LDN 2012: GB men's hockey put four past Argentina

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and the Press Association, for the following post and photo.

Great Britain's men's hockey team overcame some cynical Argentinian spoiling tactics to get their Olympic campaign off to a winning start as they recorded a 4-1 victory.

Captain Barry Middleton led the way with strikes either side of half-time before Dan Fox, with his first international goal, and Richard Smith completed the job.

Even Pedro Ibarra's late penalty corner could not put a dampener on a game which showed glimpses of GB's best but was far from the complete performance.

Matt Daly was lucky not to be sin-binned for clattering into Ibarra just before the interval. Before that GB had played most of the hockey and having an early Daly goal - correctly - overturned by the video umpire gave them all the encouragement they needed.

Both Rob Moore and Harry Martin failed to get a touch on Ben Hawes' driven cross but the breakthrough finally came in the 23rd minute when Daly won a penalty corner.

With regular set-piece specialist Ashley Jackson having a breather on the bench duties transferred to Smith and when his flick was saved by Juan Manuel Vivaldi, captain Middleton was on hand to smash home the rebound.

Jackson then tested the goalkeeper with a reverse-stick shot before seeing his far-post dive narrowly fail to connect with James Tindall's cross. There then followed a scuffle between players as things got niggly and the interval came at just the right time.

What was even more timely was Middleton's second goal in the 41st minute. When Moore set up Jackson to run at the top of the circle it seemed certain he would drive in to shoot but instead he slipped it right and the captain moved the ball on to his reverse-stick before smashing home a low shot through the goalkeeper's legs.

Daly was sin-binned for a stick tackle before Agustin Mazzilli also earned a temporary suspension for a sliding tackle on Iain McKay. While both teams were down to 10 men Fox scored his first international goal in his 43rd appearance after a brilliant break saw Jackson carry the ball half the length of the pitch before laying off for the Hampstead and Westminster player to drill home.

With Jackson off the pitch again Smith then succeeded where he had failed in the first half by beating Vivaldi from a penalty corner. Argentina scored with a set-piece of their own with 15 minutes to go through Ibarra, who later became yet another to be sin-binned as the Argentinians lost their discipline, but it was not enough to spoil the hosts' party.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: British gymnasts claim team bronze

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and the Press Association for the following post and photo.

Great Britain won their first men's Olympic team medal in a century when they claimed bronze at the North Greenwich Arena.

Louis Smith, Max Whitlock, Daniel Purvis, Sam Oldham and Kristian Thomas scored a total of 271.711 as they produced a stunning team performance in front of a royal audience.

Team GB's artistic gymnastics team had initially been awarded silver but an inquiry into the score of Kohei Uchimura's pommel horse routine saw Japan claim silver and Britain downgraded to bronze. China retained their gold medal with 2008 silver medallists Japan leapfrogging Britain's score of 271.711 with an upgraded total of 271.952.

The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry led the support as Britain won their first Olympic team medal since the bronze at the Stockholm Games in 1912 to thunderous applause from the home crowd. It came as a huge shock to both the gymnasts and the home crowd, with boos reverberating around the arena as Britain were stripped of their silver medal.

A medal of any colour would have exceeded all expectations for the British team with bronze looking like the best they could dream for against the gymnastics powerhouses of the United States, Russia, China and Japan.

In a tense finale, it looked as if they had done enough to secure the bottom step on the podium after going head-to-head with Ukraine on the last piece of apparatus as the United States faded away.

Ukraine were in bronze medal position and Japan in silver with the final rotation to go, but brilliant performances on the floor by Whitlock, Purvis and Thomas saw them seal their place on the podium, as Japan faltered and finished in fourth.

However, there was a twist in the tale, as Japan launched an inquiry into three-time world champion Uchimura's score, leaving Britain patiently waiting to learn their fate. When the result came through, delight turned to despair for Britain as they saw the silver medal slip through their fingers, meaning they took their place on the bottom step of the podium.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced the team's medal success as he opened a speech at a reception at the Royal Academy of Arts, as he said: "First of all, I bring you the important news from the Olympic Games, which is that the men's gymnastics team have won the bronze medal."

Mr Cameron's announcement was greeted with a huge cheer and applause.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: Let the Medals begin.

Thank you to Team GB for the post and picture.

TEAM GB launched their medal collection on Day Two of the London 2012 Games - and it was the women to the fore with Lizzie Armitstead leading the way with Silver in the women's cycling road race.

It was not long before the second medal arrived and it was Beijing heroine Rebecca Adlington who claimed a Bronze in the 400 metres freestyle.

But it was Armitstead who secured Team GB’s first medal of the Games with Silver in the women’s cycling road race on The Mall in London on Sunday afternoon.

Otley-based Armitstead, 23, was just edged out on the line by the Netherlands’ Marianne Vos after they had broken away on the final climb of Box Hill during the 140-kilometre event.

Rain showers throughout the race turned into a heavy and consistent downpour towards the end, but the four breakaway riders still managed to quickly establish a lead of around 20 seconds over the peloton.
Russian Olga Zabelinskaya led out the final kilometre to the finish on The Mall, but the other two were barely out of the saddle and were waiting for each other to make a move.

Eventually, Vos put the hammer down in the final 300 metres. Armitstead closed the gap but could not catch the Dutch rider, crossing the line just inches behind.

Armitstead claimed the first-medal honour that many thought would have arrived in the men's road race on Saturday. But she said: "It’s not at all something that I would have expected, of course I would have loved for the men to win a medal yesterday. It’s not something that I had even contemplated or thought about so I’m over the moon.

"I don’t think it will sink in for the next few weeks, I think it’s because I’ve got another race in the time trial on Wednesday so I’m still in competition.

“Winning this race in front of my family and friends is the most special thing I’ve ever experienced in my life; it’s so crazy and so inspiring!

"The crowd was unbelievable, we were kind of pulled along by the noise, I've never experienced anything like it I just felt exhilarated all the way."

Rebecca Adlington back in the medals

If it was Armitstead's afternoon, the cheers in the evening for Team GB came in the Aquatics Centre for Rebecca Adlington who recorded Team GB’s second medal of the Games by securing Bronze in the 400m freestyle event .

In doing so, Adlington became the first British swimmer in history to win medals at two successive Olympic Games after her two Golds at Beijing 2008.

The Mansfield-born swimmer, 23, thrilled a vociferous home crowd in the Aquatics Centre with a well-executed race plan which saw her cement third place with a strong final 50 metres.

Pre-race Gold medal favourite Camille Muffat lived up to the hype and did not disappoint, setting a new Olympic record of 4:01.45 as she claimed her first Olympic title ahead of American Allison Schmitt.

