Scheffler eyes rare Masters repeat, McIlroy primed for another Grand Slam tilt

Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the practice green during a practice round at the Masters golf tournament Tuesday in Augusta, Georgia. (AP)
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Updated 08 April 2025
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Scheffler eyes rare Masters repeat, McIlroy primed for another Grand Slam tilt

  • Much of the excitement ahead of this year’s Masters revolves around Scheffler and McIlroy, the two best players in the world

AUGUSTA, Georgia: Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat at this week’s Masters where Rory McIlroy, oozing confidence after a marvelous start to the year, makes his 11th and perhaps best shot at completing the career Grand Slam.

Played amidst the blooming azaleas, towering pines and flowering dogwoods at Augusta National, the Masters may be the most anticipated of golf’s four majors and this year’s edition is no exception given a plethora of compelling storylines. Not even the absence of Tiger Woods, a five-times champion and golf’s top attraction who is recovering from surgery to repair a ruptured left Achilles tendon, can dampen enthusiasm for an event that marks the spiritual start of spring.

Much of the excitement ahead of this year’s Masters revolves around Scheffler and McIlroy, the two best players in the world, who are in great form and could deliver a final-round duel for the ages if they are both in contention on Sunday.

“I think that it sets up to be headlined by those two. I really do. I think you have to begin there,” veteran broadcaster Jim Nantz said on CBS Sports’ Masters preview call.

World No. 1 Scheffler, whose season debut was delayed by about a month after hand surgery following a December cooking accident, finished runner-up at his Masters tune-up in Houston for his third top-10 in six starts on the year.

A win for Scheffler, who first triumphed at Augusta National in 2022 and has a game that appears to be a perfect fit for the layout, would make him only the fourth golfer to retain a Masters title and first since Woods in 2001-02.

“It’s his happy place,” said Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee. “He can go there and play his normal game, and everybody can struggle to beat him. That’s just how good he is and how great a fit Augusta National is for him.”

Exclusive club

McIlroy is eager to become the sixth player to complete a career Grand Slam of golf’s four majors this week but to join that exclusive club he will need to overcome an Augusta layout that has been the site of several frustrating moments for him.

But, in a sign that this could finally be his year, McIlroy has enjoyed a superb start to the year and lifted two PGA Tour titles before April for the first time in his career — at Pebble Beach and The Players Championship.

“There’s never been a better week for him to win the Masters. Never,” said Chamblee.

Perhaps the only question mark for McIlroy is that after finishing in a share of fifth at Houston, the Northern Irishman said his right elbow had been bothering him “a little bit” and he may seek treatment. The Masters will also provide a brief respite from the ongoing divide in the sport given it will be the first time since last July’s British Open that players from the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf will compete against each other.

A dozen LIV players, including 2023 champion Jon Rahm and fan favorite Bryson DeChambeau, are among those in the field this week. Rahm had his worst-ever result at Augusta National last year as he finished in a share of 45th place but the Spaniard cannot be overlooked given he has five top-10 finishes in eight career Masters starts.

Twice major champion DeChambeau will be eager to get another crack at a Green Jacket having finished in a career-best tie for sixth place last year when he sat alone atop the first-round leaderboard and held a share of the halfway lead.

The only guarantee this week is that Augusta National will present challenges at every turn given the pristine course is known for small landing zones on speedy and undulating greens that put a premium on course management and accuracy. Twice champion Bernhard Langer, 67, is in the field for what is expected to be his final Masters, while 2009 champion Angel Cabrera returns for the first time since serving a 30-month prison sentence for domestic abuse.

The opening round is scheduled to begin on Thursday.


Chilean soccer team Colo Colo to challenge ban imposed after two teenage fans were killed

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Chilean soccer team Colo Colo to challenge ban imposed after two teenage fans were killed

“It is a hard penalty for Colo Colo and we will appeal,” team president Edmundo Valladares said
“We hope that we can overturn it, at least in part“

SANTIAGO: Chilean club Colo Colo said on Thursday they will appeal a ruling that they must play five home matches in continental competition without fans and that their supporters will be banned from the next five away matches.
South American soccer’s governing body CONMEBOL confirmed the bans Wednesday after two teenage fans were killed in a crush ahead of a Copa Libertadores match last month.
“It is a hard penalty for Colo Colo and we will appeal,” team president Edmundo Valladares said. “We hope that we can overturn it, at least in part.”
Two fans died before the start of a Copa Libertadores match between Colo Colo and Fortaleza of Brazil near Santiago’s Estadio Monumental on April 10. According to authorities, a group of fans attempted to force their way into the stadium and tore down one of the venue’s protective fences. The victims were reportedly trapped beneath them.
“Let’s also hope that this experience serves to ... make fans more aware,” Valladares added.
CONMEBOL also ruled that Fortaleza won the match 3-0 and Colo Colo must pay a fine of $80,000.
“The penalty is hard — it hurts us on the field if we lose 3-0 and the economic side also hits us. But we will present the best appeal possible,” Valladares said.
Colo Colo, the winningest club in Chile with 32 league championships, is last in its group in Copa Libertadores after the first three rounds.

Verstappen awaits birth of first child, misses Miami media day

Updated 01 May 2025
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Verstappen awaits birth of first child, misses Miami media day

  • The 27-year-old’s partner is Kelly Piquet
  • The Dutch driver is third overall after five races

MIAMI: Four times Formula One world champion Max Verstappen was withdrawn from scheduled media commitments at the Miami Grand Prix on Thursday as the Red Bull driver awaited the birth of his first child.
The 27-year-old’s partner is Kelly Piquet, daughter of Brazil’s triple world champion Nelson, who already has a daughter from a previous relationship with Russian former F1 driver Daniil Kvyat.
A team spokesman said all was well and Verstappen “will attend track tomorrow for the race weekend.”
Friday has a sole practice session ahead of sprint qualifying, with a 100km sprint race followed by regular qualifying on Saturday before Sunday’s race around the Hard Rock Stadium.
The Dutch driver is third overall after five races, 12 points behind McLaren’s Australian championship leader Oscar Piastri.


Cricket still able to accommodate old traditions and new styles

Updated 01 May 2025
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Cricket still able to accommodate old traditions and new styles

  • A generation that grew up with the rise of T20 cricket may be unaware what declaration cricket means

LONDON: In cricketing history, the exploits of Vaibhav Suryavanshi are assured of a prime place. At 14 years of age, he scored a century in 35 deliveries for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League on April 28, 2025.

The outing was only his third IPL match, having memorably hit the first ball he received on his debut for six. The century was the second-fastest in IPL history. The attack Suryavanshi plundered for 11 sixes and seven fours contained established internationals such as Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan. 

Suryavanshi has also shown his talents with a 58-ball hundred for India U-19s against Australia U-19s in an unofficial Test in Chennai last October. He has scored half-centuries at U-19 level against Sri Lanka and the UAE, as well as 71 off 42 balls for Bihar against Broda in India's domestic 50-over competition. This is good to hear in an era when T20 cricket is fast becoming cricket’s dominant format, threatening to obscure the longer formats.

It occurred to me that the generation that has grown up with the rise of T20 cricket may be unaware what declaration cricket means. Declarations are not usually a feature of short-format cricket but they are available in Test match and first-class cricket matches in which both teams can bat twice. A declaration is a strategic tool, when the batting team decides to end its innings before all players are out. There are various circumstances when this may be relevant, but it is usually to try and enforce a victory.

A common reason for declaring is to set a target for the opposition to chase. By declaring at a certain point, the captain aims to give the opposition a difficult, but achievable, target in the time remaining. This encourages the opposition to take risks while chasing the score, increasing the likelihood of them losing wickets. Several variables need to be taken into account by the captain who is considering a declaration. These include the time remaining in the match, pitch conditions — if it is deteriorating, for example — strength of the opposition, weather forecasts and the level of team support for the decision.

