A round-up of today's other sports news in brief ...
Bath's James cited for stamping
RUGBY:Bath face the prospect of being without Butch James for their tilt at a Guinness Premiership and Heineken Cup double after the South African outhalf was cited for stamping.
James has been summoned to appear before an English Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel in London today to answer allegations that he stamped on England centre Riki Flutey during Bath’s midweek defeat to Wasps. The recommended sanction for a player found guilty ranges from a minimum entry-level ban of two weeks to at least nine weeks, depending on the severity of the offence. Bath are fourth in the Premiership with two regular season games remaining and face Leicester in Saturday’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.
The Tigers will also be waiting on the disciplinary panel to discover whether Julian White is available for the European showdown at the Walkers Stadium after he was sent off at the weekend.
Leon Sanchez take first stage
CYCLING:Paris-Nice winner Luis León Sánchez (Caisse d'Epargne) was back on the victory podium at the end of yesterday's hilly opening stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, the Spaniard winning a 21-man sprint to the line in Ataun.
Second behind the Caisse D’Epargne rider in the sprint that decided the 142km stage was compatriot Samuel Sanchez, with Frenchman Jerome Pineau third.
Irish riders Philip Deignan (Cervélo Test Team) and Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale) were 42 seconds back, placing 29th and 41st respectively.
The race will continue today with a 160km stage from Ataun to Villatuerta and it ends on Saturday.
Coaches admit doping offences
ATHLETICS:Five leading German athletics coaches, who were formerly part of the East German system, have admitted their past involvement in doping, German sports officials said yesterday.
Long jump coach Rainer Pottel, discus coach Gerhard Boetcher, javelin coach Maria Ritschel, shot putt coach Klaus Schneider and heptathlon coach Klaus Baarck have signed a German Olympic Sports Federation (DOSB) declaration admitting to past doping offences.
The DOSB said it was the first time coaches still active in the German athletics federation (DLV) had accepted past doping offences, shown remorse and offered their victims an apology.
BBC and Balding apologise to jockey over teeth jibe
RACING:The BBC have apologised for jibes made by one of their presenters about jockey Liam Treadwell's teeth, shortly after he had ridden a 100 to 1 outsider to victory in the Grand National.
The broadcaster said it had received 1,477 complaints from viewers angered after presenter Clare Balding joked about the state of Treadwell’s teeth in a TV interview after the race.
“Give us a big grin to the camera,” said Balding. “No, let’s see your teeth. He hasn’t got the best in the world but you can afford to go and get them done now.”
The BBC and Clare apologise for any offence caused. Clare has also apologised directly to Liam Treadwell.”
Treadwell said he had received a text message apology from the presenter on Saturday.
Ecclestone defends move
MOTOR SPORT:Bernie Ecclestone has brushed off criticism surrounding the start time of Sunday's monsoon-hit Malaysian Grand Prix.
Ecclestone switched the beginning of the race to 5pm local time to attract a bigger television audience across Europe.
However, concerns were aired long before the event at the Sepang circuit about the strong chance of rain in the early evening, and so it proved.
Once the heavy rain struck the race had to be stopped and it was ultimately decided conditions were too dangerous for a restart.
Ecclestone said: “I don’t see anything wrong with the start time, we just didn’t know about the rain.
“If we had started at 2pm then it would have rained as well.”
However, race organisers have confirmed they are to discuss the situation with Ecclestone regarding next year’s race and beyond.
Strauss left out of Twenty20
CRICKET:Test and one-day captain Andrew Strauss has been left out of England's preliminary 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in June, which was announced at Lord's yesterday. England will host the tournament from June 5th-21st.
England national selector Geoff Miller said in a statement: “Andrew Strauss had an outstanding tour of the West Indies during a difficult winter. Andrew and the selectors believe his game is better suited to Test and ODI cricket and it is for that reason he has not been selected in the squad.”
The selectors will name the England Twenty20 captain once a comprehensive review of the recently concluded West Indies tour has taken place.The squad will be trimmed to 15 on May 1st.
