Issue 281 | November 9 2012

the winterSportS iSSue

2012-13 Your guide to the new

season: where to go and the gear to take with you

“A SHARP, BRUTAL AND COMPELLING EXPERIENCE”THE GUARDIAN

“THE BEST CALL OF DUTY MULTIPLAYER TO DATE”VG247

“THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE

AND THRILLING CALL OF DUTY YET”

THE SUN

“A CULT SMASH”NUTS

Radar

05 Dirty washing in public See the pictures that have cleaned up at the World Press Photo 2012 exhibition

07 Ski like Bond With Oakley’s high-tech Airwave Goggles. But without the Union Jack parachute 08 Save Real Oviedo... ... from liquidation. More Juan Matas depend on it, probably o this coming weekFeatures

17 Winter wonderland We bring you the perfect pistes on which to ski and snowboard till spring, with help from MadDogSki 38 Pam Thorburn The British ski-cross champion talks exclusively about her Olympic medal hopes for 2014

54 Chris Robshaw We speak to England’s leading man ahead of his side’s run of autumn internationals

57 Steven Finn The England fast bowler has Tendulkar, Kohli and the rest of India’s batsmen in his sights

Extra Time

70 Grooming We tell you where to go for a stylish Movember: Gillette’s The Best a Mo Can Get barbers

72 Heather Weir It only took a move from Glasgow to Staffordshire for this model WAG to show up on our radar

74 Gadgets Achieve Quagmire-style lighting with the Philips Hue. Giggity 76 Entertainment We pick up Call of Duty Black Ops II – and an arsenal of futuristic weaponry, to boot

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issuE 281, novEmbER 9 2012

| November 9 2012 | 03

ow’s this for a Daz Doorstep

Challenge? Mrs Crowley cannot have

been a happy woman when her son

Conor (pictured, with the ball) came home

caked head to toe in cloying Irish mud.

Still, this soaked scene from an All-Ireland

League rugby union game makes for a

cracking photo – so good, in fact, that it was

one of the winners in the sports category at

the 2012 World Press Photo awards.

Radar p08 – Virat Kohli : the numbers that have England worried

p07 – Power up to the Truckasaurus in F1 Race Stars

p10 – Olympian autobiographies: it must be nearly Christmas

H

Laundry night

| November 9 2012 | 05

Taken by photographer Ray McManus, it’s one of more than

100,000 entries for the prestigious contest across a number of

categories. This shot picked up second prize in the singles category,

which must have made standing by the side of the pitch in the driving

February rain almost worth it for McManus.

A selection of snaps, both sporting and otherwise, is on display this

week at Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank. It’s totally free,

so you have nothing to lose – certainly, it’s a very cheap date.

World Press Photo 2012, Royal Festival Hall, November 9-27.

Visit southbankcentre.co.uk for more information

Shadows run amok at the World Aquatics

Championships in China, in another

prize-winning shot from the awards.

Think Peter Pan, but with more Speedos

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*Call Of Duty: Black Ops II available from participating hmv stores, including Oxford Circus (150 Oxford Street) from 00.01am on Tuesday 13 November.

Title, price and offer subject to availability, while stocks last.**‘Pay nothing’ offer refers to zero payment when the trade in value of the two selected

hmv most wanted titles is deducted from the retail price of the game Call Of Duty: Black Ops II on XBOX 360 or PS3. Offer ends 22 November.

See in-store or at hmv.com for full terms and conditions of our trade-in games offers. †Zombie Strategy guide subject to availability while stocks last. © 2012 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION and CALL OF DUTY are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners.

when you trade in any two of

our most wanted titles**

paynothing

offi cial midnight launch at Oxford StreetMonday 12 November*

£42.99 or

for details see in-store or atavailable on XBOX 360, PS3

+ get a free exclusive mini Zombies Strategy Guide†

doors open at 10pm• goody bags & give-aways

• live demos & gameplay previews�

• signing by Treyarch developers

• game available from midnight

# BlackOps2

Sci-fi skiing

Radar

The 21st track

e can’t tell you how many times

we’ve yawned our way through F1

snoozefests just longing for a banana

skin, sinkhole or tactical missile strike to liven

up the action a bit. Fortunately, Codemasters

have delivered exactly that in F1 Race Stars,

a Mario Kart-inspired cartoon racer that will

have Bernie Ecclestone reaching for his

notebook. The game owes a lot to the

moustachioed Italian polymath, as we all do, in

terms of visual style and the power-up system

– which includes things such as calling in the

Safety Car to hold up other drivers, or calling

rain to hover over the leader.

Eleven tracks have been lovingly recreated,

with the addition of loop-the-loops, jumps and

giant robotic dinosaurs – as you can see in the

exclusive screen shot below (middle), based

on next weekend’s race in Austin, Texas.

So, a friendly warning to Vettel and co –

best keep the racing lively, or next year you

might have Truckasaurus to contend with.

F1 Race Stars, out Friday November 16

on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U, £30

W

f you’re one of those ludicrous

people who exists only in action films

and energy drink adverts, you can

now check your messages on the slopes with

Oakley’s high-tech Airwave Goggles.

A clever heads-up display built into the

lenses means that information floats in front

of your eyes – and, thanks to Bluetooth and

GPS, there’s a wealth of it at your disposal.

The goggles tell you your speed and jump

statistics; and, if you pair them with the

official iPhone app, you can control your music

and read text messages. It’s a spy-worthy bit

of kit, although we worry it might be quite

distracting. We don’t mean to go all Q on you,

007, but keep an eye out for trees, won’t you?

Oakley Airwave Goggles, £500,

store.apple.com/uk

I

GPS, Bluetooth, laser guided missiles

Taking acid on race day proved to be a bad idea

| November 9 2012 | 07

08 | November 9 2012 |

Radar

Rescue mission

Virat Kohli by numbers

e turned 24 this

week, but what do

the numbers tell us

about India’s most dangerous

young batsman before he

faces England next week?

H

e dread to think of the amount

of brainpower that talented

engineers and scientists expend

on the task of propelling a tiny ball

accurately towards a hole. On the plus side,

it means there’s always new gear for

golfers to goggle at, and the best of it is

showcased at the London Golf Show 2012.

And if that’s not enough, the first 500

people to turn up with a copy of Sport get

in for free! What are you waiting for? Run!

London Golf Show 2012, November 9-11,

Earls Court. Visit londongolfshow.com

panish striker Michu has scored six goals already

for Swansea this season, and cost canny Michael

Laudrup just £2m. And it’ll take only slightly more

than that to save the club that spawned him, Juan Mata

and Santi Cazorla from liquidation.

Yes, it’s all gone a bit tits up at Real Oviedo. Languishing

in the third tier of Spanish football, the club – formed in

1926 – have another eight days to raise the €2.5m they

need to stave off the liquidator. One hashtag later

(#SOSRealOviedo) and a campaign to save the much-loved

club (which still has 15,000 season-ticket holders) is well

under way. Fans and well-wishers can buy shares in the

team from just €10.75 until November 17, and foreign

fans who get involved get free entry to games if they’re

ever in Oviedo. So if you’re a Swansea, Chelsea or Arsenal

fan enthralled by the performances of your Spanish star,

then get your wallet out. It’s the least you could do.

More information – in English – at bit.ly/U3rHr6

W

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Par for the Court

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3,000Became fastest Indian batsman to 3,000 ODI

runs in February 2012, taking 75 innings.

Graeme Gooch is England’s quickest, in 76

62.6Kohli’s Test batting

average so far in 2012

(501 runs in five Tests)

19Captained India as they won

the Under-19 World Cup in

Malaysia 2008, beating

South Africa in the final557Kohli was the second highest

run-scorer in the 2011 IPL,

behind only his Bangalore

teammate Chris Gayle 36.78Test batting average against

pace bowlers (as opposed

to 57.50 against spin) in his

10 Test matches so far

$15MEstimated net worth

of Kohli, who has

deals with Fastrack,

PepsiCo, TVS and

‘Flying Machines’

(search us)

112Highest score against

England, in an ODI in

Delhi in October 2011.

Next week will be his

first Test against them

Edge-to-edge blockbusters.

Edge-to-edge performance.

Edge-to-edge speed.

Games and applications are downloadable in Google Play for an additional cost. MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. ©2012 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved.

Say hello to the full-screen phone.Introducing the powerful

Motorola RAZRTM i with Intel Inside®.

Medal memoirs

10 | November 9 2012 |

Radar

High rollers

an you turn £100,000 into a cool £1m

in just 10 days? Almost certainly not.

Because if you could, you definitely

wouldn’t be sitting here reading this. If you’d like

to have a bash, though, check out BetDash.com,

a new site from bookmakers Paddy Power that

gives you a virtual £100k and 10 days of sports

betting to turn it into £1m.

You can play for free, or stick some money

in the pot and win five times your stake if you

manage to make it to £1m. There are innovations

borrowed from the world of gaming, too, with

leaderboards and groups so you can challenge

your mates and unlock bonuses. It’s a refreshing

take on sports betting, and definitely worth

checking out.

C

t’s stocking-filler season, so the Olympic cash-ins are

hitting the shelves with roughly the same frequency as

medals hit British necks during the actual Games. This

week, in particular, seems to be the Super Saturday of Olympic

autobiographies, with the inspirational stories of Bradley Wiggins,

Jessica Ennis and Sebastian Coe adding to Chris Hoy’s ode to

Bran Flakes, an updated version of which came out last month.

These books offer a fascinating insight into the lives of the

people whose successes shaped our sporting summer, and a

chance to look back fondly. Just one question remains: where did

they all find the time to sit down and write these weighty tomes

themselves? It’s taken us 45 minutes just to write this. All out now

I

BetDash.com gives you a virtual £100k and 10 days to try and gamble it into a million. To our readers in

the City - be a bit more careful this time, alright?

12 | November 9 2012 |

Radar Editor’s letter

Editor-in-chief

Simon Caney

@simoncaney

Sport magazine

Part of UTV Media plc

18 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ

Telephone: 020 7959 7800

Fax: 020 7959 7942

Email: firstname.lastname@

sport-magazine.co.uk

Editorial

Editor-in-chief: Simon Caney (7951)

Deputy editor: Tony Hodson (7954)

Associate editor: Nick Harper (7897)

Art editor: John Mahood (7860)

Deputy art editor: William Jack (7861)

Digital designer: Chris Firth (7624)

Subeditor: Graham Willgoss (7431)

Senior writers: Sarah Shephard (7958),

Alex Reid (7915)

Staff writers: Mark Coughlan (7901),

Amit Katwala (7914)

Picture editor: Julian Wait (7961)

Production manager: Tara Dixon (7963)

Contributors: David Lawrenson, Hannah

Engelkamp, Mark Richardson, Stevie

Lewis, Doug Rankine

Commercial

Agency Sales Director: Iain Duffy (7991)

Business Director: Kevin O’Byrne (7832)

Advertising Manager: Steve Hare (7930)

New Business Sales Executive:

Hayley Robertson (7904)

Distribution Manager: Sian George (7852)

Distribution Assistant: Makrum Dudgeon

Head of Online: Matt Davis (7825)

Head of Communications:

Laura Wootton (7913)

Managing Director: Adam Bullock

PA to Managing Director:

Sophia Koulle (7826)

Colour reproduction: Rival Colour Ltd

Printed by: Wyndeham Group Ltd

© UTV Media plc 2012

UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for

the content of advertisements placed in

Sport magazine

£1 where sold

Hearty thanks this week to: Alasdair

Wallace, Jack Daniels, Michelle Blair

Don’t forget: Help keep public transport clean and tidy for everyone by taking your copy of Sport away with you when you leave the bus or train.

LAUNCH OFTHE YEAR

2008

Total Average Distribution: 305,676 Jan-Jun 2012

www.sport-magazine.co.uk

@sportmaguk

facebook.com/sportmagazine

G olfers have a responsibility to their sponsors,” said HSBC’s Giles Morgan last week. “Without the sponsors there isn’t professional golf. I speak

on behalf of the industry.”Morgan, global head of sponsorship at

the bank, may need Rory McIlroy and Tiger

Woods more than they need him. They didn’t

play in last week’s WGC-HSBC Champions

event in China – and Morgan, while speaking

in conciliatory tones, was clearly furious.

“We are delighted to have 13 of the

world’s top 20 here, but of course we’re

disappointed not to have the two top

players in the world,” he added. “Both have

sent me apologies, but this is an event

which should be regarded by all players,

as it is by the tours and the media, as one

of the top events in the world.”

Now, McIlroy and Woods are perfectly

at liberty to decide when and where they

want to play. But, almost rubbing salt

in the wound, they had been in China

only the previous week for a pointless

two-man exhibition match before then

flying off.

