Reuters Sports News Summary

Pienaar, 39, was assured with the boot, both with ball in hand and off the kicking tee, as centre Reinhardt Fortuin, wing Cohen Jasper and scrumhalf Rewan Kruger crossed for tries with the hosts winning their seventh Currie Cup and first since 2019. Baseball-Mets to meet Phillies in London in 2024 The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will play a two-game series in London next year, becoming the latest Major League Baseball (MLB) teams to take their rivalry across the pond, the league and its players' union (MLBPA) said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Motorcycling-Bezzecchi breaks lap record to take pole at Dutch Grand Prix

Marco Bezzecchi smashed the Assen lap record on Saturday to claim pole position for the Dutch Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati and VR46 Racing team mate Luca Marini. Pole position was just reward for Italian Bezzecchi who has been fastest all weekend in practice sessions as he looks to move back into second place in the championship standings after Pramac Racing's Jorge Martin leapfrogged him in Germany.

Soccer-Wrexham's Tozer slams EFL towel ban for throw-ins

Wrexham defender Ben Tozer has criticised the English Football League (EFL) ban on towels to dry the ball before long throw-ins, claiming the tactics are not "anti-football". The new rule on the towel ban approved earlier this month will also prevent players from using items of clothing offered up by fans to dry the ball for better grip.

Tennis-Vekic plays twice, beats sixth-seed Sakkari to reach German Open final

Croatia's Donna Vekic had to play twice on Saturday but did not drop a set as she cruised into the German Open final with a 6-4 7-6(8) victory over world number eight Maria Sakkari of Greece. The 26-year-old had first beaten lucky loser Elina Avanesyan in straight sets in their quarter-final on Saturday morning after play was cancelled due to heavy rain on Friday.

Rallying-Rovanpera chases repeat win after rain slashes Ogier's Safari lead

Toyota go into the last day of the Safari Rally set to sweep the top four places and with Sebastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanpera fighting for victory after the weather played its hand on Saturday. Ogier had been 32 seconds clear of the reigning world champion and 2022 winner after the day's penultimate stage but a sudden rainstorm slashed the Frenchman's advantage to 16.7 seconds after the closing 'Sleeping Warrior' run.

Rugby-Cheetahs claim Currie Cup title after catfight with Pumas

Free State Cheetahs' experienced former Springbok Ruan Pienaar gave a masterful display of how to control a game from flyhalf as he led them to a 25-17 victory over the Pumas in South Africa's domestic Currie Cup final in Bloemfontein on Saturday. Pienaar, 39, was assured with the boot, both with ball in hand and off the kicking tee, as centre Reinhardt Fortuin, wing Cohen Jasper and scrumhalf Rewan Kruger crossed for tries with the hosts winning their seventh Currie Cup and first since 2019.

Baseball-Mets to meet Phillies in London in 2024

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will play a two-game series in London next year, becoming the latest Major League Baseball (MLB) teams to take their rivalry across the pond, the league and its players' union (MLBPA) said on Friday. The teams will meet on June 8 and 9 at the London Stadium in the third edition of the MLB London series. It will be the Phillies' first international trip and the fourth one for the Mets, who have played in Mexico, Japan and Puerto Rico.

Motorcycling-Bezzecchi pips Bagnaia to win Assen TT sprint

Marco Bezzecchi of VR46 Racing underlined his dominance at the Assen TT on Saturday after the pole sitter beat Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia for his first sprint victory of the season. Having clinched pole with a lap record after going fastest in practice and qualifying, Bezzecchi was slow getting away when the lights went out while Bagnaia turned on the aggression as soon as he shot off the line.

Tennis-Kazakh Bublik powers past Zverev in straight sets to reach Halle final

Kazakh Alexander Bublik broke Alexander Zverev once in each set to power past the German 6-3 7-5 on Saturday and reach the Halle Open final. The 26-year-old Bublik, who regularly delivered first serves at speeds of more than 220 kph, gave his opponent no chance on his own serve to make his first final of the year as the grass season heads towards Wimbledon in just over a week.

Tennis-Alcaraz sets up Queen's final against De Minaur

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz continued to thrive on London grasscourts in the build-up to Wimbledon when he beat unseeded American Sebastian Korda on Saturday to reach the Queen's Club final. The 20-year-old lost his opening set at Queen's earlier in the week but has since looked ominously good and proved too powerful for Korda, winning 6-3 6-4.

MLB roundup: Cycle helps Reds run win streak to 12

Rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz recorded Cincinnati's first cycle in 34 years as the host Reds rallied from five runs down to tie their modern-era franchise record with a 12th straight win, defeating the Atlanta Braves 11-10 on Friday. Cincinnati matched its 1957 and 1939 clubs for the longest single-season winning streak since 1900.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)