The boy in the bubble

THE ALMOST continual media coverage of the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first child has finally started to settle down in the wake of some actual news happening.

By contrast, on Monday, it was relentless and largely unwatchable.

From the breakfast announcement that Kate had gone into labour and been taken to the private Lindo wing of St Mary's hospital in London - to the moment, 10 hours later, that she had popped out an 8lb 6oz sprog - the likes of the BBC and Sky provided all-day coverage of... nothing much.

That much was confirmed by the brilliantly frank BBC royal correspondent Simon McCoy, who was forced to wait outside the hospital to report on any news.

He admitted on air: "Plenty more to come from here, of course - none of it news because that will come from Buckingham Palace but that won't stop us."

Meanwhile, this was - we were told by Prime Minister David Cameron - "a very exciting occasion and the whole country is excited". 

And it was certainly afforded the sort of breathless coverage - both at home and, in fairness, elsewhere around the world - which befits a landmark event.

Surely, though, there was far too much fuss over what was - on a basic level - a woman in childbirth, something which has been happening for thousands of years.

Private Eye perhaps best summed up the arrival of the third-in-line to the throne on the front page of its latest edition, which states simply in large letters - "WOMAN HAS BABY" - adding in tiny print at the bottom, "INSIDE: Some other stuff".

Of course, for the likes of the Sun and the Daily Mail, baby George Alexander Louis was gold dust in the generally quiet summer season.

Top cringe marks must go to the Sun for taking the unprecedented step of changing its masthead for the day to 'The Son'.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail website benefited from its biggest ever audience - 10.5m unique users, and its print edition was unsurprisingly a "Royal Baby Souvenir Special".

Amusingly, though, in the midst of the copious amounts of print, the Mail had the nerve to criticise the BBC for its over-the-top coverage. Incredible.

At least those looking for an alternative view would have found some job with the Mirror and the mini version of the Independent.

The Mirror, though joining in the gushing of the new royal in its editorial, gave room to republican commentator Brian Reade - while, rather pointedly, 'The I' led with the headline: "Born to Rule".

Media Guardian commentator Roy Greenslade has claimed that the media was simply "giving people what they want" - and it is true that the baby has arrived at a time when the royal family is riding a wave of popularity.

An Ipsos Mori poll last week showed 77% of Britons were in favour of remaining a monarchy over a republic, close to its best-ever level of support.

However, another poll, by Yougov, found that only 14% of UK adults were "very interested" and 32% were "somewhat interested" in the royal baby.

As you may have guessed from the tone of this post, I fell into neither of those groups - though I should point out that this does not necessarily make me a strident republican either. It really was just too much coverage for something which is relatively insignificant to me.

Indeed, I have watched and read less news this week than in a long time but I will always remember it as a few days that Britain went baby bonkers.

And there has not even been the Sunday features or the ITV documentaries yet...

Ashes 2013: Mighty Root helps England rout Aussies

Second Test: England 361 & 349-7dec beat Australia 128 & 235 by 347 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: Joe Root (180)

JOE ROOT hit a magnificent century as England doubled their Ashes advantage with a thumping 347-run win over abject Australia.

The Yorkshireman scored 180 for his second Test ton, his first at Lord's and his first against Australia. At 22 years and 202 days old, he is the youngest man to make an Ashes century for England at the Home of Cricket.

Immediately on his dismissal, caught by Steve Smith off a lofted high shot behind his head, England captain Alastair Cook declared, well aware that his side had more than enough on the board.

The score was 349-7, a lead of 582, after Australia followed up England's sub-par first innings effort of 361 with an even worse display to be bowled out for 128 in less than 54 overs.

Written off before the campaign as possibly the worst Australian touring side in history, it is likely that it will be little remembered by the end of the series just how close the tourists came to taking a 1-0 lead at Trent Bridge.

But, even if the Aussies had managed to pull off a spectacular win in Nottingham, it could only have to be attributed to two extraordinary last-wicket partnerships, rather than an all-round solid performance.

And so, when the tail refused to wag this time in the first innings at Lord's, Australia were done for - having actually made another reasonable start to this Test match.

Cook won the toss for a second time and elected to bat but some of England's batsmen are also enduring a difficult series - and when the skipper was dismissed for 12, lbw to Shane Watson, Root (6) and Kevin Pietersen (2) quickly followed as Ryan Harris justified his selection.

England were in trouble on 28-3 - but Ian Bell again led a recovery, equalling his score of 109 in the first Test, while being ably supported by Jonathan Trott (58) and another Yorkshireman, Jonny Bairstow (67).

That was not the end of the story on the first day, though, as part-time leg-spinner Steve Smith struck three times to remove Bell, Bairstow and Matt Prior and leave the hosts on a hardly-commanding score of 289-7.

Vital early runs on the second day boosted the England total to 361, aided mainly by another swashbuckling last-wicket stand of 48 between Stuart Broad (33) and Graeme Swann (28 not out).

But few considered that a good enough score as Australia appeared to be easing their way towards lunch without the loss of a wicket. 

There was no accounting for what happened next, though.

In the last over before the interval, vice-captain Watson was trapped lbw by Tim Bresnan before wasting a review which only went on to show he was plumb in front of the stumps.

Suddenly, England could go into the 40-minute break with a different mindset, and it showed when the two teams returned to the field for the afternoon session.

Swann struck to remove Chris Rogers lbw for a wicket which, if it had been reviewed, would have been overturned. Watson's hasty use of DRS had cost Australia doubly.

Three overs later, Bresnan - a replacement for the wayward Steven Finn and, thus, a third contributor from Yorkshire - took his second and Australia lost their second review when Phil Hughes was adjudged to have feathered behind to Prior.

That made it 53-3, and it would only get worse for the tourists.

Swann, in an unrelenting mood, would end up taking 5-44 - although even he admitted he got lucky by getting a wicket from a rank waist-high full toss to Rogers which would have gone on to miss the stumps.

Yes, this was another match with its fair share of controversial decisions and the Australians' baffling (mis)use of DRS undoubtedly contributed to their downfall.
 
But even the controversial manner in which the review system is being used by the umpires could not excuse such a lame batting performance.

On the stroke of tea, poor Ashton Agar was run out for 96 runs fewer than he managed in his first innings effort a week earlier on debut.

Then, after the interval, Peter Siddle and Brad Haddin both fell with the score on 104 while James Pattinson and Harris added 24 for the last wicket before the latter was out to Swann.

Australia were all out for 128 and England, with an innings lead of 233 had a decision to make - to enforce the follow-on or not.

Of course, with so much time left in the game, Cook was never likely to ask Australia to return to the crease but the captain's choice to bat again was tarnished as England closed day two on 31-3.

Again Cook (8) and Pietersen (5) failed to contribute, and they were joined by Trott who was out, unusually, for a duck.

All the wickets fell to Siddle who bowled an excellent spell of 3-4, as Australia looked to reduce the impact of their own failings and give themselves a sniff of a chance.

That sniff was snuffed out by lunch on day three, though, as Root and Bresnan survived the opening session unscathed.

Bresnan was an early victim after the break but that only served to bring the in-form Bell out of the hutch to support Root's bid for three figures.

The landmarks were passed after tea as Bell (74) joined centurion Root in a stand of 153 for the fifth wicket - and, though Bell fell to Smith before close, the game was well and truly up for the Aussies.

Still with two days left, England resumed their innings on the fourth morning, presumably in the hope that Root would make a double-century.

It all became rather pointless when Bairstow (20) and, eventually, Root - looking for quick runs - were out, having added only 16 to the overnight score.

And so began the hard work.

Surely Australia could not be as incompetent with the bat again. Surely they would put up a fight in the unlikely hope that they could rescue a draw.

Not exactly. The tourists' top-order faltered again with Watson (20) lbw to Anderson this time, Rogers (6) injudiciously leaving one from Swann which clipped the top of off-stump, and Hughes matching his first innings score of one before he also fell victim to spin.

Hard work? Pah! Australia had simply got themselves in another mess on 36-3.

Thank goodness, then, for the partnership of 98 between Usman Khawaja (54) and skipper Clarke (51) which gave the occasion even the very briefest suggestion of a contest.

The pair had even seen off Swann - but Root, not content with excelling only with the bat, showed his talent with the ball as well and sent both men spinning out before tea.

Indeed, Smith quickly joined them as Australia slumped to the interval on 136-6. It was the latest chapter in a long line of failed review for the Aussies with Smith adjudged to have got the faintest nick behind off Bresnan.

On Twitter, the Cricket Australia official feed called the decision "bullshit" - a reaction for which they quickly apologised.

But, while they may have been technically incorrect about Smith, there was no over-riding evidence to overturn the on-field not out decision given to Agar. 

Nevertheless, England reviewed on a whim and, despite there being nothing on HotSpot, a noise as the ball passed the bat was enough to convince the third umpire that Agar had been dismissed.

It was a harsh decision on the youngster - and, shortly afterwards, when Haddin was unable to review another Swann lbw, Australia were 162-8.

Finally, the hard work actually began as the hosts set about removing the Aussies' obdurate tail.

Siddle and Pattinson added 30 for the ninth wicket but, having been able to claim the extra half hour and take the new ball, England still had a good chance of finishing it off on the fourth evening.

Duly, they did - but only just, as Swann trapped Pattinson plumb lbw in the final over of the day, the 10th wicket having again put on 43 runs.

Immediately, the Notts bowler became the most popular man in the dressing room, preventing a return to the ground for a final day's play which could have potentially been over in one ball.

Undoubtedly, though, it was Root who deserved his man of the match honour, and his bright star is in stark contrast to the dearth of talent in the Aussie ranks.

Australia changed their coach just over two weeks before this series and the dislodged man, Mickey Arthur, is now taking legal action against his former employers, claiming the dismissal has damaged his reputation.

But it is going to take more than a change at the top to get to the bottom of what is wrong with Australian cricket.

England now find themselves on the verge of retaining the Ashes at the earliest possible opportunity, having gone 2-0 in a home Ashes series for the first time since 1890!

Victory at Lord's was also the first time since 1929 that England have won four Ashes Tests in a row. And, with Anderson and Swann now both gracing the top-ten list of England wicket-takers, it is fair to say that these are heady times for English cricket.

Only once before has a team come back from 2-0 down in an Ashes series to win - Australia in 1936-37 - and that team had the hardly small matter of Sir Donald Bradman to call upon.

And, as former England captain Mike Atherton sagely said in his report in the Times: "These Australians are no history boys in the making. Not in the winning sense, at any rate."

I actually have a ticket for the second day of the fourth Test at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street. By then, I suspect, the Aussies will just be playing, and praying, to keep the score down.

They singularly failed to that at Lord's over the last weekend. This was a thumping.



THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES

10-14 July	First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs	Trent Bridge
18-21 July	Second Test: England 361 & 349-7d beat Australia 128 & 235 by 347 runs	Lord's
1-5 August	Third Test	Old Trafford
9-13 August	Fourth Test	Riverside
21-25 August	Fifth Test	The Oval

CENTURIES
180 Joe Root (England), second Test
109 Ian Bell (England), first Test
109 Ian Bell (England), second Test

FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
5-44 Graeme Swann (England), second Test
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia), first Test
5-72 Ryan Harris (Australia), second Test
~5-73 James Anderson (England), first Test
~5-85 James Anderson (England), first Test

Froome for another

CHRIS FROOME kept the Tour de France title in British hands after the traditional victory procession for the leader through Paris brought the 100th edition of the race to a close.

Froome saw off his closest rivals for the maillot jaune - Colombian Nairo Quintana and Spaniard Joaquim Rodríguez - by 4:20" and 5:04" respectively.

Meanwhile, another Spanish contender, two-time winner Alberto Contador finished fourth in the general classification, 6:27" off the pace over the 21 stages.

This was as convincing a win as it was going to get for the Kenya-born cyclist who went mountain biking as a teenager in the rural highlands, north of the capital Nairobi.

And that early training would prove absolutely vital for the toughest Tour route in living memory, without doubt a more difficult route than Sir Bradley Wiggins faced last year.

Of course, that fact should in no way denigrate Wiggins' achievement of becoming the first British cyclist to win the Tour last year, before he went on to win gold at the London Olympics.

Rather, it is an accurate assessment of the difficulties which Froome faced in his efforts to ensure that the very British cliché about London buses rang true.

Britain had waited 98 years for a winner of the Le Tour; now there has been two in a row.

Starting on the island of Corsica for the first time in history, the race got off to an inauspicious start for Froome when he crashed in the neutral zone before the race started in Porto-Vecchio.

Thankfully, no serious damage was done - and, following Sky's third place in the team time trial in Nice on day four, Froome was already well-placed in seventh overall, with support from Australian team-mate Richie Porte.

On stage eight, the first in the Pyrenees, Froome launched his first major attack of the Tour on the climb to the summit finish at Ax 3 Domaines.

It worked. The offensive strategy was a significant early success, and a devastating blow to the confidence of his rivals, none of whom could match his pace.

But, just as quickly as Froome had built his advantage, it was almost lost as Team Sky riders dropped like flies early on the following day.

Froome was suddenly horribly exposed and 23-year-old Quintana, in particular, proved a menace by continuously attacking with his team Movistar.

However, Froome - entirely against the odds - chased Quintana down to hold on, and he ultimately extended his lead in the General Classification after his team-mate Porte's terrible day in the saddle.

It was a brilliant defensive ride by the leader, arguably more important than his stage win 24 hours earlier, and at least there was a rest day to recover immediately afterwards.

On the resumption, Froome's next big day came in stage 11 - an individual time-trial to Mont-Saint-Michel in which he excelled, finishing second behind German Tony Martin to extend his overall lead past three minutes.

But, on flat stage 13, that was cut by 69 seconds as crosswinds split the peloton, and Bauke Mollema and Contador gained vital time, with an ailing Team Sky unable to respond.

Nevertheless, there was still some British success to celebrate heading into Saint-Amand-Montrond as Mark Cavendish chalked up his 25th stage win since 2008.

Otherwise, though, the Manx Missile will not look back on the last three weeks with particular fondness.

Stage 13 would ultimately be his only win and, on stage 11, he had to contend with being booed while, disgustingly, he also had urine thrown at him by a spectator.

Back to Froome - and the pressure was now on, his lead having been cut as the riders lined up for a race-defining stage up Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day.

Froome was brilliant and attacked up the exposed peak, overtaking Quintana in the run-in to win the stage by 29 seconds and stretch his overall lead back over four minutes.

The ascent of Mont Ventoux achieved notoriety, 46 years earlier on 13 July 1967, when it claimed the life of Britain's first world road race champion Tommy Simpson.

Simpson died close to the summit after taking a cocktail of amphetamines and alcohol - and there is a permanent memorial near to where he perished.

