Jansher's commitment called to question

Jansher Khan, the World champion, was accused of lacking commitment after crashing to a straight-sets defeat against World No5 Peter Nicol in the Moldex Super League semi-finals in Bristol last night. Jansher, who recently thrashed world No2 Peter Marshall in the British Open final, was making a guest appearance for Welsh Back Wizards against leaders Cannons Club, and reportedly earning around £1,5000, slipped to a 10-8 9-0 9-0 defeat in just 42 minutes. The League's executive director Robert Edwards said: "This was not the same player who beat Marshall. The crowd was bitterly disappointed." At the National Championships in Abbeydale Park, Sheffield yesterday, Stephen Meads of Berkshire and Suzanne Horner of Yorkshire, the top seeds, progressed comfortably to the semi-finals with victories over Clive Leach and Rebecca Macree respectively. The upset of the day was when Linda Charman, the sixth-seed, beat Sue Wright, the third-seeded former champion.

Cricket