A dominant Max Verstappen set the practice pace in the first running of the weekend at the British Grand Prix.

The double world champion, a winner at seven of the opening nine rounds of a one-sided campaign, finished nearly half-a-second clear of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez.

Lewis Hamilton managed only 12th in front of his home supporters, two places ahead of fellow Briton George Russell in the other Mercedes.

Alex Albon was an impressive third for Williams with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso fourth. Charles Leclerc finished fifth for Ferrari.

Verstappen has already established a commanding 81-point lead in his pursuit of a hat-trick of world championships.

The Dutch driver cruised to the chequered flag a week ago at Red Bull’s home race in Austria, and he will head into the remainder of the weekend as the driver to beat following an emphatic start at a sun-cooked Silverstone.

Verstappen pulled on the speediest soft tyres with a dozen minutes to go and crossed the line 0.448 seconds ahead of Perez in the other Red Bull.

Hamilton has won seven of the last 10 races staged at Silverstone, but the seven-time world champion will have to upset the odds to add to his tally on Sunday.

The 38-year-old finished a distant 1.1 sec adrift of Verstappen and was on the radio complaining about the bouncing in his upgraded Mercedes machine.

Russell was also on the intercom to bemoan his unruly Mercedes, ending the one-hour running a tenth back from Hamilton.

However, neither Hamilton nor Russell posted a lap on the fastest soft compound.

Nyck de Vries is under pressure to keep his seat with AlphaTauri and the rookie Dutchman was the only driver to fall off the road in practice.

De Vries spun into the gravel at Turn 7 but was able to keep his car going through the sand trap before returning to his garage.

Despite the threat of action from Just Stop Oil protesters, the first running passed off without incident.

However, F1 bosses, Silverstone and Northamptonshire Police remain on high alert that a protest could yet disrupt the three days of running, with 480,000 people anticipated to pass through the gates this weekend.

Paula Badosa had to awkwardly inform a reporter she had lost her second-round match after a back injury ended her Wimbledon campaign.

The Spaniard was forced to retire when trailing 6-2 1-0 to Marta Kostyuk after her troublesome stress fracture flared up and she revealed she will not be able to play the mixed doubles with her boyfriend Stefanos Tsitsipas.

To add insult to injury, news of her fitness struggles on Court 18 had clearly not reached an international reporter, who opened her post-match press conference by congratulating her on her victory, prompting a toe-curling exchange.

Responding to the opening comment, Badosa simply replied: “I lost.”

The reporter did not acknowledge her answer and asked her to talk about her fitness and confidence level, to which she replied: “For your information, I just lost. I didn’t win. So, yeah.”

The moderator then again informed the journalist Badosa had lost, which was received by surprise.

Once the result had been established in the room, Badosa went on to say that she will be withdrawing from the mixed doubles due to the problem, robbing fans of a on-court love story.

Asked whether she would be able to compete: “No, no, I won’t be able. The injury is the same as I have been struggling the past weeks.

“It’s the stress fracture. I tried my best to try to play here, but yesterday when I woke up I already, after my first-round match, felt it again. It’s a little bit worse.

“So I will need a few days off and talk to my team and see what I do in the next days and the next weeks.

“The first match I was pretty happy because I felt OK. After the match I spoke with my team, and I was, like, it wasn’t very bad.

“But yesterday, as I said when I woke up, I was worse. Today was worse. I wanted to give it a try in the match, but I think the smartest thing was to stop.”

Kostyuk will play 25th seed Maddison Keys after the American beat Viktorija Golubic 7-5 6-3 while two-time champion Petra Kvitova beat Aliaksandra Sasnovich 6-2 6-2 to reach the third round.

Dylan Kitts will not takes rides or attend a racecourse while an investigation takes place into his ride on Hillsin at Worcester on Wednesday evening, the British Horseracing Authority has announced.

Kitts was aboard the Chris Honour-trained gelding in a two-and-a-half-mile conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle and moved smoothly into contention in the home straight.

But the five-year-old was ultimately beaten a length and a half into third place and following a subsequent inquiry the raceday stewards referred Kitts to the BHA, while suspending Hillsin from running for 40 days.

Kitts had reported in the inquiry his instructions were to “drop out early” and “take his time before mounting a late challenge”.

He said Hillsin “made a respiratory noise towards the end of the back straight, which continued on several more occasions throughout the race” and the gelding had also hung right-handed, which had “restricted his ability to be more vigorous in the home straight”.

Honour said on Thursday his family had been caught up in the fall-out from the incident, receiving abuse on social media, and that he had asked owner Alan Clegg to remove his horses from his yard.

In a statement on Friday, the BHA confirmed Kitts will not be in competitive action, or visit a racecourse, until the matter is resolved.

The statement read: “The BHA can confirm that it has been agreed that jockey Dylan Kitts will not take rides or attend any racecourses at this time, as an investigation following a referral by the stewards at Worcester on Wednesday July 5 continues.

“The BHA will be making no further comment on the investigation at this stage.”

Orestis Kiomourtzoglou has left Hearts to join German side Greuther Furth, subject to international clearance.

The 25-year-old midfielder has joined the 2. Bundesliga outfit for an undisclosed six-figure fee.

Kiomourtzoglou joined the Jambos last August and made 27 first-team appearances.

A statement on the Gorgie club’s official website confirmed Kiomourtzoglou’s departure and added: “The club would like to thank Kio for his efforts and we wish him all the best with his career back in Germany.”

Jonny Bairstow’s hopes of exacting revenge on Australia ended in disappointment at Headingley, as England’s batting faltered again on the second morning of the third Ashes Test.

The hosts lost four for 74 in the first session – Bairstow, Joe Root, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes all picked off by a ruthless attack – to leave their side 121 behind on 142 for seven.

Captain Ben Stokes (27no) was once more carrying the burden of hope for his team despite being in clear physical discomfort at the crease.

Bairstow’s controversial stumping at Lord’s sparked a furore about the ‘spirit of cricket’, with England insistent they would not have claimed the dismissal and the tourists unapologetic about playing to the letter of the law.

Bairstow has yet to have his say on the matter but he missed the chance to let his bat do the talking in front of his home crowd, nicking Mitchell Starc to slip for 12 as Australia made vital early inroads.

Fellow Yorkshireman Root had already departed, edging Pat Cummins’ second ball of the morning to David Warner as England’s overnight 68 for three lurched to 87 for five inside seven overs.

Stokes was fighting through the pain barrier to keep the contest alive, moving awkwardly as fresh niggles apparently added to his existing left knee problem.

He admitted in his pre-match press conference that his efforts in the second Test, where he bowled a gruelling 12-over spell and made a brilliant 155 in the second innings, had “taken quite a bit out of me” and required treatment midway through the session.

England already had injury concerns over seamer Ollie Robinson, who left the field on day one with a back spasm.

Root’s early exit, cramped for room by Cummins’ precision around off stump but perhaps a little too eager to play, sucked the life out of a crowd that had poured in hoping for a big show from their local favourites. Bairstow gave them a couple of boundaries to cheer but was tempted into a big swing as the left-armer Starc angled one towards the cordon.

Stokes and Moeen (21) played against their attacking instincts in a stand of 44, only occasionally taking the bowlers on as they favour a more pragmatic method. Moeen eventually cracked after being tempted once too often by Cummins, pulling a bouncer straight into the hands of fine leg.

Woakes managed one hook for six before he joined the exodus in the final over before lunch, nicking another short one from Starc to expose the England tail.

Chaldean and Westover, two of the standout performers of recent seasons for the powerhouse Juddmonte operation, will again bid to carry the famous silks of the late Khalid Abdullah with distinction this weekend.

Trained by Andrew Balding and Ralph Beckett respectively, both colts are Group One victors – and Classic winners to boot.

Last year was a big one for Westover, finishing third in the Derby before taking the Irish Derby, while Chaldean picked up the Dewhurst and carried on where he left off this term with victory in the 2000 Guineas, after an unfortunate blip on leaving the stalls in the Greenham.

A son of Frankel, Chaldean was last seen occupying the runner-up spot behind Irish Guineas hero Paddington in the St James’s Palace Stakes and comes back to seven furlongs for Sunday’s Prix Jean Prat at Deauville, an event that has invariably been kind to British and Irish-trained runners of late.

With Frankie Dettori suspended, former champion Oisin Murphy rides in a race that features Newmarket second Hi Royal (Kevin Ryan), Craven winner Indestructible (Karl Burke), high-class filly Meditate (Aidan O’Brien) and St James’s Palace third Charyn (Roger Varian).

“Andrew was happy and Oisin was happy on Wednesday morning, so they hit the button to supplement, which would suggest his well-being is where they want it to be,” said Barry Mahon, European racing manager for Juddmonte.

“We’re looking forward to it and you’d be hopeful, but it’s a deep race. Kevin Ryan’s horse is a good horse, Karl Burke’s horse is smart and you can never discount Aidan O’Brien, that’s for sure.

“The weather is good and I think they’re calling the ground good to soft. I’m not sure what watering they’ll do or whether it will dry out.

“He’s a Dewhurst winner over seven furlongs and a multiple Group-race winner over that distance, so hopefully that won’t inconvenience him.

“Oisin is a top-class rider and I’m sure he can jump into any situation and swim rather than sinking. He knows the horse and has ridden him plenty at home so I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

A day earlier and Westover is also in top-level action across the Channel, for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

With the exception of a below-par effort when favourite for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Westover – another son of Frankel – has done little wrong in his career to date. His two runs so far in this campaign have resulted in him finishing second to Japanese superstar Equinox in the Dubai Turf at Meydan and occupying the same position before Emily Upjohn in the Coronation Cup at Epsom.

“You’d like to think he’ll hard to beat, to be fair,” Mahon said.

“He’s had a nice break since Epsom, he’s coming in good form, it’s a small field and he has a pacemaker there to make sure there’s a bit of pace in it.

“We’d like to think that he’s going to take the opportunity.

“It’s always in the back of your mind (that he can get worked up beforehand). He did in Ascot last year, but in Dubai it wasn’t really the same as it was his first run of the year in a new environment and he was fresh.

“Hopefully Ascot was a one-off isolated incident and he’ll be fine on Saturday.”

Fan representatives will meet with the Football Association over the next two weeks amid concerns over the FA Cup’s future.

The FA is in talks with the Premier League over a long-term partnership to sell overseas Premier League and FA Cup rights collectively in the future, the PA news agency understands.

It has been reported the partnership would effectively lead to the FA handing control over its most prestigious competition to the Premier League.

The Football Supporters’ Association expressed its concern at the reports on Thursday and said it had written to the FA to request a meeting.

PA understands the fans’ group got a swift response from FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. No date has been fixed, but it is understood the intention is for the meeting to take place over the next couple of weeks.

The FSA has been encouraged by the level of engagement it has had with the FA in recent years, with FA chair Debbie Hewitt becoming the first person in her position to attend one of the FSA’s events in person when she helped open the European Football Fans Congress in Manchester last month.

Fan sources hope the governing body will be able to allay concerns over what any deal with the Premier League might mean for the FA Cup.

Reports have suggested it could mean the scrapping of replays, making the cup a midweek competition and stripping the final of its own slot at the end of the domestic season.

Talks around how the domestic calendar could look from 2024-25, when the expansion of UEFA’s club competitions will create extra pressure, were already part of the ‘New Deal For Football’ discussions involving the FA, the Premier League and the EFL.

Those talks are aimed at finding an ‘all game solution’ to various issues including financial distribution from the Premier League to the EFL and the pyramid, cost controls and work permits.

The FSA’s most recent fan survey found 70 per cent of supporters wanted replays to remain a part of the FA Cup, while fewer than 10 per cent backed the idea of all FA Cup ties being played in midweek.

The meeting is likely to come after the new tender process for the overseas rights has closed, with the deadline for invitations set at July 17.

The Infront Sports and Media agency had been given preferred bidder status for a portion of the overseas rights by the FA in early May in the original tender process, but said the FA had abruptly paused negotiations after receiving a third party offer which it needed to assess.

PA understands the new tender is much longer term than the original, and includes all overseas rights when existing deals expire.

Middlesbrough have completed a double swoop for Melbourne City keeper Tom Glover and Central Coast Mariners midfielder Sam Silvera.

Both free agent Glover, 25, and 22-year-old Silvera, who has joined for an undisclosed fee, have signed three-year deals at the Riverside Stadium.

Glover, an A-League title winner in 2020-21, was on the opposing side as Silvera’s Mariners took the prize at the end of last season.

He will provide competition for Liam Roberts and Sol Brynn and plug the gap left by Zack Steffen following his return to Manchester City after last season’s loan spell.

