Johnny Sexton will be free to captain Ireland at the Rugby World Cup in France after being handed a three-match ban for misconduct.
The 38-year-old Leinster fly-half will miss the warm-up fixtures against Italy, England and Samoa after admitting a European Professional Club Rugby misconduct charge levelled in the wake of the province’s Heineken Champions Cup final defeat by La Rochelle on May 20.
Sexton, who was not playing in the game, went on to the pitch at the Aviva Stadium after the match – Leinster lost 27-26 – and became involved in what appeared to be a heated exchange with South African referee Jaco Peyper and other match officials.
A statement issued on behalf of the independent disciplinary commission, which met last week, said: “With the consent of the parties, the independent disciplinary committee (comprising Christopher Quinlan KC, chair, (World Rugby independent judicial panel chair), Adam Casselden SC (former chair SANZAAR judicial committee) and Marcello D’Orey (former international rugby player) announced its decision and full written reasons today in respect of the misconduct case brought against Johnny Sexton and Leinster Rugby.
“Johnny Sexton admitted misconduct. The disciplinary committee found his behaviour confrontational and aggressive towards and disrespectful of the match officials.
“It included his pointing his finger at them and shouting at them something to this effect: ‘It’s a disgrace you guys can’t get the big decisions right,’ probably accompanied by expletives, ‘most likely the f-word’.
“His conduct was obviously unsportsmanlike and brought the sport of rugby union into disrepute.”
Sexton has been suspended with immediate effect and will miss the games against Italy on August 5, England a fortnight later and Samoa on August 26.
However, he will be available for Ireland’s opening World Cup fixture against Romania in Bordeaux on September 9.
Leinster have also been handed a suspended £7,500 fine for failing to exercise reasonable control over their player, and both, as well as EPCR, have until 4pm on Wednesday to appeal against the independent disciplinary committee decision.
The statement continued: “The disciplinary committee upheld the misconduct complaint against Leinster Rugby.
“Having regard to the limited extent to which it was at fault and relevant mitigation, the disciplinary committee concluded that the appropriate penalty was a fine in the sum of £7,500, suspended until the end of the 2023/24 EPCR season.
“If Leinster commits another act of Misconduct before the end of the 2023/24 EPCR season it must pay that sum in full.”
Sexton, who led his country, ranked number one in the world, to a Six Nations grand slam in March, has signalled his intention to retire after this autumn’s tournament.
Marketa Vondrousova cited being dumped by sponsor Nike as a driving factor behind her surprise Wimbledon victory.
The Czech emerged as one of the most unlikely champions at the All England Club and the first unseeded women’s winner with a 6-4 6-4 victory against favourite Ons Jabeur.
Vondrousova’s success was all the more surprising given her lack of pedigree on grass and a long injury absence last year following wrist surgery, and her failure to build on her run to the 2019 French Open final meant her clothing contract with Nike was not renewed.
“The contract ended last year and I didn’t play for six months,” she said.
“I was a bit sad when it finished but I was like, ‘We’re going to try to find something else, just show them I’m going to be good, I’m going to play good and we’ll see what happens now’. But I also feel like maybe that’s a good thing that drove me here.”
Vondrousova’s victory continued the extraordinary success story that is Czech women’s tennis.
She joins Petra Kvitova and Barbora Krejcikova as active grand slam champions while she will make her top-10 debut on Monday as one of seven Czech women in the top 35.
Vondrousova remembers watching her fellow left-hander Kvitova winning back in 2011 as a 12-year-old, saying: “I think I was probably on the couch eating some candy.
“Petra is also from a small club, from a small city, and she is a huge inspiration.
“I watched her win here and she is great person and girls from Czech are very supportive, we have a great relationship. Just to see they could do it, then you believe you can do it also.
“We practise in different clubs, we are not even together, so maybe there is something about Czechs.”
Vondrousova grew up in the small town of Sokolov, with her grandfather driving her to Prague for training every week before she moved to the capital by herself at 15 to develop her tennis.
“It’s a two-hour drive so we went for maybe Wednesday and Thursday and then went back home and I went to school. It’s an amazing journey,” she said.
One of Vondrousova’s first acts after she lifted the Venus Rosewater Dish was to call her mother and her grandparents back home.
