Former captain Andy Morrison expects Manchester City’s Champions League triumph to open the door to many more European successes.

City are celebrating becoming continental kings for the first time, as well as a memorable treble, after beating Inter Milan in Istanbul on Saturday.

Victory marked the end of a long quest for the club and Morrison does not think City, and their inspirational manager Pep Guardiola, will rest on their laurels.

Morrison told the PA news agency: “The celebrations are well deserved. What they’ve done in the last four months has been miraculous. It was physically draining and even more so mentally.

“They’ll have a break but then start again next season. I know how the manager works. He will be relentless.

“It is so important to him to keep winning. It’s in his DNA and he’s done it all his career. Next season will be no different.

“He’s spoken this week about the two years left on his contract and he’ll want back-to-back (Champions League) titles. That’s the way he is.

“It’s a knockout competition and it’s so hard but they’ve done it once now and will believe they can do it again.”

City’s triumph saw them become only the second side to win the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in the same season, emulating the achievement of rivals Manchester United in 1999.

United’s success came when City were at one of the lowest points in their history, having sunk to the third tier of the English game.

Their revival began when they beat Gillingham in a play-off final to secure promotion at the end of that 1998-99 campaign and Morrison, who led the team at Wembley, says the journey since has been extraordinary.

Morrison, 52, said: “It is remarkable. The stigma City had to carry being in that second division, especially when their rivals won the treble – it was so difficult for City fans at the time but they stuck with the club.

“There were 32, 33, 34,000 every week cheering us on.

“Good things happen to good people. These fans deserve it. It is another part of the journey.

“There are good times, bad times, indifferent and incredible times. It is all part of the journey and at this moment it is magical for City fans.”

Edgbaston is the venue for this week’s Ashes opener and has been a happy hunting ground for England over the years, though they will be out to avenge 2019’s loss to Australia.

England have won six and drawn five of their 15 Tests against Australia in Birmingham, losing four, while they have 29 wins there overall and only 10 losses.

Here, PA looks back at the ground’s Ashes history.

Results

Edgbaston welcomed the touring Australians for the first time in May 1902, when the rain helped the visitors to a draw despite having been bowled out for 36 in their first innings.

They lost by 10 wickets seven years later on their last visit until 1961, when Australia’s Neil Harvey and England’s Raman Subba Row and Ted Dexter all made centuries in a high-scoring draw.

The 1968 Test was also drawn before, in 1975, Australia inflicted England’s first ever loss in 17 Edgbaston Tests by an innings and 85 runs.

England won in 1981 and by an innings in 1985, captain David Gower with a double century. The decade concluded with Australia dominant in a draw in 1989.

Mark Waugh made 137 and 62 not out in a 1993 eight-wicket win for Australia and after Nasser Hussain’s double-century led England to a nine-wicket win in 1997, the tourists enjoyed another innings victory in 2001.

England won an unforgettable 2005 clash and, after a draw in 2009, won 2015’s encounter by eight wickets but will need to bounce back from a nightmare defeat in 2019.

Steve Smith hit twin 140s before England were bowled out for 146, spinner Nathan Lyon with six wickets as an opener and Pat Cummins four, to lose by 251 runs.

The West Indies won four times at Edgbaston between 1984 and 2000 with South Africa and New Zealand the other visiting teams to beat England there.

Jones…. Bowden

The 2005 Ashes thriller stands tall for England at Edgbaston. Regarded by many as the greatest Test ever played, England won by two runs after Australia almost chased an improbable 282 to win.

Buoyed by Glenn McGrath injuring himself in the warm-ups, England raced to a first-innings 407 and had a lead of 99 after cleaning up Australia. Andrew Flintoff then clubbed 73 to set the target before taking a memorable four for 79.

Australia were 137 for seven but Shane Warne fought back with 42 before treading on his stumps to give Flintoff his fourth wicket, and Brett Lee and Michael Kasprowicz produced a last-wicket stand of 59 which looked to be pushing Australia to a shock win and a 2-0 series lead.

Umpire Billy Bowden, though, deemed Steve Harmison had Kasprowicz caught behind by Geraint Jones, leading the great commentator Richie Benaud to simply say “Jones… Bowden” as the England celebrations unfolded.

The handshake that followed as Flintoff dropped down to meet a devastated Lee on his haunches has become an indelible image in Ashes history.

Barmy Army

England’s superb Edgbaston record runs alongside the fantastic support they get at the ground.

