No reason to ban long putters, says Scott

Adam Scott shot down a putter rule change suggestion by Tiger Woods on Tuesday and told golf's governing bodies to focus on more pressing issues as the Australian leapt to the defence of controversial long putters.

Once seen as a desperate attempt by struggling golfers to change their fortunes on the greens, long putters - like the broom handle or belly putter that Scott uses - have seen a dramatic rise in popularity in professional golf.
American Webb Simpson used one to win the U.S. Open this year to follow compatriot Keegan Bradley's success in becoming the first major winner to employ a long putter at last year's U.S. PGA Championship.

South African Ernie Els made it a trio of long putter major champions with victory at this year's British Open with The United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient (R&A), the game's two governing bodies, since discussing the status of 'anchored putters' with a ban being considered.
World number six Scott, speaking before this week's $6 million Singapore Open, said he had spoken to European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady about the issue last week, adding that a ban on the long putter he has used since 2011 would be unfair.
"It is very hard to find a good reason to do that (ban it) at this stage so my conversation was to find out where things sit because it is very hard to get information," Scott told reporters on Tuesday.
"My opinion would be I don't think it is in the best interests of the game to ban the long putter I think there are some more important issues that probably should have time spent on them than putting."
Critics say that the belly putter, in particular, offers an unfair advantage to those using the traditional short putter as players can anchor the club in their stomach which involves less body movement and ultimately fewer errors.
Fourteen-times major winner Woods has voiced long-standing opposition against the use of the long putters, which tend to measure between 38 and 46 inches, and has spoken to R & A chief executive Peter Dawson about amending the rules.
The American believes putter length should be capped and be equal or less than the shortest club in the golfer's bag. Scott was not a fan of that idea.
"His voice carries some weight on the issue, a lot of players have been quite outspoken about it and certainly when Tiger Woods speaks about it generates a lot of interest," the 32-year-old said of arguably the world's greatest golfer.
"But I'm not necessarily sure his views on what the putter should be are correct at all, I don't think the putter should be the shortest club in the bag, that has never been a rule in golf so I don't know why it should be now."
U.S. Ryder Cup player Bradley said at last week's HSBC Champions event in China that he would be prepared to take legal action should the putter he has used for 16 years be banned.
Swede Carl Petterson was another adamant a ban was not the solution.
Scott doesnot want to see lawyers come into it, insisting the two governing bodies should focus more on capping other golf club design which has led to players hitting the ball extreme distances and courses being extended.
"We certainly don't need that sort of carry-on going on in the game of golf. I think it is all unwarranted, all of it, and there are more important things to worry about," Scott said of possible legal action.
"I think that it is fairly well acknowledged that length generally is probably the biggest issue in the game and it doesn't just mean how far pros hit it.
"Some of our courses, great courses are too short these days. If we are talking about equipment side of things the length issue is probably the most important because tees are moved back. Greens are not changed because people are putting with a long putter."

Arsenal win incredible cup tie

Theo Walcott scored a scintillating hat-trick as Arsenal produced one of the great comebacks to take their place in the last eight of the League Cup.

Jason Roberts, a Laurent Koscielny own goal, Mikele Leigertwood and Noel Hunt put Reading 4-0 up after 35 minutes.
Walcott found the net before the break and in injury time, while Olivier Giroud and Koscielny also struck.

Marouane Chamakh scored in extra-time before Pavel Pogrebnyak levelled, but Walcott and Chamakh had the final word.

It was an extraordinary cup tie, the archetypal game of two halves. Reading were magnificent for 44 and a half minutes before Walcott scored his first goal to give the Gunners hope.

During the first half, Arsenal looked set to be on the end of a Sunday League scoreline with what resembled a Sunday League performance.
And yet somehow Arsene Wenger's side produced a scarcely believable comeback to recover from three goals down for the first time in their history and take their place in the quarter-finals for the 10th successive season.

They created for themselves an utter disaster and somehow rose to find hope, and with it, power, purpose and direction.
When they were trailing 4-0 Saturday's Premier League trip to Old Trafford, the scene of last season's 8-2 humbling at the hands of Manchester United, looked a daunting prospect but now this result has the hallmarks of a turning point.
That it was left to Chamakh, starting his first Arsenal match since January, to score two crucial goals made it all the more incredible.

At the club's annual general meeting last week, Wenger had made it clear the League Cup was fifth on his list of priorities and during the first half his players appeared to have taken those words a little too literally.
Arsenal made 11 changes but that did not excuse the naivety with which Carl Jenkinson, Johan Djourou, Koscielny and Ignasi Miquel defended before half-time.
The Reading onslaught began in the 11th minute when Hunt, midway inside the Arsenal half, swept the ball wide to Hal Robson-Kanu on the left flank and his delightful low cross was thumped into the net by Roberts, who left Koscielny, his marker, all too easily.
Six minutes later, Reading were two up as Chris Gunter's low cross deflected off Koscielny's leg and beyond Arsenal goalkeeper Damian Martinez at the near post.

Juan Carlos Ferrero ended his singles career with a 7-5 6-3 defeat to Nicolas Almagro in Valencia

Juan Carlos Ferrero brought the curtain down on his singles career with a 7-5 6-3 defeat to fellow Spaniard and close friend Nicolas Almagro in the first round of the Valencia Open.

The 32-year-old former world No 1, who won the French Open in 2003, announced last month he would retire after playing his home event.
However there was to be no fairytale ending as he failed to cope with the speed and power of sixth seed Almagro.
Almagro appeared to be suffering from a right shoulder problem late in the second set but shrugged off the injury and sealed victory on his first match point when the unseeded Ferrero netted a return.
"It's been a long time since I enjoyed myself so much on a tennis court," said a tearful Ferrero who will join up with David Ferrer in the doubles on Wednesday.
"I simply want to thank everyone for all their support, not just this year but throughout all the years I have played here.
"It's always been a very special tournament for me and this year even more so."

Premier League - Premier League holiday preview

Invincible at home this year, Premier League leaders Manchester City face consecutive away games over Christmas with manager Roberto Mancini wary of offering up unexpected gifts at West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland. 

