Stoner wins Catalunyan MotoGP

BARCELONA – Australian rider Casey Stoner won the Catalunyan MotoGP here on Sunday to record his fourth victory in seven races this season.

The Ducati rider beat home Italian star Valentino Rossi while Spaniard Dani Pedrosa was third. Stoner and Rossi – winner last Sunday in Italy and a seven-time world champion – fought out an enthralling battle throughout the last half of the race with the lead swapping hands on several occasions.Real Madrid count the seconds * MADRID – It was 17 or 18 seconds depending on your watch but the Spanish title dramatically fell into Real Madrid’s grasp on Saturday, in roughly the amount of time it takes to run the length of a football pitch.In that short space of time, Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Madrid a last-gasp equaliser in their 2-2 draw at Real Zaragoza barely a minute before the whistle.The news then came through that Espanyol’s Raul Tamudo had performed a similar trick to hold Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in the Nou Camp and almost certainly end their reign as Spanish champions next Sunday.Knowles and Nestor win French Open doubles * PARIS – Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor captured a third grand slam doubles title together at the French Open on Saturday.The Bahamas-Canada pairing overcame ninth seeded Czechs Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner 2-6 6-3 6-4.After winning the U.S.Open in 2004 and the Australian Open in 2002, only the Wimbledon title is missing from their collection.Cotto stops Judah to retain crown * NEW YORK – Miguel Cotto retained his WBA welterweight championship with an 11th-round stoppage of Zab Judah in front of a capacity crowd of more than 20 000 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.The 26-year-old unbeaten Puerto Rican finished off his American opponent at 49 seconds of the round, when referee Arthur Mercante Jr stepped in to stop the contest shortly after Cotto had knocked down Judah for the second time in the bout.Police set to reveal Woolmer’s cause of death * KINGSTON – Jamaica police have scheduled a news conference tomorrow in which it will reveal former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer’s cause of death, a police source told Reuters late on Saturday.According to the source, the news conference will be addressed by police commissioner Lucius Thomas, who will read a statement, outline toxicology results and give details of post mortem examinations carried out on Woolmer’s body.The former England international cricketer was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on March 18, a day after Pakistan had suffered a shock loss to Ireland in the World Cup.The 58-year-old was pronounced dead at hospital shortly after.Nampa-Reuters and AFPStoner and Rossi – winner last Sunday in Italy and a seven-time world champion – fought out an enthralling battle throughout the last half of the race with the lead swapping hands on several occasions.Real Madrid count the seconds * MADRID – It was 17 or 18 seconds depending on your watch but the Spanish title dramatically fell into Real Madrid’s grasp on Saturday, in roughly the amount of time it takes to run the length of a football pitch.In that short space of time, Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Madrid a last-gasp equaliser in their 2-2 draw at Real Zaragoza barely a minute before the whistle.The news then came through that Espanyol’s Raul Tamudo had performed a similar trick to hold Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in the Nou Camp and almost certainly end their reign as Spanish champions next Sunday.Knowles and Nestor win French Open doubles * PARIS – Mark Knowles and Daniel Nestor captured a third grand slam doubles title together at the French Open on Saturday.The Bahamas-Canada pairing overcame ninth seeded Czechs Lukas Dlouhy and Pavel Vizner 2-6 6-3 6-4.After winning the U.S.Open in 2004 and the Australian Open in 2002, only the Wimbledon title is missing from their collection.Cotto stops Judah to retain crown * NEW YORK – Miguel Cotto retained his WBA welterweight championship with an 11th-round stoppage of Zab Judah in front of a capacity crowd of more than 20 000 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.The 26-year-old unbeaten Puerto Rican finished off his American opponent at 49 seconds of the round, when referee Arthur Mercante Jr stepped in to stop the contest shortly after Cotto had knocked down Judah for the second time in the bout.Police set to reveal Woolmer’s cause of death * KINGSTON – Jamaica police have scheduled a news conference tomorrow in which it will reveal former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer’s cause of death, a police source told Reuters late on Saturday.According to the source, the news conference will be addressed by police commissioner Lucius Thomas, who will read a statement, outline toxicology results and give details of post mortem examinations carried out on Woolmer’s body.The former England international cricketer was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on March 18, a day after Pakistan had suffered a shock loss to Ireland in the World Cup.The 58-year-old was pronounced dead at hospital shortly after.Nampa-Reuters and AFP