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New England Women’s head coach sees opener add unbeaten 130 to her three wickets as Lancashire crush The Blaze

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay23-Apr-2025England allrounder Emma Lamb delivered a match-winning performance as Lancashire opened the new era of women’s county cricket with an emphatic eight-wicket win over The Blaze in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup at Trent Bridge.Watched by the national team’s newly-appointed head coach, Charlotte Edwards, opening batter Lamb took three for 42 with her off-breaks as The Blaze were restricted to 234 from 50 overs after opting to bat first, before making an unbeaten 130 with the bat as Lancashire chased down their target with five overs to spare.Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce almost inevitably top-scored with 70 for the home side, Georgia Elwiss making 49 on debut. Left-arm spinner Hannah Jones also took three wickets, with England seamer Mahika Gaur picking up two.Related

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All out to the last ball of their allocated 50 overs, The Blaze total always looked under par even on a used pitch, with too many batters out to self-inflicted errors.With the ball, they could not muster the same discipline as their opponents and critically dropped centurion Lamb three times, the opener going on to hit 15 boundaries.England duo Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones – another Blaze debutant – who opened the innings, were both out to loose shots, Jones when looking well set on 30. The same malaise afflicted their middle order while even Bryce, well though she played, might consider her dismissal was avoidable.On the other hand, Lancashire’s bowlers deserved credit for creating pressure through the middle of the innings. England seamer Kate Cross sent down 39 dot balls and was unlucky to finish wicketless, two catches going down off her bowling.Beaumont – captaining in place of the injured Kirstie Gordon – was the first casualty, caught at short third chasing a wide delivery from Gaur. Bryce and Jones built nicely, but after the second-wicket pair had added 47 the England wicketkeeper perished tamely, hitting Sophie Morris’s left-arm spin straight to long-off.There seemed to be no shifting the irrepressible Bryce, who was beginning her domestic season only five days after concluding Scotland’s ICC World Cup qualifying tournament in Lahore with an unbeaten 131 in the thriller against Ireland. The all-rounder, whose half-century here came in 53 balls, has amassed a remarkable 1,786 runs in all formats since the start of 2024.With Elwiss – the former Loughborough Lightning skipper who is back in the East Midlands after a highly successful stint with Southern Vipers – she put on 82 for the third wicket before Elwiss, who had looked impressive, was bowled by a clever delivery from Hannah Jones.Nonetheless, The Blaze looked to have a platform for a big score at 146 for 3 from 32 overs but probably wasted the opportunity. Bryce, already with a boundary in the over, was caught at mid-off, Orla Prendergast at extra cover, Ella Claridge at deep mid-wicket and Georgie Boyce at midwicket, the last three seeing 191 for 4 become 197 for 7 in the space of 11 balls.Josie Groves plundered 21 after being dropped on one, but 234 looked a tricky total to defend.Needing to build pressure on their opponents from the start, The Blaze did not help themselves, with new-ball bowlers Grace Ballinger and new signing Charley Phillips, formerly with Sunrisers, each conceding wides and boundaries in their opening spells.Bryce the bowler made a breakthrough with her first delivery, inducing a return catch via a leading edge to remove ex-Central Sparks skipper Eve Jones on her Lancashire debut, but Lamb and overseas signing Katie Mack took charge, Lamb making The Blaze pay as Elwiss dropped her on 17 at midwicket and Groves on 26 at backward point – Ballinger the unlucky bowler on both occasions – by completing a 65-ball half-century with her ninth four.It took until the 31st over for the second-wicket pair to be separated, England leg-spinner Sarah Glenn bowling Australia’s Mack middle stump for 44 to end a stand worth 114.Lamb had another escape on 92, albeit to a tough caught-and-bowled chance spilled by Glenn, but kept her nerve and completed her fifth List A hundred from 114 balls, having hit 12 boundaries, then seeing her side over the line in an unbroken 86-run partnership with Seren Smale (38 not out).

Celtic’s miserable season continues.

On Thursday evening, at a far from full Parkhead, the Hoops were beaten 2-0 by Braga in a wretched Europa League tie.

Despite having earned a respectable 1-1 draw with Crvena zvezda in their league phase opener eight nights earlier, all that good work was undone by a generally lifeless and toothless display against a team who, if reports are to believe, were underperforming to such an extent that manager Carlos Vicens was on the brink of the sack; perhaps that isn’t the case anymore!

For Brendan Rodgers, he has enjoyed unfathomable success in Glasgow and, while no one believes he is to blame, he certainly has a big job on his hands to turn the tide of negativity around.

In summary, his squad is not good enough to compete at this level, but which of the Hoops’ most experienced players were most to blame?

Kasper Schmeichel's miserable night

Braga’s opening goal, scored by Ricardo Horta, was either an absolute screamer or a goalkeeping howler, depending on your point of view.

As Joe Hart, speaking on commentary for TNT Sports, was eager to point out, the ball did dip and swerve viciously, but Kasper Schmeichel in goal will be disappointed that he was unable to keep this one out.

In fairness to the vastly experienced Dane, he could do nothing about the second, Dane Murray’s clearances ricocheting in via Gabri Martínez’s knees, while Schmeichel did make plenty of impressive saves, one in particular denying Florian Grillitsch; without him, the scoreline could have been either worse.

Since arriving from Anderlecht, Schmeichel has been excellent in a Celtic jersey albeit, set to celebrate his 39th birthday next month, there has to be some semblance of succession planning.

However, he was far from the player who put in the worst contribution on the night, with the Celts’ main issues lying at the other end of the park.

Celtic's blunt attack

We have potentially buried the lead, given that this game on Thursday night witnessed, potentially, the worst VAR decision since its introduction, one that former Celtic striker Chris Sutton described as “scandalous”.

Shortly after half-time, following a defensive mix-up from the Archbishops, Kelechi Iheanacho calmly slotted an equaliser past Lukáš Horníček.

However, VAR had other ideas, informing referee Tobias Stieler that the Nigerian striker had handled the ball in the build-up.

Hart on commentary was rightly gobsmacked; you can make up your own mind, but no evidence has yet surfaced that the ball actually made contact with the striker’s hand or arm.

That aside, Iheanacho was generally anonymous, as the table below documents.

Shots

0

8th

Shots on target

0

6th

Shots blocked

1

7th

xG

0.04

11th

Duels contested

6

17th

Duels won

1

27th

Possession lost

10

9th

Touches

19

27th

Average SofaScore rating

6.1

30th

Iheanacho was a peripheral figure, completing just five passes, touching the ball just 19 times and losing the ball on ten occasions. He could also muster only one shot while ending the night with the same expected goals figure as 19-year-old right-back Colby Donovan, who was replaced at half time.

Of course, Iheanacho will believe, and he wouldn’t be the only one, that he scored a perfectly good goal, one that would have reversed the narrative, both for him and the club as a whole.

The Nigerian did score in Belgrade last Wednesday, having converted a penalty on his debut to snatch victory at Rugby Park, but is symbolic of the board’s shambolic summer transfer strategy, arriving after the deadline following the sale of Adam Idah, with no replacement lined up.

Life is also not being made easy for him by Celtic’s general lack of attacking threat, with Sebastian Tounekti the only one looking like scoring a goal against Braga, while fellow new recruit Michel-Ange Balikwisha puzzlingly remained on the bench.

Saturday’s goalless stalemate with Hibernian was the Hoops’ first 0-0 draw in a home Premiership match since 26 August 2023 against St Johnstone, but the fifth time in 12 matches already this season in which they’ve failed to score.

Right now, in the Scottish Premiership, leaders Hearts as well as Hibs, Dundee United, Kilmarnock, Livingston and Motherwell, who will visit Parkhead on Sunday, have all scored more goals than the serial champions’ tally of eight, a mind-boggling statistic.

Rodgers’ side still have to face Sturm Graz, Roma and Utrecht in Glasgow as well as taking on Midtjylland, Feyenoord and Bologna on the road in the Europa League, and Celtic are going to have to exponentially improve, especially in attack, if they’re to avoid an ignominious early exit.

