Carroll Inspires Narrow West Ham Victory

Sunderland's winless run extended to six games in the Premier League this evening as they lost 2-1 to a dogged West Ham United. 

The hammers scored early in both halves through Andy Carroll and Mohamed Diame before a superb consolation from substitute Adam Johnson.

The game started slowly with Sunderland predominantly on top before Andy Carroll scored the game's opening goal, the big striker capitalizing on an excellent delivery from a Mark Noble corner to aim a powerful header at goal from close-range. Mannone got a hand to it but the power of the ex-Newcastle man's header proved too much.

Lee Cattermole had a chance to equalise just moments later, finding plenty of space at the far post after a cross from Ki but firing a tame left-footed shot towards the feet of Adrian. Sunderland should certainly have had a penalty towards the end of the first half as Kevin Nolan clearly connected with the ball using his elbow, however referee Howard Webb missed the incident.

The Black Cats emerged after the break exactly as they had ended it, on the attack. An early Borini cross flashed across the face of goal with no one at the far post to tap in.

Against the run of play West Ham managed to double their advantage, a long ball pumped forward towards Andy Carroll who turned from goalscorer to provider. The ball fell into the path of Diame whose first time shot took a deflection as it rolled into the bottom corner.

Once again Sunderland quickly retaliated, a cross-field ball miss-controlled by Phil Bardsley as he ran through on goal. Moments later a first time volley from around 20 yards out flew narrowly wide of the far post. A mix up between Adrian and Carroll from a corner nearly resulted in a comedy own-goal but the Spaniard was quick to jump on the loose ball.

Sunderland's relentless pressure continued as Fabio Borini slammed a left-footed drive into the side-netting.
Stewart Downing could have put the game beyond reach just before the hour mark as he had a one-on-one fantastically saved low to Vito Mannone's right hand side.

Eventually Sunderland's pressing play paid off as just after the hour mark Adam Johnson scored a marvellous curling effort from the edge of the box, placing the ball far out of Adrian's reach to claw back one goal. Suddenly Sunderland were in full flow, a testing drive from  Ki not held by Adrian who just managed to recover to make a superb second save from Connor Wickham.

West Ham dropped deeper and deeper as the game approached the closing minutes, Matty Taylor forced to concede a corner following a dangerous floating ball from Adam Johnson. Johnson then found Marcos Alonso from the resulting corner, the wing-ball drilling his shot over the bar.

Mannone found himself spending more of stoppage time in the West Ham penalty area than his own as Sunderland had a host of corners deep into the game. Adam Johnson had one final chance in the dying seconds, however the West Ham defensive line held firm as they recorded their second consecutive victory after the weekends 2-1 victory against Hull.

Victory for Sam Allardyce's men sees them remain in 11th as they move onto 37 points, eleven points above the relegation zone and all-but safe with six games remaining. Defeat for the Black Cats leaves Gus Poyet's team four points adrift of safety and staring at Championship football next season.

Sports Ladder (23rd-30th March)

UP - Liverpool - Well it's been a long time coming, but this week Liverpool have finally risen back to the top of the Premier League. Whilst teams around them have faltered in recent weeks, the Reds have won eight consecutive matches and under the leadership of Brendan Rogers and the form of the SASASAS it looks like they legitimately could win their first Premier League title ever.

UP - Lewis Hamilton - We've had to wait some time to see a convincing smile emblazoned across the face of Lewis Hamilton but it was certainly present after the Malaysian Grand Prix this weekend. A technical failure in the Championship's opening race in Australia meant he had to wait a few weeks for his second victory in the Mercedes car but it was an outstanding, commanding and controlling performance from the Brit.

UP - Laura Massaro - Massaro is not exactly a household name, but one thing is for sure, she is a world champion. This week she became the first female British Squash World Champion since 1999 after her 11-7 6-11 11-9 5-11 11-9 victory over Egyptian teenager Nour El Sherbini down in Penang in Malaysia. Massaro joins Brit Nick Matthew in currently holding world champion status in the world of squash..

