Gerrard will keep Manchester United's title hopes alive: Rooney

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 05:32 PM

London, Apr 27(ANI): Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney insists Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard will keep Old Trafford's title hopes alive and will lead his team to a victory in Sunday's Premier League game against Chelsea.

A win for Liverpool could put United well on the way to a record fourth consecutive league title and a 19th overall.

"I don't need to have a word with Stevie about making sure Liverpool win. You see what a good player and competitor he is even in friendly games. He wants to win and I'm sure he will want to win this one," The Sun quoted Rooney, as saying.

"Liverpool are fighting to get into Europe and with the history behind the club I'm sure they are all determined. It is the last home game of the season and their fans will not really be too pleased if they don't turn up," he added.

The 24-year-old missed last Saturday's 3-1 victory over Spurs with a groin injury and has been ruled out of the Sunderland trip, but he has reportedly targeted the final game of the season against Stoke for his comeback.

"Obviously I'm disappointed to have missed a couple of games, but I'll be fine. Hopefully I will play again before the season finishes and get ready for the World Cup," Rooney said.

"You don't like watching from the stands. I want to play and knowing you cannot influence the game is a frustrating thing," he added. (ANI)

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Equestrian trials held in Meerut ahead of Asian Games

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 05:28 PM

Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), Apr 27 (ANI): Eight Indian horse riders have been selected for the ensuing Asian Games at the National Equestrian Trials conducted in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut city on Tuesday.

Scores of riders from all over the country with 102 individuals and 18 teams competed for the honors in the Pre-Novice category and 34 individuals and 7 teams tried their luck in the Novice category.

"Today probable selection of the eventing trial took place. Today, the selection for the riders and the horses that would take part in the Asian Games, which are to be held in Guangzhou in China in October, took place," said Lieutenant General J K Srivastava.

"A national level team of equestrians and the horses were selected that would compete in the Games. Today is the third day of the selection. This eventing trial started on April 24," he added.

Lieutenant General Srivastava further said that he is hopeful that the equestrians selected would win gold medals in the games and do India proud.

Riders from Remount Veterinary Corps, 61 Cavalry, ASC, Indian Military Academy, President Body Guard, DG Assam Rifles, Haryana Police and many a civilians took part in both individual and team events.

The 16th Asian Games also known as the XVI Asiad are to be held in Guangzhou in China from November 12 to November 27 in 2010.

Guangzhou will be the second city in China to host the games after Beijing in 1990. (ANI)

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Federer still feels Nadal is still the clay champ he wants to beat

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 05:22 PM

Rome, Apr.27 (ANI): Despite his victory in last year's French Open, World No 1 Roger Federer believes 'tearaway' Spaniard Rafael Nadal remains the one clay court champion to beat.

When Federer goes to the Roland Garros next month, he believes the favourite to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires will be a rival who has just won his first tournament for 11 months.

Federer says he has always held Rafael Nadal in the highest respect and believes the Spaniard is rapidly putting his recent difficulties behind him.

"The guy's been on an absolute tearaway on clay for pretty much the last five years," The Independent quoted Federer, as saying.

"He's hardly lost any matches on clay and he's only lost one match at the French Open, so I would think he's still the favourite. I would love to say I'm the big favourite, but I don't think that's quite right, even though I won the French Open last year," he added.

"He (Nadal) just hasn't lost to anyone on clay outside of the top five or top 10 players - and he's just proved again in Monaco how tough he is," Federer said.

Meanwhile, Nadal is also doing his best to be match fit in the run-up to the next two Grand Slam tournaments.

As for the prospect of renewing an old rivalry with Federer, Nadal said: "It's too early at the start of the tournament to think about Federer. I think for me and for Roger it would be a pleasure if we played each other in the semi-finals - just because it would be very good news to be in the semi-finals of a very tough tournament like Rome." (ANI)

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Scottish district to honour world's 'first golf captain'

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 04:28 PM

Edinburgh, Apr.27 (ANI): A district north of Scotland's Edinburgh city announced plans to create a major new landmark to honour the captain of the first club to lay down the rules of golf.

Leith has commissioned one of Scotland's leading sculptors, David Annand, to create a two-metre high statue of John Rattray, the founding member of the Company of Honourable Golfers, which was to stage the first official match at Leith Links in 1744.

Historians in Leith, where golf is reputed to have been played in the 15th century, launched a bid to have the port established as the home of golf nine years ago, when games were reinstated on Leith Links.

