Barnes still leads into final round

Ricky Barnes took a one-shot lead into the final round of the US Open but it could have been so much better for the American.

Barnes shot a third-round 70 to stay at eight under par through 54 holes, one clear of compatriot Lucas Glover and five ahead of England's Ross Fisher and American David Duval as the 60-man field prepared to make a quick turnaround and head back out to get the final round under way.

As the second major of the year headed for a first 72-hole Monday finish since 1983, Barnes had threatened to set more records after shooting the lowest 36-hole total in US Open history, 132, after a 65 yesterday.

The American, playing his first full year on the PGA Tour in his seventh year as a professional, held a six-shot lead at 10 under par at the turn and was going the right way about emulating 2003 Open champion Ben Curtis in making his maiden professional victory a major success.

A long-range eagle putt at the fourth hole had sent the 28-year-old to 11 under par, the first man to move into double digits at the US Open since Jim Furyk in the third round at Olympia Fields en route to his victory in 2003.

Bogeys at the seventh and then the long and difficult par-fours at 10 and 12 as Glover birdied the 10th and 11th saw Barnes' lead slip to two shots at eight under.

Although he sank a 25-foot birdie putt at 17, he gave the shot back at the last, producing a great shot out of thick greenside rough only to miss from five feet.

Fisher finished strongly, the Englishman sinking a 10-foot birdie putt at 18 for a 69 to move to three under ahead of the final round, which will see him play with Duval, who also closed with a birdie for a 70 to join him in a tie for third.

"It's still a new experience for me," Fisher said. "It's the US Open, it's a major.

"So any time you can put yourself into contention and turn around and look at that leaderboard and see your name there, you're doing something right.

"So fingers crossed, I can continue to do that for the rest of the evening and hopefully when we get back out there tomorrow and keep my name on that leaderboard, and who knows, try and climb up it a little bit higher."

Canada's Mike Weir fell back to two under with a 74, where he was met coming the other way by American duo Hunter Mahan, with a 68, and world number two Phil Mickelson, who delighted his big following of fans by sinking a 38-foot birdie putt at the 18th for a 69.

Two-time US Open winner Retief Goosen shot a second 68 in a row and Bubba Watson carded a 67 for both to get to one under, with Sweden's Peter Hanson and Americans Sean O'Hair and Todd Hamilton.

One shot further back was Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, who returned to form after a second-round 72 with his second 69 of the week.

Defending champion Tiger Woods began his day 11 shots behind Barnes's overnight lead and bogeyed the 14th, his fifth of the day, to fall 14 shots off the pace.

Woods made amends to the delight of his huge gallery when he chipped in from the rough at the par-three 17th, his eighth, and the world number one sent down back to back birdies at his 12th and 13th holes to reach one over.

Oliver Wilson shot a 71 to end the third round at one over for the tournament and Sergio Garcia of Spain went over par for the first time all week when he shot a 72, while Lee Westwood's US Open dreams took a knock when the Bethpage Black course bit back at the Englishman.

Westwood had shot a second-round 66 to get to two under at the halfway stage and two more birdies in his third round had him at four under after four holes.

But five bogeys and a double bogey around a birdie at the eighth saw Westwood fall back to two over after a 74.

Rory McIlroy shot a two-over 72 to leave him at four over also and Ian Poulter had dropped a shot to five over after 15 holes.

More heavy rain had fallen at Bethpage Black overnight, saturating an already drenched course which had flooded on many greens and fairways on Saturday evening, bringing play to a premature end with the third round only just having got under way.

That led tournament officials from the United States Golf Association to suspend play for the day and with the storms continuing through the night, and a further three-quarters of an inch of rain landing on the Black course, officials decided to delay play until noon (5pm BST), pushing fourth-round play back into Monday for the first time in 26 years.

Having managed to get the final round started before nightfall, USGA officials were confident of finally getting the tournament finished on Monday, providing they avoided further stoppages.

Karim Benzema in no hurry to quit Lyon for Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson has been warned to expect a 12-month wait to sign Lyon forward Karim Benzema, despite the French club admitting that they could be forced to sell the £25 million-rated player because of Manchester United's financial power.

United manager Ferguson is ready to increase his efforts to sign the 21 year-old following Carlos Tevez's decision to reject the offer of a five-year contract to stay at Old Trafford, with sources on Sunday indicating that Manchester City were still thought to be leading the race for the Argentine's signature.

Tevez's departure, coupled with the impending £80 million sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, has left United needing to replace two forwards who contributed 41 goals between them last season.

Benzema, a France international with a proven pedigree in the Champions League, has been identified by Ferguson as a key target.

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has admitted that a "tsunami of money" could force the French club's hand and sporting director Bernard Lacombe claimed over the weekend that United have the financial muscle to prise Benzema from Stade Gerland.

But the player's agent, Karim Djaziri, has warned Ferguson that he faces a battle to persuade the Frenchman to move to Old Trafford this summer after admitting that Benzema is reluctant to leave Lyon before next year's World Cup.

"Karim is on holiday at the moment and he is not thinking of moving," he said. "He wants to stay in France for another year so that he can prepare for the World Cup and I think that Sir Alex knows this. Perhaps he wants to make an offer to Lyon. If that happens, then Karim will think about it, but as things stand, Karim wants to stay with Lyon for another year."

When Paul Ince, Mark Hughes and Andrei Kanchelskis disappeared through the Old Trafford exit door during the summer of 1995, a Manchester Evening News phone poll asking "Should Fergie be sacked?" resulted in 56 per cent of respondents answering "yes".

Not only had Ferguson lost three hugely influential and popular players, his critics among the club's supporters suggested he had also "lost the plot" with his plan to replace them with untried youngsters by the name of Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes and David Beckham.

It was a traumatic summer for Ferguson, but he had a plan and it worked spectacularly with United's golden generation ending the 1995-96 season as Double winners.

Fourteen years on, with Tevez choosing to follow Ronaldo out of the club, Ferguson now faces a comparable challenge. He has lost two A-list performers and he has to fill the void. Finding a like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo will be impossible. Real Madrid have agreed to spend a world record £80 million to secure his services because he is a one-off.

Antonio Valencia has been identified by Ferguson as the next best thing, though, and a £17 million deal for Wigan's Ecuadorean winger is likely to be completed once Ronaldo rubber-stamps his move to Spain.

For all of Benzema's potential, reputation and Champions League experience, however, he lacks the fear factor that Tevez and Ronaldo, in particular, held over opponents at the highest level.

Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda are bright prospects, but neither is ready to emulate the feats of Beckham, Butt and Scholes 14 years ago.

Kaka has gone to Madrid, signing Fernando Torres is pure fantasy and Samuel Eto'o's likely involvement with Cameroon in January's African Cup of Nations rules him out.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is available at Inter Milan, but his reputation on the continent has rarely been backed up against English opposition.

Germany are the champions

Germany have won the Standard Charted Bank FIH Men's Junior World Cup after a 3-1 win over the Netherlands.

The Germans had to come back from 1-0 down to beat their neighbours at the Johor Bahru Hockey Stadium in Taman Daya to become the 2009 champions. It was their record fifth triumph in this tournament following wins in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1993.

Netherlands took the lead in the 20th minute after Mink van der Weerden's penalty corner. It was his 13th goal in this tournament.

Germany came back strongly and they equalised in the 24th minute after Marco Miltkau's shot was deflected into the Dutch net.

Before Netherlands' goal, both side had started the game cautiously and it was just like a chess match.

After going in level at half-time, it was Germany who looked the hungrier of the two sides. And it was no surprise when they went ahead in the 56th minute through Florian Fuchs who took advantage of a mix-up in the Netherlands defence.

The Dutch were soon 3-1 behind when Jan Fleckhaus again took advantage of uncertainty in the Netherlands defence to slot the ball home.

There was still time for Netherlands to pull a goal back but the German defence stood firm and held on to a famous victory.

SPECIAL AWARDS

Man of the match: Floran Fuchs (GER)

Top-scorer: Mink van der Weerden (NED)

Best GK: Niklas Sakowsky (GER)

Player of the tournament: Simon Child (NZL)

Fairplay Award: Germany

Fabian Cancellara digs deep to win Tour of Switzerland

Fabian Cancellara won the nine-day Tour of Switzerland on Sunday after an impressive performance in the final 39km individual time trial in his home town of Berne.

It was a first triumph in a major stage-race for Cancellara, more noted as a one-day specialist and time trialist.

The Swiss started the day four seconds behind Tadej Valjavec, of Slovenia, but raced away to victory in just under 46 minutes with Germany's Tony Martin second.

In the overall standings that meant Cancellara had 2min 02sec to spare over Martin. Valjavec slipped to seventh at 3-45.

The winner said: "I had to really go deep and hurt myself on the uphill finishes in the last few days because I'm not a climber.

"Thanks to some vital help from my team-mates I managed to limit my losses and set up my shot at overall victory."

"It was great to win in the final time trial like that and great to seal victory at home in front of my family and thousands of people who support me."

Cancellara's next objective is the opening time trial stage at the Tour de France, which he has won twice. He said: "I'd love to try and win the Tour de France one day but I'm not ready yet and this year's race is very hilly."

Brazil and Kaka humiliate Italy

Inspired by Kaka and Robinho, Brazil thrashed the world champions Italy, scoring three goals in an eight-minutes burst before the break, handing Marcello Lippi's team a humiliating early exit from the Confederations Cup in front of the watching Fabio Capello. The England manager will have added Brazil to Spain as a team to avoid here next summer.

Dunga's team beat Italy 2-0 in a compellingly competitive friendly at Wembley in February but this was a victory of quite different order. Brazil could have been three goals up before the scoring started, Luis Fabiano striking twice within three minutes before Liverpool's Andrea Dossena made it three with an own goal.

Brazil will now meet the hosts, South Africa, in their semi-final at Ellis Park on Thursday, while the United States, who surprisingly beat Egypt 3-0 in Rustenburg, play Spain in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. Italy, though, go home chastened, beaten by Egypt and outclassed by Brazil. This is no major tournament but Italy came here with a strong team and the intention to compete. National pride has been dented and there will be much recrimination in Rome and Milan this morning.

Brazil swamped their opponents in the opening 20 minutes, wave after wave of attack washing over a desperate Italian defence. Fabio Cannavro's mistake almost gifted Brazil the lead after just seven minutes as Luis Fabiano seized on the Italy captain's mistake to slot in Ramires. The exciting Benfica forward, starting after an excellent performance against the United States in their last game, sent Gianluigi Buffon the wrong way but could only hit the outside of the post.

Italy's defence has come in for some heavy criticism back home and they continued to make basic errors. Gianluca Zambrotta inexplicably ducked under one cross from the right that allowed Robinho to pick up the ball and lay it off for Kaka. Real Madrid's new playmaker could not squeeze his shot through the mass of bodies in front of him though.

The yellow-shirted siege continued remorselessly. Kaka chipped the ball into the box for Fabiano and the Sevilla striker turned brilliantly only to be eased off the ball by Giorgio Chiellini. Fabiano was denied again moments later as Kaka slid him in behind a static Italian back four. Buffon showed his class by rushing out and smothering the ball just ahead of Fabiano.

Italy made sporadic sallies but none that discomfited the Brazilian defence. Dunga's side even took the loss of Juan, through injury, in their stride, sending on the gangling Luisao in his place.

The pressure on the Italy goal was becoming intolerable. Lucio – that's right the giant Bayern Munich centre back – dropped a shoulder in the box and beat Vincenzo Iaquinta and his low cross came off Daniele de Rossi and hit the far post. Robinho dallied a second too long and Buffon put it behind. From the ensuing corner Lucio's volley was superbly blocked by Buffon and Felipe Melo hit the follow up over.

Then, with 37 minutes played, Italy's fragile defence finally crumbled. Maicon, selected ahead of Dani Alves, cut in from the right and mis-hit his shot but Fabiano took it expertly with his left and slotted past Buffon with his right. Ironic that it took a Brazilian mistake rather than an Italian one to give Dunga's side the lead.

With that goal, Marcelo Lippi's team seemed to fold. The Italy coach sent on Giuseppe Rossi in place of Iaquinta to give Italy two up front and to try and get a any kind of grip on the game in the middle of the field. It didn't work.

Robinho was evidently enjoying himself and he was integral to the third and the fourth, coming within two minutes of each other just before half-time. The Manchester City winger had the Italian's back-pedalling when he passed to Kaka, overlapping on his left. Kaka returned the ball to Robinho who impudently dummied it, allowing Fabiano the freedom to poke in his second.

Rossi, the substituted, was then in caught in possession by Kaka from an Italy short corner and the Brazil playmaker sent Robinho sprinting clear over the halfway line. Robinho saw Ramires making excellent ground down the right and tried to square the ball across to him but Andrea Dossena, trying to block, inadvertently steered the ball into his own net. It was a rout, pure and simple.

There was a little more composure from Italy after the break, presumably with some fairly chastening Lippi invective still resonating in their ears. Still it only took a few minutes for Chiellini to get booked for tripping Fabiano and their ambition seemed limited to preventing the concession of further humiliating goals.

There were glimmers of threat from Italy as Brazil began to relax. Simone Pepe, who had come on for the ineffective Riccardo Montolivio at the break made a hash of a good far post chance while Rossi's effort from range caught Julio Cesar momentarily off guard. Alberto Gilardino, another substitute, did not get enough pace on a near-post effort from Dossena's cross.

With 20 minutes left, Kaka gave them an unnecessary reminder of how swiftly Brazil are capable of striking, squeezing a shot from just past the post from range after Robinho had engaged in another mesmeric dribble in the Italian box.

With the United States thrashing Egypt in Rustenburg, the Italians needed a goal to edge into the semi-finals. They came very close left after De Rossi slipped in Pepe with Julio Cesar out of position but the Inter goalkeeper recovered well to block. De Rossi went close himself in stoppage time, but with the final whistle, Italian elimination was confirmed.

Egypt 0-3 United States

The US qualified for the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup with their victory over Egypt seeing them through to the last four.

The States had lost their two previous games in South Africa and needed a win, a Brazil victory and a six-goal swing over Italy to advance.

And that is exactly what happened as Bob Bradley's men pulled off the unthinkable.

Egypt, who beat Italy last time out and pushed Brazil close in their opener, were second best throughout and had no answer to goals from Charlie Davies, Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey.

The win meant the US, Italy and Egypt all finished on three points, well behind Brazil on nine. Egypt's goal difference was minus three, ruling them out, while Italy and the US finished on minus two but the States went through by virtue of scoring one more goal.

Egypt threatened first in Rustenburg, Ahmed Abdelghani finding space on the edge of the area - but his left-foot shot was sliced horribly wide.

After looking lethargic in the early stages, the States then came to life, Bradley lashing in a shot which brought a fine, one-handed save from Egypt keeper and captain Essam El Hadary.

Landon Donovan ought to have done better for the US after 16 minutes when he burst into the box but, instead of testing El Hadary, he opted to cross for Jozy Altidore but the pass was wayward and Egypt cleared.

