Bangladesh have agreed to donate the gate receipts from their forthcoming series at home against Zimbabwe, estimated to be US$10,000
The Federation of International Cricketers' Associations has proposed a one-day match on 11 or 12 January to raise more funds. All teams have supported the proposal, although English, South African, Bangladeshi and Zimabwean players are likely to be unavailable because of ongoing tour commitments. The ICC is likely to endorse any such game. [1][2][3](Cricinfo)
Cricket: South Africa hold out in the final day of the second Test against England to secure a draw, bringing to an end England's eight-game winning streak. The final score: England 139 & 570-9 dec, South Africa 332 & 290-8; bad light stops play with 15 overs remaining. England are the only team to remain unbeaten at test cricket throughout 2004 - winning 11 times, drawing twice. (BBC)
Real Madrid announce that former Brazilcoach Wanderley Luxemburgo will be their new coach, replacing Mariano Garcia Remon . Luxemburgo will be Real's third coach this season. He leaves Santos, which he recently led to the Brazilian championship. (BBC)
Manchester United's 19 year old star Wayne Rooney has been given a three-match ban by the Football Association for violent behaviour after TV images showed him shoving Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim in the face. Haim has also been criticised for poor behaviour, as he was judged to exaggerate the episode. Alex Ferguson has criticised the FA for their handling of the case. (BBC)
Fox-hunting: Approximately 250 hunts are meeting in England and Wales for what could be the last-ever traditional Boxing Day meets. Hunting with hounds is set to become illegal in England and Wales in February. (BBC)
The Detroit Pistons defeat the New Jersey Nets in overtime, 100-90, in Detroit. Vince Carter plays 42 minutes off the bench in his first game since being traded to the Nets, but leaves the game in progress because of a leg cramp. (NBA)
Bangladesh (229 for 9) beat India (214 all out) by 15 runs in the second one-day international at Dhaka, Bangladesh to level the three match series 1-1. This is the first time Bangladesh have won a top-level international cricket game at home. (India Times)
In their first matchup since the Los Angeles Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Miami Heat at least in part because of animosity with Kobe Bryant, O'Neal and the Heat defeated Bryant and the Lakers, 104-102 in overtime in Los Angeles. The Heat also extended their winning streak to 11 games, equaling a franchise record. (ESPN)
Football: Dutch public broadcasting sees its rights to all major league Dutch football sold to a still to be founded commercial channel, causing a minor uproar among fans. (NOS, in Dutch)
Glencoffe Johnson, former IBF world Light-Heavyweight champion, causes a mild upset by defeating the former WBC world champion, Antonio Tarver, by a twelve round split decision in Temecula, California. Both boxers had been stripped of their world titles by the respective organizations prior to the fight, for different reasons. The fight is HBO Boxing's last telecast of 2004(AOL)
Boxing: Ebo Elder recovers from heavy injuries sustained around his eyes, and knocks out Courtney Burton in round twelve, to retain a regional Lightweight belt, in Santa Ynez, California. The fight is the last Showtime network boxing telecast for 2004.(AOL)
An arrest warrant is issued against multiple times world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr., for failing to appear in court during a trial.(AOL)
The Detroit Pistons rally from a 10 point halftime deficit to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 81-69 at Detroit. Detroit allows a franchise-record low 6 points in the 3rd quarter, and Cleveland star LeBron James scores a season low of only 11 points in the game. Detroit's Larry Brown records his 945th win as an NBA coach, surpassing Bill Fitch for fourth-most in history. (NBA)
