James stars
PARIS - Australian five-eighth Brock James kicked a last-minute drop goal as Clermont overcame a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Stade Francais 28-25 and move into second spot in the French Top 14 on Friday. James, a second-half replacement for David Skrela, kept his composure after Australian compatriot Paul Warwick had failed to clear for Stade It was James’ second drop goal of the half as Clermont took their unbeaten home run to 47 matches, a record which stretches back to November 2009. “We lost it right at the end,” said Stade skipper Pascal Pape. “But Brock James is Brock James and he killed us in the second half.”
Duo banned
BAYONNE, France - Wales international scrum-half Mike Phillips and France fullback Cedric Heymans have been suspended by Bayonne for “intolerable” behaviour and lacking respect towards fans, the Top 14 French club said on Friday. Club president Alain Afflelou said the pair had been suspended “until further notice”. Afflelou told the Sud Ouest newspaper that Phillips, who will miss Sunday’s Basque derby against Biarritz because of a hand injury, was being punished for “his intolerable sporting behaviour off the pitch”.
Hatton fight
MANCHESTER, England - Britain’s Ricky Hatton announced on Friday he would return to the ring against Vyacheslav Senchenko of Ukraine at the Manchester Evening News Arena on November 24. The welterweight clash in Hatton’s home city will be his first fight in three-and-a-half years. Senchenko, like Hatton, is a former world welterweight champion.
Becks returns
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Galaxy star midfielder David Beckham is back in training for the Major League Soccer club after a sprained left ankle and hopes to play in Sunday’s game at Colorado. The English midfielder has not played for the defending MLS champions since injuring his ankle in a 2-0 victory over Vancouver on September 1. The Galaxy has already clinched a berth in November’s MLS championship playoffs.
Hate mail
LONDON - Anton Ferdinand has revealed he was subjected to a hate campaign in connection with a racist abuse case that saw a Football Association disciplinary panel ban Chelsea captain John Terry for four games. In his first comments after Terry was found guilty, the Queens Park Rangers defender said on Twitter he had received abuse on the micro-blogging site since Thursday’s ruling. His family have also reportedly been targeted by hate mail since the controversial incident in October last year, which led to Terry being charged and later acquitted in a criminal case of a racially aggravated public order offence.
No.1 target
TAIPEI - Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic aims to reclaim the world number one spot by the end of the year, he said during a promotional tour to Taipei. Djokovic was knocked off the world number one ranking when Swiss legend Roger Federer won his seventh Wimbledon title and 17th career grand slam title in July to reclaim the position he last held in May 2010.