QPR were crowned Championship champions.

The Football League season ended for all of our London clubs on Saturday and instead of our usual through-the-leagues round-up we will be looking at the most important stories first, before going round the leagues to tidy up.

We start off at Underhill where Barnet completed their great escape for the 2nd year running in League Two. The Bees had been stuck inside the relegation zone since October but were able to haul themselves out thanks to an Izale McLeod penalty just after half-time. Barnet needed to win and hope that Lincoln City didn’t do the same against Aldershot.

Despite Lincoln hearing the news of Barnet’s goal while their game was still 0-0 the Imps couldn’t find any extra effort and conceded three 2nd half goals to relegate them to the Blue Square Premier to the joy of the 4,000 Barnet fans inside Underhill. Praise must go to rookie manager Guiliano Grazioli, who was the 4th manager of the season for the Bees, but who kept them up after Martin Allen had left them high and dry.

The next biggest story occurred on Sunday, as Chelsea effectively conceded the Premier League title to Manchester United at Old Trafford, by losing 2-1. The Blues were a goal down after 36 seconds and from then on they couldn’t get a foothold in the game. Nemanja Vidic headed in a 2nd for United halfway through the 1st half and despite Frank Lampard’s 2nd half strike the Red Devils were able to hang on for the win.

It takes them six points clear at the top of the table with two games to play, meaning that a point in those games will see them lift their 19th title. Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will have to spend the next few weeks wondering if he will still have a job come the start of the new season.

In the Championship QPR’s promotion to the Premier League was confirmed hours before their final game with Leeds on Saturday. Rangers found out that they had escaped a points deduction that meant their promotion would stand and an almighty party started in W12. The game itself didn’t upset the occasion, despite the R’s going down 2-1, after being ahead inside a minute. Max Gradel equalised for Leeds, before Ross McCormack scored the winner in the 2nd half but this didn’t dampen spirits as the team were handed the Championship trophy after the final whistle.

In League One there was disappointment for Dagenham and Redbridge as they were relegated after only one season in the 3rd tier of English football. The Daggers needed at least a point away to promotion chasing Peterborough but were convincingly beaten 5-0 at London Road. Despite being only a goal down at half-time the Daggers couldn’t push on to try and find at least a point and were exposed at the back as they attacked, leading to a further four goals. They however, can still be proud of their highest ever finish as a club.

There were eight more games played that were of lesser importance and the round-up of these starts in the Premier League. West Ham salvaged a point at home to Blackburn, thanks to a late Thomas Hitzlsperger equaliser, but are still rooted to the bottom of the table. Jason Roberts fired Blackburn ahead after 12 minutes and the Hammers found it hard to get an equaliser. Despite their point they now sit 3 points from safety, however they can take some comfort in their remaining games, which are both winnable.

It seems Tottenham will have to settle for 5th place or less after they could only draw at home to Blackpool on Saturday. An 88th minute equaliser from Jermain Defoe gave Spurs a point but it now means that they’re six points behind Man City in the all-important final Champions League place with three games to go. For Spurs to have any chance of securing 4th spot they would have to beat Man City at Eastlands and home that the Manchester side can only gain a point from their last two games, which is very unlikely.

Arsenal continued their miserable season by losing at Stoke City, 3-1. The Gunners found it hard to deal with Stoke’s direct style of football and were two down at half-time. Robin Van Persie managed to pull one back for them with nine minutes to go but Stoke immediately went down the other end and scored to put the game to bed. Elsewhere on Monday night Fulham were comprehensively beaten at home by Liverpool, in a 5-2 thrashing. The Cottagers were 3-0 down within 16 minutes and even though Dembele pulled one back after half-time Liverpool had plenty in reserve and came out worthy winners.

In the Championship Watford finished their mediocre season in mediocre fashion, losing 3-1 at already-relegated Preston. On-loan striker Andreas Weimann put Watford ahead but they succumbed to goals from Nicholson, Hume and Proctor.

