Luca Brecel withstood a stirring fightback from Mark Selby to clinch a dramatic 18-15 victory and become the first player from mainland Europe to win the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.
Five previous visits to the famous venue had yielded no success for Brecel but, having clawed back outlandish deficits to sink both Ronnie O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui in the previous rounds, he switched roles to fend off a late surge by the four-time champion.
Resuming 9-8 in front after a first day whose headlines were hogged by Selby’s historic maximum break, Brecel blasted four centuries in a blistering penultimate session to severely test his opponent’s storied reputation for triumphing against the odds.
Brecel proceeded to extend his lead to 16-10 but watched in increasing exasperation as Selby clawed back five in a row to threaten a dramatic finale before the Belgian edged one frame closer and then got over the line in style with his fifth century of the match.
His victory made the 28-year-old the youngest winner since Shaun Murphy in 2005 and capped a remarkable if belated ascent from Brecel, whose outrageous promise as a junior had threatened to evaporate in a relatively frustrating few years on the professional circuit.
And it was all the more remarkable in the context of Brecel’s claims that he had come into the tournament – and squeezed past Ricky Walden in a final-frame decider in the opening round – fuelled by games of darts and drinking binges.
Such a refreshing approach, combined with an exhilarating intent to take on almost every conceivable pot, made him an instant favourite among Crucible fans and sabotaged the attritional approach with which Selby has won down so many of his previous opponents.
If Selby, two of whose previous title wins had entailed recovering from greater deficits than the four frames by which he twice trailed on the opening day, will have been undaunted after Sunday’s opening session, Monday’s resumption appeared to put hopes of a fifth title in stark perspective.
Brecel looked simply devastating, firing three centuries in the first four frames of the day to fashion a 13-9 lead before the mid-session interval gave the favourite some respite from the avalanche of potting that had come his way.
The four-time champion looked distinctly out of sorts, cueing up many of Brecel’s chances by leaving reds dangling desperately over corner pockets, but no-one would have expected anything less than one of his trademark fightbacks.
Just as he dredged his way back to win previous finals over Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby launched his assault straight after the interval, winning two in a row, including a potentially pivotal 23rd frame after a lengthy safety battle.
Yet where other opponents might have felt the pressure, Brecel was unfazed, and he duly returned to the table to sink an audacious opening red before proceeding to clear the balls for his nerveless fourth century of the session.
Arguably Brecel’s most impressive frame was yet to come, as he wiped out Selby’s carefully constructed 40-point lead off the back of another long red, his own pressure-filled break of 40 every bit as rewarding as his earlier hundreds.
Brecel continued his potting exploits when he took the first frame of the final session with a break of 67 to move two frames from victory at 16-10.
Inevitably, however, Selby stirred. He launched his improbable fightback with a break of 78 before slugging his way through a long and scrappy frame to bring Brecel back within four frames at 16-12.
These were worrying times for the Belgian, whose long potting percentage was beginning to nosedive, and Selby ruthlessly converted his opportunities by taking the next three frames including his third century of the final.
Brecel had not potted a ball for an hour, and when he missed another rash attempt at a long red early in the next frame he returned to his seat with a wry smile, seemingly resigned to the increasing futility of trying to keep Selby at bay.
But having battled back to the brink of parity, there was one more dramatic momentum shift in the 32nd frame when Selby missed a simple black, allowing Brecel to stop the rot, before a brilliant knock of 112 got him over the line.
Alex Iwobi rescued a point for Everton in a pulsating 2-2 draw at drop rivals Leicester.
The forward capitalised on Jordan Pickford’s crucial penalty save when he stopped James Maddison making it 3-1 just before the break.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s spot-kick opened the scoring, his first goal since October, before it was cancelled out by Caglar Soyuncu.
Jamie Vardy’s goal sent Leicester ahead and Maddison missed the chance to put the hosts in control, with Iwobi levelling soon after the re-start.
Everton also lost captain Seamus Coleman to a serious injury to further add to their problems.
Realistically, a point did little to aid either side’s Premier League survival hopes in the short-term, although it did lift Leicester out of the bottom three on goal difference. Everton remain second bottom, a point from safety, with four games left.
May 2 marks the seventh anniversary of the Foxes’ Premier League triumph in 2016.
Five days later, basking in the glory, Leicester battered a disinterested Everton 3-1 before lifting the title to complete their fairy tale.
Andrea Bocelli had already sung an emotive Nessun Dorma and the Toffees had given the hosts a guard of honour at an electric King Power Stadium.
Fast-forward and after two fifth-place finishes, FA Cup win, a Champions League quarter-final and a Europa Conference League semi-final, the class of 2023 faced a different game against the visitors.
Everton, protecting a top-flight status which stretched back to 1954, were winless in their previous six outings.
Sean Dyche’s impact, which earned two wins from his opening three games, has waned and just one further victory since has left the Toffees staring into the abyss.
If there were any nerves, the visitors hid them well and only Daniel Iversen’s fabulous save denied Iwobi an opener following Abdoulaye Doucoure’s driving run.
