Gary Anderson began his quest for a third World Championship title in style with a handsome victory over Simon Whitlock.
The Scot, who won back-to-back crowns at Alexandra Palace in 2015 and 2016, has been looking back to his best this year after a lull and eased through to the third round with a 3-0 success over the Australian.
He set the tone with a 180 with his opening throw of the match and won the first five legs to take command.
Anderson, who averaged 98.29, saw it out in style, taking out 116 for the highest checkout of the match.
“The first set I played better, but I have known Simon a long, long time, he struggled up there,” the Scot said. “But happy with the win.
“I am trying to get back, I didn’t want to play darts in the last three years. I am enjoying it again, win or lose, I am enjoying it.”
Jamie Hughes was fighting back tears after finally breaking his Ally Pally duck.
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The world number 62 had lost his previous four matches on the big stage but put that right by beating David Cameron 3-1.
He said: “I am probably playing the worst I have ever played in my life and I have just won a game. I have played better and lost. I am so, so happy to finally get a win on that stage.
“Hopefully that has got the duck off my back and I can play my natural game.”
Dave Chisnall sent Cameron Menzies back to the day job after knocking him in the afternoon session.
Menzies had booked his place in the second round on Friday night after working a half-day as a plumber, having to fix a burst pipe and repair a kitchen sink.
He was back in action on Saturday afternoon, having at least had the morning off, but could not repeat the trick and 11th seed Chisnall came from a set down to win 3-1.
Menzies, who is hoping to make the transition to become a full-time darts player, will be back at the Palace on Sunday to support his girlfriend Fallon Sherrock, but his run at this year’s tournament is over.
Lee Evans reckons it would not be a major shock if he beats Luke Humphries in the second round.
The 35-year-old marked his Ally Pally debut with a 3-0 win over Sandro Eric Sosing to set up a date with his former playing partner Humphries, who is the favourite to win the tournament.
“What a draw. Good job I know him very well,” he said. “I know his game very well, he knows me. We played pairs years ago, played in the same teams, I will need to play my best game without a doubt,” Evans said.
“It is a free shot. If he goes to that A place, I think I have got the A place to match, but he is a level above everyone at the moment.
“I reckon I can push him close if I can play my best. If I beat Luke Humphries I think there will be bigger shocks. For me I don’t think it would be a shock. Everyone else might, but I wouldn’t.”
There were also first-round wins for Connor Scutt, Darren Penhall, Scott Williams and Keane Barry.
Joel Embiid "just wants to dominate" in every single game after he starred again for the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 76ers put the Detroit Pistons away with the minimum of fuss on Friday, winning 124-92.
Embiid, last season's NBA MVP, tallied up 35 points and added 13 rebounds as the Sixers recorded a second win over Detroit in the space of two days.
With that haul, Embiid became the first player to have 675 points and 200 rebounds across his first 20 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain in the 1964-65 campaign.
"It's great to be in that class," Embiid said when that statistic was put to him after the game.
"I just want to dominate every single night."
Tyrese Maxey complimented Embiid with 19 points, and he said of his teammate: "He is getting better, which is scary.
"He made a layup today that I like to do where he made a Eurostep and laid it high off the glass. He's 7-foot-2 and he runs the floor at the same speed I do. It's scary."
Sixers coach Nick Nurse added: "You got to give our guys credit.
"They played hard and they made improvements defensively on the stuff we saw from the last game that we tried to work on the last couple days. Whoever hit the floor was out there trying to do the stuff we worked on and it paid off."
While Philadelphia have a quick turnaround as they face the Charlotte Hornets, the Pistons are licking their wounds after a franchise-record 22 straight losses.
Only four teams have lost more successive games in a single season.
"It's deflating," Detroit coach Monty Williams said. "It is what it is. It's a lot of repetitive games."
Tiger Woods and his son Charlie blamed poor putting after ending the first day of the PNC Championship seven shots off the lead.
The 15-time major winner and his 14-year-old son combined for an eight-under-par 64 in the scramble format as Matt Kuchar and his son Cameron made an eagle and 13 birdies in their 57.
“I drove the ball really good today,” Charlie Woods said.
“Didn’t miss a fairway and still managed to shoot eight under. We just suck at putting.”
“That sums it up right there,” added Tiger Woods, who also had his 16-year-old daughter Sam acting as his caddie.
