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Dog bite forces Borg out of grasscourt return
LONDON: Five-times Wimbledon champion Bjorn Borg has been forced to pull out of his first grasscourt singles match in England for 26 years after being bitten by a dog.
The 51-year-old Swede had been due to play in the Liverpool International tennis tournament but organisers said on Sunday Borg was hurt trying to stop a dog-fight at his home in Sweden.
The tournament Web site (wwww.liverpooltennis.co.uk) said Borg's Golden Retriever dog had been attacked by a German Shepherd and the former French Open champion was severely bitten on his right leg after stepping in to separate them.
Doctors have advised Borg, who will still attend the tournament, not to put any weight on his leg for six weeks.
He had been scheduled to play 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash in an exhibition match on Friday
Borg has not played on grass in England since his defeat by John McEnroe in the 1981 Wimbledon final.
Monty and caddie part company again
BADEN, Austria: Colin Montgomerie has split with his caddie Alastair McLean for a second time, just days before playing the US Open.
The pair were together for 10 years before parting company for the first time in 2002 but joined up again in August 2004.
McLean has been with Montgomerie for all his eight European order of merits, six Ryder Cups and was on the bag for all three of his fellow-Scot's runner-up places in the US Open, including the playoff defeat to Ernie Els at this year's venue Oakmont and last year at Winged Foot.
Montgomerie, who missed the cut at this week's Austrian Open, was not available to give reasons for the split but his manager Guy Kinnings said: "They have agreed to take a break, they needed to refresh things.
"I don't know what their long-term plan is but they will definitely not be together for the US Open.
"Monty will probably hire a local who knows the course."
Allardyce fears Owen exit
NEWCASTLE, England: Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce admitted Sunday that he feared Michael Owen would quit the Magpies.
Two injury-hit years have restricted the England striker to little more than a handful of games for the club since his 17-million-pound move from Real Madrid in the summer of 2005.
Allardyce arrived at St James' Park with speculation already rife over the future of Owen, who has a nine-million-pound ($17.7m) release clause.
"If Michael wants to leave, there's nothing I can do about it, especially if another club triggers his release clause," said Allardyce.
"At the moment, we are benefiting from a release clause to get Joey Barton. But we could also suffer because of Michael's."
(China Daily 06/12/2007 page23)
