EASTABOGA, Ala. – Jake Knowles took another step toward the Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series National Championship with his sixth win of the season on Friday night at the Talladega Short Track.

In his last four Durrence Layne Chevrolet Dirt Late Model Series starts, Knowles has three wins and a second, and now holds a 92 point lead over Cruz Skinner in the National point standings.

Knowles led all 40 laps of Friday night’s race and held off a late race charge from 16-year-old Sam Seawright. Seawright dove to the inside of Knowles on the last turn of the last lap in lapped traffic, but Knowles was able to out drag the youngster to the checkered flag.

“After that last caution flag, I was trying to pace myself to keep from hitting lapped traffic before the end of the race, so I slowed down maybe a little too much on the last lap,” Knowles said. “We’re on a roll here lately, so we’ll dust this car off, and get a new set of Hoosier Tires to put on it, and we’ll be ready to go for tomorrow night.”

Seawright had to settle for second in the Agcor Steel Special, and Brandon Williams took the third spot in the Jeff Woods Construction Special. Skinner was fourth in the Skinner’s Body Shop Special. T.J. Brittain drove the Brittain Hauling Warrior to a fifth-place finish.

The finish:

Jake Knowles, Sam Seawright, Brandon Williams, Cruz Skinner, T.J. Brittain, Chase Walls, Jimmy Elliott, Tyler Wood, John Ownbey, Oakley Johns, Wil Herrington, Christian Hanger, Dennis Collins, Jake Teague, Jadon Frame, Donald Johns, Marcus Minga, Mike Combs, David Kay, Jake Rainey, Hayden Franklin, Randall Walker, Heath Carr, Lee Burdett.

Stumps Western Australia 337 and 2 for 148 (Shaun Marsh 74*, Mitchell Marsh 51*) lead Tasmania 397 (Paine 121, Jewell 52, Richardson 3-58) by 88 runs

Tim Paine's century, only his second in his 125th first-class appearance, helped Tasmania edge ahead of Western Australia in the first-innings exchanges across at WACA, as they finished on 397 in response to the home side's 337. By close of play on the third day, though, the Marsh brothers Shaun and Mitchell had both hit half-centuries to put their team 88 runs in front.

The day began with Paine and Caleb Jewell in the middle and Tasmania 5 for 217, still 120 runs adrift. The two of them stretched their partnership to 80 runs, Jewell hitting his maiden fifty at this level along the way, to keep them in the race but when Joel Paris sent back Jewell for 52, they were still well in arrears at 6 for 256.

Paine was in his stride by then, but lost Sam Rainbird and Jackson Bird cheaply, and it took debutant Lawrence Neil-Smith's solid, and obdurate, support for Paine to not only get to his own landmark but also haul Tasmania in front. The two of them held firm for almost 37 overs, adding 111 runs together, before Paine fell miscuing a pull off Jhye Richardson. Paine made 121, scored off 208 balls with 13 fours and a six.

Australia's Test captain had last made it to three-digits in a first-class match back in October 2006, when he was just 21, and it was an innings that promised big things as he went on to hit 215 in what was his fifth first-class outing, also at the WACA. It has taken him almost 13 years and 120 matches to get there again. Interestingly, Justin Langer, coach and confidante to Paine in the senior Australia men's team now, was opening the batting for Western Australia in that match.

No.11 Riley Meredith hung around for 23 balls but scored not a run before Ashton Agar accounted for him, leaving Neil-Smith unbeaten on 39, scored over 150 balls. That made it an excellent debut for the 20-year-old, who had returns of 3 for 81 in the first Western Australia innings.

He was back trapping Sam Whiteman lbw for 16, after Bird had jolted Western Australia with a first-ball strike to dismiss Cameron Bancroft, caught by George Bailey, to leave the scoreboard at 2 for 36 after 15 overs.

But Shaun Marsh and captain Mitchell Marsh, Nos. 3 and 4 respectively, then proceeded to add 112 runs in 28 overs in their unbroken third-wicket association to open up the game again. Both of them scored at a healthy clip. Shaun got to his half-century first, and ended the day on 74 from 146 balls, with nine fours and a six, while Mitchell scored relatively quicker, his 51 coming from 79 balls with nine fours.

