A particularly packed week of sporting action has kept us all engrossed and has thrown up the usual stories of success and failure.
Carl Froch
Froch added the WBA super-middleweight title to his IBF crown as
he recorded a unanimous points win after 12 pulsating rounds of combat with Mikkel Kessler at the O2 Arena in London.
The rematch between the two was billed as the most eagerly-anticipated fight to be held in Britain for several years and did not disappoint, with Froch and Kessler battling it out in brutal but admirable style in front of a fervent crowd.
Froch, who avenged his loss to the Dane in the pair's first meeting, cemented his place as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the UK and has now
set his sights on bringing Andre Ward over for another blockbuster rematch.
Graeme Swann
Generally Headingley is viewed as a seamer's paradise, so much so that England's premier slow bowler Swann was dropped for last year's Test with South Africa at the Yorkshire venue.
No such decision was made this time around against New Zealand and the off-spinner responded by ripping through the Black Caps' middle order
to put the hosts in total control of the second Test of the two-match series.
Swann made an instant impact after being brought on, bowling Dean Browlie and Martin Guptill through the gate before also claiming the scalps of Kane Williamson and Doug Bracewell to finish as the pick of England's first-innings bowlers with 4-42.
Bad week
Dylan Hartley
The Northampton and England hooker is not exactly unfamiliar with the Rugby Football Union's disciplinary panel, but his latest indiscretion has proved to be especially costly.
Hartley
will miss the British & Irish Lions' tour to Australia this summer after being given an 11-week suspension for verbally abusing referee Wayne Barnes in the Aviva Premiership final against Leicester.
The 27-year-old maintained that the alleged "cheat" slur was directed at opposite number Tom Youngs but Barnes was adamant he was the one being talked to.
Hartley, who was sent off as a result, could only watch from the bench as Leicester saw off his Saints to claim their fourth title in seven years.
Felipe Massa
The unforgiving Armco barriers claim several victims at Monaco each year, but for Massa to pile into the wall at exactly the same place in exactly the same manner on consecutive days beggared belief.
The Brazilian was forced to miss qualifying after a sizeable shunt in Saturday practice saw him lock both wheels on the run down to Sainte Devote, rebound off the outside wall before barrelling into the tyres.
His team put the crash down to driver error,
even though Massa said it was "not an easy thing to happen". But it happened again in the race on Sunday as Massa once again buried himself in the Turn One barriers before being taken to hospital as a precaution.
It has been speculated that both shunts were due to car failure, and there has been no comment on the second accident from the Italian marque.
Steve Ganson
Ganson is one of the most experienced officials in Super League, but his blunder during the Hull derby on Magic Weekend left those with a Kingston Rovers allegiance in a blind fury.
Acting as the video referee, Ganson awarded a decisive late try to Hull FC despite the replays showing that Chris Green was offside when he collected a Danny Houghton kick to touch down.
Both
Hull KR coach Craig Sandercok and
chairman Neil Hudgell were quick to express their dismay at the decision, while the Rugby Football League
admitted the try should not have been awarded and stated that Ganson had made a personal apology to the Robins.
Michele Acquarone
Michele Who? Well, Acquarone is the managing director of RCS Sport, who are the organisers of the recently-concluded Giro d'Italia.
The Giro is arguably the toughest cycling event in the world, but this year has seen its famous mountain stages decimated due to unseasonal snow and freezing temperatures.
The planned grand finale of the race over Friday and Saturday was effectively reduced to a single climb - the Tre Cime di Lavaredo - as
Acquarone's RCS Sport were forced into cancellations and route diversions due to the nightmare weather.
Home favourite
Vincenzo Nibali emerged as the overall winner, but television audiences in Italy and around the world were left disappointed at the unavoidable lack of climbing.
