I Dig Sports

Navin Param's unbeaten 72 gives Singapore victory in final-over thriller

Published in Cricket

Sunday, 20 October 2019 09:25

Singapore 152 for 5 (Param 72*) beat Bermuda 149 for 7 (Tucker 50*, Prakash 3-44) by five wickets

On the opening day of tournament play, Singapore won a thriller by defending seven off the final over against Scotland. Tasked with scoring nine in the last over against Bermuda, they only needed three deliveries to clinch another dramatic affair in Dubai. Navin Param was the hero with his unbeaten 72 off 41 balls.

Param entered with Singapore in serious trouble at 41 for 4 in the ninth over chasing a target of 150 after Bermuda grabbed momentum thanks to a pair of stunning one-handed catches in the space of nine deliveries. Aritra Dutta's cut off Rodney Trott was intercepted by a salmon leap by Kamau Leverock at backward point before 44-year-old Janeiro Tucker knifed a scorching drive in his follow-through to dismiss Singapore's star batsman Tim David.

But Param and Manpreet Singh kept their cool to construct a 79-run stand. After scoring 11 off his first 12 deliveries, Param started to open up against Malachin Jones in the 13th over, scooping him over fine leg to the boundary. It became his go-to shot throughout the chase - Param said afterward that he drew on his skills as a former hockey player for the unorthodox wristwork - contributing to a chunk of his seven fours and four sixes. It also forced a costly mental error from Bermuda.

With 30 needed off the final three overs, Manpreet was done in as he charged at Bermuda captain Dion Stovell and the game was back in the balance.

Only, after a single by Janak Prakash put Param on strike on 48, Stovell moved Rodney Trott from backward point to backward square leg when there was already a deep backward square and short fine leg in place. The next ball was reverse swept through the newly created gap on the off side for four to bring up Param's 31-ball fifty. The umpires finally caught on to the field in the subsequent delivery and called a no-ball - teams can't have three fielders behind square on the leg side - and Param whacked the free hit straight down the ground for another four.

A misguided slower bouncer from Leverock was flat-batted for a straight six by Param in the 19th over before the bowler overstepping gave Singapore one more bonus run. On strike to start the final over against medium pacer George O'Brien, Param executed one more scoop for six over fine leg. A single put Prakash on strike, who ended the match with a straight drive over the now crowded infield for four.

The match-clinching boundary capped a brilliant day for Prakash. Having been hit in the head by a Kyle Coetzer drive two days ago, he took the field again with his head bandaged up and took three wickets in the final overs.

Bermuda started the day with a maiden after choosing to bat at the toss and played out two more scoreless overs later in the innings as they struggled to get singles around their ability to clear the ropes. The ageless Tucker lifted Bermuda out of early trouble with an unbeaten 50 off 34 balls at No. 5. Combined with his one-handed catch to claim David, it looked like enough to galvanise Bermuda to victory before Param's heroics stole the show.

Tagged under

Aamir Kaleem, Khawar Ali spin Oman to second straight win

Published in Cricket

Sunday, 20 October 2019 09:05

Oman 106 for 3 (Ilyas 37*, Kinchit 1-18) beat Hong Kong 102 (Nizakat 31, Kaleem 3-14, Khawar 3-24) by 7 wickets

Oman moved to the top of the Group B table in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Qualifier with a resounding seven-wicket win over Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. This was their second straight win after they started the tournament by beating UAE by the same margin. Having opted to bowl, Oman's spin duo of Aamir Kaleem and Khawar Ali dominated the middle overs, sharing six wickets between them as Hong Kong collapsed from 48 for 1 to 102 all-out.

Only three Hong Kong batsmen got into double figures - Nizakat Khan (31), Kinchit Shah (12) and Waqas Barkat (19) - and only one of them managed to score at over a run-a-ball, typifying Kaleem and Khawar's stranglehold on the innings, who in addition to their three wickets each, conceded only 38 runs in their combined eight overs.

Khawar wasn't done yet as he and Jatinder Singh ensured there were no early hiccups in a small chase. The openers added 31 before Khawar perished to the offspin of Kinchit for 15. Khawar's wicket triggered a mini collapse as Jatinder and No.4 Kaleem too departed in quick succession to leave Oman in slight trouble at 46 for 3 in the ninth over with 57 still needed. But Aqib Ilyas (37*) and Zeeshan Maqsood (24*) controlled the chase thereafter with the match's highest stand of 60 to take Oman home.

Tagged under

Sources: Broncos getting trade calls on Sanders

Published in Breaking News

Sunday, 20 October 2019 10:46

As losses pile up in Denver, the Broncos are likely to be open to listening to offers for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, sources tell ESPN.

There are enough teams expected to be in the wide receiver market in the days leading up to the Oct. 29 trade deadline -- including the Panthers, Patriots, Eagles, 49ers and others -- and Sanders could be on the block.

Denver traded fellow veteran receiver Demaryius Thomas to the Texans last year for a 2019 fourth-round pick, and sources tell ESPN that the Broncos are expected to be seeking a higher form of compensation for Sanders, who is in the last year of his contract.

Sanders likely would welcome a change of scenery, the Broncos would welcome a second-day draft pick for him, and the possibility of it happening by Oct. 29 is real, according to sources.

Sanders, 32, has 30 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns in seven games this season, his sixth with the Broncos (2-5). The two-time Pro Bowler suffered a torn left Achilles in practice last December and also had surgery on his right ankle in January, but he made a remarkable recovery and was a full participant in training camp workouts by the middle of August.

Tagged under

Ramsey promises Rams no holdout, sources say

Published in Breaking News

Sunday, 20 October 2019 09:39

Before the Los Angeles Rams completed last week's blockbuster trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, they received a promise that made them comfortable with the deal.

Ramsey promised the Rams that even if the sides do not agree to a long-term deal this offseason, he will not hold out next season in the last year of his contract, league sources told ESPN.

Ramsey told the Rams, however, that if the sides are unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal and Los Angeles then uses its franchise tag on him in the winter of 2021, all bets are off and he could hold out, according to sources.

But the Rams got a promise that Ramsey would honor his contract this and next season without interruption, and it made them comfortable to go ahead and trade two first-round draft picks and a fourth-round pick to Jacksonville.

"That is a gift," one league source aware of Ramsey's promise told ESPN. "Most guys when they get traded -- Khalil Mack, Antonio Brown -- they get traded and sign a new deal. He's gifting the Rams two wholesale years and not requiring a rip-up."

Not only is Ramsey gifting the Rams this and next season, but he also isn't in any rush to do a new deal with them. He would like a new deal, and so would the Rams, and both know the contract would set records for an NFL cornerback and could set records for an NFL defensive player.

Another twist to this past week's trade is that although the Rams want to re-sign Ramsey and intend to do so, they could turn around and trade him to recoup their investment -- if the sides can't reach a long-term deal.

Among the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and even a Jacksonville team that begrudgingly traded Ramsey, the Rams believe there would be a strong market to get back a healthy portion of the compensation they gave up.

Tagged under

Chengdu Review: Liu Shiwen wins for record fifth time

Published in Table Tennis

Sunday, 20 October 2019 07:19

The no.2 seed, on the concluding day play, after ending the brave run of Lily Zhang from the United States, the no.18 seed (11-6, 11-1, 11-5, 11-5), she beat colleague Zhu Yuling, the top seed (11-6, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 15-13) to arrest the title. In the opposite half of the draw, in the penultimate round Zhu Yuling had overcome Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, the no.7 seed (11-1, 11-13, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5).

