SPORT IN BRIEF
Leics close in on Hoggard
CRICKET: Former England seamer Matthew Hoggard has been offered a three-year deal with Leicestershire after being released by Yorkshire last month.
Hoggard, 32, held talks Leicestershire coach Tim Boon and chief executive David Smith on Monday, but is also weighing up interest from Kent.
Smith, however, said: “We are in the ball park financially. I think we would say we were hopeful.”
Phillips out for 10-12 weeks
RUGBY UNION: Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips has been ruled out for 10-12 weeks with a knee injury.
Ospreys star Phillips limped off during his side’s Heineken Cup victory over Clermont Auvergne with medical tests confirming “considerable ligament damage”.
He will now miss Wales’ autumn internationals.
Roddick seals London slot
TENNIS: Andy Roddick has secured his place in the end-of-season ATP World Tour Finals at London’s O2 Arena next month.
Despite pulling out of last week’s Shanghai Masters with injury, the American has enough points to qualify for the eight-man tournament, which starts on 22 November. Roddick joins Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro in the line-up.
McIlroy looks to take on Lee
GOLF: Rory McIlroy has thrown down the gauntlet to Lee Westwood as the pair prepare to go head-to-head in the Race to Dubai.
Westwood leapfrogged McIlroy to go top of the European rankings with victory in the Portugal Masters on Sunday, but the Northern Irishman has vowed to take the race to the wire. He said: “It’ll be good to chase him all the way to the finish and I will have to play some really good golf to try and overtake him.”