We Will Not Be Complacent In Final Four Games – Preko

Assistant coach Yaw Preko has said Accra Hearts of Oak will not be complacent going into the last four games of the first round of the 2015/2016 Ghana Premier League (GPL) season.

The Phobians lead the standing by a point after 11 games, and, will next play Sekondi Hasaacas at home as they seek to preserve their leadership of the table.

Further games before the first round ends, will come against Aduana Stars at Dormaa, Liberty Professionals in Accra and Dreams FC at Dawu.

And Preko says they will not be complacent going into these games as there is a lot at stake to be won by the club.

”We have some very tough games ahead of us to close the first round of the league, and will approach them with all seriousness, hoping to win all,” Preko told the club’s official newspaper, the Hearts News.

“These are games that will help define how we will approach the second half of the season, and, we intend to win them all to maintain our position on top of the table,” he added.

The Phobians will head into the Hasaacas game, one point ahead of second place Wa All Stars, and, Preko believes a win will set them up for the rest of campaign.

“We know the quality of Hasaacas, and, we will not take them lightly on Wednesday; they have lost all their away games, but, that does not mean we will have it easy,” the former Ghana international said.

“Playing against a big club like Hearts of Oak will inspire them to put out a performance worthy of note, and, we are aware of this and, have been preparing well for them,” he assured.

“It will be the same approach in the other three games after this, and, we believe we can produce the results that will keep us at the top of the ladder when the first round ends,” the deputy Ghana U-20 coach added.

“These are all difficult games, but, we trust in the quality of our boys to step-up to the table and, perform very well at anytime,” he promised.

We Will Not Be Complacent In Final Four Games – Preko

Jason Day Leads Players Championship By Four Shots

Day had four birdies, two double bogeys and a single bogey in his 73

Players Championship third-round leaderboard
-14 J Day (Aus); -10 H Matsuyama (Jpn), K Duke (US), A Cejka (Ger); -9 F Molinari (It); K Chappell (US), R Goosen (SA); -7 C Knost (US), C Tringale (US), J Blixt (Swe)
Selected others -5 R McIlroy (NI), G McDowell (NI), S Lowry (Ire); -3 A Scott (Aus); -1 R Knox (Sco); level P Casey (Eng), I Poulter (Eng); +1 J Rose (Eng)

World number one Jason Day will take a four-shot lead into the final round of the Players Championship, despite two double bogeys in a 73 in round three.

Day, 28, four-putted the sixth hole at Sawgrass on what he described as “the toughest day I’ve ever had to play”.

The Australian played the last 10 in three under to close at 14 under, with veteran Ken Duke in a group of three sharing second.

Rory McIlroy had five three-putts in a 75 to leave him nine adrift.

“There were a few pins out there that I felt were just a little too much on the edge,” Northern Ireland’s world number three said.

Day’s second round 66 gave him a tournament record-low of 129 at the halfway mark, but he said of the third round: “We were out there for nearly six hours today trying to play 18 holes. They made the course pretty much nearly unplayable.”

After a day on which Sergio Garcia six-putted the fifth hole during his round of 77, PGA Tour rules official Mark Russell said the quickness of the greens was not planned.

“What happened was just a perfect storm with the weather,” he said. “We weren’t expecting a wind all day, and humidity 30%, not a cloud in the sky. They just sped up on us.”

Recent Players Championship winners
2015: R Fowler (US) -12 (won after play-off)
2014: M Kaymer (Ger) -13
2013: T Woods (US) -13
2012: M Kuchar (US) -13
2011: KJ Choi (Kor) -13

 

Scotland’s Russell Knox had a disastrous nine on the par-three 17th, sending three balls into the water surrounding the legendary island green.

“It’s such an easy shot when you have no nerves or adrenaline,” said the 30-year-old, who posted an eight-over 80 to drop into a tie for 40th, 13 shots behind Day.

“A pro would never miss that. We should know what we’re doing. But it’s a different story once you’ve hit two in a row in the water. The green felt like it was the size of a quarter.”

Only Bob Tway, who recorded a 12 in 2005, Robert Gamez (11, 1990) and Phil Blackmar (10, 1990), have scored higher on the 17th.

