Adrian CrawfordUpdated November 18, 2012 13:17:14
Look back on all the action in a busy Saturday in sport with the inaugural edition of Grandstand Online's weekend live blog.
We've got 11 hours of highlights, lowlights, interviews and results from around the country and across the globe.
Today's highlights:
(All times in AEDT)
11:00pm: And that's where we'll leave it for the debut of Grandstand Online's new-look weekend coverage. If you made it this far, thanks for reading along. We'll be back tomorrow for more of the same from around midday (AEDT).
Adrian Crawford, signing off.
RUGBY
10:47pm: The Wallabies have suffered another injury blow, with scans indicating Pat McCabe will be out at least three months with a fractured neck. Terrible news for the inside centre.
Read more here - Scans reveal McCabe has fractured neck
CRICKET
Whiteman 74 (96)
Birt 32 (48)
Coulter-Nile 3/40 (11)
Johnson 3/47 (13)
Christian 3/62 (13)
Richardson 2/39 (11)
Read more here - Marsh injured as Warriors collapse
10:10pm: Warriors skipper Adam Voges told Grandstand's Corbin Middlemas that he was always confident his side would win, before the wheels fell off in stunning fashion.
Meanwhile Redbacks top-scorer Alex Ross said he loved his first hit-out on the WACA - hardly a surprise, given he racked up a tidy 62.
10:04pm: This is nuts. Jason Behrendorff also fell to Gary Putland to give the Redbacks a third wicket in the 48th over, including Nathan Coulter-Nile (run out for 14), and the Warriors' only chance was to have Mitch Marsh come back out injured.
Not a chance, was the message from the sheds, so the Redbacks take the points. What a wild finish. South Australia wins by 14 runs after Western Australia slumps to 9 for 205.
10:01pm: Meanwhile, at the WACA...it's getting very tense.
The Warriors have just lost the wicket of Cartwright, clean bowled by Putland with a corker of a delivery, to be 8 for 204. What happened?! With Travis Birt succumbing to Kane Richardson for 32 and Mitch Marsh hobbling off hurt for 21, this sure isn't how Justin Langer's troops wanted to do it.
With 15 balls left, the Warriors need 16 runs and have two wickets in hand. Tune in...NOW.
A-LEAGUE
9:44pm: That's all there is. After four first-half goals, defence was on the agenda in the second stanza at Docklands as the Victory hold Central Coast Mariners 2-2.
Victory skipper Adrian Leijer told Grandstand it was frustrating to be unable to penetrate the 10-man Central Coast defence.
Meanwhile team-mate Marco Rojas said he thought his own game was okay, but he'd rather have had the three points.
rojas
9:42pm: YOU ARE KIDDING. The Victory have just banged one off the crossbar that could have pinched three hard-fought points from Central Coast. Time's running out.
9:39pm: It's down to 10 men aside at Docklands with mere seconds of regulation time left - Marco Flores has been given his marching orders for his second yellow, a late tackle on Trent Sainsbury. The score is still locked at 2-2 with four minutes of injury time on the clock.
CRICKET:
9:36pm: Mitch Marsh has grabbed his left hammy after an awkward dive for the crease on a run-out attempt. He's back on his feet so it might be a cramp, but boy did he look dirty about it. Warriors need 37 to win from 40 balls. Get the guy a runner!
Well that came too soon - the trainers have helped him off the WACA. Here's Clint Wheeldon's take:
@ClintWheeldon Perhaps some good news for Mitch Marsh... Physio working on him, rather than helping off ground immediately. He is coming off though.
9:32pm: With eight overs left, Western Australia (5 for 172) needs 48 from as many balls to chase down the Redbacks. Can they do it? Tune in and find out.
9.05pm: Crucial wicket for the Redbacks as Sam Whiteman holes out to Tom Cooper at fine leg off the bowling of Dan Christian. Fine knock from Whiteman of 74. Mitchell Marsh joins Travis Birt at the crease with the Warriors needing 73 to win at a run-a-ball.
A-LEAGUE
8:59pm: Red card at Docklands for Mariners vice-captain Patrick Zwaanswijk - that's gonna hurt Central Coast with the scores the way they are and the Victory looking this aggressive. Zwaanswijk copped his second yellow for an elbow on Marco Flores.
