| Clubs concerned by falling crowds • Attendances down 12% on same stage last year• Gloucester's Ken Nottage blames recession in partAviva Premiership sides are concerned over a steep drop in attendances in the first three rounds of the competition, compared with last year. Spectator numbers at club grounds have fallen by 12%.Gloucester attracted their lowest regular-season league crowd for five years when they played Leeds at Kingsholm this month; Leicester were more than 6,000 short of a sell-out against Exeter; and Bath filled only 200 of 1,500 extra seats they put into the Recreation Ground over the summer when they faced London Irish."Clubs are worried," said Gloucester's managing director, Ken Nottage. "We had hoped for a larger turnout against Leeds and we will be disappointed if we do not attract a crowd of at least 12,000 when we take on Wasps this Saturday."There are a number of factors to consider, not least that September is often a difficult month because the season has just started and it takes time for people to get back to thinking about rugby. The recession is also playing a part: we always ask season-ticket holders who fail to renew why they took their decision and it is clear that the economy, which in our area has a big public sector influence, is having an influence on spending."The average attendance for the first three weekends this season, excluding the Twickenham double-header, is 9,100. At the same stage last season, taking out the Twickenham opener and a Saracens match at Wembley, it was 10,300. Last weekend's total attendance was 47,828, compared with 65,303."Marketing is becoming increasingly important," said Nottage, "while results on the field also help, as Northampton are showing. We have not made the best start to the season, but if results improve I am sure our attendances will as well."Nottage said there was no pressure being put on Gloucester's director of rugby, Bryan Redpath, after two defeats in the first three Premiership rounds. The win over Leeds was secured with a late penalty."We have every confidence in Bryan and his coaching team," said Nottage. "Every coach appreciates the importance of winning and there are encouraging signs that things will improve in the next couple of months. There is certainly no reason to panic and we won't."PremiershipGloucesterRugby unionPaul Reesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
In pennant race, it's a fight to the finish line for some teams The Twins, Rangers and Phillies are in the playoffs, and several others are not far behind. Where the races stand with a week to go: rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Commonwealth Games: David Millar beats Mark Cavendish to medal • Bronze for Scotland but Manxman misses out• Silver for Lizzie Armitstead in women's raceDavid Millar claimed Commonwealth Games bronze for Scotland as Mark Cavendish was beaten in the cycling road race in Delhi.The Isle of Man's Cavendish – winner of 15 Tour de France stages in three years – was the firm favourite for the 168-kilometre men's road race but lost the leaders on the final lap and finished in seventh place.The race was won by Australia's Allan Davis, who triumphed ahead of Hayden Roulston of New Zealand with Millar of Scotland third.Earlier England's Lizzie Armitstead won the silver medal in the 112km women's race as Australia's Rochelle Gilmore won gold and her compatriot Chloe Hosking took bronze.Commonwealth Games 2010CyclingMark Cavendishguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Murray to face Federer in Shanghai final • World No4 beats Juan Mónaco 6-4, 6-1 in semi-finals• Scot 'really enjoys' playing Federer, who saw off DjokovicHe walked in reading his mobile phone, and walked out reading his mobile phone. It is fair to say Andy Murray is feeling pretty relaxed about playing Roger Federer in the final of the Shanghai Masterstomorrow.Novak Djokovic, who lost the other semi-final and his No2 ranking to Federer, might have appeared the marginally softer option, but not to Murray.Not long after the Scot had thrashed his old friend Juan Mónaco 6-4, 6-1 in front of a buzzing audience in the splendid 15,000-seater showpiece stadium of the Qizhong Centre today, Murray explained why he is relishing another showdown with Federer.He'd played him in two Grand Slam finals, he said, and, although he lost both times, he had finally come to realise he needed to be more aggressive against Federer and Rafael Nadal. He subsequently beat both of them in the same tournament with that attitude and strategy in the Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto this summer.After two years in the top five, most of that time at No4 with two brief spells at No2, Murray feels comfortable among the game's elite and is by some way Britain's most consistently successful player in the modern era. The way he is playing, after a slump and a virus, he expects his best tennis to come when he plays the best players."I really enjoy playing Roger," Murray said, not a sentiment that would spring to mind among many of his contemporaries. "It's a great experience every time you get to play against him."Still, he didn't half mind playing Mónaco, whom he has known since they were teenage prodigies together in Spain. They went into the semi-final – Mónaco's first at this level, Murray's fifth of the year – 1-1 in career matches, but parity was parked at the door this time.From the moment he took the first game to love until he aced Mónaco with the final shot of the match 85 minutes later, Murray controlled nearly every passage of an entertaining if ultimately one-sided contest.Mónaco, who had seen off Nadal's conqueror, Jürgen Melzer, in a fascinating quarter-final, had little left. The match turned on one remarkable rally in the first set. Mónaco was serving at 4-5 and had Murray pinned way behind the baseline, but the Scot, with a busted string, retrieved three smashes and could hardly believe it when the Argentinian belted the last one long.That single exchange devastated Mónaco. "What happened?" he said, in answer to the obvious. "On the other side of the net was Andy Murray. I lost focus and he made an unbelievable point – with a broken string. I had five [actually three] smashes and I couldn't finish the point. He broke, and won the set."At the beginning of the second set, my legs started feeling very tired, so I had very few chances after that and didn't take any of them. Andy played very well today."Certainly Murray should push Federer more vigorously than did Djokovic today. Federer won 7-5, 6-4, despite dropping serve in the second set. He is on the rise again.Andy MurrayTennisKevin Mitchellguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Halftime: Don't knock Giants for not being gigantic As they await the start of the World Series in their town on Wednesday the Giants are being described as something just short of a vaudeville ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |