IN BRIEF (Page 24)

Soccer

Welcome's extra-time goal lifts Honduras past US

NASHVILLE, Tennessee: Georgie Wilson Welcome scored in the 103rd minute to give Honduras a 1-0 victory over the US here Sunday in the final of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

In the championship matchup of North American under-23 teams that had already booked their trips to the Beijing Olympics in August, Welcome beat US goalkeeper Dominic Cervi to the far post in the first overtime for the decider.

The Hondurans avenged a 1-0 round-robin loss to the US squad eight days ago on Eddie Gaven's penalty kick five minutes into stoppage time.

Semifinal triumphs last Thursday sealed trips to China for both finalists. Honduras beat Gutemala in a penalty kick shootout to advance and the US squad defeated Canada 3-0.

NHL

Flyers boost playoff hopes with win over Islanders

NEW YORK: The Philadelphia Flyers inched up the playoff ladder with a convincing 4-1 home win over the New York Islanders on Sunday.

Philadelphia's third victory in a row enabled the Flyers to assume sole possession of seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They had been tied with the Boston Bruins.

Philadelphia also moved within two points of the sixth-placed New York Rangers, whom they visit on Tuesday. Only the top eight teams make the post season.

Marty Biron and Danny Briere both played key roles in the victory over the Islanders.

Biron stopped 32 shots to gain his sixth consecutive win over the New York team. Briere had a three-point game as Philadelphia connected on three powerplay opportunities.

Cricket

Strauss, Bell put England in complete command

NAPIER, New Zealand: England's Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell scored centuries to lead their side to a massive 501-run lead and all but end New Zealand's chances of winning the deciding third Test yesterday.

Strauss, who had not scored a hundred in his last 30 Test innings, was on his highest Test score of 173 not out and Bell made 110 to guide the tourists to 416 for five at the close on the third day.

The host has scored in excess of 400 only twice before when batting fourth, both times against England, but it lost on each occasion. Its highest successful run chase was 324 for five against Pakistan at Christchurch in 1994.

Tim Ambrose was the other not-out batsman on 28. Daniel Vettori was the most successful New Zealand bowler with three for 135.

Swimming

Leisel Jones qualifies for third Olympic Games

SYDNEY: World record holder Leisel Jones reached her third Olympics by winning the women's 100m breaststroke at the Australian trials yesterday.

The 22-year-old secured her place in Beijing when she won the final in one minute 5.75 seconds ahead of her former training partner Tarnee White (1:06.46).

Jones, who also holds the 200 world record, has dominated women's breaststroke for the past eight years but has yet to win an individual Olympic title.

She is hoping for a change of luck in Beijing.

"It's just nice to know I'm on the team," she said in a televized interview. "But I've still got so much to work on when I get back into training."

Brisbane schoolgirl Emily Seebohm qualified for her first Olympics when she won the 100 backstroke in 59.59 ahead of Sophie Edington (59.84).

Seebohm broke the 50 world record in the semifinals on Saturday but lost it to Edington just 24 hours later.

(China Daily 03/25/2008 page24)