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Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Hillsborough jury retires to consider verdicts

 
Jurors at the inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool fans at the 1989 Hillsborough disaster retired to consider their verdicts on Wednesday, over two years since the hearings began.
The jury of seven women and three men, which has been sitting since March 2014 at a purpose-built courtroom in Warrington, northwest England, will consider 14 key questions set out by coroner John Goldring.

One question concerns whether senior police officer David Duckenfield is responsible for the unlawful killing of the fans by gross negligence manslaughter, in what remains Britain's worst sporting disaster.

Addressing the jury, in front of dozens of relatives of the victims, Goldring said: "You decide the case only on the evidence you heard in court.

"Put out of your mind anything you may have read, heard or discussed about the disaster. Decide the case dispassionately on the evidence.
"Put emotion to one side. Do not make critical findings unless the facts justify them. On the other hand, do not shrink from making such findings if they do.

"You decide what evidence you accept and what evidence you reject."
The tragedy occurred on April 15, 1989 during an FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough stadium in northern England.

Seeking to alleviate a crush that had developed outside the ground at the Leppings Lane End shortly before kick-off, match commander Duckenfield opened an exit gate.

It enabled 2,000 fans to stream into the ground and they piled into the already over-full pens behind the goal at that end of the ground, causing a fatal crush.

In March last year at the hearings, Duckenfield apologised to the families of the victims after admitting to lying that fans had forced the gate open themselves.

- 'Conflicts' -
Under English law, an inquest exists solely to determine the cause of death. It cannot impose criminal sentences.
The original coroner's verdicts of accidental death were quashed in 2012 after a campaign by victims' families led to the publication of a new report into the disaster.

At the beginning of the new inquests, Goldring said that none of the victims should be blamed for their deaths.
Family members then paid emotional tributes to each of the 96 victims.

The jurors heard evidence from more than 800 witnesses on subjects including stadium safety, match planning, the events of the day, the emergency response and evidence gathering by police after the disaster.

The court then looked at each victim's final movements before medical experts and pathologists gave evidence about the circumstances of their deaths.

Goldring also told the jurors that they would have to resolve "conflicts" between the accounts of Liverpool supporters and police officers present on the day.

"As you will recall, it was suggested to many witnesses that senior officers collectively sought to present a 'false narrative' of the disaster," he said.

"The senior officers from whom we heard strongly denied that suggestion. You will need to consider this evidence because if you were to take the view there was some deliberate decision, you might think it reflected a view of the facts of the
disaster taken by the senior officers. That, of course, is a matter for you."

There is no limit on how long the jury may take to reach their conclusions.
The first report into the disaster, published by leading judge Peter Taylor in 1990, led to all-seater stadiums becoming compulsory in the English Premier League.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Azarenka wins Miami crown

 
Two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who missed much of the past two seasons with injuries, is making up for lost time, winning her third title of the year Sunday at the WTA Miami Open.
The former world number one from Belarus beat two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia 6-3, 6-2 for her third Miami hardcourt crown.

“I have so many great memories here,” said Azarenka. “It’s always a pleasure to come.”
Azarenka, who also took the trophy in 2009 and 2011, won her 20th career title and added to a 2016 trophy haul that includes Brisbane and Indian Wells, where she beat top-ranked Serena Williams in the final two weeks ago.

“I definitely had difficulties getting back with my motivation mentally but I never had any doubt about my abilities,” Azarenka said. “The most important was to get my body healthy and to go out and get to where I am today.”
Azarenka became only the third woman to sweep the Miami-Indian Wells double in the same season, after Steffi Graf in 1994 and 1996 and Kim Clijsters in 2005.
“It’s a lot of work to be able to stay in the present each day and not be distracted,” Azarenka said of her 12-0 US run.

Azarenka, 26, will jump from eighth to fifth in the world rankings on Monday, her first time in the top five since March 2014. Kuznetsova, 30, will rise from 19th to 13th.
Azarenka won her fourth meeting in a row over Kuznetsova without dropping a set to seize a 5-4 lead in the career rivalry.
Serving struggles abound

Azarenka broke five times in the first set, including the final game when Kuznetsova sent a forehand wide to surrender the set after 40 minutes.
Broken three times herself but crucially able to hold serve in the second game, Azarenka had five double faults and connected on only 48 percent of her first serves in the opening set.

“For me it was trying to find how I was going to turn it around and to be brave and accept those double faults,” Azarenka said. “It was a lot of missed serves. Once I focused on what I needed to do to make it better, it started to get better.”

