Commentary Comment of the Week

"The French, what can you say? The All Blacks, what can you say?"
Rugby World Cup Final, 2011

Ray-ray reaches no. 3 spot

Andy Murray has moved up to number 3 in the world rankings with a victory today over Ferrer at the Shanghai Masters.


Ray-ray fought his way to a 7-5 6-4 win against the Spaniard who pushed Murray all the way in the first but after an early break in the second couldn't keep up with the Scots ever more impressive quality. 


Murray is not guaranteed to finish the year in 3rd - his highest year-end ranking - but if he continues with this form I don't see The Fed coming back from injury and fatigue and claiming his place back. It's the first time Fed has been out of the top 3 since before his first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon 2003. That is an incredible run.


Of the top four, Ray-ray is definitely the on form player right now and the O2 Finals will be the perfect place to step up and prove to the world that he can beat the top players (Djoko, GoNads and The Fed) on the big stages.


Bring on November. 


In RUGBY the All Blacks put on a brilliant display to crush Australia and advance to the World Cup finals. They won 20-6 and were a class above the Aussies throughout. They move a step closer to ending their 24 year wait to be World Champions.


In FOOTBALL Arsenal have finally won a game. They beat Sunderland 2-1 today thanks to a couple of beautiful goals from Robin Van Persie.


I'll keep you blogged...

Rugby Semi Final - Wales/France

Absolute heart ache for Wales as they lose by one point to a stubborn but largely lifeless French side - 9-8.

The major talking point of the game, and perhaps the World Cup so far, was Sam Warburton's sending off in the first quarter of the match. His tackle on winger Vincent Clerc - whom he lifted off the ground but let go of in mid-air to prevent slamming him to the ground - in the 18th minute was considered dangerous and referee Alain Rolland had no hesitation in pulling out the red card. Commentators, pundits, players and the crowd were left stunned as Warburton walked calmly to the bench to watch the rest of game in agonising separation. 

France's Parra's three penalty kicks were, in the end, enough to see them to the final but Wales's creative play, heart and stubborn resistance pushed them all the way to the final whistle. They missed four vital kicks - three penalties and one a conversion, two of which that would have almost certainly won the game for them. 

As he did against Ireland, Phillips grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck when he found a gap through the two French locks and scored a great try to take the score to 9-8 (to France), however Jones then missed the conversion to take Wales into the lead. It was an agonisingly close kick that hit the left post.

Six minutes from the final whistle Wales were given a chance again when prop Nicolas Mas strayed offside. The kick was a huge straight punt from the halfway line and out of Stephen Jones's range so Halfpenny stepped up. His kick had the direction but dropped heartbreakingly short of the goal bar and despite a last charge to the try line that consisted of 26 phases, Wales's fate was sealed.

Elsewhere, Lewis Hamilton has pipped Vettel to pole in Korea. Murray-ray is still drinking the delights of Asia and has moved into the semis of the Shanghai Masters. England have lost the first of a five-match One Day series in India by 126 runs. 

I'll keep you blogged...

 

   

Ray-ray rampage in Asia

Murray-ray is romping his way through the Asian part of the tour. He won last week's Thailand Open and yesterday beat GoNads in three excellent sets of tennis to clinch the Japan Open.


Nadal won the first 6-3 and Ray-ray's misfiring serve did not spell out a happy ending for the Scot. However, he found his range in the second set, taking it 6-2 with some great play. The quality was only going to get better as Ray-ray broke GoNads three times in the third to take the set 6-0 and his first win against the Spaniard in six matches, including semi-final defeats at the French and Wimbledon. 


He's set himself a target to finish the year as world number 3 (in doing so shoving The mighty Fed down to fourth) and is doing a damn convincing job of getting there. If he can take this form into the end-of-year tournament at the O2 he will be a very real threat. Djoko, GoNads and Fed, watch out!


I'll keep you blogged...

US Open and Rain

The US Open enjoyed a splendid first week. Against all odds, the hurricane that everyone predicted would bring doom to New York passed by with a little wind and rain but nothing like the damage it had caused elsewhere in the world. Opening Monday woke up to blue skies and blazing sunshine. The first week floated by on a few white fluffy clouds, watching match after match of tennis's biggest names going through, getting beaten (Kvitova, Wimbledon Champion only a few short weeks ago, fell at the first hurdle) and breaking records (Stosur v Kirilenko saw a 17-15 second set tie-break finally won by Kirilenko - the longest tie-break in a Grand Slam Ladies singles match - Stosur went on to break early in the third set and seal the match).

The week was not without its dramas, however, as no less than 18 players withdrawed through injury or illness; 14 of them retirements during matches which is a grand-slam record in the Open era - among them Venus Williams and Robin Soderling. This had players and press alike up in arms about the punishing schedule and fears falling on deaf ears. Schedulers, however, had more to worry about than players dropping out.

Ray-ray had been due to play his fourth round match against Donald Young, the young American wonder-kid-turned-mediocre who beat Murray during his bad patch in the first round of Indian Wells earlier on in the summer, on Tuesday at 4pm (BST). It is now Thursday at 12:30pm and they have played a total of three games, with Young 2-1 on serve. These three games, according to Murray, Nadal, Roddick and others, should not even have been played, such was the condition of the courts. It's been raining in New York for nearly three straight days and for all Brian Earley's (tournament referee) confidence that the tournament will finish on time (Sunday), I just don't see it happening. The US Open has finished on the third Monday for the last three years and I can't imagine 2011 will be any different. Even finishing on Monday will be a push with the weather reports for the next few days. Rain, rain and more rain; and when it's not raining it'll be windy and muggy. IF the rain miraculously clears and the weather is beautiful for the remainder of the tournament, yes, the final will be on schedule, but it will also have meant the (male) players will have played four five-setters in four days. Ouch.

Roof, anyone?  

I'll keep you blogged... 

Fourth Test, Day 1

England are 75-0 on a rain-delyaed first day of the final Test at the Oval. Strauss and Cook batted out a largely undisturbed morning in overcast conditions. India's bowlers, once again, lacked depth, accuracy, pace and any sting, swing or energy. Aside from Ishant Sharma producing some decent deliveries - one bouncer whacking Strauss on the helmet and breaking the peak - Cook and Strauss couldn't have had an easier bat on the first day of a Test. 

It is rather an anticlimax to what had looked like being a corker of a Test series on that first day at Lord's in the sunshine. Here were the top two teams in the world (technically 1 and 3 but who's counting?) competing for the the top spot in the top form of their sport - nothing could be more important; more competitive; more tense, right? In England's eyes, yes. The uber professional and slick unit that has become the England team, players, coaches, and backroom staff alike, have been nothing but the pinnacle of professionalism. India, on the contrary, have been a motley crew of old and young, training in kit that looked like it had come from 'the garage!' (thanks Freddy) and generally appearing fatigued and like they could care less about this series.

They have lost their number 1 ranking, can they at least regain some dignity and fight in the remaining Test or is a whitewash on the cards? Not seen since 1974.

I'll keep you blogged...

Cricket Top Spot

England are the number 1 Test side in the world. We hold the Twenty20 title and are the number 1 Test team. In the world. We are better than the West Indies, Sri Lanka, India, AUSTRALIA. We are numero uno. We're number wang.


I will write more on this, obviously, but for now this is enough.


More than we could ever hope.


I'll keep you blogged...