Crystal Palace didn’t fare any better at home to Nottingham Forest either. They lost 3-0 to a Forest side that was playing to ensure at shot at the play-offs in a few days’ time. Lewis McGugan put them ahead after 17 minutes and Marcus Tudgay and David McGoldrick added the polish on a fine performance in the 2nd half. Palace will hope for a more comfortable season next year.

Finally in League One Brentford and Huddersfield played out a thrilling 4-4 draw at the McGalpharn Stadium. The Bees were 2-0 down after two goals in the same amount of minutes by Danny Ward but fought back bravely. Jeffrey Schlupp scored twice before and after the break to put Brentford back on level terms before they conceded again two minutes later. From then on Lewis Grabban was the hero, as he levelled to make it 3-3 six minutes later and made it 4-4 ten minutes later once the Bees had again conceded.

Lastly Leyton Orient ended their fantastic season, in which they got to the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and finished just outside of the play-off places, with a 4-1 away win at Plymouth. Scott McGleish started them off with a 13th minute penalty before Dean Cox made it 2-0 a few moments later. Plymouth managed to pull one back in the 2nd half but Alex Revell scored a brace to end the season on a high.

Kensington & Chelsea Cricket Club
WIl be offering free cricket coaching for children and adults on Sunday afternoons at Westway Sports Centre
Sunday 1pm-2.30pm.

Juniors and adults of all ages are welcome to join the sessions.

Barnet have a fight on their hands.

While many of our London clubs are battling for the glory of promotion and the sweet smell of success, the complete opposite is happening at Barnet. The Bees are lying 91^st out of 92 Football League clubs and are struggling to avoid the drop into the Conference. On Good Friday their relegation battle was made even harder as Northampton, their nearest rival, battled back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home. This put the Northamptonshire club 4 points ahead of Barnet in the fight for survival and means the North London club will have to win more than 1 of their last 4 games.

The season has been a rollercoaster for Barnet fans, even by their standards. After a 1-0 defeat at Aldershot on March 22^nd they looked like certainties for relegation, having amassed 34 points they were 3 points off safety but with that team, Burton, having 4 games in hand. Ahead of them the closest team was Hereford on 41 points, but with 2 games in hand.

However, that week they re-signed ex-manager Martin ‘Mad Dog’ Allen to see them through to the end of the season and his effect was instantaneous. A team that had previously looked dead and buried came back from 2 goals down to draw with league leaders Chesterfield in Allen’s first game in charge. They went one better the next weekend and beat rivals Burton 4-1 away from home before beating Crewe the following Saturday. Allen looked like a miracle worker. With 7 points out of a possible 9 Barnet had completely closed the gap on Burton, who only had 2 games in hand left, and Northampton, who were only 2 points ahead having played the same amount of games. Then something entirely predictable happened.

In his first stint as Barnet manager Allen had lasted a year, from March 2003 to March 2004. In that time he built a team from nothing in the pre-season before guiding them to the top of the Conference table. However, Allen then left for Brentford with mere weeks left of a season where his team were challenging for the Conference title, and in doing so angered many Barnet fans. Because of this you can see why many of the Barnet faithful were apprehensive of him taking charge again, but surely he wouldn’t do it again?

Unfortunately for them he did. ‘Mad Dog’ left 3 games into an 8-game contract to go to Notts County. He cited his reasons as wanting to seek the best for his family and after 8 months out of the game he needed a concrete pay slip. Most scoffed at this and the anger continues, and it may well do so for a long time if Barnet are indeed relegated. Allen, the man who was well into the process of keeping them up couldn’t honour his word and complete the job, just as he had done 7 years previously.

For Barnet though, the mud-slinging will have to wait another couple of weeks, they have 4 games left to salvage their Football League status. Assistant Manager and club legend Giuliano Grazioli was quickly appointed Caretaker Manager and has been thrown in at the deep end. His first game was a 2-0 loss at promotion candidates Bury but the real run-in starts today. The Bees are away to play-off chasing Gillingham, who lie 6^th in the table and have only lost 4 times at home all season. In contrast Grazioli’s men have only won 3 games away all season, but the side that looked invincible under Allen a few weeks ago is still there and it’s ‘Graz’s job to find those kinds of performances in the squad.

