Amla leads South Africa to easy win over Sri Lanka
NEW DELHI (AP):Opener Hashim Amla struck an unbeaten 56 for South Africa in their eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the last World Twenty20 Group One game yesterday.Amla hit five fours and one six off 52 balls as South Africa scored 122-2 in 17.4 overs after winning the toss and dismissing Sri Lanka for 120 in 19.3 overs.Amla added 60 for the second wicket with captain Faf du Plessis (31) to help South Africa control the chase from early on.South Africa finished third in the group behind first-place West Indies and England, who were already through to the semi-finals. Defending champions Sri Lanka finished the tournament with a solitary win over Afghanistan.South Africa had little problem in chasing the moderate total as Amla struck a fifth half-century and called the shots in the company of his captain.Du Plessis scored three fours in his 36 balls, but was trapped leg before wicket by pace bowler Suranga Lakmal when he was batting fluently.In a game lacking lots of big shots, the crowd of more than 10,000 saw A.B. de Villiers strike two sixes, including the winning smash over midwicket off Lakmal’s full toss.’BATTING LET US DOWN'”It’s always tough when you are playing South Africa,” said Sri Lanka’s stand-in skipper Dinesh Chandimal. “Batting has let us down in this tournament.”Earlier, Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien and Aaron Phangiso grabbed two wickets to restrict Sri Lanka.Left-arm spinner Phangiso produced a twin-strike in the fifth over after which Sri Lanka failed to get partnerships going.Opener Tillkaratne Dilshan, who had smashed an unbeaten 83 in Sri Lanka’s win against Afghanistan, scored 36 off 40 with four fours and one six. He added 45 runs for the first wicket with Chandimal, who led the side after Angelo Mathews pulled out due to a hamstring injury suffered during his fighting knock of 73 not out against England.Chandimal was bowled with a straighter delivery from Phangiso for 21 and left-hander Lahiru Thirimanne was bowled first ball with one that came in sharply.Behardien then dismissed Shehan Jayasuriya (1) and Dilshan, while Abbott came on to take two late wickets and ensure there was no fightback from the tail-enders.”It was a great pitch, the ball was stopping and turning,” said Man-of-the-Match Phangiso. “It’s been a bit tough. We prepared well coming from home and I think we just needed luck on our side.”- AP
Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) could seek legal recourse against those responsible for leaking confidential dope testing information from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), should the reputation of any Jamaican athlete be sullied by those unauthorised disclosures to the media.JAAA president Dr Warren Blake also lashed out at the fact that the name of Jamaica’s World and Olympic champion and world record holder Usain Bolt appeared in media reports about doping when the athlete has never failed a test for banned drugs or produced a suspicious test result.”We will look at our options and along with the IAAF to see what redress we can get for our athletes if this happens, because they would be unfairly tainting somebody’s name,” said Dr Blake on Tuesday at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, where LIME Jamaica and Flow announced a two-year $28-million agreement to be the exclusive media partner of the JAAA.Suspicious resultsMerely weeks before the IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China, the Sunday Times newspaper in the United Kingdom and German Broadcaster ARD contracted scientists to examine the results of an estimated 12,000 blood samples collected from about 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012. Those scientists concluded that the data, reportedly leaked by someone within the IAAF, suggested that a large number of athletes had produced “suspicious” results.The IAAF rejected the reports as being erroneous.”The published allegations were sensationalist and confusing: the results referred to were not positive tests,” track and field’s governing body noted in a statement issued early Tuesday.The IAAF also stated that the data on which the reports were based were not “secret”, having published a detailed analysis of these data more than four years ago.”Ethically, I deplore public comments coming from colleagues on blood data that has been obtained and processed outside of the strict regulatory framework established by WADA which is designed to ensure a complete and fair review of ABP profiles,” said Professor Giuseppe d’Onofrio, one of the world’s leading haematologists, on the IAAF website iaaf.org Tuesday.”There is no space for shortcuts, simplistic approaches or sensationalism when athletes’ careers and reputations are at stake.”Jamaican athletes could be among those whose reputations are at risk. If that is the case, Blake said his association would be prepared to act on their behalf.”It is interesting to note that when the media that reported the leak spelt it out they never said ‘positive’ tests or ‘failed’ tests, they said ‘suspicious’ test results,” Blake said.”Now, I don’t know what those media outlets expected, because you cannot prosecute people based on suspicions. You do not have a case.”So if you get suspicious results, the only option open to the IAAF is to keep the information confidential and monitor the athletes closely to see if they are, in fact, cheaters or if it was just a suspicious result.”He added: “I find it also ironic that someone went out of their way to look to see if Usain Bolt was there, because if Usain Bolt had a suspicious result, he would have been found guilty and the entire Jamaican programme could have been condemned. I really can’t support that sort of behaviour,” Blake said.
