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Monday, April 25, 2011

2nd ODI: Pakistan beats West Indies by 7 wickets

2nd ODI: Pakistan beats West Indies by 7 wickets
Pakistan scored 223 runs for 3 wickets in 48 overs in response to West Indies’ 221 on Monday.

Pakistan defeated West Indies by seven wickets with 12 balls remaining in the second ODI at Beausejour Stadium to lead 2-0 in the five-match series.

Ahmed Shehzad’s measured ton (102) helped stabilize Pakistan’s shaky batting attack while Misbah-ul-Haq also scored an unbeaten 43. Mohammad Hafeez was the third top scorer with 32 runs. From the West Indian side, Devendra Bishoo took two wickets for 36 runs.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field. West Indies scored 220 runs in 50 overs with Lendl Simmons scoring 51, Marlon Samuels 29 and Kemar Roach 24. From the Pakistani side, Saeed Ajmal took 2 wickets for 23 runs, Mohammad Hafeez 2-38, Wahab Riaz 2-39 and the skipper Shahid Afridi 2-41 41, while the series debutant Hammad Azam took one wicket for 26 runs.

Julia Goerges: Germany's new promise on court

Germany’s Julia Goerges smiles after beating Caroline Wozniacki in Stuttgart.

Women's tennis in Germany has not been the same since Steffi Graf retired in 1999 with 24 grand slam titles on her CV. Replacing arguably the greatest champion in the history of the sport is no small feat.
Germany's women have, however, struggled for more than a decade simply to be relevant. Not since 1998 has a German finished the year ranked in the world top 10. Not since August 1999 has the country had two women ranked in the top 30. Until yesterday.
Julia Goerges defeated Caroline Wozniacki, the world No 1, 7-6, 6-3 to win the Stuttgart Open on Sunday and vault to 27th in the world, joining Andrea Petkovic (No 15) in the top 30.
Germany had more good news last week, on the women's side: they defeated the US 5-0 to join the eight-nation world group in the Federation Cup. Petkovic and Goerges each won two matches.
"I believe that Germany belongs to the top group," Petkovic said.
The victory by Goerges over Wozniacki on indoor clay, which the German said is her third-best surface, was the attention grabber.
Goerges, 22, would seem to have the game and athleticism to continue to climb in the rankings. She stands just under six feet and moves well. She has heavy ground strokes; her two-fisted backhand is particularly impressive.
Petkovic, a native of Bosnia, got her first burst of attention when she got to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January, and she climbed into the top 20 last month when she knocked out Wozniacki and reached the semi-finals at Miami.
She, too, is a powerful player, and she hopes to further refine her game as she begins training this week with Heinz Guenthardt, the man who coached Graf for the final eight years of her career.
The golden age for German women's tennis spanned Graf's career, but she was not alone among elite players; Anke Huber finished 1996 ranked No 7 in the world.
Soon after, Graf, now 41, gave up the game, married Andre Agassi and gave birth to two children.
Germany fell off the tennis map for a decade.
Petkovic and Goerges are unlikely to win grand slams or climb into the top five but they have made German tennis interesting again.
Goerges's second career victory came in Germany with her father in the stands at the Porsche Arena. She won €72,600 (Dh389,000) as well as a 2012 Porsche Boxster.
"I walked past this car every day going to practice," she said. "I never imagined I would be driving it."

She earned it, however, with wins over Samantha Stosur in the semi-finals and Wozniacki in the final.
Men’s tour this week
Rafael Nadal rolled over Spanish compatriot Devid Ferrer 6-2, 6-4 to win the Barcelona Open for the sixth time. The tournament title was his 45th, and 31st on clay. Ivan Dodig of Croatia was a surprise semi-finalist, defeating Robin Soderling and Milos Raonic.
ATP rankings
Player Country Points
1. R Nadal ESP 12,870
2. N Djokovic SRB 9,640
3. R Federer SUI 8,550
4. A Murray GBR 5,905
5. R Soderling SWE 5,175
Women’s tour this week
Julia Goerges of Germany defeated Caroline Wozniacki, the Dane who is world No 1, 7-6, 6-3 to win the Stuttgart Open. Also, Alberta Brianti of Italy topped Simona Halep of Romania to win the Grand Prix de SAR in Fez, Morocco.
ATP rankings
Player Country Points
1. C Wozniacki DEN 9,970
2. K Clijsters BEL 8,115
3. V Zvonareva RUS 7,615
4. F Schiavone ITA 4,892
5. V Azarenka BLR 4,630
This week:
Estoril Open
Place: Estoril, Portugal
Duration: Until Sunday
Prize Money: $581,000 (men), $220,000 (women)
Surface: Clay
Defending champion: Albert Montanes (men), Anastasija Sevastova (women)
Serbia Open Financial Group Open
Place: Belgrade
Duration: Until Sunday
Prize Money: $545,000
Surface: Clay
Defending champion: Sam Querrey

PAKISTAN BEAT WEST INDIES IN THE 2nd SECOND ODI MATCH OF THE DIGICEL ODI SERIES

 Pak vs WI: Pakistan beat West Indies in 2 nd ODI of Digicel series by 7 wickets
West Indies-Routers, Pakistan team beat West Indies by 7 wickets in 2nd ODI of Digicel series in West Indies.Pakistan lead the 5 match series 2-0.Ahmed Shahzad scored his maiden century against West Indies and proof his skipper's confidence on him right.Junaid Khan can't surprise through his bowling performance.Shahid Afridi is confident to make his side no.1 in ODI in couples of month.

WI captain Darren Sammy is confident for a come back in series in next games.

Ahmed Shahzad scored his second 100 (hundred) in Internatonal Cricket, First against West Indies in Second ODI

Ahmed Shahzad showing bat after century
Karachi-Routers, Pakistan opener Ahmed Shahzad Scored his first century (100) against West Indies in 2nd ODI against West Indies series.This is Ahmed's second Century (100) in International Cricket.Ahmed Shahzad who's nick name was ''ABBU'' in U-19 cricket team give positive feedback to his skipper Shahid Khan Afridi who claps for him after he scored century.Ahmed hit 1 six and 5 4s in this inning.
Ahmed Shahzad shut all mouths who are saying that he is not a good batsman.In interview with our reporter Syed Moiz he said that ''I am very happy with my performance , I will try my best to give consistent performance, I want to thanks Shahid Bhai who give me confidence''.Shahid Afridi said that Ahmed Shahzad is a bright future for Pakistan.

Dylan Howard Named North Park University's Men's Basketball Coach

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - Apr 25, 2011) - After reviewing 139 applicants and interviewing five finalists in a national search, North Park University introduced Dylan Howard as its new head men's basketball coach this week.
Howard, who most recently served as an assistant men's basketball coach at NCAA Division I Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) for the past three years, succeeds former head coach Paul Brenegan.
"This is a significant day in Viking athletics," stated North Park University director of athletics Dr. Jack Surridge. "We are thrilled that Coach Howard is joining our staff. He is a proven recruiter and program builder with a wide range of experience as a coach and player. We are confident that he will elevate the Viking men's basketball program."
"I am delighted that Coach Howard will be leading our men's basketball program. He clearly understands the North Park mission and vision and brings a great deal of successful experience to our team," said Dr. David Parkyn, North Park University President.
Howard, a native of Fort Wayne, Ind., brings a wide array of experience to the Viking program. Before serving as an assistant at MVSU, he headed the men's basketball program at Hardin-Simmons University (HSU), an NCAA Division III institution, in Abilene, Texas. During his tenure, he guided the Cowboys' program in 2005 to their first ever ASC tournament appearance and he was named ASC "Coach of the Year." His team earned the number two ranking in the NCAA South Region when they finished with a school record 19 wins, including 16 conference wins. In 2007 Hardin-Simmons reached the ASC tournament championship for the first time in school history. Among his other accomplishments at Hardin-Simmons, Howard had 23 players named to the Academic All-Conference team, 16 players voted to the All-West Division team. Howard's team GPA at HSU was 2.9 and his graduation rate as a head coach over seven years was 100 percent.
"North Park University has one of the richest Division III traditions in the nation with five national championships and I am thrilled to be part of the Viking family. My dream has always been to get back to the Midwest where the best basketball in nation is played, especially Chicago," said Howard.
Prior to his successful stint at Hardin-Simmons, Howard served as an assistant men's basketball coach at Robert Morris University, a NCAA Division I institution in a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa., from 2000-01. There he was in charge of recruiting, post coaching, strength and conditioning and scheduling. In addition Howard had a successful stint as the head assistant coach at the University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he helped turn the program from an eight-win team in 1997, to 31 wins in 2000 and a number one national ranking. Howard played for the University of Alabama-Birmingham under the legendary Gene Bartow where as the team captain; he led the Blazers to the 1989 NIT Final Four as well as the 1986 and 1987 NCAA tournaments. From there he went on to play professionally in the Asian Professional Basketball Association in Taipei, Taiwan where he was a two-time All-League selection. In 2010 Howard was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Coach Howard and his wife Nicole have a daughter, Danielle Blanco, who attends Samford College and is currently ranked number two in the conference in the 400m hurdles.
North Park finished the 2010-11 season with an 11-14 overall record and a 4-10 mark in the conference (sixth place).
About North Park University Located in Chicago, North Park University is a Christian comprehensive university that serves nearly 3,200 undergraduate and graduate students of all faiths and diverse multicultural backgrounds from around the country and the world. North Park offers a values-based education to students through more than 30 undergraduate majors and an adult degree-completion program, as well as graduate and continuing education in business, nonprofit management, nursing, education, music, and theology. By integrating faith with learning and service -- as it has done since its founding in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church -- North Park University continues to focus on the important task of preparing students for lives of significance and service. More information is available at www.northpark.edu.

Knicks' 2 stars want to help find more help

GREENBURGH, N.Y. — A day after New York's best season in a decade ended with a first-round sweep, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire both said they'll seek input in putting together the pieces around them that are missing.
Anthony says he expects "there will be a lot of talk, a lot of communication, I hope it is, with me and the front office, with Amare and the front office."
When asked Monday whether that means he should have a role in personnel matter, Anthony said yes: "I'm going to be the guy they're going to have to go out there and play with. So why not have some input with who we want?"
The official decision makers are team president Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D'Antoni, neither of whom met with reporters.

Rich Cho has other interests outside of basketball

Talking to my main man Sekou Smith yesterday about these crazy playoffs, and Sekou (who is covering the Mavs-Blazers series for NBA.com) mentioned that one thing he’s learned in being out in Portland is that the Blazers GM Rich Cho has other interests outside of basketball — namely, food. This was confirmed when I saw this video interview of Cho by Forbes Magazine.

First off, I want to eat at whatever restaurant they are sitting at, because the food looks amazing.
Second, living in Atlanta, I’m going to have to give Verasano‘s another try. I went there the first week it opened and was unimpressed, but I imagine they were just working out the kinks.
By the way, Sekou ended up at some Italian restaurant where he had some sort of gnocchi with shredded goat meat that required the use of profanity to describe it was so good.
I may need to book a trip to Portland.

H.S. Basketball: UConn offers scholarship to New London's Dunn

NEW LONDON — The national championship-winning UConn men’s basketball team offered a scholarship to New London junior guard Kris Dunn on Friday.

Dunn recently led the Whalers to their ninth state title and was named state player of the year by the Connecticut High School Coaches' Association. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 26 points per game in his junior campaign.

He has already received offers from other notable schools including Boston College and Providence College.

From April 15-17, Dunn shined at the Real Deal in the Rock AAU basketball tournament in Little Rock, Ark., and his team, Connecticut Basketball Club, finished in second place.

“Playing against some of the top players and actually doing good against them showed the media and coaches I could compete with the best,” Dunn said about the tournament.

Dunn has also been invited to the National Basketball Players Association Top 100 High School Camp this summer.

“Right now, I’m just living in the moment,” Dunn said. “I’m not really worried about college coaches. I’m just focusing on AAU right now.”

Kansas Basketball releases 2011-2012 non-conference schedule

Kansas Athletics announced the non-conference schedule for the 2011-2012 men's basketball season on Sunday. On November 15th, Kansas will face Kentucky in the Inaugural Champions Classic, which is a three-year series that also features Duke and Michigan State. The Jayhawks will face Michigan State in Atlanta in 2012, followed by a matchup with Duke in Chicago in 2013.
The team will then travel to Hawaii for the EA Sports Maui Invitational from Nov. 21-23. With a field of perennial college basketball powers, Kansas could potentially face Arizona, UCLA, Georgetown, Memphis, and Duke while in Hawaii. Kansas and Ohio State also begin a home-and-home series in 2011. The Buckeyes begin the series with a trip to Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 10. Other notable games include a matchup with Davidson at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Dec. 19, a home game against Big East foe South Florida on Nov 19, and a trip to USC on Dec. 22.
2011-12 Kansas Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Date (Day), Opponent, Site (notes)
Nov. 1 (Tuesday), Fort Hays State, Lawrence, Kan. (exhibition)
Nov. 8 (Tuesday), Pittsburg State, Lawrence, Kan. (exhibition)
Nov. 11 (Friday), Towson, Lawrence, Kan. (EA Sports Maui Invitational First Round)
Nov. 15 (Tuesday), Kentucky, New York, N.Y. (Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden)
Nov. 21-23 (Monday-Wednesday), EA Sports Maui Invitational, Maui, Hawaii (potential opponents – Arizona, Chaminade, Duke, Georgetown, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, UCLA)
Nov. 30 (Wednesday), Florida Atlantic, Lawrence, Kan.
Dec. 3 (Saturday), South Florida, Lawrence, Kan.
Dec. 6 (Tuesday), Long Beach State, Lawrence, Kan.
Dec. 10 (Saturday), Ohio State, Lawrence, Kan.
Dec. 19 (Monday), Davidson, Kansas City, Mo. (M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout at Sprint Center)
Dec. 22 (Thursday), at USC, Los Angeles, Calif.
Dec. 29 (Thursday), Howard, Lawrence, Kan.
Dec. 31 (Saturday), North Dakota, Lawrence, Kan.

Former UW baseball coach still active in the sport -SKY NEWS

LARAMIE, Wyo. (ROUTERS) — Former University of Wyoming baseball coach Jim Jones still finds time to coach the game in retirement.
Jones is in France this month working with baseball academies through June 6.
He lives in retirement in Oregon with his wife.
Jones began his career in 1961 as an outfielder for UW where he became a three-year letterman while posting a career batting average above .300.
He became UW's baseball coach in 1971 and stayed in that position for 14 years. His teams posted a record of 324-387.
In 1996, Wyoming dropped the baseball program.
Jones tells the Laramie Boomerang that he finds it a shame UW can pay one ex-basketball coach thousands of dollars while not being willing to support sports teams that would benefit many student-athletes.

Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice baseball wins MLive.com's Metro Detroit team poll of the week


Brother Rice catcher Jimmy Pickens is one of just three seniors on a very talented baseball team. - (Brother Rice baseball team website)
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice has a fine baseball program this spring and our voters thought that we should take notice.
After a total of 308 votes cast this last week, Brother Rice baseball collected 68 votes (22.08%) to claim its spot as the winner of our Metro Detroit team of the week.
MLive.com's Jared Purcell will provide special coverage on Friday this week when Brother Rice hosts Catholic League Central foe Dearborn Divine Child.
At the event, Jared plans on having more than just game stories. We'll have special feature video with footage shot by players and coaches as well. Jared will also provide videos and photos of the event as well.
We want to show everyone a glimpse into what this team is all about and what makes them tick.
Brother Rice is currently enjoying a superb start with a 13-1 record and 11-1 in the Catholic High School League. It's only loss was a 6-5 decision to Divine Child in the first game of a double header back on April 6.
Divine Child is the defending Division 2 state champion while Brother Rice is the defending Catholic League champion.
In the early stages of voting last week, Brother Rice pulled away from the Warren De La Salle boys lacrosse team that finished second in the poll with 45 votes (14.61%). Northville girls soccer made a late run and finished right behind De La Salle with 44 votes (14.29%) while Canton was also in the running with 43 votes (13.96%).
The rest of the poll finished as follows:
Walled Lake Central boys track and field 12.01% (37 votes)
Madison Heights Bishop Foley baseball 9.42% (29 votes)
North Farmington softball 7.47% (23 votes)
Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes girls soccer 6.17% (19 votes)

Sam Houston baseball at Texas A&M Tuesday

When Sam Houston visits Olsen Field for a 6:35 p.m. baseball game with Texas A&M, the evening will have special significance for both Bearkat and Aggie fans alike.
Tuesday will mark the last visit to Olsen Field in a coaching role for Mark Johnson, the Bearkats' skipper who, in January, announced his retirement at the end of the 2011 season.
Johnson, who has led Sam Houston to NCAA Division I regional baseball playoff appearances in three of his first four years in Huntsville, also owns the most coaching victories in Aggie baseball history with 876 from 1985-2005.
Johnson will be honored by Texas A&M prior the beginning of the contest.
In his 21 years at A&M, Johnson directed the Aggies to two NCAA College World Series appearances, Southwest Conference championships in 1986, 1989, and 1993 and Big 12 league titles in 1998 and 1999.
His teams competed in the NCAA playoffs 13 times, making 13 NCAA regional appearances and reaching the College World Series in 1993 and 1999.
Texas A&M brings a 29-11 record into Tuesday night's contest. The Aggies stand 14-4 in Big 12 Conference competition. Tyler Naquin (.396) and Krey Bratsen (.350) are A&M's top hitters.
Sam Houston stands 27-15 for the season and 12-9 in Southland Conference action after dropping two of three in a road trip to Nicholls this past weekend.
Chris Andreas (.346), Ryan Mooney (.345), Greg Olson (.312) and Braeden Riley (.311) lead the Bearkats at the plate.
Following the game with Texas A&M, Sam Houston will return to Don Sanders Stadium for the Bearkats' next-to-last home Southland weekend series.
The Kats play host to Southeastern Louisiana Friday at 6:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m.

Virginia Tech's Rash receives ACC Baseball weekly honor

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech sophomore Andrew Rash has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week, while Florida State junior Sean Gilmartin has earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors.
Rash, the ACC leader is home runs, total bases and slugging percentage, increased his totals last week with nine hits – six for extra bases, including three home runs – and added seven runs scored and six RBI. That included his second multi-home run game this season in Saturday’s victory at Maryland.
Rash, a native of Anderson, S.C., has now homered in four straight ACC weekends. He helped Tech sweep its first ACC series of the year and extend its road-winning streak to five games. In his last six contests, Rash has five multi-hit games, has scored a run in each, has hit a home run in four and driven in a run in five while raising his average by 47 points.
Overall, Rash has now hit more home runs in a single season than any player since the 1996 season when Kevin Barker hit 20. Rash earns just the fifth player of the week honor ever given to a Tech player, joining Steve Domecus, Austin Wates (both 2010), Anthony Sosnoski (2009) and Bryan Thomas (2006).
Gilmartin (7-1, 1.38 ERA) continued his brilliant season with eight innings of three-hit work in Friday’s 2-1, series-opening win against Duke. Gilmartin, also named a National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball, struck out a career-high 13 batters and did not issue a walk in securing his 28th career victory, tying him for tops among active ACC pitchers and leaving him one win shy of 10th place in Seminole history.
The Moorpark, Calif., native was incredibly efficient, needing only 97 pitches – 70 strikes – to hold the Blue Devils in check. Only one batter took Gilmartin to a three-ball count as he grew stronger as the game went on –striking out the side in the seventh and eighth to eclipse his previous career-high of 11 strikeouts over the course of 43 career starts. Opponents are batting just .175 this season against Gilmartin, who has struck out 81 and issued only 10 walks in 72 innings this season for the Atlantic Division leaders.

Suburban West Roundup: Parkway South Baseball Still Perfect

An unbeaten record at this point of the high school baseball season is indeed a rarity.

But Parkway South won a pair of tight games over Lafayette last week and has yet to taste defeat in 2011.

The Patriots were coming off of a sweep of Mehlville over the weekend. They scored 11 runs in the first inning in a 24-10 win on April 16. The Parkway South lead was actually cut to 11-9 after two innings but then they scored six in both the fifth and sixth innings. Seven different Parkway South players have multi-RBI games against Mehlville. Jake Brentz, John Calloway, James Calloway and Michael Patterson all drove in three. John Calloway scored five runs in the game.

Things were a lot tighter in the sweep of Lafayette. John Calloway was 3-for-3 in an 8-6 win Tuesday. The Patriots needed a three-run seventh inning to remain unbeaten in a 6-4 win over the Lancers on Wednesday. The wins moved Parkway South to 7-0 in the Suburban West Conference. The Patriots entered the week 15-0 overall.

In a normal season, Oakville would be the team making headlines from the Suburban West. The Tigers improved to 5-1 in the league and 12-2 overall with a sweep of rival Mehlville. Chad Gendron pitched a gem in an 8-1 Tigers win at GCS Ballpark on Tuesday. Gendron went the distance and allowed only two Panthers hits. He walked just one while striking out a dozen. Oakville scored seven times in the first inning on Wednesday but then had to hold back a Mehlville comeback bid, winning 14-11. Tim Chambliss had four hits, four RBI and two runs scored to pace the Tigers’ attack. Jake Land had three hits, three runs scored and three RBI while Gendron had a home run and three RBI.

The series of the regular season will happen this weekend as Parkway South and Oakville will get it on with the conference title on the line. They will play Friday at Parkway South at 4:15 and Saturday at noon at Oakville.

Lindbergh is not out of the picture of a conference title, although the Flyers’ hopes were hurt by a 5-4 loss to Fox last Wednesday. That snapped a seven-game Lindbergh winning streak. The seventh win was Tuesday in a 10-0 win over Fox as Jordan Harmon and Conor Irwin combined for a two-hitter while Kendall Helbert had a home run and drove in five to pace the offense. Lindbergh is 6-2 in the league and 10-4 overall.

Marquette is the other team with a winning record in the Suburban West coming into this week. The Mustangs are 4-3 in the league and 10-7 overall. Marquette pounded out 15 hits in a 12-4 win over Eureka on Wednesday. Justin Cook scored four runs in the game while Jacob Martin had three hits and scored three runs.

Lafayette, which is 3-4 in the league and 7-6 overall, followed up its two tough losses to unbeaten Marquette with a 6-0 win over Marquette last Thursday. Drue Bravo went the distance for the Lancers. He deserved big bravos for his effort as he allowed only two hits and walked just one while recording five strikeouts. William Dupont had a good day at the plate and on the bases. He had three hits, two stolen bases, a run scored and an RBI.

Fox moved over .500 overall (7-6) with the 5-4 win over Lindbergh on Wednesday, which snapped the seven-game Flyers winning streak. The Warriors, who are 2-3 in the league, won in dramatic fashion with two runs in the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings and then won it with a run in the eighth.

Eureka is the seventh team in the nine-team Suburban West with a winning record overall (9-8), although the Wildcats are only 3-5 in the ultra competitive league. Eureka and Lindbergh had one-run games against each other on Thursday at GCS Ballpark. Lindbergh won the opener of the doubleheader 6-5 before Eureka came back to win the second game 2-1. Eureka had lost four of five before the win in the nightcap. Eureka did have a 10-5 win over Marquette on Tuesday as Nick Jacobs drove in three runs and Mark Hencken had three hits.

Northwest and Mehlville each have winning records outside of the conference, but both are looking for their first Suburban West wins. Northwest is 0-4 in the league but had a dramatic 7-5 win over Suburban South co-leader Seckman on Tuesday. The Lions scored a run in the seventh inning to tie the game and then scored twice in the ninth for the extra-inning victory. Andrew Hughes and Ryan Roth had big games at the plate. Hughes had three extra base hits, two doubles and a triple and drove in three runs while Roth was 3-for-3 with three RBI. Roth also combined with Miquel Cornman for 15 strikeouts on the mound.

Mehlville, which is 0-8 in the league and 6-11 overall, also had a recent win over Seckman and it was an impressive one. The Panthers scored five times in the first inning and six times in the last inning for a 15-5 win last Monday. That snapped a four-game losing streak, which included two one-run losses to Lindbergh and two losses to undefeated Parkway South. The Panthers followed up the win over Seckman though with two losses against Oakville.

Suburban West Girls Soccer
Five league teams have just one league loss in girls soccer entering play this week. Oakville, Eureka and Lafayette are all 4-1 while Lindbergh is 3-1 and Parkway South is 2-1.
Lauren Fussell and Lexi Pommer scored goals for Oakville in a huge 2-1 win over Lindbergh last Monday.
The two goals scored by the Tigers are part of just eight goals allowed in 12 games by the Flyers, who are 10-2 overall. Nina Tzlanos made 10 saves in a recent 1-0 win over Parkway South. Tzlanos has six shutouts for the season and a 0.67 goals against average.
Northwest, which lost consecutive league games to Eureka, Lafayette and Oakville, improved to 8-4 overall with 2-0 wins over Webster and Union last week. Alyssa Arnold had both shutouts.
Lafayette had a recent six-game winning streak which included five consecutive shutouts. The streak ended with a 3-0 loss to St. Joseph's Academy in the St. Louis Shootout. The Lancers followed that with a 1-0 loss to Cor Jesu, but beat Marquette 1-0 last Wednesday on a goal by Kelsey Clayman.
Lafayette, Oakville and Lindbergh are all involved in tournaments this week. Lafayette is in the St. Dominic/Francis Howell North Shootout which begins Tuesday with the championship game on Saturday. Oakville and Lindbergh are in the CYC/Joseph Carenza Tournament which begins Monday and finishes Saturday.

Suburban West Boys Volleyball
Oakville's boys volleyball team remained undefeated for the season with a big 2-0 win over CBC Wednesday. The Tigers, who are 17-0 overall, have lost only four total games this season. The Tigers are 5-0 in the league. Mehlville is second at 4-1 with its only loss coming against Oakville. Northwest is 3-1 in the league.

Suburban West Boys Golf

The top area high school golf tournament of the season was held last Monday and it was a good day for a couple of area players and teams. Marquette sophomore Zach Gollwitzer was the individual medalist in the tournament, shooting an even par 72 at Crescent Farms. Eureka's Ted Jones was tied for second with a two-over par 74. Jones' effort helped the Wildcats to a third-place finish as a team behind Metro Catholic Conference powers DeSmet and CBC. Parkway South finished fourth as a team.

College Baseball Rankings: Aggies, Longhorns, TCU And Rice All In Top 25

The latest 2011 college baseball polls are out over at Baseball America, and once again, the state of Texas is well represented as four Texas based schools are ranked in the top 25.
The Texas A&M Aggies are the top ranked Texas team, coming in at No. 6 in the latest poll. The Aggies hold the same ranking they did last week after going 3-1 last week. The Aggies will look to improve on their 29-11 record this week.
The Longhorns are ranked seventh this week, and again, like the Aggies, hold the same ranking they did last week. Texas went 3-1 last week to improve to 30-10 on the season.
Despite a perfect 4-0 week, TCU remained No. 11. The Horned Frogs have to be concerned about prized lefty Matt Purke and his ailing shoulder as he's likely the key to any playoff run for TCU, but even with the bad news on Purke, the Horned Frogs managed to go 4-0 last week.
Lastly, the Rice Owls, despite a 2-2 week, hung onto a spot in the top 25, falling from No. 22 to No. 25. Stanford, Troy and Connecticut all passed the Owls in this week's rankings.
Complete rankings, courtesy Baseball America, are after the jump.
Star-divide
Rk. Team W-L Last Week Prev.
1. Virginia 40-4 4-1 1
2. South Carolina 31-8 3-1 2
3. Oregon State 29-8 2-1 3
4. Vanderbilt 35-5 3-0 4
5. Florida 31-10 3-1 5
6. Texas A&M 29-11 3-1 6
7. Texas 30-10 3-1 7
8. Arizona State 28-9 3-0 9
9. Florida State 31-10 5-0 10
10. Cal State Fullerton 28-11 1-2 8
11. Texas Christian 29-11 4-0 11
12. Georgia Tech 30-11 3-1 13
13. Fresno State 28-7 3-2 12
14. Oklahoma 29-11 3-1 17
15. Southern Mississippi 30-9 3-1 19
16. Miami 27-13 3-1 25
17. Stetson 31-9 2-2 18
18. North Carolina 32-10 2-2 14
19. Oklahoma State 28-12 1-3 16
20. California 24-12 1-3 15
21. Stanford 19-13 3-1 NR
22. Troy 30-10 3-1 NR
23. Connecticut 26-12 5-0 NR
24. UCLA 21-14 2-2 20
25. Rice 28-16 2-2 22
Dropped Out: Arkansas (21), Arizona (23), Gonzaga (24).

Baseball Set to Face St. Anslem, Caldwell, SNHU and Pace

The No. 6 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University baseball team is currently 28-4-1 and enjoying its best start in school history. The Owls will face St. Anselm, Caldwell, Southern New Hampshire and Pace the next 10 days.

OWLS RANKED 6TH NATIONALLY
The Owls have moved to No. 6 in the latest NCBWA National Poll and are No. 2 in the NCBWA East Regional Poll.

OWLS RANKED 2ND IN NCAA EAST REGION
The Owls are currently ranked 2nd in the NCAA East Region. Rankings, are used to determine NCAA selection.Wilmington (Del.) leads the East Region with a 29-4 record.

CUMMINGS AND PETTINE RECEIVE HONORS
Kyle Cummings and Kevin Pettine were both placed on the Northeast-10 Honor Roll for their efforts against Stonehill and New Haven last week.

PITCHING STAFF HOLDING STRONG
The pitching staff for the Owls have been incredible this year with a 1.99 ERA and holding opponents to a .225 batting average. Combined the staff has only allowed 66 earned runs over 298.2 innings.

THREE STARTERS BATTING OVER .300
Three starters for the Owls are batting over .300 after 33 games this season. Kyle Cummings leads the team with a .372 batting average. Ryan Geffert, and Kyle Rosadino are the other two Owls batting over .300.

GEFFERT LEADS OFFENSE
First baseman Ryan Geffert leads the Owls offense in multiple categories. Geffert leads with 42 RBI, 13 doubles, and is tied in home runs with five to go along with a .579 slugging percentage.

LANDELL AND PETTINE SHUT OUT NEW HAVEN
Pitchers Steve Landell and Kevin Pettine combined to shut out New Haven Apri 10, 4-0. Combined, they gave up seven hits and fanned 10 batters.

OWLS SWEEP BENTLEY
The Owls beat Bentley twice on April 9, 8-4 and 6-4. Nick DeProspo led the way going 3-for-5 in game one and had a key home run late in game two.

KIERNAN LIFTS OWLS OVER ASSUMPTION
Down three runs going into the top of the seventh, T.K. Kiernan belts a three-run home run to tie the game up and the Owls eventually go on to win 5-4.

WIN STREAK ENDS AT 22
With a split against Franklin Pierce April 2, the loss ended the Owls 22-game win streak. The Owls were the last undefeated team in any division in NCAA baseball. The winning streak is the longest in program history.

A LOT OF CLOSE GAMES IN THIS SERIES
True to form, rivals SCSU and Franklin Pierce split their games on Saturday, April 2, 4-2 (10 innings) and 3-1 in favor of the Ravens.

OWLS PICK UP 20TH STRAIGHT WIN
The Owls defeated Saint Rose 8-4 on March 28 to pick up their 20th straight win on the season. Senior left fielder Kyle Rosadino led the balanced attack for the Owls going 3-for-4 with three RBI and a triple.

ROULEAU AND ZBIN PICK UP WEEKLY HONORS
Third baseman A.J. Rouleau and pitcher Chris Zbin were placed on the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll for their performances against Saint Rose, Merrimack and AIC.

JOHNSTON DOING HIS JOB
Releiver Michael Johnston has had no problem holding the lead for the Owls late in games. In 14 appearances, Johnston has one win and eight saves. In 22 innings, he has allowed only three runs and 12 hits while fanning 26 batters. Johnston is 1-1 on the season with a 1.23 ERA.

GEFFERT AND ROSADINO HELP DEFEAT AIC
On March 27, the Owls defeated AIC 12-2 behind a 16-hit effort. Seven of those 16 hits came from Ryan Geffert and Kyle Rosadino. Geffert went 4-for-4 while Rosadino went 3-for-3. Both players combined for seven RBI.

COMEBACK KIDS
Down 6-1 after six against Merrimack, it looked to be the end of the win streak for the Owls but a five-run, sixth inning changed all that and the Owls prevailed 11-7. The Owls scored five runs on two hits and three walks through nine batters.

ZBIN HOLDS OFF SAINT ROSE
Pitcher Chris Zbin helped the Owls pick up their 16th win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Saint Rose on March 22. Zbin started the game and received the victory going seven innings and giving up no runs on one hit and striking out eight.

HOME AFTER 15 STRAIGHT AWAY GAMES
The game versus Saint Rose March 22 marked the home opener for the Owls after 15 straight neutral site games.

PETTINE TAKES WEEKLY HONORS
Pitcher Kevin Pettine received multiple honors for his contributions against AIC and C.W. Post. Pettine received Northeast-10 Conference, ECAC, and NCBWA East Region Pitcher of the Week. He went 2-0 and went eight innings in both games.

DePROSPO LEADS OWLS TO VICTORY
Catcher Nick DeProspo helped the Owls turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory in the first game at AIC. DeProspo late-game three-run homerun lifted the Owls to their 14th victory of the year.

PETTINE IS LIGHTS OUT
Senior pitcher Kevin Pettine picked up two wins recently against C.W. Post and AIC. Pettine threw eight innings and gave up one run and scattered three hits against C.W. Post. Five days later, he picked up the win against AIC going eight innings and didn't allow a run while giving up only two hits. Pettine is 6-0 on the season.

CUMMINGS NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shortstop Kyle Cummings was named both the ECAC East Region and Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week. Cummings was one of the key contributors to the Owls offense down in Florida batting .500 (6-for-12) with three RBI, a run scored and a stolen base. He was the third different Owl to receive the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week honor this year.

ZBIN RECIEVES WEEKLY HONORS
Sophomore pitcher Chris Zbin was awarded for his efforts by being placed on the honor roll by the Northeast-10 Conference. Zbin pitched a complete game, allowing no runs on seven hits, while striking out six in a 4-0 win over Mercy College.

PERFECT IN THE SUNSHINE STATE
The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team finished its spring trip to Florida with an undefeated record of 7-0 with wins over Mercy, Bloomfield, St. Thomas Aquinas, C.W. Post, and Nyack.

GEFFERT RECEIVES PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
First basemen Ryan Geffert receivederPlayer of the Week Honors from the Northeast-10 Conference for his efforts against Nyack and Merrimack. In a two-game stretch, Geffert batted .714 (5-for-7) with 11 RBI, a home run, three runs and three doubles.

FAREWELL IN JERSEY
The Owls had no problem collecting their fifth and sixth wins of the season destroying Nyack 22-1 and then beating Merrimack 9-4 later that day. They were led offensively by Ryan Geffert, who batted .714 Kyle Cummings and Kyle Rosandino both also added two hits apiece in each game.

SIMON AND ZBIN PICKED UP FIRST WINS
Both Steve Simon and Chris Zbin secured their first wins of the season down in Flemington, N.J. Simon started against Nyack going seven innings and giving up one run on seven hits and striking out eight with no walks allowed. Zbin started against Merrimack earning the win going six innings and giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out four.

DORSEY AND PETTINE RECOGNIZED BY NCBWA
Outfielder Bryan Dorsey and Pitcher Kevin Pettine were named NCBWA Regional Player and Pitcher of the Week for their efforts against Felician and C.W. Post.

NEXT...NO WAITING
Kevin Pettine fanned a career-high 14 in his first start of the year, a 7-1 win over Felician. He tossed a complete game, allowing just one run on three hits.

SHUTTING THE DOOR
Senior Michael Johnston picked up a win and a save in the opening weekend of action. He fanned five in two innings of work in the first game against C.W. Post to record the save, and then came back the next day to earn the win in the second contest against C.W. Post.

UNDEFEATED IN NORTH CAROLINA
The Owls traveled down to North Carolina and won two games from both Felician and C.W. Post. Bryan Dorsey, T.K. Kiernan and Kevin Pettine led the way in those four games.

QUICK IMPACT
Freshman T.J. Shea had a fine start to his collegiate career, as he batted .438 (7-for-16) in the Owls' four games against C.W. Post and Felician.

NEW YEAR...SAME RESULTS
Junior Ryan Yerina earned his first win of the year in the Owls' 2011 season opener against Felician. He allowed just two runs over seven innings of work.

ANOTHER FINE SEASON IN THE BOOKS
The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team enjoyed a record-setting campaign in 2010. The Owls peaked as high as No. 13 in the national polls, finishing the year at No. 20 and matched a program record with 38 wins. Along the way, the Owls won the Northeast-10 Conference regular season title and reached the NCAA Regional finals.

THE CAPTAINS
Head Coach Tim Shea has announced that seniors Nick DeProspo, and Kyle Rosadino will serve as team captains for the 2011 season.

IN THE NORTHEAST-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls have been ranked No. 1 by the Northeast-10 preseason coaches poll for the 2011 season.

IN THE PRESEASON NATIONAL POLLS
The baseball team was ranked No. 2 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) regional preseason poll. The Owls were ranked No. 15 nationally by College Baseball Lineup preseason poll.

OWLS EARN PRESEASON LAURELS
Juniors Ryan Geffert and Chris Zbin and sophomore Mike Cleary have received NCBWA preseason All-Region honors as well as preseason All-American honors by College Baseball Magazine.

EVERYBODY'S ALL-AMERICAN
Sophomore hurler Chris Zbin collected Honorable Mention All-America honors from both the American Baseball Coaches Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association in 2010. Zbin finished the year with a 7-2 win-loss record and a 2.49 ERA. He struck out 101 batters on the season to rank second in the Northeast-10 Conference and second all-time in Southern Connecticut history for strikeouts in a single season.

OWLS HOST FIRST NCAA REGIONAL
For the first time in program history, Southern Connecticut hosted a NCAA Regional. The Owls entertained the six-team field at Yale Field in New Haven and reached the finals.

SEVEN EARN ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
In 2010, seven Owls captured All-Conference laurels. Ryan Geffert, Michael Cleary and Chris Zbin were named First-Team selections. Ryan Yerina was tabbed for the Second-Team, while Kyle Rosadino, Nick DeProspo and Steve Simon took home Third-Team honors.

A SUCCESSFUL PILOT
Head coach Tim Shea was named ECAC, NCBWA Regional and Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Owls to a 38-win season in 2010.

THREE TABBED FOR NEIBA ALL-STAR GAME
Chris Zbin, Michael Cleary Ryan Geffert were selected to play in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association College All-Star Game following the season for their stellar play throughout the 2009 campaign.

DIAPER DANDY
Michael Cleary made an immediate impact in his first season with the Owls, capturing ECAC and Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year honors. Cleary led the Owls with a .330 batting average and tied for the Northeast-10 lead in triples. He finished the year with one home run and 36 RBI and ranked among the top 10 in the conference in batting average, hits and RBI.

BACK IN THE NCAA'S
Southern Connecticut reached the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in the past six seasons in 2010.

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
For the second time in school history, Southern Connecticut won the Northeast-10 regular season title. The Owls finished the regular season with a 21-5 conference record, marking their lowest loss total in the league since 2005 when the Owls finished 25-5 in the NE-10. Southern also won the regular season title that year.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Owls finished the 2010 regular season with a 16-4 home record. In those 20 contests, they outscored their opponents 132-83.

