Sports

AMMAN — The Jordan Professional Football League resumes on Thursday, with Leg 2 of the competition kicking off after a three-week break during which the national team held a training camp and teams regrouped to refocus and amend gaps.

Jazira topped the standings at the end of Leg 1. However, Leg 2 is bound to see heated competition, with three teams closely behind. Wihdat are second, while Faisali are third. 

Manshieh, who joined the pro league this season with Sahab, have tipped the balance and are now in fourth place, while teams like Ramtha, Ahli and Shabab Urdun are further down the standings with inconsistent results. 

That Ras are going through financial strains that have taken their toll, and the club are now in the relegation zone together with Baqaa, who are usually among the upper half of standings.

Wihdat are looking to win their fourth consecutive and 16th overall title, while Faisali have not won the league in the past four years and eye a 33rd record title.

A total of 147 goals were scored in the past 66 matches. Jazira's Syrian pro Mardig Mardigian still leads the scorers list with eight goals. 

Ahli won the first major competition on the 2016/17 football calendar, making history when they beat reigning league champs Wihdat 2-1 to nab the 34th Super Cup.

In the Jordan Football Association Shield — back on the calendar after four years — Shabab Urdun scored a major 5-1 win over Faisali. It was Shabab Urdun's second Shield title after they first won it in 2007.

In the Jordan Cup, four teams have made it to the semis, in which Wihdat will face Faisali while Ramtha play Jazira in two legs on May 12 and 16, before playing the final on May 20.

Wihdat and Ahli will also shift focus to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

Reigning league champs Wihdat lost 3-0 to UAE's Wihda on Tuesday in the 2017 AFC Asian Champions League playoff, which is a stage before Round 1 of the prestigious event. Wihdat had earlier beat AFC Cup runners-up India's Bengaluru FC 2-1 in the preliminary round match.

Kevin Love scored 39 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers stopped the Washington Wizards' 17-game home winning streak, with a thrilling 140-135 overtime win on Monday night, despite LeBron James fouling out for the first time in more than three years.

Kyrie Irving had 11 of his 23 points in overtime. Seven of those came in the final 62 seconds for the Cavaliers, who forced overtime on a miraculous three-pointer off the backboard by James with 0.3 of a second left in regulation.

James finished with 32 points and career-high 17 assists before picking up his sixth foul with 4:13 remaining in overtime.

Meanwhile, Goran Dragic scored 33 points, including a career-high seven three-pointers, and Hassan Whiteside had 19 points and 13 rebounds as Miami Heat extended their winning streak to 11 games by overtaking the Minnesota Timberwolves 115-113.

Dragic made his first seven three-point attempts and was 13 of 17 from the field for the game. He added nine assists for Miami, which have the current longest winning streak in the NBA and are one behind the season-best, 12-game streak by Golden State.

Rodney McGruder had 15 points for Miami, which held on despite Minnesota closing within a basket several times in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had 35 points for the Timberwolves, who have lost four games in a row.

Pacers 93, Thunder 90

Paul George had 21 points, including a clutch basket with 1:20 remaining, and Indiana extended their season-best winning streak to seven.

Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, who finished with 27 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists, missed two potential game-tying 3-pointers in the final 7.8 seconds, including one at the buzzer.

Jeff Teague added 17 points for Indiana, who won despite shooting only 37.9 per cent from the field.

Lakers 121, Knicks 107

Los Angeles won in Madison Square Garden to snap a 13-game road losing streak.

The Lakers had not won on the road since beating the Philadelphia 76ers 100-89 on December 16. Los Angeles posted their first win at the Garden since February 11, 2011. Lou Williams scored 22 points to lead seven Lakers in double figures.

The Knicks, who lost for the ninth time in 13 games, were led by Carmelo Anthony with 26 points.

Pistons 113, 76ers 96

Marcus Morris led seven Detroit players in double figures with 19 points against Philadelphia at The Palace.

Andre Drummond collected his 33rd double-double with 16 points and 17 rebounds. Reggie Jackson had 14 points and six assists, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Aron Baynes and Jon Leuer added 12 points apiece for Detroit.

