Kenneth Paal equalised five minutes into stoppage time to rescue a point for QPR as they drew 1-1 with fellow strugglers Huddersfield.
Jack Rudoni’s 86th-minute goal looked like leaving third-from-bottom Rangers six points adrift of the Terriers – the team immediately above them in the Sky Bet Championship table.
But Ilias Chair’s right-wing cross was kneed into the top corner of the net by left-back Paal in the final stages and helped avoid a potentially disastrous home defeat.
A win would have taken QPR out of the relegation zone, where they have been since September, and leapfrogged Huddersfield. The draw means the gap remains at three points.
Both sides struggled to create clearcut chances, particularly during a scrappy first half, although Chair and young striker Sinclair Armstrong looked a threat for Rangers.
Playmaker Chair saw a weak shot comfortably saved by goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and sent in a wickedly-delivered corner from the left, but no-one could add a decisive touch.
Armstrong, meanwhile, fired high and wide from an acute angle during a frustrating opening 45 minutes for the hosts.
At the other end, Rhys Healey headed over from Sorba Thomas’ free-kick and had a shot blocked by Jake Clarke-Salter following good work on the right by Rudoni.
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes will have hoped for an improvement after the interval, but it did not materialise.
Instead, Huddersfield looked the better side, enjoying the majority of possession and going close when Michal Helik headed just over from Thomas’ left-wing corner.
It prompted Cifuentes to make a double substitution, sending on Paul Smyth and Elijah Dixon-Bonner in place of Chris Willock and the ineffective Lyndon Dykes.
That did make a slight difference, with Smyth adding some energy in attack and Dixon-Bonner shooting wide from near the edge of the penalty area, before Jack Colback’s left-footed strike was caught by Nicholls.
However, that was as much as QPR could muster before Rudoni broke the deadlock.
Rangers, who have shown a tendency to concede goals from set-pieces, failed to properly clear a free-kick and Radinio Balker’s shot fell to Rudoni, who fired past keeper Asmir Begovic.
The last-gasp equaliser will be a huge relief for Cifuentes but the R’s remain in deep trouble and must now hope that the arrival of Swiss striker Michael Frey gives them the impetus up front they have lacked all season.
Frey, whose signing from Royal Antwerp was announced shortly before kick-off, scored 33 goals in 69 games for the Belgian club and Rangers desperately need him to produce that kind of form in England.
Jannik Sinner proved himself a man for the big occasion with a stunning comeback against Daniil Medvedev to lift his first grand slam trophy at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Italian handed Novak Djokovic his first loss at Melbourne Park for six years in the semi-finals but looked like he would have to settle for the runners-up plate as Medvedev dominated the first half of the match.
Sinner was not finished, though, and he slowly began to take control with his huge groundstrokes, opening his grand slam account in brilliant fashion with a 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3 victory.
Earmarked as the man most likely to lead the game into its next era alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, who beat three of the top five seeds in successive matches, has decisively shown that he can be a force for years to come.
He is the first Italian to win the singles title in Melbourne and the first man at any grand slam since Adriano Panatta at the French Open in 1976.
“It means a lot, maybe the most important thing,” said Sinner, who led Italy to the Davis Cup title in November.
“There is always pressure, but the pressure is something good. I like to dance in the pressure storm. Because that’s where most of the time I bring out my best tennis.
“I still have to process it because, beating Novak in the semis and then today Daniil in the final, they are tough players to beat.
“So it’s a great moment for me and my team but, in the other way, we also know that we have to improve if we want to have another chance to hold a big trophy again.”
Sinner is the youngest winner of the men’s title since since Djokovic back in 2008, but he is mature beyond his years on and off the court.
In his acceptance speech, Sinner, who was a champion skier as a child, movingly thanked his parents for allowing him to choose his own path.
“I don’t see them so often, unfortunately, but when I see them it’s always a great time,” he said with a smile in his press conference.
“I went away from home when I was 14 years old. So I had to grow up quite fast, trying to cook for myself, trying to make laundry.
“I think for me it was tough but, for my parents, to leave their son at 14 years old, it’s also not easy. They never put pressure on myself, which for me is maybe the key why I’m here today. I’m a quite relaxed man, who just enjoys to play tennis.”
It had been almost 20 years since an Australian Open final did not feature one of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
Medvedev had the benefit of experience playing in his sixth grand slam final, while for the first time he did not see either Djokovic or Nadal across the other side of the net.
The Russian had endured a tortuous route to the final, though, with three five-set matches, two of them from two sets down, and more than 20 hours spent on court.
His solution was to go against type and begin in ultra aggressive fashion, which brought immediate dividends with an early break of the Sinner serve.
The Italian had not faced a single break point against Djokovic but here he could not keep Medvedev at bay, the third seed, who won his only slam title so far at the US Open in 2021, opening up a 5-1 lead in the second set.
Sinner retrieved one of the breaks and, although he could not quite turn the set around, it was a sign of things to come and, as Medvedev tired, the young Italian began to get on the front foot, breaking in the 10th game of both the third and fourth sets.
Heading into the decider he was a clear favourite once more and, after breaking to lead 4-2, he sealed his big moment in fitting fashion with a forehand winner blasted down the line.
Sinner admitted Medvedev had taken him by surprise with his approach, saying: “I was expecting something different from his side, so I had this feeling that he might come out a little bit more aggressive. Not this aggressive.
It was a cruel way to lose for Medvedev, who was also beaten from two sets up by Nadal in the final two years ago and was hoping to make it third time lucky in Melbourne.
But the 27-year-old refused to be too downhearted, saying: “I was trying to be proud of myself, and I am. I was fighting, I was running. I was, like, ‘If tomorrow I don’t feel my legs, it doesn’t matter, I’m going to try everything I can today until the last point’, and I did it.”
No one has ever spent longer on court at a grand slam, to which Medvedev reacted with a wry smile: “At least I got a record in something.”
Embassy Gardens is expected to go on to bigger and better things after claiming an impressive victory in the Grade Three Finlay Ford At Naas Novice Chase.
Willie Mullins used this race as a stepping stone to National Hunt Chase glory at Cheltenham with Stattler a couple of years ago, while several of his other recent victors took the same route without success.
This latest winner was cut from 7-1 to 4-1 favourite with Coral for the three-mile-six-furlong test for amateur riders at Prestbury Park.
Paul Nolan’s Albert Bartlett third Sandor Clegane set the pace for most of the way and was still in front after the penultimate fence.
However, 8-13 favourite Embassy Gardens had jumped beautifully and travelled strongly throughout under Paul Townend before coming through to challenge between the last two obstacles.
Another grand leap at the last put him in front and the eight-year-old galloped on well all the way to the line to put 10 lengths between him and Sandor Clegane.
Mullins said: “That was a really good performance and what I like about this horse is that he really loves jumping. When he sees a fence, he wants to jump it and that’s a huge asset in this game.
“He jumps, he stays and does everything right. He’s learned to settle now and is much easier to ride.
“He looks a natural for staying chasing and he’ll go for one of the staying chases in Cheltenham.”
Regarding runner-up Sandor Clegane, Nolan commented: “He ran well and came up against a good horse. He’ll probably go to Cheltenham and see where that takes us.
“It probably wasn’t ideal to make the running but you couldn’t say that it cost us. He was a bit slow twice at the ditch but other than that jumped well.”
It was another good day for Mullins, who had enjoyed big-race success in England 24 hours earlier.
Lossiemouth returned to action with a stunning victory in the Unibet Hurdle at Cheltenham, where Capodanno kept on well to land the Paddy Power Cotswold Chase, both ridden by Townend.
Up at Doncaster, Ashroe Diamond did the business in the SBK Yorkshire Rose Mares’ Hurdle with Patrick Mullins on board, with stablemate Gala Marceau back in third.
“Lossiemouth has improved nicely and did it well,” reported Mullins. “We took a chance and waited with her this season and it seems to have done her good.
“I was also happy with the other mares. Ashroe Diamond has come on and Gala Marceau may have just needed it yesterday. She’ll improve away from that.
“I thought Paul was very good tactically on Capodanno yesterday.”
Girona reclaimed top spot in La Liga after Portu’s first-half strike was enough to lift them to 1-0 win over struggling Celta Vigo.
