Agar's near-ton a piece of sporting folklore

Cricket

Ashton Agar, the man most of country had never heard of, became the talk of the nation overnight after his 98 runs saw him not only bring Australia back into the first Ashes test but create a story that even be remembered for generations to come.

That story starts with a 19-year-old who strolled to the crease with his team sitting at 9-117, a daunting 98 runs behind England, and lit up Trent Bridge with a flurry of shot making more befitting of an accomplished top order player.

Agar started out with a cool attitude and patience that seemed out of ordinary for a tail-ender. Was it by chance that the new kid had been defaulted to the bottom because of his lack of test experience? As he refused to get out, it became apparent that was the case.

Suddenly boundaries started to flow. England's short balls and attempts to give Agar a rough welcome into test cricket were pushed aside. The home side persisted in striding away from the tight line they had demolished the upper order with and paid the price for it.

Ashton had his 50 in as many deliveries and there was now more than a hint of concern among the home crowd and team. Who is this young man? Why is he at the bottom when his refuses to put a foot wrong with the bat? Turns out, many on the other side of the world were wondering the same thing, but with a much happier disposition.

Twitter blew up with #Ashtag and #Ashton making the rounds quicker than the youngster could find the boundary rope. That says a lot considering his golden innings consisted of 12 fours and a pair of sixes. Popularity stemmed not just from his surprisingly adept technique, but his demeanor and shot selection in an unfamiliar environment of big-stage cricket.

60. 70. 80. 90. The runs kept coming. It was only in an Graeme Swann over where Agar finally looked like he was being truly tested. But he made it through.

Then the unbreakable kid from Western Australia finally snapped. He had missed several tempting pull shots from the hands of Stuart Broad before finally bashing one into the mitts of Swann in the deep on-side. The tactics that had done nothing to him early in his innings had finally lured him into a simple mistake, off a solid shot regardless.

Ashton Agar's 98 is the highest score by a number 11 in test cricket history. PHOTO: Getty Images

It had been a long time since I had watched a sporting event where I felt my heart physically sink. I felt like I had been robbed of a moment, along with millions of others, when Swann celebrated like he removed Sachin Tendulkar in his prime.

Then Agar removed his helmet and beamed with a smile that forced a similar one out of me. He didn't care. He had helped lift a poor side into a winning position on cricket's biggest stage, the Ashes. That's what mattered to him. And suddenly I knew I had seen something that went beyond simply rewriting the record books.

Agar didn't just change the history books, he wrote himself into Australian sporting folklore. He had joined an elite company whose tales are those we know we will end up sharing with future generations. That's the importance of what many late-night viewers experienced on the 11th of July.

The man clearly knew how to make the most out of a situation, when he survived a stumping call with his team sitting at just 131. Turned out he thought sending that total to 280 would make a better story. That moment might have rattled a lesser player, but Agar clearly has a wonderful mental game that even his own selectors might not have been aware of.

Australia took of lead into the 2nd innings of England. A lead. From 98 runs down on the last wicket. Let the enormity of that sink in, if you hadn't already last night.

It would be criminal to forget the contribution of the man at the other end, Phil Hughes. Here's a man that has consistently had so much pressure applied towards his game, yet he was able to remain composed enough to assist his young teammate (and himself) in finding history.

Hughes ended his innings on 81 not out, having watched six of his teammates walk back to the pavilion before him. This was one of his finest moments in test cricket since his South Africa century in his early test days, and the history books may mention only his partnership contribution but he deserves an equal share of the imminent truckload of praise about to be heaped on his fellow young countryman.

In an innings full of highlights, none stand out more than a graceful on-side shot where Agar lofted his back foot high into the air as he put his body through the motions. It was clear from that moment that this kid had a future not just with the ball.

This is just a selection of the records that were broken on day 2 at Nottingham:

* Highest 10th wicket partnership in test cricket history, 163

* Highest score by a number 11 in test cricket history, beating last year's 95 effort by Timo Best by 3 runs

* Highest score by a number 11 on debut. More than doubles Wawrick Armstrong's 45 from 1902.

* 2nd fastest test 50 on debut, behind Adam Gilchrist

* 2nd debutant to finish with the highest test score at number 11

* The third time the 10th wicket pair have doubled their team's score (remember Lyon/Siddle in South Africa? 47? Yep, that's one of the others)

* 5th Australian 100-run 10th wicket partnership

Well played, young man. Well played.

Aussie hopes handed nightmare draw at Wimbledon

Tennis

Lleyton Hewitt will have to play beyond the excellent level of tennis he displayed at Queens if he is to make a similar inroads at Wimbledon, after drawing world number 10 Stanislas Wawrinka in the opening round.

Hewitt's Swiss opponent is having the year of his life, having played in four finals in tournaments this year and winning one of them.

Hewitt drew praise from all circles for his run at the Wimbledon lead-up tournament last week, which saw him make easy work of Juan Martin del Potro in a deciding set, before bowing out in the semis.

The defensive style of Hewitt will be in contrast to the offensive style of Wawrinka, and the Aussie's best hopes of winning will be in forcing the errors rather than making the winners.

Although Wawrinka doesn't possess the grass court records that Hewitt does, preferring red as opposed to green under his feet, he made his first ATP grass court final overnight and will be hungry for further success during the short-lived grass season.

Sam Stosur returns once again to her least favoured Slam with the odds again stacked against her.

Her first round matchup will be against 18-year old qualifier Anna Karolína Schmiedlová, who snatched a place in the main draw as a lucky loser. The young Slovak was a runner-up in last year's French Open girls singles final and caused an upset at Roland Garros by taking out Belgian Yanina Wickmayer in the opening round.

Lleyton Hewitt in action last week at Queens

Though Stosur sits 105 places higher in the world rankings, an unknown quantity will make the first round an uneasy affair, with an opponent still climbing in the rankings and with nothing to lose.

The really bad news for the sole Australian representative in the women's singles is that a potential fourth round meeting is world number one Serena Williams.

Williams is arguably the most in-form player in the world right now, in either the men's or women's game. She has taken her opponents apart in recent months to look even more dominant than she did before her life-threatening injury several years ago.

If Stosur manages to make it so far to take on the American superstar, she will be starting five Wimbledon titles and a favoured surface behind. To set up the dreaded meeting, Stosur will have to make it past the third round at SW19, something she has not achieved in ten attempts.

The run-in with grass court specialists continues for other Australian mens hope Bernard Tomic, facing 21st seed Sam Querrey. The American's powerful serve will only be accentuated further on the fresh grass of round one, and Tomic will lose if he doesn't take control of the points.

Querrey will look to simply outpace a slower and more variable game that Tomic possesses, and if the Tomic keeps a level head and makes Querrey play defensive, the match is for the Australian's taking. 

Tomic knows what it takes to make it to the quarter-final of Wimbledon, and certainly has one of the easiest eighths of the draw. He could do it again, it's just about getting the tough first round encounter done.

James Duckworth and Matt Reid have both managed to qualify for their first ever Wimbledon. Duckworth has a very winnable match against fellow qualifier Denis Kudla, and it may come down to who has the mental game at a nervous time for both youngsters.

Reid has the rougher end of the stick, facing top 50 player Radek Stephanek. Stephanek crashed out of the opening round at the French Open to fellow Aussie Nick Kyrgios, but just came from a home tournament victory several days ago. Reid has nothing to lose and should play accordingly.

Lastly, Matt Ebden and Marinko Matosevic will have tough times, coming up against Kei Nishikori and Guillaume Rufin respectively. Matosevic can certainly beat his lower ranked opponent, though has had a tough time of late against players ranked lower. Ebden meanwhile may have to look to the next tournament.

No Australian looks a certainty in their first round game, and it could be that all lose and crash out. For some  like Matt Reid, it's a new experience on a stage greater than all previous tournaments played combined. For others like Stosur, it's a chance to put past demons behind.

The draw gods were not kind to many, particularly to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, who may meet as early as the quarter finals!

Pattinson takes apart Kiwis

Cricket


Debutant James Pattinson's five-wicket haul helped Australia to a dominant 9 wicket victory over New Zealand at the GABBA.

The Kiwis fell apart in the opening session, losing six wickets and quickly ending talks of a possible draw and especially a New Zealand win.

New Zealand managed just 150, setting Australian openers Dave Warner and Phil Hughes a tiny target of 19.

Hughes (7) was the only second innings casualty, as the Aussies took a one-nil series lead on the back of two Warner boundaries.

But all the talk was about one particular player.

"Whatever he had for dinner last night I want a bit of that," Warner said in regards to Pattinson.

"We needed to take some crucial wickets in that first hour, but I didn't think it'd become that easy."

Pattinson began his roll of wickets late yesterday with the removal of opener Brendon McCullum, before one three wicket maiden over sealed the result in early play this morning.

Fellow opener Guptill fell on the second ball of the over when a cramped block found its way to Usman Khawaja at short leg.

Consecutive deliveries had Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor gone for ducks when they both pushed the ball into the slips, and the hatrick delivery to Jesse Ryder almost cleaned up the big-hitting Kiwi.

Bracewell later fell to Pattinson for just 2, while Ryder's resistance ended on 36 when he scooped a Nathan Lyon delivery to mid off.

Australia were looking at an innings victory before the same combination that stalled the hosts in the first innings, Daniel Vettori and Dean Brownlie, did so again in the run-up to lunch.

The pairing put on 52 runs before Vettori clipped a Hussey ball to his captain at first slip to go for 17, leaving the visitors at 7/121 at lunch and still trailing the Australians by 11 runs.

Siddle picked up his only wicket in the second over after lunch when Brownlie lofted a shot to point and was removed for 42, then Southee (8) and Martin (0) were both caught off the bowling of Lyon.

Lyon's solid bowling performance which brought him three wickets was overshadowed, however, by the work of young Pattinson.

"It's a bit surreal obviously, getting the nod the day before," Pattinson said. "I had a few nerves running through the body first day, I just tried to stay settled today."

"I've had a few innigns at the GABBA where I haven't bowled too well, but I've had some success at Hobart so hopefully it continues down there."

New Zealand captain Ross Taylor was critical of his top order, including himself.

"We came here with high hopes. But the way James bowled then it just put us on the back foot.

"The top six (batsman) have got to put their hands up, there was some soft dismissals there. We can be a competitive side when we stick to the basics."

"James Pattinson, outstanding," said Australian captain Clarke.

"But our whole performance as a team was fantastic. I couldn't be happier with the start to the Summer."

One of the few concerns coming out of the match for the hosts will be the form of Phil Hughes, who looks certain to lose his spot in the Test side following two poor shows at bat.

The two sides will square off again at Bellerive Oval this Friday before the Australians begin their four match series against India on Boxing Day.

Mighty Mosheen a class above in Oaks

Horse Racing

It was all too easy for Mosheen as she lead from start to finish to take out the Crown Oaks by an impressive nine lengths.

Mosheen ($6) show her class as she burned favourite Dowager Queen ($3.50) and Roman Giaconda ($26) down the final straight, showing doubters she could stay beyond the mile, running out the 2500m in full.

Jockey Danny Nikolic said his ride relaxed immediately as she found the lead from her smart barrier two jump.

"As soon as she left the barriers I put her to sleep," he said. "She pulled up super. Today that was a walk, trot and canter. She just played with them."

The victory in the three year old classic is the fifth group one victory for trainer Robert Smerdon.

"I'd hope that she'd relax enough, and she didn't go too hard with the blinkers," Smerdon said. "Most fillies cant quicken like she can."

Mosheen got the best jump, and was joined from Gioe out wide within the first 100m. Dowager Queen and Bart Cummings hope Gliding sat two lengths behind.

With a lax tempo, positions remained stagnant until the final turn where the Fastnet Rock filly blew her opposition away with plenty of energy left to spare.

Gliding slipped away immediately, while Dowager Queen couldn't make the most of her favourable position and watched the eventual winner power ahead.

The winning margin was reminiscent of early market favourite Atlantic Jewel in the Wakeful Stakes on Derby Day.

Smerdon stated last weekend that if Atlantic Jewel had not withdrawn due to a hamstring injury, he would have taken Mosheen on a path that didn't clash with the unbeaten star.

Sepoy wins Golden Slipper

Horse Racing

Sepoy has won the 2011 AAMI Golden Slipper, breaking clear at the 200m mark to win ahead of the filly pairing of Mosheen and Elite Falls.

The Darley horse spent majority of the race in second, holding the rail while chasing a fast-starting Karuta Queen.

But as the runners moved around the final turn, Sepoy went right past the outside of the Magic Millions winner and no-one could match his pace on the straight.

Mosheen ran strongly behind Sepoy from her barrier one start to finish 2 lengths adrift, while Elite Falls also ran impressively from a wide start to dart down the inside for a place a length and a half further back.

Nothing, however, could match the pace of the horse in front.

Sepoy goes down with horses such as Courtza, Manikato and John's Hope as Diamond/Slipper double winners.

