Tag Archives: riders

London 2012 Olympics: Jungle fever strikes at dressage

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Mark Alford's Goggle Eyes: Jungle fever strikes at the dressage

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UPDATED:

21:00 GMT, 9 August 2012

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LIVE RESULTS |
EVENT SCHEDULE |
MEDALS TABLE

Dressage riders pick their own
performance music and GB bronze medallist Laura Bechtolsheimer selected
‘Hakuna Matata’ from Disney’s The Lion King.

And if that wasn’t funny enough,
co-commentator Judy Harvey uttered the line: ‘Let’s hope she lives up to
the words of the song: Hakuna Matata. It means no worries.’ Judy cannot
have kept a straight face.

No worries: Laura Bechtolsheimer riding Mistral Hojris in the individual dressage

No worries: Laura Bechtolsheimer riding Mistral Hojris in the individual dressage

THE BATONS AND BRUISES

Dramatic stuff in the heats of the 4x400m relay. Great Britain raced to a stunning win thanks to 20-year-old Jack Green’s inspired third lap.

Jamaica did not finish (injury) and Oscar Pistorius’s South Africa were out after one of his team-mates was forced off the track. They were later reinstated.

Viewers of the main BBC1 feed missed it all, though, it was live on BBC3.

GETTING OUR KICKS

Taekwondo, where have you been all our lives A sport that rewards kicks to the head. The Brits are good at it and there’s on-screen scores — unlike the boxing!

Talking of boxing, why all the fuss about women boxers Taekwondo is brutal and the women get stuck right in.

Getting stuck in: Great Britain's Jade Jones (red) in taekwondo action

Getting stuck in: Great Britain's Jade Jones (red) in taekwondo action

THUMBS UP FOR…

BMX: It was an eclectic afternoon of coverage, switching between dressage and BMX. Greenwich may have had the medals but the bikes had the thrills and spills.

Delectable presenter Helen Skelton said: ‘There’s only one word to describe this event: absolute carnage.’ Er, isn’t that two

THUMBS DOWN FOR…

The 10km swim: It’s becoming a daily gripe but the Olympic Broadcast Service’s coverage of outside events is woeful. As Keri-Anne Payne was racing at the head of the field in the open-water swim, the director cut to the battle for 25th. Criminal.

THE PUNDITS' PODIUM…

Lucy O’Conner, women’s boxing: Timely contributions to the frenetic action. Talks sense and talks quickly.

Steve Cram, athletics: Once a top athlete, now a top coach and pundit. Carries huge weight of authority.

John Cullen, taekwondo: ‘It helps if you’re fluent in Korean,’ said John, which was far from helpful because no-one was. Minority sports need jargon busters.

London 2012 Olympics: Flame extinguished as torch is carried on white water rafting boat

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Olympic flame extinguished as torch is carried on white water rafting boat

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UPDATED:

21:16 GMT, 7 July 2012

With the benefit of hindsight, it's astounding that no one saw this coming. As the Olympic torch splashed through the canoe slalom venue in Hertfordshire today on board a raft as part of its journey around the country, spraying water splashed out the famed Eternal Flame.

Day 50 proved a tricky one for the torch relay, after a crash between two motorcycles earlier forced a delay and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s turn carrying the flame was marred by pouring rain.

In the first setback for the day, the torch convoy was held up for 20 minutes after two motorbike riders collided near Chelmsford, Essex, at around 7.40am, and had to be rushed to hospital with suspected broken bones.

Despite the bearer's best efforts, the torch could not survive the rapids at the Olympic canoe slalom venue

Ambitious: Despite bearer Zachary Franklin's best efforts, the torch could not survive the rapids at the Olympic canoe slalom venue

As the raft crashes through the rapids, the torch - held aloft by British junior team canoeist Zachary Franklin - can barely be seen through the spray

Rough: As the raft crashes through the rapids, the torch – held aloft by the British junior team canoeist – can barely be seen through the spray

Valiant effort: In a day of mishaps, the torch went out as the British men's canoe team carried it down the rapids

Valiant effort: The eternal flame can be temperamental – going out on just day three of the relay, and again during the canoe course

Ambulances and a fire engine were called, and convoy doctors treated the
male and female riders at the scene before the relay was able to proceed.

