Cup match fixing probe launched

An investigation has been launched after the Scottish Cup match

Police have confirmed they are investigating a complaint of match-fixing.

It follows the Scottish Cup tie between Hawick Royal Albert and Huntly on Saturday.

Hawick, who play in the East of Scotland League, lost the match 7-0 to their Highland League opponents.

It is claimed several bets were placed at high odds, predicting the exact score, and also backing Hawick to concede a penalty.

A spokesman for the club said they had no knowledge about the claims while the Scottish Football Association said it could not comment on the inquiry.

"We will co-operate fully with any investigation," confirmed an SFA spokesman.

Lothian and Borders Police are investigating.

The match was one of 17 first round ties played in the competition at the weekend.

Hawick Royal Albert currently sit at the bottom of the East of Scotland League first division.

They have lost six of their seven league matches so far this season.

Tokyo Tears

First-round byes preceded good-byes for three seeded players who were toppled in Tokyo by qualifiers today.

Venus Williams' first Tokyo appearance in five years proved to be short lived. The second-seeded Williams succumbed to 18-year-old Russian qualifier Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 7-6(6), 7-5, in a one hour, 56-minute match of the Toray Pan Pacific Open.

Williams had far more many break point chances than her 40th-ranked opponent but converted on just three of 15 break-point opportunities. In contrast, Pavlyuchenkova converted four of five break-point chances in avenging a 6-0, 6-1 thrashing to Williams in Dubai earlier this year. Pavlyuchenkova will face the winner of the all-French match-up between 14th-seeded Marion Bartoli and Aravane Rezai for a place in the quarter-finals.

Williams' ouster came hours after World No. 1 Dinara Safina and reigning Roland Garros champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, also met their demise at the hands of qualifiers.

Taiwanese qualifier Chang Kai-Chen toppled defending champion Safina, 7-6(5), 4-6, 7-5, to reach the round of 16 at the $2 million hard-court event.

It was Safina's first match since she suffered a surprising, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5), US Open third-round loss to 72nd-ranked Petra Kvitova and ended in another painful loss for the 23-year-old Russian.

"It's not an easy moment," said Safina, who reportedly broke down in tears outside the player lounge after the match. "I had a lot of chances in the third set but I just let it go. I didn't play the way I should. I never took her out of her comfort zone. I didn't do much to help myself."

A year ago, Safina crushed 20th-ranked Russian Nadia Petrova, 6-1, 6-0, in the semifinals before sweeping seventh-ranked Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-1, 6-3, in the final to win the Tokyo title in her tournament debut.

The fifth-seeded Kuznetsova fell to German qualifier Andrea Petkovic, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in two hours, 11 minutes.

The 132nd-ranked Chang spent much of the first eight months of the season trying to gain traction on the Challenger circuit. Last month, the then 212th-ranked Chang qualified for the US Open and knocked off 25th-seeded Kaia Kanepi, 6-0, 2-6, 6-2, then pushed 46th-ranked Magdalena Rybarikova to three sets before bwoing. She qualified for Seoul last week and reached the round of 16, falling to 77th-ranked Anna-Lena Groenefeld.

She entered Tokyo ranked No. 132 and maintained her composure throughout the tight two hour, 44-minute match in which both women won exactly 119 points. The 18-year-old Chang said she believed she could compete with the defending champion from the start.

"I never came into the match thinking I was going to lose badly," said Chang. "I just wanted to play tough."

Safina hit eight aces and nine double faults. Her second serve, which has been vulnerable as Safina has slumped to a 7-5 record in her last five tournaments, let her down again as Chang won 28 of the 41 points played on Safina's serve.

