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| Graham Onions admits tip gave England bowlers the edge • Durham colleague advised Onions on hitting the right length• Opening bowling spell put England on top against South AfricaGraham Onions tonight thanked his Durham colleague and former KwaZulu-Natal player Dale Benkenstein for the tip that helped him and the other England fast bowlers to hit the right length against South Africa in the second Test. England started and finished the day well, and South Africa will resume tomorrow on 175 for five.Onions, who took the new ball with James Anderson and set the tone for an impressive England bowling display, said: "Dale has played here for a long time and he's a very good friend of mine. He gave me some advice – not too much but a little bit – and he told me that the fuller balls get the edges."Onions, like each of England's other three main bowlers, took only one wicket, that of JP Duminy, at the end of a shortened day. But it was his tight opening spell with Anderson that put England on top in the opening hour.South Africa recovered, with Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis piling on the runs, but England came out on top at the end of the day when they took three wickets for 15 runs in the space of five overs. Onions thought it was nothing more than they deserved."I didn't think we got the luck we might have had at the start of the day. So we deserved it when it came our way at the end of the day. If we can get a couple more wickets in the morning, it will put us in a good position."In the first Test in Centurion, the England captain, Andrew Strauss, opened up with Anderson and Stuart Broad. But Onions was England's most impressive fast bowler there and was duly promotedtoday. "When Andrew threw me the ball, I was happy to run in as hard as I could," he said. "Throughout my short career I've generally taken the new ball. I was very pleased with the opportunity. I thrive on it."The day represented an opportunity wasted for Kallis, the joint top-scorer with his captain Smith on 75. The pair put on 150 for the third wicket after the cheap dismissals of Ashwell Prince and Hashim Amla. "We got ourselves in a very strong position at tea, only to lose those three wickets at the end of the day. We've got to knuckle down and get as close to 350 as we can," said Kallis, who will not be fit enough to bowl at 100% when England bat, having only recently recovered from a fractured rib. "I won't be coming in at full tilt but I should be at about 80%."England in South Africa 2009-2010South Africa cricket teamEngland Cricket TeamCricketPaul Weaverguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
England face fight to the last to save Test at Newlands England will have to mount another desperate rearguard action today if they are to take their 1-0 series lead into the final Test match against South Africa. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
McGwire owns up to steroid use • Former St Louis Cardinals player issues public apology • Maintains steroids used for health reasons, not for performanceFormer St Louis Cardinals star Mark McGwire has admitted using steroids when he was a player, including in 1998 when he broke the single-season home-run record. But McGwire denied they improved his performance."I used steroids during my playing career and I apologise," the 46-year-old said an admission applauded by Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig.McGwire hit 70 home runs for St Louis in 1998 to shatter the record of 61 set by Roger Maris for the New York Yankees in 1961. The record was subsequently broken when Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants registered 73 homers in 2001."It's the most regrettable thing I've ever done in my life," McGwire added. "I apologise to everybody in Major League Baseball, my family, the Marises, Bud Selig. Today was the hardest day of my life."McGwire, who last played in 2001 and was hired in October as hitting coach for the Cardinals, said he wanted to set the record straight before beginning his new role with the team. "It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected," he said.McGwire told MLB Network he took steroids only to overcome health issues. "I told my dad yesterday when I finally had to. I remember calling him in '96," he said. "I was so frustrated with injuries I wanted to retire. He's the one that told me to stick it out. I was using steroids to heal faster, help my body to feel normal. I did not take steroids for any gains or strength purposes."McGwire said he experimented briefly with steroids in the 1989-90 off-season and began taking them regularly in 1993 and used them in low dosages throughout the 1990s, including during his record-setting 1998 season, "just to feel normal".McGwire started his career with the Oakland Athletics, playing briefly in 1986 before his 49 homers the following year led the American League and set a rookie record. The 12-times All-Star was traded to St Louis during the 1997 season.Selig welcomed the admission from McGwire, who is eighth on the all-time home-run list with 583. "I am pleased Mark McGwire has confronted his use of performance-enhancing substances as a player," the MLB commissioner said. "Being truthful is always the correct course of action. This statement of contrition I believe will make Mark's re-entry to the game much smoother and easier."Selig's statement, however, came before McGwire's insistence that he believed he could have achieved the same heights without doping. McGwire was asked about his appearance at a 2005 US government hearing into use of steroids in baseball, where he declined to disclose whether he had used drugs."I'm not here to talk about the past. I'm here to be positive about this subject," he said repeatedly.McGwire said he had gone to Washington prepared to tell the truth but was advised against it by his lawyers after a request for immunity was turned down. In 2007 the Mitchell Report on use of performance enhancers in baseball mentioned McGwire among 89 players tied to doping.Although there was no drug testing in baseball during his career, suspicion of doping has tarnished McGwire's image and led to a backlash in Hall of Fame voting. McGwire, in his fourth year of eligibility, last week received only 23.7 percent of the vote by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, well shy of the 75 percent needed for admission.US sportMLBguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Pacquiao confident of Mayweather fight • Filipino says rival had been trying to avoid fighting in March• Says much-anticipated bout could be staged in the summerManny Pacquiao, who will fight Joshua Clottey on 13 March, said today that Floyd Mayweather Jr had been looking for a way out of fighting him and that "maybe Mayweather is scared to lose."The biggest fight in boxing fell apart because of the drug testing protocol, with Pacquiao refusing to have blood drawn more than 24 days before the fight. Mayweather wanted testing done two weeks before the fight.Pacquiao will defend his version of the welterweight title against Clottey at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, where promoters are hoping to attract 40,000 fans. The fight will be televised on pay-per-view.Pacquiao says he will eventually fight Mayweather Jr."I believe the fight will happen some other time," he said. " I'm still hoping the fight will be pushed through, maybe by summer time. It would be a good fight if it happened."Manny PacquiaoFloyd MayweatherBoxingguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Cardiff City's reward for victory is a trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup Cardiff City face a daunting trip to Stamford Bridge to face the holders in the FA Cup fifth round. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |