WORLD OF SPORT

JOSH GRIFFIN’S hat-trick against his old club pushed Hull up to fifth in Super League as they sent Salford spinning to a fourth straight defeat, 23-16. Griffin’s first try was the difference between the sides in a tight opening period. He scored twice more in the second half as Hull pulled away, aided by 11 points from the boot of Marc Sneyd, whose late drop-goal confirmed the win. Tries from Josh Jones, Niall Evalds and Jackson Hastings ensured Salford stayed competitive but they drop to seventh.

NEIL ROBERTSON underlined his status as a contender for snooker’s World Championship later this month by defeating Jack Lisowski in the China open final for the 16th ranking title of the Australian’s career. Robertson — runner-up to Ronnie o’Sullivan in the Players Championship and Tour Championship last month — avoided a third successive final defeat with an 11-4 victory over Lisowski in Beijing. Robertson built up an 8-1 advantage in the first session, the highlight of which was a magnificent 141 break in the second frame.