City, who lead the table at Christmas for the first time since 1929, drew 1-1 at Liverpool and lost 2-1 at Chelsea in their last two away league games - and Mancini wants a return to winning ways on the road, starting at West Brom on Boxing Day.
"We still have Chelsea, United, Tottenham and Liverpool to come to the Etihad Stadium, but we need to win away games as well, and we have only one point from our last two," Mancini, who is about to experience his third Christmas period as City manager, told the club's website.
"I have a lot of respect for West Bromwich, and I have a lot of respect for [their boss] Roy Hodgson - he is one of the best managers in Europe.
"I think it will be very hard because they play good football. They have had some problems but they have won their last two away games and seem to be in good form, it will be a hard match," added Mancini, whose side lead champions Manchester United by two points.
City have few injury worries ahead of a spell of three games in little more than a week and should have swashbuckling right-back Micah Richards available after injury.
While Mancini can boast an embarrassment of riches, United and the rest of the pursuing pack are feeling the pinch a little with injuries and suspensions testing their squads.
United have home games against Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers before concluding their holiday fixtures away at Newcastle United and manager Alex Ferguson, preparing for his 26th Christmas in the Old Trafford hot seat, knows how vital the jam-packed holiday programme can be.
He was boosted by the news that Phil Jones suffered no break to his jaw in the dazzling 5-0 win at Fulham on Wednesday, although winger Ashley Young is sidelined for the clash with Wigan, a fixture from which United have never dropped a point.
Despite the statistics, however, Ferguson is a big fan of Wigan boss Roberto Martinez, whose third-from-bottom side will arrive in good heart after morale-boosting home draws with Chelsea and Liverpool.
"I watched Wigan versus Chelsea the other day and I thought Wigan were terrific," he told United's website.
"It says a lot for Roberto Martinez, he continues to play good football irrespective of what position they're in. We have a good record against Wigan but we won't take anything for granted. We need to keep our foot on the pedal."
Injury-hit Tottenham, in third place with 35 points face a trip to Norwich City on Tuesday before a New Year's Eve clash with another of the promoted sides, Swansea City.
They will be without Rafael van der Vaart and winger Aaron Lennon while striker Jermain Defoe is another struck by a hamstring curse afflicting the North London club as they mount a credible top-four challenge.
Fourth-placed Chelsea (33 points) are low on defensive options as they prepare for the December 26 derby at home to close neighbours Fulham.
Manager Andre Villas-Boas, who has worries over Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi-Mikel after they limped off in the 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday, said he would try to buy a centre-half in January.
Until then, however, the Portuguese, like his Tottenham counterpart Redknapp and even United's Ferguson, must juggle his squad and hope to keep City in his sights.
"They have the squad for sure," Redknapp said of City's strength in depth. "They are the favourites but Man United won't be far behind them. But anything can happen still, it's very close in the top four."
Fifth-placed Arsenal (32 points) will not have to travel out of the capital over the holidays, hosting Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday before London derbies with Queen's Park Rangers and Fulham.
Liverpool will hope to put the controversy surrounding their support of Luis Suarez, found guilty of racial abuse, behind them with home games against bottom club Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United before their trip to City.
Manager Kenny Dalglish said he had some sympathy for Rovers, the club he took to the league title in 1995, and their beleaguered manager Steve Kean who faced vociferous criticism during his side's defeat by Bolton Wanderers this week.
"The frustration is understandable in many ways but I don't think it's helpful and it's sad really it has come to that, but that's the way it is," Dalglish said.

The state of boxing in 2012

As long as there are superfights in the US and major stadium shows in Europe, boxing's epitaph is far from written, argues Yahoo's Kevin Iole. 

