Sports round-up: 4-10 February
Welcome to our weekly sports bulletin with great news for British tennis and other results from around the world.
Athletics:
At the European indoor trials in Sheffield, world indoor pole vault bronze medallist Holly Bleasdale continued her great start to the season by claiming a fourth successive victory with a vault of 4.77 metres.
Asha Philip, whose career was almost ended by a serious knee injury after she won the world youth 100 metres title in 2007, showed won the 60 metres in a time of 7.15 seconds.
This puts her third on the all-time UK list and equal fifth in this year’s world rankings.
Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis has opted to miss this year’s indoor season, instead preferring to concentrate on winning at the World Championships this summer. Her outdoor season will commence at Meadowbank on June 8.
Cricket:
England face an uphill task if they are to make the final of the Women’s World Cup.
Results in the group stages meant that they had to win all three of their Super Six matches to ensure qualification for the final on 17 February.
Their first game, against Australia, was a nail-biter. After dismissing Australia for 147, it seemed odds-on that England would win.
However, after a terrible batting collapse, including a second golden duck in a row for Sarah Taylor and a poor lbw decision against captain Charlotte Edwards, they were all out two runs short of their target.
The second game, on 10 February, was a completely different matter.
With the prospect of net run rate deciding the finalists it was essential that England completed their win against South Africa as quickly as possible.
This they did with a stunning performance with both bat and ball.
Anya Shrubsole took 5 for 17 as South Africa were bowled out for 77 in 29.3 overs.
England took only 9.3 overs in response to knock off this total and gave themselves a chance to make the final. Their last Super Six match, against New Zealand, takes place on Wednesday 13. Even a win may not be enough, and England must hope that other teams’results go their way if they are to progress.
Australia have already qualified for the final with a convincing win against Sri Lanka of nine wickets.
Rugby Union:
Following England’s record win against Scotland in the Six Nations last week, they were firm favourites to beat Ireland in Ashbourne, near Dublin on Saturday 9.
However, the Irish didn’t follow the script and thrashed them 25-0, England’s first defeat in the competition since 2009.
England play France in a fortnight’s time, while Ireland go to Scotland.
In this week’s other fixtures France beat Wales 32-0 in Laon.
The French had sunk to a shock defeat to Italy the previous week and so it was with great relief that they got back their winning ways.
Italy carried on their good form, though, this time against Scotland in a muddy match played at Mayfield in Dundee on Sunday 10. Scotland largely dominated the game but eventually went down 8-0.
Skiing:
On Friday 8 Katie Summerhayes became the first British female skier to get a medal at a World Cup meeting in 19 years.
The 17 year old from Sheffield took silver in slopestyle at the event in Switzerland. This was Summerhayes’ first event after a six month lay-off through injury.
“To finish second in my first event back is just amazing,” she said.
Slopestyle will make its first appearance at an Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014.
After Lindsey Vonn’s high-profile crash last week, 30 year-old British skier Chemmy Alcott has also had to pull out of the World Championship due to a crash in training.
Alcott suffered a high-speed crash in Schladming, Austria, which has caused “excessive stress” to a plated fracture in her leg. The leg was fractured two years ago, threatening to end her career, so this is a serious setback.
Alcott remains positive though, posting on Facebook: “This is by no means the end. I have shown my strength before. The timing blows but better now than in a year!”.
She is referring to the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, which must now be her goal for a return.
Speed Skating:
After taking the 1000m short-track title last week, Scotland’s Elise Christie has struck gold again in Dresden, this time winning the 1500m short-track title. The 22 year-old finished ahead of Kim Min-Jung from South Korea and the Canadian Marie-Eve Drolet.
Dresden is the last World Cup meeting this season, but the World Championships are still to take place in Debrecen, in Hungary, at the beginning of March.
Swimming:
Rebecca Adlington announced her retirement this week at the age of 23.
Adlington won two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in the 400m and 800m. In doing so she became the first British woman to win a swimming gold medal for 48 years. She also won two bronze medals at London 2012.
“I have she said achieved everything I wanted to,” she said.
Tennis:
Great Britain’s Federation Cup team secured a World Group II play-off last weekend after winning their Euro/Africa Group I tie in Eilat, Israel.
The team, comprising Heather Watson, Laura Robson, Johanna Konta and Anne Kothavong, won four matches in a row to go through.
The team dispatched Bosnia-Hercegovina 3-0 on Thursday 7, with wins for Keothavong and Watson in the singles and Robson and Konta in the doubles.
Next up came Portugal. Laura Robson beat Margarida Moura 6-2 6-1, but Heather Watson lost her rubber 6-1 6-4 to Michelle Larcher de Brito.
All depended on the doubles, which the pairing of Watson and Robson won easily 6-2 6-1 to take the tie.
Their third match came against an unbeaten Hungary. Big guns Robson and Watson were victorious in the singles again which meant the tie was dead when Robson and Konta came to play their doubles rubber. They lost this 6-3 6-2, but a 2-1 result was good enough.
The play-off was finally secured by a win over Bulgaria on Sunday 10, with another win for Laura Robson against Dia Evtimova 6-0 6-4 and for Heather Watson against Tsvetana Pironkova 1-6 6-4 6-2.
The GB team finds out who they will face on Wednesday 10, and the tie will take place on April 20-21.