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• England sitting pretty after Pakistan's spectacular collapse

The first Test moved on apace today. In 64 overs and one ball, 15 wickets fell for 170 runs as the ball, swinging with the vigour of a 1940s dance band, dominated proceedings. Pace prospered.At the end of it, though, the gloom offset by the flyswat floodlights until the umpires decided they could not compensate adequately (the shadow of the ball on the pitch creates its own problems for batsmen), it was England who had the game by the scruff. For the next three days, or as long as it lasts, it is theirs to control.In reducing Pakistan to 147 for nine England have a first‑innings lead of 207, leaving Andrew Strauss to contemplate overnight the option of enforcing the follow-on. Should, given the opportunity, he chose not to do so it would owe something to current convention that dictates sides try to put the game beyond any possible reach of the opposition while, in theory, leaving themselves a wearing pitch to exploit in the fourth innings. His bowlers were made to work harder as the day wore on today – something that did not appear on the cards when Pakistan had been reduced to 47 for six by the superb bowling of James Anderson, who took five for 49 on his 28th birthday, and Steve Finn – three for 20 – but they will be suitably refreshed tomorrow morning with only a single tail‑end wicket to get. It could be over tomorrow.Much earlier Mohammad Asif, ghosting rhythmically to the crease, had made a mockery of the indifferent form of the Pakistan bowlers on the first day by claiming four of the six England wickets that fell for the addition of 23 runs – virtually a tribute act of some of the England sides of the 90s – finishing with five for 77. Increasingly, the fifth‑wicket stand between Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan, ended abruptly at 219, is looking an anomaly: remove it from the equation and the other 18 wickets have produced 282.Give Anderson a set of circumstances as those presented here and he is as devastating a bowler as any. There was warmth in the air and the gentlest of zephyrs to flap the trousers of the umpires. Add a dark red Dukes ball to the equation, and an outfield of such lushness that it can be maintained to the finish of a newly fallen conker and he is in his element.The ball swung just as it had for Asif, and Anderson manipulated it expertly, his away swing returned as an essential part of his armoury to be offset by the snaking inswing (away to the left‑hander) that has seemed to dominate his bowling of late. Salman Butt and Imran Farhat were mesmerised by deliveries that left them, Farhat having no answer to the ball, delivered from round the wicket, that evaded his outside edge and pegged back off stump. Beautiful.The wicket of Azhar Ali, who batted staunchly for an hour, was a little more fortunate after the batsman, having been given out to a catch at the wicket, appeared to ask his partner, Umar Akmal, for an opinion only to be told that he should not refer the decision. This looked like a mistake for subsequent replays clearly showed the ball missing the bat and clipping his right pocket instead. Salman Butt, Pakistan's captain, provided an alibi, suggesting that Hotspot does not show up if the ball clips the bat side sticker.Meanwhile, Strauss called up Finn at the Pavilion End, who proceeded to bowl brilliantly. The nature of his high repeating action gives him impeccable command of line and he was relentless on off stump. Umar Amin went in his first over, edging to second slip, one of three catches for Graeme Swann, and in quick succession he further claimed Umar Akmal and then his elder brother Kamran, giving him figures of three for four at one point.That Pakistan avoided total embarrassment was down to a stoic seventh‑wicket stand of 58 between Shoaib Malik (38) and Mohammad Aamer (25) – riches in the circumstances – ended only when Shoaib was caught at first slip by Strauss at the second attempt, and Aamer edged to Swann once more. Some bat-flinging by Umar Gul, who will resume on 30, pulled them within sight of avoiding the follow-on.Pakistan's bowling could not have contrasted more with the generally poor performance that allowed Collingwood and Morgan to get away on the first afternoon. Asif was at his silky smooth best, a bowling lounge-lizard who, by rights, should be wearing Gucci loafers, slacks, blazer and a white polo neck. There is no great pace to him but he torments on a length, angling the ball, nine overs old at the start of play, gently this way and that from the tightest of lines.Where they had prospered Morgan and Collingwood found it a real battle. Indeed, Collingwood was able to add only a single to his overnight 82 before he became the first of Asif's four lbw victims today. Morgan was struggling equally, adding five more runs from 34 deliveries, being dropped yet again and surviving a close lbw shout, before he too got his pad in the way and was palpably lbw.Matt Prior's run out was not helpful, before more odd review behaviour from Swann, who looked as if he wanted to query his lbw decision only to be told that England had no more reviews left. If Anderson's birthday bowling was high class, then his batting was less so. He padded up to his first delivery but was right in front.England v Pakistan 2010England Cricket TeamPakistan cricket teamCricketMike Selveyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• James joins Bristol City on one-year deal

• Championship club is near to England keeper's Exeter home• James impressed by Bristol City's Premier League ambitionsBristol City pulled off one of the more unlikely transfer deals of the summer today when the Championship club signed the England goalkeeper David James on a one-year contract. The 39-year-old, who made three appearances for England at the World Cup in South Africa, rejected offers to stay in the Premier League in favour of moving to Ashton Gate, where he will be able to commute to and from his home in Exeter.James will be paraded in front of the Bristol City supporters before the friendly against Blackpool tomorrow but he will not make his debut for the club until a week later, when Millwall visit on the opening day of the Championship season. That fixture promises to be quite a different occasion to the last match he played, when he conceded four goals in England's humiliating defeat to Germany as Fabio Capello's side crashed out of the World Cup.Sunderland, Fulham and Celtic had all expressed interest in signing James but his desire to remain in the West Country to be close to his family gave Bristol City a distinct advantage. He met the club's chairman, Steve Lansdown, yesterday and held talks with Steve Coppell, the City manager, today before passing a medical and signing a one-year deal with the option of a further 12 months."I've had offers to stay in the Premier League but it is more important that I play football – which I love – for the right club and be a family man," said James."I had a long conversation with the chairman, Steve Lansdown, and I liked what he said about the club and his ambition. I know all about the plans for a new stadium and desire to win promotion to the Premier League."The club is ambitious and that's what I am. The south-west has not had a club in the Premier League and that needs to change."It will be only the second time in 18 years that James has played outside the top flight – he had a six-month spell in the Championship with West Ham United after relegation in 2003 – and he departs the Premier League with the record number of clean sheets to his name.Celtic harboured hopes that James would move to the Scottish Premier League when he left Portsmouth on a free transfer this summer but he pulled out of talks on Monday citing personal reasons, paving the way for Bristol City to enter the race.Lansdown, the ambitious City chairman, was understandably pleased with a transfer that represents quite a coup for the club. "I'm delighted David James has agreed to sign," he said."My ambition is for this football club to play at the highest level – the Premier League – and in the best surroundings, hence the work on the training ground and new stadium. We need good quality players to make that happen and that's why I'm thrilled that David has agreed to come on board."David JamesBristol CityStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Turner races away to 110m hurdles gold

• 29-year-old accelerates away from field to win 110m hurdles• Christian Malcolm pipped by 0.01sec to take 200m silverAs the medals poured in for Great Britain at the European Championships in Barcelona's Olympic stadium tonight, there was a common theme that ran through each performance: the fulfilment of long‑awaited potential. To watch old names come good after so many years of disappointments was thrilling, as one gold, two silver and three bronze were won to take the nation's tally to 11 medals.Andy Turner won his first gold in the 110m hurdles, accelerating over the eighth hurdle to pull away from the competition. The 29‑year-old who won in a season's best of 13.28sec – just 0.01 outside of his lifetime best – had been without lottery funding as recently as last year."I'm just so happy, it's been a tough two years but I've been chipping away and working hard, all those lows have finally been worth it. I can forget about that now," said Turner. "I walked round the stadium the other day and I stood by the rostrum and looked at the gold medal spot and thought: 'I want to stand on that so bad.' This whole champs has been amazing, MLF [Mark Lewis-Francis] – I loved that! Mo [Farah] and Chris [Thompson], that got all the team fired up and then obviously Phillips [Idowu] and Martyn [Bernard] last night were amazing."There was disappointment for the world indoor silver and outdoor bronze medallist Jenny Meadows in the 800m as she ran out of steam in the final stretch, finishing third in 1:59.39, but the 29‑year-old saw the positives. "The last race I did was in Gateshead where I was sixth, so to come here and pick up a medal, it's confirmed that I can start believing in myself."Jemma Simpson was unable to replicate the silver medal-winning performance of her boyfriend, Chris Thompson, instead finishing fifth, while Andy Baddeley, favourite to win gold in the 1500m, stuttered badly finishing sixth as a Spanish crowd roared on Arturo Casado as the home athlete took the gold. "I am devastated," said the 28‑year-old. "I was there for a medal and then I was sixth. I've never felt like this before. I was certain with 200m to go I had it won and then my legs just came out from under me."The veteran sprinter Christian Malcolm won his first major individual outdoor honour after 12 years of trying, taking silver in the 200m. The 31‑year-old led from the bend as Christophe Lemaitre, the 100m European champion, laboured down in fifth place. But just when the crowd thought Malcolm had struck gold – leading the field up to 10m from the line – the Frenchman made his charge and, just as he did on Wednesday night, once again dipped with perfection to snatch the title just 0.01sec ahead of the Welshman."I nearly had him," said Malcolm. "I told myself tonight if Christophe Lemaitre wants to win he's going to have to work hard for it. And I made him work – now bring on the Commonwealth Games."It's hard being so close to winning it but to take a medal, I can't argue with that. Later on I'll be so happy to have a medal. It means a lot. It's been a very tough year but I've come through with a medal."Malcolm's time of 20.38sec was his quickest in two years. The 100m and 200m world junior champion in 1998 has never quite managed to live up to his potential, struggling with injuries for much of his career, and losing his lottery funding last year. His best achievement was a 4x100m silver medal at the 2003 world championships – of which he was later stripped after Dwain Chambers tested positive for performance‑enhancing drugs.Michael Bingham and Martyn Rooney won 400m silver and bronze in difficult outside lanes, both Britons crossing the line in 45.23sec behind Belgium's Kevin Borlee. Perri Shakes-Drayton won her first senior medal in the 400m hurdles, the 21‑year-old who won silver at the European junior championships three years ago making the vital transition to the senior ranks to claim bronze.Jessica Ennis made a confident start to her campaign for the European heptathlon title, on course for the gold medal after four events on the first day of competition with 4,080 points, 110 points clear of her nearest rival, the Olympic champion, Nataliya Dobrynska. Ennis won the 100m hurdles in 12.95sec, the high jump in 1.89m and the 200m in a season best of 23.21sec to forge an impressive lead – although a scare in the shot put threatened to derail the world champion, saved only by a strong effort of 14.05m in the final round to keep her ahead of her Ukrainian rival."I'm feeling good, really good," said the 24‑year-old. "I'm really pleased with that time for the 200m, it felt great. A great finish to the day really. I needed to do that, Dobrynska is getting really close so I've definitely got to give everything to stay ahead. It's been hot and blustery all day but it's been good. I'll go and rest now and look forward to tomorrow."At times today Ennis lacked some of the sparkle that has previously driven her, juggernaut‑like, through her other title campaigns. But by the end of the first day the Great Britain team captain showed that even when she is not hitting personal bests, she can still rule the roost.European Athletics ChampionshipsJessica EnnisAthleticsAnna Kesselguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Button: Bring back team orders and I quit

