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Muktijoddha 3 Fakirerpool 1
   Muktijoddha started their return league with a sweet revenge of their first-phase defeat to Youngmen’s Fakirerpool beating the Premier league novices by 3-1 goals at the Bangabandhu National Stadium on Sunday.
   Fakirerpool had staged the biggest upset of the first phase beating the red outfit by 2-1 goals after former national coach George Kottan took over the responsibilities. The young guns fought hard but faded away with time as the more experienced Muktijoddha kept up the pressure with an attacking mood.
   After a dull thirty minutes right-back Firoz Mahmud Titu broke the deadlock with a solo effort as he dashed past his marker Ariful and an advancing custodian Shiplu after getting a high ball from Habimana Harry and gently placed the ball into the net.
   Fakirerpool captain Robin missed an easy chance in the 39th minute as a Barten cross from the right flank flew into his way but he failed to tap the ball into an open net.
   Masud Parvez, the hard working midfielder of Fakirerpool, brought his team back in the game with the best goal of the league in the 62nd minute. After Chanchal had initiated a low corner Baten took a goal-bound shot which was cleared by Saiful but the ball fell into the feet of Ripon who unleashed another grounder but Masud standing at the middle of the box changed the direction with a back-heel to see it crashing into the net.
   Muktijoddha increased the pressure and restored the lead on 72 minutes as Nigerian Paul Nwakuchu finished off coolly from a forward pass of Rashed Pappu. Kanchan who came on as a substitute scored the third with an opportunistic strike in the 90th minute blasting the ball into the net after Shimul failed to grip a Titu shot from the top of the box.
   Muktijoddha missed their regular custodian Aminul, who is suffering from a severe back pain, and Kottan, who reportedly had fined his Nigerian striker Jeremiah was also out of the match with muscle pain. However, they were happy as their national striker Saifur Rahman Moni took the field as a substitute after nearly three months’ lay off due to hamstring injury.
   Muktijoddha have 19 points from ten matches while Fakirerpool are on seven.

Wushu and other insignificant disciplines have little chance to participate in the next South Asian Games in Colombo, said Fazlur Rahman, the state minister for youth and sports on Sunday.
   Bangladesh Olympic Association is set to start the training camp for the Games in the first week of August including some disciplines in which Bangladesh has no chance to win any medals.
   However, the state minister assured that the inclusion of such a discipline in the training camp does not mean that a team of that game will be allowed to participate in the SA Games finally.
   ‘The participation in the SA Games is an opportunity for us to assess the ability of our athletes at the international level meet. However, events like wushu have no base in Bangladesh and we are aware of that,’ said Rahman during a meeting with the sports journalists at the Bangladesh Sports Journalists’ Association office.
   ‘However, in some disciplines we must send big teams to provide maximum players an opportunity to participate in an international competition to assess their standard and ability. And through the SA Games we can judge them whether they should be sent to a bigger tournament or not,’ added the sports state minister.
   According to the state minister, this is a reason to allow a bigger swimming team and other discipline to participate in the games. However, he assured that after the camp they will analyse all the factors before selecting the final contingent
   The state minister also assured of a fair election in the all the federations including the Bangladesh Olympic Association. He informed that ten storeys of the NSC Tower, being built at cost of Tk 40 crore, will be completed within seven months. He also informed that NSC has already finalised the procedure of setting up a hockey turf at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium and tenders will be invited very soon.
   President of BSJA Manjurul Haque and general secretary Syed Mamun, DRU president M Shafiqul Karim and host of sports journalists were present at the meeting.

Sri Lanka (150 & 340/7) lead West Indies (148) by 342 runs at stumps, day 3
   Kumar Sangakkara scored a brilliant century to put Sri Lanka firmly in control of the second Test against West Indies after a rain-interrupted third day on Sunday.
   Sangakkara’s eighth Test ton guided the hosts to 340-7 at the close, 342 runs ahead of West Indies.
   The 27-year-old left-hander, playing on his old school ground, grafted for over six hours to finish unbeaten on 135 from 266 balls, an innings that included 19 stylish boundaries.
   His skilful hundred, scored on a deteriorating pitch, was the first by a batsmen from either side in the low-scoring series.
   Sri Lanka, who started the day on 146-2, added 25 runs during a 41-minute morning, 43 runs during a 64-minute afternoon and then 126 runs in a 2-1/2 hour final session.
   Sangakkara extended his third wicket partnership with Mahela Jayawardene (43) to 98 from 179 balls before Jermaine Lawson struck twice in his opening over of the day.
   After slow-scoring on either side of the lunch interval, Sangakkara compiled a further 59 runs with Tillakaratne Dilshan to pile on the pressure on West Indies.
   Dilshan stroked the ball around fluently and cracked seven boundaries in his 49 from 82 balls before he fell to Omari Banks.
   Sangakkara started with a streaky leg glance just wide of a diving Denesh Ramdin behind the stumps to bring up his fifty.
   But Lawson, who was reported for a suspect bowling action after taking 8-102 in the first Test, gave the tourists a glimmer of hope with a double strike in his first over of the day.
   Jayawardene picked up a boundary with a classic on-drive before being bowled for 43 by a shooter that kept low and cut back to knock his off-stump.
   Two balls later Thilan Samaraweera glanced a delivery down the leg-side to be caught by wicketkeeper Ramdin for nought.
   However, Sangakkara and Dilshan settled down to build another important stand, eking out runs slowly at first before a burst of boundaries midway through the afternoon.
   Tino Best was guilty of bowling an erratic two-over burst that included one beamer to Sangakkara and three consecutive boundaries by Dilshan as he erred in length.
   Shortly afterwards the rain, which caused numerous stoppages throughout the day, forced players off for an early tea.
   When play resumed, the 3000-strong crowd cheered Sangakkara as he reached his century with a sweep to fine leg. He celebrated with a hug for his partner and punched-fist salute to the dressing room.
   Following the dismissal of Dilshan with the score on 264-5, Daren Powell bowled Gayan Wjekoon for 12 with the new ball but Sangakkara stood undefeated till the close.
   Sri Lanka’s main strike bowler Chaminda Vaas, who captured six wickets in the first innings, had to bat with a runner due to a hamstring strain before he too succumbed to Banks for 19.
   Vaas’s injury could sideline him for the remainder of the match.

