Andy Roddick beats Roger Federer at the Miami Masters

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Roger Federer's 16-match winning streak came to an end when he was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 1-6 6-4 by Andy Roddick in the third round of the Miami Masters.

"I came out flat today," the Swiss said. "I was a bit tired, I guess."
World number one Novak Djokovic secured his place in round four with a 6-3 6-4 win over fellow Serbian Victor Troicki.

In the women's draw, top seed Victoria Azarenka progressed to the quarter-final stage by beating Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova 1-6 7-6 (9-7) 7-5.
Having lost the second set, Roddick survived three break points in the opening game of the decider and then broke Federer immediately.
It was only the American's third victory in 24 meetings against Federer and ended a losing sequence against top-three players stretching back to 2010.

"That's maybe 30 matches for the season. I am just feeling like it's taken its toll a bit," said Federer, who has won tournaments in Rotterdam, Dubai and Indian Wells this year.
Djokovic needed only 85 minutes to secure victory but had to save seven break points on his way to the last 16.
The Serbian will meet Richard Gasquet for a place in the quarter-finals after the Frenchman's win over Albert Ramos.
Azarenka, who beat Brit Heather Watson in the previous round, edged a marathon match lasting two hours and 49 minutes.
The Belarusian's winning run, which now stretches to 26 games, looked in serious jeopardy after she lost the first set.
"I definitely wasn't thinking about the streak, that's for sure," Azarenka said.
"It felt like she closed her eyes and just went for everything and I couldn't really just open my eyes. I was just blinded a little."
Former world number one Serena Williams - five-time winner of this tournament - beat sixth seed Sam Stosur 7-5 6-3 to set up a quarter-final encounter with fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki, who saw off Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (8-6) 6-0.
Second seed Maria Sharapova's 6-4 7-6 (7-3) victory over Ekaterina Makarova secured a last-eight clash with Li Na , a 3-6 6-4 6-2 winner over Sabine Lasicki.
Marion Bartoli needed only 66 minutes to dispatch Maria Kirilenko 6-1 6-2.









27 March 2012
Last updated at 08:38
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17519859

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Tiger Woods ends title drought at Bay Hill to warm up for Masters

Tiger Woods turned his thoughts to trying to win a fifth Masters title after claiming his first PGA Tour title since September 2009 at Bay Hill.

The former world number one warmed up for the first major of the year with a five-shot victory over Graeme McDowell at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
"I'm excited about the Masters," said the 36-year-old, who has won 14 majors.
"It's always fun to play there and I'm looking forward to going to Augusta with the momentum I've built here."

Woods, who moved up to sixth in the world rankings with the win, pulled out of his last event two weeks ago with an Achilles tendon strain that initially seemed likely to threaten his participation at Augusta.
Chasing a seventh Bay Hill title, and 98th professional victory, Woods held a one-shot lead over Northern Ireland's McDowell going into the final round in Florida and carded a final-day two-under 70 to wrap up the win.

Starting the day on 11 under, the American again dropped a shot at the second, as he had done on Saturday. But he made up for it with birdies on the next two holes.
In contrast, McDowell, who came from four back to beat Woods at the 2010 Chevron World Challenge, ran up a double-bogey six at the second before the unexpected bonus of a 45-footer from the fringe of the third to get back to nine under.
McDowell then holed from 50 feet at the long sixth to reduce the lead to two. But, by the turn, the gap had grown to four as Woods birdied the difficult eighth after a brilliant approach over the water to two feet and McDowell missed a four-foot par putt at the next.
The 2010 US Open champion reduced the deficit to three with a 23-foot putt on the 11th but took six on the 12th and though Woods bogeyed the short 14th, so did McDowell, and the gap remained four when Woods saved par with a 12-foot par putt on the next.
It stayed that way until the short 17th when McDowell overshot the green and made bogey as he closed with a two-over-par 74.
"I never got close," admitted McDowell. "He really nailed home his comeback. Great to have a front-row seat watching maybe the greatest of all time doing what he does best - winning golf tournaments."

England's Ian Poulter, who has recovered from a recent bout of pneumonia, was third, his best finish of the year but Ernie Els shot a 75 to miss out on Augusta.
The South African needed to finish outright third or better to qualify for the Masters by climbing back into the world's top 50.

However, he had to settle for a seven-way tie for fourth place in a group including Englishman Brian Davis, who enjoyed one of his best Tour finishes.
Woods went over two years without a win anywhere following revelations about his private life before capturing the Chevron World Challenge in December.
"[Winning again] is down to a lot of hard work but it was great to have so much support out there," he added.












25 March 2012
Last updated at 23:48
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17506988

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Courts orders Force India to hand over £700,000 in unpaid fees

Thursday, March 22, 2012

A High Court judge has ordered the Force India team to pay more than £700,000 in unpaid fees to Italian race car design company Aerolab.

It comes as a part of the verdict in an intellectual-property dispute involving the two parties and the Caterham team.
Aerolab pursued Force India for unpaid fees before Force India accused them and Team Lotus, now known as Caterham, of misuse of confidential information.
Force India were given £20,900 over use of its intellectual property rights.
The property rights, the judge said, had been used as a "shortcut" to speed up the initial design of the 2010 Team Lotus Formula 1 car.
Mr Justice Arnold rejected Force India's claim that there had been "systematic copying" of their designs, saying they had "come nowhere near establishing that was the case".

He held that neither Caterham nor their chief technical officer Mike Gascoyne were liable for breach of confidence.
Force India has referred the case to F1's governing body the FIA and asked it to look into the use of its intellectual property by Team Lotus.
In 2009 Caterham, who were then competing as Lotus, began working with Aerolab days after the design company had decided to terminate its contract with Force India for unpaid fees.

Legal costs, which could raise Force India's bill considerably further, have not yet been established.
The ruling comes as the Kingfisher Airlines company of Force India owner Vijay Mallya is in serious financial trouble.
It announced last week that it was "curtailing" its international flights because of a shortage of airline crew.

Staff have gone on strike because of unpaid wages.
At the same time, its accounts have been frozen by authorities for non-payment of taxes, resulting in cash-flow problems for the carrier.
Kingfisher is a major sponsor of Force India. Last October the Indian Sahara Group bought a 42.5% stake in the team for £63m, with Mallya remaining as team principal.












22 March 2012
Last updated at 09:04
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/formula1/17471815

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Tax change may lure Rafael Nadal back to Queens

New tax rules announced in the Budget could make it easier for Britain to attract the world's top tennis stars.
Rafael Nadal will not play at the Aegon Championship at Queen's in 2012 because of British laws stating he must pay tax on endorsement income.
But the Budget stated that training days will be taken into account when calculating the tax owed.

"I welcome the decision to include this in the Budget," said Lawn Tennis Association chief Roger Draper.
"I am pleased that the Government, like us, recognises that the existing rules on endorsement tax pose a serious risk to the status and growth of our major sporting events.

