■ Cricket
Ramprakash waltzes to win
Former England Test batsman Mark Ramprakash waltzed to a new career honor on Saturday when he won a television ballroom dancing competition. The 37-year-old took victory in the BBC program Strictly Come Dancing beating former England rugby union international Matt Dawson in the final. It was the second time a cricketer has won the show, after Darren Gough triumphed over athlete Colin Jackson in last year's final.
■ Cricket
Richards leads All Star team
Cricket great Sir Viv Richards will head a West Indies All Star team against a World XI to mark the reopening of Kensington Oval in Bridhgetwon, Barbados, on Feb. 17. Joining Richards will be fellow greats Joel Garner, Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose in the battery, and Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes and Richie Richardson in the batting lineup, the Barbados Cricket Association announced. The US$69 million redevelopment of Kensington Oval, the oldest cricket ground in the Caribbean, was slated to be finished by New Year's, but won't be handed over to cricket World Cup organizers until Feb. 19. The 123-year-old ground will stage six second-round matches from April 11-21 and the final on April 28.
■ Sailing
Rough conditions expected
Forecasters have tipped rough conditions for this year's Sydney to Hobart yacht race, where the "supermaxis" are again expected to dominate the Australian bluewater classic beginning on Tuesday. Initial warnings that gale force winds would buffet the 78-strong fleet have eased but crews will still have to contend with gusts of 30 knots (56kph) as they make their way down Australia's east coast. Conditions mean Australian supermaxi Wild Oats' record time of one day, 18 hours, 40 minutes and 10 seconds set last year is not expected to come under threat in the 62nd running of the 628-nautical mile (1,163km) race.
■ Cycling
Jan Ullrich plans return
Jan Ullrich, the 1997 Tour de France winner, believes he can make a successful return to professional cycling. The 33-year-old German, who doesn't have a team or a license, faces three different investigations as a result of alleged links to the Spanish doping scandal that has engulfed his sport. "I know that the return to pro sport is a rocky road, but I am determined to fight and make it happen," Ullrich said on Friday on his Web site. Ullrich was fired by T-Mobile on the eve of this year's Tour de France. The decision by his team followed a Spanish police investigation which led to suspicions that Eufemiano Fuentes and other physicians provided top riders with performance-enhancing drugs from a Madrid clinic. Ullrich thanked his fans, management and family for their support.
■ Sponsorship
Stadium could be renamed
Berlin's historic Olympic Stadium could carry the name of a sponsor as the city's financial bosses look to maximize the cash benefits of the ground which hosted the World Cup final this summer. A report in the Berliner Morgenpost newspaper claimed that the sale of the rights to the stadium could bring in around 8 million euros (US$10.5 million) over an eight-to-10 year period. "The name of a sponsor for the stadium is in our interests," said Werner Gegenbauer, an official with Hertha Berlin, the Bundesliga soccer club which play their home games at the ground.
■ Baseball
McCarthy traded to Rangers
The Texas Rangers acquired right-handed pitcher Brandon McCarthy from the Chicago White Sox as part of a five-player deal on Saturday. The Rangers also received minor league outfielder David Paisano in exchange for minor league pitchers John Danks, Nick Masset and Jacob Rasner. The 23-year-old McCarthy was 4-7 with a 4.68 ERA in 53 games this year, coming out of the bullpen in all but two appearances. A starter for the White Sox for most of last year, McCarthy has a 7-9 record with a 4.39 ERA in two major league seasons.
■ NFL
Williams signs extension
Kevin Williams, a defensive tackle who has helped make Minnesota the toughest team in US football to run against, signed a seven-year contract extension on Saturday with the Vikings. The deal, which reportedly could bring Williams as much as US$50 million, could have become a free agent after the season. "I'm excited to get a deal done," Williams said. "I couldn't be in a better situation. The team has shown a commitment to me and I'm proud they feel that way." Williams has 256 tackles, 31 sacks, eight fumble recoveries and two interceptions in four NFL seasons.
■ Olympics
Bedard held in abduction
Canadian Olympic champion Myriam Bedard has been arrested on suspicion of abducting her 12-year-old daughter in a custody case, the US Marshals Service said on Saturday. Bedard, who captured a pair of biathlon gold medals at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, was picked up by US marshals at a hotel in Columbia, Maryland, on Friday, the agency said. The Toronto Star said she left Canada with her daughter without the agreement of her ex-husband, Jean Paquet. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police asked the US Marshals Service for help in finding Bedard on Dec. 15.
■ NBA
Krstic to sit out season
New Jersey Nets center Nenad Krstic will miss the remainder of the National Basketball Association season after suffering a torn left anterior cruciate knee ligament. The Nets announced on Saturday that the 23-year-old Serbian was injured making a spin move during Friday's 99-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Krstic grabbed his knee and fell to the court. He left the arena on crutches. "I went to spin, my knee twisted and I heard a pop," said Krstic, who will undergo surgery to repair the knee. He finishes the campaign with averages of 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists over 25 games.
■ Hockey
Peca out with broken leg
Toronto Maple Leafs center Michael Peca will be sidelined for three to four months after breaking his right leg, the team said on Saturday. Toronto vice president and general manager John Ferguson confirmed in a statement that Peca sustained a fractured tibia during Friday's loss in Chicago against the Blackhawks and will require surgery. "We're looking at three to four months' recovery," Ferguson told Leafs TV prior to Saturday's game against the Washington Capitals. The Maple Leafs' prize offseason signing and one of the NHL's top penalty killers, Peca had played in 35 games this season scoring four goals with 11 assists.
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