Snooker: The hearing of the evidence in the first part of Stephen Lee’s appeal against his 12-year ban from snooker has been concluded, the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said. The 39-year-old from Trowbridge was given the suspension last September after being found guilty of seven charges of match-fixing dating back to 2008 and 2009. A WPBSA statement read: “The hearing of the evidence in the first part of Stephen Lee’s appeal has been concluded. The independent tribunal has risen to consider written submissions from the parties. No date has been set for the outcome.” The former world number five has protested his innocence throughout the investigation.
China Open qualifier: Anthony Hamilton bt Alex Borg 5-3.
Formula One: Williams have signed a multi-year partnership with Brazilian oil company Petrobras, the Formula One team said yesterday. The former champions had Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA as their biggest sponsor until Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado left at the end of last season. They have now signed Brazilian Felipe Massa from Ferrari as one of their two drivers for 2014.
Rugby Union: England will hope to have a clearer picture today over whether Dan Cole will be available for the summer tour to New Zealand. Cole has been ruled out for the remaining three games of the Six Nations with a bulging disk that is pinching a nerve – an injury that first came to light during a gym session last week. No date has been set for the British and Irish Lions tighthead prop’s return, although that is expected to change this week when he visits a specialist for a second opinion.
Tennis: Feliciano Lopez has never shied away from a lengthy contest and the Spaniard prevailed 4-6 6-2 6-3 against American Sam Querrey in his latest test in the opening round of the Delray Beach Open. Lopez has had his share of marathon duels, including his epic 2009 Australian Open thriller against Gilles Muller that went four hours and 22 minutes. Monday’s match lasted 94 minutes, but was a full three-set battle that saw Lopez recover from a slow start to triumph.
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Athletics: Haile Gebrselassie (picture) will be lead pacemaker for the elite men’s race at the London Marathon, organisers said. Ethio-pian Gebrselassie, a multiple Olympic and world champion over 10,000 metres as well as a former marathon world record holder, will pace the first 30km at world-record speed at the April 13 event, five days short of his 41st birthday. A strong field will include Britain’s world champion distance runner Mo Farah, marathon world record holder Wilson Kipsang and fellow Kenyan and London course record holder Em-manuel Mutai. Olympic marathon cham-pion Stephen Kiprotich, of Uganda, and London champion Tsegaye Kebede, of Ethiopia, will also compete.
Cricket: New Zealand recorded their first test series victory over India since 2002 when the second match ended in a draw yesterday after Brendon McCullum had become the first New Zealander to score a test triple century. Captain McCullum’s 302 anchored New Zealand’s record 680 for eight declared, setting the visitors the impossible task of scoring 435 runs in 67 overs to achieve the victory they needed after the hosts won the first test at Eden Park by 40 runs. New Zealand had India in trouble early in their second innings with the sniff of an unlikely victory in their nostrils but once Virat Kohli knuckled down to record his sixth test century, McCullum and Mahendra Singh Dhoni decided to call the game off with 15 overs remaining.