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[Smallville22]

World Football - Hayatou re-elected, Diakite back on CAF committee

Previously banned FIFA executive member Amadou Diakite returned to football administration in a resounding poll triumph at Sunday's Confederation of African Football Congress less than three years after being found guilty of bribery.
CAF president Issa Hayatou was re-elected unopposed, extending to almost three decades his tenure in charge of African football, but South African Danny Jordaan, who built up a strong international profile after organising the last World Cup, failed again to get a place on the CAF executive committee.
The hotly-contested elections at the end of the congress in Morocco contrasted with the re-election of Hayatou, who was given a warm acclamation after being returned unopposed.
Diakite of Mali was banned for two years in November 2010 by FIFA after allegations of bribery in the vote-buying scandal surrounding the bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
However, his tarnished reputation did not seem to bother the CAF electorate who returned him to their executive committee with an overwhelming majority.
He was one of five incumbents who kept their places on the committee, including CAF vice president Suketu Patel of the Seychelles who retain his seat from the southern African zone.
The other seat from the region was won by Madagascar's Ahmad, who uses only one name, in a run off with Jordaan.
Neither garnered the requisite majority in the first poll but Ahmad won the run off 27 to 21, officials said.
Jordaan is credited with ensuring a first ever World Cup hosted in Africa after years of lobbying but found again his credentials on the continent lacked the lustre they enjoy further afield.
The other newcomer is Moucharafou Anjorin of Benin, who beat off the Nigerian Football Federation president Aminu Maigari in a run off for one of the west African berths.
He was arrested two years ago on allegations of embezzling sponsorship money and spent more than six months in jail.
CAF said they would hold their next congress in Brazil on the eve of the 2014 World Cup but there are no elections due again until 2015.

 

[Smallville22]

Serie A - Cavani misses penalty as Napoli lose

Serie A topscorer Edinson Cavani missed a second-half penalty as fading Napoli lost 2-0 at Chievo on Sunday, while Juventus went nine points clear at the top thanks to a stoppage time win over Catania.
First half goals from Boukary Drame and Cyril Thereau sank second-placed Napoli with Cavani continuing his goal drought by having his penalty saved.
Juventus took advantage when substitute Emanuele Giaccherini snatched a last-gasp 1-0 win to leave them with 62 points from 28 games.
Victor Ibarbo scored a hat-trick to give Cagliari a 3-1 win over Sampdoria behind closed doors while Parma scored four goals in the last quarter of an hour to beat Torino 4-1.
Siena came from behind to win 2-1 at Palermo in a meeting of two teams mired in the relegation zone and Pescara's new coach Cristian Bucchi made a losing start as the bottom side lost 2-1 at Atalanta.

 

[Smallville22]

Bundesliga - Eintracht goal drought continues with draw at Hanover

Eintracht Frankfurt's goal drought extended to five games after they drew 0-0 at Hanover 96 on Sunday to drop to fifth place in the Bundesliga.
Eintracht, sensational until the mid-season break, have collected three points in their last five games to slip behind fourth-placed Schalke 04 on goal difference and out of a Champions League spot for the first time in 10 games.
It was an equally bad result for Hanover, chasing a third straight Europa League qualification, with the draw leaving them in 10th place, three points off a European spot.
The return of top striker Mame Diouf, coveted by champions Borussia Dortmund, did little to improve their offensive punch with the forward seeing his best effort, a 16-metre drive, saved by keeper Kevin Trapp.
VfB Stuttgart host Hamburg SV later in the only other game on Sunday.
Bayern Munich's superb season showed no signs of abating on Saturday as they came twice from a goal down to beat Fortuna Dusseldorf 3-2 at home and set a Bundesliga record for the best start after a mid-season break with eight straight league victories.
Goals from Franck Ribery in the 73rd and Jerome Boateng four minutes from time turned the game in favour of the Bavarians, who are 20 points clear at the top of the table.
With nine matches to play, they need only three more wins to take the title.
Champions Borussia Dortmund suffered a renewed setback in the league, slumping to a 2-1 defeat in their Ruhr Valley derby at Schalke 04 to stay on 46 points but still in second place after Bayer Leverkusen remained a point behind following a 1-0 defeat at Mainz 05.

 

[Smallville22]

Rugby - Six Nations - Poor England beat Italy to keep Grand Slam alive

England were thoroughly unconvincing in an 18-11 victory against a spirited Italy side in their penultimate Six Nations clash at Twickenham.
England started well but were disjointed and undisciplined for much of a scrappy match, all 18 of their points coming from the boot of Toby Flood, who was excellent with the dead ball but poor in open play.
Indeed, Italy scored the only try of the match as Luke McLean capitalised on a terrible kick by Danny Care, with England holding on at the end as the Azzurri launched a spirited attack.
So desperate were the English by the end that Jacques Brunel's side felt aggrieved at defeat, having spurned a hat-trick of chances to add a second, game levelling tie, not to mention a couple of missed penalties by the otherwise impressive Luciano Orquera.
The result means England can seal the Grand Slam with victory in Cardiff in their final match - but equally, Wales could win the title if they beat their old rivals by eight clear points.

 

[Smallville22]

Premier League - Allen to go under knife

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen is to have surgery on a shoulder problem, manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed.
The Wales international, on the bench for the Premier League match at home to Tottenham having started the 4-0 win at Wigan last week, needs an operation to fix an established injury.
"We made a change with Joe Allen having been struggling since October with his shoulder and he'll probably need an operation," Reds boss Rodgers told Sky Sports.

 

[Smallville22]

Premier League - Late Cisse strike earns Newcastle win over Stoke

St James' Park, Premier League – Newcastle United 2 (Cabaye 72, Cissé 90.) Stoke City 1 (Walters 67’ (pen.)

Papiss Cisse scored a stoppage time winner in a come-from-behind win as Newcastle United recorded a 2-1 victory over Stoke City in the Premier League.
The best chance of a turgid first-half came in the shape of a rushed Yoan Gouffran volley that veered wide of the goal with 37 minutes gone.
Newcastle were in the supremacy in second half when Jon Walters won and converted a penalty with 67 minutes gone before a superb Yohan Cabaye free-kick drew the hosts level just five minutes later.
Both sides went for the win as the game drew to a close and Cisse pounced in the third minute of added time to secure all three points.
Only goalkeeper Rob Elliot, centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and midfielders Yohan Cabaye and Moussa Sissoko retained their places from the impressive goalless draw away at Anzhi Makhachkala on Thursday as Alan Pardew welcomed a distinctly out-of-sorts Stoke City to Newcastle upon Tyne.
Last weekend’s defeat against West Ham United was the Potters’ sixth in their last eight games and left them with just one win from their last nine but Tony Pulis only made one change to the side that fell to a limp 1-0 loss last weekend with American international Geoff Cameron coming in for Michael Kightly.
Despite the changes, the Magpies looked to be suffering from some Europa League lethargy as they struggled to put any form of coherent attacking threat together for large swathes of a first half in which the Potters sat defiantly deep.
The visitors, though, were an occasional threat on the break, but, unwilling to over-commit, they were restricted to shots from distance – the most notable of which came from Crouch, but, lacking the required power, it turned out a rudimentary save for Rob Elliot with 26 minutes gone.
With the threat of Cisse negated by the Stoke deep defensive line, the hosts’ main threat came from the right flank where a rampaging Mathieu Debuchy capitalised on the uncertainty between Andy Wilkinson and Cameron Jerome on the Stoke left.
But with the final ball all too often lacking the required quality, the home side’s best opportunity came through a more direct route when Cabaye’s measured ball picked out Yoan Gouffran in behind the Stoke defence as the half approached the interval.
However, composure deserted the former Bordeaux man as he snatched at the effort from no more than ten yards with 37 minutes gone to ensure the game went to the break at parity.
A half-time tactical switch offered Newcastle an early opportunity to establish their superiority but Moussa Sissoko, now operating on the right of midfield, was thwarted by the quick reactions of Begovic who came off his line to save at the Frenchman’s feet with the half only five minutes old.
The Magpies remained the dominant force as the half progressed but a rash Cheick Tiote challenge as Walters led a rare foray forward from the visitors gave the Potters the opportunity to take the lead courtesy of a penalty.
Despite having missed two penalties already this season, Walters stepped up to send Elliot the wrong way from 12 yards but the home side rallied and were level just five minutes later.
A sloppy Glenn Whelan pass culminated in Sissoko winning a free-kick on the edge of the Stoke box that Cabaye stepped to dispatch past Begovic via the underside of the crossbar to level things up with 72 minutes gone.
Stoke, who have been in a worrying run of form, reacted well to being pegged back but lacked the creativity to open up a solid looking Newcastle back four with the final ball all too often not of the required quality.
And as their toils going forward bore limited fruit, Newcastle showcased a predatory instinct as the game was deep in stoppage time.
Substitute Sylvain Marveaux was afforded too much time on the edge of the box with three minutes of the allotted stoppage time gone and he picked out Cisse, who took a touch to steady himself before volleying past an onrushing Begovic to secure all three points from close range.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Yohan Cabaye, Newcastle United – dictated the pace of the game throughout and capped a fine performance with a wonderful free-kick.

PLAYER RATINGS

Newcastle United: Elliot 6, Debuchy 6, S.Taylor 6, Yanga-Mbiwa 6, Santon 5, Cabaye 7, Tiote 5, Gutierrez 6, Sissoko 6, Gouffran 6’ Cisse 5. Subs: Haidara 5, Marveaux 6, Campbell 5.

Stoke City: Begovic 6, Cameron 5, Shawcross 5, Wilson 5, Wilkinson 5, Shotton 6, Whelan 5, Nzonzi 5, Walters 5, Jerome 5, Crouch 5. Subs: Jones 6, Whitehead 5.

 

[Smallville22]

World Football - Movsisyan hat-trick downs Terek

Striker Yura Movsisyan scored a hat-trick in his first official match for Spartak Moscow to power his team to a 3-1 win over Terek Grozny on Sunday as the Russian season resumed after a three-month winter break.
The Armenia international, who joined Spartak from FK league rivals Krasnodar in December, struck twice in the opening 30 minutes to give the home side a comfortable lead at halftime.
He added a third midway through the second half to take his season's tally to 12 goals before Brazilian Mauricio replied for the Chechen side late in the game at Moscow's Luzhniki stadium.
"It's the first hat-trick of my professional career, coming in my first game for Spartak in front of our fans," Movsisyan told reporters with the game ball in his hands. "No doubt, this is a special day for me as I'm taking this ball home with me."

Elsewhere, second-placed Anzhi Makhachkala suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at bottom-of-the-table Mordovia Saransk to drop five points behind league leaders CSKA Moscow, who beat Krylya Sovietov Samara 2-0 on Saturday.
"Obviously, we're very disappointed. We controlled the game but just couldn't find the target," said Anzhi coach Guus Hiddink, whose team were held to a 0-0 draw by Newcastle United in a Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday.
"I don't think we underestimated our opponents today. I think we just lost concentration at certain moments and it cost us the game as both of their goals came after corners."

Champions Zenit St Petersburg also lost, going down to Rubin Kazan 1-0 after a 31st-minute goal by Venezuela striker Salomon Rondon. The game was played in the Chechen capital Grozny because Kazan's pitch has been in poor condition.
"We had a lot of chances but came away empty-handed and they scored on a counter-attack," conceded Zenit coach Luciano Spalletti, whose team stayed third, eight points off the pace.

 

[Smallville22]

Premier League - Gerrard on the spot as Liverpool sink Spurs

Premier League, Anfield - Liverpool 3 (Suarez 21, Downing 66, Gerrard 82 (pen)) Tottenham 2 (Vertonghen 45, 53)

Steven Gerrard struck a late penalty winner as Liverpool kept their hopes of claiming a Champions League berth alive with a rollercoaster 3-2 win over Tottenham at Anfield.
The Reds skipper kept his nerve to net a spot-kick eight minutes from time after Luis Suarez was upended in the area by Benoit Assou-Ekotto.
The Uruguayan had given the hosts the lead with a wonderful finish for his 29th goal of the season on 21 minutes before a double from Jan Vertonghen either side of half-time put Spurs in the driving seat.
An error from Kyle Walker then allowed Stewart Downing to rob Hugo Lloris and fire into an empty net before Gerrard struck to move the Reds to within seven points of fourth-placed Chelsea.
The victory was slightly marred at the end when the inspirational Suarez was caught up in an unsavoury confrontation with Mousa Dembele following the final whistle.
Ahead of a weekend headlined by the FA Cup quarter-finals, this league contest was billed as the battle of the PFA Player of the Year contenders: the freescoring Suarez against the effervescent Gareth Bale.
Liverpool knew a victory would enhance their hopes of making a late bid to sneak into the Champions League places while Spurs' 12-match unbeaten run in the league meant they had their sights set on putting pressure on Manchester City for the runners-up spot.
There was much to play for and it was the hosts who made the brighter start with the returning Daniel Sturridge crashing a venomous drive just past the near upright inside 10 minutes after a sublime pass from Philippe Coutinho.
At the other it was inevitably Bale who had the visitors' first effort of note when Brad Jones - in for the injured Pepe Reina - could only fumble a dipping free-kick away from danger.
The hosts' game-plan appeared to be focused upon a high-tempo and Coutinho curled just over before the opening goal arrived on 21 minutes.
The diminutive Brazilian was once again at the heart of it all, combining brilliantly with Jose Enrique down the left. The Spanish full-back then played a clever ball in-behind the defence for Suarez who poked a stylish shot underneath the advancing Lloris.
It was the Uruguayan's 29th goal of the season and saw him become the 51st player in Liverpool's history to reach 50 goals in all competitions.
The Reds suddenly had the bit between their teeth and Suarez forced a smart save out of Lloris with a shot from a tight angle as Coutinho appeared to be floored in the centre.
However, the away team began to probe late in the half and a delightful Bale flick teed up Gylfi Sigurdsson who shot narrowly wide.
Brendan Rodgers's side were dropping deep in an attempt to make it to the break unscathed, but they couldn't do it as Spurs levelled when Bale crossed from the right for Vertonghen to bury a header into the bottom corner.
The visitors continued to dominate following the interval and after Bale teed up Defoe to go close with a rasping effort, they stole ahead on 53 minutes.
Bale's free-kick caused mayhem in the Liverpool box and Vertonghen was there once again to crash a hooked shot into the corner and take his tally to the season to five in all competitions.
Bale then showed just why he is vaunted as one of the game's finest players when he skinned both Gerrard and Jamie Carragher - making his 500th league appearance for the Reds - before crossing to the far post for the unmarked Sigurdsson. The Icelandic star took a touch and hit a low shot at goal that deflected off Jones and against the woodwork.
There appeared to be no way back for Liverpool until they were handed an equaliser 24 minutes from time.
A weak pass from Kyle Walker left Lloris with it all to do, allowing Downing to race in and hammer a low shot between the legs of Vertonghen on the line.
Both sides pressed late on for a winner but it was Liverpool who got it when Suarez was bundled over in the area by Benoit Assou-Ekotto, allowing Gerrard to step up and clinch what could prove to be a crucial three points for the Reds in their quest for European football.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - Showed just why he is amongst the frontrunners for Player of the Year with a typically impressive display. Netted his 50th goal for the Reds and won the penalty for the winner.

PLAYER RATINGS

LIVERPOOL: Jones 6, Johnson 6, Enrique 7, Agger 6, Carragher 6, Lucas 5, Gerrard 7, Downing 6, Coutinho 7, Sturridge 6, Suarez 8. Subs: Allen 5, Henderson 5.

SPURS: Lloris 5, Walker 5, Dawson 5, Vertonghen 7, Assou-Ekotto 5, Parker 5, Livermore 5, Sigurdsson 7, Dembele 6, Bale 8, Defoe 6. Subs: Carroll 5, Holtby 5.

 

[Smallville22]

Liga - Levante and Getafe draw

Levante and Getafe shared a goalless draw at the Ciutat de Valencia in La Liga.
The closest Levante came to scoring was on18 minutes when a Pedro Lopez strike from just outside the Getafe box came back off the crossbar.
There were few clear-cut chances in the match, but Getafe came within a whisker of claiming all three points when Miguel Torres hit the bar in the final minute.
Levante climb two places to 10th, one behind Getafe.

Stats

Levante had five excellent scoring opportunities.

Roger made the biggest impact of any Levante substitute after coming on for Míchel in the 71st minute: he took two shots.

The three attempts by Robert Acquafresca were the most of any Levante player.

Getafe got off three shots, all of which were on goal, during the match.

Abdel Barrada had three shots for Getafe, more than any of his team-mates.

Miguel Angel Moya pitched in with five stops.

Sergio Escudero went off due to injury in the 81st minute and was replaced by Rafa.

 

[Smallville22]

Football - Ajax take advantage of PSV slip-up to go top of Dutch league

First half goals from Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Siem de Jong propelled Ajax Amsterdam to a 3-0 win over strugglers PEC Zwolle, allowing them to leapfrog PSV Eindhoven to the top of the Dutch league on Sunday.
Ajax topped the table for the first time this season with 54 points from 26 matches, one ahead of PSV, who slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Heerenveen on Saturday. Feyenoord also have 53 points following their 1-0 win at Roda JC Kerkrade.
Ajax, who drew their last two home matches, went ahead in the 19th minute when Lasse Schone set up Sigthorsson to score with a tight-angled shot.
Seven minutes later Zwolle keeper Diederik Boer blocked a header from Sigthorsson but was caught out on the rebound from de Jong. Derk Boerrigter added a third 10 minutes before time.
"Now we are in control but we still have to live match by match," Ajax manager Frank de Boer told reporters.
"The most important things is the way we are playing and that gives us so much confidence.
"Feyenoord are very close, as are PSV. Winning the last eight matches will earn the title."
Feyenoord tied up three points when Ruben Schaken's perfect cross was headed home by Graziano Pelle in the 30th minute.
Vitesse remain fourth on 51 points after Wilfried Bony's 63rd minute goal settled a 1-0 win at Twente Enschede, who slipped to sixth with 44 points.

 

[Smallville22]

Rugby League - Spoils shared in late drama

Alan Hunte's interview for the Salford job ended in a 23-23 draw as Paul Sykes belatedly found his range with the boot to earn Wakefield a point with a 78th-minute drop goal.
Former St Helens star Hunte is holding the shop for the Reds while extrovert owner Marwan Koukash embarks on a public search for a replacement for Phil Veivers, who lost his job a week ago.
His men were outscored by four tries to five but, thanks to Sykes' record of one conversion from five, thought they had won it with seven minutes left when Marc Sneyd landed a one-pointer. But Sykes would have a say to give Wakefield something and they may well now take issue with a 40th-minute Sneyd penalty they felt did not go between the posts.
Peter Fox gave Wakefield side a second-minute lead as he went in for the fifth game in a row. Even though Sykes failed to convert it was a start Hunte could have done without, but his men drew level with 13 minutes on the clock as Jodie Broughton snaffled his first of the season after a Matty Ashurst break carved Wakefield open.
Like Sykes, Sneyd was unable to goal but he had no such problems as the 20-minute mark passed, splitting the posts from bang in front after Lee Jewitt ran off the Salford bench and dived over the line from close range with his first touch.
If Salford had been targeting Wakefield's right side, then the Wildcats were going after their left and with 12 minutes of the first half remaining, they burst it open with a brilliant last-tackle try. Tim Smith's no-look pass allowed captain Richard Mathers to go through and he played Dean Collis in for a score, although Sykes' conversion failure left Salford just ahead.
And they pushed further in front just seconds later as Theo Fages stumbled in but Tim Smith would get Wakefield running again with another brilliant pass finding the midriff of Frankie Mariano who did the rest.
Sneyd's penalty on the hooter gave Salford a four-point half-time lead and that was doubled seven minutes after the restart, as Jack Murphy cashed in a free run to the line after a Mathers pass was coughed up by Lee Smith.
In keeping with the game, a response was not long in coming as Danny Washbrook slid over off another Tim Smith pass, but Sykes' third failure left the gap at four points and when Smith limped off injured with 20 minutes left, Salford looked to be in the driving seat.
Wakefield would change that, though, levelling things up with 13 minutes left as Ben Cockayne celebrated his England call-up this week with a seventh try of the season before Sneyd and Sykes exchanged drop goals.

