athletics	0	claxton hunting first major medalbritish hurdler sarah claxton is confident she can win her first major medal at next month s european indoor championships in madrid 
athletics	0	the 25 year old has already smashed the british record over 60m hurdles twice this season  setting a new mark of number seconds to win the aaas title 
athletics	0	 i am quite confident   said claxton 
athletics	0	 but i take each race as it comes 
athletics	0	 as long as i keep up my training but not do too much i think there is a chance of a medal 
athletics	0	  claxton has won the national 60m hurdles title for the past three years but has struggled to translate her domestic success to the international stage 
athletics	0	now  the scotland born athlete owns the equal fifth fastest time in the world this year 
athletics	0	and at last week s birmingham grand prix  claxton left european medal favourite russian irina shevchenko trailing in sixth spot 
athletics	0	for the first time  claxton has only been preparing for a campaign over the hurdles   which could explain her leap in form 
athletics	0	in previous seasons  the 25 year old also contested the long jump but since moving from colchester to london she has re focused her attentions 
athletics	0	claxton will see if her new training regime pays dividends at the european indoors which take place on 5 6 march 
athletics	1	o sullivan could run in worldssonia o sullivan has indicated that she would like to participate in next month s world cross country championships in st etienne 
athletics	1	athletics ireland have hinted that the 35 year old cobh runner may be included in the official line up for the event in france on 19 20 march 
athletics	1	provincial teams were selected after last saturday s nationals in santry and will be officially announced this week 
athletics	1	o sullivan is at present preparing for the london marathon on 17 april 
athletics	1	the participation of o sullivan  currentily training at her base in australia  would boost the ireland team who won the bronze three years agio 
athletics	1	the first three at santry last saturday  jolene byrne  maria mccambridge and fionnualla britton  are automatic selections and will most likely form part of the long course team 
athletics	1	o sullivan will also take part in the bupa great ireland run on 9 april in dublin 
athletics	2	greene sets sights on world titlemaurice greene aims to wipe out the pain of losing his olympic 100m title in athens by winning a fourth world championship crown this summer 
athletics	2	he had to settle for bronze in greece behind fellow american justin gatlin and francis obikwelu of portugal 
athletics	2	 it really hurts to look at that medal 
athletics	2	it was my mistake 
athletics	2	i lost because of the things i did   said greene  who races in birmingham on friday 
athletics	2	 it s never going to happen again 
athletics	2	my goal   i m going to win the worlds 
athletics	2	  greene crossed the line just number seconds behind gatlin  who won in number seconds in one of the closest and fastest sprints of all time 
athletics	2	but greene believes he lost the race and his title in the semi finals 
athletics	2	 in my semi final race  i should have won the race but i was conserving energy 
athletics	2	 that s when francis obikwelu came up and i took third because i didn t know he was there 
athletics	2	 i believe that s what put me in lane seven in the final and  while i was in lane seven  i couldn t feel anything in the race 
athletics	2	 i just felt like i was running all alone 
athletics	2	 i believe if i was in the middle of the race i would have been able to react to people that came ahead of me 
athletics	2	  greene was also denied olympic gold in the 4x100m men s relay when he could not catch britain s mark lewis francis on the final leg 
athletics	2	the kansas star is set to go head to head with lewis francis again at friday s norwich union grand prix 
athletics	2	the pair contest the 60m  the distance over which greene currently holds the world record of number seconds 
athletics	2	he then has another indoor meeting in france before resuming training for the outdoor season and the task of recapturing his world title in helsinki in august 
athletics	2	greene believes gatlin will again prove the biggest threat to his ambitions in finland 
athletics	2	but he also admits he faces more than one rival for the world crown 
athletics	2	 there s always someone else coming 
athletics	2	i think when i was coming up i would say there was me and ato  boldon  in the young crowd   greene said 
athletics	2	 now you ve got about five or six young guys coming up at the same time 
athletics	2	  
athletics	3	iaaf launches fight against drugsthe iaaf   athletics  world governing body   has met anti doping officials  coaches and athletes to co ordinate the fight against drugs in sport 
athletics	3	two task forces have been set up to examine doping and nutrition issues 
athletics	3	it was also agreed that a programme to  de mystify  the issue to athletes  the public and the media was a priority 
athletics	3	 nothing was decided to change things   it was more to have a forum of the stakeholders allowing them to express themselves   said an iaaf spokesman 
athletics	3	 getting everyone together gave us a lot of food for thought 
athletics	3	  about 60 people attended sunday s meeting in monaco  including iaaf chief lamine diack and namibian athlete frankie fredericks  now a member of the athletes  commission 
athletics	3	 i am very happy to see you all  members of the athletics family  respond positively to the iaaf call to sit together and discuss what more we can do in the fight against doping   said diack 
athletics	3	 we are the leading federation in this field and it is our duty to keep our sport clean 
athletics	3	  the two task forces will report back to the iaaf council  at its april meeting in qatar 
athletics	4	dibaba breaks 5 000m world recordethiopia s tirunesh dibaba set a new world record in winning the women s 5 000m at the boston indoor games 
athletics	4	dibaba won in 14 minutes number seconds to erase the previous world indoor mark of 14 number set by another ethiopian  berhane adera  in stuttgart last year 
athletics	4	but compatriot kenenisa bekele s record hopes were dashed when he miscounted his laps in the men s 3 000m and staged his sprint finish a lap too soon 
athletics	4	ireland s alistair cragg won in 7 number as bekele battled to second in 7 number 
athletics	4	 i didn t want to sit back and get out kicked   said cragg 
athletics	4	 so i kept on the pace 
athletics	4	the plan was to go with 500m to go no matter what  but when bekele made the mistake that was it 
athletics	4	the race was mine 
athletics	4	  sweden s carolina kluft  the olympic heptathlon champion  and slovenia s jolanda ceplak had winning performances  too 
athletics	4	kluft took the long jump at numberm  while ceplak easily won the women s 800m in 2 number 
athletics	5	isinbayeva claims new world bestpole vaulter yelena isinbayeva broke her own indoor world record by clearing number metres in lievin on saturday 
athletics	5	it was the russian s 12th world record of her career and came just a few days after she cleared numberm at the norwich union grand prix in birmingham 
athletics	5	the olympic champion went on to attempt numberm at the meeting on france but failed to clear that height 
athletics	5	in the men s 60m  former olympic 100m champion maurice greene could only finish second to leonard scott 
athletics	5	it was greene s second consecutive defeat at the hands of his fellow american  who also won in birmingham last week 
athletics	5	 i ran my race perfectly   said scott  who won in numbersecs  his best time indoors 
athletics	5	 i am happy even if i know that maurice is a long way from being at his peak at the start of the season 
athletics	5	  
athletics	6	o sullivan commits to dublin racesonia o sullivan will seek to regain her title at the bupa great ireland run on 9 april in dublin 
athletics	6	the 35 year old was beaten into fourth at last year s event  having won it a year earlier 
athletics	6	 i understand she s had a solid winter s training down in australia after recovering from a minor injury   said race director matthew turnbull 
athletics	6	mark carroll  irish record holder at 3km  5km and 10km  will make his debut in the mass participation 10km race 
athletics	6	carroll has stepped up his form in recent weeks and in late january scored an impressive 3 000m victory over leading american alan webb in boston 
athletics	6	carroll will be facing stiff competition from australian craig mottram  winner in dublin for the last two years 
athletics	7	hansen  delays return until 2006 british triple jumper ashia hansen has ruled out a comeback this year after a setback in her recovery from a bad knee injury  according to reports 
athletics	7	hansen  the commonwealth and european champion  has been sidelined since the european cup in poland in june 2004 
athletics	7	it was hoped she would be able to return this summer  but the wound from the injury has been very slow to heal 
athletics	7	her coach aston moore told the times   we re not looking at any sooner than 2006  not as a triple jumper 
athletics	7	  moore said hansen may be able to return to sprinting and long jumping sooner  but there is no short term prospect of her being involved again in her specialist event 
athletics	7	 there was a problem with the wound healing and it set back her rehabilitation by about two months  but that has been solved and we can push ahead now   he said 
athletics	7	 the aim is for her to get fit as an athlete   then we will start looking at sprinting and the long jump as an introduction back to the competitive arena 
athletics	7	  moore said he is confident hansen can make it back to top level competition  though it is unclear if that will be in time for the commonwealth games in melbourne next march  when she will be 34 
athletics	7	 it s been a frustrating time for her  but it has not fazed her determination   he added 
athletics	8	off colour gardener storms to winbritain s jason gardener shook off an upset stomach to win the 60m at sunday s leipzig international meeting 
athletics	8	gardener clocked number seconds to equal the meeting record and finished well ahead of germany s marc blume  who crossed the line in number secs 
athletics	8	the world indoor champion said   i got to the airport and my stomach was upset and i was vomiting 
athletics	8	i almost went home 
athletics	8	 i felt a little better sunday morning but decided i d only run in the main race 
athletics	8	then everything went perfectly 
athletics	8	  gardener  part of the great britain 4x100m quartet that won gold at the athens olympics  will now turn his attention to next weekend s norwich union european indoor trials in sheffield 
athletics	8	 given i am still off colour i know there is plenty more in the tank and i expect to get faster in the next few weeks   he said 
athletics	8	 it s just a case of chipping away as i have done in previous years and the results will come 
athletics	8	  scotland s ian mackie was also in action in leipzig 
athletics	8	he stepped down from his favoured 400m to 200m to finish third in number secs 
athletics	8	germany s alexander kosenkow won the race in number secs with dutchman patrick van balkom second in number secs 
athletics	8	there were plenty of other senior british athletes showing their indoor form over the weekend 
athletics	8	promising 60m hurdlerclocked a new uk record of number seconds at a meeting in norway 
athletics	8	the 24 year old reached the mark in her heat but had to settle for joint first place with former aaa champion diane allahgreen in the final 
athletics	8	  who broke onto the international scene at the olympic games last season  set an indoor personal best of numberm in the triple jump at a meeting in ghent 
athletics	8	that leap   37cm short of brazilian winner jadel gregorio s effort   was good enough to qualify for the european indoor championships 
athletics	8	at the same meeting finished third in number seconds in a high class women s 60m 
athletics	8	the event was won by european medal favourite christine arron of france while belgium rival kim gevaert was second 
athletics	8	britain s joice maduaka finished fifth in number 
athletics	8	olympic bronze heptathlon medallistmade a low key return to action at an indoor meeting in birmingham 
athletics	8	the 28 year old cleared numberm to win the high jump and threw numberm in the women s shot put 
athletics	9	collins to compete in birminghamworld and commonwealth 100m champion kim collins will compete in the 60m at the norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february 
athletics	9	the st kitts and nevis star joins british olympic relay gold medallists jason gardener and mark lewis francis 
athletics	9	sydney olympic 100m champion and world indoor record holder maurice greene and athens olympic 100m silver medallist francis obikwelu will also take part 
athletics	9	collins ran in birmingham at the 2003 world indoor championships 
athletics	9	 i m looking forward to competing against such a strong field   he said 
athletics	9	 i got a great reception form the crowd at the nia when i won my 60m world indoor silver medal in 2003 and it will be really exciting to return to this venue 
athletics	9	  the world champion says he s in good shape but he isn t underestimating the home competition 
athletics	9	 jason gardener and mark lewis francis are olympic gold medallists now and i m sure they ll be aiming to win in front of their home supporters 
athletics	9	 i m looking forward to competing against britain s best sprinters and i m sure the 60 metres will be one of the most exciting races of the evening 
athletics	9	  collins was sixth in the olympic final in athens but is hoping for a better result at the world championships in finland this summer 
athletics	9	 this will be a big year for me and i plan to defend my 100m world title in helsinki in august 
athletics	9	before then i want to perform well over 60m indoors and start my year in winning form 
athletics	9	  
athletics	10	radcliffe yet to answer gb callpaula radcliffe has been granted extra time to decide whether to compete in the world cross country championships 
athletics	10	the 31 year old is concerned the event  which starts on 19 march in france  could upset her preparations for the london marathon on 17 april 
athletics	10	 there is no question that paula would be a huge asset to the gb team   said zara hyde peters of uk athletics 
athletics	10	 but she is working out whether she can accommodate the worlds without too much compromise in her marathon training 
athletics	10	  radcliffe must make a decision by tuesday   the deadline for team nominations 
athletics	10	british team member hayley yelling said the team would understand if radcliffe opted out of the event 
athletics	10	 it would be fantastic to have paula in the team   said the european cross country champion 
athletics	10	 but you have to remember that athletics is basically an individual sport and anything achieved for the team is a bonus 
athletics	10	 she is not messing us around 
athletics	10	we all understand the problem 
athletics	10	  radcliffe was world cross country champion in 2001 and 2002 but missed last year s event because of injury 
athletics	10	in her absence  the gb team won bronze in brussels 
athletics	11	edwards tips idowu for euro goldworld outdoor triple jump record holder and bbc pundit jonathan edwards believes phillips idowu can take gold at the european indoor championships 
athletics	11	idowu landed numberm at the british trials in sheffield last month to lead the world triple jump rankings 
athletics	11	 it s all down to him  but if he jumps as well as he did in sheffield he could win the gold medal   said edwards 
athletics	11	 his ability is undoubted but all his best performances seem to happen in domestic meetings 
athletics	11	 idowu made his breakthrough five years ago but so far has only a commonwealth silver medal to his name 
athletics	11	edwards himself kept idowu off top spot at the manchester games 
athletics	11	but he believes the european indoors in madrid represent a chance for the 26 year old to prove his credentials as britain s top triple jumper 
athletics	11	 he has to start producing at international level and here is the beginning   said edwards 
athletics	11	 phillips still needs to be much more consistent 
athletics	11	i m sure a victory in madrid will build up his confidence and self belief that he can be best in the world 
athletics	11	  the qualifying round of the men s triple jump in madrid takes place on friday with the final scheduled for saturday 
athletics	11	olympic champion christian olsson will not be taking part as he is out for the entire indoor season with an ankle injury 
athletics	12	kenya lift chepkemei s suspensionkenya s athletics body has reversed a ban on marathon runner susan chepkemei after she made an official apology 
athletics	12	athletics kenya  ak  had suspended the two time london marathon runner up for failing to turn up to a cross country team training camp in embu 
athletics	12	 we have withdrawn the ban 
athletics	12	chepkemei has given a reason for her absence   said ak chief isaiah kiplagat 
athletics	12	 she explained she had a contract with the organisers of the race in puerto rice and we have accepted her apology 
athletics	12	 the kenyan coaching team will now decide whether chepkemei can be included in the team for this month s world cross country championships 
athletics	12	the 29 year old would be a strong contender at the event in france and is hopeful she will be granted a place in the 32 strong squad 
athletics	12	 i am satisfied that the whole saga has been brought to an end   chepkemei said 
athletics	12	 i am ready and prepared to represent my country 
athletics	12	 i will be disappointed if i am not given a chance to compete at the world cross country championships 
athletics	12	  ak had insisted it was making an example of chepkemei by banning her from competition until the end of 2005 
athletics	12	but the organisation came under intense international and domestic pressure to reverse its decision 
athletics	12	the 29 year old took part in the 2002 and 2003 london marathons and was edged out by radcliffe in an epic new york marathon contest last year 
athletics	12	the two time world half marathon silver medallist will be back to challenge radcliffe at this year s london event in april 
athletics	12	ak also dropped its harsh stance on three time world cross country 4km champion edith masai 
athletics	12	masai missed kenya s world cross country trials because of an ankle problem but ak insisted it would take disciplinary action unless she could prove she was really injured 
athletics	12	 subject to our doctor s confirmation  we have decided to clear masai   added kiplagat 
athletics	13	mcilroy aiming for madrid titlenorthern ireland man james mcilroy is confident he can win his first major title at this weekend s spar european indoor championships in madrid 
athletics	13	the 28 year old has been in great form in recent weeks and will go in as one of the 800 metres favourites 
athletics	13	 i believe after my wins abroad and in our trial race in sheffield  i can run my race from the front  back or middle   said mcilroy 
athletics	13	new coach tony lester has helped get mcilroy s career back on track 
athletics	13	the 28 year old 800 metres runner has not always matched his promise with performances but believes his decision to change coaches and move base will bring the rewards 
athletics	13	mcilroy now lives in windsor and feels his career has been transformed by the no nonsense leadership style of former army sergeant lester 
athletics	13	lester is better known for his work with 400m runners roger black and mark richardson in the past but under his guidance mcilroy has secured five wins this indoor season 
athletics	13	mcilroy now claims he is in his best shape since finishing fourth for ireland at the outdoor european championships in 1998 
athletics	13	 that was my last decent year   said mcilroy  who temporarily retired last august before returning to the sport under lester s shrewd guidance 
athletics	13	 before  every race was like trying to climb mount everest and i now know you can t do it on your own 
athletics	13	 trying to succeed saw me sometimes standing half dead and terrified on the starting line  which became a bit too much 
athletics	13	  mcilroy  who was compared to the likes of sebastian coe  steve cram and steve ovett in his younger days  is now competing without the benefit of national lottery funding 
athletics	13	that situation could change if he maintains his current form and repeats the world class times he produced in the 800m and 1000m at major races in erfurt and stuttgart earlier this season 
athletics	13	russian dmitriy bogdanov won at the same madrid venue last week and then claimed the european championship race would be between himself  dutchman arnoud okken and antonio reina of spain but mcilroy is unfazed 
athletics	13	he admitted   he looked quite good in his win and fair enough everyone has the right to their own opinion 
athletics	13	 i never write myself off and let s face it  i haven t or looked like being beaten this season 
athletics	13	  and mcilroy  whose time of one minute numberseconds in erfurt elevated him to sixth place on the uk all time list  is also already looking beyond madrid 
athletics	13	he said   i ve been much more focused this year about my career and having such a good team around me has been very important 
athletics	13	 ultimately of course  this weekend is a means to an end and that is getting prepared for the summer s world championships 
athletics	13	 that ambition has meant that i ve had only two nights out since last august 
athletics	13	the rest of my time has seen me just concentrating on rebuilding my career 
athletics	13	  
athletics	14	uk athletics agrees new kit dealuk athletics has agreed a new deal with adidas to supply great britain squads of all ages with their kit for the next four years 
athletics	14	the german based firm kitted out team gb at the 2004 olympics and has deals with 20 other national olympic bodies 
athletics	14	uk athletics chief david moorcroft said   the athens experience can now be extended to more major championships 
athletics	14	 in the year ahead these include the european indoor and world outdoor championships 
athletics	14	we are delighted 
athletics	14	  moorcroft added   it is hugely beneficial to the sport that the adidas commitment will also provide for officials and other personnel at our world class series of live televised events 
athletics	14	  this week  uk athletics also agreed a four year deal with energy drink company  red bull  who will be supplying the product to athletics at major domestic meetings and in high performance centres 
athletics	15	verdict delay for greek sprintersgreek athletics  governing body has postponed by two weeks the judgement on sprinters costas kenteris and katerina thanou for missing doping tests 
athletics	15	the pair are facing lengthy bans for the missed tests  including one on the eve of last year s athens olympics 
athletics	15	they were set to learn their fate by the end of february  but late evidence from them has pushed the date back 
athletics	15	 a decision is now expected by around mid march   said one of their lawyers  michalis dimitrakopoulos 
athletics	15	kenteris  31  who won the men s 200m title at the 2000 sydney games and thanou  30  who won the women s 100m silver medal in sydney  face a maximum two year ban if found guilty 
athletics	15	the athletes  who spectacularly withdrew from the athens olympics  have been suspended by the international association of athletics federations  iaaf  for missing the three tests 
athletics	15	the iaaf said the sprinters had failed to provide samples for tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and ordered greek athletic s governing body  segas  to hold a disciplinary inquiry 
athletics	15	the athletes also face a criminal hearing in greece over the missed drugs tests and have been charged with faking a motorcycle accident on the day of the athens test  which led to them spending four days in hospital 
athletics	15	following the final hearing in late january  the athletes sounded confident they would be acquitted 
athletics	15	 i am confident and optimistic   thanou had said at the time 
athletics	15	 we presented new evidence to the committee that they were not aware of 
athletics	15	  it was not clear what this new evidence was 
athletics	16	call for kenteris to be clearedkostas kenteris  lawyer has called for the doping charges against the greek sprinter to be dropped 
athletics	16	gregory ioannidis has submitted new evidence to a greek athletics tribunal which he claims proves the former olympic champion has no case to answer 
athletics	16	kenteris and compatriot katerina thanou were given provisional suspensions in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics 
athletics	16	the greek tribunal is expected to give its verdict early next week 
athletics	16	kenteris and thanou withdrew from the athens olympics last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony 
athletics	16	they were also alleged to have avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games 
athletics	16	but ioannidis said   everything overwhelmingly shows that the charges should be dropped 
athletics	16	  ioannidis also said he has presented evidence that will throw a different light on the events leading up to the pair s sensational withdrawal from the athens games 
athletics	16	the lawyer added that he has proof the authorities  knew  kenteris was in germany at the time he was alleged to have missed a test in chicago 
athletics	16	nick davies  spokesman for athletics  ruling body the iaaf  which handed out the provisional bans  said   we can t comment because we were not present at the hearing and don t know what was said behind closed doors 
athletics	16	 we expect a verdict from the greek athletics federation before the end of february and will obviously be making a statement then 
athletics	16	  kenteris won 200m gold at the 2000 sydney olympics  while thanou won silver in the 100m 
athletics	17	merritt close to indoor 400m markteenager lashawn merritt ran the third fastest indoor 400m of all time at the fayetteville invitational meeting 
athletics	17	the world junior champion clocked number seconds to finish well clear of fellow american bershawn jackson in arkansas 
athletics	17	only michael johnson has gone quicker  setting the world record of numbersecs in 1995 and running numbersecs in 1996 
athletics	17	kenyan bernard lagat missed out on the world record by numbersecs as he ran the third quickest indoor mile ever to beat canada s nate brannen by almost 10secs 
athletics	17	the olympic silver medallist s time of three minutes numbersecs was inferior only to the 1997 world record of moroccan hicham el guerrouj and former world record holder eamonn coghlan of ireland s 3 number 
athletics	17	lagat was on course to break el guerrouj s record through 1200m but could not maintain the pace over the final 400m 
athletics	17	ireland scontinued his excellent form by winning a tight 3 000m in 7 number 
athletics	17	cragg  who recently defeated olympic 10 000m champion kenenisa bekele in boston  held off bekele s ethiopian colleague markos geneti by only numbersecs to secure his victory 
athletics	17	mark carroll  who will join cragg in the european indoor championships next month  finished a solid third in 7 number 
athletics	17	olympic 200m gold medallistof jamaica ran the fastest women s 60m in the world this year as she equalled her personal best of numbersecs 
athletics	17	world indoor 60m hurdles championalso won  improving his season leading time to numbersecs 
athletics	18	london hope over chepkemeilondon marathon organisers are hoping that banned athlete susan chepkemei will still take part in this year s race on 17 april 
athletics	18	chepkemei was suspended from all competition until the end of the year by athletics kenya after failing to report to a national training camp 
athletics	18	 we are watching it closely   said london race director david bedford 
athletics	18	 there is a long way to go before the race and we are hoping the situation will be satisfactorily resolved 
athletics	18	  the camp in embu was to prepare for the iaaf world cross country championships later this month 
athletics	18	chepkemei however took part and finished third in last sunday s world best 10k race in puerto rico 
athletics	18	the 29 year old has finished second to paula radcliffe in the 2002 and 2003 london races as well as in november s new york city marathon 
athletics	19	edwards tips idowu for euro goldworld outdoor triple jump record holder and bbc pundit jonathan edwards believes phillips idowu can take gold at the european indoor championships 
athletics	19	idowu landed numberm at the british trials in sheffield last month to lead the world triple jump rankings 
athletics	19	 it s all down to him  but if he jumps as well as he did in sheffield he could win the gold medal   said edwards 
athletics	19	 his ability is undoubted but all his best performances seem to happen in domestic meetings 
athletics	19	 idowu made his breakthrough five years ago but so far has only a commonwealth silver medal to his name 
athletics	19	edwards himself kept idowu off top spot at the manchester games 
athletics	19	but he believes the european indoors in madrid represent a chance for the 26 year old to prove his credentials as britain s top triple jumper 
athletics	19	 he has to start producing at international level and here is the beginning   said edwards 
athletics	19	 phillips still needs to be much more consistent 
athletics	19	i m sure a victory in madrid will build up his confidence and self belief that he can be best in the world 
athletics	19	  the qualifying round of the men s triple jump in madrid takes place on friday with the final scheduled for saturday 
athletics	19	olympic champion christian olsson will not be taking part as he is out for the entire indoor season with an ankle injury 
athletics	20	chepkemei hit by big bankenya s athletics body has suspended two time london marathon runner up susan chepkemei from all competition until the end of the year 
athletics	20	athletics kenya  ak  issued the ban after chepkemei failed to turn up for a cross country training camp in embu 
athletics	20	 we have banned her from all local and international competitions   said ak chief isaiah kiplagat 
athletics	20	 we shall communicate this decision to the iaaf and all meet directors all over the world 
athletics	20	  the 29 year old finished second to paula radcliffe in the 2002 and 2003 london races  and was also edged out in an epic new york marathon contest last year 
athletics	20	but the ban will prevent the two time world half marathon silver medallist from challenging radcliffe at this year s london event in april 
athletics	20	global sports communications  chepkemei s management company  said she had wanted to run in the world cross country championships in march 
athletics	20	but ak maintained it was making an example of chepkemei as a warning to other kenyan athletes 
athletics	20	 we are taking this action in order to salvage our pride   said kiplagat 
athletics	20	 we have been accused of having no teeth to bite with and that agents are ruling over us 
athletics	20	  ka has also threatened three time women s short course champion edith masai with a similar ban if reports that she feigned injury to avoid running at the cross country world championships are true 
athletics	20	masai missed the national trials in early february  but was included in the provisional team on the proviso that she ran in a regional competition 
athletics	20	she failed to run in the event  citing a leg injury 
athletics	21	holmes secures comeback victorybritain s kelly holmes marked her first appearance on home soil since winning double olympic gold with 1500m victory at the norwich union international 
athletics	21	holmes hit the front just before the bell in front of a sell out crowd in glasgow and cruised to victory in a time of four minutes number seconds 
athletics	21	 it was nice to get that out of the way 
athletics	21	i was nervous about whether i would actually be able to get round 
athletics	21	 i felt good 
athletics	21	i just had to relax and use my racing knowledge   said holmes 
athletics	21	 it was all about winning in front of my home crowd 
athletics	21	the time is irrelevant 
athletics	21	 i got round in one piece and didn t disgrace myself 
athletics	21	now it s about going forward 
athletics	21	 the reception i ve had since the olympics has been amazing and that s why i wanted to keep running this year  because i get a buzz from the crowd 
athletics	21	  holmes ran a tactically perfect race to finish clear of france s hind dehiba and russia s svetlana cherkasova 
athletics	21	the olympic 800m and 1500m champion s time was inside the qualifying mark for the european indoor championships in madrid in march 
athletics	21	but the 34 year old would not reveal whether she intended to run or not  having previously indicated she would leave a decision until after the birmingham grand prix on 18 february 
athletics	22	greek pair attend drugs hearinggreek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have appeared before an independent tribunal which will decide if their bans should stand 
athletics	22	they were given provisional suspensions by athletics  ruling body the iaaf in december for failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics 
athletics	22	the pair arrived with former coach christos tzekos to give evidence at the hellenic olympic committee s offices 
athletics	22	a decision is expected to be announced before the end of february 
athletics	22	whatever the ruling  all parties will have the right to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport 
athletics	22	yiannis papadoyiannakis  who was head of the greek olympic team at the athens games last year  also testified at the tribunal  along with other greek sports officials and athletes 
athletics	22	 i believe the tribunal will reach a decision that will uphold the standing of the institution   said papadoyiannakis 
athletics	22	 whatever the athletes have done  we must not forget that they have offered us great moments 
athletics	22	  kenteris won 200m gold at the 2000 sydney olympics  while thanou won silver in the 100m 
athletics	22	they withdrew from the athens games last august after missing drugs tests on the eve of the opening ceremony 
athletics	22	the pair spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash 
athletics	22	the five member tribunal  assembled by the hellenic association of amateur athletics  is also examining allegations that kenteris and thanou avoided tests in tel aviv and chicago before the games 
athletics	22	tzekos was also banned for two years by the iaaf 
athletics	22	he faces charges of assisting in the use of prohibited substances and tampering with the doping inspection process 
athletics	22	all three  who have repeatedly denied the allegations  have also been charged by a greek prosecutor and face trial for doping related charges 
athletics	22	a trial date has not been set 
athletics	22	in imposing two year suspensions on the duo on 22 december  the iaaf described their explanations for missing the tests as  unacceptable  
athletics	22	but kenteris  lawyer gregory ioannidis told bbc sport earlier this week he was confident the sprinters would be cleared of the charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to testing 
athletics	22	 we refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical   he said 
athletics	22	 there have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials  and these procedural breaches have also violated my client s rights 
athletics	22	 there is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted 
athletics	22	  
athletics	23	chepkemei joins edinburgh line upsusan chepkemei has decided she is fit enough to run in next month s great edinburgh international cross country 
athletics	23	the kenyan was initially unsure if she would have recovered from her gruelling tussle with paula radcliffe in the new york marathon in time to compete 
athletics	23	but she has declared herself up to the task and joins a field headed by world cross country champion benita johnson 
athletics	23	race director matthew turnbull said   susan will add even more strength in depth to the world class line up 
athletics	23	  chepkemei  who won the six kilometre event three years ago when it was staged in newcastle  endured an epic battle with radcliffe in the big apple until the briton outsprinted her in the final 400m 
athletics	23	tirunesh dibaba of ethiopia will defend the title she won last year in tyneside   before the race was moved north of the border 
athletics	23	recently crowned european cross country champion briton hayley yelling also competes in edinburgh on 15 january  as does in form scot kathy butler 
athletics	24	el guerrouj targets cross countrydouble olympic champion hicham el guerrouj is set to make a rare appearance at the world cross country championships in france 
athletics	24	but the moroccan  who has not raced over cross country for 15 years  will not decide until two weeks before the event which starts on 19 march 
athletics	24	 if i am to compete in it  it is only if i feel i can win   said the 30 year old  who is retiring in 2006 
athletics	24	 otherwise there is not much point in me going 
athletics	24	  el guerrouj achieved a lifetime ambition last august when he clinched his first olympic titles over 1500m and 5 000m 
athletics	24	but the four time world 1500m champion is still hungry for more success before calling time on his career 
athletics	24	the 30 year old has set his sights on clinching the world 5 000m crown in helsinki this summer 
athletics	24	and he is aiming to break 10 000m olympic champion kenenisa bekele s 5 000m and 10 000m world records 
athletics	24	el guerrouj could meet bekele in march as the ethiopian is the defending world cross country champion over both the long and short courses 
athletics	24	but the moroccan will not commit himself to the st galmier event until he assesses how well his winter training is going 
athletics	24	 the return to training was very difficult because i accepted a lot of invitations these past few months   said el guerrouj 
athletics	24	 i am almost a month behind but i am on the right track 
athletics	24	    britain s paula radcliffe has also not ruled out competing in the world cross country championships 
athletics	24	 i haven t quite decided what events i will compete in prior to london but the world cross country is an event which is also special to me and is a definite possibility   said the two time champion 
athletics	25	collins appeals against drugs bansprinter michelle collins has lodged an appeal against her eight year doping ban with the north american court of arbitration for sport  cas  
athletics	25	the 33 year old received the ban last month as a result of her connection to the federal inquiry into the balco doping scandal 
athletics	25	she is the first athlete to be banned without a positive drugs test or an admission of drugs use 
athletics	25	cas has said that a ruling is normally given within four months of an appeal 
athletics	25	collins was suspended by the us anti doping agency based on patterns observed in her blood and urine tests as well as evidence in the balco investigation 
athletics	25	as well as being hit with the ban  collins was stripped of her 2003 world and us indoor 200m titles 
athletics	25	the san francisco based balco laboratory is at the centre of the scandal which has rocked the sport 
athletics	25	the company has been accused of distributing illegal performance enhancing drugs to elite athletes 
athletics	26	holmes feted with further honourdouble olympic champion kelly holmes has been voted european athletics  eaa  woman athlete of 2004 in the governing body s annual poll 
athletics	26	the briton  made a dame in the new year honours list for taking 800m and 1 500m gold  won vital votes from the public  press and eaa member federations 
athletics	26	she is only the second british woman to land the title after  sally gunnell won for her world 400m hurdles win in 1993 
athletics	26	swedish triple jumper christian olsson was voted male athlete of the year 
athletics	26	the accolade is the latest in a long list of awards that holmes has received since her success in athens 
athletics	26	in addition to becoming a dame  she was also named the bbc sports personality of the year in december 
athletics	26	her gutsy victory in the 800m also earned her the international association of athletics federations  award for the best women s performance in the world for 2004 
athletics	26	and she scooped two awards at the british athletics writers  association annual dinner in october 
athletics	27	campbell to extend sprint careerdarren campbell has set his sights on running quicker than ever after deciding not to retire from sprinting 
athletics	27	campbell  who won olympic 4x100m relay gold  had been unsure about his future 
athletics	27	but he told five live s sportsweek   i had to get back into training before i could decide because if i didn t have the same hunger i d have to walk away 
athletics	27	 i ve started back and i m thoroughly enjoying it 
athletics	27	i m looking forward to it 
athletics	27	i ve got to run under 10 seconds  for 100m  and under 20 seconds  for 200m  
athletics	27	  campbell was part of the british quartet who shocked the americans to win relay gold in athens in august 
athletics	27	the newport based athlete and team mates jason gardener  marlon devonish and mark lewis francis were rewarded with mbes in the new year honours list 
athletics	27	campbell s relay triumph made up for his disappointing displays in the individual 100m and 200m events in athens  when he failed to reach the finals 
athletics	27	the 31 year old  who won olympic 200m silver in sydney in 2000  said during the games that a hamstring injury had stopped him from running at his best 
athletics	27	he was criticised at the time by former olympic champion michael johnson  who cast doubt on campbell s injury claims 
athletics	27	 to go to athens and finally get the gold i ve been trying to get for 24 years was a big relief   said campbell 
athletics	27	 it was a chance for me to prove that if i d been fit i would have been challenging for the  individual  medals 
athletics	27	 every season i go and challenge for the medals so why would last season have been any different   it s just unfortunate that i picked up that injury just before the olympics 
athletics	27	  campbell set his 100m personal best of numbersecs when he won the european title in budapest in 1998 
athletics	27	and he ran numbersecs in the quarter finals of the 200m in sydney on the way to olympic silver 
athletics	28	isinbayeva heads for birminghamolympic pole vault champion yelena isinbayeva has confirmed she will take part in the 2005 norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february 
athletics	28	 everybody knows how much i enjoy competing in britain 
athletics	28	i always seem to break records there   said isinbayeva 
athletics	28	 as olympic champion there will be more attention on me this year  but hopefully i can respond with another record in birmingham 
athletics	28	  kelly holmes and carolina kluft are among other athens winners competing 
athletics	28	the organisers are hoping that isinbayeva s main rival  fellow russian svetlana feofanova  will also take part in the event 
athletics	28	the pair had a thrilling battle in athens which ended with isinbayeva finally jumping a world record of numberm to claim the gold medal 
athletics	28	isinbayeva  22  has set 10 world records in the pole vault  three of which have come on british soil 
athletics	29	2004  an irish athletics year2004 won t be remembered as one of irish athletics  great years 
athletics	29	the year began with that optimism which invariably and unaccountably  seems to herald an upcoming olympiad 
athletics	29	but come late august  a few hot days in the magnificent stadium in athens told us of the true strength of irish athletics   or to be more accurate  the lack of it 
athletics	29	sonia o sullivan s olympic farewell apart  there was little to stir the emotions of irish athletics watchers 
athletics	29	but after the disastrous build up to the games  we shouldn t have been surprised 
athletics	29	at the start of the year  an o sullivan had been earmarked as ireland s best medal prospect but as it turned out  walker gillian never even made it to the start line because of injury 
athletics	29	less than a week before the olympics  the sport was rocked by news that 10 000m hope cathal lombard had tested for the banned substance epo 
athletics	29	lombard s shattering of mark carroll s national 10 000m record in april had already set tongues wagging but even the most cynical of observers  were surprised when he was rumbled after an irish sports council sting operation 
athletics	29	the corkman quickly held his hands up in admission and was promptly handed a two year ban from the sport 
athletics	29	back at pre olympic ranch in greece  it must have seemed that things couldn t have got any worse but they very nearly did with walker jamie costin lucky to escape with his life after being involved in a car crash near athens 
athletics	29	once the track and field action began in athens  a familiar pattern of underachievement emerged although alistair cragg s performance in being the only athlete from a european nation to qualify for the 5 000m final did offer hope for the future 
athletics	29	our beloved sonia scraped into the women s 5k final as a fastest loser and for a couple of days  the country attempted to delude itself into believing that she might be in the medal shake up 
athletics	29	as it happened  she went out the back door early in the final although there was nothing undignified about the way that she insisted on finishing the race over a minute behind winner meseret defar 
athletics	29	it later transpired that sonia had been suffering from a stomach bug in the 48 hours before the final although typically  the cobhwoman played down the effects of the illness 
athletics	29	amazingly  she was back in action a couple of weeks later when beating a world class field at the flora lite 5k road race in london and while her major championship days may be over  it s unlikely that we have seen the last of her in competition 
athletics	29	at least sonia managed to make it to athens 
athletics	29	at the start of the year  several northern ireland athletes had genuine hopes of qualifying for the games but come august  an out of form and injured paul brizzel was the lone standard bearer for the province 
athletics	29	the ballymena man gave it a lash but his achilles problem  and a bad lane draw  meant a time of number and an early exit 
athletics	29	james mcilroy  gareth turnbull  zoe brown and paul mckee all had to be content with watching the athens action on their television screens 
athletics	29	800m hope mcilroy never got near his best during the summer and a fourth place in the british trials effectively ended his hopes of making the plane 
athletics	29	the injury plagued turnbull gamely travelled round europe in search of the 1500m qualifying mark but 3 39 was the best he could achieve  after missing several months training during the previous winter 
athletics	29	a lingering hamstring probem and a virus wrecked mckee s athens ambitions and both he and turnbull deserve a slice of better fortune in 2005 
athletics	29	pole vaulter brown had hoped for a vote of confidence from the british selectors after she had achieved the athens b standard but the call never came 
athletics	29	as the summer ended  stalwarts catherina mckiernan and dermot donnelly hung up their competitive spikes 
athletics	29	mckiernan had to candidly acknowledge that time had crept up on her after several injury ravaged years 
athletics	29	donnelly and his annadale striders team mates later suffered tragedy when their friend and clubman andy campbell was found dead at his home on 18 december 
athletics	29	a large turnout of athletics loving folk turned out in west belfast to offer their respects to the campbell family and andy s many friends 
athletics	29	as only death can  it put the year s athletics happenings in a sharp perspective 
athletics	30	sprinter walker quits athleticsformer european 200m champion dougie walker is to retire from athletics after a series of six operations left him struggling for fitness 
athletics	30	walker had hoped to compete in the new year sprint which is staged at musselburgh racecourse near edinburgh on tuesday and wednesday 
athletics	30	the 31 year old scot was suspended for two years in 1998 after testing positive for nandrolone 
athletics	30	 i had intended to race but i m running like a goon   said walker 
athletics	30	he told the herald newspaper   i m not in great shape  after missing about a month of training 
athletics	30	 i missed a big chunk of speed work over about three weeks  and then another week working in america 
athletics	30	 if i d had a half decent mark it might have motivated me more  but i won t be racing 
athletics	30	 i still enjoy training  but feel it s time to move on  and concentrate on a career 
athletics	30	  
athletics	31	bekele sets sights on world markolympic 10 000m champion kenenisa bekele is determined to add the world indoor two mile record at february s norwich union grand prix in birmingham 
athletics	31	the 22 year old will again be chasing a record held by his compatriot and mentor haile gebrselassie  who set the mark at the same meeting in 2003 
athletics	31	 i am still as hungry to do as much as i can in this sport   said bekele 
athletics	31	 and aiming for the two mile world record in birmingham is the next of those targets 
athletics	31	  gebrselassie s current record stands at eight minutes  number seconds 
athletics	31	and bekele is no stranger to overhauling world marks at the national indoor arena 
athletics	31	the ethiopian broke the world indoor 5 000m record on his debut at the meeting last year 
athletics	31	compatriots mulugeta wondimu  abiyote abate and markos geneti  the world indoor bronze medallist over 3000m  will race against bekele on 18 february 
athletics	31	the meet has already attracted a crop of olympic talent 
athletics	31	britain s 800m and 1500m champion kelly holmes is taking part in the 1000m 
athletics	31	swedish heptathlon gold medallist carolina kluft will contest the 60m hurdles 
athletics	31	while men s 4x100m relay gold medallists jason gardener and mark lewis francis will go head to head in the 60m 
athletics	32	greek sprinters suspended by iaafgreek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have been suspended after failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics 
athletics	32	athletics  ruling body the iaaf said explanations from the pair and their former coach as to why they missed the tests were  unacceptable  
athletics	32	it added that kenteris and thanou had been  provisionally suspended pending the resolution of their cases  
athletics	32	they face two year bans if found guilty by the greek athletics federation 
athletics	32	the suspension also covers the athletes  controversial coach  christos tzekos 
athletics	32	kenteris  the 2000 olympic 200m champion  and thanou  the women s 100m silver medallist from the same games in sydney  also face a criminal hearing in greece over the missed tests 
athletics	32	they failed to appear to give samples in chicago and tel aviv shortly before the athens games and again in athens on 12 august  the eve of the opening ceremony 
athletics	32	greek prosecutors have also charged them with faking a midnight motorcycle crash which led to them spending four days in hospital 
athletics	32	some medical staff have been charged with writing false medical reports 
athletics	32	wednesday s statement said the greek federation  segas  would convene a disciplinary hearing for the trio to determine whether there had been doping violations 
athletics	32	 there will be a final right of appeal from the decision of the greek federation to the court of arbitration for sport   the iaaf said 
athletics	32	tzekos insisted he and the runners had nothing to hide 
athletics	32	 the iaaf s decision means nothing   he said 
athletics	32	 we ll be presenting all our arguments to segas   we re innocent 
athletics	32	  
athletics	33	athens memories soar above lowswell  it s goodbye to another olympic year and as usual there were plenty of highs and lows in athens 
athletics	33	obviously  there s no getting away from the differing fortunes of kelly holmes and paula radcliffe 
athletics	33	but i want to remind you of a few more events that made 2004 another year to remember   or forget   for athletics 
athletics	33	one of my favourite olympic moments was kelly s success in the 800m 
athletics	33	winning that race was the key to her success because if she won that then the 1500m would be a bit of a formality 
athletics	33	kelly had been full of  should i  shouldn t i   thoughts about going for the double in athens 
athletics	33	i thought why wouldn t you do the 800m  it s your best event  it was such good fun to commentate on her 1500m and it was nice to be able to be part of her athens story 
athletics	33	the victory for the british men s 4x100m relay team was a bit of a surprise but a great climax to the games 
athletics	33	i think the four of them   jason gardener  darren campbell  marlon devonish and mark lewis francis   knew deep down that it was their best chance of a medal 
athletics	33	the lads had run poorly in the individual sprints so maybe they did lift their game when they knew something was really at stake 
athletics	33	hicham el guerrouj s olympic double is a much bigger achievement than kelly s on a global scale 
athletics	33	he was the first man since for 80 years to win both the 1500m and 5 000m titles 
athletics	33	as soon as he had added the 5 000m crown and i had finished commentating  i jumped up  ran down the stairs  pushed everyone out the way and just gave him a big hug 
athletics	33	he is one of the few african runners who has embraced the tradition of the mile and he loves to hear all the roger bannister stories 
athletics	33	hicham is someone i enjoy having a bit of time with  even though my french and his english are not very good 
athletics	33	what happened to paula in athens this year is the obvious low on a personal level and for the expectations of the nation as well 
athletics	33	there were a set of circumstances around athens that conspired to produce a very dramatic ending which i think has been greatly misunderstood 
athletics	33	dropping out of the marathon was the right thing to do but starting in the 10 000m five days later was not wise 
athletics	33	that was her heart and not her head reacting 
athletics	33	paula had a lot of little things going wrong in her preparation and on the day 
athletics	33	things like niggling injuries  not being able to do all her running sessions and feeling the pressure of the race looming ahead of her 
athletics	33	i think she came to the start line in athens physically and emotionally drained 
athletics	33	and if even the smallest thing doesn t feel right when you are preparing to race a marathon  10 miles down the road it will hit you like a brick wall 
athletics	33	the positive thing to take from paula s olympics it that she will have learned a lot from it and so will a lot of people   including me 
athletics	33	purely as a race  paula s victory in the new york marathon has to go down as one of the most thrilling 
athletics	33	it was so nip and tuck between her and kenya s susan chepkemei and you don t usually get that kind of excitement in marathons 
athletics	33	it was also a real delight for all athletics fans because  to use one of my favourite words  paula showed real  bouncebackability  
athletics	33	and it was a bit of a rarity for me too because i genuinely did not have an inkling how the race was going to pan out 
athletics	33	kelly and the 4x100m boys  victories papered over the cracks in the general performance of the british team 
athletics	33	we should be concerned that we re not producing enough people who are capable of reaching finals at senior level 
athletics	33	the only individual men s finalist on the track was michael east in the 1500m 
athletics	33	i am beginning to look down and wonder where are the new breed  and that s where things begin to look even gloomier for british athletics as we did not win any medals at the world junior championships in italy 
athletics	33	dani barnes came fourth in the 1500m and she was the highest finisher for team gb 
athletics	33	the thing is if we don t have athletes getting into the finals at junior level then it really doesn t look good for the beijing olympics and beyond 
athletics	33	i tell you what i really enjoyed this year  benita johnson winning the world cross country championships back in march 
athletics	33	in the absence of paula  we tend to think of the event as something of an african preserve 
athletics	33	so to have an australian come up and deliver such a surprise was something special 
athletics	33	to be honest  i m getting bored with all the drug scandals  especially balco 
athletics	33	i just wish the whole thing would come to a head so we can move on 
athletics	33	having said that  i m always pleased when drugs cheats are caught because it shows the sport is standing up to it and not turning a blind eye anymore 
athletics	33	and one of the positive things to come out of balco is people are starting to blow the whistle 
athletics	33	we need more people to come forward and help the authorities kick out the cheats 
athletics	33	as regards the case against greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou  well suspicions have been hanging over kenteris for a while 
athletics	33	the bottom line is we cannot keep letting drugs damage the sport because if we do then it stops everyone enjoying it 
athletics	34	collins banned in landmark casesprinter michelle collins has received an eight year ban for doping offences after a hearing at the north american court of arbitration for sport  cas  
athletics	34	america s former world indoor 200m champion is the first athlete to be suspended without a positive drugs test or an admission of drugs use 
athletics	34	collins  ban is a result of her connection to the federal inquiry into the balco doping scandal 
athletics	34	the 33 year old was found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs 
athletics	34	the us anti doping agency  usada  decided to press charges against collins in the summer 
athletics	34	the sprinter has consistently protested her innocence but the cas has upheld usada s findings 
athletics	34	 the usada has proved  beyond a reasonable doubt  that collins took epo  the testosterone epitestosterone cream and thg   said a cas statement 
athletics	34	 collins used these substances to enhance her performance and elude the drug testing that was available at the time 
athletics	34	  so far a total of 13 athletes have been sanctioned for violations involving drugs associated with the balco doping scandal 
athletics	34	world record holder tim montgomery is also facing a lifetime ban after being charged by the usada 
athletics	34	his hearing before the csa has been rescheduled for june next year 
athletics	34	drug enforcement chiefs in the us have vowed to crack down on cheats 
athletics	34	usada chief executive officer terry madden said the action taken against collins was further proof of that 
athletics	34	 the cas panel s decision confirms that those who violate the rules will be sanctioned as part of usada s ongoing efforts to protect the rights of the overwhelming majority of us athletes that compete drug free   said madden 
athletics	34	the usada has built its cases on verbal evidence given to the federal investigation into balco rather than test results 
athletics	34	the san francisco based balco laboratory faces steroid distribution and money laundering charges 
athletics	34	the trial is expected to open next march 
athletics	35	jones doping probe beginsan investigation into doping claims against marion jones has been opened by the international olympic committee 
athletics	35	ioc president jacques rogge has set up a disciplinary body to look into claims by victor conte  of balco laboratories 
athletics	35	jones  who says she is innocent  could lose all her olympic medals after conte said he gave her performance enhancing drugs before the sydney olympics 
athletics	35	but rogge said it was too early to speculate about that  hoping only that  the truth will emerge  
athletics	35	any decision on the medals would be taken by the ioc s executive board and could hinge on interpretation of a rule stating that olympic decisions can only be challenged within three years of the games closing 
athletics	35	the sydney olympics ended more than four years ago  but world anti doping agency chief dick pound said the rule may not apply because the allegations are only coming out now 
athletics	35	 we will find a way to deal with that   pound said 
athletics	35	in a statement released through her attorney rich nichols  jones repeated her innocence and vowed she would be cleared 
athletics	35	 victor conte s allegations are not true and the truth will be revealed for the world to see as the legal process moves forward   she said 
athletics	35	 conte is someone who is under federal indictment and has a record of issuing contradictory  inconsistent statements 
athletics	35	  
athletics	36	johnson accuses british sprintersformer olympic champion michael johnson has accused britain s top sprinters of lacking pride and ambition 
athletics	36	 at the moment  the biggest factor on the mind of british sprinters is to be number one in britain   the world 200m and 400m record holder told five live 
athletics	36	 athletics at the moment is all about international competitions and they need to show a little more pride 
athletics	36	  however  linford christie countered   it s easy to criticise when you haven t gone through the system here 
athletics	36	  johnson was involved in a verbal spat with britain s darren campbell earlier this year 
athletics	36	the american had cast doubt on campbell s claims he had torn a hamstring in the wake of his failure to reach the olympic 100m and 200m finals 
athletics	36	and the american remains highly critical of aspects of british sprinting 
athletics	36	 the only time you see british sprinters getting upset or riled is when there is a debate as to which one is better than the other   he claimed 
athletics	36	 athletes here have to compete more outside the uk 
athletics	36	their focus has to be on being the best in the world and not just on being the top british sprinter 
athletics	36	  speaking at an elite coaches  conference in birmingham  johnson also argued that although there has been more investment in the sport in britain  it had not necessarily reaped the rewards 
athletics	36	 you can t fix everything with money   he admitted 
athletics	36	 you contrast the situation here to that of some us athletes who have no funding 
athletics	36	 those who aren t funded might be hungrier and more motivated because their road to success is a lot more difficult and challenging 
athletics	36	 so when they get to the top they are more appreciative 
athletics	36	  
athletics	37	radcliffe proves doubters wrongthis won t go down as one of the greatest marathons of paula s career 
athletics	37	but as a test of character  it was the toughest race she s ever taken part in 
athletics	37	a win in the new york marathon doesn t make up for the disappointment of athens in any shape or form  but it will offer hope and reassurance for next year 
athletics	37	if paula s last experience of the year had been athens  it would have been very difficult to look forward with any optimism 
athletics	37	she can now draw a line under this year and make plans about her future 
athletics	37	even if she d lost this race  there would have been a lot of positives to take out of it 
athletics	37	she knows she can dig deep if she needs to 
athletics	37	it was a strong field  with a number of the girls going into the race with expectations of winning 
athletics	37	and although two hours 23 minutes wasn t one of paula s best times  it wasn t far off the record on a difficult course 
athletics	37	i was speaking to paula in the lead up to this race and she said that in many ways she was facing a no win situation 
athletics	37	she thought that if she won  people would say  why couldn t she do that in athens   and if she lost  people would say her career was over 
athletics	37	and a lot of people were wondering what would happen if paula was forced to drop out of this race  as she did in the marathon and 10 000m in athens 
athletics	37	but that was never on the cards 
athletics	37	she might have been beaten  but she would have kept running 
athletics	37	the reasons she was forced to pull out in athens   the niggling injuries  her lack of energy and the oppressive conditions   weren t at play here 
athletics	37	the only question was what position she could finish in 
athletics	37	most important of all  despite all the hype in the media ahead of this race  there were never doubts in paula s mind 
athletics	37	if she wasn t confident  she wouldn t have run 
athletics	37	after all  if you re the best in the world at an event  you ll always have expectations of winning 
athletics	37	now paula will take part in the run london 10km race in london at the end of the year  have a well earned rest over christmas and go into next year with a lot of optimism 
athletics	38	jones medals  must go if guilty world anti doping agency  wada  chief dick pound says marion jones should be stripped of all her medals if found guilty of taking banned substances 
athletics	38	victor conte  of balco laboratories  claims the american sprinter regularly used drugs to enhance her performance 
athletics	38	 if she is found guilty she should be stripped of all her medals and banned for two years   said pound 
athletics	38	asked if there was a timescale as to what medals could be taken  pound said   that is not an issue at all 
athletics	38	  however  under international olympic committee  ioc  rules  athletes can only be stripped of their medals if caught within three years of the event 
athletics	38	jones  who won five medals at the 2000 olympics  denies using drugs and says she will take legal action over conte s allegations 
athletics	38	balco laboratories is the firm at the centre of a wide reaching investigation into doping in the us 
athletics	38	pound continued   if she has indeed taken drugs it is going to be a big disappointment for a lot of people 
athletics	38	  
athletics	39	radcliffe tackles marathon taskspaula radcliffe faces arguably the biggest test of her career in the new york city marathon on sunday 
athletics	39	back under the spotlight of public scrutiny she will attempt to erase the double disappointment of the athens olympics  where she failed to finish the marathon and then the 10 000m 
athletics	39	bbc sport examines the challenges facing radcliffe ahead of the big race 
athletics	39	the ability to run a gruelling number miles relies largely upon an athlete s belief that they can do it 
athletics	39	every runner will hit the wall at some stage and see written on it   are you strong enough to finish  the question could hit radcliffe hard after she was unable to complete her last two races in high profile and emotional circumstances 
athletics	39	sports psychologist hugh richards says the 30 year old must draw on her past achievements to conquer a potential crisis of confidence 
athletics	39	 there is an old adage   get straight back on the horse that threw you    richards told bbc sport 
athletics	39	 paula has got all those great runs in her history as well as the two upsets in athens 
athletics	39	 she must not lose faith in what has already been proven is a very effective strategy for distance running 
athletics	39	 if she were to change her preparation and tactics that would be madness 
athletics	39	 she wants to start rebuilding her confidence through performance accomplishment 
athletics	39	  for much of the watching media and public there can only be two possible outcomes in new york   win or lose 
athletics	39	if radcliffe crosses the line first she will have proved her critics wrong 
athletics	39	but if she fails to triumph  she risks being labelled a has been and her profile will suffer 
athletics	39	and for any athlete that can have repercussions in terms of sponsorship  appearance fees as well as further self esteem issues 
athletics	39	 athletes need to try and stay focused on their internal controls and ignore external questions   explains richards  who has worked with past olympians 
athletics	39	 she must not get caught up in someone else s agenda 
athletics	39	  radcliffe s best friend and fellow distance runner liz yelling revealed the 30 year old is already aware she will be exposing herself to more public scrutiny in new york 
athletics	39	 she just thought   well  they can t think any worse of me now    yelling told bbc sport 
athletics	39	 she s just doing what she wants to do and not thinking about the consequences of it 
athletics	39	  radcliffe described her decision to enter the new york marathon as  impulsive  but she is certain to have a tick list of personal goals 
athletics	39	her aims could be as simple as completing a race and making sure she is still enjoying running but richards says she must avoid more emotional targets  such as redemption 
athletics	39	 you can t change history   warned richards 
athletics	39	 only one person can win the marathon but lots of people can be successful 
athletics	39	 paula has to figure out what sort of things will she feel satisfied achieving by the end of the race 
athletics	39	  the course from staten island to central park is renowned as one of the toughest in the world 
athletics	39	it is also not the kind of fast course that tends to suit radcliffe better  with the undulating finish through the park testing the legs  final reserves 
athletics	39	radcliffe has never raced there before and will enter the unknown just 77 days after the athens marathon 
athletics	39	 it s suggested after a major marathon you take a full month off and start building up again   said yelling  herself a marathon runner 
athletics	39	 but that is only for long term health and fitness 
athletics	39	 when you finish a marathon you are still very fit and can recover quickly 
athletics	39	so physically it is possible for paula 
athletics	39	  richards also points out conditions in new york will be more conducive to a strong physical display from radcliffe 
athletics	39	 the heat stress was the primary factor that tripped her up in athens   he said 
athletics	39	 and that just isn t going to be there in new york  that s been taken out of the equation 
athletics	39	  radcliffe concedes she will probably learn a lot from her bad experiences in athens in time 
athletics	39	and richards and yelling agree she could turn the trauma to her advantage  starting in new york 
athletics	39	 how you respond to adversity is what marks you out as elite or not   argues richards 
athletics	39	 one of the challenges of massive set backs is how you turn them into opportunities 
athletics	39	  and yelling says   i think this will probably make paula 
athletics	39	   i think it will drive her on and she ll come out of it a better athlete 
athletics	39	  
athletics	40	gatlin and hayes win owen awardsamerican olympic stars justin gatlin and joanna hayes have been named the winners of the 2004 jesse owens awards  usa track   field s  usatf  top honour 
athletics	40	gatlin  22  won the closest 100m final in games history with a career best time of number seconds in athens 
athletics	40	he also won bronze in the 200m and silver in the 4x100m relay  becoming the only male athlete to win three athletics medals this summer 
athletics	40	hayes  27  set an olympic record of number in winning the 100m hurdles 
athletics	40	established in 1981  the jesse owens awards   named in honour of the late olympic great who won four gold medals at the 1936 berlin games   are presented annually to the outstanding us male and female track and field performers 
athletics	40	the 2004 awards will be presented on 3 december in conjunction with the usatf annual meeting in portland 
athletics	40	 it is such a great honour to win the jesse owens award   said gatlin 
athletics	40	 it is one of the biggest honours in track and field and it is a great end to a great year 
athletics	40	  hayes said   knowing some of the great people who have won this award before me and knowing what it represents  i feel a sense accomplishment and pride which lets me know that everything that i have worked for is and always will be worth it 
athletics	40	  
athletics	41	radcliffe enjoys winning comebackpaula radcliffe made a triumphant return to competitive running with victory in the new york marathon 
athletics	41	the briton  running for the first time since dropping out of the olympic marathon and 10 000m  held off kenyan susan chepkemei in a thrilling finish 
athletics	41	the pair were locked together for the last few miles before radcliffe finally sprinted clear to win in two hours  23 minutes and 10 seconds 
athletics	41	 it s a good way to end the year   she said 
athletics	41	 i m ready for a good rest now 
athletics	41	  radcliffe decided only recently to run in the race and many had doubted whether she had sufficiently recovered from her olympic ordeal just 11 weeks ago 
athletics	41	but the world record holder was prominent at the head of the field for the whole race as her rivals slowly dropped off the pace 
athletics	41	just chepkemei and radcliffe were left in contention as the race came into the final few miles 
athletics	41	the kenyan put in several bursts of speed to throw off radcliffe but the briton managed to hang in 
athletics	41	both runners looked to be suffering as they reached the final mile in central park 
athletics	41	but it was radcliffe who managed to dredge up a final sprint to see off chepkemei in the closest finish in the race s history and in the process make a huge step in erasing the disappointment she suffered in athens 
athletics	42	collins named uk athletics chiefuk athletics has ended its search for a new performance director by appointing psychologist dave collins 
athletics	42	collins  who worked with the british teams at the 2000 and 2004 olympics  takes over from max jones 
athletics	42	six candidates were interviewed for the job  including denise lewis  coach charles van commenee and former british triple jumper keith connor 
athletics	42	 we ve searched long and hard to ensure we have found the right person   said uka chief executive david moorcroft 
athletics	42	 we have thoroughly tested the candidates 
athletics	42	i believe david will make a great leader and i have great faith in what he will achieve 
athletics	42	  collins said   it s a great challenge 
athletics	42	over the next few months i will spend time listening to those who already make a significant contribution to athletics and other elite sports in the uk 
athletics	42	  collins  who has worked with javelin thrower steve backley in the past  started his career as a royal marine before becoming a pe teacher 
athletics	42	he is currently professor of physical education and sport performance at edinburgh university  where he helps competitors across many sports  including rugby  athletics  judo and football 
athletics	42	he has specialised in helping competitors fulfil their potential through psychology and has worked with the great britain women s curling team  who won gold at the 2002 winter olympics 
athletics	42	mark lewis francis sought collins  advice in athens when he was looking for inspiration before he ran the final leg of britain s surprise triumph in the 4x100m relay 
athletics	42	collins has played rugby at regional level  was captain of the great britain american football team  and competed at national level in judo and karate 
athletics	42	he arrives with british athletics at a crossroads 
athletics	42	despite kelly holmes  golden double and the success of the sprint relay squad  the gb team failed to live up to expectations in athens 
athletics	42	many older competitors have retired or are coming to the end of their careers  and britain failed to win a single medal at the world junior championships in italy this year 
athletics	42	collins will not have day to day coaching contact with the athletes  but will be expected to make changes to the system and coaching set up in order to secure medals at the beijing olympics in 2008 
athletics	42	the appointment of a new performance director was one of the main recommendations in sir andrew foster s review of the sport  which was published in may 
athletics	42	it was commissioned by uk sport and sport england  which wanted uk athletics to justify funding of more than £40m from the government following the failure to hang on to the 2005 world championships  which are now being held in helsinki 
athletics	42	van commenee dropped out of the selection process to take on the same role with the dutch olympic committee  while connor s application was rejected after an arduous interview process 
athletics	42	foster  however  declared himself satisfied with how the appointment was made 
athletics	42	 the appointment of david collins  with his strong mix of leadership skills and managerial experience  is testament to the professional and detailed recruitment process   he said 
athletics	43	white admits to balco drugs linkbanned american sprinter kelli white says she knowingly took steroids given to her by bay area lab co operative  balco  president victor conte 
athletics	43	conte faces a federal trial next year on charges of distributing steroids and tax evasion  and white said at first he tried to cover up what he was doing 
athletics	43	 he s the one who told me that it wasn t what he said it was   white said in the san francisco chronicle 
athletics	43	but she added   it was my decision to go to him  not anybody else s 
athletics	43	  white said conte at first told her the substance was flaxseed oil  only to change his story later 
athletics	43	white failed a drugs test after winning the 100m and 200m titles at the 2003 world athletics championships 
athletics	43	she was subsequently handed a two year ban in may this year and has admitted taking the stimulant modafinil 
athletics	43	at first  white claimed she took the drug to combat narcolepsy but she now takes full responsibility for her actions 
athletics	43	 my whole belief about victor is that he was selling a product   white said in the la times 
athletics	43	 whether it be a good product or a bad product  he was selling a product 
athletics	43	  white was introduced to conte through her coach remy korchemy  who is also a defendant in the balco case 
athletics	43	the 27 year old believes doping is so common in sport she felt compelled to cheat herself if she was to have any chance of winning 
athletics	43	 i have no clue what it s going to take to change that   said white 
athletics	43	 i would say i made a mistake and i would never  ever go back 
athletics	43	 i would never recommend anyone to take that route 
athletics	43	  
athletics	44	trial date is set for balco casea us judge has set a preliminary trial date for the balco steroid distribution case which has rocked athletics 
athletics	44	us district court judge susan ilston rejected an attempt by the defence team to have the case dismissed at a pre trial hearing in san francisco 
athletics	44	and she set a march date for the case of the four men accused of distributing illegal performance enhancing drugs to elite athletes to be heard 
athletics	44	a firm decision on whether the trial takes place is expected in january 
athletics	44	the judge said that she may conduct hearings in january into whether federal agents illegally searched the balco headquarters and wrongfully obtained statements from the company s founder victor conte and its vice president james valente 
athletics	44	the two men   along with personal trainer greg anderson and athletics coach remy korchemny   were all indicted earlier this year but have pleaded their innocence 
athletics	44	the outcome of those hearings could result in some or all of the charges being dismissed 
athletics	44	conte said that he would be telling his side of the story on an american tv show on friday 
athletics	44	 the world deserves to know the truth about performance enhancing drugs   he said 
athletics	44	balco  the bay area laboratory cooperative  is the company at the centre of the scandal 
athletics	44	the company has been accused by the united states anti doping agency  usada  of being the source of the banned steroid thg and modafinil 
athletics	44	the usada claims that 10 athletes have received sanctions for testing positive for thg and modafinil 
athletics	44	former double world champion kelli white and olympic relay star alvin harrison have both been banned on the basis of materials discovered during the balco investigation 
athletics	44	britain s former european 100m champion dwain chambers is currently serving a two year ban after testing positive for thg in an out of competition test in 2003 
athletics	45	radcliffe eyes hard line on drugspaula radcliffe has called for all athletes found guilty on drugs charges to be treated as criminals 
athletics	45	the marathon world record holder believes more needs to be done to rid athletics of the  suspicions and innuendoes  which greet any fast time 
athletics	45	 doping in sport is a criminal offence and should be treated as such   the 30 year old told the sunday times 
athletics	45	 it not only cheats other athletes but also cheats promoters  sponsors and the general public 
athletics	45	 radcliffe s comments come at a time when several american sports stars are under suspicion of steroid use 
athletics	45	 being caught in possession of a performance enhancing drugs should carry a penalty   she added 
athletics	45	 the current system does not detect many of the substances being abused by athletes 
athletics	45	 this means that often athletes do not know if they are competing on a level playing field  if their hard work and sacrifice is being trumped by an easier scientific route 
athletics	45	 often  when an athlete puts in a good performance  they are subjected to suspicions and innuendoes instead of praise 
athletics	45	 having been on the receiving end of accusations like this i can testify as to how much this hurts 
athletics	45	  
athletics	46	kenteris denies faking road crashgreek sprinter kostas kenteris has denied claims that he faked a motorbike crash to avoid a doping test days before the start of the olympics 
athletics	46	kenteris and fellow sprinter katerina thanou are set to learn if they will face criminal charges this week 
athletics	46	part of the investigation has centred on whether they staged the crash 
athletics	46	kenteris insisted   the accident happened 
athletics	46	i went crazy when i found out i had supposedly missed a test and i wanted to rush to the olympic village 
athletics	46	  kenteris  speaking on greece s alter television station  also claimed that he asked to be tested for banned substances in hospital after the crash 
athletics	46	 i told the hospital  which was an olympics accredited hospital  to call the ioc and have me tested on the spot but no one came 
athletics	46	 after a drama which dominated newspaper headlines in greece as athens prepared for the start of the athens games  kenteris and thanou eventually withdrew 
athletics	46	but kenteris has continually protested his innocence   and on sunday blamed greek olympic committee officials and his former coach christos tzekos for failing to inform him of the test 
athletics	46	the 31 year old insisted he will be happy if he is charged so he can clear his name 
athletics	46	 if a decision is taken to have charges filed against me  i will accept it gladly 
athletics	46	 a prosecution means that the case will be cleared 
athletics	46	i want to go to the end and then we ll see who s right and who isn t 
athletics	46	  kenteris  a greek hero after winning gold in the 200m at the 2000 olympics in sydney  also confirmed that he was due to light the flame at the athens opening ceremony 
athletics	46	 i had even rehearsed lighting the cauldron   he said 
athletics	47	greek pair set for hearingkostas kenteris and katerina thanou will fight the provisional two year bans imposed on them by the iaaf at an independent tribunal this weekend 
athletics	47	athletics  ruling body took action against the pair for failing to take drugs tests before the athens olympics 
athletics	47	an independent tribunal of the greek track and field federation will meet to decide whether to ratify the sanction 
athletics	47	the sprint duo face charges of failing to give information on their location and refusing to submit to a drugs test 
athletics	47	kenteris  lawyer gregory ioannidis told bbc sport   we refute both charges as unsubstantiated and illogical 
athletics	47	 there have been certain breaches in the correct application of the rules on behalf of the sporting authorities and their officials  and these procedural breaches have also violated my client s rights 
athletics	47	 there is also evidence that proves the fact that my client has been persecuted 
athletics	47	  ioannidis  who is a law lecturer at the university of buckingham  added   one of the important rights and foundations of law and justice   that the accused should be presumed innocent unless proved otherwise   has been tarnished 
athletics	47	  the panel will also decide on the two year ban imposed on the athletes  controversial coach christos tzekos by the iaaf 
athletics	47	kenteris  the 2000 olympic 200m champion  and thanou  the women s 100m silver medallist from the same games in sydney  quit the olympics on 18 august after failing to give samples on the eve of the opening ceremony 
athletics	47	testers could not find them at the olympic village and the duo were later admitted to hospital after claiming to have been involved in a motorcycle accident 
athletics	47	they also missed tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens before the games 
athletics	47	in imposing two year suspensions on the duo on 22 december  the iaaf described their explanations for missing the tests as  unacceptable  
athletics	47	whatever the findings of the independent tribunal  all parties will have the right to appeal to the court of arbitration for sport 
athletics	47	the tribunal hearing will take place at the hellenic olympic committee building 
athletics	47	it will start at 1200 gmt on saturday and is expected to finish early next week 
athletics	47	the tribunal panel will consist of five members   president konstantinos panagopoulos and panagiotis dimakos  haralabos hrisanthakis  stilianos perakis and ioannis karmis 
athletics	47	kenteris and thanou also face criminal charges in greece for allegedly faking the motorcycle accident 
athletics	47	eight criminal charges have been laid against the sprinters as well as tzekos  an eyewitness to the accident and hospital officials 
athletics	47	but there has been speculation that the charges could be dropped 
athletics	48	jones files conte lawsuitmarion jones has filed a lawsuit for defamation against balco boss victor conte following his allegations that he gave her performance enhancing drugs 
athletics	48	the sydney olympic gold medallist says conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking  25m  £13m  in the suit 
athletics	48	conte  whose company is at the centre of a doping investigation  made the claims in a us television programme 
athletics	48	he and three others were indicted in february by a federal grand jury for a variety of alleged offences 
athletics	48	in an email to the associated press on wednesday  conte said   i stand by everything i said  
athletics	48	jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in sydney in 2000 
athletics	48	her lawsuit  filed in the us district court in san francisco  said the sprinter had passed a lie detector test and that she  has never taken banned performance enhancing drugs  
athletics	48	conte s statements  the suit added  were  false and malicious  
athletics	48	after the abc television program earlier this month  jones  lawyer richard nicholls said   marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout  she has never  ever used performance enhancing drugs 
athletics	48	 victor conte is a man facing a 42 count federal indictment  while marion jones is one of america s most decorated female athletes 
athletics	48	mr conte s statements have been wildly contradictory 
athletics	48	 mr conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television  while marion jones demanded to take and then passed a lie detector examination 
athletics	48	 mr conte is simply not credible 
athletics	48	we challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that marion jones passed 
athletics	48	  the sport s ruling body  the iaaf  is taking a cautious approach to conte s allegations but contacted the us anti doping agency 
athletics	48	communications director nick davies said the iaaf would seek to contact conte  for further information  
athletics	48	but davies stressed it would be up to the american authorities to decide whether they will take action against jones in light of conte s television interview and the world governing body would monitor the situation closely 
athletics	48	 if it is felt there is case to answer  it would be for its national governing body  usa track and field  to take the appropriate disciplinary action   he added 
athletics	48	 the us anti doping agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti doping war 
athletics	48	 and i am sure  like ourselves  they will be watching the television programme with great interest 
athletics	48	  jones  who is under investigation for steroid use by the us anti doping agency  has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the balco scandal  although she praised a zinc supplement conte marketed 
athletics	48	jones  who did not win any medals in athens in august  has never failed a drugs test 
athletics	48	meanwhile  conte  who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering  is due to face trial in march 
athletics	49	iaaf awaits greek pair s responsekostas kenteris and katerina thanou are yet to respond to doping charges from the international association of athletics federations  iaaf  
athletics	49	the greek pair were charged after missing a series of routine drugs tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens 
athletics	49	they have until midnight on 16 december and an iaaf spokesman said   we re sure their responses are on their way 
athletics	49	  if they do not respond or their explanations are rejected  they will be provisionally banned from competition 
athletics	49	they will then face a hearing in front of the greek federation  which will ultimately determine their fate 
athletics	49	their former coach christos tzekos has also been charged with distributing banned substances 
athletics	49	under iaaf rules  the athletes could receive a maximum one year suspension 
athletics	49	kenteris and thanou already face a criminal trial after being charged with avoiding a drug test on the eve of the athens olympics and then faking a motorcyle crash 
athletics	49	no date for the trial has yet been set and again tzekos is also facing charges 
athletics	49	the iaaf issued an official warning to the trio last year after they were discovered training in qatar rather than in crete  where they had said they would be 
athletics	49	all athletes must inform their national federations where they are at all times  so they can be available for out of competition drugs tests 
athletics	49	but kenteris and thanou then went on to skip tests in tel aviv and chicago  when they decided to fly back to greece early 
athletics	49	then just before the olympics  the pair dramatically missed another test in athens and withdrew from the games 
athletics	50	iaaf to rule on greek sprint pairgreek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou are expected to find out on wednesday if they will be banned for missing drugs tests this summer 
athletics	50	the international association of athletics federations  iaaf  council held a conference call on tuesday and are set to announce their decision 
athletics	50	kenteris and thanou could be suspended for up to two years 
athletics	50	the duo withdrew from the olympics after missing a test but claimed they had suffered a motorcycle crash 
athletics	50	the greek authorities have also brought criminal charges against the sprinters for avoiding a drugs test and faking an accident 
athletics	50	their former coach christos tzekos is also facing charges and all three are awaiting a trial date 
athletics	50	however  the iaaf will determine the sprinters  future on the track after carefully considering all the evidence 
athletics	50	the sport s ruling body is expected to direct the greek federation in what action it should take against the sprinters 
athletics	50	kenteris and thanou can appeal against any decision at the court of arbitration for sport 
athletics	50	the sprinters both sent written explanations to the iaaf  which have been taken into account 
athletics	50	the iaaf sent an official warning to the sprinters and coach tzekos after they were discovered training in qatar rather than in crete  where they had said they would be 
athletics	50	but kenteris and thanou then went on to skip tests in tel aviv and chicago  when they decided to fly back to greece early 
athletics	50	just before the olympics  the pair dramatically missed another test in athens before withdrawing from the games 
athletics	50	kenteris  31  won gold in the 200m at the sydney olympics in 2000  where thanou  29  won silver in the 100m 
athletics	51	holmes starts 2005 with gb eventskelly holmes will start 2005 with a series of races in britain 
athletics	51	holmes will make her first track appearance on home soil since winning double olympic gold in january s norwich union international in glasgow 
athletics	51	she will also run in the grand prix in birmingham in february and may defend her indoor aaa 800m title in sheffield earlier that month 
athletics	51	 i am still competitive and still want to win   she said 
athletics	51	 i m an athlete and i can t wait to get back on the track 
athletics	51	  she added   these events are also a great opportunity to thank the british public for the enormous levels of support they have given me from the moment i stepped off that plane from greece 
athletics	51	  the glasgow meeting will see holmes compete over 1500m in a five way match against sweden  france  russia and italy 
athletics	52	gebrselassie in london triple biddouble olympic 10 000m champion haile gebrselassie will race in the london marathon for the next three years 
athletics	52	the ethiopian legend won sunday s almeria half marathon in spain on his return from an operation on his achilles tendon 
athletics	52	he was third in london in 2002 in his first serious attempt at the marathon 
athletics	52	 it is a coup for us to secure haile s presence for the next three years and it guarantees a quality race   said race director david bedford 
athletics	52	gebrselassie will face olympic champion stefano baldini  world champion jaouad gharib  and arch rival paul tergat  the current world record holder 
athletics	52	 if i didn t think i could win i would not be here   said gebrselassie  who has set world records on 18 occasions in his illustrious career and is keen to add the marathon record to his collection 
athletics	52	 there are a lot of fantastic runners in the race but i shall be doing my utmost to upset them 
athletics	52	  
athletics	53	thanou bullish over drugs hearingkaterina thanou is confident she and fellow sprinter kostas kenteris will not be punished for missing drugs tests before the athens olympics 
athletics	53	the greek pair appeared at a hearing on saturday which will determine whether their provisional bans from athletics  ruling body the iaaf should stand 
athletics	53	 after five months we finally had the chance to give explanations 
athletics	53	i am confident and optimistic   said thanou 
athletics	53	 we presented new evidence to the committee that they were not aware of 
athletics	53	 the athletes  lawyer grigoris ioanidis said he believed the independent disciplinary committee set up by the greek athletics federation  segas  would find them innocent 
athletics	53	 we are almost certain that the charges will be dropped   said ioanidis 
athletics	53	 we believe that we have presented  a case  that the charges are unreasonable 
athletics	53	  thanou  the 2000 olympic women s 100m silver medallist  and sydney 200m champion kenteris were suspended by the iaaf for missing three drugs tests 
athletics	53	the third was supposed to take place on the eve of the athens games last august  but the pair could not be found in the athletes  village 
athletics	53	they were later taken to hospital after claiming to have been involved in a motorcycle accident 
athletics	53	thanou s coach christos tzekos was also suspended by the iaaf 
athletics	53	 we were asked  by the disciplinary committee  all kinds of questions about the night of 12 august   said tzekos 
athletics	53	 we did not leave any gaps 
athletics	53	as far as i am concerned there is no such issue  of refusing to be tested   and i am very optimistic 
athletics	53	  tzekos  thanou and kenteris  who have all denied the charges  can expect a decision within a month 
athletics	53	 deliberations will start after some additional documents are brought in by thursday   said committee chairman kostas panagopoulos 
athletics	53	 i estimate that the final ruling will be issued by the end of february 
athletics	53	  
athletics	54	holmes is hit by hamstring injurykelly holmes has been forced out of this weekend s european indoor athletics championships after picking up a hamstring injury during training 
athletics	54	the double olympic champion said   i am very disappointed that i have been forced to withdraw 
athletics	54	 i can hardly walk at the moment and i won t be able to do any running for two or three weeks although i ll be keeping fit as best i can 
athletics	54	  holmes will have now have intensive treatment in south africa 
athletics	54	the 34 year old made a cautious start to the season but looked back to her best when she stormed to the 1 000m title at the birmingham grand prix 10 days ago 
athletics	54	after that race and more progress in training  holmes revealed she had decided to compete at the european indoors before her plans were wrecked last weekend 
athletics	54	 on saturday night i pulled my hamstring running the last bend on my final 200m of the night   said holmes 
athletics	54	 i was going really  really well when i felt a massive spasm in my left leg and my hamstring blew 
athletics	54	 i saw the doctor here and he has said it is not serious but it s frustrating missing madrid when i knew i was in great shape 
athletics	54	  holmes has now been advised by her coach margot jennings not to rush back into training and it is unlikely she will compete again until the summer 
athletics	54	helen clitheroe now goes to madrid as the only british competitor in the women s 1500m while there will be no representative in the 800m 
athletics	55	kluft impressed by sotherton formolympic heptathlon champion carolina kluft was full of admiration for britain s kelly sotherton as the pair prepared to clash in birmingham 
athletics	55	both will be in action on friday in the 60m hurdles and long jump ahead of the european indoor championships later this month in madrid 
athletics	55	sotherton finished third behind the swede in athens  and kluft said   i knew about her  she s a great girl 
athletics	55	 she looked very good early in the season and was competing really well 
athletics	55	  kluft showed impressive early season form on tuesday in stockholm s ge galan meeting  winning the sprint hurdles  the long jump and the 400m 
athletics	55	sotherton has also displayed promise  with a new high jump personal best in sheffield at the combined norwich union european trials and aaa championships  and a second place in the long jump behind jade johnson 
athletics	56	what now for kelly holmes last april  kelly holmes spoke to the bbc sport website about her loneliness  her fight to stay fit and her decision not to contest both the 800m and 1500m at the olympics 
athletics	56	it just goes to show even the most meticulous and measured athletes cannot predict what fate has in store for them 
athletics	56	four months later  holmes stormed to double olympic gold and has since been made a dame  won the bbc sport personality of the year and written a book whilst still finding time to coach aspiring athletes 
athletics	56	with so much time spent in the spotlight  holmes has increasingly dropped hints that her ambition on the track has begun to wilt 
athletics	56	and when asked about her plans for both the indoor and outdoor seasons ahead  the 34 year old has repeatedly chosen to tick the  don t know  box 
athletics	56	holmes has now pulled out of this weekend s european indoor championships  where she was selected for both the 800m and 1500m  because of a hamstring injury 
athletics	56	but should we be surprised if the olympic champion over both those distances decides she just does not feel like racing anymore   well  it s a lot easier being the double olympic champion  being feted by everybody  than training to be at the top in middle distance running   points out former olympian and bbc pundit steve cram 
athletics	56	 you have to have a real strong desire to carry on doing it even if you re very talented 
athletics	56	 holmes  drive and determination have always been unquestionable   that is the reason she has battled back from a string of injuries that threatened to see her finish her career empty handed 
athletics	56	but alarm bells start ringing when the kent athlete begins questioning herself 
athletics	56	 will i have as much commitment  desire and energy to go through a major championship   holmes asked in the new year 
athletics	56	 that is what i don t know 
athletics	56	  at 34  holmes will also be aware that time is running out 
athletics	56	us 400m and 200m legend michael johnson  a five time olympic gold medallist  retired shortly after his 34th birthday as did britain s double olympic champion decathlete daley thompson 
athletics	56	the physical demands of the day to day grind will only get harder for holmes  who has already admitted she  doesn t like the training anymore 
athletics	56	  whilst out on the circuit the allure of defeating a double olympic champion will spur her opponents on 
athletics	56	holmes will not want to needlessly suffer the indignity of being beaten 
athletics	56	unless she is certain she has a strong chance of winning any race  she will not step onto the track 
athletics	56	but if the kent athlete finds the form that fuelled her ambitions last summer  there are more prizes up for grabs 
athletics	56	the day after completing her double in athens  the 34 year old revealed she would still like to win her first indoors title 
athletics	56	holmes  wish could easily be met in madrid before she goes on to prepare for the outdoor season where there are still scores to be settled  such as a first gold at the world championships in helsinki 
athletics	56	there is just one small truth which could gnaw away at holmes  motivation   the realisation that no matter how hard she trains  nothing she wins now can surpass her achievements in athens 
athletics	56	on the other hand  if those achievements cannot be matched shouldn t they be at least shared and celebrated   you don t get the chance very often in your career to step onto the track as the double olympic champion   agreed cram 
athletics	56	 you want to be able to take your bow in front of the fans because it s a fantastic feeling 
athletics	56	 i think deep down kelly wants to run 
athletics	56	i think she will compete and run races on the circuits but whether or not she runs in the major championships is much less certain 
athletics	56	 athletics fans had every reason to believe they would see the new look kelly holmes tearing up the track again 
athletics	56	after her olympic glory she emphatically denied she planned to retire 
athletics	56	so  why is holmes dragging her heels about making a decision on where  when or whether to even bother competing again   that s just kelly   explains cram 
athletics	56	 she s always been like that 
athletics	56	 she enjoys people trying to guess what she is going to do next 
athletics	56	she knows every time she makes a pronouncement now it s headline news 
athletics	56	 kelly has to figure out for herself what it is she wants and that will be based on athletics decisions  whether she can be competitive  if she is fit enough to put her neck on the line 
athletics	56	 and if she decides not to run again  no one is going to turn round and say  you re making the wrong decision 
athletics	56	   
athletics	57	gardener battles to narrow winjason gardener fought all the way to the line to narrowly claim the men s 60m title at the norwich union indoor trials and aaas championships 
athletics	57	the world 60m champion got off to a rolling start and had to dig deep to dip ahead of mark findlay and darren chin  who both set personal bests 
athletics	57	 it was a close race   admitted gardener 
athletics	57	 i stumbled out the blocks but my experience told through 
athletics	57	 i still feel there s more life in me and i believe i can go faster 
athletics	57	  gardener s performance in sheffield could have been affected by the news  which he heard before his semi final  that his european record had been broken frenchman ronald pognon  who will be a real threat at the european championships  set a new time of number  one hundreth of a second faster than gardener s previous mark 
athletics	57	favouritedelivered a powerful performance to take the women s 60m title in number seconds 
athletics	57	 you ll see me in madrid and i feel there is a lot more to come along   said the 22 year old 
athletics	57	katherine endacott battled hard to take second and dip under the european qualifying mark 
athletics	57	defending champion joice maduaka had pulled out of the final with a chest infection 
athletics	57	was on record breaking form as she stormed to the women s 60m hurdles crown 
athletics	57	the 25 year old set a new british record for the second time in seven days  clocking number seconds to finish ahead of rival diane allahgreen 
athletics	57	 i m so happy   a tearful claxton told bbc sport 
athletics	57	 all the years i ve been running and i m getting recognition 
athletics	57	  claxton s time was also good enough to qualify for the european championships 
athletics	57	the men s 800m went to form in sheffield asdominated the race from start to finish 
athletics	57	the northern ireland athlete went off at a startling pace but had to hold off the challenge of welshman jimmy watkins over the final 200m to win in one minute  number seconds 
athletics	57	both mcilory and watkins  who set a life time best of 1 number  had already booked their places in madrid and were again well within the qualifying time 
athletics	57	 i had to go out and go through all the gears before the europeans and i won t run again until then   said mcilroy 
athletics	57	could not reach the european mark in the women s race as she crossed the line to win in 2 number 
athletics	57	olympic bronze heptathlon medallistrounded off a useful weekend with two more personal bests in sheffield 
athletics	57	the 28 year old reached numberm in the high jump and clocked numbersecs in the heats of the 60m hurdles 
athletics	57	 i ve surprised myself   said sotherton 
athletics	57	 i m starting to thrive on the pressure but if i don t perform then it s not the end of the world 
athletics	57	  pole vaultermade a winning return to major competition after a drugs ban 
athletics	57	the trafford athlete  who has served a two year ban after testing positive for anabolic steroids  clinched the title with a championship record numberm 
athletics	57	also set a new championship mark in the men s triple jump title in sheffield 
athletics	57	the 26 year old  who has been training in australia over the winter  landed numberm with his final effort   the longest leap in the world this year 
athletics	57	 i didn t have a clue   said idowu 
athletics	57	 i ve not jumped indoors before and i just wanted the qualifying mark 
athletics	57	 but this isn t a bad start and hopefully i ll come back from madrid with a gold medal 
athletics	57	  nathan douglas continued his steady progress this season as he set a life time best of numberm in second while jonathan moore took third 
athletics	57	andresumed their rivalry in the long jump competition  both achieving the european standard 
athletics	57	commonwealth champion morgan reached a personal best of numberm on his very first jump and then promptly retired with a bruised heel 
athletics	57	olympian tomlinson tried to play catch up with his six jumps but had to settle for a season s best jump of numberm 
athletics	57	 i was advised not to jump by my doctor and so i m pleased to come here and get the qualifying mark   said tomlinson 
athletics	57	  now based at loughborough  sprinted past front runner catherine murphy in the final 100m to steal the women s 400m title 
athletics	57	the 21 year old ran a personal best of number seconds to win her first indoor title 
athletics	57	wall s time was just short of the qualifying mark   something murphy already has 
athletics	57	ireland stook the men s title in number ahead of promising channel islands decathlete dale garland 
athletics	57	sudanese 18 year old rabah yusuf  who is seeking british citizenship  showed his raw talent as he burst through in third 
athletics	57	cleared the required numberm to qualify for the european championships and claim the aaas title in the women s high jump 
athletics	57	in the men s 3 000m powered to a new personal best of seven minutes  number seconds to defend his aaas title in style 
athletics	57	it was the first time in 11 years the eight minute barrier has been broken at the championships and was just within the european mark 
athletics	57	took the women s 1500m aaas title in the absence of kelly holmes 
athletics	57	her time of 4 number was not good enough to qualify for madrid but ovens had already opted out of the championships 
athletics	57	the men s race was won by  who had to fight off a closing pack to claim the title in 3 number 
athletics	58	european medal chances improvewhat have the european indoor trials told us  well  i think we could be heading to the european championships with half a dozen medal prospects 
athletics	58	it was good to see athletes beginning to make steps forward  to see a few new faces and there were lots of personal bests kicking around 
athletics	58	the best performance on the track for me was sarah claxton s win in the 60m hurdles 
athletics	58	running sub eight seconds twice in a week puts her right up there and if she repeats that in madrid she will be close to picking up a medal 
athletics	58	but what was great about sunday s performance was that she was under pressure to produce the goods when it counted 
athletics	58	diane allahgreen has been our best hurdler for some time now and i think she was surprised to be beaten by sarah 
athletics	58	and knowing that she got the better of diane in a head to head race will give sarah confidence 
athletics	58	in the men s race on saturday  allan scott was right in there and there is definitely more to come from him 
athletics	58	in fact  the men s 60m hurdles is so strong  i think the selectors will pick three hurdlers to go to madrid 
athletics	58	phillips idowu lit up the field events  not only with his hair  but also with his leap of numberm  which puts him at the top of the world rankings 
athletics	58	i had a chat with him before the competition and he was really looking forward to getting out there 
athletics	58	he feels he is in great shape and has some big jumps inside him   but then phillips always has 
athletics	58	a lot of the athletes said the runway was not very helpful  so for phillips to jump like that is a good performance 
athletics	58	he is such a huge talent but just needs some consistency   and if he does that then the big jumps will get even further 
athletics	58	across the board i thought kelly sotherton had a great weekend and continued to show she is developing 
athletics	58	she picked up three personal bests in the long jump  high jump and 60m hurdles and you can t ask for more than that 
athletics	58	kelly will be up against carolina kluft in the pentathlon at the european championships but she has every chance of a medal on the basis of what we ve seen so far 
athletics	58	she has a complicated training regime where different people help her with different disciplines but it seems to be working really well 
athletics	58	it wasn t all good news in sheffield 
athletics	58	i thought both the 60m races were disappointing in different ways 
athletics	58	jason gardener may have won but he wasn t at his best 
athletics	58	i chatted to him afterwards and he knows it was an off day for him 
athletics	58	he s there to be shot at and the other lads nearly got a big scalp out there 
athletics	58	in the women s race  jeanette kwayke was hoping to run against defending champion joice maduaka 
athletics	58	the pair are enjoying a bit of rivalry but joice had to pull out with a chest infection 
athletics	58	if she had made the final i think jeanette would have gone a bit quicker 
athletics	58	janine whitlock competed well in the pole vault on her return following a two year drugs ban 
athletics	58	but the most disappointing thing in the wider view is that she is our best pole vaulter by a long way and that shouldn t be the case 
athletics	58	the event has moved on immensely since janine has been away and if there was more domestic competition i think that would help her 
athletics	58	a couple of other interesting topics to look out for are the citizenship issues surrounding mark findlay and rabah yusuf 
athletics	58	findlay is a londoner who has chosen to represent trinidad and tobago but has never run for them so he could still compete for great britain 
athletics	58	yusuf  who came third in the 400m  is from the sudan but is trying to gain british citizenship 
athletics	58	he came to britain as a high jumper but damaged his toe  started doing more running and found his talent 
athletics	58	so we shall have to see what happens to both of them 
athletics	59	mcilroy wins 800m indoor titlejames mcilroy motored to the aaa s indoor 800m title in sheffied on sunday in a time of one minute  number seconds 
athletics	59	the larne athlete dominated the race from start to finish although he had to hold off a late challenge from welshman jimmy watkins in the final 100 metres 
athletics	59	 i had to go out and go through all the gears before the europeans and i won t run again until then   said mcilroy 
athletics	59	  i though if i got lucky i d get close to the british record but i blew up in the end 
athletics	59	   mcilroy has been in superb form at the start of the season and will now start his build up for the european indoors at madrid on 4 6 march 
athletics	59	meanwhile  paul brizzel and anna boyle reached the semi finals of the 60m hurdles with boyle setting a season s best of number 
athletics	59	in the women s 60m final  ailis mcsweeney broke michelle carroll s long standing irish record by clocking number which left her in third place 
athletics	59	david gillick showed that he is a genuine medal contender in the european indoor championships by claiming an impressive 400m victory 
athletics	59	gillick was more than half a second clear when taking gold in number   
athletics	59	02 outside his personal best set in saturday s semi finals 
athletics	59	the irishman is now the fastest european this season 
athletics	59	derval o rourke broke her own irish 60m hurdles record by clocking number which left her third behind new british record holder sarah claxton  number  
athletics	59	james nolan  3 number  took second in the men s 1500m behind neil speaight  3 number  but the offaly man was outside the european indoor standard 
athletics	59	colin costello was seventh in the 1500m final in 3 number  
athletics	59	deirdre ryan was second in the women s high jump with a clearance of numberm while aoife byrne took silver in the 800m in a personal best of 2 number 
athletics	59	lisburn s kelly mcneice reid  4 number  was seventh in the women s 1500m while gary murray  8 number  was 11th in the men s 3000m 
athletics	59	meanwhile  stephen cairns and jill shannon claimed the individual titles at saturday s northern ireland cross country championship in coleraine 
athletics	59	cairns came in ahead of paul rowan and allan bogle in the men s race 
athletics	59	willowfield claimed their first men s team title in 72 years while shannon helped lagan valley win the women s team honours 
athletics	60	johnson edges out rival sothertonjade johnson edged out rival kelly sotherton with her last effort to claim the aaas long jump title at the norwich union european indoor trials 
athletics	60	olympic heptathlon bronze medallist  sotherton  led the event with her first leap of numberm   a personal best 
athletics	60	but johnson  who has not competed indoors for five years  leapt to a life time best of numberm in her last jump  after four fouls 
athletics	60	both johnson and sotherton passed the european championships qualifying mark 
athletics	60	although sotherton s main aim in madrid next month will be the pentathlon where she will take on olympic heptathlon champion carolina kluft 
athletics	60	ireland sdelivered a shock in the men s 200m as he stormed to his first major title in number seconds 
athletics	60	british favourite chris lambert had to settle for second place while defending champion ireland s paul brizzel took third 
athletics	60	there was some consolation for lambert as he set a personal best of number in the first round   good enough to qualify for europe 
athletics	60	two time aaas champion allyn condon and ian mackie had no such luck as they were disqualified in the heats 
athletics	60	there was plenty of hot action in the men s 60m hurdles where scotland swas vying for top spot with olympian andy turner 
athletics	60	scott  22  smashed his personal best on the way to the final  where he broke it again to win the aaas title in number seconds 
athletics	60	turner finished second in number after previously setting a personal best on the number in the semi finals  while damien greaves did not finish the final 
athletics	60	the trio of athletes have reached the european qualifying mark this season though one of them is set to miss out on a call up to the british squad 
athletics	60	comfortably defended her 3 000m title  clocking eight minutes  number seconds to easily surpass the european qualifying mark 
athletics	60	the european cross country bronze medallist is ranked number one in europe this season and will go to madrid with high hopes 
athletics	60	helen clitheroe was agonisingly close to the 9 number qualifying mark as she claimed the runners up spot in a personal best of 9 number 
athletics	60	in the men s 800m heats qualified fastest in the 800m heats to lay down a challenge to in form 
athletics	60	the welsh runner attacked the last 200m to come through ahead of james thie in one minute  number seconds 
athletics	60	mcilroy  who is third in the european rankings  eased across the finish in 1 number to set up a showdown in sunday s final in sheffield 
athletics	60	both watkins and mcilroy have already achieved the european qualifying mark 
athletics	60	scotland s susan deacon stole s thunder in the final of the women s 200m 
athletics	60	fraser became the fastest british woman over the distance this season when she qualified for the final in number seconds   though that time is outside the european standard 
athletics	60	but deacon claimed her first aaas title over the distance  edging fraser into second in number 
athletics	60	in the women s shot put veteranclaimed her fourth aaas title with a throw of numberm 
athletics	60	but that mark was not good enough for the 39 year old to book her place at next month s european indoor championships in madrid 
athletics	60	sotherton finished fifth after producing two throws of numberm 
athletics	60	in the absence of injured british number one carl myerscough claimed the men s shot put title with a throw of numberm  which was below the qualifying mark 
athletics	60	sale s robert mitchell climbed to a season s best of numberm   just 3cm short of the european standard   to claim the british indoor high jump title 
athletics	60	could only clear numberm to finish in fourth but the 27 year old s disappointment will be tempered as he had already achieved the qualifying mark at a meeting in slovenia on tuesday 
athletics	60	there was bad luck for british number onein the pole vault as he failed to clear the bar after deciding to come in at numberm 
athletics	60	the aaas indoor title went instead to ashley swain  who climbed to a season s best of numberm and ireland s taniesha scanlon set a new national record of numberm in the women s triple jump 
athletics	61	brizzel to run aaa s in sheffieldballymena sprinter paul brizzel will be among eight of ireland s european indoor hopefuls competing in this weekend s aaa s championships 
athletics	61	us based alistair cragg and mark carroll are the only irish athletes selected so far for the europeans who will not run in sheffield 
athletics	61	brizzel will defend his 200m title in the british trials 
athletics	61	in form james mcilroy will hope to confirm his place in the british team for madrid by winning the 800m title 
athletics	61	mcilroy has been in tremendous form on the european circuit in recent weeks 
athletics	61	he is one of the fastest 800m runners in the world this winter and already seems assured of a place in madrid 
athletics	61	corkman mark carroll confirmed in midweek that he would join cragg in the european championships 
athletics	61	carroll is ranked number three in the world 3000m ranking at the moment with cragg occupying top spot 
athletics	61	meanwhile  nine times champion dermot donnelly will not be coming out of retirement to compete in the northern ireland cross country championships in coleraine on saturday 
athletics	61	an injury crisis in the annadale striders squad led to donnelly being entered by coach john mclaughlin but the athlete told bbc sport on friday evening that he would not be running 
athletics	61	willowfield s paul rowan will go in as individual favourite but annadale could have a tough job holding on to their team title as andrew dunwoody and noel pollock are unlikely to run 
athletics	62	holmes urged to compete at worldsjolanda ceplak has urged britain s kelly holmes to continue competing at the major championships 
athletics	62	double olympic gold medallist holmes has strongly hinted she will not run in this year s worlds and is undecided about next month s european indoors 
athletics	62	but world indoor 800m record holder ceplak said   there is never an easy race when she is in the field 
athletics	62	there is only excitement at what might happen 
athletics	62	 it is good for the sport 
athletics	62	she always fetches the best out of everyone 
athletics	62	  ceplak has been a great rival of holmes  during the briton s career and the pair fell out when holmes questioned the manner of the slovenian s runaway 800m victory at the 2002 european championships 
athletics	62	but the controversy has since been forgotten  with ceplak acting as pacemaker for holmes  failed attempt on the british indoor 1500m record at the norwich union grand prix in birmingham in 2003 
athletics	62	ceplak added   i like running against her   you know the race is always going to be fast 
athletics	62	 that is the sort of competition that i like 
athletics	62	she is special to me 
athletics	62	she was like my idol from the beginning of my career 
athletics	62	  meanwhile  ceplak will be looking to follow up last saturday s win in boston with a fast time and victory in friday s night of athletics in erfurt  germany 
athletics	62	britain s jason gardener had been expected to defend his 60m title in erfurt but instead he will save himself for a competition in leipzig on sunday 
athletics	62	gardener s decision means scotland s 400m man ian mackie will carry british hopes in what looks sure to be a tough preparation for next weekend s norwich union european trials in sheffield 
athletics	63	mcilroy continues winning streakjames mcilroy stormed to his second international victory in less than a week  claiming the men s 800m at the teag indoor meeting in erfurt 
athletics	63	the northern ireland runner set a new personal best of one minute  number seconds   a time good enough to qualify for the european indoor championships 
athletics	63	 i m qualified now and that s what matters most   said the 28 year old 
athletics	63	mcilroy is now hoping to gain a late entry into sunday s international indoor meeting in leipzig 
athletics	63	the northern irishman is hoping manager ricky simms can swing it for him to compete after he initially withdrew after contracting a cold 
athletics	63	after three successive wins over the past fortnight  mcilroy is brimming with confidence 
athletics	63	 i ve been waiting over six years for this to happen and now i m certain my career has turned the corner 
athletics	63	  on friday  mcilroy delivered an impressive run despite suffering from his bad cold 
athletics	63	the aaa indoor and outdoor champion accelerated away from the field in the final 300m  beating german wolfram mulle by number seconds 
athletics	63	mcilroy set a world leading mark for 1 000m at the sparkassen cup in stuttgart last weekend 
athletics	63	and his time in erfurt makes him third fastest over 800m in the world this year 
athletics	64	radcliffe will compete in londonpaula radcliffe will compete in the flora london marathon this year after deciding her schedule for 2005 
athletics	64	the 31 year old won the race in 2002 on her marathon debut  defended her title 12 months later and will now seek a third title in the 17 april race 
athletics	64	 it doesn t get any better than this for the 25th anniversary   said race director david bedford 
athletics	64	 after announcing the greatest men s field ever we now have the greatest women s distance runner ever 
athletics	64	  three years ago radcliffe smashed the women s world record in two hours 18 minutes 15 seconds 
athletics	64	the bedford star returned to london 12 months later  lowering her mixed race world record of 2 17 18  which she set in chicago in october 2003  by one minute 53 secs 
athletics	64	radcliffe s career took a setback when she failed to complete the olympic marathon and later dropped out of the athens 10 000m last august 
athletics	64	but the 31 year old bounced back to win the new york marathon in november 
athletics	64	radcliffe  however  passed up the chance to go for the  big city  marathon grand slam 
athletics	64	with wins in chicago  london and new york  only the boston marathon remains to be conquered but that takes place a day after london 
athletics	64	 boston is definitely a race i want to do at some point  but london is very special to me   said radcliffe 
athletics	64	 i don t pick races thinking about things like pressure 
athletics	64	i pick the ones in my heart i really want to do 
athletics	64	 i love the atmosphere  crowds and course and know it will always be a great quality race 
athletics	64	 it is also the 25th anniversary this year which adds to the occasion 
athletics	64	  
athletics	65	britain boosted by holmes doubleathletics fans endured a year of mixed emotions in 2004 as stunning victories went hand in hand with disappointing defeats and more drugs scandals 
athletics	65	kelly holmes finally fulfilled her potential by storming to double gold on the track at the olympic games 
athletics	65	holmes helped erase the gloom hanging over team gb after their biggest medal hope  paula radcliffe  dropped out of the marathon and then the 10 000m 
athletics	65	britain s men s 4x100m relay team also did their bit by taking a shock gold 
athletics	65	holmes had started the year in disappointing style  falling over in the final of 1500m at the world indoor championships where she was favourite 
athletics	65	her olympic build up was clouded by self doubt but that proved unfounded as she overhauled rival maria mutola to win the 800m   her first global title 
athletics	65	just five days later  the 34 year old made it double gold in the 1500m 
athletics	65	it was the first time in 84 years a briton has achieved the olympic middle distance double 
athletics	65	while holmes left athens as the star of team gb  it was radcliffe who carried expectations before the august games 
athletics	65	the 30 year old marathon world record holder went into the athens event as favourite but an exhausted radcliffe dropped out after 23 miles in tears 
athletics	65	her decision to enter the 10 000m five days later also backfired as she again pulled out with eight laps remaining 
athletics	65	but radcliffe helped put her olympic trauma behind her with a thrilling win in november s new york marathon 
athletics	65	the 4x100m team grabbed some last gasp glory for the british men s olympic squad after a poor start to the games 
athletics	65	it seemed as though athens would be the first games where the men would fail to win a medal with michael east the only individual track finalist in the 1500m 
athletics	65	but darren campell  jason gardener  marlon devonish and mark lewis francis made amends in the sprint relay 
athletics	65	the quartet held off favourites the usa to win britain s first relay medal since 1912 in number seconds 
athletics	65	gardener added the olympic relay crown to his world indoor title over 60m and  just like holmes  finally lived up to his promise in 2004 
athletics	65	kelly sotherton completed team gb s athletics medal haul in athens with a surprise bronze in the heptathlon 
athletics	65	the 28 year old won her first championship medal since becoming a full time athlete in 2003 
athletics	65	but it was a different story for britain s defending champion denise lewis  who withdrew on day two of the competition after some poor results 
athletics	65	lewis  who was troubled by injury  has ruled out retiring while sotherton is tipped to build on her success 
athletics	65	the athens olympics proved to be a landmark occasion for steve backley  who retired from competition after finishing fourth in the javelin 
athletics	65	the battling 35 year old leaves the sport with a vast medal haul including two silvers and one olympic bronze 
athletics	65	and backley s departure was balanced by the return of injury hit decathlete dean macey  who came fourth in athens 
athletics	65	the continued improvement of sprinter abi oyepitan and long jumper chris tomlinson also boosted team gb 
athletics	65	sadly  the 2004 olympics did not escape the problems of drugs misuse 
athletics	65	on the eve of the games  greek sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou missed a drugs test and claimed to have been involved in a road crash 
athletics	65	kenteris  the 200m champion in 2000  and thanou have since been charged by the greek authorities and await trial 
athletics	65	at the games  adrian annus  hammer   robert fazelas  discus  and irina korzhanenko  shot  were all stripped of their titles because of doping issues 
athletics	65	hungarian compatriots annus and fazelas both refused to give urine samples while russian korzhanenko tested positive for the steroid stanozolol 
athletics	65	the fallout from the thg scandal  which rocked the sport in 2003  continued to impact in olympic year 
athletics	65	britain s 4x100m team took gold without the services of dwain chambers  who was handed a two year ban in february after testing positive for steroid thg 
athletics	65	american kelli white was suspended and stripped of her world 100m and 200m titles after failing a drugs test 
athletics	65	and world 400m champion jerome young landed a life ban from us chiefs after a second doping offence 
athletics	65	russian pole vaulter yelena isinbayeva provided some light relief by smashing the world record seven times on her way to the world indoor and olympic titles 
athletics	65	her rivalry with compatriot svetlana feofanova livened up the field events 
athletics	65	morocco s hicham el guerrouj also delighted fans by racing to a historic olympic double in the 1500m and 5 000m 
athletics	65	and though there was no paula radcliffe in the london marathon  there was plenty of drama as kenyans evans rutto and margaret okayo took the titles 
athletics	65	rutto held on to win despite slipping on some cobblestones and tumbling into a barrier 
athletics	65	okayo also had to battle back after mistiming her tactics but clinched victory on her debut 
athletics	66	lewis francis eyeing world goldmark lewis francis says his olympic success has made him determined to bag world championship 100m gold in 2005 
athletics	66	the 22 year old pipped maurice greene on the last leg of the 4x100m relay in athens to take top honours for team gb 
athletics	66	but individually  the birchfield harrier has yet to build on his world junior championship win four years ago 
athletics	66	 the gold medal in athens has made me realise that i can get to the top level and i want to get there again 
athletics	66	it can happen  i don t see why not   he said 
athletics	66	lewis francis has still to decided what events will feature in his build up to the worlds   with one exception 
athletics	66	he has confirmed his participation in the norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february  where he will take on another member of britain s victorious men s relay team   jason gardener   over 60m 
athletics	66	he added   it s a bit too early to make any predictions for helsinki  but i have my eyes open and i know i can be the best in the world 
athletics	66	  
athletics	67	gb select holmes for double bidkelly holmes has been chosen for both the 800m and 1500m at next month s european indoor championships   despite not yet confirming her availability 
athletics	67	the double olympic champion is still undecided about whether to compete in her first european indoors in madrid 
athletics	67	but uk athletics chief max jones believes it is likely holmes will race 
athletics	67	he said   it s worth a punt  isn t it  she s gone back to training 
athletics	67	if she s confident she will pick one  distance  
athletics	67	the programme does not permit both 
athletics	67	  if holmes does take her place in the gb side  she has already indicated that 1500m will be her favoured distance 
athletics	67	under championship rules  she does not have to decide until 24 hours before the event begins in madrid on 4 march 
athletics	67	jones added   she was pleased with her run in birmingham  at last weekend s grand prix  
athletics	67	 i am inclined to think she will  compete  
athletics	67	it could depend on how training goes and she will have to be close to top form 
athletics	67	  and he admitted holmes  presence would be a great boost to the rest of the norwich union gb team 
athletics	67	 she is a very good team member and is very good to have there   he added 
athletics	67	meanwhile  there is no surprises in the rest of the great britain team announced on tuesday 
athletics	67	defending 60m champion jason gardener is included and will be chasing his third successive gold medal 
athletics	67	he will be joined in the event by mark lewis francis   runner up behind him three years ago in vienna   and new boy darren chin 
athletics	67	kelly sotherton has been invited by championship organisers to compete against carolina kluft in the pentathlon 
athletics	67	sotherton finished third in the olympic heptathlon in athens  where the swede took gold 
athletics	67	there are 16 newcomers at this level of competition in gb s 46 strong team 
athletics	67	the championships will be the last to be attended by jones before he retires to be succeeded by dave collins 
athletics	67	jones said   the olympic games is the overwhelming target for uka and therefore it is beneficial to start the next four year cycle with a not so pressurised major games 
athletics	67	 the european indoor championships always provide a chance for the young and inexperienced to make a name for themselves and the current indoor season has produced some exciting new talent 
athletics	67	 madrid is the first small step on a long journey to beijing and the 2008 olympics but for some of the emerging athletes  this will be a very important step 
athletics	67	 60m  d chin  belgrave harriers   j gardener  wessex and bath   m lewis francis  birchfield harriers  
athletics	67	t abeyie  woodford green with essex ladies   c lambert  belgrave harriers  
athletics	67	d garland  channel islands ac  
athletics	67	j mcilroy  windsor  slough  eton and hounslow ac   jimmy watkins  cardiff aac  
athletics	67	ed jackson  aldershot  farnham and district   n speaight  belgrave harriers   j thie  cardiff aac  
athletics	67	a baddeley  harrow ac   m farah  windsor  slough  eton and hounslow ac   j mayock  barnsley ac  
athletics	67	d greaves  newham and essex beagles   a scott  shaftesbury barnet harriers   a turner  notts ac  
athletics	67	b challenger  belgrave harriers  
athletics	67	pole vault  n buckfield  crawley ac  
athletics	67	n morgan  birchfield harriers   c tomlinson  newham and essex beagles  
athletics	67	l achike  shaftesbury barnet harriers   n douglas  oxford city ac   p idowu  belgrave harriers  
athletics	67	d cossins  birchfield harriers   r davenport  gloucester ac   d garland  channel islands ac   r preddy  gloucester ac   g warburton  cardiff aac  
athletics	67	k endacott  city of plymouth ac   j kwakye  woodford green with essex ladies   j maduaka  woodford green with essex ladies  
athletics	67	k wall  basildon ac  
athletics	67	k holmes  ealing  southall and middlesex ac  
athletics	67	h clitheroe  preston harriers   k holmes  ealing  southall and middlesex ac  
athletics	67	j pavey  exeter harriers  
athletics	67	d allahgreen  trafford ac   s claxton  belgrave harriers  
athletics	67	j crane  sale harriers manchester   s jones  trafford ac  
athletics	67	j whitlock  trafford ac  
athletics	67	j johnson  herne hill harriers  
athletics	67	k sotherton  birchfield harriers  
athletics	67	d fraser  croydon harriers   l mcconnell  shaftesbury barnet harriers   c murphy  woodford green with essex ladies   m purkiss  southampton ac  
athletics	68	holmes back on form in birminghamdouble olympic champion kelly holmes was back to her best as she comfortably won the 1 000m at the norwich union birmingham indoor grand prix 
athletics	68	the 34 year old  running only her second competitive race of the season  shook off the rust to win in two minutes  number seconds 
athletics	68	but she is still undecided about competing in the european championships in madrid from 4 6 march 
athletics	68	 i ll probably be entered and make my mind up at the last minute   she said 
athletics	68	 my training hasn t gone as well as expected but i ve got two weeks to decide 
athletics	68	 i need to take my time and make sure i feel good about what i m doing 
athletics	68	 i felt very good here but with the crowd behind you  you feel like you can do anything 
athletics	68	  americanwas the eventual winner of the men s 60m race which almost ended in farce 
athletics	68	three athletes were disqualified for false starting  including britain s mark lewis francis  who was the first man guilty of coming out of his blocks too quickly 
athletics	68	world 100m champion kim collins clinched second spot ahead of world 60m record holder and scott s training partner maurice greene 
athletics	68	jason gardener s unbeaten run came to an end as he came fifth and he will need to improve if he is to defend his european title in madrid 
athletics	68	 you can t win them all   said gardener afterwards 
athletics	68	 and i was very disappointed as i know i m capable of doing better 
athletics	68	  russianwas back on record breaking form in the pole vault at the national indoor arena 
athletics	68	the olympic champion set a new world mark of numberm to break her own record   which she set just six days ago   and beat russian rival svetlana feofanova 
athletics	68	it was isinbayeva s 11th world record   indoors or out   since july 2003 
athletics	68	 i m so happy and i will do my best to break the 5m barrier soon   the 22 year old told bbc sport 
athletics	68	jamaica sstormed to a personal best of number seconds to claim the women s 60m sprint 
athletics	68	belgian kim gevaert  who will be one of the favourites for next month s european title  took second while american muna lee was third 
athletics	68	there was disappointment for british pair jeanette kwakye and joice maduaka who finished seventh and eighth respectively 
athletics	68	jamaicanstretched her unbeaten record to 25 races as she effortlessly claimed the 200m 
athletics	68	the olympic champion set a new indoor personal best of number seconds   the fastest time in the world this season 
athletics	68	fought off fellow briton tim abeyie to take the men s 200m in a personal best of number 
athletics	68	continued her outstanding start to the season  beating a strong international field  which included two time olympic 100m hurdles bronze medallist melissa morrison  to claim the women s 60m hurdles 
athletics	68	the 25 year old briton clocked number seconds while pre european championships favourite russian irina shevchenko finished down in sixth 
athletics	68	ethiopia sfailed in her bid to smash compatriot berhane adere s world 3 000m record but still won the event in emphatic style 
athletics	68	the olympic 5 000m champion was inside record pace but dropped off over the final third  finishing in eight minutes  number seconds   the fourth fastest time ever recorded for the event 
athletics	68	britain s jo pavey bravely decided to go with defar as she strode away from the field and took second in a season s best 8 number 
athletics	68	kenyanalso missed out on the indoor 1500m world record  which hicham el guerrouj has held for the last eight years 
athletics	68	lagat settled for silver behind el guerrouj in athens and was almost four seconds short of the moroccan s world best  clocking 3 number in birmingham 
athletics	68	andwas still struggling to find his form after the death of his fiancee this year 
athletics	68	the olympic 10 000m champion had comfortably led the men s two mile race after his younger brother tariku had set the pace 
athletics	68	but fellow ethiopianappeared ominously on bekele s shoulder with two laps to go before surging past him at the bell to win in 8 number 
athletics	68	jamaicanmade the most of a blistering start to take the men s 400m title in number seconds 
athletics	68	world indoor champion  alleyne francique  faded badly and finished in fourth while american duo jerry harris and james davis took second and third respectively 
athletics	68	swedeshowed her class in the long jump as she stole top spot from jade johnson with the very last jump of the competition 
athletics	68	the olympic heptathlon gold medallist reached numberm to better johnson s mark of numberm   her second personal best inside a week 
athletics	68	 i was quite surprised because i didn t think i d end up with second place   said johnson  who wore london s 2012 olympic bid slogan   back the bid   on her shorts 
athletics	68	 but i m pleased and hopefully i ll get a bit better for the europeans 
athletics	68	i really want to win a medal 
athletics	68	 won the men s event with a season s best of numberm  taking the scalp of world indoor champion savante stringfellow of the usa 
athletics	69	record fails to lift lacklustre meetyelena isinbayeva may have produced another world pole vault record  but her achievement could not hide the fact it was not the best meet we have ever seen in birmingham 
athletics	69	and hey  there are not many meets that go by without the russian breaking a world record 
athletics	69	apparently  isinbayeva has cleared five metres in training and i would just love her to put us out of our misery and have a go at it rather than extending the indoor record by one centimetre at a time 
athletics	69	athletics to me is all about pushing the barriers and being the best you can  and i would like to see her have a go at 5m in competition 
athletics	69	mind you  every time she breaks the record she gets  30 000 so she can afford to be deliberate about it 
athletics	69	world records aside  i thought it was a very encouraging evening s work for kelly holmes 
athletics	69	she looked good and was very positive 
athletics	69	agnes samaria  who came second  is in very good shape and is in the world s top three 800m runners this season 
athletics	69	yes  samaria let kelly get away  but there was no coming back over the last 200m as kelly dominated the race  so beating samaria is a bit of a benchmark for kelly 
athletics	69	my gut feeling is that kelly would like to run in the european indoor championships  but she just hasn t convinced herself she is fit enough to do so 
athletics	69	on the other hand  i think jason gardener is struggling to come near what is going to be required to win the men s 60m in madrid 
athletics	69	he started well in the final but still could not stay with the front runners 
athletics	69	jason has a lot of experience indoors but for some reason he is struggling to maintain his pace through to the finish 
athletics	69	it would have been nice to see what mark lewis francis could have done in the final  if only he hadn t got himself disqualified 
athletics	69	he was blatantly playing the false start game to his advantage  but it tripped him up and made him look a bit silly 
athletics	69	my view is you re meant to go when the gun goes and not before 
athletics	69	and if you try to unsettle your rivals by employing the false start tactic you have to remember not to false start yourself again 
athletics	69	having said that  mark is looking in much better shape 
athletics	69	but i haven t seen anything from mark or jason yet which suggests france s ronald pognon   who has run number seconds   will be under threat at the europeans 
athletics	69	from a british point of view  sarah claxton s victory in the 60m hurdles was the best thing to come out of the meet 
athletics	69	something else that probably went unnoticed was melanie purkiss winning the women s national 400m race in a new personal best of number seconds 
athletics	69	aaas champion kim wall came second in another lifetime best so we have a very strong 4x400m squad going to the european championships 
athletics	69	scotland s lee mcconnell is probably going to run too  so we have a real prospect of a medal 
athletics	69	from an international perspective  i thought meseret defar was disappointing in the 3 000m  but i don t think the pace making was great 
athletics	69	canadian heather hennigar set a fast early pace but could not maintain it and if jo pavey had been in last year s shape she would have given defar a real run for her money 
athletics	69	she had a go but just could not hang in there 
athletics	69	we were also expecting a bit more from bernard lagat in the men s 1500m 
athletics	69	but he has only just come over from the usa  so he may not be that sharp and i still think he is in great shape 
athletics	69	as for kenenisa bekele  he was well beaten by markos geneti 
athletics	69	but we only had half expectations for bekele as he has been struggling this season 
athletics	69	it was very hot in the national indoor arena and i felt uncomfortable in the commentary box 
athletics	69	i think those conditions affected the distance runners and in fact defar complained to her coach after the race that she could not get her breath properly 
athletics	70	tomlinson stays focused on europelong jumper chris tomlinson has cut his schedule to ensure he is fully fit for the european indoor championships 
athletics	70	the 23 year old has a minor injury and has pulled out of international meets in madrid and lievin this week as well as warm weather training in lanzarote 
athletics	70	 it s nothing serious   said his coach peter stanley 
athletics	70	 he strained a muscle in his abdomen at the birmingham meeting but is back in full training 
athletics	70	  sprinter mark lewis francis will also not compete in madrid on thursday 
athletics	70	the birmingham athlete  who clocked a season s best of number seconds over 60m in birmingham last week  also prefers to focus his attentions on next month s european indoor championships 
athletics	70	lewis francis  who was runner up to british team mate jason gardener at the europeans three years ago  will continue his training at home 
athletics	70	meanwhile  tomlinson is still searching for this first major medal and this season he has shown he could be in the sort of form to grab a spot on the podium in madrid 
athletics	70	the middlesbrough athlete jumped a season s best of numberm at the birmingham grand prix   good enough to push world indoor champion savante stringfellow into second 
athletics	71	running around the olympicsit was back to official duties last week in my role as an ambassador to london s 2012 olympic bid 
athletics	71	but i still managed to do all my marathon training 
athletics	71	all the sporting people on the capital s bid team think i m mad to be taking part in the london marathon 
athletics	71	the bid chairman  lord coe  admitted he would never dream of running a marathon  even though he was an olympic middle distance runner 
athletics	71	kelly holmes  former hurdler alan pascoe and former sprinter frankie fredericks   who is now an ioc member   all wanted to know why anyone would want to run that far 
athletics	71	you d have thought all these athletes  who have been running for most of their lives  wouldn t think it would be that bad 
athletics	71	but the only person who was positive about my intentions was tanni grey thompson  who has won the london marathon wheelchair race six times 
athletics	71	even though it was a very busy week entertaining the international olympic committee s  ioc  evaluation commission  i actually found my running schedule easier to follow 
athletics	71	when i m at home  i get distracted by all sorts of things but for the five days i was in london  i was in a pressurised situation  but i found it easy to relax by running 
athletics	71	on wednesday  the presentations to the ioc team did not finish until the early evening  so i just managed to squeeze in a 45 minute run 
athletics	71	we had an early start on thursday because we had to visit all the olympic sites around london  that was pretty shattering  but when we got back to the hotel  i got back on the treadmill 
athletics	71	on friday evening i went along to the special dinner at buckingham palace which was a nice occasion 
athletics	71	i never feel guilty about eating  especially when i m exercising 
athletics	71	and because it was a rest day i didn t have to feel bad about missing my training either 
athletics	71	anyway  i managed to do another quick run on saturday ahead of the final ioc presentations  before heading home for my daughter s birthday 
athletics	71	when i was in london i did all of my runs on the treadmill  which isn t the same as exercising outdoors 
athletics	71	one of the ioc s technical staff from australia ran alongside me one day 
athletics	71	we talked about the sydney olympics and that made the time go past more quickly 
athletics	71	i do find it quite comfortable running in the gym because there is more cushioning 
athletics	71	but when you re gearing up to running on the road you need your body to get used to that jarring feeling when your feet hit the pavement 
athletics	71	it was good to get out on the road for my long run on sunday 
athletics	71	after the week i d had i was a bit concerned i wouldn t be able to complete it 
athletics	71	but i coped with it very well and  even though it was bitterly cold  i put in 15 and a half miles   only another 11 to go then 
athletics	71	  this year steve will donate all the proceeds from his london marathon efforts to victims of the tsunami 
athletics	71	steve will be writing a regular column on the ups and downs of his marathon training for the bbc sport website 
athletics	71	he will be raising money through the steve redgrave trust which supports the association of children s hospices  the children with leukaemia charity  and the trust s own project which aims to provide inner city schools with rowing equipment 
athletics	72	johnson uncertain about euro bidjade johnson is undecided about whether to contest next month s european indoor championships in madrid despite winning the aaas long jump title on saturday 
athletics	72	the 24 year old delivered a personal best of numberm to win the european trials but had to wait until her final jump after four failures 
athletics	72	 i don t want to go if i am not going to get a medal   said johnson 
athletics	72	 i will have to see how i am jumping in the next competition and i ll have to have a conversation with my coach 
athletics	72	  johnson  who finished seventh in last year s olympic games  has not competed indoors since 2000 
athletics	72	and the commonwealth and european silver medallist believes her lack of experience in the early part of the season has knocked her confidence 
athletics	72	 it s the stress   said johnson 
athletics	72	 i am not used to feeling this  this early 
athletics	72	i am just used to training 
athletics	72	 but if i m doing this kind of thing  then i will have to see how it goes 
athletics	72	  johnson next competes in the high class birmingham grand prix on 18 february 
athletics	73	pavey focuses on indoor successjo pavey will miss january s view from great edinburgh international cross country to focus on preparing for the european indoor championships in march 
athletics	73	the 31 year old was third behind hayley yelling and justyna bak in last week s european cross country championships but she prefers to race on the track 
athletics	73	 it was great winning bronze but i m wary of injuries and must concentrate on the indoor season   she said 
athletics	73	 because of previous injuries i don t even run up hills in training 
athletics	73	  pavey  who came fifth in the 5 000m at the athens olympics  helped the british cross country team win the team silver medal in heringsdorf last week 
athletics	73	she is likely to start her 3 000m season with a race in either boston or stuttgart at the end of january 
athletics	74	gardener wins double in glasgowbritain s jason gardener enjoyed a double 60m success in glasgow in his first competitive outing since he won 100m relay gold at the athens olympics 
athletics	74	gardener cruised home ahead of scot nick smith to win the invitational race at the norwich union international 
athletics	74	he then recovered from a poor start in the second race to beat swede daniel persson and italy s luca verdecchia 
athletics	74	his times of number and number seconds were well short of american maurice greene s 60m world record of numbersecs from 1998 
athletics	74	 it s a very hard record to break  but i believe i ve trained very well   said the world indoor champion  who hopes to get closer to the mark this season 
athletics	74	 it was important to come out and make sure i got maximum points 
athletics	74	my last race was the olympic final and there was a lot of expectation 
athletics	74	 this was just what i needed to sharpen up and get some race fitness 
athletics	74	i m very excited about the next couple of months 
athletics	74	 double olympic championmarked her first appearance on home soil since winning 1500m and 800m gold in athens with a victory 
athletics	74	there was a third success for britain whenedged out russia s olga fedorova and sweden s jenny kallur to win the women s 60m race in numbersecs 
athletics	74	maduaka was unable to repeat the feat in the 200m  finishing down in fourth astook the win for russia 
athletics	74	and the 31 year old also missed out on a podium place in the 4x200m relay as the british quartet came in fourth  with russia setting a new world indoor record 
athletics	74	there was a setback for jade johnson as she suffered a recurrence of her back injury in the long jump 
athletics	74	russia won the meeting with a final total of 63 points  with britain second on 48 and france one point behind in third 
athletics	74	led the way for russia by producing a major shock in the high jump as he beat olympic champion stefan holm into second place to end the swede s 22 event unbeaten record 
athletics	74	won the triple jump with a leap of numberm  with britain s tosin oke fourth in numberm 
athletics	74	won the men s pole vault competition with a clearance of numberm  with britain s nick buckfield 51cm adrift of his personal best in third 
athletics	74	andwon the women s 800m  with britain s jenny meadows third 
athletics	74	there was yet another russian victory in the women s 400m asfinished well clear of britain s catherine murphy 
athletics	74	chris lambert had to settle for fourth after fading in the closing stages of the men s 200m race as sweden sheld off leslie djhone of france 
athletics	74	france swon the men s 400m  with brett rund fourth for britain 
athletics	74	took victory for sweden in the women s 60m hurdles ahead of russia s irina shevchenko and britain s sarah claxton  who set a new personal best 
athletics	74	italy grabbed their first victory in the men s 1500m askicked over the last 200 metres to hold off britain s james thie and france s alexis abraham 
athletics	74	a botched changeover in the 4x200m relay cost britain s men the chance to add further points as france claimed victory 
athletics	75	african double in edinburghworld 5000m champion eliud kipchoge won the numberkm race at the view from great edinburgh cross country 
athletics	75	the kenyan  who was second when newcastle hosted the race last year  was in front from the outset 
athletics	75	ethiopian duo gebre gebremariam and dejene berhanu made last gasp efforts to overtake him  but kipchoge responded and a burst of speed clinched victory 
athletics	75	gavin thompson was the first briton in 12th place while nick mccormick held of his british rivals to win the 4km race 
athletics	75	the morpeth harrier led from the end of the first lap and ended mike skinner and andrew baddeley s hopes with a surge in the lasp lap 
athletics	75	 my training has gone so well i wasn t really worried about the opposition asi knew i was in great shape   said mccormick  who now hopes to earn a 1 500m place in the british team for the world championships in helsinki 
athletics	75	in the women s race  ethiopia s tirunesh dibaba won a battle with world cross country champion benita johnson to retain her title 
athletics	75	australian johnson  who shocked her african rivals in brussels last march  looked to be on course for another win in the numberkm race 
athletics	75	but world 5000m champion dibaba make a telling strike for the finishing line in the final 20 metres 
athletics	75	britons kathy butler and hayley yelling were out of contention early on 
athletics	76	yelling takes cardiff hat trickeuropean cross country champion hayley yelling completed a hat trick of wins in the reebok cardiff cross challenge in bute park on sunday afternoon 
athletics	76	the part time maths teacher beat irish international jolene byrne by 40 metres in the six kilometre race 
athletics	76	another great britain international  louise damen  finished third as part of the contingent representing england 
athletics	76	peter riley  who secured bronze for the gb men s team at last month s european championships  won the men s 9km race 
athletics	76	riley  representing england  moved away over the last two kilometres to win by 25 metres from ireland s gary murray 
athletics	76	glynn tromans   the reigning uk inter countries and england cross country champion   came in third place as he continues his comeback from a five month injury lay off 
athletics	77	butler strikes gold in spainbritain s kathy butler continued her impressive year with victory in sunday s 25th cross internacional de venta de banos in spain 
athletics	77	the scot  who led gb to world cross country bronze earlier this year  moved away from the field with ines monteiro halfway into the numberkm race 
athletics	77	she then shrugged off her portuguese rival to win in 20 minutes 38 seconds 
athletics	77	meanwhile  briton karl keska battled bravely to finish seventh in the men s numberkm race in a time of 31 41 
athletics	77	kenenisa bekele of ethiopia   the reigning world long and short course champion   was never troubled by any of the opposition  winning leisurely in number 
athletics	77	butler said of her success   i felt great throughout the race and hope this is a good beginning for a marvellous 2005 season for me 
athletics	77	  elsewhere  abebe dinkessa of ethiopia won the brussels iaaf cross country race on sunday  completing the 10 500m course in number 
athletics	77	gelete burka then crowned a great day for ethiopia by claiming victory in the women s race 
athletics	78	wada will appeal against rulingthe world anti doping agency  wada  will appeal against the acquittal of kostas kenteris and katerina thanou on doping charges  if the iaaf does not 
athletics	78	the pair were cleared of charges relating to missing dope tests by the greek athletics federation last week 
athletics	78	wada chairman dick pound said   i am convinced the iaaf will appeal against the decision  and we will support them 
athletics	78	 but if they accept the federation s ruling we will go before the court of arbitration for sport   he added 
athletics	78	kenteris s lawyer  gregory ioannidis  reacted angrily to pound s comments 
athletics	78	 comments like these only help to embarrass the sporting governing bodies  create a hostage situation for the iaaf and strengthen our case further   he told bbc sport 
athletics	78	kenteris  31  and thanou  30  had been charged with avoiding drugs tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and failing to notify anti doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics 
athletics	78	they withdrew from the athens games after missing a drugs test at the olympic village on 12 august 
athletics	78	but an independent tribunal ruled that the duo had not been informed that they needed to attend a drugs test in athens 
athletics	78	however  their former coach christos tzekos was banned for four years by the tribunal 
athletics	78	kenteris and thanou still have to face trial on charges brought separately by greek prosecutors of missing the drugs tests and faking a motorcycle accident to avoid testing at the athens games 
athletics	79	greek sprinters  won t run again the careers of sprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou are over  says the boss of the organisation that cleared them of missing a drugs test 
athletics	79	greek athletics federation boss vassilli sevastis told the country s parliament   i believe kenteris and thanou won t race again 
athletics	79	 the damage to their commercial interests has been done   he added 
athletics	79	athletics bosses are considering its reponse to the ruling  while the athletes face a trial in a greek court 
athletics	79	greek prosecutors have brought spearate charges of missing the drugs test and faking a motorcycle accident 
athletics	79	speaking to the greek parliament on tuesday  sevastis said that the evidence sent by the international olympic committee and athletics governing body the iaaf was not strong enough for the greek association to find the sprinters guilty 
athletics	79	 we were given the task of getting the snake out if its hole but we were not given any evidence to do it with   he said 
athletics	79	 so how can you as a greek with your hand on your heart try the athletes   he added 
athletics	79	the athletes are technically free to compete while the iaaf reviews its response to the decision to clear kenteris and thanou 
athletics	79	but sevastis said   it does not matter if they are found guilty at the court of arbitration for sport and the current decision is reversed 
athletics	79	  
athletics	80	iaaf will contest greek decisionthe international association of athletics federations will appeal against the acquittal of greek athletes kostas kenteris and katerina thanou 
athletics	80	the high profile duo were cleared of doping offences by the greek athletics federation  segas  last month 
athletics	80	now the iaaf will lodge an appeal with the court of arbitration for sport  cas  and has suspended both athletes 
athletics	80	an iaaf statement said   the doping review board concluded that the decision is erroneous 
athletics	80	  the statement continued   both athletes  cases will be refered to arbitration before the cas 
athletics	80	the decision in both cases will be final and binding 
athletics	80	 segas said the iaaf appeal was  expected  and  understandable 
athletics	80	   now we are going to await the final result  which we cannot prejudge   said segas chairman vassilis sevastis 
athletics	80	kenteris  who won olympic 200m gold at the 2000 olympics  and thanou were suspended by the iaaf last december after failing to take routine drugs tests before the athens games 
athletics	80	however  the independent tribunal overturned those bans  clearing the sprinters of avoiding tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and failing to notify anti doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics 
athletics	80	kenteris  lawyer gregory ioannidis described the iaaf s decision as  not unexpected  but told bbc sport he did not expect the organisation to take action so quickly 
athletics	80	 the iaaf s timing is extremely surprising and it creates concerns and questions   said ioannidis 
athletics	80	 the iaaf has not yet received the complete file of proceedings which include statements  testimonies  the closing speeches of defence counsel 
athletics	80	and nine audio tapes 
athletics	80	 we have the evidence and it is time the world discovered the truth 
athletics	80	  kenteris and thanou dramatically withdrew from last summer s olympics after missing a drugs test at the olympic village on 12 august 
athletics	80	the pair then spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash 
athletics	80	it was the international olympic committee who demanded the iaaf investigate the affair 
athletics	80	thanou and kenteris still face a criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking a motorcycle accident 
athletics	81	greek duo cleared in doping casesprinters kostas kenteris and katerina thanou have been cleared of doping offences by an independent tribunal 
athletics	81	the duo had been provisionally suspended by the iaaf for allegedly missing three drugs tests  including one on the eve of the athens olympics 
athletics	81	but the greek athletics federation tribunal has overturned the bans   a decision which the iaaf can now contest at the court of arbitration for sport 
athletics	81	the pair s former coach  christos tzekos  has been banned for four years 
athletics	81	kenteris  31  and thanou  30  had been charged with avoiding drug tests in tel aviv  chicago and athens and failing to notify anti doping officials of their whereabouts before the olympics 
athletics	81	they withdrew from the olympics after missing a drugs test at the olympic village on 12 august 
athletics	81	the pair then spent four days in a hospital  claiming they had been injured in a motorcycle crash 
athletics	81	it was the international olympic committee s demand that the iaaf investigate the affair that led to the hearing of the greek tribunal 
athletics	81	the head of that tribunal  kostas panagopoulos  said it had not been proven that the athletes refused to take the test in athens 
athletics	81	 the charge cannot be substantiated   he said 
athletics	81	 in no way was he  kenteris  informed to appear for a doping test 
athletics	81	the same goes for thanou 
athletics	81	  kenteris s lawyer  gregory ioannidis  said   the decision means mr kenteris has been exonerated of highly damaging and unfounded charges which have been extremely harmful for his career 
athletics	81	 he has consistently maintained his innocence and this was substantiated by further evidence we were able to submit to the tribunal following its deliberations in january 
athletics	81	 this evidence shows mr kenteris was never asked to submit to a test by the international olympic committee so he could not possibly have been guilty of deliberately avoiding one 
athletics	81	it shows he has no case to answer 
athletics	81	 mr kenteris should now be given the opportunity he deserves to rebuild his career in the full knowledge that there is no stain on his character 
athletics	81	 he has suffered greatly throughout this ordeal that has exposed both himself and his family to enormous pressures 
athletics	81	  but the iaaf said it was  very surprised  by the verdict 
athletics	81	spokesman nick davies said   we note the decision of the greek authorities with interest 
athletics	81	 our doping review board will now consider the english version of the decision 
athletics	81	  
athletics	82	johnson too strong for gb runnersbritain s kathy butler and hayley yelling were no match for benita johnson in the 51st cross international zornotza in amorebieta  spain 
athletics	82	butler and yelling finished fourth and fifth as australian world champion johnson romped to a five second victory in the 6km race ahead of edith masai 
athletics	82	masai s fellow kenyan alice timbilil finished third 
athletics	82	johnson said   i ran comfortably for the first 3km and then i tried to leave the others but it wasn t an easy task 
athletics	82	  butler clocked a time of 22 minutes 45 seconds   22secs behind the winner but four ahead of yelling  who last month succeeded paula radcliffe as european champion 
athletics	82	johnson  will be one of the star attractions at the great edinburghinternational cross country on 15 january 
athletics	83	holmes starts 2005 with gb eventskelly holmes will start 2005 with a series of races in britain 
athletics	83	holmes will make her first track appearance on home soil since winning double olympic gold in january s norwich union international in glasgow 
athletics	83	she will also run in the grand prix in birmingham in february and may defend her indoor aaa 800m title in sheffield earlier that month 
athletics	83	 i am still competitive and still want to win   she said 
athletics	83	 i m an athlete and i can t wait to get back on the track 
athletics	83	  she added   these events are also a great opportunity to thank the british public for the enormous levels of support they have given me from the moment i stepped off that plane from greece 
athletics	83	  the glasgow meeting will see holmes compete over 1500m in a five way match against sweden  france  russia and italy 
athletics	84	tulu to appear at caledonian runtwo time olympic 10 000 metres champion derartu tulu has confirmed she will take part in the bupa great caledonian run in edinburgh on 8 may 
athletics	84	the 32 year old ethiopian is the first star name to enter the event 
athletics	84	tulu has won the boston  london and tokyo marathons  as well as the world 10 000m title in 2001 
athletics	84	 we are delighted to have secured the services of one the most decorated competitors the sport has ever seen   said race director matthew turnbull 
athletics	84	 her record speaks for herself and there are few other women distance runners who would dare compare their pedigree with tulu s   he added 
athletics	84	 she might be 33 next month  but that didn t stop her winning the olympic 10 000m bronze medal last summer 
athletics	84	she s an ultra consistent championships racer 
athletics	84	  
athletics	85	disappointed scott in solid startallan scott is confident of winning a medal at next week s european indoor championships after a solid debut on the international circuit 
athletics	85	the 22 year old scot finished fourth in the 60m hurdles at the jose m cagigal memorial meeting in madrid 
athletics	85	 it was definitely a learning curve and i certainly haven t ruled out challenging for a medal next week   said the east kilbride athlete 
athletics	85	the race was won by felipe vivancos  who equalled the spanish record 
athletics	85	sweden s robert kronberg was second  with haiti s dudley dorival in third 
athletics	85	scott was slightly disappointed with his run in the final 
athletics	85	he won his heat in numbersecs but ran numbersecs slower in his first iaaf indoor grand prix circuit final 
athletics	85	 i should have done better than that   he said 
athletics	85	 i felt i could have won it 
athletics	85	i got a poor start   but i still felt i should have ran faster 
athletics	85	  vivancos slashed his personal best to equal the spanish record with a time of numbersecs while kronberg and dorival clocked numbersecs and numbersecs respectively 
athletics	86	gb quartet get cross country callfour british athletes have been pre selected to compete at the world cross country championships in march after impressive starts to the season 
athletics	86	hayley yelling  jo pavey  karl keska and adam hickey will represent team gb at the event in france 
athletics	86	yelling clinched the women s european cross country title last month and pavey followed up with bronze 
athletics	86	keska helped the men s team to overall third place while hickey finished in 10th place on his junior debut 
athletics	86	 winning the european cross country title meant so much to me   said yelling 
athletics	86	 and being pre selected for the worlds means that i can focus on preparing in the best way possible 
athletics	86	  the 32 year old will race alongside olympic 5 000m finalist pavey in the women s 8km race on 19 march 
athletics	86	keska  who has made a successful return from a long term injury lay off  contests the men s 12km race on 20 march  while 16 year old hickey goes in the junior men s 8km on the same day 
athletics	86	the rest of the team will be named after the trials at wollaton park in nottingham  which take place on 5 march 
athletics	87	jones files lawsuit against contemarion jones has filed a lawsuit for defamation against balco boss victor conte following his allegations that he gave her performance enhancing drugs 
athletics	87	the sydney olympic gold medallist says conte damaged her reputation and she is seeking  25m  £13m  in the suit 
athletics	87	conte  whose company is at the centre of a doping investigation  made the claims in a us television programme 
athletics	87	he and three others were indicted in february by a federal grand jury for a variety of alleged offences 
athletics	87	in an email to the associated press on wednesday  conte said   i stand by everything i said  
athletics	87	jones won three gold medals and two bronzes in sydney in 2000 
athletics	87	her lawsuit  filed in the us district court in san francisco  said the sprinter had passed a lie detector test and that she  has never taken banned performance enhancing drugs  
athletics	87	conte s statements  the suit added  were  false and malicious  
athletics	87	after the abc television program earlier this month  jones  lawyer richard nicholls said   marion has steadfastly maintained her position throughout  she has never  ever used performance enhancing drugs 
athletics	87	 victor conte is a man facing a 42 count federal indictment  while marion jones is one of america s most decorated female athletes 
athletics	87	mr conte s statements have been wildly contradictory 
athletics	87	 mr conte chose to make unsubstantiated allegations on television  while marion jones demanded to take and then passed a lie detector examination 
athletics	87	 mr conte is simply not credible 
athletics	87	we challenge him to submit to the same lie detector procedure that marion jones passed 
athletics	87	  the sport s ruling body  the iaaf  is taking a cautious approach to conte s allegations but contacted the us anti doping agency 
athletics	87	communications director nick davies said the iaaf would seek to contact conte  for further information  
athletics	87	but davies stressed it would be up to the american authorities to decide whether they will take action against jones in light of conte s television interview and the world governing body would monitor the situation closely 
athletics	87	 if it is felt there is case to answer  it would be for its national governing body  usa track and field  to take the appropriate disciplinary action   he added 
athletics	87	 the us anti doping agency has proved itself to be very diligent in its anti doping war 
athletics	87	 and i am sure  like ourselves  they will be watching the television programme with great interest 
athletics	87	  jones  who is under investigation for steroid use by the us anti doping agency  has continually denied ever taking illegal substances since being investigated in the balco scandal  although she praised a zinc supplement conte marketed 
athletics	87	jones  who did not win any medals in athens in august  has never failed a drugs test 
athletics	87	meanwhile  conte  who has been charged along with three other men of distributing illegal steroids and money laundering  is due to face trial in march 
athletics	88	thanou desperate to make returngreek sprinter katerina thanou says she is eager to compete again after being cleared of missing a drugs test by an independent greek tribunal 
athletics	88	thanou  30  was provisionally suspended for missing a test before the olympics  but the decision was overturned 
athletics	88	 the iaaf will decide if we can compete again in greece and abroad   thanou told to vima newspaper in her first interview since the athens olympics 
athletics	88	 if given the green light i will run again   that s the only thing i want 
athletics	88	  thanou  30  and her compatriot kostas kenteris were provisionally suspended by the iaaf in december for missing three drugs tests 
athletics	88	the third was alleged to have been on the eve of the opening ceremony of the athens olympics 
athletics	88	but an independent tribunal of the greek athletics federation overturned the provisional ban on 18 march 
athletics	88	the iaaf   which said it was  very surprised  by the decision of the greek tribunal   is deciding whether to appeal against the decision at the court of arbitration for sport 
athletics	88	however  dick pound  the chairman of the world anti doping authority  has said he will appeal against the decision if the iaaf does not 
athletics	88	and thanou and kenteris face a criminal trial later this year for allegedly avoiding the test and then faking a motorcycle accident 
athletics	88	thanou said   i can see how people can think the accident seemed like a childish excuse 
athletics	88	 i cannot deny that we made a lot of mistakes during that time 
athletics	88	i always said we needed a pr person 
athletics	88	 an athlete would have to be very stupid to take illegal substances when he or she knows that they will undergo tests at any given moment 
athletics	88	 i am a champion 
athletics	88	i cannot risk everything i ve achieved in such a silly way 
athletics	88	  
athletics	89	relay squad thrilled with honoursjason gardener says being made an mbe in the new year honours list underlines the achievement of great britain s 4x100m relay squad at the olympics 
athletics	89	gardener  darren campbell  marlon devonish and mark lewis francis have all been awarded mbes after beating pre race favourites usa to gold 
athletics	89	 i think this award reinforces what we did on that fantastic night   he said 
athletics	89	 this recognition is really inspiring and makes me want to have more success   said lewis francis 
athletics	89	the british sprint quartet produced a string of faultless baton changes in the final to put pressure on the americans 
athletics	89	and when the usa stumbled with a poor switch between justin gatlin and coby miller at the 300m stage  britain edged ahead going into the final bend 
athletics	89	then  on cue  lewis francis ran a textbook final leg  holding off maurice greene to bring team gb home in number seconds   just one hundredth of a second ahead of their rivals 
athletics	89	 winning the gold medal was the highlight of my athletics career so far   said the birchfield harrier 
athletics	89	 this award is not just for me  but for all my friends  family and the people who have helped me to get to this level in my sport 
athletics	89	  gardener added   all of us had worked very hard for a long  long time to carry off what most believed was an impossible task 
athletics	89	 of course this award is very special  but for me nothing will ever take away winning an olympic gold medal 
athletics	89	it s all i ever wanted 
athletics	89	 all my life that is what i dreamed of doing 
athletics	89	life since then has been fantastic 
athletics	89	  campbell agreed receiving the honour capped off what has been a difficult year for the sprinter 
athletics	89	 i think the mbe is important because the people closest to me know my journey   said the newport based athlete 
athletics	89	 i ve not just stumbled upon this 
athletics	89	 it gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction to know the stuff you do for your country does mean something 
athletics	89	   there was also recognition for james clarke  chairman of the london marathon 
athletics	89	he becomes an obe 
athletics	90	balco case trial date pushed backthe trial date for the bay area laboratory cooperative  balco  steroid distribution case has been postponed 
athletics	90	us judge susan illston pushed back a preliminary evidentiary hearing   which was due to take place on wednesday   until 6 june 
athletics	90	no official trial date has been set but it is expected to begin in september 
athletics	90	balco founder victor conte along with james valente  coach remy korchemny and trainer greg anderson are charged with distributing steroids to athletes 
athletics	90	anderson s clients include barry bonds  and several other baseball stars have been asked to appear before a congressional inquiry into steroid use in the major leagues 
athletics	90	the balco defence team have already lost their appeal to have the case dismissed at a pre trial hearing in san francisco but will still argue the case should not go to trial 
athletics	90	the hearing in june will focus on the admissibility of evidence gathered during police raids on balco s offices and anderson s home 
athletics	90	conte and anderson were not arrested at that point but federal agents did obtain statements from them 
athletics	90	the defence are expected to challenge the legality of those interviews and if ilston agrees she could could reject all the evidence from the raids 
athletics	90	balco has been accused by the united states anti doping agency  usada  of being the source of the banned steroid thg and modafinil 
athletics	90	former double world champion kelli white and olympic relay star alvin harrison have both been banned on the basis of materials discovered during the balco investigation 
athletics	90	britain s former european 100m champion dwain chambers is currently serving a two year ban after testing positive for thg in an out of competition test in 2003 
athletics	90	and american sprinter marion jones has filed a lawsuit for defamation against conte following his allegations that he gave her performance enhancing drugs 
athletics	91	collins calls for chambers returnworld 100m champion kim collins says suspended sprinter dwain chambers should be allowed to compete in the olympics again 
athletics	91	chambers was banned for two years after testing positive for the anabolic steroid thg and his suspension runs out in november this year 
athletics	91	but collins says the british olympic association should reverse the decision to ban him from the olympics for life 
athletics	91	 it was too harsh   collins told radio five live 
athletics	91	 they should reconsider 
athletics	91	  chambers has been in america learning american football but has not ruled out a return to the track 
athletics	91	collins added   he is a great guy and i have never had any problems with him 
athletics	91	we are friends 
athletics	91	 i would like to see dwain come back and compete again 
athletics	91	he is a good person 
athletics	91	 even though he made a mistake he understands what he did and should be given a chance once more 
athletics	91	  
athletics	92	costin aims for comeback in 2006jamie costin should be paralysed 
athletics	92	he says so himself in a matter of fact way as he recalls the car accident which occurred nine days before he was scheduled to step out into the olympic stadium in athens for the 50k walk 
athletics	92	there is an ironic chuckle as he talks of his immediate thoughts after a lorry  driving on the wrong side of the road  had ploughed into his rental car 
athletics	92	 i was in a lot of pain and i guessed that one of my toes was broken   says the waterford man 
athletics	92	 but i was thinking maybe with a cortisone injection you never know 
athletics	92	 in my back  it felt as though all the muscles had been ripped off my pelvis but i was thinking maybe we could do something with laser therapy and ultra sound and hopefully i d be able to race 
athletics	92	  it took over 10 hours before jamie knew with certainty that he would not be competing in his second olympics 
athletics	92	 my back had been broken in two places and with one of my vertebrae  the bottom part had exploded so i m fierce lucky not be paralysed 
athletics	92	 i d fractured my big toe as well which was on the brake 
athletics	92	  jamie didn t finally arrive at hospital in athens until some nine and a half hours after the accident 
athletics	92	 for the first nine hours  i had no pain killers which was ridiculous in 35 degrees heat 
athletics	92	 but once i got the scans and saw them it was a case of moving on and thinking  ok  i ve got a different set of circumstances now  
athletics	92	  within three days he was arriving back in ireland by air ambulance 
athletics	92	doctors in athens had wanted to operate on jamie s back immediately but he insisted on delaying any surgery until he arrived back home   something he is now very relieved about 
athletics	92	 the greek doctors were going to put three or four inch titanium rods either side of my spinal cord up through my vertebrae 
athletics	92	 that would have fused all my lower back and i would never have been able to race again 
athletics	92	they were really putting a lot of pressure on me to agree to the surgery 
athletics	92	 but when i got to the mater in dublin they said it was possible for it to heal totally naturally which is giving me the chance to get back into competition which is very important to me 
athletics	92	the people at the mater have been absolutely fantastic 
athletics	92	  jamie had to wear a body cast for three and a half months after the accident and spent most of that time flat on his back 
athletics	92	he then progressed to crutches for six weeks until he was finally able to walk unaided on 10 january 
athletics	92	 walking without the crutches seemed like something finally really measurable in terms of my recovery 
athletics	92	  physio sessions with johnston mcevoy in limerick have been a vital part of his recovery 
athletics	92	 johnston uses an advanced type of acupuncture and it s very effective 
athletics	92	 needles get put right close up to my spine 
athletics	92	a two and a half inch needle went in yesterday and i m fairly incapacitated today as a result 
athletics	92	  jamie has also travelled to receive treatment at the polish training centre in spala where he has trained with triple olympic champion robert korzeniowski over the past five years 
athletics	92	 i was there for over a fortnight earlier this month and underwent a fair extreme treatment called cryotherapy 
athletics	92	 basically  there s a small room which is cooled by liquid nitrogen to minus 160 degrees centigrade and it promotes deep healing 
athletics	92	 jamie heads to poland again on sunday where he will be having daily cryotherapy in addition to twice daily physio sessions and pool work 
athletics	92	all these sessions are small steps on the way to what jamie hopes will be a return to racing in 2006 
athletics	92	 it s all about trying to get mobility in my back 
athletics	92	lying down for three and a half months didn t really help with the strength 
athletics	92	 there s a lot of work involved in my recovery 
athletics	92	i m doing about six hours a day between physio and pool work 
athletics	92	 i m also going to the gym to lift very light weights to try and build up my muscles 
athletics	92	i m fairly full on with everything i do 
athletics	92	 i d hope to be training regularly by march 
athletics	92	but training is just part of the process of getting back 
athletics	92	 at the moment  every time i go and do a big bit of movement  my whole pelvic area all down my lower back just tightens up 
athletics	92	 it s a case of waiting and seeing how it reacts 
athletics	92	hopefully  after four or five months my back won t tighten up as much 
athletics	92	  
athletics	93	lewis francis turns to christiemark lewis francis has stepped up his preparations for the new season by taking advice from british sprint icon linford christie 
athletics	93	the 22 year old is set to compete at sheffield this weekend and will then take on maurice greene and kim collins in birmingham on 18 february 
athletics	93	 training in wales and getting advice from linford christie is broadening my mind   said lewis francis 
athletics	93	the sprinter has also shed weight since winning relay gold at the athens games 
athletics	93	 last year i was 91kg  now i am numberkg   hopefully my times will come down   he said 
athletics	93	 this has been brought about by eating the right foods and cutting out the snacks 
athletics	93	it is just discipline and being more focused about what i am doing 
athletics	93	 i am still keeping up my weights work and i can see the improvement in my running 
athletics	93	  despite playing his part in britain s successful 4x100m relay team  lewis francis still feels the frustration of missing out on the individual 100m final at the 2004 olympics 
athletics	93	 that was heartbreaking  but i had made it to the semi final and for me  on a personal level  that was an achievement 
athletics	93	 i just have to be patient and build up for the next olympics 
athletics	93	that is my goal and whatever i do between now and then will be geared to making the final 
athletics	93	  
athletics	94	greene to compete in birminghammaurice greene will go head to head with britain s olympic gold medallists mark lewis francis and jason gardener over 60m in birmingham next month 
athletics	94	the race at the national indoor arena on 18 february will give greene the chance to avenge america s 4x100m relay defeat by the british team 
athletics	94	greene  who set the 60m world record of number seconds in 1998  won bronze in the 100m in athens 
athletics	94	but he was beaten to the line on the relay anchor leg by lewis francis 
athletics	94	 i m really looking forward to competing in birmingham again   said greene 
athletics	94	 the support from the crowd at the nia is always fantastic and i m sure i can rise to the occasion and produce a great performance 
athletics	94	 double olympic gold medallist kelly holmes has also signed up to race in birmingham 
athletics	94	olympic heptathlon champion carolina kluft  pole vault world record holder yelena isinbayeva and kenenisa bekele  the 5 000m and 10 000m world record holder  will also compete 
athletics	95	kluft playing down record chancesweden s carolina kluft fears jackie joyner kersee s world record heptathlon points total of 7291 set at the 1988 olympics may never be surpassed 
athletics	95	the olympic champion  who set her best of 7001 to win the 2003 world title  begins her 2005 season at the reebok indoor games in boston on saturday 
athletics	95	 her record is probably unbeatable   said kluft 
athletics	95	 i will try to do my best to be as good as i can 
athletics	95	 how far i can go  i have no idea 
athletics	95	but she s got a great record 
athletics	95	  kluft  american joyner kersee and russia s larisa nikitina are the only woman to have broken the 7000 points barrier 
athletics	95	meanwhile  last year s world indoor champion is determined to add gold at the european indoor championships to her collection  with the meeting held in madrid in march 
athletics	95	 it s a good experience to compete outside of sweden and outside of europe   said kluft 
athletics	95	 it s going to be a great competition here in boston  a great preparation for the european indoors championships 
athletics	95	  
athletics	96	pittman drops coach for uk baseaustralia s world 400m hurdle champion jana pittman has split from coach phil king and is now training with her british fiance chris rawlinson 
athletics	96	 the opportunity to live and train in europe is something jana has always courted   king said 
athletics	96	 i have enjoy working with her and wish her well 
athletics	96	  pittman is working with rawlinson s coach nick dakin at loughborough  but he denied he was her new coach 
athletics	96	 i m helping her but don t know if that will continue   dakin told bbc sport 
athletics	96	rawlinson and pittman met at last summer s olympic games and got engaged in november 
athletics	96	pittman has been working alongside rawlinson in dakin s group of elite athletes that includes 400m runner iwan thomas and jamaican hurdler kemel thompson 
athletics	96	but dakin told bbc sport that the arrangement is by no means permanent 
athletics	96	 jana is doing a mixture of methods that have worked for her in the past and some of the sessions i m setting for chris   dakin explained 
athletics	96	 she is going back to australia in early february but i m not sure how long that s for 
athletics	96	she might come back on our warm weather programme around easter  but that will be up to her 
athletics	96	 she s an incredibly strong trainer and she is getting the benefit of a having a group of people to chase and to motivate her 
athletics	96	  pittman finished in fifth place in her olympic final while rawlinson failed to get beyond the semi finals after hitting his first hurdle 
athletics	96	the rotherham athlete s build up to the games had been affected by a stomach upset 
athletics	96	and dakin believes the couple s relationship both on and off the track will make them stronger for the season ahead 
athletics	96	 i think it s positive for them both   said dakin 
athletics	96	 they re both world class athletes who have an understanding of what it takes and who understand the pitfalls 
athletics	96	 their relationship is a good source of reassurance and advice for both of them 
athletics	96	 jana is continuing to focus on defending her world title in helsinki while chris is planning to go through to the commonwealth games in melbourne  where he is defending champion 
athletics	96	 but if this year goes well and the commonwealths go well then a european medal might be a possibility for him 
athletics	96	but that s not a decision he s finalised yet 
athletics	96	  pittman and rawlison plan to marry after the 2006 commonwealth games 
athletics	97	lewis francis shakes off injurysprinter mark lewis francis is determined to get his indoor campaign back on track after a hamstring problem affected his season opener on saturday 
athletics	97	the olympic relay gold medallist pulled out of the 60m final with bad cramp at the birmingham games 
athletics	97	 i hope to be fully fit for the european indoor trials at the end of next week   said lewis francis 
athletics	97	 i m back jogging and with more treatment i will be able to resume full training in the next couple of days 
athletics	97	  the 22 year old goes head to head with relay team mate jason gardener for a place in great britain s european championships squad at the trials in sheffield 
athletics	97	then lewis francis is set for a re match with american maurice greene  who he edged out in the olympic 4x100m final  at the norwich union grand prix in birmingham on 18 february 
athletics	97	and the birchfield harrier is confident he can replicate his form on the boards 
athletics	97	 i m really looking forward to competing against jason and maurice   added lewis francis 
athletics	97	 my winter training has gone very well and i want to improve my 60m personal best in the next few weeks 
athletics	97	  
athletics	98	holmes facing fine over trialsdouble olympic champion kelly holmes faces a fine of around £25 000 after opting to miss this weekend s trials for the european championship 
athletics	98	rules brought in last year state athletes who miss trials without proof of injury or illness will forfeit a quarter of the fee for that season 
athletics	98	a spokesman for fast track  the sport s promoters in britain  told the times that holmes would be no exception 
athletics	98	the paper said she was set to earn £100 000 for the domestic indoor term 
athletics	98	holmes  who won both 800m and 1500m gold in athens  opened her british indoor campaign by winning the 1500m at the norwich union international in glasgow last month 
athletics	98	she is also set to race at the grand prix in birmingham on 18 february 
athletics	98	but governing body uk athletics  uka  said the trials in sheffield were never in her plans 
athletics	98	 it was always kelly s plan for the indoor season to prioritise only two uk televised meetings at glasgow and birmingham   a uka statement said 
athletics	98	 she never intended to compete at the european indoor trials 
athletics	98	uk athletics can confirm kelly holmes will not compete in sheffield 
