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Results Based News

Clarets seal top-flight return

Author: Rose Young
Date: 26/05/2009

Burnley will play in the top-flight of English football for the first time in 33 year after sealing a 1-0 Championship play-off final win over Sheffield United at Wembley.

The result, which brings with it an estimated 40million windfall, will almost certainly see the Clarets installed as betting favourites for the drop from the Premier League next term.

Despite being on the back foot from the kick-off, the Clarets scored against the run of play after 13 minutes.

Wade Elliott started and finished a swift move when he picked up the ball in his own half and ran at the heart of the Blades defence.

He played in Chris McCann, but when Matthew Kilgallon stopped the midfielder with a firm challenge, the ball broke to Elliott and he beat the despairing dive of Paddy Kenny with a superb shot from 22 yards out.

The Blades felt they should have been awarded a penalty moments later when Brian Howard appeared to be tripped by Graham Alexander, only for referee Mike Dean to wave play on.

Martin Paterson and Steven Thompson came close to doubling the lead before half-time, while the Blades were struggling to mount any serious attacks.

After the interval Nick Montgomery and Kyle Walker both made last-ditch interventions to prevent Burnley from earning a two-goal cushion, but still the side from Sheffield mustered little in reply.

United's misery was complete late on when Jamie Ward was sent off for two bookable offences, leaving the Clarets and their fans to celebrate a special day in the sun.

At tennis' French Open, the top two seeds in the men's draw made serene progress into round two, with Rafael Nadal seeing off Brazil's Marcos Daniel 7-5, 6-4, 6-3.

Roger Federer also made it through in straight sets, cruising past Spain's Albert Martin 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.

Italy's Simone Bolelli sprang the major surprise of the day as he beat 19th seed Tomas Berdych 6-4, 6-4, 5-7, 4-6, 6-3.

Seventeenth seed Stanislas Wawrinka narrowly avoided an early exit as he finally subdued Frenchman Nicolas Devilder 6-3, 5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4.

Women's top seed Dinara Safina breezed into round two, beating British number one Anne Keothavong without dropping a game, but third seed Venus Williams needed three sets to see off compatriot Bethany Mattek-Sands.

There was a major shock at the finals of Darts' Premier League as James Wade walked away with the title at the Wembley Arena.

Left-hander Wade saw off Raymond van Barneveld in the semi-finals, before beating Mervyn King 13-8 in the final to seal a 125,000 pay-day.

King had upset the applecart in the last four as he saw off reigning PDC World Champion Phil Taylor 10-6 in their semi-final.

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