Sport magazine - Issue 253

Issue 253 | April 27 2012

LET’S GO TO WORK Andy Murray sets his sights on a summer of glory and gold

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issue 253, april 27 2012 radar 07 All to play for The key battles that could decide who comes out on top in the Manchester derby

08 The impossible job And that’s just finding someone to actually manage England... let alone then doing it

11 Just do it The British London 10k, that is – Paula Radcliffe is telling us to

12 Shutter speed Sensational F1 pictures from McLaren. Which we like oFeatures this coming week

18 Andy Murray

18

Britain’s top tennis player talks exclusively to Sport about a massive summer ahead

27 The Top 5 Our favourite moments from 35 years of snooker at the Crucible

31 The Football League Our end-of-season awards for what some people laughingly call the ‘lower leagues’

07

35 Louis Smith

Cover image by Ben Duffy, Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images, Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

The trials and tribulations of our highest-profile Olympic gymnast

60

extra Time 52 Rachel Christie Former beauty queen, frustrated heptathlete and Linford’s niece

54 Gadgets Mirror, mirror on the wall, which is the smartest phone of them all?

27

56 Grooming

35

Three pages of new fragrances to scent you up for the summer

60 Entertainment A truly Marvellous bunch of superheroes, and Norah Jones | April 27 2012 | 03

Radar

Inner city battle

p08 – Next England manager, anyone?

p12 – Inside the world of mighty McLaren

Vincent Kompany Wayne RooneY Despite his occasional wastefulness in possession, Wayne Rooney is having a fine, prolific season.

Playing behind Danny Welbeck, he’s had the freedom to drop deep, meaning the centre back brazenly thrusting his muddy rear in your face right now, Vincent Kompany, won’t be in constant contact with Rooney. But when Wazza moves into the box, City’s captain is the man most likely to shut him down.

Kompany is a strong, mobile defender, but if Rooney does something special such as, say, a spectacular overhead kick, there’s not a lot that can stop him.

The crucial on-pitch clashes that could decide the biggest Manchester derby

Sergio Aguero Jonny Evans With Rio Ferdinand having been ‘merked’ of his once swift pace by Old Father Time, the task of marshalling nippy Sergio Aguero will likely fall to Jonny Evans. The United centre back is having a decent season, but had a disaster against Mario Balotelli during the 6-1 loss at Old Trafford, allowing the Italian too much space for the opener before being sent off for hauling Super Mario back in the second half. Aguero doesn’t possess Balotelli’s strength, but does have superior movement, work rate and sanity. With five goals in his last three games, he’s also in electric form. It’ll be a different challenge for Evans on Monday, but not one to relish.

Gael Clichy Antonio Valencia Manchester City have good options at full back, but Gael Clichy has been impressive of late, making the left-back slot his own. He also has the speed to match United’s likely right winger, but that will not be his only challenge. As well as being quick, Antonio Valencia is strong, direct and can threaten either with crosses from wide or cutting inside to shoot. Can Clichy push forward with his usual vigour, or will he be wary of Valencia catching him out? Either way, with Paul Scholes’ satnav passing seemingly always set to ‘destination: Valencia’ since his return, expect United to give their Ecuadorian danger man plenty of the ball.

Yaya Toure Michael Carrick In Darren Fletcher’s absence, United lack a natural midfield shield in the traditional tough-tackling sense.

No such trouble for City, who have heaps of them and will rely on Yaya Toure (assuming he isn’t suspended) to be an all-action defensive and attacking midfielder.

Stopping his forward bursts is usually a collective opposition effort, but much of the responsibility may fall to Michael Carrick. Often named as United’s most underrated player, Carrick’s positional sense makes him a tougher midfield obstacle than he may appear.

On Monday, United need their quiet man to shine.

See page 44 for a full Manchester derby preview

| April 27 2012 | 07

Radar

England expects glenn Hoddle Unfinished business for God’s ambassador on earth, who hasn’t managed anyone since Wolves in 2006 but has refused to rule himself out, or in, where England is concerned. Memories of what could have been in 1998 still linger, and Hoddle had an impressive win ratio (60.7 per cent) last time out. Mind you, Capello’s was even better (66.7 per cent), and we all know how shit he actually was.

I

paul lambert A bloody Scot?! Well, the best managers are, and this Scotch stereotype has masterminded Premier League safety with ease while never once raising a smile. An ability to make seemingly substandard players perform well above their station would be very useful come the summer.

Highest-placed manager of the promoted clubs, therefore edges ahead of the equally impressive Brendan Rodgers.

f there was such a thing as a footballobsessed James Bond villain, this is the kind of luxury toy we’d expect to find in his lair. Teckell, Italian creators of high-end foosball tables, have outdone themselves by producing a table embellished with 24-carat gold. It’s a wonderful design and limited to just 50 uniquely numbered tables. As for the price? Well, it’s not strictly advertised by Teckell (really, if you have to ask, you – like us – probably can’t afford one) but it’s rumoured to start at $7,500. Not including delivery. Mama mia.

Find out more about Teckell tables at teckell.com

08 | April 27 2012 |

stuart pearce Slipped into Capello’s sheepskin for the Holland friendly, a 90-minute chastening that convinced Pearce he’s not right for the job – and confirming to everyone else what we already knew. Still in contention by virtue of being a forelock-tugging company cat, and could well be teamed with Hodgson (see next entry) by virtue of England having no better alternative.

roy Hodgson In West Brom’s 11 games since Capello walked, cuddly uncle Woy’s side has taken a not-unimpressive 19 points from 33.

He remains a safe pair of hands, in other words.

And yet, as at Anfield, the man’s jowly face just doesn’t quite fit.

File under ‘E’ for ‘emergency’.

alan pardew Drubbed 5-0 by Tottenham in the first game after Capello departed, Pardew’s claims were expected to quickly fade. And yet six successive victories have put Newcastle three points ahead of Spurs in the Champions League chase. So, let’s keep it simple: whoever wins that race can have the England job.

Harry redknapp In the 10 games since Capello walked and ‘Arry swerved heavy bird for tax evasion, Tottenham have taken a paltry nine points from 30. So he’s not the Messiah and has appeared powerless to halt Tottenham’s slide south, with question marks again raised over his tactics – or lack of them. A manager with no Plan B? Cut from the Capello cloth in that sense, so still top of the FA’s list.

Julian Finney/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, Clive Rose/Getty Images, Clint Hughes/Getty Images, Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Eleven weeks since Fabio Capello walked, six weeks until Euro 2012 kicks off, and still England have no manager.

No rush, obviously. But who are the names in the frame as it stands now?

Euro pop T

his week sees Euro 2012 begin (in game form, at least) and it brings top news. Rather than you having to buy a new game, EA are utilising the superb FIFA 12 engine and have created a UEFA Euro 2012 expansion pack. As well as having the full official tournament and stadiums, this pack also offers a new game mode involving all 53 UEFA national teams. ‘Expedition’ lets you create your own customised nation and take on Europe’s best, adding in one player from each nation you beat to strengthen your team. Euro 2012 and megalomaniacal desires satisfied in one perfect package.

Out now (PC/PS3/Xbox 360), £15.99, easportsfootball.com

England at Euro 2012 To watch an exclusive trailer of England’s players in UEFA Euro 2012 action, simply: * Download the free Blippar app via the iTunes or Android store * Open the app and scan the UEFA Euro 2012 front cover of this magazine

10 | April 27 2012 |

Radar

Push it, Paula J

ust three weeks before the London 2012 opening ceremony is inflicted on... er, we mean presented to the world, the 12th annual British 10k on July 8 will see 25,000 runners trotting past some of London's most iconic landmarks. And while Paula Radcliffe breaking the news that the event is now being sponsored by Nike might not immediately get you too hot under the collar, it actually gives all runners a host

of excellent reasons to sign up.

Namely, the personalised training plans and ability to set goals and track your progress, which the Nike+ community provides. As Radcliffe explains: “Nike is providing entrants with everything they need for their training journey, and when it comes to making it count on race day, there could not be a more inspiring course than the streets of London.� Inspiring enough to make it to the finish line this time, Paula? Let's hope so.

Time to do more. Train with Nike at facebook.com/nikerunninguk

Radar

Shutter speed

Lewis Hamilton in Singapore: no opponents and an entirely straight track. Who says Formula 1 is challenging?

The two images immediately below, for example, show Jenson Button in Monaco (the one on the left is taken moments before Jenson probably swerved off line, having been mysteriously compelled to take his eyes off the track and look right), while the two spreads below this illustrate the kind of behind-the-scenes access Heath gained.

Alongside the stunning photography, there’s also insight by F1 expert Maurice Hamilton, covering everything from car design to how this multimillion-pound operation transports itself around the globe. All in all, it’s another McLaren winner.

McLaren: The Art of Racing (published by Prestel on May 7) is £99 in hardback. Sport readers can purchase it at the special price of £74.25 including free p&p (UK mainland only). Valid until May 31. Call 01206 255 777 and quote ‘Sport magazine’ for offer

© Darren Heath

T

here’s something glamorous about McLaren. Whether it’s the marble-floored workshops, the historic links to Ayrton Senna or the aerodynamic bald pate of Ron Dennis, it’s a team that’s steeped in Formula 1 glory.

McLaren’s modern allure is captured in tremendous detail by the photography of Darren Heath in this handsome new art/ photography/sport hardback. From inside the Norman Foster-designed McLaren Technology Centre to racing shots of the team’s twin pair of British world champions, every aspect of the team is on display here.

Radar Editor’s letter

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EDITORIAL

Fall from grace: Evans scored 35 goals for Sheffield United this season before his conviction

A lesson for football

COMMERCIAL

The Ched Evans case sends out a warning to young stars that they are not above the law

Editor-in-chief Simon Caney @simoncaney

huge imagination to see how a 22-yearold, as Evans was at the time of his crime, can think himself invincible and above the law. In that retinue of 15 or 20 people, he is the king – and what he says goes.

Of course, there are plenty of girls who find that sort of thing attractive.

That’s a fact. But the crucial detail in this case is that the girl in question here did not consent to Evans, something that he presumably thought did not matter.

It must have been some wake-up call when he was arrested, and later when he realised that a few phone calls were not going to get him out of this one.

The problem is that footballers are not used to people saying ‘no’. They need to be educated, a role the PFA must lead, that they have to follow the mores of society just like everyone else. And they need to be indulged less... just how many of Evans’ entourage will visit him in prison?

To matters on the pitch, and it comes as no great surprise here that Monday’s game between Manchesters City and United could be a title decider.

Even when United were eight points clear they always gave an impression of fallibility, and last weekend’s game against Everton exposed their soft centre. If indeed United do go on to win the title, it will be Sir Alex’s greatest achievement yet – for this is his worst team in 20 years.

If you needed proof that we are a nation of animal lovers, then look no further than the story of the Woolwich foxes, doing their best to eat, steal and soil the Olympic shooting venue. Most other host nations would have exterminated them and never mentioned it.

Not us, though, oh no. Instead, we have security guards on site with instructions to ‘shoo them away’. Foxtrot Oscar, more like.

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Hearty thanks this week to: Matt Gentry, Gab Stone and Monty the greyhound, a very welcome visitor Total Average Distribution: 304,700 Jul-Dec 2011

Reader comments of the week @simoncaney I would argue that the recent aintree improvements have reduced safety, increasing speeds, leading to the mortality figures. @neillyrob Twitter

14 | April 27 2012 |

The only true prevention of death in racehorses is the prevention of their life.

Does the media/general public want to eradicate horse racing? A sport that has been ingrained in English and Irish culture for years?

The Grand National is a disgusting spectacle that should be banned. It is hard to believe that we can let it go ahead in a so-called civilised country.

Paul, via email

Jacqueline, via email

@Sportmaguk slightly late on this but your outdoor special was the dogs dangling gonads. Well played.

@simoncaney Thank you for the Judd Trump interview. It pointed me to the right direction for my new footwear.

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T

here was much about the Ched Evans case to turn the stomach. Even if he had not been convicted of rape, the circumstances of that night are too sordid for words. Yet once the court had meted out justice, there were still plenty of Evans apologists out there.

The phrase #justiceforched was prevalent on Twitter, where the victim of Evans’ rape was also, unforgivably, named.

If any good will come out of this sorry episode, it will be that football takes a long, hard look at itself. As unsettling as it is for us to accept, we can see the steps that turned Evans, a footballer of huge promise, into a rapist. From a very early age (13 or 14), very good footballers are surrounded by an entourage — agents, sponsors, PRs and notably old friends, all looking to bask in the reflected glory of their talented mate. It does not take a

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Radar Frozen in time

16 | April 27 2012 |

“Woah!” you might think, on first seeing this shot of the fearless Julien Dupont in action, high above some probably-crime-infested favela in Rio de Janeiro. Classic Red Bull, tweaking the nose of Death! And danger! However, look a little closer and you’ll note that Dupont’s death-defying trick involves little more than balancing on the edge of a rooftop that has a truly terrifying drop of some four feet. Whoa! What a swizz. Peter Purves must be turning in his grave. Assuming he’s dead.

Is he dead? He’s not dead, is he?

| 17

Guilber Hidaka/Red Bull Content Pool

High and mighty

Andy Murray

Time for business In an exclusive interview with Sport, the British number one speaks candidly about his Olympicsized year and life under new coach Ivan Lendl

18 | April 27 2012 |

So what’s changed? The addition of three-time French Open champ Ivan Lendl to the Murray coaching team for one. Winner of eight Grand Slams during his own playing career, Lendl wields an ‘ice man’ influence that has already been credited with cutting down the histrionics that were once a frequent blight on Murray’s otherwise beautiful game.

He has also improved his forehand and imparted the belief that every single match has to count in any bid to become the very best.

There’s plenty on the table for discussion on the morning Murray grants Sport a brief window into his world, then. And no better place to start than, if not the most important, then certainly the ‘biggest’ period of Murray’s career yet...

With Ivan Lendl on your team and a home Olympics on the horizon, is this summer the most important spell in your career so far?

“That period for a lot of the players is gonna be massive, because it’s something we don’t experience that often in our careers. I’m sure all the players are going to be desperate to do well at the Olympics as well as in the slams. It’s a very important period of the year, but that’s only because the Olympics has been added to it. Every year we have Wimbledon and the French Open, so I don’t know about it being the most important spell of my career so far – but it’s certainly the >

Jacob Sutton

B

eing Britain’s number one tennis player is a job Andy Murray’s done long enough to know that the next few months are going to push him to his limits — both on the court and off it. The second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open at Roland Garros, is one month away – and from the second he bids the Parisian clay adieu, Murray will be immersed in a world of grass courts, Olympic ‘hubbubery’ and the irony-fuelled shouts of “come on Tim!” which seem destined to haunt him to his tennis-playing grave.

“Is it the most important period of my career?” Murray says, repeating Sport’s leading question while he ponders on a suitable answer. “I don’t know about that, but it’s certainly the biggest.”

His response is carefully chosen, perhaps in a bid not to add a personal contribution to the mountain of hype that awaits him this summer.

Before then, though, the world number four must navigate the red dirt of the French Open, where his aim will be to improve upon last year’s semi-final showing. Not so long ago an appearance in the final at Roland Garros would have seemed an outlandish target for the Scot who admits it can take him “a little while” to get comfortable with the slip and slide of the clay-court surface.

| 19

Andy Murray

“You wouldn’t view the fourth-best businessman in the world as a failure”

Pressure or motivation, then – which is it for you?

“It’s motivation — I want to play in the Olympics and be competing for the biggest tournaments. There’s always pressure because if you want to get to number one in the world you need to win tournaments and win matches every week. That run Novak [Djokovic] had last year, where he only lost four or five matches, showed it is possible.

So every week is important this year because I want to try to get to number one.”

In terms of your own expectations, is it now a failure if you don’t reach the last four of a Grand Slam?

“I haven’t really thought about it. I mean, it’s an incredibly difficult thing to do. I’d be disappointed, but very few people can say they’re in the top four in the world at what they do. You wouldn’t view the fourth-best businessman in the world as being a failure.

To make the last few in any Grand Slam is obviously a good result.... and if you lose before that, then yeah I’d be disappointed, but I don’t know I’d see it as failure. There are better players than me who have lost before semi finals — Rafa’s done it, Roger’s

20 | April 27 2012 |

You’ve been working with Lendl (above) for some four months now, but he doesn’t criss-cross the globe with you to every tournament, does he?

“No, but when I played in Dubai earlier this year I spoke to him on the phone after every single match — he watched them all apart from the Djokovic match [which Murray won].

[Laughs] A lot of people don’t realise that all of the guys at the top of the game have two people they’re working with. In Dubai, Djokovic was there with his part-time coach because his main coach wasn’t there.

Federer wasn’t there with Paul Annacone, who’s his main coach; and Rafa also is sometimes without his uncle, so it’s not like it’s unusual. A lot of guys do it. It definitely can work, there just needs to be good communication between you.”

You spent a long time searching for a new coach. What was it about Lendl that convinced you he was right forthe job?

“It’s not that Lendl was convenient, but him being based in Miami is a big help because I spend time there training, so it worked well for both of us. A lot of the ex-players don’t want to travel much so to have him always being in Miami when I’m training — which is when I felt like most of my best work would be done — is a real luxury. I spoke to a couple of people but when I met him and spoke to him... he’s very impressive. He worked very hard when he played, he had a good attitude on the court and he was one of the first guys to take the physical side of the game very seriously, so he had a good understanding of that as well. I thought it would be a good match and it’s gone pretty smoothly so far, aside from a few of his bad jokes.” >

Jacob Sutton, Julian Finney/Getty Images

biggest in terms of having the Olympics and Wimbledon within a few weeks of each other, and the French Open only a couple of weeks before them both. The Olympics is the competition that’s adding the pressure or the motivation — or whatever you want to call it — though, because you don’t get the chance to play in it that often.”

done it a few times.

In the last couple of years Novak has as well.”

Andy Murray

When you compare the player you are now to the Murray of a few years ago, what’s the biggest difference?

“My game’s moved on a lot. I’ve got quicker and stronger and definitely understand my game much better. I feel like I’m a much better player, but that’s because the game has moved on as well. I notice a big difference if I watch matches from five or six years ago. The ball is quicker now, the guys are moving faster, it’s just got tougher, so for sure the player I am today would win against the guy I was a few years ago.”

It has been suggested by some that this is the finest era men’s tennis has ever known...

“A lot of people have commented about it and, in terms of the consistency, it’s probably up there – I mean, in terms of the consistency of top matches that you see.

It seems to be that at all of the Grand Slams these days you see epic matches, which may not have always been the case. Certainly when I came on the tour that wasn’t always the case. But the last few years there have been great, great matches at all of the slams — the quality has been very high.

I don’t know about the best ever or not, but it’s been very good.”

After your four-hour, 50-minute match in the Australian Open semi final against Djokovic, he said you both went through a “physical crisis” at different points. Was the result about who came through their crisis better?

“When you play for five hours with the kind of points we were having, it’s difficult to try to maintain your peak fitness throughout the match. Over the course of a five-set match you need to learn to pace yourself through it, and sometimes when you’re a bit younger you’ll come out all fired up and use up a lot of energy straight away. You need to play the scoreboard a bit better than you might in a three-set match – but yeah, both of us went through stages when we were struggling.

But ultimately it came down to a few points right at the end, and that was the difference between us.”

With the Olympics taking place at Wimbledon just a few weeks after the Championships end, will you see the Wimbledon champion as favourite?

“There’s no question the person that wins Wimbledon will have a great chance of winning the Olympics as well, but there is a big difference between playing best-of-five matches [as in a slam] and playing best of > Marathon men: but Djokovic has the edge over Murray in Grand Slams

Murray’s momentous moments

2011

He reaches his first French Open semi final but loses in straight sets to six-time Roland Garros champ Rafael Nadal.

2010

For the first time, Murray beats Nadal and Federer in the same tournament en route to defending his Rogers Cup crown in Toronto.

He doesn’t drop a set, either.

2009

Queen’s Club has a British champion for the first time since 1938 when Murray beats American James Blake in the final.

2008

At the US Open Murray reaches his first Grand Slam final — meaning British tennis fans can finally move on from Greg Rusedski’s US Open final showing in 1997.

2007

Breaks into the top 10 for the first time in April, but stays there for just nine weeks.

2006

An 18-year-old Murray wins his first ATP Tour title in San Jose, beating a less-than-impressed Lleyton Hewitt in the final. A month later he moves above Rusedski and Tim Henman in the ATP rankings to become British number one.

2005

He’s the last British man standing at Wimbledon when he defeats 14th seed Radek Stepanek in straight sets to reach the third round. He goes down fighting, losing in five sets to former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian.

2004

Wins four Futures titles and the boys’ singles title at the US Open.

2003

Wins his first Futures title in Glasgow. Rumours that his mother organised the event just for him and his brother Jamie are unfounded.

“I’d love to win Olympic gold.

It’s up there with slams, the players are really pumped” 22 | April 27 2012 |

2002

Murray gets invited to train at the Rangers School of Excellence but chooses tennis over football, moving to Barcelona to train at the Sanchez-Casal Academy instead.

Wise move.

Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images, Julian Finney/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/ Getty Images, Odd Andersen/AFP/Getty Images, Sara Wolfram/Getty Images, Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images

You’ve described him as being “brutal” in his own playing days. Is that ruthlessness something you’re looking to bring to your own game?

“I don’t think it was something I was necessarily missing. There are always bits and pieces you need to keep adding into what you do. But it’s more the way you practise and the way that you prepare for the events — that’s when you have to be very structured and planned. I hadn’t really had someone with his experience in doing that before in my team, so that’s how it’s helping. Even before Indian Wells this year I was already looking to work on things to help at the French Open, which was still three months away – that’s different to how I was working before.”

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Andy Murray three [as in the Olympics]. Also, things change on a weekly basis – it’s an individual sport. You can play great tennis one week, like for example the Australian Open last year where I played really well, but then I didn’t win a match for three months after that. Things can change very quickly, so I wouldn’t say the Wimbledon winner will be an automatic favourite – but they’re gonna be in good form and high in confidence, so they’ll have a good chance.”

What’s the consensus among the players about playing two tournaments in the same venue within a matter of weeks?

“Everyone’s pumped that the Olympics are there, but they’re just a bit worried about the courts and whether they’ll be in really good condition. I’ve spoken to a couple of people at Wimbledon who said it should be no problem because they tested it out after the tournament last year and it worked out really well. I do think having the Olympics at Wimbledon will add to the experience of it – I just hope the courts are okay.”

Your first Olympic experience in Beijing didn’t exactly go to plan (Murray lost in the first round to Taiwan’s Lu Yen-Hsun). How do you look back on it now?

“Even though I played really badly it was maybe one of the best experiences of my

24 | April 27 2012 |

tennis career. Most times if I played badly in a tournament and had a bad loss I wouldn’t want to think about it at all and try to get straight back on the practice court and do something about it. But in Beijing, although I was disappointed with the way I played, being involved with the Olympics was so different that it was still a great experience. Being in the athletes’ village and going to the opening ceremony surrounded by all the best athletes was amazing. This year I want to make sure the tennis is good and I’m sure it’ll be one of... well, the best experience of my sporting career.”

How involved will you actually be with those bits of the Games? The athletes’ village in Stratford is some way from SW19...

“It depends, I don’t know yet if they’ve got any plans for making it a bit easier for the athletes to get to and from the village. Where I live now is 15 minutes from Wimbledon, so obviously that’s convenient – but staying in the village last time with all the Team GB squad was really cool.”

Will you still feel part of the Games though, if you’re sleeping in your own bed without the 2012 logo splashed across your bedsheets?

“Either way I think you’ll still feel part of it.

The tennis venue at the last Olympics wasn’t

next to any other events, but when you see all the different flags and everyone wearing their national colours — especially at Wimbledon, when you’re used to seeing everyone in all white — I think we’ll still get the feeling. Obviously I’d love to be in the village with all my teammates, but the most important thing is to try to win a medal – and you have to try to do the right thing for that.”

Murray’s career-high ranking, which he reached in August 2009, holding on to it for four weeks until the US Open

So do you think Olympic gold would be enough to appease those who criticise you for not winning a slam?

“I’ve got no idea, to be honest. I’ll try my best to win an Olympic medal and I’d love to win gold for Team GB. It’s all stuff that you look back on when you finish playing, and getting an Olympic medal would be huge. I’m probably only gonna get this shot and one more where I’ve got a good chance of winning a medal, whereas at the slams there’s probably 15 or 16 more where I’ve got good chances. I’ll be doing everything I can to win at Wimbledon this summer.”

Sarah Shephard @sportmagsarah adidas athlete Andy Murray is preparing to #takethestage at London 2012. For your chance to Take The Stage and win once in a lifetime experiences, visit www.adidas.com/all2012

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Karim Sahib/AFP/Getty Images

How do you rank the Olympics alongside Grand Slams? If you won gold but no slam this year, would you be satisfied?

“Now, honestly, I think it’s up there. All the players I’ve spoken to are really pumped about it. Even at the last Olympics — and this is a perfect example of when you were asking is the semi finals a failure or not — the guys who lost in the semis but won bronze medals in Beijing were ecstatic. You could see from the celebrations they had, it was huge. I know how much Rafa loved winning gold. Roger didn’t do as well in the singles but won the doubles, and you saw how happy he was with winning a gold medal even though it was in the doubles. That’s how important the Olympics is. You don’t see it in a regular tournament — someone like Roger winning a regular doubles event wouldn’t be celebrating as much as he was when he won Olympic gold, so it’s very important.”

But is it as important...?

“Well if I reach a slam final this year and lose, a lot of people will say to me: ‘Oh, that’s no good, you need to win it.’ But if I win a silver medal at the Olympics, then everyone will celebrate that. So I think that’s where there’s a bit of inconsistency, because a silver medal at the Games is hugely celebrated – I think – whereas the final of a slam is sort of viewed as not quite being good enough.”

The Top 5 Crucible Moments

That black-ball final 1985 Snooker's greatest ever final, an epic match-up unlikely ever to be surpassed for sheer bum-squeaking drama. In the red-headed corner, Steve Davis, the master cueman with, at that point, three world titles to his name. In the green corner, a Northern Irishman more recognisable for his dustbinlid specs than his achievements on the baize.

The early signs suggested a mismatch as Davis took the first eight frames, but from out of nowhere Taylor produced a fightback of unlikely proportions that would see the match go to the final black of the final frame.

As 18 million sat glued to BBC Two as Sunday night became Monday morning, Davis blinked first, overcutting a relatively straightforward black to leave Taylor with the chance to seal the most amazing of comebacks.

“Even at 17-15 (down), I thought: ‘Well I’ve come back from 8-0, so don’t be giving up now.’ To be involved in those last frames and to fight back and make it 17-17, then to go to the final black — incredible. Most people thought that Steve would’ve cut the black in, but it wasn’t as easy as everyone thought. He said that as he walked across the Crucible floor his legs didn’t feel like his and his hands and arms felt like somebody else’s, the pressure was so intense. The final black, I didn’t even grip the cue — I let the butt rest on my fingers and kept my thumb out of the way. I took ages on the shot and really just let go of the cue, so that I couldn’t snatch at it. And that lovely little black ball disappeared into the corner pocket!”

“I remember a month later sitting in the bath one day daydreaming and thinking: ‘What happened?’

It took me a long time to recover.

But I don’t look back with anything other than fondness now. It was part of my career and what an experience.

Obviously at the time it was devastating, but now I look back and think, okay it would’ve been nice to have won another — but it would’ve been a stat. Who knows? If I’d won that, I may not have won others.” >

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Adrian Murrell/Allsport, David Muscroft/Rex Features, Michael Regan/Getty Images

Baize of glory

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Crucible Theatre staging the World Snooker Championship – which gives us the perfect opportunity to, ahem, cue up the five greatest moments in the history of the grand old tournament

The Top 5 Crucible Moments

Mike Cooper/Allsport, Anton Want/Allsport, Clive Rose/Getty Images, Action Images/Sporting Pictures

The People’s Champion rises 1982 For many people, Alex Higgins was snooker.

Along with the advent of colour television, the Hurricane (bottom, left) transformed the game with his bold and fast-potting style.

Crowned world champion for the first time in 1972, it would be a further decade before he lifted the coveted trophy again, after beating the old warrior Ray Reardon. The people’s champion sealed the deal in dazzling fashion with a break of 135, before creating one of snooker’s most unforgettable scenes. With tears in his eyes, Higgins had the trophy on one arm and his 17-month-old daughter Lauren in the other — the Crucible had never seen anything like it, nor had the future generation of snooker stars. “I remember watching it as a kid in the front room of our house,” recalls Ken Doherty. “We all had the goose-bumps and were all nearly in tears.

That 1982 championship definitely inspired me and, I’m sure, lots of other kids to pick up snooker. Higgins made snooker for me.”

The great White hope 1994 By the early 1990s, it was Jimmy White who carried the people’s hopes each spring at the Crucible, but the Whirlwind (top) had already suffered a string of reverses in the final, notably in 1992 when he blew a 14-8 lead against Stephen Hendry, who also beat him in the final 12 months later. A year on and the pair would meet again. This time, it looked as if Jimmy — in a made-for-TV final frame — would finally win a World Championship final at the sixth attempt. But to the gut-wrenching dismay of his huge fan base, disaster struck as he somehow fluffed a routine black off its spot. Cue his nemesis Hendry… “I’d virtually given up hope. He’d played so many difficult shots in the break, to finally get in the position where everything was straightforward and then to miss the black was inexplicable. I remember jumping out of my seat so fast thinking: ‘I can’t believe I’ve got another opportunity.’ Although the balls were pretty straightforward, I made one of the best clearances of my career under pressure. My sponsor was giving me a Bentley as a bonus for winning it and I was thinking: ‘Hold yourself together, you’ve got a great chance here to not only win the world title and the prize that goes with it, but the chance to win a Bentley as well.’”

The need for speed 1997 Ronnie O’Sullivan’s reputation as modern snooker’s most gifted player was cemented with the sport’s quickest ever 147. Playing Mick Price in the first round of the 1997 worlds, the Rocket (above, right) recorded an extraordinary maximum in five minutes and 20 seconds. “At the time, you don’t really realise; you are just seeing these balls floating in,” remembers John Virgo, who commentated on the game for the BBC. “And they were floating in — it wasn’t crash, bang, wallop stuff. He hit the ball so sweetly, it was just poetry. When somebody came up and said it was five minutes and 20 seconds, you just went: ‘Wow!’ I don’t think anyone will ever

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Frame it: White was smokin’ but never won in six world finals; O’Sullivan reeled off the quickest 147; Higgins was Mr Charisma, while Murphy put the worst year of his life behind him beat that time for a maximum break. It was just a sensational moment in the game.”

Three-point turn 2005 Shaun Murphy had long been earmarked as a certain star of the future, but his form had dipped to the point where he was even considering giving up the game ahead of the 2005 World Championship. “I lost the final qualifying match in the China Open and had a massive row with (coach) Steve in the car park at Prestatyn,” he tells Sport. “Cues were slammed down, words exchanged and that was it. I never even intended to play in the World Championships — I was going to give up and get a proper job. I went to Mercedes Benz in Sheffield and approached them about a job selling cars.” Murphy reconsidered and entered the World Championships as a 150/1 outsider, but against expectation blazed his way to the final. “It was weird — one of the lowest times of my life followed by what is currently the highest point of my snooker life,” he says of the thrilling 18-16 final win over Matthew Stevens. “The stuff that Steve and I had been working on all seemed to come together in that last couple of weeks of the season.”

Tony Rushmer

Football League Awards

Leagues of their own With the Football League tiers entering their final throes, and with most promotion and relegation questions answered, we cast our eye over the season and hand out a few well-deserved gongs. First up, it’s our pick for Team of the Season...

ChaMpionship Team southampton

Manager Brian McDermott (reading)

Player rickie Lambert (southampton)

Reading’s revival may have taken the gloss off Southampton’s season, but few will argue that Nigel Adkins and his men deserve the promotion they will try to secure with a win over Coventry tomorrow.

After bouncing back from relegation to League One at the second attempt, the Saints made an immediate impact, winning their first four league games for the first time in their history. Adkins’ men went on to lose just two of their first 17 Championship games and looked to be romping to the title with ease before Reading’s incredible second half of the season. Having scored more than 80 goals, though, and been on for promotion virtually since day one, Saints take our team of the year award. Win tomorrow, or see West Ham fail to, and they’ll be back where they belong.

After losing top scorer Shane Long and captain Matt Mills after last season’s playoff final defeat, a season of consolation was on the cards for the Royals. McDermott had other ideas, however, and showed his shrewd business brain, spending under £2m to bring in the likes of Mikele Leigertwood, Kaspars Gorkss and of course Adam Le Fondre. More impressively, things weren’t quite clicking by January, and McDermott moved quickly to bring in Jason Roberts, Tomasz Cywka and Matt Connolly, among others. After 15 wins in 18 games since, the Royals have usurped Southampton and West Ham to retake their place in the Premier League. Brian McDermott, take a bow.

Having made such a huge impact in League One – Lambert scored 51 goals in 90 games in the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons – question marks remained over how the Liverpool-born striker would make the step up to the Championship.

Well, fast forward nine months, four hat-tricks and 27 league goals in just 40 games, and it seems that Nigel Adkins’ main man has answered his critics with ease. The question now, assuming his team go up, is whether he can make the step up to the Premier League. Anyone care to write him off?

Surprise package reading

Biggest disappointment Leicester

Best signing adam Le fondre (reading)

With big investors behind them and Sven at the helm, it could have been fun for the neutrals to see how far Leicester could have gone. Instead, Sven left, Nigel Pearson came in and a very disappointing finish out of the playoffs ensued.

Having signed for just £300,000, Le Fondre has fired in 12 goals so far – and they’ve predominantly come in one-goal wins or draws. His goals against Leeds and Southampton helped the Royals secure promotion.

gK Adam Federici (Reading) Def Nat Clyne (Crystal Palace), Steven Caldwell (Birmingham), Curtis Davies (Birmingham), David Murphy (Birmingham) MiD Robert Snodgrass (Leeds), Peter Whittingham (Cardiff), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Matt Phillips (Blackpool) fw Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Ricardo Vaz Te (West Ham)

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Charlton photo PA, all other photos Getty Images

After losing their captain and top scorer in the summer, it would have taken a brave man to predict a league triumph for Reading. But a frankly stunning second half of the season has put the Royals back among football’s elite.

Championship XI

Football League Awards

LEaGuE oNE Team Charlton

Manager Chris Powell (Charlton)

Player Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield)

Only Manchester United have suffered fewer defeats than the five the boys from The Valley have had this season, and having promotion confirmed with three games to go is just reward. Seven new players started for the opening-day visit of Bournemouth, but a 3-0 win was a sign of things to come, as they romped to a record points total. Astute signings, such as Rhoys Wiggins and Danny Hollands from Bournemouth and striker Yann Kermorgant, have bedded in well, and of the existing players captain Johnnie Jackson and Bradley Wright-Phillips have been the standout performers, chipping in with 13 and 22 goals respectively so far.

When former favourites return, it’s never easy for them to live up to the expectations of the fans, so Chris Powell deserves a lot of credit for matching them. In January last year he took over a Charlton side for which he had played more than 200 times, a side that had crashed from seventh in the Premier League to fifth in League One in just eight years. He struggled initially; they were 13th by the end of last season but made wholesale changes, bringing in 18 players in the summer. It’s worked and, after a long decline, the Addicks are on the up once more.

Sometimes, it’s best to let the numbers do the talking.

Huddersfield’s Scottish striker Jordan Rhodes has had a phenomenal season. The 22-year-old has scored 37 times in 42 appearances, including six braces, two hat-tricks, a four-goal haul and even five goals against Wycombe in a 6-0 win. At the time of writing, he had scored 48 per cent of Huddersfield’s goals this season, and without his contribution they would be down in 14th, instead of in the playoff places. If the Terriers don’t go up, new manager Simon Grayson will have a job on his hands to keep hold of Rhodes.

Surprise package Stevenage

Biggest disappointment Lee Clark’s sacking

Best signing Jeff Hughes (Notts County)

Bone-headed chairmen are nothing new, but Huddersfield’s decision to fire Lee Clark was still shocking, as his team looked set for a third playoff finish in a row and had put together that 43-game unbeaten run. A disappointing end.

Released by Bristol City and signed on a free in the summer, the 26-year-old left winger made an instant impact with a debut goal, and has fired in another 15 times to help his team push for the playoffs.

The shock League Two playoff winners would have been pre-season favourites for the drop but, as they showed against Spurs in the FA Cup, they are hard to beat. They boast the second best defence in the division, and have never looked troubled.

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League One XI

GK Ben Hamer (Charlton) DEF Chris Solly (Charlton), Danny Batth (Sheff Wed), Michael Morrison (Charlton), Rhoys Wiggins (Charlton) MID Johnnie Jackson (Charlton), Michael Bostwick (Stevenage), Danny Hollands (Charlton), Jeff Hughes (Notts Co) FW Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield), Stuart Beavon (Wycombe Wanderers)

LEAGuE tWo Team Swindon

Manager Paul Sturrock (Southend)

Player Matt Ritchie (Swindon)

After dropping into League Two, the club took a gamble in giving fiery Italian Paolo Di Canio his first managerial role, but it’s paid off. Fifteen unbeaten games mid-season and a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy run helped win over supporters, and the club returns to League One in a much stronger position. As well as adding passion to proceedings, typified by his public spat with striker Leon Clarke, he’s made some very astute signings – Paul Benson stands out. Swindon have been playing the West Ham way, and their win over Wigan in the FA Cup shows they will be a handful at a higher level.

In summer 2010, Southend were recovering from relegation, were under a transfer embargo, had courts chasing them from all angles and had only 10 players on their books. Last season Sturrock laid the foundations of a club that was ready to rise from the faintest glow of an ember and, this season, the men from Roots Hall have been reinvigorated in style.

Having started the season at a canter – they won 13 of their first 19 games – the Shrimpers have slowed down since December and will have to settle for the playoffs. Without Sturrock, however, they might not even have had a club any more.

That the Swindon winger won League Two’s Player of the Year award without winning one Player of the Month award (unless he gets the April nod, that is) tells you all you need to know about the champions’ winger. A consistent performer rather than a player who peaks in certain games, the former Portsmouth winger was a key member in helping Paolo Di Canio’s men to the top of the table, chipping in with nine goals and 13 assists – meaning he contributed to 22 of the side’s 70 league goals so far.

Surprise package Cheltenham

Biggest disappointment AFC Wimbledon

Best signing Darryl Duffy/Alan Bennett (Cheltenham)

After five promotions in nine seasons, the fans were desperate for AFC Wimbledon to hit the ground flying in league football. They’ll take a consolidation year, but the fairytale ending would have been so much nicer.

Cheltenham conceded too many and scored too few in recent years. Alan Bennett’s arrival has helped shore up the defence, while Darryl Duffy’s goals have fired them to the verge of the playoffs.

After flirting with relegation two seasons on the bounce, fans expected the same this season, especially after two defeats in their first three. A magnificent winter period turned things around, however, and they now await the playoff lottery.

League Two XI

GK Wesley Foderingham (Swindon) DEF Paul Caddis (Swindon), Alan Bennett (Cheltenham), Mark Ellis (Torquay), Luke Garbutt (Cheltenham) MID Ryan Hall (Southend), Peter Leven (Oxford), Eunan O’Kane (Torquay), Matt Ritchie (Swindon) FW Izale McLeod (Barnet), Lewis Grabban (Rotherham)

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Louis Smith

E No guts,

no glory After 16 years of circling the pommel horse, Louis Smith is feeling the pain. But he’s not letting that stop him in his bid for Olympic gold…

verybody has bad days. Those days when getting out of bed in the morning feels like the biggest mistake you’ve made all day. Louis Smith is having one of those days when Sport meets him at the Huntingdon gym which has been his second home since the age of seven.

“I’ve got a cold,” he explains gruffly after a coughing fit interrupts our initial greeting.

But there’s no duvet day on the agenda for the Olympic bronze-medallist. He has just finished a lengthy training session and is now beginning an equally draining session of interviews.

“Right now I wouldn’t mind being in bed recovering,” he sniffs as we take our seats in the gym’s cramped back office, with its faint whiff of old socks. “But I came in and trained even though I’m under the weather.

It just shows what we have to put in to get the best out.”

No holding back That includes pushing through the pain barrier. Last month Smith fractured a finger in training, casting doubt over his Olympic preparations. But the 23-year-old had it strapped up and got straight back on the (pommel) horse, competing in a World Cup in China and winning a silver medal for his pains. “I wouldn’t say the injuries get me

down,” he says. “They get on my nerves, though. I just think it’s normal now for my back to be sore in the morning and that I can’t move too fast when I get out of bed because my ankles are sore. But it’s life.

I don’t know if it’ll get worse when I finish gym or if it’ll get easier when I stop.

“There’s not one point to this day, though, when I’ve regretted training as hard as I have been. It’s taken me on a journey that not many people would understand or get to experience.”

A hard road It’s a journey which took a largely unexpected turn when Smith won bronze in Beijing, becoming the first Brit to win an Olympic gymnastics medal since 1928. This time, though, he admits: “There’s definitely more pressure and expectation — not just with me, but the whole team.”

Those expectations were almost crushed when the British men failed to qualify for London 2012 at the first time of asking at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo. It meant a Christmas of hard graft in the gym for Smith and his teammates before January’s Olympic test event in London’s O2 arena, at which they comfortably beat France to win the event and qualify in style. “We pretty much smashed every single one of >

| April 27 2012 | 35

Olympic Games still the be-all and end-all? He says not: “I’d be happy with myself if I went there and did a clean routine. If I did that and got beat by three other people, then what else could I have done?

“I know I’m going to prepare in the right way, so if I get beat I get beat. I definitely think it’s possible to get a medal though. I just have to keep cool, calm and collected. I’m getting oldish, so I’d like to be able to get to this Olympic Games and perform — especially as it’s in London.”

“I definitely think it’s possible to get a medal. I’m getting oldish, so I’d like to go to this Games and perform — especially as it’s in London” our routines,” says Smith proudly. He was named team captain for the competition, taking on the role of chief motivator for one of the most important events of his career so far.

“I was just trying to keep the team relaxed.

I’m quite a joker in the gym, so I’ll crack jokes or take the mickey out of people now and again to make things a bit more relaxed — more like a training environment so they enjoy the competition a bit more. And the boys coped really well. They were a bit nervous on the first apparatus, then after that they got into the swing of things.

“We proved we have the potential to do really well in London; it’s just about if we’re all fit and whether the team can shut out the rising expectations and concentrate on what they need to do instead of buckling underneath the pressure.”

But for Smith, who already has an Olympic medal in his collection, is success at the

36 | April 27 2012 |

Team tactics With the team not yet finalised, Smith isn’t assured of his Olympic spot – and he has a keen awareness of the depth of talent comingup behind him in the British squad.

“There are a lot of juniors now who are going to be pushing for my spot in the team,” he admits. “I’m feeling that already — these are nerve-racking times.”

Should he make it to a second Olympics, Smith is unsure whether there’ll be a third: “I could probably try to steer the team in the right direction for the next Olympics and then let the best team go and take a step back. I’m not too sure though, it’s tough

Best of British: Smith’s bulldog spirit is driving him on as he heads to London 2012 after injury and illness

doing four years of intense training. If I do really well in the Olympics then I’ve had two Games where I’ve done well. I’ve had a good run in gymnastics at a young age, and if it comes to a point where the time is right to give up and start my life – in terms of making a business or doing media – then I have to look at those options.”

The end could be in sight for Smith’s regime of pressure and pain, then. But relief will only come once the build-up to London 2012 is behind him. “A lot of people say to me: ‘You must be so excited the Games are almost here?’” he says. “The reality is that it’s what I’ve been training for my whole life.

For someone who’s trying to achieve their goal and dream, it’s a nerve-racking time.

“It would be nice to go back to how it was before Beijing, when expectations were lower. But the reality is I’ve got nine sponsors and half the nation watching me now — that’s a lot of people expecting a lot of things.” Fortunately, Smith has the strength of mind and character to cope with such pressure and more — fractured fingers and man flu included.

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag Louis Smith is a UPS London 2012 Ambassador, helping to tell the story of the vital logistical preparations taking place ahead of the London 2012 Games

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Louis Smith

Rugby Union

My Lions XV

1

2

6

7

11

12

By LAWrence DALLAgLIO

W

ith over a year to go until the British and Irish Lions head to Australia, competition for places is already fierce. Having been on two Lions tours, Lawrence Dallaglio knows what it takes to make the grade – so we asked him one simple question: “If you were picking your team to face Australia tomorrow, who would it be?” Over to you, Lawrence…

1 Loosehead prop Gethin Jenkins (Wal) — I was so impressed with his comeback after injury because he came straight into a big game and totally dominated. He’s also a great tourist, which helps, and seems to play his best rugby abroad. He will thrive for the Lions down under.

workrate. He breaks the line virtually every time and always seems to be on the front foot.

9 scrum haLf Mike Phillips (Wal) — A fantastic player. I’d still like him to move the ball a bit quicker, but he has the ability to make matchwinning plays. In fact, that’s it — he’s a matchwinner.

He really bosses and controls his forwards too.

2 hooker

10 fLy haLf

Matthew Rees (Wal) — The Six Nations wasn’t really a tournament for hookers, and it’s such a key position.

This is a tough one, but Rees is so crucial to Wales in a really technical and tactical position that he’d be my choice. He has great experience and ability.

Rhys Priestland (Wal) — It’s a straight choice between Jonny Sexton and Priestland at the moment, but the Welshman just has that added attacking dimension with the individual threat he possesses. He didn’t have a great Six Nations, but he’s a player that impresses me with his composure and will get better every game.

3 TighThead prop Dan Cole (Eng) — Another tight one because Adam Jones has been great, but Cole has been a standout performer.

He demolished Ireland’s scrum, got the better of the French in Paris, and just looks totally reinvigorated under Stuart Lancaster. He’s going from strength to strength.

4 Lock Paul O’Connell (Ire) — O’Connell is really back to his best form, and his absence in the Six Nations cost Ireland badly.

He’s a dominant player in the second row who gives you that extra leadership quality alongside Sam Warburton.

5 Lock Richie Gray (Sco) — Scotland had a poor Six Nations, but Gray’s workrate and set-piece work really stood out. He tries to open his legs up whenever he gets his hands on the ball, and he’s constantly involved in the game.

6 BLindside fLanker Stephen Ferris (Ire) — This is an incredibly tough decision because Tom Croft and Dan Lydiate have both been superb, but Ferris gives the team a huge physical presence and he just never stops running. He’s a really good tourist, so the sort of man made for the Lions.

7 openside fLanker Sam Warburton (Wal, captain) — My natural choice at openside and as leader. He’s phenomenal around the park and has the ability to drive Wales on for years, as Richie McCaw has done for the All Blacks. His try-saving tackle on Manu Tuilagi was a tournament-winning moment.

8 numBer eighT Toby Faletau (Wal) — This time last year I’d have said Jamie Heaslip, but Faletau has done fantastically well in the last 12 months and epitomises the Welsh forwards’

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11 LefT Wing George North (Wal) — There were a few good wingers in the Six Nations, so this one is tough, but his impact this year alone has put North in the first-choice position for the wing. He’s such a powerful presence in the way John Kirwan once was. He has that ability to explode into the line, and was one of the finds of the Six Nations.

12 inside cenTre Jamie Roberts (Wal) — Another powerful centre, but he’s not only big and powerful — he’s very skilful, too.

He proved on the last Lions tour that the big games bring out the best in him, so I’d definitely have him at 12.

13 ouTside cenTre Manu Tuilagi (Eng) — One of very few Englishmen in my team. He has made a big impression on the international stage in a short space of time – and, more importantly, he has given England the go-forward they’ve needed.

14 righT Wing Tommy Bowe (Ire) — He’s got a great knack of scoring tries and being in the right place at the right time. All you want from a winger is someone who can score tries, and Bowe has proved he’s that man time and time again.

15 fuLL Back Rob Kearney (Ire) — He’s come back in great form after an injury lay-off, has put in some virtuoso performances and has been so solid under the high ball. He always looks for the opportunities to counter-attack and has a good kicking game as well.

Lawrence Dallaglio was talking to Mark Coughlan. The Dallaglio Flintoff Cycle Slam 2012 is proudly supported by Virgin Media.

See www.dallaglioflintoff2012.com

4 5

8 9 10

13 14 15

All photography Getty Images

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91 Days to go

Focus 2012

Table tennis

THE VENUE Table tennis is one of the seven Olympic sports that will take place in the vast expanses of the ExCel centre in London’s Docklands. Not one for the tourists looking to experience the impressive architecture of the Olympic Park then, but more one for the sports enthusiasts looking for fast-spinning balls and lightning-quick reactions.

THE EVENT The favoured pastime of footballers in need of wasting a few hours until game time, table tennis is one of those sports tried by most but mastered by few. At the Olympics there might be 86 men and 86 women battling for a total of four gold medals (men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s team events), but it’s almost certain that, come crunch time, it’ll be the Chinese who triumph.

The sport joined the Olympic programme in 1988, since when China has collected 20 of the 24 available gold medals. There has been one European gold-medal winner, though — the legendary Swede Jan-Ove Waldner, the ‘Mozart of table tennis’ whose touch and tricks around the table mean he’s considered one of the greatest players of all time.

After the Sydney Games of 2000, a number of rule changes were introduced to the sport in an attempt to make it a more popular televised sport. So out went the first-to-21, best-of-three-games format, and in came its

40 | April 27 2012 |

first-to-11, best-of-five (sometimes seven) replacement, with each player getting just two serves at a time instead of the previous five. The ball was also changed. It went from 38mm up to 40mm, with the idea being to increase its air resistance and thus slow the game down.

It’s still devilishly quick, though. So no blinking if you’re watching this summer, or you might just miss the whole thing.

TEAM GB’S PROGRESS “Following the team’s impressive results at the recent World Team Table Tennis Championships in Dortmund, where they rose nine places from their results in Moscow 2010, the squad are now heading to Shanghai to hone their skills at one of the toughest events in the table tennis calendar,” reports Richard Yule, chief executive of the ETTA and the team’s performance director.

“The GAC Group 2012 ITTF World Tour China Open (May 23-27) will provide the players with the biggest test of their abilities against the best players in the world. They will also spend time at a rigorous training camp to prepare themselves for the London 2012 Olympics.”

TABLE TENNIS AT LONDON 2012 DATES July 28 – August 8 CAPACITY 6,000-10,000 HOW TO GET THERE DLR, Park and Ride, cycling

GB hopeful

Paul Drinkhall

AGE IN 2012 22 MEDAL RECORD Commonwealth Games team event silver 2010, Commonwealth Games mixed doubles bronze 2010 The British number one is the player most assured of his place in the squad for the Games after recently moving up to a lofty 106 in the world rankings…

With 33 national titles to his name, Rotherham-born Drinkhall is undoubtedly Britain’s best male hope. But after failing to qualify outright so far, his fate is in the hands of the selectors. The 22-year-old and his girlfriend, female British number one Joanna Parker, are relying on filling two of six host-nation places available (three for each gender). Having funded himself for a training trip to China last year and uprooted to Italy, where he’s training with top players at Italian club Sterilgarda, Drinkhall cannot be accused of undercooking his Olympic preparations.

KEY EVENTS BEFORE LONDON 2012 World Olympic Qualification Tournament Qatar, May 10-13 Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images, Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Ping pong, wiff waff... whatever you like to call it, the Chinese don’t much care. They’ll still win everything

7 Days OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING wEEK AHEAD

APRILHIGHLIGHTS 27–MAY 3 » Premier League: Man City v Man Utd » p44 » Premier League: The Rest » p46 » Championship: Promotion Deciders » p46 » Rugby Union: Heineken Cup Semi Finals » p48 » Best of the Rest » p48

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7 Days MONDAY PREMIER LEAGUE | MAN CITY v MAN UTD | ETIhAD sTADIUM | sKY sPORTs 1 8PM

It’s up for grabs now

One giant leap towards the league title: but will it be City or United that finishes highest?

Not since Michael Thomas’ last-minute heroics for Arsenal in 1989 has a title race come as close to the wire as this. We’ve had Monday’s date pencilled in as a potential decider for months, but both City and United have been doing their utmost to cloud the narrative. First it looked like Roberto Mancini’s men would have it wrapped up well before the end of the season. Then, as the story took one unexpected turn after another, United seemed to have it sealed up – a five-point lead with five games left had to be unassailable.

At 1.45pm on Sunday, Nani – like Thomas 23 years previously – dinked the ball over a Merseyside keeper to give his side a two-goal lead and surely seal the title. The Old Trafford crowd had been certain from the start – ‘Why Always We?’ and other grammatical aberrations decorated their hand-painted signs as fans in the red half of Manchester (and yes, in London and China too, probably) anticipated a 20th league title. Fifteen minutes and another outrageous twist later, and it looks like we’ll get the kind of showdown that this topsy-turvy season really deserves.

We’re not usually ones for Sky-style hyperbole, but it feels like we’ve been building towards this epic finale ever since Sheikh Mansour put his considerable financial clout behind Man City back in January 2009. There have been flashpoints and draw-dropping moments: the acrimonious Tevez saga, Michael Owen’s last-minute winner in the league game at Old Trafford and the scarcely credible sight of the Reds conceding six at Old Trafford earlier this season are just some of the highlights of an explosive rivalry reignited.

We’re sure you know the facts, but let’s go over them again once more for posterity – a City win will take them top of the table on goal difference, with only Newcastle and QPR left to play. A United win or draw should mean the Premier League trophy staying in Fergie’s grasp for another year. Given the champions’ recent form, however, perhaps maintaining a three-point lead by drawing won’t be enough, with games against Swansea and Sunderland remaining. Whatever the result, it’s sure to be a pulsating local derby under floodlights at the Etihad – so cancel your plans and tune in as the league title is decided (probably). Will City dole out another thrashing? Can Fergie pull it out of the bag again? What odds on Tevez to score the winner?

£392,000,000 44 | April 27 2012 |

Hours of pre-match build up on Sky. Not really. This is the price of City’s tilt at the title in pounds – their net spend since Sheikh Mansour’s takeover.

By comparison, United have racked up a net spend of £21m over the same period.

August 28 – Game 3 City 9 United 9 City thrash Spurs 5-1 to lay down the gauntlet, but United go three better later that day, sticking eight past hapless Arsenal to go top of the table on goal difference.

October 15 – Game 8 City 22 United 20 October 23 – Game 9 City 25 United 20 United draw with Liverpool to let City go top, but worse is to come – a staggering 6-1 capitulation at the hands of their neighbours is United’s worst home defeat for 57 years.

November 27 – Game 13 City 35 United 30 December 12 – Game 15 City 38 United 36 City suffer their first defeat, a 2-1 loss at Chelsea, with a Frank Lampard penalty deciding it.

December 26 – Game 18 City 45 United 45 United draw level on points as they thrash Wigan 5-0, while City can only get a goalless draw with West Brom.

March 11 – Game 28 United 67 City 66 United go top for the first time since October as City lose to Swansea and the Reds win against West Brom.

January 1 – Game 19 City 45 United 45

March 26 – Game 30 United 73 City 70

January 4 – Game 20 City 48 United 45 United’s traditional Christmas strength fails them as they lose two on the bounce to Blackburn and Newcastle, but City can only open up a three-point lead after their New Year’s Day defeat to a Martin O’Neill-inspired Sunderland.

April 6 – Game 31 United 76 City 71

January 31 – Game 23 City 54 United 54 United old boy Darron Gibson scores his first Everton goal to seal a 1-0 win over City and help his former team draw level on points.

February 5 – Game 24 City 57 United 55

April 8 – Game 32 United 79 City 71 United extend their lead as City draw with Stoke and Sunderland, then lose to a late Mikel Arteta strike at Arsenal.

Mancini insists it isn’t over.

April 11 – Game 33 United 79 City 74 April 22 – Game 35 United 83 City 80 With the title seemingly sewn up, United go to sleep – losing at Wigan for the first time ever, then throw away a 4-2 lead over Everton to leave us with a tantalising finale.

Phil Oldham/Colorsport, Michael Regan/Getty Images, Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Tom Purslow/Man Utd via Getty Images, Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images, Gareth Copley/Getty Images, Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty Images

The story so far...

7 Days Saturday Wigan v neWcastle | DW staDium | 3pm Sunday chelsea v QpR | stamfoRD BRiDge | sky spoRts 1 1.30pm | Sunday tottenham v BlackBuRn | White haRt lane | sky spoRts 1 4pm

Around the grounds

While the spotlight focuses on Monday’s Manchester showdown, there are matters to be settled elsewhere in the table – and this weekend is going to go a long way to doing just that.

The three sides chasing that one Champions League spot – assuming Arsenal take third place – are all facing teams struggling to avoid the drop. Something has to give.

First up, fourth-placed Newcastle travel to Wigan hoping to avoid becoming the latest victim of the DW side’s revival.

Wins over Arsenal and Manchester United have renewed survival hope among Roberto Martinez’s men, as has the form of Victor Moses in particular. Inconsistency has been their problem all season, however, and Newcastle arrive on the back of six victories in a row. Alan Pardew’s men have Chelsea and Man City in their next two fixtures, so victory here is essential.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have yet another London derby to negotiate on Sunday, with the visit of QPR. After their European efforts, Chelsea have to switch their focus back to the top four quickly, with QPR in no mood to go down without a fight having seen off Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool recently. That said, they’ve have also lost to West Brom, Sunderland and Bolton in their past eight fixtures, so an early goal from the Blues could dent the visitors’ fighting spirit.

The final game of the ‘top v bottom’ weekend sees two of the league’s out-of-form sides go head to head as Blackburn face Tottenham. Harry Redknapp’s side have slipped from a guaranteed third to fifth within a few short weeks, and face a make-or-break final four games. Their home form has been slightly better than their away, with three wins and a draw in their last six – so they’ll be confident of the points here.

Saturday championship: southampton v coventRy | st maRy’s staDium | 12.30pm Saturday championship: West ham v hull | upton paRk | sky spoRts 1 12.30pm

Irons remain in the fire It’s the last day of the Championship on Saturday, and while most teams have nothing left to play for, there’s still the small matter of promotion to be decided.

Southampton’s failure to beat Middlesbrough last weekend, coupled with West Ham’s 2-1 victory at Leicester on Monday night, means Sam Allardyce’s men are still in the running. Just. The Saints go into the last day with a two-point advantage and the knowledge that they are facing an already relegated Coventry side at home. A win means promotion to the Premier League, while anything else leaves the door ajar.

The Hammers are at home to Hull, whose mid-table finish is already secured. A four-goal margin will be enough if Saints can only draw, while any win will do if Southampton fall to Coventry. The priority is just to win, however, plain and simple. After that, it’s just a case of hoping Coventry do them a favour down on the south coast.

EVERTON v FULHAM goodison park, saturday 3pm STOKE v ARSENAL Britannia stadium, saturday 3pm SUNDERLAND v BOLTON stadium of light, saturday 3pm SWANSEA v WOLVES liberty stadium, saturday 3pm WEST BROM v ASTON VILLA the hawthorns, saturday 3pm WIGAN v NEWCASTLE DW stadium, saturday 3pm NORWICH v LIVERPOOL aviva stadium, saturday 5.30pm CHELSEA v QPR stamford Bridge, sunday 1.30pm TOTTENHAM v BLACKBURN White hart lane, sunday 4pm

Premier League table 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Man Utd Man City Arsenal Newcastle Tottenham Chelsea Everton Liverpool Fulham West Brom Sunderland Swansea Norwich Stoke Aston Villa* QPR Wigan Blackburn Bolton* Wolves (R)

P 35 35 35 34 34 34 34 34 34 35 35 35 35 34 34 35 35 35 33 35

W 26 25 20 18 17 16 13 12 12 13 11 11 11 11 7 9 8 8 9 5

D 5 5 5 8 8 10 9 10 10 6 11 10 10 9 15 7 10 7 3 8

L 4 5 10 8 9 8 12 12 12 16 13 14 14 14 12 19 17 20 21 22

F 86 87 67 53 57 56 42 40 45 41 42 39 47 32 35 39 34 47 37 34

A Pts 32 83 27 80 43 65 42 62 39 59 38 58 38 48 37 46 44 46 47 45 45 44 44 43 60 43 48 42 48 36 57 34 60 34 73 31 66 30 75 23

*League table not including Aston Villa v Bolton (Tuesday)

46 | April 27 2012 |

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, Matthew Lewis/Getty Images, AFP Photo/Paul Ellis, Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

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7 Days tHurSday > taekWondo | euRopean CHampionsHips | spoRtCity, manCHesteR And she can certainly do that.

Her aggressive style means her teammates call her ‘headhunter’.

“I like the flashy kicks and punches,” says Jones. “And, if you lose concentration, you can get knocked out in a second.”

It’s a much more tactical game at the senior level, but Jones is aware that her ability puts her right at the top of it.

“I'm definitely the best ranked in my weight in Great Britain,” she says. “It’s just about keeping my performances up. The European Championships will be a good test, and on home soil as well.”

She seems unfazed by the pressure of flying the Team GB flag at a home Olympics, too.

“Competing in front of your home fans is a different kind of pressure,” she says. “But I’m going there for the gold. That’s what I’m going to try and achieve.” Jones is remarkably focused for someone so young, perhaps thanks to some advice from a sporting hero.

“Kelly Holmes is someone I've always looked up to, and she was working with me and mentoring me on mental stuff and keeping 100 per cent focused,” she explains. Jones will take that with her this Thursday, where she will hope to reaffirm those medal credentials.

Jade Jones is a Rising Star of the Jaguar Academy of Sport. For more information, visit jaguaracademyofsport.co.uk

Hard hitting Making the step up to the senior level of elite sport should never be easy, but someone forgot to tell taekwondo star Jade Jones.

The 19-year-old from Flint in north Wales will take to the mats at this week’s European Championships full of confidence ahead of the Olympics this summer.

It was very different a year ago. She’d won gold at the Youth Olympics in Singapore in 2010, and the World Championships in South Korea last May were her first ever senior event. Incredibly, she made it to the final, only to lose in a dramatic sudden-death situation.

“It was amazing,” she told Sport. I was gutted at first because I was one point away from being world champion. There was a lot of pressure, because the Olympic weights were going to get chosen. I knew that, if I did well, it meant there would be a good chance of my weight getting picked.” Jones’ weight (-57kg) did get picked, after a nervous wait, and she’s continued to perform well at the senior level, despite only switching to the full contact style used at the Olympics when she was 15.

“I started when I was eight,” she says.

“My grandad got me into it to keep me off the streets, basically, and to teach me how to defend myself.”

Saturday Rugby union | Heineken Cup semi final: ulsteR v edinbuRgH | aviva stadium | sky spoRts 1 5.45pm

BESt OF tHE rESt

CRiCket West indies v australia, 3rd test day 5, Roseau, sky sports 4 2.55pm

tennis Wta stuttgart final, porsche arena, british eurosport 6pm

HoRse RaCing bet365 gold Cup Chase, sandown, Channel 4 3.10pm

golf Zurich Classic of new orleans day 4, tpC louisiana, sky sports 3 8pm

FRIDAY

Final fantasy Few would have predicted this semi-final showdown three weeks ago, but Edinburgh head to Dublin tomorrow with Ulster standing between them and a place in their first ever Heineken Cup final. For the hosts, victory over European stalwarts Munster – and at the normally impenetrable Thomond Park – secured their place in the last four. It means confidence is high that they can send departing coach Brian McLaughlin on his way with some silverware.

Injuries are a worry for Ulster, but the return of Declan Fitzpatrick makes up for John Afoa’s suspension, while the dangerous backline appears to be at full fitness.

48 | April 27 2012 |

Rugby league Challenge Cup: featherstone v Wigan Warriors, big fellas stadium, sky sports 4 8pm

Add Stephen Ferris to the mix, and this is no easy task for Edinburgh. The Scots, though, are flying after knocking out four-time European champions Toulouse in the previous round.

That victory owed much to their powerful back row and a peerless kicking display from Greig Laidlaw. The same will be needed here.

In the other semi final, holders Leinster travel to Bordeaux to take on Clermont Auvergne on Sunday. Having eased past the English champions, the French side are coming into form at the perfect time.

Brian O’Driscoll’s return seems to have reinvigorated Leinster, but French teams don’t lose easily at home.

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SATURDAY golf ballentine’s Championship day 2, blackstone golf Course, icheon, sky sports 1 5.30am

football league one: sheffield united v stevenage, bramall lane, sky sports 2 5.20pm

TUESDAY snookeR World Championship Quarter finals, the Crucible, british eurosport 2 10am

SUNDAY football spl: Celtic v Rangers, Celtic park, sky sports 4 12.45pm motoRspoRt WtCC: Round 3, bratislava, british eurosport 1pm tennis atp barcelona open final, Real Club de tenis, sky sports 3 3pm CyCling tour of Romandie stage 5, british eurosport 3pm

football spl: Hearts v motherwell, tynecastle, sky sports 4 7.45pm

THURSDAY snookeR World Championship semi finals, the Crucible, sheffield, bbC two 1pm football Championshipplayoffs: semi final 1st leg, sky sports 1 7.45pm

Julian Finney/Getty Images, Stu Forster/Getty Images

Rugby union amlin Challenge Cup semi final: toulon v stade francais, stade felix mayol, sky sports 1 7.45pm

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P60 Johansson saves earth as the Black Widow. We knew she had superpowers

Extra time Kit

Making the most of your time and money

Serve with a smile If you’re going to emulate Andy Murray, getting your hands on the right racket is a good place to start

1 Prince EXO3 Rebel

A great option for intermediate to advanced players who love to put a bit of spin on the ball, the EXO3 Rebel has a decent sweet spot and a very forgiving feel. Plus we love the colour.

It’s the little things. £107 | sweatband.com

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The lighter version of Andy Murray’s racket of choice is perfect for controlling your stronger shots and is recommended for players prone to overhitting from the baseline. Murray uses a specially customised version, so we can’t guarantee this will make you quite as good as the Scottish/British (delete as appropriate) star. £175 | head.com

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A popular choice with beginners all the way up to professionals (especially doubles players, for some reason), the Pure Drive is great for adding spin and control to your powerful shots, and is also very forgiving. £160 | babolat.com

4 Dunlop Biomimetic 300

James Lincoln, jameslincoln.co.uk

Dunlop claims that the dimpling on their racket – similar to the outside of a football – helps it cut through the air with greater ease, allowing you to manoeuvre around the court quicker. And who are we to argue with them? £115 | sportsdirect.com

5 Wilson Juice 100 BLX

Specifically designed for a more aggressive style of play with explosive power, the Juice range of rackets are perfect for big hitters. If that’s not enough, Roger Federer uses a Wilson racket – so they must be doing something right. £140 | prodirectennis.com

50 | April 27 2012 |

4

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Extra time Rachel Christie

52 | April 27 2012 |

| 53

David Ellis/Celebrity Pictures

ell, it is an Olympic year, after all. And Rachel Christie has athletics in her blood, being the niece of one of our greatest Olympians, the man she refers to as Uncle Linford.

Unfortunately, that’s not necessarily what she’s best known for. In 2009, Rachel was named Miss England – but a couple of months later she handed back her crown following, let’s say, an alleged altercation with one of her rivals, the then Miss Manchester.

At the time, Rachel said she wanted instead to concentrate on her career as a heptathlete, with the aim of making the London Olympics. But illness followed and her athletics career was put on hold; something that became more permanent with the birth of her first child last year.

She’s still off the track, but then she’s still Linford’s niece. As David Coleman might say: “Errrr errrr, errrr, errrr, CHRISTIE!”

W

Golden genes

Extra time Gadgets

Project mayhem Or, if mayhem doesn’t take your fancy, try projecting business presentations or YouTube videos with our top smartphone...

Samsung Galaxy Beam Google hasn’t yet developed a brain implant that lets you zap images into other people’s heads, so if you want to share phone content with others you usually have to huddle round a small screen or deal with fiddly cables. Not with the Beam, though — it has an in-built HD 50-inch projector, so if you have a blank wall you can share videos, maps and games with your friends, or just shine your text messages into their eyes. £TBC | samsung.com

Sony Xperia S A slick design reminiscent of Sony’s Vita handheld, and the similarities continue — the Xperia S is PlayStation certified, so it’s optimised for console-style gaming. We’re most impressed by the slick messaging interface, which will let you fire off super-quick texts in between games.

Free on £36/month plan | t-mobile.co.uk

HTC One X

LG Optimus L3

A slick addition to HTC’s range, and a real rival to the iPhone thanks to its glorious camera, which lets you take stills while shooting video, and improved Beats audio integration for great music listening. It also makes phone callls.

The L3 is the entry-level (read: cheapest) model in LG’s L-series of Android smartphones. Its best feature is the lengthy battery life, perfect for all the productive things (read: Angry Birds) you’ll be doing with your new phone.

£29 upfront on £29/month plan | three.co.uk

From £80 | lg.com/uk

Alcatel One Touch 990 Joining the smartphone revolution doesn’t have to be expensive, so put away those plastic cups and string. This budget option has everything you’d expect for a fraction of the price — it runs Android Gingerbread OS, and has a 5MP camera to boot. £80 | alcatelonetouch.com

54 | April 27 2012 |

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Extra time Fragrance Special

Boys of summer

NGT by Nougat for Men Amber & Vetiver Geranium and rhubarb are the slightly unusual ingredients that infuse the heart of this new fragrance from NGT by Nougat for Men. It works, though, leading into the scent’s definitive base notes of, yes, amber and vetiver.

Looking for a new scent to take you into those long, lazy days of summer? Look no further than our big three-page special, with a little something for everyone

£35 for 100ml | April nougatlondon.co.uk

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Extra time Entertainment

Hammer time

FILM

Marvel’s new superhero film hits the nail on the head, while Tom Cruise shows he still packs the tools for an action hit DVD

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

MUSIC

Avengers Assemble It may feature a surplus of heroes, but Marvel’s comic book team-up offers an overdose of fun to match.

Key to the film’s success is the cast’s chemistry. Robert Downey Jnr (Iron Man), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Scarlett Johansson (The Hulk) and the rest zing one-liners with panache – and, while the plot is

BLU-ray

the standard save-the-worldagainst-the-odds stuff, the final action sequence is exceptional.

On top of all this, director Joss Whedon also delivers by far the best Hulk film yet made as Mark Ruffalo (sorry, it’s not Scarlett after all) nearly steals the whole damn film. In a word: smashing.

BOOK

Treme Season Two

...Little Broken Hearts Norah Jones The girl with the honeyed voice but easy-listening back catalogue teams up with Danger Mouse to make a heartbreak album that’s more playful than you might fear. The super-producer blends strings, guitars and synth to create a warm backing to Miss Jones’ husky vocals, but it’s the sassy pop songs (such as Say Goodbye) where this top-class collaboration hits its heights.

60 | April 27 2012 |

David ‘The Wire’ Simon’s take on post-hurricane New Orleans is a funky drama for a cool city.

The soulful jazz music soundtrack is a highlight of this second season – and, while the plot moves slowly at times, HBO series reward you in the long run. Just don’t expect Eddie Murphy to show up in a fat suit — this is slick, classy stuff.

MUSIC Crown and Treaty Sweet Billy Pilgrim

Telling Stories Tim Burgess From the tragic death of fellow Charlatan Rob Collins to blowing drugs up the back passage of his bandmates (a ‘Manhattan-powdered doughnut’, he calls it – not one that’s on sale at our local bakery), Tim Burgess covers all bases in this tell-all autobiography.

Happily for Charlatans fans, the big-fringed front man is equally open when talking about the band’s music and the impact it’s had on his life.

Crossing genres as artfully as they merge melodies, 2009 Mercury Prize nominees Sweet Billy Pilgrim return with a new album. Swirling instrumental backing and wistful vocals pervade, but there are punchier elements here than previously, such as the aptly titled Joyful Reunion. A sweet step in the right direction.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images, Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Ignore the Scooby Doo title, this fourth entry in the M:I series will leave you panting with excitement.

Scrappy Tom Cruise may not be en vogue any more, but he’s a perfect action star: a (not-quite) lifesize Action Man who bounces off buildings and leaps from moving cars, yet can keep pace in comic exchanges with Simon Pegg. The plot features Ethan Hunt and his team going rogue, but the glue here is the spectacular action, the (literal) high point being a vertigo-inducing skyscraper climb. Giddily enjoyable and out on Monday.

“READY FOR THE CHALLENGE”

JENSON BUTTON. WORLD DRIVERS’ CHAMPION 2009

BOSS BOTTLED. SPORT. THE NEW FRAGRANCE FOR MEN

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