Later, the torch arrived at Lee Valley White Water Centre near Waltham
Cross, the canoe slalom venue, where it suffered the further hiccup.

Despite the best efforts of British junior team canoeist Zachary
Franklin, who held the flame aloft as the British men’s rafting team
propelled him through the rapids, water splashing into the boat extinguished the flame.

Take two: The Olympic flame stayed alight on its second attempt down the river

Take two: The Olympic flame stayed alight on its second attempt down the river

Wet: The flame appeared to go briefly while it was being transported on the raft at the Lee Valley White Water Centre

Wet: Water splashing into the boat caused the flame to go out – but a LOCOG spokesman said a master flame was on hand for such incidents

‘It is not uncommon for a flame to go out and this can happen for a number of reasons,’ a LOCOG spokesman said.

‘In this instance it was due to water being splashed into the boat from the slalom course.

‘It was relit from the mother flame, which is kept in a specially
designed miners’ lantern and successfully taken down the course on the
second attempt.’

Rainy: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver braved the wet weather on his torch run near his family's pub in Essex

Rainy: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver braved the wet weather on his torch run near his family's pub in Essex

It isn’t the first time the Olympic flame has gone out as it makes its way through the UK.

Back on May 21, just three days into the relay, the flame on a torch
attached to para-badminton star David Follett's wheelchair burned out
while in Devon.

In another early hitch to proceedings, the flame was blown out by a gust
of wind as it was being lit for the first time in Greece. It had to be
relit before being handed to a torchbearer.

Today the relay was travelling from Chelmsford to Cambridge, en route to London for the Olympic opening ceremony.

Jamie Oliver had his own issues during his stint through Newport, the Essex village where he went
to school, braving wet and
wild weather as he ran.

Supporters: Stilt walkers cheer on the Olympic flame as it passes through Chelmsford

Spectators wearing patriotic Union Flag and St George's Cross glasses

Spirited: Spectators on stilts with Union Jack flag glasses, and men with patriotic glasses, enjoy the Olympic torch relay

The 37-year-old health eating champion kept smiling despite the tough going.

Watched by his wife Jools and family, a bedraggled-looking Oliver said: ‘I can't believe how much
it's raining but it's great to be here in my old town and this is a
real privilege.

‘I'll run past my old school and finish at the pub where, to be honest, I'd like to be right now.’

Oliver lives in nearby Clavering with his wife Jules, daughters Poppy,
Daisy and Petal, and son Buddy, while his parents own a pub and
restaurant nearby.

In its final stop for the day at Cambridge, the flame was again due to
take to the water, but this time at a more sedate pace on a punt ride.

Brave face: Jamie Oliver kept smiling through the wet weather - despite confessing that he would rather be in the pub

Brave face: Jamie Oliver kept smiling through the wet weather - despite confessing that he would rather be in the pub

Brave face: Jamie Oliver kept smiling through the wet weather – despite confessing that he would rather be in the pub

Jools with daughter Daisy

A wet looking Jamie Oliver takes the torch

Supportive: Wife Jools Oliver, looking a little worse for wear in the wet weather, and daughter Daisy turned out to watch Jamie as he carried the Olympic torch

Eoin Morgan says he is a better player after difficult spell

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I'm a better player now after being dropped, says Morgan ahead of Australia series

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UPDATED:

17:08 GMT, 27 June 2012

Eoin Morgan emits a grim chuckle when it’s put to him that the last few months might have been good for the soul. Tellingly, though, he doesn’t dismiss the notion.

Dropped by England’s Test team following a disastrous tour of the UAE, then the sparest of parts at the IPL, where he failed to get a single game for the eventual winners Kolkata Knight Riders, he has had to draw on all the phlegm that has at times been mistaken for arrogance. Despite a six-month period that might have knocked the wind out of others, Morgan is still breathing.

‘It’s worked both ways,’ he tells Sportsmail. ‘It’s been refreshing in a way. After being dropped in the UAE, I had a bit of time for reflection before the IPL. Then not getting a game out there was probably more disheartening.

Back in the England setup: Eoin Morgan prepares for the One Day Series after losing his place in the Test team

Back in the England setup: Eoin Morgan prepares for the One Day Series after losing his place in the Test team

‘But it gave me a lot more time to work on very basic stuff that had crept into my game and hadn’t been there the last 12-14 months. I look at it as a positive, because I’ve come back as a better player. I went to a country where the resources are unlimited, and I had six weeks to work on what I wanted to do.’

Some might regard Morgan’s take on his IPL experience as the definitive sportsman’s prerogative: to apply your own comforting spin.

But to watch Morgan bat when he’s at his best is to enjoy the workings of a fertile mind – and there was a ruthless pragmatism behind his decision to go to the IPL while many wondered why he wasn’t trying to reclaim his place in the Test team by playing county championship cricket for Middlesex.

‘When the news came through that I’d been dropped for the tour of Sri Lanka, I was like, well, I’m two places away from the Test team, and it never changes that much, so it’s highly unlikely I’ll play in the first half of the season.

Talking through the plan: Morgan with batting coach Graham Gooch

Talking through the plan: Morgan with batting coach Graham Gooch

‘That was the consideration for me. I decided to go to the IPL. Because at that stage I was nowhere. So I needed time to work on my game and go back to stuff I know works for me. Every time I’ve come back from the IPL, I’ve come back a better player.’

So it wasn’t the money ‘Again, I can’t argue with the fact that whenever I’ve come back I’ve been a better player,’ says Morgan, speaking on behalf of the Cricket Foundation’s StreetChance programme.

‘The first year I took part in the tournament, we went straight to the Twenty20 World Cup and won it, and last year I came back and got 193 for the Lions and got into the team and had a really good summer. Whether it’s a confidence aspect, or the training side of things – there’s something about playing in the IPL that gives me a boost and a kick.’

Morgan spent the fortnight before heading to India working with Middlesex coach Richard Scott on minimising the pronounced crouch that crept into his game last summer (it’s a question of moving the head towards the ball, Morgan explains, not up and down). And he then used his considerable downtime with Kolkata to reacquaint himself with his old technique.

Proving his worth: Morgan celebrates hitting the winning runs during the International Twenty20 cricket match between England and West Indies at Trent Bridge

Proving his worth: Morgan celebrates hitting the winning runs during the International Twenty20 cricket match between England and West Indies at Trent Bridge

An innings of 116 off 54 balls – 11 of them hit for six – against Lancashire in the CB40 at Lord’s earlier this month suggested the work had not gone to waste.

Just as importantly, it helped eradicate memories of England’s benighted new year trip to the UAE, where they were whitewashed by Pakistan in their first Test series as the world’s No 1 side.

Morgan suffered more than most, which was saying something: England’s highest-averaging batsman in the series was Matt Prior, with 37; no one else topped 26. In 17 innings in all cricket on tour, Morgan didn’t get past 31.

Was it a shock to his confidence ‘It was a shock to all of us,’ he says. ‘Because no one stood out or did well, we were all looking around at each other. If someone shows the way, we can look at the method they use.

‘But we were all stuck, twiddling our thumbs, thinking about things: “Here we go again.” Pakistan played really, really well. It’s the first time I’ve ever been put in a situation where everyone in the team is outplayed. It doesn’t happen very often. We were caught on the hop.’

Top of the order: Alastair Cook, Morgan and Jonathan Trott in the nets

Top of the order: Alastair Cook, Morgan and Jonathan Trott in the nets

Morgan’s reputation as an adroit player of spin was taking a hammering at the hands of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and slow left-armer Abdur Rehman, whose performance – perhaps surprisingly – he rated the better of the two.

‘I was trying to score runs and they weren’t coming,’ he says with a laugh. ‘There was one instance where, in first innings of the second Test, I hadn’t score runs in the warm-up games, and hadn’t scored runs in the first Test, and I wanted to put bat on ball. It was a simple mistake. I was just outskilled. I wasn’t good enough.’

With the a combination of the weather and England’s top-order excellence limiting Morgan to one meaningful knock during the recent limited-overs games against West Indies, the five-match NatWest Series against Australia starting at Lord’s on Friday becomes his big chance to reassert himself on the international stage.