Maddison’s tame shot was gathered by Pickford in a rare Leicester attack before the Toffees grabbed a deserved 15th-minute lead.
It was a gift from the hosts, though, as Timothy Castagne’s moment of madness saw him unnecessarily barge Calvert-Lewin over in the box.
The striker kept his composure from the spot to score just his second goal of an injury-ravaged season.
Leicester boss Dean Smith had criticised the schedule which, starting against Everton, will see the Foxes play four Monday night games – after all their rivals.
But defeats for Leeds and Nottingham Forest had given them the platform to escape the bottom three, one they were in danger of losing until levelling out of the blue after 22 minutes.
Maddison’s free-kick was only half-cleared and Wout Faes nodded back Harvey Barnes’ cross for Soyuncu to turn in from 10 yards – his first goal for the Foxes since October 2021.
It changed the direction of the game as Leicester found their rhythm to go ahead after 33 minutes.
As much as the Foxes had found theirs, Everton had lost any composure and Iwobi’s poor pass was intercepted by Youri Tielemans for Maddison to find Vardy.
The striker dashed clear of Michael Keane to round Pickford and score. It is the first time in a year he has scored in successive games.
It sparked a madcap finish to the half and only Iversen’s fine stop from Dwight McNeil kept the hosts ahead.
Leicester survived again when Calvert-Lewin could only direct McNeil’s ball at Iversen from two yards – with Soyuncu’s touch on the cross denying the striker a simple tap-in.
Leicester immediately broke and Vardy bamboozled Keane only to chip onto the bar from eight yards.
The Toffees then lost their skipper when Coleman was carried off with a serious injury after Boubakary Soumare’s strong but innocuous challenge.
It almost got worse when Keane handled Barnes’ cross in the box but Pickford stood up to save Maddison’s poor penalty. The notes for Maddison’s penalty technique on the goalkeeper’s water bottle said ‘stay’.
It was a lifeline Everton grabbed as they levelled nine minutes after the re-start.
Iversen had already saved from Calvert-Lewin but he was powerless to stop Iwobi from drilling in after Faes had touched on McNeil’s delivery.
Parity restored, the game continued at a relentless pace with James Tarkowski blocking Vardy’s goal-bound header.
A frantic finish then saw Iversen turn Doucoure’s drive wide to preserve a result neither side really wanted.
Warren Gatland has revealed Wyn Jones’ shock omission from his preliminary World Cup training squad was down to Wales seeking greater front-row mobility.
Jones has gone from British and Irish Test Lion to Wales outcast in under two years, with Gatland suggesting that the Scarlets prop is a victim of the changing nature of international rugby.
The 31-year-old Jones – who started the Lions’ Test decider against South Africa in August 2021 – failed to make Gatland’s preliminary 54-man squad, with Cardiff’s uncapped Corey Domachowski among the preferred options at loosehead.
“There is no doubt he has had some injuries,” Wales head coach Gatland said of the 48-times capped Jones.
“Leading up to 2021 he was in outstanding form and playing well, we are just looking for some competition and a little bit more mobility in that position.
“We are looking for guys winning collisions and having that work-rate around the field we think is important at this level.
“There is no doubt the game has changed. The number of scrums is nowhere near as many as they used to be so you need to have a front five, particularly front rowers, that can scrummage but can get around the park.
“They have got to contribute a huge amount in terms of their mobility.
“That’s a big part we need to improve and was an area that when we reflected back and reviewed the Six Nations was probably our biggest work on in terms of moving forward.”
Seven-cap England tighthead prop Henry Thomas, who plays for France’s Top 14 champions Montpellier, was the surprise inclusion in a squad to be cut to 33 ahead of the World Cup in September.
Thomas, who has played for Sale and Bath in the Gallagher Premiership, was last capped by England in 2014 and has served World Rugby’s stand down period of three years to represent another country.
Fellow forwards Cory Hill, currently playing in Japan, and Will Rowlands were named in a squad featuring 10 uncapped players.
Rowlands is two appearances short of meeting Wales’ 25-cap criteria for those playing outside the country, something which does not affect Thomas as he is currently under contract at Montpellier.
The second-row forward is leaving Dragons for Paris-based Racing 92 next season, but Wales have three Tests before the World Cup in August. Rowlands’ registration will remain in Wales during the summer.
Exeter-bound centre Joe Hawkins, who has won five caps since making his debut in November, is ineligible, however, following his move from Ospreys.
Wales’ World Cup pool consists of Australia, Fiji, Georgia and Portugal, and Gatland expects improved fitness levels after a disappointing Six Nations campaign that brought only one win against Italy.
He said: “We were reasonable but not anywhere near as good as we were in the past. That’s something we pride ourselves on in terms of playing for 80 minutes and not going away.
“You’ve seen that in the past and it’s something I’ll definitely be focusing on.”
Jamaica’s Women’s champion Tahlia Richardson, despite not making it past the quarter-finals in any of her events at the recent XXIV Yonex Pan American Individual Championships at the GC Foster College in her home country, remains positive and grateful for the experience.