And those two don’t exactly need the

money: Woods is on his way to becoming a

billionaire, while McIlroy, if reports are to

be believed, has this week signed a £160m

sponsorship deal himself. So perhaps they

don’t care whether the likes of HSBC fund

tournaments or not. They should, because

Morgan makes a valid point. The whole

sport would disappear into the ether were

it not for the sponsors – who, when they

invest a sum such as HSBC did last week,

can reasonably expect the best players to

at least turn up.

At least Ian Poulter’s great victory

meant they weren’t missed. But McIlroy

and Woods might want to rethink their

schedules next year.

Can’t help but feel sorry for Craig Levein, fired as boss of Scotland this week.While a manager has to take responsibility for results, he can work only with the players at his disposal – and Levein didn’t have rich pickings. It’s depressing to see what has happened to Scottish football. They firmly believed they were going to win the World Cup in 1978, but now the country that gave us Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish can’t win a raffle. Shame.

A big 18 months or so for English cricket

starts on Thursday, when the Test series

against India gets under way. It is going

to be unbelievably tough. Who will

establish themselves as Alastair Cook’s

opening partner? Will Kevin Pietersen be

fully reintegrated into the side? Will

Jonny Bairstow or Samit Patel cement

the number six spot? Lots of questions,

in a very tough environment, and all with

two Ashes series on the horizon...

Show me the money It’s sometimes a dirty word, but sport needs sponsors and their filthy lucre

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

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A rich man’s world: for McIlroy and Woods, it’s

practically a family motto

Reader comments of the week

@simoncaney good work

defending the number of

women in the power list.

Reality is reality. No point

pretending.

@Manda_SW

Twitter

@simoncaney put rugby

referees into football and

see what happens when a

player swears. Yellow

card, no nonsense.

Introduce the sin bin?

@CharlieRiggall

Twitter

@simoncaney just read

your comment in Sport

about refs. Damn right.

Tired of seeing refs

tolerate dissent. Send em

off then they’ll learn.

@vexedcyclist

Twitter

Good article in

@sportmaguk today about

how twitter & sport have

become inextricably

linked & what this means

for fans.Good work

@robindthomas

Twitter

A cracking @Sportmaguk

today! Not only a

wonderful piece with

@HitmanHatton, but also

a quality @dembabafoot

feature. I doff my hat, guys.

@NickHartwell1

Twitter

Free iPad app available on Newsstand

Cover of the Year

14 | November 9 2012 |

Frozen in time

| 15

Enter sandmanAfter being stripped of his seven Tour de

France titles and banned from ever cycling

on solid ground again by the UCI, here we see

Lance Armstrong reduced still further to the

status of a clown. He knows full well you can’t

cycle on shifting sand. But what choice does

he have? Because not even he would believe

he can cycle on water. In reality, because

we know you’re wondering, this is actually

Belgium’s Tom Meeusen making a dog’s dick

of it in the Superprestige in Zonhoven duri...

no, you’re right. Let’s just turn the page. Da

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| November 9 2012 | 17

Winter Sports 2012

SlopeS and gloryNovember is here again, and that can mean only one thing – it’s time for our annual winter sports special. Just the 18 pages for you in 2012, as we pick out the British athletes to keep an eye on ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympics, speak to national ski-cross champion Pam Thorburn, feature all the latest winter sports gear and identify some of the best-value ski gadgets out there.

First up, though, is our round-up of ski

and snowsport destinations – and this

year we’re concentrating on the big ones:

the giant areas and favourite resorts

that have long had a place in the hearts

of the British skier. Every summer, these

big old dogs get busy innovating and

renovating in time to bark all about their

new tricks from the mountaintops by the

time winter rolls around. So read on as

Hannah Engelkamp of MadDogSki.com

runs through the best of the new

innovations from all the old favourites,

from cow fighting to cowboy racing, ski

lift wifi to international exchanges, and

raging apres to silent discos... >Da

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18 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

Seven thousand feet up in the Colorado Rocky

Mountains is Steamboat, a resort beloved of

Brits and turning 50 this season. On January 12

1963, the resort officially opened, boasting a

double chairlift and a single warming house.

They made $13.75 that day.

These days, particularly after the $30m

investment in recent years, the resort is

somewhat more established – and in the

interim it has trademarked its notably fluffy

snow, calling it Champagne Powder.

Steamboat is an old cowboy town, and many

of their tourist-tempting ideas stem from this

heritage. This year marks a century of their

winter carnival, which was started to convince

the locals that skiing – initially used to get about

for work – could be fun too. Expect ski-joring

(being towed down the street on your skis by a

cowboy on a horse), the high school marching

band on skis (America’s only example), and more

than 100 professional rodeo riders charging

down the mountain in the Cowboy Downhill. Most

of them don’t ski and haven’t yet learned to stop...

New trick

Steamboat also does pretty well for Winter

Olympians – it produces more than any other

town in the United States (79 so far, since

you ask). One of these is Billy Kidd, a slalom

silver-medallist from the 1964 Innsbruck

Games and 70 years old in April. He skis in his

stetson and gives free ski lessons to visitors.

If skiing cowboys isn’t enough, and you want

a double culture shock, here’s a new idea: go on

a 10-day holiday with Ski Safari, who give you

three days as a stopover in Reykjavik, Iceland.

NASA predicts that 2012 has the brightest

Northern Lights in 50 years, and Iceland in

winter is a particularly likely place to spot

them. Fly from London, Manchester or Glasgow

to Denver, via Reykjavik, for less than flying

direct, with a soak in the geothermal spas and

a Northern Lights tour included. Prices start

at £1,345 per person.

SteambOat, USaWild West meets Northern Lights

Need to know

Size 2,965 acres* of pisteAltitude

2,103m-3,224mGood for...

Friendly American hospitalityWebsite

steamboat.com

*American resorts measure

their piste in square rather

than linear area – so acres

rather than kilometres, as

with European destinations

| 19

Old favourite

La Plagne and Les Arcs are neighbouring

resorts that have long enjoyed a steady stream

of British guests. Both are a mixture of old

farming hamlets and 1960s purpose-built

ski villages, providing a choice of charm or

convenience depending on your priorities.

In 2003 the two resorts were joined by the

huge, double-decker Vanoise Express lift, which

takes just four minutes to span the 2km gap.

The new 400km linked area was branded as

Paradiski. Ten years old this year, it is the

world’s newest massive ski area.

Both resorts had a lot to offer on their own.

Les Arcs is great for snowboarding, embracing

the nascent sport early on in the 1980s,

while more recently it has become the home

of speed-riding: skiing and flying downhill with

a fabric parachute-like wing. La Plagne is good

for intermediates and has a great snowpark

– but, if you like covering a lot of distance,

Paradiski is a must.

New trick

This year, Paradiski has made the decisive and

impressive step of powering its entire lift

system, the ski area and hotels, plus a large

percentage of the villages, with renewable

energy. They are also reminding UK skiers that

there are two train stations – Aime la Plagne

(for La Plagne) and Bourg St Maurice (for Les

Arcs) – each a mere eight hours from London

(though depending on services, Aime la Plagne

may be nearer 10). Doing that journey by

train rather than flying reduces your carbon

emissions from 98kg to 11kg, and will provide

you with some luxurious picnic-eating,

Scrabble-playing and view-gazing time too.

Paradiski is also making changes to the local

environment, reducing the visual effects of

a mega resort. They have removed 124 lift

towers since the year 2000, are burying power

lines, reforesting, and using wood and stone

for new buildings, ensuring they blend into

the landscape. >

Paradiski, FraNceNew and renewable

Need to know

Size 425km of pisteAltitude 1,200m-3,250mGood for... Skiing somewhere different every day Website

en.paradiski.com

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20 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

The highest resort in the great big Three

Valleys area, and with 99 per cent of the ski

area sited at over 2,000m, Val Thorens is an

experience every skier should have at least

once in their lives.

Way above the treeline, it’s an alpine outpost

that really feels like it’s at the top of the

continent. You notice the altitude: toiletries

burst, pens leak, it takes ages to boil eggs and

it’s a huge effort to simply walk up a few stairs.

But it’s all worth it – the snow stays good up

here for weeks after everywhere else, and it

takes no time to ski over to the Meribel Valley

next door, or the Courchevel Valley beyond that.

And on the other side is the inaccurately named

Three Valleys’ fourth valley, which is generally

quieter than the rest.

As you’d expect from an area of this size,

there is a bit of everything. You can cruise the

whole Three Valleys on gentle blue runs, seek

out some heart-stopping black runs, find

power, moguls, couloirs, parks, whatever

floats your fatties. And peppered all over are

rustic mountain restaurants with fine food

and vin chaud.

We recommend you take a steer from

maddogski.com, though: there are also a fair

number of rip-off joints charging €15 for a

cup-a-soup, especially towards Courchevel.

New tricks

Ever decided against updating your status from

the chairlift, Instagramming that breathtaking

view, or Googling to check if that’s a chamois or

a mouflon you can see on the ridge? Well now

you can do it all – this year Val Thorens has free

wifi on another three lifts, to add to the 15 ski

lift stations already hooked up.

And the place has a lot for visitors to tweet

about, too. There’s the Ski Cross World Cup

(which it will host for the first time from

December 17), ski and snowboard test

weekends that are open to all, a snowsports

festival and a huge blow-out for New Year.

And that’s just month one. >

Val ThOreNs, FraNceOn top of the world

Need to know

Size 600km of pisteAltitude 1,300m-3,230mGood for...Good cheesy dinner, good cheesy après, world-class mountainsWebsites les3vallees.com, valthorens.com

WIN!A week’s trip for two to Val Thorens with MadDogSki.com

Stay on the top of the world in a ski-in, ski-out studio for two, with free liftpass and ski hire, flights and transfers and MadDogSki goodie bag. For more info and to enter, just head to maddogski.com/win-a-ski-holidayThanks to valthorens.com and

skisolutions.com

Hemis.fr/SuperS

tock

HELLY HANSEN CATWALK

Scandinavian Design is the cornerstone in all Helly Hansen gear. The optimal

combination of purposeful design, protection and style. This is why professional

athletes, patrollers and discerning enthusiasts choose Helly Hansen.

CONFIDENT WHEN IT MATTERS

Aurelien Ducroz

World Champion Freeride Skier

Lofoten, Norway

22 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

Avoriaz is one of the 12 resorts that make

up the huge Portes du Soleil area – a high-up,

purpose-built village on the French side of

the Alps. Perched above the clouds on

dramatic cliffs, the architecture is entirely

wood-shingled, the village is car-free (pretty

much road-free, in fact), and horse-drawn

sleighs carry your luggage to your hotel. Pistes

run through the village with bars and hotels

dotted about. Imagine a village of Tolkien-esque,

cliff-dwelling, party-going demi-gods with skis

for feet, and this is where they would live.

The surrounding terrain includes plenty of

great beginner pistes, as well as a patrolled

off-piste valley, a world-class snowpark and

long pistes that drop you down to Morzine,

the old farming town at the foot of those

dramatic cliffs.

The Portes du Soleil is on a mission to get

everyone on snow. The encouraging ‘You can

ski’ package for adult beginners offers half-day

ski lessons, lift pass and ski hire for €269 for six

days or €169 for three (www.esf-morzine.com),

and chalet company Rudechalets are offering a

free snowboard instructor and snowboard hire

for select weeks. Most entertainingly, the

Portes du Soleil has developed a sort of baby

scooter with a handle – so any child of

standing-up age can get a taste for the pistes.

New trick

Avoriaz is about to open the doors of Aquariaz,

a brand new indoor jungle world. They have

shipped in 1,500 tropical trees and plants from

Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Indonesia, through

which a ‘fun river’ winds, and landscaped pools

contain all sorts of day-off fun. There’s a pool

with a climbing wall above it, a water playhouse,

an outdoor hot pool with views of the valley, and

a 10m halfpipe you can take at speed in a dinghy.

The water is heated by an eco-friendly biomass

boiler, and entry is just €8 for adults, less

for kids. And, unlike in most French pools,

swimmers are allowed to wear shorts –

great for Brits wanting to avoid Speedos. >

AvOriAz, FrANceTolkien to the tropics

Need to know

Size 650km of pisteAltitude

1,000m-2,400mGood for...

