Pakistan pondered another low-point for the country’s cricketing fortunes on Friday, when the shelved Champions Trophy had been due to kick off.
   Captain Shoaib Malik said the players were ‘very disappointed’ at last month’s setback when the high-profile International Cricket Council tournament was postponed over security fears.
   Attempts to reschedule the Trophy for October 2009 are clashing with other series, leaving the event in doubt.
   With ongoing security problems placing a question mark over future tours here, Malik said Pakistan’s reputation had been dealt a serious blow.
   ‘As cricketers we are very disappointed,’ Malik told AFP. ‘I would rather say that disappointment is a very small word for the feeling we are going through and our cricket has badly suffered from the Trophy postponement.’
   The September 12-28 event for the top eight nations was put off after South Africa refused to tour and players from Australia, England and New Zealand also expressed reluctance to visit.
   Malik said Pakistan needed to host the Trophy to prove itself as a safe venue for international cricket.
   ‘The Pakistan government gave full security assurances and had the event took place with fans coming from abroad perceptions and the image of our country would have changed,’ he said.
   ‘We badly needed to host the Champions Trophy because it would have paved the way for more international cricket in Pakistan. We are now sitting idle with no activity and it’s something which no player wanted.’
   Since the September 11 attacks in the United States in 2001, Pakistan has been a danger zone for foreign cricket teams. New Zealand returned from transit in Singapore after the attacks seven years ago.
   The ensuing war in Afghanistan and rise of militancy in Pakistan forced authorities here to relocate two home series – against the West Indies and Australia – to neutral venues after both teams refused to tour in 2002.
   In May 2002, New Zealand were forced to cut short their tour after a suicide bomb blast outside their team hotel killed 14 people, including 11 French naval staff.
   A measure of normality returned when South Africa and India toured Pakistan in the following two years, but both refused to play five-day Tests in troubled Karachi.
   Australia, who have not toured Pakistan since 1998, sparked a cricket crisis in March this year when they refused to visit for a full tour over safety fears, giving other teams the cue to boycott the Champions Trophy.
   Pakistan’s efforts to arrange a gap-filling series also fell through as South Africa refused to host them for a one-day tri-series and attempts to invite Sri Lanka for five one-day matches failed to attract sponsors and TV interest.
   Despite the bleak scenario, a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman hoped things will get better. Pakistan host India for three Tests and five one-day matches early next year.
   ‘It is a passing phase and although things don’t look rosy we hope that with the home series against India at the turn of the year will kick off a busy schedule for the team.
   ‘We keep our fingers crossed for a hectic next year.’
   Pakistan cricket has been hit by a series of controversies in recent years including the 2006 forfeited Test in England and doping scandals surrounding Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.
   Coach Bob Woolmer died suddenly during last year’s World Cup, prompting fears he had been murdered.

India batsman Virender Sehwag played down on Friday the prospects of further bad blood in the forthcoming series against Australia after a racism row marred the previous meeting between the two sides.
   ‘Whatever happened last time ended there,’ Sehwag told reporters at a series launch held by broadcasters Neo Sports.
   ‘We will try to play tough cricket not through words but with the ball.’
   India threatened to pull out of the series in January after spinner Harbhajan Singh was initially found guilty of racially abusing all-rounder Andrew Symonds in the acrimonious second Test in Sydney.
   A standoff between the teams was ended after the charge was downgraded on appeal to using abusive language and the bowler let off with a fine. Australia won the series 2-1.
   The issue was revived after Symonds was omitted from the touring squad named on Friday for disciplinary reasons after missing a compulsory team meeting to go fishing.
   ‘We are happy he is not coming because he can change the course of a match any time,’ Sehwag said. ‘He bats at number five and can bowl too, so it will be to our advantage.
   ‘He is a very good player and you need such players to lift the competition. It is a loss for cricket, but we’re happy.’
   The 29-year-old batsman said he was looking forward to facing Australia again after recovering from an ankle injury.
   ‘It is a challenge playing Australia,’ he said. ‘Their bowling attack is so good if you score runs against them it gives you confidence playing against other sides.’
   Sehwag has been in fine form since he was recalled to the Test team on the Australia tour, ending a year-long absence due to poor batting form.
   He stroked 151 in the drawn final Test in Adelaide after he was picked for the third Test win in Perth and scored 319 in the following Test in the home series against South Africa.
   He also hit a match-winning 201 not out in the 2-1 series loss in Sri Lanka in July-August, aggregating 1,002 runs at an average of over 70 from 14 innings since his return.
   The first Test starts in Bangalore on October 9.

