Former West Indies all-rounder, Dwayne Bravo, rolled back the years to hit a career-best 76* but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Washington Freedom from defeating his Texas Super Kings by just six runs in their Major League Cricket fixture at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on Sunday.
The Freedom first posted 163-5 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.
Australian opener, Matthew Short, did the bulk of the scoring for Washington with a 50-ball 80 including 10 fours and three sixes.
He was supported by hic countryman and Freedom Captain, Moises Henriques, who hit 21 and Mukhtar Ahmed who scored 20.
South African quick, Gerald Coetzee, took 2-26 from his four overs for the Super Kings.
Texas, in their chase, were reeling at 78-6 at one point before Bravo gave them a glimmer of hope with some fireworks.
The 39-year-old hit five fours and six sixes in his innings that took just 39 balls.
In the end, they fell agonizingly short of their target at 157-8 after 20 overs.
Akeal Hosein took 2-25 off his four overs for the Freedom while Marco Jansen took 2-31 from his four.
Milton Harris’ Scriptwriter has a York return on his agenda before new connections take aim at the Melbourne Cup.
The four-year-old is a Grade Two-winning hurdler who took the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle in November and went on to place fifth in the Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-Y-O Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree on the last run of his National Hunt campaign.
He was in action on the level in the Copper Horse Handicap at Royal Ascot over a mile and three-quarters, finishing seventh of 16 at 40-1.
Last weekend’s John Smith’s Silver Cup at York saw him step out of handicap company and into a Group Three, where he was only narrowly beaten, coming home a neck behind William Haggas’ seasoned Group-race performer Hamish.
Both the course and distance seemed to suit and Scripwrtier will encounter both again as he holds an entry for the Sky Bet Ebor, York’s headline handicap that offers £300,000 to the winner in late August – plus, for the first time, a guaranteed ticket to the ‘race that stops a nation’.
“I was a bit frustrated at first as I think this horse gets to the front and then stops and that’s what he did,” Harris said.
“The jockey didn’t really do much wrong, but a few yards ahead of the line he was ahead and after the line he was ahead again.
“He’ll go back there for the Ebor next, the Group Three was an afterthought really as I saw it and thought he may as well give it a go as he handles any ground.”
After the Ebor connections are hoping there is a date much further afield in the diary.
“He’s been bought from existing owners of mine by Australian owners and the plan for him is to run out there,” Harris said.
“He’ll go for the Ebor now and then into quarantine for Australia on a one-way ticket, I should think. The plan is for him to run once out there and then go for the Melbourne Cup.
“It’s not set in stone, but you’ve got to have a dream, haven’t you?”
Harris also provided an update on Knight Salute, the Grade One-winning hurdler who suffered a serious injury late last year.
The five-year-old is recovering at Harris’ yard and is faring well after a tense time when his life hung in the balance.
“He’s very well, he’s not in any discomfort and he does have a good quality of life,” said Harris.
“The plan is for him to go to one of his owners, who has some land and horses and is a good fellow.
“I don’t think he’ll ever race again, though you never know, but truth be told the vets would probably have had him put down.
“He wasn’t in any pain and he’s very comfortable now, he’s been a wonderful patient.”
Royal Aclaim is likely to be kept at six furlongs following her near-miss in York’s Summer Stakes.
James Tate’s filly has always been held in the highest regard by connections and last year’s City Walls Stakes winner was returning to the scene of her finest hour when trying the trip for the first time on the Knavesmire.
Unsure on whether the daughter of Aclaim would see out the extended yardage, she was ridden with restraint by PJ McDonald in the early stages before making a stylish move to challenge the winner Swingalong at the business end of the contest, failing by just a neck on rain-softened ground in the Group Three contest.
Tate was delighted with how the step up in trip panned out and feels the run signals the end of her time competing at the minimum distance.
He said: “It’s something we had been toying with for a while and we’re pleased that we did and it’s nice to see her run so well.
“We didn’t know how she was going to finish and nor did PJ, but she finished well. That would give you plenty of confidence the next day and I thought she was coping with the rain-softened ground rather than enjoying it.
“I think that is probably the end of five furlongs for her now I would have thought. We were very pleased with the performance.”
The Jamesfield Place trainer now has to decide on a next target for his stable speedster with connections mulling over a tilt at Group One options both home and abroad or whether to stay at Group Three level for the time being.
“We’ve got decisions to make now and the next race is not that obvious,” said Tate.
“If we want to fly (high) then we can talk about the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Deauville, August 6) and the Haydock Park Sprint (Betfair Sprint Cup, Haydock, September 9) probably, but there are various Group Three and Listed options around as well.
“It does look like you either go Group One or you go Group Three, there is not a lot in the middle.
“So we haven’t quite decided on her next target, but she has come out of the race well. Training-wise she had a good prep into that race at York and it is good to see she has come out of it well. We’re very pleased with her.”
Carlos Alcaraz won his second grand slam before turning 21 with Sunday’s Wimbledon triumph.
Alcaraz is outstripping the achievements of runner-up Novak Djokovic and the rest of the modern ‘big three’ at the same age and here, the PA news agency looks at the statistics behind the Spaniard’s rapid rise to prominence.
Double delight
After winning last year’s US Open to become the youngest ever men’s world number one, and the first teenager to top the rankings, Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in five hard-fought sets at SW19 to double his grand slam tally.
The win means he has matched compatriot Rafael Nadal’s two majors before turning 21, while Djokovic won only the 2008 Australian Open and Roger Federer had not opened his account by that age.
Alcaraz will have two more chances before his 21st birthday, his US Open defence starting next month and then January’s Australian Open. Winning both would see him equal Mats Wilander’s Open era record of four slams before turning 21, while one success would match Bjorn Borg for second place on that list.
He has also spent 29 weeks at number one in the rankings in four separate spells, including his current four-week run – something neither Djokovic, Federer nor Nadal achieved before turning 21.
Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin are the only other under-21s to top the men’s rankings – Safin for just two weeks in 2000. Hewitt spent 61 weeks at number one before turning 21, with Alcaraz able to overhaul that record if he can retain his status for 32 of the 41 weeks before his next birthday.
Should he hold top spot at the end of the season and through the off-season, that will account for six weeks. However, he would almost certainly need to win the US Open where he is defending last year’s points and Djokovic, who missed out last year due to being unvaccinated against Covid-19, will be gaining points all the way.
Lost generation
Outside of the US Open, Alcaraz is remarkably the first man born after Djokovic to win any of the other three grand slams.
Since Safin’s 2005 Australian Open title, that competition has been won 10 times by Djokovic – born in May 1987 – with five wins for Federer, born in 1981, two for Nadal (1986) and one for Stan Wawrinka (1985).
Nadal has dominated the French Open with 14 wins, with three for Djokovic and one each for Federer and Wawrinka, while the Wimbledon titles had until Sunday been shared by Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray – a week older than Djokovic.
Juan Martin Del Potro and Marin Cilic, both born in 1988, Dominic Thiem (1993) and Daniil Medvedev (1996) have all won the US Open in addition to Alcaraz himself, the last three in successive years.
Alcaraz’s two majors and 29 weeks at number one compare to the four US Open titles and 16 weeks with Medvedev at number one for all male players born between himself and Djokovic. By contrast on the women’s side, players born in this period have won 33 grand slams and spent 458 weeks at world number one.
With the 2023 staging of the FIFA Women's World Cup set to kick off in a few days, Sportsmax.tv will be featuring Player Profiles and Team Guides for three of the CONCACAF nations set to represent at the global showpiece in Australia and New Zealand. Today, we start with Haiti.
Written by Pierre Richard Midy
Overview
“There’s a lot of unhappiness in the country and football is the joy.” This quote from midfielder Danielle Etienne says everything about what qualifying for the World Cup means to the people of Haiti. There is no doubt that Les Grenadières have written a new page in their history by reaching this stage.
Nicolas Delépine’s side have finally matched the men’s achievement of qualifying for the World Cup in 1974 after coming close on several occasions. With a fulcrum based around several members of the squad that made it to the U-20 World Cup in 2018, including star player Melchie Dumornay - known as Corventina - Haiti defied expectations by beating Chile 2-1 in the inter-confederation playoff.
The Caribbean nation has been hit with a raft of crises, with the assassination of the president Jovenel Moïse in 2021 adding to the country’s insecurity amid a series of natural disasters.
The country was also shaken by the sexual abuse scandals that have stained Haitian football, particularly those involving the then president of the football federation, Yves Jean-Bart. Fifa’s ethics committee handed Jean-Bart a lifetime bans in November 2020 for alleged harassment and sexual abuse against female footballers after a series of investigations by the Guardian. That sentence was overturned by the court of arbitration for sport in March 2022, but Fifa has since appealed that decision. Jean-Bart denies any wrongdoing.
A normalisation committee has been in charge of Haitian football since December 2020 when Jean-Bart was first accused but Etienne, who is the daughter of former Haiti striker Derrick Etienne and was born in the United States, is hoping the World Cup can be the start of a brighter future. “We want that for the country as a whole, to have a breath of fresh air and kind of step aside from anything going on,” says the player.
The coach
A native of Nantes, Nicolas Delépine has more than 20 years of experience in French football, particularly with Nantes, Montpellier, Guingamp and more recently as coach of the Grenoble women's team. Having taken over Haiti in February 2022, Delépine has achieved an unprecedented feat: qualifying for the Women's World Cup. “We had to get to know the players first, find out what drives them, their strengths and their culture, so we could get the best out of them,” he said. “That’s how you get players to play to their potential: when you go out looking for the positive points but especially when you learn to get to know each other. We didn’t want to impose things but to build together."
The 43-year-old structures his teams according to the opponent and does not seem attached to a particular setup. In their last five matches, Haiti have fielded five different formations and Delépine is confident of causing a few shocks in a group containing England, China and Denmark. “We’re going there as outsiders and we’ve said that the bigger the mountains and the bigger the challenges, the more beautiful the success,” he said. “You might think we’re a bit crazy or out of our minds, but we want to go and spring a surprise, maybe a couple and, why not, make the last 16.”
Star player
Despite her tender age, 19-year-old Melchie Dumornay will arrive at the World Cup with the dreams of a nation on her shoulders. Solid, fast, technical, an excellent goalscorer and a very good passer, Dumornay participated in the adventure of the U-20 World Cup in 2018 when she was not even 15 years old. With a new contract already agreed at one of the biggest clubs in Europe, Lyon, after shining at Reims last season, the stage is set for Corventina to become an even bigger superstar.
Rising star
At 24, Nérilia Mondésir has accumulated a lot of experience but is still improving. Known as Nerigol, the captain of Haiti scored all three goals for her country at the U-20 World Cup and was instrumental in helping the senior side to qualify for this World Cup having scored against Senegal in the playoff semi-finals before setting up Dumornay for a goal against Chile in the final. “We trust our group, we do everything together,” she says.
Did you know?
Midfielder Etienne actively participated in Haiti's qualification for the 2023 Women's World Cup less than three months after giving birth to a baby. Her great talent, love and dedication to the national team has earned Etienne huge admiration from the press and the public in Haiti.
Standing of women’s football in Haiti
Media and TV coverage of women’s football in Haiti is very low. But Dumornay's breakthrough and the senior women's team's first World Cup qualification is turning the tide. Currently Haitian people shiver with passion at the approach of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. The hope is that participation in the World Cup can serve to boost women's football in the country.
Realistic aim at the World Cup?
“When you take a step back and look at the women’s world ranking, we’ve got the hardest group in the tournament,” said Delépine. “We’re up against England, who are fourth, as well as China who are 14th and Denmark who are 18th [now 13th]. But we will certainly give it our best shot.”
With the 2023 staging of the FIFA Women's World Cup set to kick off in a few days, Sportsmax.tv will be featuring Player Profiles and Team Guides for three of the CONCACAF nations set to represent at the global showpiece in Australia and New Zealand. Today, we start with Haiti.
Written by Pierre Richard Midy
GOALKEEPERS:
Name: Kerly Théus
Date of birth: 7 January 1999 (Haiti)
Club: FC Miami City (USA)
Position: Goalkeeper
The Miami City goalkeeper was the only member of the squad who had the chance to get her hands on the Women’s World Cup trophy when it visited Port-au-Prince in April. “I have no words to express how happy I am,” said Théus. “It is a big thing that we achieved [with qualification] and we plan to move forward.” That was not the only recognition she has received since helping Haiti to qualify for the first time: in May as part of Haitian Heritage Month, the mayor of North Miami, Alix Desulmé, presented her with a plaque of honour. Théus was previously a member of the Haiti Under-20 national team, appearing for them in all three matches of the 2018 Under-20 Women's World Cup - the team's first ever major women's international tournament.
Name: Lara-Sofia Larco
Date of birth: 27 November 2002 (USA)
Club: Georgetown University (USA)
Position: Goalkeeper
Born in Haiti, the 20-year-old comes from a family of athletes. Her father played college football in the USA and Puerto Rico, and her mother tennis. In 2006 when she was only four, Larco's family moved with her to Florida, and it was from there that she got her start in the sports field. She is one of the most recent call-ups by the Grenadières and is studying International Business at Georgetown University.
Name: Gabrielle Marie Emilien
Date of birth: 31 May 1996 (Canada)
Club: Gee-Gees Ottawa University (Canada)
Position: Goalkeeper
“Many of my teammates had an exam to write within two or three days of our return home,” Emilien said of her experiences at the first ever FISU Women’s University World Cup of Football in 2019 that was held in China. “While it is a challenge, the team works together to motivate each other in school.” Her football career has gone from strength to strength since then, with the 27-year-old having established herself as a dependable choice in goal for the coach, Nicolas Delépine.
DEFENDERS:
Name: Amandine Pierre-Louis
Date of birth: 18 February 1995 (Canada)
Club: Rodez AF (France)
Position: Defender
The daughter of former Haiti basketball player Emerson Pierre-Louis, she grew up in Canada and is a new addition to the national squad. Only five years old when she started competing in gymnastics and playing football, Pierre-Louis made her debut for Canada’s youth team in 2011 and made a cameo appearance in the “Colourful Canada” video that was produced to help unveil the Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 official emblem in December 2012. She also represented Canada at the Under-17 Women’s World Cup in Azerbaijan that year and was called up to a senior squad training camp in 2017 before switching allegiances to Haiti before this tournament.
Name: Bétina Petit-Frère
Date of birth: 1 august 2003 (Haiti)
Club: Stade Brestois 29 (France)
Position: Defender
Petit-Frère is known for her versatility: for her club Stade Brestois in France, she plays as a striker but, for her country, she is a defender. She had trials with Bordeaux before moving to Brittany along with former Haiti Under-20 team-mate Tabita Dougenie-Joseph last year. “We are here to fulfil our dream,” she said. “We really wanted to come to France.” She will celebrate her 20th birthday on the same day that Haiti takes on Denmark at the World Cup.
Name: Chelsea Surpris
Date of birth: 20 December 1996 (USA)
Club: Grenoble Foot 38 (France)
Position: Defender
A graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in Human Dimensions of Organization and a minor in business. Born to Haitian parents in the United States, the right-back known for her speed started playing football at the age of six. Early in her football career, she also competed as a track and field athlete. Surpris was appointed as an assistant coach for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns women's team in October 2019. The player from Grenoble Foot 38 in France is the most reserved and disciplined Grenadière on and off the football field.
Name: Estericove Joseph
Date of birth: 5 February 2003 (Haiti)
Club: Exafoot (Haiti)
Position: Defender
Having begun her career at Goals club from the age of six, Joseph joined Haiti’s Fifa Goal Centre and rose through the ranks of the junior age groups before making her senior debut last year. The Under-20 captain was only 18 when she won the Haitian league with her club. She comes from a family of six children and has two sisters and three brothers. Joseph has big ambitions on the pitch and has predicted that Haiti will one day win an international trophy. Off the pitch, she has plans to become a stylist.
Name: Kethna Louis
Date of birth: 5 August 1996 (Haiti)
Club: Montpellier HSC (France)
Position: Defender
Having started out playing against boys, nothing fazes the quick and versatile left-sided defender who can also play further forward. Louis actually says her favourite position is on the right wing, although she has been mainly used as a defender in the national team and played a major part in qualifying for the World Cup. She recently left Le Havre to sign for Montpellier and admitted the opportunity to play with Haiti-teammate Nérilia Mondésir was an important part of her decision. “I get along very well with her, and I really like her way of playing,” she says. “Before meeting here, we have a great goal together which is to lead our national team as far as possible during the World Cup this summer.” Last year she asked Alex Morgan for her shirt after a game and was shocked and delighted when the US star wanted her’s in return.
Name: Milan Raquel Pierre-Jérôme
Date of birth: 23 April 2002 (USA)
Club: George Mason University (USA)
Position: Defender
The daughter of Réginald Pierre-Jérôme, who is a former goalkeeper for the Haitian Olympic team and senior men’s team in the early 1990s. Unlike her father, however, Pierre-Jérôme is a fearless defender who says she felt great pride when played for Haiti at the Under-20 World Cup in France having been born and raised in the United States. “It's irritating because people judge books by the cover,” she says of negative attitudes towards the country. “There is dance, there is food, there is language. To be able to bring this light to the name 'Haiti' is all I wanted to do.” Pierre-Jérôme, who has studied kinesiology and wants to become a sports doctor, did not miss a match during qualifying and says that she takes inspiration from the sacrifices made by both of her parents.
Name: Ruthny Mathurin
Date of birth: 14 January 2001 (Haiti)
Club: Mississippi State Soccer (USA)
Position: Defender
Born in Port-au-Prince, Mathurin was identified by scouts at the age of 12 and moved to the training centre of the Haitian Football Federation. She represented Haiti at various youth levels and made her senior debut in 2019, before moving to the United States two years later. Always smiling, very open to speaking up and renowned for her honesty, she joined Mississippi State Soccer in May and says unity is the secret of Haiti’s success. “We've been together since 12-years-old, like babies,” she said, “so we know each other and that helps us on the field.” Her dream is to open an academy in Haiti. “One of the things that makes our team go forward is to remember where we come from,” adds Mathurin. “We talk about the hard times ... and the good times ... that we have faced. In every important competition we have to play, it's always that motivation.”
Name: Dougenie Tabita Kerbie Joseph
Date of birth: 13 September 2003 (Haiti)
Club: Stade Brestois 29 (France)
Position: Defender
Still only 19, she is one of the best hopes for women's football in the country. Known as Tabita to her friends, her composure and her ability to read the opponent's game make Joseph a real gem of a player. She has an individual technical mastery which reinforces all the expectations placed on her in the national team. Joseph is good friends with Betina Petit-Frère, and they have both enjoyed a successful first year in France. “I already knew them, I had seen them play with the Under-20 team,” said Stade Brestois coach Yacine Guesmia when they joined. “They are players with great potential, we had to seize the opportunity.”
MIDFIELDERS:
Name: Melchie Daelle Dumornay (Corventina)
Date of birth: 17 August 2003 (Haiti)
Club: Olympique Lyon (France)
Position: Midfielder
‘Corventina’ - a nickname given to her by her older brother, and which has been adopted by the Haitian people - is the main star of the Haitian team. She scored the two goals in Haiti's victory in the play-offs against Chile that secured qualification for the World Cup. “I knew I had a lot of responsibilities, even though I’m still only young,” Dumornay says. “I had no problem in shouldering them and I made the difference on the pitch. I wanted to help my teammates when the going got tough and I stood up and did it.” Comfortable with both feet, she scored an incredible 25 goals in nine matches when she was 15 to help Tigresses win the Haitian title. That and her performances at the Under-20 World Cup earned her a move to Reims in France, where she has emerged as one of the best young players in the league and named ‘Revelation of the season’. In January 2023, she was courted by many European and American clubs but opted to sign for three years at Lyon.
Name: Sherly Jeudy
Date of birth: 13 October 1998 (Haiti)
Club: Grenoble Foot 38 (France)
Position: Midfielder
One of an incredible nine players from Haiti’s golden generation who also played at the Under-20 World Cup before progressing to the senior squad, Jeudy is also one of the most talented. She scored the only goal against Canada in 2018 that booked their qualification to the World Cup in France the following year. “I'm very happy I was able to score the goal, but I'm even happier for Haiti as a country,” she said. Jeudy made her debut for the senior team at the age of 17 and her superb goal from a free kick in the qualifying match against Mexico was nominated for the Concacaf's "most beautiful goal of the year" trophy.
Name: Danielle Monique Etienne
Date of birth: 16 January 2001 (USA)
Club: Fordham Rams (USA)
Position: Midfielder
You could say that football is in Etienne’s blood. The midfielder is the daughter of former Haitian forward Derrick Etienne and the younger sister of Haitian winger Derrick Etienne Jr, who plays for MLS side Atlanta United. She participated in Haiti's qualification for the World Cup less than three months after giving birth to a baby. She started playing football at the age of four with her father, her brothers and sisters. Born in Virginia after her father had moved to the United States to play professionally, she knew from a young age that she wanted to play for Haiti. “It's more than just football,” she says. “It's making strides in football, but also helping lift our country during such a hard time.”
Name: Dayana Pierre-Louis
Date of birth: 24 September 2003 (Haiti)
Club: GPSO 92 ISSY (France)
Position: Midfielder
The second youngest player in the Haitian squad dreams of one day wearing the colours of Real Madrid. Pierre-Louis, who moved to France last season and hopes to follow the example of her team-mate Dumornay, is a goalscoring midfielder who believes that hard work is the key to success. "You have to rely on discipline and always set the bar very high," she says. “If I had one message to give to young people like me who play football in Haiti, it would be to never give up. Hard work and discipline are the keys to success. Take them. And you will make your dreams come true like me.”
Name: Jennyfer Limage
Date of birth: 20 December 1997 (Haiti)
Club: Grenoble Foot 38 (France)
Position: Midfielder
Sometimes midfielder, sometimes in central or left side defence, Limage is undoubtedly the most underrated player of the Haitian team. In the shadow of Nérilia Mondésir, Dumornay or even Batcheba Louis, she imposes herself in her own way in any assiduous defensive task. Limage started her career as a senior at left-back but quickly stood out later as a midfielder. With the arrival of coach Délépine, she proved to be an excellent recuperator at the heart of the game, always ready to break the rhythm despite her small size. “I never doubted myself,” she says of her move to Grenoble in 2021. “I said, ‘Come on, let’s go to Europe’. Now my aim is to play in the first division because I know I’m good enough.”
Name: Maudeline Moryl
Date of birth: 24 January 2003 (Haiti)
Club: Grenoble Foot 38 (France)
Position: Midfielder
Like many of her teammates, Moryl’s strength is her versatility. In the national team she plays as a midfielder while for her club, Grenoble Foot 38 in France, she is a central defender. Patient on the field, she has technical finesse and ability to pick out difficult passes, especially with long assists during transition phases. Trained at the FIFA Goal Centre, she has thrived in France after being brought over by the Haiti national team coach, Nicolas Delépine, who is also coach of Grenoble. Very hardworking.
Name: Noa Olivia Ganthier
Date of birth: 13 October 2002 (USA)
Club: Weston FC (USA)
Position: Midfielder
It's been barely a year and a few months since the Florida-born midfielder joined the Haitian senior women's squad, but she has made a great start. Ganthier, whose father Don is from Haiti, studies business finance at Lipscomb University in Tennessee and participated in the Grenadières’ qualification for the World Cup. Says she is extremely motivated and impatient to be able to play for Haiti at the World Cup. “I feel very blessed and honoured to be part of this squad,” she says. “I’ve learned so much since being called up and it was a very surreal feeling to qualify. We’re going to show everybody what Haiti is about and that we have a lot of quality.”
FORWARDS:
Name: Roselord Borgella
Date of birth: 1 April 1993 (Haiti)
Club: Dijon FCO (France)
Position: Forward
“Roselord is in charge of the atmosphere! Sometimes Melchie. Or Kethna Louis,” says Jennyfer Limage. “But mostly Roselord. Because even if she’s a bit stressed, she can always create a good feeling.” The top scorer in the Concacaf qualifiers returned to the national team in 2022 and has scored 13 goals in just eight games. She was one of the great architects of the qualification for the World Cup, in particular thanks to her magnificent double in the play-offs against Senegal (4-0). The Dijon striker is the oldest and most experienced player in Haiti’s squad for the 2023 World Cup and has two Chilean championship titles after her spell with the Santiago Morning club.
Name: Batcheba Louis
Date of birth: 15 June 1997 (Haiti)
Club: FC Fleury 91 (France)
Position: Forward
The striker who was born and raised in Haiti enjoyed one of her best seasons yet as she finished among the top 10 top scorers in the French top flight with eight goals. Goals have followed her throughout her career: she finished as top scorer three times at her first club Tigresses before moving to Europe and making her debut for the national team in 2014. Finally reaching the World Cup for the first time in Haiti’s history was the culmination of a long journey for the talented striker. “It's a dream come true, after so many years of work,” she says. “We accomplished our mission – the group went through very difficult times. Now we can learn from those experiences and go forward with confidence.”
Name: Nérilia Mondésir
Date of birth: 17 January 1999 (Haiti)
Club: Montpellier HSC (France)
Position: Forward
‘Nérigol’ is the captain and vocal leader of the Haitian team but almost decided to turn her back on football as a child to concentrate on judo. But after missing out on being selected by the national team, she decided to return to her first passion. It was then that she joined the national school of sports talents (ENTS) of the Haitian Football Federation and made a strong impression from the very beginning before moving to France in 2017, where she is now an established star. She always leads by example and believes Haiti will prove a few doubters wrong at the World Cup. “Even when we lose, we don't give up. We are fighters,” she says. “This is our greatest quality. We fight to the end even if the opponent, on paper, is stronger than us.”
Name: Florsie Love Darlina Joseph
Date of birth: 15 December 2003 (Haiti)
Club: Grenoble Foot 38 (France)
Position: Forward
The youngest player in the Haiti squad, she is considered in her country as one of the most talented footballers of her generation. She grew up far from her parents in Cap-Haitian, the second largest city of Haiti. “I learned to play football as a child among the older boys but I was never afraid to face them,” she recalls. Joseph has been learning her trade at Grenoble, scoring five goals in just 10 appearances in the second division and is tipped to make an impact as a substitute at the World Cup.
Name: Roseline Eloissaint
Date of birth: 21 February 1999 (Haiti)
Club: FC Nantes ( France)
Position: Forward
Another member of the golden generation of the Grenadières who also participated in the Under-20 World Cup in 2018, the Nantes striker is comfortable with both feet and has excellent positioning with a great ability to play as a pivot or as a target. She was unable to prevent Nantes from being relegated to the third tier of French football after missing part of the season because of injury but is now determined to make up for that at the World Cup by ensuring Haiti reach the knockout stages. “It was a difficult season. If I weren't injured, I could help my club maintain a place in the French women's second division,” she says. “I am ready to help my country; I am aiming for the first two places in the group. Afterwards we will see what will happen for the rest of the competition.”
Name: Shwendesky Macélus Joseph
Date of birth: 18 November 1997 (Haiti)
Club: Zenit St Petersburg (Russia)
Position: Forward
‘Kiki’ is known for her speed and composure in front of goal. She mainly operates as a striker. After missing the two intercontinental play-off matches with Haiti against Senegal and Chile, she was called up for the World Cup squad having been able to fully focus on football. Joseph obtained a degree in civil engineering while attending university in Russia and now plays for Zenit St Petersburg. “It was not easy to manage football and studies but everything ended as planned,” she says.
Nat Sciver-Brunt feels drawing the Women’s Ashes series would reward the progress that England have made this summer.
Australia, the world’s number one side, retained the Ashes on Sunday with a tense three-run victory in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl, taking an unassailable 8-6 lead in the multi-format series.
But England would level matters by winning the final ODI game in Taunton on Tuesday and secure a second series win to boot after prevailing 2-1 in the T20 matches.
“For the series to be drawn on points it would bring some pride to our performances and the way we’ve gone about things,” said all-rounder Sciver-Brunt.
“It would definitely be (consolation for not winning the Ashes) and another series win would certainly have a nice ring to it.
“The way we’ve gone about things has been positive and our mindset doesn’t change too much from that.
“We’ll make sure we’re in a good place and park our feelings from Sunday, using that ODI series win potentially as a motivator.”
England captain Heather Knight described this Women’s Ashes battle as the “best ever series” after England’s heart-breaking defeat in Southampton.
Sciver-Brunt, who almost got the hosts over the line on Sunday with an unbeaten 111 from 99 balls, believes the series has left a lasting legacy on women’s cricket in England.
She said: “It’s the first time we’ve played at big grounds and there has been a new strategy of going about marketing. It has been a bit of a game-changer.
“Hopefully that can continue when it’s not such a big series on the line and we can draw that same excitement about our team and the way we play, not just depending on the opponent.”
Australia’s Alana King responded to the tourists retaining the Ashes by saying she did not see the gap between the two sides “closing any time soon”.
Sciver-Brunt insists the margins are smaller – “we’re not that far apart but on the pressure moments they’ve got the edge on us a little bit” – and believes England have exceeded the public’s expectations, if not their own, by making the series such a competitive affair.
Her heroics on Sunday almost kept England’s hopes alive and she said of that fabulous knock: “I’m not really sure it’s sunk in for me yet.
“When you get a good score and end up on the losing side it’s a bit of a weird feeling, you’re not really sure how to respond to it.
“I looked up at the scoreboard and suddenly I was on 40. It felt like it was just happening, I wasn’t focused on the score or anything like that.
“I was just in the moment. It seemed to pass me by until the last 10 or 12 overs when I needed to switch on to the scoreboard a little bit more.
“We want to put on a performance like that in such a big moment, so I was happy in that context. But you’re pretty disappointed not to get over the line being so close and not to win back the Ashes is another layer of that.”
Artistic Star will head to the John Pearce Racing Gordon Stakes at Goodwood next as connections keep half an eye on the St Leger later in the season.
Ralph Beckett’s charge made an impressive debut at Nottingham at the back end of last year and doubled his tally to remain unbeaten when returning in a hot Sandown novice event in May.
That victory earned the son of Galileo a crack at the Derby where he ran with credit in seventh behind Auguste Rodin and he followed that Epsom outing with another respectable display at Royal Ascot when third to King Of Steel in the King Edward VII Stakes.
Having made three appearances in a fairly short space of time, connections made the decision to bypass the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket’s July meeting and Artistic Star will next be seen in Group Three action during the Qatar Goodwood Festival on August 3.
“He’s training very well. We were tempted to run at Newmarket, but we decided not to and we’re going to keep him for the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood,” said David Bowe, racing manager for owner Jeff Smith.
“We’re very happy with the way he’s training and as we’ve been quoted as saying before, he has a late birth date and he has had a few quick runs together, and I think he has benefitted a little bit from a longer time between races now.
“It will hopefully do him the world of good. He’s a very nice horse and well bred and we’re in it to race and have fun, but equally the horse deserves the chance to be the horse we think he could be so we will just give him a little bit of time.”
A strong showing on the Sussex Downs, a place where owner Jeff Smith has enjoyed some memorable days, could lead to a shot at the final Classic of the season at Doncaster on September 16, with Bowe indicating the team think Town Moor could be the ideal spot for Artistic Star.
He added: “That’s exactly what we think he should be (a Leger horse). He has that sort of profile and trip-wise it looks to be ideal, so who knows. We’re definitely keeping our eye on that option for sure.”
Australian owner Nathan Bennett is eager to see if Warnie can honour the memory of Shane Warne when he attempts to continue spinning a web over his rivals in the juvenile ranks this summer.
It is 30 years since Warne shot to prominence when delivering the so-called ‘ball of the century’ to Mike Gatting in the 1993 Old Trafford Ashes test match, and as this year’s hotly-anticipated series heads to Manchester this week, Joseph O’Brien’s colt is attempting to keep the legacy of the Australian leg-spinning great burning brightly on the racecourse.
A 65,000 guineas buy earlier this year, he was immediately thrust into the spotlight when debuting in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot finishing three lengths adrift of the winner, Snellen, in ninth.
Although not disgraced in that first outing, he showed his true potential when his sights were lowered at Bellewstown recently, powering to a clear-cut victory by the best part of four lengths.
Connections are now eyeing a step up in grade for the son of Highland Reel who holds entries in both the Coolmore Stud Wootton Bassett Irish EBF Futurity Stakes (August 19) and Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (September 10) later in the season.
“He looks a nice colt in the making and we’re looking forward to seeing him run again,” said Bennett.
“I think he learnt a lot at Royal Ascot and ran a super race there. I know he was only ninth on paper, but it was a very good ninth having been hampered a little bit up the straight. He just couldn’t get any momentum and get a free run at a couple of stages so he could have pinched a length closer and that would have brought him into the placings.
“The other day, at Bellewstown, even though he got hampered for room a little bit, he put them away like a really good horse so he looks a pretty nice horse in the making.”
It is hoped Warnie will develop into a Classic contender in time, with Bennett also eyeing prizes back in Australia for the colt when his innings in Ireland comes to an end.
He also explained how the youngster came to be named after the late cricketing star, who had a passion for racing and was a winning team captain at the 2004 Shergar Cup.
Bennett continued: “In time we could possibly bring him to Australia which would be fantastic as there is great prize-money and there’s plenty of options for him. Once he has finished his three-year-old career overseas we can look at bringing him over.
“Hopefully Warnie is looking down on him and riding him home. He looks like he might be a really nice horse so hopefully he can do it for Warnie.
“I had to name him quickly because we bought him from the breeze-up sales and Joseph said you have got seven weeks to get it done.
“I just thought of a few names and thought seeing as Warnie did his best work in the UK in the summer, and with the Ashes being on, why not name him after the great man and see if he can do his best which he is starting to do.”
Bennett’s colours have also been spotted in the UK under the Bennett Racing moniker, with both Southern Hemisphere raider The Astrologist and Ardakan on display for the Australian operation at Royal Ascot.
Ardakan is in the care of Marco Botti and has been gelded following his below-par showing in the Hardwicke Stakes in anticipation of a tilt at the Sky Bet Ebor on August 26, something which connections hope could lead to a triumphant return to Australia and a crack at the Melbourne Cup.
“He kind of turned colty at Royal Ascot and kind of lost the plot a bit, so we’ve gelded him, Bennett explained.
“We thought that was the best option to make him a racehorse. If you watch the replay, the only filly in the field he just wanted to sit with and didn’t want to go past her, so it probably makes a bit of sense and Marco also said he was showing signs of being colty.
“We’ve gelded him and we’re going to head towards the Ebor with the aim of getting him in the Melbourne Cup.
“I think they are going to use a 3lb claimer and we’ll see how we go. He was running very well in some good races out in Dubai and they are all entitled to a bad run. Sometimes once you geld them it can turn things around and I’m hoping that will be the case.”
James Anderson has got the nod to return to England’s Ashes line-up on his home ground of Old Trafford, while Moeen Ali will bat at number three in an otherwise-unchanged side.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the statistical significance of both decisions.
“Bowling from the James Anderson End…”
Anderson took only three wickets in the first two Tests of this series before sitting out at Headingley but his return at his home for his 23-year county career, where he has even emulated fellow Lancashire and England seam bowling great Brian Statham by having an end named after him, was surely inevitable.
His Test record on the ground adds to his case, with 37 wickets at an average of 22.03 in his 10 previous appearances.
That does not include any five-wicket innings, though he took four for 38 – and seven for 54 in the match – against South Africa in 2017 and another four-wicket haul against New Zealand in 2008.
It will be only Anderson’s second Ashes Test at Old Trafford. The first, a decade ago, saw him toil at the hands of centurion Michael Clarke in the first innings before picking up two wickets in a frantic second innings of declaration batting as Australia tried in vain to beat the rain.
Ollie Robinson’s back spasms during the third Test made him the obvious fall guy, though he has a creditable 10 wickets at 28.40 in the current series and took four for 43 in last year’s Old Trafford win over South Africa.
Stuart Broad has an even better record than Anderson in Old Trafford Tests, with 44 wickets at 19.25 including two six-wicket hauls, and is the leading wicket-taker in this series with 16 at 24.93.
That is one wicket more than Australia captain Pat Cummins, while Mitchell Starc has 13. Nathan Lyon (nine) and Josh Hazlewood (eight) follow Robinson on that list, with the next places occupied by two England seamers who only came in at Headingley but quickly cemented their places.
Mark Wood produced astonishing pace to take five for 34 in the first innings and seven in the match, while he blazed 24 runs in England’s first innings and 16 in the second to see them over the line along with fellow series debutant Chris Woakes.
The Warwickshire all-rounder took three wickets in each innings and finished unbeaten on 32 as he struck the winning runs. Woakes also has 23 wickets at 18.48 in five Old Trafford Tests, with Wood set to play his first.
Promotion for Moeen
Moeen put his hand up to bat at number three in the second innings at Headingley and though he made just five, the experiment will be repeated.
It solves an England conundrum in Ollie Pope’s absence, with Harry Brook having made just three in the first innings, while Joe Root is most comfortable at number four, but has not been a productive spot for Moeen in Tests.
He has batted everywhere in the top nine in his 66 games, but mainly at six, seven or eight. That means some small statistical samples elsewhere but at number three he averages 13.14, consisting of 92 runs in seven innings. A strike rate of 32.39 is also hardly in keeping with England’s aggressive philosophy.
September 2018’s Test against India at the Oval accounts for 70 of his runs at number three, with scores of 50 and 20. He made nine against them in the previous Test and five in 2016, batting at three for the second innings only on each occasion, and a first-ball duck followed by three against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2018.
He averages 12.75 at number two but taking his six innings as an opener overall, that average of 14 leaves number three as his lowest anywhere in the order. His best is 51.20 at number four, while in his regular positions he averages 21.50 at number six, 33.48 at seven and 25.93 at eight, with an overall Test average of 27.82.
The narrative surrounding men’s tennis changed in the split second it took for Novak Djokovic’s final forehand to hit the Centre Court net and fall to the grass.
A season that looked set to see the Serbian smash the records he has not yet claimed – a first calendar Grand Slam, an unprecedented 25th major singles title – instead has been turned on its head thanks to the brilliance of 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz.
By handing Djokovic his first Wimbledon defeat since 2017, Alcaraz has answered the one question that had been lingering – could he match and surpass the great Serbian on the biggest stage of all?
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In nearly five hours of spell-binding sporting theatre, the momentum fluctuated several times but in the end it was Alcaraz who seized his chance in a final game that demonstrated everything that makes the Spaniard such a special talent.
Wimbledon had seemed the least likely venue for him to topple Djokovic, such was the 36-year-old’s dominance and his young rival’s inexperience on grass, and, with his position as world number one strengthened, the era of Alcaraz may well be upon us.
“After this epic match, I think different about Novak in the way that probably in other tournaments, in other grand slams, I will remember this moment,” he said.
“I will think that, well, I’m ready to play five sets against him, good rallies, good sets, really long, long match and stay there physically, mentally, in tennis, in general. Probably it changes my mind a little bit after this match.”
Next month it will be Alcaraz who heads to New York as the defending US Open champion, while Djokovic has triumphed at Flushing Meadows just once in the last eight years.
There was no doubt this was a painful and unexpected loss for the Serbian, but also one that is likely to add fuel to the fire that burns so fiercely within him.
Asked if this could be the start of another great rivalry, Djokovic said with a smile: “I would hope so, for my sake. He’s going to be on the tour for quite some time. I don’t know how long I’ll be around.
“Let’s see. It’s been only three matches that we played against each other. Three really close matches. Two already this year in later stages of grand slams.
“I hope we get to play in US Open. I think it’s good for the sport, one and two in the world facing each other in almost a five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldn’t be better for our sport in general.”
The bumper TV audience and the stars from well beyond sport packed into Centre Court were testament to that fact and, health permitting, there appears no limit to what Alcaraz could go on to achieve.
One of the most staggering things about the 20-year-old is how quickly he learns under the guidance of former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero.
He had played just two tournaments on grass before arriving at Queen’s Club last month and almost lost his first match there to lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech.
He did not drop another set in taking the title and, only a few weeks after nerves caused him to cramp in the third set of his French Open semi-final against Djokovic, he proved superior over four hours and 42 minutes.
“I must say he surprised me,” said the Serbian. “He surprised everyone how quickly he adapted to grass this year. He hasn’t had too many wins on grass in the last two years that he played. Obviously him coming from clay, having the kind of style that he has.
“I think Queen’s helped him a lot. He was close to lose that first match in Queen’s. Then he started to gain momentum, more and more wins against really good players.
“I must say the slices, the chipping returns, the net play, it’s very impressive. I didn’t expect him to play so well this year on grass, but he’s proven that he’s the best player in the world, no doubt.
“He’s playing some fantastic tennis on different surfaces and he deserves to be where he is.”
Both men will now take a well-earned break before reconvening on the north American hard courts in August when Alcaraz, not Djokovic, will be the man to beat.
Brian Meehan’s Isaac Shelby looks poised to drop back to seven furlongs for the World Pool Lennox Stakes at Goodwood.
The move back in distance could prove a shrewd move with the son of Night Of Thunder, who has twice scored at Group level over the trip, claiming the Superlative Stakes as a two-year-old before adding the Greenham on his reappearance, making all in impressive style.
Since that Newbury return he has run twice over a mile and was denied by the barest of margins in search of Classic honours in the French 2000 Guineas before finishing a respectable fourth behind Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Manton handler is now looking to get his charge back to winning ways and provide the big-spending Wathnan Racing with their first victory since taking ownership of the talented colt.
“He’s in great form, he has worked well and we’re looking at possibly the Lennox for him at Goodwood,” said Meehan.
“I think in time the mile is always comfortable for him, but for the moment we have got to look at getting a prize under his belt again.”
The Qatar Goodwood Festival could also be the next port of call for promising two-year-old Toca Madera following his third-placed effort in the July Stakes at Newmarket last week.
The son of Bated Breath had failed to get involved in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, but having bounced back to show his true capabilities, has the potential to line up in the Markel Richmond Stakes on the Sussex Downs.
“I was slightly disappointed at Ascot, but I thought he really showed how good he was there at Newmarket and possibly there is going to be some more improvement in him I think,” added Meehan.
“Maybe we will go to the Richmond (August 3) if it isn’t too soon, but certainly we will have a look at the Gimcrack (York, August 25) or Prix Morny (Deauville, August 20).”
England have recalled James Anderson for the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.
The 40-year-old Lancashire seamer will feature on home turf as he returns to the team in place of Ollie Robinson, the only change to the side that defeated Australia at Headingley in the third Test.
England kept the Ashes alive in Leeds after Yorkshireman Harry Brook steered the hosts to victory with 75 runs before Chris Woakes and Mark Wood’s match-winning partnership saw them over the line.
Ben Stokes’ side are 2-1 down in the series with another must-win game on the line in Manchester.
Another tweak to the side sees Moeen Ali promoted to bat at number three, with Ollie Pope ruled out for the rest of the series.
Brook had originally occupied the vacant spot, but all-rounder Ali, who was dismissed for five while batting at three in the second innings, was unexpectedly promoted after asking head coach Brendon McCullum if he could bat there.
“When I took the role on I asked for 10 other selfless cricketers,” England captain Stokes said post-match at Headingley.
“And that little moment of Mo going to Baz (McCullum) and saying, ‘I want the opportunity’ is everything that we’re about as a team.”
Sir Nick Faldo has urged Rory McIlroy to act like he “owns the ring” as he bids to end his lengthy major drought.
McIlroy travelled to Hoylake on Sunday afternoon following a brilliant victory in the Genesis Scottish Open, where he birdied the last two holes to edge out home favourite Robert MacIntyre.
The world number two has not tasted victory in a major championship since the 2014 US PGA, a win which came a month after he had lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Liverpool.
Two of Faldo’s Open titles came at the same venue and the six-time major winner believes McIlroy should behave as if he is the defending champion this week.
“Yeah, why not?” Faldo said. “It’s like saying ‘I own the ring, you ain’t gonna knock me down’.
“I felt that way when I came back to Muirfield in 1992 after winning in 1987. I was playing well, I was world number one, one of the favourites and all that and I thought ‘yeah, this is my spot, I’m gonna defend winning at Muirfield’.
“He’s got to be feeling good going back to somewhere he’s won before. He’s playing well. I think the most important thing is he just wants to be a golfer right now, give me a bit of space, let me breathe, let me just go and play.
“He’s one of the top few players in the world and it’s probably a nice feeling for him – he knows if he plays really well he knows the names he’s got to beat.”
Thirty-four majors have been staged since McIlroy’s last victory, with Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson all winning multiple titles and 18 different players tasting victory once, including a 50-year-old Phil Mickelson and an injury-ravaged Tiger Woods.
McIlroy has had to settle for commendable consistency, recording 19 top-10s and finishing no worse than eighth in all four majors in 2022, although genuine chances to win on the back nine on Sunday have been relatively scarce.
In last year’s Open McIlroy led by two at the turn before being overhauled by an inspired Cameron Smith.
A month ago he shared the lead in the final round of the US Open after a birdie on the first, but failed to make another and finished a shot behind Wyndham Clark, while his only dropped shot came after a poor wedge on the par-five 14th.
“I was doing the TV and the number of times I would say this must be so demoralising, he hits it 320 yards and then hits a wedge to 60 feet and three-putts it,” Faldo added.
“That’s such a killer to a pro. If he avoids that, if his bad wedge was to 20ft, then you’re laughing.
“That’s got to be his goal, really hone that short game and somehow trick himself and just imagine you’re 16 again and this is the most important tournament in my life, I’ve got a chance to win an Open; try and find that kind of motivation.
“Nine years is a long time, not many players go nine years [between major wins] but he’s so talented. It’s not like his game’s gone downhill.
“If he can find a way to almost hit the reset button, he’s still in his prime age; he’s just got to find that little bit of trust and determination. Can you fend off everybody else?
“You’ve got three days playing against yourself before you then take on the rest of the guys. I’ve got kind of a good vibe. I think he could pull another one out. I think he has a hell of a chance.”
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