Latest Sports News Dated on 23-8-2010

Cricket News

1)"No rush to push anyone out the door" : read in detail
2)Greg Chappell appointed Oz selector : read in detail
3)Chappell eyes ‘fulltime selector’ job : read in detail
4)'Players unhappy with split-innings';read in detail
5)"India have lost WC home advantage" : read in detail
6)"Dhoni needs to work on batting-order": read in detail
7)Flintoff targets Queensland comeback : read in detail
8)Sanga won't blame umpires: read in detail

Football News

9)Hodgson ready to unleash Torres: Read in Detail
10)Hughes: Schwarzer could stay : read in detail
11)Malouda: Give Chelsea more praise : read in detail
12)Hodgson: Show me the money! : read in detail

Motorsport News

13)Sebastien Loeb wins German Rally: read in detail
14)Hamilton vows to hit back: read in detail
15)Ferrari return fire at Lauda : read in detail
16)FI slapped with euro 1,074,730 fine; read in detail

Golf News

17)Atwal first Indian winner on PGA: Read in detail
18)Jimenez to play at Gleneagles : Read in Detail
19)Jeev second in Asian Tour's money list: Read in Detail
20)Hanson on the rise after Czech success : read in detail

Tennis News

21)Federer lifts Cincinnati Masters title : read in detail
22)Rogers Cup washed out again : Read in Detail
23)Bhupathi-Mirnyi enter Cincinnati final: Read in Detail
24)Gilbert: Murray on course for major : Read in Detail

Other Sport News

25)Ministry seeks more details from AITA : Read in Detail
26)No gold for US basketball teams : Read in Detail
27)"Our win will bring Haitians joy!": Read in Detail

Latest Sports News Dated on 1-8-2010

Cricket News

1)Pakistan crumble after Prior ton : Read in Detail
2)Asif claims massive improvement : Read in Detail
3)Anderson fifer wrecks Pakistan : Read in Detail
4)BCCI refuses to give 100 crore to CWG : Read in Detail
5)BCCI vs Modi soap opera set to resume : Read in Detail
6)'Raina has cemented his place' : Read in Detail

Football News

7)Hodgson asks Aurelio to return : Read in Detail
8)Allegri: No return for Beckham! : Read in Detail
9)Fergie: My players were tired! : Read in Detail
10)New rules affect United's transfers : Read in Detail

Motorsport News

11)Massa thanks life-saving surgeon : Read in Detail
12)Vettel races away in Hungary : Read in Detail
13)Vettel claims seventh pole in Hungary : Read in Detail
14)Red Bull dominates third practice : Read in Detail

Golf News

15)Lahiri zooms to tied 6th at Brunei : Read in Detail
16)Leong in share of lead : Read in Detail
17)Takayama shares lead : Read in Detail
18)Fisher has "Ryder Cup-itis"! : Read in Detail

Tennis News

19)Almagro sets up Gasquet clash : Read in Detail
20)Bopanna-Aisam duo in semifinals : Read in Detail
21)Sharapova reaches semis in California : Read in Detail
22)Davydenko, Melzer exit in Umag : Read in Detail
23)Murray battles into semi-final in LA : Read in Detail

Other Sports News

24)Narang qualifies for 2012 Olympics : Read in Detail

Latest Sports News of 29-7-2010

Cricket News

1)Dilshan makes late inroads : Read in Detail
2)Sehwag: I played a rash shot at 99 : Read in Detail
3)"I knew Sehwag would go after me" : Read in Detail
4)"Even Murali would have struggled" : Read in Detail
5)Bedi: Murali indeed is a chucker : Read in Detail
6)"India doesn't look No.1 Test team" : Read in Detail

Football News

7)India beat local side 4-1 in Portugal : Read in Detail
8)"Gerrard, Cole won't play Rabotnicki!" : Read in Detail
9)Man Utd winning race for Annan : Read in Detail
10)Liverpool set for Petrov move : Read in Detail

Motorsport News

11)"Team orders rule not realistic!" : Read in Detail
12)Monaco Grand Prix to stay : Read in Detail
13)Mallya demands points from every race : Read in Detail
14)Whitmarsh: Harmony key to title bid : Read in Detail

Golf News

15)Pettersson starting from scratch : Read in Detail
16)Ryder vice-captains shine at Killarney : Read in Detail
17)Thammanoon sets pace at Brunei Open : Read in Detail
18)Irish game in rude health : Read in Detail

Tennis News

19)Somdev ousted from ATP Farmers Classic : Read in Detail
20)Top seeds through at Stanford : Read in Detail
21)Querrey passes test in ATP Farmers : Read in Detail
22)Davydenko progresses in Umag : Read in Detail

Other Sport News

23)"No home advantage for athletes" : Read in Detail
24)Vijender aiming for gold medal : Read in Detail

Latest World Sports News of 25-7-2010

Cricket News

1)Gambhir doubtful for second Test : Read in Detail
2)India seek to break Lanka jinx : Read in Detail
3)Sehwag retains No.1 spot : Read in Detail
4)'I will miss bowling to Sachin': Read in Detail
5)Yousuf, Younus unlikely to join team : Read in Detail
6)"Pak loss won't dent our confidence" : Read in Detail

Football News

7)Carvalho: I'll swim to Real Madrid! : Read in Detail
8)Wenger: World Cup has drained Cesc : Read in Detail
9)Torres fed up with Liverpool promises : Read in Detail
10)"Maicon can't wait for Madrid move!" : Read in Detail

Motorsport News

11)Emotional return beckons for Massa : Read in Detail
12)Whitmarsh: Hamilton did good! : Read in Detail
13)Button finally rolls past Hamilton : Read in Detail
14)Vettel pole delights home fans : Read in Detail

Golf News

15)Wilson leads, Pettersson chases in Canada : Read in Detail
16)Pressel on top in Evian Masters : Read in Detail
17)Chowrasia slips to tied 42nd : Read in Detail
18)Atwal loses PGA card, Jeev slips : Read in Detail

Tennis News

19)Fish sinks Roddick in Atlanta : Read in Detail
20)Bopanna and Vliegen enter semis : Read in Detail
21)Andy Murray heading to LA : Read in Detail
22)Watson seals biggest senior win : Read in Detail

Latest World Sports News of 21-7-2010

Cricket News

1)Murali stands on brink as India toil : Read in Detail
2)Headingley: Aus skittled for 88 : Read in Detail
3)Mithali, Jhulan top ICC ODI Rankings : Read in Detail
4)ICC pays tribute to Rudi Koertzen : Read in Detail
5)Ganguly to attend CAB AGM : Read in Detail

Football News

6)Xavi: Fabregas 'on loan' to Arsenal : Read in Detail
7)Real Madrid up bid for Maicon : Read in Detail
8)Nerlinger confident of Bayern success : Read in Detail
9)Joe Cole completes Liverpool move : Read in Detail

Motorsport News

10)Sutil hopes to exploit home conditions : Read in Detail
11)Vettel happy to head home : Read in Detail
12)Whitmarsh expects Button fight back :Read in Detail
13)Mateschitz: Red Bull drivers are equal : Read in Detail

Golf News

14)"Olazabal will become Ryder captain" : Read in Detail
15)Asian tour heroes head to Brunei Open : Read in Detail
16)Parnevik to play Scandinavian Masters : Read in Detail

Tennis News

17)Tipsarevic crashes out of Atlanta : Read in Detail
18)Tennis into Mission 2012 fold : Read in Detail
19)Tennis teenagers an endangered species : Read in Detail

Latest World Sports News

World cup hockey news

"Germany loss not reason behind exit"

Poor show against Argentina cost us a semifinal place, says New Zealand coach.

Kiwi coach Shane McLeod, after their 5-2 defeat to Germany on Tuesday, said it was not the loss against the defending champions but the previous one against Argentina that led to their ouster from the World Cup.

“I would not say that we are out of semifinal contention because we lost today. Germany is a top class team and worthy of the win. If we had won our last match against Argentina, we would have been far better placed for a semifinal spot,” McLeod said.

“It is not an excuse but I must admit that we missed out key players such as Simon Child and Hayden Shaw, who could not come here for various reasons. With them, we might have done better,” he added.

McLeod’s counterpart, German coach Markus Weise, on the other hand was a happy man after the top seeds made their 11th semifinal in a row.

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“It is a great feeling,” he said.

“We dominated the game for most of the time. Though, in the second half we slackened a bit. After the Kiwis pulled back two goals in no time to reduce our lead to 3-2, anything could have happened,” he added.

On who he would like to face in the semifinal, the German coach remarked, “We do not have any preference. To win a World Cup you got to beat every team that comes in your way.”

The Black Sticks stand-in skipper Dean Couzins, after Phillip Burrows could not play due to a hamstring injury, was gracious in the loss.

“We played much better than we did against Argentina. Still we were not at our best. To win against Germany you need a lot of luck. Not only you need to play exceptionally well but at the same time hope they are out of touch,” he said.

Dutch to face Australia in semis

Despite a 2-1 loss to Korea in their last round-robin tie, the Netherlands booked a semifinal berth against Australia.

Both Korea and the Netherlands came into the match with the semifinals in sight. Germany entered the last-four with a 5-2 win over New Zealand earlier in the evening but the second spot from Pool A was still up for grabs.

The Netherlands could afford a draw or even a loss by a one-goal margin and still make the semis while Korea had to win by two goals to achieve the same. The night belonged to Korea, who emerged 2-1 winners, but it was the Dutch who advanced.

They will take on Pool B leaders Australia in their semifinal encounter on Thursday while England will meet Germany earlier on the same day.

Ronald Brouwer gave the Netherlands an early lead before Hyun Woo Nam and Jong Ho Seo put the Asians in front. But in the end it was not enough as Korea missed out on a last-four spot by one goal.

The Netherlands attacked right from the start and were a goal up in just 25 seconds. Veteran striker Neun de Nooijer raced through the right flank before squaring it to Brouwer who made it 1-0.

That early blow woke the Asians up. They faced an uphill task needing at least three goals to advance. Compelled to attack, they pushed forward but were always under the risk of a Dutch breakaway. Nevertheless, it made for a fast-paced game.

As the half drew to a close, Korea picked up momentum and equalised in the 31st minute. A trademark counter initiated by Seo led to a penalty corner. The Dutch keeper Guus Vogels never stood a chance against Nam’s scorching dragflick.

Korea played with urgency after the break. They went ahead in the 45th minute. Sung Hoon Yoon surged into the Dutch circle as Vogels did likewise in an attempt to thwart him. He deflected Yoon’s goalbound shot slightly but only for Korean skipper Seo to tap into an unguarded net.