“After only qualifying in eighth this morning I didn't know what to expect, and tonight there was no pressure on me at all,” said Adlington. “I know everyone else wanted to say, 'Oh you got the gold in Beijing,' but to me I was not expecting that at all, so I am so, so pleased with that tonight.”

Moved by the support of the crowd,  Adlington choked back tears when describing the pride she felt .

“I'm crying because the crowd is so overwhelming,” she said. Twelve years of hard work has gone into that and it's hard, it was so hard. It's always the 400m that feels tougher than the 800m. I'm so glad I got a medal at a home Games, not many people can say that.”

Radcliffe out of the marathon

Team GB marathon runner Paula Radcliffe has been forced to withdraw from the Olympics due to medical reasons.

Radcliffe has been suffering with a foot problem and after a fitness test on Sunday it was concluded that she would not be able to race competitively to the best of her abilities.

Radcliffe said:

“From the day when it was announced that London had won the bid, taking part and performing well in the London Olympic Games has been a major goal in my life. That is why it hurts so much to finally admit to myself that it isn't going to happen.”

The BOA and UK Athletics also intend to nominate a replacement athlete, and they will work with the International Olympic Committee and International Association of Athletics Federations to secure approval under the Late Athlete Replacement policy. Freya Murray is the reserve for the Marathon.

Gymnastics

The men’s artistic gymnastics team will look to stun the world again as they compete in the team final today.
The team outscored Olympic champions China as they topped their session and were only outscored by USA and Russia as they qualified third overall with a score of 272.420, and also secured five places in the individual finals.

Louis Smith will look to better his Beijing Bronze in the pommel horse after his spectacular routine in the qualifying round saw him score 15.800 and will be joined by 19-year-old Max Whitlock in the final.
Kristian Thomas and Dan Purvis will compete in the all-round final after qualifying fifth and tenth respectively, with Thomas also qualifying for the vault final as Team GB’s men’s gymnasts compete in the first Olympic final of the post-war period.

Swimming

Liam Tancock will compete in the final of the Men’s 100m Backstroke today with fellow Brit Robbie Renwick also confirming his place in the Men’s 200m freestyle.

Both booked their places last night, with Tancock placing second in his semi-final in a time of 53.25 seconds, while Renwick finished third in his with a time of one minute 46.55 seconds.

Gemma Spofforth will also compete in the final of the Women’s 100m Backstroke after reserving her spot with a third place finish in her semi-final with a time of 59.70.

The three British swimmers will look to boost Team GB’s medal tally in the pool after Rebecca Adlington’s success last night.

Daley and Waterfield look to make a splash

Tom Daley and Peter Waterfield will be in action for Team GB in the Synchronised 10m platform today.
The pair are the current World Series champions and will be looking to occupy one of the positions on the podium. Perhaps even improving on Waterfield’s Silver medal in Athens, Britain’s first medal in the event since the 1960 Rome Olympics.

While Waterfield will be competing in his fourth Olympics, this will be only the second time that his partner Daley will have featured.

Other GB medal hopes...

Zoe Smith competes in the women’s 58kg Weightlifting. The teenager finished fourth in the European Championships and will compete in her first Olympic Games.

Daniel Williams will compete in the -73kg of the Judo against Rasul Boqiev, while Sarah Clarke will enter the -57kg against Pavia Automne.

 

 

Olympics 2012: Diary of a secret Games Maker, Part 1

A brand new feature has arrived. Our man in the Olympic Park, the secret games maker, will be posting his diary. For those of you looking for the negative spin on the games, please look away now - although the diary is truthful. Our secret gamemaker has dreamt of being at the Olympics since a boy, and now is there. 'Games maker' is the term used by LOCOG for all the volunteers around the Olympic venues, who are doing a sterling job.

Got up this morning totally buzzing about what was to come today, although a little dread of having to work through the corporate metropolis that is Westfield. I hate large retail places like that with a passion. Too many people, too little space and everyone jostling for the same square inch of floor space! Well, I was most impressed with the ease of it all getting through Stratford and out to the Workforce check-in area.

The military personnel there were top notch and made sure to thank them for the work they were doing, even though they all agreed they'd rather be doing what they signed up to the military for! We had been told that there would be a bus service to take us down to the opposite side of the Park to the Riverbank Arena, although we'd have to get off at the main media centre which is about 5mins walk away. Asked some Games Makers where the bus went from and was met with blank looks. Asked some others and was definitively told "No such bus exists, sorry". Oh well, I'd have to walk through the Park, but I had an hour and half or
so to kill, so would take a wander down and soak up the atmosphere.

Corporate capitalisation was out in full force with beers at £4:30 and bottles of soft drinks £2:30. However, compared to some places I've been to, it wasn't too bad I guess. I saw the Gloriana boat moored up in the middle of the park and stopped to watch some sports on the "Park Live" big screen. I got down to the Riverbank and signed in and was presented with a bottle of water, a poncho and then told to go to the helpdesk to get my free gift unsure.gif Turns out it's an IOC Games Maker journal/diary and it's top top quality. Went through to the break area to wait til my shift started and met some people I'd seen on training before so we all compared notes on getting there. Turns out there IS a bus, but I'd come in the side entrance from Stratford rather than the main one, so it's not a surprise the other GM's didn't know where the bus went from...

Had a couple of cups of tea before going for our briefing and where we'd be during the afternoon and evening.
We went out and watched the Argentinians stuff South Africa 7-1 and then it was tea time. Options were chicken tikka massala or cheese and tomato queche. I went with the queche, even though it was actually mushroom...with wilted carrots and babycorn and a small salad and a bottle of drink. Dessert was a piece of fruit and/or a granola bar.

Then it was outside for GB V Japan and prior to the game I was assisting the GB team warm up by throwing balls back over the fence to them and also doing my main role of helping the photographers out by drying their benches and helping some of them set up.

A short time later was our first 'incident' where a couple of photographers were outside their permitted area, but they were as good as gold and both knew they shouldn't have been there and quickly moved back to where they should be.

A nasty incident happened to GB captain Kate Walsh right in front of me and I had the perfect view of her taking a stick to the face from one of the Japanese girls. I've not heard how she is, but she looked in a bad way on her way off.

Back inside for a quick cuppa after the game and then it was to the back of the stand in the photographers area there for the Germany V USA game and it was bloody freezing up there! Will be taking gloves and an under t-shirt next time. Mind you, for the views across the Park at night time, it was worth it.

Very easy coming home after the game as we got the Workforce bus from the Media Centre up to Stratford and then on the train straight home.

Completely knackered now and feet are killing and a huge blister, but do you know what? I can't wail til Wednesday and my second shift!!!

LDN 2012: Armitstead silver gets GB off the mark

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and the Press Association for the post and photo.

Lizzie Armitstead won silver to claim Great Britain's first medal of London 2012 in the women's cycling road race as Holland's Marianne Vos took gold on The Mall.

Armitstead was beaten to victory at the end of a pulsating 140-kilometre race, which featured two climbs of Surrey's Box Hill.

With the peloton cast adrift, the 23-year-old from Otley near Leeds, was in line for Britain's first medal of the home Games, but the question remained which colour. Armitstead positioned herself behind the Dutchwoman entering the finishing straight but Vos was strong enough to hold off the Briton, who had to settle for second. Russia's Olga Zabelinskaya was third.

Nicole Cooke won Britain's first gold medal of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in the event and Armitstead was seeking to emulate the success to ensure the title remained in British hands.

Cooke's victory came in teeming rain by the Great Wall of China four years ago and Armitstead's bid for victory was played out in similarly treacherous and wet conditions.

In a frantic race, with attack after attack, Armitstead was part of the late escape on the final descent after Box Hill, but prolific winner Vos was too strong.

Armitstead was content to sit behind Vos, marking her arch rival ahead of the sprint.

But Vos had too much strength after a gruelling race and Armitstead had to be content with silver.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: GB gymnasts make final breakthrough

Thank you to our friends at Tean GB and the Press Association, for the following post and photo.

Great Britain's passage to their first Olympic men's gymnastics team final in 88 years was confirmed at the North Greenwich Arena after a poor performance from medal hopefuls Japan.

Louis Smith, Daniel Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock and Sam Oldham competed in the first subdivision of three, but despite beating reigning Olympic champions China with an impressive team total of 272.420, they had to wait to see if they had made the top eight and qualify for the final.

However, with Japan's three-time world champion Kohei Uchimura and team-mates Kazuhito Tanaka and Koji Yamamuro looking slightly off-form, Britain were placed second behind the United States after session two - enough to see secure passage to the final.

With teams from Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Spain and Romania still to come, Britain will still be in the top eight and qualify for the final no matter what happens in the final qualification subdivision.

It is the climax of an astounding year for the men's team after they fell short of Olympic qualification in last year's World Championships in Tokyo.

They earned their place at London 2012 in the second-chance test event, held at the arena in January, before going on to claim team gold in May's European Championships - the first ever major championships team gold medal for Britain.

"It was just awesome," Purvis said after qualification. "It all kicked off on rings really. We all hit our dream routines and since then we just kept going.

"I think it was a case of keeping our focus. It's easy to get distracted by the crowd but as soon as we were out there it was like another competition really. It's the total opposite of what happened in Tokyo really. We did all the same preparation and didn't hit it but today we did and it just feels great."

In the afternoon session, Japan started on the horizontal bar, and Kazuhito Tanaka seemed to be flying through his routine before losing his grip and ending up one-handed.

Three-time all-round world champion Uchimura then made an uncharacteristic error, falling from the bar in his fourth release, before Yusuke Tanaka also hit the deck in what was a nervy start for the 2008 Olympic silver medallists.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: First two world records broken at Games

Thank you to BBC Sport for the post and photo. As always good news has to balanced with bad within the Media. God forbid we just have good news, that's just not healthy. Whoops sorry about that, I feel better now it's out.

London 2012 has seen its first world records broken as the South Korean archery team set two landmarks at Lord's.

Im Dong-hyun, who is blind in one eye, set an individual record in Friday's ranking round.

In the team event, Dong-hyun, Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin-hyek set a new landmark.

South Korea's archery team is regarded as the best in the world and has won 15 gold medals since 1984.

Dong-hyun, who won team golds at the past two Games, broke his own 72-arrow mark of 696 by three points.

Then, alongside Kim Bubmin and Oh Jin-hyek, he helped score a 216-arrow total of 2,087, passing the world record by 18 points.

Lord's played host to the men's individual ranking round on Friday morning and will hold the men's team gold medal match on Saturday.

South Korea's men are reigning world champions and have taken four of the six Olympic titles since the sport was added to the Games in 1988.

Spectators trying to get in to watch the archery were turned away amid confusion over ticketing.

The London 2012 website advertised the event's preliminary rounds as "unticketed", which some members of the public interpreted as open to the public.

But Olympic organiser Locog said it had not advertised or sold tickets for the ranking event and had always made it clear preliminary rounds were not open to spectators.

LDN 2012: Gymnast Smith thinking positive

Thank you to Team GB and the Press Association for the post and photo. Good luck Team GB.

Gymnast Louis Smith is refusing to let any negative thoughts enter his head as he prepares for one of the biggest days of his life.

Smith and his Great Britain team-mates Daniel Purvis, Kristian Thomas, Max Whitlock and Sam Oldham will compete in the qualification events on Saturday at the North Greenwich Arena which will either make or break their Olympic Games.

As a team they need to finish in the top eight in order to qualify for the team final, while individual apparatus and all-around final qualifications will also be decided.

Pommel horse specialist Smith, who ended Britain's 80-year Olympic medal drought in gymnastics four years ago in Beijing with bronze on the apparatus, knows what he has to do in order to secure safe passage to the finals for both the team and himself.

"I'll do my easier routine, my 16.9 in qualifiers, that's what I always do," Smith said.

"There's no point risking falling off in qualification so I'll do my easier routine and I'm doing a high bar routine beforehand as well so that will probably get me into the swing of things.

"The things that will be running through my head when I step up to compete are: 'I'm ready, I've got my Nan looking over me, I've got the support of my friends and family in the crowd. I've been waiting 19 years for this,' so it is just going to be all positive thoughts running through my head."

Purvis, the 2010 world and European floor bronze medallist, finished fourth in last year's individual all-around at the World Championships and is another strong medal prospect for Team GB.

Thomas, who alongside Purvis and Smith was part of the team who won European team gold earlier this year, could also be a surprise package with his strong vault and floor routines.

However, the British team will face tough competition in the shape of the United States, Japan and China. China won team gold in Beijing and at the 2010 and 2011 World Championships, and are favourites to top the podium again.

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: Wiggins: Now it's Cavendish's turn

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and the Press Association for the post and photo. Good luck to all involved in the opening ceremony and those who are preparing to compete. Well done to the football women and men, who have already started the games.

Good luck Team GB, we're all behind you.

Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins is ready to pass the leadership mantle on to Mark Cavendish as Great Britain go for road race gold on Saturday's opening day of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Cavendish is among the favourites to win the 250-kilometre road race, which features nine ascents of Surrey's Box Hill and finishes on The Mall, and will have Wiggins riding at full throttle in a bid to help the Manxman triumph.

