Hewitt, Ebden secure doubles win

Double delight ... Australia win an epic double Davis Cup match. Source: Marcus Brandt / AAP

Australia hold all the aces heading into the final day of their crunch Davis Cup tie against Uzbekistan after Lleyton Hewitt and Matt Ebden secured a gutsy five-set doubles win on Friday.

The pair defeated Denis Istomin and Farrukh Dustov 7-5 6-7 (4-7) 6-4 3-6 6-3 on clay in Namangan to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five tie.

It left Australia needing to win only one of Sunday's two reverse singles matches to progress to September's World Group playoffs, where they would earn a shot at returning to the competition's top tier for the first time since 2007.

Bernard Tomic can wrap it up if he beats Uzbek No.1 Istomin in the first match, while Hewitt would likely come in to face Dustov if the tie goes to a deciding fifth rubber.

Australian captain Pat Rafter spared Hewitt from Friday's singles, with Marinko Matosevic losing in four sets to Istomin after Tomic won the opening rubber against Dustov.

With both Uzbek players backing up from tough singles battles, the first-time Davis Cup pairing of Hewitt and Ebden had the advantage of being the fresher duo at the Pahlavon Sport Complex.

Still, the home team came out strong and broke Hewitt's serve in the third game of the opening set.

But the Australian pair fought back to 3-3 and pounced on Istomin's service game at 6-5 to take the first set.

The home side rallied to take the second in a tiebreak but another crucial break on Istomin's serve late in the third set allowed Australia to go 2-1 up.

Istomin and Dustov fought back to send the match to a deciding set but Hewitt and Ebden displayed brilliant fight in the fifth.

They secured a crucial early break, from 0-40 down, and showed nerves of steel in holding off the Uzbeks, with a crucial hold from 0-40 down on Hewitt's serve to reach 5-2.

Ebden had battled illness in the days leading up to the match but still showed the form that helped him to a mixed doubles grand slam title at the Australian Open.

He preserved an unbeaten Davis Cup record while record breaker Hewitt improved his doubles record in the competition to 14-3.

Ebden paid tribute to Hewitt after the match, saying the veteran helped to inspire him in the deciding set.

"Rusty was incredible. He really showed me how to win a fifth set,'' Ebden said.

"He got super pumped, definitely led me and came up with some big points.

"It was a good quality match and such an important one to win.''

Hewitt felt the decision to miss the opening singles had worked out perfectly and said Australia would also benefit from keeping Istomin and Dustov on court for almost four hours.

"You really have to try and be as fresh as possible going into the key matches and that was the thinking,'' Hewitt said.

"It's nice we can keep them out there a long time today for five sets but Matty and I felt pretty fresh which is good.''

Rafter paid tribute to both sides, admitting he was surprised with how Uzbekistan kept fighting.

"It was one of the best doubles matches I've ever seen,'' Rafter said.

"... It was a match that went a long time and that sets us up well for tomorrow but we've got to get the job done, no complacency.''

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Port honour fallen mate with victory

OMG! ... Kane Cornes gets a handball away before being tackled by Stephen Coniglio. Source: DAVID MARIUZ / AAP

Port Adelaide crushed Greater Western Sydney by 56 points in an AFL match that was literally a matter of life and death on Saturday night.

The Power honoured their former teammate John McCarthy with a 19.20 (134) to 11.12 (78) victory at AAMI Stadium.

2.5 (17)	Q1	4.4 (28)
8.9 (57)	Q2	6.5 (41)
12.17 (89)	Q3	8.9 (57)
19.20 (134)	Q4	11.12 (78)

Justin Westhoff 5	Jeremy Cameron 3
Chad Wingard 3	Dean Brogan 1
Matthew Broadbent 2	Stephen Coniglio 1
Jake Neade 2	Jonathan Giles 1
Travis Boak 1	Jonathon Patton 1
Brad Ebert 1	Dylan Shiel 1
Hamish Hartlett 1	Devon Smith 1
Kane Mitchell 1	Adam Treloar 1
Cameron O'Shea 1	Lachie Whitfield 1
Jay Schulz 1
Paul Stewart 1

Port vice-captain Brad Ebert epitomised a night of high emotion when, after kicking the match-sealing goal, he repeatedly kissed his black arm-band, worn in respect for his great mate McCarthy.