If they can win today then the gap to Northampton will be a single point and survival will start to look like a real possibility for a team that haven’t been outside the relegation places since October 23^rd, however if they lose then they will have to count on their home form to save them. We urge any North Londoners who are wondering what to do on Bank Holiday Monday to get down to Underhill and support Barnet as they battle Oxford, in their quest to save their Football League lives!

It’s been a crucial weekend for our professional London clubs in their fights for promotion or relegation and our round-up starts in the Premiership with Sunday’s extraordinary game between Arsenal and Liverpool at the Emirates. With Man United playing in the FA Cup the day earlier the Gunners had the chance to play their game in hand and cut United’s lead down to 4 points at the top of the table. Arsenal enjoyed the greater amount of possession throughout the game but lacked any real cutting edge in a game that was extended for 8 minutes due to a bad injury sustained by Jamie Carragher. However, with time running out salvation was found by Arsenal when Cesc Fabregas was fouled by Jay Spearing, resulting in a penalty in the 98^th minute. Robin van Persie slotted home but his celebrations were short-lived. 4 minutes later Emmanuel Eboue brought down Lucas Leiva in the box after Luis Suarez’ free kick had been blocked. The referee again pointed to the spot and with the last kick of the game Dirk Kuyt equalised, all but ending the title race with 6 games to go.

Arsenal will now have to be weary of 3^rd place Chelsea, who are hot on their tails after a 3-1 away win at West Brom on Saturday. The Blues went behind early on when Peter Odemwingie scored on 17 minutes. However, Didier Drogba has hit a good run of form in recent weeks and again showed his class when he levelled 5 minutes later. He then turned provider 4 minutes later when his long range effort was only parried by West Brom keeper, Scott Carson. This fell straight to Salomon Kalou, who couldn’t miss. Chelsea sealed the win before half-time when Malouda broke free to cross to Frank Lampard, who coolly fired home to send the Blues home with all 3 points.

At the other end of the table though, it’s not looking so rosy with West Ham falling to another defeat, this time at home to Aston Villa. The game started in the best possible way for the Hammers as Robbie Keane fired them into the lead after 2 minutes, thanks to a fine headed pass from Hitzlsperger. However, West Ham couldn’t build on their lead and their defence was breached before the half had ended, Darren Bent heading past Green easily after some poor defending. Then with full-time approaching came the sickening blow for the Hammers, Agbonlahor getting onto the end of Ashley Young’s pinpoint cross to head home and give Villa the points. This loss leaves West Ham 19^th in the table, 2 points from safety with 5 games left to play.

Next we move down into the Championship, and with QPR playing on Monday Millwall took centre stage as they travelled to Coventry, looking to keep their hopes of the play-offs alive. They suffered an early setback when Marlon King put the hosts in front after 7 minutes, after benefitting from some sloppy Millwall passing. The Lions continued their fight however, and were rewarded on the stroke of half-time when James Henry set up Andros Townsend to equalise. The 2^nd half petered out and all signs pointed to a 1-1 draw, but with 6 minutes remaining King again stepped up to prove how good a striker he is and scored from close range to give Coventry the points and leave Millwall facing an uphill battle to sneak into the play-offs.

Lastly in this division is Watford, who were away at Leeds, hoping to spoil their play-off hopes at Elland Road. The 2-2 score line suggested a frantic game; however it didn’t really spark into life until 25 minutes into the 2^nd half when Luciano Becchio put Leeds 1-0 up. The Hornets responded quickly and within 6 minutes were back level, Lee Hodgson heading in the equaliser. Watford looked to have stolen the points with 4 minutes to go, when Andreas Weimann put them 2-1 up. Unfortunately for them though striker Troy Deeney somehow managed to bundle a cross into his own net 2 minutes later to give Leeds a fluky point that extended their gap to 7^th place.

Into League One now where we start with the good news as Brentford scored a late winner to beat Rochdale 1-0 at Spotland. Robbie Simpson’s 79^th minute winner keeps Brentford in the top 10 and although they won’t be challenging in the play-offs they will be happy with their season.

