15 MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 2019 sports Watling, De Grandhomme Rins pips Marquez on line for British MotoGP victory put New Zealand ahead AFP | Silverstone lex Rins won the Brit- ish MotoGP in dramatic Contrasting half-centuries from B.J. Watling and Colin de fashion catching world Grandhomme helped New Zealand lead by 138 runs in their Achampion Marc Marquez to the finish line by 0.013 seconds of first innings against Sri Lanka a dramatic race at Silverstone yesterday. Rins’ sensational finish earned the Suzuki rider a sec- ond victory of the season, but Honda’s Marquez extended his lead atop the standings to 78 points after closest rival An- drea Dovizioso of Ducati was stretchered off the track fol- Suzuki Ecstar’s Spanish rider Alex Rins rides his motorbike lowing a first-lap crash with Yamaha rider Dovizioso stayed front, I closed gas and he had Fabio Quartararo. on 172. Rins better grip, he overtook me. Yamaha’s Mav- climbed to third “But okay, happy, he’s very far erick Vinales fin- on 149, four points in the championship, we arrive ished third after I was keeping ahead of Danilo here 58 in front and we leave coming from the calm. The last Petrucci of Ducati 78 in front.” back of the pack. corner for me who was seventh Marquez converted pole into “Unbelievable. I was unbelievable, yesterday. Vinales an early lead ahead of Rossi, but don’t have words I was much faster rose to fifth and there was drama when Quar- to explain. VA- has 118 points. tararo and Dovizioso were in- MOS!” Rins said of than him, and Vinales finished volved in a frightening incident. his incredible pass finally we get it just 0.6 seconds Quartararo lost control and coming off the fi- ALEX RINS adrift of the lead Dovizioso was powerless to nal corner. pair in third for avoid the Frenchman’s Yamaha, “I was keeping Yamaha, while which acted as a launch ramp calm. The last cor- Valentino Ros- for the Ducati. ner for me was un- si was a distant Both riders were initially believable, I was much faster fourth, 10 seconds behind Rins. cleared of serious injury, but Colin de Grandhomme plays a shot than him, and finally we get it.” Marquez reckoned he was at Dovizioso was taken hospital Marquez admitted it was a disadvantage having set off after briefly losing conscious- AFP | Colombo the team to tea at 295-5. frustrating to lose out after Rins from pole. ness in the accident. The two batsmen kept the nipped past him at the end, but “I knew that Rins had a good The crash helped Rins, who ontrasting half-centuries Sri Lankan attack at bay in the he was happy to leave with his chance, because I did all the had started fifth, move up to from B.J. Watling and final session as Watling played title hopes enhanced. race in front. And here when third on the track. CColin de Grandhomme the sheet anchor role to perfec- “Happy of course about the you are in front, you just push On the second lap the Span- helped New Zealand lead by 154 tion, while allowing De Grand- championship - about the race, more the tyres. iard cleared Rossi for second 138 runs in their first innings were scored by Tom homme to take charge. no. Losing on the last straight “I say, okay, I keep pushing, place, setting him up to stalk against Sri Lanka on day four Latham before losing Watling, who started the is not the best feeling,” he said. because my target was not the Marquez for the rest of the of the rain-hit second Test yes- his day on 25, has played a patient Marquez moved onto 250 race, it was the championship. race before the astonishing terday. knock during his 208-ball stay. points with seven races left. “In the last turn, I missed the finale. De Grandhomme, scoring 83 Sri Lanka are without the off 75 balls, and Watling, on 81, services of wicketkeeper Ni- put together an unbeaten 113- trapping Latham leg before on roshan Dickwella and run stand for the sixth wicket to a that pitched and hur- and opening batsman Dimuth frustrate the Sri Lankan bowl- ried on to the batsman’s pad. Karunaratne, who strained a Sindhu wins India’s first badminton world title ing at Colombo’s P. Sara Oval. Latham, who started the muscle of his left leg and will Overnight centurion Tom day on 111, registered his fifth be unable to bat until the fall of Reuters | Basel, Switzerland pic final in 2016 and the Com- Latham made 154 during a key 150 plus score in Tests. His ca- the fifth wicket. monwealth Games final last 143-run partnership with Wat- reer-best 264 also came Angelo Mathews is the usarla Sindhu won India’s year. ling after the first session was against Sri Lanka in Wellington stand-in-captain and substitute Pfirst-ever title at the world The 24-year-old, fifth in the washed out due to rain and wet last year. Dinesh Chandimal is keeping badminton championships world rankings, never looked outfield. De Grandhomme counter wicket in the absence of Dick- when she comfortably beat Ja- back after racing to an eight- Only 48 overs were possi - attacked after Latham’s depar- wella, who sustained a cut on pan’s Nozomi Okuhara 21-7 21-7 point lead in the first game. ble of the scheduled 98 on the ture, hitting the home bowl- the little finger of his left-hand to win the women’s singles in “Last time, I lost the finals. fourth day as New Zealand ers to all parts of the ground, on day three. Basel yesterday. Before that, I also lost the finals reached 382 for five at stumps. smashing five fours and five Sri Lanka, who lead the two- Sindhu also ended her own so it’s very important for me to The tourists resumed the day sixes. match series 1-0, made 244 unhappy run after she lost in win now,” she said. on 196-4. Watling, who completed his after electing to bat first in a the previous two world finals, India Prime Minister Naren- Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera 18th Test fifty, then stood guard match that has witnessed nu- including one against Okuhara dra Modi offered his congratu- broke the marathon stand after with De Grandhomme to take merous rain interruptions. in 2017, as well as the Olym - lations on Twitter. PV Sindhu celebrates on the podium Bale and James start but Real Madrid held by Valladolid AFP | Madrid but Sergi Guardiola levelled in Jovic came on, and hit the lacking a goal when he had the areth Bale and James Rod- the 88th and Valladolid snatched crossbar, yet this was a side look- chance.” Griguez started together for a 1-1 draw. ing back not forwards, James It is a familiar problem be - the first time in over two years “It leaves a bad taste in the starting his first Madrid match cause while Madrid scored three on Saturday but Real Madrid mouth because we scored, we since April 2017, alongside Bale, in Vigo, they were toothless were denied victory after a late did the hardest part,” said Zi- whose reintegration continues here, their lack of cutting edge equaliser by Real Valladolid. dane. after his impressive display last in the final third, so often their Bale and James both looked “After going ahead, we should weekend against Celta Vigo. undoing last season, painfully certain to leave Madrid this have been more pragmatic and Both were dynamic, the team’s evident again. summer but each were included had more conviction to do what chief creators, and Zidane said They had 22 shots, but only by Zinedine Zidane in a line-up was required.” afterwards he only took James four on target and even fewer that was without a single new With and Fer- off in the second half because could be classed as clear oppor- signing for the second game in land Mendy both injured, Luka he was feeling some discomfort. tunities. a row. Jovic and Eder Militao on the “James played well, he came If club president Florentino Instead, bench and Rodrygo gaining ex- off as he had a little issue and Perez was watching, he may looked to have won it when he perience in the B team, there we didn’t want to take any risks,” have concluded the club’s pur- found the corner in the 82nd was little to show for Madrid’s said Zidane. “He played well, suit of is worth accel- minute at the Santiago Bernabeu 300 million euros spent. Real Madrid’s French forward Karim Benzema (C) shoots to score especially in the first half, just erating.