Roy of the autobiographers
It has become a weary cliché to say that a book’s publication is eagerly awaited, but when an event is…
Just what Diego Costa needed: a guide to the traditions of the Premier League
That excitable but likeable hombre, Everton manager Roberto Martinez, took it upon himself to give a stern lecture to the…
What does Duncan Fletcher actually do?
Some years ago, when the last Conservative government was limping towards defeat, someone published a book called 101 Uses for…
Why squash deserves a place in the Olympics
Thank god for the Commonwealth Games: at least they gave us a brief respite from football transfer stories. Instead of…
The crazy rush to run down Alastair Cook
A jaw-dropping moment on the front page of Her Majesty’s Daily Telegraph the other day: ‘How to fix England’, read…
Now England are out of the World Cup, we might just have to cheer for Iran
Iran, eh: who knew? Last time I checked it was the great Satan, locking up its own people, stamping out…
The real England team is playing for Stuart Lancaster
A revealing handwritten letter emerged at the weekend from the England scrum half Danny Care, who wasn’t playing in the…
From Lewis Hamilton to Kevin Pietersen – who’s the worst team player?
Ah teamwork! There’s no me in team, as David Brent used to observe sagely, but there are often plenty of…
Sport's greatest winning streaks
Sport is all about streaks, winning and losing, though whether one of the gloomiest runs in world sport — England’s…
What’s right with Saracens — and José Mourinho’s Chelsea
It’s hard to love Saracens rugby club — their centre is called Bosch, a word that also describes their bulldozing…
A sporting chance from the brotherhood of cricket
The brotherhood of cricket, as we know, transcends race, creed, class and nationality. It can also be a big help…
In defence of the Boat Race
It’s Boat Race time again and as soon as the BBC starts its broadcast on Sunday there will be those…
Whisper it, but could England win the next Rugby World Cup?
There are many eternal questions. Why do all aircraft, no matter how much your ticket cost, where you’ve come from,…
Victor Dubuisson and the true spirit of sport
Just do it. The people who make trainers have been telling us to ‘Just do it’ for 25 years now.…
In defence of the BBC’s Sochi commentators
You can trust the BBC to behave like a leaf blown by any breeze, but even that spineless leviathan (if…
It’s not just Kevin Pietersen. England needs a whole team of new heroes
Englishmen used to be deported to Australia as a punishment. Now they get sent back to England as an act…
Five reasons to be cheerful about British sport (yes, even the cricket)
James Cook’s third voyage as an English captain ended in disaster, stabbed to death and disembowelled by a pack of…
Roger Alton: The day Viv Richards came to watch me play cricket
Sir Vivian Richards came to watch me play cricket the other day. That’s the sort of sentence you wait a…
Roger Alton: 2013 was even better for sport than 2012
British sport used to be dead. You only have to look down the list of past winners of the Sports…
As England's cricketers wobble, the rugby team are finally getting it together
My friend Miles was bowling in a festival of wandering cricket clubs in Oxford the other day. First wicket down…
If Carberry doesn't open for England, the world should split asunder
In sport, as in life, you just don’t know where you stand any more. Look at the Premier League: no…
Sport: Serena is shining like never before
The comic book Asterix in Switzerland is full of joys, not least the many jokes about Swiss obsessions with tidiness…
Adnan Januzaj should not pull on the Three Lions
The more you see of Jack Wilshere, the more admirable he becomes. He seems to have taken wholeheartedly to fatherhood,…
Steer it, Ainsley — the America's Cup winner must drive a reasonably-priced car on Top Gear
This weekend is the final round of the southern hemisphere’s Rugby Championship, the best tournament outside the World Cup and…
Golf’s $10 million nobodies
Golf has reached the eye-watering end of the season in the United States. By Sunday night, one man in a…
