Australia Start with Kiwi Win

Australia began the Four Nations with a gritty 26-12 victory over defending champions New Zealand at Warrington.

They were ahead with only a minute gone as Matt Scott went over, and tries from influential Tony Williams and Johnathan Thurston put them 16-0 up at the break.

Two converted second-half tries in quick succession from Jason Nightingale and Kalifa Faifai gave the Kiwis hope.

But Darius Boyd put the Aussies back in command with a fine team try and Akuila Uate dived in to seal it late on.

After the game, Australia coach Tim Sheens hit out at the performance of English referee Phil Bentham.

"The conditions and the way it was officiated, as far as on the ground was concerned, made it a slug-fest," Sheens said.

"It is a Test match, we understand that, and we won it but if that is the standard of the speed of the game - it is probably the slowest game I have seen for a long time."

We got ourselves back into the contest and just lacked a bit of polish with a couple of opportunities near the try lineKiwi coach Stephen Kearney

After enduring a poor first half, New Zealand needed something quickly after the interval to make a game of it and almost came up with it when a slick passing move found Nightingale in space on the right flank, but the winger's pass inside was wayward and fell at the feet of Kevin Locke, who knocked on.

However, moments later Nightingale pounced on a loose ball following a flighted kick to the corner, a try confirmed by the video referee.

With the crowd sensing a fightback, Faifai continued the New Zealand resurgence by collecting an inside pass for another converted try, closing the gap to just four points.

Boyd settled Aussie nerves, neatly collecting a pass one-handed to finish a sweeping crossfield move, inspired by a Thurston dummy.

With 10 minutes left, the Kiwis thought they had found a lifeline when Nightingale cleverly flicked the ball back from the deadball line for Locke, but replays confirmed the winger had fractionally over-stepped.

Five minutes from time, all doubts were removed when Uate managed to get his left hand on the ball as he slid in following Billy Slater's deft through-kick.

It was a competent, if not infallible performance from the Australians, who meet England at Wembley on Bonfire Night, 5 November.

And Sheens said: "Obviously a win is very important and I wouldn't have wanted to be playing England at Wembley on the back of a loss, having to win it to stay alive."

Kiwi coach Stephen Kearney added: "We got ourselves back into the contest and just lacked a bit of polish with a couple of opportunities near the try line.

"That was the disappointment but the positive is it was better than the last performance."

England's campaign begins against Wales at Leigh on Saturday, while New Zealand turn their attentions to the Welsh next weekend.

Colin Edwards Misses Valencia GP

Colin Edwards will miss the final MotoGP race of the season in Valencia as he awaits surgery on a broken arm.

Edwards, 37, was injured in the accident in which Marco Simoncelli was killed in Sepang last weekend.

He returned to Houston, Texas for checks which showed multiple fractures to his left humerus (upper arm).

The American rider said: "I wanted to be in Valencia next week to give my support to MotoGP but it is not going to be possible."

I want to thank everybody for all their messages of support since the accident on Sunday Colin Edwards

The Tech 3 Yamaha team are considering a replacement rider to partner Cal Crutchlow in Spain next weekend.

Edwards - who broke his collarbone earlier this year - had already announced that he would be leaving the team this winter and will be replaced by Andrea Dovizioso next season.

As well as a broken arm, he suffered cartilage damage and severe bruising and swelling to both wrists and right heel when he struck the prone Simoncelli. He will be out of action for around four weeks.

"Firstly, I want to thank everybody for all their messages of support since Sunday," Edwards said.

"The support and love has been overwhelming and it has been a great comfort to me at this difficult time.

"My heart goes out to the family and friends of Marco and I will miss him a lot, as will the entire MotoGP family. I watched Marco's funeral yesterday and I really wish I could have been there.

"I wanted to go but unfortunately my injuries meant I was unable to travel.

"I know Valentino Rossi spoke to Marco's family on my behalf and I thank him for that. It was a great service and a fitting celebration of his life."

Garcia in Valderrama Ramsay Chase

Scotland's Richie Ramsay maintained his two-shot stroke lead in the Andalucia Masters despite taking seven shots more than his opening 65.

The 28-year-old from Aberdeen slipped back to five-under-par after a two-birdie, three-bogey 72 at Valderrama.

Driving into the rough cost him a shot on the 454-yard 18th, but his closest pursuer, France's Gregory Havret, also bogeyed the last to reach halfway on three-under.

