Sporting briefs

Newcastle United: Newcastle owner Mike Ashley said yesterday he was willing to sell the Premier League club after falling foul of fans following coach Kevin Keegan's resignation. "I am now a dad who can't take his kids to a football match on Saturday because I am advised that we would be assaulted," Ashley said in a letter to fans on the club's website. "Therefore I am no longer prepared to subsidise Newcastle. I am putting the club up for sale."

Real Madrid: Promoted Numancia twice took the lead before falling 4-3 to champions Real Madrid at the Bernabeu yesterday. The newcomers from Soria, who beat Barcelona 1-0 on the opening day, took an early lead through Juan Carlos Moreno. Jose Barkero restored their advantage just after Guti had levelled for Real. Gonzalo Higuain, Rafael van der Vaart on his league debut, and an own-goal from Domingo Cisma gave the home side a 4-2 half-time lead before Moreno's superb second-half free-kick made ti 4-3.

Gardner: Aston Villa midfielder Craig Gardner has inked a new four-year deal that will keep him at Villa Park until 2012. The 21-year-old becomes the fourth Villa player to renew his contract recently after Wilfred Bouma, John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor also signed new deals.

Primera Liga: Getafe vs Real Betis 0-0; Malaga vs Ath. Bilbao 0-0; Mallorca vs Osasuna 1-1; Real Madrid vs Numancia 4-3; Rec. Huelva vs Espanyol 0-1; Villarreal vs Deportivo 1-0; Almeria vs Valencia 2-2. Played on Saturday: Barcelona vs Rac. Santander 1-1; Real Valladolid vs Atl. Madrid 2-1; Sevilla vs Sporting Gijon 4-3.

Bundesliga: Hanover vs Bor. M'gladbach 5-1; Bochum vs Arminia Bielefeld 2-0.

Ligue 1: Caen vs St Etienne 2-0; Sochaux vs Lille 1-1; Paris SG vs Nantes 1-0.

Swimming: Beijing Olympic champion Libby Trickett has confirmed she would like to keep swimming competitively through until the London Olympics in 2012. Trickett, who won the 100m butterfly at Beijing's Water Cube and anchored Australia's 4x100m medley relay team to gold, failed to win the 50 and 100 freestyle titles, events in which she is the world champion and record holder. "The goal for me is definitely 2012," Trickett said. "I would love to be one of the swimmers to have achieved a third Olympics."

Paralympics: South African amputee Natalie du Toit snared her fifth swimming gold medal of the Beijing Paralympics yesterday in an event 9,950 metres shorter than the race she took part in at last month's Olympics. The 24-year-old, one of only two athletes to have taken part in both Games in Beijing this year, needed a strong finish to claim a victory by 0.13 of a second in the 50 metres freestyle. Du Toit finished 16th in the 10 km open water race at last month's Olympics.