WALKER ON TRACK

Kiwi Sarah Walker qualified eighth for the elimination finals at the UCI BMX world championships in Birmingham, to be held today. Walker, who dislocated her shoulder in a crash at the BMX Supercross World Cup just six weeks ago, clocked the sixth fastest time in elite women’s qualifying with an effort of 29.825 seconds around the 310m circuit, only 0.80sec off top qualifier Caroline Buchanan. She and fellow Cambridge rider Marc Willers are the only New Zealand riders to qualify for the elite racing finals today although Kaiapoi’s Trent Jones, Whangarei’s Cody Hobbs and Rotorua’s Matthew Tew made it through in the junior men.

CHENNAI INTO IPL FINAL

Indian batsman Murali Vijay hit 113 from 58 balls to guide two-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings into the Indian Premier League final with a thumping 86-win over Delhi Daredevils in the second qualifier on Friday. Black Caps skipper Ross Taylor scored 24 for the Daredevils in a losing cause. New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon Mccullum will be the only Kiwi representative in the IPL final when Chennai meet Kolkata Knight Riders tonight.

RECORD PARTNERSHIP

Marlon Samuels and Darren Sammy combined to claim a West Indies record seventh-wicket partnership in tests against England, scoring 168 on the first day yesterday in the second test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The figure surpassed the former record of 155, scored by Garry Sobers, arguably cricket’s greatest allrounder, and Bernard Julien at Lord’s in 1973. Samuels finished on 107 not out and Sammy made an unbeaten 88 as the Windies reached 304 for six at stumps. Seamer James Anderson was the pick of the English bowlers with 2-58 off his 24 overs.

ON THE BUTTON

Four-times world champion Alain Prost tipped Jenson Button for the Formula One title before the season started and the Frenchman is not about to change his opinion five races later. Even after seeing five different winners from five separate teams triumph so far, the little ‘‘Professor’’ felt the Mclaren driver was still a good bet to scoop his second championship. ‘‘At the beginning of the season, before the first race, I said it could be a championship for Jenson Button because of the tyres,’’ he told reporters at a wet Monaco Grand Prix yesterday. ‘‘I like his attitude, I like it in the car and outside the car.’’ Button, who sits sixth in the rankings, recorded the fastest time in Friday’s second practice run ahead of Swiss driver Romain Grosjean and Brazilian Felipe Massa.

CAMPER CLING-ON

Camper’s surging form in the round-theworld yacht race was temporarily stalled last night when they had a turtle wrapped around their keel in mid-atlantic on leg seven to Portugal. Team New Zealand’s yacht saw its speed drop from 13 to nine knots until they freed the reptile. The Kiwis, who were last two days ago, had a fivenautical mile lead over Abu Dhabi on the latest report as their daring break north continued to pay dividends. ‘‘We are now trying to work our way up north, get through the high and into the next low pressure,’’ Rob Salthouse said. ‘‘If we can do that in good shape it will be the rich get richer, so here is hoping.’’

HEAT BOSS COPS FINE

The NBA fined Miami coach Erik Spoelstra US$25,000 ($33,000) for critical public comments on the officiating of the Heat’s Eastern Conference second-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Spoelstra made his remarks before the sixth match, which the Heat won 105-93 to seal the series 4-2. They now advance to the