• World champion gets a 'buzz' out of fighting team-mate• Drivers must have same equipment and same opportunitiesJenson Button has said he would quit Formula One if team orders were reintroduced to the sport. The reigning world champion was referring to Bernie Ecclestone's comments this week when the sport's commercial rights holder said team principals should be allowed to make their own decisions in the wake of the Ferrari one-two at Hockenheim last Sunday when Felipe Massa was instructed to let Fernando Alonso past into the lead."I wouldn't be interested in racing in F1 if, from the first race, you know there was the possibility of being a No1 or No2 driver. What's the point?" Button said. "You're here to win, to be the best, and you should have equal opportunity to the guy that's driving the same car. He should also get every opportunity, otherwise it's not a drivers' sport any more, it would be a complete and utter team sport."Formula One is a team sport, but when you cross the finishing line you are the person who wins the drivers' championship. We have the constructors' and we have the drivers', and that's the way Formula One is. So for me, if it wasn't down to the individual, I wouldn't be interested in racing any more."One of the biggest buzzes in F1 is fighting your team-mate, and for me, fighting a world champion is such a buzz. If I suddenly realised he didn't have the same equipment as me, or I was being favoured, then I wouldn't be happy because I would think we'd all been cheated."Button said he was aware that letting team-mates race can damage a title bid but is convinced it is the right way to go. "Sometimes it can hurt you having two drivers fighting for a championship," he said. "But also it can help because you are pushing each other very hard and developing the car quicker because you are working together. So there are positives and negatives to having two fast guys in the team."We all want to win the championship and when you cross the line you want to know you've done the best job you possibly can and the team has done the best job they possibly can. When you cross the line you want to know you've won a race and a championship in the right way"Yesterday Button and his McLaren team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, were more than a second off the pace after the first day of practice at the Hungaroring. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel was nearly half a second quicker than Alonso's Ferrari with their respective team-mates, Mark Webber and Massa in third and fourth."A solid result is all we are looking for," Hamilton said. "We are here to win but if we can get a solid result with good points, or just continue the consistency we've shown so far, we can come back after the break and attack again."After race Formula One goes into a three-week break before the Belgian grand prix and Button and Hamilton will be hoping to protect their lead in the championship by scoring well here. On the evidence of today's running, fifth place looks to be the best they can hope for.Jenson ButtonMcLarenFormula OneRed BullOliver Owenguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Murray battles past Smyczek in LA

• British No1 beats Tim Smyczek 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 in Farmers Classic• Alejandro Falla wins against volatile Ernests GulbisThe top seed, Andy Murray, overcame an ugly second set to beat Tim Smyczek 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 and qualify for the quarter-finals of the Farmers Classic in Los Angeles.Having received a bye in the first round, Murray showed no signs of rustiness as he raced through the first set. But his serve abandoned him in the second, before he composed himself in the third to seal the win and a last-eight tie against Colombia's Alejandro Falla, who beat the fifth seed, Ernests Gulbis, earlier in the day.Murray got off to the best possible start as he held then broke his American opponent to take a 2-0 lead. And he kept up that pace to power through the first set without even facing a break point.Things got tougher from there, however. From nowhere, Smyczek fashioned three break points in game four of the second set and duly converted for a 3-1 lead. Murray broke back immediately and held for 3-3, but the American did not roll over and again established a two-game lead at 5-3.Again Murray broke back, but with his first-serve percentage for the set down at 42% he again surrendered his own serve to allow Smyczek to level the match.The match continued in topsy-turvy fashion at the start of the third as the pair traded breaks in the opening two games. Murray broke again for 2-1 and finally held to give himself a two-game cushion. From there he did not look back and broke again for a 5-2 lead before serving out for a win which he may consider was more difficult than it needed to be."The first set was good and I started the second set with chances. I was struggling a little bit with my movement, when I got stiff and sore. But I managed to find a way to win," Murray said. "The top of my right hip and lower back was stiff. It isn't an injury, just on one of the changeovers my muscles started hurting. The last few changeovers I was standing up – something I have never done on tour before."I don't know if it's the weather or the fact that this is my first match since Wimbledon. It's to be expected so hopefully it will be OK [for the quarter-final]. It was a good match with long rallies. We played to a good standard which will hopefully stand me in good stead for the rest of the week."Murray plays Falla in the early hours of tomorrow morning, UK time. The Colombian left-hander beat Gulbis 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 in an eventful match during which the 21-year-old Latvian smashed two rackets. "Nothing worked today," said Gulbis. "I was just running like a Spanish clay-court player, standing on the baseline and pushing the ball back. Women's tennis."Gulbis criticised the Irish umpire, Fergus Murphy, for enforcing a points deduction in the second set. "This referee, his only purpose in life is to give somebody warnings," he said. "He is like a police officer. When they see a car they stop it and they have so much fun to give you a ticket."At one point in the decisive tie-break Gulbis threw his racket into the net, risking disqualification. "He wouldn't do that [default the match]. People enjoyed it," he said. "It wasn't the best tennis but it was a good fight. I broke rackets. OK they [the crowd] booed me but I think honestly they enjoyed it. If he would have disqualified me in the tiebreaker it would have been really stupid."Andy MurrayTennisguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• The Joy of Six: Footballing surprise packages

