Worcestershire on flood alert as rivers rise at New Road

Monday, April 30, 2012

Worcestershire are on flood warning at New Road again due to the rising river levels of the nearby Severn and Teme. New Road was last under water late on in 2008, having lost half of the 2007 season when they suffered the second worst flood in the county's history. And chief executive David Leatherdale admits this could be a very close call. "The level of the Severn is about 3.6 metres above the norm and that is borderline for us as a club," he told BBC Hereford & Worcester. "We are guesstimating where we might be. If it reaches 4 metres above the normal level it's touch and go. We could be in trouble." Fortunately, after Sunday's wash-out of the final day of their game against Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire are not at home this week. They return to action on Thursday when they head off to face Middlesex at Lord's. And they are not due at New Road again until the CB40 game against the Netherlands next Monday, two days before they host Surrey in the Championship. "We have the use of Kidderminster as a second ground," said Leatherdale. "The agreement is they are available at very short notice.

"Ironically we have a second team game there tomorrow [Tuesday], and as far as cricket goes that is not a problem." Although the River Severn runs right past New Road, the flooding problem is actually caused about a mile downstream where it meets its tributary, the Teme, from where excess water is sent back over the flood plain beyond the Diglis End of the ground and back up through the drains. But the Worcestershire groundstaff are keeping a careful eye on rising waters in the Severn as they know that means potential trouble is not far away. "On Sunday it was touching the banks," said Leatherdale. "And now it's three quarters up the fence on the river side. "As long as it does not get on the square, that is the key point. It needs protecting but it is a fine line between reaching the car park and the edge of the square. "We have made some contingency plans, we have cleared out some of our low-lying areas and have gone on our normal alert for this sort of situation."








30 April 2012 Last updated at 13:19
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17894700

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Luke Donald regains world number one spot at Zurich Classic

Luke Donald regained top spot in the world rankings from Rory McIlroy after finishing third in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The Englishman needed a top-seven finish to move back to the head of the standings and a final-round 67 saw him finish third, two shots adrift. American Jason Dufner beat Ernie Els in a play-off for his first PGA Tour title after they finished tied on 19 under. Masters champion Bubba Watson carded 70 to end tied 18th at 11 under. The world number one spot has changed hands nine times in the last 18 months, with Tiger Woods, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer also holding the position. With Donald absent this week, McIlroy can regain top spot in the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina. "It's been going back and forth a little bit. Rory's turn next week. It was a little bit of a motivation to try to play well today," said Donald on Sunday. Dufner took a two-shot lead into the fourth round but his two-under 70 was not enough to hold off Els's 67. Both missed birdie putts within eight feet on the par-five 18th on the first play-off hole, but Dufner holed a short birdie putt and Els missed one from the fringe on the 18th for a second time to hand the 35-year-old a first title in 164 starts on the PGA Tour.


 Dufner lost play-offs last year to Mark Wilson in the Phoenix Open and Keegan Bradley in the US PGA Championship for two of his three career runner-up finishes. "To get the monkey off of my back, it's a great feeling," said Dufner, who is getting married next weekend. Three-time major winner Els last won on the PGA Tour in the 2010 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. "It was a nice little charge I made and, you know, nice to catch the leader," said the South African. "I had a chance to win the tournament with a six-footer and missed it, but I made quite a few putts on the back nine to keep myself in it." Defending champion Watson, playing for the first time since his Masters win over Easter weekend, entered the final round eight shots off the lead and was unable to mount a charge after bogeys on his first two holes. "All in all, pretty good week being tired, coming back for the first time after winning the Masters, all this different media attention," Watson said. "It's something you got to get used to. It wears on you, tires you out. Somehow I finished - I'm in the top 20. A lot of guys wished they did that."








30 April 2012 Last updated at 00:28
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17890460

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Pep Guardiola to end reign as Barcelona coach in summer

Friday, April 27, 2012

Pep Guardiola will stand down as Barcelona manager at the end of the season after deciding not to renew his rolling one-year contract.

The 41-year-old, who was appointed in 2008 and has led the Catalan club to 13 trophies, will be succeeded by current assistant Tito Vilanova. Barca look set to miss out to Real Madrid in La Liga and were knocked out of the Champions League by Chelsea. "The reason is simple: four years is enough," said Guardiola. "I'm drained and I need to fill up. The demand has been very high and a manager must be strong." It is understood the former Spain international will take a year away from football after relinquishing his duties to Vilanova. "At the beginning of December I announced to the chairman that I was seeing the end of my era at Barcelona," he continued. "Time has taken its toll - I rise each day and don't feel the same. I am going with the understanding that I have done my duty. "You can only recover by resting and getting away from everything. It would have been a bad idea to continue. Perhaps it would not have gone wrong but I have the perception that it would. It is my time to go.

  "Now we are out of the two main competitions it is a good time to announce this. I did not want to continue with the confusion. "I want to thank my players who are responsible for everything that has happened here." Guardiola was speaking at a news conference attended by many of his players and received rapturous applause at the end. The likes of captain Carles Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas looked emotional as their coach announced his departure. Guardiola is the most successful coach in Barca history, with three league titles, two Champions Leagues and a Copa del Rey among his haul.

 He has overseen the rise of three-time world player of the year Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, while signing Fabregas from Arsenal. Guardiola was particularly close to Messi - describing him as "the best ever" player - while the Argentina forward suggested Guardiola was the main factor behind Barca's recent success. A former Barca captain, Guardiola has always maintained he would do what was best for the club.









 27 April 2012 Last updated at 12:52
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17855980

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Bubba Watson suffers mixed fortunes in Zurich Classic defence

Bubba Watson carded a one-under-par 71 at the Zurich Classic on his return to action following his Masters success.

 

Watson won the event last year, but a mixed opening day of his defence left him six shots off pacesetters Ken Duke and Cameron Tringale. Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell finished three under, while England's world number two Luke Donald ended one over after a 73. Donald needs to finish in the top seven to reclaim his world number one spot. The 34-year-old finished his round in New Orleans with a birdie after a double-bogey on the 17th had threatened to leave him further adrift of the field. Watson's four birdies and three bogeys saw the 33-year-old sit well adrift of clubhouse leaders and fellow Americans Duke and Tringale. "Very happy with my score," Watson said via Twitter. "To shoot under par was awesome!" Duke sank seven birdies in his bogey-free round, while Tringale finished with four birdies to also shoot a 65. South Africa's Ernie Els, Sweden's Daniel Chopra and American duo Steve Stricker and Chris Stroud are a shot behind the leaders on six under.







27 April 2012 Last updated at 00:09
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17864150

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Paula Radcliffe faces huge challenge - Ingrid Kristiansen

Thursday, April 26, 2012

In the latest part of our weekly #olympicthursday series profiling leading British hopes, BBC chief sports writer Tom Fordyce looks at the Olympic chances of marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe.

 

Eight years ago in Athens she was hot favourite for gold. Four years ago in Beijing she was considered a decent shot. Now, heading into her fifth Games, what chance does Paula Radcliffe have of finally winning an elusive Olympic medal? 

 Radcliffe is arguably the greatest distance runner Britain has produced. She has won World Championships, destroyed British records at every distance from 3,000m up and, with her marathon best of two hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds, she holds a record that could go unchallenged for decades to come. Now aged 38, a mother of two, she is again hunting the one major honour missing from her CV. The trouble is, again the problems are mounting. "I don't think she will win the Olympics," was the straightforward opinion of Ethiopian great Haile Gebrselassie after watching first hand as Radcliffe struggled badly over the half-marathon distance in Vienna this month. The bookmakers seem to agree. You can get odds of 12-1 on the Briton winning gold on 5 August. "The problem is adjusting mentally to getting older," says Ingrid Kristiansen, the Norwegian superstar who dominated female distance running in the 1980s as Radcliffe did in the last decade. "You try to train as you did when you were younger, but you need more time to recover. "The problem I had as I moved into my late 30s - and I think Paula might have the same one - is that I looked back at the training schedule I had in my early 30s, and thought I could train as hard and often in my late 30s as I could then. I'm afraid you can't do that." Radcliffe was hampered in Austria by antibiotics she was taking for a persistent bout of bronchitis. But her time - almost seven minutes outside her personal best - was far worse than she had feared possible. "It felt like I was fighting harder than I should have been just to keep moving," she admitted afterwards. "I can't feel like that this summer. "The danger is that it affects my confidence. Fitness-wise I could be starting from zero now and still be in shape for the Olympics, but it's more that I didn't feel good and didn't enjoy running. I'm worried about putting the training in and getting the races in that I want before London." Recent history should offer her some comfort. Olympic marathons are seldom won by either the fastest woman in the field or in particularly fast times. The gold in Athens, when a combination of injury and stomach problems forced Radcliffe to drop out with five kilometres left, was won by Japanese outsider Mizuki Noguchi in 2:26:20 - 11 minutes outside the record Radcliffe had set just 16 months before. In Beijing it was the turn of unfancied Romanian Constantina Dita, again in a relatively stately 2:26:44. Dita's age when she claimed that surprise gold? Thirty-eight. "I don't think the marathon at the Olympics will be a particularly fast one," Kristiansen told BBC Sport. "It never is - but Paula is a classic front-runner. She used to do her best races when she went out by herself and could push and push. The problem she has now as she gets a little slower is that other athletes are quicker over the closing kilometres. "Being part of the circus for so many years, pushing yourself so hard for so many years… the body starts to get worn out when you apply that much force to it." What of Radcliffe's two children, Isla and Raphael? Can an elite athlete combine the demands of parenthood with the immense load of endurance training? "Having two children isn't the issue for Paula," says Kristiansen, whose own career only really took off after the birth of her first son. "She'll have someone who can take care of them when she needs to go for her training runs. The training element to each day is only two or three hours, and that's a short working day by anyone's standards. "Most people work far longer hours. You also need time to rest, but what is rest? It's doing something else apart from training or your normal work. For me, I was resting when I was doing something with my kids. I hope it's the same for Paula. "The good thing about being a mother is that you have something else to focus on apart from yourself and your training. "The training part is very important when you're actually doing it. When you're out of training - between the two sessions each day - you have something else in your life to make you happy, rather than just sitting around waiting for the next training session." Kristiansen retired in 1993, when she was 37 - a year younger than Radcliffe is now. Despite her many stellar achievements - world records at every distance from 5,000m up to marathon, four wins in the London Marathon, 10,000m gold at the World Championships - she too missed out on an Olympic medal. "I was very disappointed after Seoul," she admits, referring to the incident when she tore her Achilles tendon in the 10,000m final. "I really hope Paula can take the gold in her last Olympics so she doesn't have to feel like I did. I'm afraid she will feel the same, and it will be the same as me. "But she can deal with it in the long run. The way I dealt with it was reminding myself that I'd had a lot of very good results in big races, and that I had three beautiful children. So I don't think about it any longer." Radcliffe qualified for London 2012 with her encouraging 2:23:46 in Berlin last September. She still has time to get in better shape than that for August. "I'm not giving up on it," she said this week. "I'll be fighting for gold and I don't think it's beyond me." Sixteen years ago in Atlanta, Radcliffe came home a fine fifth in the 5,000m final. Four years later in Sydney she went even closer, denied a place on the podium by a last-lap sprint having led for much of the contest. After the nightmare of 2004, Beijing was barely much better; a stress fracture of the left femur wrecked her preparations and bouts of severe cramp during the race left her back in 23rd. "I hope she has a chance of a medal," says Kristiansen. "Four years ago I felt the same. But the marathon is getting harder and harder. "There are so many girls coming up, and more countries than ever before are producing good distance runners. These girls are strong and they are fast. It will be difficult for her."








 26 April 2012 Last updated at 05:36 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17838323

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Jose Mourinho wants Chelsea to win the Champions League

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho wants Chelsea to beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League final after his side lost to the German club on penalties. 

 Chelsea progressed to the final by beating Barcelona, despite playing most of the second leg with 10 men. "I obviously want Chelsea to win. They were heroes to beat Barcelona with 10 men," said the former Blues boss. "I'm proud of my players and we have to be strong but we were lacking freshness in an enormous game." Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice inside the opening quarter of an hour to put Real ahead in the second leg of their semi-final only for Arjen Robben to score from the penalty spot to level the tie on aggregate. Extra-time could not separate the sides, before Ronaldo and Kaka had penalties saved in the shoot out, with Sergio Ramos firing over the bar to book Bayern place in the final against Chelsea. Mourinho was looking to win his third Champions League with a record third club after guiding Porto and Inter Milan to the trophy. But despite their strong start, Real - who beat La Liga rivals Barca at the weekend - were unable to find a winner and were undone by a Bayern side who were able to field rested players after Borussia Dortmund wrapped up the Bundesliga. "You have to stay balanced when you win and when you lose," Mourinho said. "The lads were fantastic, with an incredible mentality against a great team, against a team that last weekend were on holiday. "We lost, we are sad and they are happy but that's football." Bayern, who are chasing a fifth victory in the competition, are the first club since Roma in 1984 to play a European Cup final on home soil, although the Italians were beaten on penalties by Liverpool. Coach Jupp Heynckes said: "We've achieved our main objective of the season, it was almost an obsession for us to play the final in our stadium. "We played a great game against an extraordinary opponent who went 2-0 ahead tonight but we have managed to get a goal back, our goalkeeper has been great at the end and we've had a bit of luck. "I told them before we may have to play for 120 minutes but I did not expect the penalties." Chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who twice won the European Cup as a player with Bayern, said: "I have not witnessed something like that in 40 years of professional football. "This tops everything we experienced in the 70s and 80s. I am very happy and very proud. That was top quality football."











 25 April 2012 Last updated at 23:21 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17850157

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Bubba Watson says he is still emotional over Masters win

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Masters champion Bubba Watson feels reluctant to return to the golf tour because he will miss his new-born baby.
 

Watson won his first major at Augusta on 9 April, just two weeks after adopting one-month old son Caleb. Ahead of defending his Zurich Open title, Watson said: "Pretty much every day I cry - I cried this morning when I was leaving my boy. "I would love to be at home right now watching my little boy and spending time with my wife." Watson, 33, faces tough competition in New Orleans, with world number two Luke Donald also in the field. But, although he would rather be with his family, Watson felt unable to refuse the invite. He added: "I felt like it was an obligation that I should be here. I think I should be honoured that I won here before." Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell and England's Justin Rose have also entered the event.






25 April 2012 Last updated at 12:27
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17836698

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Andy Murray beats Sergiy Stakhovsky at Barcelona Open

Second seed Andy Murray produced a clinical performance to beat Sergiy Stakhovsky 6-3 6-2 in the second round of the Barcelona Open.
 

