Sports Digest

A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

A round-up of today's other stories in brief.

South Africa get off to a good start

CRICKET:South Africa's top order laid the foundations for a large first-innings total on the first day of the opening Test against India in Chennai.

After openers Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie both posted half-centuries, Hashim Amla remained unbeaten on 85 at the close to help guide the tourists to 304 for four. The Indians grabbed two wickets during the evening session to rein in the Proteas' early charge with Jacques Kallis (13) and Ashwell Prince (23) failing to capitalise on the top order's earlier efforts.

READ MORE

AB de Villiers (10 not out) finished the day at the crease alongside Amla, who struck 10 fours in his patient innings.

The Indian bowlers were made to toil in hot conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where they have lost just one Test in the last 23 years, with spin duo Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble claiming two wickets apiece.

 Chambers is urged to tell all

ATHLETICS:UK Sport's anti-doping chief John Scott feels disgraced sprinter Dwain Chambers owes it to athletics to come clean on all he knows about drugs cheats to help others avoid the same mistakes.

Former European 100 metres champion Chambers (29) has now returned to competitive action following his two-year suspension after testing positive for designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) in 2003.

However, despite a successful World Indoor Championships in Valencia earlier this month where he won a silver medal, Chambers remains banned from the British Olympic team - a situation the athlete's legal advisers are currently considering appealing.

While Chambers has publicly stated the reasons he turned to drugs and expressed a willingness to help the anti-doping cause, UK Sport maintain the sprinter has not yet given them chapter and verse on the controversy.

Scott, the organisation's director of drug-free sport, maintains "feelers" have been put out to the Chambers camp, but so far no positive feedback has been forthcoming.

"If Dwain is prepared to come forward and work with us, we are happy to do that," said Scott at yesterday's launch of the UK Sport testing programme ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

"Contrition is good, but we need more than that - particularly from someone who has been convicted of as serious a doping offence as Dwain.

"We certainly don't know who else was also in the know, whether there are people still in the system he worked with who have not been removed from that system. We don't know enough about the regime he pursued. This is the sort of information which is most valuable if you are trying to drive drugs out of sport.

"Yes, we need people to say 'I am sorry, I made a mistake', but that is not enough if you are expecting full reintegration."

Scott insisted: "We can offer Dwain a chance to help improve the system and stop people making the mistake he made."

O'Sullivan crashes out

SNOOKER:Ronnie O'Sullivan crashed out of the China Open yesterday. He was beaten 5-4 by Hong Kong player Marco Fu in their first-round meeting at the Beijing Sports Gymnasium.

Fu also defeated O'Sullivan in the Aberdeen Grand Prix final earlier in the season, but at 4-3 ahead the former world champion must have fancied his chances of progressing to the last-16 stage.

However, Fu dug deep to cause another upset at this week's tournament as O'Sullivan joined fellow former world champions Stephen Hendry, Steve Davis and Graeme Dott in exiting at the first hurdle. "I don't think Ronnie was totally focused, his play was casual at times," reflected a delighted Fu. "But there's nothing I can do to control that, I just had to focus on my own game."

Earlier current world champion John Higgins eventually emerged a 5-4 winner after a tense final-frame victory over Ulsterman Joe Swail.

England complete comeback

CRICKET:Michael Vaughan drew on his experience of winning the Ashes to help England complete an impressive fightback against New Zealand and claim their first overseas series victory in three years.

Facing a humiliating series defeat to New Zealand after losing the opening Test in Hamilton, Vaughan refused to panic. Instead he thought back to the summer of 2005, when England lost the first Test against Australia by 239 runs at Lord's but fought back to regain the Ashes.

"I drew back on a lot of the experience of the last few years," explained Vaughan. "Obviously against Australia we went 1-0 down and I know it's achievable to come back. Sometimes when you go 1-0 up you can become a little bit complacent and take winning for granted. We just had to make sure we had a good first day in the second Test at Wellington."

Their 121-run victory was achieved largely through a Test best bowling performance from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar, who finished with six for 126 and removed Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum in successive overs after they had forged a 104-run stand.

Bazan unimpressed by McCloskey

BOXING:Mexican light welterweight Cesar Bazan, a former world champion, has dismissed the challenge of Derry-born Paul McCloskey ahead of both men's meeting at the Letterkenny Leisure Complex in Donegal on Saturday night.

Bazan (33) a veteran of 56 fights, 46 of which he has won, arrived in Letterkenny yesterday and immediately dismissed the credentials of his opponent.

He said: "I never heard of Paul McCloskey until I was asked to fight him and I don't think I'll be hearing any more about him after this weekend either.

"I don't think there will be any doubt about the winner of this fight. I know I have the power to knock out McCloskey. I wish Paul McCloskey well in his career but he is not in my league. I have fought the best and beaten the best, McCloskey hasn't beaten anyone so far."