the most concern.
Both issues were not included in the original coalition manifesto, and Lib Dem ministers' support for both ideas seems to make a mockery of the party's supposed progressive leanings.
Delegates also embarrassed the party leadership by voting overwhelmingly against free schools in a series of motions just before Mr Clegg's keynote speech.
Dismissed as a gimmick before the election by the Lib Dems' children and families minister Sarah Teather, free schools are an idea by the Conservatives to take some schools out of local authority control.
These schools will gain a freedom over their own financial affairs and even over what curriculum to teach but there are fears this will create a two-tier state school system.
The plans had already been passed into law in July and so the Lib Dems' vote at conference serves no real purpose other than to show significant disconcertment on this issue among the party faithful.
At least Mr Clegg can console himself with the fact that his party's supporters only appear to be rebelling on an issue-by-issue basis at the moment.
A poll by YouGov of 566 party members showed 58% approve of the government's record overall, with 23% disapproving.
More pertinently, the same poll showed 78% still support the decision in May to enter into coalition with the Conservatives.
Mr Clegg will be pleased to hear that, particularly as he used part of his speech to emphasise that his decision was the best option in the national interest of providing stable government.
He is also right to point out that if the Lib Dems had decided against the coalition after so many years in opposition, the party would have been derided for being frightened of power.
This has been a difficult conference for Mr Clegg - it is unlikely that he expected anything less - but it was never going to produce a watershed moment.
The Lib Dems have made some impression in government such as the rise in the personal tax allowances and introduction of the pupil premium.
And, of course, the party could yet achieve one of its major aims by changing the electoral system away from the grossly unfair first past the post system.
Indeed, the promise of possible electoral reform is bound to keep the coalition together into next year.
If the referendum fails and poor poll figures transform into actual results, though, the pressure on Mr Clegg will be really cranked up.
In his speech, he urged party members to "hold their nerve" and see out a full term in office through to a 2015 election.
But, after the hectic and historic events back in May, Mr Clegg should know more than any other Lib Dem that a week is still a long time in politics - never mind, five years.
For the first time in more than 60 years, a Liberal party is in government, and Mr Clegg has been at pains to stress that the members of his party should enjoy their taste of power.
But that is easier said than done in a time when the news agenda is set to be dominated by cuts to public services.
And, rather than this being a cause for widespread celebration, many delegates are deeply worried by the party's direction in their coalition with the Conservatives.
Since the election in May, poll figures for the Lib Dems have plummeted as low as 11% with predictions that the rating could be even worse by the time local elections are held next May.
The choice of Liverpool as the venue for the conference probably did not help the mood, either.
To some, it would have acted as a reminder that control of the city council - held by the Lib Dems for 12 years between 1998 and 2010 - was lost back to Labour in May. It seems inevitable that more will follow next year.
Mr Clegg has faced accusations of being too cosy with Prime Minister David Cameron, and of leading the party in a more right-wing direction.
The Lib Dem leader risked losing even more support from the Left after Saturday's interview with The Independent in which he claimed that his party "never were and aren't a receptacle for left-wing dissatisfaction with the Labour party".
This is despite Mr Clegg appealing directly to Labour voters in June 2009 when he said: "Anyone who supported Labour in 1997 because they wanted fairness... turn to the Liberal Democrats. We carry the torch of progress now."
At least Mr Clegg confirmed this week that the agreement with the Tories was for one term only, and that there was no chance of the two parties forming an electoral pact.
But, looking more specifically about the current state of coalition, Lib Dem supporters' worries are not without merit.
The VAT rise to 20% from January, announced in June's emergency budget, and the scrapping of the Building Schools for the Future programme have unsurprisingly caused the most concern.
Both issues were not included in the original coalition manifesto, and Lib Dem ministers' support for both ideas seems to make a mockery of the party's supposed progressive leanings.
Delegates also embarrassed the party leadership by voting overwhelmingly against free schools in a series of motions just before Mr Clegg's keynote speech.
Dismissed as a gimmick before the election by the Lib Dems' children and families minister Sarah Teather, free schools are an idea by the Conservatives to take some schools out of local authority control.
These schools will gain a freedom over their own financial affairs and even over what curriculum to teach but there are fears this will create a two-tier state school system.
The plans had already been passed into law in July and so the Lib Dems' vote at conference serves no real purpose other than to show significant disconcertment on this issue among the party faithful.
At least Mr Clegg can console himself with the fact that his party's supporters only appear to be rebelling on an issue-by-issue basis at the moment.
A poll by YouGov of 566 party members showed 58% approve of the government's record overall, with 23% disapproving.
More pertinently, the same poll showed 78% still support the decision in May to enter into coalition with the Conservatives.
Mr Clegg will be pleased to hear that, particularly as he used part of his speech to emphasise that his decision was the best option in the national interest of providing stable government.
He is also right to point out that if the Lib Dems had decided against the coalition after so many years in opposition, the party would have been derided for being frightened of power.
This has been a difficult conference for Mr Clegg - it is unlikely that he expected anything less - but it was never going to produce a watershed moment.
The Lib Dems have made some impression in government such as the rise in the personal tax allowances and introduction of the pupil premium.
And, of course, the party could yet achieve one of its major aims by changing the electoral system away from the grossly unfair first past the post system.
Indeed, the promise of possible electoral reform is bound to keep the coalition together into next year.
If the referendum fails and poor poll figures transform into actual results, though, the pressure on Mr Clegg will be really cranked up.
In his speech, he urged party members to "hold their nerve" and see out a full term in office through to a 2015 election.
But, after the hectic and historic events back in May, Mr Clegg should know more than any other Lib Dem that a week is still a long time in politics - never mind, five years.
Monday, 13 September 2010
F1 2010: Alonso finds form as it gets even tighter at the top
FERNANDO ALONSO put the team orders controversy behind him by steering Ferrari to a first win at their home circuit in Monza for four years.
Spaniard Alonso finished ahead of Britain's Jenson Button and team-mate Felipe Massa of Brazil in the Italian Grand Prix to complete an excellent week for the Italian team.
Earlier last week, the FIA confirmed they would face no further punishment despite Massa being forced to let Alonso through to win the German Grand Prix earlier this summer.
