Five days to the weekend

We run down the best sports action coming up this week

Monday

CHELSEA centre-back John Terry enters a new realm of defence when he stands trial for allegedly racially abusing QPR’s Anton (brother of Rio) Ferdinand. If found guilty, the former England captain faces a fine of up to £2, 500.

In race issues of a less sensitive kind, the sport of kings will be at Ayr.

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In the Tour de France, the peloton’s best flat racers go all-out for the time trial from Besançon to Arc-et-Senans, with Bradley Wiggins in yellow.

Tuesday

HAVING put his money where his considerable mouth is, Donald Trump’s controversial International Golf Links, in Aberdeenshire, opens today. Top Scots golfers Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie and Martin Laird join the carefully coiffured tycoon to celebrate opening his £750 million golf resort.

There’s pre-season friendly football with Raith Rovers hosting Ross County at 7:30pm.

In cricket, Old Trafford sees the Fifth NatWest one-day international between England and Australia.

Wednesday

AFTER Tuesday’s rest day in the Tour de France, it’s a gruelling 194.5km mountain stage from Macon to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine in which the climbers who may have lost a few seconds in Doubs will have the opportunity to pull themselves together in the ascent leading to the summit of the Col du Grand

Colombier.

Racing sees action at Catterick, Kempton, Lingfield, Worcester, Yarmouth.

Thursday

THE Scottish Open tees off at Castle Stuart Golf Links as defending champion Luke Donald hopes to bounce back from a disappointing US Open, where he failed to make the cut.

Padraig Harrington and Louis Oosthuizen are among others hoping to make an impression, as Scottish hopes rest with Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and David Drysdale.

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The SFL meets ahead of Friday’s vote on which league Newco Rangers will start the new season.

Friday

IN A move that might baffle anyone outside Scottish football, as well as many inside, the Scottish Football League meets to vote on whether Newco Rangers will start the 2012-13 season in Division One or Three, despite First Division clubs already voicing their opposition to Newco’s entrance to the second tier.

At the Scottish Open, keep an eye out for Brian Soutar, 28, and Jack McDonald, 19, two Scottish amateurs, rewarded for outstanding performances this year with invitations to tee up with the game’s top talent.