The world number four faced few problems as he overcame his Ukrainian opponent in 78 minutes. It was the perfect response from Murray after his quarter-final loss to Tomas Berdych in the Monte Carlo Masters. Stakhovsky, ranked 68 in the world, proved no match for Murray, who is behind Rafael Nadal in the seedings. The Scot will next face either Robin Haase or Santiago Giraldo in the third round in what is his first appearance in the Spanish clay-court tournament in four years. Murray survived a brief scare in the opening game against Stakhovsky when he needed to save a break point on his own serve. But after that he rarely looked in serious trouble against an opponent he had beaten on each of their previous three meetings. The key break in the opening set came in the fourth game when Murray earned himself three break points. He failed to make the most of the first two opportunities as Stakhovsky, 26, battled back from 15-40 to deuce, but Murray made no mistake with his third chance to take a 3-1 lead in the set. After the next two games had been comfortably held, Stakhovsky had a chance to break back in the seventh when he edged 40-30 ahead on Murray's serve. But the Ukrainian was again unable to capitalise as Murray recovered to take a 5-2 lead. Stakhovsky battled hard to take the eighth game to make it 5-3, but Murray wasted little time wrapping up the set as he held the ninth game to love. Murray then made short work of the second set to seal his spot in the last 16. The British number one rattled off four successive points to recover from 40-15 down to break Stakhovsky in game three and take a 2-1 lead. There was no looking back after that, Murray at his ruthless best to book his place in the next round.










24 April 2012 Last updated at 16:30
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17830205

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Salford City Reds pay outstanding tax bill

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Salford chief executive Dave Tarry has told BBC Radio Manchester that the immediate future of the club is secure after paying an outstanding tax bill.

It emerged in February that the Super League side owed a five-figure fee to HMRC, which has now been paid.

"I wouldn't say people should be worried about Salford's immediate future, but we haven't got crystal balls," said Tarry.

"We've just got to keep moving on, just like everybody else."
Salford moved into a new 12,000-seater stadium at the beginning of the season and have been attracting crowds of around 5,000 to Super League matches, well below the club's target figure of 8,000.

The City Reds recently announced that they will be sharing their ground with rugby union outfit Sale Sharks from the beginning of the next Premiership season.
"Times are tough in sport, as they are in many other walks of life," added Tarry. "In today's world, if you're not on your toes with the HMRC, they take action very quickly.

"There's not a lot of discussion going on. It's about being able to respond as and when required.
"We've seen it throughout the whole of sport, not just in Super League. In rugby union, there are one or two interesting cases bubbling along at the moment, as there is in football with Rangers.

"Times are tough in business and in sport. Unfortunately today, they authorities don't seem to want to wait. It's one of those things and we carry on like every other club."









24 April 2012
Last updated at 13:48
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/17828808

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London 2012: Team GB handed tough Olympic football draws

Hope Powell's women's team will play New Zealand in the opening event of the Olympic Games at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on 25 July.

They will then face further group games against Cameroon and Brazil.
The Team GB men's side will take on Senegal in their first fixture, at Old Trafford on 26 July.
Stuart Pearce's side also face United Arab Emirates on 29 July and Uruguay on 1 August in the group stage of the men's Olympic football competition.
"Uruguay will be tough but I wouldn't dismiss anyone," said Pearce after the draw.

"The addition of three over-age players can contribute to a really strong side. It will be tough, tournament football always is. Everyone in the squad will have star quality but I'll pick the squad on merit.
"The squad may not reflect every home nation and celebrity, but they will be the best 18 players who have the best opportunity to deliver a gold. That's my only criteria."
Each team in the men's competition comprises 18 players, with 15 of them born after 1 January 1989, with Pearce set to meet David Beckham to discuss his possible participation .

The over-age option also means that Liverpool's Luis Suarez could play for Uruguay in the tournament, while Newcastle duo Papiss Cisse and Demba Ba would be eligible to feature for Senegal, who were the last team to qualify for the competition, sealing their place with a play-off victory over Oman at the City of Coventry Stadium on Monday .

There are no restrictions for the women's competition and Powell said she was looking forward to three exciting group fixtures.
"Brazil will be a great game at Wembley, they are always there or thereabouts in major tournaments," said Powell, who is also the coach of the England team.

"Now it is down to our preparations. We have every chance of progressing but we can't take it lightly. We played New Zealand in the World Cup last year and it was a very tough encounter. Cameroon are an unknown quantity.
"This gives us a great opportunity to showcase our sport, we open the Olympics and hopefully we can encourage more females to get into the sport."
The opening ceremony for the Games takes place on 27 July, but the two GB teams will have played their first matches by then.

Both GB teams already knew the dates and venues of their opening three fixtures but found out the identity of their opponents at the draw for the group stage, which took place at Wembley Stadium, London, on Tuesday.

The draw was hosted by Match of the Day presenter and former England international Gary Lineker, who believes the tournament could become a massive success.
"I feel the football in the Olympics could become huge," said Lineker. "If Team GB start going well there will be a real fascination and an interest in it."
There are more than 1.5 million unsold tickets for the football tournament, although the exact dates of when they will be available to buy is not yet known.
"We've already sold over a million tickets and we are confident of selling the rest," said organising committee chairman Lord Coe.

During the competition, matches will be played at Hampden Park (Glasgow), Sports Direct Arena - to revert to St James' Park during the Games (Newcastle), Old Trafford (Manchester), the City of Coventry Stadium (otherwise known as the Ricoh Arena), the Millennium Stadium (Cardiff) and Wembley (London).
The 16 teams in the men's competition have been split into four groups, with the top two in each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

After Pearce's men start with their Old Trafford fixture, they will then play at Wembley on Sunday 29 July before their final group match at the Millennium Stadium on Wednesday 1 August.

More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for the opening game at Old Trafford and a double-headed friendly is expected to take place ahead of the tournament at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium.

The Football Association has yet to confirm the line-up but GB's men are thought likely to take on Brazil in the warm-up. It could take place on 20 July and may also feature the women's team facing Sweden.
The 12 teams in the women's competition have been split into three groups, with the group winners and runners-up joined by the two best third-ranked teams in the quarter-finals.

After their Millennium Stadium opener against the Football Ferns, Powell's side will play again in Cardiff on Saturday 28 July, with their final group match on Tuesday 31 July at Wembley.

Current Olympic champions USA and current World Cup holders Japan were seeded alongside Team GB and have been drawn in separate groups.












24 April 2012
Last updated at 11:46
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17826294

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Man Utd v Man City a derby of amazing proportions - Ferguson

Monday, April 23, 2012

Sir Alex Ferguson says Manchester United face the "biggest derby" of his Old Trafford career after blowing a 4-2 lead against Everton.

Wayne Rooney scored twice on Sunday but Nikica Jelavic and Steven Pienaar's late strikes boosted Manchester City, who relegated Wolves with a 2-0 win.
If Roberto Mancini's side beat United next Monday, they will go top on goal difference with two games remaining.

Ferguson said: "We need a result. It's a derby of amazing proportions."
In the opening Premier League meeting between the Manchester clubs in October, City claimed a famous 6-1 win against a 10-man United.

He added: "It is probably the most important derby game in my time. We have to go there, make sure we perform in the right way and not give away silly goals.
"There's no reason why we can't get a good result. There has been an expectancy from City that this could be their decider, but it's our decider too."
Ferguson said he was mystified by his team's defensive lapses as Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Nani were all on target in a thrilling game.

But having established a 3-1 lead, Marouane Fellaini made it 3-2 before Rooney got his 33rd goal of the season to appear to make the game safe.
Everton then struck twice in two minutes, with Pienaar's leveller coming five minutes from the end.

It also overshadowed a day when Rooney moved to fourth on United's all-time goalscorer's list ahead of George Best and Dennis Viollet.
"It was a throwaway, an absolute giveaway," Ferguson added. "We just needed to see the game out.

