RACING: Goodwood and bookies 32Red desperately defended the decision yesterday to change the name of the historic Stewards Cup.

The winner of the August 2 sprint, first staged in 1840, will take home the 32Red Cup this year, a change that unleashed a storm of criticism from racing fans.

The online bookmakers said they didn’t want to risk their name being dropped from the title.

In 2010 sponsors forced the Banbury Cup to be renamed the 32Red Trophy, but the handicap reverted to its old name the following year.

FOOTBALL: Celtic have signed goalkeeper Craig Gordon, a free agent since being released from Sunderland in 2012, on a two-year deal, the club announced yesterday.

The former Hearts keeper was set to immediately jet off to the Glasgow club’s pre-season camp in Austria.

The Black Cats released Gordon after a string of arm and knee injuries.

CRICKET: Somerset bowler Alfonso Thomas was given three disciplinary code penalty points yesterday.

He was reported after throwing a ball “at or near” a Lancashire opponent.

The points remain on Thomas’s record for two years, with the accumulation of nine points bringing an automatic suspension.