Madkekar, Manuja enter semis with fluent wins

Published Fri, Apr 30 10 06:08 PM

Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) Maharashtra''s Aditya Madkekar and Ronak Manuja entered the men''s singles semi-finals along with top seed Yannick Nedlord and Saurav Sukul in Khar Gymkhana All India Men''s Open Tennis Tournament today. Third seed Madkekar exhibited good control in his play while downing Tamil Nadu''s seventh seeded Ajai Selvaraj 6-3 6-4 while Manuja got the better of unseeded Arvind Bestha, of AP, by winning the slugfest 6-3 6-2 in the quarter-finals. Madkekar, thus, set up a semi final match-up with Delhi''s Nedlord, who brushed aside TNs V Vignesh 6-3 6-3 in another quarter final. Manuja will take on Kolkata''s eighth seed Sukul who scored a 6-4 6-4 win over second seed Nitin Kirtane. Kirtane struggled under the harsh sun and virtually threw in the towel in the later stages of the match. Madkekar and Sukul kept themselves in line for a double by reaching the doubles semis with a 6-2 6-0 win over Kunal Anand and N Saikartik. In the semis they will take on Siddhart Rawat and Aaditya Tewari, who got the better of Gaurav Kapadia and Vardhan Shah 7-6 (3) 6-2. (More) PTI SSR AMA AT

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Randhawa, Kapur off to poor starts at Spain tourney

Published Fri, Apr 30 10 05:38 PM

Seville (Spain), Apr 30 (PTI) Indian golfers Jyoti Randhawa and Shiv Kapur turned in over-par cards to make disappointing starts at the European Tour''s Open De Espana here. While Randhawa carded a one-over 73, Kapur was even worse at five-over 77. Randhawa''s round comprised three birdies against four bogeys. Kapur, on the other hand, endured a torrid day as he stumbled to four bogeys and a couple of double bogeys against three birdies at the Real Club de Golf de Sevilla. Both of them will have to raise their game considerably to remain in the hunt for weekend action. At the top of the heap, Argentine Ricardo Gonzalez took the lead with a 65. A stroke adrift of Gonzalez was Englishman Paul Waring.

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Mahindra United FC to be disbanded

Published Fri, Apr 30 10 05:22 PM

Mumbai, Apr 30 (PTI) In a major blow to football in the metropolis, Mahindra United Football Club will be disbanded at the end of current I-League season with focus of the parent company shifting towards developing talent at school level. "We have decided to get out of competitive soccer and get into grassroots soccer at schools level. This means at the end of the I-League we would not be taking part in any competitive soccer but training school kids to make them better prospects in soccer," said the club''s Chairman Alan Durante today. Ruzbeh Irani, Executive VP Corporate Strategy, M&M Ltd, said the decision to get out of competitive football after so many years, first as Mahindra and Mahindra Sports Club and then from 1991 as Mahindra United FC, was in line with the Group''s "philosophy and shift in focus from taking part in professional sport to developing it". "We feel we can make a much bigger difference to sport in India at the schools level in soccer and grassroots level in basketball (after associating with National Basketball Association of USA in Mahindra NBA Challenge), than by running one professional team," he added. Durante said that contracts of 98 per cent of the current lot of professional footballers would be over by the end of May or June 10.

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Capello named the richest manager in British football

Published>Fri, Apr 30 10 05:18 PM

London, Apr 30 (ANI): Fabio Capello, the manager of the England football team has been named the richest manager in British football, after reportedly earning an estimated 34 million pound fortune.

Sixty-three-year-old Capello heads the managers' section of The Sunday Times Sport Rich List.

Ipswich's Roy Keane with 30 million pound is in the second place of the list followed by Man United's Sir Alex Ferguson with 24 million pound.

