McDowell signs up for RBC events

                                                       Graeme McDowell: Part of the family

Graeme McDowell will play in this year's RBC Heritage and the RBC Canadian Open after joining the "RBC family".
The 33-year-old world number 15 has confirmed via Twitter that he has agreed a deal with the Royal Bank of Canada.
"Excited to be part of the @RBC_Golf family. Doing great things in golf globally. Adding RBC Heritage and RBC Candian Open to my 2013 sched" he wrote on the social networking site.
The 2013 RBC Heritage will take place at Hilton Head from April 15-21 - the week after the Masters - while the Canadian Open will run from July 22-28 - a week after the Open Championship - at Glen Abbey Golf Club.
McDowell doesn't have the best of records at Hilton Head as he finished tied for 70th in 2005, missed the cut in 2006 and was tied 61st in 2011 while he finished joint 46th at the Canadian Open in 2002.

Gale happy with Blythe reunion

                                                           Luke Gale: Happy times

Luke Gale and Matty Blythe will be reunited when they run out at Odsal after being brought to the club by new Bulls coach Francis Cummins.
The pair were team-mates for the England youth side and grew up at rival academies at Leeds and Warrington respectively.
While scrum-half Gale is sixth months older than Blythe, he was delighted when the Bulls announced the signing of his old friend on loan from Warrington.
Blythe's capture is seen as a major coup and he will give them another option in the centers and back row.
"I think Matty will be a great addition to our side," said Gale, who is battling to be fit for the start of the season after ankle surgery.
"He's a very good player and was unfortunate at Warrington because they have so many big names.
"I think Matty was just outside Tony Smith's starting 17 so he's been unlucky.
"I've known him since he was 16, having played against Warrington Under-16s and 18s and then played with him for England. He can play anywhere but personally I think he's best at centre.
"He's a very athletic lad and a really nice bloke as well. That's important and is brilliant for us."
Indeed, Gale reckons Blythe's attitude and desire to establish himself as a regular Super League player will hold him in good stead at Odsal.
"Matty went to Leigh a couple of seasons ago in order to play regularly but that what's he like," added the 24-year-old.
"His attitude is fantastic and they are the sort of players you want to bring in.
"Franny has been really smart there. He's brought him in knowing that he's a good lad off the field and I think he will be massive for us this coming year."
"Matty went to Leigh a couple of seasons ago in order to play regularly but that what's he like," added the 24-year-old.
"His attitude is fantastic and they are the sort of players you want to bring in.
"Franny has been really smart there. He's brought him in knowing that he's a good lad off the field and I think he will be massive for us this coming year."
Meanwhile, Blythe is also looking forward to his reunion with Gayle.
"I played with Galey for a brief period at Under-18s level for England and know him well - he's a top guy.
"I didn't know many of the other Bradford players before coming here but I've soon got to know everyone and built some good relationships with the rest of the lads."

Nzonzi red card overturned

                                                    Steven Nzonzi gets his marching orders

Stoke midfielder Steven Nzonzi has successfully appealed against a red card issued to him in Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Southampton.

Nzonzi was dismissed by referee Mark Clattenburg in the 3-3 draw at the Britannia Stadium for what appeared to be a stamp on Jack Cork.
At the time the decision angered Stoke manager Tony Pulis who felt Cork had over-reacted.
Pulis said: "Whether the reaction of Cork, who is a good player and a good lad, has influenced Mark, I'm not sure, but Steven certainly doesn't stamp on the player.
"There was no intent. He's actually planted his leg between his legs, which was quite clever."
The Potters launched an immediate appeal, and upon review by the Independent Regulatory Commission, a claim of wrongful dismissal has been upheld.
The Commission further confirmed Nzonzi's potential three-match suspension has been withdrawn with immediate effect.