athletics	98	  but a fast track spokesman said   kelly will be fined 25  of her indoor earnings 
athletics	98	 it is a policy that applies to all gb athletes and kelly accepts that 
athletics	98	 during the course of contract talks  which resulted in kelly taking part in glasgow and birmingham  it was explained what would happen if she did not participate in the trials 
athletics	98	  holmes has always said she will not decide whether to compete at the european indoor championships in madrid in march until after birmingham 
athletics	98	but should she wish to  it is unlikely to be a problem despite her decision to miss the trials 
athletics	98	under uka selection criteria  selectors can pick athletes who did not compete in trials on the basis of  exceptional circumstances  
athletics	99	freeman considers return to trackformer olympic champion cathy freeman said she would consider a return to action in the relay at next year s commonwealth games in melbourne 
athletics	99	but the 31 year old said she would only try to make the team if she felt there was backing for the move 
athletics	99	 if there was overwhelming support for me to come back i would think about it  but not just if it was for myself   she told australia s sun herald 
athletics	99	 it would be enough motivation for me to get out there and try again 
athletics	99	  but freeman  who retired in july 2003  ruled out a return to the individual event 
athletics	99	 i don t think i could ever top what i felt in sydney  and i ve got too much pride 
athletics	99	 if i was part of the relay i d do it  but not the individual 
athletics	99	 the preparation and getting fit is easy 
athletics	99	and i don t think i could lose that competitiveness and killer instinct  i ve just channelled it into other things 
athletics	99	  former coach raelene boyle said the public would back freeman were she to return to the track but questioned the wisdom of such a move 
athletics	99	 it would be fantastic to see cathy run but i believe that once you retire  you retire 
athletics	99	when you have got a unique talent like she has  maybe it would work to try again 
athletics	99	 but she would have to get out and prove herself in races before they selected her to run in the relay 
athletics	99	  
athletics	100	event devised to nurture athletesuk athletics has launched a new outdoor series aimed at creating extra competitive events for athletes just below great britain standard 
athletics	100	the uk challenge will consist of 10 high standard meetings from may until the series final on 3 september 
athletics	100	athletes must compete in at least three events to gain a series ranking with the top eight athletes in each discipline contesting the final 
athletics	100	the scheme also coincides with plans to introduce a new uk ranking system 
athletics	100	a list of the top 100 athletes in each event will be compiled and updated every two weeks throughout the outdoor season 
athletics	100	uk athletics chief executive david moorcroft said he hoped the initiatives would stimulate the sport at all levels 
athletics	100	 we are building on the development of domestic competition started in the indoor season and will be looking to affect the careers of thousands of british athletes   said moorcroft 
athletics	100	 this is an athlete driven programme and identifies a strata of competitors who will provide depth to our club profile 
athletics	100	  
cricket	101	hayden sets up australia winsecond one day international  christchurch australia 314 6  50 overs  beat new zealand 208  number overs  by 106 runsricky ponting  53  and damien martyn  58  provided the main support for hayden  who hit two sixes and 12 fours 
cricket	101	they eventually totalled 314 6 and the game was as good as over when new zealand slumped to 73 6 in reply  with adam gilchrist taking five catches 
cricket	101	daniel vettori made a rapid 83 but they were all out for 208 in the 41st over 
cricket	101	new zealand must now win all three remaining matches to take the series  but such a turn round looked a remote possibility at jade stadium 
cricket	101	skipepr stephen fleming chose to put australia in after winning the toss  with former rugby star jeff wilson included in the new zealand team for his first one day international since march 1993 
cricket	101	he was taught a harsh lesson as his six overs cost 57 runs  with only left arm spinner vettori  0 31 from 10  able to exercise any measure of control over the australian batsmen 
cricket	101	gilchrist was caught behind off daryl tuffey from the second ball of the match but hayden and ponting set about putting things right with a stand of 99 for the second wicket 
cricket	101	ponting cleared the ropes twice as he raced to 50 off 51 balls  but only added three more before he was run out by hamish marshall 
cricket	101	by then  hayden was into his stride and he and martyn added 133  although it took them 24 overs 
cricket	101	martyn was run out off the final ball of the 41st over  but the final nine cost the kiwis 82 runs as australia raised the tempo 
cricket	101	hayden s century came up off 110 balls but he eventually fell to a catch by wilson off kyle mills  leaving michael clarke to add 23 off 13 balls and mike hussey 32 not out off 20 as the total mounted past 300 
cricket	101	the new ball pairing of brett lee and glenn mcgrath made short work of new zealand s top order  claiming two wickets each   all of them catches behind the wicket by gilchrist 
cricket	101	he claimed another when andrew symonds found the edge of craig mcmillan s bat and when chris cairns followed for 22  caught by hayden  the home side were in danger of being embarrassed 
cricket	101	vettori and brendon mccullum  20  halted their decline by sharing a stand of 62 before mccullum gave a return catch to symonds  who finished with 3 41 
cricket	101	wilson made 22 in an eighth wicket stand of 62 but the end came quickly once he was caught by ponting off jason gillespie 
cricket	101	having passed fifty for the first time in a limited overs international  vettori was denied a century when he was caught at deep square leg off gillespie after hitting 10 fours in his 77 ball knock 
cricket	101	mills was last to go  run out by clarke  after setting off for a quick single and being sent back by tuffey 
cricket	101	s p fleming  n j astle  m s sinclair  j wilson  c d mcmillan  h j h marshall  c l cairns  b b mccullum  k d mills  d l vettori  d r tuffeym l hayden  a c gilchrist  r t ponting  d r martyn  a symonds  m j clarke  m e k hussey  g b hogg  b lee  j gillespie  g d mcgrath 
cricket	102	pietersen gives england a chancelunch  england 240 all out  number overs his innings of 116 came after the rest of the batsmen had failed dismally to be 68 6 at the mid innings point 
cricket	102	pietersen  who blasted 10 fours and six sixes off 110 deliveries  added 104 runs for the seventh wicket with ashley giles  41  
cricket	102	darren gough was ruled out with a cold and was replaced by steve harmison 
cricket	102	hall bowls harmison for a duck 
cricket	102	hall bowls ali off his pads 
cricket	102	ali hits a boundary off nel as fine leg misfields 
cricket	102	and he middles another down to long off 
cricket	102	hall finally has his revenge by bowling pietersen 
cricket	102	hall returns to the fray and is deposited for a straight six by pietersen 
cricket	102	the next ball is steered down to the vacant third man area for four 
cricket	102	pietersen clobbers nel between square leg and midwicket for four 
cricket	102	ali and pietersen each hit fours before ntini is deposited high over long on as the hampshire batsman reaches 99 
cricket	102	a scrambled single gives him his third century of the series 
cricket	102	pietersen drives a kallis full toss for four and nicks another ball wide of boucher for a second boundary 
cricket	102	pietersen drives ntini wide of mid off for four 
cricket	102	ntini  starting his third spell  yorks giles 
cricket	102	in this over  giles reaches his best score  and pietersen brings up the 100 partnership with a six off hall 
cricket	102	pietersen launches nel over long on for another six 
cricket	102	giles then drives him through extra cover for four 
cricket	102	a boundary for each batsman off hall underlines the quality of this centurion pitch 
cricket	102	pietersen drives nel wide of mid off for four and giles then plays him behind square on the leg side for another four 
cricket	102	boje finishes off with 1 34 
cricket	102	pietersen collectes his third one day fifty with a single as pollock finishes off with 1 36 
cricket	102	pietersen slog sweeps boje for two massive sixes over cow corner 
cricket	102	giles thumps pollock over mid on for four to bring up england s 100 and adds another boundary by slashing over gully 
cricket	102	the batsmen continue to trade in singles 
cricket	102	a few more singles come off pollock and a respite from the tedium of this partnership comes as drinks are brought on 
cricket	102	just 17 overs remain and at 89 6  england are merely hoping they can bat out the overs 
cricket	102	pollock returns to the attack and again england can only trade in singles 
cricket	102	five dots balls from boje  then a single for giles 
cricket	102	england can only take two singles off ntini 
cricket	102	boje concedes two runs off the bat and a single wide 
cricket	102	ntini goes for six runs in his first over of a new spell 
cricket	102	pietersen garners a solitary single off boje s fourth over 
cricket	102	with giles and pietersen batting together  england have a mountain to climb 
cricket	102	collingwood is given run out by the third umpire after a misunderstanding with pietersen 
cricket	102	collingwood takes three runs off hall 
cricket	102	four singles come off boje s second over 
cricket	102	a cover drive from collingwood off nel brings the batsman four runs 
cricket	102	in boje s first over  solanki contrives to top edge a sweep to short fine leg 
cricket	102	nel gets through another good over 
cricket	102	a pietersen single brings up the england team half century but he will have to perform some more heroics to set a challenging total 
cricket	102	pietersen pulls a nel long hop for four 
cricket	102	pietersen whips a straight ball from hall wide of mid on for four 
cricket	102	jones top edges a pull shot off nel and gives a dolly catch to kemp at square leg 
cricket	102	hall bowls a maiden at pietersen 
cricket	102	nel allows just a single from his second over 
cricket	102	hall is able to get through an economical first over 
cricket	102	nel strikes in his first over as strauss gets an under edge trying to attack a short ball with a pull shot 
cricket	102	strauss plays a smart leg glance off pollock for four 
cricket	102	strauss has his first boundary as he pulls ntini for four 
cricket	102	after 15 dots balls  jones square cuts pollock for four 
cricket	102	ntini gets through his second maiden as england s run rate declines to desparate proportions 
cricket	102	boje misses a golden opportunity to run out strauss after the non striker is sold a dummy by jones 
cricket	102	strauss is dropped by kemp at gully 
cricket	102	just two more singles come off pollock  with strauss and jones playing watchful cricket 
cricket	102	ntini bowls a maiden at strauss 
cricket	102	pollock s second over costs just two 
cricket	102	jones flicks ntini high over square leg for four 
cricket	102	vaughan loses his middle and leg stumps as he is beaten for pace by ntini 
cricket	102	trescothick plays a flat footed drive at a pollock half volley which goes strsight to gully 
cricket	102	g smith  capt   n boje  j kallis  h gibbs  a prince  j kemp  m boucher  wkt   s pollock  m ntini  a nel  a hall 
cricket	102	m vaughan  capt   m trescothick  g jones  wkt   a strauss  k pietersen  i bell  v solanki  p collingwood  a giles  kabir ali  s harmison  a wharf 
cricket	103	south africa far too strong againsecond one day international  durban south africa 329 6 beat zimbabwe 198 7 by 131 runssouth africa lead three match series 2 0smith s 117 set up the best total at durban in 25 one day internationals 
cricket	103	he was given fine support by herschelle gibbs   they added 134 before justin kemp hit 53 not out off just 21 balls 
cricket	103	zimbabwe finished on 198 7 to lose by 131 runs with barney rogers  47  the top scorer 
cricket	103	south africa lead the series 2 0 with just one to play 
cricket	103	rogers put on 71 for the first wicket with stuart matsikenyeri 
cricket	103	but their partnership soaked up number overs   matsikenyeri labouring for 79 minutes over his innings of 16 before offering a catch off the bowling of albie morkel 
cricket	103	the same bowler struck soon afterwards as rogers clipped a fullish delivery to wide mid on 
cricket	103	nicky boje and adam bacher each took a brace of wickets as the middle order simply played for pride 
cricket	103	and it was telling that bacher  whose military medium pace was not even experimented with against england  finished with 2 36 off a full allotment of 10 overs 
cricket	103	zimbabwe had won the toss at the start of the day and did well with the ball early on  reducing the south africans to 67 3 in the 15th over 
cricket	103	but smith and gibbs  who so often form a powerful partnership in both tests and one day internationals  were not backwards in coming forward  launching a barrage of boundaries off the spinners 
cricket	103	zimbabwe were hampered when strike bowler tinashe panyangara left the field in his fourth over with a back strain 
cricket	103	the spinners had to do plenty of work as a result and one of them  prosper utseya  went for 60 in six overs 
cricket	103	gibbs took a particular liking to him before eventually falling to rogers for 75 off 73 balls 
cricket	103	seam bowler christopher mpofu took 3 59 in his nine overs 
cricket	103	he was impressive in the main but had to bowl the final over of the innings  which disappeared for 17 as justin kemp equalled the fastest half century by a south african 
cricket	103	he hit two fours and five towering sixes in a brutal display of hitting 
cricket	103	afterwards  kemp said he knew nothing about the record 
cricket	103	 i had no idea   he admitted 
cricket	103	 i was just thinking about smashing every ball for six 
cricket	103	 graeme smith  captain   adam bacher  jacques rudolph  herschelle gibbs  ashwell prince  justin kemp  mark boucher  albie morkel  nicky boje  andrew hall  charl langeveldt 
cricket	103	stuart matsikenyeri  barney rogers  hamilton masakadza  alester maregwede  brendan taylor  tatenda taibu  captain   gavin ewing  sean williams  tinashe panyangara  prosper utseya  christopher mpofu 
cricket	104	pakistan on revenge missionpakistan s cricketers depart for delhi on monday with captain inzamam ul haq beseeching his side to make up for the 2004 defeat to india on home soil 
cricket	104	india outplayed pakistan 12 months ago  beating them 2 1 in the tests and 3 2 in the one day internationals 
cricket	104	inzamam said ahead of pakistan s first full tour of india for six years   we want to make amends for last year 
cricket	104	 the australian tour was a big learning experience and i think we are in a position to reap benefits in india 
cricket	104	  series between india and pakistan are always eagerly awaited  largely because politics often restrict the amount of cricket the two teams can play against each other 
cricket	104	this particular engagement  which will include three tests and six one dayers  was twice threatened 
cricket	104	the schedule has already been put back four days over a dispute which centred on pakistan s refusal to play the second test in ahmedabad 
cricket	104	the first test in mohali will now get under way on 8 march 
cricket	104	then  following a protracted row over television rights  the madras high court issued interim orders to ensure the matches would be broadcast live by state owned channel doordarshan 
cricket	104	after the 2004 series between the two sides  pakistan sacked their coach javed miandad 
cricket	104	inzamam believes his replacement  bob woolmer  has improved the side even if a string of positive results have not yet come 
cricket	104	he said   a lot has changed since that series 
cricket	104	woolmer has helped change the attitude of the boys which is more positive and professional and i think they can take the pressure of playing in india 
cricket	104	  pakistan will be without strike bowler shoaib akhtar  hamstring   leaving recalled off spinner arshad khan and leg spinner danish kaneria with much work to do 
cricket	104	inzamam said   shoaib s absence will be felt 
cricket	104	but our strength is playing as a unit 
cricket	104	  khan and kaneria  have a big role to play in india 
cricket	104	they are the ones on whom we will be depending a lot in the test matches 
cricket	104	 we are expecting slow  turning tracks and we have been practicing for such conditions 
cricket	104	  pakistan s first match is a three day warm up against the indian board president s xi in dharamsala from march 3 
cricket	104	salman butt  yasir hameed  taufeeq umar  younis khan  inzamam ul haq  captain   yousuf youhana  asim kamal  kamran akmal  wkt   abdul razzaq  shoaib malik  shahid afridi  arshad khan  danish kaneria  muhammad sami  rana naved  muhammad khalil 
cricket	105	russell to instruct keeper jonesformer england and gloucestershire wicket keeper jack russell has been called in to give coaching to current national team gloveman geraint jones 
cricket	105	jones did not have the best of tours in south africa  dropping catches and conceding too many byes 
cricket	105	now england coach duncan fletcher has sought out the 54 test veteran 
cricket	105	russell told the daily express   duncan and captain michael vaughan have asked me to build a relationship with geraint and give him whatever help he needs 
cricket	105	  the pair have already worked closely but russell will be heavily involved as the countdown to the ashes begins 
cricket	105	he said   geraint has got the ability to play 100 tests for england 
cricket	105	he has the right attitude 
cricket	105	 people have to remember he is still quite raw 
cricket	105	there are some things we need to work out but it s just a case of smoothing out a few rough edges 
cricket	105	 in terms of winning the ashes  he has got an important role to play 
cricket	105	he can do some real damage and i ve no doubt he has the stomach for a fight 
cricket	105	meanwhile  steve harmison has reflected on his even more disappointing tour of south africa 
cricket	105	harmison told the news of the world   it was high intensity  high pressure cricket for the whole tour and that s mentally and physically draining 
cricket	105	 it certainly wasn t the best environment in which to hit a bad patch 
cricket	105	  
cricket	106	england a roll to second victoryone day tour match  sharjah  england a v uaeprior top scored with 84 as a stand of 100 helped england a to 280 for eight in sharjah with solanki making 55 and michael powell 42 
cricket	106	glamorgan s david harrison struck early to leave uae reeling on 22 for two 
cricket	106	usman saleem restored some respectability with 50 but uae ran out of steam to close on 219 for nine 
cricket	106	the tourists won saturday s first game by 42 runs 
cricket	106	rashid khan  amjad javed  usman saleem naeemuddin aslam  khuram khan  capt   ahmed nadeem  fahad usman sameer zia  mohammad taskeen  wkt   ali asad  rizwan latif 
cricket	106	v s solanki  m j prior  wkt   i r bell  capt   o a shah m j powell  a p r gidman  g p swann  p j franks  r k j dawson d s harrison  j lewis 
cricket	106	iftikhar ali and tariq butt 
cricket	107	kaif absence wrong   azharuddinindia were wrong to leave mohammad kaif out of their squad for the first test against pakistan  according to former captain mohammad azharuddin 
cricket	107	azharuddin  serving a life ban for match fixing  feels the middle order batsman deserves another chance 
cricket	107	 kaif batted very well against australia on a tough wicket   azharuddin told bbc sport 
cricket	107	 he s got a lot of talent and i am sure he cannot be held back 
cricket	107	his omission is not good for his confidence 
cricket	107	  kaif scored two fifties in last year s home series loss to the aussies  while yuvraj singh failed badly against the same opponents yet was given a squad berth for the mohali test starting on 8 march 
cricket	107	azharuddin reckons vangipurappu laxman should bat at first drop despite struggling for form 
cricket	107	 laxman has always played well when he has gone as number three   he said 
cricket	107	 lower down the order  a lot of pressure is on him and if i were the captain  i would have played him at number three 
cricket	107	  as well as spinners harbhajan singh and anil kumble  india have four pacemen to choose from after naming ashish nehra  lakshmipathy balaji  irfan pathan and zaheer khan in the 14 man squad 
cricket	107	 all the four pace bowlers deserve to get into the team   azharuddin added 
cricket	107	pakistan  minus injured paceman shoaib akhtar  are due to arrive in india on monday ahead of their first warm up match against the indian board president s xi starting on thursday 
cricket	107	 shoaib akhtar s absence in the pakistani side is not going to make much of a difference   azharuddin opined 
cricket	107	 he may get a wicket or two but he has to be more consistent 
cricket	107	also  the indian batting is very strong now 
cricket	107	 azharuddin maintains his innocence despite his central involvement in the match fixing scandal of 2000 which saw pakistani salim malik and the late hansie cronje of south africa also receive life bans 
cricket	107	in 99 tests for india from 1984 to 2000  azharuddin scored 6 215 runs at an average of 45 with 22 centuries 
cricket	108	bracewell worried by leenew zealand coach john bracewell is furious that australia paceman brett lee has bowled four beamers at his batsmen in the current one day series 
cricket	108	brendon mccullum was struck on the arm by a waist high full toss in auckland on sunday  a match australia won 
cricket	108	bracewell said   he s been apologetic every time he s done it 
cricket	108	 he was apologetic when he did it to chris harris  and paul wiseman  and he s apologised twice to brendon 
cricket	108	that s a lot of apologies 
cricket	108	 bracewell was also of the view that lee had bowled a beamer at pakistan s abdul razzaq during the vb series 
cricket	108	on sunday  a furious mccullum confronted lee mid pitch after being struck on the arm  and while the incident was later resolved  bracewell was not happy 
cricket	108	lee  who took 2 24 off seven overs on saturday and also sent michael papps to hospital with a bouncer  was contrite afterwards 
cricket	108	he said the heavy dew caused his feet to shift on delivery stride and he lost control against mccullum 
cricket	108	 unfortunately the ball came out and it hit him   thank god it didn t hurt him   said lee 
cricket	108	 i know when i was beamed accidently by razzaq  also in the vb series  your first impression is to go crazy 
cricket	108	  mccullum  lost it there for 15 20 seconds and i went up and apologised and said  i would never mean to do that  
cricket	108	  australia captain ricky ponting refuses to admit there is animosity between the sides despite bracewell s disquiet 
cricket	108	 teams have got on very well   ponting said 
cricket	108	   we ve been in each other s rooms after every game 
cricket	108	relations have been very good 
cricket	108	 the only thing was the full toss that brett bowled  otherwise everything s been great 
cricket	108	it s been a good series played in great spirit 
cricket	108	  in the laws of the game  a bowler is removed from the attack by the umpires for bowling two beamers in a match  whether accidental or not 
cricket	108	any delivery that passes the batsman at or above waist height without bouncing is deemed a no ball 
cricket	109	pakistan accept venues compromisethe doubts surrounding pakistan s tour of india have receded after the two boards agreed to move the second test from ahmedabad to calcutta 
cricket	109	in return for switching the test  pakistan have agreed to play an extra one day international in ahmedabad 
cricket	109	 the tour may get delayed by three to four days   said pakistan cricket board chairman shaharyar khan 
cricket	109	ahmedabad was the scene of religious riots in 2002 and pakistan s cricketers had been wary of playing there 
cricket	109	but a compromise solution was reached on friday  a day after the tour schedule had been due to be confirmed 
cricket	109	a sixth one day international will be played in ahmedabad to appease the gujarat cricket association 
cricket	109	the pakistan cricket board initially suggested mumbai as an alternative for the ahmedabad test  but it was agreed it would be played in calcutta  kolkata  
cricket	109	khan met india s external affairs minister natwar singh in islamabad on thursday and also held telephone talks with jagmohan dalmiya  patron of the board of control for cricket in india 
cricket	109	 we hope a final itinerary will be announced by the bcci later on friday   said khan 
cricket	109	 we are in constant touch with them so we can agree on the dates for the tour to start because they have a lot of work to do 
cricket	109	 i am happy that the matter is resolved and the tour will get on smoothly 
cricket	109	 the first and third tests will take place at mohali and bangalore  while cochin  vishakapatnam  delhi  jamshedpur and kanpur will stage the other five one day internationals 
cricket	109	the indian government has confirmed that 8 000 visas will be granted to pakistan supporters who wish to attend the mohali test 
cricket	109	the seven week tour will be pakistan s first to india in six years and their squad is due to be announced on saturday 
cricket	109	they were due to arrive in delhi on 24 or 25 february and begin a three day warm up match on the 27th 
cricket	109	however  tv rights have yet to be awarded  with a counter petition from zee due to be heard at the madras high court on thursday 
cricket	109	the bcci backed out of a four year deal with zee last september after espn star sports challenged it in court 
cricket	109	salim altaf  the pcb s director of cricket operations  has been appointed team manager for the tour 
cricket	109	he replaces former test batsman haroon rashid 
cricket	109	 it s another big responsibility and considering the importance of the tour i will try to do my best   altaf said 
cricket	110	tuffey pays price for profligacynew zealand have dropped seam bowler daryl tuffey following his woeful display in the third one day international against australia 
cricket	110	tuffey sent down four no balls and four wides in a 14 ball opening over and went for 25 runs off two overs before he was removed from the attack 
cricket	110	new zealand lost by 86 runs as australia wrapped up the series with two matches remaining 
cricket	110	lance hamilton replaces tuffey for the fourth odi in wellington on tuesday 
cricket	110	kiwi captain stephen fleming said he was disappointed with tuffey s performance at eden park 
cricket	110	 there was a lot of faith put in him for this game   he told the sunday star times 
cricket	110	 there were question marks over his form from the first two games and that performance was certainly not up to international standard 
cricket	110	 you have got to be pretty disappointed when he bowled so well for us in the past and then he puts in a performance like that 
cricket	110	  michael papps  who was twice hit on the head by brett lee bouncers on saturday  will also be missing although a scan revealed he had avoided serious injury 
cricket	110	otago batsman craig cumming has been called up as his replacement 
cricket	110	andre adams is not ready to return to the side as he continues to struggle with the viral infection that has plagued him for most of the season 
cricket	110	stephen fleming  captain   nathan astle  craig cumming  hamish marshall  james marshall  craig mcmillan  chris cairns  brendon mccullum  daniel vettori  jeff wilson  kyle mills  lance hamilton 
cricket	111	tendulkar eyes test returnstar batsman sachin tendulkar is hopeful he will be fit for india s home series against pakistan next month 
cricket	111	the 31 year old is poised to make his return from a long term elbow injury on tuesday in a domestic four day match 
cricket	111	 i m here to prepare myself in a particular way   said tendulkar  who has not played competitively since the bangladesh tour in december 
cricket	111	 i have to see how i go in the match 
cricket	111	nobody knows what s going to happen but right now i feel fully fit 
cricket	111	  tendulkar will captain west zone against south zone in the duleep trophy in hyderabad 
cricket	111	india paceman irfan pathan  who missed several domestic games this month due to a side strain  is also set to make his comeback in the same game 
cricket	111	tendulkar s injury problems has been attributed mainly to wear and tear caused by non stop cricket since he emerged on the international scene in 1989 as a 16 year old 
cricket	111	pakistan arrive in delhi on 28 february for their first tour to india in six years  which includes three tests and six one day games 
cricket	112	tudor given fresh start by essexformer england paceman alex tudor has joined essex on a one year contract 
cricket	112	the 27 year old  who 10 test caps  was released by surrey at the end of last season after 10 years at the oval 
cricket	112	he only played one championship game in 2004 because of a side injury and has agreed  performance related  terms with essex after treatment by a specialist 
cricket	112	 i am determined to repay essex for the faith they have shown in me 
cricket	112	this is a new start for me and i am just itching to get out on the field   he said 
cricket	112	  essex captain  ronnie irani phoned me up after he heard i d been released by surrey and said he wanted to get me fit 
cricket	112	even if i didn t sign he just wanted to get me back on the cricket field 
cricket	112	 i ve had a spinal problem and essex put me in touch with some people in germany and i owe them a lot   he added 
cricket	112	tudor is also a useful performer with the bat and became an overnight hero in 1999 when his innings of 99 not out against new zealand saw england to a test victory at edgbaston 
cricket	112	he last played for england on the 2002 03 ashes tour when  ironically  he joined the squad as a replacement for new essex team mate darren gough 
cricket	112	irani described tudor as a  world class signing  
cricket	112	he told the club s website   he is a role model professional with a first class attitude who will be a great asset to the team 
cricket	112	 there has obviously been a question mark over alex s fitness record of late but he has gone to extreme measures in order to get himself back on track 
cricket	112	 if all goes well then hopefully we will be talking about alex tudor in the future as an essex and england player 
cricket	112	  the signing was also welcomed by coach graham gooch  who was england manager on tudor s first tour to australia in 1998 99 
cricket	112	 i had nothing other than praise for the way he conducted himself   both on the field where he performed well in all three disciplines and in the dressing room   said gooch 
cricket	112	 alex is an international quality player and good team man who will be well motivated to prove his doubters wrong 
cricket	112	  
cricket	113	england slump to defeatfourth one day international  cape town  south africa 291 5  50 overs  beat england 183 all out  number overs  by 108 runsthe home side tallied a massive 291 5  with gibbs making 100  jacques kallis 71 and justin kemp 57 from 36 balls 
cricket	113	in reply  england were three wickets down inside eight overs  and bowled out for 183 in number overs 
cricket	113	kevin pietersen smashed 75 from 85 balls but was caught in the deep trying to up the tempo 
cricket	113	in all  13 sixes were hit at a sun baked newlands  kemp accounting for four of them with three each for gibbs and pietersen 
cricket	113	gibbs and kallis  who both play for home side western province  set a new mark for the third wicket at this ground and beat their own record   set last week   for the third wicket against england with a stand of 143 
cricket	113	they set an even pace  notching half centuries from successive deliveries  but still looked under par when kallis was run out by a brilliant direct throw from paul collingwood at point 
cricket	113	however  kemp helped add 98 in the last 10 overs of the south african innings  building brutally on that platform 
cricket	113	kemp s best six came off darren gough  a drive into the pavilion at long on  and gough was actually hanging on to one of gibbs  maximums  the momentum carrying him over the boundary rope 
cricket	113	england looked like keeping pace only as far as the sixth over of their reply  when geraint jones edged ntini behind with 32 on the board 
cricket	113	captain michael vaughan  who returned from illness and replaced vikram solanki in the line up  followed for a duck in the next over  edging shaun pollock to slip 
cricket	113	and marcus trescothick went four balls later  playing around an ntini yorker which took out his middle stump 
cricket	113	andrew strauss  who made 17  and paul collingwood  with 11  both settled but failed to move on 
cricket	113	and pietersen was left to stage his own firework display  falling to his third successive slog sweep off spinner nicky boje after the first two had flown over the square leg boundary 
cricket	113	pietersen  sporting a new hairstyle with a diagonal streak of bleached blond  took his series figures to 238 runs at an average of 119 
cricket	113	ntini had ashley giles caught at cover for 20 to finish with 3 29 
cricket	113	ignoring the fact that the team batting first has won 17 of the last 25 one day internationals at the cape town ground  vaughan had opted to put the home side in on winning the toss 
cricket	113	he was forced into making changes early  though  as steve harmison struggled in his first match back from a calf injury 
cricket	113	the pace bowler  who replaced matthew hoggard in the line up  conceded 24 runs off his first three overs  including four wides 
cricket	113	although darren gough dismissed ab de villiers lbw  he was also wayward early 
cricket	113	and it took the arrival of kabir ali as the first change bowler to apply the brakes 
cricket	113	ali  the hero of wednesday s tie in bloemfontein dismissed graeme smith  the hero of friday s victory  lbw with a straight delivery that may have been a little too high 
cricket	113	and with collingwood in support his first six over spell brought figures of 1 11 
cricket	113	ali s early figures were decimated  though  in the closing stages as gibbs and kemp blazed to put the match out of reach 
cricket	113	the teams meet again in east london on wednesday for the fifth instalment of the seven match series 
cricket	113	g c smith  capt   a b de villiers  j h kallis  h h gibbs  a g prince  j m kemp  m v boucher  wkt   s m pollock  n boje  m ntini  a nel 
cricket	113	mp vaughan  capt   m e trescothick  g o jones  a j strauss  k p pietersen  i r bell  p d collingwood  a f giles  kabir ali  d gough  s harmison 
cricket	114	streak ends zim disputeformer captain heath streak has signed a contract to play for zimbabwe after ending his 10 month dispute with the country s cricketing authorities 
cricket	114	streak was sacked last april after criticising zimbabwe cricket s selection policies 
cricket	114	 i just need to finalise some aspects of my contract with warwickshire so that it ties in with my international commitments   the 30 year old said 
cricket	114	 otherwise i am ready to play for zimbabwe when selected 
cricket	114	  streak  who could now join up with the zimbabwe squad in south africa  added   i am putting my weight fully behind captain tatenda taibu and the rest of the lads 
cricket	114	  warwickshire  meanwhile  expect streak to play for them this summer as planned 
cricket	114	club spokesman keith cook told bbc sport   we had an e mail from heath overnight via his agent in which he states that he wants to co ordinate his international commitments with warwickshire and incorporate our views into his thinking 
cricket	114	  in theory there would be no major conflict of interests this summer as zimbabwe s tour to south africa ends in mid march and they are not in action again until september  when they play host to new zealand 
cricket	114	but streak s situation will be discussed by the warwickshire committee at a meeting on monday 
cricket	114	following streak s sacking by zimbabwe  14 players resigned in protest but gavin ewing  barney rogers and andy blignaut have also returned to the fold and more could follow suit 
cricket	114	zc say they are in negotiations with the remaining  rebels   but it is believed that grant flower  essex  and ray price  worcestershire  are unlikely to sign deals after committing themselves to playing county cricket in england next season 
cricket	115	aussie mcgrath to take match offthird one day international  auckland  new zealand v australiamatch begins 0100 gmtopener matthew hayden will also sit out the match because of a shoulder injury suffered in the second game on tuesday 
cricket	115	mcgrath s place goes to michael kasprowicz while simon katich replaces hayden  and will open the batting in preference to michael clarke 
cricket	115	new zealand trail 2 0 and need to win in auckland to keep the five match series alive 
cricket	115	the black caps dropped batsman mathew sinclair after the opening two defeats  calling in opener michael papps and all rounder andre adams 
cricket	115	but adams has been ruled out due to illness  adding to the home side s woes after scott styris injured his knee 
cricket	115	batsman james marshall will make his international debut after acting as 12th man in the last game 
cricket	115	marshall is the identical twin of hamish marshall  new zealand s best batsman in the first match 
cricket	115	news that several batsmen had spent time with the team psychologist on wednesday added to the air of desperation in the new zealand camp 
cricket	115	but captain stephen fleming played that down  and emphasised pride is at stake with three games left in the series 
cricket	115	 we re pretty determined  we know the importance of the match to keep the series alive   he said 
cricket	115	 but more importantly we want to play up to the standard we have over the last 12 24 months 
cricket	115	 australia have now won 10 of their last 11 one day matches against new zealand 
cricket	115	and captain ricky ponting was in no mood to loosen his side s grip on the series against their local rivals 
cricket	115	 sure we re in a great position and we ve played some pretty good cricket but we still think we can keep improving   he said 
cricket	115	 all we can do is keep trying to win and keep trying to improve  and if that means we get a psychological hold over new zealand then well and good 
cricket	115	 s fleming  capt   n astle  h marshall  c mcmillan  c cairns  b mccullum  wkt   d vettori  j wilson  k mills  d tuffey  m papps  j marshall 
cricket	115	r ponting  captain   a gilchrist  s katich  d martyn  m clarke  m hussey  a symonds  b hogg  b lee  j gillespie  m kasprowicz 
cricket	116	batsman van jaarsveld joins kentsouth african batsman martin van jaarsveld has ended his international career to sign a contract with kent 
cricket	116	the 30 year old will move to england under the kolpak ruling  meaning he is not classed as an overseas player 
cricket	116	kent chief executive paul millman refused to disclose the length of the deal but told bbc sport that he would be joining for  at least two years  
cricket	116	 we ve been talking to him for some time but he was under contract so we had to stay silent   he continued 
cricket	116	 now he has released himself from that  we are very happy that he s joining us and has committed to playing for kent 
cricket	116	 van jaarsveld played the last of his nine tests for south africa against england in december  but has since fallen down the pecking order 
cricket	116	 you need continuity in the dressing room 
cricket	116	we had five overseas players last year and he s freed himself up to be available for us for the whole season   millman added 
cricket	116	 when you see that there are tours going on around the world it s very difficult to pinpoint talent for a long period of time and this is the solution 
cricket	116	  kent chairman of cricket graham johnson added   while at present we do not plan to engage a second overseas player  the option remains available to us should we wish to do so on a short term basis 
cricket	116	  van jaarsveld hit 484 runs in seven county championship matches with northamptonshire last year and said the opportunity to return to county cricket was too good to turn down 
cricket	116	 having understood that my future international prospects might be limited  i needed to weigh up my options and make a decision that was in the best interests of my long term future   he explained 
cricket	116	van jaarsveld s domestic side in south africa  the centurion based titans  said the batsman may play for them in future 
cricket	116	however  he would have to be classed as an overseas player in the republic 
cricket	117	jayasuriya set to join somersetsomerset are expected to announce later on thursday that sri lankan batsman sanath jayasuriya will join the county for the start of the 2005 season 
cricket	117	chief executive peter anderson told bbc sport that the club would release a statement on the matter at 1600 gmt 
cricket	117	jayasuriya will probably fill the place of graeme smith on a temporary basis as the south african is due to arrive in late may to captain the team 
cricket	117	jayasuriya  35  had rejected an offer to play for the scottish saltires 
cricket	117	jayasuriya has played in 94 tests  averaging number with the bat and taking 89 wickets with his left arm spin 
cricket	117	he has also played in more one day internationals than all but three players in world cricket with 334 appearances 
cricket	117	but the attack minded left hander has never played county cricket before 
cricket	117	it is shaping up to be a golden summer for sri lankans in english domestic cricket  with upul chandana  gloucestershire   chaminda vaas  worcestershire  and muttiah muralitharan  lancashire  all contracted 
cricket	117	kumar sangakkara and mahela jayawardene are also reported to be looking for opportunities 
cricket	118	streak happy with comebackheath streak was pleased with his performance on his zimbabwe comeback  despite the defeat to south africa 
cricket	118	streak made 68 bu the home side won the third and final one day international by five wickets at port elizabeth 
cricket	118	he said   i was nervous  especially because of the situation when i came in 
cricket	118	the important thing was to chip in 
cricket	118	 i had to stay until the end and play each ball on merit 
cricket	118	the important thing was to keep the ball on the ground and not play too many special shots 
cricket	118	  thanks in the main to streak  zimbabwe recovered from 35 5 to post 206 8 in their 50 overs and then reduced the home side to 79 4 
cricket	118	but justin kemp  who was lucky not to be adjudged caught behind first ball  and was then dropped twice  smashed an unbeaten 78 to steer south africa to victory 
cricket	118	nicky boje  standing in as south africa captain in graeme smith s absence  praised the tourists  particularly streak 
cricket	118	 we made it hard for ourselves but the zimbabweans came back well   he said 
cricket	118	 streaky is an old campaigner who knows how to play in those situations 
cricket	118	  zimbabwe captain tatenda taibu said   it was very important for us to fight hard and we ll carry on fighting in the test series 
cricket	118	  the first of two back to back tests begins in cape town on friday 
cricket	119	auckland set fortwenty20twenty20 international  aucklandnew zealand v australia  starts thursday 0600 gmt the black caps will be without injured daniel vettori  though he is likely to play in saturday s first match of the 50 over one day series 
cricket	119	former rugby union international jeff wilson is included in the 12 man squad for the historic encounter 
cricket	119	australia were given a boost when matthew hayden overcame a pleurisy scare to be available for all matches 
cricket	119	double all black wilson  who returns to the international line up after a 12 year lay off  said it was no secret australia were viewed as being the toughest opponents the black caps could face 
cricket	119	 the aussies are the world s premier team  but we re a pretty accomplished one day side too  and i m looking forward to being a part of the challenge   said wilson 
cricket	119	 as a team  we are under no illusions about how tough it will be or how good they are  but it s simply a matter of playing consistently well against them and grabbing all our chances 
cricket	119	  although the tour focus remains firmly fixed on the opening one day international  new zealand coach john bracewell said the twenty20 match was a good opportunity to have an early  sighter  of each other 
cricket	119	 the twenty20 match might be a chance to get first psychological points with a long series ahead   said bracewell 
cricket	119	statistics may favour new zealand  who have not lost a home series in four years  but statistics count for nothing compared to current form where australia have an aura of invincibility 
cricket	119	australia  meanwhile  flew out of sydney on wednesday for the tour  dismissing suggestions they already have their minds on the ashes series in england this summer 
cricket	119	the tour is australia s final workout ahead of the ashes trip and while england are looming as a potentially greater threat  captain ricky ponting said his team were only worried about new zealand 
cricket	119	 i think a lot of the media are talking about the ashes series  but we know that we have got this very big and vital series to play first   said ponting 
cricket	119	 new zealand are a very good side and they are hard to beat in in australia and a lot harder to beat over there 
cricket	119	 s fleming  cpt  
cricket	119	a adams  n astle  c cairns  b mccullum  wkt   c mcmillan  h marshall  k mills  m sinclair  s styris  d tuffey  j wilsonr ponting  cpt   a gilchrist  wkt   m hayden  d martyn  a symonds  m clarke  s katich  m hussey  j hopes  b hogg  b lee  j gillespie  m kasprowicz  g mcgrath 
cricket	120	batting prospects excite vaughanengland skipper michael vaughan is excited over a potential middle order allegiance between andrew flintoff and kevin pietersen this summer 
cricket	120	provided flintoff is fully recovered from an ankle operation  he and pietersen may pose a big threat to australia in the ashes test series 
cricket	120	 if those two get going there will be a need for helmets in the crowd   said vaughan of the big hitting duo 
cricket	120	 they re destructive and can take the game to the opposition 
cricket	120	  amazingly flintoff is yet to play in a test against australia  but is progressing well in his recovery from the operation on his left ankle  having had the plaster cast surrounding the joint removed 
cricket	120	the last few ashes encounters have seen england decimated by injury  but vaughan is hoping not to have this burden during the summer 
cricket	120	pietersen s three one day centuries in south africa recently have ushered him to the front of the queue for a batting place 
cricket	120	but he would have to dislodge rob key and mark butcher from the waiting list  and ian bell has also staked a claim for a place 
cricket	120	 when you play australia you need character and a bit of arrogance about you and kevin has those attributes   vaughan continued 
cricket	120	 but there is not only kevin pietersen available 
cricket	120	 we have options in the batting department and players are going to be disappointed 
cricket	120	we would rather disappoint a few players than not have enough 
cricket	120	  england will be buoyed up by the 2 1 test series victory in south africa  but vaughan is pragmatic enough to know that australia are the benchmark by how his side will be judged 
cricket	120	vaughan added   it is a challenge i am really looking forward to because when you face the biggest challenges you have to relish it and i am sure the team will be thinking the same way 
cricket	120	  
cricket	121	jayasuriya set to join somersetsomerset are expected to announce later on thursday that sri lankan batsman sanath jayasuriya will join the county for the start of the 2005 season 
cricket	121	chief executive peter anderson told bbc sport that the club would release a statement on the matter at 1600 gmt 
cricket	121	jayasuriya will probably fill the place of graeme smith on a temporary basis as the south african is due to arrive in late may to captain the team 
cricket	121	jayasuriya  35  had rejected an offer to play for the scottish saltires 
cricket	121	jayasuriya has played in 94 tests  averaging number with the bat and taking 89 wickets with his left arm spin 
cricket	121	he has also played in more one day internationals than all but three players in world cricket with 334 appearances 
cricket	121	but the attack minded left hander has never played county cricket before 
cricket	121	it is shaping up to be a golden summer for sri lankans in english domestic cricket  with upul chandana  gloucestershire   chaminda vaas  worcestershire  and muttiah muralitharan  lancashire  all contracted 
cricket	121	kumar sangakkara and mahela jayawardene are also reported to be looking for opportunities 
cricket	122	pakistan batsmen make edgy starttour match  dharamsala  day one  stumps  pakistan 165 5 v indian board president s xiat stumps on day one of three  the tourists were 165 5 in dharamsala  with only 45 overs possible because of rain 
cricket	122	there was an important 72 run stand for the fifth wicket between inzamam ul haq and asim kamal after pakistan had collapsed from 54 0 to 83 4 
cricket	122	kamal was still there at the close on 43 after captain inzamam  on his 35th birthday  was dismissed for 35 
cricket	122	pakistan had been cruising early on through salman butt and taufeeq umar before losing four wickets for 29 runs in barely 10 overs of cricket 
cricket	122	in the 11th over a misunderstanding with umar about a second run resulted in his downfall   gagandeep singh hitting the stumps with a throw from fine leg 
cricket	122	gagandeep then did his job with the ball as younis khan was caught at second slip for a two ball duck 
cricket	122	yousuf youhana batted brightly but after hitting 18 off as many deliveries he fell soon after tea inside edging a drive off shib paul to wicket keeper parthiv patel 
cricket	122	and moments later umar was held at short midwicket off bat and pad to give rudra singh a wicket 
cricket	122	with the pressure on  inzamam and kamal produced a dogged effort in the final session before venugopal rao trapped the skipper lbw 
cricket	122	it was the only wicket to fall to a spinner during the course of a chilly day in this city in the foothills of the himalayas 
cricket	122	the match is pakistan s only warm up game before the first of three tests against india begins in mohali on 8 march 
cricket	122	mohammad kaif  capt   dheeraj jadhav  satyajit parab  venugopala rao  suresh raina  parthiv patel  wkt   ramesh powar  gagandeep singh  shib shankar paul  rudra pratap singh  neeraj patel 
cricket	122	inzamam ul haq  capt   salman butt  taufeeq umar  yousuf youhana  younis khan  asim kamal  abdul razzaq  kamran akmal  wkt   danish kaneria  mohammad sami  rana naved ul hasan 
cricket	123	pakistan question warm up venuepakistan have voiced concern about the choice of dharamshala to stage their only warm up game in india 
cricket	123	tuesday s practice session had to be cancelled because of rain and the forecast is gloomy until the weekend 
cricket	123	they are also worried about a travel schedule which could disrupt practice in mohali  venue for the first test 
cricket	123	 if we have to go back the same way we came  in two flights  we may not be able to practice on sunday   said team manager salim altaf 
cricket	123	 we will get only one day s nets in mohali 
cricket	123	  pakistan are due to begin a three day game against an indian board president s xi at altitude at dharamshala on thursday 
cricket	123	but the players could only watch the skies from their hotel after an hour long drive from kangra airport where they had arrived in two planes because of its short runway 
cricket	123	 we are helpless before nature   said anurag thakur  president of the local himachal pradesh cricket association 
cricket	123	 everybody is keeping their fingers crossed   he added 
cricket	123	 we are here to play and do not want to go into the test series short of match practice 
cricket	123	 i wish the rain would go away   said altaf 
cricket	123	meanwhile  chief selector wasim bari is hopeful that shoaib akhtar s absence can inspire mohammad sami to a new level on the tour 
cricket	123	akhtar will miss the test series because of hamstring trouble  but is hoping to return for the one dayers 
cricket	123	 he ll be missed and every player needs 25  extra to overcome his loss  but one hopes with the responsibilty  the best in sami will come out   bari said 
cricket	123	 they can spring a surprise in india  i think we have a talented side 
cricket	123	  bari feels the team is capable of responding favourably to the disappointment of their tour to australia  which saw them heavily beaten in all three day tests  and also lose the final of the triangular one day series 
cricket	123	 obviously they made some mistakes on their last tour of australia  but they must capitalise on the lessons they learnt   bari observed 
cricket	123	 good results will pave the way for the young team to get on the right path and attain more maturity 
cricket	123	  the tour is pakistan s first to india since 1999 and they are looking to atone for last year s home defeat by their arch rivals 
cricket	123	the dalai lama  who has lived in exile in dharamshala since fleeing china in 1959  will not inaugurate thursday s match as originally planned 
cricket	123	there were reports that the pakistan cricket board were concerned about his presence because of their country s good relations with china 
cricket	123	 the decision has been taken by the dalai lama as he didn t want to cause inconvenience to anyone   said his spokesman  tenzin takla 
cricket	124	india s top six secure   gangulycaptain sourav ganguly has revealed india will not be tempted into tinkering with their batting order for the first test against pakistan 
cricket	124	 our batting order for the tests is fixed 
cricket	124	there are no changes from number three to six   ganguly told bbc sport 
cricket	124	it means rahul dravid will remain at number three and vvs laxman at six  despite the latter averaging number at first drop in test cricket 
cricket	124	 to be honest  dravid has batted better than laxman at three   ganguly added 
cricket	124	 if you ask any batsman  he would like to bat higher up  as it gives a greater opportunity to score 
cricket	124	 while batting lower down the order  you have to play more with the tail 
cricket	124	  ganguly gave his backing to gautam gambhir  banishing speculation yuvraj singh could be asked to open the batting again after a failed experiment against australia last year 
cricket	124	 i feel there is no born opener   the team has to find one   he stated 
cricket	124	 look at justin langer  he was not an opener  but how well the aussies have groomed him 
cricket	124	virender sehwag is a settled opener now both in tests and one dayers  and gambhir is doing well 
cricket	124	 in a year s time  we should have a settled opening pair 
cricket	124	  sachin tendulkar  who will bat at number four with ganguly at five  also received the support of his skipper despite concerns over fitness and form 
cricket	124	 when sachin says he is 100 percent fit  he is  and nobody has a right to talk about the form of a man who has 70 international hundreds 
cricket	124	  with wicket keeper dinesh karthik to come in at number seven  india are left with just four spots for bowlers   suggesting yuvraj could miss out 
cricket	124	mohali  which will host the first test starting on 8 march  is known as a seam friendly pitch and india have included four pacemen in their 14 man squad 
cricket	124	in addition to spinners anil kumble and harbhajan singh  india will be forced to choose from the pace quartet of irfan pathan  zaheer khan  ashish nehra and lakshmipathy balaji 
cricket	124	 in kumble and harbhajan  we have two world class spinners and at the moment there is no place for a third one   ganguly said 
cricket	124	 our seam attack had done particularly well during the pakistan tour last year  and we will select the final eleven after having a look at the wickets in mohali  which has had a record of a seaming track 
cricket	124	  ganguly refused to get carried away with the fact pakistan s pace attack has been depleted with the absence of shoaib akhtar through injury 
cricket	124	 i feel pakistan has a young and fit team  which is hungry for success 
cricket	124	in my view they have done the right thing by bringing a fit team  rather than bringing injured players   he said 
cricket	124	 it is better to have a fully fit team than having an injured shoaib akhtar or even don bradman for that matter 
cricket	124	 i do not agree with those who say pakistan s team is weak and has given india a walkover 
cricket	124	 it will be a tough series and the next 50 days will be a treat for fans of both sides 
cricket	124	  
cricket	125	harbhajan action given all clearindian spinner harbhajan singh s bowling action has been cleared under new regulations introduced by the international cricket council 
cricket	125	a bowler s action is now deemed legal providing his arm straightens by no more than 15 degrees 
cricket	125	an icc statement said harbhajan s orthodox off break and doosra now fell  within the tolerance threshold  
cricket	125	he was reported to the icc by match referee chris broad after a test in bangladesh last december 
cricket	125	as a result  he underwent tests supervised by biomechanics expert bruce elliott of the university of western australia last month  who reported back to a panel of experts set up by the indian board 
cricket	125	they passed his findings on to the icc  who will now circulated them to all members of the elite panel of umpires and match referees 
cricket	125	harbhajan  whose action first came under scrutiny in 1998  has taken 189 test wickets and claimed 117 victims in one day internationals 
cricket	125	elliott said he was confident he had bowled with a similar intensity to that of test matches during the camera test 
cricket	125	 we can make a comparison to the video from the match when he was reported   things such as ball speed  arm rotation  position of the body and technique   he explained 
cricket	125	 we had two arbiters in daryl foster and harbhajan himself to give a ranking to each delivery so that we were confident they were quality deliveries 
cricket	125	  
cricket	126	pakistan arrive for tour of indiapakistan arrived in delhi on monday amid tight security for their first full tour of india for six years 
cricket	126	the 16 man squad  along with coach bob woolmer and support staff  were met at the heavily guarded indira gandhi airport after a 45 minute flight 
cricket	126	armed guards kept vigil as the tourists were taken to their hotel along a six mile route lined with security men 
cricket	126	hindu fundamentalists have threatened to protest over perceived pakistani backing to militancy in kashmir 
cricket	126	 i am delighted to be back in india   captain inzamam ul haq said 
cricket	126	 i have always enjoyed playing here because people are crazy about cricket 
cricket	126	 i am not worried about security 
cricket	126	my only concern is how my team plays on the tour 
cricket	126	  series between india and pakistan are always eagerly awaited  largely because politics often restrict the amount of cricket the two teams can play against each other 
cricket	126	this particular engagement  which will include three tests and six one dayers  was twice threatened 
cricket	126	the schedule has already been put back four days over a dispute which centred on pakistan s refusal to play the second test in ahmedabad 
cricket	126	the first test in mohali will now get under way on 8 march 
cricket	126	then  following a protracted row over television rights  the madras high court issued interim orders to ensure the matches would be broadcast live by state owned channel doordarshan 
cricket	126	inzamam beseeched his side to make up for the 2004 defeat to india on home soil  where they lost 2 1 in the tests and 3 2 in the one day internationals 
cricket	126	he said   we want to make amends for last year 
cricket	126	 the australian tour was a big learning experience and i think we are in a position to reap benefits in india 
cricket	126	  after the 2004 series  pakistan sacked their coach javed miandad and replaced him with woolmer 
cricket	126	inzamam believes woolmer has improved the side even if a string of positive results have not yet come 
cricket	126	he said   a lot has changed since that series 
cricket	126	woolmer has helped change the attitude of the boys  which is more positive and professional and i think they can take the pressure of playing in india 
cricket	126	  pakistan will be without strike bowler shoaib akhtar  hamstring   leaving recalled off spinner arshad khan and leg spinner danish kaneria with much work to do 
cricket	126	inzamam said   shoaib s absence will be felt 
cricket	126	but our strength is playing as a unit 
cricket	126	  khan and kaneria  have a big role to play 
cricket	126	they are the ones on whom we will be depending a lot in the test matches 
cricket	126	 we are expecting slow  turning tracks and we have been practicing for such conditions 
cricket	126	  pakistan s first match is a three day warm up against the indian board president s xi in dharamsala from march 3 
cricket	126	sourav ganguly  captain   virender sehwag  gautam gambhir  rahul dravid  sachin tendulkar  vvs laxman  yuvraj singh  dinesh karthik  wicketkeeper   irfan pathan  anil kumble  harbhajan singh  zaheer khan  ashish nehra  lakshmipathy balaji 
cricket	126	salman butt  yasir hameed  taufeeq umar  younis khan  inzamam ul haq  captain   yousuf youhana  asim kamal  kamran akmal  wkt   abdul razzaq  shoaib malik  shahid afridi  arshad khan  danish kaneria  muhammad sami  rana naved  muhammad khalil 
cricket	127	south africa crush zimbabwefirst one day international  johannesburg  south africa 301 7 bt zimbabwe 136 by 165 runsmakhaya ntini and andrew hall took three wickets apiece as the tourists were bundled out for 136 
cricket	127	adam bacher  56   graeme smith  50  and jacques rudolph  50  laid the basis for south africa before mark boucher hit a rapid 49 in the home side s 301 7 
cricket	127	poor bowling allowed the hosts to add 70 in the last five overs  although spinner prosper utseya took 3 40 
cricket	127	south africa went into the game looking to build on their recent 4 1 win over england but were without shaun pollock  ankle   andre nel  hamstring  and jacques kallis  who was rested ahead of the tests 
cricket	127	zimbabwe  who gave a debut to teenager sean williams  chose to field first after skipper tatenda taibu won the toss 
cricket	127	but they had to wait 16 overs for their first success as smith and bacher put on 87 for the first wicket 
cricket	127	the breakthrough came when smith was trapped lbw after missing a full toss from stuart matsikenyeri as he tried to swing the ball away to leg 
cricket	127	bacher s fifty took 65 balls but he only faced eight more before holing out to hamilton masakadza off utseya 
cricket	127	rudolph and herschelle gibbs put on 56 for the third wicket  but runs did not come freely as the spinners found purchase on a cracked surface 
cricket	127	utseya accounted for rudolph in the 37th over and justin kemp quickly came and went after being easily stumped by taibu 
cricket	127	gibbs was caught off barney rogers for 40 but boucher punished the inexperienced zimbabwe attack before being denied a half century by elton chigumbura 
cricket	127	albie morkel then weighed in with 16 off six deliveries as the innings drew to a close 
cricket	127	in reply  the zimbabweans were rocked by a burst from new ball pair ntini and hall  who reduced them to 55 4 
cricket	127	it got worse when morkel claimed two wickets in an over   and the match was effectively over 
cricket	127	gc smith  capt   am bacher  ja rudolph  hh gibbs  ag prince  jm kemp  mv boucher  wkt   ja morkel  n boje  aj hall  m ntini 
cricket	127	t taibu  capt  wkt   s matsikenyeri  bg rogers  h masakadza  brm taylor  a maregwede  e chigumbura  sc williams  p utseya  t panyangara  cb mpofu 
cricket	128	hodge earns aussie test callaustralia have named prolific batsman brad hodge in their 13 man squad for the test series in new zealand 
cricket	128	the 30 year old victorian went on the tour to india last year but has yet to play a test despite consistent performances in domestic cricket 
cricket	128	veteran batsman darren lehmann needs shoulder surgery and misses out  as does all rounder shane watson who has just recovered from a torn side muscle 
cricket	128	the first of three tests will be in christchurch from 10 14 march 
cricket	128	hodge only played one warm up match on the tour of india but heavy scoring in recent weeks for victoria has earned him the nod ahead of mike hussey and andrew symonds 
cricket	128	chairman of selectors trevor hohns said   he has presented an irresistible case to be part of this tour and if he gets the opportunity  we feel confident that he can do a good job for australia 
cricket	128	 we said during the indian series  when he missed out on a spot in the test xi  that he was still in line for national selection 
cricket	128	his domestic form has ensured that this is the case 
cricket	128	  hohns says the small size of the squad will not pose problems for the tourists  most of whom are already in new zealand  where they have won the first four one day internationals 
cricket	128	opening batsman justin langer and leg spinner shane warne will join up with them on monday 7 march 
cricket	128	 we feel that this is a balanced squad and don t believe we have to extend the size of the touring party beyond 13 players   hohns added 
cricket	128	 we have plenty of options with both bat and ball and  given the close proximity of the two countries  we always have the option of flying players in as the series progresses 
cricket	128	  pace bowler brett lee is hoping to play his first test since january last year after impressing in the one day game 
cricket	128	but hohns hinted he faces a tough task to displace glenn mcgrath  jason gillespie or michael kasprowicz  who took a combined total of 149 test wickets in 2004 
cricket	128	 everyone s been singing their praises during that period and you only have to look at their results 
cricket	128	 there s not too many sides who ve scored many runs against that three pronged attack 
cricket	128	 ricky ponting  capt   adam gilchrist  michael clarke  jason gillespie  matthew hayden  brad hodge  michael kasprowicz  simon katich  justin langer  brett lee  damien martyn  glenn mcgrath  shane warne 
cricket	129	weather worry for pakistanpakistan have voiced concern about the choice of dharamshala to stage their only warm up game in india 
cricket	129	tuesday s practice session had to be cancelled because of rain and the forecast is gloomy until the weekend 
cricket	129	they are also worried about a travel schedule which could disrupt practice in mohali  venue for the first test 
cricket	129	 if we have to go back the same way we came  in two flights  we may not be able to practice on sunday   said team manager salim altaf 
cricket	129	 we will get only one day s nets in mohali 
cricket	129	  pakistan are due to begin a three day game against an indian board president s xi at altitude at dharamshala on thursday 
cricket	129	but the players could only watch the skies from their hotel after an hour long drive from kangra airport where they had arrived in two planes because of its short runway 
cricket	129	 we are helpless before nature   said anurag thakur  president of the local himachal pradesh cricket association 
cricket	129	 everybody is keeping their fingers crossed   he added 
cricket	129	 we are here to play and do not want to go into the test series short of match practice 
cricket	129	 i wish the rain would go away   said altaf 
cricket	129	meanwhile  chief selector wasim bari is hopeful that shoaib akhtar s absence can inspire mohammad sami to a new level on the tour 
cricket	129	akhtar will miss the test series because of hamstring trouble  but is hoping to return for the one dayers 
cricket	129	 he ll be missed and every player needs 25  extra to overcome his loss  but one hopes with the responsibilty  the best in sami will come out   bari said 
cricket	129	 they can spring a surprise in india  i think we have a talented side 
cricket	129	  bari feels the team is capable of responding favourably to the disappointment of their tour to australia  which saw them heavily beaten in all three day tests  and also lose the final of the triangular one day series 
cricket	129	 obviously they made some mistakes on their last tour of australia  but they must capitalise on the lessons they learnt   bari observed 
cricket	129	 good results will pave the way for the young team to get on the right path and attain more maturity 
cricket	129	  the tour is pakistan s first to india since 1999 and they are looking to atone for last year s home defeat by their arch rivals 
cricket	129	the dalai lama  who has lived in exile in dharamshala since fleeing china in 1959  will not inaugurate thursday s match as originally planned 
cricket	129	there were reports that the pakistan cricket board were concerned about his presence because of their country s good relations with china 
cricket	129	 the decision has been taken by the dalai lama as he didn t want to cause inconvenience to anyone   said his spokesman  tenzin takla 
cricket	130	denness leads luckhurst tributesformer kent and england skipper mike denness has paid tribute to former team mate brian luckhurst following his death from cancer at the age of 66 
cricket	130	luckhurst  who became kent president last year  played for the club between 1958 and 1976 
cricket	130	his international career consisted of 21 tests and he scored two hundreds to help ray illingworth s england side win the ashes in australia in 1970 71 
cricket	130	 he was a great buddy and a loyal servant   denness told bbc sport 
cricket	130	 in cricketing terms  he probably didn t have a lot of natural gifts  but with the gifts he had  he worked so hard at it that he deserved to reach the top which he did by opening the batting for england 
cricket	130	 kent chairman carl openshaw said luckhurst had been  loved  admired and respected  by everyone at the club 
cricket	130	 brian luckhurst has been at the heart of kent cricket for the past 50 years  firstly as an outstanding player  then in a variety of administrative capacities and finally as an immensely popular president 
cricket	130	 throughout that time  he was always caring  loyal and totally committed to kent   he continued 
cricket	130	born in sittingbourne  luckhurst joined the staff at canterbury at the age of 15 and during his first class career made more than 22 000 first class runs at an average of 38  including 48 centuries 
cricket	130	he was a member of the kent team which dominated county cricket in the 1970s when they won nine trophies outright and also shared the county championship in 1977 
cricket	130	luckhurst was 31 when his chance to play for england came along in a home series against a rest of the world xi in 1970 
cricket	130	he was named in the ashes squad the following winter and marked his official test debut  as geoff boycott s opening partner  by scoring 74 and 20 not out in a draw against australia in brisbane 
cricket	130	the following game in perth saw him bat for almost six hours to score 131 and he also made 109 in the fifth test at melbourne as england took the series 2 0 
cricket	130	 it was a terrific performance and he  along with geoff boycott and john edrich  were the three who scored all the runs 
cricket	130	 in one match  i think it was at melbourne  he wouldn t take his glove off at the break because he thought he had damaged a knuckle 
cricket	130	in fact  he had fractured the knuckle but he got a hundred   said denness 
cricket	130	luckhurst made an unbeaten 108 in his first test on english soil against pakistan and added another century against india later in the 1971 season 
cricket	130	although he appeared in three one day internationals  his style was better suited to test cricket  but he lost his place after the 1974 75 tour to australia when the pace and ferocity of dennis lillee and jeff thomson proved too much for england  who lost 4 1 
cricket	130	 it was a torrid time for all of us   added denness  who was england captain on that tour 
cricket	130	 he was a great tourist  a great man to have  around  and a great performer 
cricket	130	if you look at his test record  it s a very good record 
cricket	130	 after retiring from the kent first team  luckhurst captained the second xi before moving into coaching and later had a spell as a sports centre manager 
cricket	130	in 1985  he made an unexpected return to action when kent suddenly found themselves with only 10 players against the touring australians 
cricket	130	in recent years he worked in the club s commercial department before taking on the presidency 
cricket	130	but he was diagnosed with cancer in may 2004 
cricket	130	 over the last 50 years i have faced many challenges   this is going to be the biggest   he said at the time 
cricket	130	luckhurst s death was the third among the international cricket fraternity in the space of 24 hours following those of former west indies batsman allan rae and ex new zealand wicket keeper ian colquhoun 
cricket	131	streak return could lift zimbabweone day international  port elizabeth  south africa v zimbabwe   starts wednesday 1230 gmttrailing 2 0 in the one day series  news of streak s return has given the tourists a lift 
cricket	131	but it is 12 months since his last international appearance and he will rely heavily on past experience 
cricket	131	boje leads south africa in the absence of graeme smith  who is resting an ankle problem ahead of the tests 
cricket	131	the home side will also be without jacques kallis  shaun pollock  makhaya ntini and andre nel 
cricket	131	their absence offers zimbabwe some hope of achieving only their third win in 21 one day meetings between the two sides 
cricket	131	the home side will give another opportunity to paceman monde zondeki  who took a wicket with his first ball in international cricket in december 2002  but has not been in favour since the following year s tour to england 
cricket	131	he could share the new ball with charl langevedlt  with all rounders albie morkel  boje  justin kemp and adam bacher providing the bowling back up 
cricket	131	n boje  capt   a bacher  m boucher  wkt   ab de villiers  h gibbs  j kemp  c langeveldt  a morkel  a prince  j rudolph  m zondeki 
cricket	131	t taibu  capt  wkt   b rogers  s matsikenyeri  h masakadza  b taylor  s williams  g ewing  t mupariwa  e chigumbura  p utseya  t panyangara  d hondo  c mpofu  g cremer  h streak 
cricket	132	india s top six secure   gangulycaptain sourav ganguly has revealed india will not be tempted into tinkering with their batting order for the first test against pakistan 
cricket	132	 our batting order for the tests is fixed 
cricket	132	there are no changes from number three to six   ganguly told bbc sport 
cricket	132	it means rahul dravid will remain at number three and vvs laxman at six  despite the latter averaging number at first drop in test cricket 
cricket	132	 to be honest  dravid has batted better than laxman at three   ganguly added 
cricket	132	 if you ask any batsman  he would like to bat higher up  as it gives a greater opportunity to score 
cricket	132	 while batting lower down the order  you have to play more with the tail 
cricket	132	  ganguly gave his backing to gautam gambhir  banishing speculation yuvraj singh could be asked to open the batting again after a failed experiment against australia last year 
cricket	132	 i feel there is no born opener   the team has to find one   he stated 
cricket	132	 look at justin langer  he was not an opener  but how well the aussies have groomed him 
cricket	132	virender sehwag is a settled opener now both in tests and one dayers  and gambhir is doing well 
cricket	132	 in a year s time  we should have a settled opening pair 
cricket	132	  sachin tendulkar  who will bat at number four with ganguly at five  also received the support of his skipper despite concerns over fitness and form 
cricket	132	 when sachin says he is 100 percent fit  he is  and nobody has a right to talk about the form of a man who has 70 international hundreds 
cricket	132	  with wicket keeper dinesh karthik to come in at number seven  india are left with just four spots for bowlers   suggesting yuvraj could miss out 
cricket	132	mohali  which will host the first test starting on 8 march  is known as a seam friendly pitch and india have included four pacemen in their 14 man squad 
cricket	132	in addition to spinners anil kumble and harbhajan singh  india will be forced to choose from the pace quartet of irfan pathan  zaheer khan  ashish nehra and lakshmipathy balaji 
cricket	132	 in kumble and harbhajan  we have two world class spinners and at the moment there is no place for a third one   ganguly said 
cricket	132	 our seam attack had done particularly well during the pakistan tour last year  and we will select the final eleven after having a look at the wickets in mohali  which has had a record of a seaming track 
cricket	132	  ganguly refused to get carried away with the fact pakistan s pace attack has been depleted with the absence of shoaib akhtar through injury 
cricket	132	 i feel pakistan has a young and fit team  which is hungry for success 
cricket	132	in my view they have done the right thing by bringing a fit team  rather than bringing injured players   he said 
cricket	132	 it is better to have a fully fit team than having an injured shoaib akhtar or even don bradman for that matter 
cricket	132	 i do not agree with those who say pakistan s team is weak and has given india a walkover 
cricket	132	 it will be a tough series and the next 50 days will be a treat for fans of both sides 
cricket	132	  
cricket	133	harbhajan action given all clearindian spinner harbhajan singh s bowling action has been cleared under new regulations introduced by the international cricket council 
cricket	133	a bowler s action is now deemed legal providing his arm straightens by no more than 15 degrees 
cricket	133	an icc statement said harbhajan s orthodox off break and doosra now fell  within the tolerance threshold  
cricket	133	he was reported to the icc by match referee chris broad after a test in bangladesh last december 
cricket	133	as a result  he underwent tests supervised by biomechanics expert bruce elliott of the university of western australia last month  who reported back to a panel of experts set up by the indian board 
cricket	133	they passed his findings on to the icc  who will now circulated them to all members of the elite panel of umpires and match referees 
cricket	133	harbhajan  whose action first came under scrutiny in 1998  has taken 189 test wickets and claimed 117 victims in one day internationals 
cricket	133	elliott said he was confident he had bowled with a similar intensity to that of test matches during the camera test 
cricket	133	 we can make a comparison to the video from the match when he was reported   things such as ball speed  arm rotation  position of the body and technique   he explained 
cricket	133	 we had two arbiters in daryl foster and harbhajan himself to give a ranking to each delivery so that we were confident they were quality deliveries 
cricket	133	  
cricket	134	pakistan promised tough warm uptour match  dharamshala  indian board president s xi v pakistanmatch starts 0400 gmt thursdaybatsman kaif will lead a board president s xi in a three day game at dharamshala after being overlooked by india for next week s first test 
cricket	134	the ground is 1 300 feet above sea level but pakistan do not expect conditions to be a problem 
cricket	134	 we have played in johannesburg  so altitude is not an issue   team manager salim altaf commented 
cricket	134	pakistan have a number of selection issues  but paln to field the same xi which plays against the president s xi in the first test 
cricket	134	salman butt  yasir hameed and taufeeq umar appear to be competing for two places at the top of the order 
cricket	134	and there may only be room for two seamers from mohammad sami  naved ul hasan and mohammad khalil if danish kaneria and arshad khan are chosen to form a spin bowling partnership in mohali 
cricket	134	 we expect pitches to turn in india and our players will have to learn to adapt themselves  but we have a talented batting line up 
cricket	134	we have a good team in the making   said coach bob woolmer 
cricket	134	 we have an effective spinner in kaneria  who can become one of the best leg spinners in world cricket 
cricket	134	he has the potential as he is a different type of leg spinner 
cricket	134	  the match is pakistan s only warm up before the start of the test series but it could be disrupted by the weather 
cricket	134	tuesday s practice session was cancelled because of rain and further downpours are forecast until the weekend 
cricket	134	woolmer  has  meanwhile  been trying to take some of the pressure off his players ahead of the tests 
cricket	134	 cricket is a game 
cricket	134	pressure can be alleviated if you can play and enjoy it   he said 
cricket	134	 essentially in cricket you create your own pressure 
cricket	134	 mohammad kaif  capt   satyajit parab  dheeraj jadhav  shikhir dhawan  venugopala rao  suresh raina  neeraj patel  parthiv patel  ramesh powar  shib shankar paul  rudra pratap singh  gagandeep singh  ranadeb bose  ram kumar 
cricket	134	inzamam ul haq  capt   salman butt  yasir hameed  younis khan  yousuf youhana  shoaib malik  abdul razzaq  kamran akmal  rana naved ul hasan  mohammad sami  danish kaneria  mohammad khalil  asim kamal  taufeeq umar  shahid afridi  arshad khan 
cricket	135	west indies opener rae mournedformer west indies test batsman allan rae has died in kingston  jamaica  at the age of 82 after a long illness 
cricket	135	rae scored 1 016 runs in 15 tests as an opener between 1948 1953  averaging number and making four centuries 
cricket	135	he was part of the first windies team to defeat england in a test series in 1950  before quitting the first class game to focus on his legal career 
cricket	135	rae then went on to become president of the west indies cricket board  a position he held from 1981 1988 
cricket	135	in his book  a history of west indies cricket  former jamaican prime minister michael manley said rae  brought to the presidency some of the most important characteristics of the finest administrative leaders  a deep sense of tradition with a mind always open to change  
cricket	135	he praised rae s behind the scenes work with sir don bradman to bring the west indies and australia players involved in kerry packer s world series back into the cricket establishment 
cricket	135	during his time as president  a number of west indies players were given life bans for going on unauthorised tours to south africa 
cricket	135	rae s playing career began in 1946 47 and he soon earned a place in the west indies team  marking his first series with centuries against india in bombay  now mumbai  and madras  chennai  
cricket	135	part of a strong opening partnership with jeff stollmeyer  he is best remembered for his part in the 1950 tour to england when he made 106 at lord s and 109 at the oval as west indies won the series 3 1 
cricket	135	he only played six tests thereafter  his last against india at port of spain in february 1953 
cricket	135	 allan meant so much to our cricket  not only as a player  but also as a hard working administrator   said bryan breese  chief executive of the jamaica cricket association 
cricket	135	 he even neglected his legal practice at times because of his dedication to cricket in jamaica 
cricket	135	  
cricket	136	streak set to make returnformer zimbabwe captain heath streak has been recalled to the national squad and is available for wednesday s final one day match against south africa 
cricket	136	streak  who has ended his disagreement with zimbabwe cricket  said   i m looking forward to getting back 
cricket	136	 obviously there s an element of concern at not having played at this level for a while  but it s not like i haven t been playing cricket 
cricket	136	 i had a good season at warwickshire and have been playing club cricket 
cricket	136	  on sunday  captain tatenda taibu said streak and andy blignaut would be considered for the test series in south africa starting on 4 march 
cricket	136	but now it looks as though   in the case of streak   a comeback could be even more immediate 
cricket	136	and zimbabwe s team manager babu memen said   it s very likely that he will play on wednesday  and he will stay on for the test series 
cricket	136	  former captain streak  30  was sacked in april 2004 after criticising zimbabwe cricket s selection policies 
cricket	136	following streak s dismissal  14 white players resigned in protest but gavin ewing and barney rogers have already returned to the fold and blignaut and streak are poised to do likewise 
cricket	136	when streak announced he had put aside his differences with zc on friday  the board s managing director ozias bvute announced   heath is immediately available for selection 
cricket	136	  now  streak says he will be happy to play under the new regime  with taibu as captain 
cricket	136	he said   i ve always played the best i can whether captain or not 
cricket	136	i ll give as much as i can without stepping on tatenda s toes 
cricket	136	i ll be there for him to help and to lend the experience that i ve gained 
cricket	136	  meanwhile four other rebels   stuart carlisle  trevor gripper  neil ferreira and charles coventry   have decided to make themselves available for selection for the a team 
cricket	136	a five match one day home series for zimbabwe s second string against bangladesh a starts on thursday 
cricket	136	of the remaining rebels  craig wishart and gary brent have revealed they were not interested in returning  while ray price  sean ervine  travis friend and grant flower have opted for county cricket in england 
cricket	136	the position of richard sims remains unclear 
cricket	137	india  confident  of dealthe president of the indian board has insisted the home series against pakistan will go ahead despite an ongoing legal wrangle over tv rights 
cricket	137	 we are confident something will be worked out 
cricket	137	as soon as we hear from the courts  we will work on a war footing   said ranbir singh mahendra 
cricket	137	zee tv  who are challenging the board s decision to scrap a £241m right deal  have offered a compromise 
cricket	137	they have offered to screen the series as a one off 
cricket	137	in a letter to the board  they wrote   ztl would do this entirely at its risks and costs and without any equity in its favour 
cricket	137	 this shall also be without prejudice to the respective contentions of the parties before the madras court 
cricket	137	  zee say they would only require to be paid  mutually agreed  production costs 
cricket	137	the pakistan cricket board  meanwhile  has expressed concern about earlier news reports that the series could be postponed again until the court case is resolved 
cricket	137	such a move would be  highly disappointing  as fans in both countries are  eagerly awaiting the series   read a pcb statement 
cricket	137	 it would also lead to a severe loss of revenue for both boards and dislocation in logistics for a postponed tour 
cricket	137	 moreover  a further postponement of the tour would be difficult because pakistan will be touring the west indies in early may   the statement continued 
cricket	137	the pakistan squad is due to arrive in india on monday to play three tests and six one day internationals 
cricket	137	the tour has already been postponed once while the two boards revised the itinerary after pakistan refused to play a test in ahmedabad because of security concerns 
cricket	137	losing the series would be a massive blow to the prestige of mahendra  who replaced jagmohan dalmiya as bcci president last september 
cricket	137	but he told the agence france presse   the tour will go ahead as scheduled 
cricket	137	 yes  there has been a delay on tv rights  but that is because the matter is in court 
cricket	137	  zee was awarded a four year contract last year but the board tried to reopen the bidding process after espn star sports and rupert murdoch s news corporation challenged the original decision 
cricket	137	espn and indian state broadcaster doordarshan are also talking to the board in an attempt to ensure the series goes ahead 
cricket	138	lara injury worry for west indiesvb series  perth  match nine  west indies v pakistanplay starts friday 0315 gmtlara is expected to play in perth despite a wrist injury  with the winners taking on hosts australia 
cricket	138	pedro collins  thigh strain  and ramnesh sarwan  bruised elbow  are also injury concerns for the windies 
cricket	138	pakistan are without leading bastman younis khan  who has flown home following the death of his father 
cricket	138	their skipper inzamam ul haq believes the three wicket victory over australia in perth on sunday will give his side the upper hand 
cricket	138	he said   definitely we have the advantage because we have played one test match and played in perth for 15 or 16 days before that 
cricket	138	 this track is totally different and west indies are playing for the first time here 
cricket	138	 this win has definitely helped us for the coming games 
cricket	138	hopefully we will play the final and we will win   he added 
cricket	138	inzamam is wary of the in form lara after he belted 156 off 138 balls in a victory over pakistan in adelaide last friday 
cricket	138	but he said his team had bowled better against australia and warned lara would need to be on top of his game with medium pace bowler naved ul hasan and all rounder abdul razzaq showing better form 
cricket	138	 i think he realises the bowling was not good in the last game 
cricket	138	i think especially naved and razzaq have worked hard in the nets and they are good here 
cricket	138	  lara conceded pakistan may have the advantage but pointed out there were plenty of players within the west indies squad  including himself  who had played at the waca ground before 
cricket	138	 we ve got some batsmen that have played here and we know exactly what the track is doing   said lara 
cricket	138	 it is more a mental game than the physical side and who has had more experience at the waca 
cricket	138	 what i am worried about with pakistan is that they are going to be playing three games in five days   he said 
cricket	138	 hopefully that can play on their mind and we will have a tired bunch 
cricket	138	 inzamam ul haq  captain   shoaib malik  yousuf youhana  salman butt  kamran akmal  wkt   abdul razzaq  shahid afridi  naved ul hasan  yasir hameed  rao iftikhar  mohammad khalil 
cricket	138	c h gayle  w w hinds  r r sarwan  b c lara  capt  s chanderpaul  r l powell  d j j bravo  c o browne  wkt  i d r bradshaw  r d king  p t collins 
cricket	139	bashar delighted after series winbangladesh skipper habibul bashar was thrilled after the win in the decider against zimbabwe gave his country their first ever one day series triumph 
cricket	139	 yes  our morale was down after losing the first two matches   he said  after the eight wicket victory in dhaka 
cricket	139	 but we knew we could come back and win the series 
cricket	139	 we worked hard and tried to rectify our mistakes and i am happy to have won the match chasing a target  which was not easy 
cricket	139	  taibu s counterpart  tatenda taibu  was left to reflect on what might have been after losing the early initiative in the five match series 
cricket	139	 it was so near and yet so far for us   said the zimbabwe captain 
cricket	139	 i think we did not play spin well enough and lost wickets at crucial stages 
cricket	139	they played well  but i think our boys did a good job 
cricket	139	we worked hard and fought it out 
cricket	139	  bangladesh have won only nine of their 106 matches since making their one day debut in 1986 and clinched their maiden test series against zimbabwe earlier in january 
cricket	140	injured butcher out of tourmark butcher has been ruled out of the rest of england s tour of south africa with a sprained left wrist 
cricket	140	and andrew flintoff has yet to prove his bowling fitness for the fourth test  which starts on thursday  after suffering an abdominal muscle tear 
cricket	140	flintoff batted in the nets but will not attempt to bowl until tuesday and could play solely as a batsman 
cricket	140	butcher will fly home later this week  to be replaced by ian bell  who played a single test last year 
cricket	140	 mark will see a specialist in johannesburg and fly home in the next few days   said england media manager dave clarke 
cricket	140	 he tried to have a bat in the nets this morning but was unable to grip the bat 
cricket	140	  butcher has endured a year beset by back and neck trouble 
cricket	140	 i have been despondent about things since last summer when i got those injuries  but this feels much worse   he said 
cricket	140	 i had been quite hopeful after the swelling had gone down  but there was no chance of me getting through for this match 
cricket	140	 i was struggling with a few throw downs with tennis balls  and there was no chance i could have played cricket balls without discomfort 
cricket	140	 if flintoff cannot bowl  england could call seamer james anderson into the xi at the expense of spinner ashley giles  or include paul collingwood  a batsman who bowls medium pace 
cricket	140	that could mean robert key  who replaced butcher for the third test  missing out 
cricket	140	england had two days off in cape town after the 196 run defeat  their first test reverse since december 2003  before flying to johannesburg on sunday 
cricket	140	meanwhile michael vaughan has revealed he is considering sending another member of the team to the pre match coin toss 
cricket	140	vaughan has won just six of 22 tosses as skipper 
cricket	140	 i can designate someone else to go out there if i want to   said vaughan 
cricket	140	 i m giving it some thought because no one can do worse than me 
cricket	140	  
cricket	141	world xi win tsunami matchtsunami appeal match  melbourne  icc world xi 344 8 beat asian 232 xi by 111 runsricky ponting hit 115 in a massive total of 344 8 after electing to bat first in front of a crowd of 70 101 
cricket	141	rahul dravid top scored with 75 not out in the asian xi reply  after virender sehwag s brisk 45 
cricket	141	daniel vettori took 3 58 while england s darren gough took a wicket and a catch 
cricket	141	shane warne had 2 27 
cricket	141	the game  broadcast in 122 countries to an estimated global television audience of one billion  began with a minute s silence for the victims of the tsunami 
cricket	141	australian prime minister john howard tossed a coin to start the match 
cricket	141	and afterwards the international cricket council chief executive  malcolm speed  paid tribute to the players for taking part 
cricket	141	he said   this signifies the game s compassion and commitment to provide as a much help as possible to enable the survivors of the tsunami to rebuild their lives so far as this is possible 
cricket	141	  ponting entertained the fans early on by hitting some big shots off anil kumble and abdul razzaq and the world xi s run rate was soon ticking along at a healthy rate 
cricket	141	chris cairns  69  and brian lara  52  enjoyed themselves as a middle order packed with stars delivered the goods 
cricket	141	and there was plenty of time for the unorthodox   australia tailender glenn mcgrath batted at number six  where he fell for a golden duck 
cricket	141	muttiah muralitharan captured his wicket in overall figures of 3 59 
cricket	141	it was a welcome comeback performance from the sri lankan who had been out injured for five months and who was almost caught up in the 26 december tragedy 
cricket	141	sehwag gave the asian xi a good start as they reached 59 0 in the 10th over 
cricket	141	but wickets regularly tumbled once he fell to a catch in the deep trying to hit warne s second ball for six 
cricket	141	vettori got stuck into the middle order where dravid played a lone hand with only kumar sangakkara   gough s sole victim   providing any meaningful support 
cricket	141	the world xi were further boosted by the presence of steve waugh as a substitute fielder towards the end of the match 
cricket	141	it was all wrapped up in the 40th over with the run out of murali for a duck 
cricket	141	man of the match ponting said   the whole day has been very  very special 
cricket	141	 it s great that the cricket community around the world can play a huge part to raise some money to put a smile on some faces around the world 
cricket	141	  asian xi captain sourav ganguly said   i hope we have contributed in whatever way we can to help the people who have suffered this disaster 
cricket	141	 sourav ganguly  ind capt   sanath jayasuriya  sl   virender sehwag  ind   rahul dravid  ind   yousuf youhana  pak   kumar sangakkara  sl   abdul razzaq  pak   chaminda vaas  sl   zaheer khan  ind   anil kumble  ind   muttiah muralitharan  sl  
cricket	141	alok kapali  ban  12th man  sachin tendulkar  ind  13th man 
cricket	141	ricky ponting  aus capt   matthew hayden  aus   adam gilchrist  aus   stephen fleming  nz   brian lara  wi   chris gayle  wi   chris cairns  nz   shane warne  aus   glenn mcgrath  aus   darren gough  eng   daniel vettori  nz  
cricket	141	dwayne bravo  wi  12th man 
cricket	141	rudi koertzen  sa   billy bowden  nz  
cricket	142	flintoff fit to bowl at wanderersfourth test  wanderers  south africa v englandplays starts 0830 gmtthe fourth test begins at the wanderers on thursday 
cricket	142	trescothick said   we re allowed the odd blip here and there 
cricket	142	 you don t win eight in a row without being something special as a team 
cricket	142	  england s main concern continues to be the fitness of andrew flintoff  who is recovering from a torn side muscle and may not be able to bowl in the test 
cricket	142	trescothick said england had appreciated having two days off in cape town  to chill out and relax  in what is otherwise the most intense tour the players have ever experienced 
cricket	142	but he voiced concern about flintoff 
cricket	142	 side strains can be quite difficult because it s such a big area  for fast bowlers  to generate pace when they re bowling   he said 
cricket	142	 he s had six days off but he s not sure how it s going to react 
cricket	142	we ll see how he goes in the nets and hopefully he ll come through unscathed 
cricket	142	 any time you lose one of your bowlers it s difficult but when it s an all rounder it creates a bit of a gap in the team so hopefully we are not going to get to that situation 
cricket	142	  the form of pace spearhead steve harmison is another concern 
cricket	142	trescothick said   steve s been fine throughout 
cricket	142	 the ball s  just not been coming out so well 
cricket	142	 everyone goes through dips in form   it just depends how quickly pepole come back from those 
cricket	142	but he ll come back from that  we re just waiting for it to happen 
cricket	142	 the guys are generally in good spirits  they needed the time off 
cricket	142	 graeme smith  capt   nicky boje  mark boucher  hashim amla  ab de villiers  boeta dippenaar  herschelle gibbs  andrew hall  jacques kallis  charl langeveldt  makhaya ntini  shaun pollock  jacques rudolph  dale steyn 
cricket	142	england  marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  robert key  michael vaughan  capt   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  wkt   ashley giles  simon jones  matthew hoggard  steve harmison  paul collingwood  gareth batty  james anderson  chris read  ian bell 
cricket	143	flintoff fit to bowl at wanderersfourth test  wanderers  south africa v englandplays starts thursday  0830 gmtthere had been concerns his rib muscle injury would restrict him to playing as a specialist batsman in the match 
cricket	143	captain michael vaughan said   he s had a bowl and came out fine so he is fully fit to play as an all rounder 
cricket	143	 we will see how he bowls 
cricket	143	in cape town i thought he was our best bowler and in durban probably our second best 
cricket	143	  flintoff sent down around 20 deliveries at three quarter pace during wednesday s practice session 
cricket	143	the 27 year old incurred a side strain during the 196 run defeat in cape townlast week and did not bowl again until the eve of the johannesburg test 
cricket	143	vaughan said he would not necessarily shield flintoff from bowling the same heavy workload he endured in the first three tests 
cricket	143	the skipper commented   we will just have to judge who is bowling well on any given day and on the given surface to see how much we use him 
cricket	143	 but as a far as we re concerned he is available to play any role required 
cricket	143	  opening batsman marcus trescothick said the team remained confident despite the defeat in cape town which left the series evenly poised at 1 1 with two to play 
cricket	143	he said   we re allowed the odd blip here and there 
cricket	143	you don t win eight in a row without being something special 
cricket	143	 the guys are generally in good spirits  they needed the time off 
cricket	143	  with flintoff happily fit to play and england thus likely to by unchanged  the form of pace spearhead steve harmison is the main concern 
cricket	143	trescothick said   steve s been fine throughout 
cricket	143	 the ball s  just not been coming out so well 
cricket	143	 everyone goes through dips in form   it just depends how quickly people come back from those 
cricket	143	but he ll come back from that  we re just waiting for it to happen 
cricket	143	graeme smith  capt   nicky boje  mark boucher  hashim amla  ab de villiers  boeta dippenaar  herschelle gibbs  andrew hall  jacques kallis  charl langeveldt  makhaya ntini  shaun pollock  jacques rudolph  dale steyn 
cricket	143	marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  robert key  michael vaughan  capt   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  wkt   ashley giles  simon jones  matthew hoggard  steve harmison 
cricket	144	australia build imposing leadthird test  nagpur  day three  stumps   australia 202 3   398 v india 185india were bowled out for just 185 in the morning session  with paceman gillespie returning 5 56   his eighth five wicket haul in test cricket 
cricket	144	katich then made 99 as the aussies established an intimidating 415 run lead in reaching 202 3 at stumps 
cricket	144	it places australia on the brink of a first series win in india for 35 years 
cricket	144	murali kartik showed some spirit with two wickets in the evening  but with damien martyn  41  and michael clarke  10  at the crease and batting still to come australia look set to push on come friday 
cricket	144	india s tail fared no better than the top order on nagpur s lively pitch  losing five wickets for 39 in the morning after resuming play on 146 5 
cricket	144	eight balls into the day  shane warne claimed his 539th test victim when fading one away from parthiv patel and taking the edge en route to slip 
cricket	144	skipper adam gilchrist delayed taking the new ball for a few overs  but was rewarded almost instantly when he did 
cricket	144	firstly  gillespie gave clarke the first of two catches at third slip to get rid of agit agarkar 
cricket	144	and soon india s last line of defence was dismantled when glenn mcgrath and first slip warne combined to oust kaif for 55   a second successive test match fifty 
cricket	144	india were nine down when kartik fell to gillespie   one of eight to perish to catches off the edge of the bat   and all that remained was for the paceman to bag his first five wicket haul against india with the dismissal of last man zaheer 
cricket	144	with plenty of time left in the test and an opportunity to rest his attack presenting itself  gilchrist chose not to enforce the follow on despite australia s 213 run first innings lead 
cricket	144	the early loss of matthew hayden aside   bowled during an excellent zaheer khan spell   it proved a sensible decision 
cricket	144	it was largely one way traffic once australia had negotiated a tough  run free 40 minute period after lunch  with justin langer surviving a couple of close lbw appeals to put on 80 for the second wicket with katich 
cricket	144	langer s scratchy stay came to an end just after tea when trying to hit kartik out of the park but succeeding only in holing out at deep mid wicket 
cricket	144	another meaningful partnership was in the offing  however  and katich and the in form martyn upped the scoring rate in a deflating period for india 
cricket	144	katich was supreme against the spinners  playing patiently square of the wicket and using his feet to move into the 90s with sucessive on driven boundaries off the hugely disappointing anil kumble  0 62  
cricket	144	but fate   and kartik   conspired against katich  who stepped back in his crease and was plumb lbw to register the 74th score of 99 in test cricket history 
cricket	144	martyn and clarke were untroubled in the closing overs against a tiring attack  the latter announcing his arrival at the crease with two glorious boundaries in one kumble over 
cricket	145	australia dominate indiathird test  nagpur  day two  stumps  australia 398 v india 146 5the home side closed on 146 5  252 runs in arrears and still 53 short of avoiding the follow on 
cricket	145	glenn mcgrath  playing in his 100th test  took 2 18 in 20 overs as mohammad kaif  47 not out  propped up an innings that crawled at two runs per over 
cricket	145	australia were earlier dismissed for 398  with michael clarke falling to zaheer khan  4 95  nine short of a ton 
cricket	145	india did not take long in wrapping up australia s innings at the start of the day  claiming the three remaining overnight wickets for 36 runs 
cricket	145	jason gillespie  lbw to zaheer  and kasprowicz  bowled by agit agarkar  both fell cheaply  leaving mcgrath as clarke s last hope of a second test century 
cricket	145	the veteran enjoyed his stay at the crease with two hooked boundaries  and in the end it was he who remained unbeaten when clarke edged behind to end an entertaining knock that included 13 boundaries 
cricket	145	india were given a typically blustery start by virender sehwag  who took four boundaries off gillespie s first over 
cricket	145	it forced skipper adam gilchrist to protect the boundary with a sweeper after just five overs  but having forced australia on the defensive sehwag soon gave his wicket away 
cricket	145	flashing hard at mcgrath  the opener became the aussie paceman s 447th victim when edging into the gloves of the athletic gilchrist  diving high to his right 
cricket	145	gillespie  belted out of the attack by sehwag  returned from the other end and struck immediately to have aakash chopra caught by warne at slip for eight 
cricket	145	it left india 35 2 at lunch  and a very quiet period followed the interval as rahul dravid and the returning sachin tendulkar tried to block india to parity 
cricket	145	the pair put on 15 runs in one ball shy of 13 dawdling overs before tendulkar was trapped in front of stumps by gillespie  2 47  for eight 
cricket	145	the grassy nagpur pitch meant shane warne s introduction was delayed until the 36th over  but two balls were all it took for the test cricket s leading wicket taker to add to his tally 
cricket	145	in having vvs laxman caught by clarke in gully  warne ousted him for the third time this series and reduced india to a perilous 75 4 in the process 
cricket	145	dravid s stay at the crease was a lengthy one but largely unproductive  and after consuming 140 balls for 21 runs he edged mcgrath to slip 
cricket	145	it was a predictable end after the veteran paceman had worked india s stand in skipper over with an array of balls which leapt off the seam on a pitch more akin to australian grounds 
cricket	145	at 103 5 india looked vulnerable  but kaif and parthiv patel   fresh from their century stand in the second test   showed heart in the fading light 
cricket	145	it was not plain sailing for kaif   a spurned run out chance and a catch off a no ball offered two reprieves   but he grew into his task and even managed a six off warne over long off 
cricket	145	although india s sixth wicket offered the home side hope  australia were in a strong position to push for the victory that would award them a first series victory in india for 35 years 
cricket	145	a chopra  v sehwag  r dravid  capt   s r tendulkar v v s laxman  m kaif  p a patel  wkt   a b agarkar  a kumble m kartik  z khan 
cricket	145	m l hayden  j l langer  s m katich  d r martyn d s lehmann  m j clarke  a c gilchrist  capt  wkt   s k warne m s kasprowicz  j n gillespie  g d mcgrath 
cricket	145	aleem dar  d r shepherd 
cricket	146	aussies unhappy with pitchaustralian skipper ricky ponting was still able to raise a smile despite his side s 13 run defeat by india in the fourth test at mumbai 
cricket	146	they had already done enough to win the border gavaskar trophy with victories at bangalore and nagpur  their first series success in india since 1969 70 
cricket	146	 i said i thought it would be one of the all time great series and the first three tests turned out that way 
cricket	146	 this was nowhere near a test pitch 
cricket	146	it was terribly disappointing 
cricket	146	  he was less than thrilled  however  with a pitch in mumbai which saw 38 wickets fall on the second and third days to bring the match to an early resolution 
cricket	146	australia only needed 107 in the final innings but were bowled out for 93 in just number overs as the indian spinners made the most of conditions 
cricket	146	 it was definitely gettable  but i don t think we played at our best with the bat today 
cricket	146	 full credit to india though 
cricket	146	they batted well in tough conditions and when the game was there to be won with the ball  they did what they had to do 
cricket	146	  groundsman polly umrigar defended his pitch  saying   my verdict is that the batsmen did not apply themselves   the wicket was not as difficult as it is being made out to be 
cricket	146	batsmen willing to play shots got ample opportunities 
cricket	146	  ponting also paid tribute to vice captain adam gilchrist  who led the side in the first three tests while he was recuperating from a broken thumb 
cricket	146	 when you look back through the series  everyone has contributed in one way or another 
cricket	146	that s a pleasing thing   it s what you need in a good side   he added 
cricket	146	 it s been a great tour 
cricket	146	i ve only been here a short time but we ve certainly enjoyed ourselves   i think all of the players really enjoy touring india 
cricket	146	 it s a place we ve been to quite a lot over the last few years 
cricket	146	every time we come back we enjoy it more and more and it certainly helps when you win as well 
cricket	146	  michael clarke took 6 9 on the final day and also contributed 400 runs in his first test series 
cricket	146	but the man of the series award went to team mate damien martyn  who made 444 runs at an average of 55  although he ended it with a duck 
cricket	146	 i d have liked 10 more runs in the second innings today   martyn joked 
cricket	146	 we came over here to win and fight hard 
cricket	146	it was a bit disappointing to finish off that way but we ve won  the series  and the guiys have made a fantastic effort in the last month 
cricket	146	 we always know it s going to be hard over here 
cricket	146	it s always a true test for a batsman 
cricket	146	  
cricket	147	boycott slams  chucking  plangeoff boycott has condemned the international cricket council s proposal to relax rules on chucking 
cricket	147	the former england batsman said the move was made to benefit sri lanka spinner muttiah muralitharan  whose  doosra  ball could soon be legal 
cricket	147	 i think it s been brought in through pressure from sri lanka and murali s supporters   boycott told bbc sport 
cricket	147	 it s a sad day for cricket that this pressure can allow muralitharan to bowl whatever he wants 
cricket	147	  a 15 degree flexing of the arm will be permitted following an extensive research programme conducted by biomechanics experts 
cricket	147	previously  only 10 degrees for fast bowlers and five degrees for spinners were permitted 
cricket	147	murali s arm was measured at 14 degrees while bowling his  doosra  prior to the delivery s banning 
cricket	147	sri lanka cricket said such accusations were wide of the mark  and that the rule change would be made to benefit all bowlers 
cricket	147	 it is a bit unfair   a spokesman told bbc sport 
cricket	147	 we have always said that many things need to be considered but we have never pressured the icc and the decision is not only for murali   it is for all 
cricket	147	   we are very happy about it as it means murali will be able bowl his  doosra  
cricket	147	 sri lanka cricket appreciates it very much and we thank the icc for making such a decision 
cricket	147	  the icc executive will be asked to ratify the recommendations made by a panel comprising aravinda de silva  angus fraser  michael holding  tony lewis  tim may and the icc s own david richardson 
cricket	147	the panel met in dubai and studied video evidence of bowlers as well as hearing the opinions of the three biomechanical experts 
cricket	147	 the scientific evidence is overwhelming   holding said 
cricket	147	 when bowlers who to the naked eye look to have pure actions are thoroughly analysed with the sophisticated technology now in place  they are likely to be shown as straightening their arm by 11 and in some cases 12 degrees 
cricket	147	 under a strict interpretation of the law  these players are breaking the rules 
cricket	147	 the game needs to deal with this reality and make its judgment as to how it accommodates this fact 
cricket	147	  de silva tipped fellow sri lankan murali  the second highest test wicket taker with 532 victims  to raise the bar even higher 
cricket	147	 he has so much cricket left in him that i have little doubt that murali will reach the 700 wicket mark in test cricket   he said 
cricket	147	 the icc has done the right thing and he can go ahead with his usual repertoire of bowling 
cricket	147	 i am glad for murali  who will be a relieved man now 
cricket	147	  
cricket	148	vaughan ready for south africaskipper michael vaughan is relieved england s tour of zimbabwe passed off without major incident and is now relishing the prospect of south africa 
cricket	148	vaughan s men  who fly to johannesburg on monday  cruised to a series win over the zimbabweans  but expect five tough tests against graeme smith s side 
cricket	148	 the zimbabwe tour didn t start very well but we came through it   he said 
cricket	148	 but i m quite happy to be leaving and going onto johannesburg for what is the exciting leg of the winter 
cricket	148	  the england captain said he hoped to take the batting form he has shown in zimbabwe into the long tour of south africa 
cricket	148	vaughan was man of the series as zimbabwe were swept 4 0  with 211 runs at an average in excess of 100 
cricket	148	he said   i realise i need to improve my one day stats 
cricket	148	hopefully i can take this form into test series in south africa and the seven one day games 
cricket	148	 it was a convincing series win 
cricket	148	the boys did well in difficult situations 
cricket	148	  vaughan said the youngsters who had filled in for some notable absentees had acquitted themselves well 
cricket	148	he said   it was a tour where we gave opportunity to a few players and they have come in and done a very good job 
cricket	148	 it makes the selectors  job a little bit harder because we are producing a good pool of players 
cricket	148	  england s six one day specialists   kevin pietersen  darren gough  vikram solanki  ian bell  matt prior and alex wharf   will fly home to heathrow on monday night 
cricket	148	the remainder of the party will link up with the other members of the test squad in johannesburg  in preparation for the first test  starting in port elizabeth on 17 december 
cricket	148	meanwhile vaughan admitted he was disappointed   baffled and saddened  by the absence of the zimbabwe rebels from the controversial series 
cricket	148	 when you see heath streak sitting watching you in the stands it is disappointing zimbabwe aren t putting their best team on the field   vaughan said 
cricket	148	 i d like to have played against the flower brothers  andy and grant   heath streak  and stuart carlisle  all of those guys 
cricket	148	  streak said he felt zimbabwean cricket would have been in better shape if the rebels were still involved 
cricket	148	 there are some talented players in this team and we could have formed a strong combination with them 
cricket	148	you don t enjoy watching your country lose badly   he said 
cricket	148	 i still have a lot of friends in the changing room  i don t have any issues with the players 
cricket	148	 my issues are with zimbabwe cricket and the behaviour of some of the board members 
cricket	148	  zimbabwe captain tatenda taibu admitted   we are not quite there yet 
cricket	148	we need a bit of experience and the more games we play the better we become 
cricket	148	 we are just getting individual performances on the day but we have to play good cricket for 100 overs and we have to get it together in a game and we really haven t done that and really have to work on that 
cricket	148	 i m very lucky that i have a bunch of young guys who really want to play for their country and give their best 
cricket	148	  
cricket	149	wilson back in kiwi cricket squadformer all blacks winger jeff wilson is back in the new zealand cricket squad after a 12 year absence 
cricket	149	wilson has been included by the kiwis to face a world xi in a one day series in aid of the tsunami victims 
cricket	149	his last outing for the national team was in 1993 when he gave up cricket to concentrate on his rugby union career  which came to an end in 2002 
cricket	149	 now that i have this chance i am looking forward to getting in there and making the most of it   said wilson 
cricket	149	wilson had set his sights on returning to the new zealand side after resuming domestic first class cricket and team coach john bracewell has said the one day matches are a chance for the ex all blacks winger to re establish himself 
cricket	149	 his match turning ability is undoubted and we just need to see if he can step up to this level again   said nz coach bracewell 
cricket	149	 the selectors have watched jeff and have no doubt that he is a dynamic cricketer 
cricket	149	  in march 1993  wilson played four one day international matches against australia 
cricket	149	he scored a match winning 44 not out in the final game of the series before concentrating on rugby union after making his debut for the all blacks later that year 
cricket	149	wilson takes the place of fast bowler ian butler  who is suffering from a bulging disc in his back 
cricket	149	the limited overs series against a world xi side being led by australian leg spinner shane warne begins in christchurch on 22 january with the two other matches taking place in wellington on 24 january and hamilton on 26 january 
cricket	149	more than 9 000 tickets were sold on the first day of them being made available 
cricket	149	 given the very limited lead time for these matches  we obviously need the public to respond quickly and today has given us a good start   said new zealand cricket marketing manager peter dwan 
cricket	149	stephen fleming  captain   nathan astle  chris cairns  hamish marshall  brendon mccullum  kyle mills  jacob oram  mathew sinclair  scott styris  daryl tuffey  daniel vettori  jeff wilson 
cricket	150	england stutter to zimbabwe winfirst one day international  harare  england 196 5  number overs  beat zimbabwe 195 all out  number overs  by five wicketsafter choosing to bowl  they dismissed the home side for 195  darren gough with 3 34  elton chigumbura making 52 
cricket	150	the 18 year old shared a stand of 82 in number overs with dion ebrahim  45  
cricket	150	michael vaughan made an attractive 56 and debutant ian bell 77 but late wickets created tension before victory was sealed with 14 balls left 
cricket	150	vaughan chose to open his attack with gough and james anderson  but both found it difficult to attain a good line in the early stages 
cricket	150	anderson conceded three wides in the eighth over and both openers had recorded boundaries when  in the ninth over  a slower ball from gough accounted for stuart matsikenyeri with the score on 36 
cricket	150	two overs later alex wharf picked up a fortuitous wicket with his fifth delivery when brendan taylor dragged a wide one onto the timbers 
cricket	150	a far more dangerous delivery accounted for vusi sibanda  who was unable to keep out a rising ball 
cricket	150	the hosts had a brief period of consolidation only to ruin it with a run out as mark vermeulen was left short of his ground by a direct throw from andrew strauss 
cricket	150	when tatenda taibu became the third batsmen to drag on  something special was required  and briefly it came from chigumbura 
cricket	150	the lissome right hander launched a series of clean  straight bladed shots  hammering six fours and a magnificent straight six off wharf in his 56 minute innings 
cricket	150	ebrahim was beaten in the flight by ashley giles  then in the next over chigumbura went for one lofted drive too many and was caught deep in the covers 
cricket	150	a crowd of around 3 000 had been delighted with his efforts  but when he departed at 172 7 there was little else from the tail  gough wrapping up the innings with a yorker in the final over 
cricket	150	england s reply began smoothly until vikram solanki mis timed a drive that looped to mid off for seven 
cricket	150	vaughan gradually unveiled some trademark strokes of classic nature in a 75 ball innings featuring five fours and a six 
cricket	150	he departed in the 30th over with 64 still needed  caught at deep midwicket by chigumbura  who in the same position had spilled a chance offered by bell four overs earlier 
cricket	150	andrew strauss was soon back in the pavilion  offering a simple return catch to matsikenyeri to leave england 146 3 
cricket	150	having seemed set to guide his team home  bell s composed innings ended 26 runs short of the victory target when he edged his 115th delivery to taibu 
cricket	150	paul collingwood needlessly pressed for a second run and fell to sharp throw from utseya at leg gully  then next ball geraint jones almost joined him after hesitation with kevin pietersen 
cricket	150	the debutant was content to edge england home in conservative fashion  but won it with his only boundary straight down the ground  as the tourists finally secured their ninth successive win over zimbabwe 
cricket	151	scotland take small step into the big timethere was no winner s cheque on offer and no increase in status  just a trip to sharjah  a shiny trophy and the prestige of being considered the 11th best team in world cricket 
cricket	151	but scotland were still celebrating heartily after winning the icc intercontinental cup  beating kenya and canada in the final stages in the united arab emirates 
cricket	151	men in suits can talk for as long as they like about infrastructure and development pathways  but sport is about winning  and scotland came through where it mattered 
cricket	151	pace bowler john blain  who was man of the match in the final after taking seven wickets  fully realised the importance of an innings victory over canada 
cricket	151	 we ve been moving on for a number of years now  narrowly missing out on the world cup but this is the next best thing   he told bbc sport 
cricket	151	 we ve always been confident of what ability we have but it s about getting results 
cricket	151	  the victory means more than some silverware for the cabinet  however  for a team that appeared in the 1999 world cup but has not made highlight reels since 
cricket	151	the majority of the side are still amateurs and  as blain pointed out   it s very difficult for guys to go from the world cup back to their jobs and keep the standard up 
cricket	151	 the international cricket council is keen to improve the strength and depth behind the 10 test playing nations  and this is just a part of its development programme 
cricket	151	five associate member countries will appear in the 2007 world cup and the authorities are keen they should provide more than a second round bye for the bigger sides 
cricket	151	senior coach bob woolmer suggested that the three day format would help hone skills for the limited overs game 
cricket	151	blain gives the idea the thumbs up but also believes scotland s exposure to english county cricket s national league  ncl  has helped 
cricket	151	 the guys have come here and played the cricket that they ve been playing the last couple of years in the ncl but in a longer version of the game   he said 
cricket	151	 they ve learned how to be ruthless and go for the victory 
cricket	151	  with some controversy  this tournament was given first class status  although only a handful of players   including blain and durham s gavin hamilton   normally play at that level 
cricket	151	with kenya lacking 13 players because of a pay dispute and canada losing world cup star john davison to australian domestic duty  the standard was below county level 
cricket	151	however  blain argued   i ve had seven wicket hauls in county cricket but this must rate among them   it s international cricket and it s the top of the tree 
cricket	151	  this win will help strengthen scotland s claim for full time one day international status  saving them from the qualification process 
cricket	151	they will have to prove themselves again next april when the icc trophy in ireland will act as a world cup qualifier but blain believes consistency is building 
cricket	151	 results are now starting to show 
cricket	151	we have a squad of boys who can compete   he continued 
cricket	151	 we ve got more exposure now and the standard has moved on fantastically  which will stand us in good stead when we go on to the qualifiers 
cricket	151	  the intercontinental cup is not an end in itself but a significant milestone along the way 
cricket	152	south africa recall bojesouth africa have recalled spinner nicky boje for the first test against england  which begins on 17 december 
cricket	152	boje missed the recent tour of india because of fears he would be called in for questioning by indian police over match fixing allegations 
cricket	152	pace bowler dale steyn and opening batsmen ab de villiers are new faces in a 13 man squad 
cricket	152	despite suffering poor form in india  new wicket keeper thami tsolekile has been preferred to mark boucher 
cricket	152	there is no place for opener herschelle gibbs  who has been struggling with a finger injury after missing the india trip  and spin all rounder justin ontong has been dropped 
cricket	152	nicky boje  who underwent minor surgery to remove a growth in his neck  will have to pass a fitness test before the match 
cricket	152	port elizabeth  where the first test is being held  is south africa s most spin friendly venue 
cricket	152	graeme smith  capt   nicky boje  hashim amla  zander de bruyn  ab de villiers  boeta dippenaar  andrew hall  jacques kallis  makhaya ntini  shaun pollock  jacques rudolph  dale steyn  thami tsolekile  wkt  
cricket	153	south africa recall spinner bojesouth africa have recalled spinner nicky boje for the first test against england  which begins on 17 december 
cricket	153	boje missed the recent tour of india because of fears he would be called in for questioning by indian police over match fixing allegations 
cricket	153	pace bowler dale steyn and opening batsmen ab de villiers are new faces in a 13 man squad 
cricket	153	despite suffering poor form in india  new wicket keeper thami tsolekile has been preferred to mark boucher 
cricket	153	there is no place for opener herschelle gibbs  who has been struggling with a finger injury after missing the india trip  and spin all rounder justin ontong has been dropped 
cricket	153	nicky boje  who underwent minor surgery to remove a growth in his neck  will have to pass a fitness test before the match 
cricket	153	port elizabeth  where the first test is being held  is south africa s most spin friendly venue 
cricket	153	graeme smith  capt   nicky boje  hashim amla  zander de bruyn  ab de villiers  boeta dippenaar  andrew hall  jacques kallis  makhaya ntini  shaun pollock  jacques rudolph  dale steyn  thami tsolekile  wkt  
cricket	154	butt provides boost for pakistantour match  perth  pakistan 256 9  50 overs  v cricket australia chairman s xihis 135 ball innings included a six and 11 fours and gave his side a lift after their surprise defeat by western australia s second xi last week 
cricket	154	medium pacer mike hussey proved the most effective bowler for the home side  taking 3 28 
cricket	154	pakistan opted to leave out pacemen shoaib akhtar and mohammad sami 
cricket	154	they were held back for the four day game against western australia  starting on thursday   their final warm up before the first test 
cricket	154	all rounder shoaib malik was also rested after hurting his right arm while playing table football 
cricket	154	 it s nothing serious  though he won t bowl for a couple of days   said skipper inzamam ul haq 
cricket	154	the chairman s xi was led by justin langer and included former fast bowler geoff lawson  who took 180 test wickets for australia between 1980 and 1989 
cricket	154	j langer  capt   b casson  t dodemaide  b edmondson  m goodwin  m hussey  g lawson  m north  c rogers  l ronchi  d thornely  p worthington 
cricket	154	inzamam ul haq  capt   imran farhat  salman butt  yasir hameed  younis khan yousuf youhana  shahid afridi  karan akmal  naved ul hasan  mohammad khalil  danish kaneria 
cricket	155	murali to miss one dayers in nzsri lanka have put back plans to take spinner muttiah muralitharan on the one day leg of their new zealand tour 
cricket	155	muralitharan was to have travelled with the team as part of his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery but now needs to prove his fitness before joining them 
cricket	155	he will aim to play in a practice match in sri lanka on 27 december  two weeks before the first test in auckland 
cricket	155	the off spinner resumed bowling last week and is currently bowling 24 balls every other day in the nets 
cricket	155	sri lanka begin their tour of new zealand on 21 december  playing two tests and five one day internationals 
cricket	155	surgeon david young operated on muralitharan in august to treat a lesion which had caused a build up of fluid around the nerves in his right shoulder 
cricket	155	at the time of his injury  muralitharan held the world record of 532 test wickets  which has since been surpassed by australia s shane warne 
cricket	156	australia return to winning wayssecond one day international  sydney  australia 261 7  50 overs  beat new zealand 244  number overs  by 17 runsadam gilchrist  60  and darren lehmann  52  played the leading roles as the home side totalled 261 7 
cricket	156	new zealand crumbled to 86 6 in reply but chris cairns hit 50 off 40 balls and kyle mills and daniel vettori put on 70 to keep their side in the hunt 
cricket	156	but they were eventually all out for 244 and the three match series will now be decided in brisbane on friday 
cricket	156	the game came to an end at the start of the 48th over when chris harris  who bravely came out to bat in his 250th one day game despite a shoulder injury  was bowled by a yorker from glenn mcgrath 
cricket	156	mills was left high and dry on 44 not out after a magnificent 26 ball innings  featuring four big sixes 
cricket	156	there were plenty of anxious faces among the australian fans during his ninth wicket stand with vettori  33   who was finally run out by ricky ponting s underarm throw 
cricket	156	home skipper ponting had earlier chosen to bat after winning the toss and was rewarded as adam gilchrist took the attack to the new zealand seamers 
cricket	156	he struck a six and eight fours to reach his half century off only 37 deliveries  before perishing for 60 in cavalier fashion as a pull shot off scott styris was caught by nathan astle at deep square leg 
cricket	156	ponting maintained the tempo with a quickfire 32 but his exit  caught at mid off from the bowling of mills  sparked a slump which saw australia decline from 140 2 to 161 6 
cricket	156	matthew hayden  43  was run out by mathew sinclair  damien martyn was lbw to mills for five and andrew symonds faced only two balls before he was trapped in front by vettori 
cricket	156	michael clarke was next to go for six when he edged a ball from chris cairns to keeper brendon mccullum 
cricket	156	but darren lehmann and brad hogg prevented the innings from going into freefall  adding 74 in 17 overs for the seventh wicket 
cricket	156	lehmann was run out  leaving hogg  41 not out  and brett lee  10 not out  to see the total past 250 to leave the kiwis facing a tough target 
cricket	156	they made a poor start as astle was caught behind off brett lee for 11 and sinclair fell victim to jason gillespie for 17  with matthew hayden taking the catch 
cricket	156	captain stephen fleming fell lbw for 34 to left arm spinner hogg  who proved the most successful australian bowler with figures of 3 45 
cricket	156	the middle order followed in quick succession and it looked like the home side would wrap things up in double quick time 
cricket	156	cairns counter attacked with two sixes and four fours before gillespie brought his innings to an end  leaving mills and vettori to try and secure an unlikely victory 
cricket	156	the required rate came down to a run per ball thanks to mills  big hitting exploits  but harris was greeted by a short pitched ball aimed at his chest and a ferocious full toss from lee after vettori had been dismissed 
cricket	156	the veteran  whose suffered a torn rotator cuff while fielding earlier in the game  collected four singles but his gallantry was in vain as mcgrath produced the perfect delivery to bring the game to an end 
cricket	156	m hayden  a gilchrist  wkt   r ponting  capt   d lehmann  d martyn  a symonds  m clarke  b hogg  j gillespie  b lee  g mcgrath 
cricket	156	s fleming  capt   n astle  m sinclair  s styris  h marshall  j oram  c cairns  c harris  b mccullum  wkt   d vettori  k mills 
cricket	157	ganguly plays down fearsindia captain sourav ganguly has attempted to play down safety fears over their tour to bangladesh 
cricket	157	the indian squad arrived in dhaka on wednesday for a 19 day tour featuring two tests and three one day matches 
cricket	157	the first test has already been put back a day to friday after the indian embassy received threats purporting to come from islamic militants 
cricket	157	 security is an important factor but we as a team are concentrating on cricket and nothing else   ganguly insisted 
cricket	157	a hand written fax allegedly sent by the harkat ul zihad group threatened to kill indian cricketers  but has been dismissed as a hoax by the bangladesh authorities 
cricket	157	they are suspected of carrying out the assasination of poet shamsur rahman six years ago 
cricket	157	the group s hostility towards india stems from riots in the western state of gujarat in 2002  which left 2 000 people dead  many of them muslims 
cricket	157	the board of control for cricket in india is leaving nothing to chance and are sending security experts to assess the situation in chittagong  where the second test is due to start on 16 december 
cricket	157	despite bangladesh s mediocre record of 29 defeats in 32 matches at test level since 2000  ganguly said his team would take nothing for granted 
cricket	157	 i don t think bangladesh are pushovers 
cricket	157	i always respect the opposition and bangladesh are no exception 
cricket	157	 i don t think any side has has gone and played in bangladesh with a sense of complacency 
cricket	157	  india were bangladesh s first test opponents four years ago  winning by nine wickets in dhaka despite the home side making 400 in their first innings 
cricket	158	india clear for chittagong gamesindian cricket officials have given clearance for the national team to play in chittagong during their tour to bangladesh  which began on wednesday 
cricket	158	the team received alleged death threats from a radical muslim group 
cricket	158	but the foreign ministry were satisfied with security arrangements in dhaka  where the first test begins on friday 
cricket	158	and the team have now given the green light for the games scheduled for chittagong  which will stage the second test and first one day international 
cricket	158	 we have now received assessment of the indian security team that went to chittagong 
cricket	158	 they made a full assessment of the security arrangements  in consultation with the bangladesh authorities 
cricket	158	 on the basis of security team s report  the government is advising bcci to go ahead with the matches in chittagong   said foreign ministry spokesman navtej sarna 
cricket	158	the inspection covered the venue  hotel and other areas where the indian cricket team will be present 
cricket	158	specific recommendations for tightening security arrangements and these have been accepted by the bangladesh authorities 
cricket	158	a letter  apparently from a previously unknown islamic group harkat ul jihad  arrived at the indian embassy last thursday 
cricket	158	it threatened to kill the players in revenge for the riots in gujarat in india three years ago which left many muslims dead 
cricket	158	however  the bangladesh high commission said the threats were a hoax 
cricket	158	explosions and other attacks are not uncommon in bangladesh   more than 20 people were killed when grenades were thrown at an opposition rally in august 
cricket	158	there have also been blasts at cinemas 
cricket	158	few arrests have been made  but islamic extremists are widely blamed 
cricket	158	indian cricketers have visited bangladesh several times  most recently in 2003 for a triangular tournament that also involved south africa 
cricket	159	hayden ruled out of kiwi showdownthird one day international  brisbane  australia v new zealandmatch starts 0315 gmt fridaythe left hander has failed to recover from a hamstring strain suffered in sydney  when australia won by 17 runs to level the series at 1 1 
cricket	159	the kiwis have added all rounder tama canning to their squad as a replacement for veteran chris harris 
cricket	159	the 27 year old made three one day appearances in pakistan a year ago 
cricket	159	he has been in good form with both bat and ball in domestic cricket  making his highest first class score of 115 and taking eight wickets in the game as auckland beat northern districts in the state championship 
cricket	159	new zealand breathed a sigh of relief when brendon mccullum and scott styris were cleared of code of conduct charges on thursday 
cricket	159	but they will not finalise their line up until shortly before the game because of persistent bad weather in brisbane which forced gabba groundsman kev mitchell to change the pitch to be used for the game 
cricket	159	more rain is forecast for friday  which could mean duckworth lewis calculations having a big say in the outcome 
cricket	159	 we are keeping our options open and won t be rushing to name our side until we are confident with the knowledge we have on the wicket we are going to play on   coach john bracewell commented 
cricket	159	they did well to run australia close in sydney after being reduced to 86 6  with chris cairns  kyle milss and daniel vettori showing the depth of their batting talent 
cricket	159	 i thought we showed considerable guts and determination   bracewell added 
cricket	159	simon katich is the likely replacement for hayden in the australian team  but they face a dilemma over who should open with adam gilchrist 
cricket	159	katich went in first in a one day game against india at the start of the year but prefers the middle order and they could opt to promote darren lehmann instead 
cricket	159	lehmann has only opened four times in 110 limited overs internationals  but his last three scores in that role have been 92 not out  50 not out and 119 
cricket	159	the state of the pitch will also be a major factor in deciding the make up of their attack 
cricket	159	michael kasprowicz could return in place of spinner brad hogg as part of a four pronged pace attack 
cricket	159	but that would be tough on hogg  who made 41 not out and took three wickets in the last match  and would also leave the hosts with a long tail 
cricket	159	r ponting  capt   a gilchrist  wkt   d martyn  d lehmann  s katich  m clarke  a symonds  b hogg  b lee  s watson  j gillespie  g mcgrath  m kasprowicz 
cricket	159	s fleming  capt   n astle  m sinclair  s styris  h marshall  c mcmillan  j oram  c cairns  b mccullum  wkt   d vettori  a adams  t canning  k mills  i butler 
cricket	160	kumble breaks kapil s recordfirst test  dhaka  day one  stumps   bangladesh 184 all out v indiakumble overtook the mark set by kapil dev when he had mohammad rafique lbw 
cricket	160	and he followed up with a wicket next ball before bangladesh were bowled out for 184 in 58 overs in dhaka 
cricket	160	after the first session was lost to rain  irfan pathan took five wickets to reduce the hosts to 106 7 before mohammad ashraful dug in 
cricket	160	ashraful ended unbeaten on 60  having hit six fours and faced 135 balls 
cricket	160	kumble had a chance of a hat trick after removing tapash baisya via a catch at first slip but mashrafe mortaza safely defended the fifth ball of his 12th over 
cricket	160	but a run out ended the innings not long afterwards 
cricket	160	india did not get chance to begin their reply as openers virender sehwag and gautam gambhir were immediately offered the light on stepping to the wicket 
cricket	160	india won the toss and pathan soon got stuck into the top order  dismissing javed omar lbw in his second over with one that nipped back 
cricket	160	nafis iqbal and rajin saleh were also ajudged lbw by umpire jeremy lloyds off consecutive balls in pathan s fifth over 
cricket	160	captain habibul bashar then pulled zaheer khan straight to square leg and when the same bowler had khaled mashud caught behind  bangladesh were 50 5 after just 16 overs 
cricket	160	ashraful  largely in partnership with rafique  47   did his best to build a recovery but india will expect to amass a huge lead on saturday 
cricket	160	kumble is now fifth in the all time list 
cricket	160	aged 34  he may still be able to reach the 500 mark  passed by only three men 
cricket	160	fellow leg spinner shane warne tops the list with 552 wickets 
cricket	160	habibul bashar  capt   nafis iqbal  javed omar  mohammad ashraful  rajin saleh  khaled mashud  wkt   mushfiqur rahman  mohammad rafique  tapash baisya  mashrafe bin mortaza  manjurul islam rana 
cricket	160	s ganguly  capt   v sehwag  g gambhir  s tendulkar  r dravid  m kaif  d karthik  wkt   i pathan  a kumble  harbhajan singh  z khan 
cricket	161	kumble overtakes kapil s recordfirst test  dhaka  day one  stumps   bangladesh 184 all out v indiakumble overtook the mark set by kapil dev when he had mohammad rafique lbw 
cricket	161	and he followed up with a wicket next ball before bangladesh were bowled out for 184 in 58 overs in dhaka 
cricket	161	after the first session was lost to rain  irfan pathan took five wickets to reduce the hosts to 106 7 before mohammad ashraful dug in 
cricket	161	ashraful ended unbeaten on 60  having hit six fours and faced 135 balls 
cricket	161	kumble had a chance of a hat trick after removing tapash baisya via a catch at first slip but mashrafe mortaza safely defended the fifth ball of his 12th over 
cricket	161	but a run out ended the innings not long afterwards 
cricket	161	india did not get chance to begin their reply as openers virender sehwag and gautam gambhir were immediately offered the light on stepping to the wicket 
cricket	161	india won the toss and pathan soon got stuck into the top order  dismissing javed omar lbw in his second over with one that nipped back 
cricket	161	nafis iqbal and rajin saleh were also ajudged lbw by umpire jeremy lloyds off consecutive balls in pathan s fifth over 
cricket	161	captain habibul bashar then pulled zaheer khan straight to square leg and when the same bowler had khaled mashud caught behind  bangladesh were 50 5 after just 16 overs 
cricket	161	ashraful  largely in partnership with rafique  47   did his best to build a recovery but india will expect to amass a huge lead on saturday 
cricket	161	kumble is now fifth in the all time list 
cricket	161	aged 34  he may still be able to reach the 500 mark  passed by only three men 
cricket	161	fellow leg spinner shane warne tops the list with 552 wickets 
cricket	161	habibul bashar  capt   nafis iqbal  javed omar  mohammad ashraful  rajin saleh  khaled mashud  wkt   mushfiqur rahman  mohammad rafique  tapash baisya  mashrafe bin mortaza  manjurul islam rana 
cricket	161	s ganguly  capt   v sehwag  g gambhir  s tendulkar  r dravid  m kaif  d karthik  wkt   i pathan  a kumble  harbhajan singh  z khan 
cricket	162	australia unchanged for pakistanaustralia have named an unchanged squad for the first test against pakistan in perth next friday 
cricket	162	matthew hayden missed the third one day international against new zealand with a hamstring strain but selectors decided not to name a standby player 
cricket	162	paceman brett lee is the 12th man but could be brought into the first team for next week s contest 
cricket	162	lee has been 12th man in the last three tests but has impressed in the new zealand one day series 
cricket	162	australia will enter the pakistan game full of confidence after beating new zealand 2 0 in their recent test series 
cricket	162	ricky ponting  captain   adam gilchrist  justin langer  matthew hayden  damien martyn  darren lehmann  michael clarke  shane warne  jason gillespie  michael kasprowicz  glenn mcgrath  brett lee 
cricket	163	rain holds up englandfifth test  centurion 
cricket	163	south africa v englandstart delayed  rainengland lead the series 2 1 with just this final test remaining so south africa desperately need to win 
cricket	163	the officials had hoped play could get under way at noon local time but a further downpour led to an early lunch being taken by the players 
cricket	163	for england  simon jones is expected to replace james anderson while the hosts play both andrew hall and andre nel  with batsman boeta dippenaar dropped 
cricket	163	dale steyn had already been released from the squad for centurion and it means south africa go in with five seamers and one spin bowler 
cricket	163	on friday  england captain michael vaughan had said it was important his team targeted victory and not simply a draw 
cricket	163	he said   you can t set out over five days to draw a game 
cricket	163	we have to try to win 
cricket	163	if you go out in a mindset to draw you don t have the right attitude 
cricket	163	 we ll just set out in a positive manner and try to put the south africans under a lot of pressure 
cricket	163	  england  who have not won a series in south africa for 40 years  will play on a green pitch which has endured a long spell of wet and humid weather 
cricket	163	the weather forecast for saturday onwards is fine  and early starts on all four days from then could ensure there is plenty of time to achieve a result 
cricket	163	middlesex opener andrew strauss  with a stunning aggregate of 612 runs in the four tests played to date  said south africa had every incentive to throw caution to the wind 
cricket	163	he said   it s been a great series for me 
cricket	163	it s been very satisfying 
cricket	163	 but i think we all realise that this last game is very important and we can t afford to take our foot off the pedal now 
cricket	163	 sometimes when you ve got a lead it s quite hard to keep yourself motivated 
cricket	163	 we are pretty sure that the south africans will come back hard at us 
cricket	163	they have a lot of motivation to do well against us this week 
cricket	163	  south africa captain graeme smith said the colour of the pitch was probably misleading 
cricket	163	he said   the pitch has played pretty well all year 
cricket	163	it might look a bit juicy but will probably play pretty good 
cricket	163	  he added that his team had the capability of bouncing back 
cricket	163	 we came back in new zealand from 1 0 down to level the series in wellington so we ve been in this situation before 
cricket	163	 we ve just got to play some really good cricket for four to five days 
cricket	163	we ve had had a lot of iffy performances so far 
cricket	163	 with a bit of luck here or there or playing some better cricket at certain times it could have easily been the other way round 
cricket	163	 it s been that sort of series  ebb and flow  and i m sure it s going to be that way again 
cricket	163	 graeme smith  capt 
cricket	163	   herschelle gibbs  jacques rudolph  jacques kallis  ab de villiers  mark boucher  wkt   andrew hall  nicky boje  shaun pollock  makhaya ntini  andre nel 
cricket	163	marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  robert key  michael vaughan  capt 
cricket	163	   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  wkt   ashley giles  matthew hoggard  steve harmison  simon jones 
cricket	164	england on brink of defeattour match  potchefstroom  day three of three  rain   england 225   190 v south africa a 281   101 3after martin van jaarsveld was removed for a duck in the first over  andrew puttick made 45 with seven fours 
cricket	164	but he and justin ontong  who hit four fours in 23  fell in consecutive overs after a break for lightning  and with 34 needed to win  heavy rain arrived 
cricket	164	england were dismissed for 190  adding 36  michael vaughan ninth out after two more fours and a six en route to 100 
cricket	164	with the home side moving serenely at 70 1  faint hopes of an escape for england arrived in the form of a violent clap of thunder  which took the players off the field 
cricket	164	lightning struck a field next to the ground  but there was no rain and play resumed within 10 minutes 
cricket	164	it did have a beneficial effect for the tourists as two wickets fell within six balls 
cricket	164	puttick was caught behind and ontong hooked steve harmison to the fine leg boundary  where ashley giles took an impressive running catch to his left 
cricket	164	vaughan began the day on 82 not out  his team 98 ahead with three wickets intact 
cricket	164	he signalled his intentions in the very first over with a four through mid on and a six over long on from the spin of ontong 
cricket	164	hopes of a long partnership with county colleague matthew hoggard were ended in the fourth over of the morning when the seamer was caught at second slip  having failed to add to his overnight three 
cricket	164	having pulled charl willoughby through mid wicket for four and clipped him away to reach three figures  vaughan chased a wide one from the left armer end edged to keeper mark boucher 
cricket	164	he spent 226 minutes at the crease and faced 151 balls 
cricket	164	me trescothick  mp vaughan  capt   aj strauss  ma butcher  gp thorpe  a flintoff  go jones  wkt   af giles  sp jones  sj harmison  mj hoggard 
cricket	164	ashwell prince  capt   justin ontong  mark boucher  wkt   jp duminy  charl langeveldt  ethy mbhalati  albie morkel  andrew puttick  alfonso thomas  martin van jaarsveld  charl willoughby 
cricket	165	india wrap up victory in dhakafirst test  dhaka  bangladesh 184   202 v india 526india win by an innings and 140 runsleft arm paceman irfan pathan removed tapash baisya for 29 to finish with figures of 6 51  and 11 96 overall 
cricket	165	zaheer khan claimed the final wicket when he had the diligent manjural islam rana caught behind for 69 
cricket	165	the home side  170 8 overnight  subsided for 202 to slump to defeat by an innings and 140 runs 
cricket	165	bangladesh were left with a daunting task after sachin tendulkar s record unbeaten 248 helped india to a total of 526  a lead of 342 
cricket	165	only nafis iqbal  54  and islam rana offered any real resistance as the hosts were routed in double quick time 
cricket	165	in their 33 tests since 2000  bangladesh have now accumulated 30 defeats  with only three draws to their credit 
cricket	165	the second and final test of the series starts in chittagong on friday 
cricket	165	habibul bashar  capt   nafis iqbal  javed omar  mohammad ashraful  rajin saleh  khaled mashud  wkt   mushfiqur rahman  mohammad rafique  tapash baisya  mashrafe mortaza  manjurul islam rana 
cricket	165	s ganguly  capt   v sehwag  g gambhir  s tendulkar  r dravid  m kaif  d karthik  wkt   i pathan  a kumble  harbhajan singh  z khan 
cricket	166	richardson ends just shortnew zealand batsman mark richardson bowed out of from all forms of cricket at the age of 33 just short of 10 000 first class runs 
cricket	166	richardson needed 41 runs for auckland against canterbury to reach the milestone  but finished on 9 994 
cricket	166	he made 35 in his side s first innings but did not bat again when auckland won by an innings and 60 runs 
cricket	166	opener richardson only made his debut in 2000 but played in 38 tests  scoring 2776 runs at an average of number 
cricket	166	but after impressing against england  making a century at lord s  he has struggled of late  with just 48 runs in two test defeats in australia 
cricket	166	he announced his retirement last week  saying   i feel i left something out on the park at lord s and have lost the drive to play the richardson way 
cricket	166	 i m hanging my boots up for good 
cricket	166	since last year s south african series i ve started to struggle with the game emotionally and mentally 
cricket	166	  richardson began his career as a spin bowler but gained a reputation as a patient accumulator of runs  scoring four test centuries 
cricket	166	his highest score of 145 came against india in chandigarh in october 2003 
cricket	166	new zealand s recent tour of bangladesh saw richardson complete the set of visits to all 10 test playing nations 
cricket	166	however  his batting approach and fielding ability did not suit the one day game and he played in just four internationals 
cricket	166	nicknamed  rigor mortis  because of his slowness in the field  richardson established a tradition of racing the slowest member of the opposition teams in recent seasons 
cricket	166	 have you seen the color of my hair and the big bald spot on the top of my head   he quipped 
cricket	166	 i m 33 but i ve got the agility of about a 55 year old 
cricket	166	  the auckland native  who has written a regular column for bbc sport for the last three years  intends to pursue a career in the media 
cricket	166	new zealand captain stephen fleming says michael papps is favourite to take richardson s place in the forthcoming series against sri lanka and australia 
cricket	167	england require extra  intensity batsman graham thorpe has acknowledged that england need to raise their game ahead of the first test against south africa  which starts on friday 
cricket	167	the team have arrived in port elizabeth after being given a wake up call in a seven wicket loss to south africa a 
cricket	167	 we lacked intensity and we need to rise to the level south africa will be at   thorpe commented 
cricket	167	 we re a fraction short of where we need to be and some of us will need to scrap really hard in the first test 
cricket	167	  former england seam bowler angus fraser has criticised an itinerary which gave the team just a single first class match ahead of the test series  even though most of the team had not played since september 
cricket	167	 in an ideal world  the batsmen would have liked to have spent more time at the crease  but it s important that we don t get down on ourselves 
cricket	167	 we re going to have dig deep into the memory banks and remember the times we ve done well against them   said thorpe  who faced just 13 balls in potchefstroom in making 0 and 11 
cricket	167	 the good thing about not spending too long at the crease is that i don t know whether i m in bad form or not 
cricket	167	  the surrey left hander  england s most experienced player with 93 tests  says the team must keep their nerve 
cricket	167	 the key is not to panic too much and find the right balance between enjoyment and wanting to win 
cricket	167	 you need to put your state of mind into a position where you re going to enjoy the match  but you re going to be competitive 
cricket	167	   you have to be able to enjoy the challenge because it s not always a bed of roses out there 
cricket	167	 you re not always creaming it around so part of it is enjoying the challenge of maybe feeling a little bit more under pressure and wanting to perform 
cricket	167	 south africa  meanwhile  have seen their preparations disrupted by a clutch of illnesses and injury problems 
cricket	167	skipper graeme smith  batsman boeta dippenaar and all rounders andrew hall and zander de bruyn have been suffering from stomach problems since the recent tour to india and wicket keeper thami tsolekile has been trying to shake off a throat infection 
cricket	167	more worrying  however  is the fitness of spin bowler nicky boje who recently underwent surgery to remove a tumour from his neck 
cricket	167	they are likely to give him as long as possible to recover before finalising their test xi 
cricket	167	 we re still working with him  it s a day by day process   said team physio shane jabaar 
cricket	168	england claim historic series winfifth test  centurion  day five  south africa 247   296 6d drew with england 359   73 4england win five match series 2 1centuries from jacques kallis and ab de villiers allowed south africa to declare on 296 6  setting england a target of 185 to win from 44 overs 
cricket	168	the tourists chose not to chase the runs  however  finishing on 73 4 
cricket	168	there were plenty of nervous moments when they lost early wickets but captain michael vaughan held firm to secure a 2 1 series triumph 
cricket	168	though the usually brilliant andrew strauss scored a duck  only denis compton had ever scored more runs in a series against south africa and he won the man of the series award for his three centuries 
cricket	168	kallis and man of the match de villiers were in occupation of the crease when the day started  with south africa still trailing by 53 runs 
cricket	168	by the time they had been parted  they had added 227 for the third wicket 
cricket	168	the scoring rate was never sensational  however  as vaughan declined to set over attacking fields and the batsman refused to take undue risks 
cricket	168	it took more than an hour for the lead to be wiped off  as de villiers hit arguably the shot of the day   a pull off matthew hoggard that went all the way for six 
cricket	168	the remaining hour and a half of an extended morning session saw a further 100 runs added 
cricket	168	the two right handers were quick to pull and drive when the opportunities presented themselves 
cricket	168	kallis was twice lucky to survive 
cricket	168	at one point he edged hoggard inches short of marcus trescothick at slip and then  on 76  looked lucky to survive an lbw appeal against simon jones 
cricket	168	de villiers reached his half century with a square drive off ashley giles for four  and he continued to play the spinner with great certainty 
cricket	168	in the afternoon session  it was widely assumed south africa would throw the bat at almost everything 
cricket	168	first  however  both batsmen needed to reach their centuries 
cricket	168	kallis got there first  cutting jones for four   it was his fifth test ton against england and 20th in all 
cricket	168	the 20 year old de villiers became the third youngest south african to hit a test century with a boundary in the same area off the same bowler 
cricket	168	but he then perished when holing out to third man off jones 
cricket	168	he had made 109 off 169 balls 
cricket	168	oddly  kallis took stock for a while before launching a few more boundaries shortly before the declaration  finally finishing unbeaten on 136 
cricket	168	in the hunt for quick runs  graeme smith  jacques rudolph and mark boucher all perished for single figure scores 
cricket	168	a grateful steve harmison took his first two wickets since cape town and hoggard added a single victim to finish with 26 in the series 
cricket	168	set 185 from 44 overs  england were never in position to go for the target once strauss had been caught behind in ntini s first over 
cricket	168	things looked dicey when robert key provided just 40 minutes of uncertain resistance before edging pollock to boucher 
cricket	168	and there were certainly a few skipped heartbeats in the england dressing room when trescothick inexplicably missed a straight ball from ntini to be bowled 
cricket	168	that left 29 overs remaining for south africa to try to find the last seven wickets 
cricket	168	vaughan and graham thorpe  however  proved adept at blunting some impressive spells from all the bowlers until ntini returned to have thorpe caught by herschelle gibbs who was close in at third slip 
cricket	168	england had just about done enough by then and the game ended in bad light two and half overs early with vaughan 26 not out and andrew flintoff unbeaten on 14 
cricket	168	it was england s first series win in south africa since mjk smith led them to a 1 0 win in 1964 65 
cricket	168	and it earned them the basil d oliveira trophy  named after the player who the south african apartheid regime refused to allow to tour their country with england in 1968  ultimately resulting in their exclusion from international sport 
cricket	168	graeme smith  capt 
cricket	168	   herschelle gibbs  jacques rudolph  jacques kallis  ab de villiers  mark boucher  wkt   andrew hall  nicky boje  shaun pollock  makhaya ntini  andre nel 
cricket	168	marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  robert key  michael vaughan  capt 
cricket	168	   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  wkt   ashley giles  matthew hoggard  steve harmison  simon jones 
cricket	168	sa bucknor  wi   aleem dar  pkn  
cricket	169	bskyb lands england deallive coverage of england s home test matches will no longer be available on terrestrial tv from 2006 onwards 
cricket	169	the england and wales cricket board has awarded an exclusive four year contract to bskyb  which will run until 2009 
cricket	169	highlights of each day s play in the test matches will  however  be screened on five  which replaces channel 4 as cricket s sole terrestrial broadcaster 
cricket	169	the bbc has retained the exclusive rights for radio coverage of home tests and one day internationals 
cricket	169	england and wales cricket board chairman david morgan said the various deals would be worth £220m  a 10  real terms increase on the previous agreements for 2002 2005 
cricket	169	 we understand that the decision to place all live cricket coverage on satellite and cable television is an emotive issue for some people   he continued 
cricket	169	 we have made an agreement that will offer the highlights package to a peaktime audience 
cricket	169	 five will broadcast highlights from number numberpm  a time which is the most popular slot for tv viewing for children and a time when an average of 21m people watch television 
cricket	169	  bskyb s package also covers one day  twenty20 and women s internationals as well as county cricket 
cricket	169	channel 4 has screened england s home test matches since 1999  when they ended the bbc s 61 year tenure 
cricket	169	and the decision to prevent cricket from being seen live by a terrestrial tv audience is a calculated gamble by the ecb 
cricket	169	former england captain alec stewart  speaking on tuesday  said   young girls and boys should be able to see cricket without having to pay for it 
cricket	169	 the ecb have to look at the whole picture 
cricket	169	they may be getting a big cheque but long term  english cricket will suffer 
cricket	169	  and morgan s predecessor  lord maclaurin  had also called for  balance  between satellite and terrestrial tv 
cricket	169	 i think there is a big danger 
cricket	169	of depriving an awful lot of people of watching test cricket   he commented 
cricket	169	but the ecb believes a strong financial base is essential to the game s well being 
cricket	169	 the bids we accepted allow us to invest even more in the development of the england team and grass roots cricket 
cricket	169	 other proposals included live coverage of some international cricket on terrestrial tv but  if accepted  they would have resulted in a significant financial shortfall for the game and it was decided that this was not in the best interest of the sport   explained morgan 
cricket	169	 this is a very good deal for cricket as it guarantees wide accessibility to watch or listen to the action and secures the future development of the game from playground to test arena 
cricket	169	  commenting on the bbc s renewed agreement with the ecb  director of sport  peter salmon  said   with the england team on top form  we are pleased to provide listeners with the most comprehensive radio coverage on test match special 
cricket	169	  the bbc will also have non exclusive rights to cover the c g trophy and twenty20 cup   the later shared with the wireless group  which owns talksport radio 
cricket	169	  test series covered by the new contract     2006 v sri lanka and pakistan    2007 v west indies and india    2008 v zimbabwe and south africa    2009 v new zealand and australia 
cricket	170	langer century deflates pakistanfirst test  perth  day one  stumps   australia 357 8 v pakistanthe local opener steered australia to 357 8 with 181 not out  a 264 ball knock which included 17 boundaries and three sixes 
cricket	170	langer put on 152 runs for the sixth wicket with adam gilchrist  69  after the hosts had slumped to 78 5 
cricket	170	shoaib akhtar revelled on the pacy pitch to return figures of 4 89 
cricket	170	shoaib and fellow paceman mohammad sami  2 94  held sway early on after pakistan won the toss and inserted australia 
cricket	170	but langer stood firm throughout the day to wrest back the initiative  displaying rare flair in his 21st test century and fourth against pakistan 
cricket	170	when he reached 41  langer passed west indies skipper brian lara  1 178 runs  to become the leading test run scorer in 2004 
cricket	170	should he remain unbeaten when australia s innings finishes on friday  he will become the 42nd batsman in test history to carry his bat 
cricket	170	shoaib claimed an early victim by trapping matthew hayden lbw for four with a rapid  overpitched inswinger 
cricket	170	skipper ricky ponting and langer then put on 50 before ponting fell to sami  bowled through the gate playing an expansive off drive 
cricket	170	sami struck again in his next over to have damien martyn caught behind  and when shoaib removed darren lehmann  bowled  and michael clarke  caught  cheaply australia were reeling on 78 5 
cricket	170	but langer found an able ally in vice captain gilchrist  who took the long handle to the hosts  predicament 
cricket	170	gilchrist struck 10 boundaries in his 78 ball stay  helping australia along to 230 before his stumps were levelled by all rounder abdul razzaq 
cricket	170	razzaq soon accounted for shane warne  caught   bringing jason gillespie to the crease in what marked the start of another deflating period for pakistan 
cricket	170	gillespie  24 off 69 balls  and langer put on 80 runs  with langer finding the middle of the bat on several occasions to punish pakistan 
cricket	170	his brutal on driven six off sami late in the day was his best shot  and even gillespie s departure to shoaib just before stumps could not raise pakistan s spirits 
cricket	170	langer s partner at the resumption of play on day two will be mike kasprowicz  who was preferred yet again to fast bowler brett lee 
cricket	170	ricky ponting  c   justin langer  matthew hayden  damien martyn  darren lehmann  michael clarke  adam gilchrist  shane warne  jason gillespie  michael kasprowicz  glenn mcgrath 
cricket	170	12th man  brett lee 
cricket	170	inzamam ul haq  imran farhat  salman butt  younis khan  yousuf youhanna  abdul razzaq  kamran akmal  shoaib akhtar  danish kaneria  mohammad sami  mohammad khalil 
cricket	170	12th man  yasir hameed 
cricket	171	england attempt to create historyfirst test  port elizabeth  south africa v englandmatch starts at 0830 gmtafter whitewashes against new zealand and west indies  the tourists will attempt to put last week s seven wicket defeat by south a behind them 
cricket	171	 the guys are mentally aware of what s required   coach duncan fletcher said 
cricket	171	mark butcher is likely to pip robert key at number three while simon jones and james anderson contest seam duties 
cricket	171	the south africans  who have dropped from second to sixth in the test rankings in less than a year  are without spinner nicky boje 
cricket	171	he is still recovering from surgery to remove a growth on his neck two weeks ago 
cricket	171	fast bowler dale steyn is poised to make his test debut  but all rounder jacques kallis is still troubled by an ankle injury and is expected to play as a batsman only 
cricket	171	opener ab de villiers is also expected to make his debut  in place of the injured herschelle gibbs 
cricket	171	england coach duncan fletcher has used his contacts in south africa to study the new players and study flaws 
cricket	171	 duncan lives in cape town and he has had his ear to ground about a lot of their players   said captain michael vaughan 
cricket	171	 with the amount of technology around these days you generally know quite a lot about the opposition 
cricket	171	but video replay is not ideal and vaughan warned   we don t know how they re going to react on the pitch 
cricket	171	  home skipper graeme smith believes his team may have an advantage by being in action more recently than england  on a tour to india in november and december 
cricket	171	 the more cricket you play the more battle hardened you become  the more aware and better technically   he said 
cricket	171	smith feels england could have benefitted from an additional warm up game  but will still provide a strong test for his team 
cricket	171	 we did the same thing  only one warm up match  in sri lanka and paid the price in that series   he said 
cricket	171	 england  even though they lost the a game  come here with a lot of confidence and have some key performers 
cricket	171	 i really believe they have one of their strongest sides ever 
cricket	171	the south africans are certain to have plans to combat england s most influential players  andrew flintoff and steve harmison 
cricket	171	smith said   harmison  with his pace and height  has always had potential 
cricket	171	 he s a confidence bowler and it s important we put him under pressure 
cricket	171	  the durham bowler was not at his best when the teams last met in england in 2003  taking nine wickets at number in four matches 
cricket	171	flintoff  by contrast  scored three fifties and a magnificent 142 and weighed in with 10 wickets  leaving smith in no doubts about his capability 
cricket	171	 freddie s pulverised a few attacks but we ve got a few ideas for him 
cricket	171	 i m looking forward to him bringing out the best in our two all rounders kallis and pollock 
cricket	171	 g smith  captain   ab de villiers  j rudolph  j kallis  h amla  z de bruyn  a hall  s pollock  t tsolekile  m ntini  d steyn  b dippenaar 
cricket	171	m vaughan  captain   m trescothick  a strauss  m butcher  r key  g thorpe  a flintoff  g jones  a giles  s jones  m hoggard  s harmison  j anderson 
cricket	172	kiwis recall tuffey for sri lankanew zealand have recalled seam bowler daryl tuffey to their squad for their one day series with sri lanka 
cricket	172	tuffey  who missed the recent tours of bangladesh and australia with a leg injury  is fully fit according to kiwis  coach john bracewell 
cricket	172	middle order batsman craig mcmillan has been dropped  along with change bowlers andre adams and tama canning 
cricket	172	the first match of the series is on december 26  and the teams also play a two match test series in january 
cricket	172	the squad has been reduced to 12 for the first three games of the one day series to allow as many players as possible to play in domestic first class competition 
cricket	172	all rounder chris harris will not feature after having an operation to repair the shoulder he injured in the second match against australia 
cricket	172	stephen fleming  captain   nathan astle  mathew sinclair  hamish marshall  scott styris  chris cairns  jacob oram  brendon mccullum  daniel vettori  kyle mills  ian butler  daryl tuffey 
cricket	173	strauss ton boosts englandfirst test  port elizabeth  day two  close   south africa 337  england 227 1strauss was 120 not out after two days in port elizabeth as england closed inexorably on the hosts  337 all out 
cricket	173	he put on 152 for the first wicket with marcus trescothick and added more runs with mark butcher with no england batsman prepared to miss out 
cricket	173	earlier  boeta dippenaar converted his overnight 79 into a century of his own 
cricket	173	the day began with south africa 273 7 and hoping to reach at least 350 with dippenaar and thami tsolekile batting together 
cricket	173	tsolekile initially looked uncomfortable against some short pitched andrew flintoff bowling 
cricket	173	but steve harmison s radar was awry and though runs came slowly  there was little penetration from england s seamers 
cricket	173	dippenaar eventually lifted the shackles by driving harmison through the covers for four 
cricket	173	an even better drive in the same area took him to 98 before he put harmison high over gully for four more  reaching only his third test century 
cricket	173	finally  well into the second hour  michael vaughan turned to his freshest bowler  simon jones 
cricket	173	the welshman struck immediately as dippenaar edged into the safe hands of marcus trescothick at first slip 
cricket	173	tsolekile  having hit one excellent boundary off ashley giles  rashly attempted another soon after the loss of dippenaar 
cricket	173	it was a big mistake  though 
cricket	173	slogging across the line and against the spin  he skewed the ball up into the covers for andrew flintoff to run round from slip to take the catch 
cricket	173	giles removed the last man  dale steyn  and from 324 7 south africa had tumbled to 337 all out 
cricket	173	strauss and trescothick had a potentially awkward four overs before lunch to negotiate 
cricket	173	but having managed that  they rarely looked troubled in the second session of the day 
cricket	173	strauss  with a series of cuts and pulls  was the more attacking partner  while trescothick was seeking to play himself into some form 
cricket	173	south africa were severely limited by having five right arm seamers at their disposal and no spinner and when the score rattled along to 152 0 shortly after tea they looked in deep trouble 
cricket	173	but debutant steyn  who had bowled a rash of no balls in a nervous first spell  suddenly found some extra pace and a bit of reverse swing to bowl trescothick for 47  the ball crashing into middle stump 
cricket	173	shaun pollock also got the ball to reverse in the air  as the runs dried up with mark butcher trying to find his feet and strauss worrying about a possible century 
cricket	173	but once strauss drove ntini immaculately down the ground for four to reach three figures  butcher cashed in with two crisp cover drives of his own for boundaries off andrew hall 
cricket	173	it was a weary south african fielding side who marched off the park at stumps 
cricket	173	g smith  captain   ab de villiers  j rudolph  j kallis  b dippenaar  z de bruyn  a hall  s pollock  t tsolekile  wk   m ntini  d steyn 
cricket	173	m vaughan  captain   m trescothick  a strauss  m butcher  g thorpe  a flintoff  g jones  wk   a giles  s jones  m hoggard  s harmison 
cricket	174	aussies tighten gripfirst test  perth  day three  australia 381   361 5 dec  pakistan 179   18 1  close the home side declared their second innings on 361 5  a lead of 563  and pakistan were 18 1 at the close 
cricket	174	martyn made no mistake after ricky ponting was stumped for 98 and justin langer bowled by abdul razzaq for 97 
cricket	174	left to survive six overs before the close  pakistan lost imran farhat  who was lbw to glenn mcgrath for one 
cricket	174	pakistan s cause was not helped by the absence of skipper inzamam ul haq and paceman shoaib akhtar for most of the afternoon 
cricket	174	inzamam stayed in the dressing room suffering from a stomach upset  while shoaib hurt his left shoulder while trying to make a diving save in the field 
cricket	174	he had taken the only wicket to fall during the morning  bowling matthew hayden for 10 with an inswinger as australia advanced their score from 15 0 to 110 1 
cricket	174	langer s fifty arrived off 84 balls and he struck 14 fours as he and ponting shared a second wicket stand of 163 
cricket	174	it looked odds on that he would become the first man ever to make a hundred in each innings of a test at the waca when razzaq found a way through as he attempted to drive 
cricket	174	but langer  who made 191 in the first innings  is now the highest run scorer in tests in 2004 with 1 426  including five centuries 
cricket	174	ponting was on 92 at the tea interval and well set to reach three figures for the first time this year 
cricket	174	he was denied  however  when he missed an attempted sweep of danish kaneria and keeper kamran akmal whipped off the bails   a dismissal confirmed by the tv umpire 
cricket	174	darren lehmann was bowled by kaneria for five  but michael clarke joined martyn in a stand of 79 for the fifth wicket before he was caught by the revived inzamam off mohammad sami for 27 
cricket	174	martyn reached three figures in the next over  a 121 ball knock featuring 11 boundaries  and ponting immediately made the declaration 
cricket	174	the pakistan openers walked to the middle under intense pressure and it proved too much for farhat  who shouldered arms to an inswinging delivery from mcgrath 
cricket	174	but partner salman butt survived to reach stumps on eight not out and younis khan drove the day s penultimate delivery from jason gillespie through extra cover for four to finish on seven 
cricket	174	ricky ponting  c   justin langer  matthew hayden  damien martyn  darren lehmann  michael clarke  adam gilchrist  shane warne  jason gillespie  michael kasprowicz  glenn mcgrath 
cricket	174	12th man  brett lee 
cricket	174	inzamam ul haq  imran farhat  salman butt  younis khan  yousuf youhanna  abdul razzaq  kamran akmal  shoaib akhtar  danish kaneria  mohammad sami  mohammad khalil 
cricket	174	12th man  yasir hameed 
cricket	175	south africa back in contentionfirst test  port elizabeth  day three  stumps   south africa 337   99 2 v england 425england  who resumed play on 227 1  were bowled out for 425 after losing three wickets for 29 runs and four for 12 in two separate mini collapses 
cricket	175	makhaya ntini took three wickets in four balls before returning 3 75 
cricket	175	south africa then lost ab de villiers and jacques rudolph before closing on 99 2  a lead of 11 runs 
cricket	175	the hosts emerged for the day s play with renewed zeal after their listless display in the field on saturday 
cricket	175	andrew strauss could add only six to his overnight score of 120 before cutting shaun pollock on the up and picking out de villiers at point 
cricket	175	michael vaughan  fresh from his run hungry deeds against zimbabwe and south africa a  broadcast his levels of confidence with a six over third man off andrew hall 
cricket	175	but it was to prove a false dawn as two balls later the england captain dallied outside the off stump to a fuller delivery and was caught at slip 
cricket	175	graham thorpe was unimpressive in 45 minutes in the middle  scoring just four before being bowled around his legs sweeping at graeme smith s amateur off breaks 
cricket	175	although three strikes in the morning was a good return for the hosts  butcher was keeping the score ticking over with an array of pulled and cut boundaries  and they were doing themselves no favours by continually no balling 
cricket	175	in the entire innings  south africa conceded a national record 57 extras  including 35 no balls 
cricket	175	debutant dale steyn was the chief culprit  overstepping 16 times 
cricket	175	butcher and andrew flintoff built a promising 79 run stand either side of lunch  and the former s 12th boundary midway through the afternoon took the recovering visitors into the lead 
cricket	175	ntini  unthreatening to this point  then turned the game on its head with three wickets in four balls to orchestrate a one time familiar middle order collapse 
cricket	175	butcher s demise   a faint edge through to impressive keeper thami tsolekile   was a soft way to end a 23rd test fifty that looked like becoming his ninth ton 
cricket	175	if his departure was unthinking  flintoff s was plain mindless 
cricket	175	the powerful all rounder had ridden a difficult period to move to 35  but threw his wicket away when despatching a deliberate short ball down the throat of rudolph at deep square 
cricket	175	geraint jones misread the sluggishness of the pitch to be caught at short extra cover next ball  and though matthew hoggard kept out the hat trick ball he soon fell to hall for a duck to reduce his team to 358 8 
cricket	175	ashley giles emphasized his worth down the order with a brisk 26  putting on 36 with simon jones before edging pollock to slip 
cricket	175	another 31 runs were added for the final wicket  during which time steve harmison was dropped twice and caught off a steyn no ball 
cricket	175	steyn kept his foot behind the popping crease to eventually get rid of jones for 24 and end england s first innings 
cricket	175	hoggard  so industrious with the ball in the first innings  again served his team well when snatching a wonderful  low down catch off his own bowling to remove de villiers for 14 
cricket	175	a sizeable first innings deficit still hung over the hosts on 26 1  but with hoggard seemingly straining his side and harmison  0 29 off six overs  way off colour england did not fully cash in 
cricket	175	it took the introduction of giles to oust rudolph  caught at slip  for a nicely crafted 29  but smith  33  and jacques kallis  10  comfortably saw south africa out of the red and to the safety of stumps 
cricket	175	the day belonged to the home side  but they will need to repeat the dose on monday to ensure they cannot be beaten in the series  opener 
cricket	175	g smith  captain   ab de villiers  j rudolph  j kallis  b dippenaar  z de bruyn  a hall  s pollock  t tsolekile  wk   m ntini  d steyn 
cricket	175	m vaughan  captain   m trescothick  a strauss  m butcher  g thorpe  a flintoff  g jones  wk   a giles  s jones  m hoggard  s harmison 
cricket	176	england  could win ashes former england stalwart alec stewart believes michael vaughan s team is capable of beating australia next year 
cricket	176	england last held the ashes in 1987 but have won eight tests in a row in the past year and stewart said   they re going from strength to strength 
cricket	176	 we ve got to remember that australia are the best side  there is still a gap between us but we ve certainly closed that gap from when we last played them 
cricket	176	 if we can maintain form and fitness and in home conditions you never know 
cricket	176	  having opened the innings many times at test level for england  stewart is hugely impressed by the impact made by andrew strauss 
cricket	176	 it s been incredible   he enthused 
cricket	176	 when you start in international cricket there s always that slight question mark in the back of your mind but he hasn t looked out of his depth at any stage 
cricket	176	 now when he comes to the wicket he s full of confidence 
cricket	176	 stewart also feels that south africa have problems  both on and off the field  as they bid to come from 1 0 down in the five match series 
cricket	176	 i played over there twice and they were always tough to play against  but they didn t look like the south africa of old   he said 
cricket	176	 they are not picking their best side  without a doubt i d make sure mark boucher comes back in  he s a world class cricketer 
cricket	176	england move to durban on wednesday to prepare for the second test  which begins on boxing day 
cricket	176	 england didn t allow them to play at their best   stewart said of the first test  which the tourists won by seven wickets 
cricket	176	 england have to play as they have and keep improving  michael vaughan will be driving that home to the players 
cricket	176	 at the start of the series i thought there would only be one test in it but now i think we can win by more than that 
cricket	176	  
cricket	177	kaif shines in india winfirst one day international  chittagong  india 245 8  50 overs  v bangladesh 234 8  50 overs  by 11 runsmohammad kaif  80  and rahul dravid  53  shared a stand of 128 as the tourists posted a total of 245 8 
cricket	177	skipper habibul bashar kept bangladesh in the hunt with 65  but his departure left them with too much to do 
cricket	177	khaled mashud hit an unbeaten 50 but sridharan sriram took 3 43 as the home side were restricted to 234 8 
cricket	177	after winning the test series 2 0  india took the opportunity to rest batsman virender sehwag and fast bowler zaheer khan and give debuts to wicket keeper mahendra dhoni and seamer joginder sharma 
cricket	177	but skipper sourav ganguly lost the toss and opposite number bashar s decision to put them in paid off initially as india were reduced to 45 3 
cricket	177	ganguly was bowled for nought by the second ball of the match from tapash baisya and 17 year old nazmul hossain then claimed the prized scalp of sachin tendulkar  who was caught behind for 19 
cricket	177	mushfiqur rahman trapped yuvraj singh lbw for 21  but kaif and dravid steadied the innings and bangladesh had to wait 28 overs for their next success 
cricket	177	both batsmen reached their half centuries off 74 balls  but dravid edged a catch to the keeper off khaled mahmud soon after and sriram was stumped for three off spinner mohammad rafique 
cricket	177	dhoni s first innings for india lasted one delivery as he was run out for nought and when kaif gave a return catch to nazmul in the 47th over  the total had only just passed 200 
cricket	177	but ajit agarkar made 25 and irfan pathan hit two sixes in his 21 not out off 11 balls  runs which ultimately made all the difference 
cricket	177	bangladesh were soon in trouble in reply as rafique  eight   nafis iqbal  nine  and mohammad ashraful  two  all failed   the latter becoming sharma s first international victim when he was caught by ganguly 
cricket	177	bashar and aftab ahmed put on 64 in 14 overs before both fell victim to sriram s left arm spin  along with rajin saleh  14   as the home side slumped from 108 3 to 156 6 
cricket	177	mushfique was lbw to agarkar for two but mashud and mahmud did their best to revive their side  adding 40 for the eighth wicket in six overs 
cricket	177	the target was out of reach  however  and mahmud perished for 21 to a catch by man of the match kaif as bangladesh s hopes were finally extinguished 
cricket	177	mashud had the consolation of reaching his fifth one day half century before baisya drove the final ball of the game to extra cover for four  but it was too late for bangladesh 
cricket	177	nafis iqbal  habibul bashar  capt   mohammad ashraful aftab ahmed  khaled mashud  wkt   mushfiqur rahman  khaled mahmud manjural islam rana  mohammad rafique  tapash baisya nazmul hossain 
cricket	177	s sriram  s r tendulkar  s c ganguly  capt   r dravid yuvraj singh  m kaif  m s dhoni  wkt   i k pathan  harbhajan singh j sharma  a b agarkar 
cricket	177	aleem dar and mahbubur rahman 
cricket	178	windies australia tour to proceedwest indies are set to tour australia after a row over sponsorship deals for individual players neared resolution 
cricket	178	the dispute began because of conflicts between west indies cricket board sponsor digicel and cable   wireless  who endorse a number of the players 
cricket	178	both sides have accepted a ruling on whether players can have their own deals  but that has not been disclosed 
cricket	178	 we are convinced we will have a resolution that allows the tour to proceed   arbiter keith mitchell said 
cricket	178	mitchell  the prime minister of grenada  appointed judge adrian saunders to make a binding ruling on the issue  but he refused to reveal what the ruling was 
cricket	178	the impasse has delayed the announcement of west indies  14 man squad to play in the limited overs tournament with australia and pakistan 
cricket	178	it will be the first competition they have taken part in since winning the icc champions trophy in england three months ago 
cricket	178	they are due to play their first warm up match against victoria on 5 january 
cricket	179	england hopeful over jonesengland are hopeful that simon jones will be fit for the boxing day test against south africa despite going down with a stomach bug 
cricket	179	the glamorgan paceman left friday s practice session early to return to the team hotel 
cricket	179	 he s got a slight bug but he had a little bit of a bowl  and i am sure he will be fine for the test   captain michael vaughan commented 
cricket	179	jones took 4 39 in the first test to help england to a seven wicket victory 
cricket	179	and coach duncan fletcher hopes he will return to bowling at express pace after a lengthy rehabilitation from a knee injury 
cricket	179	jones has bowled with reduced speed since tearing a cruciate ligament at the start of the 2002 03 ashes tour 
cricket	179	 now he s got this confidence he can probably up the speed a little bit   fletcher told bbc sport 
cricket	179	 and if he can do that we ve got a strong bowling unit there 
cricket	179	 the welshman showed glimpses of his former self during the recent one day series in zimbabwe 
cricket	179	 there were a few balls he got over 140  kph   number mph  where he was just trying himself out   fletcher continued 
cricket	179	 and if he can get back up there he ll be back to being that shock bowler 
cricket	179	 he s hardly played any first class cricket   he s hardly played any games for glamorgan  he s only played a few tests for us 
cricket	179	  should jones fail to recover in time for the second test  lancashire s james anderson would be the obvious replacement 
cricket	180	england left in tatters in durbantea  day one  england  125 8graham thorpe was trapped lbw  andrew flintoff looped a catch to square leg  michael vaughan fell plumb lbw and geraint jones hooked into the deep 
cricket	180	marcus trescothick was the first to go after england lost the toss  caught behind off makhaya ntini  3 41  
cricket	180	mark butcher then played on and andrew strauss was caught at mid off for 25 
cricket	180	pollock is given the task of capturing the final two england wickets 
cricket	180	england 125 8an authentic boundary next ball  lashed over cover for four more 
cricket	180	next ball jones tries to duck a bouncer and the ball barely gets above stump height  glancing the top of his head and bringing four leg byes 
cricket	180	jones stands up to steyn and pushes through the gap at mid off for two 
cricket	180	boje tosses one up from over the wicket and jones has a dart at it  not finding the middle of the bat but smearing through a vacant mid on for a single 
cricket	180	after the pace barrage  boje returns and hoggard finds a single to leave new man simon jones on strike 
cricket	180	the giles vigil ends in disappointing fashion as  severely hampered  he hooks at steyn and the man at deep square leg does not have to move 
cricket	180	favouring the back foot as steyn continues to steam in  hoggard is glad to see one of fullish length that he can push out for a single 
cricket	180	after a single is scrambled  hoggard moves into the firing line and just manages to avoid a rapidly rising bouncer 
cricket	180	another part of unprotected giles anatomy is battered at 85mph  steyn s skidding short one catching him in the armpit 
cricket	180	hoggard jabs down at the final moment to keep out a yorker from kallis that was destined for the timbers 
cricket	180	an appeal begun only by the keeper for caught behind against giles down the legside increases a little in volume  but darrel hair is not impressed 
cricket	180	hoggard does not know too much about a full and fast delivery  which he inside edges to fine leg for a single 
cricket	180	  giles hooks uncomfortably again with one hand off the bat  but the single gives him temporary reprieve from the hostile steyn 
cricket	180	the return of kallis is warmly greeted by giles  who clips a loosener neatly off his pads for four 
cricket	180	matthew hoggard is the latest casualty  another short one from the aggressive steyn thwacking into his arm guard 
cricket	180	the next ball is also short and giles plays an unconvincing hook  with one hand coming off the bat  but some contact is made and giles is grateful to stutter through for a single 
cricket	180	giles is thumped again by another short one 
cricket	180	giles ducks into a brutal low bouncer from steyn  the ball crashes into his elbow and loops over the slip for four leg byes 
cricket	180	steyn returns for pollock as south africa look to wrap up the innings 
cricket	180	the hook proves to be the undoing of jones  who picks out rudolph in the deep off ntini 
cricket	180	jones edges low through a gap where fourth slip would have been  bringing four urgently needed runs for england 
cricket	180	another hook goes high into the space in front of square  but determined fielding from rudolph restricts jones to two 
cricket	180	persisting with the hook shot  jones is fully in control but can only get a single to deep square leg off pollock 
cricket	180	jones hooks uppishly at ntini and is within 10 yards of carrying to the fielder on the fine leg boundary 
cricket	180	aiming an expansive drive into the off side he gets an inside edge and escapes with a single 
cricket	180	jones pummels a cut shot off pollock into the boards for his second four 
cricket	180	vaughan is rapped on the pads bang in front by a skidding delivery from ntini and umpire taufel confirms his worst fears 
cricket	180	pollock unsettles vaughan with a bouncer that follows him and catches the glove 
cricket	180	a controlled thick edge from jones finds the gap between third slip and gully and races for four 
cricket	180	ntini returns  his first delivery down the legside and easily turned for a single by vaughan 
cricket	180	geraint jones picks up a short one from pollock and the ball soars over the ropes for the maximum to open the wicketkeeper s account in emphatic fashion 
cricket	180	vaughan rocks back to guide a forcing shot for a much needed boundary off boje 
cricket	180	flintoff is beaten for pace by pollock and his hook shot loops up tamely off the splice to square leg to leave his team in turmoil 
cricket	180	vaughan appears to lose sight of a short one from pollock  and having planned to leave it fends it awkwardly with the glove  before scrambling through for a risky single 
cricket	180	vaughan is able to pinch a single as his gentle push on the off side defeats the fielder on the bounce 
cricket	180	thorpe is trapped plumb in front by the metronomic pollock 
cricket	180	boje resumes after the interval  vaughan crashes one into jacques rudolph at silly point but slices the next ball through gully for four 
cricket	180	england 58 3vaughan and thorpe get through safely to lunch but know that much more will be required this afternoon 
cricket	180	vaughan  badly needing to play a major innings  strikes a fluent boundary off boje 
cricket	180	kallis switches ends and produces a maiden as england look towards the safety of the luncheon interval 
cricket	180	new man graham thorpe clips a single from the final ball of the over 
cricket	180	the single proves effective as key man strauss takes the strike and lofts a catch to extra cover  where ntini swoops low to cap a fine morning for the home side 
cricket	180	boje finds some early spin with his third delivery and catches the edge of vaughan s bat as the england captain pushes forward  but de villiers spills the chance and the ball falls to safety 
cricket	180	kallis is replaced after two overs and the spin of nicky boje is tried 13 minutes before lunch 
cricket	180	there is nothing to stop a strauss cut shot which brings up the england 50 in the 24th over 
cricket	180	strauss is denied a certain boundary when his pull shot strikes square leg umpire simon taufel 
cricket	180	kallis escapes with a maiden as a sumptuous looking drive from vaughan goes straight to the ubiquitous amla in the covers 
cricket	180	strauss strokes the next ball gloriously down the ground for his fourth boundary 
cricket	180	vaughan pirouettes to pull steyn stylishly but only for a single as the distinctive figure of amla fields on the square leg fence 
cricket	180	strauss eases the pressure a little by bisecting the field with a trademark drive to the boundary  as kallis struggles to find his rhythm early on 