The governing body agreed with Ferrari's assertion that Alonso had the faster car and that Massa was simply being made aware of this but it upheld the $100000 fine imposed by the race stewards.
In fairness, in the context of the championship chase, Ferrari's decision at Hockenheim was entirely understandable.
Going into that race, Alonso was on 98 points, within two race wins of championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile, Massa was just eighth in the standings on 67 points.
But the rather bitter after-taste from the incident came from Ferrari's sheepish insistence that the blatant team order was Massa's choice.
The rather crass apology from Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley to Massa, not to mention the Brazilian's reaction on the podium and in the post-race press conference, certainly suggested otherwise.
More poignantly still, this German Grand Prix was exactly one year on from the day when Massa almost lost his life in the qualifying session for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Of course, it would be foolish to believe that supposedly banned team orders are not endemic throughout the sport.
Perhaps the best way to deal with this far from ideal situation would be for the rule on team orders to be scrapped altogether, the solution seemingly currently favoured by the FIA.
But, regardless of all that, it would be a crying shame if an isolated racing incident was to overshadow what has been yet another phenomenal F1 season.
Alonso's win at Monza puts him third in the Drivers' Championship on 166 points, 21 behind current leader Mark Webber. Fascinatingly, four drivers are within 24 points of the Australian with 25 awarded for a race win.
It is therefore nigh on impossible to predict who will ultimately prevail this year with none of the drivers able to put more than a couple of results together at the moment.
Lewis Hamilton lost the championship lead in Italy after an early retirement, his second in three races - but, in the meantime, he was a clear winner of the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa.
Hamilton is five points behind leader Webber who finds himself looking down on all the others despite having finished only sixth in Italy.
Alonso seems to be the driver in the best current form with two wins and a second place in three of the last four races. But his struggle in the rain and then retirement at Spa could yet prove costly.
Like Alonso, Button also retired in the Belgium after Sebastian Vettel crashed into him before the Frome flyer bounced back with a fine result in Italy.
Unlike Alonso, Button's has his team-mate is ahead of him in the standings.
Being behind is a fate which also befalls Webber's Red Bull team mate Vettel, though goodness knows how that is the the case considering the German has had seven pole positions.
Only once - at the European Grand Prix in Valencia - has Vettel converted a pole into a race win with his only other victory this season coming in Malaysia when Webber was on pole.
It means Vettel has the most work to do and his 15th place finish at Spa, due to his crash into Button and the subsequent drive-through penalty, neatly summed up an error-strewn season.
Indeed, it was Vettel's second penalty in successive races after his failure to stay within 10 car-lengths of the safety car in Hungary.
The punishment in Budapest had been costly for Vettel, demoting him to third place and effectively handing his team-mate Webber the most recent of his four wins - and his current place at the top of the standings.
With five races left, the remainder of the season is spent entirely outside of Europe. First, there are three races in east Asia - in Singapore and in Japan and the first-ever Korean Grand Prix.
Then, the campaign will reach its thrilling climax with races in successive weeks at the start of November in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
After Ferrari's unsurprising dominance in Monza, the remaining tracks are supposed to favour the Red Bulls of Webber and Vettel.
The news would seem to put Webber in an outstanding position to win a maiden world title.
But surely this extraordinary F1 season will not allow it to be as simple as that.
Spaniard Alonso finished ahead of Britain's Jenson Button and team-mate Felipe Massa of Brazil in the Italian Grand Prix to complete an excellent week for the Italian team.
Earlier last week, the FIA confirmed they would face no further punishment despite Massa being forced to let Alonso through to win the German Grand Prix earlier this summer.
The governing body agreed with Ferrari's assertion that Alonso had the faster car and that Massa was simply being made aware of this but it upheld the $100000 fine imposed by the race stewards.
In fairness, in the context of the championship chase, Ferrari's decision at Hockenheim was entirely understandable.
Going into that race, Alonso was on 98 points, within two race wins of championship leader Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile, Massa was just eighth in the standings on 67 points.
But the rather bitter after-taste from the incident came from Ferrari's sheepish insistence that the blatant team order was Massa's choice.
The rather crass apology from Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley to Massa, not to mention the Brazilian's reaction on the podium and in the post-race press conference, certainly suggested otherwise.
More poignantly still, this German Grand Prix was exactly one year on from the day when Massa almost lost his life in the qualifying session for the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Of course, it would be foolish to believe that supposedly banned team orders are not endemic throughout the sport.
Perhaps the best way to deal with this far from ideal situation would be for the rule on team orders to be scrapped altogether, the solution seemingly currently favoured by the FIA.
But, regardless of all that, it would be a crying shame if an isolated racing incident was to overshadow what has been yet another phenomenal F1 season.
Alonso's win at Monza puts him third in the Drivers' Championship on 166 points, 21 behind current leader Mark Webber. Fascinatingly, four drivers are within 24 points of the Australian with 25 awarded for a race win.
It is therefore nigh on impossible to predict who will ultimately prevail this year with none of the drivers able to put more than a couple of results together at the moment.
Lewis Hamilton lost the championship lead in Italy after an early retirement, his second in three races - but, in the meantime, he was a clear winner of the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa.
Hamilton is five points behind leader Webber who finds himself looking down on all the others despite having finished only sixth in Italy.
Alonso seems to be the driver in the best current form with two wins and a second place in three of the last four races. But his struggle in the rain and then retirement at Spa could yet prove costly.
Like Alonso, Button also retired in the Belgium after Sebastian Vettel crashed into him before the Frome flyer bounced back with a fine result in Italy.
Unlike Alonso, Button's has his team-mate is ahead of him in the standings.
Being behind is a fate which also befalls Webber's Red Bull team mate Vettel, though goodness knows how that is the the case considering the German has had seven pole positions.
Only once - at the European Grand Prix in Valencia - has Vettel converted a pole into a race win with his only other victory this season coming in Malaysia when Webber was on pole.
It means Vettel has the most work to do and his 15th place finish at Spa, due to his crash into Button and the subsequent drive-through penalty, neatly summed up an error-strewn season.
Indeed, it was Vettel's second penalty in successive races after his failure to stay within 10 car-lengths of the safety car in Hungary.
The punishment in Budapest had been costly for Vettel, demoting him to third place and effectively handing his team-mate Webber the most recent of his four wins - and his current place at the top of the standings.
With five races left, the remainder of the season is spent entirely outside of Europe. First, there are three races in east Asia - in Singapore and in Japan and the first-ever Korean Grand Prix.
Then, the campaign will reach its thrilling climax with races in successive weeks at the start of November in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.
After Ferrari's unsurprising dominance in Monza, the remaining tracks are supposed to favour the Red Bulls of Webber and Vettel.
The news would seem to put Webber in an outstanding position to win a maiden world title.
But surely this extraordinary F1 season will not allow it to be as simple as that.
2010 Season Results
PODIUMS
Bahrain GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Malaysian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Spanish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Monaco GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Turkish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Canadian GP (Pole: Lewis Hamilton)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
European GP (Valencia) (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
British GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
German GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Hungarian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Belgian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Italian GP (Pole: Fernando Alonso)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
REMAINING RACES
Bahrain GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
Malaysian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
Spanish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Monaco GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Turkish GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
Canadian GP (Pole: Lewis Hamilton)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
European GP (Valencia) (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
British GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes
German GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Hungarian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
2 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
Belgian GP (Pole: Mark Webber)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
3 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault
Italian GP (Pole: Fernando Alonso)
1 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari
REMAINING RACES
Singapore GP (26 September), Japanese GP (10 October), Korean GP (24 October), Brazilian GP (7 November), Abu Dhabi GP (14 November)
STANDINGS
Drivers' Championship
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 187 (4 wins)
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 182 (3 wins)
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 166 (3 wins)
4 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 165 (2 wins)
5 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 163 (2 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 124
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 112
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 108
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 46
10 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 45
11 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 31
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 21
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 19
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 16
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India-Mercedes 13
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
18 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rossi-Ferrari 3
Seven drivers have yet to score (Heikki Kovalainen (Fin), Karun Chandhok (Ind), Lucas di Grassi (Bra), Jarno Trulli (Ita), Bruno Senna (Bra), Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn), Timo Glock (Ger))
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault 350
2 McLaren-Mercedes 347
3 Ferrari 290
4 Mercedes 158
5 Renault 127
6 Force India-Mercedes 58
7 Williams-Cosworth 47
8 BMW Sauber-Ferrari 27
9 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 10
Three teams have yet to score (Lotus-Cosworth, Hispania-Cosworth, Virgin-Cosworth)
Earlier F1 2010 posts on TheIntrepidReporter
14.07.2010 Angry Webber repels Vettel (after British GP)
19.04.2010 Button takes an early lead (after Chinese GP)
13.03.2010 Team-by-team preview
STANDINGS
Drivers' Championship
1 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 187 (4 wins)
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 182 (3 wins)
3 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 166 (3 wins)
4 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 165 (2 wins)
5 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 163 (2 wins)
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 124
7 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 112
8 Robert Kubica (Pol) Renault 108
9 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 46
10 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 45
11 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Williams-Cosworth 31
12 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 21
13 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 19
14 Nico Hulkenberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth 16
15 Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Force India-Mercedes 13
16 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 7
17 Pedro de la Rosa (Spa) BMW Sauber-Ferrari 6
18 Jaime Alguersuari (Spa) Toro Rossi-Ferrari 3
Seven drivers have yet to score (Heikki Kovalainen (Fin), Karun Chandhok (Ind), Lucas di Grassi (Bra), Jarno Trulli (Ita), Bruno Senna (Bra), Sakon Yamamoto (Jpn), Timo Glock (Ger))
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault 350
2 McLaren-Mercedes 347
3 Ferrari 290
4 Mercedes 158
5 Renault 127
6 Force India-Mercedes 58
7 Williams-Cosworth 47
8 BMW Sauber-Ferrari 27
9 Toro Rosso-Ferrari 10
Three teams have yet to score (Lotus-Cosworth, Hispania-Cosworth, Virgin-Cosworth)
Earlier F1 2010 posts on TheIntrepidReporter
14.07.2010 Angry Webber repels Vettel (after British GP)
19.04.2010 Button takes an early lead (after Chinese GP)
13.03.2010 Team-by-team preview
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Higgins banned but cleared of match-fixing
A WHOLE summer of uncertainty for John Higgins ended yesterday after the three-time world champion was cleared of match-fixing by an independent tribunal.
The verdict comes as a big relief not only to Higgins but also to the new chairman of World Snooker, Barry Hearn.
However, like the characters in a Machiavellian play from the 16th century, none of protagonists emerged from this sorry saga with much credit.
Higgins has still been banned for six months - backdated to May when the story broke in the News of the World - having admitted the lesser offences of bringing the game into disrepute by not reporting the illegal approach.
The Scot was also fined £75,000 for his troubles but, after more than four months of this hanging over him, the seemingly irreversible damage to his reputation will undoubtedly hurt him more.
After all, he was only excused of having any part in match-fixing because the tribunal ruled that his manager Pat Mooney was "entirely responsible" for Higgins' presence in the Kiev hotel room where the filming took place.
Mooney is undoubtedly the nastiest piece of work in this episode, and he fully deserved his sanction of a life ban from having any influence in the game.
But Higgins was still on film admitting how easy it would be to throw a frame.
He almost certainly benefited from his previous reputation which has resulted in a lenient approach being adopted towards him.
The tribunal ruled that Higgins "is, by nature, someone who seeks to avoid confrontation or unpleasantness" and there remains an uncomfortable feeling that Mooney may have been a fall guy.
Snooker has just been introduced to a bright new era under Hearn's chairmanship with the introduction of new tournaments and an improved ranking system. The game could ill-afford the scandal to grow any bigger than it already is.
But, regardless of the conspiracy theories, it would seem Hearn's job of reforming the sport is even bigger than he originally thought.
Hearn hardly helped himself by promising the matter would be sorted in "days and weeks" rather than "months and months".
It was surely inevitable that this sort of case would take time and the fact it has dragged on all summer and even into the start of the new season shows a lack of judgement on Hearn's part.
