The sporting week ahead (21/07/13)

Today

Can it finally come to pass? Can the wonder of Worksop, Lee Westwood, break his duck in golf’s majors and bring home The Open? Well if Andy Murray can win Wimbledon, why not? And speaking of ducks, the Aussies will be batting to save their lives at Lord’s today. If they go 2-0 down in the Ashes, it’s an awful long way back for what is a poor top order. In Sweden it’s the quarter-finals of the women’s European Championship football: spot the glamour tie out of these two: Sweden v Iceland, Germany v Italy. And for some reason Real Madrid are in Bournemouth for a friendly. They must have been attracted by the sunshine and the beaches.

Tomorrow

If you have a ticket for the Lord’s Test today, hard luck. At least they are fully refundable. They never used to sell tickets for the final day of a Test in advance. Clearly the powers-that-be are keen to cash in on England’s success. They certainly wouldn’t have tried it during the dark days of Australian supremacy. Then again, the games never tended to last that long.

Tuesday

Celtic can expect a fair few Cliftonville fans to make their way across from Northern Ireland for the second leg of their Champions’ League qualifying round tie despite the fact they’re 3-0 down from the first game. Why let a little detail like that get in the way of a good party?

Wednesday

It’s the first of the semi-finals at the Women’s Euros, while in the bizarre world of football tours Manchester City are taking on South China. That’s a tough job for the home side’s manager, who has about 600 million people to choose from.

Thursday

The World Games begin in Cali, Colombia, featuring sports which are not included in the Olympics. It’s a wide-ranging selection from sumo wrestling to billiards. Life-saving has been on the list before, apparently, which might come in useful given the venue. Hardly less safe are the BMX World Championships in Auckland.

Friday

Is the memory of London 2012 fading? Well expect it to be revived with a big hurrah at the Anniversary Games in the Olympic Stadium. Meanwhile, the Aussies try to get their act together in the congenial surroundings of Hove. But beware, mighty Monty Panesar may have a wrecking ball in his hands.

Saturday

After yesterday’s glut of great sport, this might seem like a poor excuse for a Saturday afternoon but Wigan against the rather rubbish London Broncos in a Challenge Cup semi-final is about as good as it gets.