The funeral of a decorated former soldier spared from the firing squad by a Nazi field marshal in World War Two has taken place.

Roy Wooldridge, 97, of Hendy, Carmarthenshire, was captured in France while on a secret mission just before D-Day in 1944.
He was taken to Erwin Rommel who decided he should not be shot.
Mr Wooldridge, who was twice awarded the Military Cross, later lived in Cardiff, where his funeral was held.
The Royal Engineer previously recounted his memories of war on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow in 2014.
He recalled how Rommel asked if he needed anything and he replied "a pint of beer, cigarettes and a good meal".
His collection of war memorabilia, including the empty cigarette packet given to him by Rommel, was valued at Â£10,000 by experts but he did not want to sell it and it will now be donated to the Imperial War Museum in London.
Mr Wooldridge went to Llanelli Grammar School and graduated from Aberystwyth University with a first class honours degree in mathematics.
He married three days before a telegram ordered him to report to his unit and he was sent to the French beaches to ensure there were no mines which could blow up the boats during the D-Day landings.
After the war, he lectured at colleges in Brighton, Wolverhampton and Lanchester in Coventry before becoming college principal in Derby.
Mr Wooldridge did not talk about his experiences of war until much later on in his life.
"He had a good war, not that we heard much about it when we were growing up," his son Ian Wooldridge said.
"He didn't talk about it a great deal, many of the people who came back didn't, but certainly he was regarded as a hero. The Military Cross and bar bear testimony to that."
"He always regarded Rommel as a man of honour who fought a clean war, despite the fact Hitler had ordered anybody captured without names tags, which our father was, was to be shot," he added.
"Rommel didn't agree with that and so dad always reckoned that it was Rommel who saved his life."
Mr Wooldridge died on 9 December. A procession with a New Orleans-style jazz band was held on Thursday ahead of his funeral at St Martin's Church in Roath.


A non-league manager banned for betting staked more than £2,200 on his team to lose a specific game, the Football Association has revealed.

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Nick Bunyard was given a three-year ban and fined £3,000 on 9 November, after placing 45 bets against his own teams.
In releasing their written reasons for the ban, the FA said that Bunyard made a £1,436 profit when his Frome Town side lost at Weymouth on 2 April 2016.
The FA commission accepted Bunyard was not involved in match-fixing.
In total, Bunyard breached regulations with 97 bets, staking a total of £6,888.24 at an average of £71 per bet, producing a net profit of £2,612.74.
Of the 73 bets he placed on matches involving either Frome Town or former club Paulton Rovers, he made a net profit of £1,924.29.
Relating to the 2-0 loss to Weymouth, Bunyard placed 19 bets on the match, using four different markets, with four different betting operators.
The bets he placed on Frome to lose - totalling £2,201 - included a specific market that they would do so by more than 1.5 goals - and Weymouth's second goal was scored in the 89th minute.
However, the FA stressed that is was "not their case that Bunyard was involved in 'fixing' or influencing the outcome of any of the matches in which he placed bets on his own team to lose [or to win]".
An outfield player played in goal for Frome in the match at Weymouth because they had four registered goalkeepers unavailable, the FA statement revealed.
Frome, who play in England's seventh tier, have said that Bunyard's three-year ban was "excessive" in comparison to more high-profile cases.
FA rules prohibit "all those involved in the game" from betting on football "that takes place anywhere in the world".
The defence Bunyard put to the commission stated that the bets against his teams had "not been done as a calculated way to profit, but were based on unavoidable facts about injured, suspended or unavailable players" and were attempts to "soften the blow" if they lost.
He told BBC Somerset that betting "is part of the culture of football," and, since the ban, he has announced his retirement from the game.


Through nostalgic black-and-white tones of long-hidden film reels, parts of Northern Ireland's forgotten history are being revealed for the first time.

From Winston Churchill's infamous visit to Belfast in 1912 to a 1963 Viking invasion re-enactment in a County Down fishing town, as well as tales of tourism, industrial heritage and sport, a dazzling mosaic of Ulster life is pieced together in unseen archive footage.
Hundreds of unique films have been released to the public to view online for free after the British Film Institute (BFI) unlocked its archive as part of a major history project, From Britain On Film.
Royal visits and Lord Mayor's shows are documented in the collection, as is the tale of Churchill's appearance in Belfast when he addressed an audience of nationalists in Celtic Park and gave his support to Home Rule.
There are also dozens of travelogues that were used to sell Northern Ireland to tourists in Great Britain and the United States, helping to boost tourism in the years before the Troubles.
And in sport, the 1930 Ulster Tourist Trophy race held at the Ards circuit in County Down is captured on camera. The event attracted thousands of spectators and commanded the attention of the motorsport world.
The real gems, however, are found in the footage of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Films of people at work in the spinning mills and constructing the M1 at Stockman's Lane in Belfast shows Northern Ireland's industry at its booming best.
Another film captures the first time Northern Ireland hosted the World Ploughing Championships, and fittingly it is a local man who takes the title.
The colour footage from the 1959 competition in Armoy, County Antrim, shows Lawrence McMillan's crowning moment as he gets his hands on the Golden Plough.
But perhaps most revealing of all is a 1938 recording of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
It gives a rare glimpse into the casualty department and operating theatres as they were then, 10 years before the foundation of the National Health Service.
While medicine has advanced considerably in the eight decades since then, some aspects of healthcare in Northern Ireland appear to remain unchanged - the film ends with an appeal from the chairman of the hospital's management board to reduce waiting lists.
Francis Jones, of Northern Ireland Screen, which gathered much of the footage, said the aim of the project was to preserve delicate film that could otherwise be lost.
"There is a pure nostalgia value to film. It's different to reading a textbook or history book," he added.
"To actually see the film has that kind of visceral appeal and really strikes a chord with people."
The full From Britain On Film archive can be viewed at the BFI Player.


An 18-year-old man has died after being injured in a two-car road crash on the Lisburn Road in Saintfield, County Down on Wednesday.

The crash happened at about 17:35 GMT.
A woman was also injured in the crash, but her injuries are not believed to be life threatening.
Police have appealed for anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward.


Shrewsbury cruised into the FA Cup second round with a home victory over Barnet.

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First-half goals from Mat Sadler and Ajay Leitch-Smith set the Shrews on their way before Jack Grimmer added a third after half-time.
Barnet carried an early threat from set-pieces, and central defender Bira Dembele twice went close in quick succession, forcing a save from goalkeeper Jayson Leutwiler at his near post before heading another Curtis Weston corner just wide.
Shrewsbury took the lead in the 27th minute when defender Sadler reacted quickest to turn in the rebound after Jim O'Brien's 20-yard free-kick came back off the crossbar.
The League One side doubled their advantage five minutes later as Leitch-Smith headed in a left-wing cross from strike partner Ivan Toney.
Leitch-Smith was then denied by a sharp save low to his left from goalkeeper Jamie Stephens, but Grimmer made the game safe.
Shrewsbury boss Paul Hurst: "A clean sheet is something we've not had and a win at home - and just a win generally.
"I thought they started off a little nervous in truth, but particularly when we went 2-0 up I thought suddenly you saw a different set of players, or some of them certainly, and looked a threat."
"When you're a team that hasn't won for so long, I think we have to be very pleased.
"We're not getting carried away but enjoy today and hopefully we'll have more of those feelings as we move forward."
Barnet manager Martin Allen: "We started very well and had several good chances to take the lead but they didn't get converted and then on their first attack they score, so that was particularly disappointing.
"It looked like every time they went forward they did score, whereas we dominated the game without keeping too much possession.
"The game was played more often than not in their half but we weren't able to convert chances.
"I thought the players had a good committed performance but we certainly were lacking in the final third."
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Shrewsbury Town 3, Barnet 0.
Second Half ends, Shrewsbury Town 3, Barnet 0.
Foul by Jim O'Brien (Shrewsbury Town).
Luke Gambin (Barnet) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Junior Brown (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Justin Amaluzor (Barnet).
Attempt missed. Shaun Whalley (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Ryan Watson (Barnet) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right.
Jack Grimmer (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Luke Gambin (Barnet).
Attempt missed. Shaun Whalley (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Michael Nelson (Barnet) header from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the right.
Corner,  Barnet. Conceded by Mat Sadler.
Attempt saved. Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. George Waring replaces Ivan Toney.
Attempt missed. Luke Gambin (Barnet) right footed shot from the centre of the box is just a bit too high.
Foul by Abu Ogogo (Shrewsbury Town).
Mauro Vilhete (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution, Shrewsbury Town. Shaun Whalley replaces Louis Dodds.
Foul by Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town).
Bondz N'Gala (Barnet) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Bira Dembélé (Barnet).
Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Sam Muggleton (Barnet).
Corner,  Barnet. Conceded by Junior Brown.
Jim O'Brien (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Justin Amaluzor (Barnet).
Bira Dembélé (Barnet) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Jim O'Brien (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bira Dembélé (Barnet).
Louis Dodds (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Bira Dembélé (Barnet).
Attempt missed. A-Jay Leitch-Smith (Shrewsbury Town) right footed shot from the right side of the box is close, but misses to the left.
Attempt missed. Bira Dembélé (Barnet) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
Ivan Toney (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Bondz N'Gala (Barnet).
Abu Ogogo (Shrewsbury Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Bira Dembélé (Barnet).
Corner,  Barnet. Conceded by Adam El-Abd.


Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said it was crucial for the political parties to work together.

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1 September 2015 Last updated at 13:06 BST
She was speaking ahead of a meeting with the Irish foreign affairs and justice minsters in Dublin.


Violence has marred yet another clash between long-standing Argentine rivals Gimnasia and Estudiantes, this time involving a club director and player.

Sergio Boscariol and defender Lucas Manuel Leiva have been suspended from football after they were involved in a fight inside Gimnasia's VIP box after Sunday's top-flight game.
The bans were given by the government of the Buenos Aires province.
The Argentine FA suspended 15 players after a brawl in January's friendly.
Gimnasia are seventh in Zone A of the first division with 10 points from seven matches and Estudiantes are third in Zone B with 13 points.
The winners of the two zones meet in the final in May.
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Alun Cairns will make his first official visit as Welsh secretary on Tuesday.

