England have high hopes of World Cup success

England coach Hope Powell believes the squad she has selected for the forthcoming Women's World Cup in Germany is the strongest she has ever chosen in her 13 years in charge of the national side.
England have never won a major women's tournament but recent victories over the United States and Sweden, first and fifth in the world respectively, mean Powell's team are among the leading contenders for a World Cup that starts in Germany on June 26.
And England have also been boosted by the return of fit again captain Faye White, who has not played for six weeks due to injury.
England reached the final of the European Championships two years ago only to see her side thrashed 6-2 by Germany in Helsinki. But Powell, whose team went through qualifying unbeaten, is confident her squad have overcome the disappointment of that defeat. "I think this is the best squad I've had," Powell said. "The depth is better than we have ever had and the versatility of the players is a brilliant thing to have in your locker.
"The girls have the experience of playing in major tournaments, whether it be at youth level or in the Euros, and our average amount of caps is 49, which is great. "We've got a few girls that can change games too so I'm encouraged by that." England, ranked eighth, beat the States 2-1 but Powell was wary of taking anything for granted in what appears to be a relatively easy group also featuring Mexico, New Zealand and Japan.

No ton no problem for Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen insisted he felt "a lot of happiness" despite missing out on a Test century against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl here on Saturday. Pietersen made a fluent 85 to help England to 195 for four at stumps on the third day of the third and final Test, a first innings lead of 11 runs.
But, just eight minutes before the schedule close, he was caught behind to give otherwise struggling medium-pacer Thisara Perera a first Test wicket.
His exit left Pietersen searching for his first Test century in Britain since making exactly 100 against his native South Africa at The Oval in August 2008. the first match of his brief and ultimately controversial stint as England captain. But the 30 year old said of his latest innings: "Actually, it wasn't frustrating at all. To play the way I've played today has given me a lot of happiness.
"To have gone back to basics and hit the ball straight and kept penetrating the opposite stumps, and playing in three or four areas, for me was brilliant."
Pietersen, who has scored just one hundred in his last 36 Test innings a Test best 227 against Australia at Adelaide in December, added: "If you'd said to me this morning 85 and to play the way I played, the hundreds will come and a lot of them, I hope.
"I had three or four scoring areas I've been really working hard on.

atching Federer slam haul a 'dream' says Nadal

Rafael Nadal played down his chances of matching Roger Federer's Grand Slam haul here Sunday, saying the likelihood of reaching his rival's record of 16 titles remained "a dream."
After adding four more Grand Slam titles in the past year the 25 year old Spanish world number one now has 10 to his name and will be targeting an 11th at Wimbledon over the next fortnight.
Victory at the All England Club would see Nadal move alongside Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver in the all time standings, one behind Roy Emerson on 12, three behind Pete Sampras (14) and five behind Federer. But Nadal dismissed suggestions that Federer's record was in his sights here Sunday, saying he was "very far" from the Swiss master's benchmark. "I am not close to the 16 of Roger," Nadal said. "Sixteen is a lot.
Reigning champion Nadal, who opens the defence of his title with a first round match against American Michael Russell on Centre Court here Monday enjoyed a stellar 2010, scooping the French, Wimbledon and US Open crowns. But although Nadal defended his French crown at Roland Garros earlier this month, he doubted whether he would be able to emulate his feats of last season.
"Last year was in my opinion very impossible to repeat three Grand Slams in a row," Nadal said. "I am very happy about what's going on this season. But I don't think I will repeat what I did last year for sure."
Virtually invincible on the red clay of Roland Garros, Nadal has slowly but surely parked his tanks on the lawns of Wimbledon in recent years, reaching four of the last five finals. The only year he missed was 2009, when a recurrence of a knee injury ruled him out of the tournament.

Bell and Morgan build England's lead

Ian Bell carried England into a strong position on the fourth morning at the Rose Bowl as they reached 291 for 5 at lunch which represented a lead of 107. Nightwatchman James Anderson hit a brisk 27 then Eoin Morgan settled in alongside Bell in a steady partnership against a Sri Lanka side that was looking less interested with each passing over.
On the first uninterrupted opening session of the Test, Bell reached his fifth consecutive half century from 74 balls. The late cut to third man was one of his favourite strokes while his cover driving continued to be eye catching. He was rarely in trouble and also dispatched a limping Dilhara Fernando through the covers with elegant timing.
Anderson actually dominated the early scoring in a perfect display of how a nightwatchman should bat having survived his primary role so that the game doesn't seize up. Two boundaries came in the first over of the day and he peppered the off side off a combination of front and back foot. He had just slotted Chanaka Welegedara for consecutive fours when the bowler dragged his length back to find the edge. Morgan took time to play himself in against some fairly gentle bowling but collected his first boundary with a strong square cut then drilled a superb straight drive off Thisara Perera. The visitors carried the air of a team already resigned to watching the weather for a route to safety and it was odd to see a half fit Fernando jog in off half a run up.
Rangana Herath had bowled just four of the 71 overs when he was finally recalled to the attack shortly before lunch then there was some gentle medium pace from Mahela Jayawardene, who bowled for the first time in a Test since August 2009, ahead of the new ball. England, though, won't mind if Sri Lanka take the new ball as it is often easier to scorer more quickly.

Page has turned for McDowell

Graeme McDowell believes it is time to get on with the rest of his career a year after he made his major breakthrough by winning the US Open.
Up until last year's edition of the year's second major at Pebble Beach, the Ulsterman had been better known as a top amateur and US collegiate champion who had failed to fully fulfill his potential.
After his stunning come from behind win in California, though, he was propelled into golfing stardom and he responded with last day Ryder Cup heroics for Europe, a playoff win over Tiger Woods and a spot in the top 10.
It was all stirring stuff and the personable McDowell lapped it up, but there was a price to pay and he duly paid it as his golf game suffered from the saturation he was experiencing both on and off the course.
"It was such a busy end to 2010 that 2011 seemed to just be there all of a sudden on my doorstep and I was in Hawaii and in the Middle East, and those four weeks that came right after the Middle East, there's no doubt I came back after those four weeks and I wasn't the same guy." he said.
"I wasn't swinging it the same way. I wasn't feeling the same way.
"Sometimes a run of momentum and adrenaline sort of has to hit a brick wall, as I guess I hit my brick wall. I've been trying to get over that wall ever since.
"At some point, those kind of runs, I guess, inevitably have to come to an end, especially if you're playing as much golf as I was."
Still, the 31 year old who was brought up playing golf on the famed links of Portrush believes that the last few weeks have shown that he has gotten back that edge and focus to his game that has been missing.
There have been no more tournament wins but strong, if inconsistent, performances at the Players Championship, the British PGA and the Welsh Open have brought him into the US Open with a renewed feeling of optimism.And the fact that he has now finally handed back the US Open trophy he has been displaying to all and sundry over the last year provides him with a fitting symbol that the page is turning. "If anything, I feel like the glare is off me this week," he said. "I feel like I've done it. "I've spent the last just under 12 months looking back at Pebble. I spent the last six months reflecting on 2010.
"And I mean, somehow having arrived here this week, I feel like I've done it now.
"I'm back yeah, my US Open trophy is back here with the USGA. I've handed it back and I'm ready to sort of get on with the rest of my career now."
McDowell says he is delighted with his draw for the first two rounds, which sees him set of in the company of British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa and US Amateur champion Peter Uihlein.

