WORLD SPORTS DIARY APRIL 2001

April 1	Baseball: Opening Day of Major League season, United States
April 1	Formula One: Brazilian Grand Prix, Interlagos, Brazil
April 1- 4	Motorcycling: World Superbike Championship, Kyalami, South Africa
April 2- 8	Tennis: Davis Cup second round matches, Spain
April 3- 4	Soccer: Champions League quarter-final 1st legs, Europe
April 5/19	Soccer: UEFA Cup semi-finals, Europe
April 5- 7	Horseracing: Martell Grand National Meeting, Aintree, Liverpool, England
April 5- 8	Golf: U.S. Masters, Augusta, Georgia, United States
April 6- 10	Cricket: West Indies v South Africa, 4th Test, Antigua
April 6- 27	Horseracing: Keeneland Spring Meeting, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
April 7	Boxing: Naseem Hamed v Marco Antonio Barrera, Las Vegas, Nevada
April 7- 8	Rugby Union: Six Nations; England v France, Italy v Wales
April 8	Athletics: Paris Marathon, Paris, France
April 8	Motorcycling: GP World Championship, Suzuka, Japan
April 11	Ice Hockey: Stanley Cup Playoffs, United States
April 12-16	Equestrian: World Cup showjumping final, Gothenberg, Sweden
April 14	Horseracing: Australian Derby, Royal Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
April 15	Formula One: San Marino Grand Prix, Imola, San Marino
April 16	Athletics: Boston Marathon, Massachusetts, United States
April 16-22	Tennis: ATP Masters Series, Monte Carlo, Monaco
April 17-18	Soccer: Champions League quarter-final 2nd legs, Europe
April 19-23	Cricket: West Indies v South Africa, 5th Test, Jamaica
April 19-23	Cricket: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 1st Test, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
April 20	Cricket: Start of County Championship season, UK
April 21	Boxing: Lennox Lewis v Hasim Rahman, Johannesburg, South Africa
April 21	Basketball: NBA playoffs begin, United States
April 21	U.S. Football: World League season starts, Europe
April 21-May 7	Snooker: Embassy World Championship, Sheffield, England
April 22	Athletics: London Marathon, England
April 22	Motorcycling: World Superbike Championship, Phillip Island, Australia
April 22	Motorcycling: GP World Championship, Welkom, South Africa
April 23-29	Tennis: FED Cup first round matches, United States
April 23-May 6	Table Tennis: World Championships, Osaka, Japan
April 26-29	Golf: Open de Espana, Girona, Spain
April 27-28	Rowing: Zurich World Cup, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
April 27-28	Horseracing: Whitbread Gold Cup meeting, Sandown Park, England
April 28	Rugby League: Challenge Cup final, Twickenham, England
April 28	Cycling: Amstel Gold Race, Netherlands
April 28-May 13	Ice Hockey: World Championship, Germany
April 29	Formula One: Spanish Grand Prix, Barcelona, Spain



OTHER EVENTS
April 1	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Maldives v Cambodia, Male, Maldives
April 1- 8	Skiing: World speed skiing championship, Les Arcs, France
April 2- 8	Tennis: Porto Ladies Open, Porto, Portugal
April 3	Cricket: India v Australia, 4th ODI, Visakhapatnam, India
April 3- 4	Weightlifting: World Masters bench press championships, Luxembourg
April 4	Soccer: Lebanon v Bahrain, friendly, Beirut, Lebanon
April 5- 7	Equestrian: Dressage World Cup final, Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 5- 8	Ice skating: World synchronized championships, Helsinki, Finland
April 5- 8	Equestrian: Show Jumping, Braintree, England
April 5- 8	Weightlifting: European Union Championships, Germany
April 6	Cricket: India v Australia, 5th ODI, Goa, India
April 7	Boxing: IBO world super-bantamweight title, Naseem Hamed v Marco Antonio Barrera, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
April 7	Soccer: Opening Day of Major League season, United States
April 7	Horseracing: Ashland Stakes, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
April 7	Horseracing: Oaklawn Handicap, k, Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States
April 7	Horseracing: Santa Anita Derby, Santa Anita Park, California, United States
April 7	Cricket: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 1st ODI, Harare, Zimbabwe
April 7	Soccer: Cosafa Castle Cup; Mauritius v Namibia, Bellevue, Mauritius
April 7- 8	Motorcycling: British Superbikes Championship, Silverstone, England
April 8	Soccer: FA Cup semi-finals, England
April 8	Horseracing: Apple Blossom Handicap, Oaklawn Park, Arkansas, United States
April 8	Cycling: Mountain Bike World Cup, round one, Napa, California, United States
April 8	Motor sport: NASCAR Winston Cup, Martinsville, Virginia, United States
April 8	Cricket: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 2nd ODI, Harare, Zimbabwe
April 8- 20	Cricket: Triangular tournament; Pakistan v Sri Lanka v India, Sharjah, UAE
April 8- 15	Snooker: Regal Scottish Open, Aberdeen, Scotland
April 9- 15	Tennis: Grand Prix Hassan II, men, Casablanca, Morocco
April 9- 15	Tennis: Estoril Open, m/w, Estoril, Portugal
April 9- 15	Tennis: Bausch & Lomb Championship, women, Amelia Island, Florida, United States
April 10	Swimming: World Championship trials, Manchester, England
April 11	Cricket: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 3rd ODI, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
April 11	Motor sport: CART series; Toyota GP, Long Beach, California, United States
April 11	Soccer: Lebanon v Libya, friendly, Beirut, Lebanon
April 12-15	Golf: Moroccan Open, Morocco
April 12-15	Golf: Worldcom Classic, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
April 12-15	Golf: City of Hope LPGA Classic, United States, venue tbc
April 13	Cycling: International Track Meeting, Herne Hill, England
April 13	Horseracing: Fantasy Stakes, Oaklawn Park, Arkansas, United States
April 13-15	Canoeing: Flatwater World Cup, Gainesville, Florida, United States
April 13-16	Hockey: European Cup WinnersÕ Cup (men), Den Bosch, Belgium
April 13-16	Hockey: European Cup WinnersÕ Cup, women, Rome, Italy
April 13-20	Table Tennis: Commonwealth Championships, New Delhi, India
April 14	Soccer: Tennents Scottish Cup semi-finals, Scotland
April 14	Horseracing: Blue Grass Stakes, Lexington, Kentucky, United States
April 14	Horseracing: San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap, Santa Anita, California, United States
April 15-16	Motor racing: British Championships, rounds 1-2, Brands Hatch, England
April 16	Horseracing: Irish Grand National, Fairyhouse, Ireland (tbc)
April 16-22	Tennis: Family Circle Cup, women, Charleston, South Carolina, United States
April 16-22	Tennis: Budapest Open, women, Budapest, Hungary
April 16-22	Ice Hockey: World Championship, Division 1, Group B, Ljubljana, Slovenia
April 17-19	Horseracing: Rescheduled National Hunt Festival, Cheltenham, England (tbc)
April 18	Soccer: Oman v Jordan, friendly, Muscat, Oman
April 19-22	Golf: Algarve Portugese Open, Quinta do Lago, Portugal
April 19-22	Golf: Shell Houston Open, The Woodlands, Texas, United States
April 19-22	Golf: LPGA Longs Drugs Challenge, Lincoln, California, United States
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Zimbabwe v Guinea
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Zambia v Angola
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Tunisia v Cote dÕ Ivoire
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Sierra Leone v Nigeria
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Senegal v Algeria
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Morocco v Namibia
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Liberia v Sudan
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Congo DR v Madagascar
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Cameroon v Libya
April 20	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Burkina Faso v Malawi
April 20-22	Rugby Union: Heineken Cup & European Shield, semi-finals, Europe
April 20-21	Horseracing: Scottish Grand National Meeting, Ayr, Scotland
April 21	Boxing: World heavyweight championship; Lennox Lewis v Hasim Rahman, Johannesburg, South Africa
April 21	Athletics: Asian Cross Country Championships, Kathmandu, Nepal
April 21-22	Judo: British Open Championships, Birmingham, England
April 21-22	Badminton: British Grand Slam III, Grantham, England
April 21-22	Darts: BDO Finland Open, Helsinki, Finland
April 22	Athletics: Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands
April 22	Motor sport: NASCAR Winston Cup, Talladega, Alabama, United States
April 22	Hockey: Premiership Finals, Milton Keynes, England
April 23-29	Tennis: Open Seat Godo, men, Barcelona, Spain
April 23-29	Tennis: Atlanta Tennis Challenge, men, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
April 24	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Venezuela v Colombia, Maracaibo, Venezuela
April 24	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Chile v Uruguay, Santiago, Chile
April 24	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Ecuador v Paraguay, Quito, Ecuador
April 24	Soccer: Egypt v Canada, friendly, Cairo, Egypt
April 24	Soccer: Georgia v Israel, friendly, Tbilisi, Georgia
April 24	Soccer: Iran v Korea Republic, friendly, Cairo, Egypt
April 24	Soccer: Poland v Scotland, friendly, Bydgoszcz, Poland
April 24-27	Horseracing: National Hunt Festival, Punchestown, Ireland (tbc)
April 24-30	Weightlifting: European Championships, Tencren, Slovakia
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Yugoslavia v Russia
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Malta v Iceland
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Latvia v San Marino
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Austria v Liechtenstein, Innsbruck, Austria
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Netherlands v Cyprus, Eindhoven, Netherlands
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Republic of Ireland v Andorra
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Jamaica v Honduras, Kingston, Jamaica
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; Trinidad & Tobago v Mexico, Port of Spain, Trinidad
April 25	Soccer: World Cup qualifier; United States v Costa Rica, Kansas City, United States
April 25	Soccer: Croatia v Greece, friendly, venue tbc
April 25	Soccer: Czech Republic v Belgium, friendly, Prague, Czech Republic
April 25	Soccer: Denmark v Slovenia, friendly, Copenhagen, Denmark
April 25	Soccer: France v Portugal, friendly, Saint-Denis, France
April 25	Soccer: Hungary v Finland, friendly, venue tbc
April 25	Soccer: Italy v South Africa, friendly, venue tbc
April 25	Soccer: Lebanon v Philippines, friendly, Beirut, Lebanon
April 25	Soccer: Norway v Bulgaria, friendly, Oslo, Norway
April 25	Soccer: Romania v Slovakia, friendly, venue tbc
April 25	Soccer: Spain v Japan, friendly, venue tbc
April 25	Soccer: Switzerland v Sweden, friendly, Geneva, Switzerland
April 25-26	Motorcycling: British Superbikes Championship, Donington Park, England
April 25-28	Squash: European Team Championships, Amsterdam, Netherlands
April 26-29	Golf: Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic, Greensboro, North Carolina, United States
April 26-29	Golf:  LPGA The Philips Invitational, Austin, Texas, United States
April 26-30	Cricket: Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 2nd Test, Harare, Zimbabwe
April 28	Cricket: West Indies v South Africa, 1st ODI, Jamaica
April 28	Rugby Union: Zurich Premiership play-off quarter-finals, England
April 28-29	Cycling: BMX World Championships, rounds 1-2, Mours, France
April 28-29	Rallying: British Rally Championships; Pirelli International Rally, Great Britain
April 28-29	Weightlifting: British power lifting championships, Birmingham, England
April 29	Motorcycling: World Superbike Championship, Sugo, Japan
April 29	Cricket: Start of Norwich Union National Cricket League season, England
April 29	Rugby Union: Six Nations; Wales v Ireland, Cardiff, Wales (provisional date)
April 29	Motor sport: NASCAR Winston Cup, Fontana, California, United States
April 29	Motor sport: CART series, Texas 600, Fort Worth, Texas, United States
April 29	Soccer: Cosafa Castle Cup; Mozambique v South Africa, Maputo, Mozambique
April 30	Cricket: Benson & Hedges Cup first round matches, England
April 30-May 6	Cycling: Tour of Croatia
April 30-May 6	Tennis: BMW Open, men, Munich, Germany
April 30-May 6	Tennis: U.S. MenÕs Clay Court Championships, Houston, Texas
April 30-May 6	Tennis: Mallorca Open, men, Mallorca, Spain
April 30-May 6	Tennis: Betty Barclay Cup, women, Hamburg, Germany
April 30-May 6	Tennis: Bol Ladies Open, Bol, Croatia