Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 21 January 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# First up we have cricket: The Paarl Royals are back on top of the SA20 table after recording their third consecutive win. They defeated Joburg Super Kings by six wickets. Jonny Bairstow scored 60 and Bjorn Fortuin took two wickets as the Super Kings were restricted to 146 for six. In reply, Mitchell van Buuren shared a match-winning 71-run fourth-wicket partnership with captain David Miller, as the Royals reached the target with five balls to spare. Fortuin says they are in a good position as they get closer to the playoffs:

# Rugby: Former Wallaby captain Michael Hooper says he is excited to return to the game after his retirement in June. He recently unexpectedly announced he signed a contract with Toyota Verblitz, coached by former All Blacks coach Steven Hansen. Thirty-three-year-old Hooper will represent the Japanese team for the remainder of the season as replacecement for injured Springbok great Pieter-Steph du Toit. General manager Akitomo Goto believes Hooper will inspire young Japanese talent. The flanker scored 110 points in 125 Tests for Australia from 2012 to 2023.

# Golf: World number one Scottie Scheffler says he is still unsure whether he will be able to make his season debut at next week’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California. The American cut his hand on broken glass while preparing Christmas dinner, for which he required surgery. He has missed the season-opening Sentry tournament in Hawaii and the American Express that concluded in California on Sunday. Scheffler says his recovery is progressing well, but he won’t rush his return back to the tour.

# Tennis: Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek is the International Tennis Federation’s world champions for 2024. Sinner, from Italy, is currently the men’s world number one while Swiatek from Poland was overtaken by Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s rankings. Sinner won his first Grand Slam title at last year’s Australian Open and followed that up by winning the US Open. Swiatek last year added another French Open title to take her Grand Slam tally to five. She also clinched Olympic bronze.

Meanwhile, the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed it won’t appeal against the International Tennis Integrity Agency’s decision in Swiatek’s doping case. She served a one-month suspension last year after testing positive for a banned substance. Wada says a thorough review found the player’s explanation which the integrity agency accepted, was plausible. Wada earlier decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in a similar case against Sinner.

Stay tuned for more news………….