The Hollies Stand is one of cricket’s most vibrant places to watch the sport from and will witness the first Ashes airing of England supporters club the Barmy Army’s new chant for Stuart Broad, written to the tune of Abba’s Voulez-Vous.

Broad’s long-time rival David Warner is likely to be a prime target in his final Ashes but the Barmy Army’s first Test guide stresses the need to avoid personal abuse.

“We seek to be entertaining when singing and creating songs, not use offensive language and have good clean fun,” the document reads, adding that membership can be removed “without notice” from any fan who oversteps the mark.

Edgbaston heroes

England’s long-time opening bowling pair James Anderson and Stuart Broad have enjoyed tremendous records at Edgbaston and are the leading two wicket-takers at the venue.

Anderson, expected to be fit after sitting out the warm-up game against Ireland, will look to add to his 51 wickets at an average of 22.62 in 13 previous Tests at Edgbaston. That includes six for 47 and five for 80 against Australia in 2015 and 2009 respectively, with another five-wicket haul against India last year.

Broad took five for 51 against Ireland at Lord’s last week and has 43 wickets at 24.06 in 10 Edgbaston Tests including an Ashes five-for in 2019.

Joe Root averages over 60 with the bat in 13 Test innings there, with four half-centuries – including 63 and 57 in the 2015 and 2019 Ashes respectively – and two hundreds.

Warner averages just 22.25 in two Edgbaston visits but England will be wary of Smith’s average of 75.25 at the ground.

Marcus Rashford says he is fully committed to England and does not care if onlookers criticise or question his dedication to the national team.

The 25-year-old is preparing for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia having withdrawn from March’s meet-up through injury.

Rashford has had to pull out of numerous camps over the years but his decision to head to New York while England were winning their Group C opener 2-1 in Italy sparked debate.

Boss Gareth Southgate defended the 51-cap forward’s decision to jet off to the United States at the time and the Manchester United forward says he was unmoved by critical voices.

“I didn’t see it, to be honest with you,” Rashford said. “I didn’t see it until I got home.

“I need time to switch off and recover, so I took a short trip, four days, then went back to do rehab and just try and get ready as soon as possible.

“With injuries, you can’t predict when they’re going to happen.

“Thankfully I have very few muscle strains and them type of injuries, but occasionally you do get impact injuries. The majority of my injuries have been that.”

Asked if people questioning his commitment to playing for his country hurt, Rashford replied: “Honestly, it doesn’t.

“I know that I’m committed to it 100 per cent, people are going to say what they’re going to say. It doesn’t really bother me.”

Rashford laughed off that talk as he prepares to play in his first qualifier since England won 4-0 away to Kosovo in November 2019 – the last international before the schedule paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He will surely get minutes in Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Malta, but the availability of England’s Manchester City quintet is unclear.

Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips arrived at St George’s Park on Tuesday after days celebrating their treble triumph.

Saturday’s Champions League win over Inter Milan saw City join Manchester United as the only English sides to win the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup – a bruising moment for the red half of the city.

“To be honest, it’s not nice (to see City’s success) but at the same time it’s football,” United product Rashford said.

“The best team that’s consistently playing the best football is going to win the most trophies and they’ve managed to win three this year.

“Well done to them and we just move on now and it’s up to them to keep it up, and it’s up to the rest of us to try and catch them up.”

Asked if City’s achievements provide extra motivation, United’s homegrown star said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.”

Rashford’s attention now is squarely on international matters as a mammoth, unrelenting campaign finally comes to a conclusion.

He has made an eye-watering 61 appearances for club and country in an unprecedented campaign that had the World Cup in Qatar wedged in the middle.

That figure could reach 63 if he plays against Malta and at Old Trafford against North Macedonia on Monday – a qualifier that is just 23 days before United’s first pre-season match.

Rashford, when asked about the need for the calendar to be looked at, said: “I think that’s evident.

“It’s mad that at club level we’re playing against teams that are playing one game a week, and we’re playing three games a week from November up until we got knocked out of Europa League.

“It’s difficult but at the same time we’re used to doing it, but I don’t think it’s right.”

Rashford does not know what he would like to see altered but said he is “not the one that’s supposed to have the answers”.

“The players are going to push ourselves to the absolute limits,” he added.

“I did say it’s nothing new so it’s not a complaint or a dig, I’m just giving you my honest opinion and I don’t think it’s correct.

“We need to be given more time to recover between certain games and at different stages of the season.

“That’s my opinion but I don’t think it’s down to the players. We shouldn’t have to put ourselves in a position to speak out about something that we’re not in control of or we’re not going to make the final decision on.”

Marcus Rashford says he is fully committed to England and does not care if onlookers criticise or question his dedication to the national team.

The 25-year-old is preparing for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia having withdrawn from March’s meet-up through injury.

Rashford has had to pull out of numerous camps over the years but his decision to head to New York while England were winning their Group C opener 2-1 in Italy sparked debate.

Boss Gareth Southgate defended the 51-cap forward’s decision to jet off to the United States at the time and the Manchester United forward says he was unmoved by critical voices.

“I didn’t see it, to be honest with you,” Rashford said. “I didn’t see it until I got home.

“I need time to switch off and recover, so I took a short trip, four days, then went back to do rehab and just try and get ready as soon as possible.

“With injuries, you can’t predict when they’re going to happen.

“Thankfully I have very few muscle strains and them type of injuries, but occasionally you do get impact injuries. The majority of my injuries have been that.”

Asked if people questioning his commitment to playing for his country hurt, Rashford replied: “Honestly, it doesn’t.

“I know that I’m committed to it 100 per cent, people are going to say what they’re going to say. It doesn’t really bother me.”

Rashford laughed off that talk as he prepares to play in his first qualifier since England won 4-0 away to Kosovo in November 2019 – the last international before the schedule paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He will surely get minutes in Friday’s Euro 2024 qualifier at Malta, but the availability of England’s Manchester City quintet is unclear.

Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, Phil Foden, John Stones and Kalvin Phillips arrived at St George’s Park on Tuesday after days celebrating their treble triumph.

Saturday’s Champions League win over Inter Milan saw City join Manchester United as the only English sides to win the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup – a bruising moment for the red half of the city.

“To be honest, it’s not nice (to see City’s success) but at the same time it’s football,” United product Rashford said.

“The best team that’s consistently playing the best football is going to win the most trophies and they’ve managed to win three this year.

“Well done to them and we just move on now and it’s up to them to keep it up, and it’s up to the rest of us to try and catch them up.”

Asked if City’s achievements provide extra motivation, United’s homegrown star said: “Yeah, 100 per cent.”

Rashford’s attention now is squarely on international matters as a mammoth, unrelenting campaign finally comes to a conclusion.

He has made an eye-watering 61 appearances for club and country in an unprecedented campaign that had the World Cup in Qatar wedged in the middle.

That figure could reach 63 if he plays against Malta and at Old Trafford against North Macedonia on Monday – a qualifier that is just 23 days before United’s first pre-season match.

Rashford, when asked about the need for the calendar to be looked at, said: “I think that’s evident.

“It’s mad that at club level we’re playing against teams that are playing one game a week, and we’re playing three games a week from November up until we got knocked out of Europa League.

“It’s difficult but at the same time we’re used to doing it, but I don’t think it’s right.”

Rashford does not know what he would like to see altered but said he is “not the one that’s supposed to have the answers”.

“The players are going to push ourselves to the absolute limits,” he added.

“I did say it’s nothing new so it’s not a complaint or a dig, I’m just giving you my honest opinion and I don’t think it’s correct.

“We need to be given more time to recover between certain games and at different stages of the season.

“That’s my opinion but I don’t think it’s down to the players. We shouldn’t have to put ourselves in a position to speak out about something that we’re not in control of or we’re not going to make the final decision on.”

Everton appointed Ronald Koeman as manager on this day in 2016.

The former Southampton boss was installed in place of Roberto Martinez who was removed in the final week of the previous season.

The Toffees had finished a disappointing 11th after Martinez lost eight of his last 15 Premier League matches in charge.

Southampton received a reported £5million in compensation to bring the former Barcelona player, then 53, to Goodison Park from Saints, who had finished sixth and qualified for the Europa League.

Chairman Bill Kenwright said of Koeman after the parties had agreed a three-year deal: “We are really pleased to have secured the man who was our number one target from the moment we set out to appoint a new manager.”

Everton had briefly looked like breaking into the top four during Martinez’s early tenure, finishing fifth in 2013-14 and missing out on the Champions League only after falling away in the final weeks.

They failed to build on that progress during his second and third seasons, and Kenwright turned to Koeman to try and revive the team’s European ambitions.

“Everton’s history is a big one and we will try to reach what they did in the past,” said Koeman. “That is difficult but everything is possible.”

It was to prove an underwhelming appointment, however, with Koeman lasting just 16 months before being sacked with Everton 18th nine games into the 2017-18 campaign.

There has been something of a revolving door at the club since with Sam Allardyce, Marco Silva, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez and Frank Lampard having all come and gone before Sean Dyche took over in January.

Koeman was not out of work long, landing the job as Netherlands national team manager the following February after they failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. He left in 2020 to take over at Barcelona but lasted just a year at the Nou Camp.

He returned to the national team job after Louis van Gaal stood down following the 2022 World Cup.

Captain Mark Stone had a hat trick and the Vegas Golden Knights scored four unanswered goals in the second period in a 9-3 rout of the Florida Panthers on Tuesday to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title.

Alec Martinez triggered the four-goal outburst midway through the second period in Game 5 before Reilly Smith, Stone and Michael Amadio added goals to extend the lead to 6-1.

Stone completed his second career postseason hat trick with an empty-net goal to help Vegas capture the Stanley Cup in its sixth season. Only the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers won the Cup in fewer seasons (five).

Florida played without star forward Matthew Tkachuk, who was sidelined with an injury he suffered in Game 3.

Tkachuk, who led the Panthers with 11 goals and 24 points this postseason, went into the NHL’s concussion protocol after he absorbed a crushing hit from Vegas forward Keegan Kolesar in Game 3 and missed much of the third period in Game 4.

Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player during the playoffs. Marchessault – an original member of the Golden Knights - tied for the postsesason lead with 13 goals and led all players with 25 points. 

Under-fire commissioner Jay Monahan is “recuperating from a medical situation”, the PGA Tour has announced.

A joint statement from Monahan and the PGA Tour’s policy board was released on Tuesday evening.

It read: “Jay Monahan informed the PGA Tour Policy Board that he is recuperating from a medical situation. The Board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone respecting his privacy.

“During Jay’s absence, Ron Price, chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, executive vice president & president, PGA Tour, will lead the day-to-day operations of the PGA TOUR with the assistance of the great team Jay has built, ensuring seamless continuity.

“We will provide further updates as appropriate.”

Price and Dennis also released a statement which read: “Our thoughts are with Jay and his family during his absence, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“We have a strong and experienced leadership team in place and our priority is to support our players and continue the work under way to further lead the PGA Tour and golf’s future.”

The news came a week after the shock announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.

Monahan faced calls to resign at a 75-minute players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”.

The 53-year-old accepted that he will be labelled a “hypocrite” for making the deal with the PIF but insisted the players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour – and in some cases turned down enormous pay-outs to join LIV –  had made the right decision.

“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model,” Monahan said.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of the US Open, Masters champion Jon Rahm admitted players felt “a bit of betrayal from management” after being kept in the dark about the deal.

The PGA Tour had earlier expressed confidence that it will be able to assure Congress it controls the new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.

Under-fire commissioner Jay Monahan is “recuperating from a medical situation”, the PGA Tour has announced.

A joint statement from Monahan and the PGA Tour’s policy board was released on Tuesday evening.

It read: “Jay Monahan informed the PGA Tour Policy Board that he is recuperating from a medical situation. The Board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone respecting his privacy.

“During Jay’s absence, Ron Price, chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, executive vice president & president, PGA Tour, will lead the day-to-day operations of the PGA TOUR with the assistance of the great team Jay has built, ensuring seamless continuity.

“We will provide further updates as appropriate.”

Price and Dennis also released a statement which read: “Our thoughts are with Jay and his family during his absence, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

“We have a strong and experienced leadership team in place and our priority is to support our players and continue the work under way to further lead the PGA Tour and golf’s future.”

The news came a week after the shock announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.

Monahan faced calls to resign at a 75-minute players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”.

The 53-year-old accepted that he will be labelled a “hypocrite” for making the deal with the PIF but insisted the players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour – and in some cases turned down enormous pay-outs to join LIV –  had made the right decision.

“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model,” Monahan said.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of the US Open, Masters champion Jon Rahm admitted players felt “a bit of betrayal from management” after being kept in the dark about the deal.

The PGA Tour had earlier expressed confidence that it will be able to assure Congress it controls the new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.

Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.

Brooks Koepka insists he will relish the “chaos” surrounding men’s professional golf as he targets moving a step closer to his goal of 10 major titles.

Koepka claimed his fifth major in May’s US PGA Championship at Oak Hill and, after overcoming career-threatening injuries, looked back to being the player who won his previous four in an eight-tournament stretch.

Yet just as a relatively stable status quo seemed to have been established, last week’s shock announcement of a deal between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund plunged it back into turmoil.

“Like I’ve said, the more chaotic things get the easier it gets for me,” double US Open champion Koepka told a pre-tournament press conference at Los Angeles Country Club.

“Everything starts to slow down and I am able to focus on whatever I need to focus on while everybody else is dealing with distractions, worried about other things.

“I think there’s a few reasons (I peak at majors), but I think it’s definitely one of them. I enjoy the chaos.”

A third US PGA title means Koepka has now won more majors than regular PGA Tour events and he has never made any secret of being more motivated by chasing the game’s biggest prizes and a place in history.

“Growing up you knew how many majors Jack (Nicklaus) has, you knew how many Tiger (Woods) has, you knew how many Arnold Palmer has, you knew how many Gary Player, (Tom) Watson, all these legends,” Koepka added.

“But I never knew how many PGA Tour events or wins they had total.

“That’s what you’re judged on. It’s major championships. You look at basketball, you’re judged on how many championships you’ve won, not how many games you’ve won. Same thing in every sport.

“Double digits, that’s what I’m trying to get to. I don’t think it’s out of the question for me. I think the way I’ve prepared, the way I’ve kind of suited my game for these things is going to help me.

“And I’m only 33, so I’ve definitely got quite a bit of time. I’ve just got to stay healthy and keep doing what I’m doing.”

Each of the last three US Opens has been won with a total of six under par, while the last 12 have been claimed by a player ranked inside the world’s top 30.

“I just love when maybe somewhere closer to even par wins,” Koepka, the world number 13 said. “If it’s going to be a birdie-fest where 20, 21 under wins, that’s really not the style.

“I just feel like I can outlast everybody when it comes to having to par things to death or just kind of wearing guys out on the golf course and just mentally beating you and knowing when it’s my time to kind of take that opportunity and go with it.”

Masters champion Jon Rahm admits it has been tough to deal with the “bombshell” announcement of a peace deal between golf’s warring factions that has still left the game in a state of limbo.

Rahm confirmed many players feel a sense of betrayal at the news that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour plan to merge their commercial operations with the golf-related businesses of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.

The world number two was taken aback by the shock development and feels there are many unanswered questions as the world’s best players gathered at Los Angeles Country Club for the 123rd US Open.

Asked about players feeling clueless about what the future holds, Rahm said at his pre-tournament press conference: “Add me to that, by the way.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions. It’s tough when it’s the week before a major. (I’m) trying not to think about it as much as possible.

“I think it gets to a point where you want to have faith in management, and I want to have faith that this is the best thing for all of us, but it’s clear that that’s not the consensus.

“I think the general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management. I understand why they had to keep it so secret. It’s just not easy as a player that’s been involved, like many others, to wake up one day and see this bombshell.

“That’s why we’re all in a bit of a state of limbo because we don’t know what’s going on and how much is finalised and how much they can talk about, either.

“It’s a state of uncertainty that we don’t love, but at the end of the day, I’m not a business expert. Some of those guys on the board and involved in this are. So I’d like to think they’re going to make a better decision than I would, but I don’t know. We’ll see.”

While Rory McIlroy received 90 minutes’ advance notice of the deal from PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne, Rahm revealed he was at home making breakfast when the news broke.

“Basically texts just started flowing in,” the 2021 US Open winner said. “I thought my phone was going to catch on fire at one point.

“I think it was that day at one point I told Kelley (his wife), ‘I’m just going to throw my phone in the drawer and not look at it for the next four hours because I can’t deal with this any more’.”

Speaking ahead of his US Open title defence last year, Rahm used the figure of 400 million US dollars when pledging his loyalty to the PGA Tour amid talk of massive offers to join LIV Golf.

And he reiterated that he and his family were already financially secure for years to come when asked how he would be able to focus on his golf this week.

“What do I do? To be honest, I think a little bit in my case is [down to] perspective,” the Spanish Ryder Cup star added.

“No matter what happens, whether I agree with it or not, the PGA Tour gave me a platform to play golf at the highest level and after taking advantage of that possibility, I’m in a situation where my family and my kids don’t have to struggle financially ever, and I don’t know how many generations I can help if I do it properly.

“I’m in a very high state of privilege in this world. I can do what I want. I can do what I love for a living. I have a blast every single day, even though I get mad on the golf course every once in a while.

“When I start with that point of view, no matter what happens, I can only be thankful to what’s going on. If things change, things change. I’ll have to adapt to the situation and will have to make some decisions.

“I’m happy where I am in my life, and every day in the morning when I look at my kids, I’m even more blessed in that sense. It’s an easy way to forget about what’s going on when I look at it that way.”

A century by Jamie Smith has given Surrey a chance of making history in the LV= Insurance County Championship.

The Division One leaders need another 238 for victory against Kent in what would be their highest-ever successful run chase.

The leaders were 263 for three at stumps and more than halfway to their target, with Dom Sibley 61 not out and Ben Foakes unbeaten on 22, after Smith made 114 and Tom Latham 58.

Kent were all out for 344 just before lunch at Canterbury, giving them a lead of exactly 500.

Joe Clarke posted his first century since September 2021 for Nottinghamshire but Warwickshire remain favourites to complete a fourth win of the season.

Nottinghamshire were following on after being bowled out for just 155 in reply to Warwickshire’s 571 for nine declared at Trent Bridge.

But despite Clarke’s unbeaten 119 they remain 149 runs behind after closing on 267 for four.

Matt Critchley hit 52 and took two wickets as Essex pushed for victory over Somerset at Chelmsford.

Essex set the visitors an unlikely 466 runs to win in just under five sessions after declaring on 170 for seven.

Somerset’s batters, headed by Tom Lammonby and Tom Abell’s half-centuries, gave them a chance of salvaging a draw as they finished on 172 for four to trail by 294.

Lancashire are closing in on a first win of the season after bowling out Hampshire for 371 in their second innings and reaching 48 for two in pursuit of their 140-run target.

A three-wicket burst by George Balderson helped the hosts work their way through the six remaining wickets, although they were held up by a determined knock of 87 from visiting skipper James Vince at sweltering Southport.

In Division Two, Shan Masood is unbeaten on 68 but Yorkshire lost late wickets chasing Derbyshire’s target of 212 and closed on 147 for six at Chesterfield with 65 more runs needed.

Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy made a superb 170 and shared a fifth-wicket stand of 277 with Haider Ali, who scored 146, as the home side made 453 to set up an exciting final morning.

Bas de Leede produced career-best batting and bowling figures to boost Durham’s hopes of defeating Glamorgan at Chester-le-Street.

De Leede scored an unbeaten 85 to allow Durham to post a mammoth total of 630, their fifth-highest score in first-class cricket, following 151 from David Bedingham.

The Netherlands international then struck with his first two deliveries before adding a third to end the day with three for 25 to leave Glamorgan four down at the close, still requiring 81 runs to make Durham bat again.

Tom Haines made 91 as Sussex headed into the final day against Worcestershire at Hove on 359 for six, with a lead of 297.

Lewis Hill spent more than five hours at the crease for 103 as Leicestershire reached 350 in reply to Gloucestershire’s 368. The hosts closed on nine without loss second time around with a draw appearing the most likely outcome at Bristol.

The New York Rangers have named Peter Laviolette the 37th head coach in franchise history on Tuesday.

The 58-year-old Laviolette has two decades of head coaching experience in the NHL, has won a Stanley Cup title and is one of just four coaches in league history to lead three different teams to the Cup final.

"We are thrilled that Peter will be the next head coach of the New York Rangers," Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury said in a statement. "With Peter's extensive experience as a head coach in the National Hockey League, as well as the success his teams have had at several levels throughout his career, we are excited about what the future holds with him leading our team."

Laviolette takes over for Gerard Gallant, who mutually parted ways with New York on May 6 after two seasons in charge.

Gallant led the Rangers to the Eastern Conference final in 2021-22, but the team took a step back this season, losing in the first round of the playoffs.

This will be Laviolette's sixth NHL head coaching job - and fifth stop within the Metropolitan Division - after spending the last three seasons behind the Washington Capitals bench.

The Capitals decided against renewing his contract in April after the team missed the playoffs with a 35-37-10 record - the club's worst since Alex Ovechkin's second season in the league in 2006-07.

Although Washington lost in the first round of the playoffs in Laviolette's first two seasons, he has a history of success in the playoffs, guiding the Carolina Hurricanes to the 2006 Stanley Cup title, while also reaching the Cup Final with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and Nashville Predators in 2017.

Laviolette, who began his NHL coaching career with the New York Islanders in 2001-02, has an overall record of 76-72 in 12 trips to the playoffs.

His 752 career wins in the regular season are eighth-most all-time, and first among all U.S.-born coaches.

This will be his second stint as part of the Rangers organisation after appearing in 12 games as a player during the 1988-89 season.