On The Attack Pt. 13 - Sky Blues, Thomas and 'The Tank' Sabine Lisicki

Welcome to yet another edition of TSH’s ‘On the Attack’. Wherever you are in the world and whatever sporting interest you have we hope we’ve got something topical, and perhaps amusing, for you.
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Ricoh: Lights on but nobody home

Ten years ago, Coventry City were plying their trade as a mid-table outfit in the comfortable surroundings of the then First Division (now Championship). The Sky Blues were still reeling from their Premier League relegation a couple of years ago, but they could still attract 20,000 locals to Highfield Road. Not anymore. After a move from Highfield Road to the Ricoh Arena, the Midlanders are now set to move from the city of Coventry altogether! An ugly and long-running dispute over rent between Sisu, the clubs owners, and ground owners ACL, has taken another twist and may see the third tier side ground share with Northampton Town, who are located some 35 miles away at Sixfields. The club remain in administration and will kick off their league campaign against Crawley Town (who were in the Southern League Premier or sixth tier of English football a decade ago).

Thomas has an unplanned sit down mid-race

As he undertook his duties of wind breaking and spearheading the peloton en route to Montpellier on Thursday, you had to admire Team Sky’s British rider Geraint Thomas. The Welshman is continuing to partake in this year’s Tour de France despite riding with a fractured pelvis, which he suffered on the opening stage of the race. In a sport infamous for its use of performance enhancing drugs, Thomas is riding on one naturally occurring high: adrenaline. The Tour, in any given year, is referred to as “not your average bike race”, and even more so in its centennial year. A fractured hip must be painful at the best of times, and hinder all sorts of regular activities. A 21 day race which covers over 2000 miles isn’t regular, but getting on a bicycle is, and apparently Thomas can’t even do that unaided!

Lisicki: gobsmacked

The disparities in qualities of women’s tennis were there for all to see on Thursday at the All England Club; when it’s bad, it’s really bad, when it’s good, it’s really good. Marion Bartolli swept past Belgian Kirsten Flipkens in just over an hour in what was a painfully easy straight sets victory which did little to whet the appetite for a thriller between Germany’s Sabine Lisicki and Poland’s Agneszkia Radwanska. Lisicki triumphed in a mammoth sixteen game deciding set after the pair had cancelled each other out over the previous couple. The no-nonsense approach of the rampaging German – who beat Serena Williams on her way to the final – has been a particular highlight and makes for box office tennis, recording 60 winners alongside 46 unforced errors in the 140 minutes on centre court. She’ll be back to face Bartolli on Saturday as Wimbledon will crown a new ladies singles champion.

And while we’re at it...Think today’s modern footballers are overly protected and wrapped in bubble wrap? You haven’t seen nothing yet! Watch 'Loopyball' here