Sports

LONDON, (Reuters) – British boxing authorities  stripped former world champion Ricky Hatton of his licence to  fight on Thursday and fined him 20,000 pounds ($31,320) for  bringing the sport into disrepute through drink and drug abuse.

CHANDIGARH, India, (Reuters) – Australia will  require a proper plan to negate the threat posed by India’s  left-arm pace bowler Zaheer Khan and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh  in the forthcoming two-test series, vice-captain Michael Clarke  said on Thursday.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Indian Premier League stars Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have been included in a 14-man Trinidad and Tobago squad for next month’s regional limited overs championship.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Former Dutch star Ruud Gullit has trumpeted the strength of the Holland/Belgium 2018/2022 World Cup bid, following a meeting here with powerful FIFA vice-president Jack Warner earlier this week.

KARACHI, (Reuters) – Pakistani all-rounder Rana  Naved said he was hopeful that his 12-month ban from cricket  could be lifted after a meeting with cricket board chairman Ijaz  Butt yesterday.

– Roger HarperFormer West Indies coach Roger Harper said yesterday that the Amazon Conquerors did not play to their full potential although their performance got markedly better as they progressed in the Airtel Champions League in South Africa.

National junior cricketer Shaquille Williams yesterday switched from the pitch to the track to give dominant performances in the under-18 category sprint races at the St Joseph High School Inter-House Athletics meet held at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary.

By Marlon Munroe Central American and Caribbean (CAC) selectees Clint Duke, Marlon Bennett and Alisha Fortune have expressed their disappointment at not being able to attend the bodybuilding championships currently underway in Aruba.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – More nations delayed their departure for the Commonwealth Games in India as organisers raced yesterday to tackle security and health problems that have already prompted several top athletes to pull out.

– Melanie Patriots coach Newcomers to the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Division Three League, Melanie Patriots will face a competitor not equal in years of experience when they go up against the Ravens in GABA’s Pepsi Street Playoff Series tomorrow at the Burnham Basketball Court.

The Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) launched the Carib Beer/Friends of Cricket ‘Heroes Cup’ First Division two-day tournament at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) pavilion yesterday.

Middle order batsman Jeetendra Sookdeo will be replaced by Chandrapaul Hemraj in the Demerara Under-23 side that will play Berbice Under-23 at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground today for the Colin Wiltshire trophy.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Formula One has no concerns about next year’s inaugural Indian Grand Prix despite New Delhi’s problems with the Commonwealth Games, the sport’s commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone said yesterday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal is “a beast” on the court who’s capable of overtaking Roger Federer as the all-time grand slam king, Pete Sampras said yesterday.

LONDON (Reuters) – Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar was handed a chance to resurrect his test career while Chris Tremlett could join a towering pace attack after both were named yesterday in England’s squad to tour Australia this year.

-No cause for concern – GOA; Local athletes prepare for departure to India this weekend The lead-up to the XIX Commonwealth Games event in New Delhi, India has been plagued by a number of setbacks, raising widespread concerns among foreign delegations, with the latest blow being the collapsing of a footbridge that injured 27 people on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – India scrambled against the  clock to save the Commonwealth Games after big ticket athletes quit the showcase event and nations threatened to stay home unless authorities cleaned venues “unfit for human habitation”.

Gearing up for the Schools Champions of Champions athletic meet, Tutorial High School yesterday finalized the selection of their athletes with the completion of their Inter-House Athletics track events at the Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary.

– CAC team to remain at home Inadequate funding and sponsorship has resulted in the postponement of the Guyana Amateur Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (GABBFF) Senior National Championships and subsequently it has been decided to keep Guyana’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) team home.

– both coaches confident Division Three League winners Beepat Scorpions and fourth seeded Courts Pacesetters will bump heads in the much-anticipated Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) Pepsi Street Playoff Series, which gets underway on Saturday at the Burnham Basketball Court from 18:00 hours.