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KSA's Yazeed Al-Rajhi triumphs in Rally Jeddah:

After inheriting the overnight lead when Rajeh Farhan Al-Shammeri was awarded a time penalty, fellow Saudi Arabian driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi romped through the second selective section of Rally Jeddah to confirm a comfortable victory on Saturday.

Partnered by French co-driver Alex Winocq, the Hummer driver won the second special by 4min 27sec from Ahmed Al-Shegawi’s Chevrolet Buggy and he was over 17 minutes quicker through the stage than closest overnight rival Sami Al-Shammeri. Al-Shegawi did enough to secure second position with his Emirati co-driver Yousef Arif Mohammed and Al-Shammeri slipped to third overall in the Bakhashab Isuzu Team D-Max.

“It was close at the overnight halt, but I knew that I had the pace and the performance with the car to push on today and secure the win,” said Al-Rajhi.

“It’s great to see and support a new event of this stature in Saudi Arabia and I congratulate the organizing team on their efforts. This is a very busy month for me. This is the first of three events in as many weekends. Next stop is Sweden – from the desert and the sun to the forests and the ice and snow!”

The leading trio finished the event well clear of fourth-placed Yahia Halawi, with Ibrahim Al-Muhanna rounding off the top five.

Fellow Saudi Khalid Al-Hamami failed to complete the day’s designated course and lost out on his overnight fifth position.

Saudi rider Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi won the day’s bike stage on his Kawasaki 450 by the margin of 4min 24sec from Abdullah Ghazi Al-Shoaby. Overnight leader Hamad Al-Hdayan stopped after PC3 and lost his chance of taking the outright win and there were also problems on the day for Abdulaziz Al-Hathlul.

Emirati Yayha Al-Helai hit problems for the second successive day in his Nissan Patrol. He incurred a fistful of time penalties on Friday that dropped him to 23rd overall at the restart, but he only completed a section of Saturday’ route before heading back to the service park in Durat Al-Arus. Saleh Al-Abdulali failed to restart day two.

Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Mannai did not restart from 21st overall in his Nissan Navara after losing over two and a half hours with mechanical issues on Friday. Problems also dropped Ahmed Al-Sabban and his new Ford Raptor down to 15th position after the first leg but he recovered with the ninth quickest time on Saturday to finish just outside the top 10.

The leader board in the car category was turned on its head on Friday evening when initial overnight leader Rajeh Farhan Al-Shammeri was awarded a 1hr 20min time penalty for a route infringement and plummeted from first overall to 14th. Several erroneous stage times were also corrected and Al-Rajhi was handed a tiny four-second lead by race organizers, as he and second-placed Sami Al-Shammeri set out into the second selective section on Saturday morning.

The new event was held under the patronage of Prince Mishaal bin Majed, governor of Jeddah and head of Rally Jeddah’s organizing Committee.

Positions after leg 2 (unofficial @ 14.20hrs):

Cars

1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Alex Winocq (FRA) Hummer Dbug 3hr 18min 12sec

2. Ahmed Al-Shegawi (KSA)/Arif Yousef Mohammed (UAE) Chevrolet Buggy 3hr 26min 02sec

3. Sami Al-Shammeri (KSA)/Abdullah Al-Shammeri (KSA) Isuzu D-Max 3hr 35min 35sec

4. Yahia Halawi (KSA)/Ali Al-Saiari (KSA) Nissan Patrol 3hr 50min 36sec

5. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (KSA)/Hasan Ali Obaid (KSA) Nissan Patrol 3hr 53min 28sec

6. Yaser Al-Saedan (KSA)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Prado 4hr 03min 52sec

7. Khalf Saleh Al-Joaan (KSA)/Ahmed Al-Shammeri (KSA) Nissan Patrol 4hr 16min 22sec

8. Khalid Al-Hamazani (KSA)/Bader Al-Hamazani (KSA) Nissan Patrol 4hr 23min 32sec

9. Omar Al-Lahim (KSA)/Waleed Al-Fiuam (KSA) Toyota 4hr 25min 19sec

10. Ahmed Abdullah Al-Shuleel (KSA)/Abdulaziz Al-Asfoor (KSA) Nissan 4hr 27min 41sec

Bikes/Quads

1. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (KSA) Kawasaki 450 4hr 22min 18sec

2. Sultan Al-Masood (KSA) Suzuki 450 4hr 26min 21sec

3. Abdullah Ghazi Al-Shoaby (KSA) Yamaha 700 14hr 47min 42sec

Jazz finds Warriors’ Curry too hot to handle:

SALT LAKE CITY: Stephen Curry made eight 3-pointers in scoring a season-high 44 points, leading the Golden State Warriors past Utah 95-90 Friday on a night the Jazz honored former coach Jerry Sloan.

Curry had 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors came from nine points behind to win on back-to-back nights.

Andrew Bogut had 16 points, 17 rebounds and five assists to help overcome the loss of David Lee (shoulder, hip) and a horrendous shooting night from backcourt mate Klay Thompson, who was 3 of 20 for 11 points.

Reserve guard Alec Burks had with 26 points on a variety of jumpers and acrobatic drives but it wasn’t enough for Utah, which dealt with injuries to three frontcourt players.

Thunder 120, Nets 95: The Oklahoma City Thunder proved they are the hottest team in the NBA, winning their 10th successive game with a 120-95 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant had his streak of 12 consecutive 30-point games snapped, scoring 26 and adding seven assists.

Durant sat out the entire fourth quarter as the Thunder were leading by 89-59 at the end of the third.

In the past 30 years, only Kobe Bryant (16) and Tracy McGrady (14) recorded more consecutive 30-point games.

Forward Serge Ibaka showed his versatility, scoring from anywhere on the floor with 25 points on 12-of-12 shooting. Ibaka and Durant shot a combined 22 of 24 from the field.

Grizzlies 94, Timberwolves 90: Memphis Forward Zach Randolph scored 13 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, including a twisting shot from the paint with 2:27 left that gave the Grizzlies the lead in a 94-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Guard Courtney Lee scored 16 points, Mike Conley had 12 points and guard Tayshaun Prince added 11, including a three-pointer with 59.6 seconds left that put the Grizzlies up by six.

Forward Kevin Love scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half, including 18 points in the third quarter, for the Timberwolves.

Hawks 125, 76ers 99: Veteran forward Elton Brand had a season-high 18 points against his former team as the Atlanta Hawks rolled to a 125-99 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 34-year-old Brand, in his 15th season, shot 8-for-12 off the Atlanta bench to lead seven players in double figures.

Another reserve, forward Mike Scott, also had 18 for the Hawks, with 16 of those coming in the second quarter.

Forward Thaddeus Young had 29 points, one shy of his season high, to pace the Sixers.

Magic 113, Bucks 102: Veteran guard Arron Afflalo scored 21 points in 30 minutes as the Orlando Magic breezed to an easy 113-102 victory over the lowly Milwaukee Bucks.

It was the fifth consecutive loss for the Bucks (8-38) and the 14th loss in their last 15 games.

Mavericks 107, Kings 103: The hard-luck and short-handed Sacramento Kings could not hold onto a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost 107-103 to the Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs’ comeback with 34 points, 12 in the decisive final period.

He spoiled Kings forward Rudy Gay’s effort that included 35 points, 12 rebounds and six assists.

