NETBALL: Liv Tchine netted 31 goals as defending Super League champions London Pulse began the new season with a narrow 56-51 win over Manchester Thunder. 

Nottingham Forest scored with the last move of the game to edge out London Mavericks 60-59, Samantha Wallace-Joseph shot with 94 per cent accuracy as Loughborough Lightning cruised to a 75-60 victory over the Dragons and Leeds Rhinos won 54-39 at Birmingham.

MEN’S FOOTBALL: Teddy Lavelle scored Southport’s late equaliser before they went on to beat Yeovil on penalties in Saturday’s FA Trophy quarter-final. 

Joining them in the last four are Wealdstone, who also needed penalties to beat Kidderminster Harriers, Southend United, 2-1 winners at Horsham, and Marine, following their 1-0 win over three-time champions Woking. 

The semi-final draw is due to made tomorrow afternoon. 

CYCLING: Mathieu van der Poel claimed northern Europe’s first major title of the year when he stormed clear to take Belgium’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad in the one day race on Saturday. 

The Dutch rider finished 22 seconds clear of compatriot Tim van Dijke with Belgium’s Florian Vermeersch third. 

Demi Vollering completed the Netherlands’ dominance by winning the women’s race ahead of Poland’s Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Lorena Wiebes.

MEN’S RUGBY UNION: Glasgow top the United Rugby Championship by four points despite losing 15-10 at Connacht as second-placed Leinster also slipped up 8-7 in Cardiff. 

Edinburgh beat the Scarlets 24-19, Cape Town lost 24-10 in Johannesburg and Munster saw off bottom club Zebre 21-7. 

Treviso drew 15-15 with the Dragons, Pretoria ran in seven tries to thump Durban 41-12 and the Ospreys came from behind to earn a 21-10 victory over Ulster.