"We will study this change in more detail, but I would like to thank the Government, and particularly the Sports Minister, Hugh Robertson MP, and David Gauke MP, Treasury Minister, for taking the time to listen to our concerns, and also the All England Lawn Tennis Club and the ATP for working with us to find a resolution."

British number one Andy Murray is the only member of the top four who will play at Wimbledon warm-up event Queen's this year.
When announcing in October that he would not play at Queen's, 2008 winner Nadal said: "The truth is, in the UK you have a big regime for tax. It's not about the money for playing.

"They take from the sponsors, from Babolat, from Nike and from my watches. This is very difficult. I am playing in the UK and losing money.
"I did a lot more for the last four years, but it is more and more difficult to play in the UK."

The amendment could also boost organisers of the ATP World Tour Finals. London's O2 arena is hoping to hang on to the tournament for another five years when the contract ends next year.










21 March 2012
Last updated at 22:07
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17469453

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Thorpe & Gebrselassie must take time over futures - Cram

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

In the light of five-time Olympic swimming champion Ian Thorpe's failure to qualify for London 2012 and distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie's struggles to make the Ethiopian team, Steve Cram discusses how athletes decide when to retire.
I didn't announce my retirement at all.
I just woke up one day after two or three years of injuries and not being particularly fit, and admitted to myself that I was not even trying to get back.
I didn't ring the newspapers or do a press conference - officially I am still not retired!

It was a strange feeling because the pressure is off, but it is a scary decision.
Sport is what you have done since you were a child for many people and suddenly at some point in your thirties you have to call an end to that.
For greats like Thorpe and Gebreselassie, it is a very different decision to the one made by Manchester United's Paul Scholes, who retired in May and was back playing by January .

The problem with being a runner or a swimmer is that there is no way to mitigate the demands the sport makes on your body.
If you are a footballer you can play 70 minutes of a game, play in a different position or miss every other game.

You cannot do that in individual sport.
But Gebreselassie and Thorpe face very different decisions from each other as well.
If you are a marathon runner, there are still 10km races and half marathons around the world in which you can run to quite a high standard.

Gebreselassie can still go and try to win the Great Manchester Run, for example.
If that is enough to keep him involved and he still enjoys it, then why not?
For Thorpe though, without the Olympics, there is less to keep him involved on a regular basis. He is not going to swim in the local gala.
He would still have to train very hard to be the third best in the world and if you have been possibly the best the world has ever seen, is the enjoyment of the competition still there?





My feeling is that generally you should retire once you find you are not getting enough back from the effort you are putting in.
If you wake up and find you don't care about your results and are not enjoying it, then you should stop there.
But on the other hand, just because you have stopped winning doesn't necessarily mean you should call it a day.

Athletes' reputations are not damaged by them prolonging their careers so long as they are still competitive and are enjoying it.
I had a period full of injuries in the latter part of my career, Daley Thompson and Steve Ovett had the same, but nobody talks about that part.
Instead people remember the good stuff that happened, not the bad times.
It is a big step in your life - you are closing one chapter in your life and starting on something completely new.

You have to be very sure about the reasons you made that decision in the first place because you do not want to revisit it six months or a year down the line.











21 March 2012
Last updated at 06:45
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/17451990

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NBA star Byron Mullens confirms GB eligibility for London 2012

NBA star Byron Mullens is available to represent Great Britain at London 2012 after receiving his British passport.
The seven-foot Charlotte Bobcats centre, 23, was born in Ohio but his mother is from Middlesex.
Mullens wrote on Twitter: "Yessir. I will be in London this summer! 2012 summer Olympics." He also posted a picture of his new passport .

He could now join the NBA's Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls) and Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons) in Britain's 12-man squad.
Mullens is in his second season with the Bobcats after being traded from Oklahoma City Thunder.

Great Britain are strong in his position with players like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Joel Freeland and Robert Archibald but Mullens' experience in the world's top basketball league gives him a strong chance of making coach Chris Finch's squad.
Forward Deng is an established GB player while Pistons' guard Gordon has confirmed his intention to play for the national team.








2 March 2012
Last updated at 19:11
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/basketball/17240669

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Juan Martin del Potro to join Andy Murray at Queen's Club in June

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro will join Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Queen's Club in June.
The world number 11, who won the US Open in 2009, will return to the Wimbledon warm-up for the third time.
"I like the surface," said Del Potro, who missed most of 2010 with a serious wrist injury. "I'm not a grass-court specialist, but I'm improving.
"I think if I play my best tennis I have a chance to win a Grand Slam on grass but it will be very difficult."
France's Tsonga has already confirmed he will try to go one step further than last year's run to the Aegon Championships final, where he lost to Murray.

Tsonga went on to beat Roger Federer on his way to the Wimbledon semis, and hopes for similar success in 2012.
"I know that I can beat everybody on grass, so why not?" he said. "I know on grass that I am a good player. I go to the net and I serve well."
Murray is likely to be the top seed when the tournament begins on 11 June, with Tsonga currently in line to be the highest-ranked player in the opposite half of the draw.
"I had an incredible year in 2011, and it all started there," said Tsonga, who went on to reach the final of the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year.
Former champion Rafael Nadal has already said he will prepare for Wimbledon at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany, along with Roger Federer.












20 March 2012
Last updated at 10:13
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17265321

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Tiger Woods back in action after Achilles tendon injury

Tiger Woods made a successful return from injury at the two-day Tavistock Cup team event in Florida.
The 36-year-old 14-time major champion withdrew from the final round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship on 11 March with an Achilles tendon injury.
But the former world number one joined Justin Rose in a nine-under-par 63 better-ball round for Team Albany at Lake Nona in Orlando, Florida.
The event concludes on Tuesday with a singles stroke-play format.

The Albany team, the defending champions, finished the opening day in third place on 23 under, behind Isleworth at 26-under and hosts Lake Nona two shots further back.
Woods will play at the Bay Hill Invitational event starting on Thursday ahead of the first major of the year, the Masters, which begins on 5 April.

"I want to be ready for Augusta," said four-time Masters champion Woods. "I have to do the right thing. Unfortunately there are times when I've played when I probably shouldn't have and it's cost me.
"I've done it before and played through not just pain, but injury and set myself back quite a bit. That's what I did last year and missed two major championships because of it.
"I did the smart thing and prudent thing this time, hence I'm back in a week."









19 March 2012
Last updated at 22:55
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17440775

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London 2012: Olympic torch relay street route set out

Monday, March 19, 2012

The street-by-street route the London 2012 Olympic torch relay will take around the UK has been set out.

The names of the majority of the 8,000 people who will carry the flame on its 8,000 mile journey have also been confirmed by Games organisers Locog.

The Olympic flame arrives in the UK on 18 May and begins its 70-day journey at Land's End on the morning of 19 May.

It will visit every nation and region and stop off at landmarks such as Stonehenge and the Giant's Causeway.

It will pass through 1,018 places as well as visiting Dublin on its journey to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on 27 July.