Ryan Babel ended Liverpool’s four-year wait for a league victory against Manchester United as Rafa Benitez’s team fought back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Anfield on Saturday.
   Carlos Tevez’s third minute opener looked set to extend United’s unbeaten run against their bitter rivals, but two defensive errors by the champions gifted Liverpool the victory before Nemanja Vidic was sent off for two bookings in the ninetieth minute, which will now rule him out next Sunday’s clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
   It had all started so well for United, with Dimitar Berbatov, making his United debut following his deadline day arrival from Tottenham, needing just three minutes to emphasise the qualities he will bring to Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.
   The Bulgarian had already given an example of centre-forward abilities inside the opening minute when his shot from 12 yards was blocked by Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel. Skrtel appeared to block the shot with his trailing arm, but referee Howard Webb ruled out United’s claims for a penalty.
   Berbatov’s presence did tee-up a United goal moments later, however, when he showed his awareness to pull the ball back to Tevez, who side-footed past goalkeeper Pepe Reina from 18 yards to score his second goal at Anfield in successive seasons.
   With Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres both nursing slight injury problems on the substitutes’ bench, Liverpool were without their two leading players as they attempted to overturn United’s lead.
   And the early signs were not good for Benitez’s team as European champions United strutted around, looking likely to add to their lead before Liverpool could even get out of first gear.
   But the home side managed to gain a foothold in the game with Javier Mascherano inspiring Liverpool with his energy and refusal to be overrun by United’s powerful midfield.
   The Argentinian was first to virtually every ball and he broke up United’s momentum and allowed Liverpool to mount attacks of their own.
   United rode their luck with Edwin van der Sar saving brilliantly from Dirk Kuyt, but the Dutch goalkeeper was at fault when Liverpool equalised on 26 minutes through Wes Brown’s own goal.
   Xabi Alonso’s shot from 35 yards appeared harmless until it deflected off United defender Patrice Evra, but the ball should not have caused Van der Sar any serious problems.
   But the veteran keeper over-stretched as he raced out to collect the ball and he could only palm the ball onto Brown’s knees before seeing it bobble into the empty net.
   To make matters worse for United, England midfielder Michael Carrick was then forced out of the game with an ankle injury following a challenge with Mascherano that resulted in him re-appearing in the dug-out after the break with the aid of crutches and a protective boot on his right foot.
   Despite the absence of Gerrard and Torres, Liverpool grew in confidence in the second-half and they continued to push United back deep into their own territory.
   But Irish forward Robbie Keane, still searching for his first Liverpool goal since his close season arrival from Spurs, failed to get behind the United defenders and it was United substitute Giggs that went closest to adding to the scoring with a 70th minute lob that was well saved by Reina.
   Instead of winning the game for United, though, Giggs ultimately lost it for Ferguson’s men when he allowed Mascherano to steal possession in the touchline in front of The Kop.
   Giggs should have cleared, but Mascherano claimed the ball and squared to Babel, who netted from 12 yards to cap a dramatic Liverpool fightback.

German Sebastian Vettel became the youngest driver in Formula One history to take pole for a Grand Prix when he topped the times during a rain-battered qualifying session for the Italian Grand Prix.
   The 21-year-old Torro Rosso pilot was delighted with his performance.
   ‘It is just fantastic that this has happened. I can’t believe it myself. Before the session, I said that with all the rain I could go for the pole and I was only joking.
   ‘I really did not expect it and it is amazing. This is a dream come true. It is such a great day for us and for the team,’ said Vettel, touted as the heir to compatriot Michael Schumacher.
   ‘We have made such huge progress in the last couple of years. But there was so much water out there and at the Ascari chicane it was just so difficult not to go off.’
   He added: ‘Now everyone will know there are two Italian teams in Formula One - one big one called Ferrari and us, we are also an Italian team, but a bit smaller!’
   But Vettel refused to get carried away with his achievement, saying he needed more than rain to help him hang on to his place and grab his first win in Sunday’s big race.
   ‘Obviously, if it is raining it is better to be at the front in a wet race because you can see, you have the best view and then you have a chance.
   ‘I don’t want to talk like that because if we finish in the points it will be fantastic, and if we finish on the podium it would be incredible. Anything can happen, so I must keep my feet on the ground!’
   Vettel bettered the record of two-time world champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who grabbed his first pole at the 2003 Malaysian Grand Prix aged 21.
   The young German made the most of heavy and incessant rain in Saturday’s qualifying to seize the grid position on a day when championship-leading Briton Lewis Hamilton could only manage 15th in the drenched conditions.
   Hamilton’s McLaren team-mate Heikki Kovalainen, of Finland, was second fastest and will share the front row with Vettel, who also delivered a first pole for his Italian team.
   Australian Mark Webber was third fastest for Red Bull as the rain teemed down at Monza and Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais fourth in the second Toro Rosso - proof the team had judged the conditions perfectly.
   German Nico Rosberg was fifth for Williams ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa, who was sixth for Ferrari.
   His team-mate, defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen of Finland, was down in 16th place behind Hamilton.
   Italian Jarno Trulli was seventh for Toyota ahead of two times champion Spaniard Fernando Alonso of Renault, German Timo Glock for Toyota and another German Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber.

Jesse Ryder has promised to repay the faith of the New Zealand selectors after he was chosen in the Test squad to tour Bangladesh.
   Ryder is likely to make his Test debut on the trip after playing his initial ODIs in February, the same month that he severely injured his right hand when he punched a bar-room window in a late-night incident in Christchurch.
   The long recovery meant he was unavailable for New Zealand’s tour of England and Ryder instead had to work his way back into contention via an Emerging Players Tournament in Australia.
   The selectors were impressed with his efforts as he captained the New Zealand side to the title, and Ryder said he was ‘stoked’ to be back in the senior squad.
   ‘There definitely can be no more stuff-ups otherwise I’m gone,’ Ryder told the Dominion Post.
   ‘I’m stoked they have shown faith in me so it is good to be back in there and hopefully I can establish my spot now.’
   Ryder said there would be no chance he would touch alcohol during the Bangladesh tour. ‘There will be nothing, I won’t be [drinking],’ he said.
   ‘I’ll stick to what has been sorted for me by my support crew. Just one day at a time.’
   Ryder is likely to slot straight into the Test top order with James Marshall and Peter Fulton both overlooked for Bangladesh, having made the trip to England.
   Ryder was originally named in the ODI squad for England but his hand needed more recovery time, although he is certain it is now right.
   ‘The hand was fine through that [the Emerging Players Tournament], I didn’t have any problems,’ he said.
   ‘I’m not feeling anything at all, apart from the odd bit of stiffness.
   ‘There were no problems fielding in Australia.’

Skipper Nayeem Islam scored 82 in the second innings as the four-day match between the visiting GP-BCB National Academy and Sri Lanka Cricket Development Squad ended in a tame draw at the Ranigiri Dambulla Stadium on Saturday.
   Thanks to the half-century from Naeem, who played 183 balls and smashed 10 boundaries, the tourists made 190 in their second innings after a disastrous start that saw them lose five wickets for just 36 runs.
   Sohrawardi Shuvo and wicketkeeper Ashiqul Islam, who batted at number seven and eight respectively, played two cameos of 29 and 26 to save the team from embarrassment by giving Naeem a crucial support.
   Their efforts finally helped the BCB Academy to set a 235-run winning target for the hosts, who gave up after making 32-2 in 12 overs. Pacer Mahbubul Alam claimed both the second innings wickets.
   Earlier in morning, the SLC Development Squad could add only 21 runs to their overnight total with the remaining four wickets before they were all out for 397 runs in their first innings after resuming the play at 376-6.
   Mahbubul Alam, Ziaur Rahman and Marshall Ayub all claimed two wickets each for the GP-BCB Academy while Rubel Hossain, Sohrawardi Shuvo and Farhad Hossain shared the other wickets.

The Destiny 2000 Limited 3rd Open FIDE Rating Chess tournament began on Saturday at the hall-room of Bangladesh Chess Federation with the participation of 140 players.
   The participants included Grand Master Reefat Bin Sattar, FIDE Master Abu Sufian Shakil, FM Nasir Ahmed, FM Mohammad Javed, FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman Emon, FM Mehdi Hasan Parag, FM Rezaul Haque.
   Junior champion Minhazuddin Ahmed Sagar, Debaraj Chatterjee, Monir Hosain, Sohel Chowdhury, Shamima Akhter Liza,
   Nazrana Khan and sub-junior champion Abdullah Al Saif are also competing in the meet.
   A total 67 players won their 1st round games and earned full points. In the 1st round’s significant matches, Reefat beat Nuru, Shakil beat Murshed, Sagar bear Kishore, Emon beat Zainal, Nasir beat Aziz, Parag beat Hanif and Javed beat Ahmed.
   The event is being held in nine-round Swiss-league system and a total of Tk 50,000 cash prize has been declared for the winners. Second round games will start today at 3:30pm at the same venue.

Shane Warne has backed Bryce McGain as the best spinner in Australia and Stuart MacGill says McGain should also have toured the West Indies this year. But the champion legspinners disagreed on whether Beau Casson should have joined him in the squad to visit India and Warne said a potential mauling by India’s batsmen could have wrecked Casson’s future prospects.
   McGain, 36, is almost certain to become Australia’s oldest Test debutant in 24 years after being named with the Tasmanian offspinner Jason Krejza in the 15-man squad for the four Tests in India. McGain was the leading spinner in the Pura Cup last season but was overlooked for the Caribbean trip, where Casson debuted after MacGill’s unexpected retirement.
   ‘I don’t see it as a backwards step that Beau Casson is gone,’ Warne told the Daily Telegraph. ‘This is a tour of India and they have really good players of spin and we don’t want to ruin anyone.’
   Warne spent time with McGain at the MCG indoor nets about a month ago and McGain picked Warne’s brain about tactics in India. He put those plans into place in last week’s Australia A game in Bangalore and is keen for another chat to Warne, who has full confidence in McGain as a Test player.
   ‘If you look at the spinners at the moment in Australia, he [McGain] is the best,’ Warne said. ‘He has slowed his pace down and is spinning it beautifully. Being 36 is an advantage for him experience-wise, and he has basically played club cricket once a week for most of his career so his body isn’t a worry.’
   MacGill agreed that McGain was a fitting candidate for the India tour. It was the mid-series departure of MacGill in the Caribbean that created Australia’s latest spin conundrum and he said McGain was unlucky not to already be an international player.
   ‘I’m very pleased for Bryce, because this should have been his second tour,’ MacGill told the Sydney Morning Herald. ‘If I had known that by the middle of the [West Indies] tour I would be impeded by injuries and have to pull out mid-series, I would never have gone. He’s worked his arse off for this.’
   However, MacGill said he felt for his New South Wales team-mate Casson, who was overlooked as the selectors wanted one wrist-spinner and one finger-spinner. It was a familiar story for MacGill, who never played a Test in India and missed out on the 2004-05 trip when the offspinner Nathan Hauritz made his debut.
   ‘I probably suffered in a very similar way,’ MacGill said. ‘I am uncomfortable with the general assumption that offies are better suited than leggies in India. It was frustrating for me, because I never found out how I would go, and I assume it’s the same for Beau now. Everybody hates being put in a box.’

Australia’s Anthony West was fastest in Friday’s MotoGP practice as as heavy rain greeted the return of competitive motorcycle racing to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
   Kawasaki rider West, revelling in the wet, slippy conditions, clocked 1:53.034 to edge San Marino’s Alex De Angelis, on a Honda, and Australia’s defending world champion Casey Stoner on a Ducati, who suffered a nasty fall in the closing stages of the first session.
   Italy’s Valentino Rossi, bidding to consolidate his spot atop the standings with five races remaining, was only 11th fastest on his Yamaha, 1.761sec off the pace.
   However, the Italian said he was encouraged by the conditions at the legendary circuit, despite the wet weather.
   ‘After some worries yesterday it seems that the track is not so bad and in fact it’s a lot more fun to ride than I expected,’ he said of the layout that includes sections of old track as well as new asphalt sections.
   The Brickyard, home of the Indianapolis 500, hasn’t hosted motorcycle racing since 1909.
   ‘The biggest problem is the difference in the asphalt, which changes too much, and the new asphalt doesn’t drain so well,’ he said. ‘If this weather becomes worse things will be very difficult. I am really sad about the rain because it’s fantastic to be here and I felt quite a strong emotion leaving the garage for the first time this morning, at such a historic place.’
   Rossi tops the standings with 262 points, with Stoner second on 187 and Spain’s Dani Pedrosa third on 185.
   Stoner, too, relished MotoGP’s arrival at at the famed Indy circuit, but was more downbeat about the track conditions. That not surprising, perhaps, given he has crashed out of the last two races and his practice fall delivered a knock to an already injured wrist.
   ‘The track conditions vary drastically between the old surface and the new. Grip is good on the old stuff, but there isn’t even minimum grip on the recently laid asphalt and the rain makes it much worse because it isn’t draining off,’ he said. ‘If it continues to rain like it did this afternoon then I’m not sure the conditions will be safe enough to race in.
   ‘This morning I crashed on the section where the grip is poorest and that’s obviously not good for the wrist but thankfully it didn’t create any major problems.’‘
   West set his fastest time of the day in the first session, but was also fastest in the second in even heavier rain.
   In the second practice he made a spectacular save, and if the rain keeps up as forecast for the weekend it could augur well for him.
   Pedrosa was the only rider to improve in the afternoon, as the Respol Honda rider adjusted to new Bridgestone tyres, a new engine and the unfamiliar circuit.

