National Billiards & Snooker Champs opens in Danang

Nearly 300 players from 15 teams are participating in the first round of the 2012 National Billiard & Snooker Champs in the centre Danang city from April 10-20.  

They will compete in three-cushion and one cushion-carom, English billiards, billiards pool 9 balls and 8 balls events.

The event aims to select best players for international competitions in 2012.

Nghe An keep second-round hope alive

Defending V-League champions Song Lam Nghe An (SLNA) kept their chances of qualifying for the next round of the AFC Cup alive by beating Kitchee of Hong Kong 1-0 yesterday at Vinh Stadium in Nghe An province.

Midfielder Nguyen Hong Viet scored the only goal of the match in the 60th minute to help SLNA notch up their first win in four games in Group F. SLNA now have four points and are still in contention for a place in the second round, despite propping up the group.

Continuing with his rotation policy, SLNA's coach Nguyen Huu Thang fielded an experienced team and it showed as the match lacked drama and excitement, and the first half finished with just one goal-scoring opportunity for the visitors.

Entering the second half, Kitchee committed more men forward looking for the win that would guarantee them a place in the next round, but the chances went begging.

In the 60th minute on a rare attack, the home team opened the scoring as Viet penetrated the penalty area after a through-ball from Senegalese striker Dieng Abbas before turning inside the defender to fire a low shot inside the far post.

Kitchee pressed forward in search of the equaliser but they could not find a way into SLNA's net.

To go beyond the group stage, SLNA need to win their two remaining games, which see the Vietnamese side playing away at Malaysian Terrengganu and taking on Singapore's Tampines Rovers.

The other Vietnamese representative in the competition Navibank Sai Gon were defeated 2-0 by Burma's Ayeyawady United.

Athletes secure Paralympic berths

Five disabled Vietnamese swimmers will be heading to London this summer after achieving A standard times during qualifying rounds.

At the recent British International Disability Championships in Sheffield, Vo Thanh Tung attained an A standard in the men's 50m freestyle event with 35 seconds 39, the men's 100m freestyle event (one minute 21 seconds 63), the men's 50m backstroke event (45 seconds 81) and the men's 50m butterfly event (40 seconds 11).

"Excellent conditions in the UK helped me develop my ability to a high degree," Tung said.

Nguyen Thanh Trung, attending an international tournament for the first time, overshot the A standard by five seconds in the men's 100m breaststroke with one minute and 54 seconds.

Du Thi Lan, Trinh Thi Bich Nhu and Nguyen Thi Sari also reached the A standard in the women's 100m breaststroke with two minutes 17 seconds 09, two minutes 17 seconds 17 and two minutes 20 seconds 50.

National women’s football tourney kicks off

The Thai Son Bac 2012 National Women’s Football Championships opened on April 10 with the participation of six teams from across the country.

The tournament is organized in a round robin format that will be played in two rounds. The first round will take place at Thong Nhat and Phu Nhuan stadiums in HCMC from April 10-27, and the second will be in Ha Nam province from May 12-30.

Last year, the Hanoi 1 team won the championship title at the tournament.

The Thai Son Bac electronics company has signed a contract to sponsor the tournament for three years in a row.

The event will hone the skills of young footballers in preparation for the 2012 Southeast Asian Women’s Football Championships.

Hanoi tops national rowing tourney

Hanoi finished first at the 2012 rowing clubs tournament taking place at the Ho Tay Rowing Club in the capital city from April 7-10.

Host rowers, who were in good form, beat opponents in almost all singles and doubles events for both men and women, clinching 7 golds and a bronze. This has been the best result of Hanoi since 2008.

Hai Duong province, a top candidate for this year’s championship title with hopefuls Nguyen Thi Trinh, Pham Thi La and Tran Thi Tuyet, came in second after bagging 3 golds and 5 bronzes.

Ha Tinh province finished third, winning 2 golds and 1 bronze.

The tournament drew the participation of 73 athletes from Hanoi, HCM City, Danang, Haiphong, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Dak Lak.

They competed in races ranging from 500 to 2,000m.

Danang to host national U19 football finals

The final round of the National U19 Football Tournament 2012 Kova Paint Cup will take place at Chi Lang stadium in the central city of Danang from April 16-24.

Eight teams have qualified for the finals, namely Song Lam Nghe An, Hanoi, SHB Danang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap Rubber Group, Navibank Saigon, Thai Nguyen, and TDC Binh Duong.

The tourney will be played in two legs to select the best four teams for semi-finals.

The winners of the 2012 Kova Paint Cup will receive a cash prize of VND60 million (nearly US$3,000), while the runners-up will earn VND40 million.

Hanoi T&T won the championship title last year with Song Lam Nghe An taking second place.

Young tennis star loses bid to turn pro

Vietnam 's young tennis hopeful Nguyen Hoang Thien has suffered another setback in his bid to become a player on the professional circuit.

Thien, who is playing in the main draw via a wild card, was defeated in two straight sets (6-3, 6-2) to Indonesian top-seed Christopher Rungkat in the first round at the F2 Futures Tennis Tournament in HCM City .

This is his second first-round loss, following a first-round exit at F1 Futures one week ago.

Thien has not won any points for an ATP ranking, which must reach a certain number before being eligible to play on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour.

Another young player, Ly Hoang Nam , who also had a wild card, was defeated by Rohan Gajjar of India in two straight sets.

Do Minh Quan is the only remaining Vietnamese player in the second round.

Quan, a wild card in the main draw, will meet the winner of a match between a Thai and an Indian player.

In the first round on April 9, Quan beat Australia 's Frost Leon 7-5, 6-1.

The tournament will end on April 15.