Issue 312 | July 5 2013

Ten Tests. Seven months. Two teams.Lighting the fuse on a historic cricket year

06

Issue 312, July 5 2013

Radar

05 What goes on Tour... ...doesn’t stay on Tour (de France):

it goes into books. A lot of them.

We pick some of the best

06 Cash flashback Pat Cash recalls his famous climb

into the stands when he was

crowned Wimbledon champ in 1987

08 Dust-collectors As two teams prepare to compete

for a tiny urn, we pick some of the

stranger trophies in world sport o this coming weekFeatures

16 Matt Prior England’s current Player of the Year

looks ahead to a monumental few

months of Ashes cricket

22 Steve Finn on England The lanky paceman runs the rule

over his teammates. Jonathan Trott?

“Actually a very funny bloke”

24 Ricky Ponting One of Australia’s all-time great

batsmen says it’s foolish to write

off his countrymen just yet

27 Lions: now or never The crucial third Test – can the Lions

buck Australia’s momentum and hit

back to win the series?

30 Drugs on Tour The measures being taken by UK

Anti-Doping to eradicate drugs

in sport – especially cycling

Extra Time

40 Kit Top sunglasses. Summer may be

over after next week, so hurry

42 Gadgets Air hockey makes a very welcome

appearance, as does the Mutewatch

46 Entertainment The Press Photographer’s Year:

best in show from 2012

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| July 5 2013 | 03

The Tour de France Miscellany John White , £7.49The literary equivalent of your cycling-obsessed

colleague, this pint-sized guide is packed with trivia

and historical tidbits, an alarming proportion of

which seem to involve gruesome injury. So the next

time aforementioned colleague waddles over to the

water cooler in their lycra to discuss pedals and

pelotons, you’ll be prepared.

Le Tour 100: The Definitive History of the World’s Greatest Race Peter Cossins, Isabel Best, Chris Sidwells & Clare Griffith, £15.25The first of several TdF coffee table books that

have been thumping on to our poor desk all year,

| July 5 2013 | 05

Radarp06 – Pat Cash flashes back to winning Wimbledon, 1987. Cashback, if you will

p08 – A history of football in 450 famous (and infamous) moments

Y

p06 – Try to out-run an ostrich at the Vibram Fivefingers ZSL Zoo Stampede

Stage turnersou could argue that the book that best

sums up the history of the Tour de France

is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: Hunter

S. Thompson’s riotous drug-fuelled slog across

Nevada has many parallels with aspects of the

great race. We’ve opted instead for some traditional

takes on the Tour as it moves into week two.

Le Tour 100 is light on words, opting instead for a

more visual history. It’s packed full of a series of

computer-generated maps that tell the story of

the Tour. After a foreword from former winners

Stephen Roche and Bernard Hinault, it’s split into

two sections. The first selects a pivotal stage from

each year of the Tour, with computer-generated

topographical maps. The second looks at the overall

route for each year — from the six-stage 2,428km

loop of the first Tour to the 21-stage meander

they’ll undertake this year.

Le Tour de France 100: The Official TreasuresSerge Laget, Luke Edwardes-Evans & Andy McGrath, £27.97Five-time winner Bernard Hinault has clearly been

cashing in, because he’s also done the foreword

to this historical collection. The Official Treasures

comes with all the information you’d expect, and

also contains dozens of inserts: facsimiles of

original documents and flyers from the early

days of the Tour. That includes a copy of the

rules from the 1910 edition, written by Tour

founder Henri Desgrange, and a special postcard

designed for the 1959 race by moustachioed

surrealist Salvador Dali.

Tour de France: Official 100th Race Anniversary Edition Francoise & Serge Laget, Phillippe Cazaban & Gilles Montgermont , £16.20Furnished with snaps from the private collection of

Tour historian Serge Laget (they’re of bikes and

stuff, not just his holiday pictures — we’ve checked),

this official history pulls together the history with

some background on the big stories: perfect if

you’re keen to expand your knowledge. The highlight

is the awkwardly fumbling summaries of Lance

Armstrong’s seven titles — officially listed under ‘no

winner’ — but this book provides the fullest account

of his rise and inevitable fall.

Tour de France 100: A Photographic History of Cycling’s Most Iconic RaceRichard Moore, £19.20A fine selection of photographs, pleasingly arranged

in chronological order, tell the Tour’s story here.

Interspersed with insightful essays that accompany

some of the key moments from the race’s history,

the best shots, in our opinion, are from the early

days — when it was contested by chain-smoking

gentlemen with Poirotic facial hair. Tres bon!

All prices from amazon.co.uk

Radar

06 | July 5 2013 |

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“I knew it’d be a first in pretty much any

sport – climbing up to celebrate with the

crowd – but it was important for me to

celebrate with my team and family. I was 22,

and I’d already had a serious back injury that

put me out for a year, and I’d recently had a

kid, so a lot had happened at a young age.

Most of the people who had supported me in

those years were in that box at Wimbledon,

so it was my way of saying thank you.

“I was quite rebellious and didn’t like to

conform, so that probably helped make up

my mind. I only really decided the night before

that I was definitely going to do it, but I didn’t

think about it too much because it was more

important to win. I remember I won the

match, shook the hand of my opponent [Ivan

Lendl] and the umpire, and then I saw my

team up there yelling and screaming and I

just thought: ‘That’s not right.’

“I don’t think anybody knew what was going

on as I ran over into the crowd. I got through

the first couple of rows, and then I had to

kind of push my way through. I got to the

edge of the commentary box eventually, and I

was worried that it might go crashing through

– it was just a little booth with no proper roof.

There was a guy standing by it, though, who

was dressed as a priest – he offered me his

shoulders to help boost myself up on to the

box, so I put my foot on his shoulder and got

on to the box. It held, thankfully.

“I gave everyone in the team box a hug –

Princess Diana and the royals were in the box

next door, but I quickly decided against

continuing my climb – and celebrated, then I

turned around and realised the carpet was

out, the trophies were on the table and

everyone was waiting for me. Thankfully, one

of the ushers there showed me a little

walkway down the back, and I popped back

out again to a big roar. They didn’t make me

climb back down, thankfully.”

July 5 1987

Pat Cash climbs into Wimbledon history

Former Wimbledon champion

Pat Cash has launched the Pat

Cash Tennis Acaemy app,

out now on Android and iOS

<<FLASHBACK <<

Running wildhink you’d handle escaping from the jungle in Jumanji

better than Robin Williams? The Vibram Fivefingers ZSL

Zoo Stampede is probably the closest you’ll get to finding

out – inside the M25, at least. It involves either a 2km or 10km run

through London Zoo and Regent’s Park on September 15. Make sure

you keep up the pace: an ostrich could supposedly run a marathon

in 45 minutes, and the tigers (top speed 55kph) are right behind you.

Find out more at zsl.org/stampede

T

o matter what happens over the coming weeks, the Ashes

will end on an amusing note, as a group of large men hold

aloft a comically small ceramic urn. It’s far from the most

unusual award, however. We’ve picked out five of the weirdest

trophies from around the sporting world...

he FA is celebrating its 150th

anniversary, but their events

understandably gloss over the more

unsavoury side of football. If you want a fuller

picture of the dense tapestry of the history of

the beautiful (and not so beautiful) game, look no

further than Football Mishmash. That’s what

illustrator Alex Bennett has christened his giant

poster of more than 450 memorable footballing

moments – the fruit of a year’s work – from

Colombian ‘keeper René Higuita’s unconventional

scorpion kick against England to Eric Cantona’s

equally unique one at Selhurst Park (below).

£19.95 from footballmishmash.com

Radar

08 | July 5 2013 |

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peculiarprizes

Almost everyone knows this

story, but we’ll run through it

again for the uninitiated.

The urn symbolises the ‘ashes of

English cricket’ based on a

tongue-in-cheek Sporting Times

article from 1882, and was

awarded to the England captain

by a group of Aussie women.

A pleasing cross between Thing

from The Addams Family and

The Thing from Fantastic Four,

the Golden Glove is awarded to

the best ‘keeper at the men’s

and women’s World Cups.

In 2011, America’s Hope Solo

was the lucky recipient for

having the safest han(ds).

Everything’s bigger in the

States, and that extends to the

Indianapolis 500 – that most

American of motorsport races.

The ludicrous Borg-Warner

Trophy, awarded to the winner of

that famous race, stands at just

under five foot, and weighs in at

a mantelpiece-crushing 45kg.

Awarded to the winners of the

Sri Lanka v Australia Test

series, the nightmarish

Warne-Muralitharan Trophy

features the disembodied hands

of Test cricket’s two leading

wicket takers, encased in what

looks like carbonite à la Han Solo

in Star Wars (again). Terrifying.

This should be collecting dust

in an antiques shop somewhere,

but instead it’s been pressed

into service as the trophy for

the World Challenge golf title,

which is run by the Tiger Woods

Foundation. Which kind of

justifies the tiger. The Earth/

golf ball remains inexcusable.

We’d like to introduce you to the neWest member of our team

NOW IN CLUB

exCLU

sIve

fitnessfirst.co.uk/victoriapendleton

51093_01FF_0613 232x300mm VP ad Sport Mag.indd 1 02/07/2013 12:18

10 | June 28 2013 |

Radar Opinion

Publisher

Simon Caney

@simoncaney

Sport magazinePart of UTV Media plc

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Office Manager: Deborah Dilworth (7826)

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© UTV Media plc 2012

UTV Media plc takes no responsibility for the content

of advertisements placed in Sport magazine

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Hearty thanks to: James Woodroof,

James Rickard, Turia Tellwright

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

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Laura Robson is certainly a talented tennis player.

Whether she’s good enough to ever win a Grand

Slam, only time will tell. But let’s give her a chance.

And that goes for the majority – those people who were

willing her to victory in her little Wimbledon adventure –

as well as those who claim she’s just another British

tennis loser. Let’s ignore the latter, because they’re

just being churlish, and let’s concentrate on the former.

Because, despite their best intentions, those well-wishers

are a bit of a problem for Robson.

I was fortunate enough to be at Centre Court last week

as she beat Mariana Duque-Marino in the second round.

It was a reasonably accomplished performance, but even

then, serving for the first set of a second-round match

against a player ranked almost 80 places below her in the

world, Robson was clearly nervous.

As her serve faltered – on too many occasions she

resorted to just catching her ball toss – the crowd sensed

those nerves. Audible sighs went up, and Robson seemed

to feed off them. She lost the game, but appeared to

visibly relax in the next game – when she wasn’t serving.

The pressure valve released, she broke back to win the set.

Talking her up is fine, but Robson is not a strutting

peacock (peahen?) of a player who expects greatness.

She seems reserved, shy, and she’s still only 19. It may be

she simply doesn’t possess the killer instinct great athletes

have. But let’s all relax around her and see what she can do.

Heroes come in different forms, but you can stick Geraint

Thomas in that category right now. Continuing to pedal in

the Tour de France with a fractured pelvis, purely for the

good of his team, was a remarkable decision. Yes, Thomas

is a hero. He’s also completely nuts. Don’t try this at home.

Enough has already been said about the rights and

wrongs of the James Horwill case. While the Lions will

have to play the final Test without their skipper, the

inspirational Sam Warburton, Horwill is free to play

despite that stamp on Alun Wyn Jones. Is it unsporting

of me to hope the Lions have a picture of him on the

dressing room wall, and that all 15 give it one last

lingering, knowing look before they step on to the ANZ

pitch tomorrow? They should need no more inspiration

than Horwill’s gurning face.

Take a step backLaura Robson could do with us averting our gaze and letting her get on with playing tennis

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Reader comments of the week

@Sportmaguk read the

mag since the outset and

have to say this week’s is

the best by a mile, great

features on Froome, Cav &

the Lions

@WASNAPPER

Anybody who’s ever seen

State of Origin knows it’s

light years ahead of rugby

union. You wonder why the

Lions generate so much

interest for what boils down

to a goalkicking contest.

Mick, via email

Loved @simoncaney

letter on The Lions for

@Sportmaguk absolutely

spot on when you just find

yourself screaming at

absolutely anything!

@JoeyViking

Too many good interviews

in @Sportmaguk this week.

Going to start with Frank

Williams I think.

@emmabethwright

Disappointed by

@billborrows attack on

middle class tennis players

rather than ask what can be

done to make it more

accessible @Sportmaguk

@gogibbogo

Free iPad app available on iPad, Kindle and Android devices

At Waterloo I get

@Sportmaguk on

Thursday evenings which

makes for a bloody decent

commute home!

@garrydavenport

Get in touch @sportmaguk info@sport-magazine.co.uk

Robson : green, but without

the weight of expectation on

her shoulders, who knows

what she might achieve?

12 | July 5 2013 |

Radar Opinion

Flats on Friday

There I was, watching Murray make it into the quarter finals, when I

experienced something that has never

happened to me before. I was reacting to the events on

a tennis court – a tennis court, FFS – in the same way I

would if I was watching my team, Manchester City, in the

Champions League. That’s right: I had my head in my

hands and spent an hour kicking the chair in front of me.

No, not really. I was punching the air and talking to

the TV. And as Americans are wont to say, it got me

to thinking. Middle England hate Andy Murray for no

appreciable reason other than he is better at what he

does than their kids who have had thousands spent on

coaching and equipment. You’ve just got to hate that.

Here are 10 other entirely justifiable sporting hatreds…

10. Cycling: Used to do it when I was a kid; it was fun.

Then I passed my driving test.

9. Supporters of Newcastle United: Northern ‘Uncle

Toms’ hugely embarrassing to all of us who find it highly

improbable to be able to rhyme ‘grass’ with ‘arse’.

8. Audley Harrison: Demeans a sport I love and

makes Julius ‘Advertising Space on the Soles of my

Boots’ Francis look like Joe Louis.

7. Jeremy Guscott, Andre Agassi and Bruce

Rioch: I’ve interviewed them all. I can’t go into detail

here, but I’m happy to add them to this list.

6. Hooligan autobiographies: Just because you

once owned a Lyle & Scott jumper and saw a fight in a

pub in Stoke in 1986 does not make you Andy McNab.

5. Sergei Bubka: An ex-girlfriend fancied the former

Olympic pole vault champion and wouldn’t accept that his

eyes were too close together. Which they still are, BTW.

4. Phil Thompson: Don’t know why. Just because.

Might be the dodgy perm in the mid 80s, though not sure.

3. American football: An oxymoron before we even

get into the detail…

2. Kevin Pietersen: If UKIP really want to make a

statement, start by repatriating white South Africans

and make him the first. Send him back and I might even

think about voting for you*.

1. Adults who pay to have the name of players

(usually much younger than themselves)

printed on the back of their replica shirts:

Wrong. Wrong and just weird in a should-be-on-some-

kind-of-register kind of way.

There you are. And not even one mention of Gary Neville

or Manchester United.

@billborrows

Plank of the Week Laura Robson (not Wimbledon)

You are an absolute disgrace, young lady. First British

woman to reach the fourth round this century and…

oh, sorry, I thought the backlash had already started.

It’s like this…Bill Borrows

* T

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his Lions decider is about as dramatic as sport gets. Whether

you’re a football fanatic or even if

speedway is your thing, Saturday’s match simply

has to interest you. If it doesn’t, then you may no

longer call yourself a sports fan.

I thought that the end to the 2011/12 football

season – with the two Manchester giants going

blow for blow in separate stadia – was about as

good as it got. I was all over the place. Shrieking at

the TV, updating my Twitter feed every seven

seconds and cursing the fact that I hadn’t set up a

multi-screen system in my lounge.

The key difference between that climax and this

is that, this time, we know exactly what’s coming.

This is not a Saturday that might turn out to be a

thriller. It is guaranteed. Winner takes all. In a

sense, this is more like a heavyweight title fight –

but we know that neither fighter will fight again,

and that both of them have been building toward

this moment for their whole careers. And so it

becomes everything. Just everything.

Victory over Australia would change the lives of

these Lions. Not only would they become sporting

heroes, but they could dine out on this series alone

for a lifetime. This may be somewhat crass as an

observation – and it most certainly is not what

occupies the minds of these players – but, in purely

corporate terms, winning would set a beautiful and

bountiful financial future for every man in red.

Dinners, events, columns, TV appearances – all of

this would create income, and all they would have

to do is be there, and occasionally talk about the

best memories of their lives. What a wonderful way

to carve out a living.

What will be in the players’ minds now is vastly

more interesting, however. For the Aussies, their

win last weekend means that, no matter how often

they deny it publicly, their thoughts are on nothing

but what they stand to gain; the build-up to the

second Test was their nightmare week. They will

have spent it staying positive and trying to repress

those ‘what if we lose’ thoughts that haunt every

athlete from time to time. The Lions still have much

to lose, but they simply have to have spent time

lamenting what they could have achieved; it’s human

nature, but it costs time and saps momentum.

But they can do it. If the scrummage is

aggressive at all times and solid throughout, the

Wallaby front five will tire. If the lineout is quick and

precise, the Lions midfield will gain bruising

yardage. What they cannot control, however, is

Australian resilience and intelligence. They are so

hard to beat, and they are so well prepared. They

have the Lions’ gameplan worked out, so it will need

some magic to win this one. A last-minute winner

from Brian O’Driscoll? Now that would be drama…

@davidflatman

Da

vid

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ttle

ton

It’s a Lions life-changer

14 | July 5 2013 |

Frozen in time

| 15

Face in the crowdIt’s not all Murray Mound, Robson Green, Centre

Court and strawberries and cream, you know.

Some of the players at Wimbledon just have to

knock up around the spectators. Here, France’s

Paul-Henri Mathieu tries to find space in the

crowd to serve to Ričardas Berankis of Lithuania.