Bigger talent than Donovan: Celtic must rue releasing "complete" star

Celtic must rue releasing this young star who currently looks like an even bigger talent than Colby Donovan.

ByDan Emery Oct 2, 2025

Ashwin said Pant’s reversal and the dialogue around it might make the bowler feel “small”

PTI28-May-2025R Ashwin was not impressed with Rishabh Pant’s decision to withdraw Digvesh Rathi’s appeal for running out Jitesh Sharma at the non-striker’s end during Lucknow Super Giants’ (LSG) final league game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).”Digvesh Rathi is not my relative. He is not my friend. I don’t know who he is. But I am saying… You will scar a bowler so much that it will really affect him,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “But because nobody really cares about a bowler, so in front of crores of people, should we withdraw his appeal and insult him?”The incident occurred in the 17th over of RCB’s chase when Rathi took off the bails after observing that Jitesh had left the crease at the non-striker’s end.The replays showed that the batter was outside his crease, but the TV umpire deemed that Rathi had completed his delivery stride before effecting the run-out. While it all unfolded, Pant withdrew the appeal and received a hug from Jitesh. RCB went on to win the game by six wickets.Related

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Jitesh survives Rathi's run-out appeal at non-striker's end

Ashwin, who has been a vocal supporter of running out batters at the non-striker’s end, said Pant should have backed his bowler.”Let me dive into the technicalities of this incident. Is Jitesh Sharma justified in being out if he stepped out of the crease before he (Rathi) got into the delivery stride? Yes, he is justified in being given out and the bowler is also well-justified,” Ashwin said. “Digvesh Rathi landed at the front foot and Jitesh Sharma was inside the crease. So, in all technical possibilities, this is not out. And what happened? After hitting the stump, (umpire) Michael Gough asked Digvesh Rathi. He didn’t ask him, ‘are you sure?” He asked him whether he was appealing.”He (Rathi) said, ‘yes, I am appealing’. So, he (Gough) went to the third umpire and the third umpire took the right decision. He said, ‘he has crossed his delivery stride, the batsman is inside the crease, I have a decision, not out’.”Now, till now, everything is fine. Bowler has hit, appealed, not out. It’s just another day in the office. But what happened? After this, during the match, (the) commentators said, ‘Rishabh Pant has withdrawn the appeal. What an amazing act of sportsmanship!'”Come on, . Let’s grow out of this. I am asking one question. Think about it, Digvesh Rathi is your son. Whoever is watching this video, he is your son, and Digvesh Rathi’s captain has criticised his decision in front of crores of people. It’s actually gone over the board because, look, a captain’s job is actually to back a player. Alright? A captain’s job is to not make a bowler feel small.”Ashwin suggested that Rathi was made to feel small and that he might never effect a run-out at the bowler’s end again.”We don’t know if he [Pant] already spoke to them [LSG camp] or not,” Ashwin said. “But let’s stop this vilification of that youngster in front of crores and crores of people. Do we do that to anybody else? Why does a bowler look small? It is actually a humiliation.”What happens is [that] a bowler feels so small that he will never do it and people will say in the comment section that he should not do it. Why? Why shouldn’t he do it?”

Jamie Carragher has ignored England as he named his favorites for the 2026 World Cup. Thomas Tuchel's side were the first European team to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, and head into their final two qualifiers already assured of their place; Carragher, though, has picked Argentina, Spain, and France as his favorites.

Tuchel's men overlooked

England have enjoyed a flawless qualification campaign, winning all six of their six qualifiers thus far. As a result, their November qualifiers against Serbia and Albania offer Tuchel the opportunity to experiment with his starting XI, as well as his squad composition, ahead of the tournament next summer. 

Nevertheless, Tuchel has insisted that England will arrive at the showpiece as "underdogs", despite their sterling progress in tournaments since 2018. Under Gareth Southgate, they reached two finals – Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 – and also reached the World Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals. 

He said: "We will arrive as underdogs in the World Cup because we haven't won it for decades, and we will play against teams who have repeatedly won it during that time, so we need to arrive as a team otherwise we have no chance.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCarragher overlooks Three Lions

Carragher was asked to pick his favourites for the tournament and backed champions Argentina to harness the support of the US, following Lionel Messi's impact in MLS, while favouring Spain and France from Europe, instead of Tuchel's side. 

