Fifty-one years of Wembley hurt was extinguished for Salford in the most bittersweet way in 2020 when supporters were locked out of their side’s first Challenge Cup final appearance since 1969 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It is sure to be an additional incentive for Paul Rowley’s buoyant side as they head into Saturday lunchtime’s quarter-final against Hull KR at Craven Park with arguably their best opportunity yet to re-converge on the sport’s most enduring showpiece.
For the second consecutive season, Rowley’s Red Devils have shattered expectations and head into their last-eight clash against their injury-plagued opponents on the back of seven wins out of eight and sitting just two points off the Super League summit.
“It’s a rare occurrence for Salford to get to any cup final, so to do it when there are crowd restrictions, it would have been easy to fall into that trap of thinking it’s always us, and we’re unlucky as a club maybe,” said Rowley.
“It would be fantastic for the fans to experience what they were robbed of last time. But we really try and just focus on our jobs. It’s important we just stick to the task and don’t get derailed or carried away, and you just hope we take the opportunities when they come to us.”
Salford’s unfortunate recent history in the Challenge Cup can also be traced back to 1998, their best chance to repeat their previous final appearance, when they were edged out in the dying seconds of their semi-final by underdogs and eventual winners Sheffield Eagles.
Painful reminders of the importance of not getting carried away are illustrated on the balance sheet, which show Salford operating one of the tightest budgets in Super League.
They recently launched a community share offer scheme in a bid to become the top-flight’s first wholly fan-owned club.
In that context on-field results have been remarkable, as Rowley’s men have built on last year’s run to the play-off semi-finals with an expressive style of rugby that has won plaudits and points in equal measure, and which included a 26-16 win over Rovers two weeks ago at Magic Weekend.
For Rowley, a Wembley appearance would be a timely reward for the successes his current squad are fashioning against the odds on an almost weekly basis, as well as a welcome profile boost in an increasingly tough financial climate.
“There are no silver spoons at this club,” added Rowley. “We don’t have a carpet rolled out and we go into a rusty old gym and a team room that has nothing posh about it.
“Keeping our feet on the ground is never a difficult proposition. But as one of the old school people, the Challenge Cup was the thing you dreamed about growing up.
“The history and heritage that goes with it is something quite remarkable, and it’s something we want to continue. This is the first of three opportunities to win a trophy and I’d like any sort of success for this group because I think it’s a special one.”
Jason Robinson insists England must look to his 2007 runners-up rather than the triumphant vintage of 2003 for inspiration to drive their World Cup quest this autumn.
Either France, Ireland, South Africa or New Zealand are tipped to become champions in what is expected to be the fiercest battle yet for the global crown currently held by the Springboks.
England, meanwhile, are outsiders as Steve Borthwick continues to find his feet, having taken over an under-performing side from the sacked Eddie Jones in September.
Managing only two wins in the recent Six Nations has done little to rouse hopes, but Robinson recalls the 2007 tournament as an example of how quickly a team’s fortunes can be reversed.
“The reality is that England have got a better group than most and they’ve got to top it. And then when you get into the knockout stage it’s anybody’s,” Robinson, the Asahi Super Dry ambassador for the 2023 World Cup, told the PA news agency.
“I don’t think there has ever been a World Cup where there are so many teams in contention and I would say England are in the mix, but they are going to have to build some form.
“I would never have said we’d get to the final in 2007 with the form that we had in the lead up to it, not a chance. We were playing crap.
“We limped through the pool stages in 2007, getting beaten 36-0 by South Africa. I pulled my hamstring in that game. It was a real slap in the face for us.
“While we didn’t have form in the team, we still had some good players. The defeat against South Africa was the shock we needed.
“We got through the pool and then we found some form against Australia in the quarters. We beat France who were hosts and suddenly we were in the final. We could have won that too had Mark Cueto (who had a try controversially disallowed after it was ruled his left foot had made contact with the touchline) not had six toes!
“What happened to us in 2007 gives hope. It can be done – in sport you can turn things around in a very short space of time.
“Sometimes you get written off and you’ve got to take that on the chin and try to find a way to win.
“This England team have got some great players, but they’ve got to find form and also find the way they want to play.”
Robinson played in both the 2003 and 2007 World Cup finals and, although he was part of the greatest side to emerge from these shores, he sees the semi-final victory over New Zealand four years ago as the finest single performance.