A product of Tottenham’s Academy, Glover did not make a senior appearance for the North London club before moving back home to Melbourne in August 2019 after loan spells with Central Coast Mariners and Helsingborg.

He has represented his country at Under-23s level and was part of the Socceroos squad at the Tokyo Olympics, and although he was called into the senior party for last month’s friendly Against Argentina, he is yet to make a first appearance.

Glover found himself in the headlines in December 2022 when he was rushed to hospital with concussion and lacerations after being struck with a metal bucket in a pitch invasion during the derby clash with Melbourne Victory.

London-born Silvera, who has also turned out for Australia’s Under-23s, scored eight goals and provided five assists in his club’s title drive.

Sea Silk Road will attempt to follow up her poignant victory in the Lester Piggott Stakes when she returns to Haydock for the bet365 Lancashire Oaks on Saturday.

The daughter of Sea The Stars provided trainer William Haggas with a fitting success in the race that was known as the Pinnacle Stakes but renamed in honour of one of the sport’s greatest figures and also the Somerville Lodge handler’s late father-in-law.

Having shown a liking for the course and distance, the four-year-old now gets the chance to repeat the dose and score for the first time at Group Two level.

“She did really well there last time,” said Haggas. “She won well, enjoyed the ground and she won quite nicely. I think that has done her good.

“It is probably a bit of a stronger race this time, but we will see.”

Last season Haggas saw Sea La Rosa follow the same route and have to settle for second in the Lancashire Oaks. The Newmarket handler is hoping for a different outcome this time around.

He added: “We had a filly in the same ownership last year who won the Pinnacle and then got beat in the Lancashire Oaks, but ended up winning a Group One (Prix de Royallieu) at the back-end. So I hope this filly will progress and Saturday will tell us a lot.”

Time Lock was sent off favourite when beaten three lengths in fourth behind Sea Silk Road last month and connections are eyeing a different result for Roger and Harry Charlton’s four-year-old on this occasion.

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, feels ground conditions were against her in that run and is hopeful of turning the tables if an on-song Time Lock turns up in Merseyside.

He said: “I was disappointed watching it, but Ryan (Moore) said afterwards the ground was very quick and she just didn’t appreciate it.

“She actually won on firm ground last year and that’s part of the reason why we went to Haydock, but Ryan felt maybe she got away with it the time before, she’s a bit older and has a few more miles on the clock and she didn’t like it.

“I think they’ve had some rain, so hopefully it’s just nice, good ground on Saturday.

“Her form is intertwined with the favourite. Last year they met each other a few times, we came out on top one day and they came out on top another day.

“If she was to run up to the best of her form you’d think she’d have a good chance. Her last run was a bit disappointing, so we have to hope she can put that behind her.”

Karl Burke’s Poptronic was third in the Lester Piggott Stakes and is another hoping to reverse course form with Sea Silk Road, while Richard Hannon’s Aristia was a Group One winner in France last season, but now steps up to 12 furlongs for just the second time following a lacklustre return in the Middleton Stakes at York.

Also sure to be in the mix is John and Thady Gosden’s Mimikyu who was a non-runner here last month but has two track victories to her name and has stamina to burn judged on her impressive Park Hill victory last term.

The Clarehaven team, along with jockey Robert Havlin, won this race with the George Strawbridge-owned Free Wind 12 months ago and Mimikyu – who also runs in the white and green silks – will bid to not only provide connections with back-to-back victories in the race, but also hand Havlin a fourth Lancashire Oaks 20 years after first striking with Place Rouge.

The jockey said: “The Lancashire Oaks always falls on the same weekend as the Eclipse. It was great when I won the race on Great Heavens as John also won the Eclipse that year with Nathaniel. Hopefully we can have another double this weekend with Mimikyu and Emily Upjohn.

“On these big Saturdays being involved with this yard you can always pick up a decent ride. I’ve been doing that for years and years and I’ll keep batting away at it.

“Mimikyu worked really well at the July course with the hood off. She has been racing with the hood on recently, including in the Bronte Cup, and I really felt an improvement with the hood off.

“She does have a 5lb penalty to carry for winning the Park Hill at Doncaster last year but hopefully she has got the class to overcome it. She is going there with a live chance.”

Tom Ward’s Luisa Casati and Roger Varian’s Peripatetic both arrive having claimed Listed contests at Goodwood in their most recent appearances, while Hughie Morrison’s One For Bobby landed the Nottinghamshire Oaks on stable debut before chasing home Al Husn and Nashwa in the Hoppings Stakes recently.

The field of nine is rounded off by Jim Goldie’s Wickywickywheels who drops back in trip having failed to feature in the Bronte Cup at York.

Northern Ireland attacker Conor McMenamin revealed his emotions were “all over the place” before Glentoran eventually agreed a deal with St Mirren for a move to Paisley.

After weeks of negotiations which left the winger “too many times” feeling the transfer was not going to happen – and after the 27-year-old and his agents made financial sacrifices – he joined the Buddies on a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee, subject to clearance with Saints holding the option of a further year.

McMenamin, cousin of Buddies midfielder Caolan Boyd-Munce, spoke about the “bit of tug-of-war” before he arrived in Scotland.

He said: “For weeks it was back and forth. We were close, we weren’t close. It was off, it was on. It was really hard to take.

“My head was all over the place for a while but we are here now and I am delighted to be here.

“The club couldn’t reach the transfer fee. Glentoran obviously had a number in their head and it had to be met or the move wasn’t happening.

“It was my determination to make it happen. So we all got together and did our bit to make the move and hopefully that will pay off.

“Great credit to my agents Brian Adair and Keith Gillespie, they worked really hard to get the deal done, and obviously myself and St Mirren, we all played our part in getting the deal done.

“I am really excited and hopefully I can hit the ground running. It is a big challenge for me and I wanted to try it. Hopefully I can put my stamp on the Scottish league.”

McMenamin put his career in social work on hold to attempt to go as far as he can in football.

The former Linfield and Cliftonville player said: “Three and a half years ago I was still in a part-time job and I went full-time and it’s really kicked on since I went full-time.

“I went full-time with Glentoran and sort of got a taste for it and it has brought my game to a new level, obviously with Northern Ireland and now I find myself here.

“I was training to be a social worker. I worked in health care and then I took a career break.

“Hopefully in the years to come I might look at it again but now I am fully focused on football.

“That’s why I was obviously so determined to make the deal happen. I am 27 now, I am not a young boy, coming into my peak years some would say, so I was really determined to make it happen. Hopefully I can kick on.

“It is a new experience for me and if you don’t try it you will never know.”

Hull KR coach Willie Peters knows any lingering memories of his side’s emphatic 40-0 derby win at the MKM Stadium in April will count for little when the city rivals meet again in a potentially pivotal Betfred Super League clash at Craven Park on Sunday lunchtime.

Rovers’ win gave Peters a best possible first taste of the derby drama whilst piling more misery upon Hull FC, who looked abject as they surrendered to a sixth straight defeat that appeared to leave the position of experienced head coach Tony Smith under serious threat.

Fast forward three months and it is injury-ravaged Rovers who are feeling the heat, scrabbling to cling onto a top-six slot while Smith’s men have belatedly stirred, their recent statement win over St Helens steeling them for a late play-off push that looked wholly improbable amid the wreckage of April.

Just as telling as the two sides’ form-lines this season are the respective attitudes of the two coaches as they head into a game that could go a long way towards defining their respective seasons, and for which the ‘sold-out’ signs have been hung over KR’s home for over a week.

Peters is intent on living and breathing every moment of his first home derby, which he describes as a “special occasion”, and which he firmly believes is precisely the right fixture to rejuvenate his ailing squad after last week’s disappointing reversal at Leigh.

But for Smith, who the baggage of being sacked as KR coach last season with him across the city, it is nothing to get excited about.

“Defeats all hurt,” insisted the 56-year-old veteran. “I’ve played against a lot of former clubs, and I was no more upset (after the derby) than some of the other games I’ve lost. What hurts is the manner in which you lost, and if we are not giving a good account of ourselves.”

Peters experienced a number of NRL derbies as a player and maintains there is nothing to rival the passion and noise levels of the east Yorkshire showdown, not least one which promises to shape the season run-in for both clubs so significantly.

“When I first came over here I was always told this was a special game and I experienced it first-half at FC’s stadium – obviously for the result but also the atmosphere and the build-up and everything the derby stands for,” said Peters.

“I knew it would be passionate but whilst I’ve experienced some great derbies, including the Roosters and the Rabbitohs, and the Dragons and Sharks, the crowd here is two or three times as loud.

“You can play it down and say it’s just another game but it’s not, it’s a special occasion. When you look back at your career you look at those moments that stood out the most and these are the moments – there is no doubt that performance we had last time is the best moment for the team this year.”

Both sides face selection dilemmas, with FC bolstered by the prospective returns of the likes of Tex Hoy and Liam Sutcliffe, whilst KR must reshuffle due to the absence of loose forward Eliot Minchella and the returns to Catalans of loan pair Tanguy Zenon and Fouad Yaha.

Smith’s return to Craven Park for the first time since his controversial departure is sure to give an already tasty tie an extra dimension but the veteran Black-and-Whites coach is unconcerned by the fiery welcome he can expect to receive.

“It’s the least of my concerns,” added Smith. “During my time, I have given my all to all of the clubs I was in charge of. For those who remember that, great. For those who don’t, that’s fine, I don’t care.

“I hope it’s a fantastic game that both sets of supporters can enjoy. I’m not one to encourage that rivalry to boil over into bitterness. I want people to enjoy rugby league for what it is. Whoever wins, the other tips their hat, and we move on.”

Alun Wyn Jones has joined Toulon on a short-term contract.

The former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain has signed for the French club as a “medical joker” for the duration of this year’s World Cup.

“We are delighted and honoured to welcome a legendary player like Alun Wyn Jones to Toulon,” director of rugby Pierre Mignoni told the official club website.

“His career demonstrates the immense talent of this player. His experience and his mental and physical strength will add to the locker room and to his team-mates.”

Jones, 37, announced his international retirement in May as the most-capped player in world rugby.

The second-row forward, who had been named in Wales’ preliminary World Cup squad, has played a world-record 170 Test matches – 158 for Wales and 12 for the Lions.

Jones ended his 17-year stay at the Ospreys in June.

He has initially signed a short-term Toulon deal to cover squad absences as the domestic Top 14 season starts in mid-August before resuming after the World Cup in the final week of October.

Yorkshire chief executive Stephen Vaughan hopes to secure the club’s financial future within a matter of weeks, but admits he had to “kiss a lot of frogs” before finding a suitable investor.

The county owes the Graves Family Trust nearly £15million and also faces a hefty fine following a CDC investigation into historic racism, with Vaughan working on refinancing the debt ever since he took over in November.

Former chair Colin Graves angrily withdrew his own interest in returning after claiming he had been treated as a “last resort”, while former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley, backers of IPL franchise Delhi Capitals and Prince Badr of Saudi Arabia are among a long list of those linked with Yorkshire.

Others from India and the UK have also been involved in talks and, with an initial £500,000 payment to the Graves Trust due in September, Vaughan is confident a deal is close.

But he also admitted the process had been far from straightforward.

“We’ve spoken to a lot of people. In these situations you’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs,” he said.

“I really did kiss a lot of frogs, I carry Lipsil around with me I’ve kissed so many. Hopefully (we’ve found a prince), but not the Saudi prince we were reported to have met. We don’t remember that one!

“It was always going to be a very difficult time to attract a traditional financier in the UK. The club’s brand equity wasn’t as high as it could have been because we were in the news for the wrong reasons.

“But we’re now at a place where we’ve got a bedfellow we’re working with. It’s not a takeover, not a buyout, it’s an investor coming in to ensure we can move on and continue our journey.

“We’re hoping in weeks rather than months we’ll be able to announce we’re getting something done. These things are always full of legal conversations, lawyers to lawyers, and you’re only as fast as your slowest runner in the race.

“We’ve got to start a new chapter for Yorkshire. We want to be unapologetically modern and progressive.”

Vaughan explained that the market interest in the club had been huge, but most were looking for an outright controlling stake that Yorkshire were unwilling, and unable, to offer.

“We could have sold Yorkshire cricket 15 times over,” he said.

“It wouldn’t even have to go on the market. Everyone wants a piece of Yorkshire cricket, but we’re a members’ co-operative and the dynamic changes dramatically.

“You go from dozens of organisations saying ‘how much can we pay for Yorkshire cricket, we’re desperate to buy it’, to explaining that it’s not an equity play, it’s a loan. That takes out 99% of the market immediately.”