Scotland suffered a second dose of last-over misery against North West Dragons in Potchefstroom yesterday.The Saltires were looking to square their T20 series after Friday's one-run defeat, writes William Dick. However, they again failed to find the killer instinct, this time falling four runs short.
Coach Pete Steindl admitted: "It was a very close game and frankly one we should have won. I felt we controlled about 95% of the game but there were just a few areas where we weren't ruthless enough."
Chasing the Dragons' 160, Matt Machan led the way with an enterprising half-century while all-rounder Josh Davey was also in the runs with 41. However, the tourists fell behind the required rate with Preston Mommsen and Majid Haq unable to score the 12 runs needed from the final over, the Scots closing on 156-3.
athletics
European 800 metres silver medallist Lynsey Sharp has opted against quitting her Edinburgh base for a switch to Birmingham and the opportunity to work on a full-time basis with her coach Dave Sunderland, writes Mark Woods.
However the Scot concedes the status quo has been driven largely by financial pressures rather than by the best interests of advancing her career.
Sharp was named as Scotland's Athlete of the Year on Saturday at the sport's annual awards dinner, retaining the honour at the close of a season in which she also claimed her first UK title as well as reaching the Olympic semi-finals.
Having completed her law degree, she had been expected to move south to link up with Sunderland, who has overseen her recovery from a series of injuries by long distance.
Ultimately, the numbers, she concedes, did not add up. "I get some funding off Sportscotland and the Lottery but it's not enough, and there's no guarantee I'll still have it in 12 months time," she said. "I'd have to scrape by and maybe have to get a part-time job so I'm better staying in Edinburgh for now."
n Andrew Lemoncello received a boost ahead of his marathon comeback with a new 10-mile personal best in Portsmouth yesterday. The Scot, in his only his third outing since returning from 10 months on the sidelines, was fifth in the Bupa Great South Run in 47 minutes and eight seconds.
The Olympian now has five weeks to polish off his preparations for the California Marathon in Sacramento.
He said: "It's been a long time coming so this is my last race before it. I just want to make sure I don't pick up any injuries and ease towards the race."
South Africa's Stephen Mokosa won the Great South title in 46:40 with Britain's Jo Pavey taking the women's race in 53:01.
n Kilbarchan's Derek Hawkins ran 2:14:04 on his marathon debut in Frankfurt yesterday, putting himself in the frame for a place on the Great Britain team for next summer's world championships in Moscow.
The 23-year-old, who came 18th overall, was well inside the qualifying time for the 2014 Commonwealth Games of 2:19. Kenya's Patrick Makau was the race winner in 2:06:08.
bowls
Instead of the anticipated tight exchanges in the early rounds of this seasons Jack High Insurance national league, things haven't quite worked out that way, writes Anne Dunwoodie.
After only three rounds, defending champions West Lothian and last season's beaten finalists Falkirk are making the early running in Section A of the premier division, and have opened up a four-point lead at the top ahead of their nearest rivals Midlothian while Aberdeen top Section B by one point ahead of Paisley and Blantyre with Lanarkshire in fourth spot, four points behind the leaders.
West Lothian chalked up the biggest winning margin in Section A with a 95-52 home win over Bainfield, Falkirk also kept themselves on the same points as the leaders with an 86-56 victory over East Lothian.
In Section B, the top three teams all scored home wins. Aberdeen were the top scorers beating Alloa 102-63 with Paisley a close second when they scored a a 98-60 win over Perth while Blantyre accounted for rivals Lanarkshire 81-70.
Snooker
Jamie Burnett will meet fellow Scot Stephen Maguire tomorrow after winning his preliminary round match at the International Championship in Chengdu, China yesterday, writes Lorin McDougall. The Hamilton pro whitewashed local player Niu Zhuang 6-0. Scots John Higgins and Graeme Dott are in first round action today against Chinese wild card Cao Yupeng and Welshman Dominic Dale respectively.
HOCKEY
Second-half strikes by Alan Forsyth and Jonathan Christie gave Glynhill Kelburne a 3-1 win over Austrian side AHTC Wien, a result which propelled the Scottish champions into the knock-out stages of the EuroLeague for the first time since 2007.
With Rot-Weiss Koln favourites to win this three-team pool, Kelburne manager Harry Coles identified Wien as the target game to secure that crucial second spot. Qualification was finally confirmed when the Germans thrashed Wien 12-1 in the final group match.
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