We’re not sure if the serve was in; someone was

having a picnic in the tramlines. Ju

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Matt Prior

| July 5 2013 | 17

From the calm, calculating run-scorers at the top of

the order to the lofty, dreamboat fast-bowlers at the

other end, the England Test cricket team is a

well-balanced unit. Mercurial spark is provided by the

devious off-spin of Graeme Swann or the pyrotechnic

batting of Kevin Pietersen. But the backbone of the

side, the glue that holds it all together, is the man

behind the stumps.

Matt Prior is the reigning England Cricketer of the Year

and the Test team’s vice-captain; a man who offers

aggressive batting lower down the order and is the team’s

Mr Motivator in the field. However, it so nearly didn’t happen.

At the end of 2008, when he was dropped from the England

squad aged 26, he was on verge of giving up the gloves.

“Knocking ‘keeping on the head was a very serious

consideration,” he says now. “At that point, I knew I wanted to

play for England again and I knew I could bat successfully at

international level. The thing that was holding me back was

my keeping. So I just thought: ‘Right, I’ll focus solely on my

batting and get into the team that way.’”

Prior, now 31, changed his mind only after a chat with the

former England wicketkeeper Alex Stewart, who convinced

him to take a year to really work on improving his

wicketkeeping. Being dropped also meant people Prior

assumed were his pals suddenly went AWOL.

“It hurt, to be honest,” he says. “Everyone is there while

things are going great and they’re all your best mates. Then

it all goes horribly wrong and the first thing that happened

was some people loved telling me about Bob Willis nailing me

on the telly, or whatever. They’d say: ‘Oh, did you see what this

person said [about you]?’ And I thought: ‘Hold on a minute,

you’re supposed to be my mate. Why are you telling me this?’

One by one, you see those people disappear. The great thing

is it left the people who I now know I can rely on through thick

and thin. That was a good lesson for me to learn.”

There’s very little reason for Bob Willis or anyone else

to criticise Prior since his recall in 2009 (just in time to

play a key role in England’s Ashes victory that summer).

His intensive, ongoing work with specialist gloveman Bruce

French has led to vast improvement in his keeping skills and

– although he’s not the type to take it for granted – Prior’s

place in the team looks secure ahead of 10 Ashes Tests over

the next seven months. Not that everything is 100 per cent

plain sailing behind the scenes. The memories of his feisty

past still cause Prior a bit of grief.

Watermelons and cheese“It’s a hideous nickname!” says Prior with a grin when asked

about his moniker within the England team. “I will state for

the record that it’s ‘The Cheese’ not ‘The Big Cheese’, but it

came about in my younger years. I had a diamond stud and —

when I had hair — I had blond highlights. Everyone thought I

walked around like I was ‘the big cheese’, so that’s where it

came from. I’ve lost the hair, I’ve got rid of the diamond stud,

but the nickname seems to have stuck.”

He was also the recipient of another unwanted, albeit short-

lived, nickname via a certain Shane Warne. As Prior recounts

in his book, The Gloves are Off, he was given the full Warne

treatment when they met in county cricket in 2005: “I walked

out with my usual confidence. Some would call it a strut, of

course. Warne certainly thought it was a strut... After I had

got to the wicket, he stopped the whole game. And he mimicked

my walk to the wicket by walking up and down the pitch, with

his arms out as if he was carrying a watermelon under each

arm. That was what he kept calling me: ‘Watermelons’.”

Prior chuckles about the story now, despite admitting it

made him “feel about an inch tall” at the time. He’s matured >

E n g l a n d ’ s r o c k

Matt Prior talks exclusively about almost giving up his wicketkeeping gloves, two dubious nicknames and why the Ashes feels different to any other series

“It’s a hIdeous nIckname. I WIll state For the record that It’s ‘the cheese’ not ‘the bIg cheese’”E

CB

Matt Prior

18 | July 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

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since he earned two dual nicknames, but he hasn’t lost that

confident stride; chest puffed out and chin high. Prior is a

swashbuckling batsman and a combative, exuberant

personality on the pitch.

“My role in the side, on and off the field, is maintaining the

team’s energy,” Prior says. He’s a big talker behind the

stumps, but maintains: “Ninety-five per cent of the time, my

chat is about geeing up our bowlers and the fielding unit,”

rather that targeting opposition batsmen.

His role as the guardian of England’s team spirit came to

the fore last year when it emerged that Prior was the first

person to call Pietersen after the ugly saga during the

summer series against South Africa, which eventually led to

Pietersen being omitted for the final Test. The comment that

stung many of Pietersen’s teammates most was his quote that

“It’s not easy being me,” in the England dressing room.

Rather than stewing on it, Prior got on the phone to KP to

talk through his issues. “I’d like to think I’m loyal to all my

teammates — whether that’s KP, [Stuart] Broad, Jonny

Bairstow or whoever,” says Prior on his motivation for the call.

“So if someone is struggling, you want to look at how we can

improve things [for them] as a team. By the same token, if

someone’s stepping out of line you need — as a team — to pull

them back in. That was the important thing for me: making

sure that if a teammate is unhappy, how we can change things

and how we can go forward and on to a better place.”

What was the reaction to his teammates when he told them

he’d spoken to Pietersen? “I didn’t really tell them,” says Prior.

“It wasn’t a case of: ‘Oh, I’ve just spoken to Kev’. That becomes

gossipy and that’s the last thing you want. KP and I had the

chat and it was between myself and Kevin. It was a private

chat between two blokes who play in the same team.”

England strugglEsPrior may never have intended to make a public statement

with his phone call, but it seems clear that Pietersen

appreciated the gesture and that it played a part in his

so-called reintegration to the England team. If there’s a

reason for Prior’s active role in maintaining team bonds, it can

perhaps be traced back to his own slightly uncomfortable

start within the England squad.

“It was during my first tours,” says Prior when asked about

how he initially struggled to fit in with the England set-up.

“So, 2005 and my one-day debut in Zimbabwe and then in

the following winter when I went away to India and Pakistan.

The guys had just won the Ashes in 2005, and there was a

steady group. Clique would probably be the wrong word... but

it was a tough group to get into as a young player.

“There’s not a great deal to do in Pakistan, but we’d finish

training, get off the coach [and I’d say]: ‘Right, anyone doing

anything?’ No, no, no — all just going to bed. Okay, fine. You’d go

a whole evening in your hotel room by yourself, then come

back down the next morning and you’d hear: ‘Oh that was

great food in that restaurant.’ Maybe they just didn’t like me,

which is fair enough! But I found it tough. I think that’s why

now we really try and focus on everybody, so that new players

in the team feel relaxed. It’s the senior players’ responsibility

to make young players feel comfortable and to explain to

them how we operate. Even things like going out for dinner.

Because, ultimately, it’s about performance and players perform

at their best when everybody is relaxed and backing each other.”

ashEs dangErThe England camp certainly appears a settled one at the

moment; a rather different place to where their Australian

counterpart appears to be (more on that later). Prior’s eyes

sparkle when he contemplates the Ashes series ahead.

“To play in the Ashes is incredible,” he enthuses. “Already I’m

so excited about it. It’s everything. It just feels different to

other series. The natural competitive spirit of England versus

Australia in any sport just gets the juices flowing, and that

transmits to spectators and fans. People who aren’t even

interested in cricket suddenly become cricket fans. It rubs

off on everyone — and as a player, you can feel that.”

Prior also admits to being a fan of “the Aussie way of

playing cricket”. To him this translates as: “You play hard on

the pitch and you never take a backward step. It’s competitive

and that’s how it should be. I don’t know if that’s the Aussie

way or whatever, but I like that way of playing sport. I think

that’s something England have done very well over the past

few years, actually, so hopefully it’s becoming our way of

playing cricket. But then you also get those special moments >

“thE aussiE way of playing crickEt is bEcoming our way”

Matt Prior

20 | July 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Batting Bias: the test averages

at the end of the series. When all’s said and done, you’re

able to have a beer with those same opposition players that

you’ve hated for seven weeks. That’s important. I get a huge

amount of pleasure from that as well.”

Prior is one of a modern generation of England players who

can talk with glee about a Test series against Australia,

possibly because they don’t carry the scars of Ashes defeats

of old. Prior’s two Ashes series have both ended with England

picking up the urn and in the last series down under, Prior

averaged over 50 with the bat and reached a century at Sydney

in just 109 balls. It was the fastest England Test century since

Ian Botham’s knock at Headingley in 1981.

However, Prior is alive to the threat that Australia bring,

claiming their reserves of fast-bowlers — reputedly quick and

talented, if also injury-prone and relatively unproven — are

a threat. “I haven’t had much experience playing against them,

which is interesting because a lot of times in Test series you

come up against players that you’re used to. You know the

feeling of what they’re trying to do,” he says.

“So we’re going to have to prepare really well. I’ll speak

to guys that have played against them a lot. They look like

a dangerous attack, so we’ll have to get our preparation

right and then execute our skills well. Because ultimately,

it’s out in the middle where it counts.”

That may be the case, but on the day Sport speaks to Prior,

there is more off-pitch disruption for Australia, with coach

Mickey Arthur sacked just weeks before the first Test and

skipper Michael Clarke stepping down as a selector. Prior has

spoken previously about how the England team drew strength

in the 2012 tour of India from the bickering between the Indian

hierarchy and a groundsman before the third Test (eventually

won by England). Surely, then, this news of Aussie turmoil

is music to his ears.

