struggling with his game

Marcus Campbell claims Euro Players Tour Championship

The win comes on the back of last week’s semi-final loss in the Players Tour Championship 6 and these two competitions have allowed Campbell to achieve the best results in his career.

The 38-year-old has spent a number of years struggling with his game, but he has now reached the top 32 in the rankings for the first time in his career.

Marcus Campbell believes that his win at the Euro Players Tour Championship in Russelsheim, Germany was down to playing against some of Scotland’s best players.

Euro Championship talk between Hearts stars

At Riccarton ahead of Scotland's JESTING has alreading begun to visit to Lithuania on European Championship qualifying duty. The match between the two nations in Kaunas does not take place for another eight days but Hearts' Scottish and Lithuanian contingents have started verbal war at a moment.

"In Lithuania there is very much confidence, I don't know why really,"Arvydas Novikovas, who who has been named in his country's under-21 squad to face Denmark on 3 September and England four days later. I think we must win. Every time Marius Zaliukas and me are joking with the Scottish players, we say that Spain will win the group but Lithuania will be fighting Czech Republic for second place. The Scottish guys don't think so but we joke about it."

He recalled, "When I came here there were maybe six Lithuanians but not with the first team. Now its a nice for me because is the captain Marius. For me its nice and that gives me more confidence. He has been good at helping me settle into the team and I hope he will sign a new contract. I have said he must do this."
He said, "It is always very good to open my goals account and now I just required to keep going and more score goals. Well we all played. We did something the gaffer said and just passed the ball instead than just going long. We kept passing and did well. I have Andy Driver in my position - he is now injured but will begin training again soon. So I'll doing work must hard. But I am enjoying it and the manager has given me a great opportunity to play. The manager has said this could be my season and if I play a nice game then he will give me a one more chance. Well I do must score goals and play good every time so i stay in the team".

JESTING has already begun at Riccarton ahead of Scotland's visit to Lithuania on European Championship qualifying duty.

The match between the two nations in Kaunas does not take place for another eight days but Hearts' Scottish and Lithuanian contingents have started verbal warfare early.
Arvydas said, "In Lithuania there is very much confidence, I don't know really why".

Ukraine meeting for Euro Championship 2012

For the 2012 European Championship Ukraine's authorities are meeting preparation deadlines, although there is still work to be done in stadium construction, transport links, accommodation and other infrastructure.

That's the view of UEFA after general secretary Gianni Infantino wrapped up a two day trip on Thursday to check on Ukraine's four host cities for Euro 2012, which will be co-hosted with Poland.

"Has been done lots of work. Deadlines are being met," Infantino said. "I am fully optimistic over the success of Euro 2012 in Ukraine.

"On Ukraine the eyes of the world will focus. On July 1, 2012, Kyiv will not be the capital of Ukraine anymore, it will be the capital of Europe and even the capital of the world. You will be proud of your country."

However, Infantino noted that hotel accommodation and an anticipated language barrier are still problems to be tackled.

Infantino said, "It does not help you to have 70,000 hotel rooms if nobody knows where they are located and how to get there".

"It's unprobably that in the next 18 months the rest of the world will learn Ukrainian, so maybe Ukrainians will use a little effort to learn a few words of foreign languages."

Infantino said concerns over the slow construction of a venue in the western city of Lviv and the reconstruction of Kyiv Olympic stadium had been mostly alleviated, and described the stadium in Donetsk as unexpectedly being one of Europe's most beautiful.

In Kharkiv with the stadium he also looked satisfied, but pointed out that there is a lack of space to accommodate people.

"But I am sure what was promised will be done. We are positive, we are confident, we trust the football federation and we trust the government," said Infantino, praising Ukraine federation president Grygoriy Surkis and Deputy Prime Minister Borys Kolesnikov.

Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych invited UEFA president Michel Platini to visit the country in a letter published on his website.

Yanukovych wrote, "A opportunity to host the Euro 2012 final is a great honour for Ukraine, and properly organizing the tournament is an absolute key national priority".