Veteran Duke had no such concerns after carding six birdies in his last seven holes to surge into contention.

“A lot of Open Championships and US Opens are set up a lot harder than this,” the 47-year-old said.

“We just had some wind and the greens firmed up a little bit and got speedy.”

Irishman Shane Lowry, second at the halfway stage, dropped five shots in his first four holes and carded a 78 to slip back to five under alongside McIlroy.

BBC

Jason Day Leads Players Championship By Four Shots

Suarez Scores Four As Barcelona Return To The Top

Luis Suarez scored his second consecutive four-goal haul as Barcelona returned to the top of La Liga with victory over Sporting Gijon.

Victories for Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid earlier on Saturday had left Barca third by kick-off.

Lionel Messi’s looping header into an empty net gave Barca the lead.

Suarez made it 2-0 before Barca won three late penalties, the Uruguayan scoring two and Neymar the other, and Suarez converted Messi’s pass late on.

Sporting had Ognjen Vranjes harshly sent off for conceding the third penalty for a foul on Neymar.

Striker Suarez also scored four in Wednesday’s 8-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna.

Barca over their crisis?

At the start of April, Barcelona were nine points clear at the top of La Liga – and unbeaten in 39 games.

But losing to Real in El Clasico sparked a disastrous run of one win in six games, allowing the Madrid clubs to close the gap, while Atletico knocked them out of the Champions League.

However, 14 unanswered La Liga goals in four days have taken them to within three wins of successfully defending their title.

They are level on points with Atletico and one point above Real, with their head-to-head record meaning they will edge out either Madrid side if they finish the league equal on points.

Unstoppable Suarez?

Pichichi

Luis Suarez took control of the race for the Pichichi – the Spanish golden boot – with his second quadruple of the week.

He now leads Real’s currently injured star Cristiano Ronaldo 34-31 with three games left.

Suarez’s fellow Uruguayan Diego Forlan is the last player other than Ronaldo or Messi to win the award – back in 2008-09.

The former Liverpool striker had a hand in the opener, putting keeper Ivan Cuellar under pressure before the ball came to Messi, who headed a looping effort into the empty net from 18 yards.

Barca’s second did not come until the 63rd minute when Suarez converted Andres Iniesta’s pass – possibly from an offside position.

Suarez scored their first penalty after Roberto Canella handled Dani Alves’ cross. His hat-trick goal came from the spot after Antonio Sanabria shoved over Neymar.

Barcelona got a third penalty when Vranjes was deemed to have pushed Neymar, and was sent off for a second booking.

Out-of-form Neymar this time took the penalty, and scored down the centre, with keeper Cuellar almost keeping it out.

But Suarez still had time for his fourth when he fired home Messi’s pass via the post.

BBC

Suarez Scores Four As Barcelona Return To The Top

Four Goals Is Good But, We Can Do More - Herbert Addo

Inter Allies head coach; Herbert Addo said his side could have scored more than the four goals they recorded in their Ghana Premier League (GPL) game last Sunday at Tema.

The Tema based club beat Bechem United 4-0 at the Tema Stadium to register their second win of the campaign after going winless in their last four games.

And Coach Addo expressed satisfaction on his team’s performance but stressed that they could have done a lot more in front of goal.

“We created a lot of chances to have buried them on the day,” he said, but, praised the efforts of his charges as they registered their first win since the opening day.

Isaac Twum, Gockel Ahortor, Prince Baffoe and Ropapa Kwabena Mensah were all on the score sheet as they moved to eighth on the table with eight points. Bechem United are 14^th with seven points.

“Hopefully, we will build on this performance going into the rest of the games and I believe we will rise up to the challenge as the season wore on,” he said.

Inter Allies will next play Medeama SC in Tarkwa when the GPL resumes after the MTN FA Cup round of 32 games this weekend.

Four Goals Is Good But, We Can Do More - Herbert Addo

Novak Djokovic Into Last Four Of Miami Open

World number one Novak Djokovic extended his winning run over Tomas Berdych to 10 matches with a straight-sets win at the Miami Open.