BEIJING, China (CMC): Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada easily advanced to the final of the Men’s 400 metres, giving himself a chance to regain the World title. James won the first semi-final in 44.16, the second-fastest time, advancing to the final, with Isaac Makwala of Botswana crossing the finish line in 44.11. Luguelin Santos of the Dominican Republic (44.26), South African Wayde Van Niekerk (44.31), LaShawn Merritt of the United States (44.34), Yousef Ahmed Masrahi of Saudi Arabia (44.40), Great Britain’s Rabah Yousif (44.54), and Machel Cedenio of Trinidad & Tobago (44.64) will join James and Makwala in tomorrow’s final. “I just tried to control the race, and congrats to Santos (Luguelin) for running a nice little record,” James said. “I am just happy to get through to the final, get some rest, make sure my body is right, and just try to make it a very competitive race.” James may have to fight a major battle with the reigning World champion, Merritt, of the United States and Van Niekerk, the only man to beat James this season. Olympic bronze medallist, Lalonde Gordon (44.70) and Renny Quow of Trinidad & Tobago (44.98); Javon Francis (44.77), Rusheen McDonald (44.86) and Peter Matthews (45.42) of Jamaica; and the Bahamas trio of Steven Gardiner (44.98), Chris Brown (45.07) and Michael Mathieu (45.43) failed to advance.
The Jamaica Football Federation will host a grassroots festival for girls under the FIFA ‘Live Your Goals’ campaign in Mandeville tomorrow.One hundred girls, aged six to twelve, from the South Central and Western Confederations and will be hosted at Brooks Park, Manchester fro 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.The festival, which is also supported by JFF platinum sponsor, Digicel, continues one of the JFF’s major objectives in its women’s development programme, which is the introduction of the game to girls at an early age. The core components of the JFF women’s development programme are to develop better national players through the staging of regular training camps and international games, to hold regular grassroots festivals and skills challenge activities, host regular coaching and fitness courses for coaches of female players and to increase the number of women administrators in the sport including the number of female referees.Tomorrow’s festival will be guided by national grassroots coordinator Andre Virtue; director of football, Vin Blaine; youth national coaches; former national players and will include three members of Jamaica’s national senior women’s squad who will shortly participate in the final round of Olympic qualifiers.
SAT, JAN 2, 2016ARSENAL 1NEWCASTLE UNITED 0GOAL: ARSENAL: KOSCIELNY 72.Arsenal are now two points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League after a narrow win over troubled Newcastle. A draw looked likely until defender Laurent Koscielny came to the rescue with a close-range winner in the 72nd minute. Newcastle could have come away with at least a point, having been on the front foot for much of the second half.LEICESTER CITY 0AFC BOURNEMOUTH 0GOALS: NONE.Leicester wasted the chance to return to the top of the Barclays Premier League after Riyad Mahrez had a second-half penalty saved against 10-man AFC Bournemouth. Moments after Bournemouth captain Simon Francis was sent off for denying Jamie Vardy a goal-scoring chance, Artur Boruc denied Mahrez with a two-handed save.MANCHESTER UNITED 2SWANSEA CITY 1GOALS: UNITED: MARTIAL 47; ROONEY 77. SWANSEA: SIGURDSSON 70.Wayne Rooney’s brilliant winner beat Swansea as Manchester United ended a run of eight games without a win.The goal ensures that Rooney is now second place on the all-time Barclays Premier League goal-scoring lists on 188, 72 behind Alan Shearer. After a dour first half, Martial