It's the first Slipper win for both jockey Kerrin McEvoy and trainer Peter Snowden.

Vettel takes opening round win

Motorsport

Current World Champion, Sebastian Vettel, has won the opening race of the Formula One season, ahead of Lewis Hamilton and podium newcomer Vitaly Petrov, to win his third straight race.

The Red Bull driver led the race from start to finish, following a blistering pole-setting time yesterday, and marks a perfect start to his title defence.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton finished the race as he started, in second, despite breaking the undertray of his car on lap 33. The 2008 World Champion finished clear of Renault's Vitaly Petrov, who displaced local hope Mark Webber for a spot on the podium.

The young Russian held off a late charge from Fernando Alonso, in a repeat of their stand-off in Abu Dhabi last year, to claim his first top three finish.

But there was no wiping the smile off the World Champ, who found himself on an Australian podium for the first time, let alone on top of it.

Vettel was challenged in the first fifteen laps by Hamilton, when his tyres looked to be wearing quicker than the McLaren behind him.

"The first thing was to try to hold the gap. But you see the cliff... the degradation... [meant] I couldn't do more laps," the World Champ said.

Things looked a touch sketchy for Vettel as he was forced to pit several laps before Hamilton, but he managed to hold a consistent and comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the race, as his tyres held strong.

"I think we have to make some compliments to Pirelli" he added, in reference to the recent criticisms of the new rubber for 2011, "after the tests we were scared."

It is the first win of the Australian Grand Prix for Renault since 2006, when Alonso won the race after winning the championship in the previous year, as did Vettel today.

RACE REPORT:

A relatively quiet Melbourne race was seen, devoid of the carnage seen in some of the previous editions, including a clean start on the notorious first turn.

Notable movers in the first lap included Petrov bolting up two places to fourth, Formula One debutant Paul Di Resta piloting his Force India up to tenth after starting four spots further back as well as Felipe Massa making a surprise move up to fifth on the first corner.

Massa soon found himself under attack from Jenson Button. In the first use of the DRS (Drag Reduction System) moveable rear wing during a race, Button was unable to make the pass on the Ferrari at turn 1.

Things got worse for Button on lap 11, when an attempted inside pass on Massa at turn 12 resulted in him being forced to cut the turn. When both Ferrari's pitted before him, leaving him unable to let them through, stewards were given no option but to give Button a drive through penalty.

With the decision coming before his first pit stop for tyres, the penalty virtually ended Button's hopes of winning a third straight Australian Grand Prix. But the Briton had it lucky compared to many other teams coming to Melbourne with high expectations.

Mercedes and Williams both had no cars left on the track after separate incidents. Seven time World Champion Michael Schumacher, already having a horror weekend after missing the top 10 in qualifying yesterday, was forced to pit in the opening lap with a puncture. His tyre issues translated to others problems around the wheel, and was forced to retire later.

Just laps later, Rubens Barrichello plowed his Williams carelessly into the side of Nico Rosberg's Mercedes to put the latter out of the race, before the Brazilian was slowly brought to a halt as his car never recovered.

Williams' new man Pastor Maldonado also had mechanical issues, along with Lotus' Heikki Kovalainen, and both called it quits around the same time with the lap count in the mid twenties.

Button passed Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi with the only successful DRS move of the day down the main straight to take 7th place away from the Japanese driver, just laps later.

Alonso continued creeping closer to Webber for 4th, as the Red Bull's tyres were giving way far more than the red machine behind. After a smooth pit stop from Alonso and a bumbled one from Webber's crew on his front right wheel, the two would exchange spots and stay there for the remaining 17 laps.

Petrov was soon put into a familiar position of having to hold off Alonso, after the super soft compounds on the Renault were fading fast.

Although his teammate was unsuccessful in his overtaking attempt, Massa was able to move by Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi to take 9th, and send the Swiss driver back down to his starting position of 10th.

The most impressive team effort of the day was by Team Sauber. The Swiss outfit consisting of Kobayashi and young Mexican debutant Sergio Perez finished 7th and 8th respectively to place their team at an unprecedented 5th in the constructors title race.

But there was nothing stopping a Red Bull Renault that had spent almost every moment of the weekend on top of the timesheets, even without the new KERS boost system.

Vettel will look to defend his Malaysian Grand Prix victory of 2010 in two weeks time.

Australian GP: Friday practice summary

Motorsport

Session 1 Top Five:

1. Mark Webber (RBR): 1:26.831

2. Sebastian Vettel (RBR): 1:27.158

3. Fernando Alonso (FER): 1:27.749

4. Nico Rosberg (MER): 1:28.152

5. Rubens Barrichello (WIL): 1:28.430

Comments:

The first car onto the practice track for 2011 was also the first car into a wall. Karun Chandhok, reserve driver for Team Lotus, accelerated too hard out of turn 6, resulting in him plowing into the wall to his right. It was a horrible start not just for the Indian driver, but also for Jarno Trulli, the man who's car Chandhok broke apart. Along with the Hispania Racing Team, the Lotus would not set a time in this practice session.

There was a scare for Sebastian Vettel, who returned to the pits after an eight lap stint, to find a portion of his front left tyre worn down to the canvas. It looked to be another excuse to scorn Pirelli for rapid tyre wear, but the lack of wear around the worn portion suggested contact with debris and not aggressive degradation.

Felipe Massa also managed to eat up his Pirelli's, but the reasons in his case were more obvious to see. Massa looked in trouble as he locked up on the approach to turn 6, but managed to keep the car out of danger, albeit at the cost of a chunk of left front tyre.

Red Bull started 2011 like they finished 2010, in winning fashion. Mark Webber became the first person to move under the 1:30 mark, and his teammate and World Champ Sebastian Vettel was never far behind. The pair continued to eat away at their times, eventually finishing over half a second in front of their closest rival from Ferrari, Fernando Alonso.

Had the 107% rule been applied, where those who fail to fall within 107% of the top qualifying time are excluded from the Grand Prix race, both Virgin drivers wouldn't have made the cut.

Session 2 Top Five:

Jenson Button: 1:25.854

Lewis Hamilton: 1:25.986

Fernando Alonso: 1:26.001

Sebastian Vettel: 1:26.014

Mark Webber: 1:26.283

Comments:

Rain was on the horizon at the start of the second practice session, but that didn't deter most teams having a run on the soft Pirelli compound.

Seven time World Champion Michael Schumacher drove his Mercedes into first place with the fastest time of the day, a 1:26.590. He was the lead time for several laps before the McLaren and Red Bull launched an assault on the leaderboard. Unlike session one, session two belonged to the McLarens of Button and Hamilton, who eventually would top the session with a 1-2 respectively. Red Bull looked content to let McLaren take those spots, using the remaining time to let the RB7 get solid track time and conserve rubber.

Competitive lap times dried up with about half an hour left. After some dominant times from the McLaren and Red Bull teams, most began to spend time simulating racing laps as opposed to qualifying laps, particularly when rain began to come down in drips and drops. Jarno Trulli managed to get his car off track for the second time in the day, but for the first time in his own hands.

Wet track was eventually declared by race control with just 8 minutes to go, and that brought most teams back into pit lane, bar a few willing to continue simulate racing conditions. Just as the wet track was declared, Maldonado piloted his Williams way off at turn 1. Luckily, the rain didn't set in and wreak further havoc on drivers still coming to grips with the new Pirelli's.

With just 2 minutes, Hispania Racing Team finally brought their car out for a run. Although the run was free from any technical hitches, their late start meant they were unable to set a time.

Heikki Kovaleinen took a tour into the sand at turn 6, narrowly missing the wall in a repeat of his team mate's detour earlier in the session.

Ferrari didn't really figure strongly throughout the day's practice, but little can be read from practice times. The cars will show their true colours come qualifying tomorrow.

Milos Raonic defeats defending champ Verdasco in San Jose

Tennis

Milos Raonic has become the first Canadian since Greg Rusedski in 1995 to win an ATP Tour final after defeating top seed and defending champion Fernando Verdasco in a tight contest 7-6, 7-6 at the SAP Open in San Jose.

The matchup between the two was expected to be decided on Raonic's ability to continue putting down his powerful serves. With the Verdasco rally game looking increasingly dangerous throughout the week, it was a must.

The match was dominated by both the usual strong serves from both men and very short points, brought about by the Canadian's attempts to keep rally length to a minimum.

Even rallies, however, were hard to come by, with Raonic and Verdasco thundering down first serves usually completed with a 1-2 punch. As a result, there was not a single break of serve in the opening set, and a tiebreak was needed.

Verdasco appeared to have Raonic's measure, going up 6-2 in the tiebreak, and looking put his authority over the younger player.

However, a combination of determined serving and confident groundstrokes saw Raonic take the following six points to win what looked to be a lost cause.

The second set was almost a copy of the first, but with a rejuvenated Spaniard holding his service games a touch more comfortably than his opponent. By the end of the match, Verdasco would have won five more points in the match than his opponent.

But resistance didn't break down from Raonic. The Canadian was forced to save the sole break point of the match a four all, with a Verdasco error off yet another strong serve prompting a hint of frustration from the Spaniard.

Raonic only won half of his second serve points (6/12) throughout the set compared to the sole point of Verdasco (10/11), but his first serve percentage held strong.

Once more, no break was found and a tiebreak followed.

At 3-2, with his opponent serving, Raonic defended and defended until he found the right moment to pounce on a short Verdasco ball - taking a mini-break to push ahead 4-2 in the second set tiebreak. He didn't look back.

The match ended on a slightly controversial note with a fan yelling out as Verdasco attempted to return a wide Raonic first serve, but ultimately, the better player had won the match.

Raonic's high-risk style of play, while keeping just a touch more composed than his more experienced opponent, was good enough to see him the title.

A clearly flustered Spaniard put away his anger as he praised the work done by his opponent. "I saw him play in Australia," he said, minutes after putting the final shot into the net, "I saw the potential that he had."

When asked what the difference was in the match, the defending champ cut to the chase: "Serve."

A jubilant Raonic accepted his trophy along with 250 ATP Tour points, already on a run of fantastic form after making the fourth-round of the Australian Open in January.

"It's been a quick month and a half, but it's been a good month and a half. This is what I've always dreamed of. Thank you everybody."

The SAP Open was also the first ATP Tour title for 2011 Australian Open finalist Andy Murray back in 2006. There's a good chance that we could be witnessing the rise of a player with just as much talent, with his potential already on full display along with his great personality.

NRL All-Stars triumph on the Gold Coast

Rugby League

The NRL All-stars have won the second edition of the annual All-stars match over their Indigenous counterparts, 28-12, reversing last year's defeat.

The NRL All-Stars side pulled the win together through making less errors than their opposition and defending strongly on their own line throughout the match, in an entertaining show that promises much more to come in the 2011 season, beginning in under a month.

Accepting the trophy for the first time, captain Darren Lockyer credited the Indigenous side for their fightback in the second half. "We got away with an early lead... to their credit they hung in there."

His opposing leader, Jonathan Thurston, recognised that the error count was the difference in what was otherwise a close match. "We turned over too much ball, and they've got too many good players for us to do that," he said minutes after the loss.

The game began with an explosive attacking display from the NRL All-Stars, with some clever footwork and a pass to the wing from Michael Jennings, setting up a try in the opening minute for last year's losing side.

With strong play from forwards on both sides, the experimental kicking rule introduced by the NRL for the match didn't have a chance to be utilised.

The Indigenous side had plenty of chances in the opening quarter, including a Nathan Merritt run getting his team to the NRL's 10 metre line, before the opposition defence stepped up.

The second quarter began with much the same, with any Indigenous chances snuffed out by strong NRL All-star defence. Strong tries from forwards Paul Gallen and Shaun Kenny-Dowall moved extended the margin to 16-0, before Newcastle winger Uate found his way through on the right wing.

The Indigenous side finally got on the board when a Thurston grubber inside of the opposition ten was recovered by Bulldogs talent Ben Barber on the stroke of Halftime. The Thurston conversion gave the Indigenous side renewed hope at 22-6.

The back half of the match was dominated by an increase in errors, but also a rise in the entertainment factor, with the ball being spread and thrown around more - albeit with no addition to the scorebaord for either side for a while.

Things got tougher for the NRL All-stars when the Indigenous All-stars put back-to-back sets of six deep in their own half, and a try looked imminent. But man-of-the-match Josh Dugan recovered a kick from the in goal to the thirty metre line, before drawing a penalty - wiping out the Indigenous momentum for the remainder of the quarter.

It was a crucial point in the match.

Even when Nathan Merritt crossed to reduce the margin to ten, the NRL All-stars responded with the Try of the night.

Feleti Mateo gave a superb offload to Dugan on the half-way line, before the Canberra fullback ran the remaining distance to put the match beyond doubt at 28-12.

The score hardly matters, though, in a match focused on the support of the indigenous community. In the weeks preceding the event, players from each side have contributed to supporting the community through clinics and fun community days.

