Thursday 30 August 2012

Gold start for GB in Paralympics

Sarah Storey and Jonathan Fox both gave ParalympicsGB a golden start at the London 2012 Paralympics.

Britain won medals in cycling (GOLD: Sarah Storey, SILVER: Mark Colbourne), swimming (GOLD: Jonathan Fox, SILVER: Nyree Kindred, Hannah Russell) judo (BRONZE: Ben Quilter), Powerlifting (BRONZE: Zoe Newson).

Paralympics officially opened

The Paralympic opening ceremony welcomed all the participating countries to London last night.

Great Britain's first ever Paralympic gold medallist, Margaret Maughan, 84, lit the flame.

3,000 volunteers took part in the ceremony, which included people with disabilities.

ZSN is lucky enough to be going to the games at least once, and maybe twice, so keep checking here!

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Andrew Strauss retires from cricket

England captain Andrew Strauss has retired from all types of cricket and will be replaced as skipper by Alistair Cook.

The 35-year-old led England to the top of the test rankings during his spell as leader.

Monday 27 August 2012

Modric completes move to Madrid

Luka Modric has finally completed his move to Real Madrid from Tottenham which is in the region of £30m.

The Croatia midfielder, 26, signed a 5-year-deal with the Spanish giants.

Sunday 26 August 2012

City need defensive error to grab draw

A bad defensive error from Martin Skrtel gifted Manchester City a draw against Liverpool.

Skrtel actually opened the scoring, with a powerful header. Yaya Toure grabbed a equaliser, but Luis Suarez put Liverpool ahead again almost instantly. A bad back pass from the Slovakian Skrtel let Carlos Tevez in though, and the Argentinean made a final score of 2-2.

In the other game of the day, Arsenal were held to a 0-0 draw by Stoke.

Swansea keep up surprise streak in Prem

Swansea kept up their good form with a 3-0 win over West Ham, while Robin Van Persie scored a stunner in his full debut for United against Fulham.

The full results are:
Swansea 3-0 West Ham
Man. United 3-2 Fulham
Aston Villa 1-3 Everton
Norwich 1-1 QPR
Southampton 0-2 Wigan
Sunderland P-P Reading
Tottenham 1-1 West Brom
Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle

Saturday 25 August 2012

Moses completes move to Chelsea

Victor Moses, one of the stars of Wigan's campaign last season, has moved to Chelsea for around £9m.

The former Crystal Palace forward, who has played for England under 21's, is the second transfer to Chelsea in 24 hours, after the Blues signed ex-Marseille defender Cesar Azpiliceuta.

Johnson moves to Sunderland

Adam Johnson has moved to Sunderland from Manchester City on an undisclosed fee.

The former Middlesborough midfielder, who has 11 England caps, is the Black Cat's second big signing after Steven Fletcher from Wolves

Armstrong stripped of cycling titles

Lance Armstrong, who until a few days ago had 7 tour de France titles to his name, has had those wins taken away.

The American has been given a lifetime
ban for taking drugs.

Friday 24 August 2012

Korean Ki makes record Swansea move

South Korean international Ki Sung-Yueng, who has 47 caps for his country, has completed a record breaking move to Swansea City for around £6m.

It means the Swans have a new record transfer record.

Ki was a star performer at the London 2012 Olympics. Believe it or not, he is only 23 and has already got nearly 50 caps for his country!

Relegated Wolves lose stars

Matt Jarvis and Steven Fletcher have both left Wolverhampton Wanderers to premier league teams.

Jarvis completed a £10.75 million to West Ham, and Fletcher made a £14 mil move to Sunderland.

Although it is of course bad news for the club, the money they get from it will help them.

English teams do well in Europa League

Liverpool won and Newcastle drew away in the Europa League qualifying round last night.

Against Scottish side Hearts, The Reds needed a late own goal to win. In Greece, Newcastle had to come from behind to secure a draw away at Atromitos.

Motherwell suffered a bad defeat in the competition though, losing 2-0 at home to Spanish side Levante.

If the British teams win on aggregate, they will go into the group stage.

Thursday 23 August 2012

Chelsea scared but Blues pull through

Chelsea had to come from behind to beat a courageous Reading, eventually winning 4-2 in both teams second game in the BPL (Barclays Premier League).

After a busy first half-hour, which saw Reading come from behind to lead 2-1, they held their lead for 40 minutes before Gary Cahill levelled, and a seemingly offside Fernando Torres put Chelsea ahead, before Branislav Ivanovic finished it off on 90 mins.

It puts Chelsea on top of the table for the first time since November 2010.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Paralympic flames lighted

The four official London 2012 flames were ignited on the highest mountains in each of the countries in Great Britain earlier today.

Scout groups each lit the flames on the mountains Ben Nevis (Scotland), Mount Snowdon (Wales), Scafell Pike (England) and Slieve Donard (Northern Ireland).

The Paralympic games starts next Wednesday, 29th August.

Tuesday 21 August 2012

Kevin Pietersen left out of England cricket squads

Kevin Pietersen has been left out of both the World Twenty20 and the one-day series with South Africa.

The 32-year-old has been left out for his 'provocative' texts insulting his England teammates.

Earlier in the week it wasn't a good return to county cricket, either, as the Surrey batsman was out for a golden duck (out on his first ball) against Hampshire.

Adebayor moves to Spurs from City

Emmanuel Adebayor has completed his move from Manchester City to Tottenham Hotspurs for a deal worth £5 million.

Although it is a great bargain for Spurs, it isn't as good for City - Adebayor cost them £25 million from Arsenal - a £20 million loss.

Meanwhile at the Premier League champions, three teams, Liverpool, Sunderland and Spurs, have shown interest in Adam Johnson.

Going into the Blues could soon be Swansea winger Scott Sinclair. Alan Curtis, the Swan's first team coach, has said the former Chelsea man, who has spent time on loan with the likes of Wigan, may be out of the South Wales club before the summer transfer window closes.

Fellaini destroys Van Persie debut

Marouane Fellaini stunned Robin Van Persie and Manchester United as Everton won 1-0.

Robin Van Persie barely featured as a 67th minute substitute, while Fellaini won it for the Blues in the early second half.

Sunday 19 August 2012

Man. City start with a scare

Reigning champions Manchester City and last years FA Cup winners kicked off their campaigns against Southampton and Wigan.

In the 1:30pm game, Chelsea played Wigan, and that finished 2-0 to the Blues.

Then, in the 4 o' clock kick off, City were scared by the newly promoted Saints. They went down twice, before Samir Nasri saved them to have a 3-2 final score line.

Manchester United and Everton start their seasons tommorrow.

Saturday 18 August 2012

Premier League kicks off with big results

Fulham and Swansea both beat Norwich and QPR 5-0 on a busy opening day of the 2012/13 season.

The full results were:
Fulham 5-0 Norwich
Swansea 5-0 QPR
West Brom 3-0 Liverpool
Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham
West Ham 1-0 Aston Villa
Reading 1-1 Stoke
Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland

So Brendan Rodgers had a catastrophic first game in charge of Liverpool, though Steve Clarke had a great one for West Brom.

Newly promoted teams West Ham and Reading both did well, with the Hammers grabbing a win and Reading getting a draw.

Fulham and Swansea were in dreamland, and they share top spot.

Thursday 16 August 2012

Prem predictions

It's here again - time for predicting big things in the premier league. Who will win the league? Who will be relegated? Who's going to grab the golden boot? These are my preds:

Table:
1. Man. City
2. Man. United
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Tottenham
6. Arsenal
7. Newcastle
8. Fulham
9. Swansea
10. Stoke
11. Sunderland
12. Norwich
13. Reading
14. Everton
15. Aston Villa
16. West Brom
17. Southampton
18. West Ham
19. Wigan
20. QPR

Verdict: I think Manchester City will, once again, win the league, however it will be close with city rivals United, especially with the Reds' new striker Robin Van Persie.

At the other end of the table, I think West Ham, Wigan and QPR will be relegated. Wigan and QPR were lucky last season, and I don't think it'll happen again. West Ham looked shaky in the Championship despite their stars, and if they carry on like that they will drop back down.

Other predictions:

Top Scorer: Robin Van Persie

Player of Season: Carlos Tevez

Young Player of Season: Ryan Bertrand

New Signing of Season (from foreign leagues): Eden Hazard

What do YOU think will happen? Your views are highly appreciated.

Monday 13 August 2012

Photos from the Olympics

ZSN took some pics from the Olympic park and stadium, and here are some of the best!

Spectacular ceremony brings Olympics to a close

A fantastic London 2012 closing ceremony which featured some big British pop stars brought the Olympics to a official close.

The Olympic flame was put out, and the Olympic flag handed over to the mayor of Rio De Janeiro, the hosts for the 2016 games.

In the medal table, the USA came first, with over 100 medals! China finished second.

Team GB did amazingly, with 29 gold medals, 65 in total, and a 3rd place finish!

However, the sport-o-mania isn't over, with the football Premier League starting very soon, and of course we still have the Paralympics coming, which ZSN has a ticket for the stadium AND for the wheelchair rugby! Keep checking ZSN!

Sunday 12 August 2012

Premier League starts soon!

The premier league kicks off in just a few days and here are my main predictions!

End of season table:

1. Manchester City
2. Manchester United
3. Chelsea
4. Liverpool
5. Tottenham
6. Arsenal
7. Newcastle
8. Fulham
9. Stoke
10. Sunderland
11. Norwich
12. Swansea
13. Southampton
14. Reading
15. West Ham
16. Everton
17. Aston Villa
18. West Brom
19.QPR
20. Wigan

Verdict: I think, that again, the two Manchester teams will be the top two. However, we did see City stutter a little at the end of the season, and that may prove costly if it happens again. Brendan Rodgers has a tough job on his hands at Liverpool, though I think they can get 4th.

