Cornish Pirates have signed New Zealand-born centre Shae Tucker.

The 23-year-old has signed a two-year contract and has previously played Mitre 10 Cup rugby for Hawkes Bay and North Harbour in his homeland.

Tucker has also played for New Zealand Universities and North Otago in the Heartland Championship.

"He is a player who has all the attributes to succeed in professional rugby," Pirates director of rugby Chris Stirling said.

CALIFORNIA, Mo. — Tyler Blank raced to his eighth winged 360 sprint car victory of the season Sunday night at Double-X Speedway.

Blank took the lead from the start and survived several restarts and a late-race challenge from Ayrton Gennetten for the victory. Gennetten ran out of real estate while challenging for the lead on the white flag lap, allowing Taylor Walton to finish second.

Tyler Utz, Cody Baker and Riley Kreisel rounded out the top five.

John Clancy won the street stock feature and Kyle Smith topped the hobby stock main event.

VERNON, N.Y. — Second-generation driver Erick Rudolph outdueled the red-hot Mat Williamson to take home his first DIRTcar 358 Modified Series race of 2019 Sunday at Utica-Rome Speedway.

Rudolph came into the event with four top-five finishes in the first four Series events but finally broke through for the win at the half-mile oval. The Genoa Giant Pat Ward rounded out the top three. Ward drove up from the eleventh starting position to make the podium.

It was around lap 80 that Erick Rudolph pounced on points leader Mat Williamson to take the lead. Williamson had led most of the race from the early going after passing polesitter Todd Root.

“Utica-Rome Speedway has been really good to us this year. I was a bit concerned early. I thought the top three were a bit faster than us. As the race went on the track came to us a little bit and we were able to put it in victory lane,” Rudolph said.

There was no time to sit back for the pilot of the No. 25r. It was go-time from the drop of the green flag.

Rudolph said, “I was trying as hard as I could every single lap. It’s 100 laps but before you know it, it’s over.”

Williamson still holds onto the series points lead. He entered the Utica-Rome Speedway event on a tear with three Series wins in a row. The No. 6 was excellent on the short runs but late in the race, Williamson was overtaken by Rudolph.

“Erick [Rudolph] had a good car. He was better at the end than we were and that’s what it takes to win these races,” and right now, no one knows how to win 358 Modified races as Williamson and Rudolph do.

Rudolph and Williamson have a developing rivalry. They race against each other weekly at Ransomville Speedway, they race head-to-head in 358 Series competition, and finally, both drivers meet in every round of Super DIRTcar Series racing.

The battle changed completely when a lapped car hit an implement tire in turn three and spun to a stop in the middle of the track just as the leaders were coming around. Rudolph missed the stricken car but Williamson bounced his right-rear tire hard off of him.

“I think I got some damage from when I hit that lapped car that spun out in front of me. I could make up a bunch of excuses but we didn’t win. It is what it is and we’ll get it in the trailer and go to Quebec tomorrow [Super DIRTcar Series doubleheader at Autodrome Drummond and Granby].”

The Gypsum Racing driver in the crimson red No. 42 from Genoa, NY Pat Ward showed the young guns how it’s done and claimed the final spot on the podium. Pat Ward had to fend off the likes of Billy Dunn and DIRTcar 358 Modified ace Corey Wheeler to hold on.

“We started eleventh and came up through the field fairly good. We weren’t super-duper good but the car was working,” Ward noted.

After passing all of those cars, Ward had capable drivers try to work him over.

“We just hung on there at the end. I saw Billy [Dunn] and the No. 47 car [Corey Wheeler] all over me so it was a good race at the end,” said Ward.

For the second time in a row, Mike Mahaney in the black and yellow Huttig No. 35 took home an extra $100 for the Billy Whittaker Cars Fast-Time Award. Mahaney raced in the top five for most of the race, but a flat tire necessitated a stop in the pits. After starting tail Mahaney worked his way up to finish in the sixth position.

ROME, Ga. — Austin Horton led all 53 laps to win Sunday night’s Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series presented by Sunoco Race Fuels feature at Rome Speedway.

Horton, who earned $5,300, has now won this event for two consecutive seasons and it also makes him the fourth different winner in five series events this season.

Horton’s victory would be his second career Schaeffer’s Oil Southern Nationals Series presented by Sunoco Race Fuels tour win and would come aboard the Franklin Enterprises, Super K Express, Orr’s Towing, Vapes Gone Wild, GW Performance, Gary’s Pulp and Logging, Allstar Graphics, Horton’s, Inc. sponsored #16 Rocket Chassis, Clements Race Engines powered mount.

The initial start of the event main event would not see a full lap completed as Tyler Clem and Bo Eaton would tangle in turn three. The second attempted start of the race was good, with Austin Horton jumping to the race lead, followed by Donald McIntosh, Jason Croft, Michael Page, and Brandon Overton.

The top five would remain the same as Horton would stretch his lead and would start working slower traffic on lap eight, but by lap 13, Horton would get bottled up a bit in slower traffic and McIntosh would be able to chase down Horton. Horton would finally clear some of the traffic on lap 16 and once again pull away from McIntosh. P

age would begin to challenge Croft for third and would take the position on lap twenty, while the final caution of the event would appear one circuit later when Bo Eaton would spin his car in turn two.

The restart would see Horton maintain the lead, while Page would take second, shuffling McIntosh and Overton back to third and fourth, while Jake Knowles would challenge Croft for the fifth position. Page would close up on Horton and looked to be set to challenge for the lead, but Page would slip up in turn four and lose a lot of ground to Horton.

Horton would maintain a comfortable lead at this point, while McIntosh and Overton would battle for the third position, with Overton driving past McIntosh on lap 25 and Croft would take the fourth position from McIntosh two tours later on lap 27.

Horton would maintain his lead, while Croft would reel in Overton for the third position and would grab the spot on lap 34. Horton would begin lapping slower traffic again on lap 36 and would drive around the slower traffic the remainder of the way to garner the victory, with Page settling for runner-up honors, while Croft would complete the podium finishers with a third-place effort. Overton and McIntosh would complete the top five.

The finish:

Austin Horton, Michael Page, Jason Croft, Brandon Overton, Donald McIntosh, Jake Knowles, Zach Leonhardi, Will Roland, Cla Knight, Austin Smith, Tanner English, Matt Dooley, Ahnna Parkhurst, Cody King, Tyler Clem, Aaron Ridley, Tyler Millwood, Bo Eaton, Craig Greer, Buster Goss, Joey Armistead, Mark Page.

LAWRENCEBURG, Ind. — For Justin Grant, Lawrenceburg Speedway is akin to a second home.

For it was the track where Grant earned his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory and his lone previous Indiana Sprint Week win seven years earlier. It’s the place in which he won with USAC in 2014 and again in the fall of 2018.

And it’s where he earned his latest triumph, Sunday in round four of NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week.

“I’ve had a lot of special wins here at Lawrenceburg,” Grant said. “I really like it. I raced down here a ton back when I was driving the 40 car for Mark Hery. It was our Saturday night venue. We raced 10-15 Saturday nights a year here for a few years. It’s just a place I’ve always loved coming to.”

In fact, coming into Sunday’s event, Grant had led just two laps in his entire ISW career, both of which came at the conclusion of that 2012 ISW race at the very same track.

Grant left no doubt on this night, leading all 30 laps from start to finish to win his 15th career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature.

What had been a flurry of five victories in an eight-race span for Grant and TOPP Motorsports to close out the 2018 season, started off strong with a win in their second start of 2019. The wait for a return trip to victory lane took five months, but Grant feels the pieces to the puzzle were always there, the pieces just had to fit together.

“It’s been awhile,” Grant acknowledged. “I felt like we’ve had speed here and there early in the night, then we’ve had speed late in the night and just struggled to put a whole night together. We were finally good early and late and we’re able to put all the pieces together. Lawrenceburg was pretty hammer down tonight and the car was screaming around there. It was a lot of fun to drive and I was just kind of hanging on to it trying to keep it out of the fence.”

Grant won by a comfortable 1.63-second margin over Chris Windom, C.J. Leary, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Carson Short.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

David De Gea has thrown his hat into the ring to be Manchester United's next captain.

United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is looking for a new skipper after Antonio Valencia's departure and De Gea, who is set to sign a new six-year deal, said he is ready to do the job.

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"I've been captain for some games," De Gea said. "Of course it is amazing to be captain of a club like Manchester United and defend this badge.

"It's amazing, so of course I'll be really, really happy to captain."

There was speculation De Gea could leave Old Trafford this summer until a breakthrough in contract negotiations.

The Spain No. 1 suffered a dip in form at the end of last season but the 28-year-old is determined to help United recover from a disappointing sixth-place finish.

"It's my ninth season, I feel like one of the most experienced players," De Gea said.

"I need to show that on the pitch and try to help the young guys know what Manchester United means and that's important.

"We have to improve a lot. We are Manchester United; we need to fight for trophies.

"When you put on this badge, that's what it means -- fight for everything, give your best and bring the team again to the top."

Zimbabwe allrounder Solomon Mire has announced his decision "to retire from Zimbabwe Cricket in all formats with immediate effect".

"It is unfortunate and untimely however to leave under the current circumstances that are out of my control but i have decided to take a step in a new direction," Mire said in a statement released via his personal Instagram feed.

"Representing my country at the highest level for me has been the highest honour and service i could ever give and I have been extremely privileged to have been afforded the opportunity," Mire wrote. "My short career has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, stops and starts, frustrations and joys but will be one I shall look upon and cherish for the once in a lifetime opportunity I was lucky enough to experience and for that i would like to express my gratitude."

Mire, 29, played two Tests, 47 ODIs and nine T20Is for Zimbabwe, scoring one century and five fifties across formats, and taking a total of 14 wickets with his bustling fast-medium seamers. His top score of 112 came amid Zimbabwe's historic series win over Sri Lanka in 2017, helping the team chase down Sri Lanka's 316 for 5 with almost two and a half overs to spare - a record for the highest successful chase on Sri Lankan soil.

While he never quite fulfilled his undeniable promise as a devastating batsman in white-ball cricket, Mire also currently holds the record for the highest score for Zimbabwe in a T20I for the 94 he scored against Pakistan last year.

While he made an impression in Zimbabwean domestic cricket while still a teenager over a decade ago, It was Mire's big hitting in Australian Grade Cricket that brought him to the attention of the national selectors. He made community paper headlines in July 2014 when he slammed a 157-ball 260, including 21 sixes, for Waratahs to set a new tournament record in the Darwin and District Cricket Competition. His exploits for Essendon in the Victoria Cricket Association Premiership had also led to a game for Victoria Under-23s, and then a handful of games for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League in 2013-14 as a community rookie.

"My short career has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, stops and starts, frustrations and joys but will be one I shall look upon and cherish." Solomon Mire

Zimbabwe eventually came calling, and Mire cobbled together a pair of fifties in unfamiliar conditions in his debut series in Bangladesh in late 2014. He'd done enough to earn a place in Zimbabwe's 2015 World Cup squad, with his experience of Australian conditions also adding to his value, and had been a regular in Zimbabwe's squads since then.

Mire thanked the various clubs and coaches in Zimbabwe and Australia that played a part in his development as a player, as well as his sponsors. "Also a special thanks to the fans," he added. "I can hardly believe that I had fans from across the world, I'm sure most were friends and to the ones I'll never meet, thank you all so much.

"I can say without a doubt that sport and in particular international cricket will always be my biggest lesson in life. Ever."

Mire informed his Zimbabwe team-mates and the national technical staff of his decision to retire after the recent tour of Ireland before going public with his announcement. With Zimbabwe currently under suspension by the ICC, more of those team-mates could soon follow him into international retirement.

"Been a pleasure playing alongside this man over the last couple years," Kyle Jarvis tweeted. "Enjoy retirement @Kingsoly21 seems we are not too far behind you."

UFC champion Jon Jones is facing a battery charge stemming from an alleged April incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico, ESPN confirmed Monday.

Jones, who holds the UFC light heavyweight title, is accused of inappropriately slapping a cocktail waitress at a strip club, pulling her down to his lap and kissing her neck, according to a report Sunday from KRQE television in Albuquerque.

The waitress told Albuquerque police that Jones put her in a chokehold and picked her up off the ground, per the news station. When she asked Jones to stop, she said Jones continued touching her until he decided to leave.

Jones spokesperson James Hallinan told KRQE that Jones was unaware of the charge until his team was contacted by KRQE. Per online court records, a letter sent to Jones by Albuquerque police was returned in June. A bench warrant was issued for Jones June 12 when he failed to show up for a bond arraignment. Jones paid a $300 cash bond Sunday. His next court date is not yet scheduled.

"Today, the media told Mr. Jones about a false accusation launched against him and that paperwork had been sent to an incorrect address," Hallinan said in a statement to KRQE. "However, after receiving the documents from the press, Mr. Jones immediately went to pay the small fee, and he, and multiple witnesses, stand ready to factually refute the malicious lies being told about him to the public."

Jones, an Albuquerque resident, tweeted about the situation Monday morning, writing he is "definitely not in any trouble."

"Don't be so quick to believe everything you read on the Internet," Jones wrote.

Jones, 32, has had issues with the law in the past. The UFC star pleaded guilty to a felony in 2015 on a hit-and-run charge and received probation and community service. In 2016, Jones violated his probation for alleged drag racing. The New York native's probation was up in March 2017. In 2012, Jones pleaded guilty on a DWI charge.

On top of the time he missed dealing with those incidents, Jones has missed Octagon time due to two failed drug tests administered by UFC anti-doping partner USADA over the last three years. Most recently, Jones was suspended 15 months for a positive drug test for a steroid metabolite in July 2017.

Jones (25-1, 1 NC) is coming off a successful title defense against Thiago Santos earlier this month at UFC 239 in Las Vegas. Jones has never really been beaten in MMA, with his only loss coming in 2009 by disqualification for illegal elbows. He is regarded as perhaps the greatest pound-for-pound mixed martial arts fighter of all time.