Maradona sues Chinese firms over online game

Argentine football icon Diego Maradona is suing popular Chinese web portal Sina and an Internet company for using his name and image to promote an online game, state media said Wednesday.
Maradona is seeking 20 million yuan ($3 million) in compensation from Sina and The9 Limited which designed the game "Winning Goal", the Global Times quoted an official from the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate Court as saying. "The case was accepted yesterday (Monday)," said Chen Shi, a spokesman for the court.
Officials at the court in the Chinese capital would not respond to AFP requests for comment and calls to The9 went unanswered.
A Sina spokeswoman who declined to be named said the matter "is a legal procedure. We cannot comment."
The9 and Sina launched the game last June claiming Maradona was a celebrity spokesman, the report said.
But Maradona says he never gave permission to the Chinese companies to use his image, the official Xinhua news agency said earlier this month, citing a statement from the football legend.
The9 apologised and said they had been tricked by a Chinese football agent who told them Maradona had signed an endorsement contract, Xinhua said.
"I do not accept the apology from The9 Limited, and I will continue to protect my legitimate interests through legal procedures," Maradona said in the statement.
Maradona is extremely popular among China's legions of football fans, with state media hailing the World Cup-winning former captain the "King of Football" during a vist to Beijing last November.

Defending champ Serena seeded No. 8 at Wimbledon

Defending champion Serena Williams was bumped up to No. 8 in the seedings  18 places above her world ranking - for Wimbledon on Wednesday, a position that will allow her to avoid playing the highest-ranked players until at least the quarterfinals.
Williams won her 13th Grand Slam title last year at the All England Club, but then stepped on broken glass, eventually leading to blood clots on her lungs, and was out of action for nearly a year. She returned to competitive tennis on Tuesday at Eastbourne, coming back from a set down to beat Tsvetana Pironkova 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. Wimbledon starts Monday.
The draw is scheduled for Friday. On the men's side, defending champion Rafael Nadal was seeded No. 1, followed by Novak Djokovic at No. 2, Roger Federer at No. 3 and Andy Murray at No. 4  in line with their rankings. Federer and Nadal have combined for the past eight titles at the All England Club.
For Federer, it's the first time he's been outside the top two seedings at Wimbledon since 2003, the year he won the first of five straight titles at the grass court Grand Slam. Since Serena's injury, she has dropped to No. 26 in the WTA rankings. If Wimbledon organizers had seeded her according to her ranking, the four-time Wimbledon champion could have come up against a top player in the third round.
Her sister Venus, a five-time Wimbledon champion, was seeded No. 24. She has dropped to 33rd in the rankings since missing most of this season with a hip injury. She also returned to action this week in Eastbourne.
"The seeding order follows the WTA ranking list, except where in the opinion of the committee, a change is necessary to produce a balanced draw," Wimbledon organizers said.
"The only changes this year are Serena Williams and Venus Williams moving to 8 and 24, respectively. This reflects the balance between their proven records and also their lack of competitive play in the past 12 months." The sisters have combined to win nine of the last 11 titles at the All England Club.
At the top of the women's seeding list is top ranked Caroline Wozniacki. She is followed by Australian Open champion Kim Clijsters at No. 2, Vera Zvonareva at No. 3 and French Open champion Li Na at No. 4.

BFF announces rates of ticket for Argentina-Nigeria match

Bangladesh Football Federation on Wednesday officially announced the rates of different types of tickets for the high profile FIFA international friendly match between former world champions Argentina and African Super Eagles Nigeria scheduled for September 6 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka.
Addressing a press conference at the BFF Bhaban, a beaming BFF President Kazi M Salahuddin reconfirmed the high voltage match for the first time in Bangladesh and also officially declared the rates of different categories of tickets for the match.
"This is a great day for Bangladesh football, if we are able to arrange the match successfully then the door would be open for us to arrange further big international matches here, our venue may also be recognized as FIFA international venue," said the BFF boss. "We are well prepared to welcome Argentina and Nigeria in Dhaka and are delighted to declare the rate of tickets, we want to clear it that the mass interest for the match is very much in our mind but we have some limitations in seating capacity," he further said.
The historic showdown in Dhaka between Argentina and Nigeria has been named as "Beximco Football Fest." The Beximco Group will bear the entire expenses of the match. Some 25,000 tickets will be released for galleries, VIPs, special enclosures, corporate and hospitality boxes with gallery tickets estimated at 21,900.
As per the ticketing modalities, the Corporate (70% seats of the Western Gallery) and Corporate Hospitality Box and VIP Enclosures tickets will be available for sale from June 20, 2011 on first come first serve basis. Western Gallery tickets are priced at Taka 10,600 each while the 24-seat 12 Corporate Hospitality Boxes will cost Tk 1,500,000 each.
The general tickets for members of the public will be on sale from July 15 with a price of Tk 7,500 each for the Eastern Galley having 8810 seating capacity while Tk 10,000 each for Western Gallery with a seating capacity of 11,700. The 234 President Box tickets will cost Tk 50,000 each, 486 Special Enclosure Tk 15,000 each and 235 Special Hospitality Box Tk 30,000 each. The 540 VIP Gallery tickets (Upper) Tk 20,000 each and the 1354 VIP Gallery(Lower) Tk15,000 each.
A special arrangement has been made for sports federations, national award winning footballers, members of Swadhin Bangla Football Team and District Football Associations. They may buy the VIP Gallery Lower tickets at Tk 5,000 each. A presentation on ticket price was made by Anwarul Huq Helal on behalf of BFF at the press conference where BFF members were also present.

Beckham happy to be Olympic spectator

David Beckham insisted Monday he was content to be a spectator at next year's London Olympics if there was no role for him in the controversial Great Britain football team at the Games.
"Football will be a massive part of the Olympics and it will be really exciting to see that," said the former Manchester United star, who now plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy. "This is the first time I will have been to an Olympics and I'll probably be there with my children. "Football has been a part of my life for many years and to be a part of that would be incredible. "We'll see what role I'll play in the build up or at the Olympics, but I'll be there as a fan.
"I want to watch athletes like Jessica Ennis and Tom Daley, young athletes who are going to inspire so many young children around the world.
"For myself to be able to take my sons to an Olympics in our country makes me proud. Hopefully my daughter will be there as well," he added.
Victoria Beckham is due to give birth to the couple's first daughter next month.
Beckham was speaking at a sponsor's event to announce that Gabriella Roseje, an 18 year old from Bermondsey in London, is the first successful nominee for the Olympic torch relay.
The former England captain, one of the world's best known sporting celebrities, helped secure the Games for London at a meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Singapore in 2007. "When I was asked to be part of the Olympic bid, I was very sceptical at first because I'd never competed in the Olympics, I'm a football player," the 36 year old midfielder explained.

