Sports Digest: CricketDominant batting by AB de Villiers (92 not out) and captain Graeme Smith (79) ushered South Africa to a nine-wicket win over India in the fifth and final one-day international in Johannesburg yesterday.
South Africa had 18.4 overs to spare after the two men shared an opening partnership of 173.
India, put in to bat, totalled a mediocre 200 for nine. South Africa replied with 201 for one to clinch a 4-0 series win. The first match was washed out.
Smith, who hit seven fours and three sixes, ended a run of poor form in which he scored just one run in his previous three innings. De Villiers faced 98 balls and hit 12 fours and a six in his career-best one-day score.
Tennis: Safin clinches second Davis Cup for Russia
Marat Safin overpowered Argentine substitute Jose Acasuso 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 in a nerve-racking fifth and decisive rubber to clinch the Davis Cup title for Russia yesterday.
Russia, undefeated at home since the 1995 final, beat Argentina 3-2 to win their second Davis Cup following their triumph in 2002 in Paris.
Argentine number one David Nalbandian had overwhelmed Nikolay Davydenko 6-2, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in the first reverse singles to level the three-day final at Moscow's Olympic arena at 2-2.
In the decider, Safin secured the first set with a single break of serve but Acasuso, who replaced Juan Ignacio Chela for the reverse singles, returned the favour in the second set by breaking the former world number one in the sixth game.
The big Russian nudged ahead once again in the third set but the 24-year-old Acasuso, fought back after taking a time-out to treat his right foot at the end of game five.
Acasuso regained his composure after a short break and won a long rally after a great defensive display, hitting a shot between his legs to the delight of several hundred noisy Argentine supporters including former soccer World Cup-winning captain Diego Maradona.
Safin would not be denied, however, breaking to love in the eighth game to take the third set.
With no breaks of serve in the fourth set, Safin, urged on by former Russian President Boris Yeltsin , won a tiebreaker 7-5 to secure victory.
Rallying: Gronholm earns Ford rare Wales GB victory
Marcus Gronholm gave Ford their first victory in the British forests for 27 years yesterday as he became the most successful Finnish rally driver of all time.
Although Gronholm has only won two world championships compared to fellow countryman Tommi Makinen's four, his Wales Rally GB success was his 25th in the elite series - one more than his retired compatriot.
Gronholm overcame some niggling problems on the final day to record his seventh success in this year's World Championship, which he ended one point behind title-holder Sebastien Loeb.
The Frenchman was missing his third event in succession having broken his arm in a mountain bike accident.
The 38-year-old Gronholm went into yesterday's concluding four tests with a lead of one minute 18.8 seconds and extended it to a victory margin of 1:35.5 over Austria's Manfred Stohl.
Norway's Petter Solberg, seeking a record fifth consecutive win in this event, finished third, a further 19.7secs adrift.
Dessie Nutt and Geraldine McBride in a Porsche 911 scored a dramatic last stage victory in the Killarney Historic Rally, for their seventh win in the event, writes Bran Foley.
Ray Cunningham and Richard Hyland's Mini Cooper had led from the first stage on Saturday. Nutt cut into their lead over yesterday's stages, and with just the Shanera stage to run, trailed by two seconds.
Boxing Wright eyes Taylor
Ronald "Winky" Wright outpointed Ghanaian veteran Ike Quartey over 12 rounds on Saturday to move a step closer to a possible rematch with undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor.
Fighting in front of a hometown Tampa, Florida, crowd for the first time in 14 years, Wright threw more than 1,000 punches and scored a knockdown in the second round.
Well behind on points, Quartey made one last spirited charge for a knock-out victory in the final round with both men taking turns at landing combinations. Wright (51-3-1) staved off the threat and was awarded the contest 117-110, 117-110 and 117-109 by the judges.
Athletics: Nolan dashes through rain for Jingle Bells win
Track specialist James Nolan took to the roads yesterday and led home an entry of over 700 runners in the annual Donore Harriers Jingle Bells 5km road race, staged in Dublin's Phoenix Park.
Nolan took an early lead and despite the stormy weather conditionsfinished strongly in 15 minutes 28 seconds.
Tristan Druet from Sligo finished second in 15:34 and Aidan Bailey of Clonliffe Garriers was third in 15:43.
Sheila Coyle of Drogheda won the women's race from Louise Reilly, (Annalee AC) and Fiona McGann, (Civil Service).
Elsewhere, Donegal's Pauric McKinney ensured that Ireland's marathon team remains very much in contention to win the Europe & Oceania division of the Greatest Race on Earth marathon series.
McKinney's time of 2.40.24 in yesterday's Singapore Marathon means that Ireland are just 1 minute 22 seconds behind leaders Australia with two marathons remaining.
Prior to Singapore, Cathal O'Connell from Cork had given Ireland the lead in the division with a strong finish at altitude in the Nairobi Marathon.
Next up for Ireland will be Michael O'Connor of Galway who competes in the next month's Mumbai Marathon in India, with Gary Crossan (Letterkenny) contesting the final marathon in the series in Hong Kong in March.
