Baseball: Captains cling on as the TinCaps eat into a 10-0 lead

Lake County jumped out to a 10-0 lead on Wednesday afternoon and had to hang on to defeat Fort Wayne 10-9 to take the game and series.


The Captains scored six times in the top of the first inning. Carlos Moncrief scored the game's first run on a passed ball. Lake County then got an RBI double from Alex Monsalve, a RBI single from Anthony Gallas, a RBI bases loaded walk from Brian Heere and Nick Bartolone capped it off with a two-run double to left center.

In the third inning, Moncrief doubled to centerfield scoring Bartolone and Heere to make 8-0 Captains.

Lake County added two more runs in the fourth inning with an RBI single from Monsalve his second of the game. Gallas ground out to short scoring Jason Smit, for his second run batted in putting the Captains up 10-0.

Fort Wayne began the charge back in the bottom of the fifth. The TinCaps sent ten hitters to the plate scoring six runs on five hits, getting help from a Giovanny Urshela error to make it 10-6.

In the sixth inning, Fort Wayne scored a seventh on a Bartolone error that allowed Jose Dore to score cutting the lead to 10-7.

The TinCaps picked up back to back doubles from Oscar Garcia and Chris Bisson in the eighth inning off reliever Nate Striz to pull within two runs. Bisson then scored to make 10-9 on a Striz wild pitch.

Steven Wright started the game for the Captains earned a no decision going 4.2 innings allowing six runs, three of them earned on nine hits while striking out two. Nick Sarianides (2-0) picked up the win working 2.1 innings allowing one unearned run on three hits striking out three. Clayton Ehlert picked up his fifth straight save working the ninth, allowing a hit and striking out two. Fort Wayne starter Zach Cates (0-2) took the loss going just two thirds of an inning allowing six runs on three hits, walking three and striking out one.

Lake County returns home to take on South Bend at Classic Park, game time is at 7:00PM. The Captains will start RHP Mike Goodnight (1-2) against RHP Bradin Hagen (1-1) for the Silver Hawks. Catch all the action AM1330 WELW or online at captainsbaseball.com

Thursday is Thirsty Thursday, presented by ESPN 850 WKNR and will feature a dime beer Happy Hour from 6 PM to 7 PM and half-price draft beer and soda until 9 PM.

Thursday is also Date Night, presented by Fisher's Jewelers at Shoregate, which gives couples the opportunity to purchase two tickets to The Officer's Club and two meal vouchers, a $56 value, for only $25. As an added bonus, anyone who purchases the Date Night package will be entered into a grand prize drawing at the end of the season in which a gift certificate to Fisher's Jewelers at Shoregate will be awarded. The military is saluted on Thursday nights with Military ID Nights, presented by Lake County Speedway, as military members, their family and friends will receive $5 box seat tickets with a valid military ID. Game time is 7 PM.

Rugby Union: World in Union Premiership Round-Up

Thanks to our friends from Aviva, for the latest round up of Premiership action, as we head towards the business end of the season.

A slightly belated look back at last weekend's action sees that the top four in Aviva Premiership Rugby have strengthened their grip on a semi-final spot in the penultimate round of the competition over the extended Easter weekend.


Leicester Tigers and Saracens confirmed home semi-final spots with wins over Newcastle Falcons and Gloucester Rugby respectively. Leicester Tigers will now play their semi-final match on Saturday 14th May, kicking off at 3.15pm, while Saracens will be at Vicarage Road on Sunday 15th May, kicking-off at 2.30pm.

Their opponents will be determined by the outcome of matches in the final round of Aviva Premiership Rugby, which takes place in two weeks and follows Newcastle Falcons' rescheduled match against Bath Rugby next Saturday - a game that will have repercussions at the top and bottom of the table.

Saracens completed a bonus point 35-12 win over third placed Gloucester at Vicarage Road and in doing so showed that they might just have what it takes to go one step futher than they did last season. The highlight was a potential try of the season from hooker Schalk Brits. For Gloucester this completed a run of matches against all of the other top four sides which saw them only manage a draw, a win and a loss, but still tighten their grip on third place.

Northampton Saints strengthened their hold on fourth place with a 20-26 win over London Irish at the Madejski Stadium and ended the Exiles semi-final hopes in the process.

Only Bath Rugby can now knock Gloucester or Saints out of a semi-final berth. Bath hammered London Wasps 10-43 at Twickenham Stadium and have a game in hand on the top four, which they play against Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park next Saturday.

Newcastle’s 13-24 defeat against Leicester Tigers and Leeds Carnegie’s 3-38 defeat to Harlequins means it stays as tight as it could be at the bottom with nothing to choose between the bottom two clubs. Leeds will hope Newcastle remain pointless against Bath this weekend but they still must rely on getting a result at Franklin’s Gardens on the last day of the season to stay up.

Leaving the first match of the weekend until last, Exeter Chiefs left Edgeley Park with a 24-30 win on Good Friday to spoil Charlie Hodgson's leaving party, as he made his final home appearance for the Sharks after 11 years of service.

All round 22 matches kick-off at 15:00 on Saturday 7th May. Four clubs are now two matches away from the Twickenham Final. Tickets remain on general sale before allocations are given for the Finalists. Visit www.ticketmaster.co.uk for information.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli hit rock bottom after home defeat to Bremen

Kult & Punk, the boys watched as St Pauli threw away a 1-0 lead.  Thankfully the sit down
space- invaders returned to Zoes Bar to ease the pain.

FC St. Pauli 1-3 SV Werder Bremen


The outlook for FC St. Pauli appears increasingly bleak in the wake of another home defeat, this time against Bremen. While Werder can effectively wave goodbye to their relegation concerns on 38 points, the Hamburg club drop to bottom on goal difference behind Wolfsburg, who host Köln on Sunday.

After a scrappy opening to the contest from both sides, Bremen almost went in front in the 13th minute, Claudio Pizarro thumping a Sandro Wagner cross against the post from a tight angle. Werder sought to up the pressure on the hosts in the period that followed, but clear-cut chances were at a premium. Guest keeper Tim Wiese meanwhile was having a very quiet day, but that was rudely interrupted in the 29th minute when the Millerntor erupted as St. Pauli went in front. Ralph Gunesch picked up the ball after Marko Marin lost possession and played it into the gap for Fin Bartels, whose shot on the turn dipped over Wiese into the far corner of the net.

Pizarro the matchwinner

A battling end to the first half merged into an equally competitive start to the second, and five minutes in Werder pulled level courtesy of an own goal. Philipp Bargfrede worked his way down the right and played in a low ball that Markus Thorandt, trying to clear ahead of Sandro Wagner, could only turn past his own keeper, Benedikt Pliquett. Bremen were the side on the up in the period that followed, although Gerald Asamoah (52') and Charles Takyi (62') both squandered chances to put St. Pauli back in front.

The contest was eventually decided inside the space of a minute, with Claudio Pizarro doing the damage. In the 73rd minute the Peruvian frontman headed Bremen on front following a corner from Torsten Frings. Sixty seconds later he ran onto a through ball from Marin and rounded Pliquett to wrap things up for Thomas Schaaf's ever-improving troops.

Speedway: A tough Ester weekend for the Diamonds

Glasgow Tigers v Newcastle Diamonds 

Sun 24 Apr 2011,  Ashfield Stadium,  Premier League  by Lawrence Heppell

The Sapphire Engineering Diamonds once again got off to a slow start yesterday afternoon at the Glasgow Tigers, and with skipper Derek Sneddon unable to pass Theo Pijper from the back in Heat one, the Diamonds were two down from the off.

Another 4-2 came to the Tigers in Heat Two, but at the entrance to the first bend on lap three, Ritchie Worrall locked up and fell, also catching Nick Morris who also went down with the Diamond excluded, but both he and Morris were eventually signed out of the meeting with injuries to nurse.

Come the end of Heat Four, and despite a spirited challenge from Kyle Newman, Newcastle found themselves 17-7 down with team manager George English taking an early tactical ride option with Mark Lemon taking the mantle for double points in the fifth.

Both he and Sneddon made a terrific gate and shot out to lead with the Aussie passing his partner to maximise the scoring on the last lap in Newcastle 1-8, hauling them back to within three points of Glasgow, 18-15.

Stuart Robson blasted round the outside of Josh Grajczonek in Heat Seven, and with new boy Claes Nedermark keeping Michal Rajkowski at the rear, Newcastle were now only one behind, 23-22, and one up after another Heat Eight 2-4, won well by Sneddon as Pijper moved his partner wide on the last lap allowing Newman through for a vital point.

