Silverstone, June 30
Germany's Nico Rosberg won a dramatic British Grand Prix for Mercedes on Sunday after one of several explosive tyre failures scuppered team mate Lewis Hamilton's hopes of home victory.

On an afternoon that also saw triple world champion Sebastian Vettel’s Red Bull break down while leading, Ferrari's Fernando Alonso boosted his title hopes with an unexpected third place. Vettel has 132 points to the Spaniard's 111 after eight of 19 races, with the German's home race at the Nuerburgring next up in a week's time.

Australian Mark Webber, who had started on the second row but plunged to 14th at the end of the first lap after a nightmare start, finished second to continue a run of Silverstone podium finishes dating back to 2009. “It's a very, very special day,” said Rosberg of his second win of the season. “With Lewis, I feel sorry for all the British fans. It would have been a great race for Lewis here in front of his home crowd. That's racing sometimes,” said Rosberg in a podium interview with 1996 champion Damon Hill.

Straight talk

“When Sebastian stopped, I won't lie. I wasn't disappointed by that one. And it was just a great race from then,” added the German, who beat Webber by 0.7 seconds after a thrilling last seven laps following the second safety car. Hamilton had started on pole, chasing his first win for Mercedes since his move from McLaren, and led for the first eight laps until the 2008 world champion's rear left tyre exploded in a flash of flailing rubber.

He nursed his bucking car around the circuit, pitted in 18th place and returned to the track 21st with his hopes of victory wrecked. It was the start of a mighty drive by the Briton, who ended the race in fourth place. “Wonderful drive, Lewis,” said team principal Ross Brawn over the team radio at the finish. “Sorry it didn't quite work out but well done.”

Tyre failures

Hamilton’s blowout was the first of five rear left failures in a race with two safety car stints — one of them caused by Vettel whose car ground to a halt on the pit straight while he was leading. “Lost the drive, lost the gearbox,” the German shouted over the radio. Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne in the Toro Rosso and Mexicans Esteban Gutierrez and Sergio Perez for Sauber and McLaren respectively also suffered tyre failures.

Sutil seventh

Germany's Adrian Sutil was seventh for Force India with Ausralian Daniel Ricciardo eighth for Toro Rosso.

Britain's Paul Di Resta was ninth for Force India, after qualifying fifth on Saturday and then being demoted to the back row of the grid when his car was found to be underweight. — Reuters

Silverstone, June 30
British Grand Prix winner Nico Rosberg breathed a sigh of relief on Sunday after Formula One stewards decided not to punish him for an alleged flag infringement that might have cost him the victory.

The German reported to them after the race with a team representative but was seen sprinting down the paddock afterwards, television crews in close pursuit, with a smile on his face. A spokesman for the governing FIA said later that Rosberg had been reprimanded for failing to slow for yellow flags through turns three to five. Rosberg, who celebrated his second win of the season, finished the chaotic race 0.7 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Australian Mark Webber.

Silverstone, June 30
His seventh place finish helped Sahara Force India gather eight valuable world championship points but driver Adrian Sutil was still left disappointed as he could not make it to the podium after running at the third position at one stage here.

Sutil was running third after beginning the race from sixth position but lost his way in the last six laps as Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton all passed him.

While Sutil picked up six points, Paul Di Resta fetched two more points after signing off at ninth places at the dramatic race, which was overshadowed by a dangerous spate of Pirelli tyre failures.

“The start of the race was looking very good because we were always planning a two-stop strategy and I was up into fourth on lap one. It was a challenge to look after the tyres and keep them going, but the main problem for me was the second safety car because the cars around me chose to pit,” Adrian said after the race.

“I stayed out and was third at the restart, but the cars behind with fresh rubber had a big advantage and were able to overtake me quite easily in the final few laps.

“It's disappointing to slip back so close to the finish, but seventh place gives us some good points so we can be happy with the result,” he added. — PTI

New Delhi, June 30
Eyeing a fourth term as the Asian Athletics Association's president, scam-tainted Suresh Kalmadi is in for a tough fight as he takes on Qatar's Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad in the elections of the continental body, which meets here for a crucial two-day Congress starting on Monday.

Kalmadi, who is out on bail after spending 10 months in jail for his alleged involvement in the Commonwealth Games scam, will preside over the Congress and seek a re-election. “But it is going to be a very tough fight and his chances are 50-50. He is not a sure-shot favourite to get a third term,” an Athletics Federation of India source said.

Kalmadi will be locked in a straight fight against Qatar Athletics Federation President Al-Hamad, who is also senior vice-president of the Asian body, on the last day of the Congress on July 2.

The biennial Congress, before the July 3-7 Asian Athletics Championships, will also be attended by IAAF president Lamine Diack. The Congress, which is the governing body of the association, consists of a Council and not more than two delegates from each member of the AAA. However, each member country will have only one vote in the elections. The Athletics Federation of India is likely to be represented by its president Adille Sumariwala and Secretary C.K. Valson. Kalmadi has been at the helm of affairs of the AAA since 2000. Though he has decided not to hold any sports post in the country, he is seeking re-election for the top job of the continental body.

Ironically, though, he will not be involved in the conduct of the Asian Championships which is being held in his home town. Kalmadi's candidature has got the backing of the AFI which said it did not want to lose a seat in AAA Council. “The AFI has forwarded the name of Kalmadi. It was the decision taken in the 2008 general body that if the IAAF allows his nomination, we should have no objection in sending his nomination,” said Sumariwala. — PTI

Kingston, June 30
West Indies throttled India as the visitors put up a below par (229/7) total in the face of a rejuvenated pace attack and a difficult pitch in the second match of the Tri-Nation One-Day International Series at Sabina Park in Kingston on Sunday. Marlon Samuels bowled a tidy spell to add to India’s woes.

Stand-in West Indies captain Kieron Pollard won the toss and put India in to bat.

His move paid off as the visitors lost quick wickets and were left struggling at 98/3 in 25.3 overs. Opener Shikhar Dhawan (11) and Virat Kohli (11) could not fire and it was left to Rohit Sharma (60) to steady the Indian ship in Caribbean waters.

Dinesh Karthik (23) got the start but could not flourish. Suresh Raina looked convincing but fell six short of a half- century.

Skipper MS Dhoni (27) was clean bowled by Tino Best. For hosts West Indies, Kemar Roach (2/41) and Darren Sammy (2/41) scalped wickets.Tino Best, Marlon Samuels also got one wicket each.

Following a convincing, six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the first match of the tournament on Friday, the Caribbean side were forced into making two changes with regular captain Dwayne Bravo ruled out with a groin strain and fast-medium bowler Ravi Rampaul sidelined by a sprained ankle. Devon Smith and Tino Best take their places in the final eleven.

Brief Scores: India: Rohit 60, Karthik 23, Dhoni 27, Roach 2/41, Sammy 2/41). — TNS

New Delhi, June 30
In a triple bonanza for India, it will host the World Twenty 20 Cup competition in 2016 and World Test Championship 2021, both for the first time, and the 50-over World Cup for the fourth time in 2023, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced in London on Saturday.

The three competitions were allotted to India by ICC at its annual conference which finalized its global events from 2015 to 2023.

According to an ICC media release, the first edition of the World Test Championship will be staged in 2017 by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in June-July 2017 while the second edition will be held in India in February-March 2021. ICC's chief executive David Richardson also put speculation to rest about ICC Champions Trophy being continued.

“The ICC Champions Trophy in England and Wales was highly acclaimed and appreciated by all. However, the principle of one pinnacle global event for each of the three formats over a four-year cycle is a good one and, as such, the ICC Board has agreed to replace the Champions Trophy with the ICC World Test Championship,” Richardson was quoted as saying in the press release.

The ECB will also host the 2019 World Cup and Cricket Australia (CA) got the right to host the 2020 World Twenty20.

The ICC Board supported the strategy of ensuring an optimum balance between the three formats of the game -- especially Test cricket -- and approved the recommendation that the full member-countries should play a minimum of 16 Tests in each four-year cycle.

In order to ensure that all ODIs played over the four-year cycle between ICC Cricket World Cups count towards a team's ranking, the ICC Board agreed to change the ODI rankings period from three years to four years. — PTI

Bastia, France, June 30
Belgian Jan Bakelants, a last-minute inclusion in the RadioShack-Leopard Tour de France roster, rode his luck to win the second stage by one second and take the overall leader's yellow jersey on Sunday.

Bakelants powered away from a six-man late breakaway group with just over one kilometre to go on the 156-km hilly ride from Bastia and crossed the line with the bunch breathing down his neck. Slovakian Peter Sagan finished second and Polish champion Michal Kwiatowski took third place. “It's the best day of my cycling career," said Bakelants.

“It's hard to believe after all the problems I had this year and the previous years." It was the first professional win for the 27-year-old Bakelants, whose previous victory came in 2008 when he claimed the much-esteemed Tour de l'Avenir.

