Portugal 0-1 England England Under-21s kept alive their hopes of qualifying for next summer’s European Championships with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Portugal in Barcelos last night. Defeat by the Group 9 leaders Greece in their previous match in March had left Stuart Pearce’s side five points adrift but they closed the gap thanks to Daniel Sturridge’s 35th-minute goal. Victory for England in their final qualifying match against Lithuania on Tuesday should be enough to send them through to the play-offs before the finals in Denmark. Pearce chose not to start with the Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, who made his senior England debut last month, while Manchester United’s £7m signing Bebe won his first Under-21 cap for Portugal. David Simao had the first shot on goal after eight minutes but his long-range effort flew well over the bar. England’s striker Danny Welbeck then produced a clever flick to break into the box but Daniel Carrico cleared the danger. The cagey opening to a game both sides needed to win was summed up after 24 minutes when the England goalkeeper, Frank Fielding, was booked for time-wasting. The visitors should have opened the scoring when Welbeck tapped in Kyle Walker’s cross but the flag was incorrectly raised for offside. However, England had to wait only seven minutes to put that behind them as Tom Cleverley played in Sturridge and the Chelsea man chipped the Portugal goalkeeper, Rui Patricio. The same pair then combined again but this time Cleverley shot high and wide as England had to settle for a one-goal lead at half-time. England continued to press after the break and Tottenham’s Danny Rose had a close-range effort well blocked by Carrico. Bebe had been largely disappointing but he tested Fielding for the first time with a shot in the 65th minute that the Blackburn keeper beat away. The home side cranked up the pressure and Fielding was called on again to save from Andre Pinto. There was still time for Welbeck and the substitute Nathan Delfouneso to miss presentable chances but the win was all that mattered for Pearce and England. England Under-21s guardian.co.uk

Greg Fiume – Getty Images 8 days ago: WASHINGTON – AUGUST 26: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals hits a home run in the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 26 2010 in Washington DC. It was the 400th home run of his career. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) View full size photo

AJ Mast – AP 2 days ago: In an Aug. 14, 2009, photo, Minnesota Vikings quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels, left, and Tarvaris Jackson warm up before a preseason NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis. Rosenfels and Jackson are still unproven, one big reason why the Vikings pursued Brett Favre so hard to play for a second straight year. (AP Photo/AJ Mast) View full size photo

• David Hughes plans to take over 100% ownership • One home match planned away from Twickenham base Harlequins will play Super League rugby at The Stoop again next season after David Hughes, the businessman who has suffered seven-figure losses in keeping the club going in recent years, made an announcement before last night’s home game against Warrington dismissing doubts about their future. Brian McDermott, who was coaching the team for the last time and was unable to sign off with a victory as the Wolves won 36-22, had gone public with the fears that have been lingering beneath the surface all year when explaining his decision to return north to Leeds. However, Hughes has said that such talk was alarmist, and that the meetings he held with the Rugby Football League ahead of last weekend’s Challenge Cup final at Wembley were to resolve ownership issues that have festered beneath the surface since the former chairman, Ian Lenagan, bought a controlling interest in Wigan two years ago. “I currently own 35% of the club but provide 100% of the funding for the losses which have been substantial over the past two years and we asked the RFL to help find a solution to this current situation which was unsustainable,” said Hughes. “They have helped find a solution that will shortly allow me to take ownership of 100% of the shares in the club. This will allow us to step up the search for investment which we still need to secure to provide a further stimulus and give Harlequins RL the best possible chance to realise the fantastic potential that it has.” Hughes confirmed that Quins are considering taking one home game away from The Stoop next season, with Milton Keynes thought to be the most likely location, but said the club would retain its Twickenham base. Harlequins rugby league Super League Rugby league guardian.co.uk

• Portuguese held at home after blowing 4-2 lead in Guimaraes • Van Nistelrooy marks return for Dutch with goal in San Marino Group A Miroslav Klose’s goal was enough to give Germany a winning start to their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign in Brussels. The Bayern Munich striker scored six minutes into the second half as Joachim Low’s side edged out Belgium 1-0 in Group A. In a tight game there were chances for both teams early on, but Belgium could not find a way past Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and paid the price. Germany scored with the first attack of the second half as Thomas Muller’s ball found Klose for a simple finish. Turkey seized early control of the pool by cruising to a 3-0 victory in Kazakhstan. Two goals in three minutes from Arda Turan and Hamit Altintop had them in command midway through the first half, and Nihat Kahveci made sure of the three points 14 minutes from time as coach Guus Hiddink made a winning start. Group B Russia and Slovakia both got their Euro 2012 qualifying campaigns off to winning starts in Group B with. Dick Advocaat’s Russia indebted to Pavel Pogrebniak after the striker’s double secured a 2-0 victory in Andorra. Filip Holosko’s stoppage-time strike earned Slovakia a 1-0 victory over 10-man FYR Macedonia in Bratislava. Vladimir Weiss’s side had the better of the chances but could not make the breakthrough until the 91st minute. By that time they had a man advantage after Vance Sikov had seen red for two bookable offences. Group C Italy came from behind with two second-half goals to snatch a 2-1 win in Estonia in their opening qualifier. Antonio Cassano equalised on the hour mark before setting up Leonardo Bonucci three minutes later for the Azzurri’s second. Sergei Zenjov had put Estonia ahead just past the half-hour mark and the home side were unlucky not to add to their advantage when Sander Puri’s right-footed strike beat Italy goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu but hit the crossbar and stayed out. The result marked Italy’s first win in 2010 and gave new coach Cesare Prandelli his maiden victory since replacing Marcello Lippi after the World Cup. Serbia started their campaign with a routine 3-0 victory over the Faroe Islands in Torshavn. Danko Lazovic set the Serbians on their way after 13 minutes and when captain Dejan Stankovic doubled their advantage from a free-kick five minutes later it looked like Brian Kerr’s hosts could be in for a torrid evening. But Gunnar Nielsen, on loan at Tranmere from Manchester City, was beaten just once more – by Birmingham City’s new signing Nikola Zigic in the 90th minute. Group D Bosnia-Herzegovina enjoyed a 3-0 win over Luxembourg. All the goals came early, with Senijad Ibricic scoring a sixth-minute opener, Miralem Pjanic adding a second six minutes later and Edin Dzeko making quite sure of the points on the quarter-hour mark. The other group game surprisingly finished in a draw, with Romania held 1-1 at home by Albania. Substitute Bogdan Stancu ended Romania’s wait for a goal in the 80th minute, only for Gjergj Muzaka, who came off the Albania bench with nine minutes remaining, to grab an 88th-minute equaliser. Group E World Cup runners-up Holland began their qualifying campaign with a comprehensive 5-0 rout of San Marino. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar netted a hat-trick and Ruud van Nistelrooy found the net on his international return after Dirk Kuyt had opened the scoring. Kuyt converted a 16th-minute penalty after Huntelaar had been brought down in the box. Huntelaar, who joined Schalke from Milan last week, added a second after 38 minutes as the Dutch took a 2-0 half-time lead. Huntelaar netted again after 48 minutes and completed his treble after 67 minutes before substitute Van Nistelrooy struck in stoppage time at the Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle. It was Van Nistelrooy’s 34th goal in his 65th appearance following two years in the international wilderness. The 34-year-old Hamburg striker was overlooked for South Africa as the Oranje marched to the World Cup final, having come out of international retirement. Bert van Marwijk’s side will play Finland on Tuesday, who suffered a 2-0 loss away to Moldova. Moldova took full advantage of the dismissal of former Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia to triumph at in Chisinau. Bayer Leverkusen defender Hyypia was sent off after 36 minutes for a professional foul on Viorel Frunza and Moldova made their visitors pay for their numerical disadvantage in the second half. Substitute Alexandru Suvorov struck a free-kick opener after 69 minutes before Anatolie Doros added a second after 74 minutes to complete the victory for Moldova, who travel to Budapest to meet Hungary in their second qualifying match on Tuesday. Hungary will be seeking their first win, after losing 2-0 to Sweden, courtesy of two goals from Pontus Wernbloom. Wernbloom netted after 51 and 73 minutes to steer Sweden to victory at the in Solna. Birmingham’s Sebastian Larsson set up the opening goal, with Wernbloom heading his cross past Gabor Kiraly to end Hungary’s resistance. Sweden doubled their lead when Wernbloom showed his strength in the air once again as Kim Kallstrom swung over a corner and the 24-year-old AZ Alkmaar forward headed against the bar before converting the rebound. Sweden will next meet San Marino in Malmo on Tuesday. Group F Slaven Bilic saw his Croatia side cruise to a comfortable 3-0 win over Latvia as they opened their qualifying campaign in Riga. Hamburg striker Mladen Petric opened the scoring shortly before half-time and Bayern Munich’s Ivica Olic doubled the lead six minutes after the break before Shakhtar Donetsk’s Darijo Srna completed the scoring. Croatia dominated from the off and had several chances before finally taking the lead two minutes before half-time. Tottenham midfielder Niko Kranjcar had several opportunities before Petric netted just before the break. Bayern Munich’s Olic added the second goal after 51 minutes and Srna also netted with eight minutes remaining to wrap up the three points for the visitors. Greece drew 1-1 with Georgia after Nikos Spyropoulos earned them a point with a second half equaliser. Alexander Iashvili had given the visitors the lead after three minutes but Spyropoulos levelled with 18 minutes remaining. Group H Portugal were held to a thrilling 4-4 draw by Cyprus in Guimaraes as they made a false start to their Group H campaign. First-half goals from Efstathios Aloneftis and Michael Constantinou for Cyprus were cancelled out by Portugal’s Hugo Almeida and Raul Meireles, the new Liverpool midfielder. The home team then led 4-2 through goals from Danny and Manuel Fernandes in the second period, but Yiannis Okkas and Andreas Avraam, who scored the eighth goal of the match in the 88th minute, drew Cyprus level and earned them an unexpected point. In the same group, Norway staged a fine second-half comeback to beat Iceland 2-1. Egil Olsen’s side went behind shortly before half-time in Reykjavik when veteran QPR striker Heidar Helguson scored for Iceland. But captain Brede Hangeland showed his team the way with a headed equaliser after 58 minutes, and Mohammed Abdellaoue hit the winner 17 minutes later. Group I The world champions Spain began the defence of their European Championship title with a 4-0 win over Liechtenstein in Vaduz. Fernando Torres struck twice while David Villa and substitute David Silva were also on the scoresheet. Vicente del Bosque’s side, who have now won 52 of 57 matches since 2006, scored two fine goals in the first half through Torres and Villa but could have had many more after cutting open the home defence time and again. They added the gloss in the second half to get their Group I campaign off and running in style. Czech Republic are not in action until next week’s midweek matches. Euro 2012 guardian.co.uk

Wigan 34-12 Bradford Wigan celebrated their most consistent season for a decade, but Pat Richards had to settle for a share of the Super League points-scoring record as he endured a rare off night with the boot. Richards needed 15 points to overhaul the previous best of 388 set by Andy Farrell in 2001, but despite scoring two tries to break a Super League record for the club, he landed only three goals from seven attempts. Darrell Goulding appeared to have given Richards the ideal chance to break Farrell’s record in style when he claimed a second try in the corner with four minutes remaining. However the tall Australian wing, who has represented Ireland for the past three years as his parents were born in Dublin, pulled his conversion attempt from the right touchline across the face of the posts. The disappointment did not last long, as a second Bradford consolation try allowed the Wigan supporters to show their appreciation for another Australian Grand Final winner, with the Bulls allowing the former Manly forward Steve Menzies to mark his final appearance for the club by taking the simple conversion from beneath the posts. He succeeded where Richards had failed, and the majority of the 17,000 crowd hung around for a few minutes after the final hooter for the presentation of the Engage League Leaders’ Shield, awarded to the team finishing on top of the table. It is the Super League trophy that Wigan really want, however, and that will not be awarded until the Grand Final takes place at Old Trafford next month. Richards, though, in addition to earning the distinction of being bracketed with Farrell in the Super League record books, has also beaten by two the tally of 27 tries that Kris Radlinski scored in that same 2001 season, which was Wigan’s previous best tally in the summer era. His final haul of 29 was the most anyone has scored in a Super League season since Lesley Vainikolo and Danny McGuire both broke 30 in 2004, moreover, and the 44 league points Wigan have accrued by winning 22 of their 27 games is the highest total since St Helens won 24 games out of 28 in 2006. It took Wigan longer than expected to make the breakthrough against a Bradford team who had won their last game against Wakefield to end a club-record losing run. However after withstanding some early Bulls pressure, they looked a far more potent force in possession, and Sam Tomkins had already been denied one try by a marginal obstruction decision before George Carmont opened the scoring in the 16th minute following a well-worked move to the left. Richards curled over his first goal, and he was soon scoring a simple second after Iafeta Paleaaesina had rumbled over following Mark Riddell’s dummy-half run. He scored the third try himself, from Sean O’Loughlin’s flat cut-out pass, but his conversion attempt hit a post, and the man of the moment then suffered the indignity of falling on his backside as he slipped when trying to convert Wigan’s fourth score from Joel Tomkins. That embarrassment was quickly forgotten as he juggled Paul Deacon’s chip to score his second try early in the second half. Again, however, he was unable to convert, and he had to wait until the 66th minute, when Goulding claimed his first try, to kick the record-equalling goal. Bradford avoided the indignity of being shut out with late tries by the props Craig Kopczak and Andy Lynch, but some time ago their focus had switched to rebuilding for 2011, when Mick Potter will arrive from St

How the England players fared individually in their Euro 2012 qualifier Joe Hart 8 Exudes the quality and confidence demanded of a first-choice international goalkeeper. This was his first competitive appearance and he excelled, conjuring fine saves from Johnson, unexpectedly, Rangelov and Angelov to spark the break that supplied the hosts’ second goal Glen Johnson 5 Far from convincing defensively, where he was prone to aberrations, not least when mistiming a clearance and almost beating Hart from close range. He remained a threat when offered the opportunity to spring forward down the flank Michael Dawson 6 Eased into his first start before an ugly-lookingn awkward tumble and twist to the turf seconds later looked ugly, with the defender clutching his left knee in agony Phil Jagielka 7 Grew into the contest, his distribution improving and his judgment and pace in recovery at times impressive. There was one particularly eye-catching challenge to repel Bozhinov. This was encouraging Ashley Cole 8 Combined superbly with Rooney at times, especially for England’s early goal, which owed much to his calm persistence. He may still attract murmuring discontent in the stands, but he remains one of this side’s gems Theo Walcott 6 This was a trickier test than he has endured in the Premier League to date this season, but he was bright and energetic on the flank, exposing Milanov at times with his pace and trickery Steven Gerrard 8 Deep-lying but imperious for long periods, spraying accurate passes to either flank and, with Rooney, cajoling forward thrusts from his team-mates. This was inspirational at times and offered those around him real conviction Gareth Barry 7 Busy and disruptive as ever as he attempted to stifle Bulgaria’s attempts at fluid forward movement. He was perhaps fortunate to escape a booking, but he is a reassuring presence James Milner 7 Broke forward well, all hustle and bustle where Walcott glides. He combined well, particularly with Rooney when the striker dropped deep, with his persistence offering his markers no respite Jermain Defoe 8 Smartly taken early goal, pealing off Ivanov and volleying England ahead with what might have been perhaps his first touch. His second and third were each fed by his strike partner, suggesting there is logic in persisting with the Rooney-Defoe partnership after all Wayne Rooney 8 Some of England’s best attacking play stemmed from his endeavours, even if his touch is stodgier at times than he would like. One mistake drew boos from the crowd, but played a part in all four goals Substitutes Cahill for Dawson 57mins Made telling block to deny Bulgaria A Johnson for Walcott 74mins Scored his first England goal Young for Defoe 87mins Little time to impress Euro 2012 England Bulgaria Dominic Fifield guardian.co.uk

• Andy Murray advances with 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win • Jamaican Brown impresses but Scot hits top form On his way to Arthur Ashe Court, Dustin Brown walks through a tunnel that, even on this steamy day, is unusually cool. He passes the portraits of the former US Open champions Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi, each of them three feet tall but appearing larger than life. It is a deceptively welcoming oasis. However, once the 25-year-old Jamaican from the outskirts of tennis steps on to Centre Court and looks across at his opponent, Andy Murray, his sweating hands tell him things are about to get a good deal hotter. An hour and 25 minutes later, his grand adventure is over, but what a time he and the rest of us had. Losing to the world No4 in only his second grand slam tournament was no disgrace at all and, at times, Brown hit some wondrous shots, among them six aces thrashed across the net at up to 137mph on the end of a spindly, muscular right arm. Nevertheless, the scoreline of 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 accurately describes the steady disintegration of his fragile if exciting game, as well as Murray’s mastery of a tricky assignment. Murray third-round opponent, Stanislas Wawrinka, will be trickier still. The Swiss No25 seed, who beat Juan Ignacio Chela 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 yesterday, took Murray to five sets at Wimbledon last year. Murray defeated him in three sets on his way to the final in New York that year. “He does everything well,” the Scot said. “He serves well, he’s got a solid return.” Murray gave as good as he got against Brown, with interest, acing him 12 times and keeping his first serve at a respectable 59%. He did double-fault three times, but never when it was going to hurt him, and Brown did not quite have the quality to punish him. “I didn’t really give him many chances,” Murray said. “I returned well in the second and third sets. He started off very, very flashy but towards the end of the first set I had some opportunities. Hurricane Earl did not quite exert its venom on New York, and it would have taken an earthquake to save Brown. They went off in spitting rain in the first set, with Murray leading 2-1, and the brief interruption only delayed the inevitable, as the Scot soaked up his opponent’s fierce, flat forehands and drop-shots so delicate they might have been played by McEnroe. Brown, resplendent in blue beach shorts and bright shoes, did not look out of place in this environment; he has been doing it for a living for eight years, much of it on European clay from his base in Germany, where he lives and was born. Still, his small but vocal band of supporters and most of the scattered crowd won over by his blistering start were soon to share with him the size of his task. On his day of days, it was Brown’s misfortune, perhaps, to be playing in front of a stadium maybe a third full, the absentees, understandably, hanging from the rafters at the nearby Grandstand Stadium, where the 18-year-old American hope, Ryan Harrison, was putting up an heroic but futile struggle over five sets of sizzling quality and drama against the Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky. That, in truth, was probably the match of the tournament thus far – but Murray had his job to do and went about it in that cool, professional manner that so many opponents find disarming. Better players than Brown – who is ranked 123rd in the world after a brief sojourn inside the top 100 earlier in the summer – have succumbed to Murray’s guile. It is in matches such as this, as he asserts himself slowly but irresistibly, that we can more easily appreciate how Murray has moved to another level, even over the past year. After his dispiriting post-Melbourne blues, he seems to have made a full recovery. And how much further Murray has come than Stakhovsky since beating him here in the junior final in 2004; maybe Harrison will go further than both of them. He certainly has the all-round game to leave a lasting impression in big events. Brown, meanwhile, was going backwards from the latter part of the first set, when Murray pinned him to the baseline and induced a limp backhand which found the net for 7-5 after 39 minutes. The match was littered with memorable moments, most of them when it was still competitive early on. Brown caught Murray off-guard a couple of times with his drop-shots and lob, and in one service game of frightening intensity he had the crowd on their feet in celebration of his unfettered power. However, class told. Nearly all of it came from Murray, as Brown’s ground strokes increasingly went just a little too long or wide and he more than once found himself stranded in mid-court, stuck between attack and defence. Each time, Murray spotted the opening like a circling hawk. Murray pulled out the big guns when needed. He belted three aces to stun Brown in the third game, aced him again to finish off the seventh game and stretched Brown into saving a set point at 4-5. Thereafter, though, the Jamaican who says he wants to play Davis Cup for Great Britain (through an English grandmother) was like a sailor lost at sea. Murray breezed through the second set, looking more relaxed as the points flowed, then finished it off in 18 minutes, taking the third set to love. He could hardly be in better shape to make a charge in this tournament. Brown, meanwhile, has his memories to cherish. Andy Murray US Open tennis Tennis Kevin Mitchell guardian.co.uk

Lucy Mangan on the people in the spotlight in the last seven days, whether they wanted to be or not People Spot of bother Pakistan cricket Stop all the clocks. Cut off the telephone. Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone and let us all bow our heads and mourn the death of innocence. Three members of the Pakistan cricket team, including captain Salman Butt, star teenage bowler Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif became the subject of some scrutiny by Scotland Yard and the sport’s authorities after allegations that the three delivered deliberate no-balls in return for cash – spot-betting – as part of an international betting racket allegedly run by Mazhar Majeed, agent to several of Pakistan’s players. They have now been suspended by the International Cricket Council and charged under its anti-corruption code. Rumours that behind Majeed is the ultimate evil mastermind, The Lady Who Threw the Cat in the Bin Last Week, remain unconfirmed at time of going to press. Helmet off The Stig The Man in the White Helmet was revealed this week as someone whom we already knew him to be thanks to earlier reports about who he was and a book about his life that he had written for HarperCollins. The BBC applied for a high court injunction against its publication on the grounds that the Beeb made The Stig what he is today – an enigmatic but vital part of one of BBC Worldwide’s most valuable brands, Top Gear. In what the publisher called a “victory for free speech” – a claim that would ring less hollow if the publisher weren’t a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation – the injunction was denied. So who is The Stig? We wouldn’t dream of spoiling the fun. Except that if we don’t you might buy the book. So it’s a guy called Ben Collins. Top hop Kate Moss It’s been a beautiful – and, like all the best relationships, lucrative – thing, but it’s over. The teeny-tiny pocket person (she’s like a model model) and Sir Philip Green, Topshop owner, have parted business ways. Over the last four years Moss has designed a fantastically successful range of clothing for gazelle-thighed adolescent freaks of nature whose clear-eyed, glossy-haired beauty and epidermal firmness makes you weep with joy and fury. But the termination of her contract was announced this week. Maybe the collections weren’t selling as well as before, maybe the Moss gloss had passed its shiniest peak, but the news also coincides with Green’s 19-year-old daughter, Chloe, coming to work at the family firm. Does she have a covetous eye on the dream designing job in high street fashion? Probably. Do we care? Probably not. Do we still want to cry, now that we’ve started? Definitely, yes What they said “They are trying to portray it as a classic big money move to ITV, when nothing could be further from the truth.” Presenter Adrian Chiles claims he wasn’t so much running towards a £6m contract as running away from sharing The One Show duties with Chris Evans. “Cotswold airport.” The new council sign that has gone up on the A429. It’s showing the way to Cotswold airport. You probably got that. “I look forward to the day when Tony says he’s a Milibandite rather than people asking me if I’m a Blairite.” David Miliband has a long-term vision. What we’ve learned • Heinz tomato soup is 100 years old this week • More than half of 65- to 74-year-olds are online • We each have 3lbs of bacteria living in our guts • 1,500 people a day are hospitalised through drinking • 80% of mothers lie to their children about food to get them to eat healthily • August was the coldest for 17 years … and what we haven’t • Whether Paul McKenna really is going to buy Michael Jackson’s £19m mansion Pakistan cricket betting scandal Cricket Pakistan cricket team Top Gear Factual TV Television BBC Publishing Kate Moss Topshop Lucy Mangan guardian.co.uk

Ed Smith and other correspondents ( Letters , 31 August) are absolutely right on insisting that a clear separation exists between the events of the Pakistan “no-ball scandal” and the game itself. In England over the past decade many hundreds of thousands of youngsters – some at schools where not a ball had been bowled, ever – have been inspired by the opportunities they’ve been offered thanks to the great Chance to Shine scheme. With enthusiastic support from government and cricketing organisations and individuals, many boys – and girls – are now enjoying the sport and finding the experience life-enhancing. After years of public and school pitch closures and sales, and the game diminishing as a sport for all, we are steadily reclaiming it for our young people. We must not allow a headline-grabbing incident, as serious as it is, to in any way damage this fantastic project and other similar enterprises, but encourage their expansion instead. The evidence is there for all to see. Cricket is a positive force for both player and spectator alike. There is no crisis here. Graham Benson Ventnor, Isle of Wight • For those ticket-holders like myself concerned that the Twenty20 game between England and Pakistan in Cardiff tomorrow may still not go ahead ( Three Pakistan players suspended by ICC , 3 September), the nearby Cooper’s Field has an excellent supply of early conkers available, provided the squirrels and seagulls don’t get them first. Conkers , of course, is a sport where gamesmanship – if not exactly cheating – has long been a way of life. Keith Flett London Cricket Twenty20 guardian.co.uk