Smith, Poulton ease Australia to win

Australia Women eased to a six wicket win over New Zealand Women with 18.3 overs to spare in the second encounter of the reconvened Rose Bowl series in Brisbane. The eight-match limited-overs series, which was called off mid-way following the Christchurch earthquake in February, now stands at 3-2 in favour of Australia. With just one game left to play New Zealand can, at most, draw the series, meaning Australia who currently hold the trophy have retained the Rose Bowl title.
Choosing to field, Australia rocked the visitors early, with Clea Smith claiming Lucy Doolan and Suzie Bates for ducks. Debutant opener Frances Mackay was patient to the point of being overcautious in her knock of 36 from 77 balls, but turned out to be New Zealand's top scorer, as Australia knocked wickets over at regular wickets. Smith snagged two more, to finish with 4 for 32, while offspinner Lisa Sthalekar troubled the lower middle order with figures of 3 for 37.
Chasing 182, Australia lost Meg Lanning cheaply. A 106-run stand between Player-of-the-Match Shelley Nitschke (she had earlier claimed two wickets at a miserly economy rate of 2.40 in her ten) and Leah Poulton followed, almost sealing the match.
The hosts suffered a hiccup, losing three wickets on 122, but Jess Cameron counterattacked with 37 off 29, to see Australia home comfortably.
Australia captain Jodie Fields her team showed positive intent from the outset. "We wanted to play some smart, positive cricket," she said.
"The plan was to get out on the field early and to get rid of some of those nerves and cobwebs, and I think we showed our intent right from the start. "The wicket was slightly slow but the outfield was probably quicker than we thought it was going to be."The final game is on June 16 at the same venue.

Pakistan ready to host Bangladesh

Pakistani football said Tuesday it was confident next month's home World Cup qualifier against Bangladesh will go ahead, promising tight security for the match.
After the first leg of their Asian zone qualifier for the 2014 World Cup in Dhaka on June 29, the two sides were scheduled to meet in Lahore on July 3.
But arrangements ran into trouble after Bangladesh asked FIFA, the game's ruling body, to relocate the match due to security fears.
FIFA has apparently rejected the request in a move welcomed by Pakistan Football Federation  secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi.
"We hosted Palestine and Malaysia earlier this year and both the teams returned happy, so we have proper security arrangements in place and we are confident that the match will go ahead," Lodhi told.
Pakistan has not hosted any major sporting event since militants attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight people and wounding seven visiting players and their assistant coach.
"FIFA knows of our security arrangements made for the Palestine and Malaysian teams so they have no problems and we assure Bangladesh that they will be well looked after," said Lodhi.
Bangladesh Football Federation chief Kazi Salahuddin told AFP Tuesday that FIFA turned down its request to host both games against Pakistan.
"FIFA rejected our request. So our national team will go to Pakistan play the match on July 3," he said, adding that he had not been told where the game will be played.
Team coach Robert Rubcic did not want to travel to the troubled country, Salahuddin said, but the team's appeal to FIFA fell on deaf ears.
The 2009 attack on Sri Lanka's cricketers forced Pakistan to play their home cricket ties on neutral grounds in England, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates. Only the Afghanistan cricket team has since toured Pakistan.Efforts by the Pakistan Cricket Board to host Sri Lanka later this year were also dashed after militants attacked a naval base last month and carried out other high-profile strikes following the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Sri Lanka Cricket refused to send its team, instead offering their grounds to play the three Tests, five one day and a Twenty20 match series.

Jamaica top group, Guatemala advance

Jamaica finished the first round of the Gold Cup on top of Group B after a 1-0 victory over Honduras on Monday, with both teams advancing to the quarter-finals along with Guatemala.
Guatemala booked their berth with a 4-0 victory over Grenada, which was enough to put them through as one of the best two third-placed teams in group play.
Ryan Johnson got the goal for Jamaica with some help from Honduran keeper Noel Valladares.
Johnson's powerful shot hit the crossbar and then Valladares' back before landing in the net.
"It's one of the strangest goals, but it's a goal," said Johnson, who plays for the San Jose Earthquakes of Major League Soccer. "The best thing was getting the clean sheet. We haven't been scored on so far and I'm really happy about that."
"I dove for the ball and I could not get it," Valladares said. "It hit me in the back and went in." Johnson had a chance to double the score from the penalty spot in the 71st, but Valladares saved his attempt.
The victory gave Jamaica the maximum nine points from their three group matches.
In the quarter-finals of the regional championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean they'll face the second-place team from Group C, which will be decided when the group stage concludes on Tuesday.
Honduras finished second in Group B-ahead of Guatemala on goal difference-and will face Costa Rica, runners-up to Mexico in Group A.
Guatemala needed to win by three goals to be assured of advancing.
In the end they had one to spare after goals from Jose Del Aguila, Marco Pappa, Carlos Ruiz and Carlos Gallardo."More than anything, this was a psychological and mental game," Guatemala manager Ever Hugo Almeida said. "We had to score a specific number of goals. We needed three goals, but we had to take it goal by goal. We were able to manage the game and get the result we wanted."
Del Aguila opened the scoring in the 15th with a shot that bounced off the inside of the right post and past keeper Shemel Louison.
Pappa doubled the lead in the 21st minute with a hard-struck shot that Louison couldn't deflect.
In the 53rd minute, Ruiz volleyed in a rebound of Jairo Arreola's attempt off the crossbar and Gallardo completed the scoring five minutes later.

Queen's champ Murray in mood for Wimbledon glory

Andy Murray has set his sights on Wimbledon glory after winning his second Queen's title with a 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 victory over Jo Wilfried Tsonga. Murray became the first Briton for 97 years to win the Wimbledon warm up event twice thanks to a gutsy comeback against Tsonga and the world number four will be among the favourites when the All England Club tournament gets underway next week.

The 24 year old has endured three painful defeats in Grand Slam finals, including the Australian Open this year, but he believes he is in the perfect form to finally end his long wait to win a major. "I'm going to Wimbledon with the feeling I'm going to win the tournament. I don't think you can go in with any other attitude," Murray said. "I feel like I am playing good tennis but I will need to improve in the next week because I have to play my best throughout the tournament to win it."I will be switched on from my first match. I'll really look forward to the challenge because Wimbledon is one of the most important tournaments of the year, if not the most important." Murray underlined his sky high confidence in the third set of the final against Tsonga when he hit a remarkable between the legs forehand winner from an acute angle near the net. The British number one admitted it was the kind of spectacular shot he loves to play and he refused to apologise for a piece of show-boating some saw as a sign of arrogance. "I enjoyed hitting them, it was good fun," Murray said. "You don't get a chance to do that very often and it just came off.

