The Observer: Observer Sport

Michael Vaughan's idiosyncrasies have given him the edge in the leadership battle, writes Vic Marks

Proposals to base English Twenty20 on the IPL have raised suspicion amongst the smaller counties

The expedient revisionism over the Hair controversy has angered cricket's stat keepers, says Will Buckley

Of all the southern Africans to have played for England, only Basil D'Oliveira rivals Kevin Pietersen for greatness

Mark Ramprakash once again failed to score his 100th century after falling for 42 against Nottinghamshire

Keith Bradshaw's new Twenty20 proposals have infuriated the nine counties sidelined

Dwain Chambers won the 100m at the Aviva Olympic Trials but it is the Courts who will decide if he runs in Beijing

Long-jumper Greg Rutherford qualified for the Olympic squad despite his grandfather's terminal illness

Chris Tomlinson, Britain's down-to-earth long jump hope, says he can shine in Beijing if he does not think too much

Mark Cavendish's second stage win has emphatically proved that he is the fastest finisher on the Tour

Greg LeMond, Mark Cavendish and battered-up 2CVs - William Fotheringay's week on the Tour

Manuel Beltran's positive test for EPO remained the main topic of conversation at the eighth stage of the Tour de France

A distracted Ernie Els fell five shots adrift of joint leaders Graeme McDowell and Simon Khan in the Scottish Open

Sergio García still finds it hard to talk about the unbearable delay on the 72nd hole at Carnoustie that probably cost him his first major

While it is true that no European ever has won an Open title at Royal Birkdale, at least it is a European who is defending this time

A late individual try from Ricky Januarie gave South Africa their first victory in New Zealand for 10 years

The Catalalans Dragons survived a second half fightback to narrowly beat the Harlequins and record a seventh straight victory

Wakefield produced an error strewn performance that enabled Hull to grab a precious win

Casey Stoner sliced the course record at Sachsenring as he claimed his fourth straight pole position

If the women's Wimbledon final has been played over five sets then it might have been a classic, writes Jon Henderson

A professor of concrete structures and keen tennis player discusses why traditional grass-court play is declining

Mark Hughes will hope that Manchester City's Uefa Cup matches will boost their fitness for the start of the Premier League

Luis Felipe Scolari is settling confidently into his role at Chelsea, despite some initial jitters

Goals by Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick gave Manchester United victory over Aberdeen

Frank Lampard's future at Chelsea remains uncertain after sources in Italy claim Internazionale are preparing an offer of £15m plus the Brazil striker Adriano

Eddie Fremantle talked to Frederik Tylicki, Ahmed Ajtebi and David Probert, three young riders worth following

Moonstone finished second in the Oaks, suggesting she is best equipped for the Irish Oaks at The Curragh

Mike de Kock has not won any British races in five years but he is launching an assault at this year's Newmarket

Andy Murray has pulled out of the Indianapolis Tennis Championship, plus the rest of the sport in brief

Someone should set up as a consultant to help people adopt football clubs, suggests Will Buckley

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton has not been basking in the glory of last week's win, reports Maurice Hamilton

No intelligent person would compare modern professional footballers to slaves, writes Kevin Mitchell