Kailash Chand, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire
Andy Murray raises the spirits and gets the adrenaline flowing in a way that Tim Henman never could. Of course he still has much to learn, but he seems certain to finish the year in the world’s top 16, he has beaten Roger Federer and has won his first ATP Tour title. When Henman lost, you always had a sense that he was prepared to accept it, but Murray clearly hates it. That, coupled with the fact that Brad Gilbert is now guiding his career, surely bodes well for the future. I can’t wait to see what he achieves in 2007.
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Graham Buckle, Bath
In his article about Arsenal’s transfer dealings (last week), Jonathan Northcroft overlooks he fact that they could have bought William Gallas for £9m, and if they had accepted Chelsea’s offer of £16m for Ashley Cole, they would have been better off by £2m, or £6m if the first offer of £20m had been taken. He also says Arsenal have spent less than their rivals in the transfer market over the past few seasons. A look at the final positions in the Premiership over the past two seasons suggests that they might wish to rethink their aims.
Andrew Cave, London NW3
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Peter Crouch’s strike rate for England is hugely impressive, especially as there are no easy games in international football. Apart from Andorra (2 goals), Jamaica (3 goals), Trinidad & Tobago (1 goal). Add other friendly goals against Greece (2), Hungary and Uruguay, and that leaves us with last week’s goal in Macedonia. If he really is one of the two best strikers in England, then God help us, or rather Steve McClaren.
Fran Forsyth, Southampton
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It’s been a good start for the Steve McClaren era, but the final piece in the jigsaw would be replacing Jermain Defoe with Theo Walcott.
Trevor Openshaw, Ferndown, Dorset
Eamonn Grant recently asked why the Eclipse Stakes is so called. Run at Sandown Park over 10 furlongs, the race is named after the great horse Eclipse, which was bred by the Duke of Cumberland by Marske out of Spilletta. He was foaled in 1764 during an eclipse of the sun. On the death of his owner, he was bought at auction for 75 guineas by William Wildman. Eclipse started at odds on in every race he ran, winning 17 times in all. He often had to shoulder 12st and usually won by 200 yards. The horse died in 1789 at the age of 25, but founded several stud lines, with about 90% of modern thoroughbreds descending from him.
Paul Summerfield, Liverpool
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Putting aside whether or not Ian Woosnam was correct to name Darren Clarke and Lee Westwood as his Ryder Cup wild cards, he clearly has much to learn about the art of captaincy. Golfers such as Johan Edfors, Thomas Bjorn and Paul Broadhurst played their hearts out in a vain attempt to qualify for the European team. The very least they deserved was to be taken privately to one side, thanked for their efforts and given an explanation as to why they were not selected for the team.
Frank Parker, Newcastle
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Surely the time has come for Michelle Wie and her advisers to recognise that she ought to be concentrating on playing golf on the LPGA Tour. It was an insult to the European Tour that she should bowl up for the European Masters at Crans-sur-Sierre in Switzerland, having played hardly any competitive golf in recent weeks, and then go out and play like an amateur. That the 16-year-old American then shot rounds of 78 and 79 to miss the cut by a country mile on one of the easiest courses on the European circuit is an insult to the players who are struggling to retain their Tour cards and for whom a place in tournaments such as this is a matter of professional survival, not part of some grotesque circus sideshow.
Colin Watts, Cardiff
One minute we are informed that American sprinter Marion Jones has failed a drugs test and, unsurprisingly, she is vilified, banned from competition and facing a future in the wilderness. The next we are told that her B sample has produced a negative result, and she is painted as a wronged athlete. How on earth is this possible? If a mistake has been made, it will surely clear the way for other athletes who failed drug tests to challenge those results and bankrupt athletics as they pursue expensive litigation through the courts. What a shambles.
Carol Davidson, Leeds
How can England risk taking Marcus Trescothick to Australia this winter? If he is included, presumably he will take his place at the top of the order as a vital component of the side, as he has been for so long. If he were to pull out abruptly again, it would leave the team in all sorts of trouble. England have enough injury concerns already without having this possible problem hanging over them.
Nora Graham, London
Australia’s cricketers are kidding themselves if they think that a few days of boot camp training is going to give them the edge when it comes to the Ashes (Hugh McIlvanney, last week). England were not fazed by their opponents’ big reputations and bigger mouths last year in winning the urn, and this time the pressure will all, for once, be on the Australians to wreak their revenge. Let battle commence.
John Hutchins, Manchester
Write to: The Sports Editor (Letters), The Sunday Times, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST. Fax: 020 7782 5720 or via e-mail: sportletters@sunday-times.co.uk (please include full postal address and keep letters short)