Ski-in, ski-out immersion in ski-world, mixed groupsWebsites

avoriaz.com, en.portesdusoleil.com

Hemis.fr/SuperS

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24 | November 9 2012 |

Old favouriteThe resort of Megève was developed in the

1920s by the Baroness Noémie de Rothschild,

who had fallen out of love with St Moritz in

Switzerland. Considering its genesis, it’s hardly

surprising that it has always been a regular

haunt for the rich and famous – it has even

had a starring role itself as the resort in the

beginning of Charade, where Audrey Hepburn’s

Regina Lampert meets Cary Grant’s Peter

Joshua. As well as the film stars, Michelin stars

have been liberally sprinkled around town –

there’s some mighty fine eating to be done here,

in the 80-plus restaurants that pack the

picturesque medieval streets.

If you’ve not heard of Megève, however, it

may be because they like it that way. There are

no giant hotels, and the clientele have been

largely French – and, more specifically, Parisian.

But don’t let this put you off – the people of

Megève are friendly, and skiers who find this

opulent mountain town more often than not

become fans for life.

The terrain is in the big-league, too. Megève’s

own four areas join up with five other resorts,

making a vast 445km area known as the Espace

Evasion Mont Blanc. If that’s not enough for you,

the many resorts of the Chamonix Valley are

close at hand – and this whole Alpine feast is

a mere hour’s drive from Geneva.

New tricksBy now you’ve probably got the picture –

Megève doesn’t bother doing battle with the

other resorts. There are no annual barrages of

deals, world firsts, pop concerts or gimmicks,

and this new-season news just underlines the

sort of place it is: this year, the ski areas that lie

on either side of town are going to be joined up...

by horse. New caleches (as they call sleighs in

these parts) carrying 12 skiers and included in

the lift pass, will be filling in the 10-minute gap

between lift stations in style. See Megève

specialists Stanford Skiing (stanfordskiing.

co.uk) for family-owned, reasonably priced

catered chalet holidays. >

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Megève, FraNceThe grand dame of skiing, now with horses

Need to know Size 445km of pisteAltitude

1,113m-2,350mGood for... Groups with non-skiers, gourmandsWebsite

megeve.com

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26 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

Before 1925, Verbier was a Swiss mountain

village of farmers and blessed cheese-makers,

until a group of keen mountaineers hiked up

15km from Sembrancher for the sole purpose

of skiing back down again. Twenty years

passed, in which the locals messed about on

skis (when the farming and cheese-making

allowed), and then in 1946 the first lift system

was installed. Ski tourism boomed in the

1960s, as it did all over the Alps – and in

the mid-1970s the Savoleyres gondola was

introduced and the Four Valleys area created,

linking Verbier with five other resorts and

making a respectable 410km of varied piste.

The skiing is renowned for being challenging,

with numerous itinerary runs (unpisted slopes

within the ski area), and some famous off-piste

– the Rock Garden, Col des Mines, Mont Gele

and the back of Mont Fort.

‘Verbs’ has a reputation for being frequented

by toffs – a lot of the bars and restaurants

are seriously swanky, and the nickname

‘St Tropez on snow’ has stuck. But there are

cosy corners and down-to-earth bars, and

the nightlife is legendary. You might find

yourself bumping and grinding alongside

Verbs fans Sarah Ferguson, Sir Richard

Branson, James Blunt or even Prince Harry.

What a line-up.

New trick

What’s better than one posh resort? Two posh

resorts, naturally. Buy a Four Valleys season-

pass, and get three days free in Vail resorts

– that’s Vail itself and seven other resorts,

including Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and

Heavenly. If you happen to be saving up for a Vail

Epic Pass, the deal is reciprocated – you get

three free days in Verbs. It’s the first time a

transatlantic deal like this has been struck –

and once the Yanks arrive there will be a

striking new eco igloo awaiting them in Col des

Gentianes. It’s taken the whole summer to build,

and is a stunning dome of exposed alderwood

beams, warmed by eco-friendly pellet heating. >

Verbier, SwitzerlaNdA load of posh and a ticket to Vail

Need to know

Size 410km of pisteAltitude

1,080m-3,330mGood for...

Hard skiing, hard partying, what-whatWebsites

4vallees.ch, verbier.ch

Ja

ck

Af

fle

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28 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

Sitting high in a hanging valley right by the

Italian border, Tignes shares space with

smart, chocolate-box Val d’Isère – but it

has long been the poor relation of the pair,

with eyesore 1960s tower blocks and a

party-all-night atmosphere.

Tignes is no spring chicken, though. Over

half a century it has built up a loyal fanbase,

establishing itself as a forward-thinking resort

– not to mention snowsure thanks to its high

altitude. It has also embraced freestyle

snowboarding and skiing, hosting the European

X Games in winter and running training sessions

on the Grande Motte glacier in summer.

In the meantime, Tignes has put a great

deal of effort into beautifying its five villages,

and plenty of visitors don’t care anyway.

The ski-in, ski-out accommodation, superb

snow record, long season, fun nightlife and

relative affordability make up for it – as do

the fantastic views in all other directions.

New trick

Tignes has been laying on great parties for a

long time, and this New Year’s Eve will be the

15th year of their open-air, 2,100m nightclub-

on-snow, the Fire Mix Party. The mountains will

ring to Parisian DJ Martin Solveig, as he works

the 20,000-strong audience into a frenzy on the

highest dance floor in Europe. It is, however,

also a year of firsts for Tignes – not least of

which is European Snow Pride: a week-long

gay festival in March, featuring clubbing,

cabaret, a giant pool party and a wilderness

camp in a Mongolian yurt with barbecue

and toboggan ride back to the resort.

Organisers amusingly refer to their hosts

as “the audacity-driven resort of Tignes”.

There’s also a 3D cinema screen in the

Tignes cinema this year, and the Silence

on Danse winter tour is bringing its silent

headphones disco and DJs to town – which

might be a welcome relief to the poor old

neighbourhood ibex. >

TigNes, FraNceHigh altitude, audacious partying

Need to know

Size 300km of pisteAltitude

1,550m-3,450mGood for...

Variety of slopes and energy in resortWebsites

espacekilly.com, tignes.net

Rapsodia/S

uperS

tock

30 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

Graubünden, the number-one holiday canton in

Switzerland, is home to big-name resorts such

as Davos, Klosters, Engadin, Arosa, St Moritz

and Laax. It all began, so they say, in 1864, when

St Moritz hotelier Johannes Badrutt laid down

a challenge to four British summertime guests.

Come back in winter, he said, and if you don’t like

it I’ll pay for your return journeys. If they did like

it, they were welcome to stay as long as they

wanted. They stayed until Easter, and the British

love of the Swiss winter mountains was born.

The sunny resort of Laax hasn’t rested on its

laurels, though. It lacks a cosy village centre and

is mostly made up of apartment blocks, but that

doesn’t matter – Laax draws snow-lovers who

are happy to let the mountain do the talking.

And it’s a real crowd-pleaser. Laax has

long been a supporter of freestyle skiing and

snowboarding, with a great mountaintop park

with features for all abilities, and the chilled-out

Café NoName keeping everyone fed and

entertained in the meantime. It’s no mistake

that the Brits – the British Ski and Snowboard

Championships – were held here annually for

as long as anyone can remember, although

they are moving to Tignes for 2013.

The resort is so good for freestyle that it’s

often overlooked for its other strengths –

a wide hillside of broad pistes perfect for the

beginner moving up a level, or intermediates

who want to push their speed. And if the

nothing-special village does bother you,

nearby Flims has a much more traditional feel.

New tricks

How about a first ski lift designed by Porsche?

After 80 years of making cars, something has

inspired Porsche to turn their hands to ski lifts.

Unsurprisingly, the new six-seater lift looks

comfortable, has nice lines and goes faster.

It also has solar-powered heated seats, which

is pretty neat. MadDogSki tried out a Porsche

sledge a few years ago, which was all form and

no function. This is a significant step forward. >

Laax, SwitzerLaNdSun, freestyle and a Porsche ski lift

Need to know

Size 220km of pisteAltitude

1,100m-3,020mGood for...

Mixed groups and freestylersWebsite

laax.com

SuperS

tock/A

lamy

Wherever.

Music.Whenever.

The Bluetooth®

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32 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Kitzbühel kicked off proceedings in 1893, when

local hero Franz Reisch brought a pair of skis

back from Norway to see how they’d fare at

home. They took off, and skiing became a staple

of the brightly-painted medieval town. Vibrant

après-ski rubs up against glamorous boutiques,

while gourmet restaurants sit alongside the

butcher’s shop – which has tables in the corner

for a meaty snack. All bases covered, then – but

did you know that Kitzbühel is just one part of the

terrain on offer if you buy yourself an AllStarCard?

The AllStarCard brings together 1,081km of

piste over countless resorts we don’t have room

to list. It has been pointed out that 1,081km is

about the distance from the Kitz Alps back to

London (as the crow flies), which rather puts it

in perspective. The area is lower than anything

else in our list, but there’s a magic microclimate

going on thanks, they say, to high precipitation

in the northwest orographic barrier. More than

4,000 snow cannons fill in the gaps.

The resorts aren’t all linked by lift, but for the

keen explorer this unique association of a whole

range should appeal. Try the TransKITZalp Tour,

a ski route that runs from one edge of the area

to the other, taking in 50km of pistes and 10

resorts. It can be done in a day if you take the

bus back; but for a really memorable trip, take

your toothbrush and stay the night at the Thurn

Pass, before skiing back the following day.

New trickThe SkiWelt, at 279km the largest joined-up

area in the Kitz Alps, have set up a challenge

this season. Using the code on your lift pass, the

Skiline system can count how many kilometres

you have skied, how many lifts you have used

and how many vertical metres you’ve ticked off.

In Scheffau, meanwhile, there’s a Ski Movie

route on which a camera pans alongside

you, filming your graceful descent down the

piste and over the finish line, to the slightly

embarrassing sound of pre-recorded applause.

There’s also a timed speed run that flashes your

time up on a screen, and on-piste wifi hotspots

so you can monitor your Skiline stats. >

The KiTzbühel Alps, AusTriAMassive on the piste

Need to knowSize 1,081km of pisteAltitude

620m-1,902mGood for...

Exploring a whole mountain rangeWebsites

kitzalps.com, allstarcard.at

Westend61/SuperS

tock

34 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Destinations

Old favourite

Saas-Fee, across the peaks to the east of

Zermatt, will steal your heart. It’s as Swiss as

they come, but without the fur-lined attitude of

its neighbour. Wide-open pistes at a snowsure

altitude and a fast and efficient lift system make

skiing superb for all abilities: beginners will enjoy

learning in a spectacular setting rather than in

boring valley floors; intermediates can charge

around the 140km of piste, and wide steeps off

the top of Allalin; and experts can find great black

runs, piste-side powder and ski touring routes.

The resort likes superlatives – take the

highest mountain underground railway to

the highest rotating restaurant, or check

out the world’s biggest ice grotto carved into

the glacier. It’s just as lively in summer, too; the

extensive glacier opens in July after a few

weeks off after the winter season.

Go on a ski trip in summer or autumn for

added Saas-Fee benefits, like the ballsy

marmots that whistle like an old shepherd to

scare you off – or bonkers village events such

as mass yodelling, or cow fighting followed by

a ceremony in which the winning cow is

crowned Queen of Cows. Obviously.

New tricks

Get the train to Switzerland – the holiday starts

in St Pancras and feels luxuriously fitting of the

resort’s 19th-century tourist heritage. And this

season the journey is made even easier as a

new train route cuts out the nuisance transfer

in Paris. From December, you can get a Saturday

Eurostar to Lille instead, where a platform

change is followed by a train that runs through

all the valley stations. Leave London at 7am and

you’ll be in resort in time for a pre-dinner kir

royale. You can book now at raileurope.co.uk.

One more trick – with a bit of one-upmanship,

Saas-Fee are offering wifi hotspots of your

very own. You can rent a Swisscom Pocket

Connect hotspot and connect to it with up to

five devices. Then, when your holiday is done,

just stick it back in its pack and into a postbox.

SaaS-Fee, SwitzerlaNdCharm, buzz, and reachable by train

Need to know

Size 140km of pisteAltitude

1,800m-3,500mGood for...

Practical Swiss charm mixed with off-the-wall funWebsite

saas-fee.ch

For more information

on these resorts and

many others, check

out maddogski.com,

an independent and

opinionated website

full of useful tips

and tools to help you

track down and then

make the most of

your ski holiday

ag

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Skis fl y free.

And with a 23kg luggage allowance as standard,so does your wardrobe.

It really does stack up tofl y British Airways fromLondon City Airport toZurich, Geneva, Chamberyand more.

Book now at ba.com/londoncityski

To Fly. To Serve.

