Sackey eyes fresh start

England wing relishing new challenges in France

Sackey: Fresh start

Toulon want to become a great French club again and that desire is attractive. For that reason, I feel that Toulon is made for me.

Paul Sackey
Quotes of the week

England winger Paul Sackey has insisted that a need for a "fresh start" lay behind his reasons to join Toulon on a two-year deal from Wasps.

The 30-year-old will end his five-year association with Wasps at the end of the season to join fellow England internationals Jonny Wilkinson and Tom May at Toulon.

And Sackey, who has won two Guinness Premiership titles, the Heineken Cup and the Powergen Cup at Wasps after joining them from London Irish, is looking ahead to a new challenge.

"I spoke to Tom May and others and they all told me that the club and the passion of the supporters were incredible," he said.

"But, above all, I took this decision to have a fresh start.

"I wanted to change my environment and lifestyle. I could have gone to Paris, but that was too similar to London.

"I wanted to experience a real change, by signing for a club that offers me something different and has a lot of ambition.

"Toulon want to become a great French club again and that desire is attractive. For that reason, I feel that Toulon is made for me."

Bath snap up England ace

Moody set for shock switch from Leicester

Moody: Shock move

I am really looking forward to an exciting new challenge at this stage of my career

Lewis Moody
Quotes of the week

England flanker Lewis Moody is set to end his 14-year association with Leicester in the summer after he agreed a shock move to Bath.

Moody made his first-team debut at the Tigers in 1996 and has gone on to make 216 appearances but he has now agreed a three-year deal to move to Leicester's rivals at The Rec.

And the 31-year-old, who has also represented the British & Irish Lions, admitted he is relishing the chance for a fresh challenge.

"I am really looking forward to an exciting new challenge at this stage of my career," said Moody.

"Bath's values perfectly suit my own, it is a great City and Club, with a real family feel and a close knit and impressive squad.

"I have always known that if I was ever going to leave Leicester, the only club I would consider in the UK would be Bath. They play an exciting brand of rugby and having spent time with both Steve Meehan and Nick Blofeld I am sure that there are exciting years ahead."

Winner

Bath head coach Steve Meehan is pleased to have completed the transfer coup - claiming Moody will become a key asset.

"Lewis is a proven winner and he brings vast experience, a fierce determination and great attitude with him," said Meehan.

"Adapting to our style of play shouldn't be a problem and we expect him to help create more opportunities and momentum up front."

Despite seeing one of his star men leave, Tigers head coach Richard Cockerill has praised Moody's attitude during his time at the Tigers.

He said: "Lewis has been a big part of this club for a long time and he has won every major honour in his time here.

"Everyone knows about the enthusiasm he brings to his game, and that has not altered during his 14 years in the first-team squad, which says a lot for his attitude to the game of rugby.

"We wish him well as he takes up a new challenge for next season and I know he will receive a very warm welcome from our supporters whenever he returns.

"I'm sure he will be looking to go out on a high note and we look forward to his return to Leicester for the run-in to the end of this season after international duty at this season's Six Nations."

Kieswetter seals whitewash

Somerset man hits maiden century as Cook grabs series win as captain

Kieswetter: Maiden ODI century

Third One Day InternationalChittagong
England 284-5 Innings Complete (C Kieswetter 107) v Bangladesh 239-9
Innings Complete (T T Bresnan 4-28)
England beat Bangladesh by 45 runs

Craig Kieswetter fired a maiden international century as England completed a 3-0 series whitewash over Bangladesh with a comfortable 45-run success in Chittagong.

Kieswetter battled hard to make 107 as England posted 284-5 when being asked to bat first, with a late flurry of 32 from just 13 balls from Luke Wright boosting the total beyond the 250-mark.

Bangladesh suffered a huge blow when England debutant Ajmal Shahzad got rid of opener Tamim Iqbal, who blazed 125 in the series opener in Dhaka, for a duck in the first over of the innings.

The hosts recovered to build a solid response at 144-4 after 30 overs, but their naivety came through and a flurry of late wickets saw them close on 239-9 as England completed an emphatic series victory.

Tim Bresnan was the main man to benefit at the end as he improved his figures to 4-28 from nine overs, while Graeme Swann again bowled tightly and took two wickets as Alastair Cook made a confident debut as England captain for the series.

Three figures

After a disappointing first two ODIs for England, Kieswetter justified his selection in his third match with a century that showed more of his battling qualities than free-flowing stroke play, as he battled against the spinners to reach his 50 off 80 balls.