The pre-match entertainment, including the entertaining war march, is the celebration of culture and traditions of the aboriginal people, and a reminder that sport will forever be greatest tool for bringing society together.

*

The first matches of the NRL season will be the Roosters vs. Rabbitohs in Sydney, and the Broncos vs. Cowboys in Brisbane.

Novak does It again

Tennis

Novak Djokovic has won his second Australian Open title with a dominant straight sets victory over Andy Murray, delivering the Scot his third Grand Slam final defeat from as many matches.

Djokovic, the world number three, was on the front foot the entire match, and was virtually gifted the victory through a combination of amazing defensive play and horrendous errors from a clearly rattled opponent.

The final scoreline of 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 might even be friendly looking to the fifth seed, who clearly did not turn up even with his B-game.

Murray, with runner-up plate in hand, was short on words, but his disappointment was all too clear. "He deserves the win... he did an unbelievable job"

"I Didn't quite do it this time. Hopefully I'll have more chances in the future... I look forward to coming back next year and trying to win again."

On the winners side of the court, Djokovic was possibly being over friendly with his choice of words to an opponent that hardly made a scratch in his game. "We've known each other for such a long time... It was so difficult to play you tonight."

Hardly.

Beyond the formalities of thanking the sponsors and officials, the Serb made clear what he wanted the title to mean for those around him.

"I dedicate this title to my family" he said, before acknowledging his support back home. "It's been a tough period for our people... This is for my country."

Compared to his surprise victory of world number two Roger Federer, Djokovic was a composed man throughout. There was hardly any verbal expressions of anger and joy. There was no chest thumping. Djokovic had his eyes on the prize.

Djokovic looked to have the jump of the Scotsman early, taking the first six points to move within two points of an early break, but Murray appeared to have found his shots, hanging on after a fourteen minute service game.

From the outset, Murray was struggling to find consistency with his game, and especially his serve. It became too much for him, when a strong Djokovic game broke at the crucial 4-all point in the first set.

The Serb would win the next seven games. Easily.

At 0-5 down in the second set, Murray showed some resistance for the first time in the match, breaking Djokovic after saving set point, before throwing away the set once more soon after.

Murray was never at any stage in the match able to make the transistion from being a 'stubborn' player to a 'competitive' one.

It will be no final for the ages. More so, It met the bare minimum requirements to be considered a match - two players walked out with a racquet, but one used it efficiently.

Murray continued to struggle through his service games, and soon Djokovic broke at 4-3 ahead. At 5-3, after a Djokovic consolidation, the Scot soon found himself with a broken racquet and broken dreams, for the second straight year.

It was over all too quickly. Djokovic's victory has sent out a message to the two men above him in the rankings that he intends to leap both of the them by the end of the year. With such defensive skill and counter-attacking he displayed tonight, there is no reason why he couldn't do it.

'Aussie' Kim wins her Aussie Open

Tennis

She's been the darling of Australian tennis fans for many years, and now Kim Clijsters has added the 2011 Australian Open title to her name after defeating China's Li Na, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3

"Now I feel like you guys can finally call me Aussie Kim because I won the title," she joked, holding the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy aloft.

It is the fourth Grand Slam title for the Belgian, and the first one outside of the U.S.

The victory was a touching moment for Clijsters, as a return to Melbourne Park next year in front of such a supportive crowd is no certain thing.

"I've come to Melbourne for years," acknowledging the crowd support in her victory speech. "Even when things werent going so good, you supported me."

Clijsters was pushed by Na for the victory, and was quick to thank her for a tense contest.

"Congrats to Li Na... I've Played so many matches with her. She's such a tough competitor."

Na, the first Asian player to make a Grand Slam singles final, had her thoughts, once again, on the support of her husband, with a familiar comical touch.

"Whether you're fat or thin... or ugly... I'll always follow you and always love you," she said, once again to the laughs of the Rod Laver Arena crowd.

The defeated ninth seed finished with a smile, and simple final words: "I tried my best, and I'll see you next year."

Things looked dire early for Na, when Clijsters won the first 8 points of the match to race to a two-love lead.

But Na broke back, and leveled at two all. From there, the underdog in Na continued fighting back to keep Clijsters pegged behind the baseline.

When Na whipped a cross court forehand beside Clijsters to win the opening set, the Melbourne crowd started to believe that the Chinese underdog would pull a repeat of the result seen in the Sydney International final just weeks earlier.

Nothing, however, was certain when the high energy tennis from the first set suddenly turned into a mix of serving errors and inconsistent tennis from both women. The result was four straight breaks of serve.

But the Belgian found her feet and started placing her shots deeper into the court as the set progressed. Clijsters turned the match in her favour, winning three straight games at 3 all to run away with the second set.

The three time U.S. Open champion never looked back, as Li Na strung together more nervous errors under the pressure of an increasingly powerful Clijsters game.

Na put a return into the net to give Clijsters a memorable win, becoming the first mother since Evonne Goolagong Cawley in 1977 to win the Australian Slam, and giving the home crowd a win for their 'Aussie' Kim.

Murray marches on to final

Tennis

A cool head in tiebreakers and an ability to change playing style mid-match has given Britain's Andy Murray the edge he needed to overcome Spain's David Ferrer and progress to his 2nd consective Australian Open final.

The 5th seed Scot won in four entertaining sets, 4-6 7-6 6-1 7-6, to book a meeting with world number three Novak Djokovic on Sunday.

In what was arguably one of the most entertaining sets of singles in the last two weeks, both men found themselves running from side to side as long, dynamic rallies were being dished out one after the other.

Ferrer broke serve when it mattered most, ahead 5-4 in the first set.

A convincing win in the second set tiebreak and a fresh set of strings, however, saw both a change in scoreline and mentality from the Scotsman.

Not even an injury scare in the early moments of the third set could stop Murray from playing his shots. On the contrary, it forced him to start playing for winners, which suddenly put his opponent on the back foot.

Although Ferrer managed to find his way back into the match in the fourth set, Murray always found an answer and began varying his game shot by shot.

The meeting with Djokovic will be the first time the two have met during a Grand Slam.

Murray described the final match-up as one that could possibly deliver a 'brutal' match, but knows what he is up against. "We're good friends. We trained a lot in Perth (and) practiced four or fives times together over there."

The first set was packed full of thirty-plus rallies, with both players adopting a strong baseline game from the outset.

It made for entertaining tennis, as the players pushed each other side to side the entire set.

The tension increased a touch, even in the literal sense, when Ferrer took a the opening set, forcing Murray to make a change in his racquet strings to find the edge he needed to fight back.

