But he was broken for a third time as Nadal stepped up a gear before wrapping up his passage to the final.

CNN: SHARE THIS

The returning soldiers spent much of their final seven-month deployment breaking down the camps and gear accumulated over nearly a decade, doing everything from guarding exit routes to discarding old printers.

WSJ: U.S. Troops Fly Home to Joy, Relief

Munster cranked it up for the final quarter, with O'Gara kicking his second penalty, but worryingly, with their Heineken Cup semi-final trip to San Sebastian looming next week, they were never able to hit top gear.

BBC: Munster 11-15 Ospreys

Maguire had been in fine form en route to the final but only potted two balls in the first two frames as O'Sullivan moved into gear with breaks of 54 and 66 in the opener.

BBC: CHOOSE A SPORT

Australia never needed top gear but Ponting praised Elton Chigumbura and Mluleki Nkala for a 114-run partnership which prevented the final game from being totally one-sided.

BBC: SPORT | Cricket | Taibu praises youngsters

But Hill must now gear his team up for their 35th straight season in the bottom tier of the Football League after a final in which his team struggled to cope at times with Stockport's superior passing and movement.

BBC: Stockport 3-2 Rochdale