The affair has also been bad news for the Murdoch media empire and the curious way in which they have handled it.
Of course, the News of the World was justified from a public interest angle in publishing the story in the first place if it considered it would stand up to scrutiny.
Indeed, the newspaper reacted to Higgins' ban by claiming victory and stating that the judgement was "a testament to the extraordinary work of our investigations editor Mazher Mahmood".
But the reality is that the publication has earned the wrath of media commentator Roy Greenslade in the Guardian and it has left itself wide open to libel.
Similarly, the News of the World's broadcasting stablemates Sky hardly covered themselves in glory over the issue either, claiming on their website that Higgins had admitted to match-fixing.
Once the story had been vigorously denied by Higgins' spokesperson, it was unsurprisingly hastily pulled.
If nothing else, questions should be asked over why the News of the World stalled on providing the full video evidence to tribunal - and just how much editing had been done?
But, with the allegations of phone hacking by News of the World staff dominating the news agenda, those questions are low on the priority list and look set to remain unanswered.
Unless, of course, Higgins takes the unlikely step of dragging the story back in front of the courts by suing for defamation.
The verdict comes as a big relief not only to Higgins but also to the new chairman of World Snooker, Barry Hearn.
However, like the characters in a Machiavellian play from the 16th century, none of protagonists emerged from this sorry saga with much credit.
Higgins has still been banned for six months - backdated to May when the story broke in the News of the World - having admitted the lesser offences of bringing the game into disrepute by not reporting the illegal approach.
The Scot was also fined £75,000 for his troubles but, after more than four months of this hanging over him, the seemingly irreversible damage to his reputation will undoubtedly hurt him more.
After all, he was only excused of having any part in match-fixing because the tribunal ruled that his manager Pat Mooney was "entirely responsible" for Higgins' presence in the Kiev hotel room where the filming took place.
Mooney is undoubtedly the nastiest piece of work in this episode, and he fully deserved his sanction of a life ban from having any influence in the game.
But Higgins was still on film admitting how easy it would be to throw a frame.
He almost certainly benefited from his previous reputation which has resulted in a lenient approach being adopted towards him.
The tribunal ruled that Higgins "is, by nature, someone who seeks to avoid confrontation or unpleasantness" and there remains an uncomfortable feeling that Mooney may have been a fall guy.
Snooker has just been introduced to a bright new era under Hearn's chairmanship with the introduction of new tournaments and an improved ranking system. The game could ill-afford the scandal to grow any bigger than it already is.
But, regardless of the conspiracy theories, it would seem Hearn's job of reforming the sport is even bigger than he originally thought.
Hearn hardly helped himself by promising the matter would be sorted in "days and weeks" rather than "months and months".
It was surely inevitable that this sort of case would take time and the fact it has dragged on all summer and even into the start of the new season shows a lack of judgement on Hearn's part.
The affair has also been bad news for the Murdoch media empire and the curious way in which they have handled it.
Of course, the News of the World was justified from a public interest angle in publishing the story in the first place if it considered it would stand up to scrutiny.
Indeed, the newspaper reacted to Higgins' ban by claiming victory and stating that the judgement was "a testament to the extraordinary work of our investigations editor Mazher Mahmood".
But the reality is that the publication has earned the wrath of media commentator Roy Greenslade in the Guardian and it has left itself wide open to libel.
Similarly, the News of the World's broadcasting stablemates Sky hardly covered themselves in glory over the issue either, claiming on their website that Higgins had admitted to match-fixing.
Once the story had been vigorously denied by Higgins' spokesperson, it was unsurprisingly hastily pulled.
If nothing else, questions should be asked over why the News of the World stalled on providing the full video evidence to tribunal - and just how much editing had been done?
But, with the allegations of phone hacking by News of the World staff dominating the news agenda, those questions are low on the priority list and look set to remain unanswered.
Unless, of course, Higgins takes the unlikely step of dragging the story back in front of the courts by suing for defamation.
Tuesday, 7 September 2010
Euro 2012 qualifiers: Rooney repay Capello's faith
WAYNE ROONEY attempted to put the off-field allegations of his infidelity behind him as he opened the scoring in a comfortable 3-1 win for England over Switzerland in Basle.
Manchester United striker Rooney has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after stories in the News of the World claimed he cheated on his wife Colleen by paying a prostitute £1,200.
But, despite the rather unsavoury reports, Rooney travelled with the squad and he repaid the faith of Fabio Capello almost immediately.
England scored early on Friday night against Bulgaria and repeated the trick tonight with just nine minutes gone at St Jakob Stadium.
Theo Walcott and Glen Johnson combined to good effect to set up Rooney with a tap-in, though Walcott was injured in the move and had to be replaced by Adam Johnson.
England continued to the press in an excellent first half performance and could have added to their tally with Friday's hero Jermain Defoe failing to convert a succession of chances.
At the start of the second half, there was more of the same from England until a Swiss spell on the hour made Joe Hart look a little nervy and forced a new-look defence into a couple of rash clearances.
But just as the home side started to get the crowd behind them, struggling full-back Stephan Lichsteiner was sent off for crude challenge on James Milner.
England made their one-man advantage work in their favour immediately as Adam Johnson rounded the goalkeeper for his second international goal in a week.
However, the Swiss responded in this extraordinary spell with the goal of the night as Xherdan Shaqiri smashed a shot past Hart to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes left.
Rather than inviting pressure, Capello's men continued to attack with their numerical advantage and dominated the latter part of the match.
It should have been 3-1 and game over when Shaun Wright-Phillips failed once again to justify his selection with a woefully under-hit pass to fellow-substitute Darren Bent who was clean through.
Regardless, Sunderland striker Bent did eventually score his first England goal with a confident finish that finally put the game to bed.
Meanwhile, at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland only just escaped total humiliation after Stephen McManus headed a 97th-minute winner against Liechtenstein.
After a goalless first half, the part-timers had taken a shock lead in the opening minute of the second period through captain Mario Frisk.
Kenny Miller's volley brought Craig Levein's men level with 25 minutes in the new national team coach's first competitive home match.
