Royal Bank of Scotland not to renew Williams deal
FORMULA ONE:The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) will end their sponsorship of the Williams Formula One team at the end of the 2010 season, the bank said in a statement yesterday.
“We recognise that we are now operating in a very different economic environment and have been reviewing all of our activities since October,” RBS said. “It is imperative that we respond to the reality of the situation that we face and that we do so in an orderly way that respects the commercial agreements we have in place and the implications for our partners and the jobs they support.”
RBS have sponsored Williams since 2005 and renewed their deal for a second three-year term in 2007.
The news is a blow to Williams, one of the few independent teams in F1, but team principal Frank Williams says they would battle on.
“RBS has been a great partner for this team and we are grateful for the way that they have handled this difficult situation,” he said.
Ballesteros’s ‘spirits are high’
GOLF:Seve Ballesteros said yesterday hospital tests had shown he was making satisfactory progress in his treatment for a brain tumour after a second round of chemotherapy and he would start a third round soon.
“Generally speaking, my physical condition is satisfactory and my spirits are high,” Ballesteros said. The results of the check-up (on Tuesday) were really positive. Better even than the first ones,” he said.
Pakistan reach record total
CRICKET:Younis Khan hit 313 and Kamran Akmal chipped in with an unbeaten century to help Pakistan achieve a record total as the first Test against Sri Lanka ended in a predictable draw yesterday.
The hosts declared at a mammoth 765 for six on the fifth day before Sri Lanka finished on 144 for five, a lead of 23. Pakistan’s first innings surpassed the 708 they made against England at the Oval in 1987. Home captain Younis, who was chasing Brian Lara’s record Test innings of 400 when he started the day on 306 not out, added seven runs before he was bowled by a ball from paceman Dilhara Fernando that nipped back into him.
Younis batted for 768 minutes and 568 balls in a marathon effort that included 27 fours and four sixes. “I didn’t go out specifically for the record, I don’t go for records,” he said.
Klitschko complains about order
BOXING:Heavyweight champion Vitaly Klitschko has filed a complaint with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against a WBC order to make two mandatory defences in a row, his manager said yesterday.
Klitschko (37) will defend his title on March 21st in Stuttgart against Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez in the first mandatory fight.
The WBC had decided that Ukrainian Klitschko must also fight former champion Oleg Maskaev within four months after the Gomez bout.
“Normally there is a year between mandatory title defences,” Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente said, adding he should also not have to fight two mandatory bouts in a row.
Klitschko instead would prefer to fight Briton David Haye or American Chris Arreola in the second half of the year to obtain more lucrative deals at this stage of his career, his team has said.
