Life's about following the drum

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 10:47 AM

Chennai, March 14 -- Sivamani seems to be tireless. The drummer and his band performed at a Shiva temple located around 185 km from here till 4 am on Sunday. He returned to the city, caught some sleep and was at Chepauk by 2 pm to test the sound equipment at the stadium before Chennai Super Kings' first match in IPL-III. "It's great, awesome, to play in stadiums," the team's principal cheerleader told HT as he got ready for the evening's performance. "I really missed India last time (IPL-II). Of course, we were rocking in South Africa, but there will be more energy here," Sivamani said. Sivamani says he started going to cricket matches as a fan of the Indian team. "But my hands wouldn't be quiet." So he started bringing in small drums and the crowd loved his music. Later, India Cements, the company that owns Super Kings, recognised his connect with fans and made him the cheerleader of the team. "Last night I was in a holy place, Thiruvannamalai. It was Shivaratri and my band, Shanti, performed inside the temple the whole night, till 4 am. It was a magical experience. The temple was packed with devotees and not one of them moved. I was drawing energy from Lord Shiva," the drummer said. Ask him about his favourite Super Kings cricketers and Sivamani mentions Matthew Hayden and "of course, Dhoni".

Source: Web Search

Alonso off to perfect start

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 10:23 AM

Fernando Alonso won Sunday's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix to lead a Ferrari 1-2 on his debut for the Italian Formula One team. The Spaniard passed team mate Felipe Massa at the second corner after the start before overtaking pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel on the 34th lap for a lead he would never relinquish.

After two frustrating years at Renault, Alonso pounded his chest after jumping on top of his car as Ferrari got off to its best start since 2004 - when Schumacher led a 1-2 start.

Massa passed Vettel soon after to claim second on his return to racing after a life-threatening crash last July in Hungary. Lewis Hamilton overtook Vettel at the same spot as the McLaren driver finished third ahead of his Red Bull opponent. Nico Rosberg was more than 40 seconds behind Alonso in fifth place. Mercedes teammate Michael Schumacher was sixth in his first race in three years.

Short debut for Karun

HRT's Karun Chandhok's F1 debut didn't last even two laps, but Vitantonio Liuzzi's ninth-place finish earned Force India two invaluable points from the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Team mate Adrian Sutil's 10th place on the starting grid had raised Force India hopes for a good finish. The German driver, however, dropped out of the points race after an opening lap scramble to eventually finish 12th.

Source: Web Search

Beckham set to miss World Cup over Achilles injury

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 10:07 AM

London, March 15 (DPA) England's David Beckham is set to miss this summer's World Cup finals after suffering a serious Achilles injury Sunday.

The 34-year-old, who was hoping to play in his fourth World Cup, was injured while playing for AC Milan against Chievo and will now go to Finland Monday for surgery.

'A rupture of the Achilles tendon is suspected,' AC Milan said in a statement.

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said England's most-capped outfield player, with 11 caps, will be out for 'probably five or six months', but also offered him hope for the future.

'I saw him and he was suffering,' Galliani said. 'In the dressing room, I took him in my arms and told him that if he wanted, he will be with us next year.'

Milan coach Leonardo said: 'Beckham's injury makes us feel terrible. He understood immediately that he had torn his Achilles tendon.

'He is an extraordinary guy and today's game proves it yet again. I cannot enjoy this evening considering this serious injury.'

Ignazio Abate, his Milan teammate, said Beckham was struggling to cope with the news.

'He's not doing well,' Abate said. 'He was in tears in the dressing room, he wasn't saying a lot. This has affected us all.'

Source: Web Search

Tiger Woods return date should be known soon - PGA chief

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 09:47 AM

Tiger Woods is expected to let the PGA Tour know soon when he will return to action, Tour commissioner Tim Finchem said on Sunday.

Media speculation has linked the world number one with a return before or for the U.S. Masters in early April.

"I'm as excited everybody else to see him back, I hope it's this spring, but my sense is we'll know pretty soon," Finchem told NBC television on Sunday.

"All of the speculation (is) about what is going to happen at the end of March, I think if he's going to play at the end of March or early April, we will hear pretty soon because he recognizes we need time to do it," he added.

American Woods is currently on an "indefinite break" from golf following the much publicised scandals surrounding his extra-marital affairs.

Woods spoke to the media last month in Ponte Vedra, Florida and was expected to announce a return date but the 14-times major winner said only that he did "not rule out" coming back this year.

The golfer has been working on his game recently while reports have speculated on whether he will come back in March for a warm-up prior to the U.S Masters or go straight into the event on April 5.

Finchem said he was glad that the public's focus had shifted from the details of the scandal towards Woods's return.

"Everybody is done looking back at the circumstances that resulted in him stepping away from the game and (are) now focused on when he is going to play golf. I think that is good," he said.

"It is going to be huge when he comes back and then we'll see how. It's going to be an interesting thing to watch, how he re-enters the game, how he plays, how he deals with the reaction to his statement," added Finchem.

"But I do feel this huge change in the atmosphere because of what he said and I was impressed not only about him talking about personal issues but about him talking about the game.

"I thought he set the bar for himself and we all know what happens when Tiger sets the bar for himself," said Finchem.

Source: Web Search

Team by team analysis of Bahrain Grand Prix

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 09:27 AM

Team by team analysis of the season-opening Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix on Sunday (teams in current championship order):

-

FERRARI (Fernando Alonso 1, Felipe Massa 2)

Alonso won on his Ferrari debut, starting third and taking his first win since 2008 and 22nd of his career. He also clocked the fastest lap. Massa, returning after suffering life-threatening injuries last July, was overtaken by his team mate at the start but finished runner-up to seal the team's first one-two since 2008. Ferrari have now won four of the seven Bahrain Grands Prix.

