Spanish Triple Delight

Sunday was a good day if you were a Spanish - Spain had triple successes in the world of sports on Sunday.

First, Rafael Nadal won the Rome Masters, beating archrival Roger Federer in a thrilling five setter. He equalled the record for most consecutive clay court victories - 5 - held by Guilerimo Vilas.

Second, Dani Pedrosa, "the 51kg kid genius from Barcelona" won his first MotoGP race at China, in his first season in the premier Queens category. He was the winner of the 250cc championship last year, and he has firmly answered all critics with this brilliant race. He achieved a hat-trick of successes - pole, fastest lap and victory - in yesterdays race.

Third, Fernando Alonso won the Spanish GP - the first Spanish to win at home in over 50 years - beating Michael Schumacher into second. He regained his 15 point lead in the championship, and has a total of 54 points from a maximum of 60.

It was that kind of a day, when even a Spanish cricket team could have hoped to beat Australia !!