Kevin Pietersen's Indian Premier League dreams dashed by Mumbai Indians

Opting to bat first in the first IPL semi-final at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, the Indians were lifted to a formidable 184 for five by superb batting performances from Saurabh Tiwary (52 not out), Ambati Rayudu (40) and an excellent cameo from Pollard (33).

The West Indies international then took three for 17 in his four overs as the Royal Challengers caved in and were restricted to 149 for nine in what eventually fizzled out into a one-sided game.

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The Royal Challengers initially gained the edge when Dale Steyn had Sachin Tendulkar caught by Ross Taylor in the second over for nine, his first single-figure score in the competition this year, and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan was then run out for 12.

Abhishek Nayar (22) and Rayudu, however, briefly arrested the slide and lifted the Indians' run rate with a flurry of boundaries which had the Royal Challengers rattled and left their side poised nicely on 54 for two at the end of the powerplay.

Captain Anil Kumble called the Royal Challengers into a huddle during the strategic time-out and, when they returned, Kumble brought himself and Pietersen on to bowl from either end.

Pietersen secured the breakthrough by removing Nayar and Kumble struck in his second over to scalp JP Duminy cheaply, and the Royal Challengers again had the advantage as the two spinners put the brakes on the scoring.

But Kumble slipped up when he brought on Virat Kohli in the 14th and Tiwary, who had joined Rayudu at Nayar's dismissal, immediately eased the pressure by hitting the part-time bowler for a six in an over which yielded 10.

Tiwary then cut loose and, with Rayudu chipping in nicely, the Indians easily wrested the initiative.

Rayudu fell after a 67-run stand with Tiwary, but his replacement Pollard smacked three sixes and a four in his 13-delivery stint as the Indians finished on a high.

The Indians carried the momentum into the second innings as Jacques Kallis (11), who had earlier conceded 25 from two overs, completed a forgettable match when he edged Lasith Malinga to wicketkeeper Rayudu.

Although several batsmen got starts thereafter, the Royal Challengers lost wickets regularly and were out of the contest long before the final delivery.

Pietersen (19) was castled by Harbhajan Singh in the bowler's first over immediately after fielding restrictions were relaxed.

Although Robin Uthappa (26) and Rahul Dravid (23), who had opened alongside Kallis, briefly kept the chase alive, their dismissals within the space of two deliveries pegged the Royal Challengers back.

Pollard, who had removed Uthappa in his first over, then had Kohli caught behind and it was all over bar the shouting.

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IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch's love and knowledge of sport was unsurpassed

Since my early teens, my life has been inextricably bound to sport, whether competitive, political or administrative. And there are two people to whom I owe an eternal debt of gratitude.

One was my father, who steered my career from its first tentative steps to an Olympic stadium. The other, Juan Antonio Samaranch, who left us on Wednesday, had an equally profound influence on a large part of my sporting landscape.

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In 1981 I was invited by Samaranch, who only a year earlier had become the International Olympic Committee's seventh president, to attend the Olympic congress in Baden Baden alongside a clutch of other competitors. As ever, with the sixth sense of a seasoned sailor seizing upon a changing wind – long before anyone else – he knew that the athlete had to be at the epicentre of the decisions being made on their behalf by sporting organisations.

Up until this point, although they were often the first thought, they were, in essence, the last consideration. As a sports leader, Samaranch was different. He knew instinctively that if the movement were to modernise, it could only do so by taking the athletes with him on that journey.

At the end of the conference I was asked to present a synthesis of our deliberations. Shortly afterwards, he announced the formation of the first Athletes' Commission – ostensibly made up from those of us in Baden Baden. Thomas Bach, Pal Schmitt and Kip Keino were among those who went on to reach the upper echelons of administrative sport in their own countries and the IOC. There were many more who now hold prominent positions in international federations and even government, who all owe those posts to the foresight of the Catalan. Within a few years, the Athletes' Commission was an integral part of most international federations.

Shortly after joining the Athletes' Commission I was appointed to the UK Sports Council and not, of course, without asking his opinion first – and he was always on hand and generous with his time.

It was this friendship that probably persuaded him to offer me a wild card after being dropped from the British team for the 1988 Games in Seoul. For understandable reasons, the British Olympic Association did not welcome this overture from Lausanne with unalloyed joy. In the end, I sat out the Games as a spectator.

At the Atlanta Games six years after I'd retired, buried in a political career and with less day-to-day contact with sport, he invited me to watch the 1500 metres final with him. At the end of the evening, he turned to me and, with a clipped command, announced he was leaving and that I should follow. We were ushered from the stadium and arrived at the basketball venue, the Georgia Dome, for the Dream Team v Yugoslavia final. At half-time, again he told me to follow. We disappeared into the bowels of the stadium, only to reappear on the apron of the court.

A few moments later, he presented Muhammad Ali with the gold medal that he supposedly threw away after winning the Olympic heavyweight crown in Rome, when refused service in a restaurant in his hometown. It was a moment I will never forget. In the car returning to the hotel, I asked him whose idea it was. He smiled and with clear pride said, "It was mine".

At the end of last summer, I sat with him in Spain. In his 90th year his grasp of not just international sport but the global condition was breathtaking. There was always that disarming moment when you thought you were imparting information that was fresh, only to be politely told that he'd known at least six months earlier. And you knew he did.

He had the rare quality of grasping granular detail but never letting it get in the way of the broader vision. He was quite simply the most intuitive politician I have ever met.

He pulled the movement together after the Moscow boycott and moulded it into the powerful global movement it is today – reducing dramatically the potential for further damage in the tit for tat boycott in Los Angeles and, again, holding the rings so astutely during the Seoul Games, staged in a country recognised by less than half the diplomatic world, which is testimony alone to that assertion.

But what many of his chroniclers miss was his sheer love and encyclopedic knowledge of sport. As a spectator his concentration was total. His knowledge of the current crop of competitors and their form was astonishing. And that was the same in almost every Olympic sport.

It will come as no surprise when I write that the first person I went to see after being appointed chairman of the London 2012 bid team was this man. "Of course you have to do it," he said impatiently. "You have a responsibility."

Then a short pause, "of course, you're not going to win". This was not the occasion to push my luck, particularly as Madrid were also in the running.

Just before our first Athletes' Commission meeting, nearly 30 years ago, he briefly addressed the group, "I want you all to challenge me, to challenge the movement and to challenge sport". Much has been written about his presidency, events chronicled and analysed. He led from the front and he unquestionably challenged us all. I shall miss him.

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NBA Playoffs results round-up

Results from 20 April 2010

Western Conference First Round:

Los Angeles Lakers (1) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (8)

A magnificent 39 point performance from Lakers’ star Kobe Bryant ensured Los Angeles came out on top in a very tense battle at the Staples Centre in front of a star-studded crowd. David Beckham, Kid Rock, Charlize Theron and Jack Nicholson were all in the crowd to see the Lakers win 95-92, which gives them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Thunder power forward Jeff Green missed a three-point attempt at the buzzer that would have taken the game to overtime but it was an encouraging performance by the young team led by small forward Kevin Durant who had 32 points. Spanish power forward Pau Gasol was also influential for the Lakers as he recorded his second double-double of the series with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

Next match: Thursday 22nd April

Phoenix Suns (3) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (6)

Jason Richardson hit four three-pointers in his 29 points as the Phoenix Suns thrashed the Trail Blazers to draw the series level at 1-1. The Suns won every quarter in a dominating 119-90 win with Canadian points guard Steve Nash dishing out 16 assists. Veterans Andre Miller and Marcus Camby were crucial in the Blazers win over the Suns on Sunday but combined for just 18 points last night as the Phoenix ran them ragged. Power forward Amare Stoudemire (18 points) and small forward Grant Hill (20 points) ably assisted Richardson and Nash as the Suns cruised to victory.

Next match: Thursday 22nd April

Eastern Conference First Round:

Boston Celtics (4) vs. Miami Heat (5)

Celtics star Ray Allen was on fire as Boston destroyed the Miami Heat to take a 2-0 lead in the best of seven series. Allen scored on nine of his 11 field goal attempts, including seven three-pointers as he led the Celtics with 25 points. Boston were without suspended power forward Kevin Garnett but Glen Davis filled in brilliantly for the former MVP with 23 points and eight rebounds. Not even 29 points from All Star Dwyane Wade kept the Heat close as they were beaten 106-77.

