Sports News 12:30
BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 23 January 12:30 pm
Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:
# We start with cricket: SA20 defending champions Sunrisers Eastern Cape recorded an emphatic nine-wicket bonus point victory against last season’s runners-up, Pretoria Capitals, in Gqeberha. Ottniel Baartman had his career-best SA20 figures of four wickets for just 12 runs as the Capitals were dismissed for a record-low 52. In reply, Jordan Hermann and Tom Abell shared an unbeaten 50-run partnership for the second wicket, as the Sunrisers cruised to victory with 79 balls remaining. Baartman says this comprehensive win is a big boost for the team:
# Soccer: Nigeria, Egypt, Cape Verde, and Equatorial Guinea are through to the last 16 of the Africa Cup of Nations. Opa Sangante’s own goal earned Nigeria a one-nil win over Guinea-Bissau. With Equatorial Guinea thumping hosts Ivory Coast four-nil in the other Group A game, Nigeria finished second in the group. Egypt scraped through with a two-all draw with Group B leaders Cape Verde. Meanwhile, Ghana also played to a two-all draw with Mozambique as a place in the last 16 slipped through their fingers.
# Rugby: French Top 14 side Racing 92 has confirmed the signing of England and Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell on a two-year contract from the end of the 2023/24 season. The 32-year-old is currently taking a break from Test rugby for mental health reasons. Farrell has won 112 caps for England and has played for Saracens his whole career, having made his debut at age 17. His decision to move to France means he will not be able to play for England under current Rugby Football Union regulations.
# Cycling: The organisers of the Cape Town Cycle Tour remind prospective participants to enter for this year’s race before the end of the month. Entries close at midnight on the 31st of January for the race taking place on Sunday the sixth of March. There are two categories – the race over 109 kilometres, and one of 42 kilometres. The entry fee for the longer race is 950-rand, but free for cyclists who have completed 40 tours. For the shorter distance, entries are 445-rand, and 400-rand for cyclists 18-years and younger.
# And finally: Tennis: American Coco Gauff is through to the semifinals of the Australian Open for the first time in her career. She battled passed Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2, in three-hours-and-eight-minutes. This is the reigning US Open champion’s 12th straight major match win and she has not lost a match this year. Gauff says she left everything on the court today:
Stay tuned for more news………….