Twilight race a new dawn for Volvo

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THE Red Bull domination was easy enough to pick - but their biggest challenger was a what? A Volvo?

Craig Lowndes won last night's Clipsal 500 Race 2 twilight fight but there was only one man who owned Adelaide on the opening day of the new V8 Supercars season - Volvo sensation Scott McLaughlin.

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The 2013 rookie of the year Scott McLaughlin took his rookie Swedish ride to second in last night's second 125km sprint, holding off defending champion and Race 1 winner Jamie Whincup and upstaging established rivals and manufacturers with a drive built on guts and defiance.

McLaughlin, who also qualified second, was faced with holding off Whincup for 11 long laps after the five-time champ caught him on the 28th lap.

Whincup took second spot at the final hairpin but McLaughlin regained position when Whincup ran wide at the thrilling final turn, prompting a standing ovation on the home straight.

"I gave it some jam and f*** yeah," an exuberant McLaughlin said of the final move.

"My boys, man, I can't thank them enough. All the fans, you guys were playing Volvo jokes, but I guess they're gone now.

So popular was McLaughlin's victory, the Adelaide crowd booed Whincup for almost snatching silver

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Volvo's outright speed and the 20-year-old's skill behind the wheel halted a Red Bull double one-two.

The pre-race concern about glare from the setting sun at turn four amounted to little on track, with no major incidents at the blinding run out of the chicane.

But turn six, with a similar view, tossed up a brush that is likely to reappear on an end-of-season bloopers reel.

James Courtney was left with an open suicide door when his passenger side peeled back after he dived for a tight gap between South Australian Scott Pye and Erebus driver Lee Holdsworth.

The 2010 drivers champion tried to scrape the outer wall to lose the door but was shown a mechanical black flag.

Mechanics yanked the offending bodywork free and Courtney was cleared to continue racing with a door-sized air vent.

Whincup suffered an early setback when he was held up in his pitstop. Just as teammate Lowndes suffered a wheelnut problem in Race 1, there was a delay changing the Whincup's right-rear tyre.

The setback left Whincup behind Lee Holdsworth, who was among the first to pit, and was later dropped behind Mark Winterbottom.

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McLaughlin held his second position off the line, sandwiched between Lowndes and Whincup.

Foreshadowing the closing tustle, it took only until the hairpin on the second lap for Whincup to make his move up the inside.

But McLaughlin refused to be intimidated and swiped the nose of his Volvo past Whincup's rear bumper searching for a quicker exit.

The pair went shoulder to shoulder - the sport's undisputed alpha lion and the kid tipped to one day usurp him - but Whincup stuck the move at the next turn.

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Windies legends get knighthoods

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THREE former West Indies cricketers took their legendary status to another level after being knighted in a special ceremony in Antigua.

Curtly Ambrose and Andy Roberts, both brilliant exponents of pace bowling during West Indies cricket's golden era, received the honour along with former Test captain Richie Richardson during the innings break of England's first one-day international against West Indies.

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The hosts won the match by 15 runs after a familiar batting collapse by England.

But perhaps the biggest cheers of the day were reserved for the trio receiving their knighthoods, all of whom hailed from the tiny island of less than 100,000 people.

The only previous Antiguan to receive a knighthood was the master blaster Sir Viv Richards, although the latest ceremony brings the total number of West Indies cricket knights to 11.

Both Roberts and Ambrose have already been inducted into the International Cricket Council's Hall of Fame.

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The 300km/h flying fridge

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NISSAN driver Todd Kelly secretly hired a major metropolitan airport in Melbourne to help turn his car labelled a "flying fridge'' last year into a V8 rocket ship for the 2014 season.

The Sunday Telegraph can exclusively reveal the extraordinary lengths Nissan Motorsport have gone to ensure they soar into the championship with team owner and driver Kelly drag racing Jetstar planes on the runaway at Avalon airport.

The four Nissan Altima's — brand new to the sport last year — severely lacked straight-line speed last season thanks to a poor aerodynamic package that saw the V8 Supercars compared to a fridge.

Nissan went all out over the off-season to give their multi-million dollar investment a chance of success with aerodynamic experts in both Europe and Japan helping redesign the car with state-of-the-art software used for spaceships aeroplanes, and Formula One cars.

But it was the testing phase of the no-expense spared operation that left early morning flyers stunned.

"He was driving the car at 300kph on the runway at Avalon,'' said a team member who asked to remain unnamed.

"It was an early morning exercise with the testing down between 4am and 6am. But there were times were Todd was just about directing aircraft to where they should land.''

The team shunned the V8 Supercar test facility with the team unhappy with last year's official sanctioned parity tests.

"The problem there was you could only get up to 200kph on their runway,'' said the team member.

"The aerodynamic properties are most important at the higher speeds and that is where we suffered last year.''