“Sam was fantastic. This is the first time she’s ever done this, so it couldn’t have been any more special for all of us.
“For me to have both my kids inside the ropes like this and participating and playing and being part of the game of golf like this, it couldn’t have been more special for me.
“I know that we do this a lot at home, needle each other and have a great time. But it was more special to do it in a tournament like this.”
Dave Chisnall sent Cameron Menzies back to the day job after knocking him out of the World Championship on day two at Alexandra Palace.
Menzies had booked his place in the second round on Friday night after working a half-day as a plumber where he had to fix a burst pipe and repair a kitchen sink.
He was back in action on Saturday afternoon, having at least had the morning off, but could not repeat the trick and 11th seed Chisnall came from a set down to win 3-1 and give himself a happy Christmas.
Menzies, who is hoping to make the transition to become a full-time darts player, will be back at the Palace on Monday to support his girlfriend Fallon Sherrock, but his fun at this year’s tournament is over.
Lee Evans reckons it would not be a major shock if he beats Luke Humphries in the second round.
The 35-year-old marked his Ally Pally debut with a 3-0 win over Sandro Eric Sosing to set up a date with his former playing partner Humphries, who is the favourite to win the tournament.
“What a draw. Good job I know him very well,” he said. “I know his game very well, he knows me, we played pairs years ago, played in the same teams, I will need to play my best game without a doubt,” Evans said.
“It is a free shot. If he goes to that A place, I think I have got the A place to match but he is a level above everyone at the moment.
“I reckon I can push him close if I can play my best. If I beat Luke Humphries I think there will be bigger shocks. For me I don’t think it would be a shock, everyone else might, but I wouldn’t.”
Connor Scutt also enjoyed an impressive first outing at the home of darts as he beat Krzysztof Kciuk 3-0.
The Pole was playing his first World Championship match since 2010 and his first visit to the oche was a 180, but Scutt took control winning all three sets to arrange a second-round meeting with Gerwyn Price.
Darren Penhall beat American Jules van Dongen 3-1 in the other first-round match of the afternoon session.
Sa Fureur profited from the final fence exit of red-hot favourite Hunters Yarn to open his account over fences in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase at Fairyhouse.
The top-class pair of Blue Lord and El Fabiolo had landed the last two runnings of the extended two-mile contest for trainer Willie Mullins, jockey Paul Townend and owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, and Hunters Yarn was a 1-3 shot to make it a hat-trick for all concerned on his chasing bow.
A three-time bumper winner and twice successful over hurdles, Hunters Yarn looked to have victory in the bag after cruising to the front but blundered badly and crashed out at the last obstacle.
Gordon Elliott’s Sa Fureur, who had fallen on his fencing bow behind Mullins-trained star Facile Vega at Navan four weeks ago, was left in splendid isolation following Hunters Yarn’s tumble and came home with 40 lengths in hand over the eventual runner-up Byker under Jack Kennedy.
“He was a fortunate winner, but he was going to be a nice second and was running a good race,” Elliott said afterwards.
“I just hope the faller is okay, we had a bit of luck on our side – if you haven’t luck at this game, you have nothing.
“Jack said he showed a good attitude. We’ll probably look at one of those rated novice chases, or we could step him into a handicap.”
Elliott and Kennedy doubled up in the Hytech EQ Ultra 3-Y-O Maiden Hurdle, with Pacini justifying 5-4 favouritism with relative ease.
The three-year-old set the standard on jumping form, after finishing fifth and fourth respectively on his first two attempts, and he made it third time lucky with a six-and-a-half-length verdict.
Elliott added: “It looked like a grand opportunity and he did it well.
“He’s been working well at home and we fancied him the first day, he just got a fright. He jumped a lot better there today and he stayed going well. He’s going to win his races.”
Kennedy ended the afternoon with a treble after steering Ted Walsh’s 10-1 shot Pictures Of Home to a head victory in the Tote Always SP Or Better @Fairyhouse Handicap Hurdle.
Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore combined to land the Lacey’s Plumbing & Heating Supplies Maiden Hurdle with 7-2 chance Chigorin.
O’Moore Park, the 4-6 favourite to make a winning comeback after 596 days off the track, was ultimately a little disappointing in finishing third.
De Bromhead’s assistant, Robbie Power, said of the winner’s display: “We’re delighted with that. He stepped forward nicely from Naas, we thought he wanted three miles and he’s proved us right.
“He’s still learning, the penny is only starting to drop with him now, so hopefully he can keep improving.
“He’s an out-and-out stayer and you won’t see the best of him until he goes chasing. He’s a fine, big, strong horse and he’ll be a nice one to look forward to next season.”
Ben Godfrey was delighted to repay the faith put in him by Forward Plan’s connections as he rode the biggest winner of his career in the bet365 Handicap Chase at Doncaster.
Godfrey partnered Anthony Honeyball’s seven-year-old to three wins last season but none came close to matching the £26,000 first prize on offer on Town Moor.
Punters who had backed him at 6-1 never had a moment of worry in truth, as Godfrey cruised into contention as Mister Coffey and Whistleinthedark kicked on.
As soon as Forward Plan drew level, the race was as good as over, and he put it to bed in a matter of strides – possibly helped by the fact there were no fences in the straight, with them having been omitted due to the low sun.
Forward Plan had finished sixth behind stablemate Blackjack Magic in the Badger Beer Chase at Wincanton on his return and Godfrey felt that put him spot on for this.
“He travelled really well, he’s only a little horse but he’s been holding his own in some nice races,” said Godfrey.
“He ran a really nice race in the Badger Beer and back down to three miles today, as opposed to the extended three, was a big help.
“I knew with the fences out he’d have a big turn of foot. I think that helped him, as he’s a nifty little horse, so when I pressed the button, he put the race to bed. He idled a little but stuck on gamely in the end.
“That’s my biggest win to date. He’s taken me to some nice Saturday races. We all need horses like that and he’s been great for me – and to win a big one on him feels good to be able to repay the faith the owners have in me and Anthony.”
Broadway Boy continued his steep upward trajectory over fences with a determined victory in the Favourite From The Sun Now Daily Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained five-year-old had won two of his first three starts since having his attentions switched to the larger obstacles, his only defeat coming at the hands of dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero Flooring Porter at this track in October.
Having since returned to Cheltenham to win a Listed novice event by 20 lengths, Broadway Boy was a heavily supported 11-8 favourite stepping into a £100,000 handicap that featured a Betfair Chase winner and Gold Cup third in Protektorat – and the Twiston-Davies runner proved more than up to the task.
Given an attacking ride from the front by the trainer’s son Sam, the Malinas gelding did make a couple of jumping errors along the way but was always doing enough on the run-in to see off his long-time challenger Threeunderthrufive by a length and a quarter.
Dan Skelton can rightly take plenty of heart from the performance of Protektorat, who bounced back from a disappointing defence of his Betfair Chase crown at Haydock last month to finish an honourable third under the welter burden of 12 stone.
Of the winner, Twiston-Davies senior said: “His jumping was brilliant on the whole, but he made three mistakes down the back and if it wasn’t for those, he would have won quite easily. He is very tough and really good.
“After the last day, this race came onto the agenda. We are always looking for big money and this race was worth a lot of money.
“We certainly do like pitching novice chasers against experienced horses when we get the chance. We have done all our lives, and we have earned a lot of money doing that.
“I was delighted when Protektorat was declared to keep the weights down – it meant the world to us.
“He could go for either the National Hunt Chase or the Brown Advisory come the Festival. We will just have to see what the opposition looks like before making those decisions.”
Jonjo O’Neill senior and junior combined to land the John Wyke Memorial Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase with 5-1 shot Are U Wise To That.
The six-year-old travelled like the best horse in the race for much of the extended three-mile-one-furlong contest, but looked set to come off second best when Irish raider Midnight Our Fred kicked a couple of lengths clear between the final two fences.
To his credit, though, Are U Wise To That gritted his teeth to stay in the fight and finished the stronger of the pair up the hill to prevail by a length and three-quarters.
“When he missed the second-last, I thought he was beaten, to be honest,” said the winning trainer. “Then he jumped the last okay, but he stuck to his guns well, to be fair, so we are happy.
“His jumping was average, but he has got around. He does it in his own fashion, but he won nicely.
“It is nice to know that he can get around Cheltenham and you would have to look at the Ultima at the Festival with him.”