 

[Smallville22]

Rugby League - Halifax close in on leaders

Halifax moved within a point of Kingstone Press Championship leaders Featherstone with a 34-22 win over Swinton.
Karl Harrison's side ran in six tries at The Shay through Rob Worrincy, Sam Barlow, Ryan Fieldhouse, Ben Heaton, Anthony Thackeray and Lee Paterson, who also kicked five goals.
Ryan Shaw, Martin Ainscough, Ian Watson and Jack Morrison touched down in reply for the beaten visitors.
Barrow lifted themselves off the bottom by claiming a surprise first win of the season at the expense of Dewsbury, who slipped to fifth.
Kurt Haggerty scored a hat-trick of tries for the Raiders with Tom Brannon, Danny Jones and Liam Harrison also touching down in a 36-22 victory at Craven Park.
York were the day's biggest winners, climbing four places to eighth by running in nine tries in an emphatic 48-6 win over Workington.
Hooker Jack Lee led the way with a hat-trick while Hull's dual registered pair Jack Briscoe and Dean Hadley claimed two apiece. Tom Carr and Jon Presley also touched down while former Hull forward Jamie Thackray was sent off for Workington.
Hunslet were also in form as they overcame Whitehaven 30-0. Tom Bush and Jimmy Keinhorst each scored twice while Paul Hughes and Mitch Achurch also crossed the whitewash. Keinhorst and Achurch are both on dual-registration contracts from Super League champions Leeds.
Batley won 24-18 at Doncaster to climb to fourth. Tom Hemingway scored a try and kicked four goals while Miles Greenwood, John Davies and Johnny Campbell also went over for the Bulldogs.

 

[Smallville22]

FA Cup - De Gea heroics deny Chelsea late win at United

FA Cup quarter-final, Old Trafford - Manchester United 2 (Hernandez 5, Rooney 11) Chelsea 2 (Hazard 59, Ramires 68)

David de Gea made a brilliant stop in the dying seconds to deny Chelsea a famous win after Rafael Benitez's side came roaring back to earn a 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the FA Cup sixth round at Old Trafford.
United had moved two goals clear and apparently on the cusp of a spot in the semi-finals when Javier Hernandez headed home on five minutes with Wayne Rooney - restored to the starting line-up after his omission from the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid - finding the net with a free-kick six minutes later as Chelsea's defence was again found wanting.
Chelsea were rocking, but the mood of the match changed when Benitez introduced Eden Hazard for Victor Moses on 52 minutes.
The visiting side suddenly began to revel in large dollops of possession and with Juan Mata playing at his very peak, Chelsea restored parity courtesy of exceptional goals by Hazard (59) and Ramires (68).
The outgoing Champions League holders probably deserved the win and would have departed Manchester with it if De Gea hadn't thrown out a boot to deflect a Mata shot wide after his fellow Spaniard had left Jonny Evans for dead deep inside the United box.
The semi-final draw was not overly kind to either side. The winner of this match face fellow Premier League heavyweights Manchester City in the last four at Wembley next month while Wigan meet Blackburn or Millwall, who drew 0-0 earlier in the day and replay on Wednesday night.
There is no fixed date pencilled in for the Chelsea-United replay at Stamford Bridge.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Juan Mata (Chelsea): An exceptional performance by the little Spanish midfielder, who probably deserved to be on the winning side such was his appetite to help his side recover.

 

[Smallville22]

Bundesliga - Hummels out for weeks with ankle injury

Borussia Dortmund central defender Mats Hummels will be out for several weeks after picking up an ankle injury in their 2-1 defeat by Schalke 04.
The injury means Hummels will also most likely to miss Germany's 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Kazakhstan on March 22 and 26.
Germany international Hummels, a stalwart in the Dortmund defence, suffered a partial ligament tear when he twisted his right ankle and was taken off at halftime on Saturday.
"Mats Hummels will be out for several weeks," the club said, adding more information about the duration of his absence would be provided later.
Second-placed Dortmund, 20 points behind leaders Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, have advanced to the last eight of the Champions League after beating Shakhtar Donetsk 5-2 on aggregate earlier this week.