I think the promoted teams will all survive, and that West Brom, QPR and Wigan will go down.

Top Scorer: Sergio Aguero

Top Goalkeeper: Joe Hart

Player of season: Carlos Tevez

New signing of season: Eden Hazard

Youngster of season: Joe Allen

What do you think will happen? ZSN would love to hear your views.

Sunday 5 August 2012

Golden night for British athletics

Jessica Ennis won heptathlon gold, Mo Farah won the 10,000m race and Greg Rutherford triumphed in the long jump on a amazing night at the Olympic stadium.

Ennis won the 800m in just over 2 minutes, and a fantastic jump from Rutherford won him the final, before a amazing home stretch won Farah the title.

It wasn't all good news, though, as the men's football team crashed out on penalties to South Korea at the quarter-final stage.

Saturday 4 August 2012

The Olympics: A report of the evening session in the stadium

ZSN has been lucky enough to get Olympic tickets INSIDE the Olympic stadium!

18:20: The Olympic stadium is GIGANTIC! The organisers really have thought of everything. The Olympic flame is burning brightly - I can't wait to see it in the darkness! Every participating country's flag flutters in the wind.

1900: The action kicks off with some women's shot put. HUGE cheers as Jessica Ennis' name is called out.

1905: Running heats start. The atmosphere inside the stadium is ELECTRIC!

1910: Women's discus - qualifying distance needed: 63 metres. Jessica Ennis throws a good shot put, which puts here in 8th place.

1915: women's 100m qualifying. Round 1 heat 2. C. Jeter of America wins - super fast. The shot put is still going on, with some really good throws. Discus! Wow! The world champion, Samuels, throws amazingly.

1930: Katerina Johnson-Thompson of Great Britain, aged only 19, throws a 11.32 - superb!

1940: Another 100m qualifier. In every race it's so close to the world record. Same with this? You bet ya! Alison Felix of the USA triumphs.

1942: A BRILLIANT throw in the shot put from Lithuania. 17.31! Over 1000 points!! WORLD RECORD.

1946: Heat 6, 100m. Fraser-Price wins it in 11.04.

1951: Men's long jump qualifiers. They have been practising for a while now, and here's the real thing! A Brit is in it as well. Good jump.

1953: Final heat for women's 100m. Ahoure of Ivory Coast wins it, a Ivorian national record too!

2005: Men's 1500m heat 1 starts. 3 and 3/4 laps of the track. Russia leading so far. 1 and three quarters left. Less than a lap to go! Algeria wins! The British man, Ross Murray, grabs 4th, and goes through.

2017: Second heat, men's 1500m. Can Andy Bradley of GB go through? He does, in 5th. Kenya gets 1st.

2024: The evening first gold medal is up for grabs, in the men's shot put final.

2027: Final 1500m heat. Willis of New Zealand wins.

2034: Shot put final starts. Mexican waves are flying through the arena!

2043: Heptathlon 200m heat 1. Jess Ennis isn't in this one, but there are still some great athletes. Tyminska of Poland wins it in just 23.71.

2051: Heptathlon 200m heat 2. Brit Louise Hazel could do well! She WIMS THE HEAT! Well done Louise!

2056: The shot put final is still on, getting closer to a result.

2058: Heptathlon 200m heat 3. No British athletes in this heat. Spronger of Switzerland looks joyful as she crosses the line in first.

2104: Heptathlon 200m heat 4. Again, no British. Fountain of the USA wins in 23.64!

2112: Heptathlon 200m heat 5. Katarina Johnson-Thompson, only 19 years of age, represents GB. So does 2nd place Jessica Ennis! C'mon girls! Ennis finishes 2nd, and does brilliantly - Johnson-Thompson grabs 5th. Ennis leads the heptathlon leader board.

2128: Women's 10000 metres final. 25 laps of the track! 10 km! Jo Pavey of the UK is competing. It starts!

2138: Majiewski of Poland WINS GOLD in the men's shot put final, well done!

2202: Dibaba of Ethiopia WINS GOLD in the women's 10000m final!

2315: So an EPIC day comes to a close in Stratford. Well done to everyone who won their events, and well done to everyone who took part. It was a superb first day of athletics.

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Michael Phelps: the greatest olympian of all time!

Last night, Michael Phelps achieved a amazing feat - he now has more Olympic medals than anyone EVER!

Soviet artistic gymnast Larisa Latynina won 18 medals in the 1950's and 60's, but American swimmer Phelps won his 19th in the team relay. It was his 15th gold medal as well, thought Latynina only achieved 9 golds.

What a man!