Despite taking the lead, Korea still needed one more to pip their opponents to the semis. They attacked relentlessly in search of the all-important third goal. It never came and though the match ended in their favour, it was the Dutch who were celebrating.

Cricket News

Kapil Dev inducted in ICC Hall of Fame

India’s Kapil Dev has been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame at a ceremony held at the ICC headquarters in Dubai.

A commemorative cap was presented to Kapil by ICC President David Morgan, in front of fellow Hall of Famer Clive Lloyd, as well as an audience of ICC officials and other invited guests.

The Hall of Fame, run in association with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), recognises some of the legends of the game from its long and illustrious history.

Born on 6 January 1959 in Chandigarh, Kapil is probably best known for leading India to victory in the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup while also playing in 131 Test matches and 225 ODIs in an international career that spanned 16 years.

The India legend made his ODI debut for India on 1 October 1978 against Pakistan in Quetta while his Test debut came two weeks later in Faisalabad against the same opposition.

Kapil played during what was a golden period for world-class all-rounders as other Hall of Famers Imran Khan of Pakistan, Ian Botham of England and New Zealand's Richard Hadlee were also plying their trade at that time. Kapil was very much part of that elite company and is seen as one of the greatest pace bowlers India has produced and its finest bowling all-rounder. In total, he took a remarkable 434 Test wickets and 253 ODI wickets.

In 1994, he became the leading wicket-taker in Tests when he overtook Hadlee, a record that was eventually broken by West Indies pacer Courtney Walsh. Also, in 1988 he leapfrogged another West Indies fast bowler, Joel Garner, to become the most successful bowler in ODIs, a record he held until 1994 when his tally of 253 wickets was passed by Wasim Akram.

Kapil's best bowling figures in a Test match were 11-146 against Pakistan in Chennai in 1980 while in ODIs his best match figures came in the group stage of the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup when he took 5-43 against Australia.

With the bat Kapil made 5,248 Test runs, including eight centuries and 27 fifties, at an average of 31.05. He also scored 3,783 ODI runs, including a top score of 175 not out which he hit against Zimbabwe during the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup.

On his induction into the Hall of Fame, Kapil said: "I am proud and happy to have been inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and it's amazing to think that I have been picked as one of the greats of Indian cricket.

"I am delighted to have been named alongside so many great players of the game but for me, when I was growing up, the man I always looked up to was Sunil Gavaskar from the moment I started playing cricket. Now to be named also alongside greats of the game such as Clive Lloyd, Richard Hadlee and Wasim Akram it truly fantastic," he said.

ICC President David Morgan, who presented Kapil with his hand-crafted Hall of Fame cap at the ceremony at ICC headquarters in Dubai, was glowing in his praise for the latest inductee.

"Kapil was an all-time great player," said Mr Morgan. "He did everything. He batted, bowled and he was a fine fielder. I remember the great catch he took to dismiss Viv Richards in the 1983 World Cup final - he was on the run and the ball came over his shoulder, possibly the most difficult of catches.

"It gives me enormous pleasure to award this commemorative cap to Kapil Dev and formally induct him into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame," he added.

Lloyd, who was in attendance at the cap presentation, played against Kapil in the 1983 ICC Cricket World Cup final: "Kapil is a thoroughly deserving induction into the Hall of Fame. He was a fantastic cricketer and he was a great asset for Indian cricket during his time at the helm.

"He set the pace for them early on and he came to the fore and did wonderfully well - he played like a true champion and was a brilliant leader."

Flower still expects KP to blossom

Andy Flower watched a number of players enhance their Test credentials in the drawn warm-up against Bangladesh A.

But, he is still anticipating a major contribution from the man who conspicuously did not.

Kevin Pietersen again failed to produce the big score his team-mates have been predicting since arrival in Bangladesh, with a breezy 20 before being bowled on the sweep.

That took his total to 69 in seven innings on tour, a miserable return for a player of his rare talent.

Flower saw the likes of James Tredwell, with eight wickets in the match, and Jonathan Trott, with an unbeaten century in the first innings, lay down firm markers, but remains convinced of Pietersen's ability despite his failure to follow suit.

"I think he is frustrated at the moment," Flower conceded.

"It's a pity he didn't spend some more time in the middle because I thought he looked quite good for his 20.

"It was a positive 20, an attacking 20, and that is the way he likes to play.

"I thought he showed some good signs. He's a world-class player with a great record behind him and we still expect a lot from him in these Test matches.

"I don't really agree with that cricketing phase 'one knock away' but I do think all the hard work he is putting in and the thought he is putting into his game will stand him in good stead in the future."

Flower's batting line-up for Friday may have resolved itself over the course of the match, with Trott looking assured enough to take on the opening mantle and Michael Carberry's 40-run return perhaps not enough to earn a Test debut.

But his bowling ranks have been disrupted by back injuries to Graham Onions and Stuart Broad.

Onions has next to no chance of playing but Broad will have one final session to prove his fitness tomorrow.

"Broad has bowled two spells today, one of about six overs at lunch then another of about three overs at tea," said Flower.

"He's improved pretty quickly. Our medical staff and fitness trainer have got him up and running again and he is going to have a proper run out at practice, then we'll see how he responds."

Should Broad not be 100%, Flower opened up the possibility of a whirlwind Test bow for Steven Finn.

The 20-year-old Middlesex quick only arrived in the country on Saturday as injury cover but caught the eye against Bangladesh A and may have leapfrogged the likes of Liam Plunkett and Ajmal Shahzad.

"It was quite interesting seeing four seamers operate in quite a competitive environment here," said Flower.

"I wouldn't rule Finn out. He's been added to the party and he's a contender for selection.

"He did very well to get off the plane the afternoon before this game and then rock up and bowl the next day. He's handled himself well for a young man and has been impressive.

"He's bowled with pace on a slow pitch and bowled with accuracy; he's quite a good prospect."

"It was due to my love for India"

Shane Warne said he loves both India and Australia and that inspired him to contribute in easing off the tension.

The Australian leg-spinner, on the request of Victoria premier, recently mingled with Indian community at a picnic and hoped the initiative would bring desired results.

"I hail from Victoria in Australia and have had the cricketing relations with India for more than 20 years. I love all the three -- Victoria, Australia and India. That is why I have tried to visit the Indian community in Victoria and had assured them," said Warne.

"I have also spoken to the Victorian authorities to look into the problem and find ways to clear the mistrust," added Warne, who is quite popular among Indians in Australia.

"I have been coming to India to play cricket for more than two decades. Cricket is passion here and it can be also used to improve the situation," Warne observed.

Talking about his IPL team Rajasthan Royals, Warne said winning the title in 2008 was one of the most cherished moments in his cricketing career.

"I have relished captaining the side and I believe that Rajasthan Royals has large fan base even in abroad. We have a large number of supporters. It is my responsibility to guide the team this year also," Warne said.

Tennis News

Sandra Zahlavova was the biggest casualty of the first qualifying round for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

The Czech was beaten 6-4 7-5 by Romania's Edina Gallovits after making a string of unforced errors.

Also making an early exit was seventh seed and fellow Czech Klara Zakopalova, who went down 6-4 3-6 6-3 to Michelle Larcher De Brito of Portugal.

Second seed Tamarine Tanasugarn breezed past Romania's Monica Niculescu 6-0 6-1, but third seed Petra Martic had to work harder for a 6-4 4-6 6-4 victory over Anastasia Pivovarova.

British number one Elena Baltacha fought back from a set down to record a 2-6 6-4 6-4 victory over American Julia Boserup.

Arantxa Parra Santonja, seeded fifth, overcame American wildcard Coco Vandeweghe 6-3 6-1 while Japan's Ayumi Morita, the sixth seed, beat Darya Kustova 6-2 4-6 6-4.

Elsewhere, there were victories for Kai-chen Chang, Kathrin Woerle, Ekaterina Bychkova, Nuria Llagostera Vives, Michaella Krajicek, Pauline Parmentier, Sloane Stephens, Tsvetana Pironkova, Arantxa Rus, Shenay Perry, Viktoriya Kutuzova, Karolina Sprem, Rossana De Los Rios, Yung-jan Chan, Varvara Lepchenko, Akgul Amanmuradova, and Patricia Mayr.

Lloyd to consider future after defeat

Captain John Lloyd will consider his future after Great Britain slumped close to the lowest tier of the Davis Cup.

Lloyd became the first GB captain to oversee five successive defeats in the team competition after his young side crashed to a 3-2 defeat to Lithuania.

Britain must now beat Turkey, who lost to Ireland this weekend, in a relegation play-off in July to avoid dropping into Europe/Africa Zone Group III.

After James Ward's loss to Ricardas Berankis, the tie came down to the last singles rubber between Dan Evans and Laurynas Grigelis, a player ranked 269 places below the Birmingham teenager at 521 in the world.

Evans recovered from a nightmare third set to force a decider, but 18-year-old Grigelis triumphed 6-7 (6/8) 7-5 6-0 2-6 6-4.

"I'm devastated for the team and more so Dan, as I thought he worked his butt off," Lloyd told BBC Sport.

"I felt sorry for him more than anybody else. We'll see about my future, it's too early yet."

Lloyd, who had to do without Andy Murray for the tie after the Australian Open finalist made himself unavailable, added: "We obviously didn't have our number one playing and that was certainly an evening-out point.

"It was a 50-50 sort of match before the start and they were the better team. They don't have as many players to pick from as we do but their players are good."

Ward had beaten Grigelis comfortably in the opening rubber on Friday, but Evans was unable to repeat the trick.

He won the opening set on a tie-break but lost the second 7-5 and looked dead and buried as Grigelis raced through the third set without dropping a game.

The British number four responded well, breaking three times in the fourth set to level the match.

But some stunning shots from his opponent created the vital break of serve in the decider and Evans was unable to convert three break points as Grigelis served for the match.

With Britain leading 2-1 overnight, hopes were high Ward may have been able to seal the tie in the day's first match by upsetting Berankis, a former world junior number one and, at 198, ranked substantially higher than either of Britain's representatives.

But the 19-year-old Lithuanian held his nerve impeccably in a 7-6 (7/4) 6-3 6-4 victory.

Ward said: "It came down to a few points. He served really well. I served well as well but I could have done a bit more on the return and made him play a few more points.

"But there was not much in it, just two breaks. It's tough."

Golf News

Noh turns attention to The Open

Korean teen sensation Noh Seung-yul is turning his attention onto the biggest Open of them all, the British Open.