Sri Lanka still have belief

                                                 Mahela Jayawardene: Backing his batsmen

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene admits it has been hard for his side to put the MCG debacle behind them but insists they have the batting talent and belief to bounce back to form in Sydney.
The tourists were humbled inside three days in the Boxing Day Test and many are predicting a similar outcome at the SCG with an uncharacteristic green wicket and Australia's in-form four-pronged pace attack.
After struggling to cope with a barrage of short balls from Australia's quicks in Melbourne, Jayawardene backed his misfiring batsmen to handle the challenge much better this time.
The 35-year-old right-hander, who will relinquish the captaincy to Angelo Mathews after this Test, said the team had done a lot of soul-searching over the past week in the lead-up to this match.
And he is confident they can pull off an upset and secure a historic first win on Australian soil.
"We've spent a few days to try and get over that match, what happened and how we can avoid something like that again," Jayawardene said.
"Teams do go through that sort of thing.
"It happened to us in South Africa last year at Centurion where we lost in two-and-a-half days and we bounced back in Durban to win the Test match.
"It's about guys owning responsibility about what happened and doing something about it.
"It is a strong Australian side but if we play to our potential and back ourselves then we can stand up to that."
An honest Jayawardene conceded the Sri Lankans had let themselves down during the tour, laying much of the blame at the hands of the batsmen.
"That's where our experience lies and that's where we control a lot of Test matches," he said.
"We need to make sure we take that control back whether it's the technical side of it or the mental side that we need to address.
"We have spoken about it but there's only so much you can talk behind closed doors - we need to go out there and perform."
Sri Lanka's preparation hit another snag today with emerging fast bowler Shaminda Eranga injuring his leg during a friendly football match prior to training.
The 26-year-old immediately limped his way to the dressing room but it is unclear if the injury will rule him out of the Test.
It is another unwanted distraction for the tourists who are already without star batsman Kumar Sangakkara (finger) and paceman Chanaka Welegedara (hamstring), while wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene (thumb) and fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara (ribs) are both in severe doubt.
"It's disruptive," said Jayawardene. "These are unexpected things that we need to get our head around and handle the situation the best possible way.
"You don't anticipate three or four guys to go down in just one Test match.
"But it happened so we just need to sit down and see what other options we've got."
While Jayawardene was unable to finalise a team for the match, he did confirm that Dinesh Chandimal would definitely play in place of Sangakkara.

Hasan century stuns West Indies

Debutant Abul Hasan registered a superb maiden century shortly before the close of play as Bangladesh's lower order fought back on day one of the second Test against West Indies in Khulna.

The Windies looked firmly in charge when Fidel Edwards and Darren Sammy reduced Bangladesh to 98 for five midway through the afternoon session although Nasir Hossain's half-century steadied the ship.

Bangladesh then lost three more wickets in quick succession - with Edwards completing a five-wicket haul - and a collapse appeared on the cards until an unbeaten partnership of 172 for the ninth wicket between Hasan (100 not out) and Mahmudullah (72 not out) took the Tigers to a respectable 365 for eight.

Left-hander Hasan, playing just his seventh first-class match, brought up his first three-figure score in any format with a flick through the leg side off Sunil Narine two balls from stumps.

The lower order justified Bangladesh's decision to bat first after their most established batsmen failed, with Nazimuddin falling in the third over after fending a short ball from Edwards to Kieran Powell at short leg.

Tamim Iqbal and Shahriar Nafees put on a 50 partnership but the latter perished for 26 when he edged Sammy behind.

Tamim was then bowled for 32, playing no stroke at a delivery that came back into him from Sammy, while Naeem Islam got an inside edge on a full ball from Edwards onto his stumps.

The Tigers were well and truly on the ropes on 98 for five when Shakib-al-Hasan (17) feathered a catch behind off Edwards, before Hossain got off the mark with an edge through the slips for four off the same bowler.

Alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, Hossain settled into his stride and crunched Narine over long-on for six before bringing up his 50 by opening the face of his bat and tickling Veerasammy Permaul past the wicketkeeper for his eighth four.

The slow left armer would have his revenge in his next over when Hossain was caught trying to clear mid-on to depart for 52.

And Bangladesh were staring down the barrel once more when Edwards had Rahim caught behind for 32 before Sohag Gazi was trapped in front four balls later with an in-swinger to give the West Indian paceman his fifth wicket.

Mahmudullah took 15 balls to get off the mark but then cut Permaul for two fours in the same over, with Abul Hasan repeating the trick - in a rather more unorthodox manner - off Edwards.

