Scot wins Wimbledon, Swede wins in Scotland

The weather may not be very appetising this summer, but what a delicious Sunday of sport we’ve just had! A gluttony of sport which must surely arouse some enthusiasm in even the most lazy of couch potatoes to step outdoors and get an active life.  On a day that “underdog” Portugal won the UEFA Euro 2016 finals against the host nation France, 1-0 in extra time without their star footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo, a whole spectrum of other great sporting news was breaking around the world.  Some of biblical proportions.  Some totally unexpected.  Others just weird.

 

Paris plagued by moths

 

First let’s go back to the football in Paris.  Just before the match kicked-off on Sunday evening 10th July, the stadium was plagued by a swarm of thousands of moths.  They were everywhere.  No-one had ever seen anything like it before during such an important game.  Portugal had never won the European Championships (or the World Cup for that matter).  Star player Ronaldo was desperate to lead his country to that great honour but then sustained a serious knee injury early in the first half.  After several attempts to play on, he had to withdraw in tears.  Advantage France.  Yet at full-time the score remained: 0-0.  Substitute Éder then scored the winning goal in extra time for an historic victory for Portugal to help turn Ronaldo’s sobs into tears of joy.  France’s hopes of a fourth title, their first since 1998, were dashed and their sorrows had to be seriously drowned that evening.

 

Dutch celebrate other sporting heroes

 

Holland knows how that feels.  It had spent the whole of Euro 2016 drowning its sorrows after not qualifying for this year’s championships.  Yet, thankfully, the Dutch were able to celebrate the outstanding performances of some of their other sporting heroes on Sunday.

 

Yes, elsewhere in France, cyclists in the Tour de France were battling it out in torrential rain and hail storms.  And it was a 25-year old Dutchman, Tom Dumoulin, who pulled through against the elements in glorious solo fashion to win the ninth stage in the Pyrenees and so claim the first Tour de France stage of his career.  Interestingly, whilst Dumoulin was getting soaking wet in France, his home town in Limburg, in the south of Holland, was soaking-up the sun and temperatures of 29.8 degrees.

 

Teenager Max takes the world by storm

 

Stepping things up a gear or two, we head off to Silverstone.   It’s here that another world-class sportsman from Limburg was in dazzling form at the weekend: 18-year old Max Verstappen.  The teenager, who has been taking the racing world by storm again this season, drove another phenomenal race in the British Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon for another podium finish.  Holland’s new racing hero originally came third behind Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and runner-up Nico Rosberg, but was promoted to second spot after Rosberg received a time penalty.

 

Golden girls in Amsterdam

 

Earlier in the day, Holland’s top athletes had earned their fourth gold medal of the 2016 European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam with a new Dutch record of 42.02 on the final day.  The “Golden Girls” in the women’s 100-metre relay team were Jamile Samuel, Dafne Schippers, Tessa van Schagen and Naomi Sedney.  For world-class runner Dafne Schippers, it was the “Queen of Sprint’s” second gold medal of the championships having already successfully defended her 100-metre title with a time of 10.91.  The 24-year old is tipped for a gold medal in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro later this year.

 

Sadly on this day of weird ‘sporty happenings’, 29-year old award-winning Spanish matador Victor Barrio tragically died after being gored to death by a bull in the ring in Teruel in Eastern Spain.  It’s the first time in thirty years that the bull ‘won’ the fight in Spain.  As Spanish tradition dictates after such an incident, the mother of ‘Lorenzo’ the bull, will be sent to the slaughterhouse to ensure that the lineage of the bull ends.

 

Packing a punch at Wimbledon

 

On to a more savoury subject, or rather sweet one – the Great British tradition of strawberries and cream and ‘Pimms’.  Yes, we’re talking tennis.  Wimbledon actually, the oldest tennis tournament in the world.   And it wasn’t only the subtle and fruity Pimms drink that was packing a punch in SW19.  On Sunday, the men’s finals between Andy Murray and the big-serving Canadian Milos Raonic thrilled the crowds on centre court.  Despite Raonic notching-up the fastest serve of the tournament at 147 mph, it ended in a stunning victory for the 29-year old Scot in three straight sets in just two hours and 47 minutes: 6-4 7-6 7-6.

 

“Lendl teaches victory, not tennis”

 

Murray’s second Wimbledon Grand Slam title was an emotional one.  The Scot was reduced to tears along with his new coach, the steely-faced Ivan Lendl, so it appeared.  As the Daily Mail newspaper so beautifully described Ivan Lendl’s last-hour addition to Murray’s team: “Ivan Lendl teaches victory, not tennis.”  They’re sure right about that!

 

 

Swede crowned king at Castle Stuart

 

Our “Delicious Sunday of Sport” finishes in Scotland where the final round of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was played at the Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness.  Alas for co-sponsor ‘Visit Scotland’, the weather didn’t play ball on Saturday resulting in a poor show of spectators and leaving some of the best players in the world struggling in a battle against the elements.  Traditionally, the Scottish Open is a meeting ground for the big names in golf keen to get in some extra ‘links’ practise before the Open Championship begins the following week.

 

The honours on Sunday went to Alex Noren from Sweden.  The 33-year old clinched his fifth European Tour title in great style at Castle Stuart.  Just as before in all of his previous victories, he was the overnight leader going into the final round.  He carded a two-under par 70 to eventually finish on 14-under par and seize the Scottish Open title one-stroke clear of England’s Tyrrell Hatton who birdied the last hole.  One shot further back there was a three-way tie for third spot: Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium), Danny Lee (New Zealand) and Matteo Manassero (Italy).

 

A win in the Scottish Open is renowned for giving players a huge confidence boost for The Open.  So watch out for Alex Noren down the road at Royal Troon GC in Ayrshire later this week during the 145th Open Championship (14-17 July)!   With a little bit of luck, we’ll be in for another sumptuous Sunday of Sport.

 

By the way, the new Scottish Open Champion is celebrating his 34th birthday today.  

Happy Birthday, Alex! 

 

Wendy Hoad

 

 

PICTURED: Scotland’s Andy Murray triumphs for second time at Wimbledon (main); Alex Noren (Sweden) lifts the Scottish Open title at Castle Stuart.