Carmelo Anthony makes a shot with 3.6 seconds left in the game, and Paul Pierce misses a subsequent three point shot attempt, as the Denver Nuggets defeat the Boston Celtics, 100-99. Andre Miller of the Nuggets made a shot from the opponent's free throw line as time expired during the first quarter, but the shot was discounted because it was apparently taken after time had expired in that quarter(NBA)
The defending champion Detroit Pistons defeat the New York Knicks, 94-93, at New York, when Chauncey Billups makes two free throws with less than three seconds to go. The Pistons were down by 16 points, 56-40, at halftime. Pistons coach Larry Brown records his 944th win as a coach, tieing Bill Fitch for 4th in NBA history. (NBA)
Dan Dickau makes a three point shot as the third quarter was winding down and gets fouled, making the free throw for a four point play in what would eventually be the New Orleans Hornets' first home victory of the season, a 98-89 defeat of the Golden State Warriors. The Hornets also snap an eleven game losing streak. (NBA)
Jeff McInnis and Drew Gooden complete an unlikely five point play with time running down in the third quarter (McInnis made a three point shot, followed by a steal and a basket by Gooden) as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Portland Trailblazers, 112-88. The Cavaliers extend their home winning streak to nine games, their longest home winning streak since 1993. (NBA)
Boxing: Oscar De La Hoya announces plans to return to the Welterweight division, where he was the WBC world champion from 1997 to 1999 and in 2000. (AOL)
Biathlon: The men's 10 km Sprint at WC 3 in Östersund, Sweden, ends with Stian Eckhoff (NOR) getting his first World Cup race victory, and with the runner-up, teammate Frode Andresen , making his best result this season, using 10 seconds more than Eckhoff. Sergei Rozhkov (Сергей Рожков) of Russia gets the third place, 1 second after Andresen. (IBU/EBU Results)
Cross-country skiing: In the World Cup 6×1.2 km classical technique Team Sprint event in Asiago, Italy, the ladies' race results in an all-Nordic podium, as it is won by Norway I, (Marit Bjørgen , Ella Gjømle ), one second before Finland I (Aino Kaisa Saarinen , Virpi Kuitunen ), while Sweden I (Elin Ek , Anna Dahlberg ) finishes third. (FIS-Ski Results) The men's race is won by Norway I (Tor Arne Hetland , Jens Arne Svartedal ), finishing roughly 3 seconds before Russia I (Nikolai Pankratov , Vassili Rotchev ) (Николай Панкратов, Вассили Ротчев), who comes in 3 seconds in front of Norway II (Trond Iversen , Børre Næss ). (FIS-Ski Results)
Cross-country skiing: In the classical technique World Cup 1.2 km sprint event in Asiago, Italy, the ladies' race is won by Marit Bjørgen (NOR), while Finland's Virpi Kuitunen comes in second, and Ella Gjømle (NOR) gets the third place. (FIS-Ski Results) In the men's race, Jens Arne Svartedal (NOR) wins, beating teammate Tor Arne Hetland , with Björn Lind of Sweden finishing third. (FIS-Ski Results)
Rodeo: Ropers Speedy Williams and Rich Skelton win their record eighth consecutive world team roping title at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. Clay Tryan and Michael Jones won the aggregate title, while Dustin Elliott took the individual world title, hos first.(AZ Central)
Biathlon: The Holmenkollen BWC event's final day features two Pursuit races, of which the ladies' 10 km race is won by Sandrine Bailly (FRA), with yesterday's winner Olga Zaitseva (Ольга Зайцева) (RUS) finishing second, and Olena Zubrilova (Олена Зубрилова) (BLR) getting the 3rd place. (IBU/EBU Results) In the men's 12.5 km race, Sven Fischer (GER) takes his 9th victory at Holmenkollen, beating Raphaël Poirée (FRA) by 8.6 seconds, and yesterday's Sprint winner, Ole Einar Bjørndalen, by 16.3 seconds. (IBU/EBU Results)
