Dan Roan
BBC sports editor

"The immediate future of Britain's elite men and women's basketball teams has been secured thanks to emergency public funding.

"GB Basketball will receive £1.18m from Sport England after the government intervened to help the sport.

"The money will support the men's and women's senior and under-20 teams."

Ipswich Town keeper Bartosz Bialkowski believes his side boast the Championship's best strike partnership in Daryl Murphy and David McGoldrick.

The forwards have 15 goals between them this season, with Murphy scoring nine in his last 10 league games.

"Murphy and Dids up front I think are the best partnership in the league," Bialkowski told BBC Radio Suffolk. "When you look at them, they both have strength and power and are great finishers."

BBC West Yorkshire Sport tweet:, external Huddersfield manager Chris Powell says winger Sean Scannell will be fit for Fulham match after illness forced his substitution at Derby.

Image source, Marca

"The beam returns" declares Spanish newspaper Marca, external as Gareth Bale, the world's most expensive footballer, is expected to start for Real Madrid against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. But the paper adds that manager Carlo Ancelotti has asked the Welshman to copy team-mates Isco and James and work harder defensively.

Image source, @F13events

Eternal love in the Eternal city. West Ham striker Andy Carroll is engaged to TV star Billi Mucklow after proposing to The Only Way Is Essex star in Rome.

Mucklow, who has been dating the former Liverpool forward since last summer, wrote on her Instagram page: "Last Night The Love Of My Life Asked Me To Marry Him - I'm So Happy!"

And Carroll's manager Sam Allardyce approves of the romance, saying: "It can be very good for a footballer when they settle down off the field."

BBC Wales football correspondent Rob Phillips tweets:, external from Cardiff City's news conference: Russell Slade says Cardiff City will be looking to sell or loan Magnus Woolf Eikrem in January.

Elsewhere at the WGC-HSBC Championship in Shanghai, American Patrick Reed was in apologetic mood following his use of foul language near cameras on Thursday.

The 24-year-old lost his temper after three-putting on the 10th green.

"I made a stupid error," says Reed. "Never should have happened. All I can do is just learn from it and move on. I'm young and growing up, I had temper issues, on and off the golf course. I live and die through every shot."

Graeme McDowell extends his lead at the WGC-HSBC Championship in Dubai., external

Image source, Getty Images

The Northern Irishman shoots back-to-back 67s to sit on 10 under par, three shots clear of Ian Poulter, who tweeted: "That's the best golf I've played all year." American Bubba Watson is one further back.

McDowell, 35, said: "It wasn't my best ball-striking round but I hung in there and I'm right where I want to be going into the weekend."

Image source, Empics

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce wins the Manager of the Month award and the club can celebrate a double as Diafra Sakho wins the Player of the Month honour.

"I'm a bit surprised," says Sakho. "I'd like to thank everyone that helped me here. At the start it was a bit hard but now the most important part is helping the team do well."

The Hammers won all four of their fixtures in October.

Image source, The Independent

The face of Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini adorns the back pages of many papers this morning. The Independent, external says: "City manager faces the axe at end of season if team fails in the league and Europe."

We will hear from Pellergrini in his weekly news conference at 12:45 GMT.

This morning we are asking you to send us your favourite goal, win, image or whatever makes you smile about the FA Cup. Tweet us on #myfacupmoment.

Karl McIness:, external James Curtis scoring the second goal in a 2-0 win vs Blyth for Gateshead in the 1st round! Incredible scenes when it went in!

Alistair Smalley:, external No FA Cup moment gets much more special than Giggs solo effort vs Arsenal in the 1999 semi-final replay.

The FA Cup returns to the BBC when Warrington Town take on Exeter in the first round on BBC Two tonight.

Image source, Daily Telegraph

Scottish rugby steals the limelight in The Daily Telegraph, external as the paper splashes a picture of brothers Richie and Jonny Gray across its back page. The locks will start for Scotland together for the first time against Argentina at Murrayfield on Saturday.

BBC Wales football correspondent Rob Phillips is in place at Cardiff City. The Bluebirds took a 3-0 hammering at Bolton in midweek and manager Russell Slade said he was left "sickened" by the defeat. His words this morning should be interesting.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey came under fire from the club's former striker Charlie Nicholas after their 3-3 draw with Anderlecht and Arsene Wenger hardly seems full of praise this morning.

Nicholas said the midfielder had returned to a "Hollywood" style of play and Wenger says: "He has to keep his priorities right. He needs to help the team. It's not about goal scoring.

"A midfielder is a guy who defends well and makes the other players play well. When you score and have a disastrous game people say you play well but you have to keep your priorities right."

BBC Humberside Sport, external tweet from Steve Bruce's news conference: Hull defender Brian Lenihan has joined Blackpool on a month's loan.

Meanwhile over in Hull...

Image source, Tolu Adeoye

Steve Bruce reveals goalkeepers Allan McGregor and Steve Harper have resumed training and could be back in contention for Saturday's trip to Burnley.

Image source, Getty Images

Arsene Wenger admits Anderlecht's's three-goal comeback in Tuesday's Champions League draw at the Emirates was a "shock".

"We can learn a lot from what happened," says Wenger, 65. "Subconsciously we thought the game was over and it rarely is."

On criticism of his tactics on the night from TV pundits he adds: "That's the job of people who work on TV or in newspapers. They're just doing their job.

"We are very positive inside the camp. We are not affected by negativity. We are not happy when we don't win but that's it."

Image source, Arsenal

Good morning Arsene Wenger.

The Arsenal boss is in place for his weekly news conference and starts by saying Theo Walcott is in the squad for Sunday's trip to Swansea and that England can use the winger how they want when they face Slovenia despite his recent return from injury.

"He needs playing time. Roy Hodgson is free to do what he wants," says the Arsenal manager.

South Africa win the toss and elect to bat in their second T20 fixture with Australia, external in Melbourne.

South Africa won the first Test and reach 44 for the loss of two wickets after eight overs this morning.

Our lead story this morning focuses on England boss Roy Hodgson, who is not overly thrilled at the timing of NFL matches at Wembley in the coming months.

Sunday's meeting of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys comes six days before the Three Lions meet Slovenia at Wembley and there will be more NFL action there next year prior to England's final home Euro 2016 qualifier.

"I don't really think you could expect me to say 'excellent, delighted, well done'," says Hodgson. "If I was asked if it was a good thing or not, I would have to say not."