paul drinkhall

A COUNTDOWN challenge aimed to encourage more people to take up sport in the run up to London's 2012 Olympics was due to be launched in Sheffield today. Stars from the English OpenTable Tennis Championships, currently taking place at the English Institute of Sport in Attercliffe, were set to mark the start of the countdown of the 1,000 days to the games. nal Venues has launched a new initiative to get the same number of people taking up physical activity at its facilities across the city. Top female p  

The Jamaican-born left-hander, who was voted one of the 100 great black Britons in 2004, used his methods to devastating effect in his last English Open win. 2-0 down and "getting hammered", his Czech opponent was thrown off course when he was suddenly called for a foul serve and Douglas went on to win 3-2. "I didn't realise the importance the first time. I saw it as the English Open and one you wanted to win in your own backyard. I had played rubbish in the lead up to my second final so to then win it t  

Included in the mix is the Olympic Champion Ma Lin, the World No 1 and current World Champion Wang Hao, and the triple World Champion and English Open holder Wang Liquin. Hao will also travel in the knowledge that Chinese table tennis officials finally joined the love-in last month after the 25 year-old was deemed old enough to have a girlfriend after a five-year hiatus. The men's singles world champion fell foul of the administration's rules on romantic liaisons when he started going out with fellow na