■ FOOTBALL
Wilson punches girlfriend
Cedrick Wilson, a receiver with seven years of National Football League experience, was dropped by the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, a day after he was arrested in a bar incident. Wilson was charged with assault, harassment and disorderly conduct after allegedly hitting his former girlfriend on Wednesday night. He was arraigned and released on US$10,000 bail. Police said witnesses saw Wilson enter the bar, walk to the seat of Lindsey Paulat, the 26-year-old mother of his one-year-old daughter, and tap her on the shoulder before hitting her on the left side of her face. Paulat is awaiting a hearing on firearm charges after a 12-hour standoff with police on Jan. 19. After an argument with Wilson, she allegedly fired two gunshots in his house. Wilson, 29, applied for a protection from abuse order two days later, saying he feared she would shoot him.
■ ICE HOCKEY
Player sentenced over drugs
Finnish former NHL player Jere Karalahti was given a 20-month suspended sentence on Thursday for being an accessory in a drug smuggling operation. The district court in Espoo, Finland, found Karalahti, 32, guilty of helping finance the smuggling of amphetamines and cocaine from Estonia into Finland last year, in a case involving 18 others. He was also fined 10,000 euros (US$16,000). Karalahti, who was found guilty of providing 20,000 euros for smuggling operations, said he gave the money to pay back an old debt to a friend. Karalahti left the NHL in 2002 after being suspended for six months for his third violation of the league's substance abuse policy.
■ TENNIS
WTA match live on Web<br />
The WTA Tour's Web site will broadcast a live women's tennis match -- in select countries -- for free for the first time this weekend. The women's professional tour said on Thursday it would stream the women's final at the Pacific Life Open live on its Web site, SonyEricssonWTATour.com. The live feed, however, will not be available in the US, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia or any country in Europe. "We have broadcast agreements in place already [in those countries]," said Roger Gatchalian, the WTA's director of digital media. The women's final at the Pacific Life Open is scheduled for Sunday at 7pm GMT in Indian Wells, California. Gatchalian said this weekend's match is the first of eight Tier I tournament finals that the WTA plans to stream live. Next year, viewing live matches on the site could cost money.
■ RUGBY UNION
Crusaders beat Waratahs
The first-place Canterbury Crusaders scored four unanswered tries in the last 27 minutes to beat the New South Wales Waratahs 34-7 in a Super 14 rugby match yesterday. Canterbury led 6-0 at halftime, with only two penalties to Daniel Carter to show for domination of territory and possession, but ran away with the match in the second half as New South Wales' defensive performance steadily weakened. New South Wales scored the first try of the match in the 45th minute to lead 7-6 but Canterbury fought back to take the match with tries to Casey Laulala, Mose Tuiali'i, Wyatt Crockett and Scott Hamilton. The win left the Crusaders unbeaten through six rounds of this season's Super 14 and in clear possession of the championship lead.
■ GOLF
Ogilvy, Jimenez share lead
Geoff Ogilvy capitalized on a generous wind and shot a bogey-free round of 7-under 65 on Thursday, giving him a share of the the first-round lead at the CA Championship in Doral, Florida. He and Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied the final hole to top the leaderboard, two strokes ahead of Tiger Woods. One shot off the lead was Stewart Cink. Woods made a late charge as the skies darkened and rain began to fall, making three birdies over four holes to get within one shot. His day ended bitterly, however, when he three-putted from 70 feet for a 67. Phil Mickelson rallied from a double bogey in the water with four birdies over his final six holes to match Woods at 67, and they were joined by Adam Scott.
■ Soccer
Bucharest derby abandoned
Steaua Bucharest could be handed an unexpected Romanian league win after a derby against city rivals Rapid was ended early by the referee on Thursday when he was struck on the head. Hosts Rapid were leading 1-0 after a 68th minute opener but the match was stopped only minutes later when referee Alexandru Deaconu brought his hands up to his head after being apparently struck by an object. Deaconu went to the touchline to speak to one match official, and re-emerged saying that the match would be stopped if any more missiles hit the pitch. As he walked back to the center circle another object flew past, forcing the referee's decision to end the match in the 73rd minute and handing Steaua a possible three points.