Next match: Friday 23rd April

Atlanta Hawks (3) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (6)

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Schmeichel: Froch v Kessler is the Super Six Series decider

Carl Froch's showdown with Mikkel Kessler will decide who wins the Super Six Series, claims Peter Schmeichel.

Andre Dirrell and Arthur Abraham may have something to say about the comments from Schmeichel, who is presenting Danish TV's coverage of the fight, but Froch v Kessler is the fight everyone has been looking forward to since the Super Six began.

Saturday's contest, which is exclusively live on Primetime, is finely balanced as the current WBC super-middleweight champ Froch takes on the former holder of the crown in Kessler.

Kessler's stock may have fallen since he faced Joe Calzaghe in their unification clash in November 2007 and the Dane is coming off a shock loss to Andre Ward.

But he has the plus of home advantage and the fight will take place in front of several thousand screaming Danes in Herning.

The unbeaten Froch, who despite being a year older than Kessler is much the fresher fighter, was unhappy about having to fight in Herning, which is the Danish equivalent of Kettering, and hard for his fans to reach.

His travel plans were also affected by the volcanic dust cloud and he finally arrived in Denmark today - four days later than he had originally planned.

That aside, everything else has gone like clockwork for Froch, who, like our other champions Amir Khan and David Haye, likes to put on a show for the fans.

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Lens to let Dindane play final

Lens president Gervais Martel has confirmed the club will allow Aruna Dindane to play for Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, for the sake of the on-loan striker.

Dindane has become a regular for Pompey since arriving on a season-long loan in August but should he play another match it would trigger a clause requiring them to pay £4million to Lens.

The cash-stricken club can ill afford that sum and Martel has suggested Lens could now waive that fee.

Lens confirmed on their website that they have decided to allow Dindane to play for Portsmouth in the final against Chelsea, while the Ivory Coast striker could also feature in their final three Barclays Premier League games against Bolton, Wolves and Everton.

Martel added on www.rclens.fr: "There remains some problems to sort out with the English club. But I gave priority above all to the human aspect.

"I couldn't prevent the player from preparing for the Cup final against Chelsea. And moreover, above and beyond this final, there is also the next World Cup for him with his country the Ivory Coast.

"It was impossible to deprive him of a possible World Cup call-up. I couldn't block the player because of difficult discussions between Portsmouth and Lens."

The 29-year-old earned the penalty which Kevin-Prince Boateng scored to book Pompey's place in next month's FA Cup final with victory over Tottenham at Wembley.

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Tour of Britain is 'toughest yet'

Edvald Boasson Hagen dominated last year's Tour of Britain. The 2010 race will visit several established venues for The Tour of Britain, but also takes-in several regions and venues for the first time, venturing into Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and revisiting Wales for the first time since the race's revival in 2004.

The two West Country stages would appear likely to sort out the potential winners and riders face massive, tiring, transfer after the second of these having to get from Glastonbury at the finish of stage five to King's Lynn in distant Norfolk for the start of the following day's stage.

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"This year's event sees The Tour of Britain race into several new regional venues, and for the first time ever we will have two stages take place in the East of England region, bringing the race to new audiences in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex," says Mick Bennett, Technical Director of The Tour of Britain.

"We are delighted to be bringing the race back into Wales this year and look forward to a tough stage into Swansea this year. On the way from the Grand Depart to the final stage in London, riders will face tough routes and intense competition, while taking in some breathtaking views of our wonderful country.

The race this year will feature 16 top professional international teams, including Team Sky, over a route designed to deliver a worthy overall winner to join the ranks of previous yellow jerseys such as Edvald Boasson Hagen, Geoffroy Lequatre, Romain Feillu and Nick Nuyens.

Tour of Britain route

Sept 11, stage one: Rochdale-Blackpool 126km
Sept 12, stage two: Stoke-on-Trent-Stoke-on-Trent 160km
Sept 13, stage three: Newton-Swansea 150km
Sept 14, stage four: Minehead-Teignmouth 171km
Sept 15, stage five: Tavistock-Glastonbury 176km
Sept 16, stage six: King’s Lynn-Great Yarmouth 189km
Sept 17, stage seven: Bury St Edmunds-Colchester 151km
Sept 18, stage eight: The TfL London Stage 100km

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Inter Milan 3 Barcelona 1: match report

So Barcelona do have an affliction: travel sickness. In deference to the Icelandic volcano, the Catalan all-stars had embarked on a two-day coach trek just to reach the San Siro and, in the wake of a remarkable Champions League defeat that recast the order of Europe’s football powers, they were no doubt hoping that Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan would be forced to do the same in two weeks’ time.

This was a stunning result for Mourinho, all the more so given that his players had failed to score against Barcelona in three previous attempts and had gone a goal down again last night.

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But galvanised by dynamos including Diego Milito, Maicon and the irrepressible Wesley Sneijder, they not only cancelled out Pedro Rodriguez’s opener but glimpsed an opportunity to complete the task at the Nou Camp and advance to the most unlikely final in Madrid.

Truth be told, Barcelona did not have to endure the greatest hardship en route to Lombardy, travelling by luxury coach and staying overnight in Cannes.

Indeed, Mourinho, in the all-conquering mindset that comes with snuffing out the lethal threat of Lionel Messi, would no doubt gladly walk his way to the return leg.

Barcelona’s passing sequences were just as exquisite as those that unravelled Arsenal in the first leg of a rivetingly one-sided quarter-final, but Inter Milan’s doughty defence refused to be so exposed.

Anchored by the formidable Lucio, the Inter back line absorbed the early running of Maxwell and Dani Alves, those tireless full-backs, with relative ease – at least until they were taught a salutary lesson in how to turn defence into attack before the average player could blink.

Pep Guardiola’s master craftsmen are so far above average that it is a great surprise, after Inter’s fine win, that their bid to be the first team since Arrigo Saachi’s Milan to win consecutive European titles is in doubt.

Surely, their profound recent impact on the continental stage demands nothing less. Even if their form did not last, they demonstrated their full capacity to achieve their ambition in the construction of the first goal, winning the ball high up the pitch before Maxwell darted down on a devilish run to the by-line.

Espying the unmarked Pedro to his right, the left-back found the perfect weight for the pass, but questions surrounded the role of Maicon as the Brazilian was caught horribly out of position.

Pedro was quick to exploit his freedom, angling a finish beyond Julio Cesar with an aplomb that befitted one of Barcelona’s least heralded performers.

He might be barely mentioned in the same breath as Messi but already the striker has contributed 20 goals for the blaugrana this season, in six different competitions.

Thoughts of a seamless passage to Madrid proved premature, however. Milito served notice that Inter would not be cowed with an instant riposte, pouncing on a cross from Sneijder but sliding his shot inches wide of Victor Valdes’ far post.

At least he fared better than Lucio, who underlined his status as a natural centre-back with one particularly wretched header.

The Inter pressure was gradually gathering, and the breakthrough fashioned by Sneijder, such an inventive presence behind the front two, fully merited.

The Dutchman has often been likened to David Beckham for the range of his passing but he proved his forward’s instincts last night, sidefooting past Valdes after Eto’o’s scuffed cross had been touched on by Milito.

Immediately he turned to the San Siro’s seething 70,000-plus crowd in salute but there was a sense of a comeback only just beginning.

Barcelona were rattled, as Sergio Busquets hinted by throwing the ball away even when his own side had won a free-kick. Tellingly, Mourinho was in the dug-out long before the second half started, satisfied that the briefest team talk would suffice after such an auspicious Inter performance.

His air of serenity, always ominous for his opponents, was soon explained as Maicon, the fall guy in Pedro’s strike, atoned spectacularly.

The move had opened with the unusual event of Messi being dispossessed and the brutish right-back was emphatic in ending it, controlling an awkwardly bouncing ball from Milito to stab his shot beyond Valdes’ clutches.