WORLD CUP 2010: England will end up in a Messi if they can't control Germany star Mesut Ozil

England will have to stop Germany's Lionel Messi if they are to have any chance of facing the real deal in the quarter-finals of the World Cup.
Fabio Capello's side could square up to the Argentina superstar - but only if they overcome Germany on Sunday.
Mesut Ozil has won comparisons with Messi as his eye-catching displays lifted Germany to the top of Group D.
The 21-year-old's glorious left-footed strike which saw off Ghana booked a last-16 meeting with England in Bloemfontein, and the Three Lions will have to find a way to restrict his considerable talents if the euphoria of their vital win over Slovenia is not to be quickly forgotten.
'We in Germany are prone to rave about foreign players,' said Horst Hrubesch, a European Championship winner with West Germany in 1980.
'We praise Wayne Rooney to the heavens, likewise (Cristiano) Ronaldo or Messi.
'But we have our own Messi. Our Messi is Ozil.'
Comparisons to the Barcelona ace do not look out of place. Ozil, who was born in Gelsenkirchen to Turkish immigrant parents and turned down the chance to play for Turkey in favour of representing the country of his birth, only made his senior international debut 16 months, but Germany's World Cup hopes already appear to depend upon him.
Germany have been crying out for a player who specialises in the spectacular ever since the retirement of Mehmet Scholl before the 2002 World Cup.
And with Michael Ballack's reliability, experience and important goals, missing, Ozil's dribbling and passing ability and eye for the unexpected have given this Germany team something with which their predecessors were rarely associated - flair.
That is not to say he is a luxury player, with his impressive goal and assist return proof his game has an end product.
Ahead of the tournament he was winning comparisons with legendary Germany playmaker Thomas Hassler, a World Cup winner in 1990 and European Championship winner in 1996.
With the eyes of the world on him, the chatter has now reached a new level.
The 21-year-old, who can play in a central role or out wide, was the standout player in the Bundesliga last term, even if his club Werder Bremen did not emerge as challengers for the title.
His form ensured the northern Germany club did not miss Brazilian playmaker Diego, who left the Weserstadion for Juventus last summer.
England coach Stuart Pearce, and midfielder James Milner, will know better than most to be wary of Ozil's talents.
Ozil inspired Germany to a 4-0 win over England, managed by Pearce and captained by Milner, in the final of the European Under 21 Championship in Sweden last year.
Ozil's contract at Bremen expires next year and the club are keen for the player they signed from Bundesliga rivals Schalke in 2008 to stay.
His performances in South Africa are likely to have big-name clubs across Europe queuing up for his signature - Ozil has already revealed he would one day like to play for Barcelona - and it seems doubtful whether Bremen will be able to keep hold of him.
For now, though, Ozil is focused on the World Cup, and knocking out England.
'Our dream is to win the title. That is what we are here for,' the 21-year-old said. 'All I am interested in is the World Cup, because with this team we have goals. That is important.'

GB finish second at European Team Championships

Andy Turner was the only British winner on day two of the European Team Championships in Bergen as GB finished in second place overall behind Russia.

GB had five victories on Saturday and despite failing to hit those heights, they held off Germany in third.

Turner clinched victory in the 110m hurdles while Hannah England (1500m), Michael Rimmer (800m) and Phillips Idowu (triple jump) were all second.

Jo Pavey also came second in the 5000m, in her first track race for two years.

Pavey looked impressive considering her lengthy absence from the track and declared herself satisfied after finishing behind Germany's Sabrina Mockenhaupt in a thrilling race.

"It was frustrating at the end as I really wanted to get maximum points for the team," Pavey told BBC Sport.

"I'm a bit short still in terms of fitness and I was thrown in the deep end a little but I enjoyed it. My main focus is to qualify for the 10k [10,000m] at the European Championships in Barcelona."

Turner won the 110m hurdles in 13.48 seconds to clinch yet another individual victory for GB.

But he later revealed he was running with an injury that could yet rule him out of next weekend's European Championship trials.

"We had a team meeting this morning and I was under pressure to win, so I'm pleased," Turner told BBC Sport.

"Really I was just happy to have won the points considering I've got Achilles problems. When I run with the adrenaline flowing it's fine, but when I cross the finishing line it is killing me. I am only doing half my usual training sessions and I need to get it fixed.

"I really want to run at the trials and win five in a row. If I'm not in pain, I will run."

England meanwhile ran a very measured 1500m race to finish behind Ukraine's Anna Mishchenko in a time of four minutes 05.70 secs.

"I was a bit far back early on and tried not to panic," England said. "But I soon found a gap and got back into the top three and I tried to stay in contact but used my kick too early perhaps."