Such was Froome's dominance that it was perhaps inevitable awkward questions would be asked. Could his success - and that of Team Sky, led by Team GB performance director Sir Dave Brailsford, actually be attributed to doping?

The response was unequivocal and understandably angry.

Following Mont Ventoux, Brailsford said: "We have a great performance and I jump for joy and 10 minutes later I guarantee I will be answering these allegations and questions about doping for the next few days.”

Meanwhile, Froome added: "I just think it's quite sad that we're sitting here the day after the biggest victory of my life, a historic win, talking about doping.

"My team-mates and I have been away from home for months training together and working our arses off to get here, and here I am accused of being a cheat and a liar."

But, if Froome had been angered by the ongoing insinuations, he would prove over the final few days that they had not shaken him. 

On stage 17, an unusual mountain time trial, Froome took his third stage win of the Tour thanks to a combination of powerful riding and canny strategy.

Trailing his rival Contador throughout, an inspired swap to a time trial bike before the second of two category two climbs was probably the difference and he secured a nine-second win to put his overall advantage at 4:34".

For his rivals, Froome was still just about in reach, particularly as the centrepiece stage of the Tour was still to come.

The famous Alpe d'Huez would be climbed not once - but twice - to celebrate the 100th edition. It was, as one commentator described it, 42 hairpins of hell.

Froome, however, coped generally well - and, despite a 20-second penalty for taking on food in the final 5km of the stage, he still extended his lead by 37 seconds.

Some considered Froome's energy bar consumption as a rare sign of weakness but, in reality, it was probably another example of a shrewd tactical mind.

Without the extra energy, it was very possible that he would have lost more time than the penalty which was deducted from him. As it was, he was now in a formidable position with a lead of over five minutes.

Two more days in the Alps and, despite Quintana's win in stage 20, Froome's third-place finish meant that there was no significant bite into his advantage.

All he had to do tonight was remain upright on the cobbles of the Champs-Elysées, while sipping on champagne.

Mission accomplished. From Wiggins's super-domestique - and a second-placed finish - in 2012 to the maillot jaune champion of 2013. 

As the French say themselves, "Chapeau! à M. Froome".


OVERALL CLASSIFICATION Maillot Jaune

1	Chris FROOME (Gbr)	Team Sky	83 hours 56 minutes 40 seconds
2	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)	Movistar	+4:20
3	Joaquim RODRIGUEZ (Esp)	Katusha	+5:04
4	Alberto CONTADOR (Esp)	Saxo-Tinkoff	+6:27
5	Roman KRUEZIGER (Cze)	Saxo-Tinkoff	+7:27

STAGE-BY-STAGE Tour de France 2013

(1)	29 June	Porto-Vecchio - Bastia	213km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Kittel
(2)	30 June	Bastia - Ajaccio	156km	Jan Bakelants (Bel)	Bakelants
(3)	1 July	Ajaccio - Calvi	146km	Simon Gerrans (Aus)	Bakelants
(4)	2 July	Nice - Nice (team TT)	25km	Orica-GreenEDGE	Gerrans
(5)	3 July	Cagnes-sur-Mer - Marseille	229km	Mark Cavendish (Gbr)	Gerrans
(6)	4 July	Aix-en-Provence - Montpellier	177km	Andre Greipel (Ger)	Impey
(7)	5 July	Montpellier - Albi	206km	Peter Sagan (Svk)	Impey
(8)	6 July	Castres - Ax 3 Domaines	195km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(9)	7 July	Saint Girons - Bagneres-de-Bigorre	169km	Daniel Martin (Ire)	Froome
(10)	9 July	Saint Gildas-des-Bois - Saint Malo	197km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome
(11)	10 July	Avranches - Mont Saint-Michel (TT)	33km	Tony Martin (Ger)	Froome
(12)	11 July	Fougeres - Tours	218km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome
(13)	12 July	Tours - Saint-Amand-Montrond	173km	Mark Cavendish (Gbr)	Froome
(14)	13 July	Saint-Pourcain-sur-Sioule - Lyon	191km	Matteo Trentin (Ita)	Froome
(15)	14 July	Givors - Mont Ventoux	243km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(16)	16 July	Vaison-La-Romaine - Gap	168km	Rui Costa (Por)	Froome
(17)	17 July	Embrun - Chorges (TT)	32km	Chris Froome (Gbr)	Froome
(18)	18 July	Gap - Alpe d'Huez	173km	Christophe Riblon (Fra)	Froome
(19)	19 July	Le Bourg-d'Oisans - Le Grand-Bornand	205km	Rui Costa (Por)	Froome
(20)	20 July	Annecy - Mont Semnoz	125km	Nairo Quintana (Col)	Froome
(21)	21 July	Versailles - Paris	134km	Marcel Kittel (Ger)	Froome

JERSEY WEARERS The winners

Yellow	General Classification	Chris FROOME (Gbr)
Green	Points Classification	Peter SAGAN (Svk)
Red polka dot	Mountains Classification	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)
White	Young Rider (under-26) Classification	Nairo QUINTANA (Col)
Black-on-yellow number	Team Classification	Team SAXO-TINKOFF (Den)
White-on-red number	Combativity Award	Christophe RIBLON (Fra)

Ashes 2013: England emerge victorious from Trent Bridge torture chamber

First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs Scorecard
Man of the match: James Anderson (10-158)

JAMES ANDERSON took 10 wickets in the first Ashes Test as Australia fell agonisingly short of completing a record-breaking run-chase in an incredible match at Trent Bridge.

The Burnley Express took the remaining four wickets today to leave the Aussies stranded, 14 runs away from an amazing comeback

In fact, "amazing" is a word that could be applied to this Test from the first day to the last.

The series began with England winning the toss and deciding to bat under leaden Nottingham skies. Captain Alastair Cook fell early, caught behind off James Pattinson for 13 before Joe Root followed before lunch, bowled by a peach of a yorker by Peter Siddle.

Siddle started the last Ashes series on fire and he repeated his five-for from Brisbane by taking the wickets of Jonathan Trott (48), Kevin Pietersen (14), Ian Bell (25), and Matt Prior (1) on the afternoon.

England then lost their last four wickets for just two runs as Pattinson and Mitchell Starc cleared up the tail with ease. All out for 215, the hosts' innings ended shortly after tea. It would be fair to say that this wasn't in the script.

Before stumps, though, England's bowlers had responded well as Australia lost their first three wickets in quick succession, falling from 19-0 to 22-3, and closing on 78-4.

Anderson had also produced his first moment of magic, removing the Aussie skipper Michael Clarke for a duck with a brilliant swinging ball.

A disappointing performance with the bat was being compensated for, and so it continued on the second morning as Australia tumbled to 117-9, still 98 behind.

Enter Ashton Agar, or "Agar, the horrible" as The Sun would later label him.

Beginning the Test as a 19-year-old debutant, the spinner took on all-comers, falling just two runs short of his century, having hit 12 fours and two sixes.

Nevertheless, Agar still went into the record books with a world record score for a number 11 and, with Phil Hughes, he also now shares the record last man stand of 151.

Most importantly, the incredible Agar-Hughes partnership had given the Aussies a lead of 65 with which to take into the second innings.

And that lead looked particularly good when Root and Trott fell in successive balls immediately before tea to leave England on 11-2.

At this stage, it looked as if the Aussies were getting all the luck. Not only could Agar have been out stumped for just 10, Trott was dismissed lbw on review - despite replays suggesting he had got an inside edge.

