| Women's Big Bash League semi-final, Perth Stadium: |
| Perth Scorchers 148-2 (20 overs): Sciver 38*, Villani 38, Bolton 37 |
| Sydney Thunder 121-8 (20 overs): Wilson 46; King 3-17 |
| Perth Scorchers won by 27 runs |
| Scorecard |
Thursday, February 1, 2018
BREAKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NASA HAVE FOUND ALIENS IN MARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THEY SAY THAT THEY WILL COME TO THE EARTH AND THEY ARE PLANNING THEIR TRIP RIGHT NOW
Premier League clubs spent a January transfer deadline-day record £150m on Wednesday to take their overall outlay for the month to £430m, according to analysis by Deloitte's Sports Business Group. The most expensive move on the final day of the winter transfer window came when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for a club record £56m. Elsewhere, Tottenham signed Lucas Moura for £23m, and Olivier Giroud and Andre Ayew made £18m moves - to Chelsea and Swansea respectively - as deadline-day spending passed the record set in 2011. Announcements continued to trickle in long after the 23:00 GMT deadline, with Eliaquim Mangala's loan move from Manchester City to Everton made public at 00:53 on Thursday. The top-flight clubs had already made this a record January transfer window, beating another record set in 2011 by £205m. Then, Chelsea completed a £50m move for Liverpool's Fernando Torres, and the Reds recruited £22.7m Ajax striker Luis Suarez and paid Newcastle £35m for Andy Carroll to take the deadline-day spend to £135m. Seven years on, three other strikers made the headlines, with Aubameyang's move reliant on Dortmund taking Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi on loan, and the Blues replacing him with Arsenal's Giroud. Check out all the transfer deadline-day deals in one place What happens when fans get it painfully wrong in the transfer window? Pundits debate winner of 'transfer triangle' Selected deadline-day deals Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang [Borussia Dortmund - Arsenal] £56m Lucas Moura [Paris St-Germain - Tottenham] £23m Olivier Giroud [Arsenal - Chelsea] £18m Andre Ayew [West Ham - Swansea] £18m Badou Ndiaye [Galatasaray - Stoke City] £14m Jordan Hugill [Preston - West Ham] £10m The most expensive Premier League signing of the January transfer window actually went through on the opening day of the month, when Liverpool signed defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m. Leicester's protracted move for midfielder Adrien Silva also went through on the same day, and before the week was out Everton had paid a club record £27m to sign Besiktas forward Cenk Tosun. Later in the window, the Toffees made a second £20m-plus signing in winger Theo Walcott. Alexis Sanchez swapped Arsenal for Manchester United as one of the window's most-talked-about deals went through on 22 January, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way - although Deloitte have not included any fees from this deal in their total for January. Manchester City had been heavily linked with Sanchez, but switched their attention to a move for Leicester's Riyad Mahrez, which they walked away from on deadline day, 24 hours after paying £57m to make defender Aymeric Laporte their club record signing. Top 10 Premier League transfers The 10 most expensive deals of the January transfer window According to Deloitte, the Premier League clubs' total spending for the 2017-18 season is an estimated £1.9bn. "While another record-breaking season catches the eye, Premier League clubs' expenditure continues to be well within their means in the context of revenue generated," said Dan Jones, partner in the company's Sports Business Group. "Estimated 2017-18 net spend of £755m represents just 17% of forecast 2017-18 Premier League revenue, in line with the average over the 15 years since the first transfer window in January 2003, as clubs increase investment in players in proportion to the overall growth of the football business."
England's World Cup winners Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt will play in the Women's Big Bash League final after Perth Scorchers beat Sydney Thunder by 27 runs in the semi-final in Perth.
After openers Nicole Bolton and Elyse Villani added 65, Sciver hit 38 not out from 28 balls to help Perth to 148-2.
England batter Fran Wilson top-scored with 46 before being run out by Sciver as Thunder fell well short.
Sydney Sixers and Adelaide Strikers meet in Friday's second semi-final.
After Bolton and Villiani's impressive opening stand, Sciver and Heather Graham added 62 in the final 8.2 overs to post a challenging total.