headed United in front, before Gylfi Sigurdsson’s glancing effort set nerves on edge at Old Trafford.Manchester United move up to fifth, two points behind Tottenham.NORWICH CITY 1SOUTHAMPTON 0GOAL: NORWICH: TETTEY 76.Alex Tettey’s second-half goal gave Norwich a hard-fought win over 10-man Southampton at Carrow Road. Saints went a man down when Victor Wanyama was sent off, with Norwich scoring just three minutes later. Canaries’ striker Dieumerci Mbokani had missed good chances from close range before the break, while Steven Davis forced the hosts’ Declan Rudd into a good save in the first half.SUNDERLAND 3ASTON VILLA 1GOALS: SUNDERLAND: VAN AANHOLT 30; DEFOE 72, 90. VILLA: GIL 63.Sunderland boosted their Barclays Premier League survival hopes as they ended a run of five straight defeats with a win over bottom-side Aston Villa. The hosts took the lead against the run of play when Patrick van Aanholt’s low 20-yard shot deflected wickedly off Micah Richards and into the net. A brilliant acrobatic volley from Carles Gil levelled after the break, before Jermain Defoe’s low strike. Defoe added a late third, leaving Villa with no wins in 19 league matches.WATFORD 1MANCHESTER CITY 2GOALS: WATFORD: KOLAROV OG 55. CITY: TOURE 82; AG¸ERO 84.+Late goals from Yaya TourÈ and Sergio Ag¸ero rescued Manchester City as they came from behind to beat Watford in an entertaining finale. Watford went ahead after the break when Aleksandar Kolarov headed Ben Watson’s corner beyond Joe Hart, who had the situation covered, for an own goal. With defeat looming, TourÈ side-foot volleyed Kolarov’s corner into the near post to level. And Ag¸ero headed Bacary Sagna’s fine cross home to secure a rare away win.WEST BROMWICH ALBION 2STOKE CITY 1GOALS: WBA: SESSEGNON 60; EVANS 90. STOKE: WALTERS 81.Jonny Evans grabbed a stoppage-time winner for West Brom as Stoke suffered just their third defeat in 13 matches. After a sterile first 60minutes, Stephane Sessegnon fired the Baggies into the lead with a powerful shot. Stoke created little in the second half, but substitute Jonathan Walters headed them level from a superb Joselu cross. Almost immediately, the visitors’ Geoff Cameron was sent off for striking Claudio Yacob, before Evans tapped home after a goalmouth scramble.WEST HAM UNITED 2LIVERPOOL 0GOALS: WEST HAM: ANTONIO 10; CARROLL 55.Andy Carroll scored against his former club as West Ham leapfrogged Liverpool in the table thanks to a first league double over the Reds for 52 years. Michail Antonio beat Nathaniel Clyne to Enner Valencia’s early cross to net the Premier League’s first goal of 2016. Liverpool midfielder Emre Can was denied by the bar, but Jurgen Klopp’s side were off the pace throughout. Carroll sealed the points after meeting Mark Noble’s cross.SUN, JAN 3CRYSTAL PALACE 0CHELSEA 3GOALS: CHELSEA: OSCAR 29; WILLIAN 60; COSTA 66.Guus Hiddink maintained his unbeaten record since taking over from sacked Chelsea boss JosÈ Mourinho as his side extended their unbeaten run to four with an impressive dismantling of high-riding Crystal Palace. Oscar gave the Blues the lead when he latched onto Diego Costa’s pass. Willian made it 2-0 with a delightful long-range effort, then turned provider for Costa after Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey spilled the cross.EVERTON 1TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1GOALS: EVERTON: LENNON 22. TOTTENHAM: ALLI 45.Former Spurs winger Aaron Lennon netted against his former club, but Deli Alli ensured Spurs extended their unbeaten away sequence to nine games, their best run for 20 years. In a rare Everton attack, Lennon put the home team ahead with a half-volley. Alli then levelled before the break, controlling Toby Alderweireld’s cross-field ball with his chest and finishing low beyond Tim Howard.
