Snooker: John Higgins claimed the last spot in the Championship League Snooker Winners’ Group with a 3-0 Group Seven final win over Mark Selby this week. Higgins won the Champion of Champions at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena in November and on his first visit since picked up where he left off, coming through the round robin group stage with four wins before beating Michael Holt 3-2 in the semi-final. Higgins joins previous group winners David Gilbert, Anthony McGill, Mark Davis, Barry Hawkins, Judd Trump and Ryan Day in the Winners’ Group.
Basketball: Big man Andrew Bogut has agreed to sign with Cleveland Cavaliers giving them yet another valuable acquisition, according to multiple reports yesterday. Australian Bogut, who was traded from Dallas to Philadelphia last week and agreed to a buyout with the 76ers, will have to clear waivers before he can join the Cavs, Cleveland.com reported. His addition would be the second pick up for Cleveland this week, joining point guard Deron Williams who signed with the team on Monday after he was released by Dallas Mavericks.
Rugby Union: New Zealand’s women’s rugby team, the Black Ferns, will warm up for this year’s Rugby World Cup with clashes against three of the top-ranked contenders, with one of the games a curtain-raiser to a match on the British and Irish Lions tour. The women’s Rugby World Cup is being held from August 9-26 in Ireland with New Zealand hosting England, Canada and Australia in a four-nations series in June. The Black Ferns’ final match of the series will be against world champions England as a curtain-raiser to the Lions’ match against the Maori All Blacks at Rotorua International Stadium on June 17.
Memorial: Former Wallabies lock Dan Vickerman was remembered as a “colossal” man who gave selflessly to rugby at an emotional public memorial in Sydney yesterday. The South African-born forward died at home at the age of 37 last month, triggering mourning across the rugby world and shining the spotlight on the mental health of retired athletes. Hundreds of fans, friends and former team-mates gathered at the Sydney University Oval including Vickerman’s wife and two young sons who were also at the memorial.
Tennis: Defending champion Elina Svitolina withdrew from the Malaysian Open with a leg injury ahead of her second round match against Nao Hibino yesterday. The 22-year-old, the tournament’s top seed, beat qualifier Jang Su-Jeong 6-2 6-3 in the first round on Tuesday. “Defending champ @ElinaSvitolina has withdrawn from @alyawtamo with a lower left leg injury,” the WTA said on its official Twitter account. Svitolina won the Dubai Open on Saturday, the sixth and the biggest title of her career, to move into the WTA’s top 10 for the first time.