Five of Jamaica's best shooters captured top spots in the five competitive divisions of the Jamaica Rifle Association's (JRA) Christmas Hamper at the Woodleigh Shooting Range in Clarendon, on Saturday.
A total of 54 competitors took to the 10-stage range under sometimes cloudy skies. In the end, Ryan Bramwell topped the Open Division, Chris Hart bagged the Carry Optic Division, Petrano Belafonte secured the Limited Optics Division, and Greg Henry held on to the Limited Division, while Michael Bradshaw was the surprise winner of the Production Division.
Bramwell, who ended with 887.45 points, ahead of Andrew Yap's 795.02 and Alrice Palmer's 726.34 in the Open Division, was overjoyed.
"I am very happy with my performance on the weekend. I really wanted to win the year with a strong performance, and I shot a very fast and accurate match on Saturday. When the dust settled, I ended up winning eight of the ten stages in my division and I won the match by eleven percent and ninety-two match points which is actually the largest margin of victory all year. My performance is the result of all the work that I have put in," Bramwell said.
"I have actually done a lot of observation and analysis when I attended the US IPSC Nationals in November, and this match presented me with an opportunity to put some of that knowledge and information gained into practice, and I think I have a lot more in the tank. I am really looking forward to 2024 as my training and preparation for the World Shoot which is in 2025 continues. It is setting up to be a really exciting year ahead and I can't wait for the action to start in January," he added.
The Production Division was very competitive with under two points separating Bradshaw and runner-up Anthony Johnson. Bradshaw who switched division from Carry Optics to Production, put in a disciplined performance to post 554.43 points with the experienced Johnson (552.68 points) and Sanjay Welsh (533.97 points) behind.
"My performance on Saturday was a result of both mental and physical training weeks before the Christmas Hamper. Production is the division which I first started shooting and I decided to shoot the same to tighten up a few fundamental aspects of my shooting. Being focused is also one of the main reasons why I was able to come out on top as one can easily lose focus whilst going through the stages, hence I knew I had to remain focused because I knew I was going up against some of the top shooters in the country," said Bradshaw.
Hart's 714.40 points was good enough to bag the Carry Optics Division ahead of the fast-charging Darin Richards (697.86 points) and Christopher Nunez (664.87 points). Experienced female shooter Yeonie Campbell, who opted to shoot Carry Optics instead of her customary Production Division, placed fourth with 566.90 points.
Belafonte secured the Limited Optics Division with 713.03 points, well ahead of Adrian Randle (692.74 points) and Ekepedeme Otuokon (652.53 points), while Henry (668.42 points), proved too good for rivals in the Limited Division. He won ahead of Ronald Brown (642.19 points) and Paul Dixon (541.74 points).
Meanwhile, Jamaica Constabulary Force ladies, Constable Shayon Francis (644.32 points) and Detective Sergeant Sasha Mullings (518.35 points), dominated the law enforcement category, as they placed first and second respectively.
Newly-elected JRA president Rohan Wilson said the event was significant in helping shooters with preparation in their build-up to the International Practical Shooting Confederation World Shoot in South Africa in 2025
"There will be a team of so far eight that will be going (and) the team is now in the process of being selected. This was not one of the qualifying events but nonetheless, it is one of our preparatory events, and so we are grateful to the Woodleigh Shooting Range which offers a great spread in terms of real estate. We did see quite a number of competitors exercise extreme dexterity in the way they performed, and it was just an awesome competition to watch," Wilson said.
Warren Greatrex views this weekend’s Betfred Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock as an ideal opportunity to get Bill Baxter up the weights ahead of his ultimate aim back on Merseyside.
The Lambourn handler sees the grey as the perfect type for the Grand National, perhaps not surprisingly given how well he took to the fences when winning the Topham back in April.
However, with the field for the National reduced to 34 this season, competition for places will be hotter than ever and Greatrex feels his current handicap mark of 140 needs to be higher to guarantee a spot.