Richardson, who played in mixed doubles, women's doubles, and singles events, faced tough competition from players around the world. Speaking about her mixed doubles match with partner Samuel Ricketts, where they lost to Canada’s Joshua Hurlburt-Yu and Rachel Honderich, Richardson said, "It was a good match. We don't usually get to play people of that calibre; these people are playing in England and on the other side of the world. There were some things we could have capitalized on more."
While disappointed with not progressing further in the tournament, Richardson remains grateful for the opportunity to compete against top players and is looking forward to continuing to grow as a player. "I am not too disappointed because I see where I have grown, especially from previous games just in this tournament so I am really grateful that we were able to play and get to the quarter-final match where we showed that we were able to play these top countries and in few months’ time we will be able to compete against them better," she added.
In the opening round of mixed doubles, Richardson and Ricketts beat the third seed, Johnathan Solis and Diana Corleto Soto, in a closely contested match. Richardson said, "For Mixed Doubles we drew the third seed that was a pretty tough match that went to three sets but it showed what we were capable of doing. Our second round against Mexico was easier than the third seed that we had played, so we were pretty confident going into play the quarter-finals. Sometimes players are better and they were better than us."
In singles, Richardson made it to the second round before losing to Mexico's Vanessa Maricela Garcia Contreras. Despite the loss, she remains pleased with her game play and sees areas for improvement. "I have seen my growth but my legs need to get stronger so I need to work on that. I am not disappointed in my game play because based on what my coaches were telling me tactically I was playing well so I am pleased with that I am able to absorb the information that my coaches give me," she explained.
In women's doubles, Richardson and partner Kathryn Wynter lost to Fatima Beatriz Centeno Fuentes and Daniela Hernandez in a closely contested match. Reflecting on the game, Richardson said, "For the Women’s doubles, it was a winnable match but I didn’t step into the role that I need to play and I didn’t realize that until I reflected on the match and seeing that where my strength is and where my partner Kathryn Wynter’s strengths are."
Overall, Richardson remains optimistic about her future as a badminton player and is looking forward to continuing to work on her weaknesses to improve her game.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has promised seven-times capped England prop Henry Thomas will “bring something different” to their preliminary World Cup training squad.
Montpellier tighthead Thomas, who has played for Sale and Bath in the Gallagher Premiership, was capped by England between 2013 and 2014 and has served World Rugby’s stand down period of three years to represent another country.
Thomas, 31, was the major selection surprise in Gatland’s 54-man training squad, which will be cut to 33 for the World Cup in France this September.
Scarlets loose head prop Wyn Jones – a British and Irish Lion in 2021 – and Exeter-bound Ospreys centre Joe Hawkins were notable absentees.
“He was involved last year with Montpellier winning the league and we think his experience will bring something different,” Gatland said of the Kingston upon Thames-born Thomas, who qualifies through his Welsh father.
“Jonathan Humphries (forwards coach) reached out and had a conversation with him about being potentially available.
“He was at Sale a number of years ago, they saw him as the big thing and had a lot of time at Bath before moving onto Montpellier.
“You’ve got to be pretty tough to play up front in France given how big some of the forwards are there.
“You’ve got to bring a physical element and be strong at the set-piece. He has also got some good ball-carrying ability and is pretty mobile getting around the park.
“We think he will give us some competition in the front row. He’s been around, so he will hopefully come in and make an impression.”
Jones was omitted from the World Cup less than two years after playing for the Lions in South Africa, while the five-times capped Hawkins has fallen foul of the Welsh Rugby Union’s 25-cap policy following his move to Devon.
Players who play outside Wales must have 25 caps to represent their country, the number having been reduced from 60 in February.
Thomas is not caught under the rule as he has yet to play for Wales, but he would have to return to play in the country after his current Montpellier deal expires should he be capped in the meantime.
On Hawkins’ exclusion, Gatland said: “He’s made his decision to go to Exeter and I’ve spoken to him two or three times.
“We told him he was a big part of our future and definitely in the 23, either in the midfield or at 10.
“We are disappointed that he’s made that decision. He feels at the moment that going to play club rugby in England will be good for his development.
“He felt that he was potentially undervalued a little bit. He’s been offered a pretty significant deal and he’s made that decision to move on.
“I’ve got to respect that decision but, from a coaching perspective, we’re disappointed to lose someone of his potential and his talent at least for the next few years.”
Dragons forward Will Rowlands, who has agreed to join French club Racing 92 next season, has been included despite having only 23 caps to his name.
Rowlands’ registration will remain in Wales during the summer and Gatland’s side have three World Cup warm-up games in August that could take him to the threshold required.
“The PRB (Professional Rugby Board) have said that Will Rowlands is eligible,” Gatland said.
“He’s still with the Dragons until the end of the year. He might get a couple more games which would make him eligible from the point of the 25-cap rule.”
Ten uncapped players have been named in the squad, among them Cardiff prop Corey Domachowski, who is preferred to Jones.
Veterans include Alun Wyn Jones – who is set to play at his fifth World Cup – Taulupe Faletau, George North and Leigh Halfpenny, who has 99 caps and was released by the Scarlets at the end of the season.