UP - Martina Hingis - As both the men's and women's singles finals in Miami were contested by the first and second seed it was up to the doubles to provide something a bit different. And provide it did as the veteran Martina Hingis won her first title since 2007 as she surged to victory with smiley partner Sabine Lisicki. The pair defeated the Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina on their way to the title.

UP - Benedict Cumberbatch - It's not everyday you see a 'high-functioning sociopath' conducting the post-race interview after a Formula One race but on Sunday the actor who plays Sherlock was indeed up on the podium with Hamilton, Rosberg and Vettel. It was a surreal moment but if you weren't aware of who Cumberbatch was you probably wouldn't have guessed he was an actor as he was calm, composed and collected in his new role as interviewer.

DOWN - Kosuke Hashino - It's rare that an event from Rugby breaks into my Ladder as it isn't a sport I follow very closely. However I couldn't help but have a little chuckle at the attempted 'swan dive' of Kosuke Hashino. After a brilliant interception Hashino found himself completely through but rather audaciously tried and failed the Chris Ashton 'swan dive'. Luckily Hashino and his team mates saw the funny side as Japan ran out eventual winners.

DOWN - Tom Cleverley - We haven't seen much of Cleverley in the news recently. He has had less game time recently under Moyes and hence we have less to complain about. However today the new England kit was released and many England fans will have been disheartened to see the Manchester United midfielder modelling the kit, suggesting he is going to the World Cup. I feel as though some sort of petition is in order.

DOWN - England Cricket - It hasn't been a particularly pleasant six months for the England Cricket team since their Ashes victory last summer and that trend continued this week. With just one win in their four matches Stuart Broad's team crashed limply out of the Twenty20 World Cup. Their dismal run of form continues after their demolition in the winter Ashes and the retirement of Kevin Pietersen.

DOWN - Andy Murray - Andy Murray's poor start to 2014 continued with yet another early exit after departing the Sony Open in the quarterfinals, albeit to Novak Djokovic, the eventual winner. It was not necessarily a poor tournament for Murray, but the loss means he moves down to 8th in the World Rankings, an extremely disappointing position for a current Grand Slam holder.

DOWN - Manchester United Fans - Interestingly Manchester United fans on the whole had a good week but there was a select few who really were an embarrassment to themselves and to football on the whole. The decision to hire a plane with the message 'Wrong One - Moyes Out' was both childish and pathetic as far as I am concerned. Moyes has clearly had a tough start as United manager but  stupid stunts like this will hardly improve his confidence.

Williams Beats Li For Miami Title

Serena Williams retained her Sony Open title with a 7-5 6-1 victory over world number two Li Na.

Williams recovered from a double break in the first set at 5-2 to win eleven of the next twelve games on her way to her second title of 2014 after victory at Brisbane in January.

The victory ensured Williams moves ahead of Agassi in titles won in Miami after claiming her seventh title, twelve years after her first in 2002.

After her slow start, Williams was quick to praise her opponent, telling BBC Sport, "It was a really important victory, especially against Li Na. She started so well and if it hadn't been for the fans I don't think I could have pulled through."

"At 5-2 down in the first set, I felt I had nothing to lose. I started to relax and, when I relax, I play my best tennis."

Williams was unusually sluggish in the opening stages of the final, being broken in the first game by a fearless looking Li. However, the Chinese second seed was not done there, breaking again to find herself 5-2 up.

At this point Williams relaxed, swinging freely and taking the next five consecutive games to claim the opening set 7-5.

In the second set Williams raised her game significantly, completely shutting out Li and racing to a 5-1 lead. It was representative of her second set display that it took the world number one just one match point to claim victory.

This continued her run of fifteen consecutive victories against top-10 ranked opponents as she now turns her attention to the Family Circle Cup in Charleston this week.

As with the women's final the world one and two will contest the men's final later today after both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic received walkovers in their semi-finals.

