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Grimacing Bolt on his knees after win

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:11:21 GMT

Usain Bolt eased to victory in Ostrava last night, but his post-race reaction was somewhat unusual.

Guardiola signs off from Barcelona with trophy in hand

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:10:08 GMT

So Pep Guardiola's incredible winning streak with Barcelona ends where it began – with a Spanish Cup final victory over Athletic Bilbao.

England worry over Welbeck but Parker will start

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Roy Hodgson last night admitted that taking Danny Welbeck to the European Championship as part of a depleted strike force could be a gamble but that he had to trust medical staff who say the Manchester United forward will be fit.

Brian Ashton: Sensible refereeing will allow us all to revel in a vibrant Premiership final

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Follow that, then. After the spectacle of the Heineken Cup's all-Irish showpiece last weekend, we can now look forward to the most significant club match of the English season as Harlequins and Leicester go toe-to-toe at Twickenham this afternoon in the fight for the Premiership title.

Hodgson will take loss on the chin: Will the nation?

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

This is no place for an England manager trying to make his way. At the Ullevaal Stadium, to which the national side return tonight, Ron Greenwood hit the bottom in a defeat to Norway remembered less for the 2-1 scoreline, 31 years ago, than Norwegian broadcaster Bjorge Lillelien's ecstatic audit of the spirits who had been vanquished: Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper and Lady Diana. “Maggie Thatcher, your boys took one helluva beating.”

Dempsey hints at leaving Fulham for Champions League

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The American striker Clint Dempsey has maintained that he wants to play in the Champions League, which casts further doubt over his future at Fulham.

Daddy too long even if Hall is in the next parish

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

He may be a stickler for doing things right, but that does not prevent Jim Bolger making up his own rules. Quite the reverse, in fact, and such is his record that few would presume to tell him that he might be pushing convention too far in the extraordinary schedule he has proposed for Parish Hall.

Liverpool deny Martinez job offer despite talks in Miami

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Roberto Martinez is set for further talks with Liverpool next week, despite claims from Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan that he has already been offered the job.

The torch relay: Golden moment or flaming nuisance?

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The Olympic torch received a rapturous reception as it crossed the borders of Wales yesterday, the second home nation to host the relay on its winding way to London and the Olympic Stadium. As crowds lined the streets of Monmouth to see the flame arrive on the seventh day of the 8,000-mile relay, it marked the culmination of a week in which the UK has been touched with a curious – and timely – outbreak of Olympic enthusiasm.

Disillusioned Gleeson wants union switch after drug ban

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Martin Gleeson is looking to switch codes on his return from an 18-month drug ban later this year.

Ranieri closer to West Brom job

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

West Bromwich Albion have held a second round of talks with the former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri about becoming Roy Hodgson's successor at the club.

Tanni Grey-Thompson: Paragon of the Paralympics

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

There is no greater champion of the Paralympic movement than Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson, nor is there a more articulate spokesperson for the rights of disabled people. In an uncomplicated world, these two compartments of her life would exist in perfect harmony. That they now cannot is largely a consequence of this week's announcement that the Paralympics are to be generously sponsored by the IT services multinational Atos, reportedly to the tune of $100m.

Hull rivals top Magic bill at the Etihad

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

The Hull KR coach, Craig Sandercock, is hoping his side's club-record Super League win over Castleford can inspire them to a derby-day success in Manchester this evening. The Robins ran in 12 tries in a 70-12 blitz of the Tigers last weekend, setting themselves up for a Magic Weekend encounter with Hull at the Etihad Stadium.

Elementary for Watson but Robson misses out

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Twelve months after becoming the first British woman for 28 years to win through the French Open qualifying tournament, Heather Watson did so again yesterday in thoroughly convincing fashion. The 20-year-old from Guernsey won her third qualifying match in succession, beating Italy's Anna Floris 6-0, 6-1.

Foden talks a good game ahead of bash with the Baa-Baas

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Ben Foden was keen to make himself clear. "When you play the Barbarians, you find yourselves being pulled into their style of rugby," the England full-back said this week. "It's hard not to get swept up in it and that's when mistakes happen. We need to control the tempo of the game, to play in the right areas." It was a thoughtful appraisal of the prospects for tomorrow's contest at Twickenham. Anyone would think it was a Test match.

Murray draws on last year's heroics to find Parisian style

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Andy Murray has not had the best of build-ups to the French Open, but as he prepares for the start of the year's second Grand Slam tournament tomorrow the 25-year-old Scot is taking heart from his performances here 12 months ago. Despite tearing an ankle tendon in a fall during his third-round match – not to mention cracking a tooth on a baguette – Murray went on to reach last year's semi-finals before losing to Rafael Nadal, who went on to win his sixth Roland Garros title.

Euro 2012: Meet the pub boar, visit Chernobyl... and maybe even watch some football

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Never mind the pub bore – meet the pub boar. A Ukrainian bar with a porcine pet is one of the startling recommendations from the Foreign Office in its advice to England football fans heading for the Euro 2012 tournament next month.

Egil Olsen: Wise old head plotting a fresh England defeat

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Young Norwegian managers may be in vogue at present, with Wolves hiring Stale Solbakken and Aston Villa interviewing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but it is a veteran compatriot England will be facing tonight.

Are Euro 2012 top dogs ready for action?

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Spain: The holders are in some disarray

Why is this season so tight at the top?

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

A little bit of history will be made in Monaco tomorrow, provided that Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel and Pastor Maldonado have the decency to avoid being the first to greet Prince Albert afterwards.

Meet Steve Mafi: The Tigers’ Tongan hitman

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

How's this for an accolade? "He was arguably the best No 8 in the world. The Welsh No 8 Mervyn Davies was of course much better known, and when Ireland's Ken Goodall sadly went to rugby league, Davies earned his top ranking among the major countries. But as Mafi showed in Britain, he was good enough to jump anywhere in the line-out... and he was quick enough to hold off the fastest of the Welsh backs in a 30-yard sprint. He was strong enough to scrummage well as a lock and he was a devastating tackler. He was almost a one-man team, and although that inevitably placed unfair pressures upon him, he was good enough to withstand them."

Round-up: Ambrose has the Bears sitting pretty

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Warwickshire need only 41 on the final morning at The Oval to complete a win that will give them a 15-point lead at the top of the First Division, with a fourth victory in six matches.

Levein pleased with Scotland squad

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Scotland manager Craig Levein has every faith in his players to return home with a positive result against the United States - despite being without 11 players for the match.

The Last Word: Terry's hijacking of centre stage was desperate

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

No wonder the English can't win Wimbledon. Their scandalised reaction, on learning that the Prime Minister indulges in an occasional game of tennis, implied the most infamous misuse of catgut since Rome burned. A saner view, surely, is that his cathartic thrashing of "The Clegger" offers a prototype that might be usefully adapted by others. If christened "JT", for instance, the same machine might cause such a proliferation of unplayable forehands throughout Europe that Djokovic himself would be overwhelmed, overnight, by a Bavarian butcher, Catalan baker and Neapolitan candlestick-maker. Come to that, you might even see a Wimbledon wild card for Frank Lampard.

Cycling: Kreuziger powers to solo victory

Fri, 25 May 2012 23:00:01 GMT

Roman Kreuziger won the 19th stage of the Giro d'Italia yesterday, while Joaquim Rodriguez had his overall race lead slashed to just 17 seconds by Ryder Hesjedal.