-

MCLAREN (Lewis Hamilton 3, Jenson Button 7)

Hamilton moved up from fourth on the grid, benefiting from Vettel's engine trouble. The 2008 champion spent much of the early part of the race stuck behind Mercedes' Rosberg after the German got ahead at the start. Hamilton regained the place in the pitstop. Button was overly careful with the tyres but jumped Red Bull's Webber at the pitstop.

-

MERCEDES (Nico Rosberg 5, Michael Schumacher 6)

Schumacher made his comeback after three years out and at the age of 41 but was still beaten by his much younger compatriot, who ended up in the same position that he started. Both made only one pitstop. Rosberg chased down Vettel in the closing laps but could not get past.

-

RED BULL (Sebastian Vettel 4, Mark Webber 8)

Vettel led from pole position for more than two thirds of the race before suffering an engine problem that cost him the team's fourth successive win. Webber lost out at the first corner and suffered a sticking front tyre at his stop.

-

FORCE INDIA (Vitantonio Liuzzi 9, Adrian Sutil 12)

Force India scored points from race one for the first time, thanks to the new scoring system. Liuzzi was last in the points in 2007. Sutil spun to the back of the pack at the start after smoke from Webber's car clouded his vision. He then posted the second fastest lap of the race.

-

WILLIAMS (Rubens Barrichello 10, Nico Hulkenberg 14)

Hulkenberg lost places when he swerved off to avoid another car early on and damaged his car when he spun a few laps later. Barrichello had hoped for more.

-

RENAULT (Robert Kubica 11, Vitaly Petrov retired)

Kubica spun after being hit by Sutil at the start, damaging the rear tyres which then overheated. He completed the rest of the race on the harder tyres. Otherwise, he felt he would have been very competitive. Petrov, the first Russian in Formula One, was 11th after the first lap but ran wide over a kerb and damaged the right front suspension. He retired in the pits.

-

TORO ROSSO (Jaime Alguersuari 13, Sebastien Buemi 16)

Alguersuari ticked another circuit off the list of ones to learn, but a low qualifying slot was too much to overcome. Buemi had a lot of wheelspin at the start.

-

LOTUS (Heikki Kovalainen 15, Jarno Trulli 17)

Lotus were the only new team to finish the race. Trulli had a hydraulics problem in the closing stages and had to slow to get to the finish. Kovalainen reported no problems.

-

BMW SAUBER (Pedro de la Rosa and Kamui Kobayashi retired)

Both drivers retired with hydraulics problems, De la Rosa on lap 29 after losing several places at the start and Kobayashi on lap 12. The Japanese had first lost power steering.

-

HRT (HISPANIA) (Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok retired)

The highlight of the team's race was a visit from King Juan Carlos of Spain before the start. Both cars started from the pitlane. Chandhok, who first drove the car in qualifying, retired on lap two (only his fifth in total in the car) when he hit a bump and went off. Senna lasted longer and pitted on lap 12 before the radiator leaked all its water.

-

VIRGIN RACING (Timo Glock and Lucas di Grassi retired)

Di Grassi pulled over after three laps after losing hydraulic pressure. Glock diced with the Lotuses for a while but then lost third and fifth gears. He retired in the pits.

Source: Web Search

Robles wins rapid hurdles, Tamgho sets record

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 09:07 AM

Cuban outdoor world record-holder Dayron Robles won a speedy 60 metres hurdles final to share the world indoor championships spotlight with a faltering Yelena Isinbayeva and Frenchman Teddy Tamgho on Sunday.

Robles equalled the third-fastest 60 metres hurdles of all-time with his run of 7.34 seconds for a photo-finish win over Terrence Trammell, who was two-hundredths of a second behind to tie the American record.

"The world indoor record (Briton Colin Jackson's 7.30 in 1994) will fall one day," said Robles, whose best time is 7.33 seconds.

"I am as excited as breaking the world (outdoor) record," the Olympic 110 metres hurdles champion added.

American David Oliver took third and Chinese defending champion Liu Xiang, who continues to recover from Achilles surgery, was seventh.

SECOND FAILURE

Isinbayeva left the championships perplexed after unexpectedly crashing out of a second consecutive global championship without a medal.

"I really do not know what happened," said the 2008 Olympic champion and world record holder, who failed three times at 4.75 metres after opening successfully at 4.60.

"Maybe I was too tired emotionally," said Isinbayeva. "I hope in the summer world records will come (again).

Brazilian Fabiana Murer claimed the gold at 4.80 metres, a mark Russian silver medallist Svetlana Feofanova also cleared.

Isinbayeva was fourth behind Polish outdoor world champion Anna Rogowska.

Tamgho, just 20, provided the shock of the three-day meeting with his world record leap of 17.90 metres on his final triple jump.

"I knew I had it in me because last year in Bercy I had a foul close to 18 metres," the former world junior champion said.

"Today, I thought if I won, it would be around 17.60 metres. But after the Cuban (Yoandri Betanzos) jumped 17.69, I had to react."

Betanzos finished second and compatriot David Girat was third.

Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat also set a mark of distinction, winning his second 3,000 metres title six years after the first.

His time of seven minutes 37.97 seconds made him the oldest man to win a world indoor championships gold medal.

"My kids woke up at 7 a.m in the morning to watch their daddy," Lagat said. "So I needed to show them something."

Source: Web Search

Donovan hails Everton 'life experience' on MLS return

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 08:49 AM

American forward Landon Donovan returned home to LA Galaxy on Sunday having made a lasting impression at Premier League side Everton.

The Major League Soccer favourite completed a 10-week loan spell on Merseyside which brought two goals in 13 games and ignited a crucial up-turn in form for manager David Moyes's side.

"I'm 28 years old now and I've played over 100 times for my country, I've also played a lot of league games in different parts of the world. But I've never met a fan-base like this," Donovan said.

Donovan, who had a less successful loan stint in Germany with Bayern Munich last year, joined in January an injury-hit Everton side struggling for victories.

The U.S. international's arrival coincided with just two league defeats and shock wins over Chelsea and champions Manchester United and he left the club in ninth place in the table.

"Playing and beating Chelsea and Manchester United within the space of a week will be something I will always remember," he told evertonTV.

"I don't think any other American has had the opportunity to do that and there aren't many other players in the world who get to play against and beat those two teams."

Donovan's impressive form encouraged Moyes to try and extend his loan period without success and the U.S. record goalscorer will return home before the start of the MLS season on March 27.

Donovan's last appearance came as a substitute in Saturday's 2-2 draw at Birmingham City but it will be the previous week's 5-1 demolition of Hull City that stays with him.

"The send-off from the fans after the Hull City game was one of the most incredible experiences of my life..." he said.

"I was talking to my dad and I was saying that I wished he could have been here against Hull City, just to see the reception after the game, because it was something I've never experienced and I'm not sure I ever will again.

"Forget about football for a moment, this is a life experience I'll never forget."

Source: Web Search

Poor start did us in: Dhoni

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 01:37 AM

Chennai, Mar 15 (PTI) Chennai Super Kings skipper M S Dhoni attributed tonight''s defeat against Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League match to the jolts they suffered in the start of the innings. Sri Lankan paceman Chaminda Vaas unsettled Chennai innings by taking three quick wickets. Chennai were chasing a total of 191 but all they could manage was 159 for nine. "When you chase 190, you want a good start but we lost early wickets. And if you lose early wickets, it becomes difficult for other batsmen to chase. "It all depended on the start, that we are capable of getting. Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina being the big hitters in top of order followed by Justin Kemp and Albie Morkel. We could have got those runs," Dhoni said after the match. Dhoni was not happy with fast bowlers, who were hit round the park in the clash. "In the practice sessions during the last ten days, all the bowlers did well and were accurate. This game, may be the pressure got in to them. Hopefully, they will convert what they are doing in the practice games in the reminder of the matches," he said. He though was satisfied with the show of his spinners and lavished praise on rival batsmen Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs, who lifted Deccan out of pits with their 95-run stand. More PTI RE AT

Source: Web Search

Sixth place as good as it gets for Schumacher

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 12:47 AM

Michael Schumacher strapped himself back into a Formula One car in the desert heat on Sunday to subject himself to the sort of ordeal that would wither men half his age.

He said he enjoyed it.

The seven times world champion, kicking off his comeback with Mercedes at the age of 41 and after three years away, laboured for one hour and 40 minutes to finish sixth in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix -- a gain of one place from where he started.

If he was in any way disheartened, after all the hype of returning with a team that won the championship last year under the name of his friend and team boss Ross Brawn, it was not apparent.

"It was a lot of fun, my start was quite good, everything worked well. I had some concerns before but the race was not very exhausting for me," said the German.

Mercedes F1 team managing director Nick Fry backed that up.

"Michael is in great spirits. He's obviously enjoyed himself and I think that's the main thing," he told reporters.

"He came back because he knew he enjoyed racing in the past and I think he's confirmed that he's going to enjoy racing in the future.

"I think for us that's the most encouraging thing. He looks fresh as a daisy, as he did in the past," added Fry.

"As usual he and Ross are sitting in a lengthy engineering meeting developing a list of things to do so I think it's a bit like old times."

If only that were true. Schumacher, who last raced with Ferrari in 2006, said plenty had changed since then with the ban on refuelling and the different tyres taking some time to get used to.

With little overtaking, and none of the controversial skirmishes that have punctuated Schumacher's career since his debut in 1991, the great German had a quiet afternoon apart from the sun getting in his eyes towards the end.

"After the start, which was exciting, it was sort of what we expected from the new rules," he said. "You have some fights at the beginning and then it stops.

"The one stop (for tyres) brings a little bit of movement but not much, and then it's nearly impossible to overtake...you have to get used to it."

Brawn recognised that Mercedes, who took over his team after last season, had work to do to catch up with his and Schumacher's old employers Ferrari.

"We were not quick enough today and our race pace was not there to finish further up the field and challenge for a podium position," he said.

"We have some hard work ahead but I am confident that we can progress the car strongly in the next few races."

Source: Web Search

IPL Scoreboard: Deccan Chargers vs. Super Kings

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 12:37 AM

Chennai, March 15 (IANS) The following is the scoreboard of an Indian Premier League match between Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings here Sunday:

Deccan Chargers:

Adam Gilchrist b Ashwin 38 (17b, 3 x 6, 4 x 4)

VVS Laxman (run out - Raina/Dhoni) 12 (11b, 2 x 4)

Herschelle Gibbs (run out - Morkel) 45 (36b, 1 x 6, 5 x 4)

Andrew Symonds (run out - Hayden) 50 (43b, 3 x 6, 3 x 4)

Rohit Sharma (not out) 19 (10b, 1 x 6, 2 x 4)

Tirumalasetti Suman (not out) 10 (5b, 2 x 4)

Extras (b-2, lb-3, w-9, nb-2): 19

Total (for 4 wkts, 20 overs): 190

Fall of wickets: 1-55 (Gilchrist, 4.4); 2-55 (Laxman, 4.5); 3-150 (Gibbs, 17.2); 4-160 (Symonds, 18.1).

Bowling: Albie Morkel 4-0-41-0 (1w); Sudeep Tyagi 1.5-0-39-0 (2nb); Muttiah Muralitharan 4-0-28-0 (4w); Ravichandran Ashwin 4-0-26-1 (2w); Lakshmipathy Balaji 4-0-36-0 (1w); Justin Kemp 2.1-0-15-0 (1w).

