England are confident they have the composure to cope with any mind games played by Scotland in Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash.
The rivals collide in round three of the Guinness Six Nations, with Gregor Townsend’s hosts aiming to continue their recent dominance of the fixture that reads three successive victories.
Adding to the challenge of facing one of the most talented sides in Scottish history is the hostile atmosphere awaiting England at Murrayfield.
England fly-half George Ford was targeted in the tunnel by Ryan Wilson in 2018, sparking a brawl when Owen Farrell intervened, and the team bus is customarily held up by bagpipers.
Other tactics used in the past to unsettle the ‘Auld Enemy’ have been turning off the hot water in the changing room and disruption to their warm-up by entertainers.
England are on alert for niggle during the build up to the match and on the pitch itself, but number eight Ben Earl is backing his side to take any Scottish machinations in their stride.
“There’s a resilience in us, for sure,” said Earl, who is set to continue in the back row when Steve Borthwick names his team on Thursday afternoon.
“There is a good group of experienced players in this team now – Jamie (George), George Ford, Joe Marler, Dan Cole, Ellis Genge. Those guys are all different characters, but they’ve seen all the curve balls in the past.
“And then you’ve also got a group of lads who might not have played a load of Test rugby but who have played a lot of club rugby in some great games and in some great stadiums.
“So I’d say the group, in terms of expectation, is probably as prepared as any to deal with anything that’s thrown at us.
“You have to love it. If you don’t love it, then you’re playing the wrong sport at the wrong level. I absolutely love it.
“We’ve certainly spoken about the kind of Scotland are, what a good team they are, how good they are at home.
“It’s a tough place to play and we’ve definitely touched upon the trend of results over the last three or four years.
“But in terms of motivating factors, that’s one of many that we’ve got. We know the journey that we’re on as a team, in terms of what we’re trying to grow and evolve into. And that’s as much of a motivating factor as playing those guys.”
In a groundbreaking moment for Caribbean motorsport, Jamaican race driver Chris 'Teach' McFarlane clinched victory in Round 1 of the 2024 Barbados National Autocross Championship at Bushy Park, steering an all-electric MG MG4 XPower.
The seismic shift came as the Barbados-domiciled ‘Teach’, known for his six consecutive Barbados championships in gas-powered machines, showcased the potential of electric racing, outperforming traditional rivals with a stock 430-hp electric SUV. The win signals a paradigm shift in the region's racing scene, challenging the status quo and setting the stage for a new era in Caribbean motorsports.
The competition, traditionally dominated by roaring petrol engines, witnessed Teach navigating the challenging autocross course in the stock 430-horsepower electric SUV. The crowd at Bushy Park was treated to the silent yet powerful hum of the MG as ‘Teach’ smoothly maneuvered the course without the aid of a handbrake, showcasing his adaptability and skill in embracing cutting-edge technology.
The victory challenges the established dominance of internal combustion engines, introducing the potential of electric vehicles to the forefront of racing in the region.
Further north, the Jamaica Millennium Motoring Club (JMMC) extended its congratulations to Teach McFarlane for this groundbreaking achievement.
The next autocross in the championship series scheduled for April 14th.
Daniel and Claire Kubler’s Astro King will fly the flag for his upwardly-mobile stable in the Neom Turf Cup at Riyadh on Saturday.
The gelding had a successful campaign last season, winning two good handicap pots in both the Sky Bet Finale at York and the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket.
There was also a near-miss as the horse was narrowly outdone in the John Smith’s Cup on the Knavesmire in July, and at the end of the season he headed out to the Middle East to contest the Group Two Bahrain International Trophy.
The seven-year-old had a luckless passage through the race when trapped on the inside rail, but he still ran with credit in sixth and set a precedent for further travel after taking the journey in his stride.
With that in mind, his first start this year will be in the Neom Turf Cup at the Saudi Cup meeting, a race upgraded from Group Three to Group Two status and run for an exceptional prize fund of $2million.
Daniel Kubler reports the bay to have landed in the desert in good form and though his draw in stall 11 is less than ideal, he is still hopeful the horse will do the yard proud at the meeting.