The upset was on, and Milito, the temperamental Argentine who had squandered a raft of chances, confirmed it when he surged clear of Barcelona’s punch-drunk defence to head in the third. Suspicions of offside will only enrage the Catalans as they look to repair the damage done by this game.

Messi was conspicuous by his absence from the plot, an omission he almost corrected when he unleashed a wickedly swerving free-kick that Julio Cesar did well to repel. But there was to be no place for his magic.

Barcelona were denied an apparent penalty when Sneijder raked the heels of Dani Alves but for the scoreline they had only their curious listlessness to blame. Their journey home would take another 16 hours and this time they would feel every second of it.

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Carl Froch to be flown to Denmark by private jet to make world title fight with Mikkel Kessler

Carl Froch is set to be flown to Denmark by private jet today - to ensure Saturday's world title fight with Mikkel Kessler goes ahead.

That should beat the threat posed to commercial flights by volcanic ash.

And the result could be explosive as the Nottingham fighter bids to ram taunts down the throats of the Dane's followers.

Froch had earlier taken a strict "no flight, no fight" stance yesterday.

Before his emergency travel arrangements were confirmed last night, Kessler's promoter Kalle Sauerland said: "I do not care if he puts himself into a car, on a ferry, in a submarine or a helicopter.

"There are several ways to come into Denmark from England. Perhaps he wants a way to get out of the fight because he knows that he has no chances against Kessler and the 10,000 fans in Herning."

Wbc super-middleweight champion Froch hopes to arrive in north Germany or Denmark this afternoon, after admitting earlier yesterday the fight would be off if his scheduled flight tomorrow from London Stansted was cancelled.

Froch was refusing to travel by car and ferry if his Ryanair flight did not take off due to Iceland's Eyjafjallajokul eruption that has grounded flights in northern Europe.

Froch, 32, was due to arrive in the remote Danish town of Herning on Saturday, and then had a rearranged flight today also cancelled.

The Nottingham fighter insisted he would not be left fit to box if he was forced to make a marathon journey by road and sea to get to Scandinavia to face local hero Kessler in the third defence of his world title.

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RON SHOWS WENBO THE WAY OUT

By Trevor Baxter20/04/2010

Liang Wenbo lost his way on and off the table yesterday with Ronnie O'Sullivan now poised to show his Sheffield rival the Crucible Theatre exit door this afternoon.

The Chinese cueman took a wrong turn backstage on his way in to the arena for a repeat of their 2008 Betfred World Championship quarterfinal.

After a promising start against the World No.1 and title favourite, 23-year-old Wenbo went off course in a one-sided first round encounter.

'Rocket' Ron, playing for a meeting against China Open winner Mark Williams or Scotland's Marcus Campbell, resumes this afternoon with a 7-2 lead.

He needs just three frames to reach the last 16.

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Lewis Hamilton: Jenson Button leads Formula One title race after taking 'easy route'

Lewis Hamilton insists his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button leads the driver's standings because he has made life easier for himself. However, the 25 year-old is confident that the tables will soon turn and says he is proud of the way he has stayed in touch with his team-mate despite various qualifying setbacks and team errors.

Button led home a McLaren one-two at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday, making what turned out to be an inspired decision not to pit early when others, including Hamilton, switched their dry tyres for intermediates.

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It was the second time in a month, following the Australian Grand Prix three weeks ago, that Button, 30, had stolen a march on his younger compatriot.

Nevertheless, Hamilton, 25, feels he has raced superbly in the four races so far this year – making 32 overtaking manoeuvres, 12 of them in China alone, to Button's seven – and has only been let down by his qualifying pace and team mistakes.

"I feel I have had great races but Jenson has taken the right decisions and taken the easier route," Hamilton said. "I have had the harder route and got good results but hopefully soon I will take the easier route and it will be a lot easier."

Of course, Hamilton was not suggesting that his McLaren team-mate has had it easy – clearly if it was so straightforward everyone would have made the same race-winning tyre calls – merely that he has not yet enjoyed the rub of the green.

Nevertheless, he finds himself just 11 points behind Button going into the European season and says everything between them is going swimmingly.

"The good thing with me and Jenson is that we clearly want to beat each other but Jenson is very smart and does not have that too aggressive flair in him and neither have I," Hamilton said.

"I'm not surprised he has settled so quickly. There was a lot of stuff about him joining my team and I would be favoured ... the team just embrace the drivers, they want us both to win.

"They did absolutely everything to get him up to speed and feel comfortable. They did the same for me in 2007.

"I am really happy for him. He did a better job and I am sure that when the tables turn, as they will, it will the same for me."

Neither Hamilton nor Button is being beset by the travel problems afflicting the 1,000-plus members of the F1 travelling circus in Shanghai.

As desperate mechanics, chefs, engineers and journalists tried to plot a route home on Monday after travel plans were compromised by the Icelandic dust clouds, Hamilton jetted to South Africa for a sponsorship trip accompanied by his mother, with whom he is then going on safari, while Button flew to Thailand for a holiday with his girlfriend.

"It's the best time of my life, so far. You can write that as big as you want," said Button, who paid tribute to his team-mate.

"I think we're both dong a fantastic job. It's good to have a team-mate who's so competitive. The guy will never give up. He's like a pitbull."

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HENDRY SHADES THRILLER

Stephen Hendry rolled back the years in Sheffield last night to avoid one of his worst-ever defeats.

The 41-year-old Scot trailed little-known Chinese newcomer Anda Zhang 9-7 at the Betfred World Championship in Sheffield.

But the seven-times Crucible king stayed on cue to become Hendry the Eighth with a brilliant finish to win 10-9. He snatched the last three frames to join defending champion John Higgins in the last 16.

However, 18-year-old Zhang, nicknamed 'Mighty Mouse', will rue a missed opportunity to claim the scalp of the sport's most prolific winner. The 5ft 3in World Championship novice recovered from 4-0 and 7-5 down to snatch the lead.

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Liverpool 3 West Ham United 0: match report

Liverpool's journey to Madrid will be far more taxing than this leisurely stroll through West Ham United’s defence, which obligingly parted three times to allow goals for Yossi Benayoun, David Ngog and a rebound in off the unfortunate Robert Green.

In stark contrast to their lively support, West Ham’s lack of fight was alarming as they remain in 17th position, only three points above Hull City, who play their game against Aston Villa tomorrow. West Ham remain in peril, although at least their goal difference is markedly superior to Hull’s.

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West Ham had no one in the class of Steven Gerrard, who ran the game until leaving to a standing ovation, and whose set-pieces triggered carnage in the visitors’ defence. Liverpool’s captain seemed a man on a hurry, as if he had a train to catch, which he actually does today.

Such was Liverpool’s early control, the hosts cruising into a two-goal lead, that they could have left even earlier for Madrid. Despite their team’s very obvious travails, the West Ham supporters were at least in good voice, taunting the Kop with chants of “Thursday night, Channel Five’’, although they could easily have added “Tuesday night, Channel Tunnel’’.

Liverpool’s complicated journey to Madrid seems to involve everything but the ferry across the Mersey, and it seemed slightly cruel to stage stop-overs in London and Paris, two cities where they have experienced such joy in the European Cup.

Ignoring the West Ham jibes, Liverpool let their football do the talking. Benayoun was really in the mood, taking the game time and again to his old team, doubtless stirred by some of the ribald chants coming his way, scoring early. When Steven Gerrard swung over a free-kick from the right, West Ham’s defence froze, allowing Benayoun to glide in and score via his midriff.

For those West Ham supporters who had questioned Benayoun’s occasional stomach for the fight, here was the most ironic of responses.

Sadly for West Ham, Zola’s defence lacked the defiance of their supporters and the visitors almost fell further behind from another chaos-bringing set-piece. This time it was a corner from the right, driven in by Gerrard, perfectly measured to pick out Sotirios Kyrgiakos. Somehow, he managed to head the ball down and over the bar.

Beware Greeks wasting gifts? Liverpool swiftly recovered from the centre-half’s aberration, extending their lead through a fine, quick-passing move. Benayoun was again involved, darting through the middle before intelligently switching the ball

right to Maxi Rodríguez. The Argentine’s cross was immaculate, swept into the box where Ngog deftly re-directed it first time past Green.

