Reuters sports schedule at 0600 GMT on Friday:
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SOCCER
Beckham bows out on a high
MANCHESTER, England - England's best known footballer David Beckham announced his retirement on Thursday after a career laden with trophies and glamour that had a worldwide impact that went way beyond soccer. (SOCCER-ENGLAND/BECKHAM (PIX), moved, by Sonia Oxley, 1,100 words)
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Farewell to David Beckham, footballer
LONDON - Even as he announced his retirement at the age of 38, four years after his 115th and last cap, David Beckham probably scoured Roy Hodgson's latest England squad for his name, proudly and defiantly "available for selection" to the end. (SOCCER-BECKHAM/ (NEWSMAKER, PIX), moved, by Mitch Phillips, 1,000 words)
We also moved factbox and reaction stories.
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Real coach Mourinho previews King's Cup final
MADRID - Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho and Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone give news conferences ahead of the King's Cup final. (SOCCER-SPAIN/CUP (PIX, TV), expect by 1900 GMT /3 PM ET, by Mark Elkington, 500 words)
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Oceania Champions League final
Auckland City v Waitakere United (19)
WELLINGTON - The possible future of sports broadcasting will be further highlighted on Sunday when New Zealand's Auckland City and Waitakere United play the Oceania Champions League final, with the winner qualifying for the lucrative FIFA Club World Cup. (SOCCER-OCEANIA/CHAMPIONS (PREVIEW), moving at 0630 GMT/ 2:30 AM ET, by Greg Stutchbury, 450 words)
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NBA
Knicks stave off elimination with win over Pacers
NEW YORK- The New York Knicks avoided elimination by beating the Pacers 85-75 on Thursday to send their NBA Eastern Conference semi-final series back to Indiana for Game Six. (NBA-PLAYOFFS/KNICKS (PIX), moved, by Larry Fine, 400 words)
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Spurs oust Warriors from playoffs
The San Antonio Spurs advanced to the Western Conference finals after closing out the Golden State Warriors 94-82 in Game Six of their semi-final series. (NBA-PLAYOFFS/WARRIORS (PIX), moved, 200 words)
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NHL
Bruins get Game One win over Rangers in East semi-final
Brad Marchand scored in overtime to give Boston a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers in Game One of their Eastern Conference semi-final series. (NHL-PLAYOFFS/BRUINS (PIX), moved, 300 words)
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Kings increase series lead over visiting Sharks
LOS ANGELES - Stanley Cup champions Los Angeles fought back from a goal down with less than two minutes to play to stun the San Jose Sharks 4-3 in a frenzied finish to Game Two of their Western Conference semi-finals series. (NHL-PLAYOFFS/KINGS (PIX), moved, by Mark Lamport-Stokes, 400 words)
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TENNIS
ATP/WTA: Italian Open, Rome (to 19)
Djokovic, Nadal in quarter-final action
ROME - World number one Novak Djokovic takes on Tomas Berdych and Rafa Nadal plays compatriot David Ferrer in the quarter-finals. In the women's draw, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are also in action. (TENNIS-ROME/, expect by 1900 GMT/3 PM ET, 350 words)
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CRICKET
England v New Zealand first test at Lord's (to 20)
New Zealand look to turn the screw
LONDON - England resume on 160 for four on the second day after the New Zealand fast bowlers dominated an absorbing first day in tough conditions at the home of cricket. (CRICKET-ZEALAND/ (PIX), expect by 1230 GMT/730 AM ET, by Ed Osmond, 600 words)
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CYCLING
GIRO D'ITALIA
Nibali hopes to maintain lead in Italy
The 2013 Giro d'Italia's stage 13 from Busseto to Cherasco on Friday is 254 kilometres, the longest of the race, and almost completely flat. Italy's Vincenzo Nibali is the overall leader. (CYCLING-GIRO/, expect by 1700 GMT/1PM ET, by Alasdair Fotheringham, 350 words)
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HORSE RACING
Orb looks to take the next step in Triple Crown pursuit
BALTIMORE - Orb, the Kentucky Derby champion trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey and ridden by red-hot jockey Joel Rosario, looks to maintain his Triple Crown pursuit in Saturday's $1-million Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. (HORSE RACING/PREAKNESS (PREVIEW, PIX), expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Steve Ginsburg, 500 words)
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RUGBY
Super Rugby (round 14)
Wellington Hurricanes v Waikato Chiefs (0735)
Melbourne Rebels v Stormers (0940)
Western Force v Sharks (1140)
Pressure ratchets up in New Zealand conference
WELLINGTON - The New Zealand Super Rugby conference has the potential to be condensed even further this weekend as all four teams still in contention for the playoffs meet each other, starting with the Hurricanes facing the champion Waikato Chiefs in Wellington. (RUGBY-SUPER/HURRICANES, expect by 1000 GMT/6 AM ET, by Greg Stutchbury, 350 words)
We will also move separate match reports on other games. (Asia duty editor: Peter Rutherford)