Chennai Super Kings:

Murali Vijay b Vaas 03 (6b)

Matthew Hayden c RP Singh b Vaas 17 (11b, 2 x 6)

Suresh Raina c Gilchrist b Vaas 06 (3b, 1 x 4)

Subramaniam Badrinath c RP Singh b Ojha 05 (12b, 1 x 4)

Justin Kemp st Gilchrist b Ojha 22 (16b, 1 x 6, 1 x 4)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni b Symonds 42 (29b, 2 x 6, 3 x 4)

Albie Morkel (not out) 42 (26b, 3 x 6, 1 x 4)

Ravichandran Ashwin c RP Singh b Rohit Sharma 0 (1b)

Lakshmipathy Balaji c Anirudh Singh b RP Singh 15 (10b, 1 x 6, 1 x 4)

Muttiah Muralitharan lbw Symonds b 01 (2b)

Sudeep Tyagi (not out) 03 (4b)

Extras (w-3): 3

Total (for 9 wkts, 20 overs): 159.

Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Vijay, 2.1); 2-18 (Raina, 2.4); 3-31 (Hayden, 4.1); 4-32 (Badrinath, 5.3); 5-70 (Kemp, 9.6); 6-108 (Dhoni, 14.6); 7-115 (Ashwin, 15.3); 8-136 (Balaji, 17.5); 9-137 (18.1).

Bowling: Chaminda Vaas 4-1-21-3; Rohit Sharma 4-0-27-1; RP Singh 3-0-30-1 (2w); Pragyan Ojha 4-0-28-2; Jaskaran Singh 1-0-16-0; Thirumalasetti Suman 1-0-8-0; Andrew Symonds 3-0-29-2.

Source: Web Search

Rooney rules Old Trafford on landmark afternoon

Published>Mon, Mar 15 10 12:27 AM

Wayne Rooney scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season to lead Manchester United to a 3-0 home win over Fulham on Sunday that nosed the champions back ahead in the Premier League title race.

United officials buried a time capsule near the tunnel before kickoff to mark 100 years at Old Trafford and Rooney etched his name deeper into the club's rich fabric with another unstoppable display.

The England striker could well surpass the 42 goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2007-08 season.

On a day when United laboured to answer victories for Chelsea and Arsenal which had dropped them down to third, Rooney provided the spark with a performance that illustrated why England's World Cup hopes rest so heavily on his shoulders.

His instinctive first goal, 30 seconds into the second half, punctured Fulham's resistance and his second with six minutes remaining settled a few jitters against a dogged London side for whom Bobby Zamora fluffed two great chances.

To cap his afternoon Rooney's raking pass instigated a move that ended with Dimitar Berbatov adding a third goal as United, bidding for a fourth consecutive title, moved to 66 points with eight games remaining, two ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal.

In Sunday's other match, fifth-placed Manchester City needed a superb stoppage-time equaliser by Adam Johnson to earn a 1-1 draw at Sunderland which left them two points behind Tottenham Hotspur in the battle for fourth spot.

SLOW START

Rooney devastated AC Milan in midweek but hardly got a kick during the opening 20 minutes at Old Trafford as Fulham stifled the home side, although he did burst into life with a snap shot that was well saved by Mark Schwarzer.

Fulham, beaten in the Europa League by Juventus on Thursday, could have taken the lead when Zamora left United's central defensive duo of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic for dead but his attempted lob cleared the crossbar.

A frustrated Rooney went off at halftime complaining about a penalty that was not awarded but he lifted the mood straight after the re-start when he found space in a congested area to beat Schwarzer with a side-foot finish.

Zamora wasted another chance by delaying too long when clean through, allowing Vidic to make a block, and shortly afterwards Rooney sealed the points with a sweeping right-foot finish after great wing play by Berbatov.

Berbatov then headed in a Park Ji-sung cross to reach double figures for the season.

A rip-roaring second half at the Stadium of Light saw Manchester City lay siege to the home goal as they sought to make amends for a dismal opening 45 minutes in which Kenwyne Jones headed Sunderland in front.

Sunderland keeper Craig Gordon made several outstanding saves but could do nothing when Johnson curled a left-foot shot into the top corner just past the 90-minute mark.

City have 50 points from 28 games with Tottenham on 52 from 29. Liverpool (48) and Aston Villa (46) are also in the mix for Champions League qualification.

Sunderland stayed 14th, seven points clear of the relegation zone.

Source: Web Search

Deccan record first win, outplay Chennai by 31 runs

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 12:11 AM

R Eshwar Chennai, Mar 14 (PTI) Chaminda Vaas (3/21) ripped apart the Chennai Super Kings'' top-order after Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs sparkled with the bat as Deccan Chargers beat the hosts by 31 runs to score their first win in the Indian Premier League here today. Symonds (50) and Gibbs (45) weaved together a crucial 95-run partnership for the third wicket to lift Chargers to a handsome 190 for four. Skipper Adam Gilchrist (38), at the top, and Rohit Sharma (19), down the order, also contributed in decorating Deccan innings after electing to bat. The defending champions then restricted Chennai for 159 for nine at M A Chidmabaram stadium. Skipper MS Dhoni (42) and Albie Morkel (42) were joint top scorers for the hosts. Chennai never recovered from the early blows landed on them by Vaas, who yet again gave his side a super start by ripping through hosts top order. Pragyan Ojha (2/28) and Symonds (2/29) took two wickets apiece as their contribution in team''s win. The Sri Lanka paceman dismissed Murali Vijay (3) and Suresh Raina (6) in his second over and returned to get rid of dangerous Matthew Hayden (17). They had hardly settled that Ojha sent back S Badrinath (5) to leave Chennai innings in tatters at 32 for our. More PTI RE AT

Source: Web Search

World Cup hopeful Lennon still way off making a return

Published Mon, Mar 15 10 12:05 AM

Aaron Lennon's World Cup hopes are in the balance after Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp said the England winger was still five weeks away from a return.