The All Blacks were flattened 19-7 on a dramatic night in Yokohama that saw the tone set through a defiant response to the Haka.
“While we won the World Cup in 2003, England’s game against New Zealand in 2019 is the best I’ve ever seen an England team play. That’s the standout England game for me,” cross-code star Robinson said.
“I was blown away by how England approached the game. I’ve never seen New Zealand dominated like that before.
“We mixed up our game so well. We were physical, we played smart, we played around them, we played through them. When I watched it I thought ‘wow’.”
:: Asahi Super Dry is offering fans a host of beyond expected experiences, including tickets to the sold-out tournament, through retail promotional packs and QR codes on pint glasses in pubs, bars, restaurants nationwide.
Seminal moments have been slow in coming to Odsal in recent years and opinions are split over whether Thursday night’s first match trialling a new rugby league tackle law represented a significant step in the fight against concussion or an idea the sport should swiftly forget.
The crumbling venue, witness to World Cup ties and a record six-figure Challenge Cup crowd in 1954, hosted the first match in an initial eight-week experiment at academy level which bars tackles above armpit height at first contact, and penalises all contact with the head at neck.
The match between the respective under-18 teams of Bradford and Leeds, which was won by the latter 50-32, featured the expected stratospheric penalty count, with 57 interventions by referee Matthew Lynn overall, including 49 for high tackles.
The trial is part of a bid to reduce the number of concussions in the game, with the intention, if it is backed up by data, of enshrining the new tackle technique in law across both community and academy fixtures in the game, though not at the elite level.
Bradford head of youth Ryan Hunkin said: “I went in open-minded, I didn’t know what it would be like, and I don’t think it was as bad as people were expecting.
“We knew there would be more penalties and they had more energy at half-time than normal because of the stop-start nature, but kids adapt. It’s the ideal age for them to try it because they adapt quickly at this age, and they soon pick it up.”
Both teams gave away two penalties each in the opening two sets, including in the first tackle of the game, and rumblings of discontent were clear among the players and the handful of spectators in the cavernous old stadium.
The inevitable stalls in momentum were mitigated by the opportunity for a more expansive game, with both sides tending to limit themselves to two men in the tackle, for fear that a third would inevitably incur another penalty.
Striking the right balance is crucial for Hunkin, who added: “As a spectacle I don’t think it was where it will be in eight weeks. It’s a start, and we’ve got to start somewhere. But it’s a contact sport and we want to try and keep it a contact sport.”
Rugby league’s approach to lowering concussion levels in the sport differs markedly from the approach of rugby union, which sparked controversy with its out-of-the-blue announcement in January that it was lowering the allowed tackle height to below the waist in all forms of the community game from July.
The backlash was such that the Rugby Football Union subsequently amended its new tackle height to below the sternum, although there remains resistance to the changes that are due to come into force next month.
While league officials hope their more inclusive move will ensure broader backing within the game, there is clearly concern in some quarters, and Hunkin’s counterpart at Leeds, John Bastian, reflected a markedly more measured response to the trial among the Rhinos backroom staff.
“I understand what the RFL are doing but something has to be better than that for us to make our sport safer because that is very, very difficult to watch and play in,” said Bastian.
“It was very complex for both teams and very complicated to play any rugby with any skill or momentum. The rules are being challenged by the Rugby Football League. That’s fine but it made the rules more complicated tonight.”
There was also an acknowledgement of the huge task facing officials in calling near-constant infractions in the tackle while maintaining a focus on other aspects of the game.
Elite referee Marcus Griffiths, who is effectively leading the roll-out from an officials’ perspective, praised the performance of Lynn, but stressed the importance of respecting the difficulties faced by referees in rolling out the new rules.
“It’s a massive ask to referee that way because we’re taught certain ways of identifying tackles and foul play, and we’re having to adapt too,” said Griffiths.
“He’s done an amazing job. It was challenging at times out there, and it’s a massive learning curve. At times, we’re going to need arms around officials because it’s challenging.
“To go out and give 57 penalties, it’s frustrating and at times you’re going to have players taking out their frustrations on you.”
Tiger Woods won the US Open when he defeated Rocco Mediate at the first hole of sudden death after the pair could not be separated over an 18-hole play-off, on this day in 2008.
Woods forced the play-off at Torrey Pines when he converted a 15-foot birdie putt on 18 which saw the pair tied on one under after four rounds in California.
