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manchester united champion league 1999

35min South Africa 13 Fiji 3

South Africa isolate a fault line in the Fiji maul and drive their hooker Smith into the end zone. Only partially easing TO's disappointment, Montgomery shanks his conversion well wide.

41 overs: Sri Lanka 164-9 (Fernando 11, Malinga 0)

That's the end of Swann's spell. Figures of 4-34 are a fair return for a decent spell.

Wicket! Jayawardene ct Collingwood b Broad 2

Stuart Broad begins his spell with a half-tracker outside off stump that Jayawardene nails straight to Colly, who swallows it like it's a beer in the wrong sort of nightclub. 37-3.

12 overs: Sri Lanka 37-2 (Sangakkara 5, Jayawardene 2)

Ooops... forgot to mention England have taken the second powerplay, but then you probably guessed that (didn't you?). Sidebottom bowling good lengths and letting the groundsman do the work. The pitch is as sticky as my auntie's treacle pudding.  Just the one off the over, a thick inside edge from Jayawardene.

11 overs: Sri Lanka 36-2 (Sangakkara 5, Jayawardene 1)

Jimmy Anderson must have needed a little stretch after that rain break. Can't see any other reason why he appealed for that one off Jayawardene, it was sliding so far down leg side that fine leg would probably have fielded it. Single off the next ball gets him off the mark and Sangakkara is lucky to see an inside edge trickle past leg stump.

Rain...

But the good news is it shouldn't be for long. The tarpaulins look a little bit like an old green anorak, and they're probably about as effective, but they'll be hauling them off soon enough.

Rain...

But the good news is it shouldn't be for long. The tarpaulins look a little bit like an old green anorak, and they're probably about as effective, but they'll be hauling them off soon enough.

10 overs: Sri Lanka 34-2 (Sangakkara 4, Jayawardene 0)

Sidebottom finishes up the over well but Sangakkara takes a single. Siddie has now taken 2 for 11 off five overs. Nothing wrong with that: he's mixing up his length nicely. 

Wicket! Jayasuriya 11

Jayasuriya goes on the pull, but Swann races in from the boundary and swoops like a, er, bird to take the catch inches off the ground. Second wicket for Siddie.

9 overs: Sri Lanka 33-1 (Sangakkara 3, Jayasuriya 11)

Another tidy over from Anderson, but Sri Lanka are accumulating steadily.

8 overs: Sri Lanka 30-1 (Sangakkara 1, Jayasuriya 10)

The pitch must be slow, even Jayasuriya is playing cautiously. 10 off 20 balls for the great man after another tidy over from Sidebottom.

7 overs: Sri Lanka 28-1 (Sangakkara 0, Jayasuriya 9)

A boundary! Anderson drags one down and Jayasuriya pivots and pulls to square leg.

6 overs: Sri Lanka 23-1 (Sangakkara 0, Jayasuriya 5)

Sangakarra lets one go outside off stump to complete the over.

Wicket! Tharanga bowled Sidebottom

Siddie is celebrating like an ageing rock star after squeezing a cutter past the inside edge and on to the stumps. Tharanga was caught on his crease trying to push it away on the up through the off side.

Sri Lanka 20-0 (Tharanga 13, Jayasuriya 4)

It's nudge-nudge, run one cricket. Tharanga runs one away to third man and Jayasuriya somehow squeezes a single through the off side. Another single to mid off keeps the scoreboard ticking over.

Sri Lanka 17-0 (Tharanga 11, Jayasuriya 3)

End of the fourth over. Sidebottom finishes off with three dot balls. 

The sun is shining...

Play is about to get under way. Let's hope the clouds stay away - Siddie has three balls left in his second over.

Progress...

Another ten or 15 minutes before play starts, but the covers are off and the stumps are going in. The umpires are stroking their chins and looking concerned: it looks like a bit of moisture has got on to the pitch but nothing too serious. 

Water torture

Robert Croft is struggling to put a positive spin on this one (a bit like his off spin). Let's hope we can get back to cricket soon. The ground staff are out and the mopping up has started.

Rain...

Decent shout for leg-before but the bad news is the covers are on. It looks like it's only a shower but play is interrupted at 17-0 halfway through the fourth over.