“I was much younger the last four times when I won the World Cup; this World Cup is the last one before Tokyo 2020, so this title is very special to me. Today’s final was really tough and close. I am very happy that I did not give up and still tried my best even when I met some difficulties during the match.” Liu Shiwen

Success for Liu Shiwen meant she reversed the decision of two years earlier when in the Canadian city of Markham she had been beaten by Zhu Yuling in a tension packed seven games final (11-13, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 12-10); a result that is significant. It is the only match that Liu Shiwen has ever lost when competing in the Women’s World Cup.

Most successful

Gold in Chengdu means that she has now won the Women’s World Cup title five times; previously she succeeded in 2009 in Guangzhou, 2012 in Huangshi, the following year in Kobe, before emerging victorious in 2015 in Sendai.

Moreover, Liu Shiwen is now the most successful player ever in the history of the tournament that dates back to 1996 in Hong Kong. She now goes one ahead of compatriot Zhang Yining who won in 2001 in Wuhu and 2002 in Singapore, prior to succeeding again in consecutive years, in 2004 in Xiaoshan and in 2005 in Guangzhou.

Meanwhile, adding to the list, she joins compatriots Deng Yaping, Ding Ning, Li Xiaoxia, Wang Nan and Zhang Yining as the players who have won both the Women’s World Cup title and the women’s singles title at a World Championships.

One more accolade, she lines up alongside Deng Yaping, Ding Ning, Wang Nan and Zhang Yining, as those who have held both titles at the same time. There is one more, she is in alliance with Ding Ning, Wang Nan and Zhang Yining who have won both events in the same year. Wang Nan achieved the feat in 2003, Zhang Yining in 2005 and Ding Ning in 2011.

No ITTF World Tour title

Somewhat strangely, despite winning the two world titles on offer this year, in a year when every ITTF World Tour women’s singles title has been won by a Chinese player, for both Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling the cupboard is bare. The best for each is runners up spot; Liu Shiwen was the silver medallist in March in Qatar, the same fate as befell Zhu Yuling in January in Hungary.

“I did not win any title after the World Championships. I reflected and raised the higher requirements of myself; this time I did not think my previous results at World Cups. I just played this tournament as though it was the World Championships and even the Olympic Games.” Liu Shiwen

Defeat for Zhu Yuling on her fourth appearance in a Women’s World Cup tournament, additional to winning in Markham, she was a quarter-finalist in 2015 in Sendai.

Return to form

The consolation for Zhu Yuling is that to some extent it is a return to form. Last month in Yogyakarta she was not selected for the women’s singles event at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships; earlier this month she departed in the first round at the ITTF World Tour Swedish Open in Stockholm, beaten by Japan’s Miyu Nagasaki.

“I have not been in good condition recently. I think I performed well in this tournament. I tried my best to win every point from the very first match.” Zhu Yuling

It is somewhat the same for Feng Tianwei who beat Lily Zhang to secure third place (11-6, 11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 15-13). It is now over two years since she appeared in an ITTF World Tour women’s singles final, in 2017 she won in the Korea Republic.

Satisfied

However, at the recent ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open, she reached the semi-final round beating China’s Chen Meng en route, before losing to Japan’s Mima Ito. The result in Chengdu matched her best ever finish in a Women’s World Cup; in 2008 in Kuala Lumpur she secured the bronze medal position, a feat she also achieved in 2013 in Kobe and in 2016 in Philadelphia.

“I am very satisfied with my performance here. Actually my goal was to reach the top eight but now I even bring home the bronze medal. I am very happy; this was my first time to play against Lily. Today she posed a lot of threats. She is an outstanding player. I know she is a top student as well. It is not easy for her to achieve this high level.” Feng Tianwei

Notably in now nine appearances, Feng Tianwei had reached the semi-final round seven times; she ended matters in fourth place in 2009 in Guangzhou, 2011 in Singapore and 2012 in Huangshi.

New horizons

Meanwhile, for Lily Zhang it was totally new horizons, far exceeding her two previous ventures; in 2016 on debut in Philadelphia she had departed in the opening round, in 2017 in Markham she had not advanced beyond the group stage.

“Liu Shiwen was just too strong for me. She did better in every aspect than me. I will keep this match footage as I am sure I can learn a lot from her.” Lily Zhang

In Chengdu, it was one step short of a podium place but Lily Zhang left the Chinese city knowing that she was the first player ever from the United States to reach the semi-final stage of a Women’s World Cup tournament and the first ever born outside Asia or Europe to achieve the feat.

It was a remarkable performance.

Please follow and like us:

Tagged under

Beatable All Blacks have weaknesses, says England boss Jones

Published in Rugby

Sunday, 20 October 2019 07:39

England coach Eddie Jones says World Cup semi-final opponents New Zealand are beatable and his side will work on exploiting their weaknesses this week.

England saw off Australia 40-16 on Saturday to set up a last-four meeting with the two-time defending champions, who themselves thrashed Ireland 46-14.

The All Blacks have not been beaten in the tournament since losing in the 2007 quarter-final against France.

"No one's got a 100% record in Test rugby," said Jones.

"No one averages 100 in Test cricket. No one wins every Grand Slam 6-0 6-0. So every team has got a weakness. Every team is beatable."

Asked what those weaknesses were, Jones added: "Well, we'll find that out during the week."

New Zealand head into Saturday's clash in Yokohama having scored 44 more points than England at the World Cup and crossed for eight more tries.

"The All Blacks are a great side - well coached, good leadership team - if you give them the type of ball they want, they are hard to defend against," added Jones.

"But like any team they've got weaknesses.

"If I was an Englishman I'd be making sure that whatever time the kick-off is in England you're ready to sit down and watch it."

All Blacks second-rower Sam Whitelock says the back-to-back champions are capable of winning by any means necessary.

"It's the reality of playing rugby that there's so many different styles," said Whitelock.

"You can go out there and have an awesome backline and win games through them, or you can punt the ball up the tight five's jumper and play that way.

"But I'd like to think us as a team have a few different strengths, and it's nice to use a few of those in different games.

"It's pretty cool to see guys stepping up on the biggest stage, it's always what you dream of but when it happens it's great.

"If someone puts in a big shot in defence everyone else just wants to get in there and put in one as big, if not bigger."

Can England exploit youthful All Blacks?

Nigel Yaldon, from New Zealand Radio Sport, says England may look to exploit Steve Hansen's youthful backline - with centres Jack Goodhue and Anton Lienert-Brown and wing George Bridge all 24, and Sevu Reece only 22.

"This is a team with a little bit of youth about it and while they were very good against Ireland, I wonder whether that is an area of exploitation - the extra pressure that comes with a semi-final," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I still have not seen anyone test Reece under a high ball with a kick-chase game as yet. I think he is a guy that can be exploited in that area."

However, former England fly-half Paul Grayson expects the All Blacks to have enough to reach a third successive World Cup final.

"New Zealand are a young team that have had some changes in the last year, but they have found their right patterns," he added.

"I would have them just ahead, but England will be tough to beat."

Tagged under

'Rugby World Cup semi-final week different from all others' - Matt Dawson column

Published in Rugby

Sunday, 20 October 2019 07:43

The year 2003. The England team I was part of had just squeaked past Wales, given the most enormous shock in the quarter-finals by those tries from Stephen Jones and Colin Charvis and all the rest that came with it.

And so us players sat down after the journey down from Brisbane to Sydney, and tried to fix the little flaws and issues that might stop us going any further.

We began on the bus with one question in the forefront of our thoughts: how have we got through that? And that thought took us to the next: what did we do right, and what did we do wrong?

Clive Woodward looked around and took a vital step back. "Boys, we can't afford to have that happen again. You players have an honesty session, us coaches will listen."

Martin Johnson, our captain, led it. We all had the chance to speak, one player after the other, and we all said the same thing: "We're training too hard, we're knackered." We nearly went out of the World Cup because we had nothing left when it really mattered.

Johnno took that to Clive and his coaches. "Clive, I don't know what you're going to think, but we can't train at this intensity and then play in the semi-final the way you want us to play."

Coaches always like to feel like they're doing something. Training sessions make them feel good. There is tangible evidence in front of them of the way they're making things better for the team. Each of our various specialist coaches would have their 10 minutes booked with the team.

Clive listened. From the start of semi-final week, training dropped off significantly. We did recovery - ice baths, light gym work just to stay loose, to stay oiled, not to lob heavy metal around.

Mainly we focused on strategy. How can we beat this team in front of us? How can we make sure we make the right decisions under all that pressure, and put so much pressure on their key men that they suddenly start making the wrong decisions?

That is what the four semi-finalists this time around should be doing. You're not going to lose fitness in six days, but you can push yourself beyond breaking-point.

Rugby now is even more intense than it was then. For Wales, in particular, the quarter-finals were exhausting, as much emotionally as physically.

So rein it back in rather than blow it too soon. Trust in all that work you have done in the weeks before. Make sure you are fresh enough to use it now.

The teams that come through this semi-final test won't necessarily be the clear favourites. To succeed you need to get each separate part absolutely spot on.

Selection has to be right, even if that means upsetting familiar patterns and loyal servants.

Coming into our game against France it became apparent that Clive was going to start Mike Catt ahead of Mike Tindall, partly because Catty had done so much in helping us regain control when the wheels were threatening to come off against Wales, partly because we wanted to dictate where the game was going to be played.

Will Greenwood was indispensable but he was not a tactical kicker. Catty gave us a critical second kicking option. He was also brilliant at looking after Jonny Wilkinson. Talking to him, steering him, taking problems off his shoulders.

You do the analysis so you can figure out where the win will come, and you roll out the plans that follow. You believe in the strategy and you genuinely think you can beat anyone.

Where do England think New Zealand might be vulnerable, or at least more vulnerable than they have been before in this World Cup? Where do Warren Gatland and his backroom team think a Springboks team that ultimately cruised past Japan can be hurt when Wales struggled for so long to put away a France team that have done so little across the past four years?

Our plan against France was based on our forwards. They were royally pumped, not least because France had beaten us in Paris the year before, partly through Serge Betsen beating up Jonny.

As a result I spent more time that week with the pack than the backs, working on scrum put-ins, and being in the right place for specific line-out calls. And because we all believed that strategy was right, it gave us the most enormous confidence.

You can still find time for yourself as a player in semi-final week. The city gets busy but it will get 25% as busy again for the final. You can still go out for coffee, or play ping-pong in the team room, or play loads of Tiger Woods Golf on the PlayStation as we did back then.

You hang out with the team-mates you get on with, sort out tickets for friends and family. I practised kicking drills with Jonny, or at least to the point where I could do no more but he still wanted to do absolutely loads. I tried to avoid Joe Worsley playing piano in the hotel lobby, because there are only so many times you can listen to a bad version of Coldplay's Clocks.

Of these four teams in 2019, I would rather be the All Blacks or England.

They play on Saturday and have an extra day of recovery before the final; and they've got the power and bulk.

I'd love to play behind either pack, making decisions on the front foot rather than digging the ball out and living off scraps. The winner of the World Cup, for me, comes from that first semi.

I'd least want to be Wales. Have they got enough left in the tank, after how deep they had to go against France, when the Springboks could beat Japan at 70%?

And yet. They've been through their nearly moment. Not the best team on the park in their quarter-final but still through.

There is one thing that sticks in my mind.

In 2003 we didn't do one lap of honour until the final was won. That came from Johnno. After the quarters, after we eventually cantered through that semi, the message was the same: this means nothing. We have won nothing. Yet.

I see a lap of honour after the quarter-finals and I get really nervous. Right now nothing else apart from winning the final is success. World Cup semi-final week is different, for a player, than all that has come before.

Matt Dawson was speaking to BBC Sport's Tom Fordyce.

Tagged under

With improved short game and support from McNealy, Kang wins again in Shanghai

Published in Golf

Sunday, 20 October 2019 01:57

Danielle Kang won an All-American duel Sunday at the Buick Shanghai.

In a tight and tense final round, Kang successfully defended her title, overtaking Jessica Korda in the opening leg of the LPGA’s Asian swing.

Afterward, Kang talked about the strength of her support system.

She credited her mother, her brother, her coach, her caddie, and her boyfriend, PGA Tour pro Maverick McNealy, for making her 27th birthday memorable.

Last weekend, McNealy said Kang’s advice helped him close the Houston Open with a PGA Tour career-best 65 for his best finish on Tour (T-17). Kang said McNealy returned the favor, helping keep her calm this weekend.

“We both work on a lot of similar things, but we keep each other positive,” Kang said. “We want each other to be better and perform the best we can.”

Kang said a long-distance chat with McNealy was especially helpful on her way to the tee before Saturday’s third round.

“I wasn’t feeling like myself yesterday, before my tee time, and I was talking to him on FaceTime, up until tee off,” she said. “Things like that, calming each other down, and talking through what you’re feeling ... just to tell somebody that understands what you’re going through.”

Kang was bogey-free in the final round, shooting a 2-under-par 70 to finish at 16 under overall, breaking her own tournament record. She finished a shot better than Korda, who closed with a 72.

Notably, Kang, who works with coach Butch Harmon, kept her scorecard clean, getting up and down with a refurbished short game. She saved par all six times she missed greens in the final round. Her work around the greens all week was key to her third LPGA title. She said her mother, Grace Lee, told her she needed to work on her short game. So, Kang went to work on it with extra help from brother, Alex, and from McNealy.

“It’s definitely better,” Kang said.

The victory marks back-to-back titles for the Americans, upping their total to four in individual stroke-play events this year; American Cydney Clanton’s also teamed with Thailand’s Jasmine Suwannapura to take the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational.

Kang started the day a shot behind Korda but birdied the first to take the lead when Korda opened with a bogey. At the end, Korda missed a 30-foot birdie try, leaving Kang to complete a two-putt par for the victory.

“I couldn’t get anything going,” Korda said. “Everything was half-shots. I was either short, or I was long.”

Kang hugged her caddie, Olly Brett, and then got a celebratory dousing on the 18th green.

“She played flawless,” Korda said. “If she made a mistake, she was right there, almost chipping out.”

Korda did have a chuckle with Kang when they saw each other before the start of play. They were both adorned in the same attire, scripted by Adidas, with dark blue tops and light blue skirts. They matched scores most of the day, but Korda’s round of three birdies and three bogeys left her frustrated.

“It was one of those days where it just wasn’t meant to be, I guess,” Korda said.

For Kang, it was a memorable birthday.

Tagged under

Man Utd women earn shock win over Man City

Published in Soccer

Sunday, 20 October 2019 07:55

Manchester United Women handed Manchester City their first defeat of the season on Sunday, seeing off their rivals 2-0 in the Continental Cup as Keira Walsh was sent off for the defeated side.

City emerged victorious when the two teams clashed last month, but Nick Cushing's players could not replicate that result this weekend despite enjoying a lot of early possession at Leigh Sports Village.

United went ahead after seven minutes as captain Katie Zelem sent a free kick past City goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck, and the Reds entered the break with their lead still intact.

Casey Stoney's players carried their momentum into the second half and within ten minutes they had doubled their lead, with Jess Sigsworth sliding to get on the end of Kirsty Hanson's cross and find the net.

Shortly after the hour mark City's Walsh made a rash attempt at a tackle on Hanson, and the midfielder received a straight red card for her challenge.

From there on out United kept the ball well and rarely looked in danger of letting the result slip.

The win was United's third in a row, but first in the Continental Cup this season.

Tagged under

LIVE: Can Man United end Liverpool's unbeaten run?

Published in Soccer

Sunday, 20 October 2019 09:16

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies?

Tagged under