MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015 SPORTS Hamilton wins Chinese GP Rosberg accuses teammate of selfish driving

SHANGHAI: Lewis Hamilton shrugged off accu- sations of selfish driving from beaten team mate Nico Rosberg yesterday after the Formula One world champion led Mercedes to a Chinese Grand Prix one-two finish. If the race ended in anti-climax, with the safety car deployed for the last two laps, the sparks flew afterwards when a seething Rosberg said Hamilton had compro- mised his race by driving too slow. The flare up of tensions between the two, so evident last year, sent Mercedes bosses into fire-fighting mode when they might have hoped to have cel- ebrated reasserting their dominance over Ferrari. The team’s non-executive chairman and former triple champion Niki Lauda made clear whose side he was on. “Sure, everyone drives selfish,” commented the Austrian. “What do you think these guys are here to do? I call them egocentric bastards. “That is the only way to win and the only way to win the championship.” Hamilton, who led AUGUSTA: Jordan Spieth tees off on the 18th hole during the third round of the from pole position and controlled the race pace Masters golf tournament. —AP to Rosberg’s discomfort, was unrepentant after celebrating a 35th career win-and fourth in China-that left him 13 points clear at the top Spieth refuses to crack after three races. “It’s not my job to look after Nico’s race,” said the Briton, who could point also to the fact that under Masters pressure he ended the day with the fastest lap of the race. AUGUSTA: The biggest names in golf put “I knew that something under par Hamilton’s second win in three races left him major pressure on Jordan Spieth but the would be a good round,” Spieth told on 68 points with Vettel on 55 and Rosberg a fur- young American refused to crack, carding a reporters. “The greens kind of baked up ther four points adrift. “Great stuff, Lewis, great two-under 70 on Saturday to take a four- and got quick and slippery. stuff, stellar weekend mate, it’s a full house,” shot lead into the final round of the “Obviously being four-under at one Hamilton’s race engineer told him over the radio Masters. Masters champions Tiger Woods point in the round and closing it out at after he took the chequered flag. Ferrari’s and Phil Mickelson and world number one two-under is disappointing. “Obviously Sebastian Vettel, who stunned Mercedes with a Rory McIlroy all took turns trying to rattle would have liked to have finished the brilliant victory in the previous round in the 21-year-old Texan, but Spieth held round a little bit better but also could have Malaysia, threatened again but his challenge steady on a sweaty Georgia afternoon, set- been worse. faded in the second stint on the medium-com- ting a Masters record 54-hole total of 16- “They are going to bring their game and pound tyres. A third podium in as many races under 200 to better the previous mark of I’ve got to have a relatively stress-free since joining from Red Bull was still a great result 201 shared by Woods and Raymond Floyd. round going; and when I say that, I mean for the four-times champion. Runnerup to Bubba Watson last year in give myself some tap in pars and not have his Masters debut, Spieth will again feature to make so many putts.” SAFETY CAR in Sunday’s final pairing where he will be Competing for the first time in two Vettel would have been as relieved as any joined by Englishman Justin Rose, who months after a self-imposed absence from when engine failure on Max Verstappen’s Toro emerged as a green jacket contender with the PGA Tour to retool his game, Woods Rosso brought out the safety car and thwarted a blazing back nine. flashed glimpses of the form that carried any chance of Kimi Raikkonen overtaking his The 2013 US Open winner, 10 shots back him to four green jackets as he joined Ferrari team mate. Hamilton started the race SHANGHAI: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain gives a thumbs-up while holding his of the leader on the front nine, collected McIlroy, Kevin Streelman (70), Kevin Na (70) with his car aggressively angled towards the trophy on the podium after winning the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix. —AP five birdies over his final six holes for a five- and Dustin Johnson (73) in a tie for fifth, 10 inside on the grid, seemingly to cover any attack under 67. shots back of the frontrunner. from Rosberg, although he explained that was a hottest and the cars fitted with soft tyres. the first points of the season for Lotus in seventh Phil Mickelson also had a 67 to sit five “I’ve got to go out early and do what I simple mistake. “You can’t reverse and park back They lurked within striking distance through- while Sauber claimed a double points finish with off the pace while Charley Hoffman did a few years ago, I shot 30 or 31,” said