Potential torchbearers were nominated through programmes run by Locog and sponsors Coca-Cola, Lloyds TSB and Samsung in 2011.

They aimed to recognise and reward people with a story of personal achievement and or contribution to the local community.

The torch will be carried by 7,300 people who were nominated and the remaining 700 will be athletes and celebrities. Their uniforms will be unveiled later on Monday.

Five of the torchbearers will join gold medal-winning triple jumper Jonathan Edwards and London Mayor Boris Johnson at a primary school in east London on Monday to mark the detailed route of the torch relay being released.

Each torchbearer will carry the flame for about 300m and about 110 people will take part each day.

Rhyania Blackett-Codrington, 29, from London, is going to carry the torch through the borough of Islington, where she lives.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," she told BBC One's Breakfast, adding that she was nominated for "changing her life round".

"I was a troubled teen and I am now a teacher helping others," she said. She added that she was keen to do a rehearsal of the route holding the torch, but said she was not keen on running with it.

"I'm going to walk very slowly, I'm quite clumsy and I don't want to fall down."

'Don't drop it'
Another torchbearer will be Dave Jackson, 61, a volunteer coastguard and station officer at Land's End Coastguard Rescue, from Sennen, Cornwall.

He was nominated by his bosses for more than 40 years' service. He served during the 1981 Union Star and Penlee lifeboat disaster, in which 16 people died, including eight volunteer lifeboatmen.

He is part of a team of 12 people on permanent call and also works as supervisor and groundsman at Cornwall's Minack Theatre.

He will run on the relay's first leg, from Land's End to Plymouth.

He told the BBC that when he first found out he would be running with the torch he thought "'it's a wind-up'".

"You don't expect that sort of thing, do you?

"But the first day of the relay, I know it's in Sennen. If it's hot and sunny, it'll be brilliant. Brilliant for Land's End, Sennen and for Cornwall.

"I think it'll be a case of 'don't drop it'! That'll be going through my mind quite a bit. 'Don't start any fires'.

"It's a great honour to be nominated. I'm born and bred in Cornwall and you can't beat it."

Young torchbearers
The torch will also be carried by the teenage son of fundraiser Jane Tomlinson, who died from cancer in 2007 aged 43. The NHS radiographer had raised £1.85m for charity through seven years of marathons, triathlons, the Ironman contest, a tandem cycle ride from Rome to Leeds and a bike ride across the US.

Steven Tomlinson, 14, will carry the torch in Leeds on behalf of his mother, who carried the torch before the 2004 Games in Athens.

He said: "I'm really excited. It's a great opportunity to be part of the Olympics. I will be doing it on behalf of my sisters and my mum. It should be a great experience."

Some 212 of the torchbearers will be young people aged 12 during the relay.

Lorna Linfield, from near Fort William, is due to run with the torch on 9 June, when it goes from Glasgow to Inverness.

At Lochaber High School and in her community she takes part in a traditional Gaelic music group and helps with a charity Mary's Meals, which provides school meals to developing world countries and fills backpacks with educational materials.

She said: "Someone at school nominated me as I do lots of clubs at lunch times and I do outdoor climbing, swimming and mountain-biking.

"I think the torch might be very heavy. But I'm looking forward to carrying it, it will be really exciting."

The oldest torchbearer will be Diana Gould, 99, from London, who will turn 100 shortly before the Olympics and will carry the torch in Barnet.

She runs exercise classes in the retirement flats where she lives involving stretching, reaching and bending using foam balls and backscrubbers.

Unusual forms of transport

David Chaffey, 28, who lost his sight when he was seven and recently had a heart transplant, will carry the torch in Blaenavon in Wales.

He works as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in the A&E department of the Royal Liverpool Hospital and is a volunteer tackling knife crime in Liverpool by speaking to young people.

He recently raised £8,500 for Marie Curie Cancer Care by running the Marathon des Sables, a 150-mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert, and has raised funds for Guide Dogs for the Blind, Victim Support groups and St John's Ambulance.

Unusual ways have been found for some torchbearers to complete their relay leg.

One torchbearer will carry the flame on a chair lift at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, another will skate with it at the Nottingham Ice Centre and it will be rowed at Henley-on-Thames and on the River Bann in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.

High-flying activities await some torchbearers as the flame will be abseiled down the Dock Tower at Grimsby and swooped off the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle Gateshead on a zip wire. It will also be taken on a skywalk at Dublin's Croke Park

The overall route has been designed to also take in cultural institutions such as the Turner Gallery in Margate and Cass Sculpture Park at Goodwood as well as many sporting stadia and racecourses.

Sebastian Coe, chair of London 2012, said: "Today we bring the Olympic torch relay to life, with thousands of inspirational people from all over the UK being confirmed as torchbearers.

"We hope local communities come out and line the streets to cheer on the torchbearers, and celebrate the Olympic Games coming to the UK."

Organisers aim to bring the flame within 10 miles of 95% of the population.











19 March 2012 Last updated at 08:28
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17379058

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Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier lose Swiss Open semi-final

Chris Adcock and Imogen Bankier are close to breaking into the world top 10 despite losing in the Swiss Open mixed doubles semi-finals.
They went into the tournament in 14th place and their run will earn valuable ranking points as they look to claim a Great Britain spot for London 2012
The pair were beaten by Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir 21-15 16-21 21-13.
Adcock and Bankier beat their rivals for an Olympic place, Nathan Robertson and Jenny Wallwork, in round two.

Their conquerors in the semi-final are All England champions and were the top seeds. The Indonesians made a flying start, racing into an 8-1 lead and reaching the interval 11-3 ahead.
Adcock and Bankier fought back but the closest they got was within four points, at 19-15, before Ahmad and Natsir won the next two to take the opener.

The second game was far tighter and level at 13-13 before the Britons edged into a two-point lead at 17-15 and went on to level the match with a 21-16 success.
In the decider, the Indonesians again set the pace and led 5-2 but Adcock and Bankier reeled them in at 8-8 before Ahmad and Natsir reached the interval 11-9 ahead.

But then came a big push from the eventual winners, who won six of the next seven points, on the way to taking the decider.










18 March 2012
Last updated at 15:17
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/badminton/17422524

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England's Tom Lewis to make American professional bow

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Tom Lewis is set to make his professional debut in America this week after he accepted an invitation to the Transitions Championship in Florida.

The 21-year-old's first-round 65 in The Open last July was the lowest-ever score by an amateur in the event.
"I am thankful to the tournament for giving me this opportunity," the Hertfordshire golfer said.
"As long as I leave learning about where my game is at, then that's maybe more important than performing."
Lewis's record-breaking opening round saw him share the first day lead at The Open before eventually finishing in joint 30th place.

