SPORTS WORLD

Argentina vs nigeria in bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 5 Sep 2011 10:06:00 -0700

Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella has named Barcelona star Lionel Messi in his squad for a friendly international against Nigeria next month.

Gonzalo Higuain and new Manchester City star Sergio Aguero are also in the party.

There is no place in the squad for City's unsettled star Carlos Tevez.

The game is being played in Bangladesh on 6 September, a few days after Nigeria's latest Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Madagascar.

The previous match between the two sides, in Abuja in June, is the subject of a Fifa investigation into suspicious betting patterns.

The world governing body has been unable to track down the referee for the match, Nigerien official Ibrahim Chaibou.

The Argentina squad for that game was a considerably weakened one but the line-up for the game in Bangladesh is much stronger.

Sabella has also named a parallel squad of home-based players for two games against Brazil in September.

The team for the Nigeria match, and for one against Venezuela in India, is largely made up of European-based players.

Rugby World Cup Live

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:20:00 -0700

Thursday 18th August

07:05 Counties Manukau v North Harbour Watch live ITM Cup

09:05 Otago v Manawatu Watch live ITM Cup

Thursday 18th August

19:30 York City Knights v Halifax Watch live Cooperative Championship

Friday 19th August

10:35 Melbourne Storm v St George Illawarra Dragons Watch live NRL

10:35 South Sydney Rabbitohs v North Queensland Cowboys Watch live NRL

19:30 Wigan Warriors v Bradford Bulls Watch live Super League

Saturday 20th August

01:30 Canterbury v Taranaki Watch live ITM Cup

03:30 Auckland v Bay of Plenty Watch live ITM Cup

06:30 North Harbour v Northland Watch live ITM Cup

08:30 Manuwatu v Waikato Watch live ITM Cup

08:30 Gold Coast Titans v Canberra Raiders Watch live NRL

10:30 Sydney Roosters v Cronulla Sharks Watch live NRL

10:30 Penrith Panthers v New Zealand Warriors Watch live NRL

16:00 South Africa v New Zealand Watch live Tri Nations

17:00 Wakefield Wildcats v Bradford Bulls Watch live Super League

Sunday 21st August

05:00 Manly Sea Eagles v Canterbury Bulldogs Watch live NRL

06:00 Wests Tigers v Parramatta Eels Watch live NRL

Monday 22nd August

10:00 Newcastle Knights v Brisbane Broncos Watch live NRL

you can currently watch rugby live online on your pc, laptop or tv via internet streams. All you need to do is pay a small fee to cover our costs via a secure PayPal payment to get instant access to our live rugby area. From this area you can track all the action via live online scores and check out rugby fixtures and results but more importantly you have unlimited access to all the live rugby games we can possibly stream to you!

Watch Live Rugby Online

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:14:00 -0700

Wednesday 17th August 2011

06:05 ITM Cup Live - Counties Manukau v North Harbour Live

08:05 ITM Cup Live - Otago v Manawatu Live

The Rugby World Cup is awarded to the team that wins the final at the end of the tournament, but it is known as the William Webb Ellis Cup as well after a student named William Webb Ellis purportedly invented the game while playing football. In 2011, the Rugby World Cup will take place in New Zealand, and the announcements have been made for the 2015 and 2019 Rugby World Cup as well. In 2015, the tournament will takes place in England and then Japan will be the host nation for the Rugby World Cup live in 2019.

Tasman VS Auckland live watch at online HDQ TV ITM Cup 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:27:00 -0700

Watch Live Rugby Online

Tuesday 16th August 2011

07:35 ITM Cup Live - Tasman v Auckland Live

Find any live source at Rugby game Streaming, then you can visit this Tasman VS Auckland Link. You can sure watch on live any Rugby game match. Many times you miss Rugby Hot match are them, don’t worry you can watch every time (HD) software by can preview, Review, Live, and previous all match. This [...]

TOP BUSINESS AFFILIATE

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 23:02:00 -0700

UPDATE SPORT NEWS

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:52:00 -0700

Golf: Adam Scott triumphs at Bridgestone WATCH LIVE!!!!

Will Carlos Tevez stay with Manchester City in the next EPL season? SEE LIVE!!!!

FOOTBALL

Spanish players' strike may delay La Liga start

The decision would affect top-flight and second division games in Spain. SEE NOW!!!

TENNIS

Bopanna-Qureshi enter R3 of Rogers Cup

Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina crashed out in the first round of the women's doubles event. SEE NOW!!!