Sri Lanka 14-0 (Tharanga 10, Jayasuriya 3)

Jayasuriya sent back looking for a two, stumbles a little, but unfortunately for England he's ok. Nudges the next ball into the off side for a single. That brings Tharanga on strike and he clips a leg-stump half-volley away for four.

Sri Lanka 7-0 (Tharanga 5, Jayasuriya 1)

Ryan Sidebottom is straight on the money but Sri Lanka pick up a couple of singles and Tharanga nudges one through wide mid-on for two. England have already got rid of second slip and stuck a man on the drive. It's that kind of pitch.

Sri Lanka 3-0 (Tharanga 2, Jayasuriya 0)

James Anderson takes the new ball and it looks like it's slow and low again. There are cracks as wide as Jayasuriya's bat, but it's an uneventful first over. Tharanga sneaks a couple down to long leg and there's a leg bye.

Sri Lanka win the toss

England will have to bat under lights after Sri Lanka won the toss and stuck them in. Both teams are unchanged from the last one-dayer.

Stealing my glory

Bloody Zane Scotland. Today could have been my biggest thrill in golf. The 17th hole on the Old Course at St Andrews is better known as the Road Hole. Opens have been won and lost here and it is meant to be the hardest par four anywhere in the world. After two shots I was 15 feet from the flag and feeling as smug as anyone could, leaning on my putter in the sun with the admiring gaze of a decent gallery washing over me. I was thinking about how to react after sinking my birdie putt - perhaps a discrete wave to the crowd would be in order?

Then bloody, bloody Zane Scotland decides he has seen enough and rolls in this ludicrous 60 foot putt right into the sodding hole for a birdie himself. The gallery went nuts and I missed. Typical.

Still, Zane made the cut right on the button at five under par and I could not have been happier for him. He was a gent throughout and he deserves all the success that is surely coming his way. As a team we missed out but I have had a truly brilliant experience. The monthly medal will never seem the same again.

1 min: Australia 0 England 0

Confident start from the Aussies, Chris Latham clears his lines with a thumper of a kick from his own 22 which lands just outside the England 22. Sackey makes some ground down the wing, but the men in gold are winning the forward battle in the early exchanges. Good early break from Moody, though his pass does not go to hand.

Here we go

This stadium is absolutely throbbing, the emotion is impossible to escape. There are so many sub-plots to this titanic encounter: revenge for Australia, the possible end of an era for the men in white with several of England's players possibly playing the last game for their country if defeat is the ultimate outcome. Let's not think about that, just savour what should be a cracker. England simply must be better than against South Africa or I may have to quit this blog at half-time. Biased? Never!

The atmosphere is building

There is some 20 minutes to kick-off in Marseilles and the atmosphere is building. There is a certainly a buzz about the place, but can England raise their game to levels unseen in several years and hang on to the trophy for another week at least? "Go out and do the best job you can," Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One driver, tells the England team.

England: 1 Andrew Sheridan, 2 Mark Regan, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 4 Simon Shaw, 5 Ben Kay, 6 Martin Corry, 7 Lewis Moody, 8 Nick Easter, 9 Andy Gomarsall, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 11 Josh Lewsey, 12 Mike Catt, 13 Mathew Tait, 14 Paul Sackey, 15 Jason Robinson
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Lawrence Dallaglio, 19 Joe Worsley, 20 Peter Richards, 21 Toby Flood, 22 Dan Hipkiss

Australia: 1 Matt Dunning, 2 Stephen Moore, 3 Guy Shepherdson, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 5 Daniel Vickerman, 6 Rocky Elsom, 7 George Smith, 8 Wycliff Palu, 9 George Gregan, 10 Berrick Barnes, 11 Lote Tuqiri, 12 Matt Giteau, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 15 Chris Latham
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Al Baxter, 18 Hugh McMeniman, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Phil Waugh, 21 Julian Huxley, 22 Drew Mitchell

Determination

In just under three hours time we tee off on the Old Course - we are starting at the 10th tee so we won't get the thrill of starting and finishing in front of the R and A clubhouse but that is only a minor disappointment. Club golfers everywhere would love to be in my shoes today and I am determined I am going to enjoy every last second of it. Hopefully Zane will go on a birdie-blitz, he is certainly capable of it and if the wind isn't blowing then Old Course can give up low scores. Also in our group is Rafael Echenique, a wildly talented Argentinian who lies 10-under par at the moment and has a serious chance of winning this whole tournament. Watching him and Zane attack this course today is something I am seriously looking forward to.

