Sunday Sport - This Week around the World

We have to start Down Under and as expected last week Australia won the first test match in Brisbane in their attempt to win the Ashes. However England are fighting back in the 2nd test at Adelaide declaring on 551 for 6 in the first innings.
A record 4th wicket stand between Paul Collingwood who made a double century and Kevin Pieterson (158) have put England in a great position.

Paul Collingwood after making his double Century.

Day 3 has seen the Aussies move to 311 for 5 with Englands only Yorkshireman Mathew Hoggard taking 4 wickets including the Australian Captain Ricky Ponting who did well to make 142 (pity Giles dropped him earlier).

Hoggy say's Goodbye to Ricky Ponting.

Ok with only two days to go the match will probably end in a draw but I have two words of warning for the Australians. They are of course the curse of Austalia "Michael Vaughan" who is on his way out and hopes to be fit for the Melbourne test on Boxing Day following his Knee Operation. Of Course you will remember what he did to your bowlers on our last visit to your country and of course he is our Captain (the one that lifted the Ashes last time). I'll have to add he does play for Yorkshire as well.

The travelling Barmy Army outnumber the home support.

On to Soccer a poor week for Leeds with 2-1 defeat in mid-week at Burnley, They were giving as good as they were getting until they were reduced to ten men with Hayden Foxe getting sent off.
Yesterday they could only manage a 2-2 draw at home to Barnsley but on the good side the scorers were two of the men new manager Dennis Wise has brought in Tresor Kandol and Ugo Ehiogu.

In England one competition that captures the imagination is the FA Cup (who hasn't dreamed of scoring the winning goal in the Final). Well today the the draw was made for the third round when all the big guns join in. Leeds are drawn away at West Brom who are in the same league but doing slightly better. They will be favorites but this is the FA Cup and favorites don't always win, history tells us that.

This week a new 5 pound note has been issued and whose picture do we have to have on it, no other Than former Manchester United player George Best. Ok I'm not going to say he wasn't a good player but as a person he was an absolute prat a bad example to youngsters. This is the bloke at his prime wouldn't turn up for training, he thought he owned the game. This is the bloke who drank himself to death, he knackered one liver and was lucky enough to be given another. What did he do keep drinking until he was dead, what about the liver doner.

I've had a look at what other sports are going on around the world and there has been a big Golf tournament in Sun City South Africa. The winner is American Jim Furyk (photo) with Swede Henrik Stenson in 2nd place. Irishman Paraig Harrington came third.

I'll mention boxing and the British heavyweight scene has a big fight coming up next week with former Olympic Champion Audley Harrison having a rematch with Danny Williams, I hope its better than last time they fought.

Motor Racing will have a new star next year. McLaren have signed 21year old Lewis Hamilton who will be the first Black man to race at this level. He will partner World Champion Fernando Alonso but this new driver is tipped for the top, I hope so its about time England had a world champion again. I thought I'd check in the home areas of some of my blog friends to see what is happening and I see in Colarado (the state where Jenny lives) the first World Cup slalom race of the Ski season has taken place yesterday. It was won by Italian Massimiliano Blardone. Just in case anyone like me hadn't heard of him I thought I better post a picture (they must have to eat the Ski after the race ?):-

In just over a week I'll be on my way to San Francisco so I thought I'd look up how their Football team are doing and I see they are 2nd to Seattle in their section. Can anyone explain why everyone seems to be in little mini leagues of 4 teams.
I also found this news item on them :-
Over the past four games the 49ers have played low-scoring contests, getting enough points on the board to win three out of the four. However, this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET the 49ers' offensive unit needs to charge up for a high-scoring affair against New Orleans. The Saints have put up more than 30 points in their last five games with Drew Brees passing for 300 yards-plus in all five. The most strategic way to cool a red-hot Brees and the Saints' destructive top-ranked passing attack could be by relying on what the 49ers offense does so well -- running the ball, therefore controlling the clock and keeping that explosive Saints offense watching from the sideline. "It's a different style of game coming up," said quarterback Alex Smith. "When you play a team that throws the ball more, the game tends to last a longer because the clock is not running as much, and you do get more possessions and more opportunities to score more points."

I wish I could understand what the hell its on about.

Anyway back to Soccer and with Leeds not doing so well I've been reminising about the good old days. Like the time pre-match entertainment included things like your Star Stiker Duncan McKenzie jumping over a car (amazing).

This weeks discussion point - What extremes have you done to support your team ?

Well here are some of mine :-
1. In the late seventies leeds played Southampton in the League Cup semi-final, we drew the first leg at Elland Road 2-2 and I was deserate to see the 2nd leg at Southampton but was broke. Just to explain the Geography for the none English Southampton is about as far as possiple from Leeds at the opposite end of the country.
Anyway my solution I travelled the Full distance on the train with a 10pence platform ticket including jumping the barriers on London Underground. Wasted my time we lost 1-0.

2. Hitch Hiked to Nottingham once.

3. Went to Copenhagen to watch England play Denmark in 1980ish. Got there found prices about double of England and could either afford a hotel room or Food & Drink. Solution slept rough for a week and it was freezing. One night ended up sleeping in a Goods lift on the main railway station with about a dozen West Ham fans (but never took the Leeds scarf off). Good news England won 4-3 and I remember one of the scorers was Kevin Keegan.

4. Went to watch Leeds play a Eufa Cup match in Valetta (Malta) and three of us slept the night before the match in a Car we had hired to tour the Island.