TOM DALEY admitted he is already getting 'really excited' after the city diving superstar was named in the Great Britain squad for this summer's Olympics.
Plymouth Diving's Daley will lead the Great Britain charge in both the men's individual 10m platform and the synchro events at the London Games.
Daley made certain of his place in the teenager's own 'dream Games' by winning a gold medal at the British Championships which doubled as Olympic trials at Sheffield's Ponds Forge at the weekend.
The former world champion scored a total of 547 points in the individual, outscoring Waterfield who ended the dive-off with 452.
Britain's new national champion will be joined in both events by individual runner-up Peter Waterfield, while Daley's club-mates Tonia Couch and Sarah Barrow have both been picked for the women's 10m synchro.
Although the most casual observer of diving would have assumed Daley was a shoo-in for London 2012, for the 18-year-old European champion to see his name on the list was clearly a relief.
And, he said, a reward for the self sacrifice and long hours spent training for the globe's biggest sporting event.
Daley said: "It is very exciting. It feels really great to be finally named in the Great Britain Olympic team.
"After all the training hours I've had to put in and all the thousands of dives, it feels so good to know I'm going to be there."
Daley acknowledged that because of his own excellent form this year the level of national expectation for him to medal will have been cranked up a couple of notches more.
But the teenager insisted his rivals, notably China's number one Qiu Bo, will also be feeling the strain the closer the Briton gets to him at world-class tournaments.
Daley said: "The pressure is going to be massive for everyone. It comes down to whoever deals with it the best.
"Qiu Bo has never been to an Olympic Games, so he's not going to know what it's like.
"There will be a lot of pressure on him, because he's the favourite and from China.
"And, gradually, everyone's scores around the world are getting higher and higher and therefore, closer to him."
The Plymothian believes having taken part in one Olympic Games already will work to his advantage.
Daley said the experience could be key to how he handles the pressure in London.
He said: "I think it helps massively to have been able to compete in the Olympics in Beijing.
"I've gained the experience of being at one. If I hadn't gone there (Beijing), it could have been a little bit overwhelming, being at home and all."
Daley admitted his own form in the lead up to next month's Olympics had been very pleasing, to say the least.
The 2008 Olympic finalist in Beijing, at the age of just 14 years and reigning Commonwealth Games champion ended this year's prestigious World Series as number one and then reclaimed the European individual crown in Eindhoven last month.
Daley, though, while delighted with those awards, said he is looking forward, with all his thoughts concentrated on the Aquatics Centre.
"The Olympics is the major event of the year and that is what you want to peak for. Everything is focused and concentrated on the Games in London," said Daley.
"Yes, I want to do well in every single competition I take part in, because I'm competitive.
"Everything I do, I want to do to the best of my ability: I'm a perfectionist.
"I go into every competition trying to win, because that's my nature.
"The only thing I can focus on is myself as diving is such an individual sport, not like tennis, for example, where you can hit a ball in one direction and your opponent will hit it back in another.
"With diving, you do what you do and hope it's good and the other divers will do exactly the same for themselves."
Daley said he is becoming confident at mastering what he considers his most difficult dive – the forward 4½ somersault, but insisted he will not be resting on his laurels.
"To be honest, I find all the dives very hard but the forward 4½ I consider my hardest. But I've been doing them a lot more consistently and doing them better," said Daley.
"It's difficult making sure I get that dive right and the others in (his tariff), too, and going into every competition trying to do the best I can."
Ever the realist, Daley said that while it is his goal to top the podium at the Olympics, he does not dream about medalling, just competing.
He said: "Obviously, it's my dream to win a gold medal, and that's any athlete's dream, isn't it?
"But whenever I dream about appearing at the Olympics, I'm just doing my dives, but I never see the scoreboard so I don't know where I'm going to end up.
"For me, it's all about doing everything I can beforehand to make sure I'm well prepared to compete at the Olympic Games."
Daley said his next event is the Olympics but that his schedule is showing no sign of relaxing.
"No, it's kind of scary knowing that the next competition I take part in will be at the Olympics," said Daley.
"It's all very busy for us. We're going to be training twice a day, five times a week.
