Imports of woodchip from foreign ash trees should be banned in an attempt to avoid the spread of the devastating ash dieback disease, a member of the Environment Select Committee has said.

For some, the idea of watching golf on TV ranks somewhere alongside drain-cleaning in the fun stakes.

Wales 24 Italy 3

Wakefield Wildcats 18 Bradford Bulls 36

Still gliding serenely, or sinking in the retail slowdown?

Of all The Kinks' hits, Waterloo Sunset is the one that still casts a spell. Ray Davies tells the band's biographer, Nick Hasted, how he came to write a genuine anthem

There's more to the Cotswolds than rolling pastures, chocolate-box villages and the famous honey-coloured stone. Ian White goes exploring

A July Sunday evening at the playground: a summer's dusk with the first stars coming out, and still lots of kids are here. (Some naughtier children have even climbed over the security fence and are testing the new adventure playground, unable to wait until official opening day.) And I am whiling away time pulling out bindweed.

Forget charcoal – the secret of gourmet grilling is sizzling your meat over mesquite, hickory, or even wood chips infused with Jack Daniel's.

England have fixed their sights on becoming the world's No 1 Test team – and sooner rather than later. Given a good run of results, and a fair wind, they could be crowned by the end of a summer which sees them start against fourth-ranked Sri Lanka and then tackle leaders India. Knowing England, though, their journey from today in third spot is unlikely to be without its ups and downs. Or snakes and ladders. Independent Sport will monitor England's progress on a daily basis throughout the summer's seven Tests.

Michael Owen has admitted lifting the Premier League title with Manchester United represents the pinnacle of his career.

So much for matchplay being a lottery. Five of the world's top six are here in Andalucia and each of them shrugged off the supposed volatility of the head-to-head format to win their opening matches. For yesterday at least, all the balls rolled out in order for the multi-millionaires.

Conspiracy theorising, unlike pageantry, isn't what we do best, as today's closing item makes very clear. But that's not to say that the British are averse to a little wild speculation when the occasion demands. And so to the Blairs' wedding snub – a gross affront to common decency that has provoked many competing ideas as to its genesis.

Sale 24 Exeter 30