 

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A message for subscribers to let them know they should have 2 mails - a bet in the early kick off between Plymouth and Forest and a bet in tonight's Serie A match between Milan and Bari

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A message for subscribers to let them know they have a couple of mails... A bet in the La Liga match between Valencia and Atletico, and a bet in tonight's Super League play-off between Hull KR and Wigan

La Liga refs

This weeks La Liga referee appointments

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A message for subscribers to let them know they have mail! - A Corners bet in the live Bundesliga match tonight

ICC Champions Trophy - Warm Ups

A brace of three-wicket hauls from Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, along with a half-century from Mahela Jayawardene led Sri Lanka to a comfortable five-wicket victory in their warm-up match against West Indies in Pretoria. After conceding 306 runs against Pakistan on Friday, Sri Lanka's bowlers were more effective against a weak West Indies. Dale Richards and Devon Smith scored half-centuries but, apart from Darren Sammy, no one else got to double figures. They had reached a respectable 121 for 2 before Murali and Mendis went about dismantling the middle and lower order. Murali took 3 for 17 and Mendis claimed 3 for 31 as West Indies were bowled out for 201 in the 46th over.

Sri Lanka began the chase shakily, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya falling within the first ten overs, but Jayawardene steadied the innings by scoring 67 before he was out hit wicket to Gavin Tonge. There were also useful contributions from Kumar Sangakkara (35) and Thilina Kandamby (44) not out and Sri Lanka reached the target in the 48th over.

Fresh off their meeting during the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka, New Zealand turned the tables and pulled off an impressive 103-run victory against India at Potchefstroom. Martin Guptill (63) and Jesse Ryder (57) set a strong platform, adding 60 for the second wicket, before Neil Broom let loose. Broom smashed 66 off 46 balls, comprising five boundaries and four sixes, and figured in two crucial 40-plus partnerships with Grant Elliott and Daniel Vettori. The Indian fast bowlers were largely ineffective in the face of the onslaught with Yusuf Pathan ending as India's most successful bowler with 3 for 46.

Chasing 302, the Indian top order never capitalised on their starts. Abhishek Nayar provided some fight, scoring a quick 41, which included six fours. New Zealand shared the wickets around with Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond taking two apiece, as India were bowled out in the 41st over.

An unbeaten 130 from Shoaib Malik guided Pakistan to a six-wicket victory against Warriors at Benoni. He added 110 with Mohammad Yousuf and 96 with Misbah-ul-Haq as the runs were knocked off with 19 balls to spare.

Ancelloti looks home and hosed for MOM in September

After being done out of the August award by chancer Redknapp, Carlo Ancelloti looks all set for his first Premiership Manager of the Month award for his charges performances during September

Chelsea's impressive victory on Sunday set a new record of 11 straight wins, better than the one forged by Jose Mourinho, and keeps them top of the Premier League table by three points from champions Manchester United.

An away win against the lowly Wigan next weekend will keep the Italian 'perfect' for the season and will surely land him the gong that he richly deserved in August

September Fixtures for Chelsea...

Wednesday 23rd September 2009
Carling Cup Third Round
Chelsea     v     QPR

Saturday 26th September 2009
Barclays Premier League
Wigan Athletic     v     Chelsea

Wednesday 30th September 2009
European Champion Clubs Cup Group D
Apoel Nicosia     v     Chelsea

Karlovic deals 78 aces - and loses

For five sets, Radek Stepanek resembled a man located at the wrong end of a shooting gallery. Withstanding a record 78 aces from Ivo Karlovic, Stepanek stared at the service line and saw the the long-awaited finish line.

As Czech fans screamed in support, Stepanek stepped up and made one final run to finish a gripping, gruelling marathon match.

Stepanek staved off five match points, broke serve in the 29th game of the fifth set then held at 30 to edge 6-foot-10 Ivo Karlovic, 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 7-6(6), 6-7(2), 16-14, in a five hour, 59-minute match to give the visiting Czech Republic a 1-0 lead over Croatia on the red clay of the 4,500-seat Sportska Dvorana "Zatika" in Porec today.

"I was not letting my mind think it was match point; I just saw them as another point which I wanted to win," said Stepanek. "When I sat down at the end I thought they were match points. Thinking that way in the match paid off. I knew patience would be very important."

Though the match was played on Croatian soil, the Czech supporters were vocal throughout in chanting "Stepanek! Stepanek!" at various stages.

"I have no words right now, it was like a lottery and I managed to seize my chances," Stepanek told Croatian television in comments published by Reuters. "It was a long and exhausting match but when you play for your country it's worth it. It wouldn't matter if it lasted for another few hours."

It was the fourth longest match in Davis Cup history, spanning 82 games, which made it the longest match, in terms of total games played, since the tie break was introduced to World Group play in 1989.

Karlovic shattered the all-time aces record of 59 held by American Ed Kauder since 1955.

The match featured just three breaks of serve with Stepanek converting both of his break points in the exhausting encounter that was a war of wills with both men clinging to their serves.

Karlovic cracked 27 of his 77 aces in the fifth set that featured 180 points. The match was one minute short of becoming the fourth Davis Cup match in history to span six hours.

Tomas Berdych held off 15th-ranked Croatian Marin Cilic, 6-3, 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours 48 minutes to give the Czech Republic a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five match semifinal

Croatia has won 11 of its last 12 home ties in Davis Cup and if it advances to the final and faces Spain, which is a heavy favourite over visiting Israel, it will have another home tie.

Croatia, which beat the Slovak Republic to win the 2005 Davis Cup, is bidding to reach its second final. It has never faced the Czech Republic in Davis Cup play. The Czech Republic, which is contesting its first semifinal since 1996, is aiming to reach the final for the first time since 1980 when Ivan Lendl led the nation to the championship.

Moyes not impressed with new officials

Everton manager David Moyes has hit out at the effectiveness of the two new goalline officials being trialled in this season's Europa League. Moyes was unhappy that Louis Saha was sent off for raising his hands to an AEK Athens player during his side's 4-0 win and claims Saha was fouled first.

"It was a ridiculous kick - the boy [Juanfran] has on Louis," said Moyes.

"It is amazing they [the officials] see the small arm but don't see the big kick - even with the extra officials."

The extra officials stand behind the two goallines on the other side from the assistant referees running the touchlines.

They have been introduced in an attempt to improve officiating in and around the penalty area, but Moyes believes their failure to see the kick he claimed was aimed at Saha was "really poor".

"We hope they get more decisions right than wrong and I didn't think the referee had an awful lot of big decisions to make tonight, but I think one of those he missed was the initial incident," added Moyes.

"We need to do everything we can to help the referees but if he was helped in the Louis Saha case then I think he was wrong." Moyes also criticised the AEK Athens players for spending a lot of time on the floor.

"Tonight was strange. British supporters and teams are not used to seeing players being on the ground so often," said Moyes. "I've always said the one thing we have to cut out of football is diving, that is the biggest thing in football that is wrong at the moment."

AEK coach Dusan Bajevic said he was not surprised by Everton's strength but stressed his side would improve after this result.
"We expected Everton to be strong at set-pieces and the first two goals were from set-pieces," he said.

"The third goal just finished us off. I am confident that this heavy defeat, along with the difficult fixtures coming up, will make AEK stronger. We will forget this result and carry on."

Allez!

Former world No. 1 Justine Henin is expected to officially announce her comeback very soon.

Belgian TV station RTBF is reporting that a press conference is expected in the next few days.

Belgian newspaper De Standaard is reporting that Henin has recently ordered 14 new tennis racquets fit to her competitive requirements.

Henin's staff and representatives have been silent and have not commented on her comeback status. The four-time French Open champion, who decided to retire from tennis 16 months ago, will play two exhibition matches in Charleroi, Belgium and Dubai at the end of 2009.

Davydenko - Player.. Punter.. Tipster..

The Davis Cup semi-finals take place this weekend but without Russia - to the relief of Nikolay Davydenko.

Davydenko has been a stalwart for his country in the competition, winning fifteen out of twenty four  rubbers and helping them to success in 2002 and 2006. However he's been a noticeable absentee this year, not competing in the shock 4-1 defeat to Israel back in July.

Davydenko says he finds it difficult to compete with the elite on the ATP tour and play Davis Cup as well. "I'm not disappointed but happy we're not playing in the semi-finals," he said. "Every match in Davis Cup drain enormous energy from players. You play two matches in five sets and you are dead. I can not play tournaments for two weeks after Davis Cup. Sometimes, you have to think about yourself".

It's a view shared by Roger Federer and Andy Murray among others at the top of the game. Both tend to compete for their countries on an ad hoc basis, when the mood takes them.

Davydenko insists that he will be back for Davis Cup in 2010, he's definitely not retired from it.

He will be an interested spectator at the weekend and picks a Spain – Croatia final. "I think Croatia will beat the Czech Republic. Clay is good surface for them, No one on the Czech team is a claycourter either."

Flintoff rejects ECB central contract

Andrew Flintoff has confirmed that he has rejected the offer of a one-day contract with the England & Wales Cricket Board, and will instead become the world's first freelance cricketer in a bid to maximize his considerable earning potential in the final years of his career.

Flintoff retired from Test cricket last month following England's Ashes victory at The Oval, meaning he no longer qualified for one of the ECB's full central contracts. He subsequently underwent a knee operation that will keep him on the sidelines for at least six months, but on Friday he was offered an incremental contract to cover his limited-overs appearances. The option of lucrative Twenty20 deals from the IPL and beyond, however, has proved too tempting to resist.

"One of the things I want to pursue more than anything is playing in different worldwide locations," he told andrewflintoff.com. "I've been very lucky playing for England for the past 11 years and I've sampled different countries, but I've always wanted the opportunity to play more in these places, get to know them and the way they go about their cricket.

"I said when I retired from Test cricket that my ambition was to become the best one-day and Twenty20 player in the world and playing in all these different countries can only help."

An ECB spokesman said that Flintoff's decision would require "careful consideration", and that the board would digest the news and respond in due course if required. When fit, Flintoff remains an integral part of England's limited-overs plans, and he himself has stated he wants to play until the 2015 World Cup.

But England coach Andy Flower had said his players could take part in only three weeks of the 45-day IPL next year if they toured Bangladesh in February and March, ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in May. That means Flintoff, the joint highest-paid player in the IPL along with Kevin Pietersen, would stand to lose about half of his US$1.55m fee by going to Bangladesh for what he had originally earmarked for his comeback series.

"I was flattered to receive the offer of an incremental contract from the ECB, which I wasn't really expecting, but at this stage of my career I don't think I need to be told when to play and when to rest," said Flintoff, who is currently in Dubai recovering from his knee surgery. "I am 31, I have played international cricket for 11 years and know my body's capabilities.

"I am grateful to the ECB for the all the financial support they have given me to help in my rehabilitation. I have moved to Dubai because I believe it will help in that and their decision to pay for Dave Roberts' continued expertise to aid my recovery has been invaluable."

Flintoff 's freelancing will follow the route expected to be taken by Australian allrounder, Andrew Symonds, who is also eyeing several Twenty20 opportunities around the world after his national career stalled due to disciplinary issues. It is understood that Flintoff has already received a No-Objection Certificate from the ECB, which will allow him to take part in a minimum of three weeks of IPL cricket per season.

That, however, could prove to be an awkward precedent for Flower, who had warned that players' workloads need to be managed and that participation in lucrative leagues like the IPL will continue to be an issue over the next few years. The amount of time England players were available for the 2009 IPL season had been a major sticking point between the ECB and the Indian board earlier this year before a compromise was reached.

"He'll play for Chennai [Super Kings in the IPL], he might play for an Australian team, a South African team, maybe one in the West Indies," Flintoff's manager, Andrew Chandler, told the Observer. "If he hadn't have been injured he would have probably played in December-January in Australia. And then at the end of January, early February in South Africa. I was already negotiating with them. We were negotiating with South Australia and the Durban team, the Nashua Dolphins. And there's been an offer from Northern Transvaal [Northerns] as well." While in Dubai, Flintoff also intends to help out with the UAE national squad.

Despite all the high-profile offers that can be expected to come his way, Flintoff is still keen to make an impact with his county side, Lancashire. "I enjoy playing under Peter Moores and Glen Chapple, our captain, is one of my best mates," he said. "I am desperate to help them achieve success at Old Trafford."