8:56pm: Just in case the four first-half scores in the Victory-Mariners game weren't enough for you, FIFA has revealed the nominations for goal of the year. Check 'em out - you can vote for your favourite on the FIFA website.
A-LEAGUE
8:32pm: It's on for young and old at Docklands, with Mark Milligan squaring the ledger in the 40th minute to make it 2-2, and that's the way it stays at half-time. Hold on to your hats, football fans.
CRICKET
8:30pm: The Warriors have lost a couple of wickets in quick succession, with Voges disappearing for 15 lbw off Christian. Mitchell Johnson was promoted to fifth but that experiment didn't last long, with the big leftie was sent packing for 3.
Western Australia is now 4 for 109, needing 111 for victory. Tune in.
8:26pm: Grandstand's Alister Nicholson caught up with fringe Test batsman and Bulls opener Usman Khawaja this week for the latest edition of Queensland Sports Extra.
Khawaja recapped a busy week for the Bulls, including a dominant Sheffield Shield win over Tasmania in just five sessions and a controversial one-day cup win over the Tigers.
8:18pm: One ball into the 27th over, the Warriors are 2 for 103 chasing 220. San Whiteman, who was dropped on 16 by Dan Christian, just notched his half-century while skipper Adam Voges is 14 not out.
The man he succeeded, Marcus North, made 18 before he was caught behind off Christian.
W-LEAGUE
8:14pm: Going around the grounds in today's W-League results, Western Sydney downed Brisbane 2-1 while Melbourne Victory put a 3-0 hurting on Canberra United. And in the bottom-of-the-table clash, Newcastle Jets buried Adelaide United's Lady Reds 4-0.
In the match of the round on ABC1 earlier today, Perth Glory put away Sydney FC 3-1 in the Western Australian capital.
A-LEAGUE
8:13pm: Whatever Daniel McBreen's been having for breakfast, I want in. He's just hit his second goal for the night to put the Mariners back in front at 2-1, just 22 minutes into the first half.
CRICKET
8:09pm: A quick update from the Test in Ahmedabad - India has enforced the follow-on, so England is back in the middle. Currently 16 without loss.
A-LEAGUE
8:01pm: But the Victory aren't resting on their laurels. Melbourne young gun Andrew Nabbout guiding a Marco Rojas pass in with his head to level the scores.
Word from the sidelines is the 19-year-old Nabbout is doing an engineering degree at university - he certainly showed he knows his angles. Great little finish there.
7:58pm: The visiting Mariners are on the board first at Docklands, with a fourth-minute goal to Daniel McBreen. Tune in to the broadcast here.
Reds defender Nigel Boogaard told Grandstand that his club has put a lot of effort into making Hindmarsh Stadium a fortress, and it shows.
CRICKET
7:27pm: Meanwhile at the WACA, Tom Triffitt became South Australia's first victim as Daniel Worrell struck early, sending the Warriors 'keeper for a shower after making just 15. WA was 1 for 34; they reached 1 for 50 after 13 overs.
7:17pm: England's tail put up some solid resistance but India has taken care of business after lunch on day three in Ahmedabad, dismissing the tourists for 191.
For those less mathematically inclined, the English are still 330 short of their gracious hosts' total of 8 (dec) for 521.
The middle session proved somewhat fruitful for England's tail-end after returning from lunch at 7 for 110. Matt Prior scored a defiant 48 alongside cameos from Stuart Broad (25) and Tim Bresnan (19).
Pragyan Ojha took two of the last three scalps to finish with team-best figures of 5 for 45.
BOXING
7:10pm: If boxing gets your blood pumping, be sure to check out Between the Ropes, our pugilistic podcast presented by Ciaran Baynes.
A-LEAGUE
6:51pm: Just as I was about to remind you that the second half was under-way at Hindmarsh Stadium, and re-post the link to our live stream, Jeronimo Neumann went and scored the opener for Adelaide United, so the hosts are up 1-0 at the hour mark.
But if your A-League allegiance is more about Victory than having a Heart, fear not. Coming up after the early game we'll go live to Docklands as the other Melbourne team hosts Central Coast Mariners from 7:30pm AEDT.