Now onto the bad news as Charlton continued their disappointing season with a 1-0 home loss to promotion chasing Huddersfield. They succumbed to an 83^rd minute Joey Gudjonsson goal at the Valley, a result that drops them to 13^th in the table. This will be their lowest finish in the Football League for many a season.

Also losing were Leyton Orient and Dagenham. Firstly, the O’s play-off hopes were hit when they lost at fellow challengers Exeter, 2-1. Jamie Cureton proved the difference between the two sides as he hit both of Exeter’s goals, in the 4^th and 79^th minute to seal the victory, which leaves Orient in 8^th, 5 points behind the last play-off place with 4 games to play. As for Dagenham they lost at Tranmere 2-0, but despite this are still hovering outside the relegation places. Goals from Showunmi and Goodison in the 1^st half sealed their fate and the Daggers will now be hoping their home form can get them out of trouble as they look nervously down the table, 1 point ahead of 21^st placed Bristol Rovers.

Finally, in League Two Barnet only have 4 more games to save their Football League status after losing 2-0 at high-flying Bury. Nicky Ajose and Mike Jones hit the Bees with a 5 minute double in the 1^st half to extinguish any hopes Barnet had of getting a point. With Northampton drawing at Wycombe Barnet are now 3 points from safety with 4 games to go and will be hoping for some kind of miracle to see them out of this mess. SportyLondoners will be assessing their chances later on this week.

Next up was Leyton Orient, who were away to Championship side Swansea. With the Swans gunning for promotion to the Premier League and Orient content in mid-table of League One a shock didn’t look on the cards. However, the O’s produced a fantastic performance to shock the Welsh side to win 2-1. Jimmy Smith gave Orient the lead after 35 minutes before Cedric van der Gun levelled for the home side moments before the interval. Then in a bizarre moment Orient were handed their berth in the 5th Round, Paul-Jose M’Poku managed to collect the ball and run to the by-line before firing in a low cross. No Orient players were near the cross and it looked like an easy clearance for Alan Tate inside his own 6-yard box. However, the ball bobbled at the crucial moment which led to Tate slicing the ball in the opposite direction to it’s intended target, giving keeper Ma-Kalambay absolutely no chance to save it and sending the 700 Orient fans into delirium.

Whilst there was a shock in South Wales none was to be found in Stevenage as the Borough couldn’t repeat their 3rd Round heroics against Newcastle when they played Reading at Broadhall Way on Saturday. Stevenage put up a good fight however, Darius Charles managed to level with a sublime run on 72 minutes after Mikele Leigertwood’s opener midway through the first half. Unfortunately for the Borough their resistance to the Championship side was broken 3 minutes from the end as Shane Long converted a McAnuff cross to send the Royals into the 5th Round.

The other 2 FA Cup ties involving our local sides were played on Sunday, Arsenal finally saw off the challenge of Huddersfield at the Emirates, despite being given a scare. Nicklas Bendtner opened the scoring for the Gunners in the first half when his shot deflected off Peter Clarke before a shock looked on the cards when Sebastian Squillaci was sent off before the interval and 20 minutes into the 2nd half Huddersfield equalised, Alan Lee heading past Almunia. The 5,000 Huddersfield fans’ dreams of a replay back in South Yorkshire were shattered late on however, Bendtner winning a penalty 4 minutes from time, Fabregas coolly dispatching to send the Gunners into round 5.

Finally in the FA Cup Fulham took on Tottenham at Craven Cottage and thrashed them 4-0. Spurs’ day started badly and got worse, Alan Hutton giving away a penalty after 11 minutes that Danny Murphy scored, before Michael Dawson gave away another penalty 3 minutes later whilst getting sent off in the process. Murphy again converted and Spurs were in a hole, 2 goals down and a man light. The performance would have no doubt angered Harry Redknapp, with comically bad defending on show throughout the 1st half. Brede Hangeland made it 3 a few minutes later when a corner found it’s way to him to stab home before Mousa Dembele ran from the halfway line to the edge of the area before finishing superbly to make it 4 just before the half-time whistle. Spurs can at least console themselves with the fact that they didn’t conceded any more in the 2nd half.

Aside from the Cup action there were also 5 league games of interest. In the Championship QPR maintained their 5 point lead at the top of the table with a 0-0 stalemate at Hull, whilst Crystal Palace earned a valuable point at home to 2nd placed Norwich with a 0-0 draw. On Friday Millwall carried on their charge for a play-off place with a 2-0 win over mid-table Barnsley at the New Den. Goals from Steve Morison and James Henry sealed the points for the Lions in the 1st half to move them to within 3 points of the last play-off place.

In League One Brentford went down 2-1 at home to struggling Yeovil, a loss that may make them start to worry about the prospect of relegation. Charlie MacDonald cancelled out Yeovil’s early goal before Paul Wotton struck late on to send the West Countrymen back home with all 3 points. In League Two Barnet couldn’t keep up their recent good form as they lost 2-0 at home to Southend, a result for the Bees would’ve seen them move out of the relegation zone for the first time this season.

World of Golf are offering beginners free golf lessons, head over to their site and sign up for a 6 week course. This is a fantastic opportunity to start learning the game. They have both adults and juniors lessons at all 4 locations, Croydon, Surrey, Kent and Glasgow.

World of Golf Free Lessons

It was a busy day for our local teams yesterday, with action from all 4 divisions. We start in the Premier League where a London derby took place between Arsenal and West Ham. In a possible preview of the Carling Cup final in late February Arsenal produced a ruthless performance to see off the hapless Hammers 3-0. Robin Van Persie opened the scoring after 13 minutes thanks to a mistake from debutant Wayne Bridge and the Gunners never looked back. West Ham manager Avram Grant could only look on at what was believed to be his last game in charge of the East London club.

In a silent Upton Park Theo Walcott doubled Arsenal’s lead shortly before the break, Bridge playing Van Persie onside, who pulled the ball back to Walcott to slot home. Bridge’s afternoon was complete 13 minutes before the end when he upended Walcott in the area to give the Gunners a penalty, which Van Persie dispatched to put a cherry on top of the Arsenal performance. Soon after the final whistle Grant went round the near empty Upton Park and applauded the fans still present, he leaves the club bottom of the league and hands over the reigns and a difficult task to Martin O’Neill. With this win Arsenal moved to within a point of Man United having played 2 games more, and 2 points of Man City at the top, having played a game less.

Across the capital Chelsea moved back into the top four with a 2-0 win over Blackburn. After a barren first half the Blues upped their game and emerged winners thanks to goals from Branislav Ivanovic and Nicholas Anelka. Not only was this a vital 3 points in terms of the league table, it also takes the pressure off under-fire manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was facing questions about his management after a run of 9 league games with only 1 win.

Elsewhere in the Premier League a late Adam Johnson goal salvaged a point for Fulham away at Wigan, after Hugo Rodallega fired the Latics in front in the first half. This point keeps Fulham hovering just above the relegation zone in 15th, 2 points ahead of Wolves.

In the Championship QPR couldn’t break down Burnley at Turf Moor and had to settle for a 0-0 draw. In a game with few chances Adel Taarabt missed the R’s best chance while Clarke Carlisle produced a good performance in the centre of Burnley’s defence to ensure a point for the hosts.

Earlier in the day Swansea had cut into Rangers lead at the top of the table when they thrashed Crystal Palace 3-0 in Wales. 2 penalties from Scott Sinclair in the 2nd half sealed the win for the Swans after Darren Pratley opened the scoring just before half time. This loss meant that Palace dropped into the relegation zone by the end of the day and new boss Dougie Freedman now knows the size of the task in front of him.

Finally in the Championship Millwall continued their good form and made it a 9th game without defeat as they beat Ipswich 2-1 at the New Den. The Lions brought Paul Jewell’s side back down to earth after their midweek victory in the Carling Cup over Arsenal, thanks to goals from Danny Schofield to level the game and then Steve Morison in the 76th minute with the winner. With this win the Lions move up to 9th place, 3 points behind 6th place Watford in the play-offs.

