Plymouth Raiders went unbeaten in the BBL Championship during March and came up just short in the BBL Trophy Final, leading to recognition for Head Coach Paul James and emerging star guard Rickey McGill.

James wins the Kevin Cadle Molten BBL Coach of the Month award for the second time this season after March saw him lead Plymouth to three league wins, which extends to eight straight going back to February and including the first two games of April, as that good run has seen them climb the table to second place.

Most impressively, Raiders scored a big road win at Newcastle Eagles which initially helped them close the gap on their title-chasing rivals - who had been in second for some time - before over-taking them early in April. It was a strong performance from Raiders, winning 85-72 while scoring 58 points in the paint, led by 16 from former Eagle Mike Morsell, and holding Eagles to their third fewest points of the season, including just 31 in the second half.

Aside from that, there were two other double-digit league wins over the B. Braun Sheffield Sharks and Manchester Giants - the first of those live on Sky Sports - where Raiders showed character to emerge from half time team talks with big second half performances to overturn early deficits - something that they have continued to do since. They beat Sheffield 50-32 in the second half, and Manchester by an even better 52-27.

James' team has a clear identity and style, as the league's leading defence conceding just 75 points per game at only 41% from the field, also giving up the fewest points in the paint (30.5) of any team. They are also aggressive offensively, as by far the league's leaders in free-throw attempts at 24 per game - five higher than the next team - and offensive rebounds with 12 per game.

Raiders have also come through adversity in the month, winning games despite injuries to key players such as Prince Ibeh, Michael Ochereobia and Chris Porter-Bunton, with captain Ashley Hamilton also returning to the team from an injury lay-off.

Even in their only defeat in March, to London Lions in the BBL Trophy Final, Raiders characteristically showed great fight to almost come back from a big early deficit, falling just short of a first piece of BBL silverware since 2007.

The catalyst for Raiders on numerous occasions has been American guard Rickey McGill, who has averaged an amazing 25.5 points per game in March to pick up the Molten BBL Player of the Month award.

That points haul has come on amazing shooting splits of 62% from the field - on 99 attempts, or 16.5 per game as Plymouth's go-to man - as well as 47% from the three-point line and 82% at the free-throw line. He has also added five assists, four rebounds and two steals per game. Overall, he is sixth in the league in assists and seventh in steals.

He was outstanding in March's BBL Trophy run, which saw him score over 30 points in both legs of the semi-final and the final itself. He was unlucky to be on the losing team in the final, scoring 31 points on 68% shooting, including nine early in a three minute third quarter spell to bring Raiders back to within one point from a 16 point deficit.

To get to the final, he scored 63 points over two legs in just three days against Surrey Scorchers, going 24-35 (69%) from the field in a pair of comprehensive wins.

In BBL Championship play, McGill scored comfortably in double-figures in all three games, and had perhaps one of his best all-round performances to round out the month on the road at Manchester Giants, with his first double-double of 23 points and 12 assists, along with four rebounds and four steals.

On Sky Sports, he was MVP of the Sheffield game after hitting 15 of his 21 points in the second half, including a big 'and-one' play for the go-ahead basket that changed the momentum in a previously tight affair.

A busy and important April is already underway for Raiders, with wins in consecutive nights over the Easter weekend, while they also face two South West derbies with Bristol Flyers and a clash with league-leading Leicester Riders as they chase the title in this last month of the regular campaign.

Sport 4 Life UK, the Birmingham-based charity which delivers sports-themed personal development programmes to young people across the West Midlands, is staging a series of free Easter holiday sports camps for 11 to 17-year-olds.

The first sports camp will take place at Aston Powerleague at Birmingham’s Salford Stadium and run from Monday, April 5 to Friday, April 9 between noon and 3pm. In addition to sports sessions and refreshments in the form of water and healthy snacks, participants will also have an opportunity to gain a free, CV-enhancing sports leaders’ qualification.

Alongside this, on Friday, April 9 attendees will be able to get involved with a voluntary Easter social action project aimed at improving their local neighbourhoods and solving problems affecting communities. This event will offer free pizza and Easter eggs, courtesy of Sport 4 Life UK corporate partner Tickd.