Raptors 100, Nuggets 90: Guard DeMar DeRozan returned to the lineup to score 19 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the Denver Nuggets 100-90. Forward Terrence Ross had 18 points for the Raptors, who won for the first time in 11 years in Denver.

Center J.J. Hickson had 18 points and 13 rebounds and guard Evan Fournier scored 18 points for the Nuggets.

Bobcats 110, Lakers 100: Center Al Jefferson scored a season-high 40 points and grabbed 18 rebounds to lift the Charlotte Bobcats to a 110-100 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Jefferson connected on 18 of 32 field goals as Charlotte (21-27) beat the Lakers for the first time in Los Angeles in five years. The Bobcats also handed Los Angeles (16-31) its sixth straight loss.

Gallacher at his best, takes Dubai lead:

DUBAI: Stephen Gallacher produced one of the finest back nines in the history of the European Tour on Saturday to stand on the verge of becoming the first player to successfully defend the Dubai Desert Classic.

The 39-year-old Scot was doing nothing very much with seven straight pars and a bogey when he suddenly went on the rampage.

From the ninth, Gallacher nailed an eagle and eight birdies in 10 holes. His nine-under 28 on the back nine equaled the European Tour record.

By the time he had finished, he was three clear of the field, although tournament favorite Rory McIlroy eased that back to two strokes by the end of the day.

The Ulsterman, who led after the first two rounds, had a steady 69, with rising US player Brooks Koepka (70) and Danish hope Thorbjorn Olesen (65) four strokes off the pace on 12 under.

A further stroke back came a trio consisting of Englishman Robert Rock, Italian Edoardo Molinari and Finn Roope Kakko, all of whom had 68s.

Asked to explain what had gotten into him heading for the ninth tee, Gallacher said he had no idea.

“I struggled at the start to be honest. The first three holes a bit ropey, first four holes actually a bit ropey,” he said.

“And then bogeyed eight and I thought, oh well, because I wasn’t feeling in sorts, but then I hit a beautiful drive and seven-iron to nine to about three-foot and from then on in, I just never missed a shot.

“You just try and stay patient. You never know in this game. You could birdie the first five and you could birdie the last five. That’s the beauty of it.” Prior to Gallacher’s all-out assault on the Majlis course, it had looked like a day for the twenty-somethings as McIlroy (24) and Koepka (23) went head-to-head in the final pairing with Olesen (24) closing in fast on them.

McIlroy bogeyed the first for the second straight day, but bounced back with an eagle at the third and, while he was unable to reproduce the fireworks he showed in the first round, he looked comfortable all day.

He produced a rock-solid two-under back nine, with birdies on 10 and 17, to edge to within two strokes of Gallacher, who he will partner in Sunday’s final pairing.

McIlroy, who has been suffering from a stomach upset, said that Gallacher’s gallop had been “phenomenal.” “I didn’t know that he was 10 under for the last 10 holes. That’s some golf right there.

“But I feel like I can catch him tomorrow. I don’t really want to focus on what he is doing — just try to focus on my own thing.” On the back of some inspired putting, Koepka briefly nudged ahead of the Northern Irishman, but bogeys at 12, 14 and 15 pulled him back into a tie for third with Olesen.

Tiger Woods’ hopes of winning the Dubai Desert Classic for a record-equaling third time were all but smashed after he carded a third round of 70.

It was an improved performance compared to the day before for the world number one, but he was left trailing way down the field with no chance of closing the gap.

“Wasted a lot of opportunities out there,” said Woods of his round.

“I only hit a couple of bad shots, missed a ton of putts and just threw away a lot of shots.” Woods missed the cut in his first tournament of the year at Torrey Pines last week and admits that he is struggling to get his game together after a long winter break.

Federer puts Swiss ahead in Serbia:

PARIS: Roger Federer got Switzerland off the mark in their Davis Cup World Group opener against Serbia on Friday as France, Germany and Kazakhstan also took early leads.

Federer, a last-minute addition to the Swiss team, won through 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 against 268th-ranked Ilija Bozoljac on the hard court surface in Novi Sad.

The Swiss, bouyed with two Grand Slam winners in their ranks, are favourites with Serbia weakened by the absence of their top players Novak Djokovic and Janko Tipsarevic.

Switzerland's newly-crowned Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka is due to take on Dusan Lajovic later on Friday.

In Astana, Mikhail Kukushkin and Andrei Golubev gave hosts Kazakhstan a 2-0 advantage against Belgium.

Kukushkin beat Ruben Bemelmans 6-4, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3 in just over three hours and was followed by Golubev who overcame David Goffin 7-6 (11/9), 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 12-10 in a four hour 38-minute thriller.

"I'm really pleased to win the first point for my team," Kukushkin said. "The match was much tougher than one can imagine looking at the scoreline."

Hosts France went 1-0 up on clay in Mouilleron-le-Captif with Richard Gasquet seeing off Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios 7-6 (7/3), 6-2, 6-2.

Gasquet held off the 18-year-old Kyrgios in straight sets in just over two hours.

"I knew that the first set was really important. I had to win it," said Gasquet.

"Once I did I gained in confidence. If he (Kyrgios) had won the first set it would have been a different match. "He's (Kyrgios) a player with a big serve who already has a lot of talent. I was favourite today but he's still young I think he has a huge future."

Kyrgios began to show signs of fatigue in the first set tie-break with the loss of six consecutive points despite leading 3-1. Gasquet's confidence grew thereafter and he rolled off six consecutive games at love on serve.

The final set was a copy of the second with a double break in favour of France and a string of unforced errors off the Kyrgios racquet.

"I played very good tennis in the first set and tried to put Richard under pressure," said Kyrgios.

"But he played incredibly well. I had my chance by leading 3-1 in the tie-break but he managed to win the first set. After that he grew in confidence and played better and better. I couldn't have done more against him in the other two sets. He was just better than me today."

Veteran Lleyton Hewitt will bid to draw Australia level when he takes on Jo-Wilfried Tsonga later in western France,

In Frankfurt, Philipp Kohlschreiber gave Germany a winning start over five-time winners Spain with a 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 victory in less than two hours against Roberto Bautista Agut.

Spain's 26th-ranked Feliciano Lopez plays Florian Mayer, ranked 29, in their second rubber.

The Spanish are playing without their stars - world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and fifth-ranked David Ferrer.

Japan and Canada are 1-1 following the opening day of play in Tokyo.

Japanese No. 1 Kei Nishikori beat Canada's Peter Polansky 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 before Frank Dancevic levelled 6-4, 7-6(7/2), 6-1 win over Go Soeda.

Sharapova, Pavlyuchenkova into Open GDF semis:

PARIS: Top-seeded Maria Sharapova thrashed eighth-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-2, 6-2 on Friday to set up an all-Russian semifinal against Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova at the Open Gaz de France.

Although Sharapova dropped her serve once, the four-time Grand Slam champion broke Flipkens’ serve five times to win in little more than an hour.

In a more tightly-contested match, Pavlyuchenkova upset fourth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (3).

Both had seven aces and also dropped serve four times each.

In Friday’s later quarterfinals, No. 3 Sara Errani of Italy takes on Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina, and Andrea Petkovic of Germany plays France’s Alize Cornet.

Seeds tumble at Pattaya Open, Makarova through

In Pattaya, Thailand, Three seeds fell at the Pattaya Open on Friday, leaving Russian Ekaterina Makarova as the only seeded player to reach the semifinals after a three-set battle with Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm.

Karolina Pliskova fought off two match points to defeat third seed Sorana Cirstea of Romania 1-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 and reach her first semi-final in 11 months.

Russian fifth seed Elena Vesnina was beaten 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 by Germany’s Julia Goerges, and Chinese number eight seed Peng Shuai fell 6-2, 7-5 to Czech Andrea Hlavackova.

Fourth-seeded Makarova ended the run of 43-year old Date-Krumm of Japan by winning their entertaining quarter-final 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

Pliskova was completely outplayed in the opening set of her match, and although she was able to compete at the same level as her opponent in the second set she still struggled to turn the match around.

After two breaks to begin the set, games went with serve until Cirstea held two match points at 5-4.

Pliskova fought off that threat, and Cirstea saved two break points to hold for 6-5 before Pliskova dominated the tiebreak.

“I didn’t expect to win this one because I start a little bit bad,” said Pliskova, whose last appearance in a semi-final came in Kuala Lumpur in February 2013. She went on to win that title.

“But she was playing amazing and I didn’t have much chance to play my game. She was playing really fast. I also wasn’t serving that high a percentage of first serves and that was the beginning of her game.

“I was trying in the second set to hold my serve and hoping that in the tiebreak anything can happen. In the third set I think she got discouraged. Losing the set from two match points and the tiebreak as well, it’s bad.”

Peng also let an opportunity slip away during her loss. She failed to capitalize on some break points, winning just one of seven while her opponent converted four of the seven she also held.

Although Hlavackova dominated the first set, breaking in the opening game and again to lead 5-2, she faced the prospect of a third set as Peng broke to lead 5-3 in the second before conceding the final four games.

Yang and Watson set pace at Phoenix Open:

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona: South Korean Yang Yong-eun birdied six of his last nine holes to surge into a share of the lead in the Phoenix Open first round while Phil Mickelson launched his title defense with a level-par 71 here on Thursday.

Yang, who became Asia’s first male major winner with his victory at the 2009 PGA Championship where he overhauled Tiger Woods in the final round, mixed eight birdies with a lone bogey to fire a seven-under-par 64 in dazzling desert sunshine.

The 42-year-old Korean, a double winner on the PGA Tour, took advantage of ideal scoring conditions at the TPC Scottsdale and signed off with a superb approach to three feet at the par-four last before he sank the birdie putt.

Yang, who has not recorded a single top-10 on the US circuit since he tied for sixth at The Barclays in 2011, was delighted with his up-tick in form.

“I have been playing like ‘you-know-what’ for a long time now,” the Korean told PGATour.com through an interpreter. “I have been adjusting my swing for a long time ... and I think it’s finally paying off.

“I missed some good chances on the front nine so I was a little bit angry with myself but I’ve been playing some solid golf for the last four-and-a-half rounds so I think it’s good.”

Yang’s lead held up for most of the day until he was joined at the top by 2012 Masters champion Bubba Watson, who birdied four of his last six holes for a matching 64.

Americans Pat Perez, Kevin Stadler, William McGirt, Harris English and Chris Kirk, along with Australians Greg Chalmers and Matt Jones, were a further stroke back after opening 65s.

While Yang set the early pace, defending champion Mickelson was happy to complete his opening round with an assorted mix of five birdies, three bogeys and a double after struggling with muscle pain in his lower back over the past two weeks.

“My back’s fine, my game was a little rusty,” Mickelson, who was diagnosed with and treated for locked facet joints in his back on Monday, told Golf Channel.

“Got off to a poor start, played a couple over (par) and finished poorly with a few over. In the middle of the round, I hit a lot of good shots and had a good little run.

“It just wasn’t quite sharp, I wasn’t quite focused on every shot the way I need to be and let way too many shots slide today.”

Five-time major champion Mickelson double-bogeyed the par-three 12th, his third hole of the day, after hitting his tee shot into water but got his round back on track with birdies at the 13th, 14th, 17th, first and fourth.

The American, who won last year’s Phoenix Open with a record-tying 28-under total of 256 after opening with a 60, then faded with bogeys at the fifth, seventh and ninth but preferred to dwell on the all the positives in his first round.

“The back feels great, and hopefully I’ll come out tomorrow and get a good round,” Mickelson said of his game. “I won’t overdo it and practise too much.

“I do feel like I’ve got a good round in me, the game doesn’t feel far off even though I made quite a few careless spurts out there.”

American Hunter Mahan, the 2010 champion, opened with a five-birdie 66 while England’s former world number one Lee Westwood carded a 67.

Al-Shammeri seizes lead in Rally Jeddah:

Saudi driver Rajeh Farhan Al-Shammeri edged into a useful lead of 4min 06sec in the new Rally Jeddah after the opening 138km selective section through the Saudi desert on Friday morning. 

The Nissan driver began the stage from 13th on the road and recorded the fastest time after regular WRC driver and pre-event favorite Yazeed Al-Rajhi had relinquished a slender advantage in his Hummer midway through the special.

A plethora of quick Saudi drivers were quick to pick up on Al-Rajhi’s mid-stage problems and Sami Al-Shammeri, driving a Bakhashab Isuzu Team D-Max, eventually recorded the second quickest time, having started the special from third position. Al-Rajhi completed the stage in third – a mere five seconds behind the Isuzu - but the leading three drivers had pulled clear of a chasing pack of challengers.

Ahmed Shegawi and his UAE co-driver Yousef Arif Mohammed were 3min 17sec further behind in fourth place with their Chevrolet Buggy and Yahia Halawi and Ali Al-Saiari were fifth in a Nissan.

Saudi rider Hamad Al-Hdayan set the quickest time among the bikes and the quads and has an unofficial lead of 6min 29sec heading into Saturday’s final stage. Abdullah Ghazi Al-Shoaby reached the stage finish ahead of his rivals, but his stage time was unofficial pending an investigation into the Saudi missing route waypoints along the way. The UAE’s Atif Al-Zarouni missed a large section of the stage after technical problems, as Sultan Al-Masood reached the finish in second position.

Al-Rajhi and French co-driver Alex Winocq had clocked the fastest time of 3min 30sec on the Prologue stage to beat Saudi’s Ibrahim Al-Muhanna by five seconds after 29 cars and seven bikes and quads had tackled the opening stage. Ahmed Al-Shegawi was third.

The meat of the action began with a 138km selective section from Al-Buraikat to a finish near Al-Burykah, north of Jeddah on Friday. Saudi rider Abdullah Ghazi Al-Shoaby was the early pace setter on his Yamaha and he began to pull away from his challenging riders, as Hamad Al-Hdayan and Sultan Al-Masood gave chase. But it appeared that he may have missed waypoints along the route and Hdayan led from Al-Masood and Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi as the riders reached 88km. Egyptian rider Rakan Al-Sallum failed to start the morning’s special.

Al-Rajhi started as clear favorite to win the car category and the Saudi had edged into a virtual 2min 29sec advantage over Shegawi at the first passage control. Yayha Al-Helai and Sami Al-Shammeri were in close attendance, but Al-Rajhi continued to press home his advantage as the stage progressed and he reached the 31km point 3min 47sec in front of Al-Shammeri.