Wiggins, who on Sunday became the first Briton to win the Tour's yellow jersey, said: "This is what Cav has been living for for most of the year. He's looking as fit as I've ever seen him on the bike and we're approaching the thing he's been thinking about since he won the world title.

"In our minds there's no doubt that he's going to be there in the final. He's been there for me the last month and now he can sense that it's his turn and we're all there for him."

Cavendish won three Tour stages, including Sunday's final stage on the Champs-Elysees, Wiggins won two, Chris Froome and David Millar won a stage apiece, while Ian Stannard missed the Tour, but is the British champion. Froome finished second overall behind Wiggins.

All five were members of the nine-man team in Copenhagen last September when Cavendish won the world title.

"It's probably the strongest Great Britain Olympic team on the road that has ever been assembled," Wiggins said. "We're all quite humble about our achievements, but externally we must look an incredible dominant force.

"I think people know what we're up to, what we're going to do. It's no secret Cav wants to win it. He's got four incredible guys to help him do that. We've got the fastest man in the world and I guess it's for other people to combat that."

Cavendish has not even considered the prospect of victory and will race again on Sunday in a lucrative criterium race.

"I don't ever really celebrate anything, I just set the next target," he said. "I'm racing on Sunday in Belgium, Monday in Pau, Tuesday in Holland. It's my day job. That's what professional cycling is. It's entertainment."

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved

Firkin & Stumps: ASDA Kwik Cricket, Upton and Oaktree crowned champions

The boys take a quick look at Kwik Cricket, sponsored by ASDA, with help from our friends at the ECB.

 Upton Priory and Oaktree Primary were celebrating after winning the mixed and girls' trophies respectively at this year’s ASDA Kwik Cricket National Finals.

Terrible weather forced organisers at Leicestershire’s Grace Road to move the majority of the matches indoors but the two winning sides adapted best to lift the trophies.

The girls final was completely washed out which meant the organisers had to switch to an indoor competition.

The four group stage winners of Oaktree Primary (Nottinghamshire), Tavernspite Primary (Wales), Shawlands Primary (Yorkshire) and St Paul’s Primary (Herefordshire) progressed into the semi-finals.
Oaktree then edged out Tavernspite in the final to take the trophy back to the East Midlands.

The mixed competition took place 24 hours later and despite the hard work of the ground staff at Leicestershire the decision was made to play the group stages indoors.

The four schools that reached the semi finals were Engayne Primary (Essex), Upton Priory Junior (Cheshire), Our Lady Queen of Martyrs (Yorkshire) and St George’s Junior (Shropshire).

The weather stayed dry for long enough to ensure that the semis and final were played on the grass at Grace Road, and with Eoin Morgan present and the trophies glistening in the sunshine, Upton Priory Junior School triumphed in a last over thriller in front of the pavilion against Engayne Primary School.

Congratulations to all schools that played their part in the finals.

LDN 2012: Greg Searle's Olympic Tears

Thank you to our friends at Team GB, for the full post and picture taking from http://www.teamgb.com/.

Team GB rower Greg Searle expects to have tears in his eyes when he returns to the water at London's 2012 Olympic Games.

Searle, now 40, who won Olympic gold at Barcelona 1992 with his brother Jonny in the coxed pair, made his last Olympic appearance at Sydney 2000 before announcing his retirement a year later.


The lure of a home Games proved too strong however, and Searle came out of retirement in 2009 to force his way into the men’s eight crew for London 2012. And that, he says, is a “fantastic story”.


“I’ve loved every day of it from day one when I sat down with men’s coach Jurgen Grobler and he asked me if I wanted to row or if I wanted to coach,” he said.


“The reality that I am going to make it has begun to sink in. That I am going to be out there rowing on the lake at Eton Dorney with the stands full of 30,000 people. I expect to have a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes and then I’ll know that I’m really there to compete.”


After bursting on to the rowing scene and winning consecutive gold medals in the men’s coxless four at the 1989 and 1990 World Junior Championships, Searle switched to the men’s pairs ahead of the Barcelona Olympic Games.


He now looks at the upcoming London Games through mature eyes, and reflects on his experiences of Barcelona as a young, gung-ho rower.


“The first time I came at it I was young, totally enthusiastic and totally bullet proof,” he said. “I’d never lost a race before and I just expected I would show up at the Olympics and win another one because it was just another race.


“I recognise the difference of doing this as a 20-year-old and doing it as a 40-year-old. If I compared my lifestyle to my peers I when I was 20, I was missing out on a lot of fun stuff, but as a 40-year-old I have a pretty good lifestyle,” he said.


“When I drop my kids off at the school gate most of the other dads have to put a tie on and go off to work in the city but I don’t have to do that. I have a fantastic opportunity to be part of this team and I really recognise that this is a very special opportunity for me.”


Ultimately though, it is Searle’s passion for rowing and his desire to compete at a home Games which has been the catalyst behind his Olympic return.


“The massive advantage is that I love it,” he said. “Every day I show up at training and no matter what’s on the programme I take it on, get stuck in, and enjoy it.”


How fitting an end a second Olympic gold would be to Searle’s “fantastic story”.

LDN 2012: Cycling - Cooke up for making the right impression

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and the Press Association, for the post and photo.

Defending champion Nicole Cooke hopes she can play a role in helping the success of Great Britain's cyclists continue into the first weekend of the Olympics.

The 29-year-old from Swansea won gold by the Great Wall of China in Beijing four years ago and the World Championships later that year, but has been in indifferent form of late.

And, while Lizzie Armitstead may yet be preferred as leader in the four-rider team, Cooke aims to play her part as the women's squad seek to build on Bradley Wiggins' Tour de France success, 24 hours after world champion Mark Cavendish goes for gold on the opening day of London 2012.

Cooke said: "I haven't had my best form, but I think things are coming round well now for race day.
"We know we're one of the strong nations in cycling now.

"This is another fantastic opportunity for us all to show what we're capable of."
Women's road coach Chris Newton said a leadership decision would be made on the road, depending how the race unfolds.

Newton admitted Cooke's selection required "careful consideration" after a slow start to the season, but he expects her to perform in Sunday's 140-kilometre race, which finishes on The Mall.

He said: "In past big occasions, Nicole does raise her game and she's such a competitor. She can really cause some damage in that race.

"The other nations either respond to that or they don't. If they do respond to it, Lizzie's sitting pretty. If they don't Nicole's like 'here we go'. On Sunday we'll see Nicole's in the right place."