Winter Sports 2012 The Brits

Winter babies

Jenny Jones32, snowboard slopestyle

“People in snowboarding

enjoy watching the X Games

as much as they would the

Olympics, although if

slopestyle came into the

Olympics then great,”

Jenny Jones told this very

magazine two years ago.

“But if not then I’m not

going to cry my eyes out

or anything.”

Nine months later, Jones

may well have been weeping

tears of joy at the news that

her beloved slopestyle had

been confirmed as an

Olympic sport for 2014. The

two-time Winter X Games

gold-medallist will be 33 by

the time Sochi rolls around,

and has a history of knee

trouble, but she has openly

talked of her desire to

compete for Team GB on an

Olympic stage. A new World

Cup season begins in the

States in January – assuming

she has returned from her

latest injury in time to make

it, expect Jones to mean

some serious business.

lizzy yarnold24, skeleton

With 2010 Olympic champion

Amy Williams now retired,

the 24-year-old Yarnold is

the British skeleton racer

most likely to step on to her

shiny tray and keep the gold

here in Blighty in 2014.

That may sound harsh on

two-time European

champion and former

Olympic silver-medallist

Shelley Rudman, who also

happens to be the reigning

World Cup holder. But

Yarnold outperformed her

more renowned teammate

to win a bronze medal

at this year’s World

Championships at Lake

Placid – and, perhaps more

ominously, ran (or slid) away

with the national trials in

Germany only last week.

“I am on top form going

into the World Cup,” said the

former heptathlete after

her routing of Rudman and

the rest on the Winterberg

track. “It will be extremely

tough, but I can’t wait to

test myself.”

James woods20, ski slopestyle

If Jones is the grand old

lady carrying Team GB’s

freestyle hopes to Sochi on

a snowboard, then Woods

– or ‘Woodsy’, as he likes to

be known – is the cheeky

little chappy doing exactly

the same on skis.

The 20-year-old from

Sheffield announced his

arrival on the international

freestyle scene with a

bronze medal at the 2011

Winter X Games Europe in

Tignes, but went way better

when destroying the

opposition to win a World

Cup event in Ushuaia,

Argentina in September.

“I went to Argentina with a

goal,” he told the BBC in the

wake of his victory, which

helped secure him a whole

bunch of points in his bid to

qualify for Sochi. “I really

wanted to prove to myself

and the country that I’m

here, and that I mean

business.” The only male

athlete on our list is

definitely one to follow.

zoe GillinGs27, snowboard-cross

The only athlete on this page

with Olympic experience,

Gillings finished 15th in

the first ever women’s

snowboard-cross event in

Turin six years ago. She rose

seven places into eighth in

Vancouver, and would happily

take a similar improvement

in Sochi in 2014 – when she

will still only be 28.

The Isle of Man boarder

begins the new year in fine

form, too. After missing

much of 2010 with injury,

Gillings returned to her best

in 2011-12, contesting no

fewer than five of the eight

finals at which she took aim

across seven World Cup

competitions and the Winter

X Games in Alpen.

She ended her campaign

ranked sixth in the world,

and in March was named as

one of a select group of elite

athletes set to receive

podium funding in the

build-up to Sochi. With that

support, a medal is by no

means out of the question.

pam thorburn26, ski-cross

Began skiing in Schladming,

Austria, at the age of three,

and was good enough to win

the Scottish Championships

aged nine – it seemed

nothing could stop

Thorburn’s prodigious

rise. But then, having failed

to make selection for the

2010 Winter Olympics in

Vancouver as an alpine skier,

she made the big decision

to switch codes and try

her hand at the arguably

more exciting discipline

of ski-cross.

It has seemingly paid off,

with her becoming the

British ski-cross champion

in only her third race;

there is still a long way to

go before the Scot achieves

her dream of competing at

the Olympics, but she is up

for the fight.

“I love the whole head-to-

head competition,” she told

Sport in an interview you

can read in full over the

page. “That really spurs

me on.” > Ju

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With less than 18 months to go before the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in sochi, we pick out five british athletes to keep an eye on as they bid to book their tickets to the russian coast

| November 9 2012 | 37

38 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 Pam Thorburn

Trying something new can be daunting, particularly when it involves chucking yourself down a mountain. Just ask fledgling ski-crosser (and new British champion) Pam Thorburn...

New beginnings

Most people would take setting off

the metal detectors at the airport

because of the extent of the

injuries they’d suffered as

a sign that it’s time for a change of career.

But instead of swapping snow for safety,

26-year-old alpine skier Pam Thorburn

decided to venture into an even more

bone-threatening world: ski-cross.

The wintry cousin of BMX racing, ski-cross

sees competitors launch themselves from a

start gate and tear side by side down a course

featuring jumps, rollers and other obstacles.

Thorburn, Britain’s number two alpine skier

before she made the switch, is now British

ski-cross champion. And, she tells Sport, she

has her eyes set on success in the Russian

city of Sochi and the 2014 Winter Olympics.

So why did you decide to make

the switch to ski-cross?

“I had a bit of a heartbreak after the last

Olympics, with not being selected [for the

alpine skiing team], so that was quite a big

disappointment. After that, I did another

season on the World Cup tour and got a real

injury to my knee, so I decided I really wanted

a change. I saw ski-cross and I wasn’t really

sure if I was going to be any good at it or not,

but I tried it and I loved it. I love the whole

head-to-head competition – that really

spurs me on.”

It’s fair to say you’ve adapted pretty well...

“I’m British champion this year – I can’t say

British number one, because I haven’t done

enough races. When I started in March, there

were not very many races left in the season.

I became national champion in my third ever

race – so that was quite good for me!”

How much has your previous experience

helped you?

“There’s a lot of things that are very similar,

and the alpine skiing background really helps

in the turns. The biggest surprise I’ve found

is the features – all the jumps and rollers.

They’re very new to me, and they make such

a difference for the actual race. There’s a lot

“I became national champion in my third ever race, so that was quite good“

| 39Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

of time to be lost and gained with those, so

that’s probably the biggest thing I’m working

on learning.”

Do you get much chance to train? Ski-cross

tracks must be quite hard to come by...

“The thing is, it’s tough for a ski resort to

build a ski-cross track because the public

can’t really use one that we can train on – the

jumps are so big and it’s really like a full-on

hardcore track. All the teams will go to the

same three or four resorts that have a track.

Other than that, when you can’t train on

an actual track you just have to train on the

features like the rollers, and I do a lot of

skiing in the parks on the big jumps. It’s tough

– I only did my first training on an actual

course last week, and that was like the first

time we had it [outside of competition].”

Presumably it’s the same for everyone?

“Yeah, but the big teams can kind of manage

that better than I can – it’s very expensive to

train on a track, but they can be based on one

all year round. So, for that side of things, it’s

a little different. I’m on a team of one right

now – it’s me travelling with my coach, and

ski-cross is obviously a sport where you’re

racing against other people, so having

training partners to push you and ski beside

you is a big difference. It’s hard to simulate

that race effect when you’re by yourself.”

The Olympics is the target – have you

got a plan in place for qualification?

“That’s the goal this season. We have quite

a lot of World Cup races, which are all for

qualification this year. I have a plan. I’m not

going to go in all guns blazing right at the

very start of the season, because I think that

would be stupid when I’m still kind of learning.

Everything seems to be going the right way

now, and it’s amazing each time I get on snow

how much better things get and how much

more my confidence rises.”

Amit Katwala @amitkatwala

For sponsorship opportunities with Pamela, contact

sport@materialmc.co.uk or visit pamelathorburn.com

40 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Gear

Winter wonderland

Dakine’s first clothing collection is exclusive to Snow+Rock in the UK.

Dakine Clutch Jacket £400 and Pant £340

A glorious season of snow awaits all

ski and snowboard fans, but there’s no

point in hitting this year’s slopes in last

year’s gear. So we’ve partnered with

Snow+Rock, the UK’s leading snowsports retailer, to bring you a round-up

of all this season’s newest and coolest winter sports kit. And we’re out of

the gates with the very best in skiwear...

WIN

| 41

Hot productsRecon Mod Live £320A futuristic ‘James Bond’ type system that displays

stats on a screen inside your goggle lens. View text

messages, speed and altitude. Launched in Snow+Rock

last season, this season it’s now compatible

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goggles – including

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Salomon X Max Ski Boots, from £330The next step in custom boot- fitting.

Their custom mouldable shell is now 360

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on-snow experience. Salomon have just

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To celebrate the launch, they’re

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your chance to win, head to

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competitions, answer the simple

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boot size. Happy skiing!

Eider Tamos Jacket £400Fernuy Pant £200Smith I/O Goggle £159.99Salomon BBR 10 Skis £575

Kjus Men’s Formula Jacket £750 and Formula Pant £370

Kjus Women’s Helium Jacket £940 and Revolution Pant £470

42 | November 9 2012 |

Winter Sports 2012 The Gear

Hot productsOrtovox Zoom £199.99 A new avalanche transceiver

with digital 3 Smart Antenna.

Norrona Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Shell Jacket £460Norrona Lofoten Gore-Tex Pro Shell Pant £400

Arc’teryx Women’s Sentinel Jacket £440 and Pant £350Atomic Millennium Skis £525

K2 Pilchuck Kit £159.99 Complete with

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Black Diamond Compactor Poles £99.99Every snowboarder’s

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Backcountry skiing

Salomon Guardian Binding £319.99A new innovation that combines

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Winter Sports 2012 The Gear

44 | November 9 2012 |

Thirty Two Shakedown Jacket £160Thirty Two Blahzay Pant £170Anon Helix Goggles £54.99RIDE Buckwild Snowboard £400

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Burton Women’s Delirium Jacket £170 Burton Women’s Fly Pant £160 Burton Lipstick Snowboard £395 Anon Haven Goggle £99.99K2 Emphasis Helmet £84.99

ContactSnow+Rock: www.snowandrock.com 0845 100 1000London and Southeast stores include: Covent Garden, Harrods, Kensington High Street, Kings Road, Monument, Victoria (The North Face)/Brighton, Chertsey, Croydon, Hemel Hempstead, Port Solent, Romford

46 | November 9 2012 |

Winter wizardryBrave the elements with our pick of the best ski gadgets

under £100 to take with you to the slopes this season

Oregon Scientific ATC3K Action CamClip it to your helmet, tape

your skiing prowess and

bore family members. This

shockproof cam can tape

up to two hours of action

– although if it takes you

that long to get down, it’s

probably not something

you want to share...

£50 | oregon

scientific.com

Skullcandy CassetteIf you’re desperate

for some musical

accompaniment while

you tear up the piste

and don’t want to risk

your safety by carrying

a boombox on one

shoulder, these are

perfect. The earpieces

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can slip them into your

ski helmet or beanie.

£50 | skullcandy.com

hi-Fun Bluetooth GlovesTalk to the hand. Quite

literally – these gloves

connect to your phone

via Bluetooth and have

a microphone and

speaker built into the

thumb and little finger

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phone out. Looking

totally insane is a small

price to pay for such

convenience.

£50 | firebox.com

Heated GlovesThese could prove pretty handy if you find yourself with frozen

fingers on the slopes. Thanks to an inbuilt heating element, they’ll

heat up your extremities to a toasty 33 degrees. Your move, frostbite.

£30 | firebox.com

Talus ColdAvengerDarth Vader probably

doesn’t ski much, given

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but if he did he’d keep

his face warm with the

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It mixes cold air coming in

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breathed out, to keep

things comfortable.

Range from £60 |

langtoninfo.co.uk

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48 | November 9 2012 |

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| 49

Starter for 10

1Claude Makelele iS no More

Not in the physical sense – the former Chelsea

midfielder is fit and well, as far as we know – but

the ’Makelele role’ he made famous continues to wane.

Having a minimum of one midfield spoiler who sits in

front of the defence and wins back possession was

de rigueur for the Premier League’s top teams for a

time. But Manchester United have shown no desire to

replace Owen Hargreaves or the long-absent Darren

Fletcher, continuing to play cultured, deep-lying

playmakers such as Michael Carrick, Tom Cleverley or

a withdrawn Paul Scholes in front of the back four.

Manchester City, regularly accused of being

conservative last season, have offloaded destroyer-in-

chief Nigel De Jong, while Chelsea’s supposed enforcer

John Obi Mikel seems to have licence to get forward

this season. Tottenham have also, in the absence of

Scott Parker, regularly played the skilful Moussa

Dembélé as their deepest-lying midfielder. This shift

in midfield balance may offer less protection for

defences – but it’s making for some goal-filled clashes

between the Prem’s big guns.

