Five alternative ways to enjoy Friday's big occasion as future King of England Prince William marries Catherine 'Kate' Middleton who he met at the University of St Andrews.
1. PLAY the Royal Wedding Drinking Game.
WITH now more than a quarter of a million 'Likes' on Facebook, it is fair to say a good proportion of the population will be literally raising a glass to the happy couple. Rules include:
"(1) If the Queen is on the screen you must be drinking. The woman has ruled the country for over 50 years, the least you can do is get destroyed in her honour.
(2) Any time Prince Harry appears all players must produce a Nazi salute. The last player to do so must consume 5 fingers/mouthfuls for their poor reactions."
Full details can be found on this Facebook page.
2. PUT a silly bet on
ALL manner of Royal Wedding Special bets are being offered by the bookmakers including the chance of anyone dropping the wedding ring, Kate Middleton jilting Prince William at the altar, the weather and - of course - the colour of the Queen's hat.
Oddschecker has a comprehensive guide to the bets available from each bookmaker.
3. PASS the sick bag
ALTHOUGH the wedding ceremony is finished just after midday and the fly-past by the Royal Air Force and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight takes place at 1.30pm, coverage on the BBC, ITV and Sky will continue until 4pm. There are more hours devoted on the evening.
But do not despair. Cumbrian graphic artist Lydia Leith has designed the perfect accessory for those who think they might get queasy at a series of commentators being rolled out to pass the time by giving their meaningless platitudes upon the wedding.
It may also be useful to deal with any fallout from anyone playing the Royal Wedding Drinking Game (see above) and can double up as a souvenir of the event.
Sick bags, in red or blue, are available from her website here for £3.00 each +£1.20p&p - as seen on the BBC here.
4. AVOID the suffocating coverage of every media outlet by taking a sideways look
RATHER than leafing through pages upon pages of Royal Wedding guides produced by every single newspaper in the UK, sit down with a cuppa and read The Guardian's G2 Not the Royal Wedding guide - including a special TV Go Home column by Charlie Brooker.
Alternatively, Friday 29 April is the latest release date for the bi-weekly satirical magazine Private Eye. It is bound to be a bumper issue on the basis of this front-page from when Prince William proposed in November last year.
Finally, one publication unlikely to carry a special edition is the Scottish newspaper Caledonian Mercury who reported the announcement of their engagement, as follows:
"Two people who went to university together are to get married, it has emerged.
"William Windsor (or possibly Wales or possibly Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) and Kate Middleton, both 28, met at St Andrews University eight years ago."
5. ATTEND an alternative street party
FOR those with a great enough sense of injustice about using taxpayers' money to fund the Royal Wedding, political pressure group Republic is holding a street party from 11.30am at Red Lion Square in London.
The website says: "We've taken a 'traditional' royalist street party as our inspiration, but there will be one key difference. We'll be celebrating democracy and people-power rather than inherited privilege."
Full details of the event in the Holburn area on Republic's website here.
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
25 years on, Chernobyl continues to cast its shadow
UKRAINE President Viktor Yanukovych yesterday commemorated the 25th anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident alongside his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred when an explosion and a fire at one of the plant's reactors sent a plume of radiation across Europe, potentially causing the deaths of thousands of people.
Of course, the anniversary is all the more poignant after last month's earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima plant in Japan became only the second level seven event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
Chernobyl was the first and, even now, its effect still lingers in social attitudes towards nuclear power.
'Nuclear' is perhaps the dirtiest word in science. The first widespread use of the word referred to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the subsequent arms race in the Cold War between the USA and USSR.
Even when scientists attempted to use nuclear fission for peaceful means, as an alternative to fossil fuels to create power, a series of accidents meant it could not shrug off its poor reputation.
It is no coincidence that the creators of The Simpsons decided to employ their bumbling protagonist Homer as an operator at the local plant. No one demonstrates the risk of leaving nuclear power in human hands better than him.
Now, the stricken Fukushima plant has brought the debate over nuclear power back to the forefront.
In France, which is hugely reliant on nuclear power for its electricity production, a poll after the Fukushima accident found that 57% of the respondents were opposed to its use.
And, in Germany, public opinion was even more strongly against and a reported quarter of a million marched under the slogan "Heed Fukushima - shut off all nuclear plants".
Surprisingly, the German government under Chancellor Angela Merkel partly heeded the call of the protesters by shutting down all seven of the reactors opened before 1981, leaving just 10 open.
But many scientists fear that the incident at the Fukushima plant was badly reported and that news organisations acted as scaremongers by preying on the reputation of nuclear power.
Certainly, here in the UK, it was noticeable how quickly the story moved away from the devastating earthquake and tsunami, and towards the seemingly impending atomic doom.
Indeed, at times, it seemed as if the BBC and Sky had completely forgotten that it was the magnitude-9.0 quake and tsunami which has killed more than 10,000 people - and not radiation from the nuclear power plant which has so far killed no one.
Thankfully, retrospective views have been less reactionary and this BBC website page suggests that, though Chernobyl and Fukushima were both rated as level seven accidents, the leak in 1986 was much worse.
The truth is that if the UK is going to reduce its carbon footprint in line with international targets, then a greater use of nuclear power must be part of the solution in the medium-term at least.
It is an uncomfortable truth for some, and other people or groups who are more stridently opposed will undoubtedly continue to bury their heads in the sand and not accept it.
But, as the Independent newspaper reported in 2009, even some leading environmental figures have performed U-turns by recognising nuclear power as the way to reduce carbon emissions.
That was pre-Fukushima, of course - but it is difficult to see how the events in Japan have made the argument in favour of nuclear power weaker.
The fact is that, despite one of the strongest earthquakes ever and an tsunami which breached the 18ft concrete wall defences, the amounts of radioactive materials released from the site are unlikely to cause any detectable long-term health problems.
Thankfully, the UK is not on a major fault line caused by the shifting tectonic plates and new technology actually means that reactors can shutdown and cool themselves without power or human intervention.
Dealing with nuclear waste is, admittedly, a contentious issue as it is normally buried deep underground and can remain dangerous for millions of years.
However, scientists are constantly looking at ways of avoiding this and it is now accepted that far more used nuclear fuel should be reprocessed to be re-used.
It seems to me that a greater number of nuclear plants would go a long way to easing Britain's energy concerns and carbon footprint.
And so it is unfortunate and actually unhelpful that the bad reputation of nuclear power precedes it and the Chernobyl scars still run so deep.
Monday, 25 April 2011
World Snooker: Selby breezes into the quarters
MARK SELBY moved into the last eight with a scintillating performance against Crucible legend Stephen Hendry in Sheffield.
Selby scored a record-breaking six centuries in the 13-4 win, meaning he now has 54 in the season, beating another record previously held by his illustrious opponent.
Seven-time champion Hendry last won the world title in 1999 but he may not be back to the Crucible as he has now dropped out of the top 16 and would have to qualify next year as it stands.
Hendry's predicament was caused by Ding Junhui's victory in a deciding frame over the unseeded Stuart Bingham who had previously accounted for Peter Ebdon.
Bingham sensed another upset and led the match from the start, going in 5-3 and 9-7 up at the end of the first two sessions.
The feeling that Ding was going to be denied a place in the last eight again became stronger when Bingham needed just one more frame at 12-9 up after breaks of 101 and 134.
But the Chinese player responded to reel off four successive frames and reach the quarter finals at the Crucible for the first time ever.
Ding now faces a tough challenge against Selby who was installed last night as favourite for this year's championship by the bookmakers.
It is well known, though, that the 'Jester from Leicester' rarely struggles to get through the early rounds.
The latter stages are another matter altogether as Selby showed in losing his fourth ranking final out of five last month in China.
21-year-old Bristolian Judd Trump was the victor on that occasion and the youngster continued his good form in Sheffield.
Trump beat Neil Robertson 10-8 in the first round and Martin Gould 13-6 in the last 16.
The Trump-Gould tie had actually been a close match for a session and a half but then Gould missed the chance to take Frame 13 on the black.
Trump made the Pinner potter pay for his error and took the last four frames of the second session to lead 11-5.
Further breaks of 67 and 69 sealed the match for Trump who, having knocked out defending champion Robertson, now faces last year's runner-up Graeme Dott.
2006 world champion Dott edged past Allister Carter 13-11 after a match in which the Englishman should have done much better.
Somehow, despite looking more comfortable around the table, Carter offered enough chances to Dott for the Scot to lead 5-3 after the first session.
Though Carter then levelled at 8-8, gritty Dott made a comeback from 52-21 down in Frame 24 to win on the black. It was typical of the way the match had gone.
Undoubtedly, the tie of the next round will be Ronnie O'Sullivan versus John Higgins. After all, the two players share six world titles between them.
O'Sullivan, though, had no kind of form coming into this year's championships, having failed to win a competitive match since November.
So it is to his credit that he has been able to turn his game around somewhat in Sheffield, thrashing Dominic Dale 10-2 in round one before squeezing past rival Shaun Murphy in the last 16.
O'Sullivan has shown glimpses of his best snooker, compiling five of the 42 centuries scored so far in this year's tournament, including two tonight against Murphy.
But he still could not hide his vulnerability as Murphy closed the gap from 12-8 to 12-10 before he also got the first chance in Frame 23.
The 2005 champion looked like reducing the deficit to just one frame but, on a break of 56, he missed and a relieved O'Sullivan cleared up.
While O'Sullivan went through the mill towards the end of his match with Murphy, Higgins has had a relatively trouble-free passage through to the last eight.
First, he disposed of Stephen Lee 10-5, scoring four century breaks, before he shrugged off the challenge of the dogged Rory McLeod.
McLeod had come in for criticism during his soporific first round match with Ricky Walden after the players were hauled off having only completed eight of the nine frames in the first session.
The dreadful standard got no better in the second session - the 11th frame had a high break of 16 while Frame 13 had a best contribution of 21.
McLeod eventually prevailed 10-6, leaving Walden to lament that the match had been like visiting to the dentist.
Walden added: "Rory's a great guy but he really bogs the game down. If everyone played like that, we wouldn't have a game. The game would be dead."
But, while McLeod's average shot time was indeed a snail-like 33 seconds, Walden was hardly blameless in the encounter, clocking an average time of 29 seconds.
Unfortunately, though, McLeod treated us to more of the same in his last 16 match with Higgins and again the players failed to complete all the frames in the first session.
Higgins led 5-2 at the end of that break, having come from 2-0 down, and he was 10-5 up at the end of the second session.
A further two frames at the start of the final session put Higgins on the brink before the battling McLeod, to his credit, refused to give up and pulled two frames back for 12-7.
McLeod had chances to win Frame 20 but a series of poor shots eventually proved to be his downfall as Higgins wrapped up the match with a 47 clearance.
The final quarter final is between Mark J Williams and Mark Allen, who have also had contrasting paths to the last eight.
Williams, who has previously won this title in 2000 and 2003, has breezed through the opening two rounds of this year's competition.
In the first round, he beat compatriot Ryan Day 10-5 before an even more comprehensive victory in the last 16 over Jamie Cope.
Williams was never behind in his match against the 14th seed, winning the first four frames on the way to a 7-1 first session lead.
Cope took the first frame of the second session to reduce his arrears to 7-2 but Williams then won the next five frames, hitting rare century breaks of 106 and 109.
At least Cope avoided the indignity of being beaten with a session to spare by winning the final two frames to trail 12-4.
However, Williams put his opponent quickly out of misery in the final session by winning the first frame after the restart.
Of the eight men to reach the quarter finals, Allen has had the most dramatic Crucible ordeal so far with two victories in deciding frames.
In his first round match, the Northern Irishman looked to be heading for an early exit as he trailed Welshman Matthew Stevens 9-6.
But Stevens, who has lost 18-16 in a Crucible Final twice in his career, slumped to another narrow defeat as Allen pulled four frames out of the bag.
Allen was at it again in his last 16 match, coming from 12-9 down against Barry Hawkins to beat the qualifier 13-12.
In the run-up to this year's championships, the 25-year-old revealed he is suffering from depression and, after beating Hawkins, he said: "My preparations were very poor and I didn't expect too much here.
"But I've always been a fighter. My family have brought me up that way and that's one thing that'll never change, no matter what happens on or off the table."
The 11th seed from Antrim will need all that fighting character to reach the second Crucible semi final of his career.
But, then again, all of the remaining players will need to show mental strength - and, perhaps, enjoy a bit of luck - as these World Championships begin to reach their climax.
First Quarter
Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson (1) 10-8
Martin Gould beat Marco Fu (16) 10-8
Graeme Dott (9) beat Mark King 10-7
Allister Carter (8) beat Dave Harold 10-3
Second Quarter
Ding Junhui (5) beat Jamie Burnett 10-2
Stuart Bingham beat Peter Ebdon (12) 10-8
Stephen Hendry (13) beat Joe Perry 10-9
Mark Selby (4) beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1
Third Quarter
Mark J Williams (3) beat Ryan Day 10-5
Jamie Cope (14) beat Andrew Pagett 10-7
Mark Allen (11) beat Matthew Stevens 10-9
Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire (6) 10-9
Fourth Quarter
Shaun Murphy (7) beat Marcus Campbell 10-1
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Dominic Dale 10-2
Rory McLeod beat Ricky Walden (15) 10-6
John Higgins (2) beat Stephen Lee 10-5
Judd Trump beat Martin Gould 13-6
Graeme Dott (9) beat Allister Carter (8) 13-11
Ding Junhui (5) beat Stuart Bingham 13-12
Mark Selby (4) beat Stephen Hendry (13) 13-4
Mark J Williams (3) beat Jamie Cope (14) 13-4
Mark Allen (11) beat Barry Hawkins 13-12
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Shaun Murphy (7) 13-10
John Higgins (2) beat Rory McLeod 13-7
Judd Trump beat Graeme Dott (9) 13-5
Ding Junhui (5) beat Mark Selby (4) 13-10
Mark J Williams (3) beat Mark Allen (11) 13-5
John Higgins (2) beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) 13-10
Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui (5) 17-15
John Higgins (2) beat Mark J Williams (3) 17-14
Tournament Centuries (69)
138 Mark King, Ding Junhui
137 Mark J Williams
135 John Higgins
134 Stuart Bingham
133 Stephen Hendry
132 John Higgins
131 John Higgins
129 Mark Selby
128 Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan
127 Neil Robertson, Mark Selby
125 Mark Selby, Mark J Williams
124 John Higgins, Mark Selby
123 Judd Trump, John Higgins
122 Judd Trump, Graeme Dott
121 John Higgins, Ding Junhui
120 Graeme Dott, John Higgins
119 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui
117 Ding Junhui, Stephen Hendry, Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby
116 Ronnie O'Sullivan
115 Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Allister Carter, Mark Williams
114 Mark Allen, Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui
113 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark J Williams
112 Allister Carter
111 Graeme Dott
110 Judd Trump
109 Mark J Williams
108 Judd Trump, Mark Selby
107 Mark Selby
106 Mark J Williams
105 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
104 Allister Carter, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
103 Mark Allen, Mark J Williams
102 Graeme Dott, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump
101 John Higgins, Stephen Lee, Stuart Bingham
100 Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Marco Fu, Mark Selby, Mark Allen
Selby scored a record-breaking six centuries in the 13-4 win, meaning he now has 54 in the season, beating another record previously held by his illustrious opponent.
Seven-time champion Hendry last won the world title in 1999 but he may not be back to the Crucible as he has now dropped out of the top 16 and would have to qualify next year as it stands.
Hendry's predicament was caused by Ding Junhui's victory in a deciding frame over the unseeded Stuart Bingham who had previously accounted for Peter Ebdon.
Bingham sensed another upset and led the match from the start, going in 5-3 and 9-7 up at the end of the first two sessions.
The feeling that Ding was going to be denied a place in the last eight again became stronger when Bingham needed just one more frame at 12-9 up after breaks of 101 and 134.
But the Chinese player responded to reel off four successive frames and reach the quarter finals at the Crucible for the first time ever.
Ding now faces a tough challenge against Selby who was installed last night as favourite for this year's championship by the bookmakers.
It is well known, though, that the 'Jester from Leicester' rarely struggles to get through the early rounds.
The latter stages are another matter altogether as Selby showed in losing his fourth ranking final out of five last month in China.
21-year-old Bristolian Judd Trump was the victor on that occasion and the youngster continued his good form in Sheffield.
Trump beat Neil Robertson 10-8 in the first round and Martin Gould 13-6 in the last 16.
The Trump-Gould tie had actually been a close match for a session and a half but then Gould missed the chance to take Frame 13 on the black.
Trump made the Pinner potter pay for his error and took the last four frames of the second session to lead 11-5.
Further breaks of 67 and 69 sealed the match for Trump who, having knocked out defending champion Robertson, now faces last year's runner-up Graeme Dott.
2006 world champion Dott edged past Allister Carter 13-11 after a match in which the Englishman should have done much better.
Somehow, despite looking more comfortable around the table, Carter offered enough chances to Dott for the Scot to lead 5-3 after the first session.
Though Carter then levelled at 8-8, gritty Dott made a comeback from 52-21 down in Frame 24 to win on the black. It was typical of the way the match had gone.
Undoubtedly, the tie of the next round will be Ronnie O'Sullivan versus John Higgins. After all, the two players share six world titles between them.
O'Sullivan, though, had no kind of form coming into this year's championships, having failed to win a competitive match since November.