He followed it up with victory at the Portugal Masters last October in his third start after turning pro.
The Englishman has not managed a top-20 finish since.
"The win came too quick for me in a way, but it meant good things because I was doing well," Lewis said. "If I want to be as good as I possibly can, I am going to have to get used to that.
"I'm kind of settling down now, getting more and more used to the way it's going to be and I would not change the situation I am in."
Lewis will be joined by fellow Englishmen Luke Donald and Justin Rose at the tournament.
Donald needs to win to regain the world number one spot from Rory McIlroy.













14 March 2012
Last updated at 22:57
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17376214

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Victoria Azarenka beats Agnieszka Radwanska in Indian Wells

World number one Victoria Azarenka continued her stunning start to the year by thrashing Poland's fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in Indian Wells.

The Belarusian powered to a 6-0 6-2 win over Radwanska, who has the second-best record in 2012 after Azarenka.

"I was really impressed with the way I played today," said Azarenka, who has won all 21 of her matches this year.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all made it through to the quarter-finals in the men's draw.
World number one Djokovic dropped his first set of the tournament before seeing off Spaniard Pablo Andujar 6-0 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 and he next faces Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, who beat Tomas Berdych 6-4 6-0.
"In the end I was lucky to get through some points," said Djokovic. "I think I played one of my better sets in the last couple months in the first set but he surprised me with his aggressive approach.
"In the second set I started playing a little bit more defensive and that allowed him to come back into the match but in the third set I regrouped. I managed to stay calm mentally and find my rhythm again."
Federer, who next faces Argentina's 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, has been battling flu and a temperature in the ATP event that he has won three times.
He battled past Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci 3-6 6-3 6-4, but said: "I'm still hurting a bit but at least I don't have a massive headache, aches and pains any more.
"That's all gone now. I got maybe a bit lucky but it's taken some time to for me to get better, to be honest. I thought I would see quicker improvements."

Nadal's 6-3 6-2 win over 21st seed Alexandr Dolgopolov came in in just 76 minutes and saw him successfully challenge a call to reach match point, which he won when Dolgopolov hit a forehand long.
"He is very difficult to play against," said Nadal. "He can produce winners from every part of the court. He's a funny player, good for tennis."
The Spaniard next faces Argentina's unseeded David Nalbandian, who came from behind to shock sixth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 3-6 7-5 6-3.
Radwanska has lost just four times in 2012 but each of those defeats came against Azarenka, who said: "I didn't expect to win that way. I'm proud how I fought hard and played winning tennis.

"I had very good motivation because I knew she's an excellent player, so I had to come up with a great match today.
"I was just really focused on every moment, on every point I played, on every ball I was striking. I didn't really think about the score."
The Belarusian will face Angelique Kerber in the semis after the German shocked French Open champion Li Na of China 6-4 6-2.
The eighth seed, who lost in after one hour 23 minutes, said: "My serve didn't work. The three times I played her before I was getting points on my serve but today was different."














15 March 2012
Last updated at 09:32
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17374743

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Steven Gerrard demands Liverpool consistency after win over Everton

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Steven Gerrard wants Liverpool to use Tuesday's 3-0 win over Everton to spark a winning run and end the inconsistency that has plagued their season.
Gerrard's hat-trick gave the Reds a deserved victory in the Merseyside derby and avoid a fourth straight Premier League defeat.
"It has been frustrating, the inconsistency we've been showing in the league, very frustrating," he said.
"We need to find a level of consistency where we go on a winning streak."
Liverpool had lost to Manchester United, Arsenal and Sunderland in their previous three league matches.

Those results left them in seventh place and faced with being overtaken by Everton if they were beaten by the Toffees.
But Gerrard, 31, marked his 400th Premier League game - and his first league start since 11 February - with a match-winning display.
He opened the scoring with a lofted finish, doubled the lead with a powerful strike and sealed the win by sweeping home from a Luis Suarez pass.
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish admitted he did not have the words to adequately describe the qualities of Gerrard after this magnificent performance.
"I am not educated enough to add to what anybody else is saying about Steven," stated the Scot.
"He has been fantastic for this football club. For a guy who left school at 15, my vocabulary is not that great.
"There is no way I could extol the virtues of Steven Gerrard and do him justice.
"He was fantastic tonight, but I think the three other local lads we had were as well. They didn't do too badly.

"He is the first to say he wouldn't have been there with three goals without the help of the others."
It was only the Liverpool's fifth league win at Anfield this season and moves them to within two points of sixth-place Newcastle.
"I think it was a fantastic performance - the result reflected the performance," Dalglish added.
"For us, we are delighted we have at last got reward for a great performance here.
"It is one of the many we have had here, but we got reward for the effort we put in.
"It is always nice when you play really well and win. Sometimes it is even better when you are rubbish and you still get three points but that hasn't happened to us too many times this season.

"It is a good reward for the players. It is great they maintained the belief in themselves and the philosophies we have got and the way they have been playing."
Both sides are back in action in the FA Cup quarter-finals this weekend, with Liverpool hosting Stoke and Sunderland visiting Everton.
Everton boss David Moyes made six changes to his starting line-up but was coy when asked whether the schedule had affected his selection.
The defeat means Moyes, who celebrates 10 years in charge at Goodison Park on Wednesday, remains without a win at Anfield.
"I am hurt because I am the Everton manager and I have lost to my rivals, Liverpool," he said.
"I am the same all the time. We will get on with the next game. It doesn't make any difference. It is not about me, it is about the Everton players.
"We led to our own downfall, but after you give it away you still have to score and Liverpool did that."










13 March 2012
Last updated at 23:23 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17362363

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Ian Thorpe puts London 2012 hopes on line at Australian trials

Ian Thorpe faces the decisive moment in his bid to compete in a third Olympic Games at this week's Australian trials.
The five-times gold medallist will compete in the 100m and 200m freestyle, beginning with Friday's 200m heats.
Thorpe, 29, came out of retirement last year but has struggled to post competitive times in his races so far.
"It's been bloody frustrating that I've trained the house down. I thought it would translate into good racing and results," said Thorpe.

"It hasn't happened and that has tested my mental strength and my patience. I truly believe my hard work deserved better. I'm hoping my racing mojo returns for Adelaide."
The Australian selection policy sees the top two from each event in Adelaide given Olympic places, with no second chances, while Thorpe would need a top-six finish in the 100m or 200m events to make the relay teams.

James Magnussen, Australia's first world champion in the 100m freestyle, believes Thorpe is unlikely to qualify in one of the two individual places in the sprints and might have to hope for a relay spot.
"I think he'll be up against it," said the 20-year-old. "It's a strong field and, from his perspective, if I was here making a comeback as he is I would think making the 100 freestyle final is a big achievement.
"It's been great for the sport as it's been able to push the rest of us along, make us fight for those extra positions. I think he'll have achieved something, if not for himself, then the sport, if he can reach that final.
"I think I see it more as, if he is in the final, if he makes the relay, it's a little bit of a surprise but it's also a massive bonus to have someone with that experience and a calm head of a team."
However, Australia's head coach Leigh Nugent - who has had to defend Swimming Australia over the funding given to support Thorpe's comeback - is not ruling out the 11-time world champion springing a surprise.