During the second week of the Easter holidays, the sports camps will continue at Hodge Hill College in Bromford Road, Birmingham, from today, Monday, April 12 to Friday, April 16, again between noon and 3pm. Participants will also be able to join sports sessions and gain a free sports leaders’ qualification.

Tom Clarke-Forrest, founder and CEO Sport 4 Life UK, said: “I can’t tell you how delighted we are that we’re able to reconnect with young people in person and start providing personal development programmes again, after a long hard winter under lockdown. By combining physical activity with qualifications that help young people build leadership skills and friendships, we are making a meaningful difference to their life chances. This is particularly important right now, because all the data shows young people have been the most adversely affected economically by the pandemic and downturn. With that in mind, we very much look forward to welcoming youngsters back to our activities and supporting their life goals.”

Sports leaders is an enjoyable qualification that is easy to achieve by leading sports sessions and completing a short workbook. It is a recognised qualification and will enhance any CV or college or university application. The qualification involves lots of practical sport, discussion on leadership and designing and leading mini-coaching sessions.

Birmingham City has insisted that they are committed to their women’s team after the players raised a series of complaints with the board.

The Football Association has opened an investigation after City’s squad sent a letter to the Women’s Super League club’s hierarchy highlighting a lack of support for them compared to that given to the men’s team. The complaints were reported to include players earning less than the minimum wage, delays over treatment for injured players, a lack of access to the training-ground gym and changing rooms and travel arrangements for away fixtures.

In response, the club said in a statement: “We are keen to emphasise that the club remains committed to providing support for our women’s team.

“We will further the conversation internally in a bid to address players’ concerns, the details of which, will remain private.”

Head coach Carla Ward said: “This week we have held positive discussions with the board relating to the concerns raised by the players. It was never the intention of the players for the letter to be made public and many of the points were misrepresented.

“We are working together to move forward and will remain in communication with the board to resolve matters internally. We are now approaching a vital stage of the season and will focus all our efforts on winning as many games as possible to keep the club in the BFAWSL.” The issue was raised at England’s press conference ahead of the Lionesses’ friendly against France.

Former Birmingham player Ellen White said: “Well, it’s not OK, is it? For a club of Birmingham’s stature, to be playing in the WSL, it’s not OK for players to be experiencing what they are.

“I was at Birmingham for a couple of years, and I’ve got friends there. I think it’s important that it’s been brought to attention, and something needs to be done, especially with them having been in the WSL from pretty much the start. It’s not OK to be happening.”

Birmingham’s statement also said that their women’s side will be playing home fixtures at St Andrew’s next season if they retain their place in the WSL. The team, who currently play home matches at the SportNation.Bet Stadium, which is also used by Solihull Moors of the men’s National League, are ninth in the WSL table, three points above the relegation spot with four games left.

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who tested positive for Covid-19 last week, has been admitted to hospital. Tendulkar tweeted that he decided to go to a hospital in Mumbai as a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice.

The former captain, who is loved by millions, added that he was hoping to be back home in a few days. Several Indian cities, including Mumbai, have seen a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks. Tendulkar, 47, shared the news at a time when India is staring at what experts have called a "deadlier second wave".

India reported 81,466 news cases and 469 deaths on Thursday - the highest daily spike since December. The country's Covid caseload had dropped sharply in January when it was reporting less than 15,000 cases daily. But cases began to spike again in March, largely driven by poor test-and-trace and lax safety protocols.

Many of the new cases were reported in the western state of Maharashtra, where Tendulkar lives in the city of Mumbai. Since the pandemic began, India has confirmed more than 12.2 million cases and over 163,000 deaths. It has the third-highest number of infections in the world after the United States and Brazil - however, its number of deaths per capita is far lower.

India has registered 118 deaths per million, compared to 1,487 in Brazil and 1,668 in the US.

India launched its vaccination drive in January and so far more than 65 million doses have been administered. But experts say the pace needs to further pick up to halt the spread.

Some have also attributed the uptick in numbers to a highly contagious variants of the coronavirus, but the government has denied this. The surge in cases comes during what some experts have called a "delicate phase" of the pandemic for India.

States are now reintroducing restrictions to stem the spread of the virus.