Combined Sports Family, an organisation of the sports organisers, has demanded judicial inquiry for various anomalies in the sporting arena and make sports free from politics.
   The demands were made at a press conference at the National Press Club on Sunday with the former director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Mubasshar Hussain in the chair.
   Member-secretary of the Sports Family Fazlur Rahman Babul read out a written statement at the press conference.
   ‘We believe that the anarchy, instability and wastage of public money in the sports sector should come to the light immediately through an the inquiry committee,’ said Babul.
   Babul pointed out a number of anomalies of the BOA, BCB, BFF, NSC and others sports organisations in his lengthy statement. ‘We have been watching with great concern that after the death of secretary general Jafar Imam, the BOA is violating the Olympic Charter and the democratic process frequently. A vice-president has been made the acting secretary general instead of a deputy secretary general. This is a clear evidence of how poorly our sports administration is being run,’ he said.
   He further alleged that the Bangladesh Football Federation has failed to appoint a national coach for the last two years despite an active help from the AFC and FIFA though they spent a lot of money in the name of entertainment. ‘Fund constraints cannot be an excuse for football development as we have seen in the newspaper that they spent Tk 30 lakh just to inaugurate the Football Bhaban,’
   The statement also highlighted various tricks of the present cricket officials to manipulate the upcoming election. It criticised the sports administration for not allowing the swimming team to take part in the world swimming meet now being held in Canada and being nonchalant about the Pakistani hockey coach Qamar Ibrahim, who flew back to Pakistan after receiving his three months’ arrear salaries recently.
   Former directors of the BCB Dewan Shafiul Arefin, Ahmed Sazzadul Alam and Tanjeeb Ahsan Saad, former captain of Bangladesh cricket team Gazi Ashraf Hossain and former general secretary of the BFF Harunur Rashid were present, among others, on the occasion.

Master spinner Shane Warne, written off by his critics as a spent force, said he is delighted with his form after putting Australia in sight of victory in the first Ashes Test at Lord’s.
   Warne took three second innings wickets, and his record Test career haul to 588, as England slumped to 156-5,
   still 264 short of victory on Saturday.
   ‘I had a really good rhythm out there but all the guys bowled well,’ said Warne after his figures of 3-46 which saw him dismiss Marcus Trescothick for 44, Ian Bell for eight and Andy Flintoff after the all-rounder made just three.
   ‘We knew if we got one wicket, then we might get a couple.
   ‘This is a huge Test match for all of us. This is my last one here at Lord’s and I want to make it a good one and go 1-0 up in the series and I’m pretty happy so far.’
   England had dismissed Australia for 384 in their second innings on Saturday and then Trescothick and Andrew Strauss gave the home side a perfect start by putting on 80 for the
   first wicket as they chased
   victory.
   Five wickets then fell for just 39 runs with paceman Brett Lee claiming the other two wickets to fall - skipper Michael Vaughan as well as Strauss.
   ‘It was important for me just to stay patient,’ said Warne who had numerous appeals turned down by umpires Rudi Koertzen and Aleem Dar before he broke through.
   ‘I’m happy with my shape and with the spin and bounce I’m getting. I worked hard with (specialist coach) Terry Jenner before the Test. I bowled for two hours at a time which I haven’t done for a while.
   ‘But it’s my last Test here and I want to do well.
   ‘I’m happy with the way they are coming out.’
   Trescothick was full of praise for Warne who tempted him into offering a catch to Matthew Hayden in the slips.
   ‘Shane put us under a lot of pressure,’ said the England
   opener.
   ‘We have played him many times and he showed again today what a tough cricketer he is on any wicket.’

The Bangladesh national cricket team will start their preparations for the Sri Lanka tour today without their captain Habibul Bashar and senior batsman Javed Omar.
   Bashar and Javed went to the United States along with their families to enjoy holidays following the England tour and they were supposed to return home on July 22.
   But they have not arrived yet.
   MA Latif, the manager of the national team, however, informed that they might arrive today but will likely miss the first day’s practice.
   With the absence of the duo coach Dav Whatmore will get at best 11 cricketers when he kicks off the mission Sri Lanka at the Banani Army Stadium in the morning.
   Ten players out of a 23-member preliminary squad are currently on England tour with the Bangladesh A team.
   

