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Off the record: Five sports stories you may have missed this weekend

The world is getting another Balotelli. Here’s your weekly round-up of the sporting world’s best bits over the last 48 hours.

1. Wenger slams Spain’s playing style

Arsene Wenger, one man you’d expect to be on the side of tiki taka, criticises the Spanish team (albeit before the 4-0 demolition of Italy).

“These guys are more than outstanding footballers; they are really intelligent and they are winners,” Wenger wrote on www.eurosport.com. “I want to give them credit for that. However, they have betrayed their philosophy and turned it into something more negative.”

2. Royal Portrush has a new champion, and it isn’t Jamie Donaldson

The 20-year-old Stephanie Meadow is the new Ladies British Open Amateur champion after beating Spain’s Rocio Sanchez Lobato 4&3 in the final at Carnoustie.

Meadow became the second Irish, and Royal Portrush, success in seven days after Alan Dunbar won the Amateur Championship at Troon.

“There must be something in the Scottish air,” quipped Meadow.

3. “After a pause he said ‘You gave me the best news of the world.’”‘

The soap opera that is Mario Balotelli’s life took another twist when his ex-girlfriend Raffaella Fico revealed that she is expecting his baby.

Or is she his ex? The pair split up in April but the Manchester City striker/entertainer is about to mend his philandering ways and settle down, much to the disappointment of hacks such as ourselves the world over.

4. Rufus is stolen

Rufus, the hawk that patrols the skies over Wimbledon, keeping the pigeons from mucking up all that lovely grass, was stolen over the weekend.

His owner, Imogen Davis, 25, said: “It’s really, really sad. He was taken in his travelling box, which is where he sleeps because it’s nice and dark and cool and he can fall asleep in there.”

5. The Golden Set

Staying in SW19, Yaroslava Shvedova became the first player to win a Grand Slam set without dropping a single point, during her 6-0 6-4 win over Sara Errani on Saturday.

Shvedova wrapped up a ‘Golden Set’ inside 15 minutes on court three.

Errani, the tenth seed and a finalist at the French Open, dropped 24 consecutive points.

Although she only committed one unforced error and got 75% of her first serves in, Errani was blasted off the court by the big-hitting Kazakh.


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