James survive
BATHURST, NSW - Promising Wests Tigers fullback James Tedesco survived his first hitout since the knee reconstruction which ruined his rookie campaign but it was Penrith who won an NRL trial thriller 34-32 in Bathurst on Friday night. With star pivot Lachlan Coote a late inclusion for the Panthers, halfback Blake Austin kicked the match-winning conversion after the siren from close range to end an entertaining contest.
Dream return
CANBERRA - A dream return to Super Rugby looks certain for Clyde Rathbone, with the former Wallabies winger scoring two tries in the Brumbies 38-7 win over the ACT XV on Friday.
Rathbone, who retired from professional rugby in 2009, had both his trademark corner-finding speed and the slick hands of Christian Lealiifano to thank for his tries. Coach Jake White said Lealiifano looked dangerous every time he touched the ball.
Qatar winner
DOHA - Isle of Man racer Mark Cavendish, of the team, sealed overall victory on the Tour of Qatar on Friday after winning the sixth and final stage on the Doha Corniche. The 2011 world champion won the 116km ride from Sealine Beach to Doha in a sprint finish ahead of Yauheni Hutarovich of Belarus and Barry Markus of the Netherlands. It was Cavendish's eighth win in total on the Tour of Qatar, and his fourth in as many days.
No rider had ever previously won four consecutive stages on the Tour of Qatar.
Sir Alex fined
LONDON - Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has been fined for misconduct after implying that a linesman was biased during the club's recent match with Tottenham, the Football Association said on Friday. The governing body said an independent regulatory commission had ordered the Old Trafford boss to pay STG12,000 ($A18,000) for his post-match comments about assistant referee Simon Beck on January 20. He made the comments in the aftermath of the 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane and was angry that United were not given a penalty for a foul on Wayne Rooney.
Suspended
MOSCOW - Russian long jumper Tatyana Kotova has been provisionally suspended after a re-analysis of a sample dating back to the 2005 World Championships, the Russian Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday. A statement on RUSADA's website said: "The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), after hearing back from the WADA-accredited Laboratory in Lausanne, initiated a review of a possible anti-doping rule violation by Russian athlete Tatyana Kotova."
Butt appeal
LAUSANNE, Switzerland - Disgraced former Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt on Friday said he hoped the Court of Arbitration for Sport would overturn his ban imposed for spot-fixing and let him return to the game he loves. "I am grateful to the CAS that they have allowed me this opportunity to appeal this sentence," Butt said in a statement released after a day-long hearing at the Swiss-based court. "Since September 2010, until now, I have not been able to play any meaningful game of cricket: to coach or to even be involved in the administration of the game.