Jahlil Okafor's 16 points led Philadelphia.

Bulls 112, Kings 107

Dwyane Wade scored 31 points, and his baseline jumper with a defender draped on him with 13 seconds lifted Chicago over Sacramento.

Wade scored Chicago's final five points to help the Bulls hold off a furious Kings rally from a 27-point, second-half deficit. Michael Carter-Williams finished with 21 points, and Robin Lopez added 17 for Chicago.

Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds and five assists, but he was ejected after his second technical foul in the final seconds. He earned a one-game suspension for the Kings' Wednesday contest against the Boston Celtics, an automatic punishment for reaching 16 T's on the season.

Grizzlies 89, Spurs 74

Marc Gasol scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Memphis defeated San Antonio.

The Grizzlies won for the fifth time in six games, taking advantage of 17 Spurs turnovers that translated into 19 points. 

Mike Conley finished with 12 points and a game-high nine assists. Zach Randolph had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench, and Vince Carter finished with seven points, six rebounds and his first four-block game since April 2009.

The Spurs played without forward Kawhi Leonard, sidelined due to a right quad contusion. David Lee led San Antonio with 14 points off the bench. Forward LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

In other games, Jazz beat the Hawks 120-95, the Pelicans outshone the Suns 111-106, the Raptors overtook the Clippers 118-109 and the Nuggets beat the Mavericks 110-87.

LIBREVILLE, Gabon — The African Nations Cup in Gabon will be remembered for delivering an inspiring success story culminating with Cameroon's brilliant come-from-behind victory over Egypt to claim a fifth title in Libreville.

The dramatic return of the Indomitable Lions to the summit of the African game came against expectation, achieved with a squad of little experience after several key players put club above country in the preceding months.

Overcoming difficult odds to come through a taxing tournament — played in stifling humility, on poor pitches and with complex travel arrangements — and claiming the trophy gave the tournament a much-needed new lease on life.

Too many previous tournaments have suffered from the burden of poor football, disappointing crowds and a distinct lack of on-field drama. Usually it is controversy that marks the event.

Cameroon's exploits, however, ensured the 2017 edition concluded as one of the better recent Nations Cup.

Cameroon, last champion 15 years ago, was given little chance at the start, a side in transition after coach Hugo Broos made a comprehensive, almost cavalier, overhaul of the side in the preceding months.

Just a month before kick-off, his plans looked in tatters as eight players declared their unavailability, rejecting call-ups to stay with their clubs.

It was the first significant show of dissent from African footballers, who are placed in an awkward position every two years by the tug of loyalty between club and country that the timing Nations Cup, in the middle of the European club season, forces on them.

It was an issue quickly forgotten as the tournament kicked off with some favourites quickly falling by the wayside.

Algeria was in trouble from the first game, host Gabon and holder Ivory Coast went out in the first round and Cameroon's post-match penalty shootout win over impressive Senegal in the last eight proved the biggest upset.

"Our ambition was to finish in the top two in our group, get to the knockout round and see what happened from there. Over the weeks, we went from being a squad to becoming a family," said winning coach Broos after Sunday's 2-1 victory.

The progress to the semifinal of Burkina Faso, also little regarded at the start, added another exciting element in the same way the progress of unheralded nations spiced up the European Championship last year.

Refereeing showed a dramatic improvement in another boost for the African Football.

New-look Cameroon now has an immediate burden of expectation as African champion. It hosts the next finals in 2019, where vociferous home support will be demanding repeat success.

AMMAN — The Kingdom has been chosen to stage the West Asia Table Tennis Championships from Thursday to next Sunday in the Red Sea city of Aqaba, the Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) News Service said on Sunday.

Twenty members of the national team are "preparing hard to ensure the host nation will be the team to beat", the news service said.

One of those, Ziad Aziz, 20, believes that the sport is in a good shape here and says that despite the high competition from the likes of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq, Bahrain, Palestine and Oman, Jordanian players can make the podium in the various age group competitions.

