Ding Junhui knocks out Ablajan to advance

12-28-2010 10:06 BJT

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Players faced each other in the 2010 China Snoker Tour Final at Yixing, Jiangsu Province. Local hero Ding Junhui took on Ablajan of Xinjiang Autonomous Region in the first round. Ding looked to wrap up an easy match in front of his hometown fans.

But it didn't exactly turn out that way. Ding got off to a sluggish start, with several errors in the opening frame.

Ablajan capitalized to win the frame with a break of 74. The Xinjiang veteran then stormed-on to clinch the next two frames, and pushed Ding to the brink of elimination. But Ding fought back in style. He claimed a silver and a team gold in the Guangzhou Asian Games in November, and won back-to-back breaks here. Ding tied the match at 3-all. The 23-year-old had the hot hand in the decider, blasting to a break of 123. Ding ousted Ablajan 4-3 and cruised to the last 16.

Players faced each other in the 2010 China Snoker Tour Final at Yixing, Jiangsu Province. Local hero Ding Junhui took on Ablajan of Xinjiang Autonomous Region in the first round. Ding looked to wrap up an easy match in front of his hometown fans.

Bears confirm play-off bye with 38-34 defeat of jets

12-28-2010 10:06 BJT

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In the NFL the playoff-bound Chicago Bears looked to display their powerful game against the New York Jets on Sunday. The Jets needed to win or tie to put themselves into the pro football post-season.

New York took a positive step in the second quarter. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler threw the ball to the Jets' Dwight Lowery. He cut in front of Earl Bennett to pick it off and raced in for the score. New York led it 14-10.

Early in the third quarter, Chicago's Johnny Knox hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Cutler. The Bears pulled even at 24-all.

-But Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez struck back. He connected with Santonio Holmes, wide open on a 23-yard touchdown play. The game was tied again at 31.

Six minutes to go. The Bears went back on the attack. They regained the lead 38-31 on Cutler's third touchdown pass of the quarter. Chicago held on to beat the Jets 38-34.

Editor:Zhang Jingya |Source: CNTV.CN

Berbatov brace helps Man Utd beat Sunderland

12-28-2010 10:06 BJT

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League leader Mancherster United took on the challenge from mid-table Sunderland on Boxing Day. United expected to consolidate its top spot over cross-town rival Manchester City.

Man U. got off to a solid start against the Sunderland defence. Only five minutes in... Ryan Giggs found Wayne Rooney, and Rooney's perfect cross was headed-in by Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov. It was 1-0 Manchester United.

United kept dominating the action without adding to the score until the 57th minute. The home fans were relieved when Berbatov scored off Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand. Manchester United wins it 2-0.

In other matches striker Carlos Tevez bagged two for Manchester City which rolled past Newcastle United 3-1. Fifth place Tottenham Hotspur stayed in touch with the top four as Rafael van der Vaart's double earned a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa. Bolton Wanderers beat West Brom 2-0, and Stoke City had a 2-0 win at Blackburn Rovers. Striker Carlton Cole grabbed two goals as West Ham United won 3-1 at Fulham, and Wolverhampton Wanderers lost 2-1 at home against fellow strugglers Wigan Athletic.

Manchester United holds a 2 point lead over Man. City. Arsenal stays close, just three points back. Chelsea is only one point behind the Gunners. Then Hotspur, Bolton and Sunderland take the next three spots. Struggling Liverpool is out of contention, staying in 10th.

Editor:Zhang Jingya |Source: CNTV.CN

Will Beijing lose faith in Steve Francis?

12-28-2010 10:06 BJT

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Former NBA star Steve Francis joined the CBA's Beijing Ducks two weeks ago. But he is yet to show his big league skills in China. Beijing's coach says Francis' performance on and off the court has dramatically reduced the team's confidence in him.

Beijing held its regular practice on Monday, but Steve Francis failed to show up. According to the team's coach, Francis abruptly left the venue on his own during a game between Beijing and Jiangsu and went home Sunday night, which shocked the other players.

Min Lulei, Beijing Coach, said, "We all have done our best to help him restore his skills and adapt to the rotation. He is a very experienced NBA player. I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with him. But frankly speaking, I think he's not quite ready."

