Sports News

Young aspiring cricketers are being encouraged to try out for Warwickshire CCC as the Club relaunches its innovative Open Trials scheme to find stars of the future.

The Club revolutionised its youth selection last year by introducing an Open Trials system that allowed any boy aged 13-18 to submit video footage of them batting, bowling and / or wicket keeping for assessment by coaches. It resulted in 60 boys being invited in for a series of five coaching sessions – where coaches get to know the youngsters – with 10 making it into the pathway age structure.

Four-time Olympic gold medallist Simone Biles is set to make her return to competitive gymnastics at the 2023 US Classic in August. The 26-year-old, who has not competed since the delayed 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, took a break from the sport to work on her mental health.

The American withdrew from five of her six finals in Tokyo over mental health and safety concerns. It is not yet known if she will compete at next year's Olympics in Paris.

University of Gloucestershire is collaborating with Basketball England to conduct the first research of its kind investigating injuries sustained by basketball players, with the aim of making the sport safer. 

Despite being the second-most played team sport in England, behind only football, with more than 230,000 people aged over 16 playing basketball at least twice a month, little is still known about the types of injuries that occur in basketball games and training sessions. But the limited evidence suggests the injury risk in basketball could be as high as it is in rugby. 

Holders, the United States, will again be the team to beat as the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand later this month, as Euros champions, England, will be another of the favourites to lift the coveted trophy. And, Africa's most successful national side, Nigeria will also be ones to watch as the global celebration draws ever closer.

Won by four different national teams, the USA already hold claim 4 times, whilst Germany have won it twice, with Norway and Japan winning it once each.

Jamaica Rugby Sevens male team came out with a silver medal at the Central America and Caribbean Games in El Salvador, after a 28-7 defeat by Colombia in the final.

This was the second medal for the team, which is otherwise known as the ‘Crocs’, in the championships - Ashley McKenzie won silver in the men’s Judo competition. The Colombians did, however, outplay the Jamaicans in the final quarter to win the match quite comfortably.

Men’s 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk (RSA) will return to the London Stadium for the first time since his world title triumph in 2017 to compete at the London Athletics Meet on Sunday 23 July.

The South African claimed world gold at the London 2017 World Athletics Championships to retain the title he won in 2015. He also won 200m silver at those Championships, so he has a history of producing his best performances in London.

In 2016 the South African rewrote the history books of the one-lap event when he set an astonishing world record of 43.03 to win the Olympic gold medal, taking Michael Johnson’s long-standing record.

Auchterarder Golf Club’s Rory Franssen proved his readiness to take on some of the world’s best after a five-under par round of 66 at Close House saw him secure qualification in the no.1 position for The International Series England.

Franssen will now compete alongside the likes of Ryder Cup heroes Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter when the main event returns to the North East between August 17-20th, and will be hoping for a repeat performance with a US$2m prize purse to play for.

Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha and rapper Stormzy have agreed a deal to buy non-league club AFC Croydon. The pair, who both grew up in the South London borough, are part of a three-man consortium alongside former Palace head of player care Danny Young.

AFC Croydon compete in the ninth tier of English football and, following the announcement, the club said: "The consortium will own, operate and develop their childhood hometown football club.

Two-time champions West Indies face an almighty task to qualify for the Cricket World Cup after losing to the Netherlands in a thrilling final group game decided by a super over.

Nicholas Pooran's second hundred of the qualifiers propelled West Indies to a commanding 374-6, but Teja Nidamanuru hit 111 in reply and the Dutch needed one from the final ball for victory. Jason Holder took a brilliant catch to deny Logan van Beek as the scores finished tied, but Van Beek blasted Holder for 30 runs in the super over to set up a remarkable win in Harare.

Kazakhstan's No. 1 and the leader of the national men's team, Alexander Bublik, has won a prestigious Terra Wortmann Open tennis tournament in Halle, Germany. In the final, Bublik defeated the world's No. 7, Russian Andrey Rublev, in a hard-fought match – 6:3, 3:6, 6:3.

The game was played on grass and lasted 1 hour and 35 minutes. Bublik has aced 21 times and won two break points out of six.

The Great Britain and Northern Ireland squad were fifth in the final standings at the European Team Championships in Silesia, Poland.

21.10m earned Scott Lincoln (Paul Wilson, City of York) a brilliant second place in a stacked men’s shot put competition. It was an impressive series for the 2020 Olympian with two throws over 21 metres; the second and third best of his career.

Ottawa Tourism has welcomed the announcement that TD Place in Ottawa will host the Pacific Four Series women’s rugby tournament this summer. The tournament will benefit the city’s business events offering. It will feature Canada, Australia, reigning world champions New Zealand, and the United States.

The win demonstrates the city’s incredible event infrastructure. It also delivers legacy and benefits to the Canadian capital’s wider business events portfolio.

Great Britain and Northern Ireland got off to a fantastic start on day one of European Team Championships First Division, sitting second in the standings behind Italy on 131.5 points after 12 events.

There was a second-place finish for Hannah Nuttall (coach: Helen Clitheroe, club: Charnwood) in the women’s 5000m, as well as third positions for Jeremiah Azu (Marco Airale, Cardiff) and Zak Seddon (Geoff Wightman, Bracknell) in the men’s 100m and 3000m steeplechase respectively, all adding crucial points to the team total. Hannah Nuttall produced a superb display of 5000m running in only her second ever track 5000m race, as she finished in second position overall in a time of 15:29:49.

The US$1.5 million St Andrews Bay Championship will be the 12th leg of the 2023 Asian Tour season and the sixth stop on The International Series. “As our first tournament in the country that gave golf to the world, the St Andrews Bay Championship promises to be a momentous week for us,” said Cho Minn Thant, Asian Tour Commissioner & CEO.

“It’s fitting, therefore, that we should have Major champions such as Sergio and Charl and players of the calibre of Joaquin and Mito to grace this auspicious occasion.”

The first wave of Great Britain and Northern Ireland junior athletes has been selected for the European U20 Championships which take place in Jerusalem, Israel on 7-10 August. Following the completion of round one in the selection process, 21 athletes have earned a call-up to the GB & NI team.

They booked their place in the squad after winning at the Trials held at the England Athletics U20 Championships in Chelmsford last weekend as well as achieving the qualification standard. The final team will be selected on July 10.

Acorns will be the face of the Bears’ Vitality Blast game against Worcester Rapids after lead partner Talbots Law donated their match sponsorship to the children’s hospice.

Talbots Law – the Bears lead Blast sponsor – has invited Acorns to be their chosen charity for the clash to help raise awareness of their work with local families and much needed funds. Acorns Children’s Hospice provides specialist palliative care for life limited and life threatened children across Birmingham, Worcester and the wider West Midlands, as well as support for their families.