GOLF
6:34pm: Defending champion Ian Poulter and Aussie world number five Adam Scott are set for a thrilling Sunday shoot-out with just one stroke separating the pair going into the final round of the Australian Masters.
Poulter shot an 8-under-par 64 on Saturday to surge to the top of the leaderboard at 13-under, with Scott's third-round 67 keeping him sitting pretty at 12-under.
Halfway leader Matthew Guyatt faded back to third with a 3-over 75 to sit 10-under ahead of Sunday's final round.
Grandstand's Drew Morphett and Steve Pearce were kind enough to wrap up the third round for us.
Read more here - Poulter, Scott set for Masters shoot-out
CRICKET
6:26pm: Meanwhile Clint Wheeldon, Corbin Middlemas and the gang are ready to go for Western Australia's run chase at the WACA. South Australia set the hosts a target of 220.
Can the Redbacks take some early wickets? Tune in to our live stream here.
A-LEAGUE
6:24pm: HALF-TIME: No work for the scorers in the first 45 minutes as Adelaide United and the Heart play a 0-0 first half.
Tune in to the call.
6:17pm: We're inside the final five minutes of regulation time in the first half and the Reds and Heart remain locked scoreless.
Joe Mullen, calling the action for Grandstand, reckons this is the danger period for both sides' defences as the break approaches.
GOLF
6:09pm: A brief tweet from Drew Morphett at the Australian Masters coal-face (if you could call the beautiful Kingston Heath a coal-face).
@DrewMorphett Phenomenal 64 by Ian Poulter @ Aust Masters - one off course record @ Kingston Heath
CRICKET
6:01pm: Despite how unlikely it may have looked earlier in the afternoon, the Redbacks have survived their allotted 50 overs at the WACA, making 9 for 219.
Alex Ross was the best of the bats with a well-crafted 62 while skipper Johan Botha (46) and wicket-keeper Tim Ludeman (25) had cameos.
This week's Shield man of the match Nathan Coulter-Nile took 3 for 40 while Test reject Mitchell Johnson returned figures of 3 for 46, a solid haul for the left-armer.
Jason Behrendorff (2 for 40) took the first two Redbacks scalps and Mitch Marsh (1 for 30) claimed one victim himself.
A-LEAGUE
5:45pm: Early drama at Hindmarsh Stadium, with a head clash forcing Melbourne Heart defender Simon Colosimo off the field in the opening exchanges. He's returned to the action with a bandaged head though.
Remember, you can listen to the game live here.
V8 SUPERCARS
5:20pm: News from Winton, championship leader Jamie Whincup has taken out race one of the penultimate V8 Supercars round after falling back as far as third place after starting second.
Craig Lowndes stormed from 15th place on the grid to take second place on the podium ahead of Lee Holdsworth in third. Mark Winterbottom started on pole but finished just out of the winners' list in fourth.
If Winterbottom wants a crack at the title, he's going to have to keep the gap between he and Whincup to less than 300 points this weekend. He's now trailing by 326, meaning he has his work cut out for him on Sunday.
Read the story - Whincup closes in on fourth title
CRICKET
5:15pm: It's lunchtime in Ahmedabad but it's fair to say England won't be enjoying the salad sandwiches after crashing to 7 for 110 after the first session on day three. Ouch.
They're chasing India's 8 (declared) for 521, built on Cheteshwar Pujara's unbeaten 206 and a Virender Sehwag run-a-ball 117.
The chief destroyers for the hosts have been Pragyan Ojha (3 for 30) Ravichandran Ashwin (3 for 44), while Umesh Yadav took the seventh scalp.
A-LEAGUE
4:10pm: In 20 minutes' time, you can tune in to our live coverage of Adelaide United taking on Melbourne Heart at Hindmarsh Stadium via this link with Matt Clinch and Joe Mullen calling the action.
GOLF
4:09pm: At Kingston Heath, Ian Poulter has finished three rounds at 13-under and goes to the clubhouse in front. Adam Scott trails by one stroke after a 5-under Saturday puts him at 12-under for the tournament.