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: Swimming, Goddard eager to mix it with USA stars

Thank you to our friends at TeamGB and the Press Association, for providing the post and photo.

On August 2 the Aquatics Centre will bear witness to a showdown between two of the greatest swimmers in history when Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte face off in the 200 metres individual medley while hoping to force his way into the reckoning is Great Britain's James Goddard.

Phelps may well have 14 Olympic titles but it is Lochte's star that has risen over the last couple of years culminating in five gold medals at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.

On that occasion, Lochte edged out his fellow American in the 200m freestyle - which Phelps has opted to drop in London - as well as the medley, the duel pushing the event into uncharted territory.

When Lochte touched he became the first person to break a long-course world record set in the shiny suit chaos as he lowered his own mark to one minute 54.00 seconds.

Phelps, admittedly not at his best after well-publicised motivational issues after Beijing, was 0.16secs adrift, a personal best. aszlo Cseh - arguably the third greatest all-round swimmer - was third, edging out Goddard.

The pair will meet in the 400m individual medley on the first night of competition, with world champion Lochte holding the upper hand after victory at last month's USA trials.

But Phelps took the 200m IM title, setting up a showdown which Goddard is proud to be part of although he has no intention of being a mere spectator.

He said: "It's a big one with Lochte and Phelps, the best swimmers of all time, so it's going to be a great race between them two I suppose.

"I want to be challenging those guys, I hate getting beaten in anything.

"We played a game of Monopoly a few of us the other day and I didn't like losing. I want to get in there and race and race tough and see if I can't scare those boys a little bit."

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Sports Pulse calling all Sports Clubs and people, get involved

We are looking for sports clubs and individuals for new features, to appear on a regular basis, on Sports Pulse.

Whether you be a football, rugby or hockey team, we will post your reports on our blog. Obviously we will check detail  and remove comments that may be deemed offensive, other than that there will be no editing, it will be all your own work.  You can send us pictures to be included in the post, however, no videos will be uploaded.

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LDN 2012: GB badminton duo set to face old rivals

Thank you to our friends at Team GB and Press Association for the following post and picture.

Great Britain's top badminton medal hopes Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier face a reunion with world champions Zhang Nan and Zhao Yunlei at the Olympics.

The Anglo-Scottish pairing, the world number 10s, were beaten by the Chinese duo in the mixed doubles final of last year's World Championships, which were held at the same Wembley Arena venue.

Adcock and Bankier will also face Alexandr Nikolaenko and Valeria Sorokina of Russia and Germany's Michael Fuchs and Birgit Michels in Group A of the competition's round-robin stage.

The group stage is a new element for the London 2012 Games instead of the event being a traditional straight knockout competition. The top two pairs from each of the four groups will progress to the quarter-finals.

Adcock and Bankier will take encouragement from their recent record against top seeds Zhang and Zhao, having beaten them twice since their World Championship loss. The British duo announced themselves on the world stage last year, beating four seeded pairs en route to the final at Wembley.

There was an eye-catching draw in the men's singles as Ireland's Scott Evans was paired with reigning champion and favourite Lin Dan of China in a two-man Group P.

The match-up could not have been tougher for world number 76 Evans with Lin, although seeded second to Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei, widely regarded by as the greatest player of all time.

Britain's entrant Rajiv Ouseph, the 15th seed, was paired with Sweden's Henri Hurskainen and Kevin Cordon of Guatemala.

In the women's event, Scotland's Susan Egelstaff was given a difficult draw against 12th seed Sayaka Sato of Japan and Slovenian Maja Tvrdy in Group H. Chloe Magee of Ireland, the world number 44, will face Pi Hongyan of France, a quarter-finalist in 2008, and Egypt's Hadia Hosny in Group I.

There are 16 groups in the singles competitions with only the winners going through to the knockout stages. The competitions begin on Saturday with the playing schedule due to be announced later this week.
Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

LDN 2012: Chris Hoy confirmed as the Team GB Flag Bearer

Thank you to our friends at Team GB for the post and picture.

MULTIPLE Olympic track cycling gold medallist Chris Hoy has been confirmed as Team GB’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics Games on Friday, July 27.

Preparing to compete in his fourth Olympic Games, Hoy was also given the honour of carrying the flag at the closing ceremony at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Hoy will be the first cyclist ever to carry the flag at an opening ceremony, and his selection comes after what has been a proud month for the 36-year-old after he carried the Olympic Torch through Manchester last month.

While some sports that compete early have chosen to miss the Opening Ceremony, more than 50 per cent of the 542-strong Team GB contingent is expected to march at the event.

Despite British Cycling’s athletes mostly being at their training base in Wales, Hoy will now travel to the capital specially to take part in the Opening Ceremony.

For the first time, Hoy’s fellow Team GB athletes have had a say in his selection. Previously decided by Team GB officials and Team Leaders, their shortlist of nine athletes was then put to the 31 athlete representatives to decide who would carry the flag.

Hoy now enters a select group of Olympic greats who have also carried the flag, including Mark Foster, Kate Howey and Steve Redgrave.

The most successful male in British track cycling history, Hoy has only once finished outside the top five in an Olympic race, and is expected to boost his personal medal tally from four gold medals as Team GB look to beat their Beijing tally.

Tapes Up: Diamonds Take Local Derby Honours

Thank you to our friends at Newcastle Diamonds media team and the boss George English, for providing post and picture.

Newcastle Diamonds 55
Berwick Bandits 39
(Premier League)Top Scorers

Newcastle Diamonds - Mark Lemon 13, Carl Wilkinson 12 2
Berwick Bandits - Sebastian Alden 15, Aaron Summers 10

The big local derby of the season hit Brough Park with the Berwick Bandits visiting the Newcastle Diamonds who had the upper hand from the off in a physical battle.

The visitors had to race without ‘flu-victim Ricky Ashworth with Redcar's Aaron Summers deputising as a guest whilst the Bears also had an influence in the home side with Carl Wilkinson taking the rides of the injured Richie Worrall at number seven.

With Claes Nedermark well out in front in Heat One Stuart Robson found some grip from nowhere and shot round Berwick's guest Summers to take an easy home 5-1, but Heat Two came to a juddering halt coming off the second bend when Steve Worrall hit a patch of drive, lifted and slewed right into Jason King taking both into the fence at speed.

Worrall was stretchered off into an ambulance with a broken left leg whilst King also took a trip in the same ambulance to hospital with a broken right arm and both sides were down to one reserve with only one race completed heaping the pressure on the Liam Carr and Carl Wilkinson who now faced seven rides each.