“We have been training hard for more than a month now to be ready,” Aziz told the JOC.

“We have been holding one session in the morning [and] one in the evening because we all want to do well in our home event," he continued.

“The Jordan Table Tennis Federation has provided us with all our needs, so there are no excuses. As athletes we are looking to make everybody proud of us.”

Aziz is one of "the few local players of recent times who has consistently challenged at the regional and international level", but he believes there are some prosperous times approaching for the sport here, the JOC news service reported.

“This championship can be the new start for us,” he said. “We want to make a statement this weekend with some strong performances which we can build on for future events with this group of players who are very talented.”

As well as the senior men and women events, there are youth (U-18) and junior (U-15) competitions for both male and female players.

Aziz, who was the Arab Youth Champion in 2015, believes he is now ready to challenge for the seniors’ crown this weekend.

“I want this title, especially as we are hosting the tournament. It would be extra special,” he said. “It would be a dream come true and provide me with the boost to go on and achieve more in this sport.”

The West Asia Table Tennis Championships get under way on Thursday at the Rosary School in Aqaba, around 330km south of Amman.

AMMAN — The Jordan Cup preliminaries ended on Saturday with four teams making it to the final four of the second competition on the season calendar.

The top two teams from each group made it to the May 12 semis. Ramtha and Faisali booked top spots from Group A, edging their rivals with ease, as holders Ahli finished third, followed by Sahab, Manshieh and Baqaa. 

Ramtha beat Ahli 2-1, Faisali beat Manshieh 1-0, and Sahab edged Baqaa 2-0.

In Group B, Hussein Irbid, who were leading, were eliminated, as Wihdat and Jazira booked top spots, followed by Shabab Urdun, Hussein and That Ras. 

Wihdat beat Hussein 3-1, while Jazira edged Sarih and Shabab Urdun beat That Ras 1-0.

With no Division 1 teams playing this year, the competition was shorter, with the semis now to be played over two rounds.

Wihdat will face Faisali, while Ramtha play Jazira in two legs on May 12 and 16 before playing the final on May 20.

Clubs will now shift focus to the restart of the league on
February 9. 

On the regional scene, Wihdat, who won their preliminary round of the Asian Football Confederation Champions League by beating India's Bengaluru FC 2-1, will now play UAE's Wihda in the play-off stage on Tuesday. 

Reigning Jordan Cup champs Ahli start the AFC Cup on February 20.

So far in the current season, Jazira still lead the Pro League standings ahead of Wihdat and Faisali. 

Ahli won the first major competition on the 2016/17 football calendar, when they beat reigning league champs Wihdat 2-1 to win the 34th Super Cup.

In the Jordan Football Association Shield — back on the calendar after four years — Shabab Urdun scored a major 5-1 win over Faisali. 

It was Shabab Urdun's second Shield title after they first won in 2007.

MELBOURNE — The Nitro Series promised to make athletics a show and the sport's ultimate show-man Usain Bolt capped its first meeting in Melbourne on Saturday by propelling his team of international "All-Stars" to a crowd-pleasing win in the 4x100 metres relay.

Taking the baton from Olympic gold medal-winning team mate Asafa Powell, Jamaican Bolt powered down the second leg at Lakeside Stadium before Americans Jenna Prandini and Jeneba Tarmoh completed the win in the mixed team event ahead of Japan and Australia.

Bolt's first run of the year and first in Australia brought the curtain down on opening night of the Series, which has pledged to "revolutionise" athletics with a team-based event that borrows heavily from the formula of sport and entertainment which has underpinned Twenty20 cricket's considerable success.

With athletics struggling to maintain a profile outside of the Olympics and rocked by major doping and corruption scandals in recent years, organisers hope the series can reinvigorate the sport by shaking up the traditional schedule of events — and sprinkling some star-dust from marquee man Bolt.

Bolt, who completed a "treble treble" of 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay Olympic titles at the 2016 Rio Games, was paid a seven-figure appearance fee to commit to all three meetings in the inaugural series in Melbourne this month and given a stake in the company running the event.

He fulfilled his role as athletics' great entertainer, galloping on to the field before the meeting as flame cannons shot fireballs into the air and dancing to thumping pop music.

"Tonight is the first night, we just want to do something different," Bolt told reporters as a crowd of hundreds of spectators craned necks to capture a glimpse.

"I've never handed [a baton] over to a girl. For me that was exciting.

"Everybody was having fun, everyone was trying to support their team mates."

Bolt's appearance helped secure a clutch of big names for the event, with American former Olympic 400m hurdles champion Kerron Clement running in his All-Stars team who won the overall event ahead of Australia.

Christine Ohuruogu, the 2008 Olympic 400m champion, captained Team England.

With mixed team events, a 2x300m relay and an elimination mile in which runners were knocked out progressively, the meeting carried on with troupes of dancers gyrating to electronic music in front of an enthusiastic crowd of about 7,000.

Similar spectacle

It was a spectacle similar to any of the “Big Bash” Twenty20 matches played at the nearby Melbourne Cricket Ground.

But whereas Twenty20 competitions are underpinned by the support of dozens of high-profile players, Bolt carries a lot of the burden on his own shoulders.

"It's not an understatement to say that we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Usain Bolt and his management," Athletics Australia President Mark Arbib told Reuters before the meeting.

"Usain Bolt and [agent] Ricky Simms have not just put their name to it, and are not just taking part, they have taken a stake in the business itself.

"They've promoted it, selected the Bolt All-Star team, they've put their own IP [intellectual property] into the All-Stars, they're building a significant commercial asset."

Like a number of federations across the globe, Athletics Australia has battled to arrest declining crowds and interest in the sport, initially conceiving of the series as helping to boost the low profile of the nation's top athletes.

But Bolt's signature had proven a "game-changer", Arbib, a former federal sports minister, said.

It had secured a prime-time broadcast for a local athletics meeting for the first time in nearly a decade while attracting key corporate backers.

Among them, Kerry Stokes, owner of the series' host broadcaster Seven West Media, had invested A$1 million ($768,000) of his own funds, the Australian Financial Review newspaper reported.

The crowd was lower than the 8,500 stadium capacity but total tickets sold over the three nights of the series had comfortably outstripped those sold for the entire programme of national athletics events last year.

If ambition was an Olympic sport, organisers could already crown themselves gold medal winners.

They hope to take the series overseas and have targeted a slot in England after the world championships, where 30-year-old Bolt will make his farewell.

"Everything that we started thinking of as a dream is a reality, the big thing now is to prove that the concept works," Arbib said.

"We know that the athletes love it, they've told us that they think this is the future... If this is successful, this will change the way people view athletics."

AMMAN — Lebanon was crowned champ of the West Asian Basketball Association (WABA) Championship, which ended on the weekend with Jordan grabbing the third place.

The top four qualifiers will now play at the 29th Asia Cup to be held in Lebanon from August 17-27. Jordan will be joined by runner up Iran, fourth placed Iraq and fifth place Syria with Lebanon qualifying automatically.

The six-team tournament hosted at Fuheis Club saw Jordan beat Syria 78-70, Iraq 66-62, Palestine 90-75 before losing 72-61 to Lebanon and 82-59 to Iran. Lebanon edged Iran 65-62 to win the title. 

The Asia Cup will no longer be held under a two-year cycle. Starting 2017, the Asia Championships and the FIBA Oceania Championship will merge into one tournament to be known as the FIBA Asia Cup. It will be held every four years like the EuroBasket, AfroBasket and Americas Championship. The tournament will determine the composition of the joint FIBA Asia and FIBA Oceania qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. 

Jordan first won the West Asia title in 2002. In 2016, Jordan beat Lebanon 83-82 to clinch second place at the WABA to advance alongside Iran and Iraq to the FIBA Asia Challenge where they finished third.

