Another nail in the coffin

THE offices of the oldest provincial evening newspaper in England will close after regional publishers Johnston Press announced the creation of a new editorial hub on the outskirts of Sunderland.

Staff at the Shields Gazette were told of the move yesterday. Their paper was first published in 1849, 163 years ago.

Meanwhile, reporters on another of the papers in the Johnston Press north east stable - the Hartlepool Mail - have also been told that they will be affected.

The company expects there to be 15 redundancies in all - six of these will be in editorial and nine in advertising.

Worryingly, this news follows quickly from last week's announcement by Johnston Press that five of its daily papers would instead be published on a weekly basis from next month.

In that case, the titles affected were the Peterborough Evening Telegraph, the Scarborough Evening News, the Halifax Courier, the Northampton Chronicle and Echo, and the Northants Evening Telegraph.

Apparently, it is all part of "a major redesign exercise", according to the company executives with their heads in the clouds.

But the reality on the ground is rather different.

For a start, the removal of the Shields Gazette will deny part of the town its identity. Although the town is only five miles further up the coast from Sunderland, it is big enough in itself to have its own distinct sense of community; Hartlepool, rather more ludicrously, is 17 miles away.

In actual fact, the offices to which they are moving - on the Pennywell Industrial Estate - are barely fit for the purpose of reporting on Sunderland, never mind anywhere else.

Some four miles outside the city centre, the Echo moved there from Bridge Street in 1976. So much for the idea that a local newspaper should be at the centre of the action.

And, far from the appearance of Rupert Murdoch at the Leveson Inquiry this week - in which he told us pretty much what we already knew about his relationships with various Prime Ministers - this announcement by Johnston Press is far more relevant to the state of British journalism today.

It is certainly a matter which is closer to me than the ongoing circus in Westminster: in the past, I have done work experience at the Echo and another of the north east Johnston Press papers, and I also have a few friends who work for the company.

I can only imagine that they will be worried by this news, but no doubt they will continue working as diligently as ever for their respective publications, despite the uncertain background.

Without wishing ill on them, though, it seems rather inevitable that they too will be caught up by the Johnston Press axe in some way before it is over.

This is the real story of modern day British journalism, not Murdoch or Leveson as the rolling news channels would have you believe. Sadly, this story only seems to have losers.

The biggest losers in this case are, of course, the readers of the Shields Gazette and the Hartlepool Mail who will no longer have a paper which can serve them fully.

However, in terms of the industry, the reporters will also lose out - either directly by having been put out of a job or indirectly by facing extra workloads and/or travel times.

And finally, there are the naive many who once had hope of becoming a local news reporter but whose hope then turned to anxious desperation and has now just about run out.

These are sad times indeed for the British newspaper industry.

France ready to put its trust in Hollande

FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION FULL RESULT

	Party	Votes	Percentage
Francois Hollande	PS	10,273,582	28.63% - progress to 2nd round on 6 May
Nicolas Sarkozy	UMP	9,753,844	27.18% - progress to 2nd round on 6 May
Marine Le Pen	FN	6,421,773	17.90%
Jean-Luc Melenchon	FDG	3,985,298	11.11%
Francois Bayrou	MoDem	3,275,349	9.13%
Eva Joly	EELV	828,451	2.31%
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan	DLR	644,086	1.79%
Philippe Poutou	NPA	411,178	1.15%
Nathalie Arthaud	LO	202,562	0.56%
Jacques Cheminade	SP	89,572	0.25%

Turnout 36,585,858 (79.47%)


FRANCOIS HOLLANDE moved a step closer to the French presidency after Nicolas Sarkozy became the first incumbent in the Fifth Republic to lose in the first round of voting.

Mr Sarkozy scored 27.18% to fall narrowly short of his socialist rival Mr Hollande, who polled more than 10 million votes in a high turnout of almost 80%.

Meanwhile, rather worryingly for France, Marine Le Pen of the Front Nationale enjoyed her party's best ever result in terms of votes with over 6.4 million people favouring the far-right candidate.

Thankfully, the levels of support for Messieurs Sarkozy and Hollande meant that a repeat of the disastrous first round in 2002 was avoided.

That was when the political Left in France was so hopelessly divided that Marine's father, Jean-Marie, stunned Europe by making it into the run-off against Jacques Chirac.

A decade on and the left wing is much more united.

In fact, Jean-Luc Melenchon - the defeated hard-left candidate - has urged his supporters to switch to Mr Hollande in the second round on 6 May.

Happily for Mr Hollande, polls suggest that he can indeed be confident of receiving strong backing from the vast majority of Mr Melenchon's first round voters.

And that is certainly good news for him as, added altogether, the amount of people choosing left-wing candidates came to 44%.

Consequently, this would leave Mr Hollande needing to gain just another six percent, most of which will come from the people who opted for centrist Francois Bayrou.

By contrast, Mr Sarkozy is in need of a miracle if he is to avoid becoming the first French president since Valery Giscard d'Estaing in 1981 to fail to be re-elected.

Of course, it could have been much worse for this deeply unpopular president and his first round position vis-a-vis Mr Hollande actually makes it look like a close contest.

There is no way, though, that Mr Sarkozy can unite the political Right in the same way as the Left is currently unified. In fact, his name was roundly booed when Ms Le Pen mentioned it in her speech in a jubilant rally at her headquarters in Nanterre, just outside Paris.

Mr Sarkozy is generally seen as a traitor by FN supporters despite him directly engaging with far-right voters during the campaign by highlighting France's increased expulsion of immigrants. 

Frankly, this has been the measure of Mr Sarkozy - it has been desperate stuff, at times.

He even reached a point where he tried to score some cheap points and win some cheap votes with a jibe against the British economy.

But, whereas Mr Sarkozy's austerity programme is not a million miles away from the ideas of David Cameron, Mr Hollande seems to offer a genuine alternative to the UK's coalition government.

For, Mr Hollande has ambitious plans to invest in teachers and other aspects of state infrastructure while imposing a 75% tax on earnings above 1m euros.

The BBC's Robert Peston has his doubts over whether the level of overseas borrowing by France will allow him to do this, and he much expects the status quo to remain.

Certainly, it seems the FN are also hoping that nothing much changes. For, if France continues to struggle in a whirlpool of sovereign debt, then Mr Hollande will probably end up as discredited as Mr Sarkozy currently is.

