Ex-England football captain Wilkins dies
LONDON - Former England, Chelsea and Manchester United midfielder Ray Wilkins died at the age of 61, days after suffering a cardiac arrest. Wilkins, who won 84 England caps and was one of the most technically gifted players, had been treated in a hospital. The hospital issued a statement on behalf of the family, thanking friends, colleagues and members of the public for the "many goodwill messages". Chelsea, in a Twitter post, said: "Everybody associated with Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the passing of our former player, captain and assistant coach, Ray Wilkins. Rest in peace, Ray, you will be dreadfully missed." Wilkins, known by his childhood nickname "Butch", played for 11 clubs including AC Milan, PSG and Glasgow Rangers, and was on the coaching staff of several more.–AFP
Djokovic splits from Agassi, Stepanek
BELGRADE - Former world number one Novak Djokovic, struggling back from a long injury lay-off, confirmed Wednesday that he had split with his coaches Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek. The 12-time Grand Slam winner lost his opening game at the ATP Miami Masters last month, the latest setback as he bids to return from the elbow injury that sidelined him for six months and finally saw him have "minor" surgical intervention after a disappointing Australian Open. "After Miami Novak Djokovic and his coach Radek Stepanek decided to end their cooperation. The cooperation between Novak and Andre Agassi has also ended," according to a statement on Djokovic's website. "Novak remains focused and eager to come back stronger and more resilient from long injury break that has affected his confidence and game."–AFP
Top seeds in SICAS Tennis quarters
LAHORE - Top seeds squeezed into the SICAS Inter School/Collegiate Tennis Tournament Under-18 quarterfinals here at the PLTA tennis courts on Wednesday. In pre-quarterfinals, Harris Wahla beat Inam Arif 6-3, Hashim Ali beat Jabir Ali 6-4, Bilal Asim beat M Zubair 6-0, M Huzaifa beat Abdullah Hamid 6-2, Abdul Hanan Khan beat Saad 6-2, Zain Ch beat Abdul Rafay 6-1. In U-18 girls pre-quarters, Mahnoor beat Alma Nasim 6-2, Zahra Suleman beat Ayesha Asim 6-1, Malika Malik beat Ayesha 6-3. In U-14 boys, Abdul Hanan, M Harris, Bilal Asim, Ehtasham Arif, Saheel Tahir, Hamaza Jawad, Haider Ali Rizwan and Hassan Ali won their respective matches to qualify for the next round. In U-12 pre-quarters, Bilal Asim, Abubaker Khalil, Asad, Hamaza, Ehtasham, Hussnain and Shahel won their respective matches.–Staff Reporter
Jalo Gym outclass Shokat Memorial CC
LAHORE - Jalo Gymkhana Cricket Club beat Shokat Memorial Club by 178 runs to enter the second round of 1st Cannon Foam Challenge Cup One-Day Club Cricket Tournament, being organised by Golden Star Cricket Club. At Pindi Gymkhana ground Model Town, Jalo Gym scored 304-9 in 40 overs. Mian Irfan hit 45, M Tazeem 43, Hassan Mukhtar 37, Amir Butt 35* and Arshad Butt and M Zuahir 32 runs each. Naeem Rana bagged 3/63, Irfan Anyat 2/36 and M Waleed 2/61. In reply, Shokat Memorial Club were all out for paltry 126 runs in 34.5 overs. Only Kamran Vincent (27*), Sohail Muneer (23) and Abdul Islam (21) could cross the double figures. Arshad Butt grabbed 4/15 while Hussain Asghar (2/29) and Mian Irfan (2/29) also bowled brilliantly. Arshad Butt was named man of the match.–Staff Reporter
Poona, Bolan, Quaid FC in semifinals
ISLAMABAD - Poona Club, Bolan Club and Quaid-i-Azam FC made it to the semifinals of the Islamabad A-Division Meridian Football League here at different grounds Wednesday. The semifinal phase will start from tomorrow (Friday), while the final to take place on Sunday at T&T Football ground. In the first match, Gangal FC beat Pak Sporting Club 1-0. Awais scored the match-winning goal for Gangal FC in the 47th minute of the second half. Rana Tanveer Ahmed, M Zaman, Syed Sharafat Hussain Bukhari, Tariq Mehmood Ch and others were also present on the occasion. Referee Touqeer Aslam, Dilawar Hussain and Arslan Shareef supervised the match, while Shahid Sadique acted as match commissioner. Total 12 teams are taking part in the league, which are divided into two groups.–Staff Reporter