Former Newcastle skipper Christian Henry took the ninth race with ease as new Diamond, Slovenian Matej Ferjan eased his way past another former Diamonds’ captain, James Grieves, in a home 4-2 to put the Tigers back in front by 29-28.

That one point deficit remained until Glasgow took an all-important 5-1 in Heat 12 with Henry and Rajkowski avoiding some first bend drama from Newman to put the

Tigers 40-35 ahead, which turned into 45-36 at the end of a Heat 13 that saw Grajczonek squeeze through a non-existent gap round Lemon to join Joe Screen up front.

Robson took another excellent win in the 14th race, but with Newman and Rajkowski shedding chains and having to push home, it was the Tiger who won the foot-race for one point in the 3-3 which took the home side mathematically beyond the Diamonds’ reach, although Lemon and Robson did take a 2-4 in the final race ending the match at 50-43

Afterwards English said: “Mark and Stuart were, as ever, our mainstays, whilst both out new guys put in good racing, they were both making their seasonal debuts and were still shaking off the cobwebs to a degree, and we know we are going to get good performances from Claes and Matej soon.

“Losing Richie too early on meant we were a tad down on manpower and at the end that showed.”

Monday 25th April  Newcastle Diamonds v Glasgow Tigers

Following Newcastle's seven point defeat at the Glasgow Tigers on Sunday, the Diamonds were a team on a mission yesterday evening at Brough Park armed with their two new boys, both eager to make an impression in their first home match.

Mark Lemon, looking down worried at his bike, shot out to win Heat One with skipper Derek Sneddon in second, but diving into the third bend on the second lap, both Joe Screen and Theo Pijper went past the Diamond who was left wondering what he'd done wrong in the shared 3-3.

Josh Grajczonek and Michal Rajkowski made the Diamonds suffer in Heat Four with a sharp gate leaving new number five Matej Ferjan floundering at the back, headed by reserve Richie Worrall in a disappointing Glasgow maximum, giving the visitors the lead by four, 10-14.

Screen made no poor gate in the fifth to take a big win in a Glasgow 2-4, putting the Tigers six-up, but Grajczonek found himself excluded from Heat Six when he shot hard inside Lemon with the two falling, leading to the other pair in the race falling too. Lemon needed to take an ambulance ride to the medical room and out of the rest of the meeting with a suspected broken collar bone - the re-run resulted in a surprise 4-2 to the Diamonds with Worrall standing in to Lemon's boots and holding out the challenge of Nick Morris all the way with the score now at 16-20 before two former Diamond skippers, Christian Henry and James Grieves nicked a big five from Ferjan pushing the Tigers lead to 17-25.

Claes Nedermark, on his home debut took a superb win in Heat Nine, looking very competent in a second successive 5-1 to Newcastle, levelling the match at 27-all, and after Grieves physically barged his way round Sneddon in no uncertain terms off bend four to keep the score level 30-30 after 10.

Joe Screen equaled the time for the 2011 fastest visitor so far taking win, and with Pijper holding out Newman in a Glasgow 2-4 putting the Tigers back in front yet again with four races to go.

36-42 with two to go, Worrall jetted out to lead Heat 14 well, but Grieves shot round him to take up the lead. Robson then took up the gauntlet and wound up the speed reeling Grieves in, and roaring round him off the second bend of the last lap to bring the house down, setting the match at 40-44 with one race to go. Another physical gate from Screen and his elbows made sure the challenge from the Diamonds came to an early end and the Tigers took a final 1-5 to win handsomely 41-49.

Team manager George English said: "We were left too low on power too early in the match and when you have your lose your top scorer, as we did with Mark Lemon, that's going to hurt.

"It certainly did, coupled with us having two riders on a home debut, and still getting used to their new surroundings didn't help although Claes was really putting some great laps together as the meeting went on.

"I'm just wondering what evils we've done as now we've lost two number ones to injury in the last three weeks and it's a complete nightmare of a situation now to plug the gaps."

Sol y Futbol: Lanzarote lead at the top cut to a single point.

Ian Lane reports from La Palma, as the end of season run in gets tense.

S.D. TENISCA 1 LANZAROTE 0


Lanzarote now only have a slender one point lead at the top following defeat against bogey side Tenisca. The La Palma side has a terrific home record against the Rojillos only losing once in the last 17 meetings and are the only team in the league this season to win both home and away against the league leaders.

Both sides began the match patiently with most of the play in midfield and with the two teams more concerned about conceding rather than scoring. Out of the blue and with the home side on a counter attack the La Palma outfit finished off a good move with a player who has scored many times against Lanzarote, front man Memo.

The Rojillos then started to dominate possession but lacked ideas in the final third whereas the home team defended well and had two chances on the break to extend their lead. The Rojillos finished the first half thankful to be just a single goal down.

As in many games this season Lanzarote put in a much better performance in the second half of a match. After only three minutes in the second period Ayoze struck the bar from a long range effort and Toñito hit a post only a few minutes later.

As time ticked by Lanzarote seemed frustrated by a well organized midfield and defence from the home team and did not pose a threat to the La Palma goalkeeper. Midway through the half and striker Dani López found himself alone in the box with just the Lanzarote keeper Ruymán to beat. The Lanzarote goalkeeper produced a good save tipping the ball away for a corner and keeping his sides chances alive.

In the closing minutes the Rojillos believed they had earned a penalty when defender Ángel Gil went down in the box but the Ref waved away the appeals and the Rojillos suffered only their second away defeat since November.

In the last four matches the Rojillos have only picked up four points, however, all those points have been against the two other sides that are battling for the league title.

Las Palmas B and Tenerife B both won at the weekend but with three games remaining the Rojillos are still in pole position albeit by the narrowest of margins.

Next week Lanzarote will host another tough La Palma side U.D. Tijarafe. These teams met just prior to Christmas and the game ended in a goalless draw. Kick off time for this match has just been confirmed and will be at 12.30pm.

GOALS

1-0 min 17 Memo

Rugby League: Skolars lose heavily at Oldham to stay 2nd from bottom

Oldham RLFC 52 London Skolars 26

Sunday 17th April 2011 - Co-operative Championship 1

After a spectacular start Skolars had a nightmare first half against Oldham ahead of the busy Easter weekend.

Skolars won a scrum from the kick-off after an Oldham error. Jy-Mel Coleman’s pass found Dave Arnot, who touched down after just 53 seconds, which we believe is Skolars’ fastest ever try. However, the Roughyeds went into the lead 5 minutes later through Mick Diveney and added another when Neil Roden’s kick found Shaun Robinson with space in the corner.

Jy-Mel Coleman was again involved in Skolars’ next try, his kick was fumbled by Oldham and Jason Hart followed up to win the ball. Quick passing found Ade Adebisi on the wing for him to score his 11th try in 11 games.

Then came a disasterous 14 minures spell where Oldham scored six tries, with Skolars rarely gaining possession. Jason Boults opened up the defence from 20 metres out, soon followed by Paul Noone following up a bouncing kick. Lucas Onyango scored down the right hand side, with Neil Roden then scoring his 100th try for Oldham. There was a suspicion of a forward pass in the run-up to Shaun Robinson’s try, but there was no doubt about Mark Brocklebank’s try just before half-time, which put the Roughyeds 42-8 up at half-time.

Things didn’t get better at the start of the second half, with Austen Aggrey losing control of the ball in the tackle as he went for the tryline, the home side moved downfield and Diveney added his second try.

Whilst talk around the professional leagues has been about high penalty counts, it took until the 46th minute for either side to concede a penalty, with referee Chris Leatherbarrow awarding just three apiece in the whole game.

Aggrey missed out again on what would have been his 50th try for the club when he was held up, but soon afterwards Cariern Clement-Pascall went over for his first try for Skolars. Lucas Onyango found a gap on the wing for his second try for Oldham to notch up the half century with Diveney kicking his sixth conversion.

Despite the scoreline Skolars weren’t giving up and a break by Gareth Honor saw Clement-Pascall make a curving run to the line for his second try, before Dylan Skee intercepted an Oldham pass and raced 80 metres to score his first try for the club, Jack Latus kicking his third conversion after Neil Thorman had gone off injured.

OLDHAM

21 Mark Brocklehurst
2 Lucas Onyango
26 Matthew Fogarty
3 Marcus St Hillaire
20 Richard Flooks
27 Shaun Robinson
6 Neil Roden
7 Mick Diveney
8 Jason Boults
17 John Clough
14 Chris Clarke
11 Andy Isherwood
24 Paul Noone
25 Martin Roden

Subs (all used)

28 Luke Stenchion
13 Valu Bentley
9 Danny Whitmore
10 Dave Ellison

Tries: Diveney (6,42), Robinson (11,35), Boults (22), Noone (24), Onyango (27,61), N Roden (31), Brocklebank

Goals: Diveney 6/10

LONDON SKOLARS

1 Neil Thorman
31 Jack Latus
17 Dave Arnot
14 Jason Cook
5 Ade Adebisi
7 Dylan Skee
6 Jy-Mel Coleman
22 Saqib Murtza
9 Gareth Honor
10 Jason Hart
15 Olly Purslow
33 Cariern Clement-Pascall
31 Austen Aggrey

Subs (all used)

21 Danny Burke
32 Sam Gee
16 James Simon
8 Tony Williams

Tries: Arnot (1), Adebisi (16), Clement-Pascall (54,72), Skee (77)

Goals: Thorman 0/2, Latus 3/3

Penalty count: 3/3

Half-time: 42-8

Referee: Chris Leatherbarrow

Att: 566

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 6-4, 10-4, 10-8, 16-8, 20-8, 24-8, 30-8, 36-8, 42-8, 48-8, 48-14, 52-15, 52-20, 52-26

Sol y Futbol:The Rojillos take a gigantic leap towards the league title

The 2nd installment of Sol y Futbol this week.  Come on Lanzarote!

LANZAROTE 2 TENERIFE B 0


The Rojillos took a gigantic leap towards the league title with a win against second placed Tenerife B on a scorching Sunday afternoon with second half goals from Ayoze and Jonathan Torres.

The visitors started the match in much better fashion than Lanzarote and were unlucky not to take the lead in the opening minute. Lanzarote centre back Saúl gifted the ball to striker Germán and after rounding the Keeper Saúl managed to get back to the goal line and clear the Tenerife strikers pass into the net.

Only a minute later and a poor clearance by the Lanzarote goalkeeper Ruymán was picked up by ex Rojillo Oscar Martin. The young winger who has been closing in on a first team call was quickly closed down and was unable to get his strike on target.

The defence of Lanzarote without their regular two centre backs through injury and suspension gradually began to calm their nerves and the balance of play became more even.

A strike from winger Toñito whistled over the Tenerife bar and minutes later a powerful effort from Ayoze was well saved by the Tenerife keeper Roberto. Moments before half time the Rojillos leading goal scorer Rosmen headed narrowly over the bar.

The Rojillos upped their game in the second half and Lanzarote´s midfield dynamo Vladi was in total control of the centre of the park. The Tenerife side was just about to pay for all their missed chances in the opening 45 minutes.

This picture is of Mr Ian Lane(centre of the photo - with no one sitting close!)  hard at work. Can you spot his pen?

Four minutes into the second period and Ayoze turned his defender on the edge of the box and fooled the keeper by blasting the ball low just inside his near post to give the Rojillos a 1-0 advantage.

This goal took the pressure off the home side as the Rojillos began to stroke the ball around the Arrecife stadium with ease. Sub Jonathan Torres who has had an injury prone season was brought on at half time and his many years of playing Segunda A (Championship) football helped the Rojillos transform the match.

It was that man Torres who killed the game off in the 74th minute. Ayoze steamed down the wing and rifled in a great low cross and the poacher that Torres is, managed to get a toe on the ball directing past the keeper and to give his side that all important second goal.

The Rojillos were looking good for their 2-0 advantage and slowly took their foot off the pedal allowing the visitors to rally late on. The Lanzarote keeper who initially had a wobbly start to the match produced several top class saves and in the final minute produced a brilliant double save, first from a header and then the blasted follow up was superbly parried away for a corner. The Lanzarote number one refused to get beaten and Lanzarote were jubilant at the final whistle with a victory that all but sees off Tenerife’s title challenge.

Lanzarote have opened up a seven point gap between them and Tenerife B with four games to play however Las Palmas won away 1-2 and are back into second spot four points behind the Rojillos.

Another note of celebration is that Lanzarote have now guaranteed themselves entry into Spain’s biggest Cup competition next season in the Copa Del Rey. Only the league winners are guaranteed a place in the cup but with the B teams of Las Palmas and Tenerife unable to participate as their first team will be in the competition Lanzarote will be in the draw instead.

Fourth placed Atlético Granadilla can mathematically clinch the Copa Del Rey spot but they would have to win their remaining four fixtures and claw back a 22 goal disadvantage whilst Lanzarote lose all their games.

Memories will come flooding back to the fans when the mighty Real Madrid fought out a tough 1-3 victory against minnows Lanzarote. Cup successes against Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca will never be chalked off the minds of the local folk. Once more the Lanzarote fans can dream this summer as Cup fever will kick off early next season.

The league title is far from over as Lanzarote have to travel to La Palma next week and take on bogey side S.D. Tenisca. The Rojillos have only won once in La Palma against Tenisca in 16 attempts whilst the home side has won 10. The La Palma side is also one of only two sides to beat the Rojillos in Lanzarote this season.

GOALS

1-0min 49 Ayoze

2-0min 74 Jonathan Torres

World in Union: Aviva Premiership Round up for week 20 - it's getting close!

Thanks to our friends at Aviva, for fantastic insurance deals direct from the provider. Not available on price comparison sites. Stick that down the windpipe of a tenor from GoHotAir.

The fight for a top four finish and a place in the Aviva Premiership Rugby Semi-final intensified this weekend with some epic encounters around the country. The highest-scoring draw in Aviva Premiership Rugby history as well as the most points Leicester have ever conceded on home soil in a league game took place against Gloucester on Saturday. There were also wins for Northampton Saints, Bath Rugby, Saracens and London Wasps, who inflicted a seven-try hammering on relegation-threatened Leeds Carnegie. Sale Sharks hosted London Irish at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton in front of a record home crowd with the visitors coming away with a win. Leicester, Saracens, Gloucester and Northampton currently hold the top four positions but that could all change over the final two rounds.


On Friday night, Northampton Saints came away with a comfortable win at Kingston Park although hosts Newcastle Falcons managed to snatch a crucial losing bonus point to move off the bottom of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table. Jimmy Gopperth’s boot was on form for Falcons slotting over five penalties, however tries from Ben Foden and Bruce Reihana for Saints, as well as a late try by Chris Ashton, ensured Northampton went home with a victory. Final score: Newcastle Falcons 15 Northampton Saints 22.

At the Recreation Ground on Saturday, Springbok half-back duo Michael Claassens and Butch James scored all the points as Bath held on for a narrow win against Harlequins and leapfrogged them into sixth place in the Aviva Premiership Rugby table, boosting their hopes of Heineken Cup rugby next season. The only try of the match came after just 11 minutes as scrum-half Claassens finished one of the few fluent moves of a tense game with James converting as well as kicking four penalties, missing just one kick. All Harlequins’ points came from the boot fly-half Nick Evans. Final score: Bath Rugby 19 Harlequins 15.

Over at Sandy Park Saracens gained revenge for their defeat to Exeter at Vicarage Road back in October with a decisive victory and the Chiefs’ heaviest league defeat this season. Chris Wyles, Noah Cato and Rhys Gill touched down for Saracens with Andy Goode adding a further 15 points with the boot. Jason Shoemark scored the Chiefs’ opening try and Sireli Naqelevuki added a consolation effort late on for the Devon side. Final score: Exeter Chiefs 12, Saracens 33.

At Welford Road, Aviva Premiership Rugby table topper Leicester Tigers were denied victory in the final seconds of an epic Aviva Premiership Rugby contest as play-off rivals Gloucester Rugby snatched a well-earned draw. Centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu’s interception try, converted by Freddie Burns, ensured the highest-scoring draw in Aviva Premiership Rugby history and the most points Leicester have ever conceded on home soil in a league game. Tries for Tigers came from Scott Hamilton, Billy Twelvetrees and a hat-trick from Alesana Tuilagi, with five conversions and two penalties via the boot of Toby Flood. Gloucester’s tries were courtesy of Olly Morgan, Andy Hazell, Tim Molenaar and two from Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, with five conversions and two penalties from Freddie Burns. Final score: Leicester Tigers 41, Gloucester Rugby 41.

Sale’s highly anticipated showdown at the Reebok Stadium in front of a record home attendance of 16,428 saw London Irish cruising to a bonus-point victory despite a second half fightback from Sale Sharks. Topsy Ojo, David Paice, Dan Bowden and Steffon Armitage ran in tries accompanied by the impressive Tom Homer who booted 14 points to keep Irish in with a chance of a top four finish. Sale showed plenty of resilience with scores from locks Sean Cox and Wame Lewaravu, and Charlie Hodgson kicked two penalties and two conversions, but flanker Armitage scored a last-minute try to confirm Irish’s win. Final score: Sale Sharks 20, London Irish 34.