“He travelled over to Saudi last Saturday and he seems to have travelled very well,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to it, I understand he’s been drawn in stall 11 and we would have preferred a bit lower but there’s not much we can do about it.
“We haven’t overly pushed him but we’re happy with how he’s trained going into it, his preparation has been pretty similar to when he went to Bahrain and we were pretty happy with how he ran there.
“He was a little bit unlucky with how the race panned out but hopefully he’ll have a bit more luck in running this time and he can come home with some prize-money – the money out there is pretty ridiculous!”
Luke Littler has dismissed as “crazy” predictions that he could be bigger than Phil Taylor.
The teenager has not only taken the darts world by storm but become a household name since his stunning run to the final of the World Championship as a 16-year-old in January.
Such has been his impact that Michael Smith, the current world number three, recently claimed Littler could go on to achieve even greater things than record 16-time world champion Taylor.
Littler, who turned 17 shortly after his headline-grabbing heroics at Alexandra Palace, told the PA news agency: “I don’t think anyone’s beating that record! It’s just crazy, crazy to think of me being bigger than Phil.
“I’ve said to many people I’ve not really set any goals. I just get on with it. I just have to throw my darts and see where they go.
“I’m still gobsmacked that I’m here, getting all these opportunities. I’m just taking it in my stride as I do.”
Littler has proved his World Championship performance was no flash in the pan, throwing nine-dart finishes on the way to tournament victories at the Bahrain Masters and Players Championship in Wigan.
He also now has a PDC tour card, a place in the Premier League and has risen to 30th in the world rankings.
The Warrington-based youngster has coped impressively with his whirlwind introduction to the sport at the elite level and is relishing competing against the best.
“I just love playing in front of a crowd,” said Littler, who signed a new multi-year partnership with Target Darts on Wednesday.
“I enjoy trying my best to put on a performance and I know I can play against the best. I’ve broken into the top 32, so hopefully I’m here for many years to come.”
Littler’s agreement with Target coincides with the launch of a new range of “The Nuke” products by the company, including darts sets designed, at affordable prices, for players new to the game.
Littler recognises the effect he has had on darts at grassroots level and hopes he can continue to encourage new people to take up the sport.
He said: “It’s just been crazy how many people have got into darts, and how many people have been in my local shop in St Helens. There’s been queues outside.
“I’m just glad to be a part of it all. Hopefully it gets more people involved.”
:: Luke Littler’s new “The Nuke” range, including his 2024 World Darts Championship Playing Shirt, is available to buy now at www.targetdarts.co.uk
Max Verstappen put Red Bull’s off-track troubles to one side by setting the pace in the opening testing session in Bahrain.
Red Bull’s preparations for the new campaign have been overshadowed by allegations of “inappropriate behaviour” against team principal Christian Horner.
Horner, who is in Bahrain for this week’s three-day test ahead of the opening round, also in the Gulf kingdom, on March 2, emphatically denies the accusations made by a female colleague.
Verstappen won 19 of the 22 races last season as he wrapped up his third world championship, and the Dutch driver laid down an early marker by topping the time charts in his heavily revised Red Bull.
The 26-year-old ended the running nearly seven tenths quicker than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in third, eight tenths back, and the only other driver within one second of Verstappen.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri finished fourth, while George Russell was sixth for Mercedes, 1.68 secs off the pace.
Lewis Hamilton gets his first taste of the last Mercedes he will drive on Thursday ahead of his blockbuster switch to Ferrari next year.
Although headline times in testing have to be treated with a degree of caution – as the teams trial different fuel loads and tyre compounds – Verstappen appeared settled in the machine he hopes will carry him to a fourth consecutive title.
His lap count of 65 was more than a race distance in Bahrain. Alonso (77 laps) managed the most miles of the 10 drivers on track.
During a relatively trouble-free first session for the majority of the field, Alex Albon broke down in his Williams following a reliability failure with 20 minutes remaining.
The final four hours of the opening day begins at 1500 local time (1200GMT).
Clive Cox has the Qipco 2000 Guineas in mind as an early goal for his exciting unbeaten colt Ghostwriter.