So it is to his credit that he has been able to turn his game around somewhat in Sheffield, thrashing Dominic Dale 10-2 in round one before squeezing past rival Shaun Murphy in the last 16.
O'Sullivan has shown glimpses of his best snooker, compiling five of the 42 centuries scored so far in this year's tournament, including two tonight against Murphy.
But he still could not hide his vulnerability as Murphy closed the gap from 12-8 to 12-10 before he also got the first chance in Frame 23.
The 2005 champion looked like reducing the deficit to just one frame but, on a break of 56, he missed and a relieved O'Sullivan cleared up.
While O'Sullivan went through the mill towards the end of his match with Murphy, Higgins has had a relatively trouble-free passage through to the last eight.
First, he disposed of Stephen Lee 10-5, scoring four century breaks, before he shrugged off the challenge of the dogged Rory McLeod.
McLeod had come in for criticism during his soporific first round match with Ricky Walden after the players were hauled off having only completed eight of the nine frames in the first session.
The dreadful standard got no better in the second session - the 11th frame had a high break of 16 while Frame 13 had a best contribution of 21.
McLeod eventually prevailed 10-6, leaving Walden to lament that the match had been like visiting to the dentist.
Walden added: "Rory's a great guy but he really bogs the game down. If everyone played like that, we wouldn't have a game. The game would be dead."
But, while McLeod's average shot time was indeed a snail-like 33 seconds, Walden was hardly blameless in the encounter, clocking an average time of 29 seconds.
Unfortunately, though, McLeod treated us to more of the same in his last 16 match with Higgins and again the players failed to complete all the frames in the first session.
Higgins led 5-2 at the end of that break, having come from 2-0 down, and he was 10-5 up at the end of the second session.
A further two frames at the start of the final session put Higgins on the brink before the battling McLeod, to his credit, refused to give up and pulled two frames back for 12-7.
McLeod had chances to win Frame 20 but a series of poor shots eventually proved to be his downfall as Higgins wrapped up the match with a 47 clearance.
The final quarter final is between Mark J Williams and Mark Allen, who have also had contrasting paths to the last eight.
Williams, who has previously won this title in 2000 and 2003, has breezed through the opening two rounds of this year's competition.
In the first round, he beat compatriot Ryan Day 10-5 before an even more comprehensive victory in the last 16 over Jamie Cope.
Williams was never behind in his match against the 14th seed, winning the first four frames on the way to a 7-1 first session lead.
Cope took the first frame of the second session to reduce his arrears to 7-2 but Williams then won the next five frames, hitting rare century breaks of 106 and 109.
At least Cope avoided the indignity of being beaten with a session to spare by winning the final two frames to trail 12-4.
However, Williams put his opponent quickly out of misery in the final session by winning the first frame after the restart.
Of the eight men to reach the quarter finals, Allen has had the most dramatic Crucible ordeal so far with two victories in deciding frames.
In his first round match, the Northern Irishman looked to be heading for an early exit as he trailed Welshman Matthew Stevens 9-6.
But Stevens, who has lost 18-16 in a Crucible Final twice in his career, slumped to another narrow defeat as Allen pulled four frames out of the bag.
Allen was at it again in his last 16 match, coming from 12-9 down against Barry Hawkins to beat the qualifier 13-12.
In the run-up to this year's championships, the 25-year-old revealed he is suffering from depression and, after beating Hawkins, he said: "My preparations were very poor and I didn't expect too much here.
"But I've always been a fighter. My family have brought me up that way and that's one thing that'll never change, no matter what happens on or off the table."
The 11th seed from Antrim will need all that fighting character to reach the second Crucible semi final of his career.
But, then again, all of the remaining players will need to show mental strength - and, perhaps, enjoy a bit of luck - as these World Championships begin to reach their climax.
2011 WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS
FIRST ROUND
(Best of 19 frames)
FIRST ROUND
(Best of 19 frames)
First Quarter
Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson (1) 10-8
Martin Gould beat Marco Fu (16) 10-8
Graeme Dott (9) beat Mark King 10-7
Allister Carter (8) beat Dave Harold 10-3
Second Quarter
Ding Junhui (5) beat Jamie Burnett 10-2
Stuart Bingham beat Peter Ebdon (12) 10-8
Stephen Hendry (13) beat Joe Perry 10-9
Mark Selby (4) beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1
Third Quarter
Mark J Williams (3) beat Ryan Day 10-5
Jamie Cope (14) beat Andrew Pagett 10-7
Mark Allen (11) beat Matthew Stevens 10-9
Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire (6) 10-9
Fourth Quarter
Shaun Murphy (7) beat Marcus Campbell 10-1
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Dominic Dale 10-2
Rory McLeod beat Ricky Walden (15) 10-6
John Higgins (2) beat Stephen Lee 10-5
SECOND ROUND
(Best of 25 frames)
(Best of 25 frames)
Judd Trump beat Martin Gould 13-6
Graeme Dott (9) beat Allister Carter (8) 13-11
Ding Junhui (5) beat Stuart Bingham 13-12
Mark Selby (4) beat Stephen Hendry (13) 13-4
Mark J Williams (3) beat Jamie Cope (14) 13-4
Mark Allen (11) beat Barry Hawkins 13-12
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Shaun Murphy (7) 13-10
John Higgins (2) beat Rory McLeod 13-7
QUARTER FINALS
(Best of 25 frames)
(Best of 25 frames)
Judd Trump beat Graeme Dott (9) 13-5
Ding Junhui (5) beat Mark Selby (4) 13-10
Mark J Williams (3) beat Mark Allen (11) 13-5
John Higgins (2) beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) 13-10
SEMI FINALS
(Best of 33 frames)
(Best of 33 frames)
Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui (5) 17-15
John Higgins (2) beat Mark J Williams (3) 17-14
Tournament Centuries (69)
138 Mark King, Ding Junhui
137 Mark J Williams
135 John Higgins
134 Stuart Bingham
133 Stephen Hendry
132 John Higgins
131 John Higgins
129 Mark Selby
128 Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan
127 Neil Robertson, Mark Selby
125 Mark Selby, Mark J Williams
124 John Higgins, Mark Selby
123 Judd Trump, John Higgins
122 Judd Trump, Graeme Dott
121 John Higgins, Ding Junhui
120 Graeme Dott, John Higgins
119 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui
117 Ding Junhui, Stephen Hendry, Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby
116 Ronnie O'Sullivan
115 Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Allister Carter, Mark Williams
114 Mark Allen, Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui
113 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark J Williams
112 Allister Carter
111 Graeme Dott
110 Judd Trump
109 Mark J Williams
108 Judd Trump, Mark Selby
107 Mark Selby
106 Mark J Williams
105 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
104 Allister Carter, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
103 Mark Allen, Mark J Williams
102 Graeme Dott, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump
101 John Higgins, Stephen Lee, Stuart Bingham
100 Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Marco Fu, Mark Selby, Mark Allen
Thursday, 21 April 2011
BOA backs down in Olympic funding wrangle
THE BRITISH Olympic Association (BOA) has abandoned legal action over the unseemly funding row which had threatened to cast a shadow over the countdown to the Games.
The BOA, whose main role is to prepare Team GB's athletes, is entitled to 20% of any surplus from the Olympics.
But, while it wanted to be paid before the loss-making Paralympics costs are met, 2012 organisers Logoc said both events must be treated as one.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled in Logoc's favour but the BOA then announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
However, the BOA was hardly doing this out of any matter of principle.
Its financial struggles are well-documented after it confirmed that it will have a shortfall of several million pounds. Its costs include a £5m holding camp for Team GB athletes in Loughborough.
One place from which they could not expect to receive any more money is the public purse and, in this case, the government is correct.
Even as a sports fan, I would not have been comfortable with yet more public money being put towards the Olympics when swingeing cuts are being made to many more vital services elsewhere.
And so, feeling ever more isolated and facing a costly legal battle, it was perhaps no surprise when BOA chief Lord Moynihan withdrew the action, thus bringing the dispute to an end.
Of course, this was not the only disagreement so far to have hit the Games, though.
The row over what to do with the Olympic Stadium in Stratford rumbles on now that Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that they will be taking legal action after the unanimous decision to award West Ham United with the tenancy.
Spurs had wanted to remove the running track and use their own money to redevelop the existing athletics stadium at Crystal Palace.
And, perhaps, that move explains the failure of Spurs' bid - seemingly, Olympic legacy chiefs were not happy that the centrepiece of the Games was going to be so dramatically changed.
But this is a dispute in which even the victors are not happy. Many West Ham fans worry about the club's ability to fill a 60,000-capacity arena and a vast majority does not want to watch their football from across an athletics track.
The Hammers fans have my sympathy. The Boleyn Ground can create a hell of a din when it is at its most lively and it is not surprising the fans fear that this atmosphere will be lost.
At the same time, Spurs' plans seemed too far removed from the idea of leaving an Olympic legacy in east London. Maybe the Olympic Stadium should not have been offered up to football clubs at all - that is certainly the way that one of London's smaller teams, Leyton Orient, would have it.
League One Orient chose an opportune time to go on an FA Cup run this season, reaching the fifth round before losing to Arsenal in a replay.
The Os were able to use their Cup run to highlight the fact that West Ham will be on their doorstep, and chairman Barry Hearn has said that they will join Spurs in raising their objections in court.
Of course, the trip to the Emirates Stadium will keep the Os running for a little while but, after that, the existence of a club first formed in 1881 could hang in the balance.
Elsewhere, there have been other minor Olympic concerns. A security guard was arrested near the Olympic Stadium on suspicion of possessing explosives while, in Trafalgar Square, the Olympic countdown clock has had an eventful first few weeks.
Just hours after being unveiled by champion rowers Pete Reed and Andy Hodge and sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, the clock stopped due to a technical fault.
Engineers fixed the timer after a six-hour interruption but, a few days later, it became the seemingly arbitrary target of hundreds of protesters rallying against government cuts.
It should be the case that stories about the clock will be barely remembered glitches once the action starts and the heroes are made.
And, looking at more important issues such as the construction of the venues, the Olympic build-up so far has been pretty impressive with none of the problems that plagued the reconstruction of Wembley.
Last week, the final tile at the Aquatics Centre was laid, a month after construction work on the Olympic Stadium itself was completed.
There have been some early teething problems with ticketing, though, after some Visa cards, which expire before the end of August, were unable to be processed.
But this issue appears now to have been ironed out and I, for one, will be looking to apply for a variety of tickets for preliminary events costing as little as £20 each.
Despite being from the north east of England - almost 300 miles away from the centre of the action in east London - I want to be part of this once-in-a-life time Olympics experience.
In the meantime, I just hope that the on-going dispute among the London football clubs can be resolved as quickly as possible, or else I fear this embarrassing saga will run on and on until the Games begin.
The BOA, whose main role is to prepare Team GB's athletes, is entitled to 20% of any surplus from the Olympics.
But, while it wanted to be paid before the loss-making Paralympics costs are met, 2012 organisers Logoc said both events must be treated as one.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ruled in Logoc's favour but the BOA then announced its intention to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
However, the BOA was hardly doing this out of any matter of principle.
Its financial struggles are well-documented after it confirmed that it will have a shortfall of several million pounds. Its costs include a £5m holding camp for Team GB athletes in Loughborough.
One place from which they could not expect to receive any more money is the public purse and, in this case, the government is correct.
Even as a sports fan, I would not have been comfortable with yet more public money being put towards the Olympics when swingeing cuts are being made to many more vital services elsewhere.
And so, feeling ever more isolated and facing a costly legal battle, it was perhaps no surprise when BOA chief Lord Moynihan withdrew the action, thus bringing the dispute to an end.
Of course, this was not the only disagreement so far to have hit the Games, though.
The row over what to do with the Olympic Stadium in Stratford rumbles on now that Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that they will be taking legal action after the unanimous decision to award West Ham United with the tenancy.
Spurs had wanted to remove the running track and use their own money to redevelop the existing athletics stadium at Crystal Palace.
And, perhaps, that move explains the failure of Spurs' bid - seemingly, Olympic legacy chiefs were not happy that the centrepiece of the Games was going to be so dramatically changed.
But this is a dispute in which even the victors are not happy. Many West Ham fans worry about the club's ability to fill a 60,000-capacity arena and a vast majority does not want to watch their football from across an athletics track.
The Hammers fans have my sympathy. The Boleyn Ground can create a hell of a din when it is at its most lively and it is not surprising the fans fear that this atmosphere will be lost.
At the same time, Spurs' plans seemed too far removed from the idea of leaving an Olympic legacy in east London. Maybe the Olympic Stadium should not have been offered up to football clubs at all - that is certainly the way that one of London's smaller teams, Leyton Orient, would have it.
League One Orient chose an opportune time to go on an FA Cup run this season, reaching the fifth round before losing to Arsenal in a replay.
The Os were able to use their Cup run to highlight the fact that West Ham will be on their doorstep, and chairman Barry Hearn has said that they will join Spurs in raising their objections in court.
Of course, the trip to the Emirates Stadium will keep the Os running for a little while but, after that, the existence of a club first formed in 1881 could hang in the balance.
Elsewhere, there have been other minor Olympic concerns. A security guard was arrested near the Olympic Stadium on suspicion of possessing explosives while, in Trafalgar Square, the Olympic countdown clock has had an eventful first few weeks.
Just hours after being unveiled by champion rowers Pete Reed and Andy Hodge and sailors Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson, the clock stopped due to a technical fault.
Engineers fixed the timer after a six-hour interruption but, a few days later, it became the seemingly arbitrary target of hundreds of protesters rallying against government cuts.
It should be the case that stories about the clock will be barely remembered glitches once the action starts and the heroes are made.
And, looking at more important issues such as the construction of the venues, the Olympic build-up so far has been pretty impressive with none of the problems that plagued the reconstruction of Wembley.
Last week, the final tile at the Aquatics Centre was laid, a month after construction work on the Olympic Stadium itself was completed.
There have been some early teething problems with ticketing, though, after some Visa cards, which expire before the end of August, were unable to be processed.
But this issue appears now to have been ironed out and I, for one, will be looking to apply for a variety of tickets for preliminary events costing as little as £20 each.
Despite being from the north east of England - almost 300 miles away from the centre of the action in east London - I want to be part of this once-in-a-life time Olympics experience.
In the meantime, I just hope that the on-going dispute among the London football clubs can be resolved as quickly as possible, or else I fear this embarrassing saga will run on and on until the Games begin.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
F1 2011: Hamilton halts Vettel's speedy start
LEWIS HAMILTON made a brilliant comeback to win the China Grand Prix and haul in Sebastian Vettel's impressive early Championship lead.
Defending champion Vettel won the opening two races of the season in Australia and Malaysia, and he made it three out of three pole positions in Shanghai.
Counting the back end of last season, it meant that, arriving in China, Vettel had won all of the last five races. And, taking into account qualifying on Saturday, he had achieved pole in six of the last seven Grand Prix.
It is an extraordinary recent record and, with Vettel having seemingly reduced the number of his errors, it raised concerns even at this early stage about whether anyone in the field could match him.
Back in pre-season, both Hamilton and Jenson Button had already expressed doubt about the competitiveness of the 2011 McLaren.
And, with Vettel indeed victorious in the first two races, tensions were high among the chasing pack in the run-up to this week's race.
Hamilton's loyalty to McLaren, the team which he joined as a child prodigy, came under scrutiny after he said: "I have only got a short period in Formula One and I want to be competitive.
"I want to win championships. If you're in a good enough place and you're happy then there's no need to go anywhere but loyalty has its limits."
Meanwhile, Mark Webber hit back angrily at a journalist's suggestion that he was now playing second fiddle to team-mate Vettel for the season.
Webber said: "Absolutely fucking ludicrous question. You've known me long enough. Five wins in a row? Yeah, but he's not just beaten me, he's beaten everyone. So no one turns will turn up then. We may as well all stay home."
Matters got little better for Australian Webber in Saturday's qualifying when a mechanical problem meant he could only manage 18th place on the grid.
But, by the first corner of the race, the Drivers' Championship had its first major twist as the McLarens of Button and Hamilton overtook Vettel after a poor start by the Red Bull man.
Vettel had recovered his lead by lap 16, passing the struggling Hamilton with ease before taking advantage of a terrible error by Button in the pit lane as the Frome flier visited the wrong garage.
However, Hamilton was not to be denied this time and he battled back to overtake Button and then, thrillingly with five laps to go, Vettel.
Despite having taken one more pit-stop than his German rival, Hamilton had newer, better tyres at the vital stage and he used them to produce one of the best finishes to a GP in recent memory.
Just behind the front two, Button's day actually got even worse after he lost another place to Webber who drove a seriously impressive race to get the car on the podium from a start of 18th.
Nevertheless, Vettel (68 points) still holds a handsome early lead in the Championship of 21 points over Hamilton (47) in second with Button (38) in third. Webber is in fourth place just a point behind Button.
Meanwhile, the Ferrari pair, Fernando Alonso (26) and Felipe Massa (24), have both once again had a start of the season to forget.
Alonso's best finish so far was fourth in the season opener in Australia while Massa's was fifth in Malaysia, leaving them both off the pace in fifth and sixth place in the overall standings.
Looking further down the grid, there have been some notable early performances from the Renaults of Vitaly Petrov - third in Australia - and Nick Heidfeld, who was on the podium in Malaysia.