"I think with someone like Ian, the history he's got and knowing his competitive capabilities, you could never write him out of the equation," said Nugent.
"I've been around a long time and I've had a lot to do with Ian and with swimming at this level for almost two-and-a-half decades and with him, you've got to expect for him to pull something out of the bag. He just has that sort of ability."
Thorpe won three gold medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and two more in Athens four years later, to add to the three silvers and a bronze he collected at those Games.
He is not the only great Australian name making a comeback, with Libby Trickett, Geoff Huegill and Michael Klim among those trying to qualify for another Olympics.
Olympic 100m breaststroke champion Leisel Jones, 26, hopes to become the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Games, while triple Olympic gold medallist Trickett, 27, is trying for a third Games after retiring in 2009.

Stephanie Rice, a reigning triple Olympic champion, is fighting back from shoulder surgery to try to make the London team and will be in action in the 400m individual medley on Thursday's opening night, with Alicia Coutts likely to provide strong opposition.
But all eyes will be on Thorpe at the 3,000-seat venue, with the swimmer himself trying play down the expectation that surrounds him.
"The most realistic outcome of this is that I will most likely fail," he said. "I wish I had another six months to do this."









14 March 2012
Last updated at 09:01 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/swimming/17353126

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Matthew Pinsent hails Britain’s rowers as world’s best

Monday, March 12, 2012

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Matthew Pinsent has hailed Britain's rowers as the best in the world following the GB trials at Eton Dorney.

Britain's top rowers raced each other over two days on the Olympic course at the weekend as the competition for seats at the London Games intensified.
"We have the strongest rowing team in the world," Pinsent told BBC Sport.
"I think that's been proved by the performances in both the men's and women's event at the weekend."

Britain qualified 13 out of 14 boats for London 2012 after a record-breaking performance in the World Rowing Championships last year.
However, the battle for seats in those boats is still raging and the trials will go someway to helping men's chief coach Jurgen Grobler and women's chief coach Paul Thompson make those decisions.
"It's pretty thankless when you're out there [during the trials] because you're just racing against your team-mates, so there's actually nothing to win," added Pinsent.
"There's a lot of pressure at the trials and, in some ways, the selectors are wanting to see who crumbles under that pressure and who doesn't."
World double scull champions Katherine Grainger and Anna Watkins looked immune from pressure as they finished a comfortable one-two in the women's scull at the trials.
Similarly, Heather Stanning and Helen Glover, the world silver medallists, were dominant as they retained their title in the pair.

"I think the make-up of the women's side [of the team] falls out a lot easier because the established performers, Anna and Katherine particularly, have done very well," added Pinsent.
"Of the selection decisions, [the make-up of the women's double scull] is the easiest one. The top women's boat is going to be the double scull with Kat and Anna in it.
"Those two are probably going to form Britain's top medal chance at the Olympics and that's saying something because I think we've got some pretty strong boats otherwise.
"I think we're going to win more than one gold - and I hope we do.
"For me, it's most important Great Britain have a women's [rowing] gold medal at the Olympics for the first time and I can't think of a better two people for it to happen to than to Kat and Anna."
The decision on the men's side, however, isn't so easy. Especially as under-23 world champions George Nash and Constantine Louloudis have given themselves a chance with a brilliant third place in the men's pair at the trials.

"For the men's heavyweight rowers, the decision is difficult," added Pinsent. "It was a high quality men's pair event and it's clear Jurgen has got a wealth of talent."
"He has to decide how he wants his pair, four and eight, to look. I don't think that he's sure in his own mind yet. I think he's still got some tests to do.
"There were certainly some big results but they will probably decide who might be coming up into the eight."
This week, GB rowing coaches will carry out "seat racing", where they will race two sets of crews against each other and then swap rowers in those boats to compare times and individual performances.
The World Cup squad will be named on 4 April with three World Cup races to follow before the Olympic squad is announced on 6 June.
The Olympic regatta then begins 28 July at Eton Dorney and Pinsent thinks the venue will deliver a fantastic atmosphere.
"It will be really amazing," said Pinsent. "One side of the lake will have 5,000 people, the other 25,000, so the finish end of the lake will be an absolute cauldron of emotion.

"If you're standing here waiting to go out for your Olympic final, you'll see and hear an Olympic final coming towards you. It'll be great.
"It's just going to be a fantastic opportunity for our sport in this country in front of a home crowd."









12 March 2012
Last updated at 09:53
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rowing/17337933

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Manchester City boss Mancini says United game will decide title

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini says the Premier League title will be decided when his side face Manchester United with three games to go.
Mancini's side lost top spot to United following their shock defeat to Swansea and trail their neighbours by a point.
But City host United at Etihad Stadium on 30 April and Mancini believes that game will prove to be the decider.

"Today was not critical. I think this championship will be decided with three games to go," Mancini told BBC Sport.
While City were being beaten 1-0 by Swansea on Sunday, United leapfrogged above them thanks to a 2-0 victory against West Bromwich Albion , but Mancini says he is unconcerned about losing top spot now with only 10 games to go.

The Italian also says he is confident that City can still win their first title in 44 years.
"We should fight against them until the end," added Mancini. "We have another 10 games to finish this championship.
"The season is long and every week the situation could change.
"Now it is important we are very comfortable together. It is better to stay at the top but, now we are behind, it doesn't change our target.

"I'm still confident about winning the Premier League. We were top for months but it just so happens that we are second with 10 games to play. It is important that we are there around the top.

"We know United have gone top, like we were, but now we should be more strong and it is a test for our players. It has been a difficult last four days for me but football is like this.
"The season is long and what happened today can happen also to United."
Mancini believes his side deserved something out of Sunday's game, adding: "We missed three or four chances on the counter attack.
"This is the problem at the moment and we conceded a stupid goal.
"I don't think we deserved to lose this game. Swansea played well in the first 30 minutes but in the second half we had control of the game."
The City boss also dismissed suggestions of a rift with England midfielder Gareth Barry, who exchanged angry words with assistant manager David Platt as he left the field after being replaced.

"Gareth has had a problem for three weeks," said Mancini. "Gareth has a problem, I don't know where. It is a small injury.
"They had a lot of possession in the opening 30 minutes and we needed another striker to press high, not because Barry played badly.
When asked about Barry looking unhappy at being taken off, Mancini replied: "This is normal.

"I decide this. I'm the manager."
Asked about reports that striker Mario Balotelli and midfielder Yaya Toure had a bust-up in the tunnel at half-time, Mancini replied: "I don't know."
As for his latest update on Carlos Tevez, Mancini feels that the Argentine striker is still 10 days away from being fit enough to play for the first team.










