Sport World Review of March 08
Here is our top 10 review for the world of sport in March. There was no holding back on the competitive spirit, the drive to win was a strong as ever and the doses of drama were relentless...
1. Congratulations to David Beckham who reached the prestigious milestone of 100 caps for England in the match against France. Although England boss Capello said ‘Becks’ still has a future with the England squad, surely it’s time his best mates Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes persuaded him to retire. He’s fit but no longer fast and the air miles he burns up for games are enough to take him to the moon and back. Think of the planet David!
2. England’s performance in their 0-1 defeat to France was a shocker. In fact they played better under Steve McClaren. But Mr Capello said he was happy with their display because he saw an “improvement”. Fabio is doing a great impression of Saddam Hussein’s old sidekick Chemical Ali.
3. Manchester United have stolen a lead in the race for the Premiership title. Rio Ferdinand put the success down to Ryan Gigg’s club captaincy, who has taken on Gary Neville’s “mantelpiece” brilliantly. Enough said about footballers being a little bit overpaid!
4. At last we have an FA Cup competition producing the magic it is so renowned for. Three of the last four teams remaining are in the Championship and the only Premiership side left are Portsmouth. But they have a tricky tie away from home to West Bromwich Albion and so the final at Wembley in May could quite feasibly exclude any Premiership interest at all. So money is not the sole secret of success in football afterwards (but it helps).
5. England’s cricketers recovered from being 1-0 down to beat New Zealand 2-1 in the three match series, their first win on foreign soil for years. England’s man of the series was Ryan Sidebottom, who was the difference between the two bowling attacks. Better still, he’s now pledged to have his long curly 1970’s Liverpool Football perm (aka Terry McDermott or Kevin Keegan) cut before his wedding day. What a guy! What a woman managing to persuade him to do the deed. Andy Murray, are you taking note!
6. Dwain Chambers, having won a silver medal for team GB in the World Indoor Athletics Championships recently, has now signed a one month trial deal with rugby league side Castleford Tigers. Let’s hope the experience he gained playing American Football after his doping ban leaves him in good stead for this new career move but he may have forgotten that in this game there are no helmets or Dynasty style shoulder pads to cushion the blows. Still if you can get the ball in his hands no one should catch him.
7. The world's best golfers know what it’s like to be attacked by a Tiger but this could be the first time they have had to face the fury of an alligator. Play at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans was interrupted when the large reptile strode on to a fairway. Davis Love III was calm as you like, simply taking a photo of the beast on his mobile. But under golf's rules, he may now be in trouble because phones are banned on the fairways! Oops!
8. With five months to go before the Olympics in Beijing (Tibeten protests not withstanding) hopes are high for the GB cycling team in Beijing after they amassed nine gold medals at the Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester. But shame on Shane, the team GB manager. He’s dampening expectations, like a true Brit, when he should be talking them up. After all there are not that many Olympic events GB are any good at – cycling and sailing, with a bit of Equestrian dressage!
9. After two Grand Prix’s Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers’ championship, three points ahead of Kimi Raikkonen. This is despite being demoted five places on the grid at the start of the Malaysian Grand Prix for impeding another driver in the time trials, mistaking him for former team mate Fernado Alonso.
10. Oxford University won the boat race. Is anybody interested?
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