Lennon, whose form up until December appeared to have cemented his place in Fabio Capello's squad, is making slow progress in his recovery from a groin injury.

"I hope he's going to be okay. I hope he'll play for us before the end of the season. He's desperate to get fit," Redknapp told the BBC on Sunday.

"It must be frustrating for Aaron. We just can't get him right. He's been back to the specialist. We're taking our time again, building up his strength in the groin area.

"He could suddenly see a bit of light and come back and if he does then he could be ready (for the World Cup). Four or five weeks, we'll have to wait and see."

Lennon last played on Dec. 28.

Source: Web Search

Robles edges Trammell for 60 hurdles title

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 11:47 PM

Cuba's Olympic champion Dayron Robles equalled the third fastest 60 metres hurdles of all time when he clocked 7.34 seconds to pip American Terrence Trammell to victory at the world indoor championships on Sunday.

Trammell was second in 7.36 seconds, to equal the U.S. record, and compatriot David Oliver was third.

China's Liu Xiang, champion two years ago, finished seventh in 7.65 seconds and was hobbling noticeably after the race. He continues to recover from Achilles problems that put him out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Struggling Russian pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva finished out of the medals after failing three times at 4.75 metres.

The Olympic champion also faltered at last year's outdoor world championships when she did not clear a height in the final.

Brazil's Fabiana Murer won the competition with 4.80 metres. Russian Svetlana Feofanova took the silver at the same height and world outdoor champion Anna Rogowska was third with 4.70.

LAGAT TRIUMPHS

Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat won his second 3,000 metres title six years after the first with a stirring last lap.

Lagat, 35, surged past defending champion Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia with slightly more than a lap to go and handily won in seven minutes 37.97 seconds.

Spain's Sergio Sanchez took second in 7:39.55 with Kenyan Sammy Mutahi third.

Bekele, the brother of Ethiopian distance great Kenenisa Bekele, faded to fourth.

"My kids woke up at 7 a.m in the morning to watch their daddy," Lagat said. "So I needed to show them something."

The former double outdoor world champion thrust his right arm into the air in celebration more than 20 metres from the finish and repeated it again before crossing the line in his season's best time.

Jamaican Olympic 200 metres gold medallist Veronica Campbell Brown ran a lifetime best 7.00 seconds to claim the women's 60 metres. LaVerne Jones-Ferrette of the U.S. Virgin Islands was 0.03 behind and American Carmelita Jeter took third.

Belarus's Nadezhda Ostapchuk surprised New Zealand's Olympic and world champion Valerie Vili with a championship record 20.85 metres in the women's shot put. Vili, whose last defeat was to Ostapchuk in 2007, threw a national record 20.49 metres.

Source: Web Search

Rooney rules Old Trafford on landmark afternoon

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 10:47 PM

Wayne Rooney scored his 31st and 32nd goals of the season to lead Manchester United to a 3-0 home win over Fulham that nosed the champions back in front in the Premier League title race.

United officials buried a time capsule near the tunnel before Sunday's kickoff to mark 100 years at Old Trafford and Rooney etched his name ever deeper into the club's fabric with another unstoppable display.

At this rate the England striker could well surpass the 42 goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2007-8 season.

On a day when United laboured to answer the victories for Chelsea and Arsenal that had dropped them down to third, Rooney provided the spark with a display that illustrated why England's World Cup hopes rest so heavily on his shoulders.

His instinctive first goal, 30 seconds into the second half punctured Fulham's resistance and his second with six minutes remaining settled some jitters against a dogged London side for whom Bobby Zamora fluffed two great chances.

To cap his afternoon Rooney's raking diagonal pass then instigated a move that ended with Dimitar Berbatov adding a third goal in the final minute as United, bidding for a fourth consecutive title, moved to 66 points with eight games remaining, two points ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal.

SLOW START

Surprisingly Rooney hardly got a kick during the opening 20 minutes as Fulham stifled the home side although he did burst into life with a snap shot that was well saved by Mark Schwarzer.

Fulham, beaten in the Europa League by Juventus on Thursday, could have taken the lead when striker Bobby Zamora left United's central defensive duo of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic for dead but his attempted lob cleared the crossbar.

A frustrated Rooney went off at halftime complaining about a penalty that was not awarded but he lifted the mood straight after the re-start when he found space in a congested area to beat Schwarzer with a side-foot finish.

Zamora wasted another chance when he delayed too long when clean through, allowing Vidic to make a block and shortly afterwards Rooney sealed the points with a sweeping right-foot finish after great wing play by Berbatov.

Berbatov then headed in a Park-Ji sung cross to reach double figures for the season.

Later on Sunday, Manchester City face Sunderland as they continue their quest for a top-four finish.