"He was dictating all the points, (so)... I changed racquet tension," he said post-match. "I could hit through the ball much better. In the second set I started playing my shots."

Murray made a potentially match-saving play when he saved a set point when down 5-4 in the second set, but perhaps without even knowing it.

"I thought it was 4-3" he joked after the match. "That probably helped me."

The change in style became even more clear when the Scot appeared to be gripping a sore left quad muscle at the start of the third set. He was clearly in no mood to be run around much longer.

Where the second set Murray was hitting through the ball cleaner, the third set Murray was finding the lines and the winners as well.

A critical point of the match was when Murray finally consolidated a break to go ahead 3-1 in the set. He used the momentum to take the following three games.

Despite a late scare in the form of a Ferrer fightback, the Spaniard again crumbled in the tiebreak situation, gifting Murray the passage through to the last stage.

"It was a pretty physical match. My body was feeling it towards the end," said Murray.

In other matches today, top seeds Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta won their first Grand Slam doubles title with victory in three sets over Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko. The World number 1 and 2 doubles players, respectively, overcame their opponents 2-6, 7-5, 6-1/

Djokovic to meet Federer in Australian Open semi final

Tennis

Novak Djokovic has moved to his first Australian Open semi-final since winning the 2008 edition of the tournament, with a three set victory over sixth seed Tomas Berdych.

Despite some eye issues evident in the second set, the world number three won the match in straight sets, 6-1 7-6 6-1, and will meet world number two Roger Federer in the first semi-final in two days time.

Djokovic came out with a dominant display of serving in the first set, taking 88% of points when his first serve went in, compared to the unusually low score of 64% from his taller, more aggressive, opponent.

The Djokovic serve was the driving force of the match, particularly in the first set. Whenever the first serve went in, the Serbian was in full control of proceedings.

But the dominant on-serve display wasn't to last when a troubled Djokovic began blinking in obvious pain from his contact lenses during the following set.

The '08 champion soon found himself down 4-1, before finally calling to his bench for lens fluid. It worked wonders, helping Djokovic back to a 4-all scoreline.

Although Berdych hit more winners than Djokovic in the second set, his lack of serve control continued to let him down and keep his opponent in the match, eventually leading to a tiebreaker.

Through some tough baseline rallies, the Serbian emerged victorious from the tiebreak, 7-5.

Up 2-1 in the second set, on the Berdych serve, Djokovic pulled off two impressive cross-court forehands to take the break of serve, and used the unexpected momentum to take the match away from Berdych point by point.

He won all the following games to take the last set in the same fashion as the first, 6-1.

Djokovic clearly wasn't pleased with the entirety of his matchplay, but recognised how to find his way past the Czech.

"He hits hard, and serves hard," said Djokovic. "I needed some variety."

On the lens issue? "I sometimes have problems with the lens" he joked. "It gets dry sometimes."

The 3rd seed will need all his sight in check if he is to overcome defending champion Federer in the semi final, who cruised past his fellow countryman, Stanislaus Wawrinka, in straight sets earlier today.

Nadal victory leaves eight men standing

Tennis

World number one Rafael Nadal has defeated Marin Cilic in straight sets to book the last remaining quarter-final spot in the Australian Open.

Nadal beat Cilic in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3, to set up an all-Spanish encounter with seventh seed David Ferrer on Wednesday.

Although the score would suggest otherwise, the match was a close affair, with the difference being the ability of the Spaniard to keep the ball in play in longer points.

The number one didn't have it all his own way, particularly earlier in the match. Nadal missed plenty of break point opportunities and was forced into playing defensive tennis at times through some powerful Cilic forehands.

The two-metre Croatian, normally dominant on serve, struggled to make first serves consistently, sending many games throughout the match to Deuce.

The first set might have been the closest of all, with two back-to-back games running at almost twenty minutes. Cilic winners were constantly being cancelled out by Cilic errors, while Nadal continued to play consistent tennis.

After 56 minutes, Nadal won what could be called the closest 6-2 set ever. From there, he didn't look back.

Although the scores became closer in the following sets, Nadal continued to look more comfortable during lengthier points.

Nadal's time taken between points was again a focal point, with his opponent asking on more than one occassion for an intervention by the umpire.

A clearly rattled fifteenth seed in Cilic was slowly taken apart by the increasingly aggressive Nadal game. Losing his serve at 3-all in the third set virtually secured Nadal his nineteenth straight Grand Slam quarter-final appearance.

The story of Cilic's service game was summed up through the way he concluded the match, with an uncharacteristic double fault.

Nadal called the match his best at the open so far. "Today was the first day I felt perfect physically," he stated post-match.

In tomorrows matches, Roger Federer plays Stanislaus Wawrinka in the first ever all-Swiss Australian Open final tomorrow, while Tomas Berdych will play Novak Djokovic during the night session.

Soderling Wins Brisbane International

Robin Soderling has defeated American Andy Roddick to claim his first ATP Tour title for the new year, winning in straight sets 6-3 7-5, after an unexpected rain interruption.

The Swede dominated the match from the outset with strong baseline play, winning almost any rally that ventured beyond the 15-stroke mark.

Roddick was unable to find winners throughout both sets, forced to play majority of points from the back of the court thanks to Soderling's impressive groundstroke play.

Soderling completed in just over 90 minutes, blasting more aces than Roddick, 16 to 12.

The most telling statistic from the match was the percentage of first serves won, with Soderling ahead 90 to 75%. The result was much of the Swede's service games ending quickly, while Roddick constantly found himself pushed to Deuce in almost all of his.

"He served too well today," said Roddick after accepting his trophy. In reference to his normally dominant service game he added, "I'm normally on that side of it."

Roddick acknowledged the discomfort the rain had brought to some of the crowd. "I'll buy umbrella's for you all next year," he joked.

At 4 each and 15-all in the second set, rain began to sweep in through the Pat Rafter Arena. Despite the roof over the court, the open sides led to rain sweeping through and reaching the playing area.

A complaint was soon made by both players about moisture appearing on the court and both took to their seats courtside.

After a delay including a lengthy discussion between Roddick and the umpire about the court conditions, play resumed as it left, with Soderling keeping the American on the back foot, soon finding the break to move ahead 6-5 and eventually close the match out.

Soderling put an ace down the middle to end the game and move himself up to number four in the world rankings ahead of Andy Murray. It will be the final point for both men before attending this year's first Grand Slam in Melbourne.

Australia Wins Opening Tie of Hopman Cup XXIII

The opening tie of the 2011 Hopman Cup saw host nation Australia (Alicia Molik & Lleyton Hewitt) defeat 3rd seeds Belgium (Justine Henin & Ruben Bemelmans), keeping them well in contention in Group A.

With top seeds Serbia in the group, both teams knew that a win tonight was vital for their cup chances.

In the women's singles, Henin defeated Molik in straight sets, 6-4 6-4, to give Belgium the upper hand over the hosts, overcoming the odd spot of pressure from the Australian.

The match began with some troubled serving and shaky ground-strokes from both players, resulting in five straight breaks of serve. Molik was unable to gain an advantage through her normally dominant serve, whilst Henin was not keeping her usually reliant backhands in the court.

At 3-2, both had clearly made more errors than winners, in an uncharacteristic start from both players.

However, Henin soon held her serve to go up 4-2 and never looked back. Greater backhand control from Henin saw Molik forced into hitting shorter shots, setting up easy finishes for the Belgian star.

The first three games of the second set all went to Henin, who appeared to have outclassed Molik in all areas.

But Molik ended Henin's four-game run with an unprecedented three straight games of her own. Molik played her greatest points by far in the sixth game of the set, breaking Henin to love with one backhand winner followed by two forehand winners.

The Australian strung together winner after winner to draw level, finding herself with two break points at 3-all.

Yet Henin pushed ahead with more dynamic play, while punishing the Molik second serve. When Henin stole what looked like a certain Australian game, the pressure got to her opponent, who rapped her racquet hard against her feet in frustration.

Henin continued to keep her cool to finish off the match, her first after an injury spell dating back to last year's French Open.

The men's singles, featuring Australia's top mens player in Lleyton Hewitt against new Belgian talent Ruben Bemelmans, was expected to see the hosts level the tie at 1-all.

Bemelmans, however, put in a strong display - the feature of the match being aggressive rallies and lengthy games.

As with the previous match, both serves started off weakly, with both men losing their opening serves. Serving continued to be a less prominent feature of the match, with low first serve percentages.

But what was lacking in the serving department was made up for with some solid ground-stroke action from both players. Bemelmans played in a league above his 174 world ranking, forcing the former world number one Aussie to play hard.

Hewitt managed to remain one step ahead of the young Belgian, even though he was usually the one on the back foot, with his experience on the court shining through.

In the end, the 6-4 6-3 to Hewitt scoreline didn't do much justice for the tightness of the match, one that both men can take a lot of positive elements from.

The deciding mixed doubles match began in the favour of the Belgian duo after an error-ridden Molik service game gave Henin and Bemelmans a break, putting them ahead 3-1.

From that, Bemelmans made the net his own, cutting off the Australian cross-court attempts. He was joined by a confident serve-volleying Henin at his side. The pair put on a dominant display, forcing the more experienced Australian pairing into error after error.

Belgium quickly raced away to take the set 6-1 in just 21 minutes, demonstrating some unexpected chemistry for a couple that hadn't had much doubles experience - let alone playing together.

But in the second set the host nation fought back with some solid returns on the Bemelmans serve, giving them the break to go 3-1 ahead.

From there, the Aussies kept ahead with far more consistent tennis than was seen in the opening set to take the 2nd 6-3 and send the match into a championship tie-breaker.

The crowd was silenced by a Belgian lead of 4-2 at the first change, with some aggressive tennis being played . But once again Australia came back to make it 6-6 on the next change in the race to 10.

Neither side looked convincing during the tiebreaker, until a magic Alicia Molik backhand return put the Aussies one point from victory at 9-8.

When Bemelmans put the ball into the net on the Hewitt serve, the crowd erupted as Australia completed a comeback to remember.

*

Australia's next tie is against favourites Serbia on January 4.

Either the Heavens Open or England's Match Tally Will

The weather looks like the only possible barrier for England to leave Adelaide with a 1-nil lead in the Ashes Series.

The Aussies sit at 4/238, still trailing England by 137 runs, after Andrew Strauss called an end to his team's devastating 620 run first innings early in the day's play.

Kevin Pietersen went to stumps on day three with 213 runs under his belt and came out with intent to increase his total, hitting a boundary on the second delivery of the day.

But the Pietersen show was not to last, with the double-centurion out on 227, caught in the slip by Katich while trying to blast Doherty over mid-wicket.

Ian Bell, who began the day with Pietersen, found the nine runs he needed to make his half century. Joined by wicketkeeper Matt Prior, the pair managed to add a further 52 runs before Strauss declared with an imposing 375-run lead.

Despite the tough task ahead, Australia started their second innings in a positive fashion, reaching the 50 run mark without giving many opportunities for England to break the opening partnership.

Beyond that mark, however, came difficulty in the form of Graeme Swann. The finger-spinner found plenty of turn in an Adelaide pitch starting to come to life, troubling the Australian openers with every ball.

His spell of bowling pulled the Australian run rate back from a touch under 5 an over to just above 3.

Further issues arose for the pair, with Katich struggling to run between the wickets and apply steady footwork due to a growing achilles injury. The combination appeared to be too much for the left-hander, as he was dismissed for 43 by a faint edge to the keeper of Swann's bowling.

Ricky Ponting was welcomed to the crease by more dynamic Swann bowling, facing 13 nervous deliveries before eventually getting off the mark, and in the process avoiding a pair.

Ponting began to looked settled after hitting a pair of fours, but a change-up from Swann caught the Australian off guard, sending him away for 9.

Michael Clarke joined Shane Watson in the middle, eager to find form after a tough start to his Ashes campaign.

Shortly after, Watson brought up his second 50 of the test with a well-timed straight drive. With only 2 centuries compared to his 12 half centuries in Test cricket, Watson sought to convert his 50 with patient and controlled strokes.

Once again, however, it wasn't to be. Seven runs later, Watson became Steve Finn's second scalp of the test after edging a forward drive to the slips.

Michael Hussey, already in a major form revival, joined forces with Michael Clarke to cut away at the English lead, which at that stage sat at 241 runs.

Mr. Cricket again lived up to his name, as he and Clarke established a solid partnership, giving Australia their first realistic look at a draw that was not weather-dependent.

The news got better for Australia when rain did find its way onto the Adelaide wicket. The Aussie pair looked comfortbale with Clarke at 41 and Hussey at 24 when the covers came out during the third session.

Clarke became the fourth Australian player to score a half century in the Adelaide test when his cut shot saw the ball to the rope.

The run looked to be over when Clarke was given out on 62, but survived when he took advantage of the decision referral system to cancel out the Swann wicket.

A handful of overs before the close of play, the hundred partnership was reached - a first for the Australian innings.

Although with a full day's play up their sleeve, England were more than aware of the role the weather could play in deciding the match outcome.

