Qualifying took place today for the second grand prix of the Formula One season, at the Sepang circuit in Malaysia. The good news is that all 24 drivers will be competing in tomorrow's race as no-one fell under the 107% rule.
Q1 went pretty much as expected with the old six new constructors plus one. Again Hispania bring up the rear with Liuzzi qualifying ahead of Karthikeyan but both will be glad to drive in their first race of the season. Virgin remained the in the middle of the three 'lesser' constructors with Glock beating D'Ambrosio to 21st place. That means the Lotus team came out on top with Kovalainen finishing ahead of Trulli. The other driver to miss out on Q2 was Pastor Maldonado of Williams. Surprisingly, Massa was the fastest man in Q1.
Q2 saw Jenson Button as the fastest man as the middle order was sorted out. Adrian Sutil didn't complete a time so automatically qualified in seventeenth place. Perez may be disappointed to be sixteenth in the Sauber behind Barrichello who was almost ousted but Maldonado in Q1. Di Resta qualifies ahead of his Force India teammate Sutil for the second time in an impressive fourteenth. The two Toro Rosso's finished one behind the other with Buemi beating Alguersuari. The final man to fall from Q2 was a miserable Michael Schumacher who his still fighting his Mercedes car rather than driving it smoothly.
Q3 saw the top two separated by just a tenth of a second with third and fourth not so far behind either. Kobayashi completed a quiet qualifying in tenth for Sauber with Rosberg finishing over a second quicker than teammate Schumacher in ninth. Renault keep up their promising start with Petrov in eighth and Heidfeld sixth, despite his early quick times, Massa becomes the meat in the Renault sandwich. The top five sees Alonso not too far off the pace in the 'damage limitation' Ferrari. Button falls from top in Q2 to fourth with Webber in third. It looked to be Hamilton in Pole up until the very final lap where Vettel nicked it by just that tenth of a second to make it two Poles from two, but the last three races hasn't seen the Pole sitter win the race or even lead going into the first corner.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Friday, 8 April 2011
Premier League Darts: Week Nine
Yesterday's round of Premier League Darts headed north of the border again, this time into Aberdeen. The fixtures were the rematches to week two's fixtures. After the debacle in Glasgow with Lewis verbally abused and having objects thrown at him, the Scots learned their lesson and decided that Anderson should play first. His opponent was Jenkins, who was looking to avenge his 8-3 defeat to Anderson in week two. But it was the Scot who took a 3-0 lead before Jenkins came back to 4-2 at the break. It then went to 5-3 with Jenkins checking out 111 in the eighth leg but Anderson wanted to impress his home crowd and made it consecutive 8-3 victories over Jenkins.
Adrian Lewis also wanted to avenge his 8-6 defeat to Wade but 'The Machine' desperately needed the win. Lewis did go 2-0 ahead but only for Wade to win the next six legs. Lewis pulled a leg back in the ninth but Wade looked convincing and earned his much needed win with an 8-3.
Webster really has been the whipping boy as of late and everybody feared for him up against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 8-5 in week two and after initially going 1-0 down, The Power surged to a 8-1 thrashing with highlight being a 104 checkout in the third leg.
The only player to avenge their week two defeat was Whitlock as he played Van Barneveld. It finished 8-3 to Barney in that second week to Whitlock broke early to secure a 2-0 lead. Barney kept to within a leg though and took it to 6-5 it Whitlock's favour, the highlight being a 102 checkout in the eighth for Whitlock. Whitlock then powered to an 8-5 victory with help from a record joining eight 180s in a single Premier League match, but his doubles was what initially kept Barney in the game until that twelfth leg.
After nine weeks Taylor still leads at the top with sixteen points, still four points ahead of Anderson on twelve. Twelve-thirteen points has usually been enough to guarantee a semi-final place. Barney is now joined by Whitlock on ten with Lewis still just a point behind. Wade now moves up to sixth with six points ahead of Jenkins on five and Webster on four.
Adrian Lewis also wanted to avenge his 8-6 defeat to Wade but 'The Machine' desperately needed the win. Lewis did go 2-0 ahead but only for Wade to win the next six legs. Lewis pulled a leg back in the ninth but Wade looked convincing and earned his much needed win with an 8-3.
