Ryan Sidebottom shrugged off his first day struggles to provide a platform for England to seize control of the opening Test as he claimed four wickets for five runs in 10.1 overs to dismiss New Zealand for 277 after they had resumed on 208 for six. .

Lancashire cricket manager Mike Watkinson has confirmed that Andrew Flintoff is likely to be unavailable for all of England's Test series with New Zealand through injury.

Manchester City will play in the UEFA Cup next season.

Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius will be allowed to compete alongside able-bodied athletes for a place at the Olympics after winning his appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez put the scouse heart back into his coaching staff on Friday by appointing Sammy Lee as his new assistant manager.

The Football Association have written to Chelsea coach Avram Grant to ask him to explain his remarks about referee Steve Bennett.

Danny McGuire claimed another hat-trick and skipper Kevin Sinfield equalled Andy Farrell's record of scoring in 48 successive Super League rounds as Leeds cruised to a 58-12 win against Wakefield to surge seven points clear at the top of the table.

Dwain Chambers has taken what appears to be the first step in his bid to challenge the Olympic ban imposed upon him by the British Olympic Association.

England's Lee James, close to giving up golf and applying for a job as a postman last year, now finds himself with a chance to win the Irish Open at Adare Manor this weekend.

Gloucester boss Dean Ryan has dismissed any notion of his team under-estimating Leicester in Sunday's Guinness Premiership play-off clash at Kingsholm.

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