NHAU DZEMITAMBO

Gwekwerere strikes

Sunday, 13 February 2011 21:23

Sports Reporter
EVANS GWEKWERERE marked his first game in CAPS United colours with a double strike as CAPS United demolished Mutare Division One side Tanex 5-0 in a friendly match at Sakubva yesterday.
The nomadic forward, who left Dynamos during the off-season to settle at the Green Machine, was thrown into the starting XI by coach Moses Chunga against a team that won promotion into Division One at the end of last year.
Gwekwerere played 75 minutes but had found the target twice by the time Chunga withdrew him.
Washington Pakamisa, who has returned to his CAPS United roots, also grabbed a brace while Douglas Walaza scored the other goal.
“It was a decent team performance considering that it was our first game,” said Chunga. “It’s still a long way to go but I think we are on the right track.
“Evans played well but there is still room for improvement because there are tougher games ahead.”

Ncube wins cross-country title

Sunday, 13 February 2011 21:12

From Noel Munzabwa in Redcliff
NGONIDZASHE Ncube of Ziscosteel Athletics Club is this year’s winner of the National Inter-provincial Cross Country Championships held at Allan Lawry Golf Club here yesterday.
The 24-year-old Midlands Province athlete was good enough to win the race after romping in 40 minutes 53.32 seconds, relegating to second position Harare’s Jonathan Chinyoka who managed 41 minutes 44.73 seconds. Harare’s Millen Matende finished third clocking 41 minutes 49.50 seconds.
Ncube, plucked from Zhombe and the training mate of Elmore Sibanda who had to withdraw from the race, got a confidence booster for next month’s Southern African Region Cross Country championships set for Cape Town in SouthAfrica.
“I am happy to have won this race which I have been preparing for over the last three weeks. It was tough but perseverance paid dividends.
“This gives the confidence ahead of the race in South Africa next month and I hope to do even better there,” said Ncube.
Results
Under 20 Women 6km
1 - Sikhululekile Moyo Matabeleland South 23mins 51.57 seconds, 2 - Sithulisiwe Zhou Midlands 24 mins 07.84 seconds, 3 - Selusiwe Ndlovu Matabeleland South 25 mins 05.12 seconds
Under 20 men 8km
1 - Jacob Mugomeri Mashonaland West 27 mins 42.02 seconds, 2 - Bright Mahembe Midlands 29 mins 20.20 seconds, 3 - Gilbert Chimina Bulawayo 29 mins 36.77 seconds
Senior Women 8km
1 - Constance Nyasango Harare 33 mins 10.24 seconds, 2 - Faith Nyasango Harare 33 mins 29.20 seconds, 3 - Thandiwe Nyathi Matabeleland South 34 mins 18.18 seconds.

Barca record run ends

Sunday, 13 February 2011 19:08

MADRID.
Spanish soccer league leaders Barcelona saw their record winning run come to an end with a shock 1-1 draw at Spo-rting Gijon on Saturday night and it could have been worse had David Villa not scored a brilliant 79th-minute equaliser to salvage a point.
Barcelona had won 16 consecutive league games to beat the old mark of the great Real Madrid side of 1960/61.
But the champions saw their historical sequence broken and the two dropped points are a real boost for title rivals Real.
Unfashionable Sporting, two points above the relegation zone, took the lead through David Barral after 16th minutes and Barcelona needed a delightful chip from Villa later on to snatch a point.
“We managed to get a draw and we have to be happy with a point,” said Villa. “Barcelona never settle for a draw because we always like to win, but it is true that Sporting were superior to us in certain aspects.”
It was the first away points dropped all season for Barcelona, who had won all 10 of their away games prior to this game, and coach Pep Guardiola will hope for a better display on Wednesday when his side travel to Arsenal for the first leg of their last 16 Champions League tie.
A fired-up Sporting started the better of the two sides and took a surprise 16th-minute lead as Barral cut inside from the left flank and left Gerard Pique in his wake before firing low into the corner. Barcelona don’t often go behind and found it difficult to respond against hosts who defended deep in numbers. The champions didn’t have a noteworthy effort on goal until just after the half hour mark when Andres Iniesta shot across goal but goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar saved well.
On 53 minutes right back Dani Alves nipped past his man and cut the ball back for Xavi but the midfielder scuffed his shot and Cuellar smothered the effort.
Two minutes later Lionel Messi was foiled by Cuellar at his near post and Alves almost scored a minute later.
Sporting could barely get out of their half but Barcelona did not make the breakthrough until the 79th minute with Villa floating a delightful chip over Cuellar.
Villa did not celebrate the goal out of respect for hometown club Gijon where he began his career before going on to become a world superstar.
Elsewhere the future of Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores is hanging by a thread after a Joaquin brace helped Valencia to a 2-1 comeback win at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday. Joaquin scored an 86th minute winner to punish Atletico, who have won just once in 2011 under Flores, and Valencia move two points above Villarreal into third place. Atletico are seven points off the top six, with the pre-season target of Champions League football out of sight, and Flores could face the axe with his old team Valencia, where he played for 10 years and who he managed for two seasons, possibly putting the final nail in his coffin.
“The fans cheer me up because they appreciate things and that’s why I will do everything I possibly can to turn things around,” said Flores. Atletico got the perfect start with Jose Antonio Reyes putting them ahead after just three minutes, however, Joaquin levelled for Valencia on 41 minutes. — AFP.

