The Sport Review: “Shontayne Hape ruled out for the rest of the season” plus 6 more

Shontayne Hape ruled out for the rest of the season
Andy Murray out of Barcelona Open with elbow injury
Celtic League looks for new sponsor as Magners pulls out
Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: Betting preview
Cesc Fàbregas frustrated by Arsenal’s trophyless run
Wimbledon winners to net record £1.1m prize money
Gareth Bale should stay at Tottenham, says Glenn Hoddle

Shontayne Hape ruled out for the rest of the season

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 03:55 PM PDT

Centre Shontayne Hape will not pull on the Bath Rugby jersey again after he was advised to undergo knee surgery.

Hape, who will join London Irish next season, made his last appearance last week when he helped the West country outfit earn a narrow victory over Harlequins at the Rec.

The 30-year-old England international, who will have a minor operation on his knee this week, will miss Bath’s Aviva Premiership run-in as they chase for a play-off place and a Heineken Cup spot.

“Hopefully the team can continue on from the win last weekend and make the top four and the play-offs,” he told the club’s website.

“I have had a great time here at Bath, and am so thankful for the help everyone here has given me in making the transition to union, and in fulfilling my international ambitions.

“It has been a very enjoyable three years, and whilst I am excited about the new challenges awaiting me, I will be sad to leave the guys here,” he added.

Bath director of rugby, Sir Ian McGeechan, was full of praise for Hape. He said: “Shontayne has been a key player for Bath the last few seasons, and we shall be sad to see him go.

“He wanted to leave us knowing that he had helped the club to achieve our ambitions for this season, and in creating the decisive score last weekend against Harlequins, I think he has done just that.”

The former Kiwi rugby league international helped England win the Six Nations championship this year and will be hoping to return to fitness in time for the World Cup in New Zealand in September.

Andy Murray out of Barcelona Open with elbow injury

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 03:40 PM PDT

andy murray

Andy Murray has taken a wise decision to withdraw from the Barcelona Open this week after failing to recover from the elbow injury he picked up in Monte Carlo on Friday.

The Scot had to have an injection in the joint prior to his semi-final against Rafael Nadal last week, yet was the first player to take a set off the Spaniard on clay this season, fighting hard in a three-set thriller, but clearly hindered by his elbow towards the end.

Despite the injury, Murray flew out to Barcelona hoping the problem would clear up, but doctors have advised he takes at least four days off to recover.

The 23-year-old would have wanted to continue his return to form which he displayed in the principality.

Murray has endured a torrid time on the court since the Australian Open, losing in the first rounds in Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Miami before finally drastically improving his tennis in Monte Carlo.

Three straight-set wins against Radek Stepanek, Gilles Simon and Frederico Gil propelled Murray into the semis and will boost his confidence for the rest of the clay season.

Next up for the world No4 are the Madrid and the Rome Masters, which serve up the perfect preparation for the second Grand Slam of the year, the French Open, which begins in Paris on 22 May.

Meanwhile in Barcelona, Nicolas Almagro closed in the top 10 with a 7-5 7-6 win over fellow Spaniard Pablo Andujar and only needs one more win to make the step up.

Other second round results included a 6-2 6-7 6-4 victory for Feliciano Lopez against Kazakhstan's Mikhail Kukushkin, and seventh seed Gael Monfils battled past Dutchman Robin Haase 3-6 7-6 6-2.

Rising star Milos Raonic also made an impressive start in Barcelona. The Canadian dismissed Stepanek 6-4 6-2 with consummate ease, while former world No3 Nikolay Davydenko posted a 6-4 7-6 victory over Alexandr Dolpogolov.

Celtic League looks for new sponsor as Magners pulls out

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 03:20 PM PDT

magners rugby league

Magners has confirmed it will end its six-year deal with the Celtic League at the end of the season.

The cider brand has backed the league—which is made up of two Scottish, two Italian, four Welsh and four Irish clubs—since 2006, and its decision to leave has left organisers looking for new sponsors.

Magners said: “Magners will not be renewing their sponsorship of the Celtic rugby competition at the end of their current contract. The sponsorship has come to its natural end.”

League organisers say they are in negotiations with “several potential sponsors”, with speculation suggesting that Italian car giant Fiat is the frontrunner to take over from the Irish brand.

A total of 15 teams used to compete in the Celtic League, which was established in 2001, but the number has changed over the years.

The league was without a sponsor between 2001 and 2006 and survived the collapse of TV broadcaster Setanta Sports, which held exclusive rights in Ireland and Scotland.

There are now 12 sides and the latest additions, two Italian clubs Treviso and Aironi, are close to completing their first season in the Celtic competition.

The latter have struggled and lie rooted to the foot of the table with 11 points, while Treviso, owned by Benetton clothing company, have exceeded all expectations, recording eight victories.

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal: Betting preview

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 02:46 PM PDT

arsene wenger

Welcome to the first installment of what I hope will be a prosperous and financially rewarding series exploring and pinpointing the best value bets from the week’s sporting action.

At this early stage I feel compelled to confess that I am not a professional gambler, nor do I share locker rooms with any sporting stars willing to discuss precious information over bath salts.

I also am not friendly with any referees, linesmen, umpires, clerks, judges or any other type of adjudicators for that matter.

Whatever I advise you to put your money on, you can be confident that some of my silver will also be wagered.

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal, Wednesday 20 April, 7:45pm

Champion’s League seeking Tottenham are a less common 15/8, but if you find it, or anywhere near it, it is must investment. Betfair have them at 2/1 (click here for a free £25 bet)

At this stage in the season I firmly believe that the mindset of teams trumps everything, and with Arsenal’s campaign all but over, Tottenham could still end on a notable high.