Mr Cairns replaced Stephen Crabb as secretary of state for Wales earlier this month.
On a visit to Swansea he will speak in support of the drive to secure a second city deal bid for Wales after Cardiff Capital Region secured Â£1.2bn.
He will say the UK government recognises the potential the Swansea Bay city region has.
City deals are a way of different levels of government financing big infrastructure projects and regeneration over long periods of time.
Speaking ahead of the visit, Mr Cairns said: "We are looking forward to seeing the discussions unfold and build towards creating a deal which could transform the fortunes of the entire south west Wales region."


President: Emomali Sharipovich Rakhmon (Rakhmonov)

Emomali Rakhmon, a former cotton farm boss, was elected chairman of the Supreme Council of Tajikistan in 1992 after the country's first post-Soviet leader, Rahmon Nabiyev, was forced to resign.
He was elected president in 1994 and re-elected in 1999 when his term was extended to seven years.
In 2006 he won a third term in office in an election which international observers said was neither free nor fair. Opposition parties boycotted the vote, dismissing it as a Soviet-style staged attempt at democracy.
In 2013 he gained a further seven-year term in elections. The only serious opposition candidate was prevented from running by the electoral commission which said she had not collected enough signatures to become a candidate.
Mr Rakhmon was instrumental in the pro-Communist effort to remove Islamist rebels from Dushanbe in the early 1990s. He led troops from southern Kulob District and supported the intervention of forces from other former Soviet republics. After years of civil war and violence, some stability returned to Tajikistan.
The president has a firm grip on power. His People's Democratic Party holds virtually all seats in parliament. Western observers said legislative elections in 2005 and 2010 failed to meet international standards.
Mr Rakhmon does retain substantial public support. Tajikistan is still very poor, but many people are thankful they no longer have to face the civil war of the 1990s which killed tens of thousands and caused more than 10% of the population to flee the country.
Mr Rakhmon was born in 1952. His surname was Rakhmonov until 2007 when he ordered his countrymen to drop Russian-style surnames, in a break with the nation's Soviet past. He removed the Russian suffix "-ov" from his surname.


Craig Levein and Robbie Neilson are the new management team at Hearts, with Gary Locke, his backroom staff and three senior players exiting the club.

Former Scotland head coach Levein will be director of football, with former Hearts defender Neilson head coach.
It follows morning meetings held at Tynecastle by new owner Ann Budge that Levein and Neilson also attended.
Goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald and midfielders Ryan Stevenson and Jamie Hamill have all left the club.
Locke and his assistant, Billy Brown, left Hearts' ground without making comment, while goalkeeping coach Alan Combe is also surplus to requirements.
Hearts, who started the season with a 15-point deduction for entering administration, were relegated from the Scottish Premiership.
Levein, who played for Hearts for 14 years and managed them between 2000 and 2004, will have overall control of football matters at Tynecastle.
Neilson, who became player-coach at League One club East Fife in September but has been helping with Hearts youths, played under Levein during a 10-year stint at Tynecastle before spells with Leicester City, Brentford, Dundee United and Falkirk.
It will not become clear until Hearts hold a media conference on Tuesday which of the two men will have final responsibility for picking the team on match days.
In a statement released on the Hearts website, Budge said she knew it may be an "unpopular decision" with some fans not to offer Locke an extension to his contract, which expires this summer.
"Please believe me when I say this has been an enormously difficult decision to make," she said.
"We all know the pressures that Gary and his assistant, Billy Brown, have worked under over the last year.
"They were set an almost impossible task, which they handled with dignity and determination. For that, we are all hugely grateful to both of them."
Budge said that they felt they needed someone of Levein's experience to develop a long-term strategy.
"Craig Levein will join the club with immediate effect and will assume total responsibility for everything to do with the playing side of the business," she said.
"He will be responsible for putting in place an end-to-end strategy for how we are going to implement a youth-driven playing policy within the club.
"These decisions have been driven by everything that has been said about needing a long-term strategy, built over a three-to-five-year planning horizon.
"For those reasons, the new board believes that we need to bring in someone with Craig's experience to guide that vision."
John Murray will return to his former role as chief scout and will assist in running the club's academy, but Budge said that Hearts would be looking for someone to run the youth set-up.
"With such a strong director of football on board, we feel we have to spend our limited resources on strengthening and building the coaching side of the business, rather than having a first-team manager," she explained.
"Robbie Neilson will take over as head coach for the first team and we will bring in a strong support team to work with Robbie in terms of an assistant coach and under-20s coach.
"Over the next few days, a number of other changes will be announced as we start the process of rebuilding our great club."
The three experienced players were a result of Hearts' decision to concentrate on developing their young talent.
"We will have to say good-bye to a number of the fans' current favourites; we will do our best to secure all our excellent young players; and we will welcome a group of new players, who will help us achieve our vision," added Budge.
"A number of the decisions we make over the next few days and weeks will be driven by finance.
"We have to ensure we live within our means. All of the decisions have been taken with a view to ensuring the future stability of our club."


American adults without a college education saw their overall financial circumstances decline last year for the first time in three years.

The finding was one of the takeaways from a US central bank survey of more than 6,640 adults published on Friday.
In total, the number of respondents with no more than a high-school diploma who said they were "living comfortably" or "doing okay" fell to 60% from 61%.
Overall, the annual survey showed US economic health improving.
Some 70% of respondents said they were either "living comfortably" or "doing okay," up from 69% the year before, and 62% in 2013 when the Federal Reserve started the survey.
But there were continuing signs of instability, with over a third of US households (35%) saying they could not cover their monthly bills or an unexpected $400 (Â£307) expense, according to the survey.
The survey also suggested that disparities between households with different education levels was growing.
Gap between rich and poor 'keeps growing'
Enriching the rich in the US - but what about the rest?
"A clear pattern over the past two years across these measures is that the improvements have been most pronounced among those with greater levels of education," researchers wrote in the report.
Nearly 100 million Americans have no education beyond high school, according to US government estimates. (The estimate excludes members of the military and people in institutional facilities such as prison.)
That fact is tied to wide differences, the survey found.
About 46% of adults with at least a college degree reported family incomes of $100,000 or more, compared to just 9% of respondents with a high school degree or less.
Adults with at least a college degree were more likely to report earning money from online activities - such as renting out properties using a website - and more likely to have a steady stream of income from month-to-month.
They were also more likely to say they received a raise in the last year, and more likely to say it exceeded the growth in their expenses.
"The thing is that earnings are so highly correlated with education and employment," said Sandy Baum, a senior fellow at the Urban Institute, a Washington think tank. "It's hard to imagine how a sense of financial wellbeing would not be correlated with education."
Jobs in sectors that once supplied well-paid work for school leavers,  such as manufacturing, have fallen. At the same time, the overall labour market has become more unstable as employers cut back on benefits and pay rises.
The share of Americans in the workforce is also shrinking - particularly among those with lower levels of education, said Valerie Wilson, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute.
"The workers we would expect to have the strongest labour attachments have actually been becoming less attached," she said.
Among survey respondents who did not attend college, nearly 40% said it was too expensive or that they needed to earn money. Their status was also closely tied to whether their parents had attended college.
But Ms Baum said simply getting everyone to go to college is not the solution.
"There could be more work done to equalise things at the level of higher education but the problem is never going to be solved just at the college level," she said.


The Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (BCPFT) is being investigated by a health regulator due to concerns over its finances.

On 30 June, the trust reported a year to-date deficit of Â£738,000 compared to a planned shortfall of Â£125,000.
Monitor said the trust's "finances will continue to deteriorate" and is yet to decide on whether further regulatory action is needed.
The BCPFT said its finances were its "biggest challenge".
Karen Dowman, chief executive of the trust, said: "We have already started a programme of activity to identify cost-savings and improve our financial sustainability, and to put in place safeguarding checks to ensure efficiencies do not compromise care."
Marianne Loynes, regional director at Monitor, said: "No decision has been taken about whether further regulatory action is required and an announcement about the outcome of the investigation will be made in due course."
The trust provides mental health, learning disability and community healthcare services across Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton.


Formula 1 drivers have demanded change at the top of the sport, saying its decision-making process is "obsolete and ill-structured".

Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) directors Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Alex Wurz have written a letter on behalf of the drivers.
It urges the owners and stakeholders of F1 to" restructure its governance".
Many issues can be traced back to F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, but the letter does not mention the 85-year-old.
It claims that some recent decisions are "disruptive", avoid "the bigger issues" and "could jeopardise F1's success".
Writing the letter is an extraordinary step by the drivers, which reflects the strength of their feelings on the matter.
The GPDA has been careful not to single out specific issues but collating recent remarks by many drivers and Wurz - and developments over the winter - it seems likely they are referring to a number of issues.
These are:
"It is fundamental that the sport's leaders make smart and well-considered adjustments," it reads.
"We feel that some recent rule changes - on both the sporting and technical side, and including some business decisions - are disruptive, do not address the bigger issues our sport is facing and in some cases could jeopardise its future success.
"The drivers have come to the conclusion that the decision-making process in the sport is obsolete and ill-structured and prevents progress being made. Indeed, it can sometimes lead to just the opposite - gridlock.
"This reflects negatively on our sport, prevents it being fit for the next generation of fans and compromises further global growth."
The drivers add: "The future direction and decisions of F1, be they short- or long-term, sporting, technical or business-oriented, should be based on a clear masterplan that should reflect the core principles and core value of F1.
"We need to ensure that F1 remains a sport, a closely fought competition between the best drivers in extraordinary machines on the coolest race tracks.
"F1 should be home only to the best teams, drivers and circuits, with partners and suppliers fit for such an elite championship."
Wurz, a former F1 driver, told BBC Sport the GPDA "operates by majority vote" and added: "In this case, it was an extremely clear vote regarding the desire to express our opinion."
He emphasised the letter is "not a knee-jerk reaction" to the fiasco over the change of qualifying rules for the first race of the season.
"This statement was well-considered and planned between all drivers for quite a while now and discussed again in Melbourne," Wurz said.
The GPDA is careful to make the letter sound as reasoned and unconfrontational as possible.
It emphasises the drivers "seek competition and love our sport almost unconditionally, which makes us most probably the people with the purest interest for F1, beside our fans".
It says the drivers recognise the sport's leaders "act with the very best intentions" and emphasises the letter "should not be seen as a blind and disrespectful attack".
Wurz said that The business model and the way F1 is run "needs to be addressed and redefined, followed by a clear road map or masterplan".
He added: "We are not convinced that individual updates to sporting or technical rules are the solution a) to stop F1 losing viewers and fans; and b) to initiate global growth.
"The desired outcome to the drivers' statement would be to achieve points a) and b).
"Personally, I believe the answer to F1's global growth is mainly based around its business model.
"Over many decades the business and sport have grown amazingly, but things change and we are most definitely witnessing a sudden and fast-changing landscape of media and consumer behaviour, to which we should adjust in carefully considered steps."


Plans for a multimillion-pound out of town shopping centre on the edge of St Austell have been refused by councillors in Cornwall.

Mercian Developments Ltd wanted to redevelop a 100-acre site at Coyte Farm, near St Austell.
Protesters against and supporters of the proposals gathered ahead of the meeting discussing it.
Critics say it will damage town centre businesses while supporters say it will boost the economy.
The development had been recommended for approval.
The final vote stood at 10 for and 10 against, with the final casting vote going to the chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, Cllr Rob Nolan.
Steve Double, the mayor of St Austell said: "I think there will be a huge number of very disappointed people in St Austell.
"I feel this is a huge opportunity for our town. So close."
Mr Nolan said: "I think the high street is having a hard enough time and we need to do what we can to support it.
"This development was going to compete directly with the town centre."
Mercian Developments had Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's and Next lined up as potential tenants, along with a petrol station and golf academy.
The company also previously promised to support the town centre with subsidised parking.
The proposals had been narrowly turned down by St Austell town councillors in December.
Earlier Steve Hurst, a member of the St Austell Chamber of Commerce, said that, if approved, it was "going to be Coyte Farm or St Austell. They're not compatible."
St Mewan school said it had written to Cornwall Council, complaining it was not consulted about the plan.
Simon Hoare, from Mercian Developments and Metric Properties described the decision as "very sad".
He said: "I think we go into a situation where we had a very close vote.
"We've spent a lot of time and money. I think the idea we just walk away from Coyte Farm would be an eccentric one."


Chemical weapons attacks have killed hundreds on the outskirts of Damascus, Syrian opposition activists say.

Rockets with toxic agents were launched at the suburbs of the Ghouta region early on Wednesday as part of a major bombardment on rebel forces, they say.
The Syrian army says the accusations have been fabricated to cover up rebel losses.
The main opposition alliance said that more than 1,000 people were killed by the attacks.
The United Nations Security Council said it was necessary to clarify what happened in the alleged attack, but stopped short of demanding an investigation by a UN team currently in Damascus, following an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening.
"There is a strong concern among council members about the allegations and a general sense that there must be clarity on what happened and the situation must be followed closely," Argentina's UN Ambassador Maria Cristina Perceval told reporters after a closed-door meeting.
Meanwhile, the US, UK and France are among some 35 member states that have signed a letter calling for the UN inspectors that are already investigating three sites of alleged chemical weapons use in Syria to probe the latest incident as soon as possible.
Activist networks reported death tolls from the incident in the hundreds, but these could not be independently confirmed.
It is also not clear how many died in the bombardment of the sites and how many deaths were due to any exposure to toxic substances.
By Frank GardnerBBC security correspondent
Two things stand out immediately in this reported Syrian attack.
Firstly, the timing is odd, bordering on suspicious. Why would the Assad government, which has recently been retaking ground from the rebels, carry out a chemical attack while UN weapons inspectors are in the country?
But secondly, the scale of the apparent casualties is far worse than any of the previous alleged chemical attacks. Experts say it would be almost impossible to fake so many dead and injured, including children and babies. They bear no visible wounds from gunshots; instead, many display the classic symptoms of a nerve agent attack, with startled, frozen expressions that experts say are reminiscent of Saddam Hussein's 1988 attack on the Kurds at Halabja.
Last year a senior Syrian defector, Nawaf Fares, told me in Qatar that the Assad government would not hesitate to use chemical weapons if it wanted to. However, today it denies any guilt and instead says this is a media campaign by its enemies.
Video footage showed dozens of bodies with no visible signs of injuries, including small children, laid out on the floor of a clinic.
Ghazwan Bwidany, a doctor treating the injured, told the BBC the main symptom, especially among children, was suffocation, as well as salivating and blurred vision.
"We don't have the capability to treat all this number of people," he said.
"We're putting them in mosques, in schools. We are lacking medical supplies now, especially atropine, which is the antidote for chemical weapons."
In a statement, the army described the accusations of chemical weapons use as grave, and stressed the military's right to fight what it described as terrorism in Syria.
It accused the opposition of fabricating the accusations to divert attention from the huge losses its forces had suffered recently.
United Nations chemical weapons inspectors arrived in Syria on Sunday with a mandate to investigate three locations where chemical weapons were allegedly used, including the northern town of Khan al-Assal, where some 26 people were killed in March.
Earlier, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement: "The United States is deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of Syrian civilians have been killed in an attack by Syrian government forces, including by the use of chemical weapons, near Damascus earlier today.
"We are formally requesting that the United Nations urgently investigate this new allegation. The UN investigative team, which is currently in Syria, is prepared to do so, and that is consistent with its purpose and mandate."
The alleged attack comes a year after US President Barack Obama warned the Syrian government that using chemical weapons would cross a "red line".
UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said that if confirmed the attacks would mark a "shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria".
The Arab League and European Union have echoed the call for the inspectors to go to the site.
"The EU reiterates that any use of chemical weapons, by any side in Syria, would be totally unacceptable," said a spokesperson for EU foreign affairs head Catherine Ashton.
But the Russian foreign ministry noted that the reports had emerged just as the UN chemical weapons inspection team had arrived in Syria, saying that "this makes us think that we are once again dealing with a premeditated provocation".
The attack took place as part of a heavy government bombardment of the region surrounding Damascus, where government forces have been trying to drive out rebel forces.
Casualties were reported in the areas of Irbin, Duma and Muadhamiya among others, activists said.
Footage uploaded to YouTube from the scene by activists shows many people being treated in makeshift hospitals.
The videos show victims, including many children, having convulsions. Others are apparently immobile and have difficulty breathing.
The number of casualties is much higher than in previous allegations of chemical weapons attacks.
Syria chemical weapons allegations
Syria's chemical weapons stockpile
How to investigate chemical weapons allegations
The official Syrian Sana news agency said the reports of the attack were "baseless", quoting a "media source".
The reports were "an attempt to divert the UN chemical weapons investigation commission away from carrying out its duties", Sana said.
The BBC's Middle East Editor Jeremy Bowen says many will ask why the government would want to use such weapons at a time when inspectors are in the country and the military has been doing well militarily in the area around Damascus.
Some will suspect that the footage has been fabricated, but the videos that have been emerged would be difficult to fake, he adds.
Prof Alexander Kekule, of the Institute for Medical Microbiology at Halle University in Germany, told the BBC that one of the videos - although of poor quality - was consistent with the aftermath of an attack with a chemical agent.
But he added that none of the patients showed typical signs of sarin or other organophosphorous nerve agents, or signs of blistering agents.
"It also cannot be totally excluded that the whole video is a political staging. In this case, however, it would be a very good one," he said.
"Taken together, the best guess is that this is an authentic video of the aftermath of an attack with some incapacitating chemical agent."
Both the rebels and government forces have accused each other of using chemical weapons during the conflict.
It has not been possible to independently verify the claims.
In July 2012, the Syrian government implicitly admitted what had long been suspected - that Syria had stocks of chemical weapons.
Experts believe the country has large undeclared stockpiles of mustard gas and sarin nerve agent.
Damascus said the weapons, stored and secured by the armed forces, would never be used "inside Syria", but could be used against an external attack.


Former Spice Girl Emma Bunton has denied the group have agreed to reunite for a tour next year.

The Sun reported four of the five band members would be getting back together in 2016 - without Victoria Beckham - for an international tour.
But on her radio show, Bunton insisted "nothing's happening at the moment".
Journalist Dan Wootton, who broke the story, later tweeted "no official announcement will come until later this year".
Geri Halliwell, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm and Bunton were reported to be planning a reunion tour, 20 years after their first hit Wannabe in 1996.
"If anything happens and it's concrete, and we decide on something, I will let you know," Bunton said on Heart FM on Friday morning.
Mel C tweeted: "Woke up this morning wondering whether I need to start practising my backflips???!!!"
To which Bunton replied: "Do I need to put my pigtails in?!?!?"
Last week, Mel B told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that "it's about time" for the group to get back together.
She followed up her comments on US TV's Today Show on Tuesday: "When you say it's our 20th anniversary coming up, it does make you think, 'Oh, my gosh, it really has been that long'." she said.
"Hopefully, we'll gather the troops around, and we'll get to do something to celebrate it next year. It's in my plan, I don't know about anybody else's."
The Spice Girls - dubbed Ginger, Posh, Baby, Scary and Sporty - sold more than 75 million records and had nine number one singles, becoming a cultural phenomenon when they emerged on to the pop scene in the 1990s.
Their debut album, Spice, made them the fastest-selling British act since the Beatles.
Halliwell left the group in 1998, amid rumours of a division among the five women. The remaining four continued to perform, but the group eventually split in 2001.
After much speculation they reformed for a 47-date tour in 2007. They performed together again at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.
All five embarked on solo careers with mixed results, and have forged careers in TV and radio.
Mel B, a former UK X Factor judge, is currently a judge on America's Got Talent, while Bunton co-hosts Heart London's daily breakfast show with Jamie Theakston.


