Birmingham remain deep in relegation trouble after losing their final Premier League home game of the season 2-0 to Fulham.

The Blues started nervously with keeper Ben Foster almost beaten by a long kick from opposite number Mark Schwarzer.

Foster clawed the ball away but from the resulting corner Brede Hangeland powered in a downward header.

And the defender volleyed in a second after the break as Fulham recorded just their third away win of the season.

The result leaves Birmingham, who have won only two of their last 11 league games since their League Cup triumph in February, level on points with Blackpool and Wigan but out of the relegation zone on goal difference, by just one goal.

Click to play

Stakes massive for final game – McLeish

The Blues go to Tottenham on the last day of the season knowing a win will be enough to keep them up if Blackpool fail to win at Premier League champions Manchester United or Wigan do likewise at Stoke.

Boss Alex McLeish would have hoped to guarantee survival in their final home game of the season against a Fulham side that had won just twice on their travels this season before Sunday.

But Birmingham looked nervous in the opening exchanges and their boisterous support was almost immediately quietened when Schwarzer’s booming kick downfield bounced over Foster and was heading goalwards before the Blues keeper, who this week made himself unavailable for England duty, managed to scramble the ball away for a corner.

The home fans’ relief was short-lived, though, as Jonathan Greening’s centre from the resultant set-piece picked out Hangeland who powered into the six-yard box and headed into the net.

The visitors looked more likely to add to their lead with Greening, who was a constant menace in the first half, switching wings and delivering a succession of teasing crosses.

He first picked out Andrew Johnson but the striker guided his header inches wide, while Bobby Zamora’s glancing header from a Greening free-kick grazed the post.

The Blues fans’ cheers were turning to jeers of frustration as their side struggled to retain possession – their only brief moment of hope came when Martin Jiranek improvised well to chest Stuart Parnaby’s cross goalwards, but his effort clipped the wrong side of the post.

Renewed cheers greeted Birmingham after the interval but once again the crowd was silenced by a quite astonishing Fulham onslaught.

Click to play

Away form pleases Hughes

It was almost like watching the Match of the Day highlights as first Zamora headed straight at Foster from close range and then moments later chipped an attempted lob straight at the keeper.

The striker, by that stage limping after appearing to sustain an injury, was replaced soon afterwards.

Within a minute of Zamora’s miss Steve Sidwell’s first-time shot from 16 yards rattled the post.

The goal that Fulham’s pressure deserved duly followed, just four minutes into the half, Hangeland volleying in after the home defence failed to clear another Greening corner.

Foster kept the score down and Birmingham out of the relegation zone with a string of saves, denying Sidwell, Clint Dempsey and Johnson.

Had Birmingham conceded another goal, they would have dropped into the bottom three on goals scored – the Blues have notched just 36 this season, compared to Blackpool’s 53 – adding extra importance to Foster’s efforts which could prove crucial in seven days’ time.
Live text and stats

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Barclays Premier League
Home Team Score Away Team Time
Birmingham 0-2 Fulham FT
(HT 0-1)

Hangeland 5
Hangeland 49

Tottenham beat Liverpool to leapfrog their rivals into fifth place and move a point ahead of the Merseysiders in the race for a Europa League place.

Rafael van der Vaart chested down the ball and sent a dipping 20-yard strike into the Reds net to put Spurs ahead.

Andy Carroll headed a gilt-edged chance high and was punished when Luka Modric scored a penalty for the visitors after John Flanagan’s foul on Steven Pienaar.

It was a controversial decision but Spurs were good value for their win.

In the first game for Liverpool since manager Kenny Dalglish had his temporary deal turned into a three-year contract, the Reds struggled and stuttered to a first home league defeat under the Scot.

Tottenham, by contrast, put in a controlled and composed performance, which they completed with the type of end product that has been missing in recent months and has cost them repeating their top four finish of last season.

Click to play

Dalglish unconcerned by defeat

And, if Spurs manager Harry Redknapp had stated his reluctance to play in next season’s Europa League because of the impact it has on a top-flight campaign, it was not matched by his players at Anfield.

Instead, it was the lacklustre home players who seemed more determined to avoid Europe’s less prestigious competition.

The two teams had gone into the game travelling in opposite directions in their rollercoaster seasons, with Liverpool on an upward curve of 10 wins from 14 games and Spurs plummeting with one win from 13 outings.

But it was the visitors who quickly got into their stride and made a mockery of the statistics as they seized control of the game before they took the lead after nine minutes.

A Modric corner was only headed out to Van der Vaart and, after controlling the clearance with his chest just outside the area, the Dutchman sweetly struck the ball before it could bounce as he sent a dipping shot into the far corner.

It was a goal reminiscent of Van der Vaart’s form in the first half of the season before, like Spurs, his form dipped.

In their run of one win in the last 13, playmaker Van der Vaart and strikers Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko have scored only 11 goals between them and Spurs 14 in all.

But Van der Vaart’s goal at Anfield was reward for his side’s fluency and fortitude, while the Reds struggled to impose themselves.

Click to play

Spurs controlled game – Redknapp

The frustration of the home side was emphasised when striker Luis Suarez flicked a kick at Spurs defender Michael Dawson and escaped with a yellow card from referee Howard Webb.

The Merseysiders belatedly and briefly raised themselves late on in the opening half when Carroll was presented with the type of chance you would expect him to put away.

Martin Skrtel clipped a cross to the far post for the powerhouse Reds forward, who mistimed his close range header horribly high.

Van der Vaart was forced off injured early in the second half before Spurs added to their lead shortly afterwards when Webb awarded a questionable penalty to the visitors for right-back Flanagan’s foul on Pienaar.

Liverpool will argue whether it was a foul as well as whether it was in the area but Modric stepped up to send keeper Pepe Reina the wrong way from the spot as he confidently extended Tottenham’s lead.

A laboured Liverpool rarely looked like adding to their 13 goals in their previous three games as Spurs eased to their first league win at Anfield since August 1993.

Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was unhappy with referee Howard Webb:
“I’m not here to sponsor the FA.

“It is unhelpful to everyone that we cannot express our true thoughts and it is even more disappointing that the officials get away scot-free without having to come in and explain their decisions.

“I think it is safer for me to leave it at that.

“We cannot legislate for refereeing mistakes but we could have been a greater help to ourselves if we had started the game better.”

He added: “I don’t think Pepe Reina was over-busy either but we never played as well as we can play.

“That is a disappointment for the players because it would have been a fitting way to finish the season at Anfield – maybe it was too much of a fairytale.

“We feel we have short-changed the fans by not getting the result.”

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp:
“We played well. We kept the ball and played some good football. There were some good performances. The back four were excellent.

“To come here and win is a rarity for Tottenham. But we have done it today and I thought we deserved it. It was a good performance.

“We’re trying to get in that fifth spot like Liverpool. We’ve both got big games next week and we will see what happens then.

“Of course [the Europa League can be a hindrance] but you still want to finish as high as you can. You want to be in it.”

Live text and stats

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Barclays Premier League
Home Team Score Away Team Time
Liverpool 0-2 Tottenham FT
(HT 0-1)

Van der Vaart 9
Modric (pen) 56

Darren Bent scored twice to help Aston Villa dent Arsenal’s hopes of automatic Champions League qualification.

The England striker volleyed past Wojciech Szczesny after 11 minutes and latched on to Ashley Young’s pass to double the lead four minutes later.

Arsenal fought back and Robin van Persie struck the post before Marouane Chamakh’s second-half header was ruled out for a push on Kyle Walker.

Van Persie prodded home a late goal but Villa held on for victory.

The result averted any remaining chance of Villa being relegated this season and moved them into 13th position.

Gary McAllister

McAllister praises ‘outstanding’ Villa performance

For Arsenal, a second straight defeat continued an alarming late-season collapse that has seen them win just two of their last 10 league games.

It also provided ammunition to fans eager to see an overhaul at the Emirates in the summer and the compulsory lap of honour by Arsene Wenger and his players following the last home match of the season had anything but a celebratory feel.