 

[Smallville22]

Badminton - Baun bows out at the top in Birmingham

Dane seals third Yonex All England Badminton Championship title

Denmark's Tine Baun insisted she is going out at the top after winning her third Yonex All England Badminton Championship women's singles title in Birmingham. Baun, 33, will retire after beating Thailand's Intanon Ratchanok 21-14, 16-21, 21-10 in a superb final, with both women roared on by loud support. But the Dane, seeded seventh, acknowledged that producing a finish like this makes it harder for her to walk away from the sport – a thought she admitted having on match point. "It's not that easy to quit when you do a result like this," said Baun. "But why not stop at the top? That's a really big thing I admire for many players – it must feel good and now I'm feeling the same thing. "At match point, I was feeling so proud, but then I was feeling 'oh my God, it could be my last rally'. "There were many thoughts, but I just wanted to win by one shot – please, come and give it to me now. But it's fantastic having these emotions. "Mentally, it was very tough, but physically, not as tough as yesterday. "I’ve gained so much power and motivation by winning yesterday and just felt I was going in there, doing my best to play my game and see how far it would get me." Baun, who paraded in the Danish flag and ran to celebrate with husband Martin, paid tribute to her loyal support who refused to be drowned out by Ratchanok's Thai support. "The fans have been fantastic – every time I've been to the final, it's almost the same people out there," she said. "They cheer so much and they're helping me so much. It's one of the tournaments I've come back to many times and it helps – I can thank them so much." China's Chen Long upset the odds in the men's singles after he beat top seed and favourite Lee Chong Wei in straight sets. Long, seeded second, was quickest out of the blocks, taking a 7-0 lead and eventually saw off Chong Wei's spirited fight-back to win 21-17. The second game was closer, with both players swapping the lead before Long finally sealed his first title 21-18, and condemned Chong Wei to a second successive defeat. Long was delighted to win in front of so many fans and believes he will kick on after beating a man of Chong Wei's experience. "I am very happy to win this tournament," he said. "It has given me a lot of experience to beat a player like Lee Chong Wei here. It is very important for my career to win here. "The crowd here is amazing and I want to thank the Chinese supporters, the international supporters and the English supporters as well." Chong Wei insisted he only had himself to blame after failing to add to his two All England titles, but vowed to bounce back. He said: "I gave my best but there were a lot of mistakes in the first set so I am very upset with myself for that. "This is not the end though, I know I have lost to him but I am going to try and try again to beat this player [Chen Long]." Top-seeds Xiaoli Wang and Yu Yang were the first winners of the day in the women's doubles, easing past compatriots Shu Cheng and Yunlei Zhao, who made it the final from qualifying. Wang and Yang, who have returned to badminton following their disqualification in the London 2012 Olympics, were pushed all the way before coming out on top 21-18. They're quality told, sealing the title 21-10 in the second, and making up for last year's loss in their fourth-straight final, leaving Wang delighted. "This is our second time to win this trophy so we are very happy," she said. "We enjoyed playing this game and it was good to have two Chinese teams in the final." The men's doubles final was also a straightforward affair as Chinese pair Xiaolong Liu and Qui Zhan beat Japanese fourth-seeds Hiroyuki Endo and Kenichi Hayakawa 21-11, 21-9 for their first title at Birmingham. And Zhan paid tribute to the many Chinese fans in the hall who cheered them on to victory. "The support that we had from the fans encouraged us to win the way that we did," he said. Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir retained their mixed doubles title with a straight-sets 21-13, 21-17 win against China's Nan Zhang and Yunlei Zhao. Natsir was delighted to have played so well, and insisted they took advantage of an under-par Chinese pair. She said: "We played very well – the Chinese made more errors."

 

[Smallville22]

Mexico Rally - Ogier secures Mexico victory

Sebastien Ogier completed his domination of Rally Mexico as he wrapped up victory and a maximum score on Sunday's final loop of stages.
Ogier had a scare after the morning's opening Guanajuatito stage when he had to spend 20 minutes fixing a sensor issue on his Volkswagen.
With that resolved, Ogier went on to win the following bonus-points power stage and win outright by over three minutes from Mikko Hirvonen's Citroen.
Having won two of this year's three rallies, Ogier already holds a 44-point cushion over nearest title rival Hirvonen. The now part-time Sebastien Loeb is still second in the points, 31 down on Ogier.
Hirvonen started Sunday under pressure from Thierry Neuville. The Belgian went flat-out to try and snatch second place, but a trip off the road on the first stage convinced him to back off and let Hirvonen take the position.
Third was still Neuville's first podium in the World Rally Championship.
That was comfort for his M-Sport Ford team after Mads Ostberg encountered electrical problems when running second on Saturday, having earlier fought Ogier for the lead.
Evgeny Novikov recovered to 10th following an ECU gremlin on day one, while Nasser Al-Attiyah produced one of his best World Rally Car drives yet in the fourth M-Sport entry to take fifth, having matched fourth-placed Dani Sordo's pace for much of the weekend.
On what is currently a one-off in Khalid Al Qassimi's regular Citroen, Chris Atkinson recovered from leg one steering damage to take sixth.
Seventh was still a career-best for Ken Block, while Production champion Benito Guerra must wait to see if eighth is sufficient to secure the full-time top-class drive his sponsors have hinted at.
While one VW driver celebrated 28 points, Ogier's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala had to settle for one power stage bonus point, having broken his suspension just three corners into Friday's first stage.
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari dominated WRC2 all weekend.