Hooker Ken Owens led Wales in this season’s Guinness Six Nations Championship, but Gatland has not named a World Cup captain at this stage.
Luca Brecel rendered Mark Selby’s maximum a distant memory as he fired four centuries to fashion a 15-10 lead after a high-quality penultimate session of their World Snooker Championship final at the Crucible.
Looking utterly undaunted by the biggest occasion of his career, the 28-year-old Belgian moved just three frames away from becoming the first winner of the title from mainland Europe, and the first overseas winner since Neil Robertson in 2010.
Selby had entered the session on a high after Sunday evening’s stunning 147 but it was Brecel who rose to the occasion, blasting three of those hundred breaks in the first four frames as he turned his 9-8 overnight lead into a 13-8 advantage.
The four-time champion looked distinctly out of sorts, cueing up many of Brecel’s chances by leaving reds dangling desperately over corner pockets, but no-one would have expected anything less than one of his trademark stirring fightbacks.
Just as he dredged his way back to win previous finals over Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby launched his assault straight after the interval, despite some sterling resistance from Brecel who reclaimed the majority of a 68-point deficit.
Selby also took what felt like a pivotal 23rd frame, as he clawed back from 41 points behind and got the better of a lengthy safety battle on the last red to reduce the deficit once again to 13-10.
But if there ever was a sign that Brecel was unfazed it came in the next frame when the Belgian built on a brilliant opening red to serve up his fourth century of the session, a nerveless 119, to restore his four-frame advantage.
For all his centuries, it was arguably Brecel’s brilliant clearance to pink in the final frame of the session that was most impressive, as he wiped out Selby’s 40-point lead to move three frames away from claiming his maiden crown.
Wales have omitted Joe Hawkins from their preliminary World Cup training squad.
Ospreys centre Hawkins has been capped five times since making his international debut last November, but doubts were cast over the 20-year-old’s eligibility following his decision to join Exeter next season.
Hawkins falls short of the 25-cap clause for players plying their trade outside Wales, and the Welsh Rugby Union had to decide whether he signed a contract with Exeter prior to making his debut.
If he had done, Hawkins would still be eligible for international rugby because he was an uncapped player.
Forward Will Rowlands has been named in a 54-player strong training squad for this autumn’s event in France.
Rowlands, who will leave the Dragons for Paris-based Racing 92 in December, has won 23 caps and could reach the qualifying mark in pre-World Cup friendlies against England and South Africa.
There was no room for Scarlets prop Wyn Jones, who was part of the British and Irish Lions squad in 2021, while Ospreys centre Owen Watkin also misses out.
Ten uncapped players have been named in the squad, including Montpellier prop Henry Thomas who won seven caps for England, with his last appearance coming in 2014.
Cory Hill has also been called up following the recent change in the selection criteria on exiled players.
The 31-year-old – who can play at lock or blindside – earned his last Wales cap in 2021 and currently plies his trade for the Yokohama Canon Eagles in Japan.
Leigh Halfpenny, who is due to leave Scarlets at the end of the season, is named in the squad alongside Gareth Anscombe, who missed the Six Nations through injury.
Anscombe faces competition at outside-half from Dan Biggar and Owen Williams, while Sam Costelow has also been named.
Wales will start their World Cup campaign against Fiji in Bordeaux on September 10, with their pool also consisting of Australia, Georgia and Portugal.
Wales’ preliminary training squad for the 2023 Rugby World Cup
Forwards: Rhys Carre, Corey Domachowski, Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith, Gareth Thomas, Eliott Dee, Ryan Elias, Dewi Lake, Ken Owens, Keiron Assiratti, Tomas Francis, Will Davies-King, Dillon Lewis, Henry Thomas, Adam Beard, Ben Carter, Rhys Davies, Cory Hill, Dafydd Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Will Rowlands, Christ Tshiunza, Teddy Williams, Taine Basham, Taulupe Faletau, Dan Lydiate, Josh Macleod, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright.
Backs: Gareth Davies, Kieran Hardy, Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Gareth Anscombe, Dan Biggar, Sam Costelow, Owen Williams, Mason Grady, Max Llewellyn, George North, Joe Roberts, Nick Tompkins, Johnny Williams, Keiran Williams, Josh Adams, Alex Cuthbert, Rio Dyer, Cai Evans, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit, Tom Rogers, Liam Williams.
Significant shocks and sensational upstarts scattered the 2023 World Snooker Championship.
Early defeats for the likes of in-form Shaun Murphy and Judd Trump blasted open the seedings while up-and-comers Luca Brecel and Si Jiahui came of age.
Here the PA news agency casts an eye over the highlights from another unforgettable fortnight-and-a-bit at the Crucible.
Luca trooper
A superstar prospect who seemed destined not to fill his enormous early potential, Brecel has finally hurled himself among the elite. With a swashbuckling style that evokes former Crucible greats like Alex Higgins and Jimmy White, Brecel won the hearts of the Sheffield crowd and hinted at many more years in title contention.
