Five days to the weekend

Monday

WITH the French Open fast approaching, tennis takes centre stage as a number of tournaments get under way today including the Nice Open, the Power Horse Cup in Dusseldorf, the Brussels Open and the Strasbourg International. In squash, the British Open gets under way in Hull, while there’s racing scheduled for Leicester, Newton Abbot, Redcar, Southwell and Windsor. England’s bowlers ensured a weekend finish to the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s, so we’re left with a Yorkshire Bank Group A clash between Holland and Sussex on the cricket front.

Tuesday

THE Premier League season may only have come to an end on Sunday but there is little respite on the football front with Liverpool turning out against Ajax Cape Town for a friendly clash in South Africa. The hosts include in their side former Liverpool goalkeeper Sander Westerveld. In cricket’s LV= County Championship there’s a Division Two clash between Leicestershire and Glamorgan, while the day’s racing comes from Brighton, Newcastle, Nottingham, Pontefract and Towcester.

Wednesday

A BUSY day’s cricket lies in store, with the LV= County Championship Division One clashes between Durham and Middlesex and Sussex v Somerset getting under way, while there is also a trio of matches due to begin in Division Two featuring Essex v Kent, Leicestershire v Glamorgan and Worcestershire v Gloucestershire and a Yorkshire Bank Group B tie between Hampshire and Lancashire. There is racing at Huntingdon, Kempton, Lingfield, Southwell, and Worcester.

Thursday

HARD on the heels of Liverpool’s trip to South Africa, Manchester City kick off an American jaunt with a friendly against St Louis. The trip will also feature a match against Chelsea, whose Stamford Bridge ground hosts the Uefa Women’s Champions League final between Wolfsburg and Lyon. In cricket, the first one-day international between Ireland and Pakistan takes place in Dublin, while golf’s BMW PGA Championship tees off at Wentworth.

Friday

AFTER demolishing New Zealand in less than four days in the first Test at Lord’s despite a slow start, England’s cricketers will look to take up where they left off in the second Test which gets under way at Headingley. The Indian Premier League final is also due to take place in Kolkata, with the finalists yet to be decided. There’s evening racing at Musselburgh, where the gates open at 4.30pm and the first race is at 6.15pm, and there are further meetings scheduled for Catterick, Goodwood, Haydock, Towcester and Yarmouth.