Moving tributes were held pre-match for McCarthy, who died at a Las Vegas casino complex last September while on an end of season trip with some Power teammates.

McCarthy's Victorian-based family were among the 25,122-strong crowd but the tearful tributes seemingly distracted Port players, who conceded four of the initial five goals.

But Port effectively settled the match with a 15 minute surge in the second quarter which reaped six consecutive goals.

Utility Justin Westhoff was best afield with five goals, Chad Wingard booted three and experienced trio Ebert, Travis Boak and Kane Cornes formed a dominant midfield.

The Giants were well served by skipper Callan Ward and second-gamer Lachie Whitfield while Jeremy Cameron snared three goals.

Cameron kicked two of his majors early as GWS created a 21-point break just 22 minutes into the game.

Port reduced the margin to 11 points at quarter-time and then produced an unheralded second term scoring spree - in less than 14 minutes, the Power scored six goals and held GWS scoreless to take a 25-point break.

But GWS initially refused to buckle.

They were helped in the third term when a wasteful Port logged seven consecutive points, but when the Giants' number one draft pick Whitfield kicked his first AFL goal, the visitors were just 13 points down.

But Port responded in style with eight consecutive goals - including Ebert's effort on the run early in the final term which triggered a wave of McCarthy-induced emotion.

Click here to review the scores and stats in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Drugs investigation destroying Sharks

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Cronulla Sharks ... coach Shane Flanagan says ASADA investigation hurting their season. Source: Kristi Miller / News Limited

The drugs scandal which has engulfed Cronulla finally caught up with the Sharks on Saturday night, with coach Shane Flanagan admitting his team's NRL campaign is being destroyed by the ongoing investigation.

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

The Sharks conceded the inaugural Johnny Mannah Cup in a dour 13-6 loss to Parramatta, who bounced back from a 50-0 shellacking at the hands of the Sydney Roosters last round.

The Sharks are central to a widespread investigation into alleged performance-enhancing drug use in the NRL, with at least 14 players believed to be under investigation, and have been regularly thrust under the spotlight in the opening rounds.

They started the year as one of the competition favourites, but now find themselves with just two wins from five games.

Flanagan has steadfastly refused to accept the ASADA investigation as an excuse for poor form to date - but that changed at Parramatta Stadium as he watched his side lurch from one poor attacking option to the next.

"I didn't want to use it as an excuse last week, but I knew it was," he said.

"... Our boys are a long way off. We've got too much stuff going on off the field.

"They're trying as hard as they can.

"But we all know there's a massive elephant in the room if you want to call it that.

"We can't prepare on one session a week with all this stuff going on.

"I'm not throwing up the white flag at all but it's very, very hard for this group of players with all the stuff that's going on.

"It's absolutely ridiculous to tell you the truth. I'm sick of it."

Flanagan said he had no answers - for the media or his players - as to how long the club will suffer, or what the final outcome will be.

All he knows is that it is finally starting to affect their on-field performance.

"We're just not getting the work done because of distractions ... too many distractions," he said.

"They're doing a really good job dealing with it.

"They're young men. I feel really sorry for them. I'm trying to help them.

"But it's this unknown and as I said it's a terrible position to be in but I've just got to lead us out of it."

Cronulla desperately missed the influence of star playmaker Todd Carney (foot), with his replacement Chad Townsend finding the chest of Jarryd Hayne far too regularly with his kicking game.

Parramatta centre Ryan Morgan's two tries proved the difference on the scoreboard, while co-captain Tim Mannah also put on a monster performance - finishing with 161 metres and 32 tackles.

