FOOTBALL | Page 3 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 5 Three-way Bangalore title race buck the trend in Barca’s with win hands: Suarez against Pune Saturday, April 23, 2016 TENNIS Rajab 16, 1437 AH Nadal and Nishikori GULF TIMES close in on Catalan face-off SPORT Page 7 SEALINE CROSS-COUNTRY RALLY Fine wins for al-Attiyah, Sunderland and Casale ‘It was good to control the race all the way. We had the speed if we needed it. After two races I have 120 points’ By Sports Reporter Losail atar’s Nasser Saleh al-At- tiyah, Dubai-based Eng- lish rider Sam Sunder- land and Chile’s Ignacio QCasale emerged unscathed from the fi nal 350.94km selective section of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally to confi rm memorable victories in the car, motor- cycle and quad categories at Losail yes- terday. The fi nal stage was won by the rally runners-up, Yazeed al-Rajhi, Pablo Quintanilla and Rafal Sonik, but they began the fi fth section too far behind to realistically challenge for victory and the stage wins were minor consola- tions. Al-Attiyah recorded a second out- right win with Overdrive Racing and the Toyota Hilux in the space of four weeks and a fi fth win in six years. The triumph marked a third successive Bikes category winner Sam Sunderland (right) and runner-up Pablo Quintanilla win for his French navigator Matthieu pose together at the finish line. Baumel and gives the entire team a comfortable lead in the FIA World Cup final place in the top 10 and the spoils in T3. 3. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Konstantin after three rounds. The X-raid Mini Kiwi Emma Gilmour, French girl Zhiltsov (RUS) Mini All4 Racing 16hr All4 Racing crew of al-Rajhi and Timo Charlotte Berton and Spain’s Cristina 27min 04sec Gottschalk won the fi nal stage and fi n- Gutierrez all started the fi nal day in 4. Yuriy Sazonov (KAZ)/Dmytro Tsyro ished 12min 03sec behind the Toyota. three QMMF-backed T1 Nissan Patrols (UKR) Hummer H3 Evolution VIII 17hr Behind al-Rajhi, G-Energy Team and just one car reached the fi nish to 28min 42sec Mini driver Vladimir Vasilyev rounded cap a memorable week in the deserts 5. Jutta Kleinschmidt (DEU)/Philipp off the car podium in third overall, al- for the girls running under the watchful Beier (DEU) X-raid CBRA 17hr 50min though the St. Petersburg-based driver eye of Kleinschmidt and their ‘mother’, 15sec was 1hr 11in 13sec behind al-Attiyah. the veteran WRC and Cross-County “It was a good day for us. This is an navigator Fabrizia Pons. Bikes (top five) important win in Qatar,” said al-Atti- Gilmour retired when the wheel hub 1. Sam Sunderland (GBR) KTM 450 Rally yah. “I am quite happy. It was good to Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (right) and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel celebrate the Sealine win. broke again and she shed the same 19hr 14min 07sec control the race all the way. We had the wheel as she had on Thursday, Berton 2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI) Husqvarna speed if we needed it. After two races I metres and Sunderland held on to give all week, and it’s not been easy. I knew ean back into contention for the FIM succumbed to an oil leak, but Gutierrez 450 Rally 19hr 23min 45sec have 120 points. Now we prepare our- KTM a fi fth win in Qatar in six years by he was going to catch me today. I could world title. His winning margin was struggled on to reach Losail in an unof- 3. Helder Rodrigues (POR) Yamaha selves for the smaller races. To win at the margin of 9min 38sec. relax a bit and then we rode together to 31min 49sec. fi cial 22nd overall after missing some of WR450 19hr 44min 53sec home is fantastic.” “It was really good. It has been a the fi nish.” Saudi’s Yasir Seaidan and French the rally with front diff erential issues. 4. Juan Carlos Salvatierra (BOL) KTM Chilean Pablo Quintanilla made lot of work over the last six months Yamaha’s Helder Rodrigues rounded navigator Sébastien Delaunay survived 450 Replica 20hr 08min 29sec Sunderland work mightily hard for to come back after the broken femur,” off the podium. two fl at tyres on the penultimate stage OVERALL STANDINGS 5. Pierre Alexander Renet (FRA) Husq- the second biggest win of the talented said 27-year-old Sunderland. “I missed Ignacio Casale rode a superb race on to press home their T2 advantage into Cars (top five) varna 450 Rally 20hr 14min 34sec young Englishman’s career. The Chil- Dakar and sitting at home watching was his Yamaha Raptor 700 SE to clinch a the fi nal day and snatch the FIA T2 1. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mat- ean started fi fth on the road, passed really a tough time for me mentally and crushing victory in the quad category World Cup lead after three rounds. The thieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Over- Quads three of his rivals and then caught Sun- physically. I’m really happy. The team and break Rafal Sonik’s stranglehold Saudi had won the T3 section at Sealine drive 15hr 15min 51sec 1. Ignacio Casale (CHI) Yamaha Raptor derland to halve the overnight defi cit. have been so supportive through all this on success in Qatar. It marked the back in 2013 and fi nished a fi ne ninth 2. Yazeed al-Rajhi (SAU)/Timo 700 SE 22hr 02min 08sec Neither rider could aff ord the slightest time and I owe everything to them. It’s fi rst victory on the Sealine event for a this week. Gottschalk (DEU) Mini All4 Racing 15hr 2. Rafal Sonik (POL) Honda TRX 700 mistake over the closing nervy kilo- been a tough race, fi ghting with Pablo Yamaha of any kind and puts the Chil- Pietro Cinotto beat his father Carlo to the 27min 54sec 22hr 33min 57sec ASIAN SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIP Lertsattayathorn takes out Advani to set up fi nal vs Shehab By Sports Reporter a sweat while winning his semi-fi nal Doha match. The cueist won the fi rst two frames but the lost the third one, be- fore regrouping to win the next three here is no stopping Kritsanut against Sarkhosh. Lertsattayathorn. The diminu- The fi nal will be held today from tive Thai scalped another big 11am and will be a best-of-11 frames af- fi sh as he stormed into the fi nal fair, with the winner awarded a guaran- Tof the 32nd Asian Snooker Champion- teed two-year professional tour card by ship at the Qatar Billiards and Snooker World Snooker. Federation (QBSF) Academy yesterday. The champion will take home $3,500 In the quarter-fi nals on Thursday, and the runner-up $1,750. The losing Lertsattayathorn had ousted former semi-fi nalists will collect $500 each. IBSF World Champion Mohamed The organisers also have lined up cash Asif of Pakistan. Yesterday, he did no awards for the highest break and maxi- harm to his growing reputation as the mum break. 27-year-old knocked out India’s ace The cueman with the highest break cueist Pankaj Advani in the last four. (over 100 pts) will pocket $500 and Adavni, being the top seed and mul- Mohammed Shehab of the UAE will face Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn (right) of Thailand in the Asian Snooker Championship title today. those with maximum break (above 147) tiple world champion in both billiards is set to go home with $1,750. and snooker was heavily favoured 00, 00-99, 71-05, 18-99 ,77 28, 66-31), pocket the second frame 64-21. horn won the seventh and eighth frame for the way he played,” the 30-year-old to end the title drought at the Asian with breaks of 58 and 142 coming in the In the third frame, Lertsattayathorn 77-28 and 66-31 to book his place in the Bangalorean said. Semi-finals results Championship — where he had fi nished second and third frames respectively. started at the table and scored a century fi nal against UAE’s Mohamed Shehab, Advani was already looking ahead to Kritsanut Lertsattayathorn (Thailand) runner-up on three occasions. The semi-fi nal lasted for four hours break of 142 winning the frame. How- who put it easily past Amir Sarkhosh the season. “I am looking forward to beat Pankaj Advani (India) 5-3 (86(58)- However, Lertsattayathorn had other with the fi fth frame itself lasting for ever, the fourth frame belonged to Pan- 5-1 in the other semifi nal. the next tournament in Abu Dhabi next 46, 21-64, 142(142)-00, 00-99(94), 71-05, ideas in an encounter where he frus- more than an hour. With a match that kaj who won it 99-0 with a break of 94. Advani, while disappointed at his month and I am glad to have started 18-99(90), 77(62)-28, 66-31) trated Advani with his tactical ploy. In was matched frame-to-frame till the Losing the fi fth frame, 71-5, in the loss, heaped praise on Lertsattayat- with the snooker season with a lot more Mohamed Shehab (UAE) beat Amir the best of nine frames match, Lertsat- sixth, Advani lost the fi rst frame to his sixth frame, Pankaj scored a 90 break horn. “The match didn’t go my way in store,” he added. Sarkhosh (Iran) 5-1 (93-15, 91-26, 33- tayathorn won 5-3 (86-46, 21-64, 142- Thai opponent 46-86 but moved on to to win the frame 99-18.