Heat Three ended abruptly too with Lee Complin trying a stunning outside run round Mark Lemon in second ran into the fallen leader of the race, David Bellego with the Frenchman being excluded from the race, but the referee awarded the heat a 5-1 to the Diamonds instead of the expected 4-2 as Complin was clearly in second place at the time of the stoppage and exclusion which should have netted the Bandit two points not one.

A shared race in four was repeated in five with Summers jetting hard round both Mark Lemon and Christian Henry off bend two to take the score 19-10.

Newcastle took a hard grip on proceedings in the sixth and seventh, and going into Heat Eight the Bandits had still resisted the temptation to use a tactical ride for double points with 16-year-old Carr coming in for the injured King and Robin Aspegren with the Swede racing hard round the outside of Nedermark off bend two to take a brilliant win.

With the score now 31-16 Alden was finally nominated as a tactical ride in Heat Nine but despite an incredible effort behind Lemon the three points went to the Newcastle skipper with Alden taking a doubled four in a shared 4-all taking the score to 35-20.

Going into the 11th Summers was nominated for Berwick's second and final tactical ride in which Wilkinson shot round the field to lead but on the second lap the guest reserve went too wide off bend two and hit the fence causing him to cartwheel down the back straight and land in front of the rest of the field causing riders to avoid the stricken man.

Aspegren avoidance resulted in him turning sharp left and crashing in the middle of the centre green, but thankfully he and Wilkinson were fine with Newcastle's man excluded from the re-run in which Summers turned hard right across the nose of Lindgren coming off bend two of the second lap severely impeding the Diamond to score a solid six points in a Bandit's 2-7 which tightened the match score to 40-30.

Newcastle continued to turn the screws and despite some excellent racing from Alden, the fastest man on the night, took an easy 20-point victory.

Team manager George English said: "It was an all-action match, no doubt there, and we're delighted to have taken a good win over our local rivals, but it's a big problem now as we have to find a replacement for Steve Worrall who has, like his brother, broken a fibula and will have to sit out a good deal of time on the sidelines.

"I would like to send Newcastle Speedway's best wishes for a fast recovery from both Steve and indeed Berwick's Jason King as both were tangled up in what was a pure racing incident. Let's hope we see both back on their bikes as soon as possible."

Get Your Kit On: Manchester United away kit 2012/2013

Thank you to our friends at Football Kit News for intro and picture

This is Man Utd’s new away shirt for the 2012/13 season. Manchester United’s new 2012/2013 home shirt and home goalkeeper kit were unveiled a couple of months back and evoked mixed reactions from fans.

Man Utd’s new 2012/13 away shirt has been made by Nike and was officially unveiled on July 20, 2012 by the Red Devils.

The new Man Utd away top 12/13 is white in colour with red detailing. The jersey is paired with black shorts and white socks, as can be seen in the pictures below.

AON are the principal sponsors of Man U’s new away strip.

Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand are here seen modelling the new MUFC away kit.

LDN 2012: We're here to set the standard - Mullin

Thank you to Team GB & Press Association for providing the post and picture.

Shauna Mullin believes both she and Team GB team-mate Zara Dampney can take advantage of playing with the pressure off when they kick off their Olympic beach volleyball campaign in the heart of London next week.

With just days until the start of the event on Horse Guards Parade - which features 48 teams across the men's and women's competitions playing across 13 days - tension would ordinarily be high in the ranks of the host nation's representatives.

Yet it is no secret that Britain's past form in Olympic beach volleyball tournaments is far from stellar - with players from these shores making just one previous appearance, back in Atlanta in 1996 on the sport's maiden outing at the Games.

And with no recent yardstick against which to be judged, Mullin is confident conditions are perfect for the British duo to "set the standard" for future Olympic appearances.

"Beach volleyball in the UK is not very well known, not very big," Mullin told Press Association Sport. "We've not had a team at the Olympics since 1996, so that pressure that other sports might be feeling, we don't really feel - in terms of having an Olympic reputation, or the need to match previous Olympic results.
"We're in a really good place because we're here to set the reputation; we're here to set the standard for British beach volleyball at Olympic level."

Mullin insists, however, that there is no danger of complacency creeping in, with their committed camp - headed up by coach Morph Bowes - doing everything they can to ensure the best possible result at the 15,000-capacity Horse Guards Parade venue.

"In terms of pressure to get a certain result, I don't think we have that," she said. "But for us - between us and in our team - the pressure to perform at the level we know we can is what we are feeling.

"We've been working towards this for a long time. Now that we're here we need to embrace it, we need to be comfortable with it and just be ready to get on the sand, have a good time and perform."

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Get Your Kit On: Sunderland 2012/2013

Thank you to our friends at Football Kit News for the intro and picture

This is the new Sunderland home shirt for the 2012/2013 Premier League season ( will look good in the Championship 2013/2014 - sorry the boss just hacked into the post). The Black Cats’ new 12/13 home strip has been made by Adidas and was officially unveiled by the club on July 18, 2012.

Sunderland’s 2012/13 Adidas away kit has already been released and like with the away strip, Invest in Africa will serve as sponsors.

Firkin & Stumps: Club Life holds many happy memories for Hadleigh

Firkin and Stumps headed to East Anglia. They came across Hadleigh Cricket club,who are still buzzing from a SKY TV feature 2 years ago.  Thank you to East Anglian Daily Times for the post.

Post By Nick Garnham

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

HADLEIGH Cricket Club are still reaping the rewards of being featured on Sky TV two years ago.

Hadleigh were one of only three amateur clubs to be featured on Club Life, a series of six episodes which followed their fortunes during the course of the 2010 season.

David Mann, the club’s vice-chairman, said: “Looking back, would we do it again? You bet we would. It was a fantastic experience for the club and Sky were superb partners to work with.

“The club gained real confidence from the whole experience and this confidence has real tangible results in that since Club Life we have replaced our practice nets and replaced our artificial wicket. This has been at considerable cost and I have no doubts that without Club Life we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this.

“The six episodes raised our profile and it was amazing how when we were talking to potential funders for these projects how many had seen Hadleigh Cricket Club on Club Life.

“We also gained increased sponsorship due to the TV coverage as more local businesses have got involved with the club. Sponsorship really helps a small club like ours and we were really pleased for the club’s main sponsor, Hadleigh Tyre Group, who featured quite heavily in the Sky coverage.

“It has also helped us on the pitch, particularly in our junior section. We are very close to having the ‘full up’ signs for our juniors now and this includes our girls’ section.

“When we started out on episode one we had a grand total of zero girls in our club now we have over 25 girls playing cricket which is a fantastic achievement.