up,” he said. Once the lights went out, the Briton out the opening runs and at one point after the Felipe Nasr claiming eighth and Swede Marcus returned a one-under 71 to leave him six Woods refusing to wave the white flag on a surged ahead of his team mate with Mercedes, first pit stops, seemed like genuine contenders. Ericsson rounding out the top 10. back. McIlroy and Woods were among fifth Masters title. “I’m going to have to do Ferrari and Williams then running in pairs. Vettel closed to within two seconds of Daniel Ricciardo, who endured another frus- those at six under after shooting 68s. something like that and continue on the Raikkonen, who was left ruing another Rosberg but fell behind after switching to the trating race in his underperforming Red Bull, was The third round of the Masters is often back nine, at least give myself a chance missed opportunity after qualifying sixth, surged harder compound tyres as Mercedes shadowed ninth with engine partners Renault holding up filled with drama but with Woods, the 14- going in the back nine. past Williams’ Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas off Ferrari’s tactics to avoid being outfoxed by the their hands and taking the blame. time major winner; Mickelson, a three-time “It’s in Jordan’s hands right now, he can the line to slot into fourth behind Vettel. Italians as they had been in Malaysia. Williams, McLaren continued their early season strug- Masters champion; and McIlroy, chasing a run off and make three birdies coming in Although Mercedes were expected to regain replaced by Ferrari as Mercedes’ closest chal- gles with Fernando Alonso finishing a lap down career grand slam, all on the charge the and put a substantial gap between himself their dominant stride in the cooler conditions, lengers, had Massa and Bottas finish fifth and in 12th, while Jenson Button dropped to 14th atmosphere around Augusta National was and the rest of the field. Ferrari kept the Silver Arrows honest for most of sixth respectively. after picking up a time penalty for causing a col- electric with possibilities as Spieth’s com- “But you just never know.” McIlroy made the early running when the track was at his Romain Grosjean had a steady drive to claim lision with Lotus’s Pastor Maldonado. —Reuters posure was put to the test. a spectacular start with an eagle on the Holding a five-shot overnight lead, the par-five second. On the brink of missing the unflappable Spieth had threatened to run cut with nine holes to play on Friday, the away with the year’s first major, widening Northern Irishman grinded his way to eight his lead to seven before a double-bogey at under but stumbled with bogeys at the the par-four 17th. 16th and 18th. After carding just a single bogey “A disappointing finish,” lamented through the opening two rounds, Spieth McIlroy. “But overall felt like I played pretty had three on Saturday along with his dou- well; and as I say, just a little disappointed ble-bogey, but also compiled seven birdies. the way I finished.”—Reuters

New Zealand upset Australia to lift Sultan Azlan Shah Cup

IPOH: ’s heroics lead. Title holders Australia, who have won between the posts helped New Zealand the tournament eight times, came out fir- upset world champions Australia to take ing and dominated the game but Black the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup title in Malaysia Sticks keeper Manchester managed to yesterday. bring out his best despite the Australian After both teams were tied 2-2 in regu- team swarming the New Zealand goal- lation time, the Black Sticks prevailed 3-1 mouth. Both teams created numerous in the shootout to regain the title they last chances but were unable to score with won beating Argentina in 2012. both keepers in superb form. New Zealand should have won the However, after toiling for 50 minutes, game in regulation time but conceded a Australia finally managed to get past contested penalty stroke in the dying sec- Manchester when Jacob Whetton, with an onds of the game. assist from , deflected the ball In the shootout, Australia’s sole conver- past the Kiwi keeper. sion was by Jacob Whetton. Daniel Beale New Zealand looked to have sealed the missed the first attempt while Eddie title after Andy Hayward converted anoth- Ockenden and missed the er penalty corner in the 58th minute. TEXAS: Jimmie Johnson does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. —AP third and fourth attempts. Unfortunately, following an infringement New Zealand’s , Blair Hilton inside the final minute, New Zealand had and all converted the Kiwis’ to concede a penalty corner. Australia’s first three attempts while captain Simon Nicholas Budgeon beat Manchester from Jimmie Johnson gets 5th Child missed his attempt. the spot to send the match into a But Child did not have to worry as shootout. Zalewski was foiled by Manchester. In