"It was a travesty because some of the football we played was fantastic and some of the goals we scored were great goals. To give away four goals at Old Trafford in a game that was so important, I just couldn't believe it.
"We've given Manchester City the initiative. It makes the game at the Etihad a really important game, it's a decider really.

"We've made it hard for ourselves as we normally do, but we have to go there knowing that we are capable of getting a result."
Everton's comeback was a superb response after their FA Cup semi-final defeat by Liverpool.

Although they did not manage to break a run of 20 years without a win at Old Trafford, boss David Moyes said it was a merited point.
"We deserved everything we got," he told BBC Sport. "We went toe-to-toe with them and we tried to make chances.

"We have reminded people we are still here. We are not a bad team. Since January we have been a very good team.

"When you lose a semi-final against your local rivals it is tough to take.
"But how many teams are going to get back into it from a position like that at Manchester United?
"It will make next week's game at Manchester City a bit more tidy."










23 April 2012
Last updated at 10:11
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17807178

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2012 Open Championship: R&A lift ban on mobile phones

Spectators will be able to use mobile phones at the 2012 Open Championship after the game's governing body lifted their six-year ban on the devices.
Calls will be allowed in designated areas, although photography and video recording will not be allowed during the four days of the championship.
"There is no denying the attachment people feel to their mobile phones," said R&A chief executive Peter Dawson.

"Allowing their use at the championship will enrich the Open experience."

Mobile phones were first banned for the 2007 Open at Carnoustie after players complained about the number in use at the previous Championship at Hoylake.
Dawson added: "We understand there will be concerns over this change in policy but we will be liaising with spectators around the tented village and food and drink outlets.

"Strict rules will be put in place designed to ensure that play is not affected in any way by the change.
"Our spectators are very knowledgeable and understand golf and so we are confident they will respect the players."
The Open last visited Lytham in 2001, when David Duval of the United States won the claret jug.

Since then, all but four holes have undergone some form of redevelopment, with almost 200 yards added to the overall length of the course.
The 492-yard sixth hole has also been downgraded to a par-four, making the 7,086-yard course a par 70 for the Championship.











23 April 2012
Last updated at 11:33
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17813632

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BOA expects to lose court battle with Wada over drugs ban

Friday, April 20, 2012

The British Olympic Association (BOA) believes it is likely to lose its legal battle with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

If the BOA by-law - which prevents drug cheats competing at the Olympics - is revoked, sprinter Dwain Chambers would be eligible for London 2012 selection.
Cyclist David Millar is among others currently on a lifetime Games ban who would be allowed to try to qualify.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) is expected to rule next week.
Although the BOA is privately prepared for defeat, communications director Darryl Seibel said: "We have not received any indication from Cas as to what the decision might be."

Chambers's lawyer Siza Agha said: "The only opinion that matters will be contained in the ruling of the three arbitrators charged with the responsibility of determining the BOA appeal."

The BOA has gone to Cas to challenge a ruling from Wada that its by-law is not compliant with the Wada code and therefore unenforceable.


The by-law was introduced more than 20 years ago and has kept a number of British athletes, including Chambers and Millar who have served doping bans, out of past Olympics.

Its argument, which has found support among a number of high-profile current British athletes and the International Olympic Committee, says its requirement that athletes have clean drugs records is part of its selection criteria for any Olympic Games, meaning the lifetime ban is not an additional punishment.
Last month, the BOA had expressed itself to be "cautiously optimistic" of winning the case.

However, leading sports lawyer Howard Jacobs - who helped American 400m runner LaShawn Merritt overturn his Olympic doping ban - later said he believed the BOA would end up on the "losing side".

Olympic 400m silver medallist Roger Black told BBC Radio 5 live he was disappointed by the latest development.

"I think it's a sad day because you have to accept that we will have people competing for our country who have knowingly tried to cheat other people and tried to cheat the system," said Black, who was runner-up for Britain to Michael Johnson at the 1996 Atlanta Games.


"This isn't a surprise. I always thought this would happen as you are talking about human rights against the rights of the BOA to decide how they select their team.
"The reason this has become an issue is we are pretty much alone on this one. Everyone else in the world recognises if an athlete serves his time, then he can come back and compete at the Olympic Games.

"We are out on a limb, and that limb is about to be severed."

Current world 400m champion Dai Greene believes tougher action is needed to deter doping.

"I don't think Britain should lower their standards to come in line with the rest of the world. The standards aren't tough enough, if anything. It would be disappointing if you see drugs cheats at the Olympic Games," said the Welshman.
Darren Campbell, who had his 2003 world championship 4x100m relay medal taken away after anchor-leg runner Chambers tested positive six months later for the steroid THG, said the rules were too inconsistent.

"What I want is clarity," said Campbell, who was stripped of his medal along with Chambers and team-mates Christian Malcolm and Marlon Devonish.
"It's up to Wada to change the rules so we don't have to keep revisiting this all the time."

Malcolm has said he hopes his old friend Chambers is given a chance to compete at London 2012. "He has served his time now," he said last month.
Athletes would still have to reach the Olympic qualifying standard to be considered for selection.

Chambers, 34, who served a two-year athletics ban after his positive test but has since competed at world and european championships, attempted to challenge the by-law in the High Court before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but his case failed.
Millar, 35, who was banned from cycling for two years in 2004 after admitting to taking the blood-boosting drug EPO, has said he would not seek to overtun the BOA's lifetime ban.












20 April 2012
Last updated at 12:00 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17781706

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Fed Cup: Elena Baltacha plays first in GB tie v Sweden

Elena Baltacha will face Johanna Larsson in the opening rubber of Great Britain's Fed Cup World Group II play-off against Sweden in Boras.
The British number one, 63rd in the world, plays her 71st-ranked Swedish opponent at 1300 BST on Saturday.

They will be followed on court at Borashallen by British number two Anne Keothavong, 79th in the world, and 54th-ranked Swede Sofia Arvidsson.
The reverse singles and a doubles rubber take place on Sunday.
Heather Watson and Laura Robson form the British doubles pairing against Arvidsson and Larsson.

Victory for GB in the best-of-five tie would see them promoted to the World Group for the first time since 1993.
Judy Murray's side came through three rounds to reach this stage.









20 April 2012
Last updated at 11:21 GMT
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17784069

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Saeed Ajmal out of Worcestershire's T20 campaign

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Worcestershire have confirmed Saeed Ajmal will miss the FL t20 campaign due to a clash with Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka.

The spinner will play in his country's tour, which is scheduled to be played from May to July, and the Royals will now be in the market for a replacement.
"Losing a player of Saeed's quality is a big disappointment," director of cricket Steve Rhodes said.

"However, we are extremely active in finding a replacement for the T20."
Ajmal tormented England's batting order in February's Test series, taking 24 wickets in three matches.











19 April 2012
Last updated at 08:40
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17757586

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Guan Tian-lang, 13, to become youngest player on European Tour

Guan Tian-lang will become the youngest player to compete on the European Tour when the 13-year-old tees off in the China Open on Thursday.
Guan, who will be 13 years and 173 days, will beat the record of compatriot Lo Shik-kai, who was 107 days older at the 2003 Hong Kong Open.
Guan booked his place in the 156-man field after finishing fourth in a mid-China qualifying event.

Also in the field are England's Ian Poulter and Paul Casey.
"My goal now is to be the youngest player ever to make the cut in a European Tour event, and I think if I can shoot level par or better I'll have a good chance to do that," said Guan.

The youngest player to make a European Tour cut is Jason Hak, who played all 72 holes at the Hong Kong Open as a 14-year-old amateur in 2009.
Guan started playing golf at the age of four and has claimed numerous age group titles around the world.

He won the World Junior crown in San Diego last year by a 11 shots after a nine-under-par 63 on the opening day.
Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts won last year's tournament by four strokes, his first and only win on the European Tour.










17 April 2012
Last updated at 16:02
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17743362

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Usain Bolt says London 2012 can make him a "living legend"

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt wants to "amaze" the world at London 2012 by running 9.4 seconds for the 100m and 19 seconds for the 200m.

Jamaican Bolt, 25, is the reigning Olympic champion and world-record holder over both distances, with times of 9.58secs and 19.19secs.
"People are looking forward to me running 9.4, 19 seconds, anything that's amazing," Bolt told BBC Sport.

"So I'm working as hard as possible so I can go as fast as possible."
Talking on the BBC1 programme 100 Days To Go, Bolt added that more performances, such as the ones that saw him take three gold medals at the 2008 Olympics, would make him "a living legend".
"They want to see my personality, me enjoying it and doing crazy stuff, but they also want to see that time," he said.
"If I dominate the Olympics, I'll be a living legend. A living legend walking around. Sounds good."

American swimmer Michael Phelps, a 14-time Olympic champion, said he hoped London would be the perfect ending to a stellar career.
"Being able to prepare myself to look back through my career and say I've done everything I've wanted and I've been successful is something I really want to do," said the 26-year-old.

"This is the last chapter of my career as an athlete and I'm just hoping it goes the way I want. I'm trying to work as hard as I can to make sure it does."
Meanwhile, England footballer David Beckham, who hopes to be part of the GB side, expressed his pride at the possibility of competing in his home town.

"To see the transformation in east London, somewhere I was brought up as a kid, is really incredible.

"As a fan of the Olympics and as a dad, to be able to say that I am going to be able to take my sons and my daughter to an Olympic Games in the place where I grew up, I'm proud of that."

2012 Olympic Games: 100 Days to Go, BBC One, Wednesday 18 April, 2245 BST.
Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson previews the 2012 Olympics. With Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, British hopes David Beckham, Ben Ainslie and Tom Daley and filmmaker Danny Boyle, the artistic director of the opening ceremony.











17 April 2012
Last updated at 15:20
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17742236

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Nate Reinking is not concerned by Byron Mullens selection battle

Great Britain basketball guard Nate Reinking is not concerned about NBA star Byron Mullens potentially being added to the Olympic squad.

British Basketball are awaiting a decision from the sport's governing body on whether Mullens will have naturalised or non-naturalised status.
Only one naturalised player is allowed - currently Reinking for Britain.

"There's going to be people come out of the woodwork with passports, but I can't worry about that," Reinking said.
United States-born Reinking, 38, currently combining studying for a Masters and playing full-time with the Sheffield Sharks in the British Basketball League, is one of only two players to have been with the British team since it was overhauled in readiness for the Olympics in 2006.
Seven-foot centre Mullens, who plays for NBA side the Charlotte Bobcats, has only recently confirmed his eligibility to play for Great Britain after announcing that he held a British passport.
"At the end of the day it's a business," Reinking said. "I've been in this game a long time and you've got to be professional.
"I don't feel I have to prove anything. I've been with the team since day one, they know what I can do and what I bring to the squad."
A decision on Mullens's status is expected next month before the start of the Olympic training camp, which begins on 11 June in Houston USA.
The camp will provide a chance for both men to stake their claim for inclusion in head coach Chris Finch's final team, to be announced in July.
He and Mullens may have to fight it out, but Great Britain performance director Chris Spice said the team "are very used to people coming in".
"The great thing about our squad is we tend to find new talent each year," he said.
"The great strength we've got is that the team pretty much buckle up and get on with it.

"It will be down to the coaching staff to look at the balance of the squad and who brings what to the team.
"As with any selection issue, if you bring in a quality player then there's people that may miss out. That's something all teams have to deal with."
British Basketball recently announced a 21-strong preliminary squad, which Spice believes is their strongest ever.

"We've got better depth in the team than ever before," he added. "Everyone thinks we're the quiet sleeper of the [Olympic] tournament that could cause an upset."








13 April 2012
Last updated at 09:46
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/basketball/17676806

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Andy Murray ready for Viktor Troicki at Monte Carlo Masters

Monday, April 16, 2012

Britain's Andy Murray begins his clay-court season against Serbia's Viktor Troicki at the Monte Carlo Masters.

Murray, who received a first-round bye, has won all four of their meetings, but was taken to five sets by the world number 30 at last year's French Open.
They are the second match on Court Central at around 1200 BST on Tuesday.
"All these tournaments are very important, with the French Open coming at the end," said Murray, who reached the semi-finals in 2009 and 2011

"Each week, you want to be playing a little better in preparation for that.
"It's difficult here, as you can come up against tough players right off the bat.
"For me, it's not a surface I grew up on, so it takes a little while for me to get comfortable."
In the build-up to Monte Carlo 12 months ago, Murray lost his opening matches in Rotterdam, Indian Wells and Miami.
But victories over Radek Stepanek, Gilles Simon and Frederico Gil saw him make the last four before falling to Rafael Nadal.
He almost pulled off a stunning win against Novak Djokovic at the Rome Masters and continued his impressive form at Roland Garros.
Murray came from two sets down to beat big-hitting Troicki in the last 16 and then overcame Juan Ignacio Chela in the last eight, only for Nadal to end his run at the semi-final stage.
"Last year, throughout the clay-court season, I felt way better [than previously]," said Murray, who has yet to reach a clay-court final on the ATP World Tour.
"It started here. I had a good run. I probably shouldn't have played the match against Rafa. I had the injection before we went out to play.
"It was tough, but it was character building in a way, as I started to play well again after struggling in Miami."

Of his new shaved hair, Murray added: "I did it myself. I just decided I wanted to cut my hair. It was my fitness trainer's razor so I wasn't sure how short it was going to be."

The 24-year-old is also playing doubles on Tuesday, joining forces with brother Jamie against Santiago Gonzalez and Christopher Kas in the last match on Court Central.













17 April 2012
Last updated at 07:30
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17738045

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Stuart Law quitting as Bangladesh national coach in the summer

Former Australia batsman Stuart Law is quitting as Bangladesh coach after just nine months, citing family reasons.

Law, 43, will step down when his contract expires in June.
The decision comes a day after the Tigers confirmed a tour of Pakistan later this month, and within a month of them finishing second in the Asia Cup.
"Cricket has been a huge part of my life but, over the years, I have realised that there is nothing more important than family," said Law.









16 April 2012
Last updated at 11:23
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17728170

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Donald surrenders world number one ranking to McIlroy at Heritage

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Luke Donald will surrender his world number one ranking to Rory McIlroy on Monday after finishing the RBC Heritage in the United States in joint 37th.
Donald needed a top-eight placing in South Carolina to stay ahead of the Northern Irishman.
However, he could only finish with a second successive level-par round of 71 to end the week on two over par.
The tournament was won by Sweden's Carl Pettersson with Donald never in contention after an opening-round 75.

Donald, who lost a play-off to Brandt Snedeker at the same venue last year, made a poor start to Sunday's final round with a double-bogey six on the first, before birdies on the fifth and sixth helped him salvage some respectability.
Pettersson shot a final round of 69 to finish a comfortable winner on 14 under, five shots ahead of American Zach Johnson.
Colt Knost was one shot further back in third after a disappointing final round of 74.

US Open champion McIlroy briefly overtook Donald at the top of the rankings last month, and will now do so again despite sitting out this tournament.
The 22-year-old is not expected to play again until next month's Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.










