History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

OLYMPIC SHOOTNG HOPEFULS

Tan Zongliang

The Jinan-born pistol man has made it his sole ambition to become an Olympic champion, be it in the 10m or 50m air pistol. The 36-year-old Chinese*, who now also coaches, began shooting when only 15 with Shandong Shooting Team, and recorded a ninth and tenth finish in Athens four years ago in the 10m and 50m air pistol respectively.

Tan made his international debut at the 1993 World Cup in Germany, and, seven years later, broke the world record in the 10m air pistol at the Asian Games in Malaysia. He won the 2002 (Lahti, Finland) and 2006 (Zagreb, Croatia) World Championships in 50m air pistol, and is in good form going into Beijing.

Thomas Tamas

American Army officer Tamas has never before competed at an Olympic Games, though the 43-year-old has been crowned World Champion in the 50m rifle prone. He earned that title 10 years ago in Barcelona, Spain, and won the gold in the Pan American Games in 2003 in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

Tamas, who lives in Columbus, began shooting aged 13 with Fort Benning Junior Rifle Team, before joining the Army in 1986. He was named as US Shooting Male Athlete of the Year in 1999 and was second in the 50m rifle prone in the World Cup last year in Beijing.

Tino Mohaupt

For German 24-year-old Mohaupt, Beijing will be his first taste of the Olympics. The right-handed Suhl-born student, who also enjoys cycling, snowboarding, skiing and squash, began shooting ten years ago having joined SSVg Brigachtal. He originally began as a biathlete – shooting and skiing.

Coached by Claus Dieter Roth, Mohaupt won the World Cup in 10m air rifle in 2007 in Munich, and came third in the World Cup Final at Bangkok in the same year. He was also European Junior Champion in 2000, again in Munich.

Valentina Turisini

Trieste-born Turisini is hoping to go one better than four years ago when she won a silver medal in Athens. That was in the 50m rifle 3 x 20, and she also came twelfth in the 10m air rifle. The 38-year-old, who also enjoys reading in her spare time, first took up shooing in 1988.

Coached by Gaby Buehlmann, Turisini is in good touch going into Beijing. Last year in Granada, Spain, she came seventh in the 50m rifle 3 x 20.


Valérian Sauveplane

For Montpellier-born Sauveplane August’s Olympics in Beijing will be by far his most important competition so far. The 28-year old, who shoots right-handed, won a World Cup event in Fort Benning, America, three years ago. He also came third in a similar event last year in Sydney, Australia. Sauvenplane shoots for STC Millavoise in France.

Vebjørn Berg

Beijing will be Norwegian left-hander first taste of the Olympics. The Hamar-born Berg, who studies information technology, first began shooting in 1989. And the 28-year-old has impressed at World Cup events in recent years and has been tipped for the top.

In a World Cup event in 2006 he won in Guangzhou, China. The same year he came second in Resende, Brazil. Last year he recorded a third place in Bangkok, Thailand, and this year he achieved the same position in Rio De Janeiro, also Brazil.

Vincent Hancock

American skeet starlet Hancock shot his first clay at the age of five, and has made it is target to become an Olympic gold medallist in Beijing this summer. And don’t bet against the 19-year-old, who was born In Charlotte, Florida, but who now resides in Eatonton, Georgia.

Hancock, who is a member of Lake Oconee Shooting Club, Eatonton, made his international debut in 2005 at the Changwon ISSF World Cup, and shot the best score and won gold. That year Vincent started seven times in an international tournament, taking a medal each time, and becoming the first shooter ever to do so. Those results also earned him the 2005 International Sport Shooting Federation Shooter of the Year award.

Walter Lapeyre

A policeman by profession, Lapeyre first began shooting in 1986, when only 10. The 32-year-old was born in Pau in the south of France, and now lives in Bordeaux. He won European Championships in 2005 in the 10m air pistol, when the tournament was held in Tallinn, Estonia. A year later he came third in Moscow, Russia while last year he slipped to sixth in Deauville in his home country. This year, however, he came second in Winterthur in Switzerland.

Last year he also won a World Cup event in Bangkok, Thailand. Away from the shooting range the right-hander, coached by Zeljko Todorovic, is interested in photography, music, sport and viticulture (the study of grapes and wine).

Warren Potent

The Australian was born in Parramatta, and began shooting at the age of 17, having been introduced to the sport at the age of 17 by a school friend. The 46-year-old returned to the sport in 1997 after six years out. He put away his rifle in 1991 to concentrate on establishing his car detailing franchise. It was only when Sydney's bid for the Olympic Games was successful that he thought about a comeback.

Potent, who came 42nd in the 50m rifle prone in Athens four years ago, is interested in fishing, reading, music, ballroom dancing and tenpin bowling away from the range. In 2006 he came seventh in the World Championships, but he did win a World Cup in Beijing earlier in the year.

Wei Ning

China’s Wei is one of the favourites to take the skeet gold in Beijing. Four years ago she won the silver medal in Athens. The 26-year-old, born in Shandong, took up shooting ten years ago and is a member of the Shandong Shooting Club in Jinan, China.