Brett Lee received an apology from Rudi Koertzen after hitting Kevin Pietersen with a thigh-high full-toss on day three.
   While Pietersen complained painfully about what he considered was a beamer and followed the next delivery with more words, Koertzen said sorry to Lee because he apparently lost sight of the ball - and cost him a wicket.
   Lee, who has been criticised for attempted yorkers that have gone badly wrong in one-day games, fired a 144.8kph delivery at Pietersen’s foot, but instead hit the batsman’s leg in front of the stumps.
   ‘I think Rudi just lost it, he said that he didn’t really pick it up,’ Lee told AAP. ‘He said he may have got it wrong, he apologised.’
   Finishing with figures of 2 for 58 after a sensational afternoon of pace bowling, Lee said he was disappointed not to get the
   wicket.
   ‘I wasn’t annoyed with Rudi, I know that’s the way it goes,’ he said. ‘I was trying to hit him on the full on the toes and it just went a little bit higher than what I expected.’
   Lee captured his first wicket of the second innings when he took a stunning catch off Andrew Strauss.

Lance Armstrong won the 20th and penultimate stage of the Tour de France here Saturday, a 55.5.km individual time trial.
   Armstrong thus claimed his first victory in this year’s race, his 22nd stage victory overall.
   The 33-year-old American retained the yellow jersey he is set to keep for a seventh time when the race finishes in Paris after Sunday’s 21st stage - after which he will retire.
   Armstrong finished the race against the clock with a 23-sec lead on Germany’s 1997 winner Jan Ullrich. His T-Mobile teammate Alexandre Vinokourov finished third at 1:17.
   American Bobby Julich, of the CSC team, finished ahead of his Italian teammate Ivan Basso who was fourth behind Armstrong at 1:54. Armstrong is now only 144km away from ending his career, which will end on Sunday’s 21st stage.
   Ullrich’s performance allowed the five-time runner-up to move up to second place in the race’s general classification at the expense of Denmark’s Michael Rasmussen, who had a nightmare day on the bike which he changed several times and also fell off. Basso is second overall at 4:40 while Ullrich is third overall at 6:21.

Brett Lee said talk of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne being over the hill was nonsense after the 35-year-old duo starred in the first Test against England at Lord’s.
   Leg-spinner Warne, the world’s leading Test wicket-taker, returned figures of three for 46 as England, needing what would be a new world record fourth innings victory total of 420, slumped to 156 for five at stumps on the third day here Saturday.
   Earlier, after Australia had been bowled out for 190 in their first innings, McGrath got the tourists right back in the match with five for 43 as England were skittled out for 155 on a ground where they last won a Test against Australia in 1934.
   In the process the paceman joined Warne as one of only four bowlers to have taken 500 Test wickets.
   Lee, playing his first Test for 19 months, added to his first innings haul of three for 47 with two for 58 Saturday, including the breakthrough dismissal of opener Andrew Strauss and the prize wicket of England captain Michael Vaughan for just four.
   Warne, whose portrait now hangs in the Pavilion at Lord’s, took centre stage barely a month after the announcement of his separation from wife Simone led many to question his international future.
   ‘It always seems when someone tries to write Shane Warne off or Glenn off they always come back bigger and better,’ Lee, 28, told reporters after seeing his team-mate extend his record to 588 Test wickets.
   ‘It’s very hard to keep a true champion down. Shane is the world’s best, his presence at the crease is fantastic and that’s why he is a champion. He’s definitely bowling best he ever has, getting better with age.
   ‘The England batsmen appreciate they are playing against the world’s best leg-spinner and there’s a lot of pressure out there,’ added Lee.
   Despite being a one-day regular during the last year, Lee was reduced to the role of a spectator when it came to the longer form of the game.
   ‘I’ve been wanting to be in this seat for about 19 months. It’s great to be part of a great Australian side,’ Lee said of a team that has won the last eight Ashes series.
   He added that McGrath, Warne and Jason Gillespie had all helped him settle back into the five-day format.
   ‘We’ve been trying to bowl in partnerships. I think, collectively we’ve done that very well. I was trying to play more of a support role to Glenn in that first innings. Glenn was on fire, knocking stumps out left, right and centre. We always try to hunt in packs.’
   And of his own form Lee said, ‘It’s always hard to compare, way I’ve been bowling in one-dayers, I feel there is a bit of rhythm there. The ball’s coming through nicely.
   ‘I’m happy I’m bowling at over 90mph, that’s the most important thing, trying to get the ball through to Gilly (wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist).’
   Lee might have had another wicket when a speedy full toss hit Test debutant Kevin Pietersen on the pad.
   Replays suggested the ball would have hit the stumps but the South Africa-born batsman, who top-scored with 57 in England’s first innings, survived to be 42 not out at stumps.
   However, Lee insisted he had no qualms with the decision of South African umpire Rudi Koertzen.
   ‘I was hoping for a wicket, but it wasn’t to be. Rudi said he may have got it wrong. Umpires do make mistakes as everyone else does. The ball was going at a pretty decent pace and it is hard to pick up sometimes.’
   But there was no doubting the quality of the wickets Lee did take, an athletic caught and bowled removing Strauss for 37 before a superb ball held its line to knock over Vaughan’s off-stump.
   ‘I’m still looking for a bit of skin off my elbows on the outfield somewhere. I looked up and I knew it wasn’t going to reach to Gilly and mid-wicket wasn’t going to have a go at so I thought I’d better put it back into first gear and see if I could get there.
   ‘And to get the skipper is always a nice one, he’s a world-class player.’
   Meanwhile, England opener Marcus Trescothick, who edged Warne to first slip Matthew Hayden for 44, said, ‘We’re disappointed. We got into a position of 80 for no wicket and then we lost five wickets pretty quickly.
   ‘We are going to have to fight hard to salvage anything from the game. You’ve got to keep working otherwise you might as well give up.’
   And Trescothick insisted Australia had not done lasting damage to England’s morale right at the start of the series.
   ‘We don’t play the players anymore, we play the situations and play the ball.’
   Asked for his advice to Pietersen and Geraint Jones, with England still needing 264 to win, Trescothick deadpanningly said, ‘Get 264.’

Power server Taylor Dent rained down 14 aces to crush a tiring Greg Rusedski 6-4, 6-4 here Saturday to book a place in the ATP Indianapolis Championship’s first all-American final since 1992.
   Fourth-seed Dent won a rare meeting between serve-and-volley players in 70 minutes as 31-year-old Briton Rusedski ran out of gas after a lengthy quarter-final victory the night before.
   Dent, ranked 30th, will face friend Robby Ginepri in Sunday’s final of the 600,000-dollar event. Ginepri, a former 25th-ranked player now standing 98th, overcame Slovak 10th seed Karol Beck 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
   Ginepri’s victory followed his quarter-final upset of two-time champion holder Andy Roddick, another struggle where he dropped the first set before recovering.
   The last time two Americans met in the Indy final was 13 years ago when Pete Sampras defeated Jim Courier in straight sets.
   ‘My level was very high,’ said Dent, who ended Rusedski’s eight-match win streak.
   ‘I was very solid, I only hit one or two bad volleys the entire match. I made him play a lot on his serve. I’m feeling fitter and fitter with every match.’
   Dent improved to 27-12 on the season as he won his 19th match on hardcourt. His only other final this season came in Adelaide, where he beat Ginepri in the first match of the 2005 season for each.
   Dent is back after suffering with a ankle injury in Miami last March. He has not lost a set this week.
   Rusedski admitted he had little left in the tank after a late-night quarter-final upset of second-seeded 2004 finalist Nicolas Kiefer.
   ‘I didn’t have time to recover. After a long night I got to bed at 2 a.m.,’ Rusedski said. ‘It was tough to play today. Taylor just played better than I did. I couldn’t not move like I wanted.’
   Ginepri was playing in his first semi-final since last August in Washington when he lost to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.

Graham Thorpe has insisted there will be ‘no going back, under any circumstances’ from his decision to retire from Test cricket.
   Surrey batsman Thorpe, one of only eight England cricketers to appear in 100 Tests, was left out of the team to play Australia in the ongoing first Test at Lord’s in favour of Test debutant Kevin Pietersen.
   And on Friday the 35-year-old left-hander, who had hoped to bow out of international cricket at the end of this season having featured in the Ashes, said he was retiring from international cricket.
   Although Pietersen top-scored with 57 in England’s meagre first innings 155 and is currently 42 not out with the team still needing a further 264 runs to reach what would be a Test record fourth innings victory total of 420, many fans were left lamenting Thorpe’s absence and hoping he would change his mind.
   But Thorpe wrote in Britain’s Mail on Sunday: ‘At the start of the season I had set my sights on being out there and having the injections to get my back right a couple of weeks ago demonstrated my commitment and desire to keep giving England the option to pick me if they wanted.
   ‘But I respect the decision the selectors have made to go in another direction.
   ‘To make the situation crystal clear: my decision is irrevocable. There is no going back, under any circumstances.’
   He added that England’s chairman of selectors, David Graveney, had helped him make his decision.
   ‘In the end, it was as much what Graveney didn’t say as what he did that settled it for me.
   ‘He didn’t say, ‘You’re next in line, so please continue to make yourself available’. And he didn’t say, ‘It’s all over’, but, as a player, you get vibes about what the selectors are thinking.
   ‘To be honest, I myself thought that going back to me after having left me out of the first Test would be a backward step. Far better to remove the uncertainty,’ Thorpe explained.
   However, Graveney told reporters at Lord’s here Sunday the selectors had wanted Thorpe to remain available for Test duty.
   ‘When I informed him he wasn’t playing, which was obviously very difficult, I did suggest on behalf of the selectors that, if at all possible, we could keep a door open until the end of the summer because we are not sure what might happen between now and September
   ‘I then had a further conversation with him. Also, (selector) Geoff Miller went to Guildford to actually inform him face-to-face of the same conversation, to say that we’d like to keep you as an option, but we respect your decision.’
   Graveney added he was disappointed by Thorpe’s newspaper comments. ‘I’ve known Thorpey for a long time, doing this job, and he’s had some difficult times over the last four or five years so for it to be portrayed in the paper like that is sad because that just is not the truth.
   ‘It implies we didn’t indicate to him that the door was open.’
   In a statement Friday, Thorpe said he was quitting Test cricket because ‘my partner is having a baby in the next couple of weeks and I have decided that I want to concentrate on my family life’.
   Thorpe played the last of his 100 Tests against Bangladesh at the Riverside last month.
   But, having already been long retired from one-day internationals, Thorpe’s Ashes place was called into question when he announced he would be coaching in New South Wales next year while England were on tour in India.
   Thorpe, who made a century on his Test debut, against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, scored 6,744 runs at an average off 44.66 with 16 hundreds, 39 fifties and a highest score of 200 not out against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2002. He also took 105 catches.
   During 82 one-day internationals he also scored 2,380 runs at 37.18 with a best of 89 against Zimbabwe in Brisbane in 1994-95.
   But his international career was marked by several absences caused by personal problems involving the break-up of his marriage.

Former England batsman Allan Lamb has said current skipper Michael Vaughan should return to opening the batting come next month’s second Test against Australia in a bid to find his form.
   As an opener Vaughan enjoyed a magnificent tour of Australia in 2002-03, scoring 633 runs in the Test series at an average of 63.
   But since Andrew Strauss made his debut last year, Vaughan has dropped down the order to number three where his average of 39 compares unfavourably with his mark of 49.70 at the top of the innings.
   The Yorkshire batsman has also appeared at number four where his average is a modest 37.40.
   In the ongoing first Ashes Test at Lord’s, Vaughan managed just three and four batting at first wicket down and that led Lamb to say he should reform his opening partnership with left-hander Marcus Trescothick.
   ‘I would love to see Michael Vaughan go back to opening and see Strauss at number three,’ Lamb told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme on Sunday.
   ‘I think to get out there, and take it on straight away would be good for England because you would have a right-hander/left-hander combination and that just upsets the fast bowler’s line because he has got to change every time they get a single.
   South African-born Lamb, who played 79 Tests between 1982-92 and was a noted aggressive middle-order batsman, added: ‘Vaughan got all his runs against Australia opening and I believe they should put him in to open and get Strauss at three.’
   Lamb said Vaughan’s lack of runs might begin to affect his captaincy.
   ‘As captain it will be deep in his mind, he is fighting hard to get out of it. He will have the support of all of his players. They respect him.’
   Lamb praised Test debutant Kevin Pietersen’s performance after the Hampshire batsman, himself born in South Africa, top scored with 57 in England’s first innings 155.
   Pietersen, 42 not out overnight, is now shouldering the burden of England’s attempt to score the 264 further runs they need to reach what would be a Test record fourth innings victory total of 420, with just five wickets standing.
   Although rain Sunday meant there was no play at Lord’s before tea, Lamb, after seeing Vaughan, Ian Bell and Andrew Flintoff all dismissed cheaply, said the selectors had
   erred in not selecting Graham Thorpe, a decision that led the 100-cap Surrey veteran to announce his Test retirement on Friday.
   ‘There is so much pressure on the lower order now and on Pietersen. It just shows the inexperience down the middle order and we needed some experience at five,’ Lamb explained.
   ‘I think Graham Thorpe should have played (as well as Bell and Pietersen) and we should have left a bowler out.’
   Australia, who have won the last eight Ashes series, haven’t lost a Lord’s Test in 71 years.
   The second Ashes Test starts at Edgbaston on Thursday, August 4.

French Open winer Rafael Nadal moved one step away from winning his eighth title of the season with a 6-2, 7-5 semi-final win over Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen in the ATP event here Saturday.
   This was the 19-year-old Spaniard’s 33rd consecutive claycourt win and it puts him to within seven of equalling Thomas Muster’s record of 40 straight clay wins set in 1995.
   Nadal will now meet third seed Gaston Gaudio of Argentina in the final.
   Gaudio, who was French Open champion in 2004, made the final when his opponent, Russian second seed Nikolay Davydenko, was forced to retire through illness with the South American 6-3, 2-1 ahead.
   Nadal wrapped up the first set in a little over half an hour against Nieminen, making only seven forced errors.
   Nieminen put up stiffer resistance in the second. He lost his service to go 1-0 down but fought back to 5-5 before the Spaniard broke again to win out 7-5 on hs first match point in 1hr 26min.
   Nadal, the top seed, is second only to World No. 1 Roger Federer in titles won this year with seven.
   He has won his last five clay-court tournaments, including Baastad two weeks ago.

Japan’s Akiko Morigami ignored a delay due to a lighting failure to upset fourth seed Daniela Hantuchova here Saturday and advance to the final of a 170,000-dollar WTA hardcourt tournament.
   Morigami, who also upset Russian second seed Vera Zvonereva, plays her first career WTA final for a 27,000-dollar prize Sunday against Swiss top seed Patty Schnyder, who beat 20-year-old American qualifier Bethanie Mattek 6-4, 6-1.
   Morigami and Slovakia’s Hantuchova were level at 2-2 in the first set when the stadium lights failed. Play was moved to the grandstand before the match resumed. Hantuchova had won both prior meetings wih Morigami, including a first-round triumph last January at the Australian Open.
   Schnyder, who won a title earlier this year at Gold Coast in Australia, has never won a US tournament. She seeks her 10th career title.

Robbie Keane scored twice to help Tottenham Hotspur clinch the Peace Cup pre-season tournament with a deserved 3-1 victory over French champions Olympique Lyon on Sunday.
   ‘We are very happy to win this tournament, in the first half everything went well. We were a little fortunate with the first goal, but after that we scored two terrific goals’, Tottenham coach Marten Jol told a news conference.
   The English Premier League club took the lead in the seventh minute when Lyon defender Jeremy Berthod deflected a cross from Stephen Kelly into his own net.
   Two minutes later Ireland forward Keane made it 2-0 after meeting a cross from Mido with a powerful header in sweltering conditions in front of nearly 50,000 at the Seoul World Cup stadium.
   Keane claimed his second in the 45th minute after midfielder Andy Reid sliced open the Lyon defence with a clever pass through to Mido, who again set up the Irishman up for an easy tap-in.
   ‘We’ve had a good tournament, it’s been a good preparation for the season’, Keane said.
   Lyon upped the tempo in the second half and Hatem Ben Arfa grabbed a goal back from the penalty spot in the 73rd minute after Tottenham captain Ledley King had handled the ball.
   Lyon coach Gerard Houllier paid tribute to Spurs and blamed his side’s sluggish start for the defeat.
   ‘I expect Tottenham to have a good season in the Premier League’, Houllier told a news conference.
   ‘It was difficult to judge a team that went 2-0 down in under 12 minutes,’ he added. Lyon were also runners-up in the inaugural Peace Cup two years ago.
   Spurs received $2 million for winning the tournament, which also included Boca Juniors of Argentina, Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa, Real Sociedad of Spain, Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, Once Caldas of Colombia and domestic K-League side Seongnam Ilhwa.

Sports minister Richard Caborn said Inter Milan will fly to England on Sunday for their pre-season tour.
   Inter were criticised for scrapping the four-game tour over security fears, but Caborn has since held talks with Italian sports minister Mario Pescante.
   ‘Pescante spoke to the Italian football association and they made representations to Inter,’ said Caborn.
   ‘They came back saying all things being equal the tour would be on this morning. They’re flying out on Sunday.’
   The Italians said there had been a misunderstanding and insisted they had taken their initial stance so as not to ‘further stretch the already severely occupied security services’.
   Signor Giancarlo Aragona, the Italian ambassador in London, told BBC Sport that the tour would go ahead.
   He added Inter had been involved in discussions with security services over the safety of the trip.
   ‘There was some confusion, they wanted to make sure the conditions on both sides were correct. They wanted to check the feasibility,’ he said.
   Inter are scheduled to play Leicester at the Walkers Stadium on Monday, Palace on Wednesday and Norwich on Friday night at Carrow Road.
   They will then rounding off their brief tour at Portsmouth on Sunday. Leicester were investigating the possibility of compensation given Inter’s cancellation would have cost them over £250,000.
   Portsmouth had already sold 12,500 tickets for their game and Crystal Palace had organised the fixture to celebrate their centenary.
   All four clubs expressed their anger at Inter’s decision, with Norwich’s chief executive Neil Doncaster accusing them of ‘giving in to terrorists’.
   Leicester chief executive Tim Davies said on Sunday he had not given up hope of Monday’s game taking place.
   If the match does not go ahead, Davies said the Foxes could seek damages from Inter of around £250,000.
   Palace chairman Simon Jordan and Portsmouth counterpart Milan Mandaric previously registered their unhappiness with Inter.
   ‘You have to take into consideration people’s safety but they are not going to be in the West End (of London),’ said Jordan.
   ‘They could have flown into Gatwick Airport and stayed in Croydon, miles away from anywhere considered to be a danger area.’
   Mandaric added: ‘No directive has come from the Home Office advising it is unsafe to travel and Portsmouth is a provincial city with lovely people.
   ‘We are sad as a club about this decision but for me the real sorrow is for our fans who have looked forward and paid for this curtain raiser relishing the chance of a big Italian side coming to Fratton Park.’
   Culture secretary Tessa Jowell said Inter’s decision to pull out would mystify football fans.
   ‘Inter Milan’s decision will, I’m sure, baffle millions of football fans who will be undeterred in supporting their teams on the terraces when the new season starts,’ she said.

Veteran striker Alan Shearer moved within five goals of breaking Newcastle United’s club record of 199 on Saturday.
   The 34-year-old former England international scored twice against Slovakian minnows, ZTS Dubinca to help the Magpies win 5-1 on aggregate and qualify for the semi-finals of the Intertoto Cup.
   A crowd of 25,000 relished the Shearer headers and his goal tally has now reached 194 – only five less than the
   longstanding record that belongs to Tyneside legend Jackie Milburn.
   Newcastle boss Graham Souness praised the patience of his players and fans after Saturday’s 2-0 win and heralded his veteran striker whose two headers set Newcastle up for a mouthwatering clash against Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna.
   ‘There was no dispute about Alan Shearer’s goals today and I’m delighted for him,’ Souness said.
   Shearer would only have been four behind Milburn if UEFA hadn’t taken away
   his second goal in last week’s 3-1 first leg victory in Slovakia.
   ‘The other pleasing points are that we’ve got through and won a tie 5-1 when we’ve played first after only two weeks, and then after only 17 days of training,’ Souness said.
   Shearer’s consistency in front of goal has kept him his first team place at St James’ Park and despite the number of youth players itching to get a run out, they still need to remain patient as the Shearer era looks all set to continue.
   Newcastle will likely miss Michael Chopra, who collided with Dubnica goalkeeper
   Dusan Pernis, and Jermaine Jenas, who has a niggling hamstring injury, for the semi-finals.
   The first leg of the semi-final will take place at St James’ Park on Wednesday with the return leg on August 3 at Deportivo’s Riazor stadium.

A team of World Cup all-stars led by Pele has indefinitely postponed their tsunami charity match in Thailand as the Brazilian football legend tends to family matters, a Thai official said Sunday.
   The likes of France’s Eric Cantona, Argentinian great Claudio Caniggia and Rudi Voeller of Germany had been due to lace up their boots in the July 30 match in Bangkok against veteran Thai internationals to help raise money for tsunami victims and promote the country’s crippled tourism industry.
   But Pele, 64, considered by many to be the greatest ever player of the game, is likely occupied with family problems, Thepitak Chansuthep, chairman of the Senior Football Association of Thailand, told AFP.
   Pele’s son Edson do Nascimento was arrested in Brazil last month on suspicion
   of being a member of a drug trafficking and kidnapping gang.
   ‘The match is indefinitely postponed,’ Thepitak said. ‘Because Pele could not make it, the match will be rescheduled when Pele is available.’
   The other all-stars, who were to include French World Cup winners Frank Leboeuf and Youri Djorkaeff and Uruguayan midfielder Gustavo Poyet, remain committed to a future charity match in the kingdom, Thepitak said.

Denmark striker Jon Dahl Tomasson made an immediate impact for VfB Stuttgart on Saturday, scoring the winning penalty in a 4-3 shootout victory over Hertha Berlin in the pre-season League Cup.
   Tomasson, signed from AC Milan earlier this month as a replacement for Schalke 04 recruit Kevin Kuranyi, came on after an hour to make his debut in the second of two quarter-finals played in Duesseldorf.
   He missed a good chance to break the deadlock in the 69th minute. But after the match had finished goalless in 90 minutes the Dane stepped up to give new coach Giovanni Trapattoni victory in his first competitive match in charge. Stuttgart now face Bayern Munich, one of Trapattoni’s former clubs, in their semi-final on Tuesday. Werder Bremen edged Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 in the earlier quarter-final after Leverkusen keeper Hans-Joerg Butt missed a last-gasp penalty.
   Leverkusen, trailing to a 19th-minute goal from Ivan Klasnic, had the chance to equalise in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Tranquillo Barnetta was fouled. However, regular penalty-taker Butt’s spot-kick went wide.
   Bremen will face last season’s Bundesliga runners-up Schalke in their semi-final on Wednesday.
   Bayern and Schalke were handed byes into the last four in Germany’s traditional pre-season tournament which features the top six finishers in the league last season.

Bolton Wanderers survived a barrage by Thailand’s young guns to claim the Premier League Asia Trophy with a 1-0 win here Saturday, as troubled Manchester City toppled Everton in the third place match.
   El-Hadji Diouf’s goal from the penalty spot midway through the second half of an action-packed match at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium earned Bolton some silverware before the English Premier League kicks off next month.
   From the first minute the English side announced its intention to come straight at the Thai under-23 side when Jay Jay Okocha fired a long-range bullet over the bar.
   But it was the hosts who responded with the lion’s share of attacks to test keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.
   Thailand were unlucky not to go ahead twice in the first half, including in the 10th minute when Pichitpong’s curling free kick from 25 yards forced Jaaskelainen to make the save of the match.
   Bolton coach Sam Allardyce hailed his players but also the young Thais.
   ‘We are very pleased to win what was a competitive tournament,’ he said.
   ‘I felt in both games we adapted to the conditions extremely well. Today the Thai youngsters were very sharp and technically very good.’
   Thai counterpart Charnwit Tolcheewin said the tournament was excellent preparation for this year’s Southeast Asian Games.
   ‘We have learned a lot from those two teams. Maybe next year we’ll invite other teams to play,’ Charnwit said.
   In the plate match, Andy Cole scored on his debut for Manchester City as they beat Everton 4-2 in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regulation.
   But the victory may prove little comfort for the club which sent disgraced midfielder Joey Barton home from the Thai tour after an alleged altercation with a teenager in a Bangkok hotel bar that reportedly ended in a brawl between Barton and his own captain Richard Dunne.
   Former Manchester United striker Cole stamped his mark on his new squad by scoring in the 25th minute in his debut after last week’s transfer from Fulham.
   Everton responded with a barrage of headers that only barely failed to hit their mark, including a 40-minute crack by Tim Cahill that hit the post.
   Minutes later he had a headed goal disallowed when he was deemed offside.
   Sylvain Distin’s handball against yet another header in the box set up a James Beattie penalty to even the scoring.
   Veteran City keeper David James settled matters by stopping two of Everton’s first three penalty tries in the shootout.
   The win will do little to mask City’s disastrous pre-season Asia trip, in which Barton, 22, was sent home following the
   hotel bar fracas and Dunne reportedly injured his own foot after trying to break up the altercation.
   ‘I was disappointed with Joey,’ City manager Stuart Pearce said. ‘I’m going to speak to the chairman and the rest of the board when I get back to see how we take this situation forward.’
   The Times of London reported Barton bit and bloodied Dunne’s finger, and that Dunne was suspected to have broken his toe when he kicked a wall in frustration. Dunne did not play in Saturday’s match and was not on the bench.

Real Madrid have warned that they will show no mercy against troubled Tokyo Verdy in the first of two pre-season friendlies in Japan today.
   The Spanish giants take on a Verdy side who have conceded 26 goals in their last six games and have just fired Argentine coach Osvaldo Ardiles.
   ‘Verdy may have problems but that doesn’t concern us,’ Real captain Raul told a news conference after the team’s arrival in Japan on Sunday.
   ‘We will still be trying to score as many goals as possible. All the players are proud to be part of this Real Madrid team and we will be looking to prove our strength tomorrow.’
   Real Madrid beat China’s Beijing Guo’an 3-2 on Saturday in the third game on their lucrative six-match pre-season tour.
   England captain David Beckham missed the game in Beijing after sustaining a hamstring injury in the United States last week and is doubtful to start against Verdy.
   ‘I have still not decided who will start yet,’ said Real coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo. ‘We will have a look at how players react in training tomorrow and then I’ll have a better idea.’
   Real Madrid are set to earn around $25 million from their tour of the United States and Asia.
   However, their critics argue that their punishing pre-season trips have hurt their form in La Liga and the Champions League in recent seasons. Midfielder Guti refuted those claims.
   ‘It is true that it’s a long trip,’ he said. ‘But I think the advantages far outweigh the fatigue factor.’
   Real began their pre-season tour with a 3-1 win over Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara in Chicago and a 2-0 victory against the Los Angeles Galaxy in California.
   They play J-League side Jubilo Iwata in Tokyo on Wednesday before finishing their trip with a friendly in Bangkok.