11 March 2012
Last updated at 18:28
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17334542

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Rangers players agree wage cut deal to save the club

Friday, March 9, 2012

BBC Scotland has learned a broad wage cut agreement with Rangers players has been agreed to keep redundancies down.
Steven Whittaker and Steven Naismith have already struck deals to take a 75% wage cut.
It is being suggested that they made the decision to help administrator Duff and Phelps avoid major redundancies at the Scottish champions.
The administrator had delayed until Friday an announcement on job cuts in order to agree a deal with the squad.

Joint administrator Paul Clark said on Thursday that he was confident a deal would be reached.
He thought it would thereby justify the time it has taken to impose cost-cutting measures.
"We're in the final stages of that process and it's going to deliver very substantial cuts," he told BBC Scotland.

"We're looking to deliver cost-cutting of around £1m per month and that's something I think we will have achieved by this weekend."
On Tuesday night David Whitehouse - Clark's fellow administrator - said a failure to agree to certain clauses with players' advisers had blocked the deal.
However, Clark said: "We will vary certain contracts such that there will be trigger points at which they can move.
"I don't think that should be considered that any or all of the players are considering that they want to leave the club in the summer.
"It's just a safety mechanism from their point of view, in exchange for the very substantial amounts they're giving up, to give them some flexibility depending on what the new ownership structure looks like when the club comes out of administration.

"I can understand the players' concern, but I don't think the fans should assume that means a bunch of the players are going to go in the summer or, indeed, at any point in the future for little or no value."
Captain Steven Davis and Scotland internationals Whittaker and Naismith were locked in negotiations on Tuesday night when it emerged that seven or eight players had not yet agreed to the proposed cuts in salaries.
The BBC had learned that the club's biggest stars were being asked to take wage cuts of 75%, middle earners 50% and the lower paid members of the squad 25%.
Wingers Mervan Celik and Gregg Wylde this week had offers to leave the club accepted, while Australia midfielder Matt McKay arranged a move to South Korean club Busan I'Park earlier in the administration process.

Meanwhile, uefa events chief executive David Taylor says Rangers will have to meet the 31 March cut-off for securing a licence to take part in European competition next season.
Rangers' administrator has admitted there was "no realistic prospect" of the club meeting the deadline but hoped to appeal to the Scottish Football Association, which uses Uefa rules to determine whether licences are issued.

However, former SFA chief executive Taylor said: "They have to make the deadline. There will be no extensions.
"It's a great shame that such a major football club and a major Scottish institution is in such disarray at the moment.
"A club that has that massive level of support shouldn't be in the financial position that it's in just now."











By Alasdair Lamont and Clive Lindsay
BBC Scotland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17308715

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Mark Cavendish wins second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico

World champion Mark Cavendish won the second stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico, his fourth victory of the season.
The Team Sky rider beat Oscar Freire of Spain and American Tyler Farrar in the final sprint.
He clocked 6 hours, 32 minutes, 32 seconds over the largely flat 230km leg from San Vincenzo to Indicatore.

Australian Matt Goss, Cavendish's former team-mate at HTC-Highroad, retained the overall lead in the Italian coast-to-coast race.
The third stage on Friday takes the riders 178km from Indicatore to Terni.
Cavendish, in his debut season for Team Sky, won two stages at the Tour of Qatar and triumphed in the Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne last month.







8 March 2012
Last updated at 17:40
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/17305233

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Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald & Lee Westwood set for Miami test

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood have been grouped together for the opening round of the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami on Thursday.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy became world number one on Sunday but Englishmen Donald and Westwood both have a chance to unseat him with victory at Doral.
"I'd love to keep myself here for a while," said McIlroy of top spot.
"But I know that it's inevitable that I'll lose it at some point. I just hope that it's a little further away."
He added: "But that's not what I play golf for. It's not to keep the number one ranking.

"It's about winning tournaments, and if I win tournaments, the ranking will take care of itself."
For the second year running, the top three players in the world will tee off together at this event.
Donald was world number one for 40 weeks until McIlroy overtook him by winning the Honda Classic , while Westwood held the top spot prior to Donald's ascent.
"I think it adds a little bit of interest. I'm not sure that the players are quite as concerned with it as maybe you guys [the media] or the fans, at least," said Donald.
"But anything that adds to a tournament where the broadcasters can talk about it and add to an event, I think it's probably a good thing.

"There obviously is some jockeying for position. There isn't one stand-out player right now - that certainly is what the world rankings say."
Westwood, who lost to McIlroy in the WGC Match Play semi-finals, stated: "There's nothing hard about being number one in the world.
"If you don't enjoy that, then you need to take up another sport.
"Me and Luke were talking about it on the putting green today. I said, 'Oh, morning, number two,' and he looked at me and nodded and said, 'Yeah, it's sort of a bit of a relief'.
"He said, 'There's only one way to go when you're number one. At least there's more than one way to go at number two.'

"So you're at the top there and everybody shoots at you but I think that's the position you want to be in. You want the position that everybody is envious of."
Tiger Woods, runner-up to McIlroy on Sunday, will start with defending champion Nick Watney and Spain's Sergio Garcia.

Phil Mickelson plays with Hunter Mahan, who beat McIlroy in the final of the Match Play, and Adam Scott.
The draw also includes Ian Poulter, who was doubtful after being diagnosed with pneumonia last week.
"Flying down to Doral in the morning," Poulter said on his Twitter site.
"It's going to take more than pneumonia to keep me out for long. Itching to get back. Mind over matter."
Fellow Englishman Paul Casey is set to play for the first time since dislocating his shoulder snowboarding in Colorado on Christmas Eve.











7 March 2012
Last updated at 08:38
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17282659

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ICC committee proposes World Twenty20 expansion

The International Cricket Council's chief executives' committee (CEC) has suggested that an associate or affiliate member such as Ireland could host a ICC World Twenty20 tournament.
The CEC said non-Test-playing countries "should consider submitting a detailed proposition" to stage an event.

Another CEC recommendation is for the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in 2014 to be expanded to 16 teams.
This year's tournament, in Sri Lanka in September, features 12 teams.

The CEC also proposed that teams will now be allowed to play 15 Twenty20 internationals in any year in which the World Twenty20 is being played, instead of 12, and that it should continue to be a joint event for men's and women's teams - which it was in 2009 and 2010, and will be again in 2012.
ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "The CEC agreed that further conversations to strategically manage T20 cricket and also to promote all three formats would be beneficial."

Bangladesh's proposed forthcoming tour of Pakistan - who have not been able to play at home since gunmen attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009 - was also on the meeting's agenda.
The CEC agreed to recommend that special dispensation should be given for non-neutral umpires and referees to be appointed for the series if the ICC felt it were unsafe to send its own match officials.
An invitation for cricket to take part in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia will also be "further explored", while the CEC also supported the ICC's "strategy to independently evaluate the pros and cons of participating in the Olympic Games".
Its recommendations will now be presented to the ICC board.









7 March 2012
Last updated at 12:54
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17286258

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Rangers director Dave King fears liquidation is 'inevitable'

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Rangers director Dave King fears the club will not exit administration and that liquidation is "inevitable".
In a statement, King said the club's owner Craig Whyte has "abused the loyalty of fans" by mortgaging future sales of tickets to Ticketus.

