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SPORTS SECTION E

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2016

WORLD SERIES

Game 5, Page 3

THREE-GAME SWEEP: The pennant winning C&S Hitmen pulled off a three-game sweep to derail the defending champions Commando Security Truckers to secure the New Providence Softball Association men’s championship crown. The Hitmen won the first two games in the series 8-0 and 5-0. SEE MORE PHOTOS ON PAGES 4 & 5. Photos by Tim Clarke/The Tribune

New champions

By BRENT STUBBS Senior Sports Reporter bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

lcott Forbes and the pennant winning C&S Hitmen missed another shutout, but they pulled off the threegame sweep to derail the defending champions Commando Security Truckers to secure the New Providence Softball Association men’s championship crown. The Hitmen, winners of the first two games in the series 8-0 and 5-0, stunned the Truckers 7-1 to complete the sweep in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sports Complex on Saturday. “First of all, I want to give God thanks for the sweep,” said manager Darren Stevens. “I was looking for the shutout, but unfortunately they scored a run, but I will take the sweep.” Forbes, who had fired two consecutive shutouts on two hits and 13 strike outs each in the previous two games of the series, was working on another shutout with a no-hitter through the first six innings when Truckers’ right fielder Teran Wood broke it up with a single into right field. With one out, third baseman Garfield Bethel went the same way with another single. On a wild pitch they both moved into scoring position. Then, with two out, Olando McPhee reached safely to first on an error that enabled Wood to scamper home with Commando Security’s first and only run in the series. All Forbes did after that was strike out Eugene Pratt to end the game as the celebrations began for C&S and sponsor Clifford Sands, who brought out the campaign.

53 DAYS TO KICKOFF

CHAMPIONSHIP REPLAY: The pennant winning C&S Hitmen missed another shutout, but they pulled off a three-game sweep to derail the defending champions Commando Security Truckers to secure the New Providence Softball Association men’s championship crown. The Hitmen stunned the Truckers 7-1 to complete the sweep in the Banker’s Field at the Baillou Hills Sports Complex. “I’m feeling good, I couldn’t feel much better,” said Forbes, who went on to strike out 10 in the clincher to earn the most valuable player award. “It’s a very, very emotional one for me. We had a lot of young guys on the team and they all worked very hard towards this. I promised them that once we stay focused and remain hungry, I will have their back.” There was another inning when the Truckers threatened to score. It came in the fifth when Gilbert got on base on an error and moved to second on pitcher Thomas Davis’ walk. Greg Jones came in and pinch ran for Gilbert and got to third on a pass ball. Forbes managed to strike out McPhee and his defence turned the double play on Pratt’s grounder to get Davis attempting to reach second and Pratt at first. “He got a little upset over

an error in right field, so my job was to get him back on track and I knew what I had to say to him to get him back on track,” Stevens said. “That’s all it was, a little back and forth between me and him, but it wasn’t nothing to worry about.” Forbes, who wasn’t perturbed at all by what was happening, said he simply asked Stevens to “trust me. He wanted the shutout. So I asked him to stay with me. I will make my pitches. I told him I had him. We didn’t get the shutout, but we got the win. Thank God we are the champions.” One of those young players, second baseman Philip Johnson led the offensive charge for C&S on Saturday. After right fielder Keiron Munroe opened the bottom of the first frame with a triple to left-centrefield, Johnson drilled a shot over the head of left fielder Ramon Storr that he raced out for a two-run in-the-

park home run and a 2-0 lead. In the third inning, Johnson led off with a triple and came home with the first of three more runs on a passed ball after Forbes got hit by a pitch. Hosea Hilton added a run-producing single and Michael Ingraham had a RBI sacrifice fly to contribute for the other runs in the rally. “I was comfortable and I liked the intensity that we brought to the game,” Johnson said. “We came together, we fought hard and we came out with the win.” In between Johnson’s two splashes, shortstop Dino Sweeting got on base on and error and scored the third run in the second on another. They got their final run as Forbes did the same in the fourth. Thomas admitted that while he cooled off the Hitmen in the final two innings, it was a little too late.

“I felt I pitched pretty good, but our defence and our hitting didn’t show up,” said Thomas, who gave up eight hits on nine strike outs in the loss. “That was a big factor. Knowing that we didn’t hit and play the defence we are capable of playing in the series, I was a little disappointed in our performance.” Truckers manager Perry Seymour said they just simply played “horrible.” “We didn’t make any type of adjustment at all,” he said. “Yes, they fight, but the Truckers normally beat a lot of teams by playing smart. We played the opposite this series. We are going to have to look for some players and because of this beating we may have some players who want to join us. If they come, we will welcome them and hopefully do better next year.” But for now, it’s all about C&S. Sands, who has sponsored a few national cham-

pions out of Eleuthera, is the first to come to another island and win and he had nothing but praise for his Hitmen. “We came through and we got the sweep,” Sands said. “We planned the whole thing from day one and we got the whole cow. We won the pennant and the championship. Now we’re going for the national title. This team is top of the line.” The national title is the Bahamas Softball Federation’s National Round Robin Tournament that is scheduled to be held this weekend at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex. After getting two thirds of their mission complete, Stevens said they want to get the whole hog when they try to add the national title to their NPSA pennant and championship crowns. “The talk around Nassau is that we can’t win the round robin, but that’s our objective which we set out from earlier in the year and we’re ready to accomplish what we set out to do,” Stevens said. As long as the players stay savvy, Forbes said there’s no reason why they should not prevail as national champions too. “We just have to remember what got us here and don’t get complacent or cocky and we will do it,” he said. The Hitmen joined the Johnson’s Lady Truckers, who also swept the pennant winning Sunshine Auto Wildcats in three games the previous weekend to earn the right to represent the NPSA at the nationals. As the NPSA closed out its season, president Henry Dean was also in a festive mood as they had a fan appreciation giveaway of drinks and food.

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PAGE 2, Monday, October 31, 2016

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NFL CAPSULES RAIDERS 30, BUCS 24 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Derek Carr threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Seth Roberts with 1:45 remaining in overtime, capping a record-breaking day for the Oakland Raiders in a 30-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers yesterday. Carr threw for a franchiserecord 513 yards, completing 40 of 59 passes without an interception, and the Raiders overcame an NFL-record 23 penalties for 200 yards. Carr also threw touchdowns to offensive tackle and ex-Buc Donald Penn, Amari Cooper and Mychal Rivera as the Raiders (6-2) improved to 5-0 on the road. Jameis Winston threw for 180 yards and two touchdowns for the Bucs (3-4), who took a 24-17 lead on a 1-yard run by Jacquizz Rodgers and 2-point conversion. Carr threw his TD pass to Rivera to tie it with 1:38 remaining, and Sebastian Janikowski missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired to send it into overtime. Janikowski misfired again from 52 yards on Oakland’s first possession of the extra period. REDSKINS 27, BENGALS 27 LONDON (AP) — Washington and Cincinnati played to the second NFL tie game in seven days, the first time there have been two draws in a season since 1997. The sold-out crowd of 84,000 at Wembley Stadium left deflated and even puzzled as the regulation-time shootout between Kirk Cousins and Andy Dalton turned into an overtime comedy of errors. Washington (4-3-1) appeared to have the game won with 2:13 left in overtime, but Dustin Hopkins hooked his 34-yard field goal attempt wide left. The Redskins got the ball back with 1:11 remaining when Dalton fumbled at the Bengals 47 on a quarterback sneak. Cousins couldn’t connect downfield and tossed his final desperate pass tamely into the sideline to preserve the draw. Cincinnati is 3-41. The unlikely result came one week after the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals tied 6-6. FALCONS 33, PACKERS 32 ATLANTA (AP) — Matt Ryan threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Mohamed Sanu with 31 seconds remaining, rallying the Falcons. The Falcons (5-3) snapped a two-game losing streak, driving 75 yards for the winning score after Aaron Rodgers put the Packers (4-3) ahead with his fourth TD pass of the game. With Julio Jones shut down in the second half, Ryan turned to Sanu to bail out Atlanta. He caught five passes for 50 yards on the final possession, the last a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone after he lined up in the slot and got matched against linebacker Jake Ryan. Sanu finished with nine catches for 84 yards, both season highs in his first season with the Falcons. Ryan was 28 of 35 for 288 yards and three touchdowns.