The Americans took the lead after 21 minutes with El Hadary ruining his earlier good work with a calamitous gaffe.

He spilled Altidore's cross and following a goalmouth scramble, Davies turned the ball back across goal but it struck the prone goalkeeper on the head and went into the net.

Donovan again failed to find an end product when he wriggled through, El Hadary this time emerging with credit by standing firm as the Los Angeles Galaxy forward tried to round him.

Egypt finally offered a threat at the other end after 31 minutes with USA keeper Brad Guzan forced into a fine save to deny Mohamed Aboutrika.

Guzan was beaten seven minutes later by Hosni Abd Rabbou's 30-yard piledriver but the ball clipped the bar on its way over.

The USA appeared to have a valid claim for a penalty after 51 minutes when, following a break led by Oguchi Onyewu, the ball fell for Altidore and his powerful shot was blocked on the line by a combination of Hani Said's leg and arm.

El Hadary was called into action again four minutes later to turn away Bradley's drive from the edge of the box.

The Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder, the son of coach Bob, did find the back of the net after 63 minutes, though, slotting home from 12 yards after playing a clever one-two with Donovan.

The States, who qualified for the South Africa tournament by winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, added a crucial third after 71 minutes, Fulham's Dempsey nodding in Jonathan Spector's deep cross.

A shell-shocked Egypt side could have saved themselves as one goal would have been enough to see them through but the best they could muster was a late header from Wael Gomaa which flew just over.

Wimbledon 2009: losing to Rafael Nadal was the impetus behind Andy Murray's fitness

Andy Murray has revealed how last year's Wimbledon exit at the hands of Rafael Nadal turned him into one of the fittest players in the world.

Murray had already made great strides with his fitness by the time he faced Nadal in the quarter-finals 12 months ago, but was left in no doubt there was still more hard work to be done.

Nadal powered his way to a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory on Centre Court and sent Murray scampering to Miami to put in long hours in the gym and on the track.

That decision paid huge dividends, with Murray going on to win his first Masters series title in Cincinnati and reach his first grand slam final at the US Open.

"Beating Richard Gasquet in the fourth round last year was a great match to be involved in, but I lost to Nadal comfortably in the next round," Murray said. "I actually went away for three or four weeks after that and trained really, really hard over in the States, down in Miami in really warm conditions.

"I realised that I was in good shape then, but I lost to someone like Rafa, who's probably one of the best athletes to ever play tennis (and) I needed to improve that side of my game.

"It was after Wimbledon I pushed on. I just learnt a lot from the loss to Rafa. I realised I needed to get fitter and stronger. I went away and worked on it."

Murray comes into Wimbledon as one of the favourites for the title, especially with Nadal out through injury and after winning his first tournament on grass at Queen's Club earlier this month. But although that means he has already managed something Tim Henman never managed in his entire career, the Scot believes his run to the US Open final is more significant.

"The US Open was much bigger than winning at Queen's, just because it's the first time I'd played seven matches in two weeks," added Murray. It's the first time I'd been the whole way in a grand slam. I played a lot of tennis that tournament.

"I had a few long matches early in the tournament and had to deal with things I'd never been through before, rain delays and semis switching courts.

"It's the first time I'd beaten the number one in the world in a slam and that gave me a lot of confidence, knowing that physically I was able to get to the final match of a slam.

"It's just a matter of playing your best tennis when you get there, which I didn't necessarily do in the final there. But I'll definitely have learnt more from that than at Queen's."

Murray faces American Robert Kendrick in the first round on Tuesday, a player he has beaten all three times they have met, including a 6-0 6-0 win on grass in Rhode Island in 2006.

Kendrick has only won one set against Murray - in the first round of the US Open later that year - and it would be a major upset if Murray fell at the first hurdle in SW19.

Alistair Brownlee leads ITU World Championship Series after Washington win

Great Britain’s Alistair Brownlee followed up his season opening victory in Madrid to claim a second straight Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series win in Washington to put him top of the rankings three races in to the eight race series.

Brownlee’s victory sees him displace Russia’s Dmitry Polyansky who won yesterday’s European Under 23 Championships in Italy. Australia’s Brad Kahlefeldt holds onto second ahead of compatriot Courtney Atkinson in third.

Fellow Briton Will Clarke put on another strong showing to claim a top ten finish in a competitive field.

Brownlee was within the thick of the action from the very start as he helped to form a strong swim pack with 2008 World Champion Javier Gomez, Germany’s Maik Petzold and the strong American pair of Andy Potts and Hunter Kemper.

They managed to instigate a break away which carried onto the cycle, as Germany’s Olympic champion, Jan Frodeno, was frustratingly left just out of the action.

The lead pack of five were pegged at 40 seconds for much of the 40km cycle, however, in the final couple of laps around the capital the chasers slackened the pace and allowed the leaders to pull out to an unassailable two minute advantage by second transition.

Brownlee tried to utilise the same tactics that took him to victory in Madrid as he surged hard to open up an early lead on the run. However both Gomez and Petzold dug deep to reign him back in as the Americans were dropped.

The three Europeans proceeded to tussle with each other until the final 2.5km lap when Brownlee made his decisive move, pulling away from Gomez late on to

“It was great to have another good result at a world championship race,” said Brownlee.

“The venue here in Washington DC is fantastic; it’s rare to get the chance to race in a setting like this, it was pretty amazing. It was a hard race, a windy bike and I really had to push on the run to get rid of the other guys.

“I kept looking behind me on the run and they were still there, and finally on the last lap they weren’t.”

2009 Washington DC Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship:

Gold - Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 1:48:58
Silver - Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:49:11 +0:13
Bronze - Maik Petzold (GER) 1:49:24 +0:26
4th - Andy Potts (USA) 1:49:51 +0:53
5th - Hunter Kemper (USA) 1:50:24 +1:26
6th - Jan Frodeno (GER) 1:50:32 +1:34
7th - Laurent Vidal (FRA) 1:50:36 +1:38
8th - Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:50:41 +1:43
9th - Steffen Justus (GER) 1:50:52 +1:54
10th - Will Clarke (GBR) 1:50:59 +2:01

2009 Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Rankings (after race three of eight):

1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 1600pts
2. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 1536pts
3. Courtney Atkinson (AUS) 1437pts
4. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1425pts
5. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1372pts

St Helens make history as Bradford Bulls are crushed

History was made at Odsal as St Helens marched to their 16th successive away win to break Bradford's record of 15 set in 1997 after a 44-18 demolition of the Bulls.

St Helens coach Mick Potter singled out James Roby and Maurie Fa'asavalu for special praise.

Saints opened the scoring inside the second minute through Francis Meli but they soon found themselves on the back foot as the Bulls conjured a spirited revival which harvested tries for Glenn Morrison and Rikki Sheriffe.

Yet the visitors, strengthened by the introduction of hooker Roby and powerhouse forwards Fa'asavalu and Tony Puletua, hit back in style. They claimed four more scores from Roby, Jon Wilkin, Chris Flannery and Kyle Eastmond to lead 28-14 at the break and never looked back thereafter.

Semi Tadulala's 63rd-minute try proved little more than consolation for Bradford as Saints ran in three late touchdowns from Fa'asavalu, Puletua and Meli to complete an impressive eight-try haul.

"We decided to change it around in the first half and it certainly paid off," Potter said later.

"Robes showed how quick he is out of dummy half and can add some real value to our team off the bench.

"Maurie was also very good. He was dynamic and you wouldn't want him running at you, let me tell you. I think he enjoyed his try there at the end and it was well taken."

Potter revealed scrum-half Sean Long was missing due to a thumb injury while Wilkin suffered cramp during the game.

Bradford coach Steve McNamara reported injuries to Glenn Morrison and Julien Rinaldi which could rule both players out of Friday's derby clash against Leeds at Headingley.

Lightweights make history as GB falter in Munich

Britain's rowers fell to earth with a bump in Munich this weekend, ending the second World Cup with just one Olympic-class gold medal. New Zealand and Germany took nine of the thirteen remaining, and sent the British coaches away knowing that more training is needed.

The golden exceptions were Hester Goodsell and Sophie Hosking, who won Britain's first World Cup final in the women's lightweight double. It was the first victory of any kind in this event for 24 years, and taken with panache. The Britons put Banyoles champions Germany into second early on, and controlled the race completely, fending off a big German push without difficulty. "We knew that was coming, they did it slightly earlier today," said Goodsell. "We knew if we were level at halfway, we could win this." This is a genuinely fast combination, both of whom showed great promise as Under-23s a few years ago.

Andy Triggs Hodge and Peter Reed were disappointed by pairs silver after being soundly beaten by New Zealand, but strove not to show it. "I think we got outclassed this weekend", said Reed, "and for whatever reason, we have to improve." The New Zealanders, who will also be competing against the British duo in Henley and Lucerne, drew well clear of the pack by halfway, and Reed and Hodge had no answer for their sheer speed. "This will start to develop us better as a crew," said Hodge. "If it will be good enough in the end to beat them, only time will tell."

Alan Campbell was also disappointed with silver, beaten once again by Mahe Drysdale's raw power in mid-race. "He really went for it, gave me an awesome race," said Campbell. "But, Henley next, and that's my territory." This time, however, Campbell had no problem keeping clear of Olympic champion Olaf Tufte. The men's four and women's double were pushed into third place by stronger crews on the day, as were the men's eight. Katherine Grainger was outgunned and finished fourth. Since Team GB never slacken their training for this event, the impression was left that the crews are not as fast in absolute terms as had been expected.

For the first time in a while, the British team needed the adaptive medals to make the total look more respectable. On Saturday a new adaptive squad finished with the best results possible: three quality golds, and a silver for the new arms-only single sculler, Andy Houghton.

Paralympic champion Tom Aggar won as he has become accustomed to do, but it was the newcomers in the gold-medal crew boats – Samantha Scowen in the double, and James Roe and David Smith in the adaptive four – who were most impressive. So was Houghton, a former rugby player and new rival to Aggar who has closed to within 10 seconds of the champion after less than a year's rowing.