“The plan has always been the Grand National and he probably needs to go up at least 7lb between now and when the weights are released, so the Tommy Whittle looks a good opportunity to try to get him up the weights,” the trainer said.
“The ground is soft, heavy in places, with more rain to come this week, so it will be tough conditions. I think the track will suit him, as he has run well around Haydock Park before over hurdles and he seems in good form.
“He will be put in the Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby on Boxing Day, but I’m favouring the Tommy Whittle.
“It looks the place to go with the ground set to be in his favour – and with everything happening a bit slower in soft ground around Haydock, I would like to think he will be thereabouts at the end.”
Another reason Greatrex is favouring Haydock is the availability of jockey James Bowen.
“James has ridden him a fair amount and has won twice on him. He knows him and knows what he can do. James is a big part of the team now and is riding everything when he is available,” said Greatrex.
“It works well him being second jockey to Nicky (Henderson) and first jockey to us. He is a huge asset and to have him on board on Saturday would be huge.
“If I go to Wetherby, there are a lot more meetings on Boxing Day and the chances of James being able to ride are much less than he would be able to on Saturday, and that is a big factor.”
Nuno Espirito Santo has been appointed Nottingham Forest’s new manager, replacing Steve Cooper, on a two-and-a-half-year contract.
Here, the PA news agency looks at what we might expect at the City Ground under the former Wolves and Tottenham boss.
Squad issues
Nuno likes to work with a small squad. At Wolves he capped it at around 22 players to ensure every member of the team felt like they had a chance of playing.
With Forest’s bloated squad it will be interesting to see how the new manager handles it and whether he feels the need to trim in January.
PR problems
If anyone expects Nuno’s press conferences to lead the headlines they will be mistaken. He did not like doing them at Wolves and was notorious for short answers and quick press conferences.
At Tottenham he held them on Zoom due to Covid regulations but remained cold and detached.
Should things go wrong at Forest, there will be little sympathy in the media.
Gibbs-White reunion
Gibbs-White struggled to get going under Nuno at Wolves and Forest’s record signing must be intrigued about the appointment.
He made 31 appearances in Wolves’ return to the Premier League under Nuno in 2018-19 but then just six in the top flight the following season before undertaking loans at Swansea and Sheffield United.
For Nuno to succeed at Forest he must get the best out of his former midfielder.
White Hart Pain
Nuno was a symptom of the problems at Tottenham when he was appointed, rather than being the sole problem himself.
He only joined after a chaotic recruitment process in 2021 which saw Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Conte, Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso all considered ahead of him.
It was little surprise it did not work and he was dumped after just four months, being replaced by Conte.
Stale or successful?
Nuno helped assemble a fine squad at Wolves, with Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Ruben Neves the core of their success as promotion and European football were achieved at Molineux.
But it ultimately went sour, Nuno went stale and performances became tedious.
Negative football at Tottenham peppered his brief reign and it remains to be seen if he can rediscover his magic touch.
Nottingham Forest have appointed Nuno Espirito Santo as their new head coach.
The Portuguese has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at the City Ground following Tuesday’s sacking of Steve Cooper.
Nuno, who will take charge of Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth, returns to English football following a two-year absence when he left Tottenham after an ill-fated four-month stay.
He has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November and takes over at Forest with the club five points above the relegation zone.
The 49-year-old replaces Cooper, who lost his job after a run of one win in 13 Premier League matches.
Damian Lillard recognised the importance of his accomplishment after reaching 20,000 NBA points in the Milwaukee Bucks' 132-119 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Seven-time All-Star Lillard is the eighth active player to reach the milestone, having followed LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, DeMar DeRozan and Chris Paul in achieving the feat.
There have been 51 players in NBA history who have reached 20,000, with Lillard doing so in his 794th game, making him the 17th fastest to do it, on a night in which he scored a season-high 40 points.
Lillard increased his career point total to 20,034 on Tuesday, while there was also a triple-double for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo had a career-high 16 assists, 14 rebounds and a season-low 11 points for his second triple-double this season, giving the Bucks a fifth straight win and a 14th consecutive triumph at Fiserv Forum.
"I don't want to fake downplay it like it's nothing," Lillard said after the game about hitting 20,000.
"I know it's a big deal. It's a great accomplishment. It's a rare space to be in.
"I look at what led up to it. All of the things that I think of in high school, in college and the doubt that I faced over the course of my career, before the NBA – what I wasn't supposed to be, what I wasn't supposed to accomplish, and just my mentality through all those things.
"Sometimes you don't really see the light at the end of the tunnel. You've just got to have that faith in yourself."
Lillard drained seven 3-pointers in a fantastic performance that saw the Bucks improve to 20-7 for the season, second only to the Boston Celtics (20-6) in the Eastern Conference.
"When you look at Dame, obviously he can shoot the ball," added Bucks coach Adrian Griffin.
"He can stretch the floor. He just puts a lot of pressure on your defense.
"If you bring your bigs up, he can drive around them. He's strong enough and physical enough to finish at the rim. He just has no weaknesses on the offensive end."
The Spurs played without star rookie Victor Wembanyama (ankle) and lost for the 20th time in 21 games.
"I don't think we are expecting it to be long-term or anything," coach Gregg Popovich said about the injury.
Milwaukee is 5-0 on its season-long, six-game homestand that concludes Thursday against Orlando. San Antonio returns to action in Chicago on the same day.
The Republic of Ireland will face Belgium and Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium in March.
The first of the two friendlies will see Belgium visit Dublin on March 23 for a 5pm kick-off, with Switzerland following three days later at 7.45pm.
Ireland last faced Belgium in a 2-2 draw in March last year, while Switzerland will play a match in Dublin for the first time since a 1-1 draw in September 2019 in a European Championship qualifier.
Ireland are currently without a manager after Stephen Kenny’s contract was not renewed following the end of a disappointing Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
They finished fourth in Group B, with their only points coming from two victories against Gibraltar.
Ireland will also play a friendly double-header in June, with the opposition to be announced at a later date, before the start of the Nations League in September.
Fulham head coach Marco Silva heaped praise on “special” Tosin Adarabioyo after the defender scored the winning penalty which secured the club a place in their first League Cup semi-final.
The 26-year-old was making only his sixth appearance of the season in the Carabao Cup tie at Everton, which the Cottagers won 7-6 in a shoot-out after the game finished 1-1, due to groin surgery in the summer.
But Silva said the centre-back had already made a difference since he returned late last month.
“He is a key player for us. He is one of the leaders in our dressing room and we need these guys to step in in the right moments and he did it,” he said.
“We missed him a lot, we missed him because he didn’t play the first three months of the season. Tosin is a special player for us, I can’t hide that situation.
“The way he can defend the box but also on the ball he is a special player for me, the way I want to play, the way he can build (from the back).
“For three months we missed him but he has just played the last four or five games and he is getting better and better.
“A great performance from him against Everton and to be able to take the last decision to be deciding the game he deserves all the credit.”
Having guided the team to last season’s FA Cup quarter-finals, where they lost at Manchester United after controversially being reduced to nine men by the dismissals of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Willian – Silva himself was also red-carded – the Fulham boss insists he does not need progress in cup competitions to tell him how well the side are doing.
“I don’t need it really but it shows the players we are in the right direction,” he added.
“My ambition is always more and more and more. It doesn’t matter about the past of the club.
“Last season we achieved the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and there was so much more in the game at Old Trafford.
“We are in a very good moment even though we lost the last (league) game against Newcastle.
“We have been approaching this competition as we approach a Premier League game. I rotated some players but even so we were able to go through the competition.”
What the papers say
Suitors of Brentford’s in-demand striker Ivan Toney have reportedly been warned they will need to pay at least £100,000,000 for his services. The Sun, citing Talksport, says the Bees would want a nine-figure fee for the 27-year-old. Arsenal and Chelsea are both believed to be considering a move for Toney, who returns from a betting ban next month.
