Football news  

Chelsea coast through into round four

Chelsea 5 Watford 0: Daniel Sturridge scores his first two goals for Premier League leaders, who ease to emphatic victory

• Ancelotti in no mood to hold back in Cup

• Chelsea aim to pay way despite £44m losses

Spurs canter past Peterborough

Tottenham 4 Peterborough 0: only goalkeeper Joe Lewis prevents visitors to White Hart Lane losing by bigger margin

• Swaibu own-goal brings relief to Reebok

• York buried by Delap blizzard

Prince to the rescue for Portsmouth’s paupers

Portsmouth 1 Coventry 1: troubled south coast side have to fight back from a goal down in front of barely 11,000 fans

• Leeds grateful for return home of Naylor

• Managerless Preston get boost with thrashing

Earnshaw misses chance for shock win

Nottingham Forest 0 Birmingham City 0: Forest striker puts penalty wide as Joe Hart excels to send tie to a replay

• Coyle takes flight after comfortable victory

• Manchester United wise to make a ton of changes

Cricket news  

Swann: high-flyer pushing boundaries

From self-confessed lazy young lad to England’s trump card, the bowler is relishing his remarkable rise in Test cricket

Collingwood fit but Ntini faces axe

England all-rounder has recovered from his dislocated finger in time to face South Africa in the third Test in Cape Town

Flower will not say everything is rosy

Coach refuses to get carried away by England success as South Africa offer proof of how quickly fortunes can change

Smith: dropping Ntini is "sensitive issue"

South Africa captain acknowledges that a decision on whether to drop Makhaya Ntini goes beyond purely cricketing issues

Rugby news  

Saracens chief attacks English refs

Brendan Venter says nobody understands officials' decision-making after league defeat to Leicester

Ashton’s finish breaks Irish hearts

Northampton 24 London Irish 22: Saints cling on to unbeaten home record after wing connects with Shane Geraghty’s inside pass

Dogged Leeds salvage point

Leeds 15 Bath 20: narrow Headingly pitch ensures a tight battle as bottom-dwellers seek to maximise mid-season returns

Attwood strikes in late drama

Gloucester 13 Worcester 13: replacement lock scores try just 10 seconds from time to save home side from eighth defeat

More sport  

UK steps up drug fight for Olympics

Private eyes could be hired to follow top British athletes as new anti-doping body begins work ahead of 2012 Games

World Cup raising hopes of united South Africa

Rainbow Nation to invoke spirit of 1995, whatever the results

Bernard the perfect example of strict regime

Forcing the high jumper to move was typical of Charles van Commenee no-nonsense approach during his first year in charge

Countdown of Africa’s top sporting figures (20-16)

The Times continues its list of the most important 25 people in the history of sport on the continent, both white and black

Racing and Betting News  

Twiston-Davies hits back at doubters

Trainer insists the statistics do not add up and reckons that his horses are running better than the bare figures imply

Roy prepared for challenges in pivotal year

Chairman of the British Horseracing Authority reveals that he is fed up with "people telling me what a mess we are in”.

Master Overseer lands Sussex National

Stayer rallies in game style to deny Tarquinius, the favourite, in exciting feature race at Plumpton

Cheltenham overcomes ground assault

Course reaps rich rewards from survival of meeting with a record new year crowd in attendance at Prestbury Park