Richmond, Cornish Pirates and how the growing gap between Premiership and Championship rugby is threatening clubs’ finances and professional status August 7, 2019 Three years ago amateur rugby club Richmond sealed a surprise promotion to the Championship, the second tier of England’s two professional leagues. They were faced with a stick-or-twist decision: hire an entirely new squad of full-time players and try to compete, or reward their existing part-timers with the opportunity to compete against the pros. At [...]
Chris Tremlett: Jofra Archer has the ability to solve England’s Steve Smith problem at Lord’s August 6, 2019 When they look back on the 251-run defeat by Australia in the first Ashes Test, England will reflect on an opportunity missed. After losing the toss, England had the visitors right where they wanted them at 122-8, only for Steve Smith to claw Australia back into the game with a brilliant 144. The former captain [...]
England facing stern questions after succumbing to Australia comeback in first Ashes Test August 5, 2019 In the end England surrendered the first Ashes Test meekly. The 251-run margin of defeat was unimaginable on the opening day, when Australia were reeling on 122-8 at a raucous Edgbaston. And unimaginable for good reason: England made history, registering the biggest loss of any Test side to have claimed a first-innings lead of 90 [...]
$15m FedEx Cup play-offs offer Tommy Fleetwood chance to go one better than his runner-up finish at The Open August 5, 2019 With a $15m top prize for the winner, the FedEx Cup play-offs, which begin this week at the Northern Trust and conclude with the Tour Championship later this month, have become a huge event in the golf calendar. The format of the competition doesn’t always make it easy to follow but the rewards on offer [...]
England face monumental challenge to save first Ashes Test after another Smith century August 4, 2019 How do you solve a problem like Steve Smith? England may have dismissed the former Australian captain twice in the first Test match at Edgbaston, but it took them 426 attempts, came at the cost of 286 runs and the chance of making a winning start to the Ashes. England began day four with hope, [...]
Kevin De Bruyne shines as Manchester City beat Liverpool to the Community Shield at Wembley August 4, 2019 They say you can’t read too much into the Community Shield, especially when it’s won through the lottery of penalties, but Manchester City’s victory over Liverpool at Wembley still meant something. The two sides returned to action after battling it out last season, matching each other goal for goal and result for result, only for [...]
Steve Smith’s wonderful 144 sees Australia bounce back from Stuart Broad barrage on day one of the Ashes August 1, 2019 Today was a big day for Steve Smith. The first day of an away Ashes series and, more pertinently, the first Test match 16 months on from his very public shaming, lying, tears and grovelling. The pressure was on at Edgbaston, but Smith didn’t show it, blocking out the boos with a typically patient, dogged [...]
The Community Shield has been called a glorified friendly but what is it worth to the winners? August 1, 2019 It has been 61 days since Liverpool lifted the European Cup in Madrid and this weekend the wait for club football to return will be over. August has arrived, the sun is shining and on Sunday we’re heading back to Wembley. It can only mean one thing: the Community Shield. The traditional curtain-raiser to a [...]
Brentford are getting Premier League ready behind the scenes as they prepare to bid farewell to Griffin Park August 1, 2019 The beginning of a new season is a special occasion for every football fan, but for those at Brentford, Saturday’s Championship fixture against Birmingham will hold extra significance. It will be the final time the Bees kick off their campaign at Griffin Park before moving on to pastures new – 0.5 miles up the road, [...]
Sports law Q&A: Can Liverpool FC trademark the word ‘Liverpool’? A legal expert explains July 31, 2019 Liverpool Football Club have caused a stir by attempting to register the name of their home city as a trademark. Here, intellectual property solicitor Carissa Kendall-Windless examines Liverpool’s likely motivations and their chances of success. What is the legal background? Liverpool FC’s application for the mark “LIVERPOOL” is currently under examination at the UK Intellectual [...]