Kuznetsova, while hitting 75 percent of her first serves in the match, won only 45 percent of those points and just 14 percent off her second serve.
“I don’t think we played a great game, both of us,” Kuznetsova said. “I was kind of not there with every shot I had.”
Both struggling players kicked balls at times in their first-set frustration.

“We both came to the final tired, a little bit worked out,” Kuznetsova said. “I don’t think it was unbelievable tennis. I did what I could. Vika had a confident game. She went for the shots. I think she knew if she didn’t go I’d get better in the rallies.”

In the second set, Azarenka broke at love for a 3-1 edge and denied Kuznetsova on a break point in the seventh game with her only ace of the match. She then broke for a seventh time on a backhand winner, her 23rd against only eight by Kuznetsova, to end matters after 77 minutes.

“In the second set I served better and created more opportunities,” Azarenka said. “She has good defense and it was important to break down that defense by going for my shots.”

Both players said they hoped talk the event could move Orlando, Brazil or China, which hosts seven WTA events, was premature.
“I hope it’s not going to China because there are already too many events there,” Kuznetsova said. “I would like it to stay in Miami.”

Arsenal stays in title hunt

 
Arsenal kept their slender Premier League title hopes alive with a 4-0 victory over Watford at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday that exacted some revenge for their FA Cup defeat by Quique Sanchez Flores’s side last month.
Alexis Sanchez’s fourth-minute goal set the tone for a one-sided win that was completed by Alex Iwobi’s 38th-minute effort, Hector Bellerin’s strike early in the second half and Theo Walcott’s last minute tap-in.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger had insisted before this game his side, currently in third place, could yet win the title if they won their remaining eight games.

And this victory moved them to within eight points of leaders Leicester City, 24 hours before Claudio Ranieri’s side face Southampton.
Veteran French boss Wenger had admonished Mesut Ozil earlier this week after the Germany international claimed Arsenal had “screwed up” their title challenge.

Having been clear favourites at the turn of the year, it was hard to disagree with Gunners playmaker Ozil’s contention but Wenger insisted this was no time for any of his players to allow their belief to weaken.

He knew better than anyone though that the only way to strengthen the view that Arsenal might yet challenge for the championship would be to build on their impressive victory at Everton last time out.

That win, coming in the wake of the Champions League exit at Barcelona and the FA Cup defeat by Watford, prompted as much frustration.

Nevertheless, the victory appeared to have lifted the squad and having named an unchanged line-up, Wenger saw his side make the ideal start against Watford.
Brief reprieve

With Sanchez starting on the right, Arsenal immediately threatened to open up the visitors with the Chile international delivering a teasing cross that would have presented Danny Welbeck with a routine chance to open the scoring but for a late intervention by Craig Cathcart.

Watford’s reprieve was brief, however. Moments later Iwobi picked out Sanchez and the winger rose above left-back Nathan Ake to head goalwards, finishing at the second attempt after Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes blocked the initial effort.

Watford looked like a team with little to play for and who had one eye on the upcoming FA Cup semi-final with Crystal Palace.
Having proved formidable opponents in last month’s cup tie at the Emirates, the Hornets were unable to halt the Gunners’ relentless attacking moves that should have seen Arsenal out of sight by half time.

Iwobi drew a fine save from Gomes with a curling shot moments before Welbeck’s effort was deflected wide after the striker was teed up by Ozil.
Arsenal’s second goal finally came in the 38th minute with Sanchez this time playing the role of provider, pulling a low cross back towards the penalty spot where Iwobi connected with a first time effort that beat Gomes.

Flores had seen enough and withdrew the ineffective Etienne Capoue after just 41 minutes, sending the midfielder straight down the tunnel and back to the dressing room.

The Watford manager made a further change half-time, replacing Odion Ighalo with Ikechi Anya.
Flores’s switches had little effect and three minutes after the restart Arsenal scored their third goal.

Sanchez was again involved, exchanging passes with Bellerin before delivering a cross that was cleared by Allan Nyom. The ball fell to Bellerin whose left-foot shot deflected off Sebastian Prodl past Gomes.

The game was effectively over and Arsenal understandably eased up, allowing Watford to fashion their first meaningful effort on target when Prodl’s header was cleared off the line by Nacho Monreal.

But Arsenal remained in control and rounded things off when Walcott turned home Joel Campbell’s cross.

Brathwaite fires Windies to title

 
Carlos Brathwaite hit four sixes in the first four balls of the last over as West Indies beat England by four wickets in a thrilling World T20 final at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
The winners needed 19 off the last over with Brathwaite, who is in the team mainly as a bowler, on strike and Marlon Samuels, who was unbeaten on 85, on the non-striking end, as most of the cricket world thought England had all but won their second World T20 title.
But Brathwaite had other ideas as he hit Ben Stokes for maximum in each of the first four balls to once again prove his side's 'unpredictable' tag. It was indeed Brathwaite's day as he was also the most successful bowler, picking up three wickets for only 23 to help his side restrict England to 155.
However, it was Marlon Samuels who single-handedly kept the Caribbean hopes alive, keeping on fighting at a time when his fellow batsmen played suicidal shots one after another.
The Caribbean batsmen were flirting with danger from the very beginning of their innings, as part-time bowler Joe Root, sent on by Eoin Morgan in the second over, picked up Johnson Charles and danger-man Chris Gayle in his first three balls, leaving the West Indians on five for two.
The facts that last match's heroes Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell scored zero and one respectively while skipper Darren Sammy managed only two only shows how terrific Samuels was standing against the tide. He was supported by DJ Bravo for a while in the middle, who hit a valuable 25 in 27 balls, and the rest was done by Brathwaite's 10-ball 34.
Earlier, Joe Root hit a beautiful fifty while Jos Buttler and David Willey played quick-fire cameos as England posted 155 for 9 after West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, winning the toss for the 10th straight game, sent England to bat first.
Samuel Badree baffled in-form Jason Roy in the very first ball of the innings, but his appeal for LBW was turned down. Roy was bowled in the very next delivery though, as Sammy's team took early control.
Andre Russell picked up Roy's opening partner Alex Hales in the next over and Badree struck again three overs later to leave England on 23 for 3. Root and Buttler then repaired the damage by adding 61 in the fourth wicket as the Englishmen very much returned to the game.
Brathwaite then put an end to both these batsmen's innings while Bravo also struck twice in three balls to strengthen their hold on the game.
Wiley fired 21 off 14 and Chris Jordan added 12 in the end to take England past 150.
Like Brathwaite, Bravo also bagged three wickets while Badree bragged a brace.
It could not get any better for the West Indians who also saw their female colleagues lift the women's trophy earlier on the day. And with Under-19 title also grabbed by the youth side a few months back, the Caribbean islands have every right to dream of having their glory days back.
For the time being, there is no end to their dancing to the Calypso tune.

Samuels takes a dig at Warne

 
Marlon Samuels taunted Australia spin legend Shane Warne after his unbeaten 85 set the West Indies up for a sensational World Twenty20 title triumph on Sunday.

The right-handed batsman's 66-ball knock kept the Windies in with a chance of successfully beating England's 155-9 total after openers Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle fell early for a combined five runs.

Samuels' scintillating 85 included nine boundaries and two sixes and laid the foundations for Carlos Brathwaite to dramatically hit four consecutive sixes as the Windies won with two balls to spare in Kolkata.

The 35-year-old cheekily dedicated the Windies' historic second World T20 title to Warne, who has clashed with Samuels on a number of occasions in the past.

The pair had an infamous run-in during Australia's Big Bash League in 2013 and Warne rekindled the feud when he criticised Samuels following his dismissal against India in Thursday's WT20 semi-final.

"I woke up this morning with one thing on my mind, said Samuels.

"Shane Warne has been talking continuously and all I want to say is this is for Shane Warne."

Samuels made just eight in the Windies' seven-wicket victory over India in the last-four, but his monumental innings on Sunday was reminiscent of his contribution in the final four years ago.

The West Indies won their first World T20 title in 2012 with Samuels scoring 78 against Sri Lanka in the final.

"I don't worry about semi-finals because when it comes to finals I always turn up for the team," he boasted.

Captain Morgan sends Leicester seven point clear

 
Leicester City captain Wes Morgan scored his first goal in almost a year as the Premier League title-chasers edged Southampton 1-0 on Sunday to establish a potentially decisive seven-point lead.

Tottenham Hotspur's 1-1 draw at Liverpool on Saturday had given Claudio Ranieri's men an opportunity to strengthen their grip on first place and they duly took it courtesy of Morgan's 38th-minute header.

It was Leicester's fifth 1-0 victory in six matches and left the east Midlands club needing 12 points from their final six games to claim the first top-flight title in their 132-year history.

"Everyone is expecting something more for us and we are in the cloud, but we have to keep concentrating," said Leicester manager Ranieri.
"I don't want to think about champions. I want to focus on the match. There is a chance for us to be champions this season, but we have to be professional."
Leicester were bottom of the table a year ago, but are now within sight of one of the most sensational underdog triumphs in world football history.
Meanwhile, Southampton manager Ronald Koeman, whose side remain seventh, was left to rue two penalty appeals for handball in each half that were turned away by referee Michael Oliver.
"This is a big match," Koeman said. "It is about the Premier League title and our ambitions to play in Europe.
"I don't say they don't deserve the victory, that they don't fight and have amazing spirit, but if it is a penalty and a red card, they don't win."
With chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha laying on free doughnuts and bottles of beer for home fans to mark his birthday and 'Leicester City Champions 2016' scarves for sale on the walk to the ground, the atmosphere could barely have been more festive at a sun-soaked King Power Stadium.
In a bid to counter Leicester's two-pronged strike-force of Jamie Vardy and Shinji Okazaki, Southampton deployed a back three and while the home side made the early running, the clearest opportunities of the first half fell to the visitors.
- Southampton appeal -

Their best chance saw Graziano Pelle free Sadio Mane, who rounded Kasper Schmeichel and shot, only for the ball to strike Danny Simpson's right forearm as he came across to cover the vacant goal.
Southampton appealed for a penalty, but the right-back's arm had remained close to his body so referee Oliver waved play on.
Pelle also headed over from a Cedric Soares cross, while Jose Fonte fully extended Schmeichel with a rising drive from 25 yards and Jordie Clasie shot narrowly over after outmuscling Riyad Mahrez.
But with Southampton poised to poop the party, Leicester struck, Christian Fuchs guiding a cross into the box from the left flank and Morgan outjumping Clasie to plant a captain's header inside the left-hand post.
Dusan Tadic replaced Matt Targett at half-time for Southampton, who changed to a 4-2-3-1 system, but they were almost undone within seconds of the restart, with Victor Wanyama booked for putting an arm in Vardy's face as the England striker looked to burst clear.
Just past the hour, it took a superb one-handed stop from Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster to prevent Fonte steering Danny Drinkwater's cross into his own net.
Ten minutes later Forster was at it again, parrying from right on the goal-line after Simpson took aim at a gaping goal from Vardy's low cross.
Koeman had seen his side come from 2-0 down to beat Liverpool 3-2 in their previous game and he threw caution to the wind by sending on Charlie Austin and James Ward-Prowse for Clasie and Steven Davis.
Seconds after coming on Austin had a strong penalty appeal when his shot struck Robert Huth's outstretched left hand, but to the frustration of Southampton -- and Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City -- Oliver was again unmoved.
Vardy might have settled the home nerves late on, only for Forster to repel his prodded effort, but it mattered not.

Defeat will not derail Barca: Enrique

 
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique said his team would not allow Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat by bitter rivals Real Madrid to affect their confidence.
La Liga leaders Barca were the better side for most of the ‘Clasico’ but a late goal by Cristiano Ronaldo helped third-placed Real close the gap on the Catalans to seven points with seven games to go.

Atletico Madrid are in second spot, six points off the pace.
Luis Enrique does not believe the defeat will damage Barca’s title challenge or their bid to retain the Champions League and King’s Cup.
“This game doesn’t exist anymore, there’s no pain,” he told a news conference at the Nou Camp.

“The team were really up for the game, so were the fans, and there’s nothing else we can do but lift ourselves up. Defeats teach you things, they teach you that every trophy is difficult and the players know that.”

Luis Enrique said his side struggled to cope with the shock of losing their lead so soon after Gerard Pique had put them in front in the 56th minute, Karim Benzema levelling for Real six minutes later.

“The equaliser caused us a lot of damage and unfortunately we lost our first game at home (since February 2015),” added the Barca coach.
“You can’t choose when you’re going to lose. We have to recover, rest and remember that we are the league leaders and that the most consistent team win the title.”

Real coach Zinedine Zidane was cautious when asked if the win could spark a late title bid.
“We have to overtake Atletico first,” he said. “We have to think about our next game in the Champions League (quarter-final against VfL Wolfsburg on Wednesday) and then think about getting three points in our next league game.”

Zidane did not hide his joy at winning his first ‘Clasico’ as a coach.
“I’m very happy with everything about the game especially the result,” said the former Real playmaker.

“We struggled at first but that’s normal because it’s a difficult ground to play at. I’m very proud of my players and how they played.
“Winning here is a huge prize for all our players because they put in an enormous performance,” said the former France great. “It’s not easy to win here, few teams win here.”

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