Lukas Rosol- wow.

Can anyone quite believe what they have just seen? Definition of an underdog rising to the challenge! 90 miles per hour groundstrokes, games full of aces, unbelievable energy and confidence: a player of sustained brilliance.

You could feel the tension between the two players on court. The Czech waving his racket around like a wand, jogging back to his chair, playing at a fast pace- he was getting under the no.2's skin. Nadal looking up to Uncle Tony in despair, playing his usual consistent tennis but nothing was working against the world's no.100!! I know there have been many classics in recent years at Wimbledon with the 2007 final between Rafa and Roger springing to mind but none with quite this level of shock factor.

Nadal knocked out in the second round

After the marathon first set tie-break, Nadal looked on course to reach the third round edging it 11-9. However, immediately it was clear that Rosol had different ideas on his mind. Playing in his first Wimbledon, he broke the Spaniards serve in the opening game of the second set and produced an awe inspiring selection of winners from all over the court. The question on many peoples lips at this point: could this player keep up this sort of intensity? The answer was yes. Nadal unable to subdue Rosol in both the second and third sets, he dug in to break serve at the start of the fourth set to level the match at 2 sets a piece. With the light fading fast, officials decided to close the Centre Court roof to enable the match to be finished. After a half-hour delay the players returned to the court to an ecstatic and roaring response. Rosol immediately broke Nadal's serve as he continued to subject the world number two to a barrage of aces and outrageous winners eventually taking the final and decisive set 6-4. He had done it. 

"a miracle"

One of my initial reactions towards Rosol: is this guy taking something to enhance his performance? Purely to my disbelief that he was able to sustain such a high level of tennis and utterly smashing Nadal off the court- an extremely rare site to behold. Unbelievably, this is the first time that Rafa has lost before the third round of a grand slam since he was beaten by Gilles Mueller in the second round at Wimbledon in 2005. But this time to a gutsy Czech with no single titles to his name!
So moving onto the next part of Lukas's journey where he will face Philipp Kolshieber who funnily enough beat Nadal this year in the Gerry Weber Open. The German is ranked number 27  in the world but clearly rankings are nothing when Rosol is involved! 
For British fans tonight's result could be good news for Murray as Nadal was definitely seen as the biggest threat in his half of the draw. Now, the anticipation awaits to see whether Rosol is in fact the real deal or a one hit wonder. Nonetheless I don't know about you, but I still can't quite believe the tennis match I have just witnessed!

Hockey's where the heart is.

Ironically, I have found this the hardest post to write so far! In the UK, media attention surrounding the wonderful sport of field hockey has been ever increasing in the build up to the London Olympics. For Team GB there have been big sponsorship deals, televised games and even a visit from the Duchess of Cambridge herself!

Personally, I can write more in depth on the female teams. The womens GB side has seen a great wealth of success this year in the run up to the Olympics, winning silver at the Champion's Trophy and winning the Visa International Invitational Hockey Tournament on home turf. It is clear already that the Argentinians are a good exciting match up for the Brits! Their latest result in the London Investec Cup is perhaps not the most convincing by not reaching the semis but the team had a few key players missing due to injury. The team is composed of a majority of English players, one Welsh but also an impressive representation of Scots including the talented Abi Walker, Emily Maguire, Laura Bartlett and not forgetting Vikki Bunce as a part of the extended training squad. On a personal note, I have had the privilege of playing along side Bartlett and her sister with my former club and seen first hand the sacrifice, determination and willingness she has given to reach such heights in this sport- an inspiration. From watching Maguire she has been very reliable and solid in defence usually at left back which is regarded as one of the more challenging positions in hockey. A key player for the team is their captain Kate Walsh with nearly 200 caps for England and just over 100 caps for GB, she definitely holds a lot of experience and knowledge which she can bring to London.