The three-year-old is by Invincible Spirit and runs in the familiar purple and blue silks of Jeff Smith, whose most recent top-class performer was the multiple Group One winner Alcohol Free.
Ghostwriter made his debut at Newmarket in a July course maiden last August, prevailing by three and a half lengths over seven furlongs.
He then headed to Ascot for a novice event over the same trip, again winning comfortably when making the running and coming home a length and a quarter ahead of the runner-up.
His third and final outing of the season was on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket, where he stepped up in grade to contest the Group Two Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes.
There he encountered some promising rivals, including the Ballydoyle contender Capulet – a Group Two runner-up ahead of the race having finished only half a length behind stablemate Diego Velazquez in the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes.
Cox’s runner was well able to step up to the mark, however, succeeding by a length and a quarter in a taking run under Richard Kingscote.
Naturally that performance has brought the Classics into focus for connections, particularly now the bay is proven over the Rowley Mile – home of the 2000 Guineas in May.
“He’s done really well, he had a super break and he’s been back cantering for three or four weeks,” Cox said.
“We’re thrilled with the way he’s developed over the winter, he’s looking even stronger.
“We were delighted with the campaign we enjoyed with him last year and we’re all looking forward to this season.
“I’m very much hoping to go to the Guineas, the first week in May is uppermost in our minds.
“Especially with him winning on the track at Newmarket, on the July course, of course, but crucially the Rowley Mile.
“We would be very excited about him with those Classic races in mind.”
Igor Shesterkin made 17 of his 41 saves in a perfect third period and the New York Rangers beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 Tuesday to extend their winning streak to eight games.
Adam Fox, Kaapo Kakko and Vincent Trocheck each scored for the Rangers, who improved to 9-1-1 over their last 11 games.
New York (36-16-3) expanded their lead in the Metropolitan by defeating a fellow division leader. The Rangers’ current streak includes wins over contenders Dallas, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche.
Miro Heiskanen had the lone goal for the Stars (34-15-8), a second-period power play tally, despite Dallas carrying a 42-26 advantage in shots on goal.
MacKinnon, Avs win West showdown over Canucks
Nathan MacKinnon extended his home point streak, Ryan Johansen scored two goals to end his scoring slump and the Colorado Avalanche beat the NHL-leading Vancouver Canucks 3-1.
MacKinnon assisted on Artturi Lehkonen’s empty-net tally, giving him at least one point in each of Colorado’s 27 home games. MacKinnon pulled into a tie with Guy Lafleur (1979-80) for the seventh-longest home-point streak in league history.
J.T. Miller put the Canucks up 1-0 mid-way through the first period, but Colorado net-minder Alexandar Georgiev held up the rest of the way and finished with 24 saves.
Johansen lit the lamp for the first time since Dec. 29, tying the game early in the second period. He scored the game-winning goal 1:35 into the third period, putting the Avs up for good.
Colorado (35-18-4) picked up two points on the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars, while Vancouver (37-15-6) still leads the league despite a third straight regulation loss.
Panthers take over top spot in East
Anton Lundell scored at 1:36 of overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, their sixth consecutive victory.
The win catapulted the Panthers (37-15-4) ahead of the idle Boston Bruins for the top record in the Eastern Conference.
Florida led 2-0 at the second intermission with goals by Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, but Thomas Chabot and Tim Stuetzle scored in the third for Ottawa to even the score, setting up Lundell’s thrilling game-winner.
“It must have been one of the coolest moments in this building (for me) for sure,” Lundell said. “Out there in overtime, I just waited for my opportunity, got the puck, saw the short side was open, so I tried to pick the corner.”
Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves for the Panthers, who improved to an NHL-leading 19-3-2 since Dec. 23.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz has retired hurt after twisting his ankle in the first round of the Rio Open.
The two-time grand slam winner hurt his ankle after just two points while playing Brazilian Thiago Monteiro before the Spaniard went on to break his serve.
But just one game later, Alcaraz had his serve broken, shook Monteiro’s hand, and left the court shortly after, retiring from the match.
It comes a week after the 20-year-old lost to Chile’s Nicolas Jarry in the semi-finals of the Argentina Open.