King also claims that Sir David Murray had no knowledge that proof of funds supplied by Whyte to purchase the club was secured by season ticket sales.
More to follow.









7 March 2012
Last updated at 10:19
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17283440

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London 2012: Banned Chambers and Millar 'could compete'

Dwain Chambers and David Millar will be free to compete for Great Britain at the London Olympics, according to a leading sports lawyer.
The pair are currently banned because of a British Olympic Association (BOA) by-law which prevents drug cheats from competing at the Games.
However, lawyer Howard Jacobs predicts that the by-law will be ruled invalid following a special hearing on Monday.

If that happened, sprinter Chambers and cyclist Millar would be eligible to wear a Team GB vest this summer.
The BOA goes to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) to challenge a ruling from the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) that its by-law is not compliant with the Wada code and is therefore unenforceable.
The by-law was introduced more than 20 years ago and has kept a number of British athletes, among them Chambers and Millar, out of past Olympics.
The BOA says its rule is not a sanction but is part of its selection policy. It also argues that it is entitled to decide who can and cannot represent the nation.

However, Jacobs, who helped American 400m runner LaShawn Merritt overturn his Olympic doping ban , believes the BOA will end up on the "losing side".
He told BBC Sport: "When I heard the BOA's response to the Cas decision, what they were saying sounded a lot like what the International Olympic Committee were saying, trying to characterise the rule as an eligibility rule as opposed to a sanction.

"It was exactly the same thing as the IOC did in our case, so it strikes me that this type of characterisation is not likely to be successful."
Jacobs was instrumental in helping Beijing gold medallist Merritt win his case against the IOC whose Rule 45 barred any athlete who had received a doping suspension of more than six months from competing in the next Games.
The 25-year-old Merritt, who was given a two-year suspension later reduced to 21 months for failing three tests for a banned steroid in early 2010, argued it went beyond Wada sanctions of a maximum two-year ban.
The case went to Cas, who judged that the IOC's rule did amount to an additional sanction and therefore was not legitimate.
Jacobs believes it will be the same outcome when the BOA presents its case on Monday.

"I think it's most likely that the rule will be found to be a sanction," he said. "Then it will be a question, as it was in our case, of whether the rule is invalid.

"Essentially, all the anti-doping rules are bound by the concept that the penalty has to be proportionate to the offence.
"As you start adding additional penalties, you get closer and closer to the point where perhaps penalties are disproportionate.
"One of the arguments made in our case was that if the IOC and others want a rule like this, then the way was not to introduce it unilaterally but to attempt to go through the Wada process and have a debate among stakeholders.
"The legal minds could weigh in as to whether that type of rule would be enforceable or not."
Monday will not be the first time the BOA has been before lawyers to defend its position.

Chambers, 33, attempted to challenge the by-law through the High Court before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but his case failed.
The BOA has insisted from the start it believes it has a strong case that it will defend vigorously.
However, Jacobs says excluded athletes like Chambers ought to feel encouraged this time.

"Frankly, Dwain Chambers, his situation was nine years ago," said Jacobs.
"He's served his penalty, he's come back, he's allowed to participate as a member of other British teams.
"To me, it doesn't make sense that you're going to keep him out of the biggest competition for his sport and somehow say that's not an additional sanction."










7 March 2012
Last updated at 08:04
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/17280765

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NBA star Byron Mullens confirms GB eligibility for London 2012

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

NBA star Byron Mullens is available to represent Great Britain at London 2012 after receiving his British passport.
The seven-foot Charlotte Bobcats centre, 23, was born in Ohio but his mother is from Middlesex.
Mullens wrote on Twitter: "Yessir. I will be in London this summer! 2012 summer Olympics." He also posted a picture of his new passport

He could now join the NBA's Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls) and Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons) in Britain's 12-man squad.
Mullens is in his second season with the Bobcats after being traded from Oklahoma City Thunder.
Great Britain are strong in his position with players like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Joel Freeland and Robert Archibald but Mullens' experience in the world's top basketball league gives him a strong chance of making coach Chris Finch's squad.
Forward Deng is an established GB player while Pistons' guard Gordon has confirmed his intention to play for the national team.







2 March 2012
Last updated at 19:11
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/basketball/17240669

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Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to join Andy Murray at Queen's Club in June

France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will return to Queen's Club in June to try and go one step further than last year's run to the Aegon Championships final.
The world number five lost to Andy Murray in last year's final.
Tsonga went on to beat Roger Federer on his way to the Wimbledon semis, and hopes for similar success in 2012.

"I know that I can beat everybody on grass, so why not?" he said. "I know on grass that I am a good player. I go to the net and I serve well."

Murray is likely to be the top seed when the tournament begins on 11 June, with Tsonga currently in line to be the highest-ranked player in the opposite half of the draw.

"I had an incredible year in 2011, and it all started there," said Tsonga, who went on to reach the final of the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the year.

Former champion Rafael Nadal has already said he will prepare for Wimbledon at the grass-court event in Halle, Germany, along with Roger Federer.








6 March 2012
Last updated at 10:31
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17265321

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Chelsea job will be 'hell' says Luiz Felipe Scolari

Monday, March 5, 2012

Working under Roman Abramovich will be "hell" for the next Chelsea manager, according to former Blues boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.
Abramovich is looking for his eighth permanent manager since 2003 after sacking Andre Villas-Boas on Sunday.

"It will be hell for whoever succeeds him," said Scolari, who spent seven months at Chelsea in 2008-09.

"[The sacking] is strange - although it's not so strange to me because of what I went through there."








5 March 2012
Last updated at 10:48
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17257114

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Rebecca Adlington qualifies for Olympics at British championships

Rebecca Adlington secured her spot in the British Olympic team with a commanding performance in the 400m freestyle at the national trials.
She was one of six swimmers to book places for London 2012 at the British Swimming Championships on Sunday.

Jo Jackson (400m free), Ellen Gandy and Fran Halsall (100m fly), and Daniel Sliwinski and Craig Benson (100m breast) also secured their spots.
World 50m backstroke champion Liam Tancock reached the final of his event.
An emotional Adlington told 5 live sports extra she was nervous before the race, describing the trial as the biggest of her career.

"I wasn't even bothered about the time, I just wanted to get in," said Adlington, who became a household name after winning gold in the 400m and 800m freestyle in Beijing in 2008.
"Four years it has taken to get to this point and you can't imagine how good it feels to get here."
The 23-year-old from Mansfield led from start to finish and seemed on course for a British record before easing to victory in 4:02.35, ahead of Jackson.
Adlington's time was faster than the times she recorded to win the Olympic title and the silver medal at last year's World Championships.
"I'm so relieved," said Olympic bronze medallist Jackson, who has suffered with illness since the autumn of 2009.