And the good news for England fans is that Morgan’s Test exile has tweaked his appetite.

‘I remember thinking after I got the news about being dropped: “Wow, it’s just taken away from you so easily, after all that hard work.” So you question your training methods and everything you’re doing.

‘But I’ve spoken to a lot of experienced cricketers, guys who have been dropped and come back and done really well. And they say the bottom line is that if you come back a better player, that’s all you can ask.’

Sport England is investing 1million Lottery funding in the Cricket Foundation’s ‘StreetChance supported by Barclays Spaces for Sports’ urban cricket initiative to help young adults stay in sport and stay away from crime and anti-social behaviour: www.streetchance.org

London 2012 Olympics: Mark Cavendish says David Millar will help him win gold

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Mark of approval: Cavendish backs shamed Millar to help him win gold

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UPDATED:

23:54 GMT, 12 June 2012

Mark Cavendish believes David Millar’s inclusion in Team GB’s road cycling team would give him the best chance of winning the first British gold medal at London 2012.

Millar is expected to be confirmed in the British men’s road race cycling squad today after deciding it would be ‘stupid and selfish’ to rule himself out of selection.

The Scot had written off the Games and booked a holiday in the West Country because he was subject to a lifetime Olympic ban after admitting taking the blood- boosting drug EPO in 2004 and serving a two-year suspension.

Easy riders: Sportsmail's Laura Williamson joins Mark Cavendish on a cycle through London

Easy riders: Sportsmail's Laura Williamson joins Mark Cavendish on a cycle through London

But the British Olympic Association’s hard stance against drug cheats was overturned in April, leaving Millar free to compete in London.

Cavendish said: ‘Dave’s one of the most experienced guys in the peloton. He loves bike racing. He knows how to race: tactically, technically and physically.

‘We don’t have radios in the Olympics and it’s hard to communicate. There are so many variables and that’s why I love it.

Key member: David Millar will be allowed to compete after the drug laws were reversed

Key member: David Millar will be allowed to compete after the drug laws were reversed

‘You have to make sure you know what’s coming and how to read a race and Dave’s the best at that.’

Millar, 35, acknowledged his return in a British vest — 12 years after his first Olympics — could provoke a ‘backlash’, but opted to make himself eligible for selection so he does not regret ‘letting the team down’.

He said: ‘It would have been much easier for me simply to not go — then all I would probably have got was a positive reaction from martyring myself.

Talking a good game: Cavendish speaks with Sportsmail's Laura Williamson

Talking a good game: Cavendish speaks with Sportsmail's Laura Williamson

‘But the biggest regret I could have is
to go on holiday, watch the road race on TV and see what a stupid,
selfish decision I had taken. We have an objective and that’s helping
Mark to win.’

Cavendish, 27, likened the sprint at the end of the 149-mile Olympic road race to ‘getting all 20 teams in the Premier League on the same pitch at the same time’ and telling them ‘all to score one goal on the 90-minute whistle’. His role is the ‘goal-scorer’ but Cavendish would be reliant on Millar and three other cyclists to deliver him in the best possible position to strike for gold 300m from the finish on The Mall.

Support: Cavendish is backed by girlfriend Peta Todd

Support: Cavendish is backed by girlfriend Peta Todd

The 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year said: ‘As a sprinter at the end of a race, my job is to put in a really high energy power, like 1600 watts, over short distances of 250m to 300m. But to be able to do that I have to be as fresh as I can. It’s the other guys’ job to do that.

‘They take the wind resistance for you. You’re in their slip stream and it saves your energy.’
As the ‘goal-scorer’, Cavendish will take the gold medal and the glory but believes ‘the five guys in the Olympic road race should get a medal’.

‘We’re proud to be British and we’re proud it’s going to be here and we’ve got the special guys to do it,’ he added.

Team Sky’s Mark Cavendish supports Sky Ride, a national campaign from British Cycling and Sky to get more people cycling regularly. For more information visit www.goskyride.com

Bradley Wiggins claims yellow jersey at Criterium du Dauphine

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Wiggins claims Dauphine yellow jersey despite Evans' stage one victory

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UPDATED:

16:36 GMT, 4 June 2012

Bradley Wiggins took the yellow jersey at the Criterium du Dauphine, narrowly ahead of stage one winner Cadel Evans.