The in-form Noh, who pulled off a stunning victory over his illustrious countryman K.J. Choi on Sunday at the Maybank Malaysian Open, is amongst 72 players vying for four tickets to the Open at the two-day International Final Qualifying - Asia at Saujana Golf and Country Club starting on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old will be joined by Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Andrew Dodt of Australia, Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand, who finished tied third last weekend, China's rising star Wu Ashun, Singapore's Lam Chih Bing and Malaysians Danny Chia and Iain Steel.

A strong Japanese line-up will also converge at Saujana, including Hiroyuki Fujita, currently ranked 80th in the world, Tetsuji Hiratsuka, five-time winner in Japan, two-time Asian Tour winner Hideto Tanihara and two-time Japan Tour winner Azuma Yano.

Korean amateur stars Han Chang-won and Eric Chun will also be in the mix after finishing first and second respectively at the inaugural Asian Amateur Championship in China last November.

Noh is determined to play his way into his maiden Major appearance at the 150th British Open at St Andrews, Scotland this July. "My confidence is high and I'm still feeling good. Playing in a Major is every golfers' dream and it is no different for me," said Noh today.

Noh is no stranger to the par-72 Palm Course, also known as "The Cobra", as he fired a sizzling 62 to lead the first round of last year's Maybank Malaysian Open. Although he didn't finish the job then, he made up for it with a superb triumph at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club on Sunday, pulling off an audacious birdie on the last hole for a one-shot win.

"I have good memories here and I know this course. It will be difficult this week so I must not take things lightly. Hopefully I will be in the top four," added the young Korean.

Steel holds the distinction of being the first Malaysian to play in the Open in 1996 and he is hoping to be third time lucky in qualifying after narrowly losing out on a spot in the last two years. He missed out by a stroke in Scotland last year and was defeated in a play-off two years ago in the United States.

"Playing this week is new as I have never played in the IFQ - Asia before. I came close on two occasions and hope that this year will be my year," said the American-based Steel.

Steel, whose father is Scottish and mother is Malaysian, is hoping to turn his fortunes as he remembers the buzz of competing in his maiden Major. "When I first played in 1996, I was young and inexperienced but I managed to stay at that level of form for a while so hopefully I can get back to it and my game will rise again," said Steel.

Dodt won the Avantha Masters in India last month and knows that it is every players' dream this week to qualify for the 150th edition of the Open Championship.

"This is the one everyone is talking about qualifying. Everyone wants to play in St Andrews so you just have to go all out and not hold back. I will be trying my best and hope to be one of the top four after 36 holes," said Dodt who missed out by a stroke at last year's qualifier in Singapore.

India's Gaganjeet Bhullar, winner of the season-opening Asian Tour International in Bangkok, is confident of making a second successive appearance. The Indian rising star made his Major debut last July and subsequently won his first Asian Tour title in Indonesia in the following week.

"The British Open is one of the most prestigious Majors in the history of golf and I definitely want to play in it again. I won the IFQ last year (in Singapore), so I have a lot of good memories and I'm very hopeful this week.

"Winning my first tournament this season is certainly a huge boost but Saujana is one of the most difficult and challenging golf courses on the Asian Tour so it will be interesting," said Bhullar.

Chinese stalwart Wu plans to follow in the footsteps of compatriot Liang Wen-chong who played in all four rounds of the British Open in 2008. "It is always a goal of mine to play in the British Open. My form has been quite good but I need to work on my tee shots. I played well last week (finishing top-20) and I'm looking forward to qualifying. I remember watching the Open as a child when John Daly won in 1995 but I was still young then. It means more to me now if I were to play in the Major," said Wu.

Latest Men's World Golf Rankings

Colombian Camilo Villegas has moved from 21st to 12th in the world after his victory at the Honda Classic in Florida.

Padraig Harrington, on the other hand, drops from 10th to 13th after finishing in a tie for 40th.

Latest leading positions:

1 Tiger Woods 12.14pts, 2 Steve Stricker 7.91, 3 Phil Mickelson 7.28, 4 Lee Westwood 6.83, 5 Ian Poulter 6.22, 6 Paul Casey 6.15, 7 Jim Furyk 5.16, 8 Martin Kaymer 5.06, 9 Rory McIlroy 4.88, 10 Henrik Stenson 4.72

11 Geoff Ogilvy 4.68, 12 Camilo Villegas 4.68, 13 Padraig Harrington 4.66, 14 Kenny Perry 4.27, 15 Robert Allenby 4.24, 16 Sergio Garcia 4.21, 17 Retief Goosen 3.98, 18 Stewart Cink 3.94, 19 Sean O'Hair 3.93, 20 Ernie Els 3.89

Other leading Europeans:

21 Robert Karlsson, 23 Ross Fisher, 24 Luke Donald, 33 Alvaro Quiros, 34 Miguel Angel Jimenez, 36 Oliver Wilson, 45 Soren Hansen, 46 Anders Hansen, 47 Edoardo Molinari, 48 Francesco Molinari, 49 Soren Kjeldsen, 50 Graeme McDowell, 54 Simon Dyson, 57 Peter Hanson, 58 Justin Rose, 62 Alexander Noren, 66 Ross McGowan, 69 Chris Wood, 71 Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, 83 Gregory Bourdy, 92 Shane Lowry, 95 Martin Laird

Football News

Injured Fabregas: I wanted to play

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas says he wanted to play through the pain barrier against Porto.

The Spaniard sustained a hamstring injury against Burnley last Saturday and has been ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League last-16 second-leg clash against Jesualdo Ferreira's side.

Arsenal trail the Portuguese 2-1 from the first leg but will be without their inspirational captain at the Emirates.

Fabregas said in The Sun: "I wanted to play but the doctors recommended I rest and avoid any risk.

"I am sad to miss out because Porto is important to us. I will suffer far more than usual, having to watch from the side."

Scans have revealed that there is no major damage and there is a chance Fabregas could make his comeback against Hull this weekend.

Lehmann: I'm planning to retire

Stuttgart goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is likely to retire in the summer after confirming he won't be extending his contract.

The 40-year-old has opted against remaining with the Swabians and hopes understudies Sven Ulreich and Alexander Stolz will prosper following his departure.

"Staying would be unfair on Sven Ulreich," he told the Bild newspaper. "He will be rivalling Alexander Stolz and they are both looking forward to the challenge."

Asked if he would consider staying on a while longer, particularly since Ulreich has a serious injury and may miss the start of next season, Lehmann said he could "rule that out".

It appears the only scenario in which former Germany international Lehmann would prolong his playing career is if a Premier League club came calling.

He recently claimed that he felt good enough to play another year in the English top flight and an offer to do so may change his mind about retiring.

"I am planning to retire, but you just never know," he added.

"I am still really enjoying playing football."

Motorsport News

"Vettel has the makings of a champion"

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner feels Sebastian Vettel has become "the complete driver".

Vettel finished runner-up to Jenson Button last season, pushing the Briton all the way to the penultimate grand prix in Brazil after the 30-year-old had made his stunning start with six wins in the opening seven races.

As far as Vettel is concerned there is only one objective this season which starts in Bahrain on Sunday, and that is to go a step further by becoming champion.

Horner believes last season's near-miss could be the making of the 22-year-old German, strengthening not only his resolve, but also his character.

"Sebastian has all the makings of a champion," said Horner.

"It's still very early to say, and ultimately he has to go out and do it.

"But he is a very intelligent driver, tremendously talented, has a high work ethic, and is a very dedicated and focused individual.

"Most of all, he is a nice guy as well, a very popular member of the team because he is very down to earth. Success hasn't changed him.

"His rise to stardom has been meteoric so far, and he is improving, evolving and growing. He is a remarkable character, but I see a very hungry and determined young man.

"Now with two full years' experience and a championship campaign under his belt, I think he goes into this year pretty much the complete driver."

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has made no secret of his admiration for Vettel, someone he would love to see crowned champion.

"Bernie has really warmed to him," added Horner.

"He appreciates his cheeky personality, and he is very quick-witted like Bernie, which isn't a normal trait for a German. He is very un-Germanic.

"He understands British humour brilliantly. He'll regularly watch Monty Python, Little Britain and Harry Enfield sketches, and he is a very good mimic.

"With Bernie, he likes the way Sebastian drives, and he likes the way he handles himself.

"He is always willing to sign autographs, and as an ambassador for Formula One, he is fantastic."

Much is likely to be made of Vettel's potential rivalry with seven-times champion Michael Schumacher, who returns to the sport after three years in retirement.

Although nicknamed 'Baby Schumi', Horner is confident Vettel will be himself and not succumb to a sorceror's apprentice role.

"He was still in nappies when Michael was making his grand prix debut," said Horner.

"They are different characters. Sebastian is Sebastian, his own man, and he will continue to grow into being his own person. He is not a mini-Schumi.

"He has a great deal of respect for Michael and what he has achieved, and off track they are good friends.

"But on track he will race him as hard as any other competitor."

Schumacher at full throttle

You listen to Michael Schumacher, you continually hear words such as "motivated" and "driven".

At the age of 41, it would be a risk for Schumacher to be any other way because Formula One is not a sport in which you can be half-hearted, certainly not after spending three years in retirement.

But then they are also words that define Schumacher, a driver so meticulous in his approach in and out of the car that nothing is left to chance.

Of course, there were times during Schumacher's earlier career when such desire would cloud his methodical reasoning and judgment, when his drive tipped him over the edge.

Sadly, that is Schumacher's dark side, so we can only hope his time away playing happy families, having fun on bikes and karts, viewing proceedings from the pit wall as an advisor to Ferrari, has mellowed that part of him, leaving behind the courageous competitor.

Certainly Ross Brawn is delighted to be reunited with Schumacher, the Mercedes GP team principal previously playing such a distinct role in creating the legend who has won seven world titles and 91 grands prix.

Their early bond was formed at Benetton where Schumacher won his first two championships in 1994 and 1995, and cemented at Ferrari where Brawn was the master tactician behind the five titles that followed.

No one understands Schumacher - his psyche, his methods - better than Brawn, and it would appear time has far from withered the German's senses as to what he requires and what is required to win again.

Assessing Schumacher's strengths, in comparison to the drivers he guided to last year's crown in Jenson Button, and his team-mate Rubens Barrichello, the differences are clear.

Brawn's comments are not meant as a slight against the 30-year-old Englishman or veteran Brazilian, but more to emphasise what marks Schumacher out against his peers.

After the first day of testing together in Valencia, Brawn noted: "What came through was Michael's precision about what's going on in the car, what he wants and what he feels is needed.

"He has great clarity of reasoning in what he does, what he feels and what he thinks should be the direction we take or changes to come.

