Community Sports

Villa aim to strengthen top four grip against Everton

THE Villa Park fixture featuring Everton in the late game tomorrow will give the home team the chance to consolidate their position in third place, and maybe even skip up to second.

Community Sports

Carrick out to stop the slide

ALL eyes will be on Manchester United interim head coach Michael Carrick today to see if he can lift the Red Devils out of the doldrums.

Football

Khairul rallies Sabah troops despite off-field issues ahead of Melaka clash

PETALING JAYA: Senior players are often called upon to steady the ship when teams are weighed down by off-field problems and Sabah goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat knows that responsibility all too well.

Football

Azwan cherishes first M’sia Cup encounter against ‘real’ Kelantan

PETALING JAYA: Brunei's veteran midfielder Azwan Ali Rahman is bracing himself for a reunion with familiar foes when Kelantan host the Malaysia Cup first leg last-16 tie at the Sultan Mohd IV Stadium in Kota Baru today.

Badminton

BWF say India meet ‘field of play’ requirements for world c’ship

PETALING JAYA: There are question marks over India's suitability as hosts for the World Championships after concerns raised by players during the ongoing Indian Open at the Indira Gandhi Sports Complex .

Hockey

Saiful seeks players with skills and size for Young Tigers

PETALING JAYA: Size does matter when it comes to finding the next generation of hockey players for junior head coach Nor Saiful Zaini.

Football

Big leap for Ceesay as Super League debut brings reality check

PETALING JAYA: Negri Sembilan winger Anuar Ceesay (pic) has admitted that the jump to the Super League has been a steep one after making his debut for the club in their 1–0 defeat to Selangor on Wednesday.

Squash

Harleein juggles books and squash in eighth junior title chase

PETALING JAYA: National junior squash star Harleein Tan is chasing an eighth National Junior Championship title next week while juggling her studies at the same time.

Golf

Liyana and Winnie make the cut in Australia

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian golfers Liyana Durisic and Winnie Ng battled tough, gusty conditions to make the weekend cut at the Women's Victorian Open in Australia.

Sports Box

The stage is for Malaysia if Indian meet venue is ‘unsafe’

IN badminton, the shuttlecock is often called a bird. At the Indian Open, several shuttlers had birds on their minds – but it was not the shuttlecock.

Diving

No more coaches from China as M’sia look elsewhere to strengthen diving

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian diving set-up have been built on Chinese coaching expertise all this while but the current scenario looks set to change soon.

Badminton

Aaron-Wooi Yik chase form as Pearly-Thinaah seek revival in New Delhi

PETALING JAYA: One pair are riding a wave of confidence while another are eager to make amends after a slow start to the year.

Tennis

Tennis-Fritz upbeat on knee rehab as Melbourne first round looms

Jan 16 (Reuters) - American Taylor ‌Fritz said his knee was "definitely improving" after weeks of rehabilitation work, as the ‌big-serving American prepares for his first-round match at the Australian Open on Sunday.

Golf

Golf-Faldo recovering after successful open-heart surgery

Jan 16 (Reuters) - ‌Six-times major winner Nick Faldo ‌is returning home after having successful ‌open-heart surgery in the United States, the 68-year-old Englishman's team said on Friday.

Other Sports

Figure skating-Britain's Gibson advocates for same-sex ice dance partnerships

SHEFFIELD, England, Jan ‌16 (Reuters) - British ice dancer Lewis Gibson says he would like to ‌see same-sex partnerships allowed on the international stage in his event, ‌adding his voice to a growing movement in favour of the change.

Other Sports

Rallying-Sixth Dakar triumph looms for Al-Attiyah after stage win

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah looked set ‌for a sixth Dakar Rally title after the Dacia driver won Friday's penultimate 12th stage in the Saudi Arabian ‌desert and extended his lead to 15 minutes with 105km remaining.

Motorsport

Motor racing-Hamilton to have new race engineer after Ferrari move Adami

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Seven-times Formula ‌One world champion Lewis Hamilton will have a new ‌race engineer talking to him over the radio this ‌season after Ferrari announced they had moved Riccardo Adami to a different role.

Other Sports

Figure skating-Estonia's Petrokina bounces back from surgery to win European title

SHEFFIELD, England, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Estonia's Niina Petrokina capped a ‌remarkable comeback by claiming her second consecutive European women's figure skating title on Friday just weeks after returning to the ice following Achilles surgery.

Football

Soccer-Arbeloa calls on Bernabeu faithful to rally behind Real Madrid after rocky week

Jan 16 (Reuters) - New Real Madrid coach ‌Alvaro Arbeloa said he understood the hurt and disappointment felt by fans after a ‌turbulent week but urged them to rally behind the team ahead of Saturday's LaLiga home ‌match against relegation-threatened Levante.

Football

Soccer-Morocco looking to end Cup of Nations heartbreak

RABAT, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Morocco will ‌aim to underline their standing as one of Africa's dominant football nations and finally end ‌a half-century of heartbreak when they take on Senegal in Sunday's Africa Cup of Nations final.