Revised whip regulations, anti-Grand National protests and Frankie Dettori’s ‘farewell tour’ dominated the racing year in 2023. We look back on the first half of another campaign filled with its fair share of thrills and a good measure of controversy…
January
New Year’s Day is a busy fixture in the racing calendar and at Cheltenham we saw The Real Whacker land the Dipper Novices’ Chase and assert his place in the division for Paddy Neville. In Ireland, Minella Indo returned to form to take the Savills New Year’s Day Chase. In the following days Jack Kennedy suffered a heavy fall that left him with a leg injury – an incident that inspired Davy Russell to make a U-turn on his retirement and return to the saddle for Gordon Elliot. A cold spell then saw the jumping calendar rather sparse for a few days as both the Clarence House at Ascot and Lingfield’s Winter Million were affected. The former meeting was rescheduled and held at Cheltenham, with Editeur Du Gite a surprise winner for Gary Moore. Ahoy Senor took the Cotswold Chase and around the same time there was a milestone in the career of Willie Mullins, who hit 4,000 career winners. The month closed with news of an unprecedented sanction for trainer Ronan McNally, who was banned for 12 years for various infringements relating to integrity.
February
New whips rules were enforced by the British Horseracing Authority with the disqualification of two horses, Lunar Discovery and Mavis Pike, earning riders Charlotte Jones and James Turner bans of 14 and 20 days respectively. A total of 20 suspensions were handed out in the first week of the regulations. Shishkin proved himself back to his brilliant best with a comprehensive victory in the Ascot Chase. Tom Scudamore announced his immediate retirement from the saddle, while Oisin Murphy made a winning comeback from his 14-month ban for alcohol and Covid breaches. Philip Hobbs trained his 3,000th winner via Zanza in Newbury’s Denman Chase. Panthalassa produced a remarkable front-running performance to strike gold for Japan in the $20million Saudi Cup. Mostahdaf turned the Neom Turf Cup into a procession in Riyadh. At Leopardstown, Galopin Des Champs ran away with the Irish Gold Cup and State Man strode to a decisive victory over Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle. Lord North outclassed his rivals in the Winter Derby at Lingfield. Kemboy rolled back the years with a heartwarming victory in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. Jim Lewis, owner of three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate, died at the age of 88. The Jockey Club scrapped dress codes at its 15 racecourses to make racing more “accessible and inclusive”.
March
Willie Mullins was again the main man at the Cheltenham Festival, with Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs the headline act among his six strikes. He also landed Grade One wins with El Fabiolo (Arkle), Energumene (Champion Chase), Impaire Et Passe (Ballymore) and Lossiemouth (Triumph), all partnered by Paul Townend. However, Mullins had to settle for second best in the Champion Hurdle with State Man, as Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill secured a stunning success. JP McManus finished the week as the leading owner, with his highlight being the 33-1 Stayers’ Hurdle victory of Sire Du Berlais. Irish handlers prevailed 18-10 in the Prestbury Cup and there was no more popular raider than Honeysuckle, who brought the curtain down on her phenomenal career with an emotional win in the Mares’ Hurdle. Alan King’s Major Dundee was an impressive winner of the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings. Japanese ace Ushba Tesoro finished strongly to beat the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Algiers in the Dubai World Cup. Equinox demolished his opposition in the Dubai Sheema Classic, while Lord North completed a Dubai Turf hat-trick under Frankie Dettori. Trainer John Spearing died at the age of 82 and Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning rider Bryan Cooper retired at just 30. Liam Burke rode a Limerick bumper winner at 66, having last tasted victory in the saddle in 1988.
April
Corach Rambler was a superb winner of the Randox Grand National for Lucinda Russell and Derek Fox. He jumped into the lead at the final fence, pulled away when passing the elbow and held off a closing Vanillier. Animal rights activists delayed the start of the Liverpool showpiece, with Merseyside Police arresting over 100 people. Constitution Hill and Shishkin gave Nicky Henderson a Grade One double on day one of the meeting. Kitty’s Light pulled off a spectacular double for Christian Williams, landing the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown just seven days after his Scottish Grand National success. Willie Mullins took top honours in nine of the 12 Grade One contests at the Punchestown Festival. Lossiemouth, Echoes In Rain, State Man, Impaire Et Passe, El Fabiolo, Klassical Dream, Gaelic Warrior, Energumene and Facile Vega all did the business at elite level – although Fastorslow upset Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup. Mullins also prevailed in the Boylesports Irish Grand National when I Am Maximus lunged late to claim victory at Fairyhouse. Paul Nicholls was crowned champion jumps trainer for the 14th time, with Brian Hughes the top jockey. Chaldean unshipped Frankie Dettori when coming out of the stalls in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury, won by Isaac Shelby. Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy enjoyed an All-Weather Championships Finals Day treble at Newcastle with Berkshire Shadow, Desert Cop and Notre Belle Bete.
May
On the first day of the month, Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington landed the Listed Tetrarch Stakes, a first step up to stakes level for a colt we would here a lot more of. The Guineas meeting arrived at Newmarket, with Mawj claiming a popular 1000 Guineas success for Saeed bin Suroor and Chaldean providing Andrew Balding and Frankie Dettori with victory in the 2000 Guineas. At the same fixture it was Via Sistina who took the Dahlia Stakes and former Derby winner Adayar who returned to action to win the Gordon Richards Stakes. At Chester’s May meeting, Savethelastdance streaked home in the Cheshire Oaks by a stunning 22 lengths, while San Antonio took the Dee Stakes and Arrest the Chester Vase. York was the next port of call, where Azure Blue took the Duke of York Stakes, The Foxes landed the Dante and Giavellotto was the Yorkshire Cup winner. Modern Games landed the Lockinge despite Chindit, the second-placed horse, trying to bite him in the final strides of the race. Desert Crown returned from injury to tackle the Brigadier Gerard, where he was defeated by Owen Burrows’ Hukum after nearly a year off the track. The month reached an end with Paddington taking the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Tahiyra the fillies’ equivalent.
June
The Derby meeting at Epsom ran under the threat of more action from Animal Rising, but nothing could detract from Auguste Rodin’s fine success and the triumph of Frankie Dettori and Soul Sister in the Oaks. Across the Channel the French Derby went the way of Ace Impact for Jean-Claude Rouget – another horse we would come to hear more of later in the campaign. Grand National-winning trainer Oliver Sherwood announced his retirement to take up a role as assistant to Harry Derham. Focus then turned to Royal Ascot, with five days of top-class Flat action in Berkshire as the King made his first appearance since his coronation. On day one, Triple Time was a surprise winner of the Queen Anne, with River Tiber landing the Coventry and Bradsell returning to the track to win the King’s Stand before Paddington’s brilliant performance in the St James’s Palace Stakes. On the Wednesday Crimson Advocate scored for America in the Queen Mary Stakes, with Rogue Millenium a popular winner for Tom Clover in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes before Mostahdaf made light work of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes with a four-length win and Big Evs landed the Windsor Castle. On Thursday the Ascot Gold Cup went the way of Dettori and Courage Mon Ami, a fairytale win in what was expected to be his final year, and on Friday King Of Steel became a Royal Ascot winner for Amo Racing when prevailing in the King Edward VII Stakes. On the same day Shaquille overcame a slow start to land the Commonwealth Cup for Julie Camacho and Tahiyra continued to impress when taking the Coronation Stakes. The ever-popular Pyledriver won the Hardwicke Stakes on the final day of the meeting before Naval Crown was the winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams was "almost in tears" after Saturday's 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors, which saw his team avoid setting a new record for most consecutive NBA losses.
Detroit matched the longest losing run in NBA history on Thursday, when they blew a 21-point lead against the Boston Celtics to equal the Philadelphia 76ers' record of 28 straight losses covering the end of 2014-15 and the start of 2015-16.
The Pistons – who were on the worst single-season losing streak in league history – could have taken that unwanted record outright when they welcomed Toronto to Little Caesars Arena, but Cade Cunningham starred as they avoided doing so.