The visitors were looking to bounce back from their disappointing Copa Del Rey quarter-final loss to 10-man Mallorca and quickly found themselves on the front foot at Estadio de Balaidos.
While Celta keeper Vicente Guaita had produced some fine saves to prevent his side from falling behind early, there was little he could do when Portu fired home in the 20th minute.
The hosts looked brighter as the break approached, but created little after half-time as their side slumped to another worrying defeat in their relegation battle.
Girona had a chance to take an early lead when Yangel Herrera fired into the side-netting from the edge of the area seconds before the 10-minute mark.
Artem Dovbyk tried next, forcing Celta keeper Guaita to tip over when his nodded effort from Savio’s cross looked destined to dip under the crossbar, and the former Palace stopper was almost immediately called back into action, denying the hosts with a fine save from a corner.
The visitors capitalised on their hosts’ defensive lapses, Renato Tapia struggling to track as Girona carved space deep inside his side’s half and Unai Nunez found himself outsmarted by Miguel Gutierrez, who slipped the ball to Portu.
The winger obliged, patiently edging forward before firing low past Guaita from just outside the six-yard box, and might have doubled the lead had Dovbyk’s cross soon after not narrowly evaded his slide at the far post.
Viktor Tsygankov fired over before Celta finally enjoyed a brief attacking spell, but were denied an equaliser when Paulo Gazzaniga picked a free-kick out of the air, then tipped Jorgen Strand Larsen’s header over the crossbar to preserve the lead.
Celta were settling into the contest, however, and had a golden opportunity when Aleix Garcia lost the ball inside his own half, but Anastasios Douvikas’ resultant effort was disappointingly soft and made easy work for Gazzaniga.
There were few chances for either opponent as the second half got under way and Girona wasted a promising drive into the area, pinging the ball between players before losing control, while the home support grew restless with the struggling outfit.
Miguel Rodriguez, one of four second-half substitutions for Rafael Benitez, provided a spark when he drove inside the 18-yard box and did well to control the ball under pressure, but was dispossessed before he could attempt a shot.
Guaita saved Garcia’s deflected effort to keep his side in the contest, and while Oscar Mingueza had a half-chance for the hosts it was duly denied by Daley Blind’s block before Gazzaniga was called into a stoppage-time save to seal the victory.
Zarak The Brave got back on track by claiming a straightforward victory in the Grade Three Naas Racecourse Business Club Limestone Lad Hurdle.
Paul Townend was last of the four runners aboard the 2-5 favourite approaching the turn for home but then made a forward move to track pacemaker Telmesomethinggirl entering the straight.
Two smooth jumps put the five-year-old in control and he kept on well enough to prevail by a length and a quarter.
The Simon Munir and Isaac Souede-owned gelding showed plenty of promise last season when placed behind stablemates Lossiemouth and Gala Marceau in Grade One events at Punchestown and Auteuil.
He picked up a valuable prize when landing the Galway Hurdle but was found to be all wrong after being pulled up as a long odds-on favourite for a three-runner Tipperary contest in October.
Trainer Willie Mullins said: “It’s nice to put that bad run in Tipperary behind him and we felt he’d been doing things nice at home.
“He might need a longer trip, as he’s getting settled now compared to what he used to be like. I’m very pleased to get him back on track.
“He’s only in the Champion Hurdle (at Cheltenham) and I’m not sure if he’ll go there. We might look at a few of the Graded races at Fairyhouse over Easter.
Mullins also has Impaire Et Passe for Zarak The Brave’s owners and he is set for action as part of the Closutton squad for the Dublin Racing Festival.
Mullins added: “We’ll work the horses during the week and decide then what we will do next weekend.
“Impaire Et Passe will run in the Irish Champion Hurdle along with State Man and probably Echoes In Rain.”
Ndaawi looked a nice prospect for Gordon Elliott when cruising to victory in the Download The BetVictor App Maiden Hurdle as a 10-11 market leader.
Jack Kennedy sent his mount a dozen lengths clear after a fine leap at the final flight and was able to ease down well before the finish, eventually obliging by a comfortable two and a half.
