All of England’s youth teams have a big year ahead of them in 2008, none more so than the Under-21 squad who continue their qualification campaign for the UEFA 2009 European Championships.
It has started well for Stuart Pearce’s team, who have won five out of their six games so far, after being held to a draw in Portugal in November which brought to an end a fantastic 2007.
Radek Stepanek
Adelaide, Australia (Sports Network) – A trio of seeds exited the season- opening Next Generation Adelaide tennis event on Monday, as No. 4 Frenchman Gilles Simon, No. 5 Czech Radek Stepanek and No. 7 Argentine Juan Martin del Potro were sent packing at this Australian Open tune-up.
Simon gave way to fellow Frenchman Michael Llodra 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, while Stepanek retired due to a heel injury against Australian wild card Joseph Sirianni while trailing 7-6 (7-3), 4-3 and American journeyman Michael Russell dismissed del Potro 6-3, 6-3 on the hardcourts at Memorial Drive.
MELBOURNE Victory coach Ernie Merrick said Central Coast remained the team most likely to succeed his as A-League champions despite the Mariners being carved up by Victory in Gosford.
Victory beat the understrength league leaders 5-2, belying their contrasting fortunes this season.
TWO of Sydney racing’s feature events, the Doncaster Handicap and the AJC Australian Derby, will be run on a blockbuster first day of this year’s autumn carnival.
The Australian Jockey Club yesterday finally announced the dates for this year’s carnival after pressure from trainers keen to time the preparations of their star thoroughbreds.
The opening Saturday of the carnival on April 26 will also feature the sprint classic, the TJ Smith Stakes.
Kristina Collmore (Montclair, N.J./Montclair) connected on a jumper from the left wing with 30 seconds remaining to give the Bucknell women’s basketball team a 58-56 lead and the Bison held on for a 59-56 victory over visiting Loyola (Md.) Monday afternoon at Sojka Pavilion. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for Bucknell, which improved to 5-8 on the season. The Greyhounds, who have now lost two in a row following a five-game winning streak, fell to 7-5.
After a tight first half that featured four ties and four lead changes, Bucknell led throughout the second half until Loyola tied the game at 56 on a three-point play by Tynisha Davis with 59 seconds remaining. On the ensuing possession Collymore hit what turned out to be the game-winning jumper. Wide open, she drained the long jumper, her first points since 10:48 was left in the first half.
Dimitar Berbatov’s agent Emil Dantchev has told BBC Sport the striker is happy at Tottenham but would be interested in a move to “a big club”.
The 26-year-old has been a huge hit since joining Spurs in 2006, but Dantchev said he had spoken to chairman Daniel Levy about his future.
2008 is just a few hours away, and as always, I’ve got a whole gaggle of resolutions lined up. Right now they’re mulling about at the starting tee waiting anxiously for the new round year to begin. They’re the typical resolutions; the ones meant to result in improvements to my fitness, finances, and family relationships.
However, unlike many golfer friends of mine, I’m not making a single resolution about practicing more… or lowering my handicap… or three putting less… or or curing my slice. Don’t get me wrong, I fully intend to do all those things, I’m just not making resolutions about them. That’s because, a while back, I resolved (yes, that was a resolution of sorts) to keep golf fun. Fun, as in pure pleasure with no pressure. And I’ve stuck to that, all the while slowly improving my game, without benchmarks or fixed goals or…resolutions. I realize that not everyone can enjoy the game in this loose, relaxed way, but it works for me. I’m enjoying golf thoroughly.
Dimitar Berbatov
LONDON – Premier League clubs are waiting for Tuesday’s opening of the monthlong January transfer window, some seeking to tweak their squad as they press for the title and others hoping to add players in the fight to stay in England’s most lucrative competition.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been linked with players as they try to overtake Arsenal at the top of the standings, while Sunderland and Fulham are among those in the market for new talent in a desperate attempt to avoid relegation.
John Tavares
Canada followed up its disappointing loss to Sweden with a 4-1 victory over Denmark. Oshawa Generals’ forward John Tavares set the offensive tone with a goal and an assist and goaltender Steve Mason made 15 saves for the victory.
Prior to the game, head coach Craig Harstburg promoted Tavares to the second line, in an effort to generate more offense. During Canada’s exhibition games, Tavares had been used mainly as a power play specialist. But with mounting pressure to find consistent scoring, Hartsburg finally placed Tavares on a regular line.
Bruce Feldman ESPN
LOS ANGELES — At USC, some great players set records. Other Trojans standouts win trophies. Sedrick Ellis, the powerhouse nose tackle, though, is responsible for a different kind of hardware.