Mexico and Uruguay poised to advance from Group A

Published>Mon, Jun 21 10 03:37 PM

Bloemfontein, June 21 (DPA) A draw would be enough for Uruguay and Mexico to progress to the last 16 of the World Cup football Tuesday, in the process knocking out hosts South Africa and France who clash in the other Group A match.

But Mexico, who drew their opener 1-1 with South Africa and then beat France 2-0, have inferior goal difference to Uruguay, and may be less inclined to settle for the single point in Rustenburg.

A second place finish in the group would probably see them face an on-form Argentina in the second round.

Admirably free-flowing in their approach, with an adventurous system that morphs between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 as both captain Rafael Marquez and the two full-backs have licence to get forward, Mexico's attacking style faces its toughest test yet against a Uruguay team that is yet to concede a goal.

After neutralising France in their goalless opener, Uruguay then turned in a consummate performance to first stifle South Africa and then pick them off on the break, winning 3-0.

South Africa play France in Bloemfontein knowing they have to win and score as many goals as possible if they are to stand any chance of avoiding becoming the first World Cup host nation to be knocked out in the first round.

At the Free State Stadium, Bafana Bafana look to count on the support of the home crowd who have a reputation as the most passionate in the land.

They could also draw additional advantage from the turmoil that has hit the French side ahead of the match.

Dismal performances with Uruguay and in particular against Mexico, preceded internal rows that have left Les Bleus in disarray.

First, striker Nicolas Anelka was expelled from the squad after he refused to apologise for insulting coach Raymond Domenech during the half-time break of the match with Mexico.

Then Sunday on the eve of France's departure for Bloemfontein, the players walked out of a training session at their Knysna base camp, in protest of the Chelsea striker's expulsion.

It remains to be seen if France will be able to find some semblance of team cohesion for the game in Bloemfontein.

Both Domenech and South Africa's Brazilian coach Carlos Alberto Parreira will be forced to make some changes to their starting line-ups.

Bafana Bafana goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune who was sent off against the Latin Americans after conceding a penalty, is likely to be replaced by Moeneeb Josephs, while Thanduyise Khuboni could step in for Fulham midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi who is also suspended.

In addition, several players performed poorly against Uruguay, including fullback Siboniso Gaxa, captain and centreback Aaron Mokoena and wide midfielder Teko Modise, and cannot be sure of starting in Bloemfontein.

And with South Africa's negative 3 goal difference, Parreira may also seek to beef up an attack which has been based on lone striker Katlego Mphela.

In Anelka's absence, Barcelona's Thierry Henry is likely to start the match for France who will also be missing suspended Olympique Lyon midfielder Jeremy Toulalan.

Bordeaux's Yoann Gourcuff whose exclusion by Domenech against Mexico was criticised by Zinedine Zidane among others, could be recalled to the team in his play-making role.

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India, Lanka to test each other''s reserves in tomorrow''s tie

Published Mon, Jun 21 10 03:33 PM

Joseph Hoover Dambulla (Sri Lanka), Jun 21 (PTI) Having qualified for Thursday''s final, both India and Sri Lanka will test each other''s nerves and reserves in an inconsequential first round Asia Cup match at the Rangiri International Stadium here tomorrow. While Kumar Sangakkara''s Lanka have a fit and fighting side, India have been plagued by injuries to key players. With Virender Sehwag nursing a pulled hamstring, the team management has flown in Dinesh Karthik but Jharkhand batsman Saurabh Tiwary will fancy his chances of making his ODI debut tomorrow. In the bowling department, Ashish Nehra is said to have recovered from back spasms which had hampered his movement in the field against Pakistan but it is unlikely the left-arm seamer will play tomorrow. In his absence, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has the option of playing medium pacer Ashok Dinda, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha or Ravichandran Ashwin, whose off-spin bowling could be handy on this surface. Interestingly, all the offbreak bowlers have done reasonably well here. Among the batsmen, Gautam Gambhir has been India''s man in form with successive scores of 82 and 83. Dhoni himself is hitting the ball well, as is Suresh Raina, who contributed a significant 34 in the win against Pakistan. But the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are yet to prove their prowess in the tournament. Though nothing will be at stake tomorrow, star spinner Harbhajan Singh said the team would be serious in their approach. "This is an important game for us. We don''t take any game lightly. Obviously, if we win the match, we can go to the final with a better frame of mind," said Harbhajan. Sri Lanka have had a fantastic run in the tournament, defeating Pakistan by 16 runs and crushing Bangladesh by a huge margin of 126 runs. Their batsmen have been in great nick and opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has been in roaring form. Sangakkara himself, along with Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews, looks in touch while Upul Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedara have also been among the runs. Their bowling unit is arguably better than India with Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara and left-arm fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara having already made their mark in the tournament.

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McDowell ends European drought with US Open win

Published>Mon, Jun 21 10 11:51 AM

Britain's Graeme McDowell kept his composure in tough scoring conditions to end a 40-year title drought by Europeans at the U.S. Open with a gutsy one-shot victory on Sunday.