Closer to home, it is another competition packed summer for many of our national teams. The major event for many of the Scottish senior players and up and coming juniors is Glasgow hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014. Like many sports, it is a long term training programme and preparation process that athletes stick to so that they can produce their best performances at these major events. This summer sees the senior woman side in action with a friendly against Ireland and the Celtic Cup tournament. Recently the senior woman hosted South Africa at my old club's fantastic new pitch in a five game encounter. This was an opportunity for the head coach, Gordon Shepherd, to give international debuts to some of his younger players. These included Ali Howie, Nicki Skrastin, Sarah Robertson and Kerry Hall. South Africa preparing for the Olympics in August are a strong physical side which allowed the youngsters in particular the chance to step up and compete.  The senior woman have been blessed with a core group of very committed and talented players over recent years. One of the teams key players, Linda Clement, embodies awesome skill, speed and awareness on the pitch which is shown by her 174 caps so far for Scotland. Again, this year I have been lucky enough to play along side many of these players at club level and pick up tips and advice from the best. To look to the future past the Games, it will be the responsibility of the younger less experienced players to keep competing for positions and striving to be the best.

GB champions at Games test

Finishing on an Olympic note, hopefully the pink turf will work in GB's favour! #teamGB


GB Olympic Squad

Ashleigh Ball (Brighton, Cheltenham, 26) Laura Bartlett (Glasgow, 23)Crista Cullen (Boston, London, 26) Alex Danson (Southampton, Odiham, 26) Hannah Macleod (Huntingdon, 27) Emily Maguire (Paisley, 23) Anne Panter (Wellingborough, 28) Helen Richardson (Hitchin, West Bridgford, 30) Chloe Rogers (Great Dunmow, 27) Beth Storry (Reading, 32) Sarah Thomas (Merthyr Tydfil, 31) Georgie Twigg (Lincoln, 21)Laura Unsworth (Sutton Coldfield, 24) Kate Walsh (Stockport, 32) Sally Walton (Solihull, 30) Nicola White (Oldham, 24) Two reserve athletes are:Natalie Seymour (Maidstone, 25) Abi Walker (Glasgow, 30).

Tour de France-Sky's the limit.

In one week, Bradley Wiggins will begin his journey that could see him become the first Briton in history to win this world famous event. Even he couldn't have imagined being the favourite for the yellow jersey four years ago. To reach this position he has shown a combination of his improved physical prowess with being a part of the strongest Sky team ever, currently ranked number one in UCI rankings. Thirdly, with the banned Alberto Contador out of the competition and an injured Andy Schleck, the raining champion Cadel Evans racing for BMC is perhaps his main  and only threat. Wiggins is entering the Tour in remarkable form after winning the eight stages of Dauphiné aided by excellent support work from his team; Michael Rogers, Richie Porte, Chris Froome, Konstantin Siutsou, Christian Knees, Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel, and not forgetting BBC Sports Personality of the Year Mark Cavendish.

Tour de France route 2012

It is clear that the main focus of this pool of cyclists is Wiggins winning the Tour but Cavendish still has the support of certain team members for his nail biting sprint finishes. The Isle of Man sprinter has voiced his main focus on achieving Olympic glory this year, but he will still be looking to add to his 20 stage wins and defending his green jersey. Throughout the mountainous stages Rogers, Porte, Siutsou, Knees and Froome will be the main supporting pack in the peleton for Wiggins after successful past performances working together. The making of this Sky team really has been a long process attempting to extract the best individual performances possible from all these riders and culminating them into a strong team effort. A sport often the focal point of worldwide drama from drug cheating allegations to horrific crashes, this year UK fans will be hoping the big story is the crowning of a British champ- no pressure Brads!

One day I hope to make it to the Tour to run alongside the cyclists in a crazy costume but for now I can settle with a memory from my year in France. En route to a ski holiday in Vaujany, we past through a very small village called Le Bourg d'Oisans which lies at the bottom of the road up to Alpe d'Huez. Dropped off outside the village hotel immediately I spotted jerseys on its  balconies and indeed the Tour does often pass through the village. 
To love cycling can be described in a way to love geography and different regions and Le Tour de France certainly ticks all these boxes.

Allezzzzzzzzzz

A hat-trick for the boys down under?

The biggest concern with the male Scotland Rugby Union Team has always been their consistency. More often than not, three different scenario's unfold : the team pull off a miraculous one-off win against a top team; they are leading a match narrowly going into half time and then don't turn up in the second half or scenario three losing to a pretty average team. Nonetheless their supporters rally in their droves to Murrayfield and all over the world in particular when up against the auld enemy!