After the match, world number 117 Monteiro said it was “strange” for an injury to occur so early in the match.
“On the court it didn’t look so serious, but then I saw it in the big screen and it was a bad twist,” he said.
“Now I can only cheer for him to recover. He is a star, a dominant one in the new generation.”
Ronnie O’Sullivan reeled off five frames in succession to beat Zhou Yuelong 6-2 and reach the quarter-finals of the Players Championship.
Competing for the first time since withdrawing from the Wales Open due to anxiety, O’Sullivan was far from his fluent best in the early stages but improved markedly after the interval in Telford.
The seven-time world champion produced a superb total clearance of 136 in the sixth frame, won the next after Zhou inexplicably missed a simple green and wrapped up the win with a run of 73.
O’Sullivan was in no mood to give any insight into his performance, however, telling ITV4: “I don’t assess my performances really, I make that a golden rule. Bit of match practice, take what I can from the tour and move on.
“I’m just trying to get away with playing as least as I can, I feel happier doing that.
“This is all icing on the cake for me, whatever I get off this tour. I’ve got my exhibitions, my ambassador work and that’s my main thing – I just fit in a few tournaments around that.”
Mark Allen earlier made three consecutive centuries, including a tournament record 146, on his way to an impressive 6-3 win over three-time world champion Mark Williams.
Allen followed his 146 in the opening frame with breaks of 112 and 102, restricting Williams to a solitary point in the process, and also made breaks of 94, 70 and 68 to ease into the quarter-finals.
“Any win against Mark is a good win, but to play like that and score like that, that’s what I needed because I haven’t been doing that much,” Allen told ITV4.
“I’m not going to go into it, but I am trying something a bit different this week so we’ll see if it works. It is a timing issue that I feel like I’ve had in recent months so the technical change I’ve made I’m hoping will correct that.
“I started the match as good as you could with three centuries and disappointed not to make four, but that’s the way you need to play.
“I lost a few (against Mark) early on when I first turned pro and I think that’s nine of the last 10 I’ve won now so maybe that’s in his head a little bit as well.”
Allen will play Gary Wilson in the quarter-finals after he came from 2-0 down to beat Hossein Vafaei 6-4, the Welsh Open winner sealing victory with a break of 95.
Ali Carter will take on Judd Trump after breaks of 116, 97, 66 and 69 helped secure a 6-2 victory over Tom Ford.
England are considering unleashing Manu Tuilagi against Scotland amid a warning from Kevin Sinfield that the midfield powerhouse remains a potent force.
Tuilagi is in contention to make his first appearance of the Guinness Six Nations at Murrayfield on Saturday, having been sidelined since December because of a groin tear.
It is the latest of many injury setbacks for the 32-year-old Sale Sharks centre, who broke his hand twice at last autumn’s World Cup, ruling him out of the start of the club season.
Tuilagi’s return would provide the ball-carrying muscle missing from England’s back line – Ollie Lawrence is also an option for the role – and Sinfield insists he still has plenty to offer the national side.
“I would say this without any doubt – don’t write him off yet,” the assistant coach said.
“He’s still got some really good years ahead of him and he’s very much a big part of how we move forward and what we are doing here.
“When you play like he has done for so long, and you are so physical, it is inevitable that at some point in your career you will have a run of injuries.
“What you find with the powerful-type guys, one injury tends to lead into another.”
Also back in contention for the pivotal round-three encounter in Edinburgh is George Martin, the star of England’s heartbreaking World Cup semi-final defeat to South Africa who is fully fit after tweaking his knee.
The 22-year-old enforcer, who can operate at lock or blindside flanker, stood toe to toe with the Springboks and his physicality will be a valuable asset against Scotland.
“Big. Physical. Aggressive. Great ball carrier and he’s one of our better defenders,” Sinfield said.
“In the semi-final he really stood out on the international stage against some of the biggest, nastiest, most aggressive forwards in the world. He was in and amongst it.
“If selected I have no doubt he’ll leave a mark on somebody. He’s already a top player, but he’s going to get better and better.”
England have won only one of their last six meetings with Scotland and visit Murrayfield knowing it is the most hostile of all opposition venues for Red Rose teams.