Coached by Jiang Zexiang, Wei, who practices for eight hours a week, made her international debut at the World Cup for China in Italy in 2001. She became world champion in 2003 in Nicosia in Cyprus and won the 2005 World Cup in Changwon, Korea.

Yin Wen

China’s Yin has impressed since competing internationally. The 25-year-old won the 2007 World Cup in Bangkok in the 3 x 20 and came second in Fort Benning, America, last year too.

Zhang Tian

Chinese right-hander Zhang Tian will be competing at his first Olympics in Beijing. The student, coached by Gao Yong Wu and Wang Yi Fu, took up shooting in 1995. And the 27-year-old* has had much success in the past three years. In 2005 he won World Cup events in the 10m air pistol and the 50m pistol at Milan, in Italy. Last year, in Bangkok, Thailand, he came second in the 10m air pistol.

Zhao Yinghui

Twenty-six-year-old student, Zhao Yinghui from Hebei, China, just missed out on the bronze medal in the women’s 10 air pistol at the Olympics in Athens four years’ ago – her first. Zhao, who enjoys collecting stamps when she is not shooting targets, is in good form going into the Beijing Games.

Last year she won a World Cup event in Bangkok, Thailand, in the 10m air pistol with a score of 502.6, and the year before she won the Guangzhou World Cup, China. In 2005 she was victorious in Changwon, Korea. Zhao began shooting in 1996, and made her international debut two years’ later, at the World Cup in Germany.

Zhu Qinan

The 25-year-old Chinese, won gold at the Athens Games four years’ ago in the 10m air rifle, is looking to defend his Olympic title in Beijing in August. And Zhu Qinan is in excellent form. The right-handed professional shooter took up the sport in 1999, because he was ‘curious’. Zhu achieved his first place in Greece with an impressive score of 702.7, and has followed up that win with first places at World Cup events in Bangkok, Thailand (2004), Milan, Italy and Fort Benning, America (both 2005), Milan again (2006), Bangkok and Fort Benning (2007) and Milan and Beijing this year.

Zuzana Štefeceková

Slovakian right-handed trap specialist Zuzana Štefeceková will be competing in her first Olympic Games when Beijing opens its doors to the world in August. But the 24-year-old from Nitra, has been in impressive form in World Cup events. She won at Lonato in the trap last year, and has also been successful at Maribor, Slovakia (2004) and Cairo, Egypt and Qingyuan, China (2006). Štefeceková speaks three languages – Kannada, German and English – and first tried the sport in 1996. The student currently shoots for SSSR MV SR Bratislava.

* Ages correct on August 8 – the start of the Olympics

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 11:59 am | Permalink | Comments

OLYMPIC TRIATHLON HOPEFULS

Andrea Whitcombe

Ealing-born Andrea Whitcombe is competing in her second Olympics, but her first as a triathlete. At the Sydney Games in 2000 she was part of the Great Britain team, as she took part in the 5,000m, but failed to win a medal. In 1998, at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, she won a silver medal at the same distance. Whitcombe also competed at the World Cross Country championships five times before trying her hand at triathlon. She won the World Cup at Corner Brook in Canada in 2005, and achieved podium finishes at Cancun, Mexico (2006) and Rhodes, Greece (2007). The 37-year-old* enjoys looking after her tortoise in her spare time.

Anja Dittmer

German triathlete Anja Dittmer took up the sport when she was just 16. The Neubrandenburg-born 32-year-old competed at the Athens Games four years ago, but could only manage an 11th place finish with a time of two hours, seven minutes and 25 seconds. Dittmer, whose brother, Andreas, is a three-time gold medalist in flatwater canoeing, has won a number of World Cup events in the last three years. But at the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, last year she finished outside the medal places, in sixth. Dittmer trains 25 hours a week and is a member of the Armed Forces.

Bevan Docherty

New Zealander Bevan Docherty is so successful he even has a street named after him in his hometown. In Taupo there is a Docherty Drive to commemorate his achievements, which include winning the silver medal at the Athens Games, four years ago. The 31-year-old Maori began competing in triathlons in 1995 and has won four out of five World Cup events he has entered in the last five years. He won the World Championships in 2004, in Funchal, Portugal, and came second in Vancouver, Canada, this year. Docherty also has a degree in mechanical engineering and enjoys wake boarding and snow boarding in his spare time.

Brad Kahlefeldt

The Australian, whose parents were both marathon runners, missed out on the Olympic Games four years ago due to sustaining a hip injury just months before Athens opened its doors to the sporting world. But Brad Kahlefeldt, who came third in the 2005 and 2007 World Championships, has bounced back and will be in with a great chance of finishing on the podium in Beijing. He won eight World Cup events in 2006 and was named Australian Athlete of the Year that same year. The 29-year-old lives on the Gold Coast in Queensland and enjoys studying geography.

