Issue 7, 20th December 1995: SPORTING ROUNDUP
By Charles Hirst.
18th:
Computing,
Law,
Science and Technology,
SciFi.
Fowler Eclipses Cole and Collymore(19/12/95)
Dutch Masters Secure European Place(13/12/95)
Robbie Fowler shone brilliantly at Anfield against Man Utd, netting both the Liverpool goals, to give the resurgent merseysiders a deserved victory. Liverpool might have thrashed United, had Schmeichel not been on such terrific form, returning after a two game absence. Collymore gave his best but was denied numerous times in the first half by the Great Dane.
The first half saw United being completely overrun by Liverpool, who attacked at a blistering pace, deploying McManaman on both flanks and pushing Barnes and Thomas through the middle to take on the exposed pair of Mclair and Sharpe. McManaman made a succsession of galloping runs ending with penetrating crosses and always looked a danger to the back pedalling United.
It took Fowler to split the teams, a minute before half time. With a free kick just outside the area, he floated the ball over the wall into the top right corner, totally deceiving Schmeichel in the air. The second half followed a simular pattern, with United unable to muster much resistance to the advancing reds. That was until the hapless Cole was substituted for Scholes. The reshuffle saw Giggs moving upfront alongside Cantona and Scholes dropping in behind them. Suddenly United refound their attacking stride and the game moved into its best period, with both teams playing breathtaking attacking football at speed.
Giggs came close only to be denied by the on form Mark Wright, MacManaman found the side netting at the other end, after beating Schmeichel. But again it was Fowler who intervened to put this game out of United's reach. He bounded on to the end of a MacManaman cross and scored his second with elegant ease. The result puts a mjor dampner on United's title aspirations after Newcastle beat Everton to go 7 points clear. It may serve to rekindle the hopes of Liverpool fans however, after their excellent display.
Dutch Masters Secure Last European Place(13/12/95)
Rep Ireland 0 Holland 2
Anfield was awash with orange and green, as two very different teams clashed for the last place in Euro 96. The countries were well represented on and off the pitch, as both sets of supporters reflected the passion involved, in a night full off emotion. The famous Kop End in the Liverpool stands, traditionally a flurry of red, was replaced in a sea of green. The Irish fans took two thirds of the stands, and boldly sang their hearts out, but did not witness the victory they had hoped for.
Instead they witnessed a Dutch performance that would have stretched the best in the world. Their shape and formation was held in perfect stability, each man knowing his role and knowing precisely where to find his teammates. Bergkamp roved behind the front three, usurping all the space that his running forwards had created for him. Overmars and Seeddorf consistently bypassed the stretched Irish midfield with their passing movements. The Dutch moved the ball with such ease along the ground, that any time Ireland won possesion they were made to look clumsy in comparrison.
The Irish worked hard at feeding the ball up to their forwards in a direct manor, particularly towards Cascarino who caused arial problems to the Dutch defence. The colourful and pasionate display of the fans was matched on the pitch by the football. The game was played in a great sporting spirit, both sets of fans singing in unison to the Anfield classic "You'll Never Walk Alone". The Dutch precision was matched by the Irish heart, all great stirring stuff.
Ireland having themselves threatened through some awkward goalmouth scrambles, fell behind in the 29th minute to a Kluivert goal. Put through by Davids, Kluivert calmly directed a crisp strike past Kelly, to finish off a spectacular move that had started from Sheringham losing possesion. It was another important goal for the 19 year old who scored the winner against A.C Milan in last seasons European Cup Final.
The second half opened up, providing chances for both teams. Bergkamp was replaced injured, by Johan de Kock and it took some time for them to adapt to their new formation. The Irish worked hard to put the Dutch under pressure, but increasingly it was the Dutch who looked more dangerous. Helder crossed perfectly for Kluivert, who crashed his header against the bar. It was probably still reverberating when Davids was put through by Kluivert, only to see his shot well saved by Kelly.
The game was put out of reach in the 89th minute, when Kluivert came storming through the middle, delightfully bringing the ball under control before chipping a rising shot deftly past Kelly. Irish hearts were brocken, but their spirit wasn't as they stayed in the stadium to hail their teams efforts for many miutes after the game.
FA Carling Premiership Results
Sunday 17th December
Liverpool 2 Man Utd 0
Saturday 16th December
Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1
Monday 4th December
Sheff Wed 4 Coventry 3
Sunday 3rd December
Wimbledon 3 Newcastle 3
Saturday 2nd December
Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 1
Monday 27th November
Notts Forest 1 Man Utd 1
Sunday 26th November
Arsenal 0 Blackburn 0
Saturday 25th November
Chelsea 0 Spurs 0
Wednesday 22 November
Chelsea 3 Bolton 2
Tuesday 21 November
Arsenal 4 Sheff Wed 2
Monday 20th November
Southampton 0 Aston Villa 1
Sunday 19th November
QPR 1 Coventry 1
Saturday 18th November
Aston Villa 1 Newcastle 1
Aston Villa 4 Coventry 0
Blackburn 1 Middlesbrough 0
Newcastle 1 Everton 0
QPR 2 Bolton 1
Sheff Wed 6 Leeds 2
West Ham 2 Southamton 1
Wimmbledon 2 Tottenham 1
Blackburn 4 West Ham 2
Bolton 1 Forest 1
Leeds 0 Man City 1
Liverpool 1 Southampton 1
Man Utd 1 Chelsea 1
QPR 1 Middlesbrough 1
Tottenham 0 Everton 0
Coventry 3 Wimbledon 3
Everton 2 Sheff Wed 2
Man City 1 Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 2 Liverpool 1
Newcastle 2 Leeds 1
Southampton 1 Bolton 0
West Ham 1 QPR 0
Coventry 0 Man Utd 4
Everton 2 QPR 0
Man City 1 Wimbledon 0
West Ham 0 Liverpool 0
Middlesbrough 0 Tottenham 1
Blackburn 7 Notts Forest 0
Bolton 0 West Ham 3
Leeds 1 Chelsea 0
Liverpool 1 Everton 2
Man Utd 4 Southampton 1
Sheff Wed 1 Man City 1
Tottenham 2 Arsenal 1
Wimbledon 0 Middlesbrough 0
FA Carling Premiership League Table
P W D L F A W D L F A Pts
Newcastle 18 9 0 0 21 4 4 3 2 16 11 42
Man Utd 18 6 3 0 20 8 4 2 3 15 11 35
Tottenham 18 5 2 3 11 9 4 4 0 13 8 33
Aston Villa 18 5 3 1 14 6 4 2 3 11 8 32
Liverpool 18 6 2 1 20 5 3 2 4 11 10 31
Arsenal 18 5 4 0 15 7 3 3 2 8 5 31
Middlesbrough 18 6 2 1 14 5 2 4 3 5 7 30
Nottm Forest 16 4 4 0 16 8 2 6 1 11 16 28
Leeds 17 5 1 3 11 9 2 3 3 12 15 25
Chelsea 18 4 4 1 11 8 2 3 4 6 11 25
Blackburn 18 7 1 1 25 7 0 2 7 3 17 24
Everton 18 4 2 3 14 11 2 3 4 8 9 23
West Ham 18 3 3 3 10 13 3 2 4 9 11 23
Sheff Wed 18 3 2 4 14 14 2 4 3 12 13 21
Southampton 18 3 3 3 9 9 1 2 6 8 19 17
Man City 18 3 3 3 5 6 1 1 7 5 21 16
QPR 18 2 3 4 10 16 2 0 7 4 10 15
Wimbledon 18 2 3 3 12 14 1 2 7 11 24 14
Coventry 18 2 3 4 13 16 0 3 6 10 24 12
Bolton 18 2 3 4 7 12 0 0 9 9 22 9
FA Carling Premiership Leading Goalscorers
L F C E O T
Shearer (Blackburn) 17 0 5 1 0 23
Ferdinand (Newcastle) 18 0 3 0 0 21
Fowler (Liverpool) 13 0 2 0 0 15
Sheringham (Tottenham) 11 0 3 0 0 14
Yeboah (Leeds) 9 0 1 3 0 13
Wright (Arsenal) 7 0 5 0 0 12
Dublin (Coventry) 11 0 0 0 0 11
M Bright (Sheff Wed) 7 0 3 0 0 10
Scholes (Man Utd) 7 0 2 1 0 10
Holdsworth (Wimbledon) 6 0 4 0 0 10
Yorke (Aston Villa) 7 0 3 0 0 10
L=League, F=FA Cup, C=Coca Cola Cup,
E=European, O=Other, T=Total.
