Ronnie O’Sullivan will swap the green baize for the silver screen next month when the behind-the-scenes story of his quest to claim a record-equalling seventh World Snooker Championship is released in the UK.

‘Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything’ has been produced by David Beckham’s Studio 99, and the initial cinematic release on November 21 is preceded by a special Q&A with the former Manchester United and England star.

Explaining his decision to add to the canon of sporting documentaries, O’Sullivan said: “My highs and lows have been well-documented by the media but I felt like now was the right time to do something more definitive – something that I can look back and reflect on as I contemplate retirement.

“Going into my seventh World Championship I wasn’t sure I had it in me but allowing the cameras in gave me perspective and was a strange catharsis.”

The film, which is directed by Sam Blair, who was behind ‘Maradona 86’ and others, will subsequently be released on Prime Video on November 23, before opening in select cinemas nationwide the following day.

O’Sullivan revealed how the filming of the documentary had helped give him a new “perspective”, shortly after he provided it with a fairytale finish in 2022 with his emotional final victory over Judd Trump.

“I’ve given complete access to the point where if you put a fly on the wall and followed me for 17 days, that’s basically what happened,” O’Sullivan said at the time.

“They’ve been in my dressing room, they’ve been in my hotel room before and after matches and sessions. I embraced it because whatever I get involved in, let’s just make it the best I could possibly do.

“These snooker Gods, their timing is unbelievable. Last year I just hit fire at the right time when they (the cameras) were here, and the stars were written for me. They always have been ever since I was a kid in this game.”

Ronnie O’Sullivan will swap the green baize for the silver screen next month when the behind-the-scenes story of his quest to claim a record-equalling seventh World Snooker Championship is released in the UK.

‘Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything’ has been produced by David Beckham’s Studio 99, and the initial cinematic release on November 21 is preceded by a special Q&A with the former Manchester United and England star.

Explaining his decision to add to the canon of sporting documentaries, O’Sullivan said: “My highs and lows have been well-documented by the media but I felt like now was the right time to do something more definitive – something that I can look back and reflect on as I contemplate retirement.

“Going into my seventh World Championship I wasn’t sure I had it in me but allowing the cameras in gave me perspective and was a strange catharsis.”

The film, which is directed by Sam Blair, who was behind ‘Maradona 86’ and others, will subsequently be released on Prime Video on November 23, before opening in select cinemas nationwide the following day.

O’Sullivan revealed how the filming of the documentary had helped give him a new “perspective”, shortly after he provided it with a fairytale finish in 2022 with his emotional final victory over Judd Trump.

“I’ve given complete access to the point where if you put a fly on the wall and followed me for 17 days, that’s basically what happened,” O’Sullivan said at the time.

“They’ve been in my dressing room, they’ve been in my hotel room before and after matches and sessions. I embraced it because whatever I get involved in, let’s just make it the best I could possibly do.

“These snooker Gods, their timing is unbelievable. Last year I just hit fire at the right time when they (the cameras) were here, and the stars were written for me. They always have been ever since I was a kid in this game.”

What the papers say

Newcastle United will look to bolster their midfield with Al Hilal’s former Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, The Sun reports. The move comes after Newcastle’s Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali was banned for 10 months for betting breaches.

Chelsea are looking to sign teenage midfielder Gavi, who may leave Barcelona due to financial restrictions. The Daily Express says Barcelona could sell the Spaniard for £87million. Gavi has played in two of three Champions League games so far this season and 10 times in La Liga.

Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo is reportedly ready to sign a new long-term deal with the club after boss Marco Silva signed a new contract, according to the Standard.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Julian Alvarez: Manchester City would only sell the 23-year-old Argentinian forward for £80million or more, Football Insider reports.

Kevin de Bruyne: Football Insider also says Saudi Pro League clubs are interested in bringing the 32-year-old Manchester City midfielder to the league in 2024.

The Buffalo Bills overcame a spirited effort from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win 24-18 on the back of Josh Allen’s three touchdowns.

The Bills quarterback threw for two touchdowns and ran in another as Buffalo’s defence did just enough to hold off a late rally.

It was a back-and-forth affair for most of the first half, each side trading scores until Allen connected with Dalton Kincaid on a 22-yard touchdown reception to give the hosts a seven-point lead at the main break.

Allen added to that lead just a few minutes into the third when he found Gabe Davis in the endzone.

That was the end of the scoring until the final three minutes of the game when Mike Evans scored off a 22-yard pass from Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

A successful two-point conversion brought the margin to just one touchdown, but Tampa Bay were unable to find the decisive score before time ran out.

Allen finished with 324 yards in the air and 41 on the ground, while Mayfield threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Damian Lillard scored 14 of his 39 points in a sensational Bucks debut and Milwaukee recovered after blowing a 19-point lead in a 118-117 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

Liilard made all 17 of his free-throw attempts and set a record for the most points by a player in his Bucks debut, surpassing Terry Cummings’ 34 points in 1984.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 23 points and 15 rebounds as the Bucks won in Adrian Griffin’s head coaching debut.

Griffin was facing his former boss after spending the past five seasons as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors under Nick Nurse, who now coaches the 76ers.

Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 27 for Philadelphia, which played without seven-time All-NBA guard James Harden, who hopes to be traded and was told not to accompany the team to Milwaukee.

Lillard spent his first 11 seasons in Portland and was dealt to the Bucks last month after requesting a trade.

His 3-pointer with 3:41 left put the Bucks ahead for good at 105-104, and he sank another 3 with 73 seconds remaining to make it 116-111.

James takes over late in Lakers’ win

LeBron James scored 10 of his 21 points while playing the entire fourth quarter and the Los Angeles Lakers surged past the short-handed Phoenix Suns, 100-95.

Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds for the Lakers, who rallied from a 12-point deficit entering the fourth quarter to earn their first win of the season.

Kevin Durant had 39 points and 11 rebounds for a Phoenix team without injured stars Devin Booker and Bradley Beal.

The Suns held an 84-72 lead entering the fourth quarter but missed 13 of their next 14 shots and committed 10 turnovers in the next 10 minutes.

Steve Borthwick was appointed England captain on this day in 2008 as manager Martin Johnson placed his faith in the Saracens lock forward.

Borthwick had been skipper three times earlier in the year when tight-head prop Phil Vickery, who had led England to the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, was unavailable.

Vickery’s starting spot was no longer secure in the face of competition from Matt Stevens and World Cup winner Johnson turned to a player who filled his second-row position.

Borthwick missed out on England’s 30-man World Cup-winning squad five years earlier, but the 29-year-old had won 39 caps by the autumn of 2008.

“Steve is a good leader who always prepares thoroughly for matches at club and international level,” Johnson said after promoting Borthwick to the captaincy.

“I will not be giving him a specific amount of time in the job, I just want to support him as much as possible.”

Borthwick had a baptism of fire in the role with Twickenham Tests against South Africa, Australia and New Zealand after an opening 39-13 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

All three games against the southern hemisphere superpowers were lost in one-sided fashion, and Borthwick faced fierce criticism from fans and the media.

But Johnson kept faith with him and Borthwick guided England to second place in the 2009 Six Nations Championship.

Borthwick was confirmed as captain for the 2010 Six Nations, in which England finished third, but he sat out the final game against France after aggravating an ongoing knee injury.

He missed the summer tour to Australia and never played for England again, finishing with 57 caps and having captained the side 21 times.

Borthwick was appointed England head coach in December 2022 and his side reached the semi-finals of the following year’s World Cup in France, losing 16-15 to South Africa.

Reilly Smith scored twice in the first period and Tristan Jarry made 31 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins ended the Colorado Avalanche’s NHL-record 15-game road winning streak, 4-0 on Thursday.

Colorado, which opened this season with six straight wins, hadn’t lost away from Denver during the regular season since a 7-3 defeat to Dallas on March 4.

Lars Eller and Sidney Crosby also scored to help the Penguins snap a three-game losing streak.

Colorado goalie Alexander Georgiev had his personal road winning streak stopped at 12, leaving him in a tie for the longest road win streak by a goalie in NHL history, set by Eddie Johnston with Boston in 1971.

Ducks rally to beat Bruins in OT

Mason MacTavish scored with 2:52 left in overtime and the Anaheim Ducks rallied for a 4-3 victory, sending the Boston Bruins to their first loss of the season.

Anaheim forced overtime with two late goals, the first by rookie Leo Carlsson with 1:55 left in regulation and Troy Terry’s tally with 14.7 seconds remaining in the third period.

David Pastrnak scored one goal and set up another, while Charlie McAvoy had three assists for the Bruins, who opened the season with six consecutive wins for the second time in franchise history.

Tampa Bay's Johansson blanks winless Sharks

Jonas Johansson turned away 23 saves for his second straight shutout and the Tampa Bay Lightning rolled to a 6-0 rout of the winless San Jose Sharks.

Johansson stopped 32 shots in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Carolina and is 3-0-1 with a 1.72 goals-against average in his last four starts.

Steven Stamkos had a goal with an assist for the Lightning, who have points in four straight (3-0-1) following a three-game skid.

San Jose is winless in 13 consecutive games (0-11-2) since a 7-2 win at Arizona last April 1.

The NBA has begun investigating whether James Harden’s absence from the Philadelphia 76ers’ season opener is a violation of the league’s new player participation policy.

The Sixers could be fined up to $100,000 if there is no approved reason for Harden to miss Thursday’s 118-117 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks – a nationally televised game.

Last offseason, the league issued a new participation policy to crack down on healthy players opting out of regular-season games, especially marquee matchups broadcast on ABC, ESPN or TNT.

“We're looking into the facts around James Harden's availability tonight to determine whether an approved reason exists for his lack of participation,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement.

Harden returned from a 10-day excused absence earlier this week and was told to report to the team’s practice facility to get into game shape while his teammates opened the season without him.

According to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes, Harden tried to board the team flight to Milwaukee but was stopped by a security official and left the airport.

An NBA probe is the latest development in a soured relationship between the 76ers and the 10-time All-Star.

In late June, Harden picked up his $35.6million player option for the 2023-24 season and then immediately requested a trade.

He could have declined the option and become a free agent but was hoping by exercising his option it would facilitate a trade.

He later blasted team president Daryl Morey in August while in China.

“Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of,” Harden said. “Let me say that again: Daryl Morey is a liar, and I will never be a part of an organisation that he’s a part of.”

Harden has since reiterated his unwillingness to play for Morey’s Sixers, but by reporting for practice this week, has shown some acknowledgement that his best chance at being traded would be to play well in Philadelphia until a partner is found.

The Los Angeles Clippers – widely considered Harden’s most likely destination – have suspended trade talks with Philadelphia, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday. Wojnarowski went on to report that the Clippers are the only team that has made a “serious offer” for Harden.

Wimbledon’s bold expansion plans have been approved by Merton Council following a lengthy planning committee meeting which concluded just after midnight.

A 524-page document had already been published by the council which concluded planning permission should be granted, subject to conditions, because of the substantial public benefits of the proposal outweighing harm to the significance of heritage assets.

The All England Club bought the lease of the neighbouring Wimbledon Park Golf Club for a reported £65million in 2018.

Across the site – which also includes Wimbledon Park Lake and a section of Church Road – the AELTC was seeking the go-ahead to build 38 new courts, including a third show court with a capacity of 8,000 seats and retractable roof, as well as designated north and south player hubs while also providing publicly-accessible parkland.

Under the proposals, originally submitted in 2021, the grounds will almost triple in size and allow Wimbledon to host the qualifying tournaments in SW19, rather than their current home a couple of miles away in Roehampton.

Completion is projected for 2030, which will see an increase in the capacity of the championships from 42,000 to 50,000 and also deliver “benefits relating to heritage open space, recreation and community”.

The ambitious scheme, though, has not gone down well with some local residents.

Around 2,000 trees are expected to be removed across some 75 acres of Metropolitan Open Land, which is intended to be protected as an area of landscape, recreation, nature conservation or scientific interest.

A petition to ‘Save Wimbledon Park’ showed more than 13,000 signatures, and there were protests from opposition groups outside the Development and Planning Applications Committee meeting at Merton Civic Centre.

Chaired by Labour and Co-operative Party counsellor Aidan Mundy, the committee heard a number of arguments on both sides – including from the All England Club, local residents, council officers and Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond – which took in environmental, social and economic considerations during a lengthy meeting which lasted for almost five hours.

A final vote eventually came at just after midnight, which saw the recommendation for planning permission to be granted passed by six votes to four.

Following the announcement, someone shouted a protest, apparently from the public seats, with counsellor Mundy asking the person to leave the room and calling for security before the meeting was adjourned.

The proposals will now move on to the next stage of the planning process, with London Mayor Sadiq Khan required to formally accept or reject the decision due to the development taking place on Metropolitan Open Land.

As the northernmost part of Wimbledon Park is within the borough of Wandsworth, the scheme must also be approved by its planning committee.

There is also the possibility of judicial review as a potential obstacle for the development proceeding.

Local residents who oppose the decision could attempt to challenge the lawfulness of the way it was made, on the grounds of illegality, procedural unfairness or irrationality.

A spokesperson for the London Borough of Merton said: “After considering the officer’s report, relevant submissions, and the relevant planning framework, the independent planning committee, made up of councillors from all parties, voted to approve the application made by the All England Lawn Tennis Ground (AELTG) for expansion of its site at Wimbledon.

“There are further stages in the planning process and the land remains subject to covenants contained in the transfer of 1993 from the Council to AELTG.

“Until these covenants are properly addressed by AELTG they operate to restrict the use and development of the land as proposed in the planning application.”

News of the vote was met with disappointment by the Wimbledon Park Residents’ Association (WPRA).

“We are not at all surprised by the outcome of the vote. Most of the inconsistencies in the report were glossed over,” WPRA chair Iain Simpson said.

“Merton did not even bring their own experts into the hearing, and instead relied on the applicant to advise the councillors who were asking the questions. In addition their pronouncements on the environment still ignored their own expert advice where it didn’t suit them.

“On all that was said about the stadium and the buildings, these are still in outline – and outline designs on protected land contravene their own planning regulations. They therefore cannot be discussed in any meaningful way.

“This is just a stage in what will be a long process for which Save Wimbledon Park is well prepared.”

Jurgen Klopp called his Liverpool team “easy to fall in love with” after watching them ease to a 5-1 win over Toulouse that puts them in complete control of their Europa League group.

Ryan Gravenberch was outstanding in midfield, creating one and scoring another, Diogo Jota got his eighth goal in seven in Europe’s second-tier competition, Wataru Endo opened his Liverpool account and there were also goals for Darwin Nunez and substitute Mo Salah.

But the night also demonstrated the depth in Liverpool’s squad as Klopp made eight changes from the 2-0 win over local rivals Everton, handing a full debut to teenager Luke Chambers while Calum Scanlon and James McConnell both made their bows off the bench.

Klopp had to conduct a significant rebuild of his side this summer after last season’s disappointments and the unexpected exits of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, but the early signs are promising with Liverpool three points off the top of the Premier League and firing on all fronts.

“I think it’s really easy to fall in love with this team,” Klopp said. “There is so much excitement in it. We have to make massive steps, we have to grow, we have to do a lot of things but a lot of the signs are really promising.

“How the team interacts with each other is really nice because when you talk about a rebuild of the team it’s all about the things you see on the pitch, obviously, but to see that there has to be a rebuild off the pitch as well and that’s going really well.”

Liverpool were not perfect on the night, allowing Thijs Dallinga to cancel out Jota’s early opener when their high line was exposed quarter of an hour in.

They also needed Trent Alexander-Arnold to block a Gabriel Souza shot on the line after a Caoimhin Kelleher mistake, but Klopp was more than happy with what he saw from a team featuring so many changes as others were kept in reserve for Sunday’s visit of Nottingham Forest.

“The result was good, the performance was good,” he said. “There were a lot of really good individual performances which is nice because it’s important for development. Besides the goal we conceded and the chance we gave them when Trent had his spectacular save around that it was everything we expected.”

The 21-year-old Gravenberch, a summer signing from Bayern Munich, was making back-to-back starts at club level for the first time in 18 months, and delivered a stand-out performance, regularly driving forward from midfield and proving a constant menace to Toulouse.

His goal may have come from what Klopp described as a “slapstick” moment – when Nunez rounded the goalkeeper only to hit his shot against the post with Gravenberch picking up the pieces – his performance certainly merited an appearance on the scoresheet.

“I really like him, as a boy, as a player, it’s really nice to see how much he starts believing in himself again,” Klopp said. “That’s obviously very important for a young player especially. There’s lot to improve on still which is good news because everybody sees the potential he has.”

Nunez left the pitch still kicking himself for his miss, but Klopp was delighted with the Uruguayan.

“(Darwin) played incredible,” he said. “Honestly in this moment I couldn’t care less than he hits the post because everything before was super convincing, how he took the defender away, how he went past the goalie it was a perfect situation.

“He played really good, the goal he scored, the situations he was in. He is in a good moment and for us that’s really important. I’m really pleased for him. Yes it’s a bit of slapstick when the ball doesn’t go in but Ryan puts it in and it’s cool.”

Roberto De Zerbi stressed the importance of changing the mood at Brighton after they beat Ajax 2-0 at the Amex Stadium to claim a first European victory.

It ended a run of five games without a win as the club have struggled with injuries during their debut Europa League campaign, though their European hopes were firmly revived here with a comprehensive triumph over the four-time European champions.

From the first minute Brighton outclassed a poor Ajax side, who just three days after sacking manager Maurice Steijn amidst the club’s worst-ever start to an Eredivisie season, barely mustered an attack.

Joao Pedro tapped in on the rebound after Karou Mitoma’s shot had been parried, breaking the deadlock minutes before half-time and handing Brighton a deserved lead.

The advantage was doubled eight minutes after the break when on-loan Barcelona forward Ansu Fati took a brilliant first touch to come inside his defender and rolled the ball into the corner after being set up by Simon Adingra.

It was a first win in three attempts on the team’s debut European campaign, lifting them to third in Group B and to within a point of leaders Marseille with whom they drew in France three weeks ago.

A win in the return against Ajax in Amsterdam in November will put them in a commanding position to qualify for the knockout rounds ahead of their final two group games.

“The focus today has been the first win in European competition for Brighton, for our fans, for our club, for our owner and for ourselves,” said De Zerbi. “We didn’t deserve to lose against AEK (Athens), and today we wanted 150 per cent the victory.

“We played a great game with high quality. We could score more goals, but the most important thing is we didn’t concede and we closed the game with a clean sheet.

“For us in this moment, it’s important to change the mood, to start winning games, to start to play better because we (have not been) playing like last season.”

The manager praised the contributions of his two goalscorers, with Pedro out in front as the team’s leading European scorer with four goals in three games, whilst Fati also continued his adaption to life in England after moving from La Liga.

“Both are great players, (but) I think both can play better,” said De Zerbi. “We are helping a lot Ansu because he didn’t play so many games last year, for him he’s started a new football life. He’s an incredible player, Joao Pedro as well.

“They’re very young, we have to help them to progress, but they have to help themselves first of all, working hard during the week, and during the game. But they are both incredible players.”

De Zerbi also reflected on the difficulty of balancing a hectic schedule after Solly March and Danny Welbeck joined a lengthy injury list following Saturday’s loss to Manchester City.

He added: “The level of difficulty is more or less the same (between the Premier League and Europa League), but it’s tougher this season because after 48, 72 hours we have another important game against Fulham.

“This is the challenge that is most difficult for us. We have to accept the honour, because we made history for our club.

“It’s unbelievable and it’s proud for us to be part of this history, but in the same way we have to fight and to adapt, be ready to fight and enjoy and make happy our fans. Playing in Europe for Brighton is a big, big thing.”