Matt Prior

sounds a

warning on

Australia’s

bowlers — but, on

Test averages,

England’s top

seven have a

huge batting

advantage over

their possible

counterparts

*after one Test

alastair Cook (C)shane Watson

Joe rootChris rogers

Jonathan trottPhil hughes

kevin PietersenMiChael Clarke (C)

ian BellDaviD Warner

Jonny BairstoWusMan khaWaJa

Matt Prior (W)BraD haDDin (W)

49.1735.34

35.5044.33

29.2231.00

39.4645.57

52.3349.01

33.0050.01

9.50*42.40

“Well, as England players,

we don’t know enough

about it to comment,”

he says diplomatically.

“So there’s actually no

point in wasting our

time worrying about it.

The minute you start taking

your attention off your

own detail, you become

unstuck. The moment we

start focusing on Australia,

start worrying about them,

we’re going down the

wrong avenue.

“So it’s so important that

in among all of this, we stay so focused on what we’re

doing as an England cricket team. I know you probably think

that’s a straight-bat answer. But that’s genuinely how we

have to do it. One of the challenges of Ashes cricket is that

there’s always other stories and things going on. People are

trying to get you to focus away from your own team — and

that will be a challenge for us. So hopefully we’ll remember

that the important thing is focusing on our preparation, our

skills, our ethos and team spirit.”

There seems little chance with Prior around that England

will become distracted from the task in hand. Even if the

biggest battle he seems to be facing when asked this question

is keeping an amused, wolfish grin off his face.

He may represent the spine of the England team, but Prior

still has a funny bone — and he’s aiming to have the last laugh

over the Australian team once again this summer.

Alex Reid @otheralexreid

#RISE for England.

For news, videos and to show

your support ahead of the

Investec Ashes Series — visit

ecb.co.uk/ashes

Pin

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r E

CB

F i n n ’ s E n g l

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I A N B O T H A M

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1 8 + M A X . R E F U N D £ 2 5 T E R M S A N D C O N D I T I O N S A P P L Y G A M B L E A W A R E . C O . U K

1. AlAstAir Cook

Age: 28opening bAtsmAn

“Cooky is a very

impressive character on

and off the pitch. I don’t

think he’s changed at all

since he’s become Test

captain. He still leads

from the front – as an

opening batsman, he

goes out there and sets

the tone for us – and

that’s so important.

It’s his job to make bold,

tough decisions on the

pitch as well, and he’s

been very good at that.

He’s a fit bloke too, so he

doesn’t sweat too much,

which he’s very lucky

about. You know if he’s

sweating, it’s pretty hot.”

2. Joe root

Age: 22opening bAtsmAn

“The form book suggests

he won’t be fazed by the

Ashes. He’s been

exceptional ever since he

first came into the team

for that Test match in

India [scoring 73 and 20

not out]. He’s been

unflappable and he’s

faced the new ball most

of his life, playing for

Yorkshire and playing

youngsters’ cricket. He’s

also a cheeky little git

sometimes! You can tell

he’s only 22 years old,

because he’s bubbly and

enthusiastic – but that’s

important for us to have

in the dressing room.”

3. JonAthAn trott

Age: 32bAtsmAn

“I spend quite a lot of

time with him off the

pitch and he’s actually a

very funny bloke. Some

of the things he says,

without intentionally

being funny, just are

very funny. Obviously

he’s in that bubble when

he’s on the pitch. There

were a few chants in

Australia from the fans

that riled him – I can’t

really repeat them for a

magazine... but usually

he’s a very calm player,

totally focused on

scoring runs. It’s good to

have that kind of person

at number three for us.”

4. kevin pietersen

Age: 33bAtsmAn

“He’s special. He’s the

bloke that, when you’re

bowling in the nets, can

hit your best ball for

four. That sort of

destructive power in the

middle order is very,

very important for a Test

team. There was a big

deal made of the fresh

start; the supposed

reintegration. But once

he came back into the

team in India, everything

was great again. He’s a

very big player off the

pitch for us as well in the

way that he offers a lot

of experience. It’s great

to have him back.”

5. iAn bell

Age: 31bAtsmAn

“He’s a very good fella.

He’s quite quiet, but he

can be a bit of a joker,

too, and he always has a

trick up his sleeve. With

the amount of cricket

he’s played [88 Tests],

it’s great to have the

stability his brings in the

middle order. He’s been

exceptional for a long

time now – he’s played a

lot of cricket and he’s

only getting better, so

it’s good to have him.

It’s also handy to have a

fielder of his quality at

short leg. You never

know when he might take

a great catch.”

Ashes teams

Sport asks Steven Finn for the inside track on some of his England teammates

ESPN Classic will

broadcast extensive

Ashes programming

every weeknight

throughout July,

celebrating one of the

fiercest rivalries in

international sport.

Visit espnclassic.com

for details

22 | July 5 2013 |

Matt Prior

| 23

l a n d g u i d E

By players, for players

F O L L O W

I A N B O T H A M

U N I B E T . C O . U K / S P O R T

6. Jonny Bairstowage: 23Batsman

“There’s obviously a

lot of speculation and

interest in an Ashes

series, so that will be

new for Jonny. But when

you’re on the pitch, it’s

no different to any other

Test match: you stick to

what you know you do

well. Jonny is a very

talented young player.

He has the ability to take

the game away from

teams in the middle

order. Team him with

Prior, Belly, KP and it’s a

really dangerous middle

order. Jonny is learning

all the time and he’s only

going to get better.”

7. matt Priorage: 31wicketkeePer/Batsman

“As our wicketkeeper,

it’s Matt Prior’s role to

make sure that he’s

creating energy from

the middle of the field.

He’s been exceptional at

that, and he’s very big on

doing that. He’s another

player who’s been

involved in more than

50 Test matches now [67

in total], so we’re very

lucky to have both that

experience in the team

and his explosive batting.

The way he takes games

away from people and

counterattacks is so

important to have at

number seven.”

8. stuart Broadage: 27fast Bowler

“He’s excellent. For a

young man, Broady has

played a lot of cricket:

over 50 Test matches

[he’s played 57], over

100 ODIs [102] and he’s

captain of the England

Twenty20 team. That

means he’s played in all

sorts of situations the

world over, so he’s a

good guy to talk to about

different conditions,

different teams and

different situations

within games. He’s great

at that and he helps the

younger players a lot.

He’s a very senior player

in the dressing room.”

9. graeme swannage: 34sPin Bowler

“I don’t think Swanny

ever switches off. He’s

always looking for

something to take the

mickey out of you for.

He’s a character in the

dressing room, but he’s

a very skilful man. He’s

scored important runs

for us, he holds catches

at second slip and he’s

one of the best spinners

in the world. For a

conventional off-spinner

to be as effective as he

has been, without

bowling a ball that spins

the other way, it shows

how great he’s been for

quite a while now.”

10. steven finnage: 24fast Bowler

“Funny, good looking,

charismatic...” jokes

Finn, the tall pace bowler

and ambassador for

ESPN Classic’s Ashes

coverage, when asked

how his teammates

might describe him.

“I hope they’d say that

I’m getting better as

my career goes on. I’m

trying to make changes;

not wholesale changes,

but little ones to make

me a better cricketer.

I think I’ve become more

consistent. I’m someone

who enjoys cricket and

goes out to have a good

time every time I play.”

11. James andersonage: 30fast Bowler

“He’s an amazingly

talented player. He’s got

a great record in world

cricket in all formats, so

he’s got the respect of

everyone. For me, his

most impressive trait is

that – even with all he’s

achieved in the game

– he’s still looking to

improve and develop his

skills all the time. I think

he was quite happy

to relinquish the

nightwatchman duty to

me, though. He enjoys

that now, after bowling

out a team, he doesn’t

have to go straight in

and put his pads on.” Ch

ris

top

he

r L

ee

/Ge

tty

Ima

ge

s

Paul O’Connell

24 | July 5 2013 |

Ashes teams

Sum up the recent fortunes of the

Australia team, Ricky.

“Not the greatest by our own

expectations, but if you look at the last

Test match I played [against South

Africa in December] — if we’d have won

that Test, we’d have been the

number-one ranked Test team in the

world. That wasn’t so long ago.

Obviously the team then went to India

and lost 4-0, but I couldn’t see any

team winning in the conditions that

confronted that team over there.

Things probably aren’t as bad within

the team as the perception from the

outside would have it.”

What do people in Australia think of

this England team?

“I think they are highly rated. I don’t go

around the streets asking people what

they think of the England cricket team,

but I know what I feel about them:

they’ve been a very well-balanced and

together group for a very long time. If

you look at the success that the

Australian teams have always had, it’s

been with a very small group of players

and a little bit of rotation here and

there. That’s what England have been

able to do for the last six or seven

years, and their bowling attack in

particular has been fairly similar for a

long time. That was one of the great

traits of the best Australian teams.”