In 2014, Jordan won the WABA title for the second time in the absence of both the Lebanese and senior Iranian teams, and represented the West Asia zone at the fifth FIBA Asia Cup (previously known as the FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup between 2004 and 2010 and FIBA Asia Cup from 2012 to 2014).

China, as well defending FIBA Asia Championship titleholders Iran had automatically qualified.

The champion was given an automatic berth to the following year's FIBA Asia Championship. Qatar was a champ in 2004, Jordan in 2008, Lebanon in 2010 and Iran in 2012, 2014, and 2016.

In WABA 2010, Jordan finished second behind Iran and qualified to the 26th FIBA Asia Championship where, for the first time in the country's history, Jordan reached the final but lost the chance qualify to the 2012 Olympic Games after losing the final 70-69 to China.

Jordan then played at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for Men, but lost to Puerto Rico and Greece and was eliminated. The OQT gave Asia's second and third teams a chance to qualify to the London Games basketball event.

Although Jordan reached the World Championship in 2010 — and it was the only Jordanian team to actually reach a world championship in a team sport alongside the Junior team in 1995 — official support for Jordan's second most popular game is seen as below par by most observers, leading to a decline in the game locally and less competitive advantage on the regional scene.

JORDAN'S WEST ASIAN RECORD

LIBREVILLE, Gabon — It is a script that would require a cast-iron suspension of disbelief, but filmmakers would have no shortage of material to document the exploits of 44-year-old goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, whose heroics helped Egypt reach the African Nations Cup final on Wednesday.

Not satisfied with getting another chance in the national team and breaking the record for the oldest player at a major continental championship, Hadary saved two spot-kicks as the seven-times champions beat Burkina Faso 4-3 on penalties.

Hadary, making his 150th international appearance, virtually carried his team to the final with a string of second-half saves in Libreville, keeping the score tied at 1-1 before stopping Herve Koffi and Bertrand Traore in the shootout.

Flinging himself around his box like a sprightly teenager, Hadary rebuffed the Burkinabe time and again and was all that stood between his tired-looking side and defeat.

"I had a feeling that I was going to save the final two penalties," Hadary said after the game.

A place in Sunday's final in Libreville offers him a chance to become the first player to win five Nations Cup titles.

His first came as a reserve in 1988, just two years after his debut, but he was at the peak of his career as Egypt won three back-to-back Nations Cup titles between 2006 and 2010.

"When we headed to the penalty shootout, our 2006 title victory crossed my mind," he added. In that final, Hadary saved a spot-kick from Didier Drogba as Egypt edged Ivory Coast 4-2 on post match kicks.

Images of Hadary celebrating on top of the goalpost remain among the tournament's most endearing.

A recall as back-up in the squad last year and then injury to Ahmed El Shenawy in the first game of the tournament in Gabon opened the door for another remarkable chapter to his career, just two days after he turned 44 on January 15

"I'm happy to be in contention for all of these records, but the most important [thing] is for Egypt to win the cup," Hadary told reporters on the eve of Wednesday's semifinal.

"If we win the title, then the record will pass to me and I will be grateful. But I've never worried about my personal records. The country comes first, then the record book."

Spain striker Iago Aspas has shrugged off misadventures at Liverpool and Sevilla to produce the form of his life in a second spell at boyhood club Celta Vigo, who he hopes to fire into the King’s Cup final for the first time in 16 years.

Aspas inspired a shock win over Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, scoring and setting up the second in a 2-1 win at the Bernabeu which put his side on the way to a 4-3 aggregate win. They host Alaves in the semifinal first leg on Thursday.

It was against the Basque club that Aspas made his Celta debut in 2009, coming off the bench to score both goals in a 2-1 victory that steered the club away from relegation to Spain’s regionalised third tier, which would have meant financial ruin.

A lot has changed since then. Aspas is now the focal point of a Celta side competing for a place in the top six of La Liga and facing Shakhtar Donetsk in the Europa League’s last 32.

The 29-year-old was a late bloomer but with time has carved out an impressive career. Aspas is the top scoring Spaniard in La Liga with 11 goals this season and is fourth overall.

