Cricket: Kevin Pietersen, the batsman who has been selected for England’s one-day squad who tour Zimbabwe in November and December, has decided to leave Nottinghamshire. Having made his debut in 2001, Pietersen, 24, has declined the county’s offer of a new contract.

In each of his four seasons at Trent Bridge, he averaged more than 50 in the county championship, scoring 4,465 runs in 54 championship appearances at an average of 55.12. Several counties have expressed an interest in signing him, including Kent and Surrey.

Henin’s time-out

Tennis: Justine Henin-Hardenne, of Belgium, will not play again this year as she tries to recover from the lingering effects of a virus. She has not competed since losing in the fourth round of the US Open to Nadia Petrova in September, and hopes that a break will cure her.

Forryan’s revenge

Golf: The Oxford & Cambridge Ladies’ Golfing Society competed for the Ladies’ Niblick at Littlestone Golf Club in Kent. The final repeated last year’s inaugural event between Lisa Mason, of Oxford, and Claire Forryan with Forryan, the loser last year, gaining her revenge.

O’Sullivan reigns

Snooker: Ronnie O’Sullivan is guaranteed to remain at the top of the Embassy ranking list until January at least. After beating Ian McCulloch in the totesport Grand Prix final on Sunday, O’Sullivan has increased his lead over Stephen Hendry, his closest pursuer, to 8,800 points.

Rusedski through

Tennis: Greg Rusedski went through to the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow with a straight-sets win over Ivo Karlovic. The British No 2 was pushed hard in the opening set by the Croat, taking it 16-14 in a tie-break, but eventually prevailed 7-6, 6-2.

Australia pull out

Hockey: Australia, the Olympic champions, have withdrawn from the men’s Champions Trophy in Lahore because of security fears, the Pakistan Hockey Federation has announced. India will replace them in the tournament, which runs from December 4 to 12.

Britain on target

Shooting: The Great Britain long-range match rifle team outscored Australia at the Lower Light range near Adelaide to win the Woomera Trophy. John Pugsley made top score for Britain as the team of eight beat the home side by 22 points.

Tolchard call-up

Bowls: Sam Tolchard, the 15-year-old from Devon, will represent England in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Australia from December 1 to 3. Tolchard is joined by Jamie Chestney, of Norfolk, Sian Gordon, from Kent, and Laura Tucker, also of Devon.

Sponsor boost

Hockey: Scotland’s senior cup competitions will, from this season, be sponsored by Shepherd and Wedderburn after one of the country’s biggest law firms agreed a five-figure package. The men’s Scottish Cup and women’s National League Cup will get new trophies in the deal.