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Djokovic, Nadal Into Miami Semi's

Rafael Nadal's hard-fought three set victory over big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic completed Friday's semi-final line-up at the 2014 Sony Open in Miami.

Victory for the world number one means he will face seventh seed Tomas Berdych whilst the other semi-final sees Novak Djokovic do battle with rising star Kei Nishikori.

Nadal advanced to the semi-final with a narrow 4-6 6-2 6-4 victory over Milos Raonic as he seeks to claim his first Miami Masters title. The Spaniard has reached the final three times but is yet to win the title.

His opponent Berdych is also a beaten finalist in Miami, succumbing to the now-retired Andy Roddick in 2010. The Czech has not beaten Nadal in any of his last seventeen attempts but will take solace knowing that the man he beat in the quarter-finals, Alexandr Dolgopolov, beat Nadal in Indian Wells earlier this month.

On the other side of the draw Kei Nishikori provided the upset of the quarter-finals, toppling a resurgent Roger Federer 3-6 7-5 6-4. The tenacious twentieth seed won his second consecutive match over Federer after also beating him last year in Madrid.

Nishikori will face Novak Djokovic after the Serb controversially defeated defending Miami champion Andy Murray. The two former champions were battling toe-to-toe until a controversial net infringement was missed by the umpire, causing a slip in concentration from Murray and ultimately a 7-5 6-3 loss.

Elsewhere in the women's side of the draw, the tournament final will conform with seedings as the top two seeds Serena Williams and Li Na will meet for the first time this year.

Serena Williams continued her decade-long unbeaten run against Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals, toppling her 6-4 6-3 for her fifteenth consecutive victory against the Russian.

Li Na met with Dominika Cibulkova for the third time already this year as she reached her first ever final in Miami after claiming a 7-5 2-6 6-3 victory, extending her unbeaten run over the veteran.

The pair will meet in Saturday's final as Na seeks to claim her first victory over the dominant American since her walkover in Rome 2012, whilst Williams will be looking to win her seventh Miami title.

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GB Davis Cup Squad Announced

Leon Smith has announced his GB Team to face Italy in Naples on the 4-6 April.

After victory against America in the opening round of the World Cup Group stage, Smith's team take part in the quarter-finals of the highest stage of the Davis Cup for the first time since 1986.

The team chose to travel to Naples are Andy Murray, Dan Evans, James Ward and Colin Fleming, with Ross Hutchins also travelling as the reserve player.

Evans returns to the squad in place of Kyle Edmund after last competing against Croatia in September 2013 whilst Hutchins also rejoins in place of Dominic Inglot after his comeback from Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Captain Leon Smith told the LTA, "We have selected our top three singles players for the squad who between them have the most Davis Cup experience which is what we need for this tie. Obviously we are delighted that Andy is playing, and both Dan and James have enjoyed impressive Davis Cup wins over the last few years."

"We also have strong options in doubles. Andy and Colin have enjoyed success together before, having reached the final in Montreal last August and also winning their last Davis Cup doubles rudder against Croatia in September. Ross Hutchins could be brought into the final four depending on what options we feel are best for the tie. Both Colin and Ross also have a lot of Davis Cup experience between them."
The team will compete on clay courts at the Tennis Club Napoli over the course of next weekend as they seek to defeat Italy and claim a spot in the Davis Cup semi-finals.

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Curling - Our Guilty Pleasure

It’s back! Every four years the Winter Olympics bursts onto our screens and every four years we all become very attached to a variety of weird and wonderful sports. And they don’t come much more weird and wonderful than curling.

Over the past week or so, curling has captivated the hearts and minds of the nation as we watch stone after stone glide elegantly along the ice, more often than not landing in its intended destination. But what is it about this strange sport that makes it quite so enthralling?

Well for one, it’s an Olympic sport we are actually quite good at. Both the men’s and the women’s  British teams have a legitimate chance of claiming a medal and so they should, considering the sport itself was invented in Scotland. It’s nice to see Britain succeeding at something in an Olympics where we are normally just grateful to be there.