The 22-year-old did cut loose more after getting his half-century though, as he doubled his total in just another 41 deliveries to bring up three figures and eventually make 107 off 124 balls.

Captain Cook scored 32 while Kevin Pietersen failed to put an end to the question marks over his recent form, making a subdued 22 before falling lbw to Abdur Razzak for the second match in a row.

Paul Collingwood combined with Kieswetter for 74 before holing out to Suhrawordi Suvo on 36, while Eoin Morgan rode his luck with two drops until Shafiul Islam accounted for him for the same score.

Wright put the exclamation mark on the innings as he came in and hammered two sixes and two fours in his 13-ball cameo worth an unbeaten 32 as England closed on a more-than-healthy 284-5.

Early wicket

Shahzad was handed the new ball and, just as he did on his Twenty20 bow in Dubai last month, obliged his captain with a wicket in his first over as he removed danger man Iqbal for nought, as he was caught by Bresnan at third man.

The hosts countered with two decent partnerships, with Aftab Ahmed and Mushfiqur Rahim compiling 56 before a horribly mis-judged single saw Aftab run out for 46, which would prove to be the top score for the hosts.

Rahim made 40 before finding mid-wicket off Swann, while skipper Shakib Al Hasan also got a start with 38 but was also unable to go on, although he was unlucky to be given out lbw against Pietersen when the ball hit him well outside the line of off stump.

At 162-5, Bangladesh then lost their chance of winning as Naeem Islam and Mahmudullah's partnership laboured, and the hosts missed an obvious chance to take their batting powerplay with the two men set but not scoring quickly enough.

Naeem's 18 off 31 and Mahmudullah's 33 from 54 showcased their slow scoring rate, and the tail quickly threw away their wickets to hand Bresnan career best figures, England a 45-run victory and Cook a comfortable move into captaincy with a series whitewash.

Vaughan calls for 'pure England'

'I have a problem with Trott', says former England captain

Vaughan: 'I have a problem'

Former England captain Michael Vaughan admits he would prefer to see '11 complete Englishmen' representing the national side.

The current England line-up includes the likes of Craig Kieswetter and Jonathan Trott, both born in South Africa and who played representative cricket for the country before throwing in their lot with England.

And while Vaughan is happier to welcome someone like Kevin Pietersen, another South-African who pledged his allegiance to England early in his career, he would like to see the side made from homegrown talent.

"Someone like Kevin Pietersen made the decision very early to come over to England and he learnt a lot of his cricket here," he was reported to say in the Independent.

"I do have a problem when the likes of Jonathan Trott (play for England), and (Craig) Kieswetter, who's played for the South African Under-19s. I think in Trott's case he even played for the South Africa A team.

"Now that is where I have a problem, that we have almost got a 'ship-in' system of looking at talent, and a lot of them come over for the money.

"It's very, very difficult to stop them. I would like to see, in an ideal world, 11 complete Englishmen in the team but I don't think that's ever going to be the case."

Cook praise for duo

Stand-in skipper pleased with England duo after whitewash

Cook: Impressive captaincy

I think he's started very well but each time he speaks, each time he walks on to the field he looks more confident.

Andy Flower
Quotes of the week

England skipper Alastair Cook says it will be impossible to drop Craig Kieswetter after his century in the third ODI in Bangladesh.

Somerset man Kieswetter grabbed 107 as England sealed a 3-0 series whitewash with a 45-run success, and the skipper says that should be enough to keep his place in future one-dayers.

Cook enjoyed Kieswetter's innings, and also paid tribute to Eoin Morgan who again played well after his previous hundred in the series.

"Morgs (Morgan) has been exceptional and to see Craig at the top of the order and respond with a century has been terrific," Cook told Sky Sports.

"When anyone scores a hundred it's impossible to drop him."

Flower caution

England coach Andy Flower was more cautious when asked about Kieswetter's future with the national team but said: "It was very nice to see him get in and score some runs today.

"I thought the way he managed his innings was very impressive and that will stand him in good stead in the future."

Flower also said that he was impressed with how Cook handled the captaincy as he stood in for Andrew Strauss, who is being rested for the tour.

"I think he's started very well but each time he speaks, each time he walks on to the field he looks more confident," Flower said.

"In the second match when (Stuart) Broad went down with a bad back and he had to juggle his bowlers, he handled that every well."

