Ponting sees off South Africa

Ricky Ponting, the new one-day captain of Australia, scored his first limited-overs international century against South Africa, scoring 129 as his team raced to a 290 for six wickets to win by 37 runs in Bloemfontein in the fourth of seven matches between the sides.

Australia lead 3-0, with one match tied.

South Africa lost early wickets, but there were moments when their supporters must have believed their team had a chance. New cap Graeme Smith hit 41 off 49 balls, and smashed Brett Lee to all part of the ground. But he perished, bowled off an inside edge by Ian Harvey.

Jacques Kallis and Neil McKenzie seemed to be trying to set things up for an assault on the target, but Kallis fell caught and bowled for forty-three to Darren Lehmann as he tried to keep up with the rapidly increasing run rate.

McKenzie also had to sacrifice his wicket, bowled by Lee for 67. And that was the beginning of the end, as Lee finished with four of the tail-enders.

He also took the final wicket to fall, Jonty Rhodes, for 56.

Earlier, Ponting was in an aggressive mood from the start, and smashed 15 fours and a six in his 126-ball innings. He shared in a 119-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Lehman, which came in 92 balls.

The normally miserly South African captain Shaun Pollock conceded 59 in his 10 overs, and was handed the scant consolation of two wickets at the death of Australia's innings.

Kallis, normally called on to bowl the final overs for South Africa because he gets line and length right, conceded 67 off his 10 overs, and Roger Telemachus gave away 60.

However, Telemachus removed openers Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist relatively early.

Rugby Union

There may be a mood of despair at senior level north of the border but Scotland's under-19 side has more than lifted the gloom that pervades Murrayfield these days, writes Alan Lorimer . Yesterday, the under-19s came fifth in the World Junior Championship after defeating England 17-10 in the final match played at Treviso, northern Italy.

This represents Scotland's best finish since the tournament became an official IRB world championship involving all the top sides. It was simultaneously a disappointment for England, who were on course for a Six Nations grand slam at under-19 level.

Jonah Lomu led Wellington to their fourth Super 12 victory in six matches, 22-18 over Queensland. Waikato Chiefs scored four tries in beating Otago Highlanders 29-24, their first win of the season.

Golf

Ulsterman Darren Clarke is finding his form in time for the first major of the season.

A superb 65 containing eight birdies put Clarke just two strokes behind leader Vijay Singh after the second day of the Shell Houston Open at The Woodlands.

It is a timely return to form for Clarke with the season's first major, the Masters, following next week's BellSouth Classic. Clarke held the early clubhouse lead as he continued his challenge for a second US Tour victory of his career, but Fijian Singh then birdied two of the last three holes for a matching 65 and halfway total of 132, 12 under par.

Colin Montgomerie's 71 left him one under, but England's Luke Donald and Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal were better placed, both adding rounds of 68 to their opening 71s to lie joint twelfth.

Sweden's Solheim Cup star Lotta Neumann edged into a two-shot lead as Mhairi McKay headed the British challenge at the halfway stage of the £1million Kraft Nabisco Championship, the first major of the women's season, at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.

Neumann added a 70 to her opening 69 for five-under-par 139, while fellow-Swede Annika Sorenstam and two US veterans, Rosie Jones and Beth Daniel, shared second place on 141.

McKay, with a 72, moved into the top 10 at six behind on one-over 145, and the Scot reckoned she was ready to mount a weekend attack. 'I'm playing really well,' said the Turnberry 26-year-old, who is making her debut in the championship.