In front of the watching Ray Clemence, and in the wake of good reviews for David James against Aston Villa, Green picked a bad moment to falter. However much he was let down again by his sluggish defenders, West Ham’s England keeper reacted too slowly to Ngog’s finish.

West Ham tried to respond, tried to give their fans some reward for their devotion, something to remember on the tortuous journey back down the cone-zone that is the M6. Carlton Cole, who was being watched by Franco Baldini, embarked on a typical muscular charge through the middle, Liverpool players bouncing off him, before he shot wide.

Badly missing the suspended Scott Parker, West Ham’s midfield lacked real bite and Gerrard drove through the middle almost at will. When space really opened up just before the interval, Dirk Kuyt tried his luck from 30 yards, bringing a sprawling save from Green.

West Ham were so disappointing, so tame. Arguably the best touch from a visitor in the first half came from Zola, the Italian neatly controlling a loose ball as it hurtled out for a throw near the tunnel.

Zola had little choice but to gamble at the break sending on another striker, attempting to pose Liverpool some semblance of a threat. He removed his right-winger, Junior Stanislas, and sent on Guillermo Franco, who ran around, soon colliding with Pepe Reina. Franco was often involved, soon lifting a long pass towards Cole on the right only for Glen Johnson to intercept.

After this brief flurry of action from West Ham, the game settled back into its earlier rhythm. Liverpool were dominant, adding a third just before the hour mark from more dead-ball mayhem. When Gerrard whipped over another free-kick, Kyrgiakos diverted the ball goalwards, it hit the post and rebounded in off the luckless Green.

West Ham finally remembered the art of defending when Gerrard came raiding into the box, being denied only by a block from Manuel da Costa.

West Ham woke up, piecing together a quick attack, bringing Cole one-on-one with Reina. It was an unequal contest, Reina spreading himself and saving with ease at an Anfield Road End that was far from full. For all the talk of a fans’ protest, it appeared that the empty seats were a result of Liverpool’s Scandinavian and Irish fan clubs being unable to travel.

The Kop was full but quiet and the only real noise emanated from the West Ham section. “4-3, we’re going to win 4-3’’ they chanted, breaking off from a lengthy version of the Hokey Cokey.

Keen to shake it up, Zola sent on Benni McCarthy for Cole. Rafa Benitez made a substitution that will have doubtless pleased Baldini, removing Gerrard, who departed to a standing ovation after tenderly tying the armband around Jamie Carragher’s left bicep. Some of Gerrard’s passing and turning had been superb and Liverpool briefly lost some of their zest. Rodríguez sought to raise the tempo again with a powerful shot that Green clutched at the second attempt.

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Edwin Valero hangs himself in police cell after arrest on suspicion of killing his wife

Edwin Valero has hanged himself in a police cell less than 48 hours after his arrest on suspicion of stabbing his wife to death. The 28 year-old was detained on Sunday on suspicion of murdering his wife Jennifer, 24, after police found her body in a hotel room in Valencia, Venezuela. The boxer left the hotel room around dawn on Sunday and allegedly told security he had killed his wife as he left the hotel. They had two children together.

The fighter, who won all 27 of his professional contests by knockout, was a household name in Venezuela and had a huge image of President Chavez tattooed on his chest, alongside the country's yellow, blue and red flag. Valero had been lionised by Chavez supporters as a national hero.

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There had been warning signs for some time. The former World Boxing Association super-featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had been in trouble with the law before. He was banned from driving in the United States and, last month, was charged with harassing his wife and threatening medical personnel who treated her at a hospital in the western city of Merida.

Police had arrested Valero following an argument with a doctor and nurse at the hospital, where his wife was being treated for a series of injuries, including a punctured lung and broken ribs. His wife had told police the injuries were from a fall.

Valero was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2001 which caused a cerebral haemorrhage, and because most jurisdictions refuse to license a fighter who has sustained a brain injury, he was unable to fight in the United States. He wound up fighting mainly in Japan and Latin America, where he won his first title in 2006.

Carl Froch is determined to make it to Denmark this week in preparation for his Super Six fight with Mikkel Kessler on Saturday, despite the volcanic ash disruption. The undefeated WBC super-middleweight champion's route is likely to be a combination of sea, land and even possibly air to get to Herning in Denmark where the fight is taking place.

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London to stage 2011 Badminton World Championships

Fresh doubts, as revealed by The Daily Telegraph, were raised by the Badminton World Federation in December over the long journey times from the Olympic park, despite athletes being offered hotel rooms and training venues close to the venue for the duration of the tournament.

Badminton England understandably wants to use the World Championships as a test event ahead of the Olympics but has been unable to persuade the BWF to make a decision so that further planning can be put into action. The International Olympic Committee will have the final say on the matter next month.

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Brian Davis on the rise

Brian Davis moved into second place at the Verizon Heritage in South Carolina.

The Englishman shot a third round of 66 to move to 10 under par, one shot behind American leader Jim Furyk.

Luke Donald, who carded a 67, is one of seven players a shot further back, but joint halfway leader Greg Owen slipped back to a tie for 24th after a disappointing 73.

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Hill scales crash blow

Tommy Hill brushed aside a 130mph crash to take pole position for the British Superbike championship second round at Thruxton today.

The series leader from Surrey set the fastest bike lap on the 2.356mile circuit after suffering severe bruising in the practice crash. He said: "The boys did a great job to get the bike fit enough."

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Rafael Nadal makes it six in a row at Monte Carlo Masters

"I'm so sorry, Fernando," Nadal said in his champion's speech during the post-match ceremonies, having just demolished his countryman 6-0, 6-1, coming close to what would have been the first 'double bagel' victory of his international career. So polite with a microphone, Nadal has been a brute with his racket, every one of those whippy forehands loaded with topspin and menace.

On the Cote d'Azur, at his favourite tournament, this was the old Rafa, the player who won four consecutive French Opens until his unexpected defeat last season, the man who once went undefeated on the scorched earth for 81 matches.

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In Nadal's opinion, this was the best week of tennis he has produced in a long time, "and the results, they have been unreal", as he dropped a total of just 14 games from his five matches at this Masters-level tournament.

Since Prince Albert succeeded his father in 2005, he has only presented the trophy to one man. It was an emotional day for Nadal, as he won his first singles title since his victory at Rome's Foro Italico last May, and became the first man to score six trophies on the Riviera since an Englishman, Reggie Doherty, more than a century ago.

This tournament is just the start of the clay-court season, and the French Open does not begin in Paris for more than a month yet, but already thoughts are turning to Roland Garros. If Nadal plays like this, he will win the Coupe des Mousquetaires, having experienced defeat in Paris for the first time last season when he lost to Sweden's Robin Soderling in the fourth round. Roger Federer, beware.

Verdasco, on his first appearance in a Monaco final, was perhaps fortunate to have got on the scoreboard at all with that hold of serve at the beginning of the second set, as Nadal had break points in that game that he did not convert. For Verdasco to have had any chance of defeating Nadal, he would have needed to have been playing the best tennis of his life, to have been striking everything off the sweet-spot. And Verdasco plainly wasn't. Even his forehand, which is supposedly his best shot, was malfunctioning, with a number of his strokes landing halfway up the net.

After Verdasco was broken for the first time in the second set, to go 1-2 down, he walked back to his chair while waving both arms, which appeared to be an impression of a bird flapping his wings. Not long after that 'birdie of desperation', Verdasco performed a 'teapot of exasperation', placing his hands on his hips, and then, after he had just lashed a forehand into the net to drop serve once more, the crowd whistled at him.

In all, Verdasco made 32 unforced errors on one of the most excruciating afternoons of his professional life. Verdasco had lost his previous nine matches against his friend, his countryman and his fellow leftie: the 10th defeat was worse than anything that had come before.

Nadal, who missed the 2004 tournament with injury, has not lost here since 2003, when he was 16. This victory extended his undefeated run in Monaco to 32 matches. An astonishing week of clay-court tennis.

