The Sporting Hack

Injury worry? Paul Cooke lasted 20 minutes in defeat to Barrow Doncaster RLFC 20 v 22 Barrow Raiders RLFC Co-Operative Championship 1 play-off semi-final qualifier Keepmoat Stadium Attendance – 744 Barrow Raiders secured their place in the Co-Operative Championship 1 grand final in Warrington after overcoming Doncaster in a hard fought encounter. Doncaster, winners of the League Leaders Shield last weekend, lifted the trophy in hollow circumstances as they were edged out by the second placed Raiders. The visitors had centre Aaron Low to thank – his brace of tries proving pivotal to proceedings against a Doncaster side that defeated the Raiders by four points in July and remained unbeaten at home until today. It was perhaps testament to the resolve of the Dons that they nearly nicked a result despite playing for the majority of the game without the key figure of Paul Cooke – the imperious stand-off having picked up a knee injury early on. Jamie Tandy’s second...

Ricky Hatton today made the unsurprising, but no less unfortunate, announcement that he is to return to the world of professional boxing.  A lonely world in which his last taste of action in the ring was when he was sprawled on his back at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas with a raging Philippine – in the shape of Manny Pacquiao – having just given him a severe beating.  However, with the savagery of the second round defeat came a gentle warning, ‘Get Out Now.’ That was 2009 and the affable Mancunian heeded the warning, much to the relief of many in boxing circles.  The cheeky chap had revolutionised the way in which the sport was viewed in this country and his loyal legions of fans were a credit. How the thousands that flocked across the Atlantic to see the Hitman attempt to unify the light welterweight division must be bemused by this about turn by their hero. His reasons for a return seem unclear and, if anything, bizarre. The 33 year old has says...

So that’s it for another four years, Spain continued their dominance on the elite level stage and did so in impressive fashion by swatting aside Italy 4-0 in the final. A very big thank you goes to those of you who have kept up to date with Biltcliffe’s Sports Thoughts throughout the tournament to try and gain an alternate perspective of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable tournament. The big winners were: Italy – There was no shame attached to Cesare Prandelli’s side, who were unable to match the rampant Spaniards. Against a backdrop of irregularity in their homeland, the Azzuri displayed a defiance by showing 4-4-2 can work (to an extent) at international level. They’d already given their best in the semi final win over Germany though. The big losers were: Holland – The Dutch have primacy in this area. From World Cup finalists in 2010 to finishing bottom of Group B with zero points, the 1-0 defeat to Denmark set the tone for Bert Van Merwijk’s (right) c...

Ok, the joke’s on me for doing the sensible thing, as an Englishman, and backing the Germans to prosper in this European Championships. Well done Italy and well done Mr William Hill. Tomorrow’s final in Kiev continues an unerring trend – which occurs every eight years - of finalists having met in the group stage (see Holland v USSR in ’88, Germany v Czech Republic in ’96 and Greece v Portugal in ’04) and it was of absolutely no surprise to me. Before that though, there were two contrasting, yet equally enthralling semi finals to enjoy and ‘chew the fat over’, here goes... It was a good semi-final for: Italy – What a turn up for Cesare Prandelli’s side. Gianluigi Buffon is stating a case for being the world’s best ‘keeper at the moment, the chiselled Giorgio Chielleni was back in the fold, Andrea Pirlo (right) was majestically untouchable and Mario Balotelli was...himself (more of that later). The Azzurri have been captivating to watch because they’ve adopted a 4-4...

Firstly I’d like to say that Euro 2012 has so far been refreshing and more than made up for the disappointments of a soggy and damp squib of a World Cup at South Africa 2010. I’m also rather pleased that my £5 bet on Germany to win the tournament is looking ‘steady’. It was a good round for: Italy – The Italians absolutely dominated from beginning to end against England, and, despite the absence of key centre half Giorgio Chiellini, they created enough chances to win three games. It’s at the back that they look so good though, where they have only two goals conceded so far and is their starting point. Portugal – A one man band? It is an easy assumption to make when Cristiano Ronaldo is in such imperious form; however the platform for him to perform has been built by a hard working and selfless midfield behind him. The clash against Spain is mouth-watering and winnable for Paulo Bento’s side. It was a bad round for: France – Never got started against S...