■ Soccer
Lyon fined over laser pen
UEFA fined French champion Lyon US$5,000 on Thursday because a fan aimed a laser pen at Manchester United player Cristiano Ronaldo during a match. Television replays showed a circle of bright, green light shining on the Portugal international during the first half of United's Champions League game at Stade Gerland on Feb. 20. The fine was imposed for "incidents of an unsporting nature," UEFA said in a statement. Manchester United staff reported the laser pen being directed from the stands before and during the match. A UEFA delegate and the match referee submitted files to the European governing body's control and disciplinary committee, which gave its verdict on Thursday. There was no suggestion Ronaldo's health could have been affected.
■ Cricket
Jayawardena talks positive
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena is confident his team's improved form away from home will provide the momentum for his country's first Test series victory in the Caribbean when they start a two Test series today in Guyana. "We've been competing really well away from home, which has been an issue for a number of years for us," Jayawardena said on Thursday. "We've been dominating at home but away from home we have started winning matches. We've been very consistent." Sri Lanka, ranked as the No. 3 team in Test cricket, toured the West Indies in 1997 and 2003 and lost each two-Test series 1-0. Jayawardena said that a stronger mental approach has helped turn around his team's record on foreign soil. "It's a lot to do with mental preparation. I think home conditions, we are very comfortable with, we're used to. But when we went away from home, we found it difficult settling into those kind of conditions," Jayawardena said. "But the last three, four or five years I think we've settled nicely, fought very well and competed with the opposition.
BUMRAH WATCH: Captain Jasprit Bumrah left the SCG for scans for back spasms and although he returned to the ground, there was no word on if he would play Rishabh Pant’s blistering counterattack yesterday capped a chaotic second day of the fifth and final Test between Australia and India, with 15 wickets falling and the star bowler of the series leaving the Sydney Cricket Ground with an ambulance escort. Yet the Border-Gavaskar trophy still remains very much in the balance as India reached 141-6, holding a 145-run lead over Australia with three days remaining. “Low-scoring games like this, it just heightens the pressure within it, so long way still to go,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. “There’s gonna be plenty of cricket, so we’ll see what happens.” Australia were bowled out for
Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan yesterday dumped defending champions Germany out of the United Cup with world No. 2 Alexander Zverev sidelined by an arm injury barely a week away from the Australian Open. The upset in Perth sent the Kazakhs into the semi-finals of the 18-nation tournament. In Sydney, women’s world No. 2 Iga Swiatek led Poland into the last eight by winning a rematch of her 2023 French Open final against Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic. Britain also progressed to the quarter-finals with Katie Boulter’s dominant 6-2, 6-1 victory over Australia’s Olivia Gadecki enough to guarantee they won their group. The US and
HAT-TRICK PREP: World No. 1 Sabalenka clinched her first win of the season, as she aims to become the first woman in 20 years to win three Australian Opens in succession Coco Gauff, Jasmine Paolini and Taylor Fritz yesterday all clocked impressive wins as tennis powerhouses Italy and the US surged into the quarter-finals of the mixed-team United Cup. World No. 3 Gauff swept past Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-4, 6-2 to avenge a loss at the Paris Olympics, while Fritz took care of Borna Coric 6-3, 6-2 in searing Perth heat. That was enough to put the Americans — last year’s winners — into a last-eight clash with China today, while Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan today are to meet defending champions Germany, led by Alexander Zverev, in the other Perth quarter-final. In Sydney, the in-form
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek yesterday beat Elena Rybakina in straight sets to take Poland into the final of the mixed-teams United Cup with victory over Kazakhstan. Last year’s runners-up face the US today for the title in Sydney after they beat the Czech Republic in the other semi-final. “This win makes me really proud,” Swiatek said after seeing off Rybakina 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to give Poland an unassailable 2-0 lead in the tie. It was a statement of intent from the world number two with the first major of the year to start on Jan. 12. “It is perfect preparation for the
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