"That's always been notable about Michael in his career, and that's probably the most noticeable difference.

"Both Rubens and Jenson gave very good information on the car, and that was never a problem.

"It's just that Michael is more precise in his opinions as to what is happening, which is nice to work with again.

"It was a bit like the old days."

There is no doubt the combination of Schumacher and Brawn is one that will be fully respected by all the other drivers and teams.

But whether the old days return to their fullest and include all the pomp and glory of another championship is a different matter.

Mercedes acquired a 45.1% stake in last year's title winners after a takeover of Brawn at the end of the season, with Aabar, an Abu Dhabi investment company, taking 30%.

The return of the German manufacturing giant as a fully-fledged team for the first time since 1955 is a welcome tonic for the sport, but that by no means is a guarantee of continued success.

Schumacher is also adamant no lingering doubts remain over a neck injury sustained in a bike accident a year ago that wrecked the comeback dream with Ferrari last August.

His personal doctor, Johannes Peil, was on hand at that first test to oversee matters, but such were the assurances from Schumacher, his services were dispensed with for the three tests that followed.

If he is as fit as he asserts, and he maintains his passion burns as bright as ever, the only questions that remain are whether he is as talented as in the past. Whether, at 41, he still has the speed.

As any driver will tell you, testing is one thing, qualifying and a grand prix are another, and the truth will emerge on March 13 and 14 when the curtain raises on the new season in Bahrain.

Schumacher is adamant he has "nothing to prove to anyone about my age", that instead it is a matter of "proving to myself that I am obviously still able".

If everything falls into place, make no bones about it, Schumacher will be a force to be reckoned with again, so do not rule out the prospect of a record-extending eighth title, because he isn't.

"I feel fresh, good, motivated, and as Ross and I know each other so well, it has made things very easy," said Schumacher.

"It's actually been much easier than I anticipated. I thought I would need a bit more time.

"Assessing everything, I think we have everything you need to be able to fight for the championship.

"With Ross' experience, with what the team did last year, having Mercedes as a team in itself with the experience, know-how and quality they possess, as well as myself, then, I'm sorry, there's only one target."

World Sports News

Proteas make it 3-2

Austin Smith converts South Africa’s fourth penalty corner in the 48th minute to give South Africa a 3-2 lead.

India had a Sarvanjit Singh goal disallowed due to an infringement in the Indian territory.

South Africa come good in their second penalty corner of the match. It is 2-2 in the 39th minute. Justin Reid-Ross scored off an indirect penalty corner after Indian goalie Adrian D’Souza defended the first strike very well.

Goals from Sarvanjit Singh (17th minute) and Vikram Pillai (23rd) help India lead 2-1 at halftime. South Africa drew first blood in the 8th minute through Lloyd Norris-Jones. India have had the larger share of the exchanges.

India took 2-1 lead in the 23rd minute. India won their second penalty corner, but Shivender Singh failed to trap cleanly. He quickly made amends as he dribbled past the South African runner and set up Diwakar Ram for a shot at the SA goal. Vikram Pillai deflected Diwakar’s shot into the goal.

A fine three-man move helped India draw level in the 17th minute after South Africa drew first blood in the eight minute. Arjun Halappa found Prabhjot Singh on top of the Dee. The South Africans left Sarvanjit Singh unmarked and the paid the price. Sarvanjit kept his cool to make it 1-1.

Earlier, Lloyd Norris-Jones picked up a free ball on top of the 25-yard line, left the Indian defence in his wake with sheer speed and banged in from top of the Dee.

One nation that came to the World Cup with no pretensions was South Africa. In a country, where hockey probably comes a distant fifth in popularity, South Africa came to the 2010 World Cup after raising funds through a lottery. But with their free-flowing hockey they have proved to be quite a handful. This, in spite of losing by a record dozen goals against big brothers, Australia at the National Stadium last week.

Not worried about scorelines and margin of defeat, South Africa have played attacking hockey and even left Pakistan in their wake with a stunning 4-3 win against the four-time World champions. And India will have to be on their guard tonight.

India’s defence has been porous throughout the World Cup and South Africa will surely exploit that. South Africa have scored 10 goals in this tournament through seven different players. So India have to be extra careful because there will be more than one man to mark.

India have an unbeaten record against South Africa in World Cups. In three matches, India have won once and drawn twice. In 1994, India and South Africa drew 2-2. Their pool match in the 2006 World Cup in Germany ended 1-1. The two nations ended up fighting for the 11th and 12th places. India beat the Proteas 1-0.

Ranked No. 12 in the world, India must win to hunt for a 5th or 6th place in the tournament. India have won the World Cup once in 1975. Tonight, India will look for their second win in the championship after beating Pakistan 4-1 in their opener.

"IPL a good platform to groom players"

IPL works as a good platform to find and groom talented youngsters, who may go on to play in the national team, said MS Dhoni.

"I want to make more players for ourselves. We are grooming Indian players from under-19 or players on the verge of making debut for India. All those individuals rubbing their shoulders with international cricketers from India and overseas help them in learning cricketing skills," Dhoni said.

Citing an example, Dhoni said players who made a mark in the first edition went on to play for the country.

"We had Manpreet Goni, Murali Vijay and S Badrinath coming into the side. And Suresh Raina is becoming a great player. We are contributing a lot towards Indian cricket.

Overall, we are trying to groom the Indian cricketers for the betterment of the game in India," Dhoni, who leads Chennai Super Kings, said.

Dhoni said that the current rule of having a limited number of foreign players in the side gives them a chance to try youngsters and was in favour of continuing with it.

"If the overseas players want to find a place in the playing eleven, they have to fight among themselves and not against Indian stock. It is perfect right now and I am quite happy with the system of only four players finding place in the final eleven," he said.

Dhoni's comments came after coach Stephen Fleming spoke about importance of overseas players doing duty in IPL teams.

"International players coming in to play for different franchisees is important. It is the mix of players that help a team perform well. We have good talented bunch of players from Tamil Nadu in CSK. It is good to have them," Fleming said

Dhoni is happy that players would not have to spend much time on road unlike the second edition.

"You compare it with last IPL in South Africa, we will not be travelling that much in India. We have a base and we will be playing most of the matches in Chennai.

"The facilities are great so I do not think it will be as tiring as last year's IPL. We will be enjoying much more in playing in India. Next 45 days we will be busy and lot of pressure will be on the cricketers," he said.

The skipper though said weather of the city would pose a challenge for the players.

"Chennai is hot and humid even at around 8.00 pm.

"Twenty20 is therefore very demanding in all respects, particularly on the body and also on the mental side."

Dhoni said his side was a balanced one with good batsmen and bowlers.

"As a team we rely more on our batting strength. We have strong options in bowlers like Manpreet Goni, L Balaji, Sudeep Tyagi and spinners like R Ashwin in our ranks.

"In the past they have done well for us. We will try to get the best out of these bowling options. We just need to play good cricket and more often than not when we do that, we will be winning games," he said.

On the availability of players for this season, Fleming said almost all the players would be available except for Kiwi player Jacob Oram.

He said Australia's Michael Hussey's would miss first few matches and would join the squad from April 1 since he will be busy with his national team in New Zealand.

"Jacob Oram of course is not available. I think the full squad should be available for CSK. There was a huge question mark on Andrew Flintoff's availability. Justin Kemp is the replacement for Flintoff," he said.

Dhoni also said player like Kemp with all round abilities would prove quite useful.

"When our main bowlers have an off-day, we have strong options to use others as bowlers and Kemp is one of them. Such options in the team for a 20-20 match, it is good for the team. Kemp is a big hitter. He can be an asset to the side."

On Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, Dhoni said, "He is the best spinner in the world and still in international circuit. He can be useful in every format of the game. He is a great guy to have in the dressing room like Makhaya Nitini and others.

Reid terms Aussie players 'idiots'

Former New Zealand captain John Reid feels some members of the Australian team are "idiots" who need to be reined in.

Reid's comments, also a former ICC match referee, came after Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson head-butted Scott Styris in a show of aggression during the first one-dayer in Napier.

"Generally the Australian team looks good, but there are a handful of idiots who need to be reined in," Reid was quoted as saying in 'The Age'.

"Do your work with the bat and the ball, not your mouth."

While some praised Johnson for sparking life into the series, Reid said the aggression displayed by the pacer was "not required".

Australia are playing a five-match ODI series against New Zealand. Series is levelled at 1-1.

Reid said players need to understand the importance of playing the game in good spirit. "Like it or not, these guys are role models for youngsters. Johnson was the aggressor, but he's mad head-butting someone with a helmet on."

Reid claimed that in his time refereeing, Australian players were "always the worst at sledging".

"I dealt with barging by Glenn McGrath, bowlers standing in the way of a runner - like Johnson did to Styris," he said.

ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle slapped Johnson and Styris with fines rather than suspensions for their showdown in the series opener at Napier but Reid felt the punishment could have been stricter.

"I think he (Madugalle) did a reasonable job but, if anything, he could have come down a bit tougher."

Jadeja's ban appeal rejected

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's slender hopes of playing the Indian Premier League went up in smoke.

His hopes evaporated after the IPL governing council turned down his appeal against a one-year ban for violating the Twenty20 event's terms and conditions.

Jadeja was banned for negotiating outside his contract with the Rajasthan Royals.

In his appeal, the all-rounder claimed that he had taken the BCCI's permission to look for other teams after the Royals gave no indication of renewing his contract which ended in December last year.

According to a cricket website, IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah raised the issue of reducing the ban on Jadeja with BCCI President Shashank Manohar during Sunday's tender meeting in Mumbai but his appeal was turned down.

"He (Manohar) did not want to set a wrong precedent, so he dismissed the request. So Jadeja now cannot play in the IPL (this year)," an IPL official said.

Tennis News

Somdev, Bopanna improve rankings

Despite suffering twin defeats during India's Davis Cup World Group tie against Russia, Somdev Devvarman rose seven rungs to 121.

Somdev lost to Igor Kunitsyn and Mikhail Youzhny in the first round tie, played in Moscow.

Rohan Bopanna also jumped 26 places to re-enter the top-400 and now sits at 390 in the latest ATP singles rankings.

The big serving Bopanna lost to Youzhny but defeated Teimuraz Gabashvili in the dead rubber.

India lost the tie 2-3.

In the doubles list, Leander Paes (6) and Mahesh Bhupathi (8) had their rankings unchanged.

In the WTA charts, out of action Sania Mirza slid to 84 from 83 but maintained her 35th position in the doubles.