There were some outstanding results at the Douglas Forrest Development Meet at the National Stadium on Saturday, with Vere Technical and Hydel High’s girls chipping in with good performances, while the boys’ side was dominated by St Jago High in middle-and long-distance events.With top girls’ schools Edwin Allen High, St Jago and Holmwood Technical absent, the John Mair-coached Vere produced three double winners in Brittany Anderson, Britney Dixon and Avery Pryce.Class Three athlete Anderson maintained her excellent form this season. Following her quick 11.88 seconds to win the 100 metres a week earlier at the JC Purewater meet, Anderson produced the fastest 200 metres and the longest jump. After a second-place finish in the high jump with 1.68 metres, Anderson captured the long jump with 6.02 metres, before topping the 200 metres field with 24.70 secondsKiara Grant of Convent of Mercy Academy (Alpha) was second overall in the 200m in 24.96 seconds.DIXON IN FINE FORMDixon was victorious in the Class Two 800 and 1,500 metres. In the 800 metres, she stopped the clock at 2:18.37 to get the better of Sherona Stewart (2:22.96) of Hydel. In the 1,500 metres, her winning time of 4:52.02 saw her getting the better of the Hydel duo of Monifa Green (4:57.89) and Aaliyah Stewart (5:07.33).Vere’s Aleitha Fearon won the Class One 800m in 2:20.94, with teammate Aleisha Skyers taking Class Two in 2:25.14.Pryce captured the Class Two shot put with a heave of 12.34 metres, before returning to capture the discus with 37.14m.Hydel High’s Davia Brown claimed the discus with 44.79m and the shot put with 12.72m.St Jago’s boys Keenon Lawrence, Lerone Clarke, Sean Bailey and Thaleentino Green were outstanding.Lawrence took the Class Two 800-1,500 metres double. In the 800m, he sprinted away in the latter stage to win in 1:59.22, getting the better of teammate Anthony Cox, 2:00.90.Christopher Taylor of Calabar High won his heat easily in 2:01.90 to finish third overall.In the Open boys’ 5,000m, Green won in 16:04.98, and his teammate, Kyle Morgan, finished second in 16:24.84.Clarke topped the Class One 1,500m in 4:06.62 ahead of Mico University College’s Alex Hutton (4:97.35), with Green third overall in 4:07.75.Bailey took the Class One 800m in 1:59.22, as former teammate Martin Manley, competing for Cameron Blazers Track Club, was second in 1:56.97. Shemar Hylton of Excelsior High was third in 1:59.75.Calabar High also showed their strength in Class Two, as Dejour Russell won in 22.46 seconds ahead of teammate Tyreke Wilson and St Jago High’s Cox, who both clocked 22.61 seconds for second and third, respectively.In the Class One 200m, Calabar High’s Xavier Angus was first in 21.86 seconds, just ahead of Vere Technical’s Tascio Bell, 21.94 seconds, and Michael Campbell of Jamaica College, 21.98 seconds.
MELBOURNE, Australia (CMC): Controversial opener Chris Gayle launched a scathing attack on several former and present cricketers after an explosive innings in the Australian Big Bash T20 League. Gayle, who equalled Yuvraj Singh’s record for the fastest half-century in T20 history playing for Melbourne Renegades against Adelaide Strikers on Monday, launched his blistering attack in an instagram tirade yesterday. The explosive Jamaican batsman did not hold back in his assessment of former players who shared the BBL franchise’s view of his conduct. “I think a lot of past and present cricketers who smile in front my face could’ve had their say in the public when my so call issue was going on, but y’all don’t have the balls to stand firm when it matters,” said Gayle. “But yet when u (you) see me you’re like, Chris that’s BS against you, it was blown out of proportion. Don’t tell me, tell the media and public!” The 36-year-old West Indies opener has come under fire for appearing to openly flirt with Australian reporter Mel McLaughlin, by telling her during a live TV interview: “I wanted to come and have an interview with you as well, that’s the reason why I’m here. Just to see your eyes for the first time. It’s nice.” He continued: “So hopefully we can win this game and we can have a drink after. Don’t blush, baby.” Gayle was subsequently censured by Cricket Australia and Big Bash League organisers and also fined $10,000 (US$7,000) His comments led to him being criticised by the likes of former Sydney Thunder teammate Chris Rogers, current BBL players Shane Watson and Ed Cowan, as well as former England skipper Andre Flintoff and former Australian Test captain Ian Chappell, who recommended a worldwide ban. “The real ppl (people) who stand by Gayle worldwide through the so call BS against me in the media, Thank You. To the MEDIA, Thank You all so! The Haters, I Thank you even more,” Gayle posted in social media-speak on his Instagram account. “The past cricketer who said I make myself look like a chop, the other who claim I was no good to the youngsters while playing for the t\Thunder, the next one who said he expect that sort of behaviour from Chris – Y’all can ….. I love Australia and I will be back again.”