Bat him at No5. Beg him to dye his hair. Laugh at everything he says. Pietersen at his best is a triumph of the basically silly I have always suspected England’s batting coach, Graham Gooch, owes some part of his standing to his invention, as a player, of the modern habit of repeatedly muttering “watcha bladdy ball” under his breath while the bowler was running in. Gooch was the first batsman ever to mutter “watcha bladdy ball” and at the time this seemed such a devastating innovation you just assumed he must have within him a great store of vital cricketing knowledge. Although, judging by England’s recent collapses, you get the feeling his coaching philosophy may not in fact go much beyond the remit of “watcha bladdy ball”. I was thinking about this as the Surrey coach Chris Adams gave his thoughts on the signing-cum-remedial-incarceration of Kevin Pietersen, who has been dropped by England and parked temporarily at The Oval. “It will be exciting to have a player of Kevin’s quality,” Adams said. “The information and knowledge that exist within him, we have to get out in the time he spends here.” This still sounds a bit odd. Pietersen has never shown any sign of having “knowledge within him”. Instead he seems to be a man who functions best while in possession of a head that is almost entirely empty. I imagine while he’s batting he mainly thinks things like “Zap!” and “Uh-huh”, or, “We buy any car! Any! Any! Any! Any!”, before looking at the scoreboard and realising it’s time to waggle his bat and look awestruck but also gorgeously inauthentic all at the same time. This week, however, it has suddenly become necessary to muse and agonise and chin-stroke over his allegedly complex psychology, given impetus by the hilariously dim, sweary tweet that revealed his dropping by England. Increasingly, Pietersen has been described as man apart. There has even been some cautious talk of “an enigma”. At which point I must hold up a quavering palm of interjection. There are standards to be maintained. Enigmas require more than simply underachievement. David Gower was an enigma, but not just because his scores wobbled up and down or because he batted at all times like a man swishing a baguette about at a tipsy country picnic. Gower was also remote and self-contained, where Pietersen is needy and tearfully expressive, like the kind of male friend who will hug you for slightly too long and maybe even nuzzle your neck despite the fact neither of you are drunk, it’s 11.30 in the morning and you only came by to borrow a squash racket. Pietersen is something else. He is extremely silly. The moment you remember this – Kevin Pietersen is very silly – he not only starts to make sense again, you also remember what it is you like about him. Watching Pietersen doing his strangely precious tippy-toe prowl around The Oval on Wednesday I remembered the simple joy of his silly walk, the walk of a man always fighting the urge to make a “pyeeow” noise and perform a pistol-draw mime while entering a room, the kind of man who slithered from the womb with his sunglasses already conjoined annoyingly to the top of his head. Pietersen is brilliant as a silly person. Even that period where he kept being photographed smiling next to people in bands at the launch party for an exciting new range of exfoliating male grooming scrub was fine, because Pietersen was still clinchingly, triumphantly silly. Where did it all go? There has been a lot of talk about Pietersen’s ongoing swagger-deficit and chest-puff shortfall. But really his problems date back to the period in 2008 when he decided, against type, to become mature; to “grow” as a person and a player. There was a change even in his facial expression, from winking insouciance to a grisly, mannered sensitivity. Before long the idea that Pietersen had “insecurities” was being floated about. He became a strangely racked and poignant figure. All of which was hideously jarring to the contented observer. Nobody wants to turn the page and find Bertie Wooster tiring of the croquet lawn and deciding instead to go around exposing police corruption or becoming involved in a sexually transgressive love triangle. And in the end we just want Pietersen to be like he used to be, like he was during his high-water mark of The Oval 2005: loose and zany and thrillingly physical. This is another function of Pietersen’s silliness. He only really makes sense as a batsman if he is the greatest batsman, or at least one who touches peaks beyond the mortal. Without the searing flamingo swipes or the yoga-stretch lunge-sweep (where is it now, the flamingo?) his galvanising silliness congeals. My remedy is simple: this is a man who should never carry any responsibility. Bat him at No5. Beg him to dye his hair again. Laugh at everything he says. Refuse to analyse his behaviour in any way and remember Pietersen at his best is an exhilarating triumph of the basically silly. Kevin Pietersen Cricket Surrey Barney Ronay guardian.co.uk

Jamie Carragher’s passion for Liverpool is undimmed after 14 years – now he’s trying to help recover their class and dignity Jamie Carragher owns two restaurants in Liverpool and hopefully his next culinary step will be to host Come Dine With Me. The company and conversation would not be eclectic – his obsession with leading managers would produce a guest list limited to such names as José Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello – but the concoction would be unforgettable. “There is still a mystique about these people for me,” he says. “The likes of Ferguson and Mourinho, I could talk to them all day if I had the chance.” Which raises the question of what the Liverpool defender would ask the Manchester United manager if the opportunity arose? For once, Carragher pauses to consider a response. His eyes sparkle when it comes. “I’ll tell you what I would say to him. I’d say he never knocked Liverpool off their fucking perch. That’s nonsense that. Graeme Souness did that. United were competing with Norwich and Aston Villa for their first title. They weren’t competing with Liverpool, were they?” Why Carragher remains a prized interviewee requires no explanation. Fourteen years after breaking into the Liverpool first team as a goalscoring midfielder, or so we thought, the 32-year-old stages his testimonial at Anfield this afternoon. He has invited an Everton XI to provide the opposition and Michael Owen to face the wrath of the Kop by swapping United red for Liverpool’s. Both have caused a stir, though proceeds do go to his charitable 23 Foundation. The choices are unsurprising, however. Owen is a lifelong friend, Everton are the team he loved, and he has never become the PR-moulded, bland character we now expect – but abhor – of our Premier League stars. It is the reason Anfield identifies with Carragher more than any other player of his generation and why, despite a wish to retain a low profile ahead of his big day, 10 journalists are waiting when he walks into the press room at Liverpool’s training ground. Fourteen years of opening up with searing honesty, yet he still retains a capacity for revelation. Only when discussing the testimonial guest list does it dawn on Carragher that his mother, Paula, will watch him play today for only the second time in his life. Not the second time in a career that has yielded every medal bar the Premier League championship – his whole life. “It’s just never been the done thing in our family” is the explanation. “She didn’t watch me as a kid. My missus doesn’t go to the match either. It’s a waste of a ticket. To my mum, I’m James. I suppose she’s kept me grounded. She still lives where we always lived and she does the normal things like going to the Asda. It’s funny, she went shopping the other day to the Lidl, which is the cheap one, isn’t it? And one of the girls on the till went: ‘What are you doing in here?’ She can’t go back now. She said she only went in to get a bit of fruit.” Andy Burnham MP is also expected at Anfield, and his presence suggests Carragher’s claim to be interested only in “Liverpool football club and my family” is not entirely true. The Bootle-born defender donated £10,000 to Burnham’s Labour leadership campaign, having been impressed by the then culture secretary’s efforts to release internal documents on the Hillsborough disaster, though Carragher proclaims only a passing interest in politics. “I watched Tony Blair’s interview with Andrew Marr the other night and I’ll watch Newsnight, but that’s about it. I like Tony Blair. But [donating to Burnham] was because he is a local fella and I vote Labour and hopefully that would give him a good push. I like seeing people from round here doing well and it would be great if someone from round here was leader of the Labour party. “He’s an Evertonian, though, isn’t he? I think he’s coming to the match with the leader of the council. It probably looks good for them as well, doesn’t it? I read Piers Morgan’s book on holiday and he was never out of Downing Street.” Any fan of Blair must place an importance on image and Carragher is no exception, although only in the context of the club he serves. Proud though he is of his achievements at Anfield, and of a career of dramatic highs and lows on a collective and personal level, the defender admits the recent image of Liverpool FC is one that pains him. “I care about the club because I’m a supporter as well,” he says. “It does bother me if things aren’t as they should be. I think a lot about the future of the club, the direction it’s going in, the way it is run and how it is perceived from the outside. There are some things that Liverpool should be doing in a certain way, the correct way. We should be a little bit different, and we need to get back to that. “I’m not just talking about winning games, but the way we do things and the way we conduct ourselves. The class and dignity this club was renowned for. It’s the way Liverpool used to be seen by people and we should be aiming to recreate that.” Carragher’s use of “class and dignity” is instructive. Those are the same words David Moyes used to describe Everton when responding to the former manager Rafael Benítez’s description of his Merseyside rivals as “a small club”. George Gillett and Tom Hicks have brought financial turbulence to Anfield and supporters on to the streets. Though Carragher refuses to mud-sling – “I’m not getting into why we lost that, but we do need to get back to it and I think we are” – it is clear he believes the American co-owners are not entirely responsible for Liverpool’s recent soap opera. “I just think that over the last few years people didn’t like Liverpool. Other managers didn’t like us, we were always getting criticism in the press, obviously we were not doing well on the pitch so that comes with it, but everything was just negative Liverpool all the time. “We’ve had situations like Martin O’Neill and Steve Bruce criticising Liverpool and they were right. We shouldn’t be getting involved with stuff like that. Everyone else should look at Liverpool and say they have dignity, class. I mean, like the way people look at Arsenal. They do things right and you think they conduct themselves in the right way. I think we have been a club who were like that and we need to get back to that, to do things right. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose; that’s football. You can’t win all the time. But you can still behave in a way where people respect you.” Though it goes against the grain for Carragher, a testimonial demands reflection and the vexed issue of what next? His son, James, is already at the Liverpool academy and while a step into management has always appeared natural, a reluctance to leave Liverpool does not make it a foregone conclusion. “If it was just me and the missus then I wouldn’t mind seeing the world or different parts of the country, but I’m very big on my kids being settled with their family,” he says. “I want to be a manager, it wouldn’t scare me, but I also think you could be sacked in six months and you’d have to take the kids back to school with your tail between your legs.” He is, however, unequivocal about what he will not miss when the time finally comes to hang up the No23 Liverpool shirt. “People go on about how much players earn in the Premier League but once you’ve bought a nice house and car, what else is there to spend it on?” Carragher asks. “There is pressure, and I would never complain about that, but as players we put pressure on ourselves all the time. That’s one thing I won’t miss when I finally stop playing. It was my wife’s birthday party last Sunday but I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy it if we didn’t beat West Brom that afternoon. It was on my mind from the moment the whistle went. All through the game, I’m thinking: ‘We’ve got to win it, we’ve got to win it.’ ” Six hundred and thirty five appearances for Liverpool and still yearning for victory. That says it all. Jamie Carragher Liverpool Andy Burnham Andy Hunter guardian.co.uk

Jermain Defoe’s hat-trick is uplifting but Fabio Capello’s stuttering side remain far from the finished product An early goal, they say, settles a team down and loosens them up. In England’s case, that rare and precious commodity can have the opposite effect. A sudden outbreak of euphoria in the opening stages of a match can be the enemy of coherence, as we saw after Jermain Defoe’s 13th senior international goal provided a swift reward for the 73,000 who turned up on a warm London night to see if Fabio Capello could inject a greater sense of purpose into the national team. The first goal was a beauty, albeit one with its origins in the most mundane of errors by the Bulgarian defence. Wayne Rooney was made a gift of possession by Stanislav Manolev, the right-back, and responded by launching an exquisite chip that found Ashley Cole’s run into the six-yard box, beyond the stranded Manolev. After the left-back’s shot had been blocked, his second bite at the cherry produced a neat square cross that Defoe volleyed home from close range. Speed of thought, precision of technique, anticipation, initiative and persistence – it had everything you might expect from a side still ranked, albeit mystifyingly, seventh in Fifa’s world standings. But then came the misplaced passes, the muddled attempts at creative interplay, a Glen Johnson backpass that forced Joe Hart into his best save of the first half, and the sight of Rooney, alone on the left touchline, attempting a sort of Cruyff turn but only managing to fumble the ball into touch, with the nearest opponent 10 yards away. That, too, is mystifying, and such moments of befuddlement convey the message that clarity will not be restored to the England squad simply through the launch of a perfectly decent new strip. And by the way, what was wrong with the old one? Barely a year ago we were being informed of the virtues of its “reduced internal seam friction”, “improvement thermal regulation”, and a collar said to be “shaped at the shoulder with a two-piece collar stand for ‘motion control’”. No such technical claims are being made for the new one, which was designed, it is said, by Peter Saville, the man whose plundering of the innovations of the Italian Futurist movement gave birth to the graphics that distinguished Tony Wilson’s Factory Records in the late 1970s. England could do with a New Order, of course, and there is also a joke in there somewhere about Fabio Capello and Italian Futurism, possibly to be made by someone who really believes that the England manager is trying to take his team back to the dark ages with a distinctly retro 4-4-2 formation. But Capello is right when he says that we are wrong to think in terms of strict formations. Modern football – at least since Rinus Michels, Johan Cruyff and the Dutch of the 1970s – is about fluidity. The challenge is to persuade the team not just to accept the theory and practise it on the training ground but to reproduce it in matches, particularly when there is something at stake. So far his success has been at best intermittent and unconvincing. Capello rose to his feet once or twice before the interval to make a point to his players, something he eschewed during the match against Hungary, when he seemed to be trying to prove that his modus operandi in the technical area is not restricted to an opera buffa of impotent bellowing and wild gestures of frustration. He was on his feet again in the second half last night after Glen Johnson had failed to cut out Valeri Bojinov’s short pass to Ivelin Popov, who should have equalised as he cut in from the left but instead floated his shot across the unprotected Hart and wide of the far post. The swathes of empty seats in the upper tier and, more dismayingly for the Football Association’s financial officers, the middle tier, where the corporate hospitality folk pay premium prices, spoke of the sense of disillusionment felt by a section of the England support. This is a post-World Cup phenomenon that a scratchy win in a friendly against lowly Hungary and combative words from the manager had not been enough to dissipate. There was the sort of febrile atmosphere that usually attends friendly games in the summer months, when children make up a large proportion of the attendance and their excitement is not dimmed by dull play. But it was a sign of the paucity of England’s invention and ability to create excitement that after a mere 35 minutes, the soundtrack to the Mexican wave was making its way round Wembley. Defoe’s second goal, which itself could be seen as more than England deserved, came as the product of a textbook counterattack, as did his third. Both scoring shots were distinguished by great composure, and so was the one from Adam Johnson that separated them – and which also demonstrated that the Manchester City winger is in real competition with Theo Walcott for the right-sided position. Welcome as they were, these moments nevertheless seemed out of context with the remainder of the performance against a team ranked 43rd in the world. England Bulgaria Euro 2012 Richard Williams guardian.co.uk

• BHA tells owner he will not be allowed to re-register • Dirar’s owner warned off twice for breaking betting rules Marcus Reeder, who enjoyed his biggest moment as an owner when Dirar won the Ebor last month, has been prevented from re-registering as an owner in Britain. The Northamptonshire man has been told that he fails the “fit and proper person” test, having been warned off twice for breaches of the sport’s rules on corruption. The decision by a licensing committee of the British Horseracing Authority appears to kill off Reeder’s hopes of expanding his racing interests in this country. Standing in the winner’s enclosure after Dirar’s success at York, he said: “I’ve just started buying a lot more horses and a few will be going to Gordon [Elliott, trainer of Dirar] and a few will be going with one of my good friends, Seamus Durack [a jump jockey], who’s just got a licence to train. He’ll be based in Lambourn.” Reeder, who may appeal against the decision, has served two bans for separate breaches of racing’s rules. He was banned for a year in 2006 after laying one of his own horses through Betfair and then for a further 18 months in 2008 when he was found to be part of a nine-man conspiracy to profit from the laying of horses, some of which were owned by one of his co-conspirators. After that second ban ended in May, Reeder wrote to the BHA expressing contrition and seeking to resume his activities as an owner in Britain. In the immediate aftermath of the Ebor, the BHA signalled that Reeder had been successful, but this was a mistake and in fact the matter was still under consideration. He was not available for comment last night. Dirar was able to run in Reeder’s name because the horse is based in Ireland, where the authorities have allowed him to re-register, in full knowledge of his history. A spokesman for Horse Racing Ireland said at the time that there was “no reason not to set up an account”. It remains to be seen whether the BHA will now take any action to prevent Reeder-owned runners based in Ireland from running in Britain, or if the Irish authorities will reconsider their position. The field for today’s Matron Stakes, one of two Group One races taking place at Leopardstown, has been reduced to six following the withdrawal of Jacqueline Quest, who was first past the post in the 1,000 Guineas in May. “She’s just got a bit of a swollen joint,” said a spokeswoman for her trainer, Henry Cecil. “It’s nothing to worry about and she should be back out in a few weeks.” The chances of Aidan O’Brien winning three Group Ones today are no bigger than 12-1, according to one firm of bookmakers. O’Brien has half the field for the Irish Champion Stakes, as well as Starspangledbanner in Haydock’s big sprint, but reportedly views Lillie Langtry in the Matron as a weak link. The filly is returning from a disappointing run at Newmarket’s July meeting. Horse racing Chris Cook guardian.co.uk

So bad in South Africa, so good again at Wembley – Capello’s talisman showed the appetite to help rebuild his side’s reputation Over the dying summer months the thought must have floated through Wayne Rooney’s head that England duty is just not worth the candle. He would have kept this internal murmur to himself, of course, but there was a diminishing allure to being booed and playing badly at a World Cup in a rotten national side. International retirement was never on the cards once the Manchester United fold had reclaimed him. Imagine the hot lava of vilification at Premier League grounds if the country’s best player quit, at 24, citing the futility of wasting precious youthful days on a such a hopeless enterprise. The question was not whether Rooney would flee back to United and lock the doors but whether he would disengage inside and submit to the mediocrity of this other life. The good news is that to surrender would require a downward shift in his nature too great to be undertaken by such a demonically competitive character. Without Rooney’s artistry Jermain Defoe would not have left Wembley with a hat-trick in a 4-0 win that concealed England’s defensive frailties. Each of the Tottenham striker’s three goals against Bulgaria stemmed from Rooney’s passing and spatial awareness. Listless, sluggish and gloomy in South Africa, Rooney’s brain was writing cheques his denuded body was unable to cash, but it was always an odds-on bet that the terror who struck 34 times for United in 2009-10 and scooped the PFA and football writers’ footballer of the year awards would recover his old barnstorming self one happy day. So hard is the enamel of his confidence that some may have expected him to take a summer holiday, sup a few ales and re-emerge from United’s Carrington training complex ready to inflict instant havoc again. But the journey back has been a good deal more painful than that. Against Bulgaria here he started the move that led to Defoe’s third-minute goal – golf-chipping a pass to Ashley Cole, who bundled it eventually to Defoe – but was booed by the Wembley crowd for mis-controlling a ball on the touchline in front of Fabio Capello. After those jeers filled the night air the whole audience seemed to pause to contemplate the enormity of that gesture, that derision. Was Rooney being heckled for his impotence in South Africa or out of lingering resentment at his rebuke to England’s fans for barracking the team during the Algeria game in Cape Town? “Nice to see your home fans booing you — that’s loyal supporters,” Rooney complained in the eye of a TV camera – a challenge that clearly pierced the skin of the more sensitive souls in the Green Point Stadium. Whatever the cause of this enduring crowd displeasure it seemed to strike Rooney hard as Capello clapped his encouragement. The team’s most lethal presence tends not to need ego-massages but Capello gave him one anyway in the build-up to this first Euro 2012 qualifier, in which Rooney dropped off the front line and foraged in advanced midfield circles, which, in fairness to Capello, he had been authorised to do, to loosen the binds of 4-4-2. “I monitored him during the last game he played, against West Ham. He’s good, he’s back and I’m happy because he scored a goal,” Capello said. “Rooney runs a lot around the pitch, he’s free to move where he decides to go. Rooney will play in style.” The captain, Steven Gerrard, also spoke of “the Rooney style” but was at a loss to explain his fellow Merseysider’s torpor this summer. “I don’t know. It’s difficult to say. You’d have to ask Wayne why it didn’t happen,” Gerrard said. “He did have an injury going into the tournament but only he can answer that.” Rooney’s penalty against West Ham was his first goal in all competitions since March and he has still not located the net for England since the 5-1 win over Croatia here a year ago on Thursday. Eleven international outings have now passed. In four, in South Africa, he was supposed to present his credentials as a World Cup aristocrat. At least Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi failed to make that leap with him. On his 66th England appearance Rooney used the freedom to roam granted to him by Capello to hone his passing and movement. Four minutes after the interval he forced Bulgaria’s Nikolay Mihaylov into an acrobatic save with a subtle chip and then stroked two passes to Defoe for him to complete his hat-trick. In this mode Rooney was no longer the talisman centre-forward but something closer to a young Paul Scholes, probing and prodding behind a fellow striker. His chip dragged the Wembley hardcore back from hostility towards devotion, which is what they always felt before his shadow turned up in Rustenburg and the crowd goaded him in Cape Town. Rooney has yet to reclaim the status of house gladiator but was not born to chase the adulation of strangers. It was enough, in this fresh start (chapter 682), that he regained some of his old rhythm and looked happy to be wearing an England shirt again. England Bulgaria Euro 2012 Paul Hayward guardian.co.uk

Sale 35-18 Newcastle It can be dangerous to read too much into first‑night reviews. This time last year Sale beat the champions Leicester, only to end up scrabbling for their Premiership lives at the end of the season. The Sharks, now under the coaching control of Mike Brewer, had much the better of this northern argument but they did not have much to beat. Newcastle wore pebble grey and sank with barely a ripple. Brewer will not be remotely bothered by the Falcons’ shortcomings on what was a psychologically important evening for his new-look side. Sale had nine debutants in their 22-man squad and two of them, the prop Kerena Wihongi and the teenage wing Tom Brady, contributed tries in a victory also notable for a 22-point haul from the fly-half Nick Macleod. The absence of Charlie Hodgson, Mathew Tait and Mark Cueto, all out injured, was not nearly as conspicuous as some had feared despite a less than faultless lineout effort. There has clearly been a concerted effort by Brewer to reinvent the way Sale operate. A far greater emphasis has been placed on off-loading out of contact and playing at greater pace, which suits their nimble Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel among others. Even the Edgeley Park pitch, a source of controversy last season, has had a dramatic makeover, to the point where the two teams could almost have enjoyed an on-field game of billiards. As with the home side, the real test will be whether it still attracts admiring glances in mid-January. “I’ve been involved with Leinster and Scotland and momentum is key,” said Brewer, intent on concentrating minds on and off the field. “I don’t flog the players but we train with real intensity.” For a much changed squad under the command of a fresh-faced 20-year-old captain this was a suitably encouraging first foray. James Gaskell and his team‑mates displayed real purpose from the outset and the opening try of the new Aviva Premiership campaign came against the run of play. Brent Wilson’s close-range effort, preceded by a Jeremy Manning penalty attempt which bounced off an upright and forced the Sharks to concede a five‑metre scrum, was to prove a rare moment of north-east cheer, the visitors’ desire to move the ball wide rarely translating into territorial gain. Sale were rather more direct and two tries within six minutes, the first following a dropped high ball from Alex Tait and the second courtesy of a neat cross-kick by McLeod to the alert Brady, were no more than their positive mind-set deserved. Hodgson is a tough act to follow in these parts but Macleod, primarily a full-back, was assured in all departments. He finished with six penalties and two conversions, missing with only one optimistic attempt from almost 60 metres. “He’s a classy player, it doesn’t matter where you play him,” said an approving Brewer. It was also good to see Andrew Sheridan back in action after an injury-ravaged 12 months. The England prop was blowing a little when he was replaced just before the hour but by then the result was all but assured. Only when the replacement scrum-half Chris Leck was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Wilson did the Falcons look remotely threatening, with Wilson collecting a second try in the left corner. A diagonal “bomb” which bounced off Charlie Amesbury’s chest when the winger looked certain to score pretty much summed up their evening. “It was us that cost us the game with our errors and mistakes,” said the visiting head coach, Alan Tait. “There’s a lot to fix for next week.” Sale would also like to play before a bigger audience than a modest crowd of under 8,000, partly a consequence of the unfortunate clash with England’s football qualifier at Wembley. There remains a sense, even so, that the charms of Stockport on a Friday night remain less than irresistible to the north‑west masses. The Sharks still need a couple more morale‑boosting wins before the Brewer era can be declared a heady one. Sale Sharks Williams; Brady, Tonetti, A Tuilagi (James, 75), Cohen; Macleod, Peel (Leck, 65); Sheridan (Croall, 56), Briggs (Jones, 63), Wihongi (Forster, 56), Rouse (Lewaravu, 70), Gaskell (capt), Fearns, Seymour, Koyamaibole (Cox, 63). Tries Wihongi, Brady. Cons Macleod 2. Pens Macleod 6. Drop

The Arsenal winger answers critics of his footballing intelligence in an encouraging performance against Bulgaria This was a predictable result against anaemic opposition in an encouraging showing by England, especially in a much improved second half. No one let the team down and Theo Walcott showed glimpses of a greater appreciation of the game. Buoyed by Jermain Defoe’s early goal, courtesy of Wayne Rooney’s clever touch and Ashley Cole marauding forward from left-back, we dominated play. Walcott on the right was given licence to challenge his immediate opponent, Zhivko Milanov. As Glen Johnson sat with little attempt to force two-against-one situations, this invited the Arsenal man to show whether he has progressed. His positional ability and selection of pass were under the microscope; no one doubts his speed. The Arsenal man indicated he’s regained his appetite – he sought the ball, and is realising that he must bring variety to his game and not be known solely as a touchline “hugger”. Good wingers mix up their games to keep opponents guessing. Walcott has improved his knowledge of when to spin into space behind the full-back if tightly marked and when to race away, then check towards the ball to receive to feet. Here he moved smoothly off his touchline (see diagram) and played the ball infield and followed his pass. In doing so, he dragged his marker, Milanov, away from the touchline and Glen Johnson accepted the next pass into space. He is learning to make space unselfishly for colleagues. In the early moments of the second half Walcott did not receive enough supply of the ball and switched with James Milner for the first time. Milanov followed him to the right-back area and then Walcott and Milner switched again – clever wingers. When Walcott was replaced by Adam Johnson after 74 minutes, I felt comfortable that the young man accused of lacking a football brain is gradually picking up the nuances of wing play. He has played 13 times for his country now and at 21 he is slowly polishing his game. Other credits were the newcomers: Michael Dawson, Phil Jagielka and Joe Hart. Cole was as good as ever. There was nothing new in our line-up, with Milner and Walcott wide and Rooney drooping a little deeper than Defoe to help Steven Gerrard and Gareth Barry. In truth, they had to cope with a tidy but not powerful midfield. This week Fabio Capello tried to distract his detractors by suggesting we might be playing 9-1, as opposed to 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. The most important factor, though, is that individual players must work collectively, respecting certain principles – compactness, depth, width and penetration. England Bulgaria Euro 2012 David Pleat guardian.co.uk

• ‘Sweetest night of my career,’ says Tottenham striker • Spurs team-mate Michael Dawson to miss Swiss match Jermain Defoe became the first England player to score a hat-trick at the rebuilt national stadium last night and said his rewards were the “sweetest” of his career as Fabio Capello’s side sparked their qualification campaign for Euro 2012 in some style. The Tottenham Hotspur forward had been expected to miss the visit of Bulgaria, together with the more daunting trip to Switzerland on Tuesday, to undergo surgery on a long-standing groin complaint. Yet he passed himself fit to join Capello’s squad last week and, combining superbly with Wayne Rooney, duly swelled his international goal tally to 15 in 44 appearances. “It’s difficult to find the words to describe the feeling you get when you score a hat-trick for your country,” said Defoe, who became the first England player since Alan Shearer against Luxembourg in 1999 to score three in this arena. “It’s just the best feeling in the world. It’s the sweetest hat-trick of my career, without doubt … a special night. “I thought I’d miss out through the injury but I’ve put the surgery on hold and might not have to have it at all yet. Over the last few months of last season my groin was a bit sore. I thought it was just fatigue but I felt it in the World Cup and a bit pre-season. You start to worry – I think Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard may have had the same thing [both have since had surgery] – and it felt a bit sore tonight but I’ve worked really hard in the gym doing a lot of core work to strengthen the area and it felt good. “It was always my decision whether or not to have the operation but I always want to play and put myself up for selection when I can. I’d spoken to the physios at the club but I told them: ‘You have to trust me. I know my own body.’ I didn’t get any reaction from it tonight.” Defoe did depart three minutes from time having been kicked on an ankle but will be fit for Tuesday’s game in Basle. Michael Dawson is expected to miss that match, however, after appearing to damage knee ligaments when falling awkwardly early in the second period on his first start for his country. The Spurs defender was carried from the pitch and will be assessed today once the swelling on the joint begins to recede, with the prognosis not promising. Capello pointed to Gary Cahill and Matthew Upson as potential replacements next week and reserved praise for his excellent goalkeeper Joe Hart, though he drew most encouragement from the slick teamwork exhibited by Defoe and Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United forward was asked to play in a slightly more withdrawn role by his manager – “just in front of their two central midfielders,” said the Italian – and played a part in all four of England’s goals. “When you play with a new partner it can take a bit of time for it to gel but Wayne’s a great player to play alongside,” added Defoe. “He works so hard for you and, if you make the runs, he will find you. After I scored my second he said: ‘Now go and try to get your third.’ To have that from someone playing with you is fantastic. “Everything seemed to click tonight and it was really enjoyable. I spoke to Ian Wright before the game and he said: ‘You’re due a hat-trick.’ He texted me after the game and said: ‘I love you JD, well done.’ When I was younger I used to study him and watch his movement and finishing and he was at West Ham when I was there as a 16-year-old. We used to practise movement and finishing after training and it has definitely stuck with me. You have to get into positions and work hard. I felt sharp and did that tonight.” Euro 2012 England Bulgaria Dominic Fifield guardian.co.uk

France, under their new coach Laurent Blanc, failed to shrug off their old ways as they slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 home defeat against Belarus in their opening Euro 2012 qualifier. The French players were cheered on to the pitch by flag-waving fans but were booed off at the end after the Belarus substitute Sergei Kislyak scored the winner with four minutes left having converted his side’s only clear chance in the Group

Michael Cohen – Getty Images about 6 hours ago: NORTON MA – SEPTEMBER 03: Zach Johnson tees off on the seventh hole during the first round of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston on September 3 2010 in Norton Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Cohen/Getty Images) View full size photo

Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon attempts to throw a pass during Steelers training camp.

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Steelers starting quarterback Dennis Dixon
Steelers starting quarterback Dennis Dixon

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Hamilton seems to have found his swing ever since the 2008 Home Run Derby . He has been the best player on the first place Texas Rangers. I bet the Cincinnati Reds seriously regret trading away one of the best outfielders in baseball. …

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Craig Levein had publicly claimed before a ball was kicked here that a Scotland draw, or defeat, “wouldn’t be the end of the world”. The reality, in basic football terms, was surely different. In a qualifying group which also features Spain and the Czech Republic and barring freak results, Scotland needed to claim six points against Lithuania to harbour any legitimate hope of progressing to Euro 2012. Levein will not admit it, but this represented a damaging start. That is furthermore the case given Scotland’s domination in Kaunas, particularly during the second half. For the remainder of Levein’s tenure, however long that is, he is unlikely to see his team enjoy as much possession away from home as they did here. Even the introduction of James McFadden, the pin-up boy of the Scotland support whom Levein had bravely left out from the start, could not prompt a winner. Lichtenstein’s visit to Hampden Park should be nothing other than a stroll for the Scots, even if frustrations will remain over an inability to convert sustained periods of pressure into goals. Later in this campaign, that frustration might just be compounded by group standings. Stockholm, Cardiff, Oslo, Skopje and Amsterdam are among the cities Scotland have visited in the recent past. Victory has not been forthcoming in any of them. The continued faith of the Tartan Army, 3,000 of whom made the journey tonight, is partly baffling. Levein was therefore correct to dismiss any notion that his team should be favourites for this match; Scotland’s 12-year absence from a major tournament, and harrowing nights encountered therein, have lowered expectation levels. The Scots have been semi-regulars at this archaic venue, encountering their face share of trouble on each of those visits. Lithuania has developed as a nation in the last two decades, but grim reminders of its Soviet past remain. As one of them, and in the grand scheme of football venues, the Dariaus and Gireno Stadium is not a place you would choose to hang around. Scotland’s opening was brisk. Two bookings for members of Lithuania’s back four, issued within 20 minutes, illustrated their combative response. Yet it was the hosts who created the first meaningful chance, Allan McGregor forced into a fine stop from a Saulius Mikoliunas shot. McGregor’s opposite number, Zydrunas Karcemarskas, was similarly smart in clawing away two long-range efforts from Barry Robson. Stephen McManus also volleyed narrowly wide, having collected a Darren Fletcher free-kick. Levein had banked on experience to improve ailing fortunes. David Weir – at 40, three years older than Lithuania’s manager – and Lee McCulloch had returned. Youthfulness and pace was to be supplied by Steven Naismith, who was indeed lively enough during the first-half. Alan Hutton, having made a semi-miraculous recovery from groin surgery, offered further attacking presence with marauding runs from full-back. There was an anxious moment for Scotland as half-time approached, though, Mikoliunas falling – readily – inside their penalty area under a challenge from Scott Brown. The referee Cuneyt Cakir waved away spot-kick claims, but only after a pause. Robson’s cross to the unmarked Kenny Miller moments after the re-start afforded Scotland their first clear-cut opportunity. The Rangers striker, who has opened the domestic season in terrific form, should have done better than supply a tame header which sailed into the home goalkeeper’s hands. The appearance of Kris Boyd and McFadden, warming up on the track, suggested Levein was perplexed by Scotland’s bluntness. The manager could at least take solace from the presence of Weir at the other end, with the veteran coping with what little Lithuania threw towards him.Naismith was the next Scot to be foiled, shooting again straight at Karcemarskas while under no pressure, in another example of wastefulness. If it was clear from long before time that Lithuania would be the grateful recipients of a point, Scotland’s desperation grew. That emotion, though, rarely triggers the composure needed to prise open teams. McFadden, thrown on for the closing 20 minutes, toiled, Miller watched another header sail over the crossbar and Levein stood motionless. Euro 2012 Lithuania Scotland Ewan Murray guardian.co.uk

After all the fuss beforehand about Uefa’s choice of referee, John Toshack was left to reflect on a chastening night when the nationality of the officials was the least of the Wales manager’s worries. Mirko Vucinic, whose name will be familiar with Chelsea fans after he scored twice for Roma against them in the Champions League two years ago, had a far bigger influence on this contest than the Greek referee as he scored the goal that condemned Wales to defeat. Although Vucinic faded in the second half, when he squandered an excellent chance to put the game beyond Wales, the Montenegro captain was outstanding before the interval as he tormented the

A successful 4-4-2 formation, real width, a sparky front two and a dependable goalkeeper were positives for the manager The formation Definitely 4-4-2, whatever Fabio Capello says. When the match got under way England’s lines were as straight as the creases in newly pressed trousers. That said, England did not play in straight lines, as has sometimes been the case, so perhaps Capello deserves the benefit of the doubt. Wayne Rooney was back tackling and looking for the ball in his own half as early as the second minute, and it was his inspired pass to Ashley Cole that set up the opening goal. Cole was miles ahead of Rooney when he received the ball, only Jermain Defoe was in a more advanced position – that’s why the Spurs player was on hand to stick away the rebound when Cole’s shot was saved. A fluid, flexible 4-4-2 may well be what suits England best, at least until they have the option of picking Owen Hargreaves again, though a downside of the system is that it is not geared to bring the best from the present captain. Steven Gerrard A huge success on his last Wembley outing when deployed in a forward position, the captain spent a lot of this game further back than Gareth Barry. In theory that might allow him to join in attacks by breaking strongly from midfield, in practice it encourages his tendency to hit 50-yard quarter-back passes with a limited success rate. Gerrard’s game is not all about goals, he can make a contribution from just about anywhere on the pitch, but he hurts opponents more by playing in the hole or just off a lone striker. The flanks A 4-4-2 system ought to at least encourage width, though it is debatable whether either Theo Walcott or James Milner are wingers in the true sense. Both favour cutting inside and looking for a shooting opportunity rather than holding wide positions and sending over crosses, and Ashley Cole remains England’s most effective wide provider. Milner looks as if he would be happier playing inside, and Walcott found few opportunities to show his pace. Glen Johnson did send him away once in the first half, but the cross was ultimately weak. Bulgaria were tiring by the time Adam Johnson came on, yet even so it was noticeable how the substitute managed to find space for himself. The front two Never quite looked a partnership in a first half that gave little indication of what was to follow, though Defoe and Rooney did combine early in the second half for the latter to test Nikolay Mihaylov with a chip that the goalkeeper only just managed to palm on to the roof of his net. Then, following Joe Hart’s first save of the evening, it was Rooney’s pass that set up Defoe for his second, before the pair struck again for Defoe’s hat-trick goal. Mihaylov must have been expecting a busier night at Wembley, and for the first five minutes England looked as if they were going to give him one, only to settle down to a more plodding pace for the next hour. With Walcott being withdrawn early, and Rooney spending most of his time in a withdrawn position, England will be congratulating themselves on accepting their chances rather than giving their opponents a pummelling. Still, 4-0 was convincing enough by the end, Defoe’s finishing was excellent and Adam Johnson took his chance well. When Rooney rediscovers his scoring boots, or just gets on the end of a move or two, England should be fine. Joe Hart A highly promising competitive debut and a rarity in the context of recent English goalkeeping history in that he hardly put a foot wrong. True, he did not have a lot to do – the only save he had to make in the first half was to prevent a Glen Johnson own goal – but what he was asked to do he did competently and with confidence. He may have got lucky when first Ivelin Popov and then Dimitar Rangelov managed to miss the target with decent close-range opportunities, though the first time he had to deal with a shot on target he managed to turn it into a goal assist. In beating away Stanislav Angelov’s shot after an hour, Hart enabled England to go straight down the pitch and score their second. Angelov did hit his shot straight at Hart, though even so the goalkeeper’s reflexes helped turn a possible 1-1 into an instant 2-0, and England supporters have not been seeing too much of that sort of thing of late. Euro 2012 England Bulgaria Paul Wilson guardian.co.uk

• ‘I am sure the players will carry themselves properly’ • England coach continues to back role of Mushtaq Ahmed England make their first Twenty20 appearance on Sunday since they became world champions in Barbados in May, but any

Northern Ireland got off to a stunning start in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign by defeating World Cup finalists Slovenia in Maribor. Manchester United midfielder Corry Evans was the unlikely matchwinner, stepping off the bench to score in the 70th minute. He marked his first competitive outing by getting on the end of a glorious cross from Craig Cathcart on his debut to sweep the ball home at the far post. Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington suffered a blow in the hours leading up to this Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia with Jonny Evans ruled out because of a groin injury. With Evans absent, his former Old Trafford team-mate Cathcart of Blackpool was handed a debut facing the surprise World Cup qualifier. After a scoreless first half, Northern Ireland found themselves under pressure at the start of the second with Slovenia anxious to make the breakthrough. Valter Birsa got enough power on his sot from inside the area but Cathcart was handily placed and deflected the ball to safety in the 49th minute. Back came Northern Ireland and Chris Brunt sent David Healy clear down the left nine minutes later. The Sunderland striker cut inside but only succeeded in sending a shot straight at goalkeeper Samir Handanovic. It proved to be a brief respite and after another flowing move Andraz Kirm’s strike from 12 yards was blocked. Northern Ireland were defending in numbers and Stephen Craigan then put his body on the line in the 64th minute to keep out a shot from Robert Koren. Three minutes later Worthington made a double substitution with Lafferty and Evans coming on for Healy and McCann. Northern Ireland then stunned Slovenia in the 70th minute with Evans scoring at the far post following a glorious cross from Cathcart. The home side responded and Birsa got into a good position in the penalty area but Taylor, 39 tomorrow, got down quickly to make the save. Then Ljubijankic found the side netting from an acute angle in the 81st minute as Slovenia searched for the equaliser. Gorman, who attends Wolves Academy and Repton School, then made his competitive debut a minute from time for Brunt as Northern Ireland held out for a famous win. Euro 2012 Slovenia Northern Ireland guardian.co.uk

England relished a new beginning that distracted the public from the debate over the miseries of the World Cup. Wayne Rooney was in uncontainable form and showed his flair by setting up three of the goals. It was from his service that Jermain Defoe completed a hat-trick in the 86th minute. Shortly before, the substitute Adam Johnson had notched his first international goal. There was, all the same, one troubling moment in the apparently grave knee injury that saw Michael Dawson taken off on a stretcher. Other concerns were minor. The side was far from authoritative before the interval. Relationships are under repair following the hapless campaign in South Africa. England, of course, had already braved a reunion with their followers, but that friendly with Hungary was the perfect antidote to strong feelings. This was a fixture of consequence, yet looked initially as if it might pacify fans by different means when the side took an immediate lead. Wayne Rooney displayed imagination and technique when he released Ashley Cole in the third minute. The goalkeeper Nikolay Mihaylov blocked his shot at the near post, but the ball ran back to the defender, who set up Defoe to volley home comfortably. Bulgaria were not the most rigorous of opponents in that incident, even if the appraisals had spoken of a solid line-up whose hopes lie with younger players edging towards maturity. That would have sufficed to scare the wits out England in South Africa, but these are men who have since been on holiday and ought to be relishing their restored appetite. There was an obvious freshness, with Fabio Capello preferring to give Dawson his competitive debut and first start, following his outing from the bench against Hungary. Despite the inclusion of Dawson, this is still an England team in psychological convalescence following the World Cup. There were overtones of malaise when Glen Johnson miscued a low cross from Ivan Ivanov in the 20rd minute and would have turned the ball into his own net had Joe Hart not been alert enough to grab it. Shortly after, Phil Jagielka had to make an important tackle on the former Manchester City attacker Valeri Bojinov. The defender had not been at the World Cup and, as expected, another absentee in South Africa, Theo Walcott, made the starting XI. Last season, injuries mean that he lacked match fitness and Capello, on the verge of the tournament, lacked faith. The Arsenal winger was restored here. The manager, all the same, has neither the intention or the means to conduct a radical overhaul. In spells the game was slightly dull. A one-two between Rooney and Cole had a hint of promise, but the return ball from the full-back was just beyond the forward’s reach. England seemed full of good intention and while they cannot be rebuked for that, it did seem that they could not relax sufficiently to be precise. That is pardonable in men anxious to please the audience and desperate to show that professionalism has been rediscovered. Bulgaria, in such an environment, had no reason to despair. There were signs of optimism in Stanimir Stoilov’s line-up even if this country has not been to a major tournament since 2004. As has commonly been the case over the decades, England can look better at tormenting themselves than most of their opponents. Capello’s line-up did at least have the boon of freshness, with an early autumn assignment also ensuring that they have had a little while to get back into the rhythm with club fixtures. The Wembley crowd were not overjoyed after 45 minutes but they had been given no cause either for disapproval. This was an arena full of people, whether on the pitch or in the stands, exhorting one another to be patient. England understood that they were attempting to start all over again. The efforts of Capello’s team to reach tranquillity were thwarted. Bulgaria had purpose and optimism in the 52nd minute, with Ivelin Popov calling on Hart to turn a chip over the bar. A far more unsettling event was to follow. With 54 minutes Dawson landed badly on his left knee as he attempted to tackle Popov and had to be carried off, with Gary Cahill coming off the bench to collect his first cap. The sense of adversity could have been deepened, but a save by Hart from Stanislav Angelov instead triggered the counterattack that extended England’s lead. Gareth Barry initiated the move and Rooney was to release Defoe for a second goal after 61 minutes. The visitors may have been more adventurous thereafter, but it was the enterprise of men on the edge of defeat. Hart could not take time off from excellence and denied the substitute Dimitar Rangelov when he ran clear. Shortly after, Cahill deflected a Stiliyan Petrov drive off-target. There was a sort of merriness to all this uninhibited work that would not have been to Capello’s taste. The ruthless control of a match that he seeks will be essential for England in times to come, but entertainment was appreciated on this occasion. Euro 2012 England Bulgaria Kevin McCarra guardian.co.uk

Filed under: Devils , NHL Free Agency , NHL Economics We’ve been down this road before, but it appears as if the Ilya Kovalchuk contract situation is finally, mercifully, close to an end result. On Friday, multiple media outlets, including TSN’s Darren Dreger, ESPN’s EJ Hradek and Tom Gulitti of The Bergen Record are all reporting that the NHL and NHLPA have come to an agreement on an ammendment to the CBA in regards to the long-term contracts that have become the bane of the league’s existence the past two years. The 17-year contract that the Devils originally had with Kovalchuk this summer was obviously the breaking point , dragging out his free agency to this point in early September. After the Devils submitted a revised contract last week (a reported 15-year pact worth $100 million) the league was supposed to make a decision on whether or not to approve it by 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Instead of reaching a decision, the deadline was pushed back to Friday , prolonging the situation even further. According to Friday’s reports, the newest contract will be approved as part of the new CBA ammendment. Not long after Wednesday’s deadline was delayed, reports surfaced that the NHL had issued an ultimatum to the NHLPA regarding contracts like the ones signed by Roberto Luongo and Marian Hossa, among others. Those reports, however, were disputed in the sense that it wasn’t necessarily an ultimatum, but simply a negotiation between the two sides . Either way, the agreement will also lead to the Luongo and Hossa deals being approved, as well. According to Gulitti, via Twitter , the “CBA amendment would involve stipulations on cap hit for deals going past age 35 and age 40.”

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NHL, NHLPA Reach Agreement; Ilya Kovalchuk Contract to be Approved

Filed under: Steelers NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reduced Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension from six games to four games on Friday. Roethlisberger, who was suspended in April for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, will be eligible to return to the field Oct. 17th at home against the Browns. Reaction to the news has been varied around the league, but FanHouse TV’s Dan Graziano thinks the NFL got it right. Click to watch:

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FanHouse TV: NFL Got it Right With Roethlisberger Reduction

Filed under: U.S. Open , ATP Unable to convert on three match points in a fifth-set tiebreak, 18-year-old Ryan Harrison of Shreveport, La. was defeated by Sergiy Stakhovsky in a four-hour, 13-minute contest that survived two rain delays. The rising American star’s U.S. Open dreams were dashed when the Ukrainian won five points in a row during the breaker to seal the match 6-3, 5-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6). Experience proved to be a vital factor in the closing stages of the match as Harrison seemed to tighten up as Stakhovsky composed himself. Stakhovsky is a four-time ATP Tour winner and came into the U.S. Open winning the tour’s last event in New Haven. It was only Harrison’s second appearance in a singles Grand Slam. Harrison, who inched his way back into the match with vicious groundstrokes, was often overly aggressive and committed 73 unforced errors as a result. His 63 winners gave him a chance to win the match, but late-match errors proved too costly. Harrison also struggled with his second serve late in the match, finishing with only a 36 percent winning clip on second-serve points. After Harrison lost serve at the beginning of the fifth set, Stakhovsky took a 2-0 lead, before Harrison was finally able to break back on a fierce backhand winner to level the final set at 3-3. Both players then held serve to send the match into a deciding fifth-set tiebreaker. Harrison went down 1-3 early in the tiebreaker, before rallying off five points in a row to give him three match points at 6-3. But Stakhovsky countered with three straight points of his own to tie the breaker at 6-6 and Harrison then handed him his first match point of the contest with a costly double fault. The 24-year-old Ukrainian only needed one as he converted on a strong first serve and a smashing volley at the net that ousted Harrison and moved Stakhovsky into the third round. The 220th-ranked qualifier stunned 15th-seeded Ivan Ljubicic in the first round on Wednesday for his first Grand Slam singles victory. Harrison became the first American teenager to oust a top-20 seed in a major tournament since Andy Roddick in 2001. Greg Couch: Doubles Team Breaking Down Barriers More US Open: Latest Scores | Photos Harrison made his major debut at this year’s Australian Open, where he lost to Janko Tipsarevic in straight sets. He lost in the USTA’s eight-man playoff qualifying event for a wild-card invitation to the U.S. Open, but paved his own way to Flushing Meadows by winning three straight qualifying matches prior to the event’s main draw.

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Ryan Harrison Suffers Five-Set Heartbreak at US Open

At this event, the children had the opportunity to play various sports and games on Target Field, including wiffleball, baseball, radar toss, kickball, softball and home run derby . Attorney Eric Hageman and Joe …

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Attorney Eric Hageman Volunteers at the 2010 Create a Memory Event

The beleaguered Mets GM probably figured 36,000 feet high would be a safe place to escape his critics and watch 27 Dresses on a 10-inch screen. He was wrong. More

• World champion pulled out of Paul Hunter Classic last week • ‘I have a young family and need to spend more time with them’ Ronnie O’Sullivan, the defending champion, has withdrawn from next week’s Shanghai Masters, the season’s first major ranking event. The three-times world champion also withdrew from last weekend’s Paul Hunter Classic in Fürth, Germany, one of the new minor ranking tournaments introduced to the circuit this season. Last night, though, he made two centuries, 119 and 103, in drawing 3-3 with Marco Fu at Southampton on the opening night of snooker’s Premier League. O’Sullivan’s withdrawals are attributed to family reasons. “I have a very young family and at this moment I need to spend more time with them,” he said. Ronnie O’Sullivan Snooker Clive Everton guardian.co.uk

• Durham 372 & 361-6dec, Nottinghamshire 343 & 180 • Durham won by 210 runs Durham have found some fight at the death and todaythey left a painful mark on the Nottinghamshire team who expect to take their title before the end of the month. This win, which few could have predicted before the game began, or even as it entered its final day, has spiced up the race for the County Championship. Notts take six points with them in defeat and now lead Somerset by 22 but Yorkshire, a further three adrift in third, are at Trent Bridge next week and a win for them would throw the race wide open, with Somerset due to take on Lancashire, six further back in fourth. Durham are fifth and this fifth win of the season ended any relegation worries, but Nottinghamshire need only five points from two games to deny them the title in a season to forget for a county who began it expecting a third successive championship. That bold ambition disappeared in a cloud of injuries and loss of form weeks ago, but they have been full of venom against the pretenders to their throne. They needed the points here, however, as there is a genuine concern about what sort of team they will be able to send out at Essex next week. Liam Plunkett limped off the field after bowling two overs with the new ball today to join Graham Onions, Steve Harmison, Callum Thorp and Mark Davies on the injured list. “If we had Onions and Steve Harmison bowling like they did last summer, we would probably already be champions again,” said the Durham head coach, Geoff Cook. “Notts are still hot favourites, but I would suspect they are worried about their bowling situation. “I think they have got to get one more win, but where they are going to get that win, I don’t know. Without the bowlers, they are struggling. It’s the strong bowling teams who win and Somerset have kept going with the same experienced attack. Somerset come here on the last day of the season and I suspect that will be a title decider. We might not be able to win it ourselves, but we’re still going to have a huge say in the title race.” On a remarkable day Durham, who added 82 in just over an hour in the morning, set Notts 391 to win and then dismissed them with only three bowlers and the part-time all-rounder Ben Harmison. The younger brother of Steve has hardly played in the championship and was only in the team here because Ben Stokes has broken a foot, and only bowled because Davies damaged a nerve in a leg on Wednesday. When he has managed to get a game he has been inconsistent at best but it was hHis three wickets in four balls which blew the game wide open after lunch and set Nottinghamshire on the way to a shock defeat. Alex Hales, Adam Voges and Samit Patel before Harmison returned to the attack to get rid of the Nottinghamshire captain, Chris Read, for a duck. An attacking 64 from Steven Mullaney held up the victory celebrations, but he was the last man out when Scott Borthwick, a 19-year-old leg‑spinner who scored 68 and an unbeaten 46, induced a sweep which the Durham captain, Phil Mustard, ran 20 yards to take. Jimmy Adams played the longest Championship innings of the season for Hampshire , but it was in vain as they suffered defeat to Lancashire in Liverpool that leaves them deep in relegation trouble. Adams, whose marathon had begun late on Wednesday after Hampshire conceded a first-innings lead of 238, was the last man out more than five sessions later after scoring 194 from 507 balls spanning more than 10 hours. But despite three wickets each for James Tomlinson and Chris Wood, Lancashire reached a victory target of 168 with three wickets and a single ball to spare when Mark Chilton drove Dominic Cork through the covers. County Championship Division One Durham Nottinghamshire Cricket Lancashire Hampshire guardian.co.uk

• Lucrative contest likely for MEN Arena in Manchester • All-British WBA title bout likely for November David Haye is expected to name his next opponent on Tuesday, with the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion widely expected to reveal that he will take on Audley Harrison in what could be the most lucrative fight in British boxing history. The date for Haye’s second defence is likely to be 13

Eleven football hooligans sent to prison for causing havoc after the 2008 Uefa cup final Eleven football hooligans who ran riot at the Uefa cup final causing the worst destruction in Manchester “since the blitz” were today jailed for their part in the violence. The men were among hundreds of Rangers fans who caused havoc in the city after the 2008 final. Two police officers, Mick Regan and John Goodwin, were also surrounded and attacked by a mob during hours of violence in the city centre. Property was badly damaged during the mayhem. Police said they encountered a disorder of “ferocity and intensity” after the estimated 125,000 fans went on the rampage. Most did not have tickets for the game against Zenit St Petersburg but descended on the pubs, with trouble erupting after a giant television screen in the city centre failed close to kick-off time. Twelve men were charged with offences including violent disorder and assault and all but one were jailed. Sitting in Manchester crown court, judge Andrew Blake said: “The riot police were deployed in full riot gear and struggled to contain the trouble and restore order. What followed was the worst night of violence and destruction suffered by Manchester city centre since the blitz. What came afterwards, the damage, the filth and litter was apparent to all who arrived in Manchester the following day. Many more than these 12 were involved. It had nothing to do with football rivalries but everything to do with drink.” He added: “The anger of the mob was directed at the police doing their best to restore order.” After delivering his judgment, a number of defendants gave a thumbs-up sign to relatives in the public gallery as they were led down to the cells. Among those convicted was Scott McSeveney, 22, who was jailed for three and a half years for violent disorder and assault on Goodwin, who was stamped and kicked on by tens of fans but defended by another Rangers fan, Sharon Gibson, who lay across him while her boyfriend shouted to the mob: “You are letting the team down!” Mark Stoddart, 27, from Glasgow was also among those jailed, receiving two and a half years for violent disorder and assault. The men were arrested after they were identified on CCTV footage taken during the riots. Crime Football violence Rangers Uefa Uefa Cup 2007-08 Jo Adetunji guardian.co.uk

The American has been allowed to develop in this way by a culture of cringing compliance towards the sport’s cash cows Tennis players always need something or someone to whinge about. In New York this week, it has, yet again, been the officials who judge their marginal shots and indiscretions. Andy Roddick has been the most prominent and predictable, but by no means isolated, whinger. His reaction when caught foot-vaulting on his way out in the second round of the US

• Tony Pulis accuses Wenger of trying to influence referee • Stoke manager wrote to Arsenal to complain The Football Association has decided Arsène Wenger has no case to answer following his claim that Stoke City employ “rugby-style” tactics. The Arsenal manager was unhappy at Ryan Shawcross’s challenge on his midfielder Aaron Ramsey earlier this year which left the promising 19-year-old with a broken leg and he criticised the City defender’s approach, along with Robert Huth, during their team’s 2-1 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur last month. Wenger said: “You cannot say it is football any more. It is more rugby on the goalkeepers than football. When you see the way Shawcross kicked Heurelho Gomes, how Robert Huth pushed Gomes in the goal, you cannot say that is football any more.” Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, was furious at the comments and wrote to the Premier League to complain and said on Sunday: “The club is desperately disappointed with the comments which Wenger has come out with, especially the comments about Shawcross. We think they are out of order and you don’t expect it from a person of Wenger’s esteem. What he said about Ryan was very, very poor and the football club will take that matter up. The club will deal with it in the right and proper manner.” Although that process included Pulis writing to Arsenal to complain, and copying the Premier League in, there was a suspicion that Wenger’s comments were an attempt to influence the referee Chris Foy. He had taken charge of the Stoke-Spurs game and was due to officiate Arsenal’s visit to Blackburn Rovers last Saturday. Asked about this Pulis said: “To say he was doing it as a sidetrack to influence the referee, you’ve said it. I’ve just agreed with you. He’s entitled to his opinion. We’ve fought two world wars to be a free country. We’ve all got different opinions and we must let people say what they say. Whether you agree with it or disagree with it, that’s a different matter.” As Wenger did not directly mention Foy or any official by name, and so was voicing a general view on the game the FA decided that the Frenchman was within his rights and so would not have to answer any charge. Arsène Wenger Arsenal Stoke City Jamie Jackson guardian.co.uk

We bring you all the action from Wembley as England kick off their Euro 2012 qualification campaign and hope that three points and a good performance will put the memories of their disastrous World Cup to rest

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Euro 2012 qualifier: England v Bulgaria

Vishy Anand set the agenda for top chess in 2010, and probably 2011, when he declared after retaining his world title that his ambition now is to regain the No1 spot in the global rankings. Anand thus laid down his gauntlet to Magnus Carlsen, the Norwegian who leads the international list and whose current rating of 2826 is the second highest mark ever after Garry Kasparov. Anand’s ambition might seem reasonable for a reigning world champion, but in reality it is highly ambitious and there will be many doubters. At age 40, the Indian’s strength now seems to be increasingly in the slower pace of one-to-one matches rather than in the cut and thrust of tournaments, whereas Carlsen, at 19 less than half his rival’s age, has the stamina and energy to press for full points in almost every game he plays. Also in Carlsen’s favour is the current rating difference between his 2826 and Anand’s 2800. The gap sounds modest, but for Anand to close it before the end of this year he will most likely need to finish ahead of Carlsen at both the Grand Slam final in Bilbao, Spain, in October and in the London Classic at Kensington Olympia played from 6-15 December. They will meet head-to-head twice at Bilbao and once in London, and the minimum points target for Anand will be 2/3 in these games. The opening shots in the war were fired in last weekend’s rapidplay at Kristiansund, screened live on Norwegian TV. Carlsen was error-prone in the early rounds, but rose to the occasion against Anand in the final. White’s nagging pressure was rewarded with 41 Bxh5! when gxh5 42 Qh7+ Kf8 43 Qh6+ Kg8 44 Qg5+ wins the a5 rook. M Carlsen v V Anand, Kristiansund rapid 2010 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nf3 Bg7 4 g3 O-O 5 Bg2 c6 6 O-O d5 7 Nbd2 Bf5 8 b3 Ne4 9 Bb2 Na6 10 Nh4 Nxd2 11 Qxd2 Be6 12 Rac1 Qd7 13 Nf3 Rfd8 14 Rfd1 Nc7 15 Qa5 Ne8 16 e3 Bg4 17 Rd2 Bxf3 18 Bxf3 e6 19 Rdc2 Nd6 20 a4 f5 21 Qe1 a5 22 Bc3 dxc4 23 Bxa5 cxb3 24 Rb2 Rdc8 25 Rxb3 Bf8 26 Rcb1 Ra7 27 Kg2 Nc4 28 Bb4 Bxb4 29 Rxb4 Nd6 30 Qc3 Rca8 31 Qc2 Ra6 32 h4 h5 33 e4 R8a7 34 exf5 Nxf5 35 Re1 Ra5 36 Qb3 Kf7 37 Re4 Ne7 38 Qc2 Nd5 39 Rc4 Ra8 40 Re5 Ne7 41 Bxh5! Rxe5 42 dxe5 Qd5+ 43 Bf3 Qxe5 44 Re4 Qd6 45 h5 Rf8 46 Qb2 b5 47 axb5 cxb5 48 Qxb5 Nf5 49 Qb7+ Kf6 50 Qh7 gxh5 51 Bxh5 Qd5 52 Bf3 Qd2 53 g4 Ng7 54 g5+ 1-0

• Massage therapist had been taken ill at the weekend • Vuelta director plans to honour 43-year-old’s memory Txema González, a staff member with Team Sky, has died after contracting a bacterial infection at the Vuelta a España. González, a soigneur , or massage therapist, with the British squad, and a well-known and popular figure on the circuit, fell ill as the Spanish tour got under way in Seville last weekend. He was admitted to hospital on Monday as two Sky riders, Britain’s Ben Swift and the South African John-Lee Augustyn, were forced to withdraw from the race with an unrelated viral infection. Yesterday the 43-year-old González’s condition deteriorated and he fell into a coma. He died today. The news was kept from the six Team Sky riders still in the race until after stage seven finished in Orihuela. “He was part of the cycling family, part of the Vuelta,” said the race director, Javier Guillén. “We will honour his memory tomorrow morning before the start.” Juan-Antonio Flecha became the third Sky rider to withdraw when he pulled out midway through today’s stage, also suffering from a viral infection. Simon Gerrans and Peter Kennaugh have both been badly affected but they are still in the race and said to be recovering, as are Swift, Augustyn and three other members of staff, all of whom were unwell at the start of the week. The team principal, Dave Brailsford, spoke for the whole of Team Sky when he said: “We are devastated to report that Txema tragically passed away on Friday evening in hospital in Seville. His close family were with him.” Team Sky’s head of medical, Dr Steve Peters, said: “Txema contracted a bacterial infection which entered the bloodstream and developed into sepsis. The toxins from this had damaged the organs in his body and he went into septic shock and unfortunately succumbed to that. “I should also clarify that this bacterial infection has nothing to do with the viral infection which many of the team have suffered with in Spain, causing stomach upset.” Brailsford paid tribute to a hugely popular member of the Team Sky staff, adding: “Txema will be remembered as a warm-hearted colleague who was a joy to work with and was universally respected by our team and throughout the pro cycling scene. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.” Team Sky Cycling Richard Moore guardian.co.uk

• Rangers fans caused ‘mayhem’ at final in 2008 • Manchester suffered ‘worst night of destruction since blitz’ All but one of 12 rioting football hooligans who took part in the worst destruction Manchester has suffered “since the blitz” will be going to jail, a judge said today. They were among hundreds of Rangers fans who caused “mayhem” at the Uefa Cup final held in the city two years ago, in which Zenit St Petersburg won 2-0. Police were attacked and property damaged in the hours of violence in the city centre and two officers – Mick Regan and John Goodwin – were caught by the mob, surrounded and battered. Judge Andrew Blake had indicated 11 of the 12 were going to jail and had sentenced eight of the defendants before a fire alarm caused Manchester Crown Court to be evacuated temporarily. Several defendants put thumbs up to weeping relatives in the public gallery as they were led down to the cells. But then Scots accents could be heard shouting up to the courtroom: “Fuck Manchester! Fuck Pc Regan and Goodwin as well!” Passing sentence, Judge Andrew Blake said: “The riot police were deployed in full riot gear and struggled to contain the trouble and restore order. “What followed was the worst night of violence and destruction suffered by Manchester city centre since the blitz. “What came afterwards, the damage, the filth and litter was apparent to all who arrived in Manchester the following day. “Many more than these 12 were involved. It had nothing to do with football rivalries but everything to do with drink. “The anger of the mob was directed at the police doing their best to restore order.” There were audible gasps from the public gallery as he jailed Scott McSeveney for three-and-a-half years for violent disorder and the assault on Pc Goodwin. Pc Goodwin was separated from his detachment, outnumbered by tens of fans and attacked. Brought to the ground, he was stamped on and kicked and said later he thought of the Met Police officer Keith Blakelock – killed in the Broadwater Farm riot in 1985 – and thought he was going to die at the hands of the mob. He was saved only after a Rangers fan, Sharon Gibson, lay across him and her boyfriend shouted: “You are letting the team down.” Rangers return to Manchester to play United in a Champions League group game on 14 September. Rangers guardian.co.uk

• Board reveals loss of around £300,000 • One board member resigns Leicestershire’s board have today given their backing to the club’s under-fire chairman Neil Davidson, while revealing an annual loss of around £300,000. There were calls for Davidson to resign after he accused the captain, Matthew Hoggard, and the coach, Tim Boon, of setting a bad example to playing staff. Discontent has simmered at the club since an apparent disintegration of the relationship between the chairman and the chief executive, David Smith, culminated in the latter’s resignation. However, although one board member resigned at a meeting today, the remaining four and the president, David Wilson, confirmed their “unanimous support” for Davidson. A statement from the club read: “Leicestershire CCC announces that Paul Haywood resigned from the board today. The remaining board members John Allen, Tony Hill, Mike Siddall and Andrew York together with president David Wilson confirmed their unanimous support for chairman Neil Davidson.” Losses for the year are expected to be around £300,000 – with an exit in the group stages of the Friends Provident t20 Cup proving costly. They lost seven of their eight home matches in the competition, which they won in 2004 and 2006. The other match was a washout. The statement continued: “By mid-June it was clear to the board that a significant financial loss was developing, which is why the chief executive [Smith] and senior coach [Boon] were asked to explain the team’s disappointing home one-day performances. “Despite significant expenditure on senior players and the club having some of the finest young cricketers in the country, the team has won only a single one-day home game so far this season. “The absence of [the Australian all-rounder] Andrew McDonald [with a shoulder problem] has been a contributory factor but equally all Championship victories have been achieved without his presence.” The statement also revealed an “undemocratic takeover” attempt of the club. “It has very recently come to the notice of the board that a sponsorship deal worth £125,000 over five years plus other benefits was rejected by the former CEO in August 2008, for no apparent reason and without reference to the board. Furthermore, a generous offer by the Big Communication Group to help improve the marketing of the club was never followed up. “The board has also, very recently, received information of what amounts to a planned undemocratic takeover of the club. The board is carrying out its own investigation but will vigorously resist any such attempts on behalf of the membership. “If true, this will not be first time in recent years that this has occurred. In the 2007-08 close season the board foiled such an attempt by one of the individuals alleged to be currently involved. His plan then was to flood the club with new members, infiltrate the board and effectively take over the club. “The board used its powers to block such a move and invited the individual to make a formal takeover offer to put to the members if he wished to do so. “No such offer was forthcoming and the individual concerned withdrew his board candidature before the 2008 AGM papers were sent to members. “Having successfully defended members’ interests, the board took the view that there was nothing to be gained by placing this in the public domain at the time. Given recent developments, the board has chosen to do so now. “Members of the board acknowledge that these are difficult times but can assure members that they have the best interests of the club at heart. The board welcomes a second request for a special general meeting that has been received this week and the company secretary will be discussing the resolutions with the requisitioners’ representative to ensure that the business of the meeting is effective.” Leicestershire Cricket guardian.co.uk

Thanks to live TV coverage of the World Cup the image of women’s rugby has changed forever Everything you need to know about the new age of women’s rugby was crystallised into one jaw-dropping moment on Wednesday night. There was Fiona Pocock, the impressive England wing, hurtling down the left having stepped the Australian full-back. Out of nowhere came the covering winger, Nicole Beck, a green and gold human missile without a handbrake. The subsequent collision would have made Jerry Collins wince and Joan Collins totally despair of her sex. That Pocock subsequently left the field on a stretcher was unfortunate but, in a way, strangely reassuring. Had she bounced straight back to her feet it would have been definitive proof that women’s rugby has not merely smashed through the glass ceiling of male indifference but entered a whole new stratosphere of concrete-limbed superwomen. Either way, newcomers to the women’s game should tune into Sunday’spotentially ground-breaking World Cup final between England and New Zealand and prepare to have their own breath taken away. Regardless of the outcome, the popular notion that women’s rugby is but a pale imitation of the men’s version has been lain to rest this past fortnight. Some will say that has been the case for a while, and they may have a point. But what has died a spectacular death is that most basic of counter-arguments: that women are simply not designed for rugby. Tell that to Maggie Alphonsi, the stupendously good English openside who prefers the nickname The Machine, or Danielle Waterman, whose cover tackle on the aforementioned Beck in the second half of Wednesday’s semi-final was another nail in the heart of lazy sexism. The watching Martin Johnson will also have been impressed by the fitness and technical skills on display. As in cricket or golf, what it may lack in power it makes up for in terms of alertness and precision. The quality of England’s recycling work and passing are a credit to their own head coach, Gary Street, and Alphonsi’s ball-snaffling is an object lesson for any aspiring flanker. Her fame will certainly rise another notch if England do manage to reverse the black tide of female rugby history. New Zealand are chasing a fourth straight World Cup success and the memory of the Black Ferns’ 25-17 win in the 2006 final in Edmonton has long been a motivation for the English. “It’s been four years of working and I’m really up for it,” says the 26-year-old Alphonsi. “It still stings to think we did not win the 2006 final. We want it so much … we’ve worked so hard for it and I feel like this is our moment.” Statistically, if nothing else, there is hope. Last November, on a filthy wet evening at Twickenham, England finally defeated the Kiwis for the first time in eight years. Spencer, who scored her side’s solitary try in an epic 10-3 scrap, would love a similar outcome across the road at The Stoop. “We know we can beat them. The two Tests in November gave us confidence and throughout the four games in this tournament we’ve got better and better. I can’t wait to lead the team out.” It would be a slight anticlimax if the Black Ferns were to run away with the trophy again but there is no question this tournament has changed the game’s image irrevocably. Live worldwide television coverage has had a lot to do with it and Susan Carty, the IRB’s women’s development officer, is suitably encouraged. “It’s absolutely the most exciting time we’ve had in women’s rugby. In the past rugby has been a male-dominated sport and women have had to creep their way into it.” All that is set to change ever more radically thanks to rugby sevens’ acceptance as an Olympic sport. Under IOC rules there must be a women’s event in parallel with the men at the 2016 Games in Rio, opening up vast new horizons for the next generation. Brazil, as it happens, is among the countries where women’s rugby, or at least the seven-a-side version of it, has struck a chord. If more nations begin to take the game seriously, the days of England and New Zealand contesting every final will not last forever. In the UK, Premier Rugby has a vision of the modern prototype English professional club, boasting not just a Premiership men’s team but a top-level women’s equivalent and a sevens squad for both sexes. It would mean ground facilities being used more often by a wider variety of people, watched by a broader range of consumers. If more young girls can be persuaded to set aside Mizz magazine for the delights of Sunday morning mini-rugby, so much the better. A sense of perspective, nevertheless, is probably worth retaining. Twickenham will not sell 80,000 seats for a women’s international any time soon. The oval-ball future is unlikely ever to mirror the Two Ronnies’ serial “The Worm That Turned” when Diana Dors ruled Britain, men were forced to wear dresses and the rules were upheld by mini-skirted “Gestapo” officers. But rugby does have a new army of role models, as Sunday will surely re-emphasise. All those tiresome hooker-themed jokes are so last century. Women’s rugby union Rugby union Robert Kitson guardian.co.uk

Every week, John Salley, onetime Bad Boy and currently the arachnoid half of the Spider and the Henchman podcast , will regale us with an amusing and occasionally salacious story from his playing days. Today: Zeke is not pleased with Salley’s rehab methods. More

Giovanni Trapattoni said he would settle for a victory by the only goal, even if he had to suffer. The Republic of Ireland manager duly went through the wringer on a nervous night here in the Armenian capital but he emerged with the result he wanted to ignite his team’s Euro 2012 campaign when the substitute Keith Fahey, who had been on the field for only eight minutes, swept home. The Birmingham City midfielder was winning only his fourth cap and never before had he played in a competitive international. With one swing of his right boot, he became an instant hero. It felt as though Ireland had been let off the hook. Armenia had been on the front foot for much the second half and there was a desperation about some of Ireland’s defending. But Trapattoni’s team could also point to a glaring miss by the captain Robbie Keane in the 63rd minute, when he dragged a shot against the post when clean through. Ireland have a chequered history in what used to be the Soviet bloc but this result was one to cherish. If it once again demonstrated the perilously fine margins at international level, it also allowed Ireland to look ahead with optimism. Next up is Andorra in Dublin on Tuesday night. Trapattoni will fancy his chances of making it six points from six, before the sterner tests in Group B present themselves. Keane had said on the eve of the tie that the most important thing was not to lose but nobody really believed him. Armenia, ranked 96th in the world, have had some encouraging results at home of late; they defeated Belgium in a World Cup qualifier last year, while they beat Poland and drew against Serbia and Portugal in Euro 2008 qualification. But if Ireland were to entertain hopes of making it to their first major finals since the 2002 World Cup, everyone knew, deep down, that this was a match they needed to win. This was Ireland’s first competitive fixture since the controversial play-off against France last November and Trapattoni started with nine of his line-up from that night. It would have been 11 had it not been for injuries to Keith Andrews and Damien Duff. The Italian is not a man who meddles with the tried and trusted. The staples of the Trapattoni regime have been discipline, hard work and focus and, as ever, they were on show in front of what was a small and far from intimidating crowd. It is then up to Keane or one of the creative talents to conjure the decisive moment. Ireland have also tended to be productive from set pieces. Keane might have put his team ahead in the early running when, from Kevin Doyle’s flick-on, he darted intelligently into the area for a volleying opportunity. His contact was not true, however, and the ball squirted wide. Keane looked dangerous throughout, even if he could not finish. He had the ball in the net in the 36th minute only to be contentiously pulled back for offside. The chance of the first half came from an Ireland set piece. Aiden McGeady’s corner was deep and Sean St Ledger’s header firm, after he had got up well, but Roman Berezovsky made a fine reaction save. Armenia showed themselves to be a quick and technically talented team. All of their front players caught the eye, especially Henrik Mkhitaryan, Shakhtar Donetsk’s new £6m signing, who roamed and probed with menace. Ireland restricted them to efforts from distance in the first half, a volley from the excellent Yura Movsisyan apart, although one pot-shot from the striker whistled just over the crossbar. Ireland’s defence did not enjoy the best protection from Whelan and Paul Green, who was making his competitive debut. It was tense and tight stuff. Armenia were the better team in the second half and as they hit their attacking stride they subjected Ireland to a series of nervous moments. One almighty scramble ended with Movsisyan firing a shot at Richard Dunne. The Ireland defender also almost put through his own net with a looping back header. But after Keane had blown his golden chance and Doyle had gone close, the last word, unexpectedly, went to Fahey, who capitalised after good work by Liam Lawrence. It was far from a vintage Ireland performance but, as Trapattoni had always said, it is the result that stands the test of time. Euro 2012 Armenia Republic of Ireland David Hytner guardian.co.uk

Hit F5 for the latest updates or click the auto-refresh button, email simon.burnton@guardian.co.uk and view the live scores 7.52pm: The rain has stopped, so more action imminent. 7.42pm: Meanwhile it’s still raining, but not as heavily. 7.41pm: “How is it that Flushing Meadows’ courts are faster than Wimbledon’s?” asks Gary Naylor. “Are the balls different? At Wimbledon (in person for the first time this year), I felt the balls were too heavy and “died” too much on the grass. The power game needs tempering, but pace on the ball – whatever the sport – improves the spectacle and favours the more skilful players.” The balls are different, as it happens – Slazenger at Wimbledon, Wilson in New York. Indeed, even at the US Open there are different balls – I believe the men have a slightly more hard-wearing felt on theirs, even though they’re only used for six games. 7.37pm: There’s no doubt who the crowd will be behind. Brown is obviously not like the average tennis player, even when he doesn’t turn up in a camper van. He’s got an interesting back-story, is tall, black, dreadlocked, genial and possesses one heck of a serve. But he’s not, or rather has never been in the past, good enough to beat the top players. 7.33pm: Looks like this might be a light but lingering shower. I’ll bring you updates as and when I have them, of course. 7.30pm: The players leave the court. The skyline looks grey and dreary in New York. Time to check that weather forecast. First set: Murray* 2-1 Brown Three aces in that game, held to love. More worrying, the rain seems to have returned. First set: Murray 1-1 Brown* Brown’s first serve is a massive 130mph+ ace, which Murray challenged but was well in. His second is another massive ace which Murray also challenged, and was on the line. That’s one challenge left for the set. The third serve Murray gets a racket on, but the ball doesn’t make it over the net. An easy hold. First set: Murray* 1-0 Brown Still a lot of empty seats as Murray holds serve, not as easily as he might have liked. One deuce required. Impressive returns from both sides from Brown. 7.20pm: Murray’s going to serve first. Balls in hand. Action. 7.19pm: “I’m a bit disappointed to see that Andy Murray isn’t wearing a Bulgarian flag headband,” writes Gary Naylor, as Greg Rusedski predicts an easy win for Murray in “not the prettiest of matches”. 7.13pm: In fact, they’re out already. Action imminent. 7.13pm: Looks like a brief and light shower – nobody’s come off the other courts. Meanwhile, if you like football at all take a look at this unbelievable scorcher from today’s Kazakhstan v Turkey game. 7.03pm: The good news: it’s not very hot. The bad news: it’s raining. 7.00pm: Other than a fairly brief glimpse at Wimbledon, when his potential Davis Cup defection was the issue of the day, I’m afraid I don’t know any more than Murray about Brown. The next few hours will be a learning experience for the both of us. 6.54pm: Evening world! Kim Clijsters is roaring through her match – 5-0 in the second set, having won the first 6-3 – so Murray should be on shortly and it’s about time I settled into my seat and got ready for the ride. You can still read Kevin Mitchell’s match preview here , if you’d like. And as I write, Clijsters completes a suddenly-very-straightforward victory, after a fairly troubled start, and it’s time for Murray to tie his shoelaces and introduce himself to Dustin Brown. US Open tennis Andy Murray Tennis Simon Burnton guardian.co.uk

Filed under: PGA , Ryder Cup Flick the lights. It’s last call. Tuesday in New York, one day after this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship is scheduled to be completed, U.S. Ryder Cup team captain Corey Pavin announces his four at-large picks for the October matches in Wales. Eight players — Phil Mickelson , Hunter Mahan , Bubba Watson , Steve Stricker , Jim Furyk , Jeff Overton , Dustin Johnson , and Matt Kuchar — already have secured spots on the team off a two-year points system. Now Pavin gets the chance to put his lasting fingerprints on the team that will be a heavy underdog at Celtic Manor. Only Mickelson (seven), Mahan (one), Stricker (one) and Furyk (six) have Ryder Cup experience. “I am excited at the mix of youth, experience, aggressiveness and consistency of these players,” Pavin has said. But the team’s success will inevitably be determined by Pavin’s four captain’s picks.

See more here:
Breaking Down Corey Pavin’s Most Likely Ryder Cup Picks