 

[Smallville22]

Championship - Tabb joins Ipswich on loan

Reading midfielder Jay Tabb has agreed to join Championship outfit Ipswich on a one-month loan deal.
Both clubs expect the necessary paperwork to be completed on Friday morning in time for the 29-year-old to make his Town bow against Peterborough on Saturday.
Tabb has been pushed down the pecking order at the Madejski Stadium since the Royals' promotion last term, featuring just 12 times in the top flight.
The January acquisitions of Daniel Carrico and Hope Akpan have seen Tabb marginalised further and he will now set his sights on lifting Mick McCarthy's Ipswich up the table.
The Tractor Boys are only four points above the relegation zone and Tabb's arrival comes at a crucial time with fellow midfielder Lee Martin set to start a three-match suspension.

 

[Smallville22]

Championship - Happy day for Inces as Blackpool shock Watford

Tom Ince scored his first goal in six games to spark the comeback that secured father Paul's first win as Blackpool manager as they beat Watford at Vicarage Road.
The Tangerines were trailing at half-time thanks to Cristian Battocchio's delightful opener and the hosts felt aggrieved not to be further ahead after they had two penalty claims rejected.
But they were guilty of some errant finishing throughout and were made to pay eventually when the England Under-21 international levelled things up.
The former Liverpool winger also played a part in Gary MacKenzie's decisive winner to record only Blackpool's second league win in their last eight outings.
Nottingham Forest's magnificent run under Billy Davies continued with a fifth straight victory to propel the Reds into the play-off places, seeing off Wolves 3-1.
Henri Lansbury scored either side of Matt Doherty's equaliser for Wolves, who were reduced to 10 men late on when Stephen Ward was shown a straight red card.
Substitute Lewis McGugan sealed the win in the final minute as Forest finished the day in sixth position.
A memorable strike from substitute Albert Adomah set Bristol City on their way to a vital three points to move them off the foot of the table with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough.
The Ghanian found the top corner from 18 yards before Steven Davies added a second shortly after the break as City continued their unbeaten run at Ashton Gate since Sean O'Driscoll took charge.
Boro, without a win on their travels since early December, struggled to create chances throughout as they slipped further behind the play-off places.
Glenn Murray took his goal tally for the season to 30 and preserved Crystal Palace's unbeaten home run as they battled back to draw 2-2 at home to Leeds.
The visitors looked on course for a rare away win - their first since December 1 - after two goals from Steve Morison cancelled out Murray's first-half opener.
But the country's top scorer had other ideas and his second of the afternoon made it 18 home matches without defeat for the promotion-chasing Eagles.
Huddersfield will once again be looking over their shoulders after they were beaten 1-0 by Charlton at the John Smith's Stadium.
Addicks academy product Callum Harriott's early strike - in what was just his second start - won the game for the visitors, who picked up their eighth away win of the season.
The result was a real comedown for the Terriers, who struggled to create chances throughout.
A superb first-half strike from Marcos Alonso was enough to give Bolton a fifth consecutive victory at the expense of fellow play-off chasers Brighton, winning 1-0.
The result sees Albion fall out of the Championship's top six, while Wanderers' late-season surge appears increasingly well timed as they made it eight matches without defeat.
Connor Wickham struck his first goal for Sheffield Wednesday to deal Leicester's promotion chances another blow and boost his own side's survival hopes in a 1-0 win.
The 19-year-old striker, on loan from Sunderland, crashed home a volley from close range in the second half as Wednesday secured only their second win in their last six league matches.
Wickham, relegated to the role of substitute, stepped off the bench to apply a thumping finish to defender Lewis Buxton's cross and heap more pressure on Leicester manager Nigel Pearson, whose side's hopes of a top-two spot have faded in recent weeks.
Substitutes Wes Thomas and Nathan Redmond inspired Birmingham to come from behind to beat Derby 3-1 and climb up to 14th in the table - their highest position since late September.
And Peterborough failed in their bid to depart the bottom three as Ipswich thwarted their efforts in a goalless draw at London Road.

 

[Smallville22]

Cricket - Bracewell still sidelined for Black Caps

New Zealand have named an unchanged 13-man squad to face England in the second Test in Wellington and remain without Doug Bracewell, who has yet to recover sufficiently from his foot injury.
Frontline seamer Bracewell missed the first Test, which finished in a draw in Dunedin, after cutting his foot on a glass while cleaning up after a house party.
The Kiwis went on to bowl England out for just 167 in the first innings, but could not press on for victory in a match shortened by a washout on day one.
Veteran seamer Ian Butler, who replaced Bracewell in the squad for the first Test but did not feature in the playing XI, is retained for Wellington as is back-up opener Tom Latham.
New Zealand will judge "closer to the time" whether Bracewell will be available for the final Test in Auckland on March 22.
Coach Mike Hesson is happy to keep faith with the squad he had to choose from at the University Oval.
"I was very pleased with both the bowling and batting efforts in Dunedin, and we plan to build on that in Wellington," he said.

