■ Rugby Union
Ex-player subdues man
A former international rugby player was among passengers who helped to subdue a man who became violent during a domestic flight yesterday, New Zealand police said. The 42-year-old man apparently became agitated because he failed to take his medication and attacked a nearby passenger as the flight from Auckland came in to land at Wellington, Sergeant Roly Gascoine said. Other passengers, including former New Zealand All Black Ofisa Tonu'u, restrained the man for about 10 minutes and handed him over to police who were waiting when the airplane touched down, Gascoine said. The man had not taken his prescription medicine, Gascoine said, without providing details.
PHOTO: AP
■ Boxing
Deportees return to Cuba
Two boxers deported by Brazil were back in Cuba after they disappeared during the Pan American Games last month and were arrested at a resort where officials said they partied and ran up an exorbitant bill. Convalescing Cuban President Fidel Castro said in comments published on Sunday that the boxers would be confined to guest houses upon their return, although he promised not to harshly punish them. Guillermo Rigondeaux, Cuba's top boxer and a two-time Olympic bantamweight champion, and Erislandy Lara, an amateur welterweight world champion, arrived in Havana early on Sunday after being deported from Brazil.
■ Motorsport
Gronholm wins Finnish rally
Marcus Gronholm won the Finnish world championship rally on Sunday, beating Ford teammate Mikko Hirvonen by 24.2 seconds. World champion Sebastien Loeb of France was third in a Citroen, 1:09.9 behind. Gronholm increased his lead in the overall standings from nine to 13 points ahead of Loeb. Gronholm has 75 points, Loeb 62 and third-placed Hirvonen has 57 points. Gronholm finished the 360.34km of special stages in 2 hours, 27 minutes, 56.1 seconds. For Gronholm, world champion in 2000 and 2002, it was the seventh win in his eight last starts on home soil, the fast gravel roads in central Finland, 270km north of Helsinki.
■ Soccer
Beckham misses MLS debut
David Beckham missed his scheduled Major League Soccer (MLS) debut, failing to play in the Los Angeles Galaxy's match at Toronto FC on Sunday. Beckham, still bothered by a sore left ankle, wasn't among the starting 11 or seven substitutes for the game, played before a sellout crowd of 20,500. Beckham sprained his left ankle while playing for England against Estonia in a European Championship qualifier on June 6, then hurt it again during Real Madrid's season finale on June 17. On Saturday, the 32-year-old midfielder said he cannot plant or turn without pain and is seven to 10 days from being able to start.
■ Soccer
Porto win tournament
Portuguese champions Porto scored three first-half goals to defeat Shanghai Shenhua of China and win the Port of Rotterdam tournament on Sunday. Tarik Sektioui opened the scoring after five minutes and Leandro Lima struck twice in three minutes shortly before the interval to seal victory. Porto edged Liverpool, who fought back from a goal down to draw 1-1 against hosts Feyenoord, on goal difference. Feyenoord grabbed the lead on the stroke of halftime when Royston Drenthe netted a rebound after Andwele Slory hit the post.
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
New Zealand yesterday reached 231-9 at stumps on a first day of the first Test against the West Indies shortened by rain after Justin Greaves triggered a middle-order collapse with the wicket of Kane Williamson. New Zealand tumbled from 94-1 to 148-6 on a bowler-friendly wicket after Williamson was dismissed for 52, his 38th Test half-century. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith arrested the slide with a 52-run stand for the seventh wicket. Smith eventually fell for 23 and Bracewell for 47. After Matt Henry went for 8, Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy were both on 4 when bad light stopped play after 70
Robin Smith, the batter who shone for England in a period when it was beaten regularly in Test cricket, has died. He was 62. Smith’s family said in a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that he died unexpectedly at his home in Perth, Australia, on Monday. No cause was given. He played 62 Tests for England from 1988 to 1996, scoring 4,236 runs at an average of 43.67 with nine centuries. His signature shot was the square cut. Smith also played in 71 one-day internationals and was part of England’s squad who reached the 1992 ICC World Cup final. His unbeaten
SSC Napoli on Sunday joined AC Milan at the top of Serie A after winning 1-0 at title rivals AS Roma, as Inter kept pace with the leading pair by beating Pisa SC 2-0. David Neres stroked home the only goal of a feisty game in the 36th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, ending a blistering counterattack with a calm finish which put Napoli on 28 points. Napoli are behind Milan on goal-difference, and just one point ahead of both Roma and Inter in a tight scudetto battle in which Antonio Conte’s team are to host Juventus at the weekend. “To come to
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