A thriller of a Sunday

It was an enthralling Sunday for sport buffs! The first Test of the Ashes series ended on an exciting note, the Formula One season crossed the halfway mark looking more like a serious competition rather than a dull cakewalk and the irresistible Tour de France went into its first off day promising more excitement.

There was something for everyone and action came in fast and furious from different parts of the world, including our own backyard where Muharraq scored two goals in injury time to beat Riffa and retain the prestigious Crown Prince Cup.

But first the Formula One. For a welcome change, controversy and chaos took a back seat and real racing was allowed to take centre stage. And Mark Webber made the most of it to claim his maiden Grand Prix victory after 130 races and eight years in the sport.

I'm not a great fan of Webber though I love Australia for its sporting ethos and friendly vibes. It has to do more with the Red Bull driver's attitude rather than his skill as a driver. He once famously doubted the abilities of newcomers in the sport (one Narain Karthikeyan in particular) by questioning if they knew where their rear view mirrors were.

But on Sunday, I was amazed to find myself backing Webber after the first corner incident when he bumped into Rubens Barrichello and lost the lead after having started from pole position. From that point on he was the underdog and I guess it was more to do with my affinity to back one that firmly put me behind the Aussie.

In the end, Webber deserved all credit for a truly inspired performance. He was not only challenged by his own teammate Sebastian Vettel and the Brawn GP cars, but also by nature (rain was forecast but luckily it did not come true) and the rules of the game.

But rain or shine, Webber went through the process without a fuss. He endured a drive-through penalty for the first corner incident, pitted three times and yet won by a massive nine seconds even after turning down his engine to save revs heading to the finish line.

This was far more entertaining stuff. The ebb and flow of Formula One was evident and action was ensured right till the very end. More importantly, this result has opened up the race for the driver's title at the right time and Webber himself has now become a serious contender.

Brawn GP's Jenson Button, who finished fifth, may still retain the lead with 68 points, 21 more than Vettel with eight races to go, but Webber has pushed himself past Barrichello, who finished sixth, into third place with 45.5 points, 1.5 points more than the Brazilian.

Barrichello was certainly the biggest loser of the day. He did all the right things at the right time - took the lead at the nasty first turn though he was bumped on the side by Webber, retained the lead for quite some time and looked well in control of himself and the race.

But the three-stop strategy, including the one which took close to 12 seconds, cost him the race, his team a podium spot and some hefty points too. The Brazilian was clearly let down by his team, not for the first time, and he did not mince words in making his disappointment clear.

"It was a good show from the team on how to lose a race," said the veteran. "I feel sorry for myself, the team. To be very honest, I wish I could get on the plane and go home. I don't want to talk to anyone in the team. It will be all 'bla, blah, bla,' and I don't want to hear that."

For Barrichello, however, this is nothing new. He was once famously ordered to let Michael Schumacher 'pass' during his Ferrari days and is now being forced to play second fiddle to Button.

The Tour de France proved equally exciting and looks poised for an even more thrilling finish. On Sunday, Pierrick Fedrigo of France pipped Franco Pellizotti of Italy at the finish to win the ninth stage. The race was so close that both the riders were credited with the same time but the former declared the winner on a technicality.

But the real action was not at the finish but in the middle of the pack where Italy's Rinaldo Nocentini still hangs on to the yellow jersey. But just about, as Alberto Contador is only six seconds behind with Lance Armstrong only two seconds further adrift.

Finally, to the first Ashes Test. Though it ended in a stalemate, the atmosphere towards the climax resembled that of a Test heading towards a tie.

With 40 minutes of the match remaining, a minimum of 69 balls, and England still six runs short of making Australia bat again and with the last pair at the crease, it was Test cricket at its best. It was so nerve-wrecking that I fumbled with my TV remote in a vain bid to make a phone call!