“This year I had knee surgery and on my comeback at the Tour de Romandie (in April) I suffered from a knee inflammation,” Bakelants said. “I had to quit and could not take part in the Criterium du Dauphine (this month). But after I did well at the Tour du Luxembourg (third overall), the team took a gamble and took me to the Tour.” “He has often been injured and had a bad start to the season," RadioShack sports director Kim Andersen told reporters.

“He was happy to be on the Tour and his mission was to win the second or the third stage." After a chaotic opening day on Saturday, the peloton had a relatively quiet day in Corsica. There was some excitement as pre-race favourite Chris Froome attacked near the top of the brutal one-kilometre climb to the Cote du Salario, some 12 km from the finish.

The Briton, however, was caught and finished in the peloton with double champion Alberto Contador who looked fine after taking a tumble on Saturday. — Agencies

London, June 30
After all the shocks and spills of the opening week, top seed Serena Williams remained impregnable as she unleashed her full arsenal to move almost effortlessly into the last 16 at Wimbledon on Saturday.

A crushing 6-2 6-0 win over Japanese veteran Kimiko Date-Krumm offered a reminder that while her closest rivals in the women's game are often vulnerable to upsets, she is an immovable object at the top of the tree.

With main rivals Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka departing in the second round, Williams spoke optimistically of a new generation coming through. The fact the she was playing a 42-year-old, perhaps told a different story. “I feel like this might be the beginning of maybe the future,” she said. "Eventually there's going to have to be a shift of players."

Despite huge upsets in the men’s section, World No. 1 and top overall seed Novak Djokovic has been showing emphatic form an has stayed the course for another Grand slam title. On Saturday, he reached the fourth round with a dominating 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 28 seed Jeremy Chardy.

Mystery Men

Meanwhile, Unheralded Pole Lukasz Kubot and fellow twilight zone journeyman, Kenny de Schepper of France, capitalised on the culling of Wimbledon seeds to secure surprise fourth round spots.

Even as the tournament enters the second week contrasting messages are coming in. It remains to be seen who it will come out in the end. Williams, considered an old-stager herself despite being 11 years younger than her opponent, never allowed Date-Krumm to gain a foothold in the match, crunching winners and firing down eight aces with her usual high levels of aggression.

The fact that the Japanese had got this far was a testament to her wiles, but without the weapons to threaten arguably the greatest athlete the women's game has ever seen, she came up well short of turning the match into a contest. The 84th-ranked Date-Krumm originally retired two years before Williams set foot on the Wimbledon grass for the first time, but is currently enjoying a late bloom in her career having returned to the court in 2008 after a 12-year break.

The spirit that helped her reach a Wimbledon semi-final in 1996 is there but the raw power now required to make an impression against the likes of Williams is missing. Date-Krumm’s serve seemed to belong to a different era and was ruthlessly dispatched as Williams took the first set in 35 minutes, breaking three times. The second set was an exercise in brutality as Williams wrapped up the match without dropping another game.

Sania-Huber advance

London, June 30
If there was ever any doubt about how the British public's attitude towards Andy Murray has changed it came before the start of play here yesterday. Murray appeared as Centre Court had never seen him before, wearing a suit and tie in the Royal Box, as the All England Club honoured the sportsmen and women who had thrilled the nation at last summer's Olympics.

There was enthusiastic acclaim for everyone, but the biggest ovation was reserved for Murray as the crowd stood to acknowledge Britain's best tennis player for three-quarters of a century. "It was a nice feeling," Murray said later, having swapped his suit jacket for a grey T-shirt. "Normally when you go out there and you are just walking out to the court, you don't really get the chance to enjoy that so much. You're obviously quite nervous and trying to concentrate on the match. Going in as a spectator is a bit different." Murray will be hoping for similar support as he embarks on what could be the biggest seven days of his life tomorrow. After a first week in which most of the biggest names in his half of the draw have fallen by the wayside, Murray now does not have to beat anyone inside the world's top 20 to reach his second successive Wimbledon final. “So long as when I get on the court everyone is behind me and I get the support going from the beginning of the matches that is all I can really ask for," Murray said. — Agencies

New York, June 30
South Korean golfer Inbee Park forged to a four-shot lead after the third round of the US Women’s Open at Sebonack Golf Club in New York on Saturday, giving her the chance to win the first three major championships of the year.

Park fired a one-under 71 in the third round, the only player in the field to post a sub-par round in red figures in difficult winds, to move to 10-under 206, four shots clear of compatriot I.K. Kim (73) at six-under 210.

England’s Jodi Ewart-Shadoff (74) appears the only other legitimate challenger at three-under with Korea’s Ryu So-Yeon (73) and American Angela Stanford (74) the only other players under par, nine off the pace at one-under in a tie for fourth.

