Dai Sport

Evan Hoyt has broken into the world's top 300 in doubles after a staggering rise of over 100 places. The Llanelli right-hander's reward for winning his first Challenger title in Australia is a move to 268 on the ATP doubles rankings.

Gareth Anscombe has been warned by Warren Gatland to expect stiff competition for the Wales No.10 shirt against Australia. Anscombe was given a rare starting opportunity at outside-half for the first of the autumn Tests against Scotland last weekend and responded with a confident performance. But with Dan Biggar now back in contention for the first game that falls within the official Test window, Wales coach Gatland has hinted that change could be in the air.

After 18 years as a professional rugby player, 16 of them playing for Wales, Gethin Jenkins, has pulled off the strapping for the final time. Graham Thomas considers the Cardiff Blues’ prop’s long career . . . and his new one. He went out like he came in – narrow-eyed and unsmiling. There was a brief grin when he slapped a boot at a conversion kick that sailed well wide, and again when he navigated along a guard of honour, but otherwise it was the same old Gethin Jenkins, all fixed stare and as inscrutable as a poker player with a half-decent hand.

So new is the VR4K Oreca FIA R4-spec rally car concept, that nobody in the sport really knew what to make of it – until this weekend, when Osian Pryce gave it a dream world competition debut! With no testing and only three runs over the pre-event shakedown stage, the 25-year old Machynlleth-born driver recorded an impressive three fastest stage wins and finished second overall in the Etios R4 on the Rallye Ciudad de Granada. Against much more powerful opposition, Pryce finished the event just 52.5 seconds behind former works WRC driver Xevi Pons, who was in a more superior and quicker Škoda Fabia R5.

Sam Davies won the Hansford Plant Hire Builth Showground Stages yesterday for the second time in as many years, but the final result had to be decided on a tiebreak after he finished on exactly the same time as rival Ian Evans. Davies set the fastest time on the opening stage, but was overtaken by Evans as the two duelling Vauxhall Nova drivers battled for victory over the asphalt and loose surface roads on the Stockman Hill area of the Showground. Evans and co-driver Justin Brooks had opened up a slight lead by mid-distance, before a charging Davies, navigated by Martin Lasper, saw him reduce the gap as darkness fell on the closing stages. By the end of the 14th and final stage, the two drivers were tied on time – with the tiebreaker going in favour of the Llanigon man.