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Hawkins beats Lisowski to win first Welsh Open title

41 minutes ago

A dominant afternoon session set Barry Hawkins on the way to winning his first Welsh Open title as he beat Jack Lisowski 9-5 in the final.

Hawkins won seven of the first eight frames at Venue Cymru in Llandudno to open up a seemingly unassailable lead.

Lisowski won the first three frames of the evening session to threaten an unlikely comeback.

But Lisowski’s fightback hopes took a blow in the 12th frame as a fluke-plant on a red began a break of 68 which moved Hawkins within one frame of the title.

And two frames later, Hawkins ended his three-year wait for a rankings title, as the 46-year-old lifted the Ray Reardon trophy for the first time in his career.

“I’ve came close a couple times last season. I’ve been knocking on the door for a little while so I feel like I deserved one.

“Playing that man [Lisowski] is so scary – he pots balls from everywhere and you can’t leave them safe on the table.

Hawkins, who was beaten by John Higgins in the 2018 final, took control early on, winning the opening frame with a break of 105.

And although Lisowski drew level in the second frame, Hawkins would then go on to win six in a row.

Another century break in the fourth frame came in between three half-century breaks of 67, 76 and 88.

The afternoon ended with another Hawkins frame, as he led Lisowski 7-1 going into the tournament’s final session.

Lisowski, who was playing in his first Welsh Open final, showed great fight when the game restarted, putting together back-to-back century breaks to remind his opponent there was still work to do.

The 34-year-old then came out on top of a 40-minute frame which swung both ways to reduce Hawkins’ lead to 7-4.

But Lisowski’s momentum was ended in the following frame, as a long safety shot from Hawkins resulted in a red ball finding the bottom left pocket of the table.

And Hawkins made the most of the opportunity, putting together a break of 68 to put him on the cusp of victory.

Lisowski managed to win one more frame, with a break of 53, before Hawkins clinched the Welsh Open title in the 14th frame of the final.

“I was very poor despite trying my best,” said Lisowski.

“Barry was by far the better player today and he deserves his win.

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Huge fire at Bahrain port home to US Navy’s Fifth Fleet

NewsFeed

Footage shows a huge fire reportedly ignited by an Iranian strike on a US naval facility at Bahrain’s Salman Port. The port houses the US Navy’s Central Command and Fifth Fleet.

Amended Electoral Act Has Given Us Hope — Ex-INEC ICT Director

A former Director of Information and Communication Technology at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chidi Nwafor, says recent amendments to Nigeria’s electoral framework provide renewed confidence in the country’s capacity to deliver more transparent elections.

Nwafor spoke on Sunday at the Citizens’ Townhall on the Electoral Act 2026 held in Abuja, where electoral stakeholders assessed the readiness of institutions ahead of the 2027 polls.

“Technologically speaking, for me, the new Electoral Act has given us hope. In the new Electoral Act, you now have IReV in there. Whether we like it or not, we don’t have a 100 per cent network, we know that,” he said.

Providing context on infrastructure realities, Nwafor added, “At the time we did that design, we had about 93 to 94 per cent 2G coverage.

“As of today, we are talking about roughly 86 to 89 per cent in terms of 3G. You can compress your data and use 2G to send your information, that is not the issue.”

READ ALSO: Manual Results Transmission Option In Electoral Act Not An Issue, Says NSE ICT Head

‘Real-time Reporting’

He stressed that the central goal of the reforms is the real-time transmission of results from polling units.

“There is this word, real time. You finish the election, count it, and when you finish counting, you send two pieces of information: the accredited voters and the results,” he said.

According to him, the process already allows officials to transmit both the accreditation figures and images of result sheets, though connectivity gaps may still occur in remote areas.

“There are two possibilities, one is that you must snap and send. The second is that it may not go because of network challenges,” he noted.

Nwafor explained that delayed uploads do not necessarily compromise the integrity of the process, as data can still be transmitted once connectivity improves.

“The moment you move from the polling unit to the ward, you get more network. If you send a message through your phone and it didn’t go, once you get a network, it sends, and the results have their own transfer mechanism,” he said.

Digital Infrastructure, Security Coordination

Highlighting the legal backing for electronic records, he said, “People should be able to go to court and see that this law says we must have digital electronic results in a database. INEC needs to have it and needs to develop it further.”

He added that the commission retains the authority to refine operational procedures.

“The commission can develop its regulations and guidelines to make the system work better,” he said.

Beyond technology, the former ICT chief urged authorities to reassess election security arrangements.

He said security agencies supporting election operations “need to be reviewed” to ensure they align with the new technological framework and do not hinder efficient result management.

Nigeria’s electoral framework was updated after President Bola Tinubu signed the Electoral Act 2026 into law on February 18, 2026, replacing the 2022 version ahead of the next general elections.

The law introduces mandatory electronic transmission of results to the results viewing portal, formal recognition of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, revised timelines for party primaries, and earlier release of election funding.

Who will win race for the Champions League?

David Anderson

BBC Sport

58 minutes ago

While Arsenal and Manchester City slug it out for the Premier League title, the contest for the remaining Champions League places is coming to the boil – with five sides battling for potentially three remaining spots.

Fifth place in the Premier League is virtually certain to bring Champions League qualification because of England’s commanding lead in the Uefa coefficent table.

Manchester United have leapfrogged Aston Villa to claim third, with Liverpool and Chelsea are tucked in behind.

Surprise packages Brentford are seventh and are dreaming not just of Europe, but of the Champions League.

Manchester United (3rd): P 28 Pts 51

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Form WWDWW: Manchester United are desperate to return to the Champions League after a two-season absence and are flying under caretaker boss Michael Carrick. He has six wins and a draw from his seven games, taking 19 points from 21.

What Carrick says: [On going third] “It doesn’t mean an awful lot at the moment. It’s nice, of course it is. We want to keep progressing and moving up the table as much as we can and in that respect, it’s a step today.”

Run-in: Newcastle (A), Aston Villa (H), Bournemouth (A), Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Brentford (H), Liverpool (H), Sunderland (A), Nottingham Forest (H), Brighton (A).