Perhaps the main reason for its appeal stems from its relatability to the ordinary viewer. So perhaps relatability is the wrong word – it isn’t every day we roll a heavy stone along the floor. However when you consider the thought of launching yourself off of an enormous ski jump, or hurtling down an ice-shoot on a glorified tea-tray, the thought of some overly vigorous sweeping certainly seems a more realistic dream. At least you are less likely to end the day in hospital.

You would think that watching men and women gently toss a circular iron up and down ice for three hours would descend into mindless tedium and yet there is something strangely captivating about it. There is a persistent tension whilst watching, well aware that the tiniest mistake can have the hugest of consequences. At the end of the day it is a sport which, like darts and snooker, hangs on the tiniest of margins and a matter of millimeters can be the difference between victory and defeat.

Then there is the actual tactics of the game. Luckily we are blessed by the fact that the competitors are equipped with microphones so we can hear every tactical decision. Not that it helps. Often we sit and question the decision to play a guard way off line whilst the commentators applaud the genius of the shot. We are then made to look the fools as the end progresses and we discover that the shot we had so unequivocally questioned turns out to be in exactly the right place. Nevertheless it is this tactical mystery that adds to the curling attraction.

The fact that it stretches across the entire Olympics is also a reason people become so attached. Many of the events at the Olympics, as exhilarating and jaw-dropping as they are, are finished in a matter of hours. Only this Sunday did I manage to miss the entire women’s snowboard cross competition as the qualifiers, quarter-final, semi-final and final were all completed  before I had fully enjoyed my Sunday lie-in. Yet with the curling it does not matter if you miss the odd game because you know there will be another the next day. This format allows much more of a connection with the team compared with, say, the snowboarding where the athletes have come and gone in a flash.

And what of our British team? Well over recent years we have become well accustomed to seeing grit and determination from a Scotsman in the form of Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray and these personality traits are evident throughout both the men’s and women’s teams. The two skips in particular, David Murdoch and Eve Muirhead bring such drive and determination that they deserve a medal for that alone. Their steely grit is levelled out by the youthful exuberance of their team mates such as Anna Sloan and Scott Andrews as both teams are full of warm and likable athletes.

The romantic in me would love to see gold medals for both teams followed by the explosion of curling throughout the UK with venues popping up left right and centre. The realist tells me that both of these are unlikely, although the chances of at least one medal are far from unrealistic. The sad truth is that in a month’s time we will have forgotten about curling again. It will have drifted out of our thoughts save for those few moments of overly enthusiastic kitchen sweeping for another four years until it returns in Pyeongchang. So enjoy it whilst you can because there really isn’t anything else like it.

Murray Progresses Despite Poor Start

Andy Murray began his attempt to retain the Sony Open in Miami with a flustering three-set victory against the Australian Matthew Ebden in the Second Round in his first match after splitting with coach Ivan Lendl.

Murray continued his recent trend of sluggish first sets, conceding the first 6-3 before fighting back to win the next two 6-0 and 6-1.

It was another disappointing start from Murray who has failed to beat a top twenty ranked player since his Wimbledon title last year. The Scot seems yet to have fully recovered from the back surgery that kepy him out during the end of the 2013 season.

As is customary in recent months, Murray started slowly, quickly finding himself a break down as he began his Miami defence. The Scot was unable to hit back and found himself a set down as Ebden claimed the first set 6-3.

This sparked a despondent Murray into life, flying out of the traps in the second set to quickly claim a double break and lead 4-0. Ebden had no reply to a resurgent Murray and found himself suffering a beagel in the second set as Murray drew level at one set of piece.

Yet Murray was broken in the first game of the third set to supposedly snatch the momentum from his grasp. However the Scot refused to give in without a fight, breaking back instantly before breaking again to claim a 3-1 lead.

From there the match was never in doubt, the current Wimbledon Champion romping home 6-1 in the third set to advance to the third round. However, Murray's celebrations lacked any sort of joy as he seemed more relieved to have got over the line in a match he made more difficult than it should have been..