Mediate, who was bidding to become the oldest US Open winner at 45, led by one on the final tee but Woods drew level when he produced a birdie for the tie to be decided by sudden death.
Mediate missed a putt to save par and bogeyed the first hole which saw Woods take advantage and seal his 14th major victory on the same day he celebrated 500 weeks as world number one.
Woods admitted the 2008 US Open was his greatest victory to date having recovered from knee surgery two months prior and suffering with pain throughout the tournament.
“I don’t know how it even got this far but I’m very, very fortunate to have played 91 holes and come out on top,” Wood said.
“I think this is the best, just because of all the things I had to deal with.
“It’s a close one with the first (major) that I won (at the 1997 Masters).
“I dealt with a few things this week and just had to keep plugging along.
“I wasn’t feeling my best, I didn’t get off to the greatest of starts and when I finally got off to a good start (in the play-off), I screwed that up by finding the bunker on three.”
Shohei Ohtani pitched six strong innings and continued his home run barrage with his 22nd of the season in the Los Angeles Angels’ 5-3 win over the Texas Rangers on Thursday.
The Japanese superstar held the AL West-leading Rangers to two runs and six hits in six innings and belted a two-run homer off reliever Brock Burke in the eighth inning to extend the Angels’ lead to 5-2.
Ohtani tied Pete Alonso of the New York Mets for the major league home run lead with his seventh in 10 games. He is batting .489 (22 of 45) with 16 RBIs during a 12-game hitting streak.
Chad Wallach homered in the second inning and Mickey Moniak snapped a seventh-inning tie with a blast off Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi to put the Angels on top to stay.
Angels closer Carlos Estevez walked the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth and had to be replaced by Jacob Webb, who got the first two outs before walking in a run. Webb then struck out Adolis Garcia to end it, giving Los Angeles its ninth win in 11 games.
In a marquee pitching matchup, both Ohtani and Eovaldi didn’t disappoint.
Eovaldi was bidding to become the second 10-game winner in the majors, but instead lost for the first time since April 12. He surrendered three runs and five hits over seven innings, walking two and striking out nine.
Phillies edge Diamondbacks to move over .500
The defending National League champion Philadelphia Phillies went back over the .500 mark for the first time in more than a month with a 5-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Bryson Stott hit his second home run in three games to back 6 2/3 strong innings from Aaron Nola to help Philadelphia win for the 10th time in 12 games and improve to 35-34.
Arizona scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-3 lead, but the Phillies went ahead for good in the fourth on run-scoring hits from Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper.
Every Philadelphia starter had at least one hit, with two each from Stott, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner and Alec Bohm.
Rays beat Athletics to reach 50 wins
Luke Raley hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning and the Tampa Bay Rays edged the Oakland Athletics 4-3 to become the first team to win 50 games.
Manuel Margot also went deep, and rookie Taj Bradley struck out the first six Oakland batters and 11 in all as Tampa Bay gained a split of the four-game series.
The Athletics loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, but Jake Diekman got Seth Brown to ground into a double play and struck out Brent Rooker to keep the game tied at 3.
Nevada governor Joe Lombardo signed into law Thursday a $380 million public financing package to help build a stadium for the Athletics on the Las Vegas strip. The team said in a statement the Nevada governor’s signing of the funding package was “a significant step forward in securing a new home for the Athletics.”
Xander Schauffele predicted the US Open could turn “nasty” after an historic day of scoring on the opening day at Los Angeles Country Club.
Schauffele matched Ryder Cup team-mate Rickie Fowler’s eight-under-par 62 to record the lowest score in US Open history and equal the lowest in any men’s major championship, set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open.
The duo led by five shots after the morning wave was completed on Thursday, but by the end of the day were only two in front of Dustin Johnson and Wyndham Clark, with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman another stroke back.
“It’s not really what you expect playing a US Open, but monkey see, monkey do,” Olympic champion Schauffele said.
“I was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front of me. [But] it’s just Thursday. It’s literally just the first day of a tournament. It’s a good start. You just wait until this place firms up. It’s going to be nasty.”
World number one Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were five shots off the pace after rounds of 67, while a frustrated Jon Rahm threatened to break a club over his knee as he struggled off the tee, but still managed to post a 69.
Playing alongside McIlroy, US PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka carded a 71 which was matched by defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Quote of the day
Former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn reacts to the amazing scoring from Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele on day one.