reg- Meanwhile India edged out South Sprint Cup win at Texas ulation time, it was New Zealand who took Korea 4-1 also in a shootout after both the lead just five minutes into the game teams were locked 2-2 in regulation time after they were awarded a penalty corner. in the playoff for third place in the compe- FORT WORTH: Jimmie Johnson was still chasing The runner-up finish for Harvick comes after Harvick, Logano and Martin Truex Jr., who fin- Their drag flick specialist Andy Hayward tition. Indian keeper Sreejesh Parattu was Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick, trying to get he was eighth in Martinsville in the last Cup race ished ninth, are the only drivers to finish in the sent the Australian keeper Tristan Clemons the hero in the shootout as he stopped back in front as the laps wound down at Texas two weeks ago. That ended his run of eight con- top 10 in all seven races this season. Keselowski the wrong way to give his side a shock 1-0 two South Korean attempts.—AFP Motor Speedway. Then Johnson got the break secutive races finishing first or second, the got his sixth top 10. that led to his fifth NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at longest such stretch since Richard Petty did it 11 Jeff Gordon, who in his last full season, is the the track. times in a row in 1975. only driver who has started all 29 Sprint Cup “They slid up high through (Turns) 3 and 4 “I’m not disappointed at all, racing for wins is races at Texas since the track opened in 1997. He and left the bottom wide open for me,” Johnson what we’re here to do,” said Harvick, who led 96 finished seventh after starting 12th. said. “I thought I’d at least get (Harvick). When I of the 334 laps but is without a win in 25 Texas Gordon won the 2009 spring race at Texas, came off of Turn 4, I was alongside (McMurray).” starts. “Nothing at all to hang your head about.” where he has 12 top-10 finishes. It is also the Johnson passed both of them, regaining the This was the fifth time in Johnson’s last seven only track in his 768 career races where he has lead for good with 14 laps left. He held off starts at the 1 1/2-mile, high-banked track that finished 43rd - last in the field - and it did that Harvick and Hendrick Motorsports teammate he led at least 100 laps. This is fourth win in the twice, in 1999 and again in 2008. Unlike after Dale Earnhardt Jr. for his second victory this sea- span that also includes a runner-up finish in the Johnson’s win in November, the only postrace son - and 72nd of his career. Harvick, the series spring race three years ago. fireworks this time were in the sky. There was points leader who has also won twice this sea- Earnhardt, with his third third-place finish this late contact between Keselowski and Gordon in son, had been trying to get around McMurray, season, gave Chevrolet a sweep of the top three the race five months ago. That led to a post-race who had taken only two tires for the final restart spots in the first Sprint Cup night race this sea- melee on pit road involving both of their teams, on lap 314 of 334. son. But he was disappointed with one move a fracas that broke out after Harvick pushed Then Harvick went high and scraped the wall that he didn’t make that could have made the Keselowski into the fray. with about three laps to go. “I looked up in the night even better. Harvick, who led only eight laps his first 24 mirror and I saw smoke and sparks,” Johnson “I had Harvick cleared off two. I had passed Texas starts, led the first 33 laps. Kurt Busch, his said. him on the bottom,” Earnhardt said. “I still had Stewart-Haas Racing teammate and the polesit- “Just lost a little bit of time and tried to make Jimmie behind me at that point, and I should ter, combined to lead the first 79 laps before too much of it up in too many chunks, and about have pulled up in front of Kevin and made it a lit- Gordon passed Busch, who wound up 14th. spun out and got in the fence trying to make up tle more difficult on him. We weren’t as good as The only other driver with more than two ground,” Harvick said. “All in all, it was a lot of fun. the 48 (Johnson) or the 4 (Harvick) early in the Cup wins at Texas is Carl Edwards, a three-time Fun to race that way.” Johnson led nine times for race, but we definitely improved it.” Team Penske winner. He finished 10th, ending his career-long IPOH: Australia’s (center) eyes the ball against George Muir of New 128 laps. He also won in November at Texas, rounded out the top five in a pair of Fords, with streak of eight consecutive finishes outside the Zealand (right) during the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup men’s fieldhockey tournament where all four of his previous wins had been in defending race winner Joey Logano finishing top 10. It was his first top 10 for Joe Gibbs finals. —AFP fall races. fourth and Brad Keselowski fifth. Racing. —AP