■ Rugby Union
Toulouse out for revenge
Toulouse get their eagerly-awaited opportunity for revenge over Biarritz today as they aim to wipe out the memory of last season's 40-13 humiliation in the French championship final. Toulouse go into the match with the advantage of being only one of two teams in this year's tournament with an unbeaten record in three games while Biarritz suffered a shock 25-18 loss to Narbonne last week. The champions, chasing a third successive title, are also suffering an injury crisis with international second row forward Jerome Thion out for three weeks with a rib injury picked up in the midweek 54-0 drubbing of Bayonne.
■ Basketball
Player charged, released
Forward Bryant Matthews, a former American collegiate basketball player with Virginia Tech, had his contract terminated by the Sydney Kings after being charged with sexual offenses. The National Basketball League club said yesterday that Matthews, 24, was charged by police with two counts of sexual intercourse without consent following an incident on Aug. 29. No other details were released by the police. The Kings immediately tore up the Matthews' contract. He also played for a short time with the Brisbane Bullets last year. "I am deeply disappointed in the circumstances, but we had no hesitation in taking this course of action," said Kings chief executive Simon Allatson.
■ Boxing
Naseem released, tagged
Former world featherweight champion `Prince' Naseem Hamed learned on Friday that he will be released after serving just 16 weeks of a 15-month prison sentence. Hamed, 32, was jailed at Sheffield Crown Court on May 12 this year after being convicted of dangerous driving following an incident in May last year. But prison sources confirmed he will be released wearing an electronic tag next week under the Home Office's home detention curfew scheme. The boxer had destroyed his Mercedes McLaren car in a high-speed crash in the UK Peak District after driving at around 144kph on the wrong side of the carriageway while approaching a blind dip in the road. Hamed's car smashed into a Volkswagen Golf driven by Anthony Burgin, who suffered fractures to every major bone in his body as a result.
■ Soccer
Bristol City players jailed
Wales defender Dave Partridge was jailed along with two of his Bristol City teammates on Friday for their part in an alcohol-fuelled brawl. Partridge, 27, was sentenced to two months in prison for causing bodily harm during the fight in October 2005, while City colleagues Steve Brooker, 25, and Bradley Orr, 23, were both given 28-day jail sentences. A fourth City player, Scott Brown, 21, was ordered to do 100 hours of community punishment as a result of the clash outside Romeo Browns nightclub in the center of Bristol. Partridge, currently on loan at League One Leyton Orient, was also ordered to pay £1,000 compensation to bystander Andrew Rowley, who he hit during the fracas. The players were said to have been drinking for eight hours when Partridge became involved in a fight with the nightclub's bouncers after they had ejected him for spilling his drink over a female customer.
SSC Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after on Sunday being held to a goalless draw at Parma, while closest rivals Inter drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with SS Lazio. Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar. The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres
Omar Marmoush’s stunning long-range strike on Tuesday upstaged Kevin de Bruyne on the Manchester City great’s Etihad farewell. Marmoush let fly from about 30m to put City ahead in their 3-1 win against AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League. The victory moved Pep Guardiola’s team up to third in the standings and left qualification for the UEFA Champions League in their own hands heading into the last round of the season. “It’s really important. To be in the Champions League after what happened [this season] will be really nice,” the City manager said. De Bruyne was making his final home appearance for City before
TIGHT FINISH: Napoli only needed to do the same as or better than Inter, who won their game against Como 2-0 on the same day, leaving Napoli with a one-point lead The two players who Antonio Conte wanted more than any others secured Napoli their second Serie A title in three years on Friday. Scott McTominay scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick before halftime and Romelu Lukaku doubled the lead with a solo goal after the break in the decisive 2-0 home win over Cagliari. Conte became the first coach to win the Italian championship with three different teams. “Everyone contributed to this — but the coach most of all,” Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo said. “Napoli needed him to get back on top. He’s phenomenal.” Comparing it to his three Serie A titles won
Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jack Hinshelwood on Monday sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool to leave the English Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title. Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the American Express Stadium. Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before halftime, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma leveled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch. Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham Hotspur on April 27. The Reds have lost at
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