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Broken Ankle May End Le Saux's Career(19/12/95)
Graeme Le Saux will definately not be availlable for the Euro '96 Competition, after the extent of his broken leg was revealed. Le Saux hes fractured his fibula at a very low point, where it meets with his ankle. The lower the break in the fibula, the more serious the injury. Unfortunattely for Le Saux the damage has been done very low down.
Along with the fractured joint, Le Saux has also ruptured his achilles tendom anddislocated his ankle at the joint of the tibula. There is also severe ligament damage around his foot. Le saux has had a fantastic career up to date. He has had numerous caps for England and has won the Premier League Championship with Blackburn Rovers last season. He sustained this hoorific injury whilst winning the ball off Juninho and catching his foot awkwardly in the process.
What was thought originally to be a fight for fitness in time for the European Cup next summmer, has now turned into a fight for his career.
Vinnie Jones has been given permission to leave Wimbledon, heralding a new era for the Dons. A possible move to Palace may be on the cards for Jones, meaning he would not even have to move from his present ground, as both the Dons and Palace share Selhurst Park.
Luck of the Draw For England in Euro '96(18/12/95)
Tel's men got their first big break for the European Championships to be held next summer, when they drew Scotland and Switzerland in their group. Also in their group are Holland, who recently showed their pedigree by knocking out the Rep Ireland for the last spot in the Championship finals. The top two teams will quallify for the knock out stages of the competition, and England have got to fancy their chances.
England recently dispatched Switzerland 3-1 in a friendly at Wembley, and should have little to fear from the Scots, who though resilient, do not have the depth in flair and talent to worry England. The game against the Scots will be the first fixture between the two old rivals since 1989, when the last annual fixture was played. The regular annual fixture was called off because of the security implications. Hooliganism though has hopefully had its day, and perhaps this will be the first step in rescheduling the oldest fixture in football.
Groups B and C look the toughest, with Spain, Bulgaria, Romania and France in B and Germany, Czech Rep, Italy and Russia in C. The last group brings together Denmark, , Portugal, Turkey and Crotia.
The first game of the tournament will be played at Wembley between England and Switzerland on Saturday June 8th. All Wembley games for the first stages of the competition have been sold out.
England Face Old Foes in World Cup Draw(13/12/95)
England will face old World Cup rivals Italy and Poland in their World Cup qualification group, along with the relatively unknown Georgia and Moldavia. The task will be a hard one for England if they want to qualify by right to reach the finals and avoid the second place play offs. Italy knocked England out of the 1978 World Cup qualifying stages and it will be the fifth time since 1972 that England have been drawn against Poland. "Well the World Cup wouldn't be the World Cup without Poland" said a cheery Terry Venables, but his first reaction was "Ouch!"
Scotland's passage looks easier, facing Sweden, Austria, Latvia, Belarus and Estonia. Whether Jack Charlton will be at hand to steer Ireland through the qualification stages, will be decided over the New Year, but they have a fight on their hands, coming up against Romania. The others in their group do not look too strong though as they face Liechenstein, Iceland, Lithuania and Macedonia.
Wales and Northern Ireland will both struggle to qualify, facing formidable opponents. Wales have Holland, Belgium, Turkey as their main contenders. Northern Ireland possibly have the most difficult task with Germany, Portugal, Ukraine, Albania and Armenia.
The battlelines have been drawn in Group One, with Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia Hertzegovnia all drawn together. Games will commence after next summer's European Championship.
England Struggle For Form(19/12/95)
England 27 Western Samoa 9
England showed little sign of any form or inspiration against the touring Western Samoans, relying heavily on penalties to kick themselves into a winnning position. The beautiful game of flowing, running rugby, that has been the trademark of Southern hemisphere teams for years, appears still to be beyond the reach of this England setup.
To be fair to them, there were debutants in the form of Paul Grayson and Matt Dawson, who occupied the essential half back pairing. It was innevitable then that England would be looking to find their way for a while in adapting to this new balance. However Grayson and Dawson both put in a significant performance, it was those around them that let them down.
The expected total domination of the forwards never came into full fruition, so the release of the second and third phase ball, that is so integral to flowing rugby, rarely transpired. Instead it was a frustrating day for the English as their movement was severely restricted by the Samoans. More than that, possesion was not retained for long enough spells and as a result, when the Samoans won possesion for themselves, they often seriosly threatened.