Russian teen wins Monterrey Open

Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova staged a brilliant comeback to win her second match of the day and land the Monterrey Open title.

The 18-year-old won her first tournament on the WTA Tour by recovering from a slow start to beat second seed Daniela Hantuchova 1-6 6-1 6-0 in the final.

Pavlyuchenkova, the third seed, was given a major test by Latvian Anastasija Sevastova in her semi-final, which had to be played on Sunday after rain washed out much of yesterday's scheduled play.

She won 6-3 2-6 6-1, and then had the opportunity to rest as the doubles final took place.

Slovakian Hantuchova had just enough time to complete her Saturday match before the poor weather arrived, and she looked set to take advantage as she raced away with the first set.

However the 26-year-old crumbled as she chased what would have been her first title since triumphing at Indian Wells in 2007, and Pavyluchenkova dominated the second and third sets.

Golf News

Rose: Cup will take care of itself

Justin Rose beleievs the less he thinks about the Ryder Cup the better his chances will be of making Colin Montgomerie's team.

Rose, 29, finished third in the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, closing the tournament by matching the course record of 64 to shoot up the leaderboard.

He is playing much of his golf in the United States after admitting he has achieved most of his ambitions in Europe; however, he is eager to be on Montgomerie's Europe team for the match against the United States at Celtic Manor in October.

Rose said: "Ryder Cup is really important to me but it's something that I don't feel like I can focus on right now.

"It's a weird thing. I think, for me to get into the Ryder Cup, I need to not worry about the Ryder Cup if that makes any sense. The Ryder Cup will take care of itself if I play well. I've just got to play well.

"Like I did last time around, I had to tailor my schedule towards the end of the qualification process to make the team, and that's what I'll do again, should I be close."

Rose was on Nick Faldo's team two years ago but failed to pick up a point.

Given the current strength in British and European golf, he knows it will not be easy to retain his place.

"I think I'm ranked eighth in England now," said Rose. "I'd struggle to make the Ryder Cup team.

"I feel like I'm a pretty good player, so that does speaks volumes for how strong English golf is right now. Obviously we've got four, five, six (high) in the world rankings as you all know. But it goes deeper than that.

"Obviously we are a real big golfing nation. I saw it out there today, a lot of English fans, English support out here. British people love their golf.

"Even though it's a small country, I think it's not that surprising to me that that's the sort of representation on tour."

Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey are the English trio near the summit of the rankings, and Germany's Martin Kaymer, Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Sweden's Henrik Stenson also feature in the world's top 10.

Rose's form in Florida, where he finished behind Anthony Kim and tournament winner Camilo Villegas, was good and he is well respected in the United States.

He is somewhat surprised he has failed to win a tournament so far on the PGA Tour.

"I have played good enough golf to win out here," Rose said. "I've been close a few times.

"If I can just maintain the direction I'm going and certainly try to recreate the sort of calm mindset that I've had the last few days, I certainly believe it will happen."

He added: "I feel motivated to play well over here this year. Obviously I've won the European Order of Merit. That's a great achievement, too.

"I want to go on to achieve more on the European Tour but I feel like, in some senses, I have ticked that one off my list.

"I feel like, in my career over here, I haven't done as much over here as I have over there, obviously.

"So that's a focus for me, to try to break through over here. And I guess that's where my attention is right now.

"Being ranked outside the world's top 50, it's tough to commit to playing both tours. That's why I need to get back into the top 50 and that will make my schedule a lot easier and make my decisions to play the European Tour a lot more simple.

"But, like I said, I'm quite committed to playing this tour this year and playing through."

Colombian Villegas finished with a 68 for a total of 13 under par, with Kim on eight under and Rose a further shot back.

Rose's performance earned him more than £250,000 but was not enough to qualify him for this coming week's CA world championship in Miami.

Davies takes positives from display

Challenge Tour graduate Rhys Davies took heart from his near miss at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Sunday.

The Welshman fell just short of claiming a maiden European Tour title in Malaysia.

The 24-year-old was on course to claim a wire-to-wire victory after holding the share of a one-shot lead heading into the final round, but was made to pay for a poor start as a one-under-par 71 left Davies two shots adrift of teenage winner Noh Seung-yul.

The two-time Challenge Tour winner did birdie three of his last seven holes before missing a long chance on the final green which would have secured second alongside KJ Choi, but Davies was forced to settle for a tie for third and his best finish on the European Tour.

"I can take a lot of positives out of the week," he said.

"I wasn't too comfortable on the final day but I still managed to stay calm and stick to what I was trying to do. I battled well and eventually found good rhythm with the putter on the back nine.

"I felt I was going to make every putt I looked at and if I had had a little bit of luck coming in I might have made a few more but that's the way it was."

Davies' final-round partner Noh claimed his second professional win in dramatic fashion after producing a stunning chip from the edge of the practice putting green behind a hospitality marquee to set up a crucial final-hole birdie.

"It felt like it wasn't my week a little throughout the final day actually," added Davies.

"Noh chipped in on the first when it was going like a bullet but fair play to him, it hit the hole and went in.

"I struggled early on with my swing and I went out of bounds on the fifth and it just seemed that every time I miscued it was pretty severe and the other boys got away with it.

"That's how it goes and I am not bitter about it, that is just how it was. I probably had a couple of breaks myself earlier in the week and you can't be bitter about stuff like that.

"The breaks went for the two guys I was playing with and not for me. It would be great if they come my way the next time I am in contention in the final round."

Davies, who equalled his career-best finish earlier this season after finishing sixth in Abu Dhabi, will enjoy a week off before turning his attention to next week's Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.

Noh's success made him the second youngest winner in European Tour history, at the age of 18 years and nine months.

Football News

Fabregas sits out Gunners' training

Captain Cesc Fabregas did not train with the rest of the Arsenal first team ahead of the Champions League clash with Porto.

The midfielder is battling a hamstring problem in his right leg and limped off after scoring the opening goal in the 3-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Burnley on Saturday.

The tightness was in the same hamstring he injured earlier in the season, which kept him out of action at the turn of the year.

Veteran defender Sol Campbell did join in training and he looks set to recover from a groin problem in time to face the Portuguese side, who will take a 2-1 lead to the Emirates Stadium for the second leg of the last-16 tie.

Benitez firm over Aquilani

Rafa Benitez insists that Liverpool midfielder Alberto Aquilani will be picked when he thinks it is right.

The Liverpool boss splashed out £20million on the Italian international, who was heralded as the big-name replacement for Xabi Alonso after he was sold to Real Madrid.

Aquilani, though, has played less than 10 games for the Reds, mainly due to injury, but now fully fit he is still not holding down a regular first-team berth.

"When you have been injured for a while, it's not easy for a player," said Benitez.

"Then when you are available and the team isn't doing well, it makes it even more difficult.

"You have to decide if you can afford to give him two or three games when you know he's maybe not at the level he could be, so you could end up losing some of them.

"Alberto isn't stupid. He knows the priority now has to be the team and what's best for that. All he can do is keep training and making sure he is ready when we need him."

Benitez dismissed claims that Aquilani did not play in the recent game at Wolves because of their pitch.

"When I didn't play him at Wolves, it wasn't to do with the state of their pitch," he continued.

"It was because of the kind of game and because others were available, which meant we could manage in a different way. So whether I play him at Wigan or not isn't a decision that will be determined by the pitch.

"But we have had a conversation about things and he knows the situation. Alberto is a very good professional, who was a big name in Italy, and he wants to show his quality here.

"When you're like that but cannot play for three or four months and then you're available but can't play because the team is maybe doing really well or has problems, it's a difficult situation for any professional."

Speaking in Italy, Aquilani's agent insisted that the 25-year-old was still committed to his English switch.

"Alberto made a decision of a lifetime," said Franco Zavaglia.

"He is fine at Liverpool and next year will be the most important for him."

Motorsports News

Yvan Muller starts season with win

World Touring Car champions past and present shared the victories at the opening round of the new season in Curitiba.

Yvan Muller, the 2008 title winner, took the honours in torrential conditions at the Brazilian circuit as he headed up a clean-sweep of the podium for Chevrolet in race one, while reigning champion Gabriele Tarquini eased to victory in race two as the SEATs fought back.

Muller, who moved from SEAT to replace Nicola Larini at Chevrolet over the winter, immediately stamped his authority on new team-mates Rob Huff and Alain Menu by taking the opening race of the season in style.

A heavy downpour meant the first race of 2010 began behind the safety car but after two laps at reduced speed, the pace-setter pulled into the pits to signal the start of the race in earnest.

Pole-sitter Muller benefited from a clear track at the front to consolidate a lead he never looked in danger of losing, while behind Huff and Menu settled into formation after the early challenge of Jordi Gene ended when the Spaniard twice ran wide.

Tarquini also ran wide at the first corner but recovered to take fourth place at the flag, while the BMWs of Andy Priaulx and Augusto Farfus completed the top six.

Gene recovered from his dramas to take seventh while Tom Coronel took eighth and pole for race two.

With the earlier rain replaced by brilliant sunshine, the drivers might have been forgiven for expecting an easier time of it in the day's second race, but Coronel dispelled any such thoughts as he disappeared into the turn one gravel trap after tangling with Huff.

That handed the lead to SR-Sport driver Gene, but the Spaniard's advantage lasted until only lap three before team-mate Tarquini swept through the Esse de Baixa on the inside line to hit the front.

The leading pair would remain unchanged to the flag by which time they had build up a five second lead over the chasing pack, led by Menu who claimed his second podium of the day.

Muller took fourth from Huth as the Chevrolets again finished in in close formation.

British driver Priaulx was forced to retire after making contact with Farfus, who recovered to take sixth at the flag from Tiago Monteiro.

Muller and Tarquini leave Brazil locked in a tie for the lead of the championship on 37 points apiece, while Menu's consistent weekend sees him third in the standings, seven points further back.

Loeb lands first win of the season

Sebastien Loeb claimed his first victory of the season as he eased home ahead of his rivals on the final leg of the Mexico Rally.

The reigning six-time champion did all the hard work yesterday as he built up a lead of almost a minute, meaning the Frenchman just had to keep his Citroen C4 out of trouble over today's final three stages to claim the win by 24.2 seconds.

Loeb's victory moves him to the top of the drivers' standings at the expense of Ford's Mikko Hirvonen, who won the opener in Sweden but could manage just fourth place here after a weekend of struggle.

Privateer Citroen driver Petter Solberg, the rally leader after Friday's opening leg, held off the considerable challenge of Citroen Junior's Sebastien Ogier to take second place by just one second after a superb race-long duel.