Todd duBoef likes to refer to himself as “a boxing evangelist,” an odd choice of words for a low-key man who prefers to shun the spotlight. He’s an impeccably dressed 44-year-old who looks as if he’s stepped out of a Wall Street boardroom. He comes from a prominent Las Vegas family and could work in virtually any business he chose. He’s not promoting boxing because he needs to do something to pay the bills.
He’s willing to stake his future, though, on the health of a business that is often shunned by the media and derided by its customers.
He is evangelising a sport that many say is dead, which one rival promoter terms “deathly ill” and which hasn’t been regarded as a top-tier sport for years.
Yet, the normally low-key Top Rank president displays a messianic zeal for the fight game and scoffs at a suggestion from fellow promoter Lou DiBella that boxing “is deathly ill and getting sicker by the day.”
From a global perspective, duBoef said, it has been a long time since the boxing business has been as robust. In Mexico, boxing does a booming business and the highest-rated network television programme in 2011 thus far is the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight from November 12. That match did a 30.2 rating and attracted almost 40 million viewers on the free over-the-air network TV Azteca.
“It was the highest-rated programme of everything for the year: The Academy Awards, the World Cup, everything,” duBoef said.
Boxing has long been a star-driven sport and it is no different today. Fights involving either Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather Jr. are big business and routinely generate $100 million or more in gross revenue. Mayweather’s fight with Victor Ortiz sold 1.25 million on pay-per-view and generated $78.4 million in pay-per-view revenue alone in the States.
Pacquiao fought twice in 2011, doing just over 1.3 million buys for his May fight with Shane Mosley and registering 1.5 million sales for the bout with Marquez. The Pacquiao-Marquez bout generated $11.65 million in ticket revenue at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
But it’s not just fights involving Pacquiao and Mayweather which are doing well. Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito fought on December 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York, drawing a sellout crowd of 21,239. The fight did more than 600,000 buys on pay-per-view in the US.
Matches involving heavyweight title-holders Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko routinely fill football stadiums in Europe. Wladimir Klitschko’s bout with David Haye on July 2 in Germany drew in excess of 50,000, though that is no surprise since he’s drawn over 200,000 in his last four bouts.
“Boxing is a much healthier sport than it was 10 or 15 years ago,” duBoef said. “It has evolved to be positioned with the major brands out there. It’s positioned there. Before, it was a huge property that was huge for only one night, but it didn’t have the overall brand appeal. Now, you can see the brand appeal very, very relevant on a global basis.”
He said that while the NFL is by far the most popular sport in the US, its global reach doesn’t come anywhere close to that of boxing. DuBoef conceded that if Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning walked down a street in the US alongside Mayweather and Pacquiao that Manning would be much more recognised by the average person he came across.
But, duBoef said, take that same trio anywhere but the US and both Mayweather and Pacquiao would dwarf Manning in recognition.
“Look,” he said, firmly. “We drew 80,000 for a press conference in the Philippines [involving Pacquiao and Marquez] and 50,000 for one in Mexico City. Think about that for a second. We draw 130,000-some people for two press conferences. Doesn’t that tell you something?”
He’s not alone in his belief in the sport’s health, despite plenty of skepticism from outsiders. Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer said he’s “never been more bullish” about the sport’s future. Golden Boy staged 104 shows in 2011 and Schaefer said the appetite for it has yet to be quenched.
Kathy Duva of Main Events laughed at suggestions that boxing will die once Mayweather and Pacquiao retire. The Duva family has been involved in boxing for many decades and have been one of the sport’s leading promoters for more than 35 years.
She has heard the cries of boxing’s impending doom for much of that time.
“Change the name Manny Pacquiao to Muhammad Ali and people were saying the exact same thing 30 years ago,” she said, laughing. “I can remember we were doing shows and people would say to us, ‘Why are you staying in this business? When Ali retires, it’s done.’ Well, Ali retired, and Mike Tyson retired, and Oscar [De La Hoya] retired and, guess what? Boxing is still around.”
Boxing is not without its issues, clearly. Attendance varies wildly at events. Many tickets are given away to fights that are held in casinos in Las Vegas, which is nominally the boxing capital of the world. Fans have lost touch with the fighters and are puzzled by the dizzying array of sanctioning bodies and championship belts.
The International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council and the World Boxing Organization are considered the four major bodies that award championship belts.
Given that there are 17 divisions in boxing, that means that at any time, there is the potential to have 68 men who call themselves a world champion.
It gets more bizarre than that, though. The WBC also has the “Diamond Belt” and the “Silver Belt,” and it recognises some men as interim champions and others as “champions in recess.” The WBA has several divisions in which it has multiple champions, because it refers to certain title-holders as so-called “super champions.”
A trip to a Las Vegas mall one day led to interviews with 25 fans about boxing. Of those, six said they never watched the sport and were never fans. Of the other 19, only eight identified themselves as hardcore fans and of those eight, only five could name a world champion other than Pacquiao or Mayweather.
Those fans said they had many issues with the sport, but the vast majority cited the sheer volume of champions as their top issue. They said they couldn’t keep up with who the champions are.
There’s also a palpable sense among the public that the sport is corrupt and that decisions favour the most-connected fighters.
Schaefer, who was outraged by the officiating in Amir Khan’s loss to Lamont Peterson in Washington DC on December 10, conceded it is an issue, but said commissions should use the money generated by fights to fund education of referees and judges.
“Look at the kind of money we are pouring into state coffers,” Schaefer said. “It is not an insignificant amount of money and I think that needs to be used to help the business. Right now, there are some judges in world title fights, or referees, who aren’t at the same level as a lot of others, and when you get that, you get the kind of results that make people question the sport.
“It’s the same thing as if you asked me to fly a jumbo jet from Los Angeles to New York. I’m not qualified to do that and I haven’t been trained to do it. It would be a pretty bumpy ride, I would think. The corruption that people talk about comes from the mobster days, when the mob was running boxing, but that doesn’t exist any more. But there are a lot of officials out there who aren’t qualified and that needs to be fixed.”

Swedish tennis player hit with corruption ban

Swedish tennis player Lucas Renard has been suspended for six months and fined $5,000 for a corruption offense.

Renard had breached an article of the anti-corruption program that states: "No Covered Person shall, directly or indirectly, contrive or attempt to contrive the outcome or any other aspect of any Event," the Tennis Integrity unit said in a statement.
The 19-year-old, ranked 882nd in the world, admitted the offense. Four of the six months of his ban will be suspended, providing he commits no future violation of the code.
The Tennis Integrity Unit is an initiative of the Grand Slam Committee, the International Tennis Federation, the ATP World Tour and the WTA as part of the Uniform Tennis Anti-Corruption Program.

Liverpool reaction as shocking as Suarez ban

 