Tomorrow the team will be on the brink of making history, with these summer tour matches being the best results seen from the Scots in recent years. After upsetting world no.2 Australia by winning 9-6 with a penalty kick from Greig Laidlaw in added time to seal the deal, Andy Robinson will be looking for the same determination and courage from the team shown in that match. Heres hoping torrential rain is planned for the Samoan forecast and perhaps no similar antics from Ansbro and Strokosch! 

A Glasgow kiss!

The Scots followed up this positive start with an impressive 37-25 win over Fiji where two tries were scored by the dutch-born wing Tim Visser on his international debut- can only be promising! Further international debuts have been given to Tom Brown, Tom Ryder, Ryan Grant and Matt Scott all a mix of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh Rugby up and coming players.

A further potential Scotland debut could be on the cards for the 22 year old Glasgow player, Rob Harley, who has been named on the bench. The line up sees three changes from the previous game, one being the replacement of John Barclay by Richie Vernon due to wedding planning for his wedding next month- must be a big doo. The Samoans are renowned for their physicality and are strong in set pieces.  Unfortunately, weather conditions are looking more hot and humid than wet and windy but if the Scots are strong and disciplined in their defence and accurate in their clear outs then it should make for a close contest.

Now it is time to get behind the boys because if they win tomorrow in Apia it will be only the second time that they have enjoyed a winning tour in the southern hemisphere! There is no TV coverage of the match but can be followed by Twitter updates from @Scotlandteam. And so here are the line ups:

Samoa: Faatonia Autagavaia; Paul Perez, Fautua Otto, Paul Williams, David Lemi (capt), Tusi Pisi, Kahn Fotualii; Sakaria Taulafo, Tii Paulo, Census Johnston, Faatiga Lemalu, Daniel Crichton, Benjamin Masoe, Maurie Faasavalu, K Thompson. Replacements: Wayne Ole Avei, Logovii Mulipola, Io Sefa Tekori, Afa Aiono, Jeremy Sua, Ki Anufe, Lolo Lui.

Scotland : Stuart Hogg; Sean Lamont, Nick De Luca, Matt Scott, Tim Visser; Greig Laidlaw, Chris Cusiter; Ryan Grant, Ross Ford (capt), Euan Murray, Al Kellock, Richie Gray, Al Strokosch, Ross Rennie, Richie Vernon. Replacements: Scott Lawson, Geoff Cross, Tom Ryder, Rob Harley, Mike Blair, Duncan Weir, Max Evans.

Mon the Scots!

Pimms o'clock

With the draw upon us tomorrow, the rankings have been decided and no real surprises with the men top four for Wimbles ; Djoko, Rafa, Feds and Muzza. Wimbledon has to be the one time in the year where you actually remember it is summer in Britain as our weather doesn't seem to lend any favours.  Last year the woman's game saw the rise of the young Czech star Kvitova with her hard hitting ground strokes dominating Sharapova.  But with Maria following on from great form from Roland Garros and seeded number one will this be her time to regain the title for the first time since her break through as a 17 year old.

Unsurprisingly all media attention however begins to swarm around our male British number one. A very disappointing first round knock out for Andy at Queens but with all the controversy of this year's final it has perhaps done him justice with the media pressure. For me, the biggest question is whether he beleives this year he can beat the three men ranked above him. In fact, I have no doubt he does but will his temprement stay true. Often letting him down in games- his erratic shouting to his box, his racket and at himself. If he could channel these emotions and focus more on the job in hand would he be able to get through these sticky patches and win? Perhaps also the consistency of his first serve needs to be looked at when his temper strays. Nonetheless he is our best chance with the rest of the British contingent in as wild cards ; James Ward, Jamie Baker, Josh Goodall and Oliver Golding. 

Me and my best friend at Centre Court

Looking at the British woman; Laura Robson, Elena Baltacha, Anne Keothavong, Heather Watson, Johanna Konta and potentially a few successful wild cards. This Wimbledon line up is perhaps the most promising British woman's tennis has seen for a while purely with regards to their depth in numbers. Here's hoping some of them make an impact past the first few rounds as I am sure there is definitely no lack of support behind them all!

C'mon Murray!

England into 1/4's

I know I'm the other side of the border but what was the goal linesman even looking at? The posts paint work? They never seem to make a decision. In my opinion, no more evidence required for goal line technology and introducing video replays to stop all the tit tat over penalties. 

However, congratulations is due to Engerland on reaching the quarter finals against Italy! (who I hope they beat by the way for knocking us out of the qualifiers with a set play that shouldn't have been given - not.bitter.at.all.) Listening to the ITV pundits, Steven Gerrard was the stand out player, Rooney was a bit rusty and sheer determination from Terry to not give up on that clearance.  Roy Hodgson made perhaps predictable substitutions but effective in giving players the chance to recover for the coming game and to allow each to make as much of an impact when on the field. For example, first long ball to Andy Carroll showed his strength in the air, physical presence and holding up of play that he can bring to the team.
Sweden versus France group match seemed to be dominated by the sheer brilliance of Ibrahimovic and that outstanding finish. The French not quite turning up and now facing the European champions in their quarter final encounter : what a match that could be. 

Guess what team I'm supporting!

So with all group matches finished, the quarter finals are set in stone and here are my predictions:
Czechs won't be able to cope with Portuguese forward line especially Ronaldo but with Cech in goal and the team tipped one of tournament underdogs.Portugal 1-0.
Surely Germany 3 Greece 0.
Perhaps the most evenly matched quarter final but Spain know how to win when not on top of their game but the French do have many experienced players too but susceptible to "off" days. Spain 2-1.
The English seem to be growing in confidence but the Italians are full of quality and often luck in their favour. But it seems England have been receiving all lucky charms lately. England 1 Italy 0

What are yours?

Forca Portugal!

Take Two- better get running!

Procrastination appears to be at its best from my dissertation research and job searches. I can already feel the sickness and butterflies appearing in my stomach on the start line- why do you always get this before a race even if it is just for fun. I'm not too sure I can call the Great Scottish Run fun but definitely rewarding nonetheless.

Last year's race seems a life time ago, 2hrs 2mins was my finishing time which I felt was pretty impressive after a year of baguettes, croissants et beaucoup du vin rouge à Lyon. The picture below depicts desperation to reach the nearing finishing line tinged with agonising feet on fire! However, my entry form has been sent off and now its time to mentally prepare myself to get in shape for the 13. something miles in under 3 months time! 

First stop= training schedule

This is where I need some help from you- if anyone has any tips on surviving long runs and useful training schedules- leave me a comment!!

2011 Great Scottish Run

COUNTDOWN WIDGETS

Olympic Torch - a piece of history

Here she comes!

Touch down from a relaxing week in the Portuguese sun, I was soon reminded by family to check out the street party being held in our area that day. Festivities not for the Diamond Jubilee but for the passing of the Olympic Torch through Giffnock. All ready to go, I got into my car, turned on the engine and my car sort of slumped!! Left back wheel unable to function, I had to ditch that plan, break into a jog and join the hurrying families moving towards the Olympic stretch. 

Crowds lining the streets

I swear in my life, I have never ever seen such big crowds in Giffnock.  There was a sense of excitement and anticipation expressed by a variety of ages but in particular the children. Myself and my cousins positioned ourselves up high on a garden wall awaiting the arrival of the parade.  First to appear were the enthusiastic sponsors attempting to get the reserved southside residents wooping. Typically the biggest response was heard when a City Sprinter occupied by a confused passenger made its way through the crowds on his bus route home!

The moment came as the girl with the flame arrived, beaming with pride to pass the message on to the following torch bearer. An experience I will never witness in my life time again in my own country let a lone my own neighbourhood. Raring to go, Hannah set off on her Olympic path welcomed with a warm reception. 

I could not help but feel extremely jealous of this moment she had been given and wished it could have been me! My coach had been given this same opportunity which soon made me understand the amount of hard work and dedication he has given to sport to achieve such a honour. Another torch bearer, a talented friend of mine who has had to overcome severe leg injuries to get back onto the ski slopes, again highlighting the desire and courage this torch represents.

This Friday afternoon is one I will never forget and I will cherish it as me being a small part of the London 2012 Olympics!

Passing on the flame