Jon Pullin, the acting clerk of the course at Aintree, said on Wednesday that he will do whatever it takes to ensure the Grand National meeting opens ton Thursday on good-to-soft groundThis will be despite unusually low levels of rainfall in the weeks running up to one of jump racing’s showpiece events. March was one … Read more
Enzo Maresca could see why it happened. It was last Wednesday, most of his Chelsea players were away with their national teams and the manager had only seven or eight to work with in Cobham. There was no club game on the immediate horizon. And so the level of the training was poor. It was … Read more
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is still just 31 years old, which feels very young for a man who made his first-team debut for Southampton when Gordon Brown was UK prime minister. It is just over 15 years since Oxlade-Chamberlain broke into Alan Pardew’s Saints squad, aged 16, and after successful and high-profile moves to both Arsenal and … Read more
Born in Georgetown, Guyana, Carl Hooper, 58, played 102 Test matches for the West Indies between 1987 and 2003, scoring nearly 6,000 runs, taking 114 wickets with his wily off-spin and captaining the side in 22 of those appearances. Known as one of the most stylish, if not necessarily most consistent, batters of the era, … Read more
His passport still bears the name “Angelos Postekos”. It was the name legally given to him by his parents, eager for their children to fit into their adopted home, aware that they would face enough obstacles – a different language, a different culture, a different skin tone – without throwing a long name into the … Read more
There was an extraordinary moment in the seconds after Diogo Jota had scored the only goal of this Merseyside derby, as the home supporters seethed and writhed, bodies tumbling, a wave of noise barrelling around the Anfield stands. At which point a lone middle-aged man could be seen emerging from the seats, waving his fists … Read more
Former rugby union international Jordan Petaia is a step closer to realising a long-held dream of playing in the NFL after signing with the Los Angeles Chargers as a tight end. Petaia, who earned 31 caps for the Wallabies, turned his back on union late last year after being handed a prized spot on the … Read more
The former Red Bull driver Sergio Pérez says he is in talks with Formula One teams about a return to the grid after having his contract ended two years early. The 35-year-old Mexican, who won six races during his 14 years in F1, was replaced at Red Bull this season by Liam Lawson, who also … Read more
“And please welcome from Australia, Daria Kasatkina!” With those words from the MC introducing her on court at the Charleston Open on Wednesday, Australia’s latest tennis import admitted she was left feeling a bag of nerves about the advent of her new adventure. She need not have worried. For just over an hour later, following … Read more
José Mourinho appeared to grab rival manager Okan Buruk’s face amid wild scenes at the end of Fenerbahce’s 2-1 Turkish Cup defeat to bitter rivals Galatasaray. Video footage showed Mourinho appearing to pinch Buruk’s nose following the final whistle, with the Galatasaray head coach falling to the pitch and holding his face in his hands. … Read more