He became a Spain international last November, marking his debut with a sensational equaliser against England at Wembley to prove he bore no scars from his unhappy year at Liverpool.

“Right now, everything he tries comes off,” said Celta coach Eduardo Berizzo last month. “He’s a player who makes things happen. If you give him the ball in space, he creates even more space. He creates chances for himself.”

Born 20km from Celta’s Balaidos ground in the town of Moana, Aspas joined the club aged eight. He was not a regular starter until the 2011/12 campaign, when his 23 goals in 35 games fired Celta back to the top flight for the first time in five years.

Aspas played an equally pivotal role in clinching survival on the final day of the following season with 12 goals.

Liverpool took notice, bringing him to Anfield for 9 million euros ($9.72 million), although the Spaniard never settled.

Captain Steven Gerrard wrote in his autobiography that he was sceptical about Aspas’ suitability to the Premier League when he first saw him in the dressing room, comparing his physique to that of “a little boy”.

Aspas made just five league starts, and he is remembered for a hopeless corner against Chelsea which led to Willian racing down the other end to score and wreck Liverpool’s title dreams.

Sevilla offered him a ticket back to Spain but a return to his home country proved no happier on the pitch. He made only four league starts and was caught on camera having a bitter verbal spat with coach Unai Emery in the dugout in one game.

It was when he truly came home, back to his native Galicia and his beloved Celta where he was greeted by thousands of fans at his presentation, that he began to recapture his form.

His sparkling displays have naturally made him the focus of other clubs’ attention, but Aspas has declared that he has no intention of making the same mistake by leaving Celta again.

“Paris Saint-Germain have made enquiries, as have other teams, but I’m happy here,” he said in a recent interview with radio show El Larguero.

“I’m very happy here, with my people. I’m with my son, my wife, my parents, and that’s something money can’t buy. I always dreamt of playing for Celta, and that’s where I want to retire.”

AMMAN — While the likes of Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Khaled Al Suwaidi will be hoping to claim outright honours for their home country in this weekend’s Qatar International Rally, a Jordanian crew will be striving to finish one of the region’s most difficult rallies in a near-standard road car entered in the FIA MERC 3 Championship.

The opening round of the 2017 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) has attracted a 15-car field and two of those 30 competitors are from Jordan. Asem Aref and Musa Djiyerian hold little chance of upsetting the local drivers, but they have a very different objective for the race.

“I am not unduly concerned about my pace and my stage times this week,” admitted Asem Aref, a regular on the regional rallying scene for many years who made his regional rallying debut back in 1995, to the Qatar Rally Media Service.

“The goal is simple and that is to finish the rally in my Renault Clio and collect valuable points towards the MERC 3 Championship. I want to win the title this year and, with only five rounds this time, it’s so important that I finish in Qatar.”

The MERC 3 Championship runs in conjunction with rounds of the MERC and is for eligible RC3 or two-wheel drive saloon cars that are as near to a standard road-going vehicle as you could get. Aref’s car features uprated suspension and all the usual safety equipment, but is massively lacking in power, handling and traction compared to purpose-built rally cars such as the Ford Fiesta R5 or the Skoda Fabia R5 that run at the front of the field.

Away from the world of motor sport, Aref works in the world of finance, while his Amman-based navigator is a regional brand manager in the drinks industry when he is not calling out the notes on the special stages.

Last year, the pair did well in the Jordanian national series and won the RC3 class on three occasions at Mount Nebo, La Storia and the Jordan 3rd National Rally, netting fifth, fourth and sixth overall in the process in the three rallies, although they retired from the MERC event in their home country.

This week’s Qatar International Rally is being organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, and is based at the Losail International Circuit.

Competitors complied with compulsory registration and administration formalities on Tuesday and will be permitted to take a closer look at the special stages on Wednesday during a crucial reconnaissance session.

The competitive action takes place on Friday and Saturday. There will be 205.16 competitive kilometres in a route of 669.84km laid out by Rally Director Pedro Almeida and local Clerk of the Course Rashid Al Sulaiti.