On Sunday, Leeds Carnegie remained at the foot of the Aviva Premiership Rugby table after a crushing seven-try defeat at Adams Park. The West Yorkshire club now have only two games in which to escape relegation, in the form of a home game against Harlequins and a final fixture away to Northampton Saints. Leeds competed well in the early stages of the match but as the game wore on they had no answer to the pace and skills of Richard Haughton and Joe Simpson both of whom scored a brace with Dave Walder, on his last appearance at Adams Park, kicking 14 points. Further tries for Wasps came from Joe Ward, Billy Vunipola and Zak Taulafo. Rhys Oakley and Chris Lewis-Pratt scored for Leeds, with two penalties and a conversion by Adrian Jarvis. Final score: London Wasps 51 Leeds Carnegie 18.

Paralympic Games: 500 Days until the London 2012 Paralympic Games (actually 499)

Sunday 17 April marked 500 days to go until the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and the London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has announced a range of exciting Paralympic-specific events to take place over the coming months.

With recent research suggesting that one in three people want to know more about Paralympic sport, the events will give the public the chance to be inspired and witness elite athletes competing at the highest level.

The BT Paralympic World Cup will be held in Manchester in May, showcasing a range of sports including Athletics, Swimming and Wheelchair Basketball.

Taking place on 8 September in London, International Paralympic Day will give the public a chance to experience first-hand the inspiration and excitement of Paralympic sports. The London 2012 Paralympic Torch Relay team is also working to create a unique vision for the Torch Relay, due to take place in August 2012.

The London 2012 Paralympic Games will take place over 11 days from 29 August 2012. More than 150 nations are set to compete in 20 Paralympic sports across 19 competition venues.

Seb Coe, Chair of LOCOG, said:

‘We’ve got a fantastic line-up of events over the next few months, which will really give the public a chance to get involved with the Paralympic Games – whether it’s attending the BT Paralympic World Cup, meeting some athletes or taking part in International Paralympic Day. The London 2012 Paralympic Games will be one of the most memorable sporting events people will have the chance to witness here in the UK with elite athletes competing at the highest level possible. I would urge everyone to get involved and register their interest in Paralympic tickets at www.tickets.london2012.com.’

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'The Paralympic Games in 2012 will be the icing on the cake of a fantastic summer of sport that we are privileged to host. Spectators will witness the world's elite Paralympians competing at the highest level in some of the most unique, exciting and skilful sports.'

To mark the 500 days to go milestone, Deloitte and ParalympicsGB are extending the accessibility of Deloitte Parasport, the website which enables people to search for the sport that’s best for their disability and local clubs where that sport can be played.

Two million tickets will be available for the Paralympic Games, and these will be on sale from 9 September to 30 September. Ticket prices will be announced by LOCOG on 10 May, and there are a range of initiatives planned to give sports fans an opportunity to see as much Paralympic sport as possible.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli unlucky at Wolfsburg, come away with just 1 point.

The boys were back at matches this weekend (really they were, missed the tavern and everything). They watched a dramatic match unfold at Wolfsburg.

There was high drama in a topsy-turvy Matchday 30 relegation six-pointer, which eventually ended as a one-pointer for each side thanks to an 89th-minute leveller from the hosts.


The result leaves both sides still in the bottom three on 29 points apiece and Felix Magath now without a win in four games since taking up the reins again in Wolfsburg.

Cagey opening

The teams started the match in committed but understandably nervous fashion and it was the guests who carved out the first opening, Gerald Asamoah firing a shot on the turn over the bar in the eleventh minute. After that an evenly-balanced contest unfolded, with Wolfsburg the more active of the two sides coming forward but St. Pauli a constant threat on the break. On 27 minutes Mario Mandzukic played a good ball into the box which Ralph Gunesch misjudged, but teammate Matthias Lehmann cleared the danger before Grafite could pounce for the Wolves.

Next up was a gilt-edge chance for St. Pauli, Charles Takyi somehow failing to find an empty net from three metres out after being set up by Max Kruse. Now the action was really hotting up and Wolfsburg responded with a 20-metre shot against the post from Diego. Then it was back to the other end, Gunesch rifling a fine pass from Kruse just over the bar from a tight angle.

Advantage Wolfsburg

The next chance, six minutes before the break, fell to the hosts, and they made this one count. A long kick-out from Diego Benaglio came off the head of St. Pauli midfielder Fabian Boll unfortunately diverted a long kick-out from Diego Benaglio straight into the path of Mandzukic, who gratefully slammed it past Thomas Kessler in goal for the Hamburg side. At that stage it was a decidedly fortunate lead for Magath's men, who almost nabbed a second on the break through Makoto Hasebe just before half time.

A goal to the good, the hosts started the second half confidently, with Simon Kjaer (55') and Jan Polak (56') passing up opportunities to increase their lead. They were made to regret those five minutes later when Asamoah and Takyi combined to set up Deniz Naki, on the pitch for all of three minutes for Florian Bruns and the midfielder coolly nutmegged Benaglio to square the contest. The gamre really opened up after that, Diego going the closest for Wolfsburg with a free kick (69') and Asamoah not far off the mark with a long-range effort for St. Pauli (74').

Late drama

Four minutes later though the visitors dramatically went in front. Matthias Lehmann latched onto a ball from Dennis Daube and ran through to drill the ball low into the corner past Benaglio. That set up a frantic finale, with St. Pauli defending desperately as Wolfsburg peppered their area with high balls. With only a minute remaining, Polak rose to meet a Ja-Cheoul Koo corner and the ball was in the net, salvaging VfL a point at the last and denying St. Pauli a precious, precious win.

Line-ups

Wolfsburg: Benaglio - Riether, Kjaer, Arne Friedrich, Marcel Schäfer - Josué (79' Helmes) - Hasebe (52' Polak), Dejagah - Diego (73' Koo) - Mandzukic, Grafite

St. Pauli: Kessler - Lechner, Thorandt, Eger, Gunesch - Boll (65' Daube), Lehmann - Bruns (57' Naki), Takyi, Kruse - Asamoah (86' Ebbers)

Goals: 1-0 Mandzukic (39'), 1-1 Naki (61'), 1-2 Lehmann (77'), 2-2 Polak (79')

Baseball: Captains down 2-1 in weekend series to the Hot Rods

Phil Wunderlich was the hero once for the Hot Rods, on Sunday afternoon trailing 6-5 he hit a two-run homerun to right in the seventh inning, lifting Bowling Green to a 7-6 win over the Captains.


In the first inning, Tyler Cannon lead the game off with a solo homerun his second of the year to make it 1-0 Lake County.

Cody Rogers hit a leadoff homerun off Mike Goodnight in the bottom of the first to tie the game at one.

With two outs in the second inning and two on, Nick Bartolone dropped a line drive hit to him at short, loading the bases for the Hot Rods. The next pitch was in the dirt and Bowling Green took a 2-1 lead when Alejandro Torres scored.

Lake County took the lead when Alex Lavisky hit his second homerun of the year, a two run bomb to left making it 3-2 in the fifth.

Bowling Green came right back in the bottom half of five. Hector Guevara hit a leadoff homerun his first of the year to tie the game. With two outs, Bartolone dropped another fly ball at short allowing Robby Price to reach. Price stole second base and scored on an RBI double by Wunderlich making it 4-3.

Captains took the lead back in the sixth inning, Cannon scored from third on a wild pitch, and Alex Monsalve singled in Aguilar to make it 5-4. Anthony Gallas made it 6-4 with an RBI double in the seventh.

Eliazer Suero (1-0) picked up the win working three and third, allowing a run on three hits, walking one and striking out three. Owen Dew (0-2) took the loss allowing three runs on four hits, in three innings of work, walking two and striking out three.

The Captains return home Monday night to begin a six game home stand as they welcome in the Lansing Lugnuts first pitch is 7:00PM at Classic Park. Lake County will send RHP Mike Rayl (2-0) to the mound against RHP Daniel Webb (0-1) for the Lugnuts.

The other results in the series with Bowling Green Hot Rods,

15th April lost 7-11

16th April won 10-7

Speedway: Double Diamond victory over the Lions, does wonders.

Newcastle had a wee kend of meetings with the Leicester Lions. First they travelled to Leicester on Saturday.

Leicester Lions v Newcastle Diamonds


Sat 16 Apr 2011  Beaumont Park,  Premier League  -  by Lawrence Heppell

The Newcastle “Sapphire Engineering” Diamonds made hard work of their first visit to the new Beaumont Park Speedway last night taking on the reformed Leicester Lions, who had not had the best start to a season... until the Diamonds arrived.

