■SOCCER
Media say Gazza arrested
Northumbria Police said they released a 41-year-old man from custody after UK media reported that former England soccer star Paul Gascoigne was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of causing criminal damage. The man accepted a formal caution and was released late on Thursday, the press office of the Northumbria Police said yesterday. A spokesman declined to confirm the identity of the man, saying only that a 41-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at an address in northeast England’s Dunston. Sky News said on its Web site that Gascoigne was photographed on Thursday morning trying to unlock the doors of a pub. “Gazza” has been sectioned twice this year under the Mental Health Act. Newspapers reported last week that he was rushed to a hospital in Portugal following a suspected drug overdose.
■RUGBY UNION
England star charged
England flanker James Haskell was charged on Thursday with headbutting an opponent during Premiership champions Wasps 11-10 defeat against Worcester last weekend. Haskell will be up before a Rugby Football Union disciplinary hearing on Monday along with Wasps team-mate Richard Birkett, charged with stamping. The minimum recommended entry-level punishment for a head-butt is six weeks with the maximum possible sanction a two-year ban.
■CRICKET
Windies batsman fails test
West Indies opening batsman Xavier Marshall has tested positive for a banned substance, a senior cricket board official told Web site www.cricinfo.com. Jamaican Marshall and Tonito Willett from the Leeward Islands tested positive last month at a camp to pick the side to face England in the Stanford Twenty20 winner-take-all US$20 million match on Nov. 1, the report said. Donald Peters, chief executive of the West Indies board (WICB), said any action would be taken after receiving legal advice. He did not say what substance was involved. “WICB has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs and the matter could come up to the disciplinary committee. We are looking at a time frame of two weeks,” Peters said. The 22-year-old Marshall has played four Tests and 18 one-day internationals.
■CYCLING
Roelandts wins stage
Jurgen Roelandts of Belgium won the fifth stage of the Tour de Pologne on Thursday, while Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil of Spain grabbed the overall lead. Roelandts, who rides for Silence Lotto, won the 249.7km stage from Naleczow to Rzeszow in 5 hours, 18 minutes and 59 seconds. Rojas Gil was second, and Steven de Jongh of the Netherlands was third. With his second place finish on Thursday, Rojas Gil took over the yellow jersey from Australian Allan Davis. The Caisse d’Epargne rider leads the tour two stages from the finish with a time of 16 hours and 51 seconds. Dane Lars Ytting Bak of CSC sits 2 seconds back, and Quick Step Innergetic’s de Jongh is 5 seconds off the lead.
■SOCCER
Lions celebrate anniversary
Longstanding expat side Red Lions FC are celebrating their 25th anniversary with an eight-team tournament in Taipei this weekend. Proceedings kick off at Shipai Junior High School this afternoon with the bulk of the games at Dajia Riverside Park tomorrow from noon to 5pm. Red Lions are fielding two sides, including an “old boys” lineup and Taipei City, Fritz, Shane, Carnegies, Hsinchu Celts and Kaohsiung Pacers are also taking part.
■BASKETBALL
Celtics celebrate with Bush
The Boston Celtics will visit the White House to celebrate their 17th NBA championship with US President George W. Bush. The team’s owners, along with general manager Danny Ainge, coach Doc Rivers and members of the team, were to attend a ceremony yesterday with the president. The Celtics plan to give him a personalized jersey and an autographed basketball. Boston defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in June to win their first championship in 22 years. On Thursday, fans lined up at the Connecticut state Capitol to see the championship trophy and Celtics star and former University of Connecticut standout Ray Allen.
■BASKETBALL
Liberty top Sun in opener
Shameka Christon scored 19 points to lead the New York Liberty to a 72-63 win over the Connecticut Sun on Thursday in the opening game of their WNBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. Cathrine Kraayeveld had 15 points and 10 rebounds for New York, which staged a form reversal after a poor finish to the regular season. Connecticut continued its late-season slump and fell for the fourth time in five games. The best-of-three series moves to Connecticut for Game 2 today. A decisive game would be Monday night in Connecticut, if necessary. In Sacramento, California, Becky Hammon made six three-pointers and scored 30 points to give San Antonio a 85-78 win over the Sacramento Monarchs in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round playoffs.
■COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Buffaloes top Mountaineers
Aric Goodman made a 25-yard field goal in overtime to give Colorado a 17-14 victory over No. 21-ranked West Virginia in Boulder, Colorado, on Thursday. The Mountaineers had the ball first in overtime, but Pat McAfee’s 23-yard field goal attempt hit the left upright. Cody Hawkins threw two touchdown passes — both in the first quarter — and Rodney Stewart rushed for 166 yards, the most ever by a Colorado freshman. The Buffaloes improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2004. West Virginia quarterback Pat White ran for two touchdowns and 148 yards, and Noel Devine finished with 133 yards on the ground.
■BASKETBALL
Beasley fined over women
The National Basketball Association slapped Miami Heat rookie Michael Beasley with a US$50,000 fine for an incident at the league’s rookie training program earlier this month. Beasley is the third player involved in the same incident to be punished. Heat guard Mario Chalmers and Memphis Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur were also disciplined. Fined US$20,000 and kicked out of the program, Chalmers and Arthur were found with two women in their hotel room. The NBA declined to release details of the involvement of Beasley, who was the second overall pick in the June NBA entry draft. Miami used their first pick to select Beasley after finishing with the league’s worst record (15-67) last season.
■BASEBALL
Leyland punished for yelling
Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland was suspended three games for his “inappropriate conduct” during games against the Texas Rangers, Major League Baseball said on Thursday. Leyland was ejected in the sixth inning of Monday’s 11-8 Texas victory for arguing with home-plate umpire Eric Cooper over a hit-by-pitch call to Rangers batter Max Ramirez. Following Tuesday’s 5-4 Texas victory, Leyland yelled at the umpires as they left the field.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
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