Latest - The Wellington Phoenix have signed Mexican Ulises Davila to a two year contract.
Ulises Davila. Photo: Photosport
Davila is a former Mexican under-23 representative.
The midfield playmaker has experience in several top-level leagues having moved from his native Mexico in 2011 to sign for Premier League giants Chelsea FC.
Despite not appearing for the London based side, Dávila made 98 appearances on loan until December 2015 when he returned to Mexico to sign for Santos Laguna.
Dávila, 28, comes from Indian Super League side, Delhi Dynamos.
He will occupy one of the four remaining import slots joining existing signing Steven Taylor.
Good start for Kiwi sailor
The Wellington sailor George Gautrey is equal first after the first day of racing at Laser World Championships in Japan.
Gautrey scored two seconds in his fleet.
Fellow New Zealander Sam Meech, the world's second-ranked Laser sailor, is 19th overall.
Kerber departs SW19
Angelique Kerber Photo: © AFLO 2018
Defending champion Angelique Kerber was dumped out of Wimbledon as she suffered a stunning 2-6 6-2 6-1 second-round defeat by American world number 95 Lauren Davis.
German Kerber, a three-times Grand Slam champion, raced through the first set before the match turned wildly on its head and Davis, who needed a lucky-loser spot to play in the tournament, lost only three more games.
After taking the second set, the 25-year-old Davis turned the screw on Court Two and wrapped up victory in an hour and 55 minutes when fifth seed Kerber netted.
-Reuters
Storm still on top
Top of the table Melbourne have extended their NRL winning streak to seven after Cameron Smith led his side to a dour 16-14 victory over St George Illawarra.
With both sides hit hard by the representative drain, Smith - playing his 399th first-grade game - guided his side around WIN Stadium with his kicking game and control.
In wet and windy conditions, the game went down to the wire and a Smith penalty goal with five minutes remaining gave his side the victory, provisionally extending their lead at the top of the ladder to eight points.
-AAP
Mixed results for Kiwis at Wimbledon
A win and a loss for New Zealand tennis players at Wimbledon today.
Marcus Daniell has joined Michael Venus in the second round of the men's doubles.
Daniell and his Dutch partner Wesley Koolhof beat Rohan Boppana from India and Uruguay's Pablo Cuevas 6-4 6-4 4-6 7-6 on a sweltering court five.
Meanwhile Erin Routliffe and American Madison Brengle lost their first round match in the ladies doubles 4-6 7-5 6-1 to Oksana Kalashinkova of Georgia and Xinyun Han of China despite having four match points in the second set.
The New Zealand and American team, who were fortunate to make it into the Championships, will be kicking themselves at how they let this one slip away, with Routliffe serving at 5-4 and 40-15 in the second set.
Nuggets to return to NBL
The Otago Nuggets will return to the National Basketball League after being granted provisional entry to next year's League.
The Otago bid was one of three the NBL Board recently met to discuss.
A bid by Mt Gambier of South Australia has been denied by the Australian NBL.
The Nuggets last played in the League in 2014.
Lampard confirmed as Chelsea boss
Chelsea appointed Frank Lampard as their new manager, as owner Roman Abramovich turned to a familiar face rather than an experienced hand to replace Maurizio Sarri and lead the club into a new era.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Lampard, adored by Chelsea fans as the heart and soul of the club's midfield during a trophy-laden 13 years at Stamford Bridge, was handed a three-year contract having left second tier Derby County.
A relative rookie as a manager, the 41-year-old Lampard earned plaudits for taking Derby into the Championship playoff final in his first year in the dugout -- even if they just missed out on promotion to Aston Villa.
He faces no small task in returning Chelsea to the status of Premier League title contenders following Sarri's departure to Juventus and Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid.
-Reuters
Heinz in England squad
Halfback Willi Heinz playing for Canterbury. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The former Crusaders halfback Willi Heinz has been included in England's Rugby World Cup training squad.
Prop Joe Marler has come out of retirement to be named in the 35-man squad along with first five Danny Cipriani.
Gloucester's New Zealand-born Heinz has won the battle for inclusion at halfback, with Saracens' Ben Spencer also included, but Wasps' Dan Robson has missed out.
England must submit their final 31-man World Cup squad on 2 September, before kicking off their tournament against Tonga in Sapporo on 22 September.
-AAP
Tomic fined
Australia's Bernard Tomic was fined $85,000 for not playing to "required professional standards" after he put in minimal effort during a 58-minute, first-round thrashing by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Wimbledon.
Australian tennis player Bernard Tomic. Photo: Photosport
Fans looked bemused as the 26-year-old world number 96 lost Tuesday's match 6-2 6-1 6-4, a performance described as "appalling" and "embarrassing" on social media.
With first-round losers at Wimbledon receiving $85,000 pounds, Tomic exited the tournament empty-handed following his latest run-in with the All England Club's authorities.
The Australian was fined $15,000 in 2017 after admitting faking an injury during a first-round loss to Mischa Zverev, saying later he was "bored" with Wimbledon.
When asked to sum up his performance on Tuesday, Tomic said: "I played pretty bad." Asked to elaborate, he said: "I just played terrible."
-Reuters
Robben calls time
Arjen Robben has retired from football, foregoing the chance for a few more seasons in his native Netherlands, the 35-year-old Dutch international announced.
"I've been thinking about it a lot over the last weeks. As everyone knows I have taken time after my last game at Bayern Munch to make a decision over my future," he said.
Robben won 12 league titles in a glittering career, and 96 caps for his country including playing in the 2010 World Cup final in Johannesburg.
He won eight with Bayern, where his contracted ended last month; two at Chelsea and one each at PSV Eindhoven and Real Madrid.
Robben has been beset with injury, particularly in his last seasons in the German Bundesliga.
-Reuters
City break transfer record
Premier League champions Manchester City smashed their transfer record with the signing of Spanish international midfielder Rodri on a five-year deal from Atletico Madrid.
The La Liga club announced that City had paid a $118 million buyout clause for the tall 23-year-old. City confirmed on their website that Rodri was a record signing.
The deal eclipsed the $112 million they paid Leicester City for Algerian international Riyad Mahrez in July last year.
Rodri - Rodrigo Hernandez Cascante - follows Angelino, the Spanish left back who joined from PSV Eindhoven, as manager Pep Guardiola's second signing of the summer.
City became the first side to claim the English treble of the league championship as well as the FA Cup and League Cup last season.
-Reuters