Sami Al-Shammeri continued to challenge hard and he had reduced Al-Rajhi’s virtual stage lead to 3min 25sec at PC2. But Al-Rajhi was delayed soon afterwards and he reached the 66km point trailing Al-Shammeri by 2min 46sec.

Al-Rajhi had reduced his rival’s virtual stage lead to just 32 seconds at PC3. Further down the field, both Abdulmonem Al-Ghamdi and Said Jaber Al-Shamrani were running inside the top five and Rajeh Farhan Al-Shammeri was enjoying a storming run. He was classified in the virtual top three after 66km and trailed Al-Rajhi by just nine seconds, having started the stage 13th on the road. Al-Helai stopped with mechanical issues before the halfway point, as did Al-Shamrani who had been running as high as second through 39km.

After 105km, Al-Shammeri’s virtual stage advantage over Al-Rajhi was down to just 13 seconds, but Rajeh Farhan Al-Shammeri was in stunning form and the winner of the 2007 Ha’il International Rally led the stage outright by 1min 12sec and extended that advantage to the finish.

Cars passed through the mandatory technical checks at Land Rover Center in the Auto Mall on Wednesday afternoon in the presence of Prince Sultan bin Bandar, head of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF), Anwar Helmi of the SAMF and organizer of the Hail International Rally and Abdullah Bakhashab, head of Rally Jeddah’s executive committee. 

“At last the dream has come true and Jeddah has its first international rally,” enthused Bakhashab.

The 1992 FIA Middle East rally champion Mamdouh Khayat is driving the official Land Rover course car.

The new event is being held under the patronage of Prince Mishaal bin Majid, governor of Jeddah and head of Rally Jeddah’s Higher Organizing Committee.

A second 139km selective through the remote desert to the north of Jeddah takes place on Saturday. It again finishes at Al-Burykah and precedes the finish celebrations in Obhur on Saturday evening.

Super Bowl 2014: Irvin, once a high-school dropout with no home, finds himself a key cog for Seahawks:

NEWARK, N.J.: Bruce Irvin walked toward a wall, looked up and began greeting a group of Seattle Seahawks fans. They wanted to say hello and go home with an autograph. Irvin wanted to reflect and enjoy his surroundings — and how far he has come.

"It's crazy. That's all I can say: It's crazy," he said Tuesday. "From the situation I was in seven years ago when I started this, I never thought I'd be playing in the Super Bowl."

Irvin is a 26-year-old outside linebacker for the Seahawks. This is who he is now. Nearly a decade ago, his identity was much different: high school dropout and occasional drug dealer and criminal. Then, as he describes it, he was homeless.

But life can turn quickly, and on Tuesday, the Seattle defender with the No. 51 embroidered on his jacket was an example of that.

"You know," he said, "I think God had a plan for me."

Irvin dropped out of his suburban Atlanta high school as a junior, and even then, it was a reach to call him a football player. He played in three games as a freshman at Stephenson High, but he was academically ineligible before quitting school.

His mother kicked him out of her home, and Irvin moved from house to house, often settling in those shared with friends who sold drugs. Irvin tried it too sometimes, and in 2007, he spent three weeks in a juvenile detention center on burglary and weapon charges.

One afternoon, Irvin recalled, he went to a gas station. He was living in a house where drugs were sold, and on this day, he stopped in the store and returned to find that police had raided the house. His friends had been arrested, and if he hadn't stepped out, he would've been, too. Irvin believed he had been spared. This was a sign, he told himself, and at age 19, changes needed to be made.

"An eye-opening moment," he said.

Rather than living with drug dealers, Irvin was instead taken in by Chad Allen, a mentor who saw the youngster's potential. They talked about life sometimes, Allen telling Irvin that there always was a way out. At Allen's urging, Irvin took the test for high school equivalency that December, passing all five parts, Irvin said, on his first attempt. He had once closed doors, and opportunity existed only in the law's shadows; now, college was an option, and what might lie ahead beyond that?

"I kind of felt like it was freedom," he said, looking back on the day he read his GED results.

He enrolled in a junior college in Kansas, but still unable to play, he moved farther away — this time to Mt. San Antonio College near Los Angeles. Irvin built himself into a blue-chip junior college recruit, showing extraordinary ability for such an inexperienced player. He was 6 feet 3 and 230 pounds, and recruiters from major colleges noticed his talent for pursuing ball carriers and bringing them down.

Irvin signed with West Virginia, playing defensive end and tallying 14 sacks in 2010 and nine more as a senior.

He was seen as a potential second-day pick in the 2012 draft. His skills were never in question; rather, his inexperience and past were concerns, and scouts wanted to hear how Irvin addressed his background during pre-draft interviews.

"People doubted me coming out last year," he said, "when I had all the baggage and stuff."

And so, confronting those doubts, Irvin was honest with evaluators. He told them about dropping out of Stephenson, about the rift with his mother, with the arrest and the raided house. He discussed slip-ups since he left Georgia, including an arrest for disorderly conduct while at West Virginia — and that the charges were eventually dropped. Irvin told them about how he recognized his weaknesses, vowing — and then coming through — to overcome them. If he did such a thing with his life, correcting mistakes and improving on weaknesses on a football field would be nothing.

The Seahawks, pleased with his answers and attitude — to say nothing of his ability — drafted Irvin not in the middle rounds but with the No. 15 overall pick. They saw him as a linebacker, and they promised him time to adjust to the NFL's demands and to adapt to his new responsibilities. If he could keep growing, the team viewed him as a foundation block.

"Athlete. He's a heck of an athlete, man," said Seattle defensive end Cliff Avril, when asked about his first impressions of Irvin. "I've seen him jump over guys; I've seen him dunk balls. Just an athlete."

Time passed, and word of Irvin's background began spreading through the Seahawks' locker room. He rarely spoke of where he had been, but the stories were making the rounds.

"If you believe in yourself," Avril said, "obviously you can get to where you want to go. It shows you that, with somebody like Bruce, who's been through so much through his life, and to continue to work and put his head into it, he's in the NFL, and he's at the Super Bowl."

Irvin, who started 12 regular season games this year, remains in a period of adjustment. This is nothing new for him, and he said that change doesn't bother him. Not after what he has been through. He has made peace with his mother, he said, and now he's engaged to be married.

"I started at the bottom," said Irvin, who had two sacks, a forced fumble and an interception during the regular season. "Any time I face adversity, I never fold up because I'm used to it."

As he walked toward the exit Tuesday, his interviews and off-field obligations complete, the group of fans he greeted and signed for began chanting his first name. All the way from there to here, and Irvin stopped and smiled.

"A tough situation, man," he said. "But I wouldn't change it for nothing. It made me who I am."

New Rally Jeddah starts with timed prologue stage today:

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s WRC star Yazeed Al-Rajhi tops the entry list for Rally Jeddah, the Kingdom’s new cross-country event that gets underway Thursday afternoon in Obhur with the start podium and a three-kilometer timed prologue stage.

The Riyadh-based driver heads a provisional starting list of 38 cars, one truck and eight bikes and quads, which will tackle two days of off-road action in the deserts around Wadi Al-Khariq.

Al-Rajhi has an impressive pedigree in cross-country rallies in his native Saudi Arabia and is the clear favorite to win the inaugural event. He has triumphed three times in the last five years in the Hail Rally and was comfortably on course for a fourth win last season until he crashed and injured his back on a sand dune. French navigator Alex Winocq will partner the Saudi again.

