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■ CRICKET
Cairns to join Indian league
Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns is coming out of retirement to play in the breakaway Indian Cricket League, he said yesterday. Cairns, 37, who retired from international cricket last year, told the Christchurch Press newspaper he had accepted a "lucrative" offer to play in the inaugural Twenty20 competition, due to start next month. "It's a lucrative deal," Cairns said. "It's something which has brought me out of retirement and to do that it has to be worth it. The competition is also a chance to have one last go playing in front of heaps of people," he said. Cairns joins former New Zealand internationals Chris Harris, Nathan Astle and Hamish Marshall in the competition, which is set to run for about five weeks beginning on Nov. 17.

■ SUMO
Stable head faces dismissal
Japan's sumo authority plans to dismiss a stable master who admitted beating a teenage wrestler with a beer bottle a day before he died, reports said yesterday. The Japan Sumo Association is set to hold a meeting on Friday to formalize the decision to fire stable master Tokitsukaze, according to local media. Dismissal "could not be helped," association chairman Kitanoumi said yesterday, Kyodo News reported. "We could not take a step that is more lenient." Dismissal would be the severest possible penalty by the sumo authority, preventing Tokitsukaze from ever returning to Japan's ancient sport. Saito's body reportedly had bruises, a deep cut in the forehead and burns on the legs apparently from cigarettes. Police are reportedly seeking to press charges against the stable master and the senior wrestlers.

■ SOCCER
Real Madrid plan Bali base
Real Madrid plan to open a soccer academy on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, a spokesman for the national sports council said in Jakarta yesterday. "Their CEO came to visit yesterday [Monday] and told us about their intention to build their soccer academy in Bali later this year," Atal Depari said. He was referring to Real Madrid's local venture, Realino Sports Indonesia, whose boss Jose Euardo Nadal told the council that the academy would be Real Madrid's second overseas development. The first is in Mexico. The academy will accept about 220 students between nine and 18 years of age, and train them for 10 months, he said, adding that the admissions process would begin in December.
"When I asked, `Why Bali?' he said that Indonesia had a vast population and an equally vast pool of sports talent," Depari said.

■ RUGBY UNION
Concussed Devine to retire
Former All Black scrumhalf Steve Devine has been forced to retire from rugby because of the lingering effects of repeated concussion. Devine, 30, received his latest head injury playing for Auckland in the national provincial championship in late July and has still not recovered. Headaches, fatigue and memory loss were still plaguing him and he had received medical advice to stop playing. "After several weeks of delayed recovery, tests and scans, the final decision was one I didn't want to hear. So the call has been made for me -- that's it," Devine said. The Australian-born Devine made his debut for the All Blacks against England in 2002 and went on to play 10 Tests, including three in the 2003 World Cup. He appeared 70 times for the Blues in the Super 14 and 78 times for the Auckland province.


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