The Chinese are (still) coming
Out of the dark cloud of the match-fixing scandal that snared 10 of their compatriots emerged a new generation of Chinese talent, spearheaded by the extraordinary Si Jiahui. His run to the last four will remain an abiding memory of this tournament and as one of four first-time Chinese qualifiers, the future of the sport in the east is evidently in good hands.
Long gone
While the rest of the circuit bows to TV pressure for shorter-form affairs, the 2023 tournament served as a reminder of what makes the marathon format so special. Brecel’s epic comebacks against Si and Ronnie O’Sullivan, and the extraordinary endurance shown by Mark Selby and Mark Allen in their early-hours semi-final, underscored what makes the Crucible unique.
Home discomfort
With the glowing exception of Jak Jones, the single homegrown debutant who soared all the way to the quarter-finals, there are few signs of the next generation of rising British talent. Jack Lisowski once again came up spectacularly short, and besides Jones, first-round loser Elliot Slessor was the only other Briton in the draw aged under 30.
Class dismissed?
The fabled ‘Class of 92′ once again had their moments, but the manner of their eventual defeats hinted that their time as multiple title winners may finally be nearing an end. O’Sullivan admitted he had no answer to Brecel’s seven-frame streak in the last eight, while John Higgins’ stellar run was shattered in his own quarter-final loss to Selby.
Manchester City took a step closer to a third straight Premier League title as they beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage to move top of the table.
Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead against Tottenham after just 15 minutes at Anfield, but needed a stoppage-time winner from Diogo Jota after the visitors had got back on level terms moments earlier through Richarlison.
Away from football, Mark Selby made the first maximum break of 147 in a World Snooker Championship final, while Sergio Perez beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best images from the weekend’s sporting action.
Tony Finau claimed his sixth PGA Tour title and fifth in the last 20 months with a highly impressive victory in the Mexico Open.
A year after finishing runner-up to Jon Rahm at Vidanta Vallarta, Finau reversed those positions thanks to a flawless closing 66.
At 24 under par, Finau finished three shots clear of world number one Rahm, with Brandon Wu – who was joint second with Finau 12 months ago – two strokes further back in third.
“It feels amazing,” Finau told CBS. “Rahmbo’s the best, he’s on top of the world right now.
“I knew I was going to have my hands full with him all the way till the end and I didn’t know this golf tournament was mine until I just hit this green (the 18th) here.
“It’s crazy how this game is, you never think you have a tournament won until it’s over so it feels great and we’re going to enjoy this one with my family.”
Rahm, who had carded a course record of 61 in round three, was chasing a fifth win of the year and the Masters champion kept his outside chance alive with a fourth birdie of the day on the 15th, only to bogey the 17th after his tee shot plugged in the bank of a greenside bunker.
Finau began the day with a two-shot lead and immediately extended it with a birdie on the first, but was caught at the top of the leaderboard when Wu followed two early birdies with an eagle on the sixth and another birdie on the next.
However, Finau responded with a birdie of his own on the short seventh and Wu’s chances effectively disappeared when he drove into the water on the 10th to run up a double bogey.
Finau birdied the 11th and 14th to give himself some welcome breathing space and parred the last four holes to round off a brilliant week.
Mark Selby made the first maximum break in a World Snooker Championship final as he reeled off the final three frames of an exhilarating opening day to trail Belgium’s Luca Brecel 9-8 overnight at the Crucible.
Forty years after Cliff Thorburn compiled the first 147 in the tournament, four-time champion Selby polished off the 15th to add his name to the list of history-makers at the famous venue.
Selby’s maximum earned him a share of the £40,000 tournament highest break prize with Kyren Wilson, who also made a 147 in his first-round win over Ryan Day.
His achievement capped an absorbing first two sessions in which Brecel threatened to pot his way into a significant lead only for the 39-year-old to show all of his renowned tenacity to drag himself back into contention ahead of Monday’s conclusion.
Twice previously in finals, against Ronnie O’Sullivan and John Higgins, Selby has trailed heavily only to roar back and clinch victory and he is now a heavy favourite to finish the job against Brecel, who before this year had not won a match in five visits to the Crucible.
Having carved a reputation as a comeback king after his wins over O’Sullivan and Si Jiahui, the Belgian found himself in uncharted territory as a front-runner after blazing a trail with some epic long pots to take the first session 6-2.
Breaks of 77 and 90 helped him punish Selby, who uncharacteristically missed an easy brown and two blacks off their spots and was seemingly suffering after his early-hours semi-final win over Mark Allen the previous night.
In a thrilling start to the evening session, Selby summoned a 134 total clearance only for Brecel to respond with a high-octane 99, including a series of trick-shots on the colours, to immediately restore his four-frame advantage.
But Brecel’s potting prowess was matched by a growing tendency to miss easy balls, and after potting a series of impressive long shots in the next he missed a comparatively easy red, allowing Selby to post a break of 96 to narrow the deficit to 7-4.
Another missed opportunity enabled Selby to recover Brecel’s 42-point head-start and win frame 12, but the Belgian responded well with breaks of 72 and 67 after the mid-session interval to pull 9-5 in front.