“The wind was a bit stronger than (Friday), so the conditions were tough.” Park said. “The pin positions were tough, a lot of long irons hitting into the greens. It was just a very tough day, but I think I battled it really good out there. I had my tough times in the middle but ended up finishing very good, so I’m happy with that.”

The 24-year-old Park is keeping the dream of a grand slam alive having already won the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the LPGA Championship earlier this year.

Should she prevail she will not only claim a fourth major but will be just the second LPGA Tour player to win the first three majors in a season. — Reuters

Mumbai, June 30
In a reprieve to tennis ace Leander Paes, the Bombay High Court has dismissed a cheque bounce case filed against him by a city-based interior designer.

Justice R Chavan dismissed Mustafa Eisa's petition challenging a magistrate's order acquitting Paes in the case.

The High Court dismissed the petition as neither Eisa nor his advocates were present when the petition was scheduled for hearing on several occasions.

Eisa's complaint had alleged that two cheques worth Rs 15 lakh issued to him bounced after Paes issued stop-payment instructions to the bank. The amount was for work done by Eisa at Paes' Carter Road suburban residence. The magistrate had on September 20, 2011, dismissed Eisa's complaint and acquitted Paes as no one appeared for Eisa.

Eisa then moved the High Court saying his lawyer had sought adjournment for the first time on September 20, 2011 but the magistrate dismissed his complaint saying the parties were not obeying the court's orders and have not shown readiness to proceed further. According to Eisa, process was issued against Paes and trial had begun. Thereafter, his lawyer Ashish Gupta started cross examination. Eisa's complaint on March 24, 2008, alleged that Paes had approached him for designing his residence following which work was executed and invoices were issued from time to time.— PTI

New Delhi, June 30
Rising Indian shuttler P V Sindhu is confident of breaking into the top-10 of world rankings by the end of this year.

“I was 11 and then slipped to 12th because I didn't play a few tournaments like Singapore and Indonesia due to an injury to my left knee. I now fit and back to training and preparing well for the championship. There is still one month to go so preparing very well for that.

“My aim is by the end of this year, I would like to come into the top-10. My dream is that,” Sindhu told PTI at a function organised by Olympic Gold Quest, the sports foundation she has been associated with for the last two years. — PTI

Manchester, June 30
Tomorrow morning David Moyes will drive along a single-track road, pass through the two sets of barriers that lead to the Carrington training ground and become the manager of Manchester United.

The training ground itself did not exist when, in the bleak November of 1986, Sir Alex Ferguson was paraded at Old Trafford. The following morning would be Rio Ferdinand’s eighth birthday. The men in the brown-panelled home dressing-room have known no other voice. Ferguson has gone but his shadow remains.

Frank Clark was 49, a year younger than Moyes, when he inherited the ruins of Brian Clough’s long regime. Nottingham Forest were where Clough had found them 18 years before, in the second tier of English football. Clark had been part of the side that had won Forest’s first European Cup in 1979. His past would buy him some time with the fans but it would not help when dealing with Clough’s players.

“I can’t say it helped with the dressing-room, a footballer can be frighteningly quick to see through you if you don’t know what you are doing,” he said. “Brian was not well. He kept a very low profile and himself out of the papers, which helped a lot. But there was an air of depression around the City Ground and we needed to clear it quickly.”

It lingered. Nottingham Forest won three of their first dozen matches that season and lay 20th by the end of October. That they were promoted was perhaps down to the fact that the team were becoming recognisably Clark’s own.

“Roy Keane was determined to go and Nigel Clough could not stay because of the internal politics, but I signed six players and there was Stuart Pearce. He was the leader of that dressing-room, a tough, commanding presence, and he could have made trouble for me. In fact, he supported everything I did.

“I suppose Ferguson was the last dictator, the kind we will not see again, but in his later years Alex became a very good delegator,” added Clark. “David Moyes has something that a lot of very good managers possess, which is an unshakeable belief in themselves – even when they are wrong.”

None of those who succeeded a football dictator lasted long – Clark’s three and a half years was the longest tenure and both Manchester United and Tottenham were relegated before the ghosts of the old masters had properly cleared. Moyes might imagine his future differently as he drives through the gates.

— The Independent

Rio de Janeiro, June 30
Barcelona’s latest star signing, Neymar, has encouraged Wayne Rooney to play his football at the Camp Nou next season.

Rooney has been the subject of much speculation about an exit from Old Trafford following his request to leave the club at the end of last season. The English striker has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea and Real Madrid since.

