Entering Friday's series opener against the Los Angeles Angels, the last time Astros first baseman Jon Singleton homered in a major league game, the Houston franchise had not yet won a World Series and was mired in a nine-year playoff drought.

Singleton ended an eight-year span between MLB home runs with two majestic shots in the Astros' 11-3 win over the Angels.

Three days after his contract was selected from Triple-A Sugar Land, Singleton put Houston up 3-1 in the second inning with a three-run homer - his first in the majors since he hit one for the Astros in a 6-3 win over the Angels on July 29, 2015.

That gap of eight year and 13 days between homers was the longest stretch by an MLB position player since Rafael Belliard went 10 years and 144 days between the only two homers of his career - for the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1987 and for the Atlanta Braves in 1997.

The 31-year-old Singleton, who appeared in 114 games for the Astros in 2014 and 2015 but was then out of organized baseball from 2017 until 2021, then hit a two-run blast in his second at-bat with one out in the third inning.

 

Justin Verlander allowed three runs and six hits while striking out seven over six innings to earn the win in his second start for the Astros since being acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline. It was his 500th start, making Verlander the 50th player in MLB history to reach that milestone.

The Astros, who have won two World Series titles since 2017 and are trying to reach the playoffs for the seventh year in a row, remained 2 1/2 games behind the Texas Rangers for first place in the AL West.

 

Mariners rout AL-best Orioles to extend season-high winning streak to eight games

The Seattle Mariners continued their winning ways this month with a 9-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles to extend their season-high winning streak to eight games.

The Mariners jumped out to a fast start with Cal Raleigh hitting a two-run home run in the first inning and Seattle blew the game open with a five-run fourth inning, highlighted by Julio Rodriguez's three-run blast.

Rodriguez also hit a run-scoring double for the Mariners, who are a major league-best 16-4 since July 20 and have moved within one-half game of the Toronto Blue Jays for the AL's final wild-card spot.

Luis Castillo stymied Baltimore's bats, yielding just an Anthony Santander solo homer and one other hit while striking out eight over six innings. Seattle starting pitchers are 5-0 with a 1.20 ERA in the team's last five games.

The AL East-leading Orioles have lost three of four and their lead over the second-place Tampa Bay Rays has been trimmed to two games.

 

 

Franco's walkoff home run helps Rays escape from debacle

Wander Franco helped save the Tampa Bay Rays from a massive collapse, hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the AL wild-card leaders to a 9-8 win over the Cleveland Guardians.

Franco's first career walkoff homer secured the Rays' 70th win of the season - a mark the club didn't reach last season until August 28 - and helped the team avoid an embarrassing outcome.

Tampa Bay led 8-4 before giving up one run in the top of the eighth and three more in the ninth, with all three scoring on wild pitches. And that came after closer Pete Fairbanks loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter.

Isaac Paredes gave the Rays a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning on a two-run home run to tie him with Jose Siri for the team lead with 23 home runs.

Fronco's game-ending homer was his 17th of the season, and sixth in his last 12 games. He's slashing .426/.491/.851 in those contests.

 

Tiger Woods won the 13th major of his career at the US PGA Championship at Southern Hills in Oklahoma on this day in 2007.

The world number one successfully defended his title after a final-round 69 proved enough to hold off his rivals and maintain his amazing record of having won every major in which he has led heading into the final round.

Woods began the day with a three-shot advantage over Stephen Ames but he soon disappeared from contention as Ernie Els and Woody Austin emerged as the main challengers.

The lead was up to five from Els after eight holes but a bogey at nine and a birdie for the South African at 10 cut that back to three.

However, Els bogeyed the 12th but the gap was back to three when the South African birdied the long 13th.

And when he then holed a six-footer at the next par three he was within two of Woods, with Austin moving alongside him after three birdies in a row from the turn.

Woods then bogeyed the 14th after his short putt lipped out and his advantage was just one from Austin after Els bogeyed the 16th.

Typically, however, the world number one clawed that shot back at the next with a 14-foot birdie putt.

Els finished with two pars for a final-round 66 to finish five under and when Austin failed to hole a birdie putt from long distance on the 18th he closed with a 67 to be second on six under.

That left Woods to get down in four from the middle of the 18th fairway and he found the centre of the green and two putted for his fourth US PGA victory.

Woods has since gone on to win two more majors, the 2008 US Open and his remarkable comeback victory, aged 43, at the Masters in 2019.

Mary Earps insists there are “so many more levels” for England to reach ahead of their quarter-final meeting with Colombia on Saturday.

After finishing goalless in normal time, the Lionesses progressed to the final eight with a penalty shoot-out win against Nigeria with Chloe Kelly smashing home the decisive spot-kick.

It was a tricky test for Sarina Wiegman’s side, who were reduced to 10 when Lauren James was sent off for a stamp on Michelle Alozie, but Earps believes “the best is yet to come”.

“I think it’s an exciting time to be an England player for sure, but we have to earn that right every day,” the goalkeeper said.

“And I think that we’re constantly looking to improve and drive performance and drive our standards and I think that that’s the best thing about it.

“We’re not sitting here – of course we’re happy that we’re here and grateful that we’re here, but we’re not satisfied, we’re not done, and there’s still more levels we want to go to.

“I really believe the best is yet to come. I think there’s so much talent in the group, and so many more levels we can go, I really do believe that.”

Aside from their 6-1 rout of China, the Lionesses’ tournament has seen them edge some tight games, including two 1-0 victories in the group games.

Excluding the two spot-kicks that went past her in the 4-2 shoot-out victory against Nigeria, Earps has conceded only one goal in England’s four games.

“I think the most important thing to note about that is the fact that we’ve been winning games,” Earps added.

“We’re in a results business, and we’ve earned the right to be in the position we’re in today. But obviously I experience training every day, I know the players personally, and I’ve had the privilege of working with them for some time.

“I can see it just day to day. I just can see the talent in the team. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we’ve been bad by any means, but I think you have (only) seen glimpses of what we’re capable of.

“We as a team know the standard we want to get to. Our efforts have been 110 per cent and we’ve driven out and we’ve grinded out those results.”

World number one Iga Swiatek has advanced to the semi-finals in Montreal for the first time, where she will face American Jessica Pegula.

Swiatek, who has been the top-ranked woman for 72 weeks, defeated American Danielle Collins in three sets 6-3 4-6 6-2.

Collins fought back in the second set but the Polish star took advantage of the second serve throughout the match, breaking Collins twice in the last set to seal the victory.

After the match, Swiatek said she is “really proud” to go through to the semi-finals.

“I really wanted to play powerful and I’m pretty happy that I managed to even increase the power in the third set,” she said.

“For sure, I was looking for that. Today I felt like I really needed to go even higher in terms of the intensity.”

She will face Pegula, who defeated doubles partner and American Coco Gauff to end her six-match win streak in three sets 6-2 5-7 7-5.

The marathon match lasted more than two hours with Pegula holding serve to take her through to the semis.

Pegula said after the match that she wanted to stay “as tough as possible” and “keep the pressure on early”.

“It’s always tough to play your doubles partner, you know exactly what you’re trying to do. It just came down to the wire and who was going to compete better.”

World number one Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the National Bank Open after losing to American Tommy Paul for the second straight year in Toronto.

Alcaraz, who was on a 14-match winning streak, managed to fight his way back into the contest after dropping the first set 6-3, going on to win the second set 6-4.

But Paul fought hard and dominated the net, winning 21 of a possible 23 points there, taking out the last set 6-3 to send him to the semi-finals.

“I played a really good match today,” Paul told the ATP website post-match.

“You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that.

“So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.”

In another upset, Alex De Minaur beat world number three Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.

A tough contest saw the Australian emerge victorious after two hours and two minutes with a 7-6 (7) 7-5 win.

De Minaur came back from 2-5 down in the first set to claim the opener in a tie-break and then came from a break down twice in the second to seal the match.

“I had to play some of my best tennis today, it has been a great week for me so far,” he said after the match.

“I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive.”

Victory ensured De Minaur reached a first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final, where he will now face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final four on Saturday.

Davidovich Fokina reached the semi-finals after beating Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-2.

World number one Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the National Bank Open after losing to American Tommy Paul for the second straight year in Toronto.

The Wimbledon champion, who was on a 14-match winning streak, managed to fight his way back into the contest after dropping the first set 6-3, going on to win the second set 6-4.

But Paul fought hard and dominated the net, winning 21 of a possible 23 points there, and won the last set 6-3 to send him to the semi-finals.

“I played a really good match today,” Paul told the ATP website post-match.

“You can’t start any points on your heels against him or he’ll take advantage of that.

“So you really have to go after your shots early in the rally and I was feeling really good on the first-strike tennis. That was the difference today.”

In another upset, Alex De Minaur beat world number three Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.

A tough contest saw the Australian emerge victorious after two hours and two minutes with a 7-6 (7) 7-5 win.

De Minaur came back from 2-5 down in the first set to claim the opener in a tie-break and then came from a break down twice in the second to seal the match.

“I had to play some of my best tennis today, it has been a great week for me so far,” he said after the match.

“I played the right way today. I think having played him at the end of last year gave me the confidence that I had a chance. I just had to play the right way and I am extremely proud of the effort and to still be alive.”

Victory ensured De Minaur reached a first-ever Masters 1000 semi-final, where he will now face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the final four on Saturday.

Davidovich Fokina reached the semi-finals after beating Mackenzie McDonald 6-4 6-2.

Anthony Joshua will try to ignore speculation and comparisons with Deontay Wilder when he steps into the ring to face Robert Helenius at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday.

Helenius was only drafted in at the 11th hour when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assocation (VADA), but it has added further intrigue with Wilder’s shadow looming over the Briton.

The talk surrounding Joshua, like for many of his recent fights, is about what next and talks between his camp and Wilder’s team continue over a proposed clash at the end of this year or at the start of 2024.

An eagerly-anticipated future bout between two former world heavyweight champions will only happen if Joshua shuts out the noise to do the business against Helenius, who suffered a first-round knock-out to Wilder in October.

“I have to ignore it. It is one step at a time,” Joshua insisted when asked about ex-WBC belt holder Wilder.

“When I fought Jason Gavern, I knocked him out, Wilder took longer. When I fought Eric Molina, I knocked him out in three and Wilder took nine rounds.

“There will always be comparisons. This is my own fight with Helenius, no-one else’s. I can’t fail.”

Joshua repeated the same sentiments before a laboured display on his way to a unanimous points victory against Jermaine Franklin in April, which got the Finchley boxer back on the comeback trail, but his preparation for this 29th contest of his career has been far from ideal.

Last weekend, Joshua trained knowing it could all be for nothing after he discovered on Saturday morning that Whyte had been pulled from the show but Friday’s fiery weigh-in exchange with Helenius showed he is locked in.

Joshua tipped the scales at 17st and 12lbs, while Helenius was a pound lighter, before the duo exchanged words – with the British heavyweight inviting his veteran opponent to fight there and then instead of 24 hours later if he wished.

Joshua admitted: “There was one session where I was like, ‘what are we training for?’ We trained on Saturday and maybe then I felt what am I training for, but we just had to flip the coin.

“I could spend more time complaining about it, due to this late replacement whoever it might be, but I couldn’t put my energy into complaining. I had to change the script.”

Joshua, who reached the pinnacle of the sport with a victory over Wladimir Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley in 2017, still believes he can become world champion again but Helenius, who should be on a family holiday in Lapland after he beat Mika Mielonen inside a 15th-century castle in Finland last weekend, has other ideas.

Helenius added: “I can’t compare him to Wilder. I have also been sparring before with David Haye, I have been sparring the Klitschkos, both of them, I have been sparring Tyson Fury, Wilder.

“I have even been sparring Joshua when he was going against Klitschko so I have been a long time in this game.

“He is a tough guy. I think we went eight-round sessions. It was pretty close. Hard-hitter, good technicals, a little bit robotic but his last fight, he made a good fight against Jermaine.

“I haven’t been in the ring for a while with him but now is the best time to win.

“Nobody will remember a coward.”

Tottenham’s record goal-scorer Harry Kane has landed in Germany to complete his move to Bayern Munich in a deal that could rise to £120million.

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed on Friday afternoon that Kane’s transfer to the Bundesliga champions was “imminent” after a breakthrough in negotiations between the clubs was reached on Wednesday night.

It left the ball in Kane’s court and he decided on Thursday to leave his boyhood club for Bayern, who will pay an initial £100m, with add-ons potentially taking the deal up to an overall fee of £120m, the PA news agency understands.

Reports on Friday morning initially suggested Spurs had refused to give Kane permission to travel to Germany, but they were squashed by Tottenham and hours later he set off for Munich via a private jet from London Stansted airport.

