Michael Nottingham is desperate to get himself fully fit and start repaying David Martindale for bringing him to Livingston.
The 34-year-old defender moved to the Lions from Accrington in the summer after previously spending his entire career in England.
However, he has been restricted to just two appearances so far after struggling with tendonitis, stemming from an ankle tendon injury that plagued him for much of last season.
“It’s been very frustrating because I came up here to play games, but with that setback it’s been physically draining,” he said.
“Mentally it’s been about trying to keep myself in the zone and take it day by day. I had my injury last season that kept me out for the majority of the season so I know exactly what I have to go through (to get fit again), but it’s obviously not what you want.
“The gaffer signed me to be a big part of the team this year and I wouldn’t say I feel like I’ve let him down because you can’t help injuries at times, but I feel like I haven’t given back yet so I really want to make sure I’m able to do that as soon as possible.
“The club have been amazing with me. The staff and the boys have been really understanding and supportive. It’s been amazing.”
Nottingham has not played since a second-half substitute appearance away to Rangers on August 12, but he is now back in training and has an outside chance of being in the squad for Wednesday’s cinch Premiership trip to Hearts.
“I’ve always been a player in the past who has been quite robust and able to train regularly and play in the majority of games, but since my big injury last year, that’s kind of been taken away from me,” he said. “I don’t think my body’s been conditioned well enough.
“For me, right now, it’s about getting back training regularly, trying to manage my body and be available for selection as much as possible.
“When I get my opportunity I need to bring my experience to the team and help them try to win games. I need to try to get my fitness levels up as quickly as possible.”
Leigh Halfpenny expects a “pretty special” Wales send-off on Saturday while hoping to continue playing for another two seasons.
Halfpenny announced his decision to retire from international duty following Wales’ exit from the recent Rugby World Cup and will make his final appearance in the red jersey against the Barbarians in Cardiff.
But the 34-year-old is set to prolong his career, with Japan considered to be the most likely destination ahead of an official announcement next week.
“It’s all done,” Halfpenny said ahead of his Millennium Stadium farewell.
“I’ve got a contract for another season and then we’ll see what happens after that. I’m looking for that to be announced next week.”
Halfpenny won 101 caps for Wales – the Barbarians game, which is being staged to pay tribute to the country’s record cap holder Alun Wyn Jones, is uncapped – and scored 801 points after making his debut at the age of 19 against South Africa in November 2008.
He made four Test appearances for the Lions across the 2013 and 2017 tours, although he was also selected in 2009 before injury cut short his involvement.
Halfpenny was named player of the series in 2013, helping the Lions to a 2-1 series victory in Australia.
He said: “I’m just grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to wear the jersey over the last 15 years.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to put on the Welsh shirt and I’m really excited for Saturday.
“I’ve got a few friends and family coming along, and I’m looking forward to going out one last time.
“To run out alongside guys like Alun and Justin Tipuric, albeit they’ll be on the opposite side, and share the field with those two greats of the game and Welsh legends again will be pretty special.”
Halfpenny is third on the all-time list of men’s points scorers for Wales, behind Neil Jenkins (1,049) and Stephen Jones (917).
He says he grew up in the Swansea suburb of Gorseinon determined to emulate outside-half Jenkins, hero of the Lions’ 1997 series victory in South Africa.
Halfpenny said: “Jenks was an idol for me, watching him play and kick for Wales. He made me want to be like him kicking for Wales.
“I just went down the field and put the practice in. That was my dream, to play and kick for Wales.
“I’ve got to be honest, I was pretty star-struck when I met up with him at St Helen’s (the home ground of Swansea RFC) at the age of 16, and he’s been incredible for me.
“I’ve learned so much from him; not just goal-kicking but the work you need to put in. He’s supported me throughout and been huge in what I’ve been able to achieve.”
Halfpenny also wants to follow Jenkins into coaching, adding: “It’s something that I would like to do once I hang up the boots.
“I will be having a chat with him and picking up any tips I can. He’s one of the best in the world and to learn from him has been pretty special.”
