Today's other stories in brief
Rejuvenated Taylor back on top of the world
DARTS:Phil Taylor produced a brilliant display to beat Raymond van Barneveld 7-1 in the Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship and take his 14th world title.
Taylor had not won the title for three years but the result was never in doubt as he racked up a three-dart average of 109.76 - breaking his own record for a major final.
The 48-year-old, who took advantage of some poor finishing from van Barneveld, has now won 12 of the 16 PDC championships.
A focused Taylor began impressively, taking the first leg against the throw, but it was van Barneveld who claimed the first maximum of the match in the second leg.
It was not enough for him to level, however, as Taylor coolly found double eight. Taylor lost the last time the pair met in the PDC showpiece in 2007 and he was certainly in no mood for a repeat, taking his first opportunity to seal the set.
Rangers close the gap on Celtic
SCOTTISH SOCCER: A second-half double from Kris Boyd and a stunning strike from Pedro Mendes saw Rangers sink bottom side Inverness and close the gap on Scottish Premier League leaders Celtic to five points yesterday.
The home side were made to rue their missed opportunities in the first half when Mendes opened the scoring with a wonderful strike from the edge of the area within a minute of the restart. Boyd grabbed a quickfire brace in the final 10 minutes to give the scoreline a more comfortable look for the visitors.
On Saturday Celtic surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 against Dundee United at Parkhead
Georgios Samaras scored in the 12th and 57th minutes to give the champions what looked like a comfortable lead but Paul Dixon reduced the deficit on the hour mark with a wonderful free-kick and Warren Feeney, on for Danny Swanson, grabbed a dramatic 77th-minute equaliser to give Celtic some anxious moments before the end.
Robben shows Real Madrid the way
SPANISH SOCCER:Arjen Robbens superb run and curled shot gave Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Villarreal yesterday, moving the champions up to third in the Primera Liga.
Sevilla dropped to fourth after conceding a dramatic late equaliser in a 1-1 draw with bottom club Osasuna and Barcelona's 3-1 win over Real Mallorca on Saturday means the Catalans are 11 points clear at the top.
Dutch winger Robben was rampant throughout at the Bernabeu, receiving a standing ovation when he was replaced near the end.
Valencia, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Saturday, are second on 33, Real have 32 points in third, the same as Sevilla, Atletico are on 30 in fifth and Villarreal are in sixth on 29.
Seymour takes 16th national title
CYCLING:Scooping a stunning 16th national cyclo cross title, Robin Seymour yesterday outsprinted Conor McConvey at the end of the seven lap All-Ireland championship in Lurgan Park, reports Shane Stokes.
Thirty-seven-year-old Seymour and 19-year-old McConvey were very evenly matched on the fast, flowing course, riding clear of the rest of the field on the opening lap and slugging it out from there until the line.
The result came down to the final 100 metres, where the Wicklow man had enough speed and determination to get the better of his younger rival.
Third place went to Newry rider Conor Campbell, with Seymour's team-mate Richie Felle in fourth and helping to secure the team prize for the Wicklow club.
He had been running third until the final lap but lost time due to a puncture.
Solid start for Russia in Hopman Cup
TENNIS:Former champions Russia got off to a solid start in the Hopman Cup yesterday, beating Italy 2-1 in the mixed team event with straight-sets singles wins.
The brother and sister pairing of Marat Safin and Dinara Safina got the better of Simone Bolelli and Flavia Pennetta in the Group B singles matches before losing out in the doubles.
Sporting two black eyes picked up in a fight in Moscow, Safin used his big serve to overcome a stuttering Bolelli 7-6 6-4, while world number three Safina won six successive games in the second set to beat Pennetta 7-5 6-3.
With the tie already decided, Italy salvaged some pride by coming back from a set down to clinch the doubles match 7-5 4-6 6-7 after a final set tiebreak. The Russians face Taiwanese pair Hsieh Su-Wei and Lu Yen-Hsun on Wednesday.
Sainz takes lead in Dakar Rally
RALLYING: Carlos Sainz took the lead in the Dakar Rally by claiming victory in the second special stage in Argentina yesterday. The two-time world rally champion, who is going for his first Dakar crown, completed the Santa Rosa-Puerto Madryn stage in one hour 56 minutes 14 seconds. Nine-time Dakar Rally champion Stephane Peterhansel (Mitsubishi) ended today's stage 1 min 14 secs behind the Spaniard to claim third spot.