"Lancashire, as we have been throughout his entire career, are fully supportive of Fred's ambitions and we hope to see him play a leading role for us in our one day team's for years to come," said Lancashire's chief executive, Jim Cumbes. "To that end, we are currently in talks with Fred and his management team about a new contract which will help support his goals and the ambitions of Lancashire."

Seriously bad call...

Last nights crazy foot fault call might just be the last straw for the ITF - they have to change the rules, and maybe adopt one of Marat's suggested improvements :)

Former champion Marat Safin laid into the "stupid rules" of tennis after a controversial foot fault call almost derailed his progress into the second round.

Leading American Vince Spadea two sets to one but trailing 4-5 and 40-40 in the fourth, Safin foot faulted on his second serve by apparently having his back foot partly across the centre line at the beginning of his serving motion.

The resultant double fault gave Spadea set point, which he clinched, but Safin bounced back well to win 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Winner of the 2000 U.S. Open, the Russian was in his customary belligerent mood when he greeted the media after the match.

"It's stupid rules that somebody made in, I don't know, 1850," Safin said. "Now they give me the problems with these things and it shouldn't be that way."

The official rules state that a serve is a fault if a player, at any time in his service motion, touches or goes outside the imaginary extension of the centre mark with either foot.

Safin said it was ridiculous for a foot fault to be called from the other end of the court.

"How can the guy see with sunglasses from 35 meters away on a foot fault? It doesn't make any sense," the 28-year-old said. "Why do you want to do that? What for?

"It's not so complicated. The chair umpire, when they go with the linesman, first when I start to make the foot fault, they should tell me: 'Listen, you're making a foot fault. Be careful. Next time I'm calling it.' And if you're making it on [the centre line], what difference does it make? Doesn't help me to serve better," he said.

The Rules of Tennis

The Singles Game

8. Foot Fault
The Server shall throughout the delivery of the Service:
a. Not change his position by walking or running. The Server shall not by slight movement of the feet which do not materially affect the location originally taken up by him, be deemed "to change his position by walking or running".
b. Not touch, with either foot, any area other than that behind the base-line within the imaginary extensions of the centre-mark and side-lines.

USTA Comment: The key to understanding this rule is to realize that the Server's feet must be at rest immediately before beginning to serve. Immediately thereafter, the delivery of the service begins with any arm or racket motion, and ends when the racket contacts the ball (or misses the ball in attempt to strike it).

If either foot touches the Court, including the baseline, or the imaginary extension of a line specified in Rule 8b. after his feet are at rest but before he strikes the ball, he has committed a foot fault.
There can be no foot fault if the Server does not attempt to strike at the ball. As long as the Server makes no attempt to strike at the ball, it is immaterial whether he catches it in his hand or his racket or lets it drop to the ground.

USTA Comment: This rule covers the most decisive stroke in the game, and there is no justification for its not being obeyed by players and enforced by officials. No official has the right to instruct any umpire to disregard violations of it. In a non-officiated match, the Receiver, or his partner, may call foot faults after all efforts (appeal to the server, request for an umpire, etc.) have failed and the foot faulting is so flagrant as to be clearly perceptible from the Receiver's side.

It is improper for any official to warn a player that he is in danger of having a foot fault called on him. On the other hand, if a player asks for an explanation of how he foot faulted, either the Line Umpire or the Chair Umpire should give him that information.

Spurs duo scoop Barclays awards

Jermain Defoe and Harry Redknapp have won the Barclays Player and Manager of the Month awards for August.

The Tottenham Hotspur pair have been rewarded for a flying start to the Barclays Premier League campaign which brought four wins from the four matches in August.

Spurs began the season in fine style, defeating Liverpool at White Hart Lane thanks to a Benoit Assou-Ekotto thunderbolt and Sebastien Bassong's second-half winner.

This was followed by a Jermain Defoe masterclass away at Hull City, where the England forward's hat-trick was the highlight of a comprehensive 5-1 triumph.

Defoe's scoring form continued as he grabbed the equaliser in the next match, away at West Ham United, with Redknapp's side sealing a come-from-behind victory through Aaron Lennon's late finish.