Harbhajan Singh is confident that Australia’s two new spinners will pose little threat to India’s batsmen in the upcoming Test series.
   Australia picked the uncapped Bryce McGain and Jason Krejza as their frontline slow bowlers for the India tour and Harbhajan said while he knew little about them, the two men were clearly a step down from Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill.
   ‘We were always aware when we played Australia at home that Shane Warne was the main threat, and now that he is not there, it is obviously good for us,’ Harbhajan told the Sydney Morning Herald.
   ‘Warne and Stuart MacGill have both been great spin bowlers.
   ‘There are no spinners in Australia of the quality of Warne and MacGill now, and I’m sure our batsmen, who are the best players of spin in the world, are going to have fun with this challenge.
   ‘We are not worried about whoever comes. I’m sure our batsmen will be okay.’
   The slow men could potentially be the weak link in an Australian attack that will be led by Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson, although none of the bowlers have played a Test in India.
   Australia have a vastly different line-up to the group that won in India in 2004-05 and only four members of the current squad have Test experience in the country.
   ‘It is obviously a big advantage to us that players like Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Warne and Jason Gillespie are not around this time,’ Harbhajan said.
   ‘All of those guys have done well here in the past. The last time they were here they beat us, but I genuinely think that if we play to the level we’re capable of, we can defeat them.
   ‘We know that whoever Australia pick, they will be a good team, whether Shane Warne is playing or not. They are still the No. 1-ranked team in the world, and it is always a challenge to play them.
   ‘But we think we have a very good chance, playing in our home conditions and with the crowds supporting us.’
   India’s spin attack will be in stark contrast to that of Australia, with Harbhajan needing only nine more wickets to reach 300 in Tests.
   India’s leading spin pair of Harbhajan and Anil Kumble have 907 Test victims between them; McGain and Krejza’s joint total is zero.

Andrew Symonds has joined his good friend Matthew Hayden for a net session in Queensland in what is believed to be his first hit-out since being banished from Australia’s squad. Symonds took the opportunity for some practice on Friday, the same day he was left out of Australia’s 15-man touring party to visit India.
   The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Queensland were hopeful the allrounder would be training with the state squad within a couple of weeks. He has reportedly already spoken to Phil Jauncey, the sports psychologist who will help Symonds through his rehabilitation program organised by Cricket Australia.
   However, Cricket Australia stood firm on Symonds’ situation and told the selectors he was not ready to be considered for the India trip. Aside from a brief statement that shed little light on his situation, Symonds has not spoken publicly since being sent home from Darwin for going fishing when he should have been at a team meeting.
   Symonds’ general attitude has been a concern for Australia over the past 12 months, a period during which he was subjected to monkey chants during an ODI series in India and was then at the centre of a racism controversy with India’s Harbhajan Singh. The incident resulted in Harbhajan being initially banned for three Tests but then cleared on appeal.
   Adam Gilchrist, Symonds’ former team-mate, believes the batsman remains upset about the racism episodes. ‘I think it is fair to say that Andrew Symonds is heavily affected by the last year’s incidents,’ Gilchrist told CNN-IBN.
   ‘I can’t speak for him as in what he was thinking but it is difficult to explain things. It is a common problem or issue and it is only going to be increased with pressures and intensity and the scrutiny that these players go through.’
   The loss of Symonds, who has averaged 77.70 in Tests in the past year, is a big blow to Australia’s middle order ahead of the four-Test tour. Harbhajan, who will play in the series, is keen to put last season’s controversy behind him.
   ‘I would prefer to look forward,’ Harbhajan told the Sydney Morning Herald. ‘He is obviously a great player and there is no doubt about his ability to change a match. He has done a lot for Australian cricket. I hope he is well, and that he is getting better.’

Pakistan have ‘formally invited’ West Indies to play two Tests in November in another attempt to fill the gap created by the postponement of the Champions Trophy.
   ‘We have formally invited the West Indies board to send their team to play two Tests in Pakistan immediately after the three-match one-day series ends in Abu Dhabi,’ Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told PTI. ‘We are hopeful West Indies will respond positively or else this year we just have the one-day series in Abu Dhabi and a Twenty20 four-nation event in Toronto in October.’
   The Pakistan board had initially proposed a tri-series in South Africa but the plan fell through after Cricket South Africa said their players were fatigued following a long tour of England. They then tried to set up an ODI series against Sri Lanka but had received ‘ridiculously low figures’ for the television rights.
   Pakistan have been deprived of Test cricket in 2008 after Australia postponed their tour of the country for Test and ODI series, scheduled for March, because of security concerns. They hosted the Asia Cup in June-July, but the Champions Trophy, which was supposed to begin on September 12, was also postponed after five countries said they wouldn’t participate in the tournament due to security fears.
   Pakistan’s last Test was in India in December 2007 and their next Test series is in January 2009 when they host India. ‘Unfortunately, we don’t have much cricket in coming months,’ Naghmi said, ‘but 2009 is going to be a packed season for us and our team will not have enough breathing space.’
   Their next international assignment is a four-day Twenty20 quadrangular in Toronto next month with Sri Lanka, West Indies and hosts Canada.

Hampshire went to the top of English county championship on Friday with an innings and 122 runs victory over Surrey which left The Oval giants looking doomed to relegation.
   Surrey, who were 171-7 overnight, were all out for 210 as spinners Liam Dawson (two for 32) and Imran Tahir (four for 29) cleaned up.
   The home side were forced to follow-on and were dismissed for just 148 with Dimitri Mascarenhas claiming four for 13.
   Chris Tremlett and James Tomlinson shared the remaining six wickets to help Hampshire to the top of the table.
   Somerset, chasing a first Championship title in their history, are just one point behind the leaders after their clash with Durham ended in a draw at Taunton.
   Durham now stand on 157 points at third in the table after picking up a full complement of bonus points.

