The Fiji Times

Golf-Thrilled Matsuyama claims Zozo Championship with back nine charge

(Reuters) – A blistering back nine saw Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama hold off a determined challenge from Cameron Tringale to win the Zozo Championship by five shots in front of his adoring Japanese supporters on Sunday. With the gallery restricted to 5,000 fans, Matsuyama’s final round 65 earned him the title at the Narashino Country...

Cricket-Afghanistan hope World Cup success can bring joy back home

(Reuters) – Afghanistan’s Twenty20 World Cup preparation has been far from ideal in the aftermath of the country’s Taliban takeover in August but captain Mohammad Nabi hopes his team’s performance can bring about some joy back home. Afghanistan’s cricket board also underwent personnel changes and all-rounder Nabi was handed the captaincy after star spinner Rashid...

Cricket-India-Pakistan blockbuster set to light up Twenty20 World Cup

DUBAI (Reuters) – Former champions India and Pakistan will face off on Sunday in a Twenty20 World Cup blockbuster in Dubai and the buzz around the game underlines the enduring appeal of the matchup between the sub-continent’s feuding neighbours. India captain Virat Kohli and Pakistan counterpart Babar Azam have called it just another game, but...

Cricket-Asalanka, Rajapaksa lead Sri Lanka to comfortable win

(Reuters) – Charith Asalanka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa shared a partnership of 86 to give Sri Lanka a five-wicket win over Bangladesh in their opening Super 12 match in the Twenty20 World Cup in Sharjah on Sunday. Asalanka remained unbeaten on 80 from 49 balls and Rajapaksa, celebrating his 30th birthday, hit a 31-ball 53 to...

Athletics-World Championship bronze medallist Quinonez killed in Ecuador

(Reuters) -Sprinter Alex Quinonez, Ecuador’s World Championship bronze medallist, has been killed in his home city of Guayanquil on Friday, the country’s sports ministry said on Saturday. Guayaquil-based newspaper El Universo said Quinonez, who was 32, and another individual were fatally shot at around 9:20 p.m. on Friday in the northwest part of the city....

Athletics-Ethiopia’s Gidey breaks half marathon world record

(Reuters) – Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey smashed the women’s half marathon world record on Sunday, finishing in one hour, two minutes and 52 seconds at the Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso EDP. The 23-year-old Gidey, who is also the world 5,000 metres (14:06.62) and 10,000 metres (29:01.03) record-holder, shaved more than a minute off the previous...

Cricket-Scotland eye test status with strong T20 World Cup show

(Reuters) – Scotland are brimming with confidence ahead of their Super 12 clash against Afghanistan and the side want to use the Twenty20 World Cup as a platform to push their case to become cricket’s next full member, batsman Calum MacLeod said on Sunday. The Scottish side won all three matches in the preliminary round,...

Teams battle in Newtown

Organisers of the Ouch Taonivou Volleyball Tournament are happy with the standard seen in the past two events as they buildup to their big tournament next month. Chief organiser Paula Nabuta said they had already organised two tournaments on their court in Newtown, Nasinu which had 32 teams participating and the target was to get...

Top four make semis

Four teams have confirmed their spots in the semi-finals of the Digicel Beach Soccer Championship to be held at the Fiji Sports Council Beach soccer pitch today. United Beach Soccer Club and Blue Demons have qualified from Pool B while United Brothers and Sand Sational have made it through from Group A. The opening of competition...

Cricket-Sri Lanka are a better side than Bangladesh, says captain Shanaka

(Reuters) – Sri Lanka have already made their mark in the Twenty20 World Cup with commanding wins in the preliminary round and will go into their Super 12 contest against Bangladesh with a slight edge, the team’s captain Dasun Shanaka said on Saturday. The island nation, who won the 2014 edition of the tournament, stamped...

Sport post-COVID

Sport ground to a halt in April as our country was hit by the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. And now, nearly half a year later, I’m looking ahead to tomorrow – the return of competitive sport in the form of football’s Digicel Premier League. Really? Well, you’ll find out my concerns as you...

New sport programme “positive step towards” NZ hosting Commonwealth Games

GENEVA, 23 OCTOBER 2021 (INSIDE THE GAMES) – The flexible sports programme outlined in the Strategic Roadmap approved by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) General Assembly earlier this month has been described as “a really positive step towards New Zealand hosting another Commonwealth Games” by the nation’s Commonwealth Games Association (CGA) President. Athletics and swimming...

Doping-Russian triathlete Polyanskiy suspended for three years

(Reuters) – Russian triathlete Igor Polyanskiy has been banned for three years after testing positive for the banned substance EPO, World Triathlon said in a statement on Thursday. The sample was collected during an out-of-competition test in July, meaning that Polyanskiy will be disqualified from all subsequent events. The 31-year-old took part in the men’s...

Cricket-Milk powerplays, Finch tells Australia after dew diligence

DUBAI (Reuters) – Australia captain Aaron Finch believes powerplays will make or break team fortunes at the Twenty20 World Cup, apart from being a potent antidote to the pesky dew factor. Australia will launch their bid for the only major global trophy that has eluded them with Saturday’s Group 1 match against South Africa in...