Webster really has been the whipping boy as of late and everybody feared for him up against Phil Taylor. Taylor won 8-5 in week two and after initially going 1-0 down, The Power surged to a 8-1 thrashing with highlight being a 104 checkout in the third leg.
The only player to avenge their week two defeat was Whitlock as he played Van Barneveld. It finished 8-3 to Barney in that second week to Whitlock broke early to secure a 2-0 lead. Barney kept to within a leg though and took it to 6-5 it Whitlock's favour, the highlight being a 102 checkout in the eighth for Whitlock. Whitlock then powered to an 8-5 victory with help from a record joining eight 180s in a single Premier League match, but his doubles was what initially kept Barney in the game until that twelfth leg.
After nine weeks Taylor still leads at the top with sixteen points, still four points ahead of Anderson on twelve. Twelve-thirteen points has usually been enough to guarantee a semi-final place. Barney is now joined by Whitlock on ten with Lewis still just a point behind. Wade now moves up to sixth with six points ahead of Jenkins on five and Webster on four.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Barca Through, United Gain Advantage
After Tuesday's abnormally high scoring quarter final first legs. No-one really knew what to expect in last night's first legs. Although in the end both results could have been predicted.
Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in a match that was predicted to be a blood bath for the Ukrainians. That was what materialised and it took just two minutes for Iniesta to break the deadlock. Dani Alves made it 2-0 before the break, after 37 minutes. The game looked practically over just eight minutes into the second half when Pique made it 3-0 but Shakhtar pulled a goal back six minutes later through Yaroslav Ratikskiy. That seemed the anger the Spaniards and it was 4-1 a minute later with Seydou Keita getting the goal on the hour. Xavi rounded off the rout four minutes from the end to already seemingly set up an all Spanish semi-final against Real Madrid. Iniesta may have been a little clever by getting booked to see him suspended for the second leg to make sure he'll be available for the encounter with Real.
The other quarter-final is the only one that isn't already potentially determined. Chelsea entertained Manchester United in a game that had two scripts written for it; either Torres was break his duck and give Chelsea the advantage or Rooney was going to silence his critics by giving United the advantage without swearing down any camera. As luck would have it, one of the scripts came to life with Rooney getting the only goal of the game after 24 minutes. Chelsea came closest to the game's second goal when Torres firstly hit the post before Evra cleared Lampard's shot off the line before half-time. Torres then had a second half header superbly saved by the veteran Van Der Sar. Chelsea also had a late penalty appeal turned down when looked to have brought Ramires down in the box. But United come away from Stamford Bridge with an advantage and maybe more importantly an away goal.
Barcelona hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in a match that was predicted to be a blood bath for the Ukrainians. That was what materialised and it took just two minutes for Iniesta to break the deadlock. Dani Alves made it 2-0 before the break, after 37 minutes. The game looked practically over just eight minutes into the second half when Pique made it 3-0 but Shakhtar pulled a goal back six minutes later through Yaroslav Ratikskiy. That seemed the anger the Spaniards and it was 4-1 a minute later with Seydou Keita getting the goal on the hour. Xavi rounded off the rout four minutes from the end to already seemingly set up an all Spanish semi-final against Real Madrid. Iniesta may have been a little clever by getting booked to see him suspended for the second leg to make sure he'll be available for the encounter with Real.
The other quarter-final is the only one that isn't already potentially determined. Chelsea entertained Manchester United in a game that had two scripts written for it; either Torres was break his duck and give Chelsea the advantage or Rooney was going to silence his critics by giving United the advantage without swearing down any camera. As luck would have it, one of the scripts came to life with Rooney getting the only goal of the game after 24 minutes. Chelsea came closest to the game's second goal when Torres firstly hit the post before Evra cleared Lampard's shot off the line before half-time. Torres then had a second half header superbly saved by the veteran Van Der Sar. Chelsea also had a late penalty appeal turned down when looked to have brought Ramires down in the box. But United come away from Stamford Bridge with an advantage and maybe more importantly an away goal.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
San Siro Shocker, Spurs' Spanish Spanking
Usually a Champions League quarter final first leg is quite cagey and settled by the odd goal or two. Well yesterday saw two of the quarter final first legs and there was eleven goals between them with two sendings off.
