Van Pelt takes lead in Perth

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Clubhouse leader ... Bo van Pelt takes a one-shot lead into the final round in Perth. Source: Tony Ashby / AFP

Argentinean Emiliano Grillo showed his first real signs of nerves as powerhouse American duo Jason Dufner and Bo van Pelt made their charge at the $2 million Perth International.

Grillo started the day with a four-stroke lead over West Australian Jason Scrivener and world No.24 van Pelt, and at one point increased his buffer to five shots before four bogeys on the back nine saw him surrender the lead.

Van Pelt ended the day on top of the pack at 12-under after a five-under 67, while world No.10 Dufner carded the same score to be just one shot adrift of his countryman.

Grillo, at just 20 years of age and ranked a lowly 516th in the world, is third at 10-under and will need to regain his magic touch on Sunday if he is to snare his first professional win.

England's David Howell and Spain's Alejandro Canizares sit in equal fourth at seven under, while defending Australian Open winner Greg Chalmers, Kiwi Michael Hendry and big-hitting Aussie Steve Jones are one stroke further back.

Chalmers, who shot a three-under 69 to move within striking distance of the leaders, hoped for windy conditions on Sunday to boost his chances of snaring an unlikely victory.

"I think it's doable," Chalmers said of chasing down the leading pack.

"No one's torn up this golf course yet, and I think there's a seven-under out there or an eight-under if you drive the ball in play and things go your way.

"You have to tear the par fives up and most of them are reachable at the moment.

"If you can do that and pick up two or three more somewhere else, you're going to have a big day."

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Tony Greig diagnosed with cancer

Ready for the fight ... Tony Greig says he'll tackle lung cancer head-on. Source: Supplied

Cricketing icon Tony Greig has been diagnosed with a form of lung cancer.

The former England captain and Nine Network commentator underwent tests earlier this month after failing to recover from a suspected case of bronchitis, the Sunday Telegraph reports.

Doctors discovered a small lesion on the base of his right lung and later revealed he had cancer.

"I have had a few scrapes in my life and this is another one," the South African-born identity told the paper.

"(My wife) Vivian and I are going to put the boxing gloves on and fight this like we've never fought anything before."

Greig will have surgery this week to take a sample from his lung, which will help doctors determine the extent of the cancer and appropriate course of action.

He is unsure whether he will commentate for Nine this summer. The first Test against South Africa begins in Brisbane on November 9.

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Wallabies, All Blacks can't be split

Even split ... All Blacks winger Hosea Gear (C) is chased down by several Wallabies. Source: Adam Head / News Limited

Kiwi-turned-Australian radar boot Mike Harris kicked the Wallabies to arguably the most honourable draw in their Test history on Saturday night by denying the All Blacks a Bledisloe whitewash at Suncorp Stadium.

Harris slotted five penalty goals from as many attempts and coolly kicked the final three-pointer in the thrilling dying minutes as the Wallabies drew 18-l8 with the world champions.

6 Penalties 6
Michael Harris 3'	Daniel Carter 7'
Michael Harris 28'	Daniel Carter 11'
Michael Harris 32'	Daniel Carter 53'
Michael Harris 40'	Daniel Carter 55'
Kurtley Beale 51'	Daniel Carter 67'
Michael Harris 75'	Daniel Carter 71'

In a nail-biting finish where the result could have gone either way, All Blacks maestro Dan Carter narrowly missed a match-winning field goal four minutes after the hooter sounded.

It denied New Zealand a record-equalling 17th straight Test win.

Wallabies coach Robbie Deans was proud his team held the All Blacks tryless, was rapt by the immense effort but wasn't  celebrating the result.

"I suspect (the players) will be frustrated because it's a game there they know they could have won," he said.

"We're not happy with the outcome but I imagine the All Blacks aren't either."

While Deans denied he was sweating when Carter lined up his last-gasp drop goal, which missed by a foot at most, Sharpe admitted he was gravely worried.

"I thought 'oh shit'," the 112-Test veteran said.

Beale was unsure whether he pulled the right rein by foregoing a drop-goal attempt at the death after multiple phases but Sharpe backed his decision to allow the forwards to rumble ahead in the hope of a penalty close to the sticks.

All Blacks mentor Steve Hansen lamented a poor performance by his side but paid tribute to the character they showed to almost pull a win out of the bag.

"We're really, really disappointed - too many avoidable penalties and too many avoidable mistakes," Hansen said.

"It was probably one of the ugliest games of rugby that I've been involved in."

Despite being a tryless affair, the sell-out 51,888 crowd was captivated by the ebbs and flows of an encounter both sides looked set to clinch at different times.

