Rosales claims WBC flyweight belt
TOKYO - Cristofer Rosales of Nicaragua on Sunday secured the WBC flyweight belt by beating Japan's Daigo Higa, who the previous day had given up his title for failing to make the weight. Rosales began his aggressive assault early on, showering Higa with a barrage of uppercuts followed by body blows, and he noticeably slowed down from the sixth round. Rosales opened the ninth round by firing a succession of heavy left body blows, while Higa's punches only connected with the air. The Japanese side asked for the bout to be stopped 1m14sec into the ninth round. The defeat was an extra shock for Higa, who the previous day became the first Japanese champion to be stripped of a title because of a weight issue. The 22-year-old weighed in at 51.7 kg on the eve of the bout, exceeding the flyweight limit by 900g.–AFP
Pakistan finish 14th in Jr Davis Cup
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan junior team participated in the Junior Davis Cup, held in Malaysia from 9 to 14, will return in the wee hours of Monday (today). The players of 16 nations took part in the Asian event. Pakistan advanced to the final qualifying round for the World Group, after winning the JDC pre-qualifying round held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pakistan was drawn in Group C along with India, Republic of Korea and Thailand. Although the team had a good chance of winning against Thailand, with a 9-6 match-point lead, the players couldn’t take advantage and lost the third set in super tie-break 10-12. Pakistan won the tie against Pacific Oceania but in the other ties, the players could not match the pace of their opponents and finished 14th in the event.–Staff Reporter
Shabbir wins Nabi Yousaf Open Golf title
LAHORE - Shabbir Iqbal of Islamabad annexed the Nabi Yousaf Memorial Open Golf title here at the Royal Palm golf course on Sunday. The tournament was conducted in memory of two business icons Nabi and Yousaf with the support of Ramzan Sheikh Family. The event offered prize money of Rs two million to the top 40 performers. Through three days scores of 68, 66 and 71 and an aggregate of 205, eleven under par, Shabbir won the 152nd title in his two decades golfing career. Munir of Islamabad was runner-up as he had rounds of 72, 70 and a final days impressive 69 with a total aggregate of 211, five under par. Young Hamza Amin also from Islamabad finished third with an aggregate score of 211, five under par. Notables among others were M Safdar (Gujranwala) 215, M Zubair Satti (Islamabad) 215, Arif Ali (Gymkhana) 216, Sajjad Khan (Islamabad) 219, Shahbaz Masih (Karachi Golf Club) 219, Shafiq Masih (Gymkhana) 219 and Moazzam Sidique (DHA Karachi) 220. In the end, prizes were awarded to the winners by Royal Palm CEO Ramzan Sheikh and Wasim Akram.–Staff Reporter
Sameer stars in Tariq XI victory
ISLAMABAD – A breathtaking 54 by player of the match Sameer Tariq helped Tariq XI beat Naeem XI UK by 6 runs in an exhibition 8 overs-a-side tape-ball match played here at Bhutto Cricket Ground Saturday. After electing to bat first, Tariq XI posted 93-7 with Sameer hitting 12-ball 54 with the help of 6 sixes and two fours while Ch Ajmal Sabir made 24. Mehmood took 2 for 22. Naeem XI got off to flying start and were 50 for no loss in 5 overs but Sameer derailed their innings with 4-12 spell as they bundled out for 87 in 7.4 overs. Skipper Tariq and Ajmal Sabir took 2 wickets.–Staff Reporter