Sports

BOSTON, (Reuters) – The Boston Celtics shut down the Miami Heat in the fourth quarter to record an 85-76 victory and take a 1-0 lead in their Eastern Conference playoffs first-round series on Saturday.

LAWRENCE, Kansas, CMC – The husband and wife team of Omar Brown and Veronica Campbell-Brown slammed their fields in the 200m to be the leading lights for the Caribbean in the invitational events on Saturday at the Kansas Relays.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Ramnaresh Sarwan continued to clear away the cobwebs, and Ravi Rampaul gained a timely boost of confidence to set West Indies up for a 16-run victory over Ireland in the Jamaica Cricket Festival yesterday.

(Cricinfo) The semi-finals of the 2010 IPL have been moved out of Bangalore and will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.

MONTE CARLO, (Reuters) – Rafael Nadal won his first title in 11 months yesterday when he pummelled fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 6-0 6-1 to win the Monte Carlo Masters and send an intimidating message of intent before May’s French Open.

Chennai Super Kings 195 for 4 (Dhoni 54*, Badrinath 53, Raina 46) beat Kings XI Punjab 192 for 3 (Marsh 88*, Irfan 44*) by six wickets (Cricinfo) A pumped-up MS Dhoni showed why he’s one of the great finishers in the game, blasting 25 runs in the final two overs to ensure Chennai Super Kings would contest an IPL semi-final for the third season in a row.

Local boxing promoter Carwyn Holland is set to call the action when the bell tolls for the Ria Ramnarine/Etsuko Tada world title fight next Saturday in Trinidad & Tobago.

Greaves comes back to win Alonzo Greaves came back to claim the lead in the 35-lap Invitational race at the Sixth Annual Universal Auto and General Supplies’ Cycling Programme held at the National Park yesterday.

By Marlon Munroe Demerara regained the GTM three-day title yesterday after their match against Berbice ended in a tame draw at the Eve Leary ground.

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC-Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored a half century and Sulieman Benn took three wickets yesterday as West Indies defeated Ireland by 18 runs in their Twenty20 international at Sabina Park.

Guyanese all rounder Mahendra Nagamootoo top scored for his club Moosai Sports and was also the best bowler capturing two wickets, but his team still went under to Queen’s Park by two wickets in the round-of-16 stage of the Carib T20 competition at the Queen’s Park Oval.

The National Rifle Shooting Championships will fire off today at the Timehri rifle ranges in what is expected to be a fiercely contested tournament.

Victory Valley Royals extinguished the Flames in the first game of the 2010 Linden Town Week Basketball tournament played at the Mackenzie Sports Club Hard Court.

ST GEORGE’S, Grenada, CMC – Skipper Travis Dowlin missed out on a century as West Indies A fought back from early setbacks to take control of their four-day, first class match against Zimbabwe on the second day at the Queen’s Park Stadium yesterday.

SHANGHAI,(Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton has promised not to swerve his Formula One car to shake off pursuing drivers while also declaring himself baffled by the fuss over the tactics he used in the last race.

Mumbai Indians 191 for 4 (Rayudu 46, Duminy 42*, McLaren 40) beat Royal Challengers Bangalore 134 for 9 (Kohli 37, Pollard 3-28) by 57 runs (Cricinfo) Royal Challengers Banga-lore’s final league game was delayed by an hour due to a couple of low-intensity blasts outside the stadium.

Lendl Simmons and Dwayne Smith are two naturally gifted cricketers in whom the West Indies have invested a lot of time and money.

LONDON, (Reuters) – A fast and fluid Tottenham Hotspur floored Premier League leaders Chelsea 2-1 yesterday in a lively London derby to give a massive boost to Manchester United’s hopes of retaining the title.

(Cricinfo)The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said the indefinite ban imposed on Mohammad Yousuf will not be reviewed, as the former captain, who announced his retirement from international cricket, has not appealed against the penalty.

By Marlon Munroe A menacing leg spinner and two stylish batsmen were the ingredients Berbice needed to restrict Demerara to a measly total and then ease close to taking first innings honours in the final round of the GTM three-day under-19 tournament at the Eve Leary Ground yesterday.