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Chinese Grand Prix: Mercedes stand behind off-the-pace Michael Schumacher

Let down: Michael Schumacher in the aftermath of his 10th-place finish in ChinaPhoto: EPA

After what the 41 year-old termed a "frustrating" weekend, culminating in his 10th place in Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix, more than a few paddock-goers were enjoying some schadenfreude at the German's expense.

Mercedes motorsport vice-president Norbert Haug moved to batten down the hatches, describing the seven-time champion as "an institution" and suggesting there might have been something wrong with his car. "Give us a chance to look at that and we can come up with a good explanation," Haug said. Time, though, is a currency in short supply as far as Schumacher is concerned.

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He has now been out-qualified and outperformed by his team-mate Nico Rosberg, who moved to second in the championship with his third place yesterday, in every race so far this season and the prevailing mood is turning from intrigue to pity.

Funnily enough, there was much to enjoy in Schumacher's performance yesterday. He showed he still enjoys a racer's instinct – his early duel with the much faster McLaren of Lewis Hamilton was particularly thrilling – and it looked for a time as if he would claim eighth place, an improvement on his starting position of ninth, only for Red Bull's Mark Webber and Ferrari's Felipe Massa to pass him late on.

But a bad decision to switch to intermediates early in the race cost him, and it was clear he struggled with the car's set-up all weekend.

"It is one of those races that you call frustrating," he said. "All weekend it didn't work out for myself. There were some good emotions. I had a nice battle with Lewis at some point, some nice kissing to each other. But there were too many bad emotions."

The final insult came when Hamilton was asked if his duel with Schumacher, a winner of 91 grands prix, had been a highlight for him. "Jenson says 'tell the truth'," Hamilton replied coolly. "The truth is it's just as exciting racing with any other driver." The aura has now slipped beyond doubt.

Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said it would be wrong to read too much into yesterday's results. Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber placed sixth and eighth respectively, having locked out the front row in qualifying, and the Australian admitted his team were "blown away" by the pace of the two McLaren cars and struggled in the wet.

Horner, though, said he was confident the speed was still there. "I think you can't read too much into today. Yesterday

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Returning Jo Pavey delighted with second place finish in Great Ireland run

Jo Pavey was thrilled with her second-place finish on her first competitive race since becoming a mother at the SPAR Great Ireland Run today.

Pavey, who gave birth to son Jacob last September, had planned to make her international comeback at next month's BUPA Great Manchester Run, but stepped in as a replacement when European cross country champion Hayley Yelling-Higham withdrew due to illness.

The 36-year-old may have not matched the strength of Scot Freya Murray, who powered away in the final 2.5 kilometres of the 10 kilometres race to win by 15 seconds, but she was delighted with her display on her return to racing.

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YE Yang a winner again as sees off two Welshmen to claim victory in China Open

US PGA champion YE Yang needed just two final-round birdies to win the Volvo China Open by two shots at a damp Jinji Lake International Golf Club.

Yang, 38, held a one-shot overnight lead but a battling one-under-par final round of 71 was enough to top the leaderboard at 15 under ahead of Challenge Tour graduate Rhys Davies and former champion Stephen Dodd.

Yang went 50 holes from Friday afternoon without dropping a shot, although the Korean was denied a bogey-free last round on the final green after finding sand off the tee.

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Torres out for the season

Fernando Torres

Sunday April 18,2010

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after it was confirmed he would undergo surgery on his troublesome knee injury on Sunday night.

The procedure will rule the 26-year-old out of action for around six weeks, meaning he will miss not only the Barclays Premier League run in but also the remainder of the club's Europa League campaign, which continues this week with a semi-final against Torres' former club Atletico Madrid.

"Fernando saw a specialist in Spain earlier today and it was decided that he would need surgery on a torn cartilage in his right knee," a Liverpool spokesman told the club's official website on Sunday.

"This will be carried out later tonight.

"We cannot comment ahead of the operation, but as a guide, the usual rehabilitation period for this type of procedure is around six weeks."

The news will also cast a shadow over Spain's preparations for the World Cup, with Torres a key element of the European champions' set-up for the tournament which gets under way in just over seven weeks.

Coach Vicente del Bosque will almost certainly gamble on the fitness of his star striker when he has to finalise his final 23-man squad, with Spain's first game in the tournament not until June 16 - around two and a half weeks after Torres' projected return date.

Torres' knee problem forced him to miss last weekend's goalless draw against Fulham as he flew to Barcelona to see Dr Ramon Cugat, the surgeon who operated on him in January when he was struck by a similar problem.

As recently as Friday, Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was hopeful Torres would play some part in Monday's league encounter with West Ham or Thursday's first leg against Atletico.

The loss of Torres could sound the death knell on Liverpool's fading chances of claiming a fourth-place finish in the Premier League which put them into the Champions League next season, with the Reds having dropped to seventh in the standings after this weekend's fixtures, eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

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Snooker: Mark Selby sends champion message to Ronnie O'Sullivan

Selby earned himself an early finish with a 10-4 win over 1997 champion Ken Doherty at the Betfred.com World Championship.

And after a near-faultless display, Selby, 26, will fear no one at the Crucible as he looks to go one better than his 2007 appearance in the final.

In January, Selby pulled off a magnificent comeback to claim a second Masters crown at Wembley, winning the last four frames.

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The London Marathon is proving expensive

It's for a good cause: sponsoring friends competing in the London Marathon can be a costly affair

Amid all this argy-bargy about how to fix the economy and put a few coppers back in our collective pockets, may I make a plea for whichever party prevails to sort out the latest stealth tax? I refer, of course, to the huge amounts I’m having to shell out to friends and acquaintances participating in this year’s London Marathon. Virtually my entire address book seems to be running it this year, and each fresh appeal for sponsorship involves a particularly deserving cause. What’s more, my friends’ entreaties leave me in no doubt as to what’s expected, and it doesn’t leave any change out of 50 quid.

The culprit, I suspect, is Eddie Izzard. Anyone who watched the recent documentary in which Britain’s most celebrated cross-dresser completed 43 marathons in 45 days (or was it the other way round?) can be in no doubt that running for charity, once the province of the seasoned athlete, is now an acceptable pastime for middle-class dilettantes. And damned expensive it’s proving, too.

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The first to catch me unawares was an old mate who emailed out of the blue last month. Zoe is an actress of uncertain years with two children, a fondness for Tunnock’s Teacakes and a long-standing condition she alludes to as “a poorly groin”. The only time I’d seen her break into anything resembling a run was when she thought she was going to miss out on the promotional Twixes being distributed outside our local Tube station.

Yet this email announced her participation in this year’s marathon, and went on to express the hope that “I’d dig deep for an old mate”. Her round-robin may have been larkiness itself, couched in the “Oh my goodness, I’m sure I’ll need an iron lung at the end of it” faux-gaucheness of the occasional jogger: but this was no haphazard appeal. On the contrary, her correspondence was highly sophisticated, complete with estimated finishing times and mission statements from her chosen beneficiaries.

That was only the start. The following week, I saw Colin at a party. I should have seen the warning signs – the mineral water in place of the pint, the glowing complexion, the self-righteous smirk. Within seconds, he’d happened to mention that he too was running in this year’s marathon, and five minutes later I was another 30 quid down.

Like Zoe, Colin had gone digital. No longer the dog-eared sponsorship form, produced sheepishly from a back pocket. A simple scrawled promise to offer up 50p per completed mile was no longer enough. Now I had to use my BlackBerry to log on to some specialist website called JustGiving.com while he stood over me with a beatific smile.

With a week still to go, I’ve now been tapped up by so many friends and colleagues that I’m thinking of applying for an emergency loan from the IMF to get me through. And with such vast sums being transferred, even before the starting gun has been fired, the question I want answering is, what happens if they don’t complete the course? Do I get my money back? And how will I ever know?

Of course, I could always go down to the finishing line next Sunday with a stopwatch and a camera, just to check for myself. But, sadly, that won’t be possible. Not that I’ve got anything else on; it’s just that I can no longer afford the Tube fare.

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Chinese Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton and father 'lose contact' over split

No smiles: Lewis Hamilton admits difficulties in his relationship with his father. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix, where he is accompanied by his mother Carmen, the McLaren driver said the decision to part ways with his father after 20 intense years together in motorsport was still raw.