Shot of the day
Sam Burns also recorded a hole-in-one on the 15th, but Pavon got there first.
Round of the day
Rounds of the day in this case as Fowler and Schauffele posted matching 62s.
Statistic of the day
While Fowler and Schauffele understandably grabbed the headlines with their 62s, world number one Scottie Scheffler continued to post some impressive numbers of his own.
Easiest hole
The par-five eighth hole gave up three eagles and 77 birdies, leading to an average of 4.610, although there were still three double bogeys.
Hardest hole
One of a trio of tough closing holes, the 17th played to average of 4.530 with just nine players making birdie and the same number making a double bogey.
Weather forecast
Friday is expected to have more sunshine and warmth than Thursday, which should dry the course out and lead to tougher scoring conditions. Winds remain light with a maximum strength of 15mph possible in late afternoon.
Key tee times (all BST)
1602 Dustin Johnson, Sam Burns, Keith Mitchell
1624 Brooks Koepka, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama
2132 Justin Rose, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day
2154 Xander Schaufferle, Jon Rahm, Viktor Hovland
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with stunning rounds of 62 on the opening day of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler exploited ideal, overcast conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It was also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
Yet Fowler amazingly held that distinction on his own for less than 30 minutes as Schauffele, playing two groups behind, carded eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 of his own.
At eight under par the American duo led by two shots from compatriot Wyndham Clark and former US Open champion Dustin Johnson, with Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman on five under.
World number one Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau were two strokes further back, while a frustrated Jon Rahm threatened to break a club over his knee as he struggled off the tee, but still managed to post a 69.
Playing alongside McIlroy, US PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka carded a 71 which was matched by defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick.
Fowler has recorded eight top-five finishes in the majors, including in all four 2014, and was runner-up to Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters following weekend rounds of 65 and 67 at Augusta National.
The native Californian had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but he came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
“It’s definitely been long and tough,” Fowler said of his road back to the game’s upper echelons.
“A lot longer being in that situation than you’d ever want. But it makes it so worth it having gone through that and being back where we are now. I would say we’re starting to get maybe as close as we’ve ever been to where I was through 2014, 2015.
“It was a great day out there. The first few days this week I was not feeling very comfortable or making many putts but I kept working on the range and finally a couple of things clicked a bit yesterday (Wednesday).
“Then it was just a case of going out there and trusting it and letting things happen.”
Like Fowler, Schauffele started on the back nine and picked up shots on the 10th, 12th and 14th before storming home in 30, aided by a birdie from 60 feet on the fifth.
“It’s not really what you expect playing a US Open, but monkey see, monkey do,” said the Olympic champion, who has never finished worse than 14th in six previous US Open starts.
“I was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front of me [But] it’s just Thursday. It’s literally just the first day of a tournament. It’s a good start. You just wait until this place firms up. It’s going to be nasty.
“I’m going to take what the course can give me, and today it gave me a low one, and we’re going to have to assess it as we go on.”
McIlroy raced to the turn in 30 with five birdies in his first eight holes before following a run of six pars with a birdie on the 124-yard 15th, where Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns both made a hole-in-one.
However, the four-time major winner then dropped his only shot of the day on the 18th and did not speak to waiting reporters after being required to undertake a drug test.
Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts admitted he no longer gets on with team-mate Dimitri Van den Bergh after they opened their World Cup of Darts campaign with an emphatic win over Finland.
The fifth seeds proved far too strong for the Finns in their first Group A match at the doubles tournament in Frankfurt, but there was obvious indifference between the pair during their 4-0 win on Thursday.
Huybrechts, the world number 31, told Online Darts: “It was a professional victory. We did a job but that’s about it.
“For me it’s the first time playing a doubles tournament with someone you don’t get along with now.”
Huybrechts added there was “something personal” between him and world number 10 Van den Bergh.
Meanwhile, the Australian duo of Damon Heta and Simon Whitlock began the defence of their title with an emphatic 4-0 win over debutants Guyana.
Eighth seeds Northern Ireland suffered a surprise 4-1 loss to France while the Republic of Ireland beat Thailand 4-1. Hosts and sixth seeds Germany overpowered Hong Kong 4-0.
The final two rounds of fixtures in the group stage are played on Friday.
England, Wales, Netherlands and Scotland – the top four seeded teams – do not enter until the second round on Saturday.
Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele both equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with stunning rounds of 62 on the opening day of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler took advantage of ideal conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It is also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
But remarkably Fowler held that distinction on his own for just 30 minutes as Schauffele, playing two groups behind, carded eight birdies in a bogey-free 62 of his own.
Starting on the back nine of the North Course, Fowler carded five birdies, two bogeys and just two pars to reach the turn in 32, before picking up another shot on the par-five first.
The 34-year-old also birdied the second and third and was agonisingly close to a fifth birdie in a row as a superb recovery from a greenside bunker on the fourth stopped millimetres short of the hole.
Birdies on the sixth and eighth – the latter despite having driven into the barranca to the right of the fairway – took Fowler to eight under par and he safely two-putted the ninth from long range to secure his place in the record books
The California native has recorded eight top-five finishes in the majors, including in all four 2014, and was runner-up to Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters following weekend rounds of 65 and 67 at Augusta National.
He had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but he came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
“It was a great day,” Fowler said. “I got off to a nice start making a three on 10, but never really thought about a score out there.
“The first few days this week I was not feeling very comfortable or making many putts but I kept working on the range and finally a couple of things clicked a bit yesterday (Wednesday).
“Then it was just a case of going out there and trusting it and letting things happen.”
Schauffele, who has never finished worse than 14th in six previous US Open appearances, also started on the back nine and picked up shots on the 10th, 12th and 14th before storming home in 30, aided by a birdie from 60 feet on the fifth.
Rickie Fowler equalled the lowest score in men’s major championship history with a stunning 62 in the first round of the 123rd US Open.
Fowler took advantage of ideal conditions for the early starters to fire 10 birdies and two bogeys at Los Angeles Country Club, matching the mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
It is also the lowest score ever recorded in a US Open, England’s Tommy Fleetwood making the most recent of the six previous 63s in the final round in 2018.
Starting on the back nine of the North Course, Fowler carded five birdies, two bogeys and just two pars to reach the turn in 32, before picking up another shot on the par-five first.
The 34-year-old also birdied the second and third and was agonisingly close to a fifth birdie in a row as a superb recovery from a greenside bunker on the fourth stopped millimetres short of the hole.
Birdies on the sixth and eighth – the latter despite having driven into the barranca to the right of the fairway – took Fowler to eight under par and he safely two-putted the ninth from long range to secure his place in the record books.
The California native has recorded eight top-five finishes in the majors, including in all four 2014, and was runner-up to Patrick Reed in the 2018 Masters following weekend rounds of 65 and 67 at Augusta National.
He had failed to qualify for the last two US Opens as a loss of form saw him tumble to 185th in the world rankings, but he came into the week on the back of successive top 10s on the PGA Tour and ranked 45th.
Lewis Hamilton has knocked back Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s claim that he is on the brink of signing a new contract.
Earlier this week, team principal Wolff said Hamilton’s contract renewal would be resolved “in days rather than weeks”, adding that he was “trying hard” to finalise terms with his superstar driver before this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
But speaking in Montreal on Thursday, Hamilton, 38, said: “I don’t have a huge amount to say on the contract.
“It will get done when it is done. If that is next week, or in a month’s time, as long as it gets done, I am not really bothered.”
After the previous round in Barcelona, Wolff said it would take only “half an hour over coffee” to agree an extension to Hamilton’s £40million-a-season deal which expires in six months.
Hamilton met with Wolff the day following the Spanish Grand Prix in the hope of rubber-stamping a new deal – which is set to extend the seven-time world champion’s stay in Formula One beyond his 40th birthday – and has also spent time with the Austrian in New York this week.
Hamilton added: “I have seen Toto and we have talked several times. We have a great relationship but there is nothing to say at the moment.”
Asked if any progress on negotiations had been made, Hamilton replied: “Yes, but there is nothing new to add to it.”
Hamilton, who has not won a race since his contentious championship defeat to Max Verstappen at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, is already 83 points off the title pace this year.
On Sunday, a sixth victory of the season for Verstappen would put him on 41 victories for his career, equalling Ayrton Senna’s tally, with only Hamilton (103 wins), Michael Schumacher (91), Sebastian Vettel (53) and Alain Prost (51) ahead of him.
And Hamilton admitted Verstappen, still only 25, could break his record.
“He has got a very long career ahead of him so he absolutely could,” said Hamilton. “Records are there to be broken and he has got an amazing team.
