World Cup-winner Martin Johnson resigned from his role as England rugby union team manager on this day in 2011.
Johnson departed following a poor World Cup campaign, which was mired in controversy off the pitch and saw England exit in the quarter-finals in disappointing fashion to France.
Captain for England’s 2003 triumph, Johnson took on the manager role in 2008 despite no previous coaching experience and guided his country to the Six Nations title six months before a World Cup to forget in New Zealand.
England arrived with optimism, but struggled to a 13-9 victory over Argentina in their opener after a late try by Ben Youngs.
A four-point win over Scotland confirmed England’s passage into the last eight, but their luck ran out with another error-strewn display resulting in a 19-12 loss to France in the quarter-finals.
With Johnson’s contract due to expire before the end of the year and after a string of incidents involving his players in New Zealand, the ex-captain confirmed his resignation five weeks after their World Cup ended.
“I think it is in the best interests of both the England team and myself not to carry on,” Johnson said.
“While we’ve had our most successful season with 10 wins from 13, we are disappointed with how we ended it with the World Cup. I think it’s the right decision at this time
“The cycles are from World Cup to World Cup and you have to decide whether you are prepared to jump in for four years and wholly commit yourself to that job and weigh it up. I’m not.”
Devin Booker gave the Suns a huge boost with 31 points in his return and Phoenix snapped the Minnesota Timberwolves’ seven-game winning streak, 133-115 on Wednesday.
Kevin Durant also scored 31 points and Eric Gordon added 15 as Phoenix avoided a third straight loss.
Booker returned after missing five games with a strained calf, but Bradley Beal was a late scratch with a sore back.
The Suns have yet to have their three stars - Booker, Durant and Beal - play a game together.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 25 points on his 28th birthday and Mike Conley added 14 points for Minnesota, which lost its first game in November.
Phoenix was never seriously threatened, taking a six-point lead after one quarter, a 22-point lead at halftime and a 28-point advantage entering the fourth.
White leads surging Celtics past 76ers
Derrick White scored 14 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter to propel the short-handed Boston Celtics to a 117-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in a matchup of Eastern Conference heavyweights.
Jayson Tatum had 29 points and Jrue Holiday added 18 with 10 rebounds to help Boston win its fourth straight despite missing Jaylen Brown (non-COVID illness) and Kristaps Porzingis (right knee contusion).
The 76ers got 20 points apiece from Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in its second consecutive loss following eight straight wins.
Sam Hauser and Al Horford filled in for Brown and Porzingis and combined for 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and six blocks.
Lillard stars as Bucks win without Antetokounmpo
Damian Lillard poured in 37 points to go with 13 assists and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence in a 128-112 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Lillard was 9 of 18 from the field and 15 of 16 from the free throw line while hitting four of Milwaukee’s season high-tying 20 3-pointers.
Antetokounmpo missed his first game of the season due to a strained right calf.
Malik Beasley scored a season-high 30 points on 11-of-14 shooting – including 8 of 11 from long range – as the Bucks avenged a loss at Toronto earlier this month.
Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 29 points and Jakob Poeltl had 13 and 11 boards.
The NBA has handed Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green a five-game suspension for his involvement in Tuesday's altercation with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The league announced the ban Wednesday, penalising Green for "escalating an on-court altercation and forcibly grabbing Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert around the neck in an unsportsmanlike and dangerous manner."
Gobert, his Timberwolves teammate Jaden McDaniels and Warriors guard Klay Thompson were all fined $25,000 for their roles in the incident.
Green was given the harshest punishment and will lose $769,704 in game salary because of his prior track record.
"The length of the suspension is based in part on Green’s history of unsportsmanlike acts," the statement read.
The incident occurred in the opening minutes of the Timberwolves' 104-101 win, when Thompson and McDaniels "became entangled and were grabbing and pulling at one another’s jerseys."
Gobert rushed in and grabbed Thompson and Green promptly entered the fracas to defend his teammate, pulling Gobert away from behind with his arm around his neck.
Thompson’s jersey was ripped during the scuffle, which led to Green’s second ejection of the season and two free throws by Gobert.
Thompson and McDaniels were each assessed a technical foul and ejected, while Green was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected.