The injury-ravaged Wallabies, 13-point underdogs, had threatened to produce one of the biggest upsets in Australian Test history when they led 15-6 after 50 minutes.

But the momentum turned viciously as flanker Michael Hooper was sin-binned and Carter kicked four straight penalties to grab a three-point lead with 10 minutes left.

While Auckland product and former New Zealand Under-20 playmaker Harris, playing his first trans-Tasman Test for Australia, levelled the scores with five minutes left, Australia desperately tried to seal the result.

They set up for a field goal of their own through countless pick-and-drives in the All Blacks quarter but Kurtley Beale never got the chance for a heroic attempt as prop Sekope Kepu was penalised for leaving his feet.

Expected to be easy meat for a full-strength Kiwi outfit eying a record-equalling streak, Australia aimed up in a stirring first-half effort.

It was a night where almost everything rolled the right way for the Wallabies, who were far more proactive than the first two Bledisloe Tests, in the first 50 minutes.

Carter missed two penalty attempts he'd normally bury, the All Blacks wasted gilt-edged attacking opportunities through poor handling and the Wallabies won the breakdown battle.

But their inability to punish the All Blacks early in the second half when prop Tony Woodcock was sin-binned was a telling sign.

Kiwi No.8 Kieran Read was a justified man-of-the-match while Beale was Australia's most dangerous player and skipper Nathan Sharpe starred in his final match on home soil.

In a sometimes heated clash, Richie McCaw was singled out for special treatment from Wallabies flanker Scott Higginbotham, who could be in trouble post-match after kneeing and head-butting the All Blacks skipper.

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Terry to remain Chelsea captain

Abused ... John Terry (R) and the player it was claimed he racially abused, Anton Ferdinand. Source: AFP

John Terry was given the biggest-ever fine imposed by Chelsea but will remain the team's captain after being sanctioned by the Premier League club for racially abusing an opponent.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said on Saturday that taking the armband off the long-serving defender would not be an appropriate punishment following long discussions with the club's hierarchy, including billionaire Russian owner Roman Abramovich.

"John will continue to be captain of the club,'' Buck told talkSPORT radio.

"We have taken disciplinary action and we think it is firm disciplinary action and appropriate for the circumstances.''

Terry apologised on Thursday for using inappropriate language during an on-field confrontation with Anton Ferdinand in a West London derby against Queens Park Rangers last October and decided not to challenge the suspension and record £220,000 ($352,000) fine handed out by the Football Association for issuing a racial slur to his fellow centreback.

But Terry has always insisted he was merely repeating an accusation of racism that Ferdinand claimed Terry had made. He was cleared in a criminal court of racially abusing Ferdinand, although the FA decided to begin its own proceedings.

"We have kept in mind first of all that a court of criminal law found him not guilty,'' said Buck, who was with Terry throughout the trial in July.

"Of course we also note the FA decision and we certainly respect that decision.

"This is not a decision we've taken lightly, it's not a decision we took in a half-hour meeting. We discussed it over a long period of time.''

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said Terry fell "below the high standards we expect at the club".

"We are not sweeping this under the carpet,'' Gourlay added on talkSPORT. "We have had to deal with this for the last 12 months. John let himself down, he let the club down, the words were inappropriate that he used.''

Buck said Terry wouldn't be given an additional suspension by Chelsea.

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Shipperley out of Wallabies' tour

Blow ... Dom Shipperley is out of the Wallabies' European tour. Source: Darren England / News Limited

The Wallabies' wing crisis has deepened with Queensland Test rookie Dom Shipperley the latest flyer ruled out of next month's European tour.

Scans have confirmed Shipperley requires wrist surgery, leaving the 21-year-old unavailable for the four-Test spring tour.

James O'Connor, Joe Tomane, Lachie Turner, Cooper Vuna, Rod Davies and Luke Morahan - all wingers with Test experience in the past two seasons - are currently already sidelined through injury.

Game-breaker Digby Ioane is also in extreme doubt with a knee injury.

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Schwartzel bombs out in Perth

Disappointing ... Charl Schwartzel bombs out of the second round in Perth. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

Argentinean Emiliano Grillo became the man to catch at the Perth International as 2011 US Masters winner Charl Schwartzel crashed out in an intriguing second round at Lake Karrinyup on Friday.

Schwartzel shot five bogeys in a disastrous front nine and pushed a crunch five-foot putt on the final hole wide to miss the two-over cut by one stroke.

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Former world No.3 Paul Casey also had a shocker, but his first-day heroics ensured he would be there for the weekend.