CRICKET
4:57pm: That's the end of Alex Ross I'm afraid. He's just hit Nathan Coulter-Nile down Mitchell Johnson's throat on the third-man boundary rope for 62 from 74 balls, just short of a 100-run stand with skipper Johan Botha.
South Australia is 6 for 157.
GOLF
4:47pm: Out at Kingston Heath, Ian Poulter and Adam Scott are neck and neck at 12-under-par in the third round of the Australian Masters. The pair followed a birdie each with a bogey each on 15 and 16.
Overnight leader Matthew Guyett also had some success on the 15th, potting his second birdie of the day and just his first since his opening hole this morning. He's two strokes back.
CRICKET
4:41pm: At the WACA, Alex Ross has reached his maiden one-day cup half-century - with three sixes along the way to boot - as South Australia recovered to 5 for 139 after 34 overs. Skipper Johan Botha is unbeaten on 21.
Meanwhile Clint Wheeldon just had an interesting discussion with veteran batsman Brad Hogg, who's involved in promoting Twenty20 cricket in an untraditional but undeniably huge market - the USA.
W-LEAGUE
4:25pm: Meanwhile, the Glory have defeated ladder leader Sydney FC 3-1 at Perth Oval.
BASKETBALL
4:24pm: Going across the globe for a minute, the NBA season has been underway for just over two weeks and the last undefeated team has just been toppled.
The New York Knicks went into their road game against the Memphis Grizzlies with a perfect 6-0 record. The Grizzlies are no slouches either, boasting a 6-1 record ahead of the Friday night match-up.
But everything must come to an end at some stage, and the Knicks fell 105-95 despite 20 points from star forward Carmelo Anthony and 18 from point guard Raymond Felton.
Four of Memphis' five starters scored in double-figures, with Zach Randolph's 20-point, 15-rebound performance the box score stand-out. Way to go, Z-Bo.
BASEBALL
4:06pm: Grandstand's Chris Coleman, who hosts our baseball podcast Strike Zone, has kindly reminded me there's plenty of ABL action this weekend. Canberra Cavalry took care of the Bandits 3-2 last night in the first contest of a three-game home series for Brisbane.
Perth Heat had more luck at home, shutting out Melbourne Aces 3-0 on Friday night. They'll continue to slug it out tonight and tomorrow in the west.
CRICKET
One of my sharper colleagues says it would be remiss of me to not insert an iconic piece of ABC Grandstand cricket commentary into this, the inaugural edition of the blog. A very particular piece of commentary.
So for your listening pleasure - Kerry "Skull" O'Keeffe's famous Frog Joke.
SWIMMING
3:44pm: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water...
James "the Missile" Magnussen will join Olympic gold medallists Alicia Coutts, Melanie Schlanger and Cate Campbell as part of Australia's 30-strong team for the inaugural Aquatic Super Series in Perth in January.
Swimmers from Australia, China and South Africa will compete for $500,000 in prize money during the January 18-20 event, with individual and team prizes on offer.
The series will also encompass an elite international water polo competition featuring Australia, Croatia and China, and a mass participation open water swim in Perth's Swan River. Read more.
MASCOTS
We asked you earlier about your favourite sporting mascot moments. Here are some of the best responses.
@kiwi_kali One of my 1st memories is seeing the giant roo on TV at the Brisbane Comm Games opening ceremony in '82
@JackParle Stanley the Steel Avenger getting sent off for fighting
@ag_birmingham how can you go past Fatso the fat arsed wombat from the Sydney Olympics with Roy and HG
@LeeLee1710 Favourite mascot moment when Cairns Taipans @JoeBlakeSnake proposed. She said yes! Also a legendary mascot.
@TheCairnsAgent the Cairns Taipans mascot dressed in a mankini... The NBL mascot of the year !!
@JPurden can't go past Quatchi from Vancouver winter Olympics 2010!
CRICKET
3:37pm: The WACA crowd could be in for a short day of cricket, because South Australia is absolutely struggling. Nathan Coulter-Nile was the next man to strike, sending Dan Christian packing for a big fat goose-egg. That makes it 5 for 61 after 18 overs.
3:34pm: Mitchell Johnson has just made a breathrough at the WACA, forcing Michael Klinger into edging behind to a diving Tom Triffitt, who took a dead-set screamer behind the stumps. Great piece of cricket. Klinger goes for 21, and the Redbacks are in dire straits at 4 for 61 after 17 overs.
3:10pm: After 12 overs at the WACA, Western Australia had found its happy place after Jason Behrendorff took two scalps to have South Australia at 2 for 45.
Phil Hughes was caught behind for 4 while Callum Ferguson was sent back to the changerooms for 2 after being clean bowled.
It's apparently an absolute stinker in Perth today too, with the mercury reaching 32 degrees Celcius by midday. Ouch. That's a big contrast to the conditions here in Brisbane, where we were lucky that the building wasn't blown away earlier this morning.
OLYMPICS
3:04pm: Last night in our nation's capital at superstar breeding ground the Australian Institute of Sport, swimmer Alicia Coutts and sailor Tom Slingsby were honoured as joint winners of the AIS Athlete of the Year award. Nicely done, guys.
Olympic debutant Coutts, who as you may remember helped clinch Australia's first (and only...) gold in the London pool in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay, caught up with Grandstand's Tim Gavel afterwards.
GOLF
2:56pm: Queensland journeyman Matthew Guyatt has fallen back to 10-under-par in the third round, while a birdie blitz has seen Ian Poulter and Adam Scott catch up at the top of the leaderboard in the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath. The leaderboard can be found here.
CRICKET
2:25pm: News from the WACA is that Phil Hughes has fallen victim to Clint Wheeldon's commentator's curse - the Redbacks opener fell for 4 in the second over to Jason Behrendorff. Keep an eye on the scorecard here.
2:20pm: Meanwhile, David Beckham isn't the only Englishman's name doing the rounds in Australian domestic competitions. But this time I'm talking about cricket, and Kevin Pietersen.
KP's name has been floated as a possible recruit for Sydney Sixers, who lost the services of Saeed Ajmal due to the Pakistan Cricket Board's request that the spinner focus on international duties. Fair enough.
Sixers chief executive and former Aussie Test quick Stuart Clark told Deb Spillane earlier this afternoon that if Pietersen's available, the Sixers will have a look, but nothing is concrete.
2:15pm: If you were wondering, the first delivery of the One-Day Cup match between the Warriors and Redbacks was a Mitchell Johnson wide. We'll keep you across the scores, and National Grandstand will cross to Clint Wheeldon at the WACA at regular intervals throughout the day.
2:05pm: Is there a more high-pressure job in Australian sport than batting at the pointy end of the order at Test level? I can't think of many.
But even though he only made 9 in his debut against South Africa at the Gabba last week, the newly baggy-greened Rob Quiney seems like he has a head for the pressure.
So much so, in fact, that he reckons he loves not knowing how secure his spot is, with Shane Watson's return from injury looming.
"It's a good limbo," Quiney told reporters.
"I'd rather be in this limbo than not being in the mix at all.
"If Shane gets fit, it's going to be beneficial to the team ... but if he doesn't get up or is still unfit, I feel like the last Test was a bit of a dream and I have got a job to do now." Read more here.
W-LEAGUE
2:00pm: For the football fans out there, ABC Sport's coverage of the W-League is kicking off right now. You can watch Perth Glory hosting Sydney FC at Perth Oval online at this link.
V8s
1:50pm: Ford driver Mark Winterbottom will start on pole for race one of the penultimate V8 Supercars round at Winton. Jamie Whincup qualified second.
1:46pm: Grandstand's Clint Wheeldon reckons H'Angus the Monkey, of Hartlepool United FC, is his favourite of all sporting mascots. H'Angus has a controversial record including ground ejections, some questionable business with female stewards...and the man under the costume, Ken Hodcroft, actually ran for mayor. His platform? Free bananas for school children. You can't make this stuff up. Deb Spillane's take?
"They were obviously paying peanuts for that mayor's job, that's why they got a monkey."
Indeed. Tweet us your favourite mascot moments and we'll throw the best in the blog.
CRICKET
1:39pm: Meanwhile the Redbacks have won the toss and skipper Johan Botha has elected to bat. South Australia is second on the table with two wins from its three starts, while the Warriors have one win under their belts after their first three contests.