Solberg finally made sure of second after finishing ahead of Ogier in the final super-special stage, by which point all bets were off over who would claim the overall victory.

"Finally a victory and back in the lead of the championship," said Loeb after his 55th world rally triumph.

"It was important after Sweden to win here. It's only the start of the championship but I'm really happy. We had a really good drive yesterday. Now it's looking good.

"I was just breezing through the last couple of stages trying to keep my concentration. It's a good victory; I'm back in the lead of the championship and the points we lost in Sweden we've won back - that's important."

With Loeb's victory widely anticipated, the real drama was spared for the battle for second.

With just 2.7 seconds separating Solberg and Ogier at the start of the day and the gap between the two remaining tight until the final stage, the pair were finally split by the the greater experience of former world champion Solberg, who finished the decisive super-special 1.7 seconds up on his rival.

"I'm delighted but absolutely exhausted," said Solberg. "It's a great feeling to be back on the podium."

Ogier, meanwhile, was left to rue his decision to drop time on Solberg yesterday in an effort to get a better starting slot on the road today.

"Of course it's disappointing but it's been a good weekend anyway," he said.

"My team told me not to push too hard today, so this morning I didn't push to the maximum. Maybe it's there that I lost out, or maybe yesterday when I slowed at the end of the stage.

"I think maybe we could have been faster than Petter if we wanted this weekend, but here we are third and it's a good result."

The top five was completed by Jari-Matti Latvala in the second factory Ford, while Henning Solberg (Stobart Ford) was sixth ahead of Federico Villagra, Xevi Pons, Martin Prokop and Armindo Araujo.

World Cup Hockey News

At the Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010, England booked their ticket for the semi-final by dominating the host India (3-2) in a fiery atmosphere in Delhi, South Africa achieved an historic win over Pakistan (4-3) and Australia rekindled their semi-final chances with a precious win over Spain (2-0).

Game 19 – Australia v. Spain: 2-0 (half-time: 1-0)

In this World Cup, Australia lost their opening game to England (2-3) but came back to beat India (5-2) and South Africa (12-0), while Spain beat South Africa (4-2) and India (5-2) but lost to Pakistan (1-2).

The game started under the Delhi blaring afternoon sun, but it did not seem to bother the Kookaburras who spent the first ten minutes peppering the Spanish goal. Grant SCHUBERT had a superb opportunity alone in front of the goal but lost the ball in his feet. Spain earned a penalty corner on their first counter-attack in the 7th minute, after intervention of the video-umpire, but the powerful high flick was wonderfully saved on the line by Kiel BROWN.

Both teams were keeping a tight marking in midfield and key players such as Jamie DWYER were kept under a close Spanish watch. Finally, Edward OCKENDEN forced a penalty-corner in the 20th minute and Luke DOERNER did not pass on the chance to open the scoring with a mid-height flick that beat Francisco CORTES in the Spanish goal. Spain scrambled two penalty-corners at the other end, then nearly scored when Eduard TUBAU stole a ball in midfield and arrived one-on-one with Nathan BURGERS, but the Australian keeper managed to push him aside enough for his shot to go off target.

Spain were given a penalty-corner in the dying seconds of the period, after another referral to the video-umpire, but it was saved again on the line, this time by Luke DOERNER, busy at both ends on penalty-corners. The Spaniards were saved by the post on a penalty-corner soon after the break, then scrambled two set pieces of their own. With time passing and the score still marginally in favor of the Kookaburras, Spain tried to push more but were repeatedly caught in the tight net thrown by the Australian midfield. Spain were also exposing more their defense to counter-attacks and Jamie DWYER ran 75m after stealing a ball; he set up perfectly Kieran GOVERS on the second post but the ball eluded him.

Spain picked up a yellow card on the play and were subsequently pushed back on their heels for a while and Glenn TURNER added a second goal for the Kookaburras in the 60th minute after a lengthy series of passes that mystified the Spaniards. Spain pushed in the final minutes, with Australia happy to just hit the ball up field. The Spaniards scrambled two more penalty-corner chances and Australia bagged the three points of the win, avenging in the process their loss against Spain in the semi-finals of the 2008 Olympic Games (2-3) and taking a serious option for a semi-final berth.

Match Facts (Australia v. Spain):

Glenn Turner (AUS) netted his fifth goal this tournament, to help Australia well on their way to a ninth successive WC semi-final berth.
Luke Doerner (AUS) is now on 6 (PC) goals at Delhi 2010, as is Taeke Taekema (NED).
The Australian record for most goals in a World Cup tournament is 12 by Ian Cooke in 1978 and Jay Stacy in 1998.
Ramon Alegre became the first Spanish player to be shown a yellow card this tournament.
Spain who were in the semi-finals in two of the last three WC tournaments (2006 and 1998) will find it extremely hard to reach the last four at Delhi 2010 with six points from four matches.
Spain failed to convert any of the eight PCs awarded to them in this match.


Game 20 – South Africa v. Pakistan: 4-3 (half-time: 0-1)

South Africa was up to a difficult task in the second match of the day. Having lost their first three encounters against Spain, England and Australia, they were pitted against a Pakistani team with their backs to the wall after losing severely to India (1-4) on opening day then to England (2-5). As in their first two games, South Africa nearly opened the scoring on a penalty-corner in the second minute of play, but it was Rehan BUTT who emerged from a wild scrum in front of Erasmus PIETERSE to score the first goal in the 6th minute.

Oddly, the Green Shirts seemed satisfied with the meagre lead and played at half-pace for a while, trying to show their individual skills but repeatedly losing the balls on unforced errors. South Africa boldly took their chances upfront and defended well a few penalty-corners, including a Sohail ABBAS low flick that went to video-umpiring referral for confirmation of the call then invalidation of the goal.

Taine PATON exposed the porosity of the Pakistani defense in the 31st minute, stealing a ball outside the 25m and running unchallenged before sending high in the stands his shot, that had Salman AKBAR stranded. South Africa had a long period of domination, dictating the pace to a Pakistani team definitely unimpressive. The final minutes of the period were all South Africa and the Green Shirts were clearly happy to pass the ball around to count down the clock and go into the break with their scanty one-goal lead.

South Africa picked up the game where they had left it, forcing a penalty-corner in the 38th minute and scoring by Gareth CARR after a well executed combination that sent the Pakistani runners in no-man’s-land. The crowd, now happy to support the underdog against the Pakistani neighbours, had more reason to erupt in wild cheers when Ian HALEY batted the ball into the empty goal after the shot from Thornton McDADE was deflected high up in the air by Salman AKBAR. Incredibly, South Africa added another goal shortly after by Taine PATON, taking advantage of a completely disoriented Pakistani defense gasping for air.

The rout continued in the 54th minute, when Salman AKBAR saw Marvin HARPER arrive alone in front of him and propel a missile in net. 4-1 for South Africa and twelve minutes to go! The South Africans (and the gamblers) in the crowd would certainly not have dreamed such a scenario one hour before. South Africa, on the verge of an historic feat, were now fighting with tooth and nail to defend their lead against Pakistani players who had lost all concept of team play.

Erasmus PIETERSE stood tall in goal to thwart some desperate final assaults. Muhammad IMRAN and Waseem AHMED scored on penalty-corners, including one that needed to be taken three times with no time on the clock, but it was too little too late and the Green Shirts left the pitch dejected while the African Champions enjoyed a deserved standing ovation from the capacity crowd.

Match Facts (South Africa v. Pakistan):

South Africa beat Pakistan 4-3 to end their 10-match winless streak in World Cup competition.
This is South Africa’s first WC win since 2002 when they beat Belgium 5-4 in the match for 13th place.
South Africa join Pakistan on three points in Pool B. India are also on three points but they are still to play England tonight.


Game 21 – England v. India: 3-2 (half-time: 1-0)

The marquis match of the day opposed England, still unbeaten in the competition after wins over Australia (3-2), South Africa (6-4) and Pakistan (5-2), to a an Indian outfit that gave hope to their whole country when they opened the World Cup with a decisive victory over arch-rivals Pakistan (4-1), only to fall to Australia (2-5) and Spain (2-5). The pundits were divided in the approach to take (more individual runs? More dribbles one-on-one? More passes?) but the crowd certainly did not worry about these technicalities and was cheering unconditionally for their heroes.

The first chance was for Sandeep SINGH on penalty-corner but his low flick did not fool the English runners. He has been harshly criticized by the powerful local media for his poor shows in defense and his inefficiency on penalty-corners, the main reason he is on the team. India committed the same basic defensive mistake as against Spain, leaving James TINDALL unmarked on the far post to quietly deflect a hard pass from Nick CATLIN in the 16th minute. Shivendra SINGH, back in the team after serving a two-game suspension for an incident against Pakistan, arrived on his own at the top of the circle, but English keeper James FAIR was waiting for him and showed his class by pushing the attacker aside until his retreating defenders could take charge of him.

Shivendra SINGH scrambled another chance a few minutes later, hurrying too much his shot. Meanwhile, the European Champions were playing their collective game with poise and speed, both in defense and counter-attack. They defended another penalty-corner successfully, this time with BHARAT officiating and they went into the break with a meager, but precious, one-goal lead.

Second period started in a corrida atmosphere, with feet stomping, flag waving, chanting, shouting and cheering. To its credit and unlike in other sports and other parts of the world, the crowd was supporting its team enthusiastically but without any jeering for the English opponents, although there was understandably little applause when Ashley JACKSON, officiating in replacement of injured Richard MANTELL, slotted a penalty-corner out of reach of Adrian D'SOUZA in the 42nd minute.

Rajpal SINGH and Sarvanjit SINGH tried to save the nation with deep solitary runs, but England scored again in the 47th minute by Ashley JACKSON, increasing their lead to 3 goals. Pushed by the roaring crowd, the Indian forwards finally scored by Gurwinder Singh CHANDI deflecting from close range a hard cross from the right wing, then shortly after by Rajpal SINGH on the post to collect the ball at the conclusion of a superb Asian style counter-attack that started with a save by their keeper D'SOUZA.

The last ten minutes promised to be pure hell for England, with the whole Indian team in attack and the crowd acting as twelfth and even thirteenth player. England fought fiercely on every ball and managed to maintain their structure and strict individual marking. They got a reprieve when Sardar SINGH was showed a yellow card for a nasty tackle on Ashley JACKSON. The Indians were becoming totally desperate and unnecessarily rough and lost Gurbaj SINGH on another yellow card but nevertheless nearly equalized in the dying seconds of the match by Rajpal SINGH, missing a deflection tantalizingly close to the far post.