So what Kelly do? Looking for a piece of road, flat enough and long enough for his to hit top-speed, he hired Melbourne's second biggest airport.

The Jack Daniel's Nissan on the track in Adelaide. Picture: /Getty Images Source: Getty Images

Brother Rick Kelly, also a Nissan driver and team-owner, is confident the changes to the car will help them buy into the 2014 V8 Supercars championship fight.

"The guys at Nissan Motorsport have put in a huge amount of work over the last six months to identify what on our car is hindering us in a straight line,'' Kelly said.

"We have had to undertake a lot of research to work out exactly what it was. We have worked that out and implemented those changes over the Christmas break so it is now time to hit the track and see where it was out.''

Kelly confirmed the design process was a muli-national operation that stretched from Europe to Asia.

"We have done a lot of it ourselves but we have had a lot of assistance from Nissan and NISMO,'' Kelly said.

"We have had more help from Europe more than anything and one of the resources they provided was assisting us with information on how to make the aero quicker.

"We are all a lot wiser 12 months down the track but we also have new cars coming in like the Volvo. We are confident we have made a lot of progress but we need to race now to see exactly where we are at.''

Kelly said he was not motivated by beating new manufacturer Volvo.

"Our mission is simply to get the most out of what we have,'' Kelly said.

"We are confident that we have now matched the others in terms of straight-line speed.''

Kelly was not expecting rival team to claim Nissan had received an unfair advantage with the sport's governing body approving the redesigned aero package.

"And if they do whinge it is up to V8 Supercars to make sure that we are all equal and we all have a fair shot,'' Kelly said.

"We need to have the opportunity to win if we go out there and do our best. I think it will still be a big ask for us to win a championship this year. While we have been working on our aero and our engine, they other's have been working on suspension and other areas that they haven't had time to work. All I want to do is get to the end of the year and say we have been able to get the most out of our car. If this year I can get into the top six, that will put us in a great position for 2015.''

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Football fans jailed for gruesome attack

Violent history ... Torino fans clash with police during a riot in 2003. Source: AP

THREE supporters of Italian football club Torino have been handed jail terms of up to nine years for the attempted murder of a Juventus fan, Italian media reports.

The sentences were handed down at the end of a trial in which four fans of Torino were charged with attempted murder for the December 2012 attack on a 47-year-old Juventus fan outside Turin's Juventus stadium.

The victim, according to reports from the court, suffered "unprecedented violence" after being surrounded then chased by the group of assailants.

His life was saved in hospital, but despite a number of operations the unnamed victim was left with a "deformed face" and remains in a state of "deep psychological stress".

On Friday two of the assailants, 27-year-old Francesco Rosato and 26-year-old Daniele Tantaro, were handed nine-year sentences while Alessandro Plazio, 25, was jailed for eight years and four months.

A fourth defendant, Domenico Mollica, 31, was acquitted.

A lawyer acting for Tantaro, Marco Moda, said he would appeal the sentence: "We will lodge an appeal. Without detracting from the seriousness of what happened, we find the charge of attempted murder excessive."

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Clarke survives brutal pace assault

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THE battle between Morne Morkel and Michael Clarke in Cape Town showed just what a brutal and beautiful game Test cricket is.

In an intense period between lunch and tea on day one of the third Test, Clarke was on the receiving end of an immense working over from one of the tallest and most intimidating — in actions rather than demeanour — bowlers in world cricket.

Morkel made his intentions clear from the outset of his spell, coming around the wicket and wasting no time in banging in a couple of short balls to rough up Australia's skipper.

It didn't take long for the tactic to bear fruit, with Clarke's dodgy back and a predominantly leg-side field meaning he had little choice but to try defend against the short-pitched barrage heading his way.

Morne Morkel's bouncers were frightening to watch. Source: AFP

It felt like bodyline with helmets.

Clarke's head might have been protected, but his arm wasn't, and Morkel struck it with ferocious force in the 43rd over.

The 32-year-old tried to shake off the blow, but it clearly caused him a fair amount of pain and Australian physio Alex Kountouris was onto the field at the end of the over with the offer of treatment and painkillers.

Clarke was no fan of the former, opting for the latter to dull the pain he felt at the time and the pain he knew was about to come.

Sure enough the next time the two faced off Morkel sent down more short stuff, with the third ball of the over clipping Clarke on the chest before smashing into his jaw.

Clarke cops one on the chin from Morkel. Source: FoxSports

The Aussie skipper was wounded, and to their credit the South Africans were on the scene quickly to check he was OK, which Clarke eventually was. That meant it was time for hostilities to resume.

The giant South African paceman sent down another short-pitched thunderbolt and it thudded into Clarke's glove, ballooning into the air before almost landing on his stumps.

Next ball, another short one, and once again Clarke copped a blow on the body, this time in the stomach. Once again the Aussie skipper grimaced but got on with the job, just like Ponting, Waugh, Taylor and Border did before him.

