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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