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Welsh Fire have extended their deal with Jimmy Neesham after suffering a double blow over that will deny them of both Lungi Ngidi and Liam Plunkett for the remainder of their Hundred campaign. South African Ngidi, 25, has returned home for personal reasons without having played a game, while former England bowler Plukett has been ruled out through injury. That has forced a re-think for the Fire – and for Neesham – with the New Zealand all-rounder now extending his deal for the rest of the inaugural tournament.

By Tom Prosser Cardiff City beat Newport County 2-0 on Saturday as both clubs completed their pre-season fixtures with the new season now just days away. Joe Ralls scored the opening goal with a stunning strike from outside the box and former Newport loanee Mark Harris scored with a neat finish from close range after some good work by the impressive Ryan Giles. The Bluebirds and the Exiles will begin their league fixtures on Saturday against Barnsley and Oldham respectively.

By Alex Bywater West Indies run machine Hayley Matthews urged her Welsh Fire women’s side not to rest on their laurels after sealing a first win in The Hundred on Saturday afternoon, the Fire will now be looking to claim back to back wins when they take on the Oval Invicibles later today (Monday). Matthews is the second top run scorer in the women’s competition with 134 runs from her three matches so far and her unbeaten 71 helped Welsh Fire to a convincing nine-wicket success over Manchester Originals at Sophia Gardens on Saturday.

New Swansea City manager Russell Martin has revealed he sounded out former boss Graham Potter before deciding to move to the Liberty Stadium. Martin has been appointed Swansea’s new head coach on a three-year deal, but needed to gain a positive reference for the club from Brighton manager Potter, who was in charge at the Swans before recently departed head coach Steve Cooper. “I spoke to Graham, and he spoke so highly of the club, of the people and of the area,” said Martin, who has moved from MK Dons.

The Scarlets are set to bring Corey Baldwin back to Welsh rugby with the former Wales U20 star returning to Llanelli from Exeter Chiefs. Baldwin left the Scarlets for the Gallagher Premiership last season but the centre struggled for consistent game time at Sandy Park due to the strength of the Exeter squad. Before leaving the Scarlets the Llandeilo product was seen as one of the most promising prospects in the Welsh game, with Wales coach Wayne Pivac a big admirer.

Leus du Plooy has vowed that Welsh Fire will re-ignite their campaign quickly on Monday after suffering their first defeat in The Hundred. The South African smashed a blazing 22-ball 43 which featured four sixes in what was ultimately a losing effort for Fire at home to Manchester Originals. A win on Saturday would have moved Fire up to first place in the table and well on their way to qualifying for the knockout stages of the tournament. Now, they must ensure winning momentum is not reversed when they meet Oval Invincilbes in south London on Monday.

Warren Gatland has told his British and Irish Lions to prepare for a "cup final" after their 27-9 defeat by South Africa in the second Test set up a series decider next Saturday. The Lions entered half-time at Cape Town Stadium 9-6 ahead through three Dan Biggar penalties but the match then turned on its head, with the world champions taking control up-front and in the air. Makazole Mapimpi and Lukhanyo Am crossed in the third quarter while the boot of Handre Pollard did the rest, setting up a winner-takes-all scenario in the climax to the tour next week.

Dan Jervis finished fifth in his first Olympic final as Great Britain ended their most successful swimming campaign in Games history. Swansea swimmer Jervis dug in for a gritty performance that ended with him finishing outside the medals, with a time of 14:55.48 that was some way short of his personal best as well as the 14:48.67 that earned him a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2018. But the 25-year-old Swim Wales athlete from Resolven should feel proud and encouraged by placing so near to medals at his maiden Olympic Games.

Alun Wyn Jones has refused to get drawn on Rassie Erasmus' criticism of the refereeing in the first Test and warned the Springboks there is more to come from the Lions. The Lions captain was responding after Rassie Erasmus, the South Africa director of rugby, released an unorthodox 62-minute video on social media in which he criticised the officials following the Springboks' 22-17 loss in the first Test in Cape Town last Saturday. Erasmus claimed Springboks captain Siya Kolisi did not receive the respect from officials afforded to the Lions skipper and said he was willing to walk away from the remainder of the series if he was out of line.

Lauren Price insists she holds no fears about facing old foe Nouchka Fontijn in a shoot-out for an Olympic final. The Welsh boxer has her sights set on a gold medal after guaranteeing herself at least a bronze for Great Britain with a quarter-final victory in Tokyo. Price, the world champion from Ystrad Mynach, will face Fontijn in the semi-finals after beating Panama's Atheyna Bylon, 5-0, on Saturday.