picked up the loose ball and delivered a stiff arm on the way to the first touchdown of his 12-year NFL career. Davis later left with a left knee injury. Arizona is 3-4-1. CHIEFS 30, COLTS 14 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nick Foles threw two touchdown passes in relief of the injured Alex Smith. It was a rough game for the Chiefs (5-2), who lost Smith twice after hits to the head and finished with Charcandrick West as their only healthy running back. Smith was checked for a concussion in the first half and cleared to return. He left again early in the third quarter after Clayton Geathers shoved Smith’s head to the turf as the quarterback tried to slide underneath the tackle. Smith was then diagnosed with a concussion and did not return. Foles’ 14-yard TD pass to Travis Kelce early in the second quarter made it 10-0. Smith made it 17-7 at halftime with a 13-yard TD pass to Jeremy Maclin, and after Smith’s second departure, Foles hooked up with Tyreek Hill on a 34-yard scoring pass for a 24-7 lead. Andrew Luck finished 19 of 35 with 210 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and one fumble lost for the Colts (3-5). OAKLAND Raiders tight end Mychal Rivera (81) pulls in a 7-yard touchdown reception during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan Ebenhack) Rodgers threw for 246 yards, teaming up with a bunch of unknown receivers as the banged-up Packers played without six starters. Linebacker Clay Matthews and receiver Randall Cobb were among those who couldn’t go. BRONCOS 27, CHARGERS 19 DENVER (AP) — The Denver Broncos took turns picking off and pummeling Philip Rivers. But defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was taken to a hospital after getting knocked down during Brady Roby’s 51-yard touchdown return in the second quarter, tempering their enthusiasm. San Diego running back Melvin Gordon was blocked into the 69-year-old assistant, who was strapped to a backboard and carted off the field. The Broncos said Phillips was alert and had movement in his arms and legs when he arrived at the hospital via ambulance. With linebackers coach Reggie Herring taking over Denver’s defensive calls for Phillips, the Broncos (6-2) had a goal-line stand in the closing minutes and picked off Rivers twice more in the second half. They only turned one of those takeaways into points, however, and that allowed the hard-luck Chargers (3-5) to stay in it until the end, forcing Denver to make two stands in the closing minutes. SAINTS 25, SEAHAWKS 20 NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drew Brees passed for 265 yards and a touchdown and scored on a quarterback keeper.

The victory wasn’t assured until New Orleans’ much-maligned defence, ranked 29th, came up with a stop on Seattle’s final drive. Russell Wilson took the Seahawks (42-1) to the New Orleans 10, where on one final play he lofted a pass toward the corner of the end zone. Jermaine Kearse caught the ball, but landed out of bounds. Wilson finished with 253 yards passing and was intercepted once by linebacker Nathan Stupar — a play that set up the Saints’ first TD on Brees’ 1-yard dive over a pile of players. Brees’ lone touchdown pass went to Brandin Cooks on a 2-yard slant, which gave the Saints the lead for good early in the fourth quarter. Wil Lutz kicked field goals of 22, 53, 21 and 41 yards for the Saints (3-4). PATRIOTS 41, BILLS 25 ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Patriots quarterback Tom Brady asserted his on-field ownership of the Bills again, matching an NFL record in beating them for the 26th time. Brady went 22 of 33 for 315 yards and threw four touchdowns. He improved to 26-3 against Buffalo , and matched a record set by Brett Favre, who went 26-9 against Detroit. The Patriots (7-1) have won four straight since Brady returned after opening the season serving the NFL’s four-game “Deflategate” suspension. His absence included New England’s only blemish, a 16-0 home loss to Buffalo (4-4) on Oct. 2, the first time the Patriots were shut out at home since 1993. After a Bills field goal, Brady

threw touchdowns passes on his first two drives. They included a 53-yarder to former Bills receiver Chris Hogan. The Patriots then broke the game open by scoring 27 points over five consecutive possessions. The surge began with Brady’s 53-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski with 4:18 left in the second quarter, and ended when Brady took a seat and was replaced by backup Jimmy Garoppolo with 4:29 left. PANTHERS 30, CARDINALS 20 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jonathan Stewart ran for 95 yards and two touchdowns, Thomas Davis returned a fumble 46 yards for a score and the Panthers. In a game reminiscent of last season’s NFC championship, a 4915 Carolina victory, the Panthers jumped to a 24-0 lead and kept the pressure on Carson Palmer all day. Carolina, which has struggled to generate a pass rush all season, sacked Palmer eight times — three of those by Star Lotulelei — and forced two turnovers. The Panthers also limited running back David Johnson to 24 yards rushing. Forced into a one-dimensional game, Palmer finished 35 of 46 for 363 yards with three touchdowns, two to J.J. Nelson. Carolina (2-5) needed a boost to save a sinking season and got one from Davis, its longest-tenured player and emotional leader, on the opening series. Lotulelei sacked Palmer, who attempted to push the ball forward to avoid the sack while in the grasp of the 315-pound defensive tackle. Davis

