RUGBY: England's summer tour plans were last night dealt a major blow when World Cup prop Phil Vickery was ruled out of the three-Test trip to New Zealand and Australia. Gloucester forward Vickery must undergo back surgery for the second time in 18 months.
With Jonny Wilkinson and Lewis Moody likely to miss appointments with the All Blacks (twice) and Wallabies, Vickery's absence is another serious setback for coach Clive Woodward. Vickery faces 12 weeks on the sidelines after a decision was taken for him to go under the knife on Friday in an attempt to rectify a bulging disc.
He will also sit out Gloucester's final Zurich Premiership game of the season, against Bath, and a possible play-off fixture a week later.
Vickery, capped 43 times and a Test Lion in Australia three years ago, missed the whole of last season's Six Nations Championship because he required back surgery.
CRICKET: West Indies are considering strengthening their formidable one-day line-up by including fast bowler Tino Best in their side for today's series decider against England at the Kensington Oval.
Despite leading the series 2-1 West Indies are considering changing their team as they attempt to claim a series victory which would go a long way towards giving them momentum in their build-up to hosting the 2007 World Cup.
Captain Brian Lara was concerned at the manner in which England openers Michael Vaughan and Marcus Trescothick were able to dominate his attack during the first 15 overs of fielding restrictions at the Beausejour Stadium. It prompted the call-up of Tino Best, whose aggression and pace helped him claim 12 wickets during the 3-0 Test series defeat against England.
"We need a little bit more firepower," said Lara. "You saw in the first 15 overs that the England batsmen were using their feet and Trescothick and Vaughan were coming down the pitch, and we thought that someone with a little bit extra pace might help."
Lara is determined to keep England on the back foot at the same venue at which they claimed their historic Test series triumph, their first in the Caribbean for 36 years.
Best's call-up is at the expense of batsman Ryan Hinds.
MOTOR SPORT: The Williams duo Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya expect this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix to be a test of pure physical endurance. The pair, who have struggled so far this season to match rivals Ferrari, know the Barcelona circuit well after countless testing miles there in recent seasons.
Schumacher, who finished fifth in last year's race, said of the Catalonian grand prix: "Barcelona is a technically demanding circuit with fast corners and high grip. This means we have to endure extreme G-forces of sometimes over 4G."
Montoya, who ended up fourth in the 2003 race, added: "The rough surface puts a great strain on the tyres, while the many fast corners test the drivers' endurance. Added to that is the strong wind that often blows sand onto the track."
Tyres have been an issue already this season with Ferrari's suppliers Bridgestone outperforming rivals Michelin.
SNOOKER: The new world champion, Ronnie O'Sullivan, threatened with disciplinary action for his behaviour during the first week of the tournament, wants to become an ambassador for snooker. The "Rocket" was warned by World Snooker chairman Rodney Walker to clean up his act after several obscene hand gestures during his games against Stephen Maguire and Andy Hicks.
But he was a model of good behaviour after linking up with Ray Reardon. And now O'Sullivan wants to be as well regarded as the 71-year-old Welsh legend. O'Sullivan was speaking yesterday after beating Glaswegian Graeme Dott 18-8 to regain his world crown on Monday night.
O'Sullivan is also keen to end his cold war with one-time stablemate Stephen Hendry.
O'Sullivan admitted it was his father, who is 12 years into a life sentence for murder, that arranged for Reardon to come on board.
On his wish to bury the hatchet with Hendry, O'Sullivan, who once questioned the Scot's sportsmanship and promised to "send him back to his sad, little life", said: "I've already apologised to Stephen for what I said. But I like Stephen Hendry and what I said was totally out of character for me. I regret it and what I said was wrong."