Match Facts (England v. India):

England beat India 3-2 to become the first team at Delhi 2010 to qualify for the semi-finals.
England have reached the semi-finals for the second time and for the first time since 1986 when they finished runners-up to Australia.
England have now won their last 7 WC matches.
Ashley Jackson’s 42nd minute PC goals marked the 150th goal for England in World Cup competition.
Jackson has now scored in each of England’s four matches at Delhi 2010.
India (-4), Pakistan (-6) and South Africa (-15) are all on three points from four matches, with one match to go in Pool B.


The Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010 continues on Sunday in Delhi when Korea face Canada, New Zealand meet Argentina and Germany conclude the day against The Netherlands.

For additional information, pictures, video clips, official game sheets, and more, please check the special FIH event site @ http://www.worldhockey.org/worldcup/.

Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010 (men) – Delhi, India
Results Day 7 - Saturday 6 March 2010

Australia v. Spain 2:0 (1:0)
AUS 20mn Luke DOERNER (PC) 1:0
AUS 60mn Glenn TURNER (FG) 2:0

South Africa v. Pakistan 4:3 (0:1)
PAK 6mn Rehan BUTT (FG) 0:1
RSA 38mn Gareth CARR (PC) 1:1
RSA 41mn Ian HALEY (FG) 2:1
RSA 46mn Taine PATON (FG) 3:1
RSA 54mn Marvin HARPER (FG) 4:1
PAK 68mn Muhammad IMRAN (PC) 4:2
PAK 70+mn Waseem AHMED (PC) 4:3

England v. India 3:2 (1:0)
ENG 16mn James TINDALL (FG) 1:0
ENG 42mn Ashley JACKSON (PC) 2:0
ENG 47mn Ashley JACKSON (FG) 3:0
IND 54mn Gurwinder Singh CHANDI (FG) 3:1
IND 57mn Rajpal SINGH (FG) 3:2

Pool Standings:
Pool A: 1) Netherlands 9 pts 2) Germany 7 pts 3) New Zealand 6 pts 4) Korea 4pts 5) Argentina 0 pt (-5) 6) Canada 0 pt (-13)
Pool B: 1) England 12 pts 2) Australia 9 pts 3) Spain 6 pts 4) India 3 pts (-4) 5) Pakistan 3 pts (-6) 6) South Africa 3 pts (-1


Korea keep last-four hopes alive

Korea have kept their hopes of a World Cup semifinal berth alive with a 9-2 rout of Canada.

Korea are very much in semifinal contention after drubbing Canada 9-2 on Sunday at Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Jong Hyun Jang scored a hat-trick while Hyo Sik You and Hyun Nam Woo netted two each. Nam Yong Lee and Sung Hoon Yoon also joined the party with a goal each to make sure Phillip Wright's brace for Canada was just a formality.

Korea were slow to get off the blocks and were happy to control the midfield. The 2009 Champions Trophy bronze medalists soon picked up pace and went ahead in the 23rd minute, when Nam scored off a penalty corner.

The Koreans, looking for their second win of the tournament, kept applying the pressure in search of a second. Their persistence finally paid off when Jang converted a penalty stroke late into the first half.

In stark contrast to the first half, the Koreans picked up early momentum after the breather. They scored thrice in the first six minutes to push the Canadians out of the game.

The first of these goals came in the 38th minute after Lee's shot was deflected in by a Canada defender. Yoon made it 4-0 in the 41st minute and Korea had a five-goal advantage in the very next minute, when You scored off a Jong Ho Seo cross.

Wright pulled a goal back for the North Americans in the 42nd minute, but Korea restored a five-goal advantage three minutes later. Jang flicked it into the Canadian net to score his second of the game.

The Koreans kept pushing forward in order to improve their goal difference but Wright reduced the deficit against the run of play, when he deflected in a Mark Pearson shot.

The Asian side attacked the hapless Canadians from both flanks and they made it 7-2 in the 61st minute, when Jang converted a penalty corner to complete his hat-trick.

Two minutes later You made a brilliant solo run down the right flank to heap more misery on the North Americans.

Nam scored his second goal of the match in the 67th minute to complete the rout for the Koreans.

The win leaves Korea in with a chance to make it to the semi-finals. Canada, who are yet to earn a point in this tournament, are already out of contention.

The Asians will be up against The Netherlands in their next game, while Canada take on Argentina on Tuesday.

Cricket News

Bat makers adopting new strategies

The indigenous bat manufacturers have now started joining hands with some of the foreign names to survive the competition.

Initially it were the local brands, which were promoted by the Indian players but gradually these indigenous brands lost grounds to the big names and money played a big role with the cricketers switching over, said Ramesh Chander Kohli of sports goods manufacturer 'BAS' in Jalandhar.

Sitting in his small first floor office amid sounds of bats and hockey sticks being made in the factory downstairs, Kohli lamented that times have changed a lot and now the big brands like MRF and Reebok have left almost no place for them to promote their products.

"Recently we have tied up with three players of South Africa, including Hashim Amla, who are playing with our brand 'BAS'. Three West Indian cricketers have also agreed to use our bats," Kohli said.

Not only BAS, two other popular brands 'Renson' and 'PROTOS' have also roped in some of the Indian and foreign cricketers to use their bats.

While some of the Sri Lankan players are using 'RANSON' brand, Indian spinner Amit Mishra is using the bat branded with 'PROTOS', manufactured by city-based F C Sondhi and Company.

Most of the bats used in the Indian sub-continent and Zimbabwe are actually manufactured indigenously as in many places bat making is a small-scale industry.

Meanwhile, manufacturers like Ranson Sports Industry (RSI) are taking a three-pronged strategy to survive the competition and increase their business.

The company is shifting their base from the unorganised area in Jalandhar to a leather complex -? an area designated for manufacturers, and is also adding new machineries from England.

Besides, five international cricketers including West Indian Dale Richards and Sachith Shanaka of Sri Lanka have also been roped up by RSI to endorse the brand.

Brand logos like MRF, Britannia and Hero Honda are not only finding places on the bats of Indian players, but other cricket playing countries are also familiar to these names.

But there is no mention about the people who manufacture the bats, which are used by the star batsmen.

"It's wonderful to return to India"

There's going to be an extra buzz when the IPL is held in India, said KKR' owner and Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.

The Indian Premier League II was held in South Africa last year.

"There's always a buzz in playing here and it's a wonderful feeling. The feeling one gets playing in front of 100,000 people at the Eden Gardens is incomparable," said Shah Rukh at a function to announce his franchise's continued partnership with Nokia India.

On replacing coach John Buchanan with another Australian Dav Whatmore, he said that communication with the players was the former's problem in the first two years.

"Buchanan was a good coach but we all partners took the decision to replace him in the team's interest. Communication with the players was his problem due to the language or age factor," he said.

Shah Rukh was optimistic about the team's chances in season 3 after it performed miserbly in the first two years.

"We will try to win the trophy this year. We have lots of promises to keep," the cine star said.

He hoped the stand-off between IPL authorities and the electronic news media.

Tennis News

Hantuchova reaches Monterrey final

Daniela Hantuchova booked her place in the Monterrey Open final before rain arrived to wash out the rest of the day's scheduled action.

Hantuchova, 26, is seeking her first WTA Tour title since beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Indian Wells final three years ago.

The former world number five, who is presently 24th in the WTA rankings, dropped the first set to her fellow Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova today but recovered to post a 4-6 6-3 6-0 victory.

Seeded second, Hantuchova has adopted the role of tournament favourite since Serbia's former world number one Jelena Jankovic made a first-round exit.

In the final she will play either 19-year-old Latvian Anastasija Sevastova - the player who knocked out Jankovic - or 18-year-old Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.

Sevastova and Pavlyuchenkova will play their semi-final tomorrow, ahead of the doubles final, with the singles final then closing the tournament.

United States keep hopes alive

USA kept their hopes of Davis Cup victory against Serbia alive with a crucial doubles win in the World Group tie in Belgrade.

The Americans had a terrible first day, with John Isner losing to Victor Troicki and Novak Djokovic beating Sam Querrey.

That put the pressure on Sunday's rubber, and for once they could not rely on renowned pair Bob and Mike Bryan.

Mike was absent with food poisoning so Bob teamed up with 6ft 9in Isner against doubles specialist Nenad Zimonjic and Janko Tipsarevic for the hosts.

In a very tight clash, the visitors came out on top in lengthy tie-breaks in the first and third sets and that ultimately proved crucial in a 7-6 (10/8) 5-7 7-6 (10/8) 6-3 victory.

Patrick McEnroe's team have been in the World Group since 1989 but they failed to reach the semi-finals for the first time in four years last season and defeat tomorrow would send them into a relegation clash.

In contrast, France gave notice of their intent by taking an unassailable 3-0 lead against Germany in Toulon.

Julien Benneteau and Michael Llodra wobbled in the third set against Christopher Kas and Philipp Kohlschreiber but recovered to triumph 6-1 6-4 1-6 7-5.

Benneteau was making his Davis Cup debut, and Llodra paid tribute to his partner.

The 29-year-old told www.daviscup.com: "He's good. He has a good spirit, that's the most important thing. When you play doubles, you have to be strong on the court - Julien proved he's a good guy on the court and a nice guy."

France will play either defending champions Spain or Switzerland in the quarter-finals, and it was Albert Costa's team that gained the ascendancy today.

A shock looked on the cards when Stanislas Wawrinka beat Nicolas Almagro yesterday but David Ferrer levelled the tie and today Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo beat Yves Allegro and Wawrinka 7-6 (10/8) 6-2 4-6 6-4 in Logrono.

The title holders now only need to win one of tomorrow's singles rubbers to reach the last eight.

David Nalbandian's last-gasp trip to Stockholm paid dividends as Argentina opened up a 2-1 lead over Sweden.

The former Wimbledon finalist only flew in on Thursday night after looking set to miss the tie with a leg injury, and he teamed up with Horacio Zeballos for a 6-2 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/5) win over Robin Soderling and Robert Lindstedt.

It was Nalbandian's first appearance in the competition since the 2008 final.

The Czech Republic secured victory over Belgium without dropping a set as yesterday's singles winners Tomas Berdych and Radek Stepanek teamed up to defeat Steve Darcis and Olivier Rochus 7-6 (7/0) 6-0 6-3.

Croatia also wrapped things up against Ecuador with a day to spare in Varazdin. As they had in singles, Ivo Karlovic and Marin Cilic proved too strong for brothers Nicolas and Giovanni Lapentti, winning 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 7-5.

India kept their hopes alive as top doubles players Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes easily saw off Russia's Teimuraz Gabashvili and Igor Kunitsyn 6-3 6-2 6-2.