The 20-year-old Abul Hasan slog swept Permaul for six although he was dropped in the bowler's next over on 42 at short leg.

He made full use of his reprieve by cracking Sammy straight over his head for six to bring up his 50 and continued to bat in a carefree manner, taking three fours off Marlon Samuels in an over.

He then hammered Permaul over long-on for yet another six in the same over Mahmudullah brought up his half-century.

The two continued to prosper despite the introduction of the second new ball and Hasan became just the second batsman to score a century batting from number 10 in 135 years to leave the Tigers firmly in the ascendancy going into day two.

John Terry won't appeal

                                         John Terry won't appeal against his ban

Chelsea defender John Terry has decided not to appeal against a four-match ban and fine of £220,000 for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Terry had until 6pm on Thursday evening to contest the sanction issued by an independent Football Association regulatory commission.
However, in a statement released via his representatives Elite Management, Terry said: "After careful consideration, I have decided not to appeal against the FA judgment.
"I want to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game against Queens Park Rangers last October.
"Although I'm disappointed with the FA judgment, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life."
Terry's statement continued: "As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position.
"My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again.
"Looking forward, I will continue to do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory behaviour from football.
"I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family."
Terry was found guilty by the independent FA commission of calling Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" during a Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and QPR on October 23.
He has always maintained that he was merely repeating an accusation levelled at him by Ferdinand, but the commission found that his words were used as an insult.
The commission described Terry's version of events at Loftus Road as "improbable, implausible and contrived" in their written reasons for issuing the ban.
The three-man panel also questioned why Terry's team-mate Ashley Cole had changed his statement to give more support to Terry's story, sparking a furious response from the Chelsea and England defender who described the FA as a "bunch of t***s" in a tweet sent on October 5.
Cole has since issued a full apology for that and has admitted a misconduct charge.
The commission said in its written reasons: "The commission is quite satisfied, on the balance of probabilities, that there is no credible basis for Mr Terry's defence that his use of the words 'f****** black c***' were directed at Mr Ferdinand by way of forceful rejection and/or inquiry.
"Instead, we are quite satisfied, and find on the balance of probabilities, that the offending words were said by way of insult.
"Accordingly, the commission finds that there is 'clear and convincing' evidence."
The commission said that character references from a number of people, including black players, made it clear that Terry was not racially prejudiced.
"It is accepted by everyone involved in the criminal and disciplinary proceedings that Mr Terry is not a racist," added the commission.
Terry had been cleared in Westminster Magistrates Court in July of a racially-aggravated public order offence, partly helped by the testimony of Cole.
However, the commission found that there were discrepancies in Cole's initial statement to FA interviewers of what he heard Ferdinand say to Terry compared to later statements.
Cole did not mention the word 'black' in the initial interview with the FA on October 28. On November 3, Chelsea club secretary David Barnard asked the FA for the specific word 'black' to be inserted into Cole's witness statement, suggesting that Cole may have heard Ferdinand use the term.
The commission saw an email exchange between the FA and Barnard and said that should be regarded as "cogent new evidence".
John Terry Factfile
1980: December 7 - born in London.
1998: Makes Chelsea debut against Aston Villa.
2001: One of four players fined two weeks' wages by Chelsea after their behaviour at a Heathrow hotel is criticised on the day after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
2002: Terry and Chelsea team-mate Jody Morris are cleared after being charged with assault and affray in connection with a nightclub incident. Terry, uncapped at the time, is ruled out of the World Cup after the Football Association decide he should not be considered for international duty with England until the legal case is completed.
2003: June 3 - Makes England debut as substitute against Serbia and Montenegro.
2004: August 15 - Appointed Chelsea captain, succeeding Marcel Desailly.
2006: August 10 - Chosen to replace David Beckham as England captain by head coach Steve McClaren.
2008: May 21 - Misses penalty in shoot-out against Manchester United which would have won Chelsea the Champions League.
August 19 - Named as permanent captain of England by Fabio Capello.
