newcastle eagles have won the british basketball cup, beating their arch—rivals the glasgow rocks. eagles, who are the defending champions, were 15 points up at half time, and held on to their advantage in the last two quarters. 91 points to 83 the final score. so newcastle become the first side to win the bbl cup three years in a row. earlier the manchester mystics won the inaugural women's bbl cup, with a 71—60 victory against nottingham wildcats. that is all from sportsday. coming next, meet the author. how much do we still live in tune with the rhythm of the seasons, and why does that matter? in his much admired novels, tim pears has consistently worked to explore our relationship with the land, the old habits, an inherited feeling for how nature works, and maybe to try to rediscover an understanding that could be slipping away. it's one of the themes of his new book, the horseman. set in the west country before the first world war, telling the story of an unlikely and almost forbidden relationship, and the coming loss of innocence. welcome. one of the most powerful elements of