Rimmer ran a decent time of 1:45.62 secs to finish behind Russia's former Olympic champion Yuriy Borzakovskiy.

"He was very strong as I expected but I'm pleased with that," Rimmer told BBC Sport. "I've learned a lot over the years and knew I had to stay close to him."

World champion Idowu jumped 17.12m to finish second in the triple jump but the winner was not the pre-event favourite Teddy Tamgho.

The Frenchman could only manage 17.10m to finish third, having jumped 17.98 in the Diamond League a week earlier, with Ukrainian Viktor Kuznyetsov wining the event with his jump of 17.26.

"It was not my greatest competition but I got the points I was expected to," said Idowu.

"I know where my mistakes are and it's done now. I've got to keep my head down, improve technically, and focus on my jumping.

"I will have another three or four competitions ahead of the European Championships in Barcelona. I'm fit and healthy and I know I'll improve."

There was disappointment for Leon Baptiste in the 200m.

Baptiste, who is ranked number one in Europe this season, ran a decent first 100m but faded in the home straight, finishing in fifth place with France's Maritla Mbandjock winning in a time of 20.55 secs.

"I'm disappointed with today," admitted Baptiste. "I thought I could have done better, I've been training hard, I expected to win, but I've got to pick myself up ahead of the trials.

"I tightened up as I came off the bend and perhaps I need to learn how to run under pressure. I should have relaxed the shoulders but it's all good experience."

Elsewhere Steve Lewis failed to register a height as GB missed out on any points in the pole vault while Emily Freeman ran a season's best time of 23.34 secs in the 200m as she finished fifth.

Angie Broadbelt-Blake was eighth overall in the 100m hurdles in a time of 13.33 secs. Luke Gunn ran a solid race in the 3000m steeplechase, finishing fifth to earn more valuable points for GB.

Jade Johnson was sixth in the long jump with a leap of 6.26m while Britain's women's 4x400m relay team earned a fourth-place finish before the men's relay team came second in the final race of the weekend.

Britain's head coach Charles van Commenee was happy to have pipped Germany for second, highlighting how the likes of Dwain Chambers, David Greene, Martyn Rooney and Mo Farah had all beaten their closest rivals for gold in Barcelona next month.

"The individual performances were very encouraging," he said. "I'm optimistic ahead of the European Championships next month, the athletes took responsibility and handled the pressure."

Van Commenee is waiting to hear whether Olympic champion Christine Ohuruogu will be fit enough for the trials after suffering a quadricep muscle injury last week.

"Some injuries you can't tell straightaway. I expect to have some more clarity over the next few days," he added.

Ohuruogu is scheduled to take on reigning world champion Sanya Richards-Ross either side of the European Championships.

They will race for the first time this year at the Aviva British Grand Prix in Gateshead on 10 July, and again at the Aviva London Grand Prix at Crystal Palace on 13 and 14 August.

World Cup 2010: Switzerland have Spain playing the blame game

The result was not the only aspect of Spain's opening game that surprised me. I was also struck by the reaction of their players to defeat against Switzerland. It was not the response I'd expect from reigning European champions and one of the few teams at the World Cup who can be confident of recovering from an early shock and progressing.

To say the Spanish players were not happy as they walked off sounds like a statement of the obvious, but it wasn't the misery of the result that stood out. They were far from pleased with each other. There was a lot of finger-pointing going on and one player ended up in an argument with a member of the backroom team. There was no show of unity or harmony from Vicente del Bosque's players at all.

Spain must have a good team spirit – it is only two years since they won the European Championship, after all – and I know how upset players can be in defeat, especially in a game of that importance and with all the hype there has been around them in the build-up to the World Cup. But it looked as though quite a few Spanish players were keen to apportion blame elsewhere as they headed to the dressing room. I might be wrong, but their body language was poor.

I suspect the ire was directed at the back four and goalkeeper. If you dominate a game and it finishes 0-0 then players will usually have a good moan at the strikers. But if you have 70% possession and lose 1-0 then the strikers and midfielders are entitled to have a pop at the defenders. As a manager you don't want to see that, but that appeared to be the case.