They indicated from the off that the Lions were after a change of fate taking a solid 5-1 over Newcastle guest (for injured Rene Bach) Kevin Doolan and skipper Derek Sneddon in a shock Heat One, and with Richie Worrall out of Heat Two for unfair riding the 4-2 put the Lions 9-3 up.

Another 5-1 in Heat Three, despite a good challenge from Lubos Tomicek left the Diamonds trailing by 10 points, leaving the visiting pit in a state of shock as Lion’s mysteriously included guest Sam Masters took Heat four with ease over Mark Lemon with the score at 18-6.

Lemon was out as a tactical ride in Heat Six but Sergei Darkin shot from the gate and held the Diamond in second for four points in a shared 4-4, and with a seventh race 3-3 on a track that was producing no passing at all the score moved on to 28-16.

A diabolical exclusion for Worrall in Heat Eight when John Oliver fell right in front of him restricted the heat score to 3-3, whilst Lemon and Kyle Newman finally gave Newcastle a heat advantage in the ninth, 2-4, and with Stuart Robson hitting the groove in the 10th another 2-4 set the score to a more respectable 35-27.

Doolan and Sneddon hit another 2-4 over the Lions in Heat 11 tightening the score again by two to 37-31, but Leicester hit a 5-1 over Tomicek and Newman in Heat 12, followed by a match-winning 4-2 in a Heat 13 won by Darkin despite a stunning chase from Doolan.

The final two races finally regained some respectability for the Diamonds.

Team manager George English said: “This was not a good night for us as we couldn’t gate on a track where passing was exceptionally difficult, and generally it was a night were everything conspired against us, so the fact we fought back in the second half was pretty good, but we had too many off the boil – we must bounce back tonight against the same team and show them what we’re made of.”

Then on Sunday, Leicester visited Newcastle,

Newcastle Diamonds v Leicester Lions


Sun 17 Apr 2011,  Newcastle Stadium,  Premier League,  by Lawrence Heppell

The Sapphire Engineering Diamonds had some revenge to catch up on over their guests, the Leicester Lions last night Brough Park as 24 hours previously, the Lions had taken a solid victory over the Diamonds.

The home side got off to a superb start with a fine 5-1 put into the record books, but Richard Hall, a former Newcastle star went from third to first on the second bend in Heat Three to lead well for the rest of the Lions 2-4, pulling the gap back to two at 10-8.

Mark Lemon made a miserable gate in Heat Four, but fought back magnificently, passing Jan Graversen in the third bend and then shot hard under Sam Masters coming off bend four on lap two to share the heat, 3-3 and maintain the two point home lead.

A fall and exclusion for Lubos Tomicek in Heat Five resulted in his exclusion as he'd also brought down Lion, Sergey Darkin, and in the re-run the Russian made a great gate to lead and fend off a stiff challenge from Stuart Robson in the 2-4 which leveled the match 15-all.

Hall again took a magnificent pass out the outside of bend two in Heat Seven, this time round Lemon who fought back to frighten Hall with a super-fart underpass off bend four only for both superb passes to be repeated a lap later with the Diamonds' veteran Aussie taking a hard-earned three points as Newcastle still held the slender lead, 22-20.

Heat 10 came to a grinding halt when Ilya Bonderenko tried to go round a gap on Sneddon's right coming off bend two, but as the gap reduced the Russian Lion hit the fence in an alarming heap with the visiting rider also being excluded from the re-run by the referee, in which the 4-2 was transformed to a 3-3 thanks to Hall making a far better start second time around, 29-25.

Graversen and young Jamie Courtney took a 2-4 over Tomicek in Heat 12 to close the gap to two once more, but an excellent pass off bend four by guest Andrew Tully of Edinburgh, coupled with another big win from Lemon gave Newcastle a 5-1 to ease the pressure in Heat 13 with the score at 42-36 with two to go.

Going into the final Heat 15 the gap was still six points, and one bonus league point was still in reach for the Lions, but a rapid-response gate from Lemon and Robson sent the visitors hopes backwards into a shower of shale with Newcastle taking a 50-40 win.

George English, Newcastle's team manager said: "Again we were a little slow early on, but with the likes of Mark and his perfect five ride maximum, backed up by Stuart and Derek's excellent returns we were onto a confident win which was well received by our supporters on a chilly night."

After the meeting the crowds were thrilled to hear the announcement that Slovenian International speedway rider - 34-year-old Matej Ferjan, six-time Hungarian Champion, five-time Slovenian champion and two years a Grand Prix rider will come into the Newcastle Diamonds' side as a permanent replacement for injured Dane, Rene Bach.

Ferjan's vast experience and scoring power will benefit the Diamonds cause no end and he makes his debut for Newcastle next Sunday at Glasgow with his home bow coming at Brough Park on Easter Bank Holiday Monday.... a Premier League match against Glasgow with a 7.30pm start time - doors opening early at 6.00pm as the event is to be shown live on SKY TV, another first for the Newcastle club.

Sol y Futbol: Lanzarote draw at Las Palmas to stay ahead in title race

It is at this point that I complain about Ian not getting the report to us in time, enjoying himself in the bars and the sun.  I confess, this delay is my fault. So a double helping of Sol y Futbol this week, first a report from the match from the 10th April and then later this weekends game. Feel free to still blame Ian.

LAS PALMAS B 2 LANZAROTE 2


11th April 2011

Lanzarote left Las Palmas with a priceless point which maintains the Rojillos lead at the top to four points with just five games to play.

Midweek, Lanzarote´s closest rivals Las Palmas B played their match in hand and lost 5-2 so the main objective for the Rojillos on Sunday was to avoid defeat at all costs.

The game began at a pace expected of two teams in title contention. The first strike at goal came in the fifth minute. Vladimir firing in an effort from just outside the area which flew inches past the Las Palmas post.

The home side went in front in the 12th minute. Prior to the match the artificial pitch had been watered heavily and as players from both sides looked as though they were auditioning for a part in Dancing on Ice, Lanzarote´s centre back Eliot slipped and the ball touched his hand. To the shock of all in the stadium the official pointed to the spot and midfielder Cristian Herrera converted the gift to put his side 1-0 up.

Angered by this injustice the Rojillos went in search of an equalizer. In the 24th minute Captain Rubén Rodríguez released Toñito down the right and the winger flew down the flank and produced a pinpoint cross at the near post for striker Rosmen. The tall forward executed this fine move with an unstoppable header and leveled the score at one apiece.

The home side finished the half the better of the two sides and were denied the lead when Lanzarote keeper Ruymán produced a fine saved to deny Cristian Herrera and moments later Javi Betancort cleared off the Rojillo goal line following a header from Hernán.

Lanzarote upped the tempo for the second period and began to dominate. On the hour mark a cross from Rubén Rodríguez was met by the head of the in form Rosmen but his goal bound effort was tipped away for a corner by Las Palmas keeper Alberto.

Only three minutes later and another superb pass by the inspired Rubén Rodríguez allowed Ayoze a run inside the box, the talented midfielder then drew the keeper and cleverly pulled the ball back for Rosmen to tap home his 16th strike of the season and give the league leaders a deserved 1-2 advantage.

The Rojillos went looking to strengthen their grip on the match. A free kick by Jotha found the head of Jonathan Torres but his effort fell straight into the body of the Las Palmas keeper.

With eight minutes remaining the home side drew level. A free kick on the edge of the area was taken by midfielder Derek, His shot found its way through the wall and was saved by Ruymán but first to respond was defender Dani Achi who poked the ball into the empty net to make the score 2-2.

The home side that had up until then looked weak during the second period then smelt blood and went all out to secure victory but as they came closer into the Rojillo danger zone their attacks petered out.

Late on Rosmen was a whisker away from completing a hat trick and sub Saúl also had a chance to claim all three points in the final minute but squandered the opportunity.

As the Ref blew for full time it was Lanzarote who were happier with the result. Tenerife B have now entered the frame as true title contenders following their five game winning streak and have leapfrogged Las Palmas B by goal difference into second position.

Next week will be crucial as Lanzarote host the in form Tenerife B. A win here for the Rojillos and this would end Tenerife B chances of the league title but a win for Tenerife would see them close the gap to a mere point.

GOALS

1-0 min 12 Cristian Herrera (penalty)
1-1 min 24 Rosmen
2-1 min 61 Rosmen
2-2 min 82 Dani Achi

Rugby Union: Highlanders give Rebels a mountain to climb in Super Rugby

A powerful display of forward pressure and clinical finishing saw the Highlanders triumph 40-18 over the RaboDirect Rebels at AAMI Park on Friday night. Dangerman, Adam Thomson, scored two of the Highlanders’ six tries as they secured a bonus-point victory to propel them into third place on the overall ladder.