A multi-screen cinema and restaurant complex could be built in a Pembrokeshire town.

A planning application has been lodged with Pembrokeshire council for the development to be built on land at Slade Lane in Haverfordwest.
The site was previously earmarked for a Sainsbury's superstore, but the supermarket pulled out last year, saying it was "no longer viable".
Developers Conygar has proposed a five-screen cinema and five restaurants.
The site would also include a 168-space car park, with access off the new roundabout on Thomas Parry Way.


Nigeria's army says 800 militants from the Islamist Boko Haram group who have surrendered and shown remorse will be rehabilitated into society.

They would be profiled, documented and offered training in new skills at several camps currently being set up, the army spokesman told the BBC.
Until now militants who surrender have been held in jail awaiting trial.
The army has been criticised in the past for its treatment of Boko Haram insurgents and suspects.
Last June, Amnesty International said that 7,000 young men and boys had died in military detention in Nigeria since 2011.
The BBC's Abdullahi Kaura Abubakar in the capital, Abuja, says the programme, known as Operation Safe Corridor, hopes to persuade others who are yet to renounce their membership of the jihadi group to do so.
It is also an attempt by the army to show that human rights will be respected in future - a key promise made by President Muhammadu Buhari when he came to power last year.
The seven-year insurgency in north-eastern Nigeria has killed some 17,000 people and forced more than 2.6 million from their homes.
Army spokesman Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar said there would be two or three camps by the military - the locations of which would be made public when they were officially launched in the next few months.
"They will be very big and all facilities will put in place... to rehabilitate them to become good members of society," he told our correspondent.
Other government agencies would be involved in this new de-radicalisation programme, he added.
Asked if the repentant militants would be paid whilst they underwent training, Brig Gen Abubakar said: "I believe the government will definitely ask the relevant agencies to do what is needful."
On questions about whether those who surrendered would be tried or given amnesty, he said that things needed to be taken "pace by pace".
"The most important thing for us is to have them rehabilitated. Since they have shown remorse and come on board, I think it is our duty to ensure that we help them to become very productive members of this great country," the army spokesman said.
'Boko Haram took my children'
Town divided by Boko Haram legacy
On patrol against Boko Haram
Who are Boko Haram?
Our reporter says as commendable as this arrangement is, there are many who doubt if communities are ready to wholly accept them.
It is likely that many victims of the cruelty of these former gunmen may find it difficult to forgive, he says.
Meanwhile, a committee set up by Nigeria's defence minister is due to submit its report how areas liberated from Boko Haram should be handed back to civilian authorities.
At the moment the military is solely in control of most of the towns and villages recaptured from Boko Haram.
The majority of those displaced by the conflict have yet to return to their homes.


The explosion aboard  INS Sindhurakshak, a recently upgraded conventional Indian navy submarine, on Wednesday morning at a dockyard in Mumbai will be a major setback to navy's operational preparedness.

The incident comes a day after India launched its first indigenous aircraft carrier and activated the reactor aboard its locally designed nuclear-attack submarine on 10 August.
Commissioned into service in 1997, the Russian-built Sindhurakshak is the seventh and last of the 10 Kilo-class diesel-electric boats the Indian navy acquired from Moscow between 1986 and 2000. It had recently undergone a mid-life upgrade in Russia.
The $80m (Â£52m) retrofit equipped it with anti-ship and land attack 200km (124 mile)-range cruise missile systems.
The submarine's hull was also refurbished and numerous other systems were upgraded to enhance its safety and security, adding at least an additional 10 years to its 25-year service life.
Sindhurakshak's cooling system likewise underwent modifications, fitted with a Porpoise radio-locator to enhance its capabilities.
Official sources say it is "highly unlikely" that the Indian navy and the Russians will be able to resurrect Sindhurakshak and that will add to the navy's operational woes as it faces a severe depletion of its ageing sub-surface fleet.
By 2014-15, the navy will be left with only nine of its current fleet of 14 diesel-electric submarines that include eight Russian Kilo-class and four German Type 1500 (HDW209) boats.
Beyond the planned expansion of its nuclear submarine capabilities, the navy in addition faces severe difficulties with its conventional underwater assets.
Delivery dates between 2012 and 2017 for the $4.2bn programme to build six French Scorpene diesel-electric patrol submarines under licence at the state-owned Mazagaon Dockyard Limited in Mumbai has been pushed back following bitter financial wrangling and technical problems.
Indian navy officials said the first Scorpene was now scheduled for delivery three years later than planned, most likely around late 2015, and the sixth and last by 2019-20.
Indian government auditors - the Comptroller and Auditor General - in a recent report warned that the navy faced the danger of operating with less than half its already deficient submarine fleet by 2012-13 when 63% of its boats would be eligible for retirement.
The watchdog revealed that "other than holding 67% of the submarines envisaged in its 1985 Maritime Perspective Plan, the average operational availability between January 2002 and December 2006 of the existing boats was as low as 48% due to prolonged refit schedules".
According to the auditors, 83% of short submarine refits and 100% of "normal and medium refits" invariably were delayed well past the prescribed time period.
This was because many of the Sindugosh (Type 877 Kilo-class) boats - of which Sindhurakshak was one - needed to be sent to Russia.
"With serious slippages in the induction plan, the navy is left with an ageing fleet with more than 50% of submarines having completed 75% of their operational life and some already outliving their maximum service life," the report said.
The navy's plans to import two submarines and locally build four to make good the shortfall has been entangled in bureaucratic wrangling for several years.
While the navy is keen on involving private shipyards, the defence ministry wants three submarines built at the Mazagaon Dockyard Limited, despite it being overburdened with orders, and one at the public sector Hindustan Shipyard in Visakhapatnam on the east coast.


Long-lost video showing Martin Luther King's killer in police custody has been posted online, 45 years to the day after the civil rights leader's murder.

Officials in Tennessee unearthed the tapes of James Earl Ray in 2011 but had no way to view the old technology.
Ray is seen in 1968 on a plane after extradition from Britain and as he is searched and given a medical exam and a bulletproof vest at a Memphis jail.
King, a Baptist minister, was shot in Memphis on 4 April 1968, at age 39.
Ray, a racist drifter and bungling career criminal, was captured in London by Scotland Yard detectives two months later.
Extradited to Memphis, he avoided a jury trial - and possibly the electric chair - by entering a guilty plea the following year.
He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession, saying he had been framed by shadowy conspirators, but his guilty plea was repeatedly upheld in the courts. He died in 1998 at 70.
The footage of Ray in custody was discovered in the Shelby County sheriff's office along with logs and photographs from the investigation.
County officials had seen a photograph taken during the investigation of an employee from that time showing a video.
And Harvey Kennedy, a former sheriff's department employee, told staff of a box of Ray materials in his old office.
Researchers found the tapes, which were in an early video format that could not be played in Shelby County, so they sent the tapes to New York for conversion into current technology.
"It's kind of like Christmas when you get these tapes, but then you can't play them back," Tom Leatherwood, the county's register of deeds, told the BBC.
Researchers now say Shelby County authorities bought the cameras and planned to film Ray's arrest and trial to prevent any chance of mistrial, should his defence claim police mishandled the investigation or the procedure.
"We have the invoices and owner's manual of the equipment," Mr Leatherwood said. "It was purchased specifically because they were about to take James Earl Ray into custody."
The footage shows Ray being read his Miranda rights, which are guarantees under the US Constitution of fair treatment during questioning, by Sheriff Bill Morris.
The tapes also show police outfitting Ray in a bulletproof vest to ensure that unlike John F Kennedy's assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, he would make it to trial alive.
"No law enforcement agency wanted that to happen under their jurisdiction," Mr Leatherwood said.
Though Ray never stood trial, county officials filmed inside the courtroom during initial proceedings.
After researching security procedures from the trial of Robert F Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan, county officials asked everyone who entered the courtroom, including would-be jurors, to identify themselves on tape.
The jurors were all male, and only two were black.


(Close): UK shares turned positive late in the day as mining shares staged a recovery while supermarkets languished.

The FTSE 100 index closed up 17.73 points or 0.26% at 6,736.22.
Earlier on Monday, mining shares had been under pressure because of factors including disappointing trade data from China and falling metals prices.
But at the close of trading, they were among the biggest risers. Rio Tinto and Fresnillo led the list of gainers, both adding about 1.8%.
The sector bounced back despite a downbeat assessment from broking firm Investec, which lowered its forecast for commodity prices because of the weakness in China's economy.
However, supermarket shares failed to achieve the same turnaround. Tesco and Sainsbury's fell in early morning trading and stayed that way for the rest of the day, dropping by 1.4% and 1.2% respectively.
Shares in Dixons Carphone spent most of Monday in negative territory after the company said its Carphone Warehouse business had been hit by a cyber-attack, but closed with gains of 0.4%.
On Saturday, it said personal details of up to 2.4 million of its customers could have been accessed in the attack.
Engineering group Meggitt edged up 1% after it agreed to buy the advanced composites businesses from Cobham for $200m.
In the FTSE 250, shares in Esure dived 9.6% after the insurance group reported a 21% fall in underlying half-year pre-tax profits to Â£46.5m.
The main factor in the decrease was a big fall in profits at its motor insurance business, and the company said it would look to increase premiums.
Chief executive Stuart Vann said: "The claims environment in the motor market continues to deteriorate and as a consequence we will seek to implement further rate increases in the second half of the year as we look to mitigate against these trends."
On the currency markets, the pound rose 0.3% against the dollar to $1.5539, and was little moved against the euro at â‚¬1.4142.


Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes could be included as specialist batsmen in England's squad for the first Test with Pakistan, says coach Trevor Bayliss.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Buttler, 25, scored an unbeaten 73 in the Twenty20 win over Sri Lanka on Tuesday.
All-rounder Stokes, 25, is unable to bowl following knee surgery but has been playing as a batsman for Durham.
"They have to be in contention, I would think," said Bayliss before the first Test, which starts on 14 July.
"There's Buttler, [Surrey's Jason] Roy, Stokes playing as a batter - he made 250 [258 in 198 balls against South Africa in Cape Town in January] just a few Tests ago.
"It will be an interesting selection meeting."
Next week's Test is the first of four Tests England will play against Pakistan, before five ODIs and one T20 international.
Buttler was dropped from the Test side after a run of poor form, with his last five-day appearance coming in the second game against Pakistan in Dubai last October.
He has not played a first-class match for county Lancashire since his last Test, while Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow has taken over the gloves with the national side.
However, he has impressed with the bat in limited overs cricket, scoring 93 and 70 in the one-day series with Sri Lanka prior to his match-winning knock in the T20 in Southampton.
"Personally, I think he'd be better in Test cricket if he played like he does in the white-ball game," said Australian Bayliss. "That would be devastating, him coming in at six or seven, and being able to play that.
"He certainly looks like he has a lot of confidence at the moment - this series [against Sri Lanka] has probably been as consistent as he's played since I got here.
"I'm sure he'd love to be in the Test team, and I'm sure he'll play a lot more Test cricket."
England must make a change further up the order, after out-of-form number three Nick Compton's decision to take a break from all cricket.
Yorkshire's Joe Root or Hampshire's James Vince will move up from their positions, unless England bring in a new number three such as Durham's Scott Borthwick, who has scored three hundreds and averages 58.50 in the County Championship this season.
Bayliss said: "Long-term, I think Root is our number three.
"Rooty would have to want to do it - it's a big change, and he's done well at number four.
"My way of thinking is you put your best batter at number three.
"From what I've seen of Vince, I think he could handle number four also. In a way he's a similar style of player to Rooty - a classical player, plays nice and straight - so there's no reason why he couldn't make a success of number three."
There are still fitness concerns regarding England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson.
The 33-year-old has been diagnosed with a stress fracture of the shoulder blade in his bowling arm.
"I'm not sure the medical team know exactly how long it will take to come back," added Bayliss.
"There will be an ongoing assessment between now and the Test, giving him every chance to make himself available."
Pakistan seam bowler Mohammad Amir is set to make his Test comeback at Lord's, the venue where his bowling of deliberate no-balls during the 2010 tour of England earned him a five-year ban after pleaded guilty to spot-fixing.
The 24-year-old impressed in the recent tour match with Somerset, taking 3-36 in the first innings and 1-42 in the second.
England captain Alastair Cook is expecting England fans to give Amir hostile reception.
"I'm sure there will be a reaction and that is right," said Cook.
"That is part and parcel, that when you do something like that there are more consequences than just the punishment - that is something for him to cope with, whatever comes his way.


Stoke City boss Mark Hughes is fearful that England goalkeeper Jack Butland may have suffered a further setback after eight months out following surgery to repair a fractured ankle.

Butland was due to feature for the Potters' Under-23 side in Friday's Premier League Cup tie at Reading.
But he pulled out after feeling pain in the warm-up and was sent for a new MRI scan on Saturday.
"It's a little bit of a concern, I have to say," said Hughes.
Speaking after Saturday's 2-0 Premier League home win over Burnley, Hughes added: "I haven't had an update in terms of where we think he is with it but he's gone for scans.
"He got to the warm-up and felt discomfort in the ankle, the same situation that we found ourselves before the beginning of the season, unfortunately.
"Not to the same extent, but in the same area, so we need to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully we can settle it down again.
"If that's not the case then we'll have to try and do something more radical, maybe, but we'll try and avoid that if we can."
The 23-year-old, capped four times by his country, missed Euro 2016 after being injured in England's 3-2 win over Germany in Berlin in March. He was then kept sidelined for two further months after more surgery in September.
It is more than three months before England's next fixture - a friendly against Germany in Dortmund on 22 March. But Hughes has already hinted that Butland could face a battle just to get back in the Stoke team.
On-loan Derby County goalkeeper Lee Grant has so far conceded just five goals in eight matches since replacing Shay Given in September to help the rejuvenated Potters climb to ninth in the Premiership table.


Glasgow Warriors returned to winning ways in the Pro12 with a hard-fought derby victory over Edinburgh.

Junior Bulumakau was gifted an early try at Murrayfield and Josh Strauss crashed through a rolling maul to restore the visitors' lead.
Duncan Weir had kicked the hosts in front with two penalties and added two more but that was it for Edinburgh.
In a largely scrappy contest, Alex Dunbar finished off the best move of the game for Warriors' third try.
Having won the last three derby matches, Edinburgh, who sit a lowly 10th in the table, will have to wait until the final weekend of the league campaign for the return, with the 1872 Cup at stake, since the traditional Boxing Day - New Year double-header has been removed from the calendar this season.
Edinburgh's start to the match could scarcely have been more calamitous. They lost their own line-out and when Glasgow spread the ball wide Dunbar dropped a clever kick deep into Edinburgh territory.
Full-back Blair Kinghorn looked to have the situation under control but his attempt to go down on the loose ball served only to knock it over his own try-line for Bulumakau to touch down inside a minute.
The sides spent the next 20 minutes feeling each other out. With the match drifting from set-piece to set-piece, two Weir penalties nudged the home side in front.
Warriors penalty count was becoming a problem, conceding seven to Edinburgh's none after half an hour. Only a lack of accuracy from the hosts in the attacking third kept the gap at one and they would soon be made to pay.
Glasgow elected to pop a very kickable penalty into the corner, and the gamble was rewarded when Strauss scored to finish off a highly effective rolling maul from the line-out. Russell converted to put his side 12-6 to the good.
Mark Bennett showed tremendous footwork and searing pace to slice through the heart of the Edinburgh defence. The home side scrambled to avert the immediate danger, but an infringement allowed Russell to kick Glasgow into a nine-point half-time lead.
The skill level on show was lacking quality, perhaps best summed up early in the second half when Russell passed up a straightforward penalty chance, only to put his kick to touch dead.
Scrappiness was the order of the day - as it is in so many derby matches - and yet Glasgow's game-changers can spring to life from nowhere.
Stuart Hogg, a peripheral figure, gathered a clearance kick and looked to be heading towards a mass of bodies, but in trademark style he tore through a tiny gap to take his side into the red zone. The attack yielded nothing though as Russell missed a straightforward penalty after an Edinburgh offside.
Weir made no such mistake as he brought Edinburgh back within six points.
The number 10s traded kicks, Russell improvising with a drop-goal when the ball wobbled off the tee, and, with the match delicately poised, the next score was crucial.
It was magnificently manufactured by Glasgow. After several phases spent pounding the Edinburgh line, a succession of stunning off-loads from Russell, Brian Alainu'use and Sean Lamont put Dunbar over. Russell's conversion sent Warriors 13 points clear.
Edinburgh tried to rally in the last five minutes but a lack of composure and the fearsome tackling of Warriors skipper Jonny Gray kept them at bay.
A consolation score looked certain when Damien Hoyland slalomed forward with the clock red and Viliame Mata plunged under the posts, only to be held up by three determined defenders.
An ugly but important win for Glasgow after three straight Pro12 defeats. For Edinburgh, the search for consistency continues, with eight losses from their 11 league outings.
Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn; Damien Hoyland, Chris Dean, Phil Burleigh, Tom Brown; Duncan Weir, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne; Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford, Simon Berghan, Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist, Magnus Bradbury, Hamish Watson, Cornell du Preez.
Replacements: Stuart McInally, Allan Dell, Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie, Viliame Mata, Sean Kennedy, Jason Tovey, Glenn Bryce.
Glasgow Warriors: Stuart Hogg; Junior Bulumakau, Mark Bennett, Alex Dunbar, Lee Jones; Finn Russell, Henry Pyrgos; Alex Allan, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Brian Alainu'uese, Jonny Gray, Rob Harley, Simone Favaro, Josh Strauss.
Replacements: Pat McArthur, Ryan Grant, Sila Puafisi, Adam Ashe, Chris Fusaro, Ali Price, Nick Grigg, Sean Lamont.


Indians are praising Mithali Raj after she became the leading run-scorer in women's one-day international cricket.

The captain of the women's team reached 6,028 runs by scoring 69 in India's World Cup group-game defeat by Australia at Bristol on Wednesday.
A day later, accolades haven't stopped with most Twitter users saying Raj's achievement has taken women's cricket to new heights in India.
India are due to play New Zealand on Saturday in a must-win game.
The 34-year-old passed former England captain Charlotte Edwards' tally of 5,992.
Raj, who made her debut in 1999, was playing her 183rd ODI and averages 51.52. She has also played 10 Tests and 63 Twenty20s.
Most Twitter users feel that Raj's record will make women's cricket more popular in India.


The FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Tottenham at Wembley Stadium will be broadcast live on BBC One.

The London derby will kick off at 17:15 BST on Saturday, 22 April.
Spurs are one of only four clubs to beat Premier League leaders Chelsea this season - a 2-0 victory in January.
The second Wembley semi-final between Arsenal and Manchester City, which will kick off at 15:00 BST on Sunday, 23 April, will be shown on BT Sport, with highlights later on BBC One.
Tottenham won the 1967 FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Chelsea, while the Blues beat Spurs 5-1 in a semi-final at the new stadium on their way to winning the competition in 2012.
It is the third meeting between the sides the season - Chelsea won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in November - and Spurs will hope to have striker Harry Kane back from an ankle injury.
Football Focus will come live from Wembley on the Saturday as part of the build-up to the semi-final.
Chelsea beat holders Manchester United 1-0 on Monday to reach the semi-finals, a day after Tottenham thrashed League One side Millwall 6-0 in their quarter-final.


Jon Rahm overcame a rules scare to earn his first European Tour victory as a closing round of 65 won him the Irish Open by six shots at Portstewart.

