SPORTS DIGEST:CRICKET: Jacques Kallis marked his 150th Test by joining the elite band of players to have made centuries against every Test-playing nation as South Africa took control against Sri Lanka yesterday.
The Proteas were put in to bat in the series-deciding third Test in Cape Town but a stand of 205 between Kallis and the recalled Alviro Petersen led them to 347 for three by the close.
Home captain Graeme Smith set the tone early on with three boundaries but Dhammika Prasad bowled him and then trapped Hashim Amla lbw, both for 16, to leave South Africa in slight trouble on 56 for two.
But Petersen struck six fours and a six in reaching his fourth Test half-century before lunch and is on 99 not out, while Kallis will resume on 159 when play begins today.
Karpency next up for Cleverly
BOXING:Nathan Cleverly will defend his WBO light heavyweight title against American Tommy Karpency next month.
Britain’s sole world champion will have home advantage with the fight taking place at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday, February 25th.
Southpaw Karpency, 25, has won 21 of his 24 fights, one of his two defeats via points to Karo Murat in Germany, who Cleverly stopped in 10 rounds in 2010.
Whelahan takes reins at Kiltormer
GAELIC GAMES:Former Offaly star Brian Whelahan has moved counties in his latest step into management.
He is taking charge of former All-Ireland club champions Kiltormer as the Galway side bid to rediscover their glory days.
Whelahan takes charge after a stint with Camross in Laois and will be making the short trip from Birr into east Galway to train a Kiltormer side who won the All-Ireland club title in 1992 with the likes of Conor Hayes, Tony and Ollie Kilkenny and Aidan Staunton on board.
Whelahan, who won 12 county titles with Birr, seven Leinster crowns and four All-Ireland club titles, will be hoping to tap into recent underage success by Kiltormer.
Kiltormer chairman Peter Campbell said: “We think Brian will bring a new freshness to the club and further develop our players; most of them have won the county under-21 in 2003 and minor in 2004.”
All ends in tears as France down Australia in Hopman
TENNIS:Marion Bartoli left Jarmila Gajdosova in tears after routing the Australian 6-0, 6-0 as France eased to a 3-0 Hopman Cup victory yesterday.
Spain overcame China 2-1 and the winner of tomorrow’s France-Spain clash will be guaranteed a place in the final of the mixed-team event.
Bartoli was in imperious form to blast Gajdosova off court in 52 minutes in a match broadcast on prime-time television in Australia.
Gajdosova was angered during the first set when pro-Bartoli sections of the crowd cheered her errors and the world number 33 cried during the final games and again as she left the court.
“I’m sorry I beat her that way,” world number nine Bartoli said. “I was just focusing on my own game and not really looking at the scoreboard.”
Richard Gasquet secured victory for France with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-1 win over Lleyton Hewitt. Gasquet and Bartoli then overcame Gajdosova and Hewitt 6-3, 6-4 in the dead mixed doubles rubber.
Roma claims Dakar stage
MOTOR SPORT:Joan Roma claimed victory in the third stage of the Dakar Rally between San Rafael and San Juan in Argentina as fellow Mini driver Krzysztof Holowczyc moved ahead in the general standings in the car category.
Hummer driver Robby Gordon, fifth in yesterday’s stage, is second behind Holowczyc, trailing by just 54 seconds.
Giniel de Villiers, the 2009 Dakar champion, is third, one minute and 40 behind the Pole. Stephane Peterhansel, who had led the overall standings after Monday’s stage, suffered twice from punctures.
In the bike category, Cyril Despres won the stage and overtook Marc Coma in the overall standings.
Another French rider, Sebastien Coue, was admitted to intensive care in San Rafael hospital after he suffered a broken shoulder and then lost consciousness, slipping into a coma in the extreme heat.
He was given an ice bath at the scene to bring his body temperature down and will spend time in hospital before flying back to France.
Tsonga labours to trump wildcard
TENNIS:Jo-Wilfried Tsonga laboured to a first-round victory at the Qatar Open yesterday, defeating wildcard Malek Jaziri in three sets in blustery conditions.
The third-seeded Frenchman triumphed 7-6, 6-7, 6-1 after struggling with his forehand on Doha’s centre court.
The first two sets went with serve as the players traded tiebreaks before Tsonga, ranked six in the world, took a 3-1 lead in the final set, winning the next two games to love as he wore down the bulky Jaziri.
Tsonga, 26, played a clever lob to earn two match points, sealing victory after the Tunisian put a forehand into the net.
Elsewhere Rafa Nadal, who has been troubled by a shoulder injury for several weeks, needed three sets to defeat Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber, eventually progressing on a score of 6-3, 6-7 (2-7).