Already, the FN is looking at making inroads against Mr Sarkozy's UMP party in the general election in June, thus building further on the momentum which it has gained in recent weeks. 

Still, it seems odd to me that a country which was occupied by Nazi forces between 1940 and 1944 is in any way attracted by this political extreme.

Perhaps, though, it is simply just the result of a more even-handed political system than in Britain.

Here, extremist parties on both flanks remain on the margins of political discourse whereas, in France, they are given almost as much exposure as the main contenders.

Incidentally, in the British press, Daily Mail columnist Richard Waghorne unequivocally gave Ms Le Pen his backing, proclaiming: "Despite her flaws, the only responsible vote in France... is one for Marine Le Pen."

But, while Waghorne's idiotic ramblings will sound pretty shocking to most British ears, it is not the first time that the Mail has been a cheerleader for the far-right.

"Hurrah for the Blackshirts" was the headline when the paper came out in support of Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists in 1934.

Thankfully, the French press reported this election in a slightly more level-headed manner.

Even the populist tabloid Le Figaro - certainly no fan of Mr Hollande - admitted rather begrudgingly that he now certainly holds the advantage.

However, top marks for inventiveness must go to the left-leaning newspaper Liberation which came up with a punchy six-word headline: "Hollande en tête - Le Pen trouble-fête".

The rhyme translates as "Hollande leads but Le Pen proves a spoilsport" - which just about sums up this election so far.

Back over to you, Messeurs Sarkozy et Hollande. 


FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: DEPARTMENT-BY-DEPARTMENT

Nicolas Sarkozy (UMP Union pour un Mouvement Populaire)
01 Ain

04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

05 Hautes-Alpes

10 Aube

13 Bouches-du-Rhone

2A Corse-de-Sud

2B Haute-Corse

21 Cote-d'Or

25 Doubs

26 Drome

27 Eure

28 Eure-et-Loir

37 Indre-et-Loire

39 Jura

41 Loir-et-Cher

45 Loiret

48 Lozere

49 Maine-et-Loire

50 Manche

51 Marne

52 Haute-Marne

53 Mayenne
55 Meuse
57 Moselle

60 Oise

61 Orne

67 Bas-Rhin

68 Haut-Rhin

69 Rhone

73 Savoie

74 Haute-Savoie

78 Yvelines

83 Var

84 Vaucluse

85 Vendee

88 Vosges

89 Yonne

92 Hauts-de-Seine

976 Mayotte

977 Saint-Barthelemy

987 Polynesie francaise

988 Nouvelle Caledonie

FE Fraincais de l'etranger

Francois Hollande (PS Parti socialiste) Note: GAIN means the area was won by Sarkozy in the first round in 2007.
02 Aisne - GAIN

03 Allier - GAIN

06 Alpes-Maritimes
07 Ardeches - GAIN

08 Ardennes - GAIN

09 Ariege

11 Aude

12 Aveyron - GAIN

14 Calvados - GAIN

15 Cantal - GAIN

16 Charente

17 Charente-Maritime - GAIN

18 Cher - GAIN

19 Correze

22 Cotes-d'Armor

23 Creuse

24 Dordogne

29 Finistere

31 Haute-Garonne

32 Gers

33 Gironde

34 Herault - GAIN

35 Ille-et-Vilaine

36 Indre - GAIN

38 Isere - GAIN

40 Landes

42 Loire - GAIN

43 Haute-Loire - GAIN

44 Loire-Atlantique

46 Lot

47 Lot-et-Garonne - GAIN

54 Meurthe-et-Moselle - GAIN

56 Morbihan - GAIN

58 Nievre

59 Nord - GAIN

62 Pas-de-Calais - GAIN

63 Puy-de-Dom

64 Pyrenees-Atlantiques - GAIN

65 Hautes-Pyrenees

66 Pyrenees-Orientales - GAIN

70 Haute-Saone - GAIN

71 Saone-et-Loire - GAIN

72 Sarthe - GAIN

75 Paris - GAIN

76 Seine-Maritime - GAIN

77 Seine-et-Marne - GAIN

79 Deux-Sevres

80 Somme - GAIN

81 Tarn

82 Tarn-et-Garonne - GAIN

86 Vienne

87 Haute-Vienne

90 Territoire de Belfort - GAIN

91 Essonne - GAIN

93 Seine-Saint-Denis

94 Val-de-Marne - GAIN

95 Val-d'Oise - GAIN

971 Guadeloupe - GAIN

972 Martinique

973 Guyane - GAIN

974 La Reunion

975 Saint-Pierre et Miquelon

978 Saint-Martin - GAIN

986 Wallis et Futuna - GAIN

Marine Le Pen (FN Front national)
30 Gard - NF GAIN

World Snooker preview: Teenager Brecel makes his breakthrough

Quarter 1:  
John Higgins (1) v Liang Wenbo
Stuart Bingham (16) v Stephen Hendry
Graeme Dott (9) v Joe Perry
Stephen Maguire (8) v Luca Brecel

LUCA BRECEL will become the youngest ever player to make his Crucible debut when he faces Scot Stephen Maguire in the first round on Sunday.

The 17-year-old from Dilsen-Stokkem in Belgium qualified for the main draw after battling through four rounds of preliminaries against Ian McCulloch, Barry Pinches, Michael Holt and Mark King.

And, having beaten King 10-8 in the fourth qualifying round, Brecel will break the record of Stephen Hendry from 1986 in being the youngest player at snooker's blue ribbon event in Sheffield.

Hendry, himself, had been subject to the qualifiers for the first time since 1988 after he dropped out of the top 16.

Nevertheless, the seven-time champion came through unscathed against China's Yu Delu, winning 10-6 in the final round, and he will now play the lowest seed, Stuart Bingham.

Brecel and Hendry are actually in the same quarter of the draw, and this quarter also features three-time and defending champion John Higgins.

The Wizard from Wishaw has had a quiet year in ranking tournaments but he should still have too much for the inconsistent Chinese player Liang Wenbo.

Liang blows hot and cold even within the course of a match sometimes - and this was no better exemplified than by his performance in the final qualifying round when he gave away an 8-2 lead against Marcus Campbell, only to win a deciding frame.

Hendry is now also too inconsistent to be a real threat for the title in the way that he was in the 1990s but he will fancy his chances against Bingham, and in doing so setting up a second round tie against Higgins.

Indeed, the whole top quarter is dominated by men from north of the border with another former world champion, Graeme Dott, seeded against Joe Perry as well as the aforementioned Maguire-Brecel match-up.

