The Fiji Times

Australian Mott lined up as England limited overs coach – reports

LONDON (Reuters) – Matthew Mott, head coach of the Australia women’s team, is the front-runner to take charge of the England men’s limited-overs side, according to media reports in both countries. England put former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum in charge of their test team earlier this month having decided to split the coach’s roles...

Ten years from boom to bust, Chinese football in a tailspin

HONG KONG (Reuters) – A decade after the splash of Chinese cash first made waves in the global football market, the once racing certainty that China would become a major player in the game looks increasingly like a long-odds gamble. The decision to relinquish the rights to next year’s Asian Cup finals, which was made...

22 teams for veterans tourney

TWENTY-TWO teams will be part of the RC Manubhai/APCO Coatings International Veterans tournament to be held in Sigatoka early next month. Victoria Masters from New Zealand are top seed in Pool A with Rewa Masters, Nasinu Masters and My Suva Legends. The International Veterans tournament will be held at Lawaqa Park in Sigatoka from June...

Nale savours rugby calling

Former Marist Brothers High School student Jerome Nale has been named in the USA Eagles side for the Toulouse 7s this weekend. Coach Mike Friday announced a mixed lineup of experienced campaigners and youngsters with the 22 year-old Vadravadra, Ba lad in the side. He was part of the Eagles squad earlier in the series...

Cakobau Park work yet to be completed

Works at the Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori is not complete yet, Minister for Local Government Premila Kumar said while speaking during the opening of the 143rd Girmit carnival in Nausori . She said other pavilions at the park needed to be fixed. She said the park was closed due to damage caused by tropical...

Fiji 7s gives back

The Fiji Airways Fiji 7s squad members will engage in more community work in a bid to give back to the community. Last week, the national team took time out from their hectic training schedule to do some community work in Sigatoka. The players were present at the Sigatoka hospital to where they dismantled some...

Tennis journey in Fiji

The annual Fiji Open Tennis Championship has a rich history dating back to 1907 when the first tournament was staged in Suva. This makes the Fiji Open Tennis Championship one of the oldest sporting tournaments in the country. Competitive tennis was played with great enthusiasm in the country. Each cup was donated for a particular...

Benjamin top seed for men’s category

Solomon Islander Junior Benjamin is the top seed in the men’s open singles category for the Tattslotto Fiji Open Tennis Championship which starts at the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club in Nadi tomorrow. Benjamin goes into the tournament on a high having won four titles already. He won the first two editions of the Fiji...

Title-chasing Liverpool’s Salah, Van Dijk doubts for Southampton trip

(Reuters) – Liverpool are still assessing the fitness of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk ahead of Tuesday’s Premier League trip to Southampton where they could close the gap on leaders Manchester City to one point, manager Juergen Klopp said on Monday. Forward Salah and defender Van Dijk were substituted during Saturday’s FA Cup final...

Briton Robson calls time on career due to injury issues

(Reuters) – Britain’s former junior Wimbledon champion and Olympic mixed doubles silver medallist Laura Robson announced her retirement on Monday due to persistent injury problems. A former world number 27, Robson lifted the junior crown at the grasscourt Grand Slam as a 14-year-old in 2008 and followed up her success with an Olympic medal partnering...

China withdrawal could see 2023 Asian Cup heading west

MELBOURNE (Reuters) – China’s withdrawal from hosting the 2023 Asian Cup could see the showpiece shift west to the Gulf, where new infrastructure and voracious demand for major events has made the region a magnet for international tournaments. Having planned to hold the Asian Cup across 10 cities in June-July next year, China dropped the...

Rome champion Djokovic delights in ‘sunshine double’

(Reuters) – Novak Djokovic said his seven-year-old son Stefan had won his first tournament on the same day the Serb lifted his first crown in more than six months at the Italian Open, describing their success as a “sunshine double”. Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-0 7-6(5) to triumph in Rome on Sunday, ensuring a perfect...

7s oomph! – Kunatani, Bolaca to boost confidence levels

Fiji Airways Fiji 7s skipper Tevita Daugunu expects the inclusion of Semi Kunatani and Napolioni Bolaca to boost the confidence level of the players for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments in Toulouse and London. Kunatani marks his return in the abbreviated code after a lapse of five years while Bolaca has been drafted...

‘Write your names on stone’

Fijian Drua captain Meli Derenalagi told his players to write their names on stones and not on sand when they faced the Moana Pasifika in Super Rugby Pacific last Saturday. Derenalagi said the match was a historic one and the players were reminded of the stakes. “I just motivated them and tried to tell them...

Special day for Pacific

The historical clash between two of the newest Super Rugby Pacific teams, the Fijian Drua and the Moana Pasifika will be cherished by those who were part of it. The Drua beat the Moana Pasifika 34-19 on Saturday night. Swire Shipping Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne said it was a special day for everyone. “It...