Sanju Samson's career-best 212 not out, the highest individual score in Vijay Hazare Trophy history, was the headline as Kerala took on Goa in an Elite Group A game in Alur on Saturday.

It was Samson's maiden List A century - he has two T20 hundreds and nine in first-class cricket - and when he doubled it, it became only the eighth instance of an Indian scoring a List A double, five of which have come in ODIs: three by Rohit Sharma, and one each by Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Those aside, there is Shikhar Dhawan's 248 for India A against South Africa A in Pretoria in 2013 and Karn Veer Kaushal's 202 for Uttarakhand against Sikkim in last season's Vijay Hazare Trophy, the first time a double was scored in the tournament.

Samson also put up 338 runs - the highest third-wicket partnership in List A history - with his captain Sachin Baby, who hit 127 in 135 balls, to take the team total to 377 for 3 in 50 overs. Theirs was also the highest partnership by an Indian pair in List A games, topping Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid's previous record of 331.

Coming in to bat after opener Robin Uthappa was given out obstructing the field in the fourth over, Samson accelerated steadily in his innings, racing to 52 off 30 balls. Baby joined him at the crease in the eighth over, and the duo upped the scoring rate from the 13th over onwards. Samson went from 50 to 100 in 36 balls and in just 33 more balls, he had brought up his 150.

Baby, the more subdued of the two, brought up his century off 122 balls, and together they pushed the team total beyond 350 in 48 overs. Samson moved to 199 with a six and then brought up his 200 off just 125 balls, taking 26 balls to score the last 50. Baby was dismissed with five balls left in Kerala's innings, while Samson remained unbeaten, his innings studded with 21 fours and ten sixes.

Legspinner Amit Verma was the only Goa bowler to finish with an economy rate below six, while the rest of them went at over seven, seamer Heramb Parab going for 76 runs in the nine overs he bowled.

The Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) has launched an urgent application against Cricket South Africa (CSA) which seeks to overturn CSA's decision of taking the body under administration. Last month, CSA used its "step-in" rights as the governing body of cricket in South Africa to suspend the WPCA board, citing administrative and financial concerns which even led to doubts over whether the New Year's Test could take place at Newlands next year, but the WPCA is challenging this decision.

The WPCA is arguing that CSA has "no right or entitlement to exercise step-in rights over a self-standing voluntary association." They also claim CSA did not give the WPCA a hearing before making their decision to suspend the board, that the decision was based on incorrect information and that CSA has not complied with its own memorandum of incorporation. In other words, WPCA is seeking to have its board reinstated and for CSA's administrator - former WPCA CEO Andre Odendaal - to be stood down.

WPCA's action comes little more than a week after it was established that they will retain hosting rights for the New Year's Test and the ongoing construction project at the ground, for which CSA provided a R81 million (US$5.3 million) loan, would not get in the way of the fixture. While CSA was understood to be concerned with how that money has been managed, WPCA insist that they have complied with all requirements and are fighting for their independence.

A source close to WPCA told ESPNcricinfo that they do not believe the court action will have any impact on the New Year's Test. Further, despite taking CSA to court, WPCA "remains committed to pursuing a mediation process," should one become available. The application is expected to be heard in the Johannesburg High Court in the next few days.

This is not the only legal action CSA is facing at the moment. They have also been taken to court by the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) over the decision to restructure the domestic system. The matter is ongoing.

South Africa 275 (Maharaj 72, du Plessis 64, Philander 44*, Ashwin 4-69), Yadav 3-37) trail India 601 for 5 dec (Kohli 254*, Agarwal 108, Jadeja 91, Rahane 59, Pujara 58, Rabada 3-93) by 326 runs

Keshav Maharaj and Vernon Philander, the lead spinner and senior seamer of the South African squad, were picked to do a job with the ball. But the pair frustrated India in the opposite discipline with a ninth-wicket partnership of 109 runs, South Africa's third-highest in the series, and may have staved off an innings defeat.

Virat Kohli will able to sleep on whether he wants to put South Africa in again, 326 runs behind but he will have plenty to consider. His bowlers were in the field for 105.4 overs and South Africa's lower-order showed they are capable of making India work for their wickets. Kohli may also be wary of batting last on a surface that is taking more turn, even if there is only an outside chance that India will need to chase a target. Either way, they sit in prime position to seal the series in the remaining two days and have asserted their dominance over a South African side whose quality remains in question.

South Africa's top-order were beaten at their own game as India's seamers reduced them to 53 for 5. Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami maintained a slightly fuller length and bowled to attacking fields, whereas South Africa's bowlers had erred on the side of too short and too wide, and the difference brought wickets. Nightwatchman Anrich Nortje was dismissed in the third over, caught at fourth slip and Theunis de Bruyn, who looked confident on the front foot for much of his 30 runs, ended up stuck in his crease, uncertain whether to move forward or back to Yadav delivery and was caught behind.

That brought South Africa's most accomplished pair, captain Faf du Plessis and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock together. They posted 75 runs, with du Plessis increasingly authoritative on the cover drive, but the resistance was broken when de Kock was bowled by an R. Ashwin delivery that also tested his footwork. South Africa scored 100 runs in the morning session but the loss of three wickets and all but one of their top six batsmen saw them staring down the barrel of being asked to follow-on for the first time since 2008. It seemed certain that they would be asked to bat again as Kohli saved his quicks and kept his spinners on for 38 overs, but South Africa's tail had other ideas.

More to follow

British number two Heather Watson has reached her first WTA final for three years by beating Veronika Kudermetova in the Tianjin Open semi-finals.

Watson, 27, beat Kudermetova of Russia - ranked 80 places above her - 6-1 6-4 in China.

The world number 125 will face Sweden's Rebecca Peterson, ranked 59th, in Sunday's final - her first since the Monterrey Open in March 2016.

"Hopefully I can play as well as I managed today," said Watson.

After saving four match points and needing more than three hours to beat Magda Linette of Poland in the quarter-finals, things were a lot more comfortable against 22-year-old Kudermetova on Saturday.

Watson broke serve twice to take the first set inside 25 minutes and secured the all-important break at 2-2 in the second, before closing out another impressive victory.

Her form this week means she is guaranteed to climb back inside the world's top 100, while she will look to maintain her 100% success rate in WTA finals, having won at Monterrey in 2016, Hobart in 2015 and Osaka in 2012.

OSWEGO, N.Y. — The 358 modified qualifiers during the Friday Night Lights program at Oswego Speedway were shared by Thursday’s fast-timer Phelps, Mat Williamson and Tim Fuller.

In the opener, Phelps ran pretty much unchallenged off the pole with the action behind him as fourth starting Mike Maresca battled Dave Marcuccilli and Billy Whittaker for the runnerup position.

Meanwhile, Brett Hearn was on the way from 14^th, getting into the top six on lap 18.

At the checkered flag, it was Phelps, Maresca, Justin Haers, Marcuccilli, Billy Decker, Hearn, Whittaker, Ryan Susice, Danny Johnson and David Hebert in the qualifying positions, as eight cars made the cut not counting Phelps and Marcuccilli, who had locked in Thursday.

Round two was much more exciting, with Williamson and Eric Rudolph swapping the lead early on as Larry Wight and Kenny Tremont Jr. made mad dashes forward from 13^th and 18^th, respectively.

Both were in the top ten by halfway and kept passing cars until the end, running both high and low as needed.  Then a last lap crash involving front runners Mike Mahaney and Peter Britten shuffled the order once more.

The finish was Williamson, Rudolph, Wight, Tim Sears Jr., Tremont, Billy Dunn, Gary Lindberg, Chris Hile, Alan Johnson and Jessica Zemken.

Fuller had the easiest run to Victory Lane, taking the lead on lap three by driving around front row companion Todd Root, then running out to a big lead.  A pair of restarts put the field on his tail but nobody had anything for the veteran and most of the field ran in single file through the later stages of the race.

At the finish, it was Fuller, Corey Wheeler, Anthony Perrego, Mario Clair, Root, Ronnie Davis, Jessey Meuller, Jack Lehner, Michael Parent and Demetrious Drellos.

In the Pro Stocks, division kingpin Rob Yetman and Chris Crane shared victory lane honors in their 12-lap heats. Yetman muscled his way by early leader Luke Horning on a mid-race restart to take command while Crane inherited the lead when front row companion Josh Coonradt dropped out after two laps.

Sid Harner was third in the opener with Scott Towslee and Jason Casey trailing Crane to the checkers.