12/04/2014 Saturday Sportsday

Hello. Welcome to the BBC Sport Centre. I'm Karthi Gnanasegaram.

Over the next 15 minutes we'll look ahead to the weekend's sports action

with the latest news and interviews. This is Saturday Sporstday.

Coming up on the programme: Six birdies for Bubba gives the American

the lead at the halfway stage of the Masters. Exhilarating, dangerous and

back in the UK. One of London2012's most popular sports returns. We'll

preview the BMX World Cup with World Champion Liam Phillips. And the

emotional story of the teenager who's left the traumas of Helmand

for a new life in leafy Buckinghamshire where he's training

for tomorrow's London Marathon. But before all of that let's take a

look at today's sports headlines. Rotherham United's failure to beat

Bradford last night in League One means Wolverhampton Wanderers will

be promoted to the Championship if they win at Crewe today. Burnley

could secure promotion to the Premier League later too.

Superleague leaders St Helens maintained their 100% record this

season, winning their eighth game in a row coming back with three late

tries to beat second-placed Castleford 30-28.

And Great Britain added two more gold medals to their tally at the

Paracycling Track World Championships in Mexico winning both

the men's and women's kilo time-trials. More on that in a

moment. But let's start with golf's first Major of the year, the

Masters. The 2012 Champion, Bubba Watson, has a three-shot lead at the

halfway stage of the tournament. It wasn't a great day for Rory McIlroy

though, who only just made the cut. Hazel Irvine is at the immaculate

Augusta National course for us with the details.

Yes, one of the great must see events in any sporting year, and

this was the look of the leaderboard heading into the weekend. And it was

Bubba Watson, trying to become only the 17th man in history to win the

green jacket twice after his victory in 2012. A three shot lead above

John Senden of Australia then came the Scandinavian challenge, Thomas

Bjorn and Jonas Blixt, and then the defending champion, Adam Scott.

Jordan Spieth giving a great account of himself in his first Masters.

Henrik Stenson is one over par. But so many in the mix here. Former PGA

champion, Mr Paul Azinger is with us. You speak from experience. What

is the difficulty of being a Major champion, having to try to replicate

the success, as Bubba Watson is trying to do? It can be tough and

challenging. There's a lot of demands on your time and sometimes

it is hard to say no, but you have to capitalise on the fact that you

are a Major champion. If you lose a little focus on your game and start

to focus on capitalising, monetarily, on what you have

accomplished, but Bubba Watson seems to have turned it around. A couple

of second places and a victory, and now a three shot lead. How'd you

like the look of the leaderboard going into the weekend? It's pretty

good seeing as there's no Tiger Woods. You have the future of golf

with Adam Scott, Jordan Spieth. The story is beginning to unfold. John

Senden in that last group with Bubba Watson, they are polar opposites.

John Senden is very steady, not a great part. Bubba Watson can

overpower a golf course. An unpolished player, never had a

lesson in his life, he's leading the Masters and has a chance to win it

for the second time. It's remarkable. What should we expect on

the third day? What changes out on the course? I think Saturday is more

difficult. It seems like the locations are more challenging. The

first two days, they were pretty tough. On Sunday, they saved the

whole locations and create all type of excitement. I just can't wait for

it to unfold. Yes, and it will unfold shortly, because we will be

on the air with highlights from the second round on BBC One. Then live

coverage of the third round, on BBC Two tonight, from 7:30pm. Tomorrow,

the all-important closing round. So, this weekend, staying in is the new

going out. Catch you later. I will definitely be watching. Let's move

from Georgia to Glasgow for the latest from the British Swimming

Championships. It's the final opportunity to qualify for this

summer's Commonwealth Games where it's hoped the sport can restore a

little pride after disappointing Olympics and World Championship

performances recently. Nick Hope reports.

Welcome to Glasgow where this week the fans and the athletes alike have

been getting a little taster of what to expect. Scotland's Olympic silver

medallist won here in the 200 metres. Mike Jamieson won't it all

his way over 100 metres because Ross Murdoch went quicker than him ahead

of the final. Fran Halsall is one of the strongest Commonwealth prospects

and she will go for gold in her 50 metres freestyle race later. Look

out for the former medallist George Davies of Wales in the hundred

metres backstroke final. -- Georgia Davies. There is live coverage from

6pm. 5live Sports Extra will also bring

you commentaries of this season's Women's Super League which starts on

Wednesday. There have been some changes to the set-up of the WSL

this year. Emily Croydon has more. The big new talking point has been

the introduction of Manchester City into the top flight. Like their male

counterparts, they have been investing heavily in the top talent.

They have signed for England internationals, including the new

England captain, Steph Horton. Manchester City want to do

everything properly, but we have to be realistic. It's our first season

together -- Steph Cowton. It is a new season, new staff, but we have

to take it as it comes and see how we go and progress, but the last two

months we have trained really well and prepared for season well. City

are not the only new team in the top division. Lincoln Ladies have moved

to Nottingham and will play as Notts County. But it is the introduction

of the second level that is the big change, which brings promotion and

relegation the first time since the creation of the league in 2011. It

all gets underway next week, and City's trip to play Liverpool is the

highlight. Great Britain claimed two golds and

a bronze at the Paracycling Track World Championships overnight. That

takes the team's haul at the midpoint of the competition to four

medals. With more details is our reporter in Mexico, David McDaid.

What a day it was here, two gold medals for Team GB and two world

records as well. First we saw Sophie Thornhill take nearly three seconds

off the previous record in the time trial in their first-ever event. To

think this is our first event at Maine Championships, win it, it's

still not really sunk in. Can't believe it at the moment. Neil

Fachie and Pete Mitchell got the first ever sub minute tandem time.

It's been very hard to break it, but it's very special, and we can

treasure it for ever. Jon-Allan Butterworth also took a medal in the

pursuit, and we could have more British medals to celebrate later

today, because Butterworth, Jody Cundy and Sarah Storey are all going

in their strongest events. Those Paracycling World

Championships are a good indicator of form with two years to go until

the Rio Games. And on Friday, it's the first round of the BMX

SuperCross World Cup which starts in Manchester and doubles up as a 2016

Olympic qualifying event. Liam Phillips finished eighth at the

London Games, but went on to become World Champion in 2013. He's been

speaking to Tim Hague. One of the highlights of the London

Olympics is coming back to Britain. The sport of BMX visits Manchester

for the World Cup. And the best male rider in the world will be there.

The champion of the world is Liam Phillips of Great Britain! Last year

was a remarkable season. It's the best season I've had for the

duration of my career, and I'm hopeful I can continue that, moving

forward. Obviously with the first World Cup being here, in my

backyard, that's a good place to start a season. It's only when you

are up here that you realise how intimidating the start of a BMX

races. Eight metres above the ground and plenty of jumps to keep you

occupied as well. It looks great fun, but it's not without danger.

And the only man to win a gold in Olympic BMX says he gets scared, so

you know it is frightening. When you are there in the final, all nervous,

you ask yourself, why am I doing this? Why do I need this? But when

the gate drops, you don't even think about it. You just forget about

everything. If somebody says they don't get nervous, they are lying.

We all do. It's just part of the sport, part of any sport. So, nerves

of steel are required, even for a double Olympic champion, but that

fear factor has not stopped many a youngster hopping onto a BMX. It's

one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, and Liam Phillips thinks he

knows why. I believe that there is not a better entry-level cycling

sport than BMX. It gives you everything you need. The kid gets to

12 or 13 and decides he wants to race on the track, or on the road,

or do any form of cycling, the grounding that BMX gives that kid is

second to none. In terms of numbers getting involved

on a weekly basis cycling is in Sport England's top three sports.

But when it comes to participation and inspiration, you can't get much

bigger than the London Marathon. Around 30,000 runners take to the

streets of the capital but the story of a teenager from Afghanistan's

decision to do so is a particularly emotional one. The story starts in

Helmand. It was the 20th of August, 2009, presidential election day. My

brother and I were riding in town, trying to go and see the election

process, and suddenly we got hit by a Taliban rocket, and I got hit in

the eye with shrapnel. I was unconscious, but I survived. My

brother didn't. He had a bigger piece of shrapnel go into his head.

This whole head was taken away. Very shocking. So...

This is Najeeb Afghan, and five years after tragedy struck him and

his family in Helmand. After a brief return to Afghanistan, the chance of

a scholarship in England to study for his A-levels presented itself.

He is now studying at Stowe School, and it's on this track where he

discovered his passion for running, breaking records in the

steeplechase, and now he has a target of completing the London

Marathon. His hard work and dedication have been a source of

inspiration for those here at school. We are terrifically proud of

him. He has really raised our global awareness of the issues in

Afghanistan. It is really powerful. And it brings home to us what is

going on there, which when it is something in the newspapers or on

the television doesn't quite convey the reality of being there on the

ground. Najeeb Afghan has set himself the ultimate test. His

athletics coach is someone who knows that the hard work and determination

he has put in will pay off during the marathon. I am absolutely full

of confidence that he will get around the court and complete the

marathon. I think he might be in for a bit of a surprise when he gets to

the 30 kilometre mark, but his only run up -- as any runner will tell

you, that doesn't really start till you've done 20 miles, but he is

determined and he brings that sort of attitude to his training in

particular, but to everything he does in his life. Najeeb Afghan will

take it all in his stride, but what would give him the greatest

satisfaction is completing the marathon and knowing that he has

helped other children in his situation. I can imagine myself

jumping into the, shouting, thank God, I am done, I have achieved this

-- into the air. I will be happy for the good cause, to get these

children's education. It will be amazing. Good luck to Najeeb and all

of the other runners. That's all for now. Goodbye.

Probably not seen as the most popular job.

When I say I hate them, I mean I hate them.

Who put that on it? Where's he gone?

If there's one thing that drives us all crazy... This is wrong!

..it's parking. Just take your heart out and leave it at home.

For some people, yellow lines are the end of life as we know it.

For heaven's sake, this is a Sussex village!