DARTS

Last year’s runner-up Gerwyn Price will bid to go one better in the Premier League Darts after being included in the eight-man line-up for this year’s event.

The hand-picked group will start the 16-week series in Cardiff on February 1, where all eyes will be on two Lukes as well as Welshman Price.

Luke Littler has been included after the 16-year-old captured the attention of the sporting world by reaching the final of the PDC World Championship.

The other Luke will be the man who beat Littler in Wednesday’s dramatic final – Luke Humphreys, who won 7-4 to become world champion for the first time.

Ice Man Price will be aiming to make amends for a disappointing World title bid after he crashed out in the last 32, beaten by Brendan Dolan.

Price says Littler fully deserves his spot in the Premier League and said on social media: “He deserves a spot in the biggest tournament. Premier League is made for this young superstar. Love it.”

 

CYCLING

Welsh Olympic hopeful Emma Finucane will be aiming to put down an early marker ahead of the Paris Games at the European Track Championships in the Netherlands next week.

The 21-year-old world champion from Carmarthen sprung a surprise by winning gold at last year’s world championships in Glasgow and leads a strong Great Britain squad which also includes Olympic bronze medallist Jack Carlin.

British Cycling will crank up preparations for the Olympics by sending a strong team to next week’s Championships in Apeldoorn with sprinter Finucane aiming to make another big statement.

Finucane, who ended a 10-year wait for a British women’s sprint world champion, will be joined by Sophie Capewell, Katy Marchant and fellow Welsh rising star Lowri Thomas.

There was no place in the women’s endurance squad for two-time Olympic champion Katie Archibald.

Britain has been the dominant force in track cycling at every Olympics since Beijing in 2008 and while the European championships is not a priority this year, it will serve as a yardstick to the form of the main track powerhouses.

A 23-strong British team heads to Apeldoorn, including eight current champions and 13 medallists from the world championships at which Britain topped the table.

 

SAILING

Hannah Mills has been overlooked for the chance to step up to one of the most high-profile roles in sailing.

Wales’ double Olympic champion has not been promoted to the driver role with the Great Britain SailGP team in succession to Sir Ben Ainslie, who is standing down.

Instead, Mills will remain as the team’s strategist and her fellow double Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup sailor Giles Scott has been handed the helm of the SailGP F50 catamaran.

The decision could now lead to Cardiff-born Mills – who returned to racing last year after having a child – leaving the crew and starting her own team.

Ainslie, 46, said he will remain as CEO and majority owner of his British SailGP team as well as principal and skipper for INEOS Britannia, his British challenger for the 37th America’s Cup, which will take place in Barcelona later this year.

But Scott will take over at the next event in SailGP’s fourth season, on Jan 13-14 in Abu Dhabi, with Ainslie focusing on the team’s performance and on promoting sailing’s next generation.