FOOTBALL
NFL debuts kick-off rule
The NFL’s new one-year trial kick-off format was debuted on Thursday in a pre-season opener halted early by a storm. The Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, ended with the Chicago Bears 21-17 winners over the Houston Texans after play was suspended with 3 minutes, 31 seconds remaining in the third quarter and did not resume. Under the new rule, kickers struck the ball at their 35-yard line while the other players lined up on the opposition 40 and 35-yard lines except for two receiving players in the reception zone between the goal line and the 20-yard line. Players are not allowed to move until the ball is touched by a receiver. If the ball hits the ground or is downed in the end zone, the receiving team take possession at their own 30-yard line. As a result, kickers must now aim to put the ball in a 20-yard landing zone rather than smash it beyond the back of the end zone. In the first half, five kick-offs under the new rule saw an average return of 20 yards, with average starting position being just beyond the 25-yard line. Former Chicago star Devin Hester was shocked that the format did not produce breakaway runbacks. “I’m surprised we’re not seeing no big runs. It’s shocking,” Hester said. “This is the first season, first game, so I’m figuring a lot of coaches are going to evaluate this game and try to figure out what they can do to utilize and get some more big plays in there.”
Photo: AFP
TENNIS
Taiwan’s Wu makes semis
Wu Fang-hsien of Taiwan on Thursday won in the women’s doubles quarter-finals at the Washington Open. Wu and partner Jiang Xinyu of China defeated Yana Sizikova and Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) on the hard courts at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center. The win earned them a match against Aldila Sutjiadi of Indonesia and Japan’s Miyu Kato at the US$2,100,230 event, with their semi-final to be played after press time last night.
RUGBY UNION
Perenara to go to Japan
All Blacks scrumhalf T.J. Perenara is to leave New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and the Wellington Hurricanes at the end of this year after signing a three-year deal with Japan League One side Black Rams Tokyo, NZR said yesterday. The 32-year-old debuted for the All Blacks in 2014 and lifted the Rugby World Cup a year later. Perenara has earned 81 Test caps over a decade and is set to play in the Rugby Championship for six Tests against Argentina, South Africa, and Australia. “I’m grateful for every opportunity in the black jersey and as long as I can I’ll keep competing and contributing to the All Blacks,” Perenara said in a statement. “It’s an exciting time to be involved with a new coaching group and the motivation to represent New Zealand is as strong now as it was when I made my debut.” New Zealand are to begin their Rugby Championship title defense with two matches against Argentina on Saturday next week and Aug. 17.
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink, but for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa
Taiwanese women’s doubles star Hsieh Su-wei and Australian teenager Maya Joint on Tuesday eased into the Eastbourne Open quarter-finals in England as Hsieh prepares for the Wimbledon Championships next week. Four-time Wimbledon women’s doubles champion Hsieh and 19-year-old Joint fired two aces and converted five of eight break points to defeat Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Poland’s Katarzyna Piter 6-3, 6-3 in 58 minutes on the grass court. Hsieh and Joint are today to face fourth seeds Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic and Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who advanced on Monday with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Quinn Gleason of the US and
BEAT THE HEAT: A brutal heat wave in the US has made cooling breaks standard. Dortmund’s coach said the weather could shape the destiny of the tournament Chelsea on Tuesday beat Esperance of Tunisia 3-0 to set up a FIFA Club World Cup last-16 tie against SL Benfica, who earlier defeated Bayern Munich 1-0, as furnace-link heat and the threat of thunder and lightning wreak havoc at the tournament. Elsewhere, minnows Auckland City claimed a memorable draw against Boca Juniors, while Los Angeles bowed out of the tournament with a stalemate against Flamengo. In Charlotte, Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal for Benfica in their Group C clash with Bayern in front of 33,287 fans, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th
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