KEY POINTS:
Best
Boston's pitcher Josh Beckett stars against the Cleveland Indians in the American Baseball League.
Worst
Australia beaten by the Wheel Blacks to go 3-0 down in the best of five series.
***
BASEBALL
American League Championship Series
Boston's Josh Beckett dazzled on the
mound to help the Red Sox stay alive with a 7-1 road victory over the Cleveland Indians in game five yesterday.
The Indians lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 but will now have to win at least once in Boston to book a World Series showdown with the Colorado Rockies.
With a capacity crowd at Jacobs Field set to celebrate a sixth trip to the World Series, Beckett spoiled the party with eight innings of brilliance, allowing just one run on five hits to send the teams back to Fenway Park for game six tomorrow.
The Major League's only 20-game winner this season, Beckett got off to a shaky start by yielding one run on three hits in the first inning.
However, the hard-throwing righthander soon found his rhythm and retired nine straight batters without allowing a hit to the outfield until Casey Blake's two-out single in the fifth.
Beckett finished the night with 11 strikeouts to match his post-season career high while improving his play-off record to 3-0 for this campaign.
Kevin Youkilis backed up Beckett's superb effort with a first inning solo home run and an RBI triple in the seventh while David Ortiz had a pair of sacrifice flies.
The Red Sox got the game off to a booming start, Youkilis taking a 1-0 offering from Cleveland starter CC Sabathia and hammering it over the left field wall.
Cleveland responded in the bottom of the inning, Travis Hafner hitting into a fielder's choice to score Grady Sizemore.
The Red Sox looked to blow open the contest in the third when Manny Ramirez connected on what appeared to be a two-run homer.
But as the left fielder trotted to first base the ball dropped in on top of the centre field wall and bounced fair, holding the Boston slugger to an RBI single.
Boston finally took command in the seventh, however, when Dustin Pedroia led off the inning with a double and scored on Youkilis' triple, driving Sabathia from the game.
Ortiz welcomed Rafael Betancourt with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Youkilis and pushed the visitors 4-1 ahead.
The Red Sox padded their lead with three runs in the eighth, JD Drew racing home on a passed ball, Youkilis scoring Coco Crisp on a bases-loaded walk and Ortiz cashing in Julio Lugo on another sacrifice fly.
Cleveland 1 Boston 7 (Cleveland lead best-of-seven series 3-2).
***
BOWLS
NORTH HARBOUR INTERCLUB
After the first of three rounds
Men
Premier 1: Birkenhead 27 points, Takapuna 21, Glenfield 18, Browns Bay 16, Helensville 12, Mairangi Bay 10, Warkworth 9, Milford 9, Orewa 6, Riverhead 6.
Premier 2, Section A: Mairangi Bay 14 points, Birkenhead 12, Warkworth 10, Sunnybrae 10, Glenfield 10, Northcote 9, Browns Bay 8, Mahurangi East 7, Waimauku 6, Helensville 4. Section B: Takapuna 9 points, Manly 8, Browns Bay 7, Mairangi Bay 7, Silverdale 6, Orewa 6, Hobsonville 4, Glenfield 1.
A Division: Birkenhead 12 points, Silverdale RSA 9, Browns Bay 8, Mairangi Bay 6, Sunnybrae 6, Waimauku 6, Milford 6, Silverdale 4, Orewa 3, Northcote 0.
Women
Premier 1: Sunnybrae 14 points, Mairangi Bay 9, Orewa 7, Browns Bay 6.
Premier 2: Not played.
A Division: Hobsonville 10 points, Mairangi Bay 10, Northcote/Birkenhead 8, Browns Bay 8, Silverdale 7, Mahurangi East 7, Orewa 5, Manly 4, Sunnybrae 1, Milford 0.
DORCHESTER MIXED PAIRS
(Manly)
Semifinals: B. Howitt (Takapuna) and M. Holland (Browns Bay) bt P. Wiseman and A. Wiseman (Orewa) 13-12; R. Finlayson and C. Roper (Warkworth) bt R. Lynch and J. Gifford (Glenfield) 19-1.
Final: Howitt and Holland bt Finlayson and Roper 16-15.
Winner represents North Harbour in the zone play-offs.
***
CRICKET
FIRST ONE-DAY INTERNATIONAL
(Gaddafi Stadium)
SOUTH AFRICA
H. Gibbs run out 102
G. Smith run out 34
J. Kallis c and b Afridi 8
AB de Villiers not out 103
J. Kemp lbw Tanvir 1
M. Boucher c Younis b Iftikhar 14
S. Pollock not out 5
Extras (16lb, 8w, 3nb) 27-Total (for 5 wkts, 50 overs) 294Fall: 1/85, 2/97, 3/234, 4/238, 5/288
Bowling: S. Tanvir 9-1-52-1 (2nb, 6w), R. Iftikhar 10-1-57-1, U. Gul 8-0-54-0 (1nb), S. Afridi 10-0-48-1 (1w), M. Hafeez 10-0-44-0 (1w), S Malik 3-0-23-0.
PAKISTAN
M. Hafeez c Botha b Ntini 6
I. Nazir c Kemp b Ntini 16
Y. Khan c Boucher b Ntini 12
M. Yousuf c Smith b Kallis 53
S. Malik c Gibbs b Ntini 18
M. ul-Haq c Boucher b Langeveldt 20
K. Akmal b Kallis 35
S. Afridi c Villiers b Morkel 47
S. Tanvir b Langeveldt 26
R. Iftikhar run out 9
U. Gul not out 1
Extras (1b, 1lb, 4w) 6-Total (46.3 overs) 249Fall: 1/18, 2/30, 3/37, 4/55, 5/92, 6/152, 7/172, 8/215, 9/246, 10/249.
Bowling: S. Pollock 10-2-30-0, M. Ntini 9-0-69-4, C. Langeveldt 9-0-53-2 (2w), A. Morkel 6-0-18-1, J. Botha 7.3-0-30-0, J. Kallis 5-0-47-2 (2w).
Result: South Africa won by 45 runs, lead five-match series 1-0.
South Africa will take advice from independent security consultants to decide whether to continue their tour of Pakistan after a suspected suicide bomber killed at least 123 people yesterday.
The attack targeting former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto happened as she was driven through Karachi on her return from eight years in exile.
"Obviously, the security of the players is of paramount concern to us and we are shocked by the devastating incident in Karachi," South African team spokesman Owen Smith said. "We will be getting feedback from our independent security consultants on the situation."
The second one-day international is scheduled for today in Lahore.
The remaining matches are in Faisalabad on October 23, Multan (October 26) and Karachi (October 29).
Security has been tight on the tour with dozens of uniformed and plain-clothed policemen and commandoes looking after the team.
They played a three-day game and the first test in Karachi without any incident.
Smith said the team management would meet with senior officials of Cricket South Africa and the Pakistan Cricket Board to discuss the situation.
TOUR MATCH
Former Sri Lankan cricket captain Marvan Atapattu will return to the national team and tour Australia next week after a spat with the selectors nearly ended his international career.
The selectors have named Atapattu in the squad to play two test matches starting on November 8.
Atapattu, 37, has been at odds with the selectors since he was sidelined at this year's World Cup in the West Indies. This month he turned down a chance to meet the selectors, publicly stating that he did not wish to waste his time talking to them.
Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge mediated and solved the problem, preventing the issue from spelling the end of the batsman's career.
After also being overlooked for a three-match one-day series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, Atapattu withdrew from the squad who played against Bangladesh.
Atapattu has played 88 tests since 1990, scoring 5330 runs at an average of nearly 39. In 268 one-day internationals he has scored 8529 runs.
***
EQUESTRIAN
WORLD CUP (NZ)
(Hawkes Bay)
Robert Steele showed he'll be a strong contender for the series this season when he and Gospel won the opening round at the Hawke's Bay A and P Show yesterday.
He was nearly 10 seconds clear of his nearest rival.
The Hawera dairy farmer is no stranger to World Cup success.
Former World Cup winner and Olympian Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) on My Gollywog was second. Both jumped two clear rounds, with Steele finishing at 68.40 in his second round and Beatson 78.20.
Horse of the Year title holder Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) on JJ Freelance was third. Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) finished fourth on Swinger.
The World Cup runs over eight rounds.
Tess Williams (Gisborne) and Walnut Brown won the young rider class with Matthew Dickey (New Plymouth) and Willful taking the pony grand prix crown.
World Cup (NZ) opening round: R. Steele (Hawera) Gospel 1, M. Beatson (Dannevirke) My Gollywog 2, O. Edgecombe (Waipukurau) JJ Freelance 3, S. Wilson (Waipukurau) Swinger 4, L. Coupe (Kumeu) Forest II 5, J. Hart (Hastings) Clypso 6.
Points: R. Steele 13 points, M. Beatson 10, L. Coupe 8, J. Hart 6, C. Wilson 5, S. 4, Oliver 3.
Young rider: T. Williams (Gis) Walnut Brown 1, C. Akers (Palmerston North) Dolly 2, N. MacFadzien (Auck) To A T 3, F. Tombleson (Gis) Critter 4.
Pony grand prix: M. Dickey (New Plymouth) Willful 1, B. Marshall (Palmerston North) Spyro 2, G. Porter (Hawke's Bay) Chobidong 3, H. Burnett-Grant (Taupo) Mighty Maximus 4, R. Bentall (HB) Sweet Addition 5, K. Gowler (Rangitikei) Pukeake Hine 6.
Five-year-old: I. Unsworth (Tauranga) Whittaker, R. Jefferd (Onga Onga) Navy Blue, J. Maclennon (Waipukurau) Mr Marmite, C. Wilson (Waipukurau) Sacred Hill Rain Check 1.
Six-year-old: C.Wilson (Waipukurau) Sacred Hill Tipsy, K. McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Delphi, M. Beatson (Dannevirke) Three Bears, R. Steele (Hawera) Midnight, C. Cameron (Cambridge) Gossip 1.
One star horse grand prix: M. Beatson (Dannevirke) Kiwi Relic 1, M. Beatson (Dannevirke) Jedi Warrior 2, S. Clarke (Dannevirke) Zibbibo 3, A. Roydhouse (Hastings) I Reckon 4, I. Unsworth (Tauranga) Senator VDL, C. Cameron (Cambridge) Kahurangi Valentino, K. McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Daffodil, C. Akers (Palmerston North) Dolly and L. Akers ( Palmerston North) Tinapai 5.
Seven-year-old: C. Cameron (Cambridge) Alaric II (owned by G and J Beker) 1, D. Isaacson (Dannevirke) Major Brown 2, A. Stephen (Martinborough) Constantine 3, R. Steele (Hawera) Wishful Thought 4, K. McVean (Mystery Creek) Dunstan Daffodil 5, J. Hart (Hawke's Bay) Metropolitan 6.
***
GOLF
ARIZONA OPEN
(Scottsdale)
Michael Allen took the first round lead with a sparkling seven-under-par 63.
Allen matched his career-low round to move two shots clear of fellow Americans Nick Watney, Rich Beem and Frank Lickliter.
The 48-year-old fired six birdies and produced an eagle on the par-four 15th in a consistent round which was in marked contrast to Watney's erratic performance.
Watney managed just four pars and his round included 11 birdies, two bogeys and a quadruple bogey on the par-four seventh.
"I hit it in the desert and I was kind of in a spot where I couldn't take an unplayable and go sideways and have any kind of shot," Watney said. "So I tried to hit it out. The ball barely moved, so then I chipped it out. Hit it in the green-side trap and hit it out and three-putted for an eight."
World No 2 Phil Mickelson was eight strokes behind Allen after a 71, the same as former PGA champion John Daly.
First round (US unless noted) par 70.-
3: M. Allen.
65: N. Watney, R. Beem, F.Lickliter II.
66: C. Couch, T. Pernice Jr, R. Moore, B. Crane, P. Perez.
67: J. Merrick, C. Pettersson (Sweden), T. Herron, J. Gore, M. Dawson, J. Kelly, G. Owen (Britain).
68: S. Flesch, W. MacKenzie, J. Leonard, D. LaBelle II, J. Dufner, DJ Brigman.
69: J. Gove, G. Day, B. Watson, A. Baddeley (Australia), S. Micheel, T. Purdy, B. Heintz, B. May, G. Willis, C. Warren, K. Reifers, B. Tway, K. Sutherland, JJ Henry, G. McNeill, M. Weir (Canada), T. Lehman, S. Gutschewski, C. Stroud, J. Lyle (Australia).
70: S. Maruyama (Japan), R. Garrigus, K. Triplett, D. Wilson, T. Hamilton, S. Ames (Canada), R. Gamez, R. Allenby (Australia), C. Barlow, B. Haas, B. Baird, C. Riley, J. Rutledge (Canada), D. Stiles, C. Kresge, J. Ogilvie, B.Van Pelt, B.Davis (Britain), P. Gow (Australia).
PORTUGUESE MASTERS
(Vilamoura)
First round.-
61: M. Kaymer (DEU).
64: M. Erlandsson (SWE), D. Vancsik (ARG).
65: G. Bourdy (FRA), R. Goosen (RSA), L. Westwood (GB).
66: F.A. Hed (SWE), A. Canete (ARG), E. Canonica (ITA), N. Dougherty (GB), J.F. Lucquin (FRA), A. McLardy (RSA), F. Molinari (ITA), A. Quiros (ESP), C. Schwartzel (RSA), S. Walker (GB), S. Webster (GB).
