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LIV Golf Virginia: Anirban Lahiri takes 2-shot lead after second round

Gainesville, June 8 (IANS) Anirban Lahiri carded a 7-under-par 64 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club tournament record to jump into the lead by two strokes after the second round of LIV Golf Virginia

Lahiri made seven birdies, including three consecutive on holes 6-8, and did not card a bogey. He stands at 11-under for the tournament, two clear of Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell and day one co-leader Martin Kaymer, who are all at 9-under headed into the final round.

None of the four have won a LIV event before.

Lahiri has not won a title anywhere since he 2015 Hero Indian Open in his own country, India. He is the only Indian on Liv golf.

In LIV’s shotgun format, Lahiri played in the first group off of No. 1 with Joaquin Niemann. Niemann had put together a birdie run on holes 5-8, and had just birdied the 10th as he stepped up to 11, playing at 190 yards, with the tournament lead. His tee shot, however, was too short, hitting the front of the hillside green across Lake Manassas before tumbling down into the water.

Niemann would take a penalty and card a double bogey, finishing his round at -3, four strokes back and in a four-way tie for fifth with Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson and the other day one co-leader, Bryson DeChambeau.

Rahm, the third member of the group that started at the first with Lahiri and Niemann, could’ve just as easily been in the lead. He shot 2-under round of 69.

DeChambeau and Lahiri’s efforts led their Crushers team to the top of the team standings by a stroke over the Brooks Kopeka-led Smash GC.

–IANS

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Celta Vigo extend all-time club top-scorer Iago Aspas’ contract till 2026

Vigo, Dec 25 (IANS) Celta Vigo legend Iago Aspas has renewed his contract for a year and will now be staying at his boyhood club until June 2026. The club announced the extension through an emotional video on the pitch at Estadio de Balaídos, accompanied by his wife, Jennifer Rueda, and their three children

“Every corner of this stadium and every shout from the stands have accompanied me on this journey. Here I have lived unforgettable days, moments of joy, celebration, and times of pain that we overcame together. For me, this is much more than football, more than a club. Celta is my life, it is my home, it is me. They say nothing lasts forever, but what I feel for these colours I will always carry in my heart,” said Aspas.

Aspas has been a huge part of the club, he rose through the junior ranks of the club and broke through to the first team. Despite stints at Liverpool and Sevilla, where he won the Europa League in the 2014/15 season, Aspas has gone on to become a legend and the club’s all-time top scorer.

In the current season, the 37-year-old has scored six goals and provided three assists in La Liga. “It is a source of pride for the club and for Celta supporters to have one of the great emblems of Spanish football, a living legend of Celta, with us for another year,” read the statement by club President Marian Mourino.

Celta Vigo are currently 11th in the La Liga table having won eight, drawn three, and lost six of their 18 games played. With La Liga currently on the annual winter break, the club’s next game will be against Real Racing Club in the Round of 32 of the Copa Del Rey.

–IANS

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Meghalaya’s Akash Choudhary smashes fastest first-class fifty with eight sixes in a row

Surat, Nov 9 (IANS) Meghalaya batter Akash Kumar Choudhary scripted history on Sunday, scoring the fastest fifty in the format and also becoming only the third player in first-class cricket to smash six sixes in an over on the second day of Meghalaya’s Plate Group game in the Ranji Trophy against Arunachal Pradesh in Surat.

The 25-year-old Akash also made history by smashing eight consecutive sixes, a feat never before achieved in this format, while racing to a record-breaking fifty in only 11 balls. His half-century surpassed the previous best, set by Leicestershire’s Wayne White, who reached fifty in 12 balls in 2012. Before that, Clive Inman had held the record since 1965 with a 13-ball fifty.

Coming in at No. 8, Akash began his innings with a dot and two singles before hammering the next eight balls for sixes to reach his fifty. He hit six consecutive sixes in one over, bowled by left-arm spinner Limar Dabi during the 126th over of the innings.

He became only the third player in first-class cricket history to hit six consecutive maximums, joining West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers and former India all-rounder Ravi Shastri. South Africa’s Mike Procter also hit six sixes in a row, but across two different overs.

Sir Garfield Sobers was the first to achieve this incredible milestone back in 1968, when he smashed six sixes in an over for Nottinghamshire against Glamorgan’s Malcolm Nash. Nearly two decades later, Ravi Shastri repeated the rare feat during the 1984–85 Ranji Trophy season, representing Bombay and taking on Baroda’s Tilak Raj.

Akash was appearing in his 31st first-class match since making his debut in 2019. Before this game, he had scored 503 runs at an average of 14.37, with two half-centuries to his name. He has also played 28 one-day matches and 30 T20s.

–IANS

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