“Max has been doing an amazing job and he has had an incredible career so far.
“But we have got to work harder to try and continue to extend our record and I hope, with the period of time I have left in my career, I get to have more close racing with him.”
Danilo Gallinari will return to the Boston Celtics for the 2023-24 season after reportedly exercising his $6.8million player option.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported the news on Thursday.
The 13-year veteran from Italy missed the entire 2022-23 season after tearing his left ACL while playing for his native country in a FIBA qualifying game last August - a month after signing a two-year, $13.3million contract with the Celtics.
Expected to be a regular in the rotation for a Boston team with NBA title aspirations, the 34-year-old Gallinari signed with the Celtics after averaging 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 38.1 per cent from 3-point range in 66 games for the Atlanta Hawks in 2021-22.
His best season came in 2018-19 for the Los Angeles Clippers, when he averaged career highs of 19.8 points and 6.1 rebounds and shot 43.3 per cent on 3-pointers to rank fifth in the NBA among qualifying players.
Last summer's injury marked the second time Gallinari missed an entire season with a torn left ACL after tearing it a first time in April 2013.
He came back in 2014-15 with averages of 12.4 points and 3.7 rebounds in 59 games for the Denver Nuggets.
Selected sixth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2008 draft, Gallinari has career averages of 15.6 points and 4.8 rebounds and an average of 2.0 made 3-pointers per game.
Since his 2008-09 rookie season, the only player 6-foot-10 or taller with more made 3-pointers than Gallinari's 1,426 is Kevin Durant with 1,804.
Andy Murray says he is in the best physical condition since his hip operation after racking up a seventh straight win to ease into the quarter-finals of the Rothesay Nottingham Open.
Murray won his first tournament in this country since his 2016 Wimbledon title when he triumphed at Surbiton last week and has continued his good form in the midlands, beating Frenchman Hugo Grenier 6-3 7-5.
The 36-year-old’s career was derailed by a hip resurfacing operation in 2018, where a metal insert replaced his bone, and he has battled fitness issues since.
But his movement on the Nottingham grass is looking as good as ever and he is feeling in good shape, despite the long run of matches.
“In terms of physically how I have been, the last six to nine months have been really good and that has been the best I have felt since my surgery, that is really positive,” he said.
“I am getting lots of matches in. I always feel really comfortable on the grass courts, so the next few weeks will be a good test for me.
“It is really hard to say if I’m playing my best level overall, I don’t know, because I mean absolutely no disrespect to the players I am playing against, I am aware they are very good players, but when you’re playing against guys who are in the top 10 in the world they are able to expose certain things in your game a little bit more as well.”
Murray will be hoping to stay in Nottingham for the rest of the week before returning to his happy hunting ground at Queen’s next week.
And the Scot hopes this is all good preparation for SW19 next month, where the two-time champion could be seeded again.
“It has been great to get lots of matches, you don’t know how this will impact in two or three weeks time, but I am doing my best to give myself the best preparation I can for Wimbledon,” he said.
“Hopefully I can perform well in the next few days and heading into Queen’s I will have definitely had a lot of matches.
“Granted it is not as high a level as Queen’s will be or the latter stages of Wimbledon, but it is building confidence and fitness and all of those things.”
Fresh from revealing a potential investment in Leeds United, Rickie Fowler kicked off his bid for a first major title in impressive fashion in the 123rd US Open.
Fowler was among the early starters on day one at Los Angeles Country Club and covered his first 10 holes in four under par to set the early pace ahead of a four-strong group which included Olympic champion Xander Schauffele.
Starting on the back nine of the North Course, Fowler carded five birdies, two bogeys and just two pars to reach the turn in 32, before picking up another shot on the par-five first.
The world number 45 admitted on Wednesday that he and Ryder Cup team-mates Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were considering investing in Leeds as part of the imminent takeover by 49ers Enterprises.
The American investment group are set to take charge of the Championship club after agreeing a deal to buy out chairman Andrea Radrizzani’s controlling stake.
Fowler told Sky Sports News: “It’s cool to have these opportunities. I know we’re looking into it, and it would be fun if we get to be a part of it, if not we’ll continue to root for Leeds.
“Obviously they got relegated but to get to go to a Premier League game, a Champions League game, any of that (would be great). It’s a massive sport and I feel like it is continuing to get bigger in the (United) States.