From Iraq at the 2007 Asian Cup to plucky little Calais in the 2000 Coupe de France, via Norwich City's latest title tiltNB: The point of the Joy of Six is not to rank things, only to enjoy them.1) Norwich City (Premier League, 1992-93)It was the first year of the Premier League and nobody expected anything of Norwich City at the start of the 1992-93 season. Well, that's not quite true: on Saturday 15 August 1992, this esteemed organ tipped Mike Walker's side to be relegated in 22nd place. How easy it is to laugh and point these days, but at the time the logic was almost watertight: City had lost nine of their last 11 games of the previous season, nearly costing them their top-flight place, and with their major goalscorer Robert Fleck on his way to Chelsea in a £2.1m move to be replaced by unproven Manchester United bit-part player Mark Robins, the jig looked up. Arsenal, by the way, were our tip for the title.On the opening day of the season, top versus bottom, as we had it, met at Highbury. After an hour, Arsenal were coasting at 2-0 when Walker threw Robins into the fray. By the final whistle, it was 4-2 to the visitors, Robins having scored twice, one goal an audacious chip from nearly 30 yards. The second game of the season saw a Fleck-free Chelsea visit Carrow Road; Norwich won 2-1 to top the first-ever Premier League table.The first suggestion that Norwich's form might not just be an early-season quirk came when they played Chelsea again in September. Again Norwich went 2-0 down at the home of a London giant, but this time things were different. This time they had played Chelsea off the park. And eventually the Canaries prevailed, winning 3-2 with a little help from Dave Beasant's goalkeeping nervous breakdown. City were top of the table, suddenly a serious proposition.They'd stay in the mix all season. Walker's men would suffer a few nervous breakdowns themselves – four-goal shellackings by Liverpool and Spurs, a humiliating 7-1 tonking at Blackburn. But with the whole squad stepping up – Robins, Chris Sutton, Jeremy Goss, Bryan Gunn – they always bounced back. They were still in with a shout come April, when fellow title wannabes Manchester United came to Carrow Road.United were two points behind with a game in hand – it wasn't quite do or die for a side that had blown the league 12 months earlier, but near enough. Alex Ferguson went for the jugular, showing tactical courage by playing 4-2-4 to put pressure on the home side's rickety defence. Norwich conceded three in the first half; the jig was up.United went on to secure the title, their first in aeons. A seismic event at the time, but in retrospect this season wasn't really about them at all. Big club wins Premier League shock! No, United have plenty other achievements to crow about; 1992-93 is solely the property of Norwich, who ended the season in third place. And with a negative goal difference to boot. No small club, no penniless chancers, no proper pukka neutral's favourites have taken a serious tilt at the title since that memorable campaign, the first year of the Premier League. SM2) Calais (2000)We know that cheap booze and desperate immigrants come out of Calais. But 10 years ago so did one of the most thrilling teams in French Cup history. Calais, a band of amateurs from the lower half of the country's fourth tier, had navigated their way through eight ties before they came up against Lille in the last 64 of the Coupe de France. Geographically, Lille and Calais are close but in football terms they were a millions miles apart: while Calais were in unchartered territory, Lille were five-times Cup winners and the runaway leaders of Ligue 2. Only one result was foreseeable ... and yet the match ended 1-1 and Calais won 7-6 on penalties.In the next round even the fixture was improbable – Calais versus Langon-Castets-en-Dorthe – of the fifth tier. Here there was no upset as Calais coasted to a 3-0 win. A sterner challenge awaited in the last 16, where they met another Ligue 2 side, Cannes. Again the match ended 1-1 and again Calais won the shoot-out. Normality would resume in the quarter-finals. Or so it seemed at first, when Calais fell behind early doors to Strasbourg of Ligue 1. But the amateurs stormed back to win 2-1. "This was a complete joke," said the Strasbourg manager, Claude Le Roy. "It defies the logic of football."So Calais were into the semi-final but here, surely, they would be knocked out: for in the opposite corner were the reigning French champions, Bordeaux, who included in their ranks Sylvain Wiltord and Johan Micoud. Early editions of the following morning's newspapers reported a Bordeaux victory with the match yet to be completed – and yes, it did go into extra-time after a 1-1 draw but, as it turned out, the amateurs did not wilt and instead ran out 3-1 winners. And it was no fluke – continuing to play a rapid, adventurous 4-3-3 Calais entertained as much as they shocked. They became the nation's favourite team.Thirteen million viewers tuned in to watch the final against Nantes. In the 34th minute Jérôme Dutitre gave Calais a 1-0 lead that they took into half-time. But the fairytale turned sour. Antoine Sibierski, later of Manchester City and Newcastle, equalised for the aristocrats in the 50th minute and then, in the last minute, converted a hotly disputed penalty. Nantes's captain, Mickael Landreau, invited his Calais counterpart, Reginald Becque, to lift the trophy with him but neither man looked particularly happy. "Ten years on and I still sometimes read stuff about myself that is unacceptable, borderline defamatory," said Ladislas Lozano, the then-Calais manager who remains bitter that he never got the credit he feels he was due. Rather than congratulate him for the team's style and formation, he reckons the media instead concentrated on his touchline antics and drew a caricature of him as an amusingly unhinged dictator.Calais won promotion to the third tier in 2001 but that was as far as they went and, after a poor season the following year, Lozano was sacked. Like his players, Lozano was never offered a position in the French top-flight and has spent most of the past decade wandering from job to job in Morocco and the Middle East. Two years ago the Calais job became available again and he submitted an application. He was rejected. "My brother is a dog-handler," he told Le Monde earlier this year. "And he says gratitude is a dog's disease that humans can't catch." PD3) USA 1930There were no world stars in the United States squad that travelled to the first World Cup in Montevideo. Despite the presence of six naturalised Brits, only one had ever played professional football overseas – the defender George Moorhouse played two games for Tranmere Rovers in the 1920s – and as a result little was expected of a team drawn from the underwhelming US scene.The team would have the honour of competing in one of the two first-ever World Cup matches. While France played Mexico at Pocitos, the States took on Belgium at Parque Central. They were shoo-ins to lose: they hadn't played an international for two years, were handing out seven new caps, and their last taste of tournament football was an 11-2 thrashing at the Olympics by Argentina.But the States had a secret weapon: the striking partnership of Billy Gonsalves and Bert Patenaude. In the two years preceding the World Cup, the pair had scored 106 goals for the Fall River Marksman in the American Soccer League. They would make the step up to the international stage effortlessly. After 41 nervous minutes against Belgium, Gonsalves hit the post to set up Bart McGhee to score; Patenaude scored the third in a shock 3-0 win over fancied Europeans. Four days later, Patenaude rattled in the first World Cup hat-trick as the States whipped Paraguay by the same score. They were through to the finals.The results had stunned the world. The States were big and powerful, but didn't just bully teams; according to reports, Gonsalves was a six-foot giant blessed with hot pace but also a deft touch. The semis were a step too far – they were beaten 6-1 by Argentina – but their goalscoring exploits in the early rounds were enough to guarantee them third place. No former Tranmere player has played in a semi-final since. SM4) Czechoslovakia (European Championship, 1976) The Henri Delaunay Trophy has been carted off by one or two eyebrow-raising teams in the past. Few thought Denmark's 1992 side would be up to much at the European Championships that year. Especially as they'd just been shovelled off the beach at the last minute to replace the war-torn Yugoslavia. But the side, relaxed and free of expectation, strolled to the title. The Greek team that travelled to Euro 2004, meanwhile, may as well have been delivered to Portugal in a big hollowed-out cake, such was the surprise when they popped up as winners.Surprise wins for sure, but each victory carries a footnote: neither tournament was, in terms of overall quality, much to write home about. Sure, Denmark beat Holland and the tournament favourites, Germany, while the unfairly maligned Greeks dispatched the title holders, France, the Czech Republic, who were the most attractive team in the competition, and the hosts, Portugal. Twice. Neat work. But there's not a classic side among them.Compare that to the task facing Czechoslovakia at Euro 76. The Czechs were a decent team – spirited in defence and a great counter-attacking outfit – but the outside bet of the quartet at the finals behind the hosts, Yugoslavia, and the two sides that defined world football in the 1970s, Holland and West Germany. The Dutch were up first, and despite going down to 10 men, the Czechs' staunch display frustrated them into some trademark self-combustion. First, Johan Neeskens was sent off for an act of old-school thuggery – like Mark van Bommel is breaking any sort of new ground – and then Wim van Hanegem followed for refusing to restart the match after the Czechs went ahead in extra time. A 3-1 victory condemned the Dutch to another major tournament disaster.Then the final, and West Germany, the reigning world and European champions. Czechoslovakia went 2-0 up in double-quick time, and though they were pegged back, won a penalty shootout with that Panenka penalty. A stellar performance, laying waste to a pair of the greatest sides in the history of All Football. You wouldn't have been taken too seriously if you'd called that one ahead of the event. SM5) West Germany 1954Nobody thought anyone other than Hungary would win the 1954 World Cup. Only Uruguay, the reigning champions, were considered to be even in the same ballpark. Despite having a team so good they could thrash England 4-2 with only eight fit men on the pitch, they'd still get tonked themselves by the Magical Magyars in the semis (another 4-2 scoreline).But the result in the other semi would make the Hungarians – and the rest of the world – sit up and wonder what the hell was going on. West Germany had been readmitted to Fifa at the tail end of 1950, and struggled through qualification for the 1954 finals, scraping past Norway and Saarland. The majority of German fans and journalists wanted the coach, Sepp Herberger, to be sacked. Not least because five members of his first-choice XI for the upcoming tournament would be plucked from Kaiserslautern, who'd they'd just been beaten 5-1 in the West German championship final by Hanover. No German fan expected anything of their side in the finals.Herberger held his nerve, though. In their first match of the 1954 finals, his side eased past Turkey 4-1. The second was infamously lost 8-3 to Hungary, a second-string selection capitulating pathetically. But the game was notable for two reasons. The German defender Werner Liebrich cynically crunched Ferenc Puskas's ankle. (Die Welt called for him to be banned from the German team sine die.) And right-winger Helmut Rahn, taken along by Herberger as a reserve mainly for his uplifting social skills, was given a run-out.Rahn was dropped for the group play-off win over Turkey – a restorative 7-2 thrashing – but was back in the team for the quarter-final against Yugoslavia, scoring the nerve-settling goal in a 2-0 win. Then came a 6-1 semi-final win over Austria, setting up that famous, miraculous game in Berne . SM6) Iraq (2007)England's pampered stars are, it is often said, under a lot of pressure and as a result struggle to perform. The threat of tabloid ridicule is far preferable, in fairness, to the threat of torture and death. That is what the Iraqi players who qualified for the 2007 Asian Cup had to contend with. Each and every member of the team, and their families, had been threatened both by insurgents who had vowed to destroy a team that, amid all the destruction of the war, was celebrated by many as the last remaining vector of Iraqi national pride, and by criminals seeking ransoms. Under such duress, even qualifying for the Asian Cup was an admirable feat, achieved without playing a home game since Baghdad was too dangerous.Given the stress they were under and the difficulties of the preparation Iraq were not expected to make much of an impact at the finals in Indonesia. Their 3-1 victory over Australia was a major surprise but it was expected that South Korea would end their progress in the semi-final. Instead Iraq took them to penalties and triumphed. Back home there were joyous celebrations .... and dark-hearted folk who objected to them: a bomber blew himself up beside cheering fans in Baghdad and there were other incidents too, bringing the total killed after the game to 50.Iraq's players had already sacrificed a lot but this, they thought, was too much. They talked about quitting the tournament. But then they caught a news report in which one bereaved woman, hysterical after her son's death, begged the team to honour her son's memory by playing on. They resolved to continue.In the 71st minute of the final against three-times continental kings Saudi Arabia, their captain, Younes Mahmoud, headed the goal that made Iraq Asian champions for the first time. Back home folks celebrated ecstatically, defiantly. PDScott MurrayPaul Doyleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• David Hopps: Butt's honeymoon period is over

The pre-lunch bowling of Mohammed Asif provided some light for the Pakistan captain on an otherwise dark dayPakistan's impressive young captain, Salman Butt, will suspect that his honeymoon period is already over. He has had his victory over Australia when life was as happy as a frolic in the sea. Now real life has rudely intervened.The ball swung throughout the second day at Trent Bridge and Pakistan's batting was not up to the task. The magic summoned by Mohammad Asif before lunch to round up England's first innings was replicated by Jimmy Anderson as Pakistan collapsed in turn.Butt was content to credit world-class swing bowling with the batting collapses that afflicted both sides. "There are very few bowlers who swing the ball with such quality," he said. "In these conditions Mohammad Asif and Jimmy Anderson are lethal." That Pakistan are virtually out of the match he preferred to blame on their fielding lapses of the first day. It was a sound conclusion.At the start of this series, calls abounded in the Pakistan media for Butt and the coach Waqar Younis to be given their jobs long term. After England swept a flimsy batting line-up aside, these will now be replaced by demands for emergency reinforcements. Six wickets down by the 24th over is not about to calm the nation. Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan will await a call, senior players who might be called up to assist a young captain who privately might prefer to rely on those less affected by a turbulent history.If Butt looked towards home for comfort, he would have found a wider perspective even more demoralising. The Pakistan flag was at half-mast on the first day to honour more than 150 people who died in an air crash in Islamabad. It should rightly have remained at half-mast as more than twice as many died in monsoon rains. But the rich die in air crashes; the poor perish in monsoon rains. Flags rarely flutter at half‑mast for the poor.Senior Pakistan police officers, it also emerged, have been condemned in the official enquiry into the terrorist attack on the convoy carrying the Sri Lankan team and match officials to the Lahore Test.Pakistan has not staged a home game since the attack in March last year in which gunmen killed six policemen and a van driver and several Sri Lankan players and officials were injured, and have lost the right to co-host next year's World Cup. The report by Shabbar Raza Rizvi of Lahore high court, which is about to be submitted to the International Cricket Council, is scathing about the perceived failures of Pakistan security. In excerpts released to the AP news agency today, one senior policeman is accused of being "a coward and lazy", another of "dereliction of duty". The report makes allegations of a poorly equipped security team, inadequate organisation and a lack of moral courage from some police officers who it claims tried to disguise the truth.On a day when Butt needed something to sustain him, he found it in the pre-lunch bowling of Asif. The havoc wreaked by England's bowlers, Anderson in particular, after lunch had been more than matched by Asif on the second morning, his four for 12 in seven overs dissolving England's first innings in a trice.Here was something from which Butt could draw pleasure. Wherever cricket is played in Pakistan, fast bowling is an unremittingly masculine act, where strutting pace and hostility is valued. Asif is the antithesis of that. He does not terrify batsmen with sheer pace, he unnerves them with his skill and subtlety. "Pace is nothing," he once snapped. His approach to the crease was languid and low-octane, his action non-strenuous and full of craft. His deceptions are often built over time, but this time the rewards came quickly.All four batsmen fell to inswingers – two right-handers, Paul Collingwood and Graeme Swann; two left-handers, Eoin Morgan, out for 130, and Anderson. Swann and Anderson fell in successive balls, Swann seeming to ask for a review, even though England had none remaining. It was the gentlest of masterpieces, a reminder that Pakistan cricket, however troubled, is never short of talent.England v Pakistan 2010England Cricket TeamPakistan cricket teamCricketDavid Hoppsguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Harry Pearson: GB finds perfect Olympic excuse