Green will begin serving his suspension Thursday, when the 6-6 Warriors host the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he'll be eligible to return November 28 against the Sacramento Kings.
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole won his first American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday, while the San Diego Padres' Blake Snell won his second Cy Young - and first time in the National League.
Cole was the runner-up twice for the AL Cy Young (in 2019 and ’21) but received all 30 first-place votes by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, becoming the 11th unanimous AL winner.
The right-hander led the league in three of the most important pitching statistics, finishing first in ERA (2.63), WHIP (0.98) and innings pitched (209). His 222 strikeouts were third in the AL behind Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman's 237 and Minnesota Twins righty Pablo Lopez's 234.
Gausman finished third in voting, while Lopez's Twins teammate, Sonny Gray, finished second.
Cole went 15-4 and yielded fewer than four runs in 28 of 33 starts in 2023. He was dominant over the season’s final five weeks, going 5-0 with a 1.29 ERA and 0.68 WHIP with the Yankees winning all seven of those games.
He's the first Yankee to win the award since 2001, when Roger Clemens won it.
Snell becomes the seventh pitcher to win the award in both leagues after winning the AL Cy Young as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018.
The left-hander led all of MLB with a 2.25 ERA and .181 opponents' batting average, while his 234 strikeouts trailed only Atlanta Braves righty Spencer Strider's 281 for the most in the NL.
Snell also led the majors with 99 walks, becoming the first pitcher since Early Wynn for the 1959 Chicago White Sox to win the Cy Young despite leading MLB in base on balls.
Voters looked past his control issues and evidently focused on his incredible stretch from late May through the end of the season. In his final 23 starts, Snell recorded a 1.20 ERA - only Bob Gibson in 1968 posted a lower ERA in as many starts.
Snell, who finished the season 14-9 with a 1.19 WHIP, received 28 of 30 first-place votes to finish ahead of the San Francisco Giants' Logan Webb and Zac Gallen of the NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks.
Daniil Medvedev reached his third ATP Finals semi-final after beating Alexander Zverev in straight sets in Turin.
The 18th ATP meeting between the pair was a tight encounter as Medvedev came from behind in a first-set tie-breaker to snatch victory before edging ahead in the second to secure his spot in the final four with a 7-6(7) 6-4 success.
The stakes were already high as both players entered the clash with one win under their belts already in the Red Group. Zverev had beaten Carlos Alcaraz and Medvedev got the better of Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
A thrilling start to the opening set saw Medvedev break in the first game before clinching the second, but Zverev held his serve to pull one back in the third and managed to break in the sixth to tie 3-3.
The score went back-and-forth before Medvedev held in the 12th to force a tie-breaker and the drama continued as the world number three came from 1-4 down to save two set points, going on to win 7-6(7).
Aiming to continue the momentum in the second, he took the opening game before Zverev served up two aces to tie and both players held serve in another tightly-contested set.
The set looked destined to boil down to another tie-break as Medvedev held in the ninth but managed to break in the following game to earn his spot in the semi-finals.
Anthony Joshua has vowed to deliver a “demolition job” on Otto Wallin when the British heavyweight fights on the same bill as Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia on December 23.
Joshua, who is looking to insert himself back into the world title picture, will face the Swede as part of a stacked card in Riyadh.
The 34-year-old Joshua, who beat Robert Helenius in his last bout in August, will fight after Wilder, who faces Joseph Parker on the undercard.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist is on a quest to become a three-time heavyweight champion and he sees Wallin, who claimed a points victory over Murat Gassiev in September, as the next step.
“I’m looking forward to delivering my message to Otto Wallin on December 23,” Joshua told a press conference.
“I can’t predict the future but I know what I want to do. I believe I’m going to be three-time heavyweight champion and the first step is to put a demolition job on Otto Wallin.
“It’s going to be a really good time to go to Saudi. It’s going to be big, we haven’t seen a card like this before.
“This is not a one-stop shop. This is a vision, this is my first stop and I will deliver the message. I’m determined to win and get back to my peak.”
Joshua lost his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight belts to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and he fell short in their rematch the following year.
Eddie Hearn, his promoter, believes the best is still to come for Joshua, who will step into the ring for a third time this year after victories against Jermaine Franklin and Helenius.
