Other sports stories in  brief

Webber hopes for February return

MOTOR SPORT:Australian Formula One driver Mark Webber is hoping to recover from his broken leg in time for the first test of his Red Bull team's new car on February 10th

"I'm aiming to drive the car at the first test," the 32-year-old said.

Whether that's possible, I don't know, but if I have to wait another week or 10 days for the sake of the whole season, then I will."

Webber broke his lower right leg after a collision with a four-wheel drive vehicle while competing in his own multi-sport charity event in Tasmania at the weekend.

The Formula One season starts in Melbourne on March 29th, with major rule changes including the use of slick tyres and revised aerodynamics, and Webber said he would make sure he was in the best shape possible by then.

"At the moment there is pressure and swelling whenever I stand up. There is talk it will be like that for the next two or three weeks.

"And come the first week of February we should be on target for me to be able to walk unaided," he said.

"We'll look at how much driving I'll do early on," added the Australian, who said he took inspiration from the examples of former motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan and Italian ex-Formula One driver Alex Zanardi in overcoming serious injuries.

Plain sailing at Olympic venue

OLYMPIC GAMES:London 2012 Olympics organisers said yesterday that construction work at the sailing venue had been completed, three and a half years before the Games start. The existing sailing centre in Weymouth, in the south west of England, has undergone a €18 million upgrade, with a new 250-metre slipway, boat parking and hoist facilities.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) said the work had been completed on time and within budget, a welcome boost as other projects such as the athletes village have been hit by funding problems caused by the economic slowdown.

Ten Olympic sailing events will be held at the Weymouth site which will also stage the Paralympic sailing regatta.

"To have completed the first Olympic and Paralympic venue over three years before the start of the Games is a tremendous achievement and demonstrates the excellent progress we are making on London 2012," Olympic Minister Tessa Jowell said in a statement.

IAAF call for heavier sanction against Russians

ATHLETICS:The world governing athletics body has asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to double the two-year suspensions imposed on seven female Russian athletes for manipulating doping samples.

A statement by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) yesterday said an appeal had been filed with CAS against the decision taken by the Russian federation last month.

"The IAAF considers that the offence committed justifies a heavier sanction and requests that the athletes be declared ineligible for a period for four years," the statement said.

Twice world 1,500 metres champion Tatyana Tomashova was one of the athletes banned by the Russian Federation after IAAF testers found that DNA in samples provided in out-of-competition tests in May last year did not match with samples at the subsequent world championships.

World indoor 1,500 metres champion Yelena Soboleva, distance runners Yuliya Fomenko and Svetlana Cherkasova, European discus champion Darya Pishchalnikova, former hammer world record holder Gulfia Khanafeyeva and former world 5,000 metres champion Olga Yegorova were also banned.

Prince's 162 sees South  Africa home

CRICKET:South Africa won the second test against Bangladesh by an innings and 48 runs yesterday after three middle-order run-outs contributed to the visitors' feeble second innings of 131 all out.

Ashwell Prince was named man-of-the-match and the series after scoring a test best 162 not out in South Africa's 429 which gave the home side a platform to complete a second innings victory in the two-test series.

Bangladesh, trailing by 179 runs on the first innings, lost the key wickets of Mohammad Ashraful (21), Mehrab Hossain (0) and Raqibul Hasan (28) to direct hits by Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla and Prince respectively.

Makhaya Ntini bowled Mushfiqur Rahim (4), who shouldered arms, with the first ball after tea and Monde Zondeki then claimed two wickets in the closing stages.

Raqibul was the longest survivor, lasting for 80 minutes, while opener Tamim Iqbal scored a determined 20 before Neil McKenzie took a thrilling one-handed catch, diving full-length in the gully, to intercept a square-drive off Morne Morkel.

Mashrafe Mortaza was left not out on 23.

Jacques Kallis had sparked the collapse after lunch with a spell of intimidatory bowling that unnerved Zunaed Siddique who was caught off a short ball for 16.

Morkel then struck in his first over, before two run outs left Bangladesh reeling at 68 for five. He claimed a second wicket when a loose cut by Shakib Al Hasan (2) gave Ntini a catch on the third man boundary.

Bangladesh lost a wicket to the penultimate ball before lunch as Imrul Kayes (5) edged a back-foot defensive stroke off Ntini to first slip.

Earlier, centuries by Prince and Mark Boucher (117) were countered by left-arm spinner Shakib's six for 99 from 28 overs.

Shakib ended Prince and Mark Boucher's sixth-wicket stand of 271 an hour into the day's play and took two wickets in the next three balls, sparking a collapse in which South Africa lost their last five wickets for 24 runs.

Captain Graeme Smith said South Africa would go to Australia next week in a relaxed, confident frame of mind for the three-test series beginning in Perth on December 17th.

"Any performance under the belt is pretty key. We've had the opportunity to work on a few things in this series and to implement some things," said Smith.

"The Australian tour is one in which there will be a lot of expectation and pressure.

"But we'll build up nicely, we have a week at home now to relax and when we arrive it will be business time," added Smith.

Another Sri Lanka victory

CRICKET:Jehan Mubarak made an unbeaten 60 to guide Sri Lanka to a narrow two-wicket win over Zimbabwe yesterday, giving the visitors a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.

Zimbabwe, put in to bat, were skittled for 146 in 46.3 overs as spinner Ajantha Mendis took six for 29.

The only bright spot for the home team was an innings of 32 by all-rounder Keith Dabengwa.

Sri Lanka then slumped to 116 for seven but Mubarak stayed cool to steer his side to victory with 15 balls to spare.

The final match is also in Harare on Sunday.