TOUCH RUGBY
Taipei Hulks move top
The Taipei Hulks seized top spot in the Taipei Winter Touch League at the Bailing rugby fields in Shilin District yesterday with two wins and a draw on the third Saturday of competition. The Hulks defeated KGB 3-2 and Taipei American School (TAS) 8-3, while AyKang Galaxy held them to a 2-2 tie. Galaxy mixed in a win — 4-1 over TAS — and a loss — 8-0 to the Taipei Beasts. The Beasts slipped to second on the table, going down to the burger-joint-sponsored KGB 7-2, who trounced TAS 8-0. There are two competition days left before the finals, with the fourth day to be played on Saturday next week at Bailing from 10am.
FORMULA ONE
Rosberg fastest in Mexico
Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg set the fastest time in Mexican Grand Prix practice on Friday as large crowds welcomed Formula One back to the nation after a 23-year absence. The German, who is fighting for second place in a championship already won by teammate Lewis Hamilton, lapped the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit with a best of 1 minute, 21.531 seconds. Off the track, Hamilton said his next Formula One contract is likely to be his last and does not want to “hog” a seat and deny others a shot at glory. The 30-year-old, who clinched his third title in Texas last weekend, indicated he intended to see out his career with Mercedes. Meanwhile, former Sauber driver Esteban Gutierrez of Mexico is to drive for the new US-based Haas team in their Formula One debut next year. The announcement at a press event at Mexico City’s Soumaya Museum confirmed the worst-kept secret in the sport. The 24-year-old is to join French driver Romain Grosjean on the team, which is based in Kannapolis, North Carolina.
FOOTBALL
Redskins player sues site
Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon on Friday filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in US federal court in Maryland on behalf of himself and other NFL players, asserting that daily fantasy sports company FanDuel Inc used their names and likenesses without consent. The case comes as the unregulated fantasy sports industry, in which people pay to compete for daily cash prizes in simulated sports contests, faces legal scrutiny following reports that a DraftKings Inc employee won US$350,000 in a FanDuel contest using what appeared to be insider information.
CRICKET
Black Caps change plans
New Zealand are to travel to Brisbane early to acclimatize to the conditions there ahead of the first Test against Australia after their preparations were disrupted due to a tour match being scrapped in farcical circumstances on Friday. Originally intended to last four days, the match was scaled back to three before being abandoned by lunch on the second day due to the acute deterioration of the pitch at the Blacktown International Sportspark in western Sydney. New Zealand’s bowlers took only one wicket from the opening four sessions and only after the Cricket Australia XI openers built a 503-run partnership, an Australian record in first-class cricket. New Zealand’s batsmen did not hit a ball in anger and the team heads to Brisbane frustrated by the lack of match practice. Cricket Australia offered to find the Black Caps better facilities in Sydney, but New Zealand are instead to train at Allan Border field in Brisbane ahead of the Test at the Gabba, which is to start on Thursday.
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
Australian restaurant chain Grill’d has made a cheeky apology for putting a “curse” on Oscar Piastri’s Formula One title hopes with their offer of a free burger for every time the McLaren driver gets on the podium. The Melbourne native has not finished in the top three since the promotion relaunched five races ago, losing the championship lead to teammate Lando Norris and now 24 points behind. Online conspiracy theorists have been quick to put two and two together. The chain’s Piastri 81 Burger debuted ahead of the Australian Grand Prix in March, with his endorsement, and was relaunched in September after he
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