Worldwide Sports News
A player can only make the list once. View the previous winners: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018 and 2017
By Gary Naylor for the 99.94 Cricket Blog
The Australian (with a British passport, so watch this space) conforms to the template of an English seamer. Even his curved run up is old-school, helping to get the shoulder turn and slightly round-arm action that promotes the outswing that leads to nibble after nibble after nibble.
Continue reading...An emotional Jahrome Hughes has admitted he had a tear in his eye after Melbourne teammates launched into a haka to honour his Dally M medal, while Roosters second-rower Olivia Kernick won the women’s award.
In scenes reminiscent of fellow New Zealander Roger Tuivasa-Sheck’s win in 2018, Melbourne winger Will Warbrick took over the Dally Ms to celebrate Hughes’ award. After holding off James Tedesco by one vote and landing the first big individual honour of his career, Hughes watched as Warbrick launched into a haka alongside Storm second-rower Eliesa Katoa and Canberra prop Joseph Tapine.
Continue reading...Surrey won Division One yet again, but more counties get a look-in – for reasons great and farcical – in these awards
The 2024 County Championship season dribbled to an end on Sunday afternoon, handshakes taken as early as was polite, while the autumn roared in. It was the longest Championship season on record – stretching from 5 April to 29 September – finishing with the favourites, Surrey, easing to victory with one round to go and Sussex winning Division Two on the final day, a thousand supporters hanging around in gloves to watch Clare Connor present the trophy.
But how quickly things move on. Rod Bransgrove announced the sale of Hampshire to the Delhi Capitals co-owners before the Spin had time to pull the season’s trophies out of the Guardian cabinet where they have been gathering dust since last year. So belatedly, and somewhat overshadowed by powerbrokers in important shoes rustling papers in mahogany boardrooms, here are the summer’s County Championship awards.
Continue reading...Yorkshire replace Lancashire in Division One of the Championship, with Glamorgan winning the One-Day Cup
By Gary Naylor for the 99.94 Cricket Blog
Even the weather gods seemed irritated by the scheduling of the Metro Bank One-Day Cup Final, rained off on the Sunday and held over to the reserve day, a miserable, back-to-school, Monday if ever there was one.
Continue reading...A pitch invader was knocked out cold by a security guard during a rugby match in South Africa.
Pramac Racing’s Jorge Martín led a crash-hit Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika from start to finish, to win his third race of the season and extend his lead over the reigning champion, Francesco Bagnaia, to 21 points in the MotoGP standings.
Martín started on pole in hot and humid conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit and stayed in front throughout the race, despite having his fellow Spaniard Pedro Acosta breathing down his neck.
Continue reading...Rugby convert Joseph Suaalii may have got a little ahead of himself before he even suits up for his first game in the 15-man code.
After beating Argentina to seal the title, the world champions will look to sweep England, Wales and Scotland
Two World Cups, a British & Irish Lions series and now the Rugby Championship. South Africa are in possession of every major trophy available to a southern-hemisphere team. Does this put them on par with the all-conquering All Blacks of Richie McCaw and Dan Carter? It is a question best unpacked over a second pint in the pub. That it is worth asking, though, is a testament to the evolution of this team under Rassie Erasmus and the potential heights they may yet reach.
This 48-7 win over Argentina included all the familiar notes of a Springboks classic. Their scrum consumed the Pumas pack with Ox Nché – a man who famously joked that “salads don’t win scrums” – feasting in the set piece, winning a string of first-half penalties seemingly on his own. Eben Etzebeth, now with a record 128 caps for his country, began the day with tears in his eyes and was totemic throughout. Pieter-Steph du Toit, who continues to produce player-of-the-match performances with his father’s hamstring surgically implanted in his left leg, bossed the breakdown and scored two of his team’s seven tries.
Continue reading...The Super League playoffs may only be 48 hours old but if this is what the remainder of the road to Old Trafford looks like, we are in for some treat: not that it will be any consolation to supporters of St Helens after this most remarkable of sudden-death ties.
For weeks, the Saints have been so brittle that many felt when they ended the year sixth – their lowest league finish since 1994 – this would be somewhat of a formality for a Warrington side who have caught the eye so much in Sam Burgess’s first season as a head coach. But anyone with even a brief history of Super League should not know you can never write the Saints off.
Continue reading...One of the nation's most storied golf courses is dealing with the aftermath of Helene, the former Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Florida on Friday
One of the nation’s most storied golf courses is dealing with the aftermath of Helene, the former Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in Florida on Friday and was downgraded to a tropical depression as it continued its wrath into Georgia on Friday.
Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said in a statement Saturday officials still are assessing how much damage was done to the iconic course, which has hosted the annual Masters Tournament since 1934. Augusta, Georgia, is located in the eastern portion of the state, along the border of South Carolina.
Continue reading...The Wallabies’ Test drought in New Zealand extended to 23 years when their brave challenge in Wellington was repelled by an All Blacks’ onslaught on Saturday.
Saracens’ new fly-half is not daunted at the prospect of following in the footsteps of his illustrious predecessor
Certain acts are tougher to follow than others. Imagine, say, playing Hamlet at the Old Vic with the ghost of Sir Laurence Olivier on your shoulder. Or succeeding Sean Connery as the next James Bond. As he prepares for his first home league game as Owen Farrell’s heir apparent, Saracens’ new fly-half, Fergus Burke, knows he is stepping into some exalted shoes.
Which, of course, presents an instant dilemma: do you try to be a carbon copy of your predecessor – give or take the Wigan accent – or resolve to be your own man? Sitting in St Albans, his freshly adopted home town, the 25-year-old Burke has already made his mind up. “Stepping into someone else’s role … there’s obviously a bit of expectation. I just try and park that. Owen was an awesome player and one of the best this club has seen. But I’ve got to be my own player. I can’t be thinking too much about what’s been.”
Continue reading...Former Nigeria international on starting in slippers, hoping to inspire African golfers and that attempt to join QPR
“It’s unbelievable,” says Peter Odemwingie. “I never thought I could get so obsessed with this game.” On a cloudy Tuesday afternoon in the affluent northern suburbs of Birmingham, the former West Brom, Stoke and Nigeria striker has just ripped a drive well beyond 300 yards down the third fairway at Sutton Coldfield Golf Club.
Watched by Odemwingie and his friend and fellow pro Lewis Pearce from nearby Aston Wood GC – not to mention Pearce’s pet dachshund, George – it is soon my turn to step up to the tee. Having somehow scrambled a par to win the 1st, my early advantage has evaporated thanks to a miscued tee shot into the trees at the 2nd. With the match level, the pressure is on. But sadly my tee shot fails to get off the ground and comes to rest in a big patch of heather no more than 80 yards away.
Continue reading...On a rain-lashed first day of the final round of games, Lancashire at least made hay against Worcestershire
Yorkshire go into today with a 15 point lead over Middlesex, so ten points would confirm their promotion after two seasons in Division Two. Middlesex need to win and hope Yorkshire lose, or draw with maximum points and hope Yorkshire have collected just one point.
At the miserable end of Division One, Lancashire are favourites to go down, currently 15 points behind third from bottom Notts, and 20 points behind fourth from bottom Warwickshire. Notts will be safe if they collect 10 points, Warwickshire need five. Lancs must win with max bonus points and cross their fingers.
Continue reading...Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris reached the pinnacle of soccer’s mountaintop by helping France win the 2018 World Cup. On Wednesday night, they said they celebrated just the same after helping Los Angeles Football Club take home the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with a 3-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City in extra time.
Giroud and Lloris were just as surprised to be feeling the same emotion, but adding another trophy can do that.
“It is different when you have to play in a final. You just go for it. I’m really proud of the team,” said Giroud, who opened the scoring in the second half.
It is the 12th major trophy of Giroud’s career, who will turn 38 on Monday. Lloris joined LAFC this season, becoming the first World Cup winner to play for the club. Later during the MLS midseason break, Giroud joined the club on a free transfer from Milan, reuniting with his former international teammate.
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