¡Viva La Rafalution!

NEWCASTLE UNITED

Last season 18th + FA Cup 3rd round + League Cup 3rd round + Last major trophy Fairs Cup 1969
Manager Rafael Benítez (since March 2016)
Players In Matz Sels, Matt Ritchie, Dwight Gayle, Jesús Gámez, Isaac Hayden, Grant Hanley, Ciaran Clark, Mohamed Diamé
Players Out Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, Steven Taylor, Andros Townsend, Fabricio Coloccini, Papiss Cissé, Georginio Wijnaldum, Rémy Cabella, Florian Thauvin
Pre-season results
W6-0 v Bohemian (A)
D2-2 v Doncaster Rovers (A)
W4-0 v Sporting Lokeren (A)
W2-0 v Southend United (A)
W3-2 v Vitesse Arnhem (H)

NEWCASTLE UNITED begin their quest for promotion from the Championship as clear favourites for an immediate return to the Premier League. 

Relegated from the top flight for the second time in seven years in May, the last campaign was a catalogue of missed targets on and off the field under hapless - and hopeless - former England manager Steve McClaren.

The Magpies won just nine league games all season and collected only 37 points to finish two behind local rivals Sunderland who scraped survival yet again.

But, despite all of this, the hope on Tyneside is definitely back, as clearly evidenced by the huge upturn in ticket sales. 

With a month still to go, more than 33,000 season tickets had been sold for St James Park, an increase on this time last year. 

Indeed, that figure means there will be more season ticket holders at Newcastle than at Tottenham Hotspur or Chelsea, and more than at Watford, Burnley, West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth put together.

Of course, this will not stop some supporters of other clubs taking precious time out of their seemingly hopelessly empty lives to throw a quick jibe in the direction of Newcastle.

This is especially prevalent on social media platforms - so credit must go to this supporter for turning the insults into a potentially thrilling game of bingo...

On a more serious note, however, it is great to see the hierachy at the club once again engaging with the fanbase.

A crowd-funded exercise to improve the matchday experience, Gallowgate Flags, has been given the board's blessing - and, for the first time in years, it feels as if everyone is pulling in the same direction.

Rarely in life nowadays are simple narratives able to tell the whole story.

Undoubtedly, though, this frenzied outpouring of genuine excitement can all be credited to one man and one man only - former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid coach Rafael Benítez. 

As feared, the Spaniard ultimately arrived too late last season to do enough to save the Magpies from going down.

Nevertheless, a campaign of failure finished on an incredible high as Newcastle hammered third-placed Tottenham 5-1 on a sunny day amid a glorious atmosphere. 

Almost all of the ear-tingling crowd noise that day focused on encouraging Benítez to stay - and so there was a massive sense of satisfaction when the serial winner duly signed a three-year contract on 25 May.

The decision - surely helped by the atmosphere against Spurs - confirmed to any remaining doubters that Benítez gets what this club is about. He just knows exactly what it means to the people of Tyneside.

Since then, the mutual goodwill has continued.

On 17 July, he posted a short anniversary tribute on his personal blog to Liam Sweeney and John Alder, the two Newcastle fans killed when their Malaysia Airways flight MH17 was shot out of the sky over Ukraine in 2014.

And, on a happier note, he also appeared on a BBC Radio Newcastle phone-in in which he revealed the prize fact that his house on Merseyside is coincidentally called Lindisfarne.

Most importantly of all, though, Benítez - on the football front - appears to be the first manager who has the total trust of owner Mike Ashley to build his own team and squad.

Inevitably, following relegation, there have been some departures from that squad. At least though, the sales of Andros Townsend and Georginio Wijnaldum both fetched good fees.

Additionally, the sight of the likes of Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Florian Thauvin and Papiss Cissé heading for the exit door has hardly caused too much heartache.

Instead, the focus largely has been on the replacements. 

New number nine Dwight Gayle looks lightning quick in the mode of Craig Bellamy, while the pedigree of Matt Ritchie at this level is undoubted.

Scotland international Ritchie scored 15 goals and assisted 17 more in his last season at this level when he won the Championship with Bournemouth, and he has the potential to be the best player in the division.

