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Sport 21 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 14 MAY 2014 SPORTTODAY FOOTBALL CRICKET CYCLING Terry signs new Chelsea deal Chelsea captain John Terry has signed a one-year contract extension, the Premier League club have announced THE 33-year-old captain has en- joyed a strong season after being rejuvenated by the return of Jose Mourinho as manager. Terry, who graduated from Chel- sea's academy and made his first- team debut in 1998, has signed a new deal until the end of the 2014/15 campaign. Next season will be Terry's 17th in the first-team. The defender, who joined the club age 14, has played 621 games for Chelsea, scoring 57 goals, and has been captain on 490 occasions. He has won three Premier League titles, the 2012 Champions League, 2013 Europa League, five FA Cups (2000, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), two League Cups (2005, 2007) and the Community Shield (2005, 2009). Terry said on chelseafc.com: "I'm delighted to have signed an exten- sion to my contract with Chelsea taking me into my 20th year with the club. "I'd like to thank the fans and club for their continued support, and the manager who was instrumental for me the last season." John Terry Pretenders manage to draw series OVER the Weekend the Marsa team played a two game series against re- turning team Pretenders C.C who are on their sixth tour. They were looking to win their first series. On the Saturday the visitors bat- ted first and clawed their way to the twenty seventh over where they were finally bowled out. They mad a total of seventy nine runs with Nick Long- worth top scoring with twenty two runs which included four boundaries. Chris Owens made seventeen runs. There were four ducks , ten extras and thirty more runs from the bats of four batsmen. For the Marsa team the wickets were shared by Waeem Abbas, Shahrid Roy, Haroon Majeed, Sarfraz Ali, Sumair Khan, Sid Anand and Amal Sebastion. The Marsa team only lost one wicket that of John Grima who made twenty three runs. His opening partner Bikram Arora was at his best smashing fifty four runs which included seven fours and three sixes. For the Pretend- ers Horry Money was the only wicket taker. Marsa win the first game. The second game was an absolute opposite of the previous days play. This time the home side won the toss and elected to bat. Sam Aquilina played a sterling in- nings of fifty eight runs which includ- ed five fours and one huge six straight down the ground. Mike Caruana found some form and made a gritty fifty which included eight boundaries. Paul Bradley played well and made twenty seven runs not out. Incredibly there were forty four extras which helped the home side amount a total of 208 runs from their thirty overs. An- thony Dalton and Stuart Harmer took two wickets each while Tom Peacock and Horry Money took a wicket each. The run chase did not start off to well with the Pretenders losing four wickets who made twenty eight runs between them. Paul Towner was in and in great form blasting seventy eight runs which include seven fours and three sixes. With him at the other end Tom Peacock made thirty nine runs and put them right back in the game. Once they where both out the Marsa team sighed a big sigh of relief only to find Jack Towers coming in and launching balls out of the ground. With three overs to go the Pretenders needed seventeen runs to win while the home team needed one wicket. Towers facing smashed three huge sixes to fin- ish the game of in style while making forty runs not out.He ended hitting two fours and four sixes. For Marsa Mike Caruana took four wickets while Tony Slater and Shahrid Roy took two a piece. The Pretenders managed to tie the series. Next Saturday sees the home team play against the Honarable Artilary Comp who are on their second tour. The Sunoco Cricket Academy/nurs- ery will be from 9.00am till 10.30am. Bouhanni wins in Bari AFTER Monday's rest day and the transfer from Dublin to south- ern Italy, the 112-kilometre route from Giovinazzo concluded with an eight-lap circuit in Bari which was neutralised due to a rider pro- test. Fears over the treacherous con- ditions were proven when the race for the line on the last of the eight laps as numerous riders tumbled on the slick roads. Bouhanni (FDJ.fr) recovered from a late mechanical to launch his bid for the line off the Giant- Shimano sprint train - without Marcel Kittel, who withdrew due to illness - and take victory ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo (Trek) and Tom Veelers (Giant-Shimano). Australian Michael Matthews (Orica-GreenEdge) did not con- test the sprint but retained the race leader's pink jersey. Matthews explained the reasons for the lack of racing as he said on cyclingnews.com: "From the start it was really slippery. "Straight away we had a chat in the bunch and decided to neutral- ise the race. It's a long tour and we all need to stay safe out there. "It's totally different. Ireland is a country where it always rains and the roads are used to the changing conditions." One of the pre-race favourites, BMC's 2011 Tour de France cham- pion Cadel Evans wrote on Twit- ter: "Thanks for understanding and anticipating the conditions @ giroditalia . Sorry, but if we can't stay on our bikes...we can't race. £goodsense." Despite the circumstances, Bou- hanni was thrilled with a first Grand Tour win. "I thought that I would never get back onto the peloton, but the team did very well to get me back on," he said. "In the final straight I had to give everything and fortunately I won." Earlier in the day Kittel, the winner of successive stages in Bel- fast and Dublin, abandoned the Giro due to a fever, denying him the chance of a third consecutive stage win. The 26-year-old Giant-Shimano rider told his team's official web- site, teamgiantshimano.com: "I am very disappointed about leav- ing the Giro after such a strong start in good condition, but I do not feel healthy and I am not in the position to start the race in this condition. "I want to thank my team for their support these past few days and wish them the best of luck for the rest of the race." Briton Ben Swift was less than impressed by the decision, which encouraged the sprinters to race but had no impact on the general classification. The Team Sky rider, who was second on stage three in Dublin, was 173rd on the stage. Swift wrote on Twitter: "That's bull****!!! Why do all the sprint- ers have to risk it and not the GC guys. Thanks." Nacer Bouhanni claimed victory in Bari

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