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40 Sports THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017

LONDON- It takes some “There is a buzz around The Red Bull pair were
effort to wipe the smile off him that is growing and also the only non-Mercedes
Daniel Ricciardo’s face but growing,” team principal drivers to win last year, but
Red Bull team mate Max Christian Horner said dur- Verstappen’s arrival on the
Verstappen will be hoping ing pre-season testing in top step was more sensa-
the breezy Australian has Barcelona. tional - coming in his debut
less to grin about this sea- “You saw the people that race for the team in Spain
son. turned out to see him at in May after switching from
The battle between two of Spa last year....there is a Toro Rosso.
Formula One’s most popu- national following behind As the season progressed,
lar drivers will be a leading him. “Mad Max” added consis-
storyline of the new-look “But beyond that there is tency to the mix. Verstap-
championship starting in this raw talent. His poten- pen was only once out of
Melbourne next week as tial is enormous and that the top four in the last six
they fight to be team top is what is so exciting about races, but lost out 10-7 to
Ten Teams are preparing for the St. Maarten Pro Softball Association knock-out staring Sat- dog. him. He is so grounded.” Ricciardo in their 17 as
urday, March 18 at John Cooper\Jose Lake Sr. Ballpark. Games will be played on Thursday’s Even if Red Bull currently Ricciardo, the “Honey team mates.
to Sunday’s. The female teams are : Steelers, Bush T Spinners, Survivors, Crushers and Jets. appear to be behind Fer- Badger” whose easy charm The Dutchman was only
The male teams are: Controllers, Illigales, Kings, Lions, Zodiacs, Stars and Mariners. rari and Mercedes on pace, belies a ferocious determi- 8-7 behind on podium fin-
both can expect to be jos- nation and will to win, was ishes, however.
tling for podium places. best of the rest behind the “There was nothing be-
Verstappen, the young- Mercedes drivers in 2016 tween them over the second
est driver and race winner but faces a bigger challenge part of the year,” Horner
in the sport’s history, goes this time. told inews.co.uk. “What’s
into his last teenage year His “shoey” celebration, going to be fascinating for
with a burgeoning reputa- drinking champagne from us to see is how Max, be-
LONDON- - If the Premier woeful travellers Burnley can concentrate on their tion as a fan favourite and his sweaty shoe on the po- ing so young, continues to
League contained only the last weekend, when all the final 10 games without the with more records for the dium and urging others to evolve and improve.
current top six then Liver- sides around them were in distractions their top-four taking. partake, has become a post- “Can Daniel go with him?
pool, not Chelsea, would be FA Cup action, but former rivals must contend with. A demon overtaker, com- race hit. Is there more left in the
heading for the title. Liverpool striker John Al- While bookmakers have pared to the late Ayrton Ricciardo, who can count tank? Was that the top rung
In nine games against dridge said points not style not stopped taking bets on Senna after lighting up last on strong home support for last year? You suspect they
those teams this season Liv- are now the priority. Chelsea winning the title year’s wet Brazilian Grand the opener, was the only both have more evolution
erpool are unbeaten and “It was a crucial three yet, a 10-point lead with 11 Prix, the 19-year-old is driver other than the Mer- and it will be interesting to
have taken an impressive points in terms of pushing games to go makes them widely regarded as a cham- cedes pairing to qualify on see the battle between the
19 points which is why they for a Champions League overwhelming favourites. pion in waiting. pole position last year. two of them this year.”
will travel to third-placed spot,” Aldridge, who won One thing is certain,
Manchester City on Sunday the title with Liverpool in though, two of Manchester
brimming with confidence. 1987-88, told the club’s City, Liverpool, Tottenham,
Victory over City, which website. Arsenal and United will be
would be there sixth in “Mentally, it was a big step shut out of the top-four this
seven against the Sky Blues forward for this Liverpool season.
in the league, would propel side. I know we’ve played Tottenham can increase
Liverpool above Pep Guar- two games more than both the pressure on City and
diola’s side in what has be- Arsenal and Manchester Liverpool when they host
come a five-club battle for United but I’d rather have Southampton earlier on
second, third and fourth the points on the board Sunday chasing a 10th con-
spots behind leaders Chel- than fixture congestion.” secutive home victory in the
sea. Liverpool, who were neck- Premier League, although
The higher calibre the and-neck with City at the they will be without injured
opposition, the better Liv- top of the table after 10 top scorer Harry Kane.
erpool have played this games of the season, are Manchester United, for A run scores for Elle si Belle as they faced The Daily Herald in age 12 and under Little League
season with notable victo- fourth with 55 points from whom the top four has re- Baseball at the Ballpark on Pond Island yesterday. Elle si belle won 21-6. Action continues
ries over Chelsea and Tot- 28 games, one less than mained just out of reach this afternoon as Scotiabank faces Photo Gumbs. First pitch is set for 5:00pm. (Emma Croes.)
tenham Hotspur, a double City and second-placed since very early in the sea-
over Arsenal and a narrow Tottenham Hotspur, both son, are away at relegation-
home win over City who of whom have played a threatened Middlesbrough
will also be deflated by their game fewer. on Sunday in their third
Champions League loss to Significantly, they have a game in six days.
Monaco. five-point cushion on Ar- Antonio Conte’s Chel-
Juergen Klopp’s side la- senal and six over United. sea, who beat United on
boured to a 2-1 win over What is more, Liverpool Monday to set up an FA
Cup semi-final against Tot- WELLINGTON- - Henry Nicholls coped well with ing battling innings at the
AUSTRALIA Continued from page 44. tenham, are away to Stoke Nicholls produced a coun- a lively pitch that pro- ground having shared in
City on Saturday looking to ter-attacking half cen- vided assistance to the two world record sixth-
This wicket is no different.” “I’ve never seen a wicket open a 13-point gap. tury as he and BJ Watling seam bowlers, rotating the wicket stands in Welling-
Smith said he expected that’s looked quite as dark Fifth-placed Arsenal be- helped New Zealand fight strike with quick singles ton.
the pitch to hold together as that one is,” Smith told gin the weekend schedule back to 160 for five at tea to put pressure back on The wicketkeeper also
quite well on the first day the Cricket Australia (CA) at West Bromwich Albion on the first day of the sec- South Africa’s attack. holds a batting average of
and then “break up from website. - a side they have never ond test against South Af- He brought up his fifth 52.50 at the ground, com-
there”, adding that adap- “It looks like there’s mud failed to score against in 21 rica at the Basin Reserve test half century off 66 pared to his overall career
tation would be key to his sort of rolled together ... It’s previous Premier League on Thursday. balls by advancing down average of 38.66.
team’s success and remain- 22 yards and we’ve played clashes. Nicholls, who had come the pitch to left-arm spin- Nicholls and Watling’s
ing in the contest for a long on some difficult wickets Three defeats in their last to the crease with New ner Keshav Maharaj and 59-run partnership halted
time. in the first two games and four league games, howev- Zealand struggling at 21 lofting him down the the early momentum du
Smith was surprised by the we’ve played some pretty er, mean Arsene Wenger’s for three in the first ses- ground for his seventh Plessis’ team had built in
dark hue of the pitch, say- good cricket, so we’re con- side have precious little sion after being asked to boundary. the first session through
ing its low bounce would fident that we can play with margin for error in their bat by Faf Du Plessis, was Nicholls found a willing their pace attack of Morne
negate some of the threat whatever this wicket does.” quest for a 21st consecutive on 74 while Watling was 21 partner in Watling, who Morkel, Vernon Philander
of his pacemen. top-four finish. not out. has a history of produc- and Kagiso Rabada.