A May To Remember

CRICKET

The West Indies are in town to kick off what promises to be one of the biggest summers in English cricket’s history. The tourists have endured a disjointed build-up to the Test series, with several key players missing warm-up matches owing to their IPL commitments, but their resolute performances against England during the winter mean they will enter the two-Test series, which gets underway at Lord’s on May 6, in good heart. Meanwhile, Andrew Strauss’ team will be anxious to make amends for relinquishing the Wisden Trophy during the winter and build some momentum ahead of the Ashes and, more immediately, the ICC World Twenty20.

The latter competition gets underway on June 5 and will take place at Trent Bridge, Lord’s and The Oval. It promises to be a mouth-watering tournament, with all the biggest names in cricket coming together for an extravaganza of big-hitting, canny bowling and electric fielding as cricket’s most frenetic format takes centre stage.

Speaking of The Oval, May will also see the Surrey Brown Caps in the thick of the action as they take on local rivals Middlesex in the County Championship, continue their quest for 50-over honours in the Friends Provident Trophy and begin their Twenty20 Cup campaign. All told, May should be a bumper month for cricket in the UK.

ROWING

All eyes in the world of rowing are now turning towards the Henley Royal Regatta, one of the most prestigious meetings in the sport’s history, which will be held from 1 July to 5 July. The Regatta first took place in 1839, with H.R.H. Prince Albert becoming its first Royal Patron in 1951. Upon the death of The Prince Consort, the reigning Monarch has always consented to become the Patron of the Regatta, which has since gone on to become a key fixture in the international rowing calendar, attracting an array of international quality crews, across a variety of disciplines. The draw is organised along a strict knock-out basis, with only two boats racing in each heat and some 19 events taking place across the five days. Based in a picturesque village in Oxfordshire, the Regatta is a highlight of many people’s social calendar and a perfect example of the traditions and competitive spirit that reside at the heart of one of the world’s most physically demanding sports.

TENNIS

The warmer weather means that the lawn tennis season is getting underway, and the British game continues to move from strength-to-strength, with Andy Murray now guaranteed to become the first Brit to reach number three in the world rankings on 11 May. The 21-year-old Scot has suffered just five defeats so far and collected titles in Doha, Rotterdam and at the Miami Masters 1000, and will overtake Novak Djokovic after his Serbian rival failed to defend his title at the Rome Masters. Murray will next appear at the Madrid Masters from 10 May as he steps up his preparations for the French Open which gets underway on 24 May.

British fans can look forward to seeing Murray live and in action at the ATP AEGON Championships on 8 June, as the event enters its 30th year at the prestigious Queens Club. Last year the tournament, which was previously sponsored by Stella Artois, saw some truly exhilarating tennis as eventual Wimbledon winner, Rafael Nadal, overcame Djokovic in a fantastic final, and if the tournament reaches the same heights this year then the British spectator is in for a rare treat. And after all that, there is the small matter of Wimbledon on the horizon…

FORMULA ONE

The F1 season is well and truly underway and it is already apparent that this season will live long in the memory. Current leader, Jenson Button, has enjoyed a storming start to the season in his Brawn-Mercedes, securing impressive wins in Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain, but snapping at his heels are the Red Bull-Renault duo, Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, who took first and second respectively in China and increasingly look fully capable of matching Button for pace. It remains to be seen whether the 29-year-old Englishman and his young team can hold them off but if Button’s superlative performance in testing conditions out in Bahrain is anything to go by, Brawn will take some stopping. Meanwhile, several of the established sides are struggling, with Ferrari notably off colour, but defending champion Lewis Hamilton seems to have put his recent tribulations at the hands of the F1 stewards behind him and is now beginning to coax some ominous speed from his McLaren-Mercedes.

FOOTBALL

Chelsea’s season is winding down, although you wouldn’t have guessed it from the intensity and drama that has surrounded Guus Hiddink’s side in recent weeks, not least in the Champions League. Having held Barcelona to a hard-fought draw during the first leg of their semi-final at the Nou Camp on 28 April, in the process becoming the first team to stop the Catalan side from scoring at home this season, Chelsea will be full of confidence ahead of the return encounter at Stamford Bridge on 6 May.

Chelsea’s players will be further emboldened by their impressive domestic form, which has seen them consolidate their position behind Manchester United and Liverpool and has guaranteed them another bite at Europe’s foremost club competition next season. Question marks remain as to what could have been achieved in the Premiership had Hiddink been in charge from the off, but the impending FA Cup final encounter with David Moyes’ resilient Everton side, taking place at Wembley on 30 May, will offer the Stamford Bridge faithful ample consolation for whatever frustrations they may be feeling.