TEXANS 20, LIONS 13 HOUSTON (AP) — Brock Osweiler bounced back from an ugly performance by throwing for 186 yards and a touchdown to help the Texans remain perfect at home. Osweiler has struggled in his first season in Houston, but has been better at home where he’s thrown eight of his nine touchdown passes. The Texans (5-3) have lost all of their road games, including a 27-9 loss to Denver on Monday, but they’ve had no such trouble in Houston. Matthew Stafford threw for 240 yards and a touchdown for Detroit (4-4), which had a threegame winning streak snapped as the Lions were unable to continue a string of late-game comebacks. JETS 31, BROWNS 28 CLEVELAND (AP) — Matt Forte ran for 82 yards and a pair of second-half touchdowns, helping the Jets rally to a second straight victory. Ryan Fitzpatrick shook off an ugly first half to throw for 222 yards and a touchdown while leading the Jets (3-5) on three long scoring drives after spotting the Browns (0-8) a 13-point lead. Josh McCown passed for 341 yards with two touchdowns to Andrew Hawkins and two interceptions in his return to the lineup from a broken collarbone. Terrelle Pryor caught six passes for 101 yards, but couldn’t keep Cleveland from its worst start since the 1975 team dropped its first nine games. The Browns have lost 11 straight overall dating to Week 14 of last season and are 3-26 over their last 29. Cleveland blew a halftime advantage for the third time during the streak.

Rejuvenated Hazard shines in another Chelsea win By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Every goal and stand-out performance by Chelsea winger Eden Hazard in the Premier League makes his insipid form of last season even more of a mystery. The Belgium international took his tally for the season to five goals with the sixth-minute strike in a 2-0 victory at Southampton yesterday. He’s scored in three straight league games and is back to being one of the most feared attackers in English soccer. It’s hard to fathom that this is the same player who last season — as the reigning Player of the Year in England — didn’t score in the Premier League until April 23, the 34th game of Chelsea’s woeful title defence. After 10 games this season, he’s already netted more times than last season (4). Hazard was one of the players whose form dipped sharply as Chelsea unrav-

elled under then-coach Jose Mourinho. He was even dropped at times, perhaps lacking motivation and the appetite for being a hard-working winger in Mourinho’s rigid system. He is rejuvenated under new Chelsea coach Antonio Conte, benefiting from being given a more central and attacking role which lessens the need for him to track back and defend. Hazard had something of a swagger at St. Mary’s Stadium as he tormented Southampton, which is coached by Claude Puel — the man who gave the winger his professional debut in football at French club Lille in 2007. Diego Costa scored the other goal as Chelsea won a fourth straight game to stay just a point behind a trio of teams atop the Premier League. Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all won on Saturday. In the other game Sunday, another Belgian stood out. Romelu Lukaku scored one goal and set up the other in Everton’s 2-0 win at home to West Ham.

League. It was a first loss in six games for Southampton.

CHELSEA’S EDEN HAZARD, right, celebrates after scoring during the English Premier League match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge stadium in London yesterday. (AP) SOUTHAMPTON 0, CHELSEA 2 It was a fourth straight clean sheet for Chelsea since Conte switched to a three-man defence, but the Italian has the team rolling at both ends of the field. Hazard got in behind

Steven Davis, reached the byline, cut inside the Southampton midfielder and slammed a fierce shot between Fraser Foster’s goals to put Chelsea ahead. It was another early goal by Chelsea after its opener inside a minute in the 4-0 win over

Manchester United last weekend. Costa added the second goal in the 55th by curling home a fine finish from 25 metres after picking up a lay-off from Hazard. Costa has eight goals this season, making him the top scorer in the Premier

EVERTON 2, WEST HAM 0 Lukaku must wish he could play West Ham every week. The striker scored a close-range header in the 50th to set his team on its way to a 2-0 win over West Ham and a first Premier League victory in five games. It was Lukaku’s ninth game against West Ham for Everton — and he has scored in every one of them. Lukaku also was the provider for Everton’s second goal, sending a cross over for Ross Barkley to prod home at the back post in the 76th minute. Everton stayed five points off the leaders. LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP Birmingham and Aston Villa drew 1-1 in the game known in English soccer as the “Second City Derby.” Steve Bruce was back at St Andrew’s as the recently hired Villa manager, 9 years after resigning as coach of Birmingham.