In Italy, Inter Milan hosted Shalke in what could be one of the shocks of the tournament so far. Although the reigning champions took the lead in the opening minute of the tie when Dejan Stankovic volleyed a Neuer clearance from just inside the Shalke half into the back of the net. That was ruled out by Joel Matip who secured Shalke's away goal after seventeen minutes. Diego Milito then regained the lead for Inter after 33 minutes but again Shalke equalised, this time through Edu seven minutes later. After equalising twice, Shalke then took the lead in the second half when Raul rolled back the years eight minutes after the restart. It was 4-2 just five minutes later when Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal. It got worse for Inter when Christian Chivu received his second yellow card two minutes after the hour before Edu potentially finished Inter off, making it 5-2 after 75 minutes.
Tottenham's European dream also seems to be all but over after a thrashing at the Bernabeu. Spurs were met by a few familiar faces in ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho, ex-Arsenal and current Man City player Adebayor and of course ex-Man United Ronaldo. It was possibly their biggest rival, Adebayor, who opened the scoring after just five minutes. Tottenham's night was seemingly cut short when Crouch received a second yellow moments after his first for two silly tackles within a quarter of an hour. They paid the price in the second half and Adebayor made it 2-0 with his second header twelve minutes after the restart. Angel Di Maria put the game to bed after 72 minutes but Ronaldo may have put the tie to bed with Real's fourth, three minutes from the end.
In Italy, Inter Milan hosted Shalke in what could be one of the shocks of the tournament so far. Although the reigning champions took the lead in the opening minute of the tie when Dejan Stankovic volleyed a Neuer clearance from just inside the Shalke half into the back of the net. That was ruled out by Joel Matip who secured Shalke's away goal after seventeen minutes. Diego Milito then regained the lead for Inter after 33 minutes but again Shalke equalised, this time through Edu seven minutes later. After equalising twice, Shalke then took the lead in the second half when Raul rolled back the years eight minutes after the restart. It was 4-2 just five minutes later when Andrea Ranocchia scored an own goal. It got worse for Inter when Christian Chivu received his second yellow card two minutes after the hour before Edu potentially finished Inter off, making it 5-2 after 75 minutes.
Tottenham's European dream also seems to be all but over after a thrashing at the Bernabeu. Spurs were met by a few familiar faces in ex-Chelsea boss Mourinho, ex-Arsenal and current Man City player Adebayor and of course ex-Man United Ronaldo. It was possibly their biggest rival, Adebayor, who opened the scoring after just five minutes. Tottenham's night was seemingly cut short when Crouch received a second yellow moments after his first for two silly tackles within a quarter of an hour. They paid the price in the second half and Adebayor made it 2-0 with his second header twelve minutes after the restart. Angel Di Maria put the game to bed after 72 minutes but Ronaldo may have put the tie to bed with Real's fourth, three minutes from the end.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Three and Easy For Fulham As City Enjoy Five Scorers
Super Sunday returned this weekend as the final two Premiership matches of the round were played out. Half One saw Fulham kick-off against Blackpool at Craven Cottage with the new questionable Michael Jackson statue erected outside. It was also the return of Babby Zamora, back after his broken leg, and it was almost as if he'd never been away. He put Fulham ahead after 23 minutes before making it 2-0 just five minutes later. Dickson Etuhu sealed the match and the vital three points after 72 minutes, seeing them jump into tenth on goal difference. As for Blackpool they lurk a point ahead of relegation in seventeenth but are only five points behind Fulham, Ian Holloway believes that 39 points may be enough to stay up, meaning they need a further six points from the remaining seven games.
It's not been often this season that anyone could praise Manchester City for their offensive tactics but they completely blew Sunderland away with five goals from five different scorers. Adam Johnson marked his return after a slight injury with the opener after just nine minutes. Phil Bardsley then brought Tevez down just six minutes later and the Argentine converted the following spot-kick. Sunderland held out until half-time but collapsed after the hour. David Silva put the result beyond doubt after 63 minutes after taking full advantage from a bit of penalty box pinball. Patrick Vieira came on and scored with his first meaningful touch of the game, a header from a corner that Mignolet just couldn't stop from going over the line before he palmed it out after 67 minutes. Yaya Toure finished off the rout six minutes later to assure City of third place ahead of Chelsea and just three points behind Arsenal whom both have a game in hand. Sunderland have now slipped to twelfth and are just six points ahead of relegation.