Kevin Pietersen's form continues to be a talking point as he made just 22 and again got out to left arm spin, but Flower insists he is not concerned even if the player himself is.

"He's very concerned that he hasn't scored heavily here so far," Flower said of Pietersen. "He's very hungry to do well. I still believe that he will score heavy runs for us soon."

Thai leads as thunder strikes

Canizares holds clubhouse lead as play is suspended in Malaysia

Canizares: Clubhouse lead

Second round leaders:

-9 K Aphibarnrat (Tha) (14)
-8 A Canizares (Spa)
-7 S Hansen (Den)
-7 A Que (Phi)
-7 KJ Choi (S Kor) (16)
-7 I Garrido (Spa) (16)
-7 R Davies (Wal) (11)
-7 D-H Kim (S Kor) (9)

Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat stood at the top of the leaderboard at the end of day two at the weather-hit Malaysian Open.

Aphibarnrat was five under par for the day and nine under for the tournament through 14 holes when play was suspended for the day after a thunderstorm had brought play to a halt earlier in the afternoon.

Starting on the 10th, the 20-year-old chipped in from 30-yards for an eagle three on the par-5 fifth, his final hole of the day, before bad light stopped play after more than two hours were lost because of storms.

World number 442 Alejandro Canizares set the clubhouse lead one shot behind following a round of 69 while a group of six players are a further stroke back.

Amongst those, Denmark's Soren Hansen and Angelo Que of the Philippines were able to complete their rounds, with both players adding a five-under-par 67 to their opening efforts of 70.

"It was a good day, I played well," said Hansen. "I made a birdie on 11 after a great four iron over the water at the par three, but didn't take any of my chances on the back nine, which was my front nine.

"But then I made birdie on par five third and that got me going and then birdied the fourth and followed that up with an eagle and that was pretty much the round.

"There were a lot of pars but a spell of three really good holes and the 11th and that was it. I played solid tee to green but those three holes saved the day.

"The heat is the hardest battle for us Europeans this week. But I like the golf course, it is a good looking one so we will see what happens over the weekend."

Que admitted the humidity was getting the better of many players.

"Everybody is struggling in the heat and I think everyone is more focused on the heat than on their game," he said. "It's hot enough and if you let it affect you more, your game is going to be affected."

Also on seven under par are South Korea's KJ Choi and DH Kim, who have played 16 and nine holes respectively, plus overnight leaders Ignacio Garrido of Spain and Wales's Rhys Davies.

Both were level par for the day through 16 and 11 respectively, Davies matching two birdies with a couple of bogeys.

Further down the leaderboard, Peter Lawrie rescued a level par 72 second to remain at three-under-par overall despite shipping a disastrous quintuple bogey 10 at the par five fifth, after twice hitting out of bounds off the tee.

Schumacher raring to go

German excited by F1 comeback

Schumacher: Excited by F1 return

The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get under way in Bahrain.

Michael Schumacher
Quotes of the week

Michael Schumacher has likened his expectation ahead of the new Formula One season to "a child looking forward to Christmas".

Just a week remains until the new season gets underway, with the opening two practice sessions for the Bahrain Grand Prix set for next Friday.

And seven-time champion Schumacher, who confirmed before Christmas he was ending three years in retirement to make his comeback at the age of 41, is desperate to return to the grid.

Comeback

"Finally the season will start," said Schumacher.

"The decision to make my comeback feels like a long time ago now and I can hardly wait for the season to get under way in Bahrain.

"It's funny to think I will be competing in Formula One again when just a few months ago, I would have categorically declined the opportunity.

"But sometimes things change and the right circumstances come together. Now I feel fresher than I have for many years. I am perfectly prepared physically, and most importantly my energy is back completely.

"When I retired from racing in 2006, my batteries were simply empty. Now they are totally recharged and I am ready for the challenge."

Schumacher's new Mercedes team, formerly Brawn GP, have performed particularly well in the pre-season.

However, less than three tenths of a second separated McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Mercedes on the final day of testing in Barcelona on Sunday, and Schumacher insists it is too early to call who has the advantage.

Competitive

"It is always difficult to predict the form in pre-season testing, this year more than ever," added Schumacher.

"But the final test in Barcelona proved to us that we should be competitive.

"We know we will have more new parts in Bahrain which should bring extra performance to the car.

"It's important to be in the leading group from the start of the season, and I am confident we will be there."