Snooker: Michaela Tabb will take charge of the World Championship final for the second time next month. The 44-year-old, snooker’s top female official, will referee the final at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield on May 6 and 7. Tabb has refereed professional snooker since 2001, and officiated the world final for the first time in 2009 when John Higgins beat Shaun Murphy 18-9.

Fed Cup: Reigning Wimbledon champion and world number three Petra Kvitova will lead holders Czech Republic in the Fed Cup semi-final tie against Italy in Ostrava on April 21-22. Team captain Petr Pala also called up 23-ranked Lucie Safarova, and doubles specialists Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka, numbers eight and 10 in the WTA doubles rankings. The in-form Safarova made it to the finals at Charleston last weekend.

Motor Racing: Toyota Racing have pulled out of next month’s Spa Franco-rchamps endurance race after damaging their only car in testing. The Japanese team’s TS030 HYBRID was involved in an accident while testing at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet, France last week. “Regrettably this damage is too severe to repair. A replacement mono-coque cannot be produced and sufficiently tested to ensure reliability within the limited time available,” a team statement said.

Rugby Union: Wales hooker Lloyd Burns has been forced to retire from rugby with a neck injury that has left him with a damaged aorta and possibly needing heart surgery. Burns, who went from playing Welsh Premiership club rugby to representing Wales at last year’s World Cup all in the space of 18 months, has been out of action since the beginning of January.