"I've had my struggles the past few years but for me it's a massive positive. I've made the Olympics. It's going to be my third Olympics and I'm so excited."

It was an evening of high-quality competition at the Aquatics Centre, which is hosting its first competitive swimming meeting.
To qualify for the Games, swimmers need to finish in the top two of their event and also make the 'A' standard time and it was a requirement that posed little difficulty for Gandy.
She pipped Halsall in the final lengths of the 100m butterfly to touch in 57.25, chopping 0.15 secs off the British record set by Halsall in 2010.
"It's the greatest feeling ever," said the Melbourne-based Gandy, who won silver in the 200m butterfly at the World Championships.

"All I've wanted to do for the last four years is to be able to say 'I'm going to the London Olympic Games' and now I can say it. I am just over the moon.
"The time was a bit irrelevant to me because I just wanted to make the team. I'm thrilled I got the British record. I think Fran was beating me most of the way but I think my 200m training helped me down the last 25 metres."
Halsall said she would go back to analyse her performance after being disappointed with second.

"Everything I've done in training has been going so well and it indicated I'd swim a lot faster than I did," she said. "But I'm on the team now and that is all that matters. It's faster than I've ever done at this time of year before."

Such was the quality of the race, Jemma Lowe - finalist in Shanghai in both butterfly categories - missed out on an Olympic place, although she still has a chance of making the team in the 200m butterfly.
"Obviously I am really disappointed," said Lowe. "One of us had to come third and it was me."
British record holder Sliwinski won the 100m breastroke and will be joined on the team by 17-year-old world junior champion Benson, who finished second from lane six to take the total of qualifiers for London 2012 to 11.

"I went in thinking I could do it but to actually do it is amazing," said Benson. "I am totally in shock."
The GB Paralympic trials are also taking place at the Aquatics Centre and Nyree Kindred produced an astonishing performance to make the team in the 100m backstroke, eight months after giving birth.










4 March 2012
Last updated at 20:30
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/swimming/17253288

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Rangers players braced for staff cuts

Friday, March 2, 2012

Rangers players are meeting with union officials to discuss their options, with the club's administrators expected to announce staff cuts today.
Manager Ally McCoist has been told that as many as 11 players could be made redundant.
If 11 players do go, it is understood that there would also be a 50% pay cut deferred until the end of the season.
Another option involves eight players being axed and other players taking an immediate 50% pay cut.
A third option of a 75% wage cut across the board with no redundancies was discussed on Thursday but that scenario is highly unlikely.
The situation is extremely fluid, though, and a mixture of these options appears likely.
BBC Scotland has learned that the club's running costs between now and the end of the season are about £10m.
After income from various sources including match days, it is thought the shortfall is about the £4.5m mark.

One source said: "This is not going to be a pain-free experience.
"There is no magic wand to be waved here, that is just wishful thinking."
Another potential source of income would be to sell players to countries that still have their transfer windows open and discussions are ongoing with several clubs.
"Discussions are ongoing regarding potential cost saving measures and announcements will be made at the earliest opportunity, most likely tomorrow," the club said.
Meanwhile, Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell has denied media reports that his club had agreed to pay Rangers for tickets in advance of the upcoming Old Firm derby at Ibrox.

In an open letter to the Daily Record published on Celtic's website, Lawwell said: "There was no agreement for Celtic to pay in advance for these match tickets. Therefore, the accusation that Celtic 'reneged' on an agreement is wrong.
"The actions of Celtic Football Club have not threatened jobs at Rangers. Any suggestion to the contrary is also wrong.
"There is no 'bust up'. Indeed we are pleased that yesterday (Wednesday) we received our allocation of tickets for the match from the Administrators of Rangers Football Club.

"We will sell these in the normal manner and will abide by the rules of the Scottish Premier League.
"While we have no desire to become involved in the business of any other football club, we felt it very important that we set the record straight and in doing so protect the reputation of Celtic Football Club."
You can follow Chris McLaughlin on Twitter .







2 March 2012
Last updated at 11:42
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17221172

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Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose chase leader Davis Love in Florida

US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love tied the course record with a 64 to lead the Honda Classic by two shots from a group including Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose.
Love, 47, fired a hole-in-one at the fifth at PGA National as McIlroy, 22, made a good start in his chase to be world number one.
The Northern Irishman needs to win to overtake the absent Luke Donald.
Lee Westwood carded a level-par 70 and partner Tiger Woods hit 71 as Ian Poulter pulled out with pneumonia.

Veteran Love insists he will play against Europe in Chicago in September if he qualifies and capitalised on soft conditions following Wednesday's rain in Florida.
McIlroy missed the chance to rise to the top of the world for the first time when he lost to Hunter Mahan in the WGC Match Play final on Sunday.

But he made a promising start from the 10th tee in Palm Beach Gardens on Thursday, grabbing his first birdie after a 165-yard approach to five feet on the 14th.
He sunk a 12-foot putt on the short 17th for another birdie and made four on the 556-yard 18th for an opening 32.
Further birdies came on the second and seventh, with his only dropped shot coming on the eighth when he three-putted from more than 50 feet.
McIlroy said: "It's a solid opening round. I felt like the course was very scoreable this morning.
"I only made one mistake on the eighth green with a three-putt.
"Apart from that I was very happy with how the day went. I feel like I've got a few targets in my head and I'm sort of striving to get to those.
"Obviously with all of the talk of number one it would be great to get to that position at some point.
"I feel like I'm playing good enough to challenge for it at least, but I'm working towards trying to peak my game from April through to August for the four majors and for the big tournaments.

"I want to give myself the best possible chance going into those tournaments. I feel like my work ethic is probably increased a little bit this year as well.
"It comes down to hard work and just wanting it a little bit more."

Woods, who was playing the Honda Classic for the first time as a pro, was out in a stiffer breeze in the afternoon but twice lost momentum with sloppy bogeys and failed to convert a routine up-and-down on the par-five 18th.
"I didn't get a whole lot out of my round,'' said Woods, who missed only three greens but took 34 putts. "I hit the ball a lot better than I scored, and I certainly putted well, and I didn't hardly get anything out of the round. Hopefully, Friday it will be better.''
World number three Westwood swapped a double bogey at the sixth and a bogey at the 17th with three birdies.
Fellow Englishman Rose, who won the last of his three PGA Tour titles in September 2011, has slipped to 23rd in the world but came back from a double bogey on his second hole with an eagle at the next and then made three straight birdies from the fifth before a final birdie on 16.
"I guess the key was there were not any emotions to the double. It was one poor swing," he said.
"I've been losing a couple of tee shots to the right and that's what happened there, but I didn't let it affect me."
Poulter was due to play with Westwood and Woods but told his Twitter followers that he was feeling feverish just hours before the start.
After withdrawing he tweeted : "Sorry guys never been so disappointed pulling out of a tournament. Never felt so rough. Just been for a chest X-ray - got pneumonia guys. Rest time for me."






1 March 2012
Last updated at 23:37
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17227113

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