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Monday, October 31, 2016, PAGE 3

Cubs stop Indians, force Game 6 By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer CHICAGO (AP) — They’ve waited 108 years for a championship. So with this World Series on the verge of slipping away, the Chicago Cubs could not wait any longer. Manager Joe Maddon summoned closer Aroldis Chapman from the bullpen in the seventh inning for the first eight-out save of his big league career, needing to hold off the Cleveland Indians in Game 5. As nervous fans fretted at Wrigley Field, Chapman fired his 100 mph heat and preserved the Cubs’ 3-2 win last night, cutting Cleveland’s lead to 3-2. The Cubs won a Series game at Wrigley for the first time since Game 6 in 1945. Now, the team that led the majors in wins this year will try to extend its season again Tuesday night when Chicago right-hander Jake Arrieta faces Josh Tomlin at Cleveland in Game 6. Chicago is trying to become the first club to overcome a 3-1 Series deficit since the 1985 Kansas City Royals and the first to do it by winning Games 6 and 7 on the road since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates. Cleveland, in search of its first title since 1948, is in search of its third-ever title and has won the championship at home just once, in 1920. Chapman hadn’t pitched in the seventh inning since 2012. He threw 42 pitches, 15 of them at least 100 mph. The lefty struck out four and fanned Jose Ramirez, who had homered earlier, with 101 mph heat to end it.

CHICAGO Cubs’ Jason Heyward, left, steals second past Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis during the eighth inning of Game 5 of the Major League Baseball World Series in Chicago last night. (AP)

PELICANS guard Buddy Hield falls while chasing the ball against San Antonio Spurs guard Bryn Forbes (11) during the first half of Saturday’s game in San Antonio. (AP)

Buddy and Pelicans looking for first win By RENALDO DORSETT Sports Reporter rdorsett@tribunemedia.net FOLLOWING two subpar performances at home, Buddy Hield had his most productive game on the road Friday night. However, the Pelicans remain winless on the season. Hield finished with eight points and five rebounds in just nine minutes, but his Pelicans fell to the San Antonio Spurs 96-78 at the A T & T Center in San Antonio, Texas. He shot 3-10 from the field, 0-3 from three, but also made the first free throws of his NBA career. All three of his makes came from the field which were a result of Hield capitalising on fast break opportunities with dunks and layups. The Pelicans have struggled shooting as a team and Hield has also experienced setbacks of his own. Through three games he is playing 18 minutes per contest with 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He’s shooting just 25 per cent from the field (6-24) and remains 0-8 from three -point range. Despite the early struggles, Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry told the media and fans to remain patient. “He’s got to figure it out. He’s got to get his way through this and he will. He’s a hell of a player. There are a lot of guys that go through it. It’ s just a mat-

NEW Orleans Pelicans guard Buddy Hield (24), of the Bahamas, drives against San Antonio Spurs forward David Lee, left, during the first half of Saturday’s game in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate) ter of him finding a comfort to be on the floor. We’re go- in a situation where he’ll porting cast need to imlevel and knowing where he ing to play him minutes and have some success. prove that shooting to combelongs. The only way he’s we’ll continue to play him Gentry said Hield and plement the play of All-Star going to do that is for him minutes and try to put him the remainder of the sup- forward Anthony Davis

who has opened the season posting historic numbers. “We need guys making shots, obviously if teams are going to send 2-3 guys at him we need to have some guys step up. We just have to get more from some other guys. We just have to get over the hump, we’re there playing hard but I don’t believe in the moral victory thing, we have to get real victories,” Gentry said. “We have to continue to work, we’ve played three games, we got 79 left, contrary to what everyone believes our season is not over.” Davis said the team will have to focus on the defensive end as Hield and the remainder of the wing players look to find their shots. “It is [getting tougher], because at some point, you’ve got to start knocking them down,” Davis said. “When you’re not shooting the ball well, you’ve got to find another way to win. It’s not just one guy, it’s a couple guys -- Buddy, Solomon, Langston. We’ve got to just find ways to have them make shots. I think once they do that, their confidence will get back and they’ll start playing really well. But, until then, we’ve got to do it on the defensive end.” At 0-3, the Pelicans are off to a slow start for the second consecutive season after an 0-6 start last year. New Orleans will return home to face the Milwaukee Bucks in their next game, 8:30pm Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center.

PAGE 4, Monday, October 31, 2016

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Hitmen pull off 3-game sweep

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Monday, October 31, 2016, PAGE 5

of Truckers for the NPSA title

THREE-GAME SWEEP: The pennant winning C&S Hitmen pulled off a threegame sweep to derail the defending champions Commando Security Truckers to secure the New Providence Softball Association menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s championship crown. The Hitmen won the first two games in the series 8-0 and 5-0. Photos by Tim Clarke/The Tribune

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: Darren Stevens, manager of the C&S Hitmen softball team, receives the 2016 NPSA championship trophy.

PAGE 6, Monday, October 31, 2016

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Cibulkova upsets Kerber to win WTA Finals title By SANDRA HARWITT Associated Press

DOMINIKA CIBULKOVA, of Slovakia, sniffs the tennis ball before serving it to Angelique Kerber of Germany during their final match at the WTA tennis tournament in Singapore yesterday. (AP)

SINGAPORE (AP) — Dominka Cibulkova put on a stunning show of unflappable tennis to upset topranked Angelique Kerber 6-3, 6-4 to win the WTA Finals title yesterday. The seventh-seeded Cibulkova, making her debut at the WTA Finals this week, picked the right match to win against Kerber during the week. The two met in the first match of the round-robin stage on Sunday with Kerber prevailing 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-3. “Coming here for the first time and winning the biggest title of my life, I have no words,” Cibulkova said. “Today you can see I got really lucky in the end.” Kerber had won their last five meetings, but now their head-tohead stands at 5-5. The only time Cibulkova looked nervous in the 76-minute match was when she was serving for it at 6-3, 5-4. She missed on three match points and saved two break points before a forehand clipped the top of the net and just dribbled over to give her the victory.

“Only in the first two match points I was a little bit nervous, I realised what the situation is,” Cibulkova said. “But after that I only had one goal and I knew I could do it.” From the minute Cibulkova hit the first ball of the match she was on fire, taking Kerber out of her game, belting winners at will, and in complete command of the outing. In contrast, Kerber never showed the skills that led her to the No. 1 ranking. She appeared frustrated and unable to contend with the variety of Cibulkova’s shot-making. “In the first match I played against Angelique (this week), that match gave me confidence that I could beat her,” Cibulkova said. “With this thought I was going into the final and I was feeling it from the first point to the last point. I didn’t let her into the match today with my being aggressive.” Cibulkova posted 28 winners to only 14 for Kerber, and had only 14 unforced errors to 23 for Kerber. Cibulkova, who will end the year ranked No. 5, is the second consecutive player to win the WTA Finals after going 1-2 in the round-robin stage

of the competition. Kerber went 3-0 in the round-robin. Last year, Agnieszka Radwanska won the trophy after posting the same record in the round-robin. Cibulkova closes out the year with a record of 53-21, which is the most tour-level matches she’s won in a season in her career. “This year has been the longest season in my career,” Cibulkova said. “I don’t complain. I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.” Kerber ends the year with the most match wins of the season with a 63-18 record. She won her first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open, was a finalist at Wimbledon, and captured the Olympic silver medal, which ensured she took over the No. 1 ranking last month. “It was a tough year with a lot of matches, so I give everything on the court today, the rest of the energy I had left,” Kerber said. “Of course, when I’m looking back it’s one of my best years. “I will home now and just think about the best moments and the positive emotions,” she added.

Murray beats Tsonga in Vienna for 3rd straight ATP title By ERIC WILLEMSEN Associated Press VIENNA (AP) — Andy Murray closed in on the No. 1 ranking by winning his third straight ATP title at the Erste Bank Open yesterday. The Scot can overtake Novak Djokovic atop the ATP rankings next week if he wins the Paris Masters and the Serb doesn’t reach

the final. “I get a step closer with every win but it’s still a long way from here,” Murray said. “From two to one seems a small jump in a way but it’s the hardest one to make. To go from 100 to 50 is more spots but is a lot easier.” In Sunday’s final, Murray defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 7-6 (6) for his personal-best seventh ti-

tle of the season, and 42nd overall. Djokovic has also won seven events this year. “I was thinking more about how you are going to win the match rather than what it would mean if you did win it. But obviously it’s nice to win my seventh tournament,” Murray said. “A lot of them have come in the last few months. After the Australian Open I struggled a little bit for a

couple of months but the last few months have been very good.” Murray extended his unbeaten streak to 15 matches after also winning in Beijing and Shanghai. “I think I played my best tennis of the tournament today. That’s pleasing, obviously, as you want to improve as an event goes on,” he said. The 15th-ranked Tsonga, who was the 2011 champion, appeared in his first final of the season, which has been marred by adductor and left knee injuries. “It was a positive week for me. It was very good to be in the final,” Tsonga said. “I played good tennis. It was nice to play five matches in a row. It hasn’t happened many times these last couple of months.” Murray advanced to the final after defending champion David Ferrer pulled out with a left leg injury, while Tsonga saved a match point in his 2 1/2-hour semifinal against Ivo Karlovic on Saturday. Murray, who also won in Vienna on his only previous visit in 2014, dominated Sunday’s final from the start. He raced into a 3-0 lead by taking 14 of the first 19 points of the match.

ANDY MURRAY, of Great Britain, reacts during the final match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France at Erste Bank Open tennis tournament in Vienna, Austria, yesterday. (AP) He avoided break points in his games, and missed a set point on the Frenchman’s serve at 5-2 but clinched the opening set the next game with his second ace. Murray conceded just two points on his way to a 2-0 lead in the second set but started to struggle with his first serve as his percent-

age dropped to 18 halfway through the second set. He hit a forehand long on the only break point for Tsonga to help the Frenchman level at 4-4. Murray missed his first match point in the tiebreaker as he netted a forehand return, but closed out the win on his second chance with an ace.

CILIC BEATS NISHIKORI IN 2 SETS TO WIN SWISS INDOORS TITLE BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Marin Cilic beat Kei Nishikori in straight sets to win the Swiss Indoors title yesterday, a repeat of their 2014 US Open final meeting. The fourth-seeded Croatian raced through the first set in 25 minutes on his way to a 6-1, 7-6 (5) victory, clinching on a double fault by the third-seeded Nishikori of Japan. Cilic's second title of the season, and 16th of his career, strengthened his hold on the last qualifying place for the ATP Tour Finals in London. Ranked No. 12 coming to Basel, Cilic rose above Tomas Berdych in the points race earlier this week. The eight-man Finals week lineup is decided at the Paris Masters starting today. Sunday's final was the first Basel title match in a decade that did not feature hometown favourite Roger Federer. The seven-time Basel champion ended his season early due to injury. Cilic also won on hard courts at Cincinnati in August, and all seven of his

CROATIA’s Marin Cilic reacts during his final match against Japan’s Kei Nishikori at the Swiss Indoors tennis tournament at the St Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland, yesterday. (AP) singles titles in the past three seasons have been on that surface. The most significant of those titles was his only Grand Slam victory, when he beat Nishikori 6-3, 6-3,

6-3 at Flushing Meadows. Nishikori, who still holds a career mark of 7-5 over Cilic, wasted three chances to force a deciding set Sunday when he led 5-4 in the second.

THE TRIBUNE

Monday, October 31, 2016, PAGE 7

Hamilton wins Mexican Grand Prix in chase to catch Rosberg By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer MEXICO CITY (AP) — Lewis Hamilton survived a nervous start to win the Mexican Grand Prix yesterday, grabbing another victory as he chases Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg for the Formula One season championship. But with a 19-point deficit to Rosberg and just two races left, Hamilton is running out of time. Rosberg finished second. Hamilton started on pole position and held the front despite locking his wheels and cutting through the grass on the first corner. He recovered to hold position and drove off to grab his 51st career victory, tying Alain Prost for second most in F1 history. The two-time defending champion is keeping what pressure he can on Rosberg in the title chase. Rosberg can still win his first career championship if he gets a second and thirdplace finish in the final two races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

MERCEDES driver Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, won the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City, yesterday. (AP) longest straights in Formula One. A big wheel lockup approaching the first sent him through the turn and driving into the grass, but he held position before driving off for the victory. Rosberg battled with Verstappen all afternoon. They bumped tires on the first corner, sending the Mercedes driver into the grass. Rosberg held position and race stewards decided there would be no penalty,

MERCEDES driver Nico Rosberg, left, holds the trophy aloft next to teammate Lewis Hamilton as he celebrates his second place finish in the Formula One Mexico Grand Prix auto race at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City, yesterday. (AP) Vettel and Verstappen for third. As they crossed the finish line, Vettel pulled alongside Verstappen and waved his finger at him. The Dutch teenager responded by shaking his fist. The penalty

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel finished third after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was penalised five seconds after the race for leaving the track and gaining the advantage. The move came in a late-race duel between

pushed Verstappen back to fifth behind his Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Hamilton has been bedeviled by poor starts all season, but got a good bolt off the line into one of the

THE WEATHER REPORT

5-Day Forecast

TODAY

ORLANDO

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 65° F/18° C

TAMPA

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Partly sunny, a shower; breezy

Mainly clear with a shower in spots

Partly sunny and breezy

Breezy with clouds and sunshine

Partly sunny with a shower or two

Mostly sunny and pleasant

High: 84°

Low: 73°

High: 83° Low: 73°

High: 83° Low: 71°

High: 82° Low: 70°

AccuWeather RealFeel

90° F

74° F

88°-75° F

89°-73° F

89°-72° F

91°-73° F

The exclusive AccuWeather RealFeel Temperature® is an index that combines the effects of temperature, wind, humidity, sunshine intensity, cloudiness, precipitation, pressure and elevation on the human body—everything that affects how warm or cold a person feels. Temperatures reflect the high and the low for the day.

almanac

ABACO

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 75° F/24° C

12-25 knots

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 74° F/23° C

10-20 knots

FT. LAUDERDALE

FREEPORT

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 75° F/24° C

W S

WEST PALM BEACH

uV inDex toDay

TONIGHT

High: 87° F/31° C Low: 67° F/19° C

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 72° F/22° C

MIAMI

High: 85° F/29° C Low: 74° F/23° C

12-25 knots

KEY WEST

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 73° F/23° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

The higher the AccuWeather UV IndexTM number, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.

tiDes For nassau High

Ht.(ft.)