Cross-country skiing: In the World Cup event at Val di Fiemme, Italy, Russia's #I team (Larisa Kurkina , Natalia Baranova-Masolkina , Evgenia Medvedeva-Abruzova , Julija Tchepalova ) (Лариса Куркина, Наталия Баранова-Масолкина, Евгения Медведева-Абрузова, Юлия Чепалова) wins the ladies' 4×5 km Classical/Free technique relay, with Germany (Manuela Henkel , Claudia Künzel , Stefanie Böhler , Evi Sachenbacher ) coming in second, and Norway (Kine Beate Bjørnås , Vibeke Skofterud , Hilde G. Pedersen , Marit Bjørgen ) finishing third. (FIS-Ski Results) The men's 4×10 km C/F race is won by Norway I (Jens Arne Svartedal , Odd-Bjørn Hjelmeset , Frode Estil , Tore Ruud Hofstad ), in a photo finish victory in front of Italy I (Giorgio di Centa , Fulvio Valbusa , Pietro Piller Cottrer , Cristian Zorzi ), half a second before France (Christophe Perrillat , Vincent Vittoz , Emmanuel Jonnier , Alexandre Rousselet ). (FIS-Ski Results)
A bomb warning forces the evacuation of over 70,000 people from Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium two minutes before the end of the La Liga match with Real Sociedad. The two teams were drawing 1-1 at the time. (BBC). The Spanish Football Association have announced that the remaining 2 minutes 40 seconds, plus 4 minutes' stoppage time, will be played at 6 p.m. on 5 January2005. (BBC)
Peyton's younger brother, Eli Manning, did not have as good a day as he threw for only 27 yards and completed just four of 18 passes as the New York Giants fell to the Baltimore Ravens 37-14. (ESPN)
Manny Pacquiao defeats boxer Fahsan 3K Battery of Thailand. Fahsan was knocked out with a fourth knockdown. The fight was a tune-up game to an upcoming rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez in February to unify the IBF and WBC world Featherweight titles. (PDI)
Biathlon: The second day of WC 2 at Holmenkollen, Norway, starts with the women's 7.5 km Sprint race being won by Olga Zaitseva (Cyrillic: Ольга Зайцева) (RUS), with Olga Pyleva (Cyrillic: Ольга Пылева) (RUS) and Tadeja Brankovic (SLO) tying for the 2nd place. (IBU/EBU Results) After the men's 10 km Sprint, the podium is occupied by Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) at the top, Raphaël Poirée (FRA) at the next place, and Bjørndalen's teammate Hallvard Hanevold at third. (IBU/EBU Results) The Sprint races' results determine the time differenced starting order of tomorrow's Pursuits.
Cross-country skiing: Starting off the weekend's World Cup event at Val di Fiemme, Italy, Marit Bjørgen (NOR) consolidates her total WC lead by winning the ladies' 2×7.5 km Double Pursuit race. Kristina Smigun (EST) and Gabriella Paruzzi (ITA) follow on the next two places, 0.34 and 2.57 seconds later, respectively. (FIS-Ski Results) The men's 2×15 km race is won by WC leader Axel Teichmann (GER), beating teammate Jens Filbrich and Frenchman Vincent Vittoz in a spurt where the six first skiers finish within the same second. (FIS-Ski Results)
Ice hockey: The London Knights obtain sole possiession of the Canadian Hockey League record for the longest unbeaten streak , with their 30 game run surpassing the mark set by the Brandon Wheat Kings following a rare 0-0 tie in an Ontario Hockey League game against the Guelph Storm. Guelph goaltender Adam Dennis is named first star, having stopped 48 shots from the Knights. (CP)
The Worldstars team consisting of locked-out players from North American National Hockey League starts a 7-country, 10-game charity tour against European teams, with a 4-2 win over Riga 2000 team in Riga, Latvia. (CBC)
Biathlon: In the WC 2 event at Holmenkollen near Oslo, Norway, the women's 15 km Individual race is won by Martina Glagow (GER), while Svetlana Ishmouratova (Светлана Ишмуратова) (RUS) gets the 2nd place, and Magdalena Gwizdon (POL) comes in 3rd. (IBU/EBU Results) In the men's 20 km Individual contest, Sven Fischer (GER) wins (like he did in last weekend's Pursuit at Beitostølen, and like he has done seven times before at Holmenkollen), followed by Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) for the next place on the podium. The third to finish is Tomasz Sikora (POL). (IBU/EBU Results)