Dott seems to revel in the atmosphere at the Crucible, as the longer matches seem to give him more time to settle into his rhythm. As such, the 2006 champion will be strong favourite against Perry.

Similarly, Maguire should come through against Brecel for, as long as he remains cool in the competitive early tussles, experience usually wins out in the end.

Predictions: Higgins, Hendry, Dott and Maguire to make it an all-Scottish affair in the last 16 in this quarter.

Quarter 2:
Shaun Murphy (5) v Jamie Jones
Stephen Lee (12) v Andrew Higginson
Ali Carter (13) v Mark Davis
Judd Trump (4) v Dominic Dale

WHILE the top quarter is dominated by the Scottish, England fields four seeds in the second group of eight, including an outstanding talent in Judd Trump.

Trump had a brilliant year in 2011 - he won his first ranking tournament in China a month before knocking out reigning world champion Neil Robertson on his way to contesting the Crucible final himself, narrowly losing 18-15 to John Higgins.

The Bristolian did not really need to prove his success was a fluke but, for good measure in December last year, he won the UK Championship at York, beating Mark Allen 10-8 in the final.

And so, even at just 22, Trump has enough big game experience to make light work of Welsh veteran Dominic Dale who he also beat in the first round in York.

Another player enjoying some great form is 12th seed Stephen Lee, although it is fair to say that the 37-year-old from Trowbridge has had to wait a little longer than Trump for his purple-patch.

Only once a semi-finalist at the Crucible, in 2003, Lee has had a resurgence in early part of 2012.

In February, he reached the final of the World Open in China and, in the very next tournament, won the finals of the Players Tour Championship for his first ranking title in six years.

Lee seems to be enjoying his snooker and it would therefore be a major surprise if he failed to get past Andrew Higginson, for whom this is only a second Crucible appearance.

24-year-old Jamie Jones has not even had that much experience and, along with Brecel, makes his debut this year in the World Championships proper.

Neath man Jones caught the eye with a stunning 10-2 win over Ricky Walden in the final round of the qualifiers but he now faces fifth seed Shaun Murphy in a tough baptism of fire.

The Welshman will be hoping to take advantage of the fact that this has been a hugely frustrating season for the 2005 champ - though that Murphy is still without a ranking title this season is not through the want of trying.

The 29-year-old from Harlow has reached three semi-finals and three quarter finals without success, and he also lost in the final of the Masters to Neil Robertson.

Nevertheless, once again, it seems likely that this tie will come down to experience, and Murphy will have too much of that for Jones.

The remaining tie in this quarter looks to be the tightest of the four. Aged 39, Mark Davis is not about to storm up the ranking but he has improved in the latter stages of his career, reaching the second round of the World Championships for the first time in 2010.

His opponent Ali Carter has good pedigree at the Crucible, having reached the final in 2008 and the semi finals two years.

But the man nicknamed the Captain cast major doubts on his continuation in the sport, announcing on Twitter after his defeat in the UK Championships: "I'm going to retire at the end of the season! And I can't wait!"

In 2003, Carter was diagnosed with the auto immune disease, Crohn's, an inflammatory bowel disorder which also causes fatigue - it is hardly ideal for this 17-day snooker marathon.

And, although Carter later stated his Twitter comments had been made "in the heat of the moment", he has recently dropped out of the top 16 and gives an impression that he is no longer enjoying his snooker. Davis must sense his chance.

Predictions: The all-English quartet of Murphy, Lee, Davis, and Trump to prevail.

Quarter 3:
Mark Williams (3) v Liu Chuang
Ronnie O'Sullivan (14) v Peter Ebdon
Martin Gould (11) v David Gilbert
Neil Robertson (6) v Ken Doherty

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN received perhaps his biggest nightmare when the draw for the Crucible was made earlier this week after it was announced he would face Peter Ebdon yet again.

To say that O'Sullivan-Ebdon is a clash of styles rather understates the matter but there is more than one way to play this game and Ebdon successfully gets right under O'Sullivan's skin.

After beating the Rocket in the quarter finals in 2005, Ebdon said: "People can say what they like but I don't care. When I'm trying my hardest I seem to go slow. I don't do it intentionally."

Nevertheless, O'Sullivan will be favourite to level up their Crucible head-to-head record at 2-2 when they meet on Monday and Tuesday.

Get past Ebdon and O'Sullivan will fancy his chances of going deep into the tournament.

For, while it still seems unlikely that the Rocket will carry off a fourth world title - and the opener against Ebdon will be hard graft - O'Sullivan usually enjoys playing against his potential second round opponent Mark Williams.

Indeed, O'Sullivan leads his head-to-head against Williams 23-7 and has won his last 12 matches against the Welshman.

Meanwhile, Williams has hardly endeared himself to the Sheffield crowd after stating he "hates" the Crucible Theatre, adding that he would "rather play at Pontin's" and hopes the tournament moves to China.

There is little chance of that happening anytime soon with the current contract at the Crucible running until 2014 - but what a strange thing for the twice world champion to say!

Perhaps it was Williams's way of motivating himself ahead of his opener against one of the four Chinese players in the draw, Liu Chuang. It is likely, though, that the Welshman's talent will be enough, anyway.

Another possible last 16 tie is Neil Robertson v Martin Gould. This fixture should immediately recall the famous match-up from just two years ago when the Aussie recovered from 6-0, 11-5 and 12-10 down to win 13-12 on his way to becoming world champion.

In order for that second round match to be repeated, Robertson must first beat Irish veteran Ken Doherty - after the 1997 champion qualified by beating Nottingham potter Anthony Hamilton in a decider - while Gould must overcome fellow Englishman David Gilbert. Both Robertson and Gould should make it through.

Predictions: The four seeds - Williams, O'Sullivan, Robertson and Gould - to get through from this section.

Quarter 4:
Ding Junhui (7) v Ryan Day
Mark Allen (10) v Cao Yupeng
Matthew Stevens (15) v Marco Fu
Mark Selby (2) v Barry Hawkins
 
WORLD number one Mark Selby and China's great hope Ding Junhui both sum up this section of the draw perfectly for, despite their undoubted talent, neither has won a world title. In fact, none of the eight men listed above has.

Selby has at least achieved number one status out of his commendable consistency in ranking tournaments.

But, with 'only' the 2008 Welsh Open and this season's Shanghai Masters in the trophy cabinet, it is about time that the Jester from Leicester really stepped up on the big stage.

