Snooker: Anthony Hamilton won the German Masters final 9-6 against Ali Carter last night to secure the first ranking title of his career after 26 years as a professional. The 45-year-old fought back from 5-2 down to triumph in Berlin. Carter claimed the first three frames but Hamilton chalked up breaks of 118, 73, 74 and 70 as he recovered to secure victory. Hamilton’s run to the final – his first since the 2002 China Open – had included wins over the world number one and two, Mark Selby and Stuart Bingham.
Basketball: LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA to score 28,000 points as Cleveland Cavaliers beat New York Knicks 111-104. The 32-year-old led the way with 32 points and 10 assists to join an elite group of eight players to reach the landmark. A Carmelo Anthony dunk made it 106-101 with 59 seconds left but a Kevin Love three-pointer and a James dunk settled it.
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American Football: Quarterback Matt Ryan (picture) was named the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player after a landmark season in which he led the offence-minded Atlanta Falcons to an 11-5 record. The 31-year-old Ryan garnered 25 votes to earn the NFL’s most prestigious award at the ceremony in Houston, with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady finishing second (10 votes). Ryan, who was not at the awards show since he was preparing to face Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl 51 (last night), was also named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Cricket: Trent Boult grabbed his second five-wicket haul in one-day cricket as New Zealand completed a tense 24-run win over Australia in Hamilton yesterday to regain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy by completing a 2-0 series victory. Boult finished with 6-33 as Australia were dismissed for 257 on the final ball of the 47th over, chasing New Zealand’s 281 for nine, which had been considered about 30-runs short of a winning target at Seddon Park. New Zealand won the first game at Eden Park by six runs.
Cycling: Australia’s Damien Howson claimed victory in the Herald Sun Tour yesterday, holding off a couple of attacks from three-times Tour de France champion Chris Froome over the fourth and final stage for his first overall race win. The 24-year-old Orica-Scott rider, who won his first stage to open the race proper on Thursday, finished in the peleton 17 seconds behind Britain’s breakaway stage winner Ian Stannard after four laps of Kingslake. “I really enjoy working with my team-mates and that’s as much success as I need,” said Howson, who edged compatriot Jai Hindley by 38 seconds to top the general classification.
Wrestling: Iran will issue visas for a US wrestling team to attend the Freestyle World Cup competition, the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported yesterday. Bahram Ghasemi, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, issued a telegram message noting that visas would be issued for the Americans partly because of the decision by a US federal judge to “halt the execution of discriminatory restrictions against the entrance of Iranian citizens to America”.
Davis Cup: World Group – Round One: Spain bt Croatia 3-2; US bt Switzerland 5-0; Belgium bt Germany 4-1; Serbia bt Russia 4-1; France bt Japan 4-1; Australia bt Czech Republic 4-1; Italy lead Argentina 2-1; Britain level with Canada 2-2.