Ryder Cup: Paul McGinley handed Europe captaincy

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Irishman Paul McGinley has been named as Europe's captain for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. 

 The 46-year-old played in three Ryder Cups, was vice-captain in 2010 and 2012 and holed the winning putt in 2002. McGinley was preferred to Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie, who captained a victorious European team in 2010 and wanted to fulfil the role again. "This is a position I'm really thrilled to be in," said the Dubliner, Ireland's first captain. "It's also a very humbling experience and I can't wait to get into the role of captain and to working with the players." World number one Rory McIlroy and Ryder Cup stalwarts Luke Donald and Justin Rose all publicly backed McGinley for the captaincy of the biennial event against the United States. And McIlroy welcomed the appointment, writing on Twitter: "Common sense prevailed in the end.... Couldn't be happier for him... Roll on Gleneagles." Northern Ireland's Darren Clarke, the 2011 Open champion, was originally the favourite but formally requested not be considered. Scotland's Paul Lawrie, Open champion in 1999, and Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez were also considered. The decision was made by the European Tour's tournament committee, led by chairman Thomas Bjorn, after a meeting in Abu Dhabi. Scotsman Montgomerie, who played in eight Ryder Cups, was seen by some as better able to oppose American choice, eight-time major champion Tom Watson. But in recent times Europe have taken the view that the Ryder Cup captain should serve for one match only, with Bernard Gallacher ('91, '93 and '95) the last man to lead the side more than once. A winner of four European Tour titles, McGinley's best campaign was in 2005 when he finished runner-up three times before lifting the season-ending Volvo Masters crown. And while the Dubliner may not have had as much individual success as eight-time European number one Montgomerie, many felt he did enough as a vice-captain (in 2010 and 2012) and as Britain and Ireland's two-time winning Seve Trophy captain to suggest he has the ability to lead Europe. "It's amazing how much you can learn when you listen and don't talk," said McGinley, referring to the media scrutiny surrounding the decision. "I knew I had the support of players and felt the more I said the more my chances would lessen." In 2009 McGinley cajoled a supposedly weaker GB and Ireland team to a 16½-11½ victory over a continental Europe side led by Bjorn. Opposite number Watson tweeted: "Congrats to Paul McGinley on your R/C Captaincy. Looking forward to our future competition. You're a class act." And McGinley said he was relishing taking on "one of my great heroes". "Tom Watson is not only a wonderful person abut a great ambassador for the game of golf," added McGinley. "I've never had an opportunity to go up against him in a playing sense. To go up against him in a captaincy sense will be a real thrill for me."










15 January 2013 Last updated at 18:14
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/21034093

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Australian Open 2013: Heather Watson beats Ksenia Pervak

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Heather Watson produced a miraculous escape from three match points down to beat Ksenia Pervak and reach the third round of the Australian Open. 

The British number one, 20, looked as good as out when she trailed the Kazakh by a set and 6-3 in the second set tie-break on a blisteringly hot Court Eight. But Watson refused to buckle, finally finding her rhythm from the baseline at the crucial moment, and she battled back to win 4-6 7-6 (9-7) 6-2 after three hours and two minutes. She will play in-form fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the last 32. That will be a mighty test against a player who has won all 11 matches and two titles in 2013, but that is a concern for Friday. For now, the world number 50 can reflect on a day when her tennis was way below par but her fighting spirit proved irresistible. "I do make it hard for myself but a win's a win, no matter how you do it," Watson told BBC Radio 5 live. "It was a very tough one today. I wasn't sure whether I was going to get through it but I did, I kept fighting, the crowd was amazing and kept pushing me on from start to finish, and I've put myself in a position to play another match here. "You've just got to keep fighting and fighting, because it's never over until that last point's done. "She's a tough opponent, she makes every single ball. I didn't win a point until the eight or ninth point of the match. She wasn't going to give me anything, but you've just got to fight through and find a way." Pervak, 21, was the better player in the early stages, breaking to love in the opening game and deservedly edging a scrappy first set with three breaks. When she moved 2-0 clear in the second, only the noisy contingent of British fans on the outside court seemed to believe Watson was still a contender. But while the errors continued to flow from the Guernsey-born player's racquet, the winners began to come as well. Watson hauled herself back level and forced the tie-break, but it looked like merely a stay of execution when some wild errors helped Pervak to 6-3. With defeat apparently inevitable, Watson loosened up and began striking with real freedom as she pounded from side to side on the baseline. The deficit was erased and, at the second opportunity, the Briton converted set point to level the match. Pervak, ranked 82nd, immediately headed for a bathroom break and took some time to return, presumably castigating herself for letting such a golden opportunity slip by. Within 25 minutes she found herself 4-0 down in the decider against an opponent apparently struggling with cramp, but at the same time cleverly mixing up her game. A nerveless love service game gave Watson victory and, understandably thrilled, moments later she was in an embrace with the British supporters gathered courtside.











