Rugby Union: England coach Stuart Lancaster’s plans for next month’s three-test tour of New Zealand have been thrown into further disarray after centre Billy Twelvetrees was ruled out for six weeks, adding to an ever-expanding injury and absentee list. “It looks like an (ankle) injury that will be for four to six weeks before it is right,” his coach at club Gloucester Nigel Davies said. “It’s not ligaments, it’s a relatively minor injury.” With that timescale, Twelvetrees will stand little chance of making the first test in Auckland on June 7 and will have to prove he is likely to be fit for the second in Dunedin a week later to stand any chance of making the squad.
Athletics: Former Spanish long-jumper Yago Lamela has died at the age of 36. The Spanish athletics federation, RFEA, said it was sorry to learn of the death of the athlete who was a silver medallist at the 1999 World Championships and a bronze winner at the 2003 World Championships. Lamela also won world indoor silver medals in 1999 and 2003. Lamela had a personal best of 8.56 metres, which he achieved both indoors and outdoors and remains a Spanish national record. The cause of Lamela’s death has not been announced. America’s four-time outdoor world champion Dwight Phillips added: “Sad news my fellow competitor Yago Lamela has passed. RIP you inspired many my friend.”
Basketball: Portland Trail Blazers had a snake in their locker room on Thursday. Not a back-stabbing, treacherous team-mate – a real live snake. The reptile, believed to be a baby rattlesnake, was found coiled up in reserve forward Thomas Robinson’s locker ahead of their play-off game against San Antonio Spurs. Robinson, who stands 6’10” (2.08m) and weighs 237 pounds (107.5kg), was unnerved by the find. “I screamed,” he said. “I saw something curled up. I screamed. I jumped... I yelled.” Security personnel removed the snake from the locker. Robinson scored only two points as the Trail Blazers were beaten 114-97 to fall 2-0 behind in their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-finals series.
Doping: Australia has named a senior police official to take over as head of its national anti-doping agency and see through a major investigation into two of the country’s professional football codes. Ben McDevitt, a career policeman with experience in a number of criminal intelligence roles, replaces the outgoing chief executive of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA), Aurora Andruska. McDevitt takes the reins at a sensitive time, with the agency’s credibility battered by a prolonged probe into the use of banned substances in the country’s top rugby league and Australian Rules competitions.
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Tennis: Serena Williams (picture) has pulled out of the Madrid Open with a thigh injury ahead of her quarter-final against Petra Kvitova. Williams, winner of the last two editions of the tournament, suffered the injury in her first-round match against Belinda Bencic and with the French Open just two weeks away, she decided to pull out to give herself time to recover. The 17-times grand slam singles champion had been on a run of 15 consecutive victories on the Madrid clay and her victory over Carla Suarez Navarro in the last round brought up her 650th win on tour.
Other quarter-finals: Halep bt Ivanovic 6-2 6-2; Sharapova bt Li Na 2-6 7-6 6-3; Radwanska bt Garcia 6-4 4-6 6-4.