“Coincidence, possibly, and we are very lucky to have a fantastic coaching team who have been outstanding in developing our junior section but I have no doubts the TV coverage helped!

“We also picked up some senior players of all ages after seeing us on the telly and that is never a bad thing!

“I would urge any club that gets the opportunity to work with Sky Sports to go for it. It is a great experience and will provide one-off memories for your club. I won’t ever forget the look on our players’ faces when Nasser Hussain walked down our pavilion steps.

“Memories are made of this.”

LDN 12: GB teams are heating up - Spice

Post and Photo with thanks from Team GB and the Press Asociation.

Great Britain Basketball performance director Chris Spice believes both the men and women are right on track in their preparations for the Olympics after a strong showing in warm-up games in Sheffield this weekend.

The men recorded back-to-back victories over Portugal - their first wins of the summer - while the women recorded a hugely encouraging win over France on Sunday, having also beaten Angola and lost to world number two Australia. Spice told Press Association Sport: "It's been a really good weekend."

He added: "The men have consolidated a lot of the work they've been doing in the past few weeks, and for the girls it was a fantastic effort, playing against a world-class team in Australia and then coming back a day later to play another in France and come away with the win, that's huge for them in terms of confidence."
The women's win over France, a team ranked eighth in the world, was without question the highlight of the weekend as they came back from a 10-point deficit in the first half and then protected a narrow lead down the stretch to win 74-67.

Coach Tom Maher summed it up after the game by saying: "Two years ago nobody in basketball would have said there was a snowflake in hell's chance of that". But despite the eye-opening nature of the result, Spice insisted he was not surprised.

"If you look out how we played in our warm-up games in the Czech Republic and Turkey, we were beating teams around the top 10 and we went one-on-one with the Czech Republic who are in the top three. I thought if we played well we'd give ourselves a chance, and having our experienced players back down the stretch was really big."

Guard Stef Collins believes the result shows they are now ready to make their mark in London. She said: "We've worked so hard and been together for two and a half months now. We're ready for the big stage now."

The men took time to find their stride in the first game against Portugal before pulling out an 83-69 victory, but looked much stronger in yesterday's 86-66 win, which featured big contributions off the bench as Kyle Johnson led all scorers with 21 points.

It had been key for confidence for Britain to put some wins on the board after a series of close defeats in their preparations so far, but Spice said those results had not shown the team's true face.
"In reality, Luol (Deng) and Pops (Mensah-Bonsu) didn't play much in Houston as we were just nursing them back in," he said. "They'd only really had the two games against France and Spain, so from now on you'll see a different team."

Copyright © Press Association Ltd. 2012, All Rights Reserved.

Tapes Up: Diamonds Run Scorpions Close And Win One League Point

Thank you to our friends at Newcastle Diamonds, for providing the following post and picture. Scunthorpe Scorpions 48 Newcastle Diamonds 42(Premier League) Top Scorers Newcastle Diamonds - Stuart Robson 11 2, Claes Nedermark 10 Scunthorpe Scorpions -Nick Morris10, Michael Palm Toft, Josh Auty, Ashley Birks, all 9 1 The Diamonds went to Scunthorpe last night as comfortable league leaders, but had to line up with three key men out on the injured list, and ended up losing two league points, keeping hold of just one. Aaron Summers of Redcar came in for Ludvig Lindgren, still nursing a sore wrist following an after meeting incident last Sunday with rider replacement covering skipper Mark Lemon's races and former Scorpions' star, also now a Redcar Bear Carl Wilkinson deputising for Richie Worrall. Things remained tight throughout with the home side taking an early lead in Heat One with a 5-1 maximum taking full advantage of a Claes Nedermark fall on the third lap. The next two races were shared 3-3 before the home side, relishing the very wet conditions took a 4-2 thanks to a fine Josh Auty win while Newcastle's guest Wilkinson held Ashley Birks out in third place with the score now 15-9. Stuart Robson took Heat Five with ease with Nedermark mopping up the third placed point as Michael Palm Toft had already been excluded for a fall taking the score to a tighter 17-13. Heat Six was a fractious affair with Thomas Jorgensen well out in front but behind a fierce and physical battle was underway with Wilkinson and Nick Morris hammering away with Wilkinson ending up on the soggy shale and Morris excluded for his efforts in the shared 3-3 as the pair took up further cudgels in the pits afterwards. At the end of Heat Ten the score had moved on to 34-26 before Nedermark made amends for his earlier falls by taking a decisive win, and with Robson taking a comfortable second over Auty and Gary Irving the 1-5 was Newcastle's which moved the scores on to a tight 35-31. Another visitors' max in Heat 13 came again from a superb Nedermark/Robson combination again over Auty setting the score at a tantalising 40-38 with two races left on the card, but with the rain falling ever heavier Heat 14's home 5-1 for Toft and Birks over Christian Henry nailed the win for the Scorpions in a difficult match run in far from ideal conditions. Individual Riders' Score Charts Scunthorpe Scorpions: David Howe Rider-replacement, Thomas Jørgensen 8 2, Nick Morris 10, Michael Palm Toft 9 1, Josh Auty 9 1, Gary Irving 3, Ashley Birks 9 1 Newcastle Diamonds: Stuart Robson 11 2, Claes Nedermark 10, Aaron Summers (guest) 7, Christian Henry 5 1, Mark Lemon Rider replacement, Steve Worrall 2 2, Carl Wilkinson (guest) 7 **** The Newcastle Sapphire Engineering / Darrian Properties Diamonds have had to reshuffle their line up for the Premier League Fours after captain Mark Lemon received the results of a scan on his injured knee which revealed a ligament tear which looks as though it will extend the riders current absence. Lemon was expected to take his place in the line up at Peterborough on Sunday and indeed had purchased his flight back from the World Cup Final to make sure that he arrived at the East of England Showground in plenty of time but now faces an unexpectedly longer time on the sidelines. Newcastle team boss George English said: "This is a big blow to us across the whole spectrum of PL events I went to Management Committee to ask if they wanted us to withdraw from Sunday but with the event being right upon us it was decided that we take our seeded place in the line up." Christian Henry will replace Lemon while there was some good news for Newcastle as Ludvig Lindgren declared himself fit for the meeting.

Rebels 2: Rebels bow out for the season in Cape Town

Thank you, throughout the season, to our friends at Rebels Media Team, for providing posts and pictures. We will rejoin you next season for Rebels 3.

The RaboDirect Rebels ended their second Super Rugby season in Cape Town on Saturday night, succumbing 26-21 to the table-topping Stormers but showing the competition just how far they have progressed in their short history.

A blitzing start from the home side suggested the Rebels might struggle to contain the South African conference leaders, but the visitors took control of possession as the first half wore on and restricted their opponents to a 16-0 lead.