"We (Team GB) all go to Majorca today for a training camp and then we go to the Olympic pre-camp on July 24, which is a complete lock-down and focused on preparing for the Games.
"That'll be at the Aquatics Centre and it will really be make or break time for me."
Source: www.thisisplymouth.co.uk
Essex County rugby team wins state title - Newburyport Daily News
Rugby
Mass. Rugby Organization
The Essex County Bulldogs Rugby Football Club claimed the Massachusetts Rugby Organization's state championship with a 14-13 win over the defending champion Berkshire United Rugby Football Club Saturday in Pittsfield.
In 2008 the Bulldogs had just 22 kids playing flag rugby against each other. By 2010, they fielded a U19 team and began competing against other programs across Massachusetts.
Last season the Bulldogs lost their first match of the season to Berkshire by more than 40 points. That season, they improved enough to earn a berth in last year's state tournament, advancing to the finals versus Berkshire. The Essex County club was within 20 seconds of claiming last year's state championship. Berkshire scored in the final minute, winning the title 17-12.
Earlier this year, both teams met up again at Amesbury Sports Park in a regular-season match that ended in a 20-20 tie. After that match, the Bulldogs were perfect, scoring over 170 points against Seacoast RFC, Portland Maine and Arlington Catholic High School. Meanwhile, Berkshire did equally well.
Going into the state finals last weekend, the Bulldogs and Berkshire were ranked number one and two, respectively.
Led by coaches Dave Hill, Chip Lynch, Joe Stanley and Dennis Donnovan, the Bulldogs scored five times, including one successful try each from Amesbury's Matt Bell and Masconomet's MacKenzie Cashin, topping Worcester RFC in the semifinal by a score of 29-11.
On the opposite field, the speedy Berkshire club ran past the Springfield Rifles RFC, posting a 29-0 shutout, leading to a rematch of last year's championship.
In the final, Berkshire jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the first drive of the match, before Amesbury's Connor Norton pushed the ball in for the Bulldogs. Masco's Andrew Swimm gave the Bulldogs the 7-5 lead with the two-point goal kick after the try. Late in the first half, Berkshire's speedy backfield outran the Bulldog defenders for another try, and then added another three points with a goal kick to close the half.
The second half became a defensive grind with neither team giving much ground until the Bulldogs pushed the ball down the field in the final minute of the match. With 22 seconds left, Norton got his second try of the match, and Swimm nailed a tough goal kick to give Essex County a one-point lead. A frantic push by Berkshire was defended by the Bulldogs, giving them the championship.
Post 150 Junior Legion Baseball
Newburyport 5, Gloucester 4
Evan Habib pitched four innings, allowing six hits for Newburyport. He had six strikeouts. Tim Englehart pitched the final three innings, allowing one run on two hits. He had three strikeouts. Justin Snyder was 2 for 2 with a home run. Leighton Paradis was 1 for 3 with two RBIs.
Source: www.newburyportnews.com
Essex bid to start t20 campaign with a win - East Anglian Daily Times
Greg Smith, who is in a 13-man squad for Essex's match against Surrey and could make his t20 debut for the county.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
10:00 AM
ESSEX Eagles turn their attentions to Friends Life t20 action for the next few weeks starting with a trip to the Kia Oval to face Surrey Lions tomorrow night for their opening match in this year’s competition.
Eagles head coach Paul Grayson has selected a 13-man squad for the match, start 6.30pm, and he is anxious to see his charges commence their South Group qualifying matches with a victory.
“One-day cricket is all about momentum and, obviously, we want to make a good start against Surrey Lions where we have a good record over the years,” he said.
“We know that the South Group is tough and there are some good cricketers in our section but I believe in our lads. We have some excellent players ourselves and if we get some good results early on in the competition, then I believe that there is every chance that we can qualify.
“Last year, we won seven and lost seven plus a couple of games were washed-out so we were inconsistent. Batting will be our strength this year in this format and so we’ve got to be very workmanlike in the way that we bowl. We’ve also got to be smart with our bowling changes and our spin options.
“We feel that we are better prepared this year than we were last year when we came straight off a four-day game and went immediately into the Twenty20 campaign. This time, we’ve had some time to prepare and practise our skills and we are hoping for a big performance on Wednesday night.
“Then we’ve got three matches in as many night next week, so the games come thick and fast and if you do lose a game, you can’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself, you might have to play again the next night.”
Essex will only have one overseas player for the competition despite intense efforts to sign another player to join James Franklin.
“We really tried to get a second overseas player in to join us but we have been let down by a couple of players,” Grayson explained.
“It’s proved a really difficult situation trying to bring someone else in but I’m happy with the squad we’ve got. I would have liked another one-day specialist bowler but we’ll live with that. It means that we’ve got to find a way to bowl well in the format and trust our batsmen to perform more consistently because last year, they didn’t do that.”
History favours for a winning start for the Eagles whose impressive record against Surrey in the FL t20 format includes victories in nine of the 13 matches with only two defeats while the other couple of games were abandoned.
Essex squad: J Foster, J Franklin, M Pettini, T Westley, G Smith, O Shah, R ten Doeschate, A Wheater, G Napier, T Phillips, D Masters, T Mills, M Chambers.
Source: www.eadt.co.uk
Motorists told to avoid London up to a MONTH before the Olympics so traffic lights can be turned green for VIPs in hated 'Games Lanes' - Daily Mail
- Work on 1,300 signals will start on July 1 to make sure it is all up and running in time
- More misery for commuters because they have already been warned to avoid trains and tube if possible
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Motorists will have to avoid central London from up to a month before the Olympics start so its hated VIP 'Games Lanes' can be up and running in time.
From July 1 more than 1,300 traffic lights will be adjusted to automatically turn green to speed chauffeur-driven dignitaries to venues, while millions of ordinary drivers face gridlock.
These 30 miles of road, part of a wider 109-mile circuit called the Olympic Route Network, will whisk VIPs from their hotels around Park Lane and Mayfair to the venues across the capital in luxury BMWs.
Commuters using public transport have already been warned to take holiday, work from home or travel early or late to avoid chaos on the trains and tube in the same period.
Traffic: Routes like this one, Shaftesbury Avenue, in central London, will have Games Lanes added to allow VIPs to travel without traffic
Transport for London said today they must start work on the traffic lights and new road barriers by the start of next month to make sure lanes are running properly two days before the opening ceremony on Friday, July 27.
They also claim that despite more red lights for normal motorists a ban on roadworks will improve the situation as long as fewer motorists drive into London.
And that the traffic will start to really build up two weeks before the Games when athletes, media and dignitaries arrive, culminating in the London legs of the torch relay in the days running up to the main event, they say.
'During the Games, London will be turned into a massive sporting and cultural venue. We have plans in place to get all athletes, officials and the world’s media to their Games events on time and to keep London moving and open for business,' TfL's commissioner Peter Hendy said.
OLYMPIC ROUTE NETWORK: WHAT THE COLOURS MEAN
Yellow route: Roads on this route will have a dedicated 'Olympic-only' lane for athletes, officials, VIPs, sponsors and media. The lanes will be in force from 6am until midnight.
Red route: Roads on this route, the busiest "core section" of the VIP network, will be affected by major restrictions to speed up traffic but will be fully open to the public. Measures could include bans on parking and right-turns, suspension of pedestrian crossings, phasing of traffic lights and no public entry from side roads.
Blue route: Roads on this route will only be affected on competition days. They will run from the athletes' accommodation to venues such as Wembley Arena, Earls Court and Wimbledon.
'From mid-July, central London and areas around Games venues will be much busier than usual. The ORN, which is part of the host city contract for the Games, will be a vital part of managing the busy roads and delivering a great Games.
'It will come into operation on July 25, a couple of days before the opening ceremony.
'Our advice to motorists is clear. From mid-July, avoid driving in central London, around the ORN and Games venues.'
Plan: Much of the the route will run people to the Olympic Park, pictured,
Busy: Commuters have already been warned to take holiday, work from home or travel early or late to avoid a packed tube system
The ORN and the Games Lanes will be enforced from 6am to midnight. They will shut again a couple of days after the Games and will not run between the Olympics and the Paralympics, which start on August 29.