“Since I haven’t been to a game, I don’t have the true appreciation until (I get to) be there and feel that energy.”
Fowler was playing alongside former US Open champion Justin Rose in the first two rounds, but Rose was enduring a miserable round on the 10th anniversary of his victory at Merion.
After starting the day with five straight pars, Rose bogeyed the 15th, 16th and 17th before running up a double bogey on the 18th to reach the turn in 40.
The New Jersey Devils and forward Jesper Bratt agreed to terms on an eight-year contract worth $63 million on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Swede was slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
"It was always a priority to keep Jesper Bratt here long term and both parties are thrilled that a deal was completed," Devils executive vice president and general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "I value and commend the commitment Jesper made to this organization.
“We believe that he is a special player and a key member of our core group of talent who will contribute towards the team's long-term success, and organizational goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to New Jersey."
The Devils selected Bratt in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2016 draft, and he made his NHL debut in 2017-18.
Bratt’s last two seasons were his best in the NHL with a career-high 73 points in each campaign. He set a personal best with 32 goals in 2022-23 to rank second on New Jersey.
Katie Boulter, Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage helped create history as four British women are in the the quarter-finals of a WTA Tour event for the first time after their progression at the Rothesay Nottingham Open.
Boulter, who is Britain’s number one, battled past Ukrainian lucky loser Daria Snigur 7-5 6-3 while Dart enjoyed a fine 6-0 7-5 victory over fifth seed and world number 25 Anhelina Kalinina.
But perhaps Burrage’s victory was the most impressive as she beat world number 21 and Australian Open semi-finalist Magda Linette 7-5 6-3 in one of the best victories of her career and all three join Heather Watson in the last eight.
Burrage made it through to a first career quarter-final on the WTA Tour but hopes there may be more to come.
“I am feeling really good, I have won a few matches in the WTA but never got to the quarter-finals, so it feels really good to tick that off,” she said. “But there is still a lot left to go in the week and we’ll see what happens.
“When we are all doing well it really pushes everyone on, it is a bit daunting going on after the other two (Boulter and Dart) won, it was a little bit of pressure, but in the same breath it did help as well, but when you’re out on court you’re just wanting to win.”
Boulter and Dart will now play each other to ensure there will be at least one Brit in the semi-final on Saturday.
It is also the best home performance at Nottingham in the tournament’s current format and all three of those women will have realistic ambitions of following in Johanna Konta’s footsteps and winning it, as the now-retired former British number one did two years ago.
Boulter, who is from Leicester and staying at her house during this week, has never got past the quarter-finals here before.
“It’s funny because I feel like I have been one of the years I was a set up and had to pull out and there have been many times where I have been playing great but I have never been able to go all the way through,” she said.
“For me I feel very comfortable, I feel at home, I play some great stuff and hopefully I can keep that up. I am going to keep fighting and keep enjoying it and it is easy to forget to do those two things so that is my main goal.”
Boulter and Dart are part of a very close-knit British team, but the former is able to separate between friend and opponent.
“At the end of the day you are playing against a tennis ball, I don’t think it matters too much who that person is, you have to play the ball and what’s coming at you,” she added.
“That’s the way I see it. I don’t think it is going to be an easy match either way, I am looking forward to it. It’s not often you get to the quarter-finals at your home tournament so that’s all I’m concentrating on.”
Burrage will play Magdelena Frech while Watson, who booked her quarter-final spot on Wednesday, takes on Viktorija Golubic.
Charlie Hills believes Iberian could develop into a contender for some major juvenile prizes come the end of the season following an impressive debut success at Newbury.
The Lope De Vega colt, who cost 200,000 guineas as a yearling, made plenty of appeal on paper, and more so on the track.
Under Rossa Ryan, he powered to a length and three-quarters success from Judge Frank in the Welcome To The BV Group Novice Stakes, which was better value than the winning margin suggested, as Hills felt he idled in the closing stages.
The Lambourn handler is eyeing a step up into Group company for his next start.
“He’s a nice horse,” said Hills. “He is having a good old blow and will come on a good bit for the run.
“It had just got to the stage where I just wanted to get a run into him, really. He has always worked really nicely at home and he’s going to learn a lot more today than keeping him at home.”
Newmarket could be his next stop, with the Group Two Superlative Stakes, won last year by the subsequent French 2000 Guineas runner-up Isaac Shelby, on the agenda.