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Sharing the overnight lead on 17 under with Daniel Im, Spain's Rahm eagled the fourth as he holed from 150 yards.
Rahm was four clear on the 13th fairway when a query over his ball marking on the sixth green caused a concern.
But no penalty was imposed and a dominant Rahm, 22, finished six ahead of Richie Ramsay and Matthew Southgate.
Despite having two bogeys in his final three holes, Rahm's winning total of 24 under par was three shots inside the previous tournament record set by Bernhard Langer at Royal Dublin in 1984.
Scotland's Ramsay clinched one of the three spots for Open Championship qualification available at Portstewart with a closing 64 on another day of low scoring despite frequent rain.
Ramsay's compatriot David Drysdale, who finished with seven straight birdies to card a 63, also booked a Royal Birkdale berth along with New Zealander Ryan Fox as they shared fourth with Justin Rose and American Im.
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Drysdale had joined world number 11 Rahm and Im on 17 under before they had even teed off after the remarkable conclusion to his round.
Rahm looked certain to fall out of the lead after a wild tee shot with an iron on the second but saved par by holing from 25 feet as Im took three putts to drop one behind.
After Im leaked another shot at the next, Rahm's sensational eagle three at the long fourth moved him two ahead and four successive birdies from the seventh increased his lead to six at he stood on the 11th tee.
Tournament referee Andy McFee approached Rahm on the 13th to get the player's view on his ball-marking incident on the sixth green after the European Tour had been made aware of the issue.
After moving his marker out of Im's putting line, Rahm had appeared to replace his ball in a slightly different spot as he prepared to tap in from 14 inches but following a long conversation with the Spaniard, McFee elected to impose no penalty.
Rahm acknowledged that the episode had affected his concentration in the closing stages.
"It really makes me feel bad that my first win on the European Tour is always going to have that little mark on it," said the Spaniard.
"I thought I put it back exactly where it was but they came to me and told me it was such a slight difference."
McFee's decision was in contrast to the ruling imposed on American Lexi Thompson in April, when she was handed a two-shot penalty for incorrectly marking her ball plus another two shots for an incorrect scorecard.
After receiving the four-shot penalty, Thompson was eventually beaten in a play-off at the ANA Inspiration event, which was this season's first LPGA major.
However, since that controversial episode a new rule now gives players the benefit of the doubt in such instances.
Rahm responded to the rules controversy by rolling in a 25-foot eagle putt at the 14th and avoided any further major mishaps as he followed compatriots Seve Ballesteros, Jose-Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia in winning the championship.
The tournament formed part of the prestigious new Rolex Series of events, boasting a prize fund of £5.4m, and Rahm picked up £585,000 for his victory.
Challenge Tour player Gavin Moynihan finished as the leading home player in a share of 20th place on 13 under after a closing 64.


A homeowner whose bungalow is towered over by Japanese knotweed on a railway line has won a four-year legal fight for compensation by Network Rail.

Robin Waistell claimed he was unable to sell because the rail body had ignored requests to tackle the invasive weed on the bank behind his home in Maesteg.
The case was seen as a likely test for homeowners whose property is blighted by knotweed on railway embankments.
Network Rail said it would be "reviewing the judgement in detail".
It is understood the rail infrastructure body was refused immediate leave to appeal against the ruling.
Network Rail faces potential legal costs running into six figures after losing the case in Cardiff bought by Mr Waistell and a neighbour.
Widower Mr Waistell, 70, had moved to the bungalow from Spain after his wife died.
He had hoped to return to the sun, but found his property sale stymied by the knotweed growing on adjacent Network Rail land and was asking for Â£60,000 compensation for loss of value.
He was awarded Â£15,000, with a third of that to pay for an insurance-backed guarantee on a herbicide programme to tackle the knotweed.
He told BBC Radio Wales: "We've won the case. I'm pleased with the judgement, it's the amount I'm disappointed with.
"It's gone on for some four years now. Some days it really does get you down. But then you just pick yourself up and kick off again.
"I know there are so many people on the railway lines, and the road ways, they just seem to accept that it (Japanese knotweed) is there. But there is a lot of help if they decide to look for it. It is a horrible, horrible plant."
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "We are aware of the outcome in this case and we are currently reviewing the judgement in detail."
A programme releasing insects brought in from Japan to bring the plant under control is under way in south Wales
Japanese knotweed was first found in the wild in Wales in the 1880s in Maesteg.
It was introduced by the Victorians for horticulture. Its 3-4m (10-13ft) stems, ornamental leaves and clusters of white flowers made it an attractive option for gardens.
But now the plant is prevalent throughout the UK and not only causes great damage to plant biodiversity, it is also causing problems for hard structures, including buildings and flood defences.
In 2015 UK ministers accepted a national eradication programme would be "prohibitively expensive" at Â£1.5bn.


It is a reflection of the dismay Scotland have provoked during this World Cup qualifying campaign that the past two fixtures - both 3-0 defeats - prompted scrutiny of Gordon Strachan's position, including from the head coach himself.

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When his side lost so meekly in Slovakia last month, the sense was that Strachan would recognise that the relationship between him and his players had run its course.
Scotland performed with more gusto against England last week and it is clear that the players who are selected in the squads are still committed to the manager.
But, by his own admission, they are all delivering 100% in every training session and game - yet the results have still been poor. How then could Strachan turn the team's fortunes around?
It was that realisation that led to the view that he would surely stand down or be dismissed, an outcome that sections of the support would have welcomed.
Sacking him would have cost the Scottish FA in compensation, when the qualifying campaign is already approaching a lost cause, but its board did not take that decision.
Instead, Strachan has to turn around the team's form when they next play in March - and also public opinion. The head coach is now under more pressure than ever.
He insists he can still steer Scotland to a World Cup qualifying play-off spot.
To do that, his side need to finish second in Group F, with a better points tally (with games against the bottom side discounted) than the runners-up in at least one other group, since only eight of the nine second-placed teams will contest the play-offs.
Group E is bottom in the runners-up rankings as it stands, but even reaching second place requires a drastic turnaround in Scotland's fortunes.
They have won only one of their opening four games, against Malta, and drawn their home tie against Lithuania. Trips to Slovakia and England delivered two 3-0 losses.
The simplest route to second place lies in making the assumption that England win all of their remaining qualifying games, which would repeat their 100% record in the Euro 2016 qualifiers.
If Scotland win all of their five remaining games, they will finish on 19 points.
If Slovenia lose to England and both games against Scotland, their best points tally would be 17. Assuming the same for Slovakia, their best points tally would be 18.
There are other permutations. Slovenia travel to Slovakia in September and if that game is drawn then Scotland could finish second with 17 points, which would require four wins and one draw.
In those circumstances, Scotland could potentially make the play-offs by beating Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia at Hampden, winning in Lithuania away and getting a point in Slovenia.
Whatever happens, Scotland need to address their own decline first.


A former hospitality manager sparked a major incident at a Scottish holiday resort after building a nail bomb with sugar, a court has heard.

Mark Crockett made the explosive device after checking into a chalet at Logierait Pine Lodges near Pitlochry, Perthshire, in February.
The 53-year-old wrote a suicide note and a letter to police explaining how the nail bomb had been constructed.
Crockett, of Falkirk, admitted making the device. Sentence was deferred.
The High Court in Aberdeen heard that concerned staff called out paramedics before the caterer carried out his plan to end his own life at the holiday park.
Managers had visited his lodge when he failed to check out of the chalet and discovered he had a head injury and was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
One of the paramedics called to the property read a note in the lodge which said: "I am dead. Please do not enter.
"There is a nail bomb on the light blue bag. This is for London Borough Barnet social services.  You are blessed. Change your ways."
The holiday park was evacuated.
Advocate depute Alyson Forbes said Crockett had contacted his local social work department and informed staff that he was not coping well at the end of 2014.
He was involved in a dispute with family and concerns were raised about his mental health. On 2 February he headed off on a two-day trip to stay in the chalet near Pitlochry.
Police were called after he was discovered in the lodge two days later.
Glue, screws and a metal container filled with sugar were recovered during a search of the lodge. The device had a fuse which could be set alight causing it to explode.
However, further examinations showed that the device would have failed to work properly.
More than 400 morphine tablets were recovered during searches of the lodge and his Falkirk home, along with cannabis and Tramadol. Some of the drugs had been prescribed to his late mother before she died in 2011.
Defence lawyer Tony Lenehan said his client had reached the point of "emotional collapse" when the incident happened.
He said: "He simply went there with the intention of ending his own life with his mother's morphine tablets and he had assembled the device.
"The metal cylinder is an aftershave tin. I think it would be reasonable to describe the construction of it as somewhat inept."
Crockett also pled guilty to being in possession of morphine, cannabis and Tramadol. Sentence was deferred until 7 January.


Air France-KLM is creating a more "competitive" long-haul airline to win back customers from Gulf carriers.

Air France's new boss, Jean-Marc Janaillac, unveiled the plan, saying the firm is "battling on all fronts".
The new brand does not have a name yet, but Air France plans for it to offer economy and business travel on new and reopened routes.
To compete with lower-cost rivals, its pilots and crew will be employed on different terms from the main company.
"The status quo is not an option. We must launch a new dynamic to return to a leadership position in our markets," Mr Janaillac said.
The plan is a sign that Air France's new boss is determined to win back market share after years of painful job losses and clashes with trade unions.
But the SNPNC cabin crew union expressed concern that the new airline's staff would not have the same work benefits and that it would end up being "low cost" for its workers.
Air France plans for the new airline to have 10 long haul planes by 2020.
It will "constitute the group's response to the Gulf State airlines which are developing at low production costs", the firm said.


The banks of the Clyde in Greenock are an imposing reminder of Scotland's industrial past, littered with shipyard cranes.