2fergie’S fantaSy payS off

With Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez,

Danny Welbeck and a plethora of attacking

midfielders on Manchester United’s books, some were

surprised that Sir Alex Ferguson chose to invest the

biggest chunk of his summer transfer budget in

another striker (and an injury-prone, 29-year-old one

at that). But Fergie has shown what all good Football

Manager competitors have long known: when a ‘worldy’

(one of the world’s best players) becomes available,

you sign him up without hesitation.

Robin van Persie has thrived with eight crucial goals

in 10 Premier League games for his new club, already

looking £24m very well spent. Arsenal, who took a

two-for-one approach of signing two inferior, if

younger, players in Olivier Giroud and Lucas

Podolski, have inevitably missed the focal point

that the Dutchman gave their attack.

3 Mark HugHeS’ pantS are on fire

“This club will never be in this situation again

while I’m with the club,” said Mark Hughes in

the aftermath of QPR’s relegation scrap last season.

Unfortunately, Rangers’ performances so far this

season – which have garnered the team just four points

from 10 games – have made Hughes’ promise thus far

fraudulent. He has a world-class goalkeeper in Julio

Cesar (right), but the Brazil international appears

unnerved by the level of defending – and we use the

term loosely – in front of him. Disorganisation in attack

and defence, plus too many players on champagne

money giving lemonade performances, are QPR’s

problems. And those are faults for which the gaffer

often takes the rap. Hughes is in serious trouble.

4CHelSea’S tHree aMigoS

leave HoleS

Adding the talents of Eden Hazard and Oscar

to a squad already containing Juan Mata seemed like a

surplus of attacking flair. However thanks to Roberto

di Matteo’s big, brass cojones, the trio have regularly

started matches together – and each has shone.

It’s the reason why Chelsea have been so thrilling to

watch – but behind them, problems are emerging.

Fitting all three into the same team means Chelsea can

be vulnerable – especially on the flanks, where cover

in front of Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole has been

lacking. In learning how to attack in a new way, it seems

Chelsea have forgotten how to defend. The balance

may have to shift as their push for the title goes on. >

| November 9 2012 | 51

With the first 10 rounds of Premier

League games gone, we reveal

10 crucial things we’ve learned

from the 2012-13 season so far

Mik

e H

ew

itt/

Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

Premier League

5Luis suarez is irresistibLe

He’s not clinical enough. He scores special

goals. He moans at the ref. He’s denied

legitimate penalties. He runs past defenders. He dives

over their challenges. He chucks himself around

in celebration. Last season’s ban for racial abuse

disgraced Luis Suarez and overshadowed everything

he did on the pitch, but this year we’ve just been able to

concentrate on watching him play – and he’s been pure

box office. Keep your Widow Twanky or your Christopher

Biggins, the Premier League has a great panto villain.

Good or bad, we can’t take our eyes off Suarez.

6sunderLand need a PLan b

Martin O’Neill’s strategy in signing Steven

Fletcher made sense: keep the powerful

Scotland striker busy via a steady supply of crosses

from the flanks. However, while Fletcher scored five

early goals, his supply lines have dried up due to James

McClean’s and Adam Johnson’s unimpressive form on

the wings. Neither has been able to regularly get into

crossing positions. With a meagre six league goals this

season, the Black Cats need an alternative attacking

plan – fast. A return to form for the mercurial Stephane

Sessegnon, at times so brilliant last season but so far

disappointing this time, cannot come quickly enough.

7saints on course for 104

A quarter of the way through their Premier

League games and Southampton had conceded

a whopping 26 goals in nine games. Keep up this rate

and they’ll have let in 104 goals by the end of the season

– easily breaking the 38-game Premier League record

held by hapless Derby, a team who finished bottom with

11 points in 2007-08. Even they conceded only 89.

8big sam is Premier cLass

West Ham were the third best team in the

Championship last season. They also lost three

matches and drew one against the other promoted

sides, Reading and Southampton. Yet now the trio are in

the Premier League, the boot is on the other foot – and

it’s Big Sam who’s doing the kicking (probably up to

a big man in what he likely calls ‘the mixer’).

Allardyce is easy to pigeonhole as a caricature; a

burly, route-one gaffer who stays up late pleasuring

himself over ProZone stats and occasionally prank-

calling Arsene Wenger. All of that may be true, but

he’s an extremely adept Premier League manager.

He performed wonders at Bolton, did a decent job at

Blackburn and now that he’s hauled West Ham up, they

look the most organised and capable of the promoted

teams. The Hammers have shown enough to suggest

they’ll finish this season safely clear of the relegation

struggle – and they have their manager to thank.

9 La Liga saLe is on

We all know that British players are

overpriced, but what this season has further

illustrated is the comparative bargains that are to be

had from La Liga. Santi Cazorla looks Arsenal’s best

player and, at £16.5m, the Spanish international cost

less than Liverpool paid for Stewart Downing or Jordan

Henderson in 2011. Meanwhile, midfielder Michu has

netted six goals in 10 games and cost Swansea just

£2m – less than a fifth of the price that West Ham

paid for Matt Jarvis this summer. With his Swansea

teammate Chico Flores and Wigan’s Ivan Ramis also

settling in well, it’s likely that Radamel Falcao won’t

be the only La Liga star Premier League clubs will

be eyeing up in the January sales.

10footbaLL takes the

faLL for racism

So it turns out that everyone in football is

(allegedly) a whopping racist: players, fans, officials,

T-shirts (we should probably throw a couple more

‘allegedlys’ in there to cover ourselves, because clearly

that isn’t quite true). Of course, it’s actually a serious

– and seriously depressing – matter that accusations of

racism have reared their head with startling regularity

in 2012. However, piously blaming the amorphous

concept of ‘football’ doesn’t entirely make sense.

Obviously the Premier League, FA, fans and clubs

need to examine what’s happened and do much

more to fight discrimination in all

forms. However, kicking a ball around

a pitch – or going to watch people do

this – doesn’t make you a racist.

Football is the country’s national

game. As such, it’s a mirror that

reflects undercurrents of feeling

that are already present in society.

Football doesn’t create them,

it’s just a high-pressure

channel through which

ignorant or ugly

feelings that are

already present

reveal themselves.

And, frankly,

that’s a far more

horrific thought

than the game

itself somehow

being entirely

at fault.

“keeP your WidoW tWanky or your christoPher biggins. the Premier League has a great Panto viLLain”

52 | November 9 2012 |

Cliv

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, Ia

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ton

/AF

P/G

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Your children enjoy the winter,we enjoy the brake.

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Winter tyres from Continental.

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Chris Robshaw

“we’re facing some of the best teams in the world in the coming weeks – what better way to prove how far we’ve come?”

54 | November 9 2012 |

| 55

“we probably played it a bit safe at times in the six nations – hopefully we can now be a bit more creative”

england kick off their autumn series of fixtures against a physical fiji side tomorrow. for captain chris robshaw, the next four weeks look set to represent his toughest test to date in international rugby

Forwardthinking

to clumsily paraphrase Harold Wilson, a year is a long time in international rugby. Just ask Chris Robshaw. This time a

mere 12 months ago, the Harlequins

man watched from afar as English rugby

stumbled through a post-World Cup crisis,

with players falling over themselves to

announce their retirement and a coach whose

grip on the job seemed to have slipped.

Fast-forward 12 months, however, and the

shiny new shirt England will sport when they

take to the field against Fiji tomorrow is not

the only difference down Twickenham way.

Head coach Stuart Lancaster has rebuilt the

national team, reinjecting a sense of pride and

passion along the way – and Chris Robshaw is

the man at the centre of his plans.

Having been picked by Lancaster to front

his revolution, Robshaw led England to within

a blade of grass of Six Nations glory before

returning to his club side Harlequins to inspire

them to their first ever Premiership title.

He then travelled to South Africa to captain

England against the two-time world

champions. Not a bad year, then – but

Robshaw has never been one to rest on his

laurels. With World Cup pools to be drawn in

December, victories are the priority over the

next four weeks – and the inspirational flanker

is ready to lead from the front once more.

how has your year with england been?uu “Busy! It’s been a great experience, and

there are obviously a lot of highs and a lot we

need to learn from. The good thing is we’re

a young team, and we can look back and say

we’ve all played a season of international

rugby. We can take that experience forward to

face the big four southern-hemisphere sides

now – that’s exciting in its own right.“

how do you think the team handled playing in south africa?uu “I think a lot of us hadn’t played in that

kind of atmosphere before – in particular at

Ellis Park. The atmosphere was incredible and

it probably blew us away a bit in the first

15-20 minutes, when we gave South Africa

a lead. Once they led, they closed it out well,

and that intensity and professionalism

is something we can learn from. It was

something we hadn’t experienced before,

and it’s about taking all these little things

and hopefully bringing them into our own

game. We know we’re going to have to learn

quickly, because we’ll need four different

gameplans in the next four weekends –

all these sides bring different threats.“

happy with the outcome of the tour?uu “It was good to finish with a draw, but

we obviously went there to win a tour and

we didn’t manage that. There are a huge

amount of positives to take from it, which

we can. Hopefully we can get a bit of

revenge with our home crowd behind us.“

in the second test in south africa, the backs seemed to start being a bit more creative. is that something we can look forward to from this side?uu “We probably played it a bit safe at

times in the Six Nations, because we were

such a new team and it takes a bit of time

for combinations to work. We’ve been

together longer now, and we know each

other’s games, so hopefully we can be

more creative. It takes time to learn whether

certain players step before contact, look

to offload or run hard. It’s these little things

that we were slowly starting to learn come

the end of the summer – so hopefully we

will take it on another step in the next

few weeks.“

how big are these four games?uu “Massive. I’m sure everyone knows that

these games count towards the rankings

for the World Cup – and the pools are

drawn in December, so these aren’t just

meaningless games. Victory or defeat will

mean a harder or an easier pool come 2015,

so it’s a huge challenge. Besides all that, we

want to be perceived as a good national side,

and we’re facing some of the best teams in

the world in the next few weeks. What better

way to prove how far we’ve come?“

and the world cup is on english soil, of course. how important does that make home games between now and 2015?uu “Yeah, of course it’s important. But we

want to win our home games anyway. We’ve

made no secret about where we want to

be by the World Cup and what we want to

achieve, and the honeymoon period is over.

It’s just about results now – we need to go

out there and start achieving them.“

have you set a target for the autumn internationals, then?uu “I know it sounds like a cliché, but it

literally is about taking each game as a

separate challenge, because the four sides

we’re facing are so different. It’s about

breaking the opposition down and being a

bit more scientific to find their weaknesses,

learn how to defend, and work out a gameplan

to defeat some of the best sides in the world.

You want to win every game as a player, of

course you do, but it’s all about an end goal –

and we’re building to the World Cup.“

obviously the world cup is still three years away, but how exciting is it to be part of this young squad right now?uu “Yeah, it’s massive being involved in

rugby right now. Just look at the lift the

Olympics and the Paralympics gave everyone

recently – and the next major sporting event

in England is the Rugby World Cup, so to be

able to be part of something like that is huge.

We want to get youngsters playing more

as well, and make it something big for the

next generation.“

and, of course, it’s the lions tour next year. is that something on your mind? uu “Every player wants to play for the Lions,

so of course it’s at the back of our minds that

it’s a Lions year. But that’s still over half a

season away, and there’s a lot of rugby yet to

play. There’s so much going on at the moment

that you can’t think about that. We just all have

to focus on our game and keep playing well.“

Mark Coughlan @coffers83

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gameInjury looks set to rule Steven Finn out of next week’s first Test against India, but England’s giant paceman is still looking to make his mark – both on this tour and in a big year of cricket to come

Waiting

| November 9 2012 | 57

Steven Finn

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Seventeen months ago, against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, the then 22-year-old Steven Finn became the youngest English

cricketer in history to take 50 Test

wickets. It was a record he inherited from

the greatest of all his predecessors,

Sir Ian Botham, and rounded off a perfect

six-month period in which he had contributed

in no small measure to England’s historic

Ashes win in Australia. This, it seemed, was

a young cricketer going places – and fast.

Yet, with England set to begin one of the

toughest series in Test cricket – away in India

– next Thursday, Finn’s involvement looks set

to be restricted to an all-too familiar role of

recent times: watching from the sidelines.

A thigh strain picked up in the first warm-up

game of the current tour has robbed the

Middlesex man of a likely starting place

alongside Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad

in the England pace attack – but the fact is

that, since that Sri Lanka game in early June

2011, Finn has featured in only four of 16

Test matches for his country.

“I made my international debut in Test

cricket and was almost pigeonholed as a

Test cricketer for the first 12 months of

my career,“ reflects Finn in an interview

with Sport. “Now I’ve developed my

limited-overs skills and variations, and

become a better bowler in one-day and

Twenty20 cricket without nailing down that

Test spot. Obviously that’s something that is

high on my agenda of things to do, because

Test cricket is what you want to be playing.

I mean, I love playing Twenty20 and one-day

cricket, but playing Test cricket for your

country is on a whole different level.“

False economy

Standing 6ft 7ins, Finn offers a brand of

pace and bounce no one else in the current

England squad can match, and would seem

to be ideally set up for Test cricket.

His recently developed habit of flicking

the stumps on his way through his bowling

action infuriates some, but it is his economy

rate that many identify as the reason he is

yet to become an England Test regular.

“I suppose when I started, I was a little bit

expensive,“ he admits. “But I still managed to

take wickets, which is probably what kept

me in the team. I mean, my economy rate in

Tests [3.66] isn’t terrible – but it’s not great

either. I set myself very high standards,

and it’s probably not up to scratch by those

standards. But I’ve proved in the past 18

months, when I’ve played limited-overs

cricket for England, that my economy rate

has been as good as anyone’s. I think I go at

4.67 runs an over in one-day internationals,

and my T20 rate is okay as well [he’s right –

it’s 6.70] – and there’s no reason why

I can’t transfer that into Test cricket.

“The criticism of my knack of leaking runs

hasn’t been unfair, but I was young at the

time and I’d back myself now to be able to

hold an end up and not give away as many

runs. I feel like I’ve learned and developed a

lot over the last 18 months – hopefully, if I

get a chance in the Test team in India, I can

show people and prove them wrong.“

Finn is an affable character whose

laid-back demeanour and penchant for

drifting into chats about his beloved Football

Manager make it easy to miss the ambition

that burns within. Ask him whether he

would like to take the new ball for England,

however, and it soon becomes clear.

“The guys who have opened the bowling

for the past two or three years have been

exceptional,“ he says. “Broady and Jimmy

have both been brilliant, so I think it would be

hard for me to knock either of them off their

perch. I’m not saying it’s not something I’m

aspiring to, though, because I’ve enjoyed

taking the new ball in one-day and T20

cricket – and it’s something I’ve done for

Middlesex since I was 18 or 19 years old. >

“It would be nice to say I was the last person to take Tendulkar’s wicket in Tests – definitely something to tell the grandkids, but that’s a long way off yet”

The mighty Finn: dismissing Jacques

Kallis in the third Test against South Africa

at Lord’s in August, and (right) taking on

the West Indies at Edgbaston in June

Steven Finn

58 | November 9 2012 |

It’s something I’m accustomed to and really

enjoy, but I just have to make sure I’m fit and

ready for whatever the team needs me to do.“

ConTrollEd AggrEssIonRecovering from the aforementioned thigh

strain is number one on that particular list,

because a fit and firing Finn could prove

quite the handful for a transitional Indian

batting line-up.

“I’ve always enjoyed bowling on subcontinent

pitches because you need a different set of

skills – and I think that suits me,“ he says.

“You need to be able to reverse-swing the ball,

your changes of angles on the crease are

important, and having that bit of pace also

helps on those sorts of wickets.

“There’s definitely room for aggression,

too. We saw that India struggled with the

short ball when they came over to England

last summer, and just because the wickets

are slower there’s no reason why you can’t

still use it. Aggression is a very big part

of how we bowl as a unit – not words or

sledging, but in the way you bowl the ball and

your body language. That’s why I used to love

watching Glenn McGrath so much.“

Finn is not the first England bowler to call

out the Australian great as his hero – Stuart

Broad did so in an interview ahead of the

recent World Twenty20 – but he also reserves

special mention for a current teammate.

“I’ve been lucky enough to share a lot of

time with Jimmy [Anderson] in the dressing

room, and he’s a great person to speak to,“

he reveals. “I think he sees a bit of me in him

when he was younger, but he’s been there,

done it and experienced exactly what I have in

the early part of my career. I’m lucky to have

people like him around me to help me through

tougher times.“

A nEw brEEdIf Finn is the coming man in England’s bowling

attack, then the 24-year-old Virat Kohli is his

equivalent in the Indian batting line-up. It’s no

surprise to discover that the two are already

well acquainted. “Kohli is an exceptional player

and he always has been,“ smiles Finn. “We’ve

been playing against each other since we

were 17, and even then it was obvious that he

was an excellent batsman. He already has a

very good record in Test cricket, and an even

better one in one-dayers – but he’s not

invincible, and we have a very good track record

when it comes to getting the big men out.“

On which note, how does Finn feel about

the prospect of bowling at the great Sachin

Tendulkar in what many are suggesting could

be the little master’s final Test series?

“There’s been talk of that, but we’ll see how

it goes,“ he says. “The bloke averages 55 in

Test cricket and obviously still loves the game;

it’d be a shame to see him on the downward

slope, but you can’t play the man – you have to

play only the batsman in front of you, no matter

what his name is. It would be nice to say I was

the last person to take Sachin Tendulkar’s

wicket in Tests – definitely something to tell the

grandkids, but that’s a long way off yet.“

In the more immediate future, Finn admits

more than a passing interest in playing in the

IPL – but only if his schedule allows. “Playing

for England is something I’ve dreamed about

since I was a kid, and that’s my number-one

priority,“ he affirms. “The IPL is exciting and

would be a great tournament to play in, but

only when the time is right. I’d never do

anything to compromise my chances when it

comes to playing for England – especially in

the next 12 months, when he have a tour to

New Zealand, a Champions Trophy and huge

back-to-back Ashes series.

“I feel as though I’ve had a good year and

made strides from where I was last year, but

I’m still a long way from where I want to be.

I want to be a regular in the Test side for all

those big games – hopefully I can sit here this

time next year having achieved that.“

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

Steven Finn is an ambassador for Graham watches

– see graham-london.com. Turn to page 62 for our

match preview of England’s first Test against India

In 68 innings as an

international bowler

(31 Test, 24 ODI,

13 T20), Finn has

ended wicketless

in only nine09G

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The Final of Urban Golf’s search for London’s Best Golfer was played out

over a brutal set-up on Pebble

Beach. Evil pin positions and slick

greens asked plenty of questions of

the competitors’ putting strokes, and with

such a prize up for grabs it was hardly

surprising that there were a few

‘questionable’ shots.

John Willcox provided the most compelling

evidence that the greens were on the quick

side: when two putts would have qualified him

for the last six, he was still wielding the flat

stick five blows later... needless to say, the

putter was given the ‘treatment’.

The 24 players making the final were

quickly whittled down to firstly 12, then six

and finally the three who played out a six-hole

final for all the glory and bragging rights that

accompany the title of London’s Best Golfer.

The first to secure his place in the final was

Tony Moss, who is widely recognised as

one of the finest players in the indoor game.

Silky-swinging scratch handicapper Sam

Maloney came into the final with serene

progress followed by Liam Gallagher, who

until now had a round of 70 in a club medal

at Royal North Devon in 2004 as his finest

achievement to date.

The third hole of the final (the 9th at Pebble

Beach) proved to be decisive as all three

players missed the green, leaving the

opportunity for any one of them to get up and

down and take advantage. It was a clumsy

chip by Maloney, which caught a slope and

sped across the green and down a cliff, that

proved to be the big moment – and resulted in

a triple-bogey seven as Gallagher moved into

a two-stroke lead.

On the final tee, Gallagher enjoyed a huge

slice of luck. His drive went left and perilously

close to the ocean, somehow ricocheting off

the rocks and back into play! As all three

players negotiated the final hole in steady

fashion, the stage was set for Liam to

two-putt for glory. As he did so, he held back

the tears and punched the air in delight, in the

process securing his place in the history

books as London’s Best Golfer 2012.

Liam managed to gather himself and

silence the galleries who had enjoyed more

than their share of Asahi Beer on offer in the

evening, to deliver words of praise to his

fellow competitors and the sponsors,

stopping short at thanking the greenkeeper.

Thankfully, for many of those who didn’t

make the grade with their playing ability, we

also had a draw to reveal London’s Luckiest

Golfer. This turned out to be a near hysterical

Matt Penn, who may also win the title of

London’s Least Trusting Golfer as he took

much convincing that it wasn’t a prank call!

Congratulations to both Liam and Matt, who

will each be taking a friend on the dream trip

provided by Pebble Beach Resorts (return

flights, accommodation at the Lodge at

Spanish Bay, rounds of golf at Pebble Beach,

Spanish Bay and Spyglass). Like us, you will be

very jealous indeed and making a concerted

effort to either play better or be luckier next

year.... we’ve cornered the horseshoe market,

so you’ll have to try something else!

| 59

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Swing when you’re winning: victor Liam Gallagher

Liam Gallagher is crowned London’s Best Golfer...

584,100Pounds won by Phil Taylor this year. Some may say he’s

not the player he was, but nobody has won more in 2012

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7 DaysNOV 9-NOV 15

HIGHLIGHTS

» Cricket: India v England – 1st Test » p62

» Boxing: Klitschko v Wach » p62

» Football: Premier League Preview» p64

» Rugby Union: England v Fiji » p66

» Football: Lazio v Roma » p67OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

60 | November 9 2012 |

SATURDAY DARTS | WILLIAM HILL GRAND SLAM OF DARTS | WOLVERHAMPTON CIVIC HALL | SKY SPORTS 1 7PM

The Power remains onLike most tournaments on the PDC schedule,

the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts has

become an annual benefit for Phil ‘The Power’

Taylor. Five times it has been contested, and

four times Taylor has walked away with the

crown. The shock came in 2010, when he was

defeated by moustachioed maestro Steve

‘The Bronzed Adonis’ Beaton in the last eight.

The Grand Slam is one of the rare events

on the PDC calendar when players from its

rival, the British Darts Organisation, are

invited. Taylor has shown, though, that he is

happy to annihilate anyone who comes up

against him, wherever they’re from.

And as ever, he will start this tournament

as a warm favourite. He has four wins to his

name this year, although for what feels like

the first time since darts was invented, he

has contested just as many tournaments

where he has not emerged as champion. That

might give a sliver of hope to his opponents

– but, in truth, the averages don’t lie: now 52,

Taylor has still played some of the best darts

of his life in 2012 and remains the man to beat.

Four men have emerged as the chasing

pack. Reigning world champion Adrian

‘Jackpot’ Lewis, brilliant Dutch youngster

Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and the

Australian Simon Whitlock, who won this

year’s European Championship.

Of those, van Gerwen is perhaps the man

most likely, having scooped the PDC World

Grand Prix last month and followed that with

victory at the Players Championship last

weekend. He’s in form, then. Whether that’s

enough to see off the perennial Power

remains quite another thing altogether.

November 9th-11th at Earls Court

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7 Days

SATURDAY BOXING | WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO v MARIUSZ WACH | O2 WORLD ARENA, HAMBURG | ESPN 10PM

Just weeks after his trainer of almost a decade, the legendary Emanuel

Steward, passed away, Wladimir

Klitschko (58-3, 50 KOs) is putting

his world heavyweight titles on

the line against Polish-born giant

Mariusz Wach (27-0, 15 KOs).

After 16 fights unbeaten with

Steward in his corner, Klitschko was

understandably rocked by the sad

news. “I will miss our time together,”

he said. “The long talks about boxing,

the world and life itself. Most of all,

I will miss our friendship.”

Fulfilling Steward’s role at

ringside on Saturday will be

30-year-old American heavyweight

Johnathon Banks, who’s more used

to trading blows with the world

champ than directing them. One of

Klitschko’s sparring partners, Banks

is preparing for his own fight on

November 17 against Seth Mitchell in

Atlantic City. He is, however, well

versed in Steward’s ways, having

come up through the ranks at the

trainer’s own Kronk Gym in Detroit.

It’s Klitschko’s first return to

Hamburg since he dethroned

David Haye there in 2011, but in

Wach he faces an entirely different

physical prospect. “He is extremely

dangerous because his size and his

range is greater than mine,” said

Klitschko of his 6ft 7½ins challenger.

Of Wach’s 15 knockouts, seven

have come in his past seven fights,

backing up the view that the big man

has finally learned how to make his

size count. One of those was against

Ireland’s Kevin McBride last summer,

in what was arguably Wach’s first

real test – and one he passed with

flying colours. He knocked McBride

out cold in the fourth round with

a straight right.

If Klitschko is mentally right, his

experience should be enough to see

him through. If he’s not, Wach might

just be big enough to take advantage.

Klitschko fighting on

62 | November 9 2012 |

ThURSDAY > CRICKET | INDIA v ENGLAND: 1ST TEST | SARDAR PATEL STADIUM, AHMEDABAD | SKy SPORTS 1 4AM

Cook leads KP reintegrationAlastair Cook does not seem the type to be fazed by a challenge. That’s good,

because he has one on his non-sweaty

hands next week: his first series as

full-time Test captain begins and it’s

away from home, on the subcontinent

pitches where England struggle.