The Team Sky rider had started the day in second place after a strong showing in Sunday's prologue and though he was a little off the pace in Monday's 187-kilometre stage to Saint-Vallier, his performance was enough to succeed Luke Durbridge in the race lead.

Yellow jersey: Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins is narrowly in the overall lead

Yellow jersey: Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins is narrowly in the overall lead

Leader of the pack: Wiggins

Evans, of BMC Racing, held off Saur-Sojasun's Jerome Coppel and Andrey Kashechkin of Astana in the final few metres to win the stage, four seconds clear of a peloton led home by Nacer Bouhanni.

Wiggins' group were a further 15 seconds back, but his total time for the two days was nonetheless a second quicker than that of Australian Evans.

Astana's Andriy Grivko lies third, while Edvald Boasson Hagen makes it two Team Sky riders in the top 10 in 10th.

Out in front: Australian Cadel Evans was the winner of stage one

Out in front: Australian Cadel Evans was the winner of stage one

Eoin Morgan risks Test future

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Morgan risks Test future by bench warming in the IPL

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UPDATED:

21:07 GMT, 28 April 2012

Eoin Morgan may be boosting his bank balance as he warms the bench with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, but he could be putting his long-term England future at serious risk by staying put.

Although the England Cricket Board awarded the Middlesex left-hander a full 12-month contract last September, he does not seem to be part of any immediate plans for the Test side.

Risking his future: Eoin Morgan

Risking his future: Eoin Morgan

England would only benefit from the
kind of experience Morgan could gain from playing in the IPL because the
next Twenty20 World Cup will be staged in Asia.

However, he has missed KKR's first
nine games and England now believe that Morgan would be better off
looking for Championship runs.

Tour of Britain route unveiled

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On your bikes! Tour of Britain route unveiled… and it's the longest ever

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UPDATED:

13:32 GMT, 26 April 2012

Tour of Britain organisers hope a summer of success for British cycling continues into the autumn after announcing a route which should see the tussle for victory go to the wire.

With Team Sky riders Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish seeking Tour de France success in July and Olympic success immediately afterwards, Britain's prospects on two wheels in 2012 are better than ever.

And the longest Tour of Britain yet at 1,349.9 kilometres, which begins on September 9 in Ipswich and ends a week later, could make it an Indian summer, with a battle for podium places until the finish in Guildford.

Let's go: Mark Cavendish has a long summer ahead of him

Let's go: Mark Cavendish has a long summer ahead of him

Race director Mick Bennett said: 'We've got a race of two halves.

'The initial first four stages are designed for the sprinter, rouleur-types, rather than the climbers.

'Then the race gradually builds – from Stoke-on-Trent, through Wales, Devon, all the way to the final day in Guildford – in severity.

'People may think the Devon stage is going to the decider, but we've gone right down to the wire this time with a stage in the Surrey Hills to Guildford.

'It's not for the faint-hearted, you'd be a fool if you threw everything at the Welsh and the Devon stage and wasted yourself prior to Guildford.

'The final climb of the whole race comes with about 25km to go, White Down. It's dreadful. It really is a horrible climb.

'If you're in yellow you're going to need to really defend vigorously on the final stage – it certainly won't be an exhibition stage.'

Cavendish could compete for the final time as the 2011 world champion and parade his rainbow jersey around the country in a race which can provide key preparation for the 2012 World Championships in Limburg, Holland the following week.

Asked about Cavendish's participation, Bennett said: 'I think it would be highly probable, but there's never a guarantee.'

For the first time since 2008, when the race finished in Liverpool as part of the city's European capital of culture celebrations, the event will end outside of London on a cobbled finish in Guildford.

Pack: Team Sky's Cavendish of Britain (left-right), team mate Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas

Pack: Team Sky's Cavendish of Britain (left-right), team mate Bradley Wiggins and Geraint Thomas

The final Surrey stage is different to the route for the Olympic road race which Cavendish is hoping to win on July 28.

There are challenges hosting a true Tour of Britain, featuring all regions of the country, while last year, for the first time, Hurricane-force winds forced the cancellation of a stage, leaving Bennett to become something of a meteorologist in the lead-up to this year's race.

In a packed calendar, the race has had to battle to retain a desirable date in the calendar, too.

As well as Cavendish and Wiggins, who took part in the event in 2010, there could be an opportunity to see some of Britain's track stars, who are vying for Olympic glory in August.

Team pursuit squad members Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh (both Team Sky), Ed Clancy, Andy Tennant (both Rapha Condor Sharp) and Steven Burke (Team IG-Sigma Sport) could all participate in the Tour, if selected by their teams.

Bennett, a team pursuit bronze medallist at the 1972 and 1976 Games, is amazed by the prospect of Britain clocking three minutes 50 seconds over 4km in London.

'It would be astonishing for them to do that and I'd dearly love to see it,' he said.

Cavendish outrage after fellow rider throws bottle causing him to crash at race in Belgium

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Cavendish outrage after fellow rider throws bottle causing him to crash at race in Belgium

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UPDATED:

17:28 GMT, 21 March 2012

World champion Mark Cavendish crashed at a one-day race in Belgium on Wednesday as a result of a bottle thrown by another rider.

Team Sky's Cavendish reiterated his belief riders should be licenced to compete after the incident at the Dwars door Vlaanderen race, which was won by Holland's Niki Terpstra (Omega Pharma-QuickStep).

Cavendish said on his Twitter account: '200km on Belgium's worst roads. All ok. 15km from finish, peloton's riding easy & a ******** throws a bottle in my front wheel. Crashed hard.

Anger: Cavendish has lashed out at one of his fellow riders

Anger: Cavendish has lashed out at one of his fellow riders

'Said it before: EVERYONE involved in a bike race should take a written & practical test to get licence. Bottle that crashed me was (from Russian team) Katusha.'

Cavendish was racing for the first time since not finishing the Milan-San Remo Classic last weekend and will bid for glory in the Gent-Wevelgem one-day race in Belgium on Sunday.

Back on track: Cavendish was racing for the first time since not finishing the Milan-San Remo Classic

Back on track: Cavendish was racing for the first time since not finishing the Milan-San Remo Classic

Team Sky sports director Steven de Jongh added: 'Unfortunately Cav had a crash but that can happen in any race. His shoulder is hurting but that's from the impact itself and he looks to be okay.

'We'll make absolutely sure that's still the case tomorrow morning.'

London 2012 Olympics: Drew Sullivan eyes win over USA in basketball warm-up in Manchester

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Team GB captain Sullivan plans shock win over US Dream Team in Manchester

Great Britain basketball captain Drew Sullivan is targeting a shock victory over the USA when the two sides face each other in a one-off game before the Olympics.

The Leicester Riders small forward, who has captained the national side since 2006, believes the match against the number one ranked side in the world will set a benchmark and prove how much Team GB has improved in recent years.

Great Britain picked up their first ever Eurobasket tournament victories last year against Portugal and Poland and Sullivan is hoping to push on further in the Olympic warm-up game which will be held in Manchester on July 19.

Dream team: British basketball stars Lauren Thomas-Johnson (L) and Drew Williams pose with USA legend Clyde Drexler to promote their forthcoming matches

Dream team: British basketball stars Lauren Thomas-Johnson (L) and Drew Williams pose with USA legend Clyde Drexler to promote their forthcoming matches

'I think it will be a good indication of where we are ahead of the Olympics,' said Sullivan.

'The USA team are ranked number one in the world and it's a good opportunity to play such a high profile game in England.

'We're not ignorant enough to think that we're up there with them but we know we're making huge strides every year.

'The level of talent at training camps for the national team has got better every year and it will continue to do so this year and in the years to come. I think the gap is definitely closing.

'Our goal isn't to close the gap. Our goal is to be as good as these teams on a regular basis and hopefully surpass them.'

Sullivan could be given the unenviable task of marking LA Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant, one of the best players in the world.

However, Sullivan, who captained the Mersey Tigers to a treble in 2010-11, is ready for the challenge.

'I've had the opportunity to mark some of the best players in Europe so why not mark the best player in the world' he said.