For decades this was safe Labour territory. Until 2015, the local MP had been from the Labour Party for 30 years. The party had never lost a Holyrood election here.
But not now.
The MP and MSP are both from the SNP - and Labour members are trying to figure out how to win back what was once a party heartland.
Last year that led the local party to back Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership. This time, they're not so sure.
Christina Boyd has been in the Labour Party for 30 years and is backing Owen Smith.
"We need to win back Scotland for Labour," she says. "But the main thing for me is what we can offer to people in Scotland; vote for us, we will be elected as a UK government, we can make a difference to your lives.
"I believe that under Owen Smith we can do that."
James McColgan was one of those who used to think Mr Corbyn could bring the party back to electoral success. Not any more. He too is backing Mr Smith this time around.
"I believe that Owen can appeal to a wider section of society," he says. "That's crucial."
That's not what many others here think. Siobhan McCready has the unwanted record of being the first Labour candidate to lose a Holyrood election here.
The SNP overturned a narrow majority of 500 in 2015 - and won by more than 8,000 votes.
Ms McCready thinks Mr Corbyn is bringing Labour's natural bedfellows back into the fold.
"I'm a trade union rep," she says in the shadow of a memorial celebrating this area's dockyard workers.
"Every day I'm getting people who have been in the union for a number of years, had left the Labour Party, were just totally disinterested, are now coming back."
She thinks Mr Corbyn can help win Scotland back for Labour.
"He's offering a credible leadership, he's offering a chance to have a Labour government that's going back to its roots, that's standing up for ordinary working-class people."
She was outvoted when the party picked a horse in this race - the party narrowly nominated Mr Smith this time around...but they're in the minority.
From the local parties in Scotland who've picked a horse in this race the majority - 23 - are backing Mr Corbyn. Mr Smith is on 16. But UK-wide, Mr Corbyn's lead over his challenger is far higher. He has the backing of 285, compared with Mr Smith's 53.
MSP Neil Findlay, Mr Corbyn's most prominent cheerleader in Scotland, says the Labour leader has got "very good support" among an increasing party membership in Scotland.
"We picked up nominations which were previously with Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham (in the 2105 contest)," he told BBC Scotland from London, where he has been helping Mr Corbyn prepare for his visit.
Across the UK, many on the left of politics who had previously left the Labour party, are now getting behind Mr Corbyn.
Former Respect MP George Galloway wants back into the party. Filmmaker Ken Loach - who had set up his own party in England - is speaking at pro-Corbyn events.
But is that happening in Scotland too? Colin Fox, from RISE, thinks there's something stopping that happening.
"His opposition to independence is Jeremy Corbyn's Kryptonite in Scotland. The Labour Party's membership has not grown the same way it has down south because he stands opposed to our right to self-determination."
Scottish Labour's top team is split. Leader Kezia Dugdale is backing Owen Smith. She says Jeremy Corbyn can't win a UK general election.
Her deputy Alex Rowley disagrees. He's backing Mr Corbyn - and has criticised those who tried to oust him, including Ian Murray, Labour's only Scottish MP and a Dugdale ally.
UK-wide there have been rumours a split could be on the cards. Could that happen in Scotland? She says no.
"When you believe in the Labour Party like I and so many people do, when you believe in that collective...whilst I hear a lot of talk about that I think everybody is ultimately and totally committed to the cause of the Labour movement."
That's a view both Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith have expressed too.
Tonight they'll have the chance to speak to voters - and members here in Scotland.


Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump plans to "jump start" the US economy by suspending new regulations and cutting corporate taxes.

The real estate mogul revised his former plan to include making child care costs tax-deductible and ending the estate or "death" tax.
"I want to jump-start America and it can be done and it won't even be that hard," he said.
Several protesters interrupted Mr Trump's speech in Detroit, Michigan.
The campaign aimed to shift focus to economic issues, seen as one of the candidate's strengths, after a bruising week on the campaign trail.
Donald Trump delivered a boilerplate conservative economic speech with a Trumpian twist, grafting his opposition to trade deals and support for expanding childcare deductions onto more traditional calls for lower taxes and reduced regulation.
With Mr Trump haemorrhaging support among white-collar Republicans, his efforts seem aimed at attracting these business-friendly conservatives while keeping his working-class supporters happy. It is a fine line to walk.
Conservative bean-counters may wonder how Mr Trump plans to pay for his proposals. And when he promised to renegotiate Nafta and possibly provoke a trade war with China, the audience of Detroit-area businessmen offered only tepid applause.
Mr Trump's blue-collar supporters may question whether ending an estate tax that only applies to inheritance over $10m (£7.63m) per couple should be a priority. They may also notice that the campaign's list of economic advisers is heavy on billionaire donors with Wall Street ties.
Mr Trump was most passionate about his economic nationalist message, concluding with a rallying cry for American workers to do American jobs. It's a pitch that may work in the industrial Mid-west. The test will be whether he can stay on message in the coming days and make the case for Trumpenomics.
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Mr Trump's retooled tax policy offered little details on how he planned to fund it.
But the new proposal included lowering corporate taxes, placing a 15% cap on all business income tax and raising the top individual tax rate to align with a House Republican plan.
Last September, Mr Trump proposed individual tax rates of zero, 10, 20 and 25%.
On Monday, he proposed reducing the number of tax brackets from seven to three at the tax rates of 12, 25 and 33%.
He also mentioned eliminating special interest loopholes such as the carried-interest deduction, which he said allows Wall Street investors -including himself- to pay a lower tax rate on earnings.
Mr Trump used the major address to attack Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, insisting the city of Detroit was a "living, breathing example of my opponent's failed economic agenda".
"She is the candidate of the past," he said. "Ours is the campaign of the future."
Mrs Clinton, who will unveil her economic plan later this week, quickly pushed back against Mr Trump's plans.
"Donald Trump's plan is just a repackaging of trickle-down economics — and it doesn't help our economy or the vast majority of Americans," Mrs Clinton said on Twitter.
Mr Trump also emphasised his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and his pledge to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta).
During his campaign, Mr Trump has promised to restore jobs to the US manufacturing sector after decades of decline.
His campaign is making a big push for voters in the so-called "Rust Belt" - Midwestern and Eastern states such Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan that were once manufacturing powerhouses.
Mr Trump neglected to mention spending cuts, infrastructure spending, entitlements, military spending or debt negotiation, all of which are issues he has previously mentioned.
Critics say Mr Trump's plan and previous statements - a combination of spending increases and tax cuts - would cause the federal deficit to skyrocket.
Mr Trump has seen his poll numbers plummet against Democrat nominee Hillary Clinton in recent days.
Last week, Mr Trump feuded with a military family who spoke at the Democratic National Convention as well as with members of his own party.
He also appeared to support Vladimir Putin's annexation of Crimea.
Hoping to put last week's controversies behind them, Mr Trump's advisers are looking to "reset" the campaign with more focus on policy.
Polls have shown Mr Trump does well with voters on economic issues such as job creation and trade.


Barnsley have signed Barnet captain Andy Yiadom on a two-year deal from the League Two side.

Yiadom, 24, joins The Tykes on a free transfer having made 177 appearances for the Bees since joining in 2012.
The versatile full-back scored seven goals in 43 appearances last season as Barnet finished 15th in the league.
"Andy is an athletic and exciting player who has his best years ahead of him," caretaker head coach Paul Heckingbottom told the club website.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


Sir Bradley Wiggins ran up a hill and Mark Cavendish stopped to remonstrate with a fan during stage two of the Tour of Britain, won by Julien Vermote.

In scenes reminiscent of Tour de France champion Chris Froome running up Mont Ventoux, Wiggins pushed his way up The Struggle in the Lake District.
"Taking things very seriously, took my mind off being in a world of pain," said Wiggins, who finished fifth last.
Cavendish was seen chatting with a fan, who appeared to have a selfie stick.
Incidents of fans trying to take 'selfies' of themselves as the riders rode past were a concern during the Tour de France's Grand Depart from Yorkshire in 2014.
Television pictures did not pick up what led to Cavendish stopping, also on The Struggle - a 4.5km long climb, with an 8% average gradient which has a maximum of 20%.
Vermote out-sprinted Britain's Steve Cummings in an uphill finish in Kendal to win stage two and take the leader's yellow jersey.
Cummings, 35, looked well set for the stage win but could not match Etixx Quick Step rider Vermote's sprint with 150 metres to go.
Vermote takes the leader's jersey from Germany's Andre Greipel who won stage one on Sunday.
Team Dimension Data's Cummings sits second in general classification, six seconds behind Vermote.
Irishman Dan Martin was third while Cavendish and Wiggins were 13 and 22 minutes behind respectively.
Wiggins, in his Instagram post used "#onetoomanyginandtonics" as a potential reason for his struggles.
Stage two result:
1. Julien Vermote (Bel/Etixx Quick-Step) 4hrs 40mins 50secs
2. Stephen Cummings (GB/Dimension Data) +02secs
3. Daniel Martin (Ire/Etixx Quick-Step) +58secs
4. Xandro Meurisse (Bel/Wanty-Groupe Gobert) same time
5. Tony Gallopin (Fra/Lotto Soudal)
6. Ben Swift (GB/Team Sky)
7. Guillaume Martin (Fra/Wanty-Groupe Gobert) +1min 02secs
8.  Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Team Giant-Alpecin) same time
9.  Dylan van Baarle (Ned/Cannondale Drapac)
10. Jacopo Mosca (Ita/Trek Segafredo) +1min 06secs
General classification after stage two:
1. Julien Vermote (Bel/Etixx Quick-Step) 8hrs 33mins 20secs
2. Stephen Cummings (GB/Dimension Data) +06secs
3. Daniel Martin (Ire/Etixx Quick-Step) +1min 04secs
4. Xandro Meurisse (Bel/Wanty-Groupe Gobert) +1min 08secs
5. Ben Swift (GB/Team Sky) same time
6.  Tony Gallopin (Fra/Lotto Soudal) same time
7. Dylan van Baarle (Ned/Cannondale Drapac) +1min 12secs
8.  Guillaume Martin (Fra/Wanty-Groupe Gobert) same time
9.  Tom Dumoulin (Ned/Team Giant-Alpecin)
10. Nicholas Roche (Ire/Team Sky) +1min 16secs


It's been a jam-packed year for the Get Inspired team.