The Rebels will look back with regret on some poor defensive work as they failed to win for the first time in three matches, on their return from a bye.

Despite the result, the game was significant for captain for the night, Gareth Delve, the first non-Australian skipper of an Australian Super Rugby side. He was ably supported by vice-captain, Danny Cipriani, in an all-European leadership team in front of 18,739 at the Stockade.

The Rebels, desperate to impose themselves on the contest early and avoid their worrisome poor starts, hit the breakdowns hard from the off. With Michael Lipman and Greg Somerville in typically robust form, the home side laid down a marker to the powerful Highlanders pack. All Black playmaker, Colin Slade, was an early victim of the aggressive contest, leaving the field suffering from a knock to his jaw.

An early Cipriani penalty edged the Rebels in front and after missing a more straightforward kick to level proceedings, Robbie Robinson (4 from 11 on the night) did not pass up a second opportunity.

As the half wore on, the Highlanders forwards began to assert themselves and their consistent pressure told with a three-try blitz before the interval.

Flanker, Adam Thomson, scored the first, emerging from the bottom of an almighty melee with his hand on the ball and the ball on the whitewash. The TMO gave the Highlanders the benefit of the doubt their powerful catch and drive from a five-metre lineout deserved. The try was Thomson’s fifth of a productive season for the back-rower.

Thomson’s back-row partner, Alando Soakai, scored the second but his touchdown owed much to an 80-metre burst from Ben Smith. The fullback’s scorching run towards the Rebels’ posts created a multiple overlap on the right wing and it was Soakai who had the honour of running the ball home.

Despite being two-tries up so close to halftime, the red tidal-wave crashed unrelentingly onto the Rebels defensive line. It was little surprise that this pressure created another score on the stroke of the interval. From a lineout on the left wing, the New Zealanders sprayed the ball across the field with Siale Piutau forcing his way over in the right corner.

Robinson converted two of the three tries, while during this spell Cipriani responded with a penalty, to send the Highlanders in front at the break 22-6.

The second-half began just as the first ended, with a Piutau try. The Highlanders winger preyed on a series of missed tackles to snipe in towards the right corner. Kade Poki followed in with the visitor’s fifth after 51 minutes, again escaping some loose Rebels defence.

Robinson failed to convert either try and at 32-6 down with half-an-hour remaining, the Rebels had not given up hope of a trademark comeback. Bursts from Cooper Vuna and Lachlan Mitchell energised the Rebel Army but it was Hugh Pyle who earned the loudest cheers of the night, scoring the Rebels’ first try with fifteen minutes remaining. The big lock, who extended his contract with the club this week, fed off good work from Nick Phipps and Mark Gerrard to give the home side hope.

Any hopes of the Rebels clawing their way back into the contest were snuffed out minutes later. First, Robinson kicked a penalty off the post before Adam Thomson scored his second for the night. The flanker picked the ball up inside his own half and sprinted like a winger along the right touchline. A despairing Cipriani tackle could not halt the barnstorming run as Thomson reinforced his pre-match reputation as the New Zealander’s dangerman.

There was still time for Greg Somerville to crash over, and Cipriani to convert, to reduce the final deficit but the late rally could not deny the Highlanders a deserved victory.

Melbourne Rebels
1. Rodney Blake, 2. Ged Robinson, 3. Greg Somerville, 4. Alister Campbell, 5. Hugh Pyle, 6. Jarrod Saffy, 7. Michael Lipman, 8. Gareth Delve (c), 9. Nick Phipps, 10. Danny Cipriani (vc), 11. Cooper Vuna, 12. James Hilgendorf, 13. Mark Gerrard, 14. Lachlan Mitchell, 15. Richard Kingi

Reserves: 16. Heath Tessmann, 17. Laurie Weeks, 18. Adam Byrnes, 19. Tim Davidson, 20. Hoani Macdonald, 21. Luke Rooney, 22. Afusipa Taumoepeau

Head Coach: Rod Macqueen

Highlanders

1. Jamie Mackintosh (c), 2. Jason Rutledge, 3. Chris King, 4. Jarrad Hoeata, 5. Josh Bekhuis,  6. Adam Thomson, 7. Alando Soakai, 8. Nasi Manu, 9. Aaron Smith, 10. Colin Slade, 11. Siale Piutau, 12. Shaun Treeby, 13. Kendrick Lynn, 14. Kade Poki, 15. Ben Smith

Reserves: 16. Brayden Mitchell, 17. David Te Moana, 18. Tom Donnelly, 19. Nick Crosswell, 20. Jimmy Cowan, 21. Robbie Robinson, 22. James Paterson

Head Coach: Jamie Joseph

Full Match report thanks to the Rebels Media Unit

Baseball: Captains Take Three of Four From Dayton

Jason Smit smacked his first home run of the year and J.D. Reichenbach threw four scoreless innings of relief to lead the Lake County Captains to 6-1 victory over the Dayton Dragons on Thursday at Classic Park.


The Captains struck early scoring five times in the first inning against Dragons starter Tanner Robles. Robles walked the bases loaded to start the inning and then Jesus Aguilar hit a sacrifice fly that allowed Nick Bartolone to score and advanced the other two runners. Alex Monsalve singled to score Carlos Moncrief and then Smit connected with a three run shot, and the Captains led 5-0. The Captains tacked on another run in the top of the second inning when Tyler Cannon singled home Bartolone to make it 6-0.

The Dragons got on the board in the top of the fourth inning when Yorman Rodriguez hit a lead off home run off of Captains starter Kyle Blair. Later in the inning with two men on, Devin Loman tripled scoring both runners and it was 6-3.

The Captains picked up another run when Moncrief doubled and went to third on a wild pitch. He would score on a sacrifice fly by Tyler Cannon and the lead was 7-3.

Captains starter Kyle Blair (0-0) did not get a decision pitching four innings allowing three runs on six hits, walking two and striking out a season high seven batters. Reichenbach (1-0) came on in the top of the fifth inning and threw four shutout innings allowing two hits while striking out four to collect his first win of the season. Clayton Ehlert pitched a scoreless ninth inning striking out two.

Dragons starter Tanner Robles (0-1) took the loss working only on third of an inning and allowing five runs on two hits while walking three. Jason Braun followed Robles and pitched 3.1 innings allowing two runs on four hits, walking one and striking out four. Pat Doyle pitched 3.1 scoreless innings and Daniel Wolford threw a scoreless inning.

The Captains travel to Bowling Green, KY for a three game series beginning on Friday at 8:05 PM. The Captains will send RHP Tony Dischler (0-0, 37.80) to the mound to oppose RHP George Jensen (0-0, 13.80). The game can be heard on AM 1330 WELW and on the internet at captainsbaseball.com.

The Captains return home for a six game home stand on Monday with a pair of three series with Lansing and Bowling Green.

Speedway: Redcar Bears take the North East Trophy from the Diamonds

Redcar Bears v Newcastle Diamonds

Thu 14 Apr 2011:  South Tees Motor Park,  North East Challenge

by Lawrence Heppell

The Newcastle Sapphire Engineering Diamonds left themselves a tough task to win the 2011 North East Challenge Trophy, only taking a one point lead (45-44), but again found themselves in a match, tight and hard fought, early on before the Bears took control.

With both teams using Rider replacement (Rene Bach out for Newcastle and Matej Kus for Redcar) it gave home reserve Adam Roynon the chance to shine early one winning both heats one and two, managing to beat the powerful Aussie Mark Lemon in a shock opening race.

After a shared Heat Four, won by a revitalised Lemon, Newcastle trailed 15-9, and were five behind on aggregate, but an excellent win from stand-in skipper Derek Sneddon over former World Champion Gary Havelock in the fifth and a well held third from Lubos Tomicek over Peter Juul, the Diamonds pulled two back.

Lemon and Sneddon took another win each in the next three races, all shared 3-3s, with Newcastle still four down, 26-22 (70-67 overall) veteran Bear Aussie Jason Lyons and Aaron Summers hammered home a solid 5-1 over Diamonds Stuart Robson and a retired Tomicek in Heat 10 to go further ahead 35-25, and take an aggregate lead of nine as things looked bleak for the Tynesiders trophy chances.

Ten down and Newcastle could use a tactical ride for double points, and placed the in-form skipper Sneddon in the black and white helmet, but in a breath-taking race, closely run with amazing passes, Sneddon ended up at the back for a zero return in the Bears 4-2, who now moved on to 39-27 leaders on the night.

