Mon, Oct 09, 2006 page18

• Sports Briefs

  • AGENCIES
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  ■ 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.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Dozens of Taiwanese missing in China

  • 2

    PRC likely to launch drills after National Day speech

  • 3

    Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh badge a hit at Japan festival

  • 4

    PRC could not be ‘motherland,’ William Lai says

  • 5

    Double Ten National Day celebrations to begin today