The British Horseracing Authority has apologised after a mistake was made in allotting a weight to Lossiemouth in Saturday’s Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner is due to make her seasonal debut in the Grade Two contest and was originally given a weight of 11st 3lb, including her 7lb mares allowance.

However, the BHA confirmed on Friday that the five-year-old should actually carry 11st, with an error seemingly made in the application of a Grade One penalty.

The race conditions state a 6lb penalty is incurred for a Grade One win since September 30, 2022, but that is halved if the victory came in novice or juvenile company.

A BHA spokesperson said: “Due to an error at the weights stage, we can confirm an incorrect penalty was added to Lossiemouth in the 3.00 at Cheltenham tomorrow. A weight amendment has been published and she will now carry 11st. We apologise to anyone affected by this error.”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher hopes Jurgen Klopp can “go out with a bang” after the German manager announced he will leave the club at the end of the season.

The 56-year-old has admitted he is “running out of energy” having led the club to six major trophies since taking charge in October 2015.

Carragher, who made 737 appearances for the Reds, posted on X, formerly Twitter: “This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came.

“I just thought it would be another few years away. What a manager, what a man, let’s go out with a bang Jurgen!”

Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton said Klopp’s Anfield achievements were “phenomenal”.

“There was no sign whatsoever that he was going to make the decision that he’s made and obviously, it’s absolutely huge. What he’s done for this club and his time being in charge, nothing short of phenomenal,” Houghton told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“To get them back winning the league, getting them to major finals, getting that pride back in the football club, the joy of playing for Liverpool. It’s been absolutely incredible and the football they’ve played has been a joy to watch. It’s going to be one hell of a pair of shoes to fill.”

Ange Postecoglou has praised Tottenham vice-captain Cristian Romero for stepping up in Son Heung-min’s absence.

Spurs are without current skipper Son due to his international commitments with South Korea and Romero is set to wear the armband again in Friday’s FA Cup tie with Manchester City.

Romero was captain for the 2-2 draw at Manchester United two weeks ago and Postecoglou talked up his growing leadership qualities.

He said: “There’s definitely a void there but with all these things there’s definitely opportunities. That’s where Romero has really stepped up.

“You just feel it around the place. He knows that Sonny’s not here and he knows what Sonny does on a daily basis.

“Sonny gets around everyone in the building and says, ‘how you going?’ and Cristian’s doing that now. I can see that. In training he’s a lot more vocal than he was in the past. That’s the beauty of it.

“There is a void because you’re missing one of your leaders, but for me, on the outside, you’re kind of waiting on, ‘is anyone going to step up here because we’re going to need someone to or do I need to interject myself into it?’ But he’s stepped up.

“There’s been others too, Vic (Guglielmo Vicario) in goal, he’s stepped up.”

Postecoglou watched his team endure a horrid November period where they were hit with a string of absentees.

Spurs were able to regroup during December and while they remain without Son, Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma due to the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations respectively, the Australian feels the adversity has accelerated the growth of his young group in his debut campaign in charge.

“There’s a really good feeling amongst the group at the moment over where they’re at,” Postecoglou added.

“They understand that because of what we’ve been through, ‘OK, somebody’s missing, man down, but somebody fills that void and we keep going until they come back’. I think it’s been good for the growth of the team.

“This year for me is about growth. You don’t want to orchestrate these scenarios where we get challenged and have players missing, but the fact that we’ve gone through it, I just think has accelerated our growth.

“We could have flown through this first half of the year and I’m sure all the questions to me would’ve been, ‘what happens when there’s a hiccup?’ and I wouldn’t have been able to answer that question.

“I’d bluff my way through it but I wouldn’t have been able to really answer it.

“But I already know, I’ve seen the resilience and part of that is how I’ve dealt with those absences.”

Jurgen Klopp will stand down as Liverpool manager at the end of the season.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the German’s career at Anfield in pictures over the years.

Jurgen Klopp has announced he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, a moment which will bring to an end another successful chapter in the club’s history.

Klopp arrived at Anfield late in 2015, tasked with bringing trophies back to the club.

With four still to play for in this campaign there is every chance he could add to those he has already won, which the PA news agency lists here.

2019/20 – Premier League

Perhaps the one which matters the most to Liverpool fans, Klopp returned the first league title in 30 years as his side finished 17 points clear of Manchester City. The sadness for the supporters was that, as it came during lockdown, no fans were present in the stadium to celebrate the success, which was confirmed when nearest rivals City lost at Chelsea. Klopp’s men won 32 of their 38 games that season.

2021/22 – FA Cup

Liverpool’s run to the final saw them beat Shrewsbury, Cardiff, Norwich and Nottingham Forest, before an all-the-more difficult semi-final assignment against Manchester City. Two goals from Sadio Mane secured a somewhat unexpected win, before beating Chelsea 6-5 on penalties in the final.

2021-22 – League Cup

Beating Chelsea on penalties in the FA Cup final may have felt familiar to Klopp for some three months earlier his side had done the same thing to beat the same opposition and win the League Cup. This time it was a lengthier shoot-out, going all the way to the goalkeepers, with Liverpool’s regular reserve, Caoimhin Kelleher, scoring the decisive penalty for an 11-10 success.

2022 – Community Shield

Liverpool’s FA Cup success meant another showdown with Manchester City, this time in the Community Shield, a match played at Leicester due to the Women’s Euro 2022 final at Wembley. Big-money summer signing Darwin Nunez capped a 3-1 victory and another piece of silverware for Klopp, whose men ran out 3-1 winners.

2019 – Champions League

This one ranks alongside the 2020 Premier League as Klopp’s crowing glory; a sixth European title for Liverpool coming thanks to a 2-0 win over Tottenham in an all-English final played in Madrid. Liverpool booked their place in the final with an improbable come-from-behind semi-final win over Lionel Messi’s all-conquering Barcelona team, while on the night goals from Mo Salah and Divock Origi earned them the Champions League title. The Reds enjoyed great success and consistency in the competition under Klopp too, being losing finalists in 2018 and 2022, while they were also runners-up in the 2016 Europa League.

2019 – UEFA Super Cup

Another final, another penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea, this one coming in Istanbul after a 2-2 draw following extra time between the winners of the Champions and Europa Leagues. Mane scored a brace in the match, before Tammy Abraham’s missed penalty gave Liverpool the title.

2019 – Club World Cup

Roberto Firmino ensured Klopp was able to end 2019 with three non-domestic trophies, with the Club World Cup going alongside the Super Cup and Champions League. The Brazilian scored an injury-time winner in a 2-1 semi-final win over Monterrey in Qatar, before his extra-time winner saw off Flamengo to win the final 1-0.

England prospects of salvaging something from the first Test were fading fast after India left them toiling for meagre rewards on day two in Hyderabad.

The home side ended the day with a lead of 175 – sizeable on any surface but surely emphatic on a pitch that their spinners will expect to cause havoc on.

They reached stumps in full control on 421 for seven, roared on by a holiday crowd of close to 30,000 on India’s Republic Day.

Still 127 ahead overnight, and with Joe Root’s first-over dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal leaving India two down, the tourists had a brief opportunity to turn their first-innings mark of 246 into a competitive score and saw it disappear from view.

The limitations of their bowling attack were plain to see as they failed to generate the same problems as the hosts, whose mastery of local conditions is matchless.

Debutant Tom Hartley had a better day after his baptism of fire on Thursday, banking his first two international wickets, but neither he, nor teenage leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, could disguise their novice status at this level.

Senior spinner Jack Leach was hampered by a knee problem – bowling just 12 balls in the morning session and appearing in a series of short spells thereafter – and Mark Wood’s pace was a footnote, meaning England leaned heavily on Root’s part-time off-breaks.

He played his role admirably, taking two for 77 in 24 overs and asking more difficult questions than the rest combined. But relying so visibly on Root exposed shortcomings that may prove intractable over the course of this five-match series.

KL Rahul (86) and Ravindra Jadeja (81 not out) moved their side into a dominant position but it may have been worse still for England, who profited from some soft dismissals.

Their batting unit must now look to produce a remarkable second innings to make a fight of things. Recent history, where breaking 200 has been the exception rather than the rule for touring England teams, suggests that will be a huge ask.

The explosive Jaiswal gave England a major headache on Thursday evening, piling into Hartley and thrashing 76 at almost a run-a-ball, but he added just four runs before succumbing to the fourth ball of the day. Root, opening up after going unused the night before, turned one just enough to evade the middle of the bat and reached above his head to pluck a caught-and-bowled.

Ben Stokes had pondered the idea of handing Root the new ball, fancying his off-breaks to cause problems for the left-handed Jaiswal, and may regret waiting so long to test his theory.

