SPORTS Friday, May 16, 2014 | 61
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Cycling Giro d’Italia: Michael Matthews wins amid crashes USTRALIAN Michael A Matthews extended his Giro d’Italia lead to 21 seconds as he avoided a late crash that scattered the field to win stage six. Matthews, 23, was followed home in a small group by compatriot Cadel Evans, who is now his closest rival in the general classification. Colombian contenders, Nairo Quintana and Rigoberto Uran lost time, with Spain’s Joaquim Rodriguez well down. Katusha’s Giampaolo Caruso was taken to hospital following a heavy fall. The Italian 33-year-old stayed conscious but motionless on the road before an ambulance arrived. He was the worse affected as the field picked up pace inside the final 10km, but came unstuck attempting to negotiate a roundabout on wet roads. American Tyler Farrar was one of those to make their way home in badly-torn race suits. The stage-defining incident came with about 10km remaining of the 247km trip
from Sassono to Montecassino. Before that an early and stubborn four-man breakaway, consisting of unheralded Italians Andrea Fedi, Edoardo Zardini and Marco Bandiera and low-profile Colombian Rodolfo Torres, was the main source of interest. After escaping in the 11th kilometre it was not until they were the same distance from the finish that the quartet were finally reeled in by the peloton. Evans’s BMC team had been massing at the front immediately before the crash and, as chaos descended behind them, they pushed on with leader Matthews for company. Quintana’s Movistar team lead the chase of the eightstrong leading pack, but with their numbers depleted could not return their team leader to the front. Instead Matthews stalked Evans’s back wheel before slipping by him in the final metres to claim his first individual stage win in the race.
Strauss backs Flintoff for T20 return NDREW Flintoff is capable A of making a success of his potential Twenty20 comeback for Lancashire, says former England captain Andrew Strauss. The club are in talks with the former England all-rounder, 36, over a return in this season’s Twenty20 Blast. “It seems far-fetched but it’s amazing he’s in the right physical shape to do it,” Strauss told BBC Radio 5 live. “He’s the ideal player for T20 cricket if he still has the form that he had of a few years ago.” Flintoff played 79 Tests, 141 limited-overs internationals and seven Twenty20s for England between 1998 and 2009 before he was forced to retire because of persistent knee problems. He was scheduled to play for Lancashire Second XI in a match against Cheshire at Sale yesterday, but pulled out
to allow an ankle injury more time to heal. He will not play in Lancashire’s first two Twenty20 Blast matches today or tomorrow, but talks over a possible role as a player, coach and mentor are at an advanced stage. Strauss, who played alongside Flintoff in the 2005 and 2009 Ashes victories, added: “For Lancashire, the thought of him coming back is going to create so much interest in the competition. “I still want to see him out there on the pitch before I can really believe it. But he has obviously been hitting the ball in and bowling well in the nets.” Since retiring in September 2010, Flintoff has forged a successful media career and also had a brief stint as a professional boxer, winning his only fight against American Richard Dawson in 2012.
Hill: Hamilton has matured EWIS Hamilton can attribLseason ute his superb form this to his new-found maturity, according to former world champion Damon Hill. The Briton leads the early Formula One drivers’ championship after winning the last four races while competing fiercely with Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg. Now in his eighth season in F1, Hill feels Hamilton’s level of experience and a more settled personal life are proving important factors in his fellow Briton’s bid to win a second world title. “He’s definitely matured,” the 1996 world champion told Press Association Sport. “Not only has he matured, he’s found himself some sort of balance. “It’s not easy when you’re young to come into Formula One. It’s a very extreme environment in all sorts of ways such as the travel, the people you meet, the pressures, the press, all those things.
“It takes a while for a driver to settle into those responsibilities. After a bit they become accustomed to it and become better able to deal with the situation.” Hill, speaking ahead of this summer’s 50th British Grand Prix at Silverstone, added: “He’s got extraordinary talent and he’s happy.
