It was good to see this billboard at Manchester's Oxford Road station, giving commuters a well-timed nudge about Super League's Magic Weekend at the Etihad Stadium at the end of May. Well-timed because the Easter weekend tends to show rugby league at its… continue...
The former England fast bowler Liam Plunkett is counting down to his first season at Yorkshire with an impressive beard, but he still couldn't compete with the "real life" Viking who was invited to Headingley for a media opportunity to mark their… continue...
What is this, Green Bay v Buffalo? This is the scene an hour or so before kick-off for what had promised to be a fascinating match between the surprise Super League leaders Huddersfield and Warrington, one of the more fancied teams tucked in just behind.… continue...
A Friday afternoon quiz question: what do Francis Meli, Sia Soliola and Willie Manu have in common (other than being St Helens team-mates)? Answer - they're the only three Exiles ever-presents, and the appointment of Brian McClennan to resume control of the… continue...
This is a momentous weekend for Jon Clarke, one of Super League's quiet achievers. He will make the 350th senior appearance of his career for Widnes Vikings against the Catalan Dragons in Perpignan on Saturday, but before that he had an important Friday morning… continue...
Phil Neville had an unusual and worthy diversion from his bitter FA Cup disappointment on Monday, reviving memories of his schoolboy days as an outstanding young cricketer by helping Lancashire launch a new initiative for the game in the north-west. Neville… continue...
You can't blame the Aussies for pouncing on the fresh concerns over Graeme Swann's elbow as a much-needed reason for optimism ahead of the back-to-back Ashes series coming up over the next 10 months. “A huge blow for the old enemy,” wrote Peter Badel… continue...
So welcome to rugby league, Brian Barwick, a man who emerged from four years as chief executive of the Football Association with a record that could only be described as mixed, but whose appointment as non-executive chairman of the RFL has been welcomed by… continue...
What price loyalty in sport? It's a topical debate in British rugby league after Gareth Hock's move to Widnes on a season-long loan from Wigan was confirmed, with some measured but devastating quotes from the Warriors chairman Ian Lenagan to send the England… continue...
I've always enjoyed watching Yuvraj Singh bat, and the Punjabi left-hander has already provided a couple of stylish cameos in this series. But after reading an interview with him in the Indian edition of Men's Health magazine on the three-hour flight from… continue...
If you're struggling to sleep in the snow, and lucky enough to have Sky, I strongly recommend turning the tv on in plenty of time for the 6am start of England's second one-day international against India in Kochi (or its previous name of Cochin, for the purposes… continue...
Just arrived at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium on the outskirts of Rajkot for pre-match practice and pressers, and it's hugely impressive. Smart stands of blue, yellow and green tip-up seats provide a capacity of around 30,000, but the greatest surprise is… continue...
Checking in from the domestic departures building of Mumbai airport over a sultry coffee now that the morning Maharashtra mist has cleared. England are still up in Delhi, where it's much colder, and they suffered a second defeat in as many warm-up matches… continue...
What sad news to bring in the New Year, the loss of the institution in English cricket that Christopher Martin-Jenkins had become. It's not a huge surprise, as he had been diagnosed with cancer early in 2012, and one of the voices of the English summer and… continue...
This might be a slightly parochial Lancastrian view of a compelling first day in Kolkata, which will probably be best remembered for Sachin Tendulkar's grafting (definitely not raging) against the dying of the light. But wasn't it great to see James Anderson… continue...
Pressure on India and Dhoni ahead of third Test - but no need to put the boot into MS or Broad. continue...
Just realised I've been humming that Fun Lovin' Criminals song all morning (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBbISN-BbVw), ahead of Andrew Flintoff's boxing bow at the Manchester Arena tonight. Big, daft, cuddly Freddie, going into the ring against a chap called… continue...
They're a long way removed from racist chanting at football matches, the absurd hype over an arbitrary list of 2012's top "sports personalities" - whatever that means - or even England's Test win in Mumbai, which was surely the greatest British… continue...
Remember the plans for a World Championship of Test Cricket in England some time next summer - in the slot now filled by the Champions Trophy, which was preferred by Indian TV? That Championship now seems to be happening by default this autumn (or spring,… continue...
Three things have occurred to me, following the reaction to England's first Test defeat in Ahmedabad. First, how different might the outcome have been if James Anderson had caught Cheteshwar Pujara, as he should have done, on the first afternoon? Pujara only… continue...
So Sonny Bill Williams will have to keep his shoulder charge in the cupboard when he returns to the NRL next year, after the decision to copy rugby union and make such tackles illegal by the Commission that's now running the game in the southern hemisphere.… continue...
