■ Soccer
Brazil blank Kuwait
Brazil got goals from four different players on Saturday in a 4-0 friendly win over Kuwait Sports Club in Kuwait City. The match was played to mark the 45th anniversary of the club, Kuwait's oldest. Pele and the crown prince Sheik Nawwaf Al Ahmed Al Sabah attended the game. Rafael Sobis scored the first goal in the 17th minute, and Robinho added another in the 36th minute. Daniel Carvalho then made it 3-0 in the 53rd and Kaka scored the last goal in the 77th minute.
■ Soccer
Players threaten to quit
Trinidad and Tobago players have threatened to quit the national team over a payment dispute with the country's soccer federation. Trinidad captain Dwight Yorke said on Friday that the federation had pledged to give the players additional compensation if the team played at a certain level that Yorke felt the team had met. "We cannot ... see how we can build on anything if the contracts that we enter into are not worth the paper they are written on," said Yorke, who led the team at the World Cup in Germany earlier this year. The federation gave the players a Saturday deadline to take back their threat to quit. "We are mortified by these developments," general secretary Richard Groden said in a statement.
■ Rugby
US top Uruguay in qualifier
The US advanced to next year's Rugby World Cup when it beat Uruguay 33-7 in the return leg of their Americas playoff qualifier on Saturday. Combined with the Eagles' 42-13 first-leg win a week before -- Uruguay's first defeat in a home qualifier since 1993 -- the US advanced 75-20 on aggregate. At the World Cup in France in less than a year's time, the Americans will slot into Pool A beside defending champion England, South Africa, Samoa and another team to be determined. Uruguay's Teros, which has played in the last two World Cups, has another shot at qualifying against the winner of a match between yet-to-be-identified European and African teams.
■ Basketball
CSKA sink Clippers
Trajan Langdon scored 17 points and Tomas Van Den Spiegel added 16 to help CSKA Moscow to a 94-75 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in an exhibition match on Saturday. Center Chris Kaman had 15 points and 11 rebounds and Corey Maggette scored 13 points for the Clippers, one of four NBA teams taking part in a European preseason tour and the first to play in Russia since the Atlanta Hawks in 1988. "I'd love to come back and play these guys when we're definitely in shape to show them what we can do," Maggette said. Euro League champions CSKA dominated from the start, keeping the Clippers scoreless for more than two minutes and leading by as much as 21-14.
■ Horse Racing
Bernardini wins Jockey Club
Bernardini took charge at the top of the stretch and cruised to victory in the US$750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday, sending him as a favorite to the Breeders' Cup next month. The 6 3/4-length victory was the sixth straight for the five-year-old colt, who won the Preakness by 5 1/4 lengths, the Jim Dandy by nine lengths and the Travers by 7 1/2 lengths. The son of A.P. Indy, ridden by Javier Castellano, raced in second place behind Wanderin Boy until the field of four moved into the far turn. With just a nudge from Castellano, Bernardini inhaled Wanderin Boy and had the lead by the top of the stretch.
■ Cricket
Sri Lanka down Bangladesh
Opening batsman Upul Tharanga crafted an attractive century on Saturday as Sri Lanka started its qualifying campaign for the main round of the ICC Champions Trophy with a 37-run victory over Bangladesh in Mohali, India. Tharanga's 105 off 129 balls piloted Sri Lanka to 302 for eight off its 50 overs and then under lights, Bangladesh was restricted to 265 for nine -- its best-ever total against Sri Lanka. Saqibul Hasan, a 19-year-old Bangladesh left-hander, fought a lone battle and top-scored with an unbeaten 67 off 107 balls -- his maiden half century in limited-overs cricket. Bangladesh top order batsmen wilted under pressure to score better than run a ball against Sri Lankan three-pronged seam attack. Wicketkeeper Kumar Sangakkara took two smart catches to get rid of openers Shahriar Nafees (5) and Mohammad Ashraful (18).
■ Cycling
Clarke claims first stage
Australian Hilton Clarke won the opening stage of the Herald Sun cycling tour of Victoria state yesterday for the US-based Navigators team. Clarke was part of a group of six riders which made an early breakaway in the criterium stage at Shepparton in north-central Victoria. The group built a lead of more than a minute halfway through the stage. Australian team members Robbie McEwen and Simon Gerrans, last year's winner, worked hard to cut their advantage to 20 seconds but the lead group was able to hold off their pursuers. Clarke, who won the final stage of last year's event, beat home German Tobias Erlier, while Australian Karl Menzies was third. Today's second stage takes riders 179km from Shepparton to Bendigo.
■ Golf
Dredge maintains lead
Bradley Dredge shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday at Kingsbarns, St Andrews, Scotland, to maintain his lead after the third round of the Dunhill Links championship. Padraig Harrington trails by one stroke after a 3-under 68 at Carnoustie despite strong wind. Dredge, who is at 13-under 202 overall, said the conditions made it difficult to get the ball close to the hole. "There are some big slopes on the greens and then there was the wind," said Dredge, who won the European Masters last month. "Throw all those factors together and it's not easy." Edward Loar, an American who plays on the Asian Tour, moved into third place with a 70 on The Old Course at St Andrews. He is four strokes off the lead, but one better than Ernie Els (71) and Vijay Singh (72), who played at Carnoustie, the site of next year's British Open. Harrington, who won this event in 2002 when it was played right after the Ryder Cup, made six birdies and three bogeys. "It was a tough, tough golf course," said Harrington, who is now fourth in the European Order or Merit. "I was a bit out of it but if I could win one of the big events left, I could be in the mix." Paul Casey, who leads the Order, shot a 73 and shares 15th place.
■ Rugby Union
Morocco qualify for cup
Morocco reached the 2007 rugby union World Cup finals on Saturday with a 23-7 second-leg qualification victory over Ivory Coast in Casablanca. The win also gave them a spot in the final of the African Nations Cup from where they will face either Tunisia, Namibia or Kenya. Both finalists are assured of a place in the World Cup in France next year. Morocco and Ivory Coast drew 9-9 in their first encounter.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was