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Athletics: Josh Griffiths (picture), the fastest Briton at the recent London Marathon, must not rush into a search for a coach, women’s world marathon record holder Paula Radcliffe has said. The self-taught amateur beat elite runners and became the fastest British male to complete the marathon with a time of two hours 14 minutes and 49 seconds on Sunday and will be named in Britain’s team for the World Championships. “I would not rush into getting a coach because whatever he is doing is working well,” Radcliffe said. “It can become a weight when you make a breakthrough, so he needs to keep working.”
Cricket: Durham fast bowler Mark Wood has been named in England’s 15-man squad for the ODI series against South Africa and the Champions Trophy tournament in June having recovered from ankle surgery. Wood, who has 11 one-day international caps but missed the winter tour of India, is joined by fellow paceman Liam Plunkett who is yet to play for Yorkshire this season because of a calf injury.
Snooker: Mark Selby has taken control of his quarter-final clash with Marco Fu leading 6-2 after their opening session at the World Championship. Selby looked extremely sharp at the beginning of the session and his performance yesterday leaves him in a strong position to notch up a fifth victory. The Leicester-native stormed ahead, establishing a 5-0 advantage before Fu dug deep, winning two in a row to reduce his arrears to 5-2. However, Selby pinched a tight last frame to end play four ahead before both of them resume part two of their encounter.
Basketball, NBA: The Golden State Warriors emphatically secured their spot in the conference semi-finals of the NBA play-offs after sweeping aside the Portland Trail Blazers. The Warriors needed a victory at the Moda Center to seal a 4-0 series win and they duly delivered after making a blistering start to the match. The Stephen Curry-inspired visitors raced into a 45-22 lead after the first quarter and never looked back as they secured a 128-103 victory.
Tennis: Former Wimbledon runner-up Garbine Muguruza will prepare for this year’s Championships on the Birmingham grass courts after confirming she has entered June’s Aegon Classic yesterday. The Spanish player, beaten by Serena Williams in the 2015 Wimbledon final, is one of four current top-10 players on the entry list for the June 17-25 event. Britain’s Johanna Konta, defending Birmingham champion Madison Keys and former French Open runner-up Simona Halep will also be involved at the Edgbaston Priory Club.