Scott McLaughlin thanked his Supercars team's resilience after securing consecutive championships

The Kiwi driver's finished ninth at the Sandown 500, handing him an unbeatable 541-point lead with a round remaining.

Earlier in the day, McLaughlin was relegated from fifth to 25th on the starting grid after he was stripped of his Bathurst 1000 pole due to an engine breach.



A "start" is how Wellington Phoenix coach Ufuk Talay's described his side's 1-all draw with Melbourne Victory in football's A-League.

Talay says they've finally got a reward with their first point in five matches.



Manchester United's moved to seventh on the English Premier League ladder with a 3-1 win over Brighton, while Wolves have beaten Aston Villa 2-1.





Another bizarre day in the history of New Zealand cricket.

The Black Caps have lost the deciding fifth Twenty20 against England at Eden Park by way of a super over, after both sides managed 146 in a rain affected 11-overs-a-side match.

England claim the series 3-2.



Central Districts have an 80-run lead at stumps on the third day of their Plunket Shield match against Canterbury in Nelson.

The hosts are 128 for two.

No play was possible between Wellington and Auckland at the Basin Reserve, or Otago and Northern Districts at University Oval.



An out-of-court settlement appears David Fifita's best chance of being freed from a Bali jail.

The NRL player was detained for allegedly striking a security guard outside a nightclub on the weekend.

In a plot twist, the bouncer who accused Fifita of hitting him has reportedly forgiven the 19-year-old and accepted his apology.



Michael Venus and South African partner Raven Klaasen have started the ATP tennis finals in London with a win.

They play two more matches in group play before the top two combinations advance to the semi-finals.



France has won the deciding doubles rubber to claim a first Fed Cup title since 2003, denying Australia a first title in 45 years in the process.

Australia have lost the last nine Fed Cup finals they've played.



Springboks loose forward Francois Louw has announced his retirement from international rugby.

Louw came off the bench for captain Siya Kolisi in the World Cup final victory - he earned 76 caps after debuting in 2010.



Ryan Fox has finished in a four-way tie for 21st at the Turkish Golf Open.

He's carded a final round four-under par 68 to be 13-under for the tournament, seven shots adrift of English winner Tyrell Hatton who won a six-way play-off.



Paul Coll is through to the last 16 of the men's squash world championships in Doha.