16 April 2012
Last updated at 00:07
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17724012

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Paula Radcliffe beaten by Haile Gebrselassie in half marathon

Haile Gebrselassie beat Paula Radcliffe in Sunday's head-to-head half marathon in Vienna.
The Briton had targeted a time below 70 minutes in the "Emperor versus the Queen" race.
However, she ended with a time of 1 hour 12 min 03sec, 11 minutes 11 seconds behind the Ethiopian.
"I am at a loss to explain why it was quite so bad. I still would have expected and hoped for a time in the 69s," she told BBC Radio 5 live.
Gebrselassie, who has not qualified for the men's marathon in London, finished in 1:00.52sec.

Radcliffe had a head start of seven minutes 52 seconds in the 13.1 mile race, which is the difference between their respective personal bests.
Radcliffe, who viewed the race as an important part of her preparation ahead of the Olympic marathon on 5 August, set a good early tempo and passed the 5km point in 16:13.
After surprisingly running past his pacemaker, Kenyan Philemon Rono, Gebrselassie upped his pace and passed the 5km mark in 14:12.
Having reduced the gap to only 3:42 at the 9km mark, the Ethiopian was well on target to pass Radcliffe with ease.
He did so at 15.3km, waving an encouraging arm to her as he ran past. But the Briton's pace had slowed to a long way behind her personal best.
She eventually finished well behind the two-time Olympic 10,000 metre champion, and appeared to shed tears of frustration after posting her slowest ever time for the half marathon.

The women's marathon world-record holder has not been in the best of health in the last fortnight, tweeting on Friday that she was relieved to have made it to Vienna after a bout of bronchitis and pleurisy.

She said the illness had been a factor in her slow time, but feels she should still have run far quicker.
"I know that racing on antibiotics isn't the best idea, and that is why I did not expect fireworks coming in," she added.
"The format of the race meant that I could not stop, even though I felt really bad, so I tried to just keep going. I tried to zone out and just get through it. That it was I did, and I feel a bit shaky now.

"The thing that worries me is that I did not feel myself out there while running. The danger is that it affects my confidence [for the London Olympics]."
However, the 38-year-old insists that she is entirely focused on the Games, and will use the races between now and August to rebuild her morale.
"I am not giving up on it by any means," she said.

"I think I need to get out and race and feel like myself. The 10kms that I race, and if I do race a half marathon, are a build up for the [Olympic marathon].
"They are not races for running as fast as I can in their own right. But I still want to go out and feel strong and feel good."










15 April 2012
Last updated at 12:02
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/17715541

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Kenny Dalglish has Liverpool board's support, says chairman

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Chairman Tom Werner says the Liverpool board has "great confidence" in manager Kenny Dalglish.
Director of football Damien Comolli has left the club by mutual consent and Peter Brukner, head of sports science and medicine, has also departed.
But Werner said in an interview on the club's official website: "We've got great confidence in Kenny.
"We feel the team is going to make strides in the future and he enjoys our full support."

Dalglish has overseen a difficult season with Liverpool eighth in the Premier League, having won only two of their last 14 matches, and set to miss out on qualification for next season's Champions League.
They have enjoyed more success in cup competitions but after a disappointing league campaign, coming on the back of major investment last summer, Comolli is heading for the exit door.
"I would say we certainly have the resources to compete with anybody in football," added Werner.
"We feel there is enough talent on the pitch to win and, as I said, we've been dissatisfied, as most supporters have been, with the results so far.
"But we're also talking about the future - we have a strategy we need implemented and we felt Damien was probably not the right person to implement that strategy."
Liverpool, who won the Carling Cup earlier this season, face an FA Cup semi-final against local rivals Everton at Wembley on Saturday, which captain Steven Gerrard says can turn around their season.
And chairman Werner insisted: "The club needs to move forward - we now have a huge game on Saturday. It is important that everyone joins us in supporting the manager and gets behind Kenny [Dalglish] and the team and focuses on a strong finish to the season."
Comolli was appointed by club co-owners John W Henry and Werner following their takeover of the club in September 2010.

He oversaw a major spending spree which included the signings of Andy Carroll for £35m and Luis Suarez for £22.7m, while the Reds also paid a combined £36m for Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing and Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson.
Dalglish said: "Comolli has been really helpful in every transfer target that we've gone for.
"Everyone who has come into the club since Damien has been here was of my choice.
"Once I made the choice who I wanted, Damien went away and did a fantastic job of bringing them in.
"It's sad to see anyone leave the football club and he goes with my best wishes."
Comolli said: "I am happy to move on from the club and go back to France for family reasons.
"I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to work at Liverpool. I wish the club all the best for the future."











12 April 2012
Last updated at 18:08
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17696038

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London 2012: Great Britain announce men's basketball squad

NBA players Ben Gordon, Byron Mullens and Luol Deng have been included in Great Britain's 21-man provisional men's squad for the Olympics.
US-raised Gordon and Ohio-born Mullens, who play for the Detroit Pistons and the Charlotte Bobcats respectively, have yet to play for GB.
Chicago Bulls forward Deng, a GB regular, is also included in the squad.
Coach Chris Finch will reduce the group to 16 in May and then make a final cut to 12 at the start of July.
Finch said: "We have the potential for a world-class team who will surprise a few people this summer.
"The commitment from all our players to the programme once again is great and it's also good to see our strength and depth continuing to increase year on year."
Preliminary squad (including club and nation): Kieron Achara (Manresa (Spain)/Scotland), Ogo Adegboye (Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus)/England), Robert Archibald (Zaragoza (Spain)/Scotland), Eric Boateng (Peristeri (Greece)/ England), Matthew Bryan-Amaning (Hacettepe (Turkey)/England), Dan Clark (Estudiantes (Spain)/England), Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls (USA)/England), Joel Freeland (Malaga (Spain)/England), Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons (USA)/England), Kyle Johnson (Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus)/England), Andrew Lawrence (College of Charleston (USA)/England), Mike Lenzly (Nymburk (Czech Republic)/England), Alex Marcotullio (Northwestern College/Scotland), Pops Mensah-Bonsu (Besiktas (Turkey)/England), Byron Mullens (Charlotte Bobcats (USA)/England), Sullivan Phillips (Prievidza (Slovakia)/England), Nate Reinking (Sheffield/England), Ryan Richards (unattached/England), Ovie Soko (University of Alabama (USA)/England), Andrew Sullivan (Leicester/England), Devon van Oostrum (Tarragona (Spain)/England).

10 April 2012
Last updated at 15:51
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17668619

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London 2012: Britain's Heather Watson targets Olympic gold

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Heather Watson has set herself an ambitious target of winning the singles gold medal at the London Olympics.

The British number three, currently 116th in the world, is likely to need a ranking inside the top 70 or hope for a wildcard to compete at the Games.
"If I'm playing, I'm playing to win," the 19-year-old from Guernsey told BBC Sport. "I'm going for a medal. A gold.
"An Olympics in your home country is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it's my priority for the year."
Watson finished 2011 ranked 92nd before an ankle injury - sustained playing football during a practice session - contributed to her fall at the start of this year.

For the Olympics, 56 players will gain direct acceptance to the singles main draw but there can be no more than four from a nation.
With Russia and Germany among those boasting more than four players in the top 56, the list will probably extend to around the 70 mark (the cut-off at the 2008 Olympics was 67).
The International Tennis Federation Olympic committee will then grant six wildcards and most of these have previously gone to players ranked just below the cut-off with one place per nation, though this is not a rule.
Britain currently has Elena Baltacha ranked 62nd, Anne Keothavong 71st, Watson 116th and Laura Robson 123rd. The Lawn Tennis Association hopes all four will play.
"Every December for the past five years I've sat down with my dad, talked about how I've done and what I want to do in the new year," said Watson at the launch of the 2012 Aegon Classic at the Edgbaston Priory Club.
"This year, the main topic was the Olympics because it doesn't come around very often and, even if it does, having it in your home country is another thing altogether.