Spain played some terrific football on Wednesday but concentration in defence is absolutely paramount when you play that way. They forced the issue against Switzerland. Not massively, there were no midfield runners for example, and had David Villa or Gerard Piqué scored in the first half the game would have been over and done with. But they had so much of the play they forgot to defend. It must have been galling for Del Bosque to watch his team have so much intricate possession and concede from one long ball down the middle that his two central defenders and goalkeeper should have dealt with.

Carles Puyol is a fabulous defender and Iker Casillas won his 105th cap against the Swiss, but they switched off and now their team are under tremendous pressure. You shouldn't have almost three quarters of the possession and lose, and you certainly don't concede to a long ball down the middle. Perhaps, because of their recent record, Spain lost sight of the fact that you can't score every time and that if you can't score, don't bloody concede. If you have to take a 0-0, take it.

Switzerland are in the box seat now and we should give Ottmar Hitzfeld and his players the credit they deserve. They made Spain go out wide. They never allowed them through the middle. They had a narrow midfield four and a back four that sat on the edge of the 18-yard box for the most part, and they were marshalled brilliantly. When Spain got out wide they were made to cross it and rarely got in behind the Switzerland defence. On the few occasions they slipped, their goalkeeper saved them. Philippe Senderos and his replacement, Steve von Bergen, and Stéphane Grichting, all had excellent games. They won almost everything in the air, didn't dive in and didn't allow Spain to play it to feet on the edge of their penalty area. Spain seemed to give up putting the ball into the box towards the end. It looked as though they knew they couldn't win it in that area.

I love the fact that Switzerland can come to a World Cup and beat Spain. Their style of play might not be to everyone's liking and I'm sure their tactics, and how Spain conceded, will encourage other teams to do the same against the European champions now. You have to go with what suits and Hitzfeld's team showed the favourites can be beaten. The tournament needed that.

Overall, I've been disappointed so far, but it's too early to deliver a verdict. Coaches have been afraid of pushing for the win and getting beaten. Everyone is desperate to get a foothold in the tournament in their first game, which I totally understand, but teams will have to change in their second games. The importance of winning now becomes greater than the fear of losing. There are several big teams that have to win their second games. Spain, England and Italy will all be going out to do so and the emphasis will change.

Warwick Smith's Scotland suffer second defeat in World Men's Curling Championship

Scotland have suffered their second defeat here at the World Men's Championship, going down 7-5 to Pete Fenson's USA in draw 13.

The score was tied at 2-2 after five ends. But this could have been so different if skip Warwick Smith had not kept Scotland in the game with a triple take-out with his first and then a freeze draw with his second stone forcing Fenson to play the draw with his final stone for a single.

Smith drew for two in the sixth end and the USA blanked the seventh before drawing for two in the eighth to tie the scores again at 4-4.

In the ninth Smith tried a difficult tap back which would have counted three shots but the Scots came out with only a single and a one-shot lead into the final end.

The Scots lay shot behind guards when Fenson played his first shot; nominating a freeze on the Scottish stone just behind the tee and protected by guards. The shot was perfectly played. There were a number of options open to Smith and after discussions with coach Derek Brown during one of their two permitted time-outs Smith played a guard.

There was just enough space on the swinging ice for USA to play a controlled shot through the port and rock off another of their shots in the house and remove the Scottish stone to lie the two required for the win.

The stone was laid perfectly and with good control of the sweeping by third Shawn Rojeski the stone crept through the port and the USA lay three shots to be tied with Scotland on six wins.

Canada lead the standings on eight wins followed by Norway on seven and then Scotland and the USA on six but with Scotland having a game in hand.

Meanwhile, at the World Curling Federation annual general assembly held on Wednesday, Scotland's Kate Caithness became the first women to be elected to the post of president.

She will serve for the next two years after defeating Canada's Les Harrison who was seeking re-election. Switzerland's Patrick Huerlimann was appointed vice-president.

Caithness has been involved in curling since the 1980s and is a past president of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club's Ladies' Branch and has been the acting vice-president of the WCF since 2006.

She has been the driving force since 2000 of world wheelchair curling culminating in its appearance as a Paralympic sport following the Winter Olympic Games at Torino, Italy in 2006.

The European Curling Federation has also announced that the European Mixed Championships along with the playing of the 'C' Division of the European Championships will be hosted by the Greenacres Ice Rink in Renfrewshire, on dates to be confirmed and that the 2011 European Championship will be hosted by Moscow.