A recent example of a declaration that did not work out satisfactorily was that made by Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire in the County Championship. The latter were bowled out for 97 in their first innings. Nottinghamshire then amassed 367, but rather slowly at the end of the innings. Warwickshire, trailing by 274 on first innings, entered the fourth and final day on 163 for six in their second innings.

But rain, which was forecast, prevented play until 15.45, leaving Nottinghamshire’s bowlers just 36 overs to bowl out their opponents on a benign pitch. They failed to do so against some obdurate batting and were left to rue a failure to press home their advantage through an earlier declaration.

Declaration is both an art and a science. Vast amounts of data are available in today’s game to analysts to determine optimum times for declaration, but the ultimate decision rests with the captain and coach.

Three hundred years ago, it rested with the captain, based upon his assessment of prevailing conditions, perhaps with input from trusted colleagues. Declaration was the buttress of the game. It remained so, in my experience, in southern England into the early 1970s before league cricket, with its limitations or prohibition on declarations, became the norm, spreading from the north and midlands.

Throughout this period of change there has been a resistant strand. Perhaps, on reflection, not resistant but a desire to carry on an ageing tradition of declaration cricket, unaffiliated to formalised league cricket. Recently, I was able to witness an example of this. Tim Peters, a member of the cup-winning Drifters team in Chiang Mai, invited me to attend a match between the Royal Household Cricket Club and a wandering team, the Invalids, for whom he was playing.

This arcane, fascinating, part of cricket’s ecosystem, is far removed from Suryavanshi’s IPL feat. The setting was pastoral, in the shadow of Windsor Castle, adjoined by paddocks where the previous monarch’s horses pranced at will. After negotiating security, I wondered, on approaching the ground through long leafy driveways, if the match would be declaration based. Surely it would be, in time-honored tradition.

The Invalids CC is a wandering team. It has no home ground. There are a decreasing number of such fascinating clubs. The oldest one is I Zingari, founded in 1845 by a group of young aristocrats whose intention was to own no cricket ground of their own, but sought to foster and spread the spirit of amateur cricket at any country house where the hosts would provide hospitality and generosity. In recognition of this, the hosts would not be asked to provide any “professional,” paid bowlers, as was the custom at the time.        

The origins of the Invalids CC were different. It was founded in 1919 by J.C. Squire, poet, critic and editor of the London Mercury magazine. The name was given in honor of several players wounded in the First World War, while the chosen club colours, inspired by army officers’ hospital pyjamas, were hospital blue and old gold. A pair of crossed crutches was chosen as the club’s crest. In the early days, Squire assembled a team of writers, journalists and actors, whose thirst for the game exceeded their abilities.

Their opponents were mainly village sides and this is still largely the case today. Although the Royal Household ground is not a part of a village it carries a similar ambience. The club was founded in 1905 by King Edward VII. Its pavilion displays photographs and autographs of famous players, artifacts from previous matches, tours and visiting teams. One of these was the Vatican Cricket Club. In a moment of serendipity, a frame enclosed a bat signed by Pope Francis hung on the wall. It was the day of his funeral.

On the field, the match was declaration based. The Royal Household declared on 119 for nine wickets on the stroke of the cut-off time when tea was to be taken. After a fine English tea, the Invalids collapsed to 14 for four. A recovery was achieved and 35 runs were required from the last six overs, only two Invalids wickets remaining. At this point the home team adopted a field setting in which almost all fielders were on the boundary.

Those who know only of T20 cricket would have been puzzled. In that format, there is a limit on the number of boundary fielders and a stipulation that there must be a certain number of fielders within a 30-metre circle drawn from the centre of the pitch. This is a restriction that has crept into most league cricket but has been resisted by those seeking to preserve old traditions. At Windsor the old tactic worked for the home team as the remaining Invalids batters failed to outmanoeuvre the cunning field settings, losing the match by a few runs. 