The Gunners are now in serious danger of having to negotiate a tricky two-leg qualifier to reach the group stage of the Champions League.

A victory would have taken them within a point of Chelsea in second, but defeat means Manchester City could now go above the Gunners into third with a home victory over Stoke on Tuesday.

Arsenal, who welcomed centre-back Thomas Vermaelen back from an eight-month Achilles injury lay-off, began at a laborious pace, seemingly intent on playing themselves into the game.

Villa, by contrast, looked energetic, quick and purposeful and had already threatened on the counter-attack before Bent gave them the lead.

Walker’s chipped pass was inch-perfect for the England striker, who controlled the ball on his chest and stretched to plant a volley over the advancing Szczesny.

Arsene Wenger

Defeat leaves bitter taste – Wenger

Four minutes later, Vermaelen’s slip allowed Young the time and space to thread a pass through to Bent, who easily slotted his second goal of the game.

Belatedly, a sense of urgency entered Arsenal’s play, and the home side were convinced they should have been awarded a penalty on the half-hour mark.

Aaron Ramsey was lining up a shot inside the box when he was caught by Richard Dunne but referee Michael Oliver waved away the appeals.

Jack Wilshere’s through-ball then sent Van Persie racing clear, the Dutchman rounding James Collins before firing a shot against the far post.

Moments later, Vermaelen got his head to a corner but the ball sailed narrowly over the bar.

Wenger brought on striker Chamakh for defender Sebastien Squillaci at half-time.

And while the change was clearly designed to increase Arsenal’s options in attack, it was the hole left by the French stopper’s absence at the back that almost proved fatal as Bent pounced on a through-ball but his weak shot was easily saved by Szczesny.

From then on, the second half was largely one-way traffic as Arsenal pushed for a lifeline.

The pressure almost told when Van Persie squared for Kieran Gibbs but the left-back’s close-range shot was smothered by Brad Friedel.

Shortly afterwards, Van Persie found space in the box but shot wastefully over before Theo Walcott turned Nicklas Bendtner’s header the wrong side of the post.

With three strikers on the pitch, Arsenal left themselves open to Villa breaks and a fine run from Stewart Downing set up Young for a low strike that was well-saved by Szczesny, who regained his composure to save Downing’s effort from the loose ball.

Arsenal thought they were back in the game when Chamakh rose to head home Walcott’s cross but Oliver felt the Moroccan striker had fouled Walker.

The siege finally brought its reward in the 89th minute when Van Persie lashed home a loose ball from close-range and when Dunne conceded a free-kick on the edge of the box deep into stoppage-time, the stage appeared set for a fairytale equaliser from Vermaelen.

But the Belgian’s shot struck the wall and moments later boos rang around the stadium as the final whistle confirmed another costly Gunners defeat.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger: “For the first 20 minutes we were non-existent. Were we not focussed enough, were we a bit scared after recent bad results? I don’t know.

“We want to give the fans what they expect and when you don’t do that they are entitled to be unhappy.

“But let’s not go overboard, we are not fighting relegation. We want to do well next Sunday. I want to finish on a better game than that.”

Aston Villa assistant manager Gary McAllister: “It’s a superb result. There are not many occasions where you bring a team to Arsenal and win so we are going to enjoy it.

“We started the game really well – the first goal was an outstanding goal but as a team the players were outstanding.

“The game plan was right and we had a finisher who is hot at the moment scoring two goals.”

Live text and stats

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Barclays Premier League
Home Team Score Away Team Time
Arsenal 1-2 Aston Villa FT
(HT 0-2)

Van Persie 89

Bent 11
Bent 15

Steven Taylor’s stoppage-time header handed Newcastle a point against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Branislav Ivanovic gave Chelsea the lead when he volleyed in Frank Lampard’s left-wing corner.

Newcastle equalised when Ryan Taylor’s driven free-kick took a huge deflection off team-mate Jonas Gutierrez, who was awarded the goal.

Alex headed in what appeared to be the winner late on before Steven Taylor popped up unmarked with seconds left.