Three strokes behind American playing partner Dustin Johnson going into the final round, the Northern Irishman ground out a three-over-par 74 at a breezy Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Despite dropping three shots on the more difficult back nine as the ocean winds strengthened in the late afternoon, McDowell held his nerve with some of the game's biggest names close behind to finish at even-par 284.

The 30-year-old from Portrush calmly parred the final hole to clinch his maiden major title, and Europe's first U.S. Open since Briton Tony Jacklin won the 1970 edition at Hazeltine.

"It's so difficult to win a golf tournament, let alone a major," a beaming McDowell said greenside after kissing the silver trophy and then cradling it like a baby. "This thing feels amazing.

"I've dreamed of this all my life, two putts to win the U.S. Open. A few pints of Guinness will probably go down around now," he said of his fans back in Northern Ireland watching on television.

Frenchman Gregory Havret, who came through 36 holes of sectional qualifying last month to book his place at Pebble Beach, closed with a 72 to secure a surprise second place at one over in his first U.S. Open.

JOINT LEADER

Double U.S. Open champion Ernie Els of South Africa, briefly tied for the lead early on, was a further stroke back after a 73 with world number one Tiger Woods (75) and fellow American Phil Mickelson (73) joint fourth at three over.

Woods, bidding to win his first major title since his private life unravelled at the end of last year amid revelations of marital infidelities, dropped out of contention with five bogeys in the first 10 holes.

"I made three mental mistakes and it cost us a chance to win the U.S. Open," said the American who won the championship by a record 15 shots when it was last held here in 2000.

McDowell was hugged by his father Kenny after sealing victory on the 18th green, having posted the highest closing score by a U.S. Open champion since Andy North in 1985.

"I just can't believe how difficult this golf course was," said McDowell, who relished Pebble's links-course feel. "I kept my head down pretty much until when I bogeyed 10.

"I had a little peak at the leaderboard to see what was going on and no one was going crazy. I just tried to stay calm on the back nine and I really did. I did a great job of it."

Winner of the European Tour's Wales Open two weeks ago, McDowell took advantage of a nightmare start by Johnson to take control of the final round.

COMMANDING LEAD

Johnson, who had won the previous two PGA Tour events staged at Pebble Beach, began the day with a commanding three-stroke lead which he spectacularly threw away by dropping seven shots in six holes.

He triple-bogeyed the par-five second after taking three shots to escape thick fescue grass above a greenside bunker and double-bogeyed the third after a hooked tee shot led to a lost ball.

Two behind McDowell at that point, Johnson went on to bogey the par-four fourth after pushing his tee shot into the ocean as he slumped to an 82 for a share of eighth place at five-over 289.

McDowell, who made a series of clutch putts to save par on the front nine, picked up his only birdie of the day when he knocked in a 10-footer at the par-three fifth.

However he bogeyed the tricky ninth, the second hole in the stretch dubbed the "Cliffs of Doom," after finding a greenside bunker with his approach to reach the turn in level-par 35.

Although he also bogeyed the 10th, 14th and 17th, McDowell was given welcome breathing space when his closest challenger, Havret, also bogeyed the 17th to remain a stroke behind.

Havret narrowly missed a birdie putt from nine feet on the 18th green, and McDowell safely parred the hole after laying up with his third shot and two-putting.

"It has been a great week," said the Frenchman, whose world ranking rocketed from 395th to 104th with his runner-up finish. "Of course I'm a bit disappointed now because I've been so close to heaven."

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Wimbledon fights foxes, frost and pigeons for top lawns

Published>Mon, Jun 21 10 11:43 AM

Urinating vixens, greedy pigeons, May frost and idiosyncratic mowers are just a few of the problems facing Wimbledon's head groundsman in the run up to the world's most famous tennis championships.

Most tournaments, even if they once were played on grass, now use easier-to-manage hard or clay courts, but for Eddie Seaward the yearly cycle of growth and tending is part of the joy of his job, wildlife notwithstanding.

Foxes who roam freely round leafy and prosperous Wimbledon, in southwest London, are regular visitors to the All England Club, even seen creeping across the commentary boxes high on Centre Court. They are welcome as long as they keep off the grass.

"We put an electric fence round here and the showcourts most of the year," Seaward told Reuters as his staff and an army of cleaners and contractors busied themselves round the pristine green sward of Centre Court preparing for Roger Federer on Monday's opening day.

"It's the vixens that are the problem, if they urinate on the court it just kills the grass off," he added.

Centuries-old methods, in keeping with Wimbledon's love of tradition, are used to keep at bay the pigeons, who would otherwise gorge on newly sown seed.

"We have a hawk to scare off the pigeons. It flies three times a week and that deters them," he said. The falconer and his hawk are kept busy even during the championship fortnight so that the pigeons do not come back and bother players and crowd.

Seaward, chief groundsman since 1991 has delayed retirement to stay on until the 2012 Olympics, when Wimbledon will host the tennis tournament.

He has overseen changes from a grass mixture to a 100 percent rye grass which is tougher and helps to create a harder surface. Critics say the courts have slowed down, penalising the serve-and-volley aficionados, but Seaward, who constantly measures the courts' performance, says speed is unchanged.