World Cup Regatta (Munich)

Finals - Men

Singles: 1 NZ (M Drysdale) 7-00.45; 2 GB (A Campbell) 7-03.95; 3 Norway1 7-05.82.
Doubles: 1 Germany1 6-24.87; 2 NZ 6-26.01; 3 Germany2 6-26.92; 4 GB (M Wells & S Rowbotham) 6-27.01.
Quads: 1 Croatia 6-02.21; 2 Poland 6-03.47; 3 Slovenia1 6-05.07; 4 GB (C Cousins, M Bateman, S Rowbotham, S Townsend) 6-06.32.
Pairs: 1 NZ 6-35.47; 2 GB (P Reed & A Triggs Hodge) 6-38.18; 3 Holland 6-44.42.
Fours: 1 Germany2 6-05.27; 2 Germany1 6-07.13; 3 GB1 (A Partridge, R Egington, A Gregory, M Langridge) 6-07.74.
Eights: 1 Germany 5-48.15; 2 Poland 5-48.85; 3 GB (T Wilkinson, D Ritchie , J Orme, T Burton, M Sbihi, T Solesbury, T Ransley, J Clarke, cox P Hill) 5-54.69.
Lightweight doubles: 1 NZ 6-36.24; 2 Italy 6-39.06; 3 Denmark1 6-39.86; 4 GB (R Williams & P Mattick) 6-41.06.
Lightweight fours: 1 Denmark 6-14.40; 2 Germany 6-15.97; 3 China1 6-17.09; 4 GB (C Bartley, C Boddy, S Feeney, B Hewitt) 6-17.53.

Finals - Women

Singles: 1 Czech Rep1 7-38.19; 2 NZ 7-47.04; 3 Russia 7-47.04; 4 GB (K Grainger) 7-55.19.
Doubles: 1 Poland 7-00.80; 2 Germany 7-02.40; 3 GB (A Vernon & A Bebington) 7-05.25.
Pairs: 1 NZ 7-24.58; 2 China1 7-24.67; 3 Germany1 7-27.74; 5 GB1 (O Whitlam & L Reeve) 7-31.23; 6 GB2 (A Freeman & /L Maguire) 7-35.67.
Eights: 1 Germany 6-27.73; 2 China2 6-28.27; 3 Romania 6-29.65; 5 GB (J Cook, J Farmer, T Stiller, A Knowles, O Whitlam, L Reeve, N Page, J Eddie, cox C O’Connor) 6-35.30.
Lightweight doubles: 1 GB1 (H Goodsell & S Hosking) 7-18.47; 2 Germany 7-20.77; 3 Poland2 7-20.83.

Saturday finals (non-Olympic 2km & adaptive over 1km)

Lightweight singles: 1 NZ 7-06.35; 3 GB (A Freeman-Pask) 7-08.91.
Arms & shoulders only men’s singles: 1 GB1 (T Aggar) 5-06.02; 2 GB2 (A Houghton) 5-14.36.
Trunk & arms mixed doubles: 1 GB (J Roberts & S Scowen) 4-17.67.
Legs/trunk/arms mixed coxed fours: 1 GB (V Hansford, J Roe, D Smith, N Riches, cox R Jones) 3-33.06.

British Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel claims win to chip away at Jenson Button’s lead

With all the talk of lawsuits flying around in Formula One, there may be a few nervous ticket salesmen out there this morning. The 128,000 raucous fans who packed the grandstands and corporate tents of Silverstone on Sunday forked out in the full expectation of witnessing a slice of history: ’Local favourite Jenson Button writes his name into the record books in emotional swansong for home of British motor racing,’ was how it was billed.

They left having witnessed a young German kill all sentimentality stone dead, wondering whether they had said really said goodbye to this slice of Northamptonshire after all. It was that kind of weekend.

Button’s Brawn machine, a beast in the Bosphorus two weeks before, was caught cold here, failing to get the requisite heat into its tyres to allow the Briton to challenge Red Bull, who secured their second one-two of the season.

Instead of a seventh win in eight grands prix, Button finished exactly where he had started - in sixth place - as Sebastian Vettel romped home by 15 seconds from team mate Mark Webber. Button’s Brawn team mate Rubens Barrichello was third.

"The bloody English weather,” said Button, whose lead slips to 23 points over Barrichello, with Vettel a further two points back. “However, it’s not as bad as it looks. I just wish I could have done a better job for the fans, and for myself and the team. Red Bull’s new package is a good step forward but the Nurburgring is a tighter circuit and if it’s warm we have a chance of challenging. We’ll see what happens - I don’t think Vettel will be winning by 45 secs.”

Even had his car been on song, Button would have struggled to contain Red Bull, who introduced a major upgrade to their car and were in a league of their own throughout the weekend at Silverstone.

Button needed to land an early blow to have any hope of catching the frontrunners, but instead he was boxed in by Jarno Trulli’s Toyota off the line and had dropped from sixth to ninth by turn one. Olympic gold medallists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton, watching on as guests of Brawn GP, could probably have burnt quicker rubber.