Usmanov slams Arsenal board

Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov has slammed the Arsenal board for the Premier League club's failure to win a major trophy in any of the past six seasons. Usmanov, 57, who is not a Gunners director despite owning 30 percent of the club's parent company, said too many board members were blinded by their own self interest and said he did not wish to serve on such a board. "If the role of a board member is to oversee a trophyless period, while making significant personal profits and asking fans to pay inflation busting ticket price increases then, no, I would not want to be on the board," Usmanov told the News of the World. "If instead it is to try to deliver sustained success, to increase your personal investment in the club, to help develop the commercial position and to ensure the fans have a say in the running of the club then, yes, I think I certainly have something to contribute. "In terms of doing things differently, let me give you a very clear example. Arsenal has all of its major commercial contracts coming up for renewal in the next couple of years. "It's no secret that to maximise the value of those you want to have success on the field and be winning trophies. To do that you need to invest now in building a winning team. This is simple commercial logic. Whether it comes to pass, we shall see." Arsenal suffered a dramatic slump following their English League Cup semi final defeat by Birmingham in February, with their bids for the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League all declining after that defeat. Usmanov urged Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger be given the funds to bring in experienced players in key positions to bolser the Gunners' crop of promising young talents. "There is a widely held view among most commentators  and one that I agree with that the club needs to stiffen the defensive spine of the team, with a dominant keeper, strong centre halves and a powerful defensive midfielder in the mould of Claude Makelele," he said.

Australian racing industry grappling with drug and alcohol abuse among apprentice jockeys

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has been practiced over the centuries. One of the principal forms of horse racing, which is popular in many parts of the world, is Thoroughbred racing. Harness racing for Standardbred horses is also popular in Australia, New Zealand, the eastern United States and more popular than Thoroughbred racing in Canada and parts of Europe.

The Australian horse racing industry is in panic mode as it grapples with a drug and alcohol abuse epidemic among apprentice jockeys. Australian racing industry grappling with drug and alcohol abuse among apprentice jockeys. Josh Adams top apprentice is serving a seven month ban due to drugs. Source: News Limited. The Australian horse racing industry is in panic mode as it grapples with a drug and alcohol abuse epidemic among apprentice jockeys. Melbourne Cup Marvels: Best winners of the past 15 years.  A growing number of young riders have spiralled out of control, with one leading Sydney trainer claiming four out of 10 apprentices use recreational drugs. The issue is said to be at "panic stations" following the latest suspension of Sydney star apprentice Josh Adams for seven months because of drugs And he isn't alone. Recently, drugs shattered the career of Jamie Quinnell, while the promising Mitch Beadman  and Daniel Ganderton walked away from riding to sort out drinking issues. Beadman and Ganderton never tested positive, but regularly drew stewards' ire for well chronicled wayward behaviour. Ganderton, who quit riding, said he never took drugs but "wasted thousands on alcohol." Racing New South Wales boss Peter V'landys said drug use among some apprentices was a major concern. Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar. He said the governing body was educating young jockeys about the dangers of using drugs. Top apprentices can earn up to $500,000 a year and some are prone to reckless spending on alcohol, luxury cars, holidays and pokies.

Shock semi finalist Ward living dream at Queen's

British wildcard James Ward admits he is living the dream at Queen's after the world number 216 continued his remarkable run by reaching the semi finals with two dramatic wins on Friday.
Ward started the day with a prolonged wait to finish his third round match at the Wimbledon warm-up event and ended it looking forward to a semi-final against fifth seed Jo Wilfried Tsonga after beating defending champion Sam Querrey and then France's Adrian Mannarino.
The 24 year old son of a London taxi driver has spent most of his career playing at unglamourous venues in low-key Futures and Challenger tournaments.
But Ward has been finally been able to savour a moment in the spotlight this week and he hopes the fairytale isn't over yet.
"It's the best week of my career so far. Hopefully it doesn't stop here," he said. "I'm delighted at how it's gone so far. I'm looking forward to playing the next match against Tsonga.
"I've been playing futures tournaments and some challengers as well where there are not big crowds.
"This is why you're working, you're trying hard to get to these tournaments and get to these opportunities. This week I made the most of it.
"It does come into your mind what an opportunity this is. I'm not going to lie. It's always in your mind.
"But you have to try to put it to one side and concentrate on the tennis and do what I've been doing, and that gave me the chance to get to the semis."
After a 90 minute rain delay, he resumed his match with Querrey at one-set all following a suspension for bad light the previous evening.
Ward had been on top when play was called off, but he refused to surrender the momentum and broke late in the first set to clinch a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory.
There was no time to celebrate that success as Ward, who beat fourth seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the second round, returned to court just hours later to face Mannarino. He looked set for an easy win as he took the first set and served for the match in the second. But his nerve briefly cracked as Mannarino broke back to force a tie break.
Ward had an incredible seven match points in the breaker but wasted them all as Mannarino set up a final set decider.

Jamaica advance in Gold Cup

Demar Phillips scored twice in the second half to lift Jamaica to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Guatemala on Friday, a victory that secured Jamaica's spot in the Gold Cup quarter-finals. In the night's second Group B match, Carlos Costly scored three times and Jerry Bengston twice as Honduras rallied from an early deficit to thump Grenada 7-1 and boost their chances of advancing.
Honduras now have four points and are second to Jamaica in the group. A point would be enough for them to reach the knockout stage, but Honduras could win the group with a victory over leaders Jamaica on Monday.
In a game featuring little in the way of offensive fireworks, Phillips broke through for Jamaica in the 65th minute, collecting a ball from Keammar Daley and dribbling toward the left side of the penalty area.
He beat defender Jonathan Lopez then slotted a shot past Guatemalan keeper Ricard Jerez.
Phillips added the insurance goal in the 78th minute. By then, Guatemala had been reduced to 10 men when Cristian Noriega received a second yellow card for a foul on Dane Richards in the 70th minute.
The victory gave Jamaica a maximum six points from their first two matches in the North and Central America and Caribbean regional championship.
The winners of the tournament earn a spot in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
The second match of the night was, in contrast, a goal festival. Clive Murray gave Grenada their first ever Gold Cup goal as he put the Spice Boys ahead in the 19th minute. Honduras soon took control, however, as Costly and Bengston combined for three goals in 10 minutes to put them 3-1 up.
Bengston equalised in the 26th minute and Costly put Honduras ahead a minute later. Bengston's second goal made it 3-1 in the 36th.
Costly struck again in the 66th and 71st, Walter Martinez scored with three minutes remaining and Alfredo Mejia scored Honduras' final goal in the 90th minute.
For Honduras, it was a welcome show of attacking power after a 0-0 draw with Guatemala.
The tournament continues on Saturday with Group C action in Tampa, Florida.
The United States will take on Panama, both going into the contest with three points, and Canada will face Guadeloupe.
While Mexico have booked their quarter-final berth in Group A with two convincing wins, the team remained in turmoil on Friday, a day after Mexican football authorities provisionally suspended five players who tested positive for banned drug clenbuterol in a May 21 test during a pre-tournament training camp.
CONCACAF have said Mexico's opening 5-0 victory over El Salvador would stand even though news of the positive tests had not yet come through, but the governing body for the region had yet to decide whether Mexico could call up players to replace those it had pulled out of the tournament.
Mexican officials sent the five players involved to Los Angeles for further tests. Federation officials say they believe the players inadvertently ingested the banned drug in contaminated meat.

Tennis: Murray faces Tsonga in final

Britain’s Andy Murray will face Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the final at Queen’s after an imperious 6-3, 6-1 victory over four-time champion Andy Roddick in the semi finals on Saturday. He'll play Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Sunday's final. The Frenchman ended unseeded Briton James Ward's run with a 6-3, 7-6 (7) victory in the other semifinal.Murray, seeded second, was in sublime form as he demolished one of the top grass-court players of the last decade and French fifth seed Tsonga joined him in the final with a 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) win against British wildcard James Ward. This was arguably the most complete performance of Murray’s career and the victory was especially sweet for the world number four as it went some way to avenging his 2009 Wimbledon semi-final defeat against Roddick. Murray had won six of his nine meetings with Roddick but the loss at Wimbledon still rankles with the Scot. The 24-year-old will have taken extra delight from the way he totally overwhelmed third seed Roddick here and he will now be heavy favourite to win this Wimbledon warm-up event for the second time.
As ever, Murray was looking to use the drop shot at every opportunity and he caught Roddick with two exquisite efforts to move 4-1 ahead. Murray’s serve was in good working order and, with his sliced backhand causing the American no end of problems, Roddick began to wear an increasingly exasperated expression as the first set ended with another Murray ace.Roddick’s formidable record on grass, he had won 32 of his previous 37 matches at Queen’s, as well as reaching three Wimbledon finals underlined Murray’s achievement in dominating so completely. The American was going for a record fifth Queen’s title, but there was no let up from Murray at the start of the second set and he broke again in the first game. A Roddick double fault gifted the break point and Murray was quick to seize the opportunity with a superb return that his opponent could only volley into the net. Murray was toying with Roddick now, drawing him in with low slices and then passing at will, and his place in the final was secured when he broke for a 4-1 lead and then converted his third match point.

Ronaldo plays last game for Brazil

Sao Paulo: Former world footballer of the year Ronaldo ended his international career here on Tuesday with a 15-minute appearance as a substitute in Brazil's 1-0 win over Romania in a friendly match.Watched by a 30,000 crowd, the 34-year-old striker came on for the last 15 minutes of the match with the home side already ahead through a goal from Fred after 21 minutes and he had several goal chances in that time."I had three goal opportunities but did not manage to score which would have been a nice present to give back to those who gave me so much," he said afterwards to fans in a chilly Pacaembu stadium.Fred's match winning goal was set up by the latest Brazilian golden boy Neymar, who has been linked to a move into the English Premier League. Ronaldo announced his retirement in February citing recurring injury and health problems.During a glittering 14-year spell in Europe, Ronaldo scored goals at a prolific rate for PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and AC Milan, before returning to Brazil in 2009.He won the World Cup with Brazil as a youngster in 1994 and then in 2002 and became the leading scorer in World Cup finals tournaments when he scored his 15th goal at the 2006 tournament in Germany.He was twice named European Footballer of the Year, in 1997 and 2002, FIFA world footballer of the year in 1996, 1997 and 2002 and finished his international career with 62 goals in 97 appearances.

Ebden earns shot at Nadal, Roddick seals tough win

Australian qualifier Matthew Ebden earned a shot at world number one Rafael Nadal thanks to his 7-5, 6-3 win over India's Somdev Devvarman at Queen's, while four time champion Andy Roddick defeated Feliciano Lopez 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (5/7), 6-4 on Tuesday.Ebden, who was born in South Africa, has spent most of his short career playing on the unglamourous Futures Tour and is currently ranked 168th in the world.But the 23 year old will be mixing with tennis royalty in west London on Wednesday when he takes on Nadal in the Spaniard's first singles match since winning his sixth French Open crown in Paris on Sunday. Nadal arrived in London late on Monday just 24 hours after his final victory over Roger Federer to begin preparations for the defence of his Wimbledon title.And his first opponent will be the unheralded Ebden, who secured an impressive victory over Devvarman even though the Indian is 101 places above his opponent in the ATP rankings.Perth based Ebden has been in good form of late, reaching the latter stages at Nottingham and Cremona, and he edged a tight first set before pressing home his advantage with a break late in the second set to clinch the win.Elsewhere at the Wimbledon warm up event, Roddick started his bid for a record fifth title with a hard fought win against Spain's Lopez in the second round.

Kohli embraces new-found discipline

Virat Kohli became the latest member of India’s young brigade to acquit themselves well on the tour of the Caribbean on Wednesday.The 22 year old stroked an impressive 81 in the second One day International against West Indies to lead India to a seven-wicket victory, and earn the man of the match award.He too, kept up the constant theme that has rung through this series once it was clear that the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, and Yuvraj Singh would have been sidelined, it’s a chance for him and other less than established player like him to cut out a place for themselves in the national team.‘The young Indians players want to handle pressure, utilise every opportunity,’ he said. ‘We want to take up as much responsibility as we can and improve in each game.‘Some of us here in this series have been around for a while time. We want to perform, so that those with less experience than us on this tour can bat with more freedom.’Kohli’s past had been dogged by the ravages of a young man striving to come to terms with early fame and fortune.He was thrilled to speak of his missteps as a thing of the past, and felt he had done everything required of him on the disciplinary side over the last two years to change course.‘I was determined to transform myself,’ he said. ‘I was getting carried away off the field - which was not good.

US starts Gold Cup with 2-0 win over Canada

Jozy Altidore scored in the first half and set up Clint Dempsey's goal in the second as the United States opened its Gold Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over Canada on Tuesday.The 21-year-old Altidore put the hosts ahead in the 15th minute and Dempsey scored in the 62nd from a good Altidore cross. The U.S., which was coming off a 4-0 loss to World Cup champion Spain on Saturday, has never lost a group stage game at the Gold Cup. "Coming off the game against Spain, obviously, you got down a little bit," Altidore said. "Now, we've just got to build on it, because it's only going to get harder from here."The U.S. pressured Canada from the start. Altidore scored after running onto a long pass from Landon Donovan. Although Kevin McKenna was back to defend, Altidore was able to turn and take a low shot which slipped under goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld and into the net. There was little Hirschfeld could do about the second goal. Altidore sent a low cross from to the right of the net, and Dempsey stretched to knock the ball in at the far post. "For confidence, it was a good thing," coach Bob Bradley said. "The movement that led to the first goal and the cross to Dempsey for the second both were great plays."U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard was impressive, reacting marvelously to deflect Ali Gerba's powerful shot from the edge of the penalty area with his right hand in the 70th minute. About 15 minutes later, Howard smothered a shot near the edge of the 6-yard box, then made another terrific stop on a volley by Gerba. "Howard was absolute magic," Canadian coach Stephen Hart said. "I almost clapped."Oguchi Onyewu was left out of the starting lineup for the Americans. Coach Bob Bradley went with Tim Ream and Clarence Goodson in central defense.

Chris Gayle wins big at WIPA awards

Chris Gayle has been named international cricketer and Test player of the year at the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) awards. Allrounder Stafanie Taylor picked up the international women's player of the year award.Gayle's recognition was chiefly inspired by his triple-hundred against Sri Lanka in November 2010, in Galle. The innings of 333 was Gayle's top Test score and the second time he went past 300 in Tests, making him only the fourth batsman ever to do so. He is at present out of the West Indies side, following a stand off with the board over his exclusion for the Pakistan series, and his participation in the IPL.Taylor was in rich form in 2010, scoring heavily in the ICC Women's Challenge in South Africa where she averaged 97.00. She is currently ranked No. 2 in the ICC women's ODI batting and allrounder ratings.Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy were named the best ODI and Twenty20 players, while Keiron Joseph was named Under-19 player of the year. Jamaica, who won the Regional Four Day Competition for the 2010-'11 season, were adjudged the first class team of the year.

Legendary Ronaldo says goodbye to soccer

Ronaldo Luis Rosario da Lima, simply known as Ronaldo, bade his official and final farewell to the soccer field on Tuesday when Brazil hosted Romania, winning 1-0 in a friendly inside the Pacaembu stadium in the city of Sao Paulo.Ronaldo came off the bench to a standing ovation in the 30th minute. As soon as he approached the line judge to announce his entrance in the 27th minute, the crowd went crazy.He entered in place of Fred, the author of the game's only goal in 21st minute. During his 15 minutes on the field, the striker had two excellent opportunities to score. However, he failed to convert each of them.In the 35th minute, Ronaldo tapped the ball to Neymar and cut through the defense. Advancing, Neymar dropped it to Ronaldo. In an attempt to redirect the ball into the goal, Romania's goalie Tatarusanu swatted the ball out of bounds.In the 39th minute, the striker received another great ball from Neymar, leaving him face to face with Tatarusanu. However, an excited Ronaldo drove the ball wide left of the goal.As soon as the first half concluded, Roanldo received a warm farewell from the fans. Waving a Brazilian flag, Ronaldo made a hero's lap around the stadium and then addressed the audience at midfield.Circled by 15 banners representing his 15 goals during the World Cup, Ronaldo thanked the fans for all of their support and love over the last 17 years. He asked for the fans forgiveness for being unable to score and not give them a goodbye present.However, accompanied by his sons, he walked off the field with a smile on his face and a sense of satisfaction.During his stellar and record holding performance in the World Cup, Ronaldo scored four goals in the 1998 World Cup in France, eight goals for Brazil's title in the 2002 Japan/South Korea World Cup and three goals in the 2006 World Cup in Germany.After Ronaldo's departure from the field for the last time, Brazil returned to the second half with little offensive threat. Although the team remained to attack, the physical size of Romania's defense kept the team from posing any serious threat. The game ended in a 1-0 victory.Head coach Mano Menezes is now expected to divulge his list of players to play in the 2011 Copa America, beginning on July 1 in host country Argentina.Ronaldo recently admitted that his first soccer game was spent as goalie. However, he quickly noted that he wanted a bigger part of the action and that he had a given talent to score.Ronaldo's first professional team was Brazil's Cruzeiro in 1993 when he was only 16 year old. In the 1993 Brazilian Championship, he scored 12 goals in 14 games, including a record five goals in a single match that year against Bahia.The following year, Ronaldo scored a record 22 goals in the Minas Gerais state championship, catching the eyes of the world.The Dutch PSV Eindhoven paid 6 million US dollars for Ronaldo in 1994 where he stayed until 1996 before being traded to Spain's Barcelona.In 1997, Ronaldo left Barcelona for Italy's Internazionale. In 2002, he moved back to Spain to play for Real Madrid.In mid 2007 to early 2008, Ronaldo switched back to Italy to play for AC Milan. Finally, in 2009, he decided to return to Brazil to play for Corinthians.In his career as a professional, Ronaldo has scored a total of 414 goals in 615 games. During his time with the Brazilian national team, he scored 62 goals in 98 games. His 15 World Cup goals remain the record in the competition.Despite leaving the sport, Ronaldo will not be far from the field. The 34 year old recently launched Ni9e, his own agency where he will represent the interests and image of high name sports athletes, such as Neymar. Ronaldo previously declared that he foresees Neymar as his successor and future of Brazilian soccer.

NBA Finals 2011, Dallas Mavericks Game 4 Win

 

The 2011 NBA Finals have certainly been exciting with the Game 4 win by the Dallas Mavericks being right up there.The Mavericks can withstand a great game from Dwyane Wade.Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle made a few extremely important rotation changes prior to Game 4 of the 2011 NBA Finals, most notably putting J. J. Barea into the starting lineup in place of DeShawn Stevenson.The Mavs made another gritty comeback win in Maverick fashion. Their consistent comebacks have made me wonder whether destroying an opponent's morale by snatching victory in the final quarter is not a part of their official game plan.However, the biggest change in the Mavs' rotation may have came when Carlisle decided to close out the game with freshly benched Stevenson rather than starter Shawn Marion.Marion had his minutes matched with LeBron James' thus far, and he was obviously a bit fatigued. Stevenson, a defensive specialist, nonetheless turned up big on offense, leading the team in three pointers made with three. While he bricked a few in the clutch he made a few very timely plays in the third and fourth quarters, sparking the Mavs' comeback.He also played excellent defense on Dwyane Wade and James in that last quarter, holding them to extremely low numbers. By that measure only, Carlisle proved to be one of the best coaches in the game once again.While the previous games were plagued by numerous periods when the Heat made runs while the Mavs struggled to score, Barea contributed a few nice stretches running the offense. Had he hit a few open layups he somehow missed, this game wouldn't have been so close coming into the fourth quarter.With Dirk Nowitzki struggling, someone had to step up, and the Mavericks, now with more beneficial matchups, went to work, giving Dirk some room for error. While not all of this can be attributed to the adjustments Carlisle made, I would say that the new rotation had a big impact on the result of this game.Whether changing things around was a desperate move by Carlisle, or a brilliant thought out adjustment, could probably be a topic for a long debate.Regardless of that, the changes worked, and every single player who was involved should be praised. Marion excelled in reduced minutes as he got more rest, and Stevenson hit some big shots and finished with 11 points off the bench.  Finally, Terry, running the point at times, made a few beautiful pick and rolls with Tyson Chandler, opening the floor for the Mavs and allowing the team to win.Sometimes, the smallest of changes can win you a pivotal game. While the rotation was not the only factor in Game 4, it was one of many factors that allowed the Mavs to keep their hopes alive, and regain some much needed momentum, in what has been an extraordinary series.

Serena Williams is returning to the tour after nearly a year

Serena Williams is returning to the tour after nearly a year off because of various health issues.Williams will accepted a wild card to compete on England's south coast in one of the traditional grass court warmup events for Wimbledon, which begins on June 20.Williams has not played an official match since winning her 13th Grand Slam title at the All England Club last July.A few days after that victory, Williams cut her foot on glass at a restaurant. She wound up having two operations because of that and later was treated for a blood clot in her lung.Williams told that she was so exited to be healthy to compete again.She past 12 months have been extremely tough and character building.And also say, she have so much to be grateful for. she is thankful to her family, friends, and fans for all of their support.Shortly after winning her fourth Wimbledon singles championship last summer, Williams hurt her foot while in Germany. She played in an exhibition match in Belgium against Kim Clijsters days later. But when she returned to the United States she had the first of two operations for her injury. The second surgery was in October, and she said she spent 10 weeks in a cast and 10 weeks in a walking boot.The 29 year old American was diagnosed in February with blood clots in her lung. After that, she said she needed treatment for a hematoma  a gathering of blood under the skin on her stomach.She returned to practice in April, an event she announced via Twitter, posting a picture of herself on court in a pink bodysuit.Williams' older sister Venus, a seven time Grand Slam singles champion, also is returning to action after an extended injury absence. Venus Williams has been sidelined since injuring her hip during the Australian Open in January, but her agent said last month she was on track to play at Eastbourne and Wimbledon.When healthy, the Williams sisters have dominated women's tennis for much of the past decade. In addition to their 20 total major singles titles, both have spent time at No. 1 in the WTA rankings.At Wimbledon, the sisters have combined to win nine of the past 11 championships. In that span, the sisters played each other in four of the finals at the All England Club.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup Opponent was Canada

The occasion the CONCACAF Gold Cup opener demanded the squad’s attention.And the opponent was Canada, not Spain.With an enhanced performance spearheaded by Jozy Altidore, the United States recovered from a weekend embarrassment with a 2 0 victory Tuesday in the team’s tournament opener before an announced 28,209 at Ford Field.Altidore scored in the 15th minute and set up Clint Dempsey’s goal in the 62nd as the Americans improved to 24-0-2 all time in group play of the regional tournament and extended their unbeaten streak against Canada to 14, dating from 1985.Their next game is Saturday in Tampa against Panama, a 3-2 victor over Guadeloupe in the evening’s first match.“It’s a good start,” U.S. Coach Bob Bradley said. “There’s a lot to build on. We’re excited to get going. The objective on this night was two fold: rebound from a 4-0 loss to World Cup champion Spain on Saturday and begin the march to what is widely expected to be a U.S.-Mexico final for the third consecutive tournament.The Americans crackled with energy from the start, placing Canada under unrelenting duress. Central midfielders Michael Bradley and Jermaine Jones set the tone with their ball winning and distribution. Dempsey and Landon Donovan were lively and assertive, shuttling between the flanks and the heart of the attack. Altidore, 21, and Juan Agudelo, 18, were persistent threats on the front line.“It was good for us to take the game to Canada, it was good for us to be more of an attacking threat, especially after not getting many chances in the Spain game,” Dempsey said.When the Americans lost their edge, goalkeeper Tim Howard provided relief with two outstanding saves. “Howard was absolute magic,” Canada Coach Stephen Hart said. “I almost clapped.”Altidore’s performance was particularly encouraging after he fell short of expectations at the World Cup last summer and played sporadically this past season for Turkish club Bursaspor. “When you go through a stretch with your club team and not always playing regularly and not getting goals, in terms of confidence, this was very important,” Bob Bradley said.On the first goal, Michael Bradley initiated the attack from a deep position, connecting with Donovan, who launched Altidore for a run into the right side of the box.Canadian captain Kevin McKenna was positioned between the charging striker and the goal, but Altidore warded him off, turned quickly and struck a ferocious shot that seemed to catch goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld by surprise. Late to react, Hirschfeld was beaten to the near corner, allowing Altidore to register his 11th international goal.Hirschfeld thwarted Agudelo twice in about a minute late in the half, diving to his left on a 15 yard shot and lunging right on a 25 yard blast.After the break, with more players committed to the attack, Canada took the game to the Americans but failed to equalize.Dempsey then eased U.S. anxiety. Moments after an ambitious scorpion kick was blocked deep in the box, he scored from almost the same spot with a more common technique.Altidore set it up with a cross that Agudelo, charging through the middle, appeared to nick. Initially, Dempsey didn’t seem capable of reaching it, but with an outstretched leg, connected with a sliding effort for his 20th international goal.Canada answered with severe pressure, but Howard foiled Ali Gerba twice: with a tip save on a rasping drive and a sensational block deep in the box.“Right before game time, we had that eye of the tiger back,” Howard said. “We were excited about the tournament,We feel good about the performance".

NFL lockout doesn't have marketing partners, players worried

The NFL and NFLPA are currently in the midst of a major labor dispute that has been playing out both in the board room and the court room. Since the deadline passed more than two months ago, an indefinite lockout of the players has been in full effect. Aside from a temporary stay granted by a court in Minnesota, players have not been allowed to train at team facilities, sign with new teams, or collect pay checks.A lockout occurs when two sides fail to create, or renew, a collective bargaining agreement, resulting in an impasse. Either side has the right to decertify, or file appropriate paper work to the courts in order for them to hear the case at hand.On the other side, NFL Players, the marketing arm for the players association, says it has not lost any marketing partners. Keith Gordon, the organization's president, believes the worth of its players to advertisers and sponsors could actually grow should the lockout continue into the fall. There are two types of lockouts, offensive and defensive lockouts. The offensive lockout occurs when the employer locks out the employees to try and get them to meet an agreement that benefits the employer. The defensive lockout occurs when the employer locks out the employees in order to avoid harm that can be done to the employer’s business.Professional sports have had many bright spots, but they have also had many times when their respective leagues were in quite a pickle. The “big four” sports: football, baseball, basketball, and hockey have all had labor. The main problems that can arise from labor disputes are the consequences of a shortened season or even no season at all. When owners and players cannot agree on specific terms for a new contract, they take a long time to settle on an arrangement. In pretty much every time, the argument is over money. Players think they deserve to earn more money from the league because they are the ones who work hard each day. They also try to receive more health insurance for if they get injured, they will be taken care of. Lastly, professional sports can take a toll on one’s body, so when an athlete retires from sports, they will more so than not want to retire for good. They will need to earn benefits from the league in the future so that they can continue to take care of their families.The team owners usually own the stadiums and they want more money so that they can continue to manage their dealings to the best of their abilities. If these two sides cannot come up with something, then both the players and owners suffer, but most importantly, so do the fans. Fans bring a lot of money into the league, and if there is no agreement, then the fans cannot enjoy their favorite games. Now, each league goes through a lockout and cause problem.

What DUI Arrest Will Mean For Montana's College Career, Nate Montana

joe Montana’s son, Nate Montana was arresting for suspicion of drunk driving.There note that Montana is the third child and oldest son of legendary NFL quarterback Joe Montana and Jennifer Wallace, a model/actress.Missoula County jail records show 21-year-old Nate Montana was booked into jail on a first offense DUI charged  and released about 30 minutes later after posting a $685 bond.Friday after a Missoula County sheriff's deputy stopped his northbound car on Van Buren Street for allegedly driving 39 mph in a 25 mph zone.Deputy Ken Guy was sitting in his cruiser at the corner of Holly and Van Buren streets when his radar picked up Montana's car.The traffic stop turned into a DUI arrest when Guy smelled alcohol."He requested Montana's driver's license and noted that he was fumbling with it as he produced it," sheriff's Detective Jason Johnson said. "He also smelled the odor of alcohol emanating from the window." Montana had transferred from Notre Dame to Pasadena College, back to Notre Dame and finally to Montana this past winter. The school will monitor the situation. At that point, Guy asked Montana to step out of the car and perform a variety of field maneuvers designed to test his sobrierty."He did poorly enough on those maneuvers for the deputy to ask him for the breath test," Johnson said. "Mr. Montana declined that test and he was detained."hings were supposed to get easier for Nate Montana after he transferred out of Notre Dame’s crowded QB pool and out of FBS. Now, the son of Hall of Famer Joe Montana has made his life harder through his own poor judgement.The Missoulian reports that the younger Montana, who is competing for the Montana Grizzlies’ QB job, entered a plea of not guilty after his arrest Friday for drunken driving and speeding. University athletic director Jim O’Day stated that the school would wait for the conclusion of Montana’s legal case before deciding on any additional penalties he would serve.The publicity generated by Montana’s arrest isn’t exactly what the Grizzlies were hoping for when the promising QB arrived on campus. Head coach Robin Pflugrad, who has completed just two seasons in Missoula, has now had three players arrested on DUI charges.Montana faces an open competition for the starting QB spot, with Jordan Johnston, Gerald Kemp and Shay Smithwick-Hann also in the mix. Any missed practice time or suspension resulting from Friday’s arrest will only hurt Montana’s candidacy.With the Grizzlies coming off a nondescript 7-4 season and lacking an incumbent, Montana still has a good shot to emerge as the starter. It appears, however, that he’s running out of chances to make a success out of his college career.

Analycies to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany

The FIFA Women's World Cup 2011 will be the sixth instance of the FIFA Women's World Cup, the quadrennial international women's football world championship tournament. It has been scheduled to take place between 26 June and 17 July 2011.When the FIFA Women's World Cup begins in Germany this month, the host country will be looking to repeat. First, they have to emerge from Group A. While they are the favorite, the German side needs to be wary of the other teams in the group.Six nations, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Peru and Switzerland, initially declared their interest in hosting the 2011 Women's World Cup. Here's a look at them, and the expectations for each.

Germany

The defending side opens up play June 26 in Berlin against Canada. While Germany will be the favorite, Canada is currently ranked sixth in the world and can present a strong challenge in the first match.German team captain Birgit Prinz has announced she will be retiring from the National Team after the World Cup, so you can imagine the thrill it would be for her side to be champions one more time, as the final will be in her hometown of Frankfurt.

Canada

Knowing that the 2015 Women's World Cup will be held in Canada might provide extra motivation for the side to win it all. If they can replicate the German experience of defending at home, it would do fantastic things for women's soccer in Canada.If they do well against Germany, the Canadians have a chance to run the table in Group A. The first match of the group may be it's most important.

France

Appearing in their second World Cup, France tore through the qualifying for the Germany appearance, winning 11 of 12 matches, they lost only to Italy. French Captain Sandrine Soubeyrand acknowledged that they weren't all top-level opponents."All due respect to the teams we beat, who are developing nations on the international scene, but it's going to be a lot tougher for us in Germany," she said.

Nigeria

Although Nigeria finished last in their group in the 2007 World Cup, the side has much higher expectations this time. While they aren't expected to win the group, they should improve on the 2007 finish. Nigeria is just one of seven nations to have participated in all five previous FIFA World Cups.
"Don't rule us out of reaching the final of the World Cup, or better still, coming back home with the trophy," said team captain and goalkeeper Precious Dede.

How will Group A finish?
Conventional wisdom says Germany and Canada will emerge, 1 and 2. I'm not so sure. France may just upend things a little, and Nigeria could surprise. Still, Germany has to be the pick to emerge in the first spot. For number two, I see France riding their momentum to advance from the group.

Nadal and Murray Head To Head

Paris Playing like he's still upset about his only loss at Roland Garros, Rafael Nadal defeated Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-1, 7-6  on Wednesday to reach the French Open semifinals for the sixth time.The five time champion, who lost to Soderling in the fourth round in 2009 but beat him in last year's final, is 43-1 at the clay court Grand Slam and two wins away from equaling Bjorn Borg's record of six French Open titles.Nadal will face fourth seeded Andy Murray, who reached the French Open semifinals for the first time in his career. The Australian Open runner up, who injured his right ankle in the third round, defeated Juan Ignacio Chela 7-6 (2), 7-5, 6-2.Murray's win ensured that the top four seeded players made the semifinals at a Grand Slam tournament for only the 12th time in the Open era.

 Nadal was back on Court Philippe Chatrier to face the man who was responsible for his only blemish at Roland Garros. But with the wind gusting at one point blowing specks of red clay into Nadal's face the fifth seeded Swede struggled with his first serve, landing only 57 percent during the match.However, Nadal didn't appear to be bothered by the conditions, although he was broken twice. The top ranked Spaniard made only 13 unforced errors, while Soderling had 41.Emotionless for nearly the entire match, Nadal was able to handle Soderling's hard forehand and keep his opponent on the move by spraying shots to the corners of the court.And when he smacked a forehand winner to hold serve to 6-5 in the third set, the crowd roared.

After five titles in Paris, Nadal had plenty of fans in the stands  and even some admirers. Besides the Spanish flags throughout the stadium, one woman held up a sign reading, "Rafa ganador, kiss me por favor. Nadal's semifinal opponent also had an easy time Wednesday.Murray, who tore a tendon in his right ankle last week but still managed to win a five setter in the fourth round, trailed Chela 4-1 in the first set. He then won five of six games to force the tiebreak and broke early in both of the next two sets."I'm surprised I'm here, to be honest, because I haven't actually played that well," said Murray. "That's a very good sign for me, because a few months ago I was not playing well and losing badly. I haven't been playing that well. I'm in the semis of a Slam. That's a good sign."

After reaching the Australian Open final in January, Murray went through a four-match losing streak. But he is now enjoying his best clay-court season, having already reached the semifinals in Monte Carlo and Rome.He lost to Nadal in Monte Carlo but pushed the top ranked Spaniard to three sets.Murray already showed his mental resources this week when he came back from two sets and a break down to defeat Viktor Troicki in a fourth-round match that took two days to complete.Against Chela, Murray said his ankle didn't bother him too much, giving him some confidence before Friday's match against Nadal.On a windy Court Suzanne Lenglen, Chela broke twice to open a 4-1 lead with a forehand passing shot straight at Murray, who struggled physically and even looked out of breath after long rallies.But Murray saved two set points at 5-3, the second with a backhand drop shot. He then broke to level the score at 5-5 with a forehand winner and won five points in a row in the tiebreak.Murray is only the second British man in the Open era to reach the French Open semifinals after Tim Henman seven years ago. If he reaches the final, he would be the first Brit in the championship match at Roland Garros since Bunny Austin in 1937.The

other semifinal Friday will be between Roger Federer and the seemingly unstoppable Novak Djokovic. The second-seeded Djokovic is 41-0 in 2011 and has won 43 straight matches dating to last year's Davis Cup final triumph for Serbia."The best player of the world today against the best player history," Nadal said. "Going to be, in my opinion, fantastic match."