The Sophie Leech-trained Madara secured top honours in the two-mile Quintessentially Handicap Chase.
Favourite backers will have been getting excited after In Excelsis Deo moved to the front, but 9-1 shot Madara proved too strong on the run-in and passed the post with three and a quarter lengths in hand.
Leech said: “I’m absolutely delighted. He is a lovely young horse to have and he is very straightforward. He is just a joy really.
“We really felt after his last run that he needed further, and we were really keen to run in the December Gold Cup, but because of his four-year-old allowance, Fakir D’Oudairies put us so far out of the weights it just wasn’t worthwhile.
“Hopefully, he will be back here in March somewhere.”
The concluding Virgin Bet Every Saturday Money Back Mares’ Handicap Hurdle went to 11-2 shot Nurse Susan, trained by Dan Skelton and ridden by his brother Harry.
Shanagh Bob produced a determined performance to maintain his unbeaten record in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Bought for £200,000 after winning an Irish point-to-point 12 moths ago, the five-year-old began to repay that hefty price tag when making a successful debut under rules at Plumpton recently.
Nicky Henderson’s charge was a 15-8 favourite stepping up in trip and class for this three-mile Grade Two – and while Nico de Boinville had to get to work from before the home turn, Shanagh Bob did respond generously to his urgings to keep him in contention.
The experienced Destroytheevidence, winner of three of his five previous outings over hurdles, stuck to his guns to make a race of it in the straight, but he was ultimately unable to resist Shanagh Bob’s finishing kick, with a length and a quarter separating them at the line.
Moon D’Orange also ran with credit in third, as did the fourth placed Kerryhill.
Henderson said of the winner: “He has come from one ordinary novice hurdle at Plumpton into a Grade Two. I was looking for a three-mile race for him and stumbled across this.
“You always felt as if he was learning. He looked like he kept finding ways to get beaten. He is a really lovely, honest, hardy person that has got his whole life in front of him.
“He just needs to learn a bit. He doesn’t know what he is doing yet, and I don’t think he knew what he was doing there, to be honest with you.
“Nico said he doesn’t think he is there yet, but he tries very hard. It is a long way from Plumpton to here in one step. I’m pleasantly surprised.”
On whether the Albert Bartlett at the Festival in March is a likely target, the Seven Barrows handler added: “This is the road to it, but let’s see how things go before we jump into that water, as there is a long way to go before that.
“I thought this was a crazy step, but it has worked and he has got to stay in this company from here on in. If he can make the Albert Bartlett, that would be lovely. I know Joe (Donnelly, owner) would like to, and so would I.”
Geromino provided 10lb conditional jockey Charlie Maggs with a notable success in the £50,000 bet365 Handicap Hurdle at Doncaster.
Attached to Donald McCain’s yard in Cheshire, just like twin brother William, he was riding only the fourth winner of his career.
Geromino has been chasing of late and on his run behind subsequent Cheltenham winner Homme Public at Wetherby in October, he looked quite well handicapped off just 126 back over hurdles – especially when Maggs’ 10lb allowance was factored in.
However, there were some smart rivals amongst the opposition, chiefly top weight Tommy’s Oscar and Charlie Longsdon’s Rare Edition, who ran against the best novices last season.
Maggs judged things perfectly on the front end, though, and despite McCain fearing the loss of the hurdles in the straight due to low sun would work against the good jumper, it appeared to work in his favour.
First Impression, who cruised into contention, did not find as much as initially seemed likely and was beaten half a length, with a neck back to Rare Edition, who made late gains.
“Gary (Fitzpatrick, owner) is a great supporter and the old horse is just high enough in the handicap, and he’s a little horse for fences,” said McCain.
“I thought I’d give him a run over hurdles but when I went down to the last to watch the race with Gary and they started taking the hurdles out, I was moaning because he’s such a good jumper.
“But when you think about having a 10lb claim in a Flat race, it’s a lot and the horse is so genuine.
“Charlie judged it great. I’m very lucky, as I’ve got a great team of jockeys, led by Brian (Hughes), there’s Theo (Gilliard), Peter Kavanagh, William and Charlie and Abi (McCain), they’re a great bunch.
“Charlie and his brother have been coming every weekend since they were 12 and they’ve just turned 18. Charlie doesn’t have an agent yet because he’s not lost his 10lb. Will has had a few more winners because he’s lost his 10lb and Richard Hale looks after him. We’ll save his 10lb for nice races.”
