The Scotsman is a wry, slightly daft ex-plumber who wears his heart on his sleeve. So why does the Ally Pally crowd enjoy goading him? By the time Cameron Menzies finally leaves the arena, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand has trickled its way down the...
At Square One: inside the big barn that offers English cricket a brighter future
Centre with goal of inclusivity pursues a reassessment of the coaching and even the language of the sport “Cricket is shit if you’re shit at cricket. But everyone has been shit at cricket. Even Ben Stokes. When someone threw a ball at him for the first time, he didn’t smash...
NFL roundup: Mahomes tears ACL as Chiefs miss playoff for first time since 2014
Packers star Parsons also has suspected torn ACL Bills overcome 21-0 deficit to beat Patriots Myles Garrett closes in on sack record The Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Kansas City Chiefs from playoff contention when Derwin James picked off a pass by Gardner Minshew – who had just taken over...
Title hopeful Bunting survives huge scare at PDC World Championship
World No 4 edges out Sebastian Bialecki 3-2 in first round Kumar becomes first Indian to win at the tournament Stephen Bunting survived a scare before the No 4 seed progressed into the second round of the world championship on Sunday. Bunting, a semi-finalist last year, was taken to a...
St Mirren stun Celtic to win Scottish League Cup as Nancy’s nightmare goes on
Blame and plenty of it is now flying around at Celtic. This defeat, a third for Wilfried Nancy in his three games as the manager, plunged the club firmly into a state of crisis. What a festive fiasco. There is a scenario in which Nancy changes Celtic’s fortunes. The trouble...
Guardiola impressed with fighting spirit as City’s title push gathers momentum
Head coach praises ‘real leader’ Dias as defence holds firm Win at Selhurst Park extends Manchester City’s run to five Pep Guardiola has warned that Manchester City are growing in resilience after Erling Haaland and Phil Foden secured the side’s fifth win in succession and maintained pressure on the Premier...
England make one change for third Ashes Test as Harry Brook vows to ‘rein it in’
Josh Tongue comes in for Gus Atkinson for Adelaide Test Brook rues ‘shocking shots’ in Perth and Brisbane England have made one change to their line-up for the third Ashes Test, with Josh Tongue coming in as a like-for-like replacement for Gus Atkinson in the bowling attack. Seamer Atkinson failed...
Frank warns Tottenham ‘not a quick fix’ after ‘very bad performance’ at Forest
Manager says it will take time to turn club around Spence reaction to substitution will be investigated Thomas Frank said Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest offered a sobering reminder his side remain a “work in progress” and amid increasing scrutiny the head coach reiterated improving Spurs’s fortunes is “not...
Calvert-Lewin header earns Leeds point after Henderson strikes for Brentford
This was a game to reflect the tyranny of analytics-based football, where thought and expression are abandoned for the playbook, set pieces rule, and long throws become key events. For Brentford’s Michael Kayode, read Leeds’s Ethan Ampadu, both taking an age before hurling the ball into a mass of bodies,...
England need to be introduced to concept of consequences after Ashes flops | Mark Ramprakash
Players and coaches need to realise they will not be immune if fortunes do not change in the third Test in Adelaide There’s always a lot of white noise around an Ashes series but at the moment for England it must be overwhelming, not just given their performances in the...