Robson succumbs to Wozniacki again

Laura Robson has lost to Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-4 in the second round of the Aegon International.

The number five seed took all three of her break point opportunities on the way to her second defeat over Robson in 24 days.

Robson served three double faults in the first set which gave Wozniacki a chance to break the casual exchange of serves after half an hour.

The former world number one served out the set a game after to take the lead.

Robson’s low confidence followed her into the second set and Wozniacki took advantage with an early break.

The British number one battled her way back four games later when she broke back at the third attempt with a thunderous volley.

The Dane remained stubborn and managed to regain her advantage three games later and close out the match.

Wozniacki will play Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

Robson feels she has improved since their last encounter in Paris and rues her missed chances.

She said: “I guess it was better than when I played her in Paris.

“I couldn’t finish it off.

“I definitely had chances and I got myself into a very good position in the points.”

Her opponent Wozniacki believes the match was no walkover despite the straight sets victory.

She said: “I really had to fight out there and keep focused on my own service games.

“We had some quite tight games.”

Radwanska: It takes luck to beat Williams

World number four Agnieszka Radwanska believes it takes a fluke to beat Serena Williams in her present form.

The American number one returned to the summit of her sport in February following a two-and-a-half-year absence.

That made her the oldest female to do so in history.

Radwanska is yet to win a grand slam title following her Wimbledon final heartbreak against Williams last year.

The 24-year-old believes the 16 time grand slam winner is currently untouchable and forecasts her remain that way for the time being.

She said: “ It is going to be really hard to reach her over next few months for sure because she is winning a lot of points.

“You always have to have a little bit of luck to win. Whether it’s your first match or a quarterfinal.

“When she’s playing her best tennis, you go on court and doesn’t matter what you do. You’re going to lose anyway.

“She’s playing really great tennis on every surface and as we can see she’s on fire”.

Jose from White to Blue

Jose Mourinho’s return to Chelsea was no surprise to many sporting fanatics who keep their finger firmly on the pulse.

A lackluster season at the Santiago Bernabeu undoubtedly paved the way for Jose to take the helm at The Bridge for the second time.

The Special One had a treasure chest of Galacticos to choose from but he failed to come up trumps in the eyes of the Real president. A mere La Liga and Copa del Rey was all he could muster.

Real’s rich tradition in Europe failed to be built upon during his tenure. Flexing their financial muscle at the cost of a reported £125 million could not conquer the continent.

To date, Mourinho has the worst record of any Real Madrid manager who has been at the club for more than three years.

Jose’s banter and way of words gained little admirers from the Spanish media flock. His controversial mind-games and occasional scuffles brought dirt upon The Whites.

With several high profile skirmishes with Pepe, Iker Casillas and Cristiano Ronaldo, Mourinho was touted to have lost the dressing room.

The 50-year-old left out 10 first-team players for his final game on Saturday as Madrid’s coach. Some were unfit, while others didn’t fancy playing. A sign of unrest?

The Madrid faithful were divided in their reaction to Mourinho’s exit. Some booed while other cheered as the former Inter Milan coach simply waved goodbye and turned his back.

Jose did mention that Inter Milan and Chelsea were his two ‘great passions’. That something which is poignant due to his great success in charge of  his native FC Porto.

Madrid obviously wasn’t an enjoyable enough experience to live long in his memory.

Jose now takes control of a different Chelsea in a dog eat dog Premier League.

The Blues have won two European trophies but have been rocked with six managers since his departure six years ago.

John Terry and Frank Lampard are relied upon less and the fan’s hunger for success is greater.

The pressure to win games week in week out is a bare necessity for any manager to survive in the Premier League.

The Special One will need to be special again to avoid Roman Abramovich’s boot and bask in glory.

Mourinho will without a doubt provide his normal circus antics and aim to rekindle his affection from everyone in the English game.

JW

Widdrington looks to youth

With the club’s financial position a known obstacle, the youth seems to be Borough’s best point of call.

Much of the squad are busy resting after a grueling 49 game season, Tommy Widdrington meanwhile has been out on the prowl to find his latest additions.

The Borough manager sees the current youngsters and a fresh bunch from further afield as the club’s future nucleus.

He said: “We have to go younger with the money available.