With Brunt (1-24) taking the new ball, off-spinner Emma King ripped through the middle order with 3-17 as Wilson, batting at seven, lacked support.
In the second women's semi-final, England opener Tammy Beaumont is set to feature for the Strikers, whose assistant coach is ex-England captain Charlotte Edwards, against the Sixers - defending champions from 2017 - whose side includes fellow England international Amy Jones.
Later, the Scorchers will attempt to make it a Perth double when they face Hobart Hurricanes in the first men's semi-final (08:30 GMT).
You can listen to commentary on the men's and women's Big Bash semi-finals and finals on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, the BBC Sport website and app.
Transfer deadline day: Premier League clubs spend record £150m
Premier League clubs spent a January transfer deadline-day record £150m on Wednesday to take their overall outlay for the month to £430m, according to analysis by Deloitte's Sports Business Group.
The most expensive move on the final day of the winter transfer window came when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Arsenal from Borussia Dortmund for a club record £56m.
Elsewhere, Tottenham signed Lucas Moura for £23m, and Olivier Giroudand Andre Ayew made £18m moves - to Chelsea and Swansea respectively - as deadline-day spending passed the record set in 2011.
Announcements continued to trickle in long after the 23:00 GMT deadline, with Eliaquim Mangala's loan move from Manchester City to Everton made public at 00:53 on Thursday.
The top-flight clubs had already made this a record January transfer window, beating another record set in 2011 by £205m.
Then, Chelsea completed a £50m move for Liverpool's Fernando Torres, and the Reds recruited £22.7m Ajax striker Luis Suarez and paid Newcastle £35m for Andy Carroll to take the deadline-day spend to £135m.
Seven years on, three other strikers made the headlines, with Aubameyang's move reliant on Dortmund taking Chelsea forward Michy Batshuayi on loan, and the Blues replacing him with Arsenal's Giroud.
- Check out all the transfer deadline-day deals in one place
- What happens when fans get it painfully wrong in the transfer window?
Selected deadline-day deals
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang [Borussia Dortmund - Arsenal] £56m
- Lucas Moura [Paris St-Germain - Tottenham] £23m
- Olivier Giroud [Arsenal - Chelsea] £18m
- Andre Ayew [West Ham - Swansea] £18m
- Badou Ndiaye [Galatasaray - Stoke City] £14m
- Jordan Hugill [Preston - West Ham] £10m
The most expensive Premier League signing of the January transfer window actually went through on the opening day of the month, when Liverpool signed defender Virgil van Dijk from Southampton for £75m.
Leicester's protracted move for midfielder Adrien Silva also went through on the same day, and before the week was out Everton had paid a club record £27m to sign Besiktas forward Cenk Tosun. Later in the window, the Toffees made a second £20m-plus signing in winger Theo Walcott.
Alexis Sanchez swapped Arsenal for Manchester United as one of the window's most-talked-about deals went through on 22 January, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan going the other way - although Deloitte have not included any fees from this deal in their total for January.
Manchester City had been heavily linked with Sanchez, but switched their attention to a move for Leicester's Riyad Mahrez, which they walked away from on deadline day, 24 hours after paying £57m to make defender Aymeric Laporte their club record signing.
According to Deloitte, the Premier League clubs' total spending for the 2017-18 season is an estimated £1.9bn.
"While another record-breaking season catches the eye, Premier League clubs' expenditure continues to be well within their means in the context of revenue generated," said Dan Jones, partner in the company's Sports Business Group.
"Estimated 2017-18 net spend of £755m represents just 17% of forecast 2017-18 Premier League revenue, in line with the average over the 15 years since the first transfer window in January 2003, as clubs increase investment in players in proportion to the overall growth of the football business."
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Antonio Conte: Chelsea boss says team can improve and he can keep best players
Chelsea can keep improving after
winning the Premier League title and will try to retain their best
players, says manager Antonio Conte.
The Blues became champions of England for a sixth time with a 1-0 victory over West Brom on Friday.Conte, 47, has been linked with the vacant Inter Milan job, while there is speculation over the future of striker Diego Costa and playmaker Eden Hazard.
"If you can continue with these players you can improve a lot," said Conte.
The former Juventus and Italy boss led Chelsea, who finished 10th last year, to the title in his first season in charge.
The Italian said he and his squad had only "started to do our work".
"Now they know my idea, I know them, the characteristics of my players, and we can improve," he added.
Belgium international Hazard, 26, has been linked with Real Madrid, while Spain forward Costa, 28, was left out of a game at Leicester in January after a disagreement with a fitness coach, amid widespread reports of interest from Chinese clubs.
"The club want to fight to win every competition - we have the same ambition," said Conte.
Chelsea have two Premier League fixtures remaining - against Watford and Sunderland - before facing Arsenal in the FA Cup final at Wembley on 27 May.
Conte's speculation 'more rumours than reality'
Guus Hiddink took interim charge of Chelsea last season, with the club 16th in the Premier League and one point above the relegation zone following the departure of manger Jose Mourinho.The Dutchman, who led the side to a 10th-place finish, met with Conte at the end of that season.
Hiddink described the Italian as "a man who had already achieved a lot before he came to Chelsea" and that winning the title was a "confirmation of his attitude, professionalism and energy".
On speculation linking Conte with a move to Italy, Hiddink told BBC Radio 5 live's Sportsweek: "There are always rumours coming up but I think the club is very stable. It is a huge club to work for, perfect circumstances and very ambitious people everywhere.
"It's more rumour than reality."
Match of the Day analysis
Former England and Arsenal striker Ian Wright: "The way he has got players playing, Victor Moses, Willian etc is incredible - he's kept the whole squad happy."There's been no red cards, discipline has been very good, and the amount of consistency through not changing players so often has kept the players together.
"Conte has also got that assured calmness - not so much on the pitch but behind the scenes."
Former England and Newcastle striker Alan Shearer: "Antonio Conte's passion and enthusiasm has filtered down to all his players all season.
"The big change was the shift in the system after they lost to Liverpool and were beaten 3-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates. They were playing four at the back and it wasn't working at all so he had to do something.
"They went to a back three, changed a couple of players, and then won 13 games on the spin, which was an incredible turnaround for a team that had struggled.
"They've certainly benefited without being in Europe by making only 38 line-up changes, the fewest in the league, so they've used that to their advantage.
"There is a case for mentioning all their players but I've got to pick out Cesar Azpilicueta, who has played every minute of every league game and turned in an eight or nine out of 10 performance every time."
Chelsea's Premier League winners: Who makes combined 04-05 & 16-17 XI?
Chelsea's 1-0 win at West Brom on Friday clinched the Blues their fifth Premier League title.
It
comes 12 years after their first, when Jose Mourinho's 2004-05 side
stormed to glory, 12 points clear of nearest rivals Arsenal after having
lost just once, to Manchester City, all season. Didier Drogba spearheaded the attack, Claude Makelele reinvented the anchor man role and Frank Lampard top-scored from midfield as the Blues won their first top-flight title in more than half a decade.
Antonio Conte's 2016-17 breed have wrapped up the league with two games to spare, with Diego Costa hitting 20 goals [as of 12 May], Eden Hazard impressing and N'Golo Kante winning player of the year.
But who, from Chelsea's first and most recent Premier League-winning teams, would make your combined XI?
Combined Chelsea 04-05 and 16-17 XI
Pick your best XI from Chelsea's Premier League winners in 2004-05 and 2016-17.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Kelly Sotherton: Olympic medallist calls for event changes not world record reset
Kelly Sotherton says athletics chiefs should consider tweaking events rather than rewriting existing world records.
The 40-year-old won Olympic heptathlon bronze for Britain in 2004 and has been upgraded to two more bronze medals from 2008 after retrospective drug tests.All world records set before 2005 could be rewritten under a new proposal from European Athletics, after the sport's latest doping scandal.
Sotherton said tweaking events would create "a new slate" and new records.
She said: "Could we go back to yards or run 101m instead of 100m?
"We all know that some of the records are completely out there. But not all of those records were achieved by people who cheated.
"Scrapping those records is unfair on those athletes. And what about my pre-2005 performances? Did they happen? Does this apply to national records too?"
Sotherton referred to the IAAF's decision to remodel the men's javelin in 1986.
Changes were made to the javelin's design because of increasingly frequent flat landings. All existing records were reset after the change, but not erased.
"I am open to the discussion - for the greater good of the sport it's a good thing," she added.
England v Ireland: Eoin Morgan would be welcome back to Irish set-up says Ed Joyce
| England v Ireland: One-day international series |
|---|
| Venues: Bristol and Lord's Dates: Friday, 5 May & Sunday, 7 May |
| Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website |
Ireland
would welcome Eoin Morgan back "with open arms" should the England
one-day international captain opt to play for his country of birth
again.
Dublin-born Morgan, 30, began his international career with Ireland but made the England switch in 2009.He will play his 136th ODI for England against Ireland in Bristol on Friday, before a repeat at Lord's on Sunday.
"He's probably our greatest ever cricketer, of course we'd welcome Eoin back," said Ireland captain Ed Joyce.
Joyce, 38, also opted to leave the Irish set-up to play for England in 2006 before returning in 2011. He does not think Morgan will ever follow suit but is hopeful Cricket Ireland can develop a team that will mean players do not have to switch allegiance in order to play "elite-level cricket".
Before England's opening fixture of what will be their longest ever home international summer, Morgan has also dismissed the chances of a return, calling questions on the matter "very cheeky", before responding that there was "no chance".
Favourites must deliver - Morgan
England lost in the final of the 50-over competition to India in 2013 and Morgan believes the event holds "huge potential" this time around, with the home side made bookmakers' favourites.
"We've marked it as the halfway stage to the 2019 World Cup," said Morgan. "We're not taking this game for granted. The strength of the side we're putting out reflects that, and it's a really important summer for us - so we're taking it as seriously as any other fixture."
Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler will miss the weekend warm-up games because of IPL commitments in India but will return for the tournament, where England meet Bangladesh, Australia and New Zealand in Group A.
Durham pace bowler Mark Wood is likely to feature in Bristol as he looks to impress Morgan after having three ankle operations since last playing for England in September.
England are scheduled to play 21 matches across all forms of the game by 29 September - in addition to the Champions Trophy, which features the top eight teams in the ICC's ODI rankings.
Ireland first is 'huge' - Joyce
Joyce says the game in Bristol is "huge" because Ireland have never played England in England before.
His side will also play New Zealand and Bangladesh twice each by 21 May and, across the six games, Joyce expects a return to the quality of play that almost saw his side qualify from their pool at the 2015 World Cup.
"It's no secret that England are huge favourites," said Joyce. "We have had a tough 18 months, there's no getting away from that. The last World Cup we played well, but since then we have had a change to the team, three or four important guys have retired and it's hard to replace them straight away with a small talent pool."
Ireland have been boosted by the inclusion of Paul Stirling and Kevin O'Brien - the hero of Ireland's 2011 World Cup win over England - in the squad, as the pair continue to recover from finger and hamstring problems respectively.
The squads:
England: Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham)Ireland: William Porterfield (Warwickshire, capt), Andrew Balbirnie (Leinster Lightning), Peter Chase (Leinster Lightning), George Dockrell (Leinster Lightning), Ed Joyce (Sussex/Leinster Lightning), Tim Murtagh (Middlesex), Andrew McBrine (NW Warriors), Barry McCarthy (Leinster Lightning), Kevin O'Brien (Leinster Lightning), Niall O'Brien (NW Warriors, wk), Paul Stirling (Middlesex), Stuart Thompson (NW Warriors), Gary Wilson (Derbyshire/Northern Knights, wk), Craig Young (NW Warriors).
