French Open Ramblings

- I watched James Blake lose to Ernestis Gulbis yesterday in four sets. Blake tried more of a “clay court approach,” not going for his shots and trying to keep the ball in play longer. I think in the long run this is a good way for Blake to play, especially on clay. However, it was not the right approach against Gulbis, a huge hitter who got into a rhythm because Blake allowed him to. Read more

Carlo Ancelotti Favourite to Become Chelsea Manager

Here at CLDsport, we have left the hearsay and rumours revolving around possible replacements to Avram Grant at Chelsea to others.

However, AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti has today emerged as a sudden and unexpected favourite to take over the Chelsea hot-seat. Roman Abramovich has - reportedly - made Ancelotti his personal favourite. I think it’s fair to suggest that the Russian has a slight influence over proceedings at the club! Read more

England v USA: Terry Captains Side to Victory

John Terry has captained England to a 2-0 win against a ‘ordinary’ at best USA team. Terry opened the scoring 5 mins before the half-time interval, with Gerrard making it two on the hour.

With Capello having pretty much a fully fit squad to choose from, rumours were strife that Ashton would be making his long-awaited England debut, along with keeper Joe Hart. Neither started - or featured at any stage in the match. Read more

No Points - But Full Marks For Effort

The motorsport underdog was in Monaco on Sunday afternoon, lifting his leg on some very established racers.

Adrian Sutil, racing for Force India in their debut season, nearly caused the upset of the season as he raced in 4^th position, sandwiching the two Ferraris.

Ultimately, some rain, and a below-par (but blameless) Kimi Raikkonen struggled to keep his Ferrari on the leash before using Sutil as a tyre barrier. Retirement for Sutil and a distant pointless finish for Raikkonen.

Underdog moments are rare in Formula One, thanks to the dominance (and in recent seasons, amazing reliability) of the top teams. Yet every now and then a struggling team will dodge the accidents and chaos of a (usually wet or crash-ridden) race and come out with a result that could well see their team survive another season in Formula One.

Here are some other great Formula One underdogs:

Mark Webber, Australian GP, 2002 –Webber’s fifth place gave the struggling Minardi team their only points finish of the season. Possibly Webber’s greatest ever race, shame it was his first.

Damon Hill, Hungarian GP 1997 – Whilst driving for the uncompetitive Arrows team, Hill completely dominated the race and would have won had it not been for the failure of a 50p seal on his car, relegating him to 2^nd in the closing stages.

Nigel Mansell – more British bulldog than underdog. His win for Ferrari at the 1989 Hungarian GP, from 12^th on the grid on a track notorious for no overtaking, was one of his finest moments, beating Ayrton Senna’s superior McLaren in a straight fight.

Links: Monaco Grand Prix Report

French Open Round-Up: American Male Success

For the first time since 2006, an American man advanced past the first round at the French Open. Even better for the USA, it has happened more than once. On Sunday, the opening day of the tournament, James Blake took on former top 10 and Australian Open finalist Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 (3). Read more

Stockport Look Forward to Leeds and Leicester Next Season

Stockport County completed the weekend’s play off festivities by securing a place in League 1 next season after their 3-2 win over local rivals Rochdale.

The two sides from Lancashire played out easily the highest scoring encounter of the 3 Wembley play-off fixture, despite using the pitch last, which became a slippery and tricky surface to cope with thanks to the recent poor weather. Read more

England Pull Off a Dramatic Record Breaking Win

Old Trafford: England (202 & 294-4) bt New Zealand (381 & 114) by six wickets

In what seems like the only pocket of the country not touched by the bank holiday rain, England sealed an unlikely win against New Zealand to lead the 3 match series 1-0 with a game to play. This was the 5th highest 4th innings total ever chased by England to win a test match, and the the highest ever at Old Trafford. How sad that this will be the last test match at the ground for some time after such a topsy-turvy, absorbing and unpredicatable game. Had this been an Ashes game it would surely be considered one of the best matches of all time. Read more

A Successful Weekend For Yorkshire Football

My friend texted me on Friday evening asking for an unbiased prediction on Saturday’s Championship play off final, with the end of his message saying “as long as you think we will win!” Sadly, he is a Bristol City fan. My thoughts were that it would be tight, that Hull would definetly score with the plethora of decent strikers they have and that one of the old boys, probably Windass, would get a goal as I could envisage the usual age-related Sunday headlines. Now I’m not saying you should take my word as gospel in the future and stake all your betting plans on my ramblings, but I feel I got this one spot on. Hull are in the Premier League, and Dean Windass became a journalist’s dream by scoring for his hometown club at the age of 39.  Read more

Hamilton Wins Eventful Monaco Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton has won the Monaco Grand Prix after an eventful race in Monte Carlo. With changeable weather, and safety car interruptions, the race played into the McLaren driver’s hands.

Hamilton’s chances looked slim when he crashed into the barriers on lap 6 in wet conditions. McLaren’s decision to refuel him during the resulting pit-stop enabled him to stay out longer before his final stop - long enough to gain an unassailable lead.

Hamilton said after the race: Read more

Ferrari Continue Impressive Form in Monaco

Felipe Massa managed to grab his second successive pole in Monaco to ensure a Ferrari front row for tomorrow’s race.

With McLaren used to dominating the Monte Carlo circuit, it was a surprise to some to see the Ferrari’s perform so impressively. However, based on the season so far, it really isn’t that much of a surprise! McLaren have been second best this year, after a fantastic season in 2007. Read more

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