Reuters Sports Schedule at 1430 GMT on Thursday, May 12

May 12 (Reuters) - Reuters sports schedule at 1430 GMT on Thursday (times GMT):



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GOLF

Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida - Phil Mickelson could finally grab top spot in the world rankings with a victory at the TPC Sawgrass but faces intense competition from Briton Luke Donald, German Martin Kaymer and old rival Tiger Woods. (GOLF-PGA/PLAYERS, expect first copy by 1800, pix, by Simon Evans, 450 words)

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European Tour: Iberdrola Open, Mallorca, Spain (to 15)

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TENNIS

ATP/WTA: Rome Masters/Italian Open (to 15)

ROME - Top seed Rafa Nadal eased past compatriot Feliciano Lopez to reach the quarter-finals while second seed Novak Djokovic plays Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka and third seed Roger Federer faces France's Richard Gasquet. (TENNIS-MEN/ROME, by Richard Allen, 350 words)

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SOCCER

NOVI SAD, Serbia - Holders England take on Netherlands and Denmark play Germany in the European Under-17 Championship semi-finals. (SOCCER-UNDER17/ pix, by Zoran Milosavljevic, expect by 1700, 250 words)

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South American Libertadores Cup quarter-finals, first leg

Velez Sarsfield (Argentina) v Libertad (Paraguay)

Chiapas (Mexico) v Cerro Porteno (Paraguay)

BUENOS AIRES - Paraguay, the only country with two teams in the last eight of the Libertadores Cup, have Libertad away to 1994 champions Velez Sarsfield of Argentina and Cerro Porteno visiting Chiapas in Mexico. (SOCCER-LATAM/LIBERTADORES, expect by 0130, pix, by Rex Gowar, 400 words)

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CYCLING

Giro d'Italia (to 29)

FIUGGI, Italy - Dutchman Pieter Weening leads heading into Thursday's sixth stage of the Giro d'Italia, a 216-km trek through the hills from Orvieto to Fiuggi. (CYCLING-GIRO/, expect by 1600, by Alasdair Fotheringham, 400 words)

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ATHLETICS

Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting, South Korea

Copy on merit

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CRICKET

West Indies v Pakistan, first test, Providence (to 16)

MIAMI - West Indies won the toss and elected to bat in the first test against Pakistan who have never won a test series in the West Indies. (CRICKET-PAKISTAN/, 400 words)

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NHL

SAN JOSE - The Detroit Red Wings can become only the fourth NHL team to win a best-of-seven series after trailing 3-0 with a win over the San Jose Sharks in a decisive seventh game that will send the winner to the Western Conference final. (NHL-PLAYOFFS/, expect by 0415, pix, 350 words)

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NBA

ATLANTA - The top-seeded Chicago Bulls can secure a spot in the NBAs Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1998 with a Game Six win over the Atlanta Hawks. (NBA-PLAYOFFS/, expect by 2230, pix, 350 words)

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BASEBALL

ATLANTA - Derek Lowe is seeking his third straight win when he takes the mound for the Atlanta Braves against the visiting Washington Nationals. (BASEBALL-BRAVES/, expect by 0300, 200 words)

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