While Al-Rajhi is likely to set the pace in his powerful Hummer, the T2 category should be hotly contested. Emirati veteran Yayha Al-Helai tops the entrants in his Nissan Patrol and Saudi’s Ahmed Al-Sabban will be hoping that his new Ford Raptor is competitive on its first event, despite the lack of development or any real time to test the Saluki Motorsport-prepared car beforehand.

Sultan Hamdi and Sami Al-Shammeri wheel out a pair of Bakhashab Saudi Isuzu Team D-Max models, while Yaser Al-Saedan will be hoping for success in his Toyota Land Cruiser. Egyptian Mohammed El-Antabi also drives a D-Max and there are further T2 entries for the likes of Saudi’s Tariq Saleh Al-Rammah, Issa Al-Dossari, Yahia Halawi and Nayyaf Al-Shibani.

Further resistance for Al-Rajhi in the T1 category should come from Ahmed Al-Shegawi, Moteb Al-Shammeri, Saleh Said Al-Hoot, the Qatari driver Mohammed Al-Mannai and a trio of Toyotas driven by Owaid Mansi Al-Shammeri, Farhan Al-Ghalib Al-Shammeri and Nawaf Aseran.

Eight bikes and quads will start the inaugural Rally Jeddah. The experienced Emirati quad rider Atif Al-Zarouni leads the way on his Honda. A regular competitor in events like the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the Sealine Cross-Country Rally in Qatar, Al-Zarouni is the firm favorite to win the category, having achieved outright success on his quad in last year’s Ha’il International Rally in the north of the Kingdom.

Six Saudi riders — including Nadir Khayat, Abdullah Ghazi Al-Shoaby and Hamad Al-Hdayan — and Egyptian rider Rakan Al-Sallum offer the competition.

Saudi Turki Al-Sudairy and his French co-driver Samir Bin Bakhti have entered a solitary MAN truck in the T4 category and Saleh Al-Sallum will wheel out a Polaris in T3.

The event is being held under the patronage of Prince Mishaal bin Majid, governor of Jeddah and head of Rally Jeddah’s Higher Organizing Committee.

Rally Jeddah is organized in cooperation with General Presidency of Youth Welfare, Jeddah Municipality, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiques in the Makkah region, a branch of the Saudi Red Crescent in Makkah, the Jeddah Police and Traffic Departments and Civil Defense Administration in Jeddah. MYN Motors is supplying Land Rovers as the official car for Rally Jeddah.

Thursday competitors will cross the start ramp from 15.30hrs and head directly into a short three-kilometer prologue stage before returning to the overnight halt for a service stop at the Jeddah beach resort of Durrah.

The first 138km opening selective section takes place on Friday. After a morning service in Durrah, crews head to Al-Buraikat for the 11.15hrs start of a timed section that finishes near Buraukah.

A second 139km selective through the remote deserts in the Jeddah region starts at 12.25hrs and again finishes at Buraukah and precedes the finish celebrations in Obhur from 19.20hrs.

Spectators can follow all the news for Rally Jeddah on Facebook, flicker, Twitter and Instagram (rallyJeddah).

Atletico, Barca join Real in Cup last four:

MADRID: Atletico Madrid have a chance to pile more King’s Cup misery on neighbors Real after eliminating Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday to set up a last-four clash against the bitter city rivals they beat in last year’s final.

Atletico’s battling 2-1 comeback victory in a rain-lashed quarter-final, second leg in the Basque Country, which made it 3-1 on aggregate, was Bilbao’s first reverse at their new San Mames arena and meant Diego Simeone’s side, who are joint top of La Liga and through to the last 16 of the Champions League, are still fighting on three fronts.

The heavens also opened over the Catalan capital as Barcelona fielded a second-string side against Levante at a Nou Camp stadium that was barely a quarter full and recovered from conceding an early goal to secure a 9-2 aggregate success.

The record winners, who have claimed Spain’s domestic Cup 26 times, won 5-1 on the night after last week’s 4-1 victory in Valencia in the first leg when they also fell behind.

Barca will play Real Sociedad or third-tier Racing Santander in the last four, although the Santander players have threatened to boycott Thursday’s match in protest over unpaid wages.

Sociedad lead 3-1 from last week’s first let at their Anoeta stadium in San Sebastian.

Atletico won the first leg against Bilbao in the Spanish capital 1-0 and Diego Costa came close to making it 2-0 on aggregate in the first minute.

Playmaker Koke sent the Brazil-born forward clear on goal but Bilbao goalkeeper Iago Herrerin sprinted off his line and saved Costa’s low drive with his legs.

Roared on by their red and white-clad fans, the home side gradually seized the upper hand in an intense first half and were rewarded when Aritz Aduriz nodded into the corner from Mikel Balenziaga’s cross in the 42nd minute.

Atletico goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois conjured three superb saves to deny Andoni Iraola, Aduriz and Mikel Rico in the leadup to halftime before Raul Garcia clipped Emiliano Insua’s center into the corner 10 minutes into the second half to make it 1-1 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate to the visitors.

Needing two goals to turn the tie around, Bilbao mounted waves of attacks but Atletico held firm and struck again four minutes from time.

Koke again sent Costa clear with another brilliantly executed pass that left the home defense floundering on the halfway line and he rounded Herrerin and tapped home.

“After we got the opening goal it gave us confidence, strength, commitment and intensity and we were able to win at a very difficult venue,” Simeone told a news conference.

“This stadium is full of passion and you experience football in its purest form,” added the Argentine, who has transformed Atletico into genuine contenders in Spain and Europe since taking over at the end of 2011.

Looking ahead to the semi-finals, he said the more times his side could play against Real and Barca the better.

“When you play against them you learn more, you improve more and you lose this complex you have about taking part in this match.”

Atletico’s 2-1 win in extra time in last year’s final was at Real’s own Bernabeu stadium and they appear to have their number this season as well after earning a 1-0 win there in La Liga in September.

Real went through to the two-legged semi-finals, which are next week and the week after, when they beat Espanyol 1-0 in Madrid on Tuesday for a 2-0 aggregate success.

Barca, who lead La Liga with Atletico and are also through to the Champions League last 16, fell behind to Levante in the ninth minute when a Loukas Vyntra header ricocheted into the net off home midfielder Sergi Roberto.

Adriano bent a fierce drive in from distance to level in the 28th minute and veteran captain Carles Puyol brought back memories of his winning goal for Spain against Germany in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Cup with a powerful header from a corner to make it 2-1 shortly before halftime.

Now 35 and approaching the end of a glittering career, Puyol’s leap wasn’t quite as high as the one in Durban three and a half years ago but the shaggy-haired center back showed he can still inspire the team when needed.

Alexis struck twice early in the second half and Cesc Fabregas added a fifth in the 68th minute as Barca remained on course for a third Cup triumph in six years following successful campaigns in 2009 and 2012.

The final is on April 19 at a yet-to-be-determined venue.

Saudi pair eyes victory for Bakhashab Isuzu Team:

After Thursday’s timed prologue stage two special stages take place Friday with the Bakhashab Isuzu Team, bannered by Sultan Hamdi and Sami Al-Shammeri in a pair of D-Max models, looking to win the T2 category for the second time in four outings at the Rally Jeddah. 

To kick off Friday’s action is the 138km opening selective section. After a morning service in Durrah, crews head to Al-Buraikat for the 11.15hrs start of a timed section that finishes near Buraukah.

A second 139km selective through the remote deserts in the Jeddah region starts at 12.25hrs and again finishes at Buraukah and precedes the finish celebrations in Obhur from 19.20hrs. 

The prologue stage Thursday had 29 cars and 7 motorcycles in action. 

“Everything is well-prepared, I hope to achieve successful results specially that the T2 Category includes expert names in the world of rallies, this is an indication that the competition will be a challenging one. We entered the prologue stage with specific tactical concepts and keenness; we thank Allah that the situation is so good and promising. Today the rally will be launched; we will adopt a special strategy to maintain an advanced level. Here I would like to express my thanks to the director of Bakhashab Isuzu Team, Abdul Rahman Al-Karaki, and all the team members. I hope to win the title and introduce it to all of them as a real sign of gratitude compensating them for the tremendous efforts and support they provide to us,” said Al-Shammeri. 

On the other hand, Hamdi has expressed his happiness that he has successfully passed the three-kilometer prologue stage. He said: “I hope to show a marvelous performance in this important rally; every stage needs a high level of concentration and strict compliance with the instructions to achieve the targeted success without a single botch.”

UAE, Scotland qualify for 2015 World Cup:

WELLINGTON: Cricket minnows the United Arab Emirates and Scotland secured berths at the 2015 World Cup on Thursday after taking the top two spots at a qualification tournament in New Zealand.

Both teams finished the round robin phase of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup Qualifier on eight points after posting four wins and one loss, with the UAE’s superior run rate giving them the edge over Scotland.

The results mean they will play in next year’s World Cup alongside superpowers of the game such as India and Australia.

Scotland have featured in the World Cup twice before, in 1999 and 2007, while the UAE appeared in the tournament’s 1996 edition.

The Scots qualified after beating Kenya by three wickets in their final match with just three balls to spare, while the UAE downed Namibia by 36 runs.

Hong Kong entered the final day of the round robin with hopes of earning a debut World Cup appearance but results did not go their way, even though they posted a three-wicket win over Papua New Guinea.

The UAE and Scotland will contest the final of the qualification tournament in Lincoln on Saturday to determine which pool they will play in at the World Cup.

A total of 14 teams will contest the World Cup, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand, comprising the ICC’s 10 full member nations and four affiliate countries.

Ireland and Afghanistan secured two of the affiliate spots last year.

Lanka crushes Bangladesh with a day to spare:

DHAKA: Sri Lanka crushed a hapless Bangladesh by an innings and 248 runs with more than a day to spare to claim the first Test and go 1-0 up in the two-match series on Thursday.

The spin-pace duo of Dilruwan Perera (5-109) and Suranga Lakmal (3-39) ran through Bangladesh’s middle and lower order to secure Sri Lanka’s second highest Test win by an innings that came an hour after the lunch break on the fourth day.

Resuming on 35-1, still needing 463 runs to avoid an innings defeat, Bangladesh batsmen surrendered without a fight, adopting an aggressive approach that meant runs flowed and wickets tumbled at regular intervals.

For them, Mominul Haque topscored with a brisk 50 but could not stretch the game into the fifth day.

The hosts, who virtually lost the match when they conceded a mammoth 498-run first innings lead, began on an ominous note losing overnight batsman Shamsur Rahman (nine) to the second delivery of the day sent down by Shaminda Eranga.

An undeterred Mominul and Shakib Al Hasan (25) still went for their strokes in their 52-run stand before Perera, playing only his second test, separated them by trapping Shakib leg before.

Mominul perished in the same fashion but Bangladesh’s resistance effectively ended when Perera bowled rival skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (14) through the gate.

Sri Lanka came close to bettering their previous biggest victory margin that came 10 years back when they beat Zimbabwe by an innings and 254 runs.

Chittagong hosts the second test from Tuesday.

RTJ Transient House excels in OFBC Friday Morning League:

JEDDAH: RTJ Transient House took advantage of its match against the bye team to clinch honors at the resumptiom of the OFBC Friday Morning League Season 2 at the Ice Land Bowling Center here.

Bowling pressure-free, RTJ emerged Team of the Week during the second session with total win points of 27 on automatic 20 win points and 7 rank points with total pinfalls of 2,578.

Kristhea Mae Busico made it a RTJ double when she captured the ladies Bowler of the Week award after shooting her division’s high series of 559.

Ed Cordova, league commissioner Joel Nidoy and his wife, Malou Nidoy, rolled full games of 481, 464 and 555 to back up Busico, while RTJ captain Rudy “RJ” Jamon added 195.

First week honoree D’ Cyclone followed its solid start with a 16-4 thrashing of D’ Luf’s Strikers on total pinfalls of 2,583-2,552.

D’ Cyclone ended the session on 24 points just behind RTJ while D’ Luf’s had 10 points in a tie with Pairs & Spares, which was at the short end of a 12-8 verdict against TFSJ Pin Crusher on total pinfalls of 2,417 and 2,220.

In the other match, American Garden brought down Mixed Shots 12-8 on total pinfalls of 2,439 and 2,490.

American Garden ended the day on 16 points with TFSJ on 15 and Mixed Shots 13.

Aisah Silabay and Bash Langa bowled big for Cyclone on 522 and 506 with Robert Arman Gamboa on 496. Chipping in with two games each were skipper Fatima Jintarat 126-193, Tom Langa 154-141 and Ver Jasa 148-193.

Tirso Bambalan gave Luf’s some consolation when he shot the high series of 565 to become the men’s Bowler of the Week.

Aside from Bambalan Farida de Guzman was another player to do well for Luf’s on 542.

The trio of Rudy Ramos, Rico Parcon and Fuly Primo led the Pin Crusher on 518, 472 and 449 in that order. Jun Ejanda had 122-147 and team captain Jayme Lugue made 112-139.

For American Garden team captain Robert Stone led by example with a 513 followed by Archie Alcantara 488 and Christine Stone 476. Benj Espinosa came through with 156-139 to go with the 144-139 by Lito delos Reyes and 145-155 by Mar Lagan.

Team standings after the second week:

1. Cyclone 52 points 2. RTJ Transient House 45 3. American Garden 40 4. TFSJ Pin Crusher 32 5. Mixed Shots 26 6. D’ Luf’s Strikers 23 7. Pairs and Spares 12 8. Bye 2

Elasto Painters rally past Petron, take 2-0 series lead:

MANILA: With Game 2 taking a very physical turn, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao knew that Petron Blaze just fell into a trap.

The Elasto Painters came roaring back from 16 points down in the first half and from 13 near the end of the third period Wednesday night to carve out a 103-94 win over Petron for a 2-0 lead in their PBA Philippine Cup semifinal series.

And after that, Guiao had some kind advice for the Boosters.

“I think they were trying to play physical that we had to be physical ourselves,” Guiao explained to reporters. “You have to be mentally into it if you want to play that game. It is more natural for us than it is to them (Boosters).”

Guiao gave that comment after June Mar Fajardo, the 6-foot-10 Petron cornerstone, almost lost his cool twice and threatened to punch a Rain or Shine player – Raymond Almazan in the first half and then Larry Rodriguez in the fourth period.

