Dein erstes Forum » tting plenty of work after Berrys exit.WILLIAMS SHOTWi

Paul Nicholls extended his lead over Willie Mullins in a pulsating duel for the British trainers championship when enjoying a 54th birthday 20-1 four-timer at Wincanton. Paul Nicholls extended his lead over Willie Mullins in a pulsating duel for the British trainers championship when enjoying a 54th birthday 20-1 four-timer at Wincanton.Fresh from a fabulous four-timer at Ayr on Saturday, highlighted by Vicentes victory in the Scottish Grand National that put him back in the driving seat, the Ditcheat handler repeated the trick at his local track from just four runners. Nicholls now has a handy £43,160 advantage over his Irish rival as the battle enters its final week.Zubayr (1-8 favourite) gave Nicholls the best possible start as he romped away with the Ridegway BMW Novices Hurdle.The four-year-old never gave his supporters an anxious moment as he made amends for a poor show at Cheltenham.The French import had been sent off third-favourite for the Triumph Hurdle on the back of a smooth debut success in the Grade Two Adonis Hurdle at Kempton, but was well-beaten behind Ivanovich Gorbatov.However, Zubayr got back on track with a confidence-boosting win by eight lengths under Nick Scholfield.Nicholls said: I knew I ran him too quick at Cheltenham when I saw him in the paddock. We were hard on him and rushed to get ready for Kempton and he wasnt really right in his coat.Hes done well since. This was a different race but hes had a nice run round and I expect youll see him back here at Wincanton in the Elite Hurdle in November.It will be perfect for him.Nicholls doubled up when Emerging Talent comfortably took the Racing UK Profits Returned To Racing National Hunt Novices Hurdle.Ridden by 5lb claimer Harry Cobden to offset some of his double penalty, the 5-6 favourite cruised into the lead after jumping two out from the pace-setting Bun Doran.He just had to be pushed out to hold Kerrow by three lengths with Bun Doran fading 20 lengths back into third. I knew I ran him too quick at Cheltenham when I saw him in the paddock. Hes done well since. This was a different race but hes had a nice run round and I expect youll see him back here at Wincanton in the Elite Hurdle in November. It will be perfect for him. Paul Nicholls Movewiththetimes (11-4) gave Nicholls a hat-trick when making a winning debut in division one of the Collects Points, Go Racing With Rewards4Racing Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race.The JP McManus-owned newcomer was delivered with precision by Sam Twiston-Davies to tackle Tom Georges Cruiseaweigh and come out on top by three-quarters of a length after a prolonged tussle in the straight.It was a similar story in division two with Capitaine (7-4 favourite) completing the foursome when defeating Minella For Me, also from the George stable, by 13 lengths to give Twiston-Davies a double.Nicholls confirmed his determination to retain the title by sending plenty of runners to the West Country meetings during the week before going all out for the finale at Sandown on Saturday, which Nicholls feels will be crucial.Weve got plenty to run during the week at the smaller meetings in the West Country, he told Racing UK.At the end of the day it comes down to what happens at Sandown on Saturday. There are a couple of Grade Ones there and they are usually the races that decides. Well just have to see what happens on Saturday.Weve got Southfield Theatre in the bet365 Gold Cup and hes probably spearheading next weekend. He wants good ground and hasnt had it for a while.Ill sit down and see what I can enter. Dodging Bullets will have an entry. There are some nice novice handicaps.Nicholls revealed Sir Alex Ferguson, a friend and owner at the yard, contacted him following his triumph in Scotland.Hes a great man and sent me a wonderful text last night on the way home. He loved it all, he said.Were just going to keep doing what weve been doing. Well keep running the horses in the right races and hope results go our way.Next Saturday is going to be a big day. Sky Racing Tickets Fast, secure racing tickets: Exclusive racing offers near you Also See: Live results service Full racecards Get Sky Sports Sinan Kurt Jersey . 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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Kenny Williams III finally had the shooting flurry that third-ranked North Carolina has been waiting to see.The sophomore had 14 of his career-high 19 points in the opening five minutes, helping the Tar Heels build a huge early lead and beat Radford 95-50 on Sunday.Williams made his first five shots, including all four 3-point tries, during that opening flurry. Quite a change for a player who was buried on the bench for a veteran team last year, making just 1 of 13 3-pointers and seeing his confidence suffer as a result.Ive been waiting a year-and-a-half for a game like that, Williams said. I dont want to say I knew it was coming, but with the confidence I have right now, I kind of expected it.While Williams play stood out, the Tar Heels (8-1) got a scare when they lost point guard Joel Berry II to a sprained left ankle early in the second half. The junior, averaging 16 points, came up hobbled as he drove into the paint and fell to the floor. He got up and walked slowly to the locker room for evaluation with 17:36 left, but didnt return to the UNC bench with the Tar Heels up big.Coach Roy Williams said Berry would have X-rays to confirm the sprain diagnosis and he was hopeful that Berry would be able to practice before Wednesdays game against Davidson.Well have to wait and see what they say (Monday), Williams said, but Im encouraged about it right now.The Tar Heels (8-1) were coming off a loss at No. 13 Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They had no trouble in this one, running out to an 18-4 lead behind Kenny Williams opening burst and shooting 57 percent in the first half to build a 51-27 lead by the break.Justin Cousin scored 14 points to lead the Highlanders (3-5), who shot 31 percent.Tough team, man, Radford coach Mike Jones said. Theyre so big and physical. We played some good defense inside and they made the shot over us and thats going to happen.BIG PICTURERadford: The Highlanders, picked sixth in the Big South Confeerence, had no way to slow the Tar Heels early tear.dddddddddddd And that led to a fourth loss by double-digit margins, three coming by at least 21 points. Still, Radford isnt likely to run up against a team such as UNC in the Big South, either.UNC: The big shooting performance from Williams and Berrys injury stood out here, with the Tar Heels potentially bolstering their perimeter scoring punch while seeing their floor leader go down to an injury.POLL IMPLICATIONSThe Tar Heels will slide a bit in the AP Top 25 when the new poll comes out Monday, though losing on the road to a team ranked No. 13 nationally likely wont cause a big drop.POINT GUARDSIf Berry sits out, senior Nate Britt -- who has played both guard positions in his career -- would appear to be the next man up at the point. Freshman Seventh Woods also will figure into the mix; he had nine points in 22 minutes -- both season highs -- while getting plenty of work after Berrys exit.WILLIAMS SHOTWilliams, a 6-foot-4 wing from Midlothian, Virginia, made 5 of 6 3-pointers with a good-looking and confident stroke. Four of those came in the opening minutes, the last one a wide-open look from the left wing that brought Smith Center fans to a roar.Williams said he worked in the offseason to minimize how much his guide hand pushes on the ball to affect his release.Hes put in a lot of time, Roy Williams said. I said even last year when he wasnt putting the ball in the basket that he was going to be a good defensive player and Im not sure hes not our best perimeter defender right now.UP NEXTRadford: The Highlanders host Elon on Saturday.UNC: The Tar Heels play at home against Davidson on Wednesday night.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---More AP college basketball at http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '