Boston Red Sox have won the World Series, beating Colorado Rockies 4-3 in the fourth game for a sweep in the best-of-seven series. It is the second World Series win in four seasons for the Red Sox after they beat St Louis in 2004. Before that they had to wait 86 years for a win. Veteran third baseman Mike Lowell hit a solo home run and scored twice for the Sox before becoming a free agent. Full Article

Kevin Pietersen insists Steve Harmison can overcome his inconsistent form to bowl England to victory in the first Test against West Indies on Monday. Pietersen made a fine 109 in England's second innings effort of 284-8, which set the tourists a stiff target of 401. But Harmison has struggled throughout and took only one wicket in the West Indies' first innings. "We're not concerned with Steve at all - we just know he's going to click," said Pietersen.Full Article

Kevin Pietersen could miss England's first Test against the West Indies at Lord's after tearing a calf muscle. Pietersen was forced out of Hampshire's Championship match with Lancashire after suffering the injury playing for his county against Ireland on Monday. "It is extremely annoying," he said. "The muscle is torn and I'll have to see how it responds to treatment before I know if I'll be able to play." Full Article

Ducati's Casey Stoner saw off the challenge of Valentino Rossi to win the China Grand Prix and extend his MotoGP championship lead to 15 points. The Australian took the lead from Rossi at the start of the second lap and his victory was assured when the Italian went wide around a corner on lap 16. The 21-year-old finished the 22-lap race in 44 minutes 12.891 seconds, more than three seconds ahead of Rossi. Full Article

Duncan Fletcher has urged new England coach Peter Moores to stick with captain Michael Vaughan for both Test and one-day cricket. Fletcher believes Vaughan can still become a successful batsman in the limited overs game, even though he has not made a hundred in 86 appearances. Vaughan signed off from the World Cup by scoring 79 against West Indies. "He showed the quality he has as a batsman and what he can do if he frees himself up," said Fletcher. "It's just a pity it's taken a little bit longer than he would have wanted. "The poor guy has been in and out of the side [because of injuries] and there was huge pressure on him to come back and continue where he left off. Full Article

Simon Webster has been named in the Scotland A squad for this summer's Churchill Cup in a bid to build up his fitness ahead of the World Cup. Injury reduced the Edinburgh winger to just one appearance as a replacement during the 2007 Six Nations. Rory Lamont, Phil Godman, Johnnie Beattie, Craig Smith, Stuart Grimes, Graeme Morrison, Scott Lawson and Ben MacDougall are also in the A squad. But Scotland captain Jason White will not be fit enough to take part. White will continue his rehab from a cruciate ligament injury sustained in November. Scotland head coach Frank Hadden has named a 37-man squad for the tournament in England. Full Article

England captain Michael Vaughan admitted that his side failed to take their chances after a seven-wicket defeat to Australia in Antigua. Australia cruised to 248-3 after England had been dismissed for 247. Vaughan said: "Kevin Pietersen's 100 was a fantastic knock, but the rest of us didn't play well enough around him for us to get to the 280 we needed. "We're certainly making it difficult for ourselves - we need to win our last three games now to get into the semis." Vaughan himself was dismissed for just five and England's batsmen failed to build on a third-wicket partnership of 140 between Pietersen (104) and Ian Bell (77). Full Article

Daniel van Buyten's strike deep into injury time left Bayern Munich as favourites to progress against AC Milan in the Champions League quarter-final. Andrea Pirlo's 40th-minute header gave Milan a deserved lead at half-time. But Van Buyten turned in from close range to draw Bayern level and score a crucial away goal with 12 minutes left. Kaka put Milan back in front from the spot after he was wrongly adjudged to have been fouled by Lucio, but Van Buyten then levelled from the angle. Bayern turned to youngster Michael Rensing to deputise for the vastly-experienced Oliver Kahn, who was suspended - and he produced two world-class saves as Milan dominated the opening half. Full Article

Matthew Hayden struck the highest World Cup score by an Australian before rain forced play in the Super 8 opener to be taken into Wednesday's reserve day. The West Indies had no chance to bat in the damp conditions of Antigua and will chase the target of 323 off 50 overs. Earlier, Hayden's superb 158 off 144 balls, his second straight ton, helped Australia to a fine total of 322-6. Ricky Ponting (35) and Michael Clarke (41) also played their part, with Daren Powell (2-59) the Windies` best bowler. Full Article