Those early points were vital for both with Petrov repaying the faith of his boss Eric Boullier after a poor 2010 season and Heidfeld justifying his role as the replacement for the severely injured Pole Robert Kubica.
Force India's Scottish rookie Paul di Resta has picked up two early points for 10th-placed finishes in the opening two races while Nico Rosberg's fifth place in China means he continues to outperform seven-time champion Michael Schumacher at Mercedes GP.
But Williams pair Rubens Barrichello and Ecuadorian Pastor Maldonado have yet to score, leaving the team alongside Lotus, Virgin and Hispania on zero points.
F1 2011 SEASON RESULTS
PODIUMS
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault
Malaysian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
REMAINING CALENDAR
8 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
22 May Spanish GP (Barcelona)
29 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
12 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
26 June European GP (Valencia)
10 July British GP (Silverstone)
24 July German GP (Nuerburg)
31 July Hungarian GP (Budapest)
28 August Belgian GP (Spa)
11 September Italian GP (Monza)
25 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
9 October Japanese GP (Suzuka)
16 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
30 October Indian GP (Greater Noida)
13 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Island)
27 November Brazilian GP (Sao Paulo)
F1 2011 STANDINGS
World Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 68
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 47
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 38
4 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 37
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 26
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 24
7 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 17
8 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 15
9 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 10
10 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 7
11 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 6
12 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 4
13 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 2
14 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India-Mercedes 2
There are 10 drivers who are yet to score.
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault (Aut) 105
2 McLaren-Mercedes (Gbr) 85
3 Ferrari (Ita) 50
4 Renault (Gbr) 32
5 Mercedes (Ger) 16
6 Sauber-Ferrari (Swi) 7
7 Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Ita) 4
8 Force India-Mercedes (Ind) 4
There are four teams which are yet to score.
Defending champion Vettel won the opening two races of the season in Australia and Malaysia, and he made it three out of three pole positions in Shanghai.
Counting the back end of last season, it meant that, arriving in China, Vettel had won all of the last five races. And, taking into account qualifying on Saturday, he had achieved pole in six of the last seven Grand Prix.
It is an extraordinary recent record and, with Vettel having seemingly reduced the number of his errors, it raised concerns even at this early stage about whether anyone in the field could match him.
Back in pre-season, both Hamilton and Jenson Button had already expressed doubt about the competitiveness of the 2011 McLaren.
And, with Vettel indeed victorious in the first two races, tensions were high among the chasing pack in the run-up to this week's race.
Hamilton's loyalty to McLaren, the team which he joined as a child prodigy, came under scrutiny after he said: "I have only got a short period in Formula One and I want to be competitive.
"I want to win championships. If you're in a good enough place and you're happy then there's no need to go anywhere but loyalty has its limits."
Meanwhile, Mark Webber hit back angrily at a journalist's suggestion that he was now playing second fiddle to team-mate Vettel for the season.
Webber said: "Absolutely fucking ludicrous question. You've known me long enough. Five wins in a row? Yeah, but he's not just beaten me, he's beaten everyone. So no one turns will turn up then. We may as well all stay home."
Matters got little better for Australian Webber in Saturday's qualifying when a mechanical problem meant he could only manage 18th place on the grid.
But, by the first corner of the race, the Drivers' Championship had its first major twist as the McLarens of Button and Hamilton overtook Vettel after a poor start by the Red Bull man.
Vettel had recovered his lead by lap 16, passing the struggling Hamilton with ease before taking advantage of a terrible error by Button in the pit lane as the Frome flier visited the wrong garage.
However, Hamilton was not to be denied this time and he battled back to overtake Button and then, thrillingly with five laps to go, Vettel.
Despite having taken one more pit-stop than his German rival, Hamilton had newer, better tyres at the vital stage and he used them to produce one of the best finishes to a GP in recent memory.
Just behind the front two, Button's day actually got even worse after he lost another place to Webber who drove a seriously impressive race to get the car on the podium from a start of 18th.
Nevertheless, Vettel (68 points) still holds a handsome early lead in the Championship of 21 points over Hamilton (47) in second with Button (38) in third. Webber is in fourth place just a point behind Button.
Meanwhile, the Ferrari pair, Fernando Alonso (26) and Felipe Massa (24), have both once again had a start of the season to forget.
Alonso's best finish so far was fourth in the season opener in Australia while Massa's was fifth in Malaysia, leaving them both off the pace in fifth and sixth place in the overall standings.
Looking further down the grid, there have been some notable early performances from the Renaults of Vitaly Petrov - third in Australia - and Nick Heidfeld, who was on the podium in Malaysia.
Those early points were vital for both with Petrov repaying the faith of his boss Eric Boullier after a poor 2010 season and Heidfeld justifying his role as the replacement for the severely injured Pole Robert Kubica.
Force India's Scottish rookie Paul di Resta has picked up two early points for 10th-placed finishes in the opening two races while Nico Rosberg's fifth place in China means he continues to outperform seven-time champion Michael Schumacher at Mercedes GP.
But Williams pair Rubens Barrichello and Ecuadorian Pastor Maldonado have yet to score, leaving the team alongside Lotus, Virgin and Hispania on zero points.
F1 2011 SEASON RESULTS
PODIUMS
Australian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault
Malaysian GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
2 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
3 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault
Chinese GP (Pole: Sebastian Vettel)
1 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes
2 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault
3 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault
REMAINING CALENDAR
8 May Turkish GP (Istanbul)
22 May Spanish GP (Barcelona)
29 May Monaco GP (Monte Carlo)
12 June Canadian GP (Montreal)
26 June European GP (Valencia)
10 July British GP (Silverstone)
24 July German GP (Nuerburg)
31 July Hungarian GP (Budapest)
28 August Belgian GP (Spa)
11 September Italian GP (Monza)
25 September Singapore GP (Singapore)
9 October Japanese GP (Suzuka)
16 October Korean GP (Yeongam)
30 October Indian GP (Greater Noida)
13 November Abu Dhabi GP (Yas Island)
27 November Brazilian GP (Sao Paulo)
F1 2011 STANDINGS
World Drivers' Championship
1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull-Renault 68
2 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 47
3 Jenson Button (Gbr) McLaren-Mercedes 38
4 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull-Renault 37
5 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Ferrari 26
6 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 24
7 Vitaly Petrov (Rus) Renault 17
8 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) Renault 15
9 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Mercedes 10
10 Kamui Kobayashi (Jpn) Sauber-Ferrari 7
11 Michael Schumacher (Ger) Mercedes 6
12 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Toro Rosso-Ferrari 4
13 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India-Mercedes 2
14 Paul di Resta (Gbr) Force India-Mercedes 2
There are 10 drivers who are yet to score.
Constructors' Championship
1 Red Bull-Renault (Aut) 105
2 McLaren-Mercedes (Gbr) 85
3 Ferrari (Ita) 50
4 Renault (Gbr) 32
5 Mercedes (Ger) 16
6 Sauber-Ferrari (Swi) 7
7 Toro Rosso-Ferrari (Ita) 4
8 Force India-Mercedes (Ind) 4
There are four teams which are yet to score.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
The Season 2010/11 - FA Cup semi finals: Manchester City and Stoke City end their long wait
Manchester City 1 (Y Toure 52)
Manchester United 0
Manchester City Hart - Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov - De Jong, Barry, A Johnson (Wright-Phillips 79), Yaya Toure - Silva (Vieira 86), Balotelli. Booked: Kompany, Zabaleta, De Jong, Balotelli. Unused subs: Taylor, Boyata, Milner, Dzeko, Jo.
Manchester United Van der Sar - O'Shea (F da Silva 84), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - Park, Scholes, Carrick, Valencia, Nani (Hernandez 65) - Berbatov (Anderson 74). Sent off: Scholes. Unused subs: Kuszczak, Owen, Smalling, Gibson.
Attendance 86,549 at Wembley Referee Mike Dean (The Wirral) Kick-off 5.15pm
Live on ITV
MANCHESTER CITY reached the FA Cup Final for the first time in 30 years after they beat Manchester United 1-0 thanks to Yaya Toure's goal.
Toure took advantage of a succession of United defensive errors to score early in the second half and City comfortably held out for a deserved win.
The decisive moment came as Rio Ferdinand failed in his aim to let the ball run out for a goal kick. Instead, the England defender hurried Edwin van der Sar into a poor clearance, and the ball then fell to Michael Carrick.
The Wallsend-born midfielder gifted the ball to Toure and the Ivorian shrugged off the challenge of Nemanja Vidic before coolly slipping the ball between van der Sar's legs.
It was no more than City deserved after they had stunned United with a dominant second-half display, characterised by an attacking verve that Roberto Mancini should employ more readily in the league.
Meanwhile, Paul Scholes hardly helped the Red Devils' cause after he was sent off on 73 minutes for a nasty, thigh-high challenge on Pablo Zabaleta.
To any seasoned football follower, the sight of Scholes piling in high and late did not come as a surprise.
Indeed, the 36-year-old has made a habit of scything challenges throughout his career. As such, he is the third-most booked player in Premier League history and the most cautioned in the Champions League.
On this occasion, it proved costly as United - already without the banned Wayne Rooney - struggled even more to chase the game.
Their frustration boiled over on full time as Ferdinand and Mario Balotelli were at the centre of a scuffle before the former then jabbed his fingers in the direction of City coach David Platt.
Clearly, Balotelli's exuberant celebrations in front of what was left of the United fans riled Ferdinand but the reaction of the former England captain just made him come across as a sore loser.
United had actually started the match better with Dimitar Berbatov firing straight at Joe Hart when clean through just moments before slicing over the bar after good work down the left by Nani.
But, as the Bulgarian turned to try and convert Nani's cross, he appeared to injure himself and he was subdued until being replaced late on by Anderson.
City's finally created their first chance midway through the first half as Gareth Barry turned sharply in the box and hit the side netting.
Fuelled by a sudden surge of self-belief, Mancini's men started to come forward with more purpose as van der Sar saved from Balotelli and Vincent Kompany fired inches wide.
And, though the game was goalless at the break, City continued to have the upper hand on its resumption with Toure making the breakthrough on 52 minutes.
Even after the goal, United struggled to contain City. Adam Johnson almost caught out van der Sar with a near-post shot before Joleon Lescott, unmarked, headed off target.
With time running out, Sir Alex Ferguson attempted to turn the tide by replacing Antonio Valencia with Javier Hernandez.
However, his other substitutions - Anderson for Berbatov and Fabio da Silva for John O'Shea - never seemed likely to change the course of this match.
In the meantime, Ryan Giggs was surprisingly not in the squad while Michael Owen was left kicking his heels on the bench as City began to play against the ten men on the break.
Still, the City fans did not need to worry about their team's earlier profligacy as United only had one second half chance of note from a Nani free-kick which was tipped onto the bar brilliantly by Hart.
Even the announcement of five stoppage time minutes could not inspire the traditional late siege from United. Instead, it just became a way for the City fans to count down the seconds until the full-time whistle.
And, as soon as it sounded, the blue half of the stadium unsurprisingly broke into wild celebrations while Mancini surely let out a huge sigh of relief.
With his expensively-assembled team struggling again to compete at the top end of the league, this was a massive result for him, personally.
He now has the chance to write himself in the City history books by leading the club to their first major trophy since 1976 and their first FA Cup win since 1969.
Will the years of waiting finally end on Saturday, 14th May? Well, Bolton Wanderers or Stoke City are sure to have something to say about that...
Bolton Wanderers 0
Stoke City 5 (Etherington 11, Huth 17, Jones 30, Walters 68, 81)
Bolton Wanderers Jaaskelainen - Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, Robinson - Muamba (Moreno 73), Lee, Petrov (M Davies 46), K Davies - Klasnic (Taylor 46), Elmander. Booked: Robinson. Unused subs: Bogdan, Cohen, Alonso, Wheater.
Stoke City Sorensen - Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson - Pennant (Whitehead 78), Delap, Whelan, Etherington (Pugh 87) - Walters, Jones (Fuller 84). Unused subs: Nash, Diao, Carew, Faye.
Attendance 75,064 at Wembley Referee Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) Kick-off 4pm
Live on ESPN
STOKE CITY will play in their first ever FA Cup Final after battering Bolton Wanderers 5-0 with a brilliant performance at Wembley.
Matthew Etherington, Robert Huth, Kenwyne Jones and two second half Jon Walters strikes sent the Potters potty as Tony Pulis' men produced one of the most comprehensive semi final displays ever.
Stoke ran Bolton ragged all afternoon having gained the advantage of an early lead through Etherington's superb 22-yard shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Pulis' men doubled their lead eight minutes later when Gary Cahill's poor clearance fell straight to Huth who made no mistake from the edge of the box.
And it was 3-0 with less than half an hour played after Jones converted a one-on-one having been played in by the excellent Jermaine Pennant.
Bolton were shell-shocked and had made a significant contribution to their own downfall on each of the goals.
The first goal came as a result of them giving the ball away, Cahill must take some responsibility for the second, and Martin Pertrov was robbed by Pennant for the third.
It was no surprise then to see Bolton manager Owen Coyle ring the changes at half time with Petrov and Ivan Klasnic hauled off for Mark Davies and Matthew Taylor.
But it got no better for the Trotters as Stoke resumed their complete dominance at the start of the second period.
Ryan Shawcross went close with a header from a Rory Delap throw before Jones and Walters both tested the Finnish custodian Jaaskelainen in quick succession.
Walters did get his goal shortly afterwards, though, making it 4-0. The Republic of Ireland international was allowed to run at the defence and unleash a powerful drive which fizzed into bottom corner from 25 yards.
Stoke, who are much derided as long ball merchants with an over-reliance on Delap's long throws, had upset the odds with a collection of cracking goals but Coyle will be upset that Bolton made it so easy.
The Trotters were barely noticeable as an attacking force throughout, finally managing a effort on goal on 71 minutes when substitute Taylor brought Thomas Sorensen into serious action for the first time.
Appropriately, though, it was Stoke who had the final say in this match as Walters completed the rout after Jones' deflected cross fell kindly to him.
That goal may have been tinged with luck but even Stoke's biggest detractors must give them credit for producing this performance on the big stage.
And, to older Potters fans, this victory must easily make up for the FA Cup disappointments when they lost at the semi final stage to Arsenal in successive seasons in 1971 and 1972, their second and third semi final defeats.
At least the second loss in 1972 was tempered somewhat by having won the League Cup that season but that remains Stoke's last major honour.
Bolton have to go back as far as 1958 for their last trophy when a Nat Lofthouse scored twice in a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final.
The legendary Lofthouse died in January this year and a Bolton Cup win this season would have been an apt way in which to note his passing.
But it was not to be after Coyle's men produced a horror show.
The Scot has deservedly received much credit for transforming Bolton from relegation strugglers under Gary Megson into a top half side.
By giving big interviews to the BBC and the Guardian before the game, though, he was perhaps guilty of courting the media prematurely.
The irony is that Cup semi final losers are rarely, if ever, remembered - and, after this thrashing, it is Stoke - not Bolton - who deserve their day in the sun in May.
And, having being formed in 1863 - 148 years ago - it has certainly been a long time coming!
Manchester United 0
Manchester City Hart - Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov - De Jong, Barry, A Johnson (Wright-Phillips 79), Yaya Toure - Silva (Vieira 86), Balotelli. Booked: Kompany, Zabaleta, De Jong, Balotelli. Unused subs: Taylor, Boyata, Milner, Dzeko, Jo.
Manchester United Van der Sar - O'Shea (F da Silva 84), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - Park, Scholes, Carrick, Valencia, Nani (Hernandez 65) - Berbatov (Anderson 74). Sent off: Scholes. Unused subs: Kuszczak, Owen, Smalling, Gibson.
Attendance 86,549 at Wembley Referee Mike Dean (The Wirral) Kick-off 5.15pm
Live on ITV
MANCHESTER CITY reached the FA Cup Final for the first time in 30 years after they beat Manchester United 1-0 thanks to Yaya Toure's goal.
Toure took advantage of a succession of United defensive errors to score early in the second half and City comfortably held out for a deserved win.
The decisive moment came as Rio Ferdinand failed in his aim to let the ball run out for a goal kick. Instead, the England defender hurried Edwin van der Sar into a poor clearance, and the ball then fell to Michael Carrick.
The Wallsend-born midfielder gifted the ball to Toure and the Ivorian shrugged off the challenge of Nemanja Vidic before coolly slipping the ball between van der Sar's legs.
It was no more than City deserved after they had stunned United with a dominant second-half display, characterised by an attacking verve that Roberto Mancini should employ more readily in the league.
Meanwhile, Paul Scholes hardly helped the Red Devils' cause after he was sent off on 73 minutes for a nasty, thigh-high challenge on Pablo Zabaleta.
To any seasoned football follower, the sight of Scholes piling in high and late did not come as a surprise.
Indeed, the 36-year-old has made a habit of scything challenges throughout his career. As such, he is the third-most booked player in Premier League history and the most cautioned in the Champions League.
On this occasion, it proved costly as United - already without the banned Wayne Rooney - struggled even more to chase the game.
Their frustration boiled over on full time as Ferdinand and Mario Balotelli were at the centre of a scuffle before the former then jabbed his fingers in the direction of City coach David Platt.
Clearly, Balotelli's exuberant celebrations in front of what was left of the United fans riled Ferdinand but the reaction of the former England captain just made him come across as a sore loser.
