LONDON: England international striker Alan Shearer has pledged his future to Newcastle United, dismissing reports that he could quit the Magpies if they have a poor season in the English premiership.

"I signed a five-year contract when I joined Newcastle and I'll be very surprised if i don't see it through," Shearer told Sunday's edition of The News Of The World.

Cuba triumph

ROME: Cuba won the World Baseball championships, taking the title for the sixth time in a row and the 22nd overall by beating South Korea 7-1 in the final here yesterday.

Cuba had crushed Nicaragua 14-2 in Saturdays semi-finals and duly wrapped up their 41st straight wins at the worlds going back to 1986.

Emotional farewell

SHEFFIELD: Britain's Roger Black bid farewell to athletics after 14 years of glittering success by finishing third in the 400 metres at the British Grand Prix yesterday.

The golden boy of middle-distance running had to bow to the youth of Mark Richardson andIwan Thomas in front of thousands of fans who had flocked to the Don Valley Stadium to pay their own tribute to Black.

It has been a difficult week for the Olympic silver medallist, who had decided to quit following the great Britain selectors decision not to pick him for the individual 400 metres in next months European Championships in Budapest.

Dutch team

REIMS: After the Tour de France ended in Paris, members of the Dutch team TVM were being questioned by police today about banned drugs found in their possession.

TVM team members had pulled out of the race on Friday, two days before the ending, saying they had neither the physical nor the mental strength to continue.

Six cyclists, along with other team staff members, were being questioned this morning in Reims, north of Paris. Already the team director, Cees Priem, and its doctor, Andrei Mikhailov, have been placed under formal investigation -- a step short of being formally charged -- on doping charges.