However, to the chagrin of England, HotSpot was not functioning fully, and Aleem Dar had to reverse his decision. Little did the Pakistani umpire know, but that would be far from his last contribution to the Test.

Having steered England to the close of day two, Cook and Pietersen were unable to reach lunch on day three - and, when Jonny Bairstow and Prior both fell just after the interval, the hosts were on 218-6.

It was a lead of only 153 - and Trent Bridge was crying out for a proper partnership on what was hardly a minefield of a pitch.

Thankfully, Stuart Broad and Bell provided one, guiding England to the close without further loss - but should that really have been the case?

Definitely not, if umpire Dar had been watching more closely. Broad, on 37, clearly edged behind to Clarke at slip and the Aussies, having foolishly burned their two reviews on hopeful lbw shouts, were left aghast at the not out decision.

Broad - brought up in era in which it is rare to walk, a custom first popularised by the Aussies, no less - was happy to give his opponents a taste of their own medicine, though he has had to endure the subsequent moral debate over whether he had damaged the game by his actions.

Certainly, it was not in the spirit of the game but that does not necessarily make it the wrong thing to have done in the heat of an Ashes Test match.

Indeed, in fairness to Clarke and the Aussie players, once the heat of the moment was taken away, they accepted their misfortune and moved on.

That is not to say, on the other hand, that Broad went easy on the tourists. On day four, he would eventually finish with his highest score against Australia - though the day, without doubt, belonged to Bell.

The Warwickshire batsman hit 109 for his 18th - and perhaps best - Test century, and his first in England since August 2011. He had chosen a timely moment to return to form.

But, once he and Broad departed before lunch, none of the England tail hung around too much, and Cook's men were all out for an improved 375, setting Australia 311 to win.

Now, the highest successful fourth-innings run-chase in Tests at Trent Bridge is 284-6, scored by England against New Zealand in 2004 - and that still remains the case tonight.

Nevertheless, the Aussie openers laid a decent platform, reaching 84 before the first wicket went down as Watson was trapped lbw by Broad.

Further successes before tea were not forthcoming so England turned to the part-time off-spin of Root.

The Yorkshire lad proved he was no mug with the ball, inducing Australia's nervous number three Ed Cowan to nick behind to Trott with the score on Nelson (111).

Chris Rogers followed shortly after tea and then, just as Clarke threatened to form a partnership with Steve Smith, they fell in successive balls - Clarke at the end of Broad's over to the tiniest of nicks which he unsuccessfully reviewed, and Smith at the start of Swann's.

There was even a bonus scalp for Swann in his next over as Hughes was trapped lbw on 0 for a wicket which England gained on review, the ball adjudged to have pitched in line by millimetres.

It was a second close call in England's favour in a matter of minutes. The tide had turned but no further wickets followed so a final session in the Trent Bridge torture chamber was required.

For a match that had 14 wickets on its opening day, a fifth day of play was certainly an unexpected boost to the coffers of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club - and a bargain for the full house.

The capacity crowd had paid just £20 per head and, following a quiet first hour, three quick wickets looked to have put them in a position to cheer England home.

All three wickets were caught by Cook in the slips off the bowling of Anderson. The third catch, which dismissed Siddle, was a fantastic two-handed effort after a big dive to the right and it more than made up for the far more straight-forward effort which he had just put down.

Australia looked just about finished on 231-9, still needing 80 more runs.

But, once again, the Aussies had something extra in the tank and the experienced Brad Haddin showed great confidence in sharing the strike with the new last man Pattinson.

The pair settled quickly and, as Anderson cramped up and Graeme Swann struggled for rhythm, the boundaries started flowing.

On came Steven Finn, an unfortunately benevolent bowler at the best of times, and the raw seamer conceded 15 off the first over of his spell and nine off the second before being pulled off in favour of Broad.

Suddenly, the target was down to 38 - and that reduced again when Pattinson swept Swann over midwicket for six - and then again when Finn's personal nightmare continued with an admittedly tough drop at deep square leg.

England were now visibly panicking, with that Aussie favourite Broad making no attempt to conceal his time-wasting by untying and retying his shoe.

It was a desperate ploy for the lunch interval which England knew they needed to regroup and also get Anderson back on the field of play.

However, Broad's cheeky tactic did not work, though ultimately Swann would finish the extended session by bowling an uneventful maiden, leaving Australia needing to knock off only 20 more.

Back after a 40-minute break, then, and the ball was back in Anderson's hands. A testing maiden showed promise but England were running out of time with Swann still leaking runs at the other end.

Again Anderson applied the pressure, starting his next over with four dot balls.

Then his fifth was a beauty and induced a waft outside of off-stump by Haddin and an appeal led by Prior from behind the stumps.

'Not out' was the verdict from the umpire but England - with two reviews left and only 14 runs left to defend - asked for the shot to be referred.

The faint sound of a nick as the ball passed the bat, and another tiny white mark on HotSpot, convinced third umpire Marias Erasmus that it was out. That it was indeed the wicket which England had been waiting over two hours for.

Anderson had done it. He had secured 10 wickets in a Test match for only a second time, and on the same ground as his first 10-wicket haul, three years ago against Pakistan.

It was the first time that 10 wickets had been taken by a single bowler in an Ashes match since Shane Warne at the Oval in 2005, and the first English bowler to do it in the Ashes for 10 years since Andrew Caddick struck in Sydney.

While we are on statistics, those wickets took Anderson up to third on the all-time list of England wicket takers - above the late, great Fred Trueman, eight shy of Bob Willis, and 66 behind Ian Botham.

Barring serious injury, Anderson will surely finish his career on top of that list, and fittingly become statistically England's greatest ever bowler.

England can be thankful they have him in the side presently, as otherwise this Test would undoubtedly have seen a different result.

Australia revelled in their unusual status as underdogs and their lower-order batmen compensated for the weaknesses further up.

But the tourists do not quite have a bowler like Anderson - and, remember, Bell did end up providing the top score in the Test with his excellent 109.

England just about deserved it, then, though having enjoyed a fair rub of the green as well.

And so the maxim of never changing a winning side may need to be reviewed. For a start, Root currently looks a much better batsman down the order although, admittedly, he did receive a jaffa from Siddle in the first innings.

Definitely, of greater concern, is Middlesex bowler Finn who even looked out of sorts in the field today.

The particularly bad news for him is that there are ready-made replacements on the sidelines in Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions - but Finn's biggest hope tomorrow is that the selectors consider he will feel more comfortable on his home ground.

Yes, there is a quick turnaround between the first two Tests and the Ashes rock up at Lord's on Thursday.

Clearly, the two sides are more evenly-matched than it was previously considered - and England, while still favourites, must beware of an Aussie fightback.

After all, the tourists have already showed plenty of fight over the last five days - and, even if the next five at HQ are half as good, it will still be an absolute blinder.

THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES

10-14 July	First Test: England 215 & 375 beat Australia 280 & 296 by 14 runs	Trent Bridge
18-22 July	Second Test	Lord's
1-5 August	Third Test	Old Trafford
9-13 August	Fourth Test	Riverside
21-25 August	Fifth Test	The Oval

CENTURIES
109 Ian Bell (England)

FIVE-WICKET HAULS (~ 10 wickets in the match)
5-50 Peter Siddle (Australia)
~5-73 James Anderson (England)
~5-85 James Anderson (England)

Favourites for the urn

ENGLAND must deal with being clear favourites to retain the Ashes from the five-Test series which began today at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The hosts have won three of the last four series and face an Australia team which has been in disarray since it arrived to these shores last month.