Three second-half Melbourne tries stunned the Newlands crowd and turned the game into a real contest, but further scores and excellent defence was enough to see the Stormers through to the final whistle.
Retiring captain Stirling Mortlock expressed his pride at his team’s performance, as he left the Super Rugby arena for the last time.

“I’m extremely proud of the 22 guys who took the field tonight, and not just that obviously, but the whole club,” Mortlock said.

“To play as well as we did today, to take the Stormers for a full 80, I think was a really solid effort.
“There’s another four or five guys who are retiring tonight, and we leave the club knowing that it’s in safe hands moving forward.”

The home side signalled their intentions from the outset, choosing an attacking lineout over an easy three points after winning a penalty within seconds of the kick-off.

The Rebels were able to stave off the rolling maul and several phases of attack that followed, but soon enough conceded another penalty and this time Peter Grant chose to put his team on the scoreboard.

The visitors could hardly pry the ball from the Stormers in the opening period, as their hosts attacked skilfully and relentlessly. Shifting the point of attack between their tight forward runners and evasive backline, it wasn’t long before the Rebels conceded another penalty which Grant again converted.

A try seemed inevitable, and soon enough a dog-leg in the Rebels’ defence gave centre Juan de Jongh enough room to burst through, stepping inside the last defender on his way to the line.

Grant’s conversion stretched his side’s lead to 13-0 after 14 minutes, but the Rebels showed great resolve to protect the ball and grind their way back into the match from that moment onwards.

Several good attacking opportunities presented themselves to the Rebels as the half wore on, but the Stormers’ back row gave a masterclass in defence at the breakdown, waiting for the prime moment to strike before winning either the ball or a pressure-releasing penalty.

A further field goal from Grant after the half-time siren gave his side a morale boost going into the changing rooms, but it was the Rebels who emerged the more energetically after the break.

Their deserved reward for sustained attacking pressure finally came on the 50 minute mark, when Rodney Blake burrowed over from close range following a lineout and rolling maul.

Scoring against the best defensive team in the competition appeared to lift the Rebels, and within moments of the restart they were back down in the Stormers’ 22 and threatening their line again.

The opportunity looked to have been lost when Jono Owen couldn’t hold a pass from Nick Phipps, but luckily the ball bounced backwards into the half-back’s path and space opened for him to scurry over and score.

With the gap reduced to two points following Huxley’s second conversion, the Stormers were spurred back into action, and responded immediately with another try of their own when Grant’s drifting line opened up a hole for de Jongh on the switch.

They maintained their 23-14 lead for 10 minutes, before replacement scrum half Nic Stirzaker found a rare gap in the Stormers’ defensive line. The young substitute offloaded to James Hilgendorf, who selflessly moved the ball to Cooper Vuna to guarantee the try.

The Stormers instantly picked up their intensity levels again, peppering the Rebels’ try line with 16 phases before captain Jean de Villiers was heroically held up as he attempted to score, the video referee deeming the footage inconclusive.

The home side had a penalty advantage however, and Grant took the points with their much-needed victory under threat. The Rebels went searching for the win in the final minutes, but they couldn’t keep the ball and the Stormers were happy to run down the clock and ensure they finished the season at the top of the table.

Rovers win Women's Challenge Cup

Thank you to our friends at http://www.womensrugbyleague.co.uk/, for providing the following post by Rebecca Bird

The afternoons second final saw Bradford Thunderbirds and Featherstone Rovers battle it out for the Challenge Cup trophy. Featherstone took to the field as slight favourites having beaten Bradford twice in the league.

In front of a large crowd Featherstone started brightest, they made strong inroads into the Bradford half for Emma Slowe to squeeze over the try line. Bradford looked to attack with scrum half Kirsty Moroney in the thick of the action but the Featherstone defence held out and they worked their way back up field and following a couple of sniping breaks Dani Titterington raced over. 12-0 to Featherstone with 25 minutes played. Quick hands resulted in the final score of the half, Dani Bound made the initial break for Featherstone, the ball was moved quickly and Paula McCourt dotted down. Half time score 16-0 to Featherstone.

Into the second half with only a few minutes gone Featherstone were on the score sheet again, Second Row Andrea Dobson looked to have been stopped short but was able to stretch out to grab the try. Dobson followed up this effort with a thundering hit to turn the ball over inside the Bradford 20 metre line.

This set up Lyndsay Anfield who swivelled through an attempted tackle to score. Anfield was over again shortly afterwards a well-timed pass from Katie O’Toole saw Anfield with space out wide to race over. Despite Bradford’s best efforts to mount a comeback the Featherstone defence would prove impossible to breach and on the counter Dobson raced away to score under the posts. As the game began to break up Anfield grabbed a hat rick following an inside break and offload by Dobson.

The final score came 5 minutes from time when McCourt grabbed her second try as she broke a tackle and raced 30 metres to score. Final score 46-0 to Featherstone. The man of the match was awarded to Andrea Dobson. Bradford were unlucky not to get over the whitewash but showed great determination against a very well drilled Featherstone side that proved too powerful on the day and deservedly lifted the Challenge Cup.


Bradford Thunderbirds
1. Sarah Ashton
2. Ashlea Prescott
3. Amy Hardcastle
4. Jamie Dion
5. Lesley Bowlins
6. Danielle Bose
7. Kirsty Moroney
8. Lauren Hickey
9. Lois Forrsell
10. Stacey Wilson
11. Rachel Twibill
12. Dani Swaine
13. Jen Waite
Replacements
14. Joanne Ollrenshaw
15. Paige Costello
16. Tara Yarrow
17. Lisa Taylor
18. Lauren Stallwood

Featherstone Rovers
1. Lyndsay Anfield
2. Michelle Greenwood
3. Hannah Bairstow
4. Dani Titterington
5. Dani Bound
6. Gemma Walsh
7. Katie Cooper-Birkenhead
8. Sarah Hewart
9. Katie O’Toole
10. Emma Slowe
11. Andrea Dobson
12. Paula McCourt
13. Kim Field
Replacements
14. Jodie Litherland
15. Jess Hammond
16. Vanessa Wilshaw
17. Baz Sultana
18. Becky Cookson


Tries
Emma Slowe – 1
Dani Titterington – 1
Paula McCourt – 2
Andrea Dobson – 2
Lyndsay Anfield - 3
Goals
Andrea Dobson – 3
Kim Field - 2


Referee: John Seymour
Half time Score: Featherstone 16 – Bradford Thunderbirds – 0.
Man of the Match: Andrea Dobson (Featherstone)