Four Australia players were

suspended for a Test last winter for

failing to complete their so-called

‘homework’. Has the fallout from that

been addressed, do you think?

“Look, I’d like to think so. To tell you the

truth, there hasn’t been a whole lot of

time together for that group since

then. Shane Watson went home for the

birth of his child, then went back for

the last [India] Test; Michael Clarke

wasn’t there, he was only there for the

first couple of days then he went

home… then Shane was straight off to

the IPL after that. But they’re big boys:

Michael and Shane have played cricket

together from their mid-teens and

know each other particularly well.

They will fix things, they will sort things

out, and hopefully both will have a

huge impact on the series.”

Michael Clarke has been irresistible

with the bat, but no one else in the

squad averages more than 40.

Who do you see making the runs?

“Shane Watson is the man for me in

this series. Wherever he bats in the

order he can have great success in

these conditions. Ed Cowan’s also one

I have a bit of a feeling about for this

series. He plays the moving ball

particularly well. He just loves batting,

he’s hungry to score runs, he’s been

over here playing with Notts, learning a

lot about the conditions, and he’ll adapt

a gameplan and style of play to stand

up in these conditions.

“Philip Hughes is the other one: he’s

just got what it takes. There is

something about him, it’s almost like

the eye of the tiger. He’s not the

prettiest guy to watch, but he just

scores runs. He’s, what, 24 years old,

with 20-odd first-class hundreds.”

The bowling attack has a load of

potential but seems physically quite

fragile, apart from Peter Siddle. Who

do you expect to do well in the attack?

“Well if you look at the squad of

bowlers that they’ve picked, I think

they’re all ideally suited to playing here

in England. Peter Siddle is a seam

bowler, not necessarily a swing bowler.

James Pattinson is someone who can

bowl quick and swing the ball. Mitchell

Starc is a really exciting prospect, I

believe: a tall left-armer who can swing

the ball at a good pace. There are not

many teams that can deal with left-arm

pace very well. If you have high-quality

left-arm swing bowling, then speaking

from my own experience, it’s the

hardest bowling to face.

“The other guy we have coming back

to fitness as well is Ryan Harris. If he’s

up and going and 100 per cent, then he

is one of the first picked in the team

for the opening Test. The overall

balance is very good. It’s probably the

most exciting group of fast bowlers

that I’ve seen in Australian cricket in a

long time.”

We’re sensing some optimism for

Australia here. Is that fair to say?

“I believe so, yeah. They’re going to

have to do everything right, it’s as

simple as that. But as we’ve seen

before, the last couple of series

over here have been won by one

session of play over the course of the

whole series. I’ve just got a feeling

that it might be a lot closer than

everyone expects.”

Tony Hodson @tonyhodson1

Watch Ricky Ponting this summer as he

plays for Surrey in the Friends Life t20 at

the Kia Oval throughout July. Fixture details

and tickets available now from kiaoval.com

The legendary Ricky Ponting breaks down Australia’s current crop – including the quick bowlers who could thrive on English pitches

“They’re going To

have To do everyThing righT, iT’s as simple as ThaT”

Ro

be

rt C

ian

flo

ne

/Ge

tty

Ima

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| 25

Advertising Feature

I’ve popped down under this week to cheer on the British

and Irish Lions in their all-deciding match, but I did have

great hopes that Warren Gatland’s side would be 2-0 up by

now so I could have started the Aussie bating early! I was

talking to fellow Unibet armchair expert Gavin Hastings

about the Lions series and he always felt it was going to

go down to the wire – what a judge!

I last met Gavin at Unibet’s UK launch at Lords back in

May (check out the video at www.facebook.com/UnibetUK)

where I created quite a storm when saying that I thought

England would not only win the Ashes series, but win it 5-0.

Well guess what – plenty of people agreed as the odds

have come in from 16/1 to 11/1 with Unibet. I really expect

England to win in style; the only hope for Australia is if the

weather intervenes! I see Unibet have offered odds on who

will score more Ashes Test runs between Alastair Cook

(8/11) and Michael Clarke (evens). When Cook gets in, it

takes a winch and a forklift truck to prise him out. He just

wants to score more and more and I think he will have a

feast this summer. Clarke is the one world-class batsman

Australia have, but he may be doing too much fire-fighting

as captain to be able to score as heavily as he would like,

so I would favour Cook in this market.

Earlier this summer I shook Jimmy Anderson’s hand

after he took his 300th Test wicket for England and he

remains the best bowler on either side. He should get

plenty of wickets – he looks a worthy favourite to get most

wickets for England (11/8), while it’s hard to look past

Cook for highest England runscorer (3/1).

The Aussies have bowlers capable of taking wickets, but I

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My mate Shane Warne has told me good things about James

Pattinson and, from what I’ve seen, he might be the best

value (11/4) to get most of the tourists’ wickets, while even

if Clarke bats at five I can see him spending a lot of time at

the crease – take him to score most Aussie runs (7/2).

ArmchAir expert

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Sir Ian Botham knows a thing or two about what it takes to win an Ashes series, and as Unibet’s armchair cricket expert he has some strong thoughts on how this summer’s series will pan out

Ashes Series betting4/11 England

4/1 Australia

13/2 draw

First Test

9/10 England

31/10 Australia

12/5 Draw

Series betting

Top England batsman

3/1 Alastair Cook

7/2 Kevin Pietersen

15/4 Jonathan Trott

5/1 Joe Root

6/1 Ian Bell

13/1 bar

Top England bowler

11/8 Jimmy Anderson

11/4 Stuart Broad

3/1 Graeme Swann

4/1 Steve Finn

12/1 Tim Bresnan

16/1 bar

Top Australian

batsman

7/2 Michael Clarke

9/2 Chris Rogers

5/1 Ed Cowan

5/1 Shane Watson

13/2 David Warner

15/2 Phil Hughes

12/1 bar

Top Australian bowler

11/4 James Pattinson

7/2 Peter Siddle

15/4 Mitchell Starc

5/1 Ryan Harris

11/2 Nathan Lyon

8/1 bar

Most runs in series:

8/11 Alastair Cook

Evens Michael Clarke

10/11 Jonathan Trott

10/11 Kevin Pietersen

10/11 Chris Rogers

10/11 Shane Watson

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#ridesummer_Sport07.01V2.indd 1 01/07/2013 17:10

SO IT COMES DOWN TO ONE, FINAL MATCH. THE LIONS CAN EXPECT A RED-HOT WELCOME IN SYDNEY THIS WEEKEND AS THIS MOST THRILLING OF TOURS REACHES ITS CLIMAX. WHO WILL HOLD THEIR NERVE?

AUSTRALIAMake no mistake, the Wallabies have their tails up. They came out of the

first Test dejected in the knowledge they really could – and should – have

won, but responded in the best possible fashion in Melbourne last week.

They looked the more dangerous side throughout the 80 minutes and

will be confident they can stop these Lions from roaring once and for all.

They will take heart from the fact that they can include captain James

Horwill, who has been cleared (for a second time) to play, while the Lions

have lost inspirational Sam Warburton (below, right) to injury.

The Aussie front row might still be an area of concern, but Stephen

Moore has been strong and deserves a particular tip of the hat simply

for completing 160 minutes. His lineout throwing has been accurate and

Australia have made the most of it – expect more of that this weekend.

Ben Mowen is the key figure in the back row – he was the Aussies’

primary lineout jumper last week and terrific in the loose. The Wallabies

will want to be as disruptive, as they were last week, but they will also

need better discipline. They gave away too many penalties.

Behind the scrum, the mercurial James O’Connor appeared more

comfortable last week. Whether he is the dominant figure at 10 that the

Aussies need is still open to question, but he was undoubtedly aided by

the presence of Christian Leali’ifano at 12, and the latter’s kicking was

very impressive – four from four, and under pressure, too. His boot will

be crucial to Australia’s chances again this week.

Coach Robbie Deans has a simple job, then. He will demand more of the

same and leave it to Warren Gatland to dredge more from his Lions.

LIONSAn odd, risk-averse performance last week – one that smacked of trying

to contain Australia and hoping to hang on, rather than attacking them

– has left these Lions teetering on the brink. Win tomorrow and they will

etch their names in rugby history. Lose and, well, they lose.

They have to improve and they have to do so without their injured

captain Sam Warburton, who was immense in the second Test. He was

ably assisted in the back row by Dan Lydiate and Jamie Heaslip, and

while they might not be as effective on the floor without Warburton, they

can make up for it with more carrying. If they’re to get anything out

of this Test, then it will be by working the Australian defence. That

means flatter ball and bigger carries, and in the midfield the welcome

return of Jamie Roberts will make a difference – both in terms of

ball-carrying and leadership.

Brian O’Driscoll has not had the impact he would have liked,

although that might change when he is alongside Roberts. Outside

them, George North (above) is growing in stature. He is the Lions’

danger man and needs to be used more, especially on pull-back

balls and inside shoulder runs.

Leigh Halfpenny can’t be blamed for defeat last week –

that final penalty needed a miracle kick – and he won’t be fazed.

With his metronomic kicking, the Lions are still in this. It may be

advantage Australia, but that man O’Driscoll may yet have one

final say in his fourth and final Lions tour. Defeat is unthinkable to

him; wouldn’t it be something if he could help conjure up victory?

British & Irish Lions

NOW OR NEVER

SATURDAY

AUSTRALIA v BRITISH

AND IRISH LIONS |

ANZ STADIUM, SYDNEY |

SKY SPORTS 1 11.05AM

| July 5 2013 | 27

28 | July 5 2013 |

British & Irish Lions

I was delighted to get back playing, but the game was a

tough one – I didn’t really get much ball to play with, which

was frustrating. The hand felt great, though – that was

one of the real positives for me, anyway. I got through the

game no problem at all. It’s amazing what a bit of adrenaline

can do for you. And, with it being such a big match, the hand

was the least of my worries.

I owe so much now to the physios and doctors for the

amount of hours they spent on me – I was getting four or five

physio sessions a day, I had a different diet plan set out for me.

Everything was all hands on deck, so for me to get back and

playing again in the second Test was an amazing feeling.

The atmosphere was amazing to run out to – with the

roof closed it really was so loud going out on to the pitch.

There wasn’t really much for our fans to shout about – it was

so nip and tuck, so close the whole way through the game.

It was tough scoring any tries – and when they scored their

try, that’s when the roof really came off.

We’re all in a pretty similar mood at the moment –

between the disappointment of the loss and the miserable

weather here at the minute. We’re meant to be on the

Sunshine Coast! But I think it’s probably nice to get away

from it for a day or two – there’s not so many Lions

supporters up here, so we can duck out of the spotlight a

little bit and focus our heads.

Our captain Sam Warburton is ruled out on Saturday along

with Paul O’Connell, still. They’re two massively influential

figures, but the good thing is that we have such an amazing

squad here. We can bring in players of similar quality – real

world-class players – and I think for a three-match series

that’s a real positive and a real boost.

We were very disappointed in the changing rooms after

the second Test. When it comes down to a late kick, we’re

just supporters like anybody else. I think it’s probably like

watching it on TV – your heart is in your mouth, pretty much,

and it’s obviously so hard to watch. It’s always just so tight

– luckily enough we were on the right side of the kick for the

first Test, and hopefully we can have the same this weekend.

I think we all realised what an amazing opportunity we had

to go and win the series. It would have been a great feeling to

win it after two Tests. So everybody was very deflated and

very down for 24 hours or so. But we have to realise that

we’re still well and truly in this; we’re still in the same

position as we were last week. It’s still all there for the taking

and it’s a massive match this Saturday.”

@TommyBowe14

‘It’s still all there for the taking’The Lions winger talks about his return from injury and this weekend’s decider

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Last-minute mayhem: Leigh

Halfpenny repays Australia their

kicking compliment last weekend

Louis Molloy, Tattoo Artist, Manchester.

LAMBSNAVYRUM.COM

HIL0539_Lambs_Sport 232x300.indd 3 20/06/2013 09:31

The man on the frontline of UK Anti-Doping offers his prescription

Drugs on Tour

Do not exceed recommended dosage

| July 5 2013 | 31

Drugs in sport

In 2010, he

was sent

to act as an

independent

observer on

the anti-

doping regime of

the Tour de France.

Three years on, how

confident is UK Anti-Doping chief executive

Andy Parkinson that the riders in this year’s

Tour are racing clean?

Britain’s man on the anti-doping

frontline exhales at length before

shrugging his shoulders and finally

uttering the difficult-yet-unavoidable truth:

“I don’t know. They’re the ones that know.”

But he is cautiously optimistic. “From

where I’m sitting, the peloton is getting

better,” he says. “There are some young

teams out there coming into the pro-circuit

with a recognition that they might not win,

and that that’s okay. A lot of that desire

and drive to win is driven by sponsors, so if

sponsors understand that and don’t put

unrealistic expectation on their teams and

riders, then there’s a much better chance

of having a clean culture within that team.”

Parkinson is almost four years into his

tenure at UKAD, having previously headed

up the anti-doping operation at UK Sport.

His experience means that whenever the

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) requires

an ‘expert witness’, he’s top of the list.

“I first did the WADA Independent

Observer Programme in 2005,” explains

Parkinson. “But I’ve been on the receiving

end of a couple when I was working at the

Paralympic Games, too. It’s an interesting

experience – you work for four years to

deliver the best programme you can, then a

whole bunch of people turn up and say you

could have done this or that better.

“The Tour was a fascinating experience.

Our team had access to everything that

the UCI had in terms of their intel, their

test plan, and all their systems. We would

meet with the UCI on a daily basis and say:

‘Yesterday, we saw this.’ Or: ‘We thought

there were some areas that you could

have done differently.’”

Lance’s legacyThis is, of course, the same UCI that has

faced difficult questions of late. Most of

those relate to their actions during the

period Lance Armstrong was revealed to

have been plunging endless vials of

performance-enhancing drugs into his body.

So, how willing were they to swing the

doors to the Tour – their biggest asset –

wide open? “There’s a natural anxiety about

having an independent observer team

present, but they were very responsive to

our recommendations,” says Parkinson.

The 2010 Tour was to be Armstrong’s

last, but it started in less than celebratory

fashion for the seven-time champion when

he was accused of doping by former

teammate Floyd Landis in May that year. It

ended just as disappointingly, with the then

38-year-old in 23rd place, almost 40

minutes behind the winner, Alberto

Contador (whose title was also later

stripped from him after testing positive

for clenbuterol – see box overleaf).

Understandably, Parkinson won’t divulge

specific information about the attention

he and his anti-doping colleagues paid

Armstrong during in 2010, but he admits:

“There are always

athletes of interest

— either they are

high achievers or

you have intel on

certain activity”

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Uniform betrayal:

Armstrong poses with

French police after his

seventh ‘win’ in 2005

Drugs in sport

32 | July 5 2013 |

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THE DRUGS DO WORK

BLOOD DOPING

Can increase red

blood cell mass,

allowing the body to

transport more

oxygen to muscles,

increasing stamina

and performance.

EPO

Stimulates red blood

cell production. The

more red cells there

are in your body, the

more oxygen can be

delivered to the

muscles, meaning

athletes can perform

at a higher intensity

for longer.

CERA

Requires less

frequent injections

than early forms of

EPO. Increases

oxygen-carrying

capacity and

endurance. Used

post-training, it can

encourage recovery.

CLENBUTEROL

Increases breathing

capacity, boosts the

flow of oxygen in the

bloodstream;

increases muscle

mass while reducing

body fat.

HUMAN GROWTH

HORMONE (HGH)

Can increase lean

mass, reduce fat and

increase strength.

“There are always riders — or athletes in

other sports — of interest, whether that’s

because they’re high performers at the

top of their game or because you have

intelligence on certain activity.”

But it was an experience that proved to

Parkinson the importance of targeted

testing. “A lot of the recommendations we

made to the UCI after that race were about

being more aggressive on those where

intelligence existed, rather than having a

blanket approach to in-competition testing.

We felt it should be more targeted and

there should be more trust in the

intelligence received.”

Random testing has traditionally been

considered the best way to catch the

cheats. But Parkinson says that between

35 and 40 per cent of all UKAD tests are

now targeted. “Our view is we’re being fair

to clean athletes by targeting those we

think are more at risk based on their

performances, the physiological aspects of

their sport, the culture of the sport and

the rewards they can gain from their sport.

“Every year, we do an assessment of all

the sports and national governing bodies in

the UK and then we put in place a test plan

that reacts to any intelligence we receive.

So we might not test tiddlywinks, and we

might test cycling a lot more.”

Unfairly tainted?The most obvious question when it comes

to cycling’s apparently inextricable

relationship with doping is why this sport,

above all others? Parkinson starts with

the, ahem, positives: “One argument is that

the UCI have been at the cutting edge with

their anti-doping programme. They were

the first to introduce a biological passport

in 2008 and had good links with third

generation EPO coming through in terms

of CERA [see box, right]. So you could

argue that you see more positive tests

in cycling because of their programme.

“It’s an interesting dichotomy for us

— do more positives mean your programme

is [working] better, or that the system’s

not working? What you do have to say is

that the historic culture of the sport has a

lot to answer for in terms of the current

issues. There was the Festina Affair in

1998 [when widespread doping among the

peloton was exposed, starting with a large

haul of products being found in a Festina

team car, giving that year’s race its ‘Tour

du Dopage’ monika], and it’s never really

gone away.”

Parkinson says it’s not only the physical

challenge that pushes riders towards

temptation, but the mental stress brought

on by being responsible for team success.

“It’s quite clear that in a team

environment — with sponsor pressure and

physical exertion to such an extreme —

that if an athlete or rider is tempted or

told to do something, it’s difficult to get out

of that. We’ve heard a number of stories of

riders who said: ‘I didn’t want to be a part

of it, and therefore I’m not a pro rider any

more.’ That’s the biggest tragedy.

