Sports roundup time. Let’s start with Plymouth Argyle, the Pilgrims had another good win against Championship struggler’s Southend. Sylvain Ebanks-Blake put Plymouth ahead just five minutes in, steering a Peter Halmosi cross goal bound from close range. Southend’s Peter Clarke levelled things 20 minutes later with a perfectly timed header from Steven Hammell’s free kick into the area. The scoreline stayed that way until the 90th minute when goal machine Barry Hayles fired home from 12 yards out from Kevin Gallen’s cross. Let’s hope that Argyle can maintain this form and have a strong finish to the season, we can’t finish any higher than 11th with only two fixtures to play, but that will do nicely for us, it’s an improvement on last year, as long as we improve our position each season it’s all good as far as I am concerned! I am hoping to be able to get the money together to see the final home game of the season next Saturday against play-off chasing Preston North End.
In the Premiership, Liverpool won, Arsenal drew, as did Manchester United. Dirk Kuyt scored with the back of his head in the 30th minute, not the most glamorous goal he has ever scored, but we’ll take it. Kuyt doubled the lead in the 68th minute with a superb turn and shoot goal. Liverpool have now moved four points clear of Arsenal after the Gunners dropped two points at White Hart Lane. It’s looking good for Liverpool with only three games left in the season. The title race isn’t over yet either, although I don’t like either team, Chelsea are right back in it should they win tomorrow against Newcastle, if they win it will put Chelsea just one point behind United, Sadly Liverpool aren’t close enough challenge for the title, I think I would prefer United to win the league as I dislike them less than Chelsea.
The English cricket team managed to end their World Cup on a high beating the West Indies by one wicket this afternoon in Barbados. England bowled out the West Indies for 300 runs, setting themselves a target of 301 to win. Michael Vaughan took 3 wickets, Freddy Flintoff took 2 wickets, Liam Plunkett and Paul Collingwood also took a wicket a piece. Vaughan even was on form with the bat hitting 79 runs off 68 balls, Kevin Pietersen made 100 runs from 91 balls. Strauss, Collingwood and Flintoff failed to do anything with the bat yet again, scoring 7, 6 and 15 respectively. Stuart Broad got the remaining runs for England with only one ball to spare after Collingwood, Flintoff and Jamie Dalrymple’s wickets fell in quick succession. Of course this was Duncan Fletcher’s final day as England coach, out with the old, in with the new, England needs some fresh blood in the camp to rejuvenate our fortunes. And the other big event was Brian Lara’s retirement, Lara still holds the record for the highest ever score in test cricket, 375 runs against England in Antigua in 1994.