Daniel Unger

The Ravenburg-born 30-year-old won the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany, last year – his career highlight thus far. Daniel Unger, who can speak four languages, has never before been to the Olympics – he missed out in Athens due to injury – though after winning a World Cup event in Richards Bay in South Africa earlier this year, he is in great form for Beijing. The German, who trains up to 40 hours a week, will be one of the favourites to take the gold medal in August. Unger is a plumber by trade and lives in Bad Saulgau.

Debbie Tanner

New Zealander Debbie Tanner came ninth in the World Championships in Vancover, Canada, earlier this year, but will be hoping to finish higher up at her first Olympics at Beijing this August. The 25-year-old, who lives in Auckland, where she was born, took up triathlon when she was only 13. Her biggest success so far was achieved when she won a World Cup event at Ishigaki, Japan, in 2006. She has a degree in Sports and Recreational Studies from Auckland and trains with fellow countryman Bevan Docherty and her sister, Nikki, competed at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Emma Moffatt

Twenty-three-year-old Emma Moffatt was named Australia’s Athlete of the Year in 2007 after a World Cup win in Edmonton, Canada, and finishing fourth at the World Championships in Hamburg, Germany. Beijing will be the Moree-born star’s first Olympics and the Human Movement student will be in with a good chance of making the podium. She is a former cross country national champion and began competing in triathlons aged 13. Her family are all involved in triathlon and away from competing she enjoys spending time on the beach with her friends.

Emma Snowsill

Gold Coast-born Emma Snowsill made her international triathlon aged 17 and now she trains for seven days a week. The 27-year-old, who won the World Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2006, swims 30km, runs 100km and cycles 250km a day now. Tragedy hit Snowsill, who will be competing in her first Olympics in Beijing, in 2002, when her then-boyfriend, Luke Harrop, was hit by a car while out with her on a training run. She is in excellent form this year, having won World Cup events at Ishigaki, Japan, and Mooloolaba, Australia.

Frédéric Belaubre

France’s Frédéric Belaubre finished in fifth place at the Olympic Games in Athens four years ago, and is in with a good shout of making the podium this year in Beijing. The Poissy-born 28-year-old, who enjoys sculpting and sewing in his spare time, came third in the World Championships in Lausanne in Switzerland in 2006. He also won the European Championships in the same year and has won World Cup events in Beijing, Salford, England, and Madrid, Spain, in the last four years. His father helped to introduce triathlon to France in the 1970s and Frédéric’s ambition is to win a medal at the Beijing Games.

Greg Bennett

Sydney-born Greg Bennett will be looking to better his fourth place achieved at the last Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. The 36-year-old will be competing in his second Games in Beijing, but could only finish in 24th place in the recent World Championships in Vancover, Canada, earlier in the year. Bennett, who also likes to surf, play rugby and soccer, ran his first triathlon when he was only 14. He is married to American triathlete Laura Reback and has one ritual before competition: no sex 72 from hours before racing.

* Ages correct on August 8 – the start of the Olympics

Labels: Beijing Olympics, Triathlon

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 11:55 am | Permalink | Comments

BROUGH DREAMING OF WEMBLEY DATE AFTER DITCHING OLD CLUB

Danny Brough, whose drop-goal separated Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos in the 2005 Challenge Cup Final, talks to Oliver Pickup about that magical day at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium and the prospect of gracing the Wembley turf for the first time. Before that can happen the Wakefield stand-off must advance from the semi-finals at the expense of his former team, and some good friends. But he feels as though he owes it to coach John Kear to win Wakefield their first Challenge Cup trophy in 45 years.

THE 2005 Challenge Cup provided arguably the best Final in recent years, as underdogs Hull FC manoeuvred their way through a pulsating game crammed with twists and turns against 4/1 favourites Leeds Rhinos. On that day Danny Brough, a 22-year-old plucked from National League Two obscurity by coach John Kear, proved the difference.

The former plumber’s sublime kicking performance gleaned nine points in the 25-24 win and, after a drop-goal and four goals – the last he converted from Paul Cooke’s score three minutes before the final hooter to gift his team their first silverware in 23 years – he was unfortunate not to win the Lance Todd trophy that found its way into losing captain, Kevin Sinfield’s hands.

But Brough remains philosophical, and hopes that this will be the year that he and his new club, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, can sweep the board. “The Lance Todd is a massive trophy and I would love to get my hands on it,” beams the 25-year-old Scotland international. “But on the day you can’t think about that – you have to think about winning for your team. If we get past Hull in the semi-finals and lose at Wembley, and I get the Lance Todd trophy, it will be little consolation.

“I will never forget that day, three years ago. It was nerve-wracking from the night before. I was pacing the corridor at five in the morning and I was overwhelmed that we were in the Challenge Cup Final. When I walked out on to the pitch the atmosphere made the hair on the back of my neck stand up on end. When I look back at the video and see Richard Horne and me with our knees knocking, it brings back that feeling. It was a great day for Hull and an outstanding effort by our lads.”