The response to the FA's decision to ban Luis Suarez for eight matches has been unsurprisingly partisan. I felt sorry for John Barnes, who was asked to give his view on something close to his heart on two, opposing, fronts: on the one hand as a Liverpool legend who remains close to the club, but on the other as a victim of terrible racist abuse as a player.
As a result, his comments were contradictory: he accused the FA and media of conducting a "witch hunt" against Suarez, before admitting that a zero-tolerance policy to racism should be followed.
I would hate to be put in his position by, say, a Manchester United or QPR player being in the dock for a similar offence.
So I am going to try and be balanced.
To be honest I was shocked that Suarez got eight games on the word of another player for something that, while wrong, appears to have been out of ignorance rather than malice.
But, at the same time, I was disappointed by how vehemently Liverpool have leapt to the defence of their player, claiming conspiracies and getting their players to wear t-shirts and the rest of it.
Talking about the ban, I find it odd that firstly someone can be punished on one man's word against his — we are yet to see the report, so we don't know if Suarez admitted to using the offending word, but I have a feeling that he must have done. He told the Uruguayan media that he addressed Evra using a specific word, one that is assumed is a variation on the n-word, but with less offensive connotations in parts of Latin America, if you believe what people have been saying.
I also find it surprising that, given there appears to be no video or even witness evidence, he should be banned so heavily for it.
If we were able to punish on one man's word, many moons ago we would have seen players banned for 20 games given the stuff that was said man-to-man. People used to say all kinds of nasty and sometimes racial stuff to put you off your game, although it's of great credit that it doesn't happen so much now.
I don't know the full context of what and how it was said, but the FA have made a decision that — given the rise in racist incidents recently — is in line with the blueprint they have set out, one over which they have criticised FIFA and UEFA for not following it stringently enough.
Personally I would have been in favour of a shorter ban, and perhaps the FA and club — and other clubs — organising a cultural awareness programme so that foreign players can never use the old "in my country..." line as an excuse for, say, racial terms, spitting, or flagrant diving. There's certainly enough money in the game to pay for a course, or lectures, on the matter!
But they have gone for a straight, draconian punishment that has also set a strong precedent, given the accusations against John Terry — although the fact that his incident was deemed so serious the police got involved ironically means the FA's hands are tied, for now at least.
But the way Liverpool have dealt with this hasn't been right.
I don't really buy this 'cultural differences' ploy that Suarez's supporters have tried to play. Firstly, I have yet to hear anything from a black South American player saying he's happy to be called 'negrito' or whatever Suarez is supposed to have said (this is the word Uruguayans have said is the term folk use that can cause offence in Europe).
Given that this forms the entire basis of the defence that his Uruguayan friends, such as Gus Poyet, have made, it would be interesting to hear if it is widely accepted as inoffensive, or if simply Uruguayan culture is a little bit behind the times in its use of such terms. Back when I was a player, in the '80s, QPR fans used to sing "he's small, he's black, he's England's centre-back" at me and I accepted it, although I wasn't totally comfortable with it — now that would be seen as unacceptable. Is the context different for this word Suarez reportedly used, or has Uruguay just been a little slow to catch up? Has anyone thought to ask what black people in Uruguay think about being called such words? Do they accept it because they feel they have no choice?
Also, people are making out that Suarez has an ignorance of how one is supposed to behave in Northern Europe, like he's just come off the boat or something. He hasn't — he spent five years in Holland (which, the last time I looked, is pretty well developed), including a season playing alongside Edgar Davids at Ajax.
Would he speak to Davids that way? Or Clarence Seedorf? Or any black Dutch player? I doubt it somehow, particularly given how annoyed a lot of Holland's black players have been in the past about perceived racial bias, let alone overt comments.
I'm also concerned by Liverpool's responses (and there have been many), making such big statements and using flawed logic to do so.
So he has black team-mates here and in Uruguay? So what. Plenty of racists work with black people in offices up and down the country.
And Patrice Evra has never made such allegations before — those allegations were made by other people, about abuse they believed had been directed at Evra. But Liverpool said Evra had made false allegations. Really dodgy ground, and that of the conspiracy theorist.
The t-shirts thing is a bit off too — getting the team to wear these t-shirts, when the guy has been punished for racial abuse (whatever the context or intent) is really weak when Liverpool are supposed to be at the forefront of the Kick It Out campaign.
Are we supposed to believe that all his team-mates support him because they're wearing a t-shirt? We know full well that, when fans are so vehement on a given subject, players stay clear of breaking the mould for fear of jeopardising their livelihoods.
I think the real reason Liverpool have chosen to support Suarez so vociferously is because he's their best player by a mile — and without Steven Gerrard, they look worryingly like a one-man team, one-dimensional without him.
Whatever happens, Evra will continue to be a hate figure among fans, because that's the way football works. People have seriously been claiming — Liverpool too — that he broke some unwritten rule by complaining about verbal abuse, which directly contradicts everyone's claims to be against racism. Are you in, or are you out? Do you think it's okay to make racial references to strangers, or do you think it's wrong? Or do you just think your man should be able to get away with it because he's good at football?
Everyone, and not just Liverpool, is eagerly awaiting the FA's full report on this — including no doubt the Court of Arbitration for Sport, UEFA and FIFA.
If it turns out the punishment was meted solely on the basis of one man's word against another, I would be very concerned and am sure an appeal to the FA or even CAS could see some kind of reduction to the ban.
But if — as has been suggested — Suarez admitted using a certain word, but explained that he was unaware it had racist overtones, then you have to support the FA's decision to punish him, but maybe question the length of the ban.
Otherwise all the talk about kicking racism out of football, all the criticism of the Spanish and Bulgarian fans for racist chanting, and all the barbs at Sepp Blatter will just have been hot air.
--
Game of the weekend — Liverpool v Blackburn
Technically it's not the weekend, but Boxing Day is as good as. Unfortunately there is little to write home about in terms of match-ups, with Chelsea-Fulham probably the biggest game in terms of rivalry and scale, and Liverpool-Blackburn in terms of controversy and importance.
You don't know what you're going to get from Liverpool against the weaker teams, while Blackburn could do anything against a bigger club, as Arsenal found out earlier this season.
While they may be a mess, Blackburn are up for it and the players - who may not get paid if reports are to believed - are looking to put themselves in the shop window.
Liverpool meanwhile tend to suffer against the smaller teams. Talk of the title is wholly premature. With Gerrard injured, Liverpool are a one-man team and without Suarez they are the team we saw last season — negative and lacking creativity. Charlie Adam does okay but he hasn't got the legs to handle a high-tempo game, which is what you'll get with Rovers.
Suarez is a phenomenal player and, while he doesn't score as often as he could, he creates so much in terms of opportunities and total panic in defences. Also, I think that while temperamental he is mentally strong and will not let the furore around his ban affect his game.
Blackburn are hit and hope to be honest, as liable to sit back and go long ball as they are to attack. Tactically they are basic, relying heavily on Yakubu waking up on the right side of bed, and defensively they are naïve.
That is in part down to the injury problems — Gael Givet is a massive loss with his heart problem, while we should be kind to Scott Dann after what happened to him the other day. So you have Chris Samba and an ageing Ryan Nelsen to count on, and if Nelsen is out they're in all kinds of trouble. The Michel Salgado situation is absurd as he is one of those guys who leads by example, and puts his body on the line. He has a minor injury they say but I understand  they won't play him for fear of activating a contract clause they cannot afford.
That says it all about Blackburn — no one knows what the hell the owners are doing, what they want and why they are there in the first place. Everyone is on poor Steve Kean's back, and while I think much of the abuse is uncalled for, he clearly hasn't got a clue.
The only question is "when will he get the sack"? But the thing is, they can't afford to sack him! The only reason he's in that job is because he was desperate for a shot at management, and no top coach would work under those conditions for that money.
It would be good to know why — and how — they sacked Big Sam. Are they still paying him off? Did they really think they could get a big-name coach, and the big-name players they promised, on no money? We all know Kean is on the books of the agency that advised Venky's on the takeover, but what good is it to either party if the club goes down? Maybe they're secret Burnley fans.
If they do get rid of Kean they'll probably have to keep paying him until some money comes in — but any decent coach will ask for a good wage and a lump sum for keeping them up.
There's talk of Pini Zahavi getting involved, and Avram Grant coming in. He would cheer things up at Ewood. Grant has a proven track record — two relegations in a row.
They'll go down and they'll struggle to come straight back. All they can hope for is the likes of QPR, Norwich and Swansea tailing off badly, and one of Wigan and Bolton failing to turn it round.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have to win games like this, and not be complacent — as they were against Wigan, who could have beaten them. Either way, I think this game has got goals, and a bit of drama.

Blardone wins on home snow

Massimiliano Blardone left two seasons of doubts behind him when he won the classic Alta Badia giant slalom for the third time on Sunday.