Ramsay told European Tour radio: "It was a really tough day and I hung in there. It just illustrates how good my six under round was.

"I hit so many fairways and so many greens, but couldn't get the ball to drop. But my ball-striking was good and I've got to take the positives out of it."

Ramsay bogeyed the third and sixth, the two short holes on the outward half, but birdied the eighth and 11th.

Havret had a seven on his card for the second day running. After double-bogeying the long fourth in his opening 68 he lost his drive at the 547-yard 11th.

Birdies at the next two repaired the damage and after his 71 he commented: "This course does not accept any errors. Every hole is a real challenge and you have to focus on every shot."

The big mover on the day was Sergio Garcia, winner of his home Castello Masters last Sunday, who is one shot further back after a second successive 70 on a layout where he has been a runner-up three times.

Aggressive

Garcia - who won for the first time in almost three years last week - needs to repeat the feat to qualify for next week's world championship in Shanghai.

"I could have been a little bit more aggressive with a couple of putts coming in, but my short game is pretty good right now," he said.

"It was difficult to hit fairways and to choose the right club. Thank God it's soft because, if not, this would be hell.

"But I've always enjoyed hard courses. Back-to-back wins would be a great thing, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

"Valderrama can catch you any time - you can never think that you have this course under control. Even without wind it's asking you to hit all the shots in the bag. That's the beauty of if. A course doesn't need to be long to be tough."

England's Ross Fisher was second after an opening 67 but crashed to four over with a 79.

Marat Safin Plans Russian Politics

Marat Safin has revealed plans to run for parliament in his native Russia.

The former world number one and double Grand Slam title winner is aiming to win one of the 450 seats in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly.

"It's a new challenge and I am very committed to it," said Safin, 31, who retired from tennis two years ago.

"I think I am an intelligent guy and I have a lot to bring and a lot of ideas about things and what to do."

Safin won the US Open in 2000 and the Australian Open five years later.

I could be the best looking guy in the Duma, but that's only because all the other guys are over 60Marat Safin

He is the second Russian tennis player to target a seat in the Duma following 2007 US Open women's semi-finalist Anna Chakvetadze's announcement in September that she was going to stand.

Former world number five Chakvetadze has not played since Wimbledon in June because of poor health.

"The elections are on 4 December so I will soon find out," added Safin.

MARAT SAFIN GRAND SLAM SINGLES FINALS

2000 US Open - won

2002 Australian Open - lost

2004 Australian Open - lost

2005 Australian Open - won

"I could be the best looking guy in the Duma, but that's only because all the other guys are over 60."

Since giving up playing, Safin has been working with the Russian Tennis Federation and the Russian Olympic Committee.

He also played his first match on the ATP Champions Tour, for former tennis professionals, on Thursday, beating Wayne Ferreira 6-2 6-3 in China.

Swann Gets Twitter Death Threats

England spinner Graeme Swann has revealed he has been sent death threats via Twitter in the wake of his side's one-day hammering in India.

Following a summer of domination over the Indians, England went down 5-0 to the same opponents on the sub-continent and Swann unbeaten with the bat as 10 wickets were lost for just 47 runs in Tuesday's final game - has been in the firing line.

He told The Sun: "Although I don't condone death threats on Twitter, I could almost understand it when I had a couple of hundred people threatening all manner of retribution after Tuesday's match.

"Not everyone in cyberworld has a perspective - after all, it is only a game of cricket. But you can almost understand why people get wound up.

"It can't be easy to watch us, not just losing but losing the way we did."

Horror

Meanwhile, Swann has refuted claims that his autobiography, in which he criticised the leadership skills of his team-mate and former captain Kevin Pietersen, had anything to do with the series results.

"England have endured a horror month but I can state right now it has nothing to do with what I wrote about Kevin Pietersen in my book," Swann, who will lead England in Saturday's one-off Twenty20 international, added.

"People have claimed my observation that KP is not a natural leader and should not have captained England has caused dressing-room divisions and a breakdown in team spirit.

"Well, anybody who thinks that does not know this England team.

"The reason we lost the one-day series 5-0 to India is because we've been outplayed in conditions which suit the home team. No excuses, we've been hammered.

"As soon as I serialised my autobiography, I spoke to Kevin and explained exactly what I'd written, why I'd written it and that it was not intended as a personal attack on him.

"He accepted that and we shook hands. My relationship with Kevin is exactly the same now as before the book was published."