"We've talked about it so much. For a tennis player, you'll play in the Olympics once - maybe twice - and I'd love to be a part of it.
"In tennis, for women's singles, there's one gold medal. One. That's it!"
In normal circumstances, Watson would spend late July and early August training and competing in North America ahead of the US Open.
But this year she will be in London regardless of whether she makes it to the Games.
"I definitely don't want to be there [in the US] during the Olympics but I don't think I would be, I think I'd be here anyway," she explained. "I mean, you can't miss it.
"Growing up, I always watched the Olympics. I watched the track more than anything, and I love watching the gymnasts as well. Usain Bolt sticks out for me, he's awesome."
Watson has been named alongside Baltacha, Keothavong and Robson in the Fed Cup Team for the upcoming tie against Sweden on 21-22 April.
The team is unchanged from the one that won the World Group II play-offs, beating the Netherlands, Israel and Portugal in the Euro/Africa Zone Group I competition and then Austria in the promotion play-off.











11 April 2012
Last updated at 21:43
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17683344

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Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan on Wisden cricketers list

England pair Alastair Cook and Tim Bresnan have been named among Wisden's five cricketers of the year.

Cook averaged 84 and Bresnan took 21 wickets in 2011 as England reached the top of the world Test rankings.

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara becomes the first man to be leading cricketer in the world and make the list in the same year.
Lancashire captain Glen Chapple and Worcestershire seamer Alan Richardson complete the list.
The Five Cricketers of the Year are chosen by the editor of Wisden since 1889 to reflect an impact on English cricket, and no-one can be chosen more than once.
Cook scored 927 Test runs as England won 10 Test matches out of 10 and replaced India as the world's best side - including a career best 294 at Edgbaston. Having inherited the one-day captaincy from Andrew Strauss, Cook led by example in series victories over Sri Lanka and India.
Bresnan hit a powerful 90 against India at Trent Bridge in that series, taking 16 wickets at 16 runs along the way.
The Yorkshire all-rounder said: "It's a very select membership and I'm over the moon to receive such a prestigious honour."
Sri Lanka batsman Sangakkara compiled 2,267 international runs last year with five centuries and 13 fifties, including a century in probably his last Test on English soil at Hampshire.

"I had always wanted a Test hundred at Lord's but, if that was not to be, then anywhere in England," Sangakkara told David Hopps in the Almanack.
"The Rose Bowl felt as if it might be my last opportunity."
Chapple, 38, was Lancashire's talisman as they won a first outright County Championship in 77 years, taking 55 wickets and bowling through injury on the final day as they clinched the title with victory at Somerset.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "Personally I had a good season but that wouldn't, in itself, be enough normally to win this award.
"The credit has to go to the players for the way they performed last year.
"It was a fantastic year for Lancashire and all the lads who played so well have obviously played a big part in me receiving this award."
Richardson was the leading wicket taker in county cricket last summer, taking 73 for Worcestershire in Division One.
Richardson told BBC Hereford and Worcester: "To be recognised along world-class cricketers such as Alastair Cook, Tim Bresnan, Glen Chapple and Kumar Sangakkara is a real honour, to have my name up against some of the greats of the game."









11 April 2012
Last updated at 11:29
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/17675636

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Geraint Thomas defends Tour de France decision

Geraint Thomas has rejected Great Britain head coach Shane Sutton's suggestion that his decision not to ride in the Tour de France is wrong.Thomas, 25, has decided not to race on this year's Tour in order to focus on winning gold at the London Olympics.
Sutton claimed Welshman Thomas had made the decision for patriotic reasons and said he should be "more selfish".

"[The Olympics] is something that I've grown up wanting to win," Thomas said told BBC Radio 5 live.
Thomas helped GB win gold in the men's team pursuit at the 2012 World Track Cycling Championships in Melbourne and is set to be part of the pursuit team this summer.
With the Olympics starting on 2 August, less than a fortnight after the end of the Tour de France, Thomas, who won Olympic gold in the team pursuit in Beijing four years ago, will concentrate on attempting to become only the fourth Welshman to be a multiple Olympic gold medallist.

He conceded: "Being Welsh has definitely got a lot to do with it.
"I said at the start of the year that the Olympics was my main goal and I don't want to jeopardise my chances in that in any way.
"I felt the the Tour would have done that and it would have split my loyalties. It is disappointing to be missing it but at the same time the Olympics is just massive and it being in London is that little bit extra.


"If it wasn't in London maybe I would have stuck to the road racing."
After success in Melbourne, Thomas believes the team is growing in confidence.
He said: "There's a feeling in the camp that we're all starting to find our form and it's just getting that winning mentality back.
"Everyone's hungry and it's all moving in the right direction."











10 April 2012
Last updated at 22:02
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/17672238

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Brad Jones thanks Liverpool fans for support since death of son

Goalkeeper Brad Jones dedicated Liverpool's 3-2 win at Blackburn to the fans who have supported him since the death of his son.
The third-choice keeper saved one penalty with his first touch and was beaten by another, having come off the bench to make his Premier League debut for the Reds.
"It's been a difficult 18 months and the result was thanks to the fans for their support," said 30-year-old Jones, whose five-year-old son, Luca, died of leukaemia in November.
Jones added that his partner, physiotherapist and model Dani Lawrence, had recently given birth to a son, Nico.
"With the birth of my son, Nico, on Wednesday, this has now been a good week," said the Australia international.
Lawrence tweeted a picture of the couple's baby on Tuesday night, accompanied by the message: "Me and Nico are so proud of you. Luca is watching. #rip."
"Luca is with me every day," Jones told the Liverpool Echo. "I carry him everywhere. His face is on my washbag and his toys are in my travel bag. In that sense I've got someone looking over me.
"It's been difficult not being involved and with everything that has gone on. But I've trained as hard as I can and hopefully that will stand me in good stead."

Jones came on in the 26th minute at Ewood Park after reserve goalkeeper Alexander Doni - himself a replacement for Pepe Reina - was sent off for a foul on Junior Hoilett.
Jones saved the resultant penalty from Yakubu, but the former Middlesbrough player was beaten from the spot by the Rovers striker in the second half after being penalised for pushing the Nigerian.
With Doni and Reina suspended, Jones - a £2.3m signing from Middlesbrough in August 2010 - is set to make only his second Liverpool start in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Merseyside rivals Everton at Wembley.
"It hasn't sunk in yet, it's been a bit of a shock - not something I was expecting," said Jones. "Now it's a case of getting focused and ready.
"It's a big game at the weekend and we just have to be prepared."
Eighteen-year-old academy goalkeeper Danny Ward, who joined Liverpool from Wrexham in January and is yet to make a senior appearance for any club, is likely to be on the bench.
The Reds' only other senior keeper, 21-year-old Peter Gulacsi, is on a season-long loan at Hull City.
Liverpool were leading 2-0 through two Maxi Rodriguez goals when Doni was sent off, but Blackburn fought back to level through Yakubu's brace.
Andy Carroll's stoppage-time header ended a run of four games without a win for Liverpool, securing only their third Premier League victory of 2012 in the process.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish refused to discuss Doni's red card, or Jones's foul on Yakubu that led to a booking for the substitute keeper.
"We'll leave talking about the other incidents until we look at them," he said. "To get a man sent off and come away from here with a victory speaks great credit for the players. It's been a smashing day for us."













