Barnes earns first British Open spot after juicy qualifier

Deepak Jain Fri, Jan 15 10 12:20 PM

Australian Kurt Barnes earned a first major appearance at this year's British Open after topping Australasia's international final qualifying on Friday.

The big-hitting Barnes tore up the Kingston Heath course in Melbourne with an eight-under-par 64 to finish on 10 under, two shots clear of Ewan Porter, with 50-year-old Peter Senior third on five under.

A jubilant Barnes told reporters: "I reckon today is one of the best ball-striking displays ever. It's one of the best rounds of golf I have ever played."

The 2002 Australian amateur champion had an inauspicious start to the day, however, after soaking his shirt with orange juice before teeing off.

"I spilled an orange juice down the front of my shirt so I had to go and donate ninety dollars to the Kingston Heath golf shop for a new one," said Barnes.

"A few of the boys said I might have to do that more often!"

Porter and Senior will join Barnes in the field for the July 15-18 Open at St Andrews.

Senior clinched his 18th appearance at the British Open and his first since 2000 despite bogeying the final hole and leaving himself a nail-biting wait in the clubhouse.

It will be Senior's fifth visit to St Andrews. His best previous Open finish was fourth at Royal St George's in 1993.

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Barcelona lose Kings Cup crown

Deepak Jain Fri, Jan 15 10 11:50 AM

Madrid, Jan. 15 -- Barcelona lost the first of the three titles they won in an extraordinary 2008/09 season on Wednesday as despite beating Sevilla 1-0 they went out of the Kings Cup on the away goal rule when the last 16 tie finished 2-2 on aggregate. Barca coach Josep Guardiola - who guided them to the Cup, league title and Champions League trophy in an amazing debut season as coach - did not take the match lightly. Eventually in the 64th minute, Spanish midfielder Xavi's right foot shot beat Palop leaving Barcelona tantalisingly close to reaching the quarterfinals.

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Gilchrist worried by Sena threat, may skip IPL

Deepak Jain Fri, Jan 15 10 11:44 AM

Melbourne, Jan 15 (PTI) Worried by Shiv Sena''s threat against Australian cricketers, reigning IPL champion Deccan Chargers'' skipper Adam Gilchrist could consider giving the Twenty20 event a miss if security experts rule India unsafe. Gilchrist, one among the 30-odd Australians who are scheduled play for the Indian Premier League starting March 12, is concerned about Sena''s threat to stop the Aussies from playing at least in Mumbai as long as the allegedly racist attacks on the Indians living here continue. "Adam is aware of the situation and he is always very mindful of the security concerns in India. Adam was looking to play in this year''s tournament but it is always a worry when statements like that (made by Shiv Sena) are being made," his manager Stephen Atkinson was quoted as saying by ''The Daily Telegraph''. "Ultimately, he will be guided by the views of Cricket Australia and security experts. He is intending to go, but any final decision is subject to travel and security advice by Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association)," he added. But while Gilchrist is concerned, the likes of spinner Jason Krejza and opener Phil Hughes are unfazed by Sena''s threats and are looking forward to participating in the event. "It''s something I''d love to be involved in. I''ve watched the last couple of years of the IPL and the crowds and the buzz around it. I''ll go in the auction, I think that''s next Tuesday, and see what happens," Hughes said.

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Hayden to Captain Australian PM''s XI

Deepak Jain Fri, Jan 15 10 11:10 AM

Melbourne, Jan 15 (PTI) Retired opener Matthew Hayden is all set to pad up once again for Australia as he would lead a Prime Minister''s XI against the West Indies next month in Canberra. The 38-year-old former opener will captain a team of players who are seen as potential stars of the future by Australian selectors, Cricket Australia said in a statement. The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the match is a tradition that dates back to Menzies in 1951 when the Prime Minister''s XI also faced the West Indies and drew. "This year I have every expectation the team, led by Matthew Hayden, will achieve an Australian victory, to top the one we saw against New Zealand last year," Rudd said. Hayden follows in the footsteps of his long-time opening partner and friend, Justin Langer, who led the PM''s XI to victory over Sri Lanka. "I was fortunate enough to wear the Baggy Green through a successful period in Australian cricket and am honoured to have been asked by the Prime Minister to lead his team this year," Hayden said. Hayden has played in three PM''s XI matches and still holds the record for the highest first wicket partnership against the West Indies of 113 with Tasmania''s Dene Hills. The former batsman retired from international cricket in January last year but still has an Indian Premier League contract with the Chennai Super Kings.