For us League One’s action started on Friday night as Brentford took on Exeter at Griffin Park. The Bees trailed in this game for more than 90 minutes after Exeter took the lead after 2 minutes thanks to a John O’Flynn strike. However, the Grecians were unable to hold onto their lead and finally gave way in the 4th minute of injury time as Nicky Forster equalised to send the home fans happy.

Yesterday’s action started in Sheffield where Charlton were denied a victory that would’ve seen them move into the play-off places, after giving up a 2 goal lead at Sheffield Wednesday. 2 goals in the first 10 minutes from Scott Wagstaff and Jonnie Jackson gave Addicks fans the hope that they would be leaping up the table, however in the space of 4 2nd half minutes Wednesday drew level thanks to goals from Paul Heffernan and Reda Johnson.

At the bottom of the league Dagenham and Redbridge scored a late winner at Hartlepool to take them off the foot of the table. Gavin Tomlin scored 4 minutes from time to give the Daggers a 1-0 win and 3 valuable points in their battle against relegation. They’re now 5 points from safety having played the same amount of games as 20th placed Tranmere.

Finally in League Two Stevenage faced top of the table Chesterfield after their FA Cup heroics a week earlier against Newcastle. Borough couldn’t keep up their momentum however, and fell to a 1-0 defeat thanks to a Drew Talbot goal just before half time. Stevenage will be hoping to solidify their place in the Football League and maybe even make the 5th Round of the FA Cup if they can win their 4th Round tie against Reading at Broadhall Way in 2 weeks time.

At the bottom of the table Barnet lifted themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time in what must seem an eternity for their fans, thanks to a last minute equaliser at home to Shrewsbury. Charlie Taylor’s late strike gave the Bees a share of the points and carried on their good form that’s seen them out of the relegation places.

Free 6 week indoor climbing course for women starting today at the Westway in West London tonight, open to beginners and those with limited climbing experience. Climbing to a great sport, very social and fun whilst getting fit and

Thursday 13th January – Thursday 17th February

Thursday 24th February – Thursday 31st March

Time: 6.00pm – 7.00pm

Age: 16+
Cost: Free (Participants must attend the full 6 week programme)

Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Road, London W10 6RP

For more information or to book a place onto one of the programmes please contact Gemma Parker (Westway Community Sports Project Leader) on 020 89625720 or 07917 847989 or email gparker@westway.org.

Federer wins 2010 ATP Finals.

Day 8 of the ATP Tour Finals in London saw the finale of the end-of-season tournament and the finale of the 2010 ATP Tour as Roger Federer played Rafael Nadal. It seemed fitting that the two best ranked players would play each other to end a season that they’ve dominated, Federer winning the Australian Open in January whilst Nadal swept the other 3 Grand Slams in the summer and autumn.

In front of a sell-out 17,500 crowd the match started in a tense fashion, both players holding serve comfortably, Federer not managing a point on the Nadal serve until the 2nd game and not managing much more than that. It took until the 8th game before a break was seen, Nadal the first to blink, despite being up 30-0 thanks to some errant play from Federer. A double-fault comes next before a long forehand from the Spaniard and it’s 30-30.

Federer saved game point 2 points later and then a fantastic forehand gives him his first break point, which he takes with one of his trademark, powerful backhands across the court. A 5-3 lead means he’s serving for the set and he doesn’t mess around and raced out to a 40-0 lead before a tidy forehand wins him the set, 6-3.

Into the 2nd set Nadal shrugs off the loss and holds immediately. Better still for the 24-year old 2 games later when, at 2-1, he goes 40-15 ahead on Federer’s serve. Unable to take the 1st break point Federer helps him out by hitting a forehand wide and giving Rafa a 3-1 lead and control of the 2nd set. Nadal then won his service game to 30 and took a commanding 4-1 lead. Federer tried to get back into the set but failed and the World No.1 held serve with a hold to 15 and a fist pump, 6-3.

A 3 set match seemed fitting to end the 2010 ATP season and Roger Federer played magnificently in it. After 2 service holds he managed to win his 2nd service game of the set easily and then battled for a break point in resulting Nadal service game. In the whole match he’d only seen 2 break points on the Nadal serve and he took them both, this one with a nice net approach that leaves Nadal trying a pass that even he can’t pull off.

