Colourful knickers banished at Wimbledon
LONDON: Women’s colourful knickers and men’s black ones should be a thing of the past at Wimbledon as organisers of the tournament that began on Monday have advised players that guidelines requiring all-white tennis clothing will be strictly enforced. The guidelines specifying white clothing and undergarments, with only a thin band of colour on the undergarment or accessories like headbands, was in force last year, Wimbledon spokesman Jon Friend said, but that did not stop women players from showing up in undergarments that clearly were not white. “The rule is unchanged but the players have been reminded, and there is now a clarification and if there was a question in years gone by those questions have been well and truly answered,” Friend said. He said the decision by the All England Club, which runs the prestigious two-week-long tournament, to stick to the letter of the regulations has been communicated to players through notices in locker rooms, newsletters and while they were on tour “so there are no surprises”. “This is now a clarification, last year there may have been a misunderstanding of what was meant,” Friend added. He said that anyone wearing clothing that breached the guidelines would be asked to change before going on court. (Reuters)
Mathews, Prasad leave Eng on the brink
LEEDS: Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews and paceman Dhammika Prasad pushed England to the brink of defeat as the home side, set 350 to win, slumped to 57 for five on the fourth day of the second and final Test on Monday. Mathews stroked a magnificent 160 to help Sri Lanka power their way to a second-innings total of 457 at Headingley after resuming on 214 for four. Paceman Liam Plunkett claimed two victims in two balls for the second time in the game as he added figures of four for 112 to his first-innings haul of five for 64. Prasad then produced a fiery spell of fast bowling to rip the heart out of England’s batting by removing skipper Alastair Cook (16) and Gary Ballance (duck), in consecutive balls, Sam Robson (24) and Ian Bell (eight). “After the first couple of days we never thought we would be in this position,” Mathews told Sky Sports television as Sri Lanka closed in on their first series victory in England. (Reuters)
Sauber’s Gutierrez penalised after error
Spielberg (Austria): Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez will start at Silverstone next month with a 10-point grid penalty, following a dreadful pit stop mistake Sunday that saw him move off without a wheel properly attached. The incident occurred after the first pit stop during the Austrian Grand Prix, as the team noticed a wheel nut on Gutierrez’s rear right-hand wheel had not been properly fixed. He was ordered to stop his car in the pit lane and was pulled back by his mechanics, but this also caused teammate Adrian Sutil to stop on the way back onto the track, slowing his time. Race stewards have now slapped Swiss team Sauber with the penalty for “releasing a car in an unsafe condition during the race.” “Our work today is not acceptable. Such a mistake at a pit stop must simply not happen,” team chief Monisha Kaltenborn said in a statement after the race. “We will carefully look into our procedures and the consequences, and we will take appropriate measures,” she vowed. (AFP)