2009: December 20 - Chelsea defend Terry after allegations he took secret cash payments to lay on a behind-the-scenes tour of the club's training ground.
2010: January 29: Named as the sportsman behind a gagging injunction involving his private life. A court order had previously been in place, covering an alleged relationship between married Terry and French model Vanessa Perroncel - a former partner of team-mate Wayne Bridge.
February 5 - Axed as England captain following a meeting with Capello.
February 27 - Bridge refuses to shake Terry's hand before Chelsea's match with Manchester City.
2011: March 19 - Restored to the role of permanent England captain by Capello.
October 23 - Releases a statement denying he made a racist slur against Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's defeat at QPR after videos had circulated on the internet.
November 1 - The Metropolitan Police confirm they have launched a formal investigation into the Ferdinand incident.
December 21 - The Crown Prosecution Service announce Terry will be charged with racially abusing Ferdinand and is due to appear before West London Magistrates' Court on February 1, 2012.
2012: January 28 - The FA cancels the pre-match handshakes before the FA Cup fourth-round tie between QPR and Chelsea "to defuse further tensions" relating to the Terry-Ferdinand situation.
February 1 - District Judge Howard Riddle orders that Terry should stand trial in the week beginning July 9 - following Euro 2012 - after hearing a number of other Chelsea players would not be able to appear as witnesses until the end of the football season.
February 3 - Terry is stripped of the England captaincy for a second time. The decision was taken by members of the 14-strong FA board, without consulting Capello.
February 8 - Capello resigns as England manager two days after criticising the decision to strip Terry of the captaincy.
April 18 - Terry captains Chelsea to a famous 1-0 victory over Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final encounter at Stamford Bridge.
April 24 - Sent off in second leg against Barca at Nou Camp for kneeing Alexis Sanchez from behind in the first half. Chelsea draw the game 2-2 and reach the final.
May 5 - Picks up his fifth FA Cup winner's medal after Chelsea overcome Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley.
May 19 - Chelsea win their first Champions League after stunning Bayern Munich with a penalty shoot-out victory at the Allianz Arena. Terry, banned for the final for his red card against Barcelona, is ridiculed for changing into full kit at the final whistle to join in with the celebrations.
June 24 - Plays the full 90 minutes and extra time as England suffer more penalty heartache, losing their Euro 2012 quarter-final to Italy on penalties.
July 13 - Cleared at Westminster Magistrates' Court of making a racist insult to Ferdinand.
July 27 - Charged by the FA with using racist language towards QPR defender Ferdinand.
August 30 - Recalled to England squad, after missing friendly against Sweden, for September's World Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine.
September 9 - Withdraws from England squad for Ukraine game after picking up ankle injury in 5-0 win in Moldova.
September 23 - Announces his retirement from international football, shortly before the start of his personal hearing to answer the FA charge.
September 27 - Banned for four matches and fined £220,000 by an FA independent regulatory commission.
October 5 - FA reveal written reasons behind independent commission's ruling, insisting Terry's racist language towards Ferdinand was used as an insult and finding "no credible basis" for his defence that he was only repeating words he believed the QPR defender said to him.
October 18 - Terry decides not to appeal against the four-match ban and fine. Terry also apologises for the language he used in the match against QPR.

                                           John Terry: Subject of international action

Chelsea say they have taken "further disciplinary action" against John Terry after he decided not to appeal against his four-match ban for racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand - but the club are keeping their sanction secret.
Terry has apologised for the language he used after announcing he will not challenge the ban and fine of £220,000 issued by an independent Football Association regulatory commission two weeks ago.
Terry has not however apologised directly to Ferdinand.
Chelsea said in a statement they have taken further steps against their captain.
The statement said: "Chelsea Football Club believes John Terry has made the correct decision by not appealing against the FA judgment relating to language he used at the QPR match last October.
"Chelsea also appreciates, and supports, John's full apology for the language he used. The club firmly believes such language is not acceptable and fell below the standards expected of John as a Chelsea player.
"The board has conducted its own investigation into the matter, and considered the various issues involved. The board has taken further disciplinary action in addition to the four-match suspension and £220,000 fine imposed by the FA. In accordance with our long-standing policy, that disciplinary action will remain confidential."