In this world championship, that means starting well against Barry Hawkins who, last year, finally broke his Crucible duck... at the sixth attempt.

That victory came against an out-of-sorts Stephen Maguire but this is a tougher draw for Hawkins, and Selby's matchplay should prove too much.

Hawkins is far from the only player to struggle at the Crucible. Indeed, until last year, Ding had a pretty poor record in the World Championships, having failed to get past the last 16 in four attempts.

In 2011, though, the Chinese cueman added a bit of steel to his game and made the semi finals before losing 17-15 from being 15-14 up against Trump.

That defeat was a bit of a shock for Ding but he is in decent enough form to go on another run this time, having beaten Selby in this season's Welsh Open final for his fifth ranking title.

Mark Allen won his first ranking title this year, beating Stephen Lee 10-1 in the final of the World Open in Haikou, China, despite having earlier bemoaned the event and even the host nation.

What his Chinese opponent, Cao Yupeng, made of Allen's comments about China is anybody's guess but it may add some spice to this first round encounter.

Actually, for 21-year-old Cao, the whole tournament will be a hell of an experience as he is a third Crucible debutant along with Brecel and Jones, having come through four rounds of qualifying.

Cao beat Kurt Maflin 10-2, Dave Harold 10-9, Nigel Bond 10-7 and Tom Ford in another decider just to get to this stage. But, while the qualifiers show Cao is not short of fight, it seems likely that Allen will still have too much for him.

Last but not least, Matthew Stevens takes on Marcu Fu in an intriguing tie - intriguing because, though Stevens is the seeded player at no15, Fu is the player with the slightly better recent record in Sheffield.

Welshman Stevens has reached just one quarter final - and failed to qualify twice - in six years since he lost the 2005 final to Shaun Murphy.

Fu may not have hit the heights either, having appeared in just one semi final in 2006, but he has at least made it to the World Championships proper for the last eight years.

Hong Kong's Fu can be a dangerous player on his day and 34-year-old Stevens will have to be on his guard.

Predictions: Fu can cause a shock but the other seeds - Ding, Allen and Selby - should make it through.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS
Best of 19 frames  

John Higgins (1) beat Liang Wenbo 10-9
Stephen Hendry beat Stuart Bingham (16) 10-4
Joe Perry beat Graeme Dott (9) 10-1
Stephen Maguire (8) beat Luca Brecel 10-5

Jamie Jones beat Shaun Murphy (5) 10-8
Andrew Higginson beat Stephen Lee (12) 10-6
Ali Carter (13) beat Mark Davis 10-2
Judd Trump (4) beat Dominic Dale 10-7

Mark Williams (3) beat Liu Chuang 10-6
Ronnie O'Sullivan (14) beat Peter Ebdon 10-4
David Gilbert beat Martin Gould (11) 10-8
Neil Robertson (6) beat Ken Doherty 10-4

Ryan Day beat Ding Junhui (7) 10-9
Cao Yupeng beat Mark Allen (10) 10-6
Matthew Stevens (15) beat Marco Fu 10-3
Barry Hawkins beat Mark Selby (2) 10-3

SECOND ROUND RESULTS
Best of 25 frames

Stephen Hendry beat John Higgins (1) 13-4
Stephen Maguire (8) beat Joe Perry 13-7

Jamie Jones beat Andrew Higginson 13-10
Ali Carter (13) beat Judd Trump (4) 13-12

Ronnie O'Sullivan (14) beat Mark Williams (3) 13-6
Neil Robertson (6) beat David Gilbert 13-9

Ryan Day beat Cao Yupeng 13-7
Matthew Stevens (15) beat Barry Hawkins 13-11


QUARTER FINAL RESULTS
Best of 25 frames
Stephen Maguire (8) beat Stephen Hendry 13-2
Ali Carter (13) beat Jamie Jones 13-11
Ronnie O'Sullivan (14) beat Neil Robertson (6) 13-10
Matthew Stevens (15) beat Ryan Day 13-5

SEMI FINAL RESULTS 
Best of 33 frames
Ali Carter (13) beat Stephen Maguire 17-12
Ronnie O'Sullivan (14) beat Matthew Stevens (15) 17-10


FINAL
Best of 35 frames
Ronnie O'Sullivan (14) beat Ali Carter (13) 18-11
Session 1 (5-3): 77-37 (57), 121-1 (117), 0-85 (84), 25-57, 86-42 (52), 2-55, 108-0 (92), 141-0 (141)
Session 2 (5-3): 8-84 (56), 73-21, 69-14 (68), 30-62, 73-8, 60-13, 1-83 (59), 74-34 (62)
Session 3 (4-4): 3-52, 101-0, 73-12, 62-48, 81-41 (54), 9-59, 27-105 (105), 2-62 (53)
Session 4 (4-1): 129-4 (64, 55), 90-0 (70), 17-78 (64), 76-0, 82-0 (61)

CENTURY BREAKS 
147 Stephen Hendry
142 Stephen Maguire
141 Ronnie O'Sullivan
138 Jamie Jones
136 Martin Gould, Jamie Jones
135 Jamie Jones
134 Jamie Jones, Ali Carter
133 John Higgins
132 Ali Carter, Jamie Jones
131 Neil Robertson
130 Ronnie O'Sullivan
128 Ronnie O'Sullivan
127 Jamie Jones
125 Cao Yupeng, Stephen Maguire
124 John Higgins  
123 Stephen Hendry, Matthew Stevens 
122 Matthew Stevens
121 David Gilbert
120 Judd Trump
119 Ryan Day
118 Ali Carter
117 Stephen Maguire, Ronnie O'Sullivan
116 Luca Brecel, Matthew Stevens
115 Joe Perry
114 Judd Trump
113 Cao Yupeng, Ryan Day, Ali Carter, Ronnie O'Sullivan
112 Ryan Day, Ali Carter
111 Andrew Higginson, Mark Williams
110 Stephen Lee, Ryan Day, Ronnie O'Sullivan
109 Martin Gould, Neil Robertson
108 Neil Robertson, Cao Yupeng
107 Ronnie O'Sullivan
106 Neil Robertson
105 Ali Carter
104 Ken Doherty, Ronnie O'Sullivan
103 Ronnie O'Sullivan, Joe Perry
102 Shaun Murphy, Stephen Lee
101 Stephen Maguire (x3), Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen, Ali Carter, Matthew Stevens, Jamie Jones, Ronnie O'Sullivan
100 Stephen Hendry, Neil Robertson (x2), Ding Junhui, Ryan Day, Ronnie O'Sullivan (x2)

100 years on... the Titanic still attracts a morbid fascination

IT WILL have escaped few people's attention that today marked 100 years since the Titanic sank with the loss of 1,514 lives.