The north London club preserved their 100 per cent record in August in dramatic fashion, as a last-gasp Aaron Lennon winner saw off newly promoted Birmingham City 2-1. Peter Crouch's opener was cancelled out by a close-range Lee Bowyer effort before the diminutive winger's late clincher.

This is the first time that Defoe has won the award. He is the first Spurs recipient of the prize since forward pair Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov jointly scooped the honour in April 2007.

Redknapp is celebrating his sixth Barclays Manager of the Month honour, a total surpassed only by Sir Alex Ferguson (with 23) and Arsene Wenger (10).

The decision was made by the Barclays Awards Panel, which includes representatives from football's governing bodies, the media and fans.

Personally, i thought Chelsea's Carlo Ancelotti squeaked it, but all in all, it's hard to begrudge Harry the award given the entertainment that he has given the neutral fan over the past year or so

Monty & Harmison lose central contracts

The international careers of Monty Panesar and Steve Harmison are at the crossroads after both were overlooked by the ECB for a central contract. Panesar is now rated behind Adil Rashid, who received an incremental contract for 2009-10, while Graeme Onions and Tim Bresnan were favoured ahead of Harmison on the 18-man list.

The omission of Panesar is short of surprising, given Rashid's solid returns for Yorkshire and the England one-day teams this year and Panesar's own declining fortunes. Panesar has claimed just 14 wickets at 85.00 in the County Championship for Northamptonshire this season, and was largely ineffective in his sole Ashes outing at Sophia Gardens.

Harmison, though, has more cause to feel aggrieved. His 46 wickets at 19.91 have been instrumental in Durham's surge to the championship crown this season, and his performances against the Australians at Headingley and The Oval were spirited. Reports earlier in the season suggested Harmison was considering retiring from international cricket, and it remains to be see what impact, if any, his omission from England's central contract list will have on that decision.

"I am sure he is disappointed not to have one but Steve could still play a role for us in our stock of fast bowlers," said England's team director Andy Flower. "He could go to South Africa with the Test team, and play a very significant role. He has talked about retirement recently and that is a decision only he can make. When I spoke to him he was still quite keen to play but still had not made a decision. I would love him to carry on.

"Central contracts don't decide selection - performances do. I would like him to be available for England. He's still a very fine fast bowler and he's got a lot to offer. There's no reason why he cannot be a permanent fixture in our bowling unit."

Aside from Panesar and Harmison, the trio of Samit Patel, Tim Ambrose and the retired Michael Vaughan also lost their contracts for 2009-10, while Andrew Flintoff received an incremental deal as he embarks on a limited-overs career. Onions, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann were awarded full 12-month contracts for the first time, and Rashid and Jonathan Trott were among those to secure incremental deals.

The move to award Ian Bell a full contract is of significant interest, coming less than three months after he was overlooked for the Ashes opener in Cardiff. Bell was recalled for the Edgbaston Test after Kevin Pietersen underwent series-ending Achilles surgery, and posted two half-centuries in five innings, including a vital first innings 72 at The Oval. He now appears to have possession of the No. 3 position in the immediate term, with contenders Ravi Bopara, Owais Shah and Trott receiving incremental contracts.

"Bell's situation is he played in the last Test match, he batted No. 3 for us, he played a very important role in us winning that last Test match," Flower said. "England have invested a lot in Ian Bell; he's played 49 Test matches, he's got a lot of experience and he's still relatively young. I hope that he's still got a lot to offer English cricket in the future, but only he can determine how well he does. That comes from within. But I look forward to seeing him being a very successful international batsman."

Players awarded full 12-month contracts are divided into three salary brackets, the highest of which is believed to be worth around £250,000. Those on incremental deals are understood to receive a base salary of £40,000 and can top-up their earnings with match payments.

Flintoff's ECB earnings, therefore, will largely be determined by the success and speed of his recovery from knee surgery. The all-rounder, who retired from Test cricket after the Ashes series, could be sidelined for nine months as he attempts to return to fitness and fulfill his ambition of representing England in the limited overs formats.