The top seed won their quarter-final 6-3, 6-3 and will next face Belgian David Goffin.

Djokovic had treatment on his back in the second set, but asked about the issue he told BBC Sport: “No concerns, not at all.”

The 28-year-old is trying to win his sixth Miami title and third in a row.

It is three years since Berdych earned one of only two wins over Djokovic in 24 meetings – and again it was the Serb who dominated.

In blustery conditions, Djokovic broke twice in the first set and he took control of the second after Berdych followed a woeful smash with a double fault.

The only alarm came when he called the trainer, but Djokovic resumed in the same dominant form and sealed victory with another service break.

“I was trying to find the rhythm on the serve,” he said. “Evidently we both struggled with that.

“The swirly conditions on the court were quite tough. Once you toss the ball you can’t predict where it’s going to end up.

“That’s why I had a little bit of a spasm in the back but Paul from the ATP did a great job.”

Djokovic and Victoria Azarenka remain on course for the Indian Wells-Miami double, after both won in California two weeks ago.

Two-time Miami champion Azarenka, who reached the semi-finals with a 6-4 6-2 win over Britain’s Johanna Konta, will play German second seed Angelique Kerber on Thursday.

“I still feel that I’m far from my best and that’s what’s really exciting for me, to be motivated, to keep improving,” said Azarenka.

Kerber impressed in a 6-3, 6-2 defeat of American Madison Keys, setting up a rematch with Azarenka after she beat the Belarusian on her way to winning the Australian Open in January.

“She had a great start of the year, of course,” said Kerber. “She is on fire, I think, right now.”

Credit: BBC

Novak Djokovic Into Last Four Of Miami Open

Four Russian Athletes Fail Drugs Tests

Four Russian athletes have tested positive for the banned drug meldonium.

At least 16 Russian sportspeople, including tennis player Maria Sharapova, have tested positive for the substance since it was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency on 1 January.

The latest four are yet to be named.

Russia’s athletics federation is suspended from international competition for its alleged involvement in widespread doping, with a decision on potential reinstatement due in May.

Dmitry Shlyakhtin, head of the All-Russia Athletic Federation, said the latest positive tests will not “aggravate” that “complex” decision.

Russia’s international ban – which includes this summer’s Rio Olympic Games – applies only to its athletics federation and followed a Wada report last year that alleged “state-sponsored doping”.

Meldonium

Thought to improve stamina and endurance
Designed to treat ischemia and used by diabetes suffers
Banned by Wada since 1 January 2016
Featured on Wada’s watch list in 2015

Last week, Russia’s four-time breaststroke world champion Yuliya Efimova failed an out-of-competition test.

World number seven Sharapova, meanwhile, failed a drugs test at the Australian Open.

The 28-year-old said she had been taking meldonium since 2006 for health reasons.

According to Wada, a substance may be “considered” for the prohibited list if it meets two of the following three criteria:

Enhances performance
    Poses a threat to athlete health
    Violates the spirit of sport

A substance can be added to the prohibited list without first featuring on the watch list.

Credit: BBC

Four Russian Athletes Fail Drugs Tests

Four Die As "Son Grabs Gun Off Killer Dad"

A father shot dead three people before his son wrestled the gun from his hands and killed him in a Los Angeles suburb on New Year’s Eve, say police.

 

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told Sky News a 54-year-old man took a handgun and shot dead a 27-year-old man, a 48-year-old woman and a 54-year-old woman.

 

The suspect’s 33-year-old son allegedly grabbed the weapon off his father before opening fire once, killing him.

 

Sheriff’s Sgt Aura Sierra said all of the victims were staying at the home where the shooting occurred in the community of Rowland Heights.

 

Investigators are trying to determine why the father began shooting at about 8:40pm local time.

 

The 33-year-old suspect is in custody facing a charge for the murder of his father.

 

Sgt Sierra said that once the investigation is complete that charge could stand or change.

 

He was booked and held in lieu of $1m bail.

 

Why should this brave son be held in Police custody?

Four Die As "Son Grabs Gun Off Killer Dad"