Although Button managed to snatch back eighth spot from the Ferrari of Felipe Massa, he could do no more and from then on his race was about damage limitation. Only an enterprising pit-stop strategy - which saw him stay out far longer than his rivals during the middle - allowed him to claw back a further two places and two vital points.

Up ahead, Vettel reigned supreme. Consistently one second per lap quicker, he was 20 seconds clear of Barrichello and Webber by the first stops. And Webber completed Red Bull’s perfect day by squeezing ahead of Barrichello as he emerged from his first pit-stop, which he made a lap later than the Brazilian.

It was a completely seamless race by both drivers and they completely ominated it,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “We can really mount a championship challenge from here.”

Last year’s winner Lewis Hamilton could only finish 16th, having started in 18th, although he did more than most to liven up proceedings, entertaining the crowd with some wheel-to-wheel racing with former team mate Fernando Alonso.

"Aargh, this is so frustrating,” he screamed over his team radio at one point. “I just can’t go through Turn One. The car’s hitting the ground.”

A few minutes later he had spun onto the grass under braking for Club, prompting horrified looks from Pussycat Dolls girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger back in the pits.

Still, he was sufficiently good humoured to entertain the galleries with some doughnuts - of the 360-degree spin - at the end and afterwards he made sure to thank his legions of supporters.

"The best thing about this weekend has been the fans,” he said. “They really gave me some consolation by cheering me on throughout the race. I would love to have given them a result to make them happy and my country proud.”

But this race was really about one team, and more specifically, one man. Vettel’s burgeoning reputation continues to grow although, for a man who professes not to like his Baby Schumi nickname he needs to develop his own celebration - his Michael Shumacher-esque jump on the podium is a work in progress. "The atmosphere was great. This is what I was dreaming of when I saw the first grand prix here in era of Mansell and so on. It is unreal now to think I am here, I have made it and I have won this grand prix.

"I want to thank Silverstone: it’s only my second time here, I enjoyed it so much here, the cheering was fantastic, the emotions, especially when I crossed the chequered flag, it was fantastic.”

It was certainly a cut above other soulless race venues we have seen this season; a packed house at a true race circuit. Even the celebrities were of a higher order, with Michael Carrick, Eric Cantona and Kevin Pietersen strutting their stuff on the pre-race gridwalk. When the latter was seen hob-nobbing with FIA president Max Mosley it was hard to fathom what they might be talking about. Perhaps they were sharing tips on diplomacy.

But overall this was a disappointing day for Brawn and Button. Still, perhaps he will have another chance next year.

FIA Formula 1 British Grand Prix, Silverstone, results in full:

1 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Red Bull 1hr 22mins 49.328secs,
2 Mark Webber (Aus) Red Bull 1:23:04.516,
3 Rubens Barrichello (Bra) Brawn GP 1:23:30.483,
4 Felipe Massa (Bra) Ferrari 1:23:34.371,
5 Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams 1:23:35.243,
6 Jenson Button (Gbr) Brawn GP 1:23:35.613,
7 Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1:23:57.635,
8 Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) Ferrari 1:23:58.950,
9 Timo Glock (Ger) Toyota 1:23:59.151,
10 Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Force India 1:24:00.850,
11 Kazuki Nakajima (Jpn) Williams 1:24:03.351,
12 Nelson Piquet Jr (Bra) Renault at 1 Lap,
13 Robert Kubica (Pol) BMW Sauber at 1 Lap,
14 Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault at 1 Lap,
15 Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber at 1 Lap,
16 Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) McLaren at 1 Lap,
17 Adrian Sutil (Ger) Force India at 1 Lap,
18 Sebastien Buemi (Swi) Scuderia Toro Rosso at 1 Lap

Not Classified: 19 Sebastien Bourdais (Fra) Scuderia Toro Rosso 37 Laps completed, 20 Heikki Kovalainen (Fin) McLaren 36 Laps completed

World Twenty20: Shahid Afridi powers Pakistan to final victory over Sri Lanka

Pakistan (139-2) bt Sri Lanka (138-6) by 8 wkts

Lord's was all green on Sunday. The greensward was as spectacular as ever but it was the green of Pakistani flags flying with pride at their team’s crowning as World Twenty20 champions that dominated the eye.

It is a long time since Pakistan supporters have been able to puff out their chests at the achievements of their talented but flawed cricket team. Scandals of match-fixing and ball-tampering have both eaten away at their credibility since Imran Khan’s Tigers won the 1992 World Cup.

But recently it has been the action of terrorists that has made them the outcasts of the world game. Shots fired at beaten finalists, Sri Lanka, have ultimately hurt their own players the most, knowing as they do that it will be years before another team sets foot in Pakistan.

This week it is likely the International Cricket Council will deliver a final, telling blow when they find a new home for the 2011 World Cup due to be co-hosted by Pakistan.

With such a parlous future in mind, their captain, Younus Khan, made a frank plea after the team’s momentous eight-wicket victory. “This is a message from our nation: please come to Pakistan,” he said. “I am proud of my country and this victory is very nice for all of us but to keep our youngsters interested and for the structure of our cricket we need home series.”