Maggs said: “I’m delighted, he battled all the way to the line.
“He was happy in front, so I just let him bowl along and he was good. He’s a hardy horse and he kept going.
“That’s my fourth winner and it’s good to win a race like that.”
Victor Wembanyama vowed that the San Antonio Spurs will "keep working our a** off" after they ended their long wait for a win.
The Spurs overcame LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers 129-115 on Friday.
That brought up just their fourth win of the season, and their first since November 2, ending an 18-game losing run.
"Kind of felt like a playoff game to me," No.1 draft pick Wembanyama said. "But, of course we have to feel good about it.
"We love that feeling. We want to repeat it, so yeah, we're going to keep working our a** off."
Wembanyama's teammate Zach Collins added: "We know we've been trending in the right direction, so nobody's shocked as far as the players go.
"We just knew we had to catch a couple breaks, make some more shots. We knew our defense was getting better, so we feel good about it."
Wembanyama had 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Devin Vassell led the Spurs with a career-high 36 points.
James, who was missing from the Lakers starting lineup as Los Angeles defeated the Spurs on Wednesday, could not inspire Darvin Ham's team, who were without Anthony Davis.
"That's going to be challenging on us," James said when asked how the Lakers regroup for a home game against the New York Knicks on Monday.
"We've got to mentally and physically prepare ourselves. We've got to take care of our bodies. We've got to get our sleep. We've got to get our nutrition. We've got to hydrate.
"Whatever we've got to do to refuel, we've got to do, because the games are going to continue to come."
Fugitif came from the clouds to secure a last-gasp victory in a thrilling renewal of the Virgin Bet December Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
A field of 12 runners went to post for the prestigious handicap, although for much of the way it looked a two-horse race, with Il Ridoto and Bryony Frost and the Charlie Deutsch-ridden Frero Banbou going hammer and tongs on the front end and pulling clear of the chasing pack.
It was obvious from the fourth-last fence that several of those in behind were struggling to keep up with the furious gallop being set, with 3-1 favourite Thunder Rock one of the first to cry enough before eventually being pulled up.
Il Ridoto and Frero Banbou were still locking horns in front rounding the home turn, at which stage Richard Hobson’s Fugitif still had six horses in front of him and seemingly a mountain to climb in the hands of Gavin Sheehan.
After eventually seeing off his long-time challenger, Il Ridoto looked the most likely winner between the final two obstacles.
However, Sheehan – who two weeks ago produced a similarly ice cool masterclass to land Newbury’s Coral Gold Cup aboard Datsalrightgino – conjured a late surge from Fugitif and the pair got up in the very last stride to score by a short head at 13-2.
Trainer Jack Jones can justifiably dream of Cheltenham Festival glory after his star juvenile An Bradan Feasa ran out a decisive winner of the JCB Triumph Trial at Prestbury Park.
Successful on his hurdling debut at Ballinrobe in September for Joseph O’Brien, the three-year-old subsequently moved across the Irish Sea to join Newmarket-based Jones in the autumn.
An Bradan Feasa made a promising debut for his new connections when second to leading Triumph Hurdle contender Burdett Road at Cheltenham last month, and he was a 5-4 shot to go one better four weeks on in the hands of Tom Bellamy.
Dan Skelton’s Kourosh, a runaway winner on his British bow at Wetherby, set out to make all the running in the two-mile-one-furlong contest, and had built up a clear lead halfway down the back straight.
However, the market leader bridged the gap before the home turn and appeared to be getting the better of the argument when Kourosh crashed out at the final flight.
His exit left An Bradan Feasa in the clear racing up the hill and he kept galloping to score by three lengths from the staying-on Balboa.
“It is unreal,” said Jones. “I’ve been coming here for as long as I can remember. To have a runner here a month ago was the stuff of dreams, and for him to do it like that today, I’m speechless.
“Tom gave him a peach of a ride, he jumped and travelled and he was very push button when Tom wanted to give him an inch. I’m very happy.
“It was his first run for us here in November. It was a serious run considering he had to do most of the donkey work and that horse (Burdett Road) looks a fair animal.
“I’m not sure of the depth of the form today, but he has got his win and for the owners to have a winner here is what they have dreamt of – that is why they got him.”
