Luke Littler joins pantheon of greats at sport’s biggest pantomime | Sean Ingle

Few sports stars in history are so precocious that their place in the pantheon is assured by the time they are 18. Pelé was one. Nadia Comaneci another. Boris Becker too. Now you can add Luke Littler to that list

Luke Littler 7-1 Gian van Veen: PDC World Championship darts final – as it happened

The winning moment seemed to drain all the strength from his body. He leaned against the drinks table and let it take all his weight, clasped his face in his hands, cried a little. As if only just feeling the shape and hue of the unspeakable thing he had just done. As if some great act of violence had just left his hands. Perhaps it had

Luke Littler thrashes Gian van Veen to retain PDC World Darts Championship

The winning moment seemed to drain all the strength from his body. He leaned against the drinks table and let it take all his weight, clasped his face in his hands, cried a little. As if only just feeling the shape and hue of the unspeakable thing he had just done. As if some act of great violence had just left his hands. Perhaps it had

Bath break Exeter’s hearts with last-minute try to foil dramatic comeback

The champions needed something to lift them after their Christmas hangover. This might not have been how they chose it but it is safe to say the desired effect was achieved, a try by Arthur Green in the last minute snatching victory from the jaws of, if not defeat, one of the more dispiriting draws inflicted on a home team.It was Bath’s fifth try, but their first points since the 20th minute, after they had blown Exeter away with the reaction to their defeat here last Saturday by Northampton. But their four tries in that opening quarter were scored with the Chiefs down to 14 after Campbell Ridl was shown a 20-minute red card in the third minute for his aerial challenge on Henry Arundell.Such is the competitiveness of this league, no side is safe with a commanding early lead

Jake Paul drops out of WBA cruiserweight rankings after loss to Anthony Joshua

Jake Paul has fallen out of the World Boxing Association’s cruiserweight rankings after his sixth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last month.The YouTuber was stopped by the former two-time heavyweight champion in a scheduled eight-round bout in Miami, where Joshua scored four knockdowns before the referee halted the contest in the sixth round. Paul suffered a broken jaw in two places and required surgery after the fight.Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) had entered the WBA’s cruiserweight rankings at No 14 in July after defeating Julio César Chávez Jr by unanimous decision in Anaheim, California. He was listed at No 15 entering the bout against Joshua, despite the fight taking place at heavyweight and carrying no ranking implications in that division

Will Carlos Alcaraz prosper after split with coach as new tennis season looms?

In the endless flood of Instagram photo dumps and gushy captions from social media users around the world saluting another year gone by, Carlos Alcaraz’s efforts were particularly interesting. The candid photos from his camera roll included dozens of friends and family, various barbecues and his many haircuts throughout the year, but there was no room for one notable individual: Juan Carlos Ferrero.The abrupt dissolution of their partnership is one of the most shocking recent coaching splits and the reaction has been dramatic. Journalists swarmed outside Alcaraz’s tennis club in El Palmar a day after the news in their futile attempts to speak with the world No 1, then Ferrero decided to give a number of interviews to offer his own side of the story.Reports from Spain detailing reasons for split continue to circulate