“He is an exciting horse, hopefully,” added Hills. “My immediate thought was something like the Superlative Stakes, but it is a long season.
“He travelled really nicely in the race, but probably idled a bit in front at the end, but he was having a good blow, so might have got a bit tired.
“Superlative, Dewhurst… it’s a nice thought if it maps out like that, isn’t it?”
Karl Burke had a rare winner at the Berkshire track, when Back See Daa went one better than she did when beaten a neck at Doncaster upon her return to action 12 days ago.
Upped to a mile for the first time, she impressed with a three-length victory in the Darley EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes.
Her jockey, Charles Bishop, said: “She is quite a nice filly. She got tired at Doncaster last time, but has improved and appreciated the extra furlong. She has done it very well.”
Sir Mark Prescott also had a rare Newbury winner. Blindedbythelights, having a third run inside a week, scored at odds of 2-7 under Luke Morris in the concluding Follow @BetVictor On Twitter Handicap, giving the Newmarket handler a rare Newbury winner.
Having won at Yarmouth, he was downed narrowly when long odds-on at Lingfield on Monday, but made no mistake this time, taking the mile and a half event cosily.
Morris said: “He’s a lovely progressive horse. Things transpired against him on Monday, but back on a nice galloping track, he was seen to much better effect.
“I think, as he steps up in trip, he will keep progressing. His ears were pricked and he wasn’t doing a whole deal. Hopefully he can turn into a nice horse.”
There was drama in the Highclere Castle Gin Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap with Tessy’s Lad, ridden by Miss Taryn Langley, dead-heating with Lenny’s Spirit, ridden by Miss Sophie Smith.
Tessy’s Lad’s trainer, Richard Hughes, said: “We went to Windsor a couple of weeks ago when I thought he’d nearly win. William Buick came in and said he blew up, and I thought, ‘Jeez, I thought I had him fitter than that’.
“We scoped him, as it didn’t sit well with me, and he wasn’t quite right. He had a little bit of mucus.
“He blew for 25 minutes afterwards, and while it was his first run of the year, all his work was easy. Maybe he was doing it too easy.
“He’ll go jumping now as well. We’ll get a nice bit of good ground for him. He’s a grand horse.”
Eve Johnson Houghton admits she has finally found the key to Flying Secret, who took the seven-furlong Highclere Castle Gin Handicap under Mia Nicholls by a short-head from Popmaster.
“We always knew he was a good horse but he has had little issues, niggles, and I’ve finally got it right – he needs a straight track and seven furlongs,” said the trainer.
“They are not easy to find. We had to go to Yarmouth to win last time! He takes a bit of time to recover from his races, because he is fragile.”
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from June 15.
FootballRecord-breaker Harry Kane shared a message of appreciation for his England team-mates and managers.
Gary Lineker was also toasting success.
Real Madrid unveiled Jude Bellingham.
“What a machine” “What machines”
James Maddison had good company on the way to Malta.
Huddersfield’s manager provided an update.
CricketBen Stokes and James Anderson were ready for the Ashes.
A pre-Ashes gift for Moeen Ali.
Jason Roy was in the sea.
A League One footballer has been unanimously cleared of raping a woman in the Birmingham area last February.
French-born Williams Kokolo, 23, was acquitted by jurors at Coventry Crown Court of three counts of rape after they deliberated for two hours and 34 minutes.
After the verdicts were returned on Thursday, trial judge Mr Justice Wall told the jury: “Rape trials are serious and they are difficult.
“You have to assess the evidence of two people.
“If I may say so, you obviously concentrated very hard on this case and deliberated properly about it.”
Burton Albion defender Kokolo, who lives in the town, had been accused of attacking the woman at her home after meeting her on a dating site.
He maintained throughout proceedings that sexual contact with the woman had been consensual.
In a statement, Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson said of the player, who is also known as William: “We are delighted that the jury was able to make a very quick decision and to clear William on all charges.
“This court case has put a great strain on the young man for the last year but he was determined to clear his name and he can now hopefully put this behind him and resume his football career.
“Burton Albion has fully supported him throughout the process.”
The Staffordshire side signed Kokolo, who started out in the youth ranks at AS Monaco, from Middlesbrough in January 2022.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “Our decision to prosecute William Kokolo was made in accordance with our Code for Crown Prosecutors.
“He was acquitted of all charges and we respect the jury’s decision.”
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