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Zaheer Abbas offers to head PCB

Deepak Jain Fri, Jan 15 10 10:58 AM

Karachi, Jan 15 (PTI) Former captain Zaheer Abbas has offered to become the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman in a bid to salvage the PCB''s sinking reputation in the country. "Pakistan cricket is facing problems because of variety of reasons and if the government asks me to head the cricket board I would be willing to do it as we need to set our cricket system right," Abbas said. The PCB is drawing flak for its handling of the game and a parliamentary committee on sports has even recommended that the Board officials be sacked. Meanwhile, Zaheer said the fielding standards of the team had plunged to new lows in recent matches and there was a need to have a professional fielding coach attached with the team. "When I say a fielding coach I mean someone like the Australian fielding coach the Indian team has appointed. Not a part time arrangement like we have had with fielding coaches in recent months," he said. Zaheer said it was high time the authorities took notice of the state of affairs in the PCB and set things right. "There are many people willing to give time and work selflessly for the betterment of Pakistan cricket. It is sad that today despite being such a strong side we are number seven in the one-day rankings and number six in Test cricket rankings," he said.

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Injured Flintoff out of IPL III, sidelined for next 6 months

Deepak Jain>Fri, Jan 15 10 10:48 AM

The costliest player on the Indian Premier League roster, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will skip the cash-rich event's third edition in March-April as he recuperates from a knee surgery which has also ruled him out of the World Twenty20 Championships this summer.

In a statement issued through his agent Andrew Chandler, Flintoff said the routine arthroscopy on his injured left knee will keep him him off the field for the next six months.

Flintoff, who was bought for a whopping USD 1.55 million by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL auction last year, underwent the original knee surgery the day after England regained the Ashes last summer, the time when he also announced his Test retirement.

He later went freelance, turning down an incremental contract offered by the England and Wales Cricket Board.

"It is disappointing not to be able to play for Chennai, who have been very supportive throughout my time with them, but I took this decision because I love playing cricket and want to give myself the best chance of extending my career," he said.

"I have worked extremely hard over the last few months to get to this position and realise there is a lot more hard work in front of me if I want to return and play international cricket again," he added.

Flintoff said once he returns to action, he would focus on playing domestic cricket for his county team Lancashire.

"If I am going to go through another six months of hard rehabilitation and training for long hours, I need a big incentive to be the driving force of that and playing for Lancashire and England again will become that," he said.

"During my time in rehabilitation I have been watching England playing well in South Africa and it has made me realise how much I have missed cricket," he said.

"For the first time in my career I have watched old footage of myself playing on youtube and I want to get back to playing like that again."

The 32-year-old all-rounder said being on the sidelines for such a long period has helped him redefine his goals.

"My goals have changed since last summer. I trust the surgeon, Andy Williams, implicitly and he is very pleased with the progress of the micro-fracture operation.

"First and foremost I have to prove to myself that I can regain my fitness and perform for Lancashire. My first love remains playing for Lancashire and I want to help them win trophies and hopefully I can help achieve that later this summer," he said.

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Ghana finally get their chance to play in Nations Cup

Deepak Jain>Fri, Jan 15 10 10:44 AM

World Cup finalists Ghana finally enter the African Nations Cup fray on Friday when they meet the Ivory Coast in a Group B match in Cabinda.

It is the first at the tournament for Ghana, who did not play as scheduled on Monday after the departure ahead of the start of the Nations Cup by Togo following a deadly attack on their bus in the Angolan enclave.

For the Ivory Coast, it is their final group game, where they will be seeking a much improved performance to the goalless draw they played out against the group's other team, Burkina Faso, at the start of the week.

"I hope we will play better football and that my team will prove more efficient," Ivorian coach Vahid Halilhodzic told a media conference on the eve of the game.

The match is likely to be dominated by the clash between Chelsea team mates Didier Drogba and Michael Essien, who have to put club loyalty aside when they captain their respective sides.

Essien only arrived in Cabinda on Wednesday, his trip with Ghana first delayed by hamstring injury and then poor flight connections out of Europe.

Ghana had also been hit by several injury-enforced withdrawals on the eve of the tournament, including Fulham's John Paintsil and Sunderland defender John Mensah.

Friday's single game at the Nations Cup follows on Thursday's Group A double header in Luanda which saw Angola beat Malawi 2-0 and Algeria win 1-0 over Mali.

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