Betfair cut the winner’s Triumph Hurdle odds to 33-1 from 40-1, but he appears more likely to switch to handicap company at the Festival.
“The Fred Winter (Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) is what we discussed two or three weeks ago,” Jones added. “He could be 50-1 in a Triumph Hurdle but, although he will go up again today, he would have a competitive enough weight in the Fred Winter.
“He will have a quiet enough time now and will have one more run before March and see where we end up.”
The Savills Chase at Leopardstown remains under consideration for Paddy Power Gold Cup hero Stage Star.
The Paul Nicholls-trained seven-year-old won four of his six starts during his debut season over fences last term, including Cheltenham Festival success in the Turners Novices’ Chase.
He made a winning return with a tremendous front-running display in one of the sport’s most prestigious handicap chases at Cheltenham last month and connections already have one eye on a Festival return in March, with the Ryanair Chase his most likely objective.
What route Stage Star takes back to Prestbury Park remains undecided, however, with Leopardstown’s Savills Chase on December 28 and the Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield in January mooted as options.
On a trip to Ireland over the Christmas period, Owners Group racing manager Dan Downie said: “It is possible, I’ll have a chat with Paul next week and we’ll make a decision about whether we go to Ireland or not.
“It doesn’t matter where he goes now, it’s going to be tough.
“I think ideally we’d like to give him a run before Cheltenham, but we’ll have a chat next week, so I’ll probably know a bit more in a week’s time.”
Casey Mittelstadt scored twice in a four-goal third period to lead the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.
Zach Benson and former Golden Knight Alex Tuch also scored in the third and Dylan Cozens had a first-period goal and added two assists to help Buffalo improve to 3-1-1 in its last five games.
Devon Levi turned aside 32 shots and is 3-0-1 with a 1.71 goals-against average since he was recalled from the AHL earlier this month.
Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel had goals for Vegas, which had a nine-game point streak stopped (6-1-3).
Pastrnak lifts Bruins over Islanders in shootout
David Pastrnak scored the deciding shootout goal to lift the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins to a 5-4 win over the New York Islanders.
Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie, James van Reimsdyk and Mason Lohrie scored in regulation, with Lohrei netting the equaliser with 3:09 left in regulation on a bank shot from behind the goal line.
Brock Nelson, Bo Horvat, Alexander Romanov and Simon Holmstrom had goals for the Islanders, who had won four straight but moved to 6-0-2 in their last eight games.
Stars rally past Senators after Oettinger injured
Miro Heiskanen and Matt Duchene scored 44 seconds apart in the third period to rally the Dallas Stars to a 5-4 win over the Ottawa Senators after losing goalie Jake Oettinger to an early injury.
Oettinger left eight minutes into the game with a lower-body injury after allowing goals on the Senators’ first two shots on net. Scott Wedgewood entered and stopped 25 of 27 shots for the win.
Joe Pavelski, Esa Lindell and Thomas Harley also had goals for Dallas, which won its second straight.
Drake Batherson scored twice for Ottawa and Jake Chychrun had three assists in the Senators’ third consecutive loss.
Former Wales assistant coach Rob Howley was banned from all rugby activities for breaching World Rugby’s anti-corruption and betting regulations, on this day in 2019.
Howley was banned for 18 months, with nine months suspended, after it emerged he had placed bets on matches involving Wales and two of their players.
It was found that, over a four-year period from November 2015 to September 2019, Howley placed 363 bets involving 1,163 rugby matches with three bookmakers through accounts held under his own name.
Of the bets, 24 involved Wales or were related to “connected events”, such as Six Nations games involving rival teams. On two occasions he bet on unnamed Wales players scoring tries.
Howley was sent home from Japan shortly before the 2019 World Cup began after the WRU became aware of possible wrongdoing.
The alarm was first raised when WRU policy and integrity manager Jeremy Rogers was contacted by an employee of Betway, who claimed that Howley had placed bets on Wales games.
It emerged that Howley gambled on a Wales player to be the first try-scorer in the 25-7 Six Nations victory over Ireland in March, but he stated that it was part of a treble that fell in line with his normal recreational betting activity. He also backed another player to score a try.
When the unnamed players were interviewed they denied any knowledge that the bets had been placed on them, with Howley supporting their testimony.
The WRU found that Howley made an overall loss of £4,000 during the time period under scrutiny and described his activity as a “hobby”, while adding that “we use the word hobby with some caution because it seems that a trigger for Mr Howley’s betting activity was a family tragedy involving the death of his sister”.
Howley returned to coaching with Canada after serving his ban and, in December, was appointed as technical coach with Wales ahead of the 2024 Six Nations.
Jalen Brunson poured in a career-high 50 points and hit all nine of his 3-point attempts Friday in the New York Knicks’ 139-122 victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Brunson was 17 of 23 from the field and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line with nine assists, six rebounds and five steals in 35-plus minutes.
He is the first player in franchise history to score 50 points while making all nine 3s.
Julius Randle had 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help New York snap a three-game road skid.
Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Devin Booker added 28 for the Suns, who lost guard Bradley Beal to an ankle injury in the first quarter.
Phoenix could be without a member of its All-Star trio for another extended period. Durant, Booker and Beal have played just one game together this season before Friday.
76ers extend Pistons’ losing streak to 22
Joel Embiid had another big game against the Detroit Pistons with 35 points and 13 rebounds on Friday and the Philadelphia 76ers sent the Detroit Pistons to their franchise-record 22nd straight loss, 124-92.
The Pistons, who lost at home to Philadelphia on Wednesday, surpassed the franchise record set at the end of the 1979-80 season and start of 1980-81. Detroit's slide is the sixth-longest single-season skid in NBA history.
The 76ers hold the overall losing streak record with 28 straight, set at the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.
In three wins this season against the Pistons, Embiid has averaged 36.3 points and 13.3 rebounds. He is the first NBA player with at least 675 points and 200 rebounds in the first 20 games of a season since Wilt Chamberlain in 1964-65.
Philadelphia more than doubled Detroit in the second quarter, outscoring the Pistons 35-17 en route to a 61-39 lead at halftime.
James Wiseman had 20 points for Detroit, which dropped to 2-23.
Spurs beat Lakers to snap 18-game slide
Devin Vassell scored a career-high 36 points and Victor Wembanyama had 13 points and 15 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers, 129-115 to end an 18-game losing streak.
The victory was the first for San Antonio since defeating Phoenix on Nov. 2 and snapped the longest losing streak in franchise history, topping a 16-game slide last season.
LeBron James returned after a one-game absence with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but the Lakers felt the loss of Anthony Davis, who sat out with a hip injury after he scored 37 points in a 122-119 win over the Spurs on Wednesday.
Los Angeles was also without starters D’Angelo Russell and Cam Reddish.
Cameron Menzies went from fixing a kitchen sink to throwing his way into the second round of the World Championship, where reigning champion Michael Smith survived an opening-night scare.
Menzies is a plumber by trade and had to do a day’s work on Friday, changing a waste basin, fixing a burst water main and repairing a kitchen sink before facing Austrian Rusty-Jake Rodriguez at the Alexandra Palace.
The colourful Scot won 3-0 to book his place in the second round where he will play Dave Chisnall on Saturday afternoon.
“I never thought this would happen. I was really panicky today,” he said. “I was working but it kind of chilled me out, it made me realise that darts is a hobby and a very lucky one, too.
“I changed the waste in a basin, I couldn’t get the pedestal out because it was concreted in. Then I did an emergency which was a burst water main and I fixed it, then I went to a tenant’s house to fix a bath and she wouldn’t let me in.
“Then I went to another job to fix a kitchen sink, so my job is maintenance-wise. Basically, it is burst pipes and blocked drains, it’s not pretty.
“I was so nervous, I knew that game meant a lot. What happens now is a bonus but winning that game meant the world to me.
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“Going to work chilled me out. It made me realise that it is not the be-all and end-all. I am a worker. I would like to be in a situation where I can give up my job and do this full-time, but I have a long way to go.”
Menzies will be able to take bragging rights back to the home he shares with girlfriend Fallon Sherrock, who is in first-round action on Monday night.
The 34-year-old was happy to avoid his girlfriend in the draw because he thinks she would “batter” him.
“You don’t understand how many issues we had,” Menzies said. “She went down for the draw, I was on the computer going, ‘Please’. There’s a handful of players you don’t want to draw and Fallon is up there.
