BRL enter quarters:

KATHMANDU: Dhiraj Singh top-scored with 15 points but could not save Nirmal School from going down 30-39 to BRL, which entered the senior boys’ quarter-finals of the fourth Gyan Niketan Big Mimi Inter-school Basketbal Tournament today. Ajuni Shrestha netted 14 points for BRL. In junior boys’ semi-final matches, Gyan Niketan School thrashed Milan Vidya Mandir 60-23 with Belu Bhandari scoring 32 points for the winners; and Maheshwor Raut netted 15 points in Swapna Vatika School’s 15-6 win over Sambotta High School. — HNS

Thorpe to miss c’ship:

SYDNEY: Australian Olympic and world champion Ian Thorpe will miss this year’s Montreal world championships. Thorpe would skip the world championships in July and take a season off competition. Thorpe had been expected to bypass competition this year, given his extended break since the Athens Olympics last August. He has been involved in international promotional events and has indicated that he would not be competing in the national world championship trials here next month. — AFP

Gaudio withdraws:

SAO PAULO: Argentine Gaston Gaudio has withdrawn from the $380,000 ATP Brasil Open. Gaudio, who was to be the tournament’s top seed, said he was nursing a thigh injury. The 2004 French Open champion was coming off a victory in the ATP Buenos Aires on Sunday. Gaudio had won the ATP event in Vina del Mar in the previous week. The Argentine played 10 matches in two weeks. Brazilian Ricardo Mello became the top-seeded player in the event. — AP

Gudjohnsen arrested:

LONDON: Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen was arrested for drunk driving over the weekend. Police stopped the 26-year-old’s BMW in London because of the way it was being driven. After failing a breath test, Gudjohnsen was taken to a police station and was released on bail. He is scheduled to appear in court at the end of March. — AP