Source: Web Search

Symo-Gibbs take Deccan to 190 for 4 after twin blows

Published Sun, Mar 14 10 10:37 PM

Chennai, Mar 14 (PTI) Andrew Symonds (50) and Hershelle Gibbs (45) weaved together a crucial 95-run partnership to lift Deccan Chargers to a competitive 190 for four against Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League match here today. Symonds, who scored his second IPL fifty, and Gibbs joined forced after Deccan had lost two quick wickets, albeit after a fiery start at M A Chidambaram stadium. The two batsman dug in and placed the defending champions to a position from where the can push for their first points. Both Symomds and Gibbs were run out in the fag end but Rohit Sharma (19 off 10) together with T Suman (10 off 5) finished the innings splendidly, taking 22 runs from the last over bowled by Sudeep Tyagi. Symonds''s 50-run knock came off 43 balls with three sixes and an equal number of boundaries while Gibbs took 36 balls for his 45 with the help of five fours and one six. Earlier, Deccan were off to a flying start on electing to bat with skipper Adam Gilchrist (38) and VVS Laxman putting on 55 for the first opening wicket within first five overs. Gilchrist was his usual destructive self and both the opening bowlers of the hosts -- Albie Morkel and Sudeep Tyagi were in for some really good punishment. Tyagi was hit for 19 runs in his first over with ball soaring twice over the ropes. Morkel was hit for two fours and a six in the next over as Deccan scored 41 runs from the first three overs. More PTI RE AT

Source: Web Search

Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy: Delhi beats Assam by 35 runs

Published Sun, Mar 14 10 10:27 PM

Indore, Mar 14 (PTI) A brilliant unbeaten 79 by Ankur Julka helped Delhi to beat Assam by 35 runs and enter the semifinal of the All India T20 cricket tournament for Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy at Usha Raje Cricket Ground here today. Delhi skipper Puneet Bisht won the toss in the quarter final match and opted to bat first. Julka justified the decision and score a classic 79 in 47 balls, while Puneet Mehra scored a brisk 35 in 21 balls. Skipper Bisht contributed 23 in 22 balls to help his team reach 170 for five in allotted 20 overs. In reply, Assam batsmen kept losing wickets at regular intervals and lost half their side for 99 before bundling out for 135 in 17.4 overs to lose the match by 35 runs. P Awana bowled well to capture three wickets for 20, while hero of the day was Farman Ahmed who captured four wickets for 25 in four overs to help Delhi sail into the last four.

Source: Web Search

Deccan Chargers set Chennai 191 to win

Published Sun, Mar 14 10 10:21 PM

Chennai, Mar 14 (PTI) Opting to bat, Deccan Chargers scored 190 for four against Chennai Super Kings in their Indian Premier League match at M A Chidambaram stadium here today. Brief Score: Deccan Chargers: 190 for four in 20 overs. (A Symonds 50, H Gibbs 45; A Gilchrist 38; R Ashwin 1/26)).

Source: Web Search

Isinbayeva fails, Lagat grabs second title

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 10:07 PM

Russia's pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva suffered more championship disappointment when she failed to clear 4.75 metres at the world indoors on Sunday.

Isinbayeva, who no-heighted at the world outdoor championships in Berlin last year, cleared 4.60 metres at the first attempt before missing out three times at her next height.

Kenyan-born American Bernard Lagat won his second 3,000 metres title six years after the first with a stirring last lap.

Lagat, 35, surged past defending champion Tariku Bekele of Ethiopia with slightly more than a lap to go and handily won in seven minutes 37.97 seconds.

Spain's Sergio Sanchez took second in 7:39.55 with Kenyan Sammy Mutahi third.

Bekele, the brother of Ethiopian distance great Kenenisa Bekele, faded to fourth.

"My kids woke up at 7 a.m in the morning to watch their daddy," Lagat said. "So I needed to show them something."

The former double outdoor world champion thrust his right arm into the air in celebration more than 20 metres from the finish and repeated it again before crossing the line in his season's best time.

Abubaker Kaki of Sudan retained his title in the men's 800, running 1:46.23 to Kenyan silver medallist Boaz Lalang's 1:46:39.

Twice world indoor champion Terrence Trammell posted the fastest 60 metres hurdles semi-final time, clocking 7.51 seconds. Cuban favourite Dayron Robles also was a heat winner.

Chinese defending champion Liu Xiang was the slowest qualifier for the final later Sunday. He finished second to Trammell in 7.68 seconds.

Source: Web Search

Kolkata Knight Riders registers 7-wicket victory over Royal Challengers

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 09:37 PM

Kolkata, Mar 14 (ANI): Kolkata Knight Riders registered a convincing win over Bangalore Royal challengers by beating them by 7 wickets at the home ground on Sunday evening.

With Sunday's win the Kolkata team completed two wins out of two, and is maintaining top position.

However, last IPL season's runners-up, Bangalore looked completely outplayed in all departments of the game on Sunday against Kolkata Knight Riders.

With Ganguly rotating his bowlers, boundaries dried up for the Challengers as Mathews, who was the Man of the match in their last match against Deccan Chargers, took two more wickets in Robin Uthappa (20) and Roelof van der Merwe (1) in his last over to emerge as the wrecker-in-chief.

The Bangalore team could only set a modest target 136 before the Knight riders and it was comfortably achieved by Kolkata team in 19.2 overs without much hiccups.

Tiwari (50) and Hodge (50) smashed half-centuries, providing their side a flying start with their 101-run stand.

Ganguly (23) played a handy knock then and almost won the game for his side before departing towards the end.

Shah (2*) and Pujara (5*) sealed the victory finally in the last over. Van der Merwe (2/27) and Kumar (1/16) bowled really well for Bangalore but unfortunately did not have enough runs on the board to defend. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Knight Riders score 7-wicket win over Royal Challengers

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 09:07 PM

Kolkata, March 14 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders produced an all-round performance to score a convincing seven-wicket victory over Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League at the Eden Gardens here Sunday.

After restricting Royal Challengers to 135 for seven, Knight Riders reached the target with four balls to spare, with openers Manoj Tiwari (50) and Brad Hodge (50) sharing a 101-run stand.

It has been a promising start for the Knight Riders, who finished at the bottom of the table last year. They have now beaten defending champions Deccan Chargers and runners-up Royal Challengers in successive matches.

In their first match against Deccan Chargers in Mumbai, Knight Riders had to fight back to win a close encounter. But in front of the huge local support Sunday, Knight Riders Sunday were clinical in their performance.

Knight Riders captain Sourav Ganguly's decision to put the opposition to bat was backed by the bowlers as they never allowed a partnership to flourish.