Snowboarding-Australia’s Hughes to grind through injury to Beijing

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Having already battled back from six knee surgeries, determined Australian snowboarder Jarryd Hughes has no intention of letting an ankle injury derail his bid for another Olympic medal at the Beijing Winter Games. Hughes, who won silver in the snowboard cross at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, had to go under the knife...

Tennis-Murray bemoans ‘poor attitude’ in Antwerp exit

(Reuters) – Former world number one Andy Murray said he showed a poor attitude and did not make the right decisions in Thursday’s second-round exit at the European Open in Antwerp, Belgium. Murray, currently ranked 172nd, lost 6-4 7-6(6) to Argentine second seed Diego Schwartzman as the Briton failed to match his 2019 display when...

Cricket-England’s Morgan uncertain if he will play 2023 ODI World Cup

(Reuters) – England’s white-ball captain Eoin Morgan expects to play in next year’s Twenty20 World Cup but he is not certain he will be part of the team’s title defence at the 50-overs World Cup in 2023, the 35-year-old said. Morgan will lead England at this year’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates...

Scotland and Bangladesh win to reach Super 12 stage of T20 World Cup

Scotland recorded their third successive victory and advanced to the next stage of the T20 World Cup with a resounding eight-wicket win over co-hosts Oman on Thursday (Friday NZT). Earlier, Bangladesh beat Papua New Guinea by 84 runs to finish behind Scotland in Group B and also advanced to the Super 12. Scotland joins India,...

Hamilton hoping for a Texan twist in F1 title duel

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have traded the Formula One championship lead four times in six races and Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix in Austin could provide yet another twist in the tale. Red Bull’s Verstappen leads Hamilton by six points after 16 of 22 races but the Circuit of the Americas holds happier memories for...

Djokovic will need to be vaccinated to play Australian Open: minister

Novak Djokovic will not be able to enter Australia to defend his Australian Open title unless he is fully vaccinated for COVID-19, the country’s immigration minister said on Wednesday, putting the Serb’s Grand Slam record bid in doubt. World number one Djokovic, who is level with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal on 20 Grand Slam...

Olympics-Beijing lights flame, to be first city to host summer, winter games

China lit its Olympic flame in Beijing on Wednesday after the ceremonial torch arrived from Athens, ahead of the Chinese capital’s hosting of the 2022 Winter Games in February. The Winter Games will be held from Feb. 4 to Feb. 20, when Beijing will become the first city to host both the summer and winter...

Pattinson retires before Ashes

Australia fast bowler James Pattinson has announced his retirement from international cricket ahead of the upcoming Ashes series against England. Pattinson decided to step away from international cricket to focus on his family, continue playing for his state team Victoria and help nurture the next generation of fast bowlers. Pattinson announced himself on the world...

Maselino Masoe: The first Samoan boxer to win a major world title

Maselino Masoe was the first Samoan boxer to win a major world title, but the opportunity almost never happened. The 55-year-old sat down with Talei Anderson and Faivaeselopepe Anric Sitanilei to talk about the sacrifice and lessons he learnt going pro, and the moment it all came down to in 2004. Maselino Masoe was born in...

PNG cricketers miss out on T20 World Cup main draw

Papua New Guinea’s hopes of reaching the T20 Cricket World Cup main draw are over after a 17 run defeat by Scotland in their second pool match. Fresh from their upset win over Bangladesh, Scotland posted 165 for 9 from their 20 overs after electing to bat first, despite losing four wickets in the final...

Capital City side starts preparations

Suva Football Association executives are working on improving the ﬁtness level of players in the lead up to the resumption of the Digicel Premier League. The Capital City side is scheduled to face Ba when the league resumes. Suva coach Babs Khan said their playing style was still rusty and the ﬁtness level had dropped...

Baber maintains Fijian rugby ties

Outgoing Fijian 7s coach Gareth Baber would love to come back to mentor the Fijian Drua or the Flying Fijians if given the opportunity in the future. Baber has taken up the role as the new skills and assistant attack coach of Edinburgh Rugby making a switch from the abbreviated code to concentrate on getting...

Fiji National Rugby League cancels 2021 premiership calendar

The Fiji National Rugby League (FNRL) has scrapped its 2021 premiership season in a bid to focus on preparations for next year’s full calendar. The new season is expected to start with the FNRL off-season program next month. As a result of the cancellation, the 2021 Vodafone Cup and the inaugural women’s competitions will not...

Tennis-Djokovic unsure over Australian Open involvement, won’t reveal vaccine status

BELGRADE (Reuters) – World number one Novak Djokovic once again declined to reveal whether he has been vaccinated against COVID-19 and said he was unsure if he would defend his title at next year’s Australian Open. The state of Victoria, where the Grand Slam event takes place in Melbourne, has introduced a vaccine mandate for...

Cricket-England suffer Livingstone injury scare before T20 World Cup opener

(Reuters) – England all-rounder Liam Livingstone suffered a finger injury in Monday’s warm-up match against India ahead of the Twenty20 World Cup, raising doubts over his availability for their opening game this weekend. Livingstone left the field with the little finger on his left hand swollen after he dropped a catch at deep midwicket during...

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Suva Cricket to begin 2021-2022 season next month