Of the other signings, midfielder Isaac Hayden looks comfortable on the ball, as you would expect with him having arrived from Arsenal.

The likes of Jesús Gámez, Grant Hanley, and Ciaran Clark add some much-needed depth to the defence, and Mohamed Diamé has clearly been lined up as a replacement for long-time wantaway Moussa Sissoko.

Just as important has been the retentions so far of Ayoze Pérez and Aleksandar Mitrović up front, as well as Chancel Mbemba and Daryl Janmaat at the back.

The squad, without doubt, is the strongest in the division - and it is led by one of the most decorated managers which the second tier has ever seen in its history.

Nonetheless, that does not mean there are no worries whatsoever.

An encouraging pre-season against largely weak opposition saw no fewer than 17 goals scored - but, of more concern, all four conceded came from set-pieces.

The defence thus remains an area of weakness, and it is not a weakness which has necessarily been alleviated by the signings of Clark or Hanley.

Clark, in kind with most of his team-mates at Aston Villa last season, made some dreadful errors throughout - while Hanley has already played four seasons with Blackburn Rovers at this level without much success.

The hope at the back therefore remains with Mbemba, if he stays, and the new club Jamaal Lascelles who, at 22, has quickly developed into a much-needed on-pitch leader.

Up front, it remains to be seen if any of the main strikers - Gayle, Pérez or Mitrović - are going to be prolific enough to fire Newcastle to the top of the league.

None of their records so far suggests so - and Mitrović, in particular, simply must learn from the sort of mistakes which have given him a stupidly extended pre-season this summer.

The last worry is an unknown which Newcastle cannot control, and that is the sheer unpredictability of the Championship.

Although that sounds like a bit of a cliché - and to some extent it is one - it is nevertheless true that the nature of a 46-game season allows every single team in the division to run into a cycle of good form at some point. 

It always helps to play the right teams at the right time - and, on that basis, a little luck will be necessary.

On top of that, the number of fixtures means there are many more midweek matches. 

In the Championship, a cold Tuesday night in Barnsley or Wigan is not a line delivered by a pub bore arguing about Lionel Messi but a reality which the players must face.

Interestingly, three of the four losses suffered by Chris Hughton's 2009/10 champions came on midweek evenings - at Blackpool in September, Scunthorpe United in October, and Derby County in February.

Even the famous Kevin Keegan-led vintage of 1992/93 also had a few games to forget before a dozen Andy Cole goals spearheaded a rousing finish.

What was ultimately important about those two seasons, though, was that both of those teams won the second tier and actually both quite comfortably in the end.

With confidence in the city sky-high, all the cards are in Benítez's favour to do it again. 

Newcastle United now must hold their nerve and play it right.