The coach says Francis needs more time to reach his top form, in order to win his minutes on the court. But the former Houston Rockets' star seems to disagree. And it's also rumored that the Ducks will release Francis if they have to.

Min said, "We haven't decided yet. I really don't want to see it happen. If it really happens, we must find another to fill the spot."

Francis joined the Beijing Ducks on December 14th, wearing the No. 3 jersey.

The next day, he came off the bench and played in the final minutes for Beijing, for the first time.

In the game against Shandong, Francis seemed to appear out of shape. He only contributed two rebounds during his time on the court.

The former NBA star finally got on the scoreboard with a layup against reigning champion Guangdong, but they proved to be his only points of the match.

Francis wrapped up his fourth game with a missed three against Fujian. After playing a total of only 11 minutes, Francis is now facing a potentially abrupt termination of his contract.

Editor:Zhang Jingya |Source: CNTV.CN

Wild Oats XI lead Sydney-Hobart race

12-28-2010 10:06 BJT

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Weather threatened to impact a sporting classic Down Under. Rain drenched Sydney on Sunday, before the match which experts predicted would be one of the toughest Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht races in years.

The Mark Richards-skippered 100 footer, Wild Oats XI, shrugged off a challenge from Grant Wharington's Melbourne 98-footer, Wild Thing. Wild Oats stamped its mark early on the battle for top honors off Australia. Both start lines reported clean launches as nearly 1000 competitors began the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's yachting classic under overcast skies in a light wind.

The 100-foot Wild Oats XI, and Sean Langman and Anthony Bell's Investec Loyal, squared off on the western side. Stephen Ainsworth's Loki timed things perfectly about a third of the way down the tightly congested line. As Wild Oats XI and Investec Loyal sprinted down the western harbor shore, Wild Thing steamed along the eastern shore past Vaucluse and Watsons Bay.

Wild Oats XI won the sprint to the sea mark. Wild Thing and Investec Loyal converged on the harbor mark two boat-lengths back, with Wild Thing squeezing her rival out at the end.

Mark Richards said, "Look, it's definitely our preparation, it's always our preparation and if we had have put the effort in last year as this year which is easy to say. I'm sure it could have been a different story. C'est la vie, here we are and let's hope we can do it this time."

Editor:Zhang Jingya |Source: CNTV.CN

NBA: Hornets come back to beat Hawks 93-86

12-28-2010 10:06 BJT

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The New Orleans Hornets hosted the Atlanta Hawks.

Joe Johnson gave the Hawks a four-point lead late in the opening frame.

Jamal Crawford fed Josh Smith for a powerful slam. The Hawks went up by nine, but could not hold the lead.

The Hornets' Chris Paul went up-and-under, and-one. His three-point play gave the Hornets a 4 point advantage. But the Hawks fought back.

Midway through final stanza, Jarrett Jack drove in, and sank a jumper to beat the shot clock buzzer.

Then Al Horford fed Johnson for an open three. He made it a four-point game.

But Paul had the answer. His fadeaway jumper with 38 seconds left would prove to be decisive. Paul scored 22 points. The Hornets beat the Hawks, 93-86.

Beijing dialect dictionary tries to save native tongue

12-28-2010 08:37 BJT

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Here a story about a book worth protecting... The latest project of a seventy-year-old retired professor was to preserve Beijing's local language. Now he's a local icon because he has complied a comprehensive Beijing dialect dictionary, and it has just landed on bookshelves.

The Beijing dialect dictionary is the first of its kind to standardize the language.

The dictionary is intended to save Beijing's native tongue, getting more and more Beijing residents using their local language. It contains over 11 thousand phrases used in downtown Beijing as well as suburbs.

Dong Shuren, Professor, said, "I've been collecting the phrases from daily life, Peking opera plays, and Radio programs. Some of them are even from what I heard in Beijing villages thirty years ago."

The Beijing dialect dictionary is the first of its kind to standardize the language.(File photo)

With a nation-wide campaign to popularize Mandarin, old slang terms with the Beijing dialect are used less and less.

And with the success of Professor Dong's work on the Beijing dialect, the language is now back in the popular consciousness.

Many people actually find it amusing and informative in learning the origin of some Beijing expressions.