Rattray, a surgeon, signed off the very first rules and went on to win the first competition, for the Silver Club donated by the Leith Council, to replace previous wagers such as legs of mutton, or firkins of whisky.

The bronze statue of Rattray is to come up at a new pedestrian entrance to the links at Salamander Place.

According to The Scotsman, a 150,000-pound campaign is being run by the Leith Rules Golf Society to pay for the new monument.

The statue is to come on a circular pavement platform and will also have two stone columns carved with the original rules of the game.

Annand, who is based in Kilmany, in Fife, said: "It's very unusual being asked to create a sculpture of someone from such a long time ago. There are no photographs and only a few paintings. The other interesting thing is that golf was played very differently in those days, with one foot in front of the other."

Leith councillor Gordon Munro said: "Leith is the home of golf and this statue is apt for the place where the first rules of the game were agreed." (ANI)

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Kiwi women's cricket captain rated among world's hottest female athletes

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 04:08 PM

Auckland, Apr 27(ANI): New Zealand women's cricket captain Aimee Watkins has been rated among the world's 64 hottest female athletes alongside American skier Lindsay Vonn, Aussie swimmer Stephanie Rice and Czech tennis player Nicole Vaidisova.

Watkins admitted the ratings by Yahoo!Xtra came as surprise, as she does not consider herself as one of the world's sexiest sportswomen.

"I didn't know anything about it. I've seen it now," Stuff.co.nz quoted Watkins, as saying.

"Mum gave me a call and she was pretty excited and told me to go on and have a look. Since then I've had a bit of stick, but oh well. It's all a bit foreign to me," she added.

Meanwhile, talking about her team's preparations for the Twenty20 World Cup, which starts in the West Indies on May 5, Watkins said the White Ferns are confident of a good show after a clean sweep of Australia in this year's Twenty20 Rosebowl series.

"To beat Aussie 5-0, we're pretty happy with our Twenty20 form and our plans. We're pretty clear on what we need to do," Watkins said.

The New Zealand women's team fly out on Thursday. (ANI)

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Rooney dazed as 17-year-old clubber dies next to him

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 03:52 PM

London, Apr 27 (ANI): Ace striker Wayne Rooney, who was celebrating winning PFA Player of the Year, was left dazed after a 17-year-old clubber partying yards away from him collapsed and died.

Cole and Rooney were out with brother Graeme celebrating winning the award earlier that night. The Manchester United star was escorted out by a bouncer and then quizzed by police as a potential witness. ooney and Chelsea left-back Cole were said to have been nearby when the Portuguese tourist suffered a suspected heart attack at London's swanky Whisky Mist at around 1.20 am on Tuesday.

The teen, said to have a history of health problems, was carried out by bouncers and given a Red Bull energy drink in an attempt to revive him, The Sun reports.aramedics were called and carried out heart massage with a defibrillator on the pavement. He was taken to hospital but pronounced dead soon after arrival.

A spokesman for Rooney said: "As Wayne was leaving he was asked, as were all other guests, whether he had seen anything. He simply told police he had seen nothing and was not aware of any incident."

Cole, 29, also said he did not see anything suspicious. A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs after it was reported the boy had been passed something. (ANI)

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Pak has enough 'firepower' to defend T20 title: Raja

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 03:48 PM

Lahore, Apr.27 (ANI): Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has said that though some of the key players are missing from the squad, it still has got the 'firpower' to defend the ICC World T20 title in the West Indies.

Raja said the incumbent skipper Shahid Afridi has been performing brilliantly in the shortest version of the game, and expressed the hope that he would lead the team from the front during the April 30-May 16 tournament.

"Pakistan has very good players for this format of cricket. Afridi is a very good player and he performed very well in last two editions of World Twenty20. He will be a good captain and can lead from the front. We have good players and our bowling is our strength," The Nation quoted Raja, as saying.

He also backed the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to include left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman in the squad for the T20 championship, saying conditions in the West Indies are likely to suit slow bowlers.

"If we analyse the pitches and conditions in the West Indies, selection of Rehman is justified because he is a very good spin bowler and he can also bowl well in pressure situations," Raja said.

He, however, said that Pakistan would badly miss the services of pacer Umar Gul, who had played a key role in Pakistan's title triumph in 2009.

"Pakistan will certainly miss the services of Umar Gul as he was the star performer for Pakistan in both the ICC World Twenty20 editions but this is part of the game and anyone can get injured," Raja said. (ANI)

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