From the Rio Olympics and Paralympics, London Marathon and FA People's Cup to our fantastic campaigns Body Positive and Make Your Move, we've aimed to get the nation active by bringing you the most inspirational stories from members of the public with an extraordinary passion and dedication to sport.
With 2017 just around the corner, we're taking a look back at our favourite moments to give you the ultimate collection of Get Inspired stories from the past 12 months.
So sit back, relax and Get Inspired...
We love the cheeky questions these two aspiring journalists asked Wimbledon champion (and now world number one and three-time BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner) Andy Murray. Find out the naughtiest thing the tennis star did as a kid, who inspired him when he was young, and much, much more in this fun interview.
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Remember the craze when women would post a selfie on social media without any make-up on? Well, when Amy Elsegood revealed her no make-up selfie, she inspired women from all over the world. Watch this beautiful clip from our Body Positive campaign.
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Geoff Whitington had Type 2 diabetes, was overweight and at risk of losing his foot through Charcot foot. Little did he know his life was about to take a dramatic turn for the better when his kids decided enough was enough and it was time to fix dad!
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Four sporting years seemed to pass in the blink of an eye between the sensational London 2012 Olympics and Rio 2016. But after another record-breaking medal haul for Great Britain, we looked at how our success in the Games has inspired the next generation of sporting stars - both human and animal!
Warning: the following article contains pictures of cute dogs and cats!
A 100-year-old man does handstands underwater. Need we say more?
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A truly remarkable story of a woman who, after facing the scariest moment of her life, was able to channel her fear and trauma into powerlifting. And it turns out she is pretty awesome at it!
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Some rugby players are familiar with breaking bones, pulling muscles and even the odd knockout. But what's it like to deal with all that and suffer from diabetes? We followed Worcester Warriors full-back Chris Pennell to find out how he juggles rugby with keeping his blood-sugar level stable.
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It was another busy night at the 2016 BBC Sports Personality of the Year, with boxing club founder Marcellus Baz named the BBC Get Inspired Unsung Hero.
The award celebrates outstanding contributions from those who volunteer their time and effort to help with the development and running of grassroots sports.
Here's another chance to take a look at the people you nominated from your local area.
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This season's FA People's Cup had it all. From thrilling penalty shootouts to unexpected victories, the Get Inspired team can't wait to see what next year's tournament will hold (by the way, you can sign up for the FA People's Cup 2017 from 2 January).
And who can forget this stunning goal from Pompey Amputees team member Ray Westbrook? We're not surprised it went viral!
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After two painful cycling-related injuries, Anne Dickins thought her days of competitive sport were over. But when she landed herself a job as a physiotherapist at London 2012, little did she know it would be the start of a new, shiny gold challenge.
Many love a good mass-participation event - and they don't come much bigger than the London Marathon. But when most people have trained ruthlessly in the lead-up to the big day (knowing that they can collapse in a heap afterwards), one man had 400 - yes FOUR HUNDRED - to worry about. Watch his incredible story below...
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Ben's efforts were also recognised at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award ceremony where he was given the Helen Rollason Award.
And finally, Christmas came early in Birmingham thanks to the BBC's Reclaim Sport project.
More than 80 schools and community sports clubs across the city received sports donations - meaning thousands of children can enjoy sport with the kit they need. And you can see just how much it meant to this Birmingham school from the reaction of their sports coach below...
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If you've been inspired by any of our stories and want to try a new sport, visit our activity guides for all the information you'll need!


Welshman Stuart Manley missed the cut at the Open after hitting an 11 over par 81 in the second round at Royal Birkdale.

The 38-year-old had enjoyed a fine opening round, briefly leading the Championship and finishing two under on his Open debut on Thursday.
But on Friday seven bogeys, three double bogeys and only two birdies left him nine over to bow out.
American Jordan Spieth leads the Open at the halfway stage on six under.


Wales' British and Commonwealth super-welterweight champion Liam Williams' title defence against Nav Mansouri on Saturday has been postponed again.

A virus prompted Williams to withdraw from a bout scheduled for February.
Now Rotherham's Mansouri has pulled out of meeting Williams in London because of an Achilles problem.
Williams, an unbeaten 23-year-old from Church Village near Cardiff, claimed the vacant super-welterweight belt in December by beating Kris Carslaw.


Five teenagers who murdered a man in a Liverpool launderette when some of them were 13 years old have been sentenced.

The "truly wicked, marauding mob" stabbed Sean McHugh, 19,  with a "sword stick" in Anfield on 30 September 2013.
Reese O'Shaughnessy, 19, was jailed for a minimum of 18 years after he was convicted alongside four others.
Andrew Hewitt, 15, Keyfer Dykstra, Corey Hewitt and Joseph McGill, all 14, were also detained by Liverpool Crown Court.
Dykstra was sentenced to a minimum of 12 years, Andrew Hewitt and McGill were sentenced to a minimum of nine years and Corey Hewitt for a minimum of six years.
Judge Clement Goldstone described Mr McHugh's killers as "a marauding mob".
"Each of you has been convicted of the murder of Sean McHugh - a truly wicked attack in which each of you played different roles," Justice Goldstone said.
A victim impact statement from Mr McHugh's mother Lorraine that was read in court said: "They might as well have killed me."
The teenagers were part of a gang known as the Lane Heads, a rival gang to the Walton Village Heads which Mr McHugh was linked to.
Months earlier, Dykstra was stabbed in the chest by a member of the Walton Village Heads and wanted to "avenge that stabbing", the court heard.
"The stabbing was avenged not by attacking the person responsible, but by attacking someone... by virtue of his affiliation to the Walton Village Heads," Justice Goldstone said.
The gang targeted Mr McHugh, of Beckett Street, Liverpool, after a minor dispute and found him at the Priory Road launderette, where he had left his washing, at about 19:00 BST.
Armed with knives and the makeshift sword stick, described as similar to a broom handle but with a blade attached, the gang forced the back door to the room where Mr McHugh was hiding.
He was beaten and stabbed before the group ran out.
Mr McHugh escaped and was found in an alleyway having been stabbed in the groin. He died a few days later in hospital from blood loss.


Concert promoter Harvey Goldsmith has called secondary ticketing websites "a national disgrace".

He said tickets to U2's recent London shows were advertised for up to Â£3,300 on resale sites, despite a face value of Â£182.
"We're asking the government to pass a law which says you cannot sell a ticket for more than 10 per cent of its face value," he told Radio 4's Front Row.
The government is running a public consultation on secondary ticketing.
Fans have until Friday, 20 November to submit their views on the issue.
Goldsmith's comments come a week after rock star Prince postponed the sale of tickets to his European tour over concerns about tickets being resold on third-party websites.
He later pulled the tour in the wake of the terror attacks in France.
Earlier this month, consumer magazine Which? called for a crack-down on ticket resale sites, arguing consumers face a "stitch-up".
The group spent eight weeks monitoring four of the biggest secondary ticketing websites and said it found "some really unusual behaviour".
"We found things like tickets appearing on resale websites before they were even officially released," report author Peter Moorey told Front Row.
"And we found tickets that were appearing simultaneously on the primary and the resale websites, as soon as tickets went on sale."
The magazine also found that resale restrictions - such as the requirement to show photo ID at the venue - were not being disclosed.
"This is really worrying," said Mori, "because people could go onto these resale websites, spend as much as Â£1,500, then go to the venue and be turned away."
Paul Reed, general manager of the Association of Independent Festivals said he felt fans were being "defrauded" by sites that sell tickets at vastly inflated prices.
He said some of the association's members - which include events such as Sonisphere, The Secret Garden Party and The Eden Sessions - had encountered fans buying fake tickets online.
"We had an event this year where 27 people bought tickets on a secondary platform. They showed up at the festival - and the secondary ticketing platform had essentially facilitated the sale of a piece of paper. It wasn't worth anything," he told the BBC.
"The secondary platforms weren't contactable, they weren't accountable. But these tickets were fraudulent."
"I don't think parasitic is too strong a word for the secondary ticketing industry. Our view is that this is an industry that's been allowed to grow on the back of the creative arts without reinvesting anything into it."
"We're all dependent on genuine fans and if they're constantly banging their head off a wall trying to get a ticket, they're going to give up."
Phil Hutcheon, who runs the ticketing website Dice, told the BBC that, in his previous career as a manager, he had seen his artists' tickets appear on secondary sites "either before the concert's gone on sale or literally seconds afterwards".
"Then we asked questions about it and they disappear."
He called for more transparency from resale sites, with more information about who is listing tickets for sale.
"We don't want to stop people re-selling tickets," he insisted. "There's lots of situations where fans can't make a show and want to pass the tickets on to another fan.
"Our thing is that, when someone is buying dozens or thousands of tickets and reselling them and distorting the market, that's a real issue. And they can get away with it because no-one knows who's doing it."
Dice sells tickets with no booking fee, with the passes stored in an app, ready to be scanned at the venue. It also allows fans to return tickets if they cannot make a show. These are then put back on sale at the original face value.
"This isn't an attack on big business," said Hutcheon. "We just want something that's more transparent and fair for fans."
In response to the Which? report last week, ticketing site StubHub said it was "committed to transparency".
"It is very clear in our terms and conditions that sellers are not permitted to list or sell tickets that they do not own or that have not been allocated to them, known as speculative selling.
"If we are made aware of speculative selling on our site for specific events, we will investigate and remove the listings where appropriate.
"However, there are many cases where fans will have access to priority tickets in advance of an official on-sale and this is one reason why tickets can be listed so quickly."
Meanwhile Ticketmaster, which owns Get Me In and Seatwave, said the resale market in the UK had "developed high levels of consumer protection over recent years, with incidents of fraud being very rare."
"Ticketmaster's resale marketplaces, Get Me In and Seatwave, offer fans full consumer protection, with guarantees of full refund or ticket replacement," the statement continued.