A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Hendry too hot for White again
SNOOKER: Stephen Hendry again proved to be Jimmy White's nemesis as the Scot won their battle of the veterans at the UK Championship yesterday. Hendry, who beat White in four World Championship finals during the 1990s, trailed 8-7 against crowd favourite White but won back-to-back frames to triumph 9-8.
The 41-year-old five-time champion set up a second-round clash with Welshman Mark Williams.
For Londoner White (48) an increasingly rare chance to make progress in a ranking event was swept away from under him by a player who repeatedly scuppered his hopes of becoming world champion.
Ronnie O’Sullivan suffered a stunning 9-6 defeat to qualifier Stuart Bingham. The three-time former world champion looked to be fending off Bingham’s threat when he moved from the overnight score of 4-4 to a 6-4 lead with breaks of 62 and 77.
However, the 35-year-old then dropped five frames in a row to make his early exit.
Shoulder injury hampered Webber
MOTOR SPORT: Red Bull's Mark Webber raced the last four grands prix of the Formula One season with a broken shoulder after falling off a mountain bike in Australia in October, his partner said yesterday.
The 34-year-old, who still has a pin in his leg after breaking the limb and shoulder in a cycling accident in Tasmania in November 2008, cast light on the latest incident in a book Up Front – 2010, a season to remember published in Australia this month. He explained in it: “I was riding with a great friend of mine. Suddenly, he crashed right in front of me and I had nowhere to go but straight through the ears of the horse (over the handlebars). I suffered what they call a skier’s fracture to my right shoulder.”
Webber had been leading the championship at the time but his form then dipped and he ended up third overall behind team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
Roberts set to return to action
RUGBY: Wales centre Jamie Roberts is close to returning to action for Cardiff Blues after a long lay-off due to a wrist injury. Roberts (24) has not played since June but is approaching full fitness, and Wales will welcome the news ahead of their Six Nations campaign.
The Blues said: “Following consultation with the medical team at Spire Hospital in Cardiff, Cardiff can confirm that Jamie Roberts is expected to be back playing again over the forthcoming weeks.”
Champion Sports has become the Official Retail Partner to Leinster Rugby, a relationship that will see its stores operate as official ticketing agents for all Leinster games. The company will make a donation to Temple Street Childrens University Hospital for every purchase of any Leinster product or tickets made in store. This is the first of a number of initiatives from Champion in support of their charity partner Temple Street Children’s Hospital.
Cardiff to host Amlin Cup final
RUGBY:European Rugby Cup have confirmed that Cardiff City Stadium will host the Amlin Challenge Cup final on Friday, May 20th. The tournament organisers have tended to wait until much later in the season to name the venue for the final of the second-tier competition, but today's decision means that the Welsh capital will now host both European finals this season, with the Millennium Stadium having already been confirmed as the the Heineken Cup final venue.
Watson to leave Bath and return to Port Elizabeth
RUGBY:Luke Watson felt the chance to return to his home city of Port Elizabeth was too good to turn down after revealing he will leave English Premiership side Bath at the end of the current season.
The 27-year-old former South Africa flanker joined the West Country side in November 2009 and his excellent form helped transform them from relegation candidates to eventual Premiership semi-finalists last term.
His has continued to impress leading the side this season but he will return home in the summer to join the Eastern Province Kings franchise on a three-year contract.
Watson jnr revealed the emotional pull of returning to his first club was too great to resist.
“This has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make . . . I feel that the opportunity to go back to my home city and to the club I first played professional rugby for is the chance of a lifetime.”
Hjorth finishes the season on a high
GOLF: Maria Hjorth took advantage of a huge early stumble from Amy Yang to win the season-ending LPGA Championship in Florida. Yang suffered a quadruple-bogey on the third hole and, although she was excellent across most of the final nine holes, she could not repair the damage as she finished one shot behind Hjorth.
Hjorth was steady in her round, with three bogeys cancelled out by three birdies, in contrast with a more dramatic round from Yang.
After her adventure on the third, she also bogeyed the fifth to make the turn five over par on the day.
But three quick birdies on the way back put her back in contention, only for a bogey on the 17th to ultimately cost her as she finished behind Hjorth.