Despite Clarke's struggles against Morkel, David Warner was playing the Proteas quick with consummate ease.

Clarke sported a nasty bruise after being hit on the arm by Morkel. Source: FoxSports

He showed just how well he was seeing the ball — or not seeing it — by pulling a short ball from Morkel for four with his eyes closed.

And in fact, the 1.96m paceman never quite reached top pace or bounce for the rest of his spell. Sure, he sent down plenty more short stuff but Clarke eventually came to grips with it and was able to see Morkel off before the tea break.

Not before one final insult though.

The crowd at Newlands was right behind its giant bowler throughout his pace assault and the locals roared with delight as a Warner single brought the Australian captain back on strike.

It was a humorous bookend to a period of play that will long be remembered by those that saw it.

It was brutal, it was beautiful. It was Test cricket.

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FIFA authorise veils, turbans

(Being able to play wearing head covers has helped support women's football in muslim countries. Picture: Toshifumi Kitamura Source: TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP

SOCCER'S world governing body FIFA on Saturday officially authorised the wearing of head covers for religious purposes during matches.

"It was decided that female players can cover their heads to play,'' said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke at a meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the sport's lawmakers, in Zurich.

That will allow female muslim players who wear a veil in everyday life to cover their heads during matches, and Valcke added that male players will also be authorised to do so following a request from the Sikh community of Canada.

"It was decided that male players can play with head cover too,'' he said, although they will not be the same as those worn day to day.

"It will be a basic head cover and the colour should be the same as the team jersey.''

The wearing of head covers had been banned until 2012, with FIFA saying that they posed too great a risk of injury to the head or neck.

However, the IFAB then allowed for them to be tested out over a two-year period following a request from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a trial which proved to be successful.

"It's a worldwide authorisation,'' said Valcke, who confirmed that the hosting of the 2016 women's under-17 World Cup by the Arab kingdom of Jordan played a part in the authorisation being introduced.

"It was a plus for them to have authorisation from the IFAB for women to be able to play (wearing head covers). It was a request from these (muslim) countries that said it would help support women's football there.''

However, it seems that not all countries will be supporting the IFAB's decision.

The French Football Federation (FFF) reacted to the announcement by saying they would continue to ban the wearing of head covers out of respect to France's status as a secular country.

In a statement sent to AFP on Saturday, the FFF said they will maintain "the prohibition of the wearing of all religious or confessional symbols''.

This is due to the "constitutional and legislative principles of secularism that prevail in our country and figure in its statutes.''

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Warner ton puts Australia in charge

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DAVID Warner has sought redemption from his teammates in the best possible way by making a century but captain Michael Clarke has received a fearful battering making his first decent score in months.

After days of controversy, a $2900 fine and in house punishment for accusing South Africa of ball tampering, Warner ensured Australia made a flying start to the deciding third and final Test at Newlands.

The powerful left-hander made 135, his seventh Test century, from just 152 balls with 12 fours and a six as Australia dominated the opening day, moving to 3-331 at stumps.

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A bruised Clarke was unbeaten on 92, his first score above 24 in 12 innings since making a century during the second Test against England in Adelaide last December. Steve Smith was an enterprising 50 not out.

While Dale Steyn was off the field receiving treatment on his right hamstring after walking off one ball into his 11th over, Clarke suffered some terrible blows from the dangerous Morne Morkel bowling short from around the wicket with a leg side field.

Clarke received extensive treatment for a blow to his left arm and was then felled by a Morkel short ball which flicked the batsman's shoulder and cannoned into the side of his neck.

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Moving back up the order to number four, with Shane Watson returning to the side at six, Clarke went down on one knee and stayed down for some time as team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris ran onto the field again to treat the captain.

To his credit Clarke continued and stood up to the assault, eventually seeing off Morkel's spell. Clarke took Morkel on with the second new ball, playing a mixture of delightful and dangerous shots, but needed treatment again just before stumps when another Morkel short ball hit him in the fingers and drew blood.

It was Warner's fourth century of the summer after scoring two during the Ashes series, along with an 83 not out, and one in the first Test at Centurion Park.

Chris Rogers was dismissed by Dale Steyn. Source: Getty Images

Warner was eventually out to a ball from spinner JP Duminy which turned across the left-hander and took the edge. Wicketkeeper AB de Villiers initially fumbled the chance before taking it on the second attempt.

Chris Rogers (25) was the only wicket to fall before lunch, caught at first slip playing a loose drive during the first over of Steyn's second spell after an opening stand of 65.

Alex Doolan (20) looked comfortable playing the anchor role in a 73-run partnership with Warner before skying an ambitious pull to mid-on.

Australia made two changes, Watson for Shaun Marsh and James Pattinson for Peter Siddle.

South Africa included Alviro Petersen and Kyle Abbott for Quinton de Kock and Wayne Parnell

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