Government cuts in public funding mean our athletes can fail at London 2012 and not worry too much about itEither I'm starting to go bald, or my hair is getting pinker. Anyway, never mind that. I'm sure, like me, you received news that cuts in public funding could jeopardise Great Britain's chances of winning medals in 2012 with a mixture of relief and punch-the-air joy. Because, let's be honest, nobody in their right mind wants to start hurtling down the runway towards the take-off board of the London Olympics without knowing there's a psychological sandpit of bloody good excuses to cushion the landing at the end of it. If there isn't, you're likely to end up with multiple shattered hopes.Thank goodness, then, for the collapse of the global economy, which arrived with the sort of impeccable timing associated with Bryan Robson's famous surges into the penalty area/lounge bar. Admittedly, many would have felt happier if Gordon Brown, a man with a safe pair of hands when it comes to pointing the finger, was in charge as the Olympics lurches unstoppably towards us like a cash‑eating zombie. Thankfully, having watched David Cameron in action since he took nominal charge of running Britain on behalf of the banks, we can see that when it comes to blaming somebody else for this entire, horrible mess, the ruddy-cheeked Richard Littlejohn-shaped youngster has what it takes to be the next Graham Taylor, forever patrolling the political touchline impotently chuntering about misguided fiscal-stimulus measures.Some will say the garment-rending over the government's decision to pull the plug on our swimmers and force our pistol-shooters to lower their sights is just typical British complaining. After all, doom-mongers assured us that the proposed hi-tech architectural marvel of gravity-defying engineering that is to form the centrepiece of the London Games could not possibly be made ready in time. Yet it now seems Sue Barker's hair is on course for completion well ahead of schedule. The view from here, however, is that the budget‑cutters are simply acting in the best interests of the country. The British sporting public is fragile. We need an emotional safety net.Just when Jessica Ennis, Phillips Idowu et al had been awarded the title of "the golden generation" by a media ever-eager for the chance to slap the phrase "so-called" in front of things, austerity arrived. As a result of the slashing of funding, weightlifters will have to tighten their belts, fencers must turn their swords into ploughshares and Team GB's famous cyclists are forced to combine fundraising and training by working as couriers in central London, where the constant yells of the public to "get off the bloody pavement, you moron" will no doubt dent their collective confidence. The fate of those who participate in fringe sports such as clay pigeon racing, downhill shooting and Greco‑Roman antics, meanwhile, hangs in the balance. This is a huge relief for everybody concerned.You don't need to know much about sport to realise that a lack of money will fatally undermine any chances we have of winning anything. Just look at the record of England's criminally under-funded national football team. Or indeed our poor tennis players, forced to play in purpose-built all-weather tennis centres, while their eastern European counterparts benefit from training on state-of-the-art patches of waste ground provided for them free of charge by their governments, who often blow up their homes as well just to give them that added little extra performance-enhancing boost. Frank Lampard isn't the type to complain, but you can bet he wishes he'd come from the sort of country that would have provided its young attacking midfielders with a ball made out of orange peel and an open sewer to kick it over.Thankfully the London Olympics isn't just about delivering a plausible get-out for 2012. No, it's about a legacy of buck-passing that will endure for a thousand years (Subject to demand. Normal terms and conditions apply. Your statutory rights are not affected). What this Olympics will provide is a nationwide infrastructure of responsibility avoidance that will allow future generations of youngsters across the country to reject the offer of a visit to a swimming pool with the words, "Oh, no, Mum. I mean, what is the point? It's not Olympic-sized, there's a shortage of coaches and the design of the roof leaves the air highly chlorinated, which will reduce my oxygen intake. And besides, Heston Blumenthal's Stalingrad Feast is starting in 10 minutes and I've ordered pizza."The new Olympic 2012 excuse will fuse traditional British cast-iron reasoning such as "It was too hot and the food was very greasy" with contemporary favourites ("We were tired") and modern cutting-edge excuse technology such as "Genetic scientists have proven that British people lack the so-called coming-first chromosome, which is present in 97% of all Germans"."The excuses we provide for London will inspire youngsters across the country to take up extreme mitigation, middle-distance unaccountability or association whingeing," Lord Coe will likely say at some point, "and ultimately that has to be great for the country as a whole, because nobody wants to see a Britain that is littered with broken dreams and weeping skinny people in spandex."Olympic games 2012Harry Pearsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Wenger calls on Fábregas to win title

• Wenger wants midfielder to stay and 'grow in authority'• Winning league is bigger challenge than any Barça can offerArsène Wenger has challenged Cesc Fábregas to demonstrate his commitment to Arsenal by leading the club to the Premier League title, a feat that, according to the manager, would exceed anything the player could achieve at Barcelona.Barcelona have been campaigning incessantly over the last year to bring Fábregas back to the club where he was reared before emigrating to London in 2003 and have expressed their frustration at Wenger's refusal to even enter negotiations. Several of the Catalan club's officials and players have claimed that Fábregas, too, is disappointed at being denied the move.However, Wenger, who declined to confirm reports that Fábregas personally requested a transfer before heading to the World Cup in South Africa, insisted the player will remain at Arsenal and that he has no worries about his state of mind."I always said Cesc Fábregas will be our captain next year and that we want to keep him," said Wenger. "Despite all the speculation last season and the whole summer, nothing has changed. Look at the length of his contract and you will see he has five or six years to go. He has always said he's committed to the club and the best way to show you're committed is to give your best when you walk on the pitch and he has always done that."It has often been claimed Fábregas has grown disillusioned at Arsenal and been seduced by the prospect of almost certainly winning major club honours alongside his many international team-mates at the Camp Nou, but Wenger maintains that inspiring Arsenal to a Premier League triumph is a more noble ambition. "It's important we focus on the targets we have together," said Wenger. "There's a great attitude and spirit inside the squad and Cesc Fábregas can help us achieve these targets. He's now 23 years old and has just won the World Cup. I believe he will grow in authority again for next season. The biggest achievement for him now is to help us win the championship."Arsenal have signed two players this summer – striker Marouane Chamakh and central defender Laurent Koscielny – but the manager is still hopeful of reinforcing his squad before kicking off the season at Anfield on 14 August. He refused to confirm he is seeking a goalkeeper but does hope to sign more centre-backs to replace those who left over the summer. "We have lost [Mikaël] Silvestre, [Sol] Campbell and [William] Gallas and we have only signed Koscielny. [Johann] Djourou is coming back so you could say we have got two but we are still two short."Arsenal played some typically slick football last season but were swatted aside almost contemptuously in the crunch games against Chelsea and Manchester United. However, Wenger rejected any notion his squad need expensive revamping in order to wrestle power from the likes of those clubs and stay ahead of extravagant spenders such as Manchester City and Tottenham Hostpur. Instead he reiterated his trust in the relatively youthful team he has been nurturing for several years."Do I think we have a team to play at the top? Looking at the players we have, I say yes. Have other clubs more money or less money? It is not important. It is whether they have better players or lesser players and I think we can compete with the players we have.""We have to remind ourselves that we decided to go with a very young team three or four years ago and we have developed this team. I believe two years ago we were quite far off but last year in April we were two points away from the top. Normally we should be closer again because that development is part of a young team. I know that in England when you do not win the championship it's always about buying but what is important is that we improve individually and as a team because we are a very young team. We are not a team that is at the end of a cycle, we are at the start of a cycle. So our future will be decided not by who we buy but by how much we improve."Arsène WengerCesc FábregasArsenalTransfer windowPaul Doyleguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Redknapp rages at 'crazy' pre-season

• 'What's the point' of England game days before league starts• All we do is play and recover, says Spurs managerFixture congestion is usually an issue reserved for the winter months, but for Harry Redknapp the games are already coming too thick and too fast. The Tottenham Hotspur manager has been frustrated by the number of pre-season games his club have scheduled, but reserved special ire for those who have arranged international fixtures in the week before the Premier League kicks off in a fortnight's time.England face Hungary at Wembley on 11 August, three days before the Premier League season commences on Saturday lunchtime with Manchester City's visit to Tottenham. Redknapp also faces the prospect of losing players to the Republic of Ireland, Cameroon (who play in Poland), Croatia, Brazil, Wales and Scotland."Could someone tell me why we have an international week in the week that the season starts? Can someone tell me what that is all about?" said Redknapp. "They've just been away as a group for the World Cup, they've just come home, they're probably sick of the sight of each other and now we're going to have an international week before we play the first game of the season."We play Fiorentina on Saturday, which is a nuisance, then they go off and play for their countries – I won't see those players from Saturday night until Friday, I won't see them once. They'll all come back Friday morning. How can that be a way to prepare for the start of a season?"Redknapp ruled out requesting that his players, even those just returned to training following their exertions at the World Cup, be left out of their various squads. "You can't, can you? Everybody would be doing that, no one's going to want their players to go. What can you do? We've got three Croatian lads, two Cameroon players, all playing games. There'll probably be one or two players left at the training ground for the week before we play Manchester City. Why? What's the point of it? A meaningless friendly for what reason? We just keep our fingers crossed that they don't come back injured."Spurs already have something of a mini injury crisis, with Jermaine Jenas limping out of Thursday's friendly against Villarreal and Luka Modric, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Wilson Palacios all suffering from pulls and strains. It is a problem Redknapp attributes to Tottenham's punishing pre-season schedule. They have already played five friendlies this month, three of them on their tour of the United States, and they must squeeze in a trip to Lisbon to face Benfica and a home tie against the Seria A side Fiorentina – along with Villarreal, fixtures designed to ready the squad for the challenge of the Champions League – before losing their players to international duty."We've just come back from a gruelling trip all round America and we're only home two days before we had the Villarreal game [Spurs lost 4-1]," said Redknapp. "If you look at the schedule, we play Villarreal, then Benfica on the Tuesday, then we play Fiorentina on the Saturday, then they've got an international game in the midweek, then you play Man City, then a Champions League qualifier, then you've got Stoke away, then another Champions League qualifier, then Wigan. I mean, it's crazy."The last thing we need really is to be playing games – we need to train. I need to get the players on the training pitch, because all we do is play and recover, play and recover. Too many games have been scheduled. I didn't want the Villarreal game. It's a problem at times."We've not really had a proper pre-season. We've not been able to get on the training pitch enough. We've gone away and played games. Modric has a hamstring [injury], Pavlyuchenko's got a hamstring, Palacios has a got a groin, but that's what happens when you schlep all round the world."Harry RedknappTottenham HotspurJohn Ashdownguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Fulham want Richards out as chairman

• Fulham anger over failed Peter Crouch deal reaches high court• Club claim Richards's involvement scuppered transfer last yearDetails of Fulham's court action against Sir Dave Richards emerged today showing the club has demanded his removal as chairman of the Premier League, or at least a ban from any involvement with transfers, the Guardian can reveal.The Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, confirmed in an email to all member clubs this week: "Fulham are asking the court to order an injunction restraining the chairman [Richards] from taking any role in the transfer of players or, alternatively, that the court remove the chairman from the board of the Premier League."It is an extraordinary and unprecedented step from a shareholder club to take recourse to the high court against the chairman, whose role it is to represent their interests as the custodian of his organisation's corporate governance. Fulham's fury was ignited over Richards's involvement in Peter Crouch's transfer from Portsmouth last summer.According to Scudamore's email, the fact Richards became involved is not in dispute. It states the League ordered an inquiry and found there had been no impropriety on Richards's part. "The inquiry concluded the chairman's actions had not been detrimental to Fulham, and that it was not inappropriate for the chairman to assist in such matters when requested to do so by a club," Scudamore wrote.However, Fulham are not satisfied by the outcome of the inquiry and on 27 April delivered their petition to the companies court. They maintain their allegation that it was Richards's intervention that prompted Crouch to abandon his pledge to join Fulham, for £11m, in favour of a switch to Spurs, for £2m less.Though he accepts he did speak with Portsmouth's then chief executive, Peter Storrie – a personal friend – Richards denies he sought to assist Spurs over Fulham.Scudamore said: "The claim is that Fulham have been unfairly prejudiced in their capacity as a member of the Premier League, as a result of alleged assistance provided by the chairman to Portsmouth in securing the transfer of Peter Crouch to Tottenham Hotspur in August 2009."Richards maintains Portsmouth, under pressure from HM Revenue & Customs over an eight-figure debt that threatened to push them into administration, sought to receive cash up front.Spurs' payment to Pompey was indeed in a single lump sum of £9m but it will be for the courts to test how Fulham's offer would have been arranged.If the courts accede to Fulham's request for the removal of Richards it would be a seismic shift in English football. After 11 years as Premier League chairman, Richards has built arguably the biggest powerbase in the game. The 66-year-old former Sheffield Wednesday chairman is also vice-chairman of the Football Association, chairman of Club England and on the FA's international committee, an array of interests that is attracting increasing scrutiny and would prove untenable if he is toppled at the Premier League.Premier LeagueFulhamFootball politicsMatt Scottguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Uefa to investigate racist abuse of Ngog

• Fans in Macedonia seen making 'monkey taunts'• Uefa await reports from referee and delegateUefa have confirmed they are aware of claims that racist chants were directed at Liverpool's players during last night's Europa League qualifying game against Rabotnicki in Macedonia. The governing body are waiting to assess reports from both the Uefa delegate and the referee before taking any action against Rabotnicki.Liverpool won the first leg of their third qualifying round tie 2-0 with David Ngog scoring both goals. But pictures emerged after the game that showed Rabotnicki fans appearing to direct so-called "monkey taunts" at Liverpool players.Liverpool started the game with two black players – Ngog and the impressive 19-year-old winger David Amoo. A spokesman for Uefa told the Press Association: "We are aware of the matter but we are waiting for the reports from the delegate and the referee."Once Uefa have assessed the reports, a disciplinary case could be opened against Rabotnicki. Macedonian football has had problems with racism and their governing body was fined after Emile Heskey, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell were subjected to abuse during an international against England in 2003.LiverpoolUefaEuropa Leagueguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Khedira joins Madrid from Stuttgart

• Stuttgart confirm transfer, pending a successful medical• 'One is always unhappy to let a player like this go'The Germany midfielder Sami Khedira, who played a major part in his country's progress to the World Cup semi-finals, is to join Real Madrid from Stuttgart, the Bundesliga club said on Friday. The fee has been estimated at €15m (£12.5m)."VfB and Real Madrid have agreed on the midfielder's move to the Spanish capital," the German club said on their website. "As soon as the German international has passed a medical exam, he will put his signature on the contract."Stuttgart, where Khedira made his professional debut in 2006, said they were sorry to let the 23-year-old go. "One is always extremely unhappy to let go a player who dictates the game and is easily identified with, such as Sami Khedira," said Stuttgart's sporting director, Fredi Bobic. "On the other hand we were able to fulfil Sami's wishes of furthering his career at Real. We wish him all the success with his new challenge."Khedira, who made his international debut in the friendly against South Africa last September, was not expected to feature in Germany's World Cup team but was given his chance following the injury which kept their captain, Michael Ballack, out of the tournament. He formed an impressive partnership with Bastian Schweinsteiger as Germany finished third. He has 12 caps and scored his first international goal in the third-place play-off against Uruguay.StuttgartReal MadridTransfer windowguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Ferguson seeks to ease Rooney's burden

• Alex Ferguson says both players have 'talent and purpose'• Gabriel Obertan out for several weeks with ankle injurySir Alex Ferguson has said he has no reservations about relying on Javier Hernández and Federico Macheda from the start of next season and believes they will ease the goalscoring burden on Wayne Rooney at Manchester United.The two young strikers were impressive during United's 5-2 victory over the MLS All‑Stars on Wednesday, Macheda scoring two early goals and Hernández, this summer's £7m signing from Chivas Guadalajara, completing the win with an exquisite finish on his debut for the club.While Ferguson considers streamlining his attack by allowing Danny Welbeck and Mame Biram Diouf to go out on loan next season, the United manager insists the 18-year-old Italian and 22-year-old Mexico international are at the forefront of his plans. With Michael Owen still injured, and Rooney returning to training only this week after a post-World Cup holiday, Macheda and Hernández could be required from the start of United's attempt to win the league title back from Chelsea.The United manager said: "They give us the back-up we are going to need. We've got a decision on whether to let Welbeck and Diouf go out on loan, although I am starting to think about it again. I need to keep Macheda and I need to keep Hernández, who has just joined the club. That is imperative. There is purpose in the way they play their football. It is not just talent. You don't play at this club with just talent, you need something else and they have that something else."Ferguson described Macheda as "probably the best player going through against the goalkeeper that we have" after the former Lazio youth striker produced a clinical finish against the MLS goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts after just 22 seconds at the Reliant Stadium. The forward has endured a frustrating time with injury since exploding on to the scene with a critical goal against Aston Villa in April 2009 and made only five Premier League appearances last season."I had many injuries and was out for almost five months so I couldn't really show my strengths," said Macheda. "But this season I hope to have more chances to show what I can do."We have seven strikers so if there is one more or one less at the club it doesn't matter. Every one of them is a challenge to each other. I think this year could be the one for me, I think so because I'm trying to get fit so I can show what I'm capable of doing."I just want to stay and grow as a player here. Even if I only play a bit, I will be playing alongside big players and against big teams, so I'm definitely staying here."Ferguson, who will be without Gabriel Obertan for several weeks after the French midfielder suffered an ankle injury against the All-Stars, was also effusive in his praise of Hernández, who appeared as a 62nd-minute substitute and will play for both United and his former club Chivas in a friendly in Guadalajara tomorrow.The United manager said: "The one thing that defenders always worry about is players with speed, players who will get into the space behind them. His goal against the All-Stars gave an indication of that speed. The timing of his run – coming towards the ball and then spinning – shows he's going to be a threat to defenders, no question about that."How the combination with Wayne will work – I think we will need to adjust a little bit because I think they could both be similar types of players. At the moment we will just assess Hernández and try to bring him to a consistent level of form. He has still got little things to do but not a great deal in terms of technique. Once he gets used to our training I think he will be OK."Manchester UnitedSir Alex FergusonFriendliesAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Taking one in the swingers and showboats

This week's round-up also features a baseball in the swingers, an angry boxer and a fishing-based goal celebration1) Alex Higgins passed away last weekend, here's an excellent documentary on the man's extraordinary life and career. He could also trot out a nice line in country-inspired snooker ditties. And here he is 59-0 and 15-14 down in the 1982 world snooker semi-final. His opponent, Jimmy White, is on the verge of victory. The Hurricane will need something special from here ...2) Is this the greatest penalty ever taken? It's certainly one of the most inventive (it's worth watching a few times to see exactly how the crafty blighter scores). As England subsequently found out - it wasn't the only crafty set-piece Spain had up their sleeve. And set-pieces aren't the only thing they do well, either.3) Is this the greatest goal celebration ever? It's certainly one of the most inventive. Turns out they have previous too. 4) If you're going to get a baseball to the swingers, pray it isn't a pitcher than delivers the throw.5) Albert Riera is quite a good footballer and all, but surely he isn't worthy of this greeting at Athens airport by fans of his new club, Olympiakos. Or maybe he is. The man's got feelings after all.6) One perfectly formed hat-trick. With thanks to the keeper's laughable efforts at the corner.Our favourites from last week's blog1) Danny Green takes on Paul Briggs for the IBO cruiserweight title and Briggs goes down a tad easily. It's worth hanging around until five minutes or so into this clip, to see Green's post-fight interview, it's safe to say he isn't happy.2) Did you know soccer is taking America down the path to socialism? We suspect this man may be a comedian but he makes some excellent points.3) How to rile your opponents with pointless showboating, part one and part two.4) While Miguel Angel Jiménez pulls off some showboating of his own at this year's Open.5) New Zealanders doing what they do best: pointless extreme sports.6) And let's finish the week's round-up with this fascinating documentary on Martin Hansson, the man who didn't spot that handball.Spotters' badges: bocajunior, HumpInTokyo, clearhop, pastafari, radar, rowingrob, stilton, spottyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• You are the Umpire

Click to enlarge, and debate the strip below the line. John Holder's official answers appear in Sunday's Observer and here from Monday.This week's strip was created by Paul Trevillion for the You are the Umpire book – available from Guardian Books. Click here for more on Trevillion, here for the full You Are The Ref archive, and here for the new Ref book.Cricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Win tickets to the Friends Provident t20

Answer a simple question and you could be off to see the Friends Provident t20 final

• Sri Lanka draw second Test with India

• Sri Lanka 642-4 dec & 129-3; India 707• Draw allows India to retain top spot in ICC's Test rankingsSri Lanka preserved their 1-0 lead in their three-match Test series against India when the second Test ended in a high-scoring draw today.India amassed the highest total made by a visiting team when they were all out for 707 in reply to Sri Lanka's first innings of 642-4 declared. Sri Lanka were 129 for three in their second innings, a lead of 64 runs, when the match was called off with 15 overs remaining.Despite the result India remain top of the International Cricket Council Test ratings. They are now 11 points clear of second-placed South Africa and will remain top of the rankings irrespective of the result in the third Test, which starts on Tuesday.The ICC completed their annual update of the ratings which will now see India remain at the top of the table until the end of their current series which ends on 7 August, when the ratings will again be updated.India's total stands at 130, with South Africa on 119 and Australia third on 113. England are two points further back in joint fourth with Sri Lanka and ahead of Pakistan (84), West Indies (79), New Zealand (78) and Bangladesh (7).Australia top the one-day rankings with 132 points from India (118), South Africa (115), New Zealand (114), England (113), Sri Lanka (111), Pakistan (98), West Indies (67), Bangladesh (53), Zimbabwe (36), Ireland (35), Holland (32) and Kenya (0).Sri Lanka cricket teamIndia Cricket TeamCricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Haye will have to wait to fight Klitschkos

• Wladimir Klitschko announces rematch with Samuel Peter• Haye's hopes of fighting one of the brothers in 2010 overDavid Haye's hopes of facing one of the Klitschko brothers before the end of the year are effectively over after the Ukrainian heavyweight champions lined up alternative opponents.After the former world champion Shannon Briggs claimed yesterday he will take on the WBC belt-holder, Vitali, in October, the Klitschkos revealed today that the IBF and WBO champion, Wladimir, will meet Samuel Peter in a rematch.Last year, Haye's negotiations over a fight with Vitali fell through and a back injury forced him out of a challenge to Wladimir. Instead, he managed to wrest the WBA title from Nikolay Valuev before setting his sights on a blockbuster showdown with one of the brothers in 2010.Talks have again proved fruitless, however, with the Englishman and his manager-trainer, Adam Booth, unable to reach an agreement with the notoriously shrewd Klitschko camp, with one major sticking point believed to be television rights in the siblings' adopted homeland of Germany.The developments this week leave Haye searching for a viable opponent for the second defence of his WBA title. In April he defeated the American John Ruiz in an eye-catching mandatory fight but there are few lucrative options aside from the Klitschkos.The Press Association understands Haye's fellow Londoner Audley Harrison has not been discounted, following his European title win earlier this year, while the Polish former cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek would represent a credible – though less financially lucrative – alternative.Wladimir will face Peter in Frankfurt, Germany on 11 September after a clash with Alexander Povetkin fell through. The Nigerian, formerly the WBC champion and ranked at two by the IBF, knocked Klitschko down three times before losing a unanimous decision in their 2005 fight."Peter was one of the toughest fights of my career, he is an extremely hard puncher and has improved a lot in his last fights," said the 34-year-old. "I know what to expect on 11 September and I will be well prepared.""I've waited a long time for a chance to fight him again," said Peter. "I will knock Klitschko out and put his belts in my suitcase."David HayeBoxingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Dominant Fisher in control at Irish Open