Ante-post favourite Arcangelo will miss Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic after suffering a setback.
Jena Antonucci’s charge landed the Belmont Stakes in June before doubling his Grade One tally in the Travers at Saratoga two months later.
He has since been kept fresh or this weekend’s showpiece event in California, with connections having hoped he would emulate his sire, Arrogate, who won the Classic in 2016.
However, Arcangelo pulled off a shoe a few days ago and while Antonucci had initially hoped he would recover in time, she has now made the difficult decision to withdraw her stable star.
She told TVG: “He’s honestly doing great, he’s bouncing and thriving and happy in his stall.
“Like we’ve talked about all week, the left-hind shoe he pulled off, he’s not fully resolving and we’re running out of time.
“As we’ve talked about from day one, it will be always be horse first no matter what. Sure, there’s big racing coming up, but spreadsheets and timeframes they don’t really care about.
“We have so many amazing options here for being able to diagnose and figure things out. We’re going to take advantage of that and to be able to do so, we’ve run out of time because obviously you have to sedate horses and do those kind of things.
“We need to do right by him and missing a race is what it’s going to be this time.”
Antonucci added: “It’s not about me, I’ve said that from day one. I’m not going to get emotional, it’s about him and it’s his journey.
“He’s tearing the barn down right now, but I’m not comfortable and if I’m not comfortable then it’s a ‘no’.”
The Classic field had already had two significant withdrawals over the weekend, with Geaux Rocket Ride suffering a serious leg injury while working at Santa Anita on Saturday and Kentucky Derby winner Mage ruled out due to a fever.
The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and UWI Volleyball Club emerged as the respective male and female winners at the 2023 MOSA Classic Volleyball Tournament.
The event, a precursor to the national club league, was played on Saturday and Sunday at the MICO University College Auditorium.
On the female side, UWI were dominant throughout the two days, winning four matches out of five, with their only loss coming against Masters Volleyball Club in straight sets on day one.
The final gave them an opportunity to exact revenge on Masters and they did just that, winning by three sets to none. They sped to a 25-12 first set win before Masters put up more of a fight in the second set, eventually losing 19-25. The third set was closest of all with UWI prevailing 25-22 to come away with the title.
The men’s tournament saw JDF go unbeaten over the two days, with the final against UWI “A” proving to be their toughest test.
JDF took the first set 25-17 before UWI “A” rallied to tie proceedings at one set all with a 25-21 triumph in the second. The third set was won by JDF by a score of 25-20 before UWI “A” win the fourth 25-22 to push the final to a fifth and deciding set.
In the end, JDF held their nerve to pull out a 15-7 fifth set victory and crown themselves as champions.
MOSA Volleyball Club took home third place in both the men’s and women’s tournaments.
They defeated JDF (24-22, 21-9) in the women’s tournament and beat Venus Volleyball Club (21-17, 21-13) in the men’s tournament.
The Most Valuable Player of the female tournament was Erica Harris of UWI while JDF’s Mark Blake took home MVP honors on the male side.
Frankie Dettori feels the decision to run Inspiral in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf rather than the Mile is the correct call.
John and Thady Gosden’s star will be running over 10 furlongs for the first time but Dettori believes that with the tight nature of the Santa Anita track, a longer trip is a safer choice as a horse’s chance is not as dependent on a good draw.
The Italian teamed up with the multiple Group One winner on Tuesday morning and said: “Inspiral took to the pony really well and was quiet by her standards.
“Sometimes the Mile turf race here is very draw dependent, so I think it was a good decision to go for the longer race. She doesn’t need any introduction, she was a champion at two and at three and is top drawer.”
Dettori will also team up with his Champion Stakes-winning partner King Of Steel in the Turf. It is, however, a short turnaround from Champions Day, which was two weeks ago.
“King Of Steel wouldn’t be running unless Roger felt he had taken his race well,” said Dettori.
“The atmosphere (at Ascot) was unreal and I thought the roof was going to come off the stand. He had to fight for it and had a hard race but he weighs 570 kilos, he has plenty of meat there and I’m sure Roger wouldn’t bring him unless he was happy.”
Of his other mounts, he added: “Zandon is drawn two in the Classic, he was third in the Kentucky Derby and stays well. He might be overpriced at 20-1.
“Unquestionably has rock-solid form in the Juvenile Turf. He’s fulfilled expectations and I’m looking forward to him.
“Starlust (Juvenile Turf Sprint) has a couple rated higher than him but he ran well in the Middle Park.”
Of course, Santa Anita is soon to become Dettori’s home and he is now on the hunt for a house.
“I’ve been here a week and I’m loving it. I’ve settled in as well as I could have hoped and have been house hunting with my wife Catherine,” he said.
“I’ve known since August that I was going to carry on and it was hard to keep it a secret, it was a weight off my shoulders when it came out.
“I’ve seen everyone I know here and refreshing connections ahead of the opening day.”
Pakistan are targeting a late push for the Cricket World Cup semi-finals after a convincing seven-wicket win over Bangladesh.
Faced with a target of 205 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Pakistan made light work of knocking it off, thanks in large part to opener Fakhar Zaman's 74-ball 81, which included seven sixes.
That victory moved Pakistan onto six points, with two pool matches - against third-placed New Zealand and lowly England - remaining.
Should they win both, then Babar Azam's side stand a strong chance of qualifying, though they will also rely on both the Black Caps and Australia, who both have a match in hand, slipping up.
"Credit to the boys, the way they played in all three departments," said captain Babar at the post-match presentation.
"We know how well Fakhar plays when he's going and it was good to see him do it.
"We are trying to win our remaining matches and see where we stand. This win hopefully gives confidence in the coming matches."
Bangladesh, meanwhile, have been eliminated, with their captain Shakib Al Hasan saying: "Not enough runs.
"We lost an early wicket, then we had partnerships but not big ones that would allow us to go big in the last ten overs."
Shakib put on 43 to complement a 45 from Litton Das and Mahmudullah's 56, but Bangladesh were bowled out for 204 after only 45.1 overs.
Fakhar's superb knock and Abdullah Shafique's 68 swiftly paved the way for Mohammad Rizwan (26 not out) and Iftikhar Ahmed (17no) to seal victory for Pakistan in the 33rd over.
It was just the fourth time Pakistan had defeated a team with at least 100 balls remaining in an ODI, having last done so against West Indies in 2011. The big win boosted their net run rate, which may still prove decisive in the battle to reach the semis.
"I practiced a lot after the Asia Cup," said Fakhar, who after hitting three successive ODI centuries earlier this year, had failed to score above 33 in his 11 innings since the start of May and lost his place in the side.
"Thankfully, I was feeling very good in the camp. I was looking forward to scoring for my team, but it's cricket, Today I got a chance. I had worked hard for this and it paid off.
"It doesn’t matter how the wicket will play, I know I can hit sixes, so I was just looking to play out the first four overs.
"My role is always to make it easy for my partner. I know my role, it was to see off the first four overs and then go for the ball. We were just looking to finish the game before the 30 overs.
"After too many failures I was always looking just to score the first 30 runs and I was struggling to get that. I’m very happy – hopefully I'll make it big in the next games."
Shaheen Afridi, meanwhile, joined Australia spinner Adam Zampa at the top of the wicket-taking charts for the tournament with figures of 3-23.
David Moyes expects Declan Rice to be “welcomed with open arms” when he returns to West Ham with Arsenal on Wednesday.
England midfielder Rice will face his old club for the first time since joining the Gunners for £105million in the summer when the teams meet in the Carabao Cup.
The 24-year-old made 245 appearances for West Ham and captained them to victory in the Europa Conference League, the club’s first silverware in 43 years.
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The Hammers fans are not exactly renowned for giving former players a warm welcome upon their return with another club, but boss Moyes believes Rice will get the recognition he deserves when he runs out at the London Stadium.
“You’ve got to remember this is the man who lifted this club’s first European trophy in more than 50 years,” said Moyes.
“He should be welcomed back with open arms. We’re all looking forward to seeing him again.
“He was a brilliant member of the team. He led the team brilliantly well. He conducted himself impeccably as a West Ham captain and as a player.
“The most important thing was that he gave 100 per cent in every game, even though we sort of knew he probably wasn’t going to stay at West Ham. So all credit to him. He conducted himself brilliantly well and for that alone he deserves to be cheered.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing Dec again. I’ve not seen him since he left. I don’t know if I want him to play, but I hope he’s there.”
Moyes is likely to include Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez against Arsenal as both are suspended for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Brentford after collecting five bookings.
Former Arsenal players Lukasz Fabianski and Konstantinos Mavropanos will also be involved along with Emerson Palmieri, who is back from a ban.
LeBron James and D'Angelo Russell feel the Los Angeles Lakers are "figuring it out" after they battled to a win over the Orlando Magic.
The Lakers improved to 2-2 with a 106-103 home win over the Magic on Monday, a night after they had suffered a gruelling overtime defeat on the road against the Sacramento Kings.
Coach Darvin Ham had considered resting James for the second half of their back-to-back, but he played for another 33 minutes despite ankle soreness, contributing 19 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter.
Anthony Davis impressed again with 26 points and 19 rebounds, while Russell scored 12 of his 28 points in the final 12 minutes to see off a determined Magic (1-2) team.
"What you guys see is a team figuring it out," Russell, who also had eight assists, said after the game, per ESPN.
"This isn’t the product that it will be in a month or two from now.
"Every game matters. Every clutch situation matters. Every practice matters. So we are figuring it out."
LeBron was similarly optimistic after the Lakers moved to 2-0 at home, with a big game against city rivals the Clippers – who are bringing in James Harden – up next.
"We’re going to continue to get better," said the 38-year-old. "I think we’re still a little trying to figure it out, which is OK.
"We’re four games in. We’re going to get a lot better throughout the season, but so far we like some of the things we see."
Davis was impressed to see the Lakers pull out the win even with tired legs after their loss to the Kings.
"It just shows a resiliency that we have as a team, but also knowing that if we get in those situations, we know what to do," Davis said.
"Guys are not rushing shots or making bad plays. Just doing what we need to do for our teammates."
Gary Harris Jr. scored 17 points and hit all five of his 3-point attempts for the Magic, who will have the chance to gain revenge when these two teams play each other again in Orlando on Saturday.
Elsewhere in the NBA, Kings guard De'Aaron Fox – who impressed with 37 points against the Lakers – has been ruled out of Wednesday night's game at the Golden State Warriors with an ankle sprain.
And Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo was forced to miss his team’s 122-114 defeat at the Milwaukee Bucks due to a bruised hip.
Mauricio Pochettino called for Chelsea’s fans to believe and show trust in his side after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford left them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The Stamford Bridge crowd booed Chelsea off at full-time against the Bees after a third home defeat piled pressure on Pochettino.
The Chelsea boss understands the supporters’ frustration and suggested other reasons behind their inconsistent performances.
Speaking ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup last-16 clash against Blackburn on Wednesday, Pochettino said: “I think they need to be with us and I know it’s difficult to keep your feelings and it’s normal.
“The fans want to win and are frustrated and they show emotion but the message is to believe and to show trust in us and for sure it’s about the process of trusting and believing.
“There are so many details, what has happened (which contributed to Chelsea’s form) and you always need some luck.
“One of the situations that happened is the injury of Christopher Nkunku – he is a player we signed with an objective to provide the team and to help put us in a different position.
“In some games we created chances and did not score, we did not get what we deserved. I think we deserve more if we talk about our performance. We need to be more aggressive.
“In the last game we created chances and we were better than Brentford who blocked very low.
“It’s not enough and we need to criticise ourselves at the moment.”
A Carabao Cup trophy would soften the blow of Chelsea’s poor start to the 2023-24 campaign.
Pochettino highlighted the importance of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup and insisted that he will field a strong team in a bid to advance to the quarter-finals.
He added: “It’s really important. The FA Cup and the Carabao Cup are really important for us and tomorrow (against Blackburn) we will play with our best team, some players need a rest after Saturday’s game so we cannot take risks.”
Reece James has come off the bench in recent weeks as part of his recovery from a hamstring injury he sustained in August.
And Pochettino confirmed the Blues skipper will start at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
He said: “I can confirm he is going to start. The captain is ready, which is good for the team and good for him to start from the beginning of the game and we will check on him and see how he’ll perform.”
Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has agreed a new contract extension with Real Madrid until the summer of 2027.
Vinicius’ previous contract was set to expire in 2024, and it has been reported an updated deal – said to include a 1billion euro (£873,500m) release clause – had been agreed for some time before being made public.
In a video clip on Real’s social media, Vinicius said: “Hello Madrid fans, I am very happy to renew my contract. It is a dream for me.
“I hope I can continue here for many years, scoring many goals and winning many titles. Thank you very much for the love. Hala Madrid!”
A short statement on the club’s official website read: “Real Madrid and Vini Jr have agreed to extend the player’s contract, which remains linked to the club until June 30, 2027.”
After starting his career with Flamengo, Vinicius, 23, joined Real as an 18-year-old and has gone on to make 235 first-team appearances, scoring 63 goals.
Vinicius has won the LaLiga title twice as well as the Champions League in 2022, with his goal securing a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris.
At Monday night’s Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris, Vinicius was presented with the Socrates Award for his work to fight social inequality in Brazil and the ongoing battle against racism.
Following defeat in El Clasico, reports emerged some Barcelona supporters had directed racist abuse towards the Real forward.
Speaking about the ongoing issues when accepting his award, Vinicius said: “It’s boring to have to talk about racism all the time, but it’s an important thing and I will talk about it as often as I have to.
“To have people abuse me at different stadiums is sad. I hope things can change, they are getting better.
“(But) LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA can do more to make sure these people are not here among us.”
Captain Siya Kolisi dedicated Rugby World Cup glory to “every South African” during a triumphant homecoming in Johannesburg.
The Springboks received a rapturous welcome on Tuesday as they were greeted by thousands of fans at a packed OR Tambo International Airport.
South Africa retained the Webb Ellis Cup thanks to Saturday evening’s 12-11 success over New Zealand in Paris to become the first nation to win the men’s competition four times.
Flanker Kolisi, who also led his country to victory against England in the 2019 final in Japan, paraded the trophy through the huge crowd.
“Today, South Africa showed us exactly who we did it for,” he said, according to a press release from the South African Rugby Union.
“On behalf of the team, we’d like to thank the people of South Africa. It was a tough 20 weeks, but there was four years of planning behind that.
“When we won the World Cup in 2019, people didn’t think we would do it – instead, they were hopeful because the plan was always for 2023, but things changed and we won in 2019, and this time our people expected us to win.
“This was not about us as players. This victory was for every South African, and we showed what is possible with this diverse team.”
Kolisi, South Africa’s first black captain, overcame childhood poverty to become a two-time world champion.
The 32-year-old has repeatedly spoken of the Springboks being motivated by the everyday struggles endured by millions of their compatriots.
“As a team, we want to be a reference point for our people, to show them how we can do it, and hopefully they’ll get hope from this team,” he continued.
“Another important thing for us was to transform while winning. But we’d also like this to extend beyond sport and what is happening in South Africa, and how people see things going forward.
“We may not be able to change people’s circumstances, but we can give hope we can inspire people.”
The Springboks won the World Cup for the first time in 1995 following a 15-12 victory over the All Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.
South Africa’s sports minister Zizi Kodwa referenced former president Nelson Mandela, who presented the trophy to skipper Francois Pienaar following that victory 28 years ago, as he lauded the achievement of the current side.
“The team’s performances on and off the field was an expression of former president Nelson Mandela’s saying that ‘sport has the power to change the world, sport can create hope where once there was only despair’,” Kodwa said.
“This victory pays homage to his vision, and it’s a dream to see the nation so united.”
Minella Drama is unlikely to take up his option in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, with trainer Donald McCain instead looking at graded races.
The eight-year-old performed with great credit on his comeback at Aintree on Sunday when beating all bar shock winner Jetoile in the Old Roan Chase under a big weight.
McCain was one of many who felt the race lost some of its lustre with all the fences in the home straight being omitted due to low sun – especially as his horse was in front a long way out.
“He ran an absolute screamer and a lot of people have said some very nice things about him,” said McCain.
“I think everybody who watched the race kind of had the same view – it doesn’t matter now of course – but given he’s such a good jumper, it’s just a shame they took all the fences out because it’s a long way home for his first run of the year.
“But it is what it is, we’ve always had a lot of faith in him, he’s a good horse and I’d just love him to have his big day somewhere.
“The Paddy Power wouldn’t be my go-to, to be honest. He was put in it in case we couldn’t get started somewhere but it’s not the obvious race, I don’t think.
“We’ve got races like the Peterborough Chase (Huntingdon, December 10), the Ascot one (1965 Chase, November 25) and I even put him in the Betfair Chase (Haydock, November 25) in case certain things didn’t turn up, because what he does do is turn up, every day. He runs up to his mark every day.”
Dawid Malan believes it would be unfair for England’s head coach Matthew Mott to take the blame for a dire World Cup campaign, suggesting the players themselves “need to take responsibility”.
England arrived in India as reigning champions and among the favourites but have unravelled in dramatic fashion over the past month.
After six games they sit bottom of the table in 10th place, with a solitary win against fellow strugglers Bangladesh, leaving Mott’s white-ball role under scrutiny.
Speculation over the Australian’s position increased when Eoin Morgan, the side’s World Cup-winning former captain, claimed the squad seemed “unsettled” and later suggested England “take a leaf out of Baz’s book” – a direct reference to Test coach Brendon McCullum.
Malan, the top run-scorer and solitary centurion in an underperforming lineup, told BBC Sport: “Motty is not the one walking out on the field.
“We are being given everything we need to perform. The facilities and work, everything is being done as it always has been, we just haven’t been able to find a way to get wins on the board. It has been frustrating from a players’ point of view because we know we’re better than that.
“I’m not involved in selection or any of those things, so I don’t know how that works or who is in charge of all that, but as players we need to take responsibility when we cross that rope.”
Malan broadened the focus away from Mott’s future, insisting that everyone involved in the campaign would be feeling the same heat.
“When you don’t perform well enough as a team there will be questions asked of certain people, whether that is the players, captain, selectors, coach, whoever it is,” he said.
“There is always going to be questions asked, that just comes with it. The only way to change that narrative is to put runs on the board.
“But the mood is still extremely good in the camp. It still feels like all the boys are together.
“I know people say that a lot when their backs are against the wall but genuinely, we still back each other and we’re still here for each other. We just haven’t been able to put those performances out on the pitch.”
Gerri Colombe will lead a strong team for Gordon Elliott in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal.
While the seven-year-old lost his unbeaten record at the Cheltenham Festival in March when beaten a short head by The Real Whacker, he gained some compensation in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree.
That victory took his record under rules to eight wins from nine outings, with three victories at the top level already.
Elliott has already stated this season is all about the Cheltenham Gold Cup and he feels this is the perfect starting point.
Stablemates Conflated and Delta Work are also likely to take their chance, with only six left in contention at Tuesday’s confirmation stage.
“We’ll definitely run two or three in it. It’s a Grade One race and you’ve got to support these races,” Elliott told the track.
“We’ll run Conflated, a Grade One winner last year, Gerri Colombe who did nothing wrong last year and we’ll probably run maybe Delta Work as well.
“It’s Gerri’s first run of the season, Cheltenham is the plan and we’re planning on maybe two runs before it. This looks the ideal one to start off in.”
Elliott also Galway Plate winner Ash Tree Meadow in contention.
A former Elliott inmate, Envoi Allen, now with Henry de Bromhead is a possible as is his stablemate, the 2021 Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.
He made a winning return to action at Punchestown recently where he had Delta Work and Conflated behind him.
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