India must now win both tomorrow's singles clashes in Moscow to complete an unlikely turnaround.

In the final match between Chile and Israel, which was delayed by a day because of the massive earthquake in the South American country last week, Nicolas Massu gave the hosts a 1-0 lead with a 4-6 6-2 6-2 6-4 victory over Dudi Sela.

Fernando Gonzalez then put Chile firmly in control of the tie in Coquimbo, coming from a set down to beat Harel Levy 2-6 6-3 6-4 6-4.

Golf News

Villagas moves clear at Palm Beach

Camilo Villegas will take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Honda Classic after maintaining his scoring with a 67.

The Colombian shared the lead with Anthony Kim at the start of play but, while the American Ryder Cup star struggled to three over par for his round, Villegas shot three under to move clear on 11 under.

Australia's Nathan Green shares second place with Vijay Singh on eight under, while American George McNeill equalled the best round of the day, 66, to join compatriot Matt Every at six under.

Villegas had shot back-to-back 66s on the first two days and continued his impressive form with birdies at the third, fourth, sixth and ninth on a blemish-free outward half.

He found it harder going after the turn, but counter-balanced bogeys at the 10th, 12th and 14th with birdies at 11 and 16 to give himself a more than useful cushion.

Kim's largely tidy round was ruined by two sets of miserable holes. Having birdied the third, he haemorrhaged three shots at the sixth and seventh with a double-bogey six followed by a bogey four.

Having regained his composure to birdie 11 and 13 and return to level par for his round, he then undid his good work by closing with three successive bogeys, including a horribly fluffed chip at the last, and is surely now out of the running at six shots back.

Green set off in great style with birdies at the first two holes and gained another shot at the seventh to make it an excellent front nine. A further birdie followed at 15 and his hitherto immaculate scorecard was only marred by a six at the par-five 18th.

Singh shrugged off the same fate as Kim at the sixth, a double bogey, and knocked in four birdies as a round of 69 left the Fijian well in contention.

Every failed to truly take advantage of his three birdies, scoring only one under, but McNeill made seven birdies to cancel out sixes at the sixth and 18th.

A nightmare back nine saw Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, nicely poised at five under at the start of the day, slip back after a 71. Out in 33, the Ryder Cup player dropped shots at 10 and 15 before a double-bogey at 16 and is a distant four under.

Two birdies in a solid if unspectacular round appeared to have boosted Englishman Paul Casey's challenge until a double-bogey five at the penultimate hole left him three under par, level with Swede Fredrik Jacobsen.

Rising star Rory McIlroy endured a terrible day, shooting five over, and only six players are now below him in the standings. He twice dropped shots on the front nine but came back to level par on each occasion - but bogeys at 14 and 17 sandwiched an horrendous six at the par-three 15th.

Padraig Harrington shot two over, managing just a solitary birdie at the 16th after three bogeys.

Further down the field there was disappointment for England's Oliver Wilson, who followed his opening 66 with a 73 to plummet down into a share of 23rd place.

Rory McIlroy moved to level par after a one-under 69, while Lee Westwood's 71 left him on the same mark.

Justin Rose and Padraig Harrington had rounds of 72 and 71, respectively, to be two over, while Sergio Garcia made the cut by just one shot after recovering well from his first-round 74 by going round in 69.

England's Greg Owen will have a free weekend though, after a 73 left him five over.

American Steve Flesch joined Owen in missing the cut, but the 42-year-old at least produced a gutsy 66 after yesterday's dismal 78 to progress to four over.

Kiradech leads in Malaysia

Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat put himself in prime position to win his first Asian Tour title.

The Thai snatched the joint third round lead with Welshman Rhys Davies at the Maybank Malaysian Open on Saturday.

Kiradech, 20, brilliantly birdied three of his last four holes for a four-under-par 68 and a three-day total of 11-under-par 205 at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club. Davies tied the Thai rising star with a battling 71, which included three birdies against a double bogey.

The final round of the US$2 million co-sanctioned Asian Tour and European Tour event is poised for a photo finish as two-time champion Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand (69), Soren Hansen of Denmark (69) and Koreans K.J. Choi (69) and Noh Seung-yul (67) are a shot back on 206.

Maybank Malaysian Open Leaderboard

The hefty Kiradech, a former junior world champion, nearly sank the first hole-in-one of the tournament when his six-iron tee shot on the 15th ended an inch behind the hole. Although disappointed to not win a car on offer, it sparked a stunning finish as he went on to birdie 17 and 18.

"My ball striking has been improving and that has played a part in my good performance. I missed a couple of putts on the back nine but I'm happy with the way I finished," said Kiradech.

"My highlight has to be the 15th hole. I almost won the car! I couldn't see where my tee shot ended but heard the crowd shouting and when I walked over I saw the ball was about an inch from the hole. If I had won the car, I would have driven it back to Thailand," added the Thai.

The big-hitting Kiradech hopes it will be third time lucky on Sunday as he has led twice previously going into the final round of an Asian Tour event, only to miss out on winning with the finish line in sight.

"It wasn't my day (then). So I need to learn from those experiences and hope it will be better than my last two attempts," said Kiradech, who returned early on Saturday to finish up four holes of his second round.

Davies, who played 25 holes on Saturday, rallied with two birdies on the front nine. After a double bogey on 10 which was a result of an errant drive into the water hazard, he fought back with a birdie on 17 and then missed a makeable birdie chance on the last for the outright lead.

"When you are playing well and making birdies, you don't feel so tired but when a double bogey comes along you feel pretty shattered," said Davies, who played on the Asian Tour in the last two seasons and won twice on the European Challenge Tour last year.

"It's good pressure. If I shoot the best score tomorrow then I win. That's a good thing. There are a number of great players up there so it is up to me to worry about my own game and try not to worry about them. If I score lower than them then I will come out on top," he added.

Vying for a third Maybank Malaysian Open title, reigning Asian Tour number one Thongchai mixed his card with five birdies against two bogeys to return with a 69 and was relishing the opportunity to win a record-equaling third Malaysian Open victory.

"It was hard work, a long day. I came back for two holes this morning. I need to rest up tonight and tomorrow, and get ready. I'll aim to play better tomorrow. I enjoyed it and had a good game plan. It was a bit hard as the pins were quite tough on the back nine but it was a good round. I'm pretty close now and I'm looking forward to tomorrow," said the former paratrooper.

Choi, aiming for a unique Malaysian double after his victory in the Iskandar Johor Open last October, was delighted to be in contention after firing five birdies against two bogeys.

"I put myself in a good position for the final round. I like where I am at. Yesterday and today, I just sweated so much and I feel weary now. Tomorrow, I just need to overcome the heat for one more day and try to close it out," said Choi.

Malaysia's M. Sasidaran returned a 74 for a 216 total in tied 44th place while compatriot Danny Chia shot a 78 to slip back to equal 72nd position.

Leading third round scores

205 - Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA) 68-69-68, Rhys Davies (WAL) 65-69-71
206 - Noh Seung-Yul (KOR) 69-70-67, K.J. Choi (KOR) 67-70-69, Thongchai Jaidee (THA) 66-71-69, Soren Hansen (DEN) 70-67-69
207 - Johan Edfors (SWE) 69-69-69, Alejandro Canizares (ESP) 67-69-71
208 - Ignacio Garrido (ESP) 65-72-71
209 - Rahil Gangjee (IND) 68-75-66, Danny Willett (ENG) 72-69-68, Soren Kjeldsen, (DEN) 71-70-68, Scott Barr (AUS) 68-71-70, Kim Dae-Hyun (KOR) 66-73-70, Angelo Que (PHI) 70-67-72
210 - Fredrik Andersson Hed (SWE) 77-65-68
211 - Wu Ashun (CHN) 73-70-68
212 - Niclas Fasth (SWE) 69-73-70, Thaworn Wiratchant (THA) 70-72-70, Lu Wei-Chih (TPE) 74-70-68, Daniel Chopra (SWE) 71-70-71, Terry Pilkadaris (AUS) 73-71-68, Peter Lawrie (IRL) 69-72-71, Jason Knutzon (USA) 73-67-72

Football News

Ancelotti: Milan win almost impossible

AC Milan have a mountain to climb in their Champions League clash against Man United, having lost 3-2 at the San Siro in the first leg.

Their former coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has faith that Milan can put in a good performance, but says that it will take a monumental effort to come away with the win at Old Trafford.

"[Milan] will believe in achieving anything, even something on the limits of impossibility," Ancelotti told Tuttosport.

Roma coach Claudio Ranieri shared a similar assessment in his interview, stating that Sir Alex Ferguson is experienced enough to weather what the Rossoneri may throw at him.

"He will not play all-out attack to win. You'll see that he will wait for the right moment to deliver the knock-out blow. Milan will have to play the perfect game to get past Old Trafford," he said to Il Giornale.

Ferguson hails Old Trafford

Sir Alex Ferguson has reflected on his time with Man United and chose his best moments at Old Trafford ahead of the clash against AC Milan.

The Manchester United boss took up his position as manager in 1986 and never looked back, winning 34 trophies and becoming English football's longest-tenured tactician.

"Old Trafford is a special place on European nights, when the stadium's full, the floodlights are on and the fans are up for it," he told United's official website.

"It's an enormous lift to the players when the fans are really behind them - the Barcelona semi-final in 2008 is a great example."

The 68-year-old can still remember his first game with United and his home debut at Old Trafford.

"My first two matches as manager had been away from home, to Oxford United and Norwich City, so it was towards the end of November when I had my first game at Old Trafford [against Queens Park Rangers]," he added.

"We won 1-0, John Sivebaek scored from a free-kick in the first half and we should have maybe won by more.

"But getting my first win was the important thing. You certainly want to win your first home game, that's for sure.

"I don't think there was a big crowd at Old Trafford that day, but I was given a good reception by the supporters, I'll always remember that."

The Red Devils boss has sat through numerous goals at the 'Theatre of Dreams', and recalls one more than any other.

"My favourite goal at Old Trafford was the one Paul Scholes scored against Panathinaikos in 2000, when the team strung together 32 passes."

"I always remember a famous goal that Leeds United scored against Southampton with something like 38 passes, but the finish was nothing like Scholesy's.

"He chipped the goalkeeper from about 16 yards, it was fantastic. It was a special goal."

United's chief executive David Gill also loves the atmosphere of Old Trafford during a European game.

"I really enjoy Champions League nights here," he added.

"I think what sets them apart is people coming here after a day at work, perhaps after a visit to the pub so they have a drink or two inside them."

"It's also great to play against teams and players who you don't regularly see in the Premier League."