The incident with Rodriguez was from a simple jockeying for position play and both players were slapped with technical fouls. The Boosters had an 85-78 lead at that time, which actually proved to be the last time that they had a firm grip of the contest.

From there, the Painters connected on timely triples, made some fastbreak layups and then bottled up Fajardo some more and forced the others to miss from close range as Rain or Shine won this one pulling away for a great psychological edge going into Saturday’s Game 3.

“June Mar really is the focal point of their offense and we have to play him physical underneath,” Guiao said. “He must understand that he’s going to get the brunt of the physicality of the game.”

The Rain or Shine defense was unforgiving all night, but what pulled out the win for the Painters was the manner in which they finished the game on the offensive end of the floor.

Rain or Shine scored 36 points in the fourth period, interestingly enough, 10 of them coming from Almazan, a 6-foot-7 rookie out of Letran College who even drained a triple during the game’s most critical stages.

That shot put the Painters within 90-91 heading into the final five minutes and the Boosters would be held down to only three points the rest of the way with Beau Belga, Gabe Norwood and Jeff Chan joining the scoring.

Norwood had a triple of his own before that crucial Almazan basket and then two free throws at the 3:35 mark that ushered the Painters to a 95-91 lead.

“Two-zero is a nice place to be at this point, but we still can’t celebrate,” Guiao said. “We still need to win two more games.”

Fajardo still led the Boosters with 20 points and bled hard for his nine rebounds – way off his average of more than 15 a night – with Alex Cabagnot adding 17 .

The other Final Four pairing that is a certified box-office draw has San Mig Coffee leading Barangay Ginebra, 1-0, after a high-wire 85-83 win Tuesday night.

Mark Barroca had just one field goal that night, and it was all that the Mixers needed to nip the Gin Kings in a game that was played in spurts as San Mig won the much-coveted opportunity to set the pace.

Barroca hit an 18-foot jumper under pressure from LA Tenorio with just over 11 seconds remaining before the San Mig defense sealed the deal on the other end.

The Mixers actually trailed by nine points going into the fourth quarter before blowing an 80-75 lead heading into the final four minutes only to finish with four unanswered points inside the last 32 seconds.

“It can’t get any better than that,” San Mig coach Tim Cone said of the wild finish. “There’s no feeling of comfort after winning Game 1, but it does give you an opportunity to dictate the series.

Game 2 is set Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Jeddah Champions Trophy off to flying start:

JEDDAH: The second season of Ford Jeddah Champions Trophy hard tennis cricket tournament took off at Sulemania grounds here as host Azizia Deccan got off to a flying start against a spirited Super Chargers in a Group ‘A’ match.

Sent in to bat, Azizia Deccan posted a challenging 86 runs off the allotted 12 overs. Thanks mainly to a late flourish by their lower middle order, who scored 39 off the last 3 overs. 

In reply, Super Chargers ran close through a solid 32 by Azam but eventually managed 75 for 6.

Man-of-the-Match: Ishaq Mohammed Khan of Azizia Deccan.

Azizia Deccan 86 for 7 from 12 overs: Ishaq 16, Minhaj 16; Abdul Ghafoor 2-10, Habeeb 2-18 beat Super Chargers 75 for 6: (Azam 32, Abdul Qadeer 12, Ishaq; 1-6, Taraq 1-8) by 11 runs.

In the first match of Group ‘B’, JWC Warriors secured an easy 21-run win against Azizia XI.

JWC Warriors tore the rival 11 bowlers apart and scored 105 runs. Courtesy, a 20-ball 33 by Kamran and 18 ball 25 by Arif. Azizia XI managed 84 runs. Azam and Fayaz scored 21 and 19 respectively. For JWC, Asif was the chief destroyer and claimed 3 wickets, and Kamran 

Man-of-the-Match: Kamran

JWC Warriors 105 for 4: (Kamran 33, Arif 25; Basheer 1-16, Salman 1-20) beat Azizia XI 84 for 9: Azam 21, Faiyaz 19; Asif 3-23; Kamran 2-12) by 21 runs.

In the second match of the same group, Elseif Strikers romped home by 7 wickets against Empower Contracting in 8.4 overs as they chased a target of 81 set by Empower Contracting. Empower Contracting managed to score 80 with Musharraf and Faraz chipping in with 16 and 12 runs respectively. In reply, Elseif Strikers were on the rampage from the word go, Mubeen (28) and Naushad (20) being the main scorers.

Empower Contracting 80 for 7: (Musharraf 16, Faraz 12; Shamshad 2-10, Arif 2-23 lost to Elseif Strikers 81 for 4: (Mubeen 28, Naushad 20; Sohail 2-36, Munaf 1-14) by 7 wkts.

In the best match of the day was in Group ‘C’ where Eleven Brothers edged past Hyderabad Royals in the Super Over after the match was tied after the stipulated overs.

Eleven Brothers scored 73 runs through Mirza (26) and Farooq (11). For Hyderabad Royals Riyaz and Sajid claimed 3 and 2 wickets respectively. 

In reply Hyderabad Royals scored 14 off the last over to tie the game with Rashid and Irfan scoring 20 and 11 respectively. For Eleven brothers Hassan and Nayeem claimed 2 wickets each before winning the match in super over. 

Man-of-the-Match: Mirza

Eleven Brothers 73 for 6: Mirza 26, Farooq 11; Riyaz 3-10, Sajid 2-15 drew with Hyderabad Royals 73 for 6: (Rashid 20, Irfan 11; Nayeem 2-8, Hassan 2-10). Eleven Brothers won in Super Over.

The first match of Group D, which was another nail-biter, TwinCities Champions dominated throughout, only to lose on the final ball of the match. TwinCities Champions scored 90 from their quota of overs mainly through an outstanding 47 by Mir and 11 by Zaki. In reply, Ford Titans after being on the back foot for most of the match registered a superb victory as Sunil scored a 6 of the first ball of the final over to tilt the match in Ford Titans’ favor.

Man-of-the-Match: Sunil

Twin Cities Champions 90 for 5: (Mir 47, Zaki 11; Shyju 2-15, Subin 1-9) lost to Ford Titans 91 for 8: (Sunil 31, Sreeni 19; Imran 2-20, Rahmath 1-9) by 2 wkts.

Jesse strike takes Real in Copa del Rey semis:

MADRID: Real Madrid eased into the semifinals of the Copa del Rey with a 1-0 win over Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday to progress 2-0 on aggregate.

Jese Rodriguez got the only goal of the game after just eight minutes as Madrid set a club record by not conceding for the eighth consecutive game.

Espanyol keeper Kiko Casilla managed to keep the score down as he frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo on a number of occasions.

However, it was to no avail as the visitors couldn’t find a way through and ended with 10 men after Victor Sanchez was sent off late on for two bookable offenses.

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti praised the excellent start to 2014 made by his side’s central defenders as they sealed an eighth win in January without conceding a single goal.

“I think that the system gives us confidence. We have good defensive balance because the whole team works to recover the ball quickly and the central defenders have been playing at a very high level.” Real will now face Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao in the last four with city rivals Atletico taking a 1-0 advantage into their second leg against the Basques on Wednesday.

Los Blancos also face high-flying Athletic in the league on Sunday and Ancelotti insisted that despite Jese netting the winner in the absence of the injured Gareth Bale, the Welshman will start at San Mames if he is fit.

“If Bale is fine then he will play, but that is not to say that Jese isn’t another option because he is very dangerous at the moment.

