■CRICKET
Kiwis admit role in ‘riot’
Two New Zealand cricketers admitted yesterday to sparking what has been described as a riot in the Indian city of Chennai after handing out money to street people. The incident happened following an unauthorized drinking session during the New Zealand A tour of India in August. Neil Broom and Aaron Redmond owned up after the Herald on Sunday newspaper reported that a riot broke out when two players began handing out money. “The intended charity quickly became more popular than the pair had counted on. The crowd grew larger and more unruly and, according to sources, a full-scale riot broke out,” the newspaper said. Although the players were not named in the article, Broom and Redmond later issued a statement admitting liability. “Unfortunately when we decided to leave the night spot we were picked up by police following another poor decision to hand out money to people living on the street, whereupon a crowd developed,” Redmond said.
■TENNIS
Slovak ace turns Aussie
Jarmila Groth will become eligible to play for Australia after she is officially granted citizenship this week, Tennis Australia (TA) said yesterday. The Slovak-born Groth, 22, who is married to Australian tennis professional Sam Groth, will be sworn in during a ceremony in Canberra today, TA said. “It’s a dream come true and I am incredibly excited and proud to become a citizen of this great nation, whose people have welcomed me so warmly and have made me feel at home since the very first time I came here,” said Groth, who gained her residency in 2004. Groth, reached a career-high WTA Tour singles ranking of 57 in July and won last year’s Taipei Ladies Open.
■ATHLETICS
Runners slam PLA soldiers
Chinese army soldiers were accused yesterday of gamesmanship and muscling their way to victory in a Hong Kong charity 100km race. Two People’s Liberation Army (PLA) teams on Friday took part in the Oxfam Trailwalker charity race for first time since setting up garrisons in Hong Kong in 1997. Their four-man teams finished first and second in the race around the New Territories but were accused of using a vast support crew and deliberately holding up rival teams. Fellow competitors told the Sunday Morning Post newspaper the army teams had a support crew of “at least 50 people” and used large numbers of support runners to hold up other teams. Usually, only two or three support runners are used per team to help carry food and drink in the toughest parts of the MacLehose Trail where the race takes place. “Their support runners would keep trying to pass us and then slow down to delay us, while their team ran clear,” Jeremy Ritcey of a rival team told the newspaper. “They jostled us and put us off our stride,” he said. There was no immediate response from the PLA.
■SOCCER
Allardyce to have heart op
Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce will miss his side’s next three English Premier League matches because he needs heart surgery, the club said on Saturday. The Rovers Web site said Allardyce, 55, would undergo an angioplasty this week to correct a narrowing to a branch of his coronary arteries after recently complaining of chest discomfort. Allardyce was due to miss yesterday’s game against Bolton Wanderers as well as matches against Fulham and Stoke City. Assistant manager Neil McDonald will take charge of the first team in his absence.
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