• Fisher improves record by three strokes in 10-under par round• 'It was pretty flawless golf' says EnglishmanEngland's Ross Fisher erupted into life again with a 61 in Killarney today – and he needed nobody to tell him it could have been a historic 59.One of Europe's great talents has been somewhat dormant since winning the World Match Play in Spain last November. But his bid for the Ryder Cup debut he just missed last time was reignited by a remarkable charge into a three-stroke halfway lead over Italian Francesco Molinari at the Irish Open.Six successive birdies for a front-nine 29, then four more in a row from the 11th left Fisher needing just two from the last four to become the European Tour's first player to break 60. But, like so many before him, Fisher had to settle for the lowest round of his Tour career and not the record. He missed from six feet at the 15th, parred the long 16th after driving into sand and failed with birdie attempts on the last two."I was standing on the 14th green and it [59] did sort of enter my mind," said the 29-year-old, who could leap from 13th to sixth in the cup standings by winning."I was quite strong mentally to try and block it out of my mind. I just tried to give myself four chances and I did that, but it wasn't meant to be."As for making it into Colin Montgomerie's side he added: "This is the start of three big weeks, so I just need to go out and play how I know I can – and fingers crossed."Molinari is another with his sights on a first cap against the Americans at Celtic Manor in October – and he is much closer to it than Fisher. The younger brother of Scottish Open champion Edoardo, another cup contender, stands seventh in the current standings and would be virtually there if he triumphs here.He also covered the outward half in 29 before signing for a 66, a closing birdie opening up a two-shot gap on the best of the rest. "When I started Ross had already finished and I thought 12 under is a big task," said the player also coached by Denis Pugh. "Five under, all in all, is a good round."It included one shot played left-handed from close to a tree on the 17th – and coincidentally Padraig Harrington did the same from a bush on the same hole as he shot 67 to join, among others, Rory McIlroy on seven under.After a closing 20-footer for birdie 2007 winner Harrington, without a Tour title for almost two years, said: "I putted like I did in my amateur days. It's a lot easier to play the game when you struggle a little bit and recover."You walk to the next tee feeling really good about yourself whereas the guy who hits two nice shots in and two-putts feels pretty bad."McIlroy, round in 68, has had 14 birdies already, but also seven bogeys. "I'll have to really try and limit those for the weekend," said the 21-year-old world No8. "I feel as I'm playing well enough to challenge."Darren Clarke's 70 put him six under, the same mark as his fellow Ryder Cup vice-captain Paul McGinley.Golfguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• De Villiers faces misconduct hearing

• Coach implied referees' conspiracy in television interview• Sanzar to conduct disciplinary hearing in the next weekThe South Africa coach, Peter de Villiers, faces a misconduct hearing over his reported criticisms of Tri-Nations rugby referees which implied a conspiracy to bolster next year's World Cup in New Zealand.The southern hemisphere rugby body Sanzar has issued a notice of alleged misconduct against de Villiers over comments he made on Australian television last week.In an appearance on Fox Sports' Rugby Club programme, de Villiers questioned the performance of Irish referees Alan Lewis and Alain Rolland in his team's two Tri-Nations matches against the All Blacks in New Zealand. The All Blacks won the matches 32-12 and 31-17."I've got my own observations about the last two Tests, and maybe I can't say it in public, but we do have a World Cup in New Zealand next year and maybe it was the right thing for them to win the games so they can attract more people to the games next year," de Villiers said.He questioned how South African players could be sin-binned for infringements at the breakdown in both losses, yet All Blacks captain Richie McCaw could be penalised repeatedly and cautioned for infringements at the breakdown and remain on the field.He said the defending champions Springboks were playing by the same rules they had encountered in the Super 14 competition – in which two South African teams reached the final – and was dismayed that the interpretations could be vastly different.Sanzar said it had written to the South African Rugby Union last week in relation to de Villiers' comments. Saru discussed the matter with de Villiers on his return to South Africa after last weekend's 30-13 loss to Australia and had now responded to the enquiry."Having considered the response from South Africa, we have determined that Peter de Villiers' comments may constitute a breach of the Sanzar Code of Conduct and warrant further consideration by a Sanzar judicial officer," Sanzar's chief executive, Steve Tew, said.Tew is also the chief executive of the New Zealand Rugby Union.He said a Sanzar-appointed judicial officer would conduct a hearing in the next week. Saru said it would make no comment until the judicial process had run its course.South Africa rugby teamTri-NationsRugby unionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Wigan hold off Leeds comeback

Leeds 12-26 WiganWigan came through a searching and highly physical test of their credentials from the Super League champions to pull six points clear at the top of the table and now seem certain to occupy pole position in the play-offs for the first time in a decade.Their success this season has been built on the ferocity of their defence but Leeds were clearly determined to fight fire with fire, which produced a brutal contest including two controversial incidents that could land Carl Ablett and Ryan Bailey in disciplinary trouble next week.Both were put on report, Bailey for leading dangerously with his knee and Ablett for felling the Wigan full-back Sam Tomkins in an incident that incensed the Wigan players, with Tomkins' elder brother Joel rushing in to take personal retribution and sparking a coming together of most of the other 24 players on the field.The two incidents will be studied by the disciplinary authorities on Monday, leaving the Rhinos in danger of losing two key forwards for next Saturday's Challenge Cup semi-final against St Helens. But both the Leeds coach, Brian McClennan, and, more surprisingly, Wigan's caretaker coach, Shaun Wane, endorsed the decision of the referee, Steve Ganson, to allow Ablett to stay on the field and do not believe he should be suspended."These things happen, it doesn't bother me," said Wane, the former Wigan forward who will now revert to his role as assistant coach to Michael Maguire after supervising two impressive away wins during Maguire's compassionate leave in Australia. "I thought it was more clumsy than anything else, there was no malice in it."He was less impressed by Ganson's decision to send the Wigan prop Andy Coley to the sin-bin early in the second half for a late tackle on Rob Burrow. Leeds, who had already halved Wigan's 12-0 lead late in the first half when their young loose forward Chris Clarkson capitalised on six consecutive penalties in their favour, pulled level while Coley was off through a typically powerful Keith Senior finish coolly converted by Kevin Sinfield.But Pat Richards, Super League's leading points scorer who had added excellent conversions to both Wigan's tries, nudged them ahead again with a 52nd-minute penalty even with Coley in the bin.Then Harrison Hansen, a Samoa second-row who was born in Salford, sealed the points by showing a startling turn of pace to gallop over in the 61st minute, before Martin Gleeson caught Leeds napping on the blindside for a fourth try that emphasised Wigan's superiority. Hansen was a fitting man to settle such a tough match, as he had been forced out of the early exchanges to have eight stitches in a gapinghead wound. He returned wearing a headguard and had to leave the field for further stitches later on."That's what second-rows do," said Wane, a former prop, whose no-nonsense attitude was illustrated by his reluctance to substitute the wing Darrell Goulding despite a dead leg. "I'm a front-row, I don't like taking wingers off," he said.Goulding had set up Wigan's first try with a deft inside kick for Thomas Leuluai after slick passes from Gleeson and Sean O'Loughlin had released him down the right, and George Carmont scored the second following Sam Tomkins' effective intervention from full-back."We lost the ruck area," said McClennan, whose side could now also lose their hard-earned place in the top four if Hull win at Harlequins tomorrow. "They are very strong in that area, and it's hard to get a quick play-the-ball."Burrow's lively return after three matches out with a knee injury was one bonus for Leeds ahead of the semi-final, as was the continuing development of Clarkson. McClennan may also consider recalling Lee Smith, who was omitted here despite having scored the late match-winner in the Rhinos' cup quarter-final victory over Wigan.But Ali Lauitiiti suffered a recurrence of the calf problem that has been troubling him all year, and seems certain to miss the showdown with Saints.Wigan have the unwanted luxury of a fortnight off, and could clinch the League Leaders Shield by winning their next game at home to Huddersfield in a fortnight, when Maguire will have returned to resume control from Wane, having lost his father last week. "He was on the phone as soon as I walked in the dressing room, and he found some way of watching the game through Skype," added Wigan's impressive caretaker. "The big thing was that we wanted two quality wins while Madge was away. These two wins were for him."Leeds Rhinos Webb; Donald, Delaney, Senior, Hall; Sinfield (capt), McGuire; K Leuluai, Buderus, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Clarkson. Interchange Burrow, Lauitiiti, Bailey, Burgess.Wigan Warriors S Tomkins; Goulding, Gleeson, Carmont, Richards; Deacon, T Leuluai; Fielden, Riddell, Coley, Hansen, J Tomkins (capt), O'Loughlin. Interchange Paleaaesina, Farrell, Davies, Tuson.Referee S Ganson (St Helens).Super LeagueLeeds RhinosWigan WarriorsRugby leagueAndy Wilsonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Contador rejects new Astana contract

• Spanish rider turns down 'ultimatum of Astana'• Possible links to new Fernando Alonso teamThe Tour de France champion Alberto Contador will leave the Astana team at the end of this season after rejecting the team's offer to extend his contract.The Spaniard said in a statement he will now study all of his options for the coming seasons. "Although the position of both parties was not so far from each other, the team wanted to know urgently whether or not he would renew his contract", said Contador's press officer. "Alberto Contador has rejected the ultimatum of Astana," the statement continued, adding that the Kazakh-funded team had expected a decision by Tuesday at the latest.The statement concluded: "After winning the 2010 Tour de France, Alberto Contador wants to have time to calmly explore all possibilities available to him to ride during the coming seasons, but so far none has been excluded."He is being linked with a new team possibly being formed by the two-times Formula One champion and fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso.Contador claimed his first Tour triumph with the Discovery Channel team in 2007 but was unable to defend the title after Astana were banned from the race following a year of doping controversies. It was the second time he had been at a team banned from Le Tour.His Liberty Seguros team were left out of the 2006 Tour after a number of their riders were embroiled in the Operación Puerto scandal. Contador was later cleared by the UCI, but his involvement with the Spanish team meant he was not allowed to ride at the Tour.He joined Astana in October 2007, initially on a two-year deal, after the Discovery Channel team pulled out of cycling and enjoyed a highly-successful three-year stint with the team, winning the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España in 2008 and a further two Tours in 2009 and 2010.Alberto ContadorTour de FranceCyclingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Howell out to emulate Adams and Short