Australia v England, live from 1400BST

The war of words is finally over so let battle commence between the old enemies. England have recovered from the catastrophic defeat to South Africa and will be buoyed by their recent performances against Samoa and Tonga. Australia, on the other hand, will be hoping for a successful revenge mission in what will be a re-run of 2003 World Cup final, which England won with a last-minute drop goal by Jonny Wilkinson.

It promises to be an intense and fiercely competitive encounter. Follow all the action from Marseilles here with us from 1400BST.

Live from 1000BST on Sunday: England v Sri Lanka

England head into the third one-day international against Sri Lanka on Sunday with renewed optimism having recorded an emphatic 65-run win in Dambulla on Thursday to level the five-match series. This pivotal middle game is again being held in the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, so it would appear the toss will once more be vital as on both occasions the side winning it has decided to bat first, posted a competitive total and then watched the opposition struggle to score and keep wickets intact as the ball has jumped around under lights more than a moth on acid. Join our man in the hot seat, Doug Gratton, who will be here to bring you news of whether Paul Collingwood calls heads or tails, whether that guess is the correct one and, most importantly, will then furnish you with an over-by-over account of the action. Gratton, an opening batsmen of some repute himself (and also incidentally, the author of the hugely popular Times Ahead of the Game email), will be there to tell you exactly what both sides are doing wrong. The action starts at 1000BST and it promises to be fun, so make sure you join us.

A Bridge too far

The 18th green at Carnoustie is where most of the sparse crowd congregate. So if you want to embarrass yourself, this is the place to do it. So I did. I hit a nice drive and then smashed my next shot (a wild, pushed, five wood) off a bridge that crosses the burn where Jean van de Velde made a prat out of himself in 1999. The ball jumped miles in the air, bounced back towards me over the water, plopped gently onto the bank and rolled ever so slowly back into the drink. Luckily most of the crowd couldn't believe anyone could hit the ball in that direction and probably didn't see it.

Today was not a good day. I was nervous (again, a familiar story), there were a few people watching which made me more nervous and I couldn't string two decent shots together. There is something about being inside the ropes alongside very, very good golfers that turns me into a bit of a wreck over the golf ball. I am going to have to get that sorted out before tomorrow's round at St Andrews.

Zane did not have the greatest day either. He shot a level par 72, which was a real achievement because he was not swinging well during the middle part of the round. We are three-under for the team competition and have no chance of making the cut.

Tomorrow, in the inspiring surroundings of the Old Course, I am going to try and beat those nerves once and for all.

Result: England have beaten Sri Lanka by 65 runs

Here the vital stats:

England: 234-8
Sri Lanka: 169 all out from 44.3 overs (Mubarak 44 not out)

Wicket! Fernando run out (Collingwood) 20

Fielding at point, Collingwood brings about the final wicket with a direct hit. That's it. England have won by 65 runs.

Sri Lanka 166-9 (Mubarak 42 Fernando 19) Overs: 43 England: 234

Facing Broad, Fernando attempts another agricultural couple of swings, missing with the first and ... oh, has he been run out after the second hit his thigh?

Sri Lanka 166-9 (Mubarak 42 Fernando 19) Overs: 43 England: 234

Fernando struggles to find the same profit facing Broad, twice swinging and narrowly missing balls outside offstump, while a third dog wanders on to the outfield. "Look at his ears, he's ready for action," reckons David Lloyd, before realising his presumption. "Is he a boy? Oh, yes, he is." 

Sri Lanka 162-9 (Mubarak 40 Fernando 18) Overs: 42 England: 234

Or perhaps not. Fernando has opened his shoulders and hit Collingwood for two fours, scoring ten from the over. "Have we got a game on?" wonders David Lloyd. Well, the partnership has reached 37, which means they need 73 from 48 deliveries. Have we got a game on? Hmm, not yet, surely.

Sri Lanka 152-9 (Mubarak 39 Fernando 6) Overs: 41 England: 234

Excellent shot. Mabarak drives an overpitched delivery from Swann over the covers for four, bringing an otherwise impressive performance from the England spinner-batsman to and end. Rather than chase a required run rate in excess of nine, it seems Sri Lanka are using the remaining overs for batting practise.