United had actually started the match better with Dimitar Berbatov firing straight at Joe Hart when clean through just moments before slicing over the bar after good work down the left by Nani.
But, as the Bulgarian turned to try and convert Nani's cross, he appeared to injure himself and he was subdued until being replaced late on by Anderson.
City's finally created their first chance midway through the first half as Gareth Barry turned sharply in the box and hit the side netting.
Fuelled by a sudden surge of self-belief, Mancini's men started to come forward with more purpose as van der Sar saved from Balotelli and Vincent Kompany fired inches wide.
And, though the game was goalless at the break, City continued to have the upper hand on its resumption with Toure making the breakthrough on 52 minutes.
Even after the goal, United struggled to contain City. Adam Johnson almost caught out van der Sar with a near-post shot before Joleon Lescott, unmarked, headed off target.
With time running out, Sir Alex Ferguson attempted to turn the tide by replacing Antonio Valencia with Javier Hernandez.
However, his other substitutions - Anderson for Berbatov and Fabio da Silva for John O'Shea - never seemed likely to change the course of this match.
In the meantime, Ryan Giggs was surprisingly not in the squad while Michael Owen was left kicking his heels on the bench as City began to play against the ten men on the break.
Still, the City fans did not need to worry about their team's earlier profligacy as United only had one second half chance of note from a Nani free-kick which was tipped onto the bar brilliantly by Hart.
Even the announcement of five stoppage time minutes could not inspire the traditional late siege from United. Instead, it just became a way for the City fans to count down the seconds until the full-time whistle.
And, as soon as it sounded, the blue half of the stadium unsurprisingly broke into wild celebrations while Mancini surely let out a huge sigh of relief.
With his expensively-assembled team struggling again to compete at the top end of the league, this was a massive result for him, personally.
He now has the chance to write himself in the City history books by leading the club to their first major trophy since 1976 and their first FA Cup win since 1969.
Will the years of waiting finally end on Saturday, 14th May? Well, Bolton Wanderers or Stoke City are sure to have something to say about that...
Bolton Wanderers 0
Stoke City 5 (Etherington 11, Huth 17, Jones 30, Walters 68, 81)
Bolton Wanderers Jaaskelainen - Steinsson, Knight, Cahill, Robinson - Muamba (Moreno 73), Lee, Petrov (M Davies 46), K Davies - Klasnic (Taylor 46), Elmander. Booked: Robinson. Unused subs: Bogdan, Cohen, Alonso, Wheater.
Stoke City Sorensen - Wilkinson, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson - Pennant (Whitehead 78), Delap, Whelan, Etherington (Pugh 87) - Walters, Jones (Fuller 84). Unused subs: Nash, Diao, Carew, Faye.
Attendance 75,064 at Wembley Referee Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) Kick-off 4pm
Live on ESPN
STOKE CITY will play in their first ever FA Cup Final after battering Bolton Wanderers 5-0 with a brilliant performance at Wembley.
Matthew Etherington, Robert Huth, Kenwyne Jones and two second half Jon Walters strikes sent the Potters potty as Tony Pulis' men produced one of the most comprehensive semi final displays ever.
Stoke ran Bolton ragged all afternoon having gained the advantage of an early lead through Etherington's superb 22-yard shot past Jussi Jaaskelainen.
Pulis' men doubled their lead eight minutes later when Gary Cahill's poor clearance fell straight to Huth who made no mistake from the edge of the box.
And it was 3-0 with less than half an hour played after Jones converted a one-on-one having been played in by the excellent Jermaine Pennant.
Bolton were shell-shocked and had made a significant contribution to their own downfall on each of the goals.
The first goal came as a result of them giving the ball away, Cahill must take some responsibility for the second, and Martin Pertrov was robbed by Pennant for the third.
It was no surprise then to see Bolton manager Owen Coyle ring the changes at half time with Petrov and Ivan Klasnic hauled off for Mark Davies and Matthew Taylor.
But it got no better for the Trotters as Stoke resumed their complete dominance at the start of the second period.
Ryan Shawcross went close with a header from a Rory Delap throw before Jones and Walters both tested the Finnish custodian Jaaskelainen in quick succession.
Walters did get his goal shortly afterwards, though, making it 4-0. The Republic of Ireland international was allowed to run at the defence and unleash a powerful drive which fizzed into bottom corner from 25 yards.
Stoke, who are much derided as long ball merchants with an over-reliance on Delap's long throws, had upset the odds with a collection of cracking goals but Coyle will be upset that Bolton made it so easy.
The Trotters were barely noticeable as an attacking force throughout, finally managing a effort on goal on 71 minutes when substitute Taylor brought Thomas Sorensen into serious action for the first time.
Appropriately, though, it was Stoke who had the final say in this match as Walters completed the rout after Jones' deflected cross fell kindly to him.
That goal may have been tinged with luck but even Stoke's biggest detractors must give them credit for producing this performance on the big stage.
And, to older Potters fans, this victory must easily make up for the FA Cup disappointments when they lost at the semi final stage to Arsenal in successive seasons in 1971 and 1972, their second and third semi final defeats.
At least the second loss in 1972 was tempered somewhat by having won the League Cup that season but that remains Stoke's last major honour.
Bolton have to go back as far as 1958 for their last trophy when a Nat Lofthouse scored twice in a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the FA Cup Final.
The legendary Lofthouse died in January this year and a Bolton Cup win this season would have been an apt way in which to note his passing.
But it was not to be after Coyle's men produced a horror show.
The Scot has deservedly received much credit for transforming Bolton from relegation strugglers under Gary Megson into a top half side.
By giving big interviews to the BBC and the Guardian before the game, though, he was perhaps guilty of courting the media prematurely.
The irony is that Cup semi final losers are rarely, if ever, remembered - and, after this thrashing, it is Stoke - not Bolton - who deserve their day in the sun in May.
And, having being formed in 1863 - 148 years ago - it has certainly been a long time coming!
Friday, 15 April 2011
World Snooker preview: Odds against Robertson and the Rocket
OVER the next 17 days, Neil Robertson will aim to become the first ever first-time winner at the Crucible to retain the World Snooker Championship.
The Crucible Curse is so legendary that it even has its own Wikipedia page showing how every single first-time winner has failed to defend the title successfully.
Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998 have come closest to this achievement, reaching the Final before losing to Steve Davis and John Higgins respectively.
But even the greats like Davis, winner of six world crowns, and Stephen Hendry, winner of seven, could not retain their first one - although the pair are the only men to win any back-to-back titles at the Crucible.
Hendry did this most recently in 1996, but that is now 15 years ago.
And the fact that only Davis and Hendry have managed to do it at all makes it clear just how difficult it is to retain the title since the Championships moved to the Sheffield venue.
Eventually, it seems, the mental strain of a second long run becomes too much, particularly in the present era where the quality of the field is much deeper and little bits of luck play an even greater part.
Thus, the odds must be heavily stacked against Robertson lifting the trophy this year - or even of him reaching the latter stages.
Remarkably, it has been nine years since a defending champion made it to the semi finals - and five years since a reigning world champion even got past the second round.
Australian Robertson also comes into the tournament in a trough of form having failed to make it past the second round of the last three ranking events.
By contrast, his first opponent in Sheffield, 21-year-old Judd Trump, made his breakthrough by beating Mark Selby 10-8 to win the China Open for his first ranking title.
Nevertheless, Robertson's form is nothing like as concerning as that of three-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The mercurial O'Sullivan has not won an official match in this calendar year since he landed another Premier League snooker title in November.
And even more worryingly, he has withdrawn from two major ranking events, the Shanghai Masters and the German Masters, and 10 of the 12 minor ones that comprise the new Players Tour Championship.
It has now emerged this week that O'Sullivan had also wished to pull out of these World Championships and so, as often is the case, clearly something is wrong for him mentally.
Worse still, O'Sullivan has landed in a tough quarter of the draw which also includes the in-form John Higgins who has bounced back brilliantly from a tough year.
First, Higgins was cleared of match-fixing but still banned for six months for bringing the game into disrepute and then his father, John senior, lost his battle against cancer.
However, since his comeback - and inspired by his father's death - Higgins has returned to top form, winning his 22nd major title by beating Mark J Williams to secure the UK Championship.
Unsurprisingly, then, the bookmakers make Higgins favourite to lift a fourth world title on Monday, 2nd May in the last of 31 matches at this year's World Championships.
First Quarter
Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson (1) 10-8
Martin Gould beat Marco Fu (16) 10-8
R2 Judd Trump v Martin Gould
Graeme Dott (9) beat Mark King 10-7
Allister Carter (8) beat Dave Harold 10-3
R2 Graeme Dott (9) v Allister Carter (8)
The top quarter features defending champion Neil Robertson and his tough first test against Judd Trump. Therafter, Robertson could face some familiar faces from his successful 2010 run. Martin Gould is a possible second round opponent in what would be a reprise of their last 16 clash which Robertson won 13-12 having been 6-0 and 11-5 down. Then, if Aussie Robertson gets as far as the quarter finals, he is likely to face Ali Carter, who he beat 17-12 in the semi finals, or Graeme Dott, who he beat 18-13 in the Final itself.
Second Quarter
Ding Junhui (5) beat Jamie Burnett 10-2
Stuart Bingham beat Peter Ebdon (12) 10-8
R2 Ding Junhui (5) v Stuart Bingham
Stephen Hendry (13) beat Joe Perry 10-9
Mark Selby (4) beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1
R2 Stephen Hendry (13) v Mark Selby (4)
Out of the seeds in the second quarter of the draw, there are two men who have already won it - and two other men who are desperate to do it for the first time. Of course, Stephen Hendry has no fewer than seven titles to his name but the last of these came in 1999 and indifferent form throughout this season would not suggest he is about to land an eighth. Peter Ebdon is the only other former winner in this part of the draw after his memorable 18-17 victory over Hendry in 2002. Mark Selby was runner-up in 2007 and has gained a reputation for struggling in the finals of ranking events while Ding Junhui's best finish at the Crucible is surprisingly just the second round.
Third Quarter
Mark J Williams (3) beat Ryan Day 10-5
Jamie Cope (14) beat Andrew Pagett 10-7
R2 Mark Williams (3) v Jamie Cope (14)
Mark Allen (11) beat Matthew Stevens 10-9
Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire (6) 10-9
R2 Mark Allen (11) v Barry Hawkins
The Welsh dominate the third quarter of the draw with two-time champion Mark J Williams taking on compatriot Ryan Day in the first round. Another Welshman Andrew Pagett will make his Crucible debut and, if he holds his nerve, may fancy his chances of an upset against the inconsisent Jamie Cope. And a fourth Welshman, Matthew Stevens, who is unseeded despite being twice runner-up, could take advantage of the fragile state of Mark Allen after the Northern Irish player became the latest casualty of depression. In the fourth tie of this quarter, Scotsman Stephen Maguire will be favourite against Barry Hawkins as he continues his search for a first world title .
Fourth Quarter
Shaun Murphy (7) beat Marcus Campbell 10-1
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Dominic Dale 10-2
R2 Shaun Murphy (7) v Ronnie O'Sullivan (10)
Rory McLeod beat Ricky Walden (15) 10-6
John Higgins (2) beat Stephen Lee 10-5
R2 Rory McLeod v John Higgins (2)
Ronnie O'Sullivan faces a tough assignment if he is to make it into the latter stages of this year's World Championships though he should have enough against Dominic Dale, for whom this is a first appearance at the Crucible since 2004. After that, though, the Rocket is likely to face 2005 champion Shaun Murphy in the second round - and, even if he is successful there, possibly a quarter final clash with the inspired John Higgins. Interestingly, the Ricky Walden-Rory McLeod contest features two players still looking for their first-ever win in front of the Crucible crowd.
Judd Trump beat Martin Gould 13-6
Graeme Dott (9) beat Allister Carter (8) 13-11
QF Judd Trump v Graeme Dott (9)
Ding Junhui (5) beat Stuart Bingham 13-12
Mark Selby (4) beat Stephen Hendry (13) 13-4
QF Ding Junhui (5) v Mark Selby (4)
Mark J Williams (3) beat Jamie Cope (14) 13-4
Mark Allen (11) beat Barry Hawkins 13-12
QF Mark J Williams (3) v Mark Allen (11)
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Shaun Murphy (7) 13-10
John Higgins (2) beat Rory McLeod 13-7
QF Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) v John Higgins (2)
Judd Trump beat Graeme Dott (9) 13-5
Ding Junhui (5) beat Mark Selby (4) 13-10
Mark J Williams (3) beat Mark Allen (11) 13-5
John Higgins (2) beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) 13-10
Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui (5) 17-15
John Higgins (2) beat Mark J Williams (3) 17-14
Tournament Centuries (69)
138 Mark King, Ding Junhui
137 Mark J Williams
135 John Higgins
134 Stuart Bingham
133 Stephen Hendry
132 John Higgins
131 John Higgins
129 Mark Selby
128 Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan
127 Neil Robertson, Mark Selby
125 Mark Selby, Mark J Williams
124 John Higgins, Mark Selby
123 Judd Trump, John Higgins
122 Judd Trump, Graeme Dott
121 John Higgins, Ding Junhui
120 Graeme Dott, John Higgins
119 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui
117 Ding Junhui, Stephen Hendry, Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby
116 Ronnie O'Sullivan
115 Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Allister Carter, Mark Williams
114 Mark Allen, Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui
113 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark J Williams
112 Allister Carter
111 Graeme Dott
110 Judd Trump
109 Mark J Williams
108 Judd Trump, Mark Selby
107 Mark Selby
106 Mark J Williams
105 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
104 Allister Carter, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
103 Mark Allen, Mark J Williams
102 Graeme Dott, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump
101 John Higgins, Stephen Lee, Stuart Bingham
100 Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Marco Fu, Mark Selby, Mark Allen
The Crucible Curse is so legendary that it even has its own Wikipedia page showing how every single first-time winner has failed to defend the title successfully.
Joe Johnson in 1987 and Ken Doherty in 1998 have come closest to this achievement, reaching the Final before losing to Steve Davis and John Higgins respectively.
But even the greats like Davis, winner of six world crowns, and Stephen Hendry, winner of seven, could not retain their first one - although the pair are the only men to win any back-to-back titles at the Crucible.
Hendry did this most recently in 1996, but that is now 15 years ago.
And the fact that only Davis and Hendry have managed to do it at all makes it clear just how difficult it is to retain the title since the Championships moved to the Sheffield venue.
Eventually, it seems, the mental strain of a second long run becomes too much, particularly in the present era where the quality of the field is much deeper and little bits of luck play an even greater part.
Thus, the odds must be heavily stacked against Robertson lifting the trophy this year - or even of him reaching the latter stages.
Remarkably, it has been nine years since a defending champion made it to the semi finals - and five years since a reigning world champion even got past the second round.
Australian Robertson also comes into the tournament in a trough of form having failed to make it past the second round of the last three ranking events.
By contrast, his first opponent in Sheffield, 21-year-old Judd Trump, made his breakthrough by beating Mark Selby 10-8 to win the China Open for his first ranking title.
Nevertheless, Robertson's form is nothing like as concerning as that of three-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The mercurial O'Sullivan has not won an official match in this calendar year since he landed another Premier League snooker title in November.
And even more worryingly, he has withdrawn from two major ranking events, the Shanghai Masters and the German Masters, and 10 of the 12 minor ones that comprise the new Players Tour Championship.
It has now emerged this week that O'Sullivan had also wished to pull out of these World Championships and so, as often is the case, clearly something is wrong for him mentally.
Worse still, O'Sullivan has landed in a tough quarter of the draw which also includes the in-form John Higgins who has bounced back brilliantly from a tough year.
First, Higgins was cleared of match-fixing but still banned for six months for bringing the game into disrepute and then his father, John senior, lost his battle against cancer.
However, since his comeback - and inspired by his father's death - Higgins has returned to top form, winning his 22nd major title by beating Mark J Williams to secure the UK Championship.
Unsurprisingly, then, the bookmakers make Higgins favourite to lift a fourth world title on Monday, 2nd May in the last of 31 matches at this year's World Championships.
2011 WORLD SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS
FIRST ROUND
(Best of 19 frames)
FIRST ROUND
(Best of 19 frames)
First Quarter
Judd Trump beat Neil Robertson (1) 10-8
Martin Gould beat Marco Fu (16) 10-8
R2 Judd Trump v Martin Gould
Graeme Dott (9) beat Mark King 10-7
Allister Carter (8) beat Dave Harold 10-3
R2 Graeme Dott (9) v Allister Carter (8)
The top quarter features defending champion Neil Robertson and his tough first test against Judd Trump. Therafter, Robertson could face some familiar faces from his successful 2010 run. Martin Gould is a possible second round opponent in what would be a reprise of their last 16 clash which Robertson won 13-12 having been 6-0 and 11-5 down. Then, if Aussie Robertson gets as far as the quarter finals, he is likely to face Ali Carter, who he beat 17-12 in the semi finals, or Graeme Dott, who he beat 18-13 in the Final itself.