“I don’t remember the last time I spoke with him but not for a couple of weeks,” Hamilton said. “I don’t think there’s any friction but it’s not all smiles and happiness. It’s a big change so it affects all of us. “We might exchange a message every now and then but we don’t have too much to discuss at the moment.”

Although it was originally claimed the split had been decided jointly, with Anthony wishing to concentrate on other interests, Hamilton has admitted the timing had been his call.

And although the 2008 world champion did not go so far as to say they have had a row, it appears the strain is taking its toll, with Anthony understood to be upset.

“Well, we’ve been racing together for many, many years so for him not to be coming to races any more, for sure, it’s a big transition,” he said.

“But he has more space and time to focus on his projects. I’m sure he will come to a race later in the season.”

Hamilton’s mother, who had been helping him house-hunt in Zurich last week and is joining him on safari in South Africa following some sponsorship commitments, said her son was in good spirits.

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Why the Tiger Woods scandal will help Lee Westwood win a major

Lee Westwood insists he is on the brink of major glory, despite thedisappointment of yet another tale of what might have been at theMasters.

And the man he believes will give him the edge over Tiger Woods andthe rest of the field is his caddie, Englishman Billy Foster, who wastipped to benefit most from the scandal surrounding the world No 1.

During the height of the controversy surrounding Woods' serialwomanising, one of the strongest reports to sweep the golfing communitywas that, in a purge of his staff, Steve Williams would be sacked ashis caddie and replaced by Foster, who carried Tiger's bag at the 2005President's Cup.

But as the American continued to insist that he alone knew of hissecret life, New Zealander Williams kept his job and provided helpfulcounselling when the shamed golfer stepped back into the public arena.

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Andrew Strauss warms up for England Test return

Andrew Strauss made his best score of the season against Glamorgan atLord's to lay the foundations for a return to the Test arena againstBangladesh next month.

Launching the Middlesex reply after Glamorgan had set them a 374-runtarget, the England skipper followed his first innings of 44 with anexhibition of mature strokeplay, stitched between long periods ofwatchful defence.

Strauss matched Dawid Malan shot for shot to score 69. But he wasnot pleased with his dismissal by former Middlesex man Jamie Dalrympleafter facing 132 balls in three hours because he played an ill-advisedslog sweep to a full-length ball.

Malan finished the day unbeaten on 94 as Middlesex reached 187 for four, still needing 188 to win.

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Spurs sink Blues to reclaim fourth

Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale blew the Barclays Premier League title race wide open with goals in a 2-1 win against Chelsea that also put Tottenham back in the Champions League places.

Defoe tucked away from the penalty spot for his 24th of the season after John Terry handled in the area, then Bale followed up his midweek goal against Arsenal with another before the break at White Hart Lane.

Terry's miserable evening, after being involved in a verbal spat with a supporter at half-time, was capped off with a sending-off for two bookings. Frank Lampard pulled one back, but it was too late for Chelsea.

It left Carlo Ancelotti's side just a point clear of Manchester United after their dramatic defeat of neighbours City - a result that also favoured Spurs who move into fourth spot.

Spurs were denied penalties when Defoe appeared to get his shirt pulled by Terry and when Bale went over John Mikel Obi's challenge, before Phil Dowd pointed to the spot for a Terry handball and Defoe converted past Petr Cech.

It got worse for Chelsea when Mikel picked up an injury in the 34th minute.

Bale doubled the lead just before the break when he cut inside Paulo Ferreira and used his right foot to beat Cech at the near post.

Ancelotti's response was to use his remaining substitutes at the break, with Nicolas Anelka and Branislav Ivanovic coming on, but Didier Drogba pulled up injured before the restart but was soon running freely.

Spurs wasted chances to wrap it up with Terry seeing red after fouls on Roman Pavlyuchenko and Bale.

David Bentley almost added another but his cheeky lob was tipped over by Cech and there was also time for Heurelho Gomes to deny Drogba from close range before Lampard pulled one back in stoppage time.

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Toffees edge five-goal thriller

Everton striker Ayegbeni Yakubu had a major impact in a 12-minute substitute appearance, scoring one and setting up a last-minute winner in the 3-2 victory at Blackburn.

Mikel Arteta's fourth-minute penalty had been cancelled out by Steven Nzonzi midway through the second half before the introduction of the Nigeria international.

With his first touch seconds after coming on he put his side 2-1 up and although Jason Roberts lashed home an equaliser two minutes later Tim Cahill converted Yakubu's cross from close range late on to keep alive Everton's late bid for a European place.

Blackburn's defence seemed half-asleep when Arteta picked up the ball on the right of the area, turned Gael Givet but was brought down by Ryan Nelsen.

Arteta converted from the spot to become the first person to beat Paul Robinson since Birmingham forward James McFadden's goal on March 24. However, the interval benefited Everton as they re-asserted their authority and twice could have extended their advantage.

Cahill's header was off target, before Leighton Baines' thunderous 25-yard strike cannoned off the outside of Robinson's right-hand post with the goalkeeper motionless.

Nzonzi levelled in the 68th minute, side-stepping Arteta and blasting a swerving 30-yard shot past Howard. But having tested their opponents all afternoon with set-pieces Blackburn fell victim to one themselves.

Baines' 78th-minute long-throw was flicked on by substitute Victor Anichebe and Yakubu bundled the ball home just 22 seconds after his introduction.

Rovers' response was instant as Kalinic helped the ball forward for Roberts to thrash a 20-yard shot past Howard.

The feeling was there was still another goal left in the game and so it proved. Yakubu somehow found space on the left of the area and rolled a pass into the six-yard box where Cahill tapped home.

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Tigers claim rare away point

Hull regained their pride by collecting a vital point in their bid to stay in the Barclays Premier League in a tame goalless draw at Birmingham.

Iain Dowie's side had been thumped 4-1 by fellow strugglers Burnley in their previous outing at the KC Stadium.

But they were far more resolute against Blues in picking up a rare clean sheet and only their fifth away point of the campaign.

It was all the more meritorious given that Birmingham are unbeaten at home since September and have not been beaten by any of the current top six in front of their own supporters.

Hull remain in the bottom three but will be looking to capitalise on having three of their remaining four games at home if they are to survive the drop.

Liam Ridgewell got forward to good effect down the left flank and Barry Ferguson was a calming influence in the centre of the park but clear-cut chances were at a premium for both sides, particularly in the second 45 minutes.

Birmingham started in confident fashion and James McFadden cut in from the left and was only just too high with a powerful 20-yard drive. Roger Johnson's cross picked out the unmarked Bowyer but, from six yards out, he sent his header over the bar.

Blues enjoyed the bulk of possession but on-loan keeper Joe Hart again proved his worth five minutes before half-time.

Andy Dawson's overlapping run ended with a cross to the near post and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's header was destined for the far corner of the net until Hart intervened with a fine reflex save.

Blues had claims for a penalty rejected when McShane appeared to shove Jerome as he challenged Duke for a high ball from Gardner's centre.

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Rhinos inflict heavy cup defeat on Hull

Leeds justified their Carnegie Challenge Cup favouritism with a dazzling display to sweep aside Hull 48-24 in a free-flowing fourth-round game in front of a 15,109 crowd at a sun-kissed KC Stadium.

England winger Ryan Hall ran in half his side's eight tries as the Rhinos condemned Hull to a first-hurdle home defeat for the second successive season, and sent out an ominous warning to their Super League rivals that they mean business in the cup this year.

It is 11 years since Leeds triumphed in the last final at the old Wembley but, on this form, they look a good bet to end their drought come August.

Not even the surprise sin-binning of scrum-half Rob Burrow, who had the audacity to square up to man mountain Epalahame Lauaki, could detract from an impressive victory, which goes some way to making up for their defeat by Hull in the 2005 final and help erase the memory of last year's opening-round defeat by St Helens.

The champions, strangely out of touch in the first two months of the season, were boosted by the surprise return of England skipper Jamie Peacock from a four-match lay-off with a foot injury but, just as importantly, they looked more like their old selves with the sun on their backs on a lush turf, a sharp contrast to the mud-caked surface they have had to contend with at Headingley.