67: P. Archer (GB), R. Echenique (ARG), P. Edberg (SWE), D. Frost (RSA), P. Hedblom (SWE), J. Hepworth (GB), S. Kapur (IND), R. Karlsson (SWE), B. Lane (GBR), P. Lawrie (IRE), S. Little (GB), T. Price (AUS), B. Rumford (AUS), J. Sandelin (SWE), M. Vibe-Hastrup (DNK)
68: B. Dredge (GBR), R. Fisher (GB), A. Forsyth (GB), R. Jacquelin (FRA), P.U. Johansson (SWE), J. Kingston (RSA), P. Lawrie (GB), T. Levet (FRA), G. Murphy (IRL), A. Noren (SWE), O. Wilson (GB).
***
ICE HOCKEY
NHL
NY Islanders 5 Washington 2, Philadelphia 4 New Jersey 0, Atlanta 5 NY Rangers 3, Boston 4 Tampa Bay 1, Ottawa 4 Montreal 3, Toronto 3 Florida 2, Calgary 4 Los Angeles 3, Edmonton 4 Phoenix 2, Detroit 4 San Jose 2
EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
W L OTL GF GA PTS1. Philadelphia5102510102. NY Islanders430192283. New Jersey340182464. Pittsburgh230182045. NY Rangers24013154 NORTHEAST DIVISION
W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Ottawa7102617142. Boston420191583. Toronto332293184. Buffalo320241665. Montreal22214176 SOUTHEAST DIVISION
W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Carolina411211192. Tampa Bay320151463. Washington330131764. Florida340171965. Atlanta16014302 WESTERN CONFERENCE
CENTRAL DIVISION
W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Detroit5212722112. St. Louis41018983. Chicago330111264. Columbus221121155. Nashville24018214 NORTHWEST DIVISION
W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Minnesota501148112. Colorado420211883. Calgary322252584. Vancouver330182165. Edmonton34017226PACIFIC DIVISION W L OTL GF GA PTS 1. Anaheim441222492. Dallas322191883. San Jose331161974. Phoenix240141845. Los Angeles26023344
***
MOTORSPORT
V8 SUPERCAR CHALLENGE
(Surfers Paradise)
Ford Performance Racing's Mark Winterbottom shrugged off his Bathurst 1000 disappointment to top the practice charts.
Winterbottom clocked 1m 49.7s around the unforgiving 4.47km street circuit - 0.2s quicker than Holden's Garth Tander and Bathurst champion Craig Lowndes 1m 49.93s.
Lowndes' championship-leading team-mate Jamie Whincup was fifth.
There was high drama in the day's earlier practice session when Holden Racing Team veteran Mark Skaife T-boned championship contender Rick Kelly. Kelly made contact with the tyre wall on his final lap in the 50-minute session and was stranded in the middle of the track at turn eight.
An unsighted Skaife crunched the side of the Toll HSV Dealer Holden, both teams forced to work hectically in the two-hour gap between sessions to repair significant damage to the cars.
***
RUGBY
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY
(Invercargill)
The New Zealand team retained the Chris Handy Cup with a 36-34 win over Australia in the third match in Invercargill yesterday.
They lead the series after taking a 3-0 lead in the best of five contest.
The Wheel Blacks left Dan Buckingham on the bench for the first quarter and were down by four points early on, but with his introduction at the start of the second quarter the team gradually got back into the match. Coach Grant Sharman said composure got them home.
***
TENNIS
MADRID MASTERS
Third round: 2-R. Nadal (ESP) bt A. Murray (GBR) 7-6 6-4, D. Nalbandian (ARG) bt J.M. Del Potro (ARG) 6-2 6-4, N. Kiefer (DEU) bt I. Karlovic (HRV) 7-6 7-6, 1-R. Federer (CHE) bt 13-G. Canas (ARG) 6-0 6-3, M. Ancic (HRV) bt P.H. Mathieu (FRA) 6-4 6-3, 3-N. Djokovic (SER) bt J.C. Ferrero (ESP) 6-3 2-6 6-4, 5-F. Gonzalez (CHL) bt J. Monaco (ARG) 6-4 6-2.
ZURICH OPEN
Second round: F. Schiavone (ITA) bt P. Schnyder (CHE) 2-6 6-3 6-4, 1-J. Henin (BEL) bt V. Zvonareva (RUS) 6-3 6-1, A. Radwanska (POL) bt 7-D. Hantuchova (SVK) 6-3 6-3.