Sri Lankan Angelo Mathews took four wickets, giving away just 19 runs while left-arm spinner Murali Kartik took two for 22.

Jacques Kallis, opening the batting for Royal Challengers, made an unbeaten 65 off 52 balls with seven fours and a six. But with no support from the other end, they were quickly reduced to 35 for four.

Rahul Dravid (21) and Robin Uthappa (20) gave Kallis company for some time but both gave their wickets to Mathews.

Knight Riders made a good start to the chase with Hodge and Tiwary taking it away from the Royal Challengers.

The two combined to score 101 off 11.4 overs before Ganguly struck a 22-ball 23.

Tiwary took the attack to the opposition, hitting six fours and two sixes. Hodge played the role of a second fiddle, taking 45 balls for his half century that came with seven fours.

Though the match was stretched till the last over, the Knight Riders were in no real danger and comfortably crossed the victory line.

Source: Web Search

IPL Scoreboard: Royal Challengers vs. Knight Riders

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 08:37 PM

Kolkata, March 14 (IANS) The following is the scoreboard of an Indian Premier League match between Bangalore Royal Challengers and Kolkata Knight Riders here Sunday:

Bangalore Royal Challengers:

Jacques Kallis not out 65

Shreevats Goswami c Sharma b Langeveldt 8

Manish Pandey b Mathews 0

Virat Kohli c Mathews b Kartik 2

Eoin Morgan b Kartik 10

Rahul Dravid b Mathews 21

Robin Uthappa c Saha b Mathews 20

Roelof van der Merwe c Hodge b Mathews 1

Praveen Kumar not out 3

Extras: (b-1, lb-2, w-1, nb-1) 5

Total: (for seven wickets in 20 overs) 135

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Goswami, 2.6 overs), 2-17 (Pandey, 4.3), 3-20 (Kohli, 5.4), 4-35 (Morgan, 7.2), 5-73 (Dravid, 12.1), 6-110 (Uthappa, 17.3), 7-112 (van der Merwe, 17.6)

Bowling:

Charl Langeveldt 4 0 27 1

Ishant Sharma 4 0 27 0

Angelo Mathews 4 0 19 4

Murali Kartik 4 0 22 2

Brad Hodge 1 0 11 0

Sourav Ganguly 2 0 18 0

Rohan Gavaskar 1 0 8 0

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Brad Hodge c Pandey b van der Merwe 50

Manoj Tiwary c & b van der Merwe 50

Sourav Ganguly c Morgan b Kumar 23

Cheteshwar Pujara not out 5

Owais Shah not out 2

Extras: (lb-1, w-5) 6

Total: (for three wickets in 19.2 overs) 136

Fall of wickets: 1-101 (Tiwary, 11.4 overs), 2-112 (Hodge, 13.6), 3-133 (Ganguly, 18.2)

Bowling:

Praveen Kumar 4 0 16 1

Jacques Kallis 3 0 34 0

Dale Steyn 4 0 38 0

Anil Kumble 4 0 19 0

Roelof van der Merwe 4 0 27 2

Virat Kohli 0.2 0 1 0

Toss: Kolkata Knight Riders, who chose to field

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and Amiesh Saheba

TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (South Africa)

Source: Web Search

Gilchrist wins toss, Deccan to bat against CSK

Published Sun, Mar 14 10 08:27 PM

Chennai, Mar 14 (PTI) Deccan Chargers skipper Adam Gilchrist won the toss and opted to bat against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium here today. Deccan have fielded the same team that lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the season opener in Mumbai on Friday. Chennai are playing their first match of the third edition. Teams: Deccan Chargers: Adam Gilchrist (C), Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds, VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Anirudh Singh, T Suman, Jaskaran Singh, Chaminda Vaas, RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha. Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (C), Matthew Hayden, S Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Justin Kemp, Albie Morkel, Manpreet Gony, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sudeep Tyagi, L Balaji, R Ashiwn.

Source: Web Search

Knight Riders beat Royal Challengers by seven wickets

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 08:17 PM

Kolkata, March 14 (IANS) Kolkata Knight Riders beat Bangalore Royal Challengers by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League match at the Eden Gardens here Sunday.

Chasing 136 runs for victory, Knight Riders were given a flying start by their openers Brad Hodge and Manoj Tiwary, both scoring 50 runs.

Roelof van der Merwe took two wickets for 27 for Royal Challengers.

Source: Web Search

Alonso wins Bahrain season-opener on Ferrari debut

Published Sun, Mar 14 10 08:07 PM

Spain's Fernando Alonso won the season-opening Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix for Ferrari on Sunday.

Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa was second with Britain's Lewis Hamilton third for McLaren. Returning seven times world champion Michael Schumacher, making a comeback at the age of 41, was sixth for Mercedes.

Source: Web Search

Nadal sails through knee test to advance at Indian Wells

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 07:37 PM

Indian Wells (California), March 14 (DPA) Rafael Nadal made a confident start to his Indian Wells Masters title defence as the Spaniard returned to the courts after six weeks' break owing to a knee injury.

The third-seed Nadal beat German veteran Rainer Schuettler 6-4, 6-4 in just over 90 minutes, a reassuring workout for the knee that forced him to quit Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Murray in January.

Nadal's win was his fifth out of six meetings with Schuettler, with the Spaniard reaching the third round in windy conditions here Saturday.

'When I went to practise in the morning (it) was perfect conditions,' said Nadal. 'When I went on court, the weather completely changed. It was difficult to adapt.

'I started the match playing well. With the wind behind me, it was very difficult on the backhand. If I only touch the ball, it went out.

'But it was a good start with the conditions for me. I'm very happy.'

Nadal next faces Croatian Mario Ancic, whose comeback from glandular fever continued with a defeat of Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3.

Second-seeded Novak Djokovic, fresh from a Dubai title and a Serbian first-round Davis Cup win, needed to get through a roller-coaster win.

The Serb second seed defeated American Mardy Fish in a replay of their 2008 final, earning a 6-1, 0-6, 6-2 result.

No. 5 Nikolay Davydenko showed a recovery from the wrist injury that kept him from Davis Cup, defeating Delray Beach champion Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 6-4, 6-4.

The run of form from Croatian Marin Cilic was halted as the eighth seed fell to Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (7-1), 6-0.

Tenth seed Fernando Verdasco of Spain, who won the San Jose title last month, began his campaign with a defeat of Ramon Delgado 6-4, 6-1.

Spain's 11th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero, winner of two titles in the past month, crushed Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-3, 6-0 in just 50 minutes.

In women's play, top seed Svetlana Kuznetsova suffered an opening-match loss for the second straight year, with the Russian falling to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro 6-4, 4-6, 6-1.

The second-round upset took just under two hours, with two-time finalist Kuznetsova losing the last six points in a frustrating display.

'I feel like I'm fighting against myself, this is what I don't like,' said Kuznetsova. 'It's frustrating, because I know I have the game.

'I feel great, I practise, play unbelievable, and then get to the match and I don't do much. I just need more matches, that's it.'

Kuznetsova's best result in 2010 is the fourth round of the Australian Open, while number 42 Suarez Navarro reached the semi-finals in Acapulco.

Reigning French Open champion Kuznetsova never found the game that has taken her to a pair of Grand Slam titles, striking seven double-faults and losing serve six times.

There was better luck for other women's seeds at the joint ATP-WTA event in the desert.

No. 3 Ukrainian Victoria Azarenka overwhelmed Austrian Sybille Bammer 6-1, 7-5, while sixth-seeded former number one Jelena Jankovic beat Croatian Petra Martic 6-3, 7-6 (7-2)

Eighth seed Samantha Stosur of Australia took down Julie Coin of France 6-1, 7-6 (7-4); Italian ninth seed Flavia Pennetta put out Czech Petra Kvitova 6-3, 6-3.

'I felt pretty good today,' said Azarenka, who will be defending the Miami title later in the month. 'The first match, especially here, is always tough. But overall, I think it was a good match. Sybille is a good player, so I'm happy with my performance.'

Source: Web Search

Chandhok crashes out of Bahrain GP

Published Sun, Mar 14 10 07:27 PM

Sakhir, Bahrain, Mar 14 (PTI) Hispania driver Karun Chadhok''s F1 debut didn''t last even two laps as the Chennai lad crashed out of the Bahrain Grand Prix after hitting a bump. It was a blink-and-miss affair with the Indian failing to negotiate a bump in the circuit which forced him into an early exit. "It was only my fifth lap of the circuit here and I found a bump I didn''t know was there before and it launched me off," rued the Indian. Incidentally, his teammate Bruno Senna''s race also ended in lap 19 due to a hydraulic problem.

Source: Web Search

Nadal cruises, Djokovic toils at Indian Wells

Published>Sun, Mar 14 10 01:47 PM

Twice champion and holder Rafa Nadal of Spain eased into the third round of the Indian Wells ATP tournament with a commanding 6-4 6-4 victory over Germany's Rainer Schuettler on Saturday.

Second-seeded Serb Novak Djokovic survived a lapse in the second set before he held off American Mardy Fish to record a topsy-turvy 6-1 0-6 6-2 win in the late match.

Fifth-seeded Russian Nikolay Davydenko also advanced, beating Latvia's Ernests Gulbis 6-4 6-4, but eighth seed Marin Cilic of Croatia made an early exit, losing 7-6 6-0 to Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

World number three Nadal, who relishes playing at the California desert venue, broke his opponent in the seventh game of the second set before clinching victory in one hour 34 minutes on a blustery late afternoon.

The Spanish left-hander removed his red headband in celebration after a Schuettler backhand flew wide before approaching the net to shake hands with his opponent.

"Indian Wells is one of my favourite tournaments and I always feel like I'm at home here," a smiling Nadal, 23, said in a courtside interview. "I have very happy memories here."

The six-times grand slam champion had to contend with gusting winds on the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden but he was overall pleased with his form.

"It was a good start in the conditions for me and I'm very happy," said Nadal, competing this week for the first time since shaking off the knee injury that forced him to abandon his Australian Open title defence in January.

"Later, when I was playing in favour of the wind, it was very difficult for me with the backhand because I feel if I only touch the ball, the ball was out. It went too much.

BETTER CONDITIONS

"I feel really well with the forehand, and that's very important to my game. Maybe I can play better in better conditions with the backhand."

Nadal, champion at Indian Wells in 2007 and again last year, will next meet Croatia's Mario Ancic who came from a set down to beat Frenchman Julien Benneteau 4-6 7-5 6-3.

Djokovic, champion here in 2008 when he beat Fish in the final, appeared to be on track for a smooth passage when he breezed through the opening set 6-1.

However his game deteriorated in the second and Fish won seven games in succession to level the match before the Serb regained control in the third.

"I was very lucky to pull out it out in the end," Djokovic said after making 37 unforced errors and serving nine double faults in a contest lasting one hour 42 minutes.

Asked what had happened in the second set, he replied: "I had a terrible start. Mardy played some good shots and I made a lot of unforced errors. I'm still jet-lagged and it took some time for me to get used to the centre court."

Djokovic will play Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber in the third round.

In other matches on Saturday, 10th-seeded Spaniard Fernando Verdasco eased past Paraguay's Ramon Delgado 6-4 6-1 while 11th seed Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain hammered Austrian Daniel Koellerer 6-3 6-0.

Source: Web Search