Hull, in Kear’s first season in charge, had surpassed the odds en route to success, toppling Super League Champions Bradford Bulls and Challenge Cup holders St Helens. Former Castleford Tigers back, Kear had already proved a bookies’ nightmare, when he guided Sheffield Eagles to similar heights against the mighty Wigan Warrors in 1998. However, eight months after the jubilation in Cardiff, Kear was handed his P45 and Brough lost favour with new coach, Peter Sharp, before moving to Castleford Tigers in National League One.

When Kear moved to Wakefield in July 2006 he soon rescued Brough’s career again, taking him to the Belle Vue Stadium at the start of this season. And the diminutive lad from Dewsbury is working wonders for Kear once again, at the club where he started out aged 16.

“I owe John a lot, as he has looked after me,” continues Brough. “He got me out of National League Two [with York City Knights] and took me to Hull and then he brought me to Wakefield. John encourages you, tells you what you are doing right, and what you are doing wrong – he’s a great coach.

“I signed for Wakefield the day I left school and I had three years on an apprenticeship. To be back here is fantastic. They are a great bunch of lads and we have great team spirit. That is helping us play better Rugby League and pulling us through games lately.

“It would be outstanding to get to Wembley. I have never played there personally, and I don’t think any of the other boys have either. The trophy, in itself, is one of the biggest in the game – it means such a lot to that many people. It’ll give us a great sense of achievement if we get there.”

His old team Hull stand in the way of his Wembley dream, however, and he is wary that they have been galvanised under Sharp’s successor, Richard Agar – a coach he knew from his time at York, and at Hull, where he was assistant.

“I’m still in good touch with a lot of the lads from Hull,” says Brough. “I spend a lot of time with Lee Radford – he lives across the road from me. We have spoken about the semi-final recently, and we were saying how it is going to be weird that one or the other of us would get to the final. It’s going to be gut-wrenching for the other, but that’s Rugby League for you!

“It is a bit worrying that Hull are finding a bit of form and with Richard coming in it gives them all a kick up the backside. Sometimes change is good; sometimes change is bad. But in Hull’s case it seems to be working for them at the moment. I think Richard is a great coach having worked under him at York. He taught me a lot of things, having playing in my position. He is very tactical, he knows what he is on about and I think he will do a great job at Hull.

“I don’t think it matters that we are not playing the Rhinos or the Saints in the semi-final, because if you win the Challenge Cup then you have to beat the best at some point. We just have to be up for it on the day and then we will get to Wembley.”

Labels: Challenge Cup, Danny Brough, Hull FC, John Kear, Peter Sharp, Wakefield Wildcats

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 6:13 pm | Permalink | Comments

HALL OUT TO EMULATE FATHER'S CHALLENGE CUP SUCCESS, BUT FOR THE OTHER TEAM IN HULL

Craig Hall, Hull FC’s dynamic young centre, is itching for a chance to play in the Challenge Cup final at Wembley, if only to emulate the success of his father. Ahead of the semi-final against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Oliver Pickup caught up with the son of David, Hull Kingston Rovers’ full-back in the victorious 1980 campaign, and found out what effect new coach Richard Agar, whose father also started for the Robins in that final, has had on the Black and Whites.

The date May 3, 1980, is etched in Hull Kingston Rovers’ fans memory. Regarded by many as the greatest day in the club’s history, at Wembley, in the Challenge Cup Final, 95,000 supporters cheered on the battle of Hull. The national press labelled it a ‘Hullava match’ as the east Hull club won their first Challenge Cup, against their west city rivals 10-5.

David Hall, full back for Hull KR on the day, lined up alongside Allan Agar. And now, 28 years later, both of their sons are so close to replicating their success, but for their old team’s most deadly of foes. Richard Agar, 36, was handed the coaching reins at the KC Stadium in late May following the departure of Peter Sharp, and in his first game he marched Hull to the Challenge Cup semi-finals with a shock 22-16 victory over Bradford Bulls.

Twenty-year-old Craig Hall was on the interchange bench for that win at Osdal, but having been reinvigorated since former assistant coach Agar’s promotion, he believes that Hull can make it to the hallowed turf of Wembley.

“I was very disappointed to miss out on the quarter-final win,” concedes Hull’s leading try scorer – Hall had crossed the whitewash seven times by round 18. “Having been in the team for most of the season, in the stands is not the place you want to be watching at any time, especially in the quarter-final. But it refocused me and now I am playing better hopefully I can take some form into the semi-final.

“I went down to the Challenge Cup Final last year and just watching it was so brilliant. To play there, at Wembley, would be amazing. It would be a dream come true to get there and I have had that dream since I was a little kid.”

Hall, who has been on the books at Hull since he was 13, and has represented England through the junior ranks, had not been born when his father performed his heroics for Hull KR on that May afternoon in 1980. But former Great Britain full back David, from time to time, will dust off the old winners’ medal and use it to encourage his talented boy to better his achievements. And rather than question Craig’s Hull allegiance, Hall senior simply takes delight in the fact that his son is stamping his mark on Rugby League.

Craig continues: “Sometimes dad gets his medals out to show me, and tells me how they were won. But I plan to have a bigger trophy cabinet than him! The fact that I play for Hull and not Kingston Rovers doesn't really bother dad. He is more concerned about me being happy in the game.”