After this the Swiss kicked himself into a higher gear and consolidated his break with a service hold from 30-30 and Nadal knew the game was up when Federer saw 2 break points for a 5-1 lead, which he didn’t pass up. The last game was a formality and Roger Federer was crowned ATP Tour Finals champion 2010.

The talent and ability on display for the 17,500 sell out crowd in the Arena was top class throughout, each time one player thought they had grasped an advantage it was pegged back. This all translated into a 1st set tiebreaker as neither player could find a way to break serve. Serve was still held until at 2-1 when Murray’s slice could only find the net to give a mini break to Nadal, who stretched this lead to 4-2 before taking one of two points on his serve to make it 5-3.

Murray however, battled back and after a great rally tied it at 5-5, which merited a standing ovation from the excited crowd. Unfortunately for all Murray supporters in the audience he couldn’t find a backhand winner in the next point, which gives Rafa the chance he’s been waiting for. On serve the Spaniard attacks Murray and finishes the set with a lovely volley, 7-6(5).

After this Nadal looks to be in the ascendancy, holding serve immediately in the 2nd set before getting 2 break points on the Murray serve. The Scot looked slightly down at the point but showed great strength to battle back to deuce thanks to a crosscourt backhand winner that had the crowd buzzing. Winning 3 of the next 4 points, including 2 aces, secures Murray his service game and gets him back on track after a wobble.

After 4 holds Murray makes the breakthrough and he does it in style, racing out to a 0-40 lead. However Nadal takes back one break point with an amazing reach on a ball that looked millimetres away from the ground before taking the second back when Murray hits long. The Scot repeats this and it’s all square at deuce and the golden opportunity has seemingly vanished. But now it’s the Spaniard that’s hitting a very long shot and it’s 4th break point. Murray doesn’t let this chance slip and a backhand secures a 4-3 lead, which he soon consolidates to make Nadal serve to stay in the set. Rafa can’t do this and the game goes to a decider.

At this point the match had gone on for nearly 2 hours and it possibly showed in Murray’s opening of the final set as he gave away an early break to Nadal at 1-1 before the Spaniard consolidated with a hold to make it 3-1 and make Murray’s task much harder. The World No.4 didn’t back down though, and forced 2 break points at 3-2 to get back into the set. Nadal showed why he’d won 3 Grand Slams in the calendar year however, and fought back to win the game with an ace and extended his lead to 4-2.

The match then went on serve until at 5-3 Murray gave up a break point whilst serving to stay in the match. His shoulders though, didn’t sag at this and he managed to battle back for the umpteenth time to save his serve and make Nadal at least serve the match out.

Nadal can’t do this though and when Murray gets a sniff at a break back point he takes it to level at 5-5 and the crowd goes wild. Murray then needs an ace to save another break point on serve before tidying up the game and forcing Nadal to serve for a tiebreak, which he duly does. This epic encounter ended in disappointment for the home crowd, who were mostly cheering for Murray, as Nadal raced into a 4-1 lead before Murray battled back to make it 4-4.

This match had so many twists and turn that the crowd and TV watching audience probably expected another Murray comeback but this didn’t materialise. It goes to 5-5 before a Murray forehand goes wide, despite a challenge, and Nadal produces pinpoint accuracy to place the ball far away from Murray’s reach to win the match and take his place in the final, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6.

After the best match of the week the 2nd semi-final was always going to look bad in comparison. However, it wasn’t expected to be as one-sided as it turned out to be. Roger Federer took apart Novak Djokovic in clinical fashion, winning the first 3 games in the 1st set before breaking again later on for an easy set, 6-1.

In the 2nd Djokovic looked to be biting back and won the first 3 games in a mirror of the 1st set, unfortunately for him Federer didn’t crumble and fought and broke back to make it back to 3-3. From then Djokovic stabilised to make it to 4-4 before Federer broke again and held serve for an easy victory, 6-1, 6-4. He will now face Rafa Nadal in the final on Sunday.