Tom Scudamore feels a more generous pace in Saturday’s Wessex Youth Trust Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot could finally get the best out of the wayward Grands Crus.

Cardiff 1 Swansea 0

Ireland’s boxers are on the brink of a gold rush at the 40th European Championships in Belarus.

Ruby Walsh was replaced by Ryan Mahon on Michel Le Bon in the Coral Welsh National after two falls earlier in the day.

Semi-professional Bangor City striker Les Davies admits his inclusion on the list for a top UEFA honour is “crazy but a great surprise”.

Semi-professional Bangor City striker Les Davies admits his inclusion on the list for a top UEFA honour is “crazy but a great surprise”.

Wales forward Lloyd Burns will miss the entire RBS 6 Nations Championship after being ruled out for three months with a neck injury.

Ospreys coaching director Scott Johnson is to quit his post at the end of this season.

MUNSTER A coach Anthony Foley has been forced to leave a vacancy in his side for tonight’s British and Irish Cup clash with Llanelli in Waterford (7.30pm) as a selection crisis intensified in the province’s Heineken Cup squad.

Tomorrow’s fixture at Musselburgh has been abandoned due to frost, while this afternoon's meetings at Leicester and Chepstow are subject to inspections this morning.

Cardiff Blues 20 Ospreys 12

THE CONSENSUS since Warren Gatland made those comments at the Welsh team announcement was that he had two motivations in mind — primarily to get into the heads, hearts and minds of the Irish and to take the pressure off his own players.

Denman and Kauto Star feature among 28 horses left in the £475,000 (€527,000) totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup at the latest forfeit stage.

Cardiff defender Darren Purse has been given an FA Cup final reprieve after his weekend red card was overturned.

Neil Robertson held his nerve to defeat Andrew Higginson and win the Welsh Open tonight 9-8.

Alan King's D'Argent heads 25 entries for the totesport Classic Chase at Warwick on Saturday.

Hennessy Gold Cup winner State Of Play has been handed top weight of 11st 12lb in the Coral Welsh National at Chepstow on December 27.

The snooker professional Paul Hunter has died of cancer. He was 27.

Simon Easterby has branded the current crisis gripping Welsh rugby a “mess”, but does not believe it will influence the Grand Slam champions at Lansdowne Road on Sunday.

NEW ZEALAND coach Graham Henry spent much of his first press conference following the tourists’ arrival in Cardiff fielding questions about the summer’s Lions tour and the First Test incident involving skipper Brian O’Driscoll.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry spent much of his first press conference following the tourists’ arrival in Cardiff fielding questions about the summer’s Lions tour and the First Test incident involving skipper Brian O’Driscoll.

Sergio Garcia and his artful lodger Luke Donald both began the Ryder Cup qualifying campaign with five under par rounds of 66 in Switzerland today.

The Lions tour of New Zealand reached a new low today when lock Danny Grewcock received a two-month ban for biting an opponent.

Yorkshire golfer Richard Finch stepped into the unknown today when he took a one-stroke lead into the third round of the Telecom Italian Open in Milan.

Ronnie O’Sullivan won a nail-biting final for the second year in a row to successfully defend the Welsh Open title in Newport tonight.

MOSCOW FLYER remains on course to complete his Cheltenham Festival build-up in the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown later this month.

Timmy Murphy has indicated he is set to appeal against the seven-day ban he incurred for throwing his whip at his mount Semi Precious at Plumpton yesterday.

MUNSTER winger Anthony Horgan is likely to miss the opening Heineken Cup clash against Bourgoin on Saturday week.

AUSTRALIAN second-row import David Pusey and out-half Conrad O’Sullivan are set to play for Munster against Neath/Swansea Ospreys on Saturday (5.30) and will be keen to make an immediate impact.

Snooker has been plunged into a new crisis after the game’s commercial management arm, World Snooker Enterprises, had their contract terminated by the game’s governing body.

IRISH boxers face a busy week ahead with both the senior and junior champions in action abroad and the number twos in action against Wales in the first major international of the year at the National Stadium tonight.

Ken Doherty is out of the Regal Welsh Open in Cardiff.

Henrietta Knight is preparing an assault on the big staying chases this spring with Chives and Southern Star.

IRISH provinces have been tipped to dominate the Celtic League season ahead of today’s kick-off, with last year’s finalists Leinster and Munster installed as joint 5/2 favourites by British bookmaker William Hill.

Paul Burke's sparkling form for Harlequins in the Tetley Cup final underlined the current healthy state of Irish rugby.

The ban on the movement of farm animals in the UK is to stay in force until at least mid-March, though attempts will be made to get animals to slaughter.