She said of her grandfather: “He is my biggest fan. To see them so happy, I’m really grateful for it because there is so much hard work and he was really the most important person in my tennis career when I was young.”
Vondrousova’s best run at Wimbledon prior to this year had been in 2021 when she lost to Emma Raducanu in the second round.
Her game, though, built on touch, slice and angles rather than power, is a good fit for grass, making this victory slightly less unexpected than at first glance.
She credits an early coach and her slightness of stature for the way her game has developed, saying: “I had one coach in my home town who taught me how to slice and everything.
“I just feel like I was always the smallest one and I just didn’t have that much power, so I had to do something else to win. You can use it really well and you have many options, so that’s a great thing to have.”
While her parents were not in London, Vondrousova was able to celebrate with her younger sister and husband, who passed over cat-sitting duties to fly over for the final.
The couple were planning to celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Sunday with a special date at the Champions Dinner.
Carlos Alcaraz celebrated a generational shift in tennis after dethroning Novak Djokovic in one of the great Wimbledon finals.
The young Spaniard looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from a nervous start to take a two-sets-to-one lead only for Djokovic to show once again his remarkable powers of resilience.
It was he who appeared in the ascendancy at the start of the fifth set but back came 20-year-old Alcaraz to claim a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory after four hours and 42 minutes, finally landing a meaningful blow for the young guns against the man 16 years his senior.
Alcaraz was not even born when Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 became the last man apart from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray or Djokovic to win the title here, and he is the youngest men’s champion since Boris Becker in 1986.
Alcaraz won his maiden slam title at the US Open last summer but, having beaten Casper Ruud on that occasion with Djokovic barred from entering the country, there is no question this is a far bigger, and potentially seismic, moment in the men’s game.
“I did it for myself, not for the tennis generation,” said Alcaraz. “(But) beating Novak at his best, in this stage, making history, being the guy to beat him after 10 years unbeaten on that court, is amazing for me.
“It’s something that I will never forget. It’s great for the new generation, as well, I think, to see me beating him and making them think that they are capable to do it as well.
“It’s the happiest moment of my life. I think it’s not going to change for a long time. Beating Novak, winning the Wimbledon championship, is something that I dream about since I started playing tennis.”
The defeat prevented Djokovic tying Federer with an eighth Wimbledon title, while it also ended his chances of winning the calendar Grand Slam this year and possibly forever, although he will surely have more opportunities to equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 slam crowns.
This was the hottest ticket in town. Along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte and King Felipe VI of Spain, Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and Daniel Craig were attendance while, among the tennis ranks, sat in the stands with new men’s doubles champion Neal Skupski, was Murray.
The Scot was the last man to beat Djokovic on this court, 10 years and 46 matches ago, in that unforgettable final.
The excitement that fizzed around the arena threatened to evaporate as Djokovic pounced on Alcaraz, winning the first five games then the opening set in only 34 minutes.
Djokovic had two main regrets after the match, the biggest one being that he was not able to extend his record of consecutive slam tie-breaks won to 16.
He led 3-0 and had a set point at 6-5 only to net two routine backhands and then see an Alcaraz return fly past him.
In their first slam meeting in the semi-finals of the French Open last month, Alcaraz had been stricken by cramp after a similar first two sets, but here he looked far the better physically as he swept to the third set, breaking Djokovic for a second time in a 26-minute game comprising 13 deuces and seven break points.
But Djokovic is the master at rousing himself when he appears down and out and so it proved again.
The four-time defending champion had the momentum going into the decider but netted a high volley on break point at 1-0 and then hurled his racket against the net post in anger, smashing the frame, after Alcaraz broke in the next game.
Djokovic did all he could to apply pressure as the young Spaniard, who has extended his lead as world number one, stepped up to serve it out but Alcaraz showed what a truly special talent he is by pulling off a precision lob and a reflex volley before slumping to the grass when his opponent finally netted.
“Probably before this match I thought that I wasn’t ready to beat Djokovic in five sets, an epic match like this,” said Alcaraz. “I stayed good physically and good mentally about five hours against a legend.”
On learning from what happened in Paris, he added: “I am a totally different player than French Open. I grew up a lot since that moment. I learned a lot from that moment.”
Djokovic handled the defeat with impressive grace but broke down in tears when he saw his eight-year-old son Stefan applauding from the stands.
He admitted Alcaraz’s remarkably quick progression on grass had taken him by surprise and thought back to the close finals where he has come out on the other side.
“I’ve won some epic finals that I was very close to losing,” he said. “Maybe this is kind of a fair-and-square deal, I guess, to lose a match like this for me here. Even though it hurts.
“Credit to Carlos. Amazing poise in the important moments. For someone of his age to handle the nerves like this, be playing attacking tennis, and to close out the match the way he did. I thought I returned very well that last game, but he was just coming up with some amazing, amazing shots.
“Some regrets. I had my chances. I think I could have closed out that second-set tie-breaker better. But credit to him for fighting and showing some incredible defensive skills, passing shots that got him the break in the fifth. He was a deserved winner today.”
Alcaraz has a long way to go if he is to have anything like the careers that Djokovic and his long-time rivals Federer and Nadal have put together.
But the Serbian could not be more impressed with the 20-year-old as an all-round package, saying: “I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa and myself.
“I would agree with that. I think he’s got basically the best of all three worlds. He’s got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defence.
“I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”
Alcaraz, still wearing his lucky bucket hat, burst into a wide grin when told what Djokovic had said.
“It’s crazy that Novak said that, honestly,” he said. “I don’t know. Probably he’s right. But I don’t want to think about it. I’m going to think that I’m full Carlos Alcaraz.”
Carlos Alcaraz was the toast of world sport after his stunning victory over Novak Djokovic handed him the Wimbledon men’s singles title for the first time at the age of just 20.
The Spaniard triumphed in a five-set epic to deny the Serbian a 24th grand slam title after a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 arm wrestle on Centre Court.
His heroics prompted praise from the tennis glitterati and beyond as they took to social media after a thriller at SW19.
Compatriot Rafael Nadal, who has 22 grand slam titles to his name, tweeted: “Congratulations @carlosalcaraz. You have given us immense joy today and I am sure that our pioneer in Spanish tennis, Manolo Santana, has also been cheering wherever he is, such as Wimbledon whom you have joined today.
“A very strong hug and enjoy the moment, champion!!!”
Last year’s beaten finalist Nick Kyrgios, who was a late withdrawal this year because of injury, added: “Haven’t watched a whole tennis match in a long time haha. Thank you @DjokerNole and @carlosalcaraz for putting on that incredible performance. Congratulations to you both.”
There was praise two from the organisers of the other three slam tournaments.
A series of posts on the US Open’s official Twitter account said: “What a match”, “That match was everything we hoped for” and “Can this rivalry continue on for a few more years, please?”, while Roland-Garros described the victory as “Prince of Wimbledon” and the Australian Open said simply, “Unstoppable”.
Alcaraz was presented with the trophy by the Princess of Wales, who watched from the Royal Box with Prince William and their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte as well as Spain’s King Felipe VI, and a message on their Twitter acount said: “What a match! Congratulations @carlosalcaraz.”
There were celebrations at Spain’s UK Embassy as officials also took to Twitter, saying: “Unbelievable, amazing, superb, fantastic… What a match, what a champion. Carlos Alcaraz wins his first #Wimbledon title, but certainly not the last.”
The young Spaniard’s triumph also impressed current and former athletes outside his sport with Spain’s former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea leading the tributes.
De Gea wrote: “Absolutely crazy @carlosalcaraz”, while Roma frontman Paulo Dybala said: “What a game we just saw @carlosalcaraz @DjokerNole! Congrats to both for the great final @Wimbledon!”
There was also a message from Real Madrid, the club the Murcia-born star supports.
It said: “Congratulations on your brilliant victory at @Wimbledon, @carlosalcaraz. And congratulations on maintaining top spot in the world tennis rankings. You are a source of pride for Spanish sport and all of the madridistas.”
Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker put his Spanish to good use, with his tweet translating as: “Spectacular! What a game! What a player. What a champion. Congratulations to @carlosalcaraz. Magnificent.”
Retired cricketing superstar Sachin Tendulkar was equally effusive in his praise.
Tendulkar said: “What a fantastic final to watch! Excellent tennis by both these athletes! We’re witnessing the rise of the next superstar of tennis. I’ll be following Carlos’ career for the next 10-12 years just like I did with @Rogerfederer.
“Many congratulations @carlosalcaraz!”
There was recognition for Hollywood royalty too in the shape of Ben Stiller, who tweeted: “Congrats to @carlosalcaraz. What an incredible final.”
Carlos Alcaraz dethroned Novak Djokovic on Centre Court as the curtain closed on Wimbledon with a men’s final for the ages.
There was more British joy as Henry Searle won the boys’ singles crown but there was disappointment for Alfie Hewett as he again missed out on the wheelchair singles crown.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at day 14 of the Championships.
Alcaraz ends Djokovic reign
Carlos Alcaraz will go down in history as the man who finally beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
The Serbian had not lost since 2017 and his invincibility stretched back even further on Centre Court, with Andy Murray the last man to inflict defeat on him there way back in 2013.
But Alcaraz proved he is the real deal and ended Djokovic’s reign in a men’s singles final that will go down as one of the greatest.
There were twists and turns, drama, frustration and most of all some epic tennis in a near five-hour battle that Alcaraz won 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4.
He claimed his first SW19 crown and second grand slam title overall and it will be fascinating to see how much of a seminal moment this victory is.
Tweet of the dayQuote of the dayPicture of the dayHewett’s heartache
Alfie Hewett’s wait for grand slam perfection goes on after he lost the wheelchair singles final.
The Briton has won at the Australian Open, the French Open and US Open but his home slam at Wimbledon continues to evade him after a second successive final loss.
Number one seed Tokito Oda, who is just 17, denied him glory on Court One with a 6-4 6-2 victory as he won back-to-back grand slams following his recent success at the French Open.
Hewett was visibly devastated at the end and Oda could be an obstacle for some time, having become the youngest champion at Wimbledon since Martina Hingis.
Searle ends British drought
Henry Searle became the first British boys’ singles champion at Wimbledon since 1962.
The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton beat fifth seed Yaroslav Demin 6-4 6-4 on Court One to emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer, who triumphed 61 years ago.
He is Britain’s first junior champion since Laura Robson won the girls’ event in 2008 and ensured more home success at this year’s tournament after Neal Skupski won the men’s doubles on Saturday.
It will be a life-changing experience for Searle but he looks like he has the temperament and the ability to succeed in the men’s game after a brilliant campaign where he did not drop a set, highlighted by him sending down a 134mph serve during the final.
Stat of the day
The Tennessee Titans have upgraded their passing attack by signing free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on Sunday.
Hopkins agreed to a two-year, $26million contract with the Titans, with an additional $6million available in incentives, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media.
The 31-year-old Hopkins becomes the No. 1 receiver for quarterback Ryan Tannehill and a Titans team that is inexperienced at wide out.
Treylon Burks had 33 receptions as a rookie in 2022, and is Tennessee's top returning receiver after the departures of Robert Woods and Austin Hooper.
Tennessee relies on a heavy ground attack behind Derrick Henry, ranking 30th in the NFL in net passing yards last season, averaging 171.4 per game.
Hopkins had 64 catches for 717 yards and three touchdowns for the Arizona Cardinals in nine games in 2022 after missing the season's first six contests while serving a suspension for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.
He was released by the Cardinals on May 26 after the team failed to work out a trade for the three-time All-Pro receiver.
Arizona was unable to find a trade partner to take on Hopkins' $22.6million salary cap, leaving the rebuilding Cardinals no other choice but to release the 10-year veteran.
Hopkins spent three seasons with the Cardinals after being acquired via trade from the Houston Texans in March 2020.
He had a stellar debut season with Arizona, being voted to his fifth Pro Bowl after tying his personal best with 115 catches totalling 1,407 yards.
In 145 career games, Hopkins has 853 career catches for 11,298 yards and 71 touchdowns.
Hopkins joins a Titans team that finished 7-9 last season after back-to-back AFC South titles.
Captain Heather Knight urged England to bounce back to draw the “best ever series” after Australia retained the Women’s Ashes with victory by three runs in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl.
Nat Sciver-Brunt hit an unbeaten 111 in Hampshire but it was not enough to guide England to victory in pursuit of 283 with the hosts finishing on 279 for seven after a thrilling sixth encounter of the multi-format series.
After trailing 6-0 following defeats in the one-off Test and opening T20, England had stormed back to win three matches in a row and keep alive their faint chances of winning back the Ashes for the first time since 2014.
Only victory in the final two ODIs would be enough for Knight’s team, but the tourists proved too strong with Ellyse Perry’s 91 and a game-changing knock of 37 not out from Georgia Wareham, with 26 runs coming off the final over bowled by Lauren Bell, helping Australia make 282 for seven.
Sciver-Brunt was able to produce more heroics against Australia, after she hit 148 not out in last year’s World Cup final, but with 15 runs needed from the last six deliveries, Jess Jonassen held her nerve and England will aim to level the series at 8-8 in Tuesday’s final ODI in Taunton.
“God it was an unbelievable game again wasn’t it? It has got to be the best series there has ever been in the history of the women’s game,” Knight reflected.
“Two sides going toe-to-toe, fighting it out and every game has been pretty close. Yeah, obviously disappointment but real pride as well over the fact we got so close.
“The way Nat played was unbelievable. To nearly marshal the tail in that chase was brilliant, but probably left a little bit too much to do.
“Overall, we’ve put in another thriller of a performance, but the Ashes are gone which is disappointing.”
Before Sciver-Brunt’s third ODI century against Australia, the big momentum-swinger occurred in the final over of the tourists’ innings.
With Australia on a below-par 256 for seven after 49 overs, England would have fancied their chances but Wareham proceeded to hit seamer Bell for three maximums, two over midwicket, and another brace of fours.
The 26-run over went a long way to deciding the latest nail-bitter in the series, but Knight backed her young bowler to learn from the experience.
“No, not for me (the most decisive moment). Lauren has been outstanding at the death for us all series, but she is a young bowler, she will make mistakes and have days like that sometimes where it doesn’t quite go right,” Knight added.
“I think she will learn a lot from that experience.
“There is a one-day series victory on the line and it would be a really good achievement to win the T20 series and ODI series to draw the series 8-8.
“We have to rally around people, it is obviously quite a quick turnaround and there will be some emotion in that dressing room.
“But we head to Taunton tonight, down to the Holiday Inn and we have a day to regroup and go again. I think if we can end the series on a high, we can have huge pride in how we’ve played throughout the series.”
Knight had got England over the line in Wednesday’s opening ODI match in Bristol and admitted it was “horrific” to have no control in this chase.
Reflecting on Sciver-Brunt’s innings, Knight added: “It was kind of written in the stars for her to do it today.
“Unfortunately just a little bit too much but great character by her to get us even anywhere close.
“It was another unbelievably entertaining game of cricket and unfortunately we’ve been on the wrong side of this one.”
Australia spinner Alana King, who claimed three for 44, was delighted to retain the Ashes but insisted they want to win the series 10-6.
She said: “We have retained it, which is awesome but as we have said all along, we have come to win it so we have one more game to win the Ashes.”
Simon Thomas has announced he will succeed Jeff Stelling as host of Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday programme.
Former Blue Peter presenter Thomas, 50, had long been reported to be among the contenders for the role, which also included Sky presenters Caroline Barker and Julian Warren.
Stelling, 68, announced in April he would be stepping down as anchor of the results show after almost 30 years and bade farewell on the final day of the Premier League season.
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Thomas said on social media: “Ever since I stepped away from Sky in 2018 to look after Ethan after we lost his mum, rebuilding my career has not always been easy. Sky always said the door would be open for me to come back, but this was never the door I expected to open.
“Lots of people have said I have some very big shoes to fill – but I don’t. Jeff Stelling is a one off. An absolute master of his craft. Incomparable. All I can be is myself, and be the best I possibly can.”
Thomas’s first wife Gemma died in November 2017 three days after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.
His second wife Derrina Jebb gave birth to their daughter Talitha in October after an emergency caesarean section having developed pre-eclampsia and Thomas later spoke candidly about his experience on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine Show.
Thomas added: “This is a huge moment for me and my family and a massive honour to be trusted with such a well-loved and respected program. It also feels incredibly special to be fully coming back to the Sky Sports family, who all those years ago believed in me after leaving Blue Peter.
“I also just want to say thank you to my wonderful wife Derrina for always believing in me and my family and friends for always having my back. See you on August 5!”
Evan Engram had previously agreed to be franchise tagged by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That deal has since been replaced.
The Jaguars agreed to a three-year, $41.25million contract with Engram on Sunday that includes $24million guaranteed.
Engram's agent, Mike McCarney, announced the deal via Twitter.
Engram had agreed to play the 2023 season under the franchise tag and had until Monday to agree to a long-term contract with the Jaguars.
Had he not been able to work out a long-term deal, he would've been made $11.345million in 2023.
A first-round pick by the Giants in 2017, Engram signed a one-year, $9million contract with the Jaguars last March after five seasons in New York.
In his first season in Jacksonville, he ranked third on the Jags in receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches with career highs of 73 receptions for 766 yards to go with four touchdowns.
He set a franchise record for receptions by a tight end, breaking Kyle Brady's mark of 64, set back in 2000.
Among all NFL tight ends last season, only Kansas City's Travis Kelce (110) and Minnesota's T.J. Hockenson (86) had more receptions than Engram.
Engram played a big role in Jacksonville's 31-30 comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers in a wild-card game last season, finishing with seven receptions for a team-high 93 yards with a TD.
In 82 career games, Engram has 335 receptions for 3,594 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Carlos Alcaraz was crowned the new king of Wimbledon after dethroning Novak Djokovic on a rapt Centre Court in one of the great grand slam finals.
The young Spaniard looked to be on his way to victory when he recovered from a nervous start to take a two-sets-to-one lead only for Djokovic to show once again his remarkable powers of resilience.
It was he who appeared in the ascendancy at the start of the fifth set but back came 20-year-old Alcaraz to claim a 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 victory after four hours and 42 minutes, finally landing a meaningful blow for the young guns against the man 16 years his senior.
Alcaraz slumped to the court after Djokovic’s final forehand dropped into the net before sharing a long embrace with the vanquished Serbian.
Australia retained the Women’s Ashes after Nat Sciver-Brunt’s excellent innings of 111 not out could not prevent England suffering an agonising three-run defeat in the second ODI at the Ageas Bowl.
Victory in Bristol on Wednesday had levelled the multi-format series at 6-6, but Heather Knight’s side knew only a fourth consecutive win over the world champions would keep alive their hopes of winning back the urn.
Put into bat first in Hampshire, Australia posted 282 for seven with Ellyse Perry hitting 91 and Annabel Sutherland adding 50, but it was Georgia Wareham who changed the momentum with 24 runs off the final over.
Tammy Beaumont ensured England’s chase started strongly with 60 but wickets fell regularly with the recalled Alana King claiming three for 44 from her 10 overs.
Sciver-Brunt’s presence kept alive England’s faint hopes and she reached another century against Australia, but could not get the required 15 runs from Jess Jonassen’s final over.
It puts Australia 8-6 up in the series with only one ODI left to play in Taunton, which means the urn will remain with Alyssa Healy’s side.
England captain Knight had won the toss and saw her decision to bowl first immediately pay dividends with Lauren Bell able to claim the early wickets of Phoebe Litchfield and Healy in windy conditions in Hampshire.
Litchfield was pinned in front lbw and Healy inexplicably cut straight to Alice Capsey, but Perry and Beth Mooney rebuilt the innings and put on 61 for the third wicket.
Spin duo Sophie Ecclestone and Sarah Glenn kept Australia in check with Mooney sweeping the former to Bell at short fine leg for 33 and Tahlia McGrath out cheaply after edging behind.
The outlook could have been even better for England with Perry dropped on 50 when Glenn put down a tough caught-and-bowled chance, which occurred the ball after the Aussie number three had survived a close lbw appeal.
Perry was given another life on 63 when she chipped Ecclestone to Kate Cross at mid-on, but the England seamer put down the opportunity and injured her right leg as a result.
Ashleigh Gardner was already out for 33 to Bell by this point, but Australia were able to kick on from 158 for five with Sutherland improving their tempo.
An important 81-run partnership for the sixth wicket was broken in the 47th over by Ecclestone, who claimed Perry for 91 and Sutherland for 50 with substitute fielder Charlie Dean and Capsey taking smart catches on the boundary rope.
Wareham crucially swung the momentum back in Australia’s favour though with a scintillating onslaught on Bell, smashing two sixes over midwicket after an earlier maximum in the last over of the innings to help her side post 282 for seven from their 50 overs.
It left England facing another record ODI chase, after achieving the same feat in Bristol on Wednesday, but Beaumont ensured they made a strong start with 66 put on with Sophia Dunkley, who was then bowled after a scratchy 13.
Beaumont had already celebrated fifty before four runs initially awarded to her were later changed to leg byes but the milestone was officially reached in the 14th over.
England’s progress was quickly ground to a halt by leg-spinner King after she won her battle against Knight, who was unhappy to walk off given out lbw for 12 after reviewing immediately.
King was in full flow now and Beaumont was bowled for a fine 60 with a wonderful spinning delivery that clipped off stump before Capsey holed out to deep midwicket where Gardner took the catch.
When Danni Wyatt succumbed to Gardner’s off-break with a slog sweep straight to Sutherland, England had gone from 107 for two to 144 for five.
The presence of Sciver-Brunt, who successfully reviewed an out lbw call on three, retained some hope and she moved to another half-century off 53 balls with a sweep for two.
Sciver-Brunt desperately needed a partner to stick around and wicketkeeper Jones started to take the attack to Australia, hitting back-to-back fours against Wareham, but soon after being dropped on 34, she was out.
After putting on 57 for the sixth wicket to take England past the 200-mark, Jones top-edged her attempted reverse sweep and Ecclestone lasted just two balls – with Gardner picking up two wickets from the 39th over.
England still needed 80 runs for victory but Sciver-Brunt continued to get success with the sweep shot.
Glenn stuck around to bring the equation down to 15 off six balls, but Sciver-Brunt, who reached her century in the previous over, was only able to hit one boundary.
England fell short on 279 for seven after her attempted slog-sweep for six from Jonassen’s last delivery only went for one.
The Phoenix Suns' busy offseason continued Sunday with a pair of moves.
Cam Payne was traded by the Suns to the San Antonio Spurs, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, while ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports Phoenix signed former Orlando Magic forward Bol Bol to a one-year deal.
The Suns also sent a second-round draft pick and cash to the Spurs, and traded a 2026 first-round pick to the Magic in exchange for three future second-round selections.
The 28-year-old Payne averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.2 rebounds in 48 games for the Suns in 2022-23 - his fourth season in Phoenix.
The Suns have been one of the NBA's busiest teams this offseason, trading away Chris Paul while acquiring fellow guards Bradley Beal and Eric Gordon.
With the Spurs, Payne will likely split point guard duties with Tre Jones.
Bol is entering his fifth NBA season after being waived by the Magic earlier this month.
Expected to provide depth off the bench for Phoenix, Bol got off to an encouraging start to the 2022-23 season for Orlando, starting 32 of the team's first 37 games before ultimately falling out of the rotation.
He averaged 12 points and 7.1 rebounds in the first 37 games, but made just one more start the rest of the season, averaging 5.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in the final 33 games he played.
Wout Poels celebrated his first career grand tour stage win as the slopes of Mont Blanc failed to find any difference between Tour de France leader Jonas Vingegaard and his rival Tadej Pogacar.
Poels, 35, was the last survivor of a big breakaway group that got clear after a crash caused by a spectator reshaped the 179km stage 15 from Les Gets to Saint-Gervais.
Six minutes after the Bahrain-Victorious rider crossed the line, Vingegaard and Pogacar came home shoulder to shoulder, with Vingegaard’s advantage in yellow remaining at 10 seconds going into Monday’s rest day.
Pogacar was guided towards the summit by team-mate Adam Yates but then gradually let the wheel go, seemingly unable to follow as Vingegaard stayed in his shadow.
The easing of pace allowed Saturday’s winner Carlos Rodriguez to ride back to the pair, with Vingegaard moving on to the Spaniard’s wheel.
Pogacar was planning one more attack, but as the Slovenian burst forward just after the flamme rouge, he could not shake Vingegaard, with the Jumbo-Visma rider drawing up alongside on the final bend to ensure he will start Tuesday’s time trial in yellow.
With Jai Hindley having faded, Rodriguez strengthened his grip on third place, with Yates moving up to fourth.
Asked if he had planned to drop Pogacar on the climb, Yates said: “Not really. We had a few issues with the radio. But I’m still high on (general classification) and if Tadej lets me go then Jumbo-Visma have to chase, so it’s kind of still in our favour.
“Today was unexpected, but these things add up over the three weeks.”
The peloton had been closely following a series of breakaway attempts in the early part of the stage but, when a young spectator in the road was struck by Vingegaard’s team-mate Sepp Kuss 50km in, around a dozen riders went down, slowing the main group and allowing almost 40 riders to get away.
“There was a narrowing in the town and a spectator in the road, and I guess he just clipped my handlebars,” said Kuss, his elbow heavily bandaged. “Luckily I’m OK and hopefully the other guys in the crash are all right. It’s not ideal.
“I think it’s fatigue. It’s been such a hard race and everybody is a bit tired, you lose a bit of alertness and there’s always things out of your control as well.”
Poels, riding his 10th Tour de France having been part of four winning teams while with Team Sky and the Ineos Grenadiers, delivered a second stage win of this race for the Bahrain-Victorious team and dedicated it to Gino Mader, his team-mate who died after a crash at the Tour de Suisse last month.
“I always dreamed to win a stage in the Tour and especially with what has happened in the team in the last few weeks with Gino, all of the emotions come,” the Dutchman said.
“I’ve won a Monument, I’ve won a stage in the Tour and I’m super happy. I only started to believe in the last kilometre and I had to just keep fighting.
“I really enjoyed my period with Sky – four times I was in the winning team and it was really incredible to do, but I could never fight for a stage win and to finally do it today is great.”
Wimbledon boys’ champion Henry Searle says his transition into the men’s game will be expedited after his title success.
The 17-year-old from Wolverhampton became the first British boy to win the singles tournament in SW19 since 1962 as a 6-4 6-4 win over Yaroslav Demin saw him emulate Stanley Matthews, son of the famous footballer.
He is Britain’s first junior champion since Laura Robson won the girls’ event in 2008 and ensured more home success at this year’s tournament after Neal Skupski won the men’s doubles on Saturday.
It will be a life-changing experience for Searle but he looks like he has the temperament and the ability to succeed in the men’s game after a brilliant campaign where he did not drop a set, highlighted by him sending down a 134mph during the final.
And he will now look to move into the senior game while still continuing his education.
“I think there’s the jump to the men’s game that needs to be done a little bit quicker. Hopefully that can happen now,” he said.
“I’ll try to continue to work hard to try and be playing at that sort of level in the men’s, as well, in the future.
“The plan is to still do my A-Levels. How easy that will be I don’t know with all the travelling. I struggled enough as it is this year with travelling. At the end of long days it’s not ideal to try and sit down in front of a book.
“But I’ll see what happens. If the tennis is going well enough, I might not have to do them.”
He was backed by an army of fans on Court One, all decked out in matching t-shirts, and Searle has also been supported by his beloved football club Wolves.
And he hopes to be able to show his trophy off at Molineux in the forthcoming season.
“I hope so. I think that would be pretty cool,” he said. “I try and get to as many games as possible really when I’m home. Obviously it’s pretty difficult when travelling and playing tennis.
“I love going there, being with all my mates there. It’s pretty special.
“I think the Barmy Army have been exceptional from the start of the week till the end of the week. Hopefully they can continue to be like that over the years.”
There was another British victory in the boys’ under-14s as Mark Ceban beat Svit Suljic 7-6 (5) 6-3, but Hollie Smart was beaten in the girls’ under-14s, going down 6-3 6-1 to Luna Vujovic.
Hannah Klugman and Isabelle Lacy came up short in the girls’ doubles final, losing to Czech pair Alena Kovackova and Laura Samsonova.
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