Wilkinson savours his return
Rugby union: Jonny Wilkinson came through his first full game since the World Cup final with flying colours on Saturday, when Newcastle Falcons beat Pertemps Bees 46-17 in their final warm-up game before the Zurich Premiership begins this weekend. Wilkinson, the England fly half, scored 21 points and Rob Andrew, his director of rugby, said: “We knew he’d be fine. Jonny’s enjoying it because he’s been out for eight months, but I think the squad as a whole has had a good time during pre-season.”
Harlequins have signed their fifth Samoa international after a training injury to Jim Evans. The lock dislocated a shoulder on Friday and is likely to miss most of the season, so Opeta Palepoi, who played so well against England during the World Cup, has been added to the squad on a one-year deal from Orrell.
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Smart dominates
Motorcycling: Scott Smart powered to pole position for the eleventh round of the THINK! British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park today. The Hawk Kawasaki rider dominated, leading both sessions at the 2.18-mile Lincolnshire circuit and improving his lap times to a best of 1min 28.131sec. Third overall in the rankings, Smart did enough to hold off the late challenge to his supremacy from Michael Rutter, who closed to within 0.422sec to ensure a front-row start for his HM Plant Honda.
Narrow defeat
Shooting: In the first team match of the American leg of their tour in Raton, New Mexico, a Great Britain rifle team of four led by David Richards, the captain for the day, were unlucky to lose to the US Army team by a single point in the K-Bob’s Steakhouse match. Britain teams also took third, fifth and sixth places. Jon Cload dropped only one point in 450 to win the OK Weber match, the first individual event.
Boocock title
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Speedway: Eric Boocock, 59, was yesterday celebrating his first league title after a 30-year wait. The former British champion and England captain began his managerial career at Belle Vue in 1975 but never won the league. Hull, Boocock’s fifth club, clinched the Premier League crown with two matches left when they picked up a bonus point away to King’s Lynn on Saturday night and Workington lost to Berwick.
Shepherd slated
Cricket: Pakistan cricket officials and experts rounded on David Shepherd, the English umpire, yesterday after the national team’s defeat by Australia in the tri-series final in the Netherlands. Wasim Bari, the head Pakistan selector, called for Shepherd, 63, to retire after the umpire judged Inzamam-ul Haq, the captain, caught behind and Yousuf Youhana caught at bat-pad during the 17-run defeat.
Longmuir and son
Golf: Bill Longmuir, of Scotland, with his 13-year-old son Callum as caddy, claimed the Charles Church Scottish Seniors Open by a stroke from fellow Scot John Chillas and Carl Mason, of England. Longmuir recorded his second victory of the year on the European Seniors Tour with a four-under-par 68 for a total of six under par over three rounds at The Roxburghe. He is only the second Scot to win the title after David Huish in 1998.
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Hewitt on roll
Tennis: Lleyton Hewitt boosted his confidence for the US Open, which starts today, with a crushing 6-3, 6-1 win over Luis Horna, of Peru, in the ATP event in Long Island, New York, yesterday. It was the Australian’s second trophy in as many weeks after winning in Washington seven days ago. “I’ll try to keep my game together for next week and we’ll see what happens. It’s nice to put together two good weeks in a row,” Hewitt said.
Dawson damper
Cycling: Kevin Dawson’s bid to improve his time for 100 miles was blown away by high winds and rain in yesterday’s Cleveland Coureurs event. He finished as the winner in 3hr 35min 58sec but five minutes slower than his season’s best of 3hr 30min 59sec in July’s National Championship.
Marshall returns
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Swimming: Melanie Marshall returned to winning ways after her bitter experience in the Olympic Games. The 22-year-old returned to action on the final day of the British Short-Course Championships in Manchester. Marshall won the 200 metres freestyle in a time of 1min 57.21sec.