It's not been often this season that anyone could praise Manchester City for their offensive tactics but they completely blew Sunderland away with five goals from five different scorers. Adam Johnson marked his return after a slight injury with the opener after just nine minutes. Phil Bardsley then brought Tevez down just six minutes later and the Argentine converted the following spot-kick. Sunderland held out until half-time but collapsed after the hour. David Silva put the result beyond doubt after 63 minutes after taking full advantage from a bit of penalty box pinball. Patrick Vieira came on and scored with his first meaningful touch of the game, a header from a corner that Mignolet just couldn't stop from going over the line before he palmed it out after 67 minutes. Yaya Toure finished off the rout six minutes later to assure City of third place ahead of Chelsea and just three points behind Arsenal whom both have a game in hand. Sunderland have now slipped to twelfth and are just six points ahead of relegation.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
Barclay's Premier League: 3/4/11
The Premiership resumed this weekend after the International break and with only eight games left (including yesterday's games) it's now a real battle for supremacy and survival. The lunch-time kick-off was the first big game at both ends of the table as West Ham hosted Manchester United. United got off to the best start and found themselves in many promising positions early on. The had numerous corners throughout the match but did nothing with them. But United were hit by a sucker punch when West Ham countered from one of the corners and Carlton Cole looked to chip it over Evra, but the Frenchman handled the ball and referee Lee Mason had no choice but to award the penalty. Thomasz Kuszczak was standing in for Van Der Sar who tweaked a groin in the warm up, but was sent the wrong way by Noble to give West Ham the lead after eleven minutes. It didn't deter United's attacking nature and the game continued with United dominating the West Ham half. But there was a hint of deja vu when Cole was brought down on the line of the box by Vidic following another counter and again Mason pointed to the spot. Noble stepped up again and changed direction and although Kuszczak went the right way, he couldn't stop the fiercely struck penalty on 25 minutes. Alex Ferguson brought Hernandez on at half-time and it paid dividends. United pulled one back after 65 when Carrick was brought down by Noble for a free-kick, Rooney curled it into the top corner. Rooney then made it 2-2 after a Valencia cross was played to his feet and he struck into the bottom corner. The comeback was complete six minutes later when Upson conceded a harsh penalty for hand-ball, Rooney stepped up and got his hat-trick. United then finished it off six minutes before the end when a Giggs low cross was tapped in by Hernandez.
Newcastle provided the rout of the day (in the Premiership) at home to Wolves. Kevin Nolan put the ball through the legs of a hesitant Hennessey to make it 1-0 after 22 minutes. Shola Ameobi headed the ball home just before half-time but again Hennessey probably should have saved it rather than turning into his own net. Peter Lovenkrands made it three just five minutes after the restart before Ebanks-Blake pulled one back eight minutes later. But Jonas Gutierrez finished it off with only his second Newcastle goal in injury time.
There was controversy at Goodison where Everton took on Aston Villa. Everton took the lead seven minutes before half-time when Osman's shot was poorly saved by Friedel before it hit the net. Bent equalised for Villa just two minutes into the second half and made it 2-0 after 68 minutes. But that came straight after a Beckford shot hit the bar and looked like it went over the line, however replays inconclusively showed the whole ball didn't cross the line. Everton equalised via penalty seven minutes before the end, Phil Jagielka making the contact with Makoun before diving over him, slightly dubious award. But Baines stepped up and converted past Friedel to earn themselves the point.
Roy Hodgson provided a dish of revenge as West Brom shocked Liverpool at the Hawthornes. Liverpool did take the lead five minutes into the second half when Skrtel headed home from a corner. West Brom equalised after 62 minutes when Odemwingie was brought down by substitute Kyrgiakos, Brunt converted the penalty. West Brom were awarded another penalty just two minutes before end when Odemwingie was brought down, this time by Reina, again Brunt converted the penalty to give Hodgson his revenge and West Brom a vital win.