16 January 2013 Last updated at 07:39
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/21038650

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Plymouth Raiders knock Leicester Riders off BBL top spot

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Plymouth Raiders knocked Leicester Riders off the top of the British Basketball League Championship table with a dramatic 86-82 home win. 

 They were leading by just a single point with 30 seconds remaining before Matt Schneck sealed the victory. The Raiders lost twice the previous weekend but defeating Leicester moved them up to fourth in the table. Schneck was the Raiders leading scorer with 19 points, taking his Championship tally past the 1,000 mark. The result enabled Newcastle Eagles to leapfrog Leicester at the top of the table, following their 89-80 win over Surrey Heat.





17 December 2012 Last updated at 10:44
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/basketball/20756048

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Jacques Kallis is fourth man to reach 13,000 Test runs

Veteran South Africa all-rounder Jacques Kallis has become the fourth batsman to pass 13,000 Test runs. 

The 37-year-old reached the mark with a four through third man off seamer Doug Bracewell after tea in the first Test against New Zealand at Cape Town. He joins India's Sachin Tendulkar and Raul Dravid, and ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting in passing the figure. "I'm probably batting as well as I've ever batted in my career," said Kallis, who was later out for 60. "Hopefully I can carry on with that form for a little while longer." Kallis achieved the milestone having played the fewest Tests of the four (159). However, Tendulkar, who tops the standings with 15,645 runs, managed to reach the 13,000 mark in fewer innings (266 to Kallis's 269). Cape Town-born Kallis, who celebrated the milestone on his home ground at Newlands, has also taken 282 Test wickets in a 17-year Test career. Having needed to score 20 to reach the 13,000 figure, he completed his 57th Test fifty in 68 balls, before departing for 60 when he edged seamer Trent Boult to keeper BJ Watling. "I love playing at Newlands so it was nice that I could get that achievement here," said Kallis. "The public have been fantastic to me. To get an ovation like that certainly means a lot to me, and these are very special moments that will live with me forever." Kallis, now on 13,040 runs, may struggle to overtake Tendulkar at the top of the list but, with no thoughts of retiring from Tests, should pass the retired Ponting (13,378) and Dravid (13,288). "When I feel that I'm not contributing to the team in the way that I think I should be, or holding some youngster up, then I'll definitely start thinking about it (retirement)," he added. "But that's certainly the furthest thing from my mind at the moment." Earlier in the day, New Zealand were bowled out for 45 - their third lowest all-time Test score - in only 68 balls, while the Proteas finished day one on 252-3, with Alviro Petersen 103 not out. Highest run-scorers in Test cricket: 15,645 - Sachin Tendulkar, India (194 Tests) - average 54.32 13,378 - Ricky Ponting, Australia (168) - average 51.85 13,288 - Rahul Dravid, India (164) - average 52.31 13,040 - Jacques Kallis, South Africa (159) - average 56.94 11,953 - Brian Lara, West Indies (131) - average 52.88 11,174 - Allan Border, Australia (156) - average 50.56 10,927 - Steve Waugh, Australia (168) - average 51.06 10,696 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul, West Indies (146) - average 51.67 10,674 - Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka (137)- average 49.41 10,122 - Sunil Gavaskar, India (125) - average 51.12













 2 January 2013 Last updated at 15:29
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/20891908

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