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Bowler follows twin Craig’s five-for with his own in what could prove farewell before Surrey move

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2020Somerset 296 (Davies 81, Brooks 72) and 290 for 8 dec (Abell 119, Green 54) beat Glamorgan 131 (C Overton 5-38) and 166 (Cooke 82, J Overton 4-48) by 289 runsSurrey-bound Jamie Overton marked what could prove his farewell appearance for Somerset with 5 for 48 to complete a 289-run Bob Willis Trophy victory over Glamorgan at the Cooper Associates County Ground Bristol.Brother Craig finished with 2 for 31 and match figures of 7 for 69 as the visitors’ five remaining wickets fell for 40 runs in 70 minutes on the final morning after they had resumed on 126 for 5, 329 runs behind.Chris Cooke’s battling innings took him from 67 not out overnight to 82 before Jamie Overton had the Glamorgan captain caught at first slip by James Hildreth, having faced 138 balls and hit 10 fours.It was too little too late to save his side from a comprehensive defeat in a game they had bossed for the first two sessions. Somerset took 21 points to Glamorgan’s three.Overcast conditions and a pitch that was still responsive to quality pace bowling conspired against the visitors as the Overton twins set about finishing their opponents off.The first wicket fell after 15 minutes when Graham Wagg chased a short, wide ball from Jamie Overton and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Steve Davies. What little hope Glamorgan had left disappeared when the same bowler, operating from the River End, produced a fine delivery to end Cooke’s stubborn resistance.At 153 for 7, Ruaidhri Smith walked out with a runner for the second time in the game, determined to contribute despite the hamstring injury he suffered while bowling in Somerset’s first innings. But he could manage only three before getting a leading edge to Josh Davey, who had replaced Craig Overton, and lobbing a simple catch to Roelof van der Merwe at mid-wicket.Jamie Overton, whose decision to reject a new Somerset contract and sign for Surrey was announced before the game, produced some jaffas in a hugely impressive spell of 7.2 overs, which yielded 3 for 16. He claimed his fifth wicket of the innings with a perfect swinging yorker, which defeated Kieran Bull’s attempt to clamp down on the ball and sent his off stump flying.Overton’s celebrations suggested he had been determined to sign off his Somerset career in style before moving to the Kia Oval, and it was job done in that respect. He even had a hand, literally, is finishing the match, diving to his left to hold a slip chance offered by Michael Hogan off Jack Brooks.

Fans hailed Wayne Rooney's stunning free-kick for Manchester United legends while claiming he is still better than the current crop of players.

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• Rooney scores stunning free-kick for Man Utd legends
• Fans hail club icon
• Urge Rooney to teach struggling Rashford

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former England international handed United Legends the lead against Celtic Legends in the 41st minute as he found the back of the net with a curling free-kick through the top right corner. As Rooney showed he has still got it, Red Devils fans hailed the club's all-time highest scorer while claiming the now-retired player is still better than the current squad of players.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  A fan named Syed Hamza wrote on X: "Current Rooney still better than most of our current players."

  A user named Jake Davies lamented the lack of players like Rooney and Carrick in the current team as he wrote, "Rooney with a free kick, goal top corner. What I'd do for players like Rooney and Carrick in this current MUFC side. Both ooze absolute class."

  A handle named Name cannot be blanked urged Erik ten Hag to sign Rooney. He wrote, "Ten Hag sign him up."

  Brian hailed the United icon as he wrote, "We will never get his material again."

  Mike wrote on X, "Get him in our current team asap."

  Hashir Sher urged Rooney to teach Marcus Rashford how to score goals as he wrote, "Teach something to Rashford, please rooney."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Rashford, once hailed as one of United's brightest stars, has come under fire for what many perceive as a lack of effort on the pitch. The 26-year-old forward, who was instrumental during the 2022-23 campaign with an impressive 30 goals in 56 appearances across all competitions, has experienced a dramatic dip in form since then.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Ten Hag's men, who have suffered two defeats out of their first three league games, will be back in action next weekend as they take on Southampton on September 14.

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly will be forced to sell a player they valued at £50 million for a seismic discount this summer.

Chelsea players up for sale amid PSR concerns

The west Londoners have just over a month to raise £100 million through player sales, or risk being sanctioned by the Premier League.

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That is according to widespread reports, with rival clubs believing Chelsea must source £100 million by June 30 amid their worries surrounding Profit and Sustainability rules. The west Londoners announced a £90.1 million loss in their latest set of financial accounts for 2022/2023, and the Premier League only allows clubs to make a £105 million loss over a rolling three-year period.

After spending over £1 billion on new signings since the summer of 2022, Chelsea are far exceeding the limit, meaning Boehly and co may orchestrate a fire-sale of players to bring in funds.

Chelsea's most expensive signings under Todd Boehly

Price tag (via FourFourTwo)

Moises Caicedo

£115 million

Enzo Fernandez

£107 million

Mykhailo Mudryk

£88 million

Wesley Fofana

£72 million

Marc Cucurella

£58 million

Conor Gallagher and Raheem Sterling could be sold by Chelsea, with the former's contract expiring next year and the latter reportedly open to offers from other sides (Simon Phillips).

The English duo are by no means Chelsea's only big names who could be up for grabs, though, as the club have a plethora of players out on loan right now. Romelu Lukaku commands a price tag of around £39 million for interested sides, according to Fabrizio Romano, and he's apparently held talks with clubs in Saudi Arabia already (Rudy Galetti).

The Belgian has spent 2023/2024 on loan at Roma in Serie A, with young Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen also reaching the Champions League final on a temporary stint at Borussia Dortmund.

Maatsen is certain to leave Chelsea permanently this summer, according to another report by Romano, coming after his excellent campaign in the Bundesliga. The 22-year-old is flying under Edin Terzic, but the same definitely cannot be said for striker Armando Broja.

Boehly forced to sell Broja for big discount

The Albanian, who was valued at £50 million in January, has endured a torrid time on loan at Fulham – barely playing a minute behind the in-form Rodrigo Muniz.

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Ben Jacobs says Boehly could now be forced to sell Broja at a seismic Chelsea discount – which could even go as low as 50 per cent off.

"I think Chelsea would bite their hand off if a suitor offered £35 million for Amando Broja," said Jacobs.

"And very possibly now will have to consider offers between £25 and £30 million in order to get a permanent sale.

"Maybe they will consider a loan with an option or an obligation, again to bring in some short-term finances and resolve the situation, but it certainly won't be easy to get even the lower end of their original valuation for Broja just because he's not been playing he's not been scoring."

Celtic have received an injury update regarding "incredible" Parkhead star Daizen Maeda, according to an update from a Hoops writer, who has had confirmation from Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic injury latest

Celtic have reached a critical point in their season, having a three-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership, as the most important point in the campaign approaches. There is no doubt that Rodgers' men have the advantage in the title race, with Rangers suffering some poor results in recent weeks, but a slip-up from the league leaders could change things again.

The Hoops haven't had too many injuries to contend with in recent times, acting as a welcome boost for the manager, but Maeda is one of those who has been unavailable. The Japanese has five goals and two assists to his name in the league this season, and while those numbers aren't the most prolific, his hustle and bustle make him a key player.

There were even worries that Maeda's season could be over, and last week, Rodgers admitted that he had no idea when he could return, saying: "Daizen is still out. We just have to see over the remainder of the weeks left to see if he plays any part, but certainly won’t be tomorrow."

Liam Scales was another player who had been out injured, but he made a pleasing return to the fold in last weekend's thrilling Scottish Cup semi-final win over Aberdeen.

Celtic receive Maeda injury boost

Taking to X, Craig from CeltsAreHere claimed that Maeda could return from injury for Celtic as early as next week, following a Q&A with Rodgers at a club event:

"Rodgers did take part in a Q&A for an investors lounge event. I’ve had it confirmed by two people in attendance Rodgers did say Maeda is back running already and could be back as early as next week."

This is a massive boost for Celtic, considering Rodgers indicated that he could still be out for a number of weeks, as mentioned above. The 26-year-old is now such an experienced player for the Hoops, with his tally of two Scottish Premiership titles showing that he knows how to get over the line once the business end of the season arrives.

Meanwhile, Rodgers himself will be well aware of how important it is having Maeda back involved for the remaining few matches, saying of his player back in September: "He does the running of two men, he is absolutely incredible and I was so happy for him that he got his goal. He was so good on the day for us."

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Whether Maeda manages to force his way back into the starting lineup upon his return remains to be seen, but having him as a substitute could be such a potent weapon up against tiring legs, especially if a goal is needed.

West Indies’ coach is pleased with the fast bowler’s consistency during the ODI series against Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2020

West Indies won the first two matches of their ODI series against Ireland in contrasting fashion, cruising to victory with 100 balls to spare in the first game, and sneaking home in a last-gasp, last-wicket, penultimate-ball finish in the second. Across those two wildly different performances, one thing remained a constant, literally: in both games, Alzarri Joseph finished with figures of 4 for 32.Joseph’s emergence as a middle-overs enforcer has been a pleasing development for West Indies in recent months. Since his return from a shoulder dislocation suffered during last year’s IPL, Joseph has taken the new ball only once in eight ODIs, with West Indies instead using his pace and height to unsettle teams and take wickets in the 11th-to-40th-over period.In those eight ODIs, Joseph has taken 14 wickets at an average of 25.21, an improvement from his average of 34.08 across his first 16 games. His economy rate, too, has dropped from 6.48 before his injury to 5.34 since his comeback.Ten of Joseph’s 14 wickets since his return have come in the middle overs, at an average of 25.50, and he’s maintained an economy rate of 4.81 in this phase of the innings.West Indies coach Phil Simmons is pleased with how Joseph has been going about his game.”Not just on the pitch, but the way he prepares and the way he talks about cricket and about bowling,” Simmons told CWI. “He seems to be maturing very quickly and it showed in the two games, in the way he bowled.”He picked out Joseph’s consistency as the most pleasing aspect of his bowling against Ireland. “I think he’s hit the areas he’s wanted to hit more often than the other bowlers in the team, and he’s come out with success.”Simmons was less impressed with West Indies’ top-order displays against Ireland. They lost five wickets while chasing 181 in the first ODI, and slipped to 148 for 7 in the second before the lower order came to their rescue in a chase of 238. Simmons felt the batsmen needed to go back to how they were approaching innings during the recent tour of India.”The batsmen need to go back to what we were doing in India and how we were putting scores together,” he said. “We were putting proper partnerships up at the top and creating a platform for the big hitters down at the bottom, and we need to make sure we do that in this coming game.”Simmons was, however, delighted with the lower order’s efforts in the second ODI, where Khary Pierre, Joseph and Sheldon Cottrell batted around Hayden Walsh, who made an unbeaten 46, to haul West Indies home.”I think it’s good to see them taking their time and batting and not coming in and looking to win the game with sixes, and they thought about how to get that 80 runs from the lower order,” Simmons said. “It was great for me to sit and watch and take heart in the fact that they understand what they need to do for this team too. It was great to see.”West Indies play their final ODI against Ireland on Sunday night in Grenada. They have retained the same squad of 14 that played the first two ODIs in Barbados.West Indies squad for third ODI: Kieron Pollard (capt), Sunil Ambris, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Khary Pierre, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh

On Sunday, McKenna Whitham created history by becoming the youngest player to play for a US football team in the top division.

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Whitham makes debut for NJ/NY GothamBecomes youngest soccer player in top divisionBeats Cavan Sullivan's record after just 11 daysWHAT HAPPENED?

