ARAB TIMES, SUNDAY, MAY 30, 2021 SPORTS 14

Sauter, Hutchins and Dollar involved in scary crash Nemechek wins at Charlotte for 3rd truck win of season CONCORD, NC, May 29, (AP): John Hunter Nemechek made it through a late crash, then held on to the lead on a B’desh slip restart 10 laps from the end to win the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Winning for the third time this sea- Lanka win 3rd son, Nemechek showed once again this season why he gave up his seat in the Cup Series last year to join Kyle Busch ODI by 97 runs Motorsports. “I’m smiling. I’m winning races,” he DHAKA, Bangladesh, May 29, said. “What could better than that?” (AP): Sri Lanka avoided being swept Nemechek has a season of thrills in by Bangladesh in their one-day in- his run around Charlotte. ternational series when it won the He used a three-wide pass to gain the third match by 97 runs with a Kusal lead with 65 laps to go and was cruis- Perera century and Dushmantha ing to victory until the most severe Chameera’s maiden fi ve-for. crash of the race nearly spoiled things. Perera struck a 122-ball 120, in- Trey Hutchins III had slowed after cluding 11 fours and one six, to lead hitting the wall and drifted down the Sri Lanka to a respectable 286-6. The track as Johnny Sauter and Drew Dollar fast bowler Chameera then took 5-16 hit Hutchins’ vehicle with great force. to undermine the reply by Bangla- Nemechek was the next racer through before the caution came out as fl ying debris appeared to damage his roof and CRICKET knock out the car’s onboard camera. He remembers hearing a ‘Thunk,’ as what looked like a tire caught his roof desh, which was all out for 189 in and left what Nemechek said was a 42.3 overs. pretty big hole. The victory marked Sri Lanka’s Nemechek wasn’t sure what was fi rst in the ODI Super League. ahead as he approached the crash at full Captain Perera and Danushka speed and used his skill to react the best Gunathilaka opened with an 82-run way he knew how. stand after they won the toss. “I kind of just shot for the middle, Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin kind of ‘Days of Thunder’ moment, Ahmed, who claimed 4-46, brought and hoped for the best,” said Ne- the home side back in contention with mechek, referencing the Tom Cruise a double strike, dismissing Gunathila- fi lm from three decades ago. ka for 39 and Pathum Nissanka for 0. After a lengthy cleanup, Nemechek again moved out front and fi nished in Perera drove Taskin to sweeper front of Hocevar. cover for a single in a bulletproof 50 off 44 balls, but the skipper needed luck three times to reach his sixth London Irish’s Albert Tuisue is tackled by Gloucester’s Ruan Ackermann during their Premiership rugby union match at the Kingsholm Stadium in Glouces- TRUCK RACING ODI century. ter, England, on May 28. Gloucester beat London Irish 30-28. (AP) Hocevar said he needed two more laps to run down Nemechek. “I just got beat today,” said Hocevar, in his rookie season. It was the ninth truck win of Ne- Queensland ends Super rugby mechek’s career. He gained control with a dramatic, daring dash from third as he moved from the up near to the wall to close to the apron before mov- ing past leader Stewart Friesen and second-place Carson Hocevar. losing streak by Aussie teams Nemechek gave up the lead for a fi nal green-fl ag pit stop about 30 laps from the end. Soon enough, the Kyle Busch Racing driver shuffl ed back up Crusaders outclass Waratahs as Blues pound Brumbies to the top and closed out the victory. It was the fourth consecutive win on John Hunter Nemechek celebrates to close out the third round. Christchurch-based Crusaders were The Blues broke the stalemate with tracks of a 1-1/2 miles in length this TOWNSVILLE, Australia, season, following Nemechek’s vic- his win in the NASCAR Trucks auto The match was originally scheduled expected to win handsomely and did scrumhalf Finlay Christie’s superb try race, on May 28, at Charlotte Motor May 29, (AP): The Queens- for Queenstown, New Zealand but was so, by eight tries to three, against the just before halftime. Rieko Ioane broke tory at Las Vegas, owner Kyle Busch’s wins at Atlanta and Kansas. Speedway in Concord, N.C. (AP) land Reds have managed to moved to Sydney after new COVID-19 team that fi nished last in the Australian the defensive line and passed to Chris- do what no other Austral- cases in Melbourne forced a seven-day domestic Super rugby competition. tie, who ran 40 meters weaving past ian team had done in 13 lockdown, preventing the Rebels from Also, the Auckland-based Blues four tacklers to score. traveling to New Zealand. beat the ACT Brumbies 38-10. The The Blues ran away with the match Kang beats Salas in ‘friendly’ previous matches in Super Earlier Saturday, the New Zealand- teams were locked at 10-10 after with a strong second half, adding tries rugby this season - beat a champion Crusaders outclassed the tries by hookers Kurt Eklund for the by wingers Bryce Heem and A.J. Lam New South Wales Waratahs to take Blues and Connal McInerney for the and center T.J. Faiaine. The Brumbies showdown at Shadow Creek New Zealand squad. a bonus point from a 54-28 win. The Brumbies. competed for territory but lacked fi n- The Reds led 33-3 at halftime on ishing ability. NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nevada, May Sei Young Kim dropped out in playoffs. Saturday and held on desperately The 13-time Super rugby champion 29, (AP): Danielle Kang had Lizette Anna Nordqvist beat Ko 5 and 4 to for a 40-34 win over the Hamilton- Crusaders had to work hard at times Salas over to the house Thursday night force a playoff with Ko that the Swede based Chiefs at Townsville in north against the plucky Waratahs, who to watch “Friends: The Reunion,” then won on the fi rst hole. Kim edged Brit- Queensland state. were only a point behind - 7-6 - after sent her packing in the LPGA Match tany Altomare 2 and 1 to force a play- The Reds led 40-8 in the second 30 minutes. Play. off with the American, then fell on the half before the Chiefs rallied, with The Crusaders scored four tries in a Kang won the friendly showdown 4 second hole. substitute halfback Xavier Roe diving 12-minute period on either side of half- and 3 for a quarterfi nal spot on another ANA Inspiration winner Patty Tava- over in the corner to pull the visitors time to take the match away from the hot afternoon at Shadow Creek. tanakit beat Stacy Lewis 5 and 4 to ad- to within six points in the 79th minute. Waratahs, who still made the contest An ambassador for course owner vance. After Lewis birdied the ninth to But the Reds won a scrum and Kalani interesting with two tries in the space MGM Resorts, Kang won the opening pull within a hole, Tavatanakit won four Thomas booted the ball into touch to of two minutes in the middle of the hole with a par, took Nos. 6 and 7 with of the next fi ve to end the match. They secure the narrow win. second half. birdies and No. 8 with a par for a 4-up entered the day tied for the group lead. Crusaders captain Scott Barrett said lead. Salas won 10 and 11 with pars, he was happy with the way his team at- Kang took 12 with a birdie and ended it RUGBY tacked, even from deep in its own half. with a par on 14. GOLF “But it probably got a bit loose U.S. Solheim Cup teammate Salas The victory ended an embarrassing there at times, trying to chase points was coming off her best fi nish of the Ariya Jutanugarn beat Sarah Schm- streak in which New Zealand teams and tries for this competition,” he year, a tie for fi fth last week in the Pure elzel on the fi rst hole of a playoff after had beaten Australian squads through- said. “We saw what the Waratahs Silk Championship in Virginia. tying Carlota Ciganda. out the 10 matches over the fi rst two could do. They’ve got a bit of fl air and Kang will face Bronte Law, a 6 and While some top U.S. players skipped rounds of the trans-Tasman compe- put a few points on us which is a little 5 winner over Annie Park. the fi rst-year event to prepare for the tition and the fi rst three of the third bit disappointing.” Second-ranked Inbee Park, also an U.S. Women’s Open next week at round this weekend. The Crusaders were reduced to 13 area resident, beat Gaby Lopez 2 and Olympic in San Francisco, Kang said The Melbourne Rebels will have a St Helens Agnatius Paasi gets tackled by Hull’s Josh Bowden and Joe men with two yellow cards in the last 1 to set up a match with Sophia Popov. she isn’t looking ahead. chance to make it two in a row over Cator, (left), during their Super League rugby league match at the Totally few minutes and the Waratahs capital- Popov routed Sung Hyun Park 6 Kang won in consecutive weeks last New Zealand teams when they play Wicked Stadium in Saint Helens, England, on May 28. St Helens beat ized, scoring the last try of the match and 5. summer in Ohio in the LPGA Tour’s the Highlanders in Sydney on Sunday Hull 34-16. (AP) through Alex Newsome. Top-ranked Jin Young Ko and No. 3 return from the coronavirus pandemic.