In the next round Murray will clash with 32nd seed Feliciano Lopez, after the left-handed Spaniard overcame rising star Jiri Vesely 6-2 7-6.

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Djokovic Beats Federer To Claim Indian Wells Title

Novak Djokovic won his first ATP Tour title of 2014 on Sunday, overcoming Roger Federer 3-6 6-3 7-6 in a hard-fought encounter at Indian Wells.

The Serb recovered after a careless first set, winning the second before achieving his third Indian Wells title after battling through a deciding tie-break in the final set.

Djokovic was understandably pleased to claim the title and gain revenge for last months loss to Federer in Dubai, telling the BBC, "It was a proud achievement. It was not just winning the trophy but the way I came back from a set down in a couple of matches. That gives me a lot of confidence."

The match did not start well though for Djokovic as he looked sluggish in the opening set. A recently resurgent Roger Federer fully capitalized, needing just one break point to take the lead before eventually claiming the first set 6-3.

However, as the match progressed Djokovic began to assert himself, a strong defensive performance keeping Federer at bay. Much the same as the first set it was a single break that separated the pair, Djokobic this time taking the lead to win the second set 6-3.

The third set saw the two former champions burst into life, trading blow after blow as each sought to take the upper hand. It was Djokovic who claimed the advantage, breaking mid-way through the set to find himself serving for the championship at 5-4.

Despite getting every first serve in Federer was ruthless, a number of huge  forehands ensuring the match continued as he broke back, forcing a deciding tie-break to separate the pair.

Once there however, the Swiss seemed to run out of steam, quickly finding himself 3-0 down and with a mountain to climb against the gritty Serb. Federer saved one match point with a powerful ace but could not stop Djokovic at the second attempt, a limp backhand into the net ensuring his defeat.

Both players will now turn their attention to the second Masters tournament of the year, Miami, which begins this week as Britain's Andy Murray seeks to defend his crown.

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Ward Endures Narrow Indian Wells Defeat

Britain's number three James Ward fell just short of a spectacular upset against the World number 37 Feliciano Lopez as he narrowly lost 6-3 2-6 6-4 in the BNP Paribas Open second round.

Ward was initially knocked out in the final round of qualifying, succumbing to Paul-Henri Mathieu. But the late withdrawal of Juan Martin Del Potro with a wrist injury meant that Ward was able to claim a lucky loser spot early on Sunday morning, automatically moving him into the second round.

Ward was certainly he remained in Indian Wells over the weekend, telling the Guardian, "I took a gamble on staying here rather than going to Dallas [for this week's Challenger tournament] and it paid off, and it nearly paid off, and it nearly paid off even better."

The Brit will consider himself unlucky not to have advanced to the third round after looking the better player for much of the match. However, his inability to capitalize on a host of break points, converting just one of his ten he created for himself, left him wondering what might have been.

Flying out of the traps, Ward proved a constant problem to a shaky looking Lopez, eventually converting his seventh break point to take a 4-2 lead in the first set courtesy of a mishit overhead. The first set continued on serve as Ward eventually wrapped it up 6-3

Lopez responded in the second set with an early break to lead 3-0. Ward was notably struggling to cope with the left-handed Spaniard and was broken again before the end of the second set, losing it 6-2.

In a nervy final set, both players had few chances to break the other but it was Lopez who converted one of his two break points, going on to eventually beat the baffling Brit 6-4 in the Final set.

Ward though will take heart from another fine display against an established tour regular after defeating Sam Querrey in the Davis Cup and upsetting World Number 60 Teymuraz Gabashvili two weeks ago in Dubai.

His loss leaves Andy Murray as the sole British survivor in the singles side of the tournament. Murray will take on rising star Jiri Vesely in the third round as he seeks to recover from a slow start to the 2014 season.

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Watson Advances To Face Radwanska

Heather Watson continued her fine form in 2014 with another victory over 16-year-old tennis prodigy Belinda Bencic.