NUFC 2016-17 FIXTURE LIST

Date	KO	TV/Cup			Scorers	Att
05-Aug	7.45pm	Sky	Fulham (A)	0-1		23,922
13-Aug			Huddersfield Town (H)	1-2	Gayle	52,079
17-Aug	7.45pm		Reading (H)	4-1	Hayden, Ritchie, Gayle 2	48,209
20-Aug			Bristol City (A)	1-0	Gayle	22,512
23-Aug	7.45pm	LC2	Cheltenham Town (H)	2-0	Perez 2	21,972
27-Aug	5.30pm	Sky	Brighton & Hove Albion (H)	2-0	Lascelles, Shelvey	49,196
10-Sep	5.30pm	Sky	Derby County (A)	2-0	Gouffran, Yedlin	30,405
13-Sep	7.45pm		Queens Park Rangers (A)	6-0	Shelvey 2, Perez, Clark Mitrovic, Hanley	17,404
17-Sep			Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)	0-2		52,117
20-Sep	7.45pm	LC3	Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)	2-0	Ritchie, Gouffran	34,735
24-Sep	5.30pm	Sky	Aston Villa (A)	1-1	own goal (Elphick)	32,062
28-Sep	7.45pm		Norwich City (H)	4-3	Gayle 3, Gouffran	48,236
01-Oct			Rotherham United (A)	1-0	Atsu	11,653
15-Oct			Brentford (H)	3-1	Clark, Gayle 2	51,885
18-Oct	7.45pm		Barnsley (A)	2-0	Gayle 2	18,597
22-Oct			Ipswich Town (H)	3-0	Perez 2, Ritchie	51,963
25-Oct	7.45pm	LC4	Preston North End (H)	6-0	Mitrovic 2, Diame 2, Ritchie, Perez	49,042
29-Oct			Preston North End (A)	2-1	Mitrovic 2	20,724
05-Nov			Cardiff City (H)	2-1	Atsu, Gouffran	51,257
20-Nov	1.15pm	Sky	Leeds United (A)	2-0	Gayle 2	36,002
26-Nov			Blackburn Rovers (H)	0-1		52,092
29-Nov	7.45pm	LCQF	Hull City (A)	1-1*	Diame	16,243
02-Dec	7.45pm	Sky	Nottingham Forest (A)	1-2	Ritchie	21,317
10-Dec			Birmingham City (H)	4-0	Gayle 3, Gouffran	52,145
14-Dec	7.45pm	Sky	Wigan Athletic (A)	2-0	Diame, Atsu	14,562
17-Dec			Burton Albion (A)	2-1	Gayle, Diame	6,665
26-Dec	7.45pm	Sky	Sheffield Wednesday (H)	0-1		52,179
30-Dec	7.45pm		Nottingham Forest (H)	3-1	Ritchie, Gayle 2	52,228
02-Jan		Sky	Blackburn Rovers (A)	0-1		18,254
07-Jan		FAC3	Birmingham City (A)	1-1	Murphy	13,171
14-Jan			Brentford (A)	2-1	Gayle, Murphy	11,435
18-Jan	7.45pm	FAC3R	Birmingham City (A)	3-1	Ritchie 2, Gouffran	34,896
21-Jan			Rotherham United (H)	4-0	Murphy, Ritchie 2, Perez	52,208
28-Jan		FAC4	Oxford United (A)	0-3		11,810
01-Feb	7.45pm		Queens Park Rangers (H)	2-2	Shelvey, Ritchie	47,909
04-Feb			Derby County (H)	1-0	Ritchie	52,271
11-Feb	5.30pm	Sky	Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)	1-0	Mitrovic	24,876
14-Feb	7.45pm		Norwich City (A)	2-2	Perez, Lascelles	26,841
20-Feb	8.00pm	Sky	Aston Villa (H)	2-0	Gouffran, own goal (Lansbury)	50,024
25-Feb			Bristol City (H)	2-2	own goal (Smith), Clark	52,131
28-Feb	7.45pm	Sky	Brighton & Hove Albion (A)	2-1	Diame, Perez	30,230
04-Mar	5.30pm	Sky	Huddersfield Town (A)	3-1	Ritchie, Murphy, Gayle	23,213
07-Mar	8.00pm		Reading (A)	0-0		23,121
11-Mar			Fulham (H)	1-3	Murphy	51,903
18-Mar			Birmingham City (A)	0-0		19,796
01-Apr			Wigan Athletic (H)	2-1	Gayle, Ritchie	51,849
05-Apr	7.45pm		Burton Albion (H)	1-0	Ritchie 2	48,814
08-Apr	5.30pm	Sky	Sheffield Wednesday (A)	1-2	Shelvey	28,883
14-Apr	7.45pm	Sky	Leeds United (H)	1-1	Lascelles	52,301
17-Apr			Ipswich Town (A)	1-3	Murphy	25,684
24-Apr	7.45pm	Sky	Preston North End (H)	4-1	Perez 2, Atsu, Ritchie	50,212
28-Apr	7.45pm	Sky	Cardiff City (A)	2-0	Atsu, Hayden	23,153
07-May	12pm		Barnsley (H)	3-0	Perez, Mbemba, Gayle	52,276

Kick-off 3pm unless stated. NUFC score listed first. Sky appearances: 17
*after extra time. Lost 1-3 on penalties.