Sri Lanka 148-9 (Mubarak 35 Fernando 6) Overs: 40 England: 234

Mabarak angles a delivery from Sidebottom to the gap at third man but runs only a single, sacrificing Fernando to the strike again. The tailender swings unconvincingly at a wide ball and the ball flies over cover, earning two lucky runs. Clearly starting to feel chipper, he then swings again at a full toss and earns a single.

Sri Lanka 138-9 (Mubarak 31 Fernando 3) Overs: 38 England: 234

In his ninth, Sidebottom switches to bowling around the wicket at Fernando,hoping to bowl out the tailender. Fernando responds as expected, tentatively defending and only just surviving. Incredibly, with the game all but lost and the series levelled at 1-1, that Sri Lankan band is still playing.

Sri Lanka 137-9 (Mubarak 30 Fernando 1) Overs: 37 England: 234

Thank you to Richard Neale for writing the past few posts. England, I see, have ripped through the tail and are close to achieving a rare victory. For the moment, Swann continues to bowl excellently, sending the ball through a nice flight and finding frequent turn. Refusing to give up Mabarak, though, manges to run a single from the final delivery to retain the strike.

Wicket! Malinga run out (Bell) 0

It is hard to keep up with this flurry of wickets. Lasith Malinga, the non-striker, is caught a mile short of his ground after being sent back by Mabarak, his partner. Ian Bell keeps his composure and throws to Swann, who joyously breaks the stumps and Rudi Koertzen, the umpire, is so confident he does not even have to refer the decision upstairs. Sri Lanka are 126 for nine.

Wicket! Vaas c Mustard b Vaas 2

I think that the Swann caught and bowled did carry, just. To the naked eye it appeared to be a bump-ball at normal speed, but replays show that my failing eyes might have deceived me. Anyway, enough of that, after edging Collingwood just short of Bopara, the left-handed Chaminda Vaas has managed to feather another one, this time into the safe gloves of Mustard, the wicketkeeper. Only two to go, though the stumper did not even know the batsman got an edge - it is lucky the umpire was paying attention!

Wicket! Maharoof c & b Swann 6

England are on the brink now, as Graeme Swann takes his second wicket, holding a sharp caught and bowled chance to get rid of Maharoof, the dangerous Sri Lanka all-rounder, for just six from 19 deliveries. Surely there is no way back for the hosts now, they are 121 for seven.

Sri Lanka 120-6 (Mubarak 22 Maharoof 6) Overs: 32 England: 234

Maharoof punches a delivery towards long-off for a single, raising a muted cheer from a crowd that is still vocal - the band is still playing - despite their side's difficulties. Before Monday, it was two years since Dambulla hosted an international and the locals seem determined to celebrate no matter what.

Sri Lanka 116-6 (Mubarak 20 Maharoof 4) Overs: 31 England: 234

Good over from Swann. He has a strong lbw appeal rejected by Rudi Koertzen - it looked out from this viewpoint - and concedes only one, a leg bye from the final delivery. Sri Lanka, for the record, need 119 runs from 144 balls.

Zen Scotland

I am writing this an hour or so after Zane Scotland and I finished our first round at Kingsbarns. After 10 holes, Zane was on top of the leaderboard at five under par. As a team we were six under par (meaning on one hole I had actually scored better than him), the sun was out, we were chatting about football - he's a Manchester United fan - and the world was a happy place. No one actually mentioned the fact that he, and I, were leading but everyone knew. Especially when a TV crew turned up, which was frankly unnerving.

Then I hit my tee shot into the water on the 12th where I get one of my three shots for the round. Zane hit his second shot into the water. And the wheels came flying off. Zane  is an unbelievably nice guy and somehow kept his temper, remained good natured and kept a Zen-like calm as he dropped a succession of shots to finish level par. As a team we ended up two under. I was constantly afflicted by nerves, my hands turned to jelly at the top of my backswing, my driving was scruffy and my iron shots were scuffly. When Zane was dropping shots I should have been getting pars to keep the team score going, I couldn't manage it.

A low point came when I bashed my ball into the rough by the 16th green right on front of a giant scoreboard. A lady working very gently lent over the railings and said to me: "We had your name up here ... an hour ago." "Thanks" I said and smiled. I think she thought she was being kind.

