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Snooker: World champion Mark Selby (picture) reached his third UK Championship final with a comfortable 6-2 win over Shaun Murphy. In a repeat of the 2012 final, Murphy opened with a 99 break, before world number one Selby hit back with 55 and 83 to lead 3-1 at the York Barbican. The pair shared the next two, but Selby took a 30-minute long seventh frame and made 51 in the next to advance. Selby will face five-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan or Marco Fu in today’s final.
Athletics: Japanese sportswear giant Asics Corp will take over from Adidas as the official sponsor of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), a source with knowledge of the deal told Reuters yesterday. Adidas, who had signed an 11-year sponsorship deal with the IAAF that was set to run until 2019, said it was ending the deal three years early. The 11-year sponsorship deal was reportedly worth at least $33 million.
Basketball, NBA: LeBron James was left feeling the sting of defeat before and after the Cleveland Cavaliers’ visit to face the Chicago Bulls on Friday night. The Cleveland superstar arrived at the Bulls’ arena wearing a Chicago Cubs jersey after losing a World Series bet with former Miami team-mate Dwyane Wade, and Wade got the better of James again on the court. The Bulls’ 111-105 win made it three straight losses for the champions.
Rugby Union: Former France coach Bernard Laporte was appointed president of the French rugby federation yesterday. Laporte, who led Les Bleus to the World Cup semi-finals in 2003 and 2007, came first ahead of incumbent Pierre Camou after a vote by the amateur and professional clubs. The board then presented Laporte before the general assembly, which elected him as president. Laporte recently said he would keep Guy Noves as France manager.
Golf: Brandon Stone edged closer to a second European Tour title with a fine 66 in the third round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship yesterday to lead by three shots at Leopard Creek Country Club. The 23-year-old South African moved to 17 under par for the tournament, ahead of compatriots Keith Horne (67) and Charl Schwartzel (68), and England’s Chris Hanson (68), who were tied second on 14 under par.