Low

Ht.(ft.)

Today

8:52 a.m. 9:07 p.m.

3.2 2.7

2:37 a.m. 3:15 p.m.

0.3 0.4

Tuesday

9:28 a.m. 9:44 p.m.

3.2 2.6

3:12 a.m. 3:52 p.m.

0.3 0.4

Wednesday 10:04 a.m. 10:21 p.m.

3.1 2.5

3:47 a.m. 4:31 p.m.

0.4 0.5

Thursday

10:42 a.m. 11:01 p.m.

3.0 2.4

4:23 a.m. 5:10 p.m.

0.5 0.6

Friday

11:22 a.m. 11:43 p.m.

3.0 2.4

5:02 a.m. 5:53 p.m.

0.6 0.7

Saturday

12:06 p.m. -----

2.9 -----

5:44 a.m. 6:38 p.m.

0.8 0.8

Sunday

12:31 a.m. 11:54 a.m.

2.3 2.8

5:33 a.m. 6:28 p.m.

0.9 0.8

sun anD moon Sunrise Sunset

7:17 a.m. 6:30 p.m.

Moonrise Moonset

7:55 a.m. 7:25 p.m.

First

Full

Last

New

Nov. 7

Nov. 14

Nov. 21

Nov. 29

CAT ISLAND

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 76° F/24° C

12-25 knots

12-25 knots Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

Statistics are for Nassau through 2 p.m. yesterday Temperature High ................................................... 81° F/27° C Low .................................................... 79° F/26° C Normal high ....................................... 83° F/28° C Normal low ........................................ 72° F/22° C Last year’s high ................................. 89° F/32° C Last year’s low ................................... 75° F/24° C Precipitation As of 2 p.m. yesterday ................................. 0.02” Year to date ............................................... 47.99” Normal year to date ................................... 35.41”

ELEUTHERA

NASSAU

but without the bump, Verstappen likely would have emerged in second for the early laps. Verstappen made a late charge to pass Rosberg with a bold move on lap 50, but couldn’t hold the position through the corner, missing a chance to close Rosberg’s margin for error over the final two races. With Rosberg forced to fight for second, Hamilton had no problems coasting to his eighth win of the season and second in a row.

ANDROS

SAN SALVADOR

GREAT EXUMA

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 82° F/28° C Low: 77° F/25° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 77° F/25° C

LONG ISLAND

insurance management tracking map

High: 83° F/28° C Low: 78° F/26° C

12-25 knots

MAYAGUANA High: 85° F/29° C Low: 79° F/26° C

Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.

CROOKED ISLAND / ACKLINS RAGGED ISLAND High: 82° F/28° C Low: 79° F/26° C

High: 84° F/29° C Low: 78° F/26° C

GREAT INAGUA High: 86° F/30° C Low: 78° F/26° C

6-12 knots

marine Forecast ABACO ANDROS CAT ISLAND CROOKED ISLAND ELEUTHERA FREEPORT GREAT EXUMA GREAT INAGUA LONG ISLAND MAYAGUANA NASSAU RAGGED ISLAND SAN SALVADOR

Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday: Today: Tuesday:

WINDS NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots NE at 7-14 Knots NE at 15-25 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots NE at 15-25 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots NE at 10-20 Knots ENE at 8-16 Knots NE at 15-25 Knots NE at 8-16 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots NE at 6-12 Knots NE at 15-25 Knots NE at 12-25 Knots ENE at 15-25 Knots

WAVES 4-8 Feet 5-9 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 4-7 Feet 5-9 Feet 1-3 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-8 Feet 4-8 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-3 Feet 2-4 Feet 2-4 Feet 3-6 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-8 Feet 5-9 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 1-2 Feet 3-5 Feet 3-5 Feet 4-7 Feet

VISIBILITY 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 6 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 10 Miles 5 Miles 10 Miles

WATER TEMPS. 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 82° F 80° F 84° F 84° F 80° F 80° F 82° F 82° F 81° F 81° F 84° F 84° F 83° F 82° F 83° F 83° F 79° F 79° F 83° F 82° F 81° F 81° F