In a final change for the day, Kevin Pietersen was brought in to the bowling attack in an attempt to disrupt the Aussie rhythm. It worked.

Clarke, on 80, tried to help the ball onto the leg side but ended up pushing the ball into his leg. The result was a catch for Cook waiting at short leg. In a bizarre moment, Clarke began to walk off the pitch before standing his ground and asking for his second referral of the innings.

The referral was a wasted one, showing a firm push out of the middle of the Clarke willow.

Adding further insult to injury, the wicket ball turned out to be the last delivery of the day, capping off a wonderful day for Kevin Pietersen and turning what should've been a positive finish for the Aussies into a confidence booster for their opposition.

Although the rain played a cameo role today, it's going to need a starring one to save what little hope for a draw is left in the Australian dressing room.

England in Control in Adelaide

England have the upper hand at the conclusion of the first day of the second Ashes test in Adelaide. After a strong bowling performance carved through the Australian order, the hosts were all out for just 245 runs.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat on an Adelaide pitch renowed for its batting-friendly conditions. However a spell of bowling, featuring consistent line and length from Stuart Broad and James Anderson, had the Aussies in trouble from the first over.

After just four delieveries, a mix-up between openers Shane Watson and Simon Katich led to the latter being run out without facing a ball.

Anderson stepped up to draw Ricky Ponting into an edge, removing the Australian captain on his first delivery.

A near identical delivery in Anderson's next over removed a struggling Michael Clarke for just 2.

Shane Watson and Michael Hussey almost guided Australia to triple figures, before a thick Watson edge was caught by Kevin Pietersen at Point, removing the opener for 51. Their stand was to be the largest partnership of the day, a mere 60 runs.

Marcus North then joined a dominant Hussey at the crease. After a solid start by North, an attempted late cut was edged to wicketkeeper Matt Prior, removing him for 26. His early exit from the wicket looks set to place further pressure on the Australian selectors to consider his future in the side.

The Hussey and Brad Haddin partnership, dominant in the first test at the GABBA, was again on show in Adelaide. A series of strong cover drives and off-side strokes from Hussey pushed the partnership beyond the 50 mark once again, without Haddin playing a strong support role once again.

Hussey looked set to score his third straight Ashes century, until he edged a lofted Graeme Swann delivery to first slip, seeing Hussey off just 7 short of triple figures.

Haddin began reverting to his more aggressive play style as the inning progressed, and in a typical stroke by the Australian wicketkeeper, brought up his half century with a 6. He managed 56 runs, before sending a catch to Steve Finn, giving Stuart Broad his only wicket for the day.

His wicket was the last, leaving the Aussies a disappointing score of 245, on a pitch with more potential for runs than wickets.

England went in to bat for just one over, with a leg bye the only impact on the English scorecard.

Australia first Innings: 245 [HS: M. Hussey 93 - BB: J. Anderson 4/51]
England first Innings: 0/1

Stumps Day 1

Australian Bidding Committee Finishes Final Pitch

Australia's bidding committee has used some of the nations most iconic celebrities in their final 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid presentation to the executive committee of FIFA.

The emphasis throughout the presentation was that a sports-loving country in Australia would make the most of such an opportunity to host the Cup, delivering a fun and safe event.

The presentation began with Governor-General Quentin Bryce speaking of the future implications of hosting the Cup. "This World Cup will benefit many generations," she said. "It will be a nation-changing event."

he Prime Minister made an appearance, but not in person.

She appeared in a video directed by Hollywood legend Phillip Noyce, including the likes of sporting greats Ian Thorpe, Cathy Freeman, Steve Waugh and an animated kangaroo. The film was used to note only promote the landscape of the country, but also the passion that Australians shared for sport.

Frank Lowy said that the rise of the multicultural nation of Australia, which he witnessed growing up, meant that all teams playing here would have some local support base.

"It is an opportunity to play the World Cup in one of the world's most multicultural societies," Lowy announced.

"We can, and we will, deliver a cup that exceeds all expectations," he said. "Choose Australia and you will be in safe hands."

On the conclusion of the presentation, FIFA chairman Sepp Blatter presented the Committee with a Diploma of Presentation, congratulating the Australians on their efforts.

Time will tell if $45 million has purchased a World Cup, or a framed certificate.

Happy Hunting in Hungary

Mark Webber has won the Hungarian Grand Prix in front of Fernando Alonso and teammate Sebastian Vettel.
The race provided far more action than the previous round in Germany last weekend, and the final result at Budapest has turned the championship standings on their head.
The first half of the race provided the baulk of the action, which all began on the starting grid.
Vettel led through the first turn while Webber slipped back behind a determined Alonso.
With some debris being littered across the track, a quick scramble for the pits was made.
Kubica and Sutil collected each other as the Renault lollipop operator made a critical mistake, leading to the premature exit of Kubica from his pit area.
The whole moment was chaotic enough, but was made to look even more astounding as a Rosberg right-rear wheel blasted down the pit lane directly above the scene of the accident.
It certainly goes down as one of the more surreal moments in the championship.
Meanwhile, out on the track, Webber had not pitted and was in first, but with a the entire field sitting behind him. His race looked to be over.
But during the safety car period, his teammate Vettel deliberately held up traffic, but ventured beyond the 10 car-length limit and incurred a drive through penalty.
Webber continued on, during the commotion, to move up almost a second a lap ahead of Alonso.
He needed a 20 second gap - on the soft tires - to be able to come out of the pits in first place.
After driving a string of blistering laps, he managed to achieve this, and wasn't bothered again til the end of the 70 laps.
The back end of the race was marred by a dangerous defensive manouvere by Michael Schumacher (10th) on Rubens Barrichello (11th) that nearly ended horribly.
Luckily, they managed to avoid an accident, with the Brazillian moved past Schumacher to take the remaining point on offer for the day.
Schumacher's move was very questionable. Barrichello later stated that it was the most dangerous move he had been on the end of in his career, adding that he was lucky the wall ended where it did.
With the 1-2-3-4 Red Bull & Ferrari finish, claims are still fresh about the possible presence of flexible front wings on the four cars, and possibly the McLaren team of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button as well.
You wouldn't have known after Hamilton ended up ditching his car on the side of the road and Button finishing a dissappointing 8th.
Webber's victory puts him on top of the standings on 161 points, ahead of Hamilton on 157. Vettel moves on to 151, leapfrogging Button who sits on 147.
A decision on the wing debate could be expected as early as tomorrow, but should be no later than the end of this week.
In the meantime, Webber has the next four weeks at least to himself on top of the ladder.