The Sport Matrix: Thursday 22 January 2015

Westwood to the rescue for drowning man

Lee Westwood may be used to saving par but the Worksop wonder turned lifesaver after rescuing a stricken swimmer off the coast of Barbados. The British golfer said yesterday, “I was only too happy to help”, after he pulled Solihull businessman Colin Davies from the sea at Sandy Lane when he began to struggle last Friday.

“If there is a power looking over us, I hope he takes note and delivers three majors to this kind and gentle human being,” Davies told the Birmingham Mail. “I have Parkinson’s disease so to enter the sea was foolhardy or stupid.

“As soon as I entered I realised I was in trouble. My legs wouldn’t move, and my wife Linda was out of earshot. The family next to us on the beach heard my cry and within a second a muscular male grabbed me and, with tremendous but gentle care, got me back to my lounge bed.’

The former miner did not realise who had saved him at first, and had been trying to find the former world No 1 to thank him.

Congo win to boost last-eight hopes

Congo raised their hopes of reaching the African Cup of Nations quarter-finals by beating Gabon 1-0 last night. Captain Prince Oniangue struck the winner after the break, putting Congo top of Group A, one point ahead of Gabon and two ahead of Equatorial Guinea, who drew 0-0 with Burkina Faso earlier in the day. Burkina Faso went closest to scoring, with Alain Traoré twice hitting the woodwork.

Kieswetter to visit eye specialists

Craig Kieswetter will see eye specialists in the coming weeks as he waits to discover whether he can continue his career. The wicketkeeper, 27, has suffered from impaired vision since fracturing an eye socket and cheekbone batting for Somerset last July.

Blind rejects Neville’s criticism

Manchester United midfielder Daley Blind has rejected the suggestion by Gary Neville that he takes too few risks. Blind, who is expected to start against Cambridge United tomorrow night in the FA Cup fourth-round tie at the Abbey Stadium, said: “Of course, you can sometimes play the ball forward but sometimes it is good to keep the ball in possession and make your team-mates play better.”

FA to show World Cup bid file to MPs

The FA has agreed to make its secret file on Fifa members compiled during England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid available to MPs. Former Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said the file would be available to members of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. The document is said to have been compiled on the 24 members of the Fifa executive committee who voted on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.