Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 12 January 12:30 pm

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

# We start off with Rugby: Champions Cup action returns this weekend, and the Bulls will take on the Bristol Bears in the English city tomorrow while the Stormers will be at home in Cape Town to England’s Sale Sharks. Next weekend, the Bulls will be back home in Pretoria against Bordeaux-Begles and the Stormers will play Stade Francais in Paris. The Bulls are currently third in Pool One after winning one of their previous games and losing one. The Stormers are fourth in Pool four, also with one victory and one loss.

Meanwhile, British and Irish Lions chief executive Ben Calveley says they don’t have a policy that closes off anyone from being selected. This has opened the door for the likes of Henry Arundell, Joe Marchant, and Owen Farrell. England and Ireland’s current selection policies mean only players who play their club rugby within the country can play for the Test side. Farrell has been linked with a transfer to Racing 92 in France, which will make him ineligible for England. Calveley says form will remain the sole barometer for selection.

# Cricket: Yorkshire Cricket CEO, Stephen Vaughan, has defended the decision to approve the controversial Colin Graves-led consortium takeover of the club amid a dire financial situation. Graves’ previous tenure at Yorkshire as chairperson between 2012 and 2015, was a period in which the club was fined for failing to address the systemic use of discriminatory or racist language. Vaughan told BBC that they spoke to more than 350 potential parties when seeking fresh investment but the Graves-led offer was the only viable option:

# Tennis: Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz both have a shot at finishing the Australian Open as world number one. Defending champion Djokovic currently holds a slender 200-point lead over 20-year-old Alcaraz. The Spaniard has no points to defend after missing the Australian Open last year due to injury. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev also has a chance of returning to world number one following the Australian Open, but he will need to win the title and not have either Djokovic or Alcaraz reach the semifinals.

And in more Tennis news, Djokovic could meet a former world number one, Andy Murray of Scotland, in the third round of the Australian Open. The Serbian is aiming for his 11th title at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament. Djokovic faces a qualifier in the first round in Melbourne, while Murray will play 30th-seeded Argentine Tomás Martín Etcheverry on Sunday. The tournament is being played over 15 days for the first time in an effort to reduce the amount of matches only ending in the early morning hours.

Stay tuned for more news………….