Dane Vilas blasted a century as Lancashire established a 136-run lead heading into the final day of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One clash with Middlesex.

Vilas’ 124 and 97 from opener Luke Wells at Old Trafford laid the foundation, with George Bell’s unbeaten 56 easing the home side past the visitors’ first-innings total of 194.

They ended a rain-affected day on 330 for five with Jayant Yadav and Joshua de Caires having taken two wickets each.

Joe Clarke steered Nottinghamshire to within four runs of making Kent bat again after the home side enforced the follow-on at Canterbury.

Clarke finished day three on 61 not out having put on 99 with number seven Lyndon James, who was unbeaten on 38, as the visitors reached 177 for five having being dismissed for 265 first time around.

Aron Nijjar had earlier claimed career-best figures of four for 67 as Kent piled on the pressure after posting 446.

Northamptonshire’s hopes of digging themselves out of relegation trouble were dealt a major blow as the third day of their clash with Warwickshire was washed out.

Relentless rain at Edgbaston prevented them from building upon their first-innings total of 142 for four in reply to 250 as hopes of a crucial victory faded.

In Division Two, Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy posted an unbeaten century on a day when bad light hampered the visitors’ progress at Gloucestershire.

Du Plooy had resumed on 44 from a total of 261 for six and was still there on 103 at stumps, with his side having advanced to 398 for nine to hold a 21-run first-innings lead.

Yorkshire’s Matthew Revis delivered career-best bowling figures of five for 50 to force Glamorgan to follow on at Sophia Gardens.

The 21-year-old’s efforts helped to dismiss the home side for 273 in their first innings as they chased a total of 500.

However, Glamorgan rallied before play ended five overs short because of bad light, with Eddie Byrom and Sam Northeast putting on 90 for the third wicket to take the Welsh side to 120 for two, still 107 runs adrift.

An unbeaten century from Colin Ackermann kept Leicestershire in the hunt for an unlikely victory over Sussex.

Ackermann was 103 not out at stumps on day three at Hove with his side on 221 for three and requiring a further 278 for victory.

The home side had earlier declared on 344 for nine having added 110 to their overnight total.

England were left cursing their luck as the second ODI against Sri Lanka was abandoned but even that misfortune could not wipe the smile from the face of Alice Davidson-Richards.

The all-rounder took a couple of wickets in her first England appearance in nine months as Sri Lanka were left teetering on 106 for nine after 30.5 overs before rain wiped out any more prospect of play.

Despite a “really frustrating” outcome – with England denied the chance to move into an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series – Davidson-Richards is happy to be back in the international ranks.

She joined the group on Monday after gaining some perspective over the weekend, watching a club cricket game on Saturday which freed her up to make a ton in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy 24 hours later.

“It’s been quite a fun few days,” she said. “I went to some club cricket on Saturday and remembered how wonderful cricket is in its actual true form, which put me in quite a nice position.

“I’ve tried to bring that (attitude) into here. If I put pressure on myself that’s when it tends to go a bit t*ts up. It was just remembering how relaxed I was when I was playing club cricket.

“I was watching mates I used to play with when I was 15 and just see people play just for the fun – you retire after (scoring) 30 and if you haven’t made 30 after 10 overs, you got bunked off as well.

“On Sunday, I was just envisioning playing on that little club ground and remember how stress-free it was. I think that really helped calm my brain down and not let Alice get in the way of Alice.”

Davidson-Richards, who was drafted in for the lone Ashes Test but went unused, initially put off answering the phone call that would have informed her of her England recall as she was out cycling.

“I could see it coming, I was like ‘I’ll just deal with this afterwards’,” she said. “I was out on the bike ride in the countryside, it was quite hilly.”

Davidson-Richards and Charlie Dean were England’s only changes from the side that thumped Sri Lanka by seven wickets. The tourists were coincidentally all out for 106 in the north-east on Saturday.

Off-spinner Dean also impressed with figures of 7-3-12-2, including the key wicket of Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu, whose run-a-ball 34 was ended after being beaten by an arm ball and given lbw.

Sri Lanka were 53 for two after nine overs but Athapaththu’s dismissal before the end of the powerplay took the wind out of the tourists’ sails and they gradually unravelled before rain had the final say.

Lauren Filer also took a two wickets, with England’s fringe players, having been given an opportunity in these white-ball matches at the end of the summer, building a case for increasing involvement.

“The best teams come from environments where there’s a lot of competition for places,” Davidson-Richards said.

“You don’t want the same people being picked every single time, you want people pushing the XI that are there. I’m doing my job if I’m making it difficult for them to pick an XI.

“Charlie Dean is exactly the same, if you’re leaving her out then you’re probably in quite a good place because she’s an unbelievable player.

“The more people we can get up to that level, the better for the England team and we’ll keep pushing each other on.”

As for what she is expecting when the teams head to Grace Road for Thursday’s final ODI, Davidson-Richards added: “Hopefully similar but without rain.

“This was really frustrating. It’s frustrating we got ourselves into a really great position only for it to rain.”

England’s bid to move into an unassailable lead in their ODI series against Sri Lanka was foiled by rain as another polished bowling display counted for nothing at Wantage Road.

Steady drizzle turned heavier and forced the teams off the field after Sri Lanka’s innings had slowly unravelled from a solid platform of 53 for two from nine overs to 106 for nine in the 31st.

Chamari Athapaththu’s run-a-ball 34 put England under pressure but the Sri Lanka captain’s dismissal in Charlie Dean’s first over led to a momentum shift as the tourists again struggled with the bat.

Dean and Alice Davidson-Richards – recalled at the expense of the injured Emma Lamb and rested Mahika Gaur – took two wickets apiece, as did Lauren Filer, who continues to impress in England colours.

Hasini Perera anchored proceedings after Athapaththu’s dismissal, amassing 31 not out off 58 balls, but was helpless to stop wickets tumbling at the other end, with Sri Lanka’s plight encapsulated by Achini Kulasuriya being absent-mindedly run out by Kate Cross just before the players were brought off.

Any hope of getting back on was thwarted at 5.10pm, and the abandonment means Sri Lanka, who were hammered by seven wickets at Chester-le-Street, escape but still trail 1-0 in this three-match series.

After rain held up the start by half an hour, Sri Lanka were asked to bat first under murky skies, and while they were more purposeful than their meek 106 total in the north east on Saturday – thumping 15 fours and a six – their innings at Northampton followed a similar pattern.

Athapaththu clipped the first ball to the boundary then capitalised when Cross overpitched, driving handsomely in a match-up which brought the left-hander six fours and a meaty six over midwicket.

Cross had better luck against Sri Lanka’s other opener as her first ball to Vishmi Gunaratne brought an uncertain forward prod which grazed the outside edge and was accepted by Amy Jones, who took another simple catch when Harshitha Samarawickrama was persuaded to drive at a rare fuller Filer delivery.

Sri Lanka might still have been in the ascendancy after the powerplay had Dean not struck in the last over, with her arm ball thudding into the front pad of Athapaththu, who took a review with her.

Athapaththu’s downfall saw the runs dry up, with a watchful 23-run stand in 42 balls between Perera and Hansima Karunaratne only noteworthy as television cameras detected a marriage proposal in the stands.

Karunaratne was especially marooned and having made just eight, she was persuaded to hook her 22nd ball to Sarah Glenn off Davidson-Richards, while the occasionally dangerous Kavisha Dilhari was dropped at slip off her fourth delivery before chipping her sixth tamely back to Dean.

It was the first of four ducks for Sri Lanka – only Athapaththu, Perera and Oshadi Ranasinghe reached double figures, the latter showing intent to Glenn only to miss a sweep off the leg-spinner on 12, with England grateful for the on-field lbw verdict as a review showed the ball brushing leg stump.

