HORSE RACING: Jockey Dylan Kitts has been banned for nine years after being found guilty of conspiring to prevent a horse from achieving its best possible placing. 

A disciplinary panel took four days to reach its verdict that Kitts was paid by gambler John Higgins to deliberately stop Hillsin from winning at Worcester in July 2023. 

Higgins has been banned from all involvement in horse racing activity for 12 years.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Manchester’s Georgia Anderson became the highest-scoring player in top-flight British basketball after netting her 2,435 point in a narrow 97-94 defeat to Leicester. 

She represented both England and Britain at junior level and made her full international debut aged 16 before playing in the USA. 

Anderson has been at Manchester for the last nine seasons and in 2024 became the first player to make 1,000 assists in the British game.

MEN’S CYCLING: 35-year-old Colombian climbing specialist Esteban Chaves has retired after 16 seasons in the international peloton. 

Chaves won five grand tour stages, three at the Giro and two in La Vuelta and finished on the podium of both races in 2016. 

He also sprinted to victory in that year’s Il Lombardia, claiming Columbia’s first and to date only monument success, and was national champion in 2023.

MEN’S RUGBY LEAGUE: National Conference Grand Final champions West Hull have been drawn away at Halifax-based King Cross Park in the Challenge Cup first round, with the winners set to face League One’s Dewsbury. 

King Cross’ near neighbours Siddal, who lost out to West Hull in October’s Grand Final, will meet Oldham’s Waterhead for the chance to play Rochdale Hornets in Round Two. 

Super League clubs enter the draw in the third round.