Golfer cries fowl

A New Zealand golfer came up with a novel excuse for missing the cut in a qualifying tournament - duck droppings.

David Hartshorne was eliminated from the New Zealand Open preliminary when he failed to sink a 35-foot putt on the first hole of a three-way play-off.

Before playing the shot he noticed some fowl looking pellets in his line of vision and asked qualifying tournament referee Phil Aickin if they could be removed.

Aickin refused, on the grounds that the droppings had stuck to the green, been baked by the sun and would not have impeded the ball's line.

Hartshorne, though, insists he was hard done by and is planning an appeal.

Bend it like Beckham

An 11-year-old schoolboy footballer has set a new world record for scoring goals from corners.

Steve Cromley grabbed a first half hat-trick for Ash Green United in the Coventry Minor League after stepping up to the dead ball.

Steve taught Beckham everything he knows

Each kick sailed in without anyone else touching it - and Steve insisted he meant every one.

"I practised swinging the ball in the park with my dad," he said.

Steve's impressive feat surpassed that of another schoolboy, Daniel White from Somerset, who scored three by the same method over 90 minutes.

The tricky treble helped Ash Green to a 10-3 win over Dunlop FC, who are considering hiding their corner flags for the return visit.

Arthur's unlucky break

Dare-devil jockey Alan 'Arthur' Daley has broken his leg for the second time in eight months - while skiing with 18 rivals.

Nothing unusual in that, you might think, until you hear the flat specialist's approach to the sport.

Former jockey and BBC Five Live pundit Luke Harvey, who roomed with Daley in Courchevel last year, said: "He just goes straight down the mountain, whatever the run, red, black, you name it.

"He hasn't got any skiing gear, just waterproofs - and he stops by crashing into the fence at the bottom."

Luckless Daley broke the same leg in a meeting at Wolverhampton last May.

Maybe he should stick to swimming.