What the back pages say: Fabulous Nicole Cooke, Henry for United and KP relishing Oval challenge

Also: Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra was back in London last night after refusing to return to Thailand to face trial on corruption charges - further harming his
chances of ever releasing £800million of frozen assets in his home country.

THE TIMES: The first Great Britain gold of the Games yesterday was a great
story - a great story because British Cycling thought it up more than a year
ago.

Also: Having to rely on the England batting would challenge the nerves of
the coolest customer, but at least, for Kevin Pietersen, the prospect of winning
his first match as captain rests in his own hands today when the side chase a
target of 197 to beat South Africa in the fourth npower Test at the Brit Oval.

Mucking in: Pietersen in action on the fourth day

THE SUN: Fabulous Nicole Cooke launched Britain's Olympic gold rush with
victory in the women's road race.

Also: Alex Ferguson taunted Spurs last night by refusing to rule out a move for former Arsenal ace Thierry Henry... Vedran Corluka last night insisted he still wants to join Tottenham despite Manchester City claiming he was staying.

DAILY STAR: Sir Alex Ferguson last night refused to rule out an amazing swoop
for Barcelona superstar Thierry Henry.

Also: Brazil superstar Kaka is set to join Chelsea before the end of the month in a record breaking £78m deal, his agent said yesterday... Hermann Hreidarsson last night accused Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez of deliberately stamping on him during yesterday's Community Shield at Wembley.

DAILY MIRROR: Nicole Cooke became the new Princess of Wales last night after
her Olympic triumph - and warned it was the first of many cycling medals for
Britain here.

Also: Hermann Hreidarsson last night accused Carlos Tevez of deliberately stamping on him in the season's opener... Manchester City are on the verge of meltdown - with boss Mark Hughes facing the sale of more stars by owner Thaksin Shinawatra this week.

DAILY EXPRESS: Nicole Cooke launched Britain's blitz on Olympic gold with a
stunning victory yesterday.

Also: Sir Alex Ferguson said Rio Ferdinand is near enough the best central defender in the world after seeing him help shut out Portsmouth and earn Manchester United a Community Shield victory at Wembley.

DAILY TELEGRAPH: Nicole Cooke won Britain's first gold medal at the Beijing
Olympics yesterday with a thrilling victory in the women's road race.

Also: Sir Alex Ferguson is optimistic of adding a striker to his squad this week, with
former Arsenal player Thierry Henry having emerged as a surprise option...  Juande Ramos says he is prepared to keep a discontented Dimitar Berbatov at White Hart Lane and deny the striker his dream move to Manchester United.

THE INDEPENDENT: It was a scream that could have brought down the Great Wall of
China.

Also: The fate of Kevin Pietersen's first Test as England captain now lies in the hands of himself and his fellow batsmen... Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday spoke optimistically about Manchester United finally ending their summer-long quest for a new striker before the start of the Premier League season this weekend.

THE GUARDIAN: Road racing has never been an exact science and never will be,
but the British cycling performance director Dave Brailsford and his team have
been working on it and it showed yesterday.

Also: Sir Alex Ferguson is still optimistic he can add a striker to his squad before the start of the season after suggesting he is 'looking at options elsewhere' as Tottenham continue to resist his attempts to sign Dimitar Berbatov.