Short turn around time for next game

The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua side will have a short turn around before they face the mighty Crusaders in its next match in the Super Rugby Pacific this week. Fijian Drua coach Mick Byrne said the Crusaders would have followed the Drua’s match against Moana Pasifika last Saturday. “It’s a short turn around and you...

Boys were hungry for win, says Derenalagi

The 67-5 loss to the Hurricanes last week was a turning point for the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua side. Team captain Meli Derenalagi said the loss inspired him team to come out stronger against the Moana Pasifika. “The boys were hungry for this game because of the upset last week, so this few days that...

Skipper Cup: Midfield combo wins for Tailevu

The Tailevu midfield combination of Poasa Domonakibau and Adriu Nayaga stood out for the home side in their 17-12 victory over Northland in the Skipper Cup round 7 local derby at Ratu Cakobau Park in Nausori yesterday. Coach Samisoni Baikeitoga said in his line-up, he had Domonakibau come in the second half. “Poasa is one of our key...

Flames march on to final

Tagimoucia Flames will take on Lomaiviti Ovalau in the Suva Netball Association Super division final next week. In the semi-finals played yesterday at the National Netball Centre in Laucala Bay, the Flames walloped Lomaiviti Nairai 51-36 while Lomaiviti Ovalau edged Grasshoppers Gold 45- 36. In the Premier division, Grasshoppers Ferns will face CBM 2 in the final. The...

FACT back in Lawaqa

The 2022 Digicel Fiji FACT returns to Lawaqa Park after a lapse of 21 years, the last time Nadroga lifted the title in front of its home fans. Nadroga beat Labasa 7-6 on penalties in the final of the 2001 tournament after both teams were locked 1-all at fulltime. The tournament returns to Sigatoka this...

Pacific battle: Fijian Drua scores big win

The Swire Shipping-sponsored Fijian Drua team travels to New Zealand this week with heads held high after scoring their second victory in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific competition yesterday. They will meet 2021 Super Rugby Aotearoa champion Crusaders in Christchurch this week after a clinical 34-19 historic win against fellow debutante Moana Pasifika at the CommBank...

China gives up 2023 Asian Cup hosting rights – AFC

HONG KONG (Reuters) -China will no longer host the 2023 Asian Cup finals due to the COVID-19 situation in the country, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) said on Saturday, adding that it will decide on a new host in due course. The event, which is played every four years and features 24 national teams from...

Qatar World Cup hotels must welcome guests in ‘non-discriminatory manner’ – FIFA

(Reuters) – Hotels that are on the official list of recommended accommodation for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are required to welcome guests in a “non-discriminatory manner” or face termination of contracts, FIFA said on Friday. A Scandinavian media survey showed that three of the 69 hotels on FIFA’s official list of recommended accommodation...

Mayweather’s Dubai exhibition fight called off

DUBAI (Reuters) – Floyd Mayweather’s exhibition fight in Dubai against Don Moore, which was scheduled for Saturday, has been called off following the death of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, organisers told Reuters on Friday. The move comes after the UAE announced a 40-day mourning period with flags flown at...

Djokovic keeps top spot after edging past Auger-Aliassime

(Reuters) -Top seed Novak Djokovic beat Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 7-5 7-6(1) to reach the semi-finals of the Italian Open on Friday and move within one win of 1,000 career victories. By reaching the semis in Rome the Serb also retained his world number one ranking and avoided surrendering top spot to Russian Daniil Medvedev for...

Reigning champion Mickelson withdraws from PGA Championship

(Reuters) -Phil Mickelson said on Friday he will not defend his PGA Championship title after having stepped away from the game in February amid fallout from comments he made regarding a Saudi-backed golf league. Mickelson had kept golf fans guessing about whether he would be at Southern Hills Country Club next week but the speculation...

Chelsea happy to be ‘bad guys’ against Liverpool, says Tuchel

(Reuters) – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel believes that his side is unlikely to find much support among neutrals when they take on Liverpool in the FA Cup final on Saturday, but said that they do not mind being the “bad guys” as long as they lift the trophy. Tuchel’s comments come days after Manchester City...

Skipper Cup: Nadroga defeats Namosi; hosts Suva next weekend

The Nadroga rugby side beat Namosi 32-29 in the Skipper Cup competition at Thomson Park in Navua today. Nadroga scored four first-half tries to Namosi’s one to lead 25-5 at the break. It was all Namosi in the first 35 minutes of the second spell as they dominated all facets of play. Four unanswered second-half...

Kohli epic ‘around the corner’, says Bangalore’s Hesson

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Virat Kohli’s run drought in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is not due to any technical issue and a big knock is imminent from the star batsman, Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Mike Hesson said. Kohli has managed only one fifty in 13 innings this season and scored three ducks despite playing with...

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Matera keeps Argentine flag flying in Super Rugby