First, they were bowled out for 65 in a ICC Champions Trophy warm-up match against India - then they bowed out of the main tournament in the group stages without a win.

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) had seen enough, and axed coach Mickey Arthur with immediate effect just 16 days before the start of the Ashes

Of most concern, though, has been the indiscipline of the Baggy Greens. An awful tour of India, in which the Aussies were whitewashed 4-0 in Tests, culminated in four players - including then-vice-captain Shane Watson - being suspended for failing to complete feedback on how the team could improve.

Then, last month, after a defeat by 48 runs to England in the Champions Trophy, opening batsman David Warner ended up being banned until the start of this series and fined following an altercation with England youngster Joe Root.

Former Yorkshire batsman Darren Lehmann has replaced Arthur and will undoubtedly command more respect from the players than his South African predecessor.

Indeed, there is much hope Down Under that this late change to the coaching set-up will save Australia from humiliation.

But the fact remain that this is a desperately weak Aussie side with only one noticeably truly top class batsman, skipper Michael Clarke.

Clarke at least has a young and improving seam attack to call upon with Peter Siddle joined by Mitchell Starc as frontline bowlers.

The conspicuous lack of a spinner anywhere near the top class of Graeme Swann will surely be decisive at some point, though.

How times change. Twenty years ago this summer, Australia included a relatively unknown young leg-spinner by the name of Shane Warne in their touring party.

Warne's first ball in England, to Michael Gatting at Old Trafford, has become the stuff of legend and given the name of the Ball of the Century.

There is even a jaunty song about it ('Jiggery Pokery') by the the Duckworth-Lewis Method, the delightful side project of the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon.

It would be even more amazing to see either of the current spinners - Nathan Lyon or teenager Ashton Agar - get anywhere near to repeating the feat this year.

Nevertheless, England must be careful not to become too cocky before any wickets have been taken, runs scored or matches won.

After all, the last Australia team to be derided as the 'worst ever' in 1989 eventually won that six-Test series 4-0, and remarkably finished the first day of the fifth Test on 301-0. Famously, England would not regain the urn until 2005.

Australia, of course, responded to that with a 5-0 whitewash of England in their home series in 2006-07 - but England won 2-1 again in 2009 and then comprehensively outplayed the Aussies in the last series, achieving no fewer than three innings victories.

England continued to progress and became the world number one ranked team in Test cricket by beating India 4-0 in the summer of 2011 - but, more recently, Alastair Cook's men have gained a reputation for being poor front-runners.

The world number one status lasted just a year before South Africa took it with a 2-0 series win on English soil.

Meanwhile, in the recent home series against New Zealand, Cook had to deal with criticism over his lack of ruthlessness after declining to make the Black Caps follow-on despite a poor forecast.

But the England set-up was certainly ruthless enough in their decision to dispose of Nick Compton as an opener, in favour of Yorkshire's exciting talent, Root.

Compton decried his lack of opportunity and it was not long ago he was scoring back-to-back centuries in New Zealand.

Nevertheless, aged 30, the Somerset batsman is not the future - and he may even still get his chance further down the order if Jonny Bairstow's patchy form continues.

Overall, England's problems pale into insignificance compared to those of the visitors and perhaps the hosts' biggest enemy this summer will be complacency.

Cook has already confirmed that there will certainly be no room for that - and, if indeed that is the case, there will be no doubt about it: England will win.


THE ASHES 2013
FIXTURES

10-14 July	First Test	Trent Bridge
18-22 July	Second Test	Lord's
1-5 August	Third Test	Old Trafford
9-13 August	Fourth Test	Riverside
21-25 August	Fifth Test	The Oval

SQUADS
England Alastair Cook (c), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Graham Onions.
Australia Michael Clarke (c), Brad Haddin (v-c), Shane Watson, Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Steve Smith, Phil Hughes, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

RECENT HISTORY

Year	Host	Result
2001	England	AUSTRALIA won 4-1
2002-03	Australia	AUSTRALIA won 4-1
2005	England	ENGLAND won 2-1
2006-07	Australia	AUSTRALIA won 5-0
2009	England	ENGLAND won 2-1
2010-11	Australia	ENGLAND won 3-1

OVERALL RECORD

TESTS	All-time	In England
Played	310	153
England	100	44
Australia	123	46
Drawn	87	63

SERIES	All-time	In England
Played	66	33
England	30	16
Australia	31	14
Draw	5	3

Murray makes history at Wimbledon

ANDY MURRAY became the first Briton to win the Men's Singles at Wimbledon since Fred Perry in 1936 after a stunning straight sets victory over world number one Novak Djokovic.

Murray won 6-4 7-5 6-4 in just over three hours on Centre Court to end the 77 years of hurt since Perry was last victorious at SW19 - and the Scot also lifted a considerable weight off his shoulders.

For, there can be no question about it - Murray was well aware of the historical significance of his triumph. Indeed, he has had little chance of avoiding it since his early potential marked him out to be the likely answer to end the curse.

At 5.24pm yesterday, that curse was finally lifted as Djokovic netted for one last time.

In time-honoured fashion, Murray sunk to his knees in front of the net - but, in contrast to many players who have fallen to the hallowed turf of the All England Club in the past, Murray stayed there for quite a while, still struggling to comprehend exactly what he had just achieved.

Straight sets against the world number one? This really was the stuff that dreams are made of.

But, while it was all rather surreal of course, it was also very real - although nowhere near as straightforward as the scoreline suggested...

In a sign of things to come, the opening rally lasted 20 strokes and the first game took fully five minutes to complete as Djokovic saved three break points to hold.

Not for long, though. In his next service, the Serb again came under pressure, saving yet another break point in a 22-shot rally before Murray eventually prevailed with a thumping forehand.

The Scot's advantage lasted but for one game - but then Murray broke to love in game seven to go 4-3 ahead.

Another short-lived lead looked likely as he then double-faulted to give Djokovic two more break-back points - but the man from Dunblane saved the first with an ace and the second with a rare foray to the net.

In game nine, Djokovic again struggled to a hold - at one stage being 0-30 - before Murray made it count on his serve, winning game 10 to love for the first set.

It was a fine start, for sure, but nothing was won yet as Murray was well aware having taken the first set last year in his four-set defeat to seven-time champion Roger Federer.

Clearly, the identity of the second set winner would tell us a lot more about the momentum of the match as a whole and remarkably, in fact, 38 of the last 41 winners of the Men's Singles at Wimbledon had won the second.

On that basis, things looked good for Djokovic as he stormed into a 4-1 lead.

But that was only actually a single break and Murray got it back on serve in game seven after an uncustomary double fault on break point by Djokovic.

Forced to save three break points in game eight, Murray made his next move with the score at 5-5. Out of challenges, a frustrated Djokovic complained to the umpire after a Murray shot was not called out.

Hawk-Eye replays showed it was in anyway - and Murray was able to convert the second of his two break point chances before he served out for the set to love again, even finishing with an ace.

Two-love in sets and the 15,000 capacity crowd on Centre Court let out a roar as the realisation dawned of just how close glory was.

But Murray had also been 2-0 up against Djokovic in New York last September - and, though he would ultimately win his first Grand Slam, the Serb pushed him all the way to five sets.

A repeat did not look likely as Murray made an early break in the third and followed it up with a service game to love.

Djokovic is nothing if not a true champion, however, and he restored parity in the set by winning game four - and then broke again in game six in a loose spell by Murray.