Home snow inspired the 32-year-old, whose last World Cup victory was on the same Gran Risa course two years ago.
Last season, Blardone made it on the podium only once, in Val d'Isere, as he struggled to adapt to new equipment.
"It's all the more important as it's entirely unexpected. I really had to fight hard for this", said Blardone, who also won in 2005 and is now only one short of Alberto Tomba's record of four wins in the Dolomites resort.
His sixth World Cup success was won at the expense of the Austrian team, who had to be content with the other podium places.
In-form Hannes Reichelt came second, 0.35 seconds behind Blardone, while Philipp Shoerghofer was third, 0.57 off the pace.
Austria have not won the classic Alta Badia giant slalom for 14 years and placed their main hopes on Marcel Hirscher, who finished fifth.
World champion Ted Ligety of the U.S. clocked the fastest time in the first leg but faltered in the afternoon to finish just 0.01 seconds short of the podium.
"It's frustrating. It's unforgivable to squander a 1.70 lead. It just shouldn't happen," said Ligety, conceding he had been too conservative on the second run.
The Alta Badia programme continues on Monday with a men's slalom.

Brilliant Westwood triumphs in Thailand

Former world number one Lee Westwood surged to a seven-shot victory at the Thailand Golf Championship on the back of the "best golf" of his career.

The Briton capped off another sparkling performance with his third win in Asia this season and is now set to move up one place to second in the rankings behind English compatriot Luke Donald.
Westwood maintained the chunky lead he held from day one and put paid to South African Charl Schwartzel's brief resurgence, carding a final day three-under-par 69 to finish 22-under on a notoriously tricky course.
As US Masters champion Schwartzel faded to a level-par 72 to finish second, Westwood extended his four-stroke lead to seven to win with ease at the Asian Tour's $1 million season-ending inaugural tournament and notch his 37th career title.
Aside from his erratic 73 on the third day, the former world number one was in superb form, flirting with golf's exclusive 59 club with a 60 on day one followed by 64 to match the Asian Tour's lowest-ever 36-hole total.
"I've amazed myself really," Westwood said after sinking his final putt on the 18th. "It's been staggering, it all came together well. It's probably the best I've ever played."
The win follows victories in Indonesia, the Ballantine's Championship in South Korea and the Nedbank Golf Challenge in South Africa and will see him second behind compatriot Luke Donald when the official world rankings are published on Monday.
He has now won titles in six Asian countries - Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia and South Korea.
Schwartzel's four bogeys meant he was never in contention and his first blunder at the eighth gave Westwood the chance to stretch his lead with some polished putting on the back nine.
Westwood said his initial 11-shot lead had played on his mind and he had to switch gear to cope with the testing Amata Spring Country Club course and ensure the title stayed within his grasp.
"It was special this week because of the difficulty of the course. I've never had an 11-shot lead before and it was difficult to come out and refocus and reset goals," he said of Saturday's slump.
"At 20 under after two rounds, it's yours to lose really with an 11-shot lead. There was pressure involved. Yesterday, I didn't know how to approach it or handle it."
With his four wins this year, the 38-year-old said he felt in better form than he did when he topped the world rankings but his failure to win a Major would make it difficult to answer critics.
"I'm in a tricky position because I've been so successful but not won a Major. Anytime I've gone a year without a Major, people are always going to say it's been a disappointing year for Lee Westwood," he said.
"If I was to evaluate the way I'm playing now and a year ago, I'm a better player."
Scores:
266 - Lee WESTWOOD (ENG) 60-64-73-69.
273 - Charl SCHWARTZEL (RSA) 69-66-66-72.
274 - Michael THOMPSON (USA) 69-66-69-70.
276 - Chawalit PLAPHOL (THA) 73-71-65-67, Simon DYSON (ENG) 69-70-68-69.
279 - Daisuke MARUYAMA (JPN) 73-68-68-70, Guido VAN DER VALK (NED) 71-69-66-73.
280 - Alex CEJKA (GER) 71-71-71-67.
281 - Jeev Milkha SINGH (IND) 71-68-72-70, Tetsuji HIRATSUKA (JPN) 71-72-68-70.
282 - Gregory BOURDY (FRA) 68-71-72-71, Prom MEESAWAT (THA) 72-68-69-73.

Flawless Poulter wins Australian Masters

England's Ian Poulter shot a near-flawless four-under-par 67 in windy conditions to reel in overnight leader Geoff Ogilvy and win the Australian Masters in Melbourne by three strokes.

The much-anticipated final round shoot-out between the Briton and the Australian failed to materialise as Ogilvy surrendered his two-stroke overnight lead on the first hole and plunged to third after wilting with a bogey-strewn back nine.
"It was flawless, the whole day. I was very happy how I approached every shot, hit my targets," the flamboyant Poulter said with the tournament's crystal globe trophy perched next to him.
"I love being in contention, that's why I play this game of golf. If you're down the field there's no adrenalin, there's no excitement, there's no real interest.
"So that's why I practise hard to put myself in this position to enjoy the fact of being under pressure because you find out who you are."
Australia's Marcus Fraser finished second after a scintillating 64 but was long in the clubhouse leaving Ogilvy as the sole realistic hope of stemming Poulter's victory charge.
Poulter, a model of composure throughout the tournament despite battling food poisoning on Friday and tricky winds over the weekend, threw down the gauntlet on the very first hole.
Landing his tee-shot on the green of the driveable par-four, Poulter drilled a 15-foot putt for eagle to draw level with Ogilvy on 13-under.
"Crucial... it was a very timely tee-shot," said Poulter. "The wind being as strong as it was, 25 miles an hour, it was a difficult shot... He gave me an opportunity there to try and roll it in to be all tied with 17 to play."
The 35-year-old then piled on the pressure with birdies on the seventh and ninth holes to take a two-stroke lead leaving Ogilvy scrambling.
On Saturday the Australian had lit up Victoria Golf Club, where he had been a member since his junior days, with a course-record equalling 63, but the magic deserted him as his approaches left him long, speculative putts that refused to drop.
Ogilvy grafted a pair of clutch putts to stay in touch in the middle stretches, but the pressure told as he conceded bogeys at 13 and 15 to go four down.
The Australian holed a long birdie putt on the 16th to briefly raise a slender hope, but Poulter slammed the door shut with a long birdie putt of his own to make the result a formality and add the tournament's 'golden jacket' to his colourful wardrobe.
The slumping loss left Ogilvy crestfallen and capped a disappointing year marred by injury and a winless season on the US PGA Tour.
"It has been a frustrating year," a stony-faced Ogilvy said."This is kind of how the year has gone, days like today.
"What are you going to do? I couldn't really make a birdie all day."
Poulter's 269 total secured him his first tournament victory since beating Luke Donald in the World Match Play Championship final in Spain in May.
World number one Donald capped his last week of golf for the year with a scratchy one-over 72 to finish joint 12th with a total of 280, 11 behind Poulter.
"I struggled a little bit the whole week, especially finding my line and speed on the greens," said the 34-year-old, the first winner of both the US and European Tour money lists in the same year.
"A little bit disappointing to finish like that but I'll reflect on what's been an amazing year for me."
Final scores from the Australian Masters (Players Australian unless otherwise marked)
269 Ian Poulter (Britain) 65 68 69 67
272 Marcus Fraser 70 69 69 64
273 Geoff Ogilvy 71 66 63 73
277 Adam Crawford 74 68 69 66
277 Peter Senior 69 70 68 70
278 Brad Kennedy 71 69 69 69
278 Kieran Pratt 67 70 69 72
278 Ashley Hall 66 70 68 74
279 Kurt Barnes 70 71 70 68
279 Peter Lonard 67 70 69 73
279 Nathan Green 69 68 67 75

Heineken Cup - Quins leave Toulouse stunned

Harlequins claimed a shock 31-24 victory at four-time champions Toulouse to throw Pool Six of the Heineken Cup wide open.

Mike Brown scored two tries, either side of Joe Gray's first-half effort, while Nick Evans kicked 16 points as Harlequins became the first team to win a European tie at Toulouse in almost three years.
Harlequins led 15-10 at half-time but were forced to survive a second-half onslaught as well as the loss of sin-binned captain Nick Easter for the final 10 minutes.
Despite that, Evans kicked two late penalties after Brown's second try to claim a famous win while Toulouse were left to rue 12 missed points from the boot of Luke McAlister.
Scrum-half Jean-Marc Doussain scored a try among his 15 points though that was not enough for Toulouse, who remain top of Pool Six, but now only a point ahead of Harlequins and four clear of Gloucester.
Pool 1
Munster withstood a spirited comeback to beat Scarlets 19-13 and emerge with their fourth successive pool win in this season's Heineken Cup.
James Coughlan's second-half try while Johnathan Edwards was in the sin-bin, allied to four penalty goals from Ronan O'Gara, kept the province's European challenge on the rails at Thomond Park.
Scarlets hit back with a converted try from replacement Ken Owens and had they been able to convert more of their chances, they may have had enough momentum in the final quarter to spring a surprise result. But Nigel Davies' young side could not make use of their greater share of possession and streetwise Munster have now tightened their grip on Pool One ahead of the two final rounds.
Northampton collected their first Heineken Cup win of the season with a bonus-point 45-0 success over Castres at Franklin's Gardens.
The notable action came in the final quarter of the match as the Saints scored five tries to emphasise their superiority over a very poor French side. Stephen Myler kicked the remaining 20 points for Northampton.
Ben Foden scored two tries and further scores from Vasily Artemyev, Mikey Haywood and Greig Tonks sealed a comfortable victory.
With both teams already seemingly out of the competition, the game lacked real bite as two under-strength sides struggled to put in a performance. There was a muted atmosphere as the crowd accepted there was little resting on the game, with the Saints frustrated by Castres' limited game plan.
The French slowed the game down at every opportunity and were content to allow their outside-half Pierre Bernard to kick away what limited possession they gained. Northampton should have capitalised on their huge share of possession early on, but it was not until late in the game that they were able to do so.

Freitag wins as Kofler flops in Harrachov

Germany's Richard Freitag edged Austria's Thomas Morgenstern to take gold in the men's large hill ski jumping World Cup event in Harrachov, Czech Republic.

The 20-year-old’s previous best finish had been a silver in the second round in Norway but that all changed as the German demonstrated his large hill expertise.
Freitag produced the best first and second jumps to claim a comfortable victory, amassing 292.4 points, nearly ten ahead of his nearest challenger, Austrian Thomas Morgenstern.
This victory for Freitag means he moves onto 294 points as he closes the gap on overall World Cup leader Andreas Kofler, who could only manage fifth in the Czech Republic to increase his total to 358.
Sandwiched between the two is Austria’s Gregor Schlierenzauer, who moved onto 302 points with eighth in Harrachov.
Completing the podium in the Czech Republic was Germany’s Severin Freund who picked up bronze, his second top-three finish of the season.

Champions League - Barcelona dominate World Soccer awards

European champions Barcelona have swept the board in World Soccer magazine's prestigious annual awards with Lionel Messi named World Player of the Year, Pep Guardiola Manager of the Year and his side Team of the Year.

Messi collected more than 60 per cent of the votes cast in the annual poll of the British magazine's readers from more than 40 countries - a record haul since the awards began in 1982.
It is the second time the 24-year-old Argentine has topped the poll after winning in 2009. Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid and Portugal was a distant second with 9.3 per cent of votes while last year's winner, Messi's Barca team-mate Xavi, was third with 7.6 per cent.
Guardiola topped the manager's poll ahead of Oscar Tabarez who coached Uruguay to victory in the Copa America, with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson third after taking his team to the Premier League title and the Champions League final.
Barcelona, who could win the Club World Cup in Japan this weekend, were the clear winners of the Team of the Year award ahead of Uruguay and third-placed Porto who won the Portuguese League and Cup double and the Europea League last season.
Barca won the Spanish title and Champions League last season.
Brazilian teenager Neymar, whose Santos side play Barcelona in the Club World Cup final, was named as the Young Player of the Year.

Europa League - Celtic bow out after draw at Udinese

Celtic made an agonising exit from Europe after holding Serie A pacesetters Udinese to a 1-1 Europa League draw in a pulsating contest at the Stadio Friuli. 

With both sides committed to attack, Neil Lennon's side could easily have emerged with the win they needed in a game that raged from end to end throughout the evening.
Celtic grabbed a merited lead when Gary Hooper slipped the ball home from close range on 28 minutes only to be undone a minute into two of time added on in the first half as Cha Du Ri nodded into the path of Antonio Di Natale, who slipped the ball home from five yards out.
The visiting goalkeeper Fraser Forster made some exceptional saves in the second period, but Celtic were also left to rue their luck as Cha saw a shot come back off a post in the second half.
They were also denied a clear-cut penalty when Mehdi Benatia handled in the area from Daniel Majstorovic's header.
Udinese - who share top spot in Italy with Juventus - join group winners Atletico Madrid in progressing from Group I, but there was an air of relief among the home bench when the final whistle sounded.
Di Natale showed his menace early on when he lobbed the ball over Forster and over the bar after Scott Brown had needlessly squandered possession, but Celtic looked the brighter side as they carried the game to the home side.
Danilo was fortunate to be awarded a free-kick when he clearly obstructed a rampant Georgios Samaras as he bounded towards goal before Hooper clipped a shot wide from 10 yards out after being played in by Samaras when it looked easier to net.
Celtic were rewarded for the adventure of their play when Samaras' cross broke kindly off Joel Ekstrand for Hooper to score. Celtic looked to have done enough to establish a lead at the break, but Di Natalie showed why he is top goalscorer in Serie A with 10 goals courtesy of an opportunistic finish.
As the second half caught fire in the freezing cold conditions, Forster halted Di Natale from adding to his tally by diving to claw out a thumping shot by the striker from distance before standing tall to save another Di Natale effort moments after Majstorovic had been caught out of position.
Forster then dived to deny Di Natale from netting with a header as Udinese pushed for the second goal they craved to kill off the Scottish side.
With Celtic continuing to push bodies up the park, Kwadwo Asamoah hit a post from close range to the frustration of the home fans after the inspired Forster had blocked Mauricio Isla's header with Charlie Mulgrew beaten in the air.
Celtic maintained their offensive ploy and Cha was left looking bewildered as his volley hit a post before the ball just stopped short of the line after hitting the back of the beaten home goalkeeper Samir Handanovic on 75 minutes.
The visitors had plenty of bodies in the box deep in injury time as Handanovic missed Mulgrew's corner.
But Celtic could not force the ball over the line to come up narrowly short of leaving Udine with three points that would have carried them through to the knock-out stages.

London 2012 - Government calls in troops for Olympics

Britain will provide up to 13,500 troops to protect next summer's London Olympics -- more than it has in Afghanistan -- after organizers said international uncertainty meant security for the event needed to be doubled. 

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said the military support would provide back-up for police and private staff already hired to secure the perimeters of the Olympic and Paralympic venues in what will be Britain's largest peacetime security operation.
The military presence will also include special forces and specialist bomb disposal units as well as a 1,000-strong contingency force "in the event of an Olympics-related civil emergency".
The Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, will be protected by missiles against airbone attack, in line with measures taken by Beijing in 2008 and Athens in 2004.
"Next year's Olympic and Paralympic Games are once-in-a-generation events for the UK," Hammond said in a statement.
"We want them to be secure, so that all those competing and attending can enjoy the games for the celebration of sporting achievement and cultural celebration that it is."
Increased concern about international security after the Arab Spring uprisings and other events had led to an increase in the budget for venue security to £553 million from the previous estimate of £282m, Sports Minister Hugh Robertson said earlier this month.
Another £475m is being spent on policing and other security measures outside stadiums, with 12,000 officers on duty at peak times.
Britain has been a target for Islamist militants for many years as a leading ally of U.S. military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, and 52 people were killed in suicide bombings in the capital in 2005.
The government said in July that the terrorism threat level had been downgraded by one notch to "substantial", the third highest category, meaning an attack is a "strong possibility".
The military presence for the games will now be bigger than Britain's current deployment in Afghanistan, where there are about 9,500 British troops.
Of the 13,500 military personnel, about 7,500 will help at venues, helping to admit spectators, athletes and officials through airline-style security.
They will combine with guards from private security firm G4S and volunteers to produce a force of 23,700, up from an original estimate of 10,000.
HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the Royal Navy, will be moored in the River Thames at Greenwich, providing a base for military helicopters, while the navy's flagship HMS Bulwark will be deployed off the south coast.
Typhoon fighter jets will also be based at RAF Northolt in west London.
In November, London's national Olympic security coordinator Chris Allison dismissed as "rubbish" reports that the United States had been unhappy with arrangements for the games and was planning to send up to 1,000 agents to protect its athletes.
The games will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Munich Olympics, where 11 Israeli team members died after being taken hostage by Palestinian gunmen.
"Every Olympics since Atlanta (1996) has had a significant military component around its security," Hammond told the BBC.
"Our allies and our friends would expect us to deliver the same in London and I think both the London public and Olympic competitors and visitors should be greatly reassured by the role that the military are playing."

2011 ATP Tour season review

After a year dominated by Novak Djokovic, Eurosport analyst Mats Wilander rounds up the 2011 season.
The Serb shot to the top of the tennis tree after a sensational 12 months during which he won three Grand Slams, five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and a total of 10 tournaments.
On the way, he went on an incredible 43-match winning streak and ended with an overall record of 70 wins and just six defeats.
It might just have been the best season ever seen by a single player and Djokovic fully deserved his world number one status by the end of it.
The one remaining Grand Slam went to the undisputed king of clay Rafael Nadal while Roger Federer's topsy-turvy season ended on an upward trajectory with victory at the World Tour finals, just to remind his doubters that there is life in the old dog yet.
Mats look back on an eventful year in men's tennis with this series of videos.

South Africa seek ruthless edge

South Africa are looking to rediscover their ruthless streak in the home Test series against Sri Lanka, according to captain Graeme Smith.