"Others in 'The Sunday Times Sport Rich List' are Carlo Ancelotti (Chelsea) 21m pounds; Giovanni Trapattoni (Ireland) 18m pounds; Arsene Wenger (Arsenal) 17m pounds; Sven-Goran Eriksson (Ivory Coast) 16m pounds; Roberto Mancini (Man City) 13m pounds; Rafa Benitez (Liverpool) 11m pounds; Steve Bruce (Sunderland), Gianfranco Zola (West Ham) 10m pounds," reports The Sun. (ANI)

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Mindy McCready says she first had sex with Roger Clemens at age 21

Published>Fri, Apr 30 10 05:08 PM

New York, Apr 30 (ANI): In a soon-to-be-released sex tape, Mindy McCready has revealed that baseball ace Roger Clemens struggled with erectile dysfunction "a lot of the time" and the two first had sex when she was 21.

McCready's attorney Adam Dread had told the Daily News last month that he was seeking to get an injunction to prevent the tape's release, but said Thursday night he and his client were "moving on."

Vivid Entertainment will release the tape Monday, although portions are already on the Internet.

In the snippets, a male interviewer asks McCready about the former Yankee's bedroom performance and when the two first had sex.

It was in 2008 that it was first reported that McCready met Clemens when she was 15- a point that McCready re-confirmed last August during an interview.

Clemens was a married Red Sox ace when they met in 1991 and McCready spent the night with Clemens at his hotel.

In the tape, she has said that she watched a "Walter Matthau" movie with Clemens that night and that the two took a shower together.

Asked if Clemens was good in bed, McCready said at one point in the tape, "When he could get it up."

It was reported last month that during McCready's interview with the FBI in conjunction with Clemens' perjury investigation, the feds asked McCready about whether Clemens experienced erectile dysfunction-a common side effect for steroid users.

Clemens has denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs. (ANI)

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Rooney named FWA Footballer of the Year

Published>Fri, Apr 30 10 04:48 PM

London, Apr 30(ANI): Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has claimed his second major award of a remarkable season when the Football Writers Association (FWA) named him Footballer of the Year.

Rooney, who has scored 34 goals for United in all competitions this season, took 80 percent of the votes cast by the FWA members.

"Wayne is a worthy winner of our prestigious award and the margin of his victory is testimony to the marvellous season he has had for club and country," The Mirror quoted Steve Bates, FWA Chairman, as saying.

"His tally of 34 goals so far this season is certain to have captured the attention of our members, but I am sure the overall improvement in his game at Manchester United has been of equal significance."

"Wayne's enthusiasm, hunger and desire mark him out as a special player and we hope he can carry his club form on to the international stage in the World Cup this summer and help England achieve their dream," he added.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was a distant second in the voting, followed by Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez in third position.

Rooney has already been voted PFA Player of the Year and the Premier League's fans Player of the Season.

"I am delighted to win an award with so much history and tradition and to follow a long line of wonderful players who have been honoured by the FWA since 1948 gives me real pride," Rooney said.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank my manager at United Sir Alex Ferguson, the coaching staff and my team mates without whose help and support this award would not have been possible," he added.

The 24-year-old will be presented with his trophy in London on May 13. (ANI)

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South Korean golfers call off OneAsia boycott

Published>Fri, Apr 30 10 04:38 PM

Singapore, April 30 (IANS) The stand-off by the South Korean golfers towards the OneAsia golf Tour thawed with the golfers calling off their boycott of OneAsia tournaments Friday.

Korean players have been assured more entries in forthcoming events, according to the Korean PGA.

With the boycott having been called off, it was a big relief for OneAsia, which is made up of Australian, Chinese and Korean golf bodies. This was also good news ahead of the first event in South Korea this year, the Maekyung Open next week.

The players were upset that they were being given fewer places for locals in the three former Korean Tour events.

The latest assurance of a minimum of 60 South Korean golfers at each of these events and that no more Korea Tour events would be added to the OneAsia Tour resulted in the end to the boycott threat.

The Maekyung Open will have a total of 74 South Korean golfers including invited players.

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