To make the cut of the top 20 teams we need to be on around 16 under par by the end of the third round and that is going to be some task.

Sri Lanka 115-6 (Mubarak 20 Maharoof 4) Overs: 30 England: 234

Mubarak performs an excellent drive through the covers but earns only one thanks to Pietersen's sharp fielding. He then hits consecutive boundaries, first by whipping a short ball from Broad through midwicket and then flukily edging one wide of the only slip, moving him on to his highest score against England - um, 20.

Sri Lanka 99-6 (Mubarak 5 Maharoof 3) Overs: 27 England: 234

Maharoof, Russel Arnold informs us, can lead a late heavy-hitting onslaught but has not yet needed to anchor an innings like he does now. He looks comfortable enough hitting Broad for a couple of singles there. Mabarak has previously batted at the top of the order. He lost his place but has impressed on being recalled further down the order. All is not lost for Sri Lanka. Not quite, anyway.

Sri Lanka 95-6 (Mubarak 3 Maharoof 3) Overs: 26 England: 234

Perhaps by studing the Sri Lanka seamers Collingwood has realised that, by dropping his pace, the ball moves through the air and he is profitting from the tactic. In this over Maharoof was twice fortunate not to be caught, first after sending a clipping a delivery to midwicket and then with a wild swing went in the opposite direction to the one he intended. The current run rate is 3.65, the required 5.83. The forecast for England has rarely been sunnier.

Wicket! Jayawardena c Pietersen b Collingwood 23

Collingwood expertly drops his pace and Jayawardena mistimes a straight dive, presenting Pietersen with a gift at silly mid-on. That is the key remaining wicket. Sri Lanka - the World Cup runners-up, lest we forget - are 90-6 from 24 overs.

Wicket! Dilshan b Swann 29

In his first over Swann turns a delivery sharply through Dilshan's gate. Sri Lanka are 90-4 and a partnership that had just reached 50 has ended.

Sri Lanka 85-4 (Jayawardena 22 Dilshan 26) Overs: 21 England: 234

Eleven runs off that last over so Paul Collingwood brings on the big guns - himself. Bumble reckons Sri Lanka are on top at this stage. Can't argue.

Sri Lanka 73-4 (Jayawardena 16 Dilshan 17) Overs: 20 England: 234

How difficult is it to win in Sri Lanka. England have won there only twice before, which should reflect the scale of achievement within their grasp. Achieving it would become a lot easier if they removed the implacable Jayawardena, however, who seems wholly unaffected by the responsibility on him as Sri Lanka's senior remaining batsman.

Sri Lanka 66-4 (Jayawardena 16 Dilshan 12) Overs: 18 England: 234

Returned to the attack to relieve Sidebottom, Anderson finds a little movement away from the right-handed Dilshan and then strikes the pads with one drifting down leg. Mustard, always keen, appeals but Anderson does not. A short clip to square leg hands the strike to Jaywardena. A single later, Anderson risks a short, quick ball and Dilshan summarily dispatches it for a one-bounce four.

Sri Lanka 53-4 (Jayawardena 12 Dilshan 6) Overs: 16 England: 234

Dilshan cuts Sidebottom down to fine leg, earning four that brings Sri Lanka's troubled innings to 50, from 98 deliveries. The same batsman mistimes an attempted whip through midwicket. He scolds himself with a shake of the head and by cracking his teeth together. He looks hungry. Literally.

Wicket! Silva c Collingwood b Broad 0

Silva edges his first ball faced - a short, rising delivery - and Collingwood holds well diving at point. Sri Lanka are 380-4 from 14.1 overs. England are bowling like, well, Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka 38-3 (Jayawardena 7 Silva 0) Overs: 14 England: 234

Sidebottom impresses with yet another maiden, the fourth we've enjoyed since lunch.

Wicket! Sangakkara c Mustard b Broad 9

Broad drifts a delivery from Sangakkara, earns a thick edge and Mustard takes an excellent catch low to his left. Sri Lanka are 38-3 from 13.2 overs.

Sri Lanka 38-2 (Sangakkara 6 Jayawardena 9) Overs: 12 England: 234

Broad strikes Jayawardene on the pad and concedes a single, Jayawardena scores two from a dashing cut and . . . hello, you'll want to read this.