SPORTS DIGEST:SOCCER: Derry City's favourite son, Mark Farren, is expected to boost the Candystripes' challenge for Premier Division honours when he could make a remarkable return this July.

The 28-year-old has made a rapid recovery from life-saving brain surgery which took place in Liverpool last December and he has recently been given medical clearance to continue his career in the Airtricity League.

And with the Brandywell club currently placed in second spot in the Premier Division table having gained promotion from the First Division last season, the addition of the pacey and prolific hitman would, no doubt, boost Derrys chances of further success at the top level.

Hugely popular on Foyleside, the striker has now decided to focus his attentions on surpassing Liam Coyle’s all-time scoring record of 112 goals. Farren is five goals shy of that total – his last strike coming in the 1-0 victory over Monaghan last season, which confirmed Derry's return to the top flight.

Egan ready for action in Germany

BOXING:Kenny Egan will be looking to bounce back from Wednesday's round robin defeat when he meets Britain's London-born 2005 World Cadet champion Obed Mbwakongo in Germany tonight.

Ireland will take on Team GB over nine bouts in Schwedt Oder having being edged out by Germany in Cottbuss on Wednesday evening.

Ireland and Team GB are taking part in a training camp and Round Robin dust up with the Germans in Frankfurt Oder.

Haider wants to play with Pakistan

CRICKET:Wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider has made himself available to play for Pakistan again – five months after announcing his retirement.

Haider abandoned the Pakistan squad on the morning of the fifth one-day international against South Africa in November and went on to claim he had been the subject of death threats from a match-fixing ring. He duly set about claiming asylum in Britain, but cancelled that application and headed home late last month.

The 25-year-old, who scored 88 on his Test debut against England last summer, has now decided to reverse his decision to quit international cricket.

Federer fails to reach quarter-finals

TENNIS: Roger Federer failed to make the quarter-finals of a tournament for the first time in a year yesterday, while Rafa Nadal returned to form in the third round of the Rome Masters despite almost withdrawing with a fever.

Third-seed Federer took the first set 6-4 against Frances Richard Gasquet, but, in a match of clean-hitting strokes, lost the next two sets against the 16th seed on tiebreaks (7-2, 7-4).

World number four Andy Murray, Czech seventh seed Tomas Berdych, Croat Marin Cilic and German Florian Mayer all made it through to the last eight.

“I should never have lost this match,” said Federer, who was knocked out by Ernests Gulbis in the second round in Rome last year.

“He knows how close he came to losing. I had multiple chances, but I couldn’t make the difference.”

World number one Nadal reached the quarter-finals with a 6-4 6-2 defeat of fellow left-hander and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez.

“I had a fever last night and only decided at the last minute to go on court,” said Nadal, the champion in Rome for five of the last six years.

Sorensen forced to retire due to injury

TENNIS:The first Irish tennis player for several decades to have made it to the second round of a Grand Slam has been forced to retire from professional tennis due to injury, writes Johnny Watterson.

Louk Sorensen (26), who played his way into the second round of last year’s Australian Open in Melbourne, finally gave way to a succession of debilitating ailments that have dogged him since early 2010.

The son of Seán, who was also a professional tennis player and represented Ireland in Davis Cup in the 1980s, Louk was the first Irishman ever to make the second round of the Australian Major. Other players, notably Matt Doyle, had previously played in Wimbledon and the US Open.

The timing of Sorensen’s string of woes could hardly have been more disappointing. It was just after coming off his run in Melbourne that the first injury hit and that forced him out of Ireland’s 2010 Davis Cup match against Turkey in March.

His ranking around then was 213, but he had little chance to improve on it. The proven match player never then really got back into playing the professional circuit to the level he had been playing at before with a knee injury suffered some six weeks ago finally providing the tipping point for his career.

It is expected that Sorensen will continue to use his experience in the game and work at a tennis centre in his home town of Stuttgart, where the family have an involvement.