"The decision to award an incremental contract to Andrew reflects our view that he will still have an important role to play in our one-day side going forward and we wish him well with his rehabilitation from injury. As we saw in this summer's Ashes Test series, he remains a world-class talent," said Geoff Miller, England's national selector.

"Likewise, the award of incremental contracts to Tim Bresnan, Adil Rashid and Jonathan Trott for the first time is in recognition of the excellent start they have all made to their international careers and their potential to develop still further as cricketers over the next 12 months."

Full contracts James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Ryan Sidebottom, Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann

Incremental contracts Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Andrew Flintoff, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Jonathan Trott and Luke Wright

Man in the middle...

Ferguson wants Rooney to be middle man...

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says Wayne Rooney is at his most effective in a central role.

Rooney has four Barclays Premier League goals for United already this season, putting him level with Jermain Defoe at the top of the scoring charts.

He has found the back of the net against Birmingham City and Arsenal, and netted a double at Wigan Athletic in United's 5-0 win.

United are keen for the former Everton forward to play a more central role than in previous seasons, with Ferguson believing he can provide the goals to soften the blow of Cristiano Ronaldo's summer exit.

Rooney has welcomed the opportunity, but Ferguson understands the 23-year-old is prone to roaming.

Real Hunger...

Ferguson said: "The boy's got a real hunger and drive about him. He has so much energy that sometimes he overdoes it in the sense that he wants to use it all; he'll drop into midfield or he'll go outside left.

"But he's young, and young players tend to sometimes be that way - they want to spend all their energy on the pitch.

"But if he concentrates like he did at Wigan and spends more time in the central areas rather than the wide positions then he will get goals. There's no doubt about that."

Rooney has been a regular scorer since joining United in 2004, however Ferguson suspects Sir Bobby Charlton's club goals record of 249 will be difficult to beat.

"It'll be very tough," Ferguson said. "Sir Bobby's record is 249 goals, so at this stage of Wayne's career I'd say he'll have to do very well to get anywhere near that."

Snooker players, punters and fans getting twitchy

A new snooker season starts in a few hours with the sport in its worst commercial position since becoming mainstream TV entertainment more than 30 years ago. The BBC's seminal decision to cover the 1978 World Championship inspired a tournament circuit from which players were able to earn fortunes but this campaign, which begins with the Shanghai Masters, will feature a lack of sponsors, fewer ranking events and lower prize money.

Only six ranking events (plus the Masters) will take place compared with last season's eight, while prize money has fallen by £435,500 to £3,063,600. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association have secured a title sponsor for only one of the four events televised under its contract with the BBC.

Betfred is in the second year of its £2.6m, four-year deal for the World Championship but there is no sponsor for next month's Grand Prix, December's UK Championship or January's Masters, at Wembley. The Welsh Open, which is covered by BBC Wales, the Shanghai Masters and the China Open complete the ranking circuit. Funding issues have led to the disappearance of the Northern Ireland Trophy and the Bahrain Open.

Players are growing increasingly restive over the large gaps between substantial tournaments and the low level of prize money. Only 43 of the 96 players on the professional circuit earned more than £27,000 from it last season.

Last April, the WPBSA chairman, Sir Rodney Walker, outlined a series of planned minor ranking events with scaled-down prize money and ranking point tariffs. Instead, the WPBSA have merely announced six non-ranking events in low-key venues in Britain with aggregate prize money of £90,000. Only 40 of the WPBSA's 96 players entered the first tournament. The world No8, Mark Selby, recently blogged: "I remember Sir Rodney Walker talking to me a while back. He had all these ideas and plans for the future and was really positive but none of them have come to fruition."

Selby is among those who have played exhibitions to packed houses on the continent. "The last couple I've done have been in Germany and the amount of people who came to watch was fantastic. Imagine what it would be like if we had even a minor ranking tournament there. And not just in Germany. Countries like Poland and the Czech Republic are snooker mad. It would certainly make more sense to tap into Europe than have another tournament somewhere like Bahrain."

Last November's Bahrain Open cost the WPBSA £250,000 in prize money and about the same in staging and other costs. The largest attendance was 150. One session started with no spectators at all.