Birmingham also secured a vital win at home to Bolton. Kevin Phillips gave them the lead after four minutes. Craig Gardner made it 2-0, smashing the ball home just before the hour mark. Johann Elmander pulled one back twenty minutes from the end, stabbing the ball home, but it wasn't enough as Birmingham grabbed the win.
It turned out to be a great day for Manchester United as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all drew. Walters gave Stoke the lead after eight minutes at home to Chelsea. But Chelsea equalised via a Drogba header after 33 minutes. Stoke had many chances to win the game including two saves from Cech that forced the ball onto the crossbar. Wigan earned a point at home to Tottenham in Spurs' second consecutive goalless draw. But the tea-time kick-off saw a mixture of Arsenal trying to walk the ball in and Almunia providing a few scares as they also had a goalless draw at home to Blackburn. Blackburn were also reduced to ten men when N'Zonzi went in two-footed on Koscielny after 76 minutes.
Newcastle provided the rout of the day (in the Premiership) at home to Wolves. Kevin Nolan put the ball through the legs of a hesitant Hennessey to make it 1-0 after 22 minutes. Shola Ameobi headed the ball home just before half-time but again Hennessey probably should have saved it rather than turning into his own net. Peter Lovenkrands made it three just five minutes after the restart before Ebanks-Blake pulled one back eight minutes later. But Jonas Gutierrez finished it off with only his second Newcastle goal in injury time.
There was controversy at Goodison where Everton took on Aston Villa. Everton took the lead seven minutes before half-time when Osman's shot was poorly saved by Friedel before it hit the net. Bent equalised for Villa just two minutes into the second half and made it 2-0 after 68 minutes. But that came straight after a Beckford shot hit the bar and looked like it went over the line, however replays inconclusively showed the whole ball didn't cross the line. Everton equalised via penalty seven minutes before the end, Phil Jagielka making the contact with Makoun before diving over him, slightly dubious award. But Baines stepped up and converted past Friedel to earn themselves the point.
Roy Hodgson provided a dish of revenge as West Brom shocked Liverpool at the Hawthornes. Liverpool did take the lead five minutes into the second half when Skrtel headed home from a corner. West Brom equalised after 62 minutes when Odemwingie was brought down by substitute Kyrgiakos, Brunt converted the penalty. West Brom were awarded another penalty just two minutes before end when Odemwingie was brought down, this time by Reina, again Brunt converted the penalty to give Hodgson his revenge and West Brom a vital win.
Birmingham also secured a vital win at home to Bolton. Kevin Phillips gave them the lead after four minutes. Craig Gardner made it 2-0, smashing the ball home just before the hour mark. Johann Elmander pulled one back twenty minutes from the end, stabbing the ball home, but it wasn't enough as Birmingham grabbed the win.
It turned out to be a great day for Manchester United as Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all drew. Walters gave Stoke the lead after eight minutes at home to Chelsea. But Chelsea equalised via a Drogba header after 33 minutes. Stoke had many chances to win the game including two saves from Cech that forced the ball onto the crossbar. Wigan earned a point at home to Tottenham in Spurs' second consecutive goalless draw. But the tea-time kick-off saw a mixture of Arsenal trying to walk the ball in and Almunia providing a few scares as they also had a goalless draw at home to Blackburn. Blackburn were also reduced to ten men when N'Zonzi went in two-footed on Koscielny after 76 minutes.
Friday, 1 April 2011
Premier League Darts: Week 8
The dartboard move across the border into Cardiff this week as we started the second half of the league process. The fixtures last night were the rematches to week four's fixtures. First up was bottom of the table Wade against Anderson who has lost his three matches, in week four Anderson thrashed Wade 8-3. The first four legs all went with throw with Wade hitting a 102 checkout in the third. Anderson was the first to break in the fifth but Wade retaliated straight away with a 141 to make it 3-3 at the break. Again Anderson broke Wade's throw but couldn't take advantage for Wade to make sure it wasn't going to be a repeat of 8-3. Wade finally managed to hold his throw in the ninth leg to make it 5-4 and then 6-5. Anderson equalised on his throw again in the twelfth leg before crucially breaking Wade in the penultimate leg. He held his nerve to win 8-6 in a match where Wade should have got something out of it.