Celtic warmed up for their midweek Champions League match against Aalborg with a 4-2 win over Motherwell at Fir Park.
   The game had looked over as a contest at half-time with Celtic racing into a 4-0 lead with goals from Shaun Maloney, Scott McDonald and a double from Georgios Samaras as the Motherwell defence had a nightmare.
   Motherwell, whose own European adventure starts on Thursday against Nancy in the UEFA Cup, improved vastly in the second-half and pulled two back through John Sutton and David Clarkson.
   But despite dominating possession in the second period the home side could not get back on level terms as Celtic took all three points from the Scottish Premier League clash.
   Celtic started the match with a frantic pace and took the lead with just four minutes on the clock. Scott Brown drove into the Motherwell box and his pass across the face of goal found Maloney unmarked at the far post to sidefoot it in.
   The Hoops doubled their lead just four minutes later through Samaras. Strike partner McDonald slipped a pass to him and the ball nearly got caught under the Greek striker’s studs.
   But he recovered to hold off Motherwell defender Mark Reynolds and slide the ball under the advancing Graeme Smith.
   Brown nearly made it three in the 17th minute. McDonald, with his back to goal, held the ball up and played the ball across the edge of the box to Brown whose low drive flashed just past the post.
   In the 21st minute Clarkson played Sutton in but the striker’s effort flew across the face of goal with no takers.
   Former Motherwell player McDonald made it three with 24 minutes gone. He turned his marker Reynolds in the box from Mark Wilson’s throw-in and chipped the ball over the keeper to send the Celtic fans wild.
   Clarkson thought he had pulled one back for Motherwell in the 30th minute when his overhead kick finish from a Stephen Hughes chip over the Celtic defence flew past Boruc but the linesman had already flagged for offside.
   Maloney, who had been terrorising the Motherwell defence with his pace, saw his free-kick from the edge of the box rattle the crossbar with Smith beaten in the 37th minute.
   Samaras completed the first-half rout after 41 minutes. McDonald neatly flicked the ball into the path of the former Man City player and he raced past the static Motherwell defence to finish low and hard past the helpless keeper.
   Motherwell came out transformed in the second-half and pulled one back in the 54th minute. Sutton rifled in a volley from 16 yards out for his third goal in as many games since joining the club.
   Clarkson got Well’s second just two minutes later. The forward was played into the box by Steven McGarry and he slipped the ball under Boruc under pressure from two Celtic defenders.
   The home side grew in confidence and the chances kept coming. First Sutton’s shot cannoned off the Celtic defence for a corner before Chris Porter headed straight at Boruc when he was found unmarked in the box after 63 minutes.
   Boruc had to be at his best in the 78th minute to produce a one-handed save from a Paul Quinn header following a corner. And just a minute later Porter fired wide of the post under pressure from two Celtic defenders with Clarkson screaming for a pass.
   But despite the nervy finish Celtic held on to claim victory before the visit of Danish champions at Parkhead on Wednesday.

Take some Spanish sunshine, add Swedish steel and mix in doses of British pragmatism and Irish fighting spirit and the result it seems is a winning golf team.
   That has been the lesson of the last 20 years when the Ryder Cup has been sensationally turned head over heels.
   In the 19 editions of the competition that followed World War II, up until the breakthrough European win at The Belfry in 1985, the United States won 17, tied one and lost just the once.
   But in the 11 Ryder Cups since The Belfry, the Americans have won just three times.
   To make matters worse, Europe have won five out of the last six including the last three in a row with record margins of victory home and away.
   It is widely accepted that the greater team spirit and bonding exhibited on the European side has been a major factor in this dramatic turning of the tables.
   This phenomenon will have raised eyebrows in Brussels where promoting European harmony and shared values has proved to be an all but impossible bureaucratic dream.
   It also baffles others including Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who will be Europe’s flag-bearer at Valhalla following his back-to-back wins this summer in the British Open and USPGA.
   ‘It’s hard to explain how well the team bonds together,’ he said.
   ‘You’ve got to remember, all 12 of us compete against each other all the time during the year and some of the guys are competing tooth-and-nail to get onto the team with other guys.
   ‘But when we come on Monday, it really is a big team. It all works well.’
   Many observers feel that the origins of this ‘one for all, all for one’ ethic lie in the 1970s and early 1980s when the US PGA Tour was the Goliath to the European Tour’s David.
   The US Tour’s off-handed treatment of the European hero of those days Seve Ballesteros only served to sharpen the sense of resentment and the Ryder Cup was the perfect vehicle for exacting a satisfying measure of revenge.
   It helped also that there emerged at that time in Europe an eclectic bunch of top class golfers who each brought different ingredients to the table.
   The dash and bravura of Spain’s Ballesteros and Jose Maria Olazabal, the ruthless calm of Germany’s Bernhard Langer, the single-mindedness of England’s Nick Faldo and the Celtic grit of such as Sam Torrance and Ian Woosnam.
   It is their successors - Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood and Harrington that form the backbone of the team that will defend the cup in Valhalla.
   But it’s possible that the boot could be on the other foot in Kentucky where it is the US team that could draw benefit from having something to prove.
   ‘Patriotism is a real element of the matches and it should be - wear it on your sleeve and sometimes the emotion reaches a level when it can look ugly,’ said US captain Paul Azinger.
   ‘There was a natural animosity when Europe was winning (prior to Kiawah in 1991). Some of the things that were said about the Americans at the time created it.
   ‘There’s probably a bit of that coming into this one - but not from the captain.
   ‘There are players on the team that have watched us getting crushed and they might come in with a little animosity.’
   Cause for optimism perhaps from the beleaguered Americans or will the magic of multi-nationalism work once again for the European champions?

