NOTTINGHAM, England (Reuters) - England pacemen James Anderson and Stuart Broad both took two wickets before lunch to dampen West Indies' hopes of cashing in on ideal batting conditions on the first day of the second test on Friday as the tourists reached 84 for four.

PARIS (Reuters) - Six-times champion Rafa Nadal was given a smooth-looking path to the French Open final while world number one Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer looked set for a possible semi-final clash in the other half of the draw made on Friday.

(Reuters) - The Waikato Chiefs attacked with abandon in the second half to fell the visiting Bulls 28-22 in Hamilton on Friday and reclaim top spot in the Super Rugby standings.

NOTTINGHAM, England (Reuters) - West Indies skipper Darren Sammy won the toss and chose to bat first in the second test against England at a sun-baked Trent Bridge on Friday.

Nottingham (England), May 25 IANS/CMC) Captain Darren Sammy has come to the defence of under-fire West Indies head coach Ottis Gibson, contending that the Barbadian had transformed the side into a committed, hard-working unit which is now reflecting the cricketing pride of the Caribbean.

(Reuters) - A lack of preparation time together is no excuse for Spain as they get ready for their first Euro 2012 warm-up match without a large part of their regular squad, captain Iker Casillas said on Friday.

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A year on from his scandal-scarred re-election as FIFA president, Sepp Blatter told delegates at their annual conference on Friday that world soccer's governing body was taking big steps back to calmer times.

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany forward Miroslav Klose is quickly reaching full fitness ahead of next month's Euro 2012 after a thigh injury ruled him out of action for five weeks, coach Joachim Loew said on Friday.

John Ruddy's injury means the 19-year-old will be mixing with Joe Hart and the rest of Roy Hodgson's squad, after spending most of the season playing League Two football

MONACO (Reuters) - Bomb disposal experts carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect package in the Monaco Grand Prix paddock on Thursday evening.

MONACO (Reuters) - Mercedes hinted at progress on Thursday in talks to secure their long-term future in Formula One.

MONACO (Reuters) - McLaren's Jenson Button set the pace in a rain-hit practice for the Monaco Grand Prix on Thursday but kept a wary eye on rivals Lotus.

MONACO (Reuters) - Force India expect Paul Di Resta to stay with them next season but would be understanding if the highly-rated British Formula One driver wanted to move elsewhere, team owner Vijay Mallya said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Major League Baseball player David Segui may be called to testify in the perjury trial of ex-pitching ace Roger Clemens, the judge in the case ruled on Thursday.

MONACO (Reuters) - Lotus have ruled out Kimi Raikkonen mixing Formula One and rallying after speculation that he could enter Rally Finland later this year.

VEDELAGO, Italy (Reuters) - Up-and-coming Italian Andrea Guardini inflicted a surprise defeat on world champion Mark Cavendish in a bunch sprint at the end of Stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia on Thursday.

VEDELAGO, Italy (Reuters) - Italy's Andrea Guardini won Stage 18 of the Giro d'Italia in a bunch sprint on Thursday and Spain's Joaquim Rodríguez retained the overall lead.

LONDON (Reuters) - Austrian Peter Brabeck, set to become non-executive chairman of the Formula One motor racing business as it prepares for flotation, will be rewarded with an equity stake potentially worth tens of millions of dollars, a source close to the deal said on Wednesday.