1:26pm: Back out west, Corbin Middlemas caught up with new Warriors coach Justin Langer ahead of Western Australia's one-day cup clash with South Australia at the WACA today.
He said WA cricket means a lot to him and his passion for the game - which he said can't be faked - will be the trademark of his coaching career.
A-LEAGUE
1:15pm: The last 18 hours or so have seen the rumour mill crank into overdrive and David Beckham has been the fuel. Talk yesterday was that the English superstar was considering a stint in the A-League this season, and FFA confirmed last night that Beckham's management had made an approach regarding the same.
But his management soon hosed down that gossip, saying Becks was keeping his eyes on the MLS prize as his LA Galaxy contest the play-offs.
Earlier on the program, Debbie Spillane chatted to A-League boss Damien de Bohun, who said the idea of bringing Beckham (and presumably wife Posh Spice Victoria) Down Under isn't "dead in the water" but admitted it's a complex situation.
"The reality is there's so much complexity to the nature of international transfers.
"From our perspective, it's definitely something that we've had some discussions about and it's very much in the early stages.
"I certainly wouldn't say it's dead in the water by any stretch of the imagination."
Read James Maasdorp's story here - A-league still hopeful in luring Beckham
OVERNIGHT
12:30pm: In this morning's results, Spain and the Czech Republic are tied at 1-1 after the first two singles rubbers in the Davis Cup final in Prague.
Overnight, David Ferrer put Spain ahead thanks to a 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 win over Radek Stepanek, before Tomas Berdych levelled it up for the hosts with a gruelling five-setter against Nicolas Almagro.
There was also some rugby union action in Europe overnight, with Samoa causing an almighty shock.
Read more here - Samoa inflicts Wales' fifth straight defeat
The islanders beat Wales 26-19 in Cardiff and are starting to make a name for themselves as regular giant killers. Anyone remember this particular Wallabies horrorshow?
NBL
12:25pm: In the wild, wild west last night, the Adelaide 36ers spoiled the Wildcats' housewarming party as they clinched a thrilling 69-65 win at the all-new Perth Arena.
Perth-born Daniel Johnson was judge, jury and executioner for the Sixers, scoring 21 points and reeling in 15 boards for the visitors in front of a sold-out home crowd that was as vocal as always.
Grandstand's Corbin Middlemas and Mike Ellis kindly ran the rule over proceedings for us, which you can listen to below.
Corbin also caught up with Cats coach Rob Beveridge, who said he was "absolutely gutted" that his side could not win in front of 12,000 fans on the night.
A-LEAGUE
12:15pm: In case you missed it last night, Brisbane Roar extended a tough old week for Sydney FC with a 4-2 home win at Lang Park.
The Sky Blues saw coach Ian Crook resign after just six games in charge on Sunday, and were led into battle by former player and assistant manager Steve Corica.
The Roar climbed off the bottom of the competition ladder with the emphatic win, snapping a three-match losing streak and giving the hosts their first win since thrashing Melbourne Victory 5-0 in round two.
Read more here - Roar rediscover mojo against Sky Blues
Roar veteran Massimo Murdocca told Grandstand's Alister Nicholson that it was training, not "Balkan tea", that got team-mate Besart Berisha back on the park after an injury lay-off. Less amusing remedy, but probably more effective.
12:10pm: Greetings sports fans. Adrian Crawford here and I'll be leading you down the tunnel and onto the paddock for the run-on debut of Grandstand's live weekend blog. We've got plenty on Australia-wide on this fine Saturday, and I'll give you the results as they break.
The National Grandstand team on your wireless - and streaming online of course - have a host of special guests over the next six hours and we'll post those interviews along the way for your listening pleasure.
If that's not enough, there's sure to be plenty of colour as we scour Twitter, YouTube and the wider web for the best and the worst of sport today. If you're a tweeter, stay tuned - we'll have questions and polls along the way where the best responses will get a run in the blog.
Tags: a-league,
soccer,
australian-touring-cars,
motor-sports,
nbl,
basketball,
sport,
australia First posted November 17, 2012 12:59:07
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