“Players that were new to the side last season like Frankie Raymond and Charlie Gorman had a pop and they will be proper members of the first-team.

“I’ve been to watch some exit trails and there were one or two interesting players.

“Some of the lads were from aboard, professional and academy clubs.

“Until I have the core of the squad engaged then I have to keep looking.

“I will go to another in June. I need to cover as much ground as possible bearing in mind the financial restrictions.

“I’ve speaking to loads of players.

“I have to recruit, retain and let players go and that’s what I’ll be doing until the August 17th.”

Adelsbury exits Boro’ in reshuffle

Ben Adelsbury has departed Priory Lane as Tommy Widdrington starts to reshape his squad for next season.

Widdrington decided against offering the defensive midfielder a new contract due to financial reasons.

Adelsbury signed for The Sports in September 2012 and made 36 appearances.

The Borough boss insists his decision was not based on his ability and tips the former Swansea City youngster to play at a higher level in the future.

He said: “I made it clear to him that it wasn’t a football decision. After having a couple of long chats with him I said I couldn’t offer the same terms as I did last year.

“I have to make decisions as a manager in the best interest of the football club.

“Things are changing at the football club financially.

“I’m sure he will play at least at this level (Conference South) if not higher in the future.

“I admire him as a player and he’s a credit to his family. He conducted himself fantastically and he started to make himself solid in the right-back position.

“I know he has been talking about starting further education in the south west and I wish him all the best.”

Young star aspires to Prior

Eastbourne, Sussex and England Under 19 cricket ace Callum Jackson hopes to follow in the footsteps of team-mate Matt Prior.

Jackson was awarded a junior professional contract at Sussex in March following successful graduation through the club’s academy set up since the age of 11.

Despite not having made his first team debut, he has however featured in two non-first-class matches against Leeds and Bradford MCCU last summer.

The batsman and wicketkeeper idolises his Sussex counterpart Prior and wants to replicate the experienced England international.

He said: “I would love to play like he does. He’s an aggressive top order batsman and also a world class wicket keeper. At Sussex I chat to him.

“It’s inspirational just being around professionals at Sussex as it makes you act more professional and gives me a taste of what can be achieved.

“It was really good for my development to be at Sussex since I was 11 as Sussex is a great environment to be in from such a young age.”

In January, Jackson starred for England Under 19′s in South Africa batting in the top order during three ODIs and three other matches.

The 18-year-old hails the 18,000 mile round trip as a success and feels constantly switching teams is the hardest.

He said: “It was amazing, it was the best cricket experience I’ve had. Playing in another country in different conditions it widens your game.

“Switching between Sussex, England and Eastbourne is the difficult part of it all but I’ve got better at it over the years. I’m taking each game as it comes and not living in the past.

Jackson will remain at the Saffrons for the season to help their promotion push and he is committed to earning a new contract at Sussex.

He said: “I really enjoy playing for Eastbourne, specially at the Saffrons.

“I have loads of mates there and its a family club that’s why I’ve stayed here even though we got relegated.

“I want to help us get back up and get into the Premier League where we belong.

“In September I want to get a full-time professional contract with Sussex and also I want to remain in the England team to play in the Under 19 World Cup next January.

“I’m going to play for Eastbourne on Saturdays then play for Sussex 2nd XI in the week. Hopefully I’ll get a chance in the first team”.

Poole Postpone Fixture

Poole’s Elite League Speedway fixture against Lakeside on Wednesday night was postponed due to financial reasons.

Boss Matt Ford said he had no option but to call off the meeting claiming it would be ‘financial suicide’.

The Pirates’ withdrawal came after new signing Przyemyslaw Pawlicki was involved in a GP qualifying crash Monday night in Poland.

As a result Poole would be unable to recall Pawlicki and Tomas H Jonasson for their next race due to the averages and points regulation.The sport’s management committee told the club they would have to revert back to their original side from the start of the season.

Ford conceded: “The club have made a sizeable investment by bringing in Pawlicki and Jonasson to replace injured Darcy Ward.

“Contracts have been agreed with these riders. I cannot just undo the financial commitment the club has made to this change.

“I want to pass on my thanks to Lakeside who has agreed with me that putting on an inferior product is not what we are trying to promote”.

Poole are currently one place and two points below Eastbourne who are positioned sixth.