And Hall, who scored 34 points on his debut for the club – in the Challenge Cup against Hunslet in April last year – is enjoying his Rugby League much more under Agar. He scored his first Super League hat-trick in round 17, in the 40-14 win over Castleford, and has penned a new deal, pledging his future to the club until at least 2010.

“Since I have re-signed I have been very happy and I don't want to move on,” he offers. “I've had to look at my game and I want to start playing more for the team. We have gained confidence under Richard and that has helped me a lot. And with guys returning from injury we are finding our feet again. You can't do anything without the ball and with us all working together more we are getting more possession and that's when we can be dangerous.

“In the couple of weeks after Sharpy left we had some team bonding sessions. We went fishing and bowling and had a great laugh. It made us want to start working for each other again, and enjoy our Rugby League more. Now we are all helping each other, like when the lads had that 13-game winning run in 2006.

"Richard wants us to play good, attacking football and that's great. It's about time we started chucking the ball about and scoring points. We were struggling earlier this year and it has been hard at times. We know we have the talent so we are trying to be a bit more inventive now, and that is good news for someone like me.

“We are now playing with much more attacking flair. Our defence is really good on our line too, which was something we needed to improve. Earlier on in the season the dressing room was very quiet but now there is a much bigger buzz on and off the pitch. It's great that the fans are really getting behind us too. I think it is all coming together.”

On the Wakefield semi-final, which will be played at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster on July 8, he adds: “They will be tough. We beat them 18-8 at home earlier in the season, but Danny Brough and Sam Obst, in particular, look really dangerous.

“If we get to Wembley it’ll be a great day and, regardless of whether we play St Helens or the Leeds Rhinos, anything could happen. But we have to get past Wakefield first.”

Labels: Challenge Cup, Craig Hall, Hull FC, Hull KR, Richard Agar, Super League

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 12:36 am | Permalink | Comments

GB TRIATHLETE CLARKE QUALIFIES FOR BEIJING

Will Clarke is one of the latest young Brits to have qualified for August's Olympic Games in Beijing - and the star triathlete can't wait to go for gold.

Cambridgeshire-born Clarke - the British No2 behind Tim Don, who will be competing in his third Games - is the current Under-23 World and European Champion, and has a habit of somersaulting to victory.

"The somersaulting is something that the crowds enjoy," grins the 23-year-old who flew to Austen, Texas, last week to begin climate training for China. Next week he competes in the Des Moines World Cup in Iowa, where the winner will take home $250,000.

Clarke ensured his qualification for Beijing last month after coming sixth in a weather-affected race in Madrid in which less than half the field completed.

"The heavens opened when we were running after the swimming and cycling and people began to drop out," Clarke continues. "Only 30 out of 65 starters finished and the temperature had dropped to only seven degrees.

"But I managed to finish and my family were all really relieved and it's a great feeling to know that I will be an Olympian. It's lucky I qualified as my parents booked their flights before it was confirmed I was going.

"The Olympics is the biggest prize you can get in sport. It will be a fantastic experience and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm hoping to get some words of advice from Tim.

"But of the 55 guys who race, 52 go away disappointed that they haven't won a medal. So I will go there and give it my best shot and try to get as close to a medal as possible.

"Whatever happens, I will go out there and enjoy it. The experience will be great so I can learn what you need to do - then I can get a medal in London 2012, hopefully."

Clarke, Don (30) and Alistair Brownlee (20) make up the British triathlete trio heading to Beijing. But first they will be put through their paces in the heat of Texas.

Clarke says: "There is a lot of banter between all of us British lads. But there are times when we have to give each other our own space.

"Out in Austen it will be 38 degrees every day - we will be out there training in that heat and then we go to Des Moines. It'll be perfect practice for Beijing.

"A lot of my main competitors will be also be at Iowa. It's a big money race too - $250,000 for the winner.

"The Kiwis won gold and silver in the last Olympics and they're still strong this year and the Aussies are always strong. It's going to be really tough Games; there are probably about 15 guys that can win it."

And Clarke, whose girlfriend Claire will be out in Beijing staying with the blond star, has an interesting take on ensuring his energy levels remain high.

He added: "Never have sex for three days before a race - that is my rule. It makes a big difference if you do. You will wash it all down the pan if you have some fun the night before."

Labels: Beijing Olympics, Real Madrid, Triathlon, Will Clarke

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 8:50 am | Permalink | Comments

McDERMOTT CELEBRATES NEW CONTRACT WITH A WIN OVER TABLE-TOPPERS LEEDS RHINOS

Brian McDermott, Harlequins Rugby League head coach, capped off a great week with an outstanding victory 28-24 at the Stoop in the Super League against table-toppers Leeds Rhinos. The former marine signed a new contract in midweek which ties him to the London club until 2011. His injury-hit troops showed their commitment by providing a lung-bursting effort which inflicted a first defeat in ten games for Brian McLennan’s Rhinos – the team who knocked Quins out of the Challenge Cup last month.

