INTERNATIONAL FINALS…
A big week for football finals. England’s early exit from the European Under-21s Championship means they will not be involved in the final on Tuesday (7pm, BT Sport 1). However, dependent on the outcome of their match against the hosts, Canada, in the wee hours of this morning - too late for a Sunday newspaper deadline –the Women’s World Cup may yet feature an England side. The final on Friday (11.30pm, BBC2) should provide further evidence of why the women’s game is fast emerging from the shadow of its male counterpart. Elsewhere South America’s finest will be on show on Saturday in the Copa América final (8.00pm, Premier Sports and Xbox Live). Even though football is in its off-season there’s plenty to get stuck in to.
BILIC MAKES HIS BOW…
Wait, there’s more football. Among the 102 teams named in the first round of Europa League qualifying were West Ham, who made it to the foothills of the competition by virtue of their fair play. Having had little more than a month since the Premier League ended with a defeat at Newcastle and then rolling out the welcome mat to former defender Slaven Bilic as their manager, West Ham now find themselves facing the mighty Andorran outfit FC Lusitans on Thursday. This is where the prefix “minnows” invariably appears but the team from the tiny Iberian principality – population: 85,500; motto: “United virtue is stronger” – are perhaps feebler than minnows (mini-minnows?), having lost their last European tie 7-3 on aggregate to Streymur of the Faroe Islands – pop: 50,000 – nearly two years ago. Bilic will hope for sterner tests before the Premier League starts in August, but the first game of Upton Park’s final season is a good match to ease him in.
ROAD RACE CLIMAX…
Cycling is in full cry as anticipation mounts for the Tour de France and today sees the culmination of the British Road-Race National Championships (11.30am, Eurosport 1). Laura Trott and Peter Kennaugh both return to defend their titles, hoping to be first through the finish line in Lincoln’s Castle Square.
SPEED MERCHANTS…
The British Athletics Championships get underway on Friday as the country’s athletes chase qualification for August’s world championships. The controversy surrounding the eligibility of the Anguillan-born sprinter Zharnel Hughes will add a tense backdrop to the blockbuster 100m and 200m events, with rival Richard Kilty tweeting his displeasure at Hughes’s place in Team GB. However the 19-year-old has openly targeted a place in Beijing so will need to show he is worth the hype to seal his spot. Expect fireworks.
SPEED MERCHANTS II…
After his starting grid error in Austria, Lewis Hamilton will be hoping he can make amends with a strong performance on home soil at Silverstone (BBC1 from Saturday). Hamilton still leads his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by 10 points but with the pair’s rivalry simmering, the British Grand Prix will be compelling viewing. Let’s hope Hamilton forgets the Queen’s recent advice and turns right first.