“I play Fallon in the house and I beat her eight times out of 10 but she has a moment when she smashes me, which is fair enough.
“I know for a fact up there on the stage she would batter me. It’s her stage, she would batter me. I was like, ‘Please not Fallon’.
“Everyone was texting me asking if I was playing. Rusty is a very good player but I would take him over Fallon in a heartbeat.”
Smith began the defence of his 2023 title in nervy fashion as he was taken all the way by world number 66 Kevin Doets.
‘Bully Boy’, who beat Michael van Gerwen to win a maiden Ally Pally crown at the start of the year, was facing the prospect of becoming the first defending champion to go out at the first hurdle since 2009 when it went to a final-set decider with the Dutchman having the throw.
But a brilliant 142 checkout in the opening leg of the fifth set settled any nerves and Smith was able to go on and win 3-2, ensuring a happy Christmas as he does not return to action until December 27.
2010 finalist Simon Whitlock won a final-leg decider to see off Paolo Nebrida, claiming a 3-2 win to set up a second-round match with Gary Anderson.
A big field of 60 of Jamaica's top gunners will do battle at Jamaica Rifle Association's (JRA) Christmas Hamper Shoot at Woodleigh Shooting Range in Clarendon on Saturday.
The competitors will use the time on the range to prepare for the International Practical Confederation World shoot in South Africa, which is scheduled for 2025, where only the world's best shooters will get the chance to compete for prizes and top honours, as well as ranking points, to move up the scale to reach the zenith of master shooter. The World Shoot is a Level V championship and Jamaica will have eight spots at that event. It is the highest level in practical pistol competitions worldwide.
Some of the shooters who will be on the rage include Ryan Branwell, Shayon Francis, Adrian Randle and Andy Yap in the Open Division; Yeonie Campbell in Carry Optics, as well as Michael Bradshaw, Anthony Johnson and Matthew Smith-Barrett in Production Division.
All those shooters have enjoyed good form throughout the year, both locally and overseas, where they bettered competitors from other countries.
Bramwell topped his division locally in the JRA's President's Cup IPSC Level III in late October, ahead of Chris Hart and Randle. Bramwell also did well in the US National Championship in November, when he won the Production Optics Senior Division to collect the championship plaque.
Female shooter Campbell, earlier this year copped the Production Division and Ladies Category in the Spectrum Handgun Championship on her home range at Mountain View Avenue. She bettered Johnson in a nail-biter with just one point separating them, while Rohan Wallace was third.
When she competed in the US Nationals, Campbell placed 32nd from a field of 149 shooters in the Production Division and was the first female in the division.
President Rohan Wilson took over the reins of the JRA mid-year after Major John Nelson demitted office ahead of the scheduled elections.
Wilson is upbeat about Saturday's shoot, as well as the high number of competitors who registered. Though not wanting to predict any specific winners, he said that the competition will be "fierce among the competitors in the various divisions."
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be without two star players for the next several weeks after announcing significant injuries to point guard Darius Garland and forward Evan Mobley on Friday.
Garland suffered a fractured jaw after colliding with Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis on Thursday. Garland finished the game, but a scan on Friday confirmed the injury. The 2021-22 All-Star selection will undergo a procedure to repair his jaw and will be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Mobley has missed Cleveland’s last four games, listed on the injury report with left knee soreness. The Cavs announced Friday that the third-year big man will undergo arthroscopic surgery on the knee and will be re-evaluated in six to eight weeks.
Garland and Mobley have combined to score nearly 37 points per game this season, and their absence will place an even greater offensive burden on the shoulders of Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and Caris LeVert.
The loss of two core players is a massive blow for a team off to a middling start this season.
After a disappointing first-round play-off exit to end last season, the Cavs opened this campaign 4-6. The team appeared to find its footing over the next few weeks, rising above .500, but Cleveland has dropped its last three games and sits at 13-12.
Garland was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft and is averaging 20.7 points – second on the team behind Mitchell – and 5.9 assists this season.
Mobley was the third overall pick in 2021 and immediately made a splash as an All-Rookie selection. He is scoring 16.0 points per game this season and is averaging career highs with 10.5 rebounds, 1.67 blocks and 57.3-percent shooting from the field.
Mobley is the Cavs’ best defender, and he was an All-Defensive Team selection last season.
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