Morgan was the beneficiary when a Hayne grubber ricocheted off Cronulla's Townsend and into the arms of Luke Kelly who sent him over for the second of his tries.

Morgan had earlier shown great pace to get on the outside of Ben Pomeroy and cross out wide for an unconverted try.

But it was the defence which brought a smile to Eels' coach Ricky Stuart's face - the exact opposite to how he had reacted the day previous at training.

"To be quite honest, we had an outstanding preparation leading into the Roosters and we were shithouse (on Friday) at training," Stuart said.

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

India dump Sehwag from ODI squad

Virender Sehwag ... is dumped from India's ODI squad. Source: Rick Rycroft / AAP

India's selectors on Saturday left out dashing batsman Virender Sehwag from a 30-man preliminary squad for the Champions Trophy in England in June.

Seasoned off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and veteran seamer Zaheer Khan were also missing from the list, which has to be shortened to 15 players a month before the one-day tournament opens on June 5.

Sehwag's 219 against the West Indies in December 2011 is the highest individual score in one-day internationals and he is only the second batsman to score a double-century in the shorter format after compatriot Sachin Tendulkar.

But he was dropped due to recent poor form.

The 34-year-old, who has scored 8,273 runs in 251 ODIs with 15 centuries, was also been left out of the last two Tests in the recent series against Australia, which India won 4-0.

Harbhajan, 32, last played an ODI two years ago in the West Indies, while Zaheer, 34, missed the entire Australian series due to a calf injury.

Uncapped off-spinner Parvez Rasool, 24, was included in the squad, making him the first cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to join the senior ranks.

India are drawn with South Africa, Pakistan and the West Indies in group B of the Champions Trophy, from which the top two will qualify for the semi-finals.

The other group comprises England, Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Lui comeback soured in Cowboys win

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Robert Lui ... enjoys scoring for North Queensland Cowboys against Penrith Panthers. Source: ACTION PHOTOGRAPHICS / AAP

Controversial halfback Robert Lui's NRL return was sweet but short on Saturday night as his North Queensland Cowboys took out three weeks of frustration on hapless Penrith.

5 Tries 0
Kalifa Fai Fai Loa 3'
Kane Linnett 6'
Antonio Winterstein 11'
Robert Lui 17'
Kane Linnett 41'
4 Conversions 0
Johnathan Thurston 8'
Johnathan Thurston 12'
Johnathan Thurston 18'
Johnathan Thurston 43'
1 Penalties 0
Johnathan Thurston 40'

Lui, back in first grade after a suspension in response to a domestic violence charge, scored the Cowboys' fourth try in a 30-0 flogging of the Panthers at 1300SMILES Stadium.

But not long afterwards the 23-year-old suffered a kneecap injury, and was forced off and unable to return.

He is expected to be sidelined for about a fortnight.

Lui's departure marked a slowing of the scoring deluge; Neil Henry's side was averaging better than a point a minute at the time he crossed for his try.

The 22-0 lead at 18 minutes became 24-0 right on halftime and 30-0 when centre Kane Linnett posted his second try a minute into the second half.

But the game became bogged down after that.

Earlier, North Queensland winger Kalifa Fai-Fai Loa scored after only three minutes, off a Matt Bowen bomb, and Linnett got his first three minutes later.

That touchdown would have been disallowed under the previous interpretation of the obstruction rule as Cowboys forward Tariq Sims appeared to make contact with a defender while running a decoy.

Under the new interpretation, where discretion is used in the video box, the green light came up.

Further tries to winger Antonio Winterstein and Lui left little doubt that the Cowboys would end a three-match losing streak after losses to Melbourne, Newcastle and the Warriors.

"It's great to get the win. We just had to hold the ball. Completions in the first few weeks have been terrible," said Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston.

"We were able to build some pressure up the middle and build on that."

Penrith captain Kevin Kingston said his team were blown off the park.

"That first half was just shocking,'' he said.

"The Cowboys are always good at home, we know that. But we are shellshocked."

Penrith second rower Clint Newton was booked for a high tackle on North Queensland hooker Anthony Mitchell in the 61st minute in front of 12,431 fans.

Coach Neil Henry was unsure if winger Ashley Graham (ribs) would come back into the side for Friday's derby against Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium.

Henry and co-captain Matt Scott agreed a repeat of Saturday night's performance, despite it being a five-try shutout, would not be good enough to beat the Broncos, 32-12 winners over Gold Coast on Friday night.

"On the back of a good win against the Titans, no doubt there'll be a massive crowd down at Suncorp and we're going to have to be a lot better than we were tonight, that's for sure," said prop Scott.

"Opening the season (against Brisbane) is great but any time we come up against them is a game we look forward to.

"They're tough games and they showed last night what a quality side they are."

Henry concurred, saying: "I think anyone watching that game would see that compared to (Friday's) Broncos game, we are going to need to improve considering we're going down there.

"And we're realists about that."

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary was hard on his team but took some solace in the fact his men restricted the Cowboys to eight points from the 18th minute to fulltime.

"We were always going to have to start well and get some confidence and it was the opposite," he said.

"We just got worse. We didn't give up and there were a lot of guys trying their hardest but the fact is, we were terrible."

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Rebels overpower Force in style

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Entertaining ... Rebels defenders try to tackle Force flyer Alfi Mafi. Source: Justin Benson-Cooper / News Limited

Western Force lock Hugh McMeniman injured his shoulder as the Melbourne Rebels snapped a five-game losing streak with a 30-23 Super Rugby triumph at nib Stadium on Saturday night.

The Rebels opened up a 15-0 lead inside 20 minutes, but had to hold off a fierce Force fightback to secure their second win of the season and jump off the bottom of the Australian conference.

3 Tries 4
Winston Stanley 33'	Hugh Pyle 8'
Will Tupou 59'	Jason Woodward 18'
Pat Dellit 66'	Richard Kingi 49'
	Jason Woodward 69'
1 Conversions 2
Kyle Godwin 60'	James O'Connor 20'
	James O'Connor 71'
2 Penalties 2
Sias Ebersohn 39'	James O'Connor 13'
Sias Ebersohn 40'	James O'Connor 58'

Winger Jason Woodward scored a brace, including a beautiful chip-and-chase try in the 70th minute, while Hugh Pyle and winger Richard Kingi also went over for the visitors in the bonus-point win.

Not only did the result relegate the Force to last in the Australian conference, but they face a nervous wait to determine the extent of McMeniman's injury.

McMeniman, who had rocketed into Wallabies contention after a great start to the season, was forced off in the 42nd minute after copping a big hit to the top of his left shoulder.

The 29-year-old struggled to move his arm as he received treatment on the bench, with initial reports suggesting he may have injured his AC joint.peThe Force also lost five-eighth Sias Ebersohn early in the second half after he was accidentally headbutted by teammate Heath Tessman.

Force coach Michael Foley said he wasn't sure about the seriousness of McMeniman's injury.

"It's an AC injury, so it could be reasonably minor. But we won't know for 24 hours.''

Ebersohn (head), Alfie Mafi (hamstring cramping), prop Kieran Longbottom (head) and Salesi Ma'afu (knee) also suffered injuries.

The home side was left shellshocked early as the Rebels unleashed a flurry of attacking plays that resulted in tries to Pyle and Woodward.

Woodward's try came in comical fashion, with the winger able to stroll over untouched after Force fullback Will Tupou slipped over as he attempted to collect a grubber kick.

But the Force recovered to take control of the game, and levelled the scores up at 23-all in the 66th minute when Pat Dellit got on the end of Winston Stanley's well-weighted grubber.

