CAIRNS Taipans welcomed in the New Year with a convincing 120-112 win over the Brisbane Bullets at Cairns Convention Centre.
After four days on the road, a tired Brisbane struggled to keep the deficit to a narrow 23-21 at the first quarter.
The fatigued Bullets lacked a lot of their trademark defence and Cairns, seething after last week’s loss to Melbourne, obliged with some consistent shooting throughout the game.
Wednesday’s Old Firm match has been postponed as a mark of respect following the death of Motherwell captain Phil O’Donnell.
O’Donnell died after collapsing during Saturday’s match against Dundee United.
Second Test, Cape Town: South Africa v West Indies
Match starts 0830 GMT Wednesday
South Africa’s Neil McKenzie looks set to play his first Test in three and a half years after being called into the squad to face West Indies in Cape Town.
England Legends – Paul Gascoigne
As a festive treat, TheFA.com has a series of seven articles with England Legends, one from each of the match programmes in 2007, today it’s Paul Gascoigne;
If there is a year zero for English football as we know it – the English football of packed stadiums, St George’s flags fluttering from car windows and international players as the biggest celebrities in the land – it is 1990.
It’s easy to forget that before this one golden summer, English expectations for football success had been low. Arriving in Italy, it would have been impossible to predict that four weeks later the team would be returning home as heroes, that the English game would begin a long, glorious renaissance, and that Paul Gascoigne would become the most famous footballer in England.
If 2006 was a good year for England Under-21s with no defeats in six outings, 2007 was great – but it could so nearly have been perfect…
Having secured qualification to the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the first half of the year was focused on preparing for Holland. Under the guidance of new Coach Stuart Pearce, England entertained Spain in a friendly in Derby in February, but they also entertained the 28,000-strong crowd.
2-0 down at half-time, the Three Lions fought back in the second period to clinch a thrilling 2-2 draw.
Jelena Jankovic
PERTH, Australia – Jelena Jankovic and Novak Djokovic won their singles matches as top-seeded Serbia beat Taiwan 3-0 at the Hopman Cup mixed teams tennis tournament Sunday.
Jankovic defeated Hsieh Su-wei 6-4, 6-4 while Djokovic, who struggled with a back injury in the second set, rallied to beat Lu Yen-hsun 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
Serena Williams
PERTH, Australia – Serena Williams has recovered from the flu and will compete Monday in the Hopman Cup, a tuneup before defending her Australian Open title.
Williams had a hitting session in Perth on Sunday and is expected to play for the United States against the Czech Republic after missing the opening matches against India.
Shahar Peer
Gold Coast, Australia (Sports Network) – Shahar Peer of Israel was among the first-round winners Sunday at the Australian Women’s Hardcourts, as the 2008 women’s tennis season kicked off.
The fifth-seeded Peer rallied for a 3-6, 6-0, 6-2 victory over American Julie Ditty on the first day of play at the Australian Open tuneup.
Canada celebrates Spengler Cup win
DAVOS, Switzerland – Canada has won the Spengler Cup.
Kirby Law and Ryan Keller scored in the second period to lift Canada to a 2-1 victory over Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa in the final of the five-team tournament on Monday morning.
PERTH captain Simon Colosimo admits the Glory boy boys may force him to leave the A-League club, but he insists he has as yet made no decision concerning his playing future.
The former Australia player received a hostile reception from the Members Equity Stadium crowd during the 4-1 loss to Queensland, as a result of reports linking him with Sydney FC for next season.
The veteran midfielder, in his third season with the Glory, said he was shocked by the treatment, given he was still yet to make a decision about his future.