WESTERN BUREAU:Rodene Morris was on fire in Thursday’s final of the Western Basketball Association-ISSA Girls’ Open Championship top-scoring with 32 points to lead Rhodes Hall High to their first-ever title, a 50-37 victory over Spot Valley High at the Montego Bay Cricket Club.Holland High edged Mt. Alvernia High 28-27 in a tense third-place match that preceded the final.Morris’ all-round athletic ability was on full display as she not only scored at will, but also made herself useful as part of a strong Rhodes Hall second-half defensive effort, grabbing two rebounds to go with two blocked shots and three steals. Her teammate, Keron Brown, added 12 points and two steals in the historic win.The bulk of Spot Valley’s points came from Nassan-Gay Ricketts, who had 18 points, five rebounds, three steals and two assists, mostly in the first two quarters. But her endeavour was outdone by the talented Morris.easy lay-upHer easy lay-up, immediately after the tip-off, gave Rhodes Hall the first bucket of the afternoon and thereafter Morris needed little invitation to shoot as she took full advantage of some indecisive Spot Valley defending, especially in the last quarter.Notwithstanding, it was Spot Valley who held the lead at the end of the first quarter, with Ricketts doing the bulk of the work early on for a 12-9 margin.Ricketts and Brown combined well in the second quarter and it looked then that they were well on their way to the crown, outscoring Rhodes Hall 11-8 in the second stanza for a 23-17 lead at the half-time break.It was a completely different scenario in the third quarter, however, as Rhodes Hall, led by Morris, found their groove, making shots after shots to pull the game back after three keenly contested quarters at 29-28.Spot Valley never recovered and it gave Brown and Morris the fuel needed to win it for their school with a flurry of points in the paint, to waltz to a first-ever high school title, boy or girl, in the school’s history.Both schools will now turn their attention to the all-island play-offs set for GC Foster College.
FIRST SUPER-6 FANCIES LIVE CONTENDER BURNING MEDIC, who finished a close second to MIRACLE RECOVERY, looks a live contender in the 10-horse field, along with the bold front runner TROPICALDEPRESSION. The last two races in the first Super-6 should be won by AQUILO (Javanne Patterson up) and URBAN PRINCIPAL (Odean Edwards), both of whom finished second last time out. Their respective dangers are EL CLIENTE (Omar Walker) and DUSSELDORF, with Shane Ellis up. BIGDADDYKOOL, a top contender for the June 25 Cal’s Jamaica Derby, looks the one to beat when he takes on six fellow three-year-olds in the opening restricted allowance race (non-winners of two) over 1700 metres at Caymanas Park tomorrow. Trained by Anthony Nunes, BIGDADDYKOOL was a fast-finishing fourth (beaten 4-1/4 lengths) to FUTURE KING in the Post to Post 2000 Guineas over a mile on April 9, this after running miles wide into the straight. He has worked well in preparation for this race, and with the competition less than fierce, should have little difficulty in beating THE PROMISE LAND and company. Top apprentice Linton Steadman has the ride from the convenient mark of 53.0kg. TWILIGHT CITIZEN, a fast-finishing second to stable-companion to TRADITIONAL STORM over 1300 metres on April 23, is tipped to go one better in the second race over a similar trip to be contested by eight starters, including GOLD SCREW, who just failed to stave off TARANTINO over 1820 metres recently, and MINY LEE, who was third in that race. GOLD SCREW will have lots of supporters even with female apprentice Mellisa Ward replacing former champion jockey Wesley Henry, but the Carl Anderson-trained TWILIGHT CITIZEN, with apprentice AndrÈ Powell, only needs to get it right at the start to score an overdue win. The third race should provide the lightly raced RAWALPINDI EXPRESS with his maiden win on his fifth start. True, the five-year-old son of Coded Warning is proving expensive to follow, but with champion jockey Shane Ellis now taking the ride, the hint should be taken. IDON’TKNOW looks the principal danger in a seven-strong field over 1100 metres. Recent winner PRINCE O’SHAUN, now back over an ideal trip after flopping over the straight behind MIRACLE RECOVERY on April 24, looks nicely off at the weights (53.0kg) with 3.0kg claiming apprentice Bebeto Harvey, and should rebound with a win over 1500 metres. (1) BIGDADDYKOOL (2) TWILIGHT CITIZEN/ GOLD SCREW (3) RAWALPINDI EXPRESS/IDON’TKNOW (4) PRINCE O’SHAUN/BURNING MEDIC (5) AQUILO/EL CLIENTE (6) URBAN PRINCIPAL/ DUSSELDORF
NEW YORK (AP): All due respect to Kyrie Irving’s 3-pointer, the Play of the NBA Finals was offered by King James. LeBron James’ chasedown block of Andre Iguodala with 1:51 remaining in Game 7 of the NBA Finals a shot that would have given Golden State the lead wasn’t just the defining moment of 2016, but perhaps the defining moment of James’ Hall of Fame career as well. He didn’t do it alone, as J.R. Smith helped impede Iguodala’s path and give James the extra split-second that he needed to get to the rim. But the enormity of the moment made the block even bigger: Golden State had a record-setting 73-win regular season, the series was tied 3-3, the total points in that series were tied at that moment 699-699. After that block, the Warriors wouldn’t score again. And James would soon become a three-time NBA champion.