Sports

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados all-rounder Kevin Stoute and Leeward Islands leg-spinner Anthony Martin has been called up to the West Indies A team for the one-day phase of the current tour of England.

LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) – The Los Angles Lakers  rallied from a big early deficit to win their second successive  NBA championship with a cliff-hanging 83-79 Game Seven victory  over the Boston Celtics yesterday.

POLOKWANE, South Africa, (Reuters) – Mexico recorded  their first victory over France and left the former winners  facing a possible embarrassing early World Cup exit after a 2-0  win in their second Group A game yesterday.

Over 400 students from 20 schools yesterday tramped the streets from the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Headquarters on Woolford Avenue to the Guyana National Stadium to take part in the “Relay of the Games Flag and Games Banner” to mark the launching of the Ministry of Education/GTU National Schools Athletics, Cycling and Swimming Championships.

World Cup Football fixture for June 18 Germany vs Serbia 07:30 hours Slovenia vs United States 10:00 hours England vs Algeria 14:30 hours

The return of amateur boxing to its original home tonight at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) will usher in the Guyana Amateur Boxing Association (GABA) National Intermediate Boxing Tournament.

Squires aiming to win singles without dropping a game Number one seeded player Philip Squires has fought his way up to the semi-finals after dishing out his second ‘double bagel’ in his match-up against Gavin Barckoy  on Wednesday night in his second men’s singles match of the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry (GBTI) Open Tennis Tournament at the GBTI Sports Club, Bel Air Park.

By Marlon Munroe Aside from focusing on getting the national under-19 cricketers to peak fitness, the management of the team is also ensuring that the youngsters draw inspiration during their toil for success from accomplished sportsmen.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Argentina played like  potential world champions as they demolished South Korea 4-1  with an outstanding all-round display highlighted by a hat-trick  from Gonzalo Higuain at Soccer City yesterday.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa, (Reuters) – Greece came  back from a goal down to beat Nigeria 2-1 in the World Cup yesterday after the African team had to play with 10 men for  almost two thirds of the Group B game.

CROYDON, England, CMC – Andre Russell continued to impress on the West Indies tour of England yesterday, but a fine hundred from India-A captain Chesteshwar Pujara put his side in a superior position in the second “Test”.

LONDON, (Reuters) – Kim Clijsters was out-hit and  out-shrieked yesterday as Victoria Azarenka bundled the former  world number one out of the Eastbourne championships in the  quarter-finals.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Australia midfielder Tim  Cahill and South Africa goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune have each  received a minimum one-match ban for their straight red cards in  World Cup group matches, FIFA said yesterday.

DUBLIN, (Reuters) – Australia survived a spirited  Ireland run chase to secure an unconvincing 39-run victory in a  one-day international yesterday.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Barbados have named a weakened 14-man squad for this year’s regional Under-19 Championship, with the standout pair of Jason Holder and Shane Dowrich unavailable because of their commitments to the High Performance Centre.

JOHANNESBURG, (Reuters) – Diego Maradona made a  public apology to Michel Platini but not Pele at the World Cup  yesterday after hitting back at his fellow greats after media  reports that they had criticised his coaching ability.

JOHANNESBURG,  (Reuters) – The quality of football in  the Champions League is far better than that on display in the  first round matches at this year’s World Cup, Netherlands  playmaker Wesley Sneijder told reporters yesterday.

MAGALIESBURG, South Africa, (Reuters) – Portugal  need to be more daring in the search for goals against North  Korea than they were in the draw against the Ivory Coast in  their World Cup opener, goalkeeper Eduardo said yesterday.

REYKJAVIK, (Reuters) – The remains of former chess  champion Bobby Fischer, who died two years ago in Iceland, will  be dug up to settle a paternity claim, Iceland’s Supreme Court  has ruled.

LONDON, (Reuters) – England batsman Kevin Pietersen  is to leave his county side Hampshire at the end of the season,  the club said in a statement yesterday.