The Liberal Democrats are set to back a fan-led campaign to return standing areas to all British football stadia.
   A motion on the controversial subject will be debated at the Lib Dems’ autumn conference in Bournemouth today.
   Stadia in England’s top two tiers have had to be all-seater since the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough disaster.
   ‘If fans want to stand, and clubs want to let them, we should at least explore safe ways of achieving it,’ said Lib Dem sports spokesman Don Foster.
   ‘This is a sensitive issue but we cannot ignore the large numbers of fans who want to stand and are doing so in seating areas, despite the existing regulations and the danger it causes.
   ‘Given the seeming impossibility of policing existing regulations, and recognising that some passionate fans want to be able to jump up and down, then we need to look at technologies that allow them to do that safely.
   ‘Football has taken enormous steps in recent years with more diverse crowds, improved stadium designs and better policing. These proposals would in no way seek to undermine that progress.’
   The Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) and Stand Up Sit Down have led the campaign to re-open the case for standing sections.
   They point to German stadia as an example of how this can be done without jeopardising safety and they have drawn attention to the fact fans are allowed to stand at football matches outside the top two divisions, rugby matches and even music events at football stadia.
   Concerns over ticket prices, an ageing crowd demographic, falling attendances at some grounds and a perceived lack of atmosphere at many venues have also contributed to the growing calls for a return to standing.
   But the campaigners’ efforts have been ignored so far by the government and the football authorities, particularly the Football Licensing Authority, the body created to implement the Taylor Report’s post-Hillsborough recommendations.
   Ninety-six supporters died on 15 April 1989 when the Leppings Lane end at Sheffield Wednesday’s ground became over-crowded at the start of an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.
   The official inquiry, conducted by Lord Taylor, blamed poor policing and inadequate facilities for the tragedy but the main recommendation was for the introduction of all-seater stadia and the removal of perimeter fencing.
   British football, embarrassed by years of hooliganism and tired of second-rate facilities, did not need a second invitation and the era of packed terraces was quickly consigned to the past. The authorities have regarded any attempt to reintroduce standing as a ‘retrograde step’.
   But Malcolm Clarke, the chair of the FSF, said: ‘When nine of 10 fans want the option to stand, it’s something that should be provided. Standing still occurs in the lower divisions and the government acknowledges it is not inherently unsafe.
   ‘We congratulate the Liberal Democrats’ decision to debate safe standing and would encourage all political parties to follow suit.
   ‘Safe standing isn’t just about those who wish to stand, it’s about those who want to sit and view the match in comfort too. Many have their enjoyment spoiled by those who wish to stand.’
   Foster, the shadow secretary for Culture, Media and Sport, is expected to vote in favour of the motion as is Portsmouth South MP Mike Hancock, who has proposed two Early Day Motions in Parliament on the subject of safe standing in recent years.
   Conservative leader David Cameron has previously said his party would review the current situation if elected.
   The Lib Dem debate is particularly timely as this weekend will also see football fans from 14 different countries unite in the ‘Eurostand 2008’ campaign to demand the right to stand.

Liverpool fans staged a protest against owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett before Saturday’s clash with rivals Manchester United at Anfield.
   The Spirit of Shankly group organised a march from Lower Breck Road to the stadium, but it did not stop Gillett taking his place in the directors’ box.
   The organisation says it wants to direct its anger ‘towards those ruining our football club’.
   Plans for a new stadium were delayed amid reports of financial problems.
   Hicks and Gillett have become increasingly unpopular among Reds fans since they took the club over in March last year, drawing criticism for their treatment of manager Rafael Benitez and their financial management of the club.
   Since taking charge, Liverpool’s proposed new stadium has had two re-designs and the loans the pair took out to purchase the club have had to be refinanced.
   In addition, there has been continued speculation that Dubai International Capital, which tried to buy Liverpool before Gillett and Hicks took control, remain interested in buying out either one or both of them.
   Within months of their arrival, Gillett and Hicks had a very public spat with Benitez over the Spaniard’s transfer policy and at the start of 2008, Hicks revealed he had spoken to former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann in November about the possibility of taking over at Anfield.
   In March this year, Gillett said his relationship with Hicks had become ‘unworkable’, although in June he said that communication between the pair had ‘substantially improved’.
   Tensions between Benitez and the board resurfaced this summer with the manager criticising the failure to secure midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa.
   And a Spirit of Shankly statement added: ‘What we need on Saturday is two resounding victories. Firstly, a march on a massive scale that tells the world that Liverpool has had enough of Gillett and Hicks.
   ‘A march of passion, a march of anger, a march of Red solidarity that roars its message loud and proud: ‘enough is enough, go now.’ ‘This is the biggest club game in football and the world will be watching. Our second victory on Saturday comes when we take all that passion and pride inside the ground.’
   Saturday’s protest coincided with the demonstration expected at St James’ Park, with Newcastle fans angry at the ownership of Mike Ashley and the departure of former manager Kevin Keegan.

South Korea’s Seo Hee-kyung won the Binhai Open by five strokes to complete a hat-trick of titles on Saturday.
   Seo closed with one-under 71 for nine-under 207 over three rounds, leaving China’s Yang Taoli and Danielle Montgomerie of England in joint second place in the 300,000-dollar tournament.
   It was the third successive win for Seo, 22, after claiming the High 1 Charity and KB Star titles on the Korean tour.
   Despite back pain, she matched compatriot Kim Mi-hyun’s hat-trick achieved in 1997.
   ‘I lost concentration and my back was hurting. However, at the 16th, a photographer told me that if I win, I would equal the record of Mi-hyun that was set 11 years ago,’ Seo said.
   ‘So, I switched into safe mode and completed the round with dropping any shots.’

Oscar ‘Blade Runner’ Pistorius Saturday won his second gold of the Paralympic Games as China stretched its lead at the top of the medals table.
   And there was controversy as Iran abruptly withdrew from their men’s wheelchair basketball quarter-final with the United States complaining of a change in schedule.
   Pistorius — aiming for a sprint treble here — was dominant down the home straight, finishing in 21.67secs, almost a second clear of Jim Bob Bizzell from the United States, with Britain’s Ian Jones in third.
   ‘This race is definitely going down as one of my best ever races. I’ve never run in front of a crowd this big and just the crowd, the athletes, it was an awesome race and I couldn’t have hoped for anything better,’ he said.
   The 21-year-old said he had been feeling a little unwell in the run-up to the final but that adrenaline saw him home.
   ‘This is definitely one of the most amazing nights ever. It’s really been a good memory.’
   Pistorius has just one race left, the 400m, in which he is targeting a world record.
   ‘I’m really looking forward to the 400m. If those two races, if it goes like that, then I’ll be extremely happy,’ said the South African, the world record holder in his category in all three events.
   Nicknamed after the carbon fibre blades he wears, Pistorius won a court battle to take part in the Olympics after proving himself a strong competitor against able-bodied athletes.
   He eventually failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, blaming in part the distraction of his court battle, but he is targeting the London 2012 Games.
   In the pool, Erin Popovich of the United States missed out on the chance to add to her clutch of four gold medals, losing to China’s Huang Min in the women’s 50m butterfly.
   China had 48 golds and 129 medals in total Saturday evening — boosted by 22 athletics golds and eight in table tennis — with Britain on 37 golds and 80 medals overall.
   Meanwhile, the Iranian wheelchair basketball team had been due to play the United States in a morning clash but forfeited the game.
   A statement from the International Paralympic Committee said Iran had pulled out because they were unhappy with the draw and schedule for the later rounds.
   One potential semi-final opponent for Iran had been Israel.
   But a member of the Iranian delegation told AFP: ‘The main reason for not participating is the change of competition time by the organisers’ after the game was rescheduled to 9:00 am from 11.15 am.
   Controversies have taken some of the gloss off what has otherwise been a celebration of disabled sports, led by the performances of South African Olympian Natalie du Toit, who has won four golds in the pool, and Pistorius.
   So far four athletes, including three powerlifters, have been kicked out of the Games for doping offences.
   And Irish sports chiefs Thursday announced that athlete Derek Malone had been banned from the Paralympics because authorities had deemed him not disabled enough.
   A total of 641 doping tests had been carried out at the Games, both in and out of competition, by the end of Thursday.
   At the Athens Games, a total of 680 doping tests were conducted, resulting in 10 violations.
   More than 4,000 competitors from nearly 150 countries and regions are battling for 472 gold medals in 20 sports at the Paralympics.

The Paralympics, a celebration of sporting excellence and human endeavour, also brings together scores of experts from across the globe to repair broken wheelchairs and damaged artificial limbs.
   A huge team of 136 technicians from 19 countries offer their services in the workshops in Beijing, often taking holidays from their normal jobs so they can cater to more than 4,000 athletes with vastly different needs.
   With around 1,500 repairs completed so far, they have been called on to weld a wheelchair broken in a fierce game of basketball and even manufacture a new prosthesis from scratch – and all the services are free to athletes.
   One of the jobs handled in Beijing was to fit a new prosthesis for Madagascar’s single athlete, Josefa Harijaona Randrianony, who is set to compete in the pool in the 50 metre freestyle on Sunday.
   With the swimmer unable to afford a new durable leg and realising that repairs to his existing one back in Madagascar would be difficult, the team went ahead and crafted him a new one.
   Australian prosthetist Kevin Harrison said athletes from poorer countries as well as having less access to advanced equipment, also suffer from a lack of trained staff, meaning they often have a poor fit.
   The team also had to help out US sprinter Jerome Singleton before his 100 metres clash, in which he took silver.
   Singleton’s carbon foot broke just days before he was due to compete and a new one had to be ordered from the United States.
   The busiest time for the technicians – who work in 14 service stations around the venues, including a mobile one to cater for cycling – was before the Games started.
   Then they handled an ‘exhausting’ number, up to 180 repairs a day, according to Rudiger Herzog, spokesman for German firm Otto Bock, which runs the service.
   Harrison said as well as offering a vital service to athletes, the Games provide a valuable learning experience.
   ‘It’s a knowledge-share area so we can look after our patients better,’ he said.
   ‘We learn more about the wheelchair when we come here. So for us it’s a whole new area to learn. But we still do a lot of prosthetic work from readjustment to repairing sockets,’ he added.
   Greg Cott, a wheelchair specialist, who works for Otto Bock in Australia, said the Games threw up different challenges.
   ‘With table tennis it’s more just tyre tubes and that sort of thing. In basketball, that’s when the big repairs come with (damaged) frames and welding.’
   Bill Marmaras, who works in a Melbourne hospital as a prosthetist, said although some jobs were small others included fully manufacturing a new prosthesis, using equipment shipped over from Germany.
   ‘We’re volunteering our time. It’s exciting for us to push the limits of our skills and work here in helping the athletes achieve their goals,’ he said.
   The scores of technicians in Beijing are either employees or customers of Otto Bock, which has been involved in the Paralympics for 20 years.
   The company started with just four technicians in Seoul in 1988 and has been helping athletes at summer and winter Paralympic Games ever since.
   ‘All over the world, people don’t know what’s possible with technology. Athletes show what’s possible. It shows it’s more possible than you might believe today. This is the message we want to show,’ said Herzog.
   When the operation comes to an end in Beijing, there will be a legacy both in terms of training and hardware.
   ‘We have 50 people from China in the team who are working at the side of experienced technicians to see what it means to solve problems.
   ‘After the games they will go back to their companies and hospitals in China,’ Herzog said.