Wicketkeeper Anushka Sanjeewani chopped on after a flat-footed push at Davidson-Richards while Filer, who caused problems with her extra pace and bounce, had her fifth wicket in just her second ODI as she ended a 15-ball scoreless stay from Udeshika Prabodhani as she edged through to Jones.

As a trickle turned heavier, the final act proved to be Cross’ smart run out of Kulasuriya, who was short of her crease after Perera had defended to cover. No run was attempted but Kulasuriya dawdled back to the non-striker’s end and her bat had not been grounded when Cross threw down the stumps.

A two-hour delay ensued but as puddles developed on the outfield, the match was abandoned with just 30.5 overs possible.

Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from September 12.

Gary Lineker was feeling stylish.

A proud moment for Connor Roberts.

Yaya Toure felt honoured.

Former Wimbledon champion Simona Halep hopes to clear her name following a doping ban.

Stanislas Wawrinka was not happy.

Diminutive scrum-half Craig Casey is content to be the butt of the jokes after confirming his Ireland team-mates regularly “take the p***” regarding his height.

Casey is comfortably the smallest member of Andy Farrell’s 33-man World Cup squad at just 5ft 5in.

The 24-year-old was immediately teased after arriving in France when captain Johnny Sexton acted as though he was the team mascot during Ireland’s open training session in front of 12,000 spectators in their base city of Tours.

Munster player Casey, who emerged from the tunnel holding Sexton’s hand and then posed with him for a photograph, feels there is little point in rallying against the good-natured mockery, particularly with squad “sheriffs” imposing penalties.

“They like to take the p*** out of my height, as you can tell, but you just have to roll with it,” he said.

“I think if you don’t roll with it, you’ll probably be fined.

“There are a few sheriffs in the camp that keep everyone on their toes. I’d say if I fought against it, I would probably be in big trouble so I just get on with. It’s good craic.”

Casey, who is competing for action with Jamison Gibson-Park and Conor Murray, is still awaiting his World Cup bow after acting as water carrier during Saturday’s thumping 82-8 win over Romania in sweltering Bordeaux.

He hopes to be named in the matchday 23 for this weekend’s Pool B clash with Tonga in Nantes and believes it would be “unbelievable” to make his tournament debut.

“It’s exactly where you want to be as an Irish rugby player, at a World Cup being involved in this group,” he said.

“I think we’ve all talked about what the buzz has been for the last two or three years and it’s definitely increased since we got over here, the excitement levels within the group are brilliant.

“The first two weeks here were definitely hard work but we’re mixing it with the craic as well so it’s a very enjoyable place to be.

“It would be unbelievable to make my World Cup debut, if it happens. You have to be ready and when an opportunity does come, you’ve got to take it with both hands and try and cement your place.”

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After taking on Tonga, Ireland’s bid to reach the quarter-finals will be decided during pivotal Paris appointments with South Africa and Scotland.

Casey and the majority of his team-mates gathered to see the Springboks defeat the Scots 18-3 on Sunday afternoon.

He is braced for a physical encounter against the reigning world champions on September 23 at Stade de France, while also expecting similar this coming weekend.

“There was a good 25 of us in the team room watching it, so there was a good buzz around that, a very physical game,” he said.

“Scotland played very well first half, as well as South Africa, definitely physical.

“(They) just outmuscled them in the end, that’s what we’re expecting in a few weeks, that physical encounter.”

Speaking about Tonga, Casey added: “We know how tough the Pacific island teams are and we’re going to have to be at our best.

“We’ve got to go up another level (from Romania).”

David Willey knows from bitter experience that a place in England’s provisional World Cup squad comes with no guarantees, but the left-armer believes he is the ideal man to do the “donkey” work in India.

Willey was selected in the preliminary 15 for the tournament last month, with head coach Matthew Mott effectively confirming in a phone call that the all-rounder would be part of England’s title defence.

And while that news was exactly what he wanted to hear, the 33-year-old is understandably aware of the fineprint that underpins any such promises having been the odd man out four years ago.

