TOP 100 SPORT SITES
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| El-Hadji Diouf makes his point for Blackburn El-Hadji Diouf came off the bench to salvage a point for Blackburn Rovers against his former club. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Prince to the rescue for Portsmouth’s paupers MORE than a year and a half after winning the FA Cup, Portsmouth could muster just 11,214 spectators at Fratton Park and only draw against Championship opposition after going a goal down early in this tie. It does not take any mathematical wizardry to work out that the wages of Premier League footballers cannot be met by such paucity of income. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Contender Ruiz ready to face Haye • 38-year-old challenger signs with Golden Boy Promotions• Date and venue for Haye-Ruiz title fight to be confirmedVeteran heavyweight contender John Ruiz has signed with Golden Boy Promotions ahead of his title challenge to Britain's David Haye.Londoner Haye is set to make his first defence of the World Boxing Association belt he won last November from Nikolai Valuev when he faces 38-year-old mandatory challenger Ruiz this spring.Puerto Rico's Ruiz, who won the same belt in 2001 to become the first Hispanic heavyweight world champion and again in 2004 before losing it to Valuev in 2005, has now signed with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy, which also represents Haye in the United States and the Las Vegas-based fighter is looking forward to successful partnership with his new promoter."I'm excited to become a member of the Golden Boy Promotions family and know that I have a great future ahead of me," Ruiz said."I'm going to continue to make history and break records one fight at a time, starting with David Haye this spring. I know Golden Boy will help get me back to the top of the heavyweight division and to secure my place in the boxing history books.""John Ruiz is a very skilled and talented heavyweight and we are very excited to add him to our elite stable of fighters," Golden Boy president de la Hoya said. "He has proven time and time again that he has what it takes to battle with the top guys in the division and will continue to do so in 2010 and beyond."A date and location for the Haye-Ruiz title fight is expected to be announced shortly.David HayeBoxingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Barney Ronay: IPL dollars give Morgan the horn The Middlesex batsman is the best-placed of the England contingent to get his hands on the IPL's richesWhen the opening gavel sounds on Tuesday's player auction for the 2010 Indian Premier League season, the items on offer will include nine England-qualified players, freed up to take part by the resolution of a dispute between the IPL and the England and Wales Cricket Board over the overlap between the league's opening fortnight and the end of England's tour of Bangladesh.The auction presents an opportunity for those not already attached to a franchise to gatecrash the most lucrative six-week beano in cricketing history. It is an open bid process with 51 self-nominated Âplayers jostling for an estimated 15-20 places at the IPL's franchises. Players can either see their personal bounty inflated by competing suitors, or find themselves left in the remaindered bin and Âsummarily returned to winter training duties.The nine players involved break down loosely into three categories. The likely lads: Jonathan Trott, Eoin Morgan and Graeme Swann. The outsiders: James Foster, Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid. And the long-shots with a lottery ticket: Monty Panesar, Anthony McGrath of Yorkshire and Usman Afzaal of Surrey.Morgan has the best chance of Âattracting serious interest after a period of rapid development in international Twenty20 over the past six months that has turned him into a batsman who offers scampering dynamism against spin and also the power to clear the Âboundary. IPL gossip has him linked with the ÂRajasthan Royals, whose chief executive is the former head of the Professional ÂCricketer's Association, Sean Morris. Morgan is keeping an open mind. "You could get carried away and you could have great expectations of yourself," he says. "But actually nothing happens until the day of the auction. It's fantastic that I've been recognised for my achievements over the last year or so."The auction is a rare event for any sportsman, an occasion when values are laid bare and reputations converted into hard cash. "I suppose it is strange to have yourself valued like that," Morgan says. "It's different from anything else and I won't know how it feels until the day. But I feel pretty chilled out about it now. If I do get in and get bid on it will be a fantastic opportunity to play in a great competition."An ability to work the ball around effectively on turning pitches may be Morgan's strongest IPL trading card. "Being able to play spin well is a strong part of my game," he says. "It's one of the reasons I bat in the middle order. It's a Âfantastic opportunity to test those skills against the best in the world in tough conditions. There's a hell of a lot of superstars out there. To rub shoulders with any of them would be really great."Beyond the superstars are the hopefuls with an eye on a bumper payday. Trott, top scorer in last season's English Twenty20 Cup, can expect to receive an offer or two. Bresnan will not let anyone down. Panesar would be very much a long shot. And what of Afzaal and McGrath, who last played for ÂEngland in 2001 and 2004 respectively? ÂPakistan-born Afzaal has contacts in India and dated the ÂBollyÂwood actress Amrita Arora. McGrath has a fine county record in Twenty20 but it would be a surprise if either got a foot in the door.Morgan is a more tempting lot and can approach the auction with the Âscepticism of the quietly confident. The New ÂZealand captain, Daniel Vettori, famously sat in his parked car for 20 minutes Âsounding the horn with glee after hearing he had been signed by Delhi Daredevils for $625,000. "I can't imagine I'll be sitting in the middle of the North Circular beeping my horn if I do get bid on," Morgan says. "There's quite enough people out there doing that already."IPLCricketBarney Ronayguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Japan's Suzuki leads women at Four Continents JEONJU, South Korea (AP) -- Japan's Akiko Suzuki took the lead Wednesday at the Four Continents championship while favorite Mao Asada was third after a flawed performance in the women's short program.... hosted.ap.org |