He told CBS Sports, via the Independent: “You have to look at Argentina, the holders, will it be the last time we see Messi play football? They’ll probably have great support, especially if they play in Miami, with his impact on MLS and playing for Inter Miami. 

“From the European side of things, the European champions, Spain with Lamine Yamal and then France with Kylian Mbappe, arguably the two best players in the world right now, alongside obviously Ousmane Dembele with France as well.

“I find it very difficult to ever look at a tournament and not have France at the back of my mind. [England are in] the next level of teams, alongside Portugal, those teams I’ve mentioned are probably the favourites and then they’ve got an outside chance.”

Tuchel's praise

After England's most recent outing, a crushing 5-0 win over Latvia, Tuchel was fulsome in his praise of his players, as they continue to develop an understanding under the German manager's system. 

“Brilliant, such a good mood in the dressing room," he said. "It feels very different because it's our dream to go to [North] America and now we've made it, another good performance and a top result. We now have six wins and six clean sheets so we're very happy.

“We're dominant in games, we're hungry, we invest against the ball, we have a lot of ball wins in the opponent's half.You look at our last goal, Harry Kane controlled the way back in his own half after a mistake from a teammate, helps defend the ball and wins the ball for the goal for Ebs (Eberechi Eze).

“It's good and we're on our way.”

He added: “It's a club feel because we play very aggressive, we play a high press. It's a very physical game that we play. It's very demanding but it gets everyone going. Everyone needs to go and buy into the idea because otherwise we can't press so high so we have a lot of ball wins.

“The guys train on a high level and the group is a very good group. It's a pleasure to coach them. That's the result, it's step by step and we're getting there.”

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next?

England have two more qualifiers before they head to the United States and are also likely to schedule warm-up friendlies beforehand. England will head to the States with the hopes of finally finding a way to end 60 years of hurt, and if qualification is anything to go by, they will be right up there. Tuchel has actually only overseen one defeat thus far, a 3-2 friendly loss to Senegal. 

Journalist Beren Cross has provided a significant injury update regarding an influential Leeds United player, ahead of their Premier League clash with Burnley.

Farke expecting "tight" Burnley-Leeds clash

The Whites head to Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon knowing that the result could ultimately prove key in the relegation battle come May.

Speaking to the media ahead of the weekend action, Leeds manager Daniel Farke said he is expecting a “tight” battle away to the Clarets.

“I want to be there with a good performance. So, again, Burnley, what they have done in the last season is fantastic. Also a good start, especially performance-wise, to the season and I expect a pretty, pretty tight and competitive game. Out of these four games until the next international break, we want again to win as many points as possible.

“I would judge it as a difficult period because we have three away games, just one home game and we take it step by step. So right now we are just focused and concentrated on this Burnley game and to give ourselves a chance with a top performance again to win points.”

Farke will want as many players fit as possible for Saturday’s game, and it looks as though he could have a key man back in the fold, following a new update from Thorp Arch.

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1 ByJoe Nuttall Oct 17, 2025 Stunning Leeds injury update shared

Writing on X, Cross claimed that Leeds winger Dan James is making “immense progress” in his injury recovery and “would befive weeks ahead of schedule” if he features against Burnley. Farke said in his pre-match press conference that there is a chance he makes the squad at Turf Moor.

“Very positive and good news was Daniel James because he is a bit ahead of schedule in his rehab, so a compliment also to our medical department, our rehab coaches. He was even involved already, I would say, in major parts of team training during this week but he is definitely not in contention for the starting line-up.”

Having James back would feel like a massive shot in the arm for Leeds, with one of their record signings such an important figure with his blistering pace and improved end product, even though he is still searching for his first Premier League goal of the season.

The £75,000-a-week ace has the match-winning ability to decide what promises to be a close game away to Burnley, and even if he comes on as an impact substitute, simply having him in the squad will give the Whites a better chance of victory.

Boland and Josh Hazlewood are competing for the final bowling spot in Australia’s XI for the WTC final

Alex Malcolm06-Jun-2025Scott Boland says he is pain free for the first time in 18 months and is aiming to cause Australia’s selectors headaches as he vies for a spot in the World Test Championship final next week, ahead of Josh Hazlewood.Boland, 36, is fighting for a spot in the WTC final XI despite being Player of the Match in the last Test he played in Sydney against India in January. He was not selected in Sri Lanka when Australia fielded just one quick and three spinners in each of the two Tests and has not played any cricket since Victoria’s second-last Sheffield Shield fixture of Australia’s domestic season in early March after battling ongoing knee soreness.Boland had a huge impact (21 wickets at an average of 13) in Border-Gavaskar series in the three Tests he played in place of the injured Hazlewood. He was also Australia’s best quick in the 2023 WTC final when he was selected ahead of Hazlewood. But he knows he is no guarantee to play at Lord’s against South Africa as Hazlewood is fully fit again having bowled superbly throughout the IPL (22 wickets at an average of 18) to help Royal Challengers Bengaluru claim a maiden title.Related

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Boland said the three months off have been vital to help him get his knee right after playing through soreness over the previous year-and-a-half and he is hoping to make the selectors job as difficult as possible.”I’m really happy with how my body’s feeling at the moment,” Boland said. “Pain free for probably the first time in about 18 months. So it’s feeling really good.”My goal for probably the last two months was just get myself and my body in the position where I can put my hand up and be ready to go if it goes my way. I probably felt like at the back end of the Shield season, my knee was sort of, not wearing away, but wasn’t going how I wanted to go. And I didn’t feel like I was bowling how I wanted. But now I feel like I’m in a really good spot that I can bowl how I want to bowl. It’s pulling up really well, so that’s all I can do, and I just want to make their decision as hard as possible.”The decision between Boland and Hazlewood is one of a few that Australia’s selectors are mulling over, alongside whether to pick a specialist allrounder, where to bat Cameron Green on return from injury as a batter-only and who will open alongside Usman Khawaja given Travis Head will move back to No. 5 after opening in Australia’s last two Tests in Sri Lanka.The decision between Boland and Hazlewood sits independent of the batting order. However, Boland’s chances would increase if the selectors elect not play an allrounder in Beau Webster given concerns over Hazlewood’s durability after breaking down in each of his last two Tests.”I felt like I had a couple of really strong games,” Boland said. “But Josh is obviously a world-class bowler. He’s one of the best bowlers in the world coming off a really good IPL. So I’m sure he’ll be wanting the same thing here. Obviously, we all want to play but there’s probably not room for all of us.”Scott Boland has not played since the end of the Sheffield Shield season in March•Getty ImagesBoland being completely pain free will only increase his chances given how reliable and robust he has been in Tests for Australia despite his ongoing knee issues. He said he did not bowl or run for a period of six weeks after the domestic season finished and worked exclusively on strengthening his knee in the gym.”I was able to get it to a spot where it’s really strong, and then it’s just gotten better and better since I’ve started running and bowling, which was seven weeks ago,” he said.The only concern for Boland is that he is not as match-hardened compared to Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc. The latter three have all been playing in the IPL and although they have only been bowling four overs per game, bowling at high intensity in games regularly over a two-moth stretch has value for the experienced quicks.Australia opted not play a long-form practice match leading into the WTC final and have instead chosen to do seven days of nets and centre-wicket practice in Beckenham, south of London, as they did before the 2023 WTC final. Boland said his lack of match practice is not a concern.”I think we’re really comfortable with the way that we do it now,” Boland said. “I don’t think we’ve played a practice game since I’ve been in the team. We haven’t had a scheduled tour game. So I think you can get as much out of training if you have the right conditions. And I think the set-up we’ve got at Beckenham is perfect. There’s a really nice centre-wicket, beautiful run ups, all that kind of stuff. So it’s as close you can get to a game without playing a game.”For me personally, I like that the best. You can just get what you need to get done. And then all the other guys have been playing IPL, the other three bowlers, so they’re ready to go. They’re match hardened. And I think the intensity of the IPL helps when you go from format to format. They’ve already been at 100%. The only step up for them is just bowling a few more overs which they’re definitely used to.”One factor not in Boland’s favour is that he has never played at Lord’s. He was not selected for the Lord’s Test during the 2023 Ashes series. Hazlewood has 13 wickets at 26.15 in three Tests at the ground including five crucial scalps across two innings to help Australia win the 2023 Lord’s Test against England.