He was a key member of the squad in the years leading up to 2019 but found himself bumped from the initial list at the last minute to make room for the newly-available Jofra Archer.

A direct repeat is not on the cards, though Archer’s appearance at nets on Tuesday as he continues his rehabilitation from a stress fracture of the elbow may have invited a case of deja-vu.

Instead, it is Yorkshire batter Harry Brook who casts a shadow as the International Cricket Council’s September 28 deadline looms. Brook was left out of the original selection but has since been given every encouragement that he could sneak back in before the final submission.

While Jason Roy and Dawid Malan are on highest alert, it is not impossible that a seamer could make way in a rebalancing act, a fact that is not lost on Willey.

“I’m happy to be here now, but until you’re on that flight out there you can’t rest on your laurels,” he said ahead of the third ODI against New Zealand at the Kia Oval.

“Of course it can change, they’ve not got to finalise until the end of the month. It’s out of my control. It was out of my control in 2019. I’d have given my left arm to be a part of the last World Cup. Anything that happens to me in cricket now is never going to be as bad as that.

“I made a promise to myself that I’d play every game for England as if it was my last and I try and do that now. But things change and if it changes for me then it’s nothing I haven’t been through before. I think my whole England career I’ve sort of not been sure whether I’m coming or going so it’s nothing new to me.

“Hopefully not though…goodness me, that would be a tough one to take. But it’s professional sport, things do change.”

Willey offered a timely reminder of his own qualities in the last couple of matches against New Zealand, hitting quick lower-order runs, taking wickets and running out Will Young at the Ageas Bowl.

But he offered a deliberately self-deprecating account of what he brings to the squad, emphasising physical durability and a hint of bloody-mindedness.

“I’m stubborn aren’t I? My wife would say so as well. I’m just trying to stay fit and keep improving,” he said.

“Call me a donkey if you want, but to take a donkey out to what could be a tough trip, you just might need a donkey. Staying fit is probably an asset to the group, with guys who sometimes struggle with niggles and things. They keep going, donkeys, don’t they?”

Willey has previously admitted shedding a tear when England became world champions at Lord’s, conflicted by the experience of watching from home as his former team-mates wrote their names in the history books.

With that in mind he hopes whoever the unlucky party is this time around, be it Brook, another batter or even himself, is dealt with sensitively.

“I think the important thing, whoever does miss out, is the quality of the communication around that,” he said.

“I don’t think the communication I got was particularly good. I don’t necessarily need to go into it too much but it would have been nice to receive a phone call from a couple of guys who were probably involved with the decision making. But it’s never going to be easy. Somebody is going to miss out.”

Grosvenor Square looked a name to note in landing the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden at Galway – a race Aidan O’Brien has dominated over the years, including with the likes of Kyprios and Sovereign.

A Galileo half-brother to 2020 Irish Derby winner Santiago, he was made the 6-4 favourite under Killian Hennessy and after being ridden to take control inside the furlong pole he was nicely on top at the line.

Entries for Grosvenor Square include the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster, and a step up in class appears to be on the agenda next time out.

Stable representative Chris Armstrong said: “He is a lovely horse, he is only starting to develop and was just right for starting here. Aidan thought it would be a nice introduction to get him started, but obviously they went steady which wouldn’t suit.

“He is a brother to Santiago and on pedigree and home work he will be a lovely middle-distance horse next year. We’ll step him up into one of the Group races now and everything is building to next year.

“It took Killian a long time to pull him up and he was only doing his best work once he hit the line.”

He added: “We’ve started many of the good horses here including Kyprios, and Navy Seal won here at the last meeting (in August). It is a great introduction for them, especially the middle-distance horses, coming down a hill on sharp bends and then coming back up the hill.

“It brings them along mentally and it is good to get runs under their belts at this time of year.

“Seamus (Heffernan) has three suspensions in a row so is off until the end of this month and with Ryan (Moore) in England, it is nice to get Killian another winner. All the riders are in and working hard and in fairness to Aidan he looks after all of them.”

Will Rowlands played down his defensive heroics in Wales’ thrilling Rugby World Cup victory over Fiji, claiming “I just see it as me doing my job.”

Wales made a World Cup record of 253 tackles in the game, which they won 32-26, and lock Rowlands was at the heart it.

He delivered 27 tackles and missed none as Wales held on amid intense late pressure to claim a bonus-point win in their Pool C opener.

“I always find it a bit weird when the number of tackles becomes the headline because you defend in a system,” Rowlands said.

“Guys run at you and you tackle them. It’s nice people say nice things, but I just see it as me doing my job for the team.

“Five points against the Fijians is fantastic for us.

“We spoke about it today when we reviewed it that we did lots of things we wanted to do, and in the periods we were in control we built a nice little lead on them.

“And then there were parts of the game we need to look at and focus on which allowed them back into the game and set us up for a nervy finish, but game one, five points – very happy.

“We had gone into the World Cup feeling pretty confident, we had done some good work and we are in a good place going into the games physically.

“It was a big first game for us to play Fiji. They are a dangerous team. To get a win is fantastic, and now we focus on the next game with Portugal this weekend.”

Wales head coach Warren Gatland is set to name his starting line-up on Wednesday for the Portugal clash at Stade de Nice on Saturday.

And changes – possibly into double figures – could be made, especially considering the punishing nature of Fiji’s challenge and a six-day turnaround between games.

Wales assistant coach Jonathan Thomas said: “You will have seen for yourselves what a physical game it was and the amount of tackles we made. There are a number of sore bodies, but there are no injury concerns.

“The team gets named tomorrow but I think it is safe to say there will be changes. We’ve got complete and utter faith in our whole squad.

“I think what you will have seen from the Six Nations and then going into the three (World Cup) warm-up games, there have been opportunities for players.

“There were snapshots in those warm-up games where a number of players did particularly well.

“And that gives you the ability to make changes and freshen things up. It is a six-day turnaround, so it makes sense to make a few changes with the nature of the game we’ve just played.”

Players who could make their first starts of the tournament include full-back Leigh Halfpenny, wing Rio Dyer, centre Mason Grady, scrum-half Tomos Williams, lock Dafydd Jenkins and flanker Dan Lydiate.

Thomas added: “Are we satisfied with where we are at? There is always room for improvements for growth in our game. We are certainly not getting ahead of ourselves.

“Fiji are a team that hold possession particularly well, they are big powerful men with good ability, so they have the ability to maintain possession particularly well.

“We’ve got belief in our defensive structures. We are not afraid to play without the ball at times.”

Shane Lowry admits he was not best pleased to hear criticism of his Ryder Cup wild card after taking the chance to “shut a few people up” with his performance in the Irish Open.

Lowry received one of captain Luke Donald’s six picks having finished 11th on the European points list and eighth on the world points list, with only the top three on each qualifying automatically.

The former Open champion won the first qualifying event – and will defend his BMW PGA Championship title this week – but his sole top-10 finish in 2023 prior to The K Club came in February’s Honda Classic.

That led to criticism of Lowry’s selection, with former British Masters
winner Richard Bland among those believing that Adrian Meronk’s consistent form – including May’s Italian Open victory at the Ryder Cup venue – meant the Pole “deserves a pick over an out-of-form Lowry”.

“I know there was a little bit about that last week and…. I need to be careful here,” Lowry said in his pre-tournament press conference at Wentworth.

“Didn’t sit very well with me to be honest. I feel like, yes, my results have not been amazing this year, but I feel if you purely go down to statistics and go down the 12 best players in Europe, I’m one of them. And I feel like I deserve my place on the team.

“I didn’t feel like I had to go out and prove anything to anyone last week. The Irish Open is a huge tournament for me and a tournament I wanted to play well in.

“If it shut a few people up, so be it, but I wasn’t trying to do that last week. I wasn’t trying to finish third last week, I was trying to win the tournament. So last week was disappointing for me.

“This week is the same. I’m trying to win the tournament here this week.  I know I deserve to be on that team and I know I’ll be good in Rome in a couple weeks and I’m very excited for it.”

All 12 of Europe’s team are competing at Wentworth after a flying visit to Marco Simone Golf and Country Club on Monday, where the thickness of the rough has proved a major topic of conversation.

Numerous balls were reportedly lost during the practice round and Lowry joked: “I only lost one so I was pretty happy with myself.

“Our group (Robert MacIntyre, Sepp Straka and Justin Rose) was actually pretty good, we didn’t lose that many, but one group had a bad day losing a few.

“It’s pretty brutal in spots but just off the fairways is no different to what you might see at the US Open or something like that. If you go a decent bit off the fairways that’s going to get very interesting.”

Asked if players thought the rough might need to be cut back, Lowry added: “No. If you hit a good drive down the fairway and hit a good second shot you’re on the green, that’s what golf’s about. That’s how I see it.

“If you look at the way the course is set up, Scottie Scheffler is number one tee-to-green in the world. So it should suit him. They have got some of the best players in the world.

“But we also have some of the best players in the world and I honestly think that it all comes down to who gets off to a fast start and who holes the most putts. That’s what Ryder Cups are about.”

Europe will certainly hope home advantage plays its part as seven of the last eight Ryder Cups have been won by the home side, with 2012’s ‘Miracle at Medinah’ the lone exception.

The United States stormed to a record 19-9 victory at Whistling Straits two years ago, but Lowry is confident a new generation of European players will prove a different proposition in Rome.

“If you look at their team, Scottie Scheffler was the worst player and he was 21st in the world, and he was world number one about five months later. That’s kind of what we are up against,” Lowry said.

“I feel like this is almost like maybe the next generation for European golf and I think that’s very exciting to see guys like Nicolai (Hojgaard) and Ludvig (Aberg) on the team and Viktor (Hovland).

“You look at Vincent Norrman winning last week, he’s probably going to be on future European Ryder Cup teams. I think European golf is better than what people have been talking about over the last couple of years.”

Tom Curry will be available for England’s final World Cup group game after receiving a two-match ban for his dangerous tackle against Argentina on Saturday.

Curry was shown a red card that was upgraded from yellow upon review following a clash of heads with Pumas full-back Juan Cruz Mallia in the third minute at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome.

A virtual disciplinary panel gave Curry a three-game suspension that will be reduced to two if he completes World Rugby’s ‘Coaching Intervention Programme’, otherwise known as tackle school.

https://x.com/EnglandRugby/status/1701621167746957521?s=20

It means the Sale openside will be available to face Samoa in Lille on October 7 in England’s final Pool D assignment.

Former Wimbledon champion and world number one Simona Halep has been banned for four years for two doping offences.

The Romanian, who triumphed at the All England Club in 2019, had been provisionally suspended since last October having tested positive for the blood-boosting drug roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.

She was subsequently charged with irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) and both charges have been upheld following an independent tribunal.

Halep, who has taken to social media several times over the past year to voice unhappiness at the time the process was taking, gave evidence at the tribunal in London on June 28 and 29.

She argued roxadustat had got into her system via a contaminated supplement but, while the tribunal accepted she had taken such a substance, it “determined the volume the player ingested could not have resulted in the concentration of roxadustat found in the positive sample”.

The Athlete Biological Passport programme collates various blood parameters over time in an effort to spot any inconsistencies in the data that could indicate a possible doping offence.

The charge was also upheld, with the tribunal deciding “they had no reason to doubt the unanimous ‘strong opinion’ reached by each of the three independent Athlete Passport Management Unit  experts that ‘likely doping’ was the explanation for the irregularities in Halep’s profile.”

The 31-year-old, who also won the French Open in 2018 and is the highest-profile tennis player to fail a doping test since Maria Sharapova in 2016, quickly issued a statement confirming she would appeal.

“Today, a tribunal under the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme announced a tentative decision in my case,” said Halep.

“The last year has been the hardest match of my life and unfortunately my fight continues. I have devoted my life to the beautiful game of tennis.

“I take the rules that govern our sport very seriously and take pride in the fact I have never knowingly or intentionally used any prohibited substance. I refused to accept their decision of a four-year ban.

“While I am grateful to finally have an outcome following numerous unfounded delays and a feeling of living in purgatory for over a year, I am both shocked and disappointed by their decision.

“I intend to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and pursue all legal remedies against the supplement company in question.”

Halep again criticised the International Tennis Integrity Agency, which oversees the sport’s anti-doping programme, saying: “The ITIA brought an ABP charge only after its expert group learned my identity, causing two out of three to suddenly change their opinion in favour of ITIA’s allegations.

“The ITIA relied solely on the opinions of these experts who looked only at my blood parameters – which I’ve maintained for more than 10 years in the same range.

“This group ignored the fact no prohibited substance has ever been found in my blood or urine samples with the sole exception of one August 29 positive test for roxadustat, which was present at an extremely low level and which, when considering my negative test three days prior, could only have been caused by accidental exposure to roxadustat.

“I am continuing to train and do everything in my power to clear my name of these false allegations and return to the court.”

If her appeal is unsuccessful, Halep will not be eligible to compete again until October 7, 2026, when she will be 35.

Karen Moorhouse, CEO of the ITIA, defended the handling of the case, saying: “After a complex and rigorous hearing process, we welcome the independent tribunal’s decision.

“The volume of evidence for the tribunal to consider in both the roxadustat and ABP proceedings was substantial.

“The ITIA has followed the proper processes as we would with any other individual – in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code – fulfilling our purpose and responsibility to uphold the principle of fair competition, on behalf of the sport.

“The panel recognised that appropriate procedure had been followed within the written decision.”

Nicky Henderson is set to announce next week whether Constitution Hill will remain over hurdles or pursue a fencing career this season.

The undoubted star of National Hunt racing has won each of his seven starts over the smaller obstacles to date, including a brilliant victory in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

With autumn fast approaching, connections must now decide whether to head down the same route this term or change tack – and the eagerly-anticipated news appears imminent.

Speaking to Newbury Today, Henderson said: “We’ll announce what we’re doing next week.

“We’re still to-ing and fro-ing, so many things have to go right so whatever we do is a bit of a risk.

“We won’t send him chasing unless we’re absolutely sure.

“He’s had a great summer and we’re still weighing up our options.”

The key to the decision appears to be whether the Seven Barrows handler feels the Michael Buckley-owned Constitution Hill possesses the required stamina to at some stage have a crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup over three and a quarter miles.

Legendary mare Dawn Run is the only horse to win the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, and only a potential repeat of that famous double will tempt Henderson to go over the larger obstacles with his pride and joy.

He added: “There’s no point switching to fences just to win the Champion Chase now, because you might as well win the Champion Hurdle again.”

Meanwhile, Nico de Boinville, who has been ever present in the saddle during Constitution Hill’s career so far, is relishing the opportunity to be reunited with the six-year-old in the coming months.

De Boinville – who will be in action on the Flat on Thursday when he rides the David Simcock-trained Fulfilled in the Everyone’s Booking Fit Show 2025 Jump Jockeys Derby at Epsom – said: “Last season with Constitution Hill was fantastic, everyone really enjoyed it and we have all had a bit of time to reflect on what he did.

“I thought last season’s Cheltenham Festival was great and it was fantastic to play our small part in it in winning the Champion Hurdle.

“Constitution Hill has spent the summer at Charlie Vigors’ (Hillwood Stud) and he has come back in looking well and I can’t wait to get going with him again. ”

On his upcoming mount at the home of the Derby, he added: “I’ve not ridden for David Simcock since my amateur days so I’m very much looking forward to it.

“It is my second ride in the race, but I’ve had a couple of other rides around Epsom as an amateur.

“It will be very competitive for sure, but I will be giving it a good go. As long as I beat David Bass I will be happy!”