At 2.20am on 15 April 1912, the ship went under having fatally hit an iceberg just before midnight.

Most of the liner's occupants died by drowning or hypothermia after being plunged into freezing cold waters in the North Atlantic where temperatures were only 28°F (-2°C).

Crucially, the number of the lifeboats aboard did not meet the ship's capacity, meaning only 710 of the 2,224 passengers and crew survived.

All of this is well-known as, such was the scale of the disaster, it has been firmly fixed in the public consciousness ever since it actually happened.

In 1997, a new generation were made aware of the tragic events when James Cameron directed a $200m film starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo di Caprio in an unlikely tryst.

Now a 3D version of that movie has been released and is currently showing in cinemas but, of course, Cameron's epic was hardly the first time that the Titanic had made it onto the big screen.

Indeed, the 1958 film - A Night to Remember - is often cited as the better screenplay in tedious tit-for-tat internet discussions.

Even Joseph Goebbels commissioned a German version as part of the Nazi propaganda campaign in 1943. Naturally, on that occasion, J Bruce Ismay - the president of the company which built the ship - was portrayed as a power-mad Jewish businessman who ignored the warnings of a German First Officer.

And so, it has really come as no surprise then that the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic has been met with a barrage of coverage.

ITV has produced an expensive four-part costume drama, directed by Julian Fellowes, which concludes tonight having received a lukewarm response from reviewers.

Meanwhile, the BBC has strangely decided to show a three-part PBS production from the USA of Len Goodman out of his Strictly Come Dancing comfort zone.

Goodman, of course, is hardly a spring chicken but - born in 1944 - he is still a whole generation later than the unfortunate folks who were on RMS Titanic.

His presence is apparently justified by the fact that, for a short time in his youth, he was a welder at Harland and Wolff, the company which built a famous trio of White Star ships, including the Titanic.

But that still seems rather tenuous and, frankly, his celebrity status is no replacement for analysis by a proper historian.

Nevertheless, there have been other events which have seemed even more inappropriate.

A Twitter feed, @titanicrealtime, has spent the last few days providing a blow-by-blow account of the journey which intended to go from Southampton to New York City.

Tweets overnight included "the ocean is awash with screaming people and bodies – it is an unimaginable sight" and "those poor souls floating in the ice cold water, I want to pull them into the boat but others resist. Why?"

Rather inexplicably, BBC Radio 2 followed suit with a broadcast called Titanic: Minute by Minute... presented, in part, by Dermot O'Leary.

Perhaps the biggest dollop of 'disaster porn', though, has been provided by the Titanic Memorial Cruise.

This rather morbid way of commemorating the centenary has seen people pay thousands of pounds for the strange privilege of repeating the very same journey that the Titanic did 100 years ago.

Presumably, this time, the patrons expect to make it to the Big Apple but it begs the question what was wrong with simply attending a memorial service in Southampton, where the ship set sail from?

Or Belfast, where she was built? Or New York City where she was meant to arrive? Or even Lichfield from where the captain Edward John Smith heralded?

After all, historical events should still certainly be marked and analysed - even 100 years on, or especially 100 years on, to try and ensure that humankind does not repeat the same mistakes.

However, this curious obsession of re-living disasters as they happened really should stop. It was surely traumatic enough on the first occasion.

Grand National 2012: Neptune Collonges lifts the curse of the greys

NEPTUNE COLLONGES became the first grey in 51 years to win the Grand National in the closest-ever finish to the big race at Aintree.

The 33/1 shot, ridden by Daryl Jacobs, won by nothing more than a nostril from Sunnyhillboy to give trainer Paul Nicholls his first ever victory in the race.

But the National was again marred by the death of at least two of the 40 entrants as Synchronised and According To Pete both fell fatally at Becher's Brook on separate circuits.

Even before it all began, there had been drama as Ruby Walsh - set to ride On His Own - injured himself on the day for a second successive year after falling in the Aintree Hurdle.

Then, immediately before the start, Synchronised unseated jockey Tony McCoy and escaped his rider before being brought under control.

There was still time for problems with the tape and a couple of false starts before they all got away on the third occasion.

But the race did not last very long for Viking Blond, who fell at the first, or the more-fancied Junior and West End Rocker, who both fell at the second.

Sunnyhillboy, Seabass and Shakalakaboomboom held the early initiative as State of Play, Chicago Grey and Rare Bob failed to make it past the fifth.

And then, at the sixth, the daunting Becher's Brook, this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised so sadly made his last ever jump.

Alfa Beat fell at the next obstacle, Foinavon, before last year's runner-up Black Apalachi could not make it past the Canal Turn along with four other horses who all unseated their riders.

Next to fall was Treacle at the 10th where Arbor Supreme also unseated his rider - and then, at the 11th, the well-backed Giles Cross became the first to be pulled up.

As they crossed the Melling Road, Planet of Sound was setting the pace while Always Right only just failed to make it around the first circuit after he unseated his rider at the Chair.

Heading into the second lap, Planet of Sound was looking solid and had stretched his lead to three lengths. Meanwhile Quiscover Fontaine fell at the 17th before, at the 19th, Vic Venturi refused and the struggling Deep Purple was pulled up.

Then came Becher's for a second time and it sadly proved terminal for the unfortunate According to Pete who was destroyed after the race having been brought down.

Becher's was also where the race ended for On His Own, with replacement jockey Paul Townend, while Mon Mome and Postmaster were both pulled up.

But, despite the thinning of the field, it was clear as we reached the closing stages that this was going to be a classic.

There were no fewer than eight horses in with a shout with Shakalakaboomboom just edging Seabass as they approached the penultimate fence.

Seabass, ridden by Katie Walsh - who was hoping to become the first ever female jockey to win the National - then jumped into the lead as Shakalakaboomboom faded.

But Walsh's dreams were crushed when Sunnyhillboy jumped best at the last and took up the front as they headed for the winning post.

All of a sudden, Seabass was heading backwards into third but it could never be said that Sunnyhillboy had it in the bag once Neptune Collonges had responded in the chase.