But the Scots struggled to mount significant pressure to push for 2-1, although Liechtenstein's players were hardly helping Scotland's cause with their cynical timing-wasting tactics.
Eventually the time-wasting was to be Liechtenstein's downfall but McManus's header from a corner should not excuse an absolutely woeful performance.
Incredibly, with Spain not in competitive action, the Scots' three points and Czech Republic's 1-0 home loss to Lithuania puts Scotland at the top of Group I.
Tonight, Levein is a lucky, lucky man.
Wales manager John Toshack has not been so fortunate and has resigned following the awful 1-0 loss in Montenegro on Friday.
Toshack has said he will stay on for the matches in October against Bulgaria and Switzerland if no replacement has been found but otherwise says he will leave immediately.
In the meantime, Montenegro pulled off another amazing result, winning 1-0 away in Sofia against Bulgaria to be level with England on six points in Group G.
Republic of Ireland looked set for an easy win against Andorra after first-half goals from Kevin Kilbane and Kevin Doyle but they also had to survive a scare.
Andorra's Cristian Martinez stunned the crowd at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin with a fine goal on half time to make it 2-1.
Nevertheless, the Irish saw off the threat in the second half and Robbie Keane made it 3-1 to put Giovanni Trapatonni's men top of Group B.
But, perhaps the more significant result in that group came in Moscow as Russia were beaten 1-0 by Slovakia.
Elsewhere, Miroslav Klose hit a hat-trick as Germany and Italy both recorded big wins - 6-1 against Azerbaijan and 5-0 over the Faroe Islands respectively.
Sweden also hit six goals, without reply, against hapless San Marino while, also in Group E, Klass-Jan Huntelaar made it five goals in two games for the Dutch in their 2-1 win over Finland.
France ended a run of four straight defeats, including humiliation at home against Belarus in their Euro2012 opener, by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 away.
It is an impressive result for Laurent Blanc's men as Bosnia, who - like France - were in the World Cup qualifying playoffs, are probably Les Bleus' biggest threat in Group D.
That is because Romania have already proved to be a shadow of their former selves, just like neighbours Bulgaria in England's group.
Having finished fifth in qualifying for World Cup 2010, Romania have opened their campaign with successive draws against Albania and Belarus, and they are already off the pace.
Portugal and Greece are also struggling. Portugal lost 1-0 to leaders Norway in Group H on the back of a 4-4 home draw against Cyprus.
Worse still, they are leaderless after the suspension for six months of Carlos Queiroz for interference in a World Cup anti-doping test.
Like Romania, Euro 2004 champions Greece have opened with two draws - against Georgia on Friday, and in Croatia tonight.
And with that draw, the Croatians have seized the early advantage in Group F.
FULL RESULTS
GROUP A
Austria 2-0 Kazakhstan
Germany 6-1 Azerbaijan
Turkey 3-2 Belgium
GROUP B
FYR Macedonia 2-2 Armenia
Republic of Ireland 3-1 Andorra
Russia 0-1 Slovakia
GROUP C
Italy 5-0 Faroe Islands
Serbia 1-1 Slovenia
GROUP D
Albania 1-0 Luxembourg
Belarus 0-0 Romania
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-2 France
GROUP E
Hungary 2-1 Moldova
Netherlands 2-1 Finland
Sweden 6-0 San Marino
GROUP F
Croatia 0-0 Greece
Georgia 0-0 Israel
Malta 0-2 Latvia
GROUP G
Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro
Switzerland 1-3 England
GROUP H
Denmark 1-0 Iceland
Norway 1-0 Portugal
GROUP I
Czech Republic 0-1 Lithuania
Scotland 2-1 Liechtenstein
The next Euro 2012 qualifiers are on Friday 8th October.
Manchester United striker Rooney has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week after stories in the News of the World claimed he cheated on his wife Colleen by paying a prostitute £1,200.
But, despite the rather unsavoury reports, Rooney travelled with the squad and he repaid the faith of Fabio Capello almost immediately.
England scored early on Friday night against Bulgaria and repeated the trick tonight with just nine minutes gone at St Jakob Stadium.
Theo Walcott and Glen Johnson combined to good effect to set up Rooney with a tap-in, though Walcott was injured in the move and had to be replaced by Adam Johnson.
England continued to the press in an excellent first half performance and could have added to their tally with Friday's hero Jermain Defoe failing to convert a succession of chances.
At the start of the second half, there was more of the same from England until a Swiss spell on the hour made Joe Hart look a little nervy and forced a new-look defence into a couple of rash clearances.
But just as the home side started to get the crowd behind them, struggling full-back Stephan Lichsteiner was sent off for crude challenge on James Milner.
England made their one-man advantage work in their favour immediately as Adam Johnson rounded the goalkeeper for his second international goal in a week.
However, the Swiss responded in this extraordinary spell with the goal of the night as Xherdan Shaqiri smashed a shot past Hart to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes left.
Rather than inviting pressure, Capello's men continued to attack with their numerical advantage and dominated the latter part of the match.
It should have been 3-1 and game over when Shaun Wright-Phillips failed once again to justify his selection with a woefully under-hit pass to fellow-substitute Darren Bent who was clean through.
Regardless, Sunderland striker Bent did eventually score his first England goal with a confident finish that finally put the game to bed.
Meanwhile, at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland only just escaped total humiliation after Stephen McManus headed a 97th-minute winner against Liechtenstein.
After a goalless first half, the part-timers had taken a shock lead in the opening minute of the second period through captain Mario Frisk.
Kenny Miller's volley brought Craig Levein's men level with 25 minutes in the new national team coach's first competitive home match.
But the Scots struggled to mount significant pressure to push for 2-1, although Liechtenstein's players were hardly helping Scotland's cause with their cynical timing-wasting tactics.
Eventually the time-wasting was to be Liechtenstein's downfall but McManus's header from a corner should not excuse an absolutely woeful performance.
Incredibly, with Spain not in competitive action, the Scots' three points and Czech Republic's 1-0 home loss to Lithuania puts Scotland at the top of Group I.
Tonight, Levein is a lucky, lucky man.
Wales manager John Toshack has not been so fortunate and has resigned following the awful 1-0 loss in Montenegro on Friday.