Straight away, though, the Scot reacted, and broke back in game seven to put the set back on serve with a backhand winner.

Never more vulnerable, Djokovic served in game nine, knowing another break would leave Murray serving for the match - but the Serb was unable to do anything as Murray won an extraordinary point after chasing down a lob.

And so to game 10 and Murray's moment of destiny. It began well enough - two long shots from Djokovic sandwiching a forehand winner from Murray made it 40-0. Three Championship points were on the board.

But, no one should ever thought it would be as easy as that to lift the curse at Wimbledon - and so it proved as Djokovic hauled it back to deuce and Murray's serve began to tighten up.

Yet another three break points had to be saved by Murray, the second one after a 23-stroke rally, before he would get his next chance after Djokovic could only net. It was a fourth Championship point.

This time - this time - it finally happened. Djokovic went long with his backhand and Centre Court at Wimbledon erupted into tears of joy and disbelief. Murray had done it. He is the Wimbledon champion. 

Later, Murray dedicated his victory to his coach Ivan Lendl, and the strides, which Murray have made since their partnership began in January 2012, are as clear as day.

That's two Grand Slams and Olympic Gold since this time last year, which begs the question 'how many more?' - and 'how many more of those will be at Wimbledon?'

Those questions and many other Murray-related discussions filled the airwaves today as Britain basked in its long-awaited tennis glory.

Perhaps, though, it would be best just to let the lad enjoy this moment. God knows, he deserves it.


Route to glory Wimbledon 2013

Round 1	v Benjamin Becker (GER)	6-4 6-3 6-2
Round 2	v Lu Yen-hsun (TPE)	6-3 6-3 7-5
Round 3	v Tommy Robredo (ESP)	6-2 6-4 7-5
Round 4	v Mikhail Youzhny (RUS)	6-4 7-6(7-5) 6-1
Quarter Final	v Fernando Verdasco (ESP)	4-6 3-6 6-1 6-4 7-5
Semi Final	v Jerzy Janowicz (POL)	6-7(2-7) 6-4 6-4 6-3
Final	v Novak Djokovic (SRB)	6-4 7-5 6-4

No longer a loser Murray's major finals

2008	US Open	v Roger FEDERER (SUI)	2-6 5-7 2-6
2010	Australian Open	v Roger FEDERER (SUI)	3-6 4-6 6-7(11-13)
2011	Australian Open	v Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)	4-6 2-6 3-6
2012	Wimbledon	v Roger FEDERER (SUI)	6-4 5-7 3-6 4-6
2012	London 2012 Olympics	v Roger FEDERER (SUI)	6-2 6-1 6-4
2012	US Open	v Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)	7-6(12-10) 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2
2012	Australian Open	v Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)	7-6(7-2) 6-7(3-7) 3-6 2-6
2012	Wimbledon	v Novak DJOKOVIC (SRB)	6-4 7-5 6-4

Joining the pantheon of champions The Open Era (since 1968)
7 Pete Sampras (USA) - 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
7 Roger Federer (SUI) - 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
5 Bjorn Borg (SWE) - 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980
3 Boris Becker (GER) - 1985, 1986, 1989
3 John McEnroe (USA) - 1981, 1983, 1984
2 *Rod Laver (AUS) - 1968, 1969
2 *John Newcombe (AUS) - 1970, 1971
2 Jimmy Connors (USA) - 1974, 1982
2 Stefan Edberg (SWE) - 1988, 1990
2 Rafael Nadal (ESP) - 2008, 2010
1 Stan Smith (USA) - 1972
1 Jan Kodeš (CZE) - 1973
1 Arthur Ashe (USA) - 1975
1 Pat Cash (AUS) - 1987
1 Michael Stich (GER) - 1991
1 Andre Agassi (USA) - 1992
1 Richard Krajicek (NED) - 1996
1 Goran Ivanišević (CRO) - 2000
1 Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) - 2001
1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) - 2011
1 Andy Murray (GBR) - 2013
*Note: Rod Laver (1961, 1962) and John Newcombe (1967) also won titles in the Amateur Era, pre-1967

Lions maul Aussies in series decider

THE BRITISH & IRISH Lions proved the doubters wrong with a record-breaking win over Australia in the series decider in Sydney.

Leading 19-3 at the half time hooter, thanks largely to Alex Corbisiero's try inside two minutes, the Lions looked at one stage as if they were going to throw it all away. 

In stoppage time in the first half, the Aussies crossed the line for the first and ultimately only time when James O'Connor repaid his skipper James Horswill for his brave approach in opting to kick for touch, rather than the posts. 

Despite being outplayed, it meant, suddenly, that the hosts were back in the game - and they certainly were when, early in the second period, Christian Leali'ifano dispatched two penalties. Indeed, at 19-16, it was very much 'Game On'. 

Now this decider had only come about after the first Test in Brisbane had been taken by the Lions by two points and the second Test in Melbourne was won by the Wallabies by a single one. 

There was only half an hour of the whole tour left and it was all set up for yet another close encounter - but Welsh fullback Leigh Halfpenny eased the tension a notch with another nerveless kick. 

Man of the series Halfpenny has indeed been exemplary in the last five weeks and his total of 49 points is the best ever by an individual Lion on tour, beating his compatriot Neil Jenkins' 1997 record. 

But his biggest three points were undoubtedly those to stem the Aussie tide and put the Lions 22-16 ahead. 

From then on, Warren Gatland's men were unstoppable. Halfpenny proved indispensable again, sending a pass into Jonathan Sexton before converting to make it 29-16. 

And Halfpenny also assisted the next try, stepping inside Will Genia and away from Joe Tomane to put in George North in the left-hand corner. 

Now, the lead was back up to 18 points and everyone was breathing much more easily.

However, the Lions did not stop there, instead opting to turn on the style as Conor Murray put Jamie Roberts in for a fourth try. This was a thrashing. 

 At full time, a mixture of relief and downright ebullience crossed each of the Lions' faces. It was all in sharp contrast with the tense build-up and the many questions over the Welsh-dominated line-up. 

Of course, the biggest call of all had been Gatland's decision to drop Ireland's iconic centre Brian O'Driscoll, and - even in victory - the Kiwi coach admitted he had been shocked by the "almost vitriolic" criticism which had come his way. 

Gatland said: "At the moment I do not feel a lot of pleasure because of the amount of personal criticism that was placed on me after the team announcement. I was absolutely shocked by what was said: the criticism was almost vitriolic.

"When we sat down on Tuesday to pick the team, we knew we were making a tough call with Brian but there have been other players on this tour who have been unlucky in terms of selection.

"I have not enjoyed the last 72 hours and it has been tough personally. It is not a case of feeling vindicated after the win: maybe in a week or two I will get some pleasure out of the achievement."

Hopefully it will not take that long as Gatland should now just enjoy the moment in Australia alongside the estimated 30,000 travelling fans.

The celebrations have been and will be wild, no doubt - after all, it is not as if they come along too often. This was the Lions' first tour win since beating South Africa 2-1 in 1997 following three successive defeats so far this century.  

And in that sense, perhaps more than any other, this was an important victory from a historical context for the red British & Irish Lions shirt. 

All the marketing and branding in the world will be unable to bring the same appeal as a tremendous series win.

It may have been a bumpy ride at times but the Lions have certainly restored pride back to their shirt this summer.