COMEBACK KIDS
The Owls had a total of four walk-off hits in 2010. The final win came against Stonehill on April 17 as they trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth. A single by Kyle Rosadino brought Michael Cleary across home plate to tie the game and force extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Rosadino did it again. With runners on second and third, he connected for a single up the middle as the Owls took the game, 5-4. During the week of April 6, the Owls won two games by walk-off hits. On April 6, they trailed Assumption 2-0 heading into the ninth but rallied from behind and a RBI single by Eric Schlitter drove in Matt Pessy for the winning run. Six days later, Southern and New Haven went extra innings in the first game of a doubleheader and with the score tied at 6-6, Bryan Dorsey hit a double to right field to drive in the go-ahead run.

BACK-TO-BACK
On March 18 and March 20, pitchers Steve Simon and Ryan Yerina threw back-to-back complete game shutouts as the Owls defeated Pace and UMass Lowell by the scores of 5-0 and 2-0 respectively. Simon surrendered three hits, walked one and struck out seven and Yerina allowed three hits, did not walk a batter and struck out six.

ON DECK
The Owls next game will be May 5 vs Pace.

Ball State defeats CMU in baseball

MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State jumped out to a big early lead and cruised to an 8-1 victory over visiting Central Michigan in Mid-American Conference baseball on Sunday.
The Cardinals (12-25 overall, 8-6 MAC) scored once in the second inning, five times in the fourth, and twice in the fifth to open up an 8-0 lead.
Jake Sabol (3-3) took the loss for the Chippewas, giving up six runs on 10 hits in 3 1/3 innings, while Ball State's Morgan Coombs (4-3) earned the win, going eight innings and allowing only one run on five hits.
The bottom four hitters in the Cardinals' lineup went 11-for-19 with six runs batted in and six runs scored, led by Tim Issler's 5-for-5 and three runs scored.
CMU managed only five hits altogether, including a triple by Matt Faiman.
The Chippewas (20-20, 9-6) host Bowling Green on Tuesday in a makeup game.

CNN: Baseball Could Use Expanded Playoffs

Not long ago, when the subject of changes to baseball playoffs came up, the talk usually centered around team expansion. With two more teams in place, a 32-team MLB could break each of its two leagues into four divisions of four. Eight first place finishers would advance to the postseason, with a “wild card,” as such, no longer needed.
That Commissioner Bud Selig seems to be closing in on adding a pair of wild card teams for 2012 would seem to be an indication that expansion is the last thing MLB is thinking about these days. Better to  hold back any viable markets out there, such as Charlotte or Las Vegas, until Tampa Bay and Oakland have their stadium issues resolved.  So a new playoff round, either a best-two-of-three or a single game elimination, may well happen.
Tim Linceum and a few other MLB stars aren’t happy with the idea of adding another playoff team to the mix in each league. From a pure fairness standpoint for the players and teams, the addition of a sudden death round, should the one-game format be adopted, cuts both ways. The downside is the unfairness of gutting out 162 games only to have to win a one game showdown against a lesser team to secure a wild card berth. There is an upside, though: a wild card play-in restores the premium of winning your division. Since baseball’s 1995 expansion to three divisions and a wild card in each league, the only real goal for a contending team has been securing 0ne of the four playoff spots. Getting there through a division title or wild card makes little difference, if any. The Yankees practically conceded the AL East to the Rays last year as they rested players in preparation for the playoffs. But the new proposal will surely motivate teams to finish first and avoid a preliminary one and done round.
But what of the business effects? More postseason content means more money.  But it also means a diluted postseason product, where getting there isn’t seen as such a big deal. So what’s the right balance?  The NCAA upped its March Madness field to 68 teams from 64 this year. Fine, but why not 128 or 256 teams? Some experts point to the 50% threshold – if fewer than half the teams are admitted, backlash should be minimal.
“Baseball still has the fewest number of playoff teams of any major sports league, it shouldn’t really dilute the quality very much,” says Lee Berke, a New York-based sports media consultant who points out that MLB now has its own network to air extra playoff games should bidding by its TV partners not meet expectations. Judging by the interest in the first round playoff games in the 16-team field NBA, where TNT and ABC-ESPN are seeing solid ratings, baseball would probably be well served by stretching the field a bit. Especially since the markets they play in are stretched enough, at least for now.

FOX NEWS-Major League Baseball appoints J. Thomas Schieffer “Monitor” of the Dodgers

I was wondering what the title of the person baseball chose to run the Dodgers would be. I liked “Lord Protector,” but figured that wouldn’t fly.  ”Trustee” seemed cool, but that may suggest some legal duties to the team and its stakeholders that baseball would rather not have.
They have settled on “Monitor,” which is rather passive. But it’s also a “Crisis on Infinite Earths” shoutout, so that’s cool. Not that Bud Selig had that in mind because that would be too impossibly cool for words.
Anyway, here’s the official statement:
Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig announced today that he has appointed J. Thomas Schieffer, the former president of the Texas Rangers, as the Monitor of the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise.  Schieffer will represent the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball in the oversight of the day-to-day operations, business and finances of the Dodgers and all of the franchise’s related entities.
Schieffer, an investor in the ownership group headed by George W. Bush and Rusty Rose that purchased the Rangers in 1989, was the club president from 1991-1999 and the franchise’s general partner from November 1994 until June 1998.  The Fort Worth native was the club’s partner in charge of ballpark development in advance of the 1994 opening of The Ballpark in Arlington.  The Rangers won their first three American League West titles (1996, 1998-1999) in club history in the years during Schieffer’s tenure.
I know some people wanted Peter O’Malley or someone with a history with the Dodgers to come on board, but that never made much sense.  The warm fuzzies the fans want have to come from the eventual long term owner, not the caretaker.  At the same time, baseball needs someone to make hard decisions and prepare the team for ultimate sale, and someone with a former connection to the team wouldn’t be the best choice.
For what it’s worth, Schieffer was the Ambassador to Japan and Australia during the Bush Administration. He is also the younger brother of Bob Schieffer of CBS News. For a time he was in the Texas gubernatorial race last year as a Democrat, which is strange considering how long he worked for Bush with both the Rangers and in government. But hey, strange bedfellows and all of that.
No matter what you can say about him, his resume suggests competence. And competence is something that the Los Angeles Dodgers desperately need.