On top of that, England have had

a poor 2012 (three Test wins in 11

matches), plus he also has a new

opening partner – in all likelihood

Nick Compton – to help bed in.

The more headline-grabbing story

of Kevin Pietersen’s ‘reintegration’

is less of a concern. KP has a good

record against India and, keen to

impress his his IPL paymasters –

sorry, we mean keen to impress the

ECB – he’s a good bet to be England’s

top run-scorer. The man most likely

to do the same for India is the

sensational Virat Kohli, who looks

every inch the emerging superstar.

At the top of the order, however, India

are creaking. It’s been more than two

years since either opener, Virender

Sehwag or Gautam Gambhir, scored

a Test century, and they could be

vulnerable to England’s pace attack.

Spin, however, is often key on

slow Indian pitches. How England’s

batsmen handle the turn duo of

Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan

Ojha could decide the series.

Previous experience suggests lots of

attempted sweep shots, a mournful

glance at the umpire, then the trudge

back to the pavilion. We shall see.

62.15Kevin Pietersen’s Test average

against India – his highest against

any nation apart from Bangladesh

A few days after putting their Champions League hopes on the line, Manchester City will look to prove they’re still title contenders at domestic level. Sunday’s visit of Tottenham

comes on the back of disappointing results for

both teams last weekend, with City dropping

two points at West Ham and Spurs suffering

a shock defeat at home to Wigan.

Neither side managed to score a single

goal, either, with two disgruntled strikers

being pulled off far too early for their liking.

Jermain Defoe stormed down the tunnel at

White Hart Lane after being swapped for

Emmanuel Adebayor with the game 57

minutes old, while Roberto Mancini was on the

receiving end of a Mario Balotelli death stare

after he hooked the fiery Italian with 20

minutes left at Upton Park.

Of the two decisions, it was that of Spurs

boss Andre Villas-Boas which was most

baffling – the home crowd greeting Defoe’s

exit with jeers of frustration. Having blasted

City’s best chance to get on the scoresheet

over the bar from all of six yards out,

however, Balotelli’s early exit was perhaps

more easily explained.

City’s goal tally of 18 is some way short of

the 36 they’d notched after the first 10 games

of last season. In a move to remedy that,

Mancini boldly opted for an unfamiliar front

three of Balotelli, Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez

at the Boleyn Ground. Considering the result,

it would be no surprise to see him revert to

type on Sunday.

Villas-Boas, on the other hand, is unlikely to

change his tactics and field former City man

Adebayor alongside Defoe. However they line

up, both managers will demand more from

their forwards. A five-goal thriller – like last

year’s 3-2 here – would remedy the drought.

764 | November 9 2012 |

7 Days

Sunday MAN city v totteNhAM | etihAd stAdiuM

sky sports 1 1.30pM

Feeling blue

Sunday chelseA v liverpool

stAMford bridge | sky sports 1 4pM

Out of four meetings between these sides last season, it was Liverpool who fared better, winning three - a tally including both Premier League fixtures. But that was when the likes of Maxi Rodriguez and Andy

Carroll were helping out with the goals. Now, manager Brendan

Rodgers is counting down the days to the opening of the January

transfer window, when he can bring in another pair of goalscoring feet

to add to those of Luis Suarez – which secured a 1-1 draw against

Newcastle last weekend. Goals have also been a concern for Chelsea,

who have failed to keep a clean sheet in their past six games. But with

John Terry available again after his four-match ban, Roberto di Matteo

will hope to draw a line under that statistic on Sunday.

Saturday ArseNAl v fulhAM | eMirAtes stAdiuM | 3pM

Thomas Vermaelen scored at both ends in this fixture last season, but the way this term is going for the Arsenal captain, he’s likely to repeat only half of that on Saturday. The Belgian is not enjoying his best form of late, with

his slip at Old Trafford last weekend clinically punished by Robin van

Persie three minutes into the Gunners’ 2-1 defeat. In Fulham, they face

a side unbeaten in four games and on a high after stealing a point from

Everton last time out, despite having been on the back foot for much of

the game. With Arsenal suffering their worst start to a season under

Arsene Wenger, and seemingly with one of their worst ever players

involved (yes Andre Santos, we’re looking at you), a bad result on

Saturday could leave Arsenal drifting dangerously far from the top four.

Premier League There were goals galore when Man City met Tottenham last season, but just the one would please either team this time

Their goalless

draw with West

Ham last weekend

was the first time in

almost seven months

the champions failed

to score in a game

saturday WIGAN v West brom

dW stAdIum | 3pm

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saturday AstoN vIllA v

mAN utd | vIllA pArK

espN 5.30pm

sunday NeWcAstle v West hAm

st jAmes’ pArK | 3pm

saturday southAmptoN v

sWANseA | st mAry’s | 3pm

The continuing positivity from Saints boss Nigel Adkins is admirable, but also a bit sad. You wonder what he can do to

arrest a run of eight defeats in 10, in

which his side has conceded 28 goals

– equalling the worst ever at this stage

in the Premier League. Still, history is

on their side this weekend: Swansea

haven’t won at Southampton since 1953.

They’ve only played each other eight

times in that period, but still – it all helps.

After a run of three defeats in September, Wigan are now looking at a potential hat- trick of wins, having beaten West

Ham and Spurs on the bounce in the

league. Roberto Martinez will have to

get his tactics right again against West

Brom – fifth in the league and back to

winning ways after two defeats to

late goals with Monday’s win against

Southampton. The Baggies are, thus far,

the surprise package of the season.

What better way to follow the high of your first away win in 14 league games since January than with a visit from Manchester United? We can think of

plenty actually, but at least United

are struggling in front of goal at the

moment – according to their manager,

that is. Sir Alex Ferguson bemoaned his

side’s wastefulness after they scored

just twice against Arsenal to go top of

the table last weekend. Rubbish, eh?

Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll will look to get one over on their old team on Sunday, when the Hammers go to St James’ Park. Nolan was on the scoresheet for

Newcastle in their past two meetings

with West Ham – most recently scoring

the third in the Magpies’ 5-0 thrashing

of the London club in January 2011.

But that was pre-Big Sam – they’re a

tougher team to beat these days, as last

Saturday’s draw with Man City proved.

| 65

saturday stoKe v qpr

brItANNIA stAdIum | 3pm

There’s not a whole lot of positivity around this one. A combined record of only one league win, and with both sides having hit the back of the net just eight

times each so far this season, reflects

the fact the Potters have drawn the

majority of their games, and QPR are

clearly struggling. Tony Pulis’ side is yet

to lose at home, though, so he will be

confident of at least a point. QPR’s wait

for a first victory is surely set to go on.

Man Utd 10 8 0 2 26 14 24

Chelsea 10 7 2 1 22 10 23

Man City 10 6 4 0 18 9 22

Everton 10 4 5 1 19 13 17

West Brom 10 5 2 3 15 11 17

Tottenham 10 5 2 3 17 14 17

Arsenal 10 4 3 3 15 8 15

Fulham 10 4 3 3 21 16 15

West Ham 10 4 3 3 13 11 15

Newcastle 10 3 5 2 12 14 14

Swansea 10 3 3 4 15 14 12

Liverpool 10 2 5 3 13 15 11

Wigan 10 3 2 5 11 16 11

Norwich 10 2 4 4 8 18 10

Stoke 10 1 6 3 8 10 9

Sunderland 9 1 6 2 6 9 9

Aston Villa 10 2 3 5 8 14 9

Reading 9 0 5 4 12 18 5

QPR 10 0 4 6 8 19 4

Southampton 10 1 1 8 14 28 4

P W D L F A Pts

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

Premier League table

Liverpool have fired

in more shots off

target than any

other team in the

Premier League88

saturday evertoN v suNderlANd

GoodIsoN pArK | 3pm

David Moyes was furious with his side for dropping two points at Fulham last weekend, which doesn’t bode well for

Sunderland’s chances on Saturday. The

Mackems were beaten at home by Aston

Villa last time out, leaving them with

just one win in their past 17 matches.

They’ve also registered an average of

one shot on target per game in their

past three – suggesting things aren’t

about to get much better, either.

saturday reAdING v NorWIch

mAdejsKI stAdIum | 3pm

Having picked up seven points from their past three league games, Norwich are piling the pressure on the likes of Reading, who are still without a league win this

season. Brian McDermott’s side won a

hard-earned point at QPR last weekend,

but are desperately in need of the boost

a first win would give them. Last time

they met at the Madejski, this game

ended 3-3, with a penalty and sending

off; so don’t dismiss this as dull just yet.

66 | November 9 2012 |

SUNDAY RUGBY LEAGUE | AUTUMN INTERNATIONAL: ENGLAND v FRANCE | CITY OF SALFORD STADIUM | BBC TwO 5PM

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SAtUrDAY RUGBY UNION | qBE AUTUMN INTERNATIONALS: ENGLAND v FIjI | TwICkENhAM | SkY SPORTS 1 2.30PM

International rugby is back, and with

the southern hemisphere’s finest in

action across the home nations over

the next four weeks, attention turns

to the IRB rankings. That’s because

the world Cup pools for 2015 are

being drawn on December 3, just

two days after the final international

of 2012, and everyone will of course

be desperate to be seeded as high

as possible to avoid potential pitfalls

– otherwise known as the All Blacks.

First up at Twickenham are the

hard-hitting Fijians. Captain Chris

Robshaw has indicated (in our

interview on pages 54-55) that the

honeymoon period is over for Stuart

Lancaster, and England’s record of

two wins and a draw from the past

15 against their upcoming quartet

of opponents speaks for itself.

The test for Lancaster, then, is to

coax his side to the next level. Danny

Care and Toby Flood (pictured) find

themselves leading from pivotal

positions – they will be key to England

discovering a balanced gameplan

between expansive bums-out-of-

seats rugby and the pragmatism

that brings results. Injuries mean it

will be fascinating to see whether

Lancaster gives the likes of Tom

Youngs, joe Launchbury and Freddie

Burns a chance. Two wins from four

would be nice; three would be great.

Elsewhere tomorrow, an

injury-ravaged Ireland need a big

performance against South Africa

(BBC Two 5.30pm) – particularly

because they play only one more

Test this month and sit seventh in

the IRB rankings – while wales start

their autumn at home to Argentina

(BBC One 2.30pm). Then, on Sunday,

the Scots welcome the All Blacks to

Murrayfield (BBC One 2.30pm).

Scotland actually have the best

record against the Tri Nations sides

since the 2007 world Cup, having

won three and lost three. On the flip

side, they’ve lost by an average of 32

points in their previous five games

against the All Blacks. It could be a

long afternoon north of the border.

If last week’s clash between these two is anything to go by, this should be a walk in the park for

England. France proved stiffer opposition than

the Welsh a week earlier, but the 44-6 scoreline

suggests they will have to improve massively if

they are to trouble an impressive England side.

Three tries from centre Kallum Watkins (left)

suggest he will be a starter when the World Cup

kicks off in 12 months, and young props Lee

Mossop and Chris Hill announced their arrivals

on the international stage with performances

strong enough to challenge the old guard.

France were disrupted early on in the game

when full-back Cyril Stacul ended up in hospital

after a high tackle from Gareth Ellis. They also

lost back-row forward Gregory Mounis to injury

in the second half – leaving both players as

serious doubts for this Sunday’s meeting.

Skipper Olivier Elima was magnificent in

fronting a losing cause at Hull, putting in some

huge hits and carrying the ball with real purpose.

If France are to have any chance at all, he will need

his teammates to follow his example in Salford.

Every point counts

No sweat for England

7 Days

Christmas may still be 46 days away,

but on Wednesday Sweden will

be pulling the gift-wrap off their

brand new national stadium, the

nauseatingly named Friends Arena,

to welcome England in the inaugural

game, an international friendly.

Appropriately, given the name of

the venue, the two countries have

been well acquainted in the past few

years – most recently at Euro 2012,

when a 3-2 England victory was

secured by Danny Welbeck’s

Old friends

sensational backheel pirouette

(above). With England’s next

competitive fixture not until March

(against San Marino, so we use the

word ‘competitive’ loosely), it gives

Roy Hodgson an opportunity to

experiment. Welbeck is prime among

the candidates for inclusion; and if

Jack Wilshere continues to settle

back into the Arsenal side without any

setbacks, we could see him in

an England shirt for the first time

since June 2011.

WEDNESDAY FOOTBALL | SwEDEN v ENGLAND | FRIENDS ARENA | ITV1 7.30PM

| 67

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SUNDAY FOOTBALL | Serie A: LAziO v rOmA | STAdiO OLimpicO | eSpN 2pm

FRIDAY

GOLF Singapore

Open: day 2,

Serapong course,

Singapore, Sky Sports 2 5am

TeNNiS ATp World Tour Finals:

day 5, O2 Arena, London,

Sky Sports 1 1.45pm

FOOTBALL championship:

middlesbrough v Sheffield

Wednesday, riverside Stadium,

Sky Sports 1 7.45pm

cricKeT Australia v South Africa:

First Test day 2, Brisbane cricket

Ground, Sky Sports 1 12pm

SATURDAY

FOOTBALL SpL: inverness caledonian

Thistle v Hearts, caledonian Stadium,

eSpN 12pm

FOOTBALL championship:

Leicester v Nottingham Forest,

King power Stadium,

Sky Sports 2 12.45pm

SUNDAY

GOLF Singapore Open: day 4,

Serapong course, Singapore,

Sky Sports 3 3am

mOTOGp Generali Grand prix of

Valencia, circuit of Valencia,

British eurosport 2 2pm

FOOTBALL La Liga: mallorca v

Barcelona, iberostar Stadium,

Sky Sports 4, 4.50pm

NFL New Orleans Saints v Atlanta

Falcons, mercedes-Benz Superdome,

Sky Sports 3 5.30pm

FOOTBALL La Liga: Levante v real

madrid, city of Valencia Stadium,

Sky Sports 4 8.30pm

NFL philadelphia eagles v dallas

cowboys, Lincoln Financial Field,

Sky Sports 3 9.15pm

MONDAY

TeNNiS ATp World Tour Finals: Final, O2

Arena, London, Sky Sports 1 5.30pm

cricKeT Australia v South Africa:

First Test day 5,

Brisbane cricket Ground,

Sky Sports 1 11.30pm

TUESDAY

FOOTBALL international Friendly:

england U21 v Northern ireland U21,

Bloomfield road, eSpN 7pm

NFL Kansas city chiefs v pittsburgh

Steelers, Arrowhead Stadium,

BBc red Button 1.30am

WEDNESDAY

FOOTBALL World cup Qualifier:

Northern ireland v Azerbaijan,

Windsor park, Belfast,

Sky Sports 2 7.45pm

FOOTBALL international Friendly:

republic of ireland v Greece,

Aviva Stadium, dublin,

Sky Sports 3 7.45pm

THURSDAY

GOLF Hong Kong Open: day 1,

Hong Kong Golf club, Sky Sports 2 5am

BEST OF THE REST

Roman candleThe italian capital has been

home to intense rivalries and

cross-city fireworks ever

since romulus killed his

brother remus and named the

city after himself. The Stadio

Olimpico is no exception, and

this year’s derby della capitale

is given extra spark by Lazio

and roma’s proximity in

the Serie A table.

For the past few years

they’ve been separated – roma

have largely occupied the

european places, while the

Biancazzurro have languished

in mid-table. But 11 games in

to the current season and

Lazio are fifth, two points

ahead of their rivals, thanks in

no small part to six goals in 10

games from miroslav Klose.

However, their confidence

will have been shaken by a

shock 4-0 defeat to catania

last weekend – for which Klose

was suspended – and roma

manager zdenek zeman will

relish the chance to leapfrog

his former team, having

managed Lazio from 1994 to

1997. His own mr dependable,

Francesco Totti, is still pulling

the strings at the age of 36:

he’s scored four and set up

three in 10 games this season.

Juventus’ first league defeat

for 50 games last week may

have opened the door at the top

a crack. if either roman club is

going to prise it open further,

a derby-day win is required.

68 | November 9 2012 |

That’s right, the blockbuster franchise is taking its first steps beyond the present in Call of Duty Black Ops II, out November 13 on Xbox 360. That means awesome guns, crazy storylines and multiplayer mayhem

futuristic super-weapons on their makers.

That’s where you come in. So, in an action-

packed campaign mode, can you harness that

power to pull the world back from the brink of

annihilation? Find out in Call of Duty Black Ops II,

out November 13 on Xbox 360.

Multiplayer madness

Of course, that cutting-edge weaponry

transfers across to multiplayer as well – so

although Menendez might have his wily hands

on it in campaign mode, you’ll be the one who

gets to wield the full power of the future when

playing against your friends online. So, in

addition to shotguns, knives and hatchets,

there is a whole host of futuristic weapons

and tools – including shock grenades to stun

enemies, shields to protect you and a device

that lets you see through walls. Hey, it’s the

future – anything is possible.

To help you make the most of all this

variety, Call of Duty Black Ops II introduces

a re-imagined Create-a-Class system for

choosing weapons and add-ons. The ‘pick-10’

allocation system lets players pick any

Adored and famed for its gritty

realism, Call of Duty has captured

the imaginations of gamers

worldwide, with each hotly

anticipated release selling millions

of copies to eager fans. Next week, for the

first time, the series will move beyond the

present, giving players the chance to harness

the power of near-future technology and,

excitingly, advanced robotics as they try to

complete their mission.

Campaign chaos

The campaign features two interconnected

storylines separated by time. Alex Mason,

returning from the first Black Ops, is fighting

battles across the globe in the Cold War era,

in pursuit of an insidious villain named Raul

Menendez. Fast-forward to 2025, Menendez

is still wreaking havoc – havoc that Mason’s

son has to try and prevent. In the future, war

means robots, cyber warfare and unmanned

drones built by global superpowers to defend

their citizens. But they don’t count on the

enemy stealing the keys and turning the

combination of 10 items. Fairly self-

explanatory, we know, but in terms of Call

of Duty games, it’s truly revolutionary.

You’ll even be able to check out what

selections other players have opted for

and copy them to your console if you like

what you see. There are more ways than

ever to enjoy multiplayer – Combat

Training, Party Games and League Play.

Zombie nation

For some reason, a game mode

pitting the player against hordes of

the massed undead proved really

quite popular in Call of Duty Black

Ops II’s ancestors. That mode

is back for the latest version

of the game, too, with more

improvements than you can

shake a dismembered limb at.

For the first time, Zombie

mode gets its own

campaign story,

and the multiplayer

aspect has been

Back to the

Future

| 69

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improved as well, with an eight-player online

co-op. There are several new modes to add to

Survival mode, in which you have to stay alive

as long as possible. The pick of these is Grief

mode, new to Black Ops, in which two human

teams of four compete to see who will be last

man standing when

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Early bird bonus

Pre-order now and get the

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access to the Call of Duty Black Ops II Double

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chaos of this classic map, reimagined in a

depiction of the ‘Model Home of the Future’.

It all adds up to a cracking improvement

to the world biggest shooter – futuristic

weapons, improved multiplayer and flesh-

hungry zombies. What more could you want?

© 2

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www.callOfdUTy.cOM/BlackOps2

70 | Movember 9 2012 |

Embracing the gentlemanly spirit of the mo this November? You are not alone. Gillette has taken celebrating the

timeless qualities of the gent a step further,

old chap, and opened its The Best a Mo Can

Get Barbers at 10 Newburgh Street, off

London’s Carnaby Street. Open seven days

a week for one month only, it offers free

‘tache touch-ups for Mo Bros’ from the

chairs of a traditional barbers, where you

can enjoy a complementary drink followed

by a luxury shave with a qualified Sweeney

Todder wielding a Gillette Fusion ProGlide

Styler and a hot towel. Downstairs is a bar

and games room (left), where Gillette will

host intimate gigs, DJ sets, whisky tastings

and cocktail nights throughout November.

And all, splendidly, in the name of your

magnificent mo and cancer research.

facebook.com/gilletteuk

Extra time

Touch up your ’tacheGillette has opened a 1940s-style barbers

for Movember, so you can do just that

P76

Call of Duty Black Ops II: beef up

on your Cold War history or gun

down zombies. The choice is yours

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Brian Hayes/Lipstick Syndication

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Extra time Heather Weir

| 73

74 | November 9 2012 |

Bright ideas

Colour-changing, smartphone-controlled

lightbulbs are all well and good, but

where’s our damn time machine?

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Beats PillA hard pill to swallow, mainly because it’s 20cm long and is actually

a speaker. In fact, it’s the first speaker ever to use NFC technology, so

you can pair similarly equipped devices just by touching them with it.

The battery lasts for seven hours – so even if you did swallow it,

it would keep you entertained right through your wait at A&E.

£170 | store.universal-music.co.uk | Released December 3

Google Nexus 10While Apple tries to muscle in on Google’s seven-inch

tablet territory, the search engine firm has responded

by expanding its offering, in every sense of the word.

The new 10-inch Nexus has the highest-resolution

screen ever seen on a tablet, and is slightly lighter than

the newest iPad – despite being slightly larger. Multiple

user accounts make it a great choice for families.

From £319 | google.com/nexus/10

Denon AH-W150 Sports HeadphonesThe only bad thing about Team GB’s roaring

success is that hearing Chariots of Fire

every 15 minutes kind of lessened its

impact. Fortunately, these wireless

headphones redeem any soundtrack,

thanks to their super sound quality.

£150 | denon-headphones.eu

Philips HueThe biggest thing to happen to interior lighting

since Thomas Edison, the Philips Hue

connects to your home wifi network, so you

can control it with an iPhone app. You can

literally pick any colour you want, and set

timers. Use it to trick would-be burglars

into thinking you’re home, or for

Quagmire-esque mood lighting in

your front room... whatever turns

you on. Next week in gadgets:

a bed that springs out of the wall.

£180 starter pack | apple.com/uk

Trilogy The Weeknd

Whether he’s borrowing lyrics from The Smiths or

sampling the score to A Clockwork Orange, singer

Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd – and we have no idea

where the missing ‘e’ is) takes his shoe-gazing R&B

into surreal directions. This

album – a combination of three

mixtapes – showcases his

plaintive falsetto vocals and

woozy beats. Hit and miss – but

when he gets it right it sounds

originally, unsettlingly brilliant. ST

F/A

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Call of Duty Black Ops II (PC/PS3/Xbox)Set partly in the year 2025,

developers Treyarch have picked

a smart era for the new Black Ops

game. It’s far enough in the future

that they can introduce enticing

new weaponry (Iron Man-style

wrist-launchers: yes please), but

near enough to the present day that

the game appears grittily realistic.

A terror attack on Los Angeles is

a key storyline, but the game also

features a connected story set in

the 1970s and ‘80s, branch-off

‘Strike Force missions’ and the

most extensive Zombie Mode yet.

Add in a tweaked multiplayer that’s

designed to make it easier for

newcomers – so you don’t spend

your whole time being snipered

by elite schoolkids in Japan – and

this really does seem like the most

ambitious CoD yet. Roll on Tuesday.

Craic Dealer Dara O Briain

Panel show constant and

Tony Soprano henchman

lookalike (his description)

showcases his sharp

stand-up patter in this

live show. Topics such as

TV psychics and gender

differences are hardly

groundbreaking, but the

easygoing O Briain puts

a cerebral spin on them.

Standing in Another Man’s Grave Ian Rankin

The interconnected

disappearance of five

women hauls Inspector

Rebus out of retirement

for his 18th tale. The

case takes him out of

his native Edinburgh and

into the Highlands – but

early, glowing reviews

suggest the author’s old

magic is still present.Alfred Hitchcock: The Masterpiece Collection

Hour after hour of icy blondes, brutal murders

and twist endings in this new boxset of 14 films

from the suspense maestro. Iconic flicks Psycho,

Vertigo and Rear Window are present, but it’s also

a chance to see lesser-known efforts such as

thriller Frenzy, the taut tale of the hunt for a serial

killer in 1970s London. Loaded with screen tests,

alternate endings and other extras, this Monday

release delivers you heaps of early winter chills.

My Brother the Devil

If this urban gang drama was created by one of the

many Guy Ritchie clones churning out such films, it’d

be titled My Bruv the Wrong ‘Un – and we’d give it the

serious swerve, innit. Sally El Hosaini has, however,

directed a powerful study of two Anglo-Egyptian

siblings – one being drawn

into the East End crime

scene just as his older

brother wants to exit it.

A shock twist halfway

through deftly helps this

avoid the usual cliches.

76 | November 9 2012 |

Blu-ray

Duty bound

Guns, gangs and Hitch are all given a

fresh new twist as we examine the

week’s devilishly good new releases

GaME

FIlM

MuSIC DVDBOOK

Extra time Entertainment

“THE MOST AMBITIOUS

CALL OF DUTY YET”SHORTLIST

TM

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