At half time the Samoans might have been ahead, having had more goal kicking opportunities. Grayson's accurate kicking and cool head,however, kept England ahead. The second half saw the game open up a little more and eventually Dallagio was at hand to drop over the line for England's first try after a forward move involving Clarke. Clarke also set up the second try, releasing Grayson to feed to Catt who sent Underwood over with a reverse pass.
Latest scores from Englands tour of South Africa
Third Test is Drawn
Mighty Mike the Magnificent
Scoreboard
England v South Africa (3rd Test)
South Africa 1st Innings G Kirsten c Hick b Martin 8 A C Hudson c Crawley b Illingworth 45 W J Cronje c Martin b Illingworth 8 D C Cullinan c Smith b Martin 10 J N Rhodes lbw b Illot 38 J H Kallis c Russell b Martin 1 B M MacMillan c Russell b Martin 28 D J Richardson c Russell b Illot 7 S M Pollock not out 36 C R Matthews lbw b Illot 0 A A Donald b Illingworth 32 Extras 12 Total 225 England 1st Innings M A Atherton cHudson b Donald 2 A J Stewart c Hudson b Matthews 41 G P Thorpe c Cullinan b Donald 2 R A Smith c McMillan b Matthews 34 G A Hick not out 31 R C Russell c Rhodes b Matthes 8 D G Cork not out 23 Extras 11 Total (5 wkts) 152 Result: Match Drawn
England vs South Africa (2nd Test)South Africa 1st Innings A C Hudson c Stewart b Cork 0 G Kirsten c Russell b Malcolm 110 W J Cronje c Russell b Cork 35 D J Cullinan c Russell b Hick 69 J N Rhodes c Russell b Cork 5 B M McMillan lbw b Cork 35 D J Richardson c Russell b Malcolm 0 S M Pollock c Smith b Malcolm 33 C E Eksteen c Russell b Cork 13 M W Pringle not out 10 A A Donald b Malcolm 0 Extras 22 Total 332 2nd Innings A C Hudson c Russell b Fraser 17 G Kirsten c Russell b Malcolm 1 W J Cronje c Russell b Cork 48 D J Cullinan c Gough b Cork 61 J N Rhodes c Russell b Fraser 57 B M McMillan not out 100 D Richardson c Ramprakash b Malcolm 23 S M Pollock lbw Cork 5 C E Eksteen c Russell b Cork 2 M W Pringle c Hick b Fraser 2 A A Donald not out 9 Extras 21 Total (9 wckts dec) 346 England 1st Innings M A Atherton b Donald 9 A J Stewart c Kirsten b Pringle 45 M R Ramprakash b Donald 4 G P Thorpe c Kirsten b Eksteen 34 G A Hick c and b Eksteen 6 R A Smith c and b McMillan 52 R C Russell c Rhodes b Eksteen 12 D G Cork c Cullinan b Pollock 8 D Gough c and b Pollock 2 A R C Fraser lbw Pollock 0 D E Malcolm not out 0 Extras 28 Total 200 2nd Innings M A Atherton not out 185 A J Stewart b McMillan 38 M R Ramprakash b McMillan 0 G P Thorpe lbw Pringle 17 G A Hick c Richardson b Donald 4 R A Smith c Pollock b Donald 44 R C Russell not out 29 Extras 34 Total (5 wckts) 351 Result: Draw
The Third Test of this five match sries was drawn after rain severely restricted play. However the storm on the pitch was not the only storm brewing as Matthews, the South African pace bowler came under serios scrutiny for alleged ball tampering. Sky TV pictures appeared to show him picking at the seam of the ball, deemed as illegal by the powers that be, and this caused quite an uproar keeping all entertained whilst rain stopped play.
The match official Clive Lloyd, after studying the film evidence and discussing the issue with his umpires, deemed it not to be an offence and rightly so. Any evidence that there was of ball tampering was insubstantial and it was very doubtful that he was doing it at all. Matthews claimed that the action picked up by the cameras was in fact a personal habit of his of smoothing the seam.
Other than this incident virtually no cricket was seen in the last three days of this match' as the dismal weather in South Africa continues. The result of a draw leaves the series all square at 0-0 with two tests to play. The next Test begins on boxing day.
Mike Atherton staged one of the all time epic rearguard innings in the history of test cricket, to save the second Test for England. In a magnificent display of courage and concentration, Atherton stood firm in his crease for ten and three quarter hours, staving off the South African pace attack.
