Mark Selby had waited seven long years to get the monkey off his back. Ever since reaching the World Snooker Championship final in 2007, where he ultimately lost to John Higgins, the man nicknamed 'The Jester from Leicester' had been tipped for world glory.
As the years rolled by it looked as though Selby wasn't going to achieve his dream of becoming a world champion, but that all changed on bank holiday Monday at just after quarter past ten when he sealed a fantastic 18-14 win over the five time world champion Ronnie O'Sullivan.
World titles don't come easy and boy did Selby have to fight tooth and nail to collect the trophy and the winner's cheque for £300,000. O'Sullivan who was looking for a third consecutive title at the crucible came out like a train during Sunday afternoon's first session and raced into a three nil lead which included breaks of 102 and 69.
Selby on the other hand wasn't at the races and looked tired from his efforts in getting through 17-15 against Neil Robertson in the semi-final the previous night. However, Selby hadn't won three Masters titles and a UK Championship since that final appearance in 2007 without showing some true grit.
Slowly but surely he got to grips with the occasion and the match but was still playing nowhere near his best. All credit then that thanks to some grinding safety play and taking some half chances, that he got out of the first session only 5-3 down, and indeed he missed a glorious opportunity to make it 4-4.
However, O'Sullivan still looked very focused in the evening session as two half century breaks in three frames allowed him to build a commanding 8-3 lead before Selby won the next two.
The killer moment seemed to have come when O'Sullivan at his ruthless best rattled off two frames in no time to move into double figures with a 10-5 lead and as six time champion Steve Davis said in the BBC studio, O'Sullivan was winning two frames to Selby's one at that point. There looked no way back for him against a man looking to match Davis's six titles.
It turns out Mark Selby hadn't read the script for the World Snooker final of 2014. Playing what some shamefully described as "anti-snooker"- I thought of it as extremely clever- Selby kept himself in the hunt by winning the last two frames of the evening session to close the gap to 10-7 overnight.
And whilst most people were off work on Monday, Selby was like a man possessed at the crucible table doing his job. O'Sullivan was clearly rattled when Selby went ahead for the first time at 11-10. This was a situation O'Sullivan had never faced before; being behind in a world final. Would Selby be ruthless or would O'Sullivan fight back?
It looked odds on as though O'Sullivan would go 12-11 up heading into the final session but he inexplicably missed a pink in the final frame of the afternoon that frankly some pub players would have made.
And from then on, it didn't look as though the man from Leicester was going to let go of his best chance yet to win a World Championship despite O'Sullivan winning the first frame of the evening. His clearance of 25 to seal the trophy once and for all might not sound much but under massive pressure, it was one of the best clearances I've ever seen at the Crucible. And that was that, 18-14 and Selby had beaten one of the greatest snooker players of all time, despite being five frames behind on two occasions.
And let's not forget who else Mark Selby had to beat to win his first world title. His 17-15 semi final win over Neil Robertson was full of high quality snooker and will live long in the memory. In a classic nip and tuck match, both players had nerves of steel throughout with some magnificent long potting and it was Selby who happened to have the edge on the night.
Before that, he dispatched experienced Scotsman Alan McManus 13-5 in the quarter finals- no mean feat considering McManus's safety play and in round two he had to get past two time world finalist Ali Carter. In Round One, he was in serious danger of going out to Michael White after almost blowing 5-1 and 8-4 leads to eventually win 10-9. Perhaps then more of us should have known Selby's name was written on the trophy for 2014.
Still only 30, Selby has all the attributes to become a true legend in the game. Indeed, he already is only one of nine players to win the World Championship, Masters and UK Championship. If he can defend his World Title next year or indeed become a two time champion at any time in the future, he can be considered a legend of the game.
Then the jester really would have the last laugh.
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
Tuesday, 8 April 2014
The Masters 2014: Who Will be Wearing that Green Jacket?
The Masters is a truly special tournament. It is the only one of the golf majors to be played at the same venue each year- Augusta National- and has some of the most wonderful golfing holes in history.
The 2014 edition promises to be to one of the most open in recent years. With Tiger Woods out injured and Phil Mickelson struggling with injury too, then it is an extremely tough one to call. Rory McIlroy has been installed as favourite, though last years winner Adam Scott is also the man backed to win by some bookmakers.
Here are four men who I think could win you some money this week.
Main Bet: Matt Kuchar (Best Odds 25/1)
I tipped the American last year as one of my bets and he looked good for a while before never getting going on the final day to slip down to a tie for eighth.
However, I believe Kuchar is now primed to win a long overdue first major championship. Tied for eighth is not to be sniffed at and in 2012 at the Masters, he enjoyed a tremendous result in tied third.
He should have won the Shell Houston Open on Sunday to collect his seventh PGA Tour victory, but he was edged out by Matt Jones in a play-off. Kuchar would have obviously been disappointed, but I breathed a sigh of relief. Players who win the week before Augusta notoriously struggle to continue that form (Mickelson was a rare exception in 2006) so now I'm tipping Kuchar to slip into the green jacket this week.
He's a man in form with five top 10's in his last nine starts including consecutive top five's in the last two weeks in Texas. Blessed with great iron play, he's now got the mental toughness to get over the line.
Worth Some of Your Hard Earned Cash
Dustin Johnson (Best Odds 28/1)
The big hitting American might have pulled out of the Shell Houston Open last week after shooting a first round 80 citing back pain, but he should have had enough time to prepare for the Masters and there is an old cliche in golf- beware the injured golfer.
Like Kuchar, Johnson is long overdue a first Major win. He led the US Open in 2010 by three shots going into the final round at Pebble Beach before blowing up with an 82 to finish tied 8th. He was then desperately unlucky not to make it into the play-off at the PGA Championship that same year when he was given a two shot penalty for appearing to ground his club in a bunker.
And he remained in contention at the 2011 Open Championship until a drive went out of bounds at the 14th but he clung on to finish in a tie for second. His record at Augusta doesn't exactly jump out (his 13th placed finish last year is his best to date) but there are a lot of things in Johnson's favour.
He is currently 2nd in the driving distance stats on the PGA Tour for 2014 averaging 310 yards, is 3rd in greens in regulation stats hitting 72% of them and is first in scoring averages at par fives. Hitting it long round Augusta is a huge advantage and when Johnson goes on a hot streak with the putter, he can be very difficult to stop.
Zach Johnson (Best Odds: 35/1)
The 2007 champion is well worth an each way bet at this years edition. He had a superb start to the season winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January and he has enjoyed three top ten finishes since, including at last weeks Texas Open.
Since winning seven years ago, he has only finished in the top twenty once but with a good amount of rainfall having landed on the fairways of Augusta, he should fancy his chances this week.
He is in the top dozen of the PGA Tour stats when it comes to driving accuracy, greens in regulation and scrambling and is also averaging 69 this season every time he tees it up.
If he can summon the spirit of 2007, he will contend come Sunday.
Outside Bet
Angel Cabrera (Best Odds 66/1)
Forget the fact that the Argentinian is missing cut after cut this season. This is Cabrera and Augusta. There's something about the course in Georgia that the 44 year old just loves.
He won it in 2009 and was only denied last year in a play-off by Adam Scott. Add in a seventh place in 2011 and further top tens in 2001, 2002 and 2006 then he represents incredible value this week.
Experience is also vital round Augusta and Cabrera first played in the tournament way back in 2000. Add in his 2007 US Open win and you begin to realise that he has what it takes to get over the line in a Major.
And whilst he might be completely out of form, he's still averaging a whopping 305 yards off the tee.
As always, I'll be glued to the television from Thursday onwards as the world's best golfers battle it out for the first Major of the year. I hope my luck is in!
*All odds supplied at Oddschecker.com and are correct at the time of writing*
The 2014 edition promises to be to one of the most open in recent years. With Tiger Woods out injured and Phil Mickelson struggling with injury too, then it is an extremely tough one to call. Rory McIlroy has been installed as favourite, though last years winner Adam Scott is also the man backed to win by some bookmakers.
Here are four men who I think could win you some money this week.
Main Bet: Matt Kuchar (Best Odds 25/1)
I tipped the American last year as one of my bets and he looked good for a while before never getting going on the final day to slip down to a tie for eighth.
However, I believe Kuchar is now primed to win a long overdue first major championship. Tied for eighth is not to be sniffed at and in 2012 at the Masters, he enjoyed a tremendous result in tied third.
He should have won the Shell Houston Open on Sunday to collect his seventh PGA Tour victory, but he was edged out by Matt Jones in a play-off. Kuchar would have obviously been disappointed, but I breathed a sigh of relief. Players who win the week before Augusta notoriously struggle to continue that form (Mickelson was a rare exception in 2006) so now I'm tipping Kuchar to slip into the green jacket this week.
He's a man in form with five top 10's in his last nine starts including consecutive top five's in the last two weeks in Texas. Blessed with great iron play, he's now got the mental toughness to get over the line.
Worth Some of Your Hard Earned Cash
Dustin Johnson (Best Odds 28/1)
The big hitting American might have pulled out of the Shell Houston Open last week after shooting a first round 80 citing back pain, but he should have had enough time to prepare for the Masters and there is an old cliche in golf- beware the injured golfer.
Like Kuchar, Johnson is long overdue a first Major win. He led the US Open in 2010 by three shots going into the final round at Pebble Beach before blowing up with an 82 to finish tied 8th. He was then desperately unlucky not to make it into the play-off at the PGA Championship that same year when he was given a two shot penalty for appearing to ground his club in a bunker.
And he remained in contention at the 2011 Open Championship until a drive went out of bounds at the 14th but he clung on to finish in a tie for second. His record at Augusta doesn't exactly jump out (his 13th placed finish last year is his best to date) but there are a lot of things in Johnson's favour.
He is currently 2nd in the driving distance stats on the PGA Tour for 2014 averaging 310 yards, is 3rd in greens in regulation stats hitting 72% of them and is first in scoring averages at par fives. Hitting it long round Augusta is a huge advantage and when Johnson goes on a hot streak with the putter, he can be very difficult to stop.
Zach Johnson (Best Odds: 35/1)
The 2007 champion is well worth an each way bet at this years edition. He had a superb start to the season winning the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in January and he has enjoyed three top ten finishes since, including at last weeks Texas Open.
Since winning seven years ago, he has only finished in the top twenty once but with a good amount of rainfall having landed on the fairways of Augusta, he should fancy his chances this week.
He is in the top dozen of the PGA Tour stats when it comes to driving accuracy, greens in regulation and scrambling and is also averaging 69 this season every time he tees it up.
If he can summon the spirit of 2007, he will contend come Sunday.
Outside Bet
Angel Cabrera (Best Odds 66/1)
Forget the fact that the Argentinian is missing cut after cut this season. This is Cabrera and Augusta. There's something about the course in Georgia that the 44 year old just loves.
He won it in 2009 and was only denied last year in a play-off by Adam Scott. Add in a seventh place in 2011 and further top tens in 2001, 2002 and 2006 then he represents incredible value this week.
Experience is also vital round Augusta and Cabrera first played in the tournament way back in 2000. Add in his 2007 US Open win and you begin to realise that he has what it takes to get over the line in a Major.
And whilst he might be completely out of form, he's still averaging a whopping 305 yards off the tee.
As always, I'll be glued to the television from Thursday onwards as the world's best golfers battle it out for the first Major of the year. I hope my luck is in!
*All odds supplied at Oddschecker.com and are correct at the time of writing*
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
A small step forward for the R+A
Today's announcement by the Royal and Ancient that they are going to have a vote in September to admit women members or not, is a step in the right direction for the game of golf's governing body.
It's only a small step mind you and the fact that we are still discussing whether or not women should be admitted to one of the world's oldest golf clubs in 2014 is quite frankly not only embarrassing but disgusting.
A mere 260 years after the R+A were founded only now are they even considering to allow women into their club. Over the last few years, the R+A's stance has become more and more of a PR disaster for them and indeed the clubs on the rota for The Open Championship that operate a single sex membership policy.
Golf is often tarnished with the brush that it is a sport for the rich and elitist. The last thing it needed is to be continually tarred with the sexist brush too but for a while it seemed that R+A members and it's Chief Executive Peter Dawson seemed happy to accept this.
It's only a small step mind you and the fact that we are still discussing whether or not women should be admitted to one of the world's oldest golf clubs in 2014 is quite frankly not only embarrassing but disgusting.
A mere 260 years after the R+A were founded only now are they even considering to allow women into their club. Over the last few years, the R+A's stance has become more and more of a PR disaster for them and indeed the clubs on the rota for The Open Championship that operate a single sex membership policy.
Golf is often tarnished with the brush that it is a sport for the rich and elitist. The last thing it needed is to be continually tarred with the sexist brush too but for a while it seemed that R+A members and it's Chief Executive Peter Dawson seemed happy to accept this.
I wrote about this issue here in November 2012 (http://www.ewansworldofsport.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/why-royal-and-ancient-must-change-its.html). I reckon I was being kind back then when I said their watches were stuck in the 1950's.
Make no bones about it. I have always seen this as a ludicrous sexist policy for this modern age, or indeed any age. I'm a keen golfer and I have a few female friends who enjoy the sport also. Nobody can tell me it would be right for me to enjoy the privileges of being an R+A member or indeed a member of Royal Troon where I lived near to until last year and for a female companion to be unable to enjoy these benefits.
I've always been at a loss to fathom what some members of the R+A and single sex clubs think will happen by admitting women members. It's hardly going to create nuclear war or see the clubs burn down in flames.
For me, the writing has been on the wall for the R+A ever since Augusta National, home to the Masters each year admitted their first female members two years ago. Let's not forget that Augusta was a club that didn't admit their first black member until 1990, but they looked positively modern when compared to the R+A.
And politicians were hugely criticial as well with Alex Salmond refusing to attend The Open Championship last year at Muirfield, a male only club whilst Gordon Brown described the R+A's stance as an unacceptable blot on the landscape. You can disagree with Salmond and Brown's political views until the cows come home but both these men were bang on in their stance against the R+A's Victorian practices.
Some will say that men have every right to have their single sex clubs and it is right to say that they aren't breaking any laws in doing so. But this is 2014, not 1814 or 1754 when the R+A were founded. Women aren't second class citizens anymore. Heck, in two years time a woman might be the most powerful person in the world.
So on September 18 (yes the vote is incredibly being held on the day as the Scottish Independence referendum), let's hope the R+A members use some common sense and take a giant leap forward by letting women in as members.
To vote against it would stall progress for another generation no doubt.
Sunday, 26 January 2014
Stan Wawrinka is the real deal
If you are a casual tennis fan, you can be forgiven for looking in amazement at the new men's tennis rankings which see one man from Switzerland, Stanislas Wawrinka at World Number Three and his countryman Roger Federer languishing five places below at number eight.
Indeed, you might be such a casual follower of the sport, that today following his Australian Open victory over Rafael Nadal, might have been the first time you've 'properly' heard of Wawrinka.
However for us dedicated lovers of tennis, Wawrinka is somebody that has been threatening to reach the top for a significant period now and whilst today's victory was slightly over shadowed by the injuries suffered to Nadal in the match, it was no more than the 28 year old deserved for the improvements he has brought to his game.
Wawrinka has always been a supremely talented tennis player. In 2009, as he pushed Andy Murray all the way in a five set thriller at Wimbledon, John McEnroe commented that his backhand is one of the most powerful he has ever seen and the best in the game today.
However, for years Wawrinka seemed unable to push the large shadow of Roger Federer out of his way as his countryman collected Grand Slam after Grand Slam on his way to being arguably the greatest man to ever pick up a tennis racket. Wawrinka on the other hand was only producing the odd occasional result that made tennis followers take notice, such as beating Federer in Monte Carlo in 2009 or indeed gaining revenge over Murray by beating him in the third round of the 2010 US Open.
He seemed destined for a career on the fringes of tennis. Between July 2007 and January 2010 he lost in five consecutive finals as he failed to add to his one career tournament victory (which was only achieved in 2006 due to a retirement by Novak Djokovic). His single tournament victories in 2010 and 2011 came over journeymen Victor Hanescu and Xavier Mallise respectively and apart from runs to the quarter finals of the 2010 US Open and 2011 Australian Open, he never contended at the latter stages of the grand slams.
2013 though was when things started to click for Wawrinka. Sportsmen in all disciplines have had breakthrough years and this proved to be Wawrinka's. The signs emerged during an unbelievable fourth round clash with Djokovic at the Australian Open, where after over five hours of absorbing tennis, Wawrinka only just lost 12-10 to one of the finest hard court players ever.
Despite losing, that seemed to give him the confidence to truly believe that he could reach the top of the sport. He subsequently reached a final in Argentina, losing to David Ferrer before gaining revenge for that defeat by winning the Portugal Open in May, his first title since January 2011 before going on to reach the Madrid Masters Final having beaten Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych, fellow top ten players along the way.
He enjoyed his best performance at the French Open, reaching the quarter finals having come from two sets down to beat Richard Gasquet in a one-handed backhand classic before losing to clay court king Nadal.
A true sign of Wawrinka's growing mental strength was that despite a bad loss to Lleyton Hewitt in the first round of Wimbledon, he produced his best run at a Grand Slam by reaching the semi-finals of the US Open. He knocked out the more fancied Berdych in the fourth round before truly announcing himself on the world stage by beating defending champion and Wimbledon winner Andy Murray in straight sets in the quarter finals.
Once again, Djokovic was his nemesis as he won another five set thriller despite Wawrinka being two sets to one up on him in the semi-finals. But the 2014 Australian Open was to finally give Wawrinka the biggest title of his career.
And boy did he have to do it the hard way. Still seeded only eighth for the tournament despite a superb 2013 when he enjoyed nine victories over top ten players, he finally got the better of Djokovic in a Grand Slam at the quarter final stage, showing incredible resilience to win 9-7 in the fifth set.
Tomas Berdych, the number seven seed was next up in the semi-finals and although this time it was done in four sets, three of those were tie-breaks. Unlike Berdych, Wawrinka had never reached a slam final so his mental strength in winning two of those three tie-breaks has to be greatly applauded.
The sternest test awaited Wawrinka in today's final. That of World Number One Rafael Nadal who had bounced back from a lengthy injury quite superbly in 2013. Few commentators gave Wawrinka much hope. However, he came out of the blocks firing which took Rafa by surprise and he was able to take the first set 6-3.
The second set will forever be remembered as the moment when Nadal broke down on court clearly suffering a back injury and had to take a medical time-out. Now some harsh people might say that because of this Wawrinka's win deserves a star next to it or it was a win by default because for a significant amount of time Nadal couldn't even serve properly.
The newly crowned Australian Open champion shouldn't listen to anyone who says that. In his first slam final, he had to work out how to deal with the injured Nadal, who wanted to carry on out of respect for himself and the crowd. That's hardly a situation himself and coach Magnus Norman could have prepared for over the last few days.
Wawrinka showed superb mental strength to carry on playing his natural game, especially after losing the third set (if anyone could have come back, it would have been Nadal) to hold on in the heat of battle and secure a memorable first Grand Slam title.
Make no doubt about it, over the next few years Stanislas Wawrinka is going to become a much more widely known name in households across the world. With an incredible one handed backhand, a solid serve and a sheer determined will to win, the man they describe as "Stanimal" is the real deal.
Sunday, 12 January 2014
Can Andy Murray win the Australian Open?
As Andy Murray prepares for the first grand slam of the season, the 2014 Australian Open which begins at midnight tonight, the man from Dunblane stands at a crossroads.
That may sound like a peculiar thing to say considering Murray became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years last July and he still sits at number four in the world rankings. However, Murray has only just come back after an operation which he hopes will finally cure his pains in his lower back which caused him to miss the rest of last season after helping Britain beat Croatia in the Davis Cup in September.
Due to that lengthy lay off Murray goes into Melbourne horribly short of match fitness and practice. He has only played in three exhibition matches since Boxing Day and only two competitive singles matches proper. In facing 40 degree Australian heat and the potential of five set matches against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in succession if he is to win the Australian Open for the first time, the odds look stacked against Murray.
The short answer would be to say Murray can't win the Australian Open and should just write it off. He could perhaps get through a few rounds and then lose to perhaps John Isner, the giant American in Round 4. I don't buy this. Murray won't be going into this tournament aiming to lose. He is simply too good mentally nowadays to think like that.
He's hardly favourite considering his lack of matches since the US Open in September, but you cannot rule him out. He is well and truly one of the players in the draw that most other players fear after his exploits of two Grand Slams and Olympic Gold over the last 18 months.
And although the latter stages might be filling Murray with dread, the early rounds on paper do seem to be relatively kind to him. He won't be taking anything for granted considering his lack of match sharpness, but he cannot complain at drawing Go Soeda in round one, who is ranked 112 in the world and has never been beyond the second round of a grand slam. Then comes a qualifier in round two and Feliciano Lopez in theory awaits in round three.
Lopez can be a tricky customer but Murray has won all seven meetings with him and assuming he gets through to meet him, he would be starting to get more confident in his game.
It's then really a case of how Murray's body and back in particular can cope with the heat. But this is a tournament he loves. He's reached the final three times in the last four years as well as narrowly losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi finals in 2012. He's determined to add this to his Grand Slam collection and despite winning Wimbledon last summer knows all too well that the British public still expect him to deliver down under.
The other big bonus for Murray is that he will have coach Ivan Lendl in his corner for the tournament. Murray isn't suddenly a bad player when Lendl isn't there, but there is no doubting that he is a far better player when Lendl is looking on pensively in the Wimbledon's champions box. Ever since Murray hired him just before the Australian Open of 2012, his career has went on an upward trajectory thanks to Lendl's superb tactics and his ability to make Murray believe.
There is an intriguing sub-plot to Lendl's coaching relationship with Murray as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have hired fellow 1980s legends to coach them in terms of Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker respectively. If Murray was to meet one of them or indeed both, Lendl would be very keen to show them who's boss in terms of coaching the best players of this era.
Push come to shove, I'd be very surprised if Andy Murray goes onto win the Australian Open this year. Stranger things have happened though. Like a British man winning Wimbledon after a 77 year absence.
That may sound like a peculiar thing to say considering Murray became the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years last July and he still sits at number four in the world rankings. However, Murray has only just come back after an operation which he hopes will finally cure his pains in his lower back which caused him to miss the rest of last season after helping Britain beat Croatia in the Davis Cup in September.
Due to that lengthy lay off Murray goes into Melbourne horribly short of match fitness and practice. He has only played in three exhibition matches since Boxing Day and only two competitive singles matches proper. In facing 40 degree Australian heat and the potential of five set matches against Federer, Nadal and Djokovic in succession if he is to win the Australian Open for the first time, the odds look stacked against Murray.
The short answer would be to say Murray can't win the Australian Open and should just write it off. He could perhaps get through a few rounds and then lose to perhaps John Isner, the giant American in Round 4. I don't buy this. Murray won't be going into this tournament aiming to lose. He is simply too good mentally nowadays to think like that.
He's hardly favourite considering his lack of matches since the US Open in September, but you cannot rule him out. He is well and truly one of the players in the draw that most other players fear after his exploits of two Grand Slams and Olympic Gold over the last 18 months.
And although the latter stages might be filling Murray with dread, the early rounds on paper do seem to be relatively kind to him. He won't be taking anything for granted considering his lack of match sharpness, but he cannot complain at drawing Go Soeda in round one, who is ranked 112 in the world and has never been beyond the second round of a grand slam. Then comes a qualifier in round two and Feliciano Lopez in theory awaits in round three.
Lopez can be a tricky customer but Murray has won all seven meetings with him and assuming he gets through to meet him, he would be starting to get more confident in his game.
It's then really a case of how Murray's body and back in particular can cope with the heat. But this is a tournament he loves. He's reached the final three times in the last four years as well as narrowly losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi finals in 2012. He's determined to add this to his Grand Slam collection and despite winning Wimbledon last summer knows all too well that the British public still expect him to deliver down under.
The other big bonus for Murray is that he will have coach Ivan Lendl in his corner for the tournament. Murray isn't suddenly a bad player when Lendl isn't there, but there is no doubting that he is a far better player when Lendl is looking on pensively in the Wimbledon's champions box. Ever since Murray hired him just before the Australian Open of 2012, his career has went on an upward trajectory thanks to Lendl's superb tactics and his ability to make Murray believe.
There is an intriguing sub-plot to Lendl's coaching relationship with Murray as Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic have hired fellow 1980s legends to coach them in terms of Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker respectively. If Murray was to meet one of them or indeed both, Lendl would be very keen to show them who's boss in terms of coaching the best players of this era.
Push come to shove, I'd be very surprised if Andy Murray goes onto win the Australian Open this year. Stranger things have happened though. Like a British man winning Wimbledon after a 77 year absence.
Sunday, 5 January 2014
Why the England Cricket team don't need to panic
No sports fan likes to see their team get humiliated. I never found it easy to go into school, work or university on a Monday morning if Rangers had suffered a bad defeat at the weekend.
And I suspect that a few English cricket fans will be feeling that way tomorrow as they head out the door in the morning after Australia completed a 5-0 Ashes whitewash earlier today. However, the obituaries on English cricket shouldn't be written quite yet.
Let's not beat around the bush though. England were absolutely destroyed by the Australians in every department as they struggled to deal with Mitchell Johnson's ferocious bowling and Brad Haddin's counter-hitting in particular. Factor in some dire performances by senior players, Jonathan Trott returning home and Graeme Swann's retirement, then this was an utterly shambolic series from England.
People have been calling for captain Alastair Cook, coach Andy Flower and batting coach Graham Gooch's heads throughout the series but this isn't a time for England to panic. They haven't suddenly become a bad side overnight. It is true that this isn't a great Australian side. Infact, the teams are evenly matched and England had beaten them 3-0 only a few months previously.
From day one Australia looked fitter, hungrier and sharper in every way and Cook was simply out-thought by his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke. However, this England team are now in transition just like they were after a 5-0 humiliation in 2006/2007 down under.
England have lost some massive influences in the dressing room over the last couple of years. Captain Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and now Graeme Swann have departed. Matt Prior looks to be on his way out whilst Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson aren't getting any younger. But England rose from the Ashes in 2006/07 and can do so again. These senior players will know they have let the team down but they haven't become bad players in this series.
A top order featuring Cook, Pietersen, Bell and hopefully a refreshed Trott is a match for any in world cricket. And with Broad and Anderson leading the attack, England still have a top class line and length bowling double act. And there are a lot of promising youngsters coming through right now.
Andy Flower has already described the 5-0 loss as the "end of an era" and I have to agree with the England head coach, but it shouldn't mean the start of a spell in the doldrums for England. Look at the emergence of Ben Stokes with the bat and ball over the last couple of tests. It's too early to start labelling him the next Flintoff, but he looks a confident player.
Joe Root is still only 23 and has proven he can handle big games in test series against Australia this summer and against India in 2012 on his debut. Gary Ballance replaced him in the last test and whilst hardly setting the world alight, he has averaged over 50 in first class cricket and that isn't to be sniffed at.
Factor in wicket keeper Jos Buttler who will be playing in the One Day internationals and players such as opening batsman Nick Compton and fast bowlers Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin who will be going away to improve on their games, then England can still have a bright future.
Andy Flower has had a shocking Ashes but this is a man who led them to three Ashes victories in a row and to number one in the world. He deserves a chance to reinvent this England team again.
However, I do agree with former England captain Michael Vaughan who says that Kevin Pietersen should be appointed as vice-captain. Flower and Cook are very much "Yes" men. Pietersen is disliked for obvious reasons (he can be arrogant, he throws his wicket away too much and has fallen out with players in the past) but KP is creative and still the wicket opposition teams prize the most. He should be at the forefront on the field, helping Cook plot and plan. He currently stands out like a spare part.
England didn't panic after losing 5-0 in 2006/07 and went onto become the best test side in the world. With a mixture of experience and exciting young players, they can reach the top again. Call off the hounds.
And I suspect that a few English cricket fans will be feeling that way tomorrow as they head out the door in the morning after Australia completed a 5-0 Ashes whitewash earlier today. However, the obituaries on English cricket shouldn't be written quite yet.
Let's not beat around the bush though. England were absolutely destroyed by the Australians in every department as they struggled to deal with Mitchell Johnson's ferocious bowling and Brad Haddin's counter-hitting in particular. Factor in some dire performances by senior players, Jonathan Trott returning home and Graeme Swann's retirement, then this was an utterly shambolic series from England.
People have been calling for captain Alastair Cook, coach Andy Flower and batting coach Graham Gooch's heads throughout the series but this isn't a time for England to panic. They haven't suddenly become a bad side overnight. It is true that this isn't a great Australian side. Infact, the teams are evenly matched and England had beaten them 3-0 only a few months previously.
From day one Australia looked fitter, hungrier and sharper in every way and Cook was simply out-thought by his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke. However, this England team are now in transition just like they were after a 5-0 humiliation in 2006/2007 down under.
England have lost some massive influences in the dressing room over the last couple of years. Captain Andrew Strauss, Paul Collingwood and now Graeme Swann have departed. Matt Prior looks to be on his way out whilst Kevin Pietersen and Jimmy Anderson aren't getting any younger. But England rose from the Ashes in 2006/07 and can do so again. These senior players will know they have let the team down but they haven't become bad players in this series.
A top order featuring Cook, Pietersen, Bell and hopefully a refreshed Trott is a match for any in world cricket. And with Broad and Anderson leading the attack, England still have a top class line and length bowling double act. And there are a lot of promising youngsters coming through right now.
Andy Flower has already described the 5-0 loss as the "end of an era" and I have to agree with the England head coach, but it shouldn't mean the start of a spell in the doldrums for England. Look at the emergence of Ben Stokes with the bat and ball over the last couple of tests. It's too early to start labelling him the next Flintoff, but he looks a confident player.
Joe Root is still only 23 and has proven he can handle big games in test series against Australia this summer and against India in 2012 on his debut. Gary Ballance replaced him in the last test and whilst hardly setting the world alight, he has averaged over 50 in first class cricket and that isn't to be sniffed at.
Factor in wicket keeper Jos Buttler who will be playing in the One Day internationals and players such as opening batsman Nick Compton and fast bowlers Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin who will be going away to improve on their games, then England can still have a bright future.
Andy Flower has had a shocking Ashes but this is a man who led them to three Ashes victories in a row and to number one in the world. He deserves a chance to reinvent this England team again.
However, I do agree with former England captain Michael Vaughan who says that Kevin Pietersen should be appointed as vice-captain. Flower and Cook are very much "Yes" men. Pietersen is disliked for obvious reasons (he can be arrogant, he throws his wicket away too much and has fallen out with players in the past) but KP is creative and still the wicket opposition teams prize the most. He should be at the forefront on the field, helping Cook plot and plan. He currently stands out like a spare part.
England didn't panic after losing 5-0 in 2006/07 and went onto become the best test side in the world. With a mixture of experience and exciting young players, they can reach the top again. Call off the hounds.
Monday, 18 November 2013
Why Phil Taylor deserves a Sports Personality of the Year nomination
As the late great Sid Waddell would have said in the commentary box- There's only one word for that- magic darts!.
The Geordie voice of darts would have been almost lost for words this year if he had still been around to commentate on the major PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) tournaments this year. That's because one man like so many other years, Phil Taylor, has simply been too good almost of all of the time for his darting rivals.
Whilst Andy Murray will surely walk away with the award for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013 after his memorable Wimbledon triumph, Phil Taylor is more than deserving of a nomination for a third time. He was nominated in 2006 and 2010 and in the latter year he secured a memorable and richly deserved second place.
However, the thing is that remarkably after over 20 years at the top, 'The Power' as he's affectionately known looks to be in the form of his life at 53 years old having won all but two of the Major titles in the darting circuit this year. Over the last few months in particular, nobody has been able to get near him even when they are playing their best.
Before anyone shudders at the thought of darts being recognised at the Sports personality of the year award, darts has been officially categorised as a sport since 2005 by all the Sporting Councils in the UK and as pointed out, Taylor has already been nominated twice before by the esteemed panel who decide the Sports Personality shortlist.
The criteria for this years BBC award sets out three clear categories to decide their 12 person shortlist. It will reflect UK Sporting achievements on the national/international stage, it will represent the breadth and depth of UK sports and it would take into account the impact over and beyond the sport/sporting achievement in question.
Now in my eyes, Taylor clearly ticks all the boxes for this year for the judges. He started off the year by winning the pinnacle title in his sport, the World Championships for a remarkable 16th time by beating young Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen in the final, 7-4. That comeback from 4-2 down in the final on New Years Day seemed to give 'The Power' the surge to go and dominate the 2013 world of darts.
Since then he has won the World Cup of Darts, with Adrian Lewis, the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the Sydney Masters, the World Grand Prix, the Championship League, The Masters and yesterday, the Grand Slam of Darts.
Only Michael Van Gerwen by beating him in the Premier League Final and Ronny Huybrechts by inflicting a shock 10-5 defeat on him in the second round of the European Championships in July (Taylor's last televised defeat) have stopped him claiming a clean sweep of the 2013 PDC titles.
It's not just his sheer desire to win or the sheer consistency, it is Taylor's utter domination of top, top quality darts players in all these tournaments. If this was Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Usain Bolt or Tiger Woods, Taylor would be the talk of offices, pubs and text messages across the land. But darts still struggles to transcend stereotypes unfortunately despite Taylor and others incredible efforts.
Just look at those final wins. He won the UK Open beating former World Finalist and world number five Andy Hamilton 11-4. He beat Adrian Lewis 18-13 in the Matchplay final averaging a record 111.23 for each three darts thrown. He thrashed Lewis, the two time world champion 10-1 in The Masters in Edinburgh. Van Gerwen was demolished 10-3 in the Sydney Masters and 10-3 in the Championship League Final.
Former World Finalist and a man who knocked him out of the world Championships in 2012, Dave Chisnall only managed to get one leg off him in a 6-0 sets thrashing at the World Grand Prix. And last night he thumped Scotland's Robert Thornton 16-6 at the Grand Slam, having managed to defeat Lewis in the semi-finals earlier in the day, despite Lewis averaging 111 and hitting 18 180's.
You have to wonder where this run will end. At 53 years old, Taylor is a multi-millionaire who has won over 200 tournaments, including 80 majors. Yet everytime he steps up to the oche he wants to win. Somewhat bizarrely names like Eric Bristow (perhaps helped by an appearance in the I'm a Celebrity jungle last year), Jocky Wilson and John Lowe are still more revered than Taylor, but they wouldn't have got near Taylor in this form.
Taylor is a true master of his sport. As soon as the latest young 'upstart' arrives on the scene whether it be Van Gerwen, Lewis or even more experienced rivals like Raymond Van Barneveld or John Part, the man from Stoke-on-Trent makes it his mission to take them down and he has being doing so for the best part of almost 25 years now.
For his longevity, dominance and putting darts on the map as a global game which is played to pack arenas, Phil Taylor is more than worthy of getting a nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013 when the shortlist is revealed next Tuesday night on The One Show.
The Geordie voice of darts would have been almost lost for words this year if he had still been around to commentate on the major PDC (Professional Darts Corporation) tournaments this year. That's because one man like so many other years, Phil Taylor, has simply been too good almost of all of the time for his darting rivals.
Whilst Andy Murray will surely walk away with the award for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013 after his memorable Wimbledon triumph, Phil Taylor is more than deserving of a nomination for a third time. He was nominated in 2006 and 2010 and in the latter year he secured a memorable and richly deserved second place.
However, the thing is that remarkably after over 20 years at the top, 'The Power' as he's affectionately known looks to be in the form of his life at 53 years old having won all but two of the Major titles in the darting circuit this year. Over the last few months in particular, nobody has been able to get near him even when they are playing their best.
Before anyone shudders at the thought of darts being recognised at the Sports personality of the year award, darts has been officially categorised as a sport since 2005 by all the Sporting Councils in the UK and as pointed out, Taylor has already been nominated twice before by the esteemed panel who decide the Sports Personality shortlist.
The criteria for this years BBC award sets out three clear categories to decide their 12 person shortlist. It will reflect UK Sporting achievements on the national/international stage, it will represent the breadth and depth of UK sports and it would take into account the impact over and beyond the sport/sporting achievement in question.
Now in my eyes, Taylor clearly ticks all the boxes for this year for the judges. He started off the year by winning the pinnacle title in his sport, the World Championships for a remarkable 16th time by beating young Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen in the final, 7-4. That comeback from 4-2 down in the final on New Years Day seemed to give 'The Power' the surge to go and dominate the 2013 world of darts.
Since then he has won the World Cup of Darts, with Adrian Lewis, the UK Open, the World Matchplay, the Sydney Masters, the World Grand Prix, the Championship League, The Masters and yesterday, the Grand Slam of Darts.
Only Michael Van Gerwen by beating him in the Premier League Final and Ronny Huybrechts by inflicting a shock 10-5 defeat on him in the second round of the European Championships in July (Taylor's last televised defeat) have stopped him claiming a clean sweep of the 2013 PDC titles.
It's not just his sheer desire to win or the sheer consistency, it is Taylor's utter domination of top, top quality darts players in all these tournaments. If this was Lionel Messi, Roger Federer, Usain Bolt or Tiger Woods, Taylor would be the talk of offices, pubs and text messages across the land. But darts still struggles to transcend stereotypes unfortunately despite Taylor and others incredible efforts.
Just look at those final wins. He won the UK Open beating former World Finalist and world number five Andy Hamilton 11-4. He beat Adrian Lewis 18-13 in the Matchplay final averaging a record 111.23 for each three darts thrown. He thrashed Lewis, the two time world champion 10-1 in The Masters in Edinburgh. Van Gerwen was demolished 10-3 in the Sydney Masters and 10-3 in the Championship League Final.
Former World Finalist and a man who knocked him out of the world Championships in 2012, Dave Chisnall only managed to get one leg off him in a 6-0 sets thrashing at the World Grand Prix. And last night he thumped Scotland's Robert Thornton 16-6 at the Grand Slam, having managed to defeat Lewis in the semi-finals earlier in the day, despite Lewis averaging 111 and hitting 18 180's.
You have to wonder where this run will end. At 53 years old, Taylor is a multi-millionaire who has won over 200 tournaments, including 80 majors. Yet everytime he steps up to the oche he wants to win. Somewhat bizarrely names like Eric Bristow (perhaps helped by an appearance in the I'm a Celebrity jungle last year), Jocky Wilson and John Lowe are still more revered than Taylor, but they wouldn't have got near Taylor in this form.
Taylor is a true master of his sport. As soon as the latest young 'upstart' arrives on the scene whether it be Van Gerwen, Lewis or even more experienced rivals like Raymond Van Barneveld or John Part, the man from Stoke-on-Trent makes it his mission to take them down and he has being doing so for the best part of almost 25 years now.
For his longevity, dominance and putting darts on the map as a global game which is played to pack arenas, Phil Taylor is more than worthy of getting a nomination for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2013 when the shortlist is revealed next Tuesday night on The One Show.
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