Freezing temperatures bring halt to horse racing in Britain and Ireland

Racegoers were left with limited horse racing action on Saturday after freezing temperatures claimed the meetings at Sandown and Wincanton.A forecast of frost and even fog had given Sandown officials cause for concern on Friday, leaving clerk of the course Andrew Cooper to announce a precautionary 7.30am inspection.With temperatures at -2°C from midnight until inspection time and not expected to be above freezing until 11am, an early decision was able to be made with the course frozen in places. At Wincanton, an inspection was brought forward after temperatures fell to minus -4°C overnight, leaving the Somerset track unraceable

Swiatek and Boulter showcase new lease of life for mixed doubles format

Towards the end of the frantic, tension-filled mixed doubles tussle between Poland and Norway at the United Cup in Sydney last Monday, Casper Ruud took a deep breath as he stood on top of the baseline alongside his partner, Ulrikke Eikeri, and prepared to serve. With a 4-3 lead in the third set tiebreak, the following minutes would determine Norway’s fate in the competition.Ruud fired down a heavy topspin serve and then he traded forceful crosscourt groundstrokes with Poland’s Jan Zielinski from the left side of the court. But then, all of a sudden, his focus shifted. Ruud sharply changed directions, instead opting to hammer forehands down the line towards Iga Swiatek on the baseline in an attempt to overpower her

Ilona Maher’s Bristol bow expected to double record crowd for women’s side

Making a debut for a new club is a day every player will remember in their career but not everyone’s first game will be a landmark moment for an entire league and break a record before the player has even stepped on the pitch. That is the reality for Ilona Maher as the USA international prepares to play her first game for Bristol on Sunday as she starts from the bench against Gloucester-Hartpury in Premiership Women’s Rugby.Maher, who is the most followed rugby player on the planet with more than eight million followers across multiple social media platforms, signed for the club last month to become the league’s biggest signing. She has made the move to 15s rugby from sevens in a bid to make the USA squad for the Rugby World Cup, taking place in England later this year.The 28-year-old’s signing resulted in soaring ticket demand for the match against the defending champions, so much so that the fixture was moved from the women’s side’s usual ground, Shaftesbury Park, to Ashton Gate, home of the men’s team

Rishabh Pant blast rocks Australia on 15-wicket day to keep India’s hopes alive

When the fourth Australia-India Test at Melbourne finished with an hour to go on the final day, those who love the long game were sated. The experience was hearty and nutritious, like working your way through a large slice of dense and worthy rye bread. The first two days of the fifth Test here, by contrast, have been a pure sugar rush. Eleven wickets on day one were followed by 15 on day two, as the match careered towards a conclusion though a winner remains unclear.India all out 185 was the first-day story, but somehow that turned into a four-run lead

Luke Littler believes he can break Phil Taylor’s record of 16 world darts titles

Luke Littler believes he can hunt down Phil Taylor’s record of 16 world titles after becoming the youngest ever PDC world darts champion.The 17-year-old consolidated his status as the biggest star in the game by winning the PDC World Championship with a comprehensive 7-3 victory over Michael van Gerwen in Friday’s final at Alexandra Palace in London.Asked what he hoped to achieve next after securing his first world title, Littler told Sky News: “I’ve said previously, if I can win every major title in my career then I’ll be happy. I’d like to add on the world titles, and deep down, if I want to break the record of Phil Taylor, I’ve got the ability to. If I want it, I’m sure I can do it

Australia v India: fifth men’s cricket Test, day two – as it happened

Geoff Lemon’s report from a day of ‘sugar rush’ Test cricket at the SCG is now live:Fifteen wickets in the day, a half century for debutant Beau Webster, sensational Indian slip catching, four-should-have-been-five wickets for the unstoppable Scott Boland, early fireworks from Yashasvi Jaiswal and something audaciously delicious from Rishabh Pant. Throw in a mystery injury to Jasprit Bumrah, a dash to hospital in an SUV, and it was another memorable day in a memorable few weeks of cricket. With two days gone, the match, and the series, is still in the balance.Australia started the day one wicket down, and never quite hit the accelerator on their innings. Only Smith and Webster passed 23, with Prasidh Krishna, playing his first match of the series, taking the crucial wickets of Smith and Webster when both had settled and were reaching for the velvet slippers