Results tagged “Sport”
THINGS are going swimmingly for the organisers of the London Olympics.
In fact, they are going so well building work has begun two months early on the aquatic centre, the £303million flagship venue of the 2012 Olympic Park.
Hampton & Richmond Borough 2
West Ham 4
CRAIG Bellamy starred for West Ham as they eased to a 4-2 win over non-leaguers Hampton and Richmond Borough last night.
The Welsh striker scored twice as he produced a lively display against the Blue Square South outfit, managed by former Upton Park hero Alan Devonshire.
BOBBY Zamora and John Paintsil have swapped West Ham for west London in the Hammers' first big transfer deal of the summer.
The pair have joined Fulham in a £6.3m deal, Zamora for four years and Paintsil for three. The fee could rise by a further £1m depending on appearances.
Lifelong Hammers' fan Zamora, who lives in Canary Wharf, arrived at Upton Park in January 2004 and scored the winner in the 2005 play-off final. He also played in the 2006 FA Cup final against Liverpool, missing the Irons' first spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out.
THE new season fixture list was only announced a month ago but already five West Ham games have been moved to fit in with live television demands.
The away game at Manchester City will kick off at 4pm on Sunday, August 24. Bolton's visit to Upton Park is now at 1.30pm on Sunday, October 5, while Arsenal's trip to east London will be at 4pm on Sunday, October 26.
The game at Sunderland is at 4pm on Sunday, November 23 and the Liverpool trip will be at 8pm on Monday, December 1.
The first four games will be shown on Sky, while the Liverpool game will be on Setanta.
A CANARY Wharf strongman has his sights set on lifting a world crown after recently proving himself the best powerlifter in Europe.
Mike Burt won the 75kg category at the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation (WDFPF) competition in Castleblayney in Ireland last month.
“THIS IS London’s Olympic Borough and it would be a disgrace if there is no sailing facility here, it’s one of our most successful sports.”
These are the passionate words of Peter Chilvers – a man on a mission to save the Royal Victoria Dock Sailing Centre, which he thinks should form a vital part of the 2012 Olympic legacy.
Newham’s only full-time sailing facility, close to the ExCeL Centre, has provided the opportunity for thousands of children to enjoy watersports over the past 20 years, but its future is in doubt.
“MODERN players lack that connection with fans. That’s the major issue in football.”
This is the view of former Arsenal and England footballer Kenny Sansom, who was making his own connection with fans in Canary Wharf this week.
MICKY Steeds will have to wait a bit longer for his British Cruiserweight title chance, thanks to the demands of television.
The Isle of Dogs boxer was due to meet Robert Norton for the vacant belt on July 11, but with Sky set to feature the contest on its Friday Fight Night slot, the match has been rescheduled for a date in September.
But Steeds’ manager Mark Roe does not think the delay will affect the 24-year-old’s chances of winning the title.
He said: “Micky will be ready for Norton. He’s in great shape. He was 14st 8lb for his latest fight without even trying to make the weight.”
THE Isle of Dogs could be celebrating its very own British boxing champion this summer.
Rising cruiserweight Micky Steeds has been lined up for a shot at the vacant British crown on July 11, when he faces former WBU world champion Robert Norton in a 12-round bout in Wolverhampton.
It represents remarkable progress for 24-year-old Steeds, who only moved down to the cruiserweight division at the start of last year, after starting his career at heavyweight. His trainer, Mark Roe, believes his boxer has a genuine chance of glory.
“Micky’s really settled in at cruiserweight,” he said. “He’s over the moon about getting a title fight and is training hard for it, but it’s no less than he deserves.
MILLWALL fans should head to Victoria Park this Sunday to rub shoulders with some of their heroes and raise cash for a good cause at the same time.
Nearly 300 men from around the country will be competing in Keep Your Eye on the Ball 5K run at the park, in Hackney, for the Everyman Male Cancer Campaign.
The event, which kick-starts Everyman Month in June, has been organised with support from The FA and The PFA. Millwall players Neil Harris, Paul Robinson, Danny Spiller and Chris Hackett, along with Derby County's Alan Stubbs, Notts County's Adam Tann and Hull City's Matt Duke, are all taking part.
ALAN Brazil was hitting the bar again on Tuesday, and it was all in a good cause.
The former Ipswich Town and Scotland striker, now a popular Talksport presenter, handed over a cheque for £2,000 to Great Ormond Street Hospital at The George pub in Glengall Grove.
The money was raised by the pub’s regulars, who were touched by the plight of five-year-old Holly McWilliams.
WEST HAM legend Sir Trevor Brooking was back at his spiritual home this week to support an initiative to increase football participation in the Asian community.
Sir Trevor was at a football day at Upton Park on Monday aimed at breaking down barriers between Asian youngsters and the police, as well as showcasing some of the brightest young talent in east London.
As director of football development at the FA, Sir Trevor, 51, had good reason to lend his support to the day, which was organised by Canary Wharf Group in conjunction with the National Association of Muslim Police, the FA and West Ham United.
He said: “It’s an opportunity for lots of youngsters who hear about professional football but probably don’t get a chance to come to a stadium, let alone play in one.
IT’S NOT every day you get to bowl at a former England cricket captain but one group of Isle of Dogs children had exactly that this week.
Children from Seven Mills primary school, in Millwall, tested the skills of Mike Gatting when he visited the school on Tuesday as part of the first Chance To Shine national cricket day. The focus was on The Big Run Chase and Gatting, 50, was delighted to do his bit.
He said: “We’re trying to encourage children all over the country, from around 500 schools, to join in and see how many singles they can run to see if we can get a million runs.
Betbrokers' Nigel Seeley - The Wizard of Odds - gives his top betting tips for the week.
The bank holiday temperatures are expected to soar and the sporting action, including the French Open and the Monaco Grand Prix, indicates summer has finally arrived.
The second tennis grand slam of the season starts on Paris’s clay courts and if you are looking for an outsider to end Rafael Nadal’s domination of Roland Garros, forget it!
The king of clay has not lost a singles match in Paris in 21 matches and has only lost twice on the surface in three years.
ROBERT DENTON is living the healthy life as he gets set to run the Canary Wharf Jog.
The 25-year-old, who works at Waitrose in Canary Wharf, gave up smoking, is eating mountains of fruit and doing plenty of exercise before he has his first crack at the jog on June 4.
He’s part of the Waitrose Wharfers team which is raising money to support the British Heart Foundation. But he admitted he’s facing the 10km run with trepidation.
“I’m a bit nervous,” he said. “But I’m really keen to do it because it’s such a great cause. My dad and granddad both suffer from heart problems so it’s a hereditary thing in my family.
“I might only be young but I realise it’s important to look after yourself.”
THERE was no “holding back the tees” when The O2 hosted a golf event with a difference this week.
Top golfer Justin Rose was joined by Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall on top of the building on Monday morning to hit a few balls officially to launch the BMW PGA Championship.
Rose, Europe’s number one player, and Hucknall both hit their shots off a specially built tee on The O2 roof, 50 metres above the River Thames. For Rose it was a departure from the normal surfaces he enjoys at places like St Andrews and Augusta.
SHANE Warne’s threat to come out of international retirement for next year’s Ashes series should be taken with a pinch of salt, according to ex-England skipper Mike Gatting.
Warne, currently playing in the Indian Premier League, famously took Gatting’s wicket with the “ball of the century” on his Ashes debut in 1993 and was reported to want a return to the Australian team.
“He’s being very mischievous,” said Gatting. “I thought he’d got enough on his plate in India. For him to slip out a little mischievous comment like that, it’s typical Shane.”
But would Gatting be tempted to try to regain his England place to get revenge for “that” ball?
He said: “No, no, no. I shan’t be coming back anywhere near, and I don’t think Shane will either.”
ONE OF Britain’s brightest Paralympic hopes boosted his chances of gold in Beijing when he smashed his own world record over the weekend.
British adaptive rower Tom Aggar set a new world best for the single sculls at the FISA invitation meeting at the London Regatta Centre on Saturday.
The Royal Docks venue saw Aggar complete the 1,000m course in five minutes four seconds, shaving nine seconds off the mark he set when he won the world championships in Germany last September.
THE Canary Wharf Jog is drawing nearer and this is one runner who will be helping to set the pace.
Diane Kay, sales and marketing manager at Canary Wharf’s Reebok Gym, will be leading a team of 20 colleagues at the jog on June 4.
The Reebok team will be leading the warm-up for 1,500 runners in Canada Square and Diane believes jogging is an excellent way to keep fit.
She said: “I’m a very keen runner and it’s certainly helps prevent heart problems and improves your fitness. And the Canary Wharf Jog is only 10km so it’s not too difficult.”
Diane has already clocked up some impressive distances, including the New York and Chicago marathons but the Canary Wharf event is something special to her.
Betbrokers' Nigel Seeley - The Wizard of Odds - gives Wharfers the lowdown on where to place their bets this week.
He who dares wins? Famous words from Del-Boy, but unfortunately we ended up looking “right plonkers” with a total loss of £50 last weekend.
With two major football finals this week we can get our figure up again, but we start with cricket where England face New Zealand in the first test at Lord’s on Thursday.
FORMER England scrum-half Kyran Bracken believes Martin Johnson couldn’t have been handed a harder start to his time as England manager – a trip to New Zealand.
Johnson announced his squad on Tuesday to face an All Black side still smarting from their shock exit from last year’s World Cup. Bracken, who made his debut against them in 1993, thinks it’s a big ask for an inexperienced England team.
“It’s the toughest place to go on the planet,” he said. “What a place to start. There’s some new blood going out there and he [Johnson] must be nervous having to pick his squad, with a few injuries and big games coming up. But he’s a tremendous leader and I’m confident he’ll make a success of it.”
CANARY Wharf workers often feel they live life in the fast lane but one banker has taken it a step further.
Crispian Besley, head of Japanese Equity Sales at Credit Suisse, combines the day job with his hobby of racing vintage cars around some of the most famous tracks in Europe.
Last weekend he took his 1960 OSCA Maserati to Monaco where he challenged his rivals over 12 laps of the Principality’s legendary circuit. But hot weather meant the car didn’t perform well and Crispian finished 15th overall.
WEST HAM’S Premier League campaign closed with an entertaining 2-2 draw last Sunday but already the rumours surrounding the squad have started.
Alan Curbishley’s men sealed 10th spot with Sunday’s point against Aston Villa, thanks to a superb 88th minute strike from Dean Ashton.
But the 24-year-old’s future at the club is in doubt. He wants to stay but talks about extending his contract, which has two years to run, have yet to happen.
An England recall for the games with the USA and Trinidad and Tobago won’t harm his bargaining position and team-mate Robert Green thinks Ashton deserves a long-overdue first cap.
The season’s over and most of West Ham’s first team squad will be heading to the beach for a long summer break.
But goalkeeper Robert Green won’t be lounging around until pre-season training starts in July, he’s heading off to Africa in mid-June on a three-week fundraising trip in aid of medical charity Amref.
He will visit Kenya and Tanzania to see for himself the projects being undertaken to improve the lives of children there and also help host some football tournaments.
West Ham 2 Aston Villa 2
Dean Ashton's late strike earned West Ham a share of the spoils at Upton Park, and then learned he's made Fabio Capello's latest England squad.
The 24-year-old forward's 88th minute goal, a superb first time effort from the edge of the box, rescued a point for the Hammers after Villa looked set to snatch a win on the last day of the Premier League season.
The point, coupled with Tottenham's 2-0 home defeat against Liverpool, meant West Ham finished 10th in the table, although for most of the second half the most likely outcome looked to be a comprehensive defeat against a determined and enterprising Villa side.
Morgan Stanley booked their place in the City League final with a convincing win over Dresdner.
The Canary Wharf side produced some superb rugby to run out 42-19 winners and book a final place against Lloyds, where they will be looking to avenge their only defeat of the season against the City bank
The City League Plate Final saw JP Morgan beat Freshfields 48-3.
simon.hayes@wharf.co.uk
West Ham wrap up their season on Sunday when Aston Villa travel to Upton Park in a game that has significance for both clubs.
The Hammers need to win to guarantee tenth place, ahead of bitter rivals Tottenham who lie just two points behind them in the Premier League table.
Spurs' superior goal difference means Alan Curbishley's men could be overtaken if they draw and Tottenham beat Liverpool, something that would be unpalatable to the majority of the Upton Park faithful.
Millwall striker Neil Harris has been rewarded with the offer of a new contract after a strong finish to the season.
The 30-year-old was all set to leave the club after last Saturday's final League One game at Swindon, but was desperate to extend his stay at The Den, a plea he put in print in The Wharf last week.
But Harris' man-of-the-match display against Carlisle on April 26 seems to have persuaded Lions' boss Kenny Jackett to reconsider his decision to allow him to leave on a free transfer.
SIGN UP for a major corporate challenge next month and you’ll find yourself rubbing shoulders with one of rugby’s greats.
Rory Underwood, England’