SPEEDWAY: Defending champions Leicester Lions produced a superb team performance, with all seven riders bagging at least five points, to win 49-41 at Sheffield in Thursday evening’s Knockout Cup fixture. Jack Holder top-scored with 12+1 points for Sheffield but the Lions were never behind on the night. The teams square off in the return match next week at Beaumont Park with the winners guaranteed a place in the final.

MEN’S TENNIS: Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Madrid Open because of a lingering injury. The fourth-ranked Serbian tennis star hasn’t competed since the Indian Wells Open. He missed the Miami Open because of a right shoulder injury and also skipped the Monte Carlo Masters. Djokovic is a three-time champion in Madrid.

DARTS: Jonny Clayton won his fourth Premier League round after coming from behind to beat Luke Littler 6-4 in Thursday night’s final in Rotterdam. The Welshman now tops the table by five points from Littler and is virtually assured of a place in the play-off finals with just five more rounds to go. Josh Rock is still bottom, three points adrift of Steven Bunting despite thumping him 6-1 in their opening match.

CYCLING: Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar remains top of the world rankings by almost 500 points despite losing out to second-placed Wout van Aert at last weekend’s Paris-Roubaix race. Mathieu van der Poel is only five points behind van Aert in third. Teenager Paul Seixas has climbed into seventh, two places ahead of the highest-placed Briton Tom Pidcock, after cruising to a dominant win at the Tour of the Basque Country.