GOIF

Atwal disappoints on final day, finishes 68th

Arjun Atwal finished 68th at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. LIVE NOW!!!!

CRICKET

3rd Test: Bell departs after Cook century

Bell was clean bowled by Kumar after Cook completed his 19th Test ton, his fourth this year. LIVE NOW!!!

No More Fear Factor

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 23:00:00 -0700

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – Tiger Woods mercilessly choked new growth.

He towered so formidably over the game that young talent couldn’t blossom in his shadow. His beat downs stunted youthful ambition before it could threaten his dominion.

“Tiger destroyed a lot of players, confidence wise,” says Butch Harmon, Woods’ former swing coach.

It’s probably no coincidence that a new wave of youth is on the rise as Woods slumps.

The irony is that Woods inspired this new generation, and now he’s doing the kids a large favor by getting out of their way so they have room to grow.

The PGA Championship begins Thursday with so many gifted young players aiming for the big prize at Atlanta Athletic Club.

Martin Kaymer, Rory McIlroy, Charl Schwartzel, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Matteo Manassero and Ryo Ishikawa don’t have clear paths to superstardom, but they have the advantage a generation didn’t have a decade ago. They have a path unblocked by Woods.

“Is it easier for young guys now that Tiger isn’t sucking up all the oxygen?” Stewart Cink said. “In a way it is, because it gives more young players an opportunity to show their stuff. He isn’t winning as much. He isn’t hogging all the attention, all the press. There’s room right now for a Rory McIlroy or Rickie Fowler to emerge and become a superstar. These guys were going to be good anyway, but in Tiger’s absence . . .”

In Tiger’s absence, there’s a chance to make it happen faster.

“These kids don’t have the fear of Tiger because they aren’t getting their brains beat in by Tiger,” Harmon said. “They are fearless.

“It’s unbelievable how good they are, and they’re only going to get better.”

The game’s at pivotal turning point with Woods off his form, with a changing of the guard at hand. The wonderful question looming over all of it is whether Woods regains his form, whether he bounces back to make these kids measure themselves against the guy they grew up idolizing.

If Tiger finds his form, the game could enjoy another terrific jolt seeing him take on his litter.

These kids weren’t just inspired watching Woods beat down all his peers. They dreamed of beating Woods themselves.

Growing up in Northern Ireland, McIlroy was 7 years old when Woods won his first major in a 12-shot runaway at the Masters. McIlroy said as a boy he imagined duels with Woods, imagined having putts to beat Woods in the U.S. Open or Masters.

McIlroy imagined measuring himself against Woods. He was asked Wednesday if he still imagines it.

GOLF LIVE ! !

NATHAN SETS TWINS SAVES RECORD IN WIN OVER RED SOX

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:49:00 -0700

MINNEAPOLIS - Joe Nathan came to the Minnesota Twins in 2004 as an unknown middle reliever with one career save on his resume.

Seven years, four All-Star appearances, 255 saves and one Tommy John surgery later, Nathan is the best closer the Twins have ever had.

Nathan set the franchise record for saves and Jim Thome hit a tiebreaking RBI double during Minnesota's three-run eighth inning to help the Twins beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night.

NOTES: The Twins got some good news earlier in the day when Gardenhire announced Justin Morneau will be activated from the disabled list on Friday in Cleveland. Morneau has been out since June 9 after having neck surgery. ... Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia was given the day off. "He was fighting me on it the last two days," manager Terry Francona said. "Last night after the game, he's like, 'I'm tired.' This will be really good for him." ... Francona disputed a call in the sixth when umpire Ted Barrett gave the speedy Ben Revere home on a double by Mauer that was caught by a fan. ... Perkins has given up five runs — four earned — in his last three appearances. He had an 11 appearance scoreless streak before that. ... The Twins are off Thursday and will begin a three-game series against the Indians in Cleveland on Friday. Carl Pavano (6-9, 4.71) will take the mound for the Twins against Justin Masterson (9-7, 2.71). Thome will continue his pursuit of career homer No. 600 in the place where his career began. He is two away from becoming the eighth player to reach the mark. ... The Red Sox are off Thursday as well and will head to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners starting on Friday. John Lackey (10-8, 6.14 ERA) will start Game 1 for Boston against Blake Beavan (3-2, 2.83 ERA). Lackey has been improving lately after a dreadful start. He allowed three runs in six innings in his previous start against the New York Yankees.

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Defending champ Andy Murray loses early in Montreal

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:02:00 -0700

Two-time defending champion Andy Murray is heading home early from the Rogers Cup after losing his opening match Tuesday, putting a major dent in his preparations for the upcoming U.S. Open.

Murray was convincingly beaten 6-3, 6-1 by unseeded South African Kevin Anderson in the second round.

The Scot, who had a bye in the first round, was seeded fourth. He's also fourth in the ATP rankings, while Anderson is ranked 35th.

Murray, who won the 2009 Rogers Cup in Montreal and defended his title last year in Toronto, said his South African opponent's serve is the best part of his game.

"If he serves well — it's a very fast court, it's tough to break — he can be dangerous," Murray said.

Anderson will next play either No. 14 seed Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland or American Michael Russell.

The current world No. 1, Novak Djokovic, didn't get a chance to play Tuesday after a steady rain postponed his evening match against Russia's Nikolay Davydenko — as well as several other scheduled late-afternoon and evening encounters.

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PREVIEWING THE COPA AMERICA CANDIDATES – ANALYSING GROUP C: SPECIAL FEATURE (PART 4)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 1 Jul 2011 07:44:00 -0700

Previewing the Copa America candidates – Analysing group C: Special Feature (Part 4)

After shedding some light on the squads of Uruguay, Peru, Chile it is now time to take a look at Mexico’s squad which is set to take the stage in Copa America following an impressive Gold Cup tournament in U.S.A...

Mexico

One can say that Mexico are the new Central American powerhouses in international football. The Mexican national team progressed till the round of sixteen in the FIFA 2010 World Cup where they lost to Argentina thanks to a brilliant performance from Carlos Tevez. However the young Mexican group have come a long way since then and they are in high mood after winning the Gold Cup title last month in North America after defeating U.S.A in the final by four goals to two.

It was a wonderful display by Mexico and they will look to do the same in Argentina but such a triumph will be difficult because they are faced with the toughest group of the tournament. Mexico’s first target would be to make it past the group stages and do to that they will need to win their matches against Peru and Chile whilst a draw against Uruguay would suffice.

However Mexico will need all of their top stars to fire on all cylinders in order to have a successful Copa America in Argentina. Mexico will undoubtedly be the underdogs of this group who can surprise everyone, a factor which might work in their favour. Mexico finished third in 2007, the last time Copa America was held but they have never won the tournament itself. They finished as runners up in 2001 and before that in 1993 they lost to Argentina in the final.

Goalkeepers

Luis Ernesto Michel, Liborio Sánchez and Carlos Felipe Rodriguez are Mexico’s goalkeeping options. However it will be Ernesto Michel who will take the field as Mexico’s first choice goalkeeper. The young shot stopper is relatively inexperienced at the international level but he is a promising prospect who will only improve if he takes the field at the Copa America for Mexico. However there is in inherent risk in this strategy which means that Michel’s inexperience can maybe cost Mexico their Copa America title charge. Nonetheless, it is a risk that Mexico are willing to take.

Defence

Darvin Chávez, Héctor Reynoso, Hiram Mier, Paul Aguilar , Miguel Ángel Ponce, Néstor Araujo, Oswaldo Alanís are Mexico’s defensive options but it will be Ponce and Reynoso who will start for them. Some of their first choice defenders are missing as they have been given a due break after their triumph in the Gold Cup which was Mexican F.A’s preferred tournament over Copa America. Araujo and Alanis play on the wings for Mexico which will be needed by them if they want to attack with width and pace down the flanks.

Midfield

Mexico will depend on the speedy Giovani Dos Santos in this department to fire them through. He played in the Gold Cup for them and was a star of the show as he helped them progress to the final of the tournament and win it in the end.

Strikers

Javier Hernandez was not included in Mexico’s squad for Copa America after playing for them in the Gold Cup thus they will have to bank on the talents of Oribe Peralta, who is an under -21 international for the Central American team.

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ARGENTINA VERSUS BOLIVIA – MATCH PREVIEW: COPA AMERICA 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 1 Jul 2011 07:35:00 -0700

Argentina versus Bolivia – Match Preview: Copa America 2011

The host nation takes on the continental minnows in the opening match of Copa America as Argentina take on Bolivia in an attempt to kick off Copa America in style, thus let’s take a look at both the teams and their chances of doing well in this opening encounter...

Argentina

As the host nation, Argentina have a lot of expectations riding on their backs. The South American giants failed to live up to these expectations at FIFA 2010 World Cup under Diego Maradona’s guidance but now they have a new coach which is bound to have an effect on the team. Under Sergio Romero, Argentina have turned into a compact unit which plays to their advantage given the abundance of talent that they have on the offensive front.

However it is at the back that Argentina will have problems in Copa America. Their defence is led by aging Javier Zanetti who will take the field alongside the likes of Gabriel Heinze and Gabriel Milito. Walter Samuel will also be integral to Argentina’s defensive plans if they want to win the trophy on their home turf. Against Bolivia, Argentina will undoubtedly take the field as favourites but whether or now they live up to that billing is something that only time will tell.

Bolivia

Bolivia have never been a top footballing nation in South America and now they have been tasked with facing off against Argentina in the opening match of Copa America 2011. It will be a tough proposition for a team which has always lived under the shadow of Brazil and Argentina along with Uruguay in South America football. Bolivian footballers will take the field on 1st of July, 2011 under nervous circumstances but anything but a defeat to Argentina will be seen as a triumph back home. It will be interesting to see Bolivia will look to contain the Argentinean attack.

In their previous meetings with the Argentinean national team, Bolivia have appeared to be quite a handful. They inflicted a massively humiliating defeat on Diego Maradona’s men when both the teams took on each other in FIFA World Cup qualification in April of 2009 when Bolivia ended up as 6-1 winners on the night. Before that Argentina scored an easy win over the underdogs in 2007 as the men in blue and white won by three goals to nil.

Team News

Sergio Batista has already confirmed that Carlos Tevez will start for Argentina. Lionel Messi is also expected to feature in the starting line up along with the likes of Javier Mascherano and Ever Banega.

Expected Argentina line up: Romero, Zanetti, Milito, Burdisso, Rojo, Cambiasso, Mascherano, Banega, Lavezzi, Tevez, Messi

Bolivia have no new injury troubles ahead of their Copa America opener against Argentina. They will bank on the likes of Marcelo Martins to fire them through to an unexpected result against the might of the host nation in their own backyard.

Expected Bolivia line up: Arias; Raldes, Alvarez, Rivero, Gutierrez, Vaca, Flores, Robles, Campos, Rojas, Martins

Prediction

Argentina are the favourites to win this one, anything other than a win for them will probably work in favour of Bolivia who have a zero chance of qualifying for the group stages as things stand in Group A. It will be interesting to see if Argentina give a run out to Javier Pastore or Sergio Aguero.

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Lauren Jackson set for surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:10:00 -0700

Seattle Storm centre Lauren Jackson will undergo left hip surgery on Thursday and miss two to three months, but the Australian star hopes to return in time for the Women's NBA playoffs.

Doctor Marc J. Philippon will perform the operation to repair the labrum in Jackson's left hip at Vail, Colorado on Thursday morning. The three-time WNBA Most Valuable Player was injured last week in a victory over the Tulsa Shock.

"This is a really, really tough decision, but after talking with my doctors and my family, we felt that immediate surgery is the best course of action," Jackson said.

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"With something painful like this hip injury, I want to be especially proactive. I plan to stay in Seattle to be here with my team and try my best to be back on the court as soon as possible.

"My goal is to be at full strength by the end of the season."

The Storm end their regular season with a September 11 home game against the Chicago Sky, some 10 and a half weeks after Jackson's surgery.

"Lauren informed me of her decision to have surgery yesterday and I offered her our full support," Storm coach Brian Agler said.

"We will miss her a great deal but I have a lot of confidence in our team and know they will rise to the challenge."

To help with the challenge, the Storm will add Poland's Ewwlina Kobryn, who was cut by New York last month. She played for her homeland in the EuroBasket event this month in Poland.

Kobryn's stay with the Storm might be long term. Jackson has already said she plans to skip the start of next season for the Storm to train with the Opals, Australia's women's national team, ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

The Australians have lost each of the past three Olympic finals to the United States.

The Storm visited the White House on Wednesday where they met with US President Barack Obama and were honoured for last year's WNBA championship.

Lauren Jackson set for surgery

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Only the best will do: Scott

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:49:00 -0700

ADAM Scott has revealed for the first time the depth of his ambition in golf.

In an interview with Golf magazine published in the United States, the 30-year-old says he wants to become Australia's best ever player. He also dismisses the widely held notion he is passive.