It was a dramatic end to a curious match in which Chelsea dominated possession and Newcastle fought tigerishly without causing the opposition defence many problems.

With little to play for except positions, the match began surprisingly brightly.

The Blues began with £50m striker Fernando Torres and his flick-on from Lampard’s corner was converted by Ivanovic to give the home side the lead after only two minutes.

Click to play

Ancelotti rues lack of concentration

Newcastle were without the experience of Cheik Tiote and Kevin Nolan and with safety sealed were looking less sharp than usual.

So in a first half where their share of possession had been as low as 35%, they were lucky to haul themselves back level.

Fortune was indeed the key component of the equaliser. Chelsea defender John Terry gave away a free-kick for a challenge on Peter Lovenkrands for which he was booked.

Ryan Taylor, taking over the free-kick duties from Joey Barton, fired his 20-yard effort into the wall which took a major deflection off Gutierrez en route to the Chelsea goal.

The Argentine ran away to the referee Lee Mason claiming that it was his goal and there was no argument.

Luck almost went against Newcastle later in the half when Ashley Cole’s fizzing cross from the left was cut out by Newcastle’s Jose Enrique but almost went in off fellow Magpie Ryan Taylor.

That was as near as Chelsea got to adding a second before the break but they looked more threatening in and around the Newcastle area after the interval.

Click to play

Pardew looks forward to strengthening side

First, Nicolas Anelka had a swipe at Josh McEachran’s deflected shot, sending the ball fractionally wide, before Torres had his goalbound thump brilliantly blocked by the backside of Barton.

Newcastle had drawn six and lost 11 of their previous 17 league games at Stamford Bridge, so they were doing well to keep the scores at 1-1.

But with eight minutes of normal time remaining Newcastle’s valiant resistance was broken when Lampard flung in a free-kick from the left which was powered into the bottom corner by Alex.

Chelsea were now odds-on to take victory, but in their final home game of the season, which could be manager Carlo Ancelotti’s last in charge of the Blues at this ground, they were dealt a blow from the head of Steven Taylor right at the end.

He was left unmarked to head in after substitute Nile Ranger had nodded Ryan Taylor’s corner across goal.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti:
“We started the game well, playing well and scoring, and were unlucky to concede.

“We had a lot of difficulties but scored again. We needed more concentration at the end.

“We’ve conceded in the last minute a lot of times this season. We’ve lost a lot of points that way.”

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew on Didier Drogba meeting during match:
“I’m a big fan. I don’t think I’ll entice him to the North East.

“Foreign players come to these shores and some set the example for others to follow. He’s done that at Chelsea, and he’ll probably continue to do that.”

Live text and stats

Sunday, 15 May 2011

Barclays Premier League
Home Team Score Away Team Time
Chelsea 2-2 Newcastle FT
(HT 1-1)

Ivanovic 2
Alex 83

Gutierrez 10
Taylor 90+2

Lewis Hamilton has rejected criticisms that rules changes this year have led to too much overtaking in Formula 1.

There have been claims F1 has become artificial with the introduction of the DRS overtaking device, faster-wearing tyres and Kers power-boost system.

Hamilton said: “I enjoy racing with Kers hybrid and DRS – it makes it more entertaining for the drivers and fans.

“Anything that makes the racing more exciting should be applauded and we’ve definitely had more interesting races.”

Hamilton used his Kers button to help him win the Chinese Grand Prix last month, when he became the only man in four races so far this season to beat Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel.

That victory also relied on clever use of tyres, with Hamilton able to catch and pass Vettel because he opted to make one more pit stop and therefore had fresher tyres at the end of the race.
Continue reading the main story

At the start of the season, we expected Ferrari and Mercedes to be competitive, so seeing their pace in Turkey was not a surprise

Lewis Hamilton McLaren driver

Hamilton’s views echo those of his arch-rival Fernando Alonso, who said he “liked” the new F1.

Alonso also rejected claims that overtaking had become too easy as a result of the DRS or drag-reduction system.

This device gives the driver a straight-line speed boost on a specificed straight if he is within a second of the car he is trying to pass at a given point on the track.

The car in front is not allowed to use DRS.

Of more pressing concern to Hamilton and team-mate Jenson Button is the pace of their car after a disappointing performance at Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix.

Hamilton finished fourth and Button sixth as Red Bull’s Vettel and Mark Webber sealed a one-two ahead of Alonso. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was fifth, having qualified third, ahead of both McLarens and Alonso.
Jenson Button

Button blames poor strategy

But Button said he was confident his team could recover.

The 2009 world champion said: “We’d planned to introduce a couple of useful upgrades but weren’t able to get them on the car.

“We feel pretty confident we’ll get pace and reliability from some of our planned upgrades so I’m optimistic they’ll be on the car for Barcelona.”

The Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya is the next event on the calendar, on 22 May, and Red Bull’s rivals are aware they need to halt Red Bull’s charge.

Vettel’s domination – he has three wins and a second place – has left him with a 34-point championship lead – with 25 points for a win.

Alonso said on Wednesday he was confident he would be able to fight for the title.

And Button said on his website on Thursday that McLaren would not let up in their quest to beat Red Bull.

“The championship battle is basically a development race,” he said, “and we stumbled a little bit in Turkey because the progress that we’d anticipated making wasn’t quite there.

“But I know how this team reacts – they won’t have liked having fallen off the bubble in Turkey.

“We’re always developing new solutions, too, and I know that the designers are pushing hard on all fronts to make sure we’re in a position to win more races.”

Hamilton, who was talking in an interview on his website, said it was “disappointing” that reliability problems had meant McLaren were not able to use their new parts.

Hamilton said he was not surprised to see Ferrari and Mercedes do well in Turkey.
ANDREW BENSON’S BLOG
Continue reading the main story

Turkey was a chastening experience for McLaren after Lewis Hamilton’s win in China

Read more here

“Sunday showed how close it is among the top teams,” the 2008 world champion said. “We saw how strong Mercedes GP and Ferrari can be when they have a clear run at a weekend.

“At the start of the season, we certainly expected Ferrari and Mercedes to be competitive – and, even when they couldn’t quite deliver on their winter testing performance in the first three races, we knew it was only a matter of time before they got back into their stride.

“So seeing their pace at Turkey wasn’t a surprise – it was actually more of a surprise that they hadn’t shown it since the start of the season.”

Championship play-off semi-final first leg

Venue: City Ground
Date: Thursday, 12 May
Kick-off: 1945 BST
Coverage: Watch live on Sky Sports 1; Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website

TEAM NEWS

Goalkeeper Lee Camp and midfielder Guy Moussi have both been passed fit for Nottingham Forest.

They were substituted against Crystal Palace after picking up minor knocks.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers must decide whether club skipper Garry Monk or vice-captain Alan Tate will partner Ashley Williams at centre-back.

Rodgers also faces a selection headache in midfield, with Joe Allen, Leon Britton, Mark Gower, Darren Pratley and Stephen Dobbie all vying for places.
MATCH PREVIEW

Forest and manager Billy Davies have had their share of play-off heartache. Beaten at this stage last year by Blackpool, the Reds have been involved in three play-off ties and lost them all.

And although Davies triumphed by taking Derby to the top flight in 2007, he missed out as Preston manager in both the previous seasons and was again on the losing side with his current club last time around.

But Forest’s end-of-season form means they can be hopeful of securing a return to the Premier League after a 12-year absence. They have won five of their last six matches, and in each of their last four victories have netted at least three goals.

Swansea, last in the top flight in 1983, also go into this match in good form. Three consecutive wins saw them leapfrog South Wales rivals Cardiff to finish third in the table.

If the Swans make it to the promised land this month, their defensive record will be a major factor. During the season they conceded a mere 42 Championship goals – a feat bettered only by champions Queens Park Rangers.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head

This is the 60th meeting of these clubs. Nottingham Forest have won 24 and Swansea 22 of the previous 59.

Forest are three goals away from the club’s 100th against City.

Nottingham Forest

Forest have scored a total of 14 goals in their last four wins.