Although South Africa have stayed in the top three of the world Test rankings for the last few years, they have not won a home series since beating Bangladesh in 2008, drawing with England, India and Australia.
"I hope we get a lot of confidence out of the way we play. We've played some really good cricket at home, but we just haven't been able to land that killer blow. We've dominated, but we haven't done enough to get over the line," Smith told a news conference before the first Test starting on Thursday.
"I'm hoping we can string three good sessions together instead of just two out of three ... that's probably why we haven't been able to beat the good teams. Hopefully, we can string a whole day together against Sri Lanka."
Sri Lanka arrived in Centurion to a pitch with a lush covering of grass, conditions exactly the opposite to what they are used to at home.
"The pitch looks pretty green. I think the groundsman's having a bit of a panic, he'll be wanting heaters and I reckon there'll be a tent up over the pitch this afternoon," Smith said.
"He only started preparing the pitch on Monday and he desperately needs some sunshine. I'm sure he hoped for more sunshine than he got."
Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said his side were going to have to perform on whatever surface they were given.
"The pitch looks good for fast bowlers, all fast bowlers will enjoy it," he said. "We have no control over the groundsman, we just have to play on that wicket. It's definitely the greenest pitch I've seen in South Africa, even more than in 2002-03."
Sri Lanka's pace bowling reserves were decimated before the tour by injuries to Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Shaminda Eranga and Suranga Lakmal. The tourists are also still waiting for a replacement for Nuwan Pradeep who strained his hamstring in a warm-up game last weekend.
Sri Lanka have taken encouragement from their performance in that match, against a SA Invitation XI in Benoni. The visitors dismissed the home side for 357 and made 207 for three in reply in a rain-shortened game.
"Our last Test against Pakistan went very well, we came back strongly after losing the previous game. And the bowling unit did a great job on a really flat pitch and the top-order batsmen got runs in the warm-up," Dilshan said.
Sri Lanka are hoping for a change of luck South Africa, where they have lost six and drawn one of their seven Tests.
The Centurion Test is the first Sri Lanka have played in South Africa since 2002-03. The second match of the series is in Durban and the third in Cape Town.

Mushtaq eyes England v Pakistan spin battle

England spin coach Mushtaq Ahmed has predicted a battle of spin between the two countries when they meet in an upcoming series.

Mushtaq has been working as a spin bowling consultant with England for last three years and was recently given a fresh two-year contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
He will join the England team in the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 4 as they prepare for a test and one-day series against Pakistan in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
"England has been preparing hard for this series and I have tried to convince them that they must learn to depend on spin if they want to win in the Asian region," Ahmed said.
"I see this series as a big challenge for the English and Pakistani spinners and there is going to be tough competition between Swann (Graeme) and (Saeed) Ajmal, who are the best off-spinners in the business today.
"It will depend on what sort of pitches are prepared for the series but I sense they will give assistance to the slow bowlers.
"But Swann and Ajmal are bowlers of a quality who can trouble anyone, even on even tracks. Swann has been brilliant for England in the last two years."
Ahmed, who played 52 tests and 144 one-day internationals, said he enjoyed working with the English cricket set-up as they had a very disciplined system.
"For me, coaching is a profession and my first job is to see in this series that the English spinners do well. Emotions become secondary when you are working as a professional," he said.
The two sides play three tests and a one-day and Twenty20 series, which is taking place outside of Pakistan due to security concerns.

Six Nations - Wilkinson quits England duty

World Cup winning England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson has retired from international rugby with immediate effect.

Toulon's Wilkinson, 32, announced the decision on his personal website.
"I would like to take this opportunity to announce my retirement from International rugby," England's record points scorer said.
"To do so fills me with great sadness but I know that I have been blessed in so many ways to have experienced what I have with the England rugby team.
"I never ever believed that I would be able to give up on this dream which has driven me to live, breathe, love and embrace the game of rugby from the earliest days that I can remember."
Wilkinson - who could also play at inside-centre - was regarded to have under-performed along with most of England's team in their ill-fated 2011 World Cup campaign in New Zealand.
However, he will be remembered as one of the finest players in rugby history, and one who fought back to play at the highest level despite several career-threatening injuries.
At the peak of his game Wilkinson was renowned for his precision-kicking and also for his aggressive tackling, with the latter seeing him blighted by shoulder problems for much of his career.
Over a 13-year- England career, the former Newcastle star has 91 caps, including two World Cup finals, winning the 2003 trophy with a last-gasp drop goal against Australia.
Wilkinson also played in England's defeat to South Africa four years later, making him the first player to score points in two World Cup finals.

Australia win fourth straight Champions Trophy

AUCKLAND: Australia maintained its stranglehold on hockey's Champions Trophy with a 1-0 win over Spain on Sunday, claiming a record fourth straight title through a disputed goal to Eddie Ockenden.

The reigning world champions went into the decider overwhelming favourites but were forced to work hard for their victory by a Spanish side determined to make amends for a disappointing sixth place at the European Championships.
The win at the last major tournament for men's hockey before the London Olympics gave the Kookaburras their 12th Champions Trophy title overall and confirmed their status as the sport's top-ranked team.

"I'm very proud to win again and create history with four times in a row," said Australia captain Jamie Dwyer, who finished the tournament as top scorer with seven goals and was named world player of the year for the fifth time.
The final, played in blustery conditions in Auckland, was a defensive affair that only sparked to life when Ockeden netted his winner in the 59th minute.

The Spanish argued the goal came from a dangerous Liam De Young high pass and should have been disallowed, but Korean umpire Kim Hong-Lae waved aside the protest to give Australia the decisive lead.
Spain surged forward looking for an equaliser but the Australian defence was up to the challenge and the Kookaburras held on for the win.

Spain coach Daniel Martin said through an interpreter that he did not understand the umpire's ruling and felt the ball could have hit a Spanish player.
But Spanish skipper Santi Freixa brushed aside the controversy, saying he was pleased his side had re-established its international credentials after their Euro flop.

"We don't have any excuse, we feel proud of ourselves," he said. "It's not important what happened during the match."
In the third-place playoff at the eight-nation tournament, the Netherlands held off a dogged challenge from hosts New Zealand to win 5-3.

While the Dutch held the lead throughout the match after Jeroen Hertzberger's opener in the fifth minute, the New Zealanders, spurred on by a vocal hometown crowd, matched them goal for goal until late in the second half.
With the scores locked at 3-3 with three minutes to go, extra time was looming before Bob de Voogd directed in Sander de Wijn's long-range shot.

As the Black Sticks poured forward frantically chasing an equaliser, hauling off keeper Kyle Pontifax to gain another outfield player, Billy Bakker capitalised for the Netherlands and sent the ball into the open goal.
In the bottom half of the tournament, Pakistan narrowly avoided the wooden spoon, needing an extra-time golden goal from Muhammad Rizwan senior to snatch a 5-4 win over South Korea, while Germany defeated Great Britain 1-0.

The win put Germany in fifth place, guaranteeing a spot at next year's Champions Trophy in Argentina, while Pakistan manager Khawaja Junaid said the Green Shirts had benefited from exposure to top teams at the tournament.
He said Pakistan, making their first Champions Trophy appearance since 2007, had performed well but needed to improve their consistency.