''A lot of people questioned my heart and fire over the years, but I could have easily thrown in the towel,'' says Scott, runner-up in this year's US Masters. ''I fought hard and worked hard to get back. I'm on my way to being a better player than I've ever been. I want to be the best Australian player ever, so I've got a lot of work to do.''
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Greg Norman and Peter Thomson, both golf hall of famers, are regarded as Australia's best two male players. In some people's eyes, seven-time major winner Karrie Webb surpasses them with her feats on the women's tour.

Scott has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the world but has never won a major, although he has won 20 tournaments worldwide. ''When anything's going good, it's good,'' he said. ''But when you're not playing well over a stretch of time, it's tough. You find everything a little more difficult. Golf gets more difficult. Life gets more difficult.

''The road can get lonely at times, and you have to have a good crew of people around you to keep your mind in good shape. At the end of the day, golf's a pretty mental game at this level.''

Scott is playing in a US tour event in Philadelphia this weekend, employing the long putter he adopted earlier this year. He told Golf he had no compunction about using the implement.

''The stigma is a bit unfair, because some of the best putters on tour do use long putters … I got over [the stigma] pretty quick once I saw putts going in,'' he said.

Only the best will do: Scott
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Gallant Matildas go down fighting

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:40:00 -0700

PROUD Matildas coach Tom Sermanni was lamenting a little lack of polish and a costly defensive lapse as a gallant Australia was beaten 1-0 by Brazil in its first women's World Cup group match in Moenchengladbach, Germany.

Ranked 11th in the world - eight places below the powerful Brazilians - a young Australian side that included right-back 16-year-old Caitlin Foord and midfielder Emily Van Egmond, 17, competed well in the game, played early yesterday.
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Australia had more possession in the first half and Brazil imposed more pressure after the break.

Rosana lashed the ball home with her left foot in the 54th minute after the Matildas failed to clear on the edge of their area.

"I think we had three chances to clear it," Sermanni said. "If you look overall at the 90minutes, I thought we defended exceptionally well and we were punished for a bit of sloppiness. I was really pleased with the way we played and the opportunities that we created and the fact that they more than held their own against Brazil. It was a little bit disappointing with the result but ... I'm really proud of the performance."

The Matildas had a few late chances, the best of which striker Lisa De Vanna hoisted over the bar after she was put clear in the 87th minute, while Heather Garriock and Tameka Butt each had a shot saved.

De Vanna squandered Australia's best first-half opportunity. She miscued a shot wide after Brazil captain and defender Aline lost control of the ball on the edge of her penalty area.

"I think that was the story of our game. We probably just lacked a little bit of composure," Sermanni said.

Early on, midfielder Collette McCallum curled a free kick over the bar and Kyah Simon had a chip acrobatically saved at the near post, as Australia started well.

For the most part, the Australian defence contained Brazil's celebrated striking duo of Marta and Cristiane, although each had a chance late in the first half and Rosana also went close twice before the break.

"It was a tough, really difficult match," said Brazilian coach Kleiton Lima.

Brazil's midfield took control after the goal. "When Brazil scored, it knocked the wind out of our sails for that 15 or 20 minutes, but the important thing then is we still held on," Sermanni said. "I thought we finished the game really strongly."

Sermanni reported no major injury problems and said Australia will look for a win in its second game on Sunday against Equatorial Guinea, which lost 1-0 to Norway in the other group D fixture.

Australia was reduced to nine men by red cards as it crashed out of the FIFA under-17 World Cup with a 4-0 loss to Uzbekistan in the round of 16 in Mexico yesterday. Goals in the 11th, 40th, 66th and 89th minutes put an emphatic end to the Joeys' campaign after they progressed to the knockout clash by finishing third in group F.

Australia was unable to create any scoring chances, with Uzbekistan the first to capitalise through captain Abbosbek Makhstaliev.

The chances of an Australian comeback took a hit early in the second half when star striker Dylan Tombides was shown a red card for a reckless tackle. In the 66th minute, any chance was snuffed out when captain Connor Chapman deflected an Uzbek cross past Australia goalkeeper Paul Izzo for an own goal. Rubbing salt in Australia's disappointment, Teeboy Kamara was sent off for a second yellow card in the 91stminute.

Gallant Matildas go down fighting

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Sharapova closes in on second Wimbledon crown

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:30:00 -0700

Seven years after winning Wimbledon as a 17 year-old, Maria Sharapova has the opportunity to lay claim on the Venus Rosewater Disk after dispatching wildcard Sabine Lisicki 6-4, 6-3 in their semifinal overnight.