The third-year guard had 30 points and 12 assists as the Pistons clinched victory over their short-handed opponents by going 11 for 12 from the free throw line in the final minute.
Asked about the mood in the Detroit camp after the team's first win since October 28, Williams said: "I've been a ton of locker rooms my whole life, and that's a first for me, to have that.
"It wasn't relief, it was like: 'Thank God'. Guys were screaming. I was almost in tears. I'm just so happy for our guys. I'm happy for everybody.
"Sometimes it just takes a win like that to get things started. I just have so much respect for our team."
Cunningham, who hit back-to-back three-pointers in a crucial fourth-quarter stretch to pull Detroit clear, added: "I feel amazing.
"We just kept battling. It's been a long stretch, all these losses, but I'm just happy to be part of a group of guys who don't quit."
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points and Dennis Schroder added 28 for the 12-20 Raptors, who traded O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks earlier on Saturday and were unable to field new arrivals RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
They sit 12th in the Eastern Conference after losing five of their last six games, while the last-place Pistons are at 3-29 ahead of a four-game road stretch starting against the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Great Britain were beaten 2-1 by the United States at the United Cup despite Katie Boulter sealing the biggest win of her career against world number five Jessica Pegula in Perth.
The second edition of the mixed international team competition is a slimmed-down version, with ties comprising two singles matches and one doubles.
British number one Boulter, 51 places below Pegula in the world rankings, defeated the American 5-7 6-4 6-4 in the first match on Sunday, but defeat for Cameron Norrie, and then for Boulter and Neal Skupski in the mixed doubles, saw the defending champions prevail.
Victory for Britain would have secured their place in the quarter-finals, but all three teams in Group C still stand a chance of progressing ahead of the final pool match between the US and hosts Australia on Monday.
Pegula looked on course to open the Americans’ title defence with victory, taking six straight games to go a set and 3-0 up.
But Boulter hit back to record her first win over a top-five opponent at the seventh attempt. Her previous best was beating then-world number seven Karolina Pliskova at Eastbourne and Wimbledon in 2022.
She said: “I felt like I played some really good stuff. I get a lot of confidence from it, I’ve done the work during pre-season and I was very happy with it. I feel like a different player than I was a year ago. I wanted to get some wins by rankings.”
Norrie lost to Taylor Fritz in the second singles match to send the best-of-three tie to the deciding doubles.
Fritz triumphed 7-6 (5) 6-4, serving 14 aces to only three by the Briton, who managed just 54 per cent of his first serves.
Boulter and Skupski then got off to a solid start when they faced Pegula and Fritz in the mixed doubles, but the American pair emerged 1-6 7-6 (4) 10-7 victors.
Harry Kewell has left Celtic to become head coach of Japanese side Yokohama F. Marinos, with Adam Sadler replacing him in Brendan Rodgers’ backroom staff.
Kewell, the former Liverpool and Leeds forward, was brought in as first-team coach at Parkhead by ex-Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou in June 2022 – his first job back in football since being sacked as Barnet manager the previous September.
“I would like to thank Celtic for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to be part of one of the world’s great football clubs,” the 45-year-old Australian wrote on Instagram.
“It has been an absolute privilege to work with Celtic with two great managers in Brendan and Ange. It has been an honour to be part of such a fantastic institution and it is a time in my career and life, which I will never forget.
“I would like to thank everyone at the club and all the fans who have given me and the team such brilliant support.
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“I would also like to thank Brendan for giving me such support in pursuing this new opportunity. It is a very difficult decision to leave Celtic but I feel the management opportunity presented to me is one I would like to pursue.
“I will always be a Celtic supporter and I will always wish nothing but the very best for the club. I hope the club and our supporters can enjoy more and more success.”
Kewell told his new club’s website: “I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Yokohama F. Marinos.
“I would like to thank the club for putting their trust in me to take the team forward. There is a lot of work ahead of us, and I am eager to get onto the training ground to start working with the players.
“We will work together as we aim to bring success to the club. The hard work begins now.”
Sadler was first-team coach at Leicester from 2018 until this summer, working closely with former Foxes boss Rodgers.