Ice hockey: At his own initiative and expense, player Brendan Shanahan convenes a summit of players, management, referees and broadcasters in Toronto to discuss the rules of the game. The participants recommends several changes, mainly designed to speed up the game and increase scoring. (TSN)
In a women's international friendly, the United States defeats Mexico 5-0 at the Home Depot Center near Los Angeles. This is the final game for USA legends Mia Hamm, who assisted on two of the goals, and Julie Foudy. Joy Fawcett , also retiring, appeared at the game, but is recovering from back surgery and thus did not play. (ESPN Soccernet)
The Cincinnati Bengals beat a winning team on the road for the first time in 14 years. Shayne Graham's last-second 24-yard field goal capped a 24-point fourth-quarter comeback as the Bengals defeat the Baltimore Ravens 27-26. (AP)
Boxing: The WBC announces it will organize tournaments around the world, to crown one world champion in each division, from each continent. According to the release sent by WBC president Jose Sulaiman , this will be done as an effort to honor every continent that has had a world boxing champion.(Boxing Central)
Rydell Booker , a Cruiserweight contender who lost to James Toney earlier on the year, is convicted on charges of possesing cocaine.(Boxing Central)
Kevin Garnett ties the game with a basket with 26 seconds left in regulation, and the Minnesota Timberwolves snap a winning streak for the second night in a row, stopping the Los Angeles Clippers streak at five wins and raising their own streak to five wins in a row, with a 107-100 overtime victory.(NBA)
Biathlon: In the WC 1 event Beitostølen, Norway, the women's 10 km Pursuit race is won by Uschi Disl (GER); her second victory at Beito in three days. Albina Akhatova (Албина Ахатова) (RUS) finishes 2nd, and Martina Glagow (GER) comes in 3rd. (IBU/EBU Results) In the men's 12.5 km Pursuit, 10 years+ BWC veteran Sven Fischer (GER) wins, followed by Nikolay Kruglov (Николай Кругов) (RUS), who beats fellow Russian Sergei Rozhkov by a tenth of a second for the 2nd place. (IBU/EBU Results) The winner of Thursday's Sprint race for men, and thus start number one in the Pursuit, Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR), comes in no. 6, fronting a probably statistically unique cluster of five contestants from the same country placed contigously on the result list. Bjørndalen loses his lead in the Biathlon World Cup to Kruglov (RUS), who has two 2nd places so far this BWC season.
Boxing: WBC world Lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo retains his title by a split and controversial decision (scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 113-115) over former two time world Jr. Lightweight champion Joel Casamayor . (Boxing Central)
Cross-country skiing: In the World Cup 2004/05's second Sprint event, in Bern, Switzerland, the 0.8 km Ladies' race is won by Norway's Marit Bjørgen , with Stefanie Böhler (GER) and Ella Gjømle (NOR) coming in second and third. (FIS-Ski Results). The 1.35 km Men's race is won by Tor Arne Hetland (NOR), with Thobias Fredriksson (SWE) and Johan Kjølstad (NOR) coming in second and third. (FIS-Ski Results)
Biathlon: In the opening event (WC 1) held at Beitostølen, Norway, of the 2004/05 Biathlon World Cup (BWC) season, the women's 7.5 km Sprint race is won by Uschi Disl (GER), with fellow German teammate Andrea Henkel catching the 2nd place, and Albina Akhatova (Албина Ахатова) (RUS) finishing 3rd. (IBU/EBU Results) In the men's 10 km Sprint race, Ole Einar Bjørndalen (NOR) comes in to his 44th BWC victory, followed by Nikolay Kruglov (Николай Кругов) (RUS) and Raphaël Poirée (FRA) onto the next two places on the podium. (IBU/EBU Results)