Juul and Robert Branford took Newcastles Adam McKinna and Tomicek to the cleaners in a devastating Heat 12 with a 5-1 to effectively win the match and the trophy in one fell swoop, with the score on the night now 44-28, and overall 88-73 with three races left.

With the Bears on a roll, Summers and Lyons hit another maximum past Lemon and Sneddon as Newcastle's last chance saloon called time on the Trophy which ended up in a Teesside cabinet.

Team manager George English said: "This was a match I felt we could have done an awful lot better in, but tonight it really was not to be, but at least this was only a challenge match and not a League meeting. Rest assured we will have a lot more fire power when we do return in the official competitions later in the season.

Rugby World Cup matches will be aired in 3D for the first time

Thanks to our friends at SportsBusiness News, taking in full from the report by Matt Cutler
Rugby World Cup matches will be aired in 3D for the first time later this year after Auckland-based 3DLive was installed as the official 3D broadcaster of the tournament in New Zealand.

3DLive will deliver a special feed of the semi-finals, third-place match and the final, with the action set to be carried in cinemas and at big screen events across the host country and Australia. The 3D feed will also be available to global broadcast partners.

Rugby World Cup Limited chairman Bernard Lapasset hailed the news as “a significant development” for the tournament and said that it illustrated the International Rugby Board’s “commitment to ensuring that rugby fans around the world are able to enjoy the latest broadcast technology”.

“Over four billion television viewers enjoyed the last Rugby World Cup,” he added. “In a sport where innovation and tradition go hand in hand we will give rugby fans a new viewing dimension that will enhance their experience of a tournament that continues to reach out to more men, women and children through all media platforms.”

Sky New Zealand has already said they intend to offer the available matches in 3D. Sky New Zealand CEO John Fellet told ONE Sport: “While we are still working through the technical and operational requirements it is our intention to offer these 3D matches to Sky subscribers.”

3DLive director Ronel Schodt added: “3D technology offers a stunning new perspective to traditional 2D rugby coverage. You really do feel as if you're in the front row of the stadium. It's an experience that's as close as you'll get to being at the live match.” The tournament will run from September 9 to October 23.

Ice Hockey - Play off semi-final, the only way is Essex!

It's the Essex(ish) derby to end all Essex(ish) derbies!!  Pete 'the IceMan' Lewis would like to see you all at the Riverside in the Essex Capital, on Sunday night.  While we're here, pop along to the Ice Rink in Romford on Saturday night, pay a visit to our friends at the Brickyard opposite, for a nice drink and a fantastic meal.


This Saturday sees the Chieftains head to Romford for part 1 of what will be an intense nowhere-to-hide lay-it-all-on-the-line play-off match up between two of the fiercest rivals in British ice hockey.

Sunday night sees the all important second leg at the Riverside and likely to be in front of a full-house. Over 1000 fans came through the doors last time out and more are expected this time as there is everything to lose for both teams. Not only will the losing side have lost their place in the final against either Invicta or Wightlink, but they will have to put up with the summer of gloating from the other side!!

It's bound to be packed houses both nights and the atmosphere will be electric.

Fans are asked to be at the rink well in time for doors opening so we can get everyone in and in their places (You won't need seats for this one!) ready for the all important puck drop at 18:30 approx.

We all know our friends from down the road don't like noise, so make sure you dig out every noise making implement you have. Whether it be drums, horns (not air horns), vuvuzelas, rattles, clappers, babies, pensioners, who or whatever you can find. GET THEM ALONG TO THE RIVERSIDE AND SEE ESSEX'S FINEST GO AGAINST THEIR ESSEX/LONDON RIVALS!!!

Tickets are £3:50 kids, £5 students (With NUS card), £8 adults, £20 family.

Kult & Punk: St Pauli left deep in the relegation zone after another defeat.

The season has fizzled out after last weeks incident leaves a sour taste in the mouth of true St Pauli fans.  Kult & Punk watched as the club stayed locked in the relegation zone after another away defeat.  There is still time, but with the next match behind closed doors it will be an uphill struggle.

Leverkusen - Bayer 04 Leverkusen narrowed the gap on league leaders Borussia Dortmund to just five points on Sunday evening after coming behind to beat relegation-threatened FC St. Pauli 2-1 at the BayArena.

Die Werkself were the superior outfit for the majority but were handed a shock as Charles Takyi put the visitors in front shortly before the hour. However, the title hopefuls remained confident in their abilities and deservedly equalised through Stefan Kießling before improving their chances of an automatic Champions League place with Lars Bender's late winner.

Injuries hamper the guests

Leverkusen boss Jupp Heynckes was forced to bring in reserve keeper Fabian Giefer for the ill Rene Adler, but otherwise the veteran tactician stuck with the side which won in Kaiserslautern last week, save for Stefan Kießling replacing Eren Derdiyok in attack. Such luxury remained a distant dream for St. Pauli chief Holger Stanislawski, who rang six changes owing to injury and otherwise.

Though the visitors created the first decent opening when Tayki chipped through for Matthias Lehmann with just five minutes gone, it was Leverkusen who unsurprisingly took a hold on proceedings. Still, aside from a couple of dangerous set-pieces, the favourites struggled to break town a focused St. Pauli defence.

Takyi-flavoured surprise

Sidney Sam's provided pace and creativity on the right, though it was on the other flank that Bayer fashioned their best chance of the half. Tranquillo Barnetta's smart footwork afforded him space to cross, but at the far post Arturo Vidal was unable to control his finish with time to pick his spot.

In the second half Leverkusen began too passively and were fortunate Deniz Naki's fierce volley was deflected behind by Rolfes, who himself was unable to control when substitute Gonzalo Castro picked him out free in the box at the other end. Such lapses were always open to punishment from a desperate St. Pauli side, yet still it came as a major surprise when Tayki finished off a move he started by steering in a Florian Bruns cross from the right.

Bender wins it for Bayer

Suddenly behind, Heynckes' home side realized they had to up the ante and swiftly switched gears with Vidal firing a low shot through the crowd that Pliquett parried. It was the only warning St. Pauli would get before the equaliser, which was diverted into the empty net on 66 minutes by Kießling after substitute Eren Derdiyok had combined superbly with Castro in the box before pulling back for the German striker.

The pressure continued as Leverkusen sought to turn the tables completely. Two piledrivers from Michael Ballack tested Pliquett to the maximum, but the St. Pauli shot-stopper was unable to keep his side in it minutes later as Bender slipped in to beat a sloppy offside trap, collecting Sam's incisive pass and slotting under the visiting goalkeeper despite pressure from Markus Thorandt. It knocked the life out of a devastated St. Pauli, who after that loss remain in the automatic relegation zone, behind 17th-placed VfL Wolfsburg on goal difference.

Line-ups:

Bayer: Giefer - Balitsch (Castro 46'), Schwaab, Reinartz, Kadlec (Derdiyok 60') - Vidal, Rolfes - Sam, Ballack, Barnetta (L. Bender 68') - Kießling

St. Pauli: Pliquett - Lechner, Thorandt, Eger, Gunesch - Boll (Sukuta-Pasu 79'), Lehmann - Bruns (Daube 72'), Takyi (Ebbers 84'), Naki - Asamoah

Goals: 0-1 Takyi (58'), 1-1 Kießling (66'), 2-1 L. Bender (77')

Thanks to our friend, Andy James, for the match report.

Loads of Nuggets, Avalanche of shares, Kroenke Rams home Gunners Takeover

American takeover at the Emirates. Line dancing parties available at the 'new Highbury', Los Anfield and Old 'Orleans' Trafford.

Report thanks to our friends at Sport Business.

American tycoon Stan Kroenke is set to complete a takeover of Arsenal, ending a long-running battle over ownership of the Barclays Premier League club.


Kroenke has agreed to buy the shares of Danny Fiszman and Nina Bracewell-Smith, it was confirmed on Monday morning. The acquisition will take Kroenke's stake from 29.9% to around 63% and past the 30% threshold that would trigger an automatic takeover bid as well as the 50% that would give him legal control of the club.

Kroenke has now offered Arsenal shareholders £11,750 per share for the remaining shares. He already owns the National Basketball Association's Denver Nuggets, the National Hockey League's Colorado Avalanche and the St Louis Rams of the National Football League.

Arsenal is listed on the London Plus Exchange, and in a statement released to the market, Kroenke said: "We are excited about the opportunity to increase our involvement with and commitment to Arsenal. Arsenal is a fantastic club with a special history and tradition and a wonderful manager in Arsene Wenger. We intend to build on this rich heritage and take the club to new success."

