CRICKET: Former Yorkshire and England batsman Phil Sharpe has died at the age of 77. Sharpe played 12 Tests in the 1960s, notably few given his average of 46.23, and was a member of seven county championship-winning teams at Yorkshire. 

It is as one of the greatest slip fielders he will perhaps be best remembered, taking more than 600 catches in his 20-year career — many of them breathtakingly brilliant.

FOOTBALL: Manchester City have bought a minority stake in Japanese J-League club Yokohama F Marinos, adding to a network that also includes new Major League Soccer franchise New York City FC and Australian club Melbourne Heart, as well as City’s senior, youth and women’s teams.

The Marinos’, four-times Asia champions, will gain access to the coaching, management, medical and sports science expertise of the City Football Group.

GOLF: Eleven-year-old US player Lucy Li has become the youngest player to qualify for the US Women’s Open by winning the sectional qualifier at Half Moon Bay in California.

Li shot rounds of 74 and 68 on the par-72 Old Course to win by seven shots and secure her place at Pinehurst from June 19-22.

The women’s US Open is being held the week after the men’s event on the same course, Pinehurst No.2.

TENNIS: Dan Evans and James Ward have been handed wild-card entries to the Aegon Championships at Queen’s Club.

Britain’s No 2 and No 3 ranked men will line up alongside former world No 8 Marcos Baghdatis, who has also been handed a wild card, in the June 9 to 15 tournament.

They will join reigning Queen’s and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, Tomas Berdych, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Grigor Dimitrov and Lleyton Hewitt in the draw.