LIONS RESULTS AND SCORERS
Test matches: British & Irish Lions won series 2-1
 

First Test	Australia	21-23	British & Irish Lions	Brisbane
22 June, 11:05am	Tries Folau 12, 34 Con O'Connor 13 Pens O'Connor 51, Beale 61, 68		Tries North 25, Cuthbert 48 Cons Halfpenny 27, 48 Pens Halfpenny 23, 31, 65	Attendance 52,499

Australia Berrick Barnes; Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Digby Ioane; James O'Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill (capt), Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Wycliff Palu.
Replacements Saia Fainga'a, James Slipper (for Robinson, 68), Sekope Kepu (for Alexander, 58), Rob Simmons (for Douglas, 68), Liam Gill (for McCabe, 47), Nick Phipps (for Ashley-Cooper, 77), Pat McCabe (for Leali'ifano, 2) Kurtley Beale (for Barnes, 38).
British & Irish Lions Leigh Halfpenny, Alex Cuthbert, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Davies, George North, Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips; Alex Corbisiero, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Paul O'Connell, Tom Croft, Sam Warburton (capt), Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements Richard Hibbard (for T Youngs, 65), Mako Vunipola (for Corbisiero, 52), Dan Cole (for A Jones, 52), Geoff Parling (for AW Jones, 70), Dan Lydiate (for Croft, 73), Ben Youngs (for Phillips, 62), Owen Farrell, Sean Maitland.
Referee Chris Pollock (NZ)

Second Test	Australia	16-15	British & Irish Lions	Melbourne
29 June, 11:05am	Try Ashley-Cooper 74 Con Leali'ifano 76 Pens Leali'ifano 16, 23,36		Pens Halfpenny 9, 27, 32 39, 62	Attendance 56,771

Australia Kurtley Beale; Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Joe Tomane; James O'Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Wycliff Palu.
Replacements Saia Fainga'a, James Slipper (for Robinson 60), Sekope Kepu (for Alexander 58), Rob Simmons (for Douglas 53), Liam Gill (for Palu 60), Nick Phipps, Rob Horne (for Ashley-Cooper 79), Jesse Mogg.
British & Irish Lions Leigh Halfpenny, Tommy Bowe, Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Davies, George North, Jonathan Sexton, Ben Youngs; Mako Vunipola, Tom Youngs, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones, Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sam Warburton, Jamie Heaslip.
Replacements Richard Hibbard (for T Youngs 56), Ryan Grant, Dan Cole (for Jones 58), Tom Croft (for Warburton 66), Sean O'Brien (for Heaslip 62), Conor Murray (for B Youngs 53), Owen Farrell, Alex Cuthbert.
Referee Craig Joubert (South Africa)

Third Test	Australia	16-41	British & Irish Lions	Sydney
6 July, 11:05am	Try O'Connor 40 Con Leali'ifano 40 Pens Leali'ifano 8, 41, 45		Tries Corbisiero 2, Sexton 57,  North 64, Roberts 67 Con Halfpenny 2, 57, 69 Pens Halfpenny 7, 12, 15, 25, 51	Attendance 83,702

 
Australia Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Leali'ifano, Joe Tomane, James O'Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, James Horwill (capt), Kane Douglas, Ben Mowen, George Smith, Wycliff Palu.
Replacements Saia Fainga'a (for Moore, blood, 55-62, then 72), James Slipper (for Robinson, 66), Sekope Kepu (for Smith, 26-36, for Alexander, 36), Rob Simmons (for Douglas 62), Ben McCalman, Michael Hooper (for Smith, 5-10, then 66), Nick Phipps (for Genia, 69), Jesse Mogg (for Folau, 27).
Yellow card: Alexander (24)
British & Irish Lions Leigh Halfpenny; Tommy Bowe, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Jonathan Sexton, Mike Phillips; Alex Corbisiero, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Geoff Parling, Dan Lydiate, Sean O'Brien, Toby Faletau. Replacements Tom Youngs (for Hibbard 48), Mako Vunipola (for Corbisiero, 67), Dan Cole (for A Jones, 55), Richie Gray (for Parling, 68), Justin Tipuric (for Faletau, blood, 55, for O'Brien, 60), Conor Murray (for Phillips, 51), Owen Farrell (for Sexton, 64), Manu Tuilagi (for Roberts, 69)
Referee Romain Poite (France)

Other tour matches

1 June	Barbarians	8-59	British & Irish Lions	Hong Kong
5 June	Western Force	17-69	British & Irish Lions	Perth
8 June	Queensland Reds	12-22	British & Irish Lions	Brisbane
11 June	Queensland/NSW County	0-64	British & Irish Lions	Newcastle
15 June	New South Wales Waratahs	17-47	British & Irish Lions	Sydney
18 June	ACT Brumbies	14-12	British & Irish Lions	Canberra
25 June	Melbourne Rebels	0-35	British & Irish Lions	Melbourne

Lions points scorers (all matches)
114 Leigh Halfpenny (record)
51 Owen Farrell
23 Stuart Hogg
20 George North, Alex Cuthbert
19 Jonathan Sexton
15 Jonathan Davies, Brian O'Driscoll
10 Ben Youngs, Conor Murray, Sean O'Brien, Tom Croft, Mike Phillips
5 Richard Hibbard, Dan Lydiate, Geoff Parling, Mako Vunipola, Alun Wyn Jones, Jamie Heaslip, Alex Corbisiero, Sean Maitland, Tommy Bowe, Paul O'Connell, Jamie Roberts, one penalty try

Lions points scorers (Test only)
49 Leigh Halfpenny (record)
10 George North
5 Alex Cuthbert, Alex Corbisiero, Jonathan Sexton, Jamie Roberts

Lions try scorers (all matches)
4 George North, Alex Cuthbert,
3 Leigh Halfpenny, Jonathan Sexton, Jonathan Davies, Brian O'Driscoll
2 Ben Youngs, Conor Murray, Sean O'Brien, Tom Croft, Mike Phillips
1 Owen Farrell, Stuart Hogg, Richard Hibbard, Dan Lydiate, Geoff Parling, Mako Vunipola, Alun Wyn Jones, Jamie Heaslip, Alex Corbisiero, Sean Maitland, Tommy Bowe, Paul O'Connell, Jamie Roberts, one penalty try

Lions try scorers (Test only)
2 George North
1 Alex Cuthbert, Alex Corbisiero, Jonathan Sexton, Jamie Roberts

LIONS HISTORY since 1989

Year			Coach	Captain(s)
1989	Australia	W2-1	Ian McGeechan	Finlay Calder
1993	New Zealand	L1-2	Ian McGeechan	Gavin Hastings
1997	South Africa	W2-1	Ian McGeechan, Jim Telfer	Martin Johnson
2001	Australia	L1-2	Graham Henry	Martin Johnson
2005	New Zealand	L0-3	Sir Clive Woodward	Brian O'Driscoll, Gareth Thomas
2009	South Africa	L1-2	Ian McGeechan	Paul O'Connell
2013	Australia	W2-1	Warren Gatland	Sam Warburton, Alun Wyn Jones

F1 2013: Pirelli passes the buck after tyre fiasco

ITALIAN tyre manufacturer Pirelli has blamed the Formula One teams for misusing its tyres after the British Grand Prix at Silverstone was marred by a series of dangerous high-speed blow-outs.

The Milanese firm released a statement following the race which claimed that this year's tyre "does not compromise driver safety in any way if used in the correct manner".

Pirelli's argument is simply that the teams have not been using the tyres properly - for example, by mounting the rears on the wrong way around, running low pressures, and using extreme cambers.

The sole supplier also blamed the punctures on the "high kerbs" at the Northamptonshire track even though it has hosted a British Grand Prix in every year since 1987.

Ultimately, Mercedes' German driver Nico Rosberg was triumphant for his second win in the last three races, the other being in the rather more luxurious surroundings of Monte Carlo five weeks previously.

But this victory came only after his team-mate, leading Briton Lewis Hamilton, was one of the six to suffer problems with the wheels below him.

For the record, the five others were Ferrari pair Fernando Alonso (on lap nine) and Felipe Massa (lap 10), as well as Jean-Eric Vergne (lap 15), Esteban Gutierrez (lap 29) and Sergio Perez (lap 47).

However, it was pole-sitter Hamilton who led a chorus of severe concern after he was denied only a second home Grand Prix win.

The 2008 champion said afterwards: "After my incident, I was definitely nervous for the rest of the race that the tyres might go again.

"Safety is the biggest issue. It's just unacceptable really. It's only when someone gets hurt that someone will do something about it.

"It's a waste of time talking to the FIA [Formula 1's governing body] and if they don't do anything that says a lot about them."

But support for immediate action was forthcoming across the paddock with a threat from the drivers to boycott this weekend's German Grand Prix.

Former McLaren driver-turned-BBC pundit David Coulthard added: "There are any number of issues which can prevent a Formula One car finishing a race - engine failures, gearbox failures, hydraulics, you name it. They are annoying and frustrating.

"But there are a few issues that are more serious that that. And tyre failures - like brakes failures - are right up there as being as bad as it can get. It is a really big worry and something urgently needs to be done about it.

"If I was still a driver, I would be very anxious about racing on those tyres again."

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has even suggested Alonso is lucky to be alive after he narrowly missed being hit by debris from the exploding rear tyre of McLaren’s Perez which exploded.

It was a truly ridiculous situation - and particularly dangerous given that the tyres were being torn to shreds at some of the fastest parts of the track.

Thankfully, far from simply just blaming the teams and the Silverstone kerbs, Pirelli has come up with both a short-term fix and a longer-term solution to the problem.

For a start, at the Nurburgring, the supplier has replaced the internal steel belt on its rear tyres with the synthetic strengthening material, Kevlar.

Then, with three weeks until the following race in Hungary, a revised tyre - to be used at the Young Drivers Test at Silverstone - will be based upon last year's design.

In return, Pirelli has demanded some control over the way the teams are allowed to use the tyres - but such a move is unlikely to come quickly as it would require a regulatory change.

After all, the teams were not actually breaking any rules - and who can blame them for seeking out every possible advantage in a sport as competitive as F1?

But, despite four different winners from the opening eight races, the Drivers' Championship has a familiar face at the top.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel remains on target for a fourth successive world title, despite retiring from the lead at Silverstone with gearbox failure only 11 laps from the finish.

If, for once, Vettel's luck had not deserted him, the German's advantage at the top of the standings would have been stretched to 49 points - almost two clear race wins.

Instead, his arch-rival Alonso - with whom Vettel fought a close championship battle last year - has closed the gap to 21 points after recovering to a third-place finish.

Leading the chasing pack is Lotus' Kimi Raikkonen who broke Michael Schumacher's record for the most consecutive points finishes with a fifth-place last weekend. The Finn, on 98 points, has now scored from the last 25 races.

The next three drivers behind him are separated by just seven points with Hamilton on 89, Mark Webber on 87 and Rosberg on 82 - before a larger gap to Massa in seventh on 57 and Force India's Scottish driver Paul di Resta on a creditable 36.

Whither the McLarens? Well, the Woking-based team has not won the Constructors' Championship since 1998, and this can only already be considered another complete write-off.

Having finished the 2012 season with the quickest car on the grid, the close season decision to alter the 2013 car has dramatically backfired.

A clearly unhappy Jenson Button is down in 10th place in the standings and new team-mate Perez has only managed 13th so far with a paltry 12 points from just three scoring finishes.

Overall in the Constructors' Championship, it means McLaren can only manage sixth, 87 points adrift of Lotus and even 22 points behind Force India, as the season moves towards its summer break.


CALENDAR

Date	Television		Pole position	Fastest lap	Winner
17 March	Sky	Australian Grand Prix	Vettel	Raikkonen	Raikkonen
24 March	Sky	Malaysian Grand Prix	Vettel	Perez	Vettel
14 April	BBC Sky	Chinese Grand Prix	Hamilton	Vettel	Alonso
21 April	Sky	Bahrain Grand Prix	Rosberg	Vettel	Vettel
12 May	BBC Sky	Spanish Grand Prix	Rosberg	Gutierrez	Alonso
26 May	Sky	Monaco Grand Prix	Rosberg	Vettel	Rosberg
9 June	BBC Sky	Canadian Grand Prix	Vettel	Webber	Vettel
30 June	BBC Sky	British Grand Prix	Hamilton	Webber	Rosberg
7 July	Sky	German Grand Prix
28 July	Sky	Hungarian Grand Prix
25 August	BBC Sky	Belgian Grand Prix
8 September	BBC Sky	Italian Grand Prix
22 September	Sky	Singapore Grand Prix
6 October	Sky	Korean Grand Prix
13 October	BBC Sky	Japanese Grand Prix
27 October	BBC Sky	Indian Grand Prix
3 November	Sky	Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
17 November	Sky	United States Grand Prix
24 November	BBC Sky	Brazilian Grand Prix

STANDINGS
Drivers' Championship

P	Driver	Team	Points
01	Sebastian Vettel (Ger)	Red Bull-Renault	132 (3 wins)
02	Fernando Alonso (Spa)	Ferrari	111 (2 wins)
03	Kimi Raikkonen (Fin)	Lotus-Renault	98 (1 win)
04	Lewis Hamilton (Gbr)	McLaren-Mercedes	89
05	Mark Webber (Aus)	Red Bull-Renault	87
06	Nico Rosberg (Ger)	Mercedes	82 (2 wins)
07	Felipe Massa (Brz)	Ferrari	57
08	Paul di Resta (Gbr)	Force India-Mercedes	36
09	Romain Grosjean (Fra)	Lotus-Renault	26
10	Jenson Button (Gbr)	McLaren-Mercedes	25
11	Adrian Sutil (Ger)	Force India-Mercedes	23
12	Jean-Eric Vergne (Fra)	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	13
13	Sergio Perez (Mex)	McLaren-Mercedes	12
14	Daniel Ricciardo (Aus)	Toro-Rosso-Ferrari	11
15	Nico Hulkenberg (Ger)	Sauber-Ferrari	6
16	Pastor Maldonado (Ven)	Williams-Renault	0
17	Valtteri Bottas (Fin)*	Williams-Renault	0
18	Esteban Gutierrez (Mex)*	Sauber-Ferrari	0
19	Jules Bianchi (Fra)*	Marussia-Cosworth	0
20	Charles Pic (Fra)	Caterham-Renault	0
21	Max Chilton (Gbr)*	Marussia-Cosworth	0
22	Giedo van der Garde (Ned)*	Caterham-Renault	0

*= Debut season in F1

Constructors' Championship

P	Team	Points
01	Red Bull-Renault	219 (3 wins)
02	Mercedes	171 (2 wins)
03	Ferrari	168 (2 wins)
04	Lotus-Renault	124 (1 win)
05	Force India-Mercedes	59
06	McLaren-Mercedes	37
07	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	24
08	Sauber-Ferrari	6
09	Williams-Renault	0
10	Marussia-Cosworth	0
11	Caterham-Renault	0