New Zealand team to face England in the second Test, from: B McCullum (Captain), T Boult, D Brownlie, I Butler, P Fulton, T Latham, B Martin, H Rutherford, T Southee, R Taylor, N Wagner, BJ Watling (wkt), K Williamson

 

[Smallville22]

Boxing - Pound-for-pound rankings

Floyd Mayweather Jr. kept his spot atop our latest boxing rankings, garnering 27 of the 31 first-place votes.
Of the 20 fighters who received votes in the poll, only two fighters – 19th-placed Gennady Golovkin and 20th-placed Mikey Garcia – competed in January.
Golovkin retained his WBA middleweight title by taking apart Gabe Rosado, and Garcia won the WBO featherweight crown by scoring a lopsided win over Orlando Salido.
There probably won't be much movement in the rankings until the spring, given that the majority of the world's elite fighters are scheduled to compete later in the year.
One fighter who is, WBC lightweight champion Adrien Broner, is expected to roll over Gavin Rees when they meet on February 16 in Atlantic City.

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Points: 303 (27 of 31 first-place votes)

Record: 43-0 (26 KOs)

Title: WBA super welterweight champion

Last outing: W12 over Miguel Cotto on May 5

Previous ranking: 1

Up next: Nothing scheduled

2. Andre Ward

Points: 265 (3 of 31 first-place votes)

Record: 26-0 (14 KOs)

Title: WBA, WBC super middleweight champion

Last outing: TKO 10 Chad Dawson on September 8

Previous ranking: 2

Up next: Nothing scheduled

3. Juan Manuel Marquez

Points:228

Record: 55-6-1 (40 KOs)

Title: None

Last outing: KO6 No. 6 Manny Pacquiao on December 8

Previous ranking: 3

Up next: Nothing scheduled

4. Sergio Martinez

Points: 215 (1 of 30 first-place votes)

Record: 50-2-2 (28 KOs)

Title: WBC middleweight champion

Last outing: W12 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on September 15

Previous ranking: 4

Up next: Title defense April 27 against Martin Murray

5. Nonito Donaire Jr.

Points: 207

Record: 31-1 (20 KOs)

Title: WBO super bantamweight champion

Last outing: KO3 over Jorge Arce on December 15

Previous ranking: 5

Up next: Nothing scheduled

6. Manny Pacquiao

Points: 126

Record: 54-5-2 (38 KOs)

Title: None

Last outing: L BY KO6 to No. 3 Juan Manuel Marquez

Previous ranking: 6

Up next: Nothing scheduled

7. Wladimir Klitschko

Points: 111

Record: 59-3 (51 KOs)

Title:IBF, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion

Last outing: W12 over Mariusz Wach on November 10

Previous ranking: 7

Up next: Nothing scheduled

8. Timothy Bradley

Points: 68

Record: 29-0 (12 KOs)

Title: WBO welterweight champion

Last outing: W12 over No. 6 Manny Pacquiao on June 9

Previous ranking: 8

Up next: Nothing scheduled

9. Vitali Klitschko

Points: 49

Record: 45-2 (41 KOs)

Title: WBC heavyweight champion

Last outing: TKO 4 over Manuel Charr on September 8

Previous ranking: 9

Up next: Nothing scheduled

10. Carl Froch

Points: 48

Record: 30-2 (22 KOs)

Title: IBF super middleweight champion

Last outing: TKO3 Yusaf Mack on November 17

Previous ranking: 10

Up next: Nothing scheduled

Others receiving votes: Abner Mares, 22; Adrien Broner, 17; Yuriorkis Gamboa, 10; Chris John, 7; Brian Viloria, 5; Canelo Alvarez, 3; Roman Gonzalez, 3; Robert Guerrero, 3; Gennady Golovkin, 2; Mikey Garcia, 1.

Voting panel: Al Bernstein, Showtime; Ron Borges, Boston Herald; Damian Calhoun, Orange County Register; Brian Campbell, ESPN.com; Scott Christ, Bad Left Hook.com; Steve Cofield, ESPN Radio 1100; Dave Cokin, ESPN Radio 1100; Mike Coppinger, Ring; Gareth A. Davies, London Telegraph; Tris Dixon, Boxing News; Jake Donovan, BoxingScene.com; Andrew Eisele, About.com; Corey Erdman, Sirius/XM; Steve Farhood, Showtime; Thomas Gerbasi, BoxingScene.com; Nick Giongco, Manila Bulletin; Carlos Gonzalez, Primera Hora; Randy Gordon, Sirius/XM; Bryan Graham, Sports Illustrated.com; Lee Groves, Ring; Rafael Hernandez Brito, Univision; Keith Idec, The Record; Kevin Iole, Yahoo! Sports; Max Kellerman, HBO; Scott Mallon, Boxing Digest; Chris Mannix, Sports Illustrated.com; Rich Marotta, Fox Sports; David Mayo, MLive.com; Franklin McNeil, ESPN.com; Gunnar Meinhardt, Die Welt; Robert Morales, Los Angeles Daily News; Marty Mulcahey, MaxBoxing.com; Kieran Mulvaney, Reuters; Santos Perez, Miami Herald; Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports; Cliff Rold, BoxingScene.com; Mike Rosenthal, Ring; Lem Satterfield, Ring; Tim Smith, New York Daily News; Tim Starks, The Queensbury Rules; Don Steinberg, Philadelphia Inquirer/Wall Street Journal; T.K. Stewart, Ring; Dave Weinberg, Press of Atlantic City; George Willis, New York Post.