Kane landed at his soon-to-be new home city on Friday night to complete his medical ahead of a landmark move.

Postecoglou, speaking before Spurs’ trip to Brentford on Sunday, said: “Fair to say I don’t have a blow-by-blow account, but my understanding is it has progressed to the point where it looks like it will happen.

“From that perspective, at least it gives us some clarity and we move forward without Harry.

“From my perspective it is just about understanding where we are at and the information I have at the moment is the deal is imminent but, like with all these things, you leave yourself some leeway.

“But moving forward and training today preparing for Brentford, we are doing it without Harry.

“It is best Harry speaks for himself in terms of the decision, but no doubt he is one of the greats of this football club and that never changes.

“I am only new in the building, but (it is) fairly evident Harry Kane will always be one of the greats for this football club.”

Kane faces a race against time to officially sign early enough to feature in Bayern’s DFL-Super Cup match with RB Leipzig on Saturday night.

However, with the clash taking place at Bayern’s Allianz Arena home, England captain Kane could well be unveiled to supporters before kick-off, even if the paperwork is not completed in time.

This is not the first summer in which Kane’s future has dominated headlines after Manchester City had a failed pursuit in 2021.

Kane sat out the first match of that season – coincidentally against City – but Pep Guardiola’s side never got close to agreeing a fee with Tottenham for the forward.

With Kane now into the last 12 months of his contract at Spurs, speculation over his future this time always felt more significant.

Bayern saw bids reportedly turned down in June and July but made their intentions clear, with honorary president Uli Hoeness and president Herbert Hainer speaking openly in the media about Kane’s desire to join the Bundesliga champions.

A third bid was submitted last Friday and Spurs spent all weekend deliberating before chairman Daniel Levy rejected the offer on Monday.

With noises coming out that Kane, who scored four goals in a friendly win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Sunday, had enjoyed working with Postecoglou, confidence started to grow that he could spend the season with his boyhood team.

But Bayern’s latest bid proved enough for an agreement to be reached and, after Kane took his time to weigh up the decision, he decided it was the right time to end his 19-year stay at Spurs.

It means Kane’s pursuit of Alan Shearer’s Premier League goal-scoring record will be put on hold, with the Tottenham forward still 47 goals off equalling Shearer’s tally of 260.

He will leave N17 as the club’s leading marksman after he surpassed Jimmy Greaves’ 266-goal record in February with the winner against Manchester City.

Kane will also get the chance to fulfil his career-long ambition of winning trophies at Bayern, while remaining in the Champions League.

Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel has been a long-term admirer of Kane, but he was coy when asked about the forward ahead of Saturday’s match with Liepzig.

Tuchel told a press conference: “We are working with full pressure on this deal.

“I understand there are a lot of ifs and whens. All options are open. The first is to have him as a player and at the moment he is not yet that.

“This is a big deal. We are trying to take the England captain away from the Premier League.”

A heated weigh-in on Friday further demonstrated Anthony Joshua’s laser focus on Robert Helenius despite a potential bout with Deontay Wilder looming in the background.

Joshua and Helenius took part in an intense staredown at Westfields in Shepherds Bush after they both tipped the scales just shy of 18 stone ahead of Saturday’s fight at the O2 Arena in London.

Helenius was only drafted in at the 11th hour when original opponent Dillian Whyte failed a drugs test with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Assocation (VADA) and while the Finnish boxer ensured the show would still go on, his aim now is to throw a spanner in the works for the home favourite.

The talk surrounding Joshua, like for many of his recent fights, is about what next and talks between his camp and Wilder’s team continue over a proposed clash at the end of this year or at the start of 2024.

An eagerly-anticipated future bout between two former world heavyweight champions will only happen if Joshua shuts out comparisons with Wilder to do the business against Helenius, who suffered a first-round knock-out to the American in October.

“I have to ignore it. It is one step at a time,” Joshua insisted when asked about ex-WBC belt holder Wilder.

“When I fought Jason Gavern, I knocked him out, Wilder took longer. When I fought Eric Molina, I knocked him out in three and Wilder took nine rounds.

“There will always be comparisons. This is my own fight with Helenius, no-one else’s. I can’t fail.”

Joshua has carried that win-at-all-costs mentality for a number of years, but it failed to prevent a shock loss in 2019 to Andy Ruiz Jr – who was also a late replacement for Jarrell Miller following a failed drugs test – and consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

A laboured display on his way to a unanimous points victory against Jermaine Franklin in April got the Finchley boxer back on the comeback trail, but his preparation for this 29th contest of his career has been far from ideal.

Last weekend, Joshua trained knowing it could all be for nothing after he discovered on Saturday morning that Whyte had been pulled from the show but Friday’s fiery exchange with Helenius showed he is locked in.

Joshua tipped the scales at 17st and 12lbs, while Helenius was a pound lighter, before the duo exchanged words – with the British heavyweight inviting his veteran opponent to fight there and then instead of 24 hours later if he wished.

Even though Joshua will no longer being going head-to-head with old rival Whyte, he is adamant no stone has been left unturned during this second camp with trainer Derrick James.

He admitted: “There was one session where I was like, ‘what are we training for?’ We trained on Saturday and maybe then I felt what am I training for, but we just had to flip the coin.

“I could spend more time complaining about it, due to this late replacement whoever it might be, but I couldn’t put my energy into complaining. I had to change the script, change the screensaver on my phone.

“It’s me and (Wladimir) Klitschko now. Before it was me and Dillian at the weigh-in. I just wanted to visualise what my life’s focused on at the minute.”

Victory over Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley in 2017 helped Joshua reach the pinnacle of the sport and despite recent setbacks against Usyk, he is confident another shot at a world title will present itself.

Given Joshua turns 34 in October, it needs to be sooner rather than later, but he remains comfortable in his own skin after becoming only the ninth British heavyweight to become world champion – via a short spell in prison after a teenage life embroiled in drugs and crime in England’s capital.

“Can I be champion again? Yeah. Definitely. I don’t think it’s that hard to fight for one belt, but it’s challenging to unify that’s hard. The accumulation of belts takes years,” Joshua reflected.

“I was the champion. When you’re a champion, it’s deserved and I’m not the champion any more. It’s natural.

“It’s a building process. So, it’s back to the O2 and travelling around, hopefully fighting in different arenas, maybe Manchester (Arena) next.

“Once I fight the right people we could easily go back to a stadium. You know who these names are.

“Everyone loves a winner. Losers, especially in boxing, get no credibility. I never looked at it being about me. ‘Oh they love me’. No, they just loved the belt.

“I worked hard outside boxing to build my brand. I always believed it’s never just about boxing. You can’t let boxing define you. There has to be more to you.

“I thought I will always have my own identity as a person before I am identified as a champion.”

Fred is set to leave Manchester United after a deal worth up to 15million euros was struck with Fenerbahce.

The 30-year-old midfielder moved to Old Trafford from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2018 and has made 213 appearances for the club.

Fred is now heading to Turkey to join Fenerbahce, who have agreed a deal in principle the PA news agency understands is worth an initial 10million euros (£8.6m), rising to a possible 15m euros (£12.9m).

The Brazil international, whose United contract was due to expire next summer, is flying out to Istanbul for a medical on Saturday.

A club statement read: “Manchester United can confirm an agreement in principle has been reached with Fenerbahce for the transfer of Fred.

“The Brazil international is set for a switch to the Turkish Super Lig, subject to a medical, agreeing personal terms and receiving international clearance to process the move.

“The 30-year-old leaves so many positive memories from his time at Old Trafford, where he has been a hugely popular individual, both as a person and as a player.

“Everybody at the club would like to wish the very best of luck to Fred for the future, as we await confirmation that the deal is completed.”

Warnie continued his rise through the ranks with a decisive victory in the Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes at Tipperary.

The Joseph O’Brien-trained colt made his racecourse bow at Royal Ascot in the Chesham Stakes, where he was a creditable ninth at 40-1, before readily landing the odds in a Bellewstown maiden.

Sent on his way at 9-2 for this step up to Listed class, Dylan Browne McMonagle’s mount broke well before taking an ideal position just off the pace set by Courageous Strike.

He edged to the lead after straightening for home and while 4-5 favourite Deepone had travelled nicely and looked a threat, Paddy Twomey’s previously unbeaten runner could not quite get on terms with the winner, who had three-parts of a length in hand at the line.

McMonagle – who enjoyed a winner for Ireland in the Racing League at Chepstow on Thursday evening – said: “He’s a lovely colt and keeps on improving. The pace was steady and it got a bit messy off the bend and I got a bump.

“It took a little while to get him organised in the straight, but he picked up really well when I got after him and wasn’t for stopping.

“He’s not slow and he stays well which is really nice to see. He gets through that ground well, but is a good mover and could be even better on top of the ground.”

American Ally Ewing admitted she had been inspired by Brian Harman’s Open triumph as she mirrored his progress towards a maiden major title in the AIG Women’s Open.

Ewing, who held a one-shot lead following an opening 68 completed late on Thursday, was among the early starters on Friday and stormed clear of the field with a birdie on the third and four in a row from the sixth to be out in 30.

The 30-year-old from Mississippi also picked up further shots on the 11th and 16th before dropping her only shot of the day on the last to complete a superb 66 at Walton Heath.

At 10 under par Ewing enjoyed a five-shot lead over compatriot Andrea Lee, home favourite Charley Hull and Japan’s Minami Katsu, with South Korea’s Kim Hyo-Joo, Lilia Vu, Alison Lee and Gaby Lopez all on four under.

The similarities with Harman’s victory at Royal Liverpool were hard to ignore, with Harman leading by five at halfway on 10 under, maintaining his advantage following the third round and eventually winning by six.

Ewing also revealed she shared Harman’s much-publicised passion for hunting, along with a nickname for their different college teams.

“He’s a bulldog but he’s a Georgia bulldog,” Ewing said. “I’m a Mississippi State Bulldog. I guess we have that in common.

“But yeah, it’s pretty cool, southern guy, I’m southern, just a little Mississippi girl. It is inspiring, what he did.

“I actually do some hunting. I know that’s probably not going to be interpreted well by the media but I do, yes. For the most part my family, my husband and I, we do mostly deer hunting, so venison.”

Asked what it would mean to win a maiden major title this weekend, Ewing added: “It would be huge. It’s something I’ve obviously circled as something I want to accomplish in my career.

“I’ve had possible chances to do that, I’ve been in the last group, so for me it’s just going to be (about) leaning on that a little bit as well as leaning on the confidence I have in my game right now.”

Hull followed an opening 71 with four birdies in a flawless second round of 68 as she overcame the changeable conditions for the afternoon starters.

“It was quite tricky out there today,” Hull said. “It was a bit windy, a bit rainy, we had a bit of all the four seasons out there.

“But I’m pretty happy and it was good to finish with a few birdies coming in. It was quite hard to hit it close to the pins because it was windy and I’m hitting a bit of a draw at the minute.

“But I’m happy how I hit it off the tee and holed some long putts and I’m buzzing for the next few rounds.”

Vu won the first major of the year, the Chevron Championship, in April, but a tie for 35th in last week’s Scottish Open is her best finish in a strokeplay event since then.

“I feel like post-Chevron Championship I’ve been struggling a little bit and to finally, hopefully, be in contention by the end of today just feels really rewarding,” Vu said.

“I think every time I get in my own way, it’s when I’m too focused on winning.

“But if I just focus on playing my game then I’m in a good position to try and win instead of just getting really upset if I mess up on a hole, and I did that last week.

“I got upset when I was playing well, and then just couldn’t hold it together after because I thought it was just over. And I’m just trying to be in a better mindset this week.”

Josh Tarling delivered a statement ride as the 19-year-old won bronze in the men’s time trial at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Stirling.

Tarling took his place on the podium alongside Belgian Remco Evenepoel – who lost his road world title this week but has replaced it with the time trial crown – and Tarling’s Ineos Grenadiers team-mate Filippo Ganna, who had already won gold and silver on the track at these championships.

Geraint Thomas could only manage 10th on the day as the 37-year-old gears up for the Vuelta a Espana, but there was the dawn of a new era as his young team-mate and fellow Welshman announced his talent on the world stage.

“He’s a big boy,” Thomas said of Tarling. “He’s got power and this is his forte. It’s unbelievable to see him riding so well so early in his career and he’s got a bright future.”

Last year Tarling, who virtually grew up on a time trial bike, took the junior world title, then in June stormed his way to the British national title.

As he did then, Tarling opted to ride at the elite level in Stirling, believing it would be unfair to remain in the under-23 category given the backing he receives from Ineos, with whom he began a three-year contract this season, a view justified by the result.

“I just tried to do my ride and if I get a medal, I get a medal,” said Tarling. “I feel like if I think about the medals I’d get too stressed and mess it up so it’s just a good bonus.”

Evenepoel powered his way up the final climb to Stirling Castle, bouncing over the cobbles, to edge out Ganna by 12 seconds, winning in a time of 55 minutes 19.23 seconds over the 47.8km distance.

Tarling was 48 seconds off Evenepoel’s pace but more than 30 seconds clear of fourth-placed Brandon McNulty.

Evenepoel, the first Belgian to win the time trial since it was introduced to the championships in 1994, was the last teenager to stand on the podium when he took silver in 2019. Tarling would love to follow the career development of the 2022 Vuelta champion.

“There are some big names I got to sit next to on the stage today and I wouldn’t mind being like one of them some day,” he said. “Remco winning is not a surprise. He’s just an animal. I hope to progress in the way he has from such a young age.”

Thomas admitted he had an off day and was left with “no place to hide” on the roads of central Scotland, with Evenepoel quickly making up the 80-second gap between their start times to overtake him.

“I tried to start a bit conservatively,” Thomas said. “I didn’t think I started that slow and when Remco came past I thought, ‘Holy s***, this is not the best’.

“It was a combo of not having the best day, holding back a bit and Remco flying and then it kind of cracked me. I thought ‘I’m not in the running here’ which is hard. I kind of kept going, it is what it is. It’s a shame, I would have liked to have gone well in a home worlds but that’s bike racing.”

But Thomas, second in the Giro d’Italia in May after losing pink on the mountainous penultimate day time trial, said his ride in a one-off time trial did not reflect his preparations for the Vuelta, which starts in Barcelona on August 26.

“When you get into the thick of a stage race it’s slightly different,” he said. “Obviously it would have been nice to have a better ride, a boost for the confidence, but I’m used to having a few ups and downs. So stay positive, focused. I won’t read too much into it.”

Shabnim Ismail has revealed how representing Welsh Fire in The Hundred is helping her fill the void left by her retirement from international cricket.

The pace bowler has been integral to reviving the fortunes of the Cardiff-based side, who finished rock bottom last summer, and powered them to the top of the table with a nerveless hat-trick at the death to see off Birmingham Phoenix on Thursday night.

Ismail is a proven winner in the 100-ball format, having helped Oval Invincibles to the title in 2021 and 2022, but did not shrink from the challenge after being drafted by the struggling Fire and has thrown herself into the task.

The 34-year-old called an end to her South Africa career earlier this year but feels that doing her bit for the principality is helping her find her peak performance.

“When I moved I didn’t really realise it wasn’t just Welsh Fire the club, but Wales the country. I’m so proud to play in the Welsh colours,” she told the PA news agency.

“I’m calling myself an honorary Welshwoman, of course! I’m retired from internationals but I’m lucky that I still get to play for a country. To represent a nation, it almost feels like I’m back with South Africa at a World Cup. It makes me play with my heart on my sleeve and do well for them.

“I was nervous first of all coming into the team but it has been like a family, an amazing welcome. I always say I can only produce the goods and play to the best of my ability when I’m comfortable in the environment and here I know I can speak my mind with no drama, everybody trusts me.”

Ismail certainly had no problem finding her finest form when she conjured a classic finish to defeat the Phoenix in a nail-biter at Edgbaston. Defending four runs from the last three balls of the match she dismissed Tess Flintoff, Erin Burns and Issy Wong. More remarkable than the feat itself, though, was the fact that Ismail did not even realise she had done it.

“I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I told the team I wanted the last five balls. But I was so in the zone I didn’t even know I had a hat-trick,” she said.

“I just didn’t realise it was three in a row, in my head every wicket was a dot ball. I didn’t even hear the crowd initially, but it pumped me up when I did. I think we made the whole of Birmingham angry.”

Welsh Fire now find themselves in the unexpected position of leading the way after two years of under-delivering but, if that is a surprise to some, Ismail called it before a ball had been bowled.

“When I met Breesey (head coach Gareth Breese), I told him ‘we are going to win this’,” she said.

“I told him things will be different this year. He told me ‘baby steps, one at a time’ but I keep telling him we’ve got this. Now we all believe, we know we can do it.”

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