Cue the music guys... this is far too slow

Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham made World Championship history for the wrong reason.

For the first time, a Crucible semi-final was hauled off for slow play with Selby 16-15 up.

It left the potting plodders forced to finish up after Shaun Murphy took on Kyren Wilson.

■ Marc Marquez was lucky to escape serious injury during yesterday’s free practice as his Repsol Honda bike ploughed into the air fence.

The six-time MotoGP world champ was taken to hospital but given the all- clear and will start today’s race in Spain 14th.

Fabio Quar tararo beat Franco Morbidelli to pole.

■ Geraint Thomas missed out on a first victory since his 2018 Tour de France title when he slipped and crashed with less than 50 metres left in the fourth stage of the Tour de Romandie, finishing third.

■ Scott Jamieson enters the final round of the Tenerife Open five off the lead after a level-par 71 left him tied 15th on 12 under. Finn Kalle Samooja (66) and German Nicolai von Dellingshausen (70) lead by one.

■ Eve Muirhead’s Scotland team beat Germany 7- 6 to make it a hat-trick of roundrobin wins at the World Curling Championships in Calgary.

■ Aberdonian Zoey Clark will go for gold at the World Athletics Relays in Silesia today after GB&NI won their semi in the women’s 4x400 metres relay.

■ Ross Murdoch admits his Olympic dream may have been sunk if he had not taken the plunge in the likes of Loch Venachar when Covid shut the pool. The Scot bagged his Tokyo spot last week and said: “It wrecks your shoulders but it’s good conditioning and fun.”