F1 gossip: London demo, Fernando Alonso, Mario Andretti, Renault, Red Bull
Thursday, 4 May
Formula 1's bosses have contacted Westminster City Council about the possibility of hosting a demonstration event in central London this summer. (Autosport)The proposed event, which is in the early stages of discussions, would take place on 12 July, four days before the British Grand Prix at Silverstone. (Press Association)
Fernando Alonso wiped out two birds that flew into his path as he began testing for the Indy 500.(Associated Press, via Guardian)
Overall, the Andretti team were "deeply impressed" with Alonso's professional approach during his orientation. (Motorsport,com)
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the team have "a lot to do" in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix on 14 May. (Motorsport Week)
Monday, 1 May
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen says he is "very happy" for compatriot and Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas after the Finn won the first race of his F1 career at the Russian Grand Prix. (ESPN)Raikkonen's Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel says Williams driver Felipe Massa did Bottas two favours in the battle for victory in Russia.(Motorsport.com)
But Massa thinks world championship leader Vettel just "really likes to complain". (ESPN)
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says they are investigating Daniel Ricciardo's "very strange" brake problem from Sochi. (Eurosport)
Britain's Jolyon Palmer says he hoped Haas' Romain Grosjean would have "used his brain" and avoided the crash that ended both drivers' grand prix on the opening lap. (Autosport)
And Felipe Massa's appreciation of Russian culture continues. His whole family have now been immortalised as Russian dolls...
Romain Grosjean replaces Jenson Button at Grand Prix Drivers' Association
Frenchman Romain Grosjean has replaced Jenson Button as a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.
The
Haas driver joins Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and chairman Alexander
Wurz in the leading roles after Button stepped down following his
decision not to race in 2017.Grosjean, 31, said: "I am proud to have been elected by my peers.
"We race drivers don't always hold the same opinion but we are united in wanting the best for our sport."
Grosjean's appointment means he will be campaigning officially for the introduction of additional head protection in F1, something to which he is personally opposed. The vast majority of drivers are in favour of such a system.
Grosjean said at the Russian Grand Prix last weekend that he was "not a fan" of either the 'halo' system - a metal structure that arches over the driver's shoulders and meets in a central point at the front of the cockpit - which has been proved to work but is meeting opposition, or the new 'shield' that was last week prioritised by governing body the FIA.
The FIA is committed to introducing additional head protection in 2018 but time is running out.
The halo, which has been extensively tested and proved to work, is unpopular, and the shield is still in its infancy and will not run on track until September - almost certainly too late for it to be adopted next season.
How will Grosjean do it?
Grosjean has already been active in pushing for additional head protection as a member of the GPDA, despite his own feelings.BBC Sport has been told that at a meeting between the drivers and the new bosses of F1, chairman Chase Carey and sporting boss Ross Brawn sought close co-operation with the drivers on future developments in the sport.
Grosjean himself pointed out to Carey and Brawn they should use the GPDA as the body they dealt with because it represented the drivers' collective opinion, free of influence by the teams on political issues.
And Wurz backs the idea of debates and differing opinions so the drivers can have constructive conversations that establish a majority opinion.
Where does the GPDA stand on head protection?
It also:
- supports general ongoing safety development, not just because it saves lives but also because it ensures the cars can continue to be fast and test the drivers to their limits;
- believes that safety should be the sole responsibility of the FIA and not be affected by political issues; and
- campaigns for changes that it believes would improve the sport for spectators.
"Drivers prefer to support F1, and that means some topics should not be debated in the media, because safety should at no point become a political matter, as the halo has become," Wurz said.
"This comment is not about whether the halo is the right or wrong thing to do, but about the general process of developing a new safety device in F1."
The halo was initially developed by Mercedes, and was followed up by the FIA and the teams with the aim of reducing the risk of head injuries.
But the debate has widened into whether it is the right approach philosophically for F1.
It was initially slated for introduction in 2017 but was delayed by a year so further tests could be carried out. These were all passed successfully but now the shield system has been given priority and some insiders suspect that a move is being made behind the scenes to delay head protection again.
What about other issues?
The drivers were instrumental in campaigning for the introduction of tyres on which drivers could push hard for many laps at a time, replacing the previous design which needed careful management.
He added that the GPDA was also supportive of Brawn's desire to research new aerodynamic rules that would allow cars to follow each other more closely, and of the general direction of F1, as laid out by Carey to the drivers in meetings since the new owners took over in January.
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