Milan Baros showed Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez why he should stay on at Anfield with a brace which helped sink Olympiakos in Liechtenstein.
   Good work by Liverpool debutant Peter Crouch set up Luis Garcia’s opener but Rivaldo levelled before the break.
   In the second half, Baros set up Fernando Morientes for 2-1 before heading in a Stephen Warnock cross.
   He rounded the goalkeeper for 4-1 before a Predrag Djordjevic penalty and a Yiannis Okkas strike closed the gap.
   Crouch made good progress down the left on his first appearance since his £7m switch from Southampton.
   ‘It was good and I really enjoyed it,’ said the striker, who is now hoping to play against FBK Zalgiris Kaunas in Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier.
   ‘The important business is on Tuesday, the lads have helped me settle and there’s a lot more to come.
   ‘If you’re in the Champions League you expect top-quality competition and you need four great strikers.’

Manchester United have refused to comment on reports that Roy Keane was dropped from the club’s Asia tour after a row with Sir Alex Ferguson.
   Midfielder Keane was originally left out because of a hamstring injury.
   But newspaper reports on Sunday said the 33-year-old was omitted after a bust- up at the Red Devils’ training camp in Portugal three weeks ago.
   Keane was allegedly annoyed over the fact that families were allowed to travel with players for the camp.
   Reports suggested the Republic of Ireland international was angry he had cut short a family holiday to attend the camp – only to find out it was a relatively informal affair.
   United began their tour on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Hong Kong and will travel to China for a match against Beijing Hyundai on Tuesday.
   The Reds then fly to Tokyo for two more games against Kashima Antlers on Thursday and Urawa Reds next Saturday.

Reigning champions Lokomotiv Moscow confirmed their leading position in the Russian Premier League with a 1-0 win over city rivals FC Moscow here on Saturday.
   The result meant the railway-backed side matched the record set by Spartak Moscow in 1993 for remaining unbeaten after 26 matches. Lokomotiv now have 41 points from 19 matches, nine points ahead of second-placed Saint Petersburg. CSKA Moscow are third with 28 points.
   Russian international striker Dmitry Sychev was the hero for Lokomotiv, scoring the only goal 10 minutes after the restart from close range after midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov put him through on goalkeeper Yury Zhevnov.

Football training camp at Chapainawabganj
Football training camp at Chapainawabganj A six-month long basic training programme for the 12 to 14 age footballers began here at the local stadium on Sunday. Police super, Rezaul Karim, inaugurated the training programme. Some 25 budding footballers are taking part in the camp to receive the training two days in a week.
— BD News

Seven schools winners in kabaddi
Seven schools won their respective matches in the Mini School & School Kabaddi tournament at the outer stadium kabaddi courts on Sunday. Kallyanpur Govt Primary School beat Nidhu Smriti Govt Primary School by 51-08 points while Ibrahimpur Govt. Primary School outplayed Madartake Govt Primary School by 51-11 points. Mirpur suburb Govt Primary School thrashed Kutubkhali Daguan Govt Primary School by 33-18 while Ansar & VDP High defeated National Pre-Cadet High School by 78-41. Natun Kuri High School beat Nasirabad High School by 38-11 while Dolaipar High School defeated Shaheed Nabi High School by 50-48. Siddhirganj Lilot High School outplayed Khilgaon Govt Staff Quarter High School by 76-60 points.
— BD News

North Baridhara beat Govt Printing Press
North Bharidhara Club earned a facile 4-0 victory over Government Printing Press in a match of the Metropolis Third Division Football League at the Banani Army Stadium on Sunday. Jubair scored two goals in the 8th and 20th minutes while Kadir and Rafiq netted one goal each for the winners in the 27th and 78th minutes respectively. In the day’s other match at the same venue, Karwan Bazar Pragati Sangha defeated Friends Social Welfare Organization by a solitary goal, scored by Ahad in the 35th minute.
— UNB

Barton pleads innocent
Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton, who was sent home from his team’s tour to Thailand, insisted on Saturday that he was not involved in a fight with team-mate Richard Dunne. The 22-year-old, who said he had been provoked by a group of Everton supporters in a Bangkok hotel bar, was sent back by the club after he was alleged to have bitten Dunne on the finger after the defender tried to act as peacemaker. Although he is facing disciplinary action, it is thought unlikely that he will be sacked or suspended. ‘There was no fight between me and Richard but there was, however, a verbal exchange with a group of supporters,’ Barton told the Manchester Evening News. ‘I was struck by a supporter, which I reacted badly to, but I stress that I didn’t throw a punch at the supporter or Richard.’
— AFP

McGrath eyes Worcestershire spell
Australia’s Glenn McGrath says he wants to play county cricket again, with Worcestershire his likely destination. McGrath spent a successful campaign at New Road in 2000 and also had a brief spell with Middlesex last season. ‘I think my wife has locked me in to play a couple of years at the end of my career,’ he said. ‘I’ve played for two counties and I don’t really want to make it three. I would say that Worcestershire are probably still top of my list.’
— BBC