In his tweet, Tendulkar thanked his fans for their wishes and prayers. His fans and many of his former teammates have responded with prayers for his recovery.

He retired from cricket in 2013 but continues to be one of the most popular public figures in India. He recently took part in the Road Safety World Series Challenge, a veterans' tournament in the central Indian city of Raipur.

He made his international debut aged 16 in November 1989, setting off an illustrious 24-year career that earned him global recognition. In that time, he amassed a record 15,921 Test-match runs, the highest number by any batsman in cricket history.

In 2012, Tendulkar became the only batsman ever to reach 100 international centuries. One of his most memorable Test centuries was an unbeaten 103 that inspired India's victory over England in December 2008, and came shortly after terror attacks hit his home city of Mumbai.

As the first female referee to take charge of an English Football League game Rebecca Welch was praised for her performance by the managers of both sides she was charged with.

Rebecca, 37, oversaw Port Vale's 2-0 win at Harrogate Town in League Two on Monday. In the elite category of referees and on FIFA's international list, Ms Welch, from Washington, County Durham, previously officiated seven National League games this season. She was the first to be given a game from the off and had a day without any major controversy, barring a contentious decision to wave away Harrogate's appeals for a first-half penalty.

On his assessment of her performance, Port Vale boss Darrell Clarke said: "I thought she was focused and didn't get much wrong. I was moaning about one or two decisions, but generally it was quite consistent. We need to see more women referees and lineswomen moving forward. They should be judged like anyone else and she's had a good start."

Harrogate manager Simon Weaver said: "I think she was very good indeed. Important calls were made throughout and they were the right calls. Hopefully it's just par for the course that we see female referees and officials in the EFL. It's about time."

Speaking after her appointment was announced last week, Welch told the EFL's official website: "Initially I wasn't really aware of being appointed as the first female referee.

"I was just given the appointment and I was over the moon but, when you kind of reflect on it, you think you're the first woman ever to do this, so I'm extremely proud and my family is extremely proud too."

Amy Fearn was the first woman to referee an EFL game as she came on as an injury replacement in the 2010 Championship game between Coventry and Nottingham Forest.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) and insidethegames.biz have launched an exciting new partnership to tell inspiring Commonwealth Sport stories in the lead-up to Birmingham 2022.

A new section dedicated to Commonwealth Sport has gone live on the world leading and award winning Olympic news website, which features an in-depth overview of the movement. It includes the history of the Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games, round-ups of major Commonwealth Games moments, biographies of star athletes and details of the CGF's drive to use sport for social change.

CGF President Dame Louise Martin said: "I am delighted to announce this exciting new partnership with our friends at insidethegames.biz.

"The CGF and insidethegames.biz have worked closely together for many years, across numerous editions of the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Youth Games and other key events on our calendar. They have unparalleled connections in global sport and are as passionate as we are about providing a voice and a platform for our diverse, committed Commonwealth sporting family.

"We are delighted to be moving this strong relationship a step further, with insidethegames.biz hosting a new section that will shine a light on the inspiring stories that are at the heart of the Commonwealth Sport. This will be particularly beneficial for some of our small states and island states, who will have a truly global platform to share their stories.

"My thanks go to editor Duncan Mackay, managing director Sarah Bowron and the entire team at insidethegames.biz for their support in working to promote our movement." insidethegames will produce multiple news articles on Commonwealth Sport each week, covering the 72 Commonwealth Games Associations which are preparing to compete in Birmingham next year.

"We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Commonwealth Games Federation," said Bowron. "Our experienced team have long enthused with infectious excitement about the Commonwealth Games. I caught the bug at Glasgow in 2014 alongside the younger members of our team. Our affection has continued to grow with memorable visits to Samoa, Edmonton, The Bahamas, the Gold Coast and Rwanda among others. 

"Everybody at the CGF and in the CGAs are like a big Commonwealth Family and we are delighted to feel a part of this fantastic global movement. Everybody in our team is looking forward to help tell the story of Commonwealth Sport to the insidethegames.biz influential readership of more than 20 million in over 200 countries and we hope that this will be a partnership for many years to come.

"I would like to thank Dame Louise and the entire team at the CGF for working with us to create this ground-breaking partnership. I am sure it will be a huge success."