Hull, beaten 46-30 at Headingley six days earlier, were strengthened by the return of Richard Horne, Craig Fitzgibbon and Danny Tickle and they looked lively in the opening stages, twice taking the lead before Leeds began to hit their straps.

Carl Ablett, Brent Webb (two) and Ian Kirke also touched down for Leeds, while Tom Briscoe, Jordan Tansey, Richard Whiting (two) and Jordan Turner were the tryscorers for Hull.

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Sunderland striker Darren Bent reveals he prefers to watch basketball in his spare time rather than football

Darren Bent has revealed he prefers to watch basketball in his spare time rather than football.

Sunderland striker Bent, 26, has had a basketball court built at his family home – and a hoop in his north-east bolthole – because he loves the sport so much.

He said: “I have also got a court in my mum’s house in Cambridge in the back garden so when I get back there in the summer I get my friends around.

“I have just put a hoop up at my place in the north-east as well – I love the sport.”

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Birmingham look for revenge over Hull

Birmingham City want revenge for their biggest defeat of the season by sending Hull closer to relegation.

Hull are the only Premier League side not to have won away and Alex McLeish wants his Birmingham side fired up to take advantage.

The Blues were hammered 5-1 by Manchester City last Sunday, their worst since losing by the same score at Aston Villa two years ago.

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Stephen Hendry in the dark over Chinese teenager Zhang Anda at World Championship

Seven-times world champion Stephen Hendry has not won a title since 2005. Zhang, 18, is an unknown quantity for the 41-year-old Scot, who said: "I know nothing about him. Absolutely nothing. I've never seen him play, never met him, so it's tales of the unexpected."

The pair will meet for the first time just minutes before they take to the table and Hendry said: "It can be a bit of a banana skin, because you don't know how he plays. Is he an aggressive player? I'm sure he is because all the players are these days. But is he slow? Is he fast? Is his long-potting a speciality?"

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Hendry is chasing his eighth world title but has not won a ranking title since 2005. However, he said: "My form's good in practice but that doesn't count for anything really," he said. "To win the world title, you need the confidence of tournament wins which I haven't had.

"All I can do here is take one match at a time and even when I was winning the World Championship I never found my best form in the first round, it was always in the final. You get better as the rounds go on.

"If I'm still here next week then who knows what might happen.

"The concentration levels have just dipped and I've been missing easy balls by getting down on a shot and not knowing what I'm going to play, and it's frustrating.

"You benefit from deep inner belief of having wins behind you, so you get to the table and you know you're not going to miss.

"And if you haven't got that confidence then you come to the table and you're doubting yourself and you get down on a shot and you're second guessing. But that doesn't happen when you're winning, you just go down on a shot and you're on autopilot."

Sheffield is set to be confirmed as the home of the Betfred.com World Championship until 2015. World Snooker have agreed a one-year extension to the deal announced during last year's Crucible tournament.

Sheffield Theatres chief executive Daniel Bates told the Sheffield Star: "Having snooker at the Crucible is worthwhile on many levels.

"The money is useful but it is more about the profile of the theatre.

"There will be an announcement during the tournament that the Crucible is to host the tournament for another five years, rather than the four announced last year."

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England and Duham bowler Graham Onions suffers further injury setback

England seamer Graham Onions has suffered a further setback in his recovery from a troublesome back injury. Onions, who was forced to return early from England's recent tour of Bangladesh, pulled up again while bowling in the nets at Durham's Riverside ground earlier this week.

The 27 year-old again complained of soreness in his back and was sent for a precautionary scan by England's medical staff.

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"The scans showed no serious injury and Graham will be re-assessed by England's medical team next week," said an England and Wales Cricket Board spokesman.

Onions's batting twice helped England avoid defeat in South Africa during the winter when his dogged tail end batting enabled them to escape with draws with nine wickets down at Centurion and Cape Town.

But he was dropped for the fourth Test in Johannesburg when England opted to play Ryan Sidebottom and has been left out of the squad for the forthcoming World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

No date has yet been set for a possible playing comeback by Onions but he has a month to prove his fitness as the first Test of the summer against Bangladesh at Lord's does not start until May 27.

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Brit basketball star Luol Deng is ready for rumble with LeBron James

Birthday boy Luol Deng insists he is ready for his crunch playoff battle with LeBron James.

Great Britian superstar Deng, 25 today, has had a superb season in the NBA - but he knows the Chicago Bulls are relying on him.

The forward's form has silenced his doubters after an injury-plagued campaign last year.

A 98-89 win against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night ensured the Bulls grabbed the final place in the Eastern Conference playoffs thanks to a run of 10 wins from their last 14 games.

And Deng is relishing taking on the NBA's reigning MVP James and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs tomorrow.

"I have faced him and a lot of good players so it will be tough challenge but it is something I am looking forward to," Deng told Mirror Sport.

"They are the No.1 seeds and really know how to win games. It will be tough, they are such a great team and I will have to mark LeBron. But I have been playing in the NBA for six years and am not scared of anyone. One thing this year I have been able to be is very consistent with what I bring to the team.

"It gets to the point when the team relies on you to bring the same effort every game. So you have to take that challenge and perform the same way every time you step on the floor."

Deng scored 11 points as the Bulls secured a playoff spot in front of a crowd that included Michael Jordan, who is now the Bobcats owner.

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Tiger Woods to play Quail Hollow Championship

Tiger Woods will play his second event since returning to the game at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, which starts on April 29.

The world No.1, fresh from playing last week's US Masters, told his website: "It's a wonderful venue and they always have a great field."

He will use Quail Hollow as part of his build-up to June's U.S. Open.

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Novak Djokovic brushes aside David Nalbandian in Monte Carlo Masters

Top seed Novak Djokovic eased past out-of-sorts David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Monte Carlo Masters tennis semi-finals and set up a possible re-run of last year’s final against Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, who has won the Monte Carlo title every year since 2005, beat compatriot Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-2 for his 30th consecutive win in the tournament. He now faces another Spaniard, David Ferrer, a 7-5, 7-6 winner over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.

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Rifles turn on Lewis Hamilton again as fellow drivers accuse Brit of reckless driving

The rifles, as Lewis Hamilton once graphically described the collective sniping of his fellow drivers, were turned on him again on Friday night ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

He stood accused of reckless driving in Malaysia a fortnight ago when he weaved left-right-left-right to hold off Renault’s Vitaly Petrov, the Russian rookie he had just passed.

Having set the fastest practice time of the day ahead of Sunday’s rain-threatened race here, the British racer was left to explain the Petrov incident in front of his angry peers at a dusk meeting of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association.

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NBA Playoffs Explained

What are the NBA Playoffs?
To put it simply the playoffs are an elimination tournament between 16 of the National Basketball Association’s best teams leading to a final showdown between for the Larry O’Brien trophy.

How do those 16 teams qualify for the playoffs?

Between the end of October and mid-April each NBA team plays 82 regular season games. At the end of the regular season the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference and the top eight teams in the Western Conference go through to the playoffs.

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Broad bats away KP assertion

Stuart Broad denies England's attack will enter the Twenty20 World Cup undercooked.

Broad was responding to comments made by Kevin Pietersen who suggested England's bowlers may struggle in the West Indies because of their decision not to play in the Indian Premier League.

"I don't agree at all that England's bowlers will be underprepared because we're not in the IPL," said the 23-year-old. "We've been training over here. I've been back bowling for two sessions now and we have warm-up games before the Twenty20 World Cup."

He added: "It would have been better to play more Twenty20 cricket leading into the World Cup, but I needed a rest while Jimmy Anderson had bit of a niggle.

"I feel better for having had a break leading into the international summer and a hectic winter. The break has worked out for me."

Andrew Strauss sat out the recent tour of Bangladesh, which saw England win both Tests and all three-one day internationals and Broad insists the skipper made the right decision.

"Andrew Strauss felt he needed a break in Bangladesh which I thought was a fantastic decision," said the Notts all-rounder.

"The cricket we've got ahead of us is very hectic and we need our captain to be very fresh.

"If you try to play every game you'll break down at some stage. It's about balancing that."