Everything that could go wrong for Spurs did against Real Madrid, yet that defeat would not have had anywhere near as much of a negative impact as if they had lost in injury time, or because of that blunder by Gomes, or even if they hadn’t have been underdogs.

Tottenham can still better last year’s breakthrough campaign – and that motivation will be coursing throughout the entire team.

Conversely, Arsenal are in a terrible place, both mentally and in their quest for the only trophy left available. It is impossible to accurately quantify the hurt and frustration that Arsène Wenger and his team of Barcelona-wannabes must be feeling.

To fall from a position in which there was so much to play for a couple of months ago, to a one where their last few competitive games may become academic, must be difficult to swallow for Wenger and his troops. But victory on Wednesday would at least provide some short-term relief.

Recommended bets:

Back under 2.5 goals @ 6/5, back Spurs to win from behind @ 14/1

Cesc Fàbregas frustrated by Arsenal’s trophyless run

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 12:05 PM PDT

cesc fabregas

Arsenal’s captain Cesc Fàbregas has aired his frustration at the lack of silverware at the club over the last six years, saying they must decide whether they want to “go out and win or develop players”.

Fàbregas is yet to lift a trophy as Arsenal skipper, and the Gunners’ defeat by Birmingham City in the Carling Cup final in February was swiftly followed by exits from the FA Cup and Champions League against Manchester United and Barcelona, leaving the Premier League as their last faint hope of ending their six-year wait for a trophy.

As Arsène Wenger’s men prepare to travel to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night looking to revive their stuttering title challenge, the Arsenal captain has questioned whether developing young talent should be put ahead of short-term success.

“From 2007 I had already started saying “we’re not winning, but we’re playing well” and then you realise that’s no use,” Fàbregas told Spanish magazine Don Balon.

“You enjoy yourself, during a phase of the championship – like this year, for example, when we were still in four different competitions.

“And you say to yourself ‘here I have everything!’ But then that final point is missing and it’s then when you have to make a decision: either go out and win or develop players.”

Fàbregas believes Arsenal already possess the talent required to enjoy continued success, but says the club’s progress is undermined by a lack of confidence amongst the young squad.

The 23-year-old Spain midfielder has not collected a winner's medal since Arsenal's victory over Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup final.

“We have plenty of quality but lack this bit of confidence,” he continued. “The problem is that the team needs to win something. That’s why it was so important to win the Carling Cup.

“We needed this cup to be able to believe in ourselves as a team. [Robin] van Persie has won an FA Cup as I have, but there’s no more.

“Nobody in the team has won anything. We are missing that ability to say: ‘now I know what it is to win and I know what it takes to win’.

“That’s what made the Arsenal team of ‘The Invincibles’ so strong, they knew how to win games, when to dig in, when to attack, they had a special intelligence to read games. Now we are very young.”

And Fàbregas believes Arsenal boss Wenger would have been shown the door if he had been in charge of a Spanish club that had endured a similar trophyless run.

“If you went to Spain and said to [Pep] Guardiola, [José] Mourinho or Unai Emery [the Valencia manager] that they would have three years without winning a trophy, it would be obvious they would not continue [at their clubs],” he said.

“Here, it is different, the manager is intelligent and the club value different things: that the team is always in the Champions League, that we compete until the end, that we have young players, economic stability.”

Wimbledon winners to net record £1.1m prize money

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 07:33 AM PDT

wimbledon 2010

The winners of this year’s Wimbledon will be paid £1.1m – a rise of 10 per cent, the tournament’s organisers have revealed.

The All England Club have increased the winners’ cheque by £100,000 on last year, with the total prize fund for the Grand Slam up by 6.4 per cent to £14.6m.

The prize money for the men and women’s singles winners topped £1m for the first time in 2010. World No1 Rafael Nadal beat Tomas Berdych to win the men’s title, while Serena Williams overcame Vera Zvonareva.

Philip Brook, chairman of the All England Club and the The Championships, said: “Leading international sports events such as Wimbledon are all about the quality of the players on show.

“In the competitive world of top-level sport, it is important we offer prize money which suitably rewards the players for the box-office appeal they bring to the event and for their supreme performances on court.”

Wimbledon will also unveil the new number three and number four courts this year, which will boost the overall capacity to 38,500 – an increase of 1,000.

The new Court Three, which will have capacity for 2,000 spectators, will also become the fourth court at SW19 to be equipped with Hawkeye technology.

Gareth Bale should stay at Tottenham, says Glenn Hoddle

Posted: 19 Apr 2011 06:05 AM PDT

harry redknapp

Glenn Hoddle has urged Tottenham winger Gareth Bale to stay at White Harte Lane to allow his career to develop.

Bale was named the PFA Player of the Year on Sunday night, capping a spectacular season for the Wales international, who is now a reported target of a host of Europe's top clubs.

But Tottenham Hotspur legend Hoddle believes a move away from north London could damage the 21-year-old’s blossoming career.

“If he was ever going to move, it should be in two or three years’ time – mature a little bit more, find out what the game is all about,” Hoddle told Press Association Sport.

“It is great when it is going well for him but there will be moments like he had a couple of years ago when you learn a lot more about yourself when things aren’t going quite as well."

The former Southampton youngster took time to settle in north London and famously went 24 games without being on the winning side for Spurs.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp claimed Bale's market value is £80m after the Spurs manager insisted last month that it would take a world record bid for the Londoners to consider letting their prized asset leave.

“Manchester United sold Cristiano Ronaldo [to Real] but they got an offer of £80m,” said Redknapp in March.

"I’m sure it would have to be [that kind of money for Bale]. It would be an amazing figure if you ever sold him.

“But how do you replace a player like that? It’s very difficult. We wouldn’t be wanting to sell a player like Gareth Bale at this time, when we’re trying to build the club.”