Toshack has said he will stay on for the matches in October against Bulgaria and Switzerland if no replacement has been found but otherwise says he will leave immediately.
In the meantime, Montenegro pulled off another amazing result, winning 1-0 away in Sofia against Bulgaria to be level with England on six points in Group G.
Republic of Ireland looked set for an easy win against Andorra after first-half goals from Kevin Kilbane and Kevin Doyle but they also had to survive a scare.
Andorra's Cristian Martinez stunned the crowd at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin with a fine goal on half time to make it 2-1.
Nevertheless, the Irish saw off the threat in the second half and Robbie Keane made it 3-1 to put Giovanni Trapatonni's men top of Group B.
But, perhaps the more significant result in that group came in Moscow as Russia were beaten 1-0 by Slovakia.
Elsewhere, Miroslav Klose hit a hat-trick as Germany and Italy both recorded big wins - 6-1 against Azerbaijan and 5-0 over the Faroe Islands respectively.
Sweden also hit six goals, without reply, against hapless San Marino while, also in Group E, Klass-Jan Huntelaar made it five goals in two games for the Dutch in their 2-1 win over Finland.
France ended a run of four straight defeats, including humiliation at home against Belarus in their Euro2012 opener, by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 away.
It is an impressive result for Laurent Blanc's men as Bosnia, who - like France - were in the World Cup qualifying playoffs, are probably Les Bleus' biggest threat in Group D.
That is because Romania have already proved to be a shadow of their former selves, just like neighbours Bulgaria in England's group.
Having finished fifth in qualifying for World Cup 2010, Romania have opened their campaign with successive draws against Albania and Belarus, and they are already off the pace.
Portugal and Greece are also struggling. Portugal lost 1-0 to leaders Norway in Group H on the back of a 4-4 home draw against Cyprus.
Worse still, they are leaderless after the suspension for six months of Carlos Queiroz for interference in a World Cup anti-doping test.
Like Romania, Euro 2004 champions Greece have opened with two draws - against Georgia on Friday, and in Croatia tonight.
And with that draw, the Croatians have seized the early advantage in Group F.
FULL RESULTS
GROUP A
Austria 2-0 Kazakhstan
Germany 6-1 Azerbaijan
Turkey 3-2 Belgium
GROUP B
FYR Macedonia 2-2 Armenia
Republic of Ireland 3-1 Andorra
Russia 0-1 Slovakia
GROUP C
Italy 5-0 Faroe Islands
Serbia 1-1 Slovenia
GROUP D
Albania 1-0 Luxembourg
Belarus 0-0 Romania
Bosnia-Herzegovina 0-2 France
GROUP E
Hungary 2-1 Moldova
Netherlands 2-1 Finland
Sweden 6-0 San Marino
GROUP F
Croatia 0-0 Greece
Georgia 0-0 Israel
Malta 0-2 Latvia
GROUP G
Bulgaria 0-1 Montenegro
Switzerland 1-3 England
GROUP H
Denmark 1-0 Iceland
Norway 1-0 Portugal
GROUP I
Czech Republic 0-1 Lithuania
Scotland 2-1 Liechtenstein
The next Euro 2012 qualifiers are on Friday 8th October.
Friday, 3 September 2010
Euro 2012 qualifiers: Defoe destroys Bulgaria
ENGLAND banished their World Cup blues by beating Bulgaria 4-0 in the first set of Euro 2012 qualifiers at Wembley.
Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick and substitute Adam Johnson scored his first international goal in a much improved performance by Fabio Capello's men.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Defoe gave England the lead as early as three minutes into their first match since the humiliating 4-1 loss to Germany in World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Defoe then struck again on 61 minutes before two further goals by Defoe and Johnson in the last ten minutes rather embellished the final score.
In the only bad news of the night, England lost the unfortunate centre-back Michael Dawson to injury after he went down under a challenge early in the second half.
Dawson will miss the trip to Basle as England take on their main group rivals Switzerland on Tuesday night.
Elsewhere, Wales - who are also in England's group - were woeful, losing 1-0 in Montenegro. It is a result which suggests this campaign promises very little for John Toshack's young team.
Scotland also disappointed, managing just a 0-0 draw against Lithuania in Kausnas, in a group which also features World and European champions Spain who beat Lietchtenstein 4-0 away.
The two Irish sides did rather better with both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland winning 1-0 having seen off strong home efforts from Slovenia and Armenia respectively.
The biggest shock of the night came in France who followed up their terrible World Cup with a 1-0 home loss to Belarus albeit with a largely different set of players under new manager Laurent Blanc.
Cheered on to the pitch by 76,395 frenzied flag-waving supporters, the French left the field at full-time to a chorus of boos after conceding an 86th-minute Sergei Kislyak goal.
Italy, who also had a dreadful World Cup, had to come from behind to beat Estonia 2-1. But Portugal threw away leads of 3-2 and 4-3 as Cyprus came back again and again for a remarkable 4-4 draw in Guimaraes.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored a hat-trick as World Cup runners-up Netherlands had the biggest win of the night with a 5-0 away beating of perennial whipping boys San Marino in Group E.
Germany squeezed past Belgium 1-0 in Group A thanks to a Miroslav Klose goal early in the second half.
FULL RESULTS
GROUP A
Turkey take the early lead in the group with a comfortable 3-0 win in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Miroslav Klose scored his 53rd goal for Germany in their 1-0 away win in Belgium.
Kazakhstan 0-3 Turkey
Belgium 0-1 Germany
GROUP B
The three stronger teams in the group - Russia, Republic of Ireland and Slovakia, all enjoyed narrow wins over the minnows Andorra, Armenia and FYR Macedonia respectively.
Armenia 0-1 Republic of Ireland
Andorra 0-2 Russia
Slovakia 1-0 FYR Macedonia
GROUP C
Estonia almost followed up last month's 2-1 win over the Faroes with a shock result against Italy but the Italians came back to win 2-1. Serbia top the group with a 3-0 away win in Torshavn while Northern Ireland won for the first time in 11 games against World Cup finalists Slovenia.