SCORERS
23 Dwight Gayle
16 Matt Ritchie
12 Ayoze Perez
7 Yoan Gouffran
6 Mohamed Diame, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Daryl Murphy
5 Christian Atsu, Jonjo Shelvey
3 Ciaran Clark, Jamaal Lascelles
2 Isaac Hayden
1 Grant Hanley, Chancel Mbemba, DeAndre Yedlin 
3 own goals
Total goals: 100

The Ashes 2013/14: Battle rejoined

SQUADS
Australia Michael Clarke (c) Brad Haddin (wk) George Bailey, James Faulkner, Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, David Warner, Shane Watson
England Alastair Cook (c) James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk) Ian Bell, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Michael Carberry, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior (wk) Boyd Rankin, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Ben Stokes, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott

ASHES foes England and Australia recommence their rivalry late tonight as the first Test of a five-match series begins at the Gabba in Brisbane.

It is only 85 days since the two teams finished the last Ashes series with a draw at the Oval which gave England a comfortable 3-0 win, their biggest over the Aussies since 1978-79.

However, both boards agreed back in 2011 to restructure the competition so that, from now on, the demands of the Ashes series in Australia are kept in separate years to the six-week Cricket World Cup, which is next held Down Under in 2015.

But, rather than a much larger gap between 2013 and, for example, a 2015-16 campaign in Australia, the boards also agreed to squeeze in the first back-to-back contests since the 1970s.

Additionally, the next England home series has been brought forward from 2017 to 2015 to prevent a lengthy gap between meetings.

It all means that, by the time that the English summer of 2015 is finished, England will have faced Australia in 15 Tests over three series in just slightly more than two years.

And, despite fears of "Ashes overkill", the timing actually looks to have worked pretty well for England who have emerged as the dominant force between the two teams.

The current urn-holders have indeed won four of the last five contests, a streak which includes a brilliant 3-1 win over Australia two years ago.

That campaign featured three crushing innings victories at Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney - though no one should expect it to be so easy this time around.

For a start, England's smooth preparation for the 2010-11 series has not exactly been replicated this time.

The fitness of wicket keeper Matt Prior following a calf tear has remained in doubt right up until the last minute while it is also unclear who, out of Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Boyd Rankin, will fill the tourists' third seamer spot.

None of them really impressed in the three warm-up games, a frustrating set of matches blighted by poor weather.

At least, the likely identity of England's opener alongside Alastair Cook became clearer with Hampshire batsman Michael Carberry hitting 153 in the draw with Australia A.

Joe Root will drop back down the order to bat at six, though there is hope that he can thrive there given that he will be protected from the new ball.

Meanwhile, Australia's own preparations have hardly been ideal either with their bowling attack suffering a spate of injuries, ruling out Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson and Jackson Bird.

Ryan Harris will be fit, though, after concerns over his hamstring, and he will be joined by the mercurial Mitchell Johnson whose inconsistency has already become written in Ashes folklore.

Skipper Michael Clarke has also had injury worries but bounced back from a six-week layoff with a stylish 88 for New South Wales against Tasmania. 

His Test record as captain, though, makes for less welcome reading - so far, it is played six, won none, drawn two, lost four. 

Nevertheless, it is widely accepted that Australia will field a much more settled side this time, and Clarke will be expecting his men can take advantage of that with a quick start in Brisbane.

After all, it is at a ground which England have found difficult over the years and, though he would be foolish to admit it, captain Cook would probably settle for a draw.

Next comes Adelaide where England wiped away their horror show on the final day in 2006 with that stunning victory three years ago.

And, of course, the key to this game is likely to be determined by whether either side has carried any momentum from the opener.

For the third Test, Cook's men travel west to the Waca in Perth, the scene of England's only defeat in the 2010-11 series, a heavy one, and a ground at which they have only won once ever.

Then, it is back to the east coast for the final two matches, in Melbourne and Sydney, where the tourists have had rather more success over the years, winning 20 and 22 times respectively.

Remember, as holders, England need only draw the series to retain the Ashes - and, even against an improved Aussie side, it would disappointing if they were unable to grind out a 2-2.

Coverage of the first Test begins at 11pm tonight on SkySports 2 with an hour-long highlights programme at 10am tomorrow, before being repeated at midday, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm.

The Verdict show, with former England captain Bob Willis, is at 9pm tomorrow and, due to its time-slot, will feature a preview of the coming day's play as well as a review of the previous day.

Alternatively, radio listeners can tune into the always-reliable Test Match Special on Radio 4 LW and Radio 5 Live Sports Extra from 11.30pm tonight. The whole commentary is then repeated the following day from 11am.

THE ASHES 2013/14

31 Oct-2 Nov	England 391 drew with Western Australia 451-5dec & 168-5	Perth
6-9 Nov	England 430-7dec drew with Australia A 119-3	Hobart
13-16 Nov	England 418 & 151-3 beat Australia Invitational XI 304 & 261 by seven wickets	Sydney
21-25 Nov	FIRST TEST	Brisbane
29-30 Nov	Tour match v Chairman's XI	Alice Springs
5-9 Dec	SECOND TEST	Adelaide
13-17 Dec	THIRD TEST	Perth
26-30 Dec	FOURTH TEST	Melbourne
3-7 Jan	FIFTH TEST	Sydney

• Five ODI matches on 12 Jan (Melbourne), 17 Jan (Brisbane), 19 Jan (Sydney), 24 Jan (Perth), 26 Jan (Adelaide)
• Three T20 matches on 29 Jan (Hobart), 31 Jan (Melbourne), 2 Feb (Sydney)

21st CENTURY ASHES SERIES

2001	(H)	Australia won 4-1
2002-03	(A)	Australia won 4-1
2005	(H)	England won 2-1
2006-07	(A)	Australia won 5-0
2009	(H)	England won 2-1
2010-11	(A)	England won 3-1
2013	(H)	England won 3-0

OVERALL RECORD

TESTS	All-time	In Australia
Played	315	157
England	103	56
Australia	123	77
Drawn	89	24

SERIES	All-time	In Australia
Played	67	33
England	31	14
Australia	31	17
Draw	5	2

Ashes 2013: Boycott and Aggers, a wonderfully odd couple

AN ASHES summer just would not be the same if it did not feature at some stage the wonderful, and occasionally slightly odd, world that is Test Match Special.

It was therefore an absolute pleasure to hear - and see - the show's two best-known current voices as England legend Geoff Boycott joined BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew at Newcastle City Hall last night.

Their talk-in - Boycott and Aggers - was a brilliant way of starting a big week for north east cricket with Durham's Riverside ground hosting the fourth Test against Australia from Friday.

The evening - which helped raise funds for the Benevolent Fund of the Professional Cricketers' Association - began with Aggers on stage on his own.

The former Leicestershire bowler ran through some housekeeping in his usual consummate style before he went on to tell an amusing anecdote about the time he managed to get his good friend Geoffrey out cheaply.

Shortly afterwards, Boycott was then introduced to a fantastic ovation, and the conversation proper soon started to wind its way through a variety of subjects.

Now, anyone who has had the fortune of listening to TMS during a rain delay will be aware how the team can make the vacant minutes and hours pass by in a flash - and it was just as good at City Hall.

As usual, Boycott was not slow in coming forwards and the Yorkshireman gave his honest opinion on a broad range of topics and personalities.

We found out that he does not have much time for the "useless" South African umpire Marais Erasmus, and that he thinks Kevin Pietersen - while being England's most exceptional batsman - can also be "a prat".

Of course, these views were predictable enough - but there were some genuine gems to be found from the Question and Answer section of the show.

Aggers confirmed that his late, fellow-commentator, Brian 'Johnners' Johnston - with whom he shared a separate incident in what has been voted as "the greatest sporting commentary of all time" - sadly never actually said the nevertheless immortal phrase: "The batsman's Holding, the bowler's Willey."

Meanwhile, Boycott revealed he regularly took a handkerchief out with him to the crease so that he could see "which way the wind was blowing".

The occasion even included a game of Boycott bingo, a Mastermind-style challenge in which Geoffrey declared his specialist subject to be himself, and a prize draw in which one lucky pair won tickets to the second day at Chester-le-Street.

Finally, the more-than-worthy appearance of cricket-loving impressionist Rory Bremner added an extra dimension to the second half.

But, of course, the main focus was on public schoolboy Aggers and, particularly, 72-year-old miner's son Boycott.

They are, indeed, an "odd couple", as Aggers freely admits - but they work together so brilliantly. Aggers regularly teases Boycott about his notoriously defensive batting style while Boycott usually responds by mocking Aggers' not-so-quick fast bowling.