Britain’s player, Andy Murray returns the ball to Austria’s Juergen Melzer during the Rome Masters Tennis tournament yesterday at the Foro Italico in Rome. PHOTO: AFP
Murray to play Rafael Nadal in the Italian Open quarter-final REAT Britain’s Andy G Murray will face world number one Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of the Italian Open. Murray produced a determined display to beat Austria’s Jurgen Melzer before Nadal came from a set down to see off former top 10 player Mikhail Youzhny. On his 27th birthday, Murray faced 10 break points, including five in the ninth game, to win 7-6 (7-1) 6-4 against the world number 67. After a slow start, Nadal eased to victory over Youzhny 6-7 (74) 6-2 6-1. “I’d love to play against Nadal,” said Murray. “It would be a great match for me with the French Open around the corner because I would see exactly where my game is at and what I need to improve. “It has been at least two or three years since we played so it will be good to know what works and does not work against him.”
It is the furthest Murray has gone in the Rome tournament since his semi-final defeat against Novak Djokovic in 2011 and bodes well for the start of the French Open on 26 May. The tournament at Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam in which Murray has not reached the final, but he showed the battling qualities necessary for success in beating Melzer for the sixth time in as many matches. “This week I wanted to try and play solid tennis as much as possible and I did a pretty good job in tricky conditions,” added Murray, who beat Marcel Granollers in round two. “There are still some things I would like to do better; it is still a surface that takes me some time to get used to.” Murray - US Open champion in 2012 - had never met Melzer on clay and took three of his five break opportunities. Having lost serve in the
Award panel member; Mr. Ejiro Omonode (left), the Chairman, award panel, Mr. Ikeddy Isiguzo, another member of the award panel, Chief Mrs. Falilat Ogunkoya and the General Manager, Unmissable Incentives Limited, Mr. Kayode Idowu, during the press conference on the 2014 edition of the Nigerian Sports Award held in Lagos… on Tuesday.
opening game, Murray found himself exposed to the 32year-old’s forehand as only 56 per cent of his first serves were accurate in the opening set.
After saving break in a lengthy ninth game, he closed out the set 7-1 in a tie break - part of a run which saw him win 15 points from 16 to lead 2-0 in set two.
Alvarado vows to retire Marquez IKE Alvarado has vowed M to bounce back in style by retiring Mexican legend, Juan Manuel Marquez when they clash this weekend. Denver’s Alvarado is looking to impress following his punishing 10-round stoppage to WBO light-welterweight world champion, Ruslan Provodnikov in his previous outing. The brutal defeat last October came following an impressive string of wins for the exciting Alvarado who had battled his way past a host of top names including Brandon Rios, Mauricio Herrera and Breidis Prescott. Now, however, the 33-yearold is out to end the glittering career of four-division world champion, Marquez as he aims to get back to winning ways. “Retiring a legend is going to be huge,” said Alvarado. “I respect Marquez and his great career but now is my time. This is one of those opportunities that you cannot miss and I will give everything in the ring to get the win. It’ll be a great fight and I have to fight without any mistakes to beat Marquez. “This is a huge step in my
life to redeem myself and I know that this is only going to make me a better person, a better fighter and a better man in my life. I respect Marquez fully, he’s a legend in this game, he’s already made his mark. This is the perfect opportunity for me to redeem myself and even retire as a legend.” Alvarado believes he has grown and matured since the Provodnikov bout, with the pressure of a high-profile comeback against Marquez something he will thrive on. “When Top Rank called and offered a fight with Marquez I started jumping around - I was so excited because I have the opportunity to get into the ring and retire a Mexican legend,” he said. “I’m great under pressure and I’m going to fight like the ‘Old Mike’ and use my power and my will to beat Marquez. “I made a mistake of looking past Ruslan Provodnikov. He jumped on me and got me in a bad situation. He had such an awkward style. “The difference against Marquez will be my power. I am going to train super hard for my biggest fight. I am very excited.”