Casey Stoner says he is keen to keep up his winning start to his Ducati career in the second round of the MotoGP championship at Jerez this weekend. The Australian won on his Ducati debut at Qatar, comfortably beating Valentino Rossi into second place. "Qatar was perfect," he said. "I was able to set my own pace throughout the race, not pushing too much. "At Jerez I seem to do reasonably well, never that great, but we'll see how things pan out this time." Full Article

Injured fast bowler Simon Jones believes his England team-mates can win the World Cup. But Jones, out for the best part of a year with ankle and knee problems, will not be watching when his colleagues start their campaign on Friday. He told BBC Sport: "Seeing your mates playing cricket and enjoying themselves is hard work. "But I hope they do well. There's a lot of good teams out there and we've got as good a chance as anyone." Jones will be there in spirit but admitted: "I hardly saw any of the Ashes. When you're sat at home at three in the morning watching cricket it plays with your mind." Full Article

Michael Vaughan has confirmed Andrew Strauss is not in England's plans for their World Cup opener against New Zealand on Friday. The left-handed opening batsman, who has played in 73 One-Day Internationals, has found himself out of the reckoning after suffering a dip in form during the CB Series in Australia. Strauss' place has been taken by Middlesex colleague Ed Joyce, who grasped his opportunity with a crucial century in Sydney, and Vaughan confirmed the current batting line-up will start against New Zealand. Full Article

Black Jack Ketchum is set to clash with 2005 champion staying hurdler Inglis Drever in the Ladbrokes World Hurdle at Cheltenham on Thursday. The drying conditions have allowed Jonjo O'Neill to run Black Jack Ketchum, despite his disappointing run last time out at the course. Inglis Drever, trained by Howard Johnson, is bidding to regain the title he won in 2005. Blazing Bailey and last year's third Mighty Man are also set to challenge. Blazing Bailey beat both Black Jack Ketchum and Inglis Drever in the Cleeve Hurdle in January.Full Article

Wales captain Stephen Jones will miss Saturday's Six Nations match against England in Cardiff because of injury. Jones has a fractured wrist bone that will keep him out for up to three weeks, also making him a doubt for the Scarlets' Heineken Cup quarter-final. Gareth Thomas comes into the side at inside centre and takes over as skipper while James Hook moves to fly-half. Ceri Sweeney takes Thomas's place on the bench in the only other change to the 22 that lost to Italy last weekend. Full Article

Sabina Park has been given the go-ahead to host the opening match of the World Cup in Kingston on Tuesday. West Indies and Pakistan were moved to Kensington Cricket Club to practice on Monday because the nets at Jamaica's principal ground were not ready. But ICC spokesman Brian Murgatroyd said: "There is a lot going on, as you would expect, so it made sense for them to practice at the Kensington club. "We are going to play at Sabina Park, weather permitting. Full Article

Former Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn says the team can remain Formula One pace-setters despite his departure and that of Michael Schumacher. Brawn, on a year's sabbatical, told BBC Sport he expected Ferrari to be title contenders with drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa this year. "We had good and bad years when I was there. You can't always be in front. "But the people who design the car are still there, so there's no reason why they can't just carry on," Brawn said. He said he was confident the team would not fall back into the political in-fighting that bedevilled it in the pre-Schumacher era. Full Article

Spaniard Alejandro Valverde proved he is in good form for the 2007 season by clinching the Tour of Valencia after Saturday's fifth and final stage. The Caisse D'Epargne rider, runner-up in last year's Tour of Spain, finished fourth on Saturday to top the overall standings ahead of Tadej Valjavec. Elsewhere, Italian Filippo Pozzato put in a late burst of speed to win the Het Volk single-day race in Belgium. He outsprinted Spaniard Juan Antonia Flecha and local favourite Tom Boonen. Full Article

Lennox Lewis says he has no plans to come out of retirement for a one-off fight with Vitali Klitschko. Reports on Saturday quoted US boxing promoter Bob Arum as saying that the former undisputed heavyweight champion was considering a return to the ring. But Lewis, 41, said on his website: "I have no idea how these rumours get started, but I'm a man of my word - I will remain retired." The Briton quit in June 2003 after defending his titles against Klitschko. Speculation over a rematch mounted when ex-WBC belt-holder Klitschko, Full Article