Fly-half George Ford has braced his side for a “niggly game” – he was targeted in the tunnel by Scotland number eight Ryan Wilson in 2018, sparking a brawl with Owen Farrell – and Sinfield insists frayed tempers are inevitable.
“There’s certainly going to be some niggle. When you’ve got two angry, nasty forward packs wanting to go at each other, there will be some niggle,” he said.
“It’s a Test match, there’s a lot at stake and we haven’t won against them for a number of years, so no doubt there’ll be some niggle.
“There will be some bits thrown at us over the next couple of days that we haven’t planned for or we haven’t quite expected.
“But that’s the nature of being in top-level sport and we meed to make the best of some of the circumstances we are faced with.
“The history is important for us to understand but it won’t change anything – we’re not going up there with any fear.
“We know how dangerous they are, we know they’re a good team, we know they’ve got some great players. But so have we.”
The Minnesota Timberwolves are top of the Western Conference but know they will have to "maintain that edge" as they return to action following the NBA All-Star break.
Minnesota have not been beyond the first round of the playoffs in 20 years, yet they are in position to earn the number one seed through 55 games, boasting a 39-16 record and a 1.5-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The All-Star break has been a busy one for the T-Wolves, with Chris Finch coaching the West outfit, which included Anthony Edwards and team-mate Karl Anthony Towns, who scored 50 points.
The team have also agreed a two-year contract extension with guard Mike Conley Jr., according to reports. He had been set for free agency at the end of the season.
Finch is now hoping he will find a focused team in Minnesota as they seek to build on a superb start to the year.
"We've just got to try to pick up where we left off," he said. "We know the intensity in these games are going to ramp up more and more.
"We've got to make sure that we maintain that edge. We've done a good job of developing a good offensive rhythm in the past few weeks, so we've got to maintain that.
"Hold serve at home; we've got a lot of home games coming up here out of the break. There's lots of things we can do to keep furthering ourselves."
There was an unfamiliar feeling for Finch in the All-Star Game, seeing his team handily beaten by the East in an encounter that drew criticism for its lack of competitive play.
The format may no longer be widely popular, but Finch certainly enjoyed the rare opportunity to coach players like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
"Looking around the locker room, there's probably 12 first-ballot Hall of Famers in there," he said. "It's something I'll remember forever."
The Timberwolves return against the Milwaukee Bucks at Target Center on Friday.
Penrith head coach Ivan Cleary is eager to see his all-conquering NRL giants belatedly join the roll call of world club champions with victory over Wigan at the DW Stadium on Saturday.
The Panthers fell short against Wigan and Bradford in 1991 and 2004 respectively before suffering an agonising golden point defeat to St Helens on home territory in February last year.
Despite being one of the NRL’s greatest sides by common consensus after three-straight title wins, Cleary knows an asterisk will remain beside his side’s achievements until they have ascended to the global crown.
“It’s the one thing we haven’t been able to do – only 12 teams have managed to win this thing and we’ve had three goes and missed out on it,” said Cleary.
“You look through the list of winners and only the big clubs have done it, so for us to be on that list would be big.
“I’ve watched these games for many years from growing up as a kid and it’s a big game – you don’t play for a world championship every day and I think both teams will show what it means on the night.”
Both sides have been hit by injury setbacks ahead of the fixture with Cleary confirming Penrith will hand 20-year-old Jack Cole only his second senior start at stand-off in place of absent star Jarome Luai.
Wigan meanwhile will draft youngster Harvie Hill into their front row after losing new signing Luke Thompson to concussion in Saturday’s Super League season-opener at Castleford, with another new boy Sam Walters already sidelined.
But Wigan head coach Matt Peet admitted he breathed a huge sigh of relief when half-back Harry Smith escaped a ban following a yellow card for a tip-tackle in the same fixture, meaning he can line up at the sold-out DW Stadium.
Peet admitted he had been concerned but was “chuffed” by the news and added: “I think both teams want to come up against the best of one another.
“We want to see Harry on that stage, particularly because of the journey he’s been on, coming through that pathway.