They have won one, drawn one and lost four of their six previous play-off matches.

Forest ended the regular season top of the Championship’s ‘form table’ based on the last six matches of the campaign.

They are aiming to become the sixth club to reach the Premier League via the play-offs after finishing the season in sixth place.

Chris Gunter is set for his 100th start for the Reds, while Garath McCleary could make his 100th appearance for them.

Swansea

Swansea have kept clean sheets in three of their last four matches.

They are aiming to become the sixth club to reach the Premier League via the play-offs after finishing the season one place below the automatic promotion places.

Ashley Williams is set to make his 150th start for City, while Mark Gower could make his 100th start for the club.

Newcastle captain Kevin Nolan will have ankle surgery on Thursday that will rule him out of the last two games of the Premier League season.

The Magpies have taken the step with their Premier League safety assured.

“The skipper has been troubled by an ankle problem throughout the season,” said a Newcastle statement.

“But the operation is going ahead now in order to allow him time to regain full fitness prior to the start of United’s pre-season programme in July.”

It is 28-year-old Nolan’s right ankle which has been causing him the problems in a season where he has proved one of the team’s key figures.

The former Bolton midfielder has scored 12 goals in 32 outings this season to add to his 18 goals in the Championship in the previous campaign, which helped Newcastle to promotion and a return to the top-flight.

He played in the 2-1 win over Birmingham last Saturday but will now miss games at Chelsea on Sunday before a home game against West Brom on the final day of this season.

Meanwhile, a knee operation scheduled for Newcastle keeper Steve Harper will take place on Friday and the club hope the 36-year-old will also be fit for pre-season.

Tiger Woods
Woods has not won a major for nearly three years

Tiger Woods looks set for a return from injury in time to play in the Players Championship at Sawgrass in Florida.

Woods has entered the £5.7m event, often referred to as golf’s unofficial fifth major, after sitting out this week’s Wells Fargo Championship.

He suffered minor ligament and tendon injuries at the Masters a month ago but still managed to tie for fourth place.

Former world number one Woods, 35, is now down to seventh in the rankings after 18 months without a victory.

Woods won the last of his major titles at the 2008 US Open and has not won a tournament since the Australian Masters in 2009.

Shortly afterwards he became embroiled in a sex scandal that forced him to take five months out of the game and ultimately led to a divorce from his wife.

Last year at Sawgrass, he withdrew six holes into the final round with a neck injury, but was way down the field at the time.

World number one Lee Westwood and number six Rory McIlroy, neither of them members of the PGA Tour this season, have both decided to skip the Players Championship.

American Tim Clark is the defending champion at Sawgrass.

Basketball and BMX will be the first competitive sports to take place in the Olympic Park, organisers have revealed.

As part of the London Prepares series of test events, London 2012 will charge for tickets for four sporting events.

Basketball (16-21 August) and BMX (19-20 Aug) are joined by mountain biking (31 July) at Hadleigh Farm in Essex and beach volleyball (9-14 Aug) at Horse Guards Parade in central London.

Testing at Olympic venues will take place between May 2011 and May 2012.

Full schedule of events on the London 2012 website

In total, there will be 17 international events which were already in the sporting calendar, plus 25 London 2012 Organising Committee (Locog) invitational events.

The basketball is a men’s event only, with Great Britain, France, China, Australia, Croatia and Serbia taking part.

The beach volleyball test event will involve the women’s teams from Great Britain and China.

The BMX and mountain biking are open events meaning more riders will take part than during the Games.
Continue reading the main story

For a lot of our athletes, the idea of competing in the Olympic Stadium for the very first time is an important motivational tool

Jonathan Edwards Athletes’ representative

The main areas of testing are fields of play, technology and people – which includes athletes, spectators, staff and volunteers.

More than 150,000 tickets are expected to go on sale and Locog chief executive Paul Deighton believes the preparations are key to a successful Olympic Games next summer.

“We need to take our plans and test them on the ground, really this is the most important part of our readiness mission,” said Deighton.