And although the 27-year-old suffered a somewhat frustrating 2012/13 campaign, he has been described by Brazil star Neymar as someone who would fit into the Spanish champions’ side perfectly.

“The style of football Barcelona play and the level of the players we have - we are the perfect club for the top players to join,” said 21-year-old Neymar. “I have met Wayne on a few occasions and he seems a good guy but importantly, he is one of the players I admire most in the world. Wayne is one of the most gifted and technical players in the world. Of course he would improve Barcelona. He would improve any club in Europe. And on a personal level, it would be a dream to play with him.”

Mumbai, June 30
Non-profit sports foundation Olympic Gold Quest has chalked out plans to extend its support to 40 athletes by this year-end and help them train for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, according to its chief executive officer Viren Rasquinha.

“We are continuously researching for athletes for the 2016 Olympics. We have 31 of them on board and we want to take that number to at least 40 by the end of this year. Our priority sports are badminton, boxing, shooting, athletics, archery and wrestling. So we are sticking to these sports,” Rasquinha said.

Two days ago OGQ signed up two-time Olympic wrestling medallist Sushil Kumar till the Rio Games as an advisor to identify young talent. “Sushil himself approached OGQ and he was keen that we support him. As we know, he is going for his third Olympic medal and we hope that in Rio he can finally win a gold. He has come this far on his own efforts and merit,” the former India hockey captain said. — PTI

Chandigarh,June 30
Manjot and Jujhar are probably the youngest golfers on the course wherever they go but their passion and dedication for the game is the stuff legends are made of.

Regulars at the Chandigarh Golf Range, they practice as their father watches them, occasionally giving them advice or discussing a certain shot and sometimes they are even accompanied by their sister.

Their father, a farmer who markets soya products, is already travelling around with the two boys, making them participate in junior events across North India. "He played one-under-par today and last week he had an albatross at the Jaypee Greens Golf and Country Club in Greater Noida. He also participated in the junior competition held at the Chandigarh Golf Range where he was nowhere in contention after the first round, but played exceptionally well on the second day to finish ahead of the others," he said.

"The boys have been training with me for over a year now," says Mahesh, who coaches them at the Chandigarh Golf Range. "They come from Derabassi and are at the range after school and spend their afternoons practicing. They have already won 16-17 sub-junior golf tournaments."

Golf was chosen as an option as Manjot and Jujhar have an uncle who works at the Chandigarh Golf Range.

"We just saw him visit the range and he told us how he has invested all his time and effort into his kids and he spends two to three hours on the range with his boys every afternoon," says Harjinder Kang, who runs the pro shop at the range. "He slowly bought golf sets for his boys," adds Kang.

BRIEFLY

New Delhi
Sushila Chanu to lead India in Jr Women’s Hockey World Cup: Defender Sushila Chanu will lead an 18-member Indian team in the FIH Junior Women’s World Cup to be played at Monchengladbach, Germany from July 27 to August 4. Striker Rani has been named as the vice-captain of the team. India is placed in Pool C along with New Zealand, Australia and Russia. India will play their opening match against Australia on July 27 followed by games against New Zealand on July 28 and Russia on July 30.

Defenders
Squad: Goalkeepers: Sanarik Chanu, Bigan Soy:: Pinky Devi, Deep Grace Ekka, Namita Toppo, Manjit Kaur, M N Poonamma, Sushila Chanu (captain), Monika; Mid-fielders: Lily Chanu, Lilima Minz, Navjot Kaur, Vandana Kataria, Ritusha Arya; Forwards: Poonam Rani, Rani (vice-captain), Anupa Barla, Navneet Kaur.

Srinagar
Ghosh-Naik combine wins Mughal Rally: Amittrajit Ghosh with navigator Ashwin Naik today won the fourth edition of the Mughal Rally, which passes through the route used by Mughal kings to travel to Kashmir centuries ago. Amanpreet Ahluwalia with navigator Sandeep Mansukhani were runners-up and were followed by Abhishek Mishra- Sudeep Halder driver-navigator team in third position. The winning team bagged the prize money of Rs 2 lakh and the trophy while the second placed team got Rs 1.25 lakh. — Agencies

New Delhi
Eight-member karate team to participate in WKF Youth Cup: An eight-member Indian team has left for Corfu, Greece to participate in the World Karate Federation Youth Cup to be held from July 1 to 7. The Indian contingent under under the leadership of All India Karate Federation general secretary Bharat Sharma departed for Greece last night from here. Apart from Sharma, the team consists of five karatekas and two coaches. — Agencies