Whitham celebrated her 14th birthday on Saturday, June 28, and then received a special gift a day later as she was brought on as a substitute in the 80th minute as NJ/NY Gotham looked to hold their one-goal lead against Washington Spirit at Subaru Park. NJ/NY signed Whitham earlier in the week as a national team replacement player, a rule the NWSL uses to fill rosters during major tournaments.

AdvertisementWHAT WHITHAM SAID

Speaking earlier in the week following her signing, Whitham said: “I processed it, and it’s still new to me. But, I mean, I’m not going to be cocky about it. I’m going to stay humble, and I’m still going to keep developing. My goal is to be a top player in the NWSL, and I know that Gotham will help me become that player.”

USA Today ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Her debut made her the youngest ever soccer player, male or female, to play in the United States' top division beating Philadelphia Union's Cavan Sullivan who had set the record 11 days earlier in the same stadium during the Union's 5-1 win over the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.

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WHAT NEXT FOR WHITHAM?

The 14-year-old will continue playing for NJ/NY in the Summer Cup but will not be permitted to make her NWSL debut until her professional contract kicks in at the start of 2025.

MatériaMais Notícias

Em reta final de contrato, o lateral-esquerdo Alan Cardoso é um dos jogadores do atual elenco que apresenta bons números no Santa Cruz em 2021. Contratado no início do ano para assumir a titularidade da lateral esquerda, o defensor tem vínculo com o Tricolor até o dia 6 de junho e não deve ficar na equipe para a disputa da Série C do Brasileirão.

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>Os quatro primeiros confrontos do Santa na terceira divisão

Entre jogos do Campeonato Pernambucano, Copa do Nordeste e Copa do Brasil, Alan Cardoso entrou em campo em 11 oportunidades com a camisa coral sendo titular em dez jogos. O lateral-esquerdo ainda anotou um gol na goleada diante do Ypiranga, por 4 a 0, pela Copa do Brasil.

O jovem de 23 anos se destaca em suas subidas ao ataque, mas também se sobressai na defesa. Ao todo nos 11 jogos disputados, o lateral soma 74 bolas recuperadas, 62 interceptações e 42 cortes.

Em entrevista coletiva concedida em março, Alan comemorava o bom começo no Santa e afirmava que vivia seu melhor momento da carreira.

– É o melhor momento da carreira, fico muito feliz com esse começo vestindo a camisa do Santa Cruz. Trabalhei bastante para que esse momento chegasse, encaixei bem desde a minha estreia. O grupo me recebeu bem e vem ajudando para a sequência do trabalho – disse o lateral na oportunidade.

Com o período sem jogos, o Santa Cruz só volta a campo no próximo dia 30 de maio já na sua estreia pela Série C. O primeiro compromisso é diante do Manaus, às 18h (de Brasília) na Arena da Amazônia.

What is it?The Hundred is the ECB’s new 100-ball tournament, which will be played in July-August 2020. It will be played by eight new teams, based in seven different cities (there are two London teams).Who are the new teams?Birmingham Phoenix (Edgbaston)
London Spirit (Lord’s)
Manchester Originals (Old Trafford)
Northern Superchargers (Leeds)
Oval Invincibles (The Oval)
Southern Brave (Ageas Bowl)
Trent Rockets (Trent Bridge)
Welsh Fire (Cardiff)Who’s making the picks?All the teams are owned by the ECB, so unlike in plenty of other leagues there will be no owners on the draft tables. Picks will be made by head coaches, but with plenty of behind-the-scenes inputs from the rest of their staff and their analysts.The head coaches are as follows:Birmingham Phoenix – Andrew McDonald
London Spirit – Shane Warne
Manchester Originals – Simon Katich
Northern Superchargers – Darren Lehmann
Oval Invincibles – Tom Moody
Southern Brave – Mahela Jayawardene
Trent Rockets – Stephen Fleming
Welsh Fire – Gary KirstenDo they have any players already?Yes. Each of the men’s sides has picked one England player. Teams could choose one Test-contracted player from their ‘catchment area’, meaning Northern Superchargers faced the choice between Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, and Joe Root (they went for Stokes), while those players left over were allocated to a team without a Test player.Joe Root of Trent Rockets, one of the eight new teams that competing in The Hundred•Getty Images

Each team then picked two ‘local icons’, each of whom spent the 2019 season at a county in the new team’s catchment area. They were able to negotiate a salary with their new team, and ESPNcricinfo understands that some players were convinced to take lower salaries due to the security of being picked up before the main draft.That means that the majority of England’s one-day players have been picked already, though a handful – Joe Denly, Sam Billings, and Mark Wood, for example – will be available in the draft.How does the draft work?After a random draw, the order of picks for the first round was decided, with Stephen Fleming’s Trent Rockets set to pick the first player. The order of picks will then be reversed for the second round, and so on. Where a local icon has been picked, the team will skip that turn in the draft.Each team has 100 seconds to make their pick in each round. Salaries are pre-decided, and depend on how early a player is picked. First and second-round picks will earn £125,000 each, while round 13 or 14 picks earn £30,000.What about overseas players?As revealed by ESPNcricinfo, some 240 overseas players have registered for the draft, and with the exception of India’s white-ball stars and AB de Villiers, most of the big names are available.Each team will be permitted three overseas players, in both their squad and their XI.Can they sign anyone after the draft?Yes – each team will also be able to make a ‘wildcard’ pick after the conclusion of next season’s Vitality Blast, who will receive a £30,000 contract.What happens next season?Teams will be able to retain up to ten players in their squad for the 2021 edition of the tournament, and will mutually agree the salary band with the relevant player.What about the women’s competition?There’s no draft for the women’s competition, with players instead negotiating deals directly with head coaches. Each team has already signed two England-contracted players, and has until the end of May 2020 to complete their squad.When is the draft?The draft starts at 7pm local time in Sky’s London studios, and ESPNcricinfo will bring you live coverage throughout the evening to see who ends up where.

Double-ton for Darren Stevens and a Sam Billings century lift Kent from 39 for 5

ECB Reporters Network16-Sep-2019Kent 482 for 8 (Stevens 237, Billings 138, Olivier 5-108) v YorkshireDarren Stevens continued his bid for a new Kent contract with a quite remarkable career-best 237 to help steer the visitors out of early trouble at 39 for 5 on day one against Yorkshire at Emerald Headingley.Kent’s top order, including South Africa captain Francois du Plessis, was shattered by the pace of Duanne Olivier with the new ball at the start of this battle for third place in the Specsavers County Championship Division One. A Test team-mate of du Plessis’ up until the start of the year, Olivier struck four times in a seven-over burst, only for Kent to close on 482 for 8 from 96 overs.Stevens, 43, united with captain and fellow centurion Sam Billings to share 346 inside 65 overs from mid-morning to mid-evening and change the complexion of this fixture in record-breaking fashion, with 28 fours and nine sixes in 225 balls.Billings, with 138 off 209, justified his own decision to first of all opt for a toss and then elect to bat with his second successive century.Speaking at the end of the day, Kent’s director of cricket, Paul Downton, congratulated Stevens on his “brilliant achievement” and said the club would be opening talks on an extension.”Darren has put together some match-winning performances for Kent in recent matches and we would be foolish to ignore his recent form,” Downton said. “Obviously, such performances cannot go unnoticed and we’ll be sitting down with ‘Stevo’ after this match to discuss his future. It has been great to see his return to form.”Belligerent Stevens was told in July that Kent would not be offering him a new contract after 15 years with them. But last week they hinted at a u-turn following 10 wickets in the match and a first-innings 88 in the win over Nottinghamshire. This was his first century since May 2017.Yorkshire made a racing start courtesy of their marquee signing last winter, Olivier, in conditions which were good for batting but helpful for bowlers at 10.30am.He picked up the prized wicket of former colleague du Plessis, debuting for Kent in red-ball cricket after a short spell in T20 cricket last month. Du Plessis, warming up for a Test series in India next month, was bowled through the gate by an in-ducker as the score fell to 8 for 3 in the fifth over.Earlier, in the third, Oliver trapped Zak Crawley lbw and had Ollie Robinson caught behind as both men attempted to leave alone.Olivier’s fourth wicket – another compatriot Heino Kuhn, trapped lbw playing forwards – came after Daniel Bell-Drummond lost his off stump to one which kept low from Matthew Fisher in the eighth over. But from five down, Billings, who reached his hundred off 157 balls, and Stevens steadied the ship confidently, with the latter particularly positive as confidence grew.He successfully hit over the top on the off side on a couple of occasions before launching New Zealand left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who took 1 for 119 from 15 overs on debut, for a straight six to reach a 59-ball fifty in the final over before lunch.Stevens also clipped Steve Patterson for six over midwicket shortly after lunch and hit Patel for another in the same area on the way to a 129-ball century.Not without luck, he went from 51 to 191 in an afternoon session, which yielded 204 runs in 36 overs. He offered a number of difficult chances, although on 149 offered an easy chance to Olivier off Fisher at mid-on.The majority of Stevens’ sixes came off Patel before holing out to the Kiwi, leaving Kent 385 for 6. The Stevens-Billings alliance was a Kent record sixth-wicket partnership and the highest ever for that wicket on this ground. It was also the highest partnership for any wicket in Championship cricket this season.Billings was caught in the gully off Olivier late in the day, while Fisher also struck again.

Portugal coach Anthony Barry has explained how being able to turn “into a little boy again” has helped to make Cristiano Ronaldo a footballing GOAT.

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• Spent over decades at the very top
• Continues to rewrite the history books
• Showing no sign of slowing down at 39

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has spent over 20 years at the very top of his game, with another 50 goals added to a record-breaking collection during the 2023-24 campaign at Al-Nassr. Ronaldo continues to rewrite the history books and is about to grace an 11th major international tournament.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  CR7 is now 39 years of age, but he is slowing no sign of slowing down or considering a hanging up of illustrious boots. He continues to demand the highest standards of himself and those around him, with it that relentless pursuit of perfection that separates the best from the rest.

• WHAT BARRY SAID

  Barry, who works alongside Roberto Martinez in the Portuguese national team set-up, has told of what it is like to coach evergreen frontman Ronaldo: “He is two years older than me, but he looks about seven years younger! How do you coach that? I think in two ways. Cristiano is always challenging himself, so Cristiano is never satisfied – there is not enough for Cristiano in the game. That is exactly why he has had the career he’s had. Secondly, for me there is always the next challenge in sport. We’re going into the Euros now and the challenge is to win it, the challenge is for Cristiano to be at his best level. It’s my job to give him that platform – give Cristiano the platform for the next five weeks to play his best football. The challenges are always there in sport. Cristiano is, of course, a unique guy, a global icon, a football superstar and it’s a privilege, it’s never lost on you that you’re part of his journey and you get the platform and the privilege to coach him – that’s never lost on me. He has an amazing ability to walk out onto the pitch and he turns into this little boy again, still he can find the joy of a six, seven-year-old playing football – the excitement, the enjoyment. His whole demeanour changes when he walks onto the pitch, and that’s an amazing ability to be able to have. Also put together with the other factors of this incredible level of discipline and patience and sacrifice. This combination of everything is what makes him one of, if not the greatest player of all-time.”

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

  Questions have been asked of how prominently Ronaldo will figure at Euro 2024, amid suggestions that he may have to make peace with bench duty at times, but those inside the Portugal camp are offering no indication that the all-time great will not be asked to lead by example once again as captain of his country.