“Harvie is another home-grown lad which is brilliant and it is an exciting opportunity for him.”
Jack Catterall insisted he would knock out Josh Taylor when the bitter rivals faced each other for a second time in April.
Catterall controversially lost a split decision for the undisputed super-lightweight championship two years ago and there were many inside and outside the sport who thought he had every right to feel aggrieved.
The British Boxing Board of Control launched an investigation into the scoring of the bout and subsequently downgraded judge Ian John-Lewis, who had scored it 114-111 in favour of Taylor.
The Scot vacated three of his titles before losing his WBO championship to Teofimo Lopez last June in his only bout since facing Catterall, whom he will meet again in a non-title fight on April 27 at the First Direct Arena in Leeds.
“It’s an exciting fight, it gets the juices flowing,” Catterall told a press conference in Manchester.
“It’s been talked about for the last two years, everybody asking when this rematch is so it’s good to finally have the date locked in and I’m ready to settle it.
“They’ve said it’s the England v Scotland narrative but it’s more of me just fighting a p***k. He’s just not a nice person.
“I know what lies ahead of me. I’m preparing for the best version of Josh Taylor, so when I beat him – and I beat him convincingly – I can move on with my career.”
Asked if he believed he would win the fight within the distance, Catterall added: “One hundred per cent.
“I think he’s there to be beat, I think I’ve got his number. I know I’ve got his number and it’s only a matter of time before he touches the canvas again.”
Taylor’s microphone did not work properly during the press conference, although his words were also drowned out by boos from fans of local favourite Catterall.
Scotland are hopeful that talismanic wing Darcy Graham will be fit enough to play a part in the Guinness Six Nations even though he will stay on the sidelines for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup showdown with England.
The 26-year-old – who is second on the national team’s all-time try-scoring list – missed the opening two matches of the championship against Wales and France with a quad problem.
Graham was scheduled to return to the fold for this weekend’s Murrayfield clash with England, but it emerged on Monday that he had suffered a new groin issue while training with Edinburgh last week, which has ruled him out of contention.
The free-scoring back – who missed the entirety of last year’s Six Nations with a knee injury – is due to be assessed this week and Scotland are hoping he will be able to return for the championship-concluding fixtures away to Italy and Ireland next month.
“Darcy had started back with Edinburgh and we were very happy about that,” said scrum coach Pieter De Villiers at a media briefing on Tuesday.
“But he’s picked up a bit of a groin niggle at the moment so he’s just nursing that. We’ll see how that goes.”
Asked if Graham was expected back before the end of the tournament, De Villiers said: “We’ve got another fallow week (after England) so that will hopefully give him enough time and then we’ll just assess things from there.”
Despite Graham’s ongoing absence, Scotland will welcome back two senior members of their back three this weekend, with Glasgow wing Kyle Steyn returning after missing the France game for the birth of his child and Toulouse full-back Blair Kinghorn available after sitting out the first two games with a knee injury.
“Blair has been training really well and we’re excited to see him back in the squad again,” reported De Villiers.
Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash will be Scotland’s first outing since their agonising defeat at home to France, when the officials controversially decided not to award them what would have been a match-winning try after Sam Skinner appeared to ground the ball on the whitewash in the last action of a tightly-contested affair.
De Villiers admitted that having last weekend off was beneficial in helping the Scots banish any lingering frustration at having their hopes of a Grand Slam dashed in such galling fashion.
“Yes, it almost feels long ago,” he said of the extra time out of camp to regroup. “A bit of time off was good for the team.
“There’s obviously been frustration and disappointment. I thought we’d done enough to win that game but that’s the way rugby goes. Sometimes things don’t go your way.
“It’s the best thing for us to move on and prepare for England which is a fantastic game to look forward to. It’s all behind us.”
De Villiers has no concerns about any hangover from the France game plaguing Scotland this weekend as he feels recovering from such setbacks is “part of what we do”.
“It’s important to be able to move on,” he said. “It’s important to be able to be frustrated as well.
“As much as there were things we could have done better, it’s good to know that we did enough (to potentially win the game) as well.
“That’s important for our psyche and for moving on. It’s not the first decision to go against us and it won’t be the last decision to go against us.”