In a pulsating match two maiden tries from winger Will Sharp coupled with Leeds’ Kevin Sinfield’s three missed goals helped lift McDermott’s team to seventh in the table. “That was one of my most satisfying wins,” beamed the 38-year-old. “We kept them out well unlike we did in the Challenge Cup. That shows that we are learning and heading in the right direction. I can see the potential down here and that’s why I signed a new contract. I’m pleased that my name will be associated with promoting rugby league in London.”

Twenty-two-year-old Londoner Sharp, threaded in by quick passes from Hill and David Howell, recorded his Super League first try after Rhinos’ Jamie Peacock had opened the scoring on four minutes. And stand-off Hill scored himself in the seventeenth minute, having spotted a gap in the Rhinos’ under-pressure defence.

McLennan’s Rhinos thought they had levelled the game with 15 minutes of the first half remaining, but Rob Burrow’s try was disallowed because of obstruction. To compound matters, Henry Paul knocked over the resulting penalty.

Leeds did score again before the interval when last season’s Super League top scorer Scott Donald went over having caught Burrow’s miss-pass. Sinfield added the extras to make it 14-12 at the break.

Quins’ scrum-half Chad Randell wriggled over eight minutes after the restart but Leeds pulled the score back to 20-16 with 23 minutes remaining when winger Keith Senior charged over in the left corner. Sinfield missed his conversion, with the ball cruelly rebounding off the upright.

Rhinos frustrations began to show and a melee broke out with 14 minutes left on the clock. Senior was deemed to have initiated the 10-man scuffle and was sin-binned, as was Quins’ Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Paul punished Leeds by lacing over the resulting penalty in a perfect kicking game.

Sharp then scored his second try, dropping on Hill’s inch-perfect grubber kick. New Zealander Paul then added his sixth goal, but Rhinos hit back immediately though Burrow.

From a similar angle to his earlier miss Sinfield, loudly heckled by Quins fans, saw his effort bounce out from the other post. When Donald went over for his second try with four minutes left, loose forward Sinfield, clearly shaken by the pressure, fluffed his third kick and McDermott’s team held on for a fantastic win.

“The lads are disappointed but the best team won,” conceded McLennan. “They constantly but more pressure on us than we did them.

“I don’t think we have been going too well for the last two or three weeks. They ran harder and did all the basics better than we did. They are a physical team and they dominated us, but a bit of adversity will do us good.”


Harlequins
Tries: Sharp 2, Hill, Randall
Goals: Paul 6 (6)

Rhinos
Tries: Peacock, Donald, Senior, Burrow
Goals: Sinfield 2 (5)

Labels: Brian McDermott, Harlequins Rugby League, Leeds Rhinos, Super League

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 7:49 pm | Permalink | Comments

RONALDINHO WILL BE A NIGHTMARE SAY CITY FANS

Ronaldinho would be a terrible signing for Manchester City, according to fans of the club.

The 28-year-old Brazilian superstar, named FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005, is reportedly being offered £200,000 per week to exchange the Camp Nou for Eastlands.

But Kevin Parker, secretary of the official supporters club, said: "I don't know which is more unbelievable - the fact that City are looking to sign Ronaldinho, or that we will give him that amount of money.

"I'm sure Ronaldinho would not fit in at the club. For that amount of money, no matter how it is sponsored, you have to justify that with the rest of the squad - it has to be fair.

"If you are paying that much money, you would want him on the top of his game every week. Barcelona are letting him go because he has now proven that he can't do it every week.

"I would be very surprised if the transfer goes though because it would just ruin the club's wage structure and wouldn't be very good for the club at all. He would be terrible for morale.

"The irony of the situation is that while they want to throw money at Ronaldinho the club have not improved their offer to club captain Richard Dunne, and he wants to go now!"

Labels: Kevin Parker, Manchester City, Premier League, Ronaldinho

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 3:37 pm | Permalink | Comments

JOSE COULD RUIN CHELSEA'S BID FOR DECO

Jose Mourinho could get one over his former employers Chelsea by taking Portuguese playmaker Deco from Barcelona to Inter Milan.

The unsettled 30-year-old, who has spent four years at the Camp Nou, has been unable to pin down a regular starting place this last season through injury and lack of form.

And the Brazilian-born star has hinted that he will move to either Inter, where his former Porto manager Mourinho has recently taken the reins, or Stamford Bridge after Euro 2008.

"There are two possibilities at the moment, and they are Chelsea and Inter," Deco said. "But no deal has been closed. I want to have my future sorted and in Italy they say that Inter have the advantage [over Chelsea] as they are willing to offer Barcelona money and (Serbian midfielder) Dejan Stankovic.

"Without doubt my relationship with Jose Mourinho is excellent and that will count for something. But it is necessary to evaluate many other things. Inter are a good team and that is attractive to any player with aspirations.

"But at Chelsea there are also several friends of mine like Ricardo Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Henrique Hilário and now José Bosingwa.

