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Snooker: Judd Trump (picture) reached the final of the Ladbrokes Players Championship with a see-saw 6-4 win over Ali Carter in Llandudno. Having shared the opening four frames of the semi-final at Venue Cymru, Trump forged ahead with the help of a century break in frame six to lead 4-2. Carter levelled but an 89 break nudged his Bristolian opponent ahead once more and he rounded things off with a 58 in frame 10. Trump will face either Ding Jun Hui or Mark Selby in today’s final.
Basketball, NBA: Andrew Wiggins inspired the Minnesota Timberwolves to a last-gasp 103-102 victory over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. Wiggins scored 20 of his 24 points in the second half and his free throws with 12.8 seconds left helped the Timberwolves to triumph. Klay Thompson scored 30 points for Golden State but it was not enough to prevent a fourth loss in six games for the Warriors.
Cricket: Pat Cummins is in sight of a long-awaited second test after being rushed into the Australia squad to replace injured pace spearhead Mitchell Starc for the remainder of the series in India. Cummins has not played a test since his stunning seven-wicket debut against South Africa as an 18-year-old in 2011 but he made a successful return to first class cricket for the first time in six years this week with a man-of-the-match performance for New South Wales in the domestic Sheffield Shield.
Rallying: Great Britain’s Kris Meeke leads the way in the Rally Mexico after a dramatic opening leg on Friday. The itinerary was shortened after a convoy of transporters delivering rally cars was delayed by a motorway accident. Organisers scrapped the opening two speed tests covering 75 kilometres but Meeke still set the pace in his Citroen C3 to lead Sebastien Ogier by 20.9 seconds. Meeke told www.wrc.com: “I made a mistake and lost a few seconds, but I’m quite satisfied. I’m really happy that finally we can show the potential of this car, but we still have things to do.”
Boxing: Jamie Conlan picked up the vacant WBC silver international super-flyweight title via a split decision against Yader Cardoza in Belfast. Conlan was knocked down in round eight but he recovered well to extend his professional record to 19-0 at Waterfront Hall. The 30-year-old, who remains on course for a world title eliminator, edged the first three rounds but Cardoza worked his way into the contest in round four. The Nicaraguan then sent Conlan crashing to the canvas after a flurry of punches in round eight which rocked the Northern Irishman. Conlan, though, composed himself well and, despite suffering a cut above his eye, held on to claim the victory.