England's bid unsuccessful but all is not lost

England have missed out on the right to host the 2018 World Cup finals with Fifa opting to award Russia the right to host the event for the first time.

It has been revealed that England’s bid received just two votes, those coming from its own bid team chairman Geoff Thompson and African Confederation president Issa Hayatou.

The result has been described by Prime Minister David Cameron as “bitterly disappointing” and felt there was not much England could have done to convince Fifa that theirs was the best bid.

“I think, according to Fifa, we had the best technical bid, the best commercial bid”, Cameron stated. “No-one could identify any risks coming to England. But it turns out that’s not enough.”

Had England been awarded the competition it would have been the first time since 1966 that football’s showpiece event had taken place on English soil. This set-back means that England’s next chance to be hosts will be 2030. However, with Fifa looking to open up the game to a more diverse audience, the 2022 finals being awarded to Qatar being a prime example, the likelihood of England securing that right looks more and more unlikely.

There is no doubting the heart break that will be felt by all involved in the ultimately unsuccessful bid for the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Disappoint can be felt by all football fans who were confident of securing the competition with what seemed such a confident bid.

England is ready to host a World Cup; no arguments can be made against that fact. We benefit from some of the best and most state of the art stadia in the world, one of the best safety records in Europe, if not the World, aligned with some of the most passionate football fans on the planet. However all this, along with one of the most profitable bids in history, appeared to be not enough to sway the decision of Sepp Blatter and his delegates.

To pin blame upon anyone seems unfair. Even if the finger is to point, which it will, at Andrew Jennings’ damning investigation into corruption within Fifa (aired in the Monday 29th edition of Panorama). In truth, the documentary didn’t reveal anything we, as educated football fans, didn’t already know.

Granted, perhaps the airing of that particular episode was ill timed it does however pose a number of questions. Why were the FA, parliament and even the Royal family so intent on securing the games, even if it meant getting into bed with numerace people in order to secure votes given the corrupt nature of Fifa? Shouldn’t the Football Association, parliament and the Royal Family be distancing itself from such opaque organisations? The football association and parliament appeared content to bend over backwards just to secure the finals. But to no avail.

If the England Team had secured the 2018 World Cup finals it would have made it the fifth international sporting competition held on these shores in the space of a decade. England is set to host the 2012 Olympic Games, the stadium looked near to completion in pictures that saw David Beckham and Lord Coe paying it a visit.

A year later England will welcome the rugby league world as it hosts the showpiece international tournament. Not for a second am I suggesting that the rugby league world cup has the same sort of prestige that goes with the Fifa World Cup finals but it is progress for the nation as we look to host more and more international competitions. The rather contrived structure of the tournament may blunt the regard that people hold it in but people must not doubt its importance, especially for the sport of rugby league.

Since 1999 the Rugby Football Union, have made frequent attempts to secure the rugby world cup, missing out marginally for the right to be hosts for 2007 tournament. In 2015, however, the Rugby Union World Cup will come to England and Wales, and who knows England might be defending a second crown.

At the very end of the decade we will see England host the Cricket World Cup. Both this tournament, set for 2019, and the rugby world cup mentioned previously will come on the back of Australia and New Zealand being hosts four years previous, both instances will be hard acts to follow there is no doubt. Where games will be held is too hard to speculate nine years down the line but with the regeneration of grounds such as the Rose Bowl, Hampshire, and Chester-le-Street, Durham, others will need to follow suit making for exciting developments to county grounds all over the country. Not only this, but we may see new nations taking part as the cricket world sees the game developing in more and more countries.

To have worked so hard in attempting to gain the right to host the 2018 World Cup it is bitterly disappointing for all not to have been granted it, this is clear for all to see. But in the next ten years the nation plays host to all the events outlined above, the prospect of these is as exciting as the finals themselves so all is not lost. The absence of a World Cup in England allows for organisers of these competitions to do their job without the over powering and enveloping shadow of World Cup football around them. It may be a blessing in disguise as we see the nation come together to support our men and women competing on a national stage in sports that get the minority of column inches in our own backyard.

Which batsman is next in line for an England call-up?

During England’s final warm-up game in Hobart we saw England’s second string bowling attack shine.

The convincing 10 wicket victory was orchestrated by the four-man bowling attack of Chris Tremlett, Ajmal Shahzad, Tim Bresnan and Monty Panesar.

It is fair to say that England have strength in depth, it would seem, when it comes to their bowling options whilst Down Under. Can the same be said for their batting should the much maligned Alistair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood fail?

With Eion Morgan included as the only specialist batsman in the 16-man squad, who would be next in line for inclusion?

The England Performance Squad will be based in Australia until the 16th Decemeber and one can only imagine that a batsman would be taken from that squad.
By consistent performance, should it be a middle order batsman who needs replacing, James Hildreth should be next in line for an England call up.

Doubts remain over Alistair Cooks form and technique at the top of the England batting order. Should the England selectors decide to take action then Yorkshire's Adam Lyth would be his replacement one would think after injury to Hampshire's Adam Carberry ruled him out of the tour.

England Performance Squad average spreadsheet
BBC Sport - Cricket - Monty Panesar and Chris Tremlett in England Ashes squad
ECB - England Performance Squad News
Guardian Data Store - County Championship batting and bowling averages – what's your verdict?

Preston Hockey Club chasing promotion

While Preston North End find themselves rock bottom of the Championship high flyers Preston Hockey Club have their sights firmly set upon promotion. Top of the Northern Premier Division by two points Preston have a real chance of playing National Hockey next season.

I took the oppurtunity to interview first team captain Richard Sullivan following their hard fought 3-2 victory away to Hull. He talked me through the match.

News in a map. Who'd have thought it?

In the 21st Century we find ourselves in an age of media convergence. Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantage of them all, also known as the black box.

An example of this can be shown in Google maps. Here, I have taken the written media i.e. stories from the 14th October edition of the Lancashire Evening post and placed it into a map. Images are used as the place markers and links to the stories themselves from the LEP website can be found, along with related links to the stories from other media outlets.

View Lancashire Evening Post stories from 14th October '10 in a larger map

The curtain finally falls. . . . . . . . .

The curtain has finally fallen on the pantomime that has been the Audley Harrison show.

After landing just one punch in the 7 minutes 53 seconds that made up the highly anticipated fight with old foe David Haye the 'A-Force' went out courageously at least, finishing on his feet.

Never has and hope never again will an Olympic gold medalist make his way to the ring to fight for his first professional world crown to chants of 'who are ya?'. This is a simple a reflection of the disappointment the nation feels with regard to Harrison. Promising so much ten years ago and yet delivering so little.

He left the ring to chants of 'you're shit and you know you are' and although humorous at the time one cannot help but feel sorry for Audley who has become a victim of his own press and hype and the nations need for a replacement to Lennox Lewis.

Billed by Jimmy Lennon Jr. as 'the always dangerous' Audley Harrison he showed no signs of this danger and power we have all been led to believe he carries in the left hand of his.

There is no doubt in my mind that Harrison and his camp grossly under estimated David's boxing capabilities. The tactics that they intended to implement relied solely on the gung-ho style that we saw David use in his fight with Carl Thompson. The expectation clearly was to drag Haye in and pick him off with counter-punches.

Haye is not stupid and nor is Adam Booth. To expect the two of them to create a strategy that would play into the hands of the 'A-Force' camp is ludicrous, and they were made to pay.

The first two rounds of last nights contest were without doubt the most encouraging I, as a fan of David, have seen. His foot work was superb and his head and upper body movement are the quickest in the division today. His attributes in defence are reflected in the stats, Harrison landed one stiff jab to the head of 'The Hayemaker'. But rather than follow this up with a left hand he stepped away, keeping the champion at arms length.

Unfortunately it was the Harrison that we have seen for the past 10 years, a boxer who as a professional as shown no real signs of improvement. As soon as Haye went on the front foot the Harrison look of a deer in the headlights was apparent, dropping his hands and leading people to believe nothing had changed.

Now it is not for me to plot the reasons for the downfall of such a promising amateur fighter but it may simply be the case that 30 years of age is just too old to join the professional ranks. Like Haye is now perhaps you need to be the finished article. It is rare that a boxer will improve during his thirties, Wladimir Klitschko being the obvious exception.

In his programme notes Haye said that: "I'm going to prolong it for three or four rounds, make him miss, make him pay, and basically make it look so-one-sided that the result is never in doubt".

Sometimes peoples perception of the line between arrogance and self-confidence becomes clouded. Many have accused Haye of arrogance but the quote from the programme is just an example of the fact that Haye knows how good he is. He delivered exactly what he said he would. He demolished Audley Harrison.

As I left the arena in their drunken stupor people cried out for refunds. A reporter for BoxRec news branded last nights preceedings as the most disappointed night in British boxing. But seriously, what did these people expect? Rocky III, Balboa vs. Creed? This was never going to be a fight for the ages, hardly Benn vs. Eubank, much like Haye Maccarenelli ended up being rather a damp squib.

The fact of the matter is those outside the boxing fraternity grossly under estimate Haye's capabilities, just like Harrison's camp did, and his potential. Should fights with the Klitschko brothers happen come 2011 it will be Haye's opportunity to prove the many, many doubters, or ignorant boxing fans, just how good he believes he is. Barry McGuigan hit the nail on the head while in the Sky studio, David is improving with every fight at heavyweight. Therefore no reason exists why he cannot emulate Lennox Lewis and become the undisputed heavyweight champion, something Harrison was expected to do himself.

As for Harrison, in his post fight interview you can see that the sparkle that once could be found in his eyes has gone and with it perhaps his drive and his ability to pick himself off the floor after such a devastating loss, like so many times before.

Perhaps Harrison just does not have it in him, whether it be psychological weakness or inferior boxing ability, to become a world heavy weight champion. Whether it was destiny or delusion that led Audley to believe he would conquer the world is a question we cannot answer. . . . . . . .

'Best of Enemies' photos

'Best of Enemies' weigh-in

1 day remaining. . . . .

As I entered the Lowry today I found myself in the whirlwind of world title fever, surrounded by SkySports News outlets and those of the written press. I stood in the foyer as I found myself killing time before it all kicked off at around 2 o'clock.

I turned around, phone in hand, to see boxing pundit Steve Bunce walking in my direction. White shirted with a cravat-like scarf wrapped around his neck I took the opportunity to pick his brain on the result.

"Ask me once I've seen the sort of condition both fighters are in". I don't think he meant that literally but I certainly did and would definitely make an attempt to find him once the weigh-in was over.

The weigh-in for the under card fights was pretty elementary stuff. However, Gary Davies who will challenge Stuart Hall for the British Bantamweight title failed to make weight at the first attempt. This came as no surprise to me as Davies was late in taking to the scales, no doubt using as much time as possible in order to cut to the weight.

This and the George Groves fight, along with the main event of course are the only two fights that have any great significance and appeal to them.

George Groves' fight with Kenny Anderson has great significance with regard to a possible domestic dust-up with James DeGale. The winner of which will not only take home the Commonwealth super-middleweight title but will also be next in line for a shot at the British title. In effect the winner of tomorrow evening's bout will go on to face the winner of Paul Smith versus James DeGale which takes place on the 11th December at the Liverpool Echo Arena.

Before both fighters took the scales Anderson showed a real lack of respect for Groves, the the challenger refusing to shake the champions hand. Groves made weight comfortable, however Anderson had to strip bare in order to get inside the 12 stone limit.

What followed was pure petulance on the part of Anderson who has done very little in winning over a crowd who were already in favour of 'The Saint' Groves, knocking Groves' hat off his head as the two squared up for photos. Anderson then proceeded to attempt to bury his forehead into the nose of Groves. The two were torn apart only for Anderson to want more, the Scots fiery temper clearly on show for the 1,000 in attendance to see.

After a reasonable wait which saw the rest of the under card take to the scales the crowd got what they had come to see. Boos welcomed 'The A-Force' Audley Harrison, tipping the scales at 18st 1lbs and a quarter. His physique was that of a 39 year-old mab, lacking the muscle definition that won him the gold in Sydney that we are forever reminded about, he quickly covering it with his t-shirt. The 253 pounds that Harrison scaled is only two pounds lighter than his heaviest ever, that fight resulted in a loss.

The champion quickly hopped on and off the scales weighing just 15st and a quarter pound. The announcement from MC Gary Logan was met with gasps from those in the auditorium. In contrast to Harrison's physical condition Haye's is chiselled and clearly built for speed and power. Haye did the opposite of Harrison and left his shirt off clearly wanting to send a message to Audley that he is in the best shape of his whole career, not just his short one at heavyweight.

People will talk of the 42 and a half pound weight advantage that Haye is giving away but people must be reminded that he gave away far more in the Valuev fight and came out victorious.

An added sense of drama was added to the stand-off between the two fighters, quite fitting really for such a theatre, Lennox Lewis seperating the two for a photo-call that included himself.

I stuck around after to catch Buncey on the way out. I asked him the same question again. "Who will win?", without a seconds delay he said in the enthusiastic fashion that characterises Bunce "Haye".
"He's fifteen one he doesn't need to be heavy, he said it himself. For Ruiz he needed to be a bit heavy and this is closer to where he was for the other bloke (Valuev), perfect."

There is one thing that I doubt about Harrison more than anything and that is his punch resistance, I made this point to Steve.
"I watched the Ruiz fight the other night, Harrison hasn't got the punch resistance that Ruiz had, if he (Haye) clips him with a big right hand what chance has Harrison got?"
"Harrison has got a chance in the sense that he's tall, he's got a good jab and he believes he can win, he's three stone heavier."
"But it's a pawing jab," I replied inquisitively.
"Well it won't be, not if he throws a proper jab, a stiff jab but for him to do that Haye's got to fight a stupid fight. Haye will only lose this fight because he fights a stupid fight. If he fights a stupid fight he'll be in trouble, by missing his punches, by leaving himself exposed. If you let Audley pick you off he'll do it all day long."

"When he fought Valuev, and I'll leave you with this, when he fough Valuev he told us he was gonna' go in there and it was going to be one minute, I'm gonna kill him. It worked 'cos Valuev beleived everything he read and everything he was told. He jabbed and ran and Valuev could work him out. I think Haye'll do the same again, he'll use is brain".

Buncey, god love him, is absolutely right, the only way Haye can lose this fight is if he fights a stupid fight. It's Haye's to lose

I for one can't wait until tomorrow. Hope you all manage to find a place to watch the fight, whether it be at in comfort of your own home, a pub or at the venue itself. "

Weigh-in photos

David Haye vs. Audley Harrison

Two days remaining. . . .

The weigh-in is tomorrow at the Lowry, Salford Quays and I hope to bring you some pictures and my pre-fight musings after seeing the two fighters conditions in flesh.

Now if the fight come Saturday night is anywhere near as good as the trash talking then we are in for real fireworks. Here are two of my favourite quotes from the many months of build up that we have experienced.
"You're going to get destroyed, you're going to get violated in that ring, you'll never be able to set foot in England again."Hayemaker
"When I came out of the Olympics they called me Muhammad Ali, then four years later I'm 'Fraudley'. But after this fight I'll be extraordinary." A-Force

No one in the British press I beleive has ever used the words Audley Harrison and Muhammad Ali in the same sentence, that I am pretty sure of. The same cannot be said for David Haye where during the John Ruiz fight Ian Darke made the point that The Hayemaker is probably the quickest since Ali. And in boxing speed kills.

I took the time last night to re-watch the John Ruiz fight, a fight I attended. It is accepted that throughout the fight that Ruiz was ponderous and plodded slowly forward throughout. He did however show incredible punch resistance. The shots that Haye landed without doubt would have sent many of the heavyweights at the top to the canvas.

Now the self-proclaim A-Force is no John Ruiz that is for sure. He was felled like a giant redwood by Michael Sprott, and granted the boot (or glove) was on the other foot (or hand) in Harrison's last fight but Harrison without doubt is going to have to take a punch in order to through one and he simply isn't capable of this.

Harrison has made a point of Haye being 'chinny'. This is nothing more than an attempt at psychology by the challenger in order to divert attention from his own fragile abilities to take a punch.

Many will poke laughter at Audley Harrison but there is one thing that can be said for him and that is that he is a master of self promotion. Many said that about Napoleon but even the A-Force wins that contest. Without Harrison this fight would be the damp squib that many predict but Audley's stories, fabrications, inner will and that fact that he beleives his own press has hyped the contest up to a level many didn't think capable.

Unfortunately for Harrison it is more hype than expectation when it comes to prospect of victory for the 2000 Sydney Olympic champion.

Looking through Harrison's record it is littered with journeymen and no-marks. It wasn't until his 16th fight that he fought a fighter of any real pedigree in the heavyweight division, Julius Long for the World Federation Heavyweight title. You compare this to Haye at cruiserweight who fought former WBO champion Carl Thompson, who had two victories against Chris Eubank on his resume. Granted, David lost but it was in this fight that I saw what I thought could be a champion.

Without the loss I don't believe Haye would be the boxer we see today. He admits himself that before than he believed that he could trade with anyone. It was a wake-up call for the young man.

Tomasz Bonin was Harrison's next opponent, ranked 8th by the WBC at the time. A TKO was the result for Audley in the ninth. Haye deposed of him in one. A fight that acted as a tune-up for his attempt to gather the WBC & WBA cruiser weight belts from Frenchman Jean-Marc Mormeck in Paris.

Two fights later it all started to unravel for Harrison as Haye become the undisputed cruiser champion, no matter how much the Olympic champion denies these claims.

Now 3 years later their paths meet having trodden very different tracks along the way. Will Harrison fulfill his 'destiny' or will it just be another empty promise from one the most promising and biggest wastes of talent in British heavyweight boxing? Saturday is not 'The Best of Enemies' but Judgement Day for the A-Force.

UFC 121: Lesnar vs. Velasquez preview

In the early hours of Sunday morning GMT two giants will collide inside the Octagon.

The Honda Center in Anaheim will play host to UFC 121 with the heavyweight title on the line as Brock Lesnar faces Cain Velasquez.

Almost exactly this time last year undisputed champion Lesnar was forced to pull out of his bout with number one contender at the time Shane Carwin due to illness.

Lesnar was confirmed to be suffering from mononucleosis, thus postponing his scheduled fight for UFC 108. Lesnar was diagnosed with a serious case of diverticulitis.

After further diagnosis Lesnar underwent surgery for a perforation in his intestine, which caused him to ultimately contract glandular fever (mononucleosis). It is said that Lesnar lost 100 pounds in weight and that he had been suffering with the condition for around a year.


Dana White, UFC President talking in January about the seriousness of Lesnar's illness and the kind of life the champion leads.

In a year that saw Lesnar capture the UFC heavyweight championship against Randy Couture and avenge his only MMA loss to Frank Mir it begs the question of ‘how much can this animal of a man achieve when 100%?’.

Brock Lesnar was inactive for a year, in that time Cain Velasquez has risen to the top of the division. On the UFC’s first trip to Australia Velsquez devastatingly knocked out Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera to win the knockout of the night award.

Lesnar made his return in July defeating the interim heavy weight champion Shane Carwin at UFC 116. After being dominated in the first round via the heavy hands of Carwin Lesnar’s superior wrestling pedigree came to the fore.

In the second round he gained dominant position on top of Carwin to lock in an arm triangle choke and submit the challenger. Again the man from twin cities Minneapolis-Saint Paul became the undisputed champion, also picking up the submission of the night award.

This weekend Valesquez aims to become the first ever Mexican to win a heavyweight mixed martial arts title. Coming into the fight Cain has out landed his last five opponents by a tally of 481 to 63.

It is fair to say that Valesquez is possibly the most gifted athlete in the heavyweight division today. A two time All-American Division 1 NCAA wrestler with superhuman cardio vascular fitness, along with a purple belt in Guerrilla Jiu-Jitsu he goes into the fight undefeated 8-0.

Training out of the American Kickboxing Academy Valesquez has many stable mates who like him fight in the UFC. Brock Lesnar on the other hand trains away from any of his UFC compatriots. In a purpose built facility for himself with handpicked sparring partners who he claims he trusts his life with.



Valesquez has dedicated his life to MMA, starting his career after leaving college. Lesnar on the other hand has gone a very different route.

After a career in professional wrestling with the World Wrestling Federation where he was dubbed ‘the next big thing’ a failed American Football career followed. A career in the mixed martial arts appears to be his calling and he too, like Valesquez, is dedicating his life to becoming the best there has ever been.

It is Brock Lesnar’s belief that there is no one in MMA, fighting under any promotion, who can beat him. He is quoted as saying ‘fighters will come and go but there will only be one Brock Lesnar’. Valesquez on the other hand believes that on Saturday night in Anaheim he shall fulfil his destiny and make history.

University of Central Lancashire-The Media Factory

I believe the Media Factory best represents the University of Central Lancashire. Like the University it is an innovative building both on the inside and out. The Media Factory is a tall rather garish building that stands out in the sky like of Preston, its green, grey and black colouring means that to some it is considered as an eye. In order to gain many different perspectives from one picture I used photo shop to crop the photograph to the appropriate sizes. The first is the photo of the photo in its original resolution.

Firstly I cropped the photo to a 100 x 100 pixel thumbnail. Here I have cropped it to show the UCLan logo.









I then cropped the photo to 400 x 300 pixels. Here I have zoomed in on the brick Kirkham building in the background. In order to prevent the building from looking like it is subsiding due to the fact it at an angle compared to the Media Factory I was required to rotate in 5 degrees clockwise before cropping. Which is more of an eye sore?

This image has been cropped t0 200 x 500 pixel. Is this really a greater eyesore than the red brick building in its shadow? It's fair to say its certainly more aesthetically pleasing.

Lancashire Evening Post Google Map

As part of a workshop task I used Google Maps to create my own map. I took four stories from the Thursday 14th October edition of the Lancashire Evening Post. Two of these were sports stories and two news stories. I then placed the location of where they happened into my map with the link to the story on the LEP website. I also added a related link to go with it.


View Map skills test in a larger map

Championship Football Grounds

As part of a workshop exercise I was required to place the grounds of three teams that Preston will play in the Championship. I choose my home town club Reading FC who play at the Madejski Stadium, the County Ground, home of Nottingham Forest & Elland Road, Leeds United AFC. It makes an interestingly straight line down the middle of England.

View Championship Football Grounds in a larger map

Lancashire County Hall Image Skills

The orignal photo of Lancashire County Hall, Preston.
Thumbnail of Lancashire County Council logo. Resolution: 100 x 100

Photo cropped to 400 x 300 pixels

Photo cropped to 200 x 500 pixels

The prodigal son returns

Tonight Lee Smith will make his much speculated Rugby League return in the highly anticipated Yorkshire derby between Leeds Rhinos & Bradford Bulls.

This Yorkshire derby kicks off the frantic Easter period that captivates every league fan year in year out. Tomorrow, Good Friday, St. Helens clash with league leader Wigan preceded by the only true derby that exists in Super League as East meets West on Humberside at New Craven Park.

The Rhinos welcome the return of their much missed skipper Kevin Sinfield after a four match absence with a leg injury. Kylie Leuluai and Brett Delaney also return following the defeat away to Wigan last Friday.

The Bulls will make a last minute decision on whether or not to include Captain Andy Lynch, who will have to prove to coach Steve McNamara that he has shaken off an ankle injury.

McNamara is also left with the dilemma of whether or not to recall full-back Dave Halley or continue with Brett Kearney who wore the number one shirt for their 19-12 victory over struggling Harlequins.

Before his departure from the club Smith, at the age of just 23 had already racked up 102 appearances with the Headingley club. He completed his move from Premiership Rugby Union side London Wasps on Wednesday and Coach Brian McClennan has wasted no time in including him the squad for this evening’s game.

The England international centre had spent just four months at the High Wycombe based club and following just two senior appearances, against Newcastle Falcons & Scarlets, along with two representative games for the A team he has switch codes again.

The release from his contracted at Wasps comes as a result of personal reasons.
Upon his return to Leeds he said: “It’s a dream come true to get another opportunity to play for the Rhinos and pull of a blue and amber shirt again”.

London Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks added: “Everyone at Wasps wishes him the very best in the next stage of his career”

A new Elite League season revs up

The first league meeting of the new speedway elite league season saw last years runners up Swindon Robins down hosts Eastbourne Eagles 47-43.

Not even new Eagles signing Matej Zagar's 11 point haul on the night could prevent defeat for the Eastbourne team.

Eight time world champion began his last season in Britain with 14 points, however he was outshone and equalled by débutante Thomas H Jonasson.

Next week sees a replay of last years final where Swindon travel to Wolverhampton on Monday.

For those who are new to the sport here is a brief explaination of exactly what Speedway and the Elite League is.

Nine clubs contest the Elite League, each club entering 7 riders into each meeting with 15 heats per event.

Each race consists of 4 laps of mixed material track. The average distance of a Speedway track is 300 metres. The minimum width of the track is 10 metres.

Point scoring is much like that of other motor sports. 3 points for 1st place, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd, none for coming last. In the Speedway Grand Prix, which is the world championship of the sport, the points system becomes 6-4-2-0 in the semi-final and the final.

The bikes that the riders use weigh a minimum of 77kg unfuelled. The bikes run on methonal, not petrol, which cost £15 per gallon! The bikes can achieve 0-60 mph in just 3 seconds, which is on a par with the average Formula 1 car, topping 80 mph.

Speedway's slogan is 'no brakes, no gears, no fear'. It sums up speedway in one statement really. All the riders have in order to slow them down is the steel toe caps on their boots.

Some of the most spectacular crashes in all of motorsport come in speedway. An example of this is Tony Rickardsson's crash in the 17th heat of the 1999 Grand Prix.

"The richest minute ever in motorsport" comes in speedway, the prize for the winner of the Poland Grand Prix is $120,000.

Extensive and comprehensive coverage of this adrenaline fuelled, edge of the seat sport is available via SkySports with televised Elite & Premier League meetings along with Grand Prix events.

North West Counties Finals Day, Edge Hill University - 28th Sunday 2010

Sunday saw the North West Counties Cup final at Edge Hill University. The day saw teams from Under 16, 17 & 18 age groups compete.

The Under 16 match saw a spirited second half fight back from Golbourne Parkside come in vain against Wigan St. Patrick. A brace of tries came from full back Daniel Rushton who’s goal-kicking was fundamentally the difference in the 24-18 score line.

The Under 17 final contested between Crosfields and Halton Farnworth Hornets went all the way to extra time after the two sides traded field goals in the closing minutes.

Crosfields went into the second period of the game leading 18-6; however two second half tries from the Hornets tied the game up at 18 apiece.

The Crosfields fans had already, quite literally for some, began to crack open the champagne in celebration before Halton tied the game up. The Hornets then took the lead via a drop goal which had been set-up well by the forwards, the ball moving from right to left to create the easiest of chances.

It was clear that panic was setting in for the Crosfields side as they scrambled in an attempt to clinch the game or at least take it to an extra 15 minutes. The Warrington based team managed to drive their way into drop goal range, nudging over to take the game to extra time.

The score that clinched the title for the Widnes based club came in the dying minutes of the first seven and half minute period following ‘backs to the wall’ defence of their own try line. A cross field chip was collected on the 30 metre line by left winger Jimmy Hilton who finished well in the corner as cries of offside from players and supporters were waved away by the referee.

Halton came through the second period without conceding and thus were crowned the 2010 North West Counties champions.

The final game was a derby of sorts between Leigh Miners and St Judes of Wigan. The Wigan outfit won this game of attrition 12-10 following a late scare in the last 10 minutes.

Leigh captain Darryl Flanagan led from the front in the very first minute of the game, the loose forward putting in the first big hit of the game during Wigan’s very first possession of the football.

A try for Wigan came just three minutes later via opposing loose forward Stuart Banks taking the ball on the crash just five metres from the try line, touching down as tacklers fell off the attacker. The conversion was missed by number 12 James Rimmer making the score line 4-0.

The opening 10 minutes of the game was a messy affair as both sides struggled to keep hold of the ball, knocking on frequently in the tackle. This was exemplified by the Miners forcing a repeat set only to lose the ball on the resulting play as they attempted to go wide early.

Leigh’s first try came in bizarre circumstances. Full back Hayden Skinkis attempted to control a kick from St. Judes by controlling it with his foot only for a heavy touch to take the ball into the right hand corner. Wigan, however, were unable to deal with the bouncing ball and Leigh winger Jonathan Grimshaw touched down.

The Miners nearly made it two tries in as many minutes, a deflected pass adjudged to travel forward by the referee.

Wigan failed to keep possession from the resulting scrum and again Leigh came close to scoring. A burst from first receiver by hooker Sam Clayton took him over the line, only for him to be unable to ground the ball – knocking on in the process.

Following this the game meandered its way to half time, changes in possession being forced by both sides. At 4-4 the first half had been very staggered, lacking in both rhythm and handling.

The first points of the second half came via the boot of Tommy Parkinson, Wigan penalised for an infringement at the ruck only to be marched 10 metres for dissent. The centre converted the easiest of kicks to take his side into a 6-4 lead.

The game continued to be an error strewn affair both sides failing to successfully keep hold of possession and complete sets. Aimless and poor kicking became a feature of the second half.

St. Judes extended their lead in the 50^th minute, James Rimmer touching down in the corner with two men queuing up outside him to score. Rimmer scored a second 15 minutes later from longer range, taking advantage of a stretched Miner’s defence, to make it a two score game, 12-6 as failed to convert either of his tries.

As the game moved into the final 10 minutes Wigan nearly put the game beyond any doubt but a knock on chalked the try off.

Leigh then made it a nervous last five minutes for St. Judes via a Tommy Parkinson try, the Wigan back three were unable to deal with a kick through and the number 3 gratefully ran the ball in for a four point score.

Strong defence in the last minute by St. Judes sealed the game for the Wigan side, forcing the Leigh players out of play, finishing the game 12-10. The man of the match was awarded to Wigan St. Judes captain Michael Whittle as the champagne flowed.

Wigan Warriors 24 - 4 Leeds Rhinos

A comprehensive second half performance from Wigan disposed of an injury ravaged Leeds Rhino's side at the DW stadium.

The first half produced just the one try coming via centre George Carmont, a move that swooped from right to left allowing the number four to cross the line unopposed.

The Warriors did well to repel a spirited Leeds side in the first 40 minutes that probed on many occasions inside the oppositions twenty.

At the interval the Cherry Whites led 6-0, Pat Richards converting the only try. During the break much was made of the fact that Wigan had already made 7 of their 12 interchanges, scrum half Mark Riddell limping off the pitch on two separate occasions.

In the second stanza the Rhino's continued to battle admirably. Good fortune for the Yorkshire outfit allowed Ryan Hall to touch down in the corner following an over-ran pass by the dummy runner.

It is fair to say that this was undoubtedly a much deserved try considering their fruitless efforts during the first half.

Any hopes of the young and depleted Rhino's outfit coming away with anything were dashed in an 11 minute period that brought 16 points for the Warriors. Darrell Goulding finishing well in the corner on two occasions with a Joel Tomkins touchdown sandwiched in-between.

Goulding's first try came after a lackadaisical kick chase allowed Amos Roberts to return the ball over the half way line. A quick play of the ball followed and a huge Pat Richards dummy allowed him to break the defensive line before being dragged down. Two play of the balls later and Goulding was in the corner, eventual man of the match Thomas Leuluai directing traffic at the decisive ruck.

Following this Cherry & White purple patch the game was well and truely beyond that of the Leeds side as tiredness and fatigue evidently began to set in. A 71 minute penalty goal from Pat Richards took his personally tally for the night to eight points and put the game to bed for the Wigan.

This was a truely clinical performance from Wigan which sees them maintain their two point lead at the top of Super League, Warrington Wolves also winning 32-16 against visitors Wakefield.

The Warriors did not come out of this game totally unscathed however, both Sam Tomkins and Mark Riddell leaving the field injured.

With all this said however, the tide in Super League seems to be turning away from the predictable domination of Leeds & St. Helens to this revitalised and newly led Wigan team and the forever under achieving Warrington Wolves. Is a new dawn on the horizon for Super League XV?

The rise & rise of Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann bagged his first 10-wicket haul as England laboured to a 181-run victory over Bangladesh at Chittagong in the first test.

Long gone are the days where his off field antics caused him to fall out of favour with the England management after the 1999 tour to South Africa.

Although life was understandable frustrating finding himself out of the test team he did however play during the one-day international triangular tournament. An injury to Ashley Giles opened the door for him to bowl five overs in the match, showing confidence and spinning the ball well.

It is clear to see from the way that Swann plays that he is a very confident and cheeky chappy. In fact upon bumping into him at Wimbledon one year, before becoming an England fixture, I asked if he was infact Graeme Swann. He turned to me and said: "I most certainly am", which always gathers a laugh when I tell people due to the predictability of the reaction.

His persona did not sit well with the England management 10 years ago. As a result of his confidence, which at the time was interpreted as arrogance, he rapidly feel out of favour.

A move from Northamptonshire to Nottinghamshire appeared to be the change that would see Swann break into the England test squad. In 2007, after becoming an instrumental part of the Trent Bridge outfit, winning the County Championship in 2005 and helping them regain first division status again in 2007, he was recalled for the tour to Sri Lanka.

At the time Monty Panesar's star was fading and Graeme Swann's stock was well and truely rising. He finally made his test début against India in Chennai, taking two wickets in his first over - only the second time this has happened.

Swann's control and ability to vary the balls that he bowls in terms of flight and turn, this allied with his lusty lower-order hitting, displaced Panesar as England's test spinner and secured his a place in the 2009 Ashes winning England team.

After starting the first test nervously in Cardiff bowling in tandem with Panesar on a SWALEC stadium which was predicted to turn he soon settled and contributed a number of match-turning performances. (Pardon the pun).

Not only did he display good flight and guile with the ball but made important contributions with the bat as part of England's frequently used re-guard action.

In the third test at Edgbaston he was locked in a compelling battle with Australian captain Ricky Ponting for five balls, before castling him with his own 'ball of the century'.



In the final test at The Oval Swann added to his four-wicket haul that he achieved at Lord's, taking the wicket of Michael Hussey to seal the series on the final day.

Following this Ashes winning series the England team knew they needed to do their upmost to avoid the same hangover which dogged the England team after the 2005 series. Touring South Africa, in the second test Swann collected nine wickets in the game, including 5 for 54 in England's innings demolition in Durban.

After taking 54 wickets in the calender year, the first time this had been managed by an England spinner in over 50 years, Swann rocketed to the position of no. 3 in the world, the highest ranking for an England spinner in decades.

Swann is now one of pivotal members of the current England team, and it is fair to say one of the first names of the team sheet.

The A-Force turning into A-Farce

Audley Harrison's dreams of a world title clash with either of the Klitschko's have been dashed. It comes after Harrison's fight with European Heavyweight champion Albert Sosnowski was called off.

Sosnowski has instead opted for a world title fight against Vitali Klitschko on the 29th May in Schalke's football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, where the prospective Wladimir vs. David Haye fight was scheduled to take place.

Last month Audley Harrison had gone far enough to say that a fight against the current European champion would be enough to propel him to a fight against the Klistchko's, without the need to fight his old foe and sparring partner David Haye.

Harrison claimed that no one in America was talking about the new WBA champion David Haye and that Audley himself was better known on the other side of the Atlantic than Haye.

Harrison constantly puts blame upon the BBC for the way that he was treated whilst contracted to BBC Sport. Audley admits that after four defeats in eights fights that he was coming back a broken man to fight for an eventual European title. His personal mission is to became a world champion, admitting that perhaps he may be crazy or delusional. The latter being the most appropriate.

After the announcement of the fight with the hugely popular pole Harrison claimed that following his Olympic success he would show all his ability and why after Sydney he went 19 & 0. To be truthful to you Audley the reason you went 19 & 0 was because you were fighting bums my friend.

They say the truth is hard to take but you have to be cruel to be kind.

Harrison beat Tomasz Bonin in a Alphabelt title fight, a World Boxing Federation championship fight for all of you who care, in nine rounds in a bout scheduled for 12. David Haye on the other hand, while preparing for a European Cruiserweight fight, disposed of Bonin within a round. . . . .

Harrison then lost on a split decision to Danny Williams and then a unanimous decision to unknown fighter Dominick Guinn. Fraudley then got back to winning way via a 3rd round KO victory against another nobody in the form of Andrew Greely.

His next fight was a demolition of Danny Williams in 2006, a Danny Willaims that he hadn't been during his victory against Harrison. Williams was a shadow of his former self. It was following this fight that the ITV audience were promised that Audley would become a heavy weight champion by 2008 and an undisputed champ by 2009. This did not happen. . . . hell in this time David Haye became the undisputed champion of the cruiser-weight division and then a champion in the heavy weight division!

As ever our hopes were raised by Audley following the Willaims fight. They were the dashed by Reading fighter Michael Sprott, doing what I can only describe as 'flopping' him in round three. Harrison maintains that no one saw the punch that sent him to the canvas like a giant redwood coming. . . well, clearly neither did he. It's always the punches you don't see coming that knock you out.

Since then Audley Harrison has been a series of fits and starts and the winning of the Prize fighter competition has only deluded him further, making him believe he is actually capable of a world title.

After this recent set back it seems unlikely that he will ever capture a world title, certainly if he doesn't intend to do it via David Haye. Haye faces John Ruiz on April 3rd, a fight I shall be at. Vitali's younger brother Wladimir, holder of the WBO, IBF & IBO heavy weight titles, in turn faces Eddie Chambers on the 20th March before Vitali's contest with the EBU title holder. With these dates set it looks as though the path is set for Harrison's old sparring partner, Haye, to clean up this lack-luster heavy weight division and set himself up to become the undisputed champion of the world.

Hull KR finding the perfect balance?

A first Super League try of his young but potentially very prosperous career for Liam Watts well and truely put a dampener on Shaun Ainscough’s Castleford debut.

In a game where Hull Kingston Rovers had to come from behind twice it was two of Rovers youngest players who scored tries at vital times to dramatically clinch a 24-20 victory at The Jungle.

Watts’ match winning try came just eight minutes from time. However he could have had his first ever in the competition 51 minutes earlier when he was held up short of the line. Murrell burrowed his way over from dummy half from the play of the ball to reduce the deficit to four points.

Although not a product of the Hull Kingston Rovers academy Murrell is however already in his fifth season at the club and at just the age of 24 he is ever improving and becoming one of the most versatile options in Coach Justin Morgan’s arsenal.

Murrell is one of four survivors from the National League 1 Grand Final Winning team of 2006. The other three were also instrumental in the victory over the Tigers on Saturday evening. Murrell has made his way from the position of stand-off to hooker by way of loose forward during his time with Rovers.

Full back Ben Cockayne, started in both the Grand Final in question and at The Jungle on Saturday. His try following a Michael Dobson grubber kick made it just a one score game, setting up a thrilling finish. It was in fact Cockayne who scored Rovers first ever Super League try in their opening game of the 2007 season, winning at home to Wakefield Wildcats.

Ben Fisher and Jason Netherton are the other two survivors from 2006, both used as replacements at Castleford.

At the age of just 19 the future looks bright for the prop forward Watts. Coach Justin Morgan sang the young man’s praises after his matching winning try got the Robins back to winning ways. “I’m really happy for Liam because we contemplated taking him off but we thought it would be great for his education to finish a game off under extreme pressure and he came up trumps.”

It is clear that Justin Morgan has a clear vision when it comes to player development. With many players in the squad under the age of 25 the possible naivety that youth provides is obviously not a worry to Morgan. This is clear in the starting of Chaz I’Anson in the stand-off position; another youngster who like Murrell is very versatile having also played in the loose forward role. I’Anson showed glimpses of what is to come having made half breaks from first receiver, coming close to scoring at one point during the game seeing a gap in the defence and accelerating into it, a resilient and strong Cas’ defence stopping him 3 metres short of the try line.

Last year Kris Welham was named as the clubs Young Player of the Year having established himself as a first team regular last season, contributing 13 tries. Having clearly worked hard in the off season to bulk up in order to cope better with the physicality that Super League provides Welham is forever improving and at the age of just 21 should he perform as he did last campaign he may just be in contention for an international call up come the end of the year.

The blooding of youngsters such as Watts, I’Anson and Welham by Hull KR is a clear sign that the licensing programme introduced in 2009 is working. With the licensing scheme reducing the amount of foreign players youngsters such as Sam Tomkins (Wigan), Kyle Eastmond (St. Helens) and Ryan Hall (Leeds) are all being given their chance in the sink or swim environment of Super League all of whom are well and truely swimming, two representing England in the 2009 Four Nations. It is clear that a change in personnel is occurring in the England ranks and a talented side is being formed, which will only lead to a better performance in the next World Cup, on home soil in 2013.

So, as Morgan seeks the perfect balance to his squad, combining young and old, along with solid overseas recruitment, it may not be too long until the Rovers are mounting a serious challenge for honours.

Why Henry Winter is the best sports journalist writing today

Due to the fact I will be making an attempt to include few, if any, football related posts it is quite ironic that I believe a football correspondent to be the best sports journalist.

Henry Winter began his career at the Independent and moved to The Telegraph in 1994 and he is now their chief football correspondent. He is a familiar face also on Sky Sports’ Sunday Supplement. Winter is without doubt one of the top sports writers in Britain, and has been for over 20 years, not only writing in both the Daily Telegraph and Telegraph online but also in Four Four Two magazine.

Unlike other football writers Winter doesn’t simply concentrate on the Premiership. Not only is it refreshing to see this but he does it so beautifully. When you think that half of all football attendances in Britain are outside of the Premiership it is only logical that this should be the case. It is fair to say that the currently League One side Leeds, who once scaled the dizzying heights of elite European club football, are bigger than some of the clubs currently in the Premiership.

Winter’s writing extends beyond the work he does for the Telegraph and Four Four Two magazine, he wrote Kenny Dalglish’s biography, which he has described as a great honour. He also wrote the book F.A. Confidential and he, himself, admits that it is no surprise the things that were revealed inside the Football Association.

It is my view that Henry Writer is the best sports journalist as a result of his honesty. Like other sports writers and commentators he has been accused of being biased, naturally by those who don’t agree with his, at times, controversial comments.

As an Arsenal fan, as can be expected when such a high profile journalist, he has been accused of being a Manchester United fan by Manchester City fans, a Liverpool fan by Everton fans and a Tottenham fan by Arsenal fans. It is fair to say that as a sports journalist you have to become quite neutral in order to avoid criticism.

Henry Winter has many qualities that make him the best in the country, not by far mind you as Michael Atherton in the Times is a very close second. Winter wins by a nose.

Winter’s responses in both his articles and on the Sunday Supplement are educated and well constructed, unlike like some journalists from the red top tabloids who use a ‘scatter-gun’ approach in order to get their points across. Not taking anything away or deriding their knowledge or views because it is to some readers taste and suits the image of the working man who might read his ‘Supergoals’ pull out in The Sun.

All this being said Henry Winter is such an appealing writer due to the fact that he is a superb word-smith and his broad use of the English language makes for riveting, easily read and well constructed articles that are a pleasure when it comes to reading them.