"But wherever I go I will insist that the decision must be mine alone. I will not go to a club that doesn't interest me and where I can't continue winning titles, which is my objective. I will speak with my manager Jorge Mendes and work out what the best thing to do is."

Labels: Chelsea, Deco, football, Internationalize Milan, Jose Mourinho

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 3:35 pm | Permalink | Comments

LOWES OFF TO PERFECT START FOR WOLVES

Warrington Wolves stand-in coach James Lowes got off to the best possible start as his team recorded their first win in four games and moved into the final play-off berth after beating Harlequins 40-24 at the Stoop.

Lowes’ team scored two converted tries early through Chris Riley and Louis Anderson but the home team levelled the game 12-12 by the interval with tries from youngsters Tony Clubb and Mike Worrincy and goals from returning captain Rob Purdham.

But Lowes pepped up the Wolves and after the break Martin Gleeson, Michael Monaghan, Matt King and Jon Clarke scored 24 unanswered points in 20 minutes to take the score to 36-12, with Chris Hicks adding the extras.

Quins came back through tries from Gareth Haggerty and Rikki Sheriffe, but Riley went over again late on for Wolves and Brian McDermott’s team slumped to their fifth defeat in the last six games.

Lowes, who has aspirations to become Paul Cullen’s full-time successor, said: “It was fantastic to win and it is good to be involved.

“I don’t know what is going to happen – it’s no clearer. I’m just going to keep my head down and keep working and enjoying it while I can.”

Quins coach McDermott added: “I think Jimmy would make a very good head coach. I think he is the right man for the job.”

Labels: Brian McDermott, Harlequins Rugby League, James Lowes, Super League, Warrington Wolves

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 5:21 pm | Permalink | Comments

CITY OVER THE BLUE MOON TO HAVE APPOINTED HUGHES

Manchester City fans celebrated the news that Mark Hughes – their No1 choice, according to Kevin Parker, the general secretary of the official Manchester City supporters club – is to be the new manager at Eastlands. They were doubly pleased as the former Blackburn manager’s appointment allows them to cock a snook at rivals Manchester United and Chelsea.

Parker, 47, expressed his delight that Old Trafford legend Hughes opted for the blue side of Manchester – a move that effectively precludes him from taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson when he finally steps down at United.

He also believes that Hughes, who also managed Wales for five years, is more likely to utilise the blooming academy rather than spend millions of pounds on foreign signings, as [other touted candidates] Zico or Luiz Felipe Scolari might have done.

“I’m delighted – it is great news that Hughes is the new manager,” Parker said of the 44-year-old who has penned a three-year contract believed to be worth £9m. “Even before it was an option [to approach Hughes], City fans thought that if Sven-Goran Eriksson was going to go, then there was no better choice.

“I think new chief executive [and former Nike executive] Garry Cook has been a big influence on [owner] Thaksin Shinawatra’s decision. I think in this division you need to have experience of managing in the Premier League, or in a top league in Europe.

“As good a manger as Scolari is, he has not had that experience. Zico has not had that experience and [former Chelsea manager] Avram Grant inherited a great team. I thought Hughes was the obvious choice.

“He is a great young manager with a good track record – at Blackburn he took them to Europe and to two FA Cup semi-finals. If he is willing to come and manage us, having played at United, then we have no problem with that. In fact I think Manchester United fans will be thoroughly disappointed that Hughes has chosen City. And if they are not happy, then that makes me even happier. We should take it as a positive and I don’t think we can lose.

Parker backs Hughes to get the best out of the team, and bring stability to the club. He also believes that the Welshman will see if captain Richard Dunne has the desire to remain at Eastlands, and not break the bank to sign Brazilian Ronaldinho from Barcelona – a player Thaksin reportedly wants. Further, if Hughes manages to tempt Blackburn’s David Bentley and – in particular – Roque Santa Cruz, City fans would have more reason to rejoice.

Parker continued: “Hughes will have a better understanding of, and find it better to relate to, the players. Hopefully those players who weren’t so sure about whether they would want to stay after the departure of Sven will think again now.

“He has to look Dunne in the eye and see if he wants to stay. We would like him to stay, but if he hasn’t got the fight then let’s get the money for him and bring in a replacement. It’s the same with all the squad – Hughes has to look them in the eye to see if they are up for it next season.

“He will also get the young kids – the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Vladimír Weiss – signed on the right contracts. But it would be great if he could bring in Bentley or Santa Cruz – an outstanding striker who has proved he can do it in the Premier League in only one season.

“We are not sure about Ronaldinho. Of the rumours that he is going to sign for us, or that he will be given £200,000 per week, I’m not sure which is the more unbelievable. I’m not sure he would fit in and I’m not sure he would be good for morale.

“If you look at the spine of the team you have youngsters in goalkeeper Joe Hart, Micah Richards, Michael Johnson – they should be with the club for the next decade. Hughes is more likely than a foreign manager to promote them and secure their services.

“We are all upbeat about this news. We thought that Chelsea might snatch him from under our noses, but after a miserable six weeks we are now all upbeat about this now. We are looking forward to Hughes coming in getting the players signed on and to our Uefa Cup campaign. We have a smile back on our face.”

