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Sports Briefs

■ Cricket
Rain has the final say
Rain forced the opening one-dayer between India and Australia to be abandoned after Michael Clarke hit a career-best 130 for the visitors on Saturday. India, replying to Australia's 307 for seven, were nine for one in 2.4 overs when showers halted the day-night game. Although the rain stopped, a wet outfield meant the match was called off after a three-hour wait. "It was good to score a hundred but disappointing it was a bit of a waste," Clarke told reporters. Clarke, put on 144 for the fifth wicket with Brad Haddin (69) and 73 for the sixth with James Hopes (37). The second game in the seven-match series is in Kochi tomorrow.

■ Soccer
Pink ball makes debut
Tecos UAG beat Morelia 3-2 in the first Mexican championship match to be played with a pink ball. The Mexican federation has announced that all first division matches will use pink balls for one month as the sport joins the campaign against breast cancer. Match tickets will also be printed in pink -- the color adopted by breast cancer associations -- and supporters will be encouraged to wave pink balloons during games. Chilean striker Hugo Droguett opened the scoring for Tecos in the fourth minute of Friday night's game but Gonzalo Choy and Luis Angel Landin scored either side of half-time to put the visitors ahead. The Owls hit back in the last quarter of an hour as goals from Gerardo Torres and Mauro Cejas gave them the win.

■ Boxing
Woods retains world title
Clinton Woods defeated Julio Cesar Gonzalez for the second time on points in the fourth defense of his IBF world light-heavyweight title in Sheffield, England, on Saturday. The Englishman dominated the latter rounds to surge ahead on points and earn a 117-111, 115-113 and 116-112 verdict from the judges after an exciting encounter against Mexican Gonzalez, who he had also got the better of on points at the same arena two years ago. Despite taking a lot of punishment late on, Gonzalez was still standing at the end with both fighters left cut around the eyes. Americans Antonio Tarver and Roy Jones or even Welshman Joe Calzaghe, the WBO super-middleweight champion, are now possible opponents for Woods. Woods, 35, was making his return to action after over a year out due to arm injuries which required two operations.

■ Golf
Europe hold on to lead
Continental Europe held on to a one-point lead -- nine and a half to eight and a half -- after Britain & Ireland rallied in the foursomes on Saturday in the Seve Trophy. Europe won three and halved one of the four greensomes to open an eight and a half to five and a half points lead before Britain & Ireland won three of the foursomes. Gregory Havret had a hole in one at the 189-yard 7th in the morning as he and Raphael Jacquelin beat Nick Dougherty and Graeme Storm of Britain & Ireland 2 and 1. But Dougherty and Justin Rose snapped the French pair's three-match winning streak 2 and 1 in the foursomes. Colin Montgomerie went down to his third defeat in three matches when he and Storm lost 3 and 2 to Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano and Robert Karlsson in Europe's only win in the afternoon. Britain & Ireland then won the last two foursomes.


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