“I don’t care who we meet (in the next round) because both teams are in very good form. We all know everything about Atletico Madrid, but Athletic are playing very well too and it will be a very difficult and important tie.” Jese continued his case for more first team action as he confidently fired them ahead after being found by a fine long-range ball by Xabi Alonso.

Casilla could have done better on the goal, but he more than redeemed himself for the rest of the half as he made a series of saves, most notably from Ronaldo and Angel di Maria.

The visitors began to provide a threat of their own toward the end of the half and Pizzi was unlucky to see his sweetly-struck volley fly over the bar a minute before the break.

Casilla denied Ronaldo once more with another excellent stop at the beginning of the second period.

However, it was Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas who made the headlines in the second-half as he broke another club record by extending his own personal run without conceding a goal past 11 hours.

And any doubt over the result of the tie was ended when Sanchez was shown a second yellow card for handball 13 minutes from time.

Indian, Indonesian schools enter semifinals in SIFF soccer

JEDDAH: International Indian School Jeddah scored once in each half to get the better of Indonesian International School 2-0 to enter the semifinals of the Inter-School Football Tournament for the Al-Abeer Trophy, organized by the Saudi Indian Football Forum (SIFF), here.

Both the goals were scored by brothers, Mohammed Shaaz and Mohammed Sahal. 

The Indonesian School put up a better display in the second half and came near to scoring on a few occasions but was denied by the rival goalkeeper Omar, who came to his team’s rescue.

However, the Indonesian School too entered the semis despite the defeat.

Man-of-the-Match: Ansari of Indonesian School.

Later in a division ‘B’ encounter, Combined Brothers held Al-Noor Medicals YCC goalless. The Medicalmen had the better of the exchanges in the first half but were denied by rival custodian Shereef, who had a good game. 

Combined Bros put up a much better display after the change of ends and made inroads through some swift counter attacks. However, they failed to break through the rival defense. 

Man-of-the-Match: Hakeem Karuvan Veetil of YCC

In the last match of the day, former champions OTS Cargo ACC routed ABC Cargo YAS Club 4-0 in a Senior Division encounter. Emar Naser Shamlan put ACC the lead in the 17th minute. Mohammed Shamil doubled the score at the half hour. After the change of ends, Shahad netted a brace to complete the rout.

Man-of-the-Match: Emad Naser Shamlan 

Today’s matches: Al-Wurood Int’l School vs Mahad Al-Uloom Int’l School (Inter-School).

Al-Abeer Sharafiya vs Blue Star ‘B’ (Div. II). 

Badar Al-Tamam United Sports Club vs Jeddah Sports Club (Div. II)

ABC Cargo Real Kerala FC vs ACC ‘B’ (Senior Div)

Taylor ton seals New Zealand ODI series; Dhoni blames bowlers:

HAMILTON: New Zealand sealed their one-day international series against India with a game to spare Tuesday when a Ross Taylor century set up a convincing seven-wicket victory in the fourth ODI.

It was New Zealand’s third win in the five-match series, with one match tied and one remaining.

At Hamilton’s Seddon Park, they chased down India’s 278-5 for the loss of only three wickets and with 11 balls to spare after Taylor paved the way with a masterful 112 not out.

He received sound support from Kane Williamson (60) as they rebuilt the innings and then from Brendon McCullum (49 not out), who finished the match with a colossal six.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who had won the toss and opted to bowl in the first three games, won the toss again and this time decided to bat.

But the change of tactics did not improve their fortunes.

In addition to losing the series, India also slipped from No.1 in the world one-day rankings to No.2, behind Australia.

New Zealand improved from a lowly eighth to seventh.

McCullum described Taylor’s innings as the “match-winning performance” on a wicket that tends to favor the side batting first.

“We knew someone was going to have to get a big 100 and we saw it from Rosco (Taylor). Obviously his partnership with Kane was the backbone of our innings.” Dhoni paid credit to the New Zealand bowlers whom he said set up the victory.

“They put pressure on the batsmen to play the big shots and at times it doesn’t pay (to play them). We lost wickets at the wrong time, which put pressure on the middle order,” the Indian captain said.

“Frankly, our bowling was quite disappointing. This was a kind of wicket where one thing you don’t want to do is to bowl short and wide. I think we consistently did that with the new ball and the older ball. We often complain about the five fielders outside the circle, but when you bowl short and wide, it doesn’t matter. I think the fast bowlers gave away too many runs. Talking about spinners, they bowled well and hit the right areas,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Faced with a target of 279 on a run-laden wicket, New Zealand opened at a rapid rate with Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill clocking up 54 in seven overs before falling in quick succession.

Ryder was bowled by Varun Aaron for 19 and Guptill was trapped leg before by Mohammed Shami for 35, leaving Williamson and Taylor to consolidate the innings as they have done so often before.

Their cautious approach to India’s spin twins Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja saw the run rate slump, although New Zealand still reached 100 in 22 overs compared to 25 overs for India.

Williamson and Taylor put on 130 for the third wicket, taking New Zealand to 188, when the partnership was broken by a slick piece of fielding by Jadeja.

Williamson prodded a Jadeja delivery toward mid on but the bowler fielded, turned and threw down the stumps — leaving Williamson well short of an attempted quick single.

McCullum, coming in off back-to-back ducks, offered Mohammed Shami a tough caught and bowled chance on one, then joined Taylor in a 92-run stand to close out the game.

Taylor, who has not hit a six all series, had 15 fours in his 112 off 127 deliveries, while McCullum faced 36 balls and hit three sixes and four fours in his 49.

India’s innings was built around an unbeaten 127-run stand between Dhoni (79 not out) and Jadeja (62 not out).

Rohit Sharma (79) and Ambati Rayudu (37) were the only other India batsmen to reach double figures.

The experiment of promoting Virat Kohli to opener failed to pay off when he was dismissed for two in the fourth over.

Ajinkya Rahane went for three and Ambati Rayudu for 37 as the first three Indian wickets to fall all resulted from uncontrolled hook shot.

For New Zealand, Southee was the most economical bowler with two wickets for 36.

The final ODI is in Wellington on Friday, to be followed by two Tests.

SCOREBOARD

India innings:

R. Sharma c Ronchi b Williamson 79

V. Kohli c Neesham b Southee 2

A. Rahane c Southee b Mills 3

A. Rayudu c Ronchi b Bennett 37

M.S. Dhoni not out 79

R. Ashwin c Bennett b Southee 5

R. Jadeja not out 62

Extras: 11

Total: (for five wkts) 278

Fall of wkts: 1-5, 2-22, 3-101, 4-142, 5-151.

Bowling: Mills 10-2-42-1, Southee 10-1-36-2 (2w), Bennett 9-0-67-1 (3w), Neesham 8-0-59-0 (1w), N. McCullum 10-0-44-0, Williamson 3-0-26-1.

New Zealand innings:

M. Guptill lbw Shami 35

J. Ryder b Aaron 19

K. Williamson run out (Jadeja) 60

R. Taylor not out 112

B. McCullum not out 49

Extras: 5

Total: (for 3 wkts; 48.1 over) 280

Fall of wkts: 1-54, 2-58, 3-188.

Bowling: Kumar 10-0-62-0, Shami 8-0-61-1 (1w), Aaron 6.1-0-51-1 (1w