“In black and white terms, doping is bad:

people shouldn’t do it, and when they do we

should ban them for as long as we can

because they’re cheating the clean

athletes. But a lot of the time, doping

isn’t black and white. And the decision to

dope is a very complicated one that

differs from sport to sport.”

Don’t ever tellAt the Giro d’Italia in May, two riders from

Italian team Vini Fantini tested positive for

EPO. It came as no surprise according to

British rider David Millar, who tweeted:

“The peloton knew Vini Fantini weren’t

trustworthy: was the talking point for the

first week of the Giro.”

So, why didn’t somebody relay that to

the anti-doping authorities?

“The amount of times we’ve banned an

athlete and somebody comes out and says:

‘I could have told you that...’” Parkinson says.

“We can’t do it on our own. We have a

hotline through which athletes can provide

anonymous information, we have an online

form and a proactive intelligence team, but

the people who know what’s going on are

the athletes. They need to recognise they

have a responsibility to help us.

“One of the things we’ve found is that

athletes are reluctant to pass on

speculative information that they don’t

actually see as being evidenced. But we

operate on the basis of the national

intelligence model, so we analyse

information and we grade it.

“We don’t just react to individual pieces

of intel, but if five people are telling us the

same thing from different sources, then

that’s quite powerful. If just one person is

telling us something, then we’ll bank it

while we see what else is out there.”

What is out there, and Parkinson knows

this for certain, is an endless stream of

new drugs tempting athletes to take the

‘easy’ option. “The rate at which new

products emerge is phenomenal,” he

explains. “And it’s not necessarily through

legitimate pharmaceutical companies — it’s

the kitchen table laboratories in far-flung

countries that are manufacturing fairly

dubious products and putting them online.

The availability of these unregulated

substances to young athletes who are very

internet savvy is what worries us most.

Instead of having to go to a gym and bump

into a dodgy fella to buy your anabolic

steroids, you can just sit at home and buy

what you like — it’s terrifying.”

Developing tests for every new product

that athletes decide will turn them into

the next big thing is rarely a quick

process either, says Parkinson.

“It took between six years and a decade

to come up with the reliable test for growth

hormone that we put into place for the

Olympics. You have to be really clear about

whether the test works, because ultimately

you’re going to put it in front of an athlete

in a hearing and ban them, so you have to

be 100 per cent. The same responsibility

doesn’t apply to the people manufacturing

the substances — they don’t care what

they’re making, they just want to sell it.”

Parkinson knows he is unlikely to win the

war on doping any time soon. But the Tour

is still “the best event in the world” as far

as he is concerned.

“That’s why it’s worth doing what we do.

Because not only has it got to be incredible

– it’s got to be legitimate.”

Sarah Shephard @Sarahsportmag

Follow @ukantidoping on Twitter

Guilty: Mauro Santambrogio (left) tested positive for EPO after the first stage of the 2013 Giro d’Italia; he won

Stage 14 before the results were revealed. His Vini Fantini teammate Danilo Di Luca (right) was also found to

be using EPO in a test carried out before the Giro began. He now faces a lifetime ban from cycling

“Doping is not black and white. And the decision to dope is a complicated one that differs from sport to sport”

iPad edition on Newsstand now

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7 DaysJUL 5-JUL 11

HIGHLIGHTS

» F1: German Grand Prix » p36

» Football: UEFA Women's EURO 2013 » p36

» Boxing: David Price v Tony Thompson » p38

» Tennis: Wimbledon finals » p38

OUR PICK OF THE ACTION FROM THE SPORTING WEEK AHEAD

SATURDAY > CYCLING | TOUR DE FRANCE | STAGE 8: CASTRES - AX 3 DOMAINES | BRITISH EUROSPORT 12.45PM

The Tour leaves the phoney war – and badly driven

buses – of the opening week behind as the serious

business gets under way this weekend. Stage 8 is

regarded as the first key day in deciding the

destination of the Yellow Jersey, with two big

mountain climbs – the second of which is a summit

finish – revealing the true form of the General

Classification contenders as we reach the Pyrenees.

That includes Team Sky's leader Chris Froome and

his first lieutenant, Richie Porte, who will look to

stamp their authority all over this 195km stage.

Any stragglers should be left behind on the Col de

Pailhères, which is more than 15km long, has an

average gradient of 8 per cent and – at 2,001m –

reaches the highest point of the race. And after

that the riders have a final 7.8km climb to the finish in

the ski resort of Ax 3 Domaines, which hits gradients

of 10.5 percent.

Sunday (Saint-Girons to Bagnères-de-Bigorre,

168.5km) is no day of rest, either, with four category

one climbs leading to a 30km descent to the finish.

Monday, however, is a rest day – the first of two in the

race – so riders won't be holding anything back in

any bid to gain time on the leaders.

Providing Mark Cavendish makes it through the

Pyrenees with some power left in his sprinting legs,

he'll be eyeing up Tuesday's Stage 10, when the Tour

moves to the north-west for a more sprinter-friendly

route. Wednesday's individual time trial, meanwhile,

could see Cav's teammate and world time trial

champion Tony Martin (despite picking up numerous

injuries on Stage 1) fight it out with Olympic time trial

bronze medallist Froome for the stage win.

34 | July 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Let the suffering commence

It’s total freedom.

Just me, my bike

and the road.

Chris Froome, Team Sky

My Bike. My Weekend.Find a ride near you. Visit goskyride.com

Untitled-1 1 25/06/2013 20:23

36 | July 5 2013 |

7 Days

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

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SUNDAY | FORMULA 1: GeRMAn GRAnd PRix | nURbURGRinG, GeRMAny | Sky SPORtS F1 1PM

Rollercoaster ride There's an unfinished F1-themed

rollercoaster adjoined to the

Nürburgring, one of the world's most

iconic race tracks. The cash-strapped

circuit is up for sale, partly because of

the debt incurred from building said

ride, but that farce will take a back seat

to an even more expensive one as

Formula 1 screeches into town for

this weekend's German Grand Prix –

shredded left rear tyre in tow.

Bernie Ecclestone's secret random

tyre-exploding button worked a treat

last weekend: a spate of tyre failures

turned a routine British Grand Prix into

an unpredictable treat, albeit at great

danger to the drivers. Whatever has

been decided in emergency Pirelli

meetings since Sport has gone to

press, that situation won't be allowed

to continue in Germany this weekend.

Luckily, the World Championship

has been spiced up on several other

counts: an incredibly rare mechanical

failure for Sebastian Vettel allowed

Fernando Alonso to close the gap (it’s

down to 21 points), and Mercedes

finally look to be matching their

qualifying performances on race days

as we approach their 'home' event.

It could be a good opportunity for

Lewis Hamilton, who is being eclipsed

somewhat by teammate Nico Rosberg,

to score an important first victory for

his new team: he won the German

Grand Prix in both 2008 and 2011

(although only the latter was at

the Nürburgring).

Vettel, in contrast, has never won his

home Grand Prix, and the usually

ice-cool customer will be feeling the

heat from teammate Mark Webber.

The Australian marked the

announcement of his departure from

F1 with a fine recovery drive to take

second at Silverstone.

There are sure to be plenty of twists,

turns and (to a lesser extent) loop-the-

loops at the Nürburgring, even if the

rollercoaster is still under construction.

England’s women will try to halt the juggernaut

that is the German female football team when the

2013 Women’s Euros kick off in Sweden next week.

Germany are looking for their sixth straight title,

having battered England 6-2 in the 2009 final to

make it five in a row.

Hosts Sweden start their tournament on

Wednesday against two-time third place finishers

Denmark (BBC 3, 7.30pm), while Germany face a

tough opener against Holland (losing semi finalists in

2009) the following day (BBC 3, 7.30pm).

England’s tournament doesn’t get started until a

week from today, when they take on Spain, whose

women aren’t yet the international powerhouses that

their male counterparts are. Spain reached the Euro

finals just once before, in 1997, when they made it to

the semi finals. This time, they needed a goal in the

last minute of extra-time in a play-off against

Scotland to secure their spot.

Meanwhile, Hope Powell’s side qualified unbeaten

for the tournament and have high hopes of reaching

WEDNESDAY FOOtbALL | UeFA WOMen’S eURO 2013 | SWeden |

Germans target super six

The Groups

Group ADenmark

Finland

Italy

Sweden

Group B Germany

Iceland

Holland

Norway

Group CEngland

France

Russia

Spain

the final for a second time running. Securing a 1-1

draw against world champions Japan in their

penultimate warm-up game will have instilled some

confidence, although perhaps only until they saw

Germany’s result (4-2) against the same team a few

days later.