Andy Murray snapped a six-match losing streak as he beat Alexandre Muller 6-1 7-6 (5) in the first round of the Qatar Open.
The 36-year-old held his nerve in a tight second set tie-break to secure his first win since October 2023 and renew hopes of a late career swansong.
Victory over the world number 75 seemed imperative if Murray was to continue to quell retirement talk and progress in a tournament in which he reached the final last year.
He eased into a 3-0 lead against the French qualifier and spurned two break points for a 4-0 advantage before a brief interruption as he sought treatment for an apparent knee injury.
Murray showed few ill effects as he completed a one-sided first set but Muller became more aggressive at the start of the second and sought to capitalise on his opponent’s restricted movement.
The Scot fought off a series of break points before grabbing a break of his own with his first opportunity in the seventh game, only to surrender his lead immediately and allow Muller to haul back level.
Muller held the advantage for much of the tie-break and looked set to level the match when he led 5-3, but Murray dug deep to reel off four points in a row and seal victory and set up a second-round clash with 18-year-old Jakub Mensik.
Murray said on court: “The last few months have been tough on court for me. I’ve clearly not won many matches and lost a lot of close ones as well.
“I’m proud I managed to get through the match and get another win, happy for my team who have been working hard trying to find solutions. Hopefully this is the start of a better run.”
Rugby League Jamaica (RLJ) staged its annual New Year 9’s festival at the UWI Mona Bowl in Kingston last Saturday.
Nineteen teams turned up to contest four categories, including Wigan-Leigh College from England.
Tries from Kenneth Walker (2), Marvin Thompson, Jade Harrison and Akel Jenson led Duhaney Park Redsharks to a 24-12 win over Washington Blvd Bulls in the men’s final.
For the Bulls, Oshane Edie (2) and Linval Green replied with tries. Jamaica Defence Force shutout St Bess Sledgehammers 24-0 for third, while St Catherine OB Thundercats and Liguanea Dragons finished 5th and 7th respectively, topping West Kingston Hyenas and Spanish Town Vikings.
The Women’s final was a hotly contested affair between Redsharks and Sledgehammers. Shanique Smith and Allison Frazier rushed the winners to 8-0 lead before Sledgehammers came roaring back through scores from Yanique Days and Yianna Wilson. It needed sudden death extra time to settle the affair, and it was Smith who produced a brilliant solo break to settle the matters.
In Boy’s Academy U19 finals, Jamaica Hurricanes Academy A edged English outfit Wigan-Leigh College 12-8. Scorers for Jamaica were Damoy Palmer, Tyreke Hutchinson and Shevaugh Smith, the latter scoring in extra time. Both Wigan tries came from Toa Bayliss. The win marked the first ever by a Jamaican domestic team over an English team in any format of the game. Meanwhile, in the High School U19 Category, BB Coke High school got the better of The Cedar Grove Academy 12-8.
Director of Romeo Monteith commented, "RLJ is extremely pleased with the execution of the tournament, we had competitive games all round and Wigan-Leigh added an excellent international flair to this staging."
Mark Allen made three consecutive centuries, including a tournament record 146, on his way to an impressive 6-3 win over Mark Williams in the Players Championship.
Allen followed his 146 in the opening frame with breaks of 112 and 102, restricting Williams to a solitary point in the process, and also made breaks of 94, 70 and 68 to ease into the second round in Telford.
“Any win against Mark is a good win but to play like that and score like that, that’s what I needed because I haven’t been doing that much,” Allen told ITV4.
“I’m not going to go into it, but I am trying something a bit different this week so we’ll see if it works. It is a timing issue that I feel like I’ve had in recent months so the technical change I’ve made I’m hoping will correct that.
“I started the match as good as you could with three centuries and disappointed not to make four, but that’s the way you need to play.
“I lost a few (against Mark) early on when I first turned pro and I think that’s nine of the last 10 I’ve won now so maybe that’s in his head a little bit as well.”
Officials at Aintree believe they are better prepared to deal with any protests that may occur at this season’s Randox Grand National, after last year’s race was delayed by around 15 minutes.
More than 100 protesters from animal rights group Animal Rising were arrested after some managed to get onto the course.
The Jockey Club, which owns Aintree, was able to put more stringent plans in place by the time of the Derby at Epsom in June, when it secured an injunction which made it illegal for anyone to attempt to get on the track.
Aintree clerk of the course Sulekha Varma said: “We’re lucky that we’ve got a very good relationship with the police and we will take guidance from them.
“We learned a lot last year, and we saw that at Epsom, so we are going into this year with a different outlook.”
Dickon White, Aintree and North West regional director of the Jockey Club, said: “We’ve had nothing at all (threat of protests).
“We’re still reviewing last year’s incidents, as we would through the normal planning process with Merseyside Police and our security advisers. But there’s nothing at this stage which tells us there is going to be anything different to previous years. At this stage we’re not planning to do anything different.”
Nicholas Wrigley, outgoing chairman at Aintree, felt the incident emphasised just what place the race still holds in the public consciousness.
“What last year showed was how important the Grand National is, not just to racing but to the general public. It triggered a National debate which went on for days,” he said.
“It showed what the future is and what the future may hold for jumps racing. What was clear was the one thing that was at the front of everything was the safety of the horse.
“It’s why we’ve spent so long discussing everything, making everything safer for the horse because that is vital for the future of the race.
“What Sulekha and Dickon and the team have done is so important going forwards and we need all the people to support the changes and what Lucinda (Russell) and Peter (Scudamore) said in the aftermath of last year’s race which they won (with Corach Rmabler) was very helpful.
“We need people to focus on the horse rather than looking back in time at what has gone before so we’ll be asking people to get behind the changes.”
Those changes involve a new start time of 4pm, moving the first fence nearer to the starting tape and perhaps more significantly reducing the field to 34 from 40 runners.
“The changes were made on the back of the review, which happens every year, and my thought is always how do we keep the race moving forwards,” said Varma.
“The biggest change is the reduction to 34 runners and that is down to the way the race is run. Since the changes to the fences 10 years ago as it has altered the speed of the race.
“We couldn’t move the start so we’ve moved the first fence 60 yards closer and that worked in the Becher and Grand Sefton. The change in race time is also helpful as it stops some of the build up of pressure.”
Kevin Sinfield insists Ollie Lawrence and Manu Tuilagi are “ready to kick the door down” if England beef up their backline for Saturday’s Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland.
The hard running centres are available for the first time in the 2024 Guinness Six Nations having recovered from the respective groin and hip injuries that forced them to miss the opening two rounds.
Head coach Steve Borthwick must decide whether to break up the midfield partnership of Fraser Dingwall and Henry Slade that started the wins against Italy and Wales or add more ball-carrying clout to the backline.
“Ollie and Manu bring power,” assistant coach Sinfield said ahead of the trip to Murrayfield.
“Fraser and Henry offer a bit more ball movement and a bit more finesse at the line but what Manu and Ollie bring is they will kick the door down.
“It’s about trying to find the right balance for us this weekend. Ollie and Manu haven’t been in with us that long but we know them pretty well from the World Cup and what they’ve done previously.
“Then there’s the experience of Henry and Fraser’s ball skills and games management in and around that midfield, so we’ve got a real healthy competition there.”
Borthwick will make at least one enforced change when he names his team on Thursday after scrum-half Alex Mitchell was ruled out by a knee injury sustained in training.
Mitchell was due to see a specialist on Tuesday when a date for his return will be set.
It clears the path for 37-year-old veteran Danny Care to win his 99th cap as a starter in Edinburgh on Saturday, if he holds off the challenge of Ben Spencer who is likely to feature on the bench.
“Danny’s had a great career and I’ve loved working with him. He looks after himself really well and to still be playing at 37, you’ve got to be doing that early in your career,” Sinfield said.
“We all know the type of professional that he is and the experience he has. You can’t measure how valuable experience is because it gives confidence, belief and trust to those around him.
“He’s really good around the group because of his personality. He’s always got a smile on his face.
“He understands people really well and he gets the best out of those around him. It would be awesome if he can get to 100 caps.”
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