Bencic, already in the top 150 players in the world despite her age, was ultimately no match for a resurgent Heather Watson, who ground out a 7-5 6-4 victory to progress to the second round of the BNP Paribas Open as Indian Wells.

Her victory sets up a second round clash with Agnieszka Radwanska who has convincingly beaten her on two previous occasions. However Watson was sure her improving form and tactical awareness would make this match more competitive, telling the BBC, "I'm not going to give away my tactics, but i'm not going to go in playing the same way I did the other two times."

Watson came through two round of qualifying to reach the main draw at Indian Wells defeating 86th seed Virginie Razzano and 103rd seed Teliana Pereira in comfortable straight sets to prove her current ranking of 134th does not justify her quality.

Elsewhere it was disappointment for James Ward who fell in the final round of qualifying to the veteran Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-2 6-3, failing to capitalise on a number of chances to break the Frenchman.

With Daniel Cox and Johanna Konta also failing to make it through qualifying, this leaves just Heather Watson and Andy Murray left in the main draw, both competing in the second round later this week.

Murray will play either Lukas Rosol or qualifier Dusan Lajovic courtesy of a bye into the second round, as he seeks to win his first title of 2014 after a slow start to the year.

Despite having only two Brits in the singles, representation in the doubles is more impressive, with no less than four pairs including British players in the Mens draw. Andy Murray will play alongside Wimbledon 2012 Men's Double champion Jonathan Marray as they take on Juan Monaco and Gael Monfils in the opening round.

Elsewhere Dominic Inglot and Treat Huey will play Fabio Fognini and Andreas Seppi whilst Andy's brother Jamie will partner John Peers as they take on Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Finally Ross Hutchins continues his comeback after battling caner last year as he and partner Colin Fleming take on Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.

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Dimitrov and Delbonis Rise To Career Highs

Victories in Mexico and Brazil respectively have seen both Grigor Dimitrov and Federico Delbonis rise to new career high rankings this week.

Dimitrov, dubbed 'Baby Fed' due to his similarities to Roger Federer, claimed only his second ATP title, overcoming the big-serving South African Kevin Anderson 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(5) to move up six places to a career high 16th in the World. On his way back into the top 20, Dimitrov passed his fellow finalist Kevin Anderson, who also rose to a career high 18th following his strong display in Mexico.

In Brazil, young Argentinian Federico Delbonis claimed his maiden ATP title with a 4-6 6-3 6-4 victory over the veteran Paolo Lorenzi. Delbonis upset a number of established tour players on route to the final, including Nicolas Almagro, Thomaz Bellucci and Filippo Volandri as he moves up seventeen places to 44th in the World.

Elsewhere in the men's rankings 5th to 7th are separated by just 20 points as a first round retirement meant Juan Martin Del Potro dropped two places to seventh. Both Tomas Berdych and Andy Murray climb one position to overtake him. Despite winning the Dubai title, Roger Federer remains in 8th although he now has a gap of over 1,500 points to Richard Gasguet in 9th.

James Ward claimed valuable rankings points by progressing into the Second Round of the Dubai Championships, enabling him to move up seventeen places to 160th in the World. Elsewhere it was a quiet week for the Brits, as few of the top players played and Laura Robson continues her recovery from a wrist injury sustained at the Australian Open.

The women's tour, unlike the men's, was unusually quiet as most of the top seeds chose to prepare for the upcoming Indian Wells tournament with a week of rest. The Acapulco champion Dominika Cibulkova rose to a career high 11th following her runner-up spot at this year's Australian Open. Beaten Acapulco finalist Christina McHale was this weeks big mover, rising fifteen places to 55th.

The other tournament saw a repeat of January's Hobart final, as Klara Zakopolova clashed once again with youngster Gabrine Muguruza. Muguruza won at Hobart but Zakopolova got her revenge, successfully defeating Muguruza to lift the Florianopolis title, her first WTA title since 2005. Her victory ensures she crept inside the top 30 at 29th whilst Muguruza rose four places to 32nd.

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