NETBALL: Loughborough Lightning cruised to a 70-41 victory at Leeds to top the Super League on points difference after two rounds of action. 

Nottingham Forest beat bottom-of-the-table Birmingham 68-58 to move second while defending champions London Pulse are third after holding on to squeeze past Cardiff 50-51. 

Eleanor Caldwell netted 27 goals and claimed three rebounds as Manchester saw off London Mavericks 69-59.

BASEBALL: Britain led 2-0 in the first innings but went down 7-4 to Italy in Houston on Sunday evening to crash out of the World Baseball Classic after losing all three of their opening games. 

Italy, who beat Brazil in their first match, face 2023’s runners-up USA on Tuesday and Mexico on Wednesday. 

Reigning champions Japan take their 100 per cent record into this afternoon’s game against Czechia in Tokyo.

MEN’S RUGBY LEAGUE: Unbeaten London Broncos top the Championship on points difference with a game in hand after spoiling recently liquidated Halifax’s return to the league with a comfortable 42-4 win at the Shay on Sunday. 

The Yorkshire club are well adrift at the bottom of the table after being deducted 12 points for entering administration. 

Second-placed Widnes edged out Hunslet 32-26 and Barrow, in third, won 20-8 at Dewsbury.

DARTS: Defending champion Luke Littler beat James Wade 11-7 in a repeat of last year’s final to win the UK Open in Minehead on Sunday evening. 

Littler had come from 5-1 down to beat Josh Rock 11-9 in the semis after three-time winner Wade had seen off Gerwyn Price 11-8 in their last-four clash. Nineteen-year-old Littler collected another £120,000 in prize money as well as his 14th major title.