“Although our venues won’t be dressed in their Games finery, a number of events will give the public a chance to see some world-class sporting action ahead of next year.

“These events are our opportunity to try out our new venues, test new technology and equipment and walk our extended teams through their roles and responsibilities.

“We have learned a lot from previous Games which we will put to good use as we challenge ourselves over the next 12 months.”

Athletes’ representative Jonathan Edwards – Olympic triple jump champion in 2000 – said the test events would be helpful for organising the Games for athletes.

He does not believe the lack of an elite test event in the stadium will disadvantage track and field athletics.

“Athletes are at the heart of this. We can see what went right, what went wrong and how we can improve it,” said Edwards.

“As a field of play, one stadium is the same as another, so I don’t think it will affect them at all.

“For a lot of our athletes, the idea of competing in the Olympic Stadium for the very first time is an important motivational tool.”

Locog has revealed there will be three types of events during the testing. These are:

Locog organising, with no tickets being made available – eg volleyball, canoe slalom.
Locog organising, with tickets made available to the public – the first of these will be basketball, BMX, mountain biking and beach volleyball events this summer.
Locog using other organisers’ events – eg marathon, race walk, Wimbledon, rowing, triathlon, badminton.

In addition to the four ticketed events, there will be two more at Greenwich Park – equestrian and modern pentathlon – which will comprise of local spectators who have been given free tickets by Greenwich Council and members of those sporting associations.

More than 10,000 volunteers, 8,000 athletes from more than 50 countries and more than 250,000 spectators will take part in the 12-month rehearsal for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

According to Locog, factors to be tested include:

Ticket scanning at beach volleyball
Laser shooting in modern pentathlon
Radio interference effects at Weymouth and Portland
A new platform for the equestrian events at Greenwich Park
The delivery of 3,000 tonnes of sand for beach volleyball at Horse Guards Parade
The first competitive use of the water at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, Hertfordshire, for canoe slalom
New presentation graphics at the Basketball Arena

The final test event is scheduled to be the London Disability Grand Prix on 8 May, 2012, at the Olympic Park.

Aironi (7) 10

Tries: Demas
Cons: Tebaldi
Pens: Tebaldi

Ospreys (3) 12

Pens: Biggar 3, Hook

Ospreys’ James Hook held his nerve to kick the winning penalty at Aironi Ospreys’ James Hook held his nerve to kick the winning penalty at Aironi

The Ospreys stumbled into the Magners League play-offs as they came from behind to win at Aironi.

The Welsh side’s cause was not helped by the erratic Dan Biggar, the fly-half missing four of seven penalties.

The Italian side have won one game in the league this season but led 7-3 at half-time thanks to Danwel Demas’ try.

But a late James Hook penalty, coupled with the Scarlets’ win over Cardiff Blues back in Wales, was just enough to book a trip to Munster next Saturday.

Aironi: Horacio San Martin; Matteo Pratichetti, Gilberto Pavan, Gabriel Pizarro, Danwel Demas; James Marshall, Tito Tebaldi; Alberto de Marchi, Luigi Ferraro, Fabio Staibano, Marco Bortolami, Quintin Geldenhuys, Joshua Furno, Josh Sole, Gareth Krause

Replacements: Fabio Ongaro for Ferraro (41), Andrea de Marchi for Alberto De Marchi (76), Luca Redolfini for Staibano (71), George Fabio Biagi for Bortolami (78), Nicola Cattina for Krause (43), Pablo Canavosio for Tebaldi (72), Giulio Toniolatti, Riccardo Bocchino.

Ospreys: Richard Fussell; Tommy Bowe, Andrew Bishop, James Hook, Nikki Walker; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Paul James, Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones, Ryan Jones, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), Justin Tipuric, Marty Holah, Jonathan Thomas.

Replacements: Huw Bennett, Ryan Bevington for James (49), Duncan Jones, Ian Gough for Holah (59), Tom Isaac for Biggar (60), Tom Smith for Tipuric (74), Ashley Beck for Bishop (48), Sonny Parker for Webb (70).

Att: 3,700

Referee: Andy MacPherson (SRFU).