Things almost got even better when Rahul nicked Root two balls later on nought but wicketkeeper Ben Foakes was not able to pull off what would have been an excellent, and important, catch.

Hartley began at the other end, Stokes eager not to overprotect the 24-year-old after his previous struggles, and he responded with a tighter spell. Where his first nine overs cost 63, this time he got through the same number for 30. More importantly, he opened his account.

Shubman Gill, who never really got going in his 23, flicked Hartley off his leg stump and picked out Ben Duckett at midwicket. The left-armer sprinted away in a mix of celebration and relief.

Yet India never seemed at risk. Rahul proceeded to a comfortable half-century and things got more ragged as the day unfolded. Unable to locate the demons India had unlocked in the pitch, they went searching and made mistakes.

Rahul blasted India into the lead with a pair of sixes off leg-spinner Ahmed, the second a horrible drag down. The teenager was not alone in serving up the occasional freebie as England offered a steady supply of boundary balls. Ahmed did get on the board when Shreyas Iyer aimed a slog-sweep towards the stands but failed to clear Hartley, holing out for 35.

With a century up for grabs Rahul succumbed to the latest unforced error, skying an unthreatening long-hop from Hartley into Ahmed’s hands when he could have hit it anywhere.

With Jadeja at the tiller, India added another 106 after tea, every one of them adding to the size of England’s task. Root got a deserved second, KS Bharat lbw on the sweep, and a mix-up saw Ravichandran Ashwin run out but there was little cause for optimism by the close.

England continue to face disruption to preparations for their Guinness Six Nations opener against Italy after Nick Isiekwe was forced to return from their camp in Girona because of illness.

Isiekwe will be unable to take part in the Stadio Olimpico showdown on Saturday week with the gap created in Steve Borthwick’s 36-man squad being taken by Charlie Ewels.

Isiekwe was a possible bench option for the round one fixture in Rome and his departure from England’s warm-weather training base in Spain is another setback for Borthwick.

A crisis has developed in midfield after Ollie Lawrence was ruled out until later in the Championship because of a hip problem, while Oscar Beard is out with concussion.

It raises the prospect of either of the uncapped Fraser Dingwall or Max Ojomoh partnering Henry Slade in the centres in another overhaul of England’s midfield.

Only Dingwall and Ojomoh have played regularly at inside centre with the options available to Borthwick already depleted by Owen Farrell’s absence from the Six Nations for mental wellbeing reasons and Manu Tuilagi’s groin issue.

Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie has also been ruled out against Italy because of an unspecified medical condition, but he could return for the round two appointment with Wales at Twickenham.

Ewels, the Bath second row, won the last of his 30 caps in the 2022 Six Nations and will be competing with Alex Coles to provide bench cover for Maro Itoje and Ollie Chessum.

England depart Girona for Rome on Thursday when Borthwick will name a starting XV that will be led for the first time by Jamie George.

The Denver Nuggets "played like a tired team" in their defeat to the New York Knicks, said head coach Michael Malone.

Denver – who sit third in the Western Conference – were beaten 122-84 in Thursday's road game.

Nikola Jokic had 31 points and 11 rebounds, but the Nuggets could not extend their three-game winning streak.

Thursday's game was the Nuggets' second in the space of 48 hours, and Malone believes the fatigue showed.

"We played like a very tired team," Malone said.

"I thought it was a very disappointing ending to the road trip.

"You never want to get blown out, which is what happened tonight. And we live to fight another day.

"All of our focus right now is getting home, getting some rest tomorrow, and thankful that the NBA gave us a matinee game [against the Philadelphia 76ers] on Saturday."

Jokic took a poke to the eye from Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo during the second quarter.

"It was painful of course, but hopefully it's going to be OK," said the two-time MVP, who added: "[The Knicks] were just more aggressive. One team basically on the floor today. We were not there today."

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 26 points, and Malone labelled the small forward as "outstanding".

"There's a reason the crowd was chanting 'OG.' He was outstanding," Malone said.

"He brings defense. He brings offense. He brings toughness. He brings physicality.

"He and the rest of the guys in the New York Knicks uniforms tonight, they were terrific from beginning to end."

The Knicks, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference, have won their last five games.

Ten years after watching Li Na win the Australian Open title, Zheng Qinwen has a first grand slam crown in her sights.

The 21-year-old is the first Chinese player since trailblazer Li here in 2014 to make a grand slam final, where she will take on defending champion Aryna Sabalenka.

Zheng vividly remembers cheering on Li during her victory over Dominika Cibulkova as an 11-year-old alongside her tennis team-mates.

Three years earlier, Li had become the first Chinese grand slam singles champion at the French Open, and Zheng said: “She means a lot, I think, for all the Chinese kids the same age like me.

“Because I think she’s the first one who won the slams. That’s unbelievable for Asian woman in that moment. She gives a lot of hope, in that moment, to young kids like me.”

Zheng had the chance to meet Li, who is playing in the legends event, earlier this fortnight, with the 41-year-old telling her young countrywoman not to think too much.

Zheng, who will break into the top 10 on Monday, kept her nerve to come through a chaotic top half of the draw, with Sabalenka the first top-50 opponent she will face, and she said: “My dream is not just the final. I’m almost there but I know this little distance is still far away.”

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Extra motivation for the 21-year-old came last September when coach Wim Fissette ended their brief partnership to return to work with Naomi Osaka.

Zheng made her feelings known but linked back up with Spaniard Pere Riba, who first began coaching her as a 17-year-old.

He cannot speak highly enough of Zheng, saying: “I never see in my life a player with the work ethic that she has.

“The first week that we started to work, a long time ago, I say, ‘OK, 7am, and then we go to practise’. Then we practise a lot of hours. I say, next day the same, next day the same. I was thinking that after four or five days she’s going to say, ‘I’m tired’.

“Sometimes we are getting angry because she wants to do more and I have to stop her. You can imagine the dreams that Qinwen has, that she really wants to be there in the top, and I’m really, really happy for her because she deserves it.

“Still she is so young. She’s improving every single month and still has a lot of margin to improve. She arrived with very good feelings. She arrived really motivated. And, if she plays her game, she will have her chances.

“But, of course, all of us, we know Aryna and we know it’s going to be a really complicated match.”

The run is another feather in the cap of 35-year-old Riba, who during his break from working with Zheng was part of Coco Gauff’s coaching team for her US Open triumph last summer.

“I think that all experiences is helpful to you,” he said. “Me, I’m a humble guy and I’m trying to learn from everyone. The US Open was really an amazing moment. Of course this experience is helping here.”

Sabalenka was the player beaten by Gauff in New York but the Belarusian has put together an impressive sequence of slam results, reaching at least the semi-finals of six straight tournaments and now bidding for a second successive title here.

She turned the tables on Gauff in the last four and is yet to drop a set.

Known as a very emotional player, Sabalenka has maintained an impressively even keel so far, and she said: “I think I’m pretty calm inside like I am outside.

“I’m defending champion but, worst case, I’m going to lose this tournament and it’s less points to defend next year. That’s helping me to just stay focused and just try your best in each match without thinking about defending something.”

One bizarre superstition Sabalenka has maintained through the tournament is drawing her signature and other doodles on fitness coach Jason Stacy’s bald head.

“Our first day here, there was some kid wanted a ball signed,” Stacy said. “She’s, ‘Ah, no problem’. So she signed my head as a joke.

“Then every day it’s like a routine to sign my head. Non-match day, she just draws some random picture. They played tic-tac-toe on my head the other day. She won, by the way, so it’s good.

“Then on match day she just signs it and does random stuff. Just part of the process.”

LeBron James is "humbled" by the support he has received as he credited his fans after being voted as an All-Star for a record 20th time.

James, who scored 25 points and added 12 assists as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Chicago Bulls 141-132 on Thursday, has now surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's tally of 19 All-Star nominations.

The 39-year-old will captain the West, and start alongside Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain the East on his eighth All-Star selection. 

Reigning MVP Joel Embiid is set for his seventh All-Star appearance, with Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard and Tyrese Hailburton completing the East's lineup.

"I give credit and a lot of respect to my fans who have been along with me through this whole 21-year journey," James said.

"And voting me in as an All-Star starter for the 20th-consecutive time, just very humbled.

"Very blessed to be able to do what I love to do and just try to give back, give back to the game that's given me over two decades.

"So, to be able to know this is the first time ever in NBA history to have this many All-Star starts or whatever the case might be, it's very cool.

"I've exceeded anything that I ever dreamed about being in the NBA. And I did that a long time ago. Everything else is just kind of extra credit. I'm very humbled by still being able to play the game I love and have these accomplishments along the way."

