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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Luke Littler lights up Wollongong with Australian Darts Masters victory
World champion Luke Littler demonstrated his phenomenal teenage talent in Wollongong by winning the star-studded Australian Darts Masters. A year after being humbled in the final of the biggest invitation event to be played in Australia, the 18-year-old this time made no mistake, winning all three of his matches convincingly on Saturday night to lift yet another big title. He also crushed Damon Heta's homecoming dream as he hammered Australia's top player, the world No 10, in the quarter-finals. After defeating Heta 6-3 in the last eight and Stephen Bunting 7-4 in the semis, Littler outplayed Belgian Mike de Decker to win the final 8-4. In 2024, Littler had lost in the showdown 8-1 to former world champ Gerwyn Price, so was determined to put on a show for his Australian fans on his second visit. 'It feels very good. It's another one I can tick off,' Littler said after winning a World Series event for the first time in six attempts this year. 'I played very well tonight. I didn't play so well last night in the first round but tonight is when it really matters. 'It's not gone to plan this year in the World Series but there are plenty of opportunities to win and I've finally picked one up,' added Littler, who's been in superlative form in other events, particularly with his victories in the Premier League and recent World Matchplay. Now he's after a trans-Tasman double when he moves on to the New Zealand Darts Masters. 'A few days off and then Auckland, I can't wait,' he said of next weekend's event. The frightening thing for his opponents is that Littler prevailed at the WIN Sports and Entertainments Centre without ever quite hitting his very best form. Perth ace Heta, who had held high hopes of toppling Littler after averaging nearly 110 in his first-round match on Friday, just couldn't hit those heights again, and the teenager made him pay by reeling off three straight legs from 3-3 to move into the semis, including a 104 checkout in the penultimate game. In the semis, there was some more magic from Littler as he pulled off the biggest finish of the tournament, a maximum 170 'big fish' checkout on the way to beating Bunting. In the final, Littler was always in control once he produced two fantastic legs, one featuring a 143 checkout and the next an 11-darter. It all left De Decker sighing with a rueful smile: 'He needs to retire because it's not fun any more.'
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Lark Atkin-Davies doubles up in Red Roses' power-packed win over France
England stormed to a 16th consecutive win over France in their final warmup match before the World Cup kicks off in two weeks. After a close-run Six Nations finale in April England's 6-40 win in Mont-de-Marsan was a reminder of the physical gulf between the cross-Channel rivals, with the visitors' pack instrumental in all six of their tries. It was fitting that the game, a friendly only in name, was scheduled amid the street festival season in south-west France – matches against Les Bleues are rarely dull affairs, even if the Red Roses have dominated Le Crunch for the last seven years. Both teams fielded relatively full-strength sides at the Stade André-et-Guy Boniface, home to the men's Pro D2 side Stade Montois. For John Mitchell's team, Marlie Packer's suspension and the head injury absence of Emily Scarratt were compensated for by the returns of Ellie Kildunne and the captain, Zoe Aldcroft. For Les Bleues, the scrum-half Pauline Bourdon-Sansus was the major absentee, as she serves a two-match suspension for criticism of the refereeing in the French domestic final. The hosts were keen to avoid the kind of lethargic start that has often cost them dear against elite teams. England, though, picked up where they left off in the 97-7 win over Spain, with a physically dominant start, spending most of the first 40 minutes in France's half. France Bourgeois; Grisez, Ménager (Cissokho 59), Neisen, Arbey; Arbez (Tuy 66), Chambon; T Feleu, Champon (Queyroi 66), Escudero, Fall, Raclot (Ikahehegi 70), M Feleu (Maka 59), Bernadou (Khalfaoui h/t), Bigot (Riffoneau 50), Deshaye (Brosseau 50). Sin-bin M Feleu 29. Pen Bourgeois (2). England Kildunne; Dow, Jones, Heard, Breach (Sing 72); Harrison, Hunt; Matthews, Kabeya (Ward 63), Aldcroft, Ward (Galligan 56), Talling (Feunati 56), Muir (Bern 56), Cokayne (Atkin-Davies 56), Botterman (Clifford 56). Tries Talling, Cokayne, Muir, Jones, Atkin-Davies (2). Cons Harrison (5) Referee Aimée Barrett-Theron (SA). The visitors were ahead within four minutes, Morwenna Talling scoring from a driving maul on the left after a lineout five metres out. The Red Roses' second try 10 minutes later came from the same routine, this time from the right and scored by Amy Cokayne. While Les Bleues did admirably to withstand the barrage of England attacks over the next 15 minutes, they were dealt another blow when their captain, Manaé Feleu, was shown a yellow card on the half-hour mark. France managed their first foray into England's 22 a few minutes later, yielding a penalty converted by Morgane Bourgeois. The Six Nations champions eventually made the most of their numerical advantage, though, with another driving maul seeing Maud Muir over the line. As has often been the case recent Le Crunch clashes, France emerged for the second half with a newfound urgency. Bourgeois added another three points within minutes of the restart, after an impressive drive through the heart of the England defence by Teani Feleu. England soon added a fourth try to dash any hopes of a comeback, though, with Megan Jones running in after a quick penalty from a five-metre scrum. The final half-hour was nevertheless a more balanced affair, with France stretching the opposition defence several times but undermining their efforts with repeated handling errors and poor discipline. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion Momentum swung back in England's direction in the final 10 minutes. After being held up by excellent France defence a couple of times, Atkin-Davies eventually went over for the visitors' fifth try five minutes from time. The Bristol front-rower soon scored her second. A late break from Joanna Grisez, appeared to promise a consolation try, taking Les Bleues to within five metres of the try-line. The resulting penalty was taken quickly, but a long kick straight into touch dashed any hopes of a score to get the 7,500-strong crowd back on their feet. While both sets of coaches had insisted before the match that the final result would not be their primary concern, a 16th consecutive win for England over France (and their biggest in 15 years) will provide vindication of the work done over their summer-long training camp. For the hosts, their lone warm-up match offered something of a reality check as to the physical and technical domination of the teams they have been aiming to rival. The two sides are expected to meet again in five weeks' time, this time in Bristol for a blockbuster World Cup semi-final. Before then, England face the USA in Sunderland on 22 August in the tournament's curtain-raiser, while Les Bleues take on Italy in Exeter the following day.
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Paralysed footy star Alex McKinnon receives personal apology from NRL supremo Peter V'Landys
Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter V'landys has issued a personal apology to paralysed footy star Alex McKinnon after learning that the ex-Newcastle player had been paying for tickets to NRL matches. Last month, it was revealed that McKinnon - who was left paralysed by a horrific on-field accident in 2014 - had been paying for tickets to watch the Knights play at McDonald Jones Stadium for over a decade. V'landys wasn't impressed by the revelation and has acted swiftly to make things right, offering McKinnon free lifetime tickets to NRL matches and an apology. McKinnon expressed his gratitude at the gesture from V'landys. 'I've bought my own tickets for 10 years and it was never about that,' he told News Corp. 'I don't want to be asking for stuff. I see myself as a fan and I enjoy it on the hill with my kids with general admission tickets. Alex McKinnon (pictured with partner Lily Malone and daughter Harriet) said being offered tickets for life was a very nice gesture 'But I really appreciate Peter reaching out with the email offering the tickets for the rest of my life. 'It's not something I would have asked for but I'm really appreciative. It's a very nice gesture.' McKinnon, a father-of-three had faced an uncertain future 11 years ago after one of the most shocking incidents in Australian sporting history. McKinnon fractured his C4 and C5 vertebrae in a horror tackle during that game against Melbourne in 2014. He'd played 49 NRL games before tragedy struck - and as he later revealed, he knew as soon as he hit the ground that his life was about to change forever. 'I knew straight away,' he told ABC journalist Stan Grant in 2020. 'I remember hearing the noise, I remember trying to move but not being able to, I remember players surrounding me and looking at me - clear conversations, I could hear everything. 'I really just felt embarrassed ... I suppose it takes you back to being a man and what your identity is there - strong, unflappable, unwavering - I just felt that it was embarrassing that I was laying there, unable to move, and I just felt like a real failure.' Five days after the tackle, he woke up to a medical practitioner pricking him with a pin to determine where his paralysis began and classify the injury. On the sixth day, doctors at The Alfred Hospital gave Mr McKinnon, his parents and then-girlfriend Teigan Power the devastating news that it was very unlikely he would ever walk again. In his emotional biography, Unbroken, McKinnon wrote: 'I began to yell and sob as tears streamed down my face.' 'I'm f***ing over this,' he yelled to his parents. 'I don't want to be here, this is making me sick to my stomach, why can't I just die? Why can't you just kill me? Why are you going to put me through this? How can you let me live like this? Is it just for you? I'm happy to die. I want this over.' He would later split from wife Teigan Power in 2022, but has found love again with new partner Lily Malone. The pair are understood to have started dating while the 33-year-old was studying at university.