French Open to stay at Roland-Garross

Sunday, 13 February 2011 19:08

PARIS.
The French Open tennis tournament will remain at Roland-Garros on the outskirts of Paris, officials said yesterday after rejecting proposals to move the French Grand Slam to new premises outside the city.
After a general assembly this weekend at which French Tennis Federation (FFT) officials voted on the issue, Roland-Garros was backed unanimously winning two-thirds of the vote in a final round at the expense of Marne-La-Vallee.
It means the venue at Roland-Garros is expected to be modernised and extended from 8,5 to 13,5 hectares.
A statement from the FFT said: “The elected representatives of the French Tennis Federation . . . have voted to back the project proposed by the Paris City Council which aims to create a new Roland-Garros venue through extending and modernising the historic venue at Porte d’Auteuil.”
A total of 195 delegates took part in the vote.
They rejected moving to Versailles, Marne-la-Vallee and Gonesse as of 2016. Gonesse was rejected in a first round of voting while Versailles exited at the second round.
Paris, which had gained the widespread backing of the FFT prior to the vote, then obtained the necessary 66.6 percent of votes in a “final” with Marne-la-Vallee, the eastern suburb which also hosts Disneyland Paris. — AFP.

The Master seeks WC redemption

Sunday, 13 February 2011 19:07

NEW DELHI.
A billion hearts will beat for Sachin Tendulkar as he attempts to win the Cricket World Cup for India in his record-equalling sixth appearance in cricket’s showpiece event.
Tendulkar will not be short of support in what is expected to be his last World Cup — even his teammates want to win it for him.
The most celebrated cricketer of the modern era has amassed 32 331 international runs and hit 97 centuries, making him the most prolific run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket.
But a World Cup title has eluded the master batsman, an anomaly he hopes to correct when he equals Pakistani great Javed Miandad’s record of six tournament appearances.
Tendulkar, who turns 38 in April and holds all coveted batting records except Don Bradman’s astounding average of 99.94, has often expressed his disappointment at missing out on a World Cup triumph.
He was just 10 when Kapil Dev held aloft the trophy at Lord’s in 1983, the only time India has won the tournament, but he remembers that moment clearly.
“No Indian can forget that and, like any player, I too have dreamt of winning the World Cup for the country,” Tendulkar said. “By God’s grace, we will achieve what we want to achieve.”
During his five previous World Cups since 1992, India reached the semi-final at home in 1996 and finished runners-up in 2003 in South Africa.
Both times Tendulkar ended as the tournament’s highest scorer, making 523 runs at average of 87.16 in 1996 and 673 runs at 61.18 in 2003.
He has scored more World Cup runs (1 796) than any batsman in history, but not even his individual brilliance could win the ultimate prize in a team sport like cricket. Tendulkar admitted his worst moment came in the World Cup in the Caribbean in 2007 when India were knocked out in the first round after being stunned by minnows Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“It is always painful when the team loses, but our early exit in 2007 was particularly disappointing,” he said, blaming a lop-sided batting order for the loss to Bangladesh.
Tendulkar, who has played his best one-day cricket as an opener, was asked to bat at number four by the then coach, Greg Chappell, behind Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag and tyro Robin Uthappa.
Tendulkar has enjoyed a great run under current coach Gary Kirsten and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, sma-shing an age-defying 200 not out last year, the only double-century in the history of one-day internationals. — AFP.

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