David Howell, 19, who won the 2009 British championship and is the UK's youngest grandmaster, opted out of the current British title event at Canterbury and preferred harder continental events which could hone the talent of a player who hopes to follow the path of the world finalists Michael Adams and Nigel Short. Howell also declined the world junior (under-20) championship which starts on Monday in Poland, a contest where he was close to the gold medal in 2008.Instead he has been competing this week in the young grandmasters invitation at Biel, Switzerland, and will then travel to Amsterdam for the annual Youth v Experience match starting 12 August where a team of rising stars take on seasoned GMs.Howell is currently rated in the low 2600s, high enough to be invited to world-class junior events but still outside the global top 100 and nowhere near the top 10 status achieved by Adams and Short in their peak years.At present Howell is finding it tough to advance further, but his 3.5/9 total against higher rated opponents at Biel, recovering from a poor start, showed encouraging resilience.In this Biel game, White countered Black's Q-side pawn push by putting his knight on the edge at a4. Negi might have justified his plan by 17 Nb2! Qb7 18 f4 and Nc4, but instead allowed Black's rooks to invade the b file, then blundered by 28 Rab1? Qb6 when if 29 Rxb2 Qxf2+ and mates.P Negi v F Caruana1 e4 c5 2 Nc3 Nc6 3 Nge2 Nf6 4 g3 g6 5 Bg2 Bg7 6 d3 d6 7 O-O Rb8 8 h3 b5 9 a3 O-O 10 Rb1 Bd7 11 Bg5 a5 12 a4 bxa4 13 Nxa4 Ne5 14 Nec3?! Bc6 15 b3 Re8 16 Qd2 Qc7 17 Nd5?! Nxd5 18 exd5 Bxa4 19 bxa4 Rb4 20 Ra1 Reb8 21 Rfe1 c4 22 Ra3 cxd3 23 cxd3 Rb2 24 Qe3 Rc2 25 Raa1 h6 26 Bxh6 Bxh6 27 Qxh6 Rbb2 28 Rab1? Qb6 0-1.Odds-on favourite Michael Adams began the British championship by demolishing the romantic King's Gambit. White went wrong early with 4 Bxd5?! (4 exd5) and 5 Nf3? (5 Qf3). White compounded his bad position by 10 Ne2? (10 Ne5) and was steamrollered. At the end if 22 Nxh2 Qh4 23 Raf1 Nd3 24 Rf3 Rge8 25 Qd2 Be4 with too many threats.R Eames v M Adams1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Bc4 d5 4 Bxd5?! Nf6 5 Nf3? Nxd5 6 exd5 Qxd5 7 Nc3 Qf5 8 0-0 Nc6 9 d4 Be6 10 Ne2? g5 11 b3 0-0-0 12 Bb2 Bg7 13 c4 g4 14 Ne1 f3 15 gxf3 Rhg8 16 f4 g3 17 Nf3 gxh2+ 18 Kh1 Bf6 19 Qd2 Qg4 20 Rf2 Bf5 21 Qe3 Nb4 0-13150 1 ... Qa2 2 Qd4 e3! 3 Kxf3 Qxf2 mate.ChessLeonard Bardenguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Sea Lord wins at Glorious Goodwood

• Sea Lord triumphs in the totesport Mile• Trainer Mark Johnston has four winners in this raceThe punters will bring a substantial amount of capital to Sussex for the last and most difficult day at Glorious Goodwood tomorrow after the fourth card of the meeting produced a well-backed winner in the big handicap and a successful 5-4 favourite in the Group Two Richmond Stakes.'Tomorrows Stewards' Cup – a race that once opened the meeting on Tuesday but is now, more sensibly, the challenging target at the other end – will still demand plenty of analysis. After Sea Lord's success in the totesport Mile, however, the backers will believe that careful attention may find its reward. As a progressive front-runner with a high draw, Sea Lord was an obvious choice for this fiercely-competitive contest, which rarely falls to a horse from a single-figure stall. He could not quite displace Oasis Dancer as favourite before the race, and set off as the 6-1 second choice, but he was soon in front and from there, the race could not have unfolded any better for his supporters.While others found trouble on the sharp right-hand turn for home, Sea Lord and Royston Ffrench got to the rail and then made straight for the line. Invisible Man, the Royal Hunt Cup winner, threatened a serious challenge a furlong out, but Ffrench had enough in reserve to fight him off and win by three-quarters of a length.Sea Lord was Mark Johnston's fourth winner in the race, and his second in a row after Laa Rayb success last season. "We had a terrible dilemma with this horse, who is above handicap level really," Johnston said. "Do you run in a handicap for the prize money, or do you go for the Listed race [tomorrow], which is what he should be in?"Invisible Man looked like he was going incredibly well and I wasn't feeling confident heading into the final furlong, but he always finds more. I'm sure that the future for him will be in Listed or Group company. He is declared to run [tomorrow] but it would be a lot to ask of him and we would be putting our heads on the block."Richard Hughes effectively secured the status of the leading rider at the meeting with a double that took his total for the week to seven, as Libranno took the Group Two Richmond Stakes and Royal Exchange followed up in the nursery 35 minutes later. The record at the meeting is eight, achieved most recently by Johnny Murtagh in 2008.Hughes and Richard Hannon, his main employer, have won all three juvenile Group races at this meeting, even without unleashing Strong Suit, the Coventry Stakes winner, who is thought by trainer and jockey to be the best two-year-old in the yard. "We didn't know he was in the yard until he ran," Hughes said after Libranno's success. "There's plenty of races for all these horses, though the Morny might come a bit quick for this one. I don't think he'd get much further than six furlongs at this stage, and I wouldn't mind going back in trip."On feel alone, I'd still think that Strong Suit is the best we have. He doesn't work exceptionally at home, but you really do get a great feel out of him."Libranno can be backed at 20-1 for next year's 2,000 Guineas, though Hughes's doubts about his stamina must be a concern, and he looks a likely candidate for the Middle Park Stakes, over six furlongs, at Newmarket next month. Strong Suit, meanwhile, remains a 6-1 chance for the Classic, but is likely to contract sharply if he makes a successful step up to Group One company in his next race, the Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh a week tomorrow.Redwood, who gave Barry Hills his 300th winner at Newmarket in April, took the trainer's all-time total at this meeting to 50 as he beat Sri Putra in the Glorious Stakes. "I'm quite keen to run him in America at some point, but I would only want to race abroad once this year as it takes a bit out of them," Hills said. "I would very much like him to stay in training next year, whether with me or in America."Tropical Paradise, a 16-1 chance, took the Group Three Oak Tree Stakes, to give Peter Winkworth, who trains at Chiddingfold in Surrey, one of the most significant winners in the 14 years since he retired from merchant banking to concentrate on thoroughbreds.Jacqueline Quest, who was demoted from first place in the 1,000 Guineas in May for causing interference, started as favourite at 15-8, but she faded after a brief challenge a furlong out and her moment seems to have passed.Glorious GoodwoodHorse racingGreg Woodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Lucas Leiva ready to fill void if Javier Mascherano leaves Liverpool

• Midfielder pleased at captaining side in Europe• He expects significant improvements this seasonLucas Leiva would relish stepping into Javier Mascherano's boots should, as is widely expected, the unsettled Argentinian depart Liverpool this summer. At one time that idea might have prompted derision among Anfield regulars but the Brazilian central midfielder has begun quietly winning over his critics.Deployed in an enforcement role Lucas not only captained an understrength Liverpool during a comfortable 2-0 Europa League qualifier first‑leg win against FK Rabotnicki in Skopje on Thursday night but played with real authority."I know I am able to do that [occupy the Mascherano role] because last season I played a few games when Javier was at right-back," said Lucas. "I've got no problem with doing that job. We all hope Javier stays because he is such a good player but if my chances come I will try and take them. I'm not the same player as Javier, we have different styles, but I am ready to play and to impress and do whatever job the manager needs from me. I think I did well last season but I think in this one I can do even better."Lucas still has his detractors but Liverpool's new manager, Roy Hodgson, does not appear to be among them and the midfielder is duly hoping this summer may mark a watershed in his hitherto underwhelming career on Merseyside. "I'm really proud, really happy of being captain in such an important game. I know there are a lot of senior players in front of me but I hope I can stay in the team. Having the captaincy shows that the manager knows a lot about me and believes in me. I am ready to give my best for Liverpool."Hodgson's starting XI for the Anfield return on Thursday could be significantly revamped with Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Joe Cole possibly coming back into contention following post‑World Cup breaks. However, Lucas insists he and others, most notably the £17m Alberto Aquilani, will not step aside without a fight. "There is a lot of competition for places, but that can only be good for Liverpool and what we want this season," he said. "There are lots of good players going for the team now – and Alberto is getting his fitness back all the time."Aquilani was used in a floating role behind the impressive, newly robust lone striker David Ngog – who scored both goals and held the ball up far better than on previous occasions – in Skopje. It was a tactical switch applauded by Lucas. "The shape was really good and hopefully that will carry on. Hopefully this year will be a lot better than last. We are expecting positive things."There were isolated reports of racist abuse during the match on Thursday. Accordingly Uefa is waiting to assess submissions from its delegate in Skopje and the match referee before deciding whether a disciplinary case should be opened against FK Rabotnicki. Liverpool were unaware of any such incident, although their Greek centre‑half Sotirios Kyrgiakos was jeered every time he touched the ball, thereby reflecting the loathing many Macedonians harbour for their southern neighbours.LiverpoolEuropa LeagueLouise Taylorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Could Peter Ebdon become snooker's unlikely saviour? | Simon Burnton