Estonia 2-1 Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands 0-3 Serbia
Estonia 1-2 Italy
Slovenia 0-1 Northern Ireland
GROUP D
The two traditional powerhouses in Group D, France and Romania, continue to struggle allowing Bosnia-Herzegovina to take the early lead after their 3-0 win in Luxembourg.
Romania 1-1 Albania
Luxembourg 0-3 Bosnia-Herzegovina
France 0-1 Belarus
GROUP E
Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored a hat-trick as World Cup runners-up Netherlands easily beat San Marino 5-0 in the biggest win of the night in Europe. Sweden look set to challenge after their 2-0 victory over Hungary but Finland lost to Moldova by the same score after Sami Hyypia's early sending off.
Moldova 2-0 Finland
Sweden 2-0 Hungary
San Marino 0-5 Netherlands
GROUP F
Euro 2004 winners Greece could only manage a 1-1 home draw with Georgia as Croatia took an early lead in Group F with a 3-0 win over Latvia. Israel beat Malta 3-1 at home on Thursday night.
Israel 3-1 Malta
Latvia 0-3 Croatia
Greece 1-1 Georgia
GROUP G
Jermain Defoe's hat-trick helped England banish their World Cup blues as Fabio Capello's men strolled to a 4-0 win over Bulgaria. The other home nation in the group, Wales, did not fare so well, going down 1-0 in Montenegro, leading to calls for coach John Toshack to quit.
Montenegro 1-0 Wales
England 4-0 Bulgaira
GROUP H
Norway came from behind to beat neighbours Iceland 2-1 but the main Group H news came from Guimaraes as Portugal failed the shrug off a tenacious challenge from Cyprus who came back from 3-2 and 4-3 down to snatch a draw.
Iceland 1-2 Norway
Portugal 4-4 Cyprus
GROUP I
World and European champions Spain began their defence of the latter title with an easy 4-0 win in Lietchtenstein as Fernando Torres struck twice in Vaduz. But there were no goals in Vilnius as Lithuania and Scotland played out a 0-0 draw which promises little for both teams' campaigns.
Lithuania 0-0 Scotland
Liechtenstein 0-4 Spain
Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick and substitute Adam Johnson scored his first international goal in a much improved performance by Fabio Capello's men.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Defoe gave England the lead as early as three minutes into their first match since the humiliating 4-1 loss to Germany in World Cup 2010 in South Africa.
Defoe then struck again on 61 minutes before two further goals by Defoe and Johnson in the last ten minutes rather embellished the final score.
In the only bad news of the night, England lost the unfortunate centre-back Michael Dawson to injury after he went down under a challenge early in the second half.
Dawson will miss the trip to Basle as England take on their main group rivals Switzerland on Tuesday night.
Elsewhere, Wales - who are also in England's group - were woeful, losing 1-0 in Montenegro. It is a result which suggests this campaign promises very little for John Toshack's young team.
Scotland also disappointed, managing just a 0-0 draw against Lithuania in Kausnas, in a group which also features World and European champions Spain who beat Lietchtenstein 4-0 away.
The two Irish sides did rather better with both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland winning 1-0 having seen off strong home efforts from Slovenia and Armenia respectively.
The biggest shock of the night came in France who followed up their terrible World Cup with a 1-0 home loss to Belarus albeit with a largely different set of players under new manager Laurent Blanc.
Cheered on to the pitch by 76,395 frenzied flag-waving supporters, the French left the field at full-time to a chorus of boos after conceding an 86th-minute Sergei Kislyak goal.
Italy, who also had a dreadful World Cup, had to come from behind to beat Estonia 2-1. But Portugal threw away leads of 3-2 and 4-3 as Cyprus came back again and again for a remarkable 4-4 draw in Guimaraes.
Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored a hat-trick as World Cup runners-up Netherlands had the biggest win of the night with a 5-0 away beating of perennial whipping boys San Marino in Group E.
Germany squeezed past Belgium 1-0 in Group A thanks to a Miroslav Klose goal early in the second half.
FULL RESULTS
GROUP A
Turkey take the early lead in the group with a comfortable 3-0 win in Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Miroslav Klose scored his 53rd goal for Germany in their 1-0 away win in Belgium.
Kazakhstan 0-3 Turkey
Belgium 0-1 Germany
GROUP B
The three stronger teams in the group - Russia, Republic of Ireland and Slovakia, all enjoyed narrow wins over the minnows Andorra, Armenia and FYR Macedonia respectively.
Armenia 0-1 Republic of Ireland
Andorra 0-2 Russia
Slovakia 1-0 FYR Macedonia
GROUP C
Estonia almost followed up last month's 2-1 win over the Faroes with a shock result against Italy but the Italians came back to win 2-1. Serbia top the group with a 3-0 away win in Torshavn while Northern Ireland won for the first time in 11 games against World Cup finalists Slovenia.
Estonia 2-1 Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands 0-3 Serbia
Estonia 1-2 Italy
Slovenia 0-1 Northern Ireland
GROUP D
The two traditional powerhouses in Group D, France and Romania, continue to struggle allowing Bosnia-Herzegovina to take the early lead after their 3-0 win in Luxembourg.
Romania 1-1 Albania
Luxembourg 0-3 Bosnia-Herzegovina
France 0-1 Belarus
GROUP E
Klass-Jan Huntelaar scored a hat-trick as World Cup runners-up Netherlands easily beat San Marino 5-0 in the biggest win of the night in Europe. Sweden look set to challenge after their 2-0 victory over Hungary but Finland lost to Moldova by the same score after Sami Hyypia's early sending off.
Moldova 2-0 Finland
Sweden 2-0 Hungary
San Marino 0-5 Netherlands
GROUP F
Euro 2004 winners Greece could only manage a 1-1 home draw with Georgia as Croatia took an early lead in Group F with a 3-0 win over Latvia. Israel beat Malta 3-1 at home on Thursday night.
Israel 3-1 Malta
Latvia 0-3 Croatia
Greece 1-1 Georgia
GROUP G
Jermain Defoe's hat-trick helped England banish their World Cup blues as Fabio Capello's men strolled to a 4-0 win over Bulgaria. The other home nation in the group, Wales, did not fare so well, going down 1-0 in Montenegro, leading to calls for coach John Toshack to quit.
Montenegro 1-0 Wales
England 4-0 Bulgaira
GROUP H
Norway came from behind to beat neighbours Iceland 2-1 but the main Group H news came from Guimaraes as Portugal failed the shrug off a tenacious challenge from Cyprus who came back from 3-2 and 4-3 down to snatch a draw.
Iceland 1-2 Norway
Portugal 4-4 Cyprus
GROUP I
World and European champions Spain began their defence of the latter title with an easy 4-0 win in Lietchtenstein as Fernando Torres struck twice in Vaduz. But there were no goals in Vilnius as Lithuania and Scotland played out a 0-0 draw which promises little for both teams' campaigns.
Lithuania 0-0 Scotland
Liechtenstein 0-4 Spain
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Blair book is bad timing for Labour leadership contest
TONY BLAIR became renowned for his sound judgement of political timing while in office.
After all, Mr Blair was the man who was elected Labour leader in 1994 just as the Conservative government were at their most unpopular.
He then won two landslide election victories in 1997 and 2001 before winning a third general election in 2005 despite having controversially led the country into war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At this point, having served two full terms, Mr Blair was meant to hand over the premiership to Gordon Brown but he famously reneged on the deal.
Extracts of Mr Blair's new book The Journey make it clear why he was so wary of Mr Brown taking charge.
By 2005, their relationship had completely broken down. Mr Blair states in the book that Mr Brown was "maddening" to work with, and that the then-Chancellor threatened to stall Mr Blair's precious New Labour reforms.
Indeed, their partnership was in such tatters that Mr Blair had even consulted Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson over the task of getting rid of a 'star' player.
In the end, Mr Blair chose to keep his Chancellor and eventual successor, fearing that sacking him would only accelerate his rise to the top, given the standing he then held within the party.
When Mr Blair did eventually step down in 2007, his timing was spot on again as he avoided the unforeseen global recession which ended up plaguing Mr Brown's three years in charge.
However, today's occasion, the timing of the release of Mr Blair's memoirs leaves a lot to be desired for Labour, overshadowing a vital stage of the party's leadership contest.
Worse still, Mr Blair and his long-time ally Peter Mandleson seem intent on reviving New Labour politics during the contest even though it is now associated more with infighting than anything constructive.
If nothing else, Mr Blair's book simply acts as a reminder as to how divisive government became under New Labour, a major factor in its eventual failure at the polls in May.
And yet, Labour look set to select more of the same with Blairite former foreign secretary David Miliband holding a comfortable lead in all of the polls of the leadership contest.
Despite his words to the contrary, it is hard to see how Mr Miliband is a clean break from the past. At least his brother Ed seems to have accepted New Labour's biggest mistakes such as the removal of the 10p tax band.
But this is the same Ed Miliband who wrote the manifesto for this year's failed general election campaign and that is something he is unlikely to shake off easily.
The other three candidates - Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott - would appear to have little or no chance of succeeding in this contest.
Indeed, backbencher Ms Abbott only ended up on the ballot paper by collecting MPs signatures which would have gone elsewhere but for the need to make the contest appear more inclusive.
The likely election of David Miliband to the leadership is unlikely to distinguish easily this Labour opposition to the New Labour government largely rejected by the public in May.
There remain fears among Labour circles that the party could be in for another long spell of opposition if the Conservatives improve their position at the next election.
Being Labour leader in the coming years could be a thankless task, perhaps even a poisoned chalice.
But then not all party leaders can be as lucky with their timing as Mr Blair.
After all, Mr Blair was the man who was elected Labour leader in 1994 just as the Conservative government were at their most unpopular.
He then won two landslide election victories in 1997 and 2001 before winning a third general election in 2005 despite having controversially led the country into war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
At this point, having served two full terms, Mr Blair was meant to hand over the premiership to Gordon Brown but he famously reneged on the deal.
Extracts of Mr Blair's new book The Journey make it clear why he was so wary of Mr Brown taking charge.
By 2005, their relationship had completely broken down. Mr Blair states in the book that Mr Brown was "maddening" to work with, and that the then-Chancellor threatened to stall Mr Blair's precious New Labour reforms.
Indeed, their partnership was in such tatters that Mr Blair had even consulted Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson over the task of getting rid of a 'star' player.
In the end, Mr Blair chose to keep his Chancellor and eventual successor, fearing that sacking him would only accelerate his rise to the top, given the standing he then held within the party.
When Mr Blair did eventually step down in 2007, his timing was spot on again as he avoided the unforeseen global recession which ended up plaguing Mr Brown's three years in charge.
However, today's occasion, the timing of the release of Mr Blair's memoirs leaves a lot to be desired for Labour, overshadowing a vital stage of the party's leadership contest.
Worse still, Mr Blair and his long-time ally Peter Mandleson seem intent on reviving New Labour politics during the contest even though it is now associated more with infighting than anything constructive.
If nothing else, Mr Blair's book simply acts as a reminder as to how divisive government became under New Labour, a major factor in its eventual failure at the polls in May.
And yet, Labour look set to select more of the same with Blairite former foreign secretary David Miliband holding a comfortable lead in all of the polls of the leadership contest.
Despite his words to the contrary, it is hard to see how Mr Miliband is a clean break from the past. At least his brother Ed seems to have accepted New Labour's biggest mistakes such as the removal of the 10p tax band.
But this is the same Ed Miliband who wrote the manifesto for this year's failed general election campaign and that is something he is unlikely to shake off easily.
The other three candidates - Ed Balls, Andy Burnham and Diane Abbott - would appear to have little or no chance of succeeding in this contest.
Indeed, backbencher Ms Abbott only ended up on the ballot paper by collecting MPs signatures which would have gone elsewhere but for the need to make the contest appear more inclusive.
The likely election of David Miliband to the leadership is unlikely to distinguish easily this Labour opposition to the New Labour government largely rejected by the public in May.
There remain fears among Labour circles that the party could be in for another long spell of opposition if the Conservatives improve their position at the next election.
Being Labour leader in the coming years could be a thankless task, perhaps even a poisoned chalice.
But then not all party leaders can be as lucky with their timing as Mr Blair.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)