White firms as Brumbies' new coach

On his way? ... Jake White in 2007. On his way? ... Jake White in 2007. Photo: Getty Images
THE Brumbies intend to appoint their 2012 coach this week, most likely former World Cup-winning South African coach Jake White, but there are growing concerns Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom may not wear the club's colours again.
Since Andy Friend was sacked after round two, the Brumbies have won just a single match in six starts under Tony Rea.
White displayed a great ability to turn around a team's fortunes when he took the Springboks from 2003 World Cup flops to the 2004 Tri Nations title, and then finished his four-year reign with the 2007 World Cup crown.
''We're now at the end of the process and hope to have an announcement at the end of the week,'' Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said. ''We had a really particular brief for the sort of coach we were after and that's why we took our time to nail it down to a few contenders.''
The 10th-placed Brumbies are in Cape Town preparing for the weekend's clash with the struggling Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
Elsom was due to make his long-awaited first start of the year on the two-match South African trip but was scratched after his chronic hamstring problem caused him more grief following a training session last Wednesday.
Elsom's comeback date is clouded, which also puts his Test captaincy in doubt. The 64-Test breakaway has been on a graduated rehabilitation program since the start of the year after opting against surgery.
Fagan, who remained confident Elsom would return to Super Rugby this season, denied that it would have been better for him to go under the knife. ''We've had medical advice and it's not a surgery-versus-rehab issue,'' he said. ''It's a difficult injury and it's only when you push it a little bit further in training or with more intense rehab that you know if it will take or not.''
Elsom comes off contract at the end of the season and is in negotiations with the Australian Rugby Union over his future.

SKY SPORTS-Shane Warne's Australian accent attracted me : Elizabeth Hurley


Actress-model Elizabeth Hurley has revealed it was Shane Warne's Australian accent that attracted her to him.
Hurley - who has a nine year-old son, Damian, with former husband Steve Bing - said she fell for the cricketer because of the way he talked and how he could make her laugh.
According to British newspaper The Sun, the 45 year-old said: 'I love Australians. They're very outdoorsy. They make me laugh, their accents amuse me.'
The Bedazzled star, who has been in an on-off relationship with Warne, 41, since December, added: 'Well, I certainly wasn't into cricket before.'

Tillakaratne Dilshan considering leaving the IPL on May 10 - ESPN

Colombo-Routers, Newly appointed Sri Lankan skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan is reportedly considering leaving the Indian Premier League on May 10 to join the England-bound national team. 

An official from Royal Challengers Bangalore, Dilshan's IPL franchise, informed that the matter is being sorted between the cricket boards of India and Sri Lanka. 

"Dilshan is keen to travel with the team, to try and create a bond as some of the senior players will be joining the squad a bit late," Roshan Abeysinghe, Dilshan's manager, was quoted as saying in the media. 

Sri Lanka Cricket last week allowed seven players from the 16-member squad to arrive in England before May 19, the day their second warm-up game, against England Lions, starts. 

The board had earlier asked the players to return on May 5 in order to prepare for the England tour.

IPL 4 : Chennai Super Kings beat Pune Warriors India by 25 runs - ESPN


An out of sorts Yuvraj Singh found difficulty in middling the ball as Chennai Super Kings were successful in defending a mediocre score of 142 defeating Pune Warriors India by 25 runs, in an IPL match, here on Monday.
The CSK bowlers used the conditions to good effect and their fielders saved at least 20 runs as the Warriors could manage only 117 for nine in 20 overs. CSK now have six points from six matches and moved upto the sixth place while Pune Warriors with their third loss are now in eighth position.
Touch seemed to have completely deserted India's World Cup hero as he scratched around for his 34 (43 balls, 2x4) before an inspirational catch by Shadab Jakati at extra cover ended his agony. During his stay, Yuvraj failed to clear the fielders and at times he even failed to connect.
Having lost the first four wickets for 40 runs, the team depended a lot on Yuvraj but the sapping Chennai heat seemed to have taken its toll.
Ravichandran Ashwin who is now India's premier T20 bowler did his reputation no harm as he castled the dangerous Jesse Ryder (11). This was after Albie Morkel started the slide getting Mohnish Mishra to drag one back onto the stumps.
Manish Pandey (12, 2x4) coming back after serving a four-match ban was also out in an identical fashion as he played on to a Morkel delivery trying to guide it to the third man region.
With the ball not coming onto the bat, Robin Uthappa's (0) pre-meditated sweep shot off Ashwin saw his stumps go for a walk. The ball pitched outside lef-stump and turned enough to beat Uthappa's bat.
Precariously placed at 40 for four, things were looking downhill for Pune Warriors when Mithun Manhas (20) joined skipper Yuvraj. The duo added 38 runs before Manhas was done in by extra bounce as he edged one off Doug Bollinger to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.
Earlier, Pune Warriors bowlers came back well during the second part of the Super Kings innings to restrict the defending champions to 142 for six despite a sensible half century from Michael Hussey.
On a tricky pitch, Chennai openers Hussey (61, 48 balls, 5x4, 1x6) and Murali Vijay (31, 29 balls, 2x4, 1x6) added 64 runs for the opening wicket. After scoring 63 off the first nine overs without losing a wicket, the CSK managed only 79 of the next 11 losing six wickets in the process.
West Indian speedster Jerome Taylor was the most successful bowler grabbing three for 30 while Alfonso Thomas chipped in with a couple of wickets.
Put into bat, CSK openers Vijay and Hussey started off on a confident note. Although they didn't start tonking the bowlers from the outset, the duo found the gaps and the hittable deliveries were dispatched to the boundary.
Hussey was the first one who opened his shoulders giving Nathan McCullum the charge hitting the offie over mid-off for a six. The Australian batsman got a couple of streaky boundaries off Murali Karthik.
His partner Vijay was lucky to survive a couple of run-outs. Although he hit a couple of fours and a straight six off Karthik, he wasn't exactly his explosive self.
The 50 came off only 43 deliveries. It was the 10th over of the innings where seamer Thomas struck twin blows when it looked as if the CSK openers were trying to bat the opposition out of the game.
Thomas dug one short and McCullum didn't have any problems in gobbling up Vijay's mistimed pull-shot. Suresh Raina's first shot was another mistimed pull that fetched him a couple. Couple of deliveries later he moved towards the leg-stump trying to make room for a big hit only to find his stumps uprooted.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26, 21 balls, 2x4, 1x6) announced his arrival with a six over the sight screen off his counterpart Yuvraj Singh. Hussey brought up his half-century off 42 balls with a drive through extra cover. The bowler was Thomas.
Dhoni who was dealing in singles after that mighty six got a couple of boundaries in the 17th over bowled by Rahul Sharma before he was stumped.
First it was an inside edge that went for a boundary before the Indian captain launched into Sharma hitting straight back for a one bounce four.
In his bid to up the ante, he tried another mighty heave but the leg-break turned enough to beat his bat as Uthappa did the needful behind the stumps. Hussey was out when he tried to loft Jerome Taylor over long-on but Manish Pandey judged it nicely at the boundary line.