Former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan held shock talks with the Premier League club’s owner Mike Ashley on Friday.
   However, it was unclear whether or not the discussions were linked to Keegan returning to the manager’s hot-seat, just eight days after he sensationally walked out.
   The League Managers Association confirmed that talks ‘to resolve several issues were held’ between Keegan and Ashley.
   ‘However, the discussions failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion,’ said an LMA statememt.
   Former England manager Keegan resigned as Newcastle manager for the second time on September 4, stating, ‘It’s my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want.’
   Keegan’s departure led to a backlash from supporters against the Newcastle board, and specifically Ashley and executive director of football Dennis Wise.
   Protests have been planned ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match against Hull at St James’ Park.
   Keegan, 57, may have to pay compensation to Newcastle for leaving his post after less than eight months, and discussions over that issue could also have prompted a meeting with Ashley.
   It is not clear whether or not the two men will hold further talks after the news of the unexpected meeting sparked hopes of a reconciliation on Tyneside.
   As rumours over the meeting’s nature grew, some bookmakers responded by suspending betting on Keegan taking over as the next manager.
   Keegan tendered his resignation after becoming increasingly disillusioned with how team affairs were being run.
   He was furious with the way the club had addressed the process of strengthening his squad when, after selling midfielder James Milner to Aston Villa for 12 million pounds with just days of the summer transfer window remaining, they recruited only Spain Under-21 striker Xisco and loan signing Ignacio Gonzalez.
   Keegan met managing director Derek Llambias on several occasions, but having consulted the LMA and his lawyers, eventually decided to walk away.
   That came as a surprise to his employers, who believed they were making progress, and when the LMA suggested on his behalf that the board’s role in the club’s summer transfer dealings had been the major factor, the club hit back.
   Newcastle issued a statement last Saturday claiming Keegan had been fully aware of his responsibilities, and those allotted to Wise and his recruitment team.
   In recent days, a series of candidates have been linked with the vacant post, with Tottenham number two Gus Poyet, Blackburn boss Paul Ince and former France skipper Didier Deschamps leading the way.

Austrian teenager Tamira Paszek shocked top seed Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 to set up a Bali Open final against Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder on Saturday.
   The 17-year-old Paszek, coached by Gustavo Kuerten’s former mentor Larri Passos, caught fire against Hantuchova in a spirited display lasting just over two-and-a-half hours.
   The Austrian secured a break for 5-4 before serving out the victory, her 14th of the season against the same number of defeats.
   ‘I didn’t played my best and I didn’t serve very wall,’ said Paszek. ‘So I’m very happy to have reached this final.
   ‘I know I’m in good shape, I’ve been here for 10 days now and have adjusted (to the tropical conditions).’
   Hantuchova, last year’s runner-up to Lindsay Davenport, missed the spring season with a foot injury and was a first-round loser at the US Open three weeks ago.
   ‘It was a very close match, she doesn’t give up, she played tough all the way through,’ said the Slovakian.
   ‘Overall I’m happy with how I played. I have some things to improve and I missed a lot of easy balls at the end.’
   Paszek will try for only her second WTA title against Switzerland’s Schnyder, who lives just a short drive away across the border.
   ‘We are good friends, she lives just an hour away,’ Paszek said.
   ‘We’ve played three times and twice they went to three sets.’
   Earlier Schnyder, 29, moved into her second final of the season with a 7-5, 6-1 hammering of Russian Nadia Petrova.
   ‘This was my best match ever at Bali.
   ‘I’m so happy to be in the final, I’m ready for it,’ said the US Open quarter-finalist.
   ‘I know that I can play well. It’s just been a struggle to get going.’
   ‘But now that I’ve got the match rhythm, I want to keep it up.’
   Schnyder won the last of her 10 career titles in Cincinnati three years ago, losing seven finals since.
   ‘I hope to keep this up the rest of the season,’ she said.
   Schnyder, who last finished runner-up in Bangalore in February behind Serena Williams, was pleased with how she took control against the 22nd-ranked Petrova, once a top-five player.
   ‘I served well and moved her around on the court,’ said the Swiss.
   ‘I was able to anticipate her movement.
   ‘I attacked her second serve and held back a bit on my shots until I saw which way she was moving.’

Thousands of Newcastle fans have gathered outside St James’ Park to protest against owner Mike Ashley, as the Magpies prepare to face Hull City.
   Chants of ‘sack the board’ and ‘we want Keegan back’ reverberated through the Milburn Stand reception area in the build up to kick-off.
   Supporters are angry over an alleged undermining of manager Kevin Keegan, which led to his recent resignation.
   Hundreds of fans are also planning to march through the city centre.
   Surprise talks between Ashley and Keegan on Friday failed to reach a ‘satisfactory conclusion’.
   The League Managers’ Association, which is in contact with Keegan, said the talks covered several issues.
   It is unclear whether the meeting was primarily to discuss a possible return or negotiate terms of Keegan’s exit. Fans displayed ‘Ashley Out’ banners outside the ground and others carried cardboard cut-outs of Keegan.
   Members of NUFC-forum.com unfurled a 20ft protest banner showing images of Ashley and director of football Dennis Wise next to the slogan ‘wanted for crimes against Newcastle United.’
   Forum contributor Steve Hastie said: ‘We can protest as much as we like, we’ve done it time and time again with past directors and owners of clubs, but we want people to visualise how we feel.
   ‘We want people to appreciate how we feel about the club, it’s our club, not Mike Ashley’s club, he might own it but it’s not his club.’
   Paul Wilson, a supporter of 40 years, added: ‘The way we’ve been treated with contempt in the last few weeks is incredible, it really is.’
   The Talk of the Tyne fanzine is organising a march from a city centre bar to St James’ Park as the game kicks off at 1500 BST.
   More than 500 people have pledged to join the march on an online petition.
   The Toon Ultras group called on fans to gather outside the main entrance of the stadium’s Milburn stand an hour before kick-off. Northumbria Police have said extra officers were on duty and urged fans to vent their frustration peacefully.
   Officers had spoken to fans’ groups who were planning marches to make them aware of the laws surrounding demonstrations. Ashley, who bought the club in May last year, has been advised to reassess his personal security arrangements if he decides to attend Saturday’s game.
   Director of football Dennis Wise has also been heavily criticised by fans following the resignation of Keegan, who ended his second spell as Newcastle manager citing interference in transfer policy. Newcastle United has previously stated that Keegan was ‘allowed to manage his duties without any interference’.