Once a Group One runner in France for Andrew Balding as a two-year-old, the son of Cracksman was cut from 14-1 to 10-1 with Betfair for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Elliott beamed: “It was a good performance and he jumped well. His form was good and we knew he’d improved from the last day. He was entitled to do that. He’ll go for the Boodles at Cheltenham.”
Kings Halo made all when running out a convincing winner of the Clinton Higgins Chartered Accountants Novice Handicap Chase.
Danny Mullins set out to make the two-and-a-half-mile contest a true test of stamina on James Dullea’s 7-4 favourite and succeeded in doing that before drawing 18 lengths clear at the line.
“Our fella jumped and travelled,” said Dullea. “Danny was brilliant and got the fractions right on him. I thought he’d gone a tad quick early on, but Danny knew what he was doing.
“The drop back in trip didn’t make any difference to him and it was a good performance. He’d a lovely weight and everything suited him – ground, weight.
“He has plenty of options now with trips and he’ll get into better handicaps now.”
The Football Association has launched a swift investigation into the crowd trouble which marred the FA Cup derby between West Brom and Wolves.
Play at the Hawthorns was suspended for over half an hour due to disorder in the stands and fans spilling onto the pitch.
West Midlands Police said two people have been arrested.
An FA statement read: “The disorder that occurred at the Black Country derby between West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers is completely unacceptable.
“Safety and security are of the utmost importance, and the behaviour of those involved is dangerous and inexcusable.
“We will be investigating these serious incidents alongside the clubs and the relevant authorities, and the appropriate action will be taken.”
The stoppage came shortly after Matheus Cunha had struck to give Wolves a 2-0 lead in the 78th minute.
Police and security needed to rush to a corner of the ground supposedly holding home fans as the disturbance developed.
Some West Brom players were concerned for family members seated nearby and went into the stand to remove their children.
Referee Thomas Bramall eventually took the players from both teams back to the dressing rooms.
There had earlier been pockets of trouble in other parts of the ground.
Flares were thrown in the away section after Wolves opened the scoring in the first half and objects were also thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner.
Play eventually resumed with just over 12 minutes of the game remaining.
West Midlands Police said: “We have extra officers at this local derby and they responded immediately as disorder in the stands caused fans to spill onto the pitch. Two people have been arrested for public order offences.
“We worked with officials to get the game restarted as soon as possible.”
Ben Stokes hailed England’s heroes of Hyderabad after claiming his “greatest triumph” since becoming Test captain.
Stokes has overseen some outstanding victories since taking charge almost two years ago – with record run chases at home, a historic 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan and a thrilling Ashes contest last summer – but now has a new favourite.
Facing an India side who had lost just three times on their own patch in the past decade, England somehow turned a 190-run first-innings deficit into a jaw-dropping 28-run win.
The biggest lead any touring team had ever previously overturned in India was just 65, by Australia all the way back in 1964.
Stokes’ vice-captain Ollie Pope was player of the match, saving the game with a stunning knock of 196, while debutant Tom Hartley forced the win with fourth-innings figures of seven for 62.
Reflecting on an unforgettable turn around at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium, Stokes said: “Since I’ve been captain this is definitely the number one win.
“We’ve been part of some amazing games over the last few years, had some incredible victories, but considering where we are and who we are playing against, this is 100 per cent definitely our greatest triumph.
“Being captain you are the one who has to come down and take all of the praise when you win or all of the bullets when you lose. The thing about winning is you obviously want to give the praise to the people who deserve it.
“This week two people in particular – Ollie Pope and Tom Hartley, amazing match-winning performances. I can only do so much and it is not me who has done this it is 10 other blokes who committed and managed to put in some pretty special things in the past four days.
“It’s amazing what you can get out individuals if you walk the walk after talking the talk.”
Hartley’s contribution must have been particularly satisfying for Stokes, who went out of his way to support the newcomer after a tough start to his Test career.
After seeing the left-arm spinner’s first ball hit for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal at the start of a costly opening spell, Stokes could have tried to shield him from further damage. Instead he gave him a long spell and plenty of support, and went back to him again frequently.
That faith came good when it mattered most, as Hartley ran through India to scupper their chase.
“It’s unbelievable, it’s not going to sink in for a while I think. I’m over the moon to be honest,” the Lancastrian told TNT Sport.
