SPORTS NEWS

SPORTS NEWS Brought to you by Chris Wright

TOUGH TIMES FOR PORTIMONENSE With only two league victories, prior to their game at FC Porto, the Portimão side will be hard pressed to avoid relegation from the Primeira Liga. Portimonense took the lead in their game against Sporting at the Avalade through Jackson Martinez but the Lions drew level with a Jérémy Mathieu strike before a Jadson own goal consigned the Algarve side to yet another defeat. New manager Paulo Sérgio, who spent most of his playing career at, as well as managing, SC Olhanense saw his new charges draw 1-1 at home to Moreirense. Mohanad Ali aka ‘Mimi’ as been signed, on loan from Qatari side Al Duhail, until the end of the season. The 19 year-old Iraq international, he has already racked up twenty-eight appearances for his country and found the back of the net fourteen times, will be hoping to add to his goal tally and help Portimonense climb away from trouble. Home games this month: weekend 14th/15th March - Gil Vicente and 21st/22nd March – Benfica.

BMX A BIG HIT IN PORTIMÃO Pedro Amaral (CBP - Clube Bicross de Portimão) won the first two stages of the BMX Portugal Cup which took place at the popular Portimão track that opened last June. One of the best facilities in the country, the BMX track at the Parque da Juventude

de Portimão is a pioneer in Iberia, with a fully electric mechanism on the starting grid. Amaral took the chequered flag on all three days ahead of his local rival André Martins (Team BMX Quarteira). In the junior event Renato Silva (Team BMX Quarteira) took the top honours. On the 22nd June the track will host the Algarve Cup, which will precede the National BMX Race Championship scheduled for July.

VODAFONE RALLY DE PORTUGAL The Portuguese round of the World Rally Championship will take place between the 21st and 24th May centred on Mortágua and Felgueiras (Viseu). The route will cover 1,582kms with twenty-two special stages. Team Vito Skoda with Algarve driver Ricardo Teodósio and his navigator José Teixeira will be among the front runners. The 2020 Portuguese Rally Championship will consist of ten races, but competitors will only be able to participate in a maximum of eight.

VILAMOURA SHOW JUMPING Some 1200 horses will have passed through the Equestrian Centre at Vilamoura before the Atlantic Tour concludes on Sunday 8th March. With not inconsiderable amounts of prize money at stake it is no wonder that top entrants from many countries converge on the highly rated and

well equipped centre. Last weekend John Whitaker MBE, silver medallist at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, was among the visitors. With free admission and parking, these events make a wonderful day out. In July the centre will stage the European Youth Championships. www.vilamouraequestriancentre.com/ atlantic-tour

LAGOS STOP THE LEADERS Olhanense travelled to Lagos Esperança having lost just once in their quest to qualify for the play-offs in the Campeonato Portugal. Despite going a goal down the home side rallied and strikes from Chico and Lamine gave them an unexpected but well,deserved victory. The third tier of Portuguese football is highly competitive with Lagos and Armacenenses (Armacão de Pêra) holding their own in midtable. In the Segunda Liga, supporters of SC Farense were relieved to see the team win their first home game since mid-December when they beat Oliveirense 3-1. Ryan Gauld, the former Dundee United protégé, was in sparkling form laying on two goals and also hitting the woodwork. Despite losing four games in the past couple of months, the Faro based team are still in second place and on course for a return to the Primeira Liga from which they were relegated almost twenty years ago.