Hearn said: “This is a tough fight. We saw (Wallin) against Tyson Fury, he’s a good southpaw and we have seen something different from AJ (Joshua).
“I think the best chapter is still to write for AJ. He changed the face of Saudi boxing and this is a challenge he wants to take.
“He wants to be heavyweight champion again and I think this will be a destructive performance from him.”
Hearn talked up a potential showdown between Joshua and Wilder next year, saying: “Wilder is potentially a massive fight to bring in 2024.
“This lines everything up for AJ and this lines up his whole career. I can’t wait to see him shine on December 23.”
The date was initially reserved for Tyson Fury and Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight showdown, which has since been postponed following the Briton’s lacklustre performance against Francis Ngannou last month.
Wallin, whose only defeat came against Fury, admitted the fight against Joshua was a bit of a surprise.
He said: “It’s an easy fight to make for us. I didn’t expect to fight again this year. I’m in a great position and feel on top of the world.
“I have been waiting for this for a long time and I’m blessed to be in this position.”
British heavyweight Daniel Dubois will take on American Jarrell Miller on a stacked undercard, which also features Manchester’s Lyndon Arthur challenging WBA light-heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and London’s Ellis Zorro taking on IBF cruiserweight holder Jai Opetaia.
Anthony Joshua will fight on the same bill as Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia on December 23.
The Briton, who is looking to insert himself back into the world title picture in the heavyweight division, will face Sweden’s Otto Wallin in the Middle East.
Joshua, who beat Robert Helenius in his last bout in August, will fight after Wilder, who faces Joseph Parker on the undercard.
December 23 was initially reserved for Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed heavyweight showdown, which has since been postponed following Fury’s lacklustre performance against Francis Ngannou last month.
Carlos Alcaraz snapped a three-match losing streak as he beat Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-2 in his penultimate round-robin contest of the ATP Finals in Turin.
It was the first encounter between the Spaniard and Russian, with the latter hoping to bounce back from Monday’s loss to compatriot Daniil Medvedev.
Instead he found himself pinned back by world number two Alcaraz, who never faced a break point and kept his hopes of advancing from the the Red Group alive with his first win at the year-end event after missing the last edition with an abdominal injury.
Alcaraz’s critical break came in the 11th game of the first set, during which he dropped just one point on his first serve and soon his opponent began to unravel.
Rublev dropped his serve to start the second set and could not rein in his reaction as he slammed his racquet against his knee with such force he drew blood, mopping it up with a towel at his chair before returning to the court.
It was all too much to overcome as Alcaraz, who finished with 21 winners to 11 unforced errors, sealed the 74-minute victory with his first match point.
The 20-year-old, who improved to 1-1 following his opening loss to Alexander Zverev, will face Medvedev to conclude the group stage on Friday while Rublev will take on Zverev.
Alcaraz told the ATP website: “It was a totally different match and level from me. This is the level I have to play if I want to give myself a chance in this amazing tournament.
“Yesterday was a good day for me in practise to find the level I needed to show today and I think I did pretty well. I am very happy with my level.”
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero will keep the Grand National in mind for Gesskille following his win in the Grand Sefton over the famous Aintree fences, with the training duo also contemplating a run over the cross-country course at Cheltenham next month.
The seven-year-old has proven a brilliant operator over the famous spruce since joining the Cheshire-based training team, and after a couple of near-misses at the track last term, finally got his moment in the Merseyside spotlight as jockey Henry Brooke bounced out his mount who made every yard in testing conditions.
That victory has seen Gesskille rise to a career-high mark of 144, but with the world’s most famous steeplechase set to have reduced numbers for 2024, Greenall feels he may have to improve further in the ratings to guarantee his spot and is considering a run at Cheltenham on December 15 before firming up plans for the spring.
He said: “He would need to go up a bit to get in (the Grand National), so we will just see and he might go to the cross-country race at Cheltenham in December and see how we go after that really.
“We will keep him fresh anyway for a spring campaign, whether that is Auteuil or the National, we will have to wait and see.”
Gesskille was beaten a nose in the Grand Sefton 12 months ago, before filling the same runner-up berth in the Becher Chase a month later.
However, Greenall credits the application of blinkers as making the real difference for the gelding, who was a game winner at Auteuil in his new headgear prior to his Aintree triumph.
“He seems a little bit more professional with the headgear, it has definitely helped him,” he added.
“People said the loose horse helped him (at Aintree) and I’m sure it did a little bit. But with the headgear, he seemed to be staying on gamely anyway.”
Graham Lee has undergone surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle after a serious fall last week, with his daughter Amy thanking the racing world for its “overwhelming” support.
The Grand National and Group One-winning jockey was unseated from Ben Macdui at the start of an all-weather handicap at Newcastle on Friday, suffering injuries that saw him taken to hospital and admitted to an intensive care unit.
He has since been identified as having an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to his spinal cord, and the racing world has rallied round the rider and his family.
The Injured Jockeys Fund have been heavily involved in those efforts, and on Wednesday afternoon released an update which read: “Jockey Graham Lee had surgery yesterday at the Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle to stabilise the fractures in his cervical spine and further protect his spinal cord.
“He also had a tracheostomy performed to allow him to be more comfortable and improve communication.
“Whilst Graham has recovered from the surgery well, the extent of his long-term recovery remains uncertain.”
The statement added: “Graham’s family would like to thank everyone for their best wishes and for their support of the JustGiving page set up by Graham’s 18-year-old daughter Amy, who says: ‘I am personally writing down each and every message and donation that comes through and I share all of these with dad. To be honest it’s simply overwhelming and we can’t believe that so many people are thinking of us. I wish I could explain how much of a difference it will make to dad’s recovery knowing that he has your support – thank you from the bottom of my heart’.”
The JustGiving page created by Amy Lee is now approaching £80,000 in donations that will go to the IJF.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a broken bone in his right shoulder, the team announced Wednesday.
The Browns said in a statement that Watson underwent further testing on his ailing shoulder on Monday which revealed a non-displaced fracture to his glenoid.
Watson missed three games earlier this season due to recurring soreness in his throwing shoulder, and also exited the Browns' Week 7 win over the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter with the injury.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection is also dealing with a left high-ankle sprain he sustained late in last week's 33-31 victory over the AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens.
"Deshaun Watson underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Monday on two injuries sustained on different plays in the first half of Sunday's 33-31 win over the Baltimore Ravens," the team said in a statement. "Imaging on his left ankle revealed a high-ankle sprain. In addition, postgame, Deshaun notified our medical staff of a new discomfort in his right shoulder that he felt after a hit in the first half. An MRI of his right shoulder revealed a displaced fracture to the glenoid.
"Despite performing at a high level and finishing the game, after consultation with Browns' Head Physician, James Voos, MD, and industry-leading shoulder specialist, Neal ElAttrache, MD, it has been determined that this injury will require immediate surgical repair to avoid further structural damage. Deshaun will be placed on season-ending injured reserve and a full recovery is expected for the start of the 2024 season."
P.J. Walker will take over at quarterback for Cleveland, which currently sits just a half-game behind the Ravens for first place in the AFC North at 6-3. The Browns are tied for second in the division with Pittsburgh and will host the Steelers on Sunday.
The 28-year-old Walker has started two previous games this season and played most of the Indianapolis game after Watson departed. The Browns went 1-1 in those starts, with the win a surprise 19-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5.
Walker has completed just 49 per cent of his passes, though, with one touchdown pass and five interceptions.
Watson will now have played in just 12 of the Browns' 34 regular-season games since being acquired from the Houston Texans in a blockbuster trade in March 2022, then immediately signed to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230 million extension. The 28-year-old was suspended for the first 11 games of 2022 after being accused of sexual assault by nearly two dozen women while receiving massage therapy.
In six games this season, Watson has completed 61.4 per cent of his pass attempts for 1,115 yards with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He added 142 rushing yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.
Conflated is likely to bid for back-to-back victories in next month’s Savills Chase following a pleasing effort at Down Royal last weekend.
Gordon Elliott’s eight-year-old was a comfortable winner at Leopardstown last Christmas, his second Grade One victory at the Foxrock track having also landed the 2022 Irish Gold Cup.
He finished third behind Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, but subsequently failed to fire at Aintree and again disappointed on his return at Punchestown last month.
However, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned gelding roared back to form in Saturday’s Ladbrokes Champion Chase, making much of the running and looking the likely winner at the top of the home straight before being mowed down late on by both stablemate Gerri Colombe and Envoi Allen.
Gigginstown’s racing manager Eddie O’Leary expects Conflated to be an even stronger force back at Leopardstown on December 28.
“He ran an absolute cracker and he’s entitled to go on to Leopardstown after that,” O’Leary said.
“He’s much better going left-handed, so if he’s kicked out of the way at Leopardstown then we’ll look at different options.”
Conflated holds an entry in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday week, but O’Leary all but ruled out a trip to Merseyside, adding: “We travel for Cheltenham and Cheltenham only!”
Middleham Park hurdlers Red Risk and Marie’s Rock are likely to cross paths in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury next month.
Both horses run in the silks of the ownership group, and Marie’s Rock has won at the highest level for connections, taking both the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown last year.
The Nicky Henderson-trained mare was second to Sire Du Berlais in the Liverpool Hurdle on her final start last season and will reappear for the new campaign over the staying trip.
There she will encounter Paul Nicholls’ Red Risk, an eight-year-old who has been moving out of handicap company in recent starts and made a promising start to the season when second in the Grade Two bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby’s Charlie Hall meeting.
Tom Palin of Middleham Park said of the two horses: “I think they’re going to do battle, they’ll be taking each other on at Newbury in the three-mile Grade Two there (December 1).
“That’s been Marie’s Rock’s target for a while, that was the logical starting point for her.
“Red Risk ran a cracker at Wetherby, I thought we were going to go past the other horse but he really toughed it out as well. We were delighted with the run.
“He does go very well fresh, we’ll run at Newbury but the one question we have is whether it’s a bit too soon after Wetherby.
“Then we’d just look at giving him a bit of a freshen up going into something ahead of the spring, maybe a Cleeve Hurdle or something akin to that.
“They’ll probably end up taking each other on at Newbury in that Grade Two and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top.”
Marie’s Rock will proceed from Wetherby in the direction of the top staying contests, with the big festivals at Cheltenham and Aintree pencilled in for the spring.
“She’s obviously got that useful weight allowance and I think she has a pull as it is on official ratings but that performance (by Red Risk) the other day was a very, very good performance,” Palin said.
“We’ve just got Red Risk figured out and Marie’s Rock is in great form. Her campaign kind of plans itself; Newbury, Ascot, Cheltenham for the Cleeve, Cheltenham for the Stayers’ and Aintree again.”
Martin Keighley’s Found On will bid for black type as she returns to Market Rasen for the Rhino.Bet Bud Booth Mares’ Chase on Thursday.
The eight-year-old has been consistent in recent seasons, winning six of her last eight starts over distances varying from two and a half miles to three.
She hit the ground running this season when making her yearly reappearance at this track in October, winning a competitive handicap chase by four lengths under Sean Bowen.
The mare will now return to the Lincolnshire circuit at Listed level, where she is set to join four rivals over an increased trip of three miles.
“It was a really good performance, her first run of the season at Market Rasen,” said Keighley.
“That was quite a strong handicap and she did it well, as soon as she won there we had this in mind as we’re desperate to get her some black type.
“We’ve saved her for this race and hopefully she can, she’s been to the track twice and won there twice, she’ll like the decent ground so I’m hoping for a big run.
“The Dan Skelton horse will be a hard one to beat, but she’s in good form and if she doesn’t win and is in the first three, it will be great to get her black type.”
The Skelton horse in question is Galia Des Liteaux, a Grade Two winner last season who was most recently seen coming home fourth behind Gerri Colombe in the Mildmay at Aintree.
Nicky Henderson’s Tweed Skirt, Sue Smith’s Burrows Diamond and Jedd O’Keeffe’s Fairfield Ferrata complete the line up.
Francis Ngannou’s impressive boxing debut has earned him a place in the top 10 of the WBC heavyweight rankings.
Ngannou pushed WBC champion Tyson Fury all the way in a 10-round contest in Riyadh last month, but lost by a contentious split decision on points to the British boxer.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou still earned plenty of admirers for his surprise strong showing after he knocked down Fury in the third round.
Cameroon-born Ngannou immediately signalled his intention to continue his career in boxing and has now been placed in 10th spot of the WBC rankings.
Earlier this month, Matchroom Sport chair Eddie Hearn suggested Ngannou could be a future opponent for former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.
The WBC, a sanctioning body, announced its rankings for its respective weight divisions on Wednesday during a ratings session in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.
Tom Cannon cannot wait to be reunited with Edwardstone when he makes his seasonal reappearance in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham on Sunday.
Alan King’s nine-year-old has shared many memorable days with the rider, none more so than their decisive Arkle victory at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022.
Last season included another Grade One success, this time in the Tingle Creek, and the bay was beaten just a head in the Clarence House in January.
There was no repeat Cheltenham Festival success as Edwardstone posted an uncharacteristic performance in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but Cannon is happy to draw a line through that run as the duo return to the same track at the weekend.
He said: “Edwardstone has been good at home. I schooled him on Monday, and I schooled him last Monday as well. He seems very fresh and well in himself and I’m looking forward to Sunday.
“It is going to be a good race, but he doesn’t have any easy races now with the level he is at. He was meant to run in this race last season, but the ground was on the quicker side so he swerved it. He won first time out last year and he will be ready to go and do his best.
“He enjoyed it on Monday when I gave him a jump and he is a pleasure to have around and be involved with. He is a magnificent horse, not just to sit on but to look at as well.
“You get some horses that are good that might be small, but when you get on top of him it is like riding a horse into battle. He is a big strong brute of a horse that has got all the power in the right places.”
The Shloer Chase is run over a trip of two miles, Edwardstone’s usual trip, but there are discussions about stepping up in distance at a later point in the season and Cannon believes connections may find this outing helpful in making that decision.
“His pedigree suggests he will get further, and he ran further than two miles over hurdles and ran well. On his day he is a very quick two-miler which he showed in the Tingle Creek last season,” Cannon said.
“He probably wasn’t at his best after that, but we will see how we go in the race on Sunday and go from there.
“As he is getting bit older now, and with a few younger horses coming through, it might give us options if we go up further in trip.
“This is a case of testing the water with him and it is a nice place to go. I’m sure this will answer a few questions about where he will go for the rest of the season.”
Joe Tizzard is in no rush to firm up plans for Elixir De Nutz following his emotional success in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter last week.
Tizzard landed the the Grade Two feature three times during his riding career, striking gold aboard Lake Kariba (1998), Flagship Uberalles (1999) and Cue Card (2012), and was thrilled to get his name on the winner’s board as a trainer.
What made the victory all the more notable was the fact that Elixir De Nutz was ridden by 17-year-old Freddie Gingell, son of Tizzard’s late sister, Kim, and the Venn Farm handler admits it is almost a case of ‘job done’ for the season for the Terry Warner-owned grey.
“He’s come out of it absolutely lovely,” said Tizzard.
“We made an entry for the Tingle Creek (Sandown, December 9), that might be a step too far but we’ll just see if it cuts up.
“It was a lovely day and an emotional day with Fred riding him and Terry Warner had two of his grandchildren there as well. Exeter is obviously a local track to us and it meant a lot.
“I was conscious to get his first run into him as he always comes on for a run, it was a bit of plan and thankfully it came off.
“Life is not going to be easy for him, but that was his Gold Cup for the season and we’ll pick and choose our way round. He loves a small field.”
Masters champion Jon Rahm admits he only has himself to blame for not being able to deny Rory McIlroy a fifth Race to Dubai title in the final event of the season.
McIlroy was assured of topping the money list when Adrian Meronk and Ryan Fox failed to earn enough points in last week’s Nedbank Golf Challenge to get within 2,000 points of the world number two.
Only 2,000 points are on offer for the winner of the season-ending DP World Tour Championship and McIlroy was already 2,082.53 ahead of nearest rival Rahm, who chose not to compete in Sun City.
Rahm has previously contested just two regular DP World Tour events in 2023, the Ryder Cup counts as a third and this week’s title defence in Dubai therefore fulfils the minimum requirements for DP World Tour membership.
Rahm admitted it was disappointing for fans that the Race to Dubai had already been settled, but admitted: “At the same time, though, it’s mainly my fault.
“He (McIlroy) played great golf. I could have tried to go to Nedbank and get a few more points to give myself a chance this week. He did what he needed to do and I didn’t.”
Despite not having the chance to win the Race to Dubai for a second time, Rahm still prefers the DP World Tour’s format to that of the PGA Tour, which employs a controversial handicap system in the FedEx Cup.
The player who earns the most points throughout the year begins the season-ending Tour Championship on 10 under par, the second-highest on eight under and so on, on a sliding scale down to the players in 26th to 30th who start on level par.
“I’m not a big fan of the FedEx Cup finals. I’ve said that many times,” Rahm added. “It’s the only sport when you get to the finals, you give somebody an advantage.
“You don’t see whoever had a better record in the Champions League finals start with a 1-0 goal advantage, that just doesn’t happen.
“I would be a bigger fan of somehow point restructuring to where if you win the tournament, like it used to be with the top five going to East Lake, if they won (the Tour Championship) they would win the FedEx Cup.
“At the same time, if you play as good as Rory has and you’ve built up the lead, you’ve earned it. Like I said earlier, I had the option of playing more events, tournaments and trying to earn more points. I just didn’t.
“I think this format is more fair to the better player, whoever played better throughout the year. I think the one that they have in the FedEx Cup right now would be probably more exciting for the viewers. Obviously it all depends what you prefer.”
Rahm has a remarkable record in the DP World Tour Championship, winning it on his debut in 2017 and again in 2019 and 2022, with his worst finish in four appearances being a tie for fourth in 2018.
“It’s something I look forward to and to me it’s a great way to end the year,” Rahm said. “One last competition before we get to the holiday season and kind of get our mind off golf for a little bit. Hopefully I can win it one more time.
“I couldn’t really pinpoint one thing why I’ve had success here. I’m sure the number people can tell you why statistically I’m better, but I think I just happened to play really good on the weeks that I’m here.”
A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
Johnson died on October 28 after being hit in the neck by an opposition player’s skate during a match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
The 29-year-old American, who was playing for Nottingham Panthers against Sheffield Steelers, died in hospital.
The man was arrested on Tuesday and South Yorkshire Police confirmed on Wednesday that he has been bailed to a date in the new year as inquiries continue.
Detective Chief Superintendent Becs Horsfall said on Tuesday: “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive inquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances.
“We have been speaking to highly specialised experts in their field to assist in our inquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.
“Adam’s death has sent shockwaves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world.
“We know these communities will expect us to handle this investigation with the same professionalism, fairness and sensitivity as any other, and request that members of the public refrain from comment and speculation which could hinder this process.
“Our thoughts remain with all affected by this devastating incident as inquiries continue.”
An inquest into Johnson’s death was opened and adjourned on November 3, but Sheffield’s senior coroner, Tanyka Rawden, has already called on the sport’s governing bodies to take action.
In a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association, Rawden said she is “sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn”, with the bodies given 56 days to say what action has been taken – or why action has not been taken.
The EIHA said neck guards will become mandatory from 2024 but the Elite League, in which the Panthers and Steelers compete, is not under its control.
The Elite Ice Hockey League said it will not make the use of neck guards mandatory but will “strongly encourage” players and officials to wear them.
According to the Sentencing Council, manslaughter is an extremely varied criminal offence which can attract penalties from suspended sentences up to life in prison.
The council says manslaughter can involve an offence that is not far from being an accident through to one which may be just short of murder and is categorised as either involuntary and voluntary.
Involuntary manslaughter is unlawful killing without the intent to kill or cause really serious harm and is further subdivided into unlawful act manslaughter and manslaughter by gross negligence.
Unlawful act manslaughter is the most common type of manslaughter prosecution in England and Wales and often involves deaths as a result of assaults.
Manslaughter by gross negligence occurs when the offender is in breach of a duty of care towards the victim, such as when employers completely disregard the safety of employees.
Voluntary manslaughter occurs when all the elements for murder are present, including an intention to kill or cause really serious harm, but the crime is reduced to manslaughter by reason of loss of control or diminished responsibility due to a recognised mental condition.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