What has altered is the height of the bounce.

"It's slightly less dense which allows more air movement through the grass and that helps the soil get harder quicker which means the ball bounces higher from day one," he said.

DIFFICULT YEAR

Players had a fraction of a second longer to reach a higher-bouncing ball, instead of having to catch it low off the ground, he explained.

"The bounce was lower because the ground was softer. That's the only difference."

The stoical Seaward and his 14 permanent staff have had a particularly difficult growing year. A sharp late frost in May when nothing would germinate meant they had to cover the courts with a membrane to create a greenhouse effect and warm the soil.

"Then it was hot and dry, then it got cold again so all the way along we've had to battle the weather this year -- but that's what we do, that's our job," Seaward, who has weather forecasts sent to him every hour, said.

As he stared across his unblemished court, the groundsman was sympathetic to the problems that Wembley Stadium in north London has been suffering with its much-criticised pitch, constantly churned up and needing renewal.

Wembley had to try to keep its turf in top condition the whole year, he said. It needed the ball to roll rather than bounce so it had a sandy rather than clay soil.

"I don't think you can compare them, it's like chalk and cheese," Seaward said. "We grow the grass at the right time of the year -- in the summer -- and we've got to have it in peak condition for only two weeks really."

To ensure top conditions and make sure the lawns look good too, Seaward allots each of his staff a court to mow with the same mower throughout the buildup and the tournament itself.

All machines were different, he explained, and all operators had their own way of mowing. If a different machine or cutter were used, the lines would not be perfect, the light and shade would not match and the court would look wrong.

"We want to get everything just right."

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Tons by Chanderpaul, Nash keep Proteas at bay in second Test

Published>Mon, Jun 21 10 11:07 AM

Basseterre (West Indies), June 21 (ANI): Middle order West Indian batsmen Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Brendan Nash scored contrasting hundreds to put the breaks on the advancing and dominating South Africans during the second Test being played here between the two sides.

Chanderpaul was undefeated on 151, while Nash made 114, as the West Indies reached 424 for the loss of four wickets in reply to South Africa's first innings total of 543 for six declared, at the close on the third day.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Chanderpaul and Nash had a partnership of 220 for the fourth wicket, thus helping the West Indies avoid a follow-on.

"We seem to feed off each other well," said Nash of Chanderpaul.

"We've had a few good partnerships in the previous Tests we've played. He (Chanderpaul) gives you the calm at the other end, like the rock in the foundation. That instills so much confidence in you at the other end," Nash added.

Chanderpaul got to his 22nd Test hundred from 188 balls, with a square drive for two off Dale Steyn, the same bowler that Nash pulled through square leg for the 12th of his 14 fours to reach his second Test hundred from 129 deliveries.

Fortune favoured South Africa in the final session, when Nash failed to beat A.B. de Villiers' direct hit from backward point.

Nash cut Lonwabo Tsotsobe and set off for a non-existent run. The ball bounced over the head of de Villiers, who leapt, grabbed the ball, and fired a throw, which found the batsman scrambling to regain his ground.

The left-hander also struck one six from 148 balls in close to 200 minutes of batting.

For the remainder of the day, Chanderpaul, whose 264-ball innings spanning close to six hours included 10 fours and one six, kept the South Africans at bay. (ANI)

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Karthik is stand-by player for injured Sehwag

Published Mon, Jun 21 10 10:51 AM

Dambulla, June 21 (PTI) India have flown in Dinesh Karthik as a stand-by player for injured Virender Sehwag as the visitors gear up for tomorrow''s last league match of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka. The stumper batsman arrived here this morning as Sehwag pulled his right hamstring during the match against Pakistan and is a doubtful starter. "We flew in Karthik as a standby for Sehwag. But we will have to await the Asian Cricket Council''s clearance to play him in tomorrow''s match against Sri Lanka," said Team India manager Ranjib Biswal. If Sehwag is ruled out of the remainder of the Asia Cup, he will return home for treatment.

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Saina clinches Singapore Open Super Series

Published>Mon, Jun 21 10 10:47 AM

Mumbai, June 20 -- Saina Nehwal (20) underlined her growing stature in world badminton with a comfortable 21-18, 21-15 win over giant killer Tzu Ying Tai of Chinese Taipei to win the Singapore Open and bag her second Super Series crown. "It's a great feeling to win back-to-back titles. It proves I have the endurance levels to play consistently at this level," said Nehwal, the only Indian woman to have achieved a world ranking of five.Nehwal, who won her maiden Grand Prix level title back in 2006, took just 32 minutes to wrap up the tie on Sunday despite an indifferent start that saw her opponent take a big lead in the opening game. But the world number 6 exploited the inexperience of Tai to not only recover from a 14-18 score line in the opening game, and soon achieved her second title in two weeks. Nehwal had won the India Open Grand Prix Gold tournament in Chennai last week. "It's a great feeling to win back-to-back titles. It proves I have the endurance levels to play consistently at this level," said Nehwal, the only Indian woman to have achieved a world ranking of five.

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