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is reportedly playing at just half of his capacity due to a painful groin injury. Doctor Pedro Luis Ripoll says the 18-year-old’s physical issue is severely restricting his movement and shooting ability, with the youngster’s ongoing struggle evident during Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico on Sunday.

Yamal battling pubalgia as fitness concerns mount

Barcelona’s teenage sensation is playing through significant discomfort as he battles pubalgia, a chronic groin injury that has limited his effectiveness in recent weeks. The issue, which causes persistent pain in the pubic region, is said to have reduced the forward’s mobility and explosiveness, traits that define his game.

Yamal appeared visibly restricted in movement and reluctant to shoot as Barca suffered a 2-1 loss at the Santiago Bernabeu. According to medical experts, the pain associated with pubalgia can fluctuate in intensity but often worsens during high-intensity matches, precisely the kind of fixtures where Barcelona need Yamal’s creativity most. The youngster’s physical limitations have been increasingly noticeable this month, prompting concern within both Barcelona and the Spanish national team camps. Club doctors are reportedly managing his workload carefully to avoid aggravating the condition further.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportDoctor explains Yamal’s condition

Speaking to , renowned sports traumatologist Dr. Ripoll offered insight into Yamal’s physical struggles, describing pubalgia as a “disabling” condition that significantly reduces athletic performance.

"It is an injury that is frankly difficult to treat. It's characterised by pain that reduces the player's ability to move and shoot by almost 50%, which is exactly what we saw in El Clasico," Dr. Ripoll explained.

“He hardly shoots at goal, he has difficulty moving, he constantly stretches… It’s a disabling pain that allows the player to participate in matches but keeps him from his best level and significantly diminishes his performance.”

Ripoll further clarified that while the injury does not involve structural joint damage, it can take weeks or even months to fully heal if not managed correctly. His assessment confirms what many Barcelona supporters have observed that Yamal, while still playing, is far from his peak physical condition.

Carvajal’s latest setback adds to Madrid’s injury woes

Dr. Ripoll also commented on the injury sustained by Los Blancos captain Dani Carvajal, who suffered another setback to his right knee, the same one that sidelined him for much of last season. Madrid announced that the defender is dealing with a “loose body” in the joint, a condition that can cause swelling, pain, and in serious cases, mechanical locking.

“It’s a piece of the joint surface, normally cartilage and bone, that comes loose and moves uncontrollably inside the joint,” Ripoll said. "In very serious cases, can cause a blockage, which is quite serious for a joint. It depends on the size of the player and the amount of space left in the joint. If the space is in the joint's weight-bearing area, the problem will be more serious."

The 33-year-old's recurring injury leaves Madrid short on the right flank once again, with options like Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has only recently recovered from a muscle injury, and Fede Valverde expected to provide cover. The defender’s absence could also impact Spain’s national setup, where both he and Yamal are regular call-ups – a concern ahead of next month’s international fixtures.

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Getty Images SportEl Clasico chaos: Brawl, tension, and fallout

The injury talk followed a chaotic post-match scene at the Santiago Bernabeu, where tempers flared between players from both sides. Carvajal confronted Yamal moments after the final whistle, allegedly telling him: “You speak too much. Speak now.”

The exchange stemmed from Yamal’s pre-match Twitch comments in which he jokingly claimed “Real Madrid steal”, remarks that reportedly angered several Los Blancos players. A heated confrontation ensued, with Vinícius Jr. and Jude Bellingham also involved before officials intervened to separate the teams.

Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong later defended his young teammate, accusing Madrid players of overreacting and “trying to provoke” the 18-year-old. No disciplinary action has been taken so far, though the incident has sparked debate across Spain about professionalism and mutual respect between senior and emerging stars.

The defeat leaves the Catalan giants five points behind Madrid in the La Liga standings, and with Yamal struggling for full fitness, Hansi Flick faces a major challenge to reignite his side’s attacking spark ahead of their next fixtures.

With the news filtering through that Ross Wilson is now joining Newcastle United as the club’s new sporting director, it could well be make or break time for a number of the reserve personnel at St James’ Park who are nearing the end of their current deals.

Indeed, Wilson will want to leave his mark on proceedings, with the likes of Matt Targett surely being let go when his deal expires next summer.

The likes of Kieran Trippier and Fabian Schar, however, will surely be keen to extend their current contracts, which also expire next year, even as they reach both 35 and 33, respectively, having shown they can still offer up plenty of quality as St. James’ Park veterans.

Dan Burn will also want to continue his celebrated Newcastle stay for as long as possible, even if question marks continue to pop up about his suitability as a left-back in Eddie Howe’s XI.

What the future holds for Dan Burn at Newcastle

Burn has become a staple at Newcastle over recent years, with the Blyth-born colossus beaming from ear to ear when he lifted the EFL Cup last year to break the Toon’s long trophy drought, having scored in the unbelievable 2-1 victory.

In total, the 6-foot-7 defender has now tallied up 158 appearances for Howe and Co since joining from Brighton and Hove Albion in 2022, with Burn missing from just one Premier League contest all season long last campaign.

Still, he hasn’t been without his critics this season, with one Toon-based content creator even dubbing Burn’s extended shifts at left-back over recent games as the “stuff of nightmares”.

In particular, the England international notably struggled to close down Bukayo Saka during Newcastle’s late 2-1 collapse against Arsenal, with the usually formidable 33-year-old giving away possession a high 26 times in the process.

With Malick Thiaw’s emergence into the side as an up-and-coming centre-back option, it’s unlikely that Burn will be shoved back into the heart of the backline soon, with the ageing number 33 just hopeful he can remain a consistent starter until his own contract runs out in the summer of 2027.

One of Burn’s Newcastle teammates doesn’t look to have the same luxury of time on his side, however.

Newcastle "leader" is now on borrowed time

When scanning the current makeup of the Magpies’ first-team step-up, there are an awful lot of figures who have been with the club since the very beginning of Howe’s reign.

Nick Pope left Burnley behind for the allure of St. James’ Park during Howe’s first proper summer transfer window, and despite some murmurs last season by journalist Adam Clery that he looks “absolutely petrified” to make an error, he remains Howe’s number one choice all those years down the line.

He does, however, have that same weight on his shoulders that the likes of Trippier and Schar are feeling, as his contract also expires this approaching June.

Jamaal Lascelles is also in this same unwanted boat, but he has been situated on Tyneside since the days of Rafa Benitez, even when his team were locked into a Championship promotion race during the 2016/17 season.

At the time, Lascelles would stand up strong as the Toon’s captain to guide the underachievers back up to the top-flight, with Newcastle royalty in Alan Shearer even going out of his way to label the 31-year-old as a “leader.”

Games played

253

Goals scored

15

Assists

4

Days out with injury

953

Games missed with injury

119

Since then, he has notched up 159 Premier League appearances and counting, but with their Champions League status now nearly a decade from Lascelles’ moment in the spotlight, and his recurring nature in and out of the St James’ treatment room currently, it might well be an apt time to pull the plug on the Derby-born centre-back’s long-winding stay, when his deal ceases to be in June.

Lascelle’s woes with injuries haven’t stopped him from still being seen as a club captain off the pitch, with Howe further reinforcing that he is an “incredible” player to have around the dressing room.

But, with Wilson through the door, and his contract soon to be up, now could be the time to wave goodbye, with Lascelles potentially going on to be a hero for another club, if he can exorcise his injury demons once and for all.

Anderson re-signs; £75m PL star joins: Ross Wilson's dream XI at Newcastle

Newcastle continue their hierarchal re-structure with the appointment of a new technical director.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 11, 2025

Hosts record their fourth win in five games after chasing down Essex in tense contest

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay18-Jun-2025Warwickshire continued their impressive Women’s Vitality Blast charge with a tense two-wicket win over Essex at Edgbaston.Georgia Davis’s side recorded their fourth win in five games after chasing down Essex’s 150 for 3. Cordelia Griffith, 47 not out off 36 balls, and Madeline Penna’s unbeaten 41 from 42 balls pulled the visitors round from 56 for 3 but never escaped the shackles of a disciplined attack.Warwickshire then slipped to 43 for 4 in reply but recovered to reach 154 for 8 with one ball to spare as Charis Pavely struck a dynamic unbeaten 68 from 40 balls with five fours and three sixes.Essex chose to bat and started solidly as openers Lauren Winfield-Hill and Grace Scrivens added 44 in 35 balls before Scrivens fell to the antepenultimate ball of the powerplay when she skied a slog at Phoebe Graham to midwicket.Laura Harris took that catch and accepted another four balls later when Alice Macleod drove Hannah Baker to extra cover. Those two blows for Essex were quickly followed by a big self-inflicted one. Winfield-Hill, on 30 from 23 balls, was called for a quick single by Griffith, hesitated and was run out by bowler Davis who chased the ball down with the precision and purpose with which she used, as a police officer, to chase villains round Walsall.The loss of three wickets for 12 runs in 11 balls required some shoring up and Griffith and Penna stemmed the collapse before seeking to accelerate. Each hit six fours in an unbroken stand of 94 from 75 balls to assure a competitive, if less than imposing total.MacGregor, leading wicket-taker in the competition, inflicted brisk damage on Warwickshire’s reply with two wickets in her second over. Davina Perrin chipped a low full toss to mid on and Meg Austin top-edged a leg-side scoop to the wicketkeeper.Essex’s bowlers continued to exploit Warwickshire’s top-order carelessness as Natasha Wraith swung Eva Gray to deep midwicket and Sterre Kalis missed an attempted cut at Abtaha Maqsood’s first ball and was bowled.That left Warwickshire 43 for 4 which could have been worse had an early big hit to long on from Pavely off Sophia Smale not passed through the hands of Penna for six. Pavely survived to add 43 in 28 balls with Issy Wong (33, 25) who batted responsibly to rebuild the innings but then misjudged a second run and was beaten by Joanne Gardner’s throw.Harris swept Gray to short fine leg but Pavely pulled MacGregor into the Hollies Stand for six to leave Warwickshire needing 35 from five overs. Successive fours took her to a 31-ball half-century and another handsome six, off Jodi Grewcock, put the equation firmly into the home side’s hands with just three needed from the last over.Scrivens started it with a dot ball and a wicket – Davis caught at mid-on – but two singles followed to level the scores with two balls left and Baker struck the next to the midwicket boundary.

Thursday, Topps announced an exclusive partnership with two-way MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers batter/pitcher is partnering with the brand on a unique global trading card deal. Previously, Ohtani partnered with Topps in a non-exclusive fashion.

As a part of the deal, Topps will manufacture products that feature Ohtani autographs and game-used memorabilia to be distributed in the United States and Japan markets. David Leiner, President of Trading Cards at Fanatics Collectibles, which owns Topps, promised that the partnership would give collectors, "product that's never before been seen in the hobby."

Ohtani joins other countrymen, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ichiro Suzuki, and Hideki Matsui in partnering with Topps. He also joins a roster of larger-than-life athletes partnered with Topps like LeBron James.

“I'm happy to be exclusively partnering with Topps to give fans unique cards and collectibles for seasons to come," Ohtani said in the press release. Just a few days ago, Topps announced a 1/1 card with a "40/40 club" inscription from Ohtani along with the date he achieved the exclusive mark.

Fanatics acquired the familiar Topps trading card brand in 2022 and is giving a new platform to the collectibles space. Earlier this month Fanatics held a "fan fest," a sports-angled convention comparable to conventions in other spaces like Comic Con, and later this year will hold its first unique auction in a deconsecrated church.

Ohtani famously is reported to make a number in the ballpark of $100 million annually from endorsements and non-baseball contracts. Quite possibly, that massive figure gave him the flexibility to largely defer his contract with the Dodgers in last offseason's free agency, giving the franchise more flexibility to build a winning team around him.