The tit-for-that should go on for some time yet with Aggers revealing that their broadcasts reach over one million listeners online, in additional to those who tune in via the traditional medium on BBC Radio 4 LW and 5Live Sports Extra.

And so, with a loyal and growing fanbase, it is clear that this quintessentially English institution - with its Caribbean lilt - is here to stay. Long live TMS!

Paralympics 2012: Bringing it all back home

GREAT BRITAIN has started the Paralympic Games brilliantly, winning seven medals including two gold on the opening day of action.

Cyclist Sarah Storey was the star of the show, setting a world record in the qualification stages of the women's individual pursuit before catching her opponent Anna Harkowska in the final with still more than half the race to run.

There was gold too for Jonathan Fox in the men's 100m backstroke S7 category. Just like Storey, Fox had also broken a world record in the heats, setting a new best time of 1:09.86, before winning the final in 1:10.46.

Mark Colbourne won Britain's first medal of the Games, a silver in the velodrome in the men's 1km time trial, and there were two swimming silvers from Nyree Kindred in the women's 100m backstroke S6 category and Hannah Russell in the women's 400m freestyle S12.

Finally, on a glorious opening day, there were bronze medals in judo for Ben Quilter and in powerlifting for Zoe Newson, meaning Britain has already made a good start towards achieving its minimum target of 103 medals overall.

The medal rush is expected to continue throughout the Games as, on an international scale, Paralympics GB is on a different level even when compared to the excellent efforts of Team GB at the Olympics.

Britain has a proud history at the Paralympic Games, finishing second in the medal table on the last three occasions, and never below fifth in all 13 previous official gatherings.

Further than that, the Paralympics can actually be seen as British, given that their true birthplace is at Stoke Mandeville hospital in Buckinghamshire.

There, a Jewish German doctor by the name of Sir Ludwig Guttman, who had fled Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in 1939, came to treat victims of World War II.

On his arrival, Sir Ludwig was dismayed to find the spinal injury ward was full of heavily-sedated, paralysed soldiers, all confined to their beds, and awaiting their inevitable deaths.

Sir Ludwig concluded that this would simply not do and, after treating their bedsores and infections, he encouraged the men out of their beds and into the sporting arena.

And so, in 1948, the Stoke Mandeville Games were officially born with 16 competitors - 14 men and two women - taking part in an archery competition.

In 1952, a Dutch team participated, making it an international event for the first time, and the ninth international staging - in Rome in 1960 - is now considered to be the first Paralympic Games.

Of course, the event moved on greatly since those early days and, in 2012, there are now 503 gold medals awarded in 20 sports with all sorts of different categories.

Thankfully, there is some help out there: the BBC, despite its lack of television rights, seems to have the best online guide of those categories, and it also has comprehensive radio coverage on Five Live.

Meanwhile, Channel 4 is the place to go for actual televised transmission of the Games. Already, though, the broadcaster's coverage has had its critics.

The biggest complaint so far seems to have been over the number of adverts shown during the Opening Ceremony on Wednesday.

But, while it is acceptable that a commercial station should show advertisements for sponsor reasons, a more valid objection has been the needless amount of chatter from the studio between - and sometimes during - the events.

Having said that, some of the studio interludes have been helpful with decent explanations often offered of the intricacies of each event.

On balance, Channel 4 has been more stodgy than completely amateur, and what was actually covered of the Opening Ceremony was still made to feel pretty special.

Indeed, more than 11m people tuned into the extravaganza at the Olympic Stadium, an extraordinary figure for the Paralympics and for Channel 4, too.

Those who were watching would have seen many brilliant and poignant moments, the best and most poignant of which came appropriately at the climax.

For, the Paralympic Torch - which had been reported to be late due to demand to see it on its route to Stratford - eventually arrived in the Olympic Stadium on a zip wire.

More impressively still, it was brought on the wire into the arena by a former Royal Marine Joe Townsend, who lost both his legs in Afghanistan. It has been reported that he is a hopeful for the ParalympicsGB team in Rio 2016 in the triathlon.

The torch was then lit by Margaret Maughan, Britain's first ever Paralympic gold medallist - and thus, the past and the future of the Paralympics were brought together perfectly.

Finally, chairman of organiser LOCOG Sebastian Coe spoke to mark the start of another truly 12 great days in London.

Lord Coe said: "It is my great honour to say welcome home to the Paralympic Games", and he added, "Prepare to be inspired, prepare to be dazzled, prepare to be moved."

Even after day one, it can be pretty much guaranteed that all of those things have already happened.

Indeed, it is already quite clear that this is going to be another amazing dozen days in London.

GREAT BRITAIN MEDALLISTS AT THE 2012 PARALYMPICS

GOLD

Archery
Danielle Brown Women's individual compound - open
Athletics
Jonnie Peacock Men's 100m T44

Hannah Cockcroft (two) Women's 100m T34, Women's 200m T34
Richard Whitehead Men's 200m T42
Aled Davies Men's discus F42
David Weir (four) Men's 800m T54, Men's 1500m T54, Men's 5000m T54, Men's marathon T54
Mickey Bushell Men's 100m T37
Josie Pearson Women's discus F51-53
Cycling
Sarah Storey (four) Women's individual pursuit C5, Women's 500m time trial C4-5, Women's road time trial C5, Women's road race C4-5
Mark Colbourne Men's individual pursuit C1
Neil Fachie [Barney Storey (pilot)] Men's 1km time trial B
Anthony Kappes [Craig MacLean (pilot)] Men's individual sprint B
David Stone Mixed road race T1-2
Equestrian
Sophie Christiansen, Deborah Criddle, Lee Pearson & Sophie Wells Team championship

Natasha Baker (two) [Cabral] Individual championship test grade II, Individual freestyle test grade II
Sophie Christiansen (two) [Janeiro 6] Individual championship test grade Ia, Individual freestyle test grade Ia
Rowing  
Pam Relph, Naomi Riches, David Smith, James Roe & Lily van den Broecke (cox) Mixed coxed four LTAMix4+
Sailing  
Helena Lucas 2.4 mR - 1 person keelboat
Swimming  
Jonathan Fox Men's 100m backstroke S7
Eleanor Simmonds (two) Women's 400m freestyle S6, Women's 200m individual medley SM6
Jessica-Jane Applegate Women's 200m freestyle S14
Heather Frederiksen Women's 100m backstroke S8
Oliver Hynd Men's 200m individual medley SM8
Josef Craig Men's 400m freestyle S7

SILVER

Archery
Mel Clarke Women's individual compound - open
Athletics
Stefanie Reid Women's long jump F42-44

Graeme Ballard Men's 100m T36
Libby Clegg [Mikail Huggins (guide)] Women's 100m T12
Paul Blake Men's 400m T36

Bethy Woodward Women's 200m T37
Dan Greaves Men's discus F44
Shelly Woods Women's marathon T54
Boccia
David Smith Individual BC1
Cycling
Mark Colbourne (two) Men's 1km time trial C1-3, Men's road time trial C1
Aileen McGlynn [Helen Scott (pilot)] Women's individual B 1km time trial
Neil Fachie [Barney Storey (pilot)] Men's individual sprint B
Jon-Allan Butterworth (two) Men's 1k time trial C4-5, Men's individual pursuit C5
Shaun McKeown Men's individual pursuit C3
Jon-Allan Butterworth, Darren Kenny, Rik Waddon Mixed team sprint C1-5
Karen Darke Women's road time trial H1-2
Equestrian
Lee Pearson [Gentleman] Individual championship test grade Ib
Sophie Wells (two) [Pinocchio] Individual championship test grade IV, Individual freestyle test grade IV
Deborah Criddle (two) [LJT Akilles] Individual championship test grade III, Individual freestyle test grade III
Judo 
Sam Ingram Men's 90kg
Shooting  
Matt Skelhon Mixed R3 - 10m air rifle prone SH1
Swimming  
Nyree Kindred Women's 100m backstroke S6
Sascha Kindred Men's 200m individual medley SM6 
Hannah Russell Women's 400m freestyle S12
Oliver Hynd Men's 400m freestyle S8 
Matthew Whorwood Men's 400m freestyle S6
Claire Cashmore Women's 100m breaststroke SB8
James Crisp Men's 100m backstroke S9
Heather Frederiksen (two) Women's 100m freestyle S8, Women's 400m freestyle S8
Charlotte Henshaw Women's 100m breaststroke SB6
Stephanie Millward (three) Women's 100m backstroke S9, Women's 400m freestyle S9, Women's 200m individual medley SM9
Aaron Moores Men's 100m backstroke S14
Eleanor Simmonds Women's 100m freestyle S6
Louise Watkin Women's 50m freestyle S9
Claire Cashmore, Heather Frederiksen, Stephanie Millward & Louise Watkin Women's 4x100m medley relay 34pts
Table tennis
Will Bayley Men's singles class 7
Wheelchair tennis
Andy Lapthorne & Peter Norfolk Quad doubles
 

BRONZE

Athletics
Aled Davies Men's shot put F42-44

Gemma Prescott Women's club throw F31/32/51

Rob Womack Men's shot put F54-56
Claire Williams Women's discus F11-12
David Devine (two) Men's 800m T12, Men's 1500m T13
Olivia Breen/Bethy Woodward/Katrina Hart/Jenny McLoughlin Women's 4x100m relay T35/T38
Beverley Jones Women's discus F37
Ben Rushgrove Women's 200m T36
Paul Blake Women's 800m T36
Ola Abidogun Men's 100m T46
Boccia
Dan Bentley/Nigel Murray/David Smith/Zoe Robinson Mixed team BC1-2
Cycling
Darren Kenny Men's individual pursuit C3
Jody Cundy Men's individual pursuit C4
Aileen McGlynn [Helen Scott (pilot)] Women's individual pursuit B
David Stone Mixed road time trial T1-2
Rachel Morris Women's road race H1-3
Equestrian
Lee Pearson [Gentleman] Individual freestyle test grade Ib
Judo 
Ben Quilter Men's 60kg
Powerlifting
Zoe Newson Women's 40kg
Sailing
Niki Birrell & Alex Rickham SKUD18 - 2 person keelboat
Shooting
James Bevis Mixed R5 - 10m air rifle prone SH2
Matt Skelhon Mixed R6 - 50m air rifle prone SH1
Swimming
Sam Hynd Men's 400m freestyle S8
Matthew Whorwood Men's 400m freestyle S6
Hannah Russell (two) Women's 100m butterfly S12, Women's 100m backstroke S12
James Clegg Men's 100m butterfly S12
Natalie Jones Women's 200m individual medley SM6
Susie Rodgers (two) Women's 100m freestyle S7, Women's 400m freestyle S7
Oliver Hynd Men's 100m backstroke S8
Eleanor Simmonds Women's 50m freestyle S6
Matthew Walker Men's 50m freestyle S7
Robert Welbourn Men's 200m individual medley SM8
Liz Johnson Women's 100m breaststroke SB6
Louise Watkin Women's 200m individual medley SM9
Harriet Lee Women's 100m breaststroke SB9
Claire Cashmore, Stephanie Millward, Susie Rodgers & Louise Watkin Women's 4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Table tennis
Paul Davies Men's singles class 1
Jane Campbell & Sara Head Women's team class 1-3
Ross Wilson & Will Bayley Men's team class 6-8
Wheelchair tennis
Lucy Shuker & Jordanne Whiley Women's doubles

FINAL MEDAL TABLE

Rank		G	S	B	Total
1	CHINA (CHN)	95	71	65	231
2	Russia (RUS)	36	38	28	102
3	Great Britain & NI (GBR)	34	43	43	120
4	Ukraine (UKR)	32	24	28	84
5	Australia (AUS)	32	23	30	85
6	United States (USA)	31	29	38	98
7	Brazil (BRZ)	21	14	8	43
8	Germany (GER)	18	26	22	66
9	Poland (POL)	14	13	9	36
10	Netherlands (NED)	10	10	19	39
11	Iran (IRN)	10	7	7	24
12	South Korea (KOR)	9	9	9	27
13	Italy (ITA)	9	8	11	28
14	Tunisia (TUN)	9	5	5	19
15	Cuba (CUB)	9	5	3	17
16	France (FRA)	8	19	18	45
17	Spain (ESP)	8	18	16	42
18	South Africa (RSA)	8	12	9	29
19	Ireland (IRL)	8	3	5	16
20	Canada (CAN)	7	15	9	31