'It's going to be a huge challenge. To my mind, Kobe is the best player in the world at the moment. But you've got two choices – you either run away from the challenge or you stand up to it.

'Luckily I'm in a no-lose situation. If I get him to miss a couple of shots, I've done well.

Mad for it: Thomas-Johnson and Sullivan (R) hope to put on a performance before the Games

Mad for it: Thomas-Johnson and Sullivan (R) hope to put on a performance before the Games

'This is why we have these games. We could play against some lesser opponents and win by 20 to 30 points.

'We want to be tested to find out where we are. We want to play against the best teams in the world, the likes of Australia and the United States to give us an idea of where we are.'

Stockport-born Lauren Thomas-Johnson, who plays for Sheffield Hatters, also believes the GB women's team has made huge progress and can compete with the best in the world.

laura Williamson 2012 blog

The 23-year-old guard hopes to play in the women's game against the USA on July 18 after having limited involvement during last year's Eurobasket tournament.

'I think it will be good for the team,' Thomas-Johnson said.

'We played the Atlanta Dream here in Manchester last year and it's almost like we've got home advantage over the USA as we've been in the arena.

'We've improved a lot and I think we've grown a lot as a team.

'At Eurobasket 2011 we suffered a couple of losses which I think has helped us grow.

'We lost some games against some good teams by three, five, eight points and I think that's shocked us in a way and shown us we can play games against the best in the world and we can compete.

'It's really opened our eyes and really woken a few people up to who GB women's basketball is.'

The Great Britain men's and women's basketball teams play the USA at the Manchester Arena on July 18 and 19. For tickets visit:www.ticketmaster.co.uk or call +44 (0)844 847 8000

Samit Patel"s fit for England and Ravi Bopara"s in as Eoin Morgan pays the price

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Samit's fit for England: Patel and Bopara get the nod as Morgan pays the price

Eoin Morgan was put out of his misery by England when he was omitted from their Test squad for Sri Lanka and warned that he faces a long road back if he wants to play the ultimate game again.

Morgan became the first England batsman to be dropped from the Test side, with loyalty and continuity being watchwords of the Andy Flower regime, since Ravi Bopara during the 2009 Ashes.

Yet so bad has Morgan’s form been on the tour of Dubai and Abu Dhabi and so mentally shot did he look during the final Twenty20 game on Monday that it was a move England had to make.

Out of the picture: Eoin Morgan had a miserable tour of Abu Dhabi and Dubai

Out of the picture: Eoin Morgan had a miserable tour of Abu Dhabi and Dubai

The Irishman scored just 184 runs in 13 international innings against Pakistan and had a top score of 31 throughout the whole two-month tour as his struggles to establish himself as a Test batsman spilled over into his forte of limited-overs cricket.

And he will be unable to force his way back into contention with first-class runs for Middlesex in the early part of the summer if he presses ahead, as seems certain, with his plans to spend April and possibly most of May playing lucrative Twenty20 cricket with Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League.

Flower, the England team director, accepts that his players want to cash in on the IPL but he never wastes an opportunity to remind them that it may not do their international aspirations any good.

‘Morgan has got some work to do on his Test game but I think that will be difficult for him considering the next cricket he plays will be in the IPL,’ said Flower.

Caught short: Morgan hit a highest score of 31 in the Test series

Caught short: Morgan hit a highest score of 31 in the Test series

‘When he comes back from India he will have limited exposure to four-day cricket so he has to go away and give serious thought to his method in Test cricket. He has been severely tested by the Pakistan spinners here and has had a tough tour but I still think he has a very exciting future in Test cricket.

‘If he can get his game in order so that the next time he gets a Test chance he can grab it he will fulfil his career wishes and England will be a better team for it.’

It could be argued that if Morgan, at 25, really was serious about improving a Test record that has seen him score two centuries but average only 30 in 16 matches, then he should forget about the money in India and play in Middlesex’s first five Championship matches back in the first division.

Beneficiary: Ravi Bopara has been reinstated to the Test side

Beneficiary: Ravi Bopara has been reinstated to the Test side

Yet, equally, it is vital for England that he relocates his one-day mojo and if he finds form with Kolkata then that could be to Flower’s advantage when England defend their World Twenty20 title, also in Sri Lanka, in October.

For now it is Bopara who is most
likely to benefit from Morgan’s absence in the two-Test tour that begins
in 10 days, even though he will have competition for the final batting
place in the England side from Samit Patel.

The
inclusion of the uncapped Patel is the biggest indication yet that he
has convinced Flower of his dedication and that he can reach the fitness
levels demanded of him by a highly professional regime.

Patel
is a classy batsman and could offer England a decent fifth bowling
option with his left-arm spin, and it is good that an individual talent
whose face has often seemed not to fit with both players and management
appears to have been accepted at last.

‘The addition of Patel gives us the flexibility of playing three quicks, (Graeme) Swann and a left-arm spinning all-rounder or indeed he could be the fifth bowler in a two-and-two attack like we had here,’ said Flower.

‘He will be competing with Ravi at No 6.’

The biggest surprise in the 16-man party was the inclusion of Kent off-spinner James Tredwell ahead of young spinning bucks like Danny Briggs, Scott Borthwick and Adil Rashid, but it is a pragmatic selection that gives England the security of an experienced, solid operator who will provide cover for Swann.

Tredwell, 30, took six wickets on his only Test appearance against Bangladesh and was last seen performing commendably in the World Cup this time last year. He would let nobody down if he was called upon in Galle or Colombo.

‘I’m pretty sure Sri Lanka will provide spinning conditions for us and we think the off-spinning position is a very important one,’ said Flower.

Another string: All-rounder Samit Patel will give England options

Another string: All-rounder Samit Patel will give England options

‘Tredwell will be there in case Swann goes down with injury or illness but it is unlikely both will play.’

England’s biggest test will come again in their efforts against spin in the sub-continent and they signalled their intention not to get caught cold this time by confirming that seven of their players will fly to Colombo on March 5, five days ahead of the rest of the squad, for a training camp to combat spin.

Andrew Strauss, Ian Bell, Steven Davies, Patel, Matt Prior, Monty Panesar and Tredwell will all travel early under the supervision of new full-time batting coach Graham Gooch.

Their success against the slower men — and Sri Lanka post-Murali do not provide the threat of Saeed Ajmal and Pakistan — will go a long way towards deciding whether England can hit back after their 3-0 thrashing here and preserve their status as the best Test team in the world.

Ravi v Samit – the battle to take Eoin Morgan’s place in England’s side

Ravi Bopara

Strengths: One of the most naturally talented batsmen in England but in danger of becoming the Mark Ramprakash of his generation by not fulfilling his immense ability. Bopara once scored three Test hundreds in consecutive innings but was battered during the 2009 Ashes and has not been a first choice Test batsman since. Can wobble the seam around and get a bit of reverse swing and could fuflil the role of fifth bowler vacated by Paul Collingwood.

Weaknesses: The suspicion remains that he has a questionable temperament and Andy Flower never seems to have been totally convinced by him. The forgetful Bopara has not helped his cause by being late and leaving his passport at home ahead of a bonding trip but he reckons the puchase of an iPad has helped him organize his life – as long as he remembers to charge it up.

Chance: Ravi Bopara

Options: Samit Patel

Under watch: Bopara (left) appears not to have fully convinced Andy Flower about his temperament while question marks remain about Patel's fitness

Samit Patel

Strengths: Classy, wristy batsman who, as long ago as 2008, was considered good enough to play as a Test-batsman alone by the then captain Kevin Pietersen. Patel should thrive on the sub-continent while his left-arm spin, while not being good enough to be a frontline attacking option in Test cricket, is good enough for him to be considered a genuine fifth bowler in a balanced attack.

Weaknesses: The perennial question of his fitness levels and bulge has never really gone away even though he has looked trimmer and more athletic in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The question remains as to whether Patel, something of an individual, is properly accepted within the team – Graeme Swann is not exactly a bosom buddy for one but the England environment should be able to include and embrace the odd maverick.

Verdict: Bopara should start, not least because he was the spare Test batsman here and never got a chance, but it will not take much for Patel to start breathing down his neck. It is Ravi’s place to lose and Samit’s to win.

England's Sri Lanka tour: the facts