Week four was Whitlock's birthday and he celebrated it with an 8-1 mauling of Jenkins. He set out to do the same by taking a 2-0 lead with a ton in the second leg. Jenkins fought back and made it 2-2 to stop the repeat from happening. But from there Whitlock stepped up a gear and went onto take the next four legs to make it 6-2. Jenkins pulled one back in the ninth but there was only one winner and Whitlock sealed it in the eleventh with a 122 to win 8-3.
Van Barneveld had a case of 'Tayloritis' in week four and subsequently lost 8-3. Since then the Dutchman has been going strong, second in the league. But unfortunately Barney suffered another case of 'Tayloritis' and suffered a repeat of week four. The first four legs did go with throw and Barney was two darts away from a nine darter in the second leg. But Taylor found a 128 checkout to break Barney in the sixth and it really did break him. Taylor went onto lead 7-2 before Barney found a showpiece 119 in the tenth leg but it was only delaying the inevitable as Taylor won 8-3. Barney needs to stop playing Taylor in his mind and play the board otherwise Taylor is always going to reign supreme over him.
After Lewis' public gruelling in Glasgow two weeks ago against Anderson, the last thing he probably wanted was to face the Welsh crowd playing against Webster. Especially after Webster thrashed him 8-2 in week four, but since then Lewis has been on the up and Webster hasn't found a win. Again Webster failed to turn up and Lewis' consistency won the match. Webster missed nine darts at the double in the first two legs allowing Lewis to cash in on a 2-0 lead. It was soon extended to a 7-0 lead with the highlight coming in the fourth leg, a 128 checkout. Webster managed a wry smile with the eighth leg but Lewis rounded off the humiliation to win 8-1.
Taylor now extends his lead at the top to four points ahead of Barneveld and Anderson who are on ten points. Lewis is now just a point behind the two of them but still has to look over his shoulder as Whitlock is on eight points. The other three are starting to cut loose from the leading pack with Jenkins on five, Webster and Wade still both on four and looking in real trouble.
Week four was Whitlock's birthday and he celebrated it with an 8-1 mauling of Jenkins. He set out to do the same by taking a 2-0 lead with a ton in the second leg. Jenkins fought back and made it 2-2 to stop the repeat from happening. But from there Whitlock stepped up a gear and went onto take the next four legs to make it 6-2. Jenkins pulled one back in the ninth but there was only one winner and Whitlock sealed it in the eleventh with a 122 to win 8-3.
Van Barneveld had a case of 'Tayloritis' in week four and subsequently lost 8-3. Since then the Dutchman has been going strong, second in the league. But unfortunately Barney suffered another case of 'Tayloritis' and suffered a repeat of week four. The first four legs did go with throw and Barney was two darts away from a nine darter in the second leg. But Taylor found a 128 checkout to break Barney in the sixth and it really did break him. Taylor went onto lead 7-2 before Barney found a showpiece 119 in the tenth leg but it was only delaying the inevitable as Taylor won 8-3. Barney needs to stop playing Taylor in his mind and play the board otherwise Taylor is always going to reign supreme over him.
After Lewis' public gruelling in Glasgow two weeks ago against Anderson, the last thing he probably wanted was to face the Welsh crowd playing against Webster. Especially after Webster thrashed him 8-2 in week four, but since then Lewis has been on the up and Webster hasn't found a win. Again Webster failed to turn up and Lewis' consistency won the match. Webster missed nine darts at the double in the first two legs allowing Lewis to cash in on a 2-0 lead. It was soon extended to a 7-0 lead with the highlight coming in the fourth leg, a 128 checkout. Webster managed a wry smile with the eighth leg but Lewis rounded off the humiliation to win 8-1.
Taylor now extends his lead at the top to four points ahead of Barneveld and Anderson who are on ten points. Lewis is now just a point behind the two of them but still has to look over his shoulder as Whitlock is on eight points. The other three are starting to cut loose from the leading pack with Jenkins on five, Webster and Wade still both on four and looking in real trouble.
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