MORRISON, Colo. – Tommy Johnson Jr.’s first final round in his NHRA professional career came at Bandimere Speedway in 1991.

However, it took until Sunday at the 40th annual Dodge Mile-High NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil for the Funny Car veteran to grab his first victory at the facility.

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Andrew Hines (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners in their respective categories at the 14th of 24 races and the first of three races on the Western Swing for the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Johnson raced to his second victory of 2019 and 19th in his career in the process, going 4.102-seconds at 308.50 mph in his Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat to beat Bob Tasca’s 4.158 at 302.14 in the final round.

Johnson, who is second in points, had advanced to the finals in four different categories at Bandimere Speedway, including Funny Car and Top Fuel, but he came through on Sunday against Tasca.

He reached the finals with wins against Jeff Diehl, Jack Beckman and Cruz Pedregon.

“We made a great run last night – my quickest and fastest ever on the mountain – and it gave the guys confidence,” Johnson said. “I knew going into today we had a good racecar and my guys did a great job. We’re a much better team now and we’ve grown so much as a team, so it’s good to get it done. It wasn’t easy, but we finally got a couple breaks and we finally got it done here.

“The race has a lot of prestige and it’s so much different than all the rest we run all year. You want to win the unique ones, and this is definitely the most unique of our whole tour.”

Tasca, who has reached the final round at three of the past four events, knocked off Jim Campbell, Ron Capps and No. 1 qualifier and points leader Robert Hight to earn his 15th career finals berth.

Torrence maintained his dominant pace in Top Fuel, picking up his eighth win in the past nine races after going 4.044 at 270.21 in the final round in his Capco Contractors dragster to beat Clay Millican’s 4.126 at 267.64.

Torrence, the defending world champ and points leader, won for the second time in Denver and 35th time in his career, rolling to his ninth straight final round in the process.

To get there, Torrence, who qualified No. 1 in Denver and has already clinched his spot in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship, beat Richie Crampton and Brittany Force.

“I don’t believe I’ve realized what we’ve been able to accomplish over the last couple of years, and when you’re in these moments you need to relish them and enjoy them because they don’t last forever,” said Torrence, who tied Don Garlits on the NHRA’s all-time wins list. “We’ve been able to maintain that consistency and the team we’ve assembled, we’ve been able to have these guys together for six years continuously. They’ve made the right calls and decisions, and they’ve given the crew chief the right car time and time again.”

Millican knocked off Doug Kalitta, defending event champ Leah Pritchett and Jordan Vandergriff to advance to his fourth final this season and 19th in his career.

Pro Stock veteran Anderson won for the second straight year in Denver, picking up his first victory of the season and 92nd in his career after going 6.950 at 196.96 in his Summit Racing Equipment Chevrolet Camaro to beat Matt Hartford’s 6.965 at 196.96.

It marks Anderson’s first victory since this race a season ago and also fourth career win in Denver. He picked up round wins against Fernando Cuadra, No. 1 qualifier Richard Freeman and Deric Kramer to reach the finals.

“It’s been a year since I’ve been able to win a race, and the class is just tough,” Anderson said. “It says a lot about the class and what it’s about, so I’m proud. The race car was great, just like it was a year ago out here. Obviously, my Summit Chevy loves this racetrack and loves racing at a mile high. It feels wonderful to get the job done and everybody did a great job. They were flawless today.”

Hartford advanced to his fourth career final round and third this season with victories against Alex Laughlin, Val Smeland and Jeg Coughlin Jr.

Points leader Hines continued to roll in Pro Stock Motorcycle, picking up his sixth win in eight races this year by going 7.174 at 186.67 in the final round on his Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson FXDR to beat teammate Eddie Krawiec’s 7.222 at 186.38.

Hines, who extended his points lead, put together an impressive result in the debut race of the new FXDR, beating Cory Reed, Hector Arana and defending world champ Matt Smith en route to the win.

Krawiec reached the final round with victories against Karen Stoffer, Jerry Savoie and defending event winner Hector Arana Jr., but there was no stopping Hines as he earned his class-best fifth win in Denver and 54th career victory.

Hines, the winningest driver in the class, also became the first rider in Pro Stock Motorcycle to reach 500 career round wins on Sunday.

“Rolling out this new FXDR, it’s been so much work these last few months,” Hines said. “Bringing that motorcycle here, we didn’t know what quite to expect, but we put them both in the final round. You’ve got to have the full preparation and make sure your mind is right coming to these national events. Everybody in the class can step up at any time, and it seems like my bike has been in the right place at the right time in the right round.

“We just ride the wave when we can.”