The Test tour by Sri Lanka, that ended at a roundabout in Lahore on March 3, was their first home Test series for 18 months. This was a team of strangers when they arrived here and it is little wonder they started so slowly losing to England and scraping through the first round on run rate over Holland.

But following defeat in the Super Eights stage against Sri Lanka, Pakistan have grown under Younus as a team culminating in a performance of nerveless cricket. Nerveless, not because of the closeness of the match, but because of the significance of victory.

There was no better expression of that focus than Shahid Afridi. His 54 off 40 balls was a story of consistent scoring, those quick ones and twos ensured pressure remained on the bowling side, combined with the odd lusty blow that is Afridi’s wont. The brainless that blends with the brilliant when Afridi is batting was absent. “Even Afridi scored singles,” joked Younus.

That Afridi only struck three sixes in this tournament speaks of a man whose form arrived slowly, but when it did he took responsibility for a team that due to its own inconsistency was constantly fighting for its life.

With the Three Ms - Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis - to contend with chasing 139 was far from straightforward. But with Kamran Akmal and the 19-year-old Shahzaib Hasan setting off at a decent trot, they had 48 off seven overs before Sanath Jayasuriya took the first wicket, Pakistan were in command. Wickets were needed by Sri Lanka and as much as they contained, Afridi and Shoaib Malik paced themselves scoring 76 off 59 balls to win in the penultimate over.

At one stage, with 36 needed off 38 balls, Sri Lanka had a chance. Afridi changed all that swinging Isuru Udana over the rope as Pakistan took 22 off the 18th over. Time for the engravers to get to work.

The defeat was hard for Kumar Sangakarra, the Sri Lankan captain. He is a statesman in cricketer’s clothing, an articulate man captaining his country through the tumult of the end of a civil war that raged for most of his life.

He had to pick up his team at Lord's when they looked beaten at 32 for four thanks to the brilliance of Abdul Razzaq’s bowling. Sangakkara almost achieved the impossible - regrouping in a Twenty20 timeframe. He played with orthodox strokes and timing to score 64 from 52 balls adding 68 with Angelo Mathews.

But Pakistan were destined for victory. The last word falls to Younus who announced his Twenty20 retirement before making one final declaration. “This final goes to Bob Woolmer (the coach who died at the 2007 World Cup). I would be a very proud man if he was alive and sitting here next to me.”

Pakistan v Sri Lanka: full scorecard

World Twenty20: England women crowned champions after victory over New Zealand

England are world champions for the second time this year. It is not often you read or hear that phrase. But as the best equipped and most talented women's team it should not have come as a huge surprise that Charlotte Edwards was showered in ticker tape and champagne at Lord's.

Her team were quite simply a class apart from the other seven nations and their dominance was summed up by a stroll to a six wicket victory in the lovely summer sunshine against New Zealand.

England are the only professional women's team and their performances over the past year (only three defeats from 15 matches) reflects the benefits they receive in terms of funding and backing from the England & Wales Cricket Board.

Investment in women's cricket plays well at Governmental level (as can be evidenced by the pre-match message of support from the Prime Minister) and the ECB have reaped dividends on the money they have ploughed into the team, several of whom are on central contracts.

"It felt a little like amateurs against the professionals," admitted Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach. "For the ECB and Chance To Shine to step forward to give the girls the opportunity to spend half their time as professionals and the other half as role models trying to get boys and girls interested in cricket is great," said Claire Taylor, the England batsman. "But there is an expectation on us now because we have that time to concentrate on our cricket."

The pressures to succeed and remain consistently dedicated to the sport does offer a downside. The money from the central contracts is not quite enough to persuade a full time professional to quit their career - Taylor continues to work as a management consultant - and it does mean certain standards have to be met. Katherine Brunt, the player of the match yesterday, took a two year break from cricket as she struggled with the demands it was placing on her.

But this is a success story for English cricket and one that continues to develop. Edwards' team were world champions before yesterday having won the 50 over version in Australia earlier this year and are expected to retain their version of the Ashes this summer. Yesterday's victory will do nothing to quell the hopes of continued success. By dismissing New Zealand for just 86, the match was over as a contest; a shame because this was the chance for women's cricket to prove it can be a spectacle on an equal footing with the men's game. The semi-final against Australia, when England chased down 164, was a match too early. "Everything we did turned to custard," said Aimee Watkins, the New Zealand captain. "I don't know what happened to us and it is difficult to describe."

Brunt swung the ball away from the right-handers and has a nice easy action. She took three for six and bowled with a hostility to match the black eye she was sporting. New Zealand were never able to recover from losing early wickets, which is more often than not a mortal blow in Twenty20. Their main batsman, Watkins, was bowled by an inswinger from Brunt and with England's other bowlers - Holly Colvin, Laura Marsh and Nicky Shaw - restricting runs New Zealand were a beaten force. They faced 59 dot balls by the 16th over and managed only 32 runs in the last five overs.

As always with limited overs cricket, the low run chase was a meticulous grind towards victory. England lost Edwards and New Zealand managed to removed a Taylor, but it was Sarah not Claire. This is her time. The Wisden Cricketer of the Year struck the winning boundary.