The German team have been hit hard by injuries,

though, and are likely to be missing six regulars from

their squad in Sweden. Some hope then, for England

and the remaining teams looking to wrest the trophy

from Germany’s grasp.

see you... on the road

Find Cycle Surgery on Facebook

and Twitter for up to

date news and deals

www.cyclesurgery.com 0800 298 8898

29 stores across the UK & Ireland

including 17 within London

News: FREE Click & Collect service now available. Order

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3496_CS_SportMag_Ad.indd 1 26/06/2013 13:31

No one can say that David Price lacks balls. The British

heavyweight prospect – shocked by a one-punch,

second-round knockout by 41-year-old American Tony

Thompson (above, right) in February – is getting straight

back in the ring with the man who took his unbeaten

record. Price has made savvy moves since, teaming up

with Lennox Lewis (who knows a thing or two about

rematch victories) as part of his intensive training camp.

However, instant rematches are a big psychological

test for the beaten boxer, as they step back into the ring

with a man they know has the power to take them out.

Price is a skilful heavyweight with knockout power of his

own and a ramrod jab. If he can utilise the latter weapon

and box with more caution than he did in their first fight,

he has a great chance of inflicting a revenge win.

However, for every second that the southpaw

Thompson is in there, both men will know he’s just one

punch from ending the fight. A particular worry being

that the right hook that scrambled Price’s senses earlier

this year was well-placed, but didn’t appear a particularly

brutal shot. It’s a high-wire act for the 6ft 8in Price, but

it’ll make for compelling viewing for as long it lasts.

38 | July 5 2013 |

7 Days

Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

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Saturday Boxing | DaviD Price v Tony ThomPson | echo arena, LiverPooL | BoxnaTion 7Pm

Inspirational trio

Three heavyweight greats who overcame early knockout losses

Rematch or repeat

Lennox LewisLewis avenged two stoppage defeats

at different stages in his career.

He reduced Oliver McCall to tears in a

1997 rematch, while Hasim Rahman

was near decapitated by a monstrous

Lewis right hand in 2001.

Joe LouisGermany’s Max Schmeling shocked

future all-time great Louis in 1936 via

12th round stoppage. The 1938

rematch was brutal: the American

broke Schmeling’s bones and left him

yelling in pain after just 124 seconds of

unrelenting violence.

Wladimir KlitschkoThree stoppage defeats in the

first half of his career almost

permanently derailed the career of

the younger Klitschko brother

(left). He’s now unbeaten over

18 fights in nine years, and

is planet Earth’s finest

heavyweight boxer.

No more drama?Andy Murray might want to avoid

watching any of the build-up to this

weekend's Wimbledon finals, that is,

unless he particularly enjoys watching

himself emotionally tortured in public by

Sue Barker. If he’s still in the tournament

by the time you read this, that is.

It's the women who are up first, though,

with the singles final taking place on

Saturday afternoon. Last year, Serena

Williams became the first woman over the

age of 30 to win the title since Martina

Navratilova in 1990, but after Monday’s

shock exit she won’t repeat her feat.

Sunday's men's final (BBC One 12.50pm)

brings to an end a Wimbledon that has

been surprising, painful and, well, just a bit

odd. All of which means, we're making no

predictions whatsoever. So there.

Saturday > Tennis | WimBLeDon FinaLs | aLL engLanD cLUB, WimBLeDon | BBc one 1.30Pm

©2013 Disney/Pixar

NEW BALLS PLEASE

UContains mild slapstiCk

and ComiC threat

JULY 12GET THE LATEST MU UPDATES AT

www.facebook.com/disneypixaruk

in

40 | July 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Extra timEMaking the most of your time and money

P46

the Press

Photographers’

Year 2013 at the

National theatre:

it’s mostly Balls

Kit

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frames and colours,

and come finished with

high-quality titanium.

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4. ryders Defcon

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5. adidas Evil Eye

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Lightweight wraparound

frame, sweat blocker and

changeable lenses. Comes

in a variety of colours.

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6. Oakley Polarised

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changeable lenses and

with earsocks made from

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The lucky winners will attend The Open on Friday,

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• Privileged access to the players’ practice

area, where you can see the players warm up

and prepare for the day’s action

• Behind the scenes tour of the BBC media

compound, and watch as the action is beamed

to the world

• A tour of the press centre and press

conference facilities

• Access to the 18th green grandstand

• VIP pavilion passes, including complimentary

food and drinks

• Travel and accommodation

COmpeTiTiOn ClOsing daTe: JUlY 7 (sO hUrrY!)All

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42 | July 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

Mutewatch

The touchscreen Mutewatch comes in a

range of colours, displays the time with a tap

and you can scroll through functions such as

an alarm and a timer. Rather than beep, it

discreetly vibrates, with motion sensors

registering your movement and adjusting the

strength of the vibrations accordingly – thus

waking you if, for example, you are asleep.

£199 | mutewatch.com

Lenovo IdeaCentre Horizon

You can prop this up like a traditional PC

and use a mouse and keyboard, but the

Horizon really comes into its own when

you lay it flat. A special skin called

‘Aura’ provides access to games like

air hockey (pictured) and Monopoly,

and the Windows 8 computer

comes bundled with special

paddles, a joystick and electronic

dice for use with the

touchscreen. It’s the future, as

imagined by science fiction

writers in about 1980.

£1,500 | shop.lenovo.com

Turtle Beach PX22 gaming headset

Licensed by Major League Gaming (yes,

that’s a thing) — the PX22s come with a

serious selection of audio tools to help you

be the best you can be at shooting

nightmarish beings from another world.

The accompanying module lets you amplify

things such as footsteps, gunfire and

explosions to give you a tactical edge.

£70 | amazon.co.uk

Sharp DK-KP85PH

The humble CD has life in it yet, and not just

as a shiny coaster — many people still like

having something physical to hold when they

purchase music. This wall-mountable hi-fi

adds a Bluetooth connection and iPod dock

for good measure, with two powerful 25-watt

speakers giving your music some oomph,

whatever the format.

£180 nationwide from autumn

IT’S aLL fun anD gaMeS

eT gadgets Take the tidying up out of family game night with the Lenovo Horizon, the pick of this week’s high-tech selection

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| 45

46 | July 5 2013 | Download the free Sport iPad app from the Apple Newsstand

The Brood

Not the most high profile of

David Cronenberg’s extensive

horror catalogue, but possibly

the most disturbing. This 1979

cult classic stars Oliver Reed as a

therapist treating a patient going

through a messy divorce when

he suddenly has to deal with a

group of grotesque, mutant kids

attacking people. Are the two

linked? Sadly for Ollie, they are.

Out Monday

Mexico: A Revolution in Art

Royal Academy of Arts

A light is shone on the politically-

charged art boom that took

place in Mexico from 1910 to

1940 in this new exhibition

at London’s Royal Academy.

Includes vibrant paintings by

José Clemente Orozco, Diego

Rivera and the artist with

whom he shared a famously

tempestuous bond: Frida Kahlo.

Opens Saturday

The Press Photographer’s Year 2013 National TheatreFrom the peak of athletic perfection (we mean the

various Olympic and Paralympic pictures on show,

rather than the above shot of Ed Balls chasing his ball)

to the Free Syrian Army ripping off Wile E Coyote

and using a giant catapult as a means to an end,

the great appeal of The Press Photographer’s Year

exhibition is the diversity of the images to take in. It’s

also free to visit, which is an unarguable attraction.

Around 12,500 photos, submitted by more than

400 snappers, have been whittled down to a more

manageable 150 pics by a judging panel – and these

are on show at the National Theatre along London’s

South Bank. The award categories include news, arts,

entertainment, features, sport and a special Olympic

award introduced just for this year. To give you an idea

of the strength of the entries, none of the images that

took our fancy above were the overall winners in their

nominated category. So pop down from this weekend

to check out just how mind-blowing the victors must be.

Opens Saturday until August 31

A Field in England

The new film from Ben Wheatley,

director of the masterfully

unsettling 2011 hitman horror Kill

List, begins innocently enough:

four 17th-century English Civil

War deserters on the hunt for a

pint of ale. However an encounter

with an alchemist results in

Reece ‘League of Gentleman’

Shearsmith and Co forced into

a hunt for buried treasure that

gets increasingly surreal and,

at times, terrifying. Wheatley’s

strength is that his films are

rarely bound by conventional

genres. A Field in England is a

mix of drama, black comedy,

horror and mystery that sucks

you in then spins your head

upside down. Out in selected

cinemas now, then on DVD and

Blu-ray from next week.

Out today

Falling Skies Season Two

Following an uneven first season,

this post-alien-invasion drama

co-produced by Steven Spielberg

finds its feet in year two. The

sci-fi action is deftly handled,

but it’s the duplicitous in-fighting

between the desperate human

resistance and – even more

intriguingly – their mysterious

alien overloards that adds depth.

Get involved, earthling.

Out Monday

Live at Bestival 2012

New Order

As if rattling through True Faith,

Blue Monday and Regret wasn’t

enough, show-offs New Order

even threw in a few Joy Division

songs as part of their 2012

Bestival set. The performance

highlights (including a powerful

take on Love Will Tear Us Apart)

are captured on this new album.

No John Barnes cameo, though.

Out Monday

Exhibition

Blu-rayExhibitionDVD Music

PicTuRE PERFEcT

ET Entertainment The best press images go on show in the capital, while Ben

Wheatley turns a treasure hunt into a descent into madness

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