MEN’S FOOTBALL: Daizen Maeda scored the only goal of the game as Celtic beat Dundee 1-0 on Wednesday evening to ensure that Martin O’Neill ended his six week spell as interim manager with a 100 per cent domestic record. It also moved them level with Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a game in hand. The two teams meet at Celtic Park on Sunday in new manager Wilfried Nancy’s first game in charge.

WOMEN’S CRICKET: Ireland begin their white ball tour of South Africa in Cape Town tomorrow with the first leg of a three-match Twenty20 series. The hosts are ranked as the fifth best short format team in the world, four places above the Irish. The teams will also compete in three one-day internationals. Ireland have won their last five games and will be captained in both series by Gaby Lewis. 

MEN’S RUGBY UNION: European Champions Cup action returns tonight with Sale taking on Glasgow Warriors and Bayonne up against Cape Town Stormers. Saturday’s six matches include defending champions Bordeaux-Begles at the Pretoria Bulls and four-time champions Leinster hosting Harlequins. Last year’s runners-up Northampton travel to Pau on Sunday before the competition’s most successful team Toulouse meet the Durban Sharks.

MEN’S FOOTBALL: The FA Cup second round kicks off tomorrow evening with Salford, who have never progressed beyond the third round, up against 1978’s semi finalists Leyton Orient. Among the weekend’s 19 other ties 2013’s champions Wigan host Barrow on Saturday while four-time winners Bolton visit Swindon before Brackley meet Burton on Monday. All second round winners receive £79,500 in prize money while the losers get £21,200.

MEN’S GOLF: England’s Marcus Armitage led the chasing pack as Kristoffer Reitan opened up a three-shot first-round lead at the Golf Challenge in South Africa today.

Reitan carded 10 birdies in a nine-under-par 63 in Sun City, with Armitage, Jesper Svensson and Adrien Saddier sharing second place on six under.

Armitage made eight birdies and was leading as he played the last but a double-bogey seven dropped him back alongside Svensson, whose round featured two eagles, and Saddier as Reitan pulled clear.

MEN’S FOOTBALL: Uefa has banned Young Boys from selling tickets to their supporters for one away game following the trouble in their 2-1 Europa League defeat to Aston Villa last week.

The Swiss club have been punished for throwing objects, acts of damage and crowd disturbances at Villa Park and have also been fined €50,000.

Trouble erupted after Donyell Malen scored the opener and was hit by a flying plastic cup and fans later clashed with police inside the stadium, leading to eight people being arrested.

It is the fourth Uefa punishment since 2023 given to the club for fan issues.

FUNDRAISING: Kevin Sinfield moved closer to hitting his latest fundraising target after completing the fourth day of his 7 in 7: Together challenge today.

Sinfield is raising money and awareness for those impacted by motor neurone disease by running seven ultra marathons in seven days across seven cities or regions.

Sinfield, whose former Leeds team-mate Rob Burrow died last year having been diagnosed with the incurable and life-limiting disease in 2019, has already raised more than £10million towards research into MND and support for families affected by it.

Tomorrow, Sinfield will move to Cumbria with a run from Workington to Whitehaven.