In a recent BBC Radio 5 Live broadcast, The State of Snooker, Steve Davis raised the inherent conflict of interest between the WPBSA as governing body and their wholly owned commercial subsidiary, World Snooker, "promoting events and not allowing outside promoters to breathe".

In theory, the WPBSA also remain the players' trade union, their original purpose, but this function may soon be taken over by the Snooker Players' Association chiefly through the efforts of John Higgins, the world champion, and his manager, Pat Mooney.

"Just over 100 registrations have been received, including 35 of the top 64," says Mooney, who emphasises that evolution is preferred to revolution and that a meeting with WPBSA is desired.

The SPA's first objective would be the co-ordination of a schedule incorporating independently promoted events with ranking points awarded on a scale appropriate to prize funds and other conditions – a recognisable variant of the scheme outlined by Walker last April.

Various independents are breaking new ground for tournaments. For instance, the World Series co-promoted by Mooney and Higgins staged events last season in Jersey, Poland, Russia and Portugal, and before Christmas will stage them in Prague, Warsaw and Jeddah. Yet the WPBSA do not carry information about any tournaments other than their own on worldsnooker.com. Unless the elite game flourishes in the form of more tournaments and more stories worth reporting, snooker's profile could swirl into a vortex of decline.

Benitez set to start in derby

A player that caught our eye on match day 1 could well land the lead role for his club this weekend where Alex McLeish aims to hand a first league start to Birmingham City's Christian Benitez in Sunday's derby with Aston Villa.

LOOKING DANGEROUS...

The former Scotland manager said: "I've felt in recent weeks that Christian was more effective as an impact player.

"But that may change in a week's time (against Villa). If I can't play him at home, then I will never play him.

"I am pleased with his introduction so far and we have worked hard on his fitness.

"When he came here, he was behind the rest - along with Giovanny Espinoza - in fitness terms.

"Christian is at a good level now and looking dangerous and I think he is going to be a great acquisition to the club."

McLeish will check on Benitez's physical condition when he comes back from a World Cup double header with his country before making a final decision.

He was in action in Colombia at the weekend and Ecuador will tackle Bolivia in midweek.
Benitez, signed from Santos Laguna, has impressed as a substitute during the opening phase of the season.

The Ecuador international has gradually been gaining full fitness after undergoing shoulder surgery at the beginning of the summer.And McLeish is intimating he will promote him to the first XI for the encounter with Martin O'Neill's side.

Other than his goal scoring potential, due to this lads speed he could well spring a few offside traps this season - one to keep an eye on with a few to a low downside sell in the future

Ronnie's back...

Ronnie O'Sullivan could be out of the Shanghai Masters after dislocating a bone in his back during the flight to China.

The 'Rocket', 32, was treated by the doctor of the Chinese soccer side who manipulated the bone back into place.

But O'Sullivan is playing a waiting game to see if he will be fit for his first-round match against Scotland's Graeme Dott.

A close source revealed: "Ronnie really wants to play and doesn't want to disappoint his Chinese fans. He's like a film star in China."

Injury-free Molik to make a full-scale tennis comeback

Australian tennis player Alicia Molik - who retired in September last year - is making a full-scale comeback after being a year out of the game.

Molik, who was ranked number eight and had also won a bronze medal for Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics, will make a comeback at next week's WTA tournament in New Haven. She has also requested a wildcard for the US Open starting in New York on August 31.

The 28-year-old will partner American Meghann Shaughnessy in the doubles at the US Open.

"It's fantastic news," The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Molik's agent Alice Estcourt, as saying.

"She's feeling healthy and fit and just really enjoying being out on the court and playing again without being injured," Estcourt added.

Molik had announced her retirement from professional tennis after experiencing nagging leg and elbow problems together with a bout of Vestibular Neuritis which ended up being the last straw.

Molik won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the 2005 Australian Open with partner Svetlana Kuznetsova. She reached the top ten on the WTA tour for the first time in early 2005 following her first Grand Slam quarterfinal singles appearance, at the Australian Open, where she lost 9-7 in the final set to Lindsay Davenport. (ANI)