The Manchester Evening News reports Preston are interested in a loan move for Manchester United midfielder Dan Gore. Despite the 19-year-old only making one appearance for the first team, North End bosses are interested in bringing him in to help the club chase a play-off place.
Tottenham are monitoring Genoa centre-back Radu Dragusin, according to The Telegraph. The 21-year-old is expected to cost £26m, should he move in the January transfer window.
And the paper also says Newcastle have opened talks with 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley over signing a long-term deal once he turns 18.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Sergio Reguilon: Bild reports the Tottenham defender – on loan at Manchester United – is wanted by Borussia Dortmund.
Mauro Icardi: Real Madrid are set to make a move for the Galatasaray striker, according to Marca.
Petra Kvitova said she was “shaken” and “fortunate to be alive” after a knife attack in her apartment, on this day in 2016.
The two-time Wimbledon champion was confronted by an intruder posing as a utilities man seeking to read a meter, holding a knife to her throat and injuring her racket-holding hand in the attack.
“I am shaken, but fortunate to be alive,” the Czech player wrote on social media.
“The injury is severe and I will need to see specialists, but if you know anything about me I am strong and I will fight this.”
At a press conference three days later, Kvitova revealed she had undergone surgery lasting nearly four hours after tendons in all four of her fingers and thumb were damaged as well as two nerves.
Having initially targeted a return for Wimbledon, Kvitova made her return to competitive action ahead of schedule at the French Open in 2017 and reached a grand slam final at the Australian Open two years later.
Although she fell to defeat against Naomi Osaka in the 2019 final, Kvitova put the loss into perspective post-match.
She said: “To my team, thank you for everything. But mostly thank you for sticking with me even though we didn’t know if I would be able to hold the racket again. For supporting me and staying positive for me, which I really needed.”
In 2019, Czech man Radim Zondra was charged and sentenced to eight years in prison, with the sentence increasing to 11 years on appeal.
Kvitova is currently ranked 14th in the world and won the Miami Open in April earlier this year.
Ja Morant scored 34 points in his season debut, including a spinning dribble in the lane to set up a game-winning floater as time expired, to lift the Memphis Grizzlies to a 115-113 victory Tuesday over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Morant didn’t look rusty in his return, shooting 12 of 24 from the field with eight assists and six rebounds to help Memphis snap a five-game losing streak.
His point total was the most in NBA history by a player coming back from an absence of at least 25 games.
The Grizzlies went 6-19 during Morant’s suspension for his social media antics with guns.
Jaren Jackson Jr. had 24 points and Desmond Bane added 21 for Memphis.
Brandon Ingram poured in 34 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 22 and 4 rebounds for the Pelicans, who had a four-game winning streak stopped.
Zion Williamson was limited by foul trouble and was limited to 13 points.
Lillard has 40 to power Bucks past Spurs
Damian Lillard scored a season-high 40 points to reach 20,000 and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a triple-double to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their fifth straight win, 132-119 over the San Antonio Spurs.
Lillard increased his career point total to 20,034 to become the 51st player in NBA history – and eighth active player – to accumulate 20,000 points. He is the 17th-fastest player to reach that milestone.
Antetokounmpo had a career-high 16 assists, 14 rebounds and a season-low 11 points for his second triple-double this season and 37th of his career.
Milwaukee is 5-0 on its season-long, six-game homestand that concludes Thursday against Orlando. The Bucks have won 14 straight games at Fiserv Forum for their longest home winning streak since a 20-game run from April 19, 1990-Jan. 8, 1991.
The Spurs played without rookie Victor Wembanyama (sore right ankle) and lost for the 20th time in 21 games.
Warriors outlast Celtics in overtime
Stephen Curry scored 33 points, including seven straight in overtime, and the Golden State Warriors defeated the Celtics, 132-126 to end Boston’s five-game winning streak.
Klay Thompson had 24 points, Jonathan Kuminga added 17 and Trayce Jackson-Davis contributed 10 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists as the Warriors won their third in a row.
Derrick White scored 30 points and Jaylen Brown had 26 points, eight boards and six assists for Boston, which dropped its third straight road game.
Al Horford’s 3-pointer with 36 seconds left in overtime drew the Celtics within 127-126, but Curry drilled a 3 with the shot clock winding down with 12 seconds to play and added a pair of free throws in the closing seconds.
Owen Tippett scored with 1:35 remaining in overtime to lead the surging Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.
Ryan Poeling, who entered with two goals in 25 games this season, had the other two goals and Samuel Ersson stopped 24 shots as the Flyers improved to 7-0-2 in their last nine games.
Philadelphia already has 39 points in 31 games this season after it had 75 all last season and missed the playoffs.
Michael McLeod and Jesper Bratt tallied for New Jersey, which has points in nine of its last 12 games (8-3-1).
Rangers snap Maple Leafs’ point streak
Mika Zibanejad scored two goals and Igor Shesterkin turned aside 31 shots as the New York Rangers ended the Toronto Maple Leafs’ nine-game point streak, 5-2.
Braden Schneider, Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin also had goals to help the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers win their third straight.
Auston Matthews scored two more goals for Toronto, giving him 11 in his last seven games and a league-high 25.
The Leafs had been 6-0-3 in their last nine games.
Marchenko has hat trick as Blue Jackets roll
Kirill Marchenko had a natural hat trick and the Columbus Blue Jackets rolled to a 9-4 rout of the reeling Buffalo Sabres.
Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and two assists for the Blue Jackets, who had the second-highest scoring game in franchise history.
Columbus set the record in a 10-0 win over Montreal on Nov. 4, 2016.
Casey Mittelstadt had three assists as the Sabres dropped to 3-7-1 in their past 11 games. The nine goals were the most allowed by Buffalo since a 10-4 loss to Dallas in March.
Devon Levi was pulled in the second period after allowing four goals on 18 shots and was replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who stopped 11 of 16 shots the rest of the way.
Nottingham Forest look set to turn to former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo as they move on from Steve Cooper.
Cooper was sacked on Tuesday after a run of just one win in 13 Premier League games, which has seen Forest plummet to just five points above the drop zone.
Forest have said an announcement on their next manager will be made in “due course”, but the PA news agency understands Nuno is the preferred candidate to take over at the City Ground and has met with club officials ahead of a possible appointment.
The Portuguese has been out of work since leaving Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad in November. He appears set for a return to the Premier League two years after his sacking from an ill-fated four-month stay at Spurs.
Cooper, 44, has had the support of the Forest fans after taking them from the bottom of the Championship to Premier League survival last season.
It was fan power that saved him from the sack last term but, with another summer of heavy investment from owner Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek businessman has lost patience.
Marinakis said: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest would like to thank Steve for his superb contribution to our football club. His achievement in guiding Forest back to the Premier League will undoubtedly remain an iconic moment in the club’s history.
“We thank Steve for his dedication and commitment during his time with us, as well as the incredible connection he forged with our supporters and the city of Nottingham.
“Steve will always remain a friend of the club and will forever be welcome at the City Ground. We wish him well in his future endeavours.”
Forest host Bournemouth in a crucial Premier League clash on Saturday before festive fixtures against Newcastle and Manchester United.
Phil Salt was taken aback at being overlooked in the Indian Premier League auction but used the snub as motivation to inspire England to a T20 series-levelling victory over the West Indies.
While England team-mates Chris Woakes and Harry Brook saw their bank balances given a healthy top-up after going under the hammer in Dubai on Tuesday, there were no takers for Salt among IPL franchises.
Salt made a couple of fifties in his debut season earlier this year, striking at 163.91 in nine matches for Delhi Capitals, so he was aggrieved to wake up in the Caribbean and find he had attracted no bids.
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But three days on from a match-winning century in Grenada, Salt thumped an England T20 record 119 off 57 balls in Trinidad as the tourists set up a winner-takes-all showdown at the same venue on Thursday.
“It was a confusing morning,” Salt said after England’s 75-run thumping win in the fourth T20. “I expected to be picked up, having gone there last year and done well and after the year that I’ve had.
“I was a bit confused but it can happen. It’s part of a lottery of an auction, it happens in draft processes as well. There’s no bad cricketers on the list at the IPL.
“There’s a few lads in our dressing room who are going to have a very good Christmas and I’m over the moon for them.
“We’re very lucky with what we do. There have been a few things recently that have maybe put it in perspective. I’m just here enjoying my cricket and cracking on.”
As for whether he channelled his frustration at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba to underpin England’s highest ever T20 total of 267 for three, Salt admitted his IPL omission may have played its part.
“It was probably a little bit of it, subconsciously,” he said, before reiterating: “I’m very aware of how lucky I am to be here playing cricket.”
The foundations for England’s gargantuan total were laid by a second successive century partnership between Salt and Jos Buttler, who contributed 55 to a 117-run stand in 9.5 overs before holing out.
Liam Livingstone thumped the last of England’s 20 sixes – equalling their record in T20s – with half of them coming from Salt, who is the first man from the country to make more than one ton in the format.
Salt opens the batting for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast and for Manchester Originals in The Hundred alongside England captain Buttler, who apparently keeps his junior partner in check.
“When we’re in the middle, it’s more getting me back in my box,” Salt said. “It’s either ‘you’re doing really well’ or ‘drop it down a gear’.
“We’ve had some good conversations away from the game, we’ve enjoyed spending time around each other as a group so we’re going nicely.”
The Windies were left with not much choice but to hit the ground running from ball one and while they themselves collected 14 sixes of their own, they were all out for 192 in 15.3 overs.
Reece Topley claimed three for 37 while there were a couple of wickets apiece for Sam Curran and Rehan Ahmed and one each for Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid as England levelled the series at 2-2.
“The boys have really pulled together and shown what a good team we are,” Salt added. “To win back-to-back games and force the decider in a couple of days’ time, I’m chuffed.”
Borja Mayoral scored an injury-time penalty as Getafe claimed a dramatic 3-3 draw at 10-man Atletico Madrid.
The home side saw Stefan Savic dismissed after 37 minutes before taking the lead on the stroke of half-time through Antoine Griezmann’s close-range finish.
Mayoral pulled one back for the visitors eight minutes into the second half – after Mason Greenwood’s shot was saved – but Alvaro Morata put Atletico back in the lead.
Griezmann then scored his second of the night from the penalty spot – drawing level with Atletico’s record scorer Luis Aragones on 173 strikes – to hand his side a two-goal advantage.
The hosts looked to be on course to take all three points, but Oscar Rodriguez handed Getafe a lifeline when he netted with three minutes of normal time remaining before Mayoral salvaged a remarkable point from the spot in the third minute of injury time.
Former Watford manager Quique Sanchez Flores began his tenure as Sevilla manager with a 3-0 win at Granada.
Flores became Sevilla’s third manager of the season on Monday and goals from Adria Pedrosa, Lucas Ocampos and Sergio Ramos handed him a comfortable win.
In the night’s other La Liga fixture, Sergi Canos scored the only goal of the game as Valenica recorded a 1-0 victory at Rayo Vallecano.
In the Bundesliga, Borussia Dortmund could manage only a 1-1 draw with Mainz leaving them 12 points behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen.
Julian Brandt netted a fine free-kick to hand the hosts the lead after 29 minutes, but Sepp van den Berg headed home shortly before the interval to deny Edin Terzic’s side three points.
The result leaves Dortmund without a win in their last six appearances in all competitions.
RB Leipzig missed an opportunity to draw level with second-placed Bayern Munich following a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen.
Lois Openda opened the scoring for the visitors just after half-time, but Justin Njinmah’s superb equaliser left rescued a point for Bremen.
Elsewhere, Tim Skarke scored twice as Darmstadt came from behind on three occasions to secure a 3-3 draw at Hoffenheim.
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