Instead, a stronger finish and a stretch for the line meant it was Neptune Collonges who narrowly got his nose over first and thus broke the hoodoo over grey horses which had lasted since Nicolaus Silver won in 1961.

This was perhaps the best finish which the Grand National had ever seen - it was certainly the tighest and such a brilliant way for the BBC to finish the coverage of the race.

Nevertheless, the decision to give up the rights to Channel 4 now looks even more foolhardy in the light of this dramatic finale.

At least, the loss of the National saves the BBC from being associated with what is becoming an increasingly controversial event.

For, the other headline to come out of today was that Synchronised and According to Pete have now joined Ornais and Dooneys Gate from last year in dying during the race.

Three of the four fatalities occurred at Becher's Brook and certainly still more needs to be done about that fence. A reduction in the number of runners would also help to avoid horses being brought down accidentally.

Of course, further alterations will not eliminate the risk in a steeplechase completely.

But, at the moment, the hazardous nature of the Grand National means it still too often resembles a death trap than the spectacle which it really should be.


FULL GRAND NATIONAL RESULT
Going: Good, good to soft in places.
4m 4f. All 40 ran.

1st Neptune Collonges 33/1
2nd Sunnyhillboy 16/1
3rd Seabass 8/1 joint fav
4th Cappa Bleu 16/1
5th In Compliance 100/1

Other finishers: 6th Ballabriggs, 7th Hello Bud, 8th Tharawaat, 9th Shakalakaboomboom, 10th Swing Bill, 11th The Midnight Club, 12th Planet of Sound, 13th Neptune Equester, 14th Calgary Bay, 15th Midnight Haze

Failed to finish:
Fence 1 Viking Blond - fell
Fence 2 Junior - fell, West End Rocker - fell
Fence 5 State of Play - unseated rider, Chicago Grey - brought down, Rare Bob - brought down
Fence 6 (Becher's) Synchronised - fell fatally
Fence 7 (Foinavon) Alfa Beat - fell
Fence 8 (Canal Turn) Black Apalachi - fell, Tatenen - unseated rider, Organisedconfusion - unseated rider, Killyglen - unseated rider, Becauseicouldntsee - unseated rider
Fence 10 Treacle - fell, Arbor Supreme - unseated rider
Fence 11 Giles Cross - pulled up
Fence 15 (The Chair) Always Right - unseated rider
Fence 17 Quiscover Fontaine - fell
Fence 19 Vic Venturi - refused, Deep Purple - pulled up
Fence 22 (Becher's) On His Own - fell, According to Pete - brought down fatally, Mon Mome - pulled up, Postmaster - pulled up
Fence 27 Weird Al - fell

Grand National 2012: Synchronised goes for the double in BBC's Aintree swansong

SYNCHRONISED will aim to become the first horse since Golden Miller in 1934 to win both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in a single season tomorrow.

The nine-year-old gelding, ridden by 16-time champion jockey Tony McCoy, upset the odds at Cheltenham, beating a strong field which was headed by Long Run and Kauto Star.

But, this time, the roles are reversed with Synchronised set to go off as 6/1 favourite in the 4.15pm at Aintree.

McCoy, who won the National for the first time in 2010 at the 15th attempt on Don't Push It, will also hope to achieve a double after being beaten last year by Jason Maguire on Ballabriggs.

The defending champion is back, priced at 12/1, as trainer Donald McCain looks to extend his family's outstanding legacy in this contest.

Ballabriggs' victory was the McCains's fifth after Donald's father Ginger had three famous wins with Red Rum in the 1970s and another with Amberleigh House in 2004.

Sadly, Ginger will not be at Aintree this year after he died in September two days before his 81st birthday.

However, his eternal association with the Grand National was confirmed yesterday by the unveiling of a specially-commissioned bronze bust overlooking the parade ring.

That is not the only modification to have been made at Aintree in the last year but, unfortunately, the other changes have happened out of necessity rather than anything else.

After all, none of the racing authorities wish to see a repeat of 12 months ago when, in an unprecedented move, fences were omitted on the second circuit after the fatal falls of Ornais and Dooneys Gate on the first circuit.

Dooneys Gate's death occurred at the tallest obstacle Becher's Brook and, consequently, the area where horses land after jumping that one has been levelled out.

This has also happened at the first fence which the horses usually approach at great speed while the fourth fence has been lowered by a couple of inches.

Unfortunately, the course improvements still do not deal with surely one of the most hazardous aspects of the race.

For, with as many as 40 entries starting again this year, it is inevitable that there will still be pile-ups whatever alterations are made.

As such, it is no wonder that the National is generally considered to be little more than a lottery - and that argument was further reinforced by Mon Mome's stunning win in 2009 at a price of 100/1.

The 12-year-old French horse runs again this year, at the slightly shorter price of 33/1, but the chance element of the race will encourage punters to bet on horses for a myriad of reasons.

Horses with people's names are always well-backed and it is indeed this factor which has naturally attracted me towards According To Pete, also 33/1.

Other entries which meet this criterion include the much-fancied Junior (9/1) and Giles Cross (12/1) as well as Weird Al (40/1), Rare Bob (40/1), Vic Venturi (40/1) and Swing Bill (50/1).

Alternatively, a cursory glance at the record books will often provoke a flutter. For example, as noted by this blog, last year marked the 50th anniversary since a grey horse won the National.

But, despite the presence of four chances, the curse of the greys continued and that particular stat has now reached a 51st year.

Now Neptune Collonges (25/1) has been joined by Chicago Grey (14/1), Alpha Beat (33/1) and the aforementioned Swing Bill as another four bid to end the hoodoo this year.

Perhaps a better bet would be on a female jockey winning for the first time. Nina Carberry is on Organisedconfusion (20/1) while Ruby Walsh's sister Katie will be aboard Seabass (14/1).

Of course, Ruby could make headlines himself if he wins his third National on On His Own (10/1) after previous victories on Papillon in 2000 and Hedgehunter in 2005.  

And BBC television, in particular, will be looking for a spectacular finish having confirmed within the last month that this will be the last Grand National on their channel for the forseeable future.

In fact, with Channel 4 taking over this meeting as well as the Derby at Epsom and Royal Ascot, the BBC will be left without any horse racing at all next year.

But, as astonishing as that sounds, it has been coming. After all, the BBC's coverage of the sport in recent years has amounted to just a few days per year on the big events.

As Greg Wood in the Guardian noted: "The BBC cut back from 29 days of racing to 13 from 2010, with all its main events squeezed between early April and mid-June. For the other 10 months of the year, there is precious little BBC racing to miss."

By contrast, Channel 4 now has an extensive portfolio and broadcasts major races from Newmarket, Sandown Park, York, Goodwood and Haydock Park.

Channel 4 has also been commended for sprucing up coverage of the four-day Cheltenham Festival, and no doubt there will be a similar freshening up of the whole Grand National weekend.

There are fears, though, that the National's move from the BBC may well cause its status as an event on the national sporting calendar to slip.

And, as the Daily Telegraph appositely pointed out at the time of the announcement: what exactly is a public-service broadcaster like the BBC for, if not the Grand National?

Odds from Ladbrokes.com, subject to change. Compare Grand National odds at all major bookmakers at Oddschecker.


GRAND NATIONAL 2012: RUNNERS AND RIDERS
Aintree 4m 4f. Maximum 40 run.


KEY 
Number), Form, NAME (breeding), Age-Weight, Owner, Trainer/Jockey

1) 13-P0311 SYNCHRONISED (IRE) 9-11-10 J P McManus, Jonjo O'Neill/A P McCoy

2) 11/1121-4 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) 11-11-09 Trevor Hemmings, Donald McCain/Jason Maguire

3) 1/10P-13P WEIRD AL (IRE) 9-11-08 Brannon, Dennis, Dick, Holden, Donald McCain/Timmy Murphy

4) 106-P422 NEPTUNE COLLONGES (FR) 11-11-06 John Hales, Paul Nicholls/Daryl Jacob

5) 2F-0511 CALGARY BAY (IRE) 9-11-06 Camilla Radford, Henrietta Knight/Dominic Elsworth

6) F-6041UP ALFA BEAT (IRE) 8-11-05 Irvin Naylor, John Hanlon IRE/Davy Russell

7) F01/35-23 PLANET OF SOUND 10-11-05 Charles Lloyd-Baker, Philip Hobbs/ Richard Johnson

8) 51U/022/2 BLACK APALACHI (IRE) 13-11-03 Teresa Burke, Dessie Hughes IRE/Denis O'Regan

9) 6/3U34-1F DEEP PURPLE 11-11-03 Paul Green, Evan Williams/Jamie Moore

10) 131/321-02 JUNIOR 9-11-02 Middleham Park Racing LI, David Pipe/Tom Scudamore

11) 10-U3032 CHICAGO GREY (IRE) 9-10-13 John Earls, Gordon Elliott IRE/Paul Carberry

12) 3100-015 TATENEN (FR) 8-10-13 The Stewart Family, Richard Rowe/Andy Thornton

13) F11/-1111 SEABASS (IRE) 9-10-12 Gunners Syndicate, Ted Walsh IRE/Ms Katie Walsh

14) 000-1122 SHAKALAKABOOMBOOM (IRE) 8-10-12 Liam Breslin, Nicky Henderson/Barry Geraghty

15) 11PB-P1 WEST END ROCKER (IRE) 10-10-12 Barry Winfield & Tim Leadbeater, Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson

16) 22-30112 ACCORDING TO PETE 11-10-12 Peter Nelson, Malcolm Jefferson/Harry Haynes

17) 14P1-B1 ON HIS OWN (IRE) 8-10-11 Andrea & Graham Wylie, Willie Mullins IRE/Ruby Walsh

18) 2113-1PP ALWAYS RIGHT (IRE) 10-10-10 John Wade, John Wade/James Reveley

19) 3F2P/-133 CAPPA BLEU (IRE) 10-10-10 William & Angela Rucker, Evan Williams/Paul Moloney

20) PU-345053 RARE BOB (IRE) 10-10-09 D A Syndicate, Dessie Hughes IRE/Bryan Cooper

21) 12-133F5 ORGANISEDCONFUSION (IRE) 7-10-08 Grace Dunlop, Arthur Moore IRE/Miss Nina Carberry

22) P/P-51423 TREACLE (IRE) 11-10-08 Bjorn Nielsen, Tom Taaffe IRE/Andrew Lynch

23) 3/216-B430 THE MIDNIGHT CLUB (IRE) 11-10-08 Susannah Ricci, Willie Mullins IRE/Paul Townend

24) 63F/-52PP0 MON MOME (FR) 12-10-08 Vida Bingham, Venetia Williams/Aidan Coleman

25) 0P2F-60 ARBOR SUPREME (IRE) 10-10-07 J P McManus, Jonjo O'Neill/MP Walsh

26) 03F-30P01 SUNNYHILLBOY (IRE) 9-10-05 J P McManus, Jonjo O'Neill/Richie McLernon

27) F-030341 KILLYGLEN (IRE) 10-10-04 David McCammon, Stuart Crawford IRE/Robert Power

28) 2F-4010 QUISCOVER FONTAINE (FR) 8-10-04 J P McManus, Willie Mullins IRE/David Casey

29) 4-P13000 THARAWAAT (IRE) 7-10-04 Gigginstown House Stud, Gordon Elliott IRE/Brian O'Connell

30) 42F-63F22 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) 9-10-03 Noel Glynn, Noel Glynn IRE/Davy Condon

31) 144/P3/4- STATE OF PLAY 12-10-03 William & Angela Rucker, Evan Williams/Noel Fehily

32) 2313P20 SWING BILL (FR) 11-10-03 David Johnson, David Pipe/Conor O'Farrell

33) FP-26611 POSTMASTER 10-10-02 The Bill & Ben Partnership, Tim Vaughan/Dougie Costello

34) 3/P22-121 GILES CROSS (IRE) 10-10-01 KCMS Partnership, Victor Dartnall/Paddy Brennan

35) 21/10P-16 MIDNIGHT HAZE 10-10-00 Kim Bailey Racing Partnership, Kim Bailey/Sean Quinlan

36) 0044B-20 VIC VENTURI (IRE) 12-10-00 Seamus Dunne, Dessie Hughes IRE/Harry Skelton

37) 431U0-P3 IN COMPLIANCE (IRE) 12-10-00 Dessie Hughes, Dessie Hughes IRE/Niall Madden

38) 00-143P5 VIKING BLOND (FR) 7-10-00 Caroline Mould, Nigel Twiston-Davies/Brian Hughes

39) PP-5U654 HELLO BUD (IRE) 14-10-00 Seamus Murphy, Nigel Twiston-Davies/Sam Twiston-Davies

 40) 0-315045 NEPTUNE EQUESTER 9-9-09 Koo's Racing Club, Brian Ellison/Felix De Giles

US Election 2012: Romney in clear after Santorum pulls out

ASSOCIATED PRESS DELEGATE COUNT
(1144 delegates required for outright victory)
Mitt Romney 844
Rick Santorum (campaign suspended) 260
Newt Gingrich 137
Ron Paul 79

RICK SANTORUM suspended his presidential campaign last night, leaving  the way clear for Mitt Romney to take the Republican nomination for the general election in November.