---

Re-live the entertaining battle between the Force and Rebels with our Super Rugby Match Centre, featuring video highlights.

---

But man-of-the-match Woodward produced a piece of magic of his own just four minutes later to swing the momentum back Melbourne's way, with his deft chip opening up the Force's defence.

Former Force star James O'Connor missed a penalty in the dying minutes that would have made the game safe, but the Rebels survived a string of 15 phases from the Force after the final siren to secure victory.

"We toughed out a really good win. To finish off the tour with that effort was exceptionally pleasing,'' Rebels coach Damien Hill said.

"Every team goes through ups and downs, and it's about how you bounce back and what your reaction is. It was left up to those 22 players today and they did a tremendous job.''

Wallabies winger Cooper Vuna, who was sent home from the Rebels' recent tour of South Africa after getting into a punch-up with teammate Kurtley Beale, was introduced into the fray straight after half-time.

The Rebels have now won five of their six encounters against the Force, with two of those coming this season.

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bombers bury sorry Dees

Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.

Comprehensive ... Jobe Watson and his Essendon team mates were one step ahead of Melbourne all night. Source: JOE CASTRO / AAP

Essendon showed no mercy to the hapless Demons, routing Mark Neeld's embattled side by 148 points on the MCG.

And Melbourne AFL supporters thought they were bad last week.

6.2 (38)	Q1	2.1 (13)
13.6 (84)	Q2	4.5 (29)
21.11 (137)	Q3	5.5 (35)
28.16 (184)	Q4	5.6 (36)

Stewart Crameri 6	Aaron Davey 2
Tom Bellchambers 4	Mitchell Clark 1
Jobe Watson 3	Jack Grimes 1
Alwyn Davey 2	Nathan Jones 1
Dyson Heppell 2
Ben Howlett 2
Michael Hurley 2
Jackson Merrett 2
Brent Stanton 2
Courtenay Dempsey 1
Brendon Goddard 1
Patrick Ryder 1

For a second successive match, the Demons were uncompetitive and simply appalling in a 148-point hammering by Essendon on Saturday night.

Essendon forward Stewart Crameri booted six goals, ruckman Tom Bellchambers four and midfielders Dyson Heppell and Jobe Watson were outstanding in the 28.16 (184) to 5.6 (36) rout.

As they did in their 79-point season-opening loss to Port Adelaide the previous week, the Demons fell apart completely in the second half.

But this time they were not competitive at any stage, trailing by 55 points at halftime and beaten in every key aspect of the game - especially deficient in their tackling and clearance work.

Coach Mark Neeld is certain to be under further pressure this week as the Demons attempt to make sense of a season in which they believed they would improve, but clearly haven't.

In fact, they may well have regressed.

Any hope Melbourne would fire up after their humiliation the previous week was laid to rest 15 minutes into the match.

The Demons had no answers as Heppell, Watson and David Zaharakis tore them apart in midfield - Heppell having 23 touches to halftime and doing what he liked.

But it was 14 unanswered goals from early in the third term to game's end which showed the depths the Dees are plumbing - the Bombers able to move the ball to goal with embarrassing ease.

Melbourne managed just 1.1 for the second half, and Essendon had 50 more inside-50s for the match.

Masked by the Dees' shambolic efforts was an excellent performance from Essendon - starting the year with a second successive victory to show they have put aside their tumultuous off-season.

They had winners all over the field, nine multiple goalkickers, and their tackle count nearly doubled that of the Demons.

Watson finished with 39 possessions and three goals, while Heppell had 36 touches and two goals.

Defender James Frawley was easily Melbourne's best.

Jack Watts, Melbourne's No.1 draft pick a few seasons ago, was subbed off midway through the third quarter after another ineffective performance.

Essendon took an injury concern away from the match, with Crameri barely playing in the final quarter because of what appeared a knee injury.

Click here to review the stats and scores in the FOX FOOTY Match Centre.

23.51 | 0 komentar | Read More