Labels: Avram Grant, David Bentley, Kevin Parker, Manchester City, Mark Hughes, Premier League, Richard Dunne, Sir Alex Ferguson

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 3:10 pm | Permalink | Comments

HUNTER TARGETS ANOTHER TOUR DE FRANCE STAGE WIN FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Last summer Robert Hunter became the first African to win a stage of cycling's biggest race: the Tour de France. The 31-year-old South African describes his stage 11 victory - from Marseille to Montpellier - as the greatest achievement of his career. And he will be back in France trying to reproduce his success when this year's Tour begins on July 5 in Brest.

Johannesburg-born Hunter, who specialises in sprinting and rides for Italian team Barloworld, is pleased with how preparations are going this season, and has set his sights on another stage win. His biggest target is to earn the coveted maillot vert (or green jersey), handed to the rider who has gained the most sprinting points over the 21 stages.

As well as that fantastic victory in south France last year, in his decade of being a professional Hunter's highlights include winning stages at the 1999 and 2001 Vuelta a España, the overall title at the 2004 Tour of Qatar, and the sprint classification at the 2004 Tour de Suisse.

This season Hunter has shown he is in good touch having already won a handful of races. Those victories include two stages of Intaka Tech World's View Challenge and the overall title in the Cape Argus Pick'n Pay, both in his homeland.

"Everything is going well this season," Hunter smiles. "I have won a few races and I feel I am coming into good form in time for the Tour.

"One of my biggest goals was to win a stage on the Tour and last year I realised that the possibilities of winning stages were still very much attainable.

"It felt really good to win the stage. In cycling terms to win a stage at the Tour de France is the top thing you can do - everyone really wants to win one. It was the biggest achievement of my career so far. When I did it last year, having been a professional for a decade, I was ecstatic about it.

"My plan is to win another stage and my condition is coming good. I am likely to me in my top condition at the right time - like I was last year. It's never that easy to win though - there are another 40 sprinters hoping to do the same thing and there are only six or seven sprinting occasions."

When the European season is in full swing - "from about February to September" - Hunter finds it almost impossible to return to South Africa, though in the close-season he spends most of the time at his home in Johannesburg.

He will relish his next long visit home when the season concludes, as his wife of three years, Claudia, is expected their first child. Despite impending fatherhood, Hunter - named South African cyclist of the year five times from 2001-2007 - plans to continue riding professionally for another few years yet.

He continues: "It's very exciting that Claudia is pregnant. She's not at all into cycling at all! And I love going back to my home when I can.

"I am happy that I can look back on my career and I have achieved most of the goals I set out to achieve. There are some things left but hopefully I can achieve those before I retire. I want to win more stages of the Tour and win the green jersey.

"I would also like to win a stage in the Giro d'Italia - that is the one big tour that I have not won a stage in. Whatever happens I have had a decent career and I am happy with it.

"This year I feel strong enough and I will keep going for as long as it feels good. For the next three or four years I am sure I will still be mentally up for it.

"Cycling is a growing sport in Africa, and in South Africa in particular. The awards are great to receive and make me very proud. There are not many African riders racing in Europe yet, but it won't be long before they are."

Labels: cycling, Robert Hunter, Tour de France

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 4:48 pm | Permalink | Comments

SACKEY AND HIPKISS MISS PLANE TO NEW ZEALAND

England tour squad flew out to New Zealand on Monday without London Wasps’ flying winger Paul Sackey and Leicester Tigers’ centre Dan Hipkiss.

The pair sustained injuries in Saturday’s bruising Guinness Premiership final, which Sackey’s team, led by the now-retired Lawrence Dallaglio, won 26-16.

England’s first choice winger Sackey, 28, impressed in last year’s World Cup. And he played the full 80 minutes at Twickenham, but picked up a knee injury which needs attention.

Six-cap Hipkiss, who turns 26 on Wednesday, had to be led off in the first half after fracturing his right cheek and will also miss the two Tests against the All Blacks.

Hipkiss’s opposite man at the weekend, Dominic Waldouck, has replaced him on tour, while the Guinness Premiership’s leading scorer, Tom Varndell, has taken Sackey’s place.

Uncapped 20-year-old Waldouck said: “Being asked to tour New Zealand is fantastic, and I'm very excited and honoured to have been selected.

“It will be my first senior tour, and to go to New Zealand will be a massive challenge, but it's a great opportunity to gather experience and learn from other players on the tour.”

Varndell, 22, has been in the international wilderness for two years. "It's a great honour to be called up with so many quality English wingers around,” he said.

"My last senior tour was to Australia in 2006, so I'm looking forward to having the opportunity of being part of the England squad again."

Tour manager Rob Andrew, whose team first play the All Blacks next Saturday, added: "Both Dominic and Tom are excellent players, and I look forward to working with them over the next three weeks."

Labels: Dan Hipkiss, England, New Zealand, Paul Sackey, Rob Andrew, Tom Varndell

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 4:46 pm | Permalink | Comments