SNOOKER
Robertson wins UK title
Australia’s Neil Robertson became the first player to make a maximum 147 break in a UK Snooker Championship final on his way to beating China’s Liang Wenbo 10-5 on Sunday. The left-handed Robertson, 33, made the maximum in the sixth frame as he dominated the final against outsider Liang. Robertson, the 2010 world champion and a former world No. 1, was 5-3 up at the interval in the best-of-19 final. Fellow left-hander Liang, 28, refused to buckle as the next four frames were shared at 7-5 before the greater experience of the Australian told as he wrapped up the next three to take the UK trophy for the second time in three years.
GOLF
Poulter, Westwood selected
Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have been selected by European captain Darren Clarke as his picks for next month’s EurAsia Cup tournament in Malaysia. The Englishmen are to make their debuts in the team event, being held for a second time after the inaugural edition last year, joining 10 other players automatically selected for Europe last month. “Having played in a total of 14 Ryder Cups, Ian and Lee have proven themselves two of the most fearsome match players in the game and I fully expect them to deliver points for the team on the golf course,” Clarke said in a statement yesterday. Team Asia, captained by India’s Jeev Milkha Singh, is to be named on Tuesday next week after the Thailand Golf Championship.
MOTOR RACING
Ecclestone slams Mercedes
Mercedes’ world championship stranglehold has made Formula One “boring” and caused spectators to turn their backs on the sport, commercial ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone told Welt am Sonntag on Sunday. “The domination of Mercedes is so strong that a good number of people watch the start of a race and then switch off their televisions because Mercedes have made races boring,” Ecclestone said. “It is not good for the sport. Fans do not want to know, before the start of a Grand Prix, who is going to win. It is a problem for us at the moment and one that we must resolve.” Mercedes have swept to the last two F1 world titles, with Lewis Hamilton taking back-to-back drivers’ crowns. That dominance has led Ecclestone, the head of Formula One Management, to say he is worried for the sport’s future. Ecclestone believes that teams and manufacturers need to co-operate more to make the sport more affordable and attractive, and agree on a package of reform measures. “For decades, we have tried to limit financial operations to guarantee more competitiveness,” added Ecclestone, who believes more powerful and cheaper engines are key to achieving a level playing field.
SOCCER
US cancel match over pitch
The US women’s soccer team called off its Women’s World Cup “Victory Tour” match against Trinidad and Tobago in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Sunday, declaring the artificial pitch unsuitable for an international match. After testing the playing surface on Saturday in their final workout and seeking options to get the field into playable condition, the US Soccer Federation made the final decision to cancel the match. “We extend our sincere apologies to those fans who were scheduled to attend,” US Soccer spokesman Neil Buethe said. “Player safety is our ... priority at all times and after a thorough inspection throughout the day, we determined it was in the best interest for both teams to not play the match.”
American rugby sevens star Ilona Maher is to join 15-a-side club Bristol next month in a bid to play in next year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, the English club announced on Monday. Maher, 28, helped the US to a bronze medal at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris and is the seven-a-side sport’s most popular player on social media. “This is a huge coup to be able to bring Ilona Maher to Bristol Bears on a short-term deal,” Bristol head coach Dave Ward said. “She is one of the biggest names in women’s sport, let alone rugby, and we believe she will
New Taipei Kings guard Jeremy Lin on Friday was named the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s (TPBL) Player of the Month, the first domestic player to win the award, while the Hsinchu Toplus Lioneers are to welcome their third head coach in less than a year. Lin averaged 22 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.6 assists over five games in October and last month, helping the Kings to second in the standings with a 4-2 record as of Friday. The Kings last night defeated the Lioneers 96-78 to move level with the top-of-the-table Formosa Dreamers (5-2), while in the night game, the New Taipei
LeBron James is in quite the shooting slump — especially from long distance, highlighted by his zero-for-four effort from three-point range for the Los Angeles Lakers in their 109-80 loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. That return stretched the nearly-40-year-old’s skid to zero-for-19 from deep over his past four games. James’ birthday is on Dec. 30. After going four-for-16 from the floor overall with six of his team’s 20 turnovers for a season-low 10 points against the Timberwolves, James was asked to reflect on the Lakers reaching the quarter mark of their 2024-2025 schedule under rookie coach J.J. Redick at 12-9. “I
TSG (Taiwan Steel Group) Tainan won the Taiwan Football Premier League (TFPL) title for a fifth straight season on Sunday, while the Kaohsiung Attackers a week earlier emerged as champions for the first time in the women’s league. In the final round of the TFPL, TSG rested most of their important players for the home match at Yonghua Stadium in Tainan. They had 46 points prior to the game and were already guaranteed to finish in first place. Their opponent, Hang Yuan FC, were led by midfielder Chen Po-ying, who scored two goals, first with a curving shot just inside
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