Sport magazine 335

Issue 335 | December 13 2013

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Contents Issue 335, December 13 2013 Radar 06 Tube trainers

What you get when Nike and the London Underground merge to become one. It’s a beautiful thing

08 Get shirty

The only way to wear a replica shirt without being labelled a Full Kit Wally.

Or anything else, for that matter

10

Sandro

We speak to the Tottenham and Brazil midfielder about his season so far, the World Cup and some fella called Gomes

oFeatures this coming week

20 Andy Murray

Sport’s athlete of the year on the summer – and the final – that saw him make British sporting history

28 Leigh Halfpenny

20

The Cardiff Blue talks us through his stellar 2013 for Wales and the Lions

33 Mo Farah

GB’s distance-running hero on his double-double, and why Branson’s backyard is his favourite place

36 Annus horribilis

A quartet of Brits who won’t be even a little bit sorry to see the back of 2013

39 World Cup draw

10

The ties that are already making us salivate with expectation

33

Extra Time 54 Grooming

Giftsets that will get you in your good lady’s (and/or good man’s) good books this Christmas. Good, eh?

58 Gadgets

62

39

The gizmo that could give you a valid excuse for swerving the gym

62 Entertainment

The Hobbit: part deux, plus the return of Ron Burgundy | December 13 2013 | 05

Radar

p08 – Relive Andy Murray’s Wimbledon success on a gentlemanly DVD

p10 – Sandro on teaching Tottenham’s attack how to score a screamer

Feet on the seats T

he Venn diagram of trainer enthusiasts and people who buy London Underground upholstery probably has quite a lot of overlap. Nike have tapped into that with the Nike x Roundel by London Underground Air Max collection – two designs to celebrate the Tube’s 150th birthday featuring the striking pattern used on District Line seats in the 1980s.

The first 150 pairs will be released at 6.30am on Saturday, at a pop-up store in Piccadilly Circus station. So get in there quick, because they’re limited-edition. So, unlike the Tube carriages, there won’t be another lot along in a minute.

Out December 14 at selected retailers 06 | December 13 2013 |

Toe the line: both pairs (above and left) feature the iconic London Underground roundel embroidered on the tongue

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Radar

Hot club time

machine

T

here’s something comforting about old kits, whether it’s because they remind you of former glories, or because by wearing them you automatically become hipper than anyone sporting this season’s effort (bonus points if the shirt sponsor no longer exists). Whatever the reason, you can add a touch of taste to your fandom with the shirts on offer at camporetro.com. There are official replica kits and clothing, including classic Liverpool and Manchester United efforts (right). There are also plain kits available in a range of styles designed to match various eras – including, brilliantly, a range reflecting how football used to look on black and white TV (above, left).

From £25, camporetro.com

Murray magic

08 | December 13 2013 |

Pool/Getty Images

A

ndy Murray’s greatest triumph of 2013 is, of course, being crowned Sport’s athlete of the year. But if you fancy reliving his other success in all its flag-waving, arm-pumping glory, then there’s no better way to do it than with the Wimbledon: Official 2013 Collector’s Edition. It includes footage of Murray’s victory, plus acclaimed documentary Andy Murray: The Man Behind the Racquet. Savour it – if Scotland gets independence, we’re back to square one.

From £15.14, amazon.co.uk

Radar

WARMER. COOLER. LIGHTER.

Sandro ToTTenham and brazil midfielder

CONFIDENT WHEN IT MATTERS

How are the new signings settling in?

“The more we play together and train together, the more we will improve as a team. It is normal that, with some of the new players being in the Premier League for the first time, they will need some time to adapt to the way of life here: the food, the weather, the culture, and also the style of football.

Everything is different. I remember when I first came to England, and it was not an easy time for me. But we are lucky to have a good team around us, and we will all help each other to improve day by day.”

Why do you think the team has been struggling to score goals?

“The goals will come. We have some of the best attacking players in the league, and if any of them want some advice from me, I can teach them how to score like I did against Manchester United…”

Can you wait for the World Cup? “As a Brazilian footballer, it is fantastic to think that the World Cup will be in

10 | December 13 2013 |

my country next summer. To secure my place in the team, I know that I will have to play to a very high level between now and the end of the season with Tottenham. Brazil always has a strong team and, ahead of the World Cup in our own country, there is even more desire among the players to represent the Selecao. I know that there are some excellent players in the same position on the pitch as me.

I have to work as hard as I can until June to show the manager that I deserve to be in the squad.”

How have you settled in England?

“I love life here in England. When I first arrived at Tottenham things were a little difficult, but learning to speak English has made such a big difference. It was frustrating at the beginning not being able to communicate with people – at the training ground or on the pitch with my

teammates, or even something simple like going into a restaurant or a shop.

It is much better now that I can talk to people! In my spare time I like to relax with my family. I play the guitar and have now started to learn the piano.

And I love to take my dog out walking.”

Who do you spend your spare time with?

“I am lucky that we have a good group of players at Spurs. [Heurelho] Gomes has been my best friend since I first arrived – he really helped me to settle into the club and is such a good man.

I spend a lot of time with the other South American players at the club, like Paulinho and Erik Lamela, and I’m always joking around with some of the other boys like Gylfi Sigurdsson, Kyle Walker and Michael Dawson.”

Have you thought about starting a band with some of the other players?

“I’ve heard some of the other players sing, so I think to start a band would be a disaster! Gylfi is good on the piano, though, so maybe there is hope!”

Volkswagen Golf GTI & Underworld have collaborated on an experience that aims to redefine the meaning of driving music.

Go to facebook.com/VolkswagenUK

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H2FLOW allows you to control your body’s temperature. The concept is based on insulation that uses air to provide warmth, and ventilation that lets you control the airflow to cool you down when necessary. hellyhansen.com/h2flow

W

e had a chat with the screamer-scoring, pitchvomiting Tottenham man who has one eye on the World Cup

Radar Editor’s Letter Massive personality: victory for Ryan Giggs in 2009 had us looking as puzzled as the man himself usually does

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Commercial

Personality defect

The bigger the BBC try to make it, the more I come to dislike Sports Personality of the Year

Editor Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

amount of live sport actually broadcast by our beloved Auntie appears to fall at the same time?

Maybe I’m just being cynical, but how much do you really care about who lifts the famous trophy this weekend?

The correct winner would be Andy Murray, but Britain’s first Wimbledon champion in 77 years won’t be at the event because he never is – instead preferring to focus on his career as he builds to a return from back surgery with his usual winter training camp in Miami. And quite right, too.

We live in an era of outstanding British sporting achievement – contrast with 1997, when Greg Rusedski won the award for not quite winning the US Open, and Tim Henman came second for not quite winning anything at all – yet I find it bewildering that almost any brilliant British performance is immediately placed in the context of a largely meaningless award that is still months away from being dished out. In the aftermath of his historic Wimbledon victory in July, do you think Murray really gave a fig about how it affected his chances of being named Sports

Personality (in itself a complete misnomer – why not simply ‘Sportsperson’?) of the Year some five months later? Yet you can bet your life some drone on The Bloody One Show (to give it its full title) was bleating on about his chances of picking up the accolade the following day.

Don’t get me wrong: I grew up adoring the show as one of my favourite televisual experiences of the year – but for its ability to brilliantly edit the sporting year into two nostalgic and compelling hours of television, not because somebody in a suit (or dress) held aloft a trophy and mumbled some platitudes at the end of it. Sadly, the Beeb seem determined to turn one of the former jewels in its crown into yet another sparkly pageant of reality television.

Because there aren’t enough of those already, are there?

The match-fixing scandal that broke last weekend looks set to be a relatively fast-moving affair, but my overriding reaction to seeing the footage of Sam Sodje claiming he could arrange for players to pick up cards in exchange for cash was this: you absolute imbecile. Greed and idiocy make for potent and dangerous bedfellows. I hope Sodje is one of very few within the game to fall prey to it.

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ave you noticed how the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award seems to acquire greater prominence with every passing year, while the

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Radar Opinion

It’s like this…

Bill Borrows

Flats on Friday

David Lyttleton

L

A case for keeping it short

I

have a friend of restricted inches.

I don’t mean in the trouser area (although I am in no position to either confirm or deny this), but in terms of his general height. He is what is commonly referred to as a shortarse.

He’s not so small that he can’t get on the big rides at Alton Towers. He’s just not very tall.

Unfortunately for him, he hangs around with lots of tall people – no idea why, he just does. He’s about 5ft 6ins. Consequently, he has an issue about his status while vertical.

His party piece is telling you the height, in either the metric or imperial format, of any famous person you might care to mention: Sylvester Stallone is 1.75m tall and not 1.77m, as widely quoted; Vladimir Putin is a full 15 centimetres shorter than Barack Obama; Nikolai Valuev lost to David Haye despite having a seven-inch greater reach – that kind of thing.

Anyway, I mention it now because there is a new trend for using attacking players with – euphemism alert – ‘a low centre of gravity’.

The two leading goal-scorers in this season’s Premier League, Luis Suarez and Sergio Aguero, are both under six feet tall; Wayne Rooney is the same height as Sly, and he’s much taller than Lionel Messi (1.69m). When Jesus Navas (1.72m) scored for Manchester City against Tottenham the other week and got busy celebrating with Aguero and Samir Nasri (1.75m), the arrival of Yaya Toure

14 | December 13 2013 |

made it look like an adult had turned up to take the under-nines home.

My friend is convinced that the recent caps for 6ft-plus Daniels Sturridge and Welbeck, Ricky Lambert and Jay Rodriguez is a throwback to a less sophisticated era, and the key to England’s almost guaranteed failure in Brazil – even Rooney is ‘borderline too tall’. His thinking is that it encourages the national team to resort to the kind of football that has contributed to a sustained lack of success since 1966.

As an Arsenal fan, he pointed to the famous reluctance of Arsene Wenger (1.91m) to sign any player taller than himself – but, as I explained after taking him out of the booster seat, my friend’s masterplan would leave us with Jermain Defoe (1.67m) up front with Jack Wilshere (1.72m) in the hole. Then I patted him on the head, ruffled his hair and sent him on his way to the sweetshop. @billborrows

Plank of the week

Teddy and Charlie Sheringham, FA Cup draw Is that it? Arsenal-Tottenham and Bolton-Blackpool?

Total non-event. They always rehearse the draw in the studio, so we should be allowed to press the red button and go for the first version – even if it was picked by a sound engineer and a janitor.

ast weekend I went to a sports awards dinner with a difference. Yes, there was a spraying of luminaries in the room and yes, the venue was suitably magnificent. But it wasn’t really about that. I was sitting two spaces away from Sir Steve Redgrave, and what was interesting to observe was that even he, the most celebrated of men, spent approximately no time at all talking about himself.

Redgrave received a lifetime achievement award and his acceptance speech was short and sharp. He also presented an award to a young girl who, despite her tender years, is taking British rowing by storm. This time they could hardly shut him up, so enthused and frankly emotional was he during the perfectly pitched video of her achievements to date. He was like a father watching his little girl become her own person, and he was visibly moved by her mental toughness and mature approach to life.

This event was designed to recognise sports stars of the future, and the kids on show were astonishing.

One little girl was a tennis champion from a young age, smashing girls years older with the sort of regularity that makes the top pros take notice. Then she went to the doctor’s surgery and was told she would neither walk nor play tennis again. As we in the cheap seats wiped tears from our eyes, she just got on with it.

“I saw a wheelchair and thought I’d give it a go,” she said, as if she had decided on apple juice instead of orange with her toast. Now she is a champion there, too, and she indeed walked on to the stage to collect her award, where she spoke with a clarity and power that belied her minuscule physique.

Jaguar put on the event, as they do every year, as part of their Academy of Sport. They help these kids, be it with funding for flights to tournaments or medical advice, and they do it for the right reasons. One could label it a PR exercise, and it does fill that slot nicely, but the reality is substantially more reassuring. I asked the boss of Jaguar UK why he continued with the academy.

“Because these kids are just so bloody wonderful that they deserve everything we can give them,” he said.

It reminded me of what it felt like to be a young, excited sportsman. It was the best feeling in the world knowing that, the odd obstacle excepted, I was fortunate enough to hold my destiny in my hands.

Actually, we all do. As we approach the new year, why not issue yourself a challenge? Pick something you think you’ll never achieve, pick a charity for whom you can raise some cash, and find a way to manage it. You will feel fantastic, I promise.

Before leaving, I stopped for a chat with boxer – and top bloke – Anthony Joshua.

“Gotta get me one of them 20-inch necks, man,” he shouted as I walked over, and we exchanged, bizarrely, neck-strengthening tips. “Stay hungry, man!” he shouted as I left. “Gotta stay hungry.”

He has it just right. @davidflatman

Frozen in time

16 | December 13 2013 |

When it snows in Philadelphia, it doesn’t do so by halves. You’d have thought that the Detroit Lions, cunningly playing in white (you may just be able to pick out the form of running back Joique Bell thanks to the number on his back), would have an advantage over the Philadelphia Eagles, but no.

The Eagles ran out comfortable 34-20 victors and the only question was: why oh why didn’t they use an orange ball?

| 17

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Snow blind

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e t e l h At e h t of 2013 eY A r How do you top a year like 2012? And can anyone stop Novak Djokovic? Those were two of the burning questions we posed in January – some seven months before Andy Murray answered them both, on one historic (and incredibly sweaty) Sunday afternoon in July. Who better, then, to open Sport’s annual Athletes of the Year issue than the Wimbledon champion?

20 | December 13 2013 |

ANDY MU RRAY Wimbledon champion being pelted with balls thrown by a group of people that includes his own agent. Murray’s struggling.

Mostly because he can’t stop himself from laughing as he tries to thank “all those people who have voted for me” while taking a series of direct hits to the head from some admirably accurate shots.

The stunt is a forfeit Murray’s been told to pay by way of apology – he’s been named Best British Sports Star at Radio 1’s Teen Awards, but won’t be able to attend the ceremony to pick up his trophy.

Amid the onslaught he manages to say: “It’s been a great year on the court and… aah, that was in the eye, that one… and I’ll try and be there next year so I don’t have to deal with this nonsense.”

The camera stops rolling, but the balls keep flying in Murray’s direction for a few seconds longer. All he can do in response is laugh.

Some six weeks have passed since Murray underwent what turned out to be season-ending back surgery in a bid to clear up the issues that have plagued him in recent seasons. He’s mobile, but moving around carefully – and any twisting motions are made from the neck up.

“For the first two weeks after the operation, I wasn’t allowed to do anything at all,” he recalls when Sport steps in to relieve him from his ball boy duties. “I was pretty much just lying down all day to let the wound heal, because if I sat up I could pull at it. Those two weeks were really tough. But it made the first 10 days or so of rehab feel quite fun, because I was able to start moving around again –

after sitting down for that long, anything at all is gonna be fun.”

Sport’s Athlete of the Year is spending the day at Queen’s Club, where he’s launching Head’s new Graphene Radical racket – his weapon of choice for the 2014 season. We speak to him just yards from the court where Murray lifted his third trophy of 2013. It came on a day that started with the downcast news of a rain delay and ended with the surreal sight of London Mayor Boris Johnson wielding a wooden racket for a celebrity exhibition match in aid of the Royal Marsden Hospital, where Murray’s close friend Ross Hutchins had been undergoing chemotherapy.

“It was a great day,” says Murray. “We raised a lot of money for a good cause and Ross came on court at the end and hit a couple of balls – that was the first time he’d picked up a racket since hearing the news about six months earlier. Then a few days later, Ross got the news that he had the all-clear.

So, yeah, that was a good few days.”

BACK ON SAFE GROUN D

It reveals the depth of Murray’s feelings for Hutchins that his foremost memories from that day are all related to the health of his friend.

He makes no mention of the ridiculously oversized trophy that he won for a third time, or of the fact that he entered the tournament having not played competitively since retiring midway through his second round match with Marcel Granollers at the Rome Masters four weeks earlier, skipping the French Open entirely. k | 21

Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

A

ndy Murray is sitting bolt upright in a chair trying to deliver an awards acceptance speech to camera. At the same time, he’s

Athletes of the Year “I knew that if I took a bit of time off, and then started to build it up slowly and do all the right rehab and physio work, that I could make the most of it,” Murray says of the enforced break.

“And, going into the grass-court season, I knew that it was the best surface for my back. It’s softer and the ball is bouncing lower and coming through quicker, so you don’t have to generate as much power through rotation – that’s what was giving me the problem. Luckily, I made the right decision to miss the French Open, so I was 100 per cent ready to play well at Wimbledon.”

Ready? Yes, but not, strictly speaking, 100 per cent. “I was taking painkillers every day during Wimbledon, but I didn’t have to have any injections.

When you have an issue like that, you just have to do a lot of physio work. So before and after all my matches, I’d see the physio for an hour. It’s not like when I was 18 or 19, when I could play a match, I didn’t need to stretch or see a physio afterwards and I’d wake up the next morning and feel fine.

Things start to hurt now, unfortunately. So, yeah, I suppose the back was a bit of an issue.”

CALM BEFORE T HE STORM

Even so, Murray eased past Benjamin Becker, Yen Hsun-Lu, Tommy Robredo and Mikhail Youzhny to reach the Wimbledon quarter finals without dropping a set. Then came the drama. Up against tenacious Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, Murray lost the first two sets. With Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal having already bid early farewells to SW19, it appeared another upset was imminent – to those watching, at least.

“In that situation, you do obviously start to think ‘what if?’ and those sorts of things,” says Murray.

“But you know that the best thing to do is to think about what you can do to stop that from happening – to stay in the present and ask yourself: ‘What can I do to turn the match around?’ Not: ‘Oh, what happens if I go out?’ Thankfully I managed to do that just in time and take it into a fifth set. But it was so close – it could have gone either way, really.

Luckily I just managed to get the break at the end [to take the fifth set 7-5].”

A semi final against the 6ft 8ins Pole Jerzy Janowicz followed, giving Murray’s superb return game its biggest test yet against a serve that had been broken just four times throughout the tournament. It was a tense affair, with Murray’s temperament challenged at two sets to one, when the decision was made to close the roof because of fading light. By 9.37pm, though, the Scot was through to his second successive Wimbledon final, with one day to prepare himself for the toughest mental test of his career so far: another winnertakes-all clash with world number one Novak Djokovic.

“I actually dealt with it much better this year than I had the year before,” he says of the Saturday that separates the men’s semi-final winners at Wimbledon from their fate. “Probably just because I’d been through the experience before. I practised in the morning and spent the afternoon watching a video of my [final] match against Novak at the Olympics with Dani [Vallverdu, Murray’s hitting partner] and Ivan [Lendl, his coach]. We watched the whole match, which is two hours or so, and just tried to get a good night’s sleep.”

22 | December 13 2013 |

“I wA S TAkING PA INkILLERS Ev ERy dAy dURING wIMBLEdON, B UT I dIdN’T HAv E TO HAvE ANy INjE CTIONS” TE MPERAT UR E R ISIN G

“I felt good going to the match, but that last 45 minutes to an hour or so before I got on the court was pretty intense,” Murray says when we ask him about the hours immediately leading up to the final.

“There’s not just pressure on me, but on the rest of the team as well. I knew they were feeling it and were nervous too – I could sense it. Just before I walk out on to the court, I say a few words to all the guys. But I honestly can’t remember what they were now – or even what the last thing anyone said to me was. It all becomes a bit of a blur.”

After a 2012 in which Murray won Olympic gold in front of an expectant home crowd and followed that by breaking his Grand Slam duck, he says he went into 2013 expecting the pressure to have dropped off a little.

“But what I actually felt on court in the final was different to anything I’d ever experienced before,” he explains. “It was a very new feeling for me.” k

A N dy M U R R Ay I N 2 0 1 3 Brisbane International: champion Australian Open: final Indian Wells: quarter final Miami Masters: champion Monte Carlo Masters: third round Madrid Masters: quarter final Rome Masters: second round (retired) Aegon Championships (Queen’s): champion Wimbledon: champion Rogers Cup: third round Cincinnati Masters: quarter final US Open: quarter final Davis Cup tie v Croatia: Won both singles and doubles (with Colin Fleming) and seals Britain’s return to the World Group

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Athletes of the Year

Couple that feeling with an oppressive on-court temperature of around 40 degrees and an opening rally lasting some 20 shots, and you begin to get a sense of the task that faced Murray on July 7 2013.

“Most of the time when I play Novak, there’s a lot of long rallies and long points,” he says. “I expected that. But the heat was brutal – it was horrible.

By the end of the match, I was drenched and struggling to breathe because it was just so hot.”

BETTER T HE DEV IL YOU K NOW?

The man who occupied the other half of the court from Murray was no stranger. They had met frequently on the junior circuit and played 18 times as seniors before that sweaty afternoon at Wimbledon (Djokovic had won 11 of those meetings and three of their four matches at Grand Slams).

There are no secrets, then, when Murray and Djokovic engage in battle.

“We know each other’s games and personalities really well,” says the Scot. “Which means I know how he responds to things. Sometimes he looks like he’s really tired, then the next minute he’s running well and playing great tennis again. With some players, you look over and see they’re frustrated and think: ‘Oh, that’s good – I’ve got him.’ With other players, like Novak, you know to be wary because he’s going to come back. There aren’t too many surprises when we’re out there.”

After almost three hours of gruelling tennis that had seen him win the first two sets and snatch the critical break of serve at 4-4 in the third, Murray sat down heavily in his chair. One more game to become Britain’s first Wimbledon men’s singles 24 | December 13 2013 |

champion in 77 years. One more game to bring an end to the ‘will he, won’t he’ debate that had followed him from the moment he first stepped foot inside SW19 as a scrawny junior with exciting talent. And one more game to prove to himself that he could just bloody do it.

TORTUO US TIMES

“Obviously at that moment when you sit down and you’re about to serve for the match, you realise that you’re very close – but actually I wasn’t too bad,” Murray explains. “I just thought about where I was going to hit my first serve on the first point, and that was the only thing I had in my head. I took a few drinks, tried to slow down my breathing and then got up: ‘Right, let’s go and do this.’ Then I went back to it again: ‘This is where I’m going to serve.’

“I think I ended up missing the first serve [he did], but that wasn’t really relevant because it stopped me from thinking: ‘I’m about to serve to win Wimbledon.’ I was purely thinking about which direction I was going to hit that serve. Once I got to 40-0 in that game, and was serving for the match, that was when I started to think: ‘I’m about to win.’

But 15 minutes later the game was still going – you learn a lot from situations like that.”

That final, tortuous game saw Murray squander three match points before Djokovic repeated the feat with three break points. And then, finally, it was over. The Murray cap was discarded, mother Murray was in tears and 15,000 people on Centre Court pointed their camera phones at the sweaty Scottish man wandering around the court in a state of confusion.

“It was weird, I didn’t know exactly how to react, says Murray. “Partly because the last game was so draining. I’ve watched that game five or six times since then, because when I came off court I couldn’t remember it at all – I had no idea what had happened.

“After I won the US Open last year, I struggled to sleep – I didn’t feel tired at all, and barely slept for two or three days. But literally 30 minutes after the Wimbledon final, I was sitting waiting to do the drug test and I was exhausted. I didn’t want to move I was so tired. There was so much stress and pressure at the end that it took everything out of me.”

The year might not have ended exactly how Murray would have hoped, but the double Grand Slam winner isn’t phased by the challenge that lies ahead – that of getting back to the peak of his physical powers. Neither is he in any doubt as to what’s on his most wanted list, now that the lifelong dream of winning his home Slam has been realised: “I was asked earlier: ‘Would you rather win Wimbledon again or win the Australian Open?’

I’d love to win Wimbledon again – of course I would – but what motivates me is trying to do things I’ve never done before and experiencing new things, like trying to win one of the Grand Slams I haven’t won. That’s what’s exciting to me.”

With awards season now in full flow, Murray’s momentous achievement this summer is guaranteed to rank him top of many people’s lists.

We make no apologies for joining them.

Sarah Shephard @sarahsportmag

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“O NcE I gOT TO 40 -0 IN THaT gaME, aND WaS SERVINg fOR THE MaT cH , T HaT WaS WHEN I STa RTED TO THINK: ‘I’M aBOUT TO WIN.’ BUT 15 MINUTES LaTER THE gaME WaS STILL gOINg – Y OU LEaRN a LOT fROM SITUaTIONS LIKE THaT”

CHR IS TINE OHURUOGU Round and round in circles, golden everywhere Despite missing out on gold at her home Olympics last year, Christine Ohuruogu bounced back in trademark fashion to have her say in 2013. The queen of the late surge pulled yet another one out of the hat at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow in August, leading only in the very last stride of the 400m. In doing so, she broke a British record that had stood for almost 30 years and became the first female British athlete to win two world titles. A no-brainer for our hallowed list.

“Christine prefers to float under the radar, keep chipping away and then: bang! She comes out and produces the goods. Again.”

Former Olympic and world heptathlon medallist Kelly Sotherton is in no doubt that Christine Ohuruogu deserves to be included as one of our athletes of the year, even if she does prefer to operate away from the limelight and save her very best only for the more important meetings.

“She gets criticised for only producing at the major championships, but who cares?” asks Sotherton. “At the end of the day, your medals are what you have when you retire. You don’t take Diamond League wins with you, and records will always be broken – but no one can take your medals away. Every year she goes out there, and every year she produces. With each year that passes, Christine is becoming a sporting legend.”

After securing what many felt to be a surprise silver medal behind Sanya Richards-Ross at London 2012, Ohuruogu headed to this summer’s World Athletics Championships in Moscow as a live medal chance for Great Britain. She progressed to the 400m final, where she took her place in a field that looked likely to be dominated by hot favourite

and defending champion Amantle Montsho. No one had told the 29-year-old Londoner, however, and Ohuruogu delivered a typically well-paced run to dramatically overhaul the seemingly uncatchable Montsho with her very last stride. Up in the commentary box, Steve Cram went ultrasonic.

“She has great patience,” explains Sotherton.

“She waits her turn, allows everyone to do what they need to do, and then she comes through.

Because she is so strong and that’s the way she trains, it is totally natural for her to race that way.

She is a silent assassin.”

A silent assassin whose three outdoor golds at international level make her the most successful female athlete these shores have ever produced.

Ohurugou is quiet and unassuming, says Sotherton, but also deadly astute and, away from the public eye, outgoing and bubbly. She may not possess quite the marketability of London 2012 golden girl Jess Ennis-Hill, but that doesn’t lessen her achievements.

“Christine has won back-to-back Olympic medals and is a double world champion,” says Sotherton.

“She is not just one of the best female athletes, but also one of the finest athletes we have ever had.”

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1 | December 13 2013 | 27

Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images

Athletes of the Year

Athletes of the Year

European rugby’s super 15

Team sports rarely throw up dominance to match Leigh Halfpenny’s stellar 2013.

Named Player of the Tournament after Wales’ successful Six Nations campaign, the Cardiff Blue was then picked for the Lions tour to Australia, where he helped kick the team to a first series win in 16 years – breaking records held by Jonny Wilkinson and Neil Jenkins along the way.

The best player in Europe sat down to relive his incredible year with us.

28 | December 13 2013 |

How great was the Six Nations win over England?

“Oh, it’s up there with one of the best games I’ve ever been involved with, definitely. Just singing the anthem that day was incredible. The band cut out and let the stadium take over, and the roof was closed so the atmosphere just stuck. I’ve never experienced anything like that atmosphere.”

And you were named player of the tournament.

“It was a huge honour to receive that award, but it’s a team sport, and I wouldn’t have been able to receive that if it wasn’t for my team. I’m very lucky to be involved in such a great squad of players and coaches, so I just feel really privileged.”

Can you describe how great the Lions tour was?

“It was the best experience of my life. It was just such a great group of guys; the quality of players

on that tour was immense, and to have won the series was pretty special.”

Your kick in the second Test would have won the series. How tough was it to deal with missing?

“I knew it was short as soon as I struck it, and the feeling after was absolutely devastating. There wasn’t a moment that went by in the next few days where I wasn’t thinking about it. You don’t get many second chances in sport, but I was lucky enough to be selected for the final Test, and I just used that disappointment and hurt to motivate me and make sure I’d take my chance if it came again. Luckily, we blew Australia off the park and I didn’t have to.”

You broke a few records along the way [most points on a Lions tour, most points in one Lions Test]. How aware were you of those at the time?

“Not at all. I was just told after the game and it was amazing because Jonny [Wilkinson] and Jenks [Neil Jenkins] are both incredible players. I just played my game, then found out afterwards and had a bit of a laugh with Jenks. To have done that was mind-blowing really. Much like most of the year!”

Mark Coughlan @coffers83

David Rogers/Getty Images

Leigh haLfpenny

What a year. Can you sum it up?

“It’s just been a dream come true. You set yourself goals at the beginning of seasons, but I could never have imagined it being the year it has been. I don’t think it’s sunk in – and I don’t think it will for a long time. Maybe it’ll sink in once I’ve retired!”

Athletes of the Year

St uart B road A 27-year-old English medium-pace bowler

W

e’re aware that, when picking an England cricketer for 2013, many judges

would chime in on behalf Ian Bell, who batted sumptuously throughout the Ashes series in England. But he’s not our cricketer of the year. On a purely statistical level, Stuart Broad has had a great year. He took 12 wickets in two Tests against New Zealand in the summer (at an average of 15.91) and has taken 33 Australian wickets – and counting – in seven Ashes Tests so far (at an average of 25.97). Whisper it, but his Test bowling average has sneaked under that of James Anderson, making him England’s premier strike bowler.

But statistics do not do justice to this blond-locked, poker-faced, traineradjusting, titanium-balled titan. When Australia, those renowned defenders of the spirit of cricket, came over all faint at Broad coolly waiting for the umpire to decide whether he was out or not after he nicked the ball to the wicketkeeper (Brad Haddin juggled it to first slip, where it was caught), Broad became a damned figure in the series. How did he respond? With a burst of six wickets for 50 runs in the fourth Test in Durham, to seal an Ashes win for England.

Next stop Oz, where Broad arrived a pariah. The Brisbane media refused to use his name, referring to him as “the medium-pace Pom”, while even less flattering descriptions probably came his way via the crowd in the opening Test.

How did he respond? With a five-wicket haul on day one after Australia had won the toss. After which Broad raised the Kookaburra ball to all sides of the ground – to no small amount of sporting applause.

Things have not gone quite to plan for England since (you may have noticed), but at least the Aussie love of Mitchell Johnson and co has taken the heat off of the dislike of Broad. After all, Australians should recognise someone so similar to many of their own, past and present: a tough, competitive, world-class cricketer who’s never more dangerous than when he feels his back is against the wall.

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ronnie o’sullivan Quiet: genius still at work oing into the 2013 World Championship, Ronnie O’Sullivan had played one

match in the preceding season: a loss to the then-world number 76 at a minor ranking event in Gloucester. Still, at least he got in some good practice while away from competitive play – with his local take-away delivery driver.

“He comes round and plays me in the day, and then delivers Chinese food in the evening,” explained Ronnie. “His name is Alex, and he’s a good lad.”

That O’Sullivan then cruised to a successful defence of his world snooker title – besting young pretender Judd Trump and 2012 runner-up Ali Carter on the way – wasn’t even a big surprise. Once he announced he was competing, he was immediately installed as one of the favourites. What’s remarkable about O’Sullivan circa-2013 is the way he still plays snooker. In 1993, a chubby-cheeked 17-year-old O’Sullivan beat Stephen Hendry (no less) to win the UK Championship.

In the 20 years since, he’s battled addictions and depression, tested positive for cannabis, quit a game mid-match, punched an official and threatened to retire from snooker altogether on approximately 1,027 occasions.

All the while, Old Father Time has been against him. For attacking snooker players who rely on sharp eyes and co-ordination, the ageing process isn’t kind.

They tend to adapt and become more conservative, cannier players – or they fade away. Yet here’s O’Sullivan – 38 this month – still playing a dashing brand of snooker. Still the most fluent potter in the game. Still able to position the white ball as if he was placing it by hand. Still lining up a red while the referee hurries to re-spot the black. If he’s slowed at all from his rapid-fire youth, it’s only a jot.

It isn’t just The Rocket’s continued successes that impress in 2013 (he also won the first ever Champion of Champions event in November), it’s the way he continues to play like a man 15 years younger than he is. Enjoy it while you can: this is the most gifted player ever to put fingers to baize.

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Athletes of the Year

Doesn’t do things by halves.

Or even singles

Double gold at London 2012, the arrival of twin daughters, and a signature move gaining fame the world over: after his epic 2012, Mo Farah could be forgiven for slacking off in 2013. Instead, he broke the European 1,500m record in Monaco before winning two World Championship golds in Moscow – a feat that made him just the second man in history to achieve the ‘double-double’. We caught up with Farah to relive another outstanding year for Britain’s finest ever distance runner.

You’ve said you weren’t feeling 100 per cent that day. How much did that defeat help to push you on?

“I don’t show it a lot, but I do hurt inside, and you have to do something about it when that happens.

I had a training session soon after, and I made sure I was on the floor afterwards. I’m that sort of person.”

You broke the European 1,500m record in July.

How does that compare to your medals?

“If felt great, but records are there to be broken – medals are forever. I got myself fit and did a lot of speed work before that event, but I knew anything could happen. I went out thinking I could run a good race. But I crossed the line, looked at the time and was like: ‘What? I can’t believe it!’”

Describe how it feels to win the ‘double-double’.

“It was indescribable. [Laughs] Sorry, that doesn’t help. It was amazing to think I’m only the second person to ever do it [after Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele in 2008 and 2009], and it was just awesome.”

Did you feel any extra pressure with the 5,000m, knowing you could write your name into history?

“Not really, because the 10,000m was the only one I hadn’t won before. I’d won the 5,000m already [at the 2011 World Championships], so it was a case of going out there to try to achieve this other goal.”

2013 has been another amazing year for you.

Can you pick out a highlight?

“On the track? Winning the 5k after the 10k, and knowing I had wrapped it all up. Off the track?

Going to Necker Island [Richard Branson’s private island]. It was brilliant – the best time of my life.

It was so chilled, nothing bothered you and you could just do what you liked.”

Mark Coughlan @coffers83

Mo Farah’s Twin Ambitions: My Autobiography, published

by Hodder & Stoughton, is out now priced £20 | December 13 2013 | 33

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MO FAR AH

Was it difficult to motivate yourself after last year’s success?

“A bit, yeah. As an athlete, it’s harder when you win something because you’ve been working to get to the top. When you’re there, you’ve just got to think about staying there, and who’s coming for you. I knew [the other competitors] were all like ‘get him, get him’, so that helps – and getting beat [at the Prefontaine Classic] in May helped as well.”

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We applaud the men and women whose outstanding performances in 2013 deserve an extra round of applause

NON STA NFORD

CHA RLeY HULL

TAi WOFF iNDeN

RACHeL ATHeRTON

ITU Triathlon world champion

Professional golfer and Solheim Cup hero

Speedway world champion

A

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Mountain bike world champion, British champion and World Cup champion

she mused it would be years before she could hope to drop the ‘Under-23’ part from her title. Instead, the 24-year-old did it in 11 months.

Going into the final race of the season in Hyde Park this September, Stanford was third in the world rankings. With 13 points separating her from America’s Gwen Jorgensen in first place and only five from Germany’s Anne Haug in second, Stanford would have to cross the line first or better the results of her rivals to be crowned world champion.

An eventful race started with Haug enduring a nightmare swim, losing two minutes on her rivals. Then Jorgensen stuttered, crashing on the bike and retiring in tears. Stanford ploughed on, building a commanding lead in the 10km run. Even a time penalty of 15 seconds (for not placing her wetsuit neatly enough into a box) couldn’t stop her finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of the chasing pack, making her the first woman in ITU history to win consecutive world Under-23 and elite titles – a feat only Alistair Brownlee, on the men’s side, has previously managed.

USA ragged in the Solheim Cup, the teenage scamp shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not going to die if I hit a bad shot,” she said. “Just hit it, find it and hit it again.”

They were the sort of words we once heard from the great Seve Ballesteros at his most nonchalant, and he’d have been proud of the 17-year-old’s fearless performance.

She notched Europe’s first singles point on the final day, dismantling the decorated Paula Creamer 5&4 (then promptly asked her utterly bewildered victim for an autograph).

But Hull had really shown her star quality the previous evening, with a shot so fearless it drew gasps from her teammates and opponents alike.

On the par-3 17th in her fourball against the unfortunate Creamer and Lexi Thompson, Hull watched Thompson hit a brilliant tee shot to five feet. Hull, the calmest person on the golf course, took on the greenside bunker and hit hers two feet closer.

It was a perfect shot, executed in the fiercest heat of battle.

Thompson missed the putt, Hull holed out and Europe had a new teenage golfing sensation.

year ago, Non Stanford was coming to terms with winning the World Under 23 Triathlon title. Then,

ow, everyone wanted to know, had Charley Hull managed to stay so calm? Having just run the mighty

ith stretched earlobes and a kaleidoscope of tattoos,

speedway racer Tai Woffinden doesn’t really fit the typical clean-cut sporting hero image, particularly when you find out that the letters inked across his knuckles stand for ‘Does it look like I give a f**k?’ His achievements this year, however, are undeniably impressive.

The 23-year-old is fast becoming the poster boy for his sport after becoming only the eighth British rider to win the World Speedway Championship. Woffinden was born in Scunthorpe but raised in Australia, although he moved back to the UK at the age of 16 to pursue his racing career. He currently races for Wolverhampton Wolves in the Elite League, and this year was just his second full Speedway Grand Prix season. But he put in a series of consistent results, finishing on the podium five times in 12 races.

Despite breaking his collarbone in a crash, and then again with just a month of the season remaining, Woffinden rode through the pain barrier in the final round to clinch the points he needed and become the first British world speedway champion for 13 years. Turns out he does give a f**k, after all.

T

he 26-year-old from mid-Wales completely dominated women’s downhill mountain-biking in 2013,

winning the National Championships, four World Cups, the World Championship and the World Cup overall title. With her career total of World Cup wins now at 19, she has also now become the most decorated British mountain biker in the history of the sport.

Her success comes five years after she became the first British woman to win the UCI Downhill World Championship in 2008, aged just 20.

But a freak accident the following year, when she collided with a pick-up truck while out on a training ride, put her out of action for an entire season after she sustained a dislocated shoulder that later required a nerve graft. Her return to the peak of the sport is a story of remarkable determination.

Hailing from a family of mountain bike racers – her two brothers have also raced professionally – Atherton started racing bikes at the age of eight and has always had her siblings in her sights: “Dare I say it, I’m not as fast as the boys yet – so maybe that’ll happen one day.” | December 13 2013 | 35

Warren Little/Getty Images, Stephen Dunn/Getty Images, Anders Wiklund/AFP/Getty Images, Red Bull Content Archive

UN SUNg H e R O eS O F 20 1 3

Athletes of the Year

Athletes of the Year

Mon ty Pan esar DaviD Hay e

Joe Ha rt

BraDley wiggins

T

T

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F

for 198 runs in a thrashing by Australia). But Panesar will be remembered for his slashes rather than Ashes deeds in 2013. Getting tanked up in Shooshh Club in Brighton and being asked to leave, reportedly because he was bothering women, was a pretty ordinary start. Monty then unleashed his python and peed from the promenade above the waterfront and – by accident – on to the venue’s bouncers below. The doormen gave chase to Panesar, who was caught in a fast food joint, arrested and given a £90 fine for being drunk and disorderly in the wee hours.

All this after the 31-year-old had been dropped by his then county, Sussex, earlier in the summer.

More a lost soul than a terrible bloke, it’s hard not to feel sympathy with Panesar. Let’s hope in 2014 he’s remembered more for turning balls, rather than displaying his own.

louder mouth in non-stop bullshit machine Tyson Fury. Still, he’d have a chance to shut him up when they met in the ring for a tasty domestic heavyweight clash. Or not. This year saw Haye twice pull out of scheduled bouts against Fury; first with a cut in sparring in September, then following shoulder surgery in November that may have ended the Bermondsey boxer’s career.

Two-weight world champion Haye has achieved a lot in the past, but back in 2009 and 2010 he was touted as the man to end the Klitschko monopoly and bring excitement back to the heavyweight division. Since then, we’ve had his passive challenge of Wladimir Klitschko, injuries, excuses, jungle jaunts, retirements and one in-ring appearance in two years. If his career does end on such a damp squib as 2013, it will be a disappointing – yet apt – finale.

his year has ended with Monty Panesar back in the England Test team (albeit taking two wickets

36 | December 13 2013 |

he Hayemaker has always had a sizeable yap to match his big punch, but in 2013 he met an even

e’re blaming Andrea Pirlo. Ever since the Italy playmaker gave Joe Hart il cucchiaio (or ‘the spoon’, as Italians referred to his dinked penalty) in the Euro 2012 shootout in response to Hart’s goalline gurning, the England keeper has struggled. As 2013 wore on, it became less a case of a run of bad form, more a marathon of mistakes.

From rubber-wristing the ball into his own net against Scotland in August to his inept display for Manchester City against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Hart’s decision-making has been poor and his shot-stopping erratic.

Finally, after Hart came needlessly haring out of his goal once too often (costing City a late goal in their 2-1 loss to Chelsea in October), he was benched. With his place under threat for both club and country, he needs to rediscover his sharpness of 2010 and 2011 if he wants to avoid being sat making faces on the bench – rather than on the pitch – at the 2014 World Cup.

rom hero in 2012 to zero in 2013.

Well, not quite - but Sir Brad has had a year to forget. His stated aim in April was an ambitious Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double. Crashes, punctures and a chest infection meant he didn’t finish the former.

Injury stopped him from even starting the race for the Maillot Jaune.

This in itself isn’t a huge shock: Wiggins is 33 years old, and cyclists can’t keep punishing their bodies forever (how did that Lance Armstrong do it for so long, eh?).

What also coloured Wiggins’ 2013 is jokingly telling a compere to “suck me off” (maybe not the done thing at a charity dinner in aid of Barnado’s), plus the more serious November allegation that Wiggins paid a bonus to each of his 2012 Tour de France teammates except for Chris Froome.

He reportedly only did so after Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford intervened.

That said, Wiggo has always been a total gent when Sport has spoken to him. Here’s hoping he finds his best form, on and off the bike, next year.

Gareth Copley/Getty Images, Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Michael Regan/Getty Images, Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

a ro ck y H o rro r s H ow

Injuries, piddling excuses, poor form and partying – not necessarily in that order. It has been a year to forget for this British quartet

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World Cup Draw

worldin waiting The balls have stopped rolling. The group games are set. We bring you five fixtures to look forward to from the World Cup draw, map England’s road to the final and see what the press in Costa Rica, Uruguay and Italy say about facing the Three Lions

Five mouthwatering matches

Buda Mendes/Getty Images, Alex Livesey/Getty Images, Yorick Jansens/AFP/Getty Images, Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

Group B: Spain v Chile Rio, June 18, 8pm (all matches GMT)

Spain’s 2-1 win over Chile in the third game of their largely 1-0-paved road to the 2010 World Cup final was the equivalent of breaking up a six-hour slog up the motorway by stopping at a service station for a go on the arcade machines. They’ve played the South Americans twice since then, and needed 90th-minute goals for a 3-2 win in 2011, and again for a 2-2 draw in September this year. Chile are an exciting prospect – they’ve revived their swashbuckling style under Jorge Sampaoli, and proved too much for England earlier this year.

Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez (above) is their main threat, as the Spanish know only too well. Spain’s imperious facade is starting to crack, like a colonial house in southern-hemisphere heat, as they try and bed in new talent. Their first game is against the Netherlands, so this one could be crucial if they want to top the group and avoid Brazil in the last 16.

Group C: Colombia v Ivory Coast Brasilia, June 19, 5pm

There are nine fixtures in the World Cup group stage that have never been played before (ever), including future beatings you won’t need a Minority Report precog to detect, such as Spain v Australia, and potentially embarrassing upsets like Costa Rica v England. The pick of the ‘new’ games, though, is Colombia v Ivory Coast.

Didier Drogba will be 36 by the time the tournament starts, but he’s been banging in the goals for Galatasaray and this will be his last chance to shine on the international stage.

Radamel Falcao (above) has also been defying his age, literally, according to some reports – he’s been accused of being 29 and not 27, as he claims, although the AS Monaco striker has strenuously denied this. However, he remains a clinical finisher – only Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez scored more than him in South American qualification.

Group D: Italy v Uruguay Natal, June 24, 5pm

Almost half of the Uruguayan population can trace their roots back to Italy after waves of migrants arrived by boat in the 19th century, so there’s a cultural history to this match-up. More importantly, it also brings together some outstanding footballers. Edinson Cavani is one; he scored twice as these two played out a thrilling 2-2 draw in the Confederations Cup third-place playoff in Salvador earlier this year – an outstanding game that was eventually won by Italy on penalties. Italy manager Cesare Prandelli has been trying to bring in some fresher faces to combine with the experience of Andrea Pirlo (above) and Gianluigi Buffon, with Napoli wonderboy Lorenzo Insigne and Alessandro Diamanti (once of West Ham) making their mark.

England play Costa Rica at the same time, as Group D comes to an end. We’re not going to judge you if you watch this instead. k | December 13 2013 | 39

World Cup Draw

Group G: Germany v Portugal Salvador, June 16, 5pm

Group G is a corker, with the USA, Ghana, Portugal and Germany. It probably deserves the Group of Death title, because it contains four good teams.

Choosing the best tie is tricky. Germany v Ghana has potential, and it’s what we’d normally opt for – but we’re put off because the teams played each other in the group stage of the previous World Cup, with Germany 1-0 winners thanks to a volley from Mesut Ozil. We’ve opted instead for the opening group game: Germany v Portugal. They don’t play each other that often because they’re usually both seeded for qualification, though they met in the group stage of Euro 2012 (German won 1-0), but since then Die Mannschaft have refreshed their squad with some exciting young talents. And for Portugal, of course, there’s Cristiano Ronaldo (above) – enough said.

The first knockout game Belo Horizonte, June 28, 5pm

The group stage is undeniably great, particularly if you’re unemployed or a student, with multiple games on every day. But towards the end it can drag a little bit – especially if you’ve had to sit through a 0-0 England draw with Algeria (comfortably the worst game we’ve ever seen).

It’s the knockout rounds that tend to live longer in the memory, and the first round-of-16 game of this tournament looks set to be particularly tasty.

It will pit Brazil, if they win Group A, against the Group B runners-up: Spain, Chile or the Netherlands (with apologies to Australia). In temperate Belo Horizonte, it should allow both teams (whoever they are) to play with a high tempo, and it’s perfectly positioned UK time, on a Saturday afternoon. It will mark the moment when the tournament really swings into action. We can’t wait.

The English press greeted the draw with their unique combination of sensationalism and despair, but how did the press in Uruguay, Italy and Costa Rica greet the news?

The Italian press were generally confident – although they point out that Group D is the only one with three World Cup winners.

A poll on Goal Italy suggests that Italians see Uruguay (with 63 per cent) as the most dangerous, followed by England, with 26 per cent of the vote. Il Messaggero describes drawing England as “irksome”, but suggests that “it could have been worse, with either Holland or Portugal”. Gazetta dello Sport carries quotes from Italy coach Cesare Prandelli suggesting that Group D is the hardest group, while former England coach Fabio Capello says the Three Lions are still too reliant on Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard.

The Uruguayan press are surprisingly down on their own chances – newspaper El Pais says the draw didn’t bring the team a lot of luck, and has dropped them in a “nightmare group”, while El Observador points out that La Celeste face two of the longest journeys, with trips to Fortaleza and Natal.

Costa Rica’s La Nacion warn of the “lethal attacks of [Edinson] Cavani, [Mario] Balotelli and Rooney” and the “ideas of greats such as Andrea Pirlo and Steven Gerrard”. More than anything, they seem most concerned about the Uruguayans’ “defence-devouring duo” of Luis Suarez and Cavani, although they also pick out Rooney as “always sharp and dangerous”.

Brazil Colombia

Portugal

Argentina

Road to the final

A very optimistic look at a potential route to English World Cup glory

Brazil

Spain Ivory Coast 40 | December 13 2013 |

Argentina

Martin Rose/Getty Images, Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images, Savo Prelevic/AFP/Getty Images

What do the others think?

Rules of

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cOUNTDOWN T Former England international Mark chamberlain talks about the Three Lions’ chances in Brazil next summer 42 | December 13 2013 |

he World Cup fate of the Vauxhall-sponsored England team was decided last Friday, when Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica were placed in Group D alongside the Three Lions.

So with the countdown to next summer now well and truly on, make sure you keep up to date with all the latest England news via www.vauxhallfootball.co.uk, where you can register for the Vauxhall Football Newsletter. Registering also means you’ll be first in line to hear of how you could win a trip to Brazil.

One man who knows all about playing for England is former international (and father to current England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain) Mark Chamberlain, who was on hand at Vauxhall’s World Cup draw event in London to give Sport his view on the task ahead of Roy Hodgson’s men.

“I think the general consensus is that it’s not the easiest draw, but it’s not the hardest, either,” he explains. “I actually think the boys might be a bit disappointed

Scan QR code to see an interview with

Mark Chamberlain

they haven’t drawn a Spain or Brazil, but it’s a good draw.

“Italy are the worry in that group for me.

Tactically they’re usually quite sound. I went to the Euros in 2012 and watched the game we played against them there – we were quite negative with the team we set up.

Andrea Pirlo (below) is 34 and he ran the show. So I was disappointed that we didn’t put it on him a bit more and close him down.

WIN!

TO BRAZIL I think Roy Hodgson will have looked at that, though, and he won’t make the same mistake again. He’s got Alexander [OxladeChamberlain], he’s got Andros Townsend, Ross Barkley (right) – all these guys who have no fear and will just go out and play. I’m certain it will be a different performance and a different result.”

Chamberlain has experience himself of playing one of the teams in England’s group: Uruguay. “It was on a tour to Brazil,” he says. “I had a very good game against them, actually. It’s great to play the South Americans – they play in a different way and are very flexible in their movements in terms of how they interchange positions.

So England will have to learn on their feet, but they’ll have all the data on them and will do all the analysis before they get to Brazil, so there won’t be any surprises there.”

LOOkINg TO ThE fUTURE

Chamberlain believes Hodgson’s approach to the World Cup in Brazil should focus on

the long term for the Vauxhall-sponsored England team: “I was asked earlier about Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, and I think the pair of them have been fantastic servants for England – they’re in the team because they deserve to be, but I also think we have to integrate the new young talent that’s coming through.

You’ve got to be thinking ahead about Euro 2016 and the World Cup in 2018.

“As for this tournament, I think we will get out of the group. And if we can top it then you’re looking at the quarter finals or semi finals, I think. But success for England, in my eyes, is about getting these young boys involved, and trying to get as far as we can.

“If we get those young ones that experience and do that job right – which everyone says we are trying to do – then we should be looking to be one of the seeded teams come the 2018 World Cup. Then we can go there with a bit of expectancy and have all the other teams fearing playing in our group.”

Head to

WWW.VAUxhALLfOOTBALL.cO.Uk/mARkchAmBERLAIN now for your chance to win an England shirt signed by Mark Chamberlain. And don’t forget to register for the Vauxhall Football Newsletter while you’re there, to keep on top of all the latest England news and be first in line for the chance to win a trip to Brazil, courtesy of the England team sponsor, Vauxhall.

fOLLOW Us

@VAUxhALLENgLAND

| 43

7 Days

DEC 13-DEC 19 HIGHLIGHTS » Football: Premier League » p46 » Boxing: Kevin Mitchell v Brunet Zamora » p48 » Darts: PDC World Championship » p48 » Rugby Union: Heineken Cup – Harlequins v Racing Metro » p50 » NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder v LA Lakers »p50

OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

FRIDAY > CRICKET | THIRD ASHES TEST: ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | WACA GROUND, PERTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA | SKY SPORTS 2 2.30AM

The pitch for Mitch So, we’ll start with the bad news. England are 2-0 down in the Ashes and have not won in Perth, scene of this week's third Test, since 1978.

Thirty-five years ago, a David Gower century and a five-wicket haul by Bob Willis got the job done, and England could do worse than recall both.

The tourists look tired, beleaguered, lacking in concentration and seemingly technically unable to cope with a man with a moustache bowling fast at them. Mitchell Johnson (pictured) will certainly get more life out of the WACA wicket than he did in Adelaide (although that was quite enough) – Perth is always quick, and Johnson blew England away there in 2010.

And that was before he learned to bowl straight.

While England’s batsmen have made starts – they have six 50s to their name – they have failed badly as a unit: an Englishman has walked back to the pavilion without reaching double

Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

figures a total of 25 times in two Tests.

44 | December 13 2013 |

England’s clear point of difference – a world-class spinner in Graeme Swann – has chosen now to produce his worst form in an England shirt. His video diaries are quite good, however.

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7 Days

Premier League

Saturday cardiff v west brom cardiff city stadium | 3pm

The title race reaches its most interesting weekend yet, with two of the favourites facing off and the champions looking to stop the rot before it’s too late Saturday manchester city v arsenal | etihad stadium | bt sport 12.45pm

Neither side has a single win in their past five matches, both managing just two draws and three defeats.

The Baggies are at least still scoring, though. Malky Mackay’s side haven’t notched in their past three games, and have scored just 11 in 15 league games so far. After spending £10m on Peter Odemwingie (above, celebrating his one league goal) and Andreas Cornelius (yet to start in the league because of injury), Mackay needs to start seeing some return.

Saturday hull v stoke | kc stadium sky sports 1 5.30pm

After four clean sheets (including their Champions

Arsenal have won once in their past five Premier

Home form is said to be crucial to

League win over Marseille), Arsenal finally conceded

League visits to the blue half of Manchester, Nicklas

surviving relegation, and Steve

last weekend – the Barcelona-owned Gerard Deulofeu

Bendtner scoring the last of Arsenal’s three goals in that

Bruce has proved he has the formula

netting a scorcher in Everton’s 1-1 draw at the Emirates.

game. The Dane found himself on the scoresheet for the

– 14 of Hull’s 18 points have come at

first time since April 2012 (when he netted for Sunderland

the KC. The previous meeting there

could come up against another special Spaniard in

in a 2-2 draw with Bolton) against Hull last week – not that

between these sides – in November

Manchester City’s David Silva – set to return to Premier

Pellegrini is likely to be too concerned by the ponytailed

2009 – saw Hull’s Jan Vennegoor

League action after more than a month on the sidelines

pulveriser. He might, however, have noticed Arsenal’s

of Hesselink score a 90th-minute

with a calf injury. Not that Manuel Pellegrini’s side have

away form is as good as their home form this term.

winner. Stoke scored a late one of

This weekend, Gunners goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny

much missed him much (on home turf, at least). They’ve

The Gunners snatched a draw on their last visit to the

their own against Chelsea courtesy

scored 16 goals in their past three league games at the

Etihad, thanks to a late Laurent Koscielny strike that

of Oussama Assaidi (pictured) last

Etihad, including a 6-0 thrashing of Tottenham that will

cancelled out Joleon Lescott’s first-half goal. The same

weekend, giving the Potters a timely

have given Arsene Wenger plenty to think about.

result would be enough to keep City at bay, for now.

pre-Christmas confidence boost.

46 | December 13 2013 |

Saturday everton v fulham | goodison park | 3pm

Saturday newcastle v southampton st james’ park | 3pm

Saturday west ham v sunderland | upton park | 3pm

Stoke’s late winner might have

Rene Meulensteen has his first

Newcastle have 15 points from their

With a five-point gap between

caused a headache or two for Jose

Fulham win, but a second is unlikely

past six games; Southampton have

them and safety, Sunderland can’t

Mourinho (pictured), but Chelsea

to come on Saturday. Everton boast

one from their past four. Differing

afford to keep losing games, and

remain unbeaten at home this

the longest unbeaten run in the

form books at St James’, then, and

two points on their travels this

season, have picked up 10 points

league (eight games), have the

the fact the Magpies have won the

season doesn’t bode well ahead of a

from 15 in recent weeks, and are the

latest ‘bolter for Brazil’ in Ross

past six home meetings between the

trip to east London. On the plus side

league’s joint-third highest scorers.

Barkley (pictured) and are living the

duo won’t help Mauricio Pochettino.

for Gus Poyet, West Ham have the

Speaking of scorers, Tony Pulis’

loanee-led life of Riley. Of Everton’s

That Dani Osvaldo and Jay

worst home form in the league, only

front two have fired in three in their

23 goals this season, 11 have been

Rodriguez have stepped up to take

winning once at Upton Park since

past two games. A reinvigorated

scored by Toffee temps, but

the pressure off Rickie Lambert

the opening day. Brief moments

Crystal Palace have conceded just

Roberto Martinez won’t care (not

comes as some relief, but with

of brilliance from Ravel Morrison

once in five, too, but their resolve

yet, anyway). Stopping them might

Tottenham and Everton to come

(pictured) aside, the Hammers lack

will be tested by the boys in blue.

worry his opposite number, though.

over Christmas, Saints need points.

a goal threat without Andy Carroll.

Sunday aston villa v manchester united | villa park sky sports 1 1.30pm

Sunday norwich v swansea | carrow road | 1.30pm

Sunday tottenham v liverpool | white hart lane sky sports 1 4pm

Premier League tabLe P

W D

L

F

A

1

Arsenal

15

11

2

2

30

11

35

2

Liverpool

15

9

3

3

34

18

30

Pts

3

Chelsea

15

9

3

3

30

17

30

4

Man City

15

9

2

4

41

15

29

5

Everton

15

7

7

1

23

14

28

6

Tottenham

15

8

3

4

15

16

27

7

Newcastle

15

8

2

5

20

21

26

8

Southampton 15

6

5

4

19

14

23

9

Man Utd

15

6

4

5

22

19

22

10 Swansea

15

5

4

6

21

20

19

11 Aston Villa

15

5

4

6

16

18

19

12 Hull

15

5

3

7

13

19

18

13 Stoke

15

4

5

6

15

20

17

14 Norwich

15

5

2

8

14

28

17

15

3

6

6

17

21

15 14

It should come as a relief to David

Nine different scorelines in their

After all the summer signings and

15 West Brom

Moyes that Aston Villa’s league

last nine games means the Canaries

big spending, it’s Jermain Defoe

16 Cardiff

15

3

5

7

11

22

15

3

4

8

13

19

13

1

10

14

26

13

home record against Manchester

are difficult to predict right now.

(pictured) who has helped stop the

17 West Ham

United is atrocious – 1995 was the

They are unbeaten at home since the

rot at White Hart Lane, ploughing a

18 Fulham

15

4

last time Villa beat the Red Devils in

start of October, though, and have

lone furrow (yet still not scoring) in

19 Crystal Palace 15

4

1

10

10

22

13

20 Sunderland

2

2

11

12

30

8

Birmingham. United have seen two

an in-form striker in Gary Hooper,

two straight 2-1 wins. A brace might

similar records come to an end

who has bagged in all three of their

not be enough for Tottenham here

recently, however, with Everton and

recent wins. Swansea, meanwhile,

– Liverpool have fired in nine goals

Newcastle winning at Old Trafford

have failed to win in their past four

in the past 10 days, five of them from

for the first time in years. With no

post-Europa Premier League games,

Luis Suarez. With the injured Steven

wins in four in the league and two

so will be hoping to avoid another

Gerrard ruled out and upcoming

draws from two on the road, the task

Euro hangover. With Jonjo Shelvey

trips to Manchester City and Chelsea,

for Moyes (above) grows by the day.

on the pitch, anything can happen.

Liverpool need him on song here.

15

11

Danny Graham’s goal on Monday means 11 players have now scored against a former team this season

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

| 47

All pictures Getty Images

Saturday chelsea v crystal palace stamford bridge | 3pm

7 Days Saturday Boxing | Kevin Mitchell v Brunet ZaMora | the excel, london | SKy SportS 2 8pM

A feast of fisticuffs Eddie Hearn serves up a fight card that’s stacked like pancakes on Shrove Tuesday in London this weekend. Nominally headlining is Kevin Mitchell (pictured, right), as the popular lightweight takes on Cuban-born Italian Brunet Zamora. The latter boasts an impressive 25 wins and just one loss on his CV and has been talking big about causing an upset, but he is 39 years young. If the 29-year-old Mitchell has plans to crack elite level at lightweight, this is a must-win.

The card lost one Olympic Anthony with the withdrawal of heavyweight Joshua, but has another as middleweight Anthony Ogogo goes for his fourth straight pro win. It will be London 2012 bronze-medallist Ogogo’s first fight since July; but after a rest to allow a niggling hand problem to clear up, the charismatic 25-year-old is now injury-free for the first time in years and looking to add to his impressive professional performances so far.

On the same bill, exciting welterweight warrior Lee Purdy fights unbeaten Leonard Bundu, while world-class Brits Martin Murray (middleweight) and Jamie McDonnell (bantamweight) are involved in stay-busy bouts. It’s unlikely that anyone will leave the ExCeL on Saturday – or maybe the wee hours of Sunday morning – feeling short-changed.

Friday > dartS | ladBroKeS pdc World chaMpionShip | alexandra palace, london | SKy SportS 1 7pM

Rope-a-dope The final of last year’s PDC World Championship was a minor classic, with Dutch raging bull Michael van Gerwen going into the deciding match a slight favourite over old hand Phil Taylor. However, in scenes reminiscent of – nay, far greater than – Muhammad Ali beating George Foreman, ‘The Power’ Taylor reeled in the youngster and old-manned him out of the title, coming from 4-2 down to claim a famous 7-4 win.

It would make a dream final again for this World

Scott Heavey/Getty Images, Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

Championship, but there’s lots to get through before then. Taylor (right) starts tonight against either Rob Szabo or Ian Moss (who play a preliminary first), while van Gerwen begins on Tuesday, against either Ben Ward or the impressively named Zoran Lerchbacher.

The pick of the first-round matches, however, looks to be a battle between two former finalists on Saturday. Gary Anderson, runner-up in 2011, will start a favourite over 2005 finalist Mark Dudbridge, but the heavy-scoring Anderson is erratic with his finishing.

The 40-year-old Dudbridge has a chance of an upset, having returned to form of late after a barren few years.

48 | December 13 2013 |

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7 Days FRIDAY NBA | OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER v LA LAKERS | CHESAPEAKE ENERGY ARENA, OKLAHOMA CITY | BT SPORT 1 1AM

King Kobe back on the road The LA Lakers begin a

conscious management

four-game road trip in

keeping their powder

Oklahoma on Friday night,

relatively dry in the

against a side that is 10-0 at

off-season, Durant and

home so far this season. But

Westbrook are the side’s

with Kobe Bryant (pictured)

only two powerhouses –

making his long-awaited

but many believe two isn’t

return from an achilles

enough to see an NBA side

rupture last weekend,

through to the latter stages

the Lakers will hope his

of a post-season.

comeback is enough to help them break that streak.

For the Thunder, the form

In a rematch of the 2012 Conference semi finals (which Thunder won 4-1),

of Kevin Durant and Russell

Lakers will be second

Westbrook has been

favourites to win here. But

crucial in keeping their

with Bryant regaining his

championship dreams alive

touch with every game,

this season. With a budget-

don’t discount an upset.

SunDAY RUGBY UNION | HEINEKEN CUP POOL 4: HARLEqUINS v RACING METRO | TwICKENHAM STOOP | SKY SPORTS 2 12.45PM

Whisper it quietly, but the great escape [from the pool stages, at least] is on. No side has ever qualified for the knockout rounds of the Heineken Cup after losing their opening two matches, but Conor O’Shea’s Harlequins side isn’t one for living up to stereotypes, and last week’s 32-8 blitzing of Racing Metro in the French side’s back garden (well, 240 miles west of their back garden, in Nantes) has brought the Londoners well and truly back into the mix in Pool 4.

The next step is backing that victory up with another bonus-point win against the same opposition this weekend. And, if Nick Easter’s ball carrying and the game management of Nick

Exiting the pool

Harry How/Getty Images, David Rogers/Getty Images

Evans (pictured) are anywhere near last week’s levels, it’s a step that should be within reach.

Racing Metro were sluggish and disinterested last weekend, and paid the price. Don’t expect the same this weekend. Johnny Sexton and fellow Lions halfback partner Mike Phillips can expect to start, with the speed of their game likely to rise as a result. Whoever loses can consider their European season all but over.

Don’t expect either team to put up anything less than a monumental fight.

50 | December 13 2013 |

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Advertising Feature

eyes on The prize It started with 92 teams, but with the quarter finals upon us, just eight remain on the road to Wembley. We run through the four fifth-round ties and get the views of a West Ham fan ahead of what will be a hotly-contested derby – with added Capital One Cup spice

T

here are just eight teams left in the 2013-14 Capital One Cup, and all will

harbour ambitions of lifting the trophy at Wembley in March. It’s more realistic for some than others, although Championship side Leicester will be buoyed by Bradford’s run to the final last season. And, indeed, their own 4-3 win over Fulham in the fourth round. Unfortunately, their round five opponents are the mighty Manchester City, who have been knocking goals in for fun, although they needed extra time to get past Newcastle in the previous round.

supporTing The supporTers Sport magazine’s Graham Willgoss gives the West Ham perspective on their quarter-final tie away at Tottenham

52 | December 13 2013 |

The Foxes could find themselves feeding on scraps, unless City’s poor away record under Manuel Pellegrini comes back to bite them.

Chelsea edged past Sunderland in a thrilling 4-3 win at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League last week – Jose Mourinho will be hoping for a less nerve-wracking time of it as he tries to regain the trophy that he won twice in his first spell with the Blues. That result has left the Black Cats bottom of the league, so you would forgive new manager Gus Poyet for perhaps having his attention focused elsewhere, although everyone is aware of the galvanising effect that a healthy cup run can have.

Describe life as a West Ham fan.

Lots of minor disappointments strung together by talking about those disappointments with similarly disappointed Hammers – broken up only by the odd unexpected win or run when you can say: “That is why we support West Ham.” Best moment following the team?

The 2006 FA Cup final in Cardiff. To narrow it down: the millisecond the ball left Paul Konchesky’s boot for his goal – as it did, my lifelong West Ham-supporting uncle grabbed

Under-fire Manchester United manager David Moyes made it to the League Cup semi finals just once in his tenure at Everton, although his side were convincing in their 4-0 fourth-round win over Norwich. Moyes could be tempted to go for a more experienced squad than normal for the visit to Stoke as he looks to silence the doubters. Goals from Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez helped the Red Devils overcome a 2-1 deficit and collect the points at Old Trafford in their league meeting with the Potters in October.

Last but not least, there’s an all-London clash that is sure to be as hotly contested as the bidding

my shoulder and barked: “In. In. In.” Konchesky’s mishit cross flew over Pepe Reina into the top corner to put us 3-2 up.

My uncle disappeared beneath the fans in the seats behind as they poured forwards in a bundled celebration. Lost for someone to share the moment with, I grabbed the collar of the bloke next to me and, eyes wide with disbelief, deliriously screamed in his face.

He did the same to me. It was a spontaneous bromance with a complete stranger with whom all hope had been fulfilled for a few fleeting moments.

And then there were eight: Premier League class shone through in the previous round of the Capital One Cup, with only Leicester remaining to represent the Football League in this season’s competition

How important is the Capital One Cup? It’s our most realistic chance of silverware this season or – probably – any that will follow it. Apart from maybe next season’s Championship playoff final.

Is Big Sam the right man to take the team forward?

‘Forward’ is an odd choice of word, given that he’s so keen on not playing with any. But if he won’t take us forward, who will? Not Paolo.

We love him, but his own personal brand of madness is not what we need at the helm.

Of the eight teams remaining in the competition, only Sunderland and West Ham are yet to taste League Cup glory – although both have been beaten finalists.

They’re underdogs again this year, as they face established top-half teams, but the Capital One Cup loves to throw up an upset or two. Could Mark Hughes’ Stoke shock Manchester United?

Will West Ham silence White Hart Lane once more?

Can Leicester do the impossible?

All these questions and more will be answered in another engrossing week of Capital One Cup action.

Capital One, Official Credit Card of the Football League.

For further details, see facebook.com/CapitalOneUK

Can West Ham go all the way in the Capital One Cup? Yes. Carlton Cole hat-trick in the final. Let’s all have a disco.

You have a big rivalry with Tottenham?

Beating Spurs happens so rarely, it’s one of life’s great unexpected joys when we do.

I think the rivalry is such because we’re their closest comparable London rival in terms of distance, size and quality (Arsenal are still a class above). Or we were until recently.

Scoring three goals in 13 minutes at their

place two months ago was spectacular.

And probably the high point of our season.

Prediction for the game?

Tense, gritty defending. The odd chance at the other end. Hope. Denial. Heartbreak.

What do West Ham need to do to win?

Pray. Score from midfield. Pass it around our own penalty area like we’re Barcelona – in the same way as we did when we beat them 3-0 at White Hart Lane in October.

Did I mention that?

| 53

All pictures Getty Images

process for the Olympic Stadium, as West Ham visit Tottenham. Both teams have had highs and lows this season – Spurs were thumped 6-0 by Manchester City, while West Ham slipped to defeat against Crystal Palace and are hovering around the relegation zone. Sam Allardyce will be looking to his side to replicate their electric performance in their last visit to White Hart Lane – a 3-0 win capped by a memorable goal from Ravel Morrison.

The former Manchester United player has a keen eye for cup goals – he scored in the Hammers’ 2-1 win over Cheltenham in August, and after less than a minute against Cardiff in the previous round.

Extra timE Making the most of your time and money

P62 martin Freeman finds his courage in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

2

1 3

5

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4

Grooming

Box fresh presents 54 | December 13 2013 |

Gifts for girls: 1. aveda: Give Baths of Beauty Beautifying Body Moisturiser (125ml) and Body

Cleanser (125ml) – both infused with organic lavender and bergamot – and Beautifying Composition Conditioning Oil (30ml) £35 | aveda.co.uk; 2. Philosophy: the Cookie Exchange Includes Christmas Cookie Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath (114ml), Frosting Body Lotion (57ml) and high-gloss Sugar Sprinkles Lip Shine (11ml) £22 | philosophyskincare.co.uk; 3. Voya 1, 2, 3, Glow Rich in organic seaweed extracts: Ritzy Spritzy and Cleanse & Mend (125ml each) for dehydrated skin, plus a tub of Me Time Moisturiser (7ml) £48 | voya.ie; 4. Philosophy Fruitcake mix Vanilla Cake Mix Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath (114ml), Cranberry Medley Body Lotion (57ml) and Candied Pecan Hot Salt Body Scrub (170ml) £24 | philosophyskincare.co.uk; 5. molton Brown: the Gingerlily trio Gingerlily Body Wash (300ml), Body Lotion (300ml) and a Gingerlily Piccolo Candle £45 | nivenandjoshua.com Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Extra time Grooming Giftsets

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Gifts for the boys: 1. Paco Rabanne Invictus EDT (50ml), All Over Shampoo (100ml). Grapefruit peel and marine accord meets guaiac wood and patchouli. Scrub to victory £41.50 | debenhams.com; 2. Elemis Shaving Legends Time for Men Deep Cleanse Facial Wash (200ml), Ice-Cool Foaming Shave Gel (200ml). ‘A dream team for the ultimate deeply cleansed shave,’ say Elemis £25 | timetospa.co.uk; 3. Davidoff The Game EDT (60ml), Hair & Body Shampoo (75ml). A unique accord of gin fizz based on juniper berries. Assertive £39.50 | debenhams.com; 4. Bottega Veneta EDT (90ml), Aftershave Balm (100ml). Labdanum, fir balsam and bergamot blend into a leathery signature £69 | harrods.com; 5. Molton Brown: The Explorer Collection Something for everyone: Bushukan Body Wash (80ml), Purifying Indian Cress Shampoo (80ml), Black Peppercorn Body Wash (100ml), Silver Birch Body Wash (100ml), Watermint Body Wash (100ml) £40 | nivenandjoshua.com 56 | December 13 2013 |

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Advertising Feature

*Based on selected travel between December 6-15 & January 6-February 10. Terms and conditions apply

VEGAS VACATION

I

f you’re after a fun-filled getaway, there really is no place like Las Vegas – and the good news is it’s easier than ever to get there, with British Airways flying 10 return flights a week from London (across Gatwick and Heathrow). But what lies in store on the famous Vegas Strip? Sure, we’ve all seen The Hangover and Fear and Loathing. But it’s safe to say they don’t exactly paint an accurate view of life in the Nevada desert. Luckily, we’ve scoured the city and picked out five different ways to fill your time. So get booking – the Bright Light City has never been so tempting.

Soak Up The CUlTUre

That’s right – culture! The 41,000-square foot interactive Mob Museum is our pick, but the Shark Reef Aquarium, the Nevada State Museum or the Titanic Artefact Exhibition offer enough choice for everyone. Alternatively, just head down to Bellagio and watch their fountain’s 1,214 spritzers fire water up into the air, in time to music, for free. Result!

See The ShowS

Cirque du Soleil, Boyz II Men and Celine Dion are all currently in town to suit an eclectic

variety of tastes. But for something to truly take your breath away, head to Wynn Las Vegas for Le Rêve – The Dream.

The aquatic theatre production is set in one million gallons of water, and no seat is more than 40 feet from the stage.

parTy In STyle

The nightclubs and the bars are one thing.

But, for the true Vegas experience, the pool parties are the place to go. With blackjack in the pool and bottle service to your seats just two of the options available at various parties around town, it’s worth doing your research – The Mirage, Caesars Palace and

The Venetian Las Vegas offer just some of the pool parties you can dip your toe into.

eaT lIke a kIng

The breakfast buffets alone are worth a trip to Vegas, but the evening dining experience offers every kind of food available for any kind of price. For the high-end experience, the hotel restaurants (Caesars, Wynn, MGM Grand) are the place to be, but the variety on offer means you’re always on to a winner.

Shop TIll yoU Drop

Crystals at CityCenter offers a 500,000square foot retail extravaganza, while Excalibur boasts live medieval jousting to entertain you between splurges. Then there’s the Miracle Mile (at Planet Hollywood), The District (at MGM Grand) and Fashion Show Mall (with a ‘Cloud’ hovering over you that displays multimedia shows to entertain you).

Just bring a very large wallet – the shopping experience will entertain you for days!

Fly from London Gatwick with British Airways plus seven nights hotel accommodation from £649pp*

Book By DeCemBer 14 aT

Ba.Com/laSvegaS | 57

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Gadgets

cheap as microchips

A pocket-friendly smartphone, Nokia’s new Lumia tablet, a smart action camera and a device that will literally shock you

motorola moto G

If you are yet to join the smartphone revolution, you have no excuse any more (also, how do you work out where you’re going?).

The Moto G is dead cheap and one of the best budget smartphones on the market. It has a good camera, a 4.5-inch display and quadcore processor that means it can keep up with its more expensive rivals. It is lacking in 4G – but who’s really streaming YouTube videos to their phone over their mobile network anyway, right?

Sim free from £135 | amazon.co.uk

checkmyLevel

Designed for serious athletes, this device sends an electrical pulse through your body and, in combination with an app, tells you the extent to which you should train that day, or whether you should take it easy. It can help prevent injuries through overtraining, and is being used by sports clubs and teams as part of their own training programmes. €199 | checkmylevel.com

Nokia Lumia 2520

With similar styling to the Lumia range of smartphones that have helped fallen Finnish mobile giant Nokia claw some ground back, this 10.1-inch tablet is an interesting option.

It runs Windows 8.1, has high-speed 4G built in and, unlike the iPad, you can expand the memory with external storage cards. All well and good, but can you play Snake on it? £400 | johnlewis.com

Garmin Virb elite hD action camera

It looks how we imagine a CCTV camera would were it was designed by Pixar, and is the ideal sidekick for any action hero. It’s rugged and waterproof, with a display screen on top and a wide lens. It can track your heart rate with help from other devices, and comes with image stabilisation and lens distortion correction to ensure your footage looks great. £350 | garmin.com

ards 2013 Aw

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Extra time Serena B

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Fresh prints S

erena B is a Baltimore Ravens cheerleader and dance instructor from Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland – which is important. But we’ll come to that in a minute.

First, here she is on location at the shoot for the Ravens’ cheerleaders calendar at the Coyaba Gardens in Jamaica – so named after the Arawak (one of the tribes of indigenous peoples of the Caribbean) word for ‘paradise’. We’d recommend a visit – it scores an average of 4.5 on TripAdvisor.

This was one of what we can only assume were several new pictures from the shoot to have been published.

Or, if you will, one of the fresh prints of Bel Air.

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Entertainment

DRAgon punCH

The middle Hobbit film proves an enjoyably punchy actionfantasy, while Kurt Russell gets loaded in commentary

Film

Blu-Ray

Big Trouble in Little China

This is more like it, Pete. After an opening film to The Hobbit trilogy that had its moments but meandered (taking 45 minutes to leave the damn house didn’t help), Peter Jackson has delivered a follow-up alive with energy and direction.

Having Bilbo Baggins’ showdown with a massive fire-breathing dragon as a pay-off helps, but getting there is epic fun. The scenes involving giant spiders, dwarves barrelling (literally) down a river

Exhibition

Cabaret Mechanical Theatre Paul McPherson Gallery A small but perfectly formed London exhibition full of small but perfectly formed automata (mechanical toys). Push buttons, pull levers and insert coins and you can make sailors row, planes fly and a mouse whip a cat. Take your kids/nieces/nephews along – then spend numerous hours playing with them all yourself.

Open now 62 | December 13 2013 |

and three-way orc-elf-dwarf fights are skilfully handled by Jackson. The film also still possesses a more whimsical tone than his Lord of the Rings efforts.

Orlando Bloom returns from that trilogy as wooden – sorry, woodland – elf Legolas, but it’s Martin Freeman as Bilbo that really holds this film together. His battle of wits with his Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch (voicing dragon Smaug) is as hair-raising as any of Jackson’s spectacular action sequences.

Out today

DVD

Misfits Season Five

The final season of Channel 4’s yoofs-with-superpowers comedy/drama arrives on DVD. Despite many cast changes, Misfits maintains its quality with some enjoyably crude humour in season five, much of it centred around Alex’s new ability: he can remove the superpowers of others via sexual intercourse.

Eat your heart out, Bananaman.

Out Monday

Film

DVD

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

The four whoresmen of the newspocalypse return next week as Ron Burgundy and his team are dragged into the 1980s.

Also features Harrison Ford as a furious veteran newscaster, James Marsden as a handsome young presenter and Brian Fantana’s condom cabinet (“The Hooded Guest”, anyone?). Super-duper!

Out Wednesday

Borgen Season Three

The Danish West Wing picks up two and a half years after season two’s dramatic finale. Ex-Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg has left politics completely, but is persuaded to return by journalist Katrine Fonsmark. The latter now has a kid with Nyborg’s Alastair Campbell: spin doctor Kasper (pictured), who is sporting a luxurious new coiffure.

Out Monday

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2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc, Cabaret Mechanical Theatre 2007

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell’s martial arts action/comedy bombed in 1986.

However, this fantasy about loudmouth trucker Jack Burton (Russell) being dragged into the Chinese underworld to battle men who can shoot lightning from their fingers is a cult classic.

Deservedly so, as it fulfils its brief of being funny, entertaining and certifiably insane. Burton is a pleasingly selfish antihero, more concerned with saving his own ass than the shapely one belonging to Kim Cattrall. This Blu-ray also has a commentary from Carpenter and a cackling Russell, as the two tuck into the beers. Worth owning just for that.

Out Monday