The combined runs in the match amounted to 231 scored from close to 500 deliveries. The contrast with Suryavanshi’s feat is stark. Cricket has a rich and long history. At Windsor a part of that was being preserved, but societal change has created very different environment in which the game’s new history is being written by prodigies such as a 14-year-old Indian.


University Dodgeball Championship launches in 3 Saudi cities

Updated 01 May 2025
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University Dodgeball Championship launches in 3 Saudi cities

  • Scheme promotes dodgeball, supports the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in the sporting sector
  • Federation to use competition as platform for talent discovery, development

RIYADH: The Saudi Dodgeball Federation and the Saudi Federation for University Sports are launching the Men’s University Dodgeball Championship, a two-day tournament that will be held in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam starting Friday.
A strategic partnership between the two federations, the initiative aims to promote the sport of dodgeball and support the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in the sporting sector, a media statement said on Thursday.
It also aims to foster a culture of physical activity and broaden sports participation within the university community.
Dar Al Uloom University in Riyadh will host the capital’s tournament on Friday, featuring five teams: three from King Saud University and two from Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University.
Meanwhile, the Jeddah International College’s sports hall hosts four participants representing the University of Jeddah, Effat University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and Jeddah International College.
The third leg of the championship will take place on Saturday at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran, featuring teams from the Arab Open University, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, Al-Ghad College and the host university.
The university championship series represent a major step forward in expanding dodgeball’s presence in Saudi universities. It reflects the growing momentum of the sport, fueled by increasing student participation following recent awareness events.
The SDF will use the competitions as a platform for talent discovery and development, laying the groundwork for international representation and instilling a strong sports culture among college students.


Bayer Leverkusen sign highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin

Updated 01 May 2025
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Bayer Leverkusen sign highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin

  • The 19-year-old Maza, an attacking midfielder, signed a contract through June 2030
  • “Maza is currently one of the most interesting young attacking players,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said

BERLIN: Bayer Leverkusen have snapped up highly rated teenager Ibrahim Maza from second-division club Hertha Berlin in their first signing for next season.
The 19-year-old Maza, an attacking midfielder, signed a contract through June 2030, the 2024 Bundesliga champion said on Thursday.
Kicker magazine reported the clubs agreed on a transfer fee of around 12 million euros ($13.6 million) for the player.
It promises to be the start of a busy summer at Leverkusen with key players including Jonathan Tan set to leave, uncertainty over the future of star Florian Wirtz, and coach Xabi Alonso expected to leave amid links to former club Real Madrid.
Former Barcelona coach Xavi and Erik ten Hag, who was previously in charge of Manchester United, are reportedly candidates to succeed Alonso, who led unbeaten Leverkusen to a league and cup double last season.
The Berlin-born Maza became Hertha’s most promising youth player after joining the capital club’s junior ranks from local club Reinickendorfer Füchse in 2016.
Hertha were relegated from the Bundesliga in 2023 — Maza scored in the club’s last game in the division — and he became one of the team’s key attacking threats in the second division where the 1.8-meter right-footed player scored five goals and set up five more this season.
“Maza is currently one of the most interesting young attacking players,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said. “Ibrahim suits us and our style of football. He has outstanding technical skills, can dribble past defenders, and he has an eye for his teammates, which he knows how to use brilliantly.”
Maza played for Germany Under-18s through Under-20s before opting to represent Algeria. He turned down previous offers to leave Hertha and extended his contract with the club in August last year to 2027, but Hertha’s financial difficulties meant he was bound to leave sooner rather than later.
“As a Berliner, the greatest thing for me was to become a professional player at Hertha BSC and to be able to wear the (Hertha) flag on my chest in Olympiastadion,” Maza said in a Hertha statement. “I’m grateful now that the club are giving me the chance to take the next step at the highest level in Leverkusen.”
Hertha said they will give Maza “a fitting farewell” before he leaves. There are still three rounds of the second division remaining and Hertha have two games at home.