The designated lanes will be set aside for athletes, coaches, administrators and even 25,000 'marketing partners', meaning regular drivers will face traffic jams and travel delays on their way to work.
The 25m Olympic Route Network (ORN) will be operational for 17 days of the event, covering the fortnight-long competitive period and a number of days before and after.
The Paralympics will also result in restrictions but they will cover a much shorter period.
Millions of drivers and commuters in London and the South East around the M25 will be hardest hit as jams and journey times increase by a third, traffic on key routes slows to just 12 mph, with the rush-hour traffic peaking 90 minutes earlier at 5.30am and 3.30pm, adding an average 20 additional minutes to a one hour journey.
But this could easily double to 40 minutes in the worst cases. In the 'worst case scenario' the Olympic opening ceremony could be held in 'a half empty stadium' because the other half are stuck in a jam.
Fleet: These luxury BMWs will chauffeur VIPs around London during the Olympics
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Source: www.dailymail.co.uk
London leading destination city in 2012-study - Reuters UK
LONDON |
LONDON (Reuters) - The home of this summer's Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for Britain's Queen Elizabeth is also the world's top destination this year, according to an index released by global credit card company MasterCard on Monday.
MasterCard's "Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities" predicted that London will see 16.9 million people arrive by air compared with a million less for second place city Paris and airmiles ahead of New York at 13th place with 7.6 million arrivals.
The index also said that London, for the second year running, will attract the highest international visitor spend at $21.1 million, just ahead of New York at $19.4 million.
"London offers better value for money than New York," MasterCard Worldwide's global economic advisor Yuwa Hedrick-Wong told Reuters.
The queen's diamond jubilee saw London fill with visitors from abroad and around Britain for four days of celebrations at the start of June and the Olympics which will take place at venues in and around London from July 27 to August 12 is expected to pull in visitors from all over the planet.
"As our fantastic Diamond Jubilee celebrations demonstrated, London knows how to throw a party and, as we prepare to host the greatest Games the world has ever seen, it is no surprise our capital is the top choice for tourists," London Mayor Boris Johnson said in a statement along with Mastercard's index.
Well established international destination Bangkok was the other big winner in the index at third place with 12.2 million visitors who will spend $19.3 million.
"Bangkok's advantage is that it's a very tolerant culture," Hedrick-Wong told Reuters. "That explains its durability, especially attracting Europeans and Americans. I cannot imagine Western visitors doing the same thing in Malaysia, even China."
The Index, which encompasses 132 of the world's most important cities, is being marketed as a new map for understanding global connectivity.
Businesses and investors might find the Index's list of city growth rates of more interest than current rankings. Brazilian and Chinese cities also featured highly in the survey for both visitor numbers and spend.
"The growth patterns show how important cities are," says Hedrick-Wong, "and they're popping up from everywhere. They take on some really important local or regional significance overnight because of a new development."
Expect to hear much more about Recife and Belo Horizonte in Brazil, and Chengdu, Harbin, Xian and Guangzhou in China.
Using information gleaned from 87 airlines, national tourism boards, the United Nations and other global agencies, the MasterCard Index offers an optimistic overall forecast.
Total visitor numbers and cross-border spending will increase by 5.7 percent and 10.6 percent respectively for the top 20 destination cities in 2012.
The result is a bright spot in a period of slow world economic output, a persistent euro zone crisis and increased uncertainty in the financial sector.
"The growing need and desire to travel, especially by air, are set to expand in spite of the ups and downs of the business cycles," MasterCard's report said.
In a survey also out on Monday, by Mercer, London was ranked the 25th most expensive city in the world and the most expensive city for expatriates.
(Editing by Paul Casciato)
Source: uk.reuters.com
Big Brother Ashleigh gives Essex a bad name, says 'TOWIE' Amy Childs - Digital Spy
Source: www.digitalspy.co.uk
Britons. Do you actually want to host the Olympics or not? - Chavman's World, Hong Kong, 12/6/2012 11:03 Short answer is NO !! - Voice of Reason, Wales, ........ I agree. Shame we we're asked earlier.
- Mick, Hertford, 12/6/2012 13:41
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