11 April 2012
Last updated at 08:48
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17671237

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Masters 2012: Bubba Watson savours Augusta victory

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Masters champion Bubba Watson said he had never even dreamed of winning the tournament following his dramatic play-off victory over Louis Oosthuizen.
American Watson, 33, beat his South African rival on the second extra hole to secure his first major title.
"I've never had a dream go this far, so I can't really say it's a dream come true," said the unorthodox left-hander, who has never had a lesson.

"I dreamed about it. I just never made the putt. As a golfer, this is Mecca."
Watson, who became the eighth consecutive first-time major winner, added: "This is what we strive for, to put on the Green Jacket, to win golf tournaments.
"I don't even know what happened on the back nine. I know I made bogey on 12 and then I birdied four holes in a row. Nervous on every shot, every putt. Went into a play-off.
"I got in these trees and hit a crazy shot that I saw in my head, and somehow I'm here talking to you with a Green Jacket on."
Watson, playing alongside Oosthuizen in the penultimate group, fired four birdies in a row from the 13th to join the 2010 Open champion on 10 under, but missed a birdie putt to win in regulation.
Having both parred the first extra hole, Watson, who lost a play-off for the PGA Championship in 2010, looked to be in trouble when he found trees off the 10th tee.
But while Oosthuizen was unable to find the putting surface with his second, Watson pulled out an extravagant hook to find the centre of the green.

"The first time I ever worked with my caddie, Boston, six years ago, I told him, 'if I have a swing, I've got a shot'," said Watson, who recently adopted a baby boy with wife Angie.
"So I'm used to the woods. I'm used to the rough. We were walking down and I said, 'we were here already. We hit it close here already today', because I was in those trees.
"I got there. I saw it was a perfect draw, a perfect hook."
Oosthuizen's chip ran to the back of the green and he took two more to get down for a bogey, leaving Watson with two putts for the title.
"As of less than two years ago, I didn't have a win," he said. "Now I've got four. My goal, my dream has always been to have 10 wins. This is a step in the right direction.
"This is what everybody strives to do. No matter how much you want to live your life other ways, this is an honour, a special privilege, to put the Green Jacket on.
"I watched it as a kid, watched it growing up. At the University of Georgia, we talked about this tournament."











9 April 2012
Last updated at 02:52
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17655173

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Andy Murray and BBC commit to Queen's Club until 2016

World number four Andy Murray has committed to playing at Queen's Club until 2016.
Murray made his professional debut at the tournament in 2005 as an 18-year-old and has won the tournament twice, in 2009 and 2011.
The news comes as the BBC extends its deal with the tournament, a traditional Wimbledon warm-up, for five years.

The new contract guarantees at least 20 hours of live terrestrial television coverage every year until 2016.
"Ever since I got my first ATP World Tour match win at the tournament seven years ago, I have always loved playing at The Queen's Club," said Murray.
"I've won the tournament twice, and I'm looking forward to trying to win it many more times in the years to come."
Tournament director Chris Kermode added: "For Andy to commit to the Aegon Championship for the next five years on the same day as we announce the extension of our host broadcaster agreement with the BBC for the same duration is fantastic news for the tournament.
"Andy is hugely popular with our spectators and I know they will be as delighted as we are to welcome him back to the Queen's Club until at least 2016."
British number one Murray will join Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whom he beat in last year's final, 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro and four-time champion Andy Roddick, all of whom have signed up to play in this year's event.
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.
The BBC began screening the prestigious grass-court event in 1979, and this deal will take coverage of international tennis at Queen's Club into its 40th year.









10 April 2012
Last updated at 12:00
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/17638833

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BBC offers Olympics streams on TV

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

The BBC is to make 24 live HD Olympic streams available to cable and satellite providers.

The deal means viewers will be able to watch every Olympic sport live for the duration of the summer games through their TV sets.

Previously, the BBC had only planned to broadcast the streams online.

It will be the first time viewers have been given the opportunity to follow one particular sport throughout the day.

The services will be in addition to coverage on BBC One and BBC Three, which will air all of the key moments from the Olympics, as well as other platforms including Radio 5 live.

Together, this coverage will deliver around 2,500 hours of live sport coverage through the various BBC platforms during the Games.

"These are the first truly digital Olympics, where we'll offer more choice than ever before," said Roger Mosey, the BBC's director of London 2012, on his blog.

"You'll be able to watch sport from every venue from first thing in the morning to last thing at night... Hockey fans can watch live uninterrupted hockey, and table tennis fans can stick all day with their sport too."

Mr Mosey said the BBC had agreed with Sky and Freesat to show the live streams across 24 channels, with more announcements from other providers expected soon.

"The aim is that you'd be able to pick from watching BBC Olympics 1 right through to BBC Olympics 24 with full programme guides and the ability to record your favourite sports," he said.

However Mr Mosey added: "Not every platform will be able to accommodate such a huge technical offer, which amounts to 48 channels in total if you count 24 SD (Standard Definition) plus 24 HD."

Freeview users will have access to two additional channels available through the BBC Red Button, providing up to four channels at peak times.












3 April 2012 Last updated at 11:16
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17595078

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Masters 2012: Tiger Woods 'as good as ever'

Tiger Woods believes he is back to the form that saw him hold all four majors after his Masters victory in 2001.

The former world number one, who is looking for his fifth Masters title, won his first PGA Tour title since September 2009 at Bay Hill last week.
"I think I have more shots than in 2000," he said after being paired with Miguel Angel Jimenez and Bae Sang-moon in Thursday's first round.
"I'm hitting the ball as consistently day-in, day-out as I did then."
He added: "I feel like I'm driving the ball much better than I have.

"I've got some heat behind it and its very straight. My iron game is improving. So everything is headed in the right direction at the right time."
World number three Lee Westwood has already dismissed suggestions that the tournament will be a two-horse race between Luke Donald and Rory McIlroy but Woods is full of praise for the Irishman, who bounced back after his challenge last year "went pearshaped".
"It was cool to see someone learn from their mistake like that and apply it," added Woods.
"He was playing so well, he just had one bad round. He learned from it, applied it and ran away with the US Open. That was some pretty impressive playing.
"He has all the makings of being a great champion for a long period of time. He just needs to get more experienced."
Meanwhile, defending champion Charl Schwartzel says he has arrived at Augusta with "a different mind-set" following his sensational victory last year.

The South African made four straight birdies as Rory McIlroy crumbled, to win the prestigious tournament at only his second attempt.
"I have a different mind-set coming into this event knowing that you've won," said Schwartzel, who has been given the locker previously used by the late Seve Ballesteros in the champions' locker room.
"I almost expect myself to win. I feel like I'm playing good enough. I feel like if I've done it before, why can't I do it again?"
However, the 27-year-old has not won a tournament since and returns to Augusta having missed the cut at his last two PGA Tour events.
"It has been pretty overwhelming," he added. "My life basically changed overnight.
"When I got back home, I didn't realise how big it was, how many people actually saw it.
"Wherever I went, people congratulated me, and still do. It doesn't seem to ease down. It doesn't stop, and it's fantastic."
Phil Mickelson has won the Masters three times and is predicting a low-scoring tournament this year.
"I don't want to say the greens are slow, but it's just not the same Augusta," said the 41-year-old American.
"It's wet around the greens, and there's no fear of the course. You've got to attack it this week.
"Unless something changes, and I know they have SubAir (greens drying system) and hopefully they will be able to use it, but unless they change it, it's going to be a birdie fest."










3 April 2012
Last updated at 20:54
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/17605154

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