Peter Ebdon's frank admission that he is going to play badly may leave him with no option but to quit snookerEverybody wants to be famous. And cool. Famous and cool. Fame alone isn't much worth striving for – after all, Josef Fritzl is famous and he's nobody's role model. No, everybody wants to be a celebrity. That's not much of an ambition either, frankly. Until you get there, you're miserable. Once you get there you discover (I'm guessing, obviously) that it often involves doing things you don't actually want to do, like pretending to be happy about meeting Jeremy Clarkson, and that makes you miserable too.It's not just people who strive to achieve the heady mix of recognition and acclaim that celebrities enjoy. Every sport that isn't football, and for that matter every football league that isn't the Premier League, wants it too. They want to be talked about. They want to be popular. They want to be cool.Snooker is not cool. Sure, the best players achieve a certain level of fame, but they never enjoy the breakout success of the truly trendy. You know you've hit the big time when you see somebody else wearing what appears to be your own hair, but where the Beatle, the Beckham and the Rachel from Friends led the way, the Ray Reardon strangely failed to follow. Nike never asked Cliff Thorburn to put his name to a range of swoosh-branded patent leather footwear. And then there's the clothes. A fashion-conscious youth who sees a man sporting a dress shirt, waistcoat and bow tie is considerably less likely to praise his dress sense than to steal his mobile phone. No, there's no getting away from it, snooker is not cool.But it's trying. Last week Ronnie O'Sullivan launched "the future of snooker" – a half-hour, condensed version of the game which television viewers should find very much like watching highlights of the old version of snooker, without anyone having been required to edit out seven hours of rubbish. This is a promising first step.What the sport really needs, though, is a true star, someone to drag it into the spotlight by embodying the ultimate celebrity package of astonishing skill, swaggering sex appeal and, ideally, a surprising post-retirement talent for ballroom dancing. And while it waits for that person, it's got Peter Ebdon.Ebdon is an unlikely hero. He's nearly 40, lives in Budapest, once had a ponytail and has a fiancée called Nora. His focus on the game is so absolute that he is widely considered, by his own admission, "a horrible so-and-so". Sure, a musical side-project launched following a successful singing engagement at a friend's daughter's wedding has so far seen him release a couple of singles, but there is absolutely no street credibility to be gained from covering David Cassidy's 1973 No3 hit I'm a Clown (strangely absent from the internet, but here's his self-penned follow-up, Fall of Paradise).Outside snooker and long-forgotten 70s balladry, the 2002 world champion's interests seem no more likely to engage the public. In an interview earlier this year, for example, Ebdon broached one such subject. "I've had Lexus, Mercedes, Honda, top-of-the-range motors," he said, "and by far, the Skoda had the best windscreen-wipers of them all." The interview was not with Heat magazine.A few days ago Ebdon announced that when he gets to next week's Shanghai Masters qualifying event in Sheffield he will play really badly. "By the time the qualifiers come around I will not have played for 10 days or more," he said. "I know just how bad I can be when I don't feel properly prepared. As always, I will be doing my utmost to win what is a very important match for me but in truth, my levels of expectation will not be very high." He's got a decent excuse for not practising: this weekend in Hungary Nora will become the second Mrs Ebdon. Had he not told anyone, arrived in Sheffield among the favourites and lost, he could have been in trouble. The bookmakers could have become suspicious. The Gambling Commission might have got involved. (Both of which happened when he unexpectedly went down 5-0 to Liang Wenbo in 2008, though no wrongdoing was discovered.)The announcement was refreshingly honest, showing a willingness to break bad news in full and in advance that was so lacking from, say, the recent election campaign. This is a man to trust, a man of integrity and honour. Just the man, perhaps, to take snooker global.But now he's in a pickle. Having told everyone he's going to lose, he has to go through with it. What if he turns up in Sheffield, no pressure on his shoulders, elated after his nuptials, and produces the form of his life? The bookmakers could become suspicious. The Gambling Commission might get involved. Perhaps it's best that he doesn't turn up at all – but then he'll have had even less match practice for his next event, and we all know how bad he can be when he doesn't feel properly prepared. No, he's got little choice now but to abandon his career. Bet he didn't think of that.Still, Ebdon would leave with his head held high, a hero, of sorts, for some. And snooker's search for a saviour continues. Unless, that is, the Ebdonator turns out to be any good at ballroom dancing.twitter.com/Simon_BurntonSnookerSimon Burntonguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Letters: Sport for all ? or an Olympic elite?

No good purpose is served by merging UK Sport and Sport England (Olympic authority demands role in merged body, 28 July). UK Sport has been an unqualified success story, transforming performance at international level. In contrast, Sport England has for 25 years been overmanned and unfocused. A nation defines itself by its commitment to excellence. The last thing that government should do is to tamper with an organisation which has consistently delivered it.At a superficial level, a merger may seem logical, and the argument may be made that international performance depends on high participation levels. Not so. No event shows this more clearly than the marathon. There, male participation levels have risen close on a thousandfold since 1980, but performance levels have dropped. The independence of UK Sport must be retained, for linking it with Sport England can result only in dilution and damage to our Olympic prospects. What is needed is a rigorous review of Sport England, a quango which has struggled to make substantial improvement in participation levels. Taxpayers' cash should instead be directly injected at source, to county sports partnerships and local authorities for support to our best clubs. And sport (and the arts) must be made a statutory requirement for our local authorities. That could be done at the flick of a pen, and at no cost. That (and excellence) is the Big Society.Tom McNabSt Albans, Hertfordshire• I read the article on Peter Keen's view of sport funding with disappointment (Half of Britain's Olympic sports may have funding slashed, 27 July).Sport isn't just about winning, it's about taking part. I subscribe to this old but reasonable view. If Olympic funding is just directed towards a tiny minority of elite sports then large numbers of people involved in the other Olympic sports will be told that their sport isn't valid and so they need not take part, and newer sports like floorball (pencilled in for the 2020 Summer Olympics) will never get a look in.Sport is less about nationhood than it is about people. British pride is, in my opinion, a lower priority than giving large numbers of children and young adults something to aim for, keeping them healthy and helping them develop as adults by playing sports as part of a team. The Olympics is more useful to us as a nation as a way of keeping our youngsters engaged in society and not part of crime and excessive behaviour (eg drinking) as so often happens these days.And what about the world's perception of Britain? Having well-behaved young Brits on holiday abroad every summer is more important to Britain than a few Olympic medals once every four years.Peter GoodmanSouthern Vipers Floorball Club and Farnham Unihockey & Floorball Club• "Do we want to win – yes or no?" asks Peter Keen. Do we not hope that as many people as possible compete and enjoy themselves? At a time of economic constraint, why should the taxpayer support a few full-time professional sportsmen and women who spend their whole lives training and competing at the expense of the community? It would be wonderful to see a true amateur who did a proper job for a living finish with a medal.Michael CorneliusLedbury, Herefordshire• I have been on the 2012 Olympic site as I was interested in volunteering to help at the London Olympics as a "Games Maker". I was shocked to see that the "presenting partner" for the Games Maker (volunteer) programme is McDonald's. Why have the organisers of our Olympics let them become hijacked by a company that promotes and sells junk food? How will this sponsorship help Britons become a healthier nation?Shaun OliverPortsmouth, Hampshire• Your report (Olympic authority tops quango rich list, 2 July) reveals what may have been the real motivation behind the intensive lobbying for the UK to host the Olympics. The executives' securing of 15 salaries between £142,000 and £390,000 rings a contrasting sour note with their pleas for volunteers to see the job through.John Tyldesley Preston, LancashireOlympic games 2012Sport politicsMcDonald'sQuangosguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• Great dynasties of the world: The Khans

Ian Sansom on the greatest sporting family in the worldThe game of squash, according to the indisputable Oxford Companion to Sports and Games (1976), originated in the mid-19th century at Harrow School in England, where boys would knock a squishy ball about while waiting to play a game of rackets. Rackets – similar to squash, though played with a hard ball on a larger court – is now only played in public schools and in private clubs. Squash, meanwhile, is played worldwide. The popularity of the sport derives largely from one unlikely group of families: the Khans, from Pakistan.During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, British forces established a number of squash clubs in the north-west of India. One such club was in Peshawar, where a young Hashim Khan worked as a ball boy. In the evenings, when the British officers had retired, Hashim – short, thin, an unpromising athlete – would play against himself, barefoot, late into the night. Through sheer dogged determination, Hashim went on to become first a coach, and then a professional player. He won the first All India championship, the first Pakistan championship and eventually went on to win the British Open not once, not twice, but seven times.In his definitive Squash: a History of the Game (2003), James Zug writes: "The dream merchants of Hollywood could not make a more romantic story than the rise of Hashim Khan." His story certainly inspired the Khan family, who went on to dominate the world of squash for almost 50 years, from 1951, when Hashim won his first British Open, to 1998, when Jansher Khan – scion of another Khan clan – lost in the final of the British Open to Peter Nicol.The story of the Khan family squash dynasty is told by former Daily Telegraph sports journalist Dicky Rutnagur in Khans Unlimited (1997) – a book strictly for squash aficionados. A more colourful account can be found on squashsite.co.uk, which explains: "Our roots can be traced to the valley of the Khyber Pass ... As the defence of the pass seemed dogmatic to the ancient Pashtun, so does being the best at the game of squash seem for a Khan."Not for no reason did the great British squash champion Jonah Barrington famously refer to squash as "boxing with racquets". Squash is a tough sport and the Khan family saw themselves as warriors.Unable to find anyone tough enough to practise against, Hashim trained his younger brother Azam to become his practice partner. By 1954, they were playing against each other in the final of the British Open. Hashim won, though Azam went on to become champion in 1959. And 1960. And 1961. And 1962. Azam also won the US Open in 1962. Briefly reclaiming the family tradition, his granddaughter, Carla Khan, won the Pakistan Open in 2005.Another famous Khan, Roshan – related to the other Khans by marriage – was also a successful professional player who had two sons, Torsam and Jahangir. Torsam died tragically young in 1979, of a heart attack during a match in Australia. Despite being a sickly child, his brother Jahangir took on the Khan mantle: he turned out to be exceptional. Among all the Khans it is Jahangir who might justly be described as the greatest squash player of all time.Jahangir's success depended partly on his legendary fitness regime, which involved long morning runs, gym training, racquet drills and relentless court sprints. He was ferociously fit and went unbeaten as a professional for five years and eight months, from 1981 until 1986. In interviews and in his book Winning Squash (1985), Jahangir explains his philosophy thus: "To be the best, I had to work harder than anyone else."It's a long way from a poor village in Peshawar to becoming the greatest sporting family in the world.FamilySquashIan Sansomguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

• British rowers set to smash century-old record for crossing Atlantic

Artemis crew due to end 3,200-mile voyage from New York with landing in Scilly Isles tomorrowThey have had close encounters with sharks, tankers, and a huge tree trunk that could easily have sunk their tiny rowing boat. They have capsized, been swamped by huge waves and battered by the winds. There's been food poisoning, too.But, last-minute accidents notwithstanding, the hardy crew of Artemis Investments will smash a century-old world rowing record when they arrive in Scilly tomorrow.The crew, the Scots Leven Brown, and Don Lennox, plus Ray Carroll, from Ireland, and Livar Nystad, from the Faroe Islands, set off from New York on 17 June in their seven-metre (23ft) boat, and they are on schedule to complete the voyage, of more than 3,200 miles as the crow flies, taking a total of 44 days.In 1896, the Norwegians George Harbo and Frank Samuelsen rowed their skiff, The Fox, from New York to Scilly in 55 days. Since then other crews have crossed the Atlantic more quickly but no one has done a faster crossing following this difficult, historic route across the North Atlantic, described by Ocean Rowing Society International as the "purest".A previous attempt last year by the team failed when their rudder sheared off after a collision with a submerged object. Earlier this summer they again had to retreat to New York after their boat was damaged in a storm. But finally they are tantalisingly close to glory.It has been a tough regime. The crew members row for two hours then snatch a two-hour rest. They only stop when bad weather forces them to do so. The weather has been largely kind but there have been some frights. Their log for 30 June reads: "Had a very hairy night with at least three knock downs, more than a dozen swampings (difficult to keep count) and one capsize, and had to go in to survival mode to keep the boat upright. The seas were large, mainly five to seven metres, with the occasional huge 10-metre wave."On July 16 it read: "Came off the sea anchor and have had a tough, tough, day, the seas have been pretty big and have been swamped several times and knocked down twice, we were hit by a huge breaker, a 10m wave. Mr Carroll went for a brief swim. We are longing to get back home to comfort, being dry and warm."Brown took a break from rowing to speak to the Guardian on a satellite phone 90 miles west of Scilly. He heaped praise on the boat: "She's a sturdy little cork."Low points were when crew members flipped overboard themselves. "It's always a bit nerve-wracking when someone goes over," said Brown. "Because we've got so little power the chances of getting anyone back on board are not great."Now they are smelly, perhaps each 19kg lighter, and cannot wait to land. "We ran out of goodies from the ration packs five or six days ago – everyone's craving …" said Brown. "It's been an epic journey."RowingNew YorkUnited StatesSteven Mooreguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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