“I am delighted to be joining Celtic,” the 44-year-old Englishman told the Hoops’ website.
“It is such an iconic club with such a brilliant history, a phenomenal fan-base and tremendous record of success.
“It goes without saying I am really looking forward to teaming up with Brendan again. We worked closely at Leicester City and enjoyed some good times.
“I know exactly the way Brendan likes to play and what he demands from his players and staff, so I am sure once again we can work together and achieve really positive results.”
Rodgers added: “I am really pleased to welcome Adam to Celtic. He will be a fantastic addition to our coaching team and I know he will bring some great experience and ability to add to the club.
“I would also like to wish Harry all the very best for the future. I really enjoyed working with him, I thank him for all his work and I am sure he will enjoy the great opportunity he has been given in Japan.”
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk says he has paid little attention to how their Premier League title rivals have done over the festive period.
After going top of the table with a win at Burnley on Boxing Day, manager Jurgen Klopp afforded the players the luxury of two days off in a five-day spell with no game before Monday’s visit of Newcastle.
In that time, newly crowned Club World Cup champions Manchester City won twice, at Everton and home to Sheffield United, while Arsenal lost against West Ham.
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“We’ve had a couple of days to spend with our families before we focus on another big game on New Year’s Day,” Van Dijk said.
Asked if he paid any attention to their rivals, he said: “Not at all. I didn’t even watch football. I was spending time with my family. We’ve been away so much recently.”
On the title race, he continued: “I don’t speak about winning the league at this point. I don’t think anyone in this team will do that because we know from experience that anything can happen.
“What we are striving for is consistency and just winning the game ahead of us, which has been key to our success previously.”
The Dutchman partnered the impressive 20-year-old Jarell Quansah in central defence at Turf Moor but Klopp’s rotation policy is likely to see Ibrahima Konate return to face Newcastle on Monday evening.
Van Dijk has been impressed by Quansah in his breakthrough season, in which he has already made 14 appearances.
That has eased some of the pressure caused by Joel Matip’s ACL injury which is likely to rule him out for the remainder of the campaign and would have left Klopp with just three centre-backs.
“I think every challenge which came his way so far he has dealt with it outstandingly in my opinion,” the Netherlands captain said.
“He’s 20 years old and is still growing. As a centre-half you get better with experience and I was never this far as Ibou (Konate) and Jarell when I was that young, doing it consistently.
“He just has to keep going as there are going to be times when it is going to be tough and that’s absolutely normal and it’s how you deal with it.
“He’s learning and he’s a good boy and mentally in the right frame of mind and that’s a good start. I’ll be there for him whenever he needs but at the end of the day he will be just fine.”
Quansah’s self-confidence was evident in a television interview he did after the Europa League game against USG in which he sympathised with Matip’s situation but said his plan was always to get ahead of the 32-year-old in the pecking order.
“I think it came across not in the right way but it’s good that he thinks like this,” Van Dijk said.
“I don’t think he meant it in that way. Still, when I was 20 maybe I would say these sort of things but I totally understand where he is coming from.
“But he should not forget what Joel has meant for this club and the success we had.”
Pep Guardiola is looking forward to a quieter January after his all-conquering Manchester City side brought a hectic December to a satisfactory conclusion.
City played nine games in the final month of 2023, including two during their successful trip to Saudi Arabia for the Club World Cup.
It ended with a comfortable 2-0 victory over struggling Sheffield United on Saturday, a result which, coming after their midweek win at Everton, put the champions firmly at the forefront of the title picture.
The intensity now slackens considerably in the coming weeks, with just two Premier League fixtures – and three games in total – scheduled for January.
They will face an extra FA Cup tie if they beat Huddersfield in the third round next week but, even so, it is a considerable contrast to the recent programme.
“It is nice,” said City manager Guardiola. “We have 27million games in one month, (now) we have three games in the next month.
“It’s like life – some have a lot and some don’t have anything. It is what it is, but I would say it is welcome. I like it.”
Guardiola has regularly voiced his concerns about scheduling and players’ workloads and would welcome moves by the players’ union to try to limit any further increase of fixtures.
It has been reported that the Professional Footballers’ Association is exploring legal options after the recent European Court of Justice ruling in relation to the Super League appeared to reduce the ability of governing bodies to control the sport’s calendar.
Guardiola said: “Only they, the players, can change something – not just in the Premier League, everywhere.
“I’ve said many times we have too many games. The problem is we have just three weeks’ holiday in the summer and it is impossible to regenerate. Just look at the number of injuries at all the teams.
“The only ones who can change it are the players, if they really decide, to make it a better sport.”
City were far too strong for the Blades as they closed out a memorable year in which they won five trophies with goals in each half from Rodri and Julian Alvarez.
United remain bottom of the table with just nine points, but manager Chris Wilder has seen encouraging signs since his recent return to the club and also plans to take advantage of a lighter January.
Wilder said: “I 100 per cent believe the group will be stronger the next time we turn out in a Premier League game, through time on the training ground, through players returning and we are looking at bringing two or three in.
“Let’s have a go in the second part of the season, similar to how we approached this game. I won’t let that standard drop.
“We have to be a better footballing team, but I am sure we will. My teams have always got stronger in the second part of the season through the work we do.”
Sunday’s National Hunt meetings at Uttoxeter and Warwick have both been abandoned due to waterlogged tracks, but Punchestown is set to go ahead.
Each venue had called early-morning inspections due to poor weather forecasts and the worst fears were realised at the two British venues.
Uttoxeter was hit by a further 10.5mm of rain on saturated ground, leaving the course unraceable, with standing water in places.
Warwick brought forward their inspection following 20mm of rain overnight, which made it 54.5mm since last Monday and left the track waterlogged.
However, Punchestown managed to avoid any significant downpours and are set to race on heavy ground.
“Following just 1.5mm of rain overnight, Punchestown is fit for racing and today’s meeting goes ahead,” said clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan.
“The ground remains heavy and having spoken to Met Eireann this morning there is further rain expected later.
“At this stage, Met Eireann are saying we could get 4-5mm but there is a possibility that the showers could get heavier at times and lead to more rain than that. It is a bit unpredictable.
“However, the good news is that the track is raceable and the fixture goes ahead.”
There will be Flat racing in the UK, with Lingfield staging an all-weather fixture.
Artemi Panarin scored three goals and Igor Shesterkin got the win on his 28th birthday to lift the NHL-leading New York Rangers to a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Vincent Trocheck had a goal and three assists and Mike Zibanejad had an assist to extend his point streak to a career-high 10 games.
Shesterkin stopped 34 shots and the Rangers rebounded from Friday’s loss to the Panthers to improve to 6-0 in the second of back-to-back games this season. They are the first team to reach 50 points.
NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov scored his 25th goal as the Lightning dropped their second straight.
Panthers beat Canadiens for 4th straight win
Eetu Luostarinen scored two power-play goals and Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves as the Florida Panthers won their fourth straight, 4-1 over the Montreal Canadiens.
Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe added third-period scores for the Panthers, who have allowed only eight goals during the four-game win streak, one shy of their season high.
Cole Caufield had the lone goal for Montreal, which has lost two straight in regulation following a five-game point streak.
Ryan’s shootout goal gets surging Oilers over Kings
Derek Ryan scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout and the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to four games, 3-2 over the Los Angeles Kings.
Connor McDavid scored one goal and set up another by Leon Draisaitl in his 600th career game and Stuart Skinner made 26 saves for the Oilers, who improved to 11-3-0 in their last 14 games.
Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe had goals as the Kings dropped to 7-6-4 at home.
Chris Hoy was knighted in the New Year Honours List on this day in 2008 after winning three cycling gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
In a move that broke with tradition, Hoy’s knighthood came while he was still competing and he took part in London 2012 as Sir Chris.
The Scot told the PA news agency: “To become a knight from riding your bike, it’s mad.
“But it is, genuinely, just an amazing honour, it’s also great for the sport.”
Hoy added that was just as pleased to see his mother Carol receive an MBE for her work on sleep-related illnesses.
Hoy was one of 10 Olympic cyclists to be honoured, while a number of Olympic coaches and officials were also recognised.
He went on to win two golds in London to take his tally to six before announcing his retirement in 2013.
The Detroit Pistons put an end to their NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak on Saturday, defeating the Toronto Raptors 129-127 behind Cade Cunningham’s 30 points and 12 assists.
It was the first victory since Oct. 28 for the Pistons, who matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. They finished one shy of the record for the four major American and Canadian leagues, set by the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals during World War II.
Jalen Duran had 18 points and a season high-tying 17 rebounds for Detroit, which clinched the win by going 11 for 12 from the free throw line in the final minute.
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points and Dennis Schröder added 28 for the last-place Raptors, who have lost five of six.
Toronto traded OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks earlier in the day for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
Haliburton’s big game lifts Pacers past Knicks
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and a franchise record-tying 23 assists and Myles Turner added 28 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 140-126 win over the New York Knicks.
Haliburton became just the third player in NBA history with consecutive 20–20 games. He tied Jamaal Tinsley’s franchise assists record, set against Washington on Nov. 22, 2001.
Magic Johnson (Dec. 18-19, 1984) and John Stockton (March 1 and 3, 1990) are the only other players with two straight games of at least 20 points and 20 assists.
Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 38 points and Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle each added 28 for the Knicks, who lost their season-high third straight.
Doncic lifts Mavericks in return
Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 39 points in the second half in his return to the lineup to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 132-122 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Doncic added 10 assists and eight rebounds after sitting out Thursday’s loss at Minnesota due to soreness in his left quadriceps.
Stephen Curry had 25 points and Chris Paul scored a season-high 24 to become the 37th player in NBA history to accumulate 22,000 career points.
Golden State lost its third straight to fall two games under .500.
The Dallas Cowboys survived three attempts at a late two-point conversion as they held on to beat the Detroit Lions 20-19.
The NFC North champion Lions had moved within a point of the Cowboys when Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for a touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining.
Opting for a two-point conversion, the Lions had a successful attempt ruled out for illegal touching before a Cowboys interception was wiped out for offside.
Goff’s final pass attempt was incomplete, lifting the Cowboys to 11-5 as they kept up the pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles in the fight for the NFC east title.
A Goff interception had given Brandon Aubrey the chance to kick the Cowboys seven points ahead in the final two minutes, the rookie stretching his record to 35 successful field goals to start his career.
Dak Prescott threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys, including a 92-yard effort to CeeDee Lamb in the first quarter.
The Detroit Pistons have won for the first time in 29 matches after matching the NBA’s longest losing streak.
The Pistons ended their losing run after 28 matches as they beat the Toronto Raptors 129-127 at home – their first win since the third game of the season on October 28.
Trailing by eight points at half-time, they fought back to lead by four heading into the fourth quarter.
They stretched that advantage to 11 points with less than six minutes on the clock, but the Raptors pulled it back to 126-122 with 17 seconds remaining but the Pistons held on end their losing run.
Cade Cunningham scored 30 points for the Pistons, Jalen Duren adding 18 points and 17 rebounds.
The win means the Pistons’ losing run equals the NBA’s longest by the Philadelphia 76ers across two seasons in 2015 while their 3-29 record leaves them two wins behind the San Antonio Spurs for the worst record this season.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler is daring to dream after he continued his historic World Darts Championship journey by downing hero Raymond van Barneveld to reach the quarter-finals.
The 16-year-old has set the Alexandra Palace tournament alight on debut and is the youngest player ever to reach the last eight after a stunning 4-1 win.
He showed maturity and talent way beyond his tender years to get past the five-time world champion, who he used to imitate in front of the television as a three-year-old.
Littler, who has made the world sit up and take notice, will come back on New Year’s Day for a winnable quarter-final tie against Brendan Dolan and is dreaming of going all the way.
“It’s incredible beating one of my idols on the biggest stage of all, I still can’t believe it,” he said.
“I think I am daring to dream now, I have seen the draw.
“I am only three wins away now. I’m so young, only 16 and I have got nothing to fear, I have got no-one to fear, my game can be better than anyone’s on the day and I have shown it there against one of the greatest who have graced that stage.
“With performances like that I can go all the way.
“I’ve pictured myself winning it. I look at the draw and see Brendan next and then Chris Dobey against Rob Cross in the other quarter.
“I fancy myself. I do fancy myself.”
He was not even born when Van Barneveld won the last of his five titles.
Video footage has emerged of a three-year-old Littler copying ‘Barney’s’ celebration and has admitted it was a dream to play him on the Ally Pally stage.
He added: “It is unbelievable, 13 years ago I was doing his celebration throwing on my little board and I have just beaten him on the biggest stage.”
“Barney said to me at the end, ‘You can go all the way. I hope you go all the way’. I said, ‘Thank you’.
“He is a true gentlemen. I respect Raymond very well.
“Raymond was incredible. It was incredible to see his iconic walk-on, I am so glad I got the job done. It wasn’t easy.”
Next up is Dolan, who beat his second former world champion in three days when he ousted Gary Anderson 4-3.
It looked like the Northern Irishman, who dumped out Gerwyn Price in the third round, was heading out as Anderson rallied from 2-0 down to lead 3-2.
But Dolan composed himself and won the final two sets to reach the last eight.
“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I just think so much of Gary and how brilliant he is.
“It is not a bad couple of days. There has certain things that have happened that maybe make me think it’s meant to be.”
Pre-tournament favourite Luke Humphries again survived a scare as he prevailed in an epic thriller with Joe Cullen, winning a sudden death leg in the final set.
The pair were locked at three sets all and five legs all, with Humphries taking out 100 to win on his 10th match dart.
“It was one of the best games I have ever been apart of. Every time I looked around it was just treble after treble. No one deserved to lose, Joe did not deserve to lose that,” Humphries said.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler continued his historic World Darts Championship journey by downing hero Raymond van Barneveld to reach the quarter-finals.
The 16-year-old has set the Alexandra Palace tournament alight on debut and is the youngest player ever to reach the last eight after a stunning 4-1 win.
He showed maturity and talent way beyond his tender years to get past the five-time world champion, who he used to imitate in front of the television as a three-year-old.
He peppered the treble 20 nine times and finished with an emphatic average of 105.01.
Littler, who has made the world sit up and take notice, will come back on New Year’s Day for a winnable quarter-final tie against Brendan Dolan and will be dreaming of going all the way.
Life has changed immeasurably since ‘The Nuke’ came into the tournament on the back of winning the World Youth Championship last month.
He is now a recognisable name and has enjoyed celebrity status after bursting on to the scenes with wins over Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding and Matt Campbell.
Littler and his family received complimentary tickets to watch Arsenal in the Premier League on Thursday night, while players from his beloved Manchester United sent him good luck messages before the match.
He has catapulted himself into the mainstream and whatever happens between now and Wednesday’s final, it will be Littler’s journey that is the talking point of the tournament.
He was not even born when Van Barneveld won the last of his five titles.
Video footage has emerged of a three-year-old Littler copying ‘Barney’s’ celebration and has admitted it was a dream to play him on the Ally Pally stage.
Littler enjoyed Van Barneveld’s famous walk-on as much as the raucous crowd, but soon got down to business, throwing a maximum on just his second visit and raced to the first set after an 11-dart leg.
He continued to dominate and went 3-0 up before moving one leg from dreamland.
Van Barneveld made him work hard for it by winning the next leg, but nothing was going to stop the teenager in the next set as the apprentice beat the master in style.
Next up is Dolan, who beat his second former world champion in three days when he ousted Gary Anderson 4-3.
It looked like the Northern Irishman, who dumped out Gerwyn Price in the third round, was heading out as Anderson rallied from 2-0 down to lead 3-2.
But Dolan composed himself and won the final two sets to reach the last eight.
“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I just think so much of Gary and how brilliant he is.
“It is not a bad couple of days. There has certain things that have happened that maybe make me think it’s meant to be.”
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