cricket	180	jacques kallis is introduced  having been unable to bowl in the first test or in india  his first delivery is easily clipped into the legside for vaughan s first run 
cricket	180	more conviction in this pull shot from strauss  and steyn is dispatched to the boundary 
cricket	180	just a single from the over  a hook from strauss  who moves to nine 
cricket	180	michael vaughan is given a bouncer first up and survives an optimistic shout for lbw 
cricket	180	an inside edge onto the stumps off steyn ends butcher s innings in disappointing fashion again 
cricket	180	a nicely timed cover drive brings butcher three runs  with the intrepid amla cutting the ball off a yard inside the ropes 
cricket	180	ntini replaces pollock  who is left to fume in the outfield  his face a light shade of crimson 
cricket	180	steyn completes his second maiden  restricting butcher with an accurate off stump line 
cricket	180	pollock hurls the ball back at strauss and throws in a few choice words for good measure 
cricket	180	the extra bounce of durban provides some uncertainty for strauss  an attempted cut and hook bouncing too high for him 
cricket	180	dale steyn is brought into the attack and herschelle gibbs provides him with a maiden with an agile diving stop in the gully 
cricket	180	butcher has to scamper through as he attempts a quick single to amla  who is quicker than perhaps the left hander gives him credit for  luckily for him the throw is a fraction high 
cricket	180	an elegant drive on the tips of his toes from strauss through mid off gives him his first boundary 
cricket	180	mark butcher nudges ntini into the legside to open his account 
cricket	180	pollock maintains the south africa stranglehold with another over offering no easy runs 
cricket	180	a stunning one handed catch by de villiers off an inside edge ends trescothick s bright innings 
cricket	180	strauss gets down to ntini s end and is happy to receive a ball on the pads which he clips neatly away through square leg for three 
cricket	180	trescothick slashes a wide one from ntini not quite out of the middle  but there is enough on it to clear nicky boje in the gully and race for four 
cricket	180	strauss looks for a single after driving to the right of hashim amla  but the fielder gets across well and ensures another maiden 
cricket	180	the wild ntini produces a maiden  the final ball of the over keeping low and bouncing in front of wicketkeeper ab de villiers 
cricket	180	strauss  keen to get off the mark  attempts a drive at pollock outside off stump but misses and it is another maiden 
cricket	180	ntini asks the question of darrell hair but trescothick is a long way forward  he clips the next ball off his pads for two more 
cricket	180	another probing maiden from pollock  with strauss content to remain on nought and leave them outside his off stump 
cricket	180	trescothick thumps the final ball of ntini s over through the covers into the boundary boards 
cricket	180	pollock maintains a tidy line outside off stump to strauss  who is yet to get off the mark 
cricket	180	trescothick picks the gap at mid off  punching ntini for the day s first boundary 
cricket	180	ntini  bowling over the wicket  angles a short ball across trescothick  who does not take the bait 
cricket	180	pollock overpitches as trescothick gets the scoring under way for england with an off drive for three runs 
cricket	180	graeme smith  captain   herschelle gibbs  jacques rudolph  jacques kallis  martin van jaarsveld  hashim amla  ab de villiers  shaun pollock  nicky boje  makhaya ntini  dale steyn 
cricket	180	marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  mark butcher  michael vaughan  captain   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  ashley giles  matthew hoggard  simon jones  stephen harmison 
cricket	180	umpires  d hair  s taufel  aus  
cricket	181	lee runs through windiesvb series match 6  adelaide  australia 269 8 beat west indies 196 by 73 runspaceman pedro collins took his first one day five wicket haul but australia wriggled out of trouble to post a healthy 269 8 in adelaide 
cricket	181	then paceman brett lee twice took wickets off consecutive deliveries for figures of 4 38 as west indies folded for 196 in the 45th over 
cricket	181	collins  5 43  removed four top order batsmen before the aussies recovered 
cricket	181	simon katich s 76 off 86 balls began the fightback 
cricket	181	but the turning point really came when jason gillespie  44  and brett lee  38  put on 73 runs  unbroken  for the ninth wicket in less than 12 overs 
cricket	181	gillespie  who scored his maiden test fifty this australian summer  registered his highest one day score off just 42 balls  striking two fours and a six 
cricket	181	katich and gillespie were two of three changes to the aussie side  with brad hogg joining them at the expense of shane watson  michael kasprowicz and damien martyn 
cricket	181	the west indies stuck with the side that nearly beat australia last friday in brisbane until rain stopped play 
cricket	181	collins struck twice in the third over after the home side had won the toss under a hot and humid sky on australia day 
cricket	181	the left armer had out of sorts opener matthew hayden caught behind off a bottom edge before ousting skipper ricky ponting  caught  for a duck to reduce them to 24 2 
cricket	181	michael clarke blasted his way to 21 off 15 balls before he misjudged a drive and was clean bowled by collins  and darren lehmann perished in the paceman s next over to a catch behind the stumps 
cricket	181	andrew symonds  promoted to number four after five ducks from his previous six digs  helped australia recover from 38 4 but was caught behind off wavell hinds for 31 off 49 balls 
cricket	181	the windies were on top with the middle order exposed  but katich and brad haddin made sure they failed to push home the advantage 
cricket	181	the pair put on 82 in 14 overs before haddin was bowled by dwayne bravo  2 71   but it was not until lee and gillespie were brought together by collins  removal of katich in the 39th over that australia really got on top 
cricket	181	losing both openers inside the first 13 balls of their reply  west indies were never in control of their run chase 
cricket	181	lee struck with the last ball of his first over and the first ball of his second thanks to catches behind the wicket by haddin  the second one a brilliant one handed take 
cricket	181	ramanaresh sarwan and shivnarine chanderpaul then added 92 for the third wicket in 22 overs 
cricket	181	but sarwan feathered an edge off hogg before a brilliant direct hit from clarke ran out chanderpaul for 55 
cricket	181	the momentum had gone and the wickets tumbled as marlon samuels drilled lehmann to extra cover  brian lara gave lee a catch off his own bowling and courtney browne fell lbw to the same bowler 
cricket	181	gillespie mopped up the tail as west indies left the adelaide oval still hunting their first win after four vb series matches 
cricket	181	afterwards  lee said   i always try to make sure that i m fully fit so that if i get the opportunity i can give my best and hopefully i ve done that 
cricket	181	 i ve done a lot of bowling in the nets with my training partner andrew symonds  working on different balls 
cricket	181	 i ve felt that with every game i ve got a bit better 
cricket	181	 ricky ponting  matthew hayden  michael clarke  darren lehmann  andrew symonds  simon katich  brad haddin  brad hogg  brett lee  jason gillespie  glenn mcgrath 
cricket	181	brian lara  chris gayle  wavell hinds  ramnaresh sarwan  shivnarine chanderpaul  marlon samuels  dwayne bravo  courtney browne  ian bradshaw  mervyn dillon  pedro collins 
cricket	182	youhana leads from frontsecond test  melbourne  day one  close   pakistan 318 6 v australiastand in captain yousuf youhana led the way in melbourne  smashing a superb ton and putting on 192 with younis khan 
cricket	182	but the australians hit back late when youhana missed a shane warne full toss and was stumped for 111 
cricket	182	jason gillespie  the pick of the bowlers with 3 72  then ousted younis and shoaib malik in quick succession 
cricket	182	younis was caught behind by adam gilchrist off gillespie s first delivery with the second new ball for 87 
cricket	182	and the paceman struck again in his next over when malik was caught at slip by ricky ponting for seven  pakistan losing three wickets for just 15 runs 
cricket	182	abdul razzaq was not out on one and kamran akmal unbeaten on 16 at the close of play 
cricket	182	earlier  salman butt hit his maiden test half century as he put on 85 for the first wicket with imran farhat 
cricket	182	michael kasprowicz claimed the only wicket to fall before lunch when he had farhat brilliantly caught by ponting at slip for 20 
cricket	182	but the hosts struck straight after the interval when yasir hameed was trapped leg before by gillespie for two 
cricket	182	butt s brave knock came to an end when he was run out by a superb throw from michael clarke going for a second run 
cricket	182	the opener had made 70 and his dismissal left pakistan struggling on 94 3 
cricket	182	but youhana  filling in as captain for the injured inzamam ul haq  and younis steadied the ship 
cricket	182	australia  who were lifted before the start of play by news that in form opener justin langer was fit enough to take his place in the side  won the first test in perth by 491 runs 
cricket	182	overall  pakistan have only won four times in 27 tests played in australia  although two of those successes came at the mcg 
cricket	182	j l langer  m l hayden  r t ponting  capt   d r martyn d s lehmann  m j clarke  a c gilchrist  wkt   s k warne j n gillespie  m s kasprowicz  g d mcgrath 
cricket	182	salman butt  imran farhat  younis khan yousuf youhana  capt   yasir hameed  shoaib malik  abdul razzaq kamran akmal  wkt   mohammad sami  shoaib akhtar  danish kaneria 
cricket	182	r e koertzen and j w lloyds 
cricket	183	england duo hit centuriessecond test  durban  day three  close   england  139   281 1 v south africa 332both hit 132   strauss was unbeaten   as england finished day three 88 ahead on 281 1  having started it 163 behind 
cricket	183	it was the 16th 200 run opening stand in england s history  and by the time trescothick was bowled by shaun pollock it was the country s fifth best ever 
cricket	183	mark butcher was strauss s partner at stumps in durban  unbeaten on one 
cricket	183	trescothick bludgeoned 20 fours and two sixes in his 261 ball innings  with strauss hitting 16 boundaries from 272 balls faced 
cricket	183	it was the duo s fourth stand of 150 or more and their best return in nine tests together  bettering the 190 they shared against new zealand at lord s this summer 
cricket	183	in what had been a low scoring game  england started the day on 30 0 and seemingly with a mountain to climb 
cricket	183	but  allied to some loose bowling  the vagaries of the pitch which had hindered them on day one had disappeared to make life easier for england 
cricket	183	the first wicket pair was circumspect in the opening 30 minutes of play  but soon feasted on the tripe served up by dale steyn  whose three over spell cost 31 runs 
cricket	183	the rookie paceman bowled short and wide  inviting strauss to hook at will and trescothick to take him for three successive boundaries through the off side 
cricket	183	the transformation of england   and indeed the pitch   was illustrated by their lunch score of 137 0  just two runs fewer than their entire first innings effort 
cricket	183	south africa looked seriously bereft of options in the afternoon  with skipper graeme smith fruitlessly turning to himself  steyn returning to the attack and nicky boje failing to threaten 
cricket	183	pollock was the only one to bother england s rampant openers  beating the outside edge of both batsmen 
cricket	183	but there was to be no moving the batsmen as they rose through the ranks of england s greatest first wicket stands 
cricket	183	england s previous best in durban   160 by wally hammond and bob wyatt 73 years ago   fell away  and 31 runs later a new record for all teams at the ground was set 
cricket	183	when the 200 run mark was passed  it was the first time england s opening wicket had done so since graeme gooch and mike atherton against australia in 1991 
cricket	183	the openers reached triple figures within moments of each other  trescothick for the ninth time and strauss for the fourth   and second in two tests 
cricket	183	both carried on in the same vein after tea  with trescothick hoicking boje over mid wicket for six and strauss striking successive fours in the same over 
cricket	183	south africa s only hope looked to be the new ball  and the dependable pollock finally gave the hosts something to cheer when trescothick edged a simple catch behind late on 
cricket	183	strauss  chanceless all day  next over gave south africa a sniff when edging ntini low down to second slip  where martin van jaarsveld spilled a tough one handed chance 
cricket	183	bad light ceased play 11 overs ahead of schedule  and play will start 30 minutes early on day four 
cricket	183	graeme smith  captain   herschelle gibbs  jacques rudolph  jacques kallis  martin van jaarsveld  hashim amla  ab de villiers  shaun pollock  nicky boje  makhaya ntini  dale steyn 
cricket	183	marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  mark butcher  michael vaughan  captain   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  ashley giles  matthew hoggard  simon jones  stephen harmison 
cricket	183	d hair  s taufel 
cricket	184	england eye win after thorpe tonsecond test  durban  day four  close   england  139   570 7d v south africa 332   21 1thorpe shared in stands of 114 with andrew flintoff  60  and 132 with geraint jones  73  after england had lost three for 21 in the morning 
cricket	184	the left hander s 16th test ton came off 209 balls and included 15 fours 
cricket	184	the hosts fell to 21 1 at stumps  with matthew hoggard trapping home skipper graeme smith lbw for five 
cricket	184	to win  south africa will have to break their own chasing record at the ground  which they set in 2002 when scoring 340 to beat australia 
cricket	184	on day three south africa waited all day for a wicket  but three came along at once when play resumed on the fourth 
cricket	184	makhaya ntini was the man to ignite the flame  tempting andrew strauss into a dalliance outside the off stump which was pouched by martin van jaarsveld at third slip 
cricket	184	the prolific opener had added only four runs to his overnight 132 when departing 
cricket	184	ntini followed up with the wicket of michael vaughan  whose poor run continued when he was cramped up by a short ball and gloved behind for 10  taking his four innings aggregate this series to 53 
cricket	184	shaun pollock was doing a fine job tying up his end  and england soon fell to 314 4 when jacques kallis put an end to mark butcher s painful 70 ball 13 
cricket	184	it left the visitors  leading by just 121 with the middle order exposed  but the lack of depth in south africa s attack gave england the chance to stabilise 
cricket	184	with graeme smith forced to rely on support acts dale steyn  1 122  and nicky boje  1 163   england reasserted thanks to thorpe and his partnerships with flintoff and jones 
cricket	184	flintoff  careful to avoid a pair of ducks  was indecisive early on  edging streakily for four and being struck on the shoulder in one steyn over 
cricket	184	but the all rounder ended the first session with a full blooded cover drive that sent steyn to the fence  and he carried on in similar vein after the interval 
cricket	184	a six off pollock over long on was followed by two more off ntini over square leg  and flintoff emulated thorpe by reaching 50 with a boundary 
cricket	184	south africa s only strike of the afternoon came when smith offered a long hop to flintoff and enticed an edge  which ab de villiers gloved behind the stumps 
cricket	184	england s scoring rate increased when jones came to the crease  and he complemented thorpe s grafting approach with some abrasive strokeplay 
cricket	184	the keeper blazed 73 off 82 balls  with 10 fours and two sixes  as england chased quick runs prior to the declaration  joining thorpe in top edging the hapless steyn over the keeper s head on numerous occasions 
cricket	184	south africa were forced to place a fielder at long stop  but the runs continued to flow until jones holed out at long on to give boje his sole strike 
cricket	184	ashley giles  who will be fit to bowl in day five after suffering back spasms  came out to bat  but his swift removal by steyn prompted the declaration 
cricket	184	graeme smith  captain   herschelle gibbs  jacques rudolph  jacques kallis  martin van jaarsveld  hashim amla  ab de villiers  shaun pollock  nicky boje  makhaya ntini  dale steyn 
cricket	184	marcus trescothick  andrew strauss  mark butcher  michael vaughan  captain   graham thorpe  andrew flintoff  geraint jones  ashley giles  matthew hoggard  simon jones  stephen harmison 
cricket	184	d hair  s taufel 
cricket	185	sri lanka cancel toursri lanka have cancelled their cricket tour of new zealand following the tsunami disaster that has ravaged the country  it has been confirmed 
cricket	185	the tour had been put on hold after the first one day international game was played on 26 december  the same day the tidal wave struck the island country 
cricket	185	sri lanka cricket initially said it would postpone the tour but on wednesday decided to pull out 
cricket	185	 we fully understand the decision   said icc chief executive malcolm speed 
cricket	185	the latest death toll for sri lankans caught up in the disaster stands at 22 000 
cricket	185	a statement from sri lanka cricket stated   the sri lankan cricketers have always stood by the people of this country in good times and bad times 
cricket	185	 the cancellation of this tour will enable the cricketers to help the board assist victims of the disaster 
cricket	185	  speed said   the impact of the tsunami on sri lanka has been devastating 
cricket	185	 in this situation where two of our members have agreed to postpone the series there is no issue of fines or compensation 
cricket	185	 the sri lankan players will now be able to return to their families and the series will be replayed at a date in the future to be confirmed 
cricket	185	  the tour  comprising one day internationals and test matches  will now be rescheduled by both cricket boards by mutual agreement 
cricket	185	none of the sri lanka squad lost family members in the disaster  but the mothers of sanath jayasuriya and upul chandana are believed to have been injured 
cricket	185	star spin bowler muttiah muralitharan  meanwhile  came within minutes of being caught up in the huge tidal waves which swept across the sri lankan coastline at galle 
cricket	185	 i missed the wave by 20 minutes 
cricket	185	i had only just left galle so i am very lucky to be alive   he said  having had to miss the early part of the tour due to injury 
cricket	185	new zealand cricket chief executive martin snedden said   we will now give the sri lankan cricket team every assistance to return home as soon as possible 
cricket	185	 as the magnitude of the recent events in sri lanka has unfolded it has become more difficult for the sri lankan team to remain in new zealand 
cricket	185	  
cricket	186	australia take controlthird test  sydney  day three  close   australia 568  pakistan 304   67 1they put on 153 for the fifth wicket before gilchrist fell to spinner danish kaneria for 113  a 120 ball innings which included five sixes 
cricket	186	ponting was bowled by naved ul hasan soon after and kaneria worked his way through the tail for figures of 7 188 
cricket	186	australia were all out for 568  a lead of 264  with pakistan 67 1 at stumps 
cricket	186	the home side were anxious to make up for lost time after rain prevented any play during the morning session 
cricket	186	ponting resumed on 155  but was content to play second fiddle to gilchrist  who set about the bowling in his customary forthright manner 
cricket	186	he passed 4 000 test runs as australia added 169 during the afternoon and reached his 13th century in spectacular style with two sixes off mohammad asif to reach 92 and then two successive fours off shahid afridi 
cricket	186	his captain  meanwhile  registered the highest score by an australian batsman at the sydney cricket ground when he passed greg chappell s 182 and was 196 not out at tea 
cricket	186	he had lost gilchrist by then  one of three stumping victims for kamran akmal  but newcomer shane watson looked solid in his first test innings as they added 58 
cricket	186	ponting s 200 arrived off 311 balls with a boundary off naved  but the bowler gained his revenge when the australian skipper chopped a ball into his stumps 
cricket	186	he is now one of only 13 batsmen in history to score four or more double centuries in tests   and only the third australian after sir don bradman and chappell 
cricket	186	his departure heralded a rush of five wickets in nine overs with watson caught for 31 off kaneria  who ended the innings with the wicket of shane warne for 16 
cricket	186	it was the third time the 24 year old leg spinner had taken seven wickets in a test innings 
cricket	186	facing such a sizeable deficit  pakistan needed a good start to their second innings and yasir hameed and salman butt began with a flurry of boundaries 
cricket	186	they put on 46 in nine overs  but the introduction of spin led to butt s undoing as he flashed at a wide ball from stuart macgill and was caught at slip by warne for 21 
cricket	186	hameed progressed to 40 not out off 46 balls  and new partner younis khan made five  before an offer of bad light from the umpires brought play to an end 
cricket	186	matthew hayden  justin langer  ricky ponting  capt   damien martyn  michael clarke  shane watson  adam gilchrist  wkt   shane warne  jason gillespie  glenn mcgrath  stuart macgill 
cricket	186	salman butt  imran farhat  yasir hameed  younis khan  yousuf youhana  capt   asim kamal  kamran akmal  wkt   mohammad asif shoaib akhtar  naved ul hasan  danish kaneria 
cricket	186	umpires  b bowden  nz   d shepherd  eng  
cricket	187	australia complete sweepthird test  sydney  day four  result   australia 568   62 1 bt pakistan 304   325pakistan  continuing on 67 1 overnight  posted 325 all out in their second innings and the home team quickly scored the 62 runs needed for victory 
cricket	187	asim kamal top scored for the visitors with a well made 87  but australia were always in control after building a first innings lead of 264 
cricket	187	and on a turning wicket shane warne took 4 111 and stuart macgill 3 83 
cricket	187	australia took three wickets during the morning session to reduce pakistan to 172 4  still 92 runs behind the home team s first innings total 
cricket	187	it seemed at one point as though stubborn resistance would limit the visitors to the loss of yasir hameed during the first session of the day 
cricket	187	but with lunch approaching the australians swung the balance of the session in their favour with two wickets in two balls 
cricket	187	yousef youhana was bowled by macgill for 30 before younis khan was trapped lbw to shane watson to become the all rounder s first test victim 
cricket	187	after lunch shahid afridi was run out after a typically aggressive innings and his dimissal was sparked a fall of five wickets for 32 runs as the pakistan lower order again threatened to capitulate 
cricket	187	at one point they had been reduced to 270 9 after steadily losing wickets throughout the afternoon session 
cricket	187	shortly before the scheduled tea interval australia claimed the extra half hour as they went in search of victory 
cricket	187	but asim kamal  partnered by mohammad asif  who scored his first runs in test cricket  put on 55 for the last wicket to set australia a meagre target for victory 
cricket	187	jason langer and matthew hayden wasted no time in setting about the victory target  thrashing a series of boundaries 
cricket	187	with victory just four runs away langer was bowled sweeping around his legs and new batsman ricky ponting smashed the next delivery to the boundary to seal victory 
cricket	187	matthew hayden  justin langer  ricky ponting  capt   damien martyn  michael clarke  shane watson  adam gilchrist  wkt   shane warne  jason gillespie  glenn mcgrath  stuart macgill 
cricket	187	salman butt  imran farhat  yasir hameed  younis khan yousuf youhana  capt   asim kamal  kamran akmal  wkt   mohammad asifshoaib akhtar  naved ul hasan  danish kaneria 
cricket	187	umpires  b bowden  nz   d shepherd  eng  
cricket	188	australia complete series sweepthird test  sydney  day four  result   australia 568   62 1 bt pakistan 304   325pakistan  continuing on 67 1 overnight  posted 325 all out in their second innings and the home team quickly scored the 62 runs needed for victory 
cricket	188	asim kamal top scored for the visitors with a well made 87  but australia were always in control after building a first innings lead of 264 
cricket	188	and on a turning wicket shane warne took 4 111 and stuart macgill 3 83 
cricket	188	australia took three wickets during the morning session to reduce pakistan to 172 4  still 92 runs behind the home team s first innings total 
cricket	188	it seemed at one point as though stubborn resistance would limit the visitors to the loss of yasir hameed during the first session of the day 
cricket	188	but with lunch approaching the australians swung the balance of the session in their favour with two wickets in two balls 
cricket	188	yousef youhana was bowled by macgill for 30 before younis khan was trapped lbw to shane watson to become the all rounder s first test victim 
cricket	188	after lunch shahid afridi was run out after a typically aggressive innings and his dimissal was sparked a fall of five wickets for 32 runs as the pakistan lower order again threatened to capitulate 
cricket	188	at one point they had been reduced to 270 9 after steadily losing wickets throughout the afternoon session 
cricket	188	shortly before the scheduled tea interval australia claimed the extra half hour as they went in search of victory 
cricket	188	but asim kamal  partnered by mohammad asif  who scored his first runs in test cricket  put on 55 for the last wicket to set australia a meagre target for victory 
cricket	188	jason langer and matthew hayden wasted no time in setting about the victory target  thrashing a series of boundaries 
cricket	188	with victory just four runs away langer was bowled sweeping around his legs and new batsman ricky ponting smashed the next delivery to the boundary to seal victory 
cricket	188	matthew hayden  justin langer  ricky ponting  capt   damien martyn  michael clarke  shane watson  adam gilchrist  wkt   shane warne  jason gillespie  glenn mcgrath  stuart macgill 
cricket	188	salman butt  imran farhat  yasir hameed  younis khan yousuf youhana  capt   asim kamal  kamran akmal  wkt   mohammad asifshoaib akhtar  naved ul hasan  danish kaneria 
cricket	188	umpires  b bowden  nz   d shepherd  eng  
cricket	189	england pondering line upfirst one day international  johannesburg south africa v englandplay starts sunday  0800 gmtian bell  kevin pietersen and kabir ali all performed so well in the warm up win over south africa a as to give captain michael vaughan some dilemmas 
cricket	189	vaughan admired pietersen s 97 off 84 balls on thursday 
cricket	189	he said   the players are still talking about his innings so it must have been special 
cricket	189	 you certainly want any guy who can clear the ropes in your team 
cricket	189	  vaughan  set to bat at four with pietersen a spot lower in the order  added   kevin is a character  someone who is very confident and doesn t mind having a word 
cricket	189	i like that 
cricket	189	 but sunday s a big selection to make because ian bell and pietersen played so well in kimberley  and kabir ali bowled well 
cricket	189	 we will have a few new players on sunday and it will be a big opportunity for them to try to establish themselves in the team 
cricket	189	 it will also be a great experience for them as we build for the world cup in a couple of years time 
cricket	189	 bell anchored england s win in kimberley with an accomplished unbeaten 87 
cricket	189	his best chance of playing would perhaps be to dislodge vikram solanki and provide marcus trescothick with a new opening partner 
cricket	189	but england have shown long term patience with solanki even though he has almost always been inconsistent 
cricket	189	kabir  who took 4 40 on thursday  features in a squad rich in seam bowlers  with matthew hoggard and simon jones both rested for the warm up 
cricket	189	vaughan predicted the seven match one day series would be tightly contested  even though south africa have fallen to seventh in the icc rankings 
cricket	189	 it s going to be tough because they re a good team  especially at home  who bat very deep 
cricket	189	they ve got so many all rounders 
cricket	189	 but their record is not so great in the last year  so that s something for us to aim at 
cricket	189	 south africa captain graeme smith defended his team s recent record  despite the fact they have won just two of their last 13 one day internationals 
cricket	189	he said   it s been difficult  but we ve been playing a lot in the sub continent 
cricket	189	in our own conditions we ve got a good record in one day cricket 
cricket	189	  the captain confirmed he would open the batting with herschelle gibbs 
cricket	189	smith said his team were  not too fussed  about the probable inclusion in the england team of batsman kevin pietersen  who was born in kwazulu natal 
cricket	189	 he enjoys the attention  but we will just have to knock him over early   said smith 
cricket	189	 it will be easier to have him sitting in the changing room and then we will not get banned if we abuse him 
cricket	189	 m vaughan  capt   kabir ali  j anderson  g batty  i bell  p collingwood  a giles  d gough  s harmison  m hoggard  g jones  wkt   s jones  k pietersen  v solanki  a strauss  m trescothick  a wharf 
cricket	189	g smith  capt   a bacher  n boje  m boucher  wkt   ab de villiers  h gibbs  a hall  j kallis  j kemp  c langeveldt  a nel  m ntini  a prince  s pollock  j rudolph 
cricket	190	bangladesh build platformfirst test  chittagong  day two  stumps   bangladesh 488 v zimbabwe 84 4they began by extending their overnight 280 4 by 208 in just over two sessions  for their highest test total of 488 
cricket	190	rajin saleh led the way with 89 and mohammad rafique hit four sixes in his 69  sharing stands of 69 and 62 with khaled mashud and mashrafe bin mortaza 
cricket	190	zimbabwe then lost four wickets inside 21 overs before a slight recovery 
cricket	190	the home side had only passed 400 twice previously in 34 tests  scoring 400 against india in their inaugural match in 2000 and 416 in the west indies last year 
cricket	190	they suffered an early setback when aftab ahmed was lbw to christopher mpofu for six in the third over of play 
cricket	190	but saleh  who was 60 not out overnight  progressed to his best score in tests before departing with the total on 341 
cricket	190	mashud s innings was sedate in tempo  taking up 120 balls and featuring only six boundaries  and he was denied a half century when he became 18 year old graeme cremer s first test victim 
cricket	190	leg spinner cremer found the edge and mluleki nkala  the sole slip fielder  made no mistake 
cricket	190	mashud s departure signalled an end to the niceties as rafique and mortaza tore into tiring bowlers 
cricket	190	in contrast to the opening session in which only 66 runs were scored  the duo went along at six an over before rafique was caught behind off mpofu 
cricket	190	but mortaza struck eight fours as he went past his previous best of 29  reaching 40 not out at tea 
cricket	190	mpofu bowled tapash baisya for six in the first over following the re start  but mortaza responded by hoisting matsikenyeri over mid wicket for six 
cricket	190	the innings finally came to an end when mortaza  on 48  cut a ball from cremer into the hands of vusi sibanda at backward point 
cricket	190	mpofu finished with 4 109 for the zimbabweans in his debut test appearance 
cricket	190	matsikenyeri got zimbabwe off to a fluent start  with five fours in his 28 from 30 balls before he was caught at slip in the eighth over 
cricket	190	vusimuzi sibanda scored all of his 12 runs in boundaries before he was trapped by mohammad rafique  the left arm spinner also snaring cremer third ball for a duck 
cricket	190	opener barney rogers was more watchful  taking 28 deliveries to open his account  but he was run out at the non striker s end when enamul haque diverted a ball onto the stumps 
cricket	190	hamilton masakadza remained undefeated  with four fours in his 28  sharing an unbroken 25 with brendon taylor who hit two fours in his eight not out  as three boundaries came in the final two overs 
cricket	190	habibul bashar  captain   khaled mashud  nafis iqbal  javed omar  mohammed ashraful  rajin saleh  aftab ahmed  mohammed rafique  enamul haque  tapash baishya and mashrafe bin mortaza 
cricket	190	tatenda taibu  captain   elton chigumbura  stuart matsikenyeri  barney rogers  vusimuzi sibanda  hamilton masakadza  brendan taylor  graeme cremer  christopher mpofu  douglas hondo  mluleki nkala 
cricket	190	umpires  t wijewardena  sri   asad rauf  pkn  
cricket	191	kenya cricket boss fights sackingkenya cricket association president sharad ghai has obtained a court order preventing his dismissal by the government over financial allegations 
cricket	191	ghai was accused of failing to account for sponsorship money  resolve player disputes or hold regular elections 
cricket	191	sports minister ochillo ayacko has appointed a caretaker committee  headed by issac kalua  to serve for three months before new elections take place 
cricket	191	but the order prevents kalua moving in for 21 days  pending a judicial review 
cricket	191	ghai insisted his committee had always submitted receipts and audited accounts of its expenditure 
cricket	191	he has refused to hand over the office keys to kalua and was angered when the interim committee broke into the building under police supervision 
cricket	191	 what we are saying is that this should have been done ina dignified manner   he protested 
cricket	191	 there was supposed to be a date and time set for office handover  and this is what is expected to happen in any civil society 
cricket	191	  it is not the first time the government has made accusations of financial mismanagement against the board 
cricket	191	in 2002 they disbanded the committee  but a court reinstated the officials 
cricket	192	union to contest vaughan penaltythe hefty fine imposed on england captain michael vaughan during the fourth test against south africa is to be challenged by his players  union 
cricket	192	vaughan lost his match fee of £5 500 after referee clive lloyd ruled he was wrong to complain about  inconsistent  umpiring on the second day 
cricket	192	the captain felt the umpires erred over whether to play during poor light 
cricket	192	pca chief executive richard bevan said   to impose a 100  fine is ridiculous and taken out of all proportion 
cricket	192	 vaughan was charged with a breach of level two of the international cricket council s code of conduct 
cricket	192	there are four levels of offences ranging from one to four with four being the most serious 
cricket	192	only those punished for level three or four offences have the opportunity to contest 
cricket	192	 if they are going to impose the maximum fine they must allow an appeal procedure   bevan continued 
cricket	192	 we will be calling the icc and if we don t receive some common sense we will consider legal action under european laws 
cricket	192	  vaughan made the comments after umpires steve bucknor and aleem dar ended the second day because of bad light  even though vaughan  who was at the crease at the time  wanted to go on 
cricket	192	 the icc expect players to promote the game and talk to tv and the media and all michael did was answer some questions honestly   bevan explained 
cricket	192	 he did not swear or abuse anyone  he politely suggested there had been some in consistent umpiring 
cricket	192	he certainly did not bring cricket into disrepute 
cricket	192	 it strikes me the umpires have had a poor test both on and off the field all match 
cricket	192	  bevan was due to meet the ecb on monday to get their backing 
cricket	193	vaughan endures day to forgetthis was england s worst day for a long time  and was capped by captain michael vaughan being fined 100  of his match fee 
cricket	193	match referee clive lloyd s decision followed criticism from vaughan of the umpires  handling of the bad light decisions on the second day 
cricket	193	the bowling throughout the day was awful and  two balls from the close  geraint jones dived directly in front of marcus trescothick at first slip and dropped herschelle gibbs on 136 
cricket	193	having declared  and sacrificed the possibility of reaching a century  michael vaughan must have been horrified by the manner in which his bowlers responded 
cricket	193	briefly the conditions were ideal  with low cloud hanging over the ground  and although this was soon replaced by clear blue sky which made batting easier  the direction of steve harmison in particular was woeful 
cricket	193	his first eight overs conceded only nine runs  simply because the batsmen could not reach the ball 
cricket	193	far too many deliveries went down the leg side and even matthew hoggard was below his best  four wickets notwithstanding 
cricket	193	understandably james anderson was rusty having not played a match since 4 december but harmison s day was made complete when he hobbled off with a calf strain 
cricket	193	graeme smith and gibbs got away to a flier but were separated in the 16th over when smith was trapped lbw to hoggard for 29 
cricket	193	this has been a disappointing series so far for the south african captain and his demise was all the more embarrassing because he fell over and was flat on the ground when umpire bucknor finally raised his painfully slow finger 
cricket	193	the bowling was still erratic  but hoggard struck again six overs later when rudolph laced a wide half volley to gully where ashley giles took a stinging catch that dislocated his right thumb 
cricket	193	jacques kallis again looked very well set  and the stand with gibbs during the afternoon was looking ominous until hoggard found some extra bounce and kallis  aiming to force off the back foot  chopped the ball into his stumps for 33 
cricket	193	boeta dippenaar is one of the least exciting batsmen currently in test cricket  and after 37 minutes  he fell to a low catch at slip for a duck 
cricket	193	the ball was so low to the ground when trescothick took it that dippenaar was reluctant to go 
cricket	193	tv replays   which are only used now when the umpires are unsighted   would probably have given the batsman the benefit of the doubt  but mr dar sent him on his way to a chorus of boos from the crowd 
cricket	193	ab devilliers joined gibbs  who was now strangely becalmed and only 65 runs were scored in the afternoon session  but after devilliers hooked hoggard and was caught at long leg for 19  gibbs reached his 14th century in almost five and a half hours 
cricket	193	the second new ball failed to force an immediate breakthrough as gibbs and boucher launched a counter attack and added 120 crucial runs before boucher was caught at point for 64 
cricket	194	sri lankans cleared of misconducttwo sri lanka cricketers have been cleared of misconduct dating back to the icc champions trophy in 2004 
cricket	194	avishka gunawardene and kaushal lokuarachchi were both the subject of an official disciplinary inquiry after allegations of drunken misconduct 
cricket	194	a colombo newspaper had made the claims after a defeat against england in southampton which led to sri lanka exiting the tournament early 
cricket	194	but the disciplinary panel could find no evidence against the players 
cricket	194	sri lanka cricket chief executive duleep mendis said   nobody was prepared to give evidence and there was absolutely no evidence to substantiate the article s allegations 
cricket	194	  gunawardene  27  a hard hitting opener  and lokuarachchi  a 22 year old leg spinning all rounder  were both dropped from the national squad after sri lanka s tour of pakistan in october 
cricket	195	kallis keen on glamorgan returnsouth africa s star batsman jacques kallis says he would relish a return to county cricket with glamorgan 
cricket	195	 i want a break after the west indies tour  but in the future i want to return to county cricket and glamorgan are my first choice   said kallis 
cricket	195	 i thoroughly enjoyed my time in cardiff and hope to go back 
cricket	195	  the 29 year old  rated the number one batsman in the world after a stunning year  spent a successful season with the welsh county in 1999 
cricket	195	he has starred for south africa in the series with england  averaging number with the bat  but knows he has a job to do with his side 2 1 down heading into the final test in pretoria 
cricket	195	 we re under a lot more pressure than england  but we re determined to draw the series   kallis told bbc sport wales 
cricket	195	 england did it to us in the final test of the last series between the sides  now it s our turn to come out and win the game 
cricket	195	 losing the last test was very frustrating 
cricket	195	the batting let us down  to get bowled out in two sessions on that type of wicket was not good enough 
cricket	195	 we d played good cricket until then and felt we d had the chance to win the game 
cricket	195	  despite his desire to return to county cricket in the future  kallis admitted that the demands of the international game were taking its toll and called for a reassessment of the fixture calendar 
cricket	195	he is keen to carry on with his bowling  though  and still sees his future as an all rounder 
cricket	195	 i enjoy my bowling   he said   i ve worked hard on it and hope to keep it going for a few years yet 
cricket	195	  
cricket	196	england victory tainted by historyas england attempt to secure a series victory in south africa  they will do so at the venue for a previous match which became the stuff of test cricket folklore 
cricket	196	south africa s meeting with england at centurion park in january 2000 was thought to have been an enthralling spectacle  with the tourists claiming a remarkable win after three whole days were lost to bad weather 
cricket	196	it took a few short months to reveal the unfortunate truth  that a bookmaker had given home skipper hansie cronje money   and a leather jacket   to influence the outcome of the match 
cricket	196	cronje  who was killed two years later in a plane crash  was subsequently found guilty of match fixing and banned from test cricket for life 
cricket	196	opening the bowling for england was andy caddick  who told bbc sport   they were 2 0 up in the series  we had a lot of english supporters there and south africa just wanted to make a game of it 
cricket	196	that s what i thought 
cricket	196	 at the time you don t think anything of it but then afterwards you start to put two and two together  with events that happened afterwards 
cricket	196	  england captain nasser hussain put the south africans in after winning the toss  and was given an early reward  of a purely cricketing nature  when gary kirsten edged darren gough to second slip for a duck in the first over 
cricket	196	cronje also fell to gough for a duck as the home side closed the first day 155 6 
cricket	196	the next three days were then wiped out competely due to a combination of rain and damp ground conditions before cronje approached hussain with a suggestion to manufacture a result 
cricket	196	south africa had already secured the series having won in johannesburg and cape town  but cronje  and his friends  wanted to create some interest in the final day at centurion 
cricket	196	the idea was for each side to forfeit an innings each  leaving the tourists with a run chase  so south africa reached 248 8 on the final morning to set england 249 from 76 overs 
cricket	196	kirsten was one of several players opposed to the move  as he explained to bbc sport 
cricket	196	 hansie came up to us in the changing room on the last day and said   i m keen to forfeit the innings and set the total 
cricket	196	  he asked the team and there was a mixed reception 
cricket	196	 some of the guys felt we didn t want to give england a chance of winning   you don t mess around with test matches   and some said nothing   hansie just decided  and maybe we know why in hindsight  to go for it but there was quite a bit of resistance and some of the guys didn t think it was a good idea at all 
cricket	196	  england s 12th man that day was phil tufnell  who recalled   everyone thought it was a very good gesture in the spirit of the game 
cricket	196	 the game had meandered along and all of a sudden it was like an old fashioned three day county game and we were having a chase 
cricket	196	  whatever the reasons   later it emerged that cronje s part had been simply to ensure against a draw   it led to a fascinating cricket match 
cricket	196	england needed six from the final seven balls and yorkshire tailenders chris silverwood and darren gough both hit boundaries to give them a two wicket victory 
cricket	196	 it ended as a great day for cricket   kirsten conceded 
cricket	196	 one could argue it was good for people who had been frustrated having not watched any cricket and suddenly got a great last day 
cricket	196	 but from a player s point of view you ve worked so hard for three months trying to win a test series that you don t give test matches away  or create the opportunity to make it easy to win one 
cricket	196	  tufnell has favourable memories of cronje  who played county cricket for leicestershire in the 1990s 
cricket	196	 he always came across as a nice bloke   the spinner said 
cricket	196	 he always came and said  hi  and seemed a very intelligent captain  a good competitor and a good ambassador for south african cricket 
cricket	196	  kirsten too recalls some positive images of cronje 
cricket	196	 we all know that what he did cannot be condoned in any circumstances   he said 
cricket	196	 but my view is he did a huge amount for my career 
cricket	196	 i thought he was an outstanding captain and i ve made mistakes in my life so i m not in a position to be judgemental 
cricket	196	  
cricket	197	ashes defeat  won t hurt aussies australia great rodney marsh says it would do his country no harm if they were to return from england in september having lost the ashes 
cricket	197	 in the big picture  england need to be strong   said marsh  who steps down as director of england s national academy in september 
cricket	197	 so  it won t do australia or the game any harm if they lose the ashes 
cricket	197	 if people back home cannot understand that  that s tough   he told the daily telegraph newspaper 
cricket	197	marsh flew out on wednesday to dubai as coach of the england a team for their tour of the united arab emirates and sri lanka 
cricket	197	he has been employed by the england and wales cricket board as academy director since 2001  and subsequently as a selector 
cricket	197	 by the time i leave the ecb  i would like to think i had played a small part in making england more competitive  though the players are the ones who have done the work   he said 
cricket	197	australia have won the past eight ashes series and are the world s top ranked team 
cricket	197	the five test ashes series begins at lord s on 21 july 
cricket	198	pakistan have the edge   mushtaqmushtaq ahmed believes pakistan are on the verge of their first test series win in india for 18 years 
cricket	198	imran khan was the last pakistan captain to return home victorious  and india are favourites for the three test series starting on 8 march 
cricket	198	but former test spinner mushtaq told bbc sport   pakistan have the advantage because of the confidence they would have gained from playing australia 
cricket	198	 they showed in the one day series they had learned from their mistakes 
cricket	198	  after losing the test series 3 0  pakistan improved throughout the triangular vb series  beating australia in a group game and advancinhg to the finals at the expense of champions trophy winners west indies 
cricket	198	 i know pakistan didn t win   mushtaq added 
cricket	198	 but they had very good games 
cricket	198	 the amount of cricket they played against the best team in the world will serve them well in india 
cricket	198	 i think they will play with more freedom and i think they have a good chance 
cricket	198	 mushtaq  who took 185 wickets in a 52 test career for pakistan  is not concerned about the absence of fast bowler shoaib akhtar  who pulled out of the tour with a hamstring injury 
cricket	198	 shoaib akhtar is a match winner for sure  but the other bowlers did a great job against australia   he said 
cricket	198	 i think danish kaneria will play a big role  as will mohammad sami 
cricket	198	so  despite shoaib not being there  i think the pakistani team looks well balanced 
cricket	198	  it is a view not shared by former captain mushtaq mohammad  who told the press trust of india the squad is the  weakest ever  pakistan has produced 
cricket	198	 the team that visited england in 1978 79 under wasim bari was definitely weak  but it was unavoidable as there was ban on cricketers who had signed for kerry packer   he said 
cricket	198	 i am sorry to say that this pakistan team looks like a club team to me 
cricket	198	 barring a couple of them  there are no quality batsmen in the side 
cricket	198	they have faulty techniques  are too flashy  have no footwork  no temperament and consequently they are inconsistent 
cricket	198	 i desperately want my country to do well in india and win the test series because this series means a lot to the people of pakistan 
cricket	198	 but sadly  cricket is not played with emotions 
cricket	198	it is played with talent and skill 
cricket	198	 i hope my assessment about the team is incorrect and if they prove me wrong  i will be the happiest man on this planet 
cricket	198	  
cricket	199	new zealand to step up securitynew zealand cricket officials are to review security after australia players were hit by missiles during saturday s opening one day international 
cricket	199	the match was stopped several times after australian fielders complained they had been hit by plastic bottles 
cricket	199	new zealand cricket chief executive martin snedden labelled the missile throwing  unacceptable  
cricket	199	 it wasn t the number of security guards  it was the fact they needed to be more proactive   he said 
cricket	199	australia captain ricky ponting complained immediately after his side s 10 run win 
cricket	199	 someone s going to get hurt 
cricket	199	you have to have more security guys around the players on the boundary   he said 
cricket	199	however  kiwi coach john bracewell accused australia of using the crowd as a delaying tactic 
cricket	199	he claimed the missile throwing was no different to the treatment his players got in australia 
cricket	199	former australia skipper steve waugh threatened to take his players off the field after similar crowd disturbances in new zealand five years ago 
cricket	199	 i think the tactical awareness as learned by steve waugh has been passed on   bracewell said 
cricket	199	despite being hit by a missile at one point  aussie bowler glenn mcgrath was the star of the show  returning figures of 4 16 
cricket	199	 glenn was outstanding and we just did enough to win   ponting said 
cricket	199	 it s a very hard place to win over here and we found that out tonight 
cricket	199	  new zealand skipper stephen fleming praised hamish marshall  whose 76 almost rescued the match 
cricket	199	 we were out of it  came back really well   hamish was outstanding   but we just lost our way towards the end 
cricket	199	  
cricket	200	shoaib ruled out of test seriesfast bowler shoaib akhtar will miss pakistan s test series in india because he is still troubled by a hamstring injury and cannot be considered 
cricket	200	he suffered the injury in australia last month and says his recovery will take another four to five weeks 
cricket	200	the squad for india will be named on saturday but he was quoted as saying   i don t want to play half fit 
cricket	200	  the news comes less than 24 hours after he was fined £265 for breaching the terms of his contract in australia 
cricket	200	he was accused of visiting nightclubs and talking to the media without permission  but denies the charges and has lodged an appeal against the decision of a disciplinary panel 
cricket	200	however  shoaib insisted his decision to pull out of the test series had nothing to do with the outcome of the disciplinary hearing 
cricket	200	 my decision is not linked to the fine or warning   he said 
cricket	200	 it is an honest decision since i don t want to go half fit to india 
cricket	200	  shoaib s absence will be a huge blow to pakistan s chances of avenging last year s home test series defeat by india 
cricket	200	but he still hopes to be available for the six one day internationals which follow the test matches 
cricket	200	 i have informed the pakistan cricket board of my decision and will inform them as soon as i get fit so if the team needs me at that stage i am available 
cricket	200	 i would love to play the one day series provided the team needs me   he added 
cricket	200	the 29 year old  known as the rawalpindi express  is the quickest bowler in world cricket and has been clocked at 100mph 
cricket	200	but his fitness record has been poor and he has missed 30 of the 66 tests pakistan have played since he made his debut in november 1997 
cricket	200	shoaib believes injuries are an inevitable part of the game for fast bowlers because of the amount of international cricket nowadays 
cricket	200	but critics point to the fact that he has increased his workload by agreeing contracts with english counties 
cricket	200	he had spells with durham in 2003 04 and is due to play for worcestershire in the second half of the 2005 season following a tour to the west indies 
cricket	200	pakistan  meanwhile  are awaiting fitness reports on fellow seamers mohammad sami  mohammad khalil and shabbir ahmed before finalising their squad for india 
cricket	200	another paceman  umar gul  will definitely not make the trip because he is still undergoing rehabilitation following stress fractures in his back 
cricket	201	icc ponders one day alterationsthe rules of one day cricket could be changed to allow the fielding side to take two wickets off a single ball 
cricket	201	a striking batsman could be dismissed lbw or caught and his partner run out 
cricket	201	the international cricket council is also considering an idea to modify the 15 over period of fielding restrictions normally set for an innings start 
cricket	201	instead  the batting side would choose three different slots of five overs when only two fielders would be permitted to cover the boundaries 
cricket	201	sunil gavaskar heads the icc committee which has recommended the proposal in a bid to inject interest into the one day game which the former india captain says has become  predictable  
cricket	201	 we ve looked at a double play situation   he explained in an interview with the melbourne age 
cricket	201	 if a batsman s been given out lbw and the ball ricochets off to gully and the fielder picks it up and throws at the non striker s end  so you have two dismissals off one ball 
cricket	201	 same if the ball s gone up in the air 
cricket	201	  the icc is discussing the proposals at a meeting in melbourne 
cricket	202	icc relaxes bowling regulationsthe international cricket council  icc  has agreed to relax its rules on bowling actions in a bid to defuse one of the most divisive issues in cricket 
cricket	202	bowlers will be allowed to straighten their arms by up to 15 degrees   the amount visible to the naked eye 
cricket	202	but any bowler found to have an illegal action will be suspended immediately  shortening the current review process 
cricket	202	 this new process gives the game a sensible way forward   said icc chief executive malcolm speed on saturday 
cricket	202	 this issue has afflicted the game for over 60 years 
cricket	202	 every time it comes up there are emotional reactions from people around the world based on fear and ignorance and i ve no doubt we will see them all again this time 
cricket	202	 the 15 degree limit follows an extensive research programme conducted by biomechanics experts 
cricket	202	previously  the levels were 10 degrees for fast bowlers and five degrees for spinners 
cricket	202	the icc ordered a review of its laws on throwing after several top international players  including sri lankan muttiah muralitharan  were reported for suspect actions 
cricket	202	muralitharan s  doosra  leg break delivery was found to involve a flexion of 14 degrees 
cricket	202	an expert panel comprising aravinda de silva  angus fraser  michael holding  tony lewis  tim may and david richardson found that most modern bowlers broke the rules in some way 
cricket	202	but it added that the laws to determine whether their action was legal or otherwise were murky and unworkable 
cricket	202	 these recommendations have come from people who have played the game at the highest level and who have a deep appreciation of the issues   said icc cricket committee chairman sunil gavaskar 
cricket	203	holding slams twenty20  rubbish west indies great michael holding has branded twenty20 cricket  rubbish  as its international future is debated 
cricket	203	holding refused to watch last month s twenty20 match between australia a and pakistan in adelaide 
cricket	203	he told the voice   it saddens me to hear people say that it is a real contest between bat and ball 
cricket	203	how can simple slogging be good cricket   it might have a place in domestic cricket but should never be introduced as an international competition 
cricket	203	 the international cricket council chief executives  committee is to discuss the new format  which has proved a massive success at domestic level  in melbourne on friday 
cricket	203	twenty20 cricket  which features games lasting less that three hours  was first launched in county cricket in 2002 
cricket	203	it has since taken off domestically in south africa  and australia are planning a state competition next january 
cricket	203	new zealand will stage the first men s international against australia next month  and the aussies are to play england at the rose bowl in june 
cricket	203	however  holding has told his television employers he does not want to commentate on the shortened game 
cricket	203	 what is the point of telling youngsters to watch the game but not to copy the players  techniques   he continued 
cricket	203	 there is nothing good about twenty20 cricket 
cricket	203	people who disagree don t know what they are talking about 
cricket	203	  
cricket	204	pakistan  to host next asia cup pakistan are to host their first asia cup one day tournament next march  according to pakistan cricket board chairman shaharyar khan 
cricket	204	khan told the reuters agency a decision had been made at monday s meeting of the asian cricket council in dubai 
cricket	204	he said india  sri lanka and bangladesh have all confirmed their participation  and that qualifiers would also feature 
cricket	204	six teams  including hong kong  played in the eighth asia cup  in sri lanka last year  the hosts triumphing 
cricket	204	pakistan has not hosted any of the previous tournaments  dating back to 1984 because of poor diplomatic relations with neighbours india 
cricket	205	windies women in optimistic moodwest indies are hopeful of making an impression at the women s world cup in south africa despite financial problems which are overshadowing their build up 
cricket	205	 our major strength is our bowling  which tends to be very  very tight   said coach ann browne john 
cricket	205	 the batting is sound and the team spirit and togetherness the girls have been developing all go together to make them into a very strong unit 
cricket	205	  they will play holders new zealand in their first game on 22 march 
cricket	205	all eight teams will face each other under a league format  with the top four then progressing to the semi finals 
cricket	205	bad weather forced the west indies indoors at last weekend s training camp  but they have another lasting two weeks  which will begin on 19 february 
cricket	205	they last played international cricket in india and pakistan last year  winning the latter series 5 2 after being outplayed in all five games in india 
cricket	205	 these matches exposed us to what women s cricket is all about and how we should go about playing the game 
cricket	205	 i think  with that experience behind us  we should do very well   captain stephanie power commented 
cricket	206	usa cricket placed under threatworld cricket bosses have threatened to pull out of a plan to spread the game to the us because of poor organisation 
cricket	206	a letter from the icc to the us cricket association was leaked to a website 
cricket	206	 we have never seen a sporting organisation that combines such great potential and such poor administration as usaca   said the letter 
cricket	206	 we question whether the current administration of usaca can play any constructive role in taking the game forward in the united states 
cricket	206	  project usa  a joint venture between the icc  the usaca and the west indies cricket board  was to have brought full one day internationals involving leading teams to the country 
cricket	206	the revenue gained was to fund a development looking to improve the standard of the us national team  which was beaten heavily by new zealand and australia in september 
cricket	206	the letter  signed by icc president ehsan mani and chief executive malcolm speed  was addressed to usaca president gladstone dainty 
cricket	206	it went on   we have been copied with numerous letters to and from you that indicate that usaca has plunged into further disarray 
cricket	206	 further  we have witnessed the abysmal performance of the usa cricket team at the icc champions trophy 
cricket	206	   we have now been approached by other countries that would like to replace usa as the preferred partner of icc to deliver international cricket matches 
cricket	206	 the usaca has until 1 february to sign a memorandum of understanding over project usa  with the icc threatening to move it to another country otherwise 
cricket	206	among other second tier nations  the netherlands staged a rain hit one day series involving australia  pakistan and india last august 
cricket	206	morocco and the united arab emirates are both non test playing nations that have successfully hosted international matches in the past 
cricket	206	the number of cricketers in the us has grown massively over the past decade to over 16 000 and is now larger than anywhere outside the 10 test playing countries 
cricket	206	it is estimated there are over five million us immigrants from cricket playing countries as a potential audience for pay per view television 
cricket	206	mani made a us expansion one of his key aims when he came to office  but plans to stage matches in the 2007 world cup there were abandoned because of logistical difficulties 
cricket	206	an icc spokesman told bbc sport   the letter was not seeking to influence domestic governance   it was simply expressing a view 
cricket	206	  
cricket	207	england fail to finish job againengland have done their best throughout this series to suggest that they are vulnerable and  on a rain hit third day at centurion  their batsmen did it again 
cricket	207	when michael vaughan horribly mis pulled shaun pollock to square leg for a four ball duck  england had lost three tame wickets for two runs in three overs 
cricket	207	they seemed to be doing their best to keep the game open when they should have been doing their utmost to close it down 
cricket	207	the first to go was marcus trescothick who was run out thanks to a misjudgement by andrew strauss 
cricket	207	trescothick   at the non striker s end   responded to strauss s call when he drove makhaya ntini to straight mid off 
cricket	207	but strauss suddenly changed his mind and as trescothick tried desperately to regain his ground  nicky boje swooped one handed and threw the stumps down direct 
cricket	207	robert key fell three overs later when he was caught behind down the leg side for a single 
cricket	207	key glared at umpire bucknor when he raised his finger  and dragged himself off the ground  but replays suggested that he had  indeed  touched the ball 
cricket	207	four balls later  vaughan was caught and england were reeling on 29 3 
cricket	207	andrew strauss then appeared completely to lose touch and  frankly  graham thorpe has only very occasionally been in form throughout the series 
cricket	207	the left handers scratched about  barely laying bat on ball  but somehow they survived  despite some very close lbw appeals 
cricket	207	they managed to add 85 between the interruptions until strauss uncharacteristically chased a ball well wide of his off stump from andre nel and edged to boucher for 44 
cricket	207	moments later  lightening drove the players from the ground 
cricket	207	time is ticking away now and  with just two days to go  it would take something remarkable for the south africans to win the match from here 
cricket	207	but england s fallibility  and their growing tendency to allow the opposition a second chance is something that should concern their supporters 
cricket	207	everyone is anticipating a close  exciting ashes series in the summer 
cricket	207	but  being completely honest  england will have to improve enormously on their efforts on this tour even to come close to threatening the aussies 
cricket	208	cricket coach moves on after tsunamiwhen the tsunami crashed onto the sri lankan coastline  cricket coach stephen jones was in the middle of catching practice 
cricket	208	within minutes the entire playing area at the galle stadium was covered by water  but jones and the boys of the harrow school team made it to safety just in time 
cricket	208	thousands were not so lucky and now  almost a month later  jones is still coming to terms with the experience 
cricket	208	but he must do so whilst concentrating on his next coaching assignment to prepare the south african team for the women s world cup  starting in march 
cricket	208	jones admits his memory of events in galle is still  a blur  
cricket	208	he told bbc sport   we were about half an hour from starting our game and were warming up 
cricket	208	 fortunately we were doing fielding drills right in front of the pavilion   had we been doing them anywhere else on the field we would have been in trouble 
cricket	208	 i remember the level of noise going up and a colleague s wife and daughter screamed at us to watch out 
cricket	208	i was told  and this i don t remember  that one of the locals came up to me and told me to get off the field 
cricket	208	 it probably took only five minutes  maybe 10 minutes  for the water to get to about five metres deep 
cricket	208	 the harrow party took refuge in a viewing area next to the changing rooms which proved high enough 
cricket	208	 the boys were terrified   we were all terrified   but they were  also  amazingly calm   said jones 
cricket	208	 i thought afterwards that if one of them had panicked it might just have set off a domino effect and we could have been in trouble 
cricket	208	 if it had happened at the beginning of the tour it might have been different  but i think the fact that we had been around together as a team counted in our favour   the team ethic of looking out for each other really came to the fore 
cricket	208	  the 49 year old from cape town believes his perspective on life has changed 
cricket	208	but he is conscious of the significance of the women s world cup  which south africa is hosting  and the need to do his utmost to focus fully on helping a team which has not played international cricket for a year 
cricket	208	 i m aware of the fact that perhaps women s cricket here is a little bit more in its infancy than in other countries  there s a little bit further to go 
cricket	208	 this world cup is critical 
cricket	208	if it s a success and gets the exposure i hope it does  it can elevate women s cricket here to a brand new level   he said 
cricket	208	 perhaps i m going to be a bit more relaxed about it than i might have been and see it in its bigger context  see the bigger picture 
cricket	208	 but it s nice to achieve things as well and it s important for the girls to make a good go of it  and make it a special occasion 
cricket	208	  
cricket	209	pietersen handed one day call upkevin pietersen has been added to the england squad for the forthcoming one day series in south africa 
cricket	209	the hampshire batsman  who was born in south africa  made his england debut in zimbabwe last november 
cricket	209	 it is prudent to add him to the squad as the team face seven one day internationals in 15 days   said chairman of selectors david graveney 
cricket	209	 his inclusion will give the captain and coach another option if the side requires a different balance 
cricket	209	  pietersen spent four years qualifying to play for england after beginning his career in south african provincial cricket with kwazulu natal 
cricket	209	he was a prolific scorer in four seasons with nottinghamshire and was the star of the england a tour to india early last year when he scored three centuries 
cricket	209	his introduction to the senior side came on the controversial tour to zimbabwe  where he showed his potential with an innings of 77 not out off 76 balls in the second match as england achieved a 4 0 clean sweep 
cricket	209	but he can except a rough ride from south africa  whose skipper graeme smith accused pietersen of running out  when things got tough  in a magazine interview last autumn 
cricket	209	 if he didn t want to be here  then we don t want him here   smith was quoted as saying 
cricket	209	 we all know that south africa went through a transformation that wasimportant for our country 
cricket	209	 we had to come from apartheid and move on  there was always going to be a difficult stage 
cricket	209	we all went through it and some fantastic cricketers haveemerged 
cricket	209	  the one day series starts in johannesburg on 30 january  three days after england s sole warm up game against south africa a 
cricket	209	m vaughan  capt   kabir ali  j anderson  g batty  i bell  p collingwood  a flintoff  a giles  d gough  s harmison  g jones  wkt   k pietersen  v solanki  a strauss  m trescothick  a wharf 
cricket	210	pakistan slump in twenty20 debuttwenty20 tour match  adelaide  australia a 185 5  20 overs  beat pakistan 129 7  20 overs  by 56 runshussey  who made 50 from 43 deliveries  was joined by white joined him in a fifth wicket stand of 79 in adelaide 
cricket	210	and white upped the pace at the end  ending 58 not out from 38 balls as the hosts posted 185 5 before 21 254 fans 
cricket	210	pakistan crashed to 17 4 in the fifth over but reached 129 7  taufeeq umar top scoring with 31 from 20 balls 
cricket	210	australia s start  after opting to bat first  was similarly inauspicious 
cricket	210	shoaib akhtar  who had pain killing injections earlier thisweek for back and hamstring injuries  took two for 37 from hisfour overs 
cricket	210	captain brad haddin  who scored 129 in wednesday s 50 over match between the two sides  fell for two 
cricket	210	and james hopes was be bowled in the pace man s second over  the scoreline 27 2 
cricket	210	brad hodge and mike hussey  both veterans of twenty20 cricket in england  were unable to capitalise on blazing starts before the younger hussey brother calmed proceedings 
cricket	210	tasmanian damien wright struck with two wickets in the space of three balls in the second over of the pakistan reply and the tourists were in disarray 
cricket	210	umar played fluently  hitting just four boundaries  but could not find a partner as five batsmen fell in single figures 
cricket	210	he and inzamam ul haq added 50 for the fifth wicket but the pakistan captain was run out for 21 
cricket	210	although younis khan  28  and iftikhar anjum  21  kept the pace brisk  they were well off the required pace in an unbeaten partnership of 58 
cricket	210	both sides were penalised six runs for slow over rates 
cricket	210	twenty20 cricket  which involves batsmen sitting on the boundary edge waiting to go in and bowlers given reduced time to get through their overs  was first launched in county cricket in 2002 
cricket	210	it has since taken off domestically in south africa and in women s cricket  where the first international involved england and new zealand last year 
cricket	210	new zealand and sri lanka had planned to play the first twenty20 international but the tour was cut short because of the tsunami disaster 
cricket	210	australia s senior team will get their first taste of the shortened format in june  when they tour england 
cricket	210	cricket australia chief executive james sutherland said twenty20 cricket between state sides could be a possibility for next year 
cricket	210	 it s happening in other parts of the world and has been embraced at domestic cricket level   he said 
cricket	210	 the signals we re getting in these last two days is that it s something the fans are interested in seeing more of 
cricket	210	 and we need to look at the way in which we can introduce it on perhaps a more formal basis next season 
cricket	210	  inzamam predicted twenty20 could become the most popular form of the sport worldwide 
cricket	210	 i think after four or five years this will be the most popular game   compared to  50 over games and test matches   he said 
cricket	210	 now it s very popular 
cricket	210	after one or two years it will be the most popular game 
cricket	210	  but haddin said   i think test cricket will always be the most popular form of the game 
cricket	210	 jr hopes  bj haddin  bj hodge  mek hussey  dj hussey  cl white  dj thornely  nw bracken  dg wright  sw taityasir hameed  taufeeq umar  shahid afridi  mohammad hafeez  abdul razzaq  inzamam ul haq  azhar mahmood  younis khan  iftikhar anjum  mohammad khalil  shoaib akhtar 
cricket	211	zimbabwe bowlers endure hard toiltour match  chittagong  stumps  day one of three   bangladesh cricket board xi 316 7d  zimbabwe 41 0by stumps on day one of the three day match  the bangladesh cricket board xi had declared on 316 7  with zimbabwe replying safely enough to be 41 0 
cricket	211	for the tourists  leg spinner matsikenyeri  generally regarded as a batsman  had figures of 4 58 
cricket	211	tushar imran compiled an unbeaten 102  with nafees ahmed contributing 97 
cricket	211	fringe test player rajin saleh  who was captaining the bcb xi  helped put on 112 for the third wicket with nafees 
cricket	211	five wickets then fell for the addition of just 34 runs as matsikenyeri  the sixth bowler tried  had a major impact 
cricket	211	but tushar and tareq aziz  19 not out  then added 123 in an unbroken partnership for the eighth wicket 
cricket	211	at that point the declaration came and zimbabwe s openers matsikenyeri and barney rogers survived 10 overs before stumps were drawn 
cricket	211	shahriar nadees  shamsur rahman  saqib al wasan  rajin saleh  capt   tushar imran  al sahariar  mushfiqur rahim  mohammad sharif  tareq aziz  shahadat hossain  shafaq al zabir 
cricket	211	barney rogers  stuart matsikenyeri  brendan taylor  vusi sibanda  tatenda taibu  capt wk   elton chigumbura  tinashe panyangara  douglas hondo  prosper utseya  tawanda mupariwa  ano 
cricket	212	icc to press on with dubai switchthe international cricket council is expected to confirm its move from london to dubai with an announcement to be made later in january 
cricket	212	british sports minister richard caborn met icc president ehsan mani on monday in an attempt to persuade cricket s governing body against making the move 
cricket	212	but the icc remains keen to move to the united arab emirates to take advantage of tax breaks not on offer in britain 
cricket	212	last december  the uk treasury ruled out tax breaks for sports federations 
cricket	212	the icc is not impressed that it has taken so long for the british government to seek a meeting with mani  especially as it had first mooted a move from lord s in june last year 
cricket	212	mani told caborn that if circumstances had changed he would be prepared to consider asking his members to remain in london 
cricket	212	but whatever the department of culture  media and sport can offer  the biggest factor for the icc   tax breaks   remains something that only the treasury can rule on 
cricket	212	the icc recently voted 11 1 with one abstention to move to dubai  and now only the final details need to be arranged before everything is in place for the switch 
cricket	213	sri lanka reschedule nz test toursri lanka have rescheduled their test series in new zealand for april after cutting short the original tour because of the asian tsunami disaster 
cricket	213	the team will play a warm up game before embarking on two tests against the kiwis  starting on 4 and 11 april 
cricket	213	members of the sri lankan squad will be in new zealand later this month to play for a world xi in three one day games 
cricket	213	they will take place on 22  24 and 26 january and money raised will go to help the tsunami relief appeal 
cricket	213	australian shane warne will captain the world side  with south african jonty rhodes acting as player coach 
cricket	213	and the matches raise the prospect of warne bowling in tandem with sri lankan spinner muttiah muralitharan for the first time 
cricket	213	former england batsmen nick knight and graeme hick will be also part of the squad 
cricket	213	 we hope to break even from the series or to run at a manageable loss   said new zealand cricket chief martin snedden 
cricket	213	 it will be expensive but the benefits for the home cricket season and the black caps  as well as those who benefit from our fund raising activities  will make the series more than worthwhile 
cricket	213	 the series will also be backed by the federation of international cricketers  associations  under whose name the world xi will play 
cricket	213	 we believe we have a responsibility to do whatever we can to support other members of the cricketing community 
cricket	213	 in forming the inaugural fica world xi  we are able to support icc member countries and the larger community at what is a very difficult time 
cricket	213	 the series will give us an opportunity to raise valuable funds through related charitable activities and ensure new zealand has international cricket at the height of its summer   said fica chief executive tim may 
cricket	213	the venues for sri lanka s tests in new zealand have yet to be decided 
cricket	213	and there is concern that weather could be a factor in the series 
cricket	213	but snedden said  the climatic conditions in early april are normally similar to those in march and we are confident test cricket can be played at this time of year 
cricket	213	 a decision about the venues for the re scheduled tests should be made within the next two weeks 
cricket	213	 we are also working with the sri lankan cricket board to reschedule the unplayed one day international matches and hope to play a four match odi series during next season s christmas new year period 
cricket	213	 s warne  capt   m bevan  a bichel  m elliott  a flower  i harvey  g hick  s jayasuriya  l klusener  n knight  m muralitharan  j rhodes  k sangakkara  h streak  c vaas 
cricket	214	world xi triumph in tsunami matchtsunami appeal match  melbourne  icc world xi 344 8 beat asian 232 xi by 112 runsricky ponting hit 115 in a massive total of 344 8 after electing to bat first in front of a crowd of 70 101 
cricket	214	rahul dravid top scored with 75 not out in the asian xi reply  after virender sehwag s brisk 45 
cricket	214	daniel vettori took 3 58 while england s darren gough took a wicket and a catch 
cricket	214	shane warne had 2 27 
cricket	214	the game  broadcast in 122 countries to an estimated global television audience of one billion  has already raised nearly £6 million for the relief effort 
cricket	214	australian prime minister john howard tossed a coin to start the match 
cricket	214	and afterwards the international cricket council chief executive  malcolm speed  paid tribute to the players for taking part 
cricket	214	he said   this signifies the game s compassion and commitment to provide as a much help as possible to enable the survivors of the tsunami to rebuild their lives so far as this is possible 
cricket	214	  ponting entertained the fans early on by hitting some big shots off anil kumble and abdul razzaq and the world xi s run rate was soon ticking along at a healthy rate 
cricket	214	chris cairns  69  and brian lara  52  enjoyed themselves as a middle order packed with stars delivered the goods 
cricket	214	and there was plenty of time for the unorthodox   australia tailender glenn mcgrath batted at number six  where he fell for a golden duck 
cricket	214	muttiah muralitharan captured his wicket in overall figures of 3 59 
cricket	214	it was a welcome comeback performance from the sri lankan who had been out injured for five months and who was almost caught up in the 26 december tragedy 
cricket	214	sehwag gave the asian xi a good start as they reached 59 0 in the 10th over 
cricket	214	but wickets regularly tumbled once he fell to a catch in the deep trying to hit warne s second ball for six 
cricket	214	vettori got stuck into the middle order where dravid played a lone hand with only kumar sangakkara   gough s sole victim   providing any meaningful support 
cricket	214	the world xi were further boosted by the presence of steve waugh as a substitute fielder towards the end of the match 
cricket	214	it was all wrapped up in the 40th over with the run out of murali for a duck 
cricket	214	man of the match ponting said   the whole day has been very  very special 
cricket	214	 it s great that the cricket community around the world can play a huge part to raise some money to put a smile on some faces around the world 
cricket	214	  asian xi captain sourav ganguly said   i hope we have contributed in whatever way we can to help the people who have suffered this disaster 
cricket	214	 sourav ganguly  ind capt   sanath jayasuriya  sl   virender sehwag  ind   rahul dravid  ind   yousuf youhana  pak   kumar sangakkara  sl   abdul razzaq  pak   chaminda vaas  sl   zaheer khan  ind   anil kumble  ind   muttiah muralitharan  sl  
cricket	214	alok kapali  ban  12th man  sachin tendulkar  ind  13th man 
cricket	214	ricky ponting  aus capt   matthew hayden  aus   adam gilchrist  aus   stephen fleming  nz   brian lara  wi   chris gayle  wi   chris cairns  nz   shane warne  aus   glenn mcgrath  aus   darren gough  eng   daniel vettori  nz  
cricket	214	dwayne bravo  wi  12th man 
cricket	214	rudi koertzen  sa   billy bowden  nz  
cricket	215	bangladesh delighted at test winbangladeshi players and fans celebrated after the side s historic first test victory  over zimbabwe in chittagong 
cricket	215	thousands of fans  armed with drums and flags  ran into the streets in the capital dhaka within minutes of the end of the game  halting traffic 
cricket	215	 it s the best day in my life 
cricket	215	i won t forget the day i was a member of bangladesh s winning team 
cricket	215	 i don t want to remember those hard days  i only want to think about the victory   said captain habibul bashar 
cricket	215	bangladesh president iajuddin ahmed  prime minister khaleda zia and opposition leader sheikh hasina have all congratulated the team 
cricket	215	the win by 226 runs in chittagong was bangladesh s first test win at their 35th attempt since being granted test status in 2000 
cricket	215	bangladesh managed three draws in their previous 34 matches   two of them against zimbabwe and one against west indies 
cricket	215	bangladesh coach dav whatmore described the victory as  a wonderful feeling  
cricket	215	 you can see the joy and the relief of lots of other people   whatmore told bbc world service 
cricket	215	 we ve taken our share of hammerings in the last year and a half and  putting this win in perspective  there s probably a few more down the track 
cricket	215	 but i sense there s a bit more self belief when they come to play tougher opposition 
cricket	215	 whatmore led sri lanka to victory in the 1996 world cup and said this could not compare 
cricket	215	but he continued   it was important for the whole country that the sport of cricket stand up and show that we re progressing 
cricket	215	 there s been a lot of frustration for a long time here in bangladesh that the team is not pushing the opposition enough 
cricket	215	  the former australia test batsman played down the status of zimbabwe  whose weakened side have just returned from a seven month suspension of their test status 
cricket	215	 yes  our opponents are ranked pretty much near us at the moment so right from the outset that would suggest we had a chance of winning   he added 
cricket	215	 but to actually go out there and do it is another matter 
cricket	215	  zimbabwe captain tatenda taibu  who had made 92 in the first innings  but was dismissed for a duck in the second  was disappointed with the performance 
cricket	215	 there was some bad cricket on our side and good cricket by the bangladeshis   he said 
cricket	215	 our top order batsmen didn t come to the party and we dropped about four to five catches 
cricket	215	  the second and final test of the series against zimbabwe begins on friday in dhaka 
cricket	216	scotland closing in on new coachscotland cricket officials have announced that the team s new coach will be named later this month 
cricket	216	recent press reports indicated that an original short list of four had been reduced to two 
cricket	216	andy moles  currently the kenya coach  and south african peter kirsten are thought to be still in the running 
cricket	216	but cricket scotland spokesman roddy smith declined to name names 
cricket	216	 it s unfair as people are under contract to other people   he said 
cricket	216	moles is thought to have been the preferred choice all along after it was decided the coach s role should be full time 
cricket	216	previous incumbent tony judd chose not to apply for the permanent post because of a club commitment 
cricket	216	smith confirmed that interviews would take place in edinburgh but would not confirm how many candidates there would be 
cricket	216	commenting on the scottish newspaper reports he said   press speculation has not helped 
cricket	216	  
cricket	217	ecb defends england tour schedulethe england and wales cricket board has defended its role in the scheduling of the tour to south africa 
cricket	217	criticism of the itinerary intensified after england s defeat in cape town  the last of three back to back tests 
cricket	217	ecb director of cricket operations john carr said   we raised our eyebrows when he received the first draft from the south african board 
cricket	217	 unfortunately  south africa have got an incredibly condensed programme from last november to the end of may 
cricket	217	  south africa toured india prior to england s arrival and will follow their departure with series against zimbabwe and west indies 
cricket	217	 we need to play seven test matches and 10 one day internationals during the course of the home programme to generate the revenue that helps fund all of english cricket 
cricket	217	 we are expected to reciprocate a similar amount of cricket over the winter months 
cricket	217	 most years we manage that workload in a more acceptable way in terms of when the cricket is played 
cricket	217	 it just so happens that the logistics of international cricket at the moment  and south africa s programme in particular  meant ther whole of our tour had to be condensed into a very narrow period 
cricket	217	 we weren t in a position to demand a reduction in the number of test matches or one day internationals   explained carr 
cricket	217	he acknowledged the schedule was  far from ideal  for the players and said the subject of their workload was  troubling  the various boards around the world 
cricket	217	 we have to hold our hands up  along with the south african board  and say that this winter it hasn t been a satisfactory situation   carr added 
cricket	217	former england opening batsman geoffrey boycott described playing three tests back to back as  madness  and said carr and england coach duncan fletcher should never have agreed to it 
cricket	217	but graham thorpe  at 35 the oldest member of the england test squad  told the bbc there was no point in complaining about the schedule 
cricket	217	 three test matches in three and a half weeks is a tough schedule  there s no doubt about that   he said 
cricket	217	 in the first half of my career i d go on tour and for four or five weeks and i wouldn t do anything bar playing a couple of warm up games 
cricket	217	 this is very different  we re basically playing five test matches with no games in between 
cricket	217	that s the way modern tours are now 
cricket	217	 it s exciting 
cricket	217	the games come thick and fast but there s very little time to find your form 
cricket	217	 it s just a case of having to get on with it 
cricket	217	we all knew how the tour was scheduled 
cricket	217	 it s one all after three test matches 
cricket	217	we ve taken a beating in cape town but there s no reason to be too down about it 
cricket	217	these things happen in sport 
cricket	217	  
cricket	218	batsman law gains uk citizenshipaustralian born batsman stuart law has been granted british citizenship and will be able to play for lancashire as a non overseas player in 2005 
cricket	218	he has played domestic cricket in england for the past nine seasons   six with essex and three with lancashire 
cricket	218	law said   i m glad that it s happened quickly and with no problems 
cricket	218	hopefully it will benefit lancashire 
cricket	218	  law could in theory play for england s test side but he is now 36 and his selection could be a backward step 
cricket	218	that said  his record of 23 000 first class runs  with 68 centuries and at an average of number  could make him a test candidate if there is an injury crisis 
cricket	218	and last april england s chairman of selectors david graveney said   we deal in runs and wickets and he is doing nothing wrong in that respect 
cricket	218	  law played just one test for australia  against sri lanka  when he scored an unbeaten half century in his only innings 
cricket	218	he also appeared in 54 one day internationals 
cricket	219	england need to regroupsouth africa duly levelled the series in mid afternoon when england s unlikely top scorer  steve harmison  was caught in the gully for 42 
cricket	219	england now have three days of relaxation in cape town in which to contemplate their first defeat in 14 matches before heading to johannesburg for the fourth test 
cricket	219	coach duncan fletcher s main problem is that only a handful of players are currently pulling their weight 
cricket	219	of the bowlers  matthew hoggard is plugging away manfully  but he and andrew flintoff appear to be the only seam bowlers michael vaughan feels he can trust at present 
cricket	219	simon jones is bowling steadily enough  yet vaughan seems to bring him on only as a last resort while harmison remains a shadow of the bowler who  until this tour  topped the world rankings 
cricket	219	spinner ashley giles was more consistent in cape town than in the previous test  but rarely looked threatening 
cricket	219	the lack of application of the batsmen  however  has been the principle reason for england having lost their lead 
cricket	219	andrew strauss and marcus trescothick can be excused criticism  but even they would admit that  along with all the others  their wickets have been given away far too easily 
cricket	219	what must really frustrate fletcher is that south africa s bowling attack is little more than workmanlike  and should not have dismissed england for 139 in their first innings in durban and 163 in the first innings here 
cricket	219	on a wearing pitch  they still needed 124 overs to bowl england out a second time  and the last wicket pair of harmison and hoggard were able to add 51 with little difficulty 
cricket	219	at least the news of andrew flintoff s injury is encouraging 
cricket	219	an mri scan revealed that his problem is an abdominal strain  rather than intercostal 
cricket	219	had it been the latter  it would have ended his tour at a stroke  but the belief now is that  with treatment  he should be fit to bowl in johannesburg 
cricket	219	if the injury does not recover in time  england face the nightmare of trying to choose a balanced team 
cricket	219	mark butcher s prognosis does not appear to be as promising 
cricket	219	he is wearing a cast on his left wrist which will be removed next week  but time seems to be running out for him 
cricket	219	neutral observers still believe that england are the better team  but having avoided defeat in durban and scored a resounding victory here  south africa now have the force with them 
cricket	220	sri lanka squad sets off for homesri lanka s cricketers have set off for home after the cancellation of their tour to new zealand 
cricket	220	the decision was taken by the two boards in the wake of the devastating tsunami in south asia which claimed the lives of over 27 000 sri lankans 
cricket	220	 there is a lot of work to be done 
cricket	220	it won t be done in a couple of days   it will take months  maybe years 
cricket	220	 we just need to help them in whatever way we can   vice captain mahela jayawardene said 
cricket	220	sri lanka played only one of a series of five one day internationals in new zealand and two test matches were also called off 
cricket	220	the tour will be rescheduled at a time to be agreed by the two boards 
cricket	220	 the general feeling with everyone is that this was the right thing to do 
cricket	220	cricket is just not important at the moment   said team manager brendon kuruppu 
cricket	220	 no one has been thinking about cricket 
cricket	220	the players have just been staying in their hotel rooms watching everything on television and trying to phone home to get information 
cricket	220	 star spin bowler muttiah muralitharan came within minutes of being caught up in the huge tidal waves which swept across the sri lankan coastline at galle 
cricket	220	he is still recuperating from shoulder surgery 
cricket	220	 i missed the wave by 20 minutes 
cricket	220	i had only just left galle so i am very luck to be alive   he told the sydney morning herald newspaper 
cricket	220	new zealand cricket  meanwhile  have agreed to allow the world vision charity to raise funds through their website 
cricket	220	they also plan to donate nz 1  £number  for every ticket sold for their twenty20 match against australia on 17 february to the disaster appeal 
cricket	220	the kiwi players will also be donating signed shirts they wear for the game in auckland for auction 
cricket	221	sri lanka decide to continue toursri lanka are to continue their cricket tour to new zealand after a five day period of mourning for those killed by the tidal waves in south asia 
cricket	221	the death toll is now at around 23 000  almost half of them sri lankans  and many more are still missing 
cricket	221	 cricket is not the thing on our minds at the moment   said team manager brendon kuruppu 
cricket	221	wednesday s game in napier has been postponed but the sri lankan board decided the tour should go on 
cricket	221	the one day series will now resume on 2 january in queenstown 
cricket	221	the match in napier will now be played on 11 january and the test series  which was due to begin on the 15th  will also be rescheduled 
cricket	221	 new zealand cricket has great compassion for the people of sri lanka and what they have suffered during this terrible time   said nzc chief executive martin snedden 
cricket	221	 it is testament to the strong relationship between the two boards that they have worked together to quickly find a workable solution 
cricket	221	  john bracewell  coach of the new zealand team  said his players had been deeply moved by the disaster and their thoughts were with the sri lankan squad 
cricket	221	 it s a shock to everyone and our sympathies do go out to them   he said 
cricket	221	 i ve no doubt our guys will talk to their guys about it 
cricket	221	it s pretty rough 
cricket	221	  the sri lanka under 19 team s tour to pakistan has been postponed 
cricket	221	 we can understand that in their current state of affairs they are in no position to play a cricket series   said pakistan cricket board chairman shaharyar khan 
cricket	221	the indian and australian women s teams will  however  play a one day match in madras as planned on tuesday 
cricket	222	ecb reveals county one day revampthe england and wales cricket board has announced major structural changes to two domestic one day competitionsbut the board has resisted calls to cut the number of four day games  with the county championship format unchanged 
cricket	222	from 2006  the 50 over c g trophy will be divided into two conferences with scotland and ireland added 
cricket	222	it will be played in the first half of the season  with an august final  while the totesport league will occupy the end of the summer  in a 40 over format 
cricket	222	however  the scottish saltires  who have finished bottom in two seasons in division two  will be removed from the competition after 2005 
cricket	222	the nine teams in each totesport league division will play each other just once   either home or away   with automatic two up and two down promotion and relegation spots 
cricket	222	the third placed team in division two will host the seventh placed team in division one in a one off match to decide the final top flight berth 
cricket	222	an expansion of the twenty20 cup was already planned for 2005  and the ecb is to explore adding two further foreign teams in the future 
cricket	222	first class forum chairman mike soper headed the working party responsible for the changes  after initial suggestions by the ecb were rejected by county bosses 
cricket	222	 i am extremely pleased with the outcome of this report which was unanimously acclaimed at the recent fcf meeting   he said 
cricket	222	 we will now have a strong competition in the c g trophy which reflects international cricket 
cricket	222	 our highly successful twenty20 competition will have a 40 over competition immediately following it 
cricket	222	  following a model set in australia and south africa  the england a team will face touring sides each summer  either playing two first class matches or a combination of four  and one day games 
cricket	223	ireland happy with new c g formatireland will be guaranteed nine c g trophy matches from 2006 when the competition changes from straight knock out to a league format 
cricket	223	and skipper jason molins said the new structure was a great boost to the development of irish cricket 
cricket	223	 it is something we have been pushing for 
cricket	223	we need to play more often as a unit and against better opposition   said the irish captain 
cricket	223	 the opportunity to play this sort of cricket is really exciting 
cricket	223	  the new competition will be played in the first half of the season  apart from the final  and ireland will be in the southern conference with nine first class counties 
cricket	223	scotland have been invited to take part in the northern section 
cricket	223	 world cricket at the moment is eight or nine tams playing one day internationals   added molins 
cricket	223	 if ireland want to aspire to that level we have got to be playing more one day matches against good teams 
cricket	223	 irish cricket has invested heavily in a national coach and chief executive 
cricket	223	we need to be playing more games 
cricket	223	 ireland have a lot of young players coming through and this will help give them a platform and more profile 
cricket	223	   as part of ireland  191 s preparation for the icc trophy in july   the irish cricket union have secured a fixture against the current english county champions warwickshire 
cricket	223	the match will be played at edgbaston on sunday 24 april 
cricket	224	pakistan urged to show more fightthe head of the pakistan cricket board has warned the national team they are playing for their places in the two remaining tests in australia 
cricket	224	pakistan suffered a 491 run thrashing in perth  where they were bowled out for just 72 in their second innings 
cricket	224	 pakistan is a proud cricket nation and we want some continuity in the team 
cricket	224	 but if the current lot can t pick themselves up we will look at our reserve talent for future tours   said pcb chairman shaharyar khan 
cricket	224	 we know that under new coach bob woolmer  the players need time to adjust to a new system and method 
cricket	224	 but we at least expect them to put up a good fight   he added 
cricket	224	a crowd of about 150  meanwhile burnt effigies of woolmer  captain inzamam ul haq  vice captain yousuf youhana and chief selector wasim bari in karachi on tuesday 
cricket	224	and former coach javed miandad has renewed his criticism of woolmer  who took charge of the team only six months ago 
cricket	224	 the team has some talented players and all they need is to make minor adjustments to their techniques and play with heart on australian wickets 
cricket	224	 but i think the coach also needs to stop blaming the players and making excuses for every poor performance 
cricket	224	 woolmer is a highly regarded coach and he needs to back his players and give them confidence at all times 
cricket	224	  pakistan have lost four of the six tests they have played so far this year 
cricket	224	the second test against australia begins in melbourne on sunday 
football	225	man utd stroll to cup winwayne rooney made a winning return to everton as manchester united cruised into the fa cup quarter finals 
football	225	rooney received a hostile reception  but goals in each half from quinton fortune and cristiano ronaldo silenced the jeers at goodison park 
football	225	fortune headed home after 23 minutes before ronaldo scored when nigel martyn parried paul scholes  free kick 
football	225	marcus bent missed everton s best chance when roy carroll  who was later struck by a missile  saved at his feet 
football	225	rooney s return was always going to be a potential flashpoint  and he was involved in an angry exchange with a spectator even before kick off 
football	225	and rooney s every touch was met with a deafening chorus of jeers from the crowd that once idolised the 19 year old 
football	225	everton started brightly and fortune needed to be alert to scramble away a header from bent near the goal line 
football	225	but that was the cue for united to take complete control with a supreme passing display on a goodison park pitch that was cutting up 
football	225	fortune gave united the lead after 23 minutes  rising to meet ronaldo s cross from eight yards after the portuguese youngster had been allowed too much time and space by the hapless gary naysmith 
football	225	united dominated without creating too many clear cut chances  and they almost paid the price for not making the most of their domination two minutes before half time 
football	225	mikel arteta played a superb ball into the area but bent  played onside by gabriel heintze  hesitated and carroll plunged at his fee to save 
football	225	united almost doubled their lead after 48 minutes when ronaldo s low drive from 25 yards took a deflection off tony hibbert  but martyn dived to save brilliantly 
football	225	and martyn came to everton s rescue three minutes later when rooney s big moment almost arrived as he raced clean through  but once again the veteran keeper was in outstanding form 
football	225	but there was nothing martyn could do when united doubled their lead after 57 minutes as they doubled their advantage 
football	225	scholes  free kick took a deflection  and martyn could only parry the ball out for ronaldo  who reacted first to score easily 
football	225	everton s problems worsened when james mcfadden limped off with an injury 
football	225	and there may be further trouble ahead for everton after goalkeeper carroll required treatment after he was struck on the head by a missile thrown from behind the goal 
football	225	rooney s desperate search for a goal on his return to everton was halted again by martyn in injury time when he outpaced stubbs  but once again martyn denied the england striker 
football	225	  manchester united coach sir alex ferguson   it was a fantastic performance by us 
football	225	in fairness i think everton have missed a couple of players and got some young players out 
football	225	 the boy ronaldo is a fantastic player 
football	225	he s persistent and never gives in 
football	225	 i don t know how many fouls he had he gets up and wants the ball again  he s truly a fabulous player 
football	225	  everton  martyn  hibbert  yobo  stubbs  naysmith  osman  carsley  arteta  kilbane  mcfadden  bent 
football	225	subs  wright  pistone  weir  plessis  vaughan 
football	225	manchester united  carroll  gary neville  brown  ferdinand  heinze  ronaldo  phil neville  keane  scholes  fortune  rooney 
football	225	subs  howard  giggs  smith  miller  spector 
football	225	referee  r styles  hampshire  
football	226	van nistelrooy set to returnmanchester united striker ruud van nistelrooy may make his comeback after an achilles tendon injury in the fa cup fifth round tie at everton on saturday 
football	226	he has been out of action for nearly three months and had targeted a return in the champions league tie with ac milan on 23 february 
football	226	but manchester united manager sir alex ferguson hinted he may be back early 
football	226	he said   there is a chance he could be involved at everton but we ll just have to see how he comes through training 
football	226	  the 28 year old has been training in holland and ferguson said   ruud comes back on tuesday and we need to assess how far on he is 
football	226	 the training he has been doing in holland has been perfect and i am very satisfied with it 
football	226	  even without van nistelrooy  united made it 13 wins in 15 league games with a 2 0 derby victory at manchester city on sunday 
football	226	but they will be boosted by the return of the dutch international  who is the club s top scorer this season with 12 goals 
football	226	he has not played since aggravating the injury in the 3 0 win against west brom on 27 november 
football	226	ferguson was unhappy with van nistelrooy for not revealing he was carrying an injury 
football	226	united have also been hit by injuries to both alan smith and louis saha during van nistelrooy s absence  meaning wayne rooney has sometimes had to play in a lone role up front 
football	226	the teenager has responded with six goals in nine games  including the first goal against city on sunday 
football	227	moyes u turn on beattie dismissaleverton manager david moyes will discipline striker james beattie after all for his headbutt on chelsea defender william gallas 
football	227	the scot initially defended beattie  whose dismissal put everton on the back foot in a game they ultimately lost 1 0  saying gallas overreacted 
football	227	but he has had a rethink after looking over the video evidence again 
football	227	he said   i believe that i should set the record straight by conceding that the dismissal was right and correct 
football	227	  moyes added   my comments on saturday came immediately after the final whistle and at a point when i had only had the opportunity to see one  very quick re run of the incident 
football	227	 the club website also reported that beattie  who seemed unrepentant after saturday s match  insisting gallas  would have stayed down a lot longer  if he had headbutted him  has now apologised 
football	227	moyes continued   although the incident was totally out of character   james has never even been suspended before in his career   his actions were unacceptable and had a detrimental effect on his team mates 
football	227	 james did issue a formal apology to myself  his team mates and to the everton supporters immediately after the game and that was the right thing to have done 
football	227	he will now be subjected to the normal club discipline 
football	227	 he is a competitive player but a fair player and i know how upset he is by what has happened 
football	227	however  i must say that i do still believe the chelsea player in question did go down too easily 
football	227	  speaking immediately after the game  moyes said   i don t think it was a sending off  i have been a centre half in my time and i would have been ashamed to have gone down as easily as that 
football	227	 not in a million years would john terry have gone down in the same way 
football	227	i have never heard of anybody butting somebody from behind while you are running after them 
football	227	 what has happened to big  strong centre halves  i thought it was a push initially and i still don t think it was a sending off 
football	227	  an angry beattie initially said   he  gallas  would have stayed down a lot longer if i had headbutted him 
football	227	 i can tell you it wasn t an intentional headbutt 
football	227	we were chasing a ball into the corner and william gallas was looking over his shoulder and blocking me off 
football	227	 he was stopping as we were running and i said to myself  if you re going to stay in my way i ll go straight over you  
football	227	our heads barely touched and it wasn t an intentional headbutt 
football	227	  
football	228	ronaldo considering new contractmanchester united winger cristiano ronaldo said he is close to agreeing to a new contract at old trafford 
football	228	the portugal star  who joined in august 2003 on a five year deal  is a regular in the united first team 
football	228	 the united board have already made an offer to renew the contract but i m trying not to think about it   he told the news of the world 
football	228	 my agent has spoken with the club and it will be resolved soon 
football	228	i think we ll reach a good agreement for both sides 
football	228	  ronaldo refused to commit his long term future to the club 
football	228	 nobody knows what will come tomorrow 
football	228	i like being here  but who knows   he added 
football	228	 there aren t many bigger and better clubs than this one 
football	228	it s my ambition to be at a big club 
football	228	i m happy but nobody knows the future 
football	228	  
football	229	smith keen on home series returnscotland manager walter smith has given his backing to the reinstatement of the home international series 
football	229	such a plan is to be proposed by the new chief executive of the northern irish fa  howard wells  at the next meeting of the four home countries 
football	229	the english fa has expressed doubt as to whether the fixtures could be accommodated at the end of each season 
football	229	but smith said   bringing it back would add meaning to friendly games and that s something that s needed 
football	229	  the home international series was done away with in 1984  with the traditional scotland england fixture continuing until 1989 
football	229	that game is one smith would be delighted to see reinstated 
football	229	 the scotland v england match was a highlight of the end of the season   he added 
football	229	 i was in italy for their friendly with russia last week and they made seven substitutions while only around 20 000 fans turned up to watch 
football	229	 england were criticised for the 0 0 draw against holland   the way scotland were slammed in the past for poor results in friendlies 
football	229	 you have to put a performance on in friendly games 
football	229	if you don t  they can be de motivating 
football	229	 it can be a dangerous road to go down  if players don t apply themselves in the manner they should 
football	229	 so i would support the return of the home internationals   the only problem would be fitting them in to the fixture schedule 
football	229	  
football	230	mido makes third apologyahmed  mido  hossam has made another apology to the egyptian people in an attempt to rejoin the national team 
football	230	the 21 year old told a news conference in cairo on sunday that he is sorry for the problems that have led to his exclusion from the pharaohs since july last year 
football	230	mido said   there isn t much i have to say today  all there is to say is that i came specially from england to egypt to rejoin the national team and to apologise for all my mistakes 
football	230	  mido was axed by former coach marco tardelli after failing to answer a national call up  claiming he had a groin injury 
football	230	but he then played in a friendly for his club as roma within 24 hours of a world cup qualifying match at home to cameroon last september 
football	230	mido added   it s not my right to give orders and say when i want to play 
football	230	at the same time i will always make sure that i put the national s team s matches as my top priority 
football	230	 i feel that the national players are playing with a new spirit as i saw them play against belgium  egypt won 4 0 on wednesday  and i simply want to add to their success 
football	230	 i do confess that i was rude to the egyptian press at times but now i have gained more experience and know that i will never go anywhere without the press s support 
football	230	 many of the international stars like david beckham and  zinedine  zidane had the press opposing them 
football	230	 so i m now used to the fact that the press can be against me at times and i don t have to overreact when this happens 
football	230	meanwhile  egypt fa spokesman methat shalaby welcomed the apology and said no one had exerted pressure on mido to apologise 
football	230	 mido s apology today does not negatively affect mido in anyway  on the contrary it makes him a bigger star and a role model for all football players   shalaby said 
football	230	shalaby earlier said that after an apology mido would be available for the national side if coach hassan shehata chose him 
football	230	mido joined tottenham in an 18 month loan deal near the end of the january transfer window  scoring twice on his debut against portsmouth 
football	231	man city 0 2 man utdmanchester united reduced chelsea s premiership lead to nine points after a scrappy victory over manchester city 
football	231	wayne rooney met gary neville s cross to the near post with a low shot  which went in via a deflection off richard dunne  to put united ahead 
football	231	seven minutes later  the unfortunate dunne hooked a volley over david james  head and into his own net 
football	231	steve mcmanaman wasted city s best chance when he shot wide from three yards in the first half 
football	231	in the opening 45 minutes united had looked unlikely to earn the win they needed to maintain any chance of catching chelsea in the title race 
football	231	their approach play was more laboured than patient and they managed to fashion just one chance   a paul scholes header over the bar 
football	231	and city seemed to be content to sit back and try and hit their rivals on the break as the game settled into a tepid pattern 
football	231	only shaun wright phillips appeared capable of interrupting the monotony  looking lively down the right and causing gabriel heinze problems 
football	231	wes brown also found wright phillips to be a difficult opponent when the tricky winger embarrassed him near the touchline 
football	231	wright phillips  sublime skill and pace took him past brown and he delivered a pin point centre to the feet of mcmanaman 
football	231	but the former liverpool player demonstrated why he has never scored against united by side footing the easy chance wide 
football	231	john o shea was forced off after an earlier clash with sylvain distin and cristiano ronaldo came on to replace him 
football	231	he immediately caused ben thatcher some discomfort and looked set to inject some much needed pace into the united attack 
football	231	rooney was being well marshalled by dunne   but that was all about to change 
football	231	after the break  united poured forward and there was a renewed urgency about their play 
football	231	and when neville delivered a cross in a carbon copy of city s best first half chance  rooney showed mcmanaman how to do it   even if he needed the help of dunne s leg 
football	231	worse was to come for dunne  who had been having a fine match 
football	231	on 75 minutes  he scored a horrible own goal when attempting to volley clear rooney s cross and united seemed home and dry 
football	231	however  city did fight back and fowler missed another great chance from close range 
football	231	and united keeper roy carroll saved well from kiki musampa 
football	231	but united could have a had a third late on when substitute ryan giggs hit the post 
football	231	  manchester city boss kevin keegan   we had a great chance to take the lead and the first goal was always going to be crucial 
football	231	 we started off with a good tempo but then we allowed them to dictate the pace a bit too much 
football	231	 but we still had four good chances  two after we d gone 2 0 down  the one mcmanaman missed was very similar to the one wayne rooney scored from 
football	231	     manchester united boss sir alex ferguson   it wasn t our best performance of the last three months but i think we re deserved winners 
football	231	 at times  especially in the first half  we didn t play with enough speed 
football	231	but with  cristiano  ronaldo and  ryan  giggs on  the speed improved 
football	231	 derby games can be like that  they can be scrappy  dull  horrible and it was maybe like that 
football	231	  man city  james  mills  bradley wright phillips 83   dunne  distin  thatcher  shaun wright phillips  barton  macken 68   sibierski  mcmanaman  musampa  fowler 
football	231	subs not used  weaver  onuoha  flood 
football	231	booked  fowler  sibierski 
football	231	man utd  carroll  gary neville  ferdinand  brown  heinze  o shea  ronaldo 33   keane  fortune  fletcher  giggs 64   rooney  scholes  phil neville 84  
football	231	subs not used  howard  bellion 
football	231	booked  rooney  scholes  keane 
football	231	goals  rooney 68  dunne 75 og 
football	231	att  47 111 ref  s bennett  kent  
football	232	gerrard plays down european hopessteven gerrard has admitted that liverpool have little chance of winning the champions league this season 
football	232	the 24 year old reds skipper spoke out ahead of tuesday s first leg at home to bayer leverkusen in the last 16  which he will miss through suspension 
football	232	 let s be realistic  there are some fantastic teams left in the champions league   he told bbc radio five live 
football	232	 we are just going to try to stay in as long as possible but we realise that maybe it is not our year this year 
football	232	  gerrard has made no secret of his desire to be involved in europe s premier club competition 
football	232	last season he described qualification for the champions league as the  be all and end all    and rumours persist that he will leave anfield if the reds fail to secure a place in the competition 
football	232	he has consistently been linked with a move away from liverpool  with chelsea the favourites to snap up the england midfielder 
football	232	and blues boss jose mourinho backed gerrard s view that rafael benitez s team could struggle to progress this season 
football	232	 rafa has still time in front of him to build an even better team  maybe he s a little bit behind  right now    he told bbc radio five live 
football	232	gerrard  who fired liverpool into the last 16 of this season s competition with a brilliant goal in december s win over olympiakos  insisted he was still fully focused on helping liverpool to glory this season 
football	232	the reds are currently fifth in the premiership table  five points off the crucial fourth spot  which brings champions league qualification   and they face chelsea in sunday s carling cup final 
football	232	 it s big couple of months for liverpool   he added 
football	232	 we re fighting for the fourth spot for the champions league for next season but we are still involved in two cup competitions  which are very important 
football	232	 we are confident we can upset chelsea in the carling cup final and get to the last eight of the champions league because  financially  it is big for the club and  personally for myself  it is very good 
football	232	  
football	233	duff ruled out of barcelona clashchelsea s damien duff has been ruled out of wednesday s champions league clash with barcelona at the nou camp 
football	233	duff sustained a knee injury in the fa cup defeat at newcastle and manager jose mourinho said   he cannot run 
football	233	his injury is very painful  so he is out 
football	233	  but mourinho has revealed defender willian gallas and striker didier drogba will be in the starting line up 
football	233	the blues boss took the unusual step of naming his side a day before the match  with jole cole named in midfield 
football	233	mourinho said   we have one more session but i think drogba will play  and gallas will play 
football	233	 drogba trained on monday with no problems and will do the same on tuesday 
football	233	gallas feels he can play and wants to play 
football	233	we are protecting him still but he will be okay to play 
football	233	  drogba  chelsea s £24m striker  has missed the last three weeks through injury 
football	233	cech  ferreira  carvalho  terry  gallas  tiago  makelele  lampard  cole  drogba  gudjohnsen 
football	234	chelsea clinch cup in extra time after extra time   score at 90 mins 1 1 john arne riise volleyed liverpool ahead after 45 seconds but steven gerrard scored a 79th minute own goal 
football	234	blues boss jose mourinho was sent off for taunting liverpool fans after the goal and he watched on television as his side went on to win the game 
football	234	drogba and kezman scored from close range before antonio nunez s header made for a tense finale 
football	234	it was an amazing climax which gave mourinho his first silverware as chelsea manager 
football	234	yet it was controversial too  after mourinho s sending off  apparently for putting his finger to his lips to hush the liverpool fans 
football	234	there was no hushing them after the extraordinary opening in which the reds took a stunning lead inside the first minute 
football	234	riise could not have connected any better with morientes  cross as he smashed a left foot volley past petr cech 
football	234	the goal  the quickest ever in a league cup final  stunned a blues side whose previously rock solid confidence had been shaken by consecutive losses to newcastle and barcelona in the previous week 
football	234	the blues  attacking chances were limited  and jerzy dudek was equal to frank lampard s powerfully struck drive and drogba s low shot 
football	234	despite their frustration  chelsea began to dominate midfield without seriously threatening to break liverpool s well organised defence 
football	234	joe cole had a shot blocked and a promising damien duff break was halted by a good tackle from djimi traore  but the reds reached half time without any major scares 
football	234	the blues began the second half with more urgency and pegged liverpool back 
football	234	nevertheless  liverpool were living dangerously and they needed a fantastic double save from dudek on 54 minutes  first at full stretch from gudjohnsen s header  then to smother william gallas  follow up 
football	234	and despite chelsea s possession  it was liverpool who fashioned the next clear opportunity as luis garcia fed dietmar hamann whose shot forced a superb save from cech 
football	234	and the blues  increasingly adventurous approach saw liverpool earn another chance on the break on 75 minutes as paulo ferreira denied gerrard with a last ditch tackle 
football	234	but gerrard was on the scoresheet minutes later   in the most unfortunate fashion   as he inadvertently deflected ferrerira s free kick past his own keeper and in off the post to bring chelsea level 
football	234	that prompted mourinho s reaction which saw him sent off  but chelsea still pressed and duff had a chance to win the game with seven minutes remaining 
football	234	dudek saved bravely at the irishman s feet  while milan baros shot wildly at the other end to ensure extra time 
football	234	drogba almost headed chelsea in front two minutes into extra time but the striker saw the ball rebound off the post 
football	234	but seconds after the half time interval  drogba made no mistake  picking the ball up from glen johnson s long throw inside the six yard box and sidefooting home 
football	234	and kezman appeared to have made the game safe as he netted from close range after gudjohnsen s cross in the 110th minute 
football	234	there was still drama as nunez beat cech to a high ball with six minutes remaining to head his side level  but despite liverpool s desperate attacks  chelsea clung on to win 
football	234	dudek  finnan  carragher  hyypia  traore  biscan 67   luis garcia  gerrard  hamann  riise  kewell  nunez 56   morientes  baros 74  
football	234	subs not used  pellegrino  carson 
football	234	hyypia  traore  hamann  carragher 
football	234	riise 1  nunez 113 
football	234	cech  paulo ferreira  ricardo carvalho  terry  gallas  kezman 74   jarosik  gudjohnsen 45   lampard  makelele  cole  johnson 81   drogba  duff 
football	234	subs not used  pidgeley  tiago 
football	234	lampard  kezman  drogba  duff 
football	234	gerrard 79 og  drogba 107  kezman number 000s bennett  kent  
football	235	newcastle 2 1 boltonkieron dyer smashed home the winner to end bolton s 10 game unbeaten run 
football	235	lee bowyer put newcastle ahead when he fed stephen carr on the right flank  then sprinted into the area to power home a header from the resultant cross 
football	235	wanderers hit back through stelios giannakopoulos  who ended a fluid passing move with a well struck volley 
football	235	but dyer had the last word in a game of few chances  pouncing on a loose ball after alan shearer s shot was blocked and firing into the top corner 
football	235	neither side lacked urgency in the early stages of the game  with plenty of tackles flying in  but opportunities in front of goal were harder to come by 
football	235	bolton keeper jussi jaaskelainen had to make two saves in quick succession midway through the first half   keeping out shearer s low shot and dyer s close range header   but that was the only goalmouth action of note 
football	235	and it was almost out of nothing that the magpies took the lead on 35 minutes 
football	235	bowyer found space with a neat turn on the half way line and striding forward picked out carr to his right 
football	235	he then continued his run and with perfect timing made his way into the box where he met carr s cross with a downward header into the far corner 
football	235	bolton had produced little going forward at this point but they responded well 
football	235	they were level within six minutes thanks to a smart finish from giannakopoulos 
football	235	jay jay okocha twisted and turned on the edge of the area and after a neat exchange of passes involving kevin davies and gary speed  the greek striker found the bottom corner with a first time strike 
football	235	the magpies were opened up again before half time as davies set giannakopoulos in space and given had to block at his near post 
football	235	but the home side survived  and they should have re taken the lead with the first meaningful attack of the second half 
football	235	fernando hierro cynically chopped down dyer on the edge of the area with the midfielder clean through 
football	235	but the veteran defender escaped with a booking as there were other defenders nearby  and from the resultant free kick laurent robert curled the ball just wide 
football	235	bolton were creating little going forward and they seemed content to frustrate the magpies 
football	235	their strategy seemed to be working until the 69th minute 
football	235	alan shearer s snap shot was charged down and dyer reacted first to smash the ball past the despairing jaaskelainen from six yards 
football	235	  bolton boss sam allardyce  i am bitterly disappointed with the result  but i am probably more disappointed with the second half performance 
football	235	 in the first half we had put them under a lot of pressure  and our goal matched theirs in quality 
football	235	 i thought it would lift us and that they might be tired after playing a lot of games  but unfortunately we were not up for the battle in the second half 
football	235	 we allowed them to heap too much pressure on us  and in the end we cracked 
football	235	     newcastle boss graeme souness  we deserved the win 
football	235	we had a really good second half 
football	235	 bolton are a difficult side to play 
football	235	you have to match them physically first but we did that  and then we played some football 
football	235	 we had a slow first 45 minutes when we looked a bit tired but we got going after that 
football	235	the scoreline flattered them and we could have had one or two more goals 
football	235	  newcastle  given  carr  boumsong  bramble  babayaro  dyer  faye  bowyer  robert  jenas 77   ameobi  shearer 
football	235	subs not used  butt  harper  milner  hughes 
football	235	goals  bowyer 35  dyer 69 
football	235	bolton  jaaskelainen  hunt  fadiga 14   n gotty  ben haim  candela  giannakopoulos  okocha  vaz te 77   hierro  campo 64   speed  gardner  davies 
football	235	subs not used  jaidi  poole 
football	235	booked  ben haim  hierro 
football	235	goals  giannakopoulos 41 
football	235	att  50 430 ref  s dunn  gloucestershire  
football	236	middlesbrough 2 2 charltona late header by teenager danny graham earned middlesbrough a battling draw with charlton at the riverside 
football	236	matt holland had put the visitors ahead in the 14th minute after his shot took a deflection off franck queudrue 
football	236	but middlesbrough peppered the charlton goal after the break and chris riggott stroked home the equaliser 
football	236	shaun bartlett s strike put charlton back in front but that lead lasted just six minutes before graham rushed onto queudrue s pass to head home 
football	236	the match burst to life from the whistle and charlton defender hermann hreidarsson had sight of an open goal after just six minutes 
football	236	hreidarsson received danny murphy s free kick from the right but he crashed his free header wide of the far post 
football	236	the iceland international looked such a danger the boro bench could be heard issuing frantic instructions to mark him 
football	236	charlton s early pressure paid off when bartlett received a long ball from talal el karkouri in the box and laid it off to holland who buried his right footed strike 
football	236	szilard nemeth  recalled in place of joseph desire job  was twice denied his chance to get middlesbrough back on level terms by dean kiely 
football	236	the striker played a great one two with jimmy floyd hasselbaink only to see kiely get down well to smother his shot before directing a header straight into the keeper s arms 
football	236	boro had plenty of time on the ball but the addicks comfortably mopped up the pressure   with kiely tipping a hasselbaink header over the bar   to take their lead into half time 
football	236	it was all one way traffic after the break at the riverside as middlesbrough poured forward and kiely even saved hreidarsson s blushes when he palmed the ball away to prevent a charlton own goal 
football	236	but the addicks keeper could do nothing about riggott s equaliser in the 74th minute 
football	236	the boro defender looked suspiciously offside as he got on the end of gareth southgate s misdirected effort  but despite the charlton protests his goal stood 
football	236	the addicks did not let their heads drop and bartlett left the boro defence standing  picking up hreidarsson s cross to easily sink his right footed strike 
football	236	but substitute graham was on hand to grab a share of the points for the home side 
football	236	the 19 year old striker nodding home the equaliser   and his first premiership goal   with five minutes left on the clock 
football	236	 i felt we did enough to win the game even though the first half was lacklustre 
football	236	 we dominated after the break  the players showed a fantastic response and we should have gone on to win 
football	236	 but for  charlton goalkeeper  dean kiely  who made three tremendous saves  we could have scored five or six 
football	236	  to take the lead and then to get penned back  it feels a little bit like a defeat   admitted kiely 
football	236	 we were winning but middlesbrough kept knocking on the door 
football	236	but we stood up and credit to us we didn t capitulate 
football	236	 we ll kick on now 
football	236	our short term ambition is to progress from the seventh place finish from last year 
football	236	 nash  reiziger  graham 82   riggott  southgate  queudrue  parlour  job 86   doriva  nemeth  parnaby 87   zenden  downing  hasselbaink 
football	236	subs not used  cooper  knight 
football	236	riggott 74  graham 86 
football	236	kiely  hreidarsson  perry  el karkouri  young  konchesky  murphy  euell 78   holland  kishishev  thomas  johansson 72   bartlett 
football	236	subs not used  fish  jeffers  andersen 
football	236	konchesky  hreidarsson  perry 
football	236	holland 14  bartlett number 603m riley  w yorkshire  
football	237	dundee utd 4 1 aberdeendundee united eased into the semi final of the scottish cup with an emphatic win over aberdeen 
football	237	alan archibald prodded united ahead in 19 minutes and james grady made it two from close range 10 minutes later 
football	237	richie byrne s header gave aberdeen a way back into the game  but stevie crawford restored united s lead from 18 yards before half time 
football	237	the scoring was completed by grady just after the break   a superb shot on the turn making it 4 1 
football	237	tony bullock in the united goal was called into action for the first time with just over a quarter of an hour on the clock 
football	237	noel whelan laid the ball off to jamie winter on the edge of the box  but his first time effort was gathered by the united keeper 
football	237	moments later though  the home side took the lead 
football	237	barry robson whipped in a free kick from the right  which stevie crawford caught on the volley 
football	237	russell anderson failed to deal with it and whelan s clearance off the line landed kindly at the feet of archibald  who poked the ball into the net 
football	237	united doubled their lead after 29 minutes when grady tapped the ball into an empty net after robson had headed mark wilson s cross off the angle of post and bar 
football	237	but only three minutes later aberdeen clawed their way back into the match 
football	237	a free kick from the left by winter was met powerfully by the head of byrne at the back post  leaving bullock helpless 
football	237	united restored their two goal lead four minutes before the end of a highly entertaining first half 
football	237	jason scotland played a perfectly weighted pass into the path of the onrushing crawford and he coolly beat ryan esson from 18 yards 
football	237	united ended the game as a contest just two minutes after the interval 
football	237	grady received a pass from crawford with his back to goal on the edge of the box and after taking one touch  he spun to volley the ball past the despairing dive of esson 
football	237	the home side were in complete control and it required a good stop from esson to keep out robson s drive after 62 minutes 
football	237	the keeper denied the same player again 10 minutes later  beating away his fierce shot from the left of the penalty area 
football	237	robson saw another long range effort tipped round the post before a cute lob was headed off the line 
football	237	bullock  duff  wilson  ritchie  archibald  scotland  samuel 63   brebner  kerr  cameron 87   robson  crawford  grady 
football	237	colgan  dodds  kenneth 
football	237	brebner 
football	237	archibald 19  grady 29  crawford 41  grady 47 
football	237	esson  hart  anderson  diamond  byrne  morrison 75   mcnaughton  heikkinen  foster 27   winter  clark  stewart 51   mackie  whelan 
football	237	blanchard  mcguire 
football	237	  anderson  diamond 
football	237	byrne number 661k clark 
football	238	clyde 0 5 celticceltic brushed aside clyde to secure their place in the scottish cup semi final  but only after a nervy and testing first half 
football	238	the home side s craig bryson had a goal chopped off before stan varga headed celtic into the lead 
football	238	alan thompson scored from the penalty spot at the start of the second half after shaun maloney had been fouled 
football	238	stilian petrov slid in a third  varga tapped in his second and craig bellamy completed the rout with a fine drive 
football	238	bryn halliwell was the busier keeper early on  saving from bellamy  chris sutton and juninho 
football	238	clyde had the ball in the net after half an hour through a tremendous strike from bryson  but the referee had already blown for a foul by petrov 
football	238	from the resulting free kick  darren sheridan curled the ball round the celtic wall only for the post to deny him 
football	238	back at the other end  halliwell did well to come off his line and block bellamy s effort to lift the ball over him 
football	238	the keeper misjudged a corner that stephane henchoz headed wide  but a similar scenario five minutes before the break led to the opening goal 
football	238	the ball was delivered from the left and halliwell was left floundering as varga glanced the ball into the net 
football	238	maloney replaced the injured sutton at half time and he marked his first competitive appearance after a year out injured by helping his side take a two goal lead just after the break 
football	238	the young striker fired a free kick straight into the clyde wall but as he collected the rebound  he was tripped by bryson and thompson converted the penalty 
football	238	sheridan and bellamy were involved in something of a flare up that led to both being booked after the intervention of the assistant referee 
football	238	juninho brought out another good save from halliwell and then petrov saw a tremendous effort come off the top of the bar 
football	238	but petrov and juninho combined brilliantly to allow the bulgarian to make it 3 0 on the hour mark   a quick one two giving him the time and space to steer the ball past halliwell from 12 yards 
football	238	varga got his second goal of the game as celtic drove home their advantage   thompson whipped in a corner from the right and the unmarked defender simply tapped the ball over the line from a couple of yards out 
football	238	celtic were utterly dominant by this stage and bellamy opened his scoring account for the club after a fine move involving aiden mcgeady  jackie mcnamara and maloney culminated in the welshman hammering the ball into the net 
football	238	halliwell kept the deficit at five by pushing a mcgeady shot wide as the game petered out 
football	238	halliwell  mensing  bollan  balmer  potter  sheridan  burns 61   arbuckle  gilhaney 61   gibson  bryson  jones 78   malone  harty 
football	238	morrison  wilson 
football	238	mensing  sheridan 
football	238	douglas  henchoz  mcnamara  balde  varga  juninho paulista  thompson  lennon  lambert 70   sutton  maloney 45   petrov  mcgeady 70   bellamy 
football	238	marshall  laursen 
football	238	thompson  bellamy 
football	238	  varga 40  thompson 48 pen  petrov 60  varga 68  bellamy number 200c thomson 
football	239	hearts 2 1 livingstonhearts wrapped up their scottish cup quarter final tie against livingston with two goals in the first 10 minutes 
football	239	lee miller scored inside the opening 60 seconds  heading over colin meldrum and into the net from a jamie mcallister free kick 
football	239	mcallister himself scored the second when he met saul mikoliunas  cross at the back post to put the game beyond the visitors 
football	239	craig easton headed in a controversial goal after an hour but hearts held on 
football	239	the opening goal came after gus bahoken had clumsily fouled miller 35 yards from goal 
football	239	mcallister floated the free kick into the livi box and miller outjumped the static visiting defence to loop his header from 10 yards over meldrum 
football	239	with just 10 minutes on the clock  the home side doubled their lead 
football	239	mikoliunas sprinted down the right  crossed to the back post where mcallister raced in to head past meldrum 
football	239	moments later miller came close to grabbing his second with a first time drive from 16 yards  which skimmed the bar 
football	239	then mcallister picked up a pass from stephen simmons and drove an angled shot from 20 yards narrowly past meldrum s far post 
football	239	the impressive mikoliunas twice went close before half time   a low drive was comfortably gathered by meldrum and then he curled a left footed shot past the keeper s right hand post 
football	239	livi manager richard gough made three changes at the interval  bringing on defender goran stanic  midfielder gabor vincze  and striker ferenc horvath for bahoken  derek lilley and mark wilson 
football	239	but  in the opening stages of the second period  little changed 
football	239	however  the west lothian side gave themselves a lifeline with a controversial goal 
football	239	eric deloumeaux sent jason dair away on the right and he tried to give the ball to mcpake  who looked to be in an offside position 
football	239	the livi striker ignored the pass  however  and dair ran on to it and played easton in at the back post and he headed home from close range 
football	239	the home side called for offside against mcpake but referee alan freeland ignored their claims and pointed to the centre circle 
football	239	livi went all out for the equaliser 
football	239	in the 87th minute  burton o brien was hauled back at the edge of the box by neil macfarlane  but dair sent his shot just inches wide 
football	239	gordon  webster  miller  hartley  neilson  mcallister  simmons  macfarlane 64   berra  burchill  wyness 82   mikoliunas  cesnauskis 77   wallace 
football	239	moilanen  kizys 
football	239	berra  webster 
football	239	miller 1  mcallister 10 
football	239	meldrum  mcnamee  bahoken  stanic 45   deloumeaux  strong  dair  easton  mark wilson  vincze 45   lilley  horvath 45   o brien  mcpake 
football	239	mckenzie  hand 
football	239	  vincze  horvath 
football	239	easton number 796a freeland 
football	240	kenyon denies robben barca returnchelsea chief executive peter kenyon has played down reports that arjen robben will return for the champions league match against barcelona 
football	240	 he s been responding well to treatment and started running on friday  but we ll have to wait and see   he told bbc five live s sportsweek 
football	240	 we re looking to getting him back as soon as possible  but he ll be back when it s right for him and for us 
football	240	 there s no plans at the moment around the barcelona game 
football	240	  his comments contradict those of chiropractor jean pierre meersseman who treated the dutchman after he fractured his foot at the start of february 
football	240	robben had been expected to be out for six weeks  but meersseman hinted that the winger could be fit for the vital stamford bridge game on 8 march 
football	240	 i hope he can be back and i will try to help him make that happen   meersseman told the mail on sunday 
football	240	 i put everything right with arjen s foot the last time i saw him 12 days ago 
football	240	it was an obvious correction and easy to perform 
football	240	 i know he was pleased with what i did and now that he is running again 
football	240	i am due to see him one more time again in the next few days 
football	240	  meersseman is the medical co ordinator at italian side ac milan 
football	241	bridge could miss rest of seasonchelsea left back wayne bridge could miss the rest of the season with a suspected broken ankle 
football	241	the england international  24  was hurt in an innocuous challenge with alan shearer during the londoners  fa cup defeat at newcastle on sunday 
football	241	 we think it s a big injury   said jose mourinho  whose chelsea team this week meet barcelona in the champions league and liverpool in the carling cup final 
football	241	william gallas and damien duff could also miss the barcelona game 
football	241	france defender gallas and ireland winger duff both picked up their injuries in the closing stages of chelsea s 1 0 defeat at st james  park 
football	241	with bridge having gone off after mourinho used all three substitutes  those knocks plus carlo cudicini s red card meant chelsea finished the game with seven able bodied players 
football	241	cudicini would not have played against barcelona  but had been promised a game in the carling cup final  although he will now miss the cardiff showpiece through suspension 
football	241	the manager is not planning to add any new names to his squad ahead of the trip to barcelona  even though he has few options to replace bridge at left back 
football	241	celestine babayaro left the club in january  ironically to join newcastle  and although gallas has deputised at left back before  he is struggling to be fit himself 
football	241	it could be that paulo ferreira  usually a right back  is switched to left back with glen johnson  who ended the newcastle game in goal  playing on the right 
football	241	youngsters ben hudell  joe keenan and sam tillen would be options should mourinho decide to call up a replacement  but it is unlikely he would risk an untried prospect in a champions league tie 
football	241	bridge s injury also means mourinho  who reportedly wants to sign ashley cole from arsenal  will not have a specialist  senior left back for the run in to the season 
football	241	 he  bridge  has no chance of playing against barcelona  probably will not play against liverpool  in the carling cup final  and maybe not for the rest of the season   he said 
football	241	 the medical department will try to do everything to recover gallas and duff 
football	241	we will have to wait and see  but i won t cry about injuries because we will have 11 players to play on tuesday 
football	241	  shearer said he was unsure what caused bridge s injury 
football	241	 i don t know what happened 
football	241	  he said 
football	241	 it was just a shame 
football	241	i don t think we even touched each other 
football	241	 by all accounts it s pretty serious 
football	241	i went into the dressing room after the game and wished him all the best 
football	241	  mourinho  whose team are chasing three trophies  has already lost winger arjen robben to a serious injury 
football	242	parry firm over gerrardlisten to the full interview on sport on five and the bbc sport website from 1900 gmt 
football	242	but parry  speaking exclusively to bbc sport  also admits gerrard  who has been constantly linked with chelsea  will have the final say on his future 
football	242	he told bbc five live   steven is above money 
football	242	he is the future of liverpool 
football	242	 it doesn t matter if it s £30m  £40m or £50m  we will not accept offers 
football	242	but we are also realistic enough to know we can t keep steven against his will 
football	242	  on the subject of liverpool s finances  parry also revealed the club is ready to explore the possibility of a sponsorship deal for its proposed new stadium 
football	242	and responding to criticism from bbc sport pundit and former liverpool stalwart alan hansen  he insisted talks on new investment are ongoing  but added the door has not closed on shareholder and lifelong fan steve morgan 
football	242	parry joined liverpool as chief executive in july 1998 from a similar role at the premier league 
football	242	there have been several highs and lows during his time in charge at anfield   and he had a busy summer  overseeing the arrival of new manager rafael benitez and managing to hold on to steven gerrard 
football	242	on the subject of liverpool s captain and prize asset  parry revealed real madriddidask for an option on the england midfield man during negotiations for striker fernando morientes 
football	242	he said   they were looking for ways of saying they got more out of the deal for fernando morientes  but the response to real madrid was the same   steven is not for sale 
football	242	  but when asked if gerrard would be a liverpool player on the first day of next season  parry said   i sincerely hope he will be 
football	242	steven knows my views 
football	242	he knows rafa s views 
football	242	 we have re affirmed recently to steven that we are trying to build a team around him 
football	242	we crave success as much as he does 
football	242	we know he s ambitious and nobody can argue with that 
football	242	 i think steven would dearly love to win things with liverpool more than he d like to do anything else 
football	242	 we all want to see progress by next season 
football	242	he s not alone in that 
football	242	there are a lot of other players who feel the same  so we all have a common aim 
football	242	  it is expected chelsea will test liverpool with a £30m plus bid in the summer   but parry claims he will be in no mood to listen 
football	242	 there have been a lot of open secrets about steven  most of which have been complete myths 
football	242	it is suggested we had a deal tied up last summer 
football	242	we didn t had an offer last summer   parry explained 
football	242	 we had told chelsea that as far as we were concerned he was not for sale and we didn t want to sell him 
football	242	in reality it didn t go beyond that 
football	242	 maybe there will be an offer in the summer 
football	242	maybe there won t 
football	242	 our position is we want steven to stay  but we are also realistic enough and have enough respect for steven   and he has enough respect for us   to know that it is his decision that will be crucial 
football	242	 you are not going to keep a player like steven against his will 
football	242	that just doesn t work  but any idea we are going to accept offers for steven and then tell him  by the way we ve decided to sell you  is not on the agenda 
football	242	you can forget that 
football	242	  parry is currently in the process of finalising funding for liverpool s new stadium in stanley park  which is set to open in 2007 
football	242	and he confessed arsenal s £100m deal with emirates to sponsor their new ground   complete with naming rights   has given the anfield club serious food for thought 
football	242	he said   i have to say historically it is something i have been against  and i have been on record as saying that  but i think the size of the arsenal deal is a real eye opener 
football	242	 i would say in the past deals have been done frankly far too cheaply and it just hasn t even been worth contemplating 
football	242	 but the arsenal deal is the sort of deal that causes you to draw breath and say  wow   that s interesting 
football	242	   my personal point of view is that i would find it a hell of a lot more palatable than a shared stadium 
football	242	  some liverpool fans would find such a move highly controversial  but parry countered   i recognise it would be an emotive issue for many supporters  but you look at the amount of money available and it could go into the team 
football	242	 if it was the right partner how strong an issue is it  time will tell 
football	242	 i think the stadium will always be anfield  not least because of where it is  but do we need to investigate the possibilities of sponsorship  i think it would be remiss not to 
football	242	 that s not to say we have made a decision that we will go down that road  but i think it is clearly something we have to explore 
football	242	 on the subject of possible new investment  parry revealed liverpool are still in negotiations with a mystery investor  with rumours of interest from the middle east 
football	242	that prompted the withdrawal of tycoon steve morgan  who got frustrated by failed bids and what he claimed was indecision by the board 
football	242	he also accused liverpool of using him as  a stalking horse  to attract other bids  but parry explained   steve has never been used as a stalking horse 
football	242	there s no need  and that is not the way we do business 
football	242	 we had discussions with steve over the course of 2004 
football	242	i think we came close to concluding a deal in the summer but it didn t happen 
football	242	 quite genuinely  the new interest did appear relatively late in the day just prior to the agm in december  and as i have said it was of such potential magnitude  and that potential is so exciting  we felt we had to evaluate it 
football	242	we are still evaluating it 
football	242	 steve s interest was taken very much on its own merits 
football	242	his enthusiasm for the club is there for all to see and who knows what the next few months will hold   the door isn t closed on anything 
football	242	we had a perfectly sensible dialogue with steve last year 
football	242	 we have a common interest in making liverpool successful 
football	242	that s a dream we all share  so as far as i m concerned the door is not closed 
football	242	 i would take £50m if we had no investment  but if we did  keep him 
football	242	as for the stadium  if it gets us cash what difference does it make really £50m for gerrard  i don t care who you are  the directors would take the money and it is the way it should be 
football	242	we cannot let that sum of money go  despite gerrard s quality 
football	242	through a cleverly worded statement  the club has effectively forced gerrard to publicly make the decision for himself  which i think is the right thing to do 
football	242	critical time for liverpool with regards to gerrard 
football	242	ideally we would want to secure his future to the club for the long term 
football	242	i am hoping he doesn t walk out of the club like michael owen did for very little cash 
football	242	£50m realistically would allow rafa to completely rebuild the squad  however  if we can afford to do this and keep gerrard we will be better for it 
football	242	i would however be happy with gerrard s transfer for any fee over £35m 
football	242	parry s statements are clever in that any future gerrard transfer cannot be construed as a lack of ambition by the club to not try and keep their best players 
football	242	upping the ante is another smart move by parry 
football	242	i would keep gerrard 
football	242	no amount of money could replace his obvious love of the club and determination to succeed 
football	242	the key is if gerrard comes out and says that he is happy 
football	242	clearly  if he isn t  then we would be foolish not to sell 
football	242	the worrying thing is who would you buy  or who would come  pending possible non champions league football 
football	243	wright phillips to start on rightengland coach sven goran eriksson has revealed shaun wright phillips will start against the netherlands 
football	243	but wright phillips will not make his first start for england playing on the left  as had been widely expected 
football	243	 shaun wright phillips will probably start the game   said eriksson 
football	243	 but i m not going to start wright phillips on the left 
football	243	  eriksson also revealed that wes brown will start alongside jamie carragher in the injury hit centre of defence 
football	243	when asked if brown and carragher would start eriksson replied   i could tell you yes 
football	243	 it s a blow that four or five central defenders are away because of injuries 
football	243	 on the other hand it s good for carragher and brown to show what they can do at this level 
football	243	that s positive 
football	243	  the england coach said that he had been impressed by wright phillips  form for manchester city 
football	243	 he deserves his chance 
football	243	he has been playing well all season and i look forward to seeing him 
football	243	  and he added that andy johnson and stewart downing   the other two new players in the squad   would also get a chance to impress 
football	243	 wright phillips  downing and johnson will start or get the chance to play some part 
football	243	 johnson was not in my plans a year ago but he is doing a great season and scoring a lot of goals 
football	243	 downing is another one making a great season 
football	243	he is young  talented and there are not too many left footed players in the squad 
football	243	  
football	244	robben sidelined with broken footchelsea winger arjen robben has broken two metatarsal bones in his foot and will be out for at least six weeks 
football	244	robben had an mri scan on the injury  sustained during the premiership win at blackburn  on monday 
football	244	 six weeks is the average time to heal this injury and then i need a few more weeks to be completely fit again   he told dutch newspaper algemeen dagblad 
football	244	 i had a feeling it was serious but because of the swelling it was impossible to make a final diagnosis 
football	244	  the 21 year old missed the first three months of the season with a similar injury after a challenge with roma s olivier dacourt 
football	244	and he added   it felt different then last summer when i had the same injury on my other foot 
football	244	 then i could walk already after three days but i stayed sidelined for a long period 
football	244	i hope that it will now take me six to eight weeks 
football	244	  chelsea physio mike banks was hopeful that robben could return at some point in march 
football	244	 the fractures are tiny and he could be playing next month   banks told the club s website 
football	244	 one is a chip on the side of his foot  the other is a small break on the third metatarsal 
football	244	 but this is not the traditional metatarsal that has become so famous since the last world cup and which has kept scott parker out for two months 
football	244	 david beckham suffered a broken metatarsal in the build up to the 2002 world cup in korea and japan 
football	244	robben  who has been a key part of the blues  push for four trophies  claims he knew instantly something was wrong when he was felled by blackburn midfielder aaron mokoena 
football	244	 i felt my leg go   he said 
football	244	 i felt it straight away after mokoena hit me with a wild kick on my left foot 
football	244	  
football	245	giggs handed wales leading roleryan giggs will captain wales as he wins his 50th cap in wednesday s friendly against hungary in cardiff 
football	245	john toshack  in his first game as coach after succeeding mark hughes  admits he is surprised that giggs has only just reached the landmark 
football	245	 with the games he s played for united  proportionately it doesn t seem that many for wales   toshack said 
football	245	 but he s one of the greatest of all welsh internationals and on his 50th cap it s appropriate he s captain 
football	245	  giggs admits he had briefly considered retirement from the international game  but is now targetting playing for wales in the 2008 european championships 
football	245	the manchester united wing revealed how club manager sir alex ferguson talked him into extending his wales career 
football	245	 i briefly discussed my international future with sir alex  but he urged me to carry on   giggs said 
football	245	 he feels  like myself  that i have no weight problems and keep myself fit  so in three or four years  time i will be able to play in the european finals if we get there 
football	245	 the manager has always wanted me to play for my club and country and he was keen for me to continue because i am fit enough 
football	245	 giggs admits he was wavering and considering joining the likes of former wales skipper gary speed and united team mate paul scholes in committing the remaining years of his career to club football 
football	245	but giggs is now focussed on making the toshack era even more successful than the time hughes spent at the helm 
football	245	the manchester united winger won his first cap as a 17 year old in 1991  an away loss to germany  and now faces his landmark appearance at the age of 31 
football	245	with giggs leading wales out against hungary  there is every chance that he will become the permanent successor to speed 
football	245	however  toshack refused to reveal whether he sees giggs as a long term option 
football	245	 for this particular game i think it is appropriate that ryan giggs will be captain  it s his 50th cap and he s known for some time about that   toshack said 
football	245	on wednesday night toshack takes charge of his first match since replacing hughes  and giggs said   it s my 50th cap and i am looking forward to it  and i hope to play a lot more times from here on in 
football	245	 it s important to be here  all the players feel the same 
football	245	it s a new start and all the top players certainly see it as important 
football	245	 i see myself leading by example  it is something i have taken on for wales as well as united these past few seasons 
football	245	 the way john is looking at things  he is aiming to build his side around the experienced lads right up to the next tournament  the euro 2006 event 
football	245	 i have told john i will be around for the next european tournament  by then i will be 35 so hopefully i will still be okay 
football	245	 a lot can happen  but i m hoping to be around 
football	245	  giggs  own personal future at old trafford is still up in the air as he has yet to reach agreement on a new contract  with manchester united offering one extra year and giggs seeking two 
football	245	 i have put the contract thing to the back of my mind at the moment   said giggs 
football	245	 it is an important period for the club and i am just concentrated on that 
football	245	 i ve heard the suggestions  hopefully there is a two year deal about to be offered because that is what i am looking for  to get it sorted out 
football	245	 i m enjoying my football  the way united have been playing and my own form  you have to enjoy it 
football	245	 we have massive games coming up  manchester city this week  then the everton cup tie  followed by ac milan in the champions league  and my first wales game under john toshack  so it s an important time 
football	245	  
football	246	bosvelt optimistic over new dealmanchester city s paul bosvelt will find out  within a month  whether he is to be offered a new one year deal 
football	246	the 34 year old dutch midfielder is out of contract in the summer and  although his age may count against him  he feels he can play on for another season 
football	246	 i told the club i would like to stay for one more year 
football	246	they promised me an answer within the next month so i am waiting to see   he said 
football	246	 the main concern is my age but i think i have proved i am fit enough 
football	246	bosvelt joined city from feyenoord in 2003 and at first he struggled to adapt to life in england 
football	246	but his professionalism and dedication impressed manager kevin keegan 
football	246	 he realised the pace of the game was faster than anything he was used to but he drove himself back into the team 
football	246	he is an unsung hero   said keegan 
football	247	sociedad set to rescue mladenovicrangers are set to loan out of favour midfielder dragan mladenovic to real sociedad  despite the closure of the january transfer window 
football	247	sociedad have been given special permission by the spanish fa to sign a player due to an injury crisis 
football	247	mladenovic will effectively replace former rangers midfielder mikel arteta  who has been loaned to everton 
football	247	sociedad say they will pay rangers £150 000  with an option to buy the serbia   montenegro international 
football	247	mladenovic s loan move is subject to him passing a medical 
football	247	the 28 year old  who joined rangers from red star belgrade for £numberm in the close season  is expected in san sebastian later this week following his national side s game against bulgaria 
football	247	sociedad are in 15th place in the 20 strong primera liga  just two points above the relegation zone 
football	247	special permission from the spanish fa came after an injury to central defender igor jauregi 
football	247	the versatile mladenovic can also play in the back four 
football	247	his agent said last month that rangers had told him to find the player a new club 
football	247	mladenovic s time at ibrox has been plagued with injury and he has made just six starts in six months with the glasgow club 
football	248	parry relishes anfield challengebbc sport reflects on the future for liverpool after our exclusive interview with chief executive rick parry 
football	248	chief executive parry is the man at the helm as liverpool reach the most crucial point in their recent history 
football	248	parry has to deliver a new 60 000 seat stadium in stanley park by 2007 amid claims of costs spiralling above £120m 
football	248	he is also searching for an investment package of a size and stature that will restore liverpool to their place at european football s top table 
football	248	but it is a challenge that appears to sit easily with parry  who has forged a reputation as one of football s most respected administrators since his days at the fledgling premier league 
football	248	liverpool have not won the championship since 1990  a fact that causes deep discomfort inside anfield as they attempt to muscle in on the top three of chelsea  manchester united and arsenal 
football	248	throw in the small matter of warding off every top club in world football as they eye captain steven gerrard  and you can see parry is a man with a lot on his plate 
football	248	but in the comfort of a conference room deep inside liverpool s heartbeat   the kop end   parry spoke to us with brutal honesty about the crucial months ahead 
football	248	he only dodged one question   when asked to reveal the name of the mystery investor currently courting liverpool  a polite smile deflected the inquiry 
football	248	but to his credit  he met everything else head on in measured tones that underscore the belief that liverpool still mean business 
football	248	by business he means becoming title challengers again  and locking the pieces together that will help return the trophy to liverpool is parry s mission 
football	248	parry has already successfully put one of those planks in place in the form of new manager rafael benitez 
football	248	and his enthusiasm for the spaniard s personality and methods is an indication of his clear feeling that he has struck gold 
football	248	benitez s early work has given parry renewed optimism about the years ahead 
football	248	but it remains a massive task at a club with a unique history and expectations 
football	248	this will not come as news to parry  a lifelong liverpool supporter  but his quiet determination suggests he is no mood to be found wanting 
football	248	captain gerrard is central to liverpool s plans and parry s insistence that all offers will be refused is a firm statement of intent 
football	248	as ever  the player will have the final say  and parry acknowledges that  but he is determined to provide the framework and environment for liverpool and gerrard to flourish 
football	248	in terms of the search for new investment  hawkpoint were appointed as advisors to flush out interest in march 2004 
football	248	thailand prime minister thaksin shiniwatra came and went  while the most serious statement of intent came from tycoon and lifelong fan steve morgan 
football	248	morgan had a succession of bids rejected  having come close in the summer only for talks to break down over potential costs for the new stadium 
football	248	bbc sport understands morgan is still ready and willing to invest in liverpool  and parry has kept the door ajar despite currently seeking investment elsewhere 
football	248	morgan  however  has had no formal contact with liverpool or their advisors since last december  blaming indecision at board level as he publicly withdrew his £70m offer 
football	248	he was also convinced his interest was being used to lure in others  so any new approach would now have to come from liverpool 
football	248	morgan will certainly not be making another call 
football	248	so speculation continues about the new benefactor  with trails leading to the middle east and america  but all met with an understandable veil of secrecy from anfield 
football	248	parry meanwhile sees the new ground as crucial to liverpool s future  but is refusing to become emotionally attached to the idea 
football	248	he is determined the ground will only be built on an affordable basis and will not make future liverpool management hostages to the new stadium 
football	248	parry will pull back the moment the figures do not stack up  but there has been a vital new development in north london that has re shaped liverpool s thinking 
football	248	liverpool have publicly refused to entertain the idea of stadium sponsorship and potential naming rights   but the realism of arsenal s stunning £100m deal for their new emirates stadium at ashburton has changed the landscape 
football	248	parry labelled the deal  an eye opener  and admits liverpool would be missing a trick not to explore the possibilities 
football	248	he knows some traditionalist liverpool fans will reel at any attempt to call the new stadium anything other than just  anfield   but the maths of modern day football decree that multi millions for stadium and team could ease the pain 
football	248	i would take £50m if we had no investment  but if we did  keep him 
football	248	as for the stadium  if it gets us cash what difference does it make really £50m for gerrard  i don t care who you are  the directors would take the money and it is the way it should be 
football	248	we cannot let that sum of money go  despite gerrard s quality 
football	248	through a cleverly worded statement  the club has effectively forced gerrard to publicly make the decision for himself  which i think is the right thing to do 
football	248	critical time for liverpool with regards to gerrard 
football	248	ideally we would want to secure his future to the club for the long term 
football	248	i am hoping he doesn t walk out of the club like michael owen did for very little cash 
football	248	£50m realistically would allow rafa to completely rebuild the squad  however  if we can afford to do this and keep gerrard we will be better for it 
football	248	i would however be happy with gerrard s transfer for any fee over £35m 
football	248	parry s statements are clever in that any future gerrard transfer cannot be construed as a lack of ambition by the club to not try and keep their best players 
football	248	upping the ante is another smart move by parry 
football	248	i would keep gerrard 
football	248	no amount of money could replace his obvious love of the club and determination to succeed 
football	248	the key is if gerrard comes out and says that he is happy 
football	248	clearly  if he isn t  then we would be foolish not to sell 
football	248	the worrying thing is who would you buy  or who would come  pending possible non champions league football 
football	249	time to get tough on friendlies for an international manager  a friendly provides an important opportunity to work with your players 
football	249	the only problem is that the game itself can often be a farce 
football	249	some people have been saying it would be better to get the players together for the week  and do away with the 90 minutes at the end 
football	249	i would say it s 50 50 whether you should have these games or not  and if you look at it that way you would probably say you re better not doing so 
football	249	it would certainly keep club managers happy  as it would reduce the risk of players returning to domestic duty injured 
football	249	but international bosses will tell you that scrapping friendlies is counterproductive because the only way for a team to get better is by playing 
football	249	the more you play together  the easier it is when it comes to the crunch in games like world cup quarter finals against brazil 
football	249	often in friendlies  though  a manager will play his strongest side for the first 45 minutes and then send out an entirely different one in the second half 
football	249	and it s very difficult for any player to come on as substitute in a side with a few changes  let alone a whole team s worth 
football	249	the debate will rage on  and i m not sure there is a satisfactory solution 
football	249	one manager who has got it right this week is walter smith 
football	249	the new scotland manager has decided to have a training camp instead of a friendly for his first international week since replacing berti vogts 
football	249	it is the sort of move you would expect from walter  who is a canny manager 
football	249	the players have had such a hard time recently that he is better off getting them together in a relaxed atmosphere and trying to generate some team spirit before the next world cup qualifiers 
football	249	if he had sent them out on wednesday and they had been badly beaten  it would have done them no good whatsoever 
football	249	john toshack has his first game in charge of wales  and it will be important for him to get a decent result against hungary 
football	249	he will have his own ideas on individuals and how to play and will probably look more at the performance  but the public wants results 
football	249	it s extremely difficult to get the balance for friendlies 
football	249	if you win  people forget them  but if you lose it becomes a stat that can be used against you 
football	249	england s game against holland is a good example 
football	249	it looks like a good opportunity to try out players like middlesbrough winger stewart downing or crystal palace striker andy johnson 
football	249	but you have got to remember sven goran eriksson s side were given a lesson by spain in the last game they played 
football	249	the injury problems in defence should at least give the likes of wes brown and jamie carragher a chance to impress 
football	249	for the club managers  it will simply be a case of waiting at home with fingers crossed 
football	250	barcelona title hopes hit by lossbarcelona s pursuit of the spanish title took a blow on sunday as they fell to a 2 0 defeat at home to atletico madrid 
football	250	fernando torres gave athletico an ideal start with a goal in the first minute 
football	250	ronaldino wasted a second half chance to equalise for barca when he put a penalty wide  but torres made no such mistake with a last minute spot kick 
football	250	the defeat  coupled with real madrid s 4 0 win over espanyol on saturday  reduces barca s lead to four points 
football	250	former everton midfielder thomas gravesen scored his first goal for real in the comfortable victory at the bernabeu 
football	250	zinedine zidane had opened the scoring before raul bagged a brace 
football	250	gravesen  who replaced zidane  completed the scoring in the 84th minute with a low shot 
football	250	david beckham  watched by sven goran eriksson  came off in the 67th minute with a shoulder injury but should be fit for england s game against holland 
football	250	england team mate michael owen came on for raul after 76 minutes with the game already won 
football	250	real have now won six consecutive primera liga games since coach wanderley luxemburgo took charge 
football	251	parry puts gerrard  above money listen to the full interview on sport on five and the bbc sport website from 1900 gmt 
football	251	but parry  speaking exclusively to bbc sport  also admits gerrard  who has been constantly linked with chelsea  will have the final say on his future 
football	251	he told bbc five live   steven is above money 
football	251	he is the future of liverpool 
football	251	 it doesn t matter if it s £30m  £40m or £50m  we will not accept offers 
football	251	but we are also realistic enough to know we can t keep steven against his will 
football	251	  on the subject of liverpool s finances  parry also revealed the club is ready to explore the possibility of a sponsorship deal for its proposed new stadium 
football	251	and responding to criticism from bbc sport pundit and former liverpool stalwart alan hansen  he insisted talks on new investment are ongoing  but added the door has not closed on shareholder and lifelong fan steve morgan 
football	251	parry joined liverpool as chief executive in july 1998 from a similar role at the premier league 
football	251	there have been several highs and lows during his time in charge at anfield   and he had a busy summer  overseeing the arrival of new manager rafael benitez and managing to hold on to steven gerrard 
football	251	on the subject of liverpool s captain and prize asset  parry revealed real madriddidask for an option on the england midfield man during negotiations for striker fernando morientes 
football	251	he said   they were looking for ways of saying they got more out of the deal for fernando morientes  but the response to real madrid was the same   steven is not for sale 
football	251	  but when asked if gerrard would be a liverpool player on the first day of next season  parry said   i sincerely hope he will be 
football	251	steven knows my views 
football	251	he knows rafa s views 
football	251	 we have re affirmed recently to steven that we are trying to build a team around him 
football	251	we crave success as much as he does 
football	251	we know he s ambitious and nobody can argue with that 
football	251	 i think steven would dearly love to win things with liverpool more than he d like to do anything else 
football	251	 we all want to see progress by next season 
football	251	he s not alone in that 
football	251	there are a lot of other players who feel the same  so we all have a common aim 
football	251	  it is expected chelsea will test liverpool with a £30m plus bid in the summer   but parry claims he will be in no mood to listen 
football	251	 there have been a lot of open secrets about steven  most of which have been complete myths 
football	251	it is suggested we had a deal tied up last summer 
football	251	we didn t had an offer last summer   parry explained 
football	251	 we had told chelsea that as far as we were concerned he was not for sale and we didn t want to sell him 
football	251	in reality it didn t go beyond that 
football	251	 maybe there will be an offer in the summer 
football	251	maybe there won t 
football	251	 our position is we want steven to stay  but we are also realistic enough and have enough respect for steven   and he has enough respect for us   to know that it is his decision that will be crucial 
football	251	 you are not going to keep a player like steven against his will 
football	251	that just doesn t work  but any idea we are going to accept offers for steven and then tell him  by the way we ve decided to sell you  is not on the agenda 
football	251	you can forget that 
football	251	  parry is currently in the process of finalising funding for liverpool s new stadium in stanley park  which is set to open in 2007 
football	251	and he confessed arsenal s £100m deal with emirates to sponsor their new ground   complete with naming rights   has given the anfield club serious food for thought 
football	251	he said   i have to say historically it is something i have been against  and i have been on record as saying that  but i think the size of the arsenal deal is a real eye opener 
football	251	 i would say in the past deals have been done frankly far too cheaply and it just hasn t even been worth contemplating 
football	251	 but the arsenal deal is the sort of deal that causes you to draw breath and say  wow   that s interesting 
football	251	   my personal point of view is that i would find it a hell of a lot more palatable than a shared stadium 
football	251	  some liverpool fans would find such a move highly controversial  but parry countered   i recognise it would be an emotive issue for many supporters  but you look at the amount of money available and it could go into the team 
football	251	 if it was the right partner how strong an issue is it  time will tell 
football	251	 i think the stadium will always be anfield  not least because of where it is  but do we need to investigate the possibilities of sponsorship  i think it would be remiss not to 
football	251	 that s not to say we have made a decision that we will go down that road  but i think it is clearly something we have to explore 
football	251	 on the subject of possible new investment  parry revealed liverpool are still in negotiations with a mystery investor  with rumours of interest from the middle east 
football	251	that prompted the withdrawal of tycoon steve morgan  who got frustrated by failed bids and what he claimed was indecision by the board 
football	251	he also accused liverpool of using him as  a stalking horse  to attract other bids  but parry explained   steve has never been used as a stalking horse 
football	251	there s no need  and that is not the way we do business 
football	251	 we had discussions with steve over the course of 2004 
football	251	i think we came close to concluding a deal in the summer but it didn t happen 
football	251	 quite genuinely  the new interest did appear relatively late in the day just prior to the agm in december  and as i have said it was of such potential magnitude  and that potential is so exciting  we felt we had to evaluate it 
football	251	we are still evaluating it 
football	251	 steve s interest was taken very much on its own merits 
football	251	his enthusiasm for the club is there for all to see and who knows what the next few months will hold   the door isn t closed on anything 
football	251	we had a perfectly sensible dialogue with steve last year 
football	251	 we have a common interest in making liverpool successful 
football	251	that s a dream we all share  so as far as i m concerned the door is not closed 
football	251	 i would take £50m if we had no investment  but if we did  keep him 
football	251	as for the stadium  if it gets us cash what difference does it make really £50m for gerrard  i don t care who you are  the directors would take the money and it is the way it should be 
football	251	we cannot let that sum of money go  despite gerrard s quality 
football	251	through a cleverly worded statement  the club has effectively forced gerrard to publicly make the decision for himself  which i think is the right thing to do 
football	251	critical time for liverpool with regards to gerrard 
football	251	ideally we would want to secure his future to the club for the long term 
football	251	i am hoping he doesn t walk out of the club like michael owen did for very little cash 
football	251	£50m realistically would allow rafa to completely rebuild the squad  however  if we can afford to do this and keep gerrard we will be better for it 
football	251	i would however be happy with gerrard s transfer for any fee over £35m 
football	251	parry s statements are clever in that any future gerrard transfer cannot be construed as a lack of ambition by the club to not try and keep their best players 
football	251	upping the ante is another smart move by parry 
football	251	i would keep gerrard 
football	251	no amount of money could replace his obvious love of the club and determination to succeed 
football	251	the key is if gerrard comes out and says that he is happy 
football	251	clearly  if he isn t  then we would be foolish not to sell 
football	251	the worrying thing is who would you buy  or who would come  pending possible non champions league football 
football	252	bees handed potential man utd tiebrentford face a home tie against holders manchester united in the fa cup sixth round if they can come through their replay against southampton 
football	252	the league one side held the saints at st mary s in their fifth round tie and were rewarded with a potential draw against sir alex ferguson s side 
football	252	newcastle will be at home to either tottenham or nottingham forest 
football	252	bolton host arsenal or sheffield united and leicester will visit the winners of the burnley and blackburn replay 
football	252	the ties will be played on the weekend of 12 13 march 
football	252	was delighted to be paired with united  although he admitted they still have plenty of work to do to set up a dream tie 
football	252	 we ve got our work cut out next tuesday but you can t deny it s exciting   he said 
football	252	 it would be a sell out 
football	252	it will probably be on television 
football	252	we have financial problems and the revenue it could bring in would certainly help our situation 
football	252	 we re happy to be in the draw but we ve still got to beat a premiership team 
football	252	 we ve got to beat southampton first and that s going to be a hard game but if we do there will be some celebration 
football	252	 welcomed the opportunity to face united 
football	252	 we re not counting on anything yet   he said 
football	252	 it is obviously going to be a difficult replay judging by the way brentford came back at us on saturday and the fact that united have come out of the hat will give them even more incentive 
football	252	 but i ve been drawn against united so many times in cups and beaten them at both bournemouth and west ham 
football	252	 there are no easy ties in the fa cup and i m sure nobody is counting on one 
football	252	 newcastle v tottenham or nottingham forestsouthampton or brentford v manchester unitedbolton v arsenal or sheffield unitedburnley or blackburn v leicester 
football	253	england s defensive crisis growsengland s defensive worries have deepened following the withdrawal of tottenham s ledley king from the squad to face holland 
football	253	chelsea s john terry and wayne bridge are also out  leaving coach sven goran eriksson with a real problem for wednesday s match at villa park 
football	253	injured rio ferdinand and sol campbell were both left out of the squad  and matthew upson has already pulled out 
football	253	wes brown and jamie carragher are likely to be the makeshift partnership 
football	253	terry  the captain of chelsea as they push for the premiership title  would have been a certain starter in the absence of campbell and ferdinand 
football	253	but now he has pulled out with a bruised knee and is likely to be replaced by carragher  alongside brown 
football	253	manchester united s brown last played for england in the defeat by australia at upton park in february 2003 
football	253	the 25 year old was only called into the squad on sunday night as cover following the enforced withdrawal of upson  who has a hamstring injury 
football	253	and brown now looks certain to add to his tally of seven senior appearances for england 
football	253	king was forced to pull out after his groin injury was assessed by england s medical staff 
football	253	eriksson has still not decided whether to call up any further back up  having already summoned phil neville after bridge pulled out with a foot injury 
football	254	ferdinand casts doubt over glazerrio ferdinand has said he is unsure of malcolm glazer s motives after the american billionaire launched a new offer to buy manchester united 
football	254	the club have confirmed that the glazer family partnership have submitted proposals of a third bid 
football	254	 a lot of people want the club s interest to be with people who have grown up with the club and have got its interests at heart   said ferdinand 
football	254	 no one knows what this guy will be bringing to the table 
football	254	  the central defender added on bbc radio five live   we will have to wait and see what glazer comes with 
football	254	 i would like to see the situation resolved either way 
football	254	 i think people are getting bored with him coming in and out of the news with new proposals 
football	254	 the other stuff off the pitch takes the shine off what is going on the pitch 
football	254	 glazer  currently owns a number  stake in the club  and united s statement to the stock exchange said   the board has noted the recent press speculation on this subject 
football	254	 the board can confirm that it has now received a detailed proposal subject to various pre conditions which may form the basis of an offer for manchester united from glazer 
football	254	 a further announcement will be made in due course 
football	254	  glazer s previous bids for the club  which united supporters opposed  were rejected by the board because of the high level of debt they would incur 
football	254	but it is believed that glazer has substantially reduced the borrowing required for his latest move 
football	254	he will still need the approval of major shareholders john magnier and jp mcmanus  who own number  of the club to succeed 
football	254	but the irish duo have cut off talks with glazer over the proposed sale of their stake  while fans remain opposed to his involvement 
football	255	premier league planning cole datethe premier league is attempting to find a mutually convenient date to investigate allegations chelsea made an illegal approach for ashley cole 
football	255	both chelsea and arsenal will be asked to give evidence to a premier league commission  but no deadline has been put on when that meeting will convene 
football	255	 it s hard to put a date on it   a premier league spokesman confirmed to bbc sport 
football	255	 it s not a formal situation where they ve got so much time to respond 
football	255	  arsenal and england defender cole reportedly met blues boss jose mourinho and chief executive peter kenyon in a london hotel 11 days ago 
football	255	chelsea have yet to officially confirm or deny the meeting  which would be in breach of premier league rule k3 
football	255	now the gunners have asked for an inquiry to look into claims that their player has been  tapped up  
football	255	both clubs have pledged to co operate with the inquiry which will be conducted on a single day as opposed to being run as an ongoing evaluation 
football	255	cole is in negotiations with the gunners over extending his current deal which ends in 2007 
football	255	and his arsenal team mate robert pires has urged the england left back to stay at highbury 
football	255	pires told the evening standard   he has been at arsenal for ever 
football	255	he is a very attacking left back and i think he is enjoying his football because at arsenal he plays in an offensive team 
football	255	 i am not sure he will get the same pleasure at chelsea  even though they are doing so well at the moment 
football	255	 i have built a fantastic playing relationship with ashley 
football	255	 we play together so well   we could do it with our eyes shut 
football	255	 but you have to respect the decision of the player 
football	255	everybody has that right 
football	255	  
football	256	mccall earns tannadice reprievedundee united manager ian mccall has won a reprieve from the sack  with chairman eddie thompson calling for an end to speculation over his future 
football	256	it is understood that mccall would have been sacked if sheffield wednesday manager paul sturrock had been willing to return to tannadice 
football	256	but sturrock has distanced himself from the position 
football	256	 we re in a difficult situation 
football	256	we must get out of it through the efforts of current personnel   said thompson 
football	256	 ian mccall and i have had a long and detailed talk about a number of areas including the current league position and the manner of the exit from the league cup   he added 
football	256	 however  the continuing speculation is doing no one any good  especially as we have several crucial games coming up 
football	256	 the minds of the coaching staff and the players have to be on those games and those games only 
football	256	 our season would of course improve considerably if in the next few weeks we achieved some improved league results and there is also the potential of another cup semi final  subject to the draw 
football	256	 all that matters at the present time   is us all having a total focus on the games ahead and a positive series of results being achieved 
football	256	  dundee united players had expressed their solidarity with mccall after their side s 3 0 scottish cup win over queen of the south 
football	256	 we want the boss to stay  we don t want someone else coming in   said jim mcintyre 
football	256	 hopefully now he gets the chance to stay 
football	256	  keeper tony bullock echoed mcintyre s sentiments 
football	256	 i think all the boys are behind ian mccall   he added 
football	256	 at the moment it is all speculation and we have got to rise above all that and do a job on the pitch 
football	256	 on saturday  sturrock insisted that he had unfinished business with wednesday  who are fourth in league one 
football	256	 i ve only been here five months and i don t expect to be leaving very  very soon   he said 
football	256	 i can appreciate the rumours because i ve emphasised my thoughts and ambitions to go back to dundee united 
football	256	 i can assure you the timescale is not the right one 
football	256	 it  dundee united  is my team 
football	256	i had five years there as a coach  six as a player  two years as a manager   once you ve done that kind of thing  it s the result you look for 
football	256	 the important thing now is i ve come here to do a job and i m going to try to finish it 
football	256	  
football	257	kewell waits as injury drags onliverpool winger harry kewell is struggling to recover from his achilles tendinitis problem and may not recover until march  claims his agent 
football	257	kewell  26  had hoped to play against fulham last weekend and to be ready for the champions league tie against bayer leverkusen on 22 february 
football	257	but bernie mandic said   he s had scans which don t show anything substantial 
football	257	 but despite his best efforts at the moment he simply can t shake off the discomfort and get back on the park 
football	257	 mandic continued in the sydney morning herald   harry s struggling a bit but the club are doing everything they can to get him right 
football	257	 harry was desperate to be fit for the fulham game as part of his plan to play himself in for the leverkusen match 
football	257	  kewell has not played since december 19 and misses out on international duty this week  with australia facing south africa in durban on wednesday 
football	258	smith aims to bring back respectscotland manager walter smith says he wants to restore the national team s respectability in world football 
football	258	smith has joined his first squad for a three day get together near manchester in preference to playing a friendly 
football	258	while qualification for the 2006 world cup appears to be beyond scotland  smith is anxious that the remainder of the campaign should be positive 
football	258	 i think we have got to try to get a bit of respectability back in whatever way we can   he said 
football	258	 we will have to approach each game differently 
football	258	obviously we will have to approach the italian game away from home in a different manner to moldova at home 
football	258	 we have to meet the challenge of each match 
football	258	  smith  meeting a number of his squad for the first time  brought them together on monday to outline his ideas for improving the nation s fortunes 
football	258	he said   i pointed out how i see the international team going forward and that was the main topic 
football	258	 this is a relaxed gathering and i don t think there is a lot of doom and gloom about the squad that a lot of people think exists 
football	258	  a 25 man squad will spend the next three days based at the mottram hall hotel in cheshire and will train at manchester united s nearby carrington complex 
football	258	smith will be absent for the final sessions  however  as he is due to fly out to sardinia on wednesday to watch italy s friendly with russia 
football	259	injury doubts beset wales squadwales have a clutch of injury worries before wednesday s international friendly against hungary in cardiff 
football	259	west ham s gavin williams  ankle  looks certain to be out  so uncapped wrexham defender stephen roberts is drafted in 
football	259	defenders danny gabbidon and gareth roberts  plus ryan giggs have hamstring concerns  while there are also doubts over robbie savage  groin  
football	259	however  manchester united winger giggs is expected to recover in time to earn his 50th cap at the millennium stadium 
football	259	there were also doubts over gabbidon s fellow cardiff defender rhys weston  but the full back appears to have shrugged off the knock he picked up in the bluebirds  1 0 loss to west ham on sunday 
football	259	the news leaves wales boss john toshack short in defence for his first game in charge  with aston villa s mark delaney injured and james collins with the under 21s 
football	259	that could clear the way for new faces danny collins and dave partridge to make their wales debuts 
football	259	coyne  burnley   jones  wolves   roberts  wrexham   collins  sunderland   edwards  wolves   gabbidon  cardiff   page  cardiff   partridge  motherwell   ricketts  swansea   roberts  tranmere   weston  cardiff   davies  tottenham   fletcher  west ham   giggs  man utd   koumas  west brom   robinson  sunderland   savage  blackburn   williams  west ham   bellamy  newcastle   earnshaw  west brom   hartson  celtic  
football	260	weir poised for sunderland movelarne s teenage star robbie weir is poised to join sunderland after turning down a move to stoke city 
football	260	the 17 year old irish league midfielder was also being chased by rangers and fulham  but mick mccarthy s side appear to have won the race 
football	260	but larne boss jimmy mcgeough has yet to confirm that weir is on his way from inver park 
football	260	 i heard on sunday that he has joined sunderland  but not from the lad himself   he said 
football	260	  robbie has an agreement with larne that he can negotiate with interested clubs 
football	260	  personally  i would rather see him making an impact at local level to build up his physique before moving into the full time game 
football	260	  he has been on trial with a number of clubs 
football	260	but it would be great to see him making it at sunderland 
football	260	   
football	261	newry to fight cup exit in courtsnewry city are expected to discuss legal avenues on friday regarding overturning their ejection from the nationwide irish cup 
football	261	the ifa upheld its original decision to throw newry out of the cup following the andy crawford registration row 
football	261	  a law firm will put a case forward for newry fc  and see what the legal implications of all this is are    said newry boss roy mccreadie 
football	261	  this is a big issue  now that we have an appeal pending    on wednesday  a fresh ifa hearing into crawford registration saga  ruled that last week s original verdict had been correct 
football	261	it meant that bangor  beaten 5 1 by newry on the field  will take on portadown in the sixth round 
football	261	newry had claimed they had uncovered  fresh evidence   in respect of the dates relating to the registration 
football	261	but mccreadie is not further annoyed that full details of wednesday s meeting was not relayed to the club 
football	261	  even to this day  we have as much information about what happened during the meeting on wednesday as that told to the media 
football	261	we are being kept in the dark    mccreadie told thenews letter 
football	261	  we want an explanation 
football	261	there is no good sending us the same fax message the press people received 
football	261	  it s a real sad case 
football	261	if we are not back in the irish cup after our appeal  and guided by our legal advise  we will seek to lodge an injunction in the courts to stop bangor playing portadown 
football	261	   
football	262	republic to face china and italythe republic of ireland have arranged friendlies against china and italy which will take place at lansdowne road in march and august 
football	262	brian kerr s side will face the 54th ranked chinese on 29 march   just three days after the world cup qualifier against israel in tel aviv 
football	262	italy will visit on 17 august in what will be a warm up game ahead of the autumn world cup qualifiers 
football	262	in their last meeting  the irish beat italy in the 1994 world cup finals 
football	262	however  that is the republic s only victory in eight attempts against the italians who have won all the other seven games 
football	262	the 29 march game will be the second time the republic have played china   the previous encounter back in june 1984 with the irish winning 1 0 in sapporo  japan 
football	262	brian kerr said   china have made great progress over the last few years and will provide difficult opposition 
football	262	 we all witnessed the performances of the asian teams in the last world cup  and china play a similar type of football 
football	262	 as for italy  they make a welcome return to dublin and will be a massive attraction because they are one of the great traditional powers in the world 
football	262	 the game will be ideal preparation for the three important world cup qualifiers in the autumn 
football	262	  ireland round off their world cup campaign with games against france on 7 september  cyprus on 8 october and switzerland on 12 october 
football	263	finnan says irish can win groupsteve finnan believes the republic of ireland can qualify directly for the world cup finals 
football	263	after saturday s superb display in the draw in paris  ireland face minnows the faroe islands in dublin on wednesday 
football	263	the versatile finnan  who starred against the french  is confident the group is ireland s for the taking 
football	263	 there is a chance for us now to go on  win our home games and why not win the group  even though it s a tough one   said the liverpool player 
football	263	switzerland  ireland  france and israel are all now tied on five points from three matches   although the republic look to have a slight edge after claiming away draws in basel and paris 
football	263	 in basel we did not play great football  but when you to go to these places the other teams are going to have the majority of the game 
football	263	 in paris  we looked good throughout the team and a point was the least we deserved because we had a number of chances 
football	263	 looking back  we had an opportunity to get the three points  but we are happy with a point and that will give us confidence going into wednesday s game 
football	263	 on paper  we have got the toughest matches out of the way and we have set standards for ourselves 
football	263	 automatic qualification is there 
football	263	it would certainly be good to avoid a play off  but on the back of a couple of good results i don t see why we can t win the group 
football	263	  manager brian kerr was keen to mention the contribution of stephen carr and finnan on ireland s right flank at the stade de france 
football	263	finnan s normal position is right back but he looked assured in a more advanced position against the french 
football	263	 as i play on the right for my club and being a natural right back  it was something he  kerr  looked at because france play strongly down the left hand side 
football	263	 so i was happy to play and stephen carr and i enjoyed the game  particularly as the defence and midfield held together well and nullified their attacks 
football	263	  
football	264	irish finish with home gamerepublic of ireland manager brian kerr has been granted his wish for a home game as the final world cup qualifier 
football	264	ireland will close their bid to reach the 2006 finals by playing switzerland in dublin on 12 october 2005 
football	264	the republic met the swiss in their final euro 2004 qualifier  losing 2 0 away and missing out on a place in the finals in portugal 
football	264	the group four fixtures were hammered out at a meeting in dublin on tuesday 
football	264	the irish open their campaign on 4 september at home to cyprus and wrap up the 10 match series on 12 october 2005  with the visit of switzerland 
football	264	manager brian kerr and fai officials met representatives from switzerland  france  cyprus  israel and the faroe islands to arrange the fixture schedule 
football	264	kerr had hoped to finish with a clash against france  but got the reigning european champions as their penultimate home match on 7 september 2005 
football	264	the manager got his wish to avoid a repeat of finishing their bid to qualify with too many away matches 
football	264	republic of ireland v cyprus  france v israel  switzerland v faroe islands 
football	264	switzerland v republic of ireland  israel v cyprus  faroe islands v france 
football	264	france v republic of ireland  israel v switzerland  cyprus v faroe islands 
football	264	republic of ireland v faroe islands  cyprus v france 
football	264	cyprus v israel 
football	264	france v switzerland  israel v republic of ireland 
football	264	switzerland v cyprus  israel v france 
football	264	republic of ireland v israel  faroe islands v switzerland 
football	264	faroe islands v republic of ireland 
football	264	august 17   faroe islands v cyprus 
football	264	france v faroe islands  switzerland v israel 
football	264	republic of ireland v france  cyprus v switzerland  faroe islands v israel 
football	264	switzerland v france  israel v faroe islands  cyprus v republic of ireland 
football	264	france v cyprus  republic of ireland v switzerland 
football	265	israeli club look to africafour african players  including zimbabwe goalkeeper energy murambadoro  are all ready to play for israeli club hapoel bnei sakhnin in the uefa cup 
football	265	bnei sakhnin are the first arab side ever to play in european competition and will play english premiership side newcastle united in the first round 
football	265	warriors  goalkeeper murambadoro  who made a name for himself at the african nations cup finals in tunisia  helped bnei sakhnin overcome albania s partizani tirana 6 1 in the previous round 
football	265	murambadoro moved to israel recently after a brief stint with south african club hellenic 
football	265	the club won the israeli cup final last season and are based in sakhnin  which is near haifa 
football	265	the club have a strong ethic and are high profile promoters of peace and co operation within israel 
football	265	the three other africans at the club are former cameroon defender ernest etchi  dr congo s alain masudi and nigerian midfielder edith agoye  who had a stint with tunisian side esperance 
football	266	iranian misses israel matchiranian striker vahid hashemian will not travel to israel for bayern munich s champions league match against maccabi tel aviv on wednesday 
football	266	the german club said the player had pulled out because of a back injury 
football	266	iran refuses to recognise israel s right to exist and does not allow its citizens to travel to the country 
football	266	a bayern spokesman said on monday that the decision not to take hashemian to israel had been motivated only by his physical condition 
football	266	 he s got back pain and he couldn t train   the spokesman said 
football	266	 it would have made no sense for him to go 
football	266	  iran gave judo world champion arash miresmaeili a  125 000 reward when he refused to fight an israeli at the athens olympics 
football	266	the international judo federation considered taking action against miresmaeili but concluded he had been overweight for the fight and could not have taken part 
football	267	highbury tunnel players in clearthe football association has said it will not be bringing charges over the tunnel incident prior to the arsenal and manchester united game 
football	267	arsenal s patrick vieira had earlier denied accusations that he threatened gary neville before the 4 2 defeat 
football	267	vieira also clashed with opposing skipper roy keane and referee graham poll had to separate them 
football	267	 the referee has confirmed that he is satisfied he dealt with the incident at the time   said an fa statement 
football	267	it means united s win will pass off without further intervention from the governing body  whose new chief executive brian barwick was in the highbury stands 
football	267	 i didn t threaten anybody 
football	267	they are big enough players to handle themselves   said vieira 
football	267	 i had a talk with roy keane and that s it 
football	267	gary neville is a big lad  he can handle himself 
football	267	 they just played better than us and deserved to win 
football	267	  neville admitted there had been incidents before the game  but insisted it had not distracted his focus 
football	267	 there were a couple of things that did happen before the game which disappoint you   he said 
football	267	 especially from players of that calibre  but it s a tough game and we ve been around a long time 
football	267	  neville admitted that he had not enjoyed the match  which was punctuated by fouls and the sending off of mikael silvestre for head butting freddie ljungberg 
football	267	 i thought it was a horrible game in the first half  and it was not much better in the second   he said 
football	267	 there is no way that should have happened in a football match 
football	267	 after the match  keane accused vieira of starting the row 
football	267	 patrick vieira is 6ft 4in and having a go at gary neville 
football	267	so i said   have a go at me    he said 
football	267	 if he wants to intimidate our players and thinks that gary neville is an easy target  i m not having it 
football	267	  manchester united manager sir alex ferguson added   vieira was well wound up for it 
football	267	 i ve heard different stories 
football	267	patrick vieira has apparently threatened some of our players and things like that 
football	267	  
football	268	bellamy under new firenewcastle boss graeme souness has reopened his dispute with craig bellamy after claiming the welshman was  not good enough  for the magpies 
football	268	bellamy left newcastle to join celtic on loan after a major row with souness 
football	268	souness   who refused to refer to the 25 year old by name   said bellamy did not score enough goals  the chap that s just gone has scored number goals a season in his time in senior football   half of those weren t even in the top flight   said souness 
football	268	 that s not good enough for a striker at a club like this 
football	268	 we need to have two strikers who are near 20 goals on a regular basis 
football	268	 bellamy turned down a move to birmingham in favour of joining celtic after a disagreement about the welsh international playing out of position quickly escalated 
football	268	earlier in the week  souness had said that he risked losing the confidence of the players and damaging his own reputation if he had not taken a hard line after bellamy accused him of lying 
football	268	 there are certain things you can forgive and forget   said souness 
football	268	 but if i d been seen to be weak in this case there was no future for me with the players in the dressing room or any job i have after newcastle 
football	268	  he could then return to st james  park   and he says that he wants to 
football	268	however  it would seem unlikely he will play for newcastle again as long as souness remains in charge 
football	269	chelsea denied by james heroicsa brave defensive display  led by keeper david james  helped manchester city hold the leaders chelsea 
football	269	after a quiet opening  james denied damien duff  jiri jarosik and mateja kezman  while paul bosvelt cleared william gallas  header off the line 
football	269	robbie fowler should have scored for the visitors but sent his header wide 
football	269	chelsea had most of the possession in the second half but james kept out frank lampard s free kick and superbly tipped the same player s volley wide 
football	269	city went into the game with the proud record of being the only domestic team to beat chelsea this season 
football	269	and there was little to alarm them in the first 30 minutes as chelsea   deprived of arjen robben and didier drogba through injury   struggled to pose much of a threat 
football	269	indeed  it was the visitors who looked likelier to enliven a drab opening played at a lethargic pace 
football	269	shaun wright phillips   watched by england boss sven goran eriksson   showed his customary trickery to burst into the right of the area and deliver a dangerous ball  which was blocked by john terry 
football	269	but chelsea suddenly stepped up a gear and created a flurry of chances 
football	269	first  duff got round ben thatcher and blasted in a shot that james parried to kezman  who turned the ball wide 
football	269	soon afterwards  jarosik found space in the area to powerfully head lampard s corner goalwards but james tipped the ball over 
football	269	chelsea were now looking more like premiership leaders and james kept out kezman s fierce drive before bosvelt and james combined to clear gallas  header from duff s corner 
football	269	city broke swiftly up the field and the last chance of a frenetic spell should have resulted in fowler celebrating his 150th premiership goal 
football	269	wright phillips raced down the left and crossed to fowler but city s lone man up front  left free by terry s slip  contrived to head wide when it seemed a breakthrough was certain 
football	269	the second half started as quietly as the first  although james was forced to divert a cross from the lively duff away from eidur gudjohnsen s path 
football	269	there was a nasty moment for petr cech  looking for a ninth straight clean sheet in the league  when a series of ricochets saw fowler chase a loose ball in the area and collide accidently with the czech republic stopper 
football	269	another quiet spell followed  which duff interrupted with a surging run that was halted illegally on the edge of the penalty area by bosvelt 
football	269	lampard stepped up to blast a shot through the wall and james somehow blocked it with his legs 
football	269	another timely challenge  this time from richard dunne in time added on  prevented gudjohnsen from getting in a shot 
football	269	there was still time for james to produce a sensational save to tip lampard s volley round the post 
football	269	cech  paulo ferreira  gallas  terry  bridge  jarosik  tiago 56   lampard  makelele  duff  gudjohnsen  kezman  cole 63  
football	269	subs not used  johnson  smertin  cudicini 
football	269	makelele  gudjohnsen 
football	269	james  mills  distin  dunne  thatcher  shaun wright phillips  bosvelt  barton  sibierski  mcmanaman 85   musampa  fowler 
football	269	subs not used  macken  weaver  onuoha  jordan 
football	269	bosvelt 
football	269	42 093h webb  s yorkshire  
football	270	chelsea ridiculed over complaintbarcelona assistant coach henk ten cate has branded chelsea s expected complaint to uefa as  pathetic  
football	270	the blues are poised to complain about an alleged half time incident during wednesday s 2 1 loss at the nou camp 
football	270	the source of chelsea s anger was an alleged talk between barca boss frank rijkaard and referee anders frisk  who later dismissed didier drogba 
football	270	 to react the way chelsea have is pathetic 
football	270	mourinho lied with the line ups  and now this   ten cate said 
football	270	uefa has said its own tunnel representative witnessed nothing unusual out of the ordinary during the half time break 
football	270	spokesman william gaillard said   frisk says rijkaard greeted him and apologised he had not had the opportunity to say hello before the game 
football	270	 we had two uefa officials there and neither witnessed it 
football	270	the referee s dressing room was locked and he and his assistants were the only people allowed in 
football	270	  indeed  it is the londoners who could be on the receiving end of any punishment after failing to turn up for the compulsory press conference after the defeat 
football	270	uefa delegate thomas giordano added   the only unusual thing that happened as far as we are concerned is that chelsea failed to present themselves in the press conference 
football	270	  the referee is not expected to include any of the alleged incidents in his report to uefa   weakening chelsea s case 
football	270	rijkaard was critical of mourinho s decision not to speak to the media after the match 
football	270	 there was a lot of talking before the game and now surprisingly there is a lot of talking after the game 
football	270	it is not good behaviour after a match   he said 
football	270	 maybe they want to start something and make it worse than than it is 
football	270	i really don t understand it 
football	270	i am very calm about it 
football	270	 barca midfielder deco  formerly managed by mourinho at porto  agreed that it was not typical of his fellow portuguese to lodge a protest 
football	270	 it s not normal behaviour on his part 
football	270	it was not logical he did not give a news conference   he said 
football	270	rijkaard added   chelsea is the team which has conceded fewest goals in the english league and they defend very well so i am very pleased with the win 
football	270	 my men deserved victory and i am pleased to have won this match 
football	270	i congratulate my players 
football	270	  
football	271	benitez issues warning to gerrardliverpool manager rafael benitez has ordered captain steven gerrard not to play down their champions league ambitions and be more positive 
football	271	gerrard told the bbc liverpool were unlikely to win the trophy this year 
football	271	benitez responded   i spoke to steven and said to him that in future it s better to think we can win the champions league 
football	271	why not   he said   we need winners here and everyone thinking only of winning 
football	271	i always want to win 
football	271	 benitez added   when we lose i only think of solutions 
football	271	if you only think about winning the next game  you don t know what the draw will be 
football	271	 if we can win the next game  maybe we will draw a side that isn t so strong  or a side with injuries or suspensions 
football	271	  benitez is hoping to win his first trophy since arriving at liverpool from valencia when they play chelsea in the carling cup on sunday in cardiff 
football	272	owen determined to stay in madridengland forward michael owen has told the bbc he is happy in spain and has no plans to quit real madrid to return to the premiership in the near future 
football	272	but the 25 year old  who has spent much of his time coming off the bench in la liga  did not rule out a return to the premiership at some stage 
football	272	 i m pleased with the start i ve made here   he told bbc radio five live 
football	272	 england is my country 
football	272	it s definitely part of me but who knows whether  if or when i ll be playing there again 
football	272	  owen  who moved to the bernabeu from liverpool last summer  has grabbed 11 goals for real but has been unable to replace raul or ronaldo in the starting line up 
football	272	however  he said he was delighted with the way his time in spain was going and dismissed criticism of his decision to join real 
football	272	 when i first came there was a lot of scepticism back in england  any maybe some out here   he said 
football	272	 people were saying  fourth choice striker  what are you going there for  you ll be sat on the bench all the time  
football	272	 but as much as our press like to build it up as if i ve permanently had my backside on the bench  i ve played as many games as anyone else in the team this year 
football	272	 for a fourth choice striker at the start i m more than happy with the way i ve settled in 
football	272	  recent speculation has linked owen with a move back to england  with newcastle expressing their interest  but the england striker said he is not ready to return home 
football	272	he added   i ve got nothing against the premiership  i mean that s where i first performed  that s where i made my name 
football	272	 i can t keep my eyes off the premiership on television when i m at home 
football	272	  when asked if it would have to be liverpool if he returned owen said   i ve not really given it much thought 
football	272	 i ve got great memories of liverpool 
football	272	no matter what happens it ll always be a club i have fond memories of and it will always have a place in my heart 
football	272	 it s very flattering to be linked to top clubs in england   i m glad that no one is forgetting me   but i couldn t have wished for a better start in madrid 
football	272	   listen to the full interview with garry richardson on bbc radio five live s sportsweek at 0900 gmt on sunday 
football	273	wenger handed summer war chestarsenal boss arsene wenger has been guaranteed transfer funds to boost his squad the summer 
football	273	the club s managing director  keith edelman  stressed that the development of their new £350m stadium had no affect on wenger s spending power 
football	273	 the money is there 
football	273	don t worry we ve got it   edelman told bbc sport 
football	273	 hopefully  we ll spend it this summer and in the coming years 
football	273	arsene attends all our board meetings and he knows our finances are very strong 
football	273	 edelman added that it was pointless having a brand new stadium if the team did not match the surroundings 
football	273	 its great to have nice  new surroundings  but if the team aren t performing on the pitch  then there isn t great respect in having a fabulous stadium   he said 
football	273	 it s important that we had sufficient funds for our team in place  before we began on the stadium 
football	273	  
football	274	souness delight at euro progressboss graeme souness felt newcastle were never really in danger of going out of the uefa cup against heerenveen 
football	274	an early own goal followed by an alan shearer strike earned them a 2 1 win and a place in the uefa cup last 16 
football	274	 obviously with winning in the first leg it gave us a great advantage   he said after the 4 2 aggregate victory 
football	274	 we got our goals early and in the minds of some players the job was done but then they got a goal and perhaps made us a bit nervous 
football	274	  shearer s goal moved him within 12 of jackie milburn s club scoring record of 200 for the magpies 
football	274	but souness said he did not think beating the record would have any bearing on his decision to retire at the end of the season 
football	274	 i think if he got it this year he would want to stay next year anyway   he added 
football	274	 he struck the ball very well   he always has done   and i think it was the power and pace that beat the goalkeeper 
football	274	  souness also paid tribute to laurent robert  who was at the heart of much of united s attacking play 
football	274	 in the first half he did really well and did everything you want from a wide player 
football	274	more of the same in future please   he said 
football	275	downing injury mars uefa victorymiddlesbrough boss steve mcclaren hopes that stewart downing did not seriously damage his hamstring during the 2 1 uefa cup win over graz ak 
football	275	the winger was carried off on a stretcher in the closing stages as boro booked their place in the last 16 
football	275	mcclaren said   stewart has tweaked a hamstring  which is a blow for us 
football	275	we will assess it in the morning 
football	275	 but i m delighted with the match result 
football	275	they say in sport you can win ugly   and we certainly did 
football	275	  mcclaren was relieved to make it through after a tough encounter at the riverside 
football	275	 to be fair to graz  they had a gameplan   they knocked the ball forward  especially in the first half  and we struggled to deal with it 
football	275	 in the second half we were better but it was frustrating because we got the goal   but one slip and they were back in it 
football	275	  boro face sporting lisbon for a place in the quarter finals after the portuguese side saw off feyenoord on thursday 
football	275	and mcclaren added   sporting are technically very good   portuguese sides always are 
football	275	 but the journey goes on for us and we will now go to their magnificent stadium   after the first game here   we ll look forward to it 
football	275	  goalscorer jimmy floyd hasselbaink added   it wasn t a particularly beautiful match to watch   but they made it difficult for us 
football	275	 we didn t play well at all 
football	275	but you need a little bit of luck and i think we got that when my shot went through the legs of their goalkeeper 
football	275	 i would have liked to play in holland   that would have been a little bit special to me 
football	275	 but so is going back to portugal   i ll be playing against some lads i played with at boavista 
football	275	  
football	276	rangers seal old firm wingoals from gregory vignal and nacho novo gave rangers a scrappy victory at celtic park that moves them three points clear of the champions 
football	276	rangers had rarely threatened until celtic goalkeeper rab douglas let defender vignal s 25 yard drive slip through his grasp and into the net 
football	276	opposite number ronald waterreus had been rangers  hero  saving superbly from craig bellamy and john hartson 
football	276	striker novo secured victory  lobbing douglas with eight minutes remaining 
football	276	it ended celtic s 11 game unbeaten run at home in old firm derbies and gave rangers manager alex mcleish his first victory at the home of his glasgow rivals 
football	276	celtic had won their last six meetings on their home pitch  including twice already this season 
football	276	they started confidently  with new signing bellamy  on loan from newcastle united  given his celtic debut up front with wales international colleague john hartson and chris sutton dropping into midfield 
football	276	it took bellamy just four minutes to threaten  taking on marvin andrews before delivering a low drive that was held by waterreus at the second attempt 
football	276	he had an even better chance after hartson dispossesed sotiris kyrgiakos and sent his strike partner clear with only the goalkeeper to beat 
football	276	but waterreus did well to beat away bellamy s disappointing low drive from 16 yards 
football	276	waterreus came to the rescue again when the ball fell to hartson just inside the box and the dutch goalkeeper made a brave block 
football	276	it was an old firm return for barry ferguson as mcleish stuck by the side that thumped four goals past hibernian 
football	276	but rangers found celtic harder to break down and douglas was not threatened until 10 minutes after the break 
football	276	dado prso turned inside neil lennon only for the celtic goalkeeper to beat away his powerful 18 yard drive 
football	276	a great defensive header by andrews prevented hartson pouncing from five yards out 
football	276	hartson foxed vignal at the edge of the rangers box  but the striker s shot on the turn was again beaten away by waterreus 
football	276	rangers were beginning to dominate the midfield and vignal  collecting a knock back from fernando ricksen  broke the deadlock  douglas somehow letting the frenchman s dipping drive slip through his grasp 
football	276	novo pounced on a moments  hesitation in the celtic defence to latch on to a long ball from ricksen and lob the ball over the advancing douglas 
football	276	ricksen appeared to be hit by a coin  but it could not prevent rangers  celebrations at the final whistle 
football	276	  douglas  mcnamara  balde  varga  laursen  petrov  lennon  sutton  thompson  bellamy  hartson 
football	276	subs  marshall  henchoz  juninho paulista  lambert  maloney  wallace  mcgeady 
football	276	  waterreus  hutton  kyrgiakos  andrews  ball  buffel  ferguson  ricksen  vignal  prso  novo 
football	276	subs  mcgregor  namouchi  burke  alex rae  malcolm  thompson  lovenkrands 
football	276	  m mccurry 
football	277	sfa awaits report over mikoliunasthe scottish football association is awaiting referee hugh dallas s report before acting against hearts winger saulius mikoliunas 
football	277	mikoliunas  20  barged linesman andy davis  who had advised dallas to award rangers an injury time penalty in hearts s 2 1 defeat at tynecastle 
football	277	 he was sent off for violent conduct in the 90th minute but we don t know if he did something else after the whistle 
football	277	 we don t know how many red cards he was shown   said an sfa statement 
football	277	hearts could also face action after three fans were arrested for throwing coins on the pitch 
football	277	rangers  striker dad prso was also sent off during the same incident when he received a second yellow card for wrestling the ball away from craig gordon and leaving the hearts keeper on the ground 
football	277	the sfa said   once the referee s report comes in then we ll immediately look at things 
football	277	 we don t normally get the reports until a couple of days after the game but we re well aware of what happened here 
football	277	 prso was sent off for two cautions  and that will just be a one match suspension 
football	277	  the sfa is certain to come down hard on mikoliunas after southampton s david prutton was banned for 10 games on wednesday by the english fa for shoving referee alan wiley 
football	277	hearts  boss john robertson said   mikoliunas has thrown his chest against the assistant referee s chest and got a red card for it 
football	277	 the officials have got to take into account the fact he s a young lad 
football	277	 but people have got to take into account why he was incensed 
football	277	why were 10 000 hearts fans incensed   why did nobody from the rangers  bench claim for a penalty kick   rangers  boss alex mcleish accepted referee dallas had no option but to send prso off 
football	277	mcleish said   i m glad to see the spirit of the players fighting to the very end   literally with dado trying to get the ball back from craig gordon 
football	277	 but it was over zealousness and i don t think hugh had any option 
football	277	  
football	278	palace threat over cantona masksmanchester united fans wearing eric cantona masks will not be allowed in selhurst park on saturday 
football	278	united fans are planning to mark the 10th anniversary of cantona s infamous kung fu kick on crystal palace fan matthew simmons by wearing the masks 
football	278	but palace stadium manager kevin corner has warned   if they wear them inside selhurst park they will be immediately rejected on safety grounds 
football	278	 and no fans wearing cantona masks will be allowed entry to the stadium 
football	278	  united fans had declared saturday as  cantona day  and had planned to wear masks  that were popular during the frenchman s time as a player at the old trafford club 
football	278	cantona received a nine month ban following the incident and palace are keen to avoid an incident that would stir up ill feeling between the two sets of supporters 
football	278	four months after the cantona incident a palace fan  paul nixon  was killed prior to an fa cup semi final at villa park 
football	279	legendary dutch boss michels dieslegendary dutch coach rinus michels  the man credited with developing  total football   has died aged 77 
football	279	referred to in the netherlands as  the general   michels led the dutch at the 1974 world cup   when they reached the final only to lose 2 1 to germany 
football	279	however  he guided his side to the 1988 european championship title with a 2 0 win over the soviet union in the final 
football	279	michels played for ajax and coached the side to four national titles between 1965 71 and a european cup in 1971 
football	279	his 1970s dutch team was built around johan cruyff and johan neeskens and introduced the concept of  total football  to the world 
football	279	the strategy was to foster team coherence and individual imagination   with all players possessing the skills to play in any part of the pitch 
football	279	cruyff was the on field organiser of a team whose players rotated in and out of defence at will and was encouraged to play creative attacking football 
football	279	michels had recently undergone heart surgery and dutch football federation  knvb  spokesman frank huizinga said   he was one of the best coaches we had in history 
football	279	  the no nonsense coach also enjoyed spells at barcelona  who he took to a spanish title in 1974  fc cologne and bayer leverkusen 
football	279	michels  named coach of the century by world football s governing body fifa in 1999  also won five caps for the netherlands as a bruising centre forward 
football	279	dutch sports minister clemence ross van dorp said   he was the man who  together with cruyff  made dutch football big 
football	279	  
football	280	jol joy at  professional  cup wintottenham manager martin jol acclaimed his players for their patience in their 3 0 fa cup fifth round victory over a determined nottingham forest side 
football	280	 we had the initiative but it wasn t easy 
football	280	it was a professional sort of performance   the dutchman said 
football	280	 forest played with a lot of players behind the ball in the first half  but at 2 0 they were dead and buried 
football	280	  looking ahead to the quarter final  jol said   newcastle have got a very good side and they are always difficult 
football	280	  however  he added that his side  who are four places above the magpies in the premiership  were  not afraid of anyone  
football	280	robbie keane  skipper for the night and scorer of the crucial second goal  echoed his manager s sentiments on the last eight match 
football	280	 they re on a high  but we re confident and in the last few games we ve played well and hopefully we can go there and get the win   he said 
football	280	he conceded the win over forest  which included goals from noe pamarot and mido  was not pretty to watch 
football	280	 it wasn t the best display but it s all about the result   the irishman said 
football	280	 we knew it was going to be difficult with the conditions 
football	280	the pitch wasn t the best but we still tried to pass it 
football	280	 we dug in and the gaffer said to us at half time to keep being patient and that the goal will come 
football	280	  forest manager gary megson conceded his team did not deserve anything after a poor performance 
football	280	 if you play like we did and concede two goals from corners you re going to have an uphill battle against a very good team   he said 
football	280	 if we defend in the championship like we did we ll not get another point 
football	280	 we were organised but i felt at times we thought the system would be enough but we didn t look like scoring 
football	280	  
football	281	owen delighted with real displaymichael owen revelled in his return to the to the real madrid starting line up and inspired a 3 1 win over real betis on wednesday by scoring the first goal 
football	281	he said   i am happy i could play a game from the start again 
football	281	 i felt good all though the game and it is obvious that i am happy to have scored another goal 
football	281	 people have talked a lot about my performances and i think i have had some months that were not so good and others that were very good 
football	281	  owen  starting his third successive la liga match  converted a low cross from santiago solari 
football	281	robert carlos made it 2 0 at the break  smashing home an indirect free kick 
football	281	midfielder edu reduced the deficit after half time but ivan helguera headed past keeper antonio doblas to seal victory for his team 
football	281	victory took real to within six points of leaders barcelona and owen is confident real can close the gap 
football	281	he added   we had several chances against betis and i think we can get back in touch with barcelona 
football	281	 it is only six points between barcelona and us and that is nothing 
football	281	if we can beat them at the bernabeu  on 10 april   then it will be just three 
football	281	  owen has scored nine league goals  one behind real s top scorer ronaldo 
football	281	real had lost their previous two league games 
football	282	ferguson fears milan cutting edgemanchester united manager sir alex ferguson said his side s task against ac milan would not be made any easier by the absence of andriy shevchenko 
football	282	milan s talismanic european footballer of the year misses wednesday s champions league first leg tie after fracturing his cheekbone 
football	282	 it s a loss  to milan   but it could be worse if they didn t have such quality to bring in   ferguson said 
football	282	 how much they miss him i think they ll know tomorrow night 
football	282	  ferguson said milan s front line would still represent a formidable challenge for his defenders 
football	282	 they can play rui costa and play kaka forward 
football	282	they can bring serginho in and they can play  jon dahl  tomasson   he said 
football	282	ferguson s own goalscoring talisman ruud van nistelrooy is fit again  but the scot admitted he was unsure whether to start the dutchman  who has not played for three months 
football	282	 ruud is the best striker in europe 
football	282	what i have to judge is whether he will struggle with the early pace after being out for so long   he said 
football	282	 his ability puts him in with a big shout but it is a major decision 
football	282	  ferguson  though  is confident his young players  particularly wayne rooney and cristiano ronaldo  are up to the task 
football	282	 we have an opportunity to win this cup this year  no question about that   he declared 
football	282	 with the maturity we see every week in ronaldo and rooney  the return of van nistelrooy and the form of roy keane  paul scholes and ryan giggs  we must have a fantastic chance 
football	282	  it is a view shared by rooney  who believes  if we can get past milan  we have a great chance  
football	282	 as soon as i knew we were playing milan  i got excited 
football	282	looking at the draw  it is anyone s trophy but we have every chance 
football	282	 hopefully  we can get to that final in turkey and bring the cup back to manchester 
football	282	  milan coach carlo ancelotti said his team were looking forward to returning to the venue where they lifted europe s most prestigious club title two seasons ago 
football	282	milan beat juventus in a penalty shootout after a 0 0 tie at old trafford and ancelotti said   we are all very happy to return  to old trafford  to play in the champions league and this will give us great motivation 
football	282	  ancelotti said he was aware of the threat united posed to his hopes of champions league glory 
football	282	 it s fundamental that we don t allow them to take control of the game 
football	282	our intention is not to adapt to their play but to play our game   he said 
football	282	 they have great quality in attack  they use the wings a lot and we will have to make sure we stop them 
football	282	  
football	283	rush future at chester uncertainian rush s future as chester manager is uncertain after he and assistant mark aizlewood refused a severance package 
football	283	chester have won only two of their last 10 league games but chairman steve vaughan claims he cannot afford to sack the 43 year old liverpool legend 
football	283	vaughan said   i offered a financial settlement so they could resign with dignity but an obvious action is to dismiss them 
football	283	 i haven t because of the finances  so technically they re still employees 
football	283	  vaughan claimed that aizlewood had  verbally agreed  to the offer 
football	283	but the chester chairman added   after they discussed the offer with their solicitor  who also acts as their agent  they decided to withdraw the verbal agreement  which was disappointing 
football	283	  rush was appointed at the end of august following the departure of former liverpool team mate mark wright  who guided chester to the conference title last season 
football	283	chester were bottom of league two when rush took over but the former liverpool striker enjoyed an impressive start to managerial life  taking the club into the third round of the fa cup and winning the manager of the month award for october 
football	283	chester s downturn in form culminated in a 5 0 defeat at shrewsbury that leaves them hovering just above the league two relegation zone 
football	284	reyes tricked into real admissionjose antonio reyes has added to speculation linking him with a move from arsenal to real madrid after falling victim to a radio prank 
football	284	the spaniard believed he was talking to real madrid sporting director emilio butragueno when he allegedly berated his team mates as  bad people  
football	284	 i wish i was playing for real madrid   the 21 year old told cadena cope 
football	284	 hopefully it could happen 
football	284	i love the way madrid play 
football	284	i m not happy with the way things are 
football	284	  the striker joined the gunners from seville for £17m at the start of 2004  but it has frequently been reported that he is homesick 
football	284	he began the season in superb form but has struggled to maintain his high standards as arsenal have gradually lost the premiership initiative to manchester united and chelsea 
football	284	 if i m not  playing for real  i m going to have to carry on playing with some bad people   he added 
football	284	 i m sure there are none in the real dressing room 
football	284	 i m happy madrid is interested in me because it has always been my dream since i was little to play there 
football	284	  before the story surfaced  reyes had moved to play down reports linking him with the spanish giants  issuing a statement through arsenal describing the speculation as  flattering  
football	284	 i have seen the stories in the media linking me with real madrid   he had said on thursday lunchtime 
football	284	 but not only am i under contract at arsenal  i am happy here and committed to helping the team win more trophies 
football	284	  butragueno  meanwhile  was angry at being impersonated by the radio disc jockey 
football	284	 it is a disgrace  there is no foundation to this   he said 
football	284	 he is an arsenal player and we have to be respectful 
football	284	we have to be careful because of the rumours that appear in the news 
football	284	  
football	285	benitez joy as reds take controlliverpool boss rafael benitez was satisfied after his team s 3 1 win over bayer leverkusen despite conceding a goal in the last minute 
football	285	 before the game if you had said the score will be 3 1 i would have happily accepted that   said benitez 
football	285	 but you must realise that you have to concentrate right to the very last seconds of a game at this level 
football	285	 i have confidence that we can complete the task in germany 
football	285	i am always confident and we must be positive 
football	285	 benitez defended goalkeeper jerzy dudek  whose failure to hold on to dimitar berbatov s weak drive allowed franca to score with the last kick of the game   and give the german team a lifeline for the second leg 
football	285	 for me it was not jerzy dudek s fault   added benitez 
football	285	 he had played a very good game   and had we scored our other chances  nobody would be talking about about their goal 
football	285	it would not have mattered 
football	285	 if we had scored our other chances it would not have been worth remembering that last goal 
football	285	 in my opinion jerzy played well  made two very fine saves   and i am happy with him 
football	285	 if we lose 2 0 we are out but i think we can score in germany   certainly one  and that will make all the difference 
football	285	  and the liverpool boss is looking forward to having skipper steven gerrard  who was suspended for the anfield leg  back for the return in germany 
football	285	 steven gerrard is a key player for us   said benitez 
football	285	 when he is on the pitch he makes everyone else play better   and the opposition pay special attention to him   which gives space for others 
football	285	 steven is one of the best players in the world  but i need a team that is not about just one player 
football	285	there must be 11 players on the pitch all doing well 
football	285	  
football	286	souness eyes summer move for owennewcastle boss graeme souness is lining up a summer move for england and real madrid striker michael owen 
football	286	he sees owen as the ideal replacement for alan shearer  who is due to retire in the summer  although he hopes to persuade shearer to carry on 
football	286	 michael is in the category of players who would excite the fans and we re monitoring him   he told bbc newcastle 
football	286	 he is a great centre forward and only 25 but i don t think we re the only ones monitoring the situation at real 
football	286	  souness has also hinted he thinks shearer may carry on despite his stated intent to retire at the end of the season 
football	286	he believes the prospect of breaking jackie milburn s club scoring record may influence the striker s decision 
football	286	milburn scored 200 league and cup goals between 1946 and 1957  while shearer currently has 187 goals to his name 
football	286	 without giving too much away  i am confident he will be here next season   said souness 
football	286	 i can t imagine him leaving without breaking jackie milburn s scoring record 
football	286	  souness also revealed he tried to bring back nolberto solano during the january transfer window 
football	286	the peruvian international was sold to aston villa a year ago but in the phone in for bbc newcastle  souness said tried to re sign him  but villa were not interested in selling 
football	286	the former rangers and liverpool boss is also looking to bring in a number of new acquisitions once the current campaign has been completed 
football	286	 i m after three  four or five new players in the summer   we have got lots of targets   he said 
football	286	 don t think we will wait to the last day of the season to say   who are we going to target now    
football	287	wenger dejected as arsenal slumparsenal manager arsene wenger claimed their display in the 3 1 defeat against bayern munich was  our worst peformance in the champions league  
football	287	kolo toure s late goal gives the gunners hope for the second leg  but wenger said   the only positive is that we are still in the tie 
football	287	 the players are really down in the dressing room 
football	287	i feel we really turned in a bad performance 
football	287	 at 3 0 we faced a real struggle  but 3 1 at least gives us a chance 
football	287	 goalscorer toure was also at fault for two goals  and wenger said   we need to help toure rebuild his confidence as he is low at the moment 
football	287	  wenger also tried to stay upbeat himself  adding   but there is enough time for crying 
football	287	i could cry   maybe it would be easier   but life goes on 
football	287	 in this job  you have good and bad nights 
football	287	this was a bad night   but i still have confidence in the quality of my players  as well as their spirit and desire 
football	287	  but wenger s bayern counterpart felix magath was in no mood to celebrate either 
football	287	he said   i am far from happy despite the win 
football	287	my players failed to try and score a fourth to kill the tie and then conceded the late goal 
football	287	 arsenal are fully capable of scoring several goals against us on their own turf 
football	287	  arsenal keeper jens lehmann  whose personal rivalry with bayern goalkeeper oliver kahn was not helped by the result  said   do i blame myself for the third goal  as a goalkeeper  i always blame myself 
football	287	 i just know the goals were very easy against us 
football	287	in my time here  we have never conceded three easy goals like that   but sometimes it happens 
football	287	 it would have been impossible to go through at 3 0   but with the goal we have chances 
football	287	everything is now possible 
football	287	  
football	288	stam spices up man utd encounterac milan defender jaap stam says manchester united  know they made a mistake  by selling him in 2001 
football	288	the sides meet at old trafford in the champions league game on wednesday and the 32 year old s dutchman s presence is sure to add spice to the fixture 
football	288	 united made a mistake in selling me   stam told uefa s champions magazine 
football	288	 i was settled at manchester united  but they wanted to sell me 
football	288	if a club want to sell you  there is nothing you can do 
football	288	you can be sold like cattle 
football	288	  sir alex ferguson surprised the football world   and stam   by selling the dutchman to lazio for £numberm in august 2001 
football	288	the decision came shortly after stam claimed in his autobiography that ferguson had tapped him up when he was at psv eindhoven 
football	288	but ferguson insisted he sold the defender because the transfer fee was too good to refuse for a player past his prime 
football	288	the affair still rankles with the dutchman 
football	288	 i was settled at manchester united  i had even just ordered a new kitchen  but they wanted to sell me   he said 
football	288	 in what other industry can a good employee be ushered out the door against their wishes   of course  you can refuse to go  but then the club have the power to put you on the bench 
football	288	i don t agree that players control the game 
football	288	 there have been opportunities to confront them in the newspapers  but i have turned them down 
football	288	what s the point  wednesday s game at old trafford will provide an intriguing confrontation between united s young attackers wayne rooney and cristiano ronaldo and milan s veteran defence of stam  paolo maldini  cafu and alessandro costacurta 
football	288	stam says rooney s teenage stardom is in stark contract to his own start in the game 
football	288	 we can t all be wayne rooneys   at his age i was training to be an electrician and thought my chance of becoming a professional footballer had gone   he said 
football	288	 starting late can be a good thing 
football	288	some kids who start early get bored 
football	288	 i had my youth   having fun  drinking beers  blowing up milk cannisters 
football	288	it sounds strange but it s a tradition where i grew up in kampen   and i had done all the things i wanted to do 
football	288	  
football	289	mourinho defiant on chelsea formchelsea boss jose mourinho has insisted that sir alex ferguson and arsene wenger would swap places with him 
football	289	mourinho s side were knocked out of the fa cup by newcastle last sunday before seeing barcelona secure a 2 1 champions league first leg lead in the nou camp 
football	289	but he denied his club was suffering a dip in form which league rivals arsenal and manchester united could exploit 
football	289	 they cannot speak to us about blips because they re not in a better position than us   mourinho said 
football	289	 do they want to change positions with us  we are top of the league by nine points and in the carling cup final 
football	289	 the only thing they can say they are in a better position than us in is the fa cup 
football	289	 in the champions league all three teams can either go through or go out but the one team that is in the best position is still chelsea 
football	289	 mourinho said it was important to keep his team s results in perspective 
football	289	 don t try to put pressure on me because i am never under pressure   he warned 
football	289	 we have lost one important game this week   at newcastle   and we re out of the fa cup but i don t think a defeat in a first leg tie is a real defeat 
football	289	we are just 2 1 down at half time 
football	289	  asked if his chelsea honeymoon was now over  mourinho replied   i have had 20 years of honeymoons with my wife 
football	289	 the day that this club is not happy with me is the day that i go 
football	289	  
football	290	hodgson relishes european clashesformer blackburn boss roy hodgson says the premiership should follow the rest of europe and have a winter break   but insists that a gruelling domestic schedule will not damage the english elite s bid for champions league glory 
football	290	hodgson   now in charge at viking stavanger   was at liverpool s clash with bayer leverkusen at anfield on tuesday as a member of uefa s technical committee 
football	290	hodgson is a fierce advocate of the winter break employed throughout europe  although not in england   where the champions league contenders have ploughed through a heavy fixture list 
football	290	but hodgson told bbc sport that while he believes the premiership should embrace the idea  he does not expect it to cost the english representatives in the last 16 of the champions league 
football	290	 i just feel it is very difficult to say with certainty that teams who have had the break will have a definite edge 
football	290	 i am a fervent supporter of the break 
football	290	it gives players the chance to recharge their batteries midway through the season  which some suggest will give teams an advantage in the champions league 
football	290	 the other school of thought suggests having a break then coming back to it puts you at a disadvantage 
football	290	 the bigger discussions around the winter break should be to do with the nature of football today  the needs of football players and the way the premiership has developed  rather than one or two matches in the champions league in february 
football	290	  hodgson believes a winter break carries many advantages  explaining   as i said  it is the perfect chance to recharge batteries 
football	290	 and certainly if i was still a manager in england i would be supporting any calls for its introduction 
football	290	 in pre season you get a lot of enthusiasm and energy but by the time you get towards christmas many players  having also played plenty of international matches for club and country and travelled a lot  find themselves getting very jaded 
football	290	 the break gives them a chance to recover that energy and enthusiasm and  perhaps more importantly  recover their mental strength during the break and get ready for the games ahead 
football	290	 the mental side is by far the most important thing 
football	290	  hodgson added   the length of breaks can vary 
football	290	in italy the break was very short 
football	290	you just took christmas and new year 
football	290	 it was so short you didn t do anything 
football	290	you gave the players a week or 10 days off  then you were training for a week or 10 days and then went into a game 
football	290	 if it is longer  it is important those responsible for physical fitness give the players a programme to follow to ensure the physical strength they have accumulated stays with them 
football	290	  and hodgson believes a winter break would be a positive step in the premiership 
football	290	he said   if we talk about football at elite level  which the premiership is  then i would support a winter break 
football	290	 if you examine the demands of the premier league and  in particular on players who play international football for their club and country  then a break would do them the world of good   physically and mentally 
football	290	  
football	291	coach ranieri sacked by valenciaclaudio ranieri has been sacked as valencia coach just eight months after taking charge at the primera liga club for the second time in his career 
football	291	the decision was taken at a board meeting following the side s surprise elimination from the uefa cup 
football	291	 we understand  and he understands  that the results in the last few weeks have not been the most appropriate   said club president juan bautista 
football	291	former assistant antonio lopez will take over as the new coach 
football	291	italian ranieri took over the valencia job in june 2004 having been replaced at chelsea by jose mourinho 
football	291	things began well but the spanish champions extended their winless streak to six after losing to racing santander last weekend 
football	291	that defeat was then followed by a uefa cup exit at the hands of steaua bucharest 
football	291	ranieri first took charge of valencia in 1997  guiding them to the king s cup and helping them to qualify for the champions league 
football	291	the 54 year old then moved to atletico madrid in 1999  before joining chelsea the following year 
football	292	cole faces lengthy injury lay offaston villa s carlton cole could be out for six weeks with a knee injury 
football	292	the striker  who is on a season long loan from chelsea  picked up the knock in an england under 21 match against holland earlier this month 
football	292	 carlton will be out of action for four to six weeks after a bad challenge   said villa boss david o leary 
football	292	 i won t be able to tell you whether he will need an operation until maybe next week 
football	292	whether he has an operation has got to be left to chelsea 
football	292	  cole  who also struggled with an ankle problem earlier in the season  was unable to rest because o leary had a shortage of strikers 
football	292	the return to fitness of darius vassell after four months out with a broken ankle and the emergence of luke moore has alleviated some of the villa s manager s problems in that department 
football	293	arsenal through on penaltiesarsenal win 4 2 on penaltiesthe spanish goalkeeper saved from alan quinn and jon harley as arsenal sealed a quarter final trip to bolton with a 4 2 victory on penalties 
football	293	lauren  patrick vieira  freddie ljungberg and ashley cole scored for arsenal  while andy gray and phil jagielka were on target for the blades 
football	293	michael tonge and harley wasted chances for the underdogs  but paddy kenny was inspired to keep arsenal at bay 
football	293	arsenal  stripped of attacking talent such as thierry henry and dennis bergkamp  partnered 17 year old italian striker arturo lupoli with ljungberg up front 
football	293	it was a revamped arsenal line up  and they were almost a goal behind within seconds as tonge wasted a glorious chance 
football	293	gray ran free down the right flank  and his cross left tonge with the simplest of chances  but he blazed over the top from six yards 
football	293	arsenal were barely seen as an attacking force in the opening 45 minutes  although ljungberg turned a half chance wide after good work by cesc fabregas 
football	293	arsene wenger introduced quincy owusu abeyie for the ineffective lupoli at half time  and the pacy dutch youngster had an immediate impact 
football	293	he ran clear after good work by mathieu flamini  but his finish was tame and kenny saved easily 
football	293	owusu abeyie then fired in a testing cross  which was met by fabregas  and it needed a desperate clearance by kenny s legs to save the blades 
football	293	arsenal were now totally dominant  and were desperately unlucky not to take the lead after 62 minutes when fabregas crashed a rising drive against the bar from 20 yards 
football	293	it then took a brilliant tackle by jagielka to deny ljungberg as he was poised to strike 
football	293	arsenal continued to press  and once again kenny was called into action with eight minutes left  diving low to clutch another close range effort from fabregas 
football	293	neil warnock s side almost snatched victory in the dying seconds when derek geary s cross found harley at the far post  but his diving header was brilliantly turned over by almunia 
football	293	owusu abeyie s pace was causing all sorts of problems for the blades  and as extra time began  another surging run into the penalty area almost set up a chance for ljungberg 
football	293	pascal cygan missed arsenal s best chance after 106 minutes  blazing across the face of goal when he was unmarked at the far post 
football	293	arsenal sent on jeremie aliadiere with seven minutes of extra time left  and he almost broke the deadlock with his first touch 
football	293	kolo toure s misplaced free kick landed at his feet  but kenny once again blocked from a tight angle 
football	293	arsenal laid siege to sheffield united s goal in the dying minutes  but they somehow held on to force penalties 
football	293	almunia was then arsenal s hero as another brave blades cup campaign came to a losing end 
football	293	kenny  geary  morgan  bromby  harley  liddell  montgomery  jagielka  thirlwell  tonge  quinn 97   gray 
football	293	subs not used  francis  kabba  shaw  haystead 
football	293	morgan 
football	293	almunia  lauren  cygan  senderos  cole  fabregas  toure 90   vieira  flamini  aliadiere 113   clichy  lupoli  owusu abeyie 45   ljungberg 
football	293	subs not used  eboue  taylor 
football	293	clichy  lauren  senderos 
football	293	27 595p dowd  staffordshire  
football	294	ajax refuse to rule out jol moveajax have refused to reveal whether tottenham s boss martin jol is on the dutch champions  shortlist to become the amsterdam club s new coach 
football	294	jol  who has coached in his native holland  has guided spurs to the premiership s top eight 
football	294	an ajax spokesman told bbc sport   the coach must fit our profile   a coach who understands the dutch league and offensive and distinctive football 
football	294	 we need to find a solution soon  so someone is in place for next season 
football	294	  ronald koeman quit as ajax boss last week after their exit from the uefa cup 
football	294	jol has been linked with the vacant post at ajax  with reports saying he has fallen out with spurs  sporting director frank arnesen 
football	294	but in a statement on spurs  website  jol said   i m happy here  i m not in discussion with anyone else  i don t want to go elsewhere 
football	294	  ajax have enlisted the help of dutch legend johann cruyff  currently a consultant at barcelona  to help find a new head coach 
football	294	cruyff has admitted he has been impressed by the way former rfc waalwijk coach jol has turned round spurs  fortunes since taking over from jacques santini 
football	294	tonny bruins slot and ruud krol are currently in charge of ajax  who are third in the dutch league 
football	295	unclear future for striker barosliverpool forward milan baros is uncertain whether he remains part of boss rafa benitez s plans after being dropped for the carling cup final 
football	295	baros  who is liverpool s leading scorer this season  denied reports of a row with benitez but claims he is mystified at being left on the bench 
football	295	he told czech newspaper daily sport   i don t know why i didn t play on sunday 
football	295	i didn t argue with anybody 
football	295	 i was disappointed but i am not thinking of leaving right now 
football	295	  the czech international came on as a substitute after 74 minutes but could not prevent his side losing 3 2 to chelsea after extra time 
football	295	baros denied suggestions he wanted to leave the millennium stadium before the match upon learning of his omission from the starting line up 
football	295	but his admission that he  guessed something like this was going to happen on saturday   will do little to quell claims of a falling out with benitez 
football	295	and although baros insisted thoughts of quitting anfield are  not in my mind right now   he admitted  everything is possible  
football	296	prutton poised for lengthy fa bansouthampton s david prutton faces a possible seven match ban when he goes before the football association 
football	296	the 23 year old has admitted two charges of improper conduct following his dismissal against arsenal 
football	296	the first charge relates to his failure to leave the field promptly  pushing referee alan wiley and remonstrating with assistant referee paul norman 
football	296	and the second charge is for using threatening words and or behaviour to a match official during the 1 1 draw 
football	296	paolo di canio was given a seven match suspension when he pushed referee paul alcock over in a premiership game between sheffield wednesday and arsenal in 1998 
football	296	prutton will be joined at wednesday s hearing by saints boss harry redknapp  who believes that the fa will throw the book at his player 
football	296	redknapp himself sprinted along the touchline to help physio jim joyce and coach denis rofe shepherd the enraged prutton away from referee s assistant norman 
football	296	 david has made a big mistake and he knows it 
football	296	i can t condone what he s done 
football	296	he was out of order but he knows that   said redknapp 
football	296	 he s a decent lad 
football	296	he over reacted badly for some reason   he had a rush of blood from somewhere 
football	296	off the pitch you couldn t meet a nicer lad 
football	296	  prutton has apologised publicly for his actions and to arsenal s robert pires  who was injured in a wild tackle by the saints  midfield man 
football	296	he said   it s an horrendous situation 
football	296	i apologise to the ref and linesman  who were only doing their job 
football	296	 i ve also seen what happened to pires  leg and i m sorry for that as well 
football	296	   i apologise for the people who saw it 
football	296	i know you get lots of kids going to the match now and they don t pay money to see that sort of thing 
football	296	 it s not a cop out  but it was all a bit of a blur 
football	296	sometimes you react and it s beyond your control    added prutton 
football	297	robben plays down european returninjured chelsea winger arjen robben has insisted that he only has a 10  chance of making a return against barcelona in the champions league 
football	297	the 21 year old has been sidelined since breaking a foot against blackburn last month 
football	297	chelsea face barcelona at home on 8 march having lost 2 1 in the first leg 
football	297	and robben told the daily star   it is not impossible that i will play against barcelona but it is just a very  very small chance   about 10  
football	297	 robben has been an inspirational player for chelsea this season following a switch from psv einhoven last summer 
football	297	he added   my recovery is going better than we expected a few weeks ago but i think the barcelona game will come too soon 
football	297	 i won t take any risks and come back too soon 
football	297	  
football	298	adriano s chelsea link rejectedadriano s agent gilmar rinaldi has insisted that he has had no contact with chelsea over the striker 
football	298	chelsea were reported to have made inquiries about inter milan s 22 year old brazilian star 
football	298	rinaldi told bbc sport from rio de janeiro   i can assure you that chelsea have had no dealings whatsoever with either me or adriano 
football	298	 parma and real madrid are interested but there s nothing new there 
football	298	their interest has been known for some time 
football	298	  adriano has scored 14 goals in 20 serie a appearances this season 
football	298	and chelsea boss jose mourinho had claimed that he was in milan talking to adriano on the day he is alleged to have held a clandestine meeting with arsenal defender ashley cole 
football	298	mourinho said he was  just practising my portuguese with him because i don t need strikers  
football	298	rinaldi told bbc sport   i have to say that nobody from chelsea or any other london club has contacted me 
football	298	 if they want to  that s fine 
football	298	i can tell them what the situation is 
football	298	 if chelsea are interested then they must make an offer 
football	298	  inter are reported to have slapped a price tag in the region of £40m on the head of adriano  who joined them just over a year ago from parma 
football	298	real madrid view him as a natural replacement for compatriot ronaldo 
football	298	but rinaldi said   i cannot give you a price that inter would accept for adriano 
football	298	that s something that would have to be negotiated between the interested clubs 
football	298	  
football	299	fa decides not to punish mourinhothe football association will take no action against chelsea boss jose mourinho following his sending off in sunday s carling cup final 
football	299	mourinho  who was sent from the touchline for appearing to taunt liverpool fans  has been  reminded of his responsibilities to the game  
football	299	but the fa confirmed   there will be no further action taken in this matter 
football	299	  mourinho claimed his  silence  gesture was aimed at the media  although they were on the other side of the ground 
football	299	the former porto coach was forced to watch the climax of his side s 3 2 victory over liverpool on television after being ushered away from the touchline by fourth official phil crossley 
football	299	his gesture came after chelsea s equaliser on 79 minutes courtesy of a steven gerrard own goal 
football	299	mourinho still faces an fa investigation into his allegation that manchester united s players  cheated  during january s carling cup semi final at stamford bridge 
football	299	and uefa could also launch disciplinary action following mourinho s failure to attend a compulsory post match press conference after chelsea s champions league defeat at barcelona last week 
football	299	in addition  some time this month  chelsea must also answer a charge of failing to control their players during the premiership win at blackburn in february 
football	299	and a charge of failing to control their supporters following a carling cup meeting with west ham earlier this season is still to be heard 
football	299	the premier league is also continuing investigations into allegations chelsea officials tapped up arsenal defender ashley cole in january 
football	300	aragones angered by racism finespain coach luis aragones is furious after being fined by the spanish football federation for his comments about thierry henry 
football	300	the 66 year old criticised his 3000 euros  £2 060  punishment even though it was far below the maximum penalty 
football	300	 i am not guilty  nor do i accept being judged for actions against the image of the sport   he said 
football	300	 i m not a racist and i ve never lacked sporting decorum 
football	300	i ve never done that and i have medals for sporting merit 
football	300	  aragones was handed the fine on tuesday after making racist remarks about henry to arsenal team mate and spanish international jose reyes last october 
football	300	the spanish football federation at first declined to take action against aragones  but was then requested to do so by spain s anti violence commission 
football	300	the fine was far less than the expected amount of about £22 000 or even the suspension of his coaching licence 
football	300	arsenal boss arsene wenger  who was fined £15 000 in december for accusing manchester united striker ruud van nistelrooy of cheating  believes that aragones  punishment was too lenient 
football	300	 you compare his fine and my fine  and if you consider his was for racist abuse  then you seem to get away with it more in spain than you should   wenger said 
football	300	 he shouldn t have said what he said  and how much money is enough  i don t know but it doesn t look a big punishment 
football	300	  however  aragones insists the fine is unjustified and unfair 
football	300	 i have been treated like islero  the bull that killed famous bullfighter manolete    said aragones on hearing he had been fined for his actions 
football	300	 i have not liked one thing about this whole affair and i do not agree with the sanction 
football	300	they have looked for a scapegoat 
football	300	  spain s anti violence commission must now ratify the spanish fa s decision and has until next week to announce its verdict 
football	300	aragones has 10 days to appeal  and the commission can also appeal 
football	300	alberto flores  president of the spanish fa s disciplinary committee  said no one in the committee felt aragones was a racist nor had  acted in a racist way 
football	300	   a fine  the highest we could apply  is sufficient punishment 
football	300	suspension would have been a bit exaggerated   flores told sports daily marca 
football	301	boro suffer morrison injury blowmiddlesbrough midfielder james morrison has been ruled out for up to eight weeks after an operation on tuesday 
football	301	the 18 year old  who has played in 13 of the club s last 14 games  had surgery to repair a double hernia 
football	301	a club spokesman confirmed   it is a bilateral sportsman s hernia  which was operated on yesterday 
football	301	  morrison was sent for scans after being substituted at half time during boro s 2 1 uefa cup win over graz ak in which he scored the equaliser 
football	301	his injury is the latest blow for the teessiders  who have been without gaizka mendieta  george boateng and mark viduka for extended periods 
football	301	meanwhile  the kick off time for boro s uefa cup match at sporting lisbon on 17 march has been brought forward from 2115 gmt to 1945 gmt 
football	302	mourinho receives robson warningsir bobby robson has offered chelsea boss jose mourinho some advice on coping under pressure 
football	302	the pair worked together at barcelona and porto and robson had a word of warning for his protege 
football	302	 it has all gone for him just lately and that is marvellous  but sometimes you have to have a bit of humility and learn how to lose   said robson 
football	302	 it is when it goes against you and you get a bit of bad luck that you learn  and he ll get it straight 
football	302	  robson was speaking after being formally granted the freedom of the city of newcastle 
football	302	 jose is doing very well at the moment   robson added of the man who worked for him for six years 
football	302	 he has got one pot   possibly two to follow   a big game against barcelona to come and i cannot see them losing their lead in the premiership 
football	302	 they are in a good position and i would expect them to go on and win it  which is a wonderful achievement 
football	302	 what has occurred over the last couple of weeks will stand him in very good stead for the future 
football	302	if he is intelligent  he will take it on board   and he is very intelligent 
football	302	 he will have learned more in the last fortnight than the last eight months 
football	302	before that  it was all about winning 
football	302	  robson also admitted he would relish the chance to get back into management and test his skills against mourinho 
football	302	 i am not in a hurry to take the wrong job  but i am ready to take the right job and i feel there is another job in me   he added 
football	302	 i know the area i am capable of working in and of course i would like a job in the premiership if one was available 
football	302	 it would not worry me if i had to pit my wits against jose 
football	302	 but it is not just a case of him and me against one another 
football	302	it would be his team against my team   but i would not be afraid of that 
football	302	  
football	303	qpr keeper day heads for prestonqueens park rangers keeper chris day is set to join preston on a month s loan 
football	303	day has been displaced by the arrival of simon royce  who is in his second month on loan from charlton 
football	303	qpr have also signed italian generoso rossi 
football	303	r s manager ian holloway said   some might say it s a risk as he can t be recalled during that month and simon royce can now be recalled by charlton 
football	303	 but i have other irons in the fire 
football	303	i have had a  yes  from a couple of others should i need them 
football	303	 day s rangers contract expires in the summer 
football	303	meanwhile  holloway is hoping to complete the signing of middlesbrough defender andy davies   either permanently or again on loan   before saturday s match at ipswich 
football	303	davies impressed during a recent loan spell at loftus road 
football	303	holloway is also chasing bristol city midfielder tom doherty 
football	304	cudicini misses carling cup finalchelsea goalkeeper carlo cudicini will miss sunday s carling cup final after the club dropped their appeal against his red card against newcastle 
football	304	the italian was sent off for bringing down shola ameobi in the final minute of sunday s match 
football	304	blues boss jose mourinho had promised to pick cudicini for the final instead of first choice keeper petr cech 
football	304	the 31 year old will now serve a one match suspension commencing with immediate effect 
football	304	cudicini kept a club record 24 clean sheets last season for chelsea  but petr cech has established himself as first choice for mourinho since moving to stamford bridge in summer 2004 
football	304	the 22 year old czech republic international has set a new premiership record of 961 consecutive minutes without conceding a goal  a mark which is still running 
football	304	but mourinho has used cudicini regularly in the carling cup  and the italian has only let in one goal in his four appearances during chelsea s run to the final 
football	305	beattie return calms attack fearseverton striker james beattie has been declared fit for training on tuesday  despite suffering an alleged assault last saturday 
football	305	beattie  27  is not believed to be as seriously hurt as some reports have suggested after being  the victim of an unprovoked assault  in birmingham 
football	305	he was on a night out with his girlfriend and two friends following everton s 3 1 win over aston villa 
football	305	 he was shaken but not badly injured   said everton spokesman ian ross 
football	305	he added   he did speak to the police but will not be pressing charges 
football	305	 he has spoken to manager david moyes about what happened 
football	305	  beattie was suspended for the win at aston villa after his red card against chelsea and he will be available again for the merseyside derby at liverpool on 20 march 
football	306	keegan hails comeback king fowlermanchester city boss kevin keegan has praised striker robbie fowler for his landmark return to form 
football	306	the 29 year old  out of favour at city earlier this season  took his premiership goal tally past 150 with a brace in monday s 3 2 win at norwich 
football	306	 he is still a quality player and knows where the net is   we have just got to supply him with ammunition and  in the end  we did   keegan said 
football	306	 he has worked hard to get back to where he is now 
football	306	  the former liverpool striker  who moved to city in 2003 after a poor stint at leeds  has battled back into first team contention after struggling with fitness at the start of the season 
football	306	fowler overtook les ferdinand on tuesday evening to become the third highest scorer of all time in the premiership  with 151 goals  and he only trails alan shearer  250  and andy cole  173  
football	306	and keegan believes there is still more to come from the former england forward 
football	306	 he can get better if we can supply him better   added keegan 
football	306	 people want to write him off but if he has kept the articles of those people who have written him off he could throw them back at them and they would be left with a bit of egg on their face 
football	306	  fowler s double strike helped city come back from two goals down to clinch a dramatic win at carrow road and keegan sympathised with norwich boss nigel worthington afterwards 
football	306	 i feel a bit for nigel worthington   he said 
football	306	 his team have got great character  they have a lot of drive and enthusiasm 
football	306	 i know it is a killer blow for norwich but i really think they have brought something to the premiership 
football	306	 the stadium and the atmosphere is great  it is just a tough league to stay in   as they are finding out and as we know 
football	306	  
football	307	thompson says gerrard should stayliverpool legend phil thompson has pleaded with steve gerrard to reject any overtures from chelsea 
football	307	the ex reds assistant boss also warned that any honours won at chelsea would be cheapened by the bid to buy success 
football	307	he told bbc radio five live   liverpool would think about any bid made but it will all be down to steve in the end 
football	307	 but it wouldn t have that same sweet feeling at chelsea  where it s all money orientated and about simply buying the best 
football	307	  thompson reacted sharply to some liverpool supporters  who criticised gerrard s performance in the carling cup final against chelsea 
football	307	a number of fans questioned gerrard s commitment and sarcastically branded his own goal in liverpool s 3 2 defeat as his first goal for chelsea 
football	307	thompson added   i heard those comments from so called supporters and they were diabolical  absolutely outrageous 
football	307	 stevie carried the club last year and this year 
football	307	he s always put liverpool first 
football	307	  thompson  who savoured seven title winning seasons and two european cup triumphs during his anfield playing career  is confident that the lure of champions league football will keep gerrard at anfield 
football	307	 i hope champions league football will beckon for liverpool   either as winners or as finishing fourth in the premiership   and he will commit himself 
football	307	 there has been a lot of soul searching the way things have gone lately 
football	307	 i hope he s hardening to the fact he will have big decisions to make but i hope it is to the benefit of steven gerrard and i hope it is worthwhile for liverpool 
football	307	  
football	308	cole refuses to blame van persieashley cole has refused to blame robin van persie for leaving arsenal with no fully fit strikers for the fa cup fifth round replay at sheffield united 
football	308	van persie is suspended alongside dennis bergkamp and jose antonio reyes after being sent off at southampton when arsenal had a numerical advantage 
football	308	thierry henry is ruled out with an achilles tendon injury but cole said   no one is putting the blame on robin 
football	308	 it s just something that happens on the spur of the moment 
football	308	  cole added   i ve done it before and i hope they didn t blame me for anything 
football	308	 of course he ll learn 
football	308	i ve been sent off a couple of times now and it s just one of those things when you go a bit crazy for one or two seconds 
football	308	freddie ljungberg is likely to be used in an emergency striking role and will be partnered by either arturo lupoli  quincy owusu abeyie or jeremie aliadiere 
football	308	gunners boss arsene wenger said   freddie is an option but we need a second striker 
football	308	 i have to decide whether it will be aliadiere  quincy or lupoli who will start with him up front 
football	308	those three will be involved 
football	308	  arsenal are also without winger robert pires  who sustained an ankle injury at st mary s 
football	308	wenger added   it doesn t look like anything is fractured  but it is a good ankle sprain 
football	308	 it does not look like pires will be ready for two to three weeks 
football	308	  
football	309	blackburn v burnleyewood parktuesday  1 march2000 gmthoward webb  south yorkshire home to leicester in the quarter finalsbut defender andy todd is suspended and could be replaced by dominic matteo   if he recovers from a hamstring injury 
football	309	burnley have major injury concerns over frank sinclair and john mcgreal 
football	309	michael duff looks set to continue at right back with john oster in midfield and micah hyde is expected to recover from a knee injury 
football	309	  blackburn boss mark hughes   burnley are resolute and have individual talent but i fully expect us to progress 
football	309	 i thought we were comfortable in the first game and never thought we were under pressure 
football	309	 it s a competition we want to progress in and we are doing okay 
football	309	if we beat burnley  we have a home tie against another lower league club  leicester  
football	309	     burnley boss steve cotterill   they will be fresh and we ll be tired 
football	309	that is an honest opinion but our lads just might be able to get themselves up for one more big game 
football	309	 the atmosphere at the last game was very hot   a good verbal contest 
football	309	 our fans will not need whipping up for this game 
football	309	i just want them to help us as much as they can in a positive way 
football	309	  key match stats    blackburn rovers against bolton is part two of an east lancashire hotpot that didn t turn out to be that spicy when first staged on a sunday lunchtime the weekend before last  and resulted in a scrappy goalless draw 
football	309	  rovers  who are aiming to win the cup for a seventh time in their history and first time in 77 years  face another replay against championship opposition after eventually disposing of cardiff at ewood park in the third round 
football	309	but they ve not been beaten in the competition by a club outside the premiership for nine years  since ipswich   then in the second tier   defeated them 0 1 after extra time in a third round replay at ewood park on 16 january 1996 
football	309	history is on rovers side 
football	309	when they last met their near neighbours in the fa cup 45 years ago  it also required an ewood park replay  which the home side won 2 0  and when they last met in the league  rovers did the double 
football	309	they first won their nationwide division one trip to turf moor 0 2 four seasons ago  and then thrashed the clarets on home soil 5 0 
football	309	  manager mark hughes  who won the cup four times as a player  is aiming to steer rovers into the quarter finals for the second time in 12 years  and first time since the 2000 2001 season 
football	309	success here  and victory home to leicester in the next round  could see rovers in the semi finals without having played premiership opposition 
football	309	  burnley make the eight mile journey to their fierce rivals  determined to send blackburn the same way as liverpool in the third round 
football	309	but having failed to pull off another shock at turf moor  it could be that the championship outfit   17 places inferior on the league ladder   have missed their best opportunity 
football	309	having said that  burnley are yet to concede a goal in this cup run 
football	309	  steve cotterills  clarets have been knocked out in the fifth round four times in the last seven years  and have made only one appearance in the sixth round in 21 years 
football	309	that was in the season before last  when they disposed of premiership fulham at this fifth round stage 
football	309	  while blackburn have not played since the fifth round tie  burnley have had two league outings away from home  drawing 1 1 at derby and losing 1 0 at preston 
football	309	that takes their winless run to four games 
football	309	the combatants from one time prosperous mill towns  are both founder members of the football league 
football	309	head to head16th premwinners  six times 13th championshipwinners  once  
football	310	brentford v southamptongriffin parktuesday  1 march1945 gmtbarry knight  kent home to manchester united in the quarter finalsmidfielder andrew frampton and striker deon burton are both slight doubts with hamstring injuries  but should be fit saints are missing their entire first choice midfield of jamie redknapp  graeme le saux  nigel quashie and david prutton 
football	310	anders svensson and matt oakley are likely replacements with kevin phillips also scheduled to start  with henri camara rested 
football	310	  brentford boss martin allen   after conceding eight goals in our last three matches  i have to admit i m not very confident 
football	310	 there s no doubt we re the underdogs and after defending so poorly recently it s not looking good 
football	310	 southampton have just drawn with the premiership champions and that makes our task harder than it was already 
football	310	     southampton boss harry redknapp   we know they can give us problems 
football	310	 brentford have done well but we are the premiership side and should have the better players 
football	310	 staying in the premiership is our priority 
football	310	we want to win  of course we do 
football	310	we ll battle but if it comes to a football match i think we ll win 
football	310	  key match stats    brentford are the lowest ranked club left in the fa cup 
football	310	they re on their best run in the competition since reaching the quarter finals for the fourth time in their history 16 years ago 
football	310	now they have the carrot of the plum draw in the last eight dangling before them 
football	310	victory over premiership strugglers southampton  would bring the mighty manchester united to griffin park and a gigantic pay day for the sole league one survivors 
football	310	  martin allen s brave side came back from two goals down at st mary s to earn a deserved replay 
football	310	southampton striker henri camara scored twice from close range to put the saints in command  but isaiah rankin hit back just before half time  and sam sodje headed past a creaky defence on 58 minutes 
football	310	  the londoners have conceded six goals in their two subsequent league outings   three each in losing away to hartlepool and drawing at home to sheffield wednesday 
football	310	but they haven t lost in six league and cup games on home turf   winning three and drawing three since the reverse to torquay on boxing day 
football	310	  southampton go into this tie on the back of an eventful premiership match with arsenal on saturday 
football	310	an angry david prutton pushed referee alan wiley after being shown the red card  but his side still came back to draw 1 1 
football	310	it was saints  fourth stalemate in succession in all competitions  but didn t lift them out of the relegation zone 
football	310	the retention of their ever present premier league status must be the number one priority  irrespective of the rewards that success against brentford would bring 
football	310	  victory here would set up a repeat of the 1976 final  when saints astounded the football world by defeating tommy docherty s manchester united courtesy of bobby stokes  famous winner 
football	310	they also knocked out the red devils in 1991 on penalties in the fourth round 
football	310	but to write another chapter in their fa cup history  the solent side must avoid succumbing to lower division opposition for the first time since rotherham  from the second level  beat them 2 1 in a third round tie at millmoor on 16 january 2002 
football	310	southampton were last humbled by a club from the third tier six years ago 
football	310	fulham were then in the second division  when they won a third round replay at craven cottage 1 0 on 13 january 1999 
football	310	  to get to within two matches of a second visit to the millennium stadium in three years for the final  harry redknapp must guide his side past a club 36 places inferior on the league ladder  and a manager 19 years his junior  who played under him at west ham 
football	310	head to head10th league onequarter finals  four times 18th premwinners  once  
football	311	desailly backs blues revenge tripmarcel desailly insists there is no chance of history repeating itself when chelsea take on barcelona on wednesday 
football	311	the french star was part of the chelsea side crushed 5 1 at the nou camp in the champions league quarter final second leg in 2000 
football	311	 things will be totally different this time   he told bbc sport 
football	311	 now everyone knows about chelsea and is a little bit afraid of them 
football	311	they are one of the major clubs in europe and the pressure will be on barcelona 
football	311	  chelsea have not played barcelona since that quarter final tie five years ago 
football	311	the blues had looked destined to progress after winning the first leg at stamford bridge 3 1  courtesy of two goals from tore andre flo and one by gianfranco zola 
football	311	but they collapsed in the second leg  going down to strikes from rivaldo  2   luis figo  dani and patrick kluivert 
football	311	former chelsea captain desailly  who is now playing for al gharafa in qatar  says there is no comparison between that side and the current blues team  who are top of the premiership 
football	311	 mentally they are much stronger  even though a lot of their players are young   the 36 year old said 
football	311	 we made some mistakes at the nou camp in 2000   a lot of them were individual mistakes 
football	311	 it would not happen now 
football	311	this team has a new motivation and a different mentality 
football	311	  world cup winner desailly saw huge changes during his time at stamford bridge 
football	311	he was signed for £numberm from ac milan in 1998 by ruud gullit and went on to play under gianluca vialli and claudio ranieri 
football	311	but the biggest change occurred when billionaire roman abramovich bought the club in 2003 
football	311	desailly says the russian s arrival helped to instil a winning mentality at the club as well as a demand for success 
football	311	 the whole of chelsea is different now   the chairman  the manager and all the players   he said 
football	311	 everything is new and there is a huge determination to win 
football	311	 since that game in 2000  chelsea have gained more experience in europe and were very close to reaching the champions league final last season 
football	311	  desailly is one of the most decorated players in the history of football 
football	311	he won the 1998 world cup and 2000 european championship with france  the champions league in 1993 with marseilles and 1994 with ac milan  two serie a titles and the fa cup in 2000 with chelsea 
football	311	he is now winding down his career in qatar  alongside the likes of frank lebeouf  josep guardiola  titi camara  gabriel batistuta and christophe dugarry 
football	311	so he is full of admiration for two of his colleagues from the great milan side of the mid 90s who are likely to line up against manchester united on wednesday   paolo maldini and alessandro costacurta 
football	311	 i m happy that they have managed to play so long at a high level   he said 
football	311	 i made a vow to costacurta that as long as he plays  i will continue to play 
football	311	 and it s amazing that paolo has managed to play at such a high level for such a long time 
football	311	  
football	312	desailly backs blues revenge tripmarcel desailly insists there is no chance of history repeating itself when chelsea take on barcelona on wednesday 
football	312	the french star was part of the chelsea side crushed 5 1 at the nou camp in the champions league quarter final second leg in 2000 
football	312	 things will be totally different this time   he told bbc sport 
football	312	 now everyone knows about chelsea and is a little bit afraid of them 
football	312	they are one of the major clubs in europe and the pressure will be on barcelona 
football	312	  chelsea have not played barcelona since that quarter final tie five years ago 
football	312	the blues had looked destined to progress after winning the first leg at stamford bridge 3 1  courtesy of two goals from tore andre flo and one by gianfranco zola 
football	312	but they collapsed in the second leg  going down to strikes from rivaldo  2   luis figo  dani and patrick kluivert 
football	312	former chelsea captain desailly  who is now playing for al gharafa in qatar  says there is no comparison between that side and the current blues team  who are top of the premiership 
football	312	 mentally they are much stronger  even though a lot of their players are young   the 36 year old said 
football	312	 we made some mistakes at the nou camp in 2000   a lot of them were individual mistakes 
football	312	 it would not happen now 
football	312	this team has a new motivation and a different mentality 
football	312	  world cup winner desailly saw huge changes during his time at stamford bridge 
football	312	he was signed for £numberm from ac milan in 1998 by ruud gullit and went on to play under gianluca vialli and claudio ranieri 
football	312	but the biggest change occurred when billionaire roman abramovich bought the club in 2003 
football	312	desailly says the russian s arrival helped to instil a winning mentality at the club as well as a demand for success 
football	312	 the whole of chelsea is different now   the chairman  the manager and all the players   he said 
football	312	 everything is new and there is a huge determination to win 
football	312	 since that game in 2000  chelsea have gained more experience in europe and were very close to reaching the champions league final last season 
football	312	  desailly is one of the most decorated players in the history of football 
football	312	he won the 1998 world cup and 2000 european championship with france  the champions league in 1993 with marseilles and 1994 with ac milan  two serie a titles and the fa cup in 2000 with chelsea 
football	312	he is now winding down his career in qatar  alongside the likes of frank lebeouf  josep guardiola  titi camara  gabriel batistuta and christophe dugarry 
football	312	so he is full of admiration for two of his colleagues from the great milan side of the mid 90s who are likely to line up against manchester united on wednesday   paolo maldini and alessandro costacurta 
football	312	 i m happy that they have managed to play so long at a high level   he said 
football	312	 i made a vow to costacurta that as long as he plays  i will continue to play 
football	312	 and it s amazing that paolo has managed to play at such a high level for such a long time 
football	312	  
football	313	mourinho expects fight to finishchelsea manager jose mourinho expects the champions league clash with barcelona to be a fight to the finish 
football	313	mourinho is relishing the first leg of the tie against his former club in the last 16 in the nou camp 
football	313	he said   i wouldn t be surprised if nothing had been decided by the last minute of the return leg and the match had to go into extra time 
football	313	 i have to defend what is mine and the champions league is mine at the moment 
football	313	i m the last manager to have won it 
football	313	  mourinho never coached barcelona  assisting both sir bobby robson and louis van gaal 
football	313	but he is not envious  insisting   i don t have to be jealous about barcelona because they have 100 years of history and have won the european cup once 
football	313	 i have been managing for five years and i have the same amount of champions league trophies to my name 
football	313	  barcelona star ronaldinho admitted   i think that it is going to be a difficult match for us because chelsea have a good team full of big stars 
football	313	 i have seen chelsea a few times on television  tactically they are very good and they are very strong on the counter attack 
football	313	 they pressure very well and keep possession of the ball so it will be important that we play our own game 
football	313	 i believe they are the two strongest teams in europe 
football	313	nevertheless  barcelona are accustomed to playing big games at the nou camp  where they have to face the likes of real madrid each season 
football	313	 it is a special game  the atmosphere in the city changes  there are lots of journalists but inside the dressing room there is not a lot of difference   ronaldinho added 
football	313	 we are only thinking of winning the match with all respect to the opposition 
football	313	  
football	314	cup holders man utd visit evertonholders manchester united and premiership leaders chelsea both face difficult away ties against premiership opposition in the fa cup fifth round 
football	314	united were drawn against everton  while chelsea face a trip to newcastle 
football	314	brentford and hartlepool   the only sides left from outside the top two divisions   will replay for the right to travel to southampton 
football	314	burnley s reward for a place in the last 16 was a home tie against lancashire rivals blackburn 
football	314	the tie between manchester united and everton could see the return of teenage striker wayne rooney to his former club for the first time since his acrimonious £27m move 
football	314	nottingham forest boss gary megson could face a trip back to old club west brom if they come through their fourth round replay against tottenham 
football	314	arsenal were handed a potential home tie against fellow londoners west ham  providing the hammers come through their replay against sheffield united 
football	314	charlton will play leicester and bolton await the winners of the derby fulham replay 
football	314	  bolton v derby or fulhamwest bromwich albion or tottenham v nottingham foresteverton v manchester unitedcharlton athletic v leicester cityburnley v blackburnsouthampton v brentford or hartlepoolnewcastle v chelseaarsenal v west ham or sheffield unitedties to be played on 19 20 february 
football	315	candela completes bolton switchbolton boss sam allardyce has signed roma defender vincent candela on a five month deal 
football	315	the 31 year old former france international gave his last press conference as a roma player on monday  anouncing his move to bolton 
football	315	 i have signed a five month contract with bolton   said candela  who will travel to england on tuesday 
football	315	 in june i will decide whether to continue to play for bolton or retire from professional football 
football	315	  allardyce hopes candela s arrival will relieve bolton s injury crisis after defender nicky hunt limped out injured during oldham s 1 0 win against oldham in the fa cup on sunday 
football	315	 in light of what has happened to nicky hunt  with his injury  it might be a blessing in disguise that we can bring in a highly experienced full back to help with our injuries at the back   allardyce said 
football	315	 he has an outstanding pedigree in the game and has won honours at the highest level including the world cup in 1998 
football	315	 he has not played regular football this year but is eager to impress in the premiership 
football	315	 he can play in any position at the back and despite him being predominately right footed he has played the majority of his career at left back 
football	315	  candela  who was a member of the roma side that won the title in 2001  has made only seven league appearances this season for luigi del neri s side 
football	316	stuart joins norwich from addicksnorwich have signed charlton midfielder graham stuart until the end of the season for an undisclosed fee 
football	316	 it was a very easy decision to make   the 34 year old told norwich s website 
football	316	 the attraction for me was to continue to play in the premiership 
football	316	  canaries boss nigel worthington added   i m delighted that graham will be joining us until the end of the season 
football	316	 he s gives us a wealth of experience 
football	316	hopefully  he can be part of keeping us in the premier league 
football	316	  stuart has extensive top flight experience with everton  chelsea and charlton and can play across the midfield positions 
football	316	he joins norwich with the norfolk club second from bottom in the premiership  but stuart is confident that the carrow road outfit have a bright future 
football	316	 i ve been very impressed with the facilities here 
football	316	it s obviously a very well run football club with excellent facilities and i ve always enjoyed playing at carrow road   he added 
football	316	 it s a nice compact ground with a good atmosphere and hopefully i can help give the fans something else to cheer 
football	316	 stuart  a former england under 21 international  made 110 appearances for chelsea  scoring 18 goals  before joining everton 
football	316	he won the fa cup with the toffees in 1995 and remains a hero at goodison park after his 81st minute winner against wimbledon saved everton from relegation in 1994 
football	316	stuart spent just over four years at goodison park  making 125 senior appearances and scoring 25 goals  before signing for sheffield united   where he scored 12 goals in 68 appearances 
football	316	after signing for charlton he made 164 appearances  scoring 23 times  but recently he has been battling a back problem and had not played for the londoners for three months before heading to norwich 
football	317	celtic make late bid for bellamynewcastle striker craig bellamy is discussing a possible short term loan move to celtic  bbc sport understands 
football	317	the welsh striker has rejected a move to birmingham after falling out with magpies manager graeme souness 
football	317	the toon boss vowed bellamy would not play again after a bitter row over his exclusion for the game against arsenal 
football	317	celtic are in no position to match birmingham s £6m offer but a stay until the end of the season could suit bellamy while he considers his future 
football	317	according to bellamy s agent  the player dismissed a permanent move to birmingham 
football	317	and it is unlikely that newcastle would allow the player to go on loan to another premiership club 
football	317	bellamy was fined two weeks  wages after a live tv interview in which he accused souness of lying  following a very public dispute about what position bellamy should play in the side 
football	317	souness said   he can t play for me ever again 
football	317	he has been a disruptive influence from the minute i walked into this football club 
football	317	 he can t go on television and accuse me of telling lies 
football	317	  chairman freddy shepherd described bellamy s behaviour as  totally unacceptable and totally unprofessional  
football	318	campbell lifts lid on united feudarsenal s sol campbell has called the rivalry between manchester united and the gunners  bitter and personal  
football	318	past encounters have stirred up plenty of ill feeling between the sides and they meet again at highbury on tuesday 
football	318	 it is just more bitter and personal against united   the defender told the guardian newspaper 
football	318	 there s an edge 
football	318	 after all that has happened  if we beat them it will be one of our sweetest ever wins  especially because of how we lost to them up there 
football	318	  last october  arsenal lost 2 0 at old trafford  which ended a record 49 match unbeaten league run and sparked a mini crisis  with the gunners winning only three of their next 10 games 
football	318	 it had a psychological impact on us  but again because of the way we were defeated   added the 30 year old  referring to a controversial penalty award for united s first goal 
football	318	 that was far more upsetting  losing like that  because they just seem to get away with it 
football	318	you try and balance out over the course of a season but i ve had so many rough decisions against them you begin to wonder 
football	318	  with tensions spilling over afterwards   united boss sir alex ferguson was allegedly pelted with pizza in the players  tunnel   there is little surprise that so much is riding on the return encounter on 
football	318	 everyone at arsenal has been waiting for this game   said campbell 
football	318	 we are up for this one 
football	318	 speaking on his long term plans  campbell signalled his intent to move abroad before he turns 35 
football	318	 i m 30 now and in five years  time i won t be in this country   that s definite 
football	318	 italy looks good to me because it would suit my kind of football 
football	318	spain is an option but the idea of tasting a new culture and learning another language excites me the most 
football	318	i m starting a little with french  of course 
football	318	  
football	319	rovers reject third ferguson bidblackburn have rejected a third bid from rangers for scotland captain barry ferguson  bbc sport has learnt 
football	319	it is thought blackburn want £6m for the midfielder but chief executive john williams has confirmed the club are still  in dialogue  with rangers 
football	319	the 26 year old has already handed in a transfer request at ewood park as he seeks a return to ibrox 
football	319	but the clubs have been unable to reach agreement over a fee for ferguson  who moved to lancashire in 2003 for £numberm 
football	319	on thursday rangers said they would not be increasing their offer of £4m 
football	319	blackburn have said all along that they want £6m for the midfielder and williams has rejected proposals from rangers over a player swap deal 
football	319	williams said   we are in dialogue with glasgow rangers but we have no agreement 
football	319	  the negotiations will have to be concluded by midnight on monday  when the winter transfer window shuts 
football	319	williams conceded any deal for ferguson was looking  unlikely  before the close of the transfer window but rangers still had a chance to seal the deal 
football	319	 we have no comment to make other than we have not got an agreement with glasgow rangers   he added 
football	319	 the way things are looking  i think it is unlikely we are going to 
football	319	 the ball is in their court but we have not got an offer that is acceptable at this moment 
football	319	  it is understood that blackburn accepted a £5m offer for ferguson from everton at the weekend 
football	319	but the player is determined to return to scotland and rejected a move to goodison park 
football	319	ferguson did not play in the fa cup win over colchester on saturday despite recovering from a groin injury with rovers boss mark hughes claiming it had been an  emotional and difficult time  for the player 
football	320	sa return to mauritiustop seeds south africa return to the scene of one of their most embarrassing failures when they face the seychelles in the cosafa cup next month 
football	320	last year bafana bafana were humbled in the first by minnows mauritius who beat them 2 0 in curepipe 
football	320	coach stuart baxter and his squad will return to curepipe face the seychelles in their first game of the new look regional competition 
football	320	the format of the event has been changed this year after the entry of the seychelles  who have taken the number of participants to 13 
football	320	the teams are now divided into three group of four and play knock out matches on successive days to determine the group champions 
football	320	mauritius host the first group  and their opponents are madagascar  the seychelles and south africa 
football	320	bafana bafana play the seychelles before mauritius take on madagascar in a double header on 26 february 
football	320	the two winners return to the new george v stadium the next day and the victor of the group decider advances to august s final mini tournament 
football	320	the second group will be hosted in namibia in april 
football	320	it comprises zimbabwe  botswana  mozambique and the hosts 
football	320	in june  former champions zambia will host lesotho  malawi and swaziland in the third group in lusaka 
football	320	the three group winners will then join title holders angola for the last of the mini tournaments in august  where the winners will be crowned 
football	320	seychelles v south africamauritius v madagascarwinners meet in final matchmozambique v zimbabwenamibia v botswanawinners meet in final matchlesotho v malawizambia v swazilandwinners meet in final match 
football	321	tottenham bid   163 8m for forest duonottingham forest have confirmed they have received an £8m bid from tottenham for andy reid and michael dawson 
football	321	reid rejected a move to southampton after forest accepted a cash plus players offer while spurs had made previous bids for the 22 year old 
football	321	spurs had also made an undisclosed offer for 21 year old defender dawson 
football	321	forest chief executive mark arthur said   we ve received an £8m bid from spurs for the two players and we re considering the offer 
football	321	  southampton s offer for republic of ireland international reid comprised £3m plus and two players   brett ormerod and darren kenton 
football	321	spurs had seen previous bids of £3m  £4m and £5m for reid rejected by the championship club 
football	322	redknapp s saints face pompey tienew southampton manager harry redknapp faces an immediate reunion with his old club portsmouth after they were drawn together in the fa cup fourth round 
football	322	exeter city face a home tie against middlesbrough if they can see off holders manchester united in a replay 
football	322	oldham s reward for beating manchester city is a home tie with bolton  while yeovil will be away to charlton 
football	322	chelsea host birmingham  tottenham travel to west brom and arsenal will entertain championship side wolves 
football	322	saints boss redknapp was upbeat about the draw despite having to face the club he walked out on just six weeks ago 
football	322	 i ve said before  i can walk away from portsmouth with my head held high  i m proud of what i did there and no one can take that away from me   said redknapp 
football	322	 maybe i ll be in for some stick  there s always some of that but we ll get on with it and it s only a game of football 
football	322	  birmingham manager steve bruce admitted their trip to stamford bridge to face premiership leaders chelsea was the toughest draw possible 
football	322	bruce said   i m still in shock 
football	322	we ve given good accounts of ourselves against chelsea in the past and played well when we lost 1 0 at home at the start of the season   but that s the past 
football	322	 but it s the best competition in the world as far as i am concerned and we will give it our best shot 
football	322	  brentford boss martin allen remained cautious despite his side s favourable draw   a home tie with either hartlepool or boston 
football	322	 the best thing is  it s a home game 
football	322	however  we know that whoever we play it is going to be a really tough game   said allen 
football	322	 but it s not about the opposition  it s about us 
football	322	we all want to get through to the next round and face a massive team  that s the way it is 
football	322	 meanwhile  the bbc has confirmed it will be televising exeter s replay with man utd live on wednesday 19 january  from 1930 on bbc one 
football	322	derby v watford or fulhamman utd or exeter v middlesbroughcardiff or blackburn v colchesterchelsea v birminghamwest ham v sheff utdoldham v boltonarsenal v wolverhamptoneverton v sunderlandnottm forest v peterboroughbrentford v hartlepool or bostonreading or swansea v leicester or blackpoolburnley or liverpool v bournemouthsouthampton v portsmouthwest brom v tottenhamnewcastle v coventrycharlton v yeovil 
football	323	real in talks over gravesen movereal madrid are closing in on a £2m deal for everton s thomas gravesen after the dane s agent travelled to spain to hold talks about a move 
football	323	john sivabaek told bbc sport   i m here to listen to what real have to say 
football	323	nothing has been agreed  but this is a big opportunity for any player 
football	323	  the 28 year old s contract expires in the summer  but real want a quick deal 
football	323	sivabaek added   i will be meeting real on wednesday 
football	323	there is serious interest  but it is everton s hands 
football	323	  everton must decide whether to cash in now on the denmark midfield man  or risk losing him for nothing in the summer 
football	323	manager david moyes has defiantly claimed that he expects gravesen to still be at everton when the transfer window closes at the end of january 
football	323	moyes said   i speak to tommy regularly and we know where we are at 
football	323	 there s been no contact 
football	323	we don t want to lose him 
football	323	  real madrid general manager arrigo sacchi is the driving force behind the move  convincing vice president emilio butragueno and new coach wanderley luxemburgo that gravesen is the right man for the bernabeu 
football	323	everton must weigh up whether it is worth taking the money on offer for real and risk their own ambitions for european football 
football	323	gravesen has been outstanding as everton have established themselves in the premiership s top four this season 
football	324	klinsmann issues lehmann warninggermany coach jurgen klinsmann has warned goalkeeper jens lehmann he may have to quit arsenal to keep his world cup dreams alive 
football	324	lehmann is understudy to oliver kahn in the german squad  but has lost his place to manuel alumnia at highbury 
football	324	klinsmann said   it will be difficult for any of our players if he is not a first choice at his club 
football	324	 if jens is not arsenal s number one keeper  that is a problem for me 
football	324	he must be playing regularly 
football	324	  lehmann is desperate to keep his place in the germany squad when the country hosts the world cup in 2006 
football	324	klinsmann added   if he is not playing regularly he cannot be germany s number one keeper  or even number two keeper 
football	324	 the situation for jens is that he is currently the number two keeper at arsenal 
football	324	this could be critical if it remains the same during next season 
football	324	  
football	325	juninho demand for o neill talksjuninho s agent has confirmed that the player is hoping for talks with martin o neill as the brazilian midfielder comes closer to departing celtic 
football	325	brian hassell says no official approach has been received from manchester city but that the english club had been earmarked as a possible destination 
football	325	but it was being stressed to bbc sport that juninho would prefer to remain with the scottish champions 
football	325	juninho wants assurances that he will return to o neill s first team plans 
football	325	he has become frustrated with his lack of first team action since his move from middlesbrough in the summer 
football	325	hassel says juninho  who has just bought a new home  would  desperately like to stay at celtic  but will seek a move if it is made clear that he is not wanted 
football	325	the agent also stressed that nothing should be read into the 30 year old s father being in scotland and talk of a move back to botafogo in brazil 
football	325	juninho s father was simply in the country to see his son and grandchildren 
football	325	 i know there is interest from a brazilian club  but i know juninho doesn t want to go there   said hassel 
football	325	 he wants to stay in britain 
football	325	in fact  he wants to stay at celtic 
football	325	  hassall made it clear that a move to manchester city  who are badly in need of a midfield play maker  was more of a possibility than botafogo  or mexican outfit red sharks veracruz  who also expressed an interest 
football	325	 it was a thought at one stage   he said 
football	325	 if you are not going to get a game under one manager  you look for another whose style of play suits you 
football	325	 he is a fan of kevin keegan s style of play 
football	325	it would not be a bad move for him 
football	325	  juninho had earlier told the daily record   the manager has had a lot of chances to put me in his team but it hasn t happened 
football	325	 if that is the case then this is the opportunity for me to go 
football	325	that would be good for the club and good for me 
football	325	 if i have no part in his plans  there is no point in remaining here waiting for a chance that never comes 
football	325	  the attacking midfielder also claims he has not had the backing of boss martin o neill since his move to celtic park 
football	325	 i can t understand why i am in this situation   he continued 
football	325	 when a manager brings a new player to the club  he gives that player support 
football	325	  
football	326	wenger signs new dealarsenal manager arsene wenger has signed a new contract to stay at the club until may 2008 
football	326	wenger has ended speculation about his future by agreeing a long term contract that takes him beyond the opening of arsenal s new stadium in two years 
football	326	he said   signing a new contract just rubber stamps my desire to take this club forward and fulfil my ambitions 
football	326	 i still have so much to achieve and my target is to drive this club on 
football	326	these are exciting times for arsenal 
football	326	 the 55 year old frenchman told arsenal s website www 
football	326	arsenal 
football	326	com   my intention has always been clear 
football	326	i love this club and am very happy here 
football	326	  wenger has won the title and the fa cup three times each during his reign 
football	326	chairman peter hill wood said   we are absolutely delighted that arsene has signed an extension to his contract 
football	326	 since his arrival in 1996  he has revolutionised the club both on and off the pitch 
football	326	 as well as the six major honours he s won during his time here  arsene has been a leading influence behind all the major initiatives at the club including the construction of our new training centre and also our new stadium 
football	326	 the club has continued to reap the benefits of arsene s natural eye for unearthing footballing talent 
football	326	 we currently have a fantastic crop of young players coming through the ranks together with a number of world class players who are playing a wonderful brand of football 
football	326	  meanwhile  arsenal director danny fiszman is looking for wenger to stay beyond 2008 
football	326	 when we come towards the end of his contract we will both review the situation 
football	326	i m sure we will want him to stay on and i hope he will too   said fiszman 
football	327	fa probes crowd troublethe fa is to take action after trouble marred wednesday s carling cup tie between chelsea and west ham 
football	327	police in riot gear were confronted by a section of the west ham support after the match which the blues won 1 0 
football	327	mateja kezman  the scorer of chelsea s goal  needed treatment on a head injury during the match after being hit by a missile  believed to be a coin 
football	327	a spokeswoman for chelsea said the club would await the referee s report before deciding on its course of action 
football	327	kezman was forced off the field to receive treatment on a cut above his eye but was able to continue 
football	327	chelsea assistant boss steve clarke said   i would rather talk about the football but we think it was something thrown from the crowd 
football	327	he did not require stitches 
football	327	  west ham boss alan pardew said   it s a shame because i thought there was good english banter in the crowd 
football	327	 there s big rivalry between the two clubs and it is a shame if that s happened 
football	327	from where i was standing i didn t see any trouble 
football	327	  former hammers star joe cole also had a plastic bottle thrown at him  while frank lampard was pelted with coins as he was preparing to take a penalty 
football	327	lampard s spot kick was saved to the delight of the hammers  fans  who have still not forgiven him for leaving upton park 
football	327	the fa will seek reports from the clubs and the police  and will review video evidence and the referee s report 
football	327	police in riot gear battled with west ham fans in the matthew harding stand and at least one supporter required treatment 
football	327	fans are also thought to have clashed outside the ground after the game 
football	327	scotland yard said there had been 11 arrests for alleged public order  drugs and offensive weapon offences 
football	327	the fa is already looking into the trouble at tuesday s heated carling cup tie between millwall and liverpool 
football	328	edu describes tunnel fracasarsenal s edu has lifted the lid on the scenes that followed manchester united s win over the gunners 
football	328	the brazilian confirmed tempers had flared but could shed no light on reports that food was thrown at united boss sir alex ferguson 
football	328	 i saw people being pulled apart  people pushing  pointing and shouting   he told uefa s official website 
football	328	 the united players were trying to wind us up about the result but i didn t see any soup being thrown at anyone 
football	328	  however  edu tried to play down the incidents  adding   there was nothing that i haven t seen in brazilian derbies 
football	328	 derby matches in brazil are worse 
football	328	i like to play in games like this with this intense rivalry 
football	328	  but edu was highly critical of the ferocity of some of united s challenges during the game  particularly on jose antonio reyes 
football	328	 i think we were a lot fairer in the tackles than united   he said 
football	328	 reyes was being kicked all over the park   they were beating up the boy and gary neville was tackling in such a way that he should have been sent off 
football	328	  following the game  the football association said it would look into events in the tunnel 
football	328	it also charged ruud van nistelrooy with serious foul play while arsenal boss arsene wenger has been asked to explain comments he made about the referee 
football	329	chelsea sack mutuchelsea have sacked adrian mutu after he failed a drugs test 
football	329	the 25 year old tested positive for a banned substance   which he later denied was cocaine   in october 
football	329	chelsea have decided to write off a possible transfer fee for mutu  a numberm signing from parma last season  who may face a two year suspension 
football	329	a statement from chelsea explaining the decision read  we want to make clear that chelsea has a zero tolerance policy towards drugs 
football	329	  mutu scored six goals in his first five games after arriving at stamford bridge but his form went into decline and he was frozen out by coach jose mourinho 
football	329	chelsea s statement added   this applies to both performance enhancing drugs or so called  recreational  drugs 
football	329	they have no place at our club or in sport 
football	329	 in coming to a decision on this case  chelsea believed the club s social responsibility to its fans  players  employees and other stakeholders in football regarding drugs was more important than the major financial considerations to the company 
football	329	 any player who takes drugs breaches his contract with the club as well as football association rules 
football	329	 the club totally supports the fa in strong action on all drugs cases 
football	329	  fifa s disciplinary code stipulates that a first doping offence should be followed by a six month ban 
football	329	and the sport s world governing body has re iterated their stance over mutu s failed drugs test  maintaining it is a matter for the domestic sporting authorities 
football	329	 fifa is not in a position to make any comment on the matter until the english fa have informed us of their disciplinary decision and the relevant information associated with it   said a fifa spokesman 
football	329	chelsea s move won backing from drug testing expert michelle verroken 
football	329	verroken  a former director of drug free sport for uk sport  insists the blues were right to sack mutu and have enhanced their reputation by doing so 
football	329	 chelsea are saying quite clearly to the rest of their players and their fans that this is a situation they are not prepared to tolerate 
football	329	 it was a very difficult decision for them and an expensive decision for them but the terms of his contract were breached and it was the only decision they could make 
football	329	 it is a very clear stance by chelsea and it has given a strong boost to the reputation of the club 
football	329	  it emerged that mutu had failed a drugs test on october 18 and  although it was initially reported that the banned substance in question was cocaine 
football	329	the romanian international later suggested it was a substance designed to enhance sexual performance 
football	329	the football association has yet to act on mutu s failed drugs test and refuses to discuss his case 
football	330	ferguson urges henry punishmentsir alex ferguson has called on the football association to punish arsenal s thierry henry for an incident involving gabriel heinze 
football	330	ferguson believes henry deliberately caught heinze on the head with his knee during united s controversial win 
football	330	the united boss said it was worse than ruud van nistelrooy s foul on ashley cole for which he got a three game ban 
football	330	 we shall present it to the fa and see what they do 
football	330	the tackle on heinze was terrible   he said 
football	330	clubs are permitted to ask the fa to examine specific incidents but information is expected to be provided within 48 hours of the game 
football	330	the clash occurred moments before half time when a freddie ljungberg challenge left heinze on the ground on the left touchline 
football	330	henry  following the ball  attempted to hurdle the argentine but his knee collided with the back of heinze s head 
football	330	the striker protested his innocence   and referee mike riley deemed the collision accidental 
football	330	ferguson was also upset by arsenal s overall discipline during the heated encounter between the two arch rivals and praised his own side s behaviour 
football	330	 edu produced a terrible tackle on scholes that was a potential leg breaker   he said 
football	330	 there were 24 fouls in the game by arsenal  seven on heinze  five on ronaldo  six by vieira   and it was only his sixth foul that got him booked 
football	330	phil neville got booked for his first challenge 
football	330	 i am proud of my players for the way they handled that pressure 
football	330	 we have always been good at being gracious in defeat 
football	330	what happened on sunday overshadowed our achievement  but then they do it all the time  don t they   
football	331	wenger offers mutu hopearsenal boss arsene wenger would consider signing adrian mutu once the striker has served his drugs ban 
football	331	mutu was sacked by chelsea on friday after testing positive for cocaine   a move wenger has backed 
football	331	but he said   i don t even wonder if that could happen because i think he will be suspended for a long period 
football	331	 but once he has served his suspension  he has the right again to start from zero 
football	331	i would then meet the player and see what he tells me 
football	331	  mutu faces a ban of between six months and two years when the football association decides on his punishment 
football	331	chelsea decided to act before his case was heard and sacked the striker on grounds of gross misconduct after it was revealed that he had failed a drug test 
football	331	but mutu has hit out at the club s decision  saying   chelsea have destroyed me 
football	331	  he told the sunday mirror   i don t know what i m going to do 
football	331	i am shocked and surprised by their decision 
football	331	 i didn t expect them to pay me while i was suspended but i never thought they would sack me either 
football	331	 why didn t they wait to do this  now my career is in ruins 
football	331	 i might as well walk away from football 
football	331	what is there left for me  chelsea have been criticised for their stance  with the professional footballers  association accusing the club of failing in their duty of care to the player 
football	331	and mutu agreed  adding   it is unfair 
football	331	if they were going to sack me they should have done it afterwards 
football	331	 why did they go public  to make an example of me  it makes it very difficult for me now 
football	331	  
football	332	santini resigns as spurs managertottenham manager jacques santini has resigned for  personal reasons  
football	332	the former france manager moved to white hart lane this summer but now wants to return to france 
football	332	santini said   my time at tottenham has been memorable and it is with deep regret that i take my leave 
football	332	i wish the club and the supporters all the best 
football	332	 private issues in my personal life have arisen which caused my decision 
football	332	i very much hope that the wonderful fans will respect my decision 
football	332	  he added   i should like to thank  sporting director  frank arnesen and  chairman  daniel levy for their understanding 
football	332	  assistant coach martin jol has been put in temporary charge and will take care of team affairs for saturday s premiership match against charlton 
football	332	arnesen said the club were sad to see santini go   we are obviously disappointed that jacques is leaving us 
football	332	we fully respect his decision 
football	332	 i can assure you that the club will act swiftly to minimise the impact of jacques  departure 
football	332	 our priority is to ensure that this season s performance remains unaffected by this move 
football	332	 i shall make a further statement on monday  clarifying our position 
football	332	we wish jacques well 
football	332	  
football	333	mutu to hold talks with juventusdisgraced former chelsea striker adrian mutu is to begin talks with juventus as he looks for a new club 
football	333	 mutu will be in our club s main stand to watch the match between juventus and fiorentina   said a juventus official  who declined to be named 
football	333	 then he will meet some important people of the club   he added 
football	333	mutu  25  sacked by chelsea and banned for seven months for taking cocaine  is now represented by alessandro moggi  son of juve manager luciano moggi 
football	333	mutu  banned by the english fa  can resume playing next may 
football	333	he is to undergo a drug education and rehabilitation programme 
football	333	mutu wants to train with romanian side dinamo bucharest whilst serving his ban  say the bucharest side 
football	334	uefa approves fake grassuefa says it will allow european matches to be played on artificial pitches from the start of next season 
football	334	european football s governing body made the decision at a meeting of its executive committee on wednesday 
football	334	uefa explained that the move  follows comprehensive studies into the sporting and medical aspects of using artificial playing surfaces 
football	334	  they can be used subject to complying with uefa quality criteria but there use will not be made obligatory 
football	334	luton  preston  queens park rangers and other clubs used to have plastic pitches during the the 1980s but  after a two year study  uefa insists the surfaces have moved on 
football	334	international matches can also be played on such pitches  although games at major tournaments have to be contested on grass 
football	334	uefa spokesman rob faulkner said   people in england have bad memories of the artificial pitches of luton and qpr in the 1980s  but the latest generation are completely different and are much more like grass 
football	334	 we have sanctioned its use from the start of next season but only as long as it is the latest generation of artificial turf and meets a whole series of standards 
football	334	  several leading clubs from scandinavia  russia and eastern europe   especially those who only play champions league or uefa cup matches in winter   are now expected to instal artificial pitches 
football	335	yeading face newcastle in fa cuppremiership side newcastle united face a trip to ryman premier league leaders yeading in the fa cup third round 
football	335	the game   arguably the highlight of the draw   is a potential money spinner for non league yeading  who beat slough in the second round 
football	335	conference side exeter city  who knocked out doncaster on saturday  will travel to old trafford to meet holders manchester united in january 
football	335	arsenal were drawn at home to stoke and chelsea will play host to scunthorpe 
football	335	the only other non league side in the draw are hinckley united  who held brentford to a goalless draw on sunday 
football	335	they will meet league one leaders luton if they win their replay against martin allen s team at griffin park 
football	335	a number of premiership teams face difficult away games against championship sides on the weekend of 8 9 january 
football	335	third placed everton visit plymouth  liverpool travel to burnley  crystal palace go to sunderland  fulham face carling cup semi finalists watford  bolton meet ipswich  while aston villa were drawn against sheffield united 
football	335	premiership strugglers norwich  blackburn  west brom are away at west ham  cardiff and preston north end respectively 
football	335	southampton visit northampton  having already beaten the league two side in the carling cup earlier this season 
football	335	middlesbrough were drawn away against either swindon or notts county  while spurs entertain brighton at white hart lane 
football	335	arsenal v stokeswindon notts co v middlesbroughman utd v exeterplymouth v evertonleicester v blackpoolderby v wigansunderland v crystal palacewolves v millwallyeading v newcastlehull v colchestertottenham v brightonreading v stockport swanseabirmingham v leedshartlepool v bostonmilton keynes dons v peterborougholdham v man citychelsea v scunthorpecardiff v blackburncharlton v rochdalewest ham v norwichsheff utd v aston villapreston v west bromrotherham v yeovilburnley v liverpoolbournemouth v chestercoventry v crewewatford v fulhamipswich v boltonportsmouth v gillinghamnorthampton v southamptonqpr v nottm forestluton v hinckley brentfordmatches to be played on weekend of 8 9 january 
football	336	anelka  eyes man city departure striker nicolas anelka reportedly wants to leave manchester city in search of champions league football 
football	336	anelka  25  is in talks over a contract extension beyond 2007 with city but is believed to fear his career will go stale if he stays at the club 
football	336	the news of the world reports that anelka told a french magazine   i either decide to win titles or to have an easy life 
football	336	 i think i will always choose football  if a great club makes me an offer 
football	336	  he added   to win titles you need players who have the capability of doing so 
football	336	if we stagnate between eighth and 15th place it s impossible to progress 
football	336	 if i am going to score goals and not win  there is a risk it is going to create a feeling of being fed up 
football	336	  anelka has earned a reputation for being a difficult character to handle after spells at arsenal  real madrid and paris st germain and he feels that is now coming back to haunt him 
football	336	 i am in talks to sign an extension to my contract   he said 
football	336	 i am well here but the sporting aspect also comes into account 
football	336	 playing for eighth place is good but i miss the champions league 
football	336	 i won it with real madrid in 2000 and i need to be playing in it   and i should be playing in it 
football	336	 i m not in it because of things that have happened in the past and had nothing to do with football 
football	336	 but i don t blame anyone 
football	336	it s a bit my fault 
football	336	  
football	337	arnesen denies rift with santinitottenham sporting director frank arnesen has denied that coach jacques santini resigned because of a clash of personalities at white hart lane 
football	337	there had been newspaper speculation that santini had felt undermined by arnesen s role at the club 
football	337	 it is absolutely not true   arnesen told bbc radio five live 
football	337	 there is only one thing that made him resign and that is his own personal problems 
football	337	 he has talked to me recently and said this matter is absolutely for himself 
football	337	  arnesen said he was unable to throw any light onto the problems that caused santini to quit after just 13 games in charge 
football	337	he added   jacques has never gone into exactly what it was 
football	337	but i trust him in that  you have to accept it 
football	337	i think we should respect it 
football	337	 the plan is now that over the weekend we will have talks with the board and then on monday we will clarify the situation 
football	337	  arnesen countered criticism at the timing of the announcement  coming less than 24 hours before tottenham s premiership fixture with charlton 
football	337	 when it comes down to personal problems  i don t think we should talk about timing   he said 
football	337	and he also denied reports that santini had been given a £3m pay off 
football	337	 that is absolute nonsense 
football	337	he is the one who said  i will go  and so he went    said the spurs sporting director 
football	337	tottenham s structure of having a sporting director working alongside a coach is based on a continental model and arnesen sees no reason why they should change it 
football	337	 i have confidence in this structure 
football	337	i am confident that we have started something here in july and i still have a lot of confidence in tottenham and what we are doing   he said 
football	337	however  former spurs and england defender gary stevens said he would not be surprised if the system had caused a rift 
football	337	 i think the problems go a lot deeper  between the director of football at white hart lane and santini   stevens told five live 
football	337	 on paper they could have worked together 
football	337	but frank arnesen was a very creative  forward thinking and expansive player   whereas i think santini was very much the opposite  more a case of being organised  disciplined and happy not conceding goals 
football	337	 that sort of arrangement can work if the two people have the same principles and ideals and work very closely 
football	337	but it seems that has not happened 
football	337	  
football	338	souness backs smith for scotlandgraeme souness believes walter smith would be the perfect choice to succeed berti vogts as scotland manager 
football	338	souness s former assistant at rangers is hot favourite to take over from vogts  who resigned on monday 
football	338	 walter is most definitely the ideal candidate for that job 
football	338	he d be perfect for it   souness told bbc sport 
football	338	the scottish football association has appointed tommy burns as provisional caretaker boss for the friendly against sweden on 17 november 
football	338	 he fits the bill because of his knowledge and understanding of the scotland team and football 
football	338	he is experienced and has been successful 
football	338	  souness added   walter is a real football person  as i know from working with him at ibrox 
football	338	 on top of all that he is a proper human being who would command the instant respect of the players and everyone involved in scottish football 
football	338	  souness joined sir alex ferguson in backing smith s claims 
football	338	the scottish football association is about to embark on the search for vogts successor after appointing tommy burns in a caretaker capacity 
football	338	ferguson said   he  smith  would be the outstanding candidate as far as i m concerned 
football	338	 you need somebody who knows what they re doing and walter would bring a wealth of experience to the job 
football	338	  the man utd boss continued   i don t know what credentials are needed to do the job but it s a job that needs a lot of experience 
football	338	 he was my assistant with scotland and here at manchester united and he has also managed glasgow rangers 
football	338	 he would need to change the whole shape of scottish football and radical changes are needed 
football	338	  smith was assistant to ferguson at the world cup in mexico in 1986 
football	338	the former everton and rangers boss has been out of the game since a spell as manchester united assistant last term 
football	338	bbc sport understands that smith would be willing to discuss taking over if he was approached by the scottish fa 
football	338	if he is tempted to take over  it seems almost certain smith s long time right hand man archie knox would also play a part in the national team set up 
football	338	smith already has the backing of many pundits and fans  including former scotland manager craig brown 
football	338	brown said   walter is an outstanding candidate without doubt 
football	338	 he would be admirable choice 
football	338	i spoke to him on sunday and i got the impression he would take it 
football	338	he was asking me about it and i was positive 
football	338	  other candidates for the job include former scotland midfielders gordon strachan and gary mcallister and vogts  assistant tommy burns 
football	339	gallas sees two horse racechelsea s william gallas believes they will battle it out with arsenal for the premiership in the coming months 
football	339	 it ll be a two horse race all the way to the end of the season because we are both going to give it everything   he told bbc sport 
football	339	 you need to be good and you need a lot of luck 
football	339	you need a bit of both but it will be as hard for the arsenal players as it is for the chelsea boys 
football	339	   we know that we have got the power in our hands just now   added gallas 
football	339	 but you never know what is going to happen in football   two seasons ago manchester united picked up so many points towards the end of the season when they won the title 
football	339	 obviously  nobody at chelsea wants to come second but you never know what happens in football 
football	339	 we will be challenging to come first as much as every arsenal player will be challenging to come first 
football	339	  gallas has been given extra confidence by the impact manager jose mourinho has had since taking over as manager during the summer 
football	339	and the french international defender believes mourinho is perfectly suited to boss the squad of chelsea stars and says his managerial expertise will prevent any player revolt 
football	339	 it s only normal when you have got a team put together of such big names that you put the finishing touch to it and the finishing touch at chelsea is a fantastic manager like mourinho   he said 
football	339	 he is the icing on the cake at the club 
football	339	he has this fantastic knack of thinking of everything 
football	339	 another incredible quality that mourinho has is that every player  even though the fans may consider them to be a stars  within the dressing room they are absolutely equal 
football	339	 mourinho reminds everyone but he doesn t have to because he has created a wonderful atmosphere where everybody is playing and laughing every day 
football	339	 it is a changed dressing room from the atmosphere there was last year 
football	339	  
football	340	tevez   an argentine in brazilsome 65 years ago bernardo gandulla left boca juniors in his native argentina and headed for brazil 
football	340	he arrived at the vasco da gama club with considerable prestige   which he failed to live up to 
football	340	he left an impression  but not for reasons he would have wanted 
football	340	the only thing of note he did was to throw the ball back when it went out of play 
football	340	even today   gandula  is the term used in brazil for ballboy 
football	340	brazilians delighted in the failure of gandulla then  and many will delight now if history is repeated 
football	340	another boca juniors player is coming to brazil 
football	340	 the new maradona    carlos tevez   is joining corinthians for nearly  20m in a strong candidate for the strangest move of the year 
football	340	corinthians   or the london based company who have just entered into partnership with them   appear to have paid well above the odds for tevez 
football	340	it is particularly strange as   until last week   tevez was not even an especially big name in brazil  where the argentine championship is not shown 
football	340	presumably there is some financial logic behind the move 
football	340	what is harder to work out is why tevez should be interested in heading north  rather than across the atlantic 
football	340	argentina s brightest new star hit top form in august as he spearheaded the charge towards the olympic gold medal 
football	340	but the subsequent months have not been easy for tevez 
football	340	boca re signed martin palermo  forcing tevez to vacate his favoured centre forward role 
football	340	and off the pitch he gave the press plenty to report   atletico madrid gave up on him after declaring his private life to be  disorganized 
football	340	  hounded by the press  tevez grew tired of his life in buenos aires 
football	340	so now he says that he is heading for corinthians in search of  tranquillity 
football	340	  anyone acquainted with the city of s  227 o paulo will relish the nonsense of this declaration 
football	340	brazil s biggest city is a sprawling  ugly  restless metropolis 
football	340	once it shared with buenos aires the same melancholy air of a city of italian immigrants 
football	340	but that world now lies buried under skyscrapers 
football	340	the most turbulent place in this frenetic city is sport club corinthians 
football	340	it is the most passionately supported club in brazil 
football	340	pel  233  scored reams of goals against them  reasoning that unless he did something special the corinthians fans were capable of winning the game on their own 
football	340	that passion can also be turned against the team   especially nowadays  when the level of urban violence gives a hysterical edge to life in brazil s big cities 
football	340	corinthians fans have invaded the dressing room or ambushed the team coach to attack the players 
football	340	tevez  then  can kiss tranquillity goodbye 
football	340	he can also say farewell to the copa libertadores  south america s champions league 
football	340	corinthians have not qualified 
football	340	indeed  he will have a long wait for a worthwhile match 
football	340	next year s brazilian championship only gets underway at the end of april 
football	340	until then he will have to make do with the foolish s  227 o paulo state championship  an appalling waste of his talent 
football	340	there will be matches in small towns on poor pitches with plenty of defenders keen to kick him all the way back to argentina 
football	340	like so many of the top south american players  tevez has the gift of being able to surprise   to feint right and go left  to pass when he was expected to dribble  to shoot and catch the goalkeeper unawares 
football	340	but his choice of destination is the biggest surprise of all 
football	341	edu blasts arsenalarsenal s brazilian midfielder edu has hit out at the club for stalling over offering him a new contract 
football	341	edu s deal expires next summer and he has been linked with spanish trio real madrid  barcelona and valencia 
football	341	he told bbc sport   i m not sure if i want to stay or not because the club have let the situation go on this far 
football	341	 if they had really wanted to sign they should have come up with an offer six months before indicating they wanted to sign me and that s made me think 
football	341	  edu s brother and representative amadeo fensao has previously said that arsenal s current offer to the midfielder was well short of what he was seeking 
football	341	and edu  26  added   my brother is due to come to london on thursday 
football	341	 there is a meeting planned for 6 or 7 january to sort it out with arsenal 
football	341	 now i have a choice to stay or go 
football	341	i want to sort it out as soon as possible  that s in the best interests of both the club and myself 
football	341	 i m going to make my decision after the meeting later this week 
football	341	  edu is now able to begin negotiations with other clubs because fifa regulations allow players to start talks six months before their contracts expire 
football	341	the midfielder  who broke in to the brazilian national side in 2004  admitted he had been flattered to have been linked with the three spanish giants 
football	341	edu said   i ve just heard stories from the news that the madrid president florentino perez  the valencia people  as well as barcelona are interested 
football	341	 that s nice  but i ve never talked to them  so i can t say they want me sign 100  
football	341	  last month wenger said he we was hopeful edu would sign a new deal and played down suggestions that the lure of a club like real madrid would be too strong for edu 
football	341	edu added that he had been encouraged by wenger s support for him 
football	341	 i still have a good relationship with arsene wenger   he s always said he wants me to sign 
football	341	  
football	342	can smith work scottish wonders the worst kept secret in scottish football was revealed on thursday when walter smith was named as the new national manager 
football	342	from the moment berti vogts  miserable tenure in charge of scotland ended  the former rangers and everton boss has been the overwhelming favourite for the post 
football	342	but is smith the man for what must be one of the hardest jobs in football  the 56 year old takes over at a time when the national side is in the doldrums 
football	342	scotland have not reached a major finals since the world cup in 1998 and reaching germany 2006 looks near impossible  having picked up just two points from the opening three games in the qualifying race 
football	342	and the fifa rankings see scotland listed at an all time low of 77th  below the likes of estonia  ghana  angola and thailand 
football	342	scotland are not blessed with quality players with experience at the top level  so smith will have to get the best out of meagre resources 
football	342	smith s track record make impressive reading and he is widely respected within the game 
football	342	the man who was alex ferguson s assistant when scotland played at the 1986 world cup won seven league titles with rangers 
football	342	and his appointment has been widely endorsed by many of the games  top names  including ferguson and graeme souness  who took him to ibrox as his assistant in 1986 
football	342	characters like souness  ferguson and current ibrox manager alex mcleish all cite smith s experience and his expansive knowledge of the scottish game 
football	342	much was made of vogts  inability to express himself to the players and media 
football	342	that will certainly not be the case with smith 
football	342	the former dundee united and dumbarton full back is from the managerial old school   straight talking and never slow to let players know when he expects better  often with the use of some colourful invective  
football	342	but it should be remembered vogts came to scotland with an impressive curriculum vitae   a world cup winner as a player and a european championships winner as a manager 
football	342	smith will inherit the same problems vogts had   a callow squad of players with no exceptional talents 
football	342	and it remains to be seen if smith will experience the rash of call offs that blighted so much of vogts  preparation work 
football	342	a fresh start for the scottish national team was imperative and smith is widely regarded as a safe pair of hands 
football	342	but will a safe pair of hands be enough when the adroit hands of a magician might be required 
football	343	jansen suffers a further setbackblackburn striker matt jansen faces three weeks out after surgery to treat a cartilage problem 
football	343	but central defender lorenzo amoruso is moving closer to fitness following a knee operation 
football	343	rovers  assistant manager mark bowen said   matt had a small operation to trim knee cartilage 
football	343	 it s a tiny piece of work  which should be a fairly quick recovery 
football	343	lorenzo is also jogging for the first time  along with kicking a ball 
football	343	  jansen s career has been dogged by injury since a freak scooter accident two years ago 
football	343	he returned to first team action soon after mark hughes  appointment as blackburn boss and marked it with a goal against portsmouth in his first appearance of the season 
football	343	bowen added   i m guessing  but i reckon maybe two to three weeks before he is back in action completely 
football	343	  the rovers assistant boss forecast a longer time spell for amoruso s availability for first team duties 
football	343	bowen said   there s still some scar tissue present so it will be some weeks 
football	343	 it s a case of see how he goes 
football	343	you can t put a real time on a comeback  we ll see how he progresses 
football	343	  
football	344	mansfield 0 1 leyton orientan second half goal from andy scott condemned mansfield to a ninth successive game without a win 
football	344	early in the second half wayne carlisle s cross was met by scott and he blasted the ball home from just outside the penalty area 
football	344	as orient chased a second  mansfield had to clear alan white s header off the line and kevin pilkington saved well from michael simpson 
football	344	by the end mansfield fans were chanting for the head of chairman keith haslam 
football	344	pilkington  talbot  buxton  dimech  artell  corden  murray  curtis  neil  warne  barker 
football	344	subs not used  white  mcintosh  wood  lloyd  herron 
football	344	harrison  lockwood  donny barnard  white mackie  scott  saah  simpson  carlisle  lee barnard  ibehre 
football	344	subs not used  morris  wardley  newey  zakuani  mcmahon 
football	344	scott number 803s mathieson  cheshire  
football	345	zambia confident and cautiouszambia s technical director  kalusha bwalya is confident and cautious ahead of the cosafa cup final against angola on saturday in lusaka 
football	345	bwalya said   nothing short of victory will do 
football	345	  however bwalya warned his side not to be too complacent 
football	345	 i don t want my team to be too comfortable or too sure of victory as it is going to be a difficult game 
football	345	 for me the main aim of the game is to enjoy and to win 
football	345	  zambia have shown their determination to win this final by recalling nine of their foreign based players 
football	345	however the 41 year old bwalya  who became the oldest player to appear in the competition when he played and scored against mauritius  is uncertain whether he will take to the field or not 
football	345	the chipolopolo fans however are not being so cautious with a  victory  concert already scheduled for after the match featuring some of the country s top musicians 
football	345	both sides are hoping to win the competition for a record third time  and so keep the trophy for good 
football	345	the chipolopolo won the first two editions of the regional tournament for southern african nations in 1997 and 1998 
football	345	they were prevented from a third straight win by angola who knocked out the zambians at the semi final stage in 1999 
football	345	that victory for angola also marked a first defeat in 14 years for zambia at lusaka s independence stadium  where saturday s game is being played 
football	345	angola named just four overseas based players in their preliminary squad 
football	345	the palancas negras have been unable to secure the release of many of their portugal based players 
football	346	reaction from spanish pressengland s 1 0 defeat to spain on wednesday dominated the back and front pages of the country s press on thursday 
football	346	controversy was in no short supply  with racist abuse of england s black players  wayne rooney s petulance and england s inept performance 
football	346	but what did the spanish press make of the affair  bbc sport looks at the reaction 
football	346	there is little coverage of the racist chanting on wednesday night s game 
football	346	but as does cover the english reaction to the pre match comments from spain coach luis aragones  who highlighted britain s colonial past when probed about his own remarks regarding thierry henry in october 
football	346	journalist guillem balague writes   in our country  where multi culturalism is a new thing  we are in nappies dealing with these things  and have a naivety which makes the english nervous 
football	346	 marca refers in passing to the booing of england s black players   but only after referring to the cheers of  ole  which greeted the long periods of spanish possession 
football	346	aragones   no comment  to questions about racism after the match is also highlighted  as marca focuses on the spanish coach s praise for his players 
football	346	serbia   montenegro s 2 0 world cup qualifying win in belgium   which could make qualification tougher for spain   seems to be of greater importance 
football	346	elsewhere  the spanish media criticises its english counterparts for stoking up the racism issue 
football	346	 were there racist chants against some players  this hasn t happened in the spanish league and spain for many years   said spanish federation press officer fernando garrido 
football	346	 so you  english reporters  should ask yourselves what you have done to contribute to all this 
football	346	  and spanish daily abc accuses english reporters of launching a witch hunt against aragones 
football	346	 perhaps it was because their team had played so poorly and they wanted to divert attention towards this muddled issue   the paper says 
football	346	 what the boy in the bernabeu did was odd 
football	346	rooney seemed intent to kick any spanish player who approached him 
football	346	  yet rooney is seen only as the worst example of many england miscreants  with gary neville criticised for continuing the feud between manchester united and arsenal for his tackles on jose reyes 
football	346	ashley cole s treatment of joaquin  and a frank lampard foul on reyes are also lambasted for their  ugliness  
football	346	marca s headline says it all   wayne rooney se volvi  243  loco en el bernab  233 u  wayne rooney became crazy in the bernabeu   rooney s display alarms the writer  in particular three  chilling  fouls on joaquin  casillas and marchena  which  could well have left them in the infirmary 
football	346	  and like as  marca criticises gary neville for  leaving a message on reyes  ankle  to remind him of the manchester united arsenal clash this month 
football	346	spain s first half performance is showered with praise  with xavi singled out as the biggest star 
football	346	 xavi did things on wednesday which were worthy of maradona   the paper beams  adding   what a work rate  what dynamism  what vision  what leadership  what a midfield player   on a controversial evening  as offers one seemingly undeniable viewpoint   spanish football players played better football than the english 
football	346	 more plaudits are given to the home team  with jaime vargas lauding the manner in which  spain dominated england with order and quality  
football	346	the paper adds   the bad thing about spain v england was that it lasted only 65 minutes after which a succession of changes prevented any real competition 
football	346	  vargas does not mention england s two galacticos  simply adding in a ps   i have not forgotten to speak of beckham and owen 
football	346	they forgot to play 
football	346	  
football	347	kerr frustrated at victory marginrepublic of ireland manager brian kerr admitted he was frustrated his side did not score more than one goal in their friendly win over croatia 
football	347	robbie keane took his republic record to 24 with a first half goal which proved enough for victory 
football	347	 we had more good chances 
football	347	it is just a shame we did not take them against such a technically gifted team   said kerr 
football	347	 but  given the conditions and the standard of the croatian team  we should be very happy with the win 
football	347	  the republic side kept a clean sheet for the eighth time in 11 matches and are unbeaten in 14 home games since kerr succeeded mick mccarthy 
football	347	kerr applauded the decisive move which earned the victory 
football	347	 it was a brilliant goal  fantastic skill by damien duff 
football	347	robbie might have scuffed it a little but it was a good goal 
football	347	  matchwinner keane was another full of praise for duff s role in the goal 
football	347	 it was great play from damien   said the tottenham striker 
football	347	 i always try to be sniffing around because you know nine times out of 10 duffer is going to get it in the box 
football	347	 playing three up was something different 
football	347	brian kerr wanted to try it out and it was good to see young stephen elliott getting a run out 
football	347	 the conditions were difficult but he did well and is definitely one for the future 
football	347	it is nice to see young players coming through 
football	347	  man of the match duff explained what went wrong when he fluffed a chance to make it 2 0 midway through the second half 
football	347	he opted to bring steve finnan s cross down and shoot against the bar when a close range header looked the best option 
football	347	 i would have headed that every time but i completely lost it in the lights   said the chelsea star 
football	347	 i was desperate to get on the scoresheet myself but the result is the important thing 
football	347	 we have had a good year and are going nicely in the qualifiers 
football	347	hopefully that can continue in 2005 
football	347	  
football	348	mourinho plots impressive coursechelsea s win at fulham   confirming their position at the premiership summit   proves that they now have everything in place to mount serious challenges on all fronts this season 
football	348	they have got strength in depth  great players  an outstanding manager in jose mourinho and finances no other club in the world can match 
football	348	all they need to add now is the big prizes which  as we all know  is the most difficult part of all 
football	348	one thing is certain   they have put themselves in a position to make that leap to success very impressively indeed 
football	348	they beat a very tough everton at stamford bridge  won at newcastle in the carling cup  and then won 4 1 at fulham  which was a great result given that they had been showing good form 
football	348	as i said  winning the major honours is the hardest task of all  but in mourinho they have a manager who will make it a whole lot easier to handle the anticipation and expectation that will come their way now 
football	348	mourinho has won the biggest club prize of all  the champions league  and that track record and confidence transmits itself to top players 
football	348	it is a priceless commodity 
football	348	no one can be anything other than highly impressed by mourinho 
football	348	he is regarded as a touch arrogant by some people  and maybe he can appear that way  but he has the silverware to back up the talk 
football	348	mourinho doesn t simply talk a good game   he s won some very big games such as the champions league final with porto 
football	348	some may criticise his talk  but the words are backed up with actions 
football	348	i ve also found him to be very realistic whenever i ve heard him 
football	348	he s spent a lot of money and it seems to be working  and we should remember lots of managers have spent money and it has not worked 
football	348	the buys are now integrating  and in arjen robben he has the player who is giving them that extra dimension 
football	348	in the early games he was slaughtered for defensive tactics  and yet he was winning games 
football	348	you cannot win titles early on in the season  but you can certainly lose them and those points on the board were vital 
football	348	i also thought the criticism was very harsh  because even though they were not scoring goals they were creating chances by the hatful 
football	348	now they are taking those chances  have the double threat of robben and damien duff  and things are looking good 
football	348	i just wonder if they lack a predator  particularly with didier drogba injured 
football	348	he was starting to look the part before he was sidelined  but you have to feel if chelsea had a ruud van nistelrooy they would be even more of a safe bet for the title 
football	348	chelsea also have all the tools to go far in the champions league 
football	348	i felt they would never have a better chance than last season  but they have swept all before them in europe so far this season 
football	348	it will now be very interesting to see how mourinho prioritises things  but his life will be made easier by the size of chelsea s squad 
football	348	i have said i believed chelsea would win the league this season  even when arsenal were flying at the start  and i have seen nothing to make me change me mind 
football	348	if anything  what i have seen has confirmed my early impressions 
football	348	and chelsea would have taken encouragement from arsenal s rocky defensive display at spurs  even though they ran out 5 4 winners 
football	348	mourinho had his say on that game  complaining   five four is a hockey score  not a football score 
football	348	 in a three against three training match  if the score reaches 5 4 i send the players back to the dressing rooms as they are not defending properly 
football	348	 so to get a result like that in a game of 11 against 11 is disgraceful 
football	348	 on a more serious note  it was a game that merely confirmed the importance of sol campbell to arsenal 
football	348	much criticism has been aimed at pascal cygan  but i believe the problem lies with the absence of campbell and its overall effect on arsenal s defence 
football	348	confidence is a crucial factor in defending 
football	348	when you start conceding goals  you suddenly get a chill in the bones every time the ball comes into the penalty area 
football	348	you think  oh no    then find your worst fears confirmed 
football	348	arsenal need to reverse the process  with or without campbell  and get some clean sheets on the board 
football	348	but the return of campbell is key 
football	348	he solidifies the unit  has pace and is powerful in the air and on the deck 
football	348	he is vastly experienced and has a calming influence on all around him 
football	348	campbell pulls it all together at the back and gets the defence playing as a unit 
football	348	chelsea have no such problems at present  which is why i would still place my money on them to edge out arsenal as champions this season 
football	349	hearts of oak 3 2 cotonsporthearts of oak set up an all ghanaian confederation cup final with a 3 2 win over cameroon s cotonsport garoua in accra on sunday 
football	349	the win for hearts means they will play asante kotoko in the two leg final  after the kumasi team qualified from group a on saturday 
football	349	in the other group b game cameroon sbeatof south africa 3 2 in douala  neither side could have qualified for the final 
football	349	hearts of oak started the game needing a win to qualify for the final while cotonsport only needed to avoid defeat to go through 
football	349	louis agyemang scored the first two goals for hearts either side of half time before ben don bortey scored the third 
football	349	hearts looked set for a comfortable win but cotonsport staged a late fight back scoring twice late on 
football	349	first of all boukar makaji scored in the 89th minute and then 3 minutes into injury time at the end of the game andre nzame iii was on target 
football	349	but it was too little too late for the cameroonians and hearts held on to win the game and a place in the final 
football	349	the first leg of the final will be played in accra on the weekend of 27 28 november and the second leg two weeks later on the 11 december in kumasi 
football	349	in the other group b game cameroon s sable batie took the lead in the 35th minute through kemadjou before santos equalised on the hour mark thanks to thokozani xaba 
football	349	bernard ngom put sable ahead just five minutes later and then ernest nfor settled the game on 68 minutes 
football	349	ruben cloete scored the south african sides consolation with just three minutes left on the clock 
football	350	curbishley delight for johanssoncharlton manager alan curbishley paid tribute to two goal striker jonatan johansson after beating norwich 
football	350	curbishley said after the 4 0 win   there was talk about norwich being interested in the summer but i have a lot of faith in jonatan 
football	350	 when there was talk of other clubs i just told him he was going nowhere 
football	350	 he s part of our squad and he got us a couple of important goals early on 
football	350	i m sure he s happy here  but i was delighted with all the players 
football	350	  curbishley was subjected to criticism from charlton fans recently  and he said   the thing about this club is that we have got where we are by all pulling in the same direction 
football	350	 that s happened for however long i ve been here and we don t want people taking sides 
football	350	  
football	351	lennon brands rangers favouritesceltic s neil lennon admits rangers could be considered  slight favourites  for the old firm cis cup clash  but insists his side can still win 
football	351	lennon concedes rangers are in good form at the moment  but they have failed to beat celtic in their last seven meetings 
football	351	 rangers are on the up and have been on a good run in recent weeks   he said 
football	351	 but it s a game we believe we re capable of winning if we play our best   he told the evening times 
football	351	 all the boys are looking forward to it because they are brilliant games to be involved in 
football	351	 without playing at the top of our game  we have still been winning matches 
football	351	 at the minute  we are at the top of the league and still in with a chance of staying in europe  so i don t think it is the crisis people have been trying to make out 
football	351	 of course  it is a concern when you are losing goals  because we have been notorious for being a team that is hard to beat and keeping clean sheets  but hopefully we are over that wee run 
football	351	 considering we lost henrik larsson at the end of last season  we have still been scoring a lot of goals  which is pleasing 
football	351	  
football	352	mcclaren hails boro s uefa spiritmiddlesbrough boss steve mcclaren has praised the way his side have got to grips with european football after the 2 0 uefa cup win against lazio 
football	352	boro  who are playing in europe for the first time in their 128 year history  are top of group e with maximum points 
football	352	 i think we have taken to europe really well   said mcclaren 
football	352	 we got about lazio  didn t let them settle or play 
football	352	and in possession  we controlled it and looked threatening every time we went forward 
football	352	  before the match  mcclaren had said that a win over the italian giants would put boro firmly on the european footballing map 
football	352	and after they did just that he said   it was a perfect european night 
football	352	for the team to give the fans a performance like that was the icing on the cake 
football	352	 there have been many good performances but this was something special 
football	352	 you can see that the experience we have in the squad is showing 
football	352	to win in europe you need to defend well  and we have done that because we have conceded only one goal in four games 
football	352	 we can also score goals  and again that is something you can see from the performances we have had  so we have good balance 
football	352	mcclaren s only criticism of his side was that their dominance should have been resulted in more goals 
football	352	 it should have been more convincing   said mcclaren 
football	352	 but i had watched lazio in recent weeks and i saw them score a late equaliser against inter milan on saturday so i knew we needed a second goal 
football	352	 no matter what anybody says  lazio are favourites to win this competition 
football	352	  middlesbrough forward boudewijn zenden said he did not expect such a comfortable match after he scored both goals 
football	352	 we didn t expect it to be that one sided   said zenden 
football	352	 we did quite well in the first half  we pressured them and they didn t cope with that 
football	352	 i think we played quite well and it was a very good game  especially in the first half 
football	352	  the holland international said boro are confident of progressing in the competition after winning their first two group games 
football	352	 we ve got a very good feeling  there is a good spirit  all the lads work hard for each other and it s a squad of friendly players  which i think you can see on the pitch   he added 
football	353	benitez delight after crucial winliverpool manager rafael benitez admitted victory against deportivo la coruna was vital in their tight champions league group 
football	353	jorge andrade s early own goal gave liverpool a 1 0 win 
football	353	and benitez said   we started at a very high tempo and had many chances 
football	353	it is a very important win for us and we could have scored more goals 
football	353	 we were very good defensively and also good on the counter attack 
football	353	we are pleased but move on to the next game 
football	353	  igor biscan was outstanding in midfield after replacing injured xabi alonso  and benitez said   he played very well 
football	353	 it is important to have all the players ready and a good squad so you can play more games at a high level 
football	353	  benitez added   it is all back in our own hands now  it was a great win for us and i was delighted with what i feel was the best liverpool i have seen 
football	353	 as far as my feelings about winning in spain  that is really not important 
football	353	 i want to see us win away matches in the champions league  that it was in spain was not my first consideration 
football	353	 as far as i am concerned it is important for liverpool to win  it is not important in what country it is in 
football	353	  benitez added  benitez said   we had a problem before the start  it was decided that xabi could not play more than 45 minutes 
football	353	 but in the end because of the way that  dietmar  hamann and  igor  biscan performed  we did not need to change things until right at the end of the match 
football	353	 depor are a good team and if you allow them to keep possession they can be very dangerous indeed 
football	353	 but we knew that if we hit them on the counter attack it would make them nervous  and that is how it worked out 
football	353	  deportivo coach javier irureta said   liverpool played very well and we just could not break them down 
football	353	 i know we have now gone six games at home in europe without scoring  but that does not reflect our overall performances 
football	353	 but this time we did not play well and we lacked imagination 
football	353	 the goal was a bad mistake and a big blow to our confidence 
football	353	players who usually want the ball at that stage did not want it 
football	353	 i know we are bottom of the group  but as long as there is hope of qualifying  we will hang on to that 
football	353	  
football	354	bristol city 2 1 milton keynesleroy lita took his goal tally to 13 for the season as his double earned city an ldv vans trophy win 
football	354	the striker finished off scott murray cross from close range just seconds before half time 
football	354	lita then made it 2 0 on 52 minutes  but dons  substitute serge makofo then netted a great volley to make it 2 1 
football	354	the visitors almost took the tie to extra time with a late 30 yard bullet from richard johnson which was well held by steve phillips 
football	354	phillips  amankwaah  coles  hill  fortune  murray  anyinsah 59   doherty  harley 45   dinning  bell  lita  cotterill 72   gillespie 
football	354	subs not used  orr  brown 
football	354	hill 
football	354	lita 45  52 
football	354	bevan  oyedele  ntimban zeh  crooks  puncheon  kamara  makofo 64   chorley  herve  mckoy 45   tapp  johnson 45   mackie  pacquette 
football	354	subs not used  martin  palmer 
football	354	pacquette  chorley  johnson  mckoy 
football	354	makofo number 367j ross  essex  
football	355	hereford 1 1 doncasterhereford win 3 1 on penalties 
football	355	rovers took the lead on 59 minutes as michael mcindoe s corner found adriano rigoglioso  whose stunning volley soared into the top right of the net 
football	355	danny williams equalised for the hosts after 72 minutes with a crisp finish from just insist the penalty box 
football	355	mcindoe saw an extra time penalty saved  giving mills the chance to net the winning penalty 
football	355	mawson  travis  mkandawire  james  robinson  daniel williams  stanley  hyde  pitman 105   purdie  mills 83   brown  stansfield  green 102  
football	355	subs not used  smith  scott 
football	355	james 
football	355	daniel williams 72 
football	355	ingham  mulligan  fenton  morley  priet  ryan 79   mcindoe  ravenhill  price 90   rigoglioso  tierney  jackson 79   beardsley  coppinger 
football	355	subs not used  warrington  maloney 
football	355	rigoglioso number 375t parkes  w midlands  
football	356	wolves appoint hoddle as managerglenn hoddle will be unveiled as the new wolves manager on tuesday 
football	356	the club have confirmed that the former england coach will be unveiled as the successor to dave jones at a news conference at molineux at 1100 gmt 
football	356	hoddle has been linked with a return to former club southampton but wolves have won the race for his services 
football	356	he has been out of the game since being sacked at spurs in september 2003 and worked alongside wolves caretaker boss stuart gray at southampton 
football	356	hoddle began his managerial career as player boss with swindon before moving on to chelsea and then taking up the england job 
football	356	his spell in charge of the national side came to an end after the 1998 world cup when he made controversial remarks about the disabled in a newspaper interview 
football	356	the 47 year old later returned to management with southampton  where he again succeeded jones   as he has now done at wolves 
football	356	he engineered an upturn in saints  fortunes before being lured to white hart lane by tottenham   the club where he made his name as a player 
football	356	that relationship turned sour at the start of the last campaign and he left the london club early last season 
football	356	since then he has applied unsuccessfully for the post of france manager and had also been linked with a return to southampton 
football	356	wolves are currently 17th in the championship and have a home game against millwall on tuesday 
football	357	wenger keeping faith with almuniaarsene wenger has pledged to keep faith with stand in keeper manuel almunia for the crunch week which could define arsenal s season 
football	357	almunia will start tuesday s champions league group tie against rosenborg and is likely to face chelsea on sunday 
football	357	wenger said   you don t think i would take out one goalkeeper for just one game  do you  i don t do that 
football	357	 i have to give him a run for a few games 
football	357	it s just that i don t want to make this story bigger than it is 
football	357	  wenger insists he has complete faith in the 27 year old spaniard  who was signed last summer from celta vigo as back up to jens lehmann 
football	357	 if you look at my career  you will see that i have left many big players out for a long time 
football	357	i ve done it with dennis bergkamp  kanu  everybody 
football	357	 it s because it s a goalkeeper  that s all 
football	357	it s a usual situation for me 
football	357	you put your best team out  no matter who it is 
football	357	 for me  it was not a big mistake at old trafford and i wasn t alarmed by what happened against birmingham either 
football	357	 it s nothing against lehmann 
football	357	i think he s a great keeper  as is almunia 
football	357	you can only play one of them 
football	357	 these people are not robots   they have good periods and less good periods 
football	357	just because lehmann doesn t play for two or three weeks  or longer or shorter  it doesn t mean i ve lost faith in him 
football	357	 but former arsenal keeper david seaman believes lehmann has been harshly treated 
football	357	seaman told the daily mail   jens is a fantastic keeper 
football	357	he deserves another chance 
football	357	 he has made a few mistakes but on form he deserves to be the first team choice 
football	357	  with arsenal hit by injuries and suspension  inexperienced midfield pair of mathieu flamini and cesc fabregas will line up against rosenborg but wenger is confident they will prove more than capable 
football	357	 it puts a lot of pressure on them but it s a good learning process   said wenger 
football	357	 i m not worried as they are both mentally strong and will put in the needed workrate 
football	357	 the gunners go into the game boosted by the news that defender sol campbell is on the verge of signing a new deal with the club 
football	357	and the 30 year old  whose current contract runs out in the summer  has made it clear he is determined to achieve champions league success with arsenal 
football	357	campbell said   it means a lot to me to go through  it s everything 
football	357	we want to carry on in this competition 
football	357	 that s where the best teams in europe are 
football	357	to be in there  playing against these guys and trying to win the trophy  is the first thing in my mind 
football	357	 meanwhile  thierry henry believes he will be blamed if arsenal fail to qualify for the next stage of the champions league 
football	357	henry will captain the side in place of the suspended patrick vieira as the gunners seek the required victory over rosenborg 
football	357	and the striker said   if we don t win and we go out of the competition  like it or not  it s going to be my fault 
football	357	that s the way it is 
football	357	 if the team don t win i know i will be criticised  no matter how i play 
football	357	  
football	358	houllier praises benitez regimeformer liverpool manager gerard houllier has praised the work of his anfield successor rafael benitez 
football	358	houllier was angry at reports that he has been critical of benitez since the spaniard took over at liverpool 
football	358	but houllier told bbc sport   in private and in public  i have stressed i believe rafa is doing a good job 
football	358	he is the right man at the right place 
football	358	 rafa is a good coach and a good man 
football	358	i ve spoken to him since he has been at liverpool and never criticised him 
football	358	  houllier also revealed he is now ready to return to the game after leaving liverpool in may following six years at anfield 
football	358	the former france boss has been linked with a host of jobs and pulled out of the race to succeed mark hughes as wales national coach 
football	358	he has been working for uefa  covering the premiership for french television and also coaching in brazil with national coach carlos alberto perreira 
football	358	houllier said   if a good club comes up at the right time then yes  i am ready to come back 
football	358	 it has been interesting to watch games from a different perspective and i have learned things 
football	358	 i have been involved in football since leaving liverpool and my batteries are recharged 
football	358	 houllier has been impressed with the quality in the premiership after watching as a pundit   particularly with jose mourinho s work at leaders chelsea 
football	358	he said   chelsea are doing very well 
football	358	they have some very good creative players in damien duff and arjen robben and didier drogba showed he can change the face of a game when he came on against newcastle 
football	358	 they have got a good team spirit and are strong mentally 
football	358	they have shown they can cope with all the pressure put on them because of the expectations and cope well with jose s principles 
football	358	 jose had results before he came to chelsea and i think he will have an impact in the premiership because he manages his team very cleverly 
football	358	  and houllier  away from his brief at liverpool  has been hugely impressed with the premiership 
football	358	he said   it is a very exciting league 
football	358	it is entertaining  goals are scored and teams are always trying to win 
football	358	 it has been very interesting to watch the game from a different perspective 
football	358	 games switch from end to end and there is more pace to the premiership than other leagues 
football	358	it is a very good product 
football	358	  
football	359	mcclaren targets champions leaguemiddlesbrough boss steve mcclaren believes his side can clinch a top four spot in the premiership and secure qualification for the champions league 
football	359	after their 3 2 win over manchester city  mcclaren said   we are playing exciting football  it s a magnificent result to keep us in the top five 
football	359	 but how well we do depends how often we can get our best team out 
football	359	 once we got the third goal it should have been four or five but we nearly paid for it in the end 
football	359	  mcclaren also praised winger stewart downing and strikers jimmy floyd hasselbaink and mark viduka  who both ended barren runs in front of goal 
football	359	he added   if stewart keeps playing like this sven goran eriksson has got to pick him 
football	359	 and the strikers scored great goals  the combination play between them shows they want to play with each other and they are trying 
football	359	  
football	360	hitzlsperger waiting on o learyaston villa s thomas hitzlsperger is waiting to learn the future of manager david o leary before committing himself to a new contract with the club 
football	360	o leary has been in talks over a new deal and he said   i had a message from thomas  agent asking me what the news was on myself 
football	360	 he wants to find out before he goes into discussions over thomas 
football	360	 the reason thomas is not speaking to the club is because the agent wants to see the outcome of what happens to me 
football	360	  hitzlsperger s current deal expires in the summer and he has been offered a new deal by the midlands club 
football	360	the german international is understood to be keen to remain at villa  despite interest in his native country from hamburg 
football	360	but he wants assurances that o leary will also be committing himself long term because negotiations over a new three and a half year contract appear to have stalled 
football	360	o leary wants his backroom staff   assistant manager roy aitken and fitness coach steve mcgregor   to also be given satisfactory deals  which will tie them to villa until the summer of 2008 
football	361	mourinho to escape fa chargechelsea boss jose mourinho will not face any football association action over the comments he made after their carling cup tie with manchester united 
football	361	mourinho intimated that united boss sir alex ferguson influenced referee neale barry after the duo walked down the tunnel together at half time 
football	361	but an fa spokesman told bbc sport   we are not taking action over mourinho 
football	361	 we have looked at the comments and we have decided that no further action is required 
football	361	that is the end of it 
football	361	  mourinho was concerned that ferguson s conversation with barry was followed by an inconsistent display by the official 
football	361	 i see one referee in the first half and another in the second   said mourinho 
football	361	 if the fa ask me what happened  i will tell them 
football	361	what i saw and felt made it easier to understand a few things 
football	361	 maybe when i turn 60 and have been managing in the same league for 20 years and have the respect of everybody i will have the power to speak to people and make them tremble a little bit 
football	361	 the referee controlled the game in one way during the first half but in the second they had dozens of free kicks 
football	361	it was fault after fault  dive after dive 
football	361	 but i know the referee did not walk to the dressing rooms alone at half time 
football	361	he should only have had his two assistants and the fourth official with him  but there was also someone else 
football	361	  referees chief keith hackett believes mourinho should retract his comments about ferguson and barry as he believes the blues boss has questioned their integrity 
football	361	 i m hoping he might reconsider his comments  unfortunately this is the nature of the game   said hackett 
football	361	 i don t want referees or myself getting in the psychological warfare between two managers 
football	361	for the second leg we have an experienced referee  and we should be talking about the quality of that game rather than the refereeing 
football	361	 sometimes managers have grounds for comments  and i note that  but a referees integrity has been questioned  that is offensive and should be avoided 
football	361	mr mourinho should look at the facts 
football	361	  mourinho added that the match was entertaining for a goalless draw and insisted his team could still reach the final 
football	361	 it s 0 0  so if we win we go through and if we get a draw we go to extra time   he said 
football	361	 we have exactly the same chance we had before this game 
football	361	 we are confident of getting a result but we know what manchester united is  a footballing power 
football	361	it ll be difficult for us  but also for them 
football	361	  
football	362	wolves appoint hoddle as managerglenn hoddle has been unveiled as the new wolves manager 
football	362	the ex england coach has been given a six month contract to succeed dave jones  who was sacked after the club s poor start to the season 
football	362	wolves chairman rick hayward said   we re delighted glenn is here 
football	362	he has a six month contract so we can test each other out and see if it works 
football	362	  hoddle  who will work alongside stuart gray  has been out of the game since he was sacked by spurs in 2003 
football	362	gray  who has been caretaker manager  was assistant boss when hoddle was manager at southampton 
football	362	 i m delighted to be here   said hoddle 
football	362	 i saw the massive potential that wolves have got and their desire and amibition to get back into the premiership parallels my ambitions 
football	362	 stuart gray has done a fantastic job as caretaker manager 
football	362	we ve worked together at southampton and i m delighted to be back with him 
football	362	  wolves chief executive jez moxey defended the decision to give hoddle a short term contract 
football	362	 we hope it will work out for both parties and we extend it for the long term   he said 
football	362	 most managers want a four year contract and then expect it to be paid off if it doesn t work out 
football	362	 for somebody of glenn s calibre to come in on a short term contract and put his reputation on the line  it demonstrates his commitment and self belief and the potential he thinks is here 
football	362	  hayward revealed that hoddle was one of the first to be approached after jones  departure 
football	362	 he was not available at the time because he was looking at various other things   he explained 
football	362	 five weeks later we re back on track and this a tremendous opportunity for wolves 
football	362	 hoddle began his managerial career as player boss with swindon before moving on to chelsea and then taking up the england job 
football	362	his spell in charge of the national side came to an end after the 1998 world cup when he made controversial remarks about the disabled in a newspaper interview 
football	362	the 47 year old later returned to management with southampton  where he again succeeded jones   as he has now done at wolves 
football	362	he engineered an upturn in saints  fortunes before being lured to white hart lane by tottenham   the club where he made his name as a player 
football	362	that relationship turned sour at the start of the last campaign and he left the london club early last season 
football	362	since then he has applied unsuccessfully for the post of france manager and had also been linked with a return to southampton 
football	362	wolves are currently 17th in the championship and have a home game against millwall on tuesday 
football	363	redknapp poised for saintssouthampton are set to unveil harry redknapp as their new manager at a news conference at 1500 gmt on wednesday 
football	363	the former portsmouth boss replaces steve wigley  who has been relieved of first team duties after just one win in 14 league games in charge 
football	363	redknapp  57  quit his fratton park position on 24 november and vowed   i will not go down the road   no chance 
football	363	  pompey coach kevin bond is poised to join redknapp  who will be saints  third boss of the season 
football	363	redknapp s first game in charge will be at home to middlesbrough on saturday 
football	363	portsmouth chairman milan mandaric said he was  disappointed  by the news and claimed redknapp had been in talks with southampton for  some time  
football	363	 it would appear that negotiations over this have been going on for some time   mandaric said on portsmouth s official website 
football	363	 i am surprised and a little shocked that the chairman of southampton has not picked up the phone and kept me informed 
football	363	  according to mandaric  redknapp vowed he would not join their south coast rivals when he left portsmouth 
football	363	 i said to harry  i hope you don t go to southampton   and he told me  absolutely not    he said 
football	363	 i m wouldn t say i m bitter  disgusted or angry  just disappointed  but it s harry s life and it s his decision 
football	363	  redknapp became a cult hero after leading portsmouth into the premiership for the first time  and then masterminding their survival in their debut season 
football	363	but he left the club claiming he needed a break from football  though many believed he was upset with mandaric s decision to bring in velimir zajec as executive director 
football	363	southampton chairman rupert lowe was desperate to give former academy director wigley  who replaced paul sturrock just two games into the season  every chance to succeed at st mary s 
football	363	but results under wigley have been poor and southampton are deep in trouble near the foot of the table 
football	363	when redknapp s appointment is confirmed  he will be saints  ninth manager in eight years 
football	364	fa charges liverpool and millwallliverpool and millwall have been charged by the football association over crowd trouble during their carling cup match on 26 october 
football	364	millwall  who lost the match 3 0  have also been charged over alleged racist behaviour by their supporters 
football	364	during the match at millwall s new den stadium  seats were ripped up and four people were ejected from the ground 
football	364	a disabled fan was injured at the perimeter of the pitch and riot police were needed to control the situation 
football	364	liverpool fans claimed the trouble was sparked by chants about the hillsborough disaster  where 96 supporters were crushed to death in april 1989 
football	364	but lions chairman theo paphitis has denied the claims 
football	364	he has said cctv footage showed the catalyst for the trouble was a liverpool fan attacking a millwall fan in the west stand 
football	364	however  millwall have been charged with two breaches of fa rules 
football	364	they have been charged with failing to ensure that fans refrained from racist and or abusive behaviour and for failing to prevent spectators throwing missiles onto the pitch 
football	364	liverpool have been charged with one breach for failing to prevent their fans conducting themselves in threatening and or violent and or provocative behaviour 
football	364	both clubs have until 23 december to respond 
football	365	wenger steps up rowarsene wenger has stepped up his feud with sir alex ferguson by claiming the manchester united manager is guilty of bringing football into disrepute 
football	365	the pair s long running row was put back in the headlines on saturday when ferguson said his arsenal counterpart was  a disgrace  
football	365	wenger initially refused to bite back  saying only   i will never answer any questions any more about this man 
football	365	  but now he claims ferguson should be punished by the football association 
football	365	the latest twist in the ferguson wenger saga came on saturday when the united boss  in an interview with the independent newspaper  discussed the events after the game between the two sides in october 
football	365	united won 2 0 that day  at old trafford  but the game was followed by a now notorious food fight which saw ferguson s clothes covered in soup and pizza 
football	365	the sides meet again at highbury on 1 february 
football	365	 in the tunnel wenger was criticising my players  calling them cheats  so i told him to leave them alone and behave himself   ferguson said on saturday 
football	365	 he ran at me with hands raised saying  what do you want to do about it    to not apologise for the behaviour of the players to another manager is unthinkable 
football	365	it s a disgrace  but i don t expect wenger to ever apologise  he s that type of person 
football	365	 those allegations were put to wenger after saturday s game at bolton  which arsenal lost to slip 10 points behind chelsea in the title race 
football	365	at first he said only   i ve always been consistent with that story and told you nothing happened 
football	365	 if he has to talk  he talks 
football	365	if he wants to make a newspaper article  he makes a newspaper article 
football	365	 he doesn t interest me and doesn t matter to me at all 
football	365	i will never answer to any provocation from him any more 
football	365	 he does what he likes in england anyway 
football	365	he can go abroad one day and see how it is 
football	365	  but later on saturday  according to the independent  wenger spoke to a smaller group of reporters and expanded on his reaction 
football	365	 i have no diplomatic relations with him   the arsenal boss is quoted as saying 
football	365	 what i don t understand is that he does what he wants and you  the press  are all at his feet 
football	365	 the situation  concerning the food fight  has been judged and there is a game going on in a month 
football	365	 the managers have a responsibility to protect the game before the game 
football	365	but in england you are only punished for what you say after the game 
football	365	 now the whole story starts again 
football	365	i don t go into that game 
football	365	we play football 
football	365	i am a football manager and i love football above all 
football	365	no matter what people say 
football	365	  reminded that ferguson called him  a disgrace   wenger added   i don t respond to anything 
football	365	in england you have a good phrase 
football	365	it is  bringing the game into disrepute  
football	365	 but that is not only after a game  it is as well before a game 
football	365	 ferguson had also claimed that united chief executive david gill and arsenal vice chairman david dein had agreed at boardroom level not to discuss the incident in public 
football	365	but ferguson added   in the ensuing weeks all you got was a diatribe from arsenal about being kicked off the pitch and all that nonsense 
football	365	gill phoned dein three times to complain but nothing was done 
football	365	 the return is on 1 february and they will come out with another diatribe 
football	365	 david gill and i feel we should set the record straight because arsenal have not written to us to apologise and we would not let that happen here 
football	365	  meanwhile  the league managers association have offered to act as peacemakers in the hope of resolving the on going row 
football	365	during that stormy game in october  united striker ruud van nistelrooy caught arsenal s ashley cole with one particularly strong tackle 
football	365	wenger later accused van nistelrooy of  cheating  and was fined £15 000 and  severely reprimanded  by the football association 
football	365	ferguson admitted on saturday that van nistelrooy s tackle  which earned the dutchman a ban   could have given  cole  a serious injury   but he believes arsenal were the main aggressors 
football	365	 wenger is always complaining the match was not played in the right spirit   he added 
football	365	 they are the worst losers of all time  they don t know how to lose 
football	365	maybe it is just manchester united  they don t lose many games to other teams 
football	365	 we tend to forget the worst disciplinary record of all time was arsenal s up until last season 
football	365	in fairness it has improved and now they are seen as paragons of virtue 
football	365	 but to wenger it never happens  it is all some dream or nightmare 
football	365	  
football	366	liverpool revel in night of gloryliverpool manager rafael benitez said their qualification for the next stage of the champions league was  one of the proudest nights of my career 
football	366	 the reds beat olympiakos 3 1 with a late steven gerrard strike and benitez said   it was a really great night 
football	366	 the players ran hard all the time and you see how much it means to the fans 
football	366	 we knew before the game that it was very important for the club to gain these extra finances 
football	366	for liverpool  this result is very  very important 
football	366	  benitez hailed gerrard for his match winning strike four minutes from time and also the anfield crowd for sticking by their side after they had fallen a goal behind at the interval 
football	366	the reds scored three second half goals in a sensational comeback capped by gerrard s 20 yard drive 
football	366	he added   steven can play all over the pitch and he influences every part of the game 
football	366	 i have said to him many times that he has the freedom because he has talent and is very important to us 
football	366	 i felt that the difference between the sides was really our supporters  i cannot thank them enough 
football	366	 i want to say thank you to the supporters  they were magnificent to help us achieve this result 
football	366	  gerrard admitted he thought they were going out of the champions league after trailing 1 0 at half time 
football	366	he said   i d be lying if i thought we were going through when we were losing at half time 
football	366	 we had a mountain to climb  but we have climbed it and credit to everyone 
football	366	 that was one of the best goals i have scored  i caught it sweet  i haven t caught one like that for ages 
football	366	it was a massive night for me and the team 
football	366	  liverpool s win means all four of england s champions league representatives have reached the knockout stages for the first time 
football	367	english clubs make euro historyall four of england s champions league representatives have reached the knockout stages for the first time 
football	367	arsenal and chelsea are seeded as group winners  while runners up manchester united and liverpool are not 
football	367	rules stipulate that teams from the same country or group will be kept apart in the draw on 17 december 
football	367	the favourites are chelsea and barcelona  and real madrid  the two milan sides  juventus and bayern munich are among the 16 still in the hat 
football	367	steven gerrard s last gasp wonder strike secured qualification foragainst olympiakos on wednesday evening 
football	367	ac milan  bayer leverkusen  internazionale  juventus  lyon 
football	367	who had already qualified  fielded a second string side and went down 3 0 to fenerbahce 
football	367	ac milan  bayer leverkusen  internazionale  juventus  monaco 
football	367	on tuesday finished top of their group with a 5 1 win over the rosenborg after drawing four of their first five matches 
football	367	barcelona  bayern munich  porto  real madrid  werder bremen  who had already qualified lost 2 1 to porto as jose mourinho made an unhappy return to his former club 
football	367	barcelona  bayern munich  psv eindhoven  real madrid  werder bremen 
football	368	ferguson puts faith in youngstersmanchester united manager sir alex ferguson said he has no regrets after his second string side lost 3 0 away at fenerbahce in the champions league 
football	368	ferguson said   the good thing about being manager is that you are in control of which team to pick 
football	368	 i care about united  that s important  so while i am disappointed at the result i am not at the team i selected 
football	368	 this game was important for the young lads 
football	368	they will remember it and next time they come they will be better 
football	368	  ferguson admitted his side were well beaten by the turks  a result which meant they finished second in group d behind lyon 
football	368	he added   they ll know not to play like that again 
football	368	we showed a lack of strength 
football	368	but i have no complaints about the scoreline 
football	368	 in the second half we had some good moments in attack 
football	368	and in that situation  you have to take one chance 
football	368	 but we didn t do that  so the game just petered out for us 
football	368	 i didn t think it made much difference whether we won the group or finished second and i still don t 
football	368	 we could get inter  ac milan and juventus but bayern  barcelona and real madrid were among the runners up 
football	368	all we can do is let fate decide how it works out 
football	368	  
football	369	beckham relief as real go throughdavid beckham expressed his relief at real madrid s passage to the champions league knockout phase 
football	369	after real s 3 0 win at roma  the england skipper admitted another season of under achievement would not be tolerated at the bernabeu stadium 
football	369	beckham said   it s expected of madrid to get through  but it s a relief for the club and players to have won 
football	369	 we lost momentum last season but we cannot afford to to go another season without winning anything 
football	369	  real s finish as runners up in their champions league group means they cannot face his old club manchester united in the next round 
football	369	but real could be drawn against other premiership hopefuls  arsenal or chelsea  who won their respective groups 
football	369	 it s going to be great whoever we play  even if we don t get either of the two english teams 
football	369	  
football	370	man utd through after exeter testmanchester united avoided an fa cup upset by edging past exeter city in their third round replay 
football	370	cristiano ronaldo scored the opener  slipping the ball between paul jones  legs after just nine minutes 
football	370	united wasted a host of chances to make it safe as jones made some great saves  but wayne rooney put the tie beyond doubt late on with a cool finish 
football	370	exeter had chances of their own  sean devine twice volleying wide and andrew taylor forcing tim howard to save 
football	370	united boss sir alex ferguson was taking few chances after their 0 0 draw in the first game and he handed starts to paul scholes and ryan as well as ronaldo and rooney 
football	370	exeter began brightly with devine and steve flack seeing plenty of the ball  but it did not take united long to assert their authority and the hosts soon found themselves a goal down 
football	370	scholes played a lovely pass in to ronaldo on the left hand side of the six yard box and the portuguese winger slid the ball between the legs of jones to open the scoring 
football	370	united sensed a chance to finish the tie as a contest early on and ronaldo blazed over before jones saved well from scholes and then rooney 
football	370	the visitors  pressure by now was incessant and rooney had another shot blocked while ronaldo slammed well over the bar again from a good position 
football	370	just before the break giggs had a golden chance to double the advantage  but the welshman dragged a left foot effort badly wide from 10 yards 
football	370	in stoppage time exeter created their best chance as alex jeannin swung in a cross from the left that devine managed to flick goalwards  but the ball flew wide of howard s goal 
football	370	the grecians came out after the break in determined fashion and howard had to show safe hands to collect two searching crosses into the united box 
football	370	rooney looked like he might have sealed the result with a turn and shot but the ball stuck in the st james park mud and jones raced back to gather on the goalline 
football	370	moments later devine had the chance to make himself a hero  but he could only volley jeannin s brilliant cross wide of howard s goal after being left unmarked six yards out 
football	370	after rooney had completely messed up a free kick 20 yards out taylor showed him how it should be done  his stunning drive from distance forcing a flying stop from howard 
football	370	the home crowd were baying for a goal and they did get the ball into the net only for devine s low effort to be ruled out for an obvious offside 
football	370	the persistent rooney eventually rounded jones with three minutes to go and slotted into an empty net to book a home tie with middlesbrough in the fourth round 
football	370	jones  hiley  sawyer  gaia  jeannin  moxey  taylor  martin 89   ampadu  afful 69   clay  flack  edwards 74   devine 
football	370	subs not used  rice  todd 
football	370	ampadu  clay 
football	370	howard  phil neville  gary neville  o shea  fortune  giggs  saha 70   miller  fletcher 66   scholes  djemba djemba  silvestre 80   ronaldo  rooney 
football	370	subs not used  ricardo  bellion 
football	370	ronaldo 9  rooney number 033 
football	370	p dowd  staffordshire  
football	371	hamm bows out for uswomen s football legend mia hamm has played her final game 
football	371	hamm  32  who officially retired after this year s athens olympics  took to the field for the last time to help the us claim a 5 0 win over mexico 
football	371	hamm ends her career as the most prolific scorer   male or female   in international football  with 158 goals in 276 games for the us 
football	371	she was twice fifa women s player of the year and won the world cup in 1991 and 1999 and two olympic golds 
football	371	on her retirement  hamm said   there are mixed emotions 
football	371	there are things in your life that you have had to put on the back burner and you can focus more time and energy on that now 
football	371	 i have to see what is out there and not commit to everything at the beginning 
football	371	  the friendly also saw the end of julie foudy and joy fawcett s us careers 
football	371	hamm will now embark on a new life with husband  chicago cubs shortstop nomar garciaparra  who was in the stands to watch her final game 
football	371	he has just agreed a new deal with the cubs after joining them in july 
football	372	wenger rules out new keeperarsenal boss arsene wenger says he has no plans to sign a new goalkeeper during the january transfer window 
football	372	wenger has brought in manuel almunia for the last three games for the out of form jens lehmann   but the spaniard himself has been prone to mistakes 
football	372	there have been suggestions that wenger will swoop for a high quality shot stopper in the new year 
football	372	but he told the evening standard   i don t feel it will be necessary to bring in a new goalkeeper in january 
football	372	  the gunners manager refused to comment on the difficult start that 27 year old almunia has made to his career at highbury 
football	372	and he would not be drawn on whether lehmann would return for the top of the table clash with chelsea on sunday 
football	372	almunia was at fault for rosenborg s goal in arsenal s 5 1 champions league win on tuesday and had some hairy moments in last week s win over birmingham 
football	372	but wenger said earlier this week that his indifferent form was down to pressure caused by being under scrutiny from the media 
football	372	 the debate has gone on too long 
football	372	everyone has an opinion and i do not have to add to it   wenger added 
football	372	arsenal have been linked with middlesbrough keeper mark schwarzer  fulham s edwin van der sar and parma s sebastien frey 
football	372	and wenger has no immediate plans to recall former england under 21 international stuart taylor from his loan spell at leicester 
football	373	liverpool pledge to keep gerrardliverpool chief executive rick parry insists the club will never sell steven gerrard amid reports chelsea will renew their bid to lure him from anfield 
football	373	gerrard reiterated his desire to win trophies with the reds after his superb champions league winner on wednesday 
football	373	and parry has moved to scotch claims that chelsea could launch a £35m bid 
football	373	 there is no chance of stevie going in january   said parry 
football	373	 that just won t happen 
football	373	our intention is that we will never let him go 
football	373	  gerrard scored a spectacular late goal to give liverpool a 3 1 win over olympiakos and book their place in the knockout stages 
football	373	 of course he is ambitious but so are we   parry added 
football	373	 we firmly believe that if we can satisfy his ambition he will remain a liverpool player 
football	373	 we have an open and straightforward relationship 
football	373	we both know where we stand and that played a big part in his decision to stay last summer 
football	373	if he was not so committed to liverpool he would have gone by now 
football	373	  gerrard had said before wednesday s game he would consider leaving if the club was knocked out of europe  with real madrid also believed to be monitoring his situation 
football	373	 the main point i have made is i want to be in a liverpool side which challenges for the champions league and the title all the time   he said afterwards 
football	373	 i want to be winning things with liverpool  not somewhere else 
football	373	 i am a fan as well and i think what i have said the supporters will agree with 
football	373	 we have to build on wins like that  not just settle for a great win and then not progress any further 
football	373	 my goal was one of the most important i have ever scored and i hope it turns out to be one of the most important for the club for a long time 
football	373	 i know i put a lot of pressure on myself because of what i said  and i felt i needed a big performance  but i am not going to go around telling lies about how i feel 
football	373	 reds manager rafael benitez believes gerrard can win everything he wants to without moving clubs 
football	373	 steven can win all he wants with us and we need him 
football	373	he has seen that we have a good team and we can do more things in the future   said benitez 
football	373	 but if we want to win more games  important games  we need steven in the team 
football	373	 we need his strength  the strong mentality he has and his quality 
football	373	i think he likes and wants the responsibility of leading this team 
football	373	  
football	374	pearce keen on succeeding keeganjoint assistant boss stuart pearce has admitted he would like to succeed kevin keegan as manager at manchester city 
football	374	keegan has decided to step down as city manager when his contract comes to an end in 18 months 
football	374	 you don t have to be einstein to realise there will be a manager s job available at a really good club   pearce told bbc gmr 
football	374	 i will certainly be applying for it  although whether the board deem me good enough to take it  i do not know 
football	374	  pearce initially joined city as a player under keegan in 2001 before becoming part of the coaching staff 
football	374	he was promoted to joint assistant manager following the departure of arthur cox last summer 
football	374	the former england defender had a year as player boss with nottingham forest eight seasons ago but has made no secret of his desire to have another crack at the job 
football	374	he was linked with the manager s job at oldham and keegan has stated he would not get in the way if pearce wanted to leave 
football	374	but it now appears pearce is keen to wait for his chance at city 
football	374	he added   by that time  i will have been here for five years so at least they will have had a good look at me and they are aware of my feelings with regard to being kevin s successor 
football	374	 obviously  the issue is out of my hands but it is a fantastic job for anybody   i just hope it will be me 
football	374	  
football	375	bomb threat at bernabeu stadiumspectators were evacuated from real madrid s bernabeu stadium on sunday following a bomb scare during the game between the hosts and real sociedad 
football	375	more than 70 000 people abandoned the ground with the score at 1 1 and only three minutes left to play 
football	375	the basque newspaper gara apparently received a telephone call saying a bomb was due to explode at 2100 local time 
football	375	but after searching the stadium with sniffer dogs  the police said that no explosive device had been found 
football	375	 the police have said they have completed their search and have not found anything   said real madrid president florentino perez 
football	375	 the best thing we can all do now is to put this nightmare behind us 
football	375	  madrid midfielder guti told private spanish radio station cadena ser   i have never seen this before and sport should be above it all 
football	375	  real took the lead just before the break when brazilian striker ronaldo cracked home with his left foot 
football	375	sociedad levelled the match midway through the second half when turkish striker nihat kahveci smashed home with an acrobatic finish 
football	375	it is not yet clear if the remaining three minutes of the game will be played at a later date or if the result will be allowed to stand 
football	375	if the result remains at 1 1  real will drop to third place in the standings  11 points behind leaders barcelona  who snatched a late 2 1 win at albacete on saturday 
football	375	initial reports suggested the basque separatist group eta may be responsible for the bomb threat after issuing similar warnings before a series of small explosions in recent days 
football	375	the bernabeu was targeted by eta on 1 may  2002  when madrid were about to play fc barcelona in a champions league semi final 
football	375	a car bomb exploded in a street outside the stadium and 17 people were slightly injured 
football	376	chelsea hold arsenala gripping game between arsenal and chelsea ended with the honours finishing even at highbury 
football	376	thierry henry produced a sublime strike to put arsenal ahead but john terry levelled with a powerful header 
football	376	henry s quickly taken free kick put arsenal back in front but eidur gudjohnsen equalised with a header from william gallas  knockback 
football	376	henry missed a golden chance when he blazed a shot high late on and arsenal also had a penalty appeal rejected 
football	376	henry s opener had given arsenal the perfect start and set up an enthralling affair 
football	376	the french striker headed a long cesc faregas ball back to jose antonio reyes from the edge of the chelsea area and immediately saw it headed back into his path from the spaniard 
football	376	and  with his back to goal  henry finished with aplomb when he took one touch  turned and struck an angled strike past the despairing dive of keeper petr cech 
football	376	henry epitomised a determination about the arsenal side but chelsea appeared unruffled and equalised after 16 minutes 
football	376	gunners keeper manuel almunia  who got the nod ahead of jens lehmann  did well to save a well struck frank lampard shot 
football	376	but he could not keep out terry s powered header from the resultant corner as arsenal s weakness at set pieces was again exposed 
football	376	almost immediately  henry went close and chelsea gathered the loose ball before going straight up the other end where gudjohnsen fluffed an effort 
football	376	gudjohnsen did not make the same error minutes later when he struck a sweet shot only for almunia to be equal to the task and save 
football	376	the homes side regained the lead in controversial fashion when robert pires won a dubious free kick 
football	376	and  given the option to take the 25 yard set piece quickly  henry curled in a shot with cech still organising his wall 
football	376	this time arsenal did not allow chelsea to level so soon as they went into the break ahead 
football	376	chelsea brought striker didier drogba on to partner gudjohnsen up front after the interval and the move reaped immediate reward 
football	376	lampard swung in a cross which gallas knocked back across goal and a deft header from gudjohnsen levelled matters again 
football	376	chelsea s main threat was coming from crosses and lampard missed a great opportunity as he headed wide when left unmarked at the far post 
football	376	the second half failed to live up to the thrilling pace of the opening period but there were flashes of brilliance 
football	376	one of them came from the enigmatic robben when he jinked his way through two arsenal defenders only to see his poked shot saved by almunia 
football	376	arsenal ended the match the stronger and worked a excellent chance for henry who put a left foot shot high from eight yards 
football	376	subtitute robin van persie could also have nicked a win for the highbury outfit but frustratingly sidefooted just wide 
football	376	matthieu flamini had a late penal appeal waved away before the final whistle which maintained chelsea five point premiership lead over arsenal 
football	376	almunia  lauren  toure  campbell  cole  pires  flamini  fabregas  reyes  clichy 82   bergkamp  van persie 82   henry 
football	376	subs not used  senderos  hoyte  lehmann 
football	376	cole 
football	376	henry 2  29 
football	376	cech  paulo ferreira  ricardo carvalho  drogba 45   terry  gallas  duff  tiago  bridge 45   makelele  lampard  robben  gudjohnsen  parker 77  
football	376	subs not used  kezman  cudicini 
football	376	robben  drogba  lampard 
football	376	terry 17  gudjohnsen number 153g poll  hertfordshire  
football	377	real will finish abandoned matchreal madrid and real socieded will play the final six minutes of their match  which was abandoned on sunday because of a bomb scare 
football	377	the bernabeu was evacuated with the score at 1 1 and two minutes of normal time remaining in the game 
football	377	the teams will now play the final two minutes  plus four minutes of injury time  on 5 january 
football	377	brazilian ronaldo and england captain david beckham had to wait in the street in their kit after the abandonment 
football	377	real sociedad president jose luis astiazaran said   we thought the best thing was to play the time remaining 
football	377	 hundreds of fans streamed across the pitch on their way to the exits after the game was called off 
football	377	tourists and fans took advantage of the opportunity for a photograph between the famous stadium s goalposts 
football	377	the two clubs met the spanish fa on monday and astiazaran added   we thought about giving the game as concluded but after talking with the fa we decided there was no precedent for that and the best thing was to play the time that was remaining 
football	377	  real madrid director of sport emilio butragueno praised the spectators inside the ground for their conduct 
football	377	 i d like to highlight the behaviour of the fans  who showed great maturity and it was an example of good citizenship   he said 
football	377	butragueno confirned  before confirming that tuesday s charity match   which has been billed as  ronaldo s friends against zidane s friends    will go ahead as planned 
football	377	 i d also like to take the chance to say that tomorrow s game will take place   butragueno declared of the  partido contra la pobreza   game against poverty  
football	377	he added   football is important for society and we want to show that 
football	377	 we also think that football should be a fiesta  we had programmed and people deserve to enjoy the game 
football	377	  
football	378	poll explains free kick decisionreferee graham poll said he applied the laws of the game in allowing arsenal striker thierry henry s free kick in sunday s 2 2 draw with chelsea 
football	378	keeper petr cech was organising his defensive wall when henry s quick free kick flew in  which angered chelsea 
football	378	 the whistle doesn t need to be blown 
football	378	i asked henry  do you want a wall   
football	378	he said  can i take it please   he was very polite 
football	378	i said  yes    said poll 
football	378	 i deal with the laws of the game 
football	378	i deal with fact 
football	378	  poll added   i gave the signal for him to take it 
football	378	that s what he did 
football	378	 the same thing happened when i refereed chelsea against west ham in an fa cup replay two years ago   when jimmy floyd hasselbaink scored   and i don t remember them complaining about that 
football	378	  henry explained why he paused before striking the ball for the goal  which put arsenal 2 1 ahead 
football	378	henry told bbc radio five live   the ref asked me if i wanted 10 yards or if i wanted to take it straight away and i said that i wanted to take it straight away 
football	378	he said to me   go  
football	378	 it looks a bit strange because i took my time 
football	378	i was waiting for eidur gudjohnsen to move and give me some space 
football	378	 at one point  he turned and that s when i tried it 
football	378	  former referees  chief philip don backed poll s decision to allow the strike 
football	378	 the advantage should go to the non offending team 
football	378	on this occasion it was arsenal   don told bbc radio five live 
football	378	 referees have been told to ask the player  do you want to take the quick free kick   or  do you want me to get the wall back number metres    if they say  quick   the referee tends to move away and allow the kick 
football	378	  don was head of the referees for the premier league and revealed all clubs were informed of free kick options 
football	378	 we spoke to all the premier league clubs as well as all the football league clubs in the summer of 2003 explaining what the situation was   he added  we gave them the option of either the quick free kick or the  ceremonial  free kick 
football	378	players and clubs were aware of what referees were doing 
football	378	  
football	379	solskjaer raises hopes of returnmanchester united striker ole gunnar solskjaer said he hoped to return next season following a career threatening injury to his right knee 
football	379	the 31 year old norway international had surgery in sweden in august to transplant cartilage into the joint 
football	379	 i m in no doubt that i ll play again   solskjaer told aftenposten daily 
football	379	 the problem will be the speed but we re talking about eight months  time 
football	379	it s going as it should with the knee 
football	379	i m slavishly following a programme 
football	379	  solskjaer last played for united as a late substitute in may s fa cup final win over millwall 
football	379	his contract with united runs out in 2006  by which time he will have been at the premier league club for 10 years 
football	380	dunne keen to commit to man cityrichard dunne is ready to commit his long term future to manchester city after turning his career around 
football	380	he was once threatened with the sack by city boss kevin keegan but has since responded with impressive performances  prompting interest from other clubs 
football	380	early talks have taken place and the defender said   hopefully something will be sorted out as soon as possible 
football	380	 i definitely want to stay at city because i have really improved as a player here 
football	380	  newcastle boss graeme souness is said to have been impressed enough by dunne s turnaround in form to be ready to make a bid for the big stopper in the january transfer window 
football	380	but the 25 year old dubliner underlined his intention to stay at eastlands 
football	380	he added   it s nice to be linked with top clubs but the important thing is this one and what we do 
football	380	 i really enjoy it at city and i want to keep that going 
football	380	  keegan is expected to be told there will be no funds to bring in fresh faces in january 
football	380	dunne s professionalism was famously questioned by keegan  who ordered the defender home after he allegedly turned up for training in a dishevelled state 
football	380	but dunne is keen to put that period of his life behind him and said   i ve grown up a lot and the manager sees me as one of the most experienced players in the squad 
football	380	 i ve played more games than any other outfield players this season so i can t be regarded as being a kid any more 
football	380	 i have to use that as added pressure to perform and apart from the games at newcastle and middlesbrough  defensively we ve done quite well 
football	380	  keegan is set for another boost when goalkeeper nicky weaver makes his long awaited return in a reserve game at blackburn on tuesday 
football	380	former england under 21 keeper weaver has missed nearly three full seasons with a succession of knee injuries  which eventually needed pioneering transplant surgery earlier this year 
football	381	bates seals takeoverken bates has completed his takeover of leeds united 
football	381	the 73 year old former chelsea chairman sealed the deal at 0227 gmt on friday  and has bought a 50  stake in the club 
football	381	he said   i m delighted to be stepping up to the mantel at such a fantastic club 
football	381	i recognise leeds as a great club that has fallen on hard times 
football	381	 we have a lot of hard work ahead to get the club back where it belongs in the premiership  and with the help of our fans we will do everything we can 
football	381	  bates bought his stake under the guise of a geneva based company known as the forward sports fund 
football	381	he revealed that part of his plan is to buy back leeds  elland road stadium and thorp arch training ground in due course 
football	381	 it s going to be a tough jon and the first task is to stabilise the cash flow and sort out the remaining creditors   bates added 
football	381	 but there is light at the end of a very long tunnel 
football	381	for the past year it has been a matter of firefighting   now we can start running the club again 
football	381	  outgoing leeds chairman gerald krasner said   this deal ensures the medium to long term survival of the club and i believe mr bates  proposals are totally for the benefit of the club 
football	381	 we are content that under mr bates  leeds united will continue to consolidate and move forward 
football	381	 when we took over leeds united in march 2004  the club had a debt of £103m  since that date  my board has succeeded in reducing the debt to under £25m 
football	381	 we worked tirelessly to solve all of the problems at leeds united 
football	381	 eighty percent of the problems have already been overcome and we came to this agreement with mr bates to secure its ongoing success 
football	381	  krasner revealed that his consortium has been asked to remain in the background at the club for an undisclosed period to help ensure a smooth hand over 
football	381	he will stay on in an unpaid capacity while peter lorimer will continue in his role as director and point of contact for the fans and peter mccormick will serve as a consultant to the incoming board 
football	381	the other outgoing directors have agreed to leave their loans of £numberm in the company for the next four years 
football	381	on leeds  new look board it is understood that lorimer will be joined by former chelsea finance director yvonne todd and bates  lawyer mark taylor 
football	381	krasner refused to give any details of the finances involved in the takeover 
football	381	he told bbc five live   i am not going into the figures 
football	381	if ken wants to give them up that is up to him 
football	381	i can not tell you what the money will be used for 
football	381	 this dea l is not about money for the current board 
football	381	in the last four months i never saw any cheques until this week from one person 
football	381	i am not stretching figures  we don t discuss internal arrangements 
football	381	  bates stepped down as chelsea chairman in march last year following roman abramovich s £140m takeover at stamford bridge 
football	381	in may  he made a proposal to invest £10m in sheffield wednesday  but this was rejected by the club 
football	381	sebastien sainsbury had been close to a takeover of leeds but withdrew his £25m offer last week 
football	381	his efforts failed after he revealed it would take £40m to stage a takeover  and that the club will also lose £10m over the next six months 
football	381	the club was on the brink of administration   and the deduction of 10 points by the football league   before bates  arrival but his investment has spared them that prospect 
football	382	ferguson rues failure to cut gapboss sir alex ferguson was left ruing manchester united s failure to close the gap on chelsea  everton and arsenal after his side s 1 1 draw with fulham 
football	382	premiership leaders chelsea and the gunners endured a 2 2 stalemate on sunday  giving united the chance to make up some ground in the league 
football	382	but ferguson said   i think what makes it so bad is that both our rivals dropped points at the weekend 
football	382	 it was a great opportunity   and we haven t delivered 
football	382	  united went ahead through alan smith in the 33rd minute before bouba diop s superb 25 yard strike cancelled out the visitors  lead in the 87th minute 
football	382	ferguson described the result as an  absolute giveaway  after united had earlier missed a host of opportunities to finish off the encounter 
football	382	he said   it was a good performance   some of the football was fantastic   but we just didn t finish them off 
football	382	 in fairness  it s a fantastic strike from the fulham player 
football	382	  the result leaves ferguson s side fourth in the league on 31 points   four points behind arsenal and a further five back from chelsea 
football	383	old firm pair handed suspensionsceltic s henri camara and nacho novo of rangers have both been suspended for offences missed by the referee in a recent old firm game 
football	383	both were given automatic one match bans and 12 additional disciplinary points for their actions 
football	383	that means novo will miss a further two games because of his prior record 
football	383	camara will miss one additional game 
football	383	novo was found guilty of stamping on celtic s stephen pearson 
football	383	camara was punished for kicking gregory vignal 
football	383	 i m extremely disappointed 
football	383	i don t know if there s a lot to add to that   said rangers manager alex mcleish of novo s punishment 
football	383	 but what i will say is that i m at a loss as to why that incident should be picked up and highlighted when there were so many other incidents during the game 
football	383	  both players will miss this weekend s games when celtic host dundee united and rangers visit kilmarnock unless they decide to appeal 
football	383	the additional bans come into effect from 28 december meaning camara will also be unavailable for the home game against livingston while novo will miss the meetings with dundee united and dunfermline 
football	383	an sfa spokesman said   they have seven days to appeal but with matches coming along at the weekend they would need to do so before friday 
football	383	 but if they do appeal it won t be heard before this weekend because it takes a bit of time to seat up an appeals tribunal 
football	383	  meanwhile  bob malcolm and rangers have been informed by letter as to the outcome of the hearing regarding his reaction to rangers being awarded a penalty in the same game 
football	383	malcolm  a substitute on the day  was taken from the rangers dug out and spoken to by police about an alleged gesture he made 
football	383	but the sfa would not detail what  if any  punishment malcolm would receive 
football	383	 once rangers receive our letter we will be in a position to make a comment on the findings   added the spokesman 
football	384	anelka apologises for criticismmanchester city striker nicolas anelka has issued an apology for criticising the ambitions of the club 
football	384	anelka was quoted in a french newspaper as saying he would like to play in the champions league for a bigger club 
football	384	but chairman john wardle said   i ve spoken to nicolas and he s apologised for anything that might have been mistakenly taken from the french press 
football	384	 we are a big club 
football	384	nicolas told me that he agrees with me that we are a big club 
football	384	  wardle was speaking at the club s annual general meeting  where he also confirmed the club had not received any bids for the former arsenal and real madrid striker 
football	384	the club still owe french club psg £5m from the purchase of anelka in may 2002 
football	384	he has been linked with a move to barcelona and liverpool  and reds skipper steven gerrard also revealed he is an admirer from his time on loan at anfield 
football	384	but wardle added   there s been no bids for nicolas anelka 
football	384	no one has come to me and said i would like to buy nicolas anelka 
football	384	 if a bid comes in for nicolas anelka i will speak to the board and then speak to kevin keegan 
football	384	 if there was a bid and it was a bid of substance and worth taking then between us we d decide 
football	384	 we still owe some money on nicolas which we have clear out  so it would have to be above that 
football	384	  wardle did stress that the club was not inviting any offers for england winger shaun wright phillips 
football	384	he added   i ve no intention of selling shaun wright phillips 
football	384	 if someone comes with a silly bid i ll have to discuss it 
football	384	 but we re not putting him on the shelf to sell 
football	384	he is the heart and soul of this club and has his heart and sole in this club  and he would be very upset if i put him in the shop window 
football	384	 he was an academy kid here  he s just signed a new four year deal  i don t think he d do that unless he wanted to play for manchester city football club 
football	384	  city recently announced debts of £62m  but wardle confirmed they would try and find funds to bring in players in the january transfer window 
football	384	he said   like kevin i d like to see some players come in 
football	384	we ve got to see what we can do   whether it s a on a bosman or not 
football	384	 we will try to be creative to generate some funds 
football	384	but maybe we have to start looking at clubs like everton and bolton to see how they have been dealing in the transfer market and do a similar type of thing 
football	384	  
football	385	ferguson rues failure to cut gapboss sir alex ferguson was left ruing manchester united s failure to close the gap on chelsea  everton and arsenal after his side s 1 1 draw with fulham 
football	385	premiership leaders chelsea and the gunners endured a 2 2 stalemate on sunday  giving united the chance to make up some ground in the league 
football	385	but ferguson said   i think what makes it so bad is that both our rivals dropped points at the weekend 
football	385	 it was a great opportunity   and we haven t delivered 
football	385	  united went ahead through alan smith in the 33rd minute before bouba diop s superb 25 yard strike cancelled out the visitors  lead in the 87th minute 
football	385	ferguson described the result as an  absolute giveaway  after united had earlier missed a host of opportunities to finish off the encounter 
football	385	he said   it was a good performance   some of the football was fantastic   but we just didn t finish them off 
football	385	 in fairness  it s a fantastic strike from the fulham player 
football	385	  the result leaves ferguson s side fourth in the league on 31 points   four points behind arsenal and a further five back from chelsea 
football	386	everton s weir cools euro hopeseverton defender david weir has played down talk of european football  despite his team lying in second place in the premiership after beating liverpool 
football	386	weir told bbc radio five live   we don t want to rest on our laurels and say we have achieved anything yet 
football	386	 i think you start taking your eye off the ball if you make statements and look too far into the future 
football	386	 if you start making predictions you soon fall back into trouble 
football	386	the only thing that matters is the next game 
football	386	  he said   we are looking after each other and hard work goes a long way in this league 
football	386	we have definitely shown that 
football	386	 also injuries and suspensions haven t cost us too badly and we have a lot of self belief around the place 
football	386	  
football	387	spain coach faces racism inquiryspain s football federation has initiated disciplinary action against national coach luis aragones over racist comments about thierry henry 
football	387	if found guilty aragones could lose his job or face a fine of about £22 000 
football	387	the federation had initially declined to take action against aragones after comments he made during a national team training session in october 
football	387	but its president angel maria villar changed his mind after a request by spain s anti violence commission 
football	387	aragones insisted the comments  made to henry s arsenal club mate jose antonio reyes  were meant to motivate the player  and were not intended to be offensive 
football	387	 i never intended to offend anyone  and for that reason i have a very easy conscience   he said at the time 
football	387	 i m obliged to motivate my players to get the best results 
football	387	 as part of that job  i use colloquial language  with which we can all understand each other within the framework of the football world 
football	387	  england s players made a point of wearing anti racism t shirts when training before their friendly against spain in madrid last month 
football	387	but the storm increased following racist chanting by spanish fans at england s black players during the game  which spain won 1 0 
football	387	spain s minister of sport jaime lissavetzky was quick to give his backing to the federation s decision 
football	387	 everyone who has a public function has to consider their declarations  and make sure they do not give a negative image   he said 
football	387	 we are going to have zero tolerance in questions of racism 
football	387	  
football	388	spain coach faces racism inquiryspain s football federation has initiated disciplinary action against national coach luis aragones over racist comments about thierry henry 
football	388	if found guilty aragones could lose his job or face a fine of about £22 000 
football	388	the federation had initially declined to take action against aragones after comments he made during a national team training session in october 
football	388	but its president angel maria villar changed his mind after a request by spain s anti violence commission 
football	388	aragones insisted the comments  made to henry s arsenal club mate jose antonio reyes  were meant to motivate the player  and were not intended to be offensive 
football	388	 i never intended to offend anyone  and for that reason i have a very easy conscience   he said at the time 
football	388	 i m obliged to motivate my players to get the best results 
football	388	 as part of that job  i use colloquial language  with which we can all understand each other within the framework of the football world 
football	388	  england s players made a point of wearing anti racism t shirts when training before their friendly against spain in madrid last month 
football	388	but the storm increased following racist chanting by spanish fans at england s black players during the game  which spain won 1 0 
football	388	spain s minister of sport jaime lissavetzky was quick to give his backing to the federation s decision 
football	388	 everyone who has a public function has to consider their declarations  and make sure they do not give a negative image   he said 
football	388	 we are going to have zero tolerance in questions of racism 
football	388	  
football	389	benitez deflects blame from dudekliverpool manager rafael benitez has refused to point the finger of blame at goalkeeper jerzy dudek after portsmouth claimed a draw at anfield 
football	389	dudek fumbled a cross before lomana lualua headed home an injury time equaliser  levelling after steven gerrard put liverpool ahead 
football	389	benitez said   it was difficult for jerzy 
football	389	it was an unlucky moment 
football	389	 he was expecting a cross from matthew taylor and it ended up like a shot  so i don t blame him for what happened 
football	389	  benitez admitted it was a costly loss of two points by liverpool  who followed up their derby defeat against everton with a disappointing draw 
football	389	he said   we had many opportunities but didn t score and  in the end  a 1 0 lead was not enough 
football	389	 if you don t have any chances you have to think of other things  but when you are creating so many chances as we are there is nothing you can say to the players 
football	389	it was a pity 
football	389	 we lost two points  but we have one more point in the table 
football	389	now we have another difficult game against newcastle and we have to recover quickly from that 
football	389	  
football	390	bellamy fined after rownewcastle have fined their welsh striker craig bellamy two weeks  wages   about £80 000   following his row with manager graeme souness 
football	390	but bellamy  25  has not been put on the transfer list  although he did not train with the first team on tuesday 
football	390	magpies chairman freddy shepherd told the newcastle evening chronicle   it is not about money 
football	390	it is about a player thinking he is bigger than this club 
football	390	 no individual is  be it the chairman  the manager or a player 
football	390	  souness dropped bellamy for sunday s game against arsenal  claiming the welshman had feigned injury after being asked to play out of position 
football	390	 when i heard what the manager was saying i was in shock   bellamy said 
football	390	 i thought  not only has he gone behind my back  he s lying    he said in response to souness  remarks 
football	390	and the wales international refused to apologise 
football	390	 i won t apologise because i have done nothing wrong   he told the evening chronicle 
football	390	 there s no doubt about it  i am out of here 
football	390	  the difficult relationship between souness and bellamy boiled over at the weekend  and has led to a war of words in the media 
football	390	bellamy s claim that souness had lied about the background to the bust up was strongly denied by shepherd  who accused the striker of  cheating  the club 
football	390	 i wish to put the record straight regarding the bellamy situation   said shepherd 
football	390	 craig walked off the training ground saying his hamstring was tight  on friday   but what he failed to reveal was that he had told other members of the squad before training that he intended to feign injury 
football	390	 when graeme discovered this he immediately ordered bellamy to attend a meeting in my office 
football	390	 at that meeting bellamy admitted to graeme and i that he had told the players that he was going to  fake  an injury in training and walk off 
football	390	 he also agreed at that meeting to apologise to his team mates for his behaviour 
football	390	he didn t do this which resulted in the action taken by the manager at the weekend  which i fully support 
football	390	 in my book this is cheating on the club  the supporters  the manager and his own team mates 
football	390	 he is paid extremely well and i consider his behaviour to be totally unacceptable and totally unprofessional 
football	390	 bellamy s latest outburst would appear to make his chances of a first team recall remote 
football	390	but even before newcastle said the player would not be sold  bellamy insisted he had no intention of handing in a transfer request 
football	390	 i don t want the fans to think for one minute that i wouldn t play for this club   he said 
football	390	 i d play anywhere for this club  even in goal 
football	390	 it s a very difficult situation for me at the moment but i d never ask to leave this club 
football	390	 this club means so much to me 
football	390	i couldn t do it because i know i couldn t come back here and play against newcastle 
football	390	it would hurt too much 
football	390	  
football	391	mcclaren eyes uefa cup top spotsteve mcclaren wants his middlesbrough team to win their uefa cup group by beating partizan belgrade 
football	391	boro have already qualified for the knockout stages alongside partizan and villareal  at the expense of lazio 
football	391	but boss mcclaren is looking for a victory which would mean they avoid a team that has played in the champions league in friday s third round draw 
football	391	 to need a win to finish top is fantastic  but it is going to be a tough one   mcclaren said 
football	391	 when the draw was made  i thought it was the toughest group of them all   and so it has proved 
football	391	 lazio were favourites  villarreal have been semi finalists  and partizan have fantastic experience in europe 
football	391	 the pleasing thing is we did the business in the first two games 
football	391	 winning those two has put us in a great position and it has been a fantastic experience playing these teams 
football	391	  
football	392	spurs to sign iceland u21 startottenham are primed to snap up iceland under 21 international emil hallfredsson after he impressed on trial at white hart lane 
football	392	the 20 year old midfielder  who plays for fh hafnarfjordur  also starred in the uefa cup match against scottish side dunfermline earlier this season 
football	392	spurs have agreed a fee for the player  who has yet to agree personal terms 
football	392	 he had offers from two other clubs but he decided to come to tottenham   said spurs sporting director frank arnesen 
football	392	 he is a left sided player  a position we have been looking at and he showed so much talent in his time here that we decided to take him 
football	392	 it s down the road of bringing in talent  good prospects and giving them a place at tottenham where they can improve 
football	392	  
football	393	mcleish ready for criticismrangers manager alex mcleish accepts he is going to be criticised after their disastrous uefa cup exit at the hands of auxerre at ibrox on wednesday 
football	393	mcleish told bbc radio five live   we were in pole position to get through to the next stage but we blew it  we absolutely blew it 
football	393	 there s no use burying your head in the sand  we know we are going to get a lot of criticism 
football	393	 we have to take it as we have done in the past and we must now bounce back 
football	393	  mcleish admitted his team s defending was amateurish after watching them lose 2 0 to guy roux s french side 
football	393	 i m very disappointed because we didn t give ourselves a chance  losing the first goal from our own corner 
football	393	it was amateur   he added 
football	393	 the early goal in the second half gave us a mountain to climb and we never created the same kind of chances as we did in the first half 
football	393	 it s difficult to take positives from the game 
football	393	we ve let the fans down 
football	393	  
football	394	o leary agrees new villa contractaston villa boss david o leary signed a three and a half year contract extension on thursday  securing his future at the club until summer 2008 
football	394	o leary s future was in question  but villa chairman doug ellis said he was happy to secure the deal 
football	394	 david s record since his arrival in 2003 is excellent and he shares the board s amibitions in taking this club forward   he told villa s website 
football	394	 for this reason it was important we got this right 
football	394	  o leary put pen to paper after deals were sorted for his right hand men roy aitken and steve mcgregor 
football	394	 it was important to me roy and steve  an integral part of my team  should stay for the same time   o leary said on thursday ahead of signing his new deal 
football	394	 someone has to try and put aston villa back where they should belong and i m up for the challenge 
football	394	 earlier in december  there were rumours o leary would quit if he is not offered a new deal before the end of the season 
football	394	but he denied that  saying he was happy to take on the challenge of improving villa s fortunes in the long term 
football	394	 i want to make sure by the end of the five years i would have been in charge that villa are achieving top six finishes in the premiership on a regular basis   said o leary  who took over at villa park in may 2003 
football	394	 but to achieve that  and take the next step forward  we do need to bring in quality players 
football	394	 i would like a couple next month if at all possible to set us on the way 
football	394	  meanwhile  o leary has rapped skipper olof mellberg for his comments before sunday s derby with birmingham 
football	394	mellberg spoke of his dislike of villa s rivals ahead of the match  which steve bruce s side won 2 1 
football	394	 i ve had more than a quiet word with olof 
football	394	it s been said within the whole group  not as a one to one   he told villa s website 
football	394	 you shouldn t leave yourself open to be shot down 
football	394	you shouldn t give people the chance to take cheap shots at you and he set himself up for that 
football	394	  
football	395	gronkjaer agrees switch to madridjesper gronkjaer has agreed a move to atletico madrid from birmingham city 
football	395	the 27 year old winger spent just five months at st andrews following a £numberm move from chelsea in july after playing for denmark at euro 2004 
football	395	he is set to move during the january transfer window in a deal rumoured to be about £numberm  subject to a medical 
football	395	 we will meet with the player s representative to finalise the contract and decide when he will sign   said atletico sporting director toni munoz 
football	395	gronkjaer has been targeted by blues fans and was sarcastically applauded when taken off against everton last month 
football	395	boss steve bruce had said that he would be happy to let the danish international go if the price was right 
football	395	he added   i m not going to say the decision to let him go is down to the fans  reaction towards him 
football	395	 he has had a tough time since the summer with the loss of his mother and finding it difficult to adjust to a new club and a different area 
football	395	 he has been terrific and not missed a day s training and is someone if your daughter brought them home you would be delighted 
football	395	 it just hasn t quite worked out here for him 
football	395	but we d like to get back most of what we spent 
football	395	  
football	396	benitez  to launch morientes bid liverpool may launch an £8m january bid for long time target fernando morientes  according to reports 
football	396	the real madrid striker has been linked with a move to anfield since the summer and is currently behind raul  ronaldo and michael owen at the bernabeu 
football	396	liverpool boss rafael benitez is keen to bolster his forward options with djibril cisse out until next season 
football	396	 if there is an attractive propostition it could be i would be keen to leave   admitted the 28 year old morientes 
football	396	he added   unfortunately  i m not in control of the situation 
football	396	i m under contract to real and they will make any decisions 
football	396	  the fee could put liverpool off a prospective deal but real are keen to net the cash as they are reported to be preparing a massive summer bid for inter milan striker adriano 
football	396	the reds are currently sixth in the premiership  15 points behind leaders chelsea 
football	397	robertson out to retain euro lurehearts manager john robertson hopes a place in the knock out stages of the uefa cup could help keep some of his out of contract players at the club 
football	397	 it could help 
football	397	if we get through and have another european tie it may encourage players to stay at least until the end of the season   he said 
football	397	 if we manage to get through it shows how well the club s progressing 
football	397	 they have to think whether they are going to get other clubs like that should they decide to move on 
football	397	  a win for robertson s side against ferencvaros would put them through to the last 32 if basle fail to beat feyenoord 
football	397	 it s very much the player s prerogative but the fact that we ve been playing european football for the last three or four years is obviously an incentive   added robertson 
football	397	 but we want players who want to play for the football club  who are committed and a run in europe always helps a little bit 
football	397	  with the game being played at murrayfield instead of tynecastle because of uefa regulations  robertson sees both positive and negative aspects to the change of venue 
football	397	 the pitch is not in the greatest condition 
football	397	the heineken cup game was there at the weekend and the pitch is a bit threadbare   he said 
football	397	 it s not ideal but it s the same for both teams so we just have to go out and there and perform 
football	397	that s the most important thing 
football	397	  but he added   if tynecastle could have hosted 30 000 it would have been fantastic but that s one of the benefits of murrayfield   it allows us to bring even more of our supporters into it 
football	397	 there will be a good atmosphere and the hearts fans have an important role to play 
football	397	 we need their encouragement  we need them to get right behind the side and make it as good an atmosphere as possible 
football	397	 hopefully the players will respond to that and i know they will because it s a fantastic european night for the club 
football	397	  
football	398	campbell rescues arsenalsol campbell proved to be an unlikely match winner to earn arsenal a hard fought win at portsmouth 
football	398	the england defender lashed home a 25 yard shot for his first goal in 16 months to take arsenal back into second spot  five points behind chelsea 
football	398	but before campbell scored the best two chances of the game fell to pompey striker ricardo fuller 
football	398	in the first half he blasted wide when clear  and his control let him down in the second half when well placed 
football	398	portsmouth got plenty of bodies behind the ball to deny arsenal space in the early stages 
football	398	but their marking was slack at a corner and patrick vieira should have done better when the ball fell to him 16 yards out 
football	398	a mistake by arjan de zeeuw let thierry henry in behind the pompey defence on 17 minutes but as he bore down on goal linvoy primus got in a saving tackle 
football	398	with just fuller as an out and out striker  portsmouth s shape made life difficult for arsenal 
football	398	but a delightful touch by robin van persie gave henry a sight of goal  although the angle was too tight for his shot to trouble jamie ashdown 
football	398	ashdown caused hearts to flutter on 28 minutes when he missed his punch at a corner and kolo toure headed just wide and  as arsenal began to press  van persie blasted over a good opportunity after henry had set him up 
football	398	henry took a quick return pass from vieira but ashdown was out quickly to block  and there were some anxious seconds for pompey as the ball ran loose before matthew taylor cleared 
football	398	after playing second fiddle  portsmouth should have taken the lead on 34 minutes 
football	398	referee howard webb played a good advantage to allow steve stone to send gary o neil away but  having shrugged off toure  the pompey midfielder planted his shot wide from 10 yards 
football	398	as half time approached  henry teased a shot through a ruck of players and inches wide 
football	398	at the other end  fuller broke clear but failed to hit the target as toure closed him down 
football	398	fuller was given the best chance of the match so far on 48 minutes when patrik berger s break and slipped pass played him clear 
football	398	but a poor first touch lost him the opportunity and even when he checked back and went down under vieira s challenge  referee webb was not interested 
football	398	fuller paid the price when he gave way on 55 minutes to aiyegbeni yakubu  who returned after six weeks out with a knee injury 
football	398	but it needed alert reflexes and safe handling from ashdown to cling on to van persie s shot as henry sniffed for scraps 
football	398	portsmouth were growing in confidence and keeper manuel almunia had to stand his ground to beat away a powerful shot from berger 
football	398	arsenal were struggling to find their rhythm but took the lead through the unlikely source of campbell 
football	398	the england defender needed little invitation as pompey backed off to stride forward and lash a ferocious shot past ashdown 
football	398	arsenal might have stretched their lead two minutes later when mathieu flamini escaped his marker to flash a header wide from henry s free kick 
football	398	almunia went full length to grab berger s long range shot  while ashdown palmed away substitute dennis bergkamp s shot 
football	398	ashdown  griffin  de zeeuw  primus  taylor  stone  o neil  faye  berkovic 83   berger  lualua  fuller  yakubu 55  
football	398	subs not used  hislop  quashie  cisse 
football	398	almunia  lauren  toure  campbell  cole  pires  flamini  vieira  clichy  van persie  bergkamp 68   henry 
football	398	subs not used  lehmann  fabregas  senderos  hoyte 
football	398	cole 
football	398	campbell number 170 
football	398	h webb  s yorkshire  
football	399	reds sink 10 man magpiestitus bramble s own goal put liverpool on the comeback trail as injury hit newcastle were well beaten at anfield 
football	399	patrick kluivert s close range finish put newcastle ahead after 31 minutes  but they were pegged back as bramble headed in steven gerrard s corner 
football	399	neil mellor gave liverpool the lead before half time from milan baros  pass before the czech added a third after rounding shay given on the hour 
football	399	newcastle then had lee bowyer sent off for two bookable offences 
football	399	liverpool brought back luis garcia after a hamstring injury  while newcastle were forced to draft in kluivert after craig bellamy was a late withdrawal with a back injury sustained in the warm up 
football	399	and garcia should have crowned his return with a goal inside the opening minute when he took a pass from baros but shot wildly over the top from eight yards 
football	399	olivier bernard was only inches away from giving newcastle the lead after 20 minutes  when he fired just wide from a free kick 25 yards out 
football	399	but souness s side did go ahead 11 minutes later in highly controversial circumstances 
football	399	kluivert looked suspiciously offside when kieron dyer set bowyer free  but the dutchman was then perfectly placed to score from six yards 
football	399	the lead lasted three minutes  with liverpool back on terms as bramble headed gerrard s corner into his own net under pressure from sami hyypia 
football	399	and liverpool were ahead after 37 minutes when baros slid a perfect pass into mellor s path for the youngster to slip a slide rule finish into given s bottom corner 
football	399	garcia s finishing was wayward  and he was wasteful again in first half injury time  shooting tamely at given after good work by xabi alonso 
football	399	any hopes of a newcastle recovery looked to be snuffed out on the hour when a brilliant turn and pass by harry kewell set baros free and he rounded given to score 
football	399	jermaine jenas then missed a glorious chance to throw newcastle a lifeline  shooting over from just eight yards out from shola ameobi s cross 
football	399	then bowyer  who had already been booked for a foul on alonso  was deservedly shown the red card by referee graham poll for a wild challenge on liverpool substitute florent sinama pongolle 
football	399	dudek  finnan  hyypia  carragher  riise  luis garcia  nunez 73   gerrard  alonso  kewell  traore 85   baros  mellor  sinama pongolle 75  
football	399	subs not used  hamann  harrison 
football	399	bramble 35 og  mellor 38  baros 61 
football	399	given  andrew o brien  elliott  bramble  bernard  bowyer  dyer  ambrose 80   jenas  milner  n zogbia 72   kluivert  robert 58   ameobi 
football	399	subs not used  harper 
football	399	bowyer  77  
football	399	bowyer  elliott  bernard 
football	399	kluivert number 856 
football	399	g poll  hertfordshire  
football	400	strachan turns down pompeyformer southampton manager gordon strachan has rejected the chance to become portsmouth s new boss 
football	400	the scot was pompey chairman milan mandaric s first choice to replace harry redknapp  who left fratton park for rivals saints earlier in december 
football	400	 i think it s a fantastic job for anybody apart from somebody who has just been the southampton manager   strachan told the bbc 
football	400	club director terry brady held initial talks with strachan on saturday 
football	400	the former scotland international added that joining southampton s local rivals would not be a wise move 
football	400	 it s got everything going for it but i ve got too many memories of the other side and i don t want to sour those memories   he said 
football	400	 everything s right   it s 10 minutes away  there are good players there  a good set up  a good atmosphere at the ground 
football	400	 there s lots to do but it s not right for somebody who has just been the southampton manager 
football	400	  since redknapp s departure  executive director velimir zajec and coach joe jordan have overseen first team affairs 
football	400	the duo had gone five matches unbeaten until sunday s 1 0 defeat at home to champions arsenal  but the club are still in a respectable 12th place in the premiership table 
football	400	strachan left st mary s in february  after earlier announcing his intention to take a break from the game at the end of the 2003 04 season 
football	400	his previous managerial experience came at coventry  whom he led for five years from 1996 to 2001 
football	401	henry tipped for fifa awardfifa president sepp blatter hopes arsenal s thierry henry will be named world player of the year on monday 
football	401	henry is on the fifa shortlist with barcelona s ronaldinho and newly crowned european footballer of the year  ac milan s andriy shevchenko 
football	401	blatter said   henry  for me  is the personality on the field 
football	401	he is the man who can run and organise the game 
football	401	  the winner of the accolade will be named at a glittering ceremony at zurich s opera house 
football	401	the three shortlisted candidates for the women s award are mia hamm of the united states  germany s birgit prinz and brazilian youngster marta 
football	401	hamm  who recently retired   is looking to regain the women s award  which she lost last year to striker prinz 
football	401	fifa has changed the panel of voters for this year s awards 
football	401	male and female captains of every national team will be able to vote  as well as their coaches and fipro   the global organisation for professional players 
football	402	newcastle to join morientes racenewcastle have joined the race to sign real madrid striker fernando morientes and scupper liverpool s bid to snap up the player  according to reports 
football	402	liverpool were reported to have bid £numberm for the 28 year old spanish international this week 
football	402	but the liverpool echo newspaper has said anfield boss rafa benitez will avoid a bidding war and instead turn his attentions to nicolas anelka 
football	402	real are believed to still want £7m before selling morientes 
football	402	monaco are also in the race for the player they had on loan last season 
football	402	reports suggest liverpool will lift their offer to £5m   the highest they are willing to go before bowing out of any deal 
football	402	on tuesday  morientes had said   i like liverpool and i am pleased that a club of their stature want to buy me 
football	402	i have told madrid that i want it to happen 
football	402	 madrid know my situation and they know they must do something about me 
football	402	they must sort out the situation by being sensible 
football	402	 i am in a position where i want to play  and i will have to look elsewhere to do that 
football	402	if madrid do not want me then it s in the best interests of everyone that they are realistic 
football	402	 i haven t spoken to rafa benitez but i have always appreciated his work and i would like to play for him 
football	402	but benitez could yet turn his attentions to the younger anelka should morientes be reluctant to pledge his future to liverpool 
football	402	anelka previously played at anfield under gerard houllier before sealing his permanent switch to manchester city 
football	403	blues slam blackburn over savagebirmingham have confirmed blackburn made a bid for robbie savage   but managing director karen brady has called it  derisory  
football	403	rovers have reportedly offered £500 000 up front for the wales star  30  with the fee rising to £numberm 
football	403	but brady told the sun the bid was  a waste of fax paper and my time  
football	403	she added   the way things are going all this could affect the relationship between the clubs 
football	403	they ve got into robbie s head 
football	403	but he s not for sale 
football	403	  savage s future at birmingham has been the source of speculation for several weeks  with some fans criticising his performances for the club earlier in the season 
football	403	however  good displays against west brom and aston villa have impressed blues fans 
football	403	 the crowd gave me a massive standing ovation when i came off on saturday which was nice   he said 
football	403	 it was fantastic even though i was criticised by a number of them in recent weeks and on saturday it showed how much i mean to them 
football	403	 it s not for me to say  about transfer rumours   it s between the two clubs 
football	403	 i haven t created the speculation myself  i haven t phoned every national newspaper saying   blackburn are trying to buy me  
football	403	it s not up to me 
football	403	  birmingham manager steve bruce insists he does not want to sell savage 
football	403	 a lot is said and written about sav but he has been terrific for birmingham city the last two and a half years   he said 
football	403	 the fans love him because he epitomises them 
football	403	he works hard  they like people like that and there are not many like him 
football	403	 and why the hell should i sell him to someone else  i am not interested 
football	403	  
football	404	gerrard happy at anfieldliverpool captain steven gerrard has reiterated his desire to stay at anfield and win trophies with the club 
football	404	the 24 year old england midfielder is determined to see out his contract  despite reported interest from chelsea 
football	404	he said   i m signed here for this season and another two so there is no situation 
football	404	there s a lot of speculation but that s not down to me 
football	404	 as club captain all i want to do is help us get back up the table and into the champions league again 
football	404	  gerrard looked set to move to chelsea during the summer and speculation of a switch to stamford bridge has again arisen  with the january transfer window approaching 
football	404	he raised doubts about his reds future when he said he wanted the club to prove they were title challengers in the very near future or he might leave 
football	404	liverpool boss rafael benitez has insisted that gerrard has promised him he wants to stay at anfield 
football	404	benitez said   i said to steven that i was sure he wanted to stay here and he said  i do  
football	404	 i then said to him  look  if you want to win titles  you want medals and you want liverpool to have these things then i am going to need your help  
football	404	 i really think he wants to stay so now what we must do is make the squad stronger for him 
football	404	  meanwhile  gerrard has urged the anfield board to sign real madrid striker fernando morientes in the january transfer window 
football	404	morientes  28  has already expressed a willingness to come to england 
football	404	gerrard added   he s a great player 
football	404	he scores goals in the league  in cup competitions and also in the champions league 
football	404	 i don t think he d be able to play for us in europe this season but if we are able to get hold of him  we d be getting ourselves a great player 
football	404	 he d have spanish coaches  a spanish manager and we have got three or four spanish players here now so they ll help him settle in 
football	404	 rafael benitez knows what he wants and he knows how to strengthen the squad he s got and if the right players become available at the right price i am sure we will strengthen 
football	404	 it would certainly be nice to see a few new faces in january to freshen things up 
football	404	  
football	405	beckham rules out management movereal madrid midfielder david beckham has no plans to become a manager when his playing career is over 
football	405	 i am not interested in being a coach but i would like to have football schools   the england captain said on television station canal plus 
football	405	 i have wanted to do that since i went to the bobby charlton school 
football	405	i m going to open one in london and one in la 
football	405	 my second passion is charity work   i am an ambassador for unicef and it gives me great pride 
football	405	  but beckham revealed that his immediate priority was winning the spanish league title with real madrid 
football	405	real slipped to 13 points behind leaders barcelona with a 1 0 defeat at the hands of sevilla on wednesday 
football	405	beckham admitted   it s disappointing and frustrating to see the results  considering the team we have 
football	405	 i would really like to win la liga with real madrid   i have been here two years and we still have not done it 
football	405	  in a wide ranging interview  beckham also revealed that his sending off against argentina   and the resulting media storm   had been the most significant moment in his career 
football	405	asked for his worst memory  he said   to be sent off against argentina   it was not for the sending off but for what happened afterwards 
football	405	 i was lucky because i had a manager  sir alex ferguson  who supported me and a strong family behind me but i believe that changed me 
football	405	 i believe it changed me for the better 
football	405	  
football	406	mexicans tracking unhappy juninhomexican outfit red sharks veracruz hope to sign juninho if the brazilian decides to leave celtic frustrated at his lack of first team action 
football	406	their president  gustavo parente sanchez  says juninho  does not wish to remain in scottish football anymore  
football	406	agent brian hassell insists that the 31 year old brazilian midfielder is determined to win back his place 
football	406	 but  if the manager is not going to pick him  that s a different ball game   he told the sun 
football	406	 that s something we d have to look at 
football	406	juninho deserves respect 
football	406	he is not a little kid 
football	406	  hassell warns that juninho could reconsider his future at celtic unless he is given a run of games by the end of the january transfer window 
football	406	juninho was signed from middlesbrough during the summer  but he has failed to live up to high expectations and has lost his place to 18 year old aiden mcgeady 
football	406	 he has 50 caps for brazil and he s the best signing celtic ever made   insisted hassell 
football	406	 he wants to play for martin o neill  but does martin o neill want to play him   juninho is not someone who has come through the celtic ranks 
football	406	he deserves much more respect 
football	406	  sanchez is bullish about his hopes of prising juninho from the scottish champions  although hassell believes mexico would not be his preferred destination 
football	406	 we have already spoken with juninho and he said  if he has no firm offer from a club in spain  veracruz will be his destination   sanchez told his club s official website 
football	406	celtic manager o neill is no respecter of reputations 
football	406	 the onus is on juninho to force his way into the team   he said 
football	406	 players get a game on merit 
football	406	that s the way it has always been and that is certainly the case at celtic park 
football	406	  
football	407	celtic unhappy over bulgaria datemartin o neill hopes to block stilian petrov s call up by bulgaria during celtic s busy festive programme 
football	407	the celtic manager does not view the friendly against valenciana   a region of spain   on 28 december as important 
football	407	 i can t say i was overly pleased at the fixture being played just after christmas   said o neill 
football	407	 we will have to speak with the bulgarian fa 
football	407	it s their prerogative for them to arrange a fixture and our prerogative how we handle it 
football	407	  bulgaria s game comes between celtic s boxing day meeting with hearts and their 2 january fixture against livingston 
football	407	o neill believes the extra game will not help a midfielder whose season has already been affected by injury 
football	407	 they have organised a game at a rather awkward time   he added 
football	407	 when we were out playing barcelona  i spoke with the bulgarian manager  hristo stoichkov  and he mentioned this game to me 
football	407	 we pay his wages  we are the ones that if an awkward fixture is going to be played at some stage or another it should be to our benefit  rather than anyone else 
football	407	 i have said this before  but bulgaria are the one nation who seem to organise a lot of friendly games 
football	407	  
football	408	robben and cole earn chelsea wincheslea salvaged a win against a battling portsmouth side just as it looked like the premiership leaders would have to settle for a point 
football	408	arjen robben curled in a late deflected left footed shot from the right side of pompey s box to break the home side s brave resistance 
football	408	chelsea had been continually frustrated but joe cole added a second with a 20 yard shot in injury time 
football	408	nigel quashie had pompey s best chance when his effort was tipped over 
football	408	the fratton park crowd were in good voice as usual and  even though portsmouth more than held their own  chelsea still managed to carve out two early chances 
football	408	striker didier drogba snapped in an angled shot to force home keeper shaka hislop into a smart save while an unmarked frank lampard had a strike blocked by arjan de zeeuw 
football	408	but pompey chased  harried and unsettled a chelsea side as the south coast side started to gain the upper hand and almost took the lead through quashie 
football	408	the midfielder struck a swerving long range shot which keeper petr cech tipped over at full stretch 
football	408	pompey stretched arsenal to the limit recently and were providing a similarly tough obstacle to overcome for a chelsea team struggling to exert any pressure 
football	408	velimir zajec s players stood firm as the visitors came out in lively fashion after the break but  just as they took a stranglehold of the match  the visitors launched a counter attack 
football	408	drogba spun to get a sight of goal and struck a fierce shot which rocked keeper hislop back as he blocked before arjan de zeeuw cleared the danger 
football	408	the home side were also left breathing a sigh of relief when a glen johnson header fell to gudjohnsen who had his back to goal in a crowded pompey goalmouth 
football	408	the icelandic forward tried to acrobatically direct the ball into goal but put his effort over 
football	408	but  just like against arsenal  portsmouth let in a late goal when robben s shot took a deflection off matthew taylor on its way past a wrong footed hislop 
football	408	and cole put a bit of gloss on a hard fought win when he put a low shot into the bottom of the pompey net 
football	408	hislop  griffin  primus  de zeeuw  taylor  stone  cisse 76   quashie  berkovic 83   faye  o neil  kamara  fuller 65   yakubu 
football	408	subs not used  berger  ashdown 
football	408	kamara 
football	408	cech  paulo ferreira  gallas  terry  johnson  duff  makelele  smertin  cole 73   lampard  robben  geremi 81   drogba  gudjohnsen 58  
football	408	subs not used  cudicini  bridge 
football	408	paulo ferreira  robben  lampard 
football	408	robben 79  cole number 210a wiley  staffordshire  
football	409	newcastle line up babayaronewcastle manager graeme souness is closing in on signing chelsea defender celestine babayaro when the transfer window reopens 
football	409	souness is bidding to bolster his defence and  according to reports  contract negotiations are at an advanced stage with the player 
football	409	babayaro has been in the premiership since 1997 when he moved to chelsea for £numberm from anderlecht 
football	409	but the 26 year old has been surplus to requirements this season 
football	409	souness would not be drawn on specifics over individual players 
football	409	but he said   all i can tell you is that the chairman has worked really hard in the last couple of months to try to do deals 
football	409	 we have said from day one we want to strengthen  and that is what we are hoping to do in the coming weeks 
football	409	  
football	410	mourinho takes swipe at arsenalchelsea boss jose mourinho has attempted to pile the pressure on title rivals arsenal ahead of the gunners facing newcastle on wednesday 
football	410	arsenal will play the magpies a day after chelsea beat portsmouth during a busy festive programme 
football	410	and mourinho said   they always seem to have two or three days  rest in which to recover 
football	410	perhaps it s something to do with the television schedule 
football	410	 all my players are tired  especially john terry 
football	410	 chelsea boss jose mourinho admitted his side were  lucky  to win at fratton park but is still unhappy with the amount of games in such a short space of time during this time of year 
football	410	he added   we have had to play two matches in three days which is foreign to many of my players and  although i understand the traditions of football here at this time of year  it is not good for your health to do it 
football	410	 you can sit back and smoke cigars  one after another  and it is a good life  but it is not actually good for you 
football	410	 playing so many games is certainly not healthy  especially for teams who still have european commitment 
football	410	  
football	411	wenger shock at newcastle diparsenal manager arsene wenger has admitted he is at a loss to explain why newcastle are languishing in the bottom half of the table 
football	411	the gunners travel to st james  park on wednesday  with newcastle 14th in the premiership after a troubled season 
football	411	and wenger said   at the beginning of the season you would expect them to be fighting for the top four 
football	411	 i don t know how they got to be where they are 
football	411	it looks to me from the outside that they have many injuries 
football	411	 arsenal go into the game on the back of a 2 0 victory over fulham on sunday 
football	411	and wenger added   the best way to prepare for a game is to win the previous one 
football	411	we will go to newcastle in good shape 
football	411	 fatigue won t play too big a part in the next few weeks as we have players coming back so i can rotate a bit more 
football	411	 we do not play a season with 11 players and i believe that all of our squad deserve a chance in the team 
football	411	  striker thierry henry  along with robert pires  scored against fulham 
football	411	and henry afterwards described the display as  beautiful to watch  
football	411	he said   what matters is winning and the three points  of course 
football	411	that is the only thing that really matters 
football	411	but it is more enjoyable when you play like we did against fulham 
football	411	 we are playing as a team and that is important because there were some games when we maybe were not there as a team and suffered for that 
football	411	those were games we lost 
football	411	  
football	412	ferguson hails man utd s resolvemanchester united s alex ferguson has praised his players  gutsy performance in the 1 0 win at aston villa 
football	412	 that was our hardest away game of the season and it was a fantastic game of football  end to end with lots of good passing   said the old trafford boss 
football	412	 we showed lots of character and guts and we weren t going to lose 
football	412	 i look at that fixture and think we ve been there and won  while arsenal and chelsea have yet to come and villa may have some players back when they do 
football	412	  ferguson also hailed senior stars ryan giggs and roy keane  who came off the bench for the injured john o shea 
football	412	 roy came on and brought a bit of composure to the midfield which we needed and which no other player has got 
football	412	 giggs was a tremendous threat and he brings tremendous penetration 
football	412	 all we can do is maintain our form  play as we are and we ll get our rewards 
football	412	  
football	413	tv calls after carroll errorspurs boss martin jol said his team were  robbed  at manchester united after pedro mendes  shot clearly crossed the line but was not given 
football	413	 the referee is already wearing an earpiece so why can t we just stop the game and get the decision right   said jol after the 0 0 draw 
football	413	 but at the end of the day it s so obvious that pedro s shot was over the line it s incredible 
football	413	 we feel robbed but it s difficult for the linesman and referee to see it 
football	413	  mendes shot from 50 yards and united goalkeeper roy carroll spilled the ball into his own net before hooking it clear 
football	413	jol added   we are not talking about the ball being a couple of centimetres or an inch or two over the line  it was a metre inside the goal 
football	413	 what really annoys me is that we are here in 2005  watching something on a tv monitor within two seconds of the incident occurring and the referee isn t told about it 
football	413	 we didn t play particularly well but i am pleased   even now   with a point  although we should have had three 
football	413	  mendes could not believe the  goal  was not given after seeing a replay 
football	413	he said   my reaction on the pitch was to celebrate 
football	413	 it was a very nice goal  it was clearly over the line   i ve never seen one so over the line and not given in my career 
football	413	 it s really  really over 
football	413	what can you do but laugh about it  it s a nice goal and one to keep in my memory even though it didn t count 
football	413	 it s not every game you score from the halfway line 
football	413	  manchester united manager sir alex ferguson sympathised with tottenham and said the incident highlighted the need for video technology 
football	413	 i think it hammers home what a lot of people have been asking for and that s that technology should play a part in the game   ferguson told mutv 
football	413	 what i was against originally was the time factor in video replays 
football	413	 but i read an article the other day which suggested that if a referee can t make up his mind after 30 seconds of watching a video replay then the game should carry on 
football	413	 thirty seconds is about the same amount of time it takes to organise a free kick or take a corner or a goal kick 
football	413	so you wouldn t be wasting a lot of time 
football	413	 i think you could start off by using it for goal line decisions 
football	413	i think that would be an opening into a new area of football 
football	413	  arsenal boss arsene wenger also used the incident to highlight the need for video technology 
football	413	 when the whole world apart from the referee has seen there should be a goal at old trafford  that just reinforces what i feel   there should be video evidence   said wenger 
football	413	 it s a great example of where the referee could have asked to see a replay and would have seen in five seconds that it was a goal 
football	413	  
football	414	fa charges mourinhochelsea manager jose mourinho has been charged with improper conduct by the football association 
football	414	the move follows comments on chelsea tv after the carling cup semi final first leg draw against manchester united 
football	414	mourinho suggested united boss sir alex ferguson had put pressure on referee neale barry at half time 
football	414	the chelsea boss  who has until 14 february to respond  said   in the second half it was whistle and whistle  fault and fault  cheat and cheat 
football	414	  however  the fa will not take action over comments on the same issue by chelsea defender john terry after the match 
football	414	terry said   with most refs and being captain  you can maybe have a word  but he just wasn t willing to listen which was disappointing 
football	414	  in a statement  the fa said it had  reviewed the content and context of these comments   and  decided that it is not appropriate to take formal disciplinary action 
football	414	  
football	415	clean sweep impossible   mourinhochelsea boss jose mourinho says his side have little chance of winning all four major trophies this season 
football	415	the blues are seven points clear in the league after beating middlesbrough  and into the carling cup semi finals and the champions league knockout stages 
football	415	 we want to win something  but i think it is impossible to win all four trophies   mourinho admitted 
football	415	 but we have a good squad and we are trying 
football	415	we have the fa cup on saturday and the carling cup next week 
football	415	  despite a long injury list and a demanding schedule  mourinho insists he will take each competition seriously 
football	415	chelsea face scunthorpe on saturday and he added   we have watched them like we watch any other team 
football	415	 we may change a few players for the game  if we can find any to change  butwe will play to win the fa cup 
football	415	we will play to win the carling cup 
football	415	 winning the premiership or the champions league is more important but wewill not turn any trophy down 
football	415	  the premiership leaders have conceded only eight goals in 22 games and assistant boss steve clarke says that has put them on course for the title 
football	415	 we can be a big threat because we ve got great attacking players 
football	415	but everything we ve done has been based on a solid defence   he said 
football	415	 it s the standard we ve set for ourselves 
football	415	before the christmas period we set ourselves a target of 12 points  we ve got those 12 points so we re very happy 
football	415	 we ve said right from the start of the season that s our aim   we want to be champions 
football	415	 there s a long way to go 
football	415	we re out in front  we re enjoying being out in front and we re just focused on what we ve got to do 
football	415	  
football	416	wenger refuses to give up titlearsene wenger refused to concede the title  despite arsenal falling seven points behind chelsea after their 1 1 draw with manchester city at highbury 
football	416	he said   we have to believe we can come back and give everything in every game 
football	416	for us to give up and say chelsea have won it would be criminal 
football	416	 i am very concerned because we have never been so far behind and chelsea do not look like dropping seven points 
football	416	 but we will still give our best until the end of the season 
football	416	  wenger blamed his side s mounting injury list  with sol campbell and dennis bergkamp among those unavailable  for the failure to beat city 
football	416	 we were too inexperienced   he added 
football	416	 that doesn t take anything away from the qualities of the team who played well when they settled 
football	416	 we over played a little in our half in the first half and got caught 
football	416	 but the mental qualities in the second half were outstanding 
football	416	we had chance after chance and i feel sorry for the team  we should have got three points 
football	416	  the gunners took to the field with youngsters justin hoyte  philippe senderos and robin van persie standing in for first team regulars 
football	416	but wenger reiterated his intention to stay out of the transfer market and maintained his team will continue to push chelsea all the way at the top of the table 
football	416	 we will fight for our championship   he added 
football	416	 sometimes you have a draw like that 
football	416	do you want me to say it s over  i won t say that 
football	416	all we can do is try to win our games and we won t give up 
football	416	  arsenal found support in their attempts to overhaul the seven point gap to chelsea from city boss kevin keegan 
football	416	 i still think arsenal will be the champions  even though it doesn t look that way at the moment   he said 
football	416	 six or seven points is not enough when you ve got quality sides around you and arsenal could go on a run of 30 or 40 games again   they re an amazing side 
football	416	  
football	417	henchoz prefers england to gersrangers could miss out on liverpool defender stephane henchoz because he wants to continue playing in england 
football	417	the ibrox club have offered a deal to the swiss international  30  who is out of contract at the end of the season and has been linked with southampton 
football	417	more talks are planned between rangers and the player s agent on wednesday  but henchoz said   actually i would like to stay in the premiership 
football	417	 rangers  offer is not the only one and i will have to consider each of them 
football	417	  henchoz seems certain to leave liverpool after recently criticising manager rafael benitez 
football	417	rangers want him as a replacement for jean alain boumsong  who has moved to newcastle for £8m 
football	417	however  the former blackburn defender is reported to have rejected an initial six month contract offer as he wants at least an 18 month deal 
football	417	henchoz has played just four times for liverpool this season and has yet to play in the league under benitez 
football	418	keane returns to republic squadmanchester united skipper roy keane is back in the republic of ireland squad for the 9 february friendly against portugal at lansdowne road 
football	418	keane was rested for the last game with croatia in november but has been recalled as boss brian kerr prepares for a world cup qualifier in israel 
football	418	clinton morrison  stephen carr  andy o brien  matt holland  andy reid and jon macken are all back after injury 
football	418	chelsea winger damien duff is set to win his 50th international cap 
football	418	kerr has named a 27 man squad with the emphasis on getting the right blend between experience and youth 
football	418	 this match is the perfect preparation for our next world cup game against israel in tel aviv on 26 march   said kerr 
football	418	 the likes of stephen elliott and aiden mcgeady have made excellent progress with sunderland and celtic in the last few months 
football	418	 it is good to have players like them around to fit into the squad system if there are any injuries or suspensions 
football	418	  the republic top group four after home wins against cyprus and the faroe islands as well as draws away to france and switzerland 
football	418	given  newcastle   kenny  sheffield united   murphy  walsall   carr  newcastle   finnan  liverpool   o brien  newcastle   breen  sunderland   doherty  norwich   cunningham  birmingham   dunne  manchester city   o shea  manchester united   maybury  leicester   miller  manchester united   quinn  sheffield united   roy keane  manchester united   kavanagh  cardiff   holland  charlton   kilbane  everton   reid  nottingham forest   duff  chelsea   barrett  coventry   lee  cardiff   elliott  sunderland   mcgeady  celtic   robbie keane  tottenham   macken  manchester city   morrison  birmingham  
football	419	newcastle move in for boa mortenewcastle manager graeme souness has confirmed fulham striker luis boa morte is his latest transfer target 
football	419	souness wants to add the £3m rated portugal international to his revamped squad during the transfer window 
football	419	he said   we have declared an interest in him 
football	419	the chairman is working hard to bring at least one more body in before this window goes past 
football	419	  souness may offer olivier bernard  titus bramble or lee bowyer as bait in a deal for the 27 year old 
football	419	the newcastle boss also unveiled jean alain boumsong  his £8m buy from ranger  and defender celestine babayaro  a £1m capture from chelsea  as he revamps his squad 
football	419	fulham have insisted boa morte is not for sale and hope he will agree a new contract   but souness is determined to land his man 
football	420	sanchez targets ni win in warsawnorthern ireland manager lawrie sanchez has targeted the 30 march game in poland as their most important in the world cup qualifying campaign 
football	420	while fans are savouring the prospect of playing england at old trafford four days earlier  sanchez knows the polish clash holds the key to second place 
football	420	 if we do not beat poland the group will be almost dead 
football	420	they will be pretty sure of second   said sanchez 
football	420	 i would like to beat england but the poland game is most important 
football	420	  sanchez s side are currently fourth in group six with three points while the poles are second with nine 
football	420	so  with four games left  northern ireland need to make up ground in warsaw 
football	420	 i do not think qualifying for this world cup is closed yet but we have to beat poland to keep it open   said sanchez 
football	420	 if we do not make it this time  then there is the european championship 
football	420	i want us to get closer and closer to qualifying 
football	420	 i want to get northern ireland back in the finals of a major competition and i also aim to get into the top 100 of the fifa rankings 
football	420	we are well capable of that 
football	420	  before the world cup qualifiers  canada visit belfast for a 9 february friendly and sanchez will be giving some fringe players the opportunity to catch his eye 
football	420	 we have one or two injuries and suspensions at the moment   added sanchez 
football	420	 stuart elliott is injured and michael hughes and james quinn are suspended for the england game so it gives me the chance to have a look at other players who might come into the equation 
football	420	 it will be nice to get back to belfast for a home game and it is about time we put an end to our run without a home win 
football	420	  northern ireland have not won at home under sanchez 
football	420	indeed  their last windsor success was back in september 2001 when they beat iceland in the last world cup campaign 
football	421	fai secures   163 7m sponsorship dealthe football association of ireland has signed a £7million  six year sponsorship deal with umbro 
football	421	the deal is the second largest in sponsorship in fai history 
football	421	it will bring in £numberm in cash and be worth more than £2m in kit supplies with other bonus payments linked to performance in major competitions 
football	421	 it brings immediate and lasting benefits to the development of the next generation of people who want to play football   said fai chief john delaney 
football	421	 this umbro deal provides a very stable platform over a long period which will help us provide the football community with the support they need 
football	421	  the football association of ireland is set to announce a major new sponsorship deal later this week 
football	421	a statement from the football governing body it would be a  a multi million euro sponsorship agreement  
football	421	the news is a further boost to the fai after the recent decision of the irish sports council to restore 350 000 euro in funding to the association 
football	421	john delaney agreed to become interim chief executive of the fai after fran rooney s departure in november 
football	421	under delaney s leadership  the fai has agreed to irish government demands to adhere to the recommendations of the genesis report 
football	421	the genesis report detailed chaotic organisation within the fai when it was published in 2003 
football	422	highbury will be our cup finalarsenal is a very special place for me because it is one of the few away games i remember going to when i was a boy 
football	422	i can t remember what the year was but i was so young i was in short trousers 
football	422	my father worked for english steel corporation  he was a crane driver and worked 12 hour shifts 
football	422	every year they had a trip to london and in this particular year they were going to london to watch arsenal play 
football	422	i remember him smuggling me on to the bus then into the imperial hotel  which i remember vividly  and then smuggling me over the turnstiles at highbury 
football	422	i remember looking across at the massive clock which has gone now and it is a memory i will never forget 
football	422	it was a marvellous game  the arsenal fans were absolutely brilliant and all the sheffield united fans mixed with them 
football	422	we lost 1 0 but our centre half joe shaw was  for me  the best player in the world that day 
football	422	on saturday my son  who at three and a half years is a similar age to what i was  is going to be on the pitch before the game  while my daughter is the mascot 
football	422	i think it will have the same effect on him   i don t think you forget things like that 
football	422	i think the next time i went to highbury was when i took a team there 
football	422	when i was at notts county we went there in the top flight and lost 2 0  but i took huddersfield down there for the second leg of the league cup and got a draw 
football	422	i think they expected to get a cricket score because they beat us 5 0 in the first leg 
football	422	ian wright was in the team and george graham made one or two comments that made us pretty determined and had they not equalised late on we would have won that leg 
football	422	they are a club i admire a lot 
football	422	after we played arsenal in the semi final in 2003 the number of letters and messages i got from arsenal fans regarding the behaviour of our fans and our team was quite outstanding and it just shows they are a great set of supporters 
football	422	everybody will be making an issue of that game at old trafford 
football	422	i felt personally hard done by 
football	422	you don t mind getting beat but in this particular case i think everybody saw their goal   scored by freddie ljungberg   was a travesty and should not have been allowed 
football	422	i got fined for comments i made about referee graham poll  though i would not take any of those back 
football	422	but that s how it has gone for us 
football	422	the higher you go means you have to have premier league referees and we have never really done very well with them 
football	422	i would have liked a football league official but neale barry  who is an experienced referee  has been awarded the game and you have to get on with it 
football	422	that said  i think we will need more than help from the referee on saturday after watching them demolish crystal palace on monday 
football	422	i turned it off after they scored three goals in about eight minutes and watched bambi with the kids 
football	422	since i have watched the premiership there have been a number of players who i think have been absolutely out of this world and would have paid anything to watch 
football	422	one was eric cantona and another was gianfranco zola  who i thought was absolutely fantastic 
football	422	arsenal have two of those type of players 
football	422	i still cannot believe some of dennis bergkamp s touches 
football	422	his movement  footballing brain and awareness   and at nearly 36   is incredible 
football	422	i don t think any adjective is good enough to describe thierry henry 
football	422	for me he is the rolls royce of arsenal and the premiership itself 
football	422	no doubt they will be thinking of resting a few players for their champions league game on tuesday  but i am doing the same for our championship game with plymouth  that is a far more important game for us 
football	422	arsenal is like our cup final  i feel like we have already got to the final   we have earned the money we set out to earn for the club and now we can enjoy our day out 
football	422	plymouth is the next big game for me and we have to be ready for that 
football	422	whatever team arsenal play it is going to be a hell of a difficult task to get anything   we are just thinking about being respectable 
football	422	after looking at palace the other night i think you will probably get odds of 100 1 for us to win   and that s in a two horse race 
football	422	people ask me if we have done anything different in our preparations this week  we have 
football	422	nothing  the players have been too exhausted after playing for almost an hour with 10 men on sunday that they have not been able to do anything 
football	422	they have done stretches and warm downs but very little football because of tiredness 
football	422	on thursday we will work on something but when it comes to dealing with bergkamp and henry i will probably say to my defenders just close your eyes and get your fingers crossed 
football	422	when they are on their game there is not much you can do about them 
football	423	beckham defends form for englandengland captain david beckham insists he is not concerned by criticism of his displays for club and country 
football	423	 as long as i m happy with my form for real madrid and england  whatever anybody else says doesn t really matter   said beckham 
football	423	 the most important thing for me is that i m comfortable with the way i m playing   i must admit  the last month has been my best month for a while 
football	423	 there are a lot of important games coming up  for real and for england 
football	423	 the midfielder feels that new coach wanderley luxemburgo s arrival at madrid has lifted the spanish giants 
football	423	 since the turn of the year  it s been exciting because we ve got a new manager in  and we re playing more attractive football than we had been over the last few months   beckham explained 
football	423	 he s totally changed things around   i think we re working a lot harder in training and we re more organised in games 
football	423	 that s shown in the games we ve played under him   even the six minute game  which was a great start for him 
football	423	 it s pushed the players on a little bit  and given us more confidence  which is great for any team 
football	423	i m looking forward to 2005   we re seven points behind barcelona but things are looking up for us 
football	423	 in any season  i want to win as many trophies as possible  play the best football i can  and stay healthy and fit   that s all i can ask 
football	423	  looking ahead to next week s first england game of 2005  beckham is keen to test his form on the international stage 
football	423	 it s important to be involved in games like this   it s a tough game against holland  even though it s a friendly   he said 
football	423	 it s always nice to play in england games  but it s important to have friendlies  as it s good to get prepared for the qualifiers which are coming up 
football	423	 it s important for the team which starts the qualifying games to play together as much as possible  but the manager can also try younger players out 
football	423	 beckham has also been gripped by the excitement of the premiership title race this season 
football	423	 there aren t many leagues like it around the world   it s so exciting and intense  and the top three or four clubs are really close   he said 
football	423	 chelsea seem to be running away with it a little bit  but manchester united keep winning  and no one can forget what arsenal can do on the pitch  so it s going to be interesting 
football	423	 there s plenty of talent in the chelsea team  the arsenal team   but the player who always catches the eye for me is thierry henry   he s a great player and a really good person 
football	423	 john terry and frank lampard have been exceptional for chelsea  and they re a big part of why chelsea are doing so well this year 
football	423	  
football	424	beckham hints at man utd returnengland captain david beckham said he would return to manchester united if he ever leaves real madrid 
football	424	beckham left united in july 2003 after falling out with sir alex ferguson and has been linked with a return to london if he decided to move back to england 
football	424	 if i ever leave i would go back to united and work with sir alex again  definitely   he told the daily mirror 
football	424	 manchester united were the club that i grew up with and felt that i would always be there my whole career 
football	424	  however  beckham insisted he was happy at real  and said he still had plenty to prove in spain 
football	424	 i have been here for a year and a half and i have not played my best football in the past few months   he said 
football	424	 but i am happy 
football	424	i am playing with some of the best players in the world and i want to win the top prizes like the spanish league and the champions league 
football	424	  meanwhile  beckham said he would fight for his international place amid pressure from manchester city s rising star shaun wright phillips 
football	424	 he deserves his chance because of the way he has been playing and i am genuinely pleased to see him doing so well   he said 
football	424	 people ask me if i m worried about him 
football	424	i m not worried because i am proud of the england team and i want the best for it 
football	424	 i m the captain 
football	424	it s in my interests to have the best players in the team as well 
football	424	 i am not a jealous person and i am pleased for young kids coming through 
football	424	we are talking about team mates of mine 
football	424	 shaun is a threat to me because he plays in the same position  but we can also play in other positions 
football	424	 i believe i will still be in the england team in 2006 
football	424	i believe i will be england captain for that world cup 
football	424	  
football	425	beckham s chat reigns in spainengland captain david beckham won a spontaneous round of applause from journalists as he made his first real attempt at speaking spanish in public 
football	425	the real madrid midfielder tried a curious mix of spanish and english at a news conference 
football	425	 el partido con atletico was mucho mejor para todos   he declared 
football	425	and yes  that was  was  
football	425	of course  in english it all translates as  the game against atletico was much better for all of us 
football	425	  a smiling beckham  wearing a large white woolly hat  was talking about his side s recent victory over their fierce city rivals 
football	425	the 29 year old blushed as he fielded questions in stilted spanish but will have won over many people as he provided the first evidence he was beginning to use the language 
football	425	however  quite how beckham s spanish lessons are going remains to be seen   dare we say he might have been rehearsing for this moment  beckham said wanderley luxemburgo s appointment as coach had helped real recover their confidence 
football	425	and the brazilian s arrival  he added  was one of the reasons real had narrowed barcelona s lead at the top of the table to seven points 
football	425	the former manchester united player went on to address questions about his poor run of form in 2004  when allegations about his private life also surfaced 
football	425	 the criticism will always be there   he said 
football	425	 if you have a bad game your career is finished  or you are too old even though you re only 29 
football	425	 i m enjoying my football and i ve still got five or six years left 
football	425	maybe it s not the best i have played but i suppose the european championship didn t help with missing a couple of penalties 
football	425	 people said the reason i didn t play  well  was because of personal things in my life but i have just got to keep working hard 
football	425	  beckham insisted he had no intention of returning to england in the immediate future and that he would be happy to extend his contract  which runs until 2007 
football	425	what beckham said a rough translation   minus various ummms and aahs from the england skipper 
football	425	fancy learning some more  tryspanish steps  for a few language pointers 
football	425	 how do  the players  feel after cutting barcelona s lead to seven points by beating real sociedad and atletico el partido con atletico was mucho mejor para todos 
football	425	siete puntos es mucho mejor para los jugadores 
football	425	es dificil pero estamos mejorando 
football	425	tenemos que trabajar mucho 
football	425	the game against atletico was much better for all of us 
football	425	seven points are much better for the players 
football	425	it s difficult  but we are improving 
football	425	we need to work hard 
football	425	can madrid really win the league es posible 
football	425	podemos ganar la liga  pero es muy dificil 
football	425	juntos podemos ganar titulos 
football	425	it s possible 
football	425	we can win the league but it is very difficult 
football	425	together  we can win titles 
football	425	how do you feel about the appointment of arrigo sacchi as director of football sacchi 
football	425	la estabilidad es muy importante 
football	425	sacchi 
football	425	stability is very important 
football	425	where do you prefer to play para mi  no es importante mi posici  243 n 
football	425	for me  my position isn t important 
football	426	gerrard future not decided by cardiff losssteven gerrard s own goal in liverpool s carling cup defeat against chelsea sparked yet another round of speculation about his anfield future 
football	426	there was no denying the irony of gerrard s mishap  coming as it did in a cup final against the club that almost paid £30m for him last summer 
football	426	and that irony was not missed by the media   or indeed chelsea s supporters 
football	426	but to suggest the incident  and the defeat  will shape whether he stays or goes from liverpool  is wrong 
football	426	it was just one of those things that could have happened anywhere at any time  in any place and in any game 
football	426	it wasn t even a mistake  although you could say the mistake was in three liverpool defenders going for the same ball 
football	426	but to pull together a sub plot or conspiracy theory that the own goal  combined with liverpool s defeat  has finally put gerrard on the road to stamford bridge is nonsense 
football	426	it was inevitable that because it came against chelsea  there would be speculation  but i believe gerrard will be concentrating on one thing and one thing alone 
football	426	and that is ensuring liverpool qualify for the champions league by getting that fourth place in the premiership 
football	426	i don t think any decision has been made  and will certainly not be influenced by anything that happened in cardiff on sunday 
football	426	liverpool must hope they clinch fourth place and that is enough to persuade their massively influential captain to stay 
football	426	from liverpool s point of view  the defeat was a bitter disappointment  but when the disappointment has subsided  they can take heart from a week of encouragement both at home and abroad 
football	426	liverpool had an excellent win against bayer leverkusen in the champions league  when they got it down  played and scored goals 
football	426	and in sunday s carling cup final  they showed real defensive resilience when they were pinned back for long periods 
football	426	i think rafael benitez is on the right lines and speaks with a lot of confidence about his team and what he wants from them 
football	426	but there is no doubt liverpool s next two games will shape their season  at newcastle away in the league and then bayer away in the champions league second leg 
football	426	what they cannot afford to do is produce any performances like they produced at burnley  southampton or birmingham 
football	426	if they slip up at newcastle then everton beat blackburn 24 hours later  that will be an 11 point gap and that s an awful long way back for them in the race for the champions league place 
football	426	there is added spice because everton are fourth 
football	426	they had an impressive win at aston villa  and you cannot take away from them what they have done 
football	426	they ve had an uncertain spell recently  but they ve picked up points here and there and that is a great tribute to manager david moyes and his players 
football	426	and in tim cahill  they ve paid £2m for a player from outside the premiership who has proved himself in the top flight 
football	426	liverpool will still be a massive magnet for top players  but they may also need to seek out the type of signings that moyes has pulled off with cahill 
football	426	he has been excellent since arriving from millwall and has been a very sound purchase by moyes 
football	426	while the battle for fourth hots up  manchester united turned the screw a little tighter on leaders chelsea by beating portsmouth and reducing the gap to six points   albeit with a game in hand for jose mourinho s side 
football	426	the carling cup win against liverpool was massive for chelsea  because it stopped all the inevitable questions that would have been posed if they had lost three games in a week 
football	426	i don t think they answered all the questions  because for all their long periods of possession they were struggling to score until gerrard s unfortunate intervention 
football	426	obviously a lot of focus has been centred on mourinho for events on and off the pitch  but i think he will be more than happy with that because it means the heat is taken off his players 
football	426	if people are asking questions about the manager  they are leaving the players in peace  so mourinho will settle for that 
football	426	and while united are showing once again there is no one better when it comes to the chase  i don t think there is any shift in the balance of power in the premiership 
football	426	it is all chelsea s to lose  with a six point lead and a game in hand 
football	426	throw in that their next four league games are against the bottom four sides in the table  and you can see they are in a strong position 
football	426	they must keep their eye on the ball because manchester united are masters of this situation   but the balance of power still lies with chelsea 
football	427	barwick installed as new fa bossnew football association chief executive brian barwick has been handed the task of restoring the organisation s credibility 
football	427	the fa has suffered with financial problems and the faria alam scandal 
football	427	sports minister richard caborn said   brian s main task will be to restore the respect and authority 
football	427	 the fa has taken some knocks and it will be up to him to pick the organisation up again so it is respected by all parts of the game 
football	427	  one of barwick s first jobs could be to try to get to the bottom of a claim that chelsea held an illegal meeting with arsenal s england defender ashley cole on 27 january 
football	427	however  it could be that the fa decide to leave that matter to the premier league  in which case barwick would certainly have enough to get to grips with 
football	427	former chief executive mark palios and his communications director colin gibson left the fa in august 2004 after revelations both palios and england coach sven goran eriksson had affairs with secretary alam 
football	427	even the announcement of barwick s appointment in november was not straightforward  with a vocal minority of the fa board left furious that the position was not left empty until an independent review had been completed 
football	427	caborn added   the most important issue coming up is the independent review by lord burns  and brian will need to act on the recommendations to ensure that a good system of governance is brought into the fa 
football	427	 we have 40 000 football clubs in this country  it is our national game  and it is important that the fa has the authority and leadership to deal with the game from the england team at the very top right down to the grass roots 
football	427	  gordon taylor  chief executive of the professional footballers  association  called for barwick to include all levels of the game more in the running of the fa 
football	427	he said   it is important that the fa should be a lot more inclusive in their policy making process 
football	427	 the executive board is made up of the premier league  football league and grass roots game but there is no structure that gives proper places for supporters  players  managers or referees  representatives 
football	427	 in the past promises have been made by various to include all parts of the game but that wasn t the case and things blew up in their faces 
football	427	  
football	428	barwick calls for highbury calmnew football association chief brian barwick pleaded with arsenal and manchester united to show calm ahead of their highbury showdown 
football	428	 when these two great teams meet it should represent all that is good about our domestic game   said barwick  who started at the fa on monday 
football	428	 it shouldn t be the subject of recrimination and revenge for weeks and months following 
football	428	 that doesn t set the right example for the rest of the game 
football	428	  barwick also underlined his determination to clamp down on diving   or  cheating  as he unequivocally called it   in his bid to clean up the game 
football	428	he said     there are always issues in the game and there always will be 
football	428	 one that concerns me personally is technically termed  simulation   but let s get real   this is diving 
football	428	cheating  in fact 
football	428	 we ve all got to show more honesty here 
football	428	every week  referees are coming under intense scrutiny when making split second judgement calls in this area 
football	428	 it s impossible to get them all right and everyone has got to take a greater level of responsibility 
football	428	  barwick is determined to get more respect for referees at all levels of the game 
football	428	he said   i ve always been impressed at the way in which the player referee relationship in rugby union is based on mutual respect 
football	428	 i want to see this type of relationship at every level of football  from the premier league to the sunday league 
football	428	  
football	429	linesman defends disallowed goallinesman rob lewis has defended his role in tottenham s disallowed goal against manchester united 
football	429	pedro mendes  shot clearly crossed the line and lewis has been criticised for his positioning in the incident 
football	429	lewis said   the spurs player shot from distance and i was doing my primary job which was to stand in line with the last defender and watch for an offside 
football	429	 there was nothing i could have done differently apart from run faster than linford christie 
football	429	  he added   when the ball landed i was still 25 yards from goal and it was impossible to judge if it had crossed the line 
football	429	  tottenham boss martin jol criticised the decision  which cost his side three points 
football	429	 the referee is already wearing an earpiece so why can t we just stop the game and get the decision right   said jol after the 0 0 draw 
football	429	 but at the end of the day it s so obvious that pedro s shot was over the line it s incredible 
football	429	 we feel robbed but it s difficult for the linesman and referee to see it 
football	429	  mendes shot from 50 yards and united goalkeeper roy carroll spilled the ball into his own net before hooking it clear 
football	429	jol added   we are not talking about the ball being a couple of centimetres or an inch or two over the line  it was a metre inside the goal 
football	429	 what really annoys me is that we are here in 2005  watching something on a tv monitor within two seconds of the incident occurring and the referee isn t told about it 
football	429	 we didn t play particularly well but i am pleased   even now   with a point  although we should have had three 
football	429	  mendes could not believe the  goal  was not given after seeing a replay 
football	429	he said   my reaction on the pitch was to celebrate 
football	429	 it was a very nice goal  it was clearly over the line   i ve never seen one so over the line and not given in my career 
football	429	 it s really  really over 
football	429	what can you do but laugh about it  it s a nice goal and one to keep in my memory even though it didn t count 
football	429	 it s not every game you score from the halfway line 
football	429	  manchester united manager sir alex ferguson sympathised with tottenham and said the incident highlighted the need for video technology 
football	429	 i think it hammers home what a lot of people have been asking for and that s that technology should play a part in the game   ferguson told mutv 
football	429	 what i was against originally was the time factor in video replays 
football	429	 but i read an article the other day which suggested that if a referee can t make up his mind after 30 seconds of watching a video replay then the game should carry on 
football	429	 thirty seconds is about the same amount of time it takes to organise a free kick or take a corner or a goal kick 
football	429	so you wouldn t be wasting a lot of time 
football	429	 i think you could start off by using it for goal line decisions 
football	429	i think that would be an opening into a new area of football 
football	429	  arsenal boss arsene wenger also used the incident to highlight the need for video technology 
football	429	 when the whole world apart from the referee has seen there should be a goal at old trafford  that just reinforces what i feel   there should be video evidence   said wenger 
football	429	 it s a great example of where the referee could have asked to see a replay and would have seen in five seconds that it was a goal 
football	429	  
football	430	bookies pay out on spurs  goal a bookmaker will pay out to punters who bet on pedro mendes to score the first goal in tottenham s controversial game against manchester united 
football	430	the match at old trafford finished goalless after mendes  long range shot was fumbled by home keeper roy carroll 
football	430	tv replays showed the ball went over the line  but the incident was missed by the referee and his assistant 
football	430	william hill is to honour bets on 20 1 chance mendes to score first  although rival firm ladbrokes will not 
football	430	hills spokesman graham sharpe admitted only a handful of customers had backed mendes to score first 
football	430	bets struck at 11 2 on mendes to score at anytime during the match will also be settled 
football	430	 we have decided to pay out to   the admittedly few   customers who would have definitely been on a winner had the goal been given as it quite obviously should have been   said sharpe 
football	430	meanwhile  paddy power bookmakers will refund all losing bets on spurs to win the match 
football	430	the irish firm is now offering odds of just 7 2 that a video referee is used in the 2005 fa cup final 
football	430	but not everyone will be celebrating  with britain s biggest bookmaker ladbrokes refusing to bend the rules 
football	430	 as much as we sympathise with punters who backed spurs  the referee s decision is final   said spokesman balthazar fabricius 
football	430	 besides which  if we were to pay out on bad refereeing decisions  we d be paying out every week 
football	430	we want better refereeing as much as punters do 
football	430	  and the william hill concession does not apply to correct score or outright bet results 
football	430	 no one can say for sure what the final score would have been had the mendes goal been allowed   after all  in the past united have scored twice in the final minute of a match   said sharpe 
football	431	gunners clock up winning recordarsenal claimed the premiership title and re wrote the record books in the process by going the entire 38 game season unbeaten 
football	431	it was the first time a team had gone through a top flight season undefeated since preston in the 1888 89 season 
football	431	arsenal romped home by a convincing 11 point margin from chelsea 
football	431	the closest they came to defeat was in the so called  battle of old trafford  when ruud van nistelrooy missed a last minute penalty in a goalless draw 
football	431	it was a game that cast a shadow over the season  with van nistelrooy surrounded by angry arsenal players 
football	431	arsenal s lauren was banned for four games  martin keown three matches and ray parlour one after the incident 
football	431	manchester united pair ryan giggs and cristiano ronaldo were also fined for their part in the fracas 
football	431	arsenal s title triumph made up for more disappointment on the european stage  where they lost to chelsea in the champions league quarter finals 
football	431	arsene wenger s side looked on course to finally end their champions league drought  particularly after winning 5 1 away to inter milan 
football	431	but in a twist on their domestic domination  chelsea won 2 1 at highbury to clinch a 3 2 aggregate victory 
football	431	manchester united fared even worse  going out to porto when francisco costina scored a last minute old trafford equaliser 
football	431	united finished third in the league  but had an fa cup win for consolation 
football	431	porto s success introduced manager jose mourinho to a wider audience  and particularly chelsea 
football	431	chelsea manager claudio ranieri lived under a cloud of speculation all season  particulary claims he would be replaced by sven goran eriksson 
football	431	it intensified when eriksson was caught holding talks with chelsea chief executive peter kenyon 
football	431	an embarrassed england coach was then awarded a new four year contract by the football association 
football	431	ranieri sealed his fate with a series of bizarre substitutions as chelsea lost 3 1 in the first leg of the champions league semi final in monaco 
football	431	and when he inevitably lost his job  it was mourinho  who went on to win the champions league with porto  who stepped in to take over 
football	431	mourinho s reign began well  with chelsea topping the premiership at christmas and joining arsenal  manchester united and liverpool in the next phase of the champions league 
football	431	another manager to lose his job was liverpool s gerard houllier  whose reign ended after six years 
football	431	houllier paid the price for finishing fourth and without a trophy last term 
football	431	he was replaced by valencia s rafael benitez  whose impressive credentials included winning spain s la liga and the uefa cup last season 
football	431	valencia beat marseille 2 0 to cement benitez s growing reputation 
football	431	manchester united enjoyed their moment of glory by beating millwall 3 0 in the fa cup final in cardiff 
football	431	ruud van nistelrooy struck twice and cristiano ronaldo was also on target at dennis wise s side were outclassed by their premiership opponents 
football	431	wolves lost their premiership status  along with leicester city and leeds united  who completed a stunning decline from grace 
football	431	leeds had reached the champions league semi final three years before they went down after defeat at bolton 
football	431	the three were replaced by norwich  west brom and crystal palace  who beat west ham in the play off in cardiff 
football	431	the summer saw big spending in the transfer market  with wayne rooney the central figure in the drama 
football	431	teenager rooney returned to everton after euro 2004 with superstar status assured after stunning performances 
football	431	and when he refused to sign a new five year contract  newcastle united opened the bidding at £20m 
football	431	a transfer request followed and manchester united completed a £27m deal just hours before the transfer window closed at the end of august 
football	431	rooney confirmed his worth with a hat trick on his debut in the champions league against fenerbahce 
football	431	chelsea  inevitably  were among the big spenders again  splashing out £24m on marseille s didier drogba and £20m on porto defender ricardo carvalho 
football	431	last and by no means least  the other major piece of domestic silverware went to middlesbrough  who ended 128 barren years by winning the carling cup 
football	431	they beat bolton 2 1 in the final with goals from joseph desire job and a penalty from boudewijn zenden 
football	431	the pressures of the top flight were cruelly illustrated at southampton 
football	431	paul sturrock was sacked only two games into the new season  one of which was a win against blackburn  and only 13 games in total at st mary s 
football	431	another manager to pay the price early season was west brom s gary megson  who was sacked after revealing he would not renew his contract 
football	431	he guided west brom back into the premiership  but his relationship with chairman jeremy peace was fragile 
football	431	bryan robson succeeded him as he returned to his old club 
football	431	in scotland  henrik larsson bid an emotional and successful farewell to celtic after seven glorious seasons 
football	431	celtic won the league and also the scottish cup  beating dunfermline 3 1 in the final  with the swede scoring twice to take his season s tally to 41 
football	431	and it took his overall celtic goals record to 242 goals in 315 appearances before joining barcelona 
football	431	underdogs livingston claimed the cis insurance cup with a 2 0 win against hibs  a victory for the romantics 
football	432	fifa agrees goal line technologyfifa is expected to use a football containing a microchip as part of new goal line technology in september s under 17 world championships in peru 
football	432	the game s governing body has agreed to the experiment in a bid to end controversies over goal line decisions 
football	432	it follows a presentation by sports manufacturer adidas to the international fa board in cardiff 
football	432	the company tested the device in a game between nuremberg and their reserve team ahead of the board s meeting 
football	432	a football has a microchip inside  so when it crosses the goal line the referee is alerted directly by a bleeper type system rather than any video replays being used 
football	432	the fact that there is no delay to the game has impressed the ifab  which is made up of four fifa representatives plus a member of each of the four home associations 
football	432	the english football association had offered to experiment with the ball as well but both the premier league and football league use balls made by rival manufacturers 
football	432	adidas is developing the new ball with the german based fraunhofer gesellschaft research centre  but believes that such rigorous experimentation is needed that it is unlikely to be ready for next year s world cup final in germany 
football	432	calls for new technology resurfaced after spurs were denied a clear goal at manchester united when goalkeeper roy carroll dropped the ball behind the line  but the incident was missed by the officials 
football	433	owen may have to return homemichael owen has delivered the first hint that he may consider his future away from real madrid if he fails to get regular first team football   and no one can blame him 
football	433	owen displayed his world class ability once again with another goal after coming on as a substitute in real s win at osasuna on sunday 
football	433	and therein lies his problem 
football	433	michael may have made a rod for his own back with his fantastic performances coming on as substitute 
football	433	his many coaches at real madrid may have decided this is his best role 
football	433	if that is the case  that is no good to him and he will be coming home sooner rather than later 
football	433	michael must hope his performances earn him a regular starting opportunity   and you can rest assured he will take that chance when it comes 
football	433	i said when he was on the bench earlier this season that michael s pride would ensure he stuck it out 
football	433	he would not want to be branded a failure 
football	433	but he is still on the bench and we are into february   and he could leave now and no one could call him a flop after the terrific performances he has turned in 
football	433	if and when he decides to leave  i don t think he will go elsewhere in europe 
football	433	i think he will come back to the premiership 
football	433	and there would be no shortage of takers 
football	433	in an ideal world i would obviously love to see him return to liverpool but you can rest assured that arsenal and chelsea would consider what michael owen could offer them as well 
football	433	owen is a great goalscorer but he is also a very good footballer as well 
football	433	but one thing that is vital to michael s game is sharpness   and he will know himself that you miss a vital ingredient when you are not starting games 
football	433	also michael is a fine professional who did not sign for real madrid to sit on the sidelines   no matter how many galacticos are around him 
football	433	i would expect some serious interest should he fail to win a regular place 
football	433	  chelsea have given the lie to claims that they are enjoying good fortune in their quest for the title   but they will do well just to have a look in their rear view mirror at manchester united 
football	433	sir alex ferguson played the mind games by suggesting chelsea would struggle in the north   but they ve answered that one 
football	433	they beat blackburn  who didn t half put a foot in against them  and then came through a real tough one at everton  albeit aided by james beattie s sending off 
football	433	chelsea have done brilliantly and you do not keep clean sheets like they do by luck alone 
football	433	but all manchester united can do is keep up the pressure   and boy are they doing that 
football	433	no team has ever been better at chasing down the leaders than manchester united 
football	433	ferguson s team will stay totally committed to the cause 
football	433	it is still very much chelsea s to lose and they have shown they can battle as well as play exhilarating football  so the odds must be on them 
football	433	but the old liverpool saying was that you have never won the title until the medal is in your hand   and united will still have their sights set on snatching them away from chelsea 
football	433	the big talking point of the weekend was beattie s sending off for everton against chelsea 
football	433	i ve got to confess  i ve never seen anything like that 
football	433	i can t defend the lad or condone it but you can almost see how it has happened 
football	433	he has come out fired up but it s all gone wrong 
football	433	it was right in front of the referee and it s the most straightforward red you ll ever see 
football	433	it gave chelsea a crucial advantage   and it was one they took advantage of in a very professional manner 
football	434	moyes u turn on beattie dismissaleverton manager david moyes will discipline striker james beattie after all for his headbutt on chelsea defender william gallas 
football	434	the scot initially defended beattie  whose dismissal put everton on the back foot in a game they ultimately lost 1 0  saying gallas overreacted 
football	434	but he has had a rethink after looking over the video evidence again 
football	434	he said   i believe that i should set the record straight by conceding that the dismissal was right and correct 
football	434	  moyes added   my comments on saturday came immediately after the final whistle and at a point when i had only had the opportunity to see one  very quick re run of the incident 
football	434	 the club website also reported that beattie  who seemed unrepentant after saturday s match  insisting gallas  would have stayed down a lot longer  if he had headbutted him  has now apologised 
football	434	moyes continued   although the incident was totally out of character   james has never even been suspended before in his career   his actions were unacceptable and had a detrimental effect on his team mates 
football	434	 james did issue a formal apology to myself  his team mates and to the everton supporters immediately after the game and that was the right thing to have done 
football	434	he will now be subjected to the normal club discipline 
football	434	 he is a competitive player but a fair player and i know how upset he is by what has happened 
football	434	however  i must say that i do still believe the chelsea player in question did go down too easily 
football	434	  speaking immediately after the game  moyes said   i don t think it was a sending off  i have been a centre half in my time and i would have been ashamed to have gone down as easily as that 
football	434	 not in a million years would john terry have gone down in the same way 
football	434	i have never heard of anybody butting somebody from behind while you are running after them 
football	434	 what has happened to big  strong centre halves  i thought it was a push initially and i still don t think it was a sending off 
football	434	  an angry beattie initially said   he  gallas  would have stayed down a lot longer if i had headbutted him 
football	434	 i can tell you it wasn t an intentional headbutt 
football	434	we were chasing a ball into the corner and william gallas was looking over his shoulder and blocking me off 
football	434	 he was stopping as we were running and i said to myself  if you re going to stay in my way i ll go straight over you  
football	434	our heads barely touched and it wasn t an intentional headbutt 
football	434	  
football	435	owen dismisses fresh real rumoursengland striker michael owen helped inspire real madrid to a 2 1 win at osasuna in la liga on sunday before insisting he is happy at the club 
football	435	the ex liverpool player started on the bench  an on going situation that has led to rumours of a premiership return 
football	435	owen has admitted he is frustrated at his lack of first team chances but is determined to succeed in spain 
football	435	 i m always going to say i want to play more minutes but that doesn t mean i m unhappy being a substitute   he said 
football	435	 it wasn t a great goal  but neither was the game  grounds like this are always difficult   owen added 
football	435	 i m happy with my goal because it was a vital goal for the win and even more so after what barcelona did  beating real zaragoza 4 1 on saturday  
football	435	 this could be a decisive result at the end of the season 
football	435	 even when we were losing  i was confident we could win and now we all have very positive feelings 
football	435	  roberto carlos  free kick was parried and when raul s shot was kept out owen was in the right place to head home 
football	435	ivan helguera scored the winner for real  who have won seven games in a row under new coach vanderlei luxemburgo 
football	435	the victory kept them within four points of leaders barcelona 
football	435	owen had earlier hinted in the news of the world newspaper that he may leave real madrid to safeguard his international career 
football	435	he has failed to command a regular place in the real team and said he is concerned that his increasing amount of time on the bench may affect his england place 
football	435	 sometimes i feel i am happy then the next week i might be on the bench and i am a bit low in myself again   he told the news of the world 
football	435	 it is frustrating and isn t the best way to prepare for the next world cup 
football	435	  owen has had to prove himself to three managers in his short time at real 
football	435	jose antonio camacho was replaced by mariano garcia remon  who has now made way for luxemburgo 
football	435	 the first manager came along and i never started that much 
football	435	but the more he was here the more i played   the striker said 
football	435	 then the second manager came and he went back to the normal 11 that everyone associated with 
football	435	 but i had eight or nine games on the spin and scored seven goals on the bounce 
football	435	i was doing all right and then he left and now i am back to where i was again 
football	435	 it has not been ideal but it looks as if this manager is here to stay so i will keep plugging away 
football	435	 owen has discussed his concerns with england coach sven goran eriksson and admitted   this last month hasn t been perfect 
football	435	i am not missing out on goalscoring but i am missing out on minutes on the pitch 
football	435	  luxemburgo told the sunday times that he sympathised with owen 
football	435	 he is bound to get angry and feel sad but i can say owen will play more   he commented 
football	435	 raul and ronaldo are not always going to start every game 
football	435	 i like owen a lot in training  he is always willing  ready to listen to things 
football	435	he is a bit introverted but he has got character 
football	435	  meanwhile  luxemburgo has booked himself a place in the real history books after the victory over osasuna 
football	435	he is the first coach to have won his first seven league games in charge of the club 
football	436	a need to limit foreign numberswith all the top clubs vying for the title and the champions league  at least the fa cup gave an opportunity for one or two of the younger lads at the major clubs to get a game in the first team 
football	436	i don t personally like to see weakened sides in the competition  but it seems in some cases it s the only chance for the young lads to get some first team experience 
football	436	over the years the influx of foreign players has affected the young englishman more than anyone 
football	436	i know you have to have freedom of movement but i do believe a time will come when countries will have to put a limit on the number of overseas players   including europeans 
football	436	i think the trend has become more noticeable since the influx of foreign bosses like arsene wenger  claudio ranieri and now jose mourinho 
football	436	they seem to know the foreign market more than the english  although chelsea appear to be signing one or two young englishmen 
football	436	when the foreigners first started coming into the country  i thought people like dennis bergkamp and gianfranco zola were absolutely magnificent 
football	436	zola is still the best player i have ever seen in my time as a manager 
football	436	i don t think anybody would ever begrudge players like that because you would pay money to watch these individuals 
football	436	but i think the problem now is that clubs  even at the lower level  find english players expensive 
football	436	agents are offering players left  right and centre who are not only cheap but can also come over on trial  which was unheard of in the past 
football	436	bolton are a good example 
football	436	i never thought they could be successful  but sam allardyce has waved his magic wand and brought these players over 
football	436	the technology that sam uses has definitely paid off 
football	436	he has all these databases on every foreign player 
football	436	he is a unique person   i never thought you could have 10 different nations in a dressing room and still have a good team spirit  but sam has proved that wrong over the last few years and will continue to do it 
football	436	what bolton have said is they can t pay large transfer fees but they can get these players in for 6 12 months and compete at a high level that way 
football	436	my view about foreign players changed about three years ago when i had quite a large number of them at bramall lane 
football	436	the match we played with west brom which was abandoned after we went down to six players changed my views on having a large amount of foreign players 
football	436	i decided then to go with the kids and if i could sign english lads i would 
football	436	i got two sent off in that game and one or two other things happened with players 
football	436	i also found that with a couple of players that didn t talk english it is very difficult coaching wise to get them to grasp the fundamentals 
football	436	if possible i will look for players i sign to speak english  although we are in the process of signing hao haidong from china 
football	436	he has very limited english but is a very experienced player who i don t think you have to tell too many times what you want him to do 
football	436	there was a time when scottish football was a good source for players but if you speak to people that look at players up there now it is clear the standard has dropped over the years 
football	436	you only have to look at the scotland squad   the talent is not there any longer because they don t invest in their youth development 
football	436	it is common knowledge we enquired about liverpool s neil mellor  who could now find himself pushed down the pecking order by the arrival of fernando morientes from real madrid 
football	436	i think people like neil are better off getting some games under their belt  but it s difficult because liverpool are such a great club and he has had opportunities there 
football	436	he has scored goals there so they rate him highly and it must be difficult for young players to turn their back on that and drop down to the championship level 
football	437	no lack of christmas spiritit s that time of year when footballers and managers brace themselves for what i think is the most important period of the entire season 
football	437	i was thinking to myself last week that the last time i had a christmas off was 39 years ago 
football	437	i have never been out of work at christmas as a player or manager since i was 17 when our youth team coach at chesterfield  a chap called reg wright  gave us christmans off 
football	437	but only because there were no games 
football	437	i think things have changed dramatically over the years in terms of discipline and looking after themselves 
football	437	players take a lot more responsibility these days  in particular the older ones   i m talking about those 32 and over  here 
football	437	they ve changed their whole outlook in order to continue playing at this level 
football	437	managers as well need to trust players more than we have in the past 
football	437	in my squad i haven t got anyone i have to warn regarding excess and over eating  which is a massive bonus 
football	437	over the years  there have been some players in the squad who you would never know if they were going to turn up for training smelling of booze 
football	437	as per usual  we will be training on christmas day  prior to our boxing day trip to coventry 
football	437	but there are times when you can do too much over christmas  having the players in for training and then leaving for the game 
football	437	i ll try and strike a balance and after we ve trained in the morning  the players can go home for a few hours and we ll leave for coventry about 7pm 
football	437	i allow the players to have a pre christmas night out 
football	437	they came to me in november and asked if they could have a night out in leeds and i said  no  
football	437	i also said  no  to manchester  sheffield and nottingham and eventually let them go to dublin after we played at millwall 
football	437	i send a minder with them to look after them  not because i don t trust them 
football	437	the problem is that nowadays  footballers are big news and you never know when somebody is going to step out with a mobile phone and take pictures of them 
football	437	you have to trust your players to behave themselves  but unfortunately you can t govern for other people s behaviour 
football	437	there is always an idiot out there who wants to get himself a bit notoriety or his name in the local paper by picking a fight and taking a pop at a professional footballer 
football	437	i also know that last year one newspaper asked certain young ladies to find out when and where players were holding their christmas parties in the hope of getting embarrassing photos 
football	437	i tried to behave myself as a player and i remember when i was at scunthorpe  going to bed at 10pm on new year s eve as we had a game on new year s day 
football	437	i missed all the festivities and seeing the new year in  only to wake up the next morning to find there was two feet of snow on the ground  we all love christmas  though and i like to take my children william and amy to see the lights and take them to santa s grotto 
football	437	but when you re in football you accept that christmas is not the same for you as for others 
football	437	in fact  until somebody mentioned it to me the other day  i never realised that it s become the norm for me and others in football not to have a christmas holiday 
football	437	one of the nice things when i do retire will be not having to worry about the phone ringing over christmas 
football	437	you re always on tenterhooks on christmas day that somebody is injured or has had an accident playing with their kids 
football	437	but i would like to take this opportunity to wish everybody a happy christmas and a prosperous new year 
football	438	fa ready to test out goal bleeperthe football association may volunteer to test a new goal line bleeper when the game s bosses meet this weekend 
football	438	the technology will be presented at the annual meeting of the international fa board  ifab   made up of fifa and the four home nation associations 
football	438	the bleeper type system alerts the referee when the ball  containing a micro chip  crosses the goal line 
football	438	there have been calls for the technology after tottenham had a goal controversially disallowed last month 
football	438	spurs were denied a winner against manchester united  despite pedro mendes  effort crossing the line 
football	438	mendes  speculative strike from the halfway line comfortably crossed the goal line after an error from united keeper roy carroll 
football	438	but with the referee and assistant referee unable to get a proper view of the incident  the  goal  was not given 
football	438	this latest breakthrough in electronic aids could help referees avoid situations like this in future 
football	438	if it impresses the ifab  then the football league are likely to experiment with the new technology 
football	438	fa executive director david davies said   we will be very interested to see this presentation   it s true we have been more interested in the use of technology than other members of the board 
football	438	 but this is not video technology  the referee will have a direct link with this form of technology rather than having to rely on a fourth official or video back up 
football	438	 whether this form of technology will find wider support than previous efforts remains to be seen but if there was enthusiasm i m sure we would seriously discuss with our leagues whether they would be interested in this sort of innovation 
football	438	  the football league have already made one offer to fifa to test out goal line technology and spokesman john nagle confirmed   that offer is still on the table 
football	438	  the presentation to the ifab by adidas will need to persuade fifa president sepp blatter  especially as he has always resisted bringing technology into the game 
football	439	the gloves are offwhen arsenal play manchester united on tuesday  a fixture that is usually a title decider has this time been relegated to undercard status 
football	439	both teams will be playing for pride and hoping for a win to seize on any possible hiccup by premiership leaders chelsea 
football	439	arsenal and united have been left in the slipstream of the stamford bridge outfit and the reason  according to many experts  is goalkeeping woes 
football	439	while chelsea keeper petr cech  who the gunners missed out on signing  has conceded only eight league goals so far this season  his rivals have had their quality questioned after high profile mistakes and misdemeanours 
football	439	arsenal have let in 24 goals as jens lehmann has been dropped in favour of manuel almunia  who has failed to convince the doubters  despite holding highbury s number one jersey 
football	439	roy carroll has wrestled the first team keeper spot at united from tim howard  whose errors cost him his place  but he still has doubts hanging over his credentials 
football	439	 it s like a heartbreak for goalkeepers like me and peter shilton   ex gunners keeper bob wilson told bbc radio five live s sportsweek programme in assessment of the general level of goalkeeping at present 
football	439	shilton is england s most capped player and he believes the lack of top class keepers is a reason for the predicament at arsenal and united 
football	439	 they are adequate   he said 
football	439	 you look around and there are not too many other goalkeepers who you would think were better 
football	439	  arsenal manager arsene wenger and his old trafford counterpart sir alex ferguson have tried in vain to find new players of a similar quality to replace david seaman and peter schmeichel 
football	439	seaman was at arsenal for 13 years  while schmeichel was at old trafford for eight years and was hailed as the  bargain of the century  by ferguson after he signed him for £600 000 
football	439	wilson and shilton have cited the lack of technique of the current generation but both agree they would have lehmann in goal ahead of almunia at arsenal 
football	439	wilson explained   i would defend jens lehman last season because he was top of every stat going 
football	439	 he had an absolutely phenomenal season but  unfortunately  a couple of big errors came in the champions league against chelsea and arsene is a hard taskmaster and so he suddenly started to change and take a real chance on the spaniard 
football	439	 lehmann has excellent basic technique and young almunia is still learning the game 
football	439	 i believe at the moment lehmann has an advantage over almunia but the man who is paid to make those decisions  and that s arsene  will continue to play almunia 
football	439	  shilton echoed   lehmann did well 
football	439	arsenal were unbeaten for so many games and he was very consistent but the minute he made one or two mistakes and people got on to his back he seemed to lose a bit of confidence 
football	439	 arsenal and united could have better goalkeepers but those they have got are not doing too badly 
football	439	 they are making the odd one or two serious errors and the spotlight is going to be on them but they have to put it to the back of their minds and roll their sleeves up 
football	439	  former arsenal manager george graham brought seaman to highbury and he has his own theory 
football	439	he said   i would disagree with bob and peter about technique 
football	439	i think decision making from the majority of goalkeepers i ve seen this season is the problem 
football	439	  
football	440	underdogs have more funi ve always had a soft spot for the fa cup  it s a fabulous competition   the best in the world   and there s nothing quite like it 
football	440	we play aston villa in the third round on saturday  and on paper it should be a straightforward win for them   but it s horrible being in the favourites  dressing room 
football	440	it s a terrible feeling as a manager when you are expected to win 
football	440	you re wondering whether your players will be up for it and doubts go through your mind 
football	440	you try to instil in your players that they have to be professional and prepared for the battle ahead 
football	440	they have to be ready for the crowd  a bad pitch sometimes  and what the underdogs will throw at them 
football	440	but even if you do that  you still wonder if they will grasp it 
football	440	the underdogs  on the other hand  have nothing to lose and can go out and enjoy it 
football	440	lower division players are not used to the publicity that surrounds the cup and it s great for a manager because it s something different to talk about 
football	440	you re not talking about struggles in the league  no one is thinking about whether your form is good or bad  and the town is buzzing 
football	440	as a boy  i remember being in short trousers and rushing down the road because people were coming up to the top of the hill and saying norwich city were in town to face the blades 
football	440	their fans were in big double decker buses and waving down to us while we were sat there like the railway children 
football	440	i also remember crying my eyes out when burnley beat us 
football	440	every supporter really believes their club could get to the later stages 
football	440	as a player  scunthorpe did well at newcastle once 
football	440	everyone said we were going to get slaughtered because they had malcolm macdonald 
football	440	we took the lead and looked like we were going to hang on for a 1 0 win but terry mcdermott equalised in the last few minutes 
football	440	there was an electricity strike and we had to play the replay in the afternoon   we lost 3 0 
football	440	i still feel aggrieved at the manner of the defeat to arsenal in the semi finals a couple of seasons ago 
football	440	the referee s decision went against us 
football	440	it should be a cracking game against villa 
football	440	we re playing a super club  there should be a big crowd and it s live on bbc one  so we ll have national coverage 
football	440	i ll just say to the lads  enjoy yourselves  because you play better when there is no pressure 
football	440	i just hope the lads are ready and won t be overawed   we re not used to big crowds 
football	440	as for potential winners  you can t look beyond the top three or four clubs  and i can t see too many upsets 
football	440	there s always an opportunity but it s more likely to happen in the first game when there is an element of surprise 
football	440	since i ve come to the twilight of my career  i always try to do as well as i can 
football	440	over the last couple of years we ve got to the semis and quarters   at 200 1 we re a good price each way  
football	441	bitter santini hits out at spursformer tottenham coach jacques santini said he quit partly because he felt agreements with the club were broken 
football	441	santini  52  left in november after just 13 games in charge amid tensions with sporting director frank arnesen 
football	441	 they promised me a big apartment on the beach and i found myself 200m from the sea with a view of my neighbours   he told france s journal di dimanche 
football	441	but the ex france coach admitted he  dug his own grave  by agreeing to join the club before the end of euro 2004 
football	441	 my only regret is having signed too early  for tottenham  
football	441	i should have waited until after euro 2004 even if that means i might have missed my chance   he said 
football	441	santini also said he was not given enough information about spurs  transfer policy 
football	441	 i learned on the day of our team photo that our captain  stephen carr  was leaving the club   he said 
football	442	uefa threat over foreign quotasuefa has warned clubs planning to ignore its proposal for quotas of homegrown players in squads 
football	442	from 2006 07 teams must submit a 25 man  a  squad with at least two players from the club academy and two others from the same national association 
football	442	clubs may be punished with reduced squads if they refuse to comply  although uefa has ruled out legal action against offending clubs 
football	442	arsenal had 16 overseas players for monday s game with crystal palace 
football	442	after the plan is introduced for the 2006 07 season the figures will rise by one for each of the next two seasons 
football	442	so by 2008 09 the squad will have to contain four academy players and four others from the team s country 
football	442	 the sanction is fairly simple   if you don t have the four and four for 2008 09  your squad will be cut by the number of players that do not meet the criteria   said uefa spokesman william gaillard 
football	442	at present the ruling is only going to apply to uefa competitions  but in april a uefa congress in estonia will vote on whether to implement the measures in domestic competitions as well 
football	442	but the premier league say it is  extremely unlikely  it would be implemented in england 
football	442	arsenal chairman peter hill wood has made shrugged off criticism of wenger s team selection  and told the evening standard he was happy with how things were at the club 
football	442	 for me  the nationality of any player who plays for the club is not an issue   he said 
football	442	 if you have good enough players then it does not matter from which country they come 
football	442	 these days  the world is smaller 
football	442	we have young players from all over the world in our youth set up 
football	442	 the world of football is changing  and there are some people who don t like things to change 
football	443	stars shine for tsunami benefitronaldinho s world xi beat andriy shevchenko s european xi 6 3 in the nou camp as the world s top players raised money for the tsunami relief fund 
football	443	samuel eto o and ronaldinho put the world xi two up  alessandro del piero pulled one back before eto o cheekily rounded iker casillas for the third 
football	443	gianfranco zola rolled back the years to lob home and david suazo levelled before henri camara scored twice 
football	443	cha du ri made it 6 3 in front of a hugely entertained 40 000 crowd 
football	443	several changes were made at the break and throughout the second half as coaches marcello lippi  arsene wenger  frank rijkaard and carlos alberto perreira tried to protect the players from injury 
football	443	the players stood for a minute s silence for the victims of the asian tsunami before the game  which was refereed by pierluigi collina 
football	443	perhaps the only sour note of the night was that some of the crowd chose to boo instead of show their respect  but the players made sure they did not put a dampener on proceedings 
football	443	david beckham and steven gerrard started for the european side  but it was the world xi s barcelona players who stamped their early mark as deco slipped in eto o to score 
football	443	ronaldinho was delighting his home crowd with some sublime tricks and flicks and he made it 2 0 by slotting home from eight yards 
football	443	the european xi were more subdued despite the presence of zinedine zidane and raul  though del piero did halve the deficit with a lovely finish 
football	443	eto o had been named african footballer of the year hours before and he celebrated by bagging a brace  his second seeing him feint past casillas and walk the ball into an empty net 
football	443	as expected plenty of changes were made at the break and those changes continued throughout the second half  as the goals continued to fly in 
football	443	svevchenko s side wasted no time getting back on terms  first zola showing his true class to lob home before honduran suazo side footed home for 3 3 
football	443	but southampton striker henri camara had other ideas and he scored twice within five minutes  both neat finishes past francesco toldo in the european goal 
football	443	cha du ri finished off the scoring  leaving toldo no chance with a fierce finish from just inside the box 
football	443	all proceeds from the match will be donated to the fifa asian football confederation tsunami solidarity fund 
football	443	dida  cafu  cordoba  marquez  radebe  song  nakata  deco  kaka  ronaldinho  eto o 
football	443	casillas  montero  kaladze  thuram  gerrard  diesler  beckham  zidane  del piero  raul  shevchenko 
football	443	pierluigi collina  italy  
football	444	more africans for tsunami gamethree more african stars have agreed to play in fifa s football for hope match  organised to raise money for the victims of the asian tsunami 
football	444	nigerian youngster obafemi martins and the cameroon pair of raymond kalla and rigobert song have added their names to the six africans who had already confirmed their participation in tuesday s game in barcelona 
football	444	the ivory coast s didier drogba and cameroon s samuel eto o fils will both be playing in the game rather than attending the caf s footballer of the year award ceremony in south africa 
football	444	both players are on the short list for caf s 2004 footballer of the year award along with nigeria s jay jay okocha 
football	444	as well as drogba and eto o  who is the reigning african footballer of the year  cameroon goalkeeper carlos idriss kameni  tunisia s rahdi jaidi and veteran defenders samuel kuffour of ghana and south africa s lucas radebe will all be playing 
football	444	africa is represented among the officials for the game with jason damoo of the seychelles named as one of the assistant referees for the game 
football	444	however one african star who will miss the clash is ghana s michael essien  whose french club lyon refused to release him and two other players 
football	444	there are also several players with african roots set to play in the match with french stars zinedine zidane and patrick vieira and belgium s vincent kompany among those confirmed by fifa 
football	444	the two captains for the game will be brazil s world footballer of the year  ronaldinho and ukraine s european footballer of the year  andriy shevchenko 
football	445	fa cup losing its sheenthe fa cup used to be sacrosanct 
football	445	regardless of the demands on the top teams they would always field their strongest teams in the fa cup 
football	445	nobody messed about with the fa cup and it is disappointing that this has changed 
football	445	it has all come about from the number of competitions that the top sides enter and the amount of games they play in a season 
football	445	i m not saying there are necessarily more competitions but more teams play in europe and the champions league is fixture intensive 
football	445	foreign coaches in particular seem to want to rest more players in the fa cup   they probably don t realise the stature and long history of the competition 
football	445	the champions league is the main competition for the top managers  followed by the premiership and the fa cup comes in a poor third 
football	445	i think this is bound to affect the way in which people view the competition   and it takes some of the gloss off burnley s brilliant victory over liverpool 
football	445	liverpool boss rafael benitez fielded a lot of their youngsters who usually play in the reserves and burnley were justifiable winners 
football	445	they played some good football  were well organised and had too much experience for their opponents 
football	445	i think the majority of championship teams are now too good for premiership reserve sides 
football	445	nonetheless  as a manager of a championship team i would always rather play a full strength premiership team 
football	445	obviously coming up a side without many first choice players increases your chances of winning the tie but you want to play against the big names 
football	445	as burnley boss steve cotterill correctly pointed out  liverpool had some good players in their team  but it was not a full strength side and that tarnishes the result 
football	445	the glory is not quite the same 
football	445	by not playing their first team it almost gives liverpool an excuse for going out 
football	445	i was delighted that aston villa played their best side when we played them 
football	445	our victory  along with burnley s win on tuesday  sunderland s victory over crystal palace and west ham s defeat of norwich is good news for the championship 
football	445	it shows the quality that is within the championship   and how little difference there is between the top clubs in the division and the lower end premiership clubs 
football	445	finally this week  a word on the dispute between sir alex ferguson and arsene wenger 
football	445	there have been calls for a summit to end the row   but if i m honest i have to say i enjoy reading about it 
football	445	alex and arsene are two experienced managers who know what they are doing and i say let them get on with it 
football	445	the big winner from all of this is chelsea boss jose mourinho 
football	445	i really enjoy watching his post match news conferences and he has been a breath of fresh air in the premiership 
football	445	manchester united and arsenal have had it their own way for so long that it is good to have a new kid on the block 
football	446	greece defy the odds at euro 2004greece arrived in portugal for euro 2004 as 150 1 outsiders who had never won a match at a major tournament 
football	446	four weeks later  manager otto rehhagel was a legendary figure in greece and angelos charisteas had written his name into footballing legend 
football	446	charisteas scored the winner in the 1 0 final victory that sank hosts portugal 
football	446	england s wayne rooney may have been the individual star of the tournament  but when it came to the best team  the super efficient greeks stole the show 
football	446	rehhagel s combination of unsung stars and shrewd tactics proved beyond the bigger names in the tournament 
football	446	greece started and finished euro 2004 by beating portugal  who improved throughout the competition under former brazil coach luiz felipe scolari 
football	446	favourites france were overcome 1 0 in the quarter final while form side the czech republic were beaten by the same score in the semi final 
football	446	for england  another major tournament only brought more frustration 
football	446	england opened against france in the stadium of light  and looked to be on the way to victory thanks to frank lampard s first half goal 
football	446	but captain david beckham missed a penalty and with it went england s hopes of victory 
football	446	zinedine zidane hit a last minute equaliser from a free kick then scored a dramatic winner 
football	446	he converted from the spot after david james brought down thierry henry after he intercepted steven gerrard s pass 
football	446	enter rooney  with two goals in the 3 0 win against switzerland  a feat he repeated in the 4 2 win against croatia that sealed a quarter final place 
football	446	sadly for england  rooney broke his foot shortly after michael owen had put them ahead against portugal 
football	446	helder postiga equalised  but england were cursing when a last minute header by sol campbell was disallowed 
football	446	rui costa put portugal ahead  but frank lampard struck his third goal of the tournament to send it to penalties 
football	446	beckham s penalty miss proved crucial and when darius vassell also missed  portugal keeper ricardo sealed the win 
football	446	another man with premiership links  liverpool s milan baros  was the leading scorer with five goals in the tournament in an excellent czech side 
football	446	the czechs were involved in the best game  coming from two goals down to beat holland 3 2 
football	446	germany were one of the major disappointments  with rudi voeller s side failing to reach the last eight 
football	446	a 2 1 defeat against the czechs sent germany out and ended voeller s reign 
football	446	and holland coach dick advocaat  who took the blame of a nation after the shock defeat against the czech republic  also left his job 
football	446	the dutch lost 2 1 to portugal in the semi final and that was enough to prompt a change in the dutch hierarchy 
football	446	spain once again failed to produce  missing out on the last eight after they lost 1 0 to great rivals portugal in the hostile alvalade stadium 
football	446	italy were another major team that failed to reach the last eight  going amid wild claims of collusion between denmark and sweden in their 2 2 draw 
football	446	but greece gave euro 2004 a gloriously unpredictable chapter in football s history  and were deserving winners 
football	446	it was a tournament played out in good spirit and had perfect hosts in the portuguese crowds who packed grounds 
football	446	their gracious behaviour towards the winners  even after losing the final  gave euro 2004 a fitting finale 
football	447	the wonder of ronaldinhoronaldinho has the most famous smile in football   but it is the grins his incredible talent has put on the faces of fans that ensured he picked up the world player of the year award on monday night 
football	447	the brazilian landed the prize ahead of strikers thierry henry of arsenal and ac milan s andriy shevchenko after a year in which his dancing feet dazzled defenders and delighted fans 
football	447	henry and shevchenko led their clubs to the league titles in england and italy while ronaldinho ended last season trophy less 
football	447	but while ronaldinho s achievements may not have won him any medals  they have won him the hearts of a football world 
football	447	he has turned despair into delight at barcelona since deciding to move to the nou camp instead of manchester united and  in the process  brought a joy back to the sport 
football	447	barcelona were an ailing club thirsty for former glories to be restored as they hung heavily in the shadows of the  galacticos  of arch rivals real madrid 
football	447	but the arrival of ronaldinho in july 2003 has spearheaded a rapid rise which now sees the catalan club playing the kind of flamboyant football encapsulated by the dashing skills of their playmaker and inspiration 
football	447	he has fans on the edge of their seats as they wonder what marvels the boy from brazil will produce to amaze them 
football	447	ronaldinho s magic rarely disappoints and  while he possesses all the feints  step overs  shoulder drops and vision one could wish for  he also has the crucial ability of complementing his skills with an end product 
football	447	his victory in fifa s annual vote may be hard for henry and shevchenko  who have amazed with their exploits  but ronaldinho just has that little extra va va voom 
football	447	ronaldinho can add the award to the world cup winners medal he earned with brazil at the 2002 world cup and the 1999 copa america title 
football	447	ronaldinho   full name ronaldo de assis moreira   has come a long way from his humble origins in porto allegre  where he was spotted by his hometown club gremio at the age of 18 
football	447	his flamboyance and vision was a key factor as brazil won the world under 17 title in 1997  and in 1999 he captured the attention of then brazil coach wanderley luxemburgo with 15 goals in 14 matches for gremio 
football	447	ronaldinho made his international debut that year and announced himself on the world stage with a sensational solo effort against venezuela in the copa america  which brazil went on to win 
football	447	a protracted transfer saga saw him move to paris st germain where his relationship with the french club was far from harmonious  and coach luis fernandez was not amused when he turned up late following a trip home at christmas 
football	447	there was also discontent about the samba star s penchant for dancing at parisian night spots as much as waltzing past opponents 
football	447	but barcelona were confirmed admirers and a year later his club career   which had been somewhat grounded   really took off after a move to spain 
football	447	sir alex ferguson had been confident of tempting him to manchester united  but the lure of the nou camp was too strong 
football	447	things did not go that well at the start of his life in spain  but following the winter break  ronaldinho and barcelona hit top gear  finishing the campaign strongly and earning a champions league place 
football	447	transfer speculation has followed him throughout his young career and almost inevitably he was linked with chelsea this summer 
football	447	but even the blues  billionaire owner roman abramovich could not prise him away from barca  who rewarded him with an improved contract with a buy out clause of £100m 
football	448	2004   a year to rememberclub football in south america continues to suffer from the continent s economic crisis 
football	448	the best players are lured across the atlantic   900 players left brazil alone in 2004 
football	448	and crowds are low  with money tight and the fear of violence proving a powerful incentive to stay at home 
football	448	the average attendance in this year s brazilian championship was a record low of 8 139 
football	448	furthermore  in 2004 no new talent exploded on the continent with quite the same force as diego  robinho and carlos tevez in the two previous years 
football	448	there is no doubt that the highlight of south america s footballing year has to come from the international game 
football	448	there were some dramatic tournaments in 2004 
football	448	the copa america  held in peru last july  could hardly have come to a more exciting conclusion 
football	448	with the last kick of the final brazil scored one of the most decisive equalising goals in the history of football 
football	448	argentina thought they had the game won and were in no state to take penalties when adriano s 93rd minute blast forced a shoot out 
football	448	earlier in the year there was intense disappointment for brazil when they amazingly failed to qualify for the olympic football tournament 
football	448	the gold medal is the only title they lack but they will have to wait four more years after missing out on the two qualification slots up for grabs in south america s under 23 championships  held in chile in january 
football	448	argentina and paraguay made it through and went on to secure gold and silver in athens 
football	448	these tournaments were terrific but the real highlights of the year in south american football could only come from the world cup qualification campaign 
football	448	the reason  it is the only time that all the great players come back home and play competitive matches in front of their own fans 
football	448	i well remember getting a shiver down my spine awaiting the kick off of the match between brazil and argentina at the start of june 
football	448	euro 2004 was about to get under way 
football	448	the thought struck me that the accumulation of talent on the belo horizonte pitch was at least as outstanding as that about to go into action in portugal 
football	448	for 90 minutes brazil was the capital of the football world 
football	448	ronaldo obviously felt the sense of occasion 
football	448	he will probably never play a bigger match in brazil and it was taking place in the stadium where he had made his name over a decade earlier 
football	448	he was unstoppable  suffering and scoring three penalties in brazil s 3 1 win 
football	448	if ronaldo s performance was the individual highlight of the year  my collective prize goes to argentina in a match they played a few months later 
football	448	in october i was down in buenos aires to see their first match under new coach jose pekerman 
football	448	nerves were settled with an early goal and old rivals uruguay were blasted away 
football	448	soon after half time argentina were four up and although uruguay hit back with two consolation goals  it was the performance of the hosts that lingers in the memory 
football	448	argentina s goals were magnificent team efforts involving all of the fundamentals of well played football 
football	448	the ball moved quickly around the field  with plenty of running off the ball to provide options and lots of crisp  accurate passing  mixing long and short to find gaps in the defence 
football	448	the crowd responded in fine style  creating the kind of atmosphere familiar to all those old enough to remember the 1978 world cup 
football	448	these  then  were my highlights of 2004 
football	448	with seven vital rounds of world cup qualifiers scheduled for next year  south american football should come up with much more to celebrate in 2005 
football	449	argentine great caniggia retiresformer argentina international claudio caniggia has retired from playing football at the age of 38 
football	449	the striker enjoyed a glittering career  playing with boca juniors  river plate  roma  benfica  dundee and rangers among others 
football	449	he was also suspended for 13 months after testing positive for cocaine while with roma in 1993 
football	449	 i work out every day  but after seven months without activity  i don t want to play football anymore   he said 
football	449	 i had offers  but none of those convinced me 
football	449	being 38 and after thinking a lot about it  i made this decision   he told argentine radio station del plata 
football	449	his next decision is where to live 
football	449	 now i m in scotland  but i m moving all around europe   he added 
football	449	 i live in glasgow because my children go to school there  but i have to be honest  it s too cold   caniggia played in the argentina team that finished runners up at the 1990 world cup in italy  and was also a member of the side at usa 94 and japan and korea 2002 
football	449	he became something of a hero after moving to dundee in 2000 and won a move to rangers  where he won two scottish cups  two league cups and the spl title 
football	449	he then joined al arabi in qatar but has since returned to scotland 
football	450	taking the highs with the lowsi thought we gave a tremendous performance against arsenal last week 
football	450	and i have to say that anyone who saw our disallowed goal must realise there is no way it should ever have been ruled out 
football	450	it was interesting to hear the tv pundits ask if it was disallowed because dennis bergkamp had been sent off moments before 
football	450	i was surprised by the number of people who questioned whether the referee was trying to level things out 
football	450	the major decision  which defeated me really  was the caution given to cesc fabregas for his tackle on nick montgomery 
football	450	to me  that should have been a straight red card 
football	450	yet all i saw in the papers were accusations that danny cullip allegedly stamped on fabregas 
football	450	but when i watch it back  i don t see anything wrong there at all 
football	450	as i ve said in the past  you don t seem to get the rub of the green when you re a lower league club in these competitions 
football	450	but we have to go into the replay without any fear and that s what will happen come tuesday 
football	450	the only thing we can learn from arsenal s champions league defeat against bayern munich is that we were even worse in our loss at plymouth 
football	450	we got beaten 3 0 and never looked like scoring  at least arsenal got a goal and have a chance of winning at home in the second leg   and they ve done that in the past 
football	450	whether they ll now want to risk their big stars on tuesday against us  knowing they need to beat bayern 2 0 a week later  is debatable 
football	450	unfortunately  we have not got a squad big enough to be able to rotate 
football	450	and we re very thin on the ground for the replay   it looks like we ll be missing three or four of our better players 
football	450	we don t know if goalkeeper paddy kenny will be okay after being carried off against plymouth  and cullip will be suspended 
football	450	however  although the cup is diverting our attention  the chances are we won t win it 
football	450	so the league has to be our priority 
football	450	an even more important match than the one against arsenal comes on saturday when we have to beat the championship s bottom club rotherham 
football	450	and i will be reiterating to my players that we have 14 games left in the league and we have to start winning if we want to be in the play offs 
football	450	we ve lost four in a row in the league now  but we haven t got time to feel sorry for ourselves 
football	451	blatter suggests offside changefifa president sepp blatter has recommended a radical change to football s offside laws 
football	451	blatter wants to simplify the current laws which partially rely on the interpretation of assistant referees 
football	451	 you must make the rule simpler by saying only the player who receives the ball can be offside   there should not be passive offsides anymore   he said 
football	451	 this means a player without the ball cannot be ruled offside 
football	451	purists will scream  but it s a simpler rule 
football	451	  blatter said he was not in favour of video technology overall  but admitted that fifa was looking at the possibility of experimenting with goal line technology to decide if the ball had crossed the line or not 
football	451	 one thing that is possible  and for which we re looking for an acceptable solution  is the control of the goal line to find out whether the ball was in or out   said blatter 
football	451	the 69 year old also said he was keen to remain president of football s world governing body until 2011 
football	451	 let s first complete the 2006 world cup 
football	451	and then  if i m still in good health  i will still feel like continuing my work at fifa because i was seriously hampered in my first term 
football	451	 the first half of my first term  between 1998 and 2002  doesn t count 
football	451	if national associations tell me to go on  why shouldn t i stand once again   
football	452	molby says gravesen is real dealjan molby is convinced fellow dane thomas gravesen will be a major success when he leaves everton for real madrid 
football	452	gravesen is set to join the spanish giants after the clubs agreed a £2m plus fee for the player 
football	452	molby told bbc sport   it is a little bit of a surprise  but there is no doubt the talent is there with thomas 
football	452	 it is there for everyone to see 
football	452	i m sure he will do a good job 
football	452	they will be looking for him to be the strong man  but he has exceptional ability 
football	452	  gravesen is out of contract at the end of the season and would be able to leave on a free transfer but real are expected to pay up to £numberm to sign the midfielder in january 
football	452	molby said   the strength of the majority of the players at real is going forward  and maybe not having a lot of defensive qualities 
football	452	 thomas has been playing more of a free role this season at everton  but when he plays for denmark he has a lot of defensive duties and he can do that as well 
football	452	 real will want thomas to sit in there and make them defensively sound  with all the superstars going forward 
football	452	but he can be trusted with the ball  and if he does venture forward he is more than good enough to do some fancy work 
football	452	  gravesen is a strong personality and a major figure at everton   but he will be reduced to the ranks among the big names assembled at the bernabeu 
football	452	molby said   thomas likes to be the leader and he wouldn t go down as a  galactico  signing 
football	452	 it will be interesting to see what happens the first time he gets upset with zinedine zidane  ronaldo or raul for not tracking back   but that s all part of the way he is 
football	452	 he is a strong personality and he has to keep that if he is to function at 100  
football	452	but it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and i don t think he will spoil it by being too petulant 
football	452	 he has had a very  very good season at everton 
football	452	i always felt he was a very good player  a better player than he had shown at everton 
football	452	 he has played well for denmark at european championships and world cups and now he s showing that form for everton 
football	452	as everton have progressed he s got better and better 
football	452	  molby believes everton s hopes of qualifying for europe would be dealt a devastating blow if gravesen leaves 
football	452	he said   it would be a massive  massive setback 
football	452	people talk about the success of tim cahill  lee carsley playing well in the holding role  marcus bent s goals and the work of the defensive boys   but the catalyst is always thomas gravesen 
football	452	 for everton to lose gravesen and that extra bit of quality he gives you that wins matches would be a real blow 
football	452	there are not a lot of players around like that 
football	452	  but molby said gravesen s respect for everton manager david moyes means he may yet stay 
football	452	he added   if there are any doubts  then i know he really likes david moyes and enjoys living on merseyside 
football	452	 i m sure the two of them will have a chat  but it is always difficult to turn down real madrid 
football	452	  
football	453	dein concerned by chelsea stancearsenal vice chairman david dein has voiced concern at chelsea s stance over the ashley cole controversy 
football	453	the premier league is to examine  further information  from a newspaper claiming chelsea made an alleged illegal approach for the defender 
football	453	chelsea have denied that cole met boss jose mourinho to discuss a move  which would breach premier league rule k3 
football	453	 from the evidence i have seen so far there is a huge credibility gap   dein told the news of the world 
football	453	a premier league statement read   we received further information from the news of the world newspaper  which we will study for any facts that might be relevant to our deliberations 
football	453	 further discussions will take place between the premier league board and both clubs next week 
football	453	  the premier league had said it would only launch an investigation if there was a complaint  which has so far not been forthcoming from arsenal 
football	453	in an attempt to defuse the situation  england star cole told arsenal s website   i m under contract here for another two years so i just want to get back to playing football and trying to win the league 
football	453	  mourinho has called cole  who has been negotiating an extension to his deal at highbury  the  best english defender  and says he wants to sign a left back to provide competition for wayne bridge 
football	453	but the portuguese coach now wants gunners boss arsene wenger to get in touch with him so they can discuss the situation 
football	453	he said   if arsene wants answers  he can call me 
football	453	it is true i want to buy a left back because i only have one and i always want two for every position 
football	453	  wenger wants chelsea to make a categorical denial  but is confident cole will stay at arsenal 
football	453	 i am 100  sure ashley will extend his contract as he is part of the bunch of players who are the core and heart of the team   he said 
football	453	 before we complain  we must have evidence the meeting has happened but i don t know how so much assertive evidence comes out in a newspaper if it is just being invented 
football	453	 it looks to me like it has happened  although i don t know for sure 
football	453	 meanwhile  everton boss david moyes told bbc radio five live that managers often approach a player s agent before talking to the club   but he insisted that talking with a player without his club s consent is a no go area 
football	453	 if you mention a player to an agent they are probably on the phone to the player within a minute   he said 
football	453	 tapping is probably used sometimes in a stronger way than that 
football	453	it s part of football and will be very hard to change 
football	453	it does happen a lot 
football	453	 a lot of deals are done correctly but if you find out who the agent is and whether the player is interested  is that tapping  it will be nearly impossible to stop 
football	453	 if the case got to where the manager met a player that would be wrong  action would have to be taken 
football	453	 it should be manager to manager or chairman to chairman but the way modern football has gone i don t think that happens 
football	453	there is a way the player gets got to but that is part of football 
football	453	 i don t think it is right but that is the way it works 
football	453	  
football	454	ronaldinho denies blues interestfifa world player of the year ronaldinho says he has no intention of leaving barcelona to join chelsea 
football	454	 i never said i wanted to play for chelsea 
football	454	i m very happy where i am and want to carry on where i am   he said 
football	454	 i want to be part of the history of barcelona as a winning player 
football	454	barcelona has given more to me than i have to them 
football	454	  the brazilian added   from the first day i have had lovely surprises 
football	454	barcelona  for me  is perfect 
football	454	  ronaldinho s words will reassure barca after the brazilian previously said he was interested in moving to england 
football	454	he was quoted as saying   what chelsea are doing is absolutely amazing 
football	454	i respect them a lot and can see maybe see myself living in london one day 
football	454	 barca meet chelsea in the last 16 of the champions league and ronaldinho is expecting a tough time against the london outfit 
football	454	 i hope we can reach the final of the champions league  but it is a very strong competition   he said 
football	454	 chelsea are one of the highest ranking teams 
football	454	  
football	455	prinz beats hamm to fifa trophygermany s birgit prinz has been named fifa women s player of the year for the second year running 
football	455	the striker won the vote with 376 points  well ahead of american mia hamm  286  and 18 year old brazilian marta  281  
football	455	prinz paid tribute to both hamm and marta 
football	455	 i am delighted to be one of the three nominees   she said 
football	455	 mia is nothing less than a role model for women footballers  while marta represents the future 
football	455	 if you saw what she did at the u 19 world championship  you ll know what i m talking about 
football	455	  prinz  who starred for germany as they won the world cup in 2003  was expected to lead her country to olympic gold in athens this year 
football	455	but despite prinz finishing the tournament as joint top scorer  germany had to settle for bronze 
football	455	they began the tournament with an olympic record 8 0 win over china  with prinz netting four times 
football	455	but in the semi finals  germany were upset by a hamm inspired usa after extra time 
football	455	the usa went on to take gold at the expense of brazil  with hamm announcing her retirement immediately after the games 
football	455	prinz s performances for germany  as well as for club side ffc frankfurt  led to a well publicised approach from perugia president luciano gaucci 
football	455	gaucci  who had already made headlines for signing the son of libyan leader colonel gaddafi  wanted to make prinz the first female player to play for a serie a side 
football	455	but though she admitted to considering the offer  prinz turned it down 
football	455	 the comparisons between me and world class men s players are flattering  but i believe they don t fit reality   she said 
football	455	and to gaucci s reported description of her as  very beautiful  with a  great figure   prinz responded   i m not especially suited to be a glamour girl 
football	455	  the issue of women playing alongside men was brought up again on the day of the fifa awards 
football	455	a second division club in mexico announced the signing of maribel dominguez   but the move was blocked by fifa 
football	455	and on monday  prinz commented   i m not in favour of mixed sex teams 
football	455	 we need to acknowledge the differences  especially at the physical level  and come to terms with them 
football	455	in any case  other sports don t have mixed teams 
football	455	  
football	456	cantona issues man utd job hintformer manchester united star eric cantona would consider returning to the club as manager one day 
football	456	but the frenchman  who made 191 united appearances  would not come back if he felt he could not be creative 
football	456	 i will not return in the near future   he told mutv 
football	456	 if i come back i will need to be involved in football for two or three years because things change 
football	456	 i do not want to be a manager like everybody else  playing the same system 
football	456	i want to create something 
football	456	  cantona says that he would like to follow in the footsteps of johan cruyff  who was an innovative coach when he led barcelona to european cup glory in 1992 
football	456	 i remember the 1970s with ajax and after that cruyff as a manager at barcelona   cantona added 
football	456	 it was a new system 
football	456	 it is like in music   when you are a rock star and create something new 
football	456	  the 38 year old also stated that he is against american tycoon malcolm glazer s attempt to take over the club 
football	456	 i am against this kind of thing because i am like a child   i am a dreamer 
football	456	i don t want these kind of people to come here   he said 
football	456	 if it is not manchester united  if it is not a club where he can earn so much money  do you think he would love to come   meanwhile  cantona is at the centre of a storm after using an obscenity on mutv on sunday 
football	456	cantona was appearing on a show where supporters quiz guests and it was broadcast at numberpm 
football	456	united apologised but have insisted that they have yet to receive a single complaint about cantona s comments 
football	457	man utd urged to seal giggs dealryan giggs  agent has told manchester united to end the deadlock surrounding the welsh winger s contract 
football	457	giggs is signed up until 2006 and the 31 year old is looking for a new two year deal as he bids to end his playing days at old trafford 
football	457	however  united have only offered a one year extension in line with their policy of contract negotiations with players over 30 
football	457	 i don t think he is asking for the world   said agent harry swales 
football	457	he added   we are not banging on desks and slamming doors 
football	457	we are just waiting for the gentlemen in grey suits to get back in touch with us 
football	457	 ryan isn t asking for any more money and he certainly doesn t want to leave manchester united 
football	457	 if he had his way  he would stay with them for the rest of his career 
football	457	 we have got on well with the board at united and long may that continue 
football	457	but just at the moment  the ball is in their court 
football	457	  newcastle and bolton are reportedly interested in signing the midfielder  who has been one of the main influences behind united s success over the last decade 
football	457	however  giggs has always insisted that he is keen to end his career at old trafford 
football	458	rivals back anti racism campaignmanchester united and arsenal players will wear black and white wristbands when they face each other on tuesday as part of a new anti racism initiative 
football	458	launching the  stand up  speak up  scheme with thierry henry  united s rio ferdinand said football s ruling bodies should do more to tackle racist abuse 
football	458	 if an offence is committed  they should make a stand against it before the players do   ferdinand said 
football	458	 it should be up to the authorities to come forward 
football	458	  ferdinand added   it is a massive issue that needs to be jumped on and addressed 
football	458	 it is a bit sad that it has taken the initiative of a player to push this issue forward 
football	458	  henry became involved with the campaign following comments directed at him last year by luis aragones 
football	458	ferdinand claimed he was surprised by the lack of action taken against the spain coach  saying   i think if it had been the england manager who had said something like that  he wouldn t be in a job now 
football	458	  
football	459	city tie on as weather hits gamesoldham athletic s fa cup tie against manchester city will go ahead despite severe weather conditons  which have hit several games across britain 
football	459	fans had to wait until noon for the match to be given the green light after high winds caused structural damage to two of the stands at boundary park 
football	459	on friday  burnley s tie against liverpool was called off due to a waterlogged pitch 
football	459	bad weather has also forced several scottish cup matches to be postponed 
football	459	gretna s tie against dundee united  morton s match at livingston and airdrie united at ross county were all called off 
football	459	elsewhere in scotland  third division matches between albion rovers and queen s park and elgin and peterhead were also postponed 
football	460	nike defends under fire footballnike has defended its premiership ball  after it was blamed for a spate of goalkeeping errors 
football	460	england coach ray clemence and arsenal legend bob wilson criticised the nike total 90 aerow ball s flight path 
football	460	but corporate communications manager simon charlesworth told bbc sport   there s some minor criticism which i think have been slightly exaggerated 
football	460	 overall everything i ve heard has been very positive 
football	460	the ball is more accurate if anything 
football	460	  arsenal pair jens lehmann and manuel almunia  liverpool s jerzy dudek and manchester united s roy carroll have been criticised for recent errors 
football	460	clemence  who played for england 61 times  believes the ball is partly to blame 
football	460	 i certainly feel the ball is a major factor in mistakes happening   he told the daily mail newspaper 
football	460	 but you will always get the very best keeper making the odd error and  of course  they are always highlighted 
football	460	  wilson  who kept goal in arsenal s double winning team in the 1970s  says papa bouba diop s goal for fulham against manchester united in midweek highlighted the problem 
football	460	he said   we are not talking here about the ability of a david beckham or a roberto carlos to actually bend the ball but lads who just welly it for goal 
football	460	 the ball now goes either to the right or left  or up  or down  and there s no way you can judge which way it will go 
football	460	 but charlesworth says the ball   which is also used in the spanish top flight   is one of the most accurate on the market 
football	460	he added   at the beginning of the season the ball was presented to every manager and as many players as we could reach 
football	460	the majority have been very happy to use it 
football	460	 the ball has been designed with three things in mind   making it faster  more accurate and more visible   and all of that in order to bring more excitement to the game 
football	460	 it s truer  we ve tried to make it as round as possible 
football	460	with old balls the technology didn t allow you to do what you can do now 
football	460	 you might have had weight over to one side  you might have seaming  the bladder might have not sat in the right way so you could hit one half of the ball and it would do crazy things in the air 
football	460	 the idea here is we ve created everything perfectly even across the circumference of the ball 
football	460	 it may be that skilled players are able to create things they intended to do easier 
football	460	 this is where it s getting difficult because people are saying it moved in the air 
football	460	 it s not the fault of the ball  it s how the player has kicked the ball  to make it move in the air because it s a truer ball and it allows you to do that 
football	460	 it might be that they are intending that 
football	460	it certainly doesn t move around like a remote control bumble bee or something 
football	460	it goes the way it is kicked 
football	460	  
football	461	petit career ended by knee injuryformer france midfielder emmanuel petit has ended his playing career after failing to recover from knee surgery 
football	461	the 34 year old ex arsenal and chelsea star made the decision before christmas after realising he would never regain full fitness 
football	461	he told french newspaper l equipe   i knew straight away it was over 
football	461	twenty years of your life come to a stop 
football	461	it s like a small death 
football	461	  petit had not played since being released by chelsea last summer 
football	461	a key member of the france side that won the 1998 world cup  petit scored the last goal in their 3 0 victory over brazil in the final 
football	461	he won the french league title with monaco in 1997  and the premiership and fa cup double with arsenal in 1998 
football	461	arsene wenger invited him back to train with the gunners earlier this season  and at one stage considered giving him a contract 
football	461	 globally i m very proud of my career   petit added 
football	461	 my only regret is having to put an end to my career because of an injury like marco van basten or glenn hoddle 
football	461	  wenger said on friday   i think it is a wise decision because he is in a situation where he couldn t come back to a level where he was 
football	461	 i know manu well enough   because i gave him his start when he was 18 years old   to know that he s too proud to walk on the pitch and be the shadow of the player he was 
football	461	 somebody asked me today whether i would be looking to bring in a player of his stature and i replied that you don t find players of his quality available in january 
football	461	  wenger  who brought petit to england from his former club monaco in 1997  added   he was fantastic 
football	461	i feel his home is at arsenal football club 
football	461	 we were lucky at arsenal to have petit at the peak of the career 
football	461	he was a tremendous player 
football	461	  
football	462	tapping up row is so much hot airthe big talking point of the week is the issue of making illegal approaches or  tapping up  a player 
football	462	as usual  the issue is probably blown out of proportion  but i don t think anyone in football will deny there is a problem with the rules as they apply to recruiting players 
football	462	i read somewhere at the weekend that they did a straw poll and questioned every player at a particular club as to how he got there 
football	462	just about every one said the first approach was through their agent  or a third party or somebody involved with the club 
football	462	on that basis  under the rules as they stand  they all got there illegally 
football	462	that s the name of the game these days  i m afraid 
football	462	not that i have ever tapped a player up   i wouldn t dream of it  i know there is a school of thought that says the rules that apply in football just wouldn t be tolerated in the outside business world 
football	462	in business  if you want to change jobs  you can simply go and have a chat with another prospective employer 
football	462	but in football you re not allowed to do that 
football	462	football does have strange anomalies 
football	462	for example  the game has a disciplinary procedure where there is no evidence but you can still find yourself in trouble 
football	462	it s the sort of thing that wouldn t happen in a court of law 
football	462	compared to the outside world  football does have some very restrictive practices  and a lot of them have to be looked at  but if you want to be part of it  you have to adhere to the rules 
football	462	you try and do things the right way  but it s like buying a house 
football	462	if you do things properly and play by the rules you ll find yourself gazumped 
football	462	but i don t think the tapping situation is as bad as people say  a lot of it is hot air 
football	462	by its very nature  the only people who would be approached are the top players who are in demand anyway 
football	462	i don t think you would find too many approaches being made to bad players 
football	462	the championship is building up to an exciting climax  and in beating us 2 0 last week  ipswich gave signs of what a good team they are 
football	462	i think a place in the top two is beyond our reach  but any one of 11 teams could make the play offs and there are still 15 games to go 
football	462	of course the play offs are exciting for fans  but they re not great for the heart rates of managers 
football	462	i think i ve been involved in five play off finals now and they should really come with a government health warning 
football	462	ideally  you wouldn t want to be involved in the play offs  and the way to do that is to finish in the top two  but i think that is beyond us now 
football	462	we ve got a decent run in  we re still trying to strengthen the squad and by the time the next league game comes round i would hope we ve got somebody in 
football	462	but that brings me on to another matter  and the fact that the next game is more than a week away because of international matches 
football	462	you re always concerned about your players getting injured and some clubs withdraw their players more than others 
football	462	i always try and let our players go out for international games   it keeps them happy 
football	462	but the other thorny issue with internationals is that of wages 
football	462	i think that while players are on international duty  their wages should be paid by their countries 
football	462	sometimes  they can be away for a week or more  but the clubs still have to find their wages  even though the player is denied to them for that period of time 
football	462	of course  if a player is injured while on international duty  it s the clubs who have to pay his wages while he s out of action and recovering 
football	462	i think the associations of the country involved should bear some share of the responsibility 
football	463	premier league probes cole claimsthe premier league is to investigate allegations that chelsea made an illegal approach for ashley cole 
football	463	arsenal and england defender cole reportedly met blues boss jose mourinho and chief executive peter kenyon in a london hotel 10 days ago 
football	463	chelsea have yet to officially confirm or deny the meeting  which would be in breach of premier league rule k3 
football	463	now the gunners have asked for an inquiry to look into claims that their player has been  tapped up  
football	463	the premier league says it will look into  further information  concerning the allegations  which it received from the news of the world on saturday 
football	463	both clubs have pledged to co operate with the inquiry 
football	463	a statement from chelsea read   chelsea can confirm it has been in discussions with the premier league over the last few days and we will be co operating fully with the inquiry announced today 
football	463	 it would be inappropiate to make any further comment until the inquiry is completed 
football	463	  the premier league s statement confirmed arsenal had asked for the matter to be investigated 
football	463	it read   the board is finally able to establish a clear position from arsenal and is grateful for chairman peter hill wood s confirmation that his club want the premier league to investigate the matter and that they will co operate fully with any inquiry 
football	463	 the board is also pleased that chelsea have given a similar undertaking 
football	463	  gunners vice chairman david dein has voiced concern at chelsea s stance on the issue  and told the news of the world   from the evidence i have seen so far there is a huge credibility gap 
football	463	 if chelsea are found guilty of an illegal approach  they could be deducted points   although arsenal boss arsene wenger has said he would be opposed to this 
football	463	aston villa were recently given a reprimand by the premier league after southampton complained about an approach to james beattie earlier in the season 
football	463	chelsea boss jose mourinho  speaking after his side s draw with manchester city on sunday  insisted he is not worried about the inquiry or its outcome 
football	463	 to me  the effect is zero   he said 
football	463	 i know nothing about it and i don t want to know about it 
football	463	i m not worried about it 
football	463	my life is the same  trying to enjoy my work and my life 
football	463	  meanwhile  everton boss david moyes told bbc radio five live that stopping clubs from approaching players via their agents would be difficult 
football	463	 it s part of football and will be very hard to change 
football	463	it does happen a lot   he told bbc radio five live s sportsweek programme 
football	463	 it should be manager to manager or chairman to chairman but the way modern football has gone i don t think that happens 
football	463	 there is a way the player gets got to but that is part of football 
football	463	i don t think it is right but that is the way it works 
football	463	  
football	464	eriksson warned on cole commentspremier league bosses have told england manager sven goran eriksson to keep out of the  tapping up  row 
football	464	eriksson defended players  rights to talk to other clubs following allegations that arsenal s ashley cole had a secret meeting with chelsea 
football	464	but a premier league spokesman said the rules are very clear on the subject 
football	464	he said   a professional footballer under contract doesn t have the right to speak to another club without the permission of his current employer 
football	464	  the spokesman added   the premier league rules are clear on that 
football	464	there is an ongoing inquiry into this matter and if it is proven that the rules have been broken then the guilty parties are liable to be punished 
football	464	 the premier league is set to investigate whether chelsea held a secret meeting with the arsenal defender last month 
football	464	eriksson earlier said he was unconcerned if reports that chelsea made an illegal approach prove to be true 
football	464	he said   as a professional footballer it must be your right to listen if some other work is available 
football	464	 we don t live in a dictatorship  we re in a democracy 
football	464	it s the same in other professions but normally no problem 
football	464	 he added   loyalty is important but contracts end and that is life in football 
football	464	  but former england boss graham taylor believes eriksson should not get embroiled in the club issues 
football	464	taylor told bbc radio five live   i found that when i was england manager  it was somewhat unwise to get yourself involved in club matters and i don t think the club managers will take too kindly to sven s comments 
football	464	  eriksson was himself embroiled in controversy in similar circumstances when he was caught secretly meeting chelsea chief executive peter kenyon in march 2004 
football	464	he then agreed a contract extension on improved terms with the football association and insisted he had done nothing wrong 
football	464	at the time he argued   i think that i have human rights to listen to other clubs 
football	464	you can never convince me i shouldn t have that right 
football	464	i haven t let anyone down by listening to anyone else 
football	464	 i never ever talked about money or a contract to any club 
football	464	i only ever talked about whether there were possibilities if i left the fa 
football	464	 i think that i have the right to do that 
football	464	i think that should be allowed  even if you are england manager 
football	464	it is common sense and a normal work ethic 
football	464	 if some people think that s disloyal  i m sorry about that 
football	464	but to have this job is not just about sitting there  year after year  waiting to be sacked 
football	464	  
football	465	ronaldinho would consider chelseabarcelona star ronaldinho has hinted that he could be open to a move to chelsea in future 
football	465	the brazilian claimed he rejected an offer from the blues before agreeing a new contract in spain last summer 
football	465	but ronaldinho told the news of the world   any great player would want to be part of such a sensational team 
football	465	 what they are doing is amazing 
football	465	it is a place where great things are going to happen 
football	465	i respect them a lot and can maybe see myself in london one day 
football	465	  the 24 year old has helped transform barcelona since joining from french side paris st germain for £21m in 2003 
football	465	and while he insists he is happy in spain at the moment  he has been impressed with how things have developed at stamford bridge 
football	465	 my brother  who is also my agent  roberto assis   has spoken to me about chelsea many times   he said 
football	465	 i had a chance to move to them before i came to barcelona but at that time  even though they offered more money  i was not interested 
football	465	 but i have seen since that chelsea have a great infrastructure 
football	465	 i am happy in barcelona but i cannot rule out playing in another country in the future 
football	465	i would love to play in england to prove that technical players can succeed there 
football	465	  
football	466	pennant guilty of wasting talenthad jermaine pennant fulfilled the enormous potential that convinced arsenal to pay notts county £2m for the 16 year old in january 1999  his fall from grace might have registered more than a blip on football s richter scale 
football	466	but the nottingham born winger has repeatedly failed to grasp the opportunities presented to him by the gunners  so much so that it is inevitable the club will release him when his contract expires in the summer 
football	466	pennant effectively blew his chances of ever making it at highbury by upsetting the club s normally unflappable manager arsene wenger  who finally lost patience with the player s poor timekeeping 
football	466	now  after being caught drink driving for the second time in 12 months  pennant no longer has to worry about whether he makes it to training on schedule 
football	466	aged 22  there is no doubt pennant still has time to resurrect his career when he is freed this summer 
football	466	compare his fate with that of west bromwich albion striker lee hughes  who will be 34 by the time he has served his six year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving 
football	466	pennant may even find himself back at birmingham city  the club who handed him a lifeline when it became clear his arsenal career was well and truly over 
football	466	blues manager steve bruce apparently saw enough in pennant in the month he was at st andrews to issue an empassioned plea for leniency ahead of sentencing  claiming he had finally turned the corner 
football	466	 we ve got him in a flat up here  we ve got him away from the distractions of london  we ve had someone with him for the best part of every day and 
football	466	done everything we can to try and put him on the straight and narrow   bruce said ahead of tuesday s court hearing 
football	466	 he s done wrong and we ve all done stupid things when we were younger and he admits that now 
football	466	 you can t describe how stupid he has been but as long as he learns from it  i don t think there is going to be any benefit from sending him to prison 
football	466	  the judge apparently disagreed 
football	466	birmingham chairman david gold said last month he would still be keen to sign pennant even if the 22 year old got a custodial sentence 
football	466	but wherever pennant ends up  talk will not be of his potential but whether he can steer clear of trouble off the pitch 
football	466	pennant has insisted in the past that he does not have an attitude problem 
football	466	but this is a player who  as well as failing to turn up to training on time  has been   caught driving under the influence of alcohol twice     sent home by england after breaking a team curfew before a euro under 21 qualifier against turkey in april 2003     and been sent off in an u 21 friendly against croatia in august of the same year for punching an opponent  although he claimed he was racially abused 
football	466	pennant s supporters may claim that too much fame and money at an early age are in some way to blame for his lapses in judgment 
football	466	during his sentencing  his lawyer barry warburton told the court pennant had never been in trouble during a difficult childhood in nottingham  despite growing up on  one of the worst estates  in the city 
football	466	he had only  intermittent  schooling and when he arrived at arsenal  had very little reading and writing skills  
football	466	 they in fact educated him   said mr warburton  who had claimed imprisonment  could completely destroy his career  
football	466	but his childhood aside  pennant knows he has been treading a fine line for some time 
football	466	he has publicly stated on numerous occasions that he is grateful to wenger and arsenal for their faith in him 
football	466	yet he continues to spurn the chances that are given him 
football	466	it all looked so good for pennant when he scored a 10 minute hat trick against southampton on his full league debut for arsenal in may 2003 
football	466	yet his wayward behaviour coupled with his inability to displace robert pires from the gunners first team mean he is a talent quickly disappearing over the footballing horizon 
football	466	whether he vanishes completely is down to him 
football	466	as professional footballers  association chief executive gordon taylor puts it  pennant is now at a  crossroads in his career  
football	466	 i hope he has got the strength to come out of this and be better for it   said taylor 
football	467	mourinho says race is almost overchelsea manager jose mourinho has said that his high flying team are now virtually assured of winning their first premiership title 
football	467	mourinho s side have lost just once in the premiership  boast a 10 point lead over arsenal and are a further point clear of manchester united 
football	467	 there is so much ground for the teams chasing us to make up   mourinho told chelsea tv 
football	467	 if it goes from 10 to 12 or 13 points then maybe it will be over 
football	467	  mourinho continued   could you ever imagine that with all the new players and a new coach we could be 10 clear at this stage   of course 10 points is 10 points  it is better than seven and it is better than five 
football	467	 but if one day we lose a game or two points and the gap goes from 10 to seven or eight  we are ready to accept it as natural and keep going  controlling the distance 
football	467	  mourinho took over as chelsea manager last summer after guiding porto to champions league glory as well as the portuguese league title 
football	467	chelsea have conceded just eight goals in 23 premiership games this season and have won their last six games in the league 
football	467	the gap between cheslea and rivals arsenal or manchester united means the blues would have to drop at least 10 points from their remaining 15 games if they are to be caught 
football	468	faye plans to stay at portsmouthportsmouth midfielder amdy faye is keen to stay at fratton park and help keep the club in the premiership 
football	468	the senegalese international has been linked with moves to middlesbrough  aston villa and bolton after hinting at his desire to play european football 
football	468	but faye told the portsmouth evening news   every week there s a new club i m linked with   but i m staying here 
football	468	 i m getting tired of hearing all this talk and i m clear in my mind now that i m staying at portsmouth 
football	468	  faye could well stay after fellow midfielder nigel quashie completed his move to re join former pompey boss harry redknapp at rivals southampton on monday 
football	468	and redknapp may continue to plunder portsmouth s midfield  with claims from fratton park chairman milan mandaric that two top flight clubs are interested in patrik berger 
football	468	although mandaric has refused to name the clubs  southampton are thought to be involved 
football	469	cech sets clean sheet benchmarkchelsea s petr cech set a premiership goalkeeping benchmark with the aid of a penalty save at blackburn 
football	469	cech s save of paul dickov s spot kick in chelsea s 1 0 win means the 22 year old has now gone 781 minutes without conceding a premiershp goal 
football	469	that surpasses the previous mark of 694 minutes  set by manchester united s peter schmeichel in 1997 
football	469	the czech republic international said   the team has been fantastic and i wanted to do my bit to help them win 
football	469	  cech joined chelsea last summer for £7m from french club rennes  and on first arriving at stamford bridge  was thought to be an understudy to the established carlo cudicini 
football	469	but chelsea boss jose mourinho had confidence to name the czech international as his starting goalkeeper and cech began as he intended to continue with a clean sheet in the blues  opening day win over manchester united 
football	469	cech has kept a clean sheet in 19 of chelsea s 25 premiership games  and only bolton and arsenal have managed to put more than one goal past him in a match 
football	469	the last player to score past cech in the premiership was arsenal s thierry henry in the 2 2 draw on 12 december 
football	470	blackburn 0 1 chelseachelsea extended their lead at the top of the premiership to 11 points with a slender victory away at blackburn 
football	470	arjen robben grabbed the winner after five minutes  drilling under the body of brad friedel from 20 yards 
football	470	blackburn had their chance to equalise from the spot when paulo ferreira tripped robbie savage but petr cech saved brilliantly from paul dickov 
football	470	the game also saw cech break peter schmeichel s record for the longest run without conceding a premiership goal 
football	470	the 22 year old had only to survive four minutes to hold the record outright and by the time the whistle had gone he had extended it to 781 minutes 
football	470	it was a lively start for the runaway leaders  with robben and damien duff immediately testing the home defence with their blistering pace down the flanks 
football	470	it was dutch destroyer robben who made the early breakthrough  latching on to an eidur gudjohnsen header to turn ryan nelson inside out and fire under the body of friedel from 20 yards 
football	470	blackburn took their frustration at conceding out on robben  aaron mokoena s clumsy tackle forcing him off after just 10 minutes  the goalscorer cutting a dejected figure as he trudged off the pitch and down the tunnel 
football	470	but with joe cole on in his place the blues did not take their foot off the gas  duff hitting a rocket that forced friedel to scamper across his line and clutch the ball gratefully to his chest 
football	470	blackburn eventually awoke from their slumber with mokoena drilling over and andy todd heading wide before savage went close twice in a minute  the second a blistering strike that whistled wide with cech well beaten 
football	470	on the hour mark the hosts got the perfect opportunity to level  referee uriah rennie pointing to the spot after ferreira was adjudged to have clipped savage s legs in the box 
football	470	but cech was more than equal to dickov s low spot kick  sprawling away to get his giant left hand in the way and extend his record further in the process 
football	470	dickov was caught up in controversy after the chelsea defenders were unhappy with him twice leaving his foot in on cech   once after the penalty   and dominic matteo was booked for a reckless lunge on cole as blackburn threatened to lose their discipline 
football	470	chelsea looked comfortable after the break  settling for soaking up blackburn pressure and hitting their hosts on the counter attack 
football	470	cole and frank lampard both saw efforts fly wide as chelsea sought to extend their slender advantage  though in truth their rock solid defence never looked like being breached 
football	470	dickov continued to pester and probe and search for anything resembling an opening  but blackburn were simply not up to the task of penetrating a defence that has now shipped just eight goals in 25 league games 
football	470	indeed after a relatively quiet game it was gudjohnsen who sprang to life as the clock ticked down  first lifting a shot over friedel and wide and then volleying past the post 
football	470	dickov hit a low effort that forced cech to comfortably gather but chelsea held on to record their eighth premiership win in a row 
football	470	friedel  neill  todd  nelsen  matteo  emerton  thompson  reid 81   mokoena  savage  pedersen  dickov 
football	470	subs not used  amoruso  tugay  enckelman  johnson 
football	470	matteo  dickov 
football	470	cech  paulo ferreira  gallas  terry  bridge  tiago  makelele  lampard  duff  gudjohnsen  kezman 82   robben  cole 11   cole  jarosik 79  
football	470	subs not used  johnson  cudicini 
football	470	terry  kezman 
football	470	robben number 414 
football	470	u rennie  s yorkshire  
football	471	man city 1 1 newcastlealan shearer hit his 250th premiership goal to help newcastle earn a battling draw against manchester city 
football	471	shearer put newcastle ahead when he raced on to a raking crossfield ball from titus bramble and smashed the ball into the roof of the net 
football	471	city were inept early on but levelled after the break when bramble fouled shaun wright phillips in the box and robbie fowler scored from the spot 
football	471	the home side controlled the closing stages but had to settle for a point 
football	471	city had handed a debut to loan signing kiki musampa on the left hand of midfield  while bramble was recalled to the newcastle defence after jean alain boumsong failed a late fitness test 
football	471	neither side had created anything in front of goal before the magpies took the lead with nine minutes gone 
football	471	bramble s long ball caught out ben thatcher  and shearer ran clear to smash the ball past david james and into the roof of the net 
football	471	shearer was involved again soon after as shola ameobi came close to making it 2 0 with a curling effort from the edge of the box which flew just over 
football	471	the magpies were well on top and city did not manage an effort on goal until jon macken sent a looping near post header high and wide of the target from thatcher s cross on 28 minutes 
football	471	kevin keegan s men had been struggling when going forward but they were almost gifted a bizarre equaliser before the break when shay given completely mis kicked a jermaine jenas back pass and only just managed to recover and clear 
football	471	city desperately needed to start the second half with a bang   and they got the break they needed within four minutes 
football	471	macken s clever flick released wright phillips and all bramble could do was haul him down in the box 
football	471	referee andy d urso had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and fowler stepped up to stroke the ball confidently home 
football	471	that gave city the boost they craved and they pressed forward looking for a second goal 
football	471	the tide had turned after newcastle s earlier dominance and graeme souness responded by bringing on nicky butt for kieron dyer to try to increase his side s resilience 
football	471	but despite city enjoying the lion s share of possession the magpies were still threatening   bramble going close with a snapshot from just inside the area 
football	471	by the end the torrential rain had made conditions treacherous and both sides were struggling to keep hold of the ball 
football	471	there was still time for celestine babayaro to break into the box but he mis controlled and newcastle s final chance of snatching victory had gone 
football	471	  manchester city manager kevin keegan   at half time i told the players we needed to up our tempo 
football	471	we needed to get the crowd going and show we wanted to win the game 
football	471	 we started the second half well and at the end we were the side going to win 
football	471	 we would have lost this game last year but we found it within ourselves to get something out of it 
football	471	     newcastle manager graeme souness on his hopes to persuade alan shearer not to retire in the summer   he is a great example and i have not given up hope 
football	471	 put it this way 
football	471	it will be an easier decision for him if he scores every week as he is now only 14 away from jackie milburn s club record  of 186  
football	471	 he has now scored 250 premiership goals in a career where he has suffered two very serious injuries 
football	471	without those you could have been talking somewhere in the region of 300 
football	471	  man city  james  mills  dunne  distin  thatcher  shaun wright phillips  barton  bosvelt  musampa  fowler  macken  bradley wright phillips 84  
football	471	subs not used  weaver  onuoha  mcmanaman  jordan 
football	471	booked  distin  bosvelt 
football	471	goals  fowler 49 pen 
football	471	newcastle  given  carr  andrew o brien  bramble  babayaro  bowyer  dyer  butt 63   jenas  faye  shearer  ameobi  kluivert 65  
football	471	subs not used  harper  hughes  robert 
football	471	booked  jenas  bowyer  andrew o brien 
football	471	goals  shearer 9 
football	471	att  45 752 ref  a d urso  essex  
football	472	tanzania gets fifa backingfifa is to give financial support to tanzania in order to revive football in the country after years of mismanagement 
football	472	this follows a meeting between officials of the tanzania football federation  tff  and the president of fifa  sepp blatter last week in switzerland 
football	472	the tff president leodegar tenga said on wednesday that fifa has promised them an immediate donation of office equipment worth us 10 000 and us 17 705 cash 
football	472	tenga said that the money would be used to settle part of the debt owed to caf 
football	472	african football s governing body has threatened to disqualify the taifa stars from its competitions 
football	472	tanzania have failed to pay fines imposed on them following their withdrawal from the african cup of nations qualifier against sudan in 2003 
football	472	tenga said that fifa has also offered to organize courses for tanzanian referees and support development programmes 
football	472	a full time chief executive officer  ceo  will be employed in order to draw up a development programme which will also be funded by fifa 
football	472	 we will employ a ceo in the near future who will implement our short and long term development programmes   tenga said 
football	472	 fifa has promised to help us in all our programmes which are geared to revive the football in tanzania 
football	472	  the tenga led tff leadership came into office last year ending the long reign of muhidin ndolanga 
football	473	charlton 1 2 liverpoolfernando morientes grabbed his first premiership goal as liverpool earned all three points at charlton with a vintage second half display 
football	473	inspired by former anfield ace danny murphy  the hosts took a deserved first half lead  murphy swinging in a corner for shaun bartlett to head home 
football	473	but liverpool  who had struck the bar twice  hit back when spaniard morientes rifled in from 20 yards out 
football	473	john arne riise slotted the winner after a neat pass from luis garcia 
football	473	the teams started with virtually identical league records and there was little to separate them on the pitch early on 
football	473	liverpool where unlucky not to score when a garcia shot was spilled by dean kiely into the path steven gerrard  whose shot bounced back off the crossbar 
football	473	but then the hosts went in front  murphy s 20th minute corner headed home powerfully by bartlett 
football	473	gerrard forced a sharp save from kiely shortly afterwards as liverpool looked to redress the balance 
football	473	and the visiting captain almost set up an equaliser when he cut a clever cross back to morientes  who saw his shot saved from two yards out 
football	473	the visitors continued to press forward on the restart 
football	473	and riise came within inches of the breakthrough when he latched onto a superb ball from garcia and hit a rasping drive  which kiely tipped on to the charlton bar 
football	473	morientes finally found the back of the net when he buried a left foot shot into the top corner after charlton had failed to clear 
football	473	djimi traore had to time his challenge well to deny murphy an instant reply 
football	473	but liverpool were in the ascendancy now  with morientes causing plenty of problems 
football	473	the spaniard went close himself  before releasing riise  who cooly finished with a trademark low drive 
football	473	morientes departed to great ovation from the visiting fans  as charlton s biggest home attendance for 10 years tasted disappointment 
football	473	  liverpool boss rafael benitez   we played a very good game with a high tempo and lots of confidence 
football	473	 we have seen the mentality of the players  the team spirit and the quality we have 
football	473	 i think we had two or three clear chances in the first half but conceded the goal 
football	473	in the second half we controlled the game 
football	473	     charlton boss alan curbishley   in the first half it was quite even but the second half they totally dominated and looked such a strong side 
football	473	 we played on saturday while they  191 ve had a week s rest but you have got to get on with it 
football	473	 i m really disappointed because if we d held out for a draw it would have been a great bonus for us 
football	473	  charlton  kiely  young  fortune  el karkouri  hreidarsson  thomas  kishishev 59   murphy  holland  jeffers 77   hughes  euell 66   konchesky  bartlett 
football	473	subs not used  andersen  johansson 
football	473	goals  bartlett 20 
football	473	liverpool  dudek  finnan  carragher  hyypia  traore  luis garcia  potter 90   biscan  gerrard  riise  warnock 90   baros  morientes  smicer 88  
football	473	subs not used  pellegrino  carson 
football	473	goals  morientes 61  riise 79 
football	473	att  27 102 
football	473	ref  n barry  n lincolnshire  
football	474	mourinho sends out warning shotchelsea boss jose mourinho believes his team s carling cup win over manchester united has shown they have the strength to win the premiership 
football	474	 it was important for us  not because we got into a final  but also the way we played   he said 
football	474	 the mentality and the strength we showed here was a message we sent 
football	474	 it is still difficult  we still have to win 11 matches to be champions but we have left a message here that we are really strong 
football	474	  chelsea gave their manager a win on his 42nd birthday but mourinho was prepared for a possible loss at old trafford 
football	474	but the blues are still on course for a four pronged trophy assault as they are leading the premiership title race and are in the fa cup and champions league 
football	474	 we can win four  we can lose four  but it would be normal to win something 
football	474	to win the four is very  very difficult but it is still possible 
football	474	 there is a long way to do it but if you could give me the premiership i would be very happy 
football	474	 this is just the final though  we have not won the competition and we have to now face another great team in liverpool 
football	474	   i was ready to lose the game and leave old trafford with a smile just to pass a message of confidence 
football	474	 but my team would never lose their confidence or mentality just because of a defeat here 
football	474	  
football	475	o driscoll concern at fifa rulingbournemouth boss sean o driscoll is concerned at the impact that the transfer window system could make  if it is applied to football league clubs next season 
football	475	the league was recently informed by fifa that its 72 clubs would no longer receive any further dispensation to trade players outside the world governing body s transfer windows after the end of the current campaign 
football	475	the matter will now be discussed at the next meeting of all clubs on 10 march   when a league working party set up to consider the implications of fifa s decision is set to report back 
football	475	the clubs will then decide on the next step to take  league communications executive ian christon confirmed 
football	475	if it is applied to the football league  o driscoll feels the fifa imposed system could harm the chances for young players at premiership clubs to gain experience in the lower leagues 
football	475	when injuries have struck  o driscoll has used the short term loan market to bolster his small squad   a move which is not possible under the  window  ruling which currently just applies to the premiership  and prevents the transfer of players during the season   except during the month of january 
football	475	 i don t think it benefits anyone in the football industry in england   the cherries boss told bbc sport 
football	475	 we took john spicer from arsenal this season  while  last saturday s opponents  oldham have taken a few  including neil kilkenny from birmingham 
football	475	 kilkenny looks a really good player but was never going to play in the premiership  so where will these players go  if you don t have the finance to buy them  they get stuck in the reserves 
football	475	 i watch an awful lot of reserve team games  and you can tell the players who have been there too long  as it doesn t motivate them and they go through the motions 
football	475	 it becomes extremely difficult to try and pick them  as you think  if i get him out of there  could he cope in the football league     so it doesn t benefit the big clubs  and doesn t benefit the small clubs 
football	475	 we ve got to come in line with the rest of europe  but it ll cause us major problems as we live on a knife edge 
football	475	  however  o driscoll accepts that with the loan market blocked  clubs such as bournemouth will have to look to their own youth ranks when injuries begin to bite 
football	475	 the better youth systems will play an important part  and you ll have even younger boys being part of the first team squad   he explained 
football	475	 we ve got two 17 year olds in our squad who ve come through the youth system  james coutts and james rowe  and i m sure we ll have four or five next year   just so they can train with the first team 
football	475	 next year  if needed  you re going to have to throw them in   even if you have the finance to bring in a loan player  you won t be allowed 
football	475	 i think there will be a mad scramble  come the end of the transfer window  to strengthen squads 
football	475	  
football	476	morientes admits to reds struggleliverpool striker fernando morientes has admited he is struggling to adapt to life in the premiership 
football	476	the spain interational has played twice for the club  losing both times  since his £numberm move from real madrid 
football	476	 i am finding it hard to adapt but i am better now   the 28 year old told marca newspaper 
football	476	 it s surprising when you see things you are not used to 
football	476	 i am starting to get to know things  and my wife is looking for a house and a school for the kids 
football	476	  morientes admitted his difficulty with the english language  worries me  but that having a spanish manager in rafael benitez has helped his cause 
football	476	 i can understand everything and that is a relief   he said 
football	476	despite his concerns  he said he was relishing the move and said there was a  certain magic  about anfield  which was far calmer than the bernabeu 
football	476	since his arrival  liverpool have lost 1 0 to manchester united and 2 0 southampton in the league  while he watched from the bench as burnley knocked them out of the fa cup 
football	476	but he expects both the manager and the players to turn things around 
football	476	 the team has had a lot of changes and injuries and that is a handicap when you are looking for results but i am confident we will go a long way   he said 
football	476	 when you sign a coach like benitez it is to let him work with a long term view and that is what is happening 
football	476	 we are a historic club and fifth in the table but that is not a problem 
football	476	the confidence that you get given here is incredible 
football	476	  
football	477	chelsea 3 0 portsmouthdidier drogba scored twice as leaders chelsea extended their premiership winning sequence to seven games 
football	477	petr cech saved from matthew taylor before chelsea took control with drogba opening the scoring from short range after a neat cutback from arjen robben 
football	477	frank lampard s superb pass put robben through for the second before yakubu missed a great chance for pompey 
football	477	drogba scored the third with a free kick while substitute mateja kezman was inches from a fourth 
football	477	chelsea have not dropped a point in the premiership since drawing 2 2 at arsenal on 12 december and are moving inexorably towards their first premiership title 
football	477	with arsenal not in action until sunday  chelsea lead manchester united  who moved into second by beating aston villa  by 11 points 
football	477	but portsmouth are on a poor run of form  with just three wins in 11 premiership games under velimir zajec 
football	477	pompey went into the game without the suspended amdy faye and lomana lualua and injured duo steve stone and andy griffin 
football	477	but the visitors started well  dominating possession in the opening minutes while their esteemed opponents seemed uncharacteristically sluggish 
football	477	patrik berger struck the chelsea wall with a free kick and taylor forced cech in action with a drilled shot from a tight angle 
football	477	but chelsea soon started to assert themselves on the contest with crisp  incisive passing that pompey struggled to contain 
football	477	robben broke down the right and did amazingly well to stay on his feet as he cut inside past gary o neil before drilling a precise low cross for drogba to tap home 
football	477	the superb robben  21 on sunday  scored chelsea s second in the 21st minute 
football	477	drogba laid the ball off to frank lampard  whose wonderfully weighted pass caught the pompey defence static 
football	477	robben still had a lot to do and seemed to lose his balance after rounding jamie ashdown but kept on his feet to convert from a very tight angle 
football	477	damien duff came close to a third just before the half hour mark but ashdown saved low down 
football	477	yakubu had a great chance to bring pompey back into the match but shot just wide when clean through after frank lampard s poor pass had sold terry short 
football	477	and his failure to put the opportunity away was clinically punished by drogba  who struck a free kick over the wall and past ashdown after david unsworth hacked robben to the ground 
football	477	o neil forced cech into action with a free kick after the break but the keeper was equal to the test 
football	477	both drogba and joe cole scuffed opportunities to extend their lead after a teasing cross from duff 
football	477	drogba went down under a challenge from dejan stefanovic but appeals for a penalty were waved away by referee mike riley 
football	477	mourinho introduced eidur gudjohnsen  tiago and mateja kezman   the latter coming within inches of scoring after drilling the ball across ashdown s goal 
football	477	lampard almost made it four close to full time but ashdown   at the second attempt   saved lampard s dipping strike 
football	477	cech  paulo ferreira  gallas  terry  bridge  lampard  makelele  cole  robben  kezman 75   drogba  gudjohnsen 65   duff  tiago 67  
football	477	subs not used  cudicini  jarosik 
football	477	drogba 15  robben 21  drogba 39 
football	477	ashdown  cisse  primus  stefanovic  unsworth  mezague 54   kamara  o neil  hughes  taylor  berger  yakubu  fuller 65  
football	477	subs not used  hislop  de zeeuw  curtis 
football	477	42 267m riley  w yorkshire  
football	478	worthington praises classy villanorwich boss nigel worthington said his side s defeat to aston villa emphasised the gap in quality between the premiership and the championship 
football	478	 i thought the villa performance today was very good 
football	478	i think it comes down to the quality   he said 
football	478	 the jump from the first division into this level is a hefty leap 
football	478	we re learning all the time 
football	478	 villa s second goal summed it up 
football	478	we are on the attack  then robert green s picking it out at the other end 
football	478	  worthington said he was happy with the performance of england under 21 striker dean ashton on his premiership debut after his £3m move from crewe 
football	478	 it was very difficult for him but i thought he did exceptionally well   he said 
football	478	 he got hold of the ball and got shots in  which we ve been shy on  so that s a big plus 
football	478	it s his first premiership game and he will find it a big step 
football	478	 we ve got to give him time and be patient with him because i know  and he knows  there is a quality footballer in there 
football	478	 once he gets attuned to the premiership he will be one to watch 
football	478	  
football	479	plymouth 3 0 sheff utdplymouth claimed their first win of the year with goals from graham coughlan  paul wotton and dexter blackstock 
football	479	however  sheffield united s cause was not helped when they were forced to replace injured keeper paddy kenny with midfielder phil jagielka on 28 minutes 
football	479	by that stage the visitors were already one down  coughlan converting tony capaldi s cross with a fierce volley 
football	479	wotton beat jagielka from 25 yards out after the break before blackstock headed home peter gilbert s cross 
football	479	  plymouth manager bobby williamson said   we had our luck tonight because their keeper got injured which was unfortunate for them 
football	479	 but we d also got an early goal while he was on and that lifted everybody 
football	479	 i m delighted that we bounced back from saturday and our heavy defeat at west ham and that our sequence without a win is now over 
football	479	     sheffield united boss neil warnock said   we expected a tough match and it wasn t pretty 
football	479	 plymouth are fighting for their lives  and we knew they would come at us from the off and then to lose your goalkeeper is a blow to any team 
football	479	 we hung on till half time but plymouth scored early in the second half 
football	479	  plymouth  mccormick  connolly  coughlan  aljofree  gilbert  norris  wotton  buzsaky  capaldi  chadwick  evans  blackstock 82  
football	479	subs not used  lasley  gudjonsson  adams  taylor 
football	479	booked  wotton 
football	479	goals  coughlan 3  wotton 47  blackstock 88 
football	479	sheff utd  kenny  thirlwell 28   geary  bromby  jagielka  harley  liddell  tonge  quinn 59   montgomery  cullip  shaw  forte 59   gray 
football	479	subs not used  francis  johnson 
football	479	booked  tonge  quinn 
football	479	att  13 953 
football	479	ref  s tanner  s gloucestershire  
football	480	uganda fa suspendedin a move likely to incur the wrath of fifa  ugandan sports minister geraldine namirembe bitamazire suspended the country s fa with immediate effect on wednesday 
football	480	bitamazire ordered the denis obua led executive committee to hand over all the  movable and immovable property of the federation within two weeks 
football	480	  the uganda fa was due to hold elections next week but the government has called off the poll 
football	480	the minister has instructed the national council of sports  ncs  take over as the interim body as the government conducts an investigation into the affairs of the uganda fa 
football	480	the general secretary of the ncs was also ordered to freeze all accounts of the fa and inform the banks that the leadership of this association has lost the mandate to operate these accounts 
football	480	but the man at the centre of the storm remains defiant  and told bbc sport that the government s move is not in the interest of uganda football 
football	480	 we re only answerable to fifa   said obua  who is also the chairman of east and central africa s regional body  cecafa 
football	480	he added   the world federation doesn t know our government 
football	480	they  government  are banning football in uganda and not obua 
football	480	  a statement from the sports minister s office said  the fa had been operating in a manner that is inconsistent with the law 
football	480	  it accused the uganda fa of mortgaging its headquarters which was constructed using funds donated under the fifa goal project 
football	480	the uganda fa has been beset by financial problems for some time now 
football	480	it recently had its furniture attached by court bailiffs for failure to pay outstanding debts 
football	481	man utd women s team to be axedmanchester united will scrap their women s team once the current season ends  just three months before the north west hosts the women s euro 2005 
football	481	from next season  the club s commitment to women s football will only stretch as far as coaching up to the age of 16 
football	481	 our aim is best served concentrating on youngsters   said club director of communications philip townsend 
football	481	 our resources are better deployed at the level of school age children rather than adults 
football	481	  football association vice chairman ray kiddell  who heads the fa women s football committee  greeted the news with dismay 
football	481	 it is very disappointing   he said 
football	481	 the progress of women s football can be really helped by professional clubs taking women s teams under their umbrella 
football	481	 it is a blow to the game that a great club like manchester united will no longer be doing this 
football	481	  
football	482	sa supports fifa controlsouth african president thabo mbeki said on thursday the composition of the 2010 world cup local organising committee  loc  would  be left up to fifa  
football	482	in a show of support for the event  mbeki said south african government ministers would also be made available for inclusion on the loc 
football	482	this came after speculation that there was a rift between fifa and the south african football association  safa  over who would serve on the committee 
football	482	mbeki was speaking to the media after fifa president sepp blatter had accepted a prestigious national award   the order of the companions of o 
football	482	r 
football	482	tambo  named after former anc president oliver tambo 
football	482	 the award is being given to fifa for its exceptional contribution to the development of football in africa and its contribution to bringing about south africa s democracy   said president mbeki 
football	482	other recipients of the award include united nations secretary general kofi annan  leading u 
football	482	s 
football	482	civil rights leader martin luther king and kwame nkrumah  the first prime minister of ghana 
football	482	earlier  blatter made it clear that the world cup belonged to fifa and not safa  and expressed his preferences for various people to be in particular positions within football in south africa 
football	482	in response  safa president molefi oliphant confirmed that danny jordaan would be appointed chief executive of the 2010 world cup loc 
football	482	speaking at a press briefing  oliphant said   i said that we would put mr blatter s suggestion to the safa executive and after discussion on the matter it was accepted 
football	482	  the acceptance of blatter s suggestions means oliphant will stand for re election as safa president instead of stepping aside later this year as he had indicated he would 
football	482	blatter said he was delighted with the decision 
football	482	 these are the three men who helped bring the world cup to south africa 
football	482	 it is important that we have continuity   the fifa boss said 
football	482	jordaan   currently chief executive of safa   remained tight lipped on the matter 
football	482	 my opinion is irrelevant   he said 
football	482	 you have heard from the fifa president  you have heard from the safa president and you have heard from the chairman of the loc 
football	482	  
football	483	bayern munich 3 1 arsenalarsenal s champions league hopes hang by a thread after a nightmare performance against bayern munich 
football	483	claudio pizarro took advantage of kolo toure s mistake to volley bayern ahead after only four minutes 
football	483	and pizarro profited from more poor defending by toure to head mehmet scholl s free kick past goalkeeper jens lehmann 12 minutes after half time 
football	483	hasan salihamidzic volleyed a third on 64 minutes  but toure pulled a vital goal back with only two minutes left 
football	483	it salvaged something from a dreadful display by arsene wenger s side  and the fact that they failed to create a serious chance until the final minutes underlines the size of the task they face in the second leg at highbury 
football	483	the gunners were forced to restrict ashley cole to a place on the bench when he failed to recover from a virus   and their problems worsened inside four minutes 
football	483	oliver kahn s long clearance was met by a poor headed clearance by toure  and pizarro met it first time on the volley from 12 yards to give jens lehmann no chance 
football	483	arsenal had failed to make any attacking impact  and they lost another key figure 10 minutes before the interval  when edu limped off with a hamstring injury to be replaced by mathieu flamini 
football	483	their first moment of threat came four minutes before the interval  when gael clichy s shot was deflected narrowly wide with kahn well beaten 
football	483	lehmann  jeered throughout by the bayern crowd because of his bad relationship with germany s number one goalkeeper and arch rival kahn  came to arsenal s rescue after 51 minutes 
football	483	ze roberto s cross was met on the full by roy makaay  and lehmann reacted brilliantly to turn his effort over the top 
football	483	but there was no escape after 57 minutes as bayern doubled their lead  and it was another nightmare moment for toure 
football	483	pizarro lost toure from scholl s free kick and he headed powerfully past lehmann  who had no chance 
football	483	and bayern were out of sight seven minutes later as arsenal s champions league hopes looked to have been extinguished 
football	483	lehmann could only palm out martin demichelis  cross  and salihamidzic finished with a flourish with a side footed volley at the far post 
football	483	but arsenal grabbed at a slender lifeline when toure bundled home from close range after patrick vieira had hit the post 
football	483	kahn  sagnol  kovac  lucio  lizarazu  demichelis  salihamidzic  hargreaves 74   frings  ze roberto  scholl 57   makaay  pizarro  guerrero 68  
football	483	subs not used  rensing  jeremies  linke  schweinsteiger 
football	483	demichelis  kovac 
football	483	pizarro 3  58  salihamidzic 65 
football	483	lehmann  lauren  toure  cygan  clichy  cole 83   ljungberg  van persie 76   vieira  edu  flamini 36   pires  reyes  henry 
football	483	subs not used  almunia  fabregas  senderos  larsson 
football	483	vieira  lauren 
football	483	toure number 000 
football	483	kim milton nielsen  denmark  
football	484	arsenal 1 1 sheff utdandy gray s 90th minute penalty earned sheffield united a deserved fa cup replay against 10 man arsenal 
football	484	robert pires  close range finish looked to have sent the gunners into the quarter finals 
football	484	but referee neale barry pointed to the spot after philippe senderos  handball and gray sent the keeper the wrong way 
football	484	in an incident packed game  arsenal captain dennis bergkamp was controversially sent off in the first half for a shove on danny cullip 
football	484	and cullip subsequently had a headed goal disallowed as united took advantage of a makeshift arsenal team 
football	484	gunners boss arsene wenger  already without sol campbell  ashley cole and edu  opted to rest patrick vieira and thierry henry 
football	484	and while they looked promising going forward  the defence never looked comfortable  particularly against set pieces 
football	484	they suffered an early scare when gray was given a free header but keeper manuel almunia palmed away his attempt at the second opportunity 
football	484	blades boss neil warnock had earmarked bergkamp as arsenal s key man and phil jagielka was charged with keeping a close eye on the dutchman 
football	484	the veteran striker was nonetheless controlling arsenal s attacking play until his departure 
football	484	he came closest to giving arsenal a first half lead when he saw his curling shot brush the top of the net 
football	484	however  his influence was brought to an abrupt end after 35 minutes in an incident which began with a late challenge on cesc fabregas 
football	484	a melee ensued and referee barry picked out bergkamp  who seemed only to push cullip  for punishment  leaving wenger incredulous 
football	484	the controversy continued in a frantic end to the half 
football	484	cullip thought he had put his side ahead when he flicked home leigh bromby s long throw in   but the referee saw a foul 
football	484	the half ended on another sour note when fabregas left nick montgomery motionless with a shocking late tackle 
football	484	fabregas was lucky to escape with just a booking  but montgomery was perhaps luckier to get up from the challenge 
football	484	the second half began in relative calm but burst into life again when reyes was denied a penalty   and seconds later was booked for an ugly challenge on jon harley 
football	484	arsenal looked to have avoided a replay when pires tapped in 12 minutes from the end after united keeper paddy kenny had parried fabregas  shot 
football	484	but senderos handled cullip s hooked shot giving gray the chance to equalise   and he took it with aplomb 
football	484	the replay will be at bramall lane on tuesday 1 march 
football	484	  arsenal boss arsene wenger   the boys responded very well  to bergkamp s sending off  
football	484	 the second half was all us and we had three good chances to score a second goal 
football	484	in the end we got caught 
football	484	 but overall the performance was good 
football	484	the young lads can be very proud 
football	484	     sheffield united manager neil warnock   it is a fantastic result for me personally and the club 
football	484	 it is not very often that you come to a place like this and get the right result 
football	484	it looked like it was going to be a bit cruel 
football	484	 i didn t think we deserved to lose 
football	484	when they scored i think everyone wrote us off but we have got a lot of character in the team 
football	484	  arsenal  almunia  eboue  toure  senderos  clichy  ljungberg  fabregas  flamini  reyes  cygan 86   bergkamp  van persie  pires 65  
football	484	subs not used  taylor  larsson  owusu abeyie 
football	484	sent off  bergkamp  35  
football	484	booked  fabregas  reyes 
football	484	goals  pires 78 
football	484	sheff utd  kenny  harley  montgomery  forte 82   thirlwell  shaw 45   jagielka  liddell  francis 82   bromby  tonge  cullip  geary  gray 
football	484	subs not used  cadamarteri  quinn 
football	484	booked  liddell  thirlwell  cullip 
football	484	goals  gray 90 pen 
football	484	att  36 891 ref  n barry  n lincolnshire  
football	485	crusaders 2 3 ballymena unitedballymena united came back from a goal down to take the daily mirror irish premier league points at seaview despite a late fightback by crusaders 
football	485	darren stirling gave the crues the lead before matthew nolan and then oran kearney put the visitors in front 
football	485	nolan stretched his side s lead with his second goal early in the second half 
football	485	however  crusaders never gave up and chris morrow fired in their second goal but it was too late to retrieve the situation 
football	485	after a dull opening period  the game came alive in the 25th minute when stirling put the crues in front when he fired home a shot from a morrow cross 
football	485	but ballymena stormed back with two goals before the break 
football	485	in the 28th minute the energetic rory hamill floated over a free kick and nolan  the on loan striker from nodded past neil armstrong 
football	485	hamill again was the instigator four minutes later when he threaded through a pass for kearney to latch on to and plant an unstoppable shot into the net 
football	485	ballymena increased their lead six minutes after the restart when nolan pounced on a stevie livingstone deflection to grab his second goal 
football	485	crusaders made sure that ballymena had a nervous final few minutes when morrow darted in to score 
football	486	van nistelrooy hungry for returnmanchester united striker ruud van nistelrooy said he was  hungry to play  as he returned to training on tuesday 
football	486	the dutch striker  28  is closing in on a comeback after nearly three months out with an achilles injury 
football	486	 i can t wait to get back training and meet up with my team mates again   he told the daily mirror newspaper 
football	486	 i m ahead of schedule and i ve made good progress with my physio in holland 
football	486	i have been away from united for a long time  but i m fit again 
football	486	  united boss sir alex ferguson hinted at a return for van nistelrooy in the fa cup fifth round tie at everton on saturday 
football	486	he said   there is a chance he could be involved at everton but we ll just have to see how he comes through training 
football	486	  united did not lose any of the 14 games in which van nistelrooy was involved before his injury   although their form has remained good since he was sidelined 
football	486	their 2 0 derby win at manchester city on sunday made it 13 wins in 15 league games 
football	486	however  van nistelrooy is still the club s top scorer this season with 12 goals  despite being out since the 3 0 win against west brom on 27 november 
football	486	united have also been hit by injuries to both alan smith and louis saha during van nistelrooy s absence  meaning wayne rooney has sometimes had to play in a lone role up front 
football	486	the teenager has responded with six goals in nine games  including the first goal against city on sunday 
football	487	keane defiant over vieira bust upmanchester united captain roy keane has insisted that he does not regret his tunnel bust up with arsenal s patrick vieira   and would do the same again 
football	487	keane clashed with midfield rival vieira before united s 4 2 win in the fiery match at highbury on 1 february 
football	487	the irishman stepped in to protect united defender gary neville  who rowed with vieira before the match 
football	487	 i d had enough of vieira s behaviour and i would do what i did again tomorrow if i had to   said keane 
football	487	keane admitted that neville may also have been at fault over the incident  which added further ill feeling to an already tense atmosphere 
football	487	 it takes two to tango 
football	487	maybe gary deserves to be chased up a tunnel every now and then   there would be a queue for him  probably   he added 
football	487	 but you have to draw a line eventually 
football	487	  keane said the trouble between vieira and neville was more serious than mere name calling 
football	487	 i m usually first out in the tunnel but i had a problem with my shorts and i was maybe fourth or fifth out and by the time i got down i saw vieira getting right into gary neville again   he said 
football	487	 i mean physically as well now 
football	487	i don t mean verbally 
football	487	  
football	488	tartan army given safety pledgescotland fans will be able to watch the world cup qualifier with italy in a safe section of the san siro   thanks to well behaved celtic supporters 
football	488	the scots will sit above the home fans to avoid the shower of missiles which greeted welsh supporters two years ago 
football	488	sfa security boss willie mcdougall said the good conduct of celtic fans earlier this season was a contributing factor 
football	488	 that night  plus the record of the tartan army  meant they  italy chiefs  were willing to accommodate   he said 
football	488	 our fans will be in the second and third tiers but not beneath the italians  which caused so much trouble in that wales match 
football	488	 we will have 10 000 tickets which may extend to 13 000 
football	488	they will be section two and three in the stadium behind the goals 
football	488	  mcdougall told the daily record   we had a meeting on friday and the local police were there along with the national police and members of the italian fa 
football	488	 and they all said how impressed they were with the celtic fans  behaviour during the champions league game against ac milan 
football	488	  
football	489	morocco 5 1 kenyamorocco thrashed kenya 5 1 in a 2006 world cup qualifier on wednesday in rabat 
football	489	the victory sees the atlas lions move to the top of group five with nine points from their five matches so far 
football	489	jaouad zairi was the hero for morocco as he scored hat trick with his first goal coming after just 12 minutes 
football	489	he then doubled the lead six minutes before half time 
football	489	mounir diane made it 3 0 with a goal just a minute into the second half 
football	489	youssouf hadji put the result beyond doubt when he found the target nine minutes before the final whistle 
football	489	zairi completed his hat trick with a goal in the last minute of the match 
football	489	the harambee stars captain musa otieno grabbed a consolation goal for kenya deep into injury time 
rugby	490	hodgson shoulders england blamefly half charlie hodgson admitted his wayward kicking played a big part in england s 18 17 defeat to france 
rugby	490	hodgson failed to convert three penalties and also missed a relatively easy drop goal attempt which would have given england a late win 
rugby	490	 i m very disappointed with the result and with my myself   hodgson said 
rugby	490	 it is very hard to take but it s something i will have to get through and come back stronger 
rugby	490	my training s been good but it just didn t happen 
rugby	490	  hodgson revealed that olly barkley had taken three penalties because they were  out of my range  but the centre could not convert his opportunities either  particularly the drop goal late on 
rugby	490	 it wasn t a good strike   he added 
rugby	490	 i felt as soon as it hit my boot it had missed 
rugby	490	it s very disappointing  but i must recover 
rugby	490	  andy robinson said he would  keep working on the kicking  with his squad 
rugby	490	however  the england coach added that he would take some positives from the defeat 
rugby	490	 we went out to play and played some very good rugby and what have france done   he said 
rugby	490	 they won the game from kicking penalties from our 10m line 
rugby	490	 it s very frustrating 
rugby	490	the lads showed a lot of ambition in the first half  they went out to sustain it in the second but couldn t build on it 
rugby	490	 we took the ball into contact  and you know when you do that it is a lottery whether the referee is going to give the penalty to your side or the other side 
rugby	490	 we have lost a game we should have won 
rugby	490	there is a fine line between winning and losing  and for the second week we ve been on the wrong side of that line and it hurts 
rugby	490	 england went in at half time with a 17 6 lead but they failed to score in the second half and dimitri yachvili slotted over four penalties as france overhauled the deficit 
rugby	490	england skipper jason robinson admitted his side failed to cope with france s improved second half display 
rugby	490	 we controlled the game in the first half but we knew that they would come out and try everything after half time   he said 
rugby	490	 we made a lot of mistakes in the second half and they punished us 
rugby	490	they took their chances when they came 
rugby	490	 it s very disappointing 
rugby	490	last week we lost by two points  now one point 
rugby	490	  
rugby	491	vickery out of six nationsengland tight head prop phil vickery has been ruled out of the rest of the 2005 rbs six nations after breaking a bone in his right forearm 
rugby	491	vickery was injured as his club side  gloucester  beat bath 17 16 in the west country derby on saturday 
rugby	491	he could be joined on the sidelines by bath centre olly barkley  who sat out the derby due to a leg injury 
rugby	491	barkley will have a scan on sunday and might miss england s trip to six nations leaders ireland next weekend 
rugby	491	the news is just the latest blow for coach andy robinson  who has seen his side lose their opening two matches in the 2005 six nations 
rugby	491	robinson is already without world cup winners jonny wilkinson  will greenwood  mike tindall  richard hill and trevor woodman through injury 
rugby	491	vickery has broken the radius  a large bone in his forearm 
rugby	491	he only returned to the england side last weekend after a long term back injury  which was followed by a fractured eye socket 
rugby	491	and the gloucester prop was only recalled after leicester tight head julian white suffered a neck injury which has already seen him ruled out of the ireland game 
rugby	491	bath prop matt stevens is the only remaining tight head in england s training squad and could be involved against ireland 
rugby	491	but he has to play second fiddle at club level to duncan bell  who excelled for england a against france and may now be called into the squad 
rugby	491	the extent of barkley s injury is not yet clear but bath boss john connolly rates him no better than  50 50  to face ireland 
rugby	491	barkley played at inside cente in england s defeat by france and if he is unable to play  england s constantly changing midfield will once again have to be altered 
rugby	491	robinson could choose to recall mathew tait or henry paul  although tait endured a nightmare for newcastle against leicester on saturday and paul limped off with an ankle injury against bath 
rugby	491	in form leicester centre ollie smith is the other outstanding candidate  and two tries against newcastle will have boosted his chances 
rugby	491	fly half andy goode is also a strong contender for the match day 22 after an immaculate kicking display on saturday 
rugby	491	england  fourth in the six nations table with zero points  play ireland  top of the table  in dublin on 27 february  kick off 1500 gmt 
rugby	492	yachvili savours france comebackfrance scrum half dimitri yachvili praised his team after they fought back to beat england 18 17 in the six nations clash at twickenham 
rugby	492	yachvili kicked all of france s points as they staged a second half revival 
rugby	492	 we didn t play last week against scotland and we didn t play in the first half against england   he said 
rugby	492	 but we re very proud to beat england at twickenham 
rugby	492	we were just defending in the first half and we said we had to put them under pressure 
rugby	492	we did well 
rugby	492	  yachvili admitted erratic kicking from england s charlie hodgson and olly barkley  who missed six penalties and a drop goal chance between them  had been decisive 
rugby	492	 i know what it s like with kicking 
rugby	492	when you miss some it s very hard mentally  but it went well for us   he said 
rugby	492	france captain fabien pelous insisted his side never doubted they could secure their first win against england at twickenham since 1997 
rugby	492	france were 17 6 down at half time  but pelous said   no one was down at half time  we were still confident 
rugby	492	 we said we only had 11 points against us  which was not much 
rugby	492	 the plan was to keep hold of possession and pressure england to losing their composure 
rugby	492	  france coach bernard laporte accepted his side had not played well 
rugby	492	 we know we have to play better to defend the title   he said 
rugby	492	 i m not happy we didn t score a try but we re happy because we won 
rugby	492	  
rugby	493	laporte tinkers with teamfrance coach bernard laporte has made four changes to the starting line up that beat england for saturday s six nations clash with wales 
rugby	493	he opted for yannick nyanga in the back row instead of grand slam winner imanol harinordoquy  who is back in the squad 
rugby	493	other changes see julien laharrague win his first cap at full back  aurelien rougerie return after injury on the wing and yannick jauzion in at centre 
rugby	493	but laporte has resisted fan pressure to start frederic michalak at fly half 
rugby	493	the dependable yann delaigue keeps the number 10 jersey  despite clamours for the flair of michalak 
rugby	493	the 26 year old laharrague gets his chance despite playing on the wing for his club brive 
rugby	493	 we are launching him into the great international level   said team manager jo maso 
rugby	493	 he is young and this is a great opportunity for us and above all for him 
rugby	493	 there are 25 matches left before the world cup so we must see as many players as possible 
rugby	493	the competition is very high and open 
rugby	493	  jauzion  france s player of the year in 2004  would probably have played in the first two matches instead of the south african born liebeneberg had he been fit 
rugby	493	the stade toulousain star wins his 23rd cap and is reunited with damien traille  with whom he forged an effective midfield in 2004 
rugby	493	 the return of jauzion is going to be a plus for us   said laporte 
rugby	493	 we are going to test him at an international level 
rugby	493	 julien laharrague  brive   aurelien rougerie  clermont   yannick jauzion  stade toulousain   damien traille  biarritz   christophe dominici  stade francais   yann delaigue  castres   dimitri yachvili  biarritz   julien bonnaire  bourgoin   yannick nyanga  beziers   serge betsen  biarritz   jerome thion  biarritz   fabien pelous  stade toulousain  capt   nicolas mas  perpignan   sebastien bruno  sale   sylvain marconnet  stade francais replacements  william servat  stade toulousain   olivier milloud  bourgoin   gregory lamboley  stade toulousain   imanol harinordoquy  biarritz   pierre mignoni  clermont   frederic michalak  stade toulousain   jean philippe grandclaude  perpignan  
rugby	494	lewsey puzzle over disallowed tryengland s josh lewsey has claimed he was denied a late try in his side s six nations loss to ireland 
rugby	494	the wasps wing insisted he grounded the ball when he was bundled over the line and said referee jonathan kaplan had made a wrong decision 
rugby	494	 i m positive i touched the ball down over the line   lewsey told bbc sport 
rugby	494	 it certainly wasn t a turnover 
rugby	494	 i was driven over and i put the ball on the ground 
rugby	494	the whistle went and i let go of the ball 
rugby	494	  lewsey added   one of the irish players scooped it back after the whistle and to our surprise the referee then gave a turnover 
rugby	494	 as far as i m concerned  that incident and mark cueto s effort from charlie hodgson s cross field kick that led to what looked like a good try were the two key elements in the game 
rugby	494	 cueto was also puzzled as to why his try had been disallowed by kaplan 
rugby	494	 i don t think i could have been offside for  without a doubt  i was behind the ball   said the sale player 
rugby	494	 the move was a planned technique  it was not off the cuff 
rugby	494	we rehearse it time and time again 
rugby	494	 i wouldn t say we were robbed  some decisions go with you and some go against you 
rugby	494	today they went against us and that s tough at international level 
rugby	494	  
rugby	495	fuming robinson blasts officialsengland coach andy robinson insisted he was  livid  after his side were denied two tries in sunday s 19 13 six nations loss to ireland in dublin 
rugby	495	mark cueto s first half effort was ruled out for offside before the referee spurned tv replays when england crashed over in the dying minutes 
rugby	495	  i m  absolutely spitting 
rugby	495	i m livid 
rugby	495	there s two tries we ve been cost   robinson told bbc sport 
rugby	495	 we ve got to go back to technology 
rugby	495	i don t know why we didn t 
rugby	495	  south african referee jonathan kaplan ruled that cueto was ahead of charlie hodgson when the fly half hoisted his cross field kick for the sale wing to gather 
rugby	495	kaplan then declined the chance to consult the fourth official when josh lewsey took the ball over the irish line under a pile of bodies for what could have been the game winning try 
rugby	495	 i think mark cueto scored a perfectly legal try and i think he should have gone to the video referee on josh lewsey   said robinson 
rugby	495	 it is how we use the technology 
rugby	495	it is there  and it should be used 
rugby	495	 i am still trying to work out the cueto try 
rugby	495	i have looked at both  and they both looked tries 
rugby	495	 we are very disappointed  and this will hurt  there is no doubt about that 
rugby	495	 we are upset now  but the referee is in charge and he has called it his way and we have got to be able to cope with that 
rugby	495	 we did everything we could have done to win the game 
rugby	495	i am very proud of my players and  with a couple of decisions  this could have been a very famous victory 
rugby	495	 i thought we dominated 
rugby	495	matt stevens had an awesome game at tighthead prop  while the likes of charlie hodgson  martin corry and lewis moody all came through well 
rugby	495	 josh lewsey was awesome  and every one of the forwards stood up out there 
rugby	495	given the pressure we were under  credit must go to all the players 
rugby	495	 we have done everything but win a game of rugby  but ireland are a good side 
rugby	495	they defended magnificently and they ve got every chance of winning this six nations 
rugby	495	  england have lost their first three matches in this year s six nations and four out of their six games since robinson took over from sir clive woodward in september 
rugby	496	o gara revels in ireland victoryireland fly half ronan o gara hailed his side s 19 13 victory over england as a  special  win 
rugby	496	the munster number 10 kicked a total of 14 points  including two drop goals  to help keep alive their grand slam hopes 
rugby	496	he told bbc sport   we made hard work of it but it s still special to beat england 
rugby	496	 i had three chances to win the game but didn t 
rugby	496	we have work to do after this but we never take a victory over england lightly 
rugby	496	  ireland hooker shane byrne echoed o gara s comments but admitted the game had been england s best outing in the six nations 
rugby	496	byrne said   it was a really  really hard game but from one to 15 in our team we worked really  really hard 
rugby	496	 we just had to stick to our defensive pattern  trust ourselves and trust those around us 
rugby	496	all round it was fantastic 
rugby	496	  ireland captain brian o driscoll  who scored his side s only try  said   we are delighted  we felt if we performed well then we would win but with england also having played very well it makes it all the sweeter 
rugby	496	 we did get the bounce of the ball and some days that happens and you ve just got to jump on the back of it 
rugby	496	 ireland coach eddie o sullivan was surprised that england coach andy robinson said he was certain mark cueto was onside for a disallowed try just before the break 
rugby	496	 andy was sitting two yards from me and i couldn t see whether he was offside or not so i don t know how andy could have known   said o sullivan 
rugby	496	 what i do know is that england played well and when that happens it makes a very good victory for us 
rugby	496	 we had to defend for long periods and that is all good for the confidence of the team 
rugby	496	 i think our try was very well worked  it was a gem  as good a try as we have scored for a while 
rugby	496	  o sullivan also rejected robinson s contention england dominated the forward play 
rugby	496	 i think we lost one lineout and they lost four or five so i don t know how that adds up to domination   he said 
rugby	496	o driscoll also insisted ireland were happy to handle the pressure of being considered favourites to win the six nations title 
rugby	496	 this season for the first time we have been able to play with the favourites  tag   he said 
rugby	496	 hopefully we have proved that today and can continue to keep doing so 
rugby	496	 as for my try it was a move we had worked on all week 
rugby	496	there was a bit of magic from geordan murphy and it was a great break from denis hickie 
rugby	496	  
rugby	497	thomas out of six nationswales captain gareth thomas has been ruled out of the rest of the six nations with a broken thumb 
rugby	497	the full back will have surgery on monday after fracturing his thumb in the 24 18 win over france on saturday 
rugby	497	but welsh legend phil bennett insisted wales can cope without thomas as they chase a first grand slam in 27 years 
rugby	497	bennett told bbc sport   such is the spirit in the camp  they ll put kevin morgan at 15  rhys williams at wing and just carry on 
rugby	497	  thomas will miss the match against scotland on 13 march  and what promises to be a huge encounter against the irish six days later 
rugby	497	bennett added   it s a setback 
rugby	497	he s a great captain  he leads from the front and the boys love him 
rugby	497	  thomas was replaced at half time by williams as his side turned around a 15 6 deficit in paris 
rugby	497	 with gareth missing i would think michael owen will be our captain   said wales coach mike ruddock 
rugby	497	 he did a great job in the second half in france 
rugby	497	he has been vice captain all along throughout the championship 
rugby	497	  wales travel to edinburgh to take on scotland in a fortnight and then host ireland in cardiff in the final round of matches in what could be the grand slam and championship decider 
rugby	497	bennett  an inspirational fly half for llanelli and wales in the 1970s  insisted the national team were entering a new golden period 
rugby	497	 it was a great game and a magnificent result for wales   bennett told bbc radio five live s sportsweek programme 
rugby	497	 the way this young team are blending  the glory days are on their way back 
rugby	497	 we couldn t get possession early on and france dominated and scored two tries 
rugby	497	 had they been ruthless  wales could have gone into the interval 30 points down 
rugby	497	but they didn t take their chances 
rugby	497	 wales defended fairly well but you cannot give that sort of quality ball to good sides 
rugby	497	 the all blacks would have been ruthless and buried us in the first half 
rugby	497	but the character we showed in the second half was quite outstanding 
rugby	497	  
rugby	498	wales coach elated with winmike ruddock paid tribute to his wales side after they came from 15 6 down to beat france 24 18 in the six nations 
rugby	498	 after going two tries down in 12 minutes we had to show character   said the national team coach 
rugby	498	 i didn t have to tell them anything at half time because those players have stared down the barrel of a gun before 
rugby	498	 they decided they didn t want to do that again and came out fighting 
rugby	498	it was a great team effort and we showed great character to come back 
rugby	498	  man of the match stephen jones  who kicked three penalties  a drop goal and conversion  was ecstatic following after the win at stade de france 
rugby	498	 it s just a special moment 
rugby	498	two years ago we didn t win a single game in the six nations 
rugby	498	but we re a very happy camp now   he said 
rugby	498	 we worked hard as a squad and i m a proud welshman 
rugby	498	we ve got hard matches to come  so we re just happy with the start 
rugby	498	  double try scorer martyn williams was keen not to talk about a possible grand slam for wales 
rugby	498	 we ve got more self belief these days 
rugby	498	two or three years ago we might have collapsed after going behind so early 
rugby	498	 there s no mention of a grand slam among the players 
rugby	498	we ve got a tough game against scotland at murrayfield 
rugby	498	they could bring us crashing down to earth 
rugby	498	  
rugby	499	newcastle 27 27 gloucesternewcastle centre mathew tait answered his critics as he scored one try and made another  but he could not stop gloucester grabbing a draw 
rugby	499	the falcons were 22 6 down at the break before tait  recently axed by england after just one six nations outing  inspired his side to a 27 22 lead 
rugby	499	a last gasp touchdown from luke narraway pulled the visitors level 
rugby	499	but gloucester missed out on victory when henry paul fluffed the conversion and seti kiole was denied a late try 
rugby	499	newcastle had a couple of chances at the start of the second half with line outs in the corner 
rugby	499	but they failed to make them count until joe shaw found dave walder  who released mark mayerholfer in his own 22 
rugby	499	the former all black broke clear and popped the ball up for tait on halfway 
rugby	499	he chipped ahead for michael stephenson to scorch through for the try  which walder converted to give newcastle a lifeline 
rugby	499	they grabbed it with both hands  mayerhofler breaking through and tait making a brilliant early run to cut inside and race 30m to score 
rugby	499	walder converted to make it 22 20 before he was just wide with a 40m penalty in the 70th minute 
rugby	499	mayerhofler then scythed through the middle for a try after hall charlton popped the ball up  and walder s conversion took newcastle 27 22 ahead 
rugby	499	with three minutes of normal time left  narraway was driven over for a try in the corner which levelled the scores at 27 27 
rugby	499	henry missed the conversion but gloucester nearly won it when kiole broke through only to be hauled down by charlton and tom may 
rugby	499	walder  may  tait  mayerhofler  stephenson  wilkinson  grindal  isaacson  long  ward  gross  hamilton  mccarthy  harris  dowson 
rugby	499	replacements  peel  wilson  thompson  parling  sititi  charlton  shaw 
rugby	499	goodridge  garvey  simpson daniel  fanolua  kiole  paul  gomarsall  wood  curnier  powell  eustace  brown  forrester  buxton  balding 
rugby	499	replacements  elloway  sigley  cornwell  narraway  page  davies  mauger 
rugby	500	london irish 19 33 waspswasps made light of the absence of several internationals to sink london irish with a trio of second half tries 
rugby	500	rob hoadley returned to haunt his old club at the madejski stadium  scoring the opening try in the 43rd minute 
rugby	500	tom voyce powered through the irish defence for wasps  second try before richard birkett went over unchallenged 
rugby	500	mark van gisbergen added 18 points 
rugby	500	irish replied with three penalties and a mark mapletoft drop goal before scott staniforth ran in a consolation try 
rugby	500	barry everitt  who replaced mapletoft late in the game  added the conversion to become the fourth premiership player to reach 1 000 points 
rugby	500	he joins jonny wilkinson  tim stimpson and paul grayson in achieving that target 
rugby	500	wasps piled on the pressure in an attempt to grab a fourth try which would have secured them a bonus point  but they were denied by some desperate defending from irish 
rugby	500	director of rugby warren gatland revealed that harsh words at half time inspired his wasps side to raise their game after the restart 
rugby	500	 they got a roasting and it was a good second half performance when they came out and played to instructions   he said 
rugby	500	gatland also singled out stand in flankers tom rees and john hart for special praise 
rugby	500	 they did very well 
rugby	500	the back row played some fantastic rugby   he added 
rugby	500	london irish coach gary gold felt the result exposed his side s lack of consistency 
rugby	500	irish trailed by just two points at the break and gold said   for 55 minutes we lived with the best but we have got to get back for the full 80 minutes 
rugby	500	  gold will now turn his attention to next week s powergen cup semi final at struggling leeds 
rugby	500	 we ve got a good chance but with leeds facing possible relegation they re going to come out firing   he added 
rugby	500	horak  staniforth  penney  nordt  bishop  mapletoft  edwards  hatley  van der walt  hardwick  kennedy  casey  gustard  dawson  murphy 
rugby	500	replacements  everitt for mapletoft  53   hodgson for edwards  77   wheatley for hatley  71   paice for van der walt  60   strudwick for kennedy  60   danaher for gustard  66   reid for murphy  47 van gisbergen  voyce  erinle  hoadley  roberts  king  richards  payne  greening  dowd  shaw  purdy  hart  rees  dallaglio 
rugby	500	replacements  priscott for roberts  71   green for dowd  71   skivington for shaw  71   birkett for hart  57   gotting for rees  39  
rugby	500	not used  fury  brooks 
rugby	501	murray returns to scotland foldeuan murray has been named in the scotland training squad after an eight week ban  ahead of saturday s six nations match with ireland 
rugby	501	the glasgow forward s ban for stamping ended on 2 february 
rugby	501	 i m just happy to be back playing and be involved with the squad   said murray on monday 
rugby	501	 hopefully i can get a couple of games under my belt and i might have a chance of playing later in the six nations 
rugby	501	i m just glad to be part of it all 
rugby	501	 backs  mike blair  edinburgh rugby   andy craig  glasgow rugby   chris cusiter  the borders   simon danielli  the borders   marcus di rollo  edinburgh rugby   phil godman  edinburgh rugby   calvin howarth  glasgow rugby   ben hinshelwood  worcester warriors   andrew henderson  glasgow rugby   rory lamont  glasgow rugby   sean lamont  glasgow rugby   dan parks  glasgow rugby   chris paterson  edinburgh rugby   gordon ross  leeds tykes   hugo southwell  edinburgh rugby   simon webster  edinburgh rugby  forwards  ross beattie  northampton saints   gordon bulloch  captain  glasgow rugby   david callam  edinburgh rugby   bruce douglas  the borders   jon dunbar  leeds tykes   iain fullarton  saracens   stuart grimes  newcastle falcons   nathan hines  edinburgh rugby   allister hogg  edinburgh rugby   gavin kerr  leeds tykes   nick lloyd  saracens   scott lawson  glasgow rugby   euan murray  glasgow rugby   scott murray  edinburgh rugby   jon petrie  glasgow rugby   robbie russell  london irish   tom smith  northampton saints   jason white  sale sharks  
rugby	502	fear will help france   laportefrance coach bernard laporte believes his team will be scared going into their game with england on sunday  but claims it will work in their favour 
rugby	502	the french turned in a stuttering performance as they limped to a 16 9 win against scotland in the opening match of the six nations on saturday 
rugby	502	 we will go to twickenham with a little fear and it ll give us a boost   said the french coach 
rugby	502	he added   we are never good enough when we are favourites 
rugby	502	  meanwhile  perpignan centre jean philippe granclaude is delighted to have received his first call up to the france squad 
rugby	502	 it s incredible   the youngster said 
rugby	502	 i was not expecting it at all 
rugby	502	 playing with the france team has always been a dream and now it has come true and i am about to face england at twickenham in the six nations 
rugby	502	  laporte will announce his starting line up on wednesday at the french team s training centre in marcoussis  near paris 
rugby	503	davies favours gloucester futurewales hooker mefin davies is likely to stay with english side gloucester despite reported interest from the neath swansea ospreys 
rugby	503	bbc wales understands the ospreys are interested in the 32 year old  but that he would prefer to stay where he is 
rugby	503	davies  one of the stars of saturday s rbs six nations win over england  is only on a year contract at kingsholm 
rugby	503	but the hooker has proved his worth to the zurich premiership side and is likely to get a new deal next season 
rugby	503	the summer demise of the celtic warriors region left davies in the cold and forced him to take a semi professional contract with neath rfc 
rugby	503	although he got match time with the ospreys at the request of the wales management  he admitted before his move to gloucester that he was angry with the way he was treated 
rugby	503	 the wru didn t give me any help off the field  it was very disappointing   davies said at the time 
rugby	503	 it was a hard time throughout the summer  then deciding whether to accept an offer from stade francais which would have ended my wales career 
rugby	503	  
rugby	504	ref stands by scotland decisionsthe referee from saturday s france v scotland six nations match has defended the officials  handling of the game after criticism by matt williams 
rugby	504	the scotland coach said his side were robbed of victory by poor decisions made by the officials 
rugby	504	but nigel williams said   i m satisfied the game was handled correctly 
rugby	504	  meanwhile  matt williams will not be punished by the scottish rugby union for allegedly using bad language in his comments about the officials 
rugby	504	he denies having done so 
rugby	504	nonetheless  he was furious about several decisions that he felt denied his side a famous victory 
rugby	504	but nigel williams told the scottish daily mail   i spoke to matt williams at the post match dinner 
rugby	504	 he made no mention of the disallowed try or any other refereeing decisions whatsoever 
rugby	504	 if matt has issues with the match officials  then he is very welcome to phone me and discuss them 
rugby	504	 ultimately there is a match assessor at every international game to give an impartial and objective view of the performance of the officials 
rugby	504	 that is the beginning and end of it 
rugby	504	  
rugby	505	robinson ready for difficult taskengland coach andy robinson faces the first major test of his tenure as he tries to get back to winning ways after the six nations defeat by wales 
rugby	505	robinson is likely to make changes in the back row and centre after the 11 9 loss as he contemplates sunday s set to with france at twickenham 
rugby	505	lewis moody and martin corry could both return after missing the game with hamstring and shoulder problems 
rugby	505	and the midfield pairing of mathew tait and jamie noon is also under threat 
rugby	505	olly barkley immediately allowed england to generate better field position with his kicking game after replacing debutant tait just before the hour 
rugby	505	the bath fly half cum centre is likely to start against france  with either tait or noon dropping out 
rugby	505	tait  given little opportunity to shine in attack  received praise from robinson afterwards  even if the coach admitted cardiff was an  unforgiving place  for the teenage prodigy 
rugby	505	robinson now has a tricky decision over whether to withdraw from the firing line  after just one outing  a player he regards as central to england s future 
rugby	505	tait himself  at least outwardly  appeared unaffected by the punishing treatment dished out to him by gavin henson in particular 
rugby	505	 i want more of that definitely   he said 
rugby	505	 hopefully i can train hard this week and get selected for next week but we ll have to look at the video and wait and see 
rugby	505	 we were playing on our own 22 for a lot of the first half so it was quite difficult 
rugby	505	i thought we defended reasonably well but we ve just got to pick it up for france 
rugby	505	 his newcastle team mate noon hardly covered himself in glory in his first major test 
rugby	505	he missed a tackle on michael owen in the build up to wales  try  conceded a penalty at the breakdown  was turned over in another tackle and fumbled gavin henson s cross kick into touch  all inside the first quarter 
rugby	505	his contribution improved in the second half  but england clearly need more of a playmaker in the inside centre role 
rugby	505	up front  the line out remains fallible  despite a superb performance from chris jones  whose athleticism came to the fore after stepping into the side for moody 
rugby	505	it is more likely the leicester flanker will return on the open side for the more physical challenge posed by the french forwards  with andy hazell likely to make way 
rugby	505	lock ben kay also justified his recall with an impressive all round display on his return to the side  but elsewhere england positives were thin on the ground 
rugby	506	bell set for england debutbath prop duncan bell has been added to england s 30 man squad to face ireland in the rbs six nations 
rugby	506	and with phil vickery sidelined for at least six weeks with a broken arm and julian white out with a neck injury  bell could make his england debut 
rugby	506	bell  30  had set his sights on an international career with wales 
rugby	506	but last december  the international rugby board confirmed that he could only be eligible for england as he had travelled on tour with them in 1998 
rugby	506	england coach andy robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced sale sharks prop andrew sheridan into his front row 
rugby	506	but sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped bell   who was among the tryscorers when england a beat france a 30 20 nine days ago   to be drafted in 
rugby	506	robinson also has an injury worry over centre olly barkley  who withdrew from bath s starting line up to face gloucester last weekend 
rugby	506	he was due to have a hospital scan on monday  while gloucester centre henry paul  who started at fly half against bath  limped out at kingsholm because of an ankle problem 
rugby	506	despite barkley s three missed penalties in the 18 17 defeat against france  he is expected to retain his place at inside centre  although leicester s in form prospect ollie smith would be an obvious replacement 
rugby	506	bath coach john connolly rates barkley as no better than a 50 50 chance to make the dublin trip 
rugby	506	uncapped fly half andy goode has been named in a 30 man training squad for the ireland game  and he strengthened his selection claims by kicking 28 points during leicester s record 83 10 win against newcastle on sunday 
rugby	506	england s players are due to meet at their surrey training base on monday 
rugby	507	o sullivan quick to hail italiansireland coach eddie o sullivan heaped praise on italy after seeing his side stutter to a 28 17 victory in rome 
rugby	507	 it was a hell of a tough game   said o sullivan 
rugby	507	 we struggled in the first half because we hadn t the football 
rugby	507	 italy played really well 
rugby	507	they handled the ball well in terms of kicking it  if that s not an oxymoron 
rugby	507	 we said before the game that it might take until 10 minutes from the end for this game to be won  and that s how it turned out 
rugby	507	  ireland struggled to cope with italy s fierce start and were indebted to skipper brian o driscoll  who set up tries for geordan murphy and peter stringer 
rugby	507	 we had our first attack in the italian half after 22 minutes   said o sullivan 
rugby	507	 we had a good return  with three first half possessions in their half and we scored twice 
rugby	507	 the second half was about spending more time in their half 
rugby	507	  scrum half peter stringer was also glad that ireland escaped wtih a victory 
rugby	507	 all credit to them   he told bbc sport 
rugby	507	 we knew it would be tough coming to rome 
rugby	507	they always give us a tough game here and they showed a lot of spirit 
rugby	507	 they had a lot of ball in the first half but we got a few scores when we got into their 22 
rugby	507	  
rugby	508	italy 17 28 irelandtwo moments of magic from brian o driscoll guided ireland to a workmanlike victory against italy 
rugby	508	a pair of classic outside breaks from the ireland captain set up tries for geordan murphy and peter stringer 
rugby	508	italy led 9 8 early in the second half but stringer s try gave ireland a lead they never lost 
rugby	508	the hosts cut the gap to 18 12 with 10 minutes left and nearly scored through ludovico nitoglia  but denis hickie s try ensured an irish victory 
rugby	508	italy came flying out of the blocks and took the lead through a luciano orquera penalty after seven minutes 
rugby	508	it could have been better for the hosts but the fly half missed two kickable penalties and ireland drew level with a ronan o gara penalty midway through the first half 
rugby	508	the italians were driving at the heart of the irish defence and  for the first quarter  the irish pack struggled to secure any ball for their talented backs 
rugby	508	when they finally did  just before the half hour mark  o driscoll promptly created a sparkling try for murphy 
rugby	508	the ireland captain ran a dummy scissors and made a magical outside break before drawing the full back and putting the diving murphy in at the corner 
rugby	508	o gara missed the twice taken conversion and the visitors found themselves trailing once again 
rugby	508	roland de marigny took over the kicking duties for italy from the hapless orquera  and he landed a penalty either side of the break to edge italy into a 9 8 lead 
rugby	508	the only ireland player offering a real threat was o driscoll  and it was his break that set up the second try for the visitors 
rugby	508	shane horgan threw an overhead pass as he was about to be forced into touch and stringer scooted over  with o gara landing the tricky conversion 
rugby	508	a penalty apiece saw ireland leading 18 12 as the game entered the final quarter  but they were lucky to survive when italy launched a series of attacks 
rugby	508	winger nitoglia dropped the ball as he reached for the line and italy nearly rumbled over from a driving maul 
rugby	508	an o gara penalty put ireland more than a converted try ahead and they made the game safe when hickie latched onto an inside pass from murphy and crossed for a converted try 
rugby	508	o driscoll limped off late on  joining centre partner gordon d arcy on the sidelines  and the final word went to italy 
rugby	508	prop martin castrogiovanni powered over for a try which was fitting reward for an italian pack which had kept the irish under pressure throughout 
rugby	508	de marigny  mi bergamasco  canale  masi  nitoglia  orquera  troncon  lo cicero  ongaro  castrogiovanni  dellape  bortolami  persico  ma bergamasco  parisse 
rugby	508	perugini  intoppa  del fava  dal maso  griffen  pozzebon  robertson 
rugby	508	murphy  horgan  o driscoll  d arcy  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  s easterby  leamy  foley 
rugby	508	sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  dempsey 
rugby	508	p o brien  new zealand  
rugby	509	jones happy with henson heroicswales fly half stephen jones admitted he was happy to hand gavin henson responsibility for taking the match winning kick against england 
rugby	509	jones had missed three earlier shots at goal when wales  9 8 down  were awarded a long range penalty with four minutes left in cardiff 
rugby	509	 i knew the percentages of gavin reaching it were far higher than me   jones said 
rugby	509	 when he said he wanted it  there were no problems 
rugby	509	  jones had seen a long range effort fall a whisker under the crossbar on the hour  before charlie hodgson put england in front with 10 minutes left 
rugby	509	 i looked at where it was and i knew i was going to struggle to make it   jones added 
rugby	509	 i said to gareth  thomas  the wales captain   this is touch and go 
rugby	509	  it was out of my range and obviously gavin is phenomenal when it comes to distance 
rugby	509	he was confident and fancied it 
rugby	509	 there were no questions that he d miss it the way he was playing 
rugby	509	he had a superb game 
rugby	509	  jones was happy to hail henson s heroic contribution to wales  first win over england in cardiff since 1993 
rugby	509	 physically he s a specimen  he s a balanced player  he glides when he runs and obviously he s got a great kicking game as well   jones said 
rugby	509	 his defence was superb  he made some great hits and he had a great game 
rugby	509	 i m glad he s welsh 
rugby	509	  victory over england for the first time since 1999 will no doubt fuel expectations of what wales might achieve in this year s six nations 
rugby	509	but they now face three away fixtures in italy  france and scotland before completing their campaign against ireland in cardiff 
rugby	509	 people all over the world want to see wales back at the top table of world rugby   said a proud coach mike ruddock 
rugby	509	 but we are not there yet 
rugby	509	the next step is finding the consistency to get further wins 
rugby	509	 we have to travel this week and we can t afford to get too giddy about this result 
rugby	509	 we have got to be professional and keep focused on facing italy 
rugby	509	 none more so than henson  who can now expect to have the same sort of spotlight thrust upon him as the likes of jonny wilkinson and brian o driscoll 
rugby	509	the confident 23 year old is undaunted by the prospect of dealing with such weighty expectations however 
rugby	509	 i m the sort of player who likes pressure on me   he said 
rugby	509	 it makes me more concentrated and i think i perform better under more pressure 
rugby	509	 i set a high standard against england and i ve got to back it up next week 
rugby	509	 two years ago when we played italy i wasn t involved and we lost  so we ve got to put that right next week 
rugby	509	  
rugby	510	double injury blow strikes waleswales centre sonny parker and number eight ryan jones will miss saturday s game with italy because of injury 
rugby	510	parker has not recovered from a trapped nerve in his neck that kept him out of the win over england  and tom shanklin is expected to continue at centre 
rugby	510	jones damaged his collar bone after coming on as a replacement against england and joins flanker colin charvis  foot injury  on the sidelines 
rugby	510	meanwhile  mike ruddock may make gavin henson his first choice kicker in rome 
rugby	510	the centre was wales  hero in the 11 9 six nations win over england  landing a huge late penalty from wide out to clinch the game 
rugby	510	first choice kicker stephen jones handed over responsibility because of henson s greater kicking range  but the fly half had already missed a number of shots at goal 
rugby	510	 our first aim was to get gavin settled into the team  but giving him the kicks is something we ll talk about in selection this week   wales coach mike ruddock told bbc sport wales 
rugby	510	henson himself says he is relishing all the media hype that has been heaped on him since last saturday s game 
rugby	510	 i thrive on it and think it makes me perform better   he said 
rugby	510	 i m glad it s a short week before the italy game 
rugby	510	there was so much build up before england  but we fly out to rome on thursday and we ll be back playing again 
rugby	510	  
rugby	511	kirwan demands italy consistencyitaly coach john kirwan has challenged his side to match the performance they produced in pushing ireland close when they meet wales on saturday 
rugby	511	despite losing 28 17 in sunday s six nations encounter  the italians confirmed their continuing improvement 
rugby	511	 our goal is to match every side we face and against ireland we showed we could do that   said kirwan 
rugby	511	 but the most important thing is that we build on that performance when we play wales on saturday 
rugby	511	  italy s half backs had a mixed afternoon  with recalled scrum half alessandro troncon impressing but fly half luciano orquera having an off day with the boot 
rugby	511	kirwan said   i was very happy with troncon 
rugby	511	he had an incredible game   he was very good in attack and defence 
rugby	511	 orquera s kicking was off but he showed great courage in defence 
rugby	511	 he also followed the game plan 
rugby	511	we have to give him confidence because he has the capability to do well 
rugby	511	  
rugby	512	fit again betsen in france squadfrance have brought flanker serge betsen back into their squad to face england at twickenham on sunday 
rugby	512	but the player  who missed the victory over scotland through injury  must attend a disciplinary hearing on wednesday after being cited by wasps 
rugby	512	 serge has a good case so we are confident he will play   said france coach bernard laporte 
rugby	512	the inexperienced nicolas mas  jimmy marlu and jean philippe grandclaude are also included in a 22 man squad 
rugby	512	the trio have been called up after pieter de villiers  ludovic valbon and aurelien rougerie all picked up injuries in france s 16 9 win on saturday 
rugby	512	laporte said he was confident that betsen would be cleared by the panel investigating his alleged trip that broke wasps centre stuart abbott s leg 
rugby	512	 if he was to be suspended  we would call up imanol harinordoquy or thomas lievremont   said laporte  who has dropped patrick tabacco 
rugby	512	 we missed serge badly against scotland 
rugby	512	he has now recovered from his thigh injury and played on saturday with biarritz 
rugby	512	  france s regular back row combination of betsen  harinordoquy and olivier magne were all missing from france s side at the weekend because of injury 
rugby	512	laporte is expected to announce france s starting line up on wednesday 
rugby	512	forwards  nicolas mas  sylvain marconnet  olivier milloud  william servat  sebastien bruno  fabien pelous  jerome thion  gregory lamboley  serge betsen  julien bonnaire  sebastien chabal  yannick nyanga 
rugby	512	backs  dimitri yachvili  pierre mignoni  frederic michalak  yann delaigue  damien traille  brian liebenberg  jean philippe grandclaude  christophe dominici  jimmy marlu  pepito elhorga 
rugby	513	wales critical of clumsy grewcockwales coach mike ruddock says england lock danny grewcock needs to review his actions after he kicked dwayne peel 
rugby	513	trouble flared at a ruck in the first half of wales  11 9 win in cardiff as grewcock came recklessly over the top with his boot  leaving peel bloodied 
rugby	513	grewcock was sin binned with wales captain gareth thomas for retaliation 
rugby	513	 it s up to the citing commissioner   said ruddock 
rugby	513	 i m not saying it s deliberate  but grewcock did a similar thing for bath against leinster 
rugby	513	  last june grewcock was banned from rugby for two months for reckless use of a boot in a match against new zealand 
rugby	513	six years earlier  also in new zealand  grewcock became only the second england player to be sent off in tests 
rugby	513	the player himself and his captain jason robinson have both said that the clash with peel was accidental 
rugby	513	 if the ball is at the back of the ruck and i feel i can step over and disrupt it then i will do that   said grewcock 
rugby	513	but ruddock feels that the england man should be more careful 
rugby	513	 the boy himself should look at his actions  it was a clumsy piece of footwork   he said 
rugby	513	 he s a great player and i don t want to knock him  we won t be calling for the match commissioner to review the incident 
rugby	513	 i m not going to go too far with the lad 
rugby	513	it could just be a clumsy action and dwayne had just a minor cut 
rugby	513	 the referee s interpretation was that grewcock was attempting to step over the ruck 
rugby	513	  ruddock also warned his rbs 6 nations championship rivals that his team can make massive improvements 
rugby	513	 we created more opportunities and also squandered them by taking more contact and playing more individually   said the coach 
rugby	513	 we ve looked through things on the video debrief and there were definitely a lot of chances that we wasted 
rugby	513	  in the forthcoming games  ruddock may use penalty hero gavin henson as his first choice kicker in place of stephen jones 
rugby	513	 our first aim was to get gavin settled into the team  but it s something we ll talk about in selection this week   said ruddock 
rugby	514	henson stakes early lions claimthe six nations may be a glittering prize in itself but every player from the four home unions will also have one eye on a possible trip to new zealand with the lions this summer 
rugby	514	the player who staked the biggest claim for a place in the starting xv over the weekend was gavin henson 
rugby	514	he s very confident 
rugby	514	you just had to listen to his interview afterwards   he beamed with confidence   but although there s an element of arrogance it s good arrogance 
rugby	514	he certainly showed some nice touches 
rugby	514	he once showed a clean pair of heels to mathew tait when he got outside him  his defence was very good and he made some great kicks out of hand 
rugby	514	and that s without even mentioning his majestic match winning penalty 
rugby	514	but i think we need to wait and see what happens because he needs to be put to the test 
rugby	514	he needs to come up against brian o driscoll or a big french midfield 
rugby	514	wales fly half stephen jones was another player who impressed me 
rugby	514	he gave good direction  he was very confident and he was a nice general for his side 
rugby	514	he showed he can control a game 
rugby	514	with jonny wilkinson not playing at the moment due to inury the number 10 shirt could be up for grabs and jones  or maybe even henson  could make the lions team at fly half 
rugby	514	jones stuck his hand up and he certainly looks a better bet than charlie hodgson after saturday s game 
rugby	514	some of the wales forwards surprised me because i thought they would be out muscled in the tight five 
rugby	514	england prop julian white is a capable player but when it comes down to selection gethin jenkins is now going to have the upper hand because he came out on top 
rugby	514	however  i still think white and phil vickery will be in the frame 
rugby	514	some english players did their cause no harm 
rugby	514	i thought joe worsley had a solid game and jason robinson and josh lewsey both did nothing wrong 
rugby	514	but it looked too soon for young mathew tait and i think it will be a while before we see him again 
rugby	514	despite being written off beforehand several scots caught my eye against france 
rugby	514	tom smith has been there and done it before  but the likes of chris cusiter  jason white and ally hogg all made their mark 
rugby	514	hogg made a couple of good runs while white had a pretty robust game   his defence is right up there 
rugby	514	cusiter looked very lively and he could be a very good option for lions coach sir clive woodward 
rugby	514	the star of ireland s win over italy in rome looks like a certainty to make the starting xv against new zealand 
rugby	514	brian o driscoll is a class act 
rugby	514	he ran some good lines against italy  made the breaks and fed his outside backs  although italy defended man on man which made it easy for him 
rugby	514	gordon d arcy was unlucky to go off injured early on but i think you could get a henson  d arcy  o driscoll combination in the lions midfield 
rugby	514	paul o connell just needs to add a hard edge to his game and malcolm o kelly keeps on going and seems to be putting his hand up  while shane byrne seems to be a lively character 
rugby	514	but they will be a bit worried after the italian pack drove them off their own ball on sunday  although i used to play in italy and i know how difficult it can be 
rugby	514	one player who didn t impress me was wales scrum half dwayne peel 
rugby	514	he choked late on in the second half when wales were trailing 
rugby	514	they had good possession and he kicked the ball away   i wouldn t want him as my lions scrum half after that 
rugby	515	murphy  that was a bruising battlethat s what i call a tough game 
rugby	515	it was very physical and fair play to the italians they made us work very hard for our victory 
rugby	515	their organisation was very  very good and they proved again that they are getting better and better as the years go by 
rugby	515	it is by far the strongest italian team that we have faced 
rugby	515	we knew all along that we would be a huge threat particularly the first game in the championship 
rugby	515	it was not like the days gone by when you could get scores on the board early 
rugby	515	we had to work our socks off and try and build our scores gradually 
rugby	515	it was really hard work out there and the players have plenty of bumps and bruises to prove it 
rugby	515	i m not too bad  but there are one or two others who will be feeling it a bit on monday morning 
rugby	515	in the backs  we were not frustrated at such  but the new rucking laws were a little bit problematical 
rugby	515	the different interpretations between the referee and the players was a little difficult 
rugby	515	but we managed to get the ball in our hands and i got a try near the end of the first half 
rugby	515	it s always good to score 
rugby	515	it was great work by brian and i always knew i had scored even though it went upstairs to the video referee 
rugby	515	eddie  o sullivan  was very calm at half time even though we were only 8 6 ahead 
rugby	515	he spelled out what we needed to do and advocated getting the ball out of our own territory 
rugby	515	that new ruck law made it a bit more difficult to get out of our own half 
rugby	515	we were penalised a lot at the breakdown  and if they had kicked all their chances at goal we would have been behind at the break 
rugby	515	so really we went back to playing a territory game and simplifying things and having more patience on the ball 
rugby	515	every one was a little down after the game following the injuries to brian and gordon 
rugby	515	as yet we do not know the full extent of the injuries  but it does not that good 
rugby	515	now we have to focus on scotland and only six days to recover 
rugby	515	it s a big ask after such a bruising encounter 
rugby	515	i was very impressed the way the scots played against the french on saturday 
rugby	515	it could so easily have gone their way but for a couple of decisions 
rugby	515	we will be under no illusions it is going to be tough for us 
rugby	515	in the meantime  when in rome 
rugby	515	 
rugby	516	wales make two changes for francewales coach mike ruddock has made two changes from the team that beat italy 38 8 for saturday s trip to france 
rugby	516	kevin morgan takes over from his injured newport gwent dragons colleague hal luscombe on the right wing 
rugby	516	and in the pack neath swansea ospreys forward ryan jones is preferred at blindside flanker to jonathan thomas 
rugby	516	thomas  a try scorer in rome  drops down to the bench instead of ian gough  while cardiff back rhys williams steps up in place of morgan 
rugby	516	luscombe is sidelined by a hamstring problem sustained during the six nations game against italy last weekend 
rugby	516	however  the experienced and in form morgan was already pushing hard for a start at stade de france 
rugby	516	 due to his impressive performances from the bench  kevin was very much in the selection mix anyway  and the unfortunate injury to hal gives him the chance to start   said ruddock 
rugby	516	 now that ryan jones has recovered from injury  we have increased the options in the back row 
rugby	516	 jonathan thomas is unlucky to lose his spot after performing well against italy and scoring a try  but such is the competition for places that every position is debated in detail 
rugby	516	 for this particular game  we felt we might not always be afforded the open spaces out wide we were able to exploit against italy  so an extra big ball carrier in the back row is thought to be necessary on this occasion 
rugby	516	 obviously  it s a 22 man game these days  and there is every chance that jonathan will be making an impact from the bench 
rugby	516	  wales have beaten france on two of their last three visits to paris  and another victory this time around would keep them firmly on course for a first five or six nations title triumph since 1994 
rugby	516	 graham henry  former wales coach  said a couple of years ago that we should  be bold  when going to france  and he was proved right   said ruddock 
rugby	516	 that is a great way to approach the game  and something we will further endorse with the players this week 
rugby	516	 g thomas  toulouse  capt   k morgan  newport gwent   t shanklin  cardiff   g henson  neath swansea   s williams  neath swansea   s jones  clermont auvergne   d peel  llanelli   g jenkins  cardiff   m davies  gloucester   a jones   neath swansea   b cockbain  neath swansea   r sidoli  cardiff   r jones  neath swansea   m williams  cardiff   m owen  newport gwent  
rugby	516	replacements  r mcbryde  llanelli   j yapp  cardiff   j thomas  neath swansea   r sowden taylor  cardiff   g cooper  newport gwent   c sweeney newport gwent   r williams  cardiff  
rugby	517	ireland surge past scotsireland maintained their six nations grand slam ambitions with an impressive victory over scotland at murrayfield 
rugby	517	hugo southwell s try gave the scots an early 8 0 lead but scores from locks malcolm o kelly and paul o connell put the visitors in command by half time 
rugby	517	a third try from wing denis hickie and third penalty from ronan o gara  who kicked 13 points  extended the lead 
rugby	517	jon petrie scored a second try for scotland but late scores from john hayes and gavin duffy sealed victory 
rugby	517	after two hard earned away victories  eddie o sullivan  side can now look forward to welcoming england to lansdowne road in a fortnight 
rugby	517	scotland will try to give their coach matt williams a first six nations victory when italy come to edinburgh  but they again struggled to turn pressure into points 
rugby	517	the home side started with tremendous intensity and dominated territory and possession in the opening 10 minutes 
rugby	517	a powerful charge from flanker jason white was carried on by ali hogg and when ireland conceded a penalty close to their own line  scotland kicked it to touch 
rugby	517	the irish defence foiled the home side on that occasion  but a stray hand in a ruck allowed paterson to stroke over a penalty in the eighth minute 
rugby	517	if that was a paltry reward for their early pressure  scotland got the try they deserved when paterson s searing break and andy craig s pass sent southwell streaking to the right corner 
rugby	517	paterson was off target with the conversion and fly half dan parks then missed a presentable drop goal attempt 
rugby	517	ireland got themselves on the scoreboard with an o gara penalty and by the 24th minute the visitors were ahead 
rugby	517	stuart grimes pulled down o kelly at a line out  ireland kicked the penalty to touch and from the set piece  the big lock was driven over by the rest of his pack 
rugby	517	o gara added the conversion and a further penalty  after shane horgan almost grabbed a second try from o gara s chip to the corner  only for the ball to spill from his hand 
rugby	517	but ireland still delivered a hammer blow to scotland s hopes just before the interval 
rugby	517	o connell   skipper in the absence of brian o driscoll   powered through parks  weak tackle after a free kick from a scrummage to burrow over 
rugby	517	scotland suffered a further blow on the resumption when ireland flanker johnny o connor won another vital turnover  and o gara s basketball pass sent hickie over in the left corner 
rugby	517	o gara converted and then thumped over a 40m penalty to give the visitors a commanding 28 8 advantage 
rugby	517	scotland looked bereft of ideas but a half break from paterson sparked them back to life just before the hour 
rugby	517	stuart grimes won a line out and a well worked move saw petrie scuttle round the side of the ruck to dive over in the left corner 
rugby	517	but it proved a false dawn  and ireland reasserted their authority in the final 10 minutes 
rugby	517	peter stringer and o kelly combined to put giant prop hayes over in the right corner before replacement gavin duffy scorched away on the left  david humphreys adding the final flourish with a touchline conversion 
rugby	517	  c paterson  s danielli  a craig  h southwell  s lamont  d parks  c cusiter  t smith  g bulloch  capt   g kerr  s grimes  s murray  j white  a hogg  j petrie 
rugby	517	r russell  b douglas  n hines  j dunbar  m blair  g ross  b hinshelwood 
rugby	517	g murphy  g dempsey  s horgan  k maggs  d hickie  r o gara  p stringer  r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes  m o kelly  p o connell  s easterby  j o connor  a foley 
rugby	517	f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  g duffy 
rugby	517	joel jutge  france  
rugby	518	wales win in romewales secured their first away win in the rbs six nations for nearly four years with a six try victory in rome 
rugby	518	tries from jonathan thomas  tom shanklin and martyn williams gave the visitors a 19 5 half time advantage 
rugby	518	luciano orquera did reply with one for italy but second half efforts from brent cockbain  shane williams and robert sidoli sealed victory 
rugby	518	fly half stephen jones added four conversions as wales maintained their superb start to this year s tournament 
rugby	518	starting full of confidence after their victory over england  the visitors scored the opening try after just four minutes 
rugby	518	diminutive wing shane williams fielded a kick ahead and danced past the onrushing andrea masi and aaron persico into the italian half 
rugby	518	his pass to tom shanklin appeared forward but when the centre was held up short  the ball was switched left and michael owen s long cut out pass gave the lurking thomas an easy run in 
rugby	518	stephen jones  who retained the kicking duties despite gavin henson s heroics against england  slotted an excellent conversion from wide out 
rugby	518	wales twice threatened further scores but failed to find the crucial pass  and italy hit back out of the blue in the 11th minute 
rugby	518	henson  sporting gold boots rather than the silver variety that did for england  beat two players with ease out on the left touchline 
rugby	518	but his attempted chip ahead was charged down by orquera  who snaffled the loose ball and hared away from halfway to score in the right corner 
rugby	518	with the welsh line out stuttering and italy twice turning the visitors  scrum  the home side s forward power brought them back into it 
rugby	518	but a clever high kick from henson almost brought a try for hal luscombe when roland de marigny and ludovico nitoglia made a hash of claiming it as the ball bounced into touch 
rugby	518	wales regained control with a second try in the 21st minute  henson lobbing up a high kick to the left corner where shanklin jumped higher than nitoglia to dot down his 15th test try 
rugby	518	jones was unable to convert and de marigny then hit the upright with a penalty attempt for italy 
rugby	518	henson was also narrowly short with a long range effort at goal  but wales ended the half with a vital third score to give themselves some breathing space 
rugby	518	henson sent luscombe streaking away and when he off loaded to martyn williams  the flanker showed his nous to ground the ball against the padding of the post  jones adding the conversion 
rugby	518	italy  who lost flanker mauro bergamasco with a head knock before half time  built up a head of steam on the resumption 
rugby	518	de marigny landed a penalty to make it 19 8 and a nitoglia break through the middle threatened a try only for the move to break down with a knock on 
rugby	518	but wales put the outcome beyond doubt with two superb tries in four minutes before the hour 
rugby	518	their fourth after 53 minutes was sparked by another mazy run from shane williams  who beat several players with ease  and finished with a powerful angled run from lock cockbain 
rugby	518	before italy could recover from that blow  a strong surge from gareth thomas and great off loads from martyn williams and replacement kevin morgan saw shane williams scamper over 
rugby	518	with jones converting both for a 33 8 lead  wales had the luxury of sending on five more replacements for the final quarter 
rugby	518	the icing on the cake came with a sixth try after more superb support work  shane williams and ceri sweeney combining to send sidoli over in the left corner 
rugby	518	the only downside for wales was a hamstring injury suffered by luscombe 
rugby	518	but after back to back wins at the start of the tournament for the first time in 11 years  they will travel to paris in a fortnight looking like genuine contenders 
rugby	518	r de marigny  mirco bergamasco  w pozzebon  a masi  l nitoglia  l orquera  a troncon  a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami  capt   a persico  mauro bergamasco  s parisse 
rugby	518	g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  d dal maso  p griffen  m barbini  kp robertson 
rugby	518	g thomas  capt   h luscombe  t shanklin  g henson  s williams  s jones  d peel  g jenkins  m davies  a jones  b cockbain  r sidoli  j thomas  m williams  m owen 
rugby	518	r mcbryde  j yapp  i gough  r sowden taylor  g cooper  c sweeney  k morgan 
rugby	518	andrew cole  australia  
rugby	519	white prepared for battletough scrummaging prop julian white is expecting a resurgent wales to give him a rough ride in england s six nations opener in cardiff on saturday 
rugby	519	the leicester tight head is in the form of his life  making the england number three shirt his own 
rugby	519	but he knows wales will put his technique under immense scrutiny 
rugby	519	 the welsh scrum is a force to be reckoned with   he told bbc sport 
rugby	519	 they have made a lot of changes for the better over the last few years 
rugby	519	  white is also impressed with the welsh pack s strength in depth 
rugby	519	 gethin jenkins is starting at loose head for them 
rugby	519	he has played a bit at tight head but i think his favoured position is loose head and he is very good   he added 
rugby	519	the 31 year old has made a massive contribution to the england and leicester cause of late and is arguably the form tight head prop in the world 
rugby	519	he destroyed south africa s os du randt in the scrum at twickenham last autumn to give england the platform for an impressive 32 16 victory 
rugby	519	leicester  who signed white from bristol when the west country side were relegated from the zurich premiership in the summer of 2003  have also been aided by white s presence this season 
rugby	519	the tigers are sitting pretty at the top of the premiership table and have also booked their place in the last eight of the heineken cup 
rugby	519	 i am pleased with my form   he said 
rugby	519	 but my form is helped by the people i play with at leicester   people like martin johnson and graham rowntree 
rugby	519	 it s been a good season so far and to be in the starting xv for the first game of the six nations is what every player wants 
rugby	519	 i am delighted with the way things have gone but we have to get it right this weekend 
rugby	519	  white is now one of the more experienced members of the england squad which takes to the field on saturday 
rugby	519	injuries have taken their toll and coach andy robinson has been deprived of richard hill  jonny wilkinson  martin corry  mike tindall  will greenwood and stuart abbott 
rugby	519	and with 27 caps and a world cup winner s medal to his name  white is now in a position to offer his experience to youngsters such as centres matthew tait and jamie noon 
rugby	519	 i don t know how much experience a tight head can give a centre but you are there to give them a pat on the back if things go wrong or to be there if they want to talk in any way   he added 
rugby	519	 when i first came into the squad  people like jason leonard and martin johnson were the first to come over and talk through things and help out 
rugby	519	 it gives you a lot of confidence when people like that speak to you 
rugby	519	 i was in awe of a lot of them so to sit down and speak with them and realise you are on the same wavelength is good 
rugby	519	  white missed the vast majority of last year s six nations because of a knee injury and is raring for the 2005 event to get going 
rugby	519	and that is despite the opening game taking place amid the red hot atmosphere in cardiff 
rugby	519	 i enjoy the atmosphere 
rugby	519	the millennium stadium is probably one of the best stadiums in the world   he said 
rugby	519	 to go down there and hear the shouting and the singing   it s one of my favourite places to play 
rugby	519	 this is probably the most even six nations for a long time 
rugby	519	england  ireland  france and wales are all contenders 
rugby	519	 on form  ireland should be favourites but you just don t know   that s the great thing about this tournament 
rugby	519	  
rugby	520	o driscoll saves irish blushestwo moments of magic from brian o driscoll guided ireland to a workmanlike victory against italy 
rugby	520	a pair of classic outside breaks from the ireland captain set up tries for geordan murphy and peter stringer 
rugby	520	italy led 9 8 early in the second half but stringer s try gave ireland a lead they never lost 
rugby	520	the hosts cut the gap to 18 12 with 10 minutes left and nearly scored through ludovico nitoglia  but denis hickie s try ensured an irish victory 
rugby	520	italy came flying out of the blocks and took the lead through a luciano orquera penalty after seven minutes 
rugby	520	it could have been better for the hosts but the fly half missed two kickable penalties and ireland drew level with a ronan o gara penalty midway through the first half 
rugby	520	the italians were driving at the heart of the irish defence and  for the first quarter  the irish pack struggled to secure any ball for their talented backs 
rugby	520	when they finally did  just before the half hour mark  o driscoll promptly created a sparkling try for murphy 
rugby	520	the ireland captain ran a dummy scissors and made a magical outside break before drawing the full back and putting the diving murphy in at the corner 
rugby	520	o gara missed the twice taken conversion and the visitors found themselves trailing once again 
rugby	520	roland de marigny took over the kicking duties for italy from the hapless orquera  and he landed a penalty either side of the break to edge italy into a 9 8 lead 
rugby	520	the only ireland player offering a real threat was o driscoll  and it was his break that set up the second try for the visitors 
rugby	520	shane horgan threw an overhead pass as he was about to be forced into touch and stringer scooted over  with o gara landing the tricky conversion 
rugby	520	a penalty apiece saw ireland leading 18 12 as the game entered the final quarter  but they were lucky to survive when italy launched a series of attacks 
rugby	520	winger nitoglia dropped the ball as he reached for the line and italy nearly rumbled over from a driving maul 
rugby	520	an o gara penalty put ireland more than a converted try ahead and they made the game safe when hickie latched onto an inside pass from murphy and crossed for a converted try 
rugby	520	o driscoll limped off late on  joining centre partner gordon d arcy on the sidelines  and the final word went to italy 
rugby	520	prop martin castrogiovanni powered over for a try which was fitting reward for an italian pack which had kept the irish under pressure throughout 
rugby	520	de marigny  mi bergamasco  canale  masi  nitoglia  orquera  troncon  lo cicero  ongaro  castrogiovanni  dellape  bortolami  persico  ma bergamasco  parisse 
rugby	520	perugini  intoppa  del fava  dal maso  griffen  pozzebon  robertson 
rugby	520	murphy  horgan  o driscoll  d arcy  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  s easterby  leamy  foley 
rugby	520	sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  dempsey 
rugby	520	p o brien  new zealand  
rugby	521	barkley fit for match in irelandengland centre olly barkley has been passed fit for sunday s six nations clash with ireland at lansdowne road 
rugby	521	barkley withdrew from bath s team for friday s clash with gloucester after suffering a calf injury in training 
rugby	521	gloucester centre henry paul has also been cleared to play after overcoming an ankle injury 
rugby	521	england coach andy robinson  who names his team on wednesday  has called up bath prop duncan bell following phil vickery s broken arm 
rugby	521	with vickery sidelined for at least six weeks and julian white out with a neck injury  bell could make his england debut 
rugby	521	bell  30  had set his sights on an international career with wales 
rugby	521	but last december  the international rugby board confirmed that he could only be eligible for england as he had travelled on tour with them in 1998 
rugby	521	 i thought i d burned all my bridges with england when i expressed an interest in wanting to play for wales  so it s fantastic to get this opportunity   he said 
rugby	521	bell  who featured in the england a side which beat france 30 20 10 days ago  added   i recognise that i got into the england a squad because of injuries 
rugby	521	 and it s the same again in getting into the senior squad 
rugby	521	but now that i have this opportunity i intend to take it fully if selected and play my heart out for my country 
rugby	521	 england coach andy robinson could take a gamble and call inexperienced sale sharks prop andrew sheridan into his front row 
rugby	521	but sheridan favours the loosehead side of the scrum and a more likely scenario is for uncapped bell   who was among the try scorers when england a beat france a 30 20 nine days ago   to be drafted in 
rugby	522	wales stars need a rest   ruddockwales coach mike ruddock has defended his decision not to release any of the international stars for this weekend s regional celtic league fixtures 
rugby	522	ruddock says the players will benefit from the rest  and their absence will give youngsters a chance to impress 
rugby	522	 we ve got the wru charter in place now which outlines exactly what happens   ruddock told bbc wales sport 
rugby	522	 once we re in the six nations  the players will only be released in his and the wru s best interests 
rugby	522	  the ospreys and scarlets say they are happy to support the wales cause  but the dragons have expressed disappointment at not being able to use their national squad players in friday s game with ulster 
rugby	522	ceri sweeney  gareth cooper  ian gough and kevin morgan have been used sparingly by ruddock in the opening two six nations wins and captain jason forster believes they would benefit from a game with the dragons 
rugby	522	 i m sure the guys would want to come back to get some game time   forster told bbc wales sport 
rugby	522	 it would also be a timely reminder to mike  ruddock  as to what they can do 
rugby	522	 and the supporters want to see the star players   no disrespect to the other guys   performing on the pitch 
rugby	522	  ruddock  though  is keen to protect his players from injury and fatigue 
rugby	522	 at this stage  there s nothing more  the players  can do in games to impress me further 
rugby	522	 we ve got to look at it at another angle and see the opportunities that are provided for the younger players in the region 
rugby	522	 for example  the dragons might use james ireland this weekend 
rugby	522	i ve been looking at the lad   he s a great prospect for the future 
rugby	522	  french and english clubs have requested to have all their international players available which means stephen jones  gareth thomas and mefin davies will play this weekend 
rugby	522	the majority of ireland and scotland players have also been released for provincial duty 
rugby	523	munster cup tie switched to spainmunster s heineken cup quarter final tie against biarritz on 3 april has been switched to real sociedad s paseo de anoeta stadium in san sebastian 
rugby	523	real s ground holds 32 000 whereas the parc des sports aguilera in biarritz has a capacity of just 12 667 
rugby	523	the irish province will be given at least 8 000 tickets 
rugby	523	 the decision to move was a difficult one  but as we considered the fans as one of our primary objectives   said biarritz chairman marcel martin 
rugby	523	 we hope we will be rewarded as a huge crowd behaving in the best rugby tradition 
rugby	523	  the match will be the first heineken cup fixture to be played in spain  and is expected to attract the biggest ever attendance for a rugby match in the country 
rugby	523	ulster were the last irish team to play at the paseo de anoeta stadium where they faced a euskarians side during a pre season tour in 1998 
rugby	524	williams says he will never quitdefiant matt williams says he will not quit as scotland coach even if his side slump to a new low with defeat by italy at murrayfield 
rugby	524	that would leave the scots as favourites to win the wooden spoon for the second year running 
rugby	524	 i have never quit anything in my life  apart from maybe painting the kitchen   he told bbc sport 
rugby	524	 the support we have been given from murrayfield in my whole time here has been 100  
rugby	524	  williams has yet to experience an rbs six nations victory after seven attempts and scotland have lost 12 of their 14 games under his leadership 
rugby	524	but he rejected the comparison made in some media sources with berti vogts  recently sacked as scotland football manager after a poor run of results 
rugby	524	 how can a german football coach and an australian rugby coach have anything in common   he asked 
rugby	524	 it is a bizarre analogy 
rugby	524	it is so absurd that it borders on the humorous 
rugby	524	  williams insists that he is revelling in the pressure  despite the possibility of a second six nations series without a victory 
rugby	524	 that is not beyond the realms of possibility   he admitted 
rugby	524	 there s nothing much between the teams  so we could win the next three games or lose them 
rugby	524	 but i actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach 
rugby	524	 it helps the team grow and helps you grow as a coach 
rugby	524	 we could have won in paris but for the last five minutes and now we have two defeats  but we were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat italy too 
rugby	524	  
rugby	525	pountney handed ban and finenorthampton coach budge pountney has been fined £2 000 and banned from match day coaching for six weeks for calling a referee  a disgrace  
rugby	525	pountney was found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute at a rugby football union disciplinary hearing in london on thursday night 
rugby	525	pountney criticised referee steve lander s performance in northampton s defeat by saracens on 5 february 
rugby	525	the last two weeks of the six week ban are suspended 
rugby	525	pountney pleaded guilty to the offence before a panel consisting of chairman robert horner  nigel gillingham and jeff probyn 
rugby	525	the ban means former scotland international pountney cannot enter the playing enclosure  technical areas or go near the touchline  tunnel or players and officials  areas on the day of a game 
rugby	526	france v wales  sat stade de france  parissaturday  26 february1600 gmtbbc1  radio 4 lw and this websitefrance may have beaten scotland and england but they were tedious and uninspired throughout both matches 
rugby	526	wales  on the other hand  have played some fine rugby and have made their best start since they last won the title in 1994 
rugby	526	they also have a good record at the stade de france  having won their first two games there  in 1999 and 2001 
rugby	526	wales have made two changes from the team that thrashed italy 38 8 in rome 
rugby	526	kevin morgan takes over from his injured newport gwent dragons colleague hal luscombe on the right wing 
rugby	526	in the pack neath swansea ospreys forward ryan jones bas been brought on the blind side flank to beef up the wales back row in place of jonathan thomas 
rugby	526	wales coach mike ruddock is determined that his team will not go into their shells after their promising start to the championship 
rugby	526	 graham henry  former wales coach  said a couple of years ago that we should  be bold  when going to france  and he was proved right   said ruddock 
rugby	526	 that is a great way to approach the game  and something we will further endorse with the players this week 
rugby	526	 despite their stuttering displays in their first two games defending champions france are also unbeaten 
rugby	526	under pressure coach bernard laporte has made four changes  with yannick nyanga  the debutant julien laharrague  aurelien rougerie and yannick jauzion coming into the side 
rugby	526	france have been criticised for the absence of traditional  french flair  as they have ground their way to victory so far this year but captain fabien pelous sees hope on the horizon 
rugby	526	 i get the impression we are getting better   he said 
rugby	526	 against wales  which is different from the teams we have beaten  i hope we can show our proper game 
rugby	526	 j laharrague  a rougerie  y jauzion  d traille  c dominici  y delaigue  d yachvili  s marconnet  s bruno  n mas  f pelous  capt   j thion  s betsen  y nyanga  j bonnaire  bourgoin  
rugby	526	w servat  o milloud  g lamboley  i harinordoquy  p mignoni  f michalak  j p grandclaude 
rugby	526	g thomas  capt   k morgan  t shanklin  g henson  s williams  s jones  d peel  g jenkins  m davies  a jones  b cockbain  r sidoli  r jones  m williams  m owen 
rugby	526	r mcbryde  j yapp  j thomas  r sowden taylor  g cooper  c sweeney  r williams 
rugby	527	woodward eyes brennan for lionstoulouse s former irish international trevor brennan could be one of clive woodward s many surprises when the 44 man lions tour squad is announced 
rugby	527	brennan  who last played for ireland against samoa in 2001  is held in high esteem by the former england coach 
rugby	527	 if you speak to the players there s a huge amount of respect for the guy   woodward told the sunday independent 
rugby	527	 players tend to know better than most coaches 
rugby	527	it s not just the irish  but welsh and english players as well 
rugby	527	  the 31 year old former dublin milkman moved from leinster to toulouse in 2003 and immediately picked up a heineken cup winner s medal in an all french final against perpignan at lansdowne road 
rugby	527	brennan is highly rated at stade toulousain  where he is used anywhere in the back five 
rugby	527	woodward is ensuring his preparations for the trip to new zealand in june are as thorough as possible 
rugby	527	 i ve spoken to quite a few players  and they probably don t know what they re actually saying when we re having these conversations   he told the newspaper 
rugby	527	 but you talk about certain players and they ll say if they think they re up to scratch or that they don t want them in their team 
rugby	527	 i haven t heard a bad word said against trevor  which  considering he has a pretty tough guy reputation  is  to me  impressive 
rugby	527	  
rugby	528	scotland v italy  sat murrayfield  edinburghsaturday  26 february1400 gmtbbc1  five live and this websitevictory for the azzurri in rome last year saw scotland end their campaign without a victory 
rugby	528	and the pressure is on scotland coach matt williams as he seeks a first six nations victory at the eighth attempt 
rugby	528	italy have lost both their opening games at home to ireland and wales  but travel to edinburgh with high hopes 
rugby	528	their coach john kirwan has warned his side they must eradicate the errors that blighted their loss to wales however or risk suffering a third successive defeat 
rugby	528	 if the defeat against wales has taught us anything  it s that at this level we can t make any mistakes   kirwan said 
rugby	528	 in the six nations  every error you make will come at a high price 
rugby	528	 we have to be aggressive for 80 minutes  keep calm in every situation and display great maturity on the pitch 
rugby	528	 it will be fundamental to keep cool in the difficult moments   in the key situations of the game 
rugby	528	  kirwan has recalled the experienced cristian stoica at centre and drafted in david dal maso at open side after star flanker mauro bergamasco was ruled out for the rest of the tournament 
rugby	528	scotland have also made two changes  simon webster replacing simon danielli on the wing and simon taylor returning for his first test in a year  for injured flanker jason white 
rugby	528	taylor s recovery from a serious knee injury is a major boost to scottish hopes 
rugby	528	 he is one of the world class players in the tournament and you want them in your team   acknowledged williams 
rugby	528	despite a record of only two victories from 14 tests  williams insists he is revelling in the pressure 
rugby	528	 i actually really enjoy seeing how you cope with such pressure as a coach   he said  optimistic despite opening defeats to france and ireland 
rugby	528	 we were confident for those two first games and we are confident we can beat italy too   he added 
rugby	528	  c paterson  s webster  a craig  h southwell  s lamont  d parks  c cusiter  t smith  g bulloch  capt   g kerr  s grimes  s murray  s taylor  j petrie  a hogg 
rugby	528	r russell  b douglas  n hines  j dunbar  m blair  g ross  b hinshelwood 
rugby	528	r de marigny  mirco bergamasco  c stoica  a masi  l nitoglia  l orquera  a troncon  a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami  capt   a persico  d dal maso  s parisse 
rugby	528	g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  s orlando  p griffen  r pedrazzi  kp robertson 
rugby	529	preview  ireland v england  sun lansdowne road  dublinsunday  27 february1500 gmtbbc1  radio 4 lw and this websiteireland are going for their first grand slam since 1948 after two opening wins  and england represent their sternest test of the championship so far 
rugby	529	england were sloppy and leaderless in the defeats against wales and france and another loss would be unthinkable 
rugby	529	the pressure is on coach andy robinson and his side have to deliver 
rugby	529	despite england s dramatic dip in form since the world cup final   they have lost eight of their last 13 matches   ireland coach eddie o sullivan says his side should not underestimate the visitors 
rugby	529	 had they kicked their points they would have beaten france and that would have created a different landscape for sunday   he said 
rugby	529	 this is england we are talking about 
rugby	529	they have a depth of talent and a very good record against ireland 
rugby	529	 they will target a victory in dublin as the turning point in their six nations 
rugby	529	  the differences between the sides is also highlighted in the team selections for the dublin encounter 
rugby	529	ireland  despite having gordon d arcy still out injured  have been boosted by the return of star skipper brian o driscoll who missed the scotland game with a hamstring injury 
rugby	529	 the knowledge that the england game was coming up really helped during rehabilitation   he said 
rugby	529	 the will to play in this game was enormous 
rugby	529	it doesn t get much bigger than england at home 
rugby	529	  as well as entering the tournament without players like jonny wilkinson  mike tindall and richard hill  england have now lost two tighthead props in julian white and phil vickery while blind side flanker lewis moody is a major concern 
rugby	529	robinson  who received a lot of flak for the inclusion and then dropping of centre mathew tait  has kept faith with kicking fly half charlie hodgson despite his horror show at twickenham 
rugby	529	if england slump in dublin  it will be their worst run of results in the championship since 1987 
rugby	529	but robinson was bullish during the week about the game  saying that his side  are going there to get in their faces   and has identified the line out and tackle area as the key to england s chances 
rugby	529	and despite the recent results  skipper jason robinson believes there is nothing wrong with the mood in the camp 
rugby	529	 there is no lack of confidence in the team   said the sale full back 
rugby	529	 we have had a good week s training and we are all looking forward to the challenge 
rugby	529	 i still believe in this team 
rugby	529	i know if we get our game right we will win the games 
rugby	529	 g murphy  g dempsey  b o driscoll  s horgan  d hickie  r o gara  p stringer  r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes  m o kelly  p o connell  s easterby  j o connor  a foley 
rugby	529	f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  k maggs 
rugby	529	j robinson  capt   m cueto  j noon  o barkley  j lewsey  c hodgson  h ellis  g rowntree  s thompson  m stevens  d grewcock  b kay  j worsley  l moody  m corry 
rugby	529	a titterrell  d bell  s borthwick  a hazell  m dawson  a goode  o smith 
rugby	530	leeds v saracens  fri headingleyfriday  25 february2000 gmtthe tykes have brought in newcastle prop ed kalman and tom mcgee from the borders on loan while fly half craig mcmullen has joined from narbonne 
rugby	530	raphael ibanez is named at hooker for saracens in one of four changes 
rugby	530	simon raiwalui and ben russell are also selected in the pack while kevin sorrell comes in at outside centre 
rugby	530	  friday s game at headingley got the go ahead on friday after passing an early pitch inspection 
rugby	530	leeds  balshaw  rees  christophers  bell  doherty  mcmullen  dickens  mcgee  rawlinson  gerber  murphy  palmer  capt   morgan  parks  popham 
rugby	530	replacements  kalman  regan  hyde  rigney  mcmillan  rock  vickerman 
rugby	530	saracens  bartholomeusz  castaignede  sorrell  harris  vaikona  jackson  bracken  yates  ibanez  visagie  raiwalui  fullarton  randell  russell  vyvyan  capt  
rugby	530	replacements  cairns  lloyd  broster  chesney  johnston  rauluni  little 
rugby	531	worcester v sale  fri sixwaysfriday  25 february2000 gmtthey make just one change  with tim collier replacing phil murphy in the second row 
rugby	531	in contrast  sale are missing 14 players due to a combination of international call ups and injuries 
rugby	531	john payne and chris rhys jones come into the centres while scrum half richard wigglesworth looks set to play on the wing 
rugby	531	delport  pieters  rasmussen  lombard  o leary  brown  powell  windo  van niekerk  horsman  collier  gillies  hickey  sanderson  macleod  henderson 
rugby	531	replacements  fortey  murphy  daly  vaili  cole  hayes  trueman 
rugby	531	hanley  mayor  payne  rhys jones  wigglesworth  hercus  redpath  capt   turner  roddam  stewart  day  schofield  caillet  carter  chabal 
rugby	531	replacements  from   bozzi  coutts  anglesea  lund  martens  riley  duffy  c jones 
rugby	532	robinson answers criticsengland captain jason robinson has rubbished suggestions that the world champions are a team in decline 
rugby	532	england were beaten 11 9 by wales in their six nations opener in cardiff last week and face current champions france at twickenham on sunday 
rugby	532	robinson said   we are certainly not on the decline 
rugby	532	you lose one game and it doesn t make you a bad team 
rugby	532	 i have no doubt in the players we ve got 
rugby	532	we have still got the team to go out and beat anyone on our day 
rugby	532	  england find themselves striving to avoid a third successive championship defeat for the first time since 1987 
rugby	532	but full back robinson believes the new look england team can stop the rot against france 
rugby	532	 last weekend we should have won the game   he said 
rugby	532	 but if we can under perform and lose by only two points then i am sure if we play well this week we will get the win we need 
rugby	532	 we proved that in the autumn   when we put in some excellent performances   and we just need to build on that 
rugby	532	 it was a disappointing start against wales and we might be down on that 
rugby	532	 but we are certainly not out 
rugby	532	we will come out fighting this week 
rugby	532	  robinson also had words of comfort for 18 year old newcastle centre mathew tait  who made his international debut against wales but has been demoted from the squad to face france 
rugby	532	 i have had a word with mathew   said robinson 
rugby	532	 i still believe in him 
rugby	532	he is an outstanding player but we have gone for olly  barkley  because of the kicking 
rugby	532	 mathew has just got to take it on the chin  keep working hard like he is doing and i m sure he will feature in some of the games 
rugby	532	  
rugby	533	sella wants michalak recallformer france centre philippe sella believes coach bernard laporte must recall frederic michalak to give his side any chance of beating ireland 
rugby	533	sella admitted he had been impressed by current fly half yann delaigue in the rbs six nations to date 
rugby	533	but he told bbc sport   michalak is the answer both now and for the future 
rugby	533	delaigue deserved his chance but the time has come to bring back michalak 
rugby	533	 he does have weaknesses but has the all round game to upset ireland 
rugby	533	  the 22 year old michalak has spent much of the tournament on the bench after delaigue impressed for castres early in the season 
rugby	533	with michalak overlooked  the french stuttered to narrow wins over scotland and then england before ironically playing their best rugby in the defeat to wales 
rugby	533	 the wales game was amazing to watch but never did i think the french could lose that game at half time   said sella 
rugby	533	 their only mistakes were that they didn t score enough points in the first half and were a little bit less focused in the second 
rugby	533	but only a little bit 
rugby	533	  sella  however  insisted the pressure had eased on the under fire laporte  despite the defeat at the stade de france 
rugby	533	 this season is very important for shaping a team for the 2007 world cup   said sella   which laporte is doing very well 
rugby	533	the french get better every game 
rugby	533	 it s difficult  though  when you change a team and you change your tactics as everything has to gel 
rugby	533	 but he has the players and the talent to take them all the way to world cup victory 
rugby	533	 as a result  it is important that people give him time 
rugby	533	it may not seem good now that we re not winning the grand slam but no one will care in two years time if we re world champions 
rugby	533	 the majority of media criticism centred on the way in which france produced a performance devoid of running rugby in their opening two games 
rugby	533	but while sella admitted he liked the more flowing style employed against wales  he said  the win was most important  
rugby	533	 winning is all that matters   he added 
rugby	533	 ok  the flair may not have been so good  but the discipline  organisation and defence was there  which are all important ahead of 2007 
rugby	533	  france play what sella believes is their hardest game of the six nations against ireland in dublin on saturday 12 march 
rugby	533	the french go into the game as clear underdogs 
rugby	533	but sella added   people forget that france can still win the six nations and they ll be focused on that 
rugby	533	 but ireland will be going for even more in front of their home crowd 
rugby	533	it s going to be tough 
rugby	533	  
rugby	534	umaga ready for lionsall blacks captain tama umaga has warned the british and irish lions will be his most fearsome opponents yet ahead of their summer tour 
rugby	534	but umaga  in england for saturday s irb rugby aid match  also backed new zealand to win the three test series against the lions 
rugby	534	he told bbc sport   it s potentially the most fearsome line up i ve ever come up against 
rugby	534	they re awesome 
rugby	534	 but i d back us all the way to beat them when they come over 
rugby	534	  lions boss sir clive woodward is set to announce his squad for the june july tour next month 
rugby	534	when woodward was appointed last year  it was widely believed he would rely heavily on his former england players 
rugby	534	but umaga said   he d be hard pushed to do that now considering the shape of the six nations 
rugby	534	 don t get me wrong  england have got a lot of talented guys and i m sure there are some of them who ll make the lions test xv 
rugby	534	 but you can t disguise wales and ireland in particular 
rugby	534	some of the tries they ve scored have been great 
rugby	534	i ll admit it ll be fairly awesome lining up against the likes of brian o driscoll 
rugby	534	 umaga will meet o driscoll in saturday s rugby aid match at twickenham  with the irish captain leading the northern hemisphere side 
rugby	534	o driscoll is among a host of players in the northern hemisphere squad  coached by woodward  that are tipped for lions call ups 
rugby	534	 it ll be good for us to get an early idea of some of these guys  although a lot can change between now and june   umaga said 
rugby	534	the 31 year old admitted interest in the lions tour was immense  calling it  the biggest thing to hit new zealand since lord of the rings  
rugby	534	he added   as players  it s enough for us to be driven by the rarity of playing the lions 
rugby	534	in fact  it s not just us all blacks   it s the talk of the country 
rugby	534	 umaga admitted the fear of injury weighed on his mind ahead of saturday s charity game  which features a host of big names including george gregan  andrew mehrtens and chris latham 
rugby	534	but he admitted the value of the cause   proceeds of the match will go to aiding victims of the tsunami   easily won him over 
rugby	534	 the second  southern hemisphere coach  rod macqueen made the approach  i didn t hesitate 
rugby	534	it was great when new zealand rugby then gave me the all clear 
rugby	534	 thankfully i didn t know anyone that was involved in the tragedy of the tsunami but you couldn t miss all the horrific reports on the news 
rugby	534	 there are so many people that were affected  are still affected and will be affected for a long time 
rugby	534	it s just good to know we can do something minor to help out 
rugby	534	   the match will be televised on bbc one at 1400 gmt on saturday 
rugby	535	umaga ready for  fearsome  lionsall blacks captain tama umaga has warned the british and irish lions will be his most fearsome opponents yet ahead of their summer tour 
rugby	535	but umaga  in england for saturday s irb rugby aid match  also backed new zealand to win the three test series against the lions 
rugby	535	he told bbc sport   it s potentially the most fearsome line up i ve ever come up against 
rugby	535	they re awesome 
rugby	535	 but i d back us all the way to beat them when they come over 
rugby	535	  lions boss sir clive woodward is set to announce his squad for the june july tour next month 
rugby	535	when woodward was appointed last year  it was widely believed he would rely heavily on his former england players 
rugby	535	but umaga said   he d be hard pushed to do that now considering the shape of the six nations 
rugby	535	 don t get me wrong  england have got a lot of talented guys and i m sure there are some of them who ll make the lions test xv 
rugby	535	 but you can t disguise wales and ireland in particular 
rugby	535	some of the tries they ve scored have been great 
rugby	535	i ll admit it ll be fairly awesome lining up against the likes of brian o driscoll 
rugby	535	 umaga will meet o driscoll in saturday s rugby aid match at twickenham  with the irish captain leading the northern hemisphere side 
rugby	535	o driscoll is among a host of players in the northern hemisphere squad  coached by woodward  that are tipped for lions call ups 
rugby	535	 it ll be good for us to get an early idea of some of these guys  although a lot can change between now and june   umaga said 
rugby	535	the 31 year old admitted interest in the lions tour was immense  calling it  the biggest thing to hit new zealand since lord of the rings  
rugby	535	he added   as players  it s enough for us to be driven by the rarity of playing the lions 
rugby	535	in fact  it s not just us all blacks   it s the talk of the country 
rugby	535	 umaga admitted the fear of injury weighed on his mind ahead of saturday s charity game  which features a host of big names including george gregan  andrew mehrtens and chris latham 
rugby	535	but he admitted the value of the cause   proceeds of the match will go to aiding victims of the tsunami   easily won him over 
rugby	535	 the second  southern hemisphere coach  rod macqueen made the approach  i didn t hesitate 
rugby	535	it was great when new zealand rugby then gave me the all clear 
rugby	535	 thankfully i didn t know anyone that was involved in the tragedy of the tsunami but you couldn t miss all the horrific reports on the news 
rugby	535	 there are so many people that were affected  are still affected and will be affected for a long time 
rugby	535	it s just good to know we can do something minor to help out 
rugby	535	   the match will be televised on bbc one at 1400 gmt on saturday 
rugby	536	campese berates whingeing englandformer australian wing david campese has told england to stop whingeing in the wake of their defeat to ireland 
rugby	536	england coach andy robinson lambasted referee jonathan kaplan for costing them the game after disallowing tries from mark cueto and josh lewsey 
rugby	536	but campese told bbc sport   robinson is living up to england s reputation as whingeing poms 
rugby	536	 stop going on about it as who really cares  they re acting like they re the first team to be cheated of a win 
rugby	536	 england are contemplating a complaint to the international rugby board after potential  tries  by cueto in the first half and lewsey late on were ruled out without recourse to the video referee 
rugby	536	but campese added   scotland could have beaten france in the same way  but do you see them whingeing   basically  things didn t go england s way and  in typical fashion  they make more of it when they believe they ve lost unfairly 
rugby	536	 england are second bottom in the six nations table following defeats by wales  france and ireland 
rugby	536	but although campese admitted he was surprised about their current predicament  he insisted england were  no longer world class  
rugby	536	 england are beginning to realise that being world champions doesn t mean you deserve to win every game   he said 
rugby	536	 they lost a few key players and suddenly everyone s realised the ones on the fringes were not all that good in the first place 
rugby	536	 added to that  the senior players aren t standing up and they can t do anything when the pressure mounts 
rugby	536	 campese  a veteran of 101 international caps  said full back jason robinson would now be the sole englishman in his world xv 
rugby	536	robinson has been blamed for poor leadership in the tournament  while his coach has been castigated for appointing a full back captain 
rugby	536	 i agree that you can t captain from full back   said campese 
rugby	536	 you need someone in the thick of the action  and it s very hard to give orders from all the way back there 
rugby	536	 some people are leaders and some aren t 
rugby	536	he s not but there s no one who stands out in england s pack   no clear cut leaders 
rugby	536	  campese  though  defended coach andy robinson  who he believes was the  only choice  after sir clive woodward s resignation 
rugby	536	but he blamed  a lack of talent in the england camp  for making the current coach look poor 
rugby	536	england face a potential wooden spoon match against italy on 12 march 
rugby	536	and the ex wallaby added   if england lost that  they d be in bloody turmoil 
rugby	536	that said  i don t think they will 
rugby	536	  campese has tipped wales to win both the six nations and grand slam come the end of the tournament 
rugby	536	 it s been a surprising tournament   he said   and maybe ireland have a little bit more talent overall 
rugby	536	 but playing at home is a major boost 
rugby	536	and the possible grand slam decider at the millennium stadium will be just too much for the irish 
rugby	536	  
rugby	537	o driscoll gregan lead aid starsireland s brian o driscoll will lead the northern hemisphere team in the irb rugby aid match at twickenham 
rugby	537	o driscoll heads a star studded cast for the contest to raise funds for the tsunami appeal 
rugby	537	the south will be led by george gregan  one of four wallabies  alongside five springboks and four all blacks including captain tana umaga 
rugby	537	south african flanker schalk burger has shaken off a leg injury to take his place in the starting line up 
rugby	537	he will join fellow springboks john smit  cobus visagie and victor matfield in the south pack  with jacque fourie among the centres 
rugby	537	the north side have been hit by the withdrawals of scotland duo gordon bulloch and chris cusiter  plus france captain fabien pelous 
rugby	537	but leicester s england centre ollie smith has been added to the squad  giving him an opportunity to impress lions coach sir clive woodward  who takes charge of the north side 
rugby	537	 i think it s fantastic for ollie   tigers coach john wells told bbc radio leicester 
rugby	537	 he was probably going to have the weekend off this week and i hope clive gets the chance to see the qualities that leicester and england have been seeing all year 
rugby	537	  woodward will also assess other potential lions candidates such as scotland pair simon taylor and chris paterson  wales scrum half dwayne peel and ireland lock paul o connell 
rugby	537	 i m looking forward to working with such outstanding players   woodward said 
rugby	537	 both teams are fielding top quality sides and i really hope that the rugby public and community get behind this game to raise as much money as possible for such a deserving cause 
rugby	537	  despite the withdrawal of wales wing rhys williams  who is required for the blues  celtic league match with munster  three other members of their six nations squad   ceri sweeney  john yapp and jonathan thomas   will also play 
rugby	537	 not only it is for a good cause but it gives these players the opportunity to play with and against some of the best players in the world   said wru general manager steve lewis 
rugby	537	supporters can watch the teams train for free at twickenham on friday  4 march 
rugby	537	woodward will put his north team through their paces at 1030 gmt  with the south side  coached by former wallabies coach rod macqueen  due at the stadium at 1330 
rugby	537	c paterson  scotland   b cohen  england   b o driscoll  ireland  capt   d traille  france   o smith  england   c sweeney  wales   d humphreys  ireland   d peel  wales   a lo cicero  italy   p de villiers  france   j yapp  wales   r ibanez  france   p o connell  ireland   m bortolami  italy   j thomas  wales   s taylor  scotland   l dallaglio  england   s parisse  italy   others to be added 
rugby	537	c latham  australia   b lima  samoa   j fourie  sa  t umaga  new zealand   s bobo  fiji   a mehrtens  nz  g gregan  aus  capt   c hoeft  nz   j smit  sa   c visagie  sa   s maling  nz   v matfield  sa   s burger  sa   p waugh  aus   t kefu  aus  
rugby	537	e taukafa  tonga   e guinazu  argentina   s sititi  samoa   o palepoi  samoa   m rauluni  fiji   t delport  sa   a n other 
rugby	538	harinordoquy suffers france axenumber eight imanol harinordoquy has been dropped from france s squad for the six nations match with ireland in dublin on 12 march 
rugby	538	harinordoquy was a second half replacement in last saturday s 24 18 defeat to wales 
rugby	538	bourgoin lock pascal pape  who has recovered from a sprained ankle  returns to the 22 man squad 
rugby	538	wing cedric heymans and ludovic valbon come in for aurelien rougerie and jean philippe grandclaude 
rugby	538	rougerie hurt his chest against wales while grandclaude was a second half replacement against both england and wales 
rugby	538	valbon  capped in last june s tests against the united states and canada  was a second half replacement in the win over scotland 
rugby	538	france coach bernard laporte said harinordoquy had been axed after a poor display last weekend 
rugby	538	 imanol has been dropped from the squad because the least i can say is that he didn t make a thundering comeback against wales   said laporte 
rugby	538	 we know the ireland game will be fast and rough and we also want to be able to replace both locks during the game if needed  and gregory lamboley can also come on at number seven or eight 
rugby	538	 the grand slam is gone but we ll go to ireland to win 
rugby	538	 it will be a very exciting game because ireland have three wins under their belt  have just defeated england and have their eyes set on a grand slam 
rugby	538	  france  who lost to wales last week  must defeat the irish to keep alive their hopes of retaining the six nations trophy 
rugby	538	ireland are unbeaten in this year s tournament and have their sights set on a first grand slam since 1948 
rugby	538	dimitri yachvili  biarritz   pierre mignoni  clermont   yann delaigue  castres   frederic michalak  stade toulousain   damien traille  biarritz   yannick jauzion  stade toulousain   ludovic valbon  biarritz   christophe dominici  stade francais   cedric heymans  stade toulousain   julien laharrague  brive sylvain marconnet  stade francais   nicolas mas  perpignan   olivier milloud  bourgoin   sebastien bruno  sale eng   william servat  stade toulousain   fabien pelous  stade toulousain  capt   jerome thion  biarritz   pascal pap  233   bourgoin   gregory lamboley  stade toulousain   serge betsen  biarritz   julien bonnaire  bourgoin   yannick nyanga  b  233 ziers  
rugby	539	parker misses england clashtom shanklin will start in the centre for wales against england in cardiff on saturday after sonny parker failed to recover from a trapped neck nerve 
rugby	539	shanklin was first choice wing in the autumn tests  but prefers centre and will face england debutant mathew tait 
rugby	539	dragons three quarter hal luscombe takes shanklin s wing berth 
rugby	539	up front  mefin davies plays at hooker  open side martyn williams is fit to start and lock rob sidoli replaces veteran gareth llewellyn 
rugby	539	davies wins the vote ahead of robin mcbryde  who sits on the bench having recently returned to action for the scarlets following a neck injury 
rugby	539	sidoli is back for the first time since last season s six nations  the blues second row back to form after a niggling groin problem 
rugby	539	williams  sidoli s team mate at cardiff  is set to win his 50th cap  replacing the injured colin charvis after making a quicker than expected recovery from a neck disc problem 
rugby	539	 initially when i had the diagnosis it was a case of trying to get fit for the italy game next week  but fortunately my recovery has been a lot quicker than we all hoped   williams told bbc sport wales 
rugby	539	 i haven t started a game since 1 january and would have preferred to have a couple of games in the lead up to this  but the good thing with the injury is that i have kept up my fitness levels 
rugby	539	 i feel quite fresh and i just can t wait to play again 
rugby	539	  williams says he expects a torrid time from an england loose forward trio of lewis moody  joe worsley and andy hazell 
rugby	539	 they are three top class players  especially worsley and moody 
rugby	539	they have been there and done it   williams added 
rugby	539	 they were back ups behind richard hill  neil back and lawrence dallaglio  but now they have come forward and proved what good players they are   there are no weaknesses there 
rugby	539	  luscombe gets the nod on the wing ahead of dragons team mate kevin morgan  who wins a place on the bench alongside uncapped blues prop john yapp 
rugby	539	g thomas  toulouse  capt   h luscombe  dragons   t shanklin  blues   g henson  ospreys   s williams  ospreys   s jones  clermont auvergne   d peel  scarlets   g jenkins  blues   m davies  gloucester   a jones  ospreys   b cockbain  ospreys   r sidoli  blues   d jones  scarlets   m williams  blues   m owen  dragons  
rugby	539	r mcbryde  scarlets   j yapp  blues   j thomas  ospreys   r jones  ospreys   g cooper  dragons   c sweeney  dragons   k morgan  dragons  
rugby	540	stevens named in england line upengland have named bath prop matt stevens in the starting line up for their six nations match against ireland at lansdowne road on sunday 
rugby	540	fellow bath prop duncan bell will start on the bench  as coach andy robinson makes just one change to the team that was beaten by france 
rugby	540	it will be stevens  first start after two caps as a replacement against the all blacks last year 
rugby	540	leicester duo ollie smith and andy goode have been drafted onto the bench 
rugby	540	stevens takes over from phil vickery  who suffered a broken arm playing for gloucester last weekend 
rugby	540	 i m confident matt will grasp this opportunity and make his mark against ireland   said robinson 
rugby	540	 all three players have shown outstanding form of late  most recently in the england a win against france a and for their club   added robinson 
rugby	540	 selection beckons when players demonstrate such consistent ability 
rugby	540	 this game against ireland will be massive 
rugby	540	we recognise it s a must win game for us this season 
rugby	540	  england confirmed that sale sharks prop andrew sheridan was not considered for selection because of an injury he picked up to the back of his ankle during last friday s match against leeds 
rugby	540	j robinson  sale sharks  capt   m cueto  sale sharks   j noon  newcastle   o barkley  bath   j lewsey  wasps   c hodgson  sale sharks   h ellis  leicester   g rowntree  leicester   s thompson  northampton   m stevens  bath   d grewcock  bath   b kay  leicester   j worsley  wasps   l moody  leicester   m corry  leicester  
rugby	540	a titterrell  sale sharks   d bell  bath   s borthwick  bath   a hazell  gloucester   m dawson  wasps   a goode  leicester   o smith  leicester  
rugby	541	bortolami predicts dour contestitaly skipper marco bortolami believes saturday s six nations contest against scotland will be a scrappy encounter 
rugby	541	with both sides looking for their first win of the championship  the third round game at murrayfield has been billed as a wooden spoon decider 
rugby	541	and bortolami feels the edinburgh contest could end up being a bruising battle of the packs 
rugby	541	 it will not be a pretty game because both teams are desperate to gain their first win   said the lock forward 
rugby	541	italy have only recorded three wins since they joined the six nations in 2000  but two of those have come against scotland 
rugby	541	this year  italy opened up with a stubborn display against ireland but ended up losing 28 17 
rugby	541	however  they were thoroughly outplayed by an impressive welsh side in rome last time out 
rugby	541	now the italians travel to edinburgh hoping to claim their first away win in the six nations 
rugby	541	 scotland played extremely well against france in paris but not so well when ireland came to edinburgh   said bortolami 
rugby	541	 we are still very disappointed with our last game against wales in rome and we are thoroughly determined to right the wrongs 
rugby	541	 as a nation  our quest is to be respected as a team worthy of a place in this tournament and we can only do this by winning games 
rugby	541	  
rugby	542	corry backs skipper robinsonengland forward martin corry says jason robinson is the right man to lead the national team back to winning ways 
rugby	542	after losses to wales and france  critics have started to wonder whether robinson can captain from full back 
rugby	542	but corry has backed robinson  who was given the role after the injury to fly half jonny wilkinson  ahead of this weekend s trip to ireland 
rugby	542	 jason is doing a tremendous job 
rugby	542	every week my respect for him goes up   corry told bbc radio five live 
rugby	542	 he is an inspirational captain 
rugby	542	when he talks with the squad he talks with a lot of sense 
rugby	542	 the players have a lot of respect for him 
rugby	542	it s an honour to be in the england side and an honour to play under him 
rugby	542	 england are under immense pressure following their poor start to the year and victory is vital if they are to rescue their six nations campaign 
rugby	542	but corry insists england are in the right frame of mind for the contest 
rugby	542	 there is apprehension going into every game   he added 
rugby	542	 but you have to use that fear and put it into a positive mindset 
rugby	542	 when the whistle goes on sunday  what has happened in the past does not count for anything 
rugby	542	 we have not performed but if we put in a performance on sunday then we can start turning results around 
rugby	542	 there are a lot of changes taking place with england and we are at the start of something 
rugby	542	we have not got off to the greatest of starts but you need to experience the bad the before you can fully appreciate the good 
rugby	542	 a trip to lansdowne road is daunting at any time  especially against an ireland side that are flying high after two impressive wins 
rugby	542	they are the form team of the tournament and are tipped to claim their first grand slam since 1948 
rugby	542	but corry is relishing the prospect of taking on the irish in their own backyard 
rugby	542	 they are full of confidence and are playing a great team game   he said 
rugby	542	 the forwards are creating a great platform and they have explosive runners out wide 
rugby	542	 if you look at the team on paper  they have stars from one to 15 
rugby	542	it s a huge task but it is a great opportunity for us 
rugby	542	 lansdowne road is a tremendous venue to play in and we have to use it to our advantage 
rugby	542	  
rugby	543	prop jones ready for hard graftadam jones says the wales forwards are determined to set the perfect attacking platform for the backs by dominating the powerful france pack in paris 
rugby	543	the prop said   if we get stuffed in the front five our backs have had it 
rugby	543	 the mentality of the french is  scrum  scrum  scrum  
rugby	543	we will see how good france are and the scrum is the key 
rugby	543	 i just hope  the backs  carry on where they left off against italy 
rugby	543	it s just up to us in the forwards to win the ball and give them the opportunity 
rugby	543	  wales have won two of their last three visits to stade de france  having secured back to back wins under graham henry in 1999 and 2001 
rugby	543	and with the likes of shane williams and gavin henson finding top form at the right time  mike ruddock s team is now one of international rugby s most potent attacking threats 
rugby	543	 gavin is ridiculously talented 
rugby	543	he has been bouncing around the place this week  so he is up for it   warned jones 
rugby	543	france have been criticised for their uncharacteristic one dimensional play in their victories over scotland and france 
rugby	543	captain fabien pelous has acknowledged his side needs to show more attacking flair  but stressed the game with be won or lost up front 
rugby	543	the lock believes the welsh forwards are not big enough to trouble his side in the scrum or line out  but jones insisted his fellow front row colleagues have nothing to fear 
rugby	543	 gethin  jenkins  won t be intimidated tomorrow  none of us will   said jones  who will be facing france for the first time 
rugby	543	 we will go out there and front up and hopefully get the ball out to the backs 
rugby	543	 me and gethin are quite young so it is good to have someone of mefin s experience in there 
rugby	543	 mefin is a good thinker who puts things across 
rugby	543	but what is the saying  if you are good enough you are old enough and gethin certainly is 
rugby	543	 he is a really good player and i imagine he will be on the lions tour  to new zealand this summer  
rugby	543	  
rugby	544	moody joins up with englandlewis moody has flown to dublin to join england s camp ahead of their rbs six nations game against ireland on sunday 
rugby	544	despite joining the squad  the leicester flanker only has a  slim  chance of playing because of an infection in his finger 
rugby	544	a decision will be taken on saturday as to whether the 26 year old will be declared fit 
rugby	544	if he fails to recover in time for the game  his place at the back of the pack will be taken by andy hazell 
rugby	544	chris jones will then start the game on the bench 
rugby	544	 the chances of him playing are very slim   said coach andy robinson 
rugby	544	 the infection is deeper than was thought 
rugby	544	 moody had to be put on a drip in an attempt to force antibiotics through his infected finger 
rugby	544	he suffered the cut playing against france at twickenham and it became infected during a 10 minute outing as a replacement for leicester against newcastle last saturday 
rugby	544	 the mud got into it   robinson added 
rugby	544	 he has had a big course of antibiotics but they haven t done the job we hoped they would 
rugby	544	  robinson has already been forced to make one change to the starting line up with bath prop matt stevens coming in for the injured phil vickery 
rugby	544	the 22 year old has only made 10 starts for his club but has made 49 appearances from the bench 
rugby	544	 it can be frustrating but i ve had a lot more game time this season and i m ready for it   stevens said 
rugby	544	 i ve been on tour with these boys and i ve been in the england set up for two years so i know the calls and the way they play 
rugby	544	  stevens will be winning his third cap on sunday after coming on twice as a replacement on the tour to new zealand last year 
rugby	544	robinson has confirmed that fly half charlie hodgson will be the first choice kicker despite his three missed penalties and a drop goal against france 
rugby	544	 charlie s state of mind is very good   said robinson 
rugby	544	 obviously  we are all disappointed we lost the french game and the circumstances in which we did 
rugby	544	 but he responded well last week in his goalkicking for sale and he will be our first choice kicker this week 
rugby	544	 robinson also admits his side must improve their line out work against irish duo malcolm o kelly and paul o connell  one of the most effective partnerships in the game 
rugby	544	 in each game we ve missed a number of line outs   he added 
rugby	544	 it cost us the game against wales but it has improved 
rugby	544	 it was better against france and will have to go up another notch against ireland 
rugby	544	it will be a huge battle 
rugby	544	 look at the way they tore us apart last year 
rugby	544	if it doesn t function  we will be in for a torrid time 
rugby	544	  
rugby	545	captains lining up for aid matchireland s brian o driscoll is one of four six nations captains included in the northern hemisphere squad for the irb rugby aid match on 5 march 
rugby	545	france s fabien pelous  gordon bullock of scotland and italy s marco bortolami are also in the northern party 
rugby	545	sir clive woodward will coach the northern team against rod macqueen s southern hemisphere team in a tsumani fund raising match at twickenham 
rugby	545	 i m looking forward to working with such outstanding players   he said 
rugby	545	it will be a chance for woodward to assess some of his options before unveiling his british and irish lions touring party  who will visit new zealand in the summer 
rugby	545	 the game promises to be a great spectacle   he said 
rugby	545	 both teams are fielding top quality sides and i really hope that the rugby public and community get behind this game to raise as much money as possible for such a deserving cause 
rugby	545	 l dallaglio  england   b cohen  england   a rougerie  france   d traille  france   f pelous  france   r ibanez  france   p de villiers  france   b o driscoll  ireland  capt   p o connell  ireland   d humphreys  ireland   c paterson  scotland   c cusiter  scotland   g bullock  scotland   s taylor  scotland   a lo cicero  italy   m bortolami  italy   s parisse  italy   d peel  wales   c sweeney  wales   j thomas  wales   r williams  wales   j yapp  wales  
rugby	545	c latham  australia   r caucaunibuca  fiji   j fourie  s africa  t umaga  new zealand   s bobo  fiji   a mehrtens  new zealand  g gregan  australia  capt   t kefu  australia   p waugh  australia   s burger  s africa   i rawaqa  fiji   v matfield  s africa   k visagie  s africa   j smit  s africa   c hoeft  new zealand  
rugby	545	reserves  b reihana  new zealand   b lima  samoa   e taukafa  tonga   o palepoi  samoa   s sititi  samoa   m rauluni  fiji   a n other 
rugby	546	castaignede fires laporte warningformer france fly half thomas castaignede has warned the pressure is mounting on coach bernard laporte following their defeat by wales 
rugby	546	france suffered a shock loss against the welsh at the weekend after looking on course for an easy win 
rugby	546	castaignede told bbc sport   the pressure is big on laporte after a huge loss to new zealand  a slim win over scotland and a miracle against england 
rugby	546	 but the french have to get behind him and the team at lansdowne road 
rugby	546	  following victories over south africa and australia in november  france were deemed by many to be the world s leading side 
rugby	546	but they were then trounced 45 6 by new zealand and only just beat scotland after the scots had a try disallowed in their six nations opener 
rugby	546	it then took some woeful spot kicking from charlie hodgson and olly barkley to help them to victory against england at twickenham 
rugby	546	 lt castaignede said   you can t say any of those results have eased the pressure on laporte 
rugby	546	 had england s kickers not been so bad  the position in the six nations would be very different now 
rugby	546	  laporte has been criticised for france s negative tactics in their wins over scotland and england 
rugby	546	but his side played a more free flowing style against wales  making a mockery of the opposition s defence in the first half before suffering a shock turnaround in fortunes after the interval 
rugby	546	 all the chat in france has been about how france will play against ireland   said castaignede ahead of the 12 march tie 
rugby	546	 everyone wants to see the sort of play we saw against wales 
rugby	546	but everyone also wants a win 
rugby	546	  castaignede  a veteran of 43 international caps  admitted the french would go in as underdogs against ireland 
rugby	546	 going to ireland is never easy but the way they re playing right now  it s harder than ever   said castaignede 
rugby	546	 they re very experienced and don t often lose at home 
rugby	546	they ve got some great forwards and some electric runners on the break 
rugby	546	  despite praising the irish he claimed the welsh had the upper hand in the six nations run in 
rugby	546	 ireland have such a good pack but wales are something else on the break   he added 
rugby	546	 at the weekend they were simply awesome 
rugby	546	as a frenchman it was disappointing to see  but you had to admire it 
rugby	546	 their commitment to every cause can make them win this championship 
rugby	546	  the 30 year old also tipped yann delaigue to start ahead of frederic michalak at number 10 after an impressive display in paris last weekend 
rugby	546	 delaigue played really well and admittedly michalak played well too   said castaignede 
rugby	546	 i m just glad i m not the one who has to make the decision 
rugby	546	  
rugby	547	charvis set to lose fitness bidflanker colin charvis is unlikely to play any part in wales  final two games of the six nations 
rugby	547	charvis has missed all three of wales  victories with an ankle injury and his recovery has been slower than expected 
rugby	547	 he will not figure in the scotland game and is now thought unlikely to be ready for the final game   said wales physio mark davies 
rugby	547	sonny parker is continuing to struggle with a neck injury  but hal luscombe should be fit for the murrayfield trip 
rugby	547	centre parker has only a  slim chance  of being involved against the scots on 13 march  so luscombe s return to fitness after missing the france match with hamstring trouble is a timely boost 
rugby	547	said wales assistant coach scott johnson   we re positive about hal and hope he ll be raring to go 
rugby	547	 he comes back into the mix again  adds to the depth and gives us other options 
rugby	547	  replacement hooker robin mcbryde remains a doubt after picking up knee ligament damage in paris last saturday 
rugby	547	 we re getting that reviewed and we should know more by the end of the week how robin s looking   added johnson 
rugby	547	 we re hopeful but it s too early to say at this stage 
rugby	547	  steve jones from the dragons is likely to be drafted in if mcbryde fails to recover 
rugby	548	robinson out of six nationsengland captain jason robinson will miss the rest of the six nations because of injury 
rugby	548	robinson  stand in captain in the absence of jonny wilkinson  had been due to lead england in their final two games against italy and scotland 
rugby	548	but the sale full back pulled out of the squad on wednesday because of a torn ligament in his right thumb 
rugby	548	the 30 year old will undergo an operation on friday but england have yet to name a replacement skipper 
rugby	548	robinson said   this is very disappointing for me as this means i miss england s last two games in the six nations at twickenham and two games for my club  sale sharks 
rugby	548	 but i m looking to be back playing very early in april 
rugby	548	 robinson picked up the injury in the 19 13 defeat to ireland at lansdowne road on saturday 
rugby	548	and coach andy robinson said   i am hugely disappointed for jason 
rugby	548	 as england captain he has been an immense figure during the autumn internationals and the six nations  leading by example at all times 
rugby	548	i look forward to having him back in the england squad 
rugby	548	  the announcement is the latest setback for robinson s injury depleted squad 
rugby	548	among the key figures already missing are jonny wilkinson  mike tindall  will greenwood  julian white and phil vickery   a list which leaves robinson short on candidates for the now vacant captaincy role 
rugby	548	former england skipper jeremy guscott told bbc radio five live his choice would be matt dawson  even though he is does not hold a regular starting place 
rugby	548	 the obvious choice is dawson  said guscott 
rugby	548	 especially given that harry ellis did not have his best game at scrum half on saturday 
rugby	548	 dawson has the credentials and the experience  even though his winning record at captain is not great 
rugby	548	 the other option in martin corry  who is the standout forward at the moment 
rugby	548	 unfortunately england cannot rely on leaders on the field at the moment 
rugby	548	  england will announce their squad for the 12 march game against italy on saturday 
rugby	549	england coach faces rap after rowengland coach andy robinson is facing disciplinary action after criticising referee jonathan kaplan in his side s six nations defeat to ireland 
rugby	549	the rugby football union  rfu  will investigate robinson after deciding not to lodge a complaint against kaplan 
rugby	549	robinson may even have to apologise for his comments in order to avoid sanction from the international rugby board 
rugby	549	robinson had said he was  livid  about kaplan s decisions on saturday to disallow two england  tries 
rugby	549	  the england coach went on to claim that  only one side was refereed  
rugby	549	after reviewing tapes of the match  the rfu decided not to formally complain to the irb over the standard of kaplan s refereeing 
rugby	549	instead the rfu said in a statement they would   set out any concerns the england team management may have in a confidential manner  
rugby	549	an irb spokesman said on the matter   we take all breaches of the code very seriously 
rugby	549	 should the rfu resolve the issue to our satisfaction  as happened last month when the scotland coach matt williams apologised for remarks made  it would be the end of the matter 
rugby	549	 kaplan has vigorously defended his performance in england s 19 13 defeat at landsdowne road and admitted he was  very disappointed  with robinson s remarks 
rugby	549	and the south african has been appointed to take charge of scotland s match against wales on 13 march 
rugby	549	the rfu recently fined northampton coach budge pountney £2 000 and imposed a six week ban for his criticism of referee steve lander after a premiership match 
rugby	550	harinordoquy suffers france axenumber eight imanol harinordoquy has been dropped from france s squad for the six nations match with ireland in dublin on 12 march 
rugby	550	harinordoquy was a second half replacement in last saturday s 24 18 defeat to wales 
rugby	550	bourgoin lock pascal pape  who has recovered from a sprained ankle  returns to the 22 man squad 
rugby	550	wing cedric heymans and ludovic valbon come in for aurelien rougerie and jean philippe grandclaude 
rugby	550	rougerie hurt his chest against wales while grandclaude was a second half replacement against both england and wales 
rugby	550	valbon  capped in last june s tests against the united states and canada  was a second half replacement in the win over scotland 
rugby	550	france coach bernard laporte said harinordoquy had been axed after a poor display last weekend 
rugby	550	 imanol has been dropped from the squad because the least i can say is that he didn t make a thundering comeback against wales   said laporte 
rugby	550	 we know the ireland game will be fast and rough and we also want to be able to replace both locks during the game if needed  and gregory lamboley can also come on at number seven or eight 
rugby	550	 the grand slam is gone but we ll go to ireland to win 
rugby	550	 it will be a very exciting game because ireland have three wins under their belt  have just defeated england and have their eyes set on a grand slam 
rugby	550	  france  who lost to wales last week  must defeat the irish to keep alive their hopes of retaining the six nations trophy 
rugby	550	ireland are unbeaten in this year s tournament and have their sights set on a first grand slam since 1948 
rugby	550	dimitri yachvili  biarritz   pierre mignoni  clermont   yann delaigue  castres   frederic michalak  stade toulousain   damien traille  biarritz   yannick jauzion  stade toulousain   ludovic valbon  biarritz   christophe dominici  stade francais   cedric heymans  stade toulousain   julien laharrague  brive sylvain marconnet  stade francais   nicolas mas  perpignan   olivier milloud  bourgoin   sebastien bruno  sale eng   william servat  stade toulousain   fabien pelous  stade toulousain  capt   jerome thion  biarritz   pascal pap  233   bourgoin   gregory lamboley  stade toulousain   serge betsen  biarritz   julien bonnaire  bourgoin   yannick nyanga  b  233 ziers  
rugby	551	wilkinson return  unlikely jonny wilkinson looks set to miss the whole of the 2005 rbs six nations 
rugby	551	england s world cup winning fly half said last week he was hoping to recover from his latest injury in time to play some role in the championship 
rugby	551	but rob andrew  coach of wilkinson s club side newcastle  said that with only two games left to play wilkinson was unlikely to be fit in time 
rugby	551	 it would be irresponsible to put him straight into a test match   andrew told the times 
rugby	551	wilkinson is recovering from a knee injury which followed long term neck and arm injuries 
rugby	551	he has not played for england since the world cup final in november 2003  since when the stuttering world champions have lost nine of their 14 matches 
rugby	551	wilkinson is aiming to make his third start to the season in the zurich premiership match against harlequins on 13 march 
rugby	551	that game is the day after england play italy in the six nations and six days before their final match of the championship against scotland 
rugby	551	 we are hoping jonny will be ready in a fortnight  but it is touch and go   said andrew 
rugby	551	 his recovery is going very well and the key now is how he is reintroduced to playing and with it goal kicking 
rugby	551	 he will probably have to come off the bench to start and it would be ridiculous and irresponsible to put him straight back into a test match 
rugby	551	 we can t afford to get it wrong with a knee injury 
rugby	551	we are in touch with england and they are relaxed about it 
rugby	551	  despite not playing for england  wilkinson is still hoping to make the lions tour to new zealand this summer 
rugby	551	lions coach sir clive woodward has not set a deadline for when wilkinson has to start playing again in order to be considered for selection 
rugby	552	england  to launch ref protest england will protest to the international rugby board  irb  about the referee s performance in the defeat by ireland  reports the daily mail 
rugby	552	england coach andy robinson has called on ex international referees colin high and steve lander to analyse several of jonathan kaplan s decisions 
rugby	552	 i want to go through the tape with colin and steve   robinson told the daily mail 
rugby	552	 i want to speak to the irb about it 
rugby	552	i think only one side was refereed 
rugby	552	  high  the rugby football union s referees  manager  claimed kaplan made three major errors which changed the outcome of sunday s match 
rugby	552	england were beaten 19 13 by the irish in dublin  their third straight defeat in the 2005 six nations 
rugby	552	 the international rugby board will be disappointed   high told the daily mail 
rugby	552	 jonathan kaplan is in the top 20 in the world but that wasn t an international performance 
rugby	552	 it would not have been acceptable in the zurich premiership 
rugby	552	 if one of my referees had done that  i would have had my backside kicked for making the appointment 
rugby	552	 if any english referee refereed like that in a european match  there would be an inquest 
rugby	552	no question about that 
rugby	552	 if someone had performed like that  he would have been pulled from the next game 
rugby	552	  
rugby	553	moore questions captaincybrian moore believes the england captain should not be a full back 
rugby	553	jason robinson has led the team during their opening three defeats in the six nations tournament  in the absence of fly half jonny wilkinson 
rugby	553	the world champions have struggled since the retirement of former captain martin johnson  a lock forward 
rugby	553	and former england captain moore told the bbc   full backs are too far away from the action 
rugby	553	that s not a reflection on robinson personally 
rugby	553	  he added   i just think the point of influence needs to move closer to the pack   which is  after all  where games usually start and finish 
rugby	553	  moore says a lack of cohesion in the forwards is one of the reasons why england have lost against wales  france and ireland in this year s tournament 
rugby	553	 assertiveness in the pack isn t there  we re not getting enough people into the breakdowns   he explained 
rugby	553	 wer e not getting quick ball  which means the backs are being stifled 
rugby	553	their creativity depends on quick ball and we re not getting that 
rugby	553	 with injuries depriving him of key players like wilkinson  coach andy robinson has given youngsters such as harry ellis and jamie noon a chance 
rugby	553	and moore believes the last two games against italy and scotland are a good opportunity to experiment further 
rugby	553	 the problem is the players that are around to replace the icons which have been lost because of retirement and injury don t have the requisite experience   moore added 
rugby	553	 you can t do anything about that but play them 
rugby	553	there are players who have been knocking on the door  it s time for them to be looked at in these last two games because there s nothing on them 
rugby	553	 we then go into next season with a greater certainty of who can and cannot handle the pressure of international rugby 
rugby	553	  
rugby	554	owen set for skipper rolewales number eight michael owen says replacing gareth thomas as wales  captain will be straightforward because of the leadership quality in the squad 
rugby	554	 you dream about playing for wales  but it never enters your head that you will one day captain your country   he said 
rugby	554	 it s an easy job really because there are so many experienced players in the side  but it will be a massive honour 
rugby	554	  coach mike ruddock says the 24 year old should take the armband from broken thumb victim thomas against scotland 
rugby	554	ruddock praised owen s contribution as vice captain and pack leader in this year s wins over england  italy and france  notably his role in the second half in paris following thomas  injury 
rugby	554	the 22 cap dragons man says that thomas will be badly missed  though 
rugby	554	 gareth is going to be a massive loss because he is a brilliant player and he has done a fantastic job since he has been captain   said owen 
rugby	554	 he has put his own unique stamp on things 
rugby	554	we are going to miss him but the strength of the squad is shown when you have someone like kevin morgan to step in 
rugby	554	 owen admitted the grand slam had been mentioned within the squad but that no one was getting carried away with the three victories over england  italy and france 
rugby	554	 we can t get ahead of ourselves   he said 
rugby	554	 we have a massive game next up and we are just looking forward to preparing for that 
rugby	554	 scotland are improving all the time 
rugby	554	like us they did well in france and were unlucky not to get a win 
rugby	554	 against ireland they played fantastically well in the first 15 minutes before falling away 
rugby	554	 they are probably going on a similar journey to the one we have been on in the last couple of years 
rugby	554	  
rugby	555	italy aim to rattle englanditaly coach john kirwan believes his side can upset england as the six nations wooden spoon battle hots up 
rugby	555	the two sides  both without a win  meet on 12 march at twickenham and kirwan says his side will be hoping to make the most of england s current slump 
rugby	555	 we have to make sure the england and france games are tough for them 
rugby	555	 england have not been having the best of championships 
rugby	555	that is a big one for us and them and i am sure my players will rise to the occasion   he said 
rugby	555	but kirwan admits that a lot of hard work will be needed with his kickers before the trip to london 
rugby	555	roland de marigny and luciano orquera had a miserable time with the boot in the dire defeat to scotland as chris paterson stole the show to give the hosts a much needed 18 10 victory 
rugby	555	kirwan said   the kicking was the decisive factor in scotland which cost us and it could go down to the kicking again next time 
rugby	555	 but i have a lot of confidence in my players and i am positive we can put everything together against england 
rugby	555	  england  meanwhile  are licking their wounds and rueing what might have been had two decisions from referee jonathan kaplan not gone against them in the second half in dublin 
rugby	555	first mark cueto was judged offside as he chased fly half charlie hodgson s kick  and then kaplan opted not to call upon video evidence to see if josh lewsey had touched down after being driven over ireland s line 
rugby	555	but centre jamie noon believes the side at least showed better form than their previous two defeats 
rugby	555	 we definitely improved against an in form irish side   he said 
rugby	555	 we went to dublin quietly confident that we would be able to compete  and i think we showed that 
rugby	555	 we have got to make sure we now take the form and positives into the italy game 
rugby	555	we are under no illusions that it is going to be easy  but we definitely need a win 
rugby	555	  england have now equalled an 18 year low of four successive championship defeats  including france in paris last season  and have lost four in a row under andy robinson 
rugby	555	his predecessor  sir clive woodward  began his seven year reign with three defeats and two draws 
rugby	556	dal maso in to replace bergamascodavid dal maso has been handed the task of replacing the injured mauro bergamasco at flanker in italy s team to face scotland on saturday 
rugby	556	alessandro troncon continues at scrum half despite the return to fitness of paul griffen 
rugby	556	the experienced cristian stoica is recalled at centre at the expense of walter pozzebon 
rugby	556	 we are going to scotland for the first away win and nothing else   said manager marco bollesan 
rugby	556	 i really believe this is the team who will have all our faith for saturday s game 
rugby	556	 we lost a player like mauro bergamasco who has been important for us  but  coach  john  kirwan  has put together the best team at present  if not ever 
rugby	556	r de marigny  parma   mirco bergamasco  stade francais   c stoica  montpellier   a masi  viadana   l nitoglia  calvisano   l orquera  padova   a troncon  treviso   a lo cicero  l aquilla   f ongaro  treviso   m castrogiovanni  calvisano   s dellape  agen   m bortolami  narbonne  capt   a persico  agen   d dal maso  treviso   s parisse  treviso  
rugby	556	g intoppa  calvisano   s perugini  calvisano   ca del fava  parma   s orlando  treviso   p griffen  calvisano   r pedrazzi  viadana   k robertson  viadana  
rugby	557	teenager tait picked for englandnewcastle s teenage centre mathew tait has been named as a centre in england s team to face wales in the six nations opener in cardiff on saturday 
rugby	557	the 18 year old will play alongside falcons  team mate jamie noon in england s midfield 
rugby	557	scrum half matt dawson is also recalled  despite been left out of the initial squad after a row over clashing tv and training commitments 
rugby	557	bath lock danny grewcock will also start  pending a possible citing 
rugby	557	england coach andy robinson has also awarded gloucester flanker andy hazell his first six nations start 
rugby	557	in another change to the side that lost to australia in november  leicester lock ben kay replaces bath second row steve borthwick 
rugby	557	robinson was already without jonny wilkinson  mike tindall  stuart abbott  richard hill and will greenwood  while mike catt had been left out of england s squad 
rugby	557	j robinson  sale sharks  capt   m cueto  sale sharks   m tait  newcastle   j noon  newcastle   j lewsey  wasps   c hodgson  sale sharks   m dawson  wasps   g rowntree  leicester   s thompson  northampton   j white  leicester   d grewcock  bath   b kay  leicester   l moody  leicester   a hazell  gloucester   j worsley  wasps  
rugby	557	replacements  a titterrell  sale sharks   p vickery  gloucester   s borthwick  bath   j forrester  gloucester   h ellis  leicester   o barkley  bath   b cohen  northampton  
rugby	558	wood   ireland can win grand slamformer captain keith wood believes ireland can win only their second grand slam   and first since 1948   in this year s rbs six nations championship 
rugby	558	after claiming their first triple crown for 19 years last season  wood tips his former team mates to go one better 
rugby	558	 things have been building up over the past few years and i think this is the year for ireland   he told bbc sport 
rugby	558	 there is a great chance to win a grand slam 
rugby	558	a lot of things are in our favour with england and france at home 
rugby	558	  ireland have finished runners up three times  including last year  since the old five nations became six in 2000  and not finished outside the top three in the past five years 
rugby	558	despite being without flanker keith gleeson  coach eddie o sullivan has not had to contend with the sort of casualty lists that have hit england and scotland in particular prior to the tournament 
rugby	558	 for ireland to win it we need to stay relatively injury free  and fortunately we are one of the few teams that have done that so far   wood added 
rugby	558	 it is going to be tough and we need to take all the luck and opportunities that come our way 
rugby	558	  ireland s last game of the tournament is against wales in cardiff   a fixture they have not lost since 1983 
rugby	558	but despite their traditional hospitality when the irish are visiting  wood believes wales might end their four match losing run against england in cardiff 
rugby	558	 so many of the major england players have either retired in the last year or are injured that i think it will be very hard for them down in cardiff   wood added 
rugby	558	 wales have had four brilliant games in the last year or so and lost all four  so the time is right for them now to beat one of the major teams 
rugby	558	  
rugby	559	scots suffer another injury blowscotland s back row crisis has worsened ahead of the rbs six nations with news that scott gray will miss out on the opening matches 
rugby	559	the borders flanker has a knee injury and joins donnie macfadyen and allister hogg on the sidelines 
rugby	559	star number eight simon taylor will miss at least the first two games after damaging an ankle during his comeback 
rugby	559	scott macleod  ankle ligaments  and jon petrie  cartilage  are also doubtful for the opener in paris on 5 february 
rugby	559	gray  26  who won his first cap against australia at murrayfield last year  was hurt in club action at the weekend 
rugby	559	scotland doctor james robson said   a scan has shown damage to the medial ligaments of scott s right knee ruling him out of the first part of the championship 
rugby	559	 we will seek further specialist advice in due course to determine just how long scott may be out for 
rugby	559	  another potential option  glasgow flanker andrew wilson  has been ruled out for a month after damaging ligaments in both knees against northampton recently 
rugby	559	flanker jason white and prop tom smith have also been suffering from flu and missed this week s training sessions 
rugby	559	 we have got plenty of good  young players coming through and we have got to look at the opportunities it represents for them  rather than the negatives   williams added 
rugby	559	williams could now turn to edinburgh pair alasdair strokosch and simon cross 
rugby	559	leeds tykes flanker jon dunbar also trained with the squad but is still awaiting verification of his eligibility to qualify for scotland 
rugby	560	o sullivan keeps his powder drywhen you are gunning for glory and ultimate success keeping the gunpowder dry is essential 
rugby	560	ireland coach eddie o sullivan appears to have done that quite successfully in the run up to this season s six nations championship 
rugby	560	he decreed after the 2003 world cup that players should have a decent conditioning period during the year 
rugby	560	that became a reality at the end of last summer with a 10 week period at the start of the this season 
rugby	560	it may have annoyed his scottish  and in particularly welsh  cousins who huffed and puffed at the disrespect apparently shown to the celtic league 
rugby	560	we will say nothing of mike ruddock   poaching   eight of the dragons side that faced leinster on sunday 
rugby	560	but  like o sullivan  he was well within his rights  particularly when you are talking about the national side and pride that goes along with it 
rugby	560	the irfu has thrown their weight behind o sullivan  who must be glad that in the main  there is centrally controlled contracts 
rugby	560	bar keith gleeson who is just returning from a broken leg  everyone of o sullivan s squad is fit  fresh and standing at the oche ready to launch this season s campaign 
rugby	560	but i doubt whether o sullivan is going to gloat about the handling of his players 
rugby	560	he is not that sort of person 
rugby	560	however  he may look at the overworked and injury hit england  wales and france squads whose players have been overworked  and then pat himself on the back for his foresight 
rugby	560	but there is still the question of turning up and transferring that freshness into positive results when the referee signals the start of the game 
rugby	560	already ireland are being earmarked as hot favourites in many quarters to go the whole hog this season 
rugby	560	a first grand slam since karl mullen s led the team to a clean sweep in 1948 
rugby	560	with england and france visiting lansdowne road for the last time before the old darling is pulled down  everything looks perfectly placed 
rugby	560	but in the days of yore that frightened the life out of any irishman 
rugby	560	under the burden of great expectations  ireland have crumpled 
rugby	560	take the triple crown winning side of 1985 under mick doyle 
rugby	560	they were expected to up the ante further for a grand slam  only the second in ireland s history 
rugby	560	what happened in 1986  whitewashed 
rugby	560	you see  ireland  in any sport  love to be downsized 
rugby	560	then they can go out and prove a point to the contrary 
rugby	560	it is the nature of the beast 
rugby	560	but o sullivan s side are very capable of proving a salient point this season 
rugby	560	after their first triple crown for 19 years  they can live up to their success and take a further step up the ladder 
rugby	560	o sullivan has kept faith and displayed loyalty to his players  and they have repaid him in spades 
rugby	560	and there is more to come 
rugby	560	he has some old dogs in his squad  but he will come to this season s championship with a different box of tricks  and a new verve to succeed 
rugby	560	ireland can indeed succeed  but just whisper it 
rugby	561	wales get williams fitness boostwales are hopeful that openside flanker martyn williams could be fit for saturday s rbs 6 nations championship opener against england in cardiff 
rugby	561	williams was expected to miss the match with a disc problem in his neck  but has been making a speedy recovery 
rugby	561	 he will have tests in the next 48 hours and we are pretty optimistic he is getting there   wales  team physiotherapist mark davies said 
rugby	561	 it has been frustrating but he is on the mend  he has made good progress 
rugby	561	  last week williams  along with fellow flanker colin charvis   who is unlikely to play for at least a month while he recovers from a foot injury   was all but ruled out of the millennium stadium clash 
rugby	561	with williams initially thought to be struggling  the signs pointed towards wales coach mike ruddock handing a first cap to former wales under 21 skipper richie pugh 
rugby	561	cardiff blues flanker williams  29  offers considerable experience and if he is declared fit then ruddock might be tempted to include him in the back row 
rugby	561	charvis will be reviewed by the wales medical staff next monday  but davies admitted that there was only an  outside chance  of him being fit to face france in wales  third championship game on 26 february 
rugby	561	wales  other injury concern is pugh s fellow neath swansea ospreys player sonny parker  as the centre has a trapped nerve in his neck 
rugby	561	 sonny s injury is still an issue   davies said 
rugby	561	 it is still painful and irritable 
rugby	561	we will run the rule of thumb over him in the next couple of days 
rugby	561	  ruddock will name his starting line up for the england game at 1830 gmt on tuesday evening  as wales target their first victory in cardiff over the world champions since 1993 
rugby	562	dawson joins england injury listscrum half matt dawson is an injury doubt for england s six nations opener against wales next weekend 
rugby	562	the world cup winner missed wasps  12 9 loss to bath on saturday after injuring his right calf 
rugby	562	wasps coach warren gatland said   he s got a fitness test in the week but he s got a good chance of playing 
rugby	562	  gloucester s andy hazell and leicester star lewis moody also received knocks during their respective league matches  but should be fit for wales next week 
rugby	562	if dawson is not fit to face wales  robinson will have to choose from gloucester s andy gomarsall or leicester youngster harry ellis 
rugby	562	jamie noon is another player on the sidelines after he limped off in the first half against saracens on friday with a dead leg 
rugby	562	the centre  who is in line for a first six nations start against wales  will have to wait 48 hours before knowing the state of his injury 
rugby	563	wales want rugby league trainingwales could follow england s lead by training with a rugby league club 
rugby	563	england have already had a three day session with leeds rhinos  and wales are thought to be interested in a similar clinic with rivals st helens 
rugby	563	saints coach ian millward has given his approval  but if it does happen it is unlikely to be this season 
rugby	563	saints have a week s training in portugal next week  while wales will play england in the opening six nations match on 5 february 
rugby	563	 we have had an approach from wales   confirmed a saints spokesman 
rugby	563	 it s in the very early stages but it is something we are giving serious consideration to 
rugby	563	  st helens  who are proud of their welsh connections  are obvious partners for the welsh rugby union  despite a spat in 2001 over the collapse of kieron cunningham s proposed £500 000 move to union side swansea 
rugby	563	a similar cross code deal that took iestyn harris from leeds to cardiff in 2001 did go through  before the talented stand off returned to the 13 man code with bradford bulls 
rugby	563	kel coslett  who famously moved from wales to league in the 1960s  is currently saints  football manager  while clive griffiths   wales  defensive coach   is a former st helens player and is thought to be the man behind the latest initiative 
rugby	563	scott gibbs  the former wales and lions centre  played for st helens from 1994 96 and was in the challenge cup winning team at wembley in 1996 
rugby	564	saint andre anger at absent starssale sharks director of rugby philippe saint andre has re opened rugby s club versus country debate 
rugby	564	sale host bath in the powergen cup on friday  but the frenchman has endured a  difficult week  with six players away on england s six nations training camp 
rugby	564	 it s an important game but we ve just the one full session 
rugby	564	it s the same for everyone but we need to manage it 
rugby	564	 if five players or more are picked for your country they should move the date of the game   he told bbc sport 
rugby	564	unless the authorities agree to make changes  saint andre believes england s national team will suffer as clubs opt to sign foreigners and retired internationals 
rugby	564	 that s not good for the politics of the english team or for english rugby   he argues 
rugby	564	it is an issue he has taken up before  most notably during the autumn internationals when sale lost all three zurich premiership matches they played 
rugby	564	now he fears it could derail the club s hopes of cup silverware after eight players  including captain jason robinson and fly half charlie hodgson  were away with their countries 
rugby	564	 we re in the quarter finals  it s always better to play at home than away and it s a great opportunity   he added 
rugby	564	 but we have to be careful 
rugby	564	bath have just been knocked out of europe and will make it a tough game 
rugby	564	it also comes at the end of a very  very difficult week 
rugby	564	 sebastien bruno s been with france  jason white with scotland and there are six with england  that s eight players plus injuries   13 players out of a squad of 31 
rugby	564	 we ll have just one session together and will have to do our best to make that a good one on thursday afternoon 
rugby	564	 gloucester have also been caught in a club versus country conflict after england sought a second medical opinion on james simpson daniel s fitness 
rugby	564	the winger is carrying a shoulder injury and the national team management believe he requires time on the sidelines 
rugby	564	as a result he misses the cherry and white s quarter final at home to bristol 
rugby	564	 under the elite player squad agreement  england wanted a second opinion  which they can do   director of rugby nigel melville told the gloucester citizen 
rugby	564	 they obviously want him for international rugby and we want him for club rugby in what is a very important game for us 
rugby	564	there is a conflict of interests 
rugby	564	 the surgeon who carried out his operation said he was fine for us but england say he is still vulnerable to be damaged again and want him on a full rehab programme 
rugby	564	  simpson daniel added   i ve said to nigel i want to be back playing and that means if everything goes well this week  i can target the worcester game  on 29 january  for a return 
rugby	564	  
rugby	565	ruddock backs yapp s credentialswales coach mike ruddock says john yapp has what it takes as an international 
rugby	565	the 21 year old blues prop is the only uncapped player in wales  six nations squad  gaining a chance in the absence of ospreys loose head duncan jones 
rugby	565	 john is a young man with a big future 
rugby	565	he has been playing with the blues for two years and has racked up mileage on his playing clock   said ruddock 
rugby	565	 he has international size  is a big  physical lad and a good ball carrier with a high tackle count 
rugby	565	  ruddock s assessment was backed up by yapp s coach at the blues  former wales and lions prop dai young 
rugby	565	 john s been on an upward curve all season and is going from strength to strength   young told bbc sport wales 
rugby	565	 his ball carrying gives us good go forward  he impresses in defence and his work rate is excellent 
rugby	565	 he s working hard on his scrummaging technique  which he is keen to improve to become a destroyer on the loose head 
rugby	565	 to be fair to him he s not quite there with the scrummaging yet  but nobody can fault his effort  commitment and attitude 
rugby	565	 john s a very strong man and is eager for the challenge  if he s pitched in he won t let anyone down 
rugby	565	 he s developing quickly  but i hope he isn t pushed too quickly in a way that would hurt his development 
rugby	565	 ruddock hopes that the selection of yapp and dragons lock ian gough   out of the international reckoning since falling out with former coach steve hansen   will send a message to other players in wales 
rugby	565	 john and ian have been rewarded for impressing during the heineken cup competition   said ruddock 
rugby	565	 both of them have played well  and we want to send a message out that consistently playing well gets you in the squad 
rugby	565	 we believe this is an exciting squad representing traditional values of welsh rugby  and based on the performances in the november internationals 
rugby	565	 we have strength and experience up front  and well recognised talent  pace and skill behind 
rugby	565	 the management team just want to get hold of the players and get out on the training pitch at the moment 
rugby	565	 they are all due in on sunday  and that s when the hard work starts 
rugby	565	  
rugby	566	player burn out worries robinsonengland coach andy robinson says english rugby has to act now to prevent injury destroying players  careers 
rugby	566	he will be without a host of big names for the six nations as the intensity of professional rugby union hits players 
rugby	566	 injuries are part of the sport but we have to have a look at the amount of injuries that occur in the english season   robinson told bbc sport 
rugby	566	 i think players are probably going to have three or four years taken off their careers 
rugby	566	  robinson will be missing an entire midfield for the six nations with the likes of jonny wilkinson  mike tindall and will greenwood injured 
rugby	566	rugby union has become far more physically demanding since the game went professional nearly 10 years ago 
rugby	566	as a result three of the major stakeholders in english rugby have launched an  injury audit  to find out how players are coping 
rugby	566	the audit is jointly funded by the professional rugby players  association  the rugby football union and premier rugby 
rugby	566	as far as robinson is concerned its findings must not be ignored 
rugby	566	 i think there s an injury audit coming out in march that s got some great information in there that i think everybody in the english game has got to look at   he said 
rugby	566	 if we don t the situation is going to get worse and not better  so i think rugby as a whole has got to look at this 
rugby	566	  
rugby	567	hodges announces rugby retirementscarlets and usa eagles forward dave hodges has ended his playing career to pursue a coaching role in the states 
rugby	567	the 36 year old  who has 54 caps  was llanelli s player of the season in 2001 2  but has battled injury for the last two of his seven years at stradey 
rugby	567	he tore a pectoral muscle against the ospreys on boxing day  an injury that would have kept him out for the season 
rugby	567	 realising i would be unable to play this season  the club and i agreed to end my contract early   said hodges 
rugby	567	 it allows me to move back to the us and pursue opportunities there and allows the scarlets to look to the next generation 
rugby	567	  the scarlets have begun to rebuild their squad for next season after a disappointing heineken cup campaign  with plenty more signings and departures expected in the coming weeks 
rugby	567	scarlets chief executive stuart gallacher confirmed that 17 of the current squad would be out of contract in the summer 
rugby	567	 we have a deliberate policy whereby around half the squad are coming out of contract and they know they won t all be re signed  it s a chance to invigorate the squad   he said 
rugby	567	 i m positive about the future of the scarlets both on and off the field 
rugby	567	  gallacher was keen to pay tribute to the role back five forward hodges has played at stradey park  though 
rugby	567	 david has been a highly influential member of our squad for seven years   said gallacher 
rugby	567	 he is a real professional and we thank him for the part he has played in our success 
rugby	567	 i am sure he has an enormous contribution to make to the development of rugby in the us and we wish him and his family well 
rugby	567	  hodges described his years at stradey as  the best time of my life 
rugby	567	  
rugby	568	funding cut hits wales studentsthe wales students rugby side has become a casualty of the welsh rugby union s reorganisation at youth level 
rugby	568	an amalgamated under 18 side formed from separate schools and national youth teams plays its first match on thursday  against italy at the gnoll 
rugby	568	but that move has seen the wru decide to end its funding of representative sides such as wales students 
rugby	568	as a result  traditional international fixtures against england and france in the new year have been cancelled 
rugby	568	the welsh students rugby football union feels that it is unable to properly prepare for or stage the matches 
rugby	568	the secretary of the welsh students rugby football union  reverend eldon phillips  said   it is a shame that fixtures cannot be maintained this year 
rugby	568	 the competition provided by the strong english and french teams has enabled the welsh students to test themselves in high quality matches 
rugby	568	 the increasing number of young rugby players entering higher education look for the biggest challenge  that is representative rugby  but this year that opportunity will be denied them 
rugby	568	players who have played for wales students before going on to win full senior representative honours include robert jones  rob howley  jon humphreys  darren morris  martyn williams and ceri sweeney 
rugby	569	calder fears for scottish rugbyformer scotland international finlay calder fears civil war at the sru could seriously hamper his country s rbs six nations campaign 
rugby	569	four members of the executive board  including the chairman  david mackay  have resigned after a simmering row 
rugby	569	and calder said   this is terrible news for every level of scottish rugby 
rugby	569	 david is a successful businessman and i thought that if anybody could transform the negative atmosphere and rising debt level  it was him 
rugby	569	  mackay s executive board has been in a power struggle with the general committee  which contains members elected by scotland s club sides 
rugby	569	 he has been driven out by people who seem happier waging civil war than addressing the central issue that professional rugby can t be run by amateurs   said calder 
rugby	569	 in fact  i don t understand why we are still having this argument 10 years after professionalism arrived 
rugby	569	 but i don t believe the rest of the sru will take this lying down 
rugby	569	 i think the banks will be dismayed at this decision and  ultimately  it is them who pull the strings 
rugby	569	 so i wouldn t be surprised if they reviewed their position 
rugby	569	but  in the wider picture  what message does this send out   he thought the work of scotland s coaches  who have been attempting to arrest the decline of the national side  would be made much more difficult 
rugby	569	 matt williams and willie anderson must be wondering   what have we walked into here    said calder 
rugby	569	 and we can now expect weeks of arguments and acrimony just at a time when we should be looking forward to the six nations championship 
rugby	569	 i am very  very disappointed  more than you can imagine 
rugby	569	why do so many scots have this knack of turning on each other when the going gets tough   
rugby	570	a year to remember for irishthere used to be one subliminal moment during a year in irish rugby that stood out more than most 
rugby	570	well  at least there used to one 
rugby	570	now there is a handful to look back with a mixture of satisfaction  and sorrow 
rugby	570	it has been quite a year for the irish  and not just with eddie o sullivan s triple crown winning international outfit either 
rugby	570	right down through the ranks irish rugby is creating waves and upsetting the more established teams in the game 
rugby	570	but most of the kudos will go to o sullivan and his merry band of warriors who not only collected their first triple crown for 29 years  but also finished their autumn campaign with a 100  record 
rugby	570	for the second year in succession they also finished in the runners up spot in the rbs six nations 
rugby	570	but in the three games in november which included a victory over tri nations champions and grand slam chasing south africa  ireland finsihed the year on a high 
rugby	570	the 18 12 victory at lansdowne road was only their second victory over the boks after the initial success back in 1965 
rugby	570	that success was revenge for the consecutive defeats in blomefontein and cape town in the summer 
rugby	570	those two reverses and the 35 17 flop against france  were the only dark patches in an otherwise excellent 12 months 
rugby	570	but the big one  of course  was the 19 13 defeat of world cup champions england on their precious twickenham turf 
rugby	570	the winning try was conceived in o sullivan s mind  perfectly executed by the team and finished immaculately by girvan dempsey 
rugby	570	for me  the try of the championship 
rugby	570	o sullivan s career is now in vertical take off mode 
rugby	570	it is no wonder that sir clive woodward has elevated the galway based coach to head the lions test side 
rugby	570	not only that  but a fair majority of the present ireland side will be wearing red next june in new zealand 
rugby	570	there can be no doubt that ireland s representation will be the biggest ever  albeit in a proposed 44 man squad 
rugby	570	in brian o driscoll and paul o connell  ireland have now the two front runners for the captaincy 
rugby	570	gordon d arcy  whose career began as a teenager back in 1999  finally arrived when he was named the six nations player of the tournament 
rugby	570	but it was not only the senior squad that brought kudos to ireland  the youngsters strutted their stuff on the big stage as well 
rugby	570	the under 21 squad confounded the doubters as they went all the way to the world cup final in scotland only to be beaten by a powerful all black side in the decider 
rugby	570	the young irish boys had stated their intentions earlier in the season when they finished runners up to england in the six nations under 21 tournament 
rugby	570	on the provincial front  leinster  for second year in succession  blew it when the heineken cup looked a good wager 
rugby	570	while ulster finished runners up in their very tight group for the second season in succession  it was munster again flying the flag for the irish 
rugby	570	looking to reach their third final  they went down 37 32 to eventual winners wasps in what many beileve was the most competitive and thunderous game ever witnessed at lansdowne road 
rugby	570	how wasps recovered from that energy sapping duel  and then go onto to defeat toulouse in the final was anybody s guess 
rugby	570	ulster  meanwhile  just lost out to adding the inaugural celtic cup in winning the celtic league when they were pipped at the post by the scarlets in the final game 
rugby	570	ulster  however  took time to start the new season under new coach mark mccall 
rugby	570	the once famous ravenhill fortress was breached four times as ulster only manged five wins from their first 12 outings in the celtic league 
rugby	570	leinster are again looking the most potent outfit going into 2005  but whether they can take that final step under declan kidney is another thing 
rugby	570	on the down side  irish rugby was hit by a number of tragedies 
rugby	570	teenage star john mccall died while playing for the ireland against new zealand in the under 19 world cup game in durban 
rugby	570	that happened only 10 days after he led royal armagh to their first ulster schools  cup success since 1977 
rugby	570	the death of former ireland coach and lions flanker mike doyle in a car crash in northern ireland shocked the rugby fraternity a larger than life character  doyle had coached ireland to the triple crown in 1985  the last time that goal had been achieved before this season 
rugby	570	ulster rugby also suffered the sudden deaths of well known londonderry ym player jim huey  coleraine s jonathan hutchinson  and belfast harlequins lock johnny poole 
rugby	570	they all passed away long before the full time whistle 
rugby	571	williams stays on despite disputematt williams insists he has no thoughts of quitting as national coach as a result of the power struggle currently gripping scottish rugby 
rugby	571	the chairman  chief executive and three non executive directors all departed in a row over the game s future direction 
rugby	571	but williams said   i want to make it clear that i m committed totally to scottish rugby 
rugby	571	 i ve brought my family here and we ve immersed ourselves in scottish life 
rugby	571	there s no way that i m walking away 
rugby	571	  however  he attempted to steer clear of taking sides in the dispute 
rugby	571	 i d like to stress that the national team is separate to the political situation   he said 
rugby	571	 when you come to an undertaking like this and you are trying to make a difference then there are always people who will begrudge you  who are jealous and want to try to drag you down 
rugby	571	 when you have that situation  you have to have the courage of your convictions to see it through 
rugby	571	 there was some very unhelpful and uninformed comment that the national team had received a massive increase in budget at the expense of other parts of scottish rugby and that is simply not the case 
rugby	571	 like all good coaches  you go and ask for an increase 
rugby	571	but we were told in no uncertain terms that the financial situation did not allow that 
rugby	571	 the idea that we are lighting cigars with £20 notes while the rest of scottish rugby flounders is absolutely untrue 
rugby	571	 we also attracted criticism because of the number of days players spent with the national team 
rugby	571	 but let me give you the truth 
rugby	571	our irish counterparts  whom we have to compete with in a few days  time  had 70 days together at the summer 
rugby	571	 they are currently in camp now and they will have another 21 days in camp before the six nations 
rugby	571	 that means they will have 91 days away from their club from july until the six nations 
rugby	571	we  on the other hand  will have 16 
rugby	571	 there must be a win win philosophy and attitude within scottish rugby and that is what we are after   both groups winning  not competing 
rugby	571	  
rugby	572	lomu relishing return to actionformer all black star jonah lomu says he cannot wait to run out on the pitch for former england rugby union captain martin johnson s testimonial on 4 june 
rugby	572	the 29 year old had a kidney transplant in july 2004 but will play his first full match for three years  leading a southern hemisphere side at twickenham 
rugby	572	 i actually started training three weeks after my operation but i was very limited until a few months ago 
rugby	572	 now it s basically bring it on   said the giant winger 
rugby	572	 the match on 4 june will be my first 15 man game but i have a training schedule which is quite testing and combines with sevens and a whole lot of things   said lomu 
rugby	572	 i have got so much energy since my operation that i train three times a day  six days a week 
rugby	572	 mohammed ali has always been my ideal 
rugby	572	coming back to rugby  people said  you are dreaming  but it always starts off with a dream 
rugby	572	 it s up to you whether you want to make it a reality 
rugby	572	  opinion has been divided on whether lomu should attempt to return to the game after such a major operation 
rugby	572	but when lomu was asked whether he was taking a risk he replied   as much as someone going down the road being hit by a bus 
rugby	572	 there are a lot of people in the world with one kidney who just don t know it 
rugby	572	 i have talked this over  had a chat with the donor and this is to set my soul at peace and finish something i started in 1994  when he made his all blacks debut  
rugby	572	  at his lowest ebb lomu was so ill he could barely walk  but he says he is now getting stronger every day and his long term target is to play for new zealand again 
rugby	572	 the only person who saw me at my worst was my wife   he added 
rugby	572	 i used to take two steps and fall over but now i can run and it is all coming back  and a lot more quickly than i ever thought it would 
rugby	572	 to play for the all blacks would be the highest honour i could get 
rugby	572	that is the long term goal and you have to start somewhere 
rugby	572	  
rugby	573	johnson announces june retirementformer england captain martin johnson has announced he is to retire from rugby union at the end of the season 
rugby	573	johnson  who captained england to world cup glory in 2003  will play his final match in june 
rugby	573	johnson won 84 england caps and quit test rugby at the start of 2004  just two months after leading sir clive woodward s team to victory in sydney 
rugby	573	the 34 year old leicester lock s final match will be his testimonial at twickenham on 4 june 
rugby	573	 i m confident i have made the right decision to retire   said johnson 
rugby	573	 i m sure there will be times next season when i ll wish i was out there playing for the tigers  but you know when the time is right to go and i feel this is the right time 
rugby	573	 i feel physically that i could play for another season  but playing week in and week out in the premiership is a full time occupation and i only want to be out there for the right reasons 
rugby	573	  johnson will always be revered by england fans for captaining england to their dramatic world cup win against australia in sydney  but his list of achievements does not stop at that 
rugby	573	he is the only man to captain the lions twice and he also led england to a six nations grand slam 
rugby	573	johnson also had huge success as captain of leicester  guiding the tigers to back to back heineken cup victories and several premiership titles 
rugby	573	apart from his marvellous captaincy johnson was also one of the finest second rows to ever play the game 
rugby	573	teak tough and physically intimidating  he ruled the rucks and mauls for the best part of a decade and was integral in england s rise to the top of the world game 
rugby	573	his final appearance will be in his testimonial at twickenham  where he will lead a team against a side captained by new zealand winger jonah lomu 
rugby	573	the all black is aiming to return to action after a kidney transplant and johnson expects it to be a memorable occasion 
rugby	573	 this game against jonah will be a great way to end the season and end my career   said johnson 
rugby	573	lomu  rugby union s first global superstar after his exploits in the 1995 world cup  said he was proud to be part of johnson s farewell 
rugby	573	 we hold him in such high esteem   said lomu 
rugby	573	 he is such a great leader and i am just honoured to be on the same pitch 
rugby	573	  
rugby	574	a november to rememberlast saturday  one newspaper proclaimed that england were still the number one side in the world 
rugby	574	that statement was made to look a little foolish by events later that afternoon at twickenham 
rugby	574	but it illustrated the wonderful unpredictability of test rugby at the highest level  at the end of a richly entertaining autumn series 
rugby	574	the final weekend threw the world pecking order into renewed confusion  with australia s triumph in london followed by france s capitulation to new zealand 
rugby	574	 clearly  there is no number one side in the world at the moment   declared wallabies coach eddie jones on arrival back in sydney 
rugby	574	 there are four  five or probably six sides all competing at the same level and on any given day the difference between one side and another is only about 1  
rugby	574	 while that bodes well for rugby as a whole  it also sharpens the sense of excitement ahead of what could be the most open six nations championship for a decade 
rugby	574	while the wallabies  all blacks and springboks hit the beach before turning their attention to super 12 matters in the new year  europe s finest have less than 10 weeks before they return to the international fray 
rugby	574	and for the first time in more than a decade  it will not simply be a straightforward choice between england and france for the six nations title 
rugby	574	that owes much to ireland s continued progress and the belief that wales are on the verge of delivering a major scalp to cement the promise of their autumn displays 
rugby	574	  who secured a first triple crown in 19 years last season  could go one better and win their first five six nations title since 1985 
rugby	574	they start with away games against italy and scotland  before england and france come to lansdowne road 
rugby	574	their momentous victory over the springboks can only bolster ireland s self belief  while ronan o gara s late drop goal to deliver victory over argentina was further proof that eddie o sullivan s side can now close out tight games 
rugby	574	not that england or france  who have won nine of the last 10 six nations titles between them  will lay down quietly 
rugby	574	dismantling of the springboks suggested that even after the loss of such influential figures as martin johnson and lawrence dallaglio  they still have the personnel to prosper 
rugby	574	the narrow defeat to australia was a timely reminder that not everything is blooming in the red rose garden  but the fresh shoots of post world cup recovery have been sown by new head coach andy robinson 
rugby	574	a fresh desire to regain former heights is evident  and if england emerge triumphant from an opening six nations engagement in cardiff  a fourth title in six years is within reach 
rugby	574	are in familiar revival territory  but this time it appears there is substance behind the rediscovered style 
rugby	574	while south africa s over confidence in cardiff made for a closer scoreline than expected  wales could legitimately claim to have had victory within their grasp against the all blacks in one of the best tests in recent memory 
rugby	574	if mike ruddock can coax a reliable set piece platform from his pack  there is no reason why victories should not ensue come february 
rugby	574	the last fortnight has leftin a state of bewilderment after an autumn series that began with a superb victory over australia 
rugby	574	a stunning defeat to argentina  their first loss since the world cup  could have been attributed to trademark french inconsistency 
rugby	574	but the manner of new zealand s 45 6 demolition job in paris has coach bernard laporte bemoaning a lack of young talent coming through to replace the old guard 
rugby	574	fortunately for the french  the opening match of the six nations sees them entertainingin paris 
rugby	574	after two reasonable performances against australia  the scots  humbling by the springboks forced coach matt williams to reassess his belief that a win over one of the major nations was imminent 
rugby	574	while individuals such as chris cusiter and ali hogg enhanced their reputations  a lack of top class players will continue to undermine their best efforts 
rugby	574	  who start with home games against ireland and wales before travelling to scotland  are also hopeful of registering more than one victory for the first time in the championship 
rugby	574	as autumn gives way to winter and the heineken cup prepares to resume centre stage meantime  the joy of six will keep the home fires burning until february 
rugby	575	south africa sweep top awardssouth africa s schalk burger was named player of the year as the tri nations champions swept the top honours at the international rugby board s awards 
rugby	575	the flanker topped a list which included ireland star gordon d arcy and australian sensation matt giteau 
rugby	575	jake white claimed the coaching award while his side held off grand slam winners france to take the team award 
rugby	575	england player simon amor beat team mate ben gollings and argentine lucio lopez fleming to win the sevens award 
rugby	575	burger s award came just a week after he won the equivalent prize from his fellow international players and white  who also coached burger at under 21 level  paid tribute to him 
rugby	575	 schalk s emergence as a major force has meant a lot to south african rugby  but has also influenced world rugby   said white 
rugby	575	 he s become to south african rugby what jonty rhodes was to south african cricket 
rugby	575	it s amazing what he has achieved in such a short time so far in his international career 
rugby	575	  amor  who will captain england in this season s opening irb sevens tournament  the dubai sevens  which start on thursday  was delighted with his award 
rugby	575	 there are so many great sevens players on the circuit at the moment that this is a genuine honour   said the gloucester fly half 
rugby	576	robinson wants dual code successengland rugby union captain jason robinson has targeted dual code success over australia on saturday 
rugby	576	robinson  a former rugby league international before switching codes in 2000  leads england against australia at twickenham at 1430 gmt 
rugby	576	and at 1815 gmt  great britain s rugby league team take on australia in the final of the tri nations tournament 
rugby	576	 beating the aussies in both games would be a massive achievement  especially for league   said robinson 
rugby	576	england have the chance to seal their third autumn international victory after successive wins over canada and south africa  as well as gaining revenge for june s 51 15 hammering by the wallabies 
rugby	576	meanwhile  great britain could end 34 years of failure against australia with victory at elland road 
rugby	576	britain have won individual test matches  but have failed to secure any silverware or win the ashes  with a series victory  since 1970 
rugby	576	 they have a great opportunity to land a trophy and it would be a massive boost for rugby league in this country if we won   said robinson 
rugby	576	 i know the boys can do it   they ve defeated the aussies once already in the tri nations 
rugby	576	  but robinson was not losing sight of the task facing his england side in their final autumn international 
rugby	576	 for us  we ve played two and won two this november   he said 
rugby	576	 if we beat australia it would be the end to a great autumn series for england 
rugby	576	if we stumble then we ll be looking back with a few regrets 
rugby	576	robinson also revealed that the union side had sent the great britain team a good luck message ahead of the showdown in leeds 
rugby	576	 we signed a card for them today and will write them an email on saturday wishing them all the best   said robinson 
rugby	576	 everyone has signed the card   a lot of the guys watch league and we support them fully 
rugby	576	 both games will be very tough and hopefully we ll both do well 
rugby	576	  
rugby	577	all black magic  new zealand rugbyplaying colours all blackthe haka and more the all blackscharles john munro discovered rugby at london s christ college  and on his return to nelson he staged new zealand s first game 
rugby	577	nelson town met nelson college on 14 may  1870  the town triumphing by two goals to nil  instigating a game that would become a national obsession and come to dominate the country s sporting passions 
rugby	577	the game appealed to the kiwi psyche and quickly spread  the native maoris finding a particular empathy with the sport s warrior ethos 
rugby	577	in 1888 a british team led by ae stoddart toured new zealand and australia  and soon after a maori named joe warbrick and an english ex pat called thomas eyton decided to gather a combined new zealand team 
rugby	577	twenty two maori and four  pakiha  formed the  new zealand native team   who played a total of 107 matches in new zealand  australia and the uk 
rugby	577	the integration of white and maori was a reflecion of enlightened new zealand rugby and society  even if the british press were somewhat mystified by the pre match tradition of the maori war dance  the haka  the other great symbol of new zealand rugby  the all black kit with the silver fern on the breast  was proposed by tom ellison at the first annual meeting of the new zealand rugby football union in 1893 
rugby	577	new zealand played their first international against australia in 1903  the kiwis triumphing 22 3 in sydney  and the following year an official british touring team came to new zealand for the first time 
rugby	577	the tourists had gone through australia undefeated but their captain  david revell bedell sivright  created animosity in new zealand with his patronising attitude 
rugby	577	the kiwis shocked the rugby world with a 9 3 triumph in wellington  sparking great celebrations across the country  but bedell sivright churlishly suggested that the victors would have no chance when they visited the uk 
rugby	577	their opportunity to prove him wrong came in 1905 with the first official new zealand tour to europe 
rugby	577	the tourists won their early games with a quick thinking  inventive approach  but press criticism began to grow over their 2 3 2 scrum formation that left a  roving  forward free to disrupt opposition attacks 
rugby	577	the tactic was effective  two late tries seeing the kiwis to a 12 7 win over scotland  before ireland were despatched 15 0 in dublin 
rugby	577	a huge crowd at crystal palace convulsed with laughter at the sight of the haka   but the smiles were soon wiped from their faces when the tourists ran in five tries in a 15 0 hammering of england 
rugby	577	new zealand headed to wales to meet a country in the midst of its first  golden age   and the encounter would be the first in a series of controversial clashes between the sides 
rugby	577	an excellent try on the left wing by teddy morgan sealed a 3 0 win in a hard fought encounter at cardiff arms park  but post match talk was dominated by a bob deans try that was ruled out by scottish referee john dallas 
rugby	577	dallas said that deans was tackled short  but the kiwi said he was dragged back into the field of play after grounding a try   on his death bed three years later he exclaimed   i did score that try in cardiff 
rugby	577	 four of the 1905 all blacks went over to the newly formed  all golds  rugby league side soon after the tour  but new zealand were strong enough to crush an anglo welsh touring team in 1908 
rugby	577	the first south africa tour of new zealand in 1921 saw honours shared in a three test series  starting the greatest rivalry in rugby   and the long running controversy between the countries over the all blacks  inclusion of maori players 
rugby	577	the awesome 1924 5 all black tourists became known as  the invincibles  after winning all 30 of their games in france  britain and ireland  including a crushing 19 0 victory over wales at st helen s 
rugby	577	despite their success  the all blacks  2 3 2 scrum formation left them somewhat short of possession at times  and the flaws were exploited by the springboks in south africa in 1928 
rugby	577	employing the modern 3 4 1 scrum line up against the new zealand  rover  system for the first time  south african teams defeated the all blacks in five games and the test series was drawn two all 
rugby	577	the controversial new zealand scrum method finally disappeared after the 1930 lions tour  a series won 3 1 by new zealand   the lions manager describing the tactic as  cheating   prompting the international rugby board to rule that three men had to pack down in the front row of the scrum 
rugby	577	the all blacks  1935 european tour started inauspiciously with an 11 3 loss to a swansea side inspired by teenage  schoolboy half backs hayden tanner and willie davies 
rugby	577	a thrilling test at cardiff arms park went to wales 13 12  although the winning try from geoffrey rees jones was controversial following an illegal claude davey tackle in the build up 
rugby	577	new zealand s next visit to wales in 1953 proved difficult as they lost 8 3 to cardiff and drew 6 6 at swansea 
rugby	577	the all blacks were on top in the test with wales at the arms park  but the teams were locked at 8 8 when a clem thomas cross kick was gathered by ken jones for a famous  match winning try 
rugby	577	the tourists made some amends with wins over the other home nations  before a 19 5 success over the barbarians in an arms park thriller 
rugby	577	new zealand built from that tour  and by the time they returned in 1963 4 they were undoubtedly the leading side in the world 
rugby	577	that made the shock all the greater when a drop goal by student john uzzell gave newport an unlikely 3 0 win over the tourists at rodney parade 
rugby	577	wilson whinneray s side rallied to beat wales 6 0  their first win at the arms park in four attempts  and went unbeaten through the rest of the tour  but when they returned home the first question put to them was   what happened in newport   the only blemish on the record of the awesome 1967 tourists was a draw with east wales  as they beat the full wales team 13 6 in cardiff to take the lead in the series between the countries for the first time 
rugby	577	that lead was increased with two comfortable wins for the home side in new zealand in 1969  the first time wales had toured the country as an independent team 
rugby	577	a ferocious game at the arms park in 1972 was edged 19 16 by the all blacks  a measure of revenge for the defeat inflicted on new zealand by the carwyn james inspired lions of 1971 
rugby	577	james guided llanelli to a famous 9 3 win over the tourists at stradey park  though  and in the final game of the tour the barbarians defeated the all blacks 23 11 in cardiff in a game regarded by many as the greatest ever played 
rugby	577	new zealand defeated a wales xv 12 3 at the arms park in a non cap game in 1974  but it was the 1978 game in cardiff that would reignite the history of controversy between the two countries 
rugby	577	wales were leading 12 10 with one minute left when andy haden flew to the floor from a line out 
rugby	577	television pictures clearly showed that he dived  but english referee roger quittenton was fooled and awarded a penalty  duly converted by brian mckechnie for a 13 12 win 
rugby	577	since that infamous game  the competition has largely left wales v new zealand fixtures as the men in red have slipped from the pinnacle of the world game 
rugby	577	a crushing 23 3 win for new zealand in cardiff in the welsh rugby union s 1980 centenary game was a sign of things to come 
rugby	577	the new professionalism in the southern hemisphere game that had left europe behind was shown as the all blacks swatted wales aside 49 6 in brisbane in the semi final of the inaugural world cup 
rugby	577	the kiwis went on to claim the cup  and would inflict further misery on wales on their ill fated 1988 tour of new zealand 
rugby	577	a young  talented wales side left britain full of confidence as triple crown winners  but one of the greatest ever new zealand teams demolished them 52 3 and 54 9 
rugby	577	after also taking some fearful beatings in the provincial games  wales captain jonathan davies returned home calling for urgent change in the national game  but as his views were ignored he   along with a generation of wales  best players   chose to head north to rugby league 
rugby	577	a 34 9 win in cardiff followed for new zealand in 1989  and at the 1995 world cup wales  big talk was made to look embarrassing as the all blacks eased to victory in johannesburg 
rugby	577	a crushing 42 7 kiwi triumph in wembley followed in 1997  and as wales  misery increased they turned to new zealand for their salvation in the shape of coaches graham henry and steve hansen 
rugby	577	there was a temporary resurgence in the welsh game  but when an experimental new zealand side came to cardiff s new millennium stadium in 2002 they left with a 43 17 victory 
rugby	577	a bruising 55 3 defeat followed for wales in hamilton in 2003 as hansen built towards the world cup  but in australia it was a remarkable performance against the all blacks that gave his side renewed hope 
rugby	577	wales were given no chance going into the game  but in the course of the match they rediscovered the value of attacking flair to lead 37 33 early in the second half 
rugby	577	new zealand rallied to a 53 37 win  but the style shown by wales has been used as an inspiration as they look to a better future 
rugby	577	they now face an all blacks team led by henry and hansen  coming to europe with a weakened squad at the end of a long season 
rugby	577	an encouraging display against south africa has inspired a confident wales camp to believe they can claim their first win over the men in black for over 50 years 
rugby	577	they have a chance  but clearly history is not on their side 
rugby	578	wru proposes season overhaulthe welsh rugby union wants to restructure the northern hemisphere season into four separate blocks 
rugby	578	the season would start with the celtic league in october  followed by the heineken cup in february and march  and the six nations moved to april and may 
rugby	578	after a nine week break  the wru then proposes a two month period of away and home international matches 
rugby	578	wru chairman david pickering said the structure would end problems of player availability for club and country 
rugby	578	he added   we feel sure that spectator interest would respond to the impetus of high intensity rugby being played continuously rather than the fragmented timetable currently in operation 
rugby	578	 equally  we suspect that the sponsors would prefer the sustained interest in a continuous tournament and hopefully  the broadcasters would also enjoy increased exposure 
rugby	578	  moving the six nations from its traditional february beginning should also ensure better weather conditions and  stimulate greater interest in the games and generally provide increased skills and competition and attract greater spectator viewing   pickering argued 
rugby	578	the plan will be put before the international rugby board next month  where four other plans drawn up by independent consultants for a global integrated season will also be discussed 
rugby	578	pickering added   it s very early days and there are a number of caveats associated with it   not least the revenue from the broadcasters  which is extremely important 
rugby	578	 we ve got a good plan and one which should be judged on its merits 
rugby	578	  
rugby	579	wilkinson to lead englandfly half jonny wilkinson has been named as england s new rugby union captain for the three november tests 
rugby	579	the 25 year old newcastle star takes over from lawrence dallaglio  who retired from internationals in august 
rugby	579	england s acting head coach andy robinson said   he is a natural leader  holds the respect of the squad and is a formidable talent on the pitch 
rugby	579	 and he consistently demonstrates the energy and commitment i feel is essential to be captain of england 
rugby	579	  robinson added   there are several players in the squad i would feel comfortable in calling upon to be england captain but for me jonny is in every way the right player to take on this challenge 
rugby	579	 captaincy offers a challenging environment for any player  especially following in the footsteps of lawrence dallaglio and before him the world cup captain  martin johnson 
rugby	579	 but i am confident jonny has what it takes to do an outstanding job as we look ahead towards the next rugby world cup in france and i look forward to working with him 
rugby	579	  wilkinson  who has scored 817 points in 52 internationals  kicked the winning drop goal in the final seconds of extra time in england s 2003 rugby world cup triumph against australia 
rugby	579	but he then missed the entire 2004 six nations campaign while recuperating from shoulder surgery  before making his comeback for newcastle in the zurich premiership in august 
rugby	579	 it s the ambition of so many players to one day be captain of england and today i have realised a dream   he said 
rugby	579	 i m honoured andy wants me to be his captain  and to follow lawrence and martin means a lot to me as they are inspirational men who have given so much to england rugby over many years 
rugby	579	 getting my first england cap against ireland six years ago was something i ll never forget because to play for your country is very special 
rugby	579	taking on the captaincy is another important step in my career and i do so with immense pride 
rugby	579	  wilkinson made his international debut in the 1998 six nations championship against ireland when he came off the bench to replace paul grayson 
rugby	579	he has been a regular in the england starting line up ever since  played in all three lions tests in 2001 and all but one of england s games in the 2003 world cup 
rugby	579	he becomes the 117th captain of england since fred stokes held the position in 1871 
rugby	579	england s first autumn test is against canada on 13 november  followed by the visit of tri nations champions south africa a week later and then a world cup re match with australia 
rugby	580	hong kong in 2011 world cup bidhong kong is hoping to join japan as co host of the 2011 rugby world cup 
rugby	580	japan has applied to host the tournament on its own  with the aim of taking it outside rugby s traditional strongholds for the first time 
rugby	580	but hong kong rugby football union  hkrfu  chairman john molloy has called for the territory to host one of the pools and a quarter final 
rugby	580	the japanese rugby football union  jrfu  says it has yet to receive a formal presentation from the hkrfu 
rugby	580	 at this stage  we are only considering hosting the event by ourselves   said jrfu secretary koji tokumasu 
rugby	580	 we cannot examine any proposal unless we get it in a definitive form 
rugby	580	  japan faces stiff competition in the form of south africa and new zealand to host the event in seven years  time 
rugby	580	 until now  the world cup has been held in countries from the six nations or tri nations   said tokumasu 
rugby	580	 we think  and the irb thinks  that it is time for rugby to go global 
rugby	580	 japan is ready to host the tournament and we are looking forward to welcoming the world of rugby to japan 
rugby	580	  tokumasu added that the 2002 football world cup  co hosted by japan and south korea  had been a huge success 
rugby	580	 as well as having the infrastructure in place  japan also has the commercial clout to host one of sport s top competitions   he said 
rugby	580	last year  japan launched its first professional rugby league and it has the fourth largest number of registered players  125 508  in the world after england  south africa and france 
rugby	581	dallaglio his own man to the endcontroversy and lawrence dallaglio have never been very far away from each other throughout a glittering international career 
rugby	581	even the end of his nine year career came out of the blue  just four days before the start of the season 
rugby	581	but then dallaglio has always been his own man 
rugby	581	ever since emerging onto the international scene dallaglio has polarised opinions 
rugby	581	to supporters of england  dallaglio could do no wrong 
rugby	581	an integral part of a sustained period of success for england  dallaglio s crowning glory was his part in the side that won the rugby world cup in 2003 
rugby	581	rival fans  meanwhile  have tended to take an alternative view  seeing dallaglio as the epitome of the less agreeable characteristics of english rugby 
rugby	581	never afraid to speak his mind  be it to the referee or the opposition on the pitch  or his coach or the media off it  dallaglio has sometimes rubbed people up the wrong way 
rugby	581	dallaglio arrived as part of the unheralded england side which became the shock winners of the first rugby sevens world cup in 1993 
rugby	581	it took him another two years to graduate to the full england xv  but once there he proved to the manor born 
rugby	581	displaying maturity and physical power beyond his years  dallaglio rapidly established himself as an automatic choice able to play any one of the three back row positions at international standard 
rugby	581	within two years of his debut  dallaglio was offered the england captain s band  and his career continued to go from strength to strength as he made the 1997 lions tour to south africa 
rugby	581	although overlooked for the captaincy in favour of england team mate martin johnson  he played a massive role in the 2 1 series victory 
rugby	581	but after building up a seemingly unstoppable momentum  dallaglio s career hit the buffers at speed in 1999 
rugby	581	first came the last minute defeat to wales in which dallaglio s decision not to kick for goal in the dying minutes was blamed for costing england a grand slam 
rugby	581	worse was to follow though as an infamous newspaper sting cost him his treasured england captaincy 
rugby	581	with sensational allegations of drug use   of which he was subsequently cleared   splashed across the front pages  a devastated dallaglio stepped down as england skipper 
rugby	581	but he bounced back  getting his head down at club level before returning to the england fold  albeit now as a lieutenant to new captain johnson 
rugby	581	as a member of a new look england side on the long road to world cup glory   a journey not without mishaps as a succession of grand slams opportunities were spurned   dallaglio emerged as a key performer once again 
rugby	581	yet another setback arrived in 2001 as a serious knee injury cut short dallaglio s involvement on the lions tour to australia 
rugby	581	rumours began to circulate that his career was over but  in typical dallaglio style  he embarked on a punishing schedule of rehabilitation to return an even more fearsome physical specimen 
rugby	581	one effect of the injury was to rob dallaglio of much of his pace  but ever the pragmatist  he reinvented himself as a close quarters number eight of the highest calibre 
rugby	581	the only player to play every minute of england s world cup triumph in australia  dallaglio could hardly have done more to secure england s historic win  and for that he will always be held in the highest esteem by england supporters 
rugby	581	following johnson s retirement  dallaglio s career came full circle as woodward restored him as england captain 
rugby	581	while england did not hit the heights in dallaglio s second spell as captain  losing five of their eight post world cup tests  dallaglio led by example  leaving him as one of the few members of a squad lacking many world cup stars to live up to expectations 
rugby	581	dallaglio walks away from the international game safe in the knowledge that he will go down as one of england s most accomplished players  if not one of the great captains despite his evident pride in leading his country 
rugby	581	the problem now for england is how to replace the almost irreplaceable 
rugby	581	the likes of matt dawson  jonny wilkinson  phil vickery and hill have all been mentioned as contenders for dallaglio s role as captain 
rugby	581	but it is as a player that england will really struggle to replace the 32 year old 
rugby	581	although players like joe worsley and chris jones are more than capable of stepping up  the fact that there is no stand out candidate speaks volumes about dallaglio s massive influence on english rugby 
rugby	582	wasps 31 37 leicesterleicester withstood a stunning wasps comeback to win a pulsating heineken cup encounter at the causeway stadium 
rugby	582	the tigers stormed 22 6 ahead within 18 minutes through tries from lewis moody  geordan murphy and martin corry 
rugby	582	european champions wasps fought back through a josh lewsey try and mark van gisbergen s boot  and they were level at 31 31 with five minutes remaining 
rugby	582	but it was the visitors who kept their cool as andy goode kicked the tigers to victory with a penalty and a drop goal 
rugby	582	the closing moments saw desperate defence from leicester as wasps turned down several penalties to go for the try they needed 
rugby	582	wasps pounded the line and a penalty try looked likely before referee nigel williams controversially blew for full time 
rugby	582	fly half goode was the tigers hero  kicking 22 points in total  while leicester s overwhelming domination in the scrums ultimately told 
rugby	582	even their lack of discipline in defence   which presented the admirable van ginsberg with 26 points   could not undo them as they held out for a famous win 
rugby	582	lawrence dallaglio s team have now got it all to do in the quest for a quarter final place given that two of their last three games are away   against leicester and biarritz 
rugby	582	however  wasps rugby director warren gatland warned his side will will not relinquish their european title without a fight 
rugby	582	 if we lose next week  then we are struggling   said gatland 
rugby	582	 but we don t want to give this trophy away 
rugby	582	we worked so hard to win it last season  we will go down fighting 
rugby	582	 we have got to get our scrum right next week  it is the biggest cause for concern 
rugby	582	  leicester coach john wells saluted the outstanding work of graham rowntree and julian white  who were magnificent up front 
rugby	582	 they were the backbone of our performance today   said wells 
rugby	582	 and to score three tries against the european champions at home was also something i am pleased about 
rugby	582	 van gisbergen  lewsey  erinle  abbott  voyce  king  dawson  dowd  greening  green  shaw  birkett  worsley  o connor  dallaglio  capt  
rugby	582	replacements  gotting  mckenzie  lock  hart  biljon  brooks  hoadley 
rugby	582	murphy  rabeni  smith  gibson  healey  goode  ellis  rowntree  chuter  white  m johnson  capt   l deacon  moody  back  corry 
rugby	582	replacements  from   buckland cockerill  morris  kay  w johnson b deacon  h tuilagi  bemand  a tuiliagi  lloyd  vesty 
rugby	583	ireland 17 12 south africaronan o gara scored all ireland s points as the home side claimed only their second ever win over south africa on an emotional day at lansdowne road 
rugby	583	o gara s first half try  poached after a quick tap penalty  helped the irish to a 8 3 lead at half time 
rugby	583	three further o gara penalties extended ireland s lead to 17 6 as the game entered the final quarter 
rugby	583	two percy montgomery penalties set up a frantic finish but ireland held out to claim a famous victory 
rugby	583	ireland began strongly and were never led  but the match was tense and closely fought throughout 
rugby	583	aware of the threat posed by the south africans  ireland pressed hard from the outset  and played some impressive rugby while searching for a breakthrough 
rugby	583	early on  denis hickie thought he was in for a try after a delightful backline move but shane horgan s pass was adjudged to have gone forward by referee paul honiss 
rugby	583	ireland continued to press and they showed their intent by opting for a line out in the 19th minute when three straight forward points were on offer 
rugby	583	another south african infringement a minute later led to ireland s first points   o gara took a quick tap penalty and charged over the opposition line for an irish try 
rugby	583	the springboks could feel hard done by as captain john smit had his back to the play when o gara pounced after referee honiss had told the skipper to warn his own players after consistent infringements 
rugby	583	stung by the score  the south africans almost replied with a try of their own within 60 seconds with geordan murphy s ankle tap tackle denying a certain try for percy montgomery 
rugby	583	however  the springboks did win a penalty a minute later which montgomery easily slotted to cut ireland s lead to 5 3 
rugby	583	ireland got out of jail when the south africans had a three to one overlap near the irish line only to waste the chance 
rugby	583	after the sustained springboks pressure  the irish produced an attack of their own in the 34th minute which culminated with o gara s clever drop goal to restore his side s lead to five points which remained the margin at half time 
rugby	583	sustained irish pressure immediately after half time was rewarded by another o gara penalty 
rugby	583	however  montgomery responded quickly by slotting over a superb penalty from near the right touchline to cut ireland s lead to five points again 
rugby	583	montgomery then burst through the irish defence in the 48th minute and it took a superb girvan dempsey tackle to prevent a try 
rugby	583	the south africans suffered a double blow in the 52nd minute when schalk burger was sin binned for the second week in a row after killing the ball and o gara punished the transgression by notching another penalty 
rugby	583	in the 61st minute  hickie was left frustrated by a poor pass from girvan dempsey as a chance to seal the match was wasted 
rugby	583	however  a late tackle on brian o driscoll enabled o gara to notch another penalty in the 63rd minute which extended ireland s lead to 17 6 
rugby	583	however  two montgomery penalties had ireland s lead in peril again as the springboks closed to within five points with seven minutes remaining 
rugby	583	south africa produced a huge effort in the closing minutes but ireland held on to claim a deserved victory 
rugby	583	g dempsey  g murphy  b o driscoll  capt   s horgan  d hickie  r o gara  p stringer  r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes  m o kelly  p o connell  s easterby  j o connor  a foley 
rugby	583	f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  k maggs 
rugby	583	  p montgomery  b paulse  m joubert  de wet barry  a willemse  j van der westhuyzen  f du preez  o du randt  j smit  captain   e andrews  b botha  v matfield  s burger  aj venter  j van niekerk 
rugby	583	  h shimange  cj van der linde  g britz  d rossouw  m claassens  j de villiers  g du toit j fourie 
rugby	583	paul honiss  new zealand  
rugby	584	ireland v usa  sat saturday 20 novemberlansdowne road  dublin1300 gmtthe irish coach knows a repeat of the record 83 3 victory over the states in 2000 is not on the agenda and expects a real test at lansdowne road 
rugby	584	 their coach tom billups will have them very organised   said o sullivan 
rugby	584	 they ran five tries past the french in the summer  so we will not take them for granted 
rugby	584	we have guys coming into the team who are chomping at the bit 
rugby	584	  the irish line up shows nine changes from the team which started against south africa with winger tommy bowe and flanker denis leamy making their international debuts 
rugby	584	the other changes see recalls for backs david humphreys  kevin maggs and guy easterby with eric miller  marcus horan  donnacha o callaghan and frank sheehan all returning to the pack 
rugby	584	o sullivan said the players coming in had the opportunity to stake claims for inclusion against argentina on 27 november 
rugby	584	easterby gets a rare start at scrum half while humphreys  now effectively ronan o gara s deputy at fly half  wins his 65th cap 
rugby	584	 we have got to get the focus right on the day   said ulster man humphreys 
rugby	584	 the us may be classed as weaker opposition  but we will treat them with the respect they deserve 
rugby	584	  the states lost 39 31 against france in their last international and are ranked 16th in world rugby 
rugby	584	the americans have made three changes  plus one positional switch from the game in july against the french 
rugby	584	lock alec parker  blind side flanker brian surgener and right wing al lakomskis return and captain kort schubert of the cardiff blues shifts to number eight 
rugby	584	schubert is the only eagles player remaining from the sides  meeting four years ago 
rugby	584	g murphy  s horgan  b o driscoll  capt   k maggs  t bowe  d humphreys  g easterby  m horan 
rugby	584	f sheahan  j hayes  d o callaghan  p o connell  s easterby  d leamy  e miller 
rugby	584	s byrne  s best  l cullen  a foley  p stringer  r o gara  g dempsey 
rugby	584	viljoen  lakomskis  emerick  sika  fee  hercus  timoteo  macdonald  wyatt  waasdorp  parker  klerck  surgener  petruzzella  schubert  capt  
rugby	584	hobson  osentowski  gouws  mo unga  williams  sherman  tuipulotu 
rugby	585	ireland call up uncapped campbellulster scrum half kieran campbell is one of five uncapped players included in ireland s rbs six nations squad 
rugby	585	campbell is joined by ulster colleagues roger wilson and ronan mccormack along with connacht s bernard jackman and munster s shaun payne 
rugby	585	gordon d arcy is back after injury while munster flanker alan quinlan also returns to international consideration 
rugby	585	 the squad is selected purely on form 
rugby	585	a lot of players put their hands up   coach eddie o sullivan told bbc sport 
rugby	585	 kieran campbell was just one of those players 
rugby	585	he has been playing very well in the heineken cup and deserves his call up 
rugby	585	 there is big competition in some departments and not so much in others 
rugby	585	there were one or two players who were unfortunate just to miss out 
rugby	585	  back row forwards david wallace and victor costello are omitted  with o sullivan having quinlan  wilson  simon easterby  anthony foley  denis leamy and johnny o connor vying for the three positions 
rugby	585	with david humphreys  kevin maggs  simon best and tommy bowe again included  it is ulster s biggest representation in a training panel for quite some time 
rugby	585	munster and leinster have 12 and 11 players in the squad respectively while jackman is the sole connacht representative 
rugby	585	four british based players are also included 
rugby	585	ulster forward ronan mccormack said he was  totally shocked  to be included 
rugby	585	 i m really looking forward to it   said mccormack 
rugby	585	 i played with guys like brian o driscoll and denis hickie back in my school days in leinster so i do know a few of them although not that well 
rugby	585	 it will be great to work with them 
rugby	585	 s best  ulster   s byrne  leinster   r corrigan  leinster   l cullen  leinster   s easterby  llanelli   a foley  munster   j hayes  munster   m horan  munster   b jackman  connacht   d leamy  munster   e miller  leinster   r mccormack  ulster   d o callaghan  munster   p o connell  munster   j o connor  wasps   m o kelly  leinster   f sheahan  munster   r wilson  ulster   a quinlan  munster  
rugby	585	t bowe  ulster   k campbell  ulster   g d arcy  ulster   g dempsey  leinster   g duffy  harlequins   g easterby  leinster   d hickie  leinster   a horgan  munster   s horgan  leinster   d humphreys  ulster   k maggs  ulster   g murphy  leicester   b o driscoll   leinster   r o gara  munster   s payne  munster   p stringer  munster  
rugby	585	k gleeson  leinster   t howe  ulster   j kelly  munster   n mcmillan  ulster  
rugby	586	ireland 21 19 argentinaan injury time dropped goal by ronan o gara stole victory for ireland from underneath the noses of argentina at lansdowne road on saturday 
rugby	586	o gara kicked all of ireland s points  with two dropped goals and five penalties  to give the home side a 100  record in their autumn internationals 
rugby	586	an impressive argentina appeared in control until the dying seconds 
rugby	586	the pumas shocked the irish early on with a try from federico aramburu  and felipe contepomi kicked 14 points 
rugby	586	the well drilled and sharper pumas out played and out thought ireland in the early stages 
rugby	586	indiscipline allowed argentina s leinster fly half contepomi to open the scoring in the third minute with a straightforward penalty 
rugby	586	he was on the mark again two minutes later when argentina shocked a ragged ireland with the first try of the game 
rugby	586	ireland turned the ball over and manuel contepomi broke through an unstructured defence before feeding his midfield partner aramburu to sprint in under the posts 
rugby	586	o gara finally got ireland on the board with a dropped goal in the ninth minute only for contepomi to rifle over his second penalty two minutes later 
rugby	586	playing into a strong wind and rain  ireland continued to come second best in tight situations  and turnovers began to mount up against a rugged defence 
rugby	586	o gara managed to land his second penalty in the 36th minute  but once again contepomi replied in kind four minutes into first half injury time 
rugby	586	the second half started as the first had ended 
rugby	586	o gara rifled over another penalty in the 45th minute  but contepomi matched it three minutes later 
rugby	586	the upper body strength of the pumas never allowed ireland to take control up front  while the three quarters had no space to manoeuvre 
rugby	586	ireland had to rely on o gara s boot to keep in touch rather than any contrived running plays 
rugby	586	the munsterman landed two more penalties   one of them from 48 metres   to bring his team to within four points with 13 minutes on the clock remaining 
rugby	586	and ireland s chance came when argentina s number eight gonzalo longo was yellow carded with six minutes to go for an offence in the line out 
rugby	586	o gara made no mistake as he rifled over his fifth penalty to set up a tense final few minutes 
rugby	586	but ireland showed great composure to get themselves into a position to allow o gara to thump over a massive drop goal to complete a tremendous  if fortuitous  comeback 
rugby	587	england claim dubai sevens gloryengland beat fiji 26 21 in a dramatic final in dubai to win the first irb sevens event of the season 
rugby	587	having beaten australia and south africa to reach the final  england fell behind to an early try against fiji 
rugby	587	they then took charge with scores from pat sanderson  kai horstman  mathew tait and rob thirlby  but fiji rallied to force a tense finale 
rugby	587	scotland were beaten 33 15 by samoa in the plate semi final and ireland lost 17 5 to tunisia in the shield final 
rugby	587	mike friday s england side matched their opponents for pace  power and skill in the final and led 19 7 at half time 
rugby	587	but neumi nanuku and marika vakacegu touched down for fiji  only for a needless trip by tuidriva bainivalu on geoff appleford to allow england to run down the clock 
rugby	587	 to be honest  england have wanted to win in dubai for a very long time now  and the people here have wanted us to win for just as long   said friday 
rugby	587	 we didn t want to put pressure on ourselves but we are thankful we have achieved that and brought through some young talent at the same time that can hopefully play for the england  15s  in a few years 
rugby	587	  portugal confirmed their impressive progress in sevens rugby by recording a sudden death win over france in the bowl final 
rugby	587	samoa won the plate title by edging out argentina 21 19 
rugby	588	barbarians 19 47 new zealandnew zealand proved too strong for an australian dominated barbarians to round off their unbeaten northern hemisphere tour with an easy win 
rugby	588	rico gear ran in two of the all blacks  seven tries in what was a predominantly second string line up 
rugby	588	the baa baas did threaten  scoring tries through albert van den bergh  xavier rush and andrea lo cicero  but never looked like winning 
rugby	588	all black aaron mauger was in good form with the boot  adding 10 points 
rugby	588	the all blacks featured only two of the side which started last weekend s emphatic test victory over france in paris  while the baa baas had nine wallabies in their starting line up 
rugby	588	and new zealand coach graham henry said   it was a quality performance against a very experienced side and a number of young guys came through very well 
rugby	588	 they learnt from the older players and this was a way of thanking the guys who had been mentoring them on the tour 
rugby	588	  but the running rugby the crowd had been hoping for rarely materialised 
rugby	588	marty holah got the all blacks onslaught under way with his fifth minute try before rush hit back moments later 
rugby	588	but new zealand went ahead once more as gear made use of the space vacated by a temporarily injured chris latham to slide in 
rugby	588	ma a nonu then found his way through the barbarians defence to give his side a 19 7 half time lead 
rugby	588	the hosts failed to ignite in the second half and  the moment gear scored his second just after the interval  there was only ever going to be one winner 
rugby	588	lo cicero  the sole european for the barbarians  bundled over for a try to briefly curtail the deficit 
rugby	588	but the match was blighted by controversy moments later when justin marshall  was felled with a high tackle by jimmy cowan 
rugby	588	referee andy turner waved play on and casey laulala coasted in for his side s fifth try 
rugby	588	jermoe keino and piri weepu both added tries to the all blacks  tally before the final whistle  while van den bergh gained some consolation for the baa baas 
rugby	588	after the match  barbarians coach bob dwyer warned that south african flanker schalk burger needed a proper off season break to maintain his standards 
rugby	588	burger  21  was recently crowned player of the year by both his peers and the international rugby board  but has struggled for form in recent weeks 
rugby	588	 it s his first year at that level and he was phenomenal up until the end of the southern hemisphere season 
rugby	588	 i don t think he s played anywhere near that level on tour   he said 
rugby	589	dawson wins england squad recallwasps scrum half matt dawson has been recalled to england s training squad ahead of the rbs six nations and been reinstated in the elite player squad 
rugby	589	coach andy robinson dropped dawson for the autumn tests after he missed training to film  a question of sport 
rugby	589	   i always said i would consider bringing matt back if i felt he was playing well   robinson said 
rugby	589	 he merits his return on current form 
rugby	589	  newcastle s 18 year old centre mathew tait is also in the training squad 
rugby	589	 it s obviously an honour to be asked to train with england   said tait  who has burst into contention recently 
rugby	589	 i look forward to going down and doing the sessions  but the most important thing at the moment is sunday s game against newport  so i m not looking any further than that 
rugby	589	  robinson has invited 42 players to attend a three day session in leeds next week  in which his squad will train in part with the leeds rhinos rugby league squad 
rugby	589	with mike tindall ruled out of the opening two matches and will greenwood sidelined for the entire six nations  tait is one of six or seven contenders for the two centre berths 
rugby	589	stuart abbott  jamie noon  ollie smith  olly barkley and henry paul   who retains his place despite his early substitution against australia   are also in the mix 
rugby	589	ben cohen could also be considered after switching from the wing for his club northampton recently 
rugby	589	prop phil vickery and lock simon shaw both return to the squad after missing the autumn tests through injury  while wasps wing tom voyce is recalled 
rugby	589	the group also includes bath flanker andy beattie and leicester hooker george chuter 
rugby	589	 beattie has matured greatly as a player these past two seasons   robinson said 
rugby	589	jonny wilkinson  tindall and martin corry have all been included despite their unavailability for the opening two matches against wales and france 
rugby	589	the revised 56 man elite squad includes wasps hooker phil greening  who replaces the retired mark regan  and sale wing mark cueto 
rugby	589	cueto was selected for the november internationals despite not being part of the group  but scored four tries in three england appearances 
rugby	589	leicester scrum half harry ellis has also been promoted from the senior national academy  and will contest the number nine jersey with dawson and gloucester s andy gomarsall 
rugby	589	the players in robinson s elite squad can only play 32 matches for club and country 
rugby	589	they can be called up for a total of 16 training days in addition to the recognised international weeks for each of the years leading up to the next world cup 
rugby	589	balshaw  cohen  cueto  lewsey  robinson  simpson daniel  voyce  abbott  noon  paul  smith  tait  tindall  barkley  hodgson  king  wilkinson  dawson  ellis  gomarsall 
rugby	589	chuter  thompson  titterrell  rowntree  sheridan  stevens  vickery  white  borthwick  brown  l deacon  grewcock  kay  shaw  beattie  corry  forrester  hazell  jones  moody  vyvyan  j worsley 
rugby	589	abbott  balshaw  borthwick  a brown  chuter  cohen  corry  cueto  dawson  ellis  flatman  gomarsall  greening  greenwood  grewcock  hazell  hill  hodgson  kay  king  lewsey  moody  noon  paul  robinson  rowntree  shaw  simpson daniel  thompson  tindall  titterrell  vickery  vyvyan  white  wilkinson  j worsley  m worsley 
rugby	589	barkley  beattie  christophers  l deacon  forrester  c jones  palmer  rees  sheridan  skinner  smith  stevens  tait  voyce 
rugby	589	dowson  haughton  monye  roques  p sanderson 
rugby	590	borders 19 20 ulsterulster clung on for a morale boosting celtic league win over bottom club borders at netherdale on friday night 
rugby	590	a late try by borders substitute jonny weston had set up a dramatic finish  but the scottish side could not complete the fightback 
rugby	590	ulster had led 20 6 with tries from paul steinmetz and bryn cunningham 
rugby	590	but the irish province failed to add to the tally in the second half and ended up relieved to get the win to lift them to eighth place in the table 
rugby	590	borders had edged ahead with a sixth minute penalty by charlie hore   only to hand the visitors the initiative via a gift try 
rugby	590	calum macrae surrendered possession before centre steinmetz sent a chip into the danger zone 
rugby	590	substitute joe pattison   who had come on for the injured gareth morton   wrongly thought the ball was trickling out of play and eased up on the chase 
rugby	590	the speedy steinmetz had other ideas and he raced up to get the vital touch in the nick of time  giving adam larkin an easy conversion 
rugby	590	ally warnock clawed back three points for borders  but they were soon hit by another double blow 
rugby	590	first  mark blair was yellow carded for killing the ball on the ground and then full back cunningham bagged the second touchdown in the wake of fine work by skipper andy ward 
rugby	590	larkin again added the extras 
rugby	590	even worse was to come for borders when larkin kicked two more penalties just before the break  the second of which also led to kelly brown being sin binned 
rugby	590	the hosts gave themselves a glimmer of hope immediately after the restart  however  when warnock struck a penalty at the other end 
rugby	590	and he repeated the feat to set up the tense finale 
rugby	590	ulster coach mark mccall said he was delighted to get the victory 
rugby	590	 borders are a tougher proposition this year in spite of the fact that they have not had a victory in some time   said mccall 
rugby	590	 in the first 20 minutes we were edgy but in the second 20 minutes we played some of our best rugby this season and scored two good tries 
rugby	590	 morton  moffat  macrae  hore  berthinussen  warnock  moore  thomson  ford  douglas  blair  stewart  gray  brown  mcentee 
rugby	590	kay  parr  mcgee  rennick  weston  millar  pattison 
rugby	590	cunningham  maxwell  bell  steinmetz  howe  larkin  campbell  s 
rugby	590	best  shields  moore  frost  mccullough  ward  feather  n 
rugby	590	best 
rugby	590	brady  mccormick  longwell  browne  doak  s 
rugby	590	young  bowe 
rugby	590	phil fear  wru  
rugby	591	lions blow to world cup starsbritish and irish lions coach clive woodward says he is unlikely to select any players not involved in next year s rbs six nations championship 
rugby	591	world cup winners lawrence dallaglio  neil back and martin johnson had all been thought to be in the frame for next summer s tour to new zealand 
rugby	591	 i don t think you can ever say never   said woodward 
rugby	591	 but i would have to have a compulsive reason to pick any player who is not available to international rugby 
rugby	591	  dallaglio  back and johnson have all retired from international rugby over the last 12 months but continue to star for their club sides 
rugby	591	but woodward added   the key thing that i want to stress is that i intend to use the six nations and the players who are available to international rugby as the key benchmark 
rugby	591	 my job  along with all the other senior representatives  is to make sure that we pick the strongest possible team 
rugby	591	 if you are not playing international rugby then it s still a step up to test rugby 
rugby	591	it s definitely a disadvantage 
rugby	591	 i think it s absolutely critical and with the history of the lions we have got to take players playing for the four countries 
rugby	591	  woodward also revealed that the race for the captaincy was still wide open 
rugby	591	 it is an open book   he said 
rugby	591	 there are some outstanding candidates from all four countries 
rugby	591	  and following the all blacks  impressive displays in europe in recent weeks  including a 45 6 humiliation of france  woodward believes the three test series in new zealand will provide the ultimate rugby challenge 
rugby	591	 their performance in particular against france was simply awesome   said the lions coach 
rugby	591	 certain things have been suggested about the potency of their front five  but they re a very powerful unit 
rugby	591	  with his customary thoroughness  woodward revealed he had taken soundings from australia coach eddie jones and jake white of south africa following their tour matches in britain and ireland 
rugby	591	as a result  woodward stressed his lions group might not be dominated by players from england and ireland and held out hope for the struggling scots 
rugby	591	 scotland s recent results have not been that impressive but there have been some excellent individual performances 
rugby	591	 eddie in particular told me how tough they had made it for australia and i will take on board their opinions 
rugby	591	  and scotland forward simon taylor looks certain to get the call  provided he recovers from knee and tendon problems 
rugby	591	 i took lessons from 2001 in that they did make a mistake in taking lawrence dallaglio when he wasn t fit and went on the trip 
rugby	591	 every player has to be looked at on their own merits and simon taylor is an outstanding player and i have no doubts that if he gets back to full fitness he will be on the trip 
rugby	591	 i am told he should be back playing by march and he has plenty of time to prove his fitness for the lions   and there are other players like richard hill in the same boat 
rugby	591	  
rugby	592	campbell to be lions consultantformer government communications chief alastair campbell will act as a media consultant to sir clive woodward s 2005 lions on their tour to new zealand 
rugby	592	campbell  who left downing street earlier this year  will advise on media strategy before and during the tour 
rugby	592	 i hope i can contribute to the planning and preparation  and to ensuring the media and public get the most out of the tour itself   he said 
rugby	592	 i am also looking forward to going out for the later stages of the tour 
rugby	592	  woodward s decision to call in prime minister tony blair s former spin doctor springs from the deterioration in media relations on the last lions tour of australia in 2001  when new zealander graham henry was the head coach 
rugby	592	the furore surrounding the newspaper diaries of matt dawson and austin healey was compounded by other disillusioned players venting their frustration through the media 
rugby	592	 the lions is a massive media event   said woodward  who will be the head coach 
rugby	592	 there will be a huge level of interest from the travelling media  the fans that will go out in their thousands and the new zealand public 
rugby	592	 we need to have the strategy and processes in place to deal with the pressures that will bring 
rugby	592	  alastair  will act as an advisor both in the build up to and on the tour itself 
rugby	592	his role is to work closely with not only myself but  tour manager  bill beaumont   media manager  louisa cheetham and  team manager  louise ramsay 
rugby	592	  campbell is due to resume working for the government in the new year in the build up to an anticipated may general election 
rugby	592	the lions leave for new zealand on 24 may  with the first test match against the all blacks in christchurch on 25 june 
rugby	593	lions blow to world cup winnersbritish and irish lions coach clive woodward says he is unlikely to select any players not involved in next year s rbs six nations championship 
rugby	593	world cup winners lawrence dallaglio  neil back and martin johnson had all been thought to be in the frame for next summer s tour to new zealand 
rugby	593	 i don t think you can ever say never   said woodward 
rugby	593	 but i would have to have a compulsive reason to pick any player who is not available to international rugby 
rugby	593	  dallaglio  back and johnson have all retired from international rugby over the last 12 months but continue to star for their club sides 
rugby	593	but woodward added   the key thing that i want to stress is that i intend to use the six nations and the players who are available to international rugby as the key benchmark 
rugby	593	 my job  along with all the other senior representatives  is to make sure that we pick the strongest possible team 
rugby	593	 if you are not playing international rugby then it s still a step up to test rugby 
rugby	593	it s definitely a disadvantage 
rugby	593	 i think it s absolutely critical and with the history of the lions we have got to take players playing for the four countries 
rugby	593	  woodward also revealed that the race for the captaincy was still wide open 
rugby	593	 it is an open book   he said 
rugby	593	 there are some outstanding candidates from all four countries 
rugby	593	  and following the all blacks  impressive displays in europe in recent weeks  including a 45 6 humiliation of france  woodward believes the three test series in new zealand will provide the ultimate rugby challenge 
rugby	593	 their performance in particular against france was simply awesome   said the lions coach 
rugby	593	 certain things have been suggested about the potency of their front five  but they re a very powerful unit 
rugby	593	  with his customary thoroughness  woodward revealed he had taken soundings from australia coach eddie jones and jake white of south africa following their tour matches in britain and ireland 
rugby	593	as a result  woodward stressed his lions group might not be dominated by players from england and ireland and held out hope for the struggling scots 
rugby	593	 scotland s recent results have not been that impressive but there have been some excellent individual performances 
rugby	593	 eddie in particular told me how tough they had made it for australia and i will take on board their opinions 
rugby	593	  and scotland forward simon taylor looks certain to get the call  provided he recovers from knee and tendon problems 
rugby	593	 i took lessons from 2001 in that they did make a mistake in taking lawrence dallaglio when he wasn t fit and went on the trip 
rugby	593	 every player has to be looked at on their own merits and simon taylor is an outstanding player and i have no doubts that if he gets back to full fitness he will be on the trip 
rugby	593	 i am told he should be back playing by march and he has plenty of time to prove his fitness for the lions   and there are other players like richard hill in the same boat 
rugby	593	  
rugby	594	wilkinson fit to face edinburghengland captain jonny wilkinson will make his long awaited return from injury against edinburgh on saturday 
rugby	594	wilkinson  who has not played since injuring his bicep on 17 october  took part in full contact training with newcastle falcons on wednesday 
rugby	594	and the 25 year old fly half will start saturday s heineken cup match at murrayfield on the bench 
rugby	594	but newcastle director of rugby rob andrew said   he s fine and we hope to get him into the game at some stage 
rugby	594	  the 25 year old missed england s autumn internationals after aggravating the haematoma in his upper right arm against saracens 
rugby	594	he was subsequently replaced as england captain by full back jason robinson 
rugby	594	sale s charlie hodgson took over the number 10 shirt in the internationals against canada  south africa and australia 
rugby	594	wilkinson s year has been disrupted by injury as his muscle problem followed eight months on the sidelines with a shoulder injury sustained in the world cup final 
rugby	595	dallaglio eyeing lions tour placeformer england captain lawrence dallaglio still harbours hopes of a place on the british and irish lions tour to new zealand 
rugby	595	lions coach sir clive woodward has made it clear he will pick his squad to tour next summer based on form shown in the six nations championship 
rugby	595	but dallaglio  who called time on england earlier this year  said   i assure you i wouldn t let anyone down 
rugby	595	 i know what it takes and what i have to offer   he told the daily telegraph 
rugby	595	dallaglio toured south africa with the lions in 1997 but was forced home early with a knee injury from the trip to australia three years ago 
rugby	595	the 32 year old also felt concentrating on club rugby could have prolonged his international shelf life 
rugby	595	he said   i ll be in good shape and fresh without another 10 tests on the clock 
rugby	595	 from what i witnessed at close quarters on sunday in our heineken cup match against leicester  i certainly didn t feel out of place alongside those players  many of whom will be on the trip 
rugby	595	 if i m fit and playing well  then i m most certainly available 
rugby	595	 if clive feels he has no need to look outside the international crop  then fine 
rugby	595	if he does  then he won t need to look too far  will he   
rugby	596	dawson set for new wasps contracteuropean champions wasps are set to offer matt dawson a new deal 
rugby	596	the 31 year old world cup winning scrum half has impressed since joining the london side from northampton this summer on a one year contract 
rugby	596	wasps coach warren gatland told the daily mirror   we have not yet offered matt a new contract but we will be doing so 
rugby	596	 i m very happy with his contribution and i think he s good enough to play for another couple of years 
rugby	596	  dawson played a vital part in england s world cup win last year but has fallen out of favour with new coach andy robinson after missing a training session in september 
rugby	596	however he hopes the new deal will help him regain his england place 
rugby	596	 rugby is still my priority and there s still a burning desire within me to play the best rugby i possibly can   he said 
rugby	596	 i know within myself  if i was given the chance i could play for england again 
rugby	596	 i know i m fit enough  i m strong enough  i m skilful enough 
rugby	596	  
rugby	597	healey targets england comebackleicester wing austin healey hopes to use sunday s return heineken cup clash with wasps as a further springboard to an england recall for the six nations 
rugby	597	healey  who won 51 caps prior to the 2003 world cup  has been in good form in the tigers  resurgence this season 
rugby	597	 i definitely still have ambitions to play for england   healey told the bbc 
rugby	597	 we will have to see what happens after the previous  autumn  tests but when i look at the current squad i definitely feel there is a place there for me 
rugby	597	  healey  who has also played both half back positions and full back during his career  has reverted to the wing  where he won most of his england caps 
rugby	597	after recovering from a trapped nerve in his back sustained at the end of september  the 31 year old is relishing his role in the tigers revival 
rugby	597	 i had six weeks out but fortunately i have resumed the sort of form i had before   he said 
rugby	597	 i am basically playing where it best suits leicester 
rugby	597	obviously i can play scrum half  fly half or full back at a moment s notice 
rugby	597	 but playing on the wing actually gives me a bigger free role to come in where i am not expected and influence things 
rugby	597	  that has been apparent in parts one and two of the wasps leicester trilogy in recent weeks 
rugby	597	first  healey came off his flank with an angled run to score an injury time try that earned the tigers a 17 17 draw in their premiership meeting on 21 november 
rugby	597	then  in the first of their heineken cup double header last sunday  healey slotted in at stand off and delivered a superb cross kick for martin corry to score the tigers  third try 
rugby	597	 i caught  cozza s  eye a couple of phases before that and was hoping to get it to him on the full  but fortunately even with the bounce he managed to score   healey recalled 
rugby	597	healey  twice a heineken cup winner  believes last sunday s match was  up there  with some of the biggest club contests he has played in 
rugby	597	 it was a very intense occasion and a very destructive game   he recalled 
rugby	597	 there was not a huge amount of rugby played but it was a great game to be involved in 
rugby	597	 after about 15 minutes i thought we might stride away with it but wasps really came back into it and in the last couple of minutes it could have gone either way 
rugby	597	 the same outcome this sunday would put leicester in pole position to top their heineken pool with a home game against biarritz and away trip to calvisano to come 
rugby	597	but healey insists the tigers must summon the same desire if they are to deliver the knockout blow in what has been dubbed  rugby s version of rocky ii  
rugby	597	 there was a lot of satisfaction in the dressing room aftewards but it is really only a case of a job half done   he added 
rugby	597	 it was the first of a two leg trip and if we lose at welford road it will negate all the positives we can take from result 
rugby	597	 i think it came down to who wanted it more and in the end i think we did 
rugby	597	we have got to show the same desire again this week 
rugby	597	  
rugby	598	johnson rules out lions tourformer england captain martin johnson will not be touring new zealand with the lions this summer 
rugby	598	the 34 year old will be playing in his own testimonial match against a jonah lomu xv on 4 june   the same day as the first game of the lions tour 
rugby	598	johnson  who retired from the international game last year  has called a news conference on monday to announce details of the match 
rugby	598	the world cup winner twice skippered the lions and toured three times 
rugby	598	the testimonial match  due to be played at twickenham  is part of a series of events to mark johnson s long career with leicester  england and the lions 
rugby	598	the lions will play the first of their warm up matches against the bay of plenty on 4 june  in rotorua 
rugby	598	stuart henry  a member of johnson s testimonial committee  said   it can be taken as a fair assumption that martin s involvement in the twickenham fixture will mean he will not be going on the british lions tour 
rugby	598	  johnson suggested back in december that it was unlikely he would take part in the 11 match tour 
rugby	598	 if you retire from international rugby  you know what you re getting into   or rather  you know what you re getting out of   he said 
rugby	599	wilkinson  injuries toughened meengland skipper jonny wilkinson insists his battle with injuries during 2004 has toughened him up mentally 
rugby	599	the fly half returned to action for newcastle in their 13 10 heineken cup win at edinburgh at the weekend after seven weeks out with a bicep problem 
rugby	599	wilkinson  who also endured an eight month lay off with a shoulder injury  said   i was physically prepared for my first return but mentally it was hard 
rugby	599	 but having had this little time out since then i feel mentally stronger 
rugby	599	  the 25 year old  who has not played for england since drop kicking his country to world cup glory in november 2003  also admits he may have rushed his initial comeback in september 
rugby	599	wilkinson says he does not plan to push himself too far too fast this time around 
rugby	599	 no one can prepare you for what it s like to come back after basically an entire season out injured   wilkinson added 
rugby	599	 the first time round  i d done all the training and was more motivated than i ve ever been 
rugby	599	 but sometimes that was met with disappointment after a few of the games  wondering why things were not working out when i thought i d done all the right things in preparation 
rugby	599	 i think that s what i ve changed this time  trying to be a bit more realistic about coming back 
rugby	599	 i m not in any way less ambitious   but i just understand that i should get on with it and enjoy it 
rugby	599	  wilkinson also praised dave walder  who has been filling in for him for the falcons 
rugby	599	and he said the experience of starting a game on the bench   as happened against edinburgh   has made him more appreciative of the role of replacement players 
rugby	599	 i hated the experience of being on the bench   wilkinson said 
rugby	599	 but what it s done is given me enormous respect and admiration for players who can do that on a regular basis  and dave walder has been playing well in the team   so i have to accept it 
rugby	599	 to be an effective replacement is a skill in itself  and some of our players are fantastic at it 
rugby	599	 when you start the game you re fully involved  and you react to each second as it goes by   whereas as a replacement you have to watch the game tick by and then almost instantly switch on and join in when everyone else has had time to bed themselves into the match 
rugby	599	 it s so difficult  especially in a decision making role   which is something our scrum halves  hall charlton and james grindal  do on a regular basis to good effect 
rugby	599	  
rugby	600	gatland fears end of european runwasps coach warren gatland said the defending champions could pay a heavy price for their slow starts against heineken cup opponents leicester 
rugby	600	wasps are struggling to qualify for the next stage after the tigers won both pool games between the two sides 
rugby	600	 we just weren t strong enough  and that has happened two weeks in a row   said a disappointed gatland  whose side now lie third in pool one 
rugby	600	 we re relying on other teams now and we ve got to get a result in biarritz 
rugby	600	  leicester swept into a 19 0 lead at welford road on sunday before running out 35 27 winners 
rugby	600	 we showed that we have got a lot of character by fighting back in the way we did  but leicester thoroughly deserved their win   said gatland 
rugby	600	wasps could still make the knock out stages as one of the best two runners up  but need other results in the pool to go their way even if they secure victories over calvisano and biarritz next month 
rugby	600	wasps skipper lawrence dallaglio agreed with gatland s assessment 
rugby	600	 when you are 19 points down in 15 minutes  you are playing catch up rugby   and that is very difficult  especially away from home   said dallaglio 
rugby	600	 we can t continue to give ourselves a mountain to climb in these games  even though we finished strongly on both occasions 
rugby	600	  leicester coach john wells praised his team s performance in reeling off back to back wins over the reigning premiership and european champions 
rugby	600	 we had to come up with the goods  and it was a massive effort   he said 
rugby	600	 it is in our hands now and we know that if we win our next two games we can go through to the quarter finals 
rugby	600	 but  like last weekend  we could never get away from wasps 
rugby	600	we could never relax and get into any stride 
rugby	600	 andy goode has probably done more than anyone during the last two weeks to ensure we finished on the correct side of the score  but it was a massive team effort 
rugby	600	  
rugby	601	kafer quits saracenssaracens head coach rod kafer has resigned from the premiership club 
rugby	601	the 33 year old australian  who replaced wayne shelford in august 2003  has decided to stand down after a disappointing start to the season 
rugby	601	saracens have decided to promote from within  with rugby manager steve diamond named as kafer s replacement 
rugby	601	 following talks about extending my contract  i came to the conclusion that my preference was to seek opportunities elsewhere   kafer said 
rugby	601	 in light of this  chief executive mark sinderberry and i have decided that it is in the club s best interests that i stand down as head coach immediately 
rugby	601	 i would like to thank both mark and the board of directors for their unwavering support during the last 18 months and wish the playing and management staff all the best for the remainder of the season 
rugby	601	  kafer  who was part of the australia team that won the world cup in 1999  has been linked with a move to the new perth based super 14 side 
rugby	601	saracens  the perennial under achievers in the premiership  have had a poor start to the season with only four victories in the first 11 league games 
rugby	601	despite finishing third from bottom last season  hopes were high for this campaign but they are currently eighth in the table 
rugby	601	however the news of kafer s decision comes just two days after their convincing 52 6 victory over parma in the european challenge cup 
rugby	601	sinderberry said   on behalf of the board of directors  i would like to thank rod for his efforts over the past 18 months 
rugby	601	 he took over the club at a difficult time and he leaves us in a better position with a more focused coaching and playing structure 
rugby	601	  diamond is the latest man to be charged with winning saracens  first trophy since the 1998 tetley s bitter cup 
rugby	601	he joined the club back in march after a successful three years with sale 
rugby	601	together with jim mallinder  diamond steered the club to second in the premiership as well as parker pen shield glory 
rugby	601	 steve will now take on the role of head coach and will be supported by the existing coaching staff   said sinderberry 
rugby	601	 when steve was appointed  it was with a view that he would succeed rod should he take the decision to leave saracens 
rugby	601	 steve knows the club and the players and we believe he is the right person to take the role 
rugby	601	  
rugby	602	kafer resigns as saracens coachsaracens head coach rod kafer has resigned from the premiership club 
rugby	602	the 33 year old australian  who replaced wayne shelford in august 2003  has decided to stand down after a disappointing start to the season 
rugby	602	saracens have decided to promote from within  with rugby manager steve diamond named as kafer s replacement 
rugby	602	 following talks about extending my contract  i came to the conclusion that my preference was to seek opportunities elsewhere   kafer said 
rugby	602	 in light of this  chief executive mark sinderberry and i have decided that it is in the club s best interests that i stand down as head coach immediately 
rugby	602	 i would like to thank both mark and the board of directors for their unwavering support during the last 18 months and wish the playing and management staff all the best for the remainder of the season 
rugby	602	  kafer  who was part of the australia team that won the world cup in 1999  has been linked with a move to the new perth based super 14 side 
rugby	602	saracens  the perennial under achievers in the premiership  have had a poor start to the season with only four victories in the first 11 league games 
rugby	602	despite finishing third from bottom last season  hopes were high for this campaign but they are currently eighth in the table 
rugby	602	however the news of kafer s decision comes just two days after their convincing 52 6 victory over parma in the european challenge cup 
rugby	602	sinderberry said   on behalf of the board of directors  i would like to thank rod for his efforts over the past 18 months 
rugby	602	 he took over the club at a difficult time and he leaves us in a better position with a more focused coaching and playing structure 
rugby	602	  diamond is the latest man to be charged with winning saracens  first trophy since the 1998 tetley s bitter cup 
rugby	602	he joined the club back in march after a successful three years with sale 
rugby	602	together with jim mallinder  diamond steered the club to second in the premiership as well as parker pen shield glory 
rugby	602	 steve will now take on the role of head coach and will be supported by the existing coaching staff   said sinderberry 
rugby	602	 when steve was appointed  it was with a view that he would succeed rod should he take the decision to leave saracens 
rugby	602	 steve knows the club and the players and we believe he is the right person to take the role 
rugby	602	  
rugby	603	hurter flees falcons nest for sanewcastle tight head prop marius hurter will end six years in the north east when he returns to his native south africa before the new year 
rugby	603	hurter  34  has signed a deal to play super 12 rugby with the cats and then the currie cup with the lions 
rugby	603	he also wants to further his law studies  while his wife is expecting their first child in seven months 
rugby	603	falcons boss rob andrew  said   losing marius is a blow to us but we recognise he has a new life to go to 
rugby	603	  hurter  capped 13 times by the springboks  was a member of their world cup winning squad in 1995 
rugby	603	he signed for the falcons in 1998 and has played over 100 zurich premiership matches  helping the club lift the powergen cup in 2001 and 2004 
rugby	603	hurter will remain in contention for the falcons  next two matches against saracens and leeds  before flying to south africa on 30 december 
rugby	603	 we obviously wish marius and his family all the best for their future  and i just hope that south africa is ready for a guy who we would certainly class as a fully fledged geordie   andrew added 
rugby	603	 his shoes will be big ones to fill  but we are looking at replacements as we try and build on all the good work that marius has done for us  not only with his own play but with his help for all of the younger props at the club 
rugby	603	  hurter said   i ve had an amazing time here 
rugby	603	it s been a great six years  but the plan was always to go back 
rugby	603	 newcastle is a fantastic city with wonderful people  but my heart still lies in south africa 
rugby	603	  
rugby	604	o shea to head up rfu academieslondon irish managing director conor o shea is to leave the exiles to take up a post as the rugby football union s director of regional academies 
rugby	604	o shea will start his new role in the spring  monitoring players capable of developing into england internationals 
rugby	604	 i look on this move to twickenham as a huge challenge and one i simply could not turn down   o shea said 
rugby	604	 i can see so much potential for moving the academy network onto another level and that excites me enormously 
rugby	604	  o shea  who won 35 caps for ireland at full back  was forced to retire as player in 2001 after a series of ankle operations 
rugby	604	he then became the exiles  director of rugby before taking up the managing director role in 2003 
rugby	604	o shea will manage the network of 14 england regional rugby academies  working closely with david shaw  who has been instrumental in establishing the system  and brian ashton  who runs the national academy in bath 
rugby	605	wasps thrown out of powergen cupzurich premiership champions wasps have been disqualified from the powergen cup by the rugby football union  rfu  for fielding an ineligible player 
rugby	605	hooker jonny barrett played in wasps  sixth round 43 33 win over bristol last weekend even though he was cup tied 
rugby	605	the ruling by the rfu is unprecedented in english rugby and means bristol will take wasps  quarter final place against local rivals gloucester on 22 january 
rugby	605	wasps have no plans to appeal against the decision 
rugby	605	 the club has admitted its mistake and needs to take the punishment like all clubs in this tournament   said wasps chief executive david davies 
rugby	605	 at this time of year  with other major games coming up  it was in everyone s best interest to make a quick decision and allow us to concentrate on the upcoming fixtures against gloucester and biarritz in the heineken cup 
rugby	605	 we regret the deep embarrassment this incident causes to the club  our supporters and its players 
rugby	605	  during a loan spell at henley earlier this season  barrett took part in the club s third round defeat at the hands of moseley on 16 october 
rugby	605	wasps director of rugby warren gatland then fielded the hooker against the shoguns in contravention of rfu rules 
rugby	605	the mistake  described as  an administrative oversight   came to light after a joint investigation between wasps and the rfu 
rugby	605	 we have accepted it as a mistake made on the part of the club   said rfu community and operations director terry burwell 
rugby	605	 the regulations are very clear  however  and we had no other option but to enforce them 
rugby	605	the penalty will take effect for this season only 
rugby	605	  wasps won english rugby s premier domestic cup competition in 1999 and 2000 
rugby	605	but the news they will not be able to advance this time around will further dent their ambitions this season 
rugby	605	wasps are struggling to maintain their heineken cup title defence after back to back defeats by leicester earlier this month in the group stages 
rugby	605	and the reigning domestic champions are second behind the tigers in the premiership 
rugby	606	wilkinson targets irelandjonny wilkinson says he is  massively positive  about his chances of playing some part in the six nations 
rugby	606	a knee injury has ruled him out of england s first two matches against wales and france  but he is hoping to feature against ireland on 27 february 
rugby	606	 i m coming on really well 
rugby	606	the physios at england and newcastle are as happy as they could possibly be at this point 
rugby	606	  said the england fly half 
rugby	606	wilkinson has not played for england since their 2003 world cup final win 
rugby	606	 the injury is to my left leg so  as a kicker  i need to make sure i m really right so i can play my usual game 
rugby	606	  all i can do is try to get back 
rugby	606	it  the knee injury  happened two and a half weeks ago and the limit was then set of six to eight weeks  which is the second half of the six nations 
rugby	606	   i m just concentrating on doing my bit  which is the rehab 
rugby	606	 all i can do is free myself up for selection and then see what people want to do with me  whether they want to play me or leave it 
rugby	606	  if he does not recover in time for england s six nations season  his next target would be the british and irish lions tour to new zealand 
rugby	606	 i m looking to play first for newcastle  then think about england and only then will i think about the lions 
rugby	606	  he said 
rugby	606	 as with my other injuries  i m taking it day by day 
rugby	606	  
rugby	607	marshall set for leeds moveall blacks scrum half justin marshall has agreed a two year contract to play for leeds from next season 
rugby	607	the 31 year old has a release clause in his new zealand contract which allows him to move after the 2005 lions tour 
rugby	607	 it is a really exciting challenge and something new for me   marshall told bbc sport 
rugby	607	leeds rugby director phil davies added   justin is a world class player who will add greatly to this group with his professionalism on and off the field 
rugby	607	  marshall is the most capped new zealand back of all time with 77 tests behind him  but was left at home for the all blacks  european tour in november 
rugby	607	he did travel to england to captain the barbarians against his international team mates at twickenham  and is intent on reclaiming his test spot ahead of the lions  visit in june 
rugby	607	 i am committed to new zealand rugby this season   he added 
rugby	607	 i enjoy a good challenge and it would be great to face the lions 
rugby	607	  marshall is preparing to start training with the canterbury crusaders  whom he has helped to four super 12 titles  on monday ahead of the new season 
rugby	607	his intended departure later this year comes with the blessing of all blacks coach graham henry 
rugby	607	 i fully understand why justin is making the change at this stage of his career   henry said 
rugby	607	 while we never like losing world class players from our ranks  there is no doubting that he has served new zealand rugby well over a long period of time 
rugby	607	  
rugby	608	scrum half williams rejoins bathbath have signed their former scrum half andy williams on a short term deal from the neath swansea ospreys 
rugby	608	wales international williams  whose contract with the welsh region was due to expire in june  has agreed a contract until the end of the season 
rugby	608	with martyn wood s injury likely to keep him out until february  bath need experienced back up to nick walshe 
rugby	608	said williams   when this opportunity presented itself  i did not really have to think twice about it 
rugby	608	  williams  capped by wales against romania in 2003  should figure in the match squad for monday s zurich premiership match at sale sharks 
rugby	608	he lost his ospreys starting place to new zealander jason spice and has fallen further behind in the pecking order 
rugby	608	the welsh region has two outstanding young no 9 prospects in richie rees and rhodri wells 
rugby	608	bath director of rugby jack rowell  though  believes williams fits the bill perfectly 
rugby	608	 he has been playing regular heineken cup and celtic league rugby and he has a great affection for bath   rowell told bath s official website 
rugby	608	 we are delighted to be able to welcome him back to the club 
rugby	608	  
rugby	609	bath faced with tindall ultimatummike tindall s agent has warned bath they have until next week to improve their contract offer to the england man or risk losing him to a rival club 
rugby	609	dipo alli says he has received an offer for tindall which dwarfs bath s deal and that two other clubs want to talk 
rugby	609	 mike does not want to go into the six nations worrying about where he will be playing his club rugby next season   alli told the guardian newspaper 
rugby	609	 it is up to  bath owner  andrew brownsword 
rugby	609	he has to make it happen 
rugby	609	  tindall is out of contract at the end of the season but it is understood that brownsword is unwilling to break the club s salary structure to accommodate the 26 year old s demands 
rugby	609	but alli insists the player is worth more than bath have put on the table 
rugby	609	 mike has been at bath for eight years and wants to remain with the club and his demands are anything but excessive   the agent added 
rugby	609	 but brownsword has to recognise mike s value and we want to resolve things by the end of next week 
rugby	609	  
rugby	610	tindall wants second opinionengland centre mike tindall is to seek a second opinion before having surgery on a foot injury that could force him to miss the entire six nations 
rugby	610	the bath player was already out of the opener against wales on 5 february because of a hand problem 
rugby	610	 mike had a specialist review on a fracture in his right mid foot   said england doctor simon kemp 
rugby	610	 before a final decision is made on surgery 
rugby	610	medical teams have decided he should see a second specialist 
rugby	610	 england coach andy robinson is already without centre will greenwood and flanker richard hill while fly half jonny wilkinson is certain to miss at least the first two games 
rugby	610	robinson is expected to announce his new look england line up on monday for the match at the millennium stadium 
rugby	610	and newcastle s 18 year old centre mathew tait is set to stand in for tindall alongside club team mate jamie noon 
rugby	610	meanwhile  tindall is targeting a return to action before the end of the regular zurich premiership season on 30 april 
rugby	610	he will also aim to be back to full fitness before the lions tour to new zealand this summer 
rugby	611	paris promise raises welsh hopeshas there been a better six nations match than saturday s epic in paris and can the welsh revival continue all the way to a first grand slam since 1978  those are the two questions occupying not just wales supporters but rugby fans as a whole after a scintillating display in paris 
rugby	611	welsh legend mervyn davies  a member of two of three grand slam winning sides of the 1970s  hailed it as  one of the great performances of the past three decades  
rugby	611	martyn williams  wales  two try scorer on the day  called it  one of the most surreal games i have ever played in  
rugby	611	a crestfallen france coach  bernard laporte  simply observed   there was a french half and there was a welsh half  
rugby	611	and what a half it was for the red dragonhood  transforming a 15 6 half time deficit into an 18 15 lead within five mesmerising minutes of the second period 
rugby	611	but while that passage of play showed the swelling self belief of a side prepared to back its own spirit of adventure  the final quarter told us a whole lot more about this welsh side 
rugby	611	that they recovered from a battering in the first half hour to first stem the tide before half time  then reverse it on the resumption  was remarkable enough 
rugby	611	but in resisting a seemingly unstoppable wave of french pressure in a nail biting final five minutes  wales showed not only their physical attributes but their mental resolve 
rugby	611	in international rugby  any of the top seven sides can beat each other on a given day  but the great sides are those that win the close contests on a consistent basis 
rugby	611	england suffered some infamous six nations disappointments en route to world cup glory  the pain of defeat forging bonds that ultimately led to victory when it really mattered 
rugby	611	wales have some way to go before they can be remotely considered in a similar light 
rugby	611	but the signs are that players previously on the receiving end are learning how to emerge on the right side of the scoreline 
rugby	611	ten of the 22 on duty on saturday were also involved when wales were trounced 33 5 in paris two years ago 
rugby	611	but since they threw off the shackles against new zealand in the 2003 world cup  wales have rediscovered much of what made them a great rugby nation in the first place 
rugby	611	 the confidence in the squad has been building and building since the world cup and we now have young players who are becoming world class   noted coach mike ruddock 
rugby	611	the likes of michael owen  gethin jenkins  dwayne peel and gavin henson are certainly building strong cases for inclusion on this summer s lions tour to new zealand 
rugby	611	and players like stephen jones  martyn williams  shane williams and gareth thomas are proving it is not only the youngsters that are on an upward curve 
rugby	611	jones  after his superb man of the match display  observed that  we are a very happy camp now  
rugby	611	ruddock and thomas can take much of the credit for that  ensuring the tribal and regional divisions that have often scarred welsh rugby do not extend to the national squad 
rugby	611	thejoie de vivreso evident in that magical second half spell in paris also stems from a style of play that first wooed supporters the world over in the 1970s 
rugby	611	if england had half the innate attacking exuberance wales have produced in this championship  they would not be contemplating the debris of three consecutive defeats 
rugby	611	similarly  wales have learnt that style alone does not win matches  and that forward power  mental toughness and good decision making under pressure are equally important 
rugby	611	so on to murrayfield  where wales have not won on their last three visits 
rugby	611	while the hype in the principality will go into overdrive  the players will set about the task of beating scotland 
rugby	611	only then   with the visit of ireland to finish   can they start thinking about emulating the hallowed players of the 1970s  and writing their own names into welsh legend 
rugby	612	wales silent on grand slam talkrhys williams says wales are still not thinking of winning the grand slam despite a third six nations win 
rugby	612	 that s the last thing on our minds at the moment   said williams  a second  half replacement in saturday s 24 18 win over france in paris 
rugby	612	 we all realise how difficult a task it is to go up to scotland and beat them 
rugby	612	 we ve come unstuck there a couple of times recently so our focus is on that game and we ll worry about ireland hopefully after we ve beaten scotland 
rugby	612	  with captain gareth thomas ruled out of the rest of the campaign with a broken thumb  williams is vying for his first start in the championship so far 
rugby	612	kevin morgan is probably favourite to replace thomas at full back  leaving williams and hal luscombe to battle for the right wing berth 
rugby	612	a hamstring injury denied luscombe the opportunity to make a third successive start  but the dragons winger is expected to be fit for the trip to murrayfield on 13 march 
rugby	612	hooker robin mcbryde is doubtful after picking up a knee injury in paris  but centre sonny parker and flanker colin charvis are set to recover from injury to be in contention for selection 
rugby	612	said wales assistant coach scott johnson   they ve worked through the weekend and the reports are a bit more positive 
rugby	612	 so we re getting a couple back and that adds to the depth of the squad 
rugby	612	  scotland secured their first win of the campaign on saturday by grinding out an 18 10 win over italy 
rugby	612	matt williams  side has shown little in attack  but johnson insisted the scots will be difficult opposition to break down 
rugby	612	 italy are really brave opposition and sometimes it s very hard to win   he said 
rugby	612	 so an ugly win can be just as effective as a 30 or 40 point victory 
rugby	612	 scotland are a hard side and very underrated so we re not taking anything for granted 
rugby	612	 we re not basking in the glory of winning our first three games 
rugby	612	we ve got to be diligent in our preparation 
rugby	612	 that s my job and we ve got to make sure we re focused 
rugby	612	  
rugby	613	sculthorpe wants lions captaincypaul sculthorpe has admitted he would love to succeed andy farrell as great britain skipper if the wigan star does switch codes to rugby union 
rugby	613	sculthorpe was vice captain in the tri nations  and took the st helens captaincy from chris joynt last year 
rugby	613	 i would definitely want the job   i make no bones about it   sculthorpe told bbc sport 
rugby	613	 it s something i ve always wanted to do 
rugby	613	i d gladly take it if it was offered to me 
rugby	613	 the 27 year old  who captained st helens to challenge cup success last year  said following in the footsteps of farrell would be a challenge 
rugby	613	 andy would be a hard act to follow but it s something i m confident of being up to   he said 
rugby	613	 the gb team isn t a one man team 
rugby	613	there are a lot of good young players who are pushing for places anyway 
rugby	613	 sculthorpe said the rugby league world would understand if farrell did decide to move to rugby union 
rugby	613	 it s a short career and you have to make of it what you can   said sculthorpe 
rugby	613	 nobody can blame him if he does go   he s done everything in the game of rugby league 
rugby	613	 financially it could set him up for life 
rugby	613	if he fancies a new challenge  then who could fault him   sculthorpe also called on the rugby league authorities to have a serious look at the number of games the top players are being asked to play 
rugby	613	sean long  sculthorpe s saints and lions team mate  has expressed doubts about his international future  i think sean s situation is to do with the sheer number of games we re playing   he said 
rugby	613	 the way he s looking at it is that if he can extend his career by a couple of years by not playing international rugby  then he s willing to do that 
rugby	613	 the rfl has got to do something about the fixtures 
rugby	613	we re playing 42 weeks of the year and it s too much 
rugby	613	 a lot of the niggly injuries that i ve suffered with over the last couple of years have come about because of the lack of rest time 
rugby	613	  st helens have been strongly linked with a move for brilliant young forward sonny bill williams  and sculthorpe said he would love the 19 year old to come to knowsley road 
rugby	613	 he s a great player   a big strong lad who can certainly hit hard in defence  but who is also very skilful   he said 
rugby	613	 i d love him to come to st helens 
rugby	613	who knows what might happen  but you want the best players in your team  and he s certainly one of the best players in the world 
rugby	613	  
rugby	614	tigers wary of farrell  gamble leicester say they will not be rushed into making a bid for andy farrell should the great britain rugby league captain decide to switch codes 
rugby	614	 we and anybody else involved in the process are still some way away from going to the next stage   tigers boss john wells told bbc radio leicester 
rugby	614	 at the moment  there are still a lot of unknowns about andy farrell  not least his medical situation 
rugby	614	 whoever does take him on is going to take a big  big gamble 
rugby	614	  farrell  who has had persistent knee problems  had an operation on his knee five weeks ago and is expected to be out for another three months 
rugby	614	leicester and saracens are believed to head the list of rugby union clubs interested in signing farrell if he decides to move to the 15 man game 
rugby	614	if he does move across to union  wells believes he would better off playing in the backs  at least initially 
rugby	614	 i m sure he could make the step between league and union by being involved in the centre   said wells 
rugby	614	 i think england would prefer him to progress to a position in the back row where they can make use of some of his rugby league skills within the forwards 
rugby	614	 the jury is out on whether he can cross that divide 
rugby	614	 at this club  the balance will have to be struck between the cost of that gamble and the option of bringing in a ready made replacement 
rugby	614	  
rugby	615	farrell saga to drag on   lindsaywigan chairman maurice lindsay says he does not expect a quick solution to the on going saga of captain andy farrell s possible switch to rugby union 
rugby	615	leicester and saracens are leading the chase for the player  but lindsay told the bbc it was not yet a done deal 
rugby	615	 as well as the rugby football union  the league  the individual club and the england coaching team have a say  so it s not a quick decision   he said 
rugby	615	 he s given us 12 years service so if he wants to go  we d support him 
rugby	615	  the prospect of farrell switching codes has been the main talking point of the super league season so far 
rugby	615	 it came as a bolt out of the blue to us   admitted lindsay 
rugby	615	 but he s a very loyal friend to the club  so there s no question that he s deserting us 
rugby	615	he just fancies a challenge 
rugby	615	 although the move would be a lucrative one for both farrell and wigan  lindsay said money was not a motivating factor for the club 
rugby	615	 the money side of things hasn t been concluded  but it s not the point for wigan   he told radio five live 
rugby	615	 a shortage of money has never been a problem for us 
rugby	615	 even if we did have it  under the salary cap we can t spend a penny of it anyway   we d rather have the player 
rugby	615	 lindsay also said he understood why rugby union was so interested in signing up farrell 
rugby	615	 it d be a great loss for us but a great boost for them   said the warriors chief 
rugby	615	 this guy is an absolute sporting icon 
rugby	615	he s been at the top for so long and has demonstrated so many attributes that you need to make it in a tough contact sport 
rugby	615	 athletes like him   ellery hanley and martin johnson   don t come along very often 
rugby	615	you re very lucky to have them whilst you ve got them 
rugby	615	  
rugby	616	england given tough sevens drawengland will have to negotiate their way through a tough draw if they are to win the rugby world cup sevens in hong kong next month 
rugby	616	the second seeds have been drawn against samoa  france  italy  georgia and chinese taipei 
rugby	616	the top two sides in each pool qualify but england could face 2001 winners new zealand in the quarter finals if they stumble against samoa 
rugby	616	scotland and ireland are in pool a together with the all blacks 
rugby	616	england won the first event of the international rugby board world sevens series in dubai but have slipped to fourth in the table after failing to build on that victory 
rugby	616	however  they beat samoa in the recent los angeles sevens before losing to argentina in the semi finals 
rugby	616	 england have the ability and determination to win this world cup and create sporting history by being the only nation to hold both the 15s and sevens world cups at the same time   said england sevens coach mike friday 
rugby	616	 england have a fantastic record in hong kong and have won there the last three years  but the world cup is on a different level 
rugby	616	 every pool contains teams who have caused upsets before and we will have to work hard to ensure we progress from our group 
rugby	616	 we have not performed consistently to our true potential so far in the irb sevens which has been disappointing   but we can only look forward 
rugby	616	  england won the first rugby world cup sevens in 1993 with a side that included the likes of lawrence dallaglio and matt dawson 
rugby	616	in 1997 and 2001  england lost in the quarter finals 
rugby	616	 seeds in brackets new zealand  1   scotland  8   tonga  ireland  korea  usa 
rugby	616	england  2   samoa  7   france  italy  georgia  chinese taipei 
rugby	616	fiji  3   australia  6   canada  portugal  japan  hong kong 
rugby	616	argentina  4   south africa  5   kenya  tunisia  russia  uruguay 
rugby	617	wales hails new superstarone game into his six nations career  and gavin henson is already a welsh legend 
rugby	617	a mesmeric display against england  topped off by his howitzer of a match winning penalty  has secured life membership of that particular club 
rugby	617	at 23  henson has the rugby world at his silver booted feet 
rugby	617	and if his natural self assurance and swagger is shared by his wales team mates  then a full blown revival could be more than just a lot of hot air drifting up from the valleys 
rugby	617	the  red dragonhood  subdued the  red rose army  in most areas of the field  but henson s stellar performance ensured their efforts yielded the win they craved above all others 
rugby	617	he announced himself in the game s opening salvo with a  welcome to cardiff  greeting for mark cueto on the gain line 
rugby	617	and his defence was a major feature of the match  his principal victim poor old  or rather young  mathew tait 
rugby	617	the england centre will have spent his 19th birthday on sunday shuddering at the memory of how he was up ended not just once  but twice  by henson s all enveloping tackles 
rugby	617	the second time  after the interval  single handedly lifted the record millennium stadium crowd at a time when england were starting to show menace 
rugby	617	showing awesome strength  henson nonchantly held the bewildered debutant in mid air  a master predator toying with his helpless prey  savouring the kill 
rugby	617	his kicking game also prospered  particularly when he moved to full back for 10 minutes either side of half time when his captain gareth thomas was in the sin bin 
rugby	617	one huge clearance from tait s kick sent england retreating rapidly while another booming punt to the right corner kept the visitors pinned in their own half 
rugby	617	henson was also creativity personified  one little chip ahead for shane williams narrowly missed its target  a precise cross kick forcing jamie noon to fumble the ball into touch 
rugby	617	he also had a hand in the game s only try  finished superbly by williams  and might have scored himself on the half hour as he glided into space  only to be scragged by tait 
rugby	617	henson was twice repelled as wales laid siege to the english line after charlie hodgson s penalty had edged the visitors in front for the first time 
rugby	617	but he was not to be denied as the crescendo rose to a deafening din  and the outcome of the match fell to him 
rugby	617	replacement gareth cooper made the most of a poor welsh scrum by chipping into space  where jason robinson was penalised for holding on in the tackle 
rugby	617	five metres in from the right touchline  44 metres out  it was not a kick stephen jones  who had seen a long range effort fall agonisingly under the bar  would have approached with confidence 
rugby	617	 it was out of steve s range but i looked at gavin  and he gave me a reassuring nod   said thomas 
rugby	617	henson  surveying his date with destiny  positively relished the responsibility  and the chance to make himself a hero 
rugby	617	without further ado  he nervelessly slotted the kick that ended five years of english dominance and 12 years of waiting in cardiff 
rugby	617	 i knew i was going to get it before i even took the kick   he said later  his distinct spikey locks freshly gelled into an appropriate star shape 
rugby	617	 i have been getting them from that distance all year so it wasn t a problem 
rugby	617	  there were still four minutes for wales to hold out  and the frenzy was such that henson could not even hear jones shouting instructions at him from three yards away 
rugby	617	but it was wales who finished the game on the attack  almost snatching a second try in a thunderous climax 
rugby	617	 just do it  implored the front page headline on saturday s western mail newspaper 
rugby	617	and  thanks to henson  wales did 
rugby	618	sydney to host north v south gamesydney will host a northern versus southern hemisphere charity match in june or july  the australian rugby union  aru  said on wednesday 
rugby	618	the match will include players from the lions tour of new zealand 
rugby	618	 the australian rugby union has thrown its support behind a proposed north south match to raise funds for the tsunami appeals   the aru said 
rugby	618	the date is yet to be decided but the most likely venue is sydney s olympic stadium 
rugby	618	aru chief executive gary flowers said the world cricket charity match in melbourne earlier this month had inspired the aru 
rugby	618	 we still need to discuss the options with the irb  international rugby board   the lions and our sanzar  south africa  new zealand and australia rugby  partners  but june or july is seen as a better option than march to ensure we have the cream of southern hemisphere rugby available   he said 
rugby	618	wallabies captain george gregan said the charity match was a  great initiative  
rugby	618	tri nations rivals australia  new zealand and south africa would feature prominently in a southern team against a northern side comprised of six nations teams france  ireland  england  wales  italy and scotland 
rugby	618	coach clive woodward s lions squad will tour new zealand in june and july  including tests on 25 june  2 and 9 july 
rugby	618	almost 80 000 fans packed into melbourne cricket ground on 10 january for a charity match that raised £numberm for victims of the asian tsunami 
rugby	619	celts savour grand slam prospectthe six nations has heralded a new order in northern hemisphere rugby this year and wales and ireland rather than traditional big guns france and england face a potential grand slam play off in three weeks  time 
rugby	619	but before that game in cardiff  wales must get past scotland at murrayfield  while ireland face the not insignificant task of a home fixture with the mercurial french 
rugby	619	no one knows what mood france will be in at lansdowne road on 12 march   sublime  as in the first half against wales  or ridiculous  like in the same period against england at twickenham 
rugby	619	but how the mighty have fallen 
rugby	619	england sat on rugby s summit 15 months ago as world champions and 2003 grand slam winners 
rugby	619	but they have lost nine of their 14 matches since that heady night in sydney 
rugby	619	and they face the ignominy of what could amount to a wooden spoon play off against italy in a fortnight 
rugby	619	england are enduring their worst run in the championship since captain richard hill was dumped in favour of mike harrison after three straight losses in 1987 
rugby	619	coach andy robinson  who took over from the successful sir clive woodward in september  has lost a phalanx of world cup stars 
rugby	619	and he is enduring the toughest of teething problems in bedding down his own style with a new team 
rugby	619	the same year that england ruled the roost  a woeful wales lost all five matches in the six nations 
rugby	619	and they won only two games  against scotland and italy  in 2004 
rugby	619	wales  most recent championship title was in 1994  and their last grand slam success came in 1978 in the era of gareth edwards  phil bennett  jpr williams et al 
rugby	619	but welsh rugby fans remain on permanent tenterhooks for the blossoming of a new golden age 
rugby	619	after several false dawns  coach mike ruddock may have come up with the team and philosophy to match expectations 
rugby	619	the fresh verve is inspired by skipper gareth thomas  now out with a broken thumb  accurate kicking from either fly half stephen jones or centre gavin henson  a rampant martyn williams leading the way up front  and exciting runners in the guise of henson and shane williams 
rugby	619	ireland coach eddie o sullivan and captain brian o driscoll have got their side buzzing too  and they are close to shedding the  nearly men  tag that has dogged them for the past few years 
rugby	619	the men from the emerald isle have been six nations runners up for the past two years  to france and england 
rugby	619	but they have not won the title since 1985 and last clinched a grand slam in 1948 
rugby	619	as for scotland  they have struggled this decade and the 2004 wooden spoon  winners  have not been in the top two since they lifted the title in 1999 
rugby	619	italy continue the elusive search for their first six nations away win  and can still only account for the scalps of scotland  twice  and wales since joining the elite in 2000 
rugby	619	coach john kirwan is a passionate and dedicated believer in the azzurri  but is lacking in raw materials 
rugby	619	and so to france 
rugby	619	brilliant one minute  inept the next 
rugby	619	but the reigning champions could quite easily turn on the style in dublin and end up winning the title through the back door 
rugby	619	ireland  though  have won three times in their last five meetings 
rugby	619	welsh romantics would probably prefer a glorious victory in the celtic showdown to crown their grand slam 
rugby	619	but given that ireland have beaten wales in four of their last five meetings  the welsh legions are likely to be behind les bleus on 12 march 
rugby	620	ireland win eclipses refereeing  errors the international rugby board may have to step in to stop frustrated coaches and players from publicly haranguing referees when things go belly up 
rugby	620	it may have to go the whole way and have nfl style video cameras all over the field  or slap the vociferous perpetrators over the knuckles 
rugby	620	what the irb does not want is a football scenario where the verbal slanging matches often overshadow the game itself 
rugby	620	sunday s explosive six nations clash at lansdowne road was a good example as ireland took another step towards their first grand slam since 1948 
rugby	620	the game was as exciting as it comes  with a much improved england side enraged at a few decisions that did not go their way 
rugby	620	one can understand that frustration 
rugby	620	there was no doubt that ireland had the rub of the green in their 19 13 victory  but the reaction from the england camp may not have endeared them to the sport s  blazers  
rugby	620	referee jonathan kaplan was not perfect by any means and two decisions in particular made him the villain of the piece 
rugby	620	i doubt whether kaplan would have been too pleased at the comments made 
rugby	620	after all  he has no public recourse to criticism 
rugby	620	it was the same for simon mcdowell  the touch judge who was heavily criticised by scotland coach matt williams after their defeat against france 
rugby	620	as far as england were concerned  there were queries over mark cueto s first half effort when he went over in the corner from a charlie hodgson kick 
rugby	620	england coach andy robinson referred to a similar case at ravenhill in january when ulster were playing gloucester in the heineken cup 
rugby	620	on that occasion  david humphreys kicked to tommy bowe  who touched down in the corner only for the try to be wiped out 
rugby	620	but you cannot have cameras at every conceivable angle to pick up such anomalies 
rugby	620	perhaps robinson was right to say the referee should have gone upstairs when josh lewsey was driven over the irish line near the end 
rugby	620	lewsey claims he touched it down and was in full control 
rugby	620	however  one has to credit ireland flanker johnny o connor for cleverly scooping the ball away and blocking any evidence of a touchdown 
rugby	620	but in rugby  everything tends to even out over the 80 minutes 
rugby	620	the referee also missed england s danny grewcock taking out ronan o gara off the ball to allow martin corry a sunday stroll to the line 
rugby	620	those were the stand out moments in a classic game between the two old foes 
rugby	620	but there were many more  and one should not take away from those 
rugby	620	brian o driscoll s winning try was as well conceived as they come  while charlie hodgson s brilliant kicking display was another highlight 
rugby	620	and ronan o gara s tremendous ability to control the game was also a crucial component 
rugby	620	but the defining moments came with ireland under the cosh in the final 15 minutes 
rugby	620	two outstanding pieces of defensive play denied england and allowed ireland to hold on 
rugby	620	the first was denis hickie s brilliant double tackle in the right hand corner 
rugby	620	he gobbled up cueto from another hodgson cross field kick  then regained his feet to stop lewsey from scoring a certain try 
rugby	620	ireland s second row colossus paul o connell was equally superb 
rugby	620	england had turned ireland one way then the other  and the defence cordon was slowly disintegrating 
rugby	620	england prop matt stevens ran in at full steam to suck in a few more tacklers 
rugby	620	unfortunately he ran into o connell who hit him hard   very hard   and then wrestled the ball away for a crucial turnover 
rugby	620	that spoke volumes about ireland s back foot display  with defensive coach mike ford taking a bow at the end 
rugby	620	to win a game like that showed that ireland have moved forward 
rugby	620	it may be tries that win games  but it is defence that wins championships 
rugby	621	ireland 19 13 englandireland consigned england to their third straight six nations defeat with a stirring victory at lansdowne road 
rugby	621	a second half try from captain brian o driscoll and 14 points from ronan o gara kept ireland on track for their first grand slam since 1948 
rugby	621	england scored first through martin corry but had  tries  from mark cueto and josh lewsey disallowed 
rugby	621	andy robinson s men have now lost nine of their last 14 matches since the 2003 world cup final 
rugby	621	the defeat also heralded england s worst run in the championship since 1987 
rugby	621	ireland last won the title  then the five nations  in 1985  but 20 years on they share top spot in the table on maximum points with wales 
rugby	621	and eddie o sullivan s side banished the ghosts of 2003 when england were rampant 42 6 victors in claiming the grand slam at lansdowne road 
rugby	621	in front of a supercharged home crowd on a dry but blustery day in dublin  ireland tore into the white shirted visitors from the kick off and made their intentions clear when o gara landed a fourth minute drop goal 
rugby	621	england took their time to settle but their first real venture into ireland s half produced a simple score for corry 
rugby	621	the number eight picked up the ball from the back of a ruck and found an absence of green jerseys between himself and the irish line  racing 25 yards to touch down 
rugby	621	england fly half charlie hodgson nailed the conversion from out on the left  but almost immediately o gara  winning his 50th cap  answered with two penalties in quick succession 
rugby	621	england were awarded a penalty of their own on the halfway line after 20 minutes  and hodgson  the villain at twickenham  coolly bisected the posts 
rugby	621	the first quarter was marked by periods of tactical kicking  but it was ireland who were showing more willingness to spread the ball wide to their eager and inventive backs 
rugby	621	a series of probes led by the talismanic o driscoll  back from hamstring injury  resulted in a penalty but ireland chose to kick for touch 
rugby	621	from the line out  the ball was recycled back to o gara  who stroked his second drop goal  this time off the right upright 
rugby	621	as the interval approached  wing josh lewsey was the catalyst for england s most promising attack 
rugby	621	the wasps star raced up his touchline and hodgson s cross kick put in mark cueto for an apparent score  but the sale wing was ruled to have started in front of the kicker 
rugby	621	england began the second half well and had ireland pinned in their own half 
rugby	621	but another english indiscretion on a rare irish break out awarded o gara a kick at goal  which he missed 
rugby	621	england s pressure continued  and a wave of attacks saw centre jamie noon dragged down yards from the line before hodgson landed a drop goal 
rugby	621	the lead was shortlived  however 
rugby	621	ireland raced upfield  deft handling from the backs  including a clever dummy from geordan murphy on hodgson  ending with o driscoll going over in the right corner and touching down close to the posts 
rugby	621	o gara missed a penalty which would have put ireland nine points clear  and the home crowd breathed a sigh of relief when hodgson s cross kick was fumbled by lock ben kay near the line 
rugby	621	anticipation of a home win sent the noise level sky high  but o gara missed another chance to seal the game with a wayward drop goal attempt 
rugby	621	inside the last 10 minutes  england poured forward  spurred on by scrum half matt dawson  who replaced leicester s harry ellis 
rugby	621	but despite one near miss with the pack over the line   not checked on the tv replay by referee jonathan kaplan   england were unable to pull off a face saving win 
rugby	621	ireland next face france at lansdowne road in two weeks  time before the potential title decider against wales in cardiff 
rugby	621	england are still to meet italy at twickenham  in what is now a wooden spoon decider  and scotland 
rugby	621	g murphy  g dempsey  b o driscoll  s horgan  d hickie  r o gara  p stringer  r corrigan  s byrne  j hayes  m o kelly  p o connell  s easterby  j o connor  a foley 
rugby	621	f sheahan  m horan  d o callaghan  e miller  g easterby  d humphreys  k maggs 
rugby	621	j robinson  capt   m cueto  j noon  o barkley  j lewsey  c hodgson  h ellis  g rowntree  s thompson  m stevens  d grewcock  b kay  j worsley  l moody  m corry 
rugby	621	a titterrell  d bell  s borthwick  a hazell  m dawson  a goode  o smith 
rugby	622	fuming robinson blasts officialsengland coach andy robinson said he was  livid  after his side were denied two tries in sunday s 19 13 six nations loss to ireland in dublin 
rugby	622	mark cueto s first half effort was ruled out for offside before the referee spurned tv replays when england crashed over in the dying minutes 
rugby	622	  i m  absolutely spitting 
rugby	622	i m livid 
rugby	622	there s two tries we ve been cost   robinson told bbc sport 
rugby	622	 we ve got to go back to technology 
rugby	622	i don t know why we didn t 
rugby	622	  south african referee jonathan kaplan ruled that cueto was ahead of charlie hodgson when the fly half hoisted his cross field kick for the sale wing to gather 
rugby	622	kaplan then declined the chance to consult the fourth official when josh lewsey took the ball over the irish line under a pile of bodies for what could have been the game winning try 
rugby	622	 i think mark cueto scored a perfectly legal try and i think he should have gone to the video referee on josh lewsey   said robinson 
rugby	622	 it is how we use the technology 
rugby	622	it is there  and it should be used 
rugby	622	 i am still trying to work out the cueto try 
rugby	622	i have looked at both  and they both looked tries 
rugby	622	 we are very disappointed  and this will hurt  there is no doubt about that 
rugby	622	 we are upset now  but the referee is in charge and he has called it his way and we have got to be able to cope with that 
rugby	622	 we did everything we could have done to win the game 
rugby	622	i am very proud of my players and  with a couple of decisions  this could have been a very famous victory 
rugby	622	 i thought we dominated 
rugby	622	matt stevens had an awesome game at tighthead prop  while the likes of charlie hodgson  martin corry and lewis moody all came through well 
rugby	622	 josh lewsey was awesome  and every one of the forwards stood up out there 
rugby	622	given the pressure we were under  credit must go to all the players 
rugby	622	 we have done everything but win a game of rugby  but ireland are a good side 
rugby	622	they defended magnificently and they ve got every chance of winning this six nations 
rugby	622	  england have lost their first three matches in this year s six nations and four out of their six games since robinson took over from sir clive woodward in september 
rugby	623	scotland 18 10 italysix chris paterson penalties gave scotland victory in a dour but clinical encounter against italy at murrayfield 
rugby	623	coach matt williams  side were outmuscled and outplayed in a tense first half but led 6 3 at the break 
rugby	623	paterson slotted four more second half penalties and scotland were denied a try when wing sean lamont s touchdown was ruled out for a forward pass 
rugby	623	a late andrea masi try was small consolation for italy  chasing their first away win in the six nations 
rugby	623	scotland came out on top of the early exchanges and took a quick 3 0 lead through the boot of full back paterson 
rugby	623	but the more powerful azzurri pack eventually rumbled into life 
rugby	623	a series of drives into scottish territory set up a penalty attempt  missed by full back roland de marigny  and a wayward drop goal effort from luciano orquera 
rugby	623	scotland defended the initial thrusts but on 20 minutes italy  after coming up yards short of the line  equalised through a de marigny penalty 
rugby	623	italy were offered another penalty when scottish flanker simon taylor was offside but the left footed de marigny pushed his kick wide 
rugby	623	scotland finally made the most of a rare foray into the italian half and snatched three points from paterson when an italian forward handled the ball in a ruck 
rugby	623	as the half wore on  both sides squandered promising spells of momentum with sloppy penalties  and the period fizzled out with scotland numerically  if not psychologically  on top 
rugby	623	italy s de marigny narrowly missed a chance to level the scores again shortly after the break but his long range kick shaved the right upright 
rugby	623	and scotland capitalised with a third paterson penalty on 50 minutes 
rugby	623	williams  side seemed to have found a spark from somewhere and  after a couple of probing attacks  paterson was able to slot another three points to widen the gap 
rugby	623	with the pendulum of possession swinging towards scotland  lamont thought he had wriggled over in the left corner after 65 minutes but play was recalled for a marginal forward pass from paterson 
rugby	623	another paterson penalty on 70 minutes kept the pressure on the wilting visitors 
rugby	623	but john kirwan s men had the last laugh when gordon ross  attempted clearance was charged down and masi pounced for the try  converted by de marigny 
rugby	623	  c paterson  s webster  a craig  h southwell  s lamont  d parks  c cusiter  t smith  g bulloch  capt   g kerr  s grimes  s murray  s taylor  j petrie  a hogg 
rugby	623	r russell  b douglas  n hines  j dunbar  m blair  g ross  b hinshelwood 
rugby	623	r de marigny  mirco bergamasco  c stoica  a masi  l nitoglia  l orquera  a troncon  a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami  capt   a persico  d dal maso  s parisse 
rugby	623	g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  s orlando  p griffen  r pedrazzi  kp robertson 
rugby	624	bortolami predicts dour contestitaly skipper marco bortolami believes saturday s six nations contest against scotland will be a scrappy encounter 
rugby	624	with both sides looking for their first win of the championship  the third round game at murrayfield has been billed as a wooden spoon decider 
rugby	624	and bortolami feels the edinburgh contest could end up being a bruising battle of the packs 
rugby	624	 it will not be a pretty game because both teams are desperate to gain their first win   said the lock forward 
rugby	624	italy have only recorded three wins since they joined the six nations in 2000  but two of those have come against scotland 
rugby	624	this year  italy opened up with a stubborn display against ireland but ended up losing 28 17 
rugby	624	however  they were thoroughly outplayed by an impressive welsh side in rome last time out 
rugby	624	now the italians travel to edinburgh hoping to claim their first away win in the six nations 
rugby	624	 scotland played extremely well against france in paris but not so well when ireland came to edinburgh   said bortolami 
rugby	624	 we are still very disappointed with our last game against wales in rome and we are thoroughly determined to right the wrongs 
rugby	624	 as a nation  our quest is to be respected as a team worthy of a place in this tournament and we can only do this by winning games 
rugby	624	  
rugby	625	o connell rejects lions rumoursireland and munster lock paul o connell has dismissed media reports linking him to the captaincy of the lions tour to new zealand this summer 
rugby	625	o connell is rumoured to be among the front runners for the job  but says he is totally focused on sunday s six nations crunch clash with england 
rugby	625	 i honestly don t think about these reports   he told bbc sport 
rugby	625	 the lions thing is all speculation and newspaper talk  nothing more 
rugby	625	i just ignore it and get on with my job 
rugby	625	  he added   the only thing that annoys me after reading some reports is what the opposition locks think 
rugby	625	 i can just imagine them saying  i m going to show this guy what s what about second row play  
rugby	625	that s the one thing that makes me cringe 
rugby	625	  o connell  who made a try scoring international debut against wales two years ago  is enjoying his meteoric rise into rugby s shop window   but refuses to be drawn on the lions 
rugby	625	 i have spoken to sir clive woodward a few times  but not for very long  certainly nothing about summer holidays   he joked 
rugby	625	he also said he remains wary of wounded england s abilities coming into sunday s game after two straight defeats  dismissing predictions of a certain irish victory 
rugby	625	 it s very dangerous to think that 
rugby	625	this england team has so much experience and skill 
rugby	625	you do not become a bad team overnight 
rugby	625	 they have two world class game breakers in josh lewsey and jason robinson  while charlie hodgson is just ready to click into place 
rugby	625	  he insisted ireland will not make the mistake of being over confident 
rugby	625	 that s not going to happen in our squad 
rugby	625	no ireland team lining up to play england will ever fall into that trap   he said 
rugby	625	 every time we play england we know what a big task it is 
rugby	625	look at what they did to us two years ago 
rugby	625	i remember that game all too well  and it was not a good feeling 
rugby	625	 i came on as a replacement and we were losing 13 6  and ended up getting hammered 42 6  so i know what can happen when england come to dublin 
rugby	625	 they could so easily have been coming to dublin with two wins and staring a grand slam in the face as well 
rugby	625	  
rugby	626	taylor poised for scotland returnsimon taylor has been named in the scotland squad for saturday s six nations clash with italy 
rugby	626	the 25 year old number eight made a scoring return for edinburgh at the weekend   his first game in a year for the capital side 
rugby	626	taylor suffered knee ligament damage playing against ireland in dublin in the 2004 six nations championship 
rugby	626	 simon is one of scotland s truly world class players so it is a huge bonus   said team mate chris paterson 
rugby	626	 he brings a whole new dimension to us  especially in defence and his ability to slow the opposition ball down could be key against italy if he is involved 
rugby	626	  taylor has turned out for english side saracens in recent weeks during a short term loan to improve his fitness 
rugby	626	edinburgh were not in action during the first two weeks of this season s six nations 
rugby	626	so taylor played the last 20 minutes of saracens  win over northampton and then 40 minutes in a friendly against south african super 12 side the cats 
rugby	626	scotland coach matt williams is due to name his match day 22 on thursday 
rugby	626	both scotland and italy have lost their opening two six nations games and  just like last season s encounter which italy won  this weekend s game could turn out to be a battle to avoid the wooden spoon 
rugby	626	  m blair  edinburgh   a craig  glasgow   c cusiter  borders   s danielli  borders   m di rollo  edinburgh   a henderson  glasgow   b hinshelwood  worcester   r lamont  glasgow   s lamont  glasgow   d parks  glasgow   c paterson  edinburgh   g ross  leeds   h southwell  edinburgh   s webster  edinburgh   r beattie  northampton   g bulloch  glasgow  capt   b douglas  borders   j dunbar  leeds   i fullarton  saracens   s grimes  newcastle   n hines  edinburgh   a hogg  edinburgh   g kerr  leeds   n lloyd  saracens   s murray  edinburgh   j petrie  glasgow   r russell  london irish   c smith  edinburgh   t smith  northampton   s taylor  edinburgh   j white  sale  
rugby	627	vickery upbeat about arm injuryengland prop phil vickery is staying positive despite a broken arm ruling him out of the rbs six nations 
rugby	627	the 28 year old fractured the radius in his right forearm during gloucester s 17 16 win over bath on saturday 
rugby	627	he will undergo an operation on monday and is expected to be out for at least six weeks 
rugby	627	he said   this isn t an injury that will stop me from working hard on the fitness elements and being around the lads 
rugby	627	  he added   i ve got the operation this afternoon and i could be back doing fitness work after a week 
rugby	627	   as frustrating as it is  i ve got to be positive 
rugby	627	 after the game  vickery spoke with bath prop david barnes  who also broke his arm recently 
rugby	627	 i had a chat with david barnes and it looks like a similar injury to him   he said 
rugby	627	 he said he had the operation and he was back running after a week 
rugby	627	 there s no doubt that i m going to get involved and be around this place as soon as i can after the operation 
rugby	627	  gloucester director of rugby nigel melville said   phil has broken his radius  which is the large bone in his forearm 
rugby	627	 i don t really know how it happened  but phil will definitely be out of action for at least six weeks 
rugby	627	 i feel very sorry for him  as he has been in great shape 
rugby	627	he really needed 80 minutes of rugby this weekend  and then this happened 
rugby	627	mentally  it must be very hard for him 
rugby	627	  
rugby	628	dominici backs lacklustre francewing christophe dominici says france can claim another six nations grand slam despite two lacklustre wins so far against scotland and england 
rugby	628	the champions only just saw off the scots in paris  then needed england to self destruct in last week s 18 17 win 
rugby	628	 the english played better than us but lost  whereas we are still in the race for the grand slam   said dominici 
rugby	628	 we know our display was not perfect  but we can still win the grand slam  along with ireland and wales 
rugby	628	  france   ireland and wales all remain unbeaten after two rounds of this year s rbs six nations  with the two celtic nations playing by far the more impressive rugby 
rugby	628	france take on wales at the stade de france on 26 february and ireland in dublin on 12 march 
rugby	628	but although france have yet to click  dominici says that they can still win the hard way as long as scrum half dimitri yachvili continues in his goalkicking form 
rugby	628	 if we have an efficient kicker on whom we can rely on  a solid defence and a team who play for their lives  we can achieve something   dominici added 
rugby	628	 i said at the start of the competition that the winners would be clearer from the third matches  and that s exactly what is going to happen 
rugby	628	  france coach bernard laporte will announce his starting line up next tuesday for the match against wales 
rugby	628	wing jimmy marlu is definitely out with the knee injury sustained at twickenham  which is likely to sideline him for the rest of the tournament 
rugby	628	inspirational flanker serge betsen is a doubt with a thigh injury  but number eight imanol harinordoquy has shaken off his shoulder injury 
rugby	628	in the backs  centre yannick jauzion and winger aurelien rougerie are all back in contention after injury  while brive back julien laharrague has received his first call up as a replacement for pepito elhorga 
rugby	629	llewellyn plans wales retirementwales record cap holder gareth llewellyn will retire from test rugby at the end of the six nations 
rugby	629	the veteran lock  who is 36 at the end of february  told bbc wales scrum v that it is time for him to bring down the curtain on his 92 cap wales career 
rugby	629	llewellyn is on a one season deal with french club side narbonne  but said he may consider retiring from all rugby 
rugby	629	 i don t know what i ll do next year  whether to carry on playing or make a change in my career   llewellyn said 
rugby	629	 narbonne are really keen for me to stay on for next year  so i ve got to decide whether to stay on there or maybe go somewhere else  but ultimitely coaching is where i d like to end up 
rugby	629	 i ve done all the coaching awards and everything you can do in that respect  so it s just hopefully getting a chance somewhere 
rugby	629	  fellow locks robert sidoli and brent cockbain  who both scored tries in saturday s six nations win in italy  are wales coach mike ruddock s preferred starters in the second row 
rugby	629	with the resurgence of the dragons  ian gough and the adaptibility of lock cum flanker jon thomas on the bench  llewellyn has not yet made a match day squad this six nations campaign 
rugby	629	but the former neath and ospreys player is still targetting one last outing in the red shirt 
rugby	629	 if i do get on the field then brilliant  although the boys are doing really well and i m very pleased for them   llewellyn added 
rugby	629	 we ve had some really tough years in wales and the players have been through a hell of a lot 
rugby	629	 sometimes the easiest thing would have been to throw the towel in and walk away  but a few of us dug in there and it s really nice to see some of the boys getting the rewards now 
rugby	629	 i was going to retire at the end of the last six nations  i d even told some of the boys in the squad about it 
rugby	629	 but mike  ruddock  asked me to carry on for another season  which i ve done  still part of the squad  still trying to help them out as much as i can 
rugby	629	  llewellyn made his wales debut in 1989 against new zealand as a 20 year old  having caught the selectors  eyes in the all blacks  tour match against neath 
rugby	629	the 6ft 6in player has not looked back since  going on to break neil jenkins  wales cap record on 12 june 2004 in the 50 44 loss in argentina 
rugby	629	 there s been lots of highs   winning the six nations in  94  beating england in  93  i ve been on some great tours and seen some fantastic countries   llewellyn said 
rugby	629	 but i think the best thing of all for me was the time i spent with the players  i ve met some great guys in rugby and made some great friends 
rugby	629	 it ll be a bit strange on international days having to find somewhere to watch wales play  but at least i might have time to get my golf handicap down   llewellyn captained neath for seven seasons  while being an integral part of the neath swansea ospreys regional side s first season 
rugby	629	but with the ospreys building for the future  llewellyn was eventually forced to look to france for employment   digging in his heels during contract negotiations to insist he must be allowed to play for wales 
rugby	630	england 17 18 franceengland suffered an eighth defeat in 11 tests as scrum half dimitri yachvili booted france to victory at twickenham 
rugby	630	two converted tries from olly barkley and josh lewsey helped the world champions to a 17 6 half time lead 
rugby	630	but charlie hodgson and barkley missed six penalties between them  while yachvili landed six for france to put the visitors in front 
rugby	630	england could have won the game with three minutes left  but hodgson pushed an easy drop goal opportunity wide 
rugby	630	it was a dismal defeat for england  coming hard on the heels of an opening six nations loss in wales 
rugby	630	they should have put the game well beyond france s reach  but remarkably remained scoreless for the entire second half 
rugby	630	a scrappy opening quarter saw both sides betray the lack of confidence engendered by poor opening displays against wales and scotland respectively 
rugby	630	hodgson had an early opportunity to settle english nerves but pushed a straightforward penalty attempt wide 
rugby	630	but a probing kick from france centre damien traille saw mark cueto penalised for holding on to the ball in the tackle  yachvili giving france the lead with a kick from wide out 
rugby	630	france twice turned over england ball at the breakdown early on as the home side struggled to generate forward momentum  one ben kay charge apart 
rugby	630	a spell of tit for tat kicking emphasised the caution on both sides  until england refused a possible three points to kick a penalty to the corner  only to botch the subsequent line out 
rugby	630	but england made the breakthrough after 19 minutes  when a faltering move off the back of a scrum led to the opening try 
rugby	630	jamie noon took a short pass from barkley and ran a good angle to plough through yann delaigue s flimsy tackle before sending his centre partner through to score at the posts 
rugby	630	hodgson converted and added a penalty after one of several french infringements on the floor for a 10 3 lead 
rugby	630	the fly half failed to dispense punishment though with a scuffed attempt after france full back pepito elhorga  scragged by lewsey  threw the ball into touch 
rugby	630	barkley also missed two longer range efforts as the first half drew to a close  but by then england had scored a second converted try 
rugby	630	after a series of phases lock danny grewcock ran hard at the french defence and off loaded out of sylvain marconnet s tackle to lewsey 
rugby	630	the industrious wing cut back in on an angle and handed off hooker sebastien bruno to sprint over 
rugby	630	after a dire opening to the second half  france threw on three forward replacements in an attempt to rectify the situation  wing jimmy marlu having already departed injured 
rugby	630	yachvili nibbled away at the lead with a third penalty after 51 minutes 
rugby	630	and when lewis moody was twice penalised   for handling in a ruck and then straying offside   the scrum half s unerring left boot cut the deficit to two points 
rugby	630	barkley then missed his third long range effort to increase the tension 
rugby	630	and after seeing another attempt drop just short  yachvili put france ahead with his sixth penalty with 11 minutes left 
rugby	630	england sent on ben cohen and matt dawson  and after barkley s kick saw christophe dominici take the ball over his own line  the stage was set for a victory platform 
rugby	630	but even after a poor scrummage  hodgson had the chance to seal victory but pushed his drop goal attempt wide 
rugby	630	england threw everything at the french in the final frantic moments  but the visitors held on for their first win at twickenham since 1997 
rugby	630	j robinson  capt   m cueto  j noon  o barkley  j lewsey  c hodgson  h ellis  g rowntree  s thompson  p vickery  d grewcock  b kay  j worsley  l moody  m corry 
rugby	630	a titterrell  a sheridan  s borthwick  a hazell  m dawson  h paul  b cohen 
rugby	630	p elhorga  c dominici  b liebenberg  d traille  j marlu  y delaigue  d yachvili  s marconnet  s bruno  n mas  f pelous  capt   j thion  s betsen  j bonnaire  s chabal 
rugby	630	w servat  j milloud  g lamboley  y nyanga  p mignoni  f michalak  j p grandclaude 
rugby	630	paddy o brien  new zealand  
rugby	631	wilkinson to miss ireland matchengland will have to take on ireland in the six nations without captain and goal kicker jonny wilkinson  according to his newcastle boss rob andrew 
rugby	631	wilkinson   who had targeted the 27 february match for his international comeback   has been missed by england  not least for his goal kicking 
rugby	631	 jonny s not fit yet   falcons chief andrew told bbc radio five live 
rugby	631	 he won t be fit for dublin  there s no doubt about that  but he might be fit for scotland and italy 
rugby	631	  the 25 year old has not played for england since the 2003 world cup final after a succession of injuries 
rugby	631	england  who have lost three six nations games in a row  wasted a 17 6 half time lead in their 18 17 defeat to france 
rugby	631	goal kickers charlie hodgson and olly barkley missed six penalty attempts and a drop goal between them 
rugby	631	 they ve probably got two of the best english kickers in the premiership in hodgson and barkley   added andrew  a former england fly half and goal kicker 
rugby	631	 they re both pretty good kickers 
rugby	631	charlie is a good kicker week in  week out 
rugby	631	 but it s all about pressure and unfortunately england are just not handling the pressure at the moment 
rugby	631	  andrew also blamed england s poor run of recent results on a lack of leadership in the side following several high profile retirements and injuries 
rugby	631	 they just didn t have that leadership that would have seen them through 
rugby	631	martin johnson  lawrence dallaglio and jonny are obviously huge losses and leadership is so important in those situations   he said 
rugby	631	 i think it is really difficult for jason robinson to lead the side effectively from full back 
rugby	631	  meanwhile  former england full back dusty hare put england s mistakes down to a lack of mental toughness 
rugby	631	 jonny wilkinson has proved himself a cool customer with around an 80  kicking success rate   hare told bbc radio five live 
rugby	631	 but natural born toughness comes into it as well as all the practice you do 
rugby	631	 you have to be able to shut out all the outside elements and concentrate on putting the ball between the posts 
rugby	631	  hodgson  who has an excellent kicking record with club side sale sharks  has introduced crowd noise into his practice routine of late 
rugby	631	 the top golfers don t hit the fairway every time  and it is the same with goal kicking   hare added 
rugby	631	 you need that mental toughness as well to put the ball over  but great goal kickers like jonny wilkinson come along very rarely 
rugby	631	  
rugby	632	italy 8 38 waleswales secured their first away win in the rbs six nations for nearly four years with a six try victory in rome 
rugby	632	tries from jonathan thomas  tom shanklin and martyn williams gave the visitors a 19 5 half time advantage 
rugby	632	luciano orquera did reply with one for italy but second half efforts from brent cockbain  shane williams and robert sidoli sealed victory 
rugby	632	fly half stephen jones added four conversions as wales maintained their superb start to this year s tournament 
rugby	632	starting full of confidence after their victory over england  the visitors scored the opening try after just four minutes 
rugby	632	diminutive wing shane williams fielded a kick ahead and danced past the onrushing andrea masi and aaron persico into the italian half 
rugby	632	his pass to tom shanklin appeared forward but when the centre was held up short  the ball was switched left and michael owen s long cut out pass gave the lurking thomas an easy run in 
rugby	632	stephen jones  who retained the kicking duties despite gavin henson s heroics against england  slotted an excellent conversion from wide out 
rugby	632	wales twice threatened further scores but failed to find the crucial pass  and italy hit back out of the blue in the 11th minute 
rugby	632	henson  sporting gold boots rather than the silver variety that did for england  beat two players with ease out on the left touchline 
rugby	632	but his attempted chip ahead was charged down by orquera  who snaffled the loose ball and hared away from halfway to score in the right corner 
rugby	632	with the welsh line out stuttering and italy twice turning the visitors  scrum  the home side s forward power brought them back into it 
rugby	632	but a clever high kick from henson almost brought a try for hal luscombe when roland de marigny and ludovico nitoglia made a hash of claiming it as the ball bounced into touch 
rugby	632	wales regained control with a second try in the 21st minute  henson lobbing up a high kick to the left corner where shanklin jumped higher than nitoglia to dot down his 15th test try 
rugby	632	jones was unable to convert and de marigny then hit the upright with a penalty attempt for italy 
rugby	632	henson was also narrowly short with a long range effort at goal  but wales ended the half with a vital third score to give themselves some breathing space 
rugby	632	henson sent luscombe streaking away and when he off loaded to martyn williams  the flanker showed his nous to ground the ball against the padding of the post  jones adding the conversion 
rugby	632	italy  who lost flanker mauro bergamasco with a head knock before half time  built up a head of steam on the resumption 
rugby	632	de marigny landed a penalty to make it 19 8 and a nitoglia break through the middle threatened a try only for the move to break down with a knock on 
rugby	632	but wales put the outcome beyond doubt with two superb tries in four minutes before the hour 
rugby	632	their fourth after 53 minutes was sparked by another mazy run from shane williams  who beat several players with ease  and finished with a powerful angled run from lock cockbain 
rugby	632	before italy could recover from that blow  a strong surge from gareth thomas and great off loads from martyn williams and replacement kevin morgan saw shane williams scamper over 
rugby	632	with jones converting both for a 33 8 lead  wales had the luxury of sending on five more replacements for the final quarter 
rugby	632	the icing on the cake came with a sixth try after more superb support work  shane williams and ceri sweeney combining to send sidoli over in the left corner 
rugby	632	the only downside for wales was a hamstring injury suffered by luscombe 
rugby	632	but after back to back wins at the start of the tournament for the first time in 11 years  they will travel to paris in a fortnight looking like genuine contenders 
rugby	632	r de marigny  mirco bergamasco  w pozzebon  a masi  l nitoglia  l orquera  a troncon  a lo cicero  f ongaro  m castrogiovanni  s dellape  m bortolami  capt   a persico  mauro bergamasco  s parisse 
rugby	632	g intoppa  s perugini  ca del fava  d dal maso  p griffen  m barbini  kp robertson 
rugby	632	g thomas  capt   h luscombe  t shanklin  g henson  s williams  s jones  d peel  g jenkins  m davies  a jones  b cockbain  r sidoli  j thomas  m williams  m owen 
rugby	632	r mcbryde  j yapp  i gough  r sowden taylor  g cooper  c sweeney  k morgan 
rugby	632	andrew cole  australia  
rugby	633	d arcy injury adds to ireland woegordon d arcy has been ruled out of the ireland team for saturday s six nations clash against scotland in murrayfield 
rugby	633	like skipper brian o driscoll  d arcy failed to recover from a hamstring injury 
rugby	633	the side will now be led by munster lock paul o connell 
rugby	633	shane horgan switches from wing to centre where he will be joined by ulster s kevin maggs 
rugby	633	girvan dempsey comes into the team to take the right wing spot while gavin duffy is called up to the replacements 
rugby	633	  we gave gordon a chance but it didn t work out    said ireland coach eddie o sullivan 
rugby	633	  in terms of the risk element  it was a sensible precaution 
rugby	633	he should be fine for the next game but we do not want to tempt fate 
rugby	633	  maggs  who will win his 67th cap  was the obvious replacement at centre while shane horgan was always likely to be moved from the wing 
rugby	633	the only other change to the ireland side from last weekend s win in rome sees wasps flanker johnny o connor replacing denis leamy 
rugby	633	o connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south africa last november 
rugby	633	  murphy  dempsey  horgan  maggs  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  capt  s easterby  o connor  foley 
rugby	633	  sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  duffy 
rugby	634	o driscoll out of scotland gameireland captain brian o driscoll has been ruled out of saturday s rbs six nations clash against scotland 
rugby	634	o driscoll was originally named in the starting line up but has failed to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in the win over italy 
rugby	634	his replacement will be named after training on friday morning 
rugby	634	fellow centre gordon d arcy is also struggling with a hamstring injury and he will undergo a fitness test on friday to see if he can play 
rugby	634	kevin maggs would be an obvious replacement at centre while shane horgan could also be moved from wing 
rugby	634	ulster wing tommy bowe could also be asked to travel with the squad to scotland as a precautionary measure 
rugby	634	the only other change to the ireland side sees wasps flanker johnny o connor replacing denis leamy 
rugby	634	o connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south africa last november 
rugby	634	  murphy  horgan  tbc  d arcy  hickie  o gara  stringer  corrigan  byrne  hayes  o kelly  o connell  s easterby  o connor  foley 
rugby	634	  sheahan  horan  o callaghan  miller  g easterby  humphreys  dempsey 
rugby	635	tindall aiming to earn lions spotbath and england centre mike tindall believes he can make this summer s lions tour  despite missing most of the season through injury 
rugby	635	the world cup winner has been out of action since december  having damaged both his shoulder and his foot 
rugby	635	but tindall  who recently signed for bath s west country rivals gloucester  told rugby special he would be fit in time for the tour to new zealand 
rugby	635	 i m aiming to be fit by 18 april and hope i can play from then   he said 
rugby	635	 i ve spoken to sir clive woodward and he understands the situation  so i just hope that i can get on the tour 
rugby	635	  the 26 year old will face stiff competition for those centre places from brian o driscoll  gordon d arcy and gavin henson  and is aware that competition is intense 
rugby	635	but after missing out on the 2001 tour to australia with a knee injury  tindall says he will be happy just to have an opportunity to wear the red shirt 
rugby	635	 i m quite laid back about it to be honest   it s quite hard for me to expect to be pushing for a test spot   he said 
rugby	635	 but after what s happened this season at least clive knows i ll be 100  fresh    for the full interview with mike tindall tune into this sunday s rugby special  2340 on bbc two 
rugby	636	o connor aims to grab opportunityjohnny o connor is determined to make a big impression when he makes his rbs six nations debut for ireland against scotland on saturday 
rugby	636	the wasps flanker replaces denis leamy but o connor knows that the munster man will be pushing hard for a recall for the following game against england 
rugby	636	 it s a  horses for courses  selection really   said o connor 
rugby	636	 there s a lot of competition here and i can t just drag my heels around if i don t get picked 
rugby	636	  it looks a definite head to head battle between himself and 23 year old leamy   three stone heavier than o connor   for the number seven role against the world champions 
rugby	636	nonetheless  all o connor is currently concerned about is making an impression while winning his third cap 
rugby	636	 missing the italian game was disappointing certainly  but you can t dwell on these things   it s part and parcel of rugby 
rugby	636	 denis has been playing really well and deserved his opportunity 
rugby	636	 it s a good situation to be in if there are good players around you  pushing for a place in the side 
rugby	636	  o connor  who celebrated his 25th birthday on wednesday  was touted by wasps director of rugby warren gatland as a possible 2005 lions test openside as far back as last september 
rugby	636	and his reputation as a breakdown scavenger and heavy hitter has seen him come to the forefront of o sullivan s mind for the scottish tussle 
rugby	636	o connor added   it will be interesting to see how situations on the deck is reffed  with the new laws having come in 
rugby	636	 obviously the breakdown a big part of what i do on the pitch so i m hoping to hold some influence there against what is a very solid scottish pack 
rugby	636	  o connor will be winning his third cap after making his debut in the victory over south africa last november 
tennis	637	henman overcomes rival rusedskitim henman saved a match point before fighting back to defeat british rival greg rusedski 4 6 7 6  8 6  6 4 at the dubai tennis championships on tuesday 
tennis	637	world number 46 rusedski broke in the ninth game to take a tight opening set 
tennis	637	rusedski had match point at 6 5 in the second set tie break after henman double faulted  but missed his chance and henman rallied to clinch the set 
tennis	637	the british number one then showed his superior strength to take the decider and earn his sixth win over rusedski 
tennis	637	serve was held by both players with few alarms until the seventh game of the final set  when rusedski s wild volley gave henman a vital break 
tennis	637	a furious rusedski slammed his racket onto the ground in disgust and was warned by the umpire 
tennis	637	henman  seeded three  then held his serve comfortably thanks to four serve and volley winners to take a clear 5 3 lead 
tennis	637	rusedski won his service game but henman took the first of his three match points with a service winner to secure his place in the second round at dubai for the first time in three years 
tennis	637	it was the first match between the pair for three years   henman last lost to rusedski six years ago   and lasted two hours and 40 minutes 
tennis	637	the pair are now likely to only face each other on court as rivals   rather than as team mates   after henman decided to retire from davis cup tennis leaving rusedski to lead the team out against israel on 4 6 march 
tennis	637	henman  who now faces russian igor andreev in the last 16  admitted afterwards it was difficult coming up against his compatriot on a fast surface 
tennis	637	 you just take it point by point when you re fighting to stay in the match   he said 
tennis	637	 i had to keep playing aggressively and competing to get a chance 
tennis	637	 i now have to recover in time for the next match because the body doesn t recover as quick as it used to  especially after two hours and 40 minutes 
tennis	637	  
tennis	638	safin slumps to shock dubai lossmarat safin suffered a shock loss to unseeded nicolas kiefer in round one of the dubai tennis championships 
tennis	638	playing his first match since winning the australian open  safin showed some good touches but was beaten 7 6  7 2  6 4 by the in form kiefer 
tennis	638	the german got on top in the first set tie break  striking a sweet forehand to win the first point against serve 
tennis	638	and he maintained the momentum early in the second set  breaking the russian with the help of an inspired volley 
tennis	638	spain s feliciano lopez lined up a second round clash with andre agassi by beating thailand s paradorn srichaphan 
tennis	638	lopez  who lost in three sets to roger federer in last year s final  won 6 2 3 6 6 3 
tennis	638	former champion fabrice santoro of france was beaten 6 3 6 0 by sixth seeded russian nikolay davydenko 
tennis	638	there were also wins for two other russians  igor andreev and seventh seed mikhail youzhny 
tennis	639	ferrero eyes return to top formformer world number one juan carlos ferrero insists he can get back to his best despite a tough start to 2005 
tennis	639	the 2003 french open champion has slipped to 64 in the world after a year of illness and injuries in 2004  but is confident that his form will return 
tennis	639	 i don t know when it is going to happen   ferrero told bbc sport 
tennis	639	 but i have a lot of confidence in me that i will be the same juan carlos as i was before  and very soon 
tennis	639	i feel 100  again mentally 
tennis	639	  the 25 year old spaniard joins a top field for the abn amro world tennis tournament in rotterdam this week as he looks to add to just two wins in 2005 
tennis	639	he opens against rainer schuettler and potentially faces fourth seed david nalbandian in the second round 
tennis	639	 because i m no longer seeded it s tougher   ferrero admitted 
tennis	639	 i had to play against joachim johansson in the first round last week in marseille 
tennis	639	 in the past when i was a top seed i would have played a match like that in the quarters or semi finals 
tennis	639	 this is the big difference but i have to do it to get higher in the rankings 
tennis	639	  despite this  ferrero insists he is feeling positive after chicken pox and a rib injury destroyed last season 
tennis	639	 physically i am 100  since december of last year   said ferrero 
tennis	639	 i was working very hard before the davis cup final to prepare and i ve felt 100  from then until now 
tennis	639	 the difficult moments were when i knew that i had the chicken pox and that it would take two or three months to recover 
tennis	639	 i had to start from zero again physically because the virus left me at zero per cent 
tennis	639	 when i started to come back i had my rib broken when i fell on court and that was another two months out 
tennis	639	those five months were pretty difficult for me 
tennis	639	 among the low points of a difficult year for ferrero was the decision of spain captain jordi arrese to drop him for the davis cup final against the usa 
tennis	639	 it was difficult because i had been playing well for the whole year and the coaches told me that i would play   said ferrero 
tennis	639	 but then i had some problems with my hand two days before the friday matches so they decided to choose nadal instead 
tennis	639	 it was difficult for me not to be in the friday matches but i had to understand 
tennis	639	 inside me i wanted to play but this was the decision of the captain and they had to make it 
tennis	639	  
tennis	640	roddick into san jose finalandy roddick will play cyril saulnier in the final of the sap open in san jose on sunday 
tennis	640	the american top seed and defending champion overcame germany s tommy haas  the third seed  7 6  7 3  6 3 
tennis	640	and saulnier survived an injury scare in his semi final with seventh seeded austrian jurgen melzer 
tennis	640	the frenchman twisted his ankle early in the second set but overcame melzer  who was left fuming over a series of line calls  6 7  3 7  6 3 6 3 
tennis	640	 i was feeling horrible earlier in the week   roddick said 
tennis	640	 i thought tonight was another step in the right direction 
tennis	640	 on my returns  i was standing in more and i m getting a little more depth  even if i don t hit a perfect return 
tennis	640	 roddick won the last four points of the first set tie break before being broken at the start of the second set 
tennis	640	but he broke straight back and then broke haas again to lead 4 2 
tennis	640	 it s extremely frustrating when you have chances against a top five player and don t do anything with them   admitted haas 
tennis	640	 i rushed a few backhands and he took advantage 
tennis	640	  saulnier will move into the world s top 50 for the first time after his passage through to the final 
tennis	640	 it s taken a lot of work and a lot of fighting in my mind   he revealed 
tennis	640	 sometimes i didn t believe i could get to a final and now i am here 
tennis	640	i ve stayed mentally strong 
tennis	640	 i m on the way 
tennis	640	i ll keep fighting and work a lot and i ll be up there 
tennis	640	  
tennis	641	federer claims dubai crownworld number one roger federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes   but not before he was given a test by ivan ljubicic 
tennis	641	top seed federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6 1 in the first set 
tennis	641	but ljubicic  who beat tim henman in the last eight  dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak 
tennis	641	swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool  though  turning on the style to win the deciding set 6 3 
tennis	641	the match was a re run of last week s final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam  where federer triumphed  but not until ljubicic had stretched him for five sets 
tennis	641	 i really wanted to get off to a good start this time  and i did  and i could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm   federer said 
tennis	641	 that took me all the way through to 6 1 3 1 0 30 on his serve and i almost ran away with it 
tennis	641	but he came back  and that was a good effort on his side 
tennis	641	  ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set 
tennis	641	 i didn t start badly  but then suddenly i felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much 
tennis	641	and with roger  if you relax for a second it just goes very quick   he said 
tennis	641	 after those first three games it was no match at all 
tennis	641	i don t know  it was really weird 
tennis	641	i was playing really well the whole year  and then suddenly i found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court 
tennis	641	  but despite his defeat  the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance 
tennis	641	 i had a chance in the third  and for me it s really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against roger to win the match 
tennis	641	 it s an absolutely great boost to my confidence that i m up there and belong with top class players 
tennis	641	  
tennis	642	young debut cut short by gineprififteen year old donald young s first appearance in an atp tennis tournament proved brief as the teenager went out in round one of the san jose open 
tennis	642	young shot to the top of the junior world rankings when he won the boys  singles at january s australian open 
tennis	642	but the wildcard entry was dispatched by fellow american robby ginepri in straight sets  6 2 6 2  in california 
tennis	642	despite that he was happy with his tour debut 
tennis	642	 it was fun 
tennis	642	i had my chances  but they didn t come through   he said 
tennis	642	young  who beat two players ranked in the top 200 when he was just 14  was only 2 1 down in the first set before losing 10 of the next 13 games 
tennis	642	and ginepri   six years older than the youngest player to ever win a junior slam and top the global standings   admitted he was impressed 
tennis	642	 he s very talented   said ginepri 
tennis	642	 he s got a long future ahead of him 
tennis	642	 being left handed  he was very quick around the court 
tennis	642	 his serve is a little deceptive 
tennis	642	he came into the net and volleyed better than i thought 
tennis	642	  earlier  south korean hyung taik lee defeated american jan michael gambill 6 3 7 6  7 4  
tennis	642	american kevin kim defeated jan hernych of the czech republic 7 5 6 3  canadian qualifier frank dancevic downed american jeff morrison 4 6 7 6  7 3  6 0  and denmark s kenneth carlsen beat irakli labadze of the republic of georgia 6 7  4 7  6 2 6 3 
tennis	642	top seed andy roddick launches his defence of the title on wednesday against qualifier paul goldstein 
tennis	642	second seed andre agassi opens his campaign on tuesday against wildcard bobby reynolds  last year s us collegiate champion 
tennis	642	agassi has won the san jose five times  but his run of three straight titles ended last year when he fell to mardy fish in the semi finals 
tennis	642	fish went on to lose to roddick in the final 
tennis	643	melzer shocks agassisecond seed andre agassi suffered a comprehensive defeat by jurgen melzer in the quarter finals of the sap open 
tennis	643	agassi was often bamboozled by the austrian s drop shots in san jose  losing 6 3 6 1 
tennis	643	defending champion and top seed andy roddick rallied to beat sweden s thomas enqvist 3 6 7 6  8 6  7 5 
tennis	643	but unseeded cyril saulnier beat the fourth seed vincent spadea 6 2 6 4 and tommy haas overcame eighth seed max mirnyi 6 7  2 7  7 6  7 3  6 2 
tennis	643	melzer has now beaten agassi in two of their three meetings 
tennis	643	 i had a good game plan and i executed it perfectly   he said 
tennis	643	 it s always tough to come out to play andre 
tennis	643	 i didn t want him to play his game 
tennis	643	he makes you run like a dog all over the court 
tennis	643	  and agassi  who was more than matched for power by his opponent s two handed backhand  said melzer was an example of several players on the tour willing to take their chances against him 
tennis	643	 a lot more guys are capable of it now   said the american 
tennis	643	 he played much better than me 
tennis	643	that s what he did both times 
tennis	643	 i had opportunities to loosen myself up   agassi added 
tennis	643	 but i didn t convert on the big points 
tennis	643	  
tennis	644	federer forced to dig deeptop seed roger federer had to save two match points before squeezing past juan carlos ferrero at the dubai open 
tennis	644	the world number one took two hours 15 minutes to earn his 4 6 6 3 7 6 victory  saving match points at 6 4 in the tiebreak before claiming it 8 6 
tennis	644	federer made a number of unforced errors early on  allowing ferrero to take advantage and claim the first set 
tennis	644	but the swiss star hit back to reach the quarter finals  where he will face seventh seed russian mikhail youzhny 
tennis	644	the russian beat germany s rainer schuettler 7 5 6 4 
tennis	644	federer was not unduly worried despite being taken to three sets for the third consecutive match 
tennis	644	the world number one was forced to go the distance against ivan ljubicic in the rotterdam final and against ivo minar in the first round in dubai 
tennis	644	 i definitely had a slow start again and to come back every time is quite an effort   he said 
tennis	644	 i haven t been playing well  but i ve been coming through 
tennis	644	i m winning the crucial points and that shows i m on top of my game when i have to be 
tennis	644	  
tennis	645	nadal marches on in mexicorafael nadal continued his run of fine form to beat guillermo canas and reach the mexican open semis in acapulco 
tennis	645	eighth seed nadal  who picked up his second atp title when he beat alberto martin in last week s brazil open  saw off the argentine third seed 7 5 6 3 
tennis	645	he now meets argentine wild card mariano puerta  who followed up his win over top seed carlos moya by overcoming spain s felix mantilla  6 4 3 6 7 6 
tennis	645	czech fifth seed czech jiri novak was eliminated 7 5 6 1 by agustin calleri 
tennis	645	the unseeded argentine  who won the tournament two years ago  now plays spain s albert montanes 
tennis	645	montanes advanced to his first semi final of the year with a 4 6 6 3 6 4 triumph over sixth seeded italian filippo volandri 
tennis	645	argentina s agustin calleri beat fourth seed jiri novak 7 5 6 1 in a battle of former champions at the mexican open 
tennis	645	calleri won his only atp title in acapulco two years ago while novak won the singles and doubles titles in 1998 
tennis	645	calleri will face albert montanes in the semi finals after the spaniard ousted sixth seed filippo volandri of italy 4 6 6 3 6 4 
tennis	645	argentine wild card mariano puerta continued his improbable run  outlasting felix mantilla 6 4 3 6 7 6 
tennis	646	hantuchova in dubai last eightdaniela hantuchova moved into the quarter finals of the dubai open  after beating elene likhotseva of russia 7 5 6 4  and now faces serena williams 
tennis	646	australian open champion williams survived an early scare to beat russia s elena bovina 1 6 6 1 6 4 
tennis	646	world number one lindsay davenport and anastasia myskina also progressed 
tennis	646	davenport defeated china s jie zheng 6 2 7 5  while french open champion myskina sailed through after her opponent marion bartoli retired hurt 
tennis	646	american davenport will now face fellow former wimbledon champion  conchita martinez of spain  who ousted seventh seeded nathalie dechy of france 6 1 6 2 
tennis	646	myskina will face eighth seed patty schnyder from switzerland  who defeated china s li na 6 3 7 6  10 8  
tennis	646	the other quarter final pits wild card sania mirza of india against jelena jankovic of serbia and montenegro  who both won on tuesday 
tennis	646	before her meeting with martinez  davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game 
tennis	646	 i started well and finished well  but played some so so games in the middle   she said 
tennis	646	williams was also far from content 
tennis	646	 i don t know what i was doing there   she said 
tennis	646	 it was really windy and i hadn t played in the wind 
tennis	646	all my shots were going out of here 
tennis	646	  but hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger williams sister  who was handed a first round bye 
tennis	646	 i feel i have an advantage  over serena  because i have already played two matches on these courts   she said 
tennis	646	 it is a difficult court to play on 
tennis	646	very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball 
tennis	646	  
tennis	647	parmar ruled out of davis cup tiea knee injury has forced arvind parmar out of great britain s davis cup tie in israel and left alex bogdanovic in line to take the second singles place 
tennis	647	parmar picked up the injury last week and has failed to recover in time for the europe africa zone i tie  which begins in tel aviv on friday 
tennis	647	bogdanovic looks set to take the second singles place alongside greg rusedski 
tennis	647	gb captain jeremy bates could use 17 year old andrew murray and david sherwood in the doubles rubber 
tennis	647	bogdanovic and murray both pulled out of tournaments last week through injury but are expected to be fit 
tennis	647	jamie delgado and lee childs have been called into the squad in tel aviv as designated hitters for team practice but bates has no plans to call either of them into his squad at present 
tennis	647	the unheralded sherwood was the surprise inclusion when the squad was announced last week  and bates said   david has earned his place in this squad on the merit of his form and results over the last 12 months 
tennis	647	  the 6ft 4in sherwood is ranked 264th in the world and the lta have high hopes for him after futures tournament wins in wrexham and edinburgh 
tennis	647	the sheffield born right hander  aged 24  also reached another final in plaisir  france  a week after making the semi final in mulhouse 
tennis	647	bates is glad to have rusedski available after tim henman s retirement from davis cup tennis 
tennis	647	 his wealth of experience is invaluable  particularly to the younger players and i know he will lead by example   bates said 
tennis	647	 we are looking forward to the tie 
tennis	647	the squad are all in excellent form 
tennis	647	  
tennis	648	davenport hits out at wimbledonworld number one lindsay davenport has criticised wimbledon over the issue of equal prize money for women 
tennis	648	reacting to a disputed comment by all england club chairman tim phillips  the american said   i think it is highly insulting if prize money is taken away 
tennis	648	 somebody  i think it was mr phillips  said they won t have money for flowers at wimbledon 
tennis	648	that s insulting 
tennis	648	  an all england club spokesperson denied phillips made the remark  insisting   he definitely didn t say it 
tennis	648	  the statement added   it was said by someone else and was a humorous aside at the end of a radio interview when the conversation had moved to talking about the wimbledon grounds 
tennis	648	 davenport was speaking following the announcement that this week s dubai duty free event will join the us and australian opens in offering equal prize money for women 
tennis	648	 you hear about women playing only three sets while men play five   said daveport 
tennis	648	 and the best women are never going to beat the best men 
tennis	648	 but it s a different game you go to watch with the women   it doesn t make it better or worse 
tennis	648	 hopefully we will be able to change people s minds 
tennis	648	 serena williams  who is also in dubai  added   i m obviously for equal prize money 
tennis	648	 women s tennis is exciting 
tennis	648	men s tennis is exciting as well  but the women have it right now 
tennis	648	 if you are bringing in the spectators you should be able to reap what everyone else is able to reap 
tennis	648	  
tennis	649	dogged federer claims dubai crownworld number one roger federer added the dubai championship trophy to his long list of successes   but not before he was given a test by ivan ljubicic 
tennis	649	top seed federer looked to be on course for a easy victory when he thumped the eighth seed 6 1 in the first set 
tennis	649	but ljubicic  who beat tim henman in the last eight  dug deep to secure the second set after a tense tiebreak 
tennis	649	swiss star federer was not about to lose his cool  though  turning on the style to win the deciding set 6 3 
tennis	649	the match was a re run of last week s final at the world indoor tournament in rotterdam  where federer triumphed  but not until ljubicic had stretched him all the way 
tennis	649	 i really wanted to get off to a good start this time  and i did  and i could really play with confidence while he still looking for his rhythm   federer said 
tennis	649	 that took me all the way through to 6 1 3 1 0 30 on his serve and i almost ran away with it 
tennis	649	but he came back  and that was a good effort on his side 
tennis	649	  ljubicic was at a loss to explain his poor showing in the first set 
tennis	649	 i didn t start badly  but then suddenly i felt like my racket was loose and the balls were flying a little bit too much 
tennis	649	and with roger  if you relax for a second it just goes very quick   he said 
tennis	649	 after those first three games it was no match at all 
tennis	649	i don t know  it was really weird 
tennis	649	i was playing really well the whole year  and then suddenly i found myself in trouble just to put the ball in the court 
tennis	649	  but despite his defeat  the world number 14 was pleased with his overall performance 
tennis	649	 i had a chance in the third  and for me it s really positive to twice in two weeks have a chance against roger to win the match 
tennis	649	 it s an absolutely great boost to my confidence that i m up there and belong with top class players 
tennis	649	  
tennis	650	henman hopes ended in dubaithird seed tim henman slumped to a straight sets defeat in his rain interrupted dubai open quarter final against ivan ljubicic 
tennis	650	the croatian eighth seed booked his place in the last four with a 7 5 6 4 victory over the british number one 
tennis	650	henman had looked on course to level the match after going 2 0 up in the second set  but his progress was halted as the rain intervened again 
tennis	650	ljubicic hit back after the break to seal a fourth straight win over henman 
tennis	650	earlier in the day  spanish fifth seed tommy robredo secured his semi final place when he beat nicolas kiefer of germany 6 4 6 4 
tennis	650	afterwards  henman was left cursing the weather and the umpire after seven breaks for rain during the match 
tennis	650	 it was incredibly frustrating   henman said 
tennis	650	 it s raining and the umpire doesn t take control 
tennis	650	 he kept telling us to play till the end of the game 
tennis	650	but if it s raining  you come off   the score s irrelevant 
tennis	650	 it couldn t be more frustrating as i was very happy with my form until now 
tennis	650	you don t expect this in the desert 
tennis	650	  
tennis	651	mirza shocks kuznetsovasania mirza continued her remarkable rise with victory over us open champion svetlana kuznetsova at the dubai championships on tuesday 
tennis	651	the 18 year old indian  who is already a huge star in her home country  won 6 4 6 2 in front of a delirious crowd 
tennis	651	it was mirza s sixth straight victory following her first wta tournament win in hyderabad last month 
tennis	651	earlier  daniela hantuchova built on her improving form with a 7 6 6 2 win over sixth seed alicia molik 
tennis	651	mirza needed attention to an ankle injury after the second game against kuznetsova 
tennis	651	she quickly slipped 4 0 down but staged a dramatic comeback that thrilled the large indian contingent in the crowd 
tennis	651	 i really didn t expect that after my ankle turn   said mirza 
tennis	651	 i played a great match and i think  the crowd  did it again 
tennis	651	i knew that i had to play an all round game and that s what happened 
tennis	651	 i did everything well but i wasn t missing the ball   i don t know how that happened 
tennis	651	  mirza plays silvia farina elia or jelena jankovic next 
tennis	651	hantuchova has risen from 31 in the world at the turn of the year to number 22  having reached the quarter finals and semi finals at her last two events 
tennis	651	 it was such a tough first round match and i am glad to come through   said hantuchova 
tennis	651	 she was serving so well 
tennis	651	i just decided to hang in there and keep fighting 
tennis	651	  the slovakian will meet elena likhovtseva in the second round after the russian struggled past tunisian wild card selima sfar 2 6 6 2 7 6 
tennis	651	likhovtseva needed nine match points before seeing off sfar  who got a point penalty for swearing in the third set 
tennis	651	seventh seed nathalie dechy and elena bovina were among other first round winners on tuesday 
tennis	652	hantuchova in dubai last eightdaniela hantuchova moved into the quarter finals of the dubai open  after beating elene likhotseva of russia 7 5 6 4  and now faces serena williams 
tennis	652	australian open champion williams survived an early scare to beat russia s elena bovina 1 6 6 1 6 4 
tennis	652	world number one lindsay davenport and anastasia myskina also progressed 
tennis	652	davenport defeated china s jie zheng 6 2 7 5  while french open champion myskina sailed through after her opponent marion bartoli retired hurt 
tennis	652	american davenport will now face fellow former wimbledon champion  conchita martinez of spain  who ousted seventh seeded nathalie dechy of france 6 1 6 2 
tennis	652	myskina will face eighth seed patty schnyder from switzerland  who defeated china s li na 6 3 7 6  10 8  
tennis	652	the other quarter final pits wild card sania mirza of india against jelena jankovic of serbia and montenegro  who both won on tuesday 
tennis	652	before her meeting with martinez  davenport believes there is some room for improvement in her game 
tennis	652	 i started well and finished well  but played some so so games in the middle   she said 
tennis	652	williams was also far from content 
tennis	652	 i don t know what i was doing there   she said 
tennis	652	 it was really windy and i hadn t played in the wind 
tennis	652	all my shots were going out of here 
tennis	652	  but hantuchova is in upbeat mood ahead of her clash with the younger williams sister  who was handed a first round bye 
tennis	652	 i feel i have an advantage  over serena  because i have already played two matches on these courts   she said 
tennis	652	 it is a difficult court to play on 
tennis	652	very fast and sometimes you feel you have no control over the ball 
tennis	652	  
tennis	653	murray to make cup historyandrew murray will become britain s youngest ever davis cup player after it was confirmed he will play in the doubles against israel on saturday 
tennis	653	the 17 year old will play alongside fellow debutant david sherwood against israel s jonathan erlich and andy ram 
tennis	653	murray will eclipse the record set by roger becker back in 1952 
tennis	653	greg rusedski takes tim henman s place as first choice in the singles  while alex bogdanovic will play in the second singles clash 
tennis	653	rusedski will take on former world number 30 harel levy and bogdanovic   who has previously played in two singles rubbers against australia   will face noam okun 
tennis	653	murray is the brightest young hope in british tennis  after winning the us open junior title last year and the bbc young sports personality of the year 
tennis	653	british number one tim henman  who announced his davis cup retirement earlier this year  believes britain can win the tie in tel aviv 
tennis	653	 it s going to be as really tough match 
tennis	653	israel have some really good players   and their doubles pair of andy ram and jonathan erlich are among the top eight in the world   but i fancy our chances   he said 
tennis	653	but henman urged bogdanovic  who has had run ins with british tennis officials in the past  to seize his chance 
tennis	653	 alex is a quality player   he s young but he s got to keep pushing forward 
tennis	653	 he s got to be stronger  he s got a lot of ability but he s got to be more disciplined mentally and physically and if he does that he s got a good chance 
tennis	653	  
tennis	654	davenport hits out at wimbledonworld number one lindsay davenport has criticised wimbledon over the issue of equal prize money for women 
tennis	654	reacting to a disputed comment by all england club chairman tim phillips  the american said   i think it is highly insulting if prize money is taken away 
tennis	654	 somebody  i think it was mr phillips  said they won t have money for flowers at wimbledon 
tennis	654	that s insulting 
tennis	654	  an all england club spokesperson denied phillips made the remark  insisting   he definitely didn t say it 
tennis	654	  the statement added   it was said by someone else and was a humorous aside at the end of a radio interview when the conversation had moved to talking about the wimbledon grounds 
tennis	654	 davenport was speaking following the announcement that this week s dubai duty free event will join the us and australian opens in offering equal prize money for women 
tennis	654	 you hear about women playing only three sets while men play five   said daveport 
tennis	654	 and the best women are never going to beat the best men 
tennis	654	 but it s a different game you go to watch with the women   it doesn t make it better or worse 
tennis	654	 hopefully we will be able to change people s minds 
tennis	654	  serena williams  who is also in dubai  added   i m obviously for equal prize money 
tennis	654	 women s tennis is exciting 
tennis	654	men s tennis is exciting as well  but the women have it right now 
tennis	654	 if you are bringing in the spectators you should be able to reap what everyone else is able to reap 
tennis	654	  
tennis	655	venus stunned by farina eliavenus williams suffered a first round defeat for the first time in four years at the dubai championships 
tennis	655	sylvia farina elia  who had lost all nine of her previous meetings with the american fifth seed  won 7 5 7 6  8 6  
tennis	655	former wimbledon champion conchita martinez and india s sania mirza  the oldest and youngest players in the draw  also reached the second round 
tennis	655	martinez  32  beat shinobu asagoe 6 4 6 4 and 18 year old mirza beat jelena kostanic 6 7  7 2  6 4 6 1 
tennis	655	mirza  the first indian woman to win a wta tour title this month on home ground at hyderabad  will now face us open champion svetlana kuznetsova 
tennis	655	but she is remaining confident 
tennis	655	 she  kuznetsova  is a great player   she said 
tennis	655	 but everyone is beatable and i am looking forward to a great match 
tennis	655	  williams though blamed her defeat by farina elia on injuries 
tennis	655	 blisters were a factor  but mostly my stomach wasn t that great   she said 
tennis	655	 i did it in the last tournament in the semi finals  and i was serving at 40  in the final 
tennis	655	 the first time i served again was sunday and there wasn t a lot i could do out there 
tennis	655	when your serve isn t good it throws the rest of your game off too 
tennis	655	  she will wait to see how she recovers before deciding whether to take part in the nasdaq 100 open in miami  starting on 21 march 
tennis	656	martinez sees off vinci challengeveteran spaniard conchita martinez came from a set down to beat italian roberta vinci at the qatar open in doha 
tennis	656	the 1994 wimbledon champion won 5 7 6 0 6 2 to earn a second round meeting with french open champion anastasia myskina 
tennis	656	fifth seed patty schnyder also had a battle as she needed three sets to beat china s na li 7 5 3 6 7 5 
tennis	656	slovakian daniela hantuchova beat bulgarian magdaleena maleeva 4 6 6 4 6 3 to set up a second round clash with russian elena bovina 
tennis	656	the veteran martinez found herself in trouble early on against vinci with the italian clinching the set thanks to breaks in the third and 11th games 
tennis	656	but vinci s game fell to pieces after that and martinez swept her aside with some crisp cross court returns and deft volleys 
tennis	656	in the day s other matches  japan s ai sugiyama defeated australian samantha stosur 6 2 6 3 while australian nicole pratt beat tunisian selima sfar 7 5 6 2 and will next face compatriot alicia molik 
tennis	657	serena becomes world number twoserena williams has moved up five places to second in the world rankings after her australian open win 
tennis	657	williams won her first grand slam title since 2003 with victory over lindsay davenport  the world number one 
tennis	657	men s champion marat safin remains fourth in the atp rankings while beaten finalist lleyton hewitt replaces andy roddick as world number two 
tennis	657	roger federer retains top spot  but safin has overtaken hewitt to become the new leader of the champions race 
tennis	657	alicia molik  who lost a three set thriller against davenport in the quarter finals  is in the women s top 10 for the first time in her career 
tennis	657	her rise means australia have a player in the top 10 of the men s and women s rankings for the first time in 21 years 
tennis	657	and britain s elena baltacha  who qualified and then reached the third round  has risen to 120 in the world   a leap of 65 places and her highest ranking yet 
tennis	658	hingis to make unexpected returnmartina hingis makes her return to competitve tennis after two years out of the game at the volvo women s open in pattaya  thailand  on tuesday 
tennis	658	she faces german marlene weingartner in the first round 
tennis	658	 as a competitor and athlete  i always want to win 
tennis	658	i hope my body will hold up   said hingis 
tennis	658	 you miss being out there in a grand slam final and not competing 
tennis	658	it s a big difference between playing and commenting for tv 
tennis	658	i miss it a lot 
tennis	658	  the former world number one was 22 when she retired after having surgery on both ankles  and her last wta event was in filderstadt  germany  in october 2002  when she lost to elena dementieva 
tennis	658	only last year she insisted that a comeback was unlikely  but speaking in thaliand hingis admitted   i said that because i didn t know what would happen with my body 
tennis	658	  her appearance will also benefit charities in the region and the swiss star will donate her prize money 
tennis	659	clijsters set for february returntennis star kim clijsters will make her return from a career threatening injury at the antwerp wta event in february 
tennis	659	 kim had considered returning to action in paris on 7 february   a statement on her website said 
tennis	659	 she s decided against this so that she does not risk the final phase of her recovery 
tennis	659	if all goes well  kim will make her return on february 15 
tennis	659	  the 21 year old has not played since last october after aggravating a wrist injury at the belgian open 
tennis	659	back then  a doctor treating the belgian feared that her career may be over  with the player having already endured an operation earlier in the season to cure her wrist problem 
tennis	659	 i hope she comes back  but i m pessimistic   said bruno willems 
tennis	659	clijsters was also due to marry fellow tennis star lleyton hewitt in february but the pair split  for private reasons  back in october 
tennis	660	hewitt falls to dentlleyton hewitt suffered a shock defeat to taylor dent in the quarter finals of the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide on friday 
tennis	660	the top seed was a strong favourite for the title but went down 7 6  7 4  6 3 to the american 
tennis	660	dent will face juan ignacio chela next after the fourth seed was too strong for jurgen melzer 
tennis	660	olivier rochus beat third seed nicolas kiefer 6 7  4 7  7 6  8 6  7 5 and will take on second seed joachim johansson 
tennis	660	the swede reached the last four by beating compatriot thomas enqvist 6 3 4 6 6 1 
tennis	660	 i felt like i was striking the ball much better   said johansson 
tennis	660	 i felt like i had a lot of break chances  i didn t take care of them all  but i broke him four times and he only broke me once 
tennis	660	 i felt that was the key to get up in the set early 
tennis	660	  
tennis	661	angry williams rejects criticismserena williams has angrily rejected claims that she and sister venus are a declining force in tennis 
tennis	661	the sisters ended last year without a grand slam title for the first time since 1998 
tennis	661	but serena denied their challenge was fading  saying   that s not fair   i m tired of not saying anything 
tennis	661	 we ve been practising hard 
tennis	661	we ve had serious injuries 
tennis	661	i ve had surgery and after  i got to the wimbledon final 
tennis	661	i don t know many who have done that 
tennis	661	  while serena is through to the australian open semi finals  venus went out in the fourth round  meaning she has not gone further than the last eight in her last five grand slam appearances 
tennis	661	but serena added   venus had a severe strain in her stomach 
tennis	661	i actually had the same injury  but i didn t tear it the way she did 
tennis	661	 if i would have torn it  i wouldn t have been here 
tennis	661	 she played a player  alicia molik  that just played out of her mind and venus made some errors that she probably shouldn t have made 
tennis	661	  serena also said people tended to forget the impact the 2003 murder of sister yetunde price had had on the family 
tennis	661	 to top it off  we have a very  very  very  very  very close family  serena continued 
tennis	661	 to be in some situation that we ve been placed in in the past little over a year  it s not easy to come out and just perform at your best when you realize there are so many things that are so important 
tennis	661	 so  no  we re not declining 
tennis	661	we re here 
tennis	661	i don t have to win this tournament to prove anything 
tennis	661	i know that i m out here and i know that i m one of the best players out here 
tennis	661	  
tennis	662	davenport dismantles young rivaltop seed lindsay davenport booked her place in the last 16 of the australian open with a convincing 6 2 6 4 win over nicole vaidisova of the czech republic 
tennis	662	the american had too much power for her 15 year old opponent  breaking twice in the first set and once in the second 
tennis	662	the german born vaidisova rallied well at times but was unable to find a way back after falling behind 3 2 in the opening set 
tennis	662	davenport  who closed out with an ace  plays karolina sprem in the next round 
tennis	662	 i was fully expecting a tough opponent and was able to play well enough to get through it   said davenport 
tennis	662	 i think she hits some great shots 
tennis	662	she made some errors but probably some inexperience played a role in that 
tennis	662	but she s so young and obviously has a big game and has many  many years to improve on that 
tennis	662	  sprem  the croatian 13th seed  saw off russia s elena likhovtseva 6 3 6 2 
tennis	662	former world number onepowered her way into the fourth round with a straight sets win over anna smashnova 
tennis	662	the 27th seed from israel stuck with williams until 3 3 in the first set before it became one way traffic 
tennis	662	the american made 26 unforced errors but was still good enough to romp through the contest in exactly an hour 
tennis	662	she reeled off nine straight games to finish a 6 3 6 0 winner 
tennis	662	remains on course to become the first australian to win her home title since chris o neil in 1978 
tennis	662	the 10th seed equalled her best performance at a grand slam event when she beat unseeded russian nadia petrova 6 3 6 2 to reach the fourth round 
tennis	662	after a tough first set  molik grew in confidence and won in just 56 minutes 
tennis	662	she will now meet venus williams 
tennis	662	 bring it on   said the 23 year old 
tennis	662	 i played pretty well and it was nice to get through in straight sets 
tennis	662	   we were destined to meet  i guess   williams said referring to her match with molik 
tennis	662	 it will be a huge match for her in australia 
tennis	662	i can tell she s probably very motivated by that so i need to get out there and play well 
tennis	662	 beat slovakia s daniela hantuchova in a rollercoaster match 
tennis	662	dementieva came through 7 5 5 7 6 4  becoming the seventh russian woman to reach the last 16 in melbourne 
tennis	662	the match lasted almost three hours and featured 13 service breaks  including three in the final set when dementieva held her nerve to seal the win 
tennis	662	she now facesafter the swiss 12th seed beat american abigail spears 7 6 6 3 
tennis	662	french open championreceived a free ride into the last 16 after lisa raymond was forced to withdraw 
tennis	662	raymond  the 25th seeded american  was ruled out after sustaining a left abdominal muscle tear in the doubles 
tennis	662	myskina  the third seed  now plays france swho beat francesca schiavone of italy 6 3 6 3 
tennis	662	 i m extremely disappointed because i couldn t have asked to play better in my first two matches   raymond said 
tennis	663	serena ends sania mirza s dreamsania mirza  the first indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam tennis event  has lost to women s favourite serena williams 
tennis	663	the 18 year old mirza  who got a wild card entry into the australian open in melbourne  lost to williams 1 6 4 6 in the third round 
tennis	663	williams took just 56 minutes to defeat mirza and sail into the fourth round 
tennis	663	the only other indian woman to win a match at a grand slam is nirupama vaidyanathan 
tennis	663	vaidyanathan made it to the second round of the australian open in 1998 
tennis	663	playing the biggest match of her life  mirza made little impact on williams in the early stages of the game 
tennis	663	but the teenager showed more confidence in the second set and engaged the seventh seeded williams in some well contested rallies 
tennis	663	mirza  a junior wimbledon doubles title winner  became the first indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam tennis event when she beat hungarian petra mandula on wednesday 
tennis	663	 i m really excited 
tennis	663	i was confident but i didn t think it was going to be that easy   mirza said after her second round win 
tennis	663	 my aim was to win a round here 
tennis	663	when i did that i was so relieved  there was no pressure 
tennis	663	  tennis is not a particularly popular sport in india  but a number of indians watched the live telecast of the match between mirza and williams 
tennis	663	mirza  who lives in the southern indian city of hyderabad known for producing a host of top indian cricketers  turned professional two years ago 
tennis	663	she says she was considered too small when she went for her first tennis classes as a six year old girl 
tennis	663	 then finally  the coach  called my parents up and said  the way she hits the ball  i ve never seen a six year old hit a ball like that    mirza told the associated press 
tennis	664	kuznetsova  failed a drugs test us open champion svetlana kuznetsova has tested positive for a banned drug  according to belgian authorities 
tennis	664	belgian sports minister claude eerdekens said that the russian world number five tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine on 19 december 
tennis	664	kuznetsova was playing in an exhibition event in charleroi at the time 
tennis	664	eerdekens said   there is a problem 
tennis	664	ephedrine was discovered 
tennis	664	she remains innocent until proved guilty 
tennis	664	she can ask for it to be tested again 
tennis	664	  the situation remains unclear as the tournament was not commissioned by the world anti doping agency  wada   the international tennis federation  itf  or the women s tennis accosiation  wta  
tennis	664	the test was carried out by regional belgian authorities and kuznetsova has not yet been able to have a b sample tested 
tennis	664	speaking at the australian open on monday  before eerdekens identified her  kuznetsova said   i m not worried 
tennis	664	i m not using anything to push myself 
tennis	664	 i have not been notified of any positive test  and i think it is unfair that it s come out the way it did 
tennis	664	  eerdekens said that confirmation of the findings was sent last friday to the player s address in spain  as well as to the belgian prosecutors  office and the belgian and russian tennis federations 
tennis	664	he conceded kuznetsova might have taken a medicine which contained the banned substance 
tennis	664	 we have simply stated a fact   he said 
tennis	664	 it is for the federation concerned to impose the disciplinary measures after a procedure that respects the defence 
tennis	664	 either the ephedrine was taken to improve her performance or it is because she took some medicine legitimately to cure an infection 
tennis	664	  however  kuznetsova s naming was condemned by russian tennis chief shamil tarpishchev 
tennis	664	 first of all  this belgian sports minister has broken every ethical rule in the book by naming a player without any proof of wrongdoing  without any basic evidence   tarpishchev said 
tennis	664	 we all know the basic principle in doping cases 
tennis	664	if there is a positive sample  then they should notify the international tennis federation  itf  as well as the national federation within three days   he said 
tennis	664	 this is not the case here 
tennis	664	as of today we have not received any statement from the doping officials  nor did the itf 
tennis	664	 today i called the itf headquarters and they told me they know nothing about it 
tennis	664	 if wada  the world anti doping agency  was behind the testing  then we would also have known something by now 
tennis	664	 otherwise  all these looks to me as pure fiction and fabrication of the facts 
tennis	664	  
tennis	665	what now for british tennis tim henman s decision to quit davis cup tennis has left the british team with a gargantuan void to fill 
tennis	665	the world number seven is tied for fourth among his countrymen for wins in the history of the tournament  he has 36 from his 50 rubbers  
tennis	665	and great britain s last davis cup win without henman came against slovenia as far back as 1996 
tennis	665	worse could follow  according to former british team member chris bailey 
tennis	665	bailey told bbc sport   after tim s announcement  i doubt greg rusedski will be that far behind him 
tennis	665	  but without their top two  where does that leave british ambitions in the sport s premier team event  captain jeremy bates has singled out alex bogdanovic and andrew murray as potential replacements 
tennis	665	the yugoslavian born bogdanovic  though  is 184 places below henman in the world rankings and has played just two cup ties   winning one and losing the other 
tennis	665	murray  on the other hand  is 407th in the current atp entry list and yet to make his cup debut 
tennis	665	but bailey does see some hope for the future 
tennis	665	he said   now we ve dropped down to the euro africa zone  the time was right for him to step down and let the young guys come to the fore 
tennis	665	  britain s next opponents  israel  are hardly likely to be quaking in their boots ahead of the 4 6 march match against a likely trio of bogdanovic  murray and the 187th ranked arvind parmar 
tennis	665	bailey said   it will be tough for gb to move up  but there comes a time when our young players have to step up 
tennis	665	this was always going to be inevitable with tim and greg s growing years 
tennis	665	 i m confident about the future 
tennis	665	i wouldn t lay money on us getting back into the world group next year  but i d imagine in five years time we ll be competing for the major honours 
tennis	665	  of those lining up to replace henman  the 17 year old murray  with four futures titles under his belt last year  looks the best long term bet 
tennis	665	 murray is the one that looks likeliest to take over tim s mantle   said bailey 
tennis	665	 he has an enormous amount of self confidence  judging by what he s said in the past 
tennis	665	  bogdanovic  three years murray s senior  has had a more troubled time under britain s davis cup umbrella 
tennis	665	while murray has been marked out as britain s golden boy  bogdanovic was warned by the lawn tennis association for a lack of drive at the end of 2003 
tennis	665	and bailey said   despite that  alex is clearly talented as well  while arvind is another contender 
tennis	665	 they re among the guys who have experienced the intensity of davis cup tennis   whether as players or on the sidelines 
tennis	665	 the lta has always done an exceptional job of ensuring that 
tennis	665	 now they ll finally get to play regularly in the cauldron of the cup 
tennis	665	and i m confident that will springboard team gb to greater success 
tennis	665	  
tennis	666	hewitt overcomes wobble in sydneylleyton hewitt gave himself the perfect preparation for next week s australian open with victory over ivo minar in the final of the sydney international 
tennis	666	the defending champion brushed aside the czech qualifier 7 5 6 0 
tennis	666	the australian world number three strolled to the first five games of the match but was shocked as minar won the next five 
tennis	666	the top seed was rattled but recovered to close out the set and raced to victory in exactly an hour 
tennis	666	 it was a strange match 
tennis	666	 
tennis	666	 
tennis	666	momentum swings   said hewitt 
tennis	666	 i felt like i came out of the blocks extremely well  but then he loosened up a bit 
tennis	666	 when he got back to 5 5  i had to try to settle down and take it up a notch  and i was able to do that 
tennis	666	 hewitt has now lifted the sydney title four times in the last six years 
tennis	666	 it just keeps getting better and better every year   hewitt said 
tennis	666	 i ve only played this tournament four times and i ve won it four times 
tennis	666	  hewitt went into the final as a short priced favourite to clinch his 24th career title after dropping only one set all week 
tennis	666	he is set to meet frenchman arnaud clement in the first round of the australian open 
tennis	666	minar  ranked 158th in the world  was forced to pull out of the australian open qualifying draw to play in his first atp final 
tennis	666	 for me  this was a big success   said the 20 year old 
tennis	666	 i was so nervous last night i couldn t sleep 
tennis	666	i ve never played a top 10 player before 
tennis	666	 i wanted to play qualifying in melbourne  but it s saturday and i m still here 
tennis	666	but this is a main draw and i need the points and the money 
tennis	666	  alicia molik takes on samantha stosur in an all australian women s final later on saturday 
tennis	667	moya fights back for indian titlecarlos moya became the first man to successfully defend the chennai open title by beating four times finalist paradorn srichaphan 3 6 6 4 7 6  7 5  
tennis	667	the spaniard then donated his £28 000 prize money to relief efforts for the victims of the asian tsunami 
tennis	667	the final was close throughout  with thai second seed srichaphan   the 2003 winner   closing out the first set 
tennis	667	but moya took the second set  before bouncing back from 5 2 down in the decider to force and win a tie break 
tennis	667	moya confirmed afterwards   i m donating my prize money from this tournament for the tsunami victims  hoping it makes some difference to their lives 
tennis	667	his contribution follows pledges by four other players to donate their prize money from the tournament  which went ahead after the 26 december disaster which has so far claimed at least 150 000 lives 
tennis	667	scrichapan said he would donate an unspecified amount for relief work in thailand  where more than 5 000 people were killed 
tennis	667	the atp has announced that it would contribute the us 25 000 tournament fee to unicef s emergency relief fund in tamil nadu 
tennis	667	the atp tour s sponsor  mercedes  said it would also contribute  increasing the atp donation to us 40 000 
tennis	668	rochus shocks coria in aucklandtop seed guillermo coria went out of the heineken open in auckland on thursday with a surprise loss to olivier rochus of belgium 
tennis	668	coria lost the semi final 6 4 6 4 to rochus  who goes on to face czech jan hernych  a 6 4 7 5 winner over jose acasuso of argentina 
tennis	668	fifth seed fernando gonzalez eased past american robby ginepri 6 3 6 4 
tennis	668	the chilean will meet sixth seed juan ignacio chela next after the argentine beat potito starace 6 1 7 6  7 5  
tennis	668	rochus made the semi finals at the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide last week and is naturally delighted with his form 
tennis	668	 it s been two unbelievable weeks for me   he said 
tennis	668	 today i knew i had nothing to lose 
tennis	668	if i beat him great  if i lost  i would be losing to a top 10 player 
tennis	668	  coria conceded that rochus  played just too good   and added   when you give your best out there you can t be too sad 
tennis	668	  
tennis	669	johansson takes adelaide victorysecond seed joachim johansson won his second career title with a 7 5 6 3 win over taylor dent at the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide 
tennis	669	the swede was made to graft  american dent surviving three break points in the fifth game of the match 
tennis	669	but johansson got the breakthrough with a sublime backhand return winner and won the second set with more ease 
tennis	669	his first tournament win was at memphis in 2004  helping him leap from 113th in the world rankings to number 11 
tennis	669	afterwards  dent said he rated us open semi finalist johansson as a top contender at the australian open  which starts on 17 january 
tennis	669	 i believe men s tennis is all about holding serve and if he s playing like that on his own serve i don t see how guys are going to break him   said dent 
tennis	669	johansson was more restrained in his assessment   i have to improve my serve if i m going to go all the way in melbourne 
tennis	669	  
tennis	670	hingis hints at playing comebackmartina hingis has admitted that she might consider a competitive return to tennis if an appearance in thailand later this month goes well 
tennis	670	the former world number one will play at the volvo women s open in pattaya  which starts on 31 january  as part of her charity work in the region 
tennis	670	 the tournament is a test   she said 
tennis	670	 i don t know how my body will react 
tennis	670	 i support several charities in thailand 
tennis	670	i m also playing to see where i am 
tennis	670	  speaking to le matin  the 24 year old swiss added   at pattaya there will not be as many people and the players are ranked between the 30th and 95th in the world 
tennis	670	  hingis was 22 when she retired after having surgery on both ankles  and her last wta event was in filderstadt  germany  in october 2002  when she lost to elena dementieva 
tennis	671	slovakia seal hopman cup successslovakia clinched the hopman cup for the second time by beating argentina 3 0 in saturday s final in perth 
tennis	671	daniela hantuchova put the third seeds ahead  recovering from a terrible start to beat gisela dulko 1 6 6 4 6 4 
tennis	671	dominik hrbaty  who had not lost a set in his three singles matches in the group stages  then upset world number seven guillermo coria 6 4 6 1 
tennis	671	hantuchova and hrbaty then won the mixed doubles after coria was forced to withdraw because of a sore back 
tennis	671	slovakia s win made up for last year s final defeat to the united states 
tennis	671	 i would like to congratulate daniela   hrbaty said 
tennis	671	 i was so nervous watching her today  i almost had a heart attack 
tennis	671	 i also feel a little sorry for guillermo because i get very excited whenever i play for my country 
tennis	671	i show lots of emotions and played such good tennis 
tennis	671	 world number 31 hantuchova  ranked two places above dulko  looked nervous as she dropped the first four games of the match 
tennis	671	dulko  who had lost all three of her singles matches in the group stages  grew in confidence and took the opening set in just 27 minutes 
tennis	671	but hantuchova hit back to take the next two and the match 
tennis	671	 i was so nervous because i really wanted to win for the team and for dominik as he played so well all week   she said 
tennis	671	 i didn t think i was playing my best but i just tried to hang in there and fight hard for every point for my country 
tennis	671	  slovakia won the cup on their first appearance in 1998 when karol kucera and karina habsudova beat france 
tennis	672	dementieva prevails in hong kongelena dementieva swept aside defending champion venus williams 6 3 6 2 to win hong kong s champions challenge event 
tennis	672	the russian  ranked sixth in the world  broke williams three times in the first set  while losing her service once 
tennis	672	williams saved three championship points before losing the match at the victoria park tennis court 
tennis	672	 it s really a great start to the year no matter whether it s an exhibition or not 
tennis	672	i was trying to play my best and i really did it   said dementieva 
tennis	672	 this will give me all the confidence before the grand slams 
tennis	672	i was trying so hard to win this tournament 
tennis	672	  williams  24  was disappointed with her display 
tennis	672	 she played some nice points  but it was mostly me committing unforced errors   four or five errors in each game   she said 
tennis	672	before the match  organizers auctioned off rackets belonging to the players  raising £115 000 for victims of the tsunami disaster 
tennis	673	injury sidelines philippoussismark philippoussis withdrew from the sydney international tennis tournament as expected on sunday after suffering a groin injury during the hopman cup 
tennis	673	his participation in the australian open  which begins on 17 january in melbourne  also remains in doubt 
tennis	673	defending women s champion justine henin hardenne is also out of the sydney event because of a knee injury 
tennis	673	in the only main draw men s or women s singles match on sunday  nathalie dechy beat american lisa raymond 7 5 6 3 
tennis	673	number one men s seed lleyton hewitt begins his quest for a fourth sydney title on tuesday when he plays karol beck 
tennis	673	lindsay davenport  top seed in the women s draw  has been handed a first round bye and plays france s dechy in the second round on tuesday 
tennis	674	hewitt falls to dent in adelaidelleyton hewitt suffered a shock defeat to taylor dent in the quarter finals of the australian hardcourt championships in adelaide on friday 
tennis	674	the top seed was a strong favourite for the title but went down 7 6  7 4  6 3 to the american 
tennis	674	dent will face juan ignacio chela next after the fourth seed was too strong for jurgen melzer 
tennis	674	olivier rochus beat third seed nicolas kiefer 6 7  4 7  7 6  8 6  7 5 and will take on second seed joachim johansson 
tennis	674	the swede reached the last four by beating compatriot thomas enqvist 6 3 4 6 6 1 
tennis	674	 i felt like i was striking the ball much better   said johansson 
tennis	674	 i felt like i had a lot of break chances  i didn t take care of them all  but i broke him four times and he only broke me once 
tennis	674	 i felt that was the key to get up in the set early 
tennis	674	  hewitt played down his defeat and insisted he is focused solely on the australian open  which starts on 17 january 
tennis	674	 when you ve been number one in the world for a couple of years and won a couple of slams  you look at the big picture and what motivates you   said hewitt 
tennis	674	 that s the grand slams and melbourne s as big for me as any of the four 
tennis	674	even if i don t win sydney next week it s no big deal 
tennis	674	  
tennis	675	federer breezes into semi finalsroger federer reached the last four of the qatar open with an easy 6 1 6 2 win over seventh seed feliciano lopez 
tennis	675	the swiss world number one reeled off a series winners to outclass the spaniard and set up a semi final match against russian nikolay davydenko 
tennis	675	federer  who lost in the quarter final in his last qatar appearance in 2003  was happy with his form 
tennis	675	 i think i played better than against greg rusedski and i am happy i am playing so well   said the top seed 
tennis	675	lopez showed glimpses of resolve early in the second set when he held his first service game and came close to breaking federer 
tennis	675	but the swiss saved a break point and promptly broke serve in the following game to seize control 
tennis	675	davydenko  meanwhile  upset french third seed sebastien grosjean 2 6 6 3 6 2 
tennis	675	fabrice santoro completed a miserable day for france when he was forced to retire when 6 2 3 0 down to albert costa 
tennis	675	spaniard costa will next face croatian ivan ljubicic after the sixth seed beat rafael nadal 6 2 6 7  3 7  6 3 
tennis	676	davenport puts retirement on holdlindsay davenport has put any talk of retirement on hold after having a largely injury free 2004 campaign 
tennis	676	the 28 year old world number one had said that she would quit at the end of last year  but after a successful season she has had a change of heart 
tennis	676	 finally i felt i put myself in a position to try and win grand slams again   said davenport 
tennis	676	 it would be tough to walk away when i feel like i can contend so there s no point in hanging it up quite yet 
tennis	676	  davenport has won three grand slams  the 2000 australian open  wimbledon in 1999 and the 1998 us open 
tennis	676	her career has been hit by a series of injuries but last year she started hitting top form and won seven titles 
tennis	676	she was due to take part in this week s hopman cup in perth but decided she wanted to rest her knee 
tennis	676	 i just really wanted to make sure my right knee was going to be able to really withstand all the rigours of the whole year coming up   she said 
tennis	677	rusedski angry over supplementsgreg rusedski has criticised the governing body of men s tennis for not releasing contamination free supplements in time for the new season 
tennis	677	rusedski said   i tried to order some but didn t receive any and i haven t got any yet 
tennis	677	 you would think they would have been available in december as it can take two months for the body to respond 
tennis	677	 this event comes in the hottest period of the year  so you would hope the stuff would be available for it 
tennis	677	  the british number two escaped a possible ban last year when he persuaded a tribunal that a positive doping test was the result of contaminated atp supplements 
tennis	677	in response  the atp struck a deal with pharmaceutical company glaxosmithkline to provide contamination free drinks and nutritional bars for the men s tour 
tennis	677	david higdon  vice president of the atp  admitted   i agree with greg 
tennis	677	 i would have loved to have had these things available as soon as possible but it s a lot of work to make sure they have gone through rigorous testing 
tennis	677	 the reality is though that the first two weeks of the tour are spread far and wide and part of the distribution agreement we had with gsk has an education component 
tennis	677	 we weren t going to just drop these products out there without having a talk with the players about understanding how to use them 
tennis	677	 the first chance we will get to do that is at the players meeting on the saturday before the australian open 
tennis	677	  and rusedski  who takes on roger federer at the qatar open later on wednesday  conceded that the imminent changes will be beneficial 
tennis	677	 the good thing is that there is now a 100  guarantee  so hopefully all this will never happen again   said rusedski 
tennis	677	 hopefully after the australian open we won t have to discuss this any more 
tennis	677	  
tennis	678	navratilova hits out at criticsmartina navratilova has defended her decision to prolong her tennis career at the age of 48 
tennis	678	navratilova  who made a comeback after retiring in 1994  will play doubles and mixed doubles events in 2005 
tennis	678	 women s tennis is really strong   she said  dismissing suggestions that the fact she could still win reflected badly on the women s game 
tennis	678	 all i can say is i m that damn good 
tennis	678	i m sorry but i really have to blow my own horn here 
tennis	678	i m still that good 
tennis	678	  navratilova has won three grand slam mixed doubles titles since she came out of retirement 
tennis	678	and she was so encouraged by her form that she decided to resume playing singles  winning two of her seven matches 
tennis	678	she was knocked out in the first round of the french open but reached the second round at wimbledon 
tennis	678	navratilova will partner nathalie dechy in the doubles event at the uncle toby s hardcourts tournament on australia s gold coast  which begins on sunday 
tennis	678	she will then link up with daniela hantuchova for the australian open doubles  and play in the mixed doubles with leander paes 
tennis	678	 i might be playing some singles events this season  depending on the surface   she added 
tennis	679	prodigy monfils blows away gaudiofrench prodigy gael monfils underlined his huge promise by beating french open champion gaston gaudio 6 4 7 6  7 4  in the first round of the qatar open 
tennis	679	the 18 year old wild card won three of the four junior grand slam events last year  including wimbledon 
tennis	679	fabrice santoro  the 2000 champion  beat sweden s thomas johansson 6 4 6 2 but fourth seed mikhail youzhny lost 6 3 7 6  7 3  to rafael nadal 
tennis	679	roger federer plays greg rusedski in the second round on wednesday 
tennis	679	monfils  who was given a wildcard into the tournament  said   this is my first win over a top 10 player and i am delighted 
tennis	679	 i play my best tennis when i am fired up on the court and the reason i won today was because i was able to play my natural  attacking game   he said 
tennis	679	 of course i was a bit tired in the second set 
tennis	679	but i was confident i could survive had there been a third set 
tennis	679	  
tennis	680	connors boost for british tennisformer world number one jimmy connors is planning a long term relationship with the lawn tennis association to help unearth the next tim henman 
tennis	680	the american spent three days at the lta s annual elite performance winter camp in la manga earlier this week 
tennis	680	 britain has the right attitude   said connors 
tennis	680	 the more involved i can be with the lta  the better 
tennis	680	 a short term arrangement is just confusing 
tennis	680	the kids will ask   what am i doing there    lta chief executive  john crowther  added   the relationship that jimmy s already started to develop with the coaches and the players has said to us that we d like some more of it 
tennis	680	 we want to use jimmy for a number of weeks a year and we hope this is the beginning of a good long term relationship 
tennis	680	 the camp played host to more than 30 leading senior and junior players  including greg rusedski  arvind parmar and anne keothavong 
tennis	680	 la manga is an amazing site to take a bunch of kids who want to be the best   said connors  speaking at queen s club in london 
tennis	680	 what impressed me most was not only the coaches but the way the kids went about their workouts and the feeling they put into every practice they had 
tennis	680	 it was interesting to me to see kids of 15  16  17  with that desire and passion  and that can only be brought about by the coaches surrounding them 
tennis	680	 instilling the importance of work and practice is something you can t buy 
tennis	680	 they know what s been given to them and all they have to do is give back the effort  and every minute of practice they were doing that 
tennis	680	 speaking from la manga  lta performance director david felgate told bbc sport   jimmy was fantastic with the players and the coaches  and very humble considering what he s achieved 
tennis	680	 he worked through the coaches and hopefully it will grow and he ll get to have more of an individual relationship with some of the players and get to know them 
tennis	680	 he made it clear from the word go he didn t want it to be short term 
tennis	680	this is a 52 week a year job for me  it s my life and my passion and it s the same with the coaches 
tennis	680	 he respects that but he wants to be involved and have real input 
tennis	680	and why would he stake his reputation on something that s not going to be successful   connors has also agreed to commentate for the bbc at next year s wimbledon championships 
tennis	680	he will work during the second week of the tournament 
tennis	681	henin hardenne beaten on comebackjustine henin hardenne lost to elena dementieva in a comeback exhibition match in belgium on sunday for her second defeat in two days 
tennis	681	and the belgian  who has slipped to eight in the world after struggling with a virus  faces a tough australian open title defence next month 
tennis	681	 i will be heading to australia with a lot of question marks over me  i know that   she said 
tennis	681	 but i think there ll be less pressure than last time even if i am champion 
tennis	681	  henin hardenne was speaking after a 6 2 5 7 6 2 loss to world number six dementieva in charleroi  belgium  on sunday 
tennis	681	the previous day  the olympic champion went down 6 2 7 5 to france s nathalie dechy 
tennis	681	 i have to be positive  i still have a few weeks   she said 
tennis	681	 my body has to get accustomed again to the stress  the rhythm 
tennis	681	  henin hardenne slid down the world rankings in the second half of 2004 after contracting the illness in april 
tennis	681	after an initial lay off  she was forced off the circuit for a second time after being knocked out of the french open in the second round 
tennis	681	a comeback at the us open after a three month absence ended when she crashed out at the fourth round stage 
tennis	681	but despite her problems  she still won five of the nine official tournaments she entered in 2004 and won olympic gold in athens  an achievement which saw her named belgian sportswoman of the year on friday 
tennis	681	 physically  it s obvious that i hit rock bottom   said the 22 year old  who will make her comeback in the sydney international from 10 16 january 
tennis	681	 since april  with the exception of the olympics  i have not done much 
tennis	681	 all the successes i had prior to that were mainly due to the work i put in on building up my fitness 
tennis	681	 now it s time to get back to putting in 200  effort and i think i am capable of doing that 
tennis	681	  
tennis	682	moya clinches cup for spainspain won the davis cup for the second time in their history when carlos moya beat the usa s andy roddick in the fourth rubber in seville 
tennis	682	moya won 6 2 7 6  7 1  7 6  7 5  to give the hosts an unassailable 3 1 lead with only one singles rubber remaining 
tennis	682	roddick battled hard and had chances in the second set  but moya s clay court expertise proved the difference 
tennis	682	mardy fish beat tommy robredo 7 6  8 6  6 2 in the final dead rubber to cut spain s winning margin to 3 2 
tennis	682	spain s only other davis cup title came in 2000  when they beat australia in barcelona 
tennis	682	this time they chose to play the final in seville and the city s olympic stadium was revamped to allow for a record crowd for a competitve tennis event of 27 000 spectators 
tennis	682	and the home fans gave vociferous support to their players  with 18 year old nadal and moya winning both friday s singles rubbers 
tennis	682	american twins mike and bob bryan gave the visitors hope with victory over juan carlos ferrero and tommy robredo in saturday s doubles 
tennis	682	but it remained an uphill task for a us team far happier on hard courts than clay  and 1998 french open champion moya had too much for world number two roddick 
tennis	682	 this has been incredible   the moment i ve been waiting for for years   said moya  who missed out in 2000 through injury 
tennis	682	 i ve prepared myself for this day 
tennis	682	i knew that playing on clay i would have my chances to win 
tennis	682	 the davis cup is my dream 
tennis	682	i can t ask for more 
tennis	682	there is nothing bigger than what i ve lived today 
tennis	682	  moya stormed into a 4 0 lead on his way to taking the first set against roddick and recovered immediately from dropping serve in the second 
tennis	682	the match came down to two tie breaks and moya dominated both  clinching victory on his third match point 
tennis	682	wild celebrations followed  with an emotional moya congratulated by his team mates  including nadal  who at 18 years and 187 days becomes the youngest ever victor in davis cup history 
tennis	682	 i think we put up a better fight here than in paris two years ago   said roddick  who was on the us team which lost to france in the 2002 semi finals at roland garros 
tennis	682	 they were just better than us this weekend 
tennis	682	i have nothing to be ashamed of  i gave it my all 
tennis	682	 i am not going to walk out of here with my head down  that s for sure 
tennis	682	 there s no miracle answer 
tennis	682	we have to improve 
tennis	682	  
tennis	683	capriati to miss melbournejennifer capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the australian open because of injury 
tennis	683	the organisers of the first grand slam of 2005  which begins on 17 january  said the american has a problem with her right shoulder 
tennis	683	it comes as a blow to the women s draw as last year s champion  justin henin hardenne  and runner up  kim clijsters  will also be absent 
tennis	683	capriati is a two time champion in melbourne with wins in 2001 and 2002 
tennis	683	she is believed to have picked up the injury at the advanta championships at philadelphia in november and had to pull out of an exhibition match with wimbledon champion maria sharapova on 17 december 
tennis	683	capriati also decided against competing in the australian open warm up event  the sydney international 
tennis	684	classy henman makes winning starttim henman opened his 2005 campaign with a 6 1 7 5 victory over argentine david nalbandian at the kooyong classic exhibition tournament on wednesday 
tennis	684	the british number one will next play roger federer at the australian open warm up event on friday 
tennis	684	the world number one beat gaston gaudio 5 7 6 1 6 4  before andre agassi saw off chilean olympic gold medalist nicolas massu 6 1 7 6  7 4  
tennis	684	andy roddick beat ivan ljubicic  who replaced paradorn srichaphan  6 1 6 4 
tennis	684	henman made an impressive start to the year  only faltering against nalbandian when serving for the match at 5 4 
tennis	684	but the briton regained his composure to win the next two games for only his second win in six matches against the argentine 
tennis	684	 it s a great start to the year   just what i was looking for   henman told his website 
tennis	684	 over the years i ve found david very difficult to play against 
tennis	684	 he returns serve very well and he s deceptively effective from the baseline  so sometimes it can be difficult to execute my gameplan well enough against him to get the right result 
tennis	684	 beating somebody of his stature is always good for the confidence and it bodes well at the beginning of the year 
tennis	684	  henman also revealed the extent of the back problems he suffered in the off season 
tennis	684	 i m not the most flexible and at the end of the year i was pretty exhausted and wanted to have a couple of weeks where i didn t do anything   said henman 
tennis	684	 when i started training again it really  really seized up 
tennis	684	as much as i enjoyed the two weeks off i don t think it s so productive 
tennis	684	  federer dropped a tight first set against 2004 french open champion gaudio  but was content with his game 
tennis	684	 it was about getting used to the surface   he said 
tennis	684	 the conditions are much quicker than doha  my timing was ok  but i could have served better 
tennis	684	 all in all i m happy with the match  and i won it   that s a good sign 
tennis	684	now i have a day off and hopefully play better the next match 
tennis	684	  agassi was delighted with victory over massu in his first match for over two months 
tennis	684	 i felt pretty good   said the american 
tennis	684	 i liked the way the match played out and  maybe excluding a few second serve returns  i felt like i was doing most things pretty darn well for the first match 
tennis	684	  
tennis	685	moya emotional after davis cup wincarlos moya described spain s davis cup victory as the highlight of his career after he beat andy roddick to end the usa s challenge in seville 
tennis	685	moya made up for missing spain s 2000 victory through injury by beating roddick 6 2 7 6  7 1  7 6  7 5  to give the hosts an unassailable 3 1 lead 
tennis	685	 i have woken up so many nights dreaming of this day   said moya 
tennis	685	 all my energy has been focused on today 
tennis	685	 what i have lived today i do not think i will live again 
tennis	685	  spain s only other davis cup title came two years ago in valencia  when they beat australia 
tennis	685	and moya  nicknamed charly  admitted   the davis cup is my dream and i was a bit nervous at the outset 
tennis	685	 some people have said that i am obsessed but i think that it is better this way 
tennis	685	it helps me reach my goals if i am obsessed 
tennis	685	 it s really incredible   to get the winning point is really something 
tennis	685	  spanish captain jordi arrese said   charly played a great game 
tennis	685	it was his opportunity and he hasn t let us down 
tennis	685	 he had lost three times to roddick  and this was his day to beat him 
tennis	685	 he had been waiting years to be in this position 
tennis	685	  spain s victory was also remarkable for the performance of rafael nadal  who beat roddick in the opening singles 
tennis	685	aged 18 years and 185 days  the mallorcan became the youngest player to win the davis cup 
tennis	685	 what a great way to finish the year   said nadal afterwards 
tennis	685	us coach patrick mcenroe wants roddick and the rest of his team to play more tennis on clay and hone their skills on the surface 
tennis	685	 i think it will help these guys even on slow hard courts to learn how to mix things up a little bit and to play a little bit smarter and tactically better 
tennis	685	   obviously it s unrealistic to say that we re going to just start playing constantly on clay  with the schedule 
tennis	685	 but certainly i think we can put the work in at the appropriate time and play a couple more events and play against these guys who are the best on this stuff   said mcenroe 
tennis	685	roddick was left frustrated after losing both his singles on the slow clay of seville s olympic stadium 
tennis	685	 it s just tough because i felt like i was in it the whole time against one of the top three clay courters in the world   said the american 
tennis	685	 i had my chances and just didn t convert them 
tennis	685	the bottom line is they were just better than us this weekend 
tennis	685	 they came out  took care of business and they beat us 
tennis	685	it s as simple as that 
tennis	685	  
tennis	686	moya emotional at davis cup wincarlos moya described spain s davis cup victory as the highlight of his career after he beat andy roddick to end the usa s challenge in seville 
tennis	686	moya made up for missing spain s 2000 victory through injury by beating roddick 6 2 7 6  7 1  7 6  7 5  to give the hosts an unassailable 3 1 lead 
tennis	686	 i have woken up so many nights dreaming of this day   said moya 
tennis	686	 all my energy has been focused on today 
tennis	686	 what i have lived today i do not think i will live again 
tennis	686	  spain s only other davis cup title came two years ago in valencia  when they beat australia 
tennis	686	and moya  nicknamed charly  admitted   the davis cup is my dream and i was a bit nervous at the outset 
tennis	686	 some people have said that i am obsessed but i think that it is better this way 
tennis	686	it helps me reach my goals if i am obsessed 
tennis	686	 it s really incredible   to get the winning point is really something 
tennis	686	  spanish captain jordi arrese said   charly played a great game 
tennis	686	it was his opportunity and he hasn t let us down 
tennis	686	 he had lost three times to roddick  and this was his day to beat him 
tennis	686	 he had been waiting years to be in this position 
tennis	686	  spain s victory was also remarkable for the performance of rafael nadal  who beat roddick in the opening singles 
tennis	686	aged 18 years and 185 days  the mallorcan became the youngest player to win the davis cup 
tennis	686	 what a great way to finish the year   said nadal afterwards 
tennis	686	us coach patrick mcenroe wants roddick and the rest of his team to play more tennis on clay and hone their skills on the surface 
tennis	686	 i think it will help these guys even on slow hard courts to learn how to mix things up a little bit and to play a little bit smarter and tactically better 
tennis	686	   obviously it s unrealistic to say that we re going to just start playing constantly on clay  with the schedule 
tennis	686	 but certainly i think we can put the work in at the appropriate time and play a couple more events and play against these guys who are the best on this stuff   said mcenroe 
tennis	686	roddick was left frustrated after losing both his singles on the slow clay of seville s olympic stadium 
tennis	686	 it s just tough because i felt like i was in it the whole time against one of the top three clay courters in the world   said the american 
tennis	686	 i had my chances and just didn t convert them 
tennis	686	the bottom line is they were just better than us this weekend 
tennis	686	 they came out  took care of business and they beat us 
tennis	686	it s as simple as that 
tennis	686	  
tennis	687	capriati out of australian openjennifer capriati has become the third leading lady to withdraw from the australian open because of injury 
tennis	687	the organisers of the first grand slam of 2005  which begins on 17 january  said the american has a problem with her right shoulder 
tennis	687	it comes as a blow to the women s draw as last year s champion  justin henin hardenne  and runner up  kim clijsters  will also be absent 
tennis	687	capriati is a two time champion in melbourne with wins in 2001 and 2002 
tennis	687	she is believed to have picked up the injury at the advanta championships at philadelphia in november and had to pull out of an exhibition match with wimbledon champion maria sharapova on 17 december 
tennis	687	capriati also decided against competing in the australian open warm up event  the sydney international 
tennis	688	bryan twins keep us hopes alivethe united states kept the davis cup final alive with victory in saturday s doubles rubber  leaving spain 2 1 ahead going into the final day 
tennis	688	masters cup champions mike and bob bryan thrashed juan carlos ferrero and tommy robredo 6 0 6 3 6 2 in front of a partisan crowd in seville 
tennis	688	victory would have given spain the title but they were outclassed 
tennis	688	in sunday s reverse singles  carlos moya takes on andy roddick before rafael nadal faces mardy fish 
tennis	688	 it feels good  but it s not going to be as good if we don t win two tomorrow   said mike bryan 
tennis	688	 it feels good to give those guys another shot  and spain has to go to sleep on that 
tennis	688	  bob bryan added   i m really confident in andy winning that first match  and then anything can happen 
tennis	688	  spain coach jordi arrese chose to rest 18 year old nadal in the doubles after his epic singles win over roddick on friday 
tennis	688	he was replaced by former world number one ferrero  but the spanish pair were out of their depth against one of the world s best doubles teams 
tennis	688	the 26 year old bryan twins have won all four of their davis cup matches this year 
tennis	688	and they quickly silenced the huge crowd at the olympic stadium  racing through the opening set to love 
tennis	688	the spaniards then twice surrendered breaks of serve at the start of the second before the bryans broke to go 5 3 ahead and served out 
tennis	688	when robredo dropped serve in the opening game of the third set the match was all but over  and the unflappable bryan brothers powered on to an impressive win 
tennis	688	ferrero  who was upset to be dropped for friday s singles  hinted at further dissatisfaction after the defeat 
tennis	688	 it was a difficult game against the best doubles players   he said 
tennis	688	 they have everything calculated and we had very little to do 
tennis	688	 i was a bit surprised that i was named to play the doubles match because i hardly play doubles 
tennis	688	  arrese said   juan carlos hasn t played at all badly 
tennis	688	he played the right way but the bryans are great doubles players 
tennis	688	  
tennis	689	faultless federer has no equalroger federer   nice bloke  fantastic tennis player   the ultimate sportsman 
tennis	689	when lleyton hewitt shook his hand after getting another thrashing  a third in as many months  the australian said   you re the best 
tennis	689	  how right he is 
tennis	689	the stats speak for themselves  11 titles from 11 finals during 2004   three of them grand slams   and 13 final victories in a row going back to vienna 2003 
tennis	689	that s an open era record 
tennis	689	hewitt  at times in houston  showed form which easily matched his grand slam winning efforts of 2001 and 2002 
tennis	689	but he was outplayed 
tennis	689	twice 
tennis	689	hewitt  along with andy roddick and marat safin  is sure to be prominent during 2005 
tennis	689	but realistically  all three will be fighting for the world number two ranking 
tennis	689	according to all those players and even federer himself  the swiss star is in a different league 
tennis	689	 right now i feel that a little bit   he told bbc sport 
tennis	689	 i ve dominated all the top ten players 
tennis	689	they say nice things about me because i have beaten them all 
tennis	689	i am dominating the game right now and i hope it continues   the number one player in the world is also the main man for promoting the sport off court 
tennis	689	he has just been voted  by the international tennis writers  as the best  ambassador for tennis  on the atp tour 
tennis	689	he has time for everyone 
tennis	689	every match  from first round to final  is followed by a series of press interviews in three languages  english  french and swiss german 
tennis	689	after a major win  there are extra requests  obligations and interviews  all seen through to the end with courtesy and  most importantly  good humour 
tennis	689	 you guys are funny  i have a good time with you guys   he said  genuinely happy to talk into yet another tape recorder 
tennis	689	 i see you pretty much every day on the tour so to give away an hour for interviews is really no problem for me 
tennis	689	 if i can promote tennis and the sport then that is good for me 
tennis	689	people say thanks back and that is nice 
tennis	689	  what a refreshing attitude from someone who could easily dominate the sports pages for a decade 
tennis	689	it sums up his modest personality 
tennis	689	shortly after collecting a waterford crystal trophy  a mercedes convertible and a tasty cheque for  numberm  federer addressed the houston crowd and concluded by saying  thanks for having me  
tennis	689	now he just needs to find a way of winning the french open  the one grand slam to so far elude him 
tennis	690	mauresmo opens with victory in laamelie mauresmo and maria sharapova won their opening matches at the tour championships in los angeles 
tennis	690	france s mauresmo routed vera zvonareva 6 1 6 0  while wimbledon champion sharapova was a 6 1 6 4 winner over fellow russian svetlana kuznetsova 
tennis	690	american serena williams also won  edging russian elena dementieva 7 6 7 5 for her second victory of the event 
tennis	690	the event is split into two groups of four with the top two from each advancing to the semi finals 
tennis	690	mauresmo s win was her ninth in a row as she tries to overtake lindsay davenport for the number one spot 
tennis	690	mauresmo spent five weeks at number one after the us open before injury ushered davenport back in front 
tennis	690	 since then  i feel very confident on court and my game is there 
tennis	690	i want to get the ranking back  but it s very different than before i was number one 
tennis	690	 it was an obsession  but now i take it in a relaxed way 
tennis	690	  mauresmo completed her first match in the season ending championship in 54 minutes as russia s zvonareva struggled to return her serve and failed to achieve a single break point 
tennis	690	 she got mad a little bit and i played some great tennis   said mauresmo  who was runner up to kim clijsters in last year s final 
tennis	690	zvonareva has lost both her games so far  having crashed 6 2 6 4 kuznetsova in the staples centre on wednesday 
tennis	690	 sometimes not everything works   she said 
tennis	690	 it was lots of pressure 
tennis	690	maybe that is why i couldn t do 100  
tennis	690	but i was fighting 
tennis	690	  sharapova  who lost 6 2 6 2 to kuznetsova in beijing in september  said   in beijing  she was coming off such a big winning streak  14 matches  and she was unstoppable 
tennis	690	 this time  it was important to start off well and put some pressure on her 
tennis	690	  the tournament debutant added   i love it here 
tennis	690	the atmosphere is great 
tennis	690	 to be here where the lakers play  you just feel that excitement 
tennis	690	i love basketball 
tennis	690	  williams admitted she is still some way off her best form but remained positive after two wins in two days 
tennis	690	 it s hard to go out there and get it right but i m fighting and i m hoping   said williams 
tennis	690	 what makes me happy is the effort 
tennis	690	i had a really good effort today 
tennis	690	 i m trying to add new dimensions to my game 
tennis	690	  
tennis	691	agassi fear for melbourneandre agassi s involvement in the australian open was put in doubt after he pulled out of the kooyong classic with a hip injury 
tennis	691	agassi was serving at 5 6 down in the first set to fellow american andy roddick when he decided to bring a premature end to the match 
tennis	691	 my hip was cramping and i just could not continue   said the 34 year old 
tennis	691	agassi  who has won the australian open four times  will have an mri scan to discover the extent of the damage 
tennis	691	he said the problem was not the same as the hip injury which forced him to miss wimbledon last year 
tennis	691	 the good news is that it didn t just tear  it was tightening up and that can be your body protecting itself  which is hopefully more of the issue   he added 
tennis	691	 that wasn t comfortable out there at all  what i was feeling 
tennis	691	 i have to wait and see what i m dealing with   it s a pretty scary feeling out there when something doesn t feel right and is getting worse 
tennis	691	 it s very disappointing and i ll have to do my best to deal with it 
tennis	691	time will shortly tell if it  the australian open  is a possibility or not 
tennis	691	 i was not counting on this being the end of the day for me 
tennis	691	 maybe in a few days i ll have a much better sense of what my hopes will be 
tennis	691	  
tennis	692	henman to face saulnier testbritish number one tim henman will face france s cyril saulnier in the first round of next week s australian open 
tennis	692	greg rusedski  the british number two  is in the same quarter of the draw and could face andy roddick in the second round if he beats swede jonas bjorkman 
tennis	692	local favourite lleyton hewitt will meet france s arnaud clement  while defending champion and world number one roger federer faces fabrice santoro 
tennis	692	women s top seed lindsay davenport drew spanish veteran conchita martinez 
tennis	692	henman came from two sets down to defeat saulnier in the first round of the french open last year  so he knows he faces a tough test in melbourne 
tennis	692	the seventh seed  who has never gone beyond the quarter finals in the year s first major and is lined up to meet roddick in the last eight  is looking forward to the match 
tennis	692	 he s tough player on any surface  he s got a lot of ability   he said 
tennis	692	 we had a really tight one in paris that went my way so i m going to need to play well from the outset because he s a dangerous competitor 
tennis	692	  switzerland s federer  seeded one  is the hot favourite having won three of the four grand slam titles in 2004 
tennis	692	he has beaten santoro in five of their seven previous encounters  but is taking nothing for granted 
tennis	692	 it s a tricky match   federer said 
tennis	692	 i played him at the us open and won quite comfortably then 
tennis	692	but you never know  if the rhythm is a bit off  he can keep you guessing and make it difficult 
tennis	692	 the most important thing  though  is to get used to playing five set matches and winning them 
tennis	692	  the 23 year old could meet four time champion andre agassi in the quarter finals before meeting russian marat safin  the player he beat in last year s final 
tennis	692	eighth seeded american agassi is set to play a qualifier in round one if he can shake off a hip injury which ruled him out of the kooyong classic 
tennis	692	second seed andy roddick will open his campaign against irakli labadze of georgia 
tennis	692	the american could meet rusedski in the second round  seventh seed henman in the quarter finals and hewitt in the last four 
tennis	692	hewitt is hoping to become the first australian man to win the event since mark edmondson in 1976 
tennis	692	the 23 year old has never been beyond round four in eight attempts at melbourne park but has at least secured the opposite half of the draw to federer  who beat him in the australian open  wimbledon and us open last year 
tennis	692	safin  seeded four  opens his campaign against a qualifier with 16th seed tommy haas  the player he beat in the semi finals in 2002  a possible fourth round opponent 
tennis	692	in the women s draw  davenport could encounter eighth seeded venus williams in the quarter finals and third ranked anastasia myskina  the french open champion  in the semi finals 
tennis	692	bronchitis ruled davenport  the 2000 australian open champion  out of her sydney quarter final on thursday 
tennis	692	venus williams  who lost to younger sister serena in the melbourne final two years ago  opens against eleni daniilidou of greece 
tennis	692	serena williams  who won her fourth consecutive grand slam at the 2003 australian open  was drawn in the bottom quarter with second seed amelie mauresmo  a runner up in 1999 
tennis	692	serena will open against another frenchwoman camille pin  while mauresmo plays australia s samantha stosur 
tennis	692	wimbledon champion maria sharapova  seeded fourth  drew a qualifier in the first round but could meet fellow russian svetlana kuznetsova  the us open winner  in the last eight1 roger federer  switzerland 2 andy roddick  us 3 lleyton hewitt  australia 4 marat safin  russia 5 carlos moya  spain 6 guillermo coria  argentina 7 tim henman  britain 8 andre agassi  us 9 david nalbandian  argentina 10 gaston gaudio  argentina 11 joachim johansson  sweden 12 guillermo canas  argentina 13 tommy robredo  spain 14 sebastien grosjean  france 15 mikhail youzhny  russia 16 tommy haas  germany 17 andrei pavel  romania 18 nicolas massu  chile 19 vincent spadea  us 20 dominik hrbaty  slovakia 21 nicolas kiefer  germany 22 ivan ljubicic  croatia 23 fernando gonzalez  chile 24 feliciano lopez  spain 25 juan ignacio chela  argentina 26 nikolay davydenko  russia 27 paradorn srichaphan  thailand 28 mario ancic  croatia 29 taylor dent  us 30 thomas johansson  sweden 31 juan carlos ferrero  spain 32 jurgen melzer  austria 1 lindsay davenport  us 2 amelie mauresmo  france 3 anastasia myskina  russia 4 maria sharapova  russia 5 svetlana kuznetsova  russia 6 elena dementieva  russia 7 serena williams  us 8 venus williams  us 9 vera zvonareva  russia 10 alicia molik  australia 11 nadia petrova  russia 12 patty schnyder  switzerland 13 karolina sprem  croatia 14 francesca schiavone  italy 15 silvia farina elia  italy 16 ai sugiyama  japan 17 fabiola zuluaga  colombia 18 elena likhovtseva  russia 19 nathalie dechy  france 20 tatiana golovin  france 21 amy frazier  us 22 magdalena maleeva  bulgaria 23 jelena jankovic  serbia and montenegro 24 mary pierce  france 25 lisa raymond  us 26 daniela hantuchova  slovakia 27 anna smashnova  israel 28 shinobu asagoe  japan 29 gisela dulko  argentina 30 flavia pennetta  italy 31 jelena kostanic  croatia 32 iveta benesova  czech republic  
tennis	693	moya suffers shock lossfifth seed carlos moya was the first big name to fall at the australian open as he went down to fellow spaniard guillermo garcia lopez on monday 
tennis	693	moya began the year with victory at the chennai open but looked out of sorts from the start in the melbourne heat 
tennis	693	garcia lopez  ranked 106 in the world  dominated from the outset and withstood a third set rally from moya to hang on for a 7 5 6 3 3 6 6 3 victory 
tennis	693	the 21 year old plays kevin kim or lee hyuung taik in the second round 
tennis	693	garcia lopez was delighted with the victory in only his third ever grand slam match 
tennis	693	 i think this was the most important win of my life as carlos is one of the best players in the world   he said 
tennis	693	 this has given me a lot of confidence 
tennis	693	now i feel i can beat all these players 
tennis	693	  moya said   i was playing well before i came here 
tennis	693	it was the perfect preparation but something was wrong today 
tennis	693	 four time champion andre agassi began what could be his last australian open with a convincing win over german qualifier dieter kindlmann 
tennis	693	the 34 year old american  who had been struggling with a hip injury earlier in the week  stormed to a 6 4 6 3 6 0 win 
tennis	693	agassi will play france s olivier patience or germany s rainer schuettler   the man he beat in the 2003 final   in the next round 
tennis	693	 no one was more concerned  about the injury  than myself   said eighth seed agassi 
tennis	693	 i d worked hard to be down here and ready 
tennis	693	but the last few days  i ve pushed through the injury and it seemed to do pretty good 
tennis	693	  in other matches  world junior champion gael monfils made use of his wild card with a magnificent 1 6 6 3 6 4 7 6  8 6  win over american robby ginepri 
tennis	693	the 2002 champion thomas johansson fought back to beat peter luczak 7 6  7 5  4 6 6 3 4 6 6 0  and french open champion gaston gaudio beat justin gimelstob 7 6  7 3  6 4 6 3 
tennis	693	seeds dominik hrbaty  ivan ljubicic and mario ancic made comfortable progress  but former french open champion albert costa lost to bjorn phau 
tennis	694	clijsters hope on aussie openkim clijsters has denied reports that she has pulled out of january s australian open because of her persistent wrist injury 
tennis	694	open chief paul mcnamee had said   kim s wrist obviously isn t going to be rehabilitated 
tennis	694	  but her spokesman insisted she had simply delayed submitting her entry 
tennis	694	 the doctors are assessing her injury on a weekly basis and if there is no risk she could play 
tennis	694	but if there s the least risk she will stay away 
tennis	694	  despite being absent from the wta entry list for the tournament  which begins on 17 january  clijsters would be certain to get a wild card if she requested one 
tennis	694	clijsters is still ranked 22nd in the world despite only playing a handful of matches last season 
tennis	694	the belgian had an operation on her left wrist early in the season but injured it again on her return to the tour 
tennis	694	meanwhile  jelena dokic  who used to compete for australia  has opted out of the first grand slam of the season 
tennis	694	dokic has not played in the australian open since 2001 when she lost in the first round 
tennis	694	but the 21 year old would have had to rely on a wild card next season because her ranking has tumbled to 127th 
tennis	694	four time champion monica seles  who has not played since last year s french open  is another absentee because of an injured left foot 
tennis	695	clijsters could play aussie openkim clijsters has denied reports that she has pulled out of january s australian open because of her persistent wrist injury 
tennis	695	open chief paul mcnamee had said   kim s wrist obviously isn t going to be rehabilitated 
tennis	695	  but her spokesman insisted she had simply delayed submitting her entry 
tennis	695	 the doctors are assessing her injury on a weekly basis and if there is no risk she could play 
tennis	695	but if there s the least risk she will stay away 
tennis	695	  despite being absent from the wta entry list for the tournament  which begins on 17 january  clijsters would be certain to get a wild card if she requested one 
tennis	695	clijsters is still ranked 22nd in the world despite only playing a handful of matches last season 
tennis	695	the belgian had an operation on her left wrist early in the season but injured it again on her return to the tour 
tennis	695	meanwhile  jelena dokic  who used to compete for australia  has opted out of the first grand slam of the season 
tennis	695	dokic has not played in the australian open since 2001 when she lost in the first round 
tennis	695	but the 21 year old would have had to rely on a wild card next season because her ranking has tumbled to 127th 
tennis	695	four time champion monica seles  who has not played since last year s french open  is another absentee because of an injured left foot 
tennis	696	edgy agassi struggles past dentandre agassi put in an erratic display before edging into the fourth round of the australian open with victory over taylor dent 
tennis	696	the 34 year old american  seeded eighth  made a poor start  dropping serve early on and later needing two chances to serve out the set 
tennis	696	having secured the lead  agassi still failed to take control as both players forced a succession of breaks 
tennis	696	but agassi won the tie break before wrapping up a 7 5 7 6  7 3  6 1 win 
tennis	696	fourth seedsurvived an injury scare as he battled past mario ancic 6 4 3 6 6 3 6 4 
tennis	696	the russian turned his right ankle in the third game of the fourth set and called for treatment immediately 
tennis	696	but he showed no sign of the problem when he returned to the court to wrap up victory in two hours 45 minutes 
tennis	696	ancic  wimbledon semi finalist in 2004  looked set to push safin all the way when he took the second set but safin raised his game to sink the croatian 
tennis	696	safin said he was trying to keep his temper under control at this year s tournament 
tennis	696	the russian hit himself on the head repeatedly in one second set outburst but was otherwise largely calm in his victory 
tennis	696	 i try to stay calm because if you go crazy against players like ancic  you might never come back because he s a tough opponent   he said 
tennis	696	 i m a little bit calmer than i was before because i d had enough 
tennis	696	  the russian added that he was not worried by his ankle injury 
tennis	696	 i have had a lot of problems with that ankle before   it will be ok   he said 
tennis	696	 s route to the fourth round was made easy when opponent jarkko nieminen was forced to retire from their match 
tennis	696	the top seed and defending champion was leading 6 3 5 2 when nieminen pulled out with an abdominal injury 
tennis	696	federer had been in patchy form until then   mixing 19 unforced errors with 19 winners 
tennis	696	the world number one will play cypriotnext after the former world junior champion beat tommy robredo 7 6  7 2  6 4 6 1 
tennis	696	federer admitted he was under extra pressure after extending his winning streak to a career best 24 
tennis	696	 they are so used to me winning  but it s not that simple   he said 
tennis	696	 i had a feeling this could be a tough match 
tennis	696	i had a bad start but i bounced back 
tennis	696	i always want to play better than i am  but i thought i was pretty ok 
tennis	696	  french open championis out of the tournament after a five set defeat by dominik hrbaty 
tennis	696	hrbaty defeated the 10th seed 7 6  7 5  6 7  8 10  6 7  3 7  6 1 6 3 in a match lasting four hours and 21 minutes 
tennis	696	the pair traded 16 service breaks during an exhausting baseline battle  with hrbaty taking a decisive advantage in the eighth game of the final set 
tennis	696	hrbaty will now play 2002 champion  who outlasted american kevin kim 3 6 6 2 6 7 6 2 6 2 
tennis	697	roddick splits from coach gilbertandy roddick has ended an 18 month association with coach brad gilbert which yielded the us open title and saw the american become world number one 
tennis	697	roddick released a statement through the sfx sports group with the news but did not give a reason for the split 
tennis	697	 the decision to not re hire brad gilbert for the 2005 season is based on what i think is best for my game at this time   said roddick 
tennis	697	 any more on this situation s a private matter between coach and player 
tennis	697	  roddick won 121 of his 147 matches while working with gilbert  and said he had enjoyed their time together 
tennis	697	he won his first grand slam event at flushing meadows last year  and finished 2003 on top of the atp tour rankings 
tennis	697	but roddick slipped to second this year behind roger federer  who became the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a season 
tennis	697	federer  who has not had a coach since he split from peter lundgren at the end of last year  beat roddick to win the wimbledon title and in two other tournament finals 
tennis	697	roddick hired gilbert after deciding to part from coach tarik benhabiles in the wake of his first round exit at the 2003 french open 
tennis	697	he went on to win the us open and four other titles for the year 
tennis	697	he has won four events this season 
tennis	697	 i have enjoyed all of my time with andy   gilbert said on his personal website 
tennis	697	 he has been a great student of the game during the time that we worked together and i am very proud of the results that were achieved 
tennis	697	 while i believe that there is still a great deal of work to be done  andy clearly does not feel that way 
tennis	697	  
tennis	698	roddick in talks over new coachandy roddick is reportedly close to confirming us davis cup assistant dean goldfine as his new coach 
tennis	698	roddick ended his 18 month partnership with brad gilbert on monday  and goldfine admits talks have taken place 
tennis	698	 we had a really good conversation and we re on the same page in terms of what i expect from a player in commitment and what he wants   said goldfine 
tennis	698	 the reading i got from him is that i would have a lot of the qualities he s looking for in a coach 
tennis	698	  speaking to told south florida s sun sentinel newspaper  goldfine added   that being said  from his standpoint  which is smart  he wants to cover all his bases 
tennis	698	 i think andy wants a long term relationship and wants to make sure it s the right fit 
tennis	698	the best fit 
tennis	698	  goldfine  39  has worked with todd martin and roddick s close friend mardy fish  and was an assistant coach with the us olympic team 
tennis	698	martin is the other name to have been linked to the vacant post alongside roddick 
tennis	699	hewitt survives nalbandian epichome favourite lleyton hewitt came through a dramatic five set battle with argentine david nalbandian to reach the australian open semi finals 
tennis	699	hewitt looked to be cruising to victory after racing into a two set lead 
tennis	699	but nalbandian broke his serve three times in both of the next two sets to set up a nailbiting decider 
tennis	699	hewitt eventually grabbed the vital break in the 17th game and served out to win 6 3 6 2 1 6 3 6 10 8 and set up a meeting with andy roddick 
tennis	699	the winner of that match will face either roger federer or marat safin in the final 
tennis	699	ninth seed nalbandian had never come back from two sets down to win a match  and there was no indication he would do so as hewitt dominated the first two sets 
tennis	699	the argentine had stoked up the temperature ahead of the match by saying hewitt s exuberant on court celebrations were  not very good for the sport  
tennis	699	and he had words with hewitt during one change of ends in the second set when the australian appeared to brush shoulders with him as they went to their chairs 
tennis	699	the balance of power changed completely in the third set as hewitt allowed his level to dip  and he double faulted twice as nalbandian broke on the way to taking the fourth set 
tennis	699	but the tiring third seed showed incredible reserves of strength to force the break despite being outplayed for much of the final set and three times coming within two points of defeat 
tennis	699	he then produced a love service game to finish off the match in four hours and five minutes 
tennis	699	 i just kept hanging in there 
tennis	699	it was always tough serving second in the fifth set   said hewitt  who had never reached the last four at his home grand slam 
tennis	699	 i told myself to give everything and in the end it paid off once again 
tennis	699	 it s a long way from holding that trophy up there but i m hanging in there 
tennis	699	 only four guys left that can win and we re the top four in the world 
tennis	699	it s set up for a pretty good showdown in the semis and finals 
tennis	699	  
tennis	700	sydney return for henin hardenneolympic champion justine henin hardenne will return to action in january s sydney international tournament 
tennis	700	the belgian has not competed since losing her top world ranking at the us open in september  where she was beaten in the fourth round by nadia petrova 
tennis	700	she took time out to shake off a virus but will defend her titles in sydney and at the australian open 
tennis	700	women s world number one lindsay davenport and french open champion anastasia myskina will also compete 
tennis	700	in the men s event  world number three lleyton hewitt returns to defend his title  along with runner up carlos moya 
tennis	700	moya  spain s davis cup final hero in their recent win over the us  had to retire with an ankle injury in the first set of the final 
tennis	700	tournament director craig watson said   i had a message relayed to me from him after spain s davis cup victory  saying he was looking forward to trying to make up for his disappointment in the  2004  final 
tennis	700	the tournament will take place from 9 15 january 
tennis	701	koubek suspended after drugs teststefan koubek says he has been banned for three months by the international tennis federation  itf  after testing positive for a banned substance 
tennis	701	the world number 60 failed a routine drugs test at this year s french open but now plans to lodge an appeal 
tennis	701	koubek believes an injection given to him by an austrian doctor to treat a wrist injury is to blame for producing traces of the substance in his system 
tennis	701	 i have acted correctly   the 27 year old austrian said in a statement 
tennis	701	koubek  who defeated britain s greg rusedski in the decisive rubber of the davis cup in september  is now set to miss the start of the season 
tennis	701	he said   a three month ban would mean that i not only will miss the australian open  but also the davis cup in australia 
tennis	701	  
tennis	702	hewitt fights back to reach finallleyton hewitt kept his dream of an australian open title alive with a four set win over andy roddick in friday s second semi final 
tennis	702	the home favourite will face marat safin in sunday s final after coming through 3 6 7 6  7 3  7 6  7 4  6 1 
tennis	702	hewitt fought back from a set down and trailed in both tie breaks but would not be denied  thrilling the melbourne crowd with a typically battling effort 
tennis	702	he is aiming to be the first australian winner since mark edmondson in 1976 
tennis	702	hewitt is the first australian to make the final since pat cash lost to mats wilander in 1988  but faces a huge challenge against safin   the conqueror of roger federer 
tennis	702	after needing five sets in his last two matches there was reason to think hewitt might struggle for fitness 
tennis	702	he certainly made a sluggish start  dropping his opening service game  and roddick dominated with his huge serve as he took the first set 
tennis	702	after 12 tense games in the second  the key moment came when hewitt raised his game in the tie break to overturn an early mini break 
tennis	702	that energised the crowd but roddick was not finished and raced 4 1 clear in the crucial third before hewitt pegged him back and forced another tie break 
tennis	702	again roddick broke first and again hewitt fought back  taking the lead with a superb backhand pass 
tennis	702	the australian was not to be denied and a disheartened roddick made little impact in the fourth set as hewitt raced to victory  sending the melbourne crowd wild and ensuring the final will be a huge occasion 
tennis	702	 it s awesome   said hewitt 
tennis	702	 i started preparing for this tournament nine months ago 
tennis	702	 i ve done a lot of hard yards to get here 
tennis	702	 i ve always said i d do anything to get in the first night final at the australian open 
tennis	702	now i ve got my chance 
tennis	702	  roddick was furious with himself for failing to take advantage of leads in both tie breaks 
tennis	702	 i m usually pretty money in those   said roddick 
tennis	702	 either one of those would have given me a distinct advantage 
tennis	702	 i m mad  i felt i was in there with a shot 
tennis	702	he put himself in position to win big points 
tennis	702	i donated a little more than i would have wanted 
tennis	702	  and the american played down the influence of one spectator who appeared to contribute to a double fault by shouting during rodick s service action 
tennis	702	 it just took one jackass to shout out   said roddick  adding that the crowd overall was  very respectful  
tennis	703	officials respond in court rowaustralian tennis  top official has defended the australian open courts at melbourne park after criticism of the playing surface by lleyton hewitt 
tennis	703	hewitt said he had had a  gutful  of trying to persuade them to make the surface faster but tennis australia s geoff pollard rejected his comments 
tennis	703	 we did ask for it to be made faster than last year and  to my knowledge  it is faster   he said 
tennis	703	 we spent a substantial amount of money on modifications to make it faster 
tennis	703	  hewitt  who has not got past the fourth round at melbourne in seven attempts  had earlier said the surface was not worthy of such a prestigious tournament 
tennis	703	but he said he would play on whatever surface he had to in order to have a chance of winning 
tennis	703	the tournament starts on 17 january  and pollard said the surface had been speeded up since last year s tournament following complaints by several australian players 
tennis	703	but he refused to accept that the melbourne surface may have had a bearing on hewitt s performances over the years 
tennis	703	 lleyton s proving how versatile he is on all surfaces   he said 
tennis	703	 it is faster than last year and that ll be faster than the one lleyton beat roger federer on in the davis cup in 2003 
tennis	703	  
tennis	704	williams battles to aussie titleserena williams staged a remarkable recovery to beat lindsay davenport and win her second australian open title 
tennis	704	the 2003 champion claimed her seventh grand slam title  and her first since wimbledon in 2003  2 6 6 3 6 0 
tennis	704	williams had looked close to quitting with a rib injury when she left the court for treatment after five games 
tennis	704	she quickly dropped the first set but from 3 3 in the second found another gear as davenport s game collapsed  allowing williams to take the title 
tennis	704	williams later explained her injury problem  saying it was the result of lunging for a ball early in the first set 
tennis	704	 lindsay had me on the run out wide on my backhand and my back went but eventually i was able to come back  thank goodness   she said 
tennis	704	davenport paid tribute to williams  saying   she s had a tough couple of years and she s come back like a champion 
tennis	704	 the 23 year old former world number one was in desperate trouble in the early stages as the injury hampered her service action 
tennis	704	davenport took advantage to race through the opening set and held six break points in game five of the second 
tennis	704	 i kept thinking to myself  i m not losing this game   said williams afterwards 
tennis	704	  i don t care if my arm falls off  i m not losing this game  
tennis	704	and i guess that s what happened 
tennis	704	 i didn t want to lose that particular game because it would have given her a lot of momentum  and a lot of confidence 
tennis	704	  despite letting the break points slip away davenport looked comfortable enough at 3 3  but from 40 0 up she just folded 
tennis	704	williams won nine consecutive points for the set and powered through the decider as a lacklustre davenport looked to have run out of energy after a gruelling two weeks 
tennis	704	 i felt like i was playing well and in control pretty much of the match   said davenport 
tennis	704	 then i just had that horrible lapse  i think serving up 40 0  and made a few errors and opened up the door for her and she just kept going through it 
tennis	704	 at the end i think i was a little bit fatigued but she took advantage of it and kept going   she s a great frontrunner when she gets going 
tennis	704	  
tennis	705	safin cool on wimbledonnewly crowned australian open champion marat safin has ruled out any chance of winning wimbledon in the future 
tennis	705	after losing in round one last year  safin said he had  given up  on wimbledon and winning his second grand slam title has not changed his mind 
tennis	705	 i ll play  but with no expectations 
tennis	705	i feel like i can t waste my time  my energy on that surface   he said 
tennis	705	 some people  they cannot play on clay 
tennis	705	some people  they cannot play on a hard court 
tennis	705	me  i can t play on grass 
tennis	705	  however  safin is hopeful that winning the australian open will give him the belief he needs to win more grand slam titles 
tennis	705	 it s a relief for me 
tennis	705	two grand slams  it s already something 
tennis	705	but with this one i worked really hard for it   he said 
tennis	705	 basically  i would love to win a couple more 
tennis	705	i think i have a chance if i continue this way 
tennis	705	 if  coach  peter lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for a bit longer  i think i can make it 
tennis	705	  the 25 year old shocked pete sampras in the 2000 us open final to win his first major title but then lost in two australian open finals 
tennis	705	safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another grand slam 
tennis	705	 i didn t expect that  to win the 2000 us open    it was against sampras  i wasn t the favourite so i had no pressure whatsoever   he said 
tennis	705	 after the first final that i didn t win against thomas johansson  in 2002   i couldn t see myself winning the grand slams anymore 
tennis	705	 i was once in the semi finals of the french open  but i didn t believe i can win it 
tennis	705	 i just couldn t handle the pressure 
tennis	705	you need to believe in yourself  and i didn t 
tennis	705	 and after losing the first set 6 1 to lleyton hewitt in sunday s final  safin said he began to doubt himself again 
tennis	705	 i am 25 
tennis	705	i m playing against hewitt 
tennis	705	at least you have to have the opportunity to win it  at least have a chance   he said 
tennis	705	 it s like you go there and you lose first set 6 1  then you start to think   this is not my day 
tennis	705	the way i m playing is ridiculous 
tennis	705	   but then you start to really be a little bit more selfish and try to find a way out of there 
tennis	705	 and i found it 
tennis	705	i was like really much i was much happier than in 2000  that s for sure  because i get over it 
tennis	705	  
tennis	706	safin plays down wimbledon hopesnewly crowned australian open champion marat safin has ruled out any chance of winning wimbledon in the future 
tennis	706	after losing in round one last year  safin said he had  given up  on wimbledon and winning his second grand slam title has not changed his mind 
tennis	706	 i ll play  but with no expectations 
tennis	706	i feel like i can t waste my time  my energy on that surface   he said 
tennis	706	 some people  they cannot play on clay 
tennis	706	some people  they cannot play on a hard court 
tennis	706	me  i can t play on grass 
tennis	706	  however  safin is hopeful that winning the australian open will give him the belief he needs to win more grand slam titles 
tennis	706	 it s a relief for me 
tennis	706	two grand slams  it s already something 
tennis	706	but with this one i worked really hard for it   he said 
tennis	706	 basically  i would love to win a couple more 
tennis	706	i think i have a chance if i continue this way 
tennis	706	 if  coach  peter lundgren will stick around with me and wants to work with me for a bit longer  i think i can make it 
tennis	706	  the 25 year old shocked pete sampras in the 2000 us open final to win his first major title but then lost in two australian open finals 
tennis	706	safin admitted he had begun to doubt whether he would win another grand slam 
tennis	706	 i didn t expect that  to win the 2000 us open    it was against sampras  i wasn t the favourite so i had no pressure whatsoever   he said 
tennis	706	 after the first final that i didn t win against thomas johansson  in 2002   i couldn t see myself winning the grand slams anymore 
tennis	706	 i was once in the semi finals of the french open  but i didn t believe i can win it 
tennis	706	 i just couldn t handle the pressure 
tennis	706	you need to believe in yourself  and i didn t 
tennis	706	 and after losing the first set 6 1 to lleyton hewitt in sunday s final  safin said he began to doubt himself again 
tennis	706	 i am 25 
tennis	706	i m playing against hewitt 
tennis	706	at least you have to have the opportunity to win it  at least have a chance   he said 
tennis	706	 it s like you go there and you lose first set 6 1  then you start to think   this is not my day 
tennis	706	the way i m playing is ridiculous 
tennis	706	   but then you start to really be a little bit more selfish and try to find a way out of there 
tennis	706	 and i found it 
tennis	706	i was like really much i was much happier than in 2000  that s for sure  because i get over it 
tennis	706	  
tennis	707	nadal puts spain 2 0 upresult  nadal 6 7  6 8  6 2 7 6  8 6  6 2 roddickspain s rafael nadal beats andy roddick of the usa in the second singles match rubber of the 2004 davis cup final in seville 
tennis	707	spain lead 1 0 after carlos moya beat mardy fish in straight sets in the opening match of the tie 
tennis	707	nadal holds his nerve and the crowd goes wild as spain go 2 0 up in the tie 
tennis	707	roddick holds serve to force nadal to serve for the match but the american surely cannot turn things around now 
tennis	707	nadal works roddick around the court on two consecutive points to earn two break points 
tennis	707	one is enough  the spaniard secures the double break and roddick is now teetering on the edge 
tennis	707	roddick is trying to gee himself up but the clay surface is taking its toll on his game and he is looking tired 
tennis	707	nadal wins the game to love 
tennis	707	nadal steps up the pressure to break and spain have the early initiative in the fourth set 
tennis	707	nadal also holds convincingly as both players feel their way into the fourth set 
tennis	707	roddick shrugs off the disappointment of losing the third set tiebreak and breezes through his first service game of the fourth set 
tennis	707	nadal earns the first mini break in the tiebreak as the match enters its fourth hour 
tennis	707	a couple of stunning points follow  one where nadal chases down a roddick shot and turns into a passing winner 
tennis	707	then roddick produces some amazing defence at the net to take the score to 4 4 
tennis	707	roddick has two serves for the set but double faults to take the score to 5 5 
tennis	707	nadal saves a roddick set point then earns his own with a drive volley   and a crosscourt passing winner sends the crowd wild 
tennis	707	nadal tries to up his aggression and he passes roddick down the line to go 15 40 and two set points up 
tennis	707	roddick saves the first with a desperate lunge volley and smacks a volley winner across the court to take the score back to deuce before securing the game 
tennis	707	the set will go to another tiebreak 
tennis	707	nadal enjoys another straightforward hold and roddick must once again serve to stay in the set 
tennis	707	roddick again holds on  despite some brilliant shot making from his opponent 
tennis	707	nadal races through his service game to put the pressure straight back onto roddick 
tennis	707	roddick hangs in on his serve to level matters but nadal is making him fight for every point 
tennis	707	nadal could be suffering a disappointment hangover from the previous game as he goes 0 30 down and then has to save a break point after a tremendous rally in which he is forced into some brilliant defence 
tennis	707	but it pays off and the spaniard edges ahead in the set 
tennis	707	roddick s serve is not firing as ferociously as usual and has to rely on his sheer competitive determination to stay in the set 
tennis	707	three times  nadal forces a break point and three times the world number two hangs in 
tennis	707	and roddick s grit pays off as he manages to hold 
tennis	707	roddick still looks a bit sluggish but he attacks the net and is rewarded with a break point  which nadal saves with a good first serve and the spaniard goes on to hold 
tennis	707	there is a disruption in play as roddick is upset about something in the crowd 
tennis	707	the spanish captain gets involved as does the match referee but it is unclear what the problem is 
tennis	707	one thing for certain is that the crowd are roused into support of nadal and they go wild when roddick loses the next point and goes break point down 
tennis	707	roddick saves the break point and then bangs down his ninth ace before clinching the game with a service winner 
tennis	707	the game passes the two hour mark as nadal holds serve to edge ahead in the third set 
tennis	707	now roddick has to defend a break point and he produces a characteristic ace to save it 
tennis	707	it is immediately followed by another and he holds with a little dinked half volley winner 
tennis	707	roddick is looking a little leaden footed but does carve out a break point for himself 
tennis	707	but he plays it poorly and nadal avoids the danger 
tennis	707	roddick has gone off the boil and again struggles 
tennis	707	he fails to get down properly for a low forehand volley and gives nadal three break points 
tennis	707	the american blasts an ace to save one but follows up with a double fault and the rubber is level 
tennis	707	nadal edges towards taking the second set with a comfortable hold 
tennis	707	two good serves put roddick 30 0 up but he then makes a couple of errors to find himself 30 40 down 
tennis	707	he saves the break point with an ace and then manages to hold 
tennis	707	roddick s level has dropped while nadal is on a hot streak 
tennis	707	the spaniard includes a superb crosscourt winner off the back foot as he races through his service game without dropping a point 
tennis	707	roddick double faults twice and nadal takes full advantage of the break point offered  powering a passing winner past roddick 
tennis	707	nadal wins another tight game 
tennis	707	neither player has dipped from the high standard of play in the first set 
tennis	707	nadal puts the american under pressure and roddick saves a break point with a superb stop volley before going on to hold 
tennis	707	nadal puts the disappointment of losing the first set tiebreak to claim the opening game in the second 
tennis	707	roddick double faults to concede the first mini break and then nadal loops a crosscourt winner to seize advantage in the tiebreak 
tennis	707	he lets one slip but wins his next serve to earn three set points 
tennis	707	but roddick saves them and then earns one himself 
tennis	707	nadal comes up with a down the line winner but then nets tamely on roddick s next set point 
tennis	707	nadal s nerve is tested as he tries to force a tiebreak 
tennis	707	both players come up with some scintillating tennis and the spaniard has several chances to clinch the game before finally doing so when roddick drives wide 
tennis	707	a pulsating game sees nadal racing round the court retrieving and refusing to give roddick any easy points 
tennis	707	the point of the match so far involves roddick s slam dunk smash being returned by nadal before roddick finally manages to end the rally 
tennis	707	on the very next point  nadal blasts a forehand service return from right of court that passes roddick and even the american is forced to applaud 
tennis	707	but roddick comes up with two big serves to polish off the game 
tennis	707	nadal outplays roddick to reach 40 0 but the american fights back to 40 30 before nadal s powerful crosscourt forehand winner secures the game 
tennis	707	the crowd are getting very involved  cheering between roddick s first and second serves 
tennis	707	but the american comes through to hold and edge ahead in the set 
tennis	707	nadal manages to hold again despite roddick piling the pressure on his serve 
tennis	707	the spaniard wins the game courtesy of another lucky net cord 
tennis	707	roddick double faults buts manages to keep his composure 
tennis	707	a well placed serve is unreturnable and roddick holds 
tennis	707	a powerful ace down the middle gives nadal a simple love service game   the first time he has held serve so far in the match 
tennis	707	if roddick didn t know before  he knows now that he is in a real contest 
tennis	707	another superb game as nadal breaks to once again lift the roof 
tennis	707	he produces some fine groundstrokes to leave roddick chasing shadows 
tennis	707	four of the first five games have seen a break of serve 
tennis	707	despite the disappointment of losing his serve  roddick is not phased and storms into a 40 15 lead when the umpire leaves his seat to confirm a close line call 
tennis	707	nadal takes the next point but roddick breaks again with a sharp volley at the net 
tennis	707	roddick s advantage is short lived as nadal breaks back immediately 
tennis	707	a fortunate net cord helps the spaniard on his way and when roddick fires a forehand cross court shot wide to lose his serve  nadal pumps his fist in celebration 
tennis	707	the american is pumped up for this clash and takes on nadal s serve from the start 
tennis	707	nadal s drop shot is agonisingly called out and roddick claims the vital first break 
tennis	707	after moya s win in the opening rubber  a raucous seville crowd is buoyed by nadal s impressive start which sees him race into a 30 0 lead 
tennis	707	however roddick fights back to hold his serve 
tennis	708	henman   murray claim lta awardstim henman was named player of the year for 2004 by the lawn tennis association at wimbledon on monday 
tennis	708	the briton was recognised for the best year of his career  which saw him reach the semis at the french and us opens 
tennis	708	scotland s andrew murray was named young player of the year after winning the us open juniors  as well as a futures event in italy 
tennis	708	and world number one peter norfolk won disabled player of the year after claiming his third us open crown 
tennis	708	great britain s under 14 boys won the team of the year prize for their victory at the world junior tennis event in august 
tennis	708	henman will start his 2005 campaign at the kooyong event on 12 january in a field that includes roger federer  andy roddick and andre agassi 
tennis	708	and the briton is optimistic of surpassing his best effort of a fourth round place at the australian open  which begins the following week 
tennis	708	 i ve often felt that the conditions suit my game in melbourne so i d love to be able to start next year by doing well at the australian open   henman told his website 
tennis	708	 that s why i ve changed my schedule slightly by committing to play in the kooyong classic 
tennis	708	 i ll be able to acclimatise while practising before the event and then will be guaranteed matches against the best players in the world 
tennis	708	 i think that will give me the best possible chance of doing well at the australian open 
tennis	708	  
tennis	709	connors  rallying cry for british tennis do you have it in your heart  how much guts do you have  how much do you hate to lose  these are the questions jimmy connors will be asking of britain s brightest tennis hopes in the months  and possibly years  to come 
tennis	709	the american legend swept into london on thursday to announce a  long term  relationship with the lawn tennis association after spending three days at the elite performance winter camp in la manga 
tennis	709	and the man who epitomised the phrase  will to win  before lleyton hewitt was even born is clear about the qualities he hopes to convey 
tennis	709	 you know  everybody hits the ball well and there s a very fine line between number one and number 100   said connors 
tennis	709	 i was that fine line for a long time 
tennis	709	but if i can help  i want to be part of teaching kids how to win 
tennis	709	 connors is not the first great name to offer his services to the lta   his long time rival john mcenroe has repeatedly done the same 
tennis	709	but connors is at pains to point out that his interest goes well beyond any publicity stunt  and he gave a glowing recommendation to the work of lta performance director david felgate and his team 
tennis	709	 britain has a different attitude  the right attitude  in taking the game forward and finding the next wimbledon champion   said connors 
tennis	709	 that s something you don t find every day 
tennis	709	everybody talks a good game but not everybody puts that into effect 
tennis	709	 the impression i came away with after just seeing david and the other coaches for three days was one like i ve never seen before  especially over here 
tennis	709	 this is not going to happen overnight  there are no miracle workers  but you re going in the right direction 
tennis	709	  the 52 year old s enthusiasm for the work going on in this country is in marked contrast to his relationship with tennis officials back in america 
tennis	709	 i ve had discussions with the usta  united states tennis association  over a number of years   he said 
tennis	709	 that s where it  my input  ended 
tennis	709	  connors is a straight talker and will be equally blunt and honest in his dealings with the lta and the cream of britain s young players 
tennis	709	 if they re chosen  they ve got to produce   he said 
tennis	709	 if not  someone will come and take their place 
tennis	709	there s only one number one spot and it s lonely up there  but it s got the best view 
tennis	709	  in the year that has seen andrew murray emerge as britain s great new hope  connors rejected suggestions that the scot might be put under too much pressure too soon 
tennis	709	 tim henman has a whole country on his shoulder   said connors 
tennis	709	 i don t know that pressure  but if you like that it can be a certain push to get on to the next level 
tennis	709	 someone s going to have to come and take over from him  henman  
tennis	709	if i was andrew murray  i d embrace that 
tennis	709	that s what we play for 
tennis	709	  despite the emphasis on hard work  training and preparation  connors does admit that the desire required of a champion has to come from within 
tennis	709	 the passion i had  i don t know if you can find that   he admitted 
tennis	709	 i was also nuts 
tennis	709	i say that because there was nothing better for me than to compete on the tennis court 
tennis	709	 it was the most important thing in the world for me  and to do that something s got to be not right with you 
tennis	709	there was nothing better for me ever than to play tennis in front of 25 000 people 
tennis	709	 what i had when i played tennis is what i am 
tennis	709	you have to have that  you can t be moulded 
tennis	709	  
tennis	710	roche  turns down federer offer australian tennis coach tony roche has turned down an approach from roger federer to be the world number one s new full time coach  say reports 
tennis	710	melbourne s herald sun said roche  troubled by a hip complaint  did not want to travel full time again 
tennis	710	however  roche is happy to work with the swiss star on a casual basis and is helping him prepare for next month s defence of his australian open crown 
tennis	710	federer has been without a coach since splitting with peter lundgren in 2003 
tennis	710	roche  a former davis cup player for australia  won the french open  reached the wimbledon and us open finals and won five wimbledon doubles titles with john newcombe 
tennis	710	he also coached former number one ivan lendl and pat rafter to grand slam victories and has worked with australia s lleyton hewitt 
tennis	710	some reports claim federer initially wanted andre agassi s australian coach darren cahill  before agassi confirmed he would play on in 2005 
tennis	710	federer was named swiss sportsman of the year on saturday  to add to the bbc overseas sportsman and european sports journalists association awards he has already won 
tennis	711	federer joins all time greatsthe last year has seen one player dominate men s tennis  and one country dominate the women s game 
tennis	711	roger federer became the first man since mats wilander in 1988 to win three grand slams in one season 
tennis	711	and after anastasia myskina became the first russian woman to win a grand slam at the french open  two more followed at wimbledon and the us open 
tennis	711	meanwhile  briton tim henman enjoyed his best year  while greg rusedski fought back superbly from adversity 
tennis	711	federer began the year as world number one and holder of the wimbledon and masters cup titles  and set about conquering new ground 
tennis	711	the swiss sounded warning of the dominance to come at the australian open 
tennis	711	he ripped through the draw before beating marat safin in the final 
tennis	711	andy roddick was the only player to put up any real resistance at wimbledon  and federer s performance against lleyton hewitt in the us open final was breathtaking 
tennis	711	federer again got the better of hewitt in the season ending masters cup 
tennis	711	his victory in houston proved to be his 13th successive win in a final  an open era record 
tennis	711	the only major let down was a third round loss to gustavo kuerten at the french open  and roland garros will be his main target in 2005 
tennis	711	there was also a surprise loss to the unheralded tomas berdych at the olympic games  which saw chile dominate as nicoals massu took the singles and then paired up with fernando gonzaelz to win doubles gold 
tennis	711	another major trophy that looks beyond federer is the davis cup  which was won by spain in a 3 2 home success over the usa in seville 
tennis	711	roddick struggled on the clay  losing to rafael nadal on the opening day before going down to carlos moya in the all important fourth rubber 
tennis	711	henman broke new ground by reaching the semis on clay at the french open   a stunning effort   and also at the us open 
tennis	711	a quarter final defeat to mario ancic at wimbledon was disappointing for the limp manner of the briton s defeat  but he remains optimistic of going further next year 
tennis	711	british number two rusedski endured a rollercoaster year  returning to the circuit after being cleared of a doping offence in march 
tennis	711	with his ranking down at 168  many feared the 31 year old s career was over  but he battled back in the second half of the season to re enter the top 50 
tennis	711	the russian women finally delivered on their long recognised promise in 2004  with myskina  maria sharapova and svetlana kuznetsova winning grand slams  before taking the season ending fed cup 
tennis	711	but while the young russians were on the way up  it was a different story for the belgians and the williams sisters 
tennis	711	only veteran lindsay davenport held the new wave at bay  a stunning run of form after wimbledon taking her to number one ahead of amelie mauresmo  whose grand slam drought goes on 
tennis	711	the year started in regulation fashion as justine henin hardenne beat compatriot kim clijsters at the australian open 
tennis	711	a virus ruined the rest of henin hardenne s year  although she was fit enough to win olympic gold  but clijsters had an even more miserable 2004 
tennis	711	she suffered a serious wrist injury and then announced the end of her relationship with lleyton hewitt  and will be happy to see the year end 
tennis	711	in their absence  myskina thrashed elena dementieva in a historic  but woeful  all russian final at the french open 
tennis	711	wimbledon was a more refreshing affair as sharapova captivated sw19  showing nerves of steel as she battled past davenport and serena williams to take the title 
tennis	711	davenport was a strong favourite for the us open but  hampered by injury  lost to the powerful and unflappable kuznetsova in the semis 
tennis	711	kuznetsova went on to give dementieva another grand slam final thrashing  with the latter s wayward serve becoming one of the talking points of the year 
tennis	711	with the russians still improving  the likes of henin hardenne  clijsters  davenport  mauresmo  venus and serena will need to be fully fit and motivated in 2005 
tennis	711	and it may take their compatriot safin to challenge federer on the men s side 
tennis	712	philippoussis doubt over open bidmark philippoussis is almost certain to miss the australian open after suffering a groin injury during the hopman cup loss to the netherlands 
tennis	712	the 28 year old suffered two tears to the adductor muscle and was unable to play in the deciding mixed doubles 
tennis	712	he is now unlikely to be fit in time for the australian open which begins on 17 january in melbourne 
tennis	712	 he has to strengthen it enough to cope with repetitive days of tennis   said hopman cup doctor hamish osborne 
tennis	712	 it would be very unlikely in my opinion for him to do a five setter once  let alone two days in a row  inside two weeks 
tennis	712	 the injury is more common in australian rules football  and a fit footballer would normally take three to four weeks to recover fully although mark s injury is slightly different 
tennis	712	  the australian has suffered a host of injury problems throughout his career but is still holding out slim hope that he can make the event 
tennis	712	 it s something i ll have to go by feel 
tennis	712	i ll start treatment as soon as possible and try to strengthen it without tearing it any more   he said 
tennis	712	 what doesn t kill you makes you stronger 
tennis	712	i know i can come back from this and that s all that matters 
tennis	712	  former world number two tommy haas is also a doubt for the australian open after picking up a thigh injury playing for germany in the hopman cup 
tennis	712	the 26 year old had treatment on his left thigh while leading argentine guillermo coria 7 5 2 2 
tennis	712	he played one more game  but his movement was hampered and he quit 
tennis	713	slovakia reach hopman cup finalslovakia will play argentina in the final of the hopman cup after beating group b rivals the netherlands 3 0 
tennis	713	daniela hantuchova defeated michaella krajicek 6 4 6 2 to give the slovaks the perfect start before dutchman peter wessels retired against dominik hrbaty 
tennis	713	wessels was unable to compete in the mixed doubles but slovakia had already booked their place in the final for the second year running 
tennis	713	argentina claimed top spot in group a with three wins from three matches 
tennis	713	in the other group b match  the united states defeated australia 2 1 
tennis	713	meghann shaughnessy lost the opening match against alicia molik but james blake levelled the tie with a 6 3 6 4 win over paul baccanello  who came in as a replacement for the injured mark philippoussis 
tennis	713	blake and shaughnessy then beat molik and baccanello in a tense mixed doubles contest to take the win 
tennis	713	hantuchova  who did not win a hopman cup singles match in 2004  has been in good form during this year s event and has won two of her three matches 
tennis	713	 i feel like it s really deserved this time as i ve helped dominik to get through   she said 
tennis	713	 i think if i keep going the way i have been in the past few matches then i will be okay 
tennis	713	 i was really pleased with my last two singles  even the first one  which was a really high standard 
tennis	713	 you can t ask for a better preparation than to play a few matches here for the australian open 
tennis	713	  
tennis	714	dent continues adelaide progressamerican taylor dent reached the final of the australian hardcourt event in adelaide with a crushing 6 1 6 1 win over argentine juan ignacio chela 
tennis	714	dent will meet swede joachim johansson on sunday after the second seed survived a tense tie break to defeat belgium s olivier rochus 6 1 7 6  7 5  
tennis	714	johansson  the boyfriend of lleyton hewitt s sister jaslyn  received strong crowd support on saturday 
tennis	714	 it feels like home for me  because jaslyn lives here   said johansson 
tennis	714	rochus was leading 5 4 in the second set tiebreak but his concentration was ruffled by a disputed line call and the match slipped away 
tennis	714	 it was so close   one mistake like this and the match is over  it s tough 
tennis	714	for me  it was clearly out   rochus said 
tennis	715	moya sidesteps davis cup in 2005carlos moya has chosen not to help spain try and defend the davis cup crown they won in seville in november 
tennis	715	moya led spain to victory over the usa but wants to focus on the grand slams in 2005  although insists he will return to the davis cup in 2006 
tennis	715	 after two years of total commitment with the davis cup team 
tennis	715	i have taken this difficult decision to concentrate on the regular circuit   said moya 
tennis	715	 they know that after this season they can count on me again if they so wish 
tennis	715	  the 1998 french open champion is determined to make an impact in the major events after spending much of the last eight years in the top 10 
tennis	715	 at the age of 29 i have set some tough goals in my professional career and this season i need to fix my objectives on specific dates and tournaments   he said 
tennis	715	 since the davis cup in seville i have been working on my condition as well as technical and medical aspects of my game which will allow me to come into the big events of the year in top form 
tennis	715	 moya began 2005 with victory in the chennai open on sunday 
tennis	716	henman decides to quit davis cuptim henman has retired from great britain s davis cup team 
tennis	716	the 30 year old  who made his davis cup debut in 1994  is now set to fully focus on the atp tour and on winning his first grand slam event 
tennis	716	 i ve made no secret of the fact that representing great britain has always been a top priority for me throughout my career   henman told his website 
tennis	716	captain jeremy bates has touted alex bogdanovic and andrew murray as possible replacements for the veteran 
tennis	716	henman added that he was available to help britain in its bid for davis cup success  with the next tie against israel in march 
tennis	716	 although i won t be playing  i would still like to make myself available to both jeremy and the lta in the future so that i can draw upon my experience in the hope of trying to help the british players develop their full potential   he added 
tennis	716	 i ve really enjoyed playing in front of the thousands of british fans both home and abroad and would like to thank every one of them for their unwavering support over the years 
tennis	716	  henman leaves davis cup tennis with an impressive record  having won 36 of his 50 matches 
tennis	716	great britain captain jeremy bates paid tribute to henman s efforts over the years 
tennis	716	 tim has quite simply had a phenomenal davis cup career and it has been an absolute privilege to have captained the team with him in it   said bates 
tennis	716	 tim s magnificent record speaks for itself 
tennis	716	while it s a great loss i completely understand and respect his decision to retire from davis cup and focus on the grand slams and tour 
tennis	716	   looking to the future this decision obviously marks a watershed in british davis cup tennis but it is also a huge opportunity for the next generation to make their mark 
tennis	716	 we have a host of talented players coming through and despite losing someone of tim s calibre  i remain very optimistic about the future 
tennis	716	  henman made his davis cup debut in 1994 against romania in manchester 
tennis	716	he and partner bates won their doubles rubber on the middle saturday of the tie 
tennis	716	britain eventually lost the contest 3 2 
tennis	716	henman and britain had little luck in davis cup matches until 1999 when they qualified for the world group 
tennis	716	britain drew the usa and lost the tie when greg rusedski fell to jim courier in the deciding rubber 
tennis	716	they made the final stages again  in 2002  but this time lost out to the might of sweden 
tennis	717	ivanovic seals canberra victoryserbia s ana ivanovic captured her first wta title with a straight sets victory over hungarian melinda czink in the final of the canberra classic 
tennis	717	the 17 year old took 83 minutes to take the match 7 5 6 1 
tennis	717	ivanovic beat czink in the last round of qualifying but the hungarian made the main draw as a lucky loser after katarina srebotnik withdrew injured 
tennis	717	ivanovic said   i was really nervous in the beginning  but i pulled through and didn t do too much wrong 
tennis	717	  a junior wimbledon finalist last year  she added   it s my first wta title  and to win it has really given me more energy to practice and improve 
tennis	717	  ivanovic will play 32nd seed iveta benesova of the czech republic in the first round 
tennis	717	said of the australian open in melbourne 
tennis	718	minister digs in over doping rowthe belgian sports minister at the centre of the svetlana kuznetsova doping row says he will not apologise for making allegations against her 
tennis	718	claude eerdekens claims the us open champion tested positive for ephedrine at an exhibition event last month 
tennis	718	criticised for making the announcement  he said   i will never apologise 
tennis	718	this product is banned and it s up to her to explain why it s there 
tennis	718	  kuznetsova says the stimulant may have been in a cold remedy she took 
tennis	718	the russian said she did nothing wrong by taking the medicine during the event 
tennis	718	the women s tennis association cleared kuznetsova of any offence because the drug is not banned when taken out of competition 
tennis	718	eerdekens said he made the statement in order to protect the other three players that took part in the tournament  belgian justine henin hardenne  nathalie dechy of france and russia s elena dementieva 
tennis	718	but dechy is fuming that she has been implicated in the row 
tennis	718	 how can you be happy when you see your face on the cover page and talking about doping   dechy said 
tennis	718	 i m really upset about it and i think the belgian government did a really bad job about this 
tennis	718	 i think we deserve an apology from the guy 
tennis	718	you cannot say anything like this   you cannot say some stuff like this  saying it s one of these girls 
tennis	718	this is terrible 
tennis	718	  dementieva is also angry and says that dechy and herself are the real victims of the scandal 
tennis	718	 you have no idea what i have been through all these days 
tennis	718	it s been too hard on me   she said 
tennis	718	 the wta are trying to handle this problem by saying there are three victims  but i see only two victims in this story   me and nathalie dechy  who really have nothing to do with this 
tennis	718	 to be honest with you  i don t feel like i want to talk to sveta at all 
tennis	718	i m just very upset with the way everything has happened 
tennis	718	  
tennis	719	safin relieved at aussie recoverymarat safin admitted he thought he was suffering another australian open final nightmare when he lost the opening set to lleyton hewitt 
tennis	719	the russian  who lost the 2002 and 2004 finals  fought back brilliantly to win 1 6 6 3 6 4 6 4 
tennis	719	 i was nervous and i couldn t play tennis   said safin 
tennis	719	 he started really well 
tennis	719	he wasn t as nervous as i was because i was thinking of the two finals that i played and wasn t successful 
tennis	719	  he added   you really have to deal with the pressure because normally it never happens but when you come to the final you are so tight because you want to win 
tennis	719	 i tried to play some tennis but i couldn t 
tennis	719	he has huge experience  he s won two grand slam titles  he s won 24 titles  he s a great player and he deals with pressure 
tennis	719	 from 4 1 down in the third set  safin played some of his best tennis to reel off seven games and take control of the match 
tennis	719	 in the third set  just all of a sudden  it all turn around completely in a way i couldn t expect   said safin 
tennis	719	 because he made a couple of mistakes  i was a little bit lucky at some point  then the confidence came back and i was back in the game 
tennis	719	  and the russian revealed that the victory  and his semi final win over world number one roger federer  had given him a massive boost for the future 
tennis	719	 you get huge confidence because roger is a great player   said safin 
tennis	719	 once i beat him  and then lleyton  it s like you get so much confidence in yourself that you really can play great 
tennis	719	 you can win big titles and you can beat huge players in the finals and semi finals 
tennis	719	  
tennis	720	veteran martinez wins thai titleconchita martinez won her first title in almost five years with victory over anna lena groenefeld at the volvo women s open in pattaya  thailand 
tennis	720	the 32 year old spaniard came through 6 3 3 6 6 3 for her first title since berlin in 2000 
tennis	720	 it feels really good   said martinez  who is playing her last season on the tour 
tennis	720	 to come through like that in an important match feels good 
tennis	720	 it s been nearly five years and i didn t think i could do it 
tennis	720	  groenefeld was the more powerful player but could not match her opponent s relentless accuracy 
tennis	720	 it was my first final  a new experience   said the german 
tennis	720	 i think she played a good match  a tough match  but i tried to stay in there 
tennis	720	i think the whole week was good for me 
tennis	720	  
tennis	721	soderling wins tense milan finalfifth seed robin soderling took the milan indoors title with a dramatic win over radek stepanek in sunday s final 
tennis	721	the 20 year old swede edged the final set tie break for a 6 3 6 7  2 7  7 6  7 5  victory and his second tour title after winning in lyon last year 
tennis	721	 i m delighted to have won against such a good opponent in a tournament of this importance   said soderling 
tennis	721	 i was really on form  my service was good and i really liked playing on the synthetic surface 
tennis	721	  soderling  the world number 37  shrugged off a nervous start to take the opening set on his first set point 
tennis	721	a change in approach from fourth seed stepanek in the second set paid dividends as he took it on a tie break  but soderling s superior power proved too much in the third 
tennis	722	rusedski forced out in marseillegreg rusedski was forced to withdraw from the open 13 in marseille on thursday with a rib injury 
tennis	722	the british number two had been scheduled to play qualifier sebastien de chaunac  who beat world number five guillermo coria 6 4 7 5 in round one 
tennis	722	but rusedski was unable to take to the court because of a problem with the left hand side of his rib cage 
tennis	722	american taylor dent caused a shock with a 7 6 6 2 victory over second seed david nalbandian 
tennis	722	but third seed joachim johansson made it through after beating frenchman gilles simon 7 6 6 3 while in the first match of the day  sixth seed feliciano lopez defeated ivo karlovic 
tennis	722	there were also wins for slovakia s karol beck and croatian duo ivan ljubicic and mario ancic 
tennis	723	big guns ease through in san josetop seeded americans andy roddick and andre agassi survived minor scares to reach the last eight of the sap open 
tennis	723	agassi endured early problems against left handed dane kenneth carlsen before sealing a 7 5 6 1 victory 
tennis	723	and world number three roddick dropped a set to korean player hyung taik lee  before pulling out a 6 3 3 6 6 2 win in san jose  california 
tennis	723	seventh seed jurgen melzer came through 6 3 6 3 against xavier malisse   winner in delray beach last week 
tennis	723	frenchman cyril saulnier  meanwhile  fired 19 aces to secure a 6 1 7 6 win over czech qualifier tomas zib 
tennis	723	roddick broke a racket in frustration in the third game of the second set 
tennis	723	and afterwards was unimpressed with his form 
tennis	723	 i m not playing great   he said 
tennis	723	 but i m through and i m going to keep battling 
tennis	723	 a lot of people are under the assumption that it s easy to play well every week and it s not 
tennis	723	  it is the 12th time in 13 appearances at the event that agassi  now 34  has progressed to the quarter final stage 
tennis	723	he came from 0 40 down in the opening game to hold serve and gradually wore carlsen down after attacking his backhand 
tennis	723	agassi also employed several lobs and charged to the net to unsettle the 31 year old dane  ranked 88th in the world 
tennis	723	 as the match went on  i got real patient and waited for my opportunities and felt pretty good   said agassi 
tennis	724	almagro continues spanish surgeunseeded nicolas almagro became the fifth spaniard to reach the last eight at the buenos aires open  ousting eighth seed mariano zabaleta 
tennis	724	he showed admirable resolve to win a rain affected match 6 7 6 4 6 4 
tennis	724	compatriot and seventh seed rafael nadal also reached the last eight  beating italian potito starace 6 1 6 3 
tennis	724	nadal  playing in the outdoor clay event for the first time  hit some powerful forehands to oust starace in a match delayed over an hour by rain 
tennis	724	 it s always a problem to have to stop for rain but one gets used to it   said spanish teenager nadal 
tennis	724	 luckily  i was able to keep my pace going throughout the match 
tennis	724	  he will now play gaston gaudio  who beat unseeded brazilian flavio saretta 6 3 6 2 in the day s late match 
tennis	725	melzer shocks agassi in san josesecond seed andre agassi suffered a comprehensive defeat by jurgen melzer in the quarter finals of the sap open 
tennis	725	agassi was often bamboozled by the austrian s drop shots in san jose  losing 6 3 6 1 
tennis	725	defending champion and top seed andy roddick rallied to beat sweden s thomas enqvist 3 6 7 6  8 6  7 5 
tennis	725	but unseeded cyril saulnier beat the fourth seed vincent spadea 6 2 6 4 and tommy haas overcame eighth seed max mirnyi 6 7  2 7  7 6  7 3  6 2 
tennis	725	melzer has now beaten agassi in two of their three meetings 
tennis	725	 i had a good game plan and i executed it perfectly   he said 
tennis	725	 it s always tough to come out to play andre 
tennis	725	 i didn t want him to play his game 
tennis	725	he makes you run like a dog all over the court 
tennis	725	  and agassi  who was more than matched for power by his opponent s two handed backhand  said melzer was an example of several players on the tour willing to take their chances against him 
tennis	725	 a lot more guys are capable of it now   said the american 
tennis	725	 he played much better than me 
tennis	725	that s what he did both times 
tennis	725	 i had opportunities to loosen myself up   agassi added 
tennis	725	 but i didn t convert on the big points 
tennis	725	  
tennis	726	mirza makes indian tennis historyteenager sania mirza completed a superb week at the hyderabad open by becoming the first indian in history to win a wta singles title 
tennis	726	in front of a delirious home crowd  the 18 year old battled past alyona bondarenko of the ukraine 6 4 5 7 6 3 
tennis	726	mirza  ranked 134 in the world  sunk to her knees in celebration after serving out the match against bondarenko 
tennis	726	 it is a big moment in my career and i would like to thank everyone who has been a part of my effort   she said 
tennis	726	 this win has made me believe more in myself and i can now hope to do better in the coming days 
tennis	726	 i wanted to win this tournament very badly since it was in my hometown 
tennis	726	  at the australian open in january  mirza became the first indian woman to reach the third round of a grand slam before losing to eventual champion serena williams 
tennis	726	and a year ago  she became the youngest indian to win a professional title by claiming the doubles at the hyderabad open 
tennis	726	mirza  playing in her first wta final  began nervously in front of a raucous home crowd   committing three double faults in her opening service game 
tennis	726	but from 0 2 down  mirza broke serve twice in a row and held on to her advantage to take the first set 
tennis	726	in a see saw second set  bondarenko raced into a 5 2 lead and though mirza hauled herself level  the ukrainian broke again before finally levelling the match 
tennis	726	mirza rediscovered the aggressive strokes that took her to the first set in the decider established a 5 2 lead 
tennis	726	at 5 3  the stadium erupted in celebration when mirza thought she had delivered an ace to secure victory but the serve was ruled to have clipped the net 
tennis	726	mirza eventually lost the point but to the relief of the crowd  she broke bondarenko again in the next game to clinch the title 
tennis	727	roddick to face saulnier in finalandy roddick will play cyril saulnier in the final of the sap open in san jose on sunday 
tennis	727	the american top seed and defending champion overcame germany s tommy haas  the third seed  7 6  7 3  6 3 
tennis	727	 i was feeling horrible earlier in the week   roddick said 
tennis	727	 i thought tonight was a step in the right direction 
tennis	727	  saulnier battled to a 6 7  3 7  6 3 6 3 win over seventh seed jurgen melzer  who twisted his ankle early in the second set 
tennis	727	roddick won the last four points of the first set tie break before being broken at the start of the second set 
tennis	727	but he broke straight back and then broke haas again to lead 4 2 
tennis	727	 it s extremely frustrating when you have chances against a top five player and don t do anything with them   admitted haas 
tennis	727	 i rushed a few backhands and he took advantage 
tennis	727	  saulnier will move into the world s top 50 for the first time after his passage through to the final 
tennis	727	 it s taken a lot of work and a lot of fighting in my mind   he revealed 
tennis	727	 sometimes i didn t believe i could get to a final and now i am here 
tennis	727	i ve stayed mentally strong 
tennis	727	 i m on the way 
tennis	727	i ll keep fighting and work a lot and i ll be up there 
tennis	727	  
tennis	728	australia miss molik for fed cupaustralia will be without their leading player alicia molik for the fed cup round robin matches in india in april 
tennis	728	the world number 10 was not included in new captain john alexander s squad as she is focusing on her singles career 
tennis	728	 alicia has a real opportunity to achieve a number one world ranking and has a particular schedule designed to achieve that   alexander explained 
tennis	728	world number 46 samantha stosur  plus nicole pratt  evie dominikovic and bryanne stewart form the squad 
tennis	728	alexander insisted that the team was fully behind molik s request not to play 
tennis	728	 the fed cup is an awkward date and the geographical location for these first events and really would have stuffed up the first part of her year   he said 
tennis	728	 when all things are considered tennis australia has to consider looking after our players holistically and when someone has a great opportunity like this  we have to be behind them 
tennis	728	  china  taiwan  india  korea  new zealand  singapore and kazakhstan are the other nations competing in new delhi from 18 24 april 
tennis	729	clijsters sets up venus match upkim clijsters continued her comeback from a wrist injury with a 7 5 6 7 6 1 win over russia s nadia petrova in round two of the antwerp diamond games 
tennis	729	the belgian will meet fellow former world number one venus williams in the quarter finals after the american swept past france s virginie razzano 6 3 6 0 
tennis	729	clijsters  sidelined since october  edged a high quality first set 
tennis	729	but petrova hit back in a second set tiebreak before clijsters pulled clear in the decider  breaking three times 
tennis	729	 everything s fine with the wrist   said clijsters 
tennis	729	 i could do everything i wanted to with my backhand   long backhand cross rallies  slicing 
tennis	729	i really enjoyed every backhand 
tennis	729	 i had the intention of wearing petrova down and i did 
tennis	729	it was a relief to win a three set match 
tennis	729	 these are the kind of matches i have been looking forward to for a long time 
tennis	729	  and the belgian is looking forward to facing a severe test from williams 
tennis	729	 a quarter final against venus is a nice prospect   said clijsters 
tennis	729	 i saw her play and she is very strong right now  completely focused 
tennis	729	 it will be difficult on friday  but fun as well 
tennis	729	  third seed williams  who will get a gold and diamond encrusted racket should she add to her 2002 and 2003 event wins  was barely troubled against razzano 
tennis	729	 my tennis was very good today   she said 
tennis	729	 but it is no surprise to me because i feel very healthy and have been working well lately 
tennis	729	  
tennis	730	injured roddick quits in memphisandy roddick has pulled out of his semi final at the rmk championships in memphis after spraining his left ankle 
tennis	730	the american top seed was was supposed to face dane kenneth carlsen  who now advances to the final against eighth seed max mirnyi of belarus 
tennis	730	he came through his semi final against german second seed tommy haas 7 5 6 3 
tennis	730	roddick  the 2003 us open champion  was hurt during his quarter final win on friday and had intensive treatment on his ankle to no avail 
tennis	730	he attempted to loosen up his foot by jogging on saturday  then tried to hit a couple of balls 
tennis	730	 the first really kind of significant move i made i just knew that it wasn t going to happen for me   roddick said 
tennis	730	he decided to pass on a chance to win his second tour title in two weeks in part because he wants to be healthy for the us team s davis cup match against croatia in a fortnight 
tennis	730	 the repercussions of this injury wouldn t just affect me 
tennis	730	it would affect my team mates and playing for my country as well   roddick said 
tennis	731	henman hopes ended in dubai rainthird seed tim henman slumped to a straight sets defeat in his rain interrupted dubai championships quarter final against ivan ljubicic 
tennis	731	the croatian eighth seed booked his place in the last four with a 7 5 6 4 victory over the british number one 
tennis	731	henman had looked on course to level the match after going 2 0 up in the second set  but his progress was halted as the rain intervened again 
tennis	731	ljubicic hit back after the break to seal a fourth straight win over henman 
tennis	731	earlier in the day  spanish fifth seed tommy robredo secured his semi final place when he beat nicolas kiefer of germany 6 4 6 4 
tennis	731	the rain means the other quarter finals between roger federer and mikhail youzhny and andre agassi and nikolay davydenko will now be played on saturday 
tennis	731	henman was left cursing the weather and the umpire after seven breaks for rain during his match 
tennis	731	 it was incredibly frustrating   henman said 
tennis	731	 it s raining and the umpire doesn t take control 
tennis	731	 he kept telling us to play till the end of the game 
tennis	731	but if it s raining  you come off   the score s irrelevant 
tennis	731	 it couldn t be more frustrating as i was very happy with my form until now 
tennis	731	you don t expect this in the desert 
tennis	731	  the rain meant the two remaining quarter finals   roger federer against mikhail youzhny and andre agassi versus nikolay davydenko   were postponed until saturday 
tennis	732	agassi into second round in dubaifourth seed andre agassi beat radek stepanek 6 4 7 5 in the first round of the dubai tennis championships 
tennis	732	the 34 year old  moving well despite a hip problem which needed an injection  served well and won 80  of his first serve and 76  of his second 
tennis	732	but the american could not break the czech stepanek until the final game of the first set and in the second he had to fight back after losing his serve 
tennis	732	agassi  making his first appearance at the event  received a standing ovation 
tennis	732	he said   i have had a few great days here in dubai 
tennis	732	i have waited a long time to be here  and i must apologise for being so late 
tennis	732	  other first day winners included spaniards juan carlos ferrero and tommy robredo  dominik hrbaty of slovakia and germany s rainer schuettler 
tennis	732	ferrero  the 2001 champion  overcame florian mayer of germany 6 3 6 4 while robredo had to fight hard to beat olivier rochus of belgium 7 6  7 5  7 6  7 5  
tennis	732	hrbaty crushed omar bahrouzyan of the united arab emirates 6 0 6 4 while schuettler beat younes al aynaoui of morocco 6 0 6 1 
tennis	732	ferrero could now meet top seed roger federer   who faces qualifier ivo minar on tuesday   in the second round 
tennis	732	british rivals tim henman and greg rusedski will face each other in the opening round on tuesday 
tennis	733	mauresmo fights back to win titleworld number two amelie mauresmo came from a set down to beat venus williams and win the diamond games in antwerp 
tennis	733	mauresmo  who lost to dinara safina in the final of the paris indoor open last week  beat the third seed 4 6 7 5 6 4 for her first title of the season 
tennis	733	the frenchwoman produced some superb volleys in the final set and claimed victory on her fifth match point after two hours and 18 minutes 
tennis	733	 this was a great final for a great tournament   she said 
tennis	733	 i am so happy because the quality of my game went up and up during the whole week until the final  this is the result of all the work i have done with my coach 
tennis	733	  williams was seeking her third title in antwerp having won it on her two previous visits in 2002 and 2003 
tennis	733	the defeat means she has now gone 11 tournaments without a title  the longest drought of her career 
tennis	733	 amelie deserves her win  she played so well   she said 
tennis	734	federer wins title in rotterdamworld number one roger federer won the world indoor tournament in rotterdam with a battling 5 7 7 5 7 6 victory over ivan ljubicic on sunday 
tennis	734	the swiss star was made to work hard by ljubicic  who also lost to federer in last month s final in doha 
tennis	734	the croatian broke his serve for the first time in the tournament to take the first set  but federer hit back and took the decider on a tie break 
tennis	734	he has now won his last 15 finals after triumphing in two hours and 42 minutes 
tennis	734	federer said   today it was very close and it could have gone either way but i m happy i fought through because this might be a crucial victory for me for the rest of the season 
tennis	734	 i knew i had to fight hard today and that s exactly what happened 
tennis	734	 i played one shocking game to be broken 
tennis	734	he took advantage of it and broke me to love but i still felt i gave that game away 
tennis	734	 that haunted me all the way  right until match point 
tennis	734	i fought well today so i m happy 
tennis	734	  
tennis	735	gb players warned over securitybritain s davis cup players have been warned not to go out of their tel aviv hotel unaccompanied ahead of the weekend s tie against israel 
tennis	735	a suicide bombing in a nightclub in the city on friday claimed four victims 
tennis	735	 we spoke about the bomb and we were told that we must not leave the hotel on our own   andrew murray told the daily telegraph 
tennis	735	 jeremy  bates  gb captain  told us to be careful when we go out of the hotel and not to do anything stupid 
tennis	735	  but murray insisted that the team  which also includes greg rusedski  arvind parmar  david sherwood and reserve alex bogdanovic  has been able to concentrate on the task ahead 
tennis	735	 the bomb went off just a few miles from where we are staying   said 17 year old murray 
tennis	735	 i will try not to think about what happened but i don t think it will have any effect on the british team s concentration 
tennis	735	we will be safe if we stay in the hotel and the tennis centre 
tennis	735	  speaking on saturday  team captain bates said   it was a terrible thing  a very unfortunate thing  but i think that sport must go on 
tennis	735	 i think that there are a lot of people involved in this event who have obviously taken great care to make sure the event runs smoothly 
tennis	735	  an lta statement said   we have every confidence in the organisation and security of this tie 
tennis	735	 we will continue to monitor the situation carefully 
tennis	735	  the team arrived in tel aviv on saturday and practised on the hard courts at the ramat hasharon arena on sunday 
tennis	736	sharapova overcomes tough molikwimbledon champion maria sharapova recovered from losing the opening set to win the final of the qatar open 
tennis	736	the second seed beat fourth seeded australian alicia molik 4 6 6 1 6 4 for her second title of the year 
tennis	736	molik  who had overcome top seed amelie mauresmo in friday s semi final  broke sharapova in the third game of a first set she went on to win 
tennis	736	but sharapova recovered to build up a healthy 5 0 lead in the second set and she never looked back after that 
tennis	736	molik saw her game fall apart as sharapova broke in the fifth game of the decider to lead 3 2 
tennis	736	and although molik stayed in touch  sharapova held on to her serve and then finished off the match with an ace after saving a break point in the 10th game 
tennis	736	sharapova said the key to her victory was her positive approach after losing the first set 
tennis	736	 alicia was dictating terms to me in the first set but in my mind i was always positive   said sharapova 
tennis	736	 in the first set i was not playing my own game  but in the second i decided to put some pace on the ball and put pressure on her serve and that worked 
tennis	736	  sharapova said she will head to los angeles to be with her mother and have some rest after her recent hectic schedule 
tennis	736	 i need some rest now and i am eager to see my mum and catch up with friends after all the travelling i ve been doing 
tennis	736	  