Second Quarter
Ding Junhui (5) beat Jamie Burnett 10-2
Stuart Bingham beat Peter Ebdon (12) 10-8
R2 Ding Junhui (5) v Stuart Bingham
Stephen Hendry (13) beat Joe Perry 10-9
Mark Selby (4) beat Jimmy Robertson 10-1
R2 Stephen Hendry (13) v Mark Selby (4)
Out of the seeds in the second quarter of the draw, there are two men who have already won it - and two other men who are desperate to do it for the first time. Of course, Stephen Hendry has no fewer than seven titles to his name but the last of these came in 1999 and indifferent form throughout this season would not suggest he is about to land an eighth. Peter Ebdon is the only other former winner in this part of the draw after his memorable 18-17 victory over Hendry in 2002. Mark Selby was runner-up in 2007 and has gained a reputation for struggling in the finals of ranking events while Ding Junhui's best finish at the Crucible is surprisingly just the second round.
Third Quarter
Mark J Williams (3) beat Ryan Day 10-5
Jamie Cope (14) beat Andrew Pagett 10-7
R2 Mark Williams (3) v Jamie Cope (14)
Mark Allen (11) beat Matthew Stevens 10-9
Barry Hawkins beat Stephen Maguire (6) 10-9
R2 Mark Allen (11) v Barry Hawkins
The Welsh dominate the third quarter of the draw with two-time champion Mark J Williams taking on compatriot Ryan Day in the first round. Another Welshman Andrew Pagett will make his Crucible debut and, if he holds his nerve, may fancy his chances of an upset against the inconsisent Jamie Cope. And a fourth Welshman, Matthew Stevens, who is unseeded despite being twice runner-up, could take advantage of the fragile state of Mark Allen after the Northern Irish player became the latest casualty of depression. In the fourth tie of this quarter, Scotsman Stephen Maguire will be favourite against Barry Hawkins as he continues his search for a first world title .
Fourth Quarter
Shaun Murphy (7) beat Marcus Campbell 10-1
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Dominic Dale 10-2
R2 Shaun Murphy (7) v Ronnie O'Sullivan (10)
Rory McLeod beat Ricky Walden (15) 10-6
John Higgins (2) beat Stephen Lee 10-5
R2 Rory McLeod v John Higgins (2)
Ronnie O'Sullivan faces a tough assignment if he is to make it into the latter stages of this year's World Championships though he should have enough against Dominic Dale, for whom this is a first appearance at the Crucible since 2004. After that, though, the Rocket is likely to face 2005 champion Shaun Murphy in the second round - and, even if he is successful there, possibly a quarter final clash with the inspired John Higgins. Interestingly, the Ricky Walden-Rory McLeod contest features two players still looking for their first-ever win in front of the Crucible crowd.
SECOND ROUND
(Best of 25 frames)
(Best of 25 frames)
Judd Trump beat Martin Gould 13-6
Graeme Dott (9) beat Allister Carter (8) 13-11
QF Judd Trump v Graeme Dott (9)
Ding Junhui (5) beat Stuart Bingham 13-12
Mark Selby (4) beat Stephen Hendry (13) 13-4
QF Ding Junhui (5) v Mark Selby (4)
Mark J Williams (3) beat Jamie Cope (14) 13-4
Mark Allen (11) beat Barry Hawkins 13-12
QF Mark J Williams (3) v Mark Allen (11)
Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) beat Shaun Murphy (7) 13-10
John Higgins (2) beat Rory McLeod 13-7
QF Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) v John Higgins (2)
QUARTER FINALS
(Best of 25 frames)
(Best of 25 frames)
Judd Trump beat Graeme Dott (9) 13-5
Ding Junhui (5) beat Mark Selby (4) 13-10
Mark J Williams (3) beat Mark Allen (11) 13-5
John Higgins (2) beat Ronnie O'Sullivan (10) 13-10
SEMI FINALS
(Best of 33 frames)
(Best of 33 frames)
Judd Trump beat Ding Junhui (5) 17-15
John Higgins (2) beat Mark J Williams (3) 17-14
Tournament Centuries (69)
138 Mark King, Ding Junhui
137 Mark J Williams
135 John Higgins
134 Stuart Bingham
133 Stephen Hendry
132 John Higgins
131 John Higgins
129 Mark Selby
128 Ding Junhui, Ronnie O'Sullivan
127 Neil Robertson, Mark Selby
125 Mark Selby, Mark J Williams
124 John Higgins, Mark Selby
123 Judd Trump, John Higgins
122 Judd Trump, Graeme Dott
121 John Higgins, Ding Junhui
120 Graeme Dott, John Higgins
119 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Ding Junhui
117 Ding Junhui, Stephen Hendry, Barry Hawkins, Mark Selby
116 Ronnie O'Sullivan
115 Marco Fu, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Allister Carter, Mark Williams
114 Mark Allen, Stephen Hendry, Ding Junhui
113 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Mark J Williams
112 Allister Carter
111 Graeme Dott
110 Judd Trump
109 Mark J Williams
108 Judd Trump, Mark Selby
107 Mark Selby
106 Mark J Williams
105 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
104 Allister Carter, Judd Trump, Mark J Williams
103 Mark Allen, Mark J Williams
102 Graeme Dott, Mark Allen, Ding Junhui, Judd Trump
101 John Higgins, Stephen Lee, Stuart Bingham
100 Neil Robertson, Shaun Murphy, Ronnie O'Sullivan, Marco Fu, Mark Selby, Mark Allen
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Grand National 2011: McCain legacy continues with Ballabriggs victory
JASON MAGUIRE wrote another chapter in the McCain family's Grand National legacy after riding Ballabriggs to victory by two lengths on an unseasonably warm afternoon at Aintree.
The McCains have now trained the winner on five occasions, most famously when father Ginger prepared Red Rum for his three victories in 1973, 1974 and 1977.
Ginger McCain also trained Amberleigh House in 2004, and now Ballabriggs is a first success for his son, Donald.
In an exciting finish, Ballabriggs, priced at 14/1, beat Oscar Time, ridden by amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen in nine minutes, one second (9:01), the second-fastest Grand National time.
Tony McCoy's defending champion Don't Push It was in third, ahead of State Of Play in fourth and Niche Market in fifth.
The much-fancied The Midnight Club, ridden by Ruby Walsh, was out of the paid places in sixth while, in keeping with tradition (see preview), none of the greys made an impression once again.
But this year's race will no doubt be overshadowed by the deaths of Ornais and Dooneys Gate at the fourth and sixth fences as they became the 80th and 81st fatalities in the event's 164-year history.
In an unprecedented move, the two hurdles where those horses fell were subsequently bypassed on the second circuit with the remaining participants waved around them by chequered flags.
Animal rights activists were given yet more ammunition after the finish when the shattered Ballabriggs failed to make it into the winners' enclosure with Maguire. Instead, the 11-year-old had been taken back to the stables suffering from exhaustion and dehydration but he was soon confirmed to be OK.
Nevertheless, the gruesome sight of dead horses being covered by tarpaulin is hardly what the sport needs and questions must surely be asked if the current state of the course is just too demanding.
To me, banning the race altogether would be too extreme and it will not happen anyway.
But, just as Formula One reacted to the driver deaths by modifying its tracks, perhaps horse racing officials need to do the same with some of the bigger fences.
Meanwhile, the BBC hardly helped the situation with its apparent reluctance to acknowledge the horses' deaths. Commentators did note that two of the hurdles were being missed out but they did not make any effort to explain the omissions.
And when anchor Claire Balding eventually did confirm which horses had died, she spoke of "equine fatalities". It was a horrendous and needless euphemism which detracted from otherwise traditionally sharp coverage.
The race began amid the usual fanfare as 70,000 people in stands watched a field of 40 on a gloriously sunny day on Merseyside.
As usual, for several horses, the race was a brief affair with That's Rhythm falling at the first and Becauseicouldntsee bringing down the unfortunate Vic Venturi at the second.
The fourth hurdle also had two fallers in Ornais, one of the two horses to die, and Calgary Bay.
Dooneys Gate, the other horse which died, fell at the sixth fence, Becher's Brook, and that fence also accounted for Or Noir De Somoza, The Tother One and West End Rocker.
As the field swept around the Canal Turn, the 100/1 shot Santa's Son had emerged from the early scramble into the lead, evoking memories of other shock winners, Foinavon in 1967 and Mon Mome just two years ago.
But, of course, there was still a long way to go, and eventual victor Ballabriggs was also up near the front of an open contest.
At the 10th and 11th fences, Tidal Bay and Quolibet both unseated their riders but the front-runners were unaffected.
And so, at this stage, Ballabriggs and Oscar Time were still chasing down pacesetters Santa's Son and Majestic Concorde while Don't Push It was beginning to make his way through the field.
Grand Slam Hero fell at the 13th before a vital moment at the Chair as Ballabriggs' magnificent leap put him into the lead for the first time.
Quinz was pulled up at the Water Jump, the last of the fences on the first circuit while Can't Buy Time was the only faller at the 18th before all the remaining horses overcame the 19th.
Then came the unnerving sight of the field being waved around the 20th fence and the 22nd, meaning Becher's Brook was only jumped once this year.
The second jump of the Canal Turn claimed the well-placed Majestic Concorde as he unseated rider Robbie McNamara - and Maguire then almost went the same way on Ballabriggs as he stumbled over Valentine's, five fences from home.
Nevertheless, both horse and jockey held it together just as some of others began to struggle badly.
Sir Alex Ferguson's What A Friend was pulled up at the 27th along with early leader Santa's Son while Killyglen produced a tired jump and fell.
At the 28th, former winner Comply Or Die was pulled up and Arbor Supreme unseated his rider and, at the 29th, Hello Bud was pulled up.
The five horses vying for the lead got over those last few fences without a problem, though, and that set up a grandstand finish as they came around the Elbow.
Don't Push It had most work to do, still lying in fifth as they jumped the last but he finished strongly to overtake State Of Play and Niche Market, and give a good account on his title defence.
However, he was still no match this year for Ballabriggs and Oscar Time who had pulled away to set up a duel for the finish line.
Ballabriggs was the clear winner, quickly establishing and holding onto a lead of two lengths to give the McCains - and the bookmakers - another great Grand National afternoon.
2011 GRAND NATIONAL: How they finished
4m 4f at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. All 40 ran.
Placed
1st Ballabriggs 14/1
2nd Oscar Time 14/1
3rd Don't Push It 9/1
4th State Of Play 28/1
5th Niche Market 16/1
Finished
6th The Midnight Club 8/1f
7th Big Fella Thanks
8th Surface To Air
9th Skippers Brig
10th Backstage
11th King Fontaine
12th Silver By Nature
13th In Compliance
14th Bluesea Cracker
15th Character Building
16th Golden Kite
17th Chief Dan George
18th Royal Rosa
19th Piraya
Failed to finish
Fence 1 That's Rhythm - fell
Fence 2 Vic Venturi - brought down, Becauseicouldntsee - fell
Fence 4 Ornais - fell (fatal), Calgary Bay - fell
Fence 6 (Becher's Brook) Dooneys Gate - fell (fatal), The Tother One - fell, Or Noir De Somoza - fell, West End Rocker - brought down
Fence 10 Tidal Bay - unseated rider
Fence 11 Quolibet - unseated rider
Fence 13 Grand Slam Hero - fell
Fence 16 Quinz - pulled up
Fence 18 Can't Buy Time - fell
Fence 24 (Canal Turn) Majestic Concorde - unseated rider
Fence 27 Santa's Son - pulled up, What A Friend - pulled up, Killyglen - fell
Fence 28 Comply Or Die - pulled up, Arbor Supreme - unseated rider
Fence 29 Hello Bud - pulled up
--
Preview: Will the Grand National be a grey day at last?
THE WAIT for a grey horse to win the Grand National has now stretched to 50 years, since Bobby Beasley won on the aptly-named Nicolaus Silver back in 1961.
Indeed, Nicolaus Silver is one of only two greys ever to have won the world's greatest steeplechase, the other being The Lamb which tasted victory twice in 1868 and 1871.
This year, four grey horses are lining up to end the hoodoo. There are two outsiders, Piraya (150/1) and French horse Quoilbet (150/1), and two more fancied bets in Character Building (28/1) and Silver By Nature (14/1).
Silver By Nature is also looking to end another barren spell by becoming the only second-ever Scottish-trained winner. So far, only Rubstic has won from north-of-the-border, crossing the line first in 1979.
But, as reigining BBC Sports Personality of the Year AP McCoy found out, such records only exist eventually to be broken.
McCoy won his first National on his 15th attempt last year on Don't Push It (14/1) and both jockey and horse are reunited to defend their crown, carrying top weight of 11st 10lbs.
McCoy's win on Don't Push It was also a first taste of success in the National for the horse's trainer, Jonjo O'Neill, and his owner JP MacManus.
Still looking to break his duck, though, is another notable trainer, Paul Nicholls. This time, Nicholls has four different horses in the running, including What A Friend (12/1), which is part-owned by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Other fancied runners in the Aintree race include Paul Carberry's mount Backstage (13/1), Sam Whaley-Cohen's Oscar Time (12/1), and Jason Maguire's Ballabriggs (15/1), which is trained by Donald McCain, son of Red Rum's trainer, Ginger.
However, the likely ante-post favourite is Ruby Walsh's ride, The Midnight Club, with a price at the time of writing in at 10/1.
Walsh has a good record in the Grand National and will be going for a hat-trick of wins having previously rode Papillon and Hedgehunter to victory in 2000 and 2005.
His younger sister Katie had also been set to make her bow in the event on Our Monty but the eight-year-old gelding was withdrawn with a leg infection.
Walsh's absence leaves Paul Carberry's sister Nina, on the aforementioned grey Character Building, as the only female jockey in the race.
Our Monty was replaced by 80/1 shot Royal Rosa and there were two other late replacements with Skippers Brig (40/1) and Golden Kite (80/1) coming in for Northern Alliance and Roll Along.
Golden Kite's inclusion gives former jockey Adrian Maguire his first runner in Britain as a trainer but, on the other side of the coin, it could be a frustrating afternoon for the experienced Barry Geraghty.
Geraghty, who won the Grand National in 2003 on Monty's Pass, is now without a ride after the withdrawal of Northern Alliance, although many were surprised that he was not on a stronger horse anyway.
Best odds provided in each case and may vary among bookmakers. Odds for the whole field can be found at Oddschecker.com.
2011 GRAND NATIONAL FULL RUNNERS-AND-RIDERS
No Form Name (Trainer) Jockey
1) 23P1-P070 DON'T PUSH IT (IRE) (Jonjo O'Neill) Tony McCoy
2) 104-3226 TIDAL BAY (IRE) (Howard Johnson) Brian Hughes
3) 61/211-524 WHAT A FRIEND (Paul Nicholls) Daryl Jacob
4) 501B-7744 VIC VENTURI (IRE) (Dessie Hughes) Andrew Lynch
5) U62/1-31 MAJESTIC CONCORDE (IRE) (Dermot Weld) Robbie McNamara
6) 2F1425 OR NOIR DE SOMOZA (FR) (David Pipe) Barry Geraghty replaced Tom Scudamore
7) 01F24-41 DOONEYS GATE (IRE) (Willie Mullins) Mr Patrick Mullins
8) 2U14-2F44 BIG FELLA THANKS (Ferdy Murphy) Graham Lee
9) 205-244 THE TOTHER ONE (IRE) (Paul Nicholls) Ryan Mahon
10) 3111-112 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) (Donald McCain) Jason Maguire
11) U3133-21 THE MIDNIGHT CLUB (IRE) (Willie Mullins) Ruby Walsh
12) 529P-F58 NICHE MARKET (IRE) (Paul Nicholls) Harry Skelton
13) 5121-071 SILVER BY NATURE (Lucinda Russell) Peter Buchanan
14) 0BP-57011 BACKSTAGE (FR) (Gordon Elliott) Paul Carberry
15) 30011-753F CHIEF DAN GEORGE (IRE) (Jimmy Moffatt) Paddy Aspell
16) 4-56242 CALGARY BAY (IRE) (Henrietta Knight) Hadden Frost
17) P2P-2536 KILLYGLEN (IRE) (Stuart Crawford) Robert Power
18) 3152-263 OSCAR TIME (IRE) (Martin Lynch) Sam Waley-Cohen
19) 510-1131 QUINZ (FR) (Philip Hobbs) Richard Johnson
20) 2212-42 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) (Noel Glynn) Davy Russell
21) 2/000-06P COMPLY OR DIE (IRE) (David Pipe) Timmy Murphy
22) 2F-FF25P QUOLIBET (FR) (Jonjo O'Neill) Mark Walsh
23) 11FP18P GRAND SLAM HERO (IRE) (Nigel Twiston-Davies) Aidan Coleman
24) 0/144/P3- STATE OF PLAY (Evan Williams) Paul Moloney
25) 3211-11P5 KING FONTAINE (IRE) (Malcolm Jefferson) Denis O'Regan
26) 566U-3431U IN COMPLIANCE (IRE) (Dessie Hughes) Leighton Aspell
27) 005P-1P HELLO BUD (IRE) 13-10-05 (Nigel Twiston-Davies) Sam Twiston-Davies
28) 2P/07-11P WEST END ROCKER (IRE) (Alan King) Robert Thornton
29) 6-2207710 SANTA'S SON (IRE) (Howard Johnson) Jamie Moore
30) 0C21-046 BLUESEA CRACKER (IRE) (James Motherway) Andrew McNamara
31) 391059 THAT'S RHYTHM (FR) (Martin Todhunter) James Reveley
32) PP2/111/-0 SURFACE TO AIR (Chris Bealby) Tom Messenger
33) 00P-234PP PIRAYA (FR) (David Pipe) Johnny Farrelly
34) 16F-8P5P CAN'T BUY TIME (IRE) (Jonjo O'Neill) Richie McLernon
35) 000-30563 CHARACTER BUILDING (IRE) (John Quinn) Miss Nina Carberry
36) 1215/1P/-52 ORNAIS (FR) (Paul Nicholls) Nick Scholfield
37) 0U2F-0P2 ARBOR SUPREME (IRE) (Willie Mullins) David Casey
38) P5U-42P ROYAL ROSA (FR) (Howard Johnson) Paul Gallagher
39) 41/313-011 SKIPPERS BRIG (IRE) (Nicky Richards) Dominic Elsworth
40) 1d10019 GOLDEN KITE (IRE) (Adrian Maguire) Shane Hassett
The McCains have now trained the winner on five occasions, most famously when father Ginger prepared Red Rum for his three victories in 1973, 1974 and 1977.