Mr Santorum made his decision as the race resumed following a tough Easter break for the former Pennsylvania senator.

Even for an ambitious man like him, some things in life are clearly more important than politics.

That point was reinforced when Mr Santorum's young daughter Bella, who suffers from a rare genetic condition, was hospitalised last week.

Though she was subsequently discharged on Monday, it seems likely that the health scare had a profound effect on Mr Santorum when he considered the state of his campaign.

After all, it was already highly unlikely that he was going to win the eventual nomination anyway.

Front-runner Mr Romney has claimed more than twice as many delegates after a string of successes in the liberal north east which had rejected Mr Santorum's brand of evangelical conservatism.

Indeed, since the last win for Mr Santorum in Louisiana, Mr Romney has prevailed in Maryland, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

There are further victories expected at the end of April in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, and even in Mr Santorum's state of Pennsylvania.

Yet, despite his advantage, Mr Romney is so far only just over half way towards the 1,144 delegates required to secure the nomination officially.

But, with Mr Santorum now out of the way and some delegate-rich states like California and Texas yet to go to the polls, Mr Romney will inevitably reach his target eventually.

Still hoping that he somehow failss is third-placed candidate Newt Gingrich.

The former House Speaker has spent the last four months splitting the right-wing vote between himself and Mr Santorum.

However, he has now made an audacious appeal to Mr Santorum's backers after news of his rival's withdrawal filtered through.

"I am committed to staying in this race all the way to Tampa so that the conservative movement has a real choice," said Mr Gingrich, even though he is less likely still to win than Mr Santorum.

"I humbly ask Senator Santorum's supporters to visit newt.org to review my conservative record and join us as we bring these values to Tampa."

Labelling himself as the candidate who could win in the Deep South, Mr Gingrich became a busted flush once he lost in Alabama and Mississippi to Mr Santorum last month.

Moreover, Mr Gingrich is struggling for funds and all too aware that he will also have to step aside once the delegate mathematics ultimately work out for Mr Romney.

Assuming, then, that there are no more dramatic twists in this extraordinary contest, this has still been a long, hard road to victory for the former Massachusetts senator.

Even before the opening contest in Iowa in January, there had been an array of front-runners for the nomination including Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain.

Mr Romney made some early inroads once the contest started properly, but he seemed intent on ceding his advantage - firstly to Mr Gingrich in South Carolina, and then to Mr Santorum in the mid-West states.

Despite far exceeding the spending power of his rivals, multi-millionaire businessman Mr Romney consistently failed to appeal to the Republican support base on the conservative right.

Worse still, he hardly helped himself with a series of gaffes which made him look aloof and out-of-touch with the needs of 'Middle America'.

Nevertheless, as the most moderate candidate, he was still recognised by the bigwigs in the Grand Old Party as the man most likely to beat incumbent Democrat President Barack Obama.

The drawn-out and divisive Republican nomination seems to have harmed Mr Romney's chances in the general election, though.

Not only has it used up vital funds but the latest polls suggest Mr Romney faces an uphill task to beat Mr Obama on 6 November.

Indeed, a new poll from the Washington Post/ABC News puts Mr Obama on 51%, ahead of Mr Romney by seven points. It is a significant lead in what is effectively a two-horse race.

Buoyed by his ratings, Mr Obama was in Florida yesterday to push his "Buffett rule" in a call for millionaires to pay higher taxes - and it seems likely at the moment that he will have four more years in which to enact his plans.

Meanwhile, Mr Santorum looks like he might have just given himself four more years to prepare for another presidential bid.

After all, it was exactly what Mr Romney did four years ago. The nominee-elect effectively used his failed attempt in 2008 to build his support base and come back stronger in the 2012 process.

Realising that he had no chance against Mr Romney, and possibly seeing the general election against Mr Obama as a lost cause anyway, could it be the case that Mr Santorum is doing the same for 2016?

2012 PRIMARY/CAUCUS SCHEDULE
KEY DATES
3 January Iowa (caucus) - Rick Santorum 

10 January New Hampshire (primary) - Mitt Romney

21 January South Carolina (primary) - Newt Gingrich
31 January Florida (primary) - MR

4 February Nevada (caucus) - MR
7 February Colorado (caucus) - RS, Minnesota (caucus) - RS
11 February Maine (caucus) - MR

28 February Arizona (primary) - MR, Michigan (primary) - MR
29 February Wyoming (caucus) - MR

3 March Washington (caucus) - MR
6 March: Super Tuesday Alaska (caucus) - MR, Georgia (primary) - NG, Idaho (caucus) - MR, Massachusetts (primary) - MR, North Dakota (caucus) - RS, Ohio (primary) - MR, Oklahoma (primary) - RS, Tennessee (primary) - RS, Vermont (primary) - MR, Virginia (primary) - MR

10 March Kansas (caucus) - RS, US Virgin Islands (caucus) - MR

13 March Alabama (primary) - RS, Hawaii (caucus) - MR, Mississippi (primary) - RS

20 March Illinois (primary) - MR

24 March Louisiana (primary) - RS, Missouri (caucus) - RS

3 April District of Columbia (primary) - MR, Maryland (primary) - MR, Wisconsin (primary) - MR

24 April Connecticut (primary) - MR, Delaware (primary) - MR, New York (primary) - MR, Pennsylvania (primary) - MR, Rhode Island (primary) - MR

8 May Indiana (primary), North Carolina (primary), West Virginia (primary)
15 May Nebraska (primary), Oregon (primary)
22 May Arkansas (primary), Kentucky (primary)
29 May Texas (primary)

5 June California (primary), Montana (primary), New Jersey (primary), New Mexico (primary), South Dakota (primary)
26 June Utah (primary)

27-30 August REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION Tampa, Florida
3-6 September DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION Charlotte, North Carolina
6 November US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION