HOME SPORTS
Chris Cook
Email me at:
AllUKSports@aol.com
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FOOTBALL
ENGLAND BEAT WALES 2-0 IN WORLD CUP QUALIFYER:
The 'trio of fantastic forwards', Beckham, Rooney, & Owen, laid on a fantastic display of how to control the game with great shots from all of them. Lampard however opened the scoring within the first few minutes on a pass from Owen. Beckham sealed the game with a great goal later on. It was the best display England have put on in recent games. Scotland however lost 1-0 at home against Norway.
MAN U IN THREAT OF TAKEOVER: Manchester United could possibly be owned very soon by the US sports billionaire, Malcolm Glazer, who owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers US football team that won their Superbowl recently. He owns 20% of Man U shares (about £140 million worth) and is buying the shares (29% in total - £200 million worth) of two Irish investors, John Magnier & J.P.McManus, which will just about give him enough shares to takeover the ownership of Man U. The very determined and anti-takeover Man U Supporters Club are ready to create as much fuss as they can, because they say seat prices will double, and all kinds of sponsors will suddenly be all over the Man U logo. Profit for Man U has slipped to £27 million this year, but the share prices are starting to take off. Many feel that Man U, owned by a man who looks at the team as a mere way to make more money, will not sit well with football fans in the UK, or with the UK sports media.
SPECIAL REPORT: Please, say the Germans, no 'Yanky queer beer here!' (June 19th)
FIFA has awarded the US beer giant Budweiser the sole rights to sell its mass market frothy US style beer inside ALL the football venues in the upcoming 2006 World Cup - to be held in Germany. This means no German beer can be sold inside any of the stadiums to be used for the games. "Vot are they doink", cry the German fans and the German brewers, "Yanky queer beer at all zee games?" Budweiser paid $40 million US for the rights but the Germans are demanding they cancel the deal and have at least half the beer sales in German beer. The brewers say the German fans won't want the 'queer beer' with its frothy top and its go-flat-quick taste. "My God Fritz zay are also going to sell zat diet beer zay call lite beer."
CRICKET
First Twenty20 game at Lords draws 28,000 delighted spectators.
The first game of Twenty20 cricket was played at Lords on July 15th, and drew a 28,000 crowd. It was Surrey against Middlesex, with Surrey winning (183-5) over Middlesex (146-7), a win by 37 runs. It took just under four hours.
The new 'TWENTY20' cricket format to be the 'cricket spectator' sport of the future.
The new 'half-a-day' cricket format, 'Twenty20', is the new, more 'spectator friendly' version of cricket that is likely to appear in the Olympics, by 2012. The game is an Aussie version (with enthusiastic input from of all places - The US Cricket Association!) that has drawn a one game crowd of over 80,000. It's a simple one game of 20 overs each, using less than the full team of players played in one day matches and tests. They even sit in rugby type dugouts on the side of the pitch. A sort of 'cricket sevens' like 'rugby sevens.' Smaller teams, quicker games, all over (without stopping for 'tea'!) in under four hours. Several games can be played on the same pitch on the same day. The way to go I say!
HORSE RACING.
Kieren Fallon, who won this years Derby, and is England's 6 times top jockey, was arrested with 15 others, then released on bail. The charges are race fixing. He still gets to ride however under the new Jockey Club rules that you can't lose your licence until the courts prove you guilty. And a court case is a long long way away.
FORMULA ONE.
The British Grand Prix at Silverstone has been reprieved! The American Bernie Ecclestone who controls the money end of F1 has got a promise of £7.4 million from the British Racing Drivers Club, headed by Sir Stirling Moss. More money is needed, but the British Grand Prix is on again.
RUGBY
Sir Clive Woodward to manage the Lions tour but wants more players from Scotland, Wales & Ireland.
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