Casey started Friday in a tie for fourth at five-under, and took a share of the lead early after a solid start to his round.

But after dropping five strokes in a horror six-hole stretch, Casey finished at three-over for the round to lose touch with the leading pack.

There were no such problems for world No.516 Grillo, who is outright leader at 11-under after recording a five-under 67 in his afternoon grouping.

The 20-year-old's highlight was on the 344m par-four ninth, when he holed a 96m sand wedge to post his second eagle of the day.

"I didn't see it because you cannot see the green from down there," Grillo said of the magical shot.

"But as soon as I heard the crowd, I was very happy with my caddie."

American Bo van Pelt and West Australian Jason Scrivener sit four shots off the pace at seven-under, with world No.10 Jason Dufner lurking dangerously at six-under.

Van Pelt's last visit to Australia was a forgettable one, with the 37-year-old missing the cut when he played in Adelaide nine years ago.

"I was just kind of chuckling inside hoping that I didn't come over here and lay an egg like I did last time," van Pelt said.

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Aussies not ready for Test cricket

Warning ... South Africa's Johan Botha thinks Australia's lack of Test practice could cost them. Source: AFP

Australia's recent lack of Test match cricket could cost them dearly in the three-game series against South Africa, according to Johan Botha, a player with an intimate knowledge of the cricketing cultures of both countries.

As South Australia captain, Botha - who has represented the Proteas 123 times at Test level and in both limited overs formats - has been charged with reviving the fortunes of the struggling Redbacks.

The 30-year-old has been a part of the South Africa set up since 2005 and last represented his country at the ICC World Twenty20 that concluded earlier this month.

He made his Test debut during his nation's 2-1 series victory on their last tour of Australia in 2008/09, and says South Africa are primed to repeat the historic feat on the back of their win over former world No.1 England.

"For me, South Africa have the edge right now,'' Botha said.

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"They have just come out of playing Test cricket against England a few months ago where they played some great cricket. Australia have been off the Test scene for a while now, for a lot longer than South Africa have been, and that could be key.

"I know South Africa are really keen to pick up from where they were and really prove themselves over here, and Australia might struggle to match that. If South Africa start well, they will be very hard to beat.''

Australia have not played Test cricket since their 2-0 away series win over the West Indies in April, while the battle-hardened Proteas enjoyed a tough 2-0 series win in England as recently as August.

Led by No.3 Hashim Amla, South Africa's dominance with the bat was crucial in that series. And Botha said he expected that to happen again come the first Test in Brisbane starting on November 9.

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"I think the two bowling sides are in great form at the moment, so the team that bats the best will probably come out on top,'' Botha said.

"Both teams have got young fiery bowlers - it is going to be great to see. The wickets are obviously good out here in Australia (for bowling) - it is going to be a battle for the batters.

"You want to get (Ricky) Ponting and (Michael) Clarke in against a newish ball and, if South Africa can get early wickets and get the world-class players in against the new ball when your bowlers are still fresh, that is going to be big for them.''

However, Botha did concede that Australian coach Mickey Arthur, who was heading up the Proteas the last time the two sides met in Australia, could be an important figure for the home side.

"I think Mickey will add some great insights,'' he said.

"He does bring a bit extra. He and (captain) Graeme Smith worked really well together on the last tour here. He was a key for us and it was a very successful tour.''

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Absurdities in Afghan football

Entertaining ... The Afghan Premier League has provided some unusual spectacles - on and off the field. Source: AFP

An Afghan radio reporter tried to interview a football player on the side of the pitch - but the game was still ongoing and the player still playing.

He thought it would add to the "effects and colour'' of the reporting, he apparently said later.

The league's media manager had to explain why that was a bad idea.

In reply, the reporter explained he had done interviews in a similar fashion in the past.

That incident was just one example of some of the absurdities at the Afghan Premier League football championship that has been going on for the past month.

Thousands of spectators have poured in to the newly built stadium in the Afghan capital as eight teams vie for the top prize of $US15,000 ($A14,500).

Eight teams participated in the highly-anticipated league with players chosen from across the eight regions of the country on Maidan-e-Sabz (Green Ground), a reality TV show.

The selected players were brought to Kabul from their respective regions for some training in preparation of the league. The final game was played on Friday.

The league provided a welcome relief for a country where violence and suicide attacks are a daily occurrence, and forms of entertainment are limited to a few parks and television viewing.

The well-executed tournament gave very little room to complain.

Except for a brief scuffle on the first day of the league that involved water-hoses and rifle butts, partly due to an over-enthusiastic crowd, there were no security incidents.

For each game, eager fans arrived well prepared with their banners, mega-phones and Afghan flags.

"The charm of the organisers, the fan fever of the audience, and the vibrant display of athleticism by the players, all added to the awesome experience of the Afghan premier league,'' said Zubair Sediqi, a 24-year old university student who had attended six games.

While the games were highly entertaining, so were some of the other happenings.

On a daily basis, cash was distributed after each game at the ground.

Respective strongmen from the region - businessmen, powerbrokers, politicians, and tribal elders tried to outdo each other with the "baksis'' (gift) as they less than subtly divvied cash to players by hand. From the sidelines it appeared most were 100 dollar bills.

In some cases, the teary-eyed players of the losing team, like Maiwand Atalan from the south received the cash while the winning team from the northwest, Simorg Alborz went home grinning but empty-handed.

Similarly, in one of the early matches, after the referee blew his whistle to signal halftime, a large number of people, possibly coming together from the same area, left the stadium, thinking the game was over.

"They did not know the professional football match is played in two halves,'' one photographer said.

Upon realising there was still a whole second half left to cheer; they returned only to be stopped by the guards who asked to see new tickets.

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Hayden blasts Anderson as 'B-grade'

B-grade ... Matt Hayden doesn't hold back in his stinging criticism of James Anderson. Source: Tertius Pickard / AP

Former Australian Test opener Matthew Hayden has launched a broadside against English quick James Anderson, describing the quick as "a B-grade bowler that got his arse-whipped by Australia".

In his recently released autobiography, Anderson described a scene in the Australian dressing room during the 2006/07 Ashes series where he took on an "arrogant" Michael Clarke, striking him with a batsman's pad.

Anderson said he was encouraged to do so by former Australian batsman Damien Martyn.

Hayden, who was in the dressing room at the time, told Triple M's Rush Hour show that there was less to the incident than Anderson made out.

"This has been a big incident hasn't it; in reality James Anderson was a B-Grade bowler that got his arse-whipped by Australia that many time's it's not even funny," Hayden said.

"Frankly I actually don't really care what Jimmy Anderson's got to say, but, he has actually frankly improved his bowling, thank goodness."

Hayden also alluded to his own clash with Martyn later that night. The middle order batsman announced his international retirement two days later.

"... We'd been hammered over in England so I wasn't pulling my punches, nor was anyone else in that particular series - you were either on board with Australia wanting to hand them the absolute whipping that they got, or you weren't," Hayden said.

Hayden, a member of the Order of Australia, also expressed his dismay that Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar had just received an Order of Australia Medal.

"... The reality of it is he's living in India. I can kind of get their point, but for me I think it should be exclusive to Australians," Hayden said.

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Chalmers looms large in Perth

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Contender ... Greg Chalmers is well placed after the first round of the Perth International. Source: Daniel Wilkins / News Limited

Kiwi Michael Hendry and Spain's Alejandro Canizares took the opening day honours at the Perth International, but Australian Greg Chalmers and England's Paul Casey loom as the danger men at the $2 million event.

Hendry and Canizares shot seven-under 65s to set the early standard, with 20-year-old Argentinean Emiliano Grillo one shot further behind.

Big guns Jason Dufner and Charl Schwartzel failed to live up to their reputations with one-under rounds, but former world No.3 Casey is well placed at five-under after a bogey-free round.

World No.24 Bo Van Pelt finished at two-under.

Chalmers, the defending Australian Open and PGA Championship winner, shot a solid round of four-under 68 to be just three shots off the pace.

In an ominous warning to his rivals, the world No.58 is confident he will improve over the coming days as he acclimatises to the conditions.

"Look, two days ago I was in Dallas, Texas,'' Chalmers said.

"I made a couple soft bogeys just purely out of my brain feeling a little like a mashed potato.

"But I did really well after bogeying the 10th hole and birdied four of the next five and really had some nice momentum going.

"I'm happy to get in at four-under; really pleased. I'm getting better every day.''

Hendry, the world No.574, missed five straight cuts after winning the NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship earlier this year.

But after taking some time off during winter, Hendry feels his form is slowly returning, especially after last week's seventh-placed finish at the China Masters.

"My form had been a bit rough but I saw a few glimpses last week in China and it's just nice to carry on,'' Hendry said.

"When you're playing bad and you're spending lots of money to get to events and not getting a lot of return on that investment, it does put a lot of pressure on you to play well.

"But you just keep working hard and hoping it turns the corner at some stage, and it has the last couple of weeks.''

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