It was classic Selby territory, however, and he punished a careless Brecel split with a break of 61 before summoning his historic maximum, completed with the minimum of fuss after plucking the final problematic red away from the side cushion.
Referee Brendan Moore, officiating in his third and last Crucible final before retirement, was the first to congratulate Selby, who was also embraced warmly by a smiling Brecel.
The Belgian looked set to extend his overnight advantage when he went 48 points clear in the final frame of the evening but Selby typically managed to refocus and take the frame to leave a thrilling 2023 final on a knife-edge.
Dave Chisnall’s hot run of form on the European Tour continued as he won the Dutch Darts Championship in Leeuwarden.
Chisnall beat Luke Humphries 8-5 in Sunday night’s final to claim his second title of the year following his success in Germany in February.
The 39-year-old outplayed Humphries, who won four titles on last year’s European Tour, in the showpiece, peppering seven 180s and averaging 99.89.
He had to do it the hard way as well as he overcame home favourite Michael van Gerwen in a dramatic semi-final.
Chisnall, having beaten up-and-coming star Josh Rock and two-time world champion Peter Wright earlier in the day, disappointed a partisan crowd after sealing a final-set decider by taking out his seventh match dart – finishing in the ‘madhouse’ double one – with Van Gerwen missing three of his own.
Wright had earlier won a thrilling contest with defending champion Michael Smith, where the pair renewed their rivalry from Thursday night’s feisty Premier League match in Leeds.
Jack Dempsey has hailed head coach Franco Smith’s impact on Glasgow after the Warriors reached their first European final.
With the season well and truly at its business-end, Glasgow are also chasing United Rugby Championship honours and face a play-off clash against Munster at Scotstoun next Saturday.
And their trophy double bid underlines the effect South African Smith has had during his first season in charge.
“Since day one when Franco came in, there has been something kind of growing,” Glasgow and Scotland back-row forward Dempsey said.
“And whether you are an amateur player or a professional player or whatever it is, that is something which hits you.
“Franco has got plaudits for various things, but the biggest thing was building that depth so that there were opportunities for guys like Matt Fagerson and myself to be managed correctly.
“There are no real excuses. We are just rolling now and picking ourselves up week to week.
“Franco is smart around the training loads as well, and he knows that going into these big games that we are not going to get heaps fitter at this stage of the season by working really hard.
“It is too late for that. At the end of the season, you are either fit or you’re not, so he is managing us well.”
Glasgow have emulated Edinburgh eight years ago in booking a Challenge Cup final place – the Warriors will head to Dublin on May 19 – but they were pushed all the way by the Scarlets in Llanelli.
The home side, roared on by a 13,000 crowd – their biggest home attendance since they knocked La Rochelle out of the Champions Cup in 2018 – led 14-7 at half-time.
Bur Glasgow dug deep, scoring 28 points after the break and claiming a 35-17 victory as centre Stafford McDowall scored two tries, while scrum-half George Horne, flanker Rory Darge and replacement hooker Johnny Matthews also touched down.
Dempsey added: “There have been ups and downs, but this is something I think we deserve because of the way everyone has worked for each other.
“To get that result, in a pretty hostile environment, it just adds another layer to the story.
“That’s what the whole point is of getting experience on big stages – you never know what is going to be thrown at you – and I think the second half showed what we are made of.
“We could easily have folded, gone into our shell and blamed it on a learning experience and had a look to next year, but we dug deep and went back to what makes us a great team, and we pulled it out in the end.
“We have been comfortable the last three or four weeks when we’ve had all home games, so the curve ball this week was the hostile environment when you can’t hear your own lineout calls, for example, and it makes it challenging in other ways.
“You take confidence in the fact that you haven’t lost in a while, but I think the game was a bit of a shock to the system and a wake-up call for the boys to see that in big moments this is what it takes.
“We saw that it can slip through your fingers when we went 14-7 down, and there is a price to pay if you are not switched on.”
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz made light work of Grigor Dimitrov to cruise into the last 16 of the Madrid Open with a straight-sets win on Sunday.
The Spaniard thrilled the home crowd at Caja Magica to reach the fourth round in style with a 6-2 7-5 victory.
Dimitrov lost his serve twice in a ruthless first-set rout and could not mount a comeback despite a spirited attempted recovery against the world number two.
Alcaraz's victory sets up a fascinating fourth-round clash with Alexander Zverev in a repeat of last year's final.
Zverev himself secured fast passage from the third round with a 6-1 6-0 win over Hugo Grenier.
Alcaraz and Zverev are joined in the last 16 by Andrey Rublev and Karen Khachanov after their respective victories against Yoshihito Nishioka and Roberto Bautista Agut.
There is no place for 12th seed Hubert Hurkacz, however, after he fell to a 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 loss against Borna Coric.
World number one Iga Swiatek cruised into the last 16 of the Madrid Open with a straight-sets victory over Bernarda Pera on Sunday.
The three-time grand slam winner conceded the first break of the match three games in, but she responded brilliantly to that setback to wrap up a 6-3 6-2 win within 76 minutes.
Swiatek did not face a second break point in the match as she rediscovered her composure, continuing her French Open preparations as a barrage of big winners proved too much for Pera.
Speaking on court after her win, Swiatek said: "I wouldn't say it was easy. Every match is tricky here.
"I'm happy that I'm getting into my rhythm. Playing against a lefty is never easy, but I'm pretty happy with that. I was disciplined and focused."
It was a day of few shocks in the Spanish capital, as third seed Jessica Pegula saw off a spirited challenge from Marie Bouzkova to emerge with a 6-4 7-6 (7-2) win.
Pegula will face Italy's Martina Trevisan for a quarter-final spot after she claimed a straight-sets win over another American player in Alycia Parks.
Meanwhile, Russian duo Veronika Kudermetova and Daria Kasatkina will meet in the next round after victories against Anastasia Potapova and Lesia Tsurenko respectively.
Harry Kane says Tottenham are a team of “moments” but are not playing as a team after a 4-3 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield.
Seven days on from their 6-1 defeat at Newcastle, where they were 5-0 down after 20 minutes, a repeat looked on the cards as they fell 3-0 behind with only 15 minutes on the clock.
But Kane’s 208th Premier League goal, which puts him joint-second on the all-time list with Wayne Rooney, started the unlikeliest of comebacks which was completed by Richarlison in stoppage time.
However, Diogo Jota scored for Liverpool just 99 seconds later to condemn Spurs to another loss, ending any realistic hope of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, with the Europa League far from certain.
Kane said on Sky Sports: “The table doesn’t lie, where we are doesn’t lie, we have got some fantastic players, we have some fantastic moments, but overall as a team we are not playing well collectively.
“We need to find a way to get through moments when things don’t go our way, we need to find a way of starting games away from home where we are not under the cosh straight away.
“We deserve to be where we are, that is what the league table is there for, we have four games, this one is going to be hard to take but we have a week until the next game, we have to look at it back and try and move on.”
Kane, whose future is certain to come under scrutiny following Spurs’ shambolic end to the season, says actions speak louder than words in terms of how they go about putting an end to their dismal start to games.
“Dreadful start in the first 20 minutes, not the first time it’s happened this season, so we need to start understanding moments better, start understanding big games better,” he said.
“You come away to Anfield, just like you go away to St James’ Park, and the same thing happened.
“Twenty minutes is one game and then the 70-plus five minutes we had chances, they had a lot of the ball but the majority of the chances came to us, we hit the post, and over that period we fully deserved to get back in the game.
“It would have been a really great comeback, but the final 10 seconds it is hard to put into words how that happened and why it happened but we have to try and move on from it.
“Over the course of the season we have shown we can come back in games and to do it here in Anfield shows what we are capable of. But to have the starts we have had, it is hard to put into words, it is hard to talk about.
“There are so many words you can use, the bottom line is you have to go out and prove that to be the case.
“We have conceded a goal in pretty much the first minute in the last three games we have played, it is down to us to go away and find a reason why and find out how we can improve the situation.”
Another pulsating weekend of action in the Premier League saw some of the main issues take more clarity as the season draws to a close.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the key issues in the games from Saturday and Sunday.
Haaland’s half-century as City return to the summitErling Haaland scored his 50th goal of the season as Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League table for the first time in 10 weeks with a 2-1 win at Fulham. The Norwegian star equalled Alan Shearer and Andrew Cole’s record for the most league goals in a season as his early penalty at Craven Cottage was his 34th of a brilliant campaign with more surely to follow. Carlos Vinicius had levelled for Fulham before Julian Alvarez’s goal earned an eighth successive win for City, which saw them go above Arsenal and to the top of the table. It feels slightly ominous and, even though the Gunners can reclaim their place at the summit on Tuesday, few would back against City winning the title from here.
Top four looking locked inView this post on InstagramIt was a big afternoon for Newcastle and Manchester United in their quest to secure Champions League football as both recorded important wins. Newcastle’s brilliant campaign shows absolutely no sign of hitting the rocks as they produced a comeback 3-1 victory over Southampton. It was their eighth win in nine games since their Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United, but they could now finish above Erik ten Hag’s side in the table. United, who are battling a gruelling schedule, overcame in-form Aston Villa to almost certainly book Champions League football next season.
Kane goes level with Rooney in Anfield classicDespite his Tottenham team-mates again collapsing around him, Harry Kane continues on a one-man mission to break Alan Shearer’s Premier League scoring record. His goal for Spurs against Liverpool at Anfield was his 208th league strike, taking him joint second in the all-time list with Wayne Rooney. Kane can be forgiven for wondering whether he really wants to go for Shearer’s record in a Tottenham shirt after another gutless opening to a game. A week after Spurs found themselves 5-0 down after 20 minutes at Newcastle, they were at it again, this time conceding three in the first 15 minutes in an embarrassing showing. They looked like they had put that right with Kane’s goal starting a remarkable comeback that saw Richarlison level in stoppage time. However, seconds after the restart, Diogo Jota made it 4-3 and strengthened Liverpool’s Europa League hopes.
Brighton’s European tour?After a poor defeat at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, it would have been easy to think that Brighton might run out of steam in their quest for a first European qualification. But they showed they are very much still in the race after posting their biggest Premier League win, thumping Wolves 6-0. Doubles from Deniz Undav, Pascal Gross and Danny Welbeck helped the rampant Seagulls put them firmly in the race for Europa League qualification and on this evidence – with games in hand – they could be favourites to finish in fifth position. Brentford could also consider themselves in the mix after they followed up their midweek win at Chelsea with a late turnaround victory over Nottingham Forest.
Saints marching towards the Championship and Leeds could followView this post on InstagramFor the first 50 minutes of their visit to Newcastle, things were looking good as Southampton led and were just three points off safety in the live table. But a second-half capitulation now leaves Saints staring relegation in the face as they are six points adrift with four games to play. The next one is against Forest and defeat could be the final nail in the coffin. It was a damaging weekend for Leeds, who lost 4-1 to Bournemouth and, with tough fixtures between now and the end of the season, look favourites to return to the Championship. Forest’s late defeat at Brentford keeps them firmly in the mix while there is a huge game between Leicester and Everton on Monday.
Harry Kane moved joint-second in the all-time Premier League scoring chart with a goal in Tottenham’s defeat at Liverpool.
Having moved alongside Wayne Rooney on 208, Kane has only record scorer Alan Shearer ahead of him in the years since the top flight’s rebranding.
Here, the PA news agency looks at how he compares.
Kane v RooneyAs with his recently-acquired England scoring record, Kane has hauled in Rooney’s total in far fewer games than it took the former Manchester United and Everton forward.
Rooney scored 208 goals in 491 appearances, including 183 in 393 for United – at the time a record for one club, since beaten by Sergio Aguero’s 184 for Manchester City and then Kane’s Spurs tally.
Kane has played only 315 games since his debut in 2012, all for Spurs except for three scoreless early appearances on loan at Norwich.
Rooney, of course, won five league titles with United, an achievement Kane has not been able to match – though he does have three Golden Boot awards, in 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2020-21. Kane has won seven player of the month awards to Rooney’s five, but Rooney was the Premier League player of the season for 2009-10.
Kane v ShearerKane will need at least two more fit and prolific Premier League seasons to overtake Shearer, but is on course to do so given his impressive scoring rate.
Shearer’s 260 goals came in 441 appearances for Blackburn and Newcastle, a ratio of 0.59 goals per game.
Kane has a superior scoring rate of 0.66 per game, meaning he is on track to match Shearer’s record in his 395th game – either late in 2024-25 or early in the following campaign.
Shearer insists he is “cool with” Kane eventually breaking his record, telling the Premier League website in February when Kane reached 200 goals: “I know how much he wants it – he’s told me – which is fine, because I was exactly the same.
“If he stays fit and stays in this country then he’ll do it. It’s just a matter of when.”
Shearer also won three Golden Boots, in consecutive seasons from 1994-95. That year he also won the league title, with Blackburn, and the player of the season award, while he was named player of the month on four occasions in his career.
Scoring analysisKane holds the accolade of scoring against all 32 opponents he has faced in his Premier League career.
Shearer and Rooney scored against more opponents but also faced more – Shearer played against 39 teams and scored against all but Watford and Birmingham, in two and five appearances respectively, while Rooney netted against 36 of 40 opponents.
He did not score in six games against United – but did so five times in 18 games for them against Everton – with Derby, Blackpool and Huddersfield keeping him at bay in two games each.
Kane’s best tally against one opponent is 18 in 16 games against Leicester, with 15 in 16 against Everton and 14 in 17 north London derbies against Arsenal. He has double figures also against Southampton, West Ham and Crystal Palace.
Rooney scored 15 against Newcastle and hit double figures against seven different opponents. Shearer did so against 12 teams, including 20 in 19 games against Leeds.
Kane has scored in almost half of his Premier League appearances – 153, already only six fewer than Rooney. His total includes a four-goal haul against Leicester in 2017, seven other hat-tricks and 38 doubles.
Shearer’s 11 hat-tricks included five goals in Newcastle’s 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1999. He added 46 doubles, scoring in 190 of his 441 games. Rooney scored 34 doubles and seven hat-tricks, including all four goals in Manchester United’s 4-0 win over Hull in 2010.
Liverpool assumed the role of chief Champions League football challengers as they moved into fifth place after a frankly bizarre late 4-3 win over Tottenham.
A week after conceding five in the opening 21 minutes at Newcastle, history started to repeat itself after another shambolic opening to a game from Spurs, who were 3-0 down inside 15 minutes courtesy of goals from Curtis Jones, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
That the visitors got back on level terms through Harry Kane – equalling Wayne Rooney’s 208 Premier League total – Son Heung-min and Richarlison, in added time, said as much about the home side’s sloppiness when cruising as it did Tottenham’s powers of recovery which had earned them a come-from-behind draw against Manchester United on Thursday.
However, there was one final twist as straight from the kick-off following Richarlison’s equaliser, Diogo Jota scored his fifth goal in four appearances to snatch victory and stay in the race – albeit outsiders – for the top four, seven points behind Manchester United having played one match more.
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