Kroenke was already Arsenal's largest shareholder and a director while the next largest shareholder, Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov, had not been invited onto the board of directors despite having increased his stake last month to around 27%.

Arsenal Supporters' Trust board member Tim Payton welcomed the news, but added to The Associated Press: "The Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) hopes that fans will still have a role in Arsenal's structure," Payton said. "Arsenal is the last major club with supporters able to own shares and we know Kroenke has previously praised this arrangement."

Baseball: Loons Sink Captains 12-6 to Split Series

Lake County Captains started the season with a mixed bag of results. On Thursday they beat Great Lakes 13-3, followed up by a 2-1 win on Friday. Saturday saw Great lakes come back with a 4-2 win, before yesterdays game, match report below. Thanks to the Captains Media Team for the match report.


Lake County Captains 6 Great Lake Loons 12

Loons flexed more muscle on Sunday afternoon using four homeruns, defeating the Captains 12-6 to split the series. Jon Garcia and Steve Domecus each hit a pair of homeruns for Great Lakes.

For the fourth straight game Lake County jumped in front of the Loons 1-0 when Jesus Aguilar singled in Carlos Moncrief who reached on a one-out triple in the first inning.

The Captains made 2-0 in the second inning. Jason Smit doubled to start the frame it was one of three hits for Smit on the afternoon. Smit later scored on a Christian Lara throwing error.

The Loons went back to back in the bottom of the second inning. Garcia and Domecus hit shots over the leftfield wall against Cole Cook the Captains starter to tie the game at two. The Loons took the lead after Casio Grider tripled and then scored on Kyle Smith scoring error to make it 3-2.

Garcia hit his second homerun of the day and third of the season to lead off the fourth inning pushing the lead out to 4-2.

The Captains made it 4-3 and would be the closest they would get when Aguilar drove in his second run of the game with an RBI ground out to score Tyler Cannon in the fifth.

The Loons scored four times in the bottom of the fifth and added another three runs in the sixth inning and lead 11-3.

Lake County trailing 12-3 heading into the eighth inning put together a few hit to cut the lead in half. Kyle Smith collected his first hit and RBI with a single to score Alex Monsalve who had three hits on the day. Cannon tripled in Smith and later scored on a wild pitch capping off a Captains' 3 run inning.

Cook (0-1) took the loss tossing four innings allowing four runs, three earned on six hits and striking out four. Ryan Christenson (1-0) picked up the win for the Loons throwing five innings allowing three runs, two earned on eight hits, walking one and striking out four.

Lake County heads home to Eastlake to host Dayton in their home opener at Classic Park at 7:00PM. The Captains will start RHP Trey Haley (0-0) against the Dragons RHP Daniel Renken (0-0).

Baseball: Lake County Captains start their season tomorrow.

As you know, we will be following the Lake County Captains this summer.  The Captains are an affiliated team of the Cleveland Indians.  We will feature at least one match report each week with the scores and follow the progress of the club throughout the season.  All our reports will come from the media team at Lake County Captains, we thank them in advance, for their contribution.

Lake County Captains 2011 Season

The Lake County Captains, the 2010 Midwest League Champions and Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, have announced their 2011 Opening Day roster and it have a few returnees from last years Championship squad as well as several high draft picks and two local connections. The Captains open the 2011 season at Great Lakes, an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, on Thursday at 6:05 PM.


The Captains will carry a thirteen man pitching staff which is comprised of five pitchers who pitched for the Captains at some point last season. RHP Mike Goodnight (0-2, 4.05) will be the Opening day starter. He will be followed on Friday by LHP Mike Rayl (2-4, 2.81). RHP Kyle Blair, the Indians 4th round draft pick in 2010, will make his professional debut on Saturday and RHP Cole Cook (0-3, 5.40) will get the start in the final game of the series on Sunday. RHP Trey Haley (5-11, 5.97) will be the Captains home opening day starter for the second straight year when the Captains welcome the Dayton Dragons, an affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, to Classic Park on Monday April 11 at 7:00 PM. RHP Tony Dischler (0-0, 0.00) will also see some time as a starter. Rayl and Haley pitched for the Captains last year.

The bullpen will be lead by closer RHP Clayton Ehlert (0-2, 3.27) who had nine saves at Mahoning Valley last season. Former Captains LHP Francisco Jimenez (8-1, 3.59), RHP Nick Sarianides (6-3, 4.59) and RHP Owen Dew (2-4, 3.11) will be joined in the bullpen by RHP J.D. Reichenbach (1-3, 3.38), RHP Nate Striz (0-0, 0.00) and RHP Dale Dickenson (2-1, 5.06) who all played for the Scrappers last year.

The Captains will have two new catchers this season as Lakewood product and St. Edward graduate Alex Lavisky will be sharing time with Alex Monsalve. Lavisky saw limited time with the AZL Indians last summer appearing in only five games and Monsalve hit .220, 1 HR, 18 RBI's for AZL club.

The Captains infield will be comprised of first baseman Jesus Aguilar who hit nine home runs and had 39 RBI's last year between the AZL Indians and Mahoning Valley. Second baseman Argenis Martinez returns to the Captains where he played in 100 games last season. Nick Bartolone, a 6th round pick in 2010 will be the shortstop. Bartolone hit .255 with the Scrappers last year. Giovanny Urshela will be the third baseman. Last season Urshela hit .290 with three home ruins and 35 RBI's at Mahoning Valley. Kyle Smith (.246, 3HR, 24 RBI's) returns to the Captains this season and the infield will be rounded out with Tyler Cannon who played in 40 games with the Scrappers last year.

The Captains outfield will see Jason Smit (.262, 8HR, 41 RBI) as the lone returnee as the right fielder. Carlos Moncrief (.241, 5HR, 21 RBI's) will patrol center field and Strongsville native and Kent State Golden Flash Anthony Gallas (.272, 3 HR, 26 RBI's) will be in left Field. Brian Heere (.255, 1 HR, 18 RBI's) will see time in the outfielder as well. Moncrief spent the majority of 2010 at Mahoning Valley with a short stint in Kinston. Gallas played for both the AZL Indians and Mahoning Valley and Heere spent all of last season with the Scrappers.

Ted Kubiak returns as the Captains skipper. Kubiak is in his 18th season as part of the Indians organization and second as the Captains manager. Kubiak has managed at various levels for 12 of those years. Kubiak's teams have made the playoffs seven times reaching the league championship round in five of those years with his lone Championship last year. Kubiak spent parts of ten years in the major leagues with seven different teams. Most notably, he was part of the World Champion Oakland A's teams from 1972 - 1974.

Pitching coach Jeff Harris begins his third year in the Indians organization and comes to Lake County after spending the last two seasons as the pitching coach for the AZL Indians. Harris was drafted in the 28th round of the 1995 draft and played professionally for 14 years with stops in the Minnesota, Seattle and Cleveland organizations.

Jim Rickon, a Cleveland area native and resident, will return for his third stint as the Captains hitting coach. This will be Rickon's fifth year overall with the team as he had the same position with the Captains in 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. . The 2011 season will mark Rickon's 13th season as a member of the Indians organization.

Individual game tickets are on sale at the Classic Park box office, online at captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467). Full season tickets plans, 7-, 12-, 20-, and 35-game mini ticket plans for the 2011 season are on sale now at great prices complete with several exclusive benefits. Information can be found at the Captains website www.captainsbaseball.com.

The Lake County Captains are a Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians and play their home games at Classic Park in Eastlake, at the corners of State Route 91 and Vine Street. For more information on the Captains, please visit the team's official website at www.CaptainsBaseball.com.

Michaela in a Tutu, walking to help Farleighs Hospice - Go on Sponsor her.

When we possibly can, we help promote sponsored events that our friends are undertaking. Michaela is doing a sponsored walk, in thanks to the hospice that cared for her Father. Please visit this web address and donate http://www.justgiving.com/Michaela-Choat.  Michaela and her Sister, plan to complete the walk in Tutu's and Wings as Noels Angels

Michaela’s words

‘On the 30th April 2006 I sadly lost my dad to throat cancer after a tough struggle, he spent his last few weeks in Farleighs Hospice where he received the best possible care including the odd drop of whisky to lift his sprits. We couldn’t have done it without there continuing support & care until the last moment we had with him. So on the 15th of May my sister, 2 friends and me are doing the walk for life in memory of him and Farleigh Hospice I'm asking you all to dig deep into your pockets and sponsor me

Live everyday as your last, because tomorrow you never know

Thank you

Always in our hearts and always in our thoughts forever’

http://www.justgiving.com/Michaela-Choat