Rugby (Union obviously)
It's all come crumbling down at the Gardens, as Northampton's season is destined to end in despair. Too many high profile defeats, including some truly shocking away performances. The Saints just never got going and I've witnessed some really poor performances from the Saints this season, which ultimately mean that they're not going to finish in the top four and as such, will not be playing off for the Championship, and it's a shame because at their best they can definitely still compete with the top teams, as they've shown multiple times this season, even if they've not consistently been able to get positive results.
No, the top four will be Sarries (who will finish top whatever happens), Exeter, Wasps and Leicester, with the latter three scrambling for position, and each of them capable of securing the vital second place spot that would give them a home semi-final. At the moment, it's reasonable to assume that all three teams will win on the final day, which would mean Sarries are at home to Leicester and Exeter at home to Wasps. However, should Exeter slip up, you would expect Wasps to thump London Irish at home and take second. It looks incredibly unlikely, but should Quins beat Exeter and the Chiefs not even pick up a losing bonus point, then a bonus point win for Leicester over Bath would also take them ahead of them. Nevertheless, Sarries v Leicester and Exeter v Wasps looks the most likely scenario, although you would back Quins to cause Exeter problems and I wouldn't be surprised if Wasps pinched second to secure a home semi against the same opposition.
At the other end of the table, a 22 year stint in the top flight is over for London Irish, who are now six points behind Newcastle, and with three teams in the division below eligible for promotion, there is no way Irish can survive.
Cricket
Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire look set for another draw, as Nottingham bounced back from 155-6 to reach 348 on Day Four of their big County Championship Division One game, setting Yorkshire 320 to win in less than half a day. It's possible that the Champions pinch hitters could chase it, or even throw it away, but a draw looks like a safe bet from here. With the weather being utterly dreadful up until this point, wins have been few and far between, so this would be Yorkshire's third draw in three, the same as Warwickshire at the top of the Division, whilst Nottinghamshire have secured a win, so would move top. Meanwhile, there's plenty of batting for Surrey to do, as they look to hold out for a draw against a Durham side batting incredibly well. Surrey are 65-3, 85 runs behind with 7 wickets left. If Surrey can take a draw, it would leave things incredibly tight in the top division, with only two positive results still secured. But if Durham can bowl out their opposition, it would propel them up the table.
Another team sniffing blood is Lancs, who are seeking to make it two wins out of two, but will need a tremendous bowling display as Somerset are only 55 runs behind with 8 wickets left. Meanwhile, Middlesex and Hampshire will both be weighing up whether to stick or twist, as Hampshire are 174 runs ahead with 5 wickets left. Both sides might aim for the draw here, but if Middlesex can bowl Hampshire out quickly, or if Hampshire can smash a few more quick runs, we could be in for an interesting final session.
And in Division Two, which is slightly more spread out than Division One, Essex look set to continue their fine run of form with another draw, as they shared almost 900 runs with Worcestershire in their opening innings, and with both teams hitting over 400, there are batting points apiece (special mention to the England captain for yet another hundred). And despite being in dire straights against Leicestershire, Sussex have steadied the ship, with 230-2 in their second innings taking them within less than a hundred runs of their opposition, with still 8 wickets left to play with. And bottom of the table Northants will make up ground despite struggling to take advantage of a 150 run first innings lead, as Derbyshire reached 96-0 to keep themselves alive.
And finally, Kent secured a 10 wicket win against Glamorgan that leaves them with a great chance of making an early promotion charge.
Still, it's the early stages and there is all to play for.
F1
Nico Rosberg is now 43 points clear of teammate Lewis Hamilton after winning the Russian Grand Prix, with Lewis suffering yet more technical problems that prevented him getting near his teammate, although he did manage to secure a vital second place finish that keeps him in the hunt, despite Rosberg's fourth successive victory.
But all eyes were on Danill Kvyat after he crashed into his Red Bull predecessor Sebastian Vettel not once but twice on the opening lap, forcing the furious German out of the race on the opening lap. Vettel was so angry he went straight to his ex-team leader Christian Horner and asked him (politely I'm sure) to reprimand his driver, which Red Bull very publicly did, causing Kvyat to hit back that F1 loves its pantomime villains and he's expected himself to be painted as just that.
Maybe next time don't paint yourself as one, eh Danill?
Champions League
Athletico Madrid managed to hold on to secure progress to the Champions League final after an incredibly contested semi-final second leg with Bayern Munich. It was all Bayern in the first half, and after Xabi Alonso's free kick was deflected into the back of Athletico's net, it looked like the tie was Bayern's for the taking, even moreso when they were given a slightly soft penalty for some grappling off a corner. But Muller's missed spot kick, coupled by a wonderful goal from Antoine Griezmann, put Athletico back in control, with the away goal meaning that Bayern needed to score twice to win the tie over two legs, not just on the night.
Robert Lewandowski gave them a chance of doing just that, setting up a pulsating final fifteen minutes with a thumping header. But alas it was not to be for Bayern, as they failed to find the third goal that would give them the victory that they needed, as Fernando Torres missed a penalty for Athletico down the other end, a goal that would have capped off an incredible game for Athletico.
But it is the Spanish side that go to the final, and they may be facing their biggest rivals from across their own city once again, in a repeat of 2014's final, as Madrid are firm favourites to see off Manchester City tonight, with talisman Cristiano Ronaldo declaring himself fit. Personally, I think City have a great chance, but they'll need to play their socks off, and hope that Madrid don't rip them to shreds. That can happen to teams that get intimidated by the atmosphere, so City need to come out fighting, and not give Madrid an inch. Or they'll take it and more besides.
The Hard and Fast Section
- Two idiots accidentally bet Leicester to win the league. Rich.
- Gayle could return to the Renegades. Sexist.
- A lot of debate over whether Studge starts tomorrow night.
- EMRE CAN.
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