In cool conditions on Centre Court, the 5th seed fell to a 0-3 deficit but was able to break back twice, preserving her record of not having dropped a set this fortnight.

Not deterred by light rain, which didn't halt play, the Russian broke twice for a 3-0 lead, but her German opponent was unable to generate the same turnaround result even though two of Sharapova's 13 double faults handed back two breaks, giving away the match with a long forehand.

"When you find yourself in a position where you're not playing your best [and] you're playing against an opponent that has probably one of the best serves on the tour and one of the fastest, to get [breaks] back certainly gave me confidence, considering I wasn't serving my best today," said the former world number one.

Sharapova, who had not been past the fourth round of the grass major since 2007 and had not won a Grand Slam since the 2008 Australian Open after shoulder surgery left her sidelined for almost a year, said she was happy to be in the hunt for silverware, having fallen short of all her comeback goals.

"I'm thrilled to be in the final, I'm just thrilled to have the opportunity to go for it," she said, adding that she was at a different stage of her career, with more experience.

"Experience is an incredible asset because you feel like you've been through many different situations, whether it's a smaller tournament or a semifinal of a Grand Slam...at the end of the day you really have to deliver, even if you have the experience or not," Sharapova added.

The Russian revealed that she never considered quitting the sport even though rehabilitating her shoulder was tedious and frustrating. "I think when you know how good it feels to lift the big trophies, the ones you really want in your career, and when you know how good you can play, I always felt like I could be better, and that's why I never had the interest of stopping...I always felt like I had a lot better things in me."

Left-handed Czech Petra Kvitova bettered her 2010 semifinalist appearance, winning a rollercoaster match against 4th seed Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.

Watched by childhood idol and fellow lefty Martina Navratilova, Kvitova blasted through the first set 6-1 in just 27 minutes.

The 8th seed saved two set points in an error-strewn second set, before a long forehand gave the Belarusian a chance to level the match.

In the decider, the 21-year old broke for a 3-0 lead which she held onto until Azarenka double faulted on match point number two.

Kvitova landed a total of 40 winners to her opponent's nine, playing the aggressive tennis that has ensured her progression to Saturday's final.

The Czech said she was happy with her resilient mental performance, admitting she was surprised but delighted to be in the Wimbledon final. Kvitova has also made history as the first lefty to contest a major final since Monica Seles at the 1998 French Open.

"I'm so happy and I don't really believe that I'm in the final," said Kvitova who added that grass is now favourite surface.

Azarenka credited her opponent's display of her best tennis, acknowledging that Kvitova was going for very shot. "I think she can beat anybody any day, because right now she has really good game, she's really going for it.[if] she's going to play like she played today, I'm sure she has all the chances to win the next match."

Sharapova closes in on second Wimbledon crown
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Problem gamblers lose enjoyment of sport

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:00:00 -0700

Problem gamblers don't enjoy watching or reading about sports because they are too focused on the outcome of their bet, a parliamentary committee has been told.

As well, the promotion of gambling on sport has contributed to their addiction.

The University of Sydney's gambling treatment clinic said many of its clients had observed advertisements encouraging them to bet and portraying winners as having a better time with friends.

"That promoted the idea that they may actually become a deeper supporter of the sport through wagering," the clinic said in a submission to a joint houses inquiry into online gambling.

That led many of them to believe that they could turn their knowledge and interest in their favourite sports into a supplementary income source.

The clinic's submission noted access to online betting allowed problem gamblers to still attend work, but distract their attention from productivity and quality of life.

Access to online betting for fans also reduced their pleasure in watching sport, it said.

"Over time, sports gamblers report that they no longer enjoy watching or reading about sports, because the focus of their attention is no longer about the different aspects of the sport, but rather almost exclusively on the outcome of their bet," the report said.

Cyber crime was an expanding problem due to the growth in the global digital economy, the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) said in its submission to the joint parliamentary committee.

"The use of online gambling to facilitate criminal activity, predominantly money laundering, is a key vulnerability and the ACC supports any mechanisms that will harden the Australian sectors to serious and organised criminal exploitation," the ACC said.

The ACC estimated organised crime costs Australia up to $15 billion a year with the criminal organisations looking to exploit any opportunity to make money.

"This makes professional sport an attractive target," the ACC said.

Australian sports ministers agreed on June 19 to endorse a national policy on match fixing in sport to protect the integrity of Australian sport.

This policy would give all Australian governments to work with sports and betting companies to deter and deal with corruption in sport.