MONDAY, MAY 29, 2017 SPORTS YACHTING Two wins for USA in dramatic start to America’s Cup HAMILTON: Oracle Team USA rallied to eight straight races to seal one of the robin qualifiers Team USA were tied atop into Team New Zealand during practice BAR-who could have trouble making edge Emirates Team New Zealand biggest comeback triumphs in sport. the standings with Britain’s Land Rover racing last week, costing the Kiwi team repairs in time for their scheduled races Saturday as the 35th America’s Cup got Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill BAR, both on three points. The British valuable time on the water as they made on Sunday against heavy hitters Team underway with two wins for two-time caught New Zealand as they rounded syndicate came into the qualifiers with repairs. Ainslie called the incident USA and Team New Zealand. defending champions Oracle and a colli- the mark into the penultimate leg and two bonus points from the America’s “unfortunate”. “We had a sideways slip “The boat is pretty badly damaged, sion involving Ben Ainslie’s Land Rover went on to win by six seconds. A closely Cup World Series, from which Team USA just as Dean (Barker) came in and got with a sizeable hole in the port hull,” BAR. The drama unfolded under picture- fought start launched a fascinating con- brought one point. They quelled the the leeward overlap. No one wants that, Ainslie said. “By the time we got to the book skies on Bermuda’s Great Sound, test that saw Team New Zealand take a doubts raised by lackluster practice race certainly in our position as we picked up dock she was on her way down.” In oth- where near gale-force winds had pre- 20-second lead at gate three. But by showings with an impressive victory a penalty and the damage. Thankfully, er races, Artemis-whose stock has risen vented the scheduled start on Friday. gate five Spithill had closed the gap and over Sweden’s Artemis Racing, but the the most important thing is that no one with some impressive practice per- For the first time the defending champi- they came toward the mark virtually day would end badly for Ainslie’s BAR. got hurt.” Team Japan tactician Chris formances this month defeated Team ons are competing in the qualifiers, and side-by-side. They were penalized for a scary pre- Draper said there were “a couple of Japan by 13 seconds. New Zealand Team USA didn’t disappoint. Team USA came out of the turn in start collision with SoftBank Team Japan bruises” among SoftBank crew members gained their first point with a domi- They delivered the first of two front and held on for the win. “The boys and with visible damage to one hull fin- and some compression damage to his nant victory over France-officially thumpings handed out to Groupama worked very, very hard today,” Spithill ished 48 seconds behind the Japanese boat’s carbon fiber hull. unveiling the bicycle-style grinding Team France before taking on New said. “It was a physical day. A couple of in the final race of the day. system they’ve installed in place of Zealand in a rematch of the 2013 big races. But we’re in good shape for The crash came after four-time ‘SIZEABLE HOLE’ arm-driven winches to power the cata- America’s Cup-when the US outfit won tomorrow.” After the first day of round- Olympic gold medallist Ainslie slammed But the more serious damage was to maran’s hydraulics system. — AFP Highlanders to test unbeaten Crusaders in Super clash SYDNEY: The Canterbury Crusaders will tory over a Kiwi team. pitch their unbeaten 13-match run against Defending champions Wellington the in-form Otago Highlanders in an entic- Hurricanes were too clinical for South ing Super Rugby showdown after yet Africa’s Northern Bulls in Pretoria, winning another New Zealand rampage this week- 34-20 despite playing without key fly-half end. The seven-time champions registered Beauden Barrett. Barrett withdrew as a pre- a 41-19 bonus-point victory over the hap- caution after suffering a head knock while less Melbourne Rebels to protect an 11- playing last weekend. point lead at the top of the all-conquering Barrett is the successor to retired New New Zealand conference with one week Zealand rugby legend Dan Carter, and is set remaining until the break for the interna- to play a major role when the All Blacks tional Test window. confront the British and Irish Lions next The Crusaders look set to finish top of month. The Hurricanes scored five tries to the regular season standings, but they face two in beating the troubled Bulls and a test of their title credentials against the remain second in the New Zealand stand- Highlanders at home next weekend. The ings behind the Crusaders. Highlanders flexed their muscles with a 44- The Highlanders supplanted the 28 win over Australia’s NSW Waratahs in Waikato Chiefs from third spot in the Kiwi Dunedin for their ninth consecutive win, conference with their six-tries-to-four win and fancy their chances of ending the over the Waratahs. Crusaders’ march. Otago were trailing 13-14 at half-time, The benchmark Crusaders scored six but when Waratahs lock Dean Mumm was tries to three and although they encoun- sin-binned early in the second half, the tered stiffer resistance from the Rebels in Highlanders pounced with two tries and the second half after leading 31-7 at half- never looked back. time, they still won by 22 points. Rieko Ioane made his case for All Blacks The latest victory equalled the 13-match selection for the British and Irish Lions Tests unbeaten record of the 2002 Crusaders- as the Auckland Blues and Chiefs fought who featured current coach Scott out a frustrating 16-16 draw. The draw was Robertson. “We wanted to come away with costly for the Chiefs, who slipped down to a performance we were proud of and we fourth spot in the New Zealand conference. wanted to play quick and fast rugby, and Top South African contenders Golden we did that,” Robertson said. Lions will look to keep the Crusaders in “We probably didn’t always execute their sights on the overall standings with a when we could have and left a lot tries out big victory over the Southern Kings in WASHINGTON: Trea Turner #7 of the Washington Nationals is tagged out at second base for the first out of the fifth inning afterttempting a to there but that was pleasing all the same.” Johannesburg later Sunday. steal against Cory Spangenberg #15 of the San Diego Padres at Nationals Park on Saturday in Washington, DC. — AFP The Crusaders’ free-wheeling win stretched The Coastal Sharks are nine points New Zealand’s dominance to 20-0 over behind the Lions in Africa 2 conference BASEBALL Australian opposition this season and it has after a 22-10 win over Africa 1 group lead- been a full year since the last Australian vic- ers Western Stormers in Durban. — AFP Strasburg strikes out 15 RUGBY Banks brace steers as Nationals beat Padres Brumbies to victory WASHINGTON: Stephen Strasburg struck out a sixth save in seven chances. Michael Fulmer (5-3) Danny Salazar (3-5) walked Whit Merrifield start- career-high 15 while allowing three hits over allowed nine hits in his first complete game this ing the inning. Jason Vargas (6-3) allowed two seven innings to lead the Washington Nationals season. Tim Anderson scored on a double play in runs in 5 2/3 innings. Kelvin Herrera worked the BUENOS AIRES: ACT Brumbies full-back It was not what Jaguares supporters had over the Padres 3-0 on Saturday. Strasburg (6-1) the fifth and Leury Garcia hit an RBI triple in the ninth for his second save in two days and No. 11 Tom Banks scored two tries in two minutes expected after a promising start in a stadi- also singled and scored Washington’s first run on eighth and scored on Jose Abreu’s single. on the season. to set up a 39-15 Super Rugby triumph um also used by a leading football club. Bryce Harper’s third-inning grounder while over Jaguares in Buenos Aires Saturday, Fly-half Nicolas Sanchez slotted a penal- Michael A. Taylor hit a two-run homer for the TWINS 5, RAYS 3 DODGERS 5, CUBS 0 and near-certain playoff qualification. The ty and, after skipper and lock Sam Carter second consecutive game. Matt Albers and Koda Brian Dozier hit a tiebreaking two-run homer Chase Utley drove in three runs with a pair of Australians outscored the error-prone claimed a pushover try converted by Glover provided hitless relief, with Glover get- off Tommy Hunter with two outs in the eighth, two-out singles while Chris Taylor hit a two-run Argentines by six tries to two at Estadio Hawera, Argentine lock Tomas Lavanini ting his fifth save. Clayton Richard (3-6) gave up an inning that began when Danny Farquhar (2-2) homer in a four-run fifth inning and Brandon Jose Amalfitani to secure a bonus point bulldozed across the line. three runs and 10 hits in six innings. walked Chris Gimenez. Taylor Rogers (2-1) fol- McCarthy (5-1) and Ross Stripling combined on a and a nine-point lead over NSW Waratahs With star Sanchez receiving treatment lowed with a perfect bottom half and Brandon three-hitter as Los Angeles won for the eighth in the Australian conference.