British cyclist Bradley Wiggins hopes to fulfil a childhood dream by wearing the yellow jersey when the Tour de France comes to England this year. The Olympic gold medallist is one of the favourites to win the Tour-opening prologue in central London on 7 July. He told BBC Sport: "The only experience I've had that can compare to the prologue is being in the velodrome in the Olympic final. "This will be like the Olympics coming to town every day." Wiggins, who won gold in the 4km individual pursuit at the 2004 Olympics, took part in his first Tour de France last year. He was tipped to shine in the prologue in Strasbourg, but finished a disappointing 16th. Yet it was still a memorable experience for him, and he expects this year's prologue to be even better. Full Article

Indianapolis beat Chicago 29-17 to win Super Bowl XLI in rain-hit Miami. The Colts conceded a touchdown from the opening kick-off, but overcame a 14-6 first-quarter deficit to triumph against the Bears at Dolphin Stadium. They were led by the passing of Peyton Manning, named MVP, the running of backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes and the kicking of Adam Vinatieri. Chicago kept it close until late on, when Kelvin Hayden's key interception and touchdown run sealed their fate. The Colts won an NFL title for the first time since 1970, when they were based in Baltimore. And Tony Dungy became the first black head coach to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in the 41 years that the NFL's showpiece game has been played. Full Article

Promoter Frank Warren and David Haye's camp each insist that the other side is to blame for the cancellation of April's fight with Enzo Maccarinelli. Adam Booth, Haye's trainer and manager, said his man still wants the bout to take place as part of a "one-fight deal" he claims Warren had agreed to. But Warren responded, insisting Team Haye had accepted a counter offer which "made the original offer invalid". Haye and Maccarinelli were set to fight for the WBO cruiserweight title. Warren wanted the much-anticipated meeting to go ahead on the undercard of Joe Calzaghe's WBO super-middleweight title defence against Peter Manfredo in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on 7 April. Full Article

Desert Orchid, or simply "Dessie" to his millions of fans, created history by becoming the only horse to win the King George VI Chase four times. The sight of the grey flying over the fences at Kempton Park or Cheltenham was one of the most memorable in National Hunt racing. And when he won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1989, three cheers rang out among his thousands of adoring followers as he was being unsaddled. Yet his success nearly did not happen. He fell at the first in a novice hurdle at Kempton in 1983 and when he took ages to get to his feet, it seemed the race might have been his last. Full Article

Delta Blues, ridden by Yasunari Iwata, led home a one-two for Japanese trainer Katsuhiko Sumii in the Melbourne Cup. In a frantic final 200m, the 17-1 shot held off 5-1 joint-favourite Pop Rock by a short head to become only the third foreign horse to win the race. The Australian Maybe Better came third at 5-1 with Zipping fourth. Land'N Stars was the leading British challenger in fifth while well-fancied Irish hope Yeats fell away in the latter stages to finish seventh. Land'N Stars, a 200-1 chance trained by Jamie Poulton and ridden by John Egan, stormed down the home straight but could not catch the leaders. Full Article

Referee Graham Poll denies telling Chelsea's players they "needed to be taught a lesson" during Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham. Newspaper reports alleged Poll made the remarks and suggested he told Chelsea: "Your discipline is out of order." Poll booked six Chelsea players and sent off captain John Terry. But a source at the Professional Games Match Officials organisation - which represents referees - told BBC Five Live Sport that Poll rejects the claim. Full Article

David Beckham's spokesman has denied the claim made by Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon that the player will quit in two years. The 31-year-old former England captain is not a regular at The Bernabeu, but is currently discussing a new contract. Calderon told BBC Radio Five Live: "As far as I know he has decided to retire in two years' time." But a spokesman for Beckham said: "This is a complete surprise to us. No-one has ever discussed a retirement date." Full Article

England batsman Ian Bell insists he has nothing extra to prove on his first Ashes tour this winter. Bell averaged 17 in five Tests against Australia last summer, including a pair at The Oval. But he averaged 52 in Pakistan last winter and then hit three centuries in four innings against them at home. "I didn't score as many runs as I'd have liked but hopefully that series will hold me in good stead," he said. "I think they know I'm a good player." Full Article

Tottenham have revealed that they could receive £18.6 million from Manchester United for Michael Carrick. The midfielder is due to arrive in Manchester on Monday to undergo a medical and agree personal terms with The Red Devils. A fee was agreed on Friday which allowed Carrick to head to Manchester and Spurs have now confirmed the size of the bid which persuaded them to give the green light to the transfer. "Tottenham Hotspur plc announces that agreement has been reached for the transfer of the player registration of Michael Carrick, subject to the player agreeing personal terms and passing a medical, to Manchester United Football Club for a total consideration of up to £18.6 million," read a statement on Spurs' official website. Full Article

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson expects Cristiano Ronaldo to return to training on 31 July and insists the winger is going nowhere. The 21-year-old Portugal star's future has been in doubt since he made it clear he wanted a move to Spain after his World Cup spat with Wayne Rooney. Ferguson said: "Without any question, Ronaldo will be our player next season and for the rest of his contract. "He'll be back in July to start training again with us," he said. "I haven't paid much attention to what Cristiano is supposed to have said about his future. "I haven't spoken to him since the World Cup." It has been reported that Ferguson despatched his assistant Carlos Queiroz, who has always enjoyed a close personal relationship with Ronaldo, to smooth relations. Full Article

Italy defender Marco Materazzi says he did insult France's Zinedine Zidane during the World Cup final, just before Zidane was sent off for a headbutt. But Materazzi denied reports he called Zidane a "terrorist" or used insulting language towards Zidane's mother. "It was the kind of insult you will hear dozens of times and just slips out of the ground," Materazzi is quoted in Italian paper La Gazetta dello Sport. "I didn't call Zidane a terrorist and certainly didn't mention his mother." Zidane, who was born and grew up in Marseille, is the son of Algerian immigrants and has suffered taunts about his heritage throughout his football career. Full Article

Freddie Ljungberg said he could not wait for Tuesday's crunch game against England, after his goal kept alive Sweden's hopes of winning Group B. Ljungberg's headed goal gave Sweden a 1-0 win over Paraguay and put the South Americans out of the World Cup. "It's going to be difficult but it will be a massive game as both teams want to win the group," said the Arsenal man. "I think we played well, better than against Trinidad and Tobago. We created enough chances to win the game." Ljungberg added: "But of course you get a little worried when you create that many chances and the ball doesn't want to go in. "It was absolutely the best match I have ever experienced. The fans are never this crazy when we play at home. All the Swedes were screaming like mad." Full Article

World Cup Inshallah, a film following the difficult formation, training and World Cup qualifying attempts of the Palestinian national team, will receive its UK premiere in London on Thursday. Of all the teams that battled it out on the pitch to qualify for this year's World Cup, the Palestinian national team had its own particular conflict to endure. Made up of a disparate group of players from the occupied territories, Lebanon, Kuwait, Chile and the United States, it was only recognised by Fifa in 1996 and has so far failed to qualify for any major international tournaments. "Sport is the only context in which you can officially refer to 'Palestine'," says the film's co-director Maya Sanbar, who shared the role with her business partner Jeffrey Saunders. Full Article

Thierry Henry is set to end months of speculation over his future by signing a new contract at Arsenal, inspired by their Champions League final display. Henry, whose contract runs out next year, had been linked with a move to Champions League winners Barcelona. "I hope to stay as long as I can keep running. I couldn't leave the fans. They're like family," he told The Sun. "I love Barcelona, but on Wednesday Arsenal showed they had heart. I hope to finalise details today." Gunners captain Henry, 28, joined from Juventus in August 1999 and has gone on to become the club's record goalscorer. Full Article

England will be allowed to replace Wayne Rooney in their World Cup squad up until 24 hours before their opening match against Paraguay on 10 June. Fifa confirmed that their regulations allow for a player to be substituted provided the governing body is supplied with evidence of serious injury. If a replacement is called up Rooney would take no part in the tournament. Eriksson has to name his 23-man squad for Germany on 15 May, but will announce a provisional squad on 8 May. A Fifa spokesman told BBC Sport: "It's the same as any other Fifa competition. "With a medical report, players who are on the official list, as of 15 May can be replaced up to 24 hours prior to each team's first match." Full Article

Luiz Felipe Scolari has been offered the job of England manager and is discussing terms with the Football Assocation, the BBC has learned. FA chief executive Brian Barwick was in Lisbon on Wednesday to thrash out a deal with Portugal's Brazilian coach. "We were speaking to Felipe as part of the process of recruiting the next coach and that process continues," said Barwick after flying back to London. Scolari, 57, is out of contract after the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. Full Article

Arsenal reached the Champions League final for the first time on Tuesday when Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann saved a last-minute Juan Ramon Riquelme penalty. Lehmann's heroics secured a 0-0 second leg draw against Villarreal in Spain to send the north London club through 1-0 on aggregate. Villarreal were awarded the penalty when Jose Mari went down under a Gael Clichy challenge in the 89th minute but Lehmann dived to his left to block. Villarreal, playing their first season in the competition, made all the running in a ragged match but wasted their chances in front of goal. Full Article

Michael Schumacher won the San Marino Grand Prix for his and Ferrari's first victory of the Formula One season on Sunday. It was the seven-time world champion's 85th career success, and seventh at Ferrari's home circuit, but he was harried all the way by Renault's world champion Fernando Alonso. It was a reversal of last year's nose-to-tail thriller, Alonso having won in 2005 with Schumacher failing to find a way past. This time the German held on to win by two seconds. Schumacher's last victory was at the six-car U.S. Grand Prix last June, a race that turned into a fiasco when all the Michelin teams pulled out before the start. His last real win was the Japanese Grand Prix in October 2004, a season he dominated with 13 victories. Full Article

Olympic officials are getting a progress report today on how London is gearing up for the 2012 Games. A 16-strong co-ordination commission of the International Olympic Committee is in town to check on the capital's progress. They are expected to visit several sporting and transport venues but not the new Wembley Stadium, which will not be ready for this year's FA Cup Final. They will see building work at the Dome. Full Article

The two teams playing in the World Cup final in Germany on 9 July will use a specially produced "golden ball". A giant model of the football, with six of the 14 panels coloured gold, was unveiled in Berlin by the head of the World Cup organising committee. German football legend Franz Beckenbauer said it was a great idea to create a special ball for the match. The ball for the other 63 games will be black and white for the first time since the 1994 tournament. Full Article

Prince Edward has formally closed the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, bringing to an end 11 days of competition involving 4,500 athletes. Prime minister Tony Blair was also at the ceremony to witness Melbourne hand over the Commonwealth Games flag to 2010 host, New Delhi. Performers at the colourful ceremony included Dame Edna Everage, Indian actress Aishwarya Rai and John Farnham. A spectacular firework display provided a rousing finale. Melbourne 2006 chairman Ron Walker said the 18th Commonwealth Games had been a success. Full Article

Snowkiting is the latest adrenaline sport to hit the slopes in Europe. Sky News' interpid snow queen Rebecca Burgess gives it a try in Austria. Have you ever dreamt of skiing effortlessly up a mountain without the help of lifts? Then the latest craze to hit the snow-covered mountains of Europe will sweep you off your feet. Snowkiting is the perfect sport for skiers and snowboarders in search of fun, flying and fear. Full Article

Ronaldo has frequently mentioned his desire to end his career back in Brazil - specifically with Flamengo of Rio, the club he supported as a boy. There has recently been speculation that this might happen sooner rather than later. But if he does move back to his home town, Ronaldo will - as he is surely already aware - find himself in the land that time forgot. Full Article

World number one Roger Federer won his third straight Indian Wells ATP Masters Series title with a 7-5 6-3 6-0 victory over American James Blake. Federer rebounded from his three-set defeat by Rafael Nadal in the final at Dubai and kept intact his record of never losing in back-to-back finals. Blake sent a shiver of excitement around the 16,100-seat stadium when he broke twice in the opening set to take a 4-1 lead over Federer, who has held the top ranking for 111 straight weeks. Full Article

Michaela Breeze won Wales' first gold of the Commonwealth Games when she put in a record-breaking sequence of lifts to win the women's 63kg weightlifting. The 26-year-old, a silver medallist in Manchester four years ago, pushed Canada's Christine Girard and Miel McGerrigle into silver and bronze. She set three Games marks in the snatch and one in the clean-and-jerk for a 220kg total, eight ahead of Girard. Full Article

Evgeni Plushenko was well into his Olympic victory lap, waving his flowers and wrapping himself in the Russian flag, before the silver and bronze medalists even climbed off the podium. These were Plushenko's games. Everyone else just filled out the field, mere subjects to figure skating's new king. Plushenko, the silver medalist four years ago in Salt Lake City, skated safely but just strong enough to add his name to the Russian/Soviet dynasty that now has won the men's individual gold medal in five straight Olympics. Full Article

David Bentley hit a hat-trick for Blackburn in a dramatic 4-3 win over Manchester United on Wednesday while leaders Chelsea were held 1-1 at Aston Villa. United had Rio Ferdinand sent off two minutes from time while Liverpool, in third spot, conceded a late goal at Anfield allowing 10-man Birmingham to draw 1-1. Chelsea, who led through Dutch winger Arjen Robben's early goal, were pegged back but extended their lead to 15 points despite a second successive league draw. Full Article