Lakers coach Darvin Ham joked that James was a "victim of his own success".

Ham said: "Kudos to him, man. He's a victim of his own work and success. It's crazy.

"I was thinking about this to myself, like, 'Damn, he'll never have an All-Star Weekend to himself just not to have any obligations.'

"And do that for 21 years, oof. But that's his work. He put that work in. He's maintained that consistency, that durability. And I'm happy for him."

James is averaging 24.8 points per game across 41 appearances for the Lakers this season, while also contributing 7.5 assists and 7.1 rebounds.

The 73rd NBA All-Star weekend will take place in Indianapolis between February 16 and 18.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is confident Kieran Trippier will stay with the club after they resisted Bayern Munich’s attempts to prise him away.

The 33-year-old England full-back was the subject of three separate offers from the Bundesliga champions earlier this week, all of which were rejected by the Magpies.

Howe, who has also seen strikers Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron linked with moves away from Tyneside before next Thursday’s transfer deadline, insisted Trippier – the first man signed by the club’s new owners following their takeover in October 2021 – never wanted to leave.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round trip to Fulham, he said: “We obviously hope he’ll stay – and I’m very confident he will – and be part of our long-term future, but I have to make it clear that he’s never asked to leave or even questioned his future here. He’s always been fully committed.

“We’ve had a lot of conversations in the last week and it’s always been about Newcastle, and I think it was very important that I made that clear and got that out there to everybody, that his commitment to Newcastle shouldn’t be questioned.”

Bayern said they had ended their pursuit on Wednesday evening after being given no encouragement, and asked if he considered the matter over, Howe added: “His situation is finished as far as everyone is concerned, Kieran, myself.

“I’ve just been in football long enough to never ever say 100 per cent because I don’t want to look stupid, but Kieran is 100 per cent committed and we definitely want to keep him.”

Wilson has been linked with a series of clubs this week after chief executive Darren Eales admitted the club would have to trade players in future windows in order to comply with spending restrictions.

But Howe said: “In every conversation that I’ve had with Callum – very similar to Kieran – he’s 100 per cent committed to Newcastle. No part of him is looking elsewhere.

“He wants to come back and score goals, he’s got big ambitions for the second half of the season and we want to keep him here.

“Obviously some things are out of my control and of course the club is acting within the long-term interests of the club and has to, and I understand that and am fully supportive of it, so let’s see what happens.”

Former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern is determined to become Livingston’s number one as he bids to banish the “frustration” of making just one appearance in the last three years.

The 39-year-old joined the bottom-of-the-table Lions on loan from cinch Premiership rivals Hearts last week to provide competition and cover for Shamal George after Jack Hamilton suffered an injury that could keep him out until March.

McGovern – who won 32 caps for his country and featured at Euro 2016 – has not played since being given a one-off run-out for Norwich in an FA Cup tie at Wolves in February 2022, but he is adamant he is not resigned to being a back-up keeper for what remains of his career.

“I’ve got some stiff competition with the other goalkeepers but I’ve come here to try and get in the team and play,” he said.

“At Hearts, I wasn’t playing and recently I haven’t even been on the bench because Craig Gordon’s back fit so this is a better opportunity for me here.

“It’s been difficult. At Norwich, I was going in every day trying to get in the team, same at Hearts. I wasn’t just happy to pick up my wages, I wanted to contribute.

“But it’s hard sometimes as a goalkeeper because only one can play. In my last season at Norwich I was up against Angus Gunn, a Scotland international, and Tim Krul, a Holland international.

“And then I went to Hearts and I was up against Craig and Zander Clark, two Scotland internationals, so it’s been tough. It’s been frustrating not to play because I’m desperate to play and contribute to a team and get that feeling back on a Saturday so that’s my aim here.”

Asked if he still feels sharp enough to re-establish himself as first-choice goalkeeper, McGovern – who will be in the squad for Saturday’s cinch Premiership match at home to Dundee – said: “Most definitely. People don’t see it because I’ve not played much but in training I feel really sharp.

“At Norwich, I was sharp last season, coming up against top international players (in training) and making saves. I feel like you’ve got a personal responsibility to look after yourself when you’re not playing.

“The games I have played over recent years, I’ve kind of come from nowhere to go straight into the team and I’ve always produced when needed. That’s because I’m looking after myself every day, I feel like fitness-wise I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.”