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Surrey talking to Lara - Report

Surrey are reportedly in talks with Brian Lara about him coming of retirement to play Twenty20 cricket for the county.

The former West Indies batsman, 40, who retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup, has not played competitive cricket for two years.

"We have been in discussion with Brian regarding his possible involvement with the club," the BBC website quoted a Surrey statement as saying.

"However we have no further comment to make at this stage."

Lara averaged 52.88 in 131 Tests for the Windies and 40.48 in 299 one-day internationals.

He holds the highest individual score in Test cricket with 400 not out against England in Antigua in 2004.

Surrey have already recruited flamboyant Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds to play Twenty20.

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Chinese Grand Prix: F1's arms race reaches critical stage with Ferrari taking on McLaren

Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso is excited by the steps his team are taking to further improve their car. Mercedes and Williams are also thought to be close to introducing their versions of the controversial device, which means the driver closes off a valve in the cockpit by using his body, an effect that in turn helps to 'stall' the rear wing, reducing drag and giving the car a massive straight-line speed advantage.

Jenson Button tried to play down that advantage on Thursday when he claimed that the only reason his MP4-25 machine is so fast on the straights is because it is lacking in downforce, the aerodynamic effect that keeps a car glued to the track.

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"Red Bull were 14km/h slower than us

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RFU to debate relegation for rugby clubs in administration

London Welsh will hope they have turned a corner after the club went into administration last summer.The proposal has been put forward by National One club Stourbridge RFC.

The move is a response to the financial problems suffered by London Welsh, Coventry and Birmingham and Solihull, who have all been docked points for going into administration this season but have kept their league status.

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Coventry and Birmingham and Solihull were docked 15 points for going into administration but although the latter finished the regular campaign at the bottom of the table on -9 points, the Midlands club could yet avoid the drop because of the new four-way relegation play-off format.

Birmingham and Solihull are second in the table, two points ahead of Mosley and one ahead of Coventry, who finished second bottom in the regular league, 29 points adrift of 10th-placed Rotherham.

"It would be a travesty if one club who had been in administration avoided the drop at the expense of one club who played by the book," said one source.

"The proposal will be debated and then it could be put to a vote to go forward to the annual general meeting."

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London 2012: Essex explore plan to bring Twenty20 to Olympic Stadium

Essex want to use the Olympic stadium as a 'festival ground' for Twenty20 matches

Essex confirmed on Thursday that they were considering a joint bid with West Ham and Newham Council to turn the stadium in Stratford into a multi-sport venue capable of staging football, cricket and athletics.

The club would continue to play County Championship matches at their Chelmsford headquarters but would use the stadium as a 'festival ground' for Twenty20 matches.

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David East, the Essex chief executive, said: "We are very much looking forward to exploring this with Newham and West Ham.

"Our home ground will remain at the Ford County Ground in Chelmsford but it would be fantastic to be able to play some of our expanded Twenty20 cricket tournament at the Olympic Stadium. We have a very active development programme in the east end of London and this would give us an ideal opportunity to extend our community work even further with a centre of excellence in the borough."

If a joint bid is considered feasible, it would have to be submitted to the Olympic Park Legacy Company, which has invited proposals for the stadium's use after the Games.

Karren Brady, the West Ham vice-chairman, said: "It's about realising the full potential of the Olympic Park. If achievable, it is the ideal answer for those who, rightly, demand a sustainable legacy from the 2012 Games and not a white elephant."

Meanwhile, National Lottery operator Camelot has launched a competition to find the 'Brain of the Games' to celebrate passing the £500 million mark in its money-raising campaign for London 2012. Olympic and Paralympic buffs will be able to test their knowledge in a free online quiz in which progressively more difficult questions must be answered against the clock. Those who complete the quiz in the fastest times will go forward to a national final.

Camelot says it is well on course to meet its target of raising £750 million from Olympic scratch cards and interactive games. The quiz is available online at www.national-lottery.co.uk/gamesbrain

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Tiger Woods to take part in Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte

Tiger Woods said he was 'excited' about competing in the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte. The tournament is a regular station on his post-Masters calendar and appears to confirm Woods’s intention to resume his normal schedule.

Woods usually uses Quail Hollow as a warm-up event for the so-called 'fifth major’, the Players Championship, and judging by Thursday’s announcement, he can now be expected at both that tournament at Sawgrass and the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village a week later.

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After last week’s Masters at Augusta, when his much-trumpeted return to golf after a five-month absence passed without incident, Woods had hinted at another short break from the game, expressing his intention to “take a little time off and re-evaluate things”. However, this process appears to have taken less than a week, with Woods yet again returning earlier than anticipated.

It will be Woods’s first experience of a boisterous crowd, rather than the reverential congregation that politely applauded him to a fourth place finish at Augusta. Clearly Woods feels ready to enter the gladiatorial arena once more, although it is safe to assume that his wife, Elin, will not be accompanying him.

Although he planned to contest the US Open at Pebble Beach in June, it was thought that he would maintain a sparse itinerary, perhaps turning up at Sawgrass on May 6 as a favour to Tim Finchem, the PGA Tour commissioner.

The timing of the announcement is also telling. Following the early submission of his US Open entry form earlier this week, Woods has again opted to make his decision ahead of schedule rather than leaving it until the last minute, as he has tended to in the past.

This latest courtesy by the seemingly rehabilitated Brand Tiger – showing, as he promised, “more respect for the game” – will not go unappreciated by the organisers, who will now have almost two weeks to make preparations for the surge in media and spectator interest that is likely to accompany Woods’s appearance.

The organisers at Quail Hollow could barely contain their delight. “We are very happy to have Tiger coming back,” said executive director Kym Hougham. “Although we did not know if he was going to be able to make it this year, we have been preparing for another strong field.”

It will be Woods’s fifth appearance in what was previously known as the Wachovia Championship, since it was introduced in 2003. He won in 2007, as well as finishing in a tie for third in 2004 and fourth last year.

He will face a strong field, including Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington and defending champion Sean O’Hair. “I’m excited about competing,” Woods said. “It’s a wonderful venue and they always have a great field.”

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Legendary Classic-winning star of the flat Greville Starkey dies at the age of 70

Brilliant Classic-winning jockey Greville Starkey has died of cancer at the age of 70.

Starkey, who rode nearly 2,000 winners on the flat in his memorable 33 year career, will be arguably best remembered for losing the 1986 Derby on Dancing Brave.

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Corey Pavin reveals fears about Phil Mickelson

American captain Corey Pavin yesterday revealed his fear that he may not be able to call upon in-form Phil Mickelson for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in September.

World No2 Mickelson, 39, heads the US Ryder Cup qualification table after winning his third Masters title at Augusta last Sunday.

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Kevin Pietersen bounces Stuart Broad for shunning the IPL

Kevin Pietersen has criticised Stuart Broad and the rest of England’s bowlers for turning their backs on the IPL.

While batsmen KP, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah and Ravi Bopara are gaining extra experience in the Twenty20 format, Broad has again decided to rest instead.

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Blow for London Marathon as three-time winner Martin Lel is forced to pull out again

Three-time champion Martin Lel has been forced to withdraw from this month's Virgin London Marathon for the second successive year.

The Kenyan star, who pulled out on the eve of last year's race with a hip problem, has again seen his ambitions to achieve a record fourth win wrecked by an injury to his right leg.

Virgin London Marathon race director Dave Bedford said: 'It is very disappointing to lose Martin for the second year in a row.

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Disgraced England prop Matt Stevens turns gamekeeper as RFU wage war on drugs

Banned England prop Matt Stevenscould be used as anambassador to deterplayers from takingrecreational drugs.

Stevens, who returns from a two yearban for using cocaine nextJanuary, is likely to help promote anew scheme to rid recreationaldrugs from rugby union.

Funded by the Rugby FootballUnion and Guinness Premiership,the

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World champion Jessica Ennis voted European athlete of the month following Doha heroics

Jessica Ennis has been voted the European Athlete for March after her victory at the World Indoor Championships in Doha.

The 24-year-old from Sheffield added the pentathlon gold medal to the world outdoor heptathlon title she won in Berlin last August.

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