Ginger McCain also trained Amberleigh House in 2004, and now Ballabriggs is a first success for his son, Donald.
In an exciting finish, Ballabriggs, priced at 14/1, beat Oscar Time, ridden by amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen in nine minutes, one second (9:01), the second-fastest Grand National time.
Tony McCoy's defending champion Don't Push It was in third, ahead of State Of Play in fourth and Niche Market in fifth.
The much-fancied The Midnight Club, ridden by Ruby Walsh, was out of the paid places in sixth while, in keeping with tradition (see preview), none of the greys made an impression once again.
But this year's race will no doubt be overshadowed by the deaths of Ornais and Dooneys Gate at the fourth and sixth fences as they became the 80th and 81st fatalities in the event's 164-year history.
In an unprecedented move, the two hurdles where those horses fell were subsequently bypassed on the second circuit with the remaining participants waved around them by chequered flags.
Animal rights activists were given yet more ammunition after the finish when the shattered Ballabriggs failed to make it into the winners' enclosure with Maguire. Instead, the 11-year-old had been taken back to the stables suffering from exhaustion and dehydration but he was soon confirmed to be OK.
Nevertheless, the gruesome sight of dead horses being covered by tarpaulin is hardly what the sport needs and questions must surely be asked if the current state of the course is just too demanding.
To me, banning the race altogether would be too extreme and it will not happen anyway.
But, just as Formula One reacted to the driver deaths by modifying its tracks, perhaps horse racing officials need to do the same with some of the bigger fences.
Meanwhile, the BBC hardly helped the situation with its apparent reluctance to acknowledge the horses' deaths. Commentators did note that two of the hurdles were being missed out but they did not make any effort to explain the omissions.
And when anchor Claire Balding eventually did confirm which horses had died, she spoke of "equine fatalities". It was a horrendous and needless euphemism which detracted from otherwise traditionally sharp coverage.
The race began amid the usual fanfare as 70,000 people in stands watched a field of 40 on a gloriously sunny day on Merseyside.
As usual, for several horses, the race was a brief affair with That's Rhythm falling at the first and Becauseicouldntsee bringing down the unfortunate Vic Venturi at the second.
The fourth hurdle also had two fallers in Ornais, one of the two horses to die, and Calgary Bay.
Dooneys Gate, the other horse which died, fell at the sixth fence, Becher's Brook, and that fence also accounted for Or Noir De Somoza, The Tother One and West End Rocker.
As the field swept around the Canal Turn, the 100/1 shot Santa's Son had emerged from the early scramble into the lead, evoking memories of other shock winners, Foinavon in 1967 and Mon Mome just two years ago.
But, of course, there was still a long way to go, and eventual victor Ballabriggs was also up near the front of an open contest.
At the 10th and 11th fences, Tidal Bay and Quolibet both unseated their riders but the front-runners were unaffected.
And so, at this stage, Ballabriggs and Oscar Time were still chasing down pacesetters Santa's Son and Majestic Concorde while Don't Push It was beginning to make his way through the field.
Grand Slam Hero fell at the 13th before a vital moment at the Chair as Ballabriggs' magnificent leap put him into the lead for the first time.
Quinz was pulled up at the Water Jump, the last of the fences on the first circuit while Can't Buy Time was the only faller at the 18th before all the remaining horses overcame the 19th.
Then came the unnerving sight of the field being waved around the 20th fence and the 22nd, meaning Becher's Brook was only jumped once this year.
The second jump of the Canal Turn claimed the well-placed Majestic Concorde as he unseated rider Robbie McNamara - and Maguire then almost went the same way on Ballabriggs as he stumbled over Valentine's, five fences from home.
Nevertheless, both horse and jockey held it together just as some of others began to struggle badly.
Sir Alex Ferguson's What A Friend was pulled up at the 27th along with early leader Santa's Son while Killyglen produced a tired jump and fell.
At the 28th, former winner Comply Or Die was pulled up and Arbor Supreme unseated his rider and, at the 29th, Hello Bud was pulled up.
The five horses vying for the lead got over those last few fences without a problem, though, and that set up a grandstand finish as they came around the Elbow.
Don't Push It had most work to do, still lying in fifth as they jumped the last but he finished strongly to overtake State Of Play and Niche Market, and give a good account on his title defence.
However, he was still no match this year for Ballabriggs and Oscar Time who had pulled away to set up a duel for the finish line.
Ballabriggs was the clear winner, quickly establishing and holding onto a lead of two lengths to give the McCains - and the bookmakers - another great Grand National afternoon.
2011 GRAND NATIONAL: How they finished
4m 4f at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. All 40 ran.
Placed
1st Ballabriggs 14/1
2nd Oscar Time 14/1
3rd Don't Push It 9/1
4th State Of Play 28/1
5th Niche Market 16/1
Finished
6th The Midnight Club 8/1f
7th Big Fella Thanks
8th Surface To Air
9th Skippers Brig
10th Backstage
11th King Fontaine
12th Silver By Nature
13th In Compliance
14th Bluesea Cracker
15th Character Building
16th Golden Kite
17th Chief Dan George
18th Royal Rosa
19th Piraya
Failed to finish
Fence 1 That's Rhythm - fell
Fence 2 Vic Venturi - brought down, Becauseicouldntsee - fell
Fence 4 Ornais - fell (fatal), Calgary Bay - fell
Fence 6 (Becher's Brook) Dooneys Gate - fell (fatal), The Tother One - fell, Or Noir De Somoza - fell, West End Rocker - brought down
Fence 10 Tidal Bay - unseated rider
Fence 11 Quolibet - unseated rider
Fence 13 Grand Slam Hero - fell
Fence 16 Quinz - pulled up
Fence 18 Can't Buy Time - fell
Fence 24 (Canal Turn) Majestic Concorde - unseated rider
Fence 27 Santa's Son - pulled up, What A Friend - pulled up, Killyglen - fell
Fence 28 Comply Or Die - pulled up, Arbor Supreme - unseated rider
Fence 29 Hello Bud - pulled up
--
Preview: Will the Grand National be a grey day at last?
THE WAIT for a grey horse to win the Grand National has now stretched to 50 years, since Bobby Beasley won on the aptly-named Nicolaus Silver back in 1961.
Indeed, Nicolaus Silver is one of only two greys ever to have won the world's greatest steeplechase, the other being The Lamb which tasted victory twice in 1868 and 1871.
This year, four grey horses are lining up to end the hoodoo. There are two outsiders, Piraya (150/1) and French horse Quoilbet (150/1), and two more fancied bets in Character Building (28/1) and Silver By Nature (14/1).
Silver By Nature is also looking to end another barren spell by becoming the only second-ever Scottish-trained winner. So far, only Rubstic has won from north-of-the-border, crossing the line first in 1979.
But, as reigining BBC Sports Personality of the Year AP McCoy found out, such records only exist eventually to be broken.
McCoy won his first National on his 15th attempt last year on Don't Push It (14/1) and both jockey and horse are reunited to defend their crown, carrying top weight of 11st 10lbs.
McCoy's win on Don't Push It was also a first taste of success in the National for the horse's trainer, Jonjo O'Neill, and his owner JP MacManus.
Still looking to break his duck, though, is another notable trainer, Paul Nicholls. This time, Nicholls has four different horses in the running, including What A Friend (12/1), which is part-owned by Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
Other fancied runners in the Aintree race include Paul Carberry's mount Backstage (13/1), Sam Whaley-Cohen's Oscar Time (12/1), and Jason Maguire's Ballabriggs (15/1), which is trained by Donald McCain, son of Red Rum's trainer, Ginger.
However, the likely ante-post favourite is Ruby Walsh's ride, The Midnight Club, with a price at the time of writing in at 10/1.
Walsh has a good record in the Grand National and will be going for a hat-trick of wins having previously rode Papillon and Hedgehunter to victory in 2000 and 2005.
His younger sister Katie had also been set to make her bow in the event on Our Monty but the eight-year-old gelding was withdrawn with a leg infection.
Walsh's absence leaves Paul Carberry's sister Nina, on the aforementioned grey Character Building, as the only female jockey in the race.
Our Monty was replaced by 80/1 shot Royal Rosa and there were two other late replacements with Skippers Brig (40/1) and Golden Kite (80/1) coming in for Northern Alliance and Roll Along.
Golden Kite's inclusion gives former jockey Adrian Maguire his first runner in Britain as a trainer but, on the other side of the coin, it could be a frustrating afternoon for the experienced Barry Geraghty.
Geraghty, who won the Grand National in 2003 on Monty's Pass, is now without a ride after the withdrawal of Northern Alliance, although many were surprised that he was not on a stronger horse anyway.
Best odds provided in each case and may vary among bookmakers. Odds for the whole field can be found at Oddschecker.com.
2011 GRAND NATIONAL FULL RUNNERS-AND-RIDERS
No Form Name (Trainer) Jockey
1) 23P1-P070 DON'T PUSH IT (IRE) (Jonjo O'Neill) Tony McCoy
2) 104-3226 TIDAL BAY (IRE) (Howard Johnson) Brian Hughes
3) 61/211-524 WHAT A FRIEND (Paul Nicholls) Daryl Jacob
4) 501B-7744 VIC VENTURI (IRE) (Dessie Hughes) Andrew Lynch
5) U62/1-31 MAJESTIC CONCORDE (IRE) (Dermot Weld) Robbie McNamara
6) 2F1425 OR NOIR DE SOMOZA (FR) (David Pipe) Barry Geraghty replaced Tom Scudamore
7) 01F24-41 DOONEYS GATE (IRE) (Willie Mullins) Mr Patrick Mullins
8) 2U14-2F44 BIG FELLA THANKS (Ferdy Murphy) Graham Lee
9) 205-244 THE TOTHER ONE (IRE) (Paul Nicholls) Ryan Mahon
10) 3111-112 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) (Donald McCain) Jason Maguire
11) U3133-21 THE MIDNIGHT CLUB (IRE) (Willie Mullins) Ruby Walsh
12) 529P-F58 NICHE MARKET (IRE) (Paul Nicholls) Harry Skelton
13) 5121-071 SILVER BY NATURE (Lucinda Russell) Peter Buchanan
14) 0BP-57011 BACKSTAGE (FR) (Gordon Elliott) Paul Carberry
15) 30011-753F CHIEF DAN GEORGE (IRE) (Jimmy Moffatt) Paddy Aspell
16) 4-56242 CALGARY BAY (IRE) (Henrietta Knight) Hadden Frost
17) P2P-2536 KILLYGLEN (IRE) (Stuart Crawford) Robert Power
18) 3152-263 OSCAR TIME (IRE) (Martin Lynch) Sam Waley-Cohen
19) 510-1131 QUINZ (FR) (Philip Hobbs) Richard Johnson
20) 2212-42 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) (Noel Glynn) Davy Russell
21) 2/000-06P COMPLY OR DIE (IRE) (David Pipe) Timmy Murphy
22) 2F-FF25P QUOLIBET (FR) (Jonjo O'Neill) Mark Walsh
23) 11FP18P GRAND SLAM HERO (IRE) (Nigel Twiston-Davies) Aidan Coleman
24) 0/144/P3- STATE OF PLAY (Evan Williams) Paul Moloney
25) 3211-11P5 KING FONTAINE (IRE) (Malcolm Jefferson) Denis O'Regan
26) 566U-3431U IN COMPLIANCE (IRE) (Dessie Hughes) Leighton Aspell
27) 005P-1P HELLO BUD (IRE) 13-10-05 (Nigel Twiston-Davies) Sam Twiston-Davies
28) 2P/07-11P WEST END ROCKER (IRE) (Alan King) Robert Thornton
29) 6-2207710 SANTA'S SON (IRE) (Howard Johnson) Jamie Moore
30) 0C21-046 BLUESEA CRACKER (IRE) (James Motherway) Andrew McNamara
31) 391059 THAT'S RHYTHM (FR) (Martin Todhunter) James Reveley
32) PP2/111/-0 SURFACE TO AIR (Chris Bealby) Tom Messenger
33) 00P-234PP PIRAYA (FR) (David Pipe) Johnny Farrelly
34) 16F-8P5P CAN'T BUY TIME (IRE) (Jonjo O'Neill) Richie McLernon
35) 000-30563 CHARACTER BUILDING (IRE) (John Quinn) Miss Nina Carberry
36) 1215/1P/-52 ORNAIS (FR) (Paul Nicholls) Nick Scholfield
37) 0U2F-0P2 ARBOR SUPREME (IRE) (Willie Mullins) David Casey
38) P5U-42P ROYAL ROSA (FR) (Howard Johnson) Paul Gallagher
39) 41/313-011 SKIPPERS BRIG (IRE) (Nicky Richards) Dominic Elsworth
40) 1d10019 GOLDEN KITE (IRE) (Adrian Maguire) Shane Hassett
Monday, 4 April 2011
The Season 2010/11: Rooney banned for hat-trick rant as Manchester United move in on title
Premier League
Table
WAYNE ROONEY picked up a two-match ban today for his foul-mouthed tirade at the camera after scoring a hat-trick in Manchester United's 4-2 win at West Ham United.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men came from 2-0 down at half time with a fine second half performance as Rooney struck three times and Javier Hernandez once.
Two Mark Noble penalties had given the Hammers their deserved two-goal half time lead with Nemanja Vidic lucky to stay on the pitch for a foul on Demba Ba.
But the Rooney show began on 65 minutes with a brilliant curling free-kick before the England striker equalised eight minutes later.
Rooney tucked away a penalty on 79 minutes to give the Red Devils the lead before Hernandez wrapped up the win with a tap-in.
The victory came on a potentially decisive day in the Premier League title race as Arsenal and Chelsea later drew with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.
Manchester United are now seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal while Chelsea dropped to fourth behind Manchester City.
City moved third with perhaps their finest display of the season as five different scorers contributed to a 5-0 thumping of Sunderland.
Roberto Mancini's men were 2-0 up in 15 minutes after an Adam Johnson strike and a Carlos Tevez penalty.
Another two quick goals in the second half by David Silva and Patrick Vieira ended the game as a contest before Yaya Toure rubbed further salt in the wounds late on.
City have 56 points from 31 games - ahead of Chelsea by one point and Tottenham Hotspur by six - but both London clubs have a game in hand.
Fifth-placed Spurs disappointed this weekend with their third successive 0-0 draw in all competitions, this time against Wigan Athletic.
There was the feeling that Harry Redknapp's men were keeping their powder dry for their Champions League quarter final clash against Real Madrid this week.
But, at this rate, they will struggle to qualify for Europe's elite competition through the league this season.
Instead, Spurs may have to make do with the Europa League but that is more than Liverpool can expect from their woeful campaign.
The Reds lost their 12th league game of 2010/11 against West Bromwich Albion though Kenny Dalglish's team still look set for a sixth-place finish.
West Brom's win at the Hawthorns came thanks to two penalties from Chris Brunt and pulled the Baggies four points clear of the drop zone.
It was a good day for Roy Hodgson who got one over on the club who sacked him while another of his previous clubs, Fulham, also pulled themselves clear.
On the day that a Michael Jackson statue was unveiled outside of Craven Cottage, Mark Hughes' men produced a thriller of a performance to beat Blackpool 3-0.
Ian Holloway's Seasiders struggled defensively as Bobby Zamora scored twice to leave them vulnerable in 17th, just one point and one place above the relegation zone.
West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic currently fill those places they all failed to win this weekend.
While West Ham lost against Manchester United and Wigan Athletic drew at Spurs, Wolves were dreadfully disappointing in their 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United.
The Magpies stormed into a 3-0 lead just after half-time following goals from Kevin Nolan, Shola Ameobi and Peter Lovenkrands.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake gave Mick McCarthy's men some hope but Jonas Gutierrez killed that off with the fourth in stoppage time.
West Ham and Wolves are one point adrift of safety with Wigan two points behind their Lancashire rivals Blackpool.
Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Aston Villa all remain in trouble at the bottom, just two points clear of the drop.
The pressure on Villa increased further after they failed to win at Everton despite Darren Bent giving them the lead twice.
But Blackburn and Birmingham had better days with Rovers gaining a point in a 0-0 draw at Arsenal while the Blues beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0.
The Championship
Table
WAYNE ROUTLEDGE scored twice as Queens Park Rangers continued their march to the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Sheffield United.
Routledge, on loan from Newcastle United where he won the Championship last season, opened the scoring on 29 minutes with a volley.
Alejandro Faurlin doubled the lead with a 20-yard drive after a corner had only been half-cleared by the Blades' defence.
Then Routledge wrapped up the three points with a shot across the goalkeeper to put Rangers nine points clear.
Norwich City are in second place on 70 points after Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson both scored hat-tricks in a 6-0 win over Scunthorpe United.
The Canaries are four points clear of Welsh pair Cardiff City and Swansea City who enjoyed contrasting fortunes this weekend.
While Cardiff were beating Derby County 4-1, the Swans lost 2-1 at bottom of the table Preston North End thanks to Ian Hume's late goal.
Leeds United are fifth after their 4-1 win over Nottingham Forest, which was shown live on BBC1.
Simon Grayson's men took advantage of Chris Cohen's harsh sending off for Forest by hitting four second half goals in front of almost 30,000 at Elland Road.
Forest have now failed to win any of their last nine games meaning Reading have now moved above them into the playoff spots.
The Royals are the form team of the division with 16 points out of their last 18 propelling them into the top six.
They have a chance to extend that run further on Tuesday with their game in hand against Preston.
Of course, that match is just as vital for the Lilywhites who remain entrenched in the bottom three despite victory over Swansea.
At least that win lifted the proud Lancashire club off the bottom and above Scunthorpe, though both clubs have just 34 points.
But, whereas Phil Brown's Preston look up for the fight, the Irons' body language at Norwich suggested there was not much left in them.
Similarly, Sheffield United - who are just one point better off - look doomed after that defeat at Loftus Road.
Despite Preston's recent efforts, it looks like the bottom three, as they are now, will go down with fourth-bottom Crystal Palace seven points clear.
That is a lot of breathing room at this stage and the Eagles further boosted their chances with a 2-1 win over Barnsley at Selhurst Park.
James Vaughan, on loan from Everton, scored the late winner with a penalty after Neil Danns and Marlon Harewood had shared first-half goals.
League One
Table
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION look set to christen their new stadium in Falmer with Championship football after eight straight wins in March left them sitting pretty at the top of League One.
Gus Poyet's men actually dropped points for the first time since the end of February in a 2-2 draw with Rochdale on Saturday but the Seagulls still remain 11 points clear as it stands.
Huddersfield Town are in second place, on 73 points, on the back of a 19-match unbeaten run which stretches back to the end of 2010.
But third-placed Southampton are breathing down the Terriers neck after also hitting form. The Saints are just two points behind with two games in hand after their 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic tonight made it 19 points out of their last 21.
Peterborough United, in fourth on 70 points, also remain in the hunt for automatic promotion. But, despite taking their goal tally in the League to 93 for the season, Darren Ferguson's men have been hampered by poor recent form.
Posh took just two points from games against Milton Keynes Dons and Bristol Rovers away, and Bournemouth at home.
In fairness to Ferguson, those were tough fixtures with MK Dons in fifth, Bournemouth in sixth and Rovers having improved to drag themselves away from the bottom.
But, unlike Posh, neither the Dons nor the Cherries are in a position to join Brighton in securing automatic promotion, lying eight and 10 points behind Huddersfield respectively.
More likely, they will be satisfied with retaining their playoff spot and denying the likes of seventh-placed Rochdale and Leyton Orient, in eighth, both of whom continue to threaten a top-six finish.
That represents a magnificent effort in particular by the Dale having only been promoted from the basement division for the first time in 36 years last season.
Undoubtedly heading that way are Plymouth Argyle who were playing in the Championship last season.
Now the Pilgrims are staring into the abyss, having already been deducted 10 points for going into administration, leaving them nine adrift of safety on 33 from 39 games.
Swindon Town have similarly crashed hard this season after losing the League One playoff final last year. The Robins have now failed to win in 18 matches to lie seven points adrift of safety on 35 from 40 matches.
The other clubs currently in the relegation places, Walsall and Dagenham & Redbridge, retain more hope of survival as they are only two points and one point adrift respectively.
Fifth-bottom Notts County are in the most danger of being caught and they parted with Paul Ince by mutual consent, leaving Chris Powell at Charlton as the only black manager in English league football.
Ince leaves the Magpies on the edge of the trap door on 42 points though they have a game in hand on Walsall and Dagenham below them.
Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers also remain in trouble on 43 points each with the former having played 40 games, more than any of their relegation rivals except Swindon.
Against that, though, the Pirates are sixth in the form table over the last six games, having won four and drawn one, including a 1-0 win over Bournemouth tonight.
By contrast, Tranmere have won just one of their last 11 games and went down to a 4-0 hammering by mid-table Sheffield Wednesday in their most recent match.
Meanwhile, at Wembley, the Football League Trophy Final was contested by two mid-table League One teams, Carlisle United and Brentford.
Greg Abbott's Carlisle, who were beaten 4-1 in the Final last season by Southampton, proved better for that horrid experience by grinding out a 1-0 win over the Bees in front of a crowd of 40,476 this time.
Long-serving defender Peter Murphy celebrated the birth of his first child two days prior by scoring the winner on 12 minutes and the Cumbrians held on for their second Football League Trophy from six finals appearances.
League Two
Table
CHESTERFIELD completed a routine 2-0 home win over Port Vale on Saturday as they consolidated their big lead at the top of League Two.
John Sheridan's Spireites hold a 10 point advantage over Wycombe Wanderers in second after the Chairboys failed to take full advantage of their game in hand by drawing 0-0 with Hereford United tonight.
Still, that point put Wycombe on 68 points, two clear of Shrewsbury Town in third after the Shropshire side improved their chances of promotion with a three-match winning run.
However, Bury - in fourth on 65 points - are just a point adrift of the Shrews with a game in hand though they have won just one of their last five matches.
Fifth-placed Stevenage look a better bet to sneak into the top three after their 2-1 win over Bradford City on Saturday made it six wins in a row and nine wins in 11 games.
If the Boro had not started the season so tentatively, then they would already be in an automatic promotion spot but, as it is, they are still just three points below Shrewsbury in third.
Accrington Stanley are also on 63 points after they won their game in hand over Southend United 3-1 to extend their winning run to three matches and their unbeaten run to seven.
And Torquay United, on 62 points, remain in contention after their 2-0 win over Lincoln City kept them in the last playoff position, just four points adrift of third.
Gillingham, on 61 points, Port Vale, on 60 points, and Rotherham United, on 59, all harbour realistic hopes of securing at least a playoff place as the season moves into its final six games.
The Gills have lost just twice in the League since November but nine draws out of their last 13 matches have rather undermined their promotion effort.
Meanwhile, Port Vale and Rotherham have started to struggle at the worst possible time. Vale have won just one of their last seven matches, while the Millers have won just one of their last eight.
The Yorkshire club also parted company with manager Ronnie Moore in the middle of that run after a 5-0 defeat to champions-elect Chesterfield before going on to beat Lincoln 6-0 in their next game.
Fifth-bottom Lincoln have now lost their last four matches and remain on just 46 points but this is still some eight clear of the bottom two in the relegation places, Barnet and Stockport County.
The struggling pair's best hopes lie in the form of Northampton Town and Burton Albion who cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw at the Pirelli Stadium tonight.
The stalemate leaves the Cobblers on 43 points from 40 games - and without a win in 14 games - as they edge five points away from the drop zone.
Burton have two games in hand on all the teams around them though they currently have just 41 points from 38 matches.
And those extra games for the Brewers - at Bury and Bradford City - mean the bottom two remain strong favourites for the drop.
Barnet are in the slightly better position on 38 points having beaten Burton 4-1 in their most recent game, giving Martin Allen - nicknamed Mad Dog - a great start to life at Underhill.
Less likely to survive are Stockport whose 2-0 defeat at Wycombe left the Hatters six points adrift of safety with by far the worst goal difference in the Football League.
Blue Square Premier
Table
CRAWLEY TOWN crept to within a single win of promotion to the Football League after gaining a 1-1 draw at York City to extend their unbeaten run in the Blue Square Premier to 24 games tonight.
The Red Devils, who also caused a fright to their identically-nicknamed superiors Manchester United in the FA Cup Fifth Round, are now 14 points clear of AFC Wimbledon.
Wimbledon now appear to have recovered from a four-game winless wobble by winning their last two but it is blatantly clear now that the Dons must now prepare for the playoffs.
Third-placed Luton Town are also resigned to an extension of their season having won just one of their last six games despite replacing manager Richard Money with Gary Brabin during that run.
Wrexham, in fourth on 70 points, look fairly likely to be in a playoff spot but the last place is very much up for grabs.
Fleetwood Town, only just promoted from Blue Square North last season, currently occupy fifth spot on 66 points but Kidderminster Harriers are level on points with a game in hand.
The Harriers would already been in there, save for a five-point deduction, but they enter into the run-in on the back of a 14 match unbeaten run making them clear favourites for fifth.
Nevertheless, York - who are three points behind on 63 points - and Newport County - six behind on 60 - will still harbour hopes of a late dash.
At the bottom, there is a mad scramble to avoid relegation with two points separating Barrow AFC in 17th and Altrincham in 22nd.
All the teams expect Barrow have played 41 games with the Cumbrian outfit having the benefit of a game in hand.
As it stands tonight, Barrow have 43 points with that game in hand, Tamworth also have 43 points, Southport and Hayes & Yeading are on 42, and Forest Green Rovers and Altrincham currently occupy relegation places on 41.
Below them, there is little hope for Eastbourne Boro on 32 points and Histon on 27 despite both having a game in hand on all the teams above them - except for Barrow.
In Blue Square North, Alfreton Town look set to take the automatic promotion place while the title in Blue Square South is up for grabs between Braintree and Farnborough.
Braintree currently hold a one-point lead with five games left but Farnborough are in better form with 19 points out of their last 21, including most recently a 3-0 win over Hampshire rivals Eastleigh.
Table
WAYNE ROONEY picked up a two-match ban today for his foul-mouthed tirade at the camera after scoring a hat-trick in Manchester United's 4-2 win at West Ham United.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men came from 2-0 down at half time with a fine second half performance as Rooney struck three times and Javier Hernandez once.
Two Mark Noble penalties had given the Hammers their deserved two-goal half time lead with Nemanja Vidic lucky to stay on the pitch for a foul on Demba Ba.
But the Rooney show began on 65 minutes with a brilliant curling free-kick before the England striker equalised eight minutes later.
Rooney tucked away a penalty on 79 minutes to give the Red Devils the lead before Hernandez wrapped up the win with a tap-in.
The victory came on a potentially decisive day in the Premier League title race as Arsenal and Chelsea later drew with Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.
Manchester United are now seven points clear of second-placed Arsenal while Chelsea dropped to fourth behind Manchester City.
City moved third with perhaps their finest display of the season as five different scorers contributed to a 5-0 thumping of Sunderland.
Roberto Mancini's men were 2-0 up in 15 minutes after an Adam Johnson strike and a Carlos Tevez penalty.
Another two quick goals in the second half by David Silva and Patrick Vieira ended the game as a contest before Yaya Toure rubbed further salt in the wounds late on.
City have 56 points from 31 games - ahead of Chelsea by one point and Tottenham Hotspur by six - but both London clubs have a game in hand.
Fifth-placed Spurs disappointed this weekend with their third successive 0-0 draw in all competitions, this time against Wigan Athletic.
There was the feeling that Harry Redknapp's men were keeping their powder dry for their Champions League quarter final clash against Real Madrid this week.
But, at this rate, they will struggle to qualify for Europe's elite competition through the league this season.
Instead, Spurs may have to make do with the Europa League but that is more than Liverpool can expect from their woeful campaign.
The Reds lost their 12th league game of 2010/11 against West Bromwich Albion though Kenny Dalglish's team still look set for a sixth-place finish.
West Brom's win at the Hawthorns came thanks to two penalties from Chris Brunt and pulled the Baggies four points clear of the drop zone.
It was a good day for Roy Hodgson who got one over on the club who sacked him while another of his previous clubs, Fulham, also pulled themselves clear.
On the day that a Michael Jackson statue was unveiled outside of Craven Cottage, Mark Hughes' men produced a thriller of a performance to beat Blackpool 3-0.
Ian Holloway's Seasiders struggled defensively as Bobby Zamora scored twice to leave them vulnerable in 17th, just one point and one place above the relegation zone.
West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic currently fill those places they all failed to win this weekend.
While West Ham lost against Manchester United and Wigan Athletic drew at Spurs, Wolves were dreadfully disappointing in their 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United.
The Magpies stormed into a 3-0 lead just after half-time following goals from Kevin Nolan, Shola Ameobi and Peter Lovenkrands.
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake gave Mick McCarthy's men some hope but Jonas Gutierrez killed that off with the fourth in stoppage time.
West Ham and Wolves are one point adrift of safety with Wigan two points behind their Lancashire rivals Blackpool.
Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Aston Villa all remain in trouble at the bottom, just two points clear of the drop.
The pressure on Villa increased further after they failed to win at Everton despite Darren Bent giving them the lead twice.
But Blackburn and Birmingham had better days with Rovers gaining a point in a 0-0 draw at Arsenal while the Blues beat Bolton Wanderers 2-0.
The Championship
Table
WAYNE ROUTLEDGE scored twice as Queens Park Rangers continued their march to the Premier League with a 3-0 win over Sheffield United.
Routledge, on loan from Newcastle United where he won the Championship last season, opened the scoring on 29 minutes with a volley.
Alejandro Faurlin doubled the lead with a 20-yard drive after a corner had only been half-cleared by the Blades' defence.
Then Routledge wrapped up the three points with a shot across the goalkeeper to put Rangers nine points clear.
Norwich City are in second place on 70 points after Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson both scored hat-tricks in a 6-0 win over Scunthorpe United.
The Canaries are four points clear of Welsh pair Cardiff City and Swansea City who enjoyed contrasting fortunes this weekend.
While Cardiff were beating Derby County 4-1, the Swans lost 2-1 at bottom of the table Preston North End thanks to Ian Hume's late goal.
Leeds United are fifth after their 4-1 win over Nottingham Forest, which was shown live on BBC1.
Simon Grayson's men took advantage of Chris Cohen's harsh sending off for Forest by hitting four second half goals in front of almost 30,000 at Elland Road.
Forest have now failed to win any of their last nine games meaning Reading have now moved above them into the playoff spots.
The Royals are the form team of the division with 16 points out of their last 18 propelling them into the top six.
They have a chance to extend that run further on Tuesday with their game in hand against Preston.
Of course, that match is just as vital for the Lilywhites who remain entrenched in the bottom three despite victory over Swansea.
At least that win lifted the proud Lancashire club off the bottom and above Scunthorpe, though both clubs have just 34 points.
But, whereas Phil Brown's Preston look up for the fight, the Irons' body language at Norwich suggested there was not much left in them.
Similarly, Sheffield United - who are just one point better off - look doomed after that defeat at Loftus Road.
Despite Preston's recent efforts, it looks like the bottom three, as they are now, will go down with fourth-bottom Crystal Palace seven points clear.
That is a lot of breathing room at this stage and the Eagles further boosted their chances with a 2-1 win over Barnsley at Selhurst Park.
James Vaughan, on loan from Everton, scored the late winner with a penalty after Neil Danns and Marlon Harewood had shared first-half goals.
League One
Table
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION look set to christen their new stadium in Falmer with Championship football after eight straight wins in March left them sitting pretty at the top of League One.
Gus Poyet's men actually dropped points for the first time since the end of February in a 2-2 draw with Rochdale on Saturday but the Seagulls still remain 11 points clear as it stands.
Huddersfield Town are in second place, on 73 points, on the back of a 19-match unbeaten run which stretches back to the end of 2010.
But third-placed Southampton are breathing down the Terriers neck after also hitting form. The Saints are just two points behind with two games in hand after their 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic tonight made it 19 points out of their last 21.
Peterborough United, in fourth on 70 points, also remain in the hunt for automatic promotion. But, despite taking their goal tally in the League to 93 for the season, Darren Ferguson's men have been hampered by poor recent form.
Posh took just two points from games against Milton Keynes Dons and Bristol Rovers away, and Bournemouth at home.
In fairness to Ferguson, those were tough fixtures with MK Dons in fifth, Bournemouth in sixth and Rovers having improved to drag themselves away from the bottom.
But, unlike Posh, neither the Dons nor the Cherries are in a position to join Brighton in securing automatic promotion, lying eight and 10 points behind Huddersfield respectively.
More likely, they will be satisfied with retaining their playoff spot and denying the likes of seventh-placed Rochdale and Leyton Orient, in eighth, both of whom continue to threaten a top-six finish.
That represents a magnificent effort in particular by the Dale having only been promoted from the basement division for the first time in 36 years last season.
Undoubtedly heading that way are Plymouth Argyle who were playing in the Championship last season.
Now the Pilgrims are staring into the abyss, having already been deducted 10 points for going into administration, leaving them nine adrift of safety on 33 from 39 games.
Swindon Town have similarly crashed hard this season after losing the League One playoff final last year. The Robins have now failed to win in 18 matches to lie seven points adrift of safety on 35 from 40 matches.
The other clubs currently in the relegation places, Walsall and Dagenham & Redbridge, retain more hope of survival as they are only two points and one point adrift respectively.
Fifth-bottom Notts County are in the most danger of being caught and they parted with Paul Ince by mutual consent, leaving Chris Powell at Charlton as the only black manager in English league football.
Ince leaves the Magpies on the edge of the trap door on 42 points though they have a game in hand on Walsall and Dagenham below them.
Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers also remain in trouble on 43 points each with the former having played 40 games, more than any of their relegation rivals except Swindon.
Against that, though, the Pirates are sixth in the form table over the last six games, having won four and drawn one, including a 1-0 win over Bournemouth tonight.
By contrast, Tranmere have won just one of their last 11 games and went down to a 4-0 hammering by mid-table Sheffield Wednesday in their most recent match.
Meanwhile, at Wembley, the Football League Trophy Final was contested by two mid-table League One teams, Carlisle United and Brentford.
Greg Abbott's Carlisle, who were beaten 4-1 in the Final last season by Southampton, proved better for that horrid experience by grinding out a 1-0 win over the Bees in front of a crowd of 40,476 this time.
Long-serving defender Peter Murphy celebrated the birth of his first child two days prior by scoring the winner on 12 minutes and the Cumbrians held on for their second Football League Trophy from six finals appearances.
League Two
Table
CHESTERFIELD completed a routine 2-0 home win over Port Vale on Saturday as they consolidated their big lead at the top of League Two.
John Sheridan's Spireites hold a 10 point advantage over Wycombe Wanderers in second after the Chairboys failed to take full advantage of their game in hand by drawing 0-0 with Hereford United tonight.
Still, that point put Wycombe on 68 points, two clear of Shrewsbury Town in third after the Shropshire side improved their chances of promotion with a three-match winning run.
However, Bury - in fourth on 65 points - are just a point adrift of the Shrews with a game in hand though they have won just one of their last five matches.
Fifth-placed Stevenage look a better bet to sneak into the top three after their 2-1 win over Bradford City on Saturday made it six wins in a row and nine wins in 11 games.
If the Boro had not started the season so tentatively, then they would already be in an automatic promotion spot but, as it is, they are still just three points below Shrewsbury in third.
Accrington Stanley are also on 63 points after they won their game in hand over Southend United 3-1 to extend their winning run to three matches and their unbeaten run to seven.
And Torquay United, on 62 points, remain in contention after their 2-0 win over Lincoln City kept them in the last playoff position, just four points adrift of third.
Gillingham, on 61 points, Port Vale, on 60 points, and Rotherham United, on 59, all harbour realistic hopes of securing at least a playoff place as the season moves into its final six games.
The Gills have lost just twice in the League since November but nine draws out of their last 13 matches have rather undermined their promotion effort.
Meanwhile, Port Vale and Rotherham have started to struggle at the worst possible time. Vale have won just one of their last seven matches, while the Millers have won just one of their last eight.
The Yorkshire club also parted company with manager Ronnie Moore in the middle of that run after a 5-0 defeat to champions-elect Chesterfield before going on to beat Lincoln 6-0 in their next game.
Fifth-bottom Lincoln have now lost their last four matches and remain on just 46 points but this is still some eight clear of the bottom two in the relegation places, Barnet and Stockport County.
The struggling pair's best hopes lie in the form of Northampton Town and Burton Albion who cancelled each other out in a 1-1 draw at the Pirelli Stadium tonight.
The stalemate leaves the Cobblers on 43 points from 40 games - and without a win in 14 games - as they edge five points away from the drop zone.
Burton have two games in hand on all the teams around them though they currently have just 41 points from 38 matches.
And those extra games for the Brewers - at Bury and Bradford City - mean the bottom two remain strong favourites for the drop.
Barnet are in the slightly better position on 38 points having beaten Burton 4-1 in their most recent game, giving Martin Allen - nicknamed Mad Dog - a great start to life at Underhill.
Less likely to survive are Stockport whose 2-0 defeat at Wycombe left the Hatters six points adrift of safety with by far the worst goal difference in the Football League.
Blue Square Premier
Table
CRAWLEY TOWN crept to within a single win of promotion to the Football League after gaining a 1-1 draw at York City to extend their unbeaten run in the Blue Square Premier to 24 games tonight.
The Red Devils, who also caused a fright to their identically-nicknamed superiors Manchester United in the FA Cup Fifth Round, are now 14 points clear of AFC Wimbledon.
Wimbledon now appear to have recovered from a four-game winless wobble by winning their last two but it is blatantly clear now that the Dons must now prepare for the playoffs.
Third-placed Luton Town are also resigned to an extension of their season having won just one of their last six games despite replacing manager Richard Money with Gary Brabin during that run.
Wrexham, in fourth on 70 points, look fairly likely to be in a playoff spot but the last place is very much up for grabs.
Fleetwood Town, only just promoted from Blue Square North last season, currently occupy fifth spot on 66 points but Kidderminster Harriers are level on points with a game in hand.
The Harriers would already been in there, save for a five-point deduction, but they enter into the run-in on the back of a 14 match unbeaten run making them clear favourites for fifth.
Nevertheless, York - who are three points behind on 63 points - and Newport County - six behind on 60 - will still harbour hopes of a late dash.
At the bottom, there is a mad scramble to avoid relegation with two points separating Barrow AFC in 17th and Altrincham in 22nd.
All the teams expect Barrow have played 41 games with the Cumbrian outfit having the benefit of a game in hand.
As it stands tonight, Barrow have 43 points with that game in hand, Tamworth also have 43 points, Southport and Hayes & Yeading are on 42, and Forest Green Rovers and Altrincham currently occupy relegation places on 41.
Below them, there is little hope for Eastbourne Boro on 32 points and Histon on 27 despite both having a game in hand on all the teams above them - except for Barrow.
In Blue Square North, Alfreton Town look set to take the automatic promotion place while the title in Blue Square South is up for grabs between Braintree and Farnborough.
Braintree currently hold a one-point lead with five games left but Farnborough are in better form with 19 points out of their last 21, including most recently a 3-0 win over Hampshire rivals Eastleigh.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Cricket World Cup Final: Dhoni leads India to World Cup glory
INDIA277-4 [Dhoni 91*, Gambhir 74] beat SRI LANKA 274-6 [Jayawardene 103*] by six wickets
Full scorecards: BBC - Cricinfo
Full World Cup results: The Intrepid Reporter
INDIA captain MS Dhoni hit a stunning 91 not out off 76 balls to lead his team to their first World Cup success since 1983.
Dhoni smacked a six off Nuwan Kulasekara to confirm India's place as the best One Day International cricket team in the world with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
Sachin Tendulkar failed to score his 100th international century but, nonetheless, India dedicated their long-awaited World Cup win to the legendary batsman.
However, the sport's showpiece event began in controversial circumstances after match referee Jeffrey Crowe held the toss twice.
Crowe claimed he could not hear the original call of "heads" by Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara and he then won the second toss before unsurprisingly opting to bat.
Thankfully, from then on, the cricket ruled the day as pair of well-matched teams produced the scintillating Final in front of a vivacious atmosphere.
The home fans were celebrating early on in the Sri Lankan innings as Upul Tharanga edged Zaheer Khan to Virender Sehwag at slip on just two.
Fellow opener Tillakaratne Dilshan did a little better but he was also unable to produce a match-winning score after falling after attempting to sweep Harbhajan Singh on 33.
And so, in the 17th over, Sri Lanka were 60-2 with the two best openers statistically in the tournament both removed.
India's early dominance continued in the 28th over when Sangakkara feathered Yuvraj Singh behind to Dhoni for 48.
Then, just as the Sri Lankans were building up a head of steam, Thilan Samaraweera was trapped lbw by Yuvraj and given out after a successful Indian appeal to the third umpire.
Sri Lanka's 179-4 was soon 182-5 after Chamara Kapugedera gave a simple catch to Suresh Raina at short extra cover off Zaheer for a solitary run in the 40th over.
At that stage, it did not look as if Sri Lanka were going to set a particularly challenging score but this World Cup has become memorable for some of the greatest ODI matches of all time.
Of course, England were involved in a few - against Ireland, South Africa and the West Indies - but there have also been thrilling finishes throughout the whole tournament.
Games have ebbed and flowed - and this Final was to prove no exception.
Sri Lanka did end up posting an imposing total of 274 by scoring 91 runs off the final 10 overs thanks mainly to unfortunate Mahela Jayawardene who hit 103 not out in vain.
Meanwhile, the noble Kulasekara, who sacrificed his wicket on 32 when being run out to keep Jayawardene on strike, and the unbeaten Thisara Perera on 22 provided notable assistance in the final overs.
Around the ground, there was a tentative feeling that the pendulum had swung in Sri Lanka's favour.
And that tension became outright panic when the unorthodox Lasith Malinga enjoyed a brilliant opening spell as India set about chasing 275 for victory.
First, Sehwag, one of the best openers currently playing, was trapped lbw for a second-ball duck.
Then, in the seventh over, Tendulkar also fell to Malinga for 18 as Sangakkara took an excellent low catch behind the stumps.
Sri Lanka had clearly failed to read the script that Tendulkar would score his 100th international century and lead India to victory. Instead, the hosts were 31-2 and the Wankhede stadium had fallen into silence.
There then followed a quieter period in the game as Sri Lanka sat back satisfied with their start and India set about trying to rebuild their innings.
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli put on 83 for the third wicket before Kohli's wicket fell for 35 in the 22nd over after Dilshan took a brilliant one-handed return catch.
The wicket meant Sri Lanka stayed favourites at that point with India at 114-3 but the departure of Kholi saw the surprise introduction of Dhoni.
Dhoni, under immense pressure having promoted himself up the order, joined Gambhir and set about completing the job of resurrecting the Indian innings.
The pair progressed slowly at first before both men grew in confidence once India moved passed the 150 mark in the 30th over.
Sri Lanka's bowling became ragged with Kulasekara and Perera proving particularly expensive but the latter then attempted to turn the game around again by bowling Gambhir on 97.
India were 223-4, still requiring another 52 runs off 50 balls, but of all the batsmen which India could call upon, Yuvraj Singh was probably the best bet in this World Cup.
Yuvraj had scored heavily with the bat and excelled with the ball, picking up four man-of-the-match awards and deservedly ending up as player of the tournament.
Here, though, he was reduced to a mere support act role with Dhoni seemingly determined to take centre stage.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Sangakkara had started to lose his nerve, reintroducing Kulasekara when Muttiah Muralitharan, playing in his last World Cup, still had two overs to bowl.
Murali made his position well-known with a brief remonstration in the direction of his captain before Kulasekara then conceded 11 off the over.
And, with the finishing line in sight, Sri Lanka's last remaining threat Malinga bowled a series of poor balls which were gleefully knocked away by the Indians again for 11 off the over.
Kulasekara was again entrusted with the 49th over and Yuvraj knocked an easy single off the first ball to backward point to bring Dhoni back on strike.
Dhoni made no mistake, smashing the ball into the stand over long-on to send 1.2 billion Indians into raptured as the Wankhede erupted into a wall of noise.
This victory had been a long time coming - 28 years, in fact - but finally it meant this generation of Indians could enjoy international success. They have now set the benchmark for others to beat.
Of course, much has been made of the introduction of Twenty20 and its effect on the 50-over game. This is especially the case in India where the IPL has really captured the imagination.
But the fact that India have now won the World Cup should give the 50-over version the shot in the arm which it hugely needed.
Overall, though, it is a boost which it richly deserves after this wonderful, if excessively long, display of the world's top cricket talent.
World Cup 2011: Top five leading run-scorers
500 Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)
482 Sachin Tendulkar (India)
465 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
422 Jonathan Trott (England)
395 Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka)
World Cup 2011: Top five wicket-takers
21 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Zaheer Khan (India)
18 Tim Southee (New Zealand)
15 Robin Peterson (South Africa), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
Full World Cup 2011 stats: Wikipedia
Full scorecards: BBC - Cricinfo
Full World Cup results: The Intrepid Reporter
INDIA captain MS Dhoni hit a stunning 91 not out off 76 balls to lead his team to their first World Cup success since 1983.
Dhoni smacked a six off Nuwan Kulasekara to confirm India's place as the best One Day International cricket team in the world with a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.
Sachin Tendulkar failed to score his 100th international century but, nonetheless, India dedicated their long-awaited World Cup win to the legendary batsman.
However, the sport's showpiece event began in controversial circumstances after match referee Jeffrey Crowe held the toss twice.
Crowe claimed he could not hear the original call of "heads" by Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara and he then won the second toss before unsurprisingly opting to bat.
Thankfully, from then on, the cricket ruled the day as pair of well-matched teams produced the scintillating Final in front of a vivacious atmosphere.
The home fans were celebrating early on in the Sri Lankan innings as Upul Tharanga edged Zaheer Khan to Virender Sehwag at slip on just two.
Fellow opener Tillakaratne Dilshan did a little better but he was also unable to produce a match-winning score after falling after attempting to sweep Harbhajan Singh on 33.
And so, in the 17th over, Sri Lanka were 60-2 with the two best openers statistically in the tournament both removed.
India's early dominance continued in the 28th over when Sangakkara feathered Yuvraj Singh behind to Dhoni for 48.
Then, just as the Sri Lankans were building up a head of steam, Thilan Samaraweera was trapped lbw by Yuvraj and given out after a successful Indian appeal to the third umpire.
Sri Lanka's 179-4 was soon 182-5 after Chamara Kapugedera gave a simple catch to Suresh Raina at short extra cover off Zaheer for a solitary run in the 40th over.
At that stage, it did not look as if Sri Lanka were going to set a particularly challenging score but this World Cup has become memorable for some of the greatest ODI matches of all time.
Of course, England were involved in a few - against Ireland, South Africa and the West Indies - but there have also been thrilling finishes throughout the whole tournament.
Games have ebbed and flowed - and this Final was to prove no exception.
Sri Lanka did end up posting an imposing total of 274 by scoring 91 runs off the final 10 overs thanks mainly to unfortunate Mahela Jayawardene who hit 103 not out in vain.
Meanwhile, the noble Kulasekara, who sacrificed his wicket on 32 when being run out to keep Jayawardene on strike, and the unbeaten Thisara Perera on 22 provided notable assistance in the final overs.
Around the ground, there was a tentative feeling that the pendulum had swung in Sri Lanka's favour.
And that tension became outright panic when the unorthodox Lasith Malinga enjoyed a brilliant opening spell as India set about chasing 275 for victory.
First, Sehwag, one of the best openers currently playing, was trapped lbw for a second-ball duck.
Then, in the seventh over, Tendulkar also fell to Malinga for 18 as Sangakkara took an excellent low catch behind the stumps.
Sri Lanka had clearly failed to read the script that Tendulkar would score his 100th international century and lead India to victory. Instead, the hosts were 31-2 and the Wankhede stadium had fallen into silence.
There then followed a quieter period in the game as Sri Lanka sat back satisfied with their start and India set about trying to rebuild their innings.
Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli put on 83 for the third wicket before Kohli's wicket fell for 35 in the 22nd over after Dilshan took a brilliant one-handed return catch.
The wicket meant Sri Lanka stayed favourites at that point with India at 114-3 but the departure of Kholi saw the surprise introduction of Dhoni.
Dhoni, under immense pressure having promoted himself up the order, joined Gambhir and set about completing the job of resurrecting the Indian innings.
The pair progressed slowly at first before both men grew in confidence once India moved passed the 150 mark in the 30th over.
Sri Lanka's bowling became ragged with Kulasekara and Perera proving particularly expensive but the latter then attempted to turn the game around again by bowling Gambhir on 97.
India were 223-4, still requiring another 52 runs off 50 balls, but of all the batsmen which India could call upon, Yuvraj Singh was probably the best bet in this World Cup.
Yuvraj had scored heavily with the bat and excelled with the ball, picking up four man-of-the-match awards and deservedly ending up as player of the tournament.
Here, though, he was reduced to a mere support act role with Dhoni seemingly determined to take centre stage.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Sangakkara had started to lose his nerve, reintroducing Kulasekara when Muttiah Muralitharan, playing in his last World Cup, still had two overs to bowl.
Murali made his position well-known with a brief remonstration in the direction of his captain before Kulasekara then conceded 11 off the over.
And, with the finishing line in sight, Sri Lanka's last remaining threat Malinga bowled a series of poor balls which were gleefully knocked away by the Indians again for 11 off the over.
Kulasekara was again entrusted with the 49th over and Yuvraj knocked an easy single off the first ball to backward point to bring Dhoni back on strike.
Dhoni made no mistake, smashing the ball into the stand over long-on to send 1.2 billion Indians into raptured as the Wankhede erupted into a wall of noise.
This victory had been a long time coming - 28 years, in fact - but finally it meant this generation of Indians could enjoy international success. They have now set the benchmark for others to beat.
Of course, much has been made of the introduction of Twenty20 and its effect on the 50-over game. This is especially the case in India where the IPL has really captured the imagination.
But the fact that India have now won the World Cup should give the 50-over version the shot in the arm which it hugely needed.
Overall, though, it is a boost which it richly deserves after this wonderful, if excessively long, display of the world's top cricket talent.
World Cup 2011: Top five leading run-scorers
500 Tillakaratne Dilshan (Sri Lanka)
482 Sachin Tendulkar (India)
465 Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)
422 Jonathan Trott (England)
395 Upul Tharanga (Sri Lanka)
World Cup 2011: Top five wicket-takers
21 Shahid Afridi (Pakistan), Zaheer Khan (India)
18 Tim Southee (New Zealand)
15 Robin Peterson (South Africa), Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka)
Full World Cup 2011 stats: Wikipedia
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