“Testament to Stokesy and Baz (Brendon McCullum), they really got around me and I lost no confidence really. They’re always ultra-positive and it’s a fantastic dressing room, one of the best I’ve been in to be honest. It’s fantastic I was able to come out and do my best today.”
Pope’s ears have been ringing for the past 24 hours with praise, with England’s sub-continental master Joe Root declaring his century an “absolute masterclass” and India coach Rahul Dravid – one of the finest players of his generation – rating it as the best example of sweeping and reverse-sweeping he had ever witnessed.
Improbably, this was his first competitive outing for six months after undergoing surgery for a dislocated shoulder.
“There’s been some long days in the gym, but these moments make everything worth it,” he said.
“I’ve felt really good but it was about getting my head around putting a big innings together. Fortunately for me that happened and with the win it means a hell of a lot more.”
England’s route to victory was all the more difficult given the knee injury which kept first-choice spinner Jack Leach to a reduced role. He was only able to offer 10 overs on the final day, compared to 26.2 from Hartley, but still took one for 33 as he battled soreness, bruising and swelling.
“He’s been an absolute warrior this week,” said Stokes.
“The output we’ve seen and the commitment he’s shown to everyone else this week is honestly inspiring.
“He is an absolute legend who epitomises what I want everyone’s focus to be on, which is the team above individual success.”
Gerri Colombe is set to sidestep next weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival and head straight to the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Gordon Elliott’s charge went down by just a short head in last season’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase before impressively securing a Grade One success at Aintree.
He kicked off the current campaign with another victory at elite level by edging out Envoi Allen in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal but was put in his place when a distant runner-up behind Galopin Des Champs in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.
A rematch with Willie Mullins’ star performer looked to be on the cards in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup but connections instead appear set to wait for Cheltenham.
“Gerri Colombe probably won’t run next weekend and we’ll go straight to Cheltenham with him,” said Elliott.
“He didn’t run his race at Christmas. He’s grand and can go to all the spring festivals.
“Instead of going back for another slog, we’ll go straight to Cheltenham and we have Aintree and Punchestown afterwards.”
Elliott has been rocked by the news that his horses running under the Caldwell Construction banner of owners Andrew and Gemma Brown are to be sold off next month.
That will affect his chances at the Dublin Racing Festival, as he added: “Farren Glory, Conflated and Found A Fifty will all run but we’ll have less runners than normal, as some are going to the sales.”
Crowd trouble marred Wolves’ FA Cup victory over fierce Black Country rivals West Brom at The Hawthorns on Sunday.
The game was suspended for over half an hour after problems erupted soon after Matheus Cunha had fired the visitors into a 2-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining.
West Brom’s Kyle Bartley went into the crowd to take out his children amid the ugly scenes, which occurred in the corner of the West Stand and Birmingham Road End.
It was part of the ground which theoretically should have been holding solely home supporters but there was a lot of pushing and shoving, with some fans spilling onto the pitch.
Police and security rushed over to the area to quell the problems but it was a long time before order could be restored and both teams were taken back to the dressing rooms.
It was the first meeting between the clubs in front of supporters since 2012 and had been designated high risk, with security increased and the kick-off scheduled for 11.45am.
There had already been pockets of trouble with flares thrown towards the pitch by Wolves fans after Pedro Neto had opened the scoring in the 38th minute.
There were further problems when objects were thrown towards Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner in the second half.
The incidents completely overshadowed what had been a hard-fought and absorbing fourth-round tie.
West Brom were dangerous on the break in the first half but failed to seriously trouble Jose Sa in the Wolves goal.
Wolves had plenty of possession but failed to create meaningful chances until breaking from a corner to take the lead in the latter stages of the first half.
Matt Doherty found space in the middle and released Neto, who cut inside from the right and fired a shot into the bottom corner after an ineffective challenge from John Swift.
West Brom tried to respond but Max Kilman blocked a Jed Wallace effort and Sa saved from Swift early in the second half.
The Baggies also appealed for a penalty after Brandon Thomas-Asante tangled in the area with Kilman but nothing was given and Thomas-Asante scooped a good chance over.
Tempers threatened to boil over after Bartley crudely blocked Cunha in an attempt to halt a Wolves attack.
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde curled an effort narrowly wide for Wolves and emotions did then spill over after Cunha raced onto a Kilman ball to fire the killer goal through Josh Griffiths’ legs.
It soon became apparent there was a serious problem in the stands as Wolves celebrated.
As the delay grew longer, referee Thomas Bramall took the players off the field and it was half an hour before they returned to warm up and restart the game.
The players went through the motions as they played out the closing stages of the game, Wolves holding on for their first win at the ground since 1996.
Jannik Sinner clinched his first grand slam title in dramatic fashion by coming from two sets to love down to beat Daniil Medvedev.
The 22-year-old Italian followed up his victory over Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals by quelling a fast start by Medvedev to win 3-6 3-6 6-4 6-4 6-3.
He is the youngest Australian Open champion since Djokovic in 2008 and the first Italian man to win a major singles trophy since Adriano Panatta at the French Open in 1976.
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While Sinner and Medvedev battled it out on Rod Laver, Katie Boulter was among those preparing for the WTA tournament in Linz, which starts on Monday.
Roll of honour
Women’s singles: Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
Men’s singles: Jannik Sinner (Italy)
Women’s doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Elise Mertens (Belgium)
Men’s doubles: Rohan Bopanna (India) and Matt Ebden (Australia)
Mixed doubles: Hsieh Su-wei (Chinese Taipei) and Jan Zielinski (Poland)
Girls’ singles: Renata Jamrichova (Slovakia)
Boys’ singles: Rei Sakamoto (Japan)
Girls’ doubles: Tyra Grant and Iva Jovic (USA)
Boys’ doubles: Maxwell Exsted and Cooper Woestendick (USA)
Men’s wheelchair singles: Tokito Oda (Japan)
Women’s wheelchair singles: Diede De Groot (Netherlands)
Men’s wheelchair doubles: Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid (Great Britain)
Women’s wheelchair doubles: Diede De Groot and Jiske Griffioen (Netherlands)
Quad wheelchair singles: Sam Schroder (Netherlands)
Quad wheelchair doubles: Andy Lapthorne (Great Britain) and David Wagner (USA)
Play was suspended after trouble broke out in the stands during West Brom’s FA Cup derby against Wolves at The Hawthorns.
The stoppage came shortly after Matheus Cunha had struck to give Wolves a 2-0 lead over their Black Country rivals in the 78th minute.
Police and security needed to rush to a corner of the ground supposedly holding home fans as the disturbance developed, while the players were ushered off the pitch.
There appeared to be a lot of pushing and shoving in the stand.
Some West Brom players were concerned for family members seated nearby and went into the stand to remove their children.
Referee Thomas Bramall eventually took the players from both teams back to the dressing rooms.
There had earlier been pockets of trouble in other parts of the ground.
Flares were thrown in the away section after Wolves opened the scoring in the first half and objects were also thrown at Wolves’ Tommy Doyle as he prepared to take a corner.
Tom Hartley became only the sixth Englishman to take seven wickets in an innings on Test debut as Ben Stokes’ side beat India by 28 runs in Hyderabad.
They were the best figures of Hartley’s career in any format and here, the PA news agency takes a look at the statistical significance of his efforts.
Magnificent seven
Hartley, who saw his first and fifth balls as a Test bowler hit for six by Yashasvi Jaiswal after taking the new ball, battled for eventual first-innings figures of two for 131 but starred in the second as England overturned a 190-run first-innings deficit for a stunning win.
Beginning with the wicket of Jaiswal for a measure of revenge, he went on to take seven for 62.
Dominic Cork was the last England debutant to take seven in an innings – his seven for 43, against the West Indies in 1995, are also the national team’s best debut figures.
John Lever took seven for 46 and Alec Bedser seven for 49, both against India in 1976 and 1946 respectively, while among England spinners only James Langridge ranks ahead of Hartley with seven for 56 against the Windies back in 1933.
The name immediately behind Hartley on the list demonstrates the level of company he is suddenly keeping – in 1948, eight years before famously taking 19 wickets in an Ashes Test, Jim Laker began his Test career with seven for 103 in Barbados.
He, like Lever and Bedser, achieved the feat in their first Test innings while Cork, Langridge and Hartley’s hauls came in the second.
First in a decade
Hartley’s are the best figures by any Test debutant in over a decade, since South Africa’s Kyle Abbott took seven for 29 against Pakistan in February 2013.
Only eight bowlers have taken eight wickets in an innings on debut, most recently Jason Krejza’s extraordinary figures of eight for 215 for Australia against India in 2008 – while Hartley is among a further 16 men to pick up seven. Three women have also achieved that feat, England’s Myrtle Maclagan and Australia duo Anne Palmer and Lesley Johnston.
Australian Albert Trott’s eight for 43 against England has stood as the record since 1895, in the 44th of what is now more than 2,500 Tests played.
As notable as Hartley’s achievement is in an international context, it is striking also in terms of his own career.
Before being handed his debut in Hyderabad, the best figures of his career – and his only five-wicket haul in any professional outing before Sunday – came with five for 52 in Lancashire’s County Championship win over Surrey in 2022.
Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos was hardly pressed when maintaining her flawless record in the Download The At The Races App Novices’ Hurdle at Doncaster.
The mare is considered a real prospect and had done nothing wrong in five starts when heading to Town Moor with three bumper wins and two hurdle victories on her CV.
The Cheltenham Festival is on the horizon for the six-year-old and the Doncaster contest proved to be the perfect preparation as she triumphed at a canter under Paddy Brennan, crossing the line seven lengths ahead as the 1-9 favourite.
“We’re very happy with her, obviously it’s very nerve-wracking when you’re 1-9 on and she had to go and win,” said O’Brien.
“She had to win or it was going to be a disaster, there’d have been a big bubble burst! But she did the job well and we were very happy.
“She did it as well as we hoped she’d do it, she’s in good form with herself and she enjoyed the whole job – that was nice to see.
“I think you’ll see her to better effect in a better race, she was just jumping a little bit up in the air today.
“Her jumping at Cheltenham (in December) was probably better, if you were going to crab her, but in a better race she’ll jump better.”
Paddy Power left the winner unchanged at 7-2 for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in March, and O’Brien added: “She got the job done, Paddy was happy with her, fingers crossed it’s Cheltenham now.”
The Los Angeles Clippers must be able to replicate their regular-season form in the playoffs if they are to prove themselves as the real deal, so says Kawhi Leonard.
Leonard led the Clippers with 26 points in a blowout 115-96 victory over the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Saturday.
That marked the Clippers' fifth straight win, as they improved to a league-best 22-4 run since the start of December.
Clippers coach Tyronn Lue labelled the road trip to Boston, who dealt his team a 145-108 defeat back in December, as a "measuring stick".
By any measurement, their response was emphatic, but Leonard has urged his teammates to remember that it is the postseason that really matters.
"I'm happy that we were able to come in and give the Celtics a loss," Leonard said.
"But it really doesn't mean nothing until you get to the playoffs and you're doing the things we did tonight – executing, making shots, playing good defense.
"It's good that we had carryover from last night coming from Toronto and winning these back-to-back games. But you got to just keep getting better as the year goes on."
James Harden, meanwhile, cited Saturday's display as the Clippers' best performance of the season.
"Against a team that was playing really, really well, especially at home, we've still got some ways to go, but this is a good test for us," he said.
Lue added: "The guys were pretty motivated. When they came to L.A., they did us pretty bad. So, the guys were locked in.
"Just a measuring stick against a great team. We just wanted to kind of see where we're at. We had that on our mind."
The Clippers are third in the Western Conference, two wins behind the Minnesota Timberwolves, who suffered a surprise defeat to the San Antonio Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama starred with 23 points and 10 rebounds as the Spurs - rooted to the bottom of the West - clinched a 113-112 victory.
"This is the best win we've had," said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, whose team trailed by 15 points before hitting back.
Wembanyama added: "It is definitely a good one and I think tonight we have to feel proud about what we did and get used to the feeling so we can repeat it."
Devin Vassell, who led the Spurs with 25 points, said: "I think we're just growing and maturing.
"There would be times where teams go on a run and we put our heads down and almost get defeated already. Basketball is a game of runs. So right now, we've just been sticking with it. We've been playing 48 minutes."
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