England approached the final day of the Test in a seemingly impossible position, having reached 167-4 on the fourth day. But Atherton's stuborn denial, alongside his teammate Jack Russell, caused a sensation at the Wanderers ground in Johannesburg. Atherton finished his remarkable innings on an unbeaten 185.
Robin Smith's was the only wicket to fall, 45 minutes before the lunch break, having made a steady 44. The South African crowd had swelled in numbers by then, in anticipation of the expected victory, but what was to unfold before them, was an individual victory of heroic proportions. Whether they appreciated this quite as much as the preferred home teams win was unlikely, but the slow handclapping that occaisionally rang around the ground, could only have come from the uneducated who did not know what they were witnessing.
It was a titanic effort that required immeasurable concentration and patience. Russell, who earlier in the match had taken a world record of 11 catches, played his part in the innings without fault. He blocked out the steaming pace of the South African bowlers, demoralising them as he crept to 29 runs from 339 balls!
Ray Illingworth, the England coach, called Atherton's innings "one of the greatest innings of all time". Atherton probably could not be on a higher pedestal within the team and from this dizzy height can expect to command absolute authority over his troops, and inspire a fresh fighting spirit that has been absent from the England team of late.
Mark Ramprakash had another failed outing into Test cricket, scoring a total of 4 in his two innings. It is likely that John Crawly will step in to replace him at the number three spot, for the third Test.
Herbert Clinches Sauber Spot(19/12/95)
Johnny Herbert the enigmatic British Formula 1 racer has clinched the last seat for Sauber for next seasons championship. He beat of rival and compatriot Mark Blundell to the best remaining Formula 1 drive. Herbert will team up with Heinz Harold Frentzen, the highly rated young German, who raced for the Swiss team last season.
Herbert won the British and the Itallian grand prix last season and finished fourth in the driveras championship, but was not picked for a drive in the early jostling for positions and teams. This announcement confirms that he will remain on the Gran Prix circuit next season. Meanwhile, Blundell is considering a switch to IndyCar racing in the States.
Williams Team May Have Been Responcible For Senna's Death(13/12/95)
A report has been issued by Enrico Lorenzini, a proffesor at Bologna University, that faulty welding on Senna's Williams car may have caused the fatal crash at Imola. The 600 page thesis outlines the botched job that was done in welding the steering collumn of the car. The poor welding resulted in the steering collumn breaking, causing complete steering failure at high speed.
If the report is found to be true, then Frank Williams may be sued for up to thirty million pounds by Senna's family. The official reports are expected in the next few weeks. Lorenzini's report should ensure that the official investigation will not be ignored by the FIA, or treated as unimportant.
Tyson Does Not Impress Against Buster Mathis Jnr(19/12/95)
Frank Bruno can feel quitely confident after witnessing a lacklustre performance by Tyson in his final warm up before the two clash in March. "Iron Mike is Rusty Mike" said Bruno after watching Tyson dispose of Mathis in three rounds.
Tyson should have finished this one in the first. The flabby Mathis was never a threat, but Tyson failed to connect with anything that he threw at his opponent. The fight resembled more of a wrestling match as Tyson and Mathis grappled for position. Eventually however, Tyson managed to slip from Mathis' clutches and landed two thirds of a three punch combo, which was enough to put Mathis on the canvas.
Bruno will certainly be delighted about the number of punches Tyson missed, as he wildly struck out into the night air. This was not even a fast opponent either. On this form Tyson should nottrouble Bruno. It is just a question of whether Iron Mike can find the devastating power that was once his trade mrk, before he takes on our Frank.
Bruno Under Fire From Tyson(13/12/95)
The war of words has already begun between the Heavyweight title contenders, Frank Bruno and Mike Tyson. Tyson has one the first round, promising to bash Bruno! He declared he knew how to fight big Frank, and tht it would not be a difficult task to overcome the British World Heavyweight Champion.
Tyson shrugged off any suggestion that Bruno hurt him with a powerful left hook, the last time they met. Tyson eventually won that contest in the sixth round, but only after Bruno had shaken him up some.
Meanwhile Big Frank had to be content with runner up in the BBC's annual Sports Personality of the Year award. Thought to be heading the list, he bowed out to Johnathan Edwards, who smashed the world record for triple jump during the summer.
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