Humphries given almighty scare by Clemens magic at PDC World Championship

Everyone says they want a good solid test at this stage of the tournament. Keep the skills sharp, keep the mind keen. But how big a test? How tough? How many beats per minute? How much spinal fluid do you want to shed? How close do you really want to get to smelling the paint on the exit door?Luke Humphries reckons he got it about right here, and for now we will have to take his word for it. But the outpouring of emotion we saw at the conclusion of his 4-2 win over Gabriel Clemens was a measure of just how thoroughly the 2024 world champion had been rattled by a man whose game had basically been in hibernation for the past three years.It was in 2023 that Clemens unexpectedly reached the semi-finals, catalysing a revolution in German darts in which everyone assumed he would play a leading part

Greg Fisilau sets the tone as Exeter show strength with dismissal of Leicester

There is still a long way to go but Exeter would have settled for their current position back in the summer. Second place in the Prem table heading into 2026 with momentum building nicely is a very different story from last season’s grim struggle and, in front of a 15,000 capacity crowd, here was another example of exactly why they are a developing force.While this was not quite as compelling as their pre-Christmas raid on Saracens, the Chiefs could conceivably have registered another half-dozen tries in the absence of Len Ikitau, their injured Wallaby centre. Another barnstorming display from No 8 Greg Fisilau set the standard and the whole side showed enough physicality and defensive hunger to leave the Tigers to survive on seasonal scraps.Chiefs, bottom of the heap 12 months ago, might even have been on top entering the new year for the first time in five years had they not been denied a try bonus point at the death

Kyrgios defeats Sabalenka but Battle of the Sexes veers too close to circus

Nick Kyrgios won tennis’s latest Battle of the Sexes against Aryna Sabalenka in a dispiriting contest in Dubai that veered uneasily between exhibition, gimmick and outright circus.The Australian, who has won only one competitive singles match since the end of 2022 and has slipped to 671 in the world rankings, was sweating heavily and breathing hard as early as the fifth game of the match. Yet to no one’s great surprise, the extreme power of his serve, combined with the spin and velocity of his groundstrokes, proved too much for the women’s No 1 player.“It was a really tough match,” the 30-year-old Kyrgios insisted after his 6-3, 6-3 victory. “ I didn’t know what to expect

England attack’s holiday fling might be the start of something more serious | Barney Ronay

What does it mean? How should we feel? What are the roots that clutch? What branches grow out of this stony rubbish? For most of its combined 142 overs, watching England’s fourth Test victory in Melbourne felt like drifting in and out of a drunken sleep while trying and failing to follow the plot of a particularly gruelling action movie.Why is this car chase happening? Why is The Rock defusing a torpedo inside a collapsing Maya temple? Why are they running to the top of the nearest generic tall building for this final, final, final showdown? Wait. Will Jacks is playing?Australian cricket has at least taken decisive action. It seems a collective policy decision has been made to categorise this as a game to be voided. The talk is of unacceptable grass

Affordale Fury holds off Cheltenham Gold Cup and Aintree winners to take Savills Chase

The two most recent winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup were among the 11 runners for the Grade One Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Sunday but neither could match the strength and resilience of a resurgent Affordale Fury, as Noel Meade’s seven-year-old made his breakthrough at the highest level after an injury-plagued career to date.Affordale Fury was the 150-1 runner-up in the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March 2023, but his career since has included breaks of 438 and 241 days and Sunday’s race was just his fifth chase start outside novice company.It was also his fourth outing since October, though, offering hope that his former fragility may now be behind him, and he set a decent gallop from the off despite persistently jumping to his right.He appeared to be running out of steam as Galopin Des Champs, the Gold Cup winner in 2023 and 2024 and a five-time Grade One winner at Leopardstown over the Savills Chase’s three-mile trip, took it up at the second-last.Galopin Des Champs’s familiar finishing kick did not materialise, however, and after another sharp jump to his right at the last, Affordale Fury stayed on again to beat I Am Maximus, the 2024 Grand National winner, by two-and-a-half lengths with Galopin Des Champs next across the line

MCG pitch is easy scapegoat but sloppy cricket is to blame for early Ashes finishes | Geoff Lemon

You know that something has gone wrong when the man in charge of the cricket pitch is giving a post-match press conference. Australian pitches are celebrities in their own right, each with a distinct perceived personality. Perth – gasoline, bounce. Sydney – intrigue, spin. Adelaide – graft, a late finale