Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Official Charity the Edgbaston Foundation has made a fitting tribute to the late Edgbaston tour guide and friend of the Club Rick Coleman by naming him as the Community Hero for 2020.

The Edgbaston Foundation is also making a lasting tribute to Rick by awarding him a stone in the Bear & Ragged Staff Wall and through renaming its Community Award, which is presented annually to the Warwickshire player which it believes has made the biggest community impact over the course of a year, as the Rick Coleman Community Award. 

Rick, who passed away aged 77 in June, spent 20 years giving schools, cricket clubs and community groups tours of Edgbaston, whilst he also played a key role in development of the Edgbaston Foundation’s cricket-inspired education programme, the Edgbaston Classroom.

Ravi Masih, Head of Community Engagement at Warwickshire CCC and Lead of the Edgbaston Foundation, said: “Rick gave so much time to Warwickshire CCC and in the development of the Edgbaston Foundation and it’s right that his fantastic efforts are never forgotten, through this initial Community Hero accolade and through the newly named Rick Coleman Community Award.

“Even whilst his health affected how often he could get to Edgbaston in the 12 months prior to his passing, Rick still wanted to play his part and earlier this year he supported the Edgbaston Foundation in a joint project with the National Literacy Trust called ‘Young Birmingham Poets’. Here he provided inspiration for the children to create poetry about cricket and Edgbaston Stadium

“He is sorely missed by the many of us who were lucky enough to work with him over the last 20 years and we are very grateful that we can continue working closely with the Coleman family to honour Rick’s great community legacy.”

The Edgbaston Foundation launched its Community Hero accolade in 2019 and presented its first award during the Ashes Test match to Joel Hales-Waller for his support in establishing the Cricket Full Circle programme, which he also volunteered as a delivery coach.

Ramla Ali, a boxer who became British champion without her family's knowledge after fleeing civil war in Somalia, has signed a professional deal with Matchroom Boxing.

The 31-year-old, who says she is still aiming to be the first Somali boxer to go to an Olympics, is due to make her professional debut in October.

She started boxing in her early teens after arriving in London as a refugee. "I want to become a world champion," she said. "I hope in doing so people will develop a better view of Somalia."

Ali was a toddler when her family fled the Somali capital Mogadishu in the early 1990s after her elder brother was killed aged 12 by a mortar while playing outside during the civil war.

When the family arrived in London as refugees, having lived in Nairobi in Kenya, Ali was picked on at school for being overweight.

She went to the local gym and tried a boxercise class, but did not tell her family as she thought they would disapprove of the sport for a Muslim girl. When she won the British and English titles in 2016, Ali - who initially represented England before switching to Somalia in 2017 - told her parents she was going out for a run.

Ali, whose mother now supports her boxing, is trained by her husband Richard Moore and will compete at super-bantamweight. She says she "would still love to go" to the postponed Olympic Games, currently scheduled to begin on 23 July 2021, but uncertainty caused by coronavirus made her anxious to compete before then.

"I wanted to get a head start in my professional career so now is the best time to turn pro," Ali added. "I just want to get in the ring and I feel like I can do that sooner being a pro rather than waiting around for an Olympic Games that might not come.

"The Olympic dream is still there but I'm excited to begin my journey in the professional ranks."

Promoter Eddie Hearn said: "Ramla's story is incredible and inspiring. She has gone through so much to get to this point.

"Ramla joins an unrivalled Matchroom stable that boasts some of the very best female fighters on the planet and she is in the perfect place to fulfil her dream of becoming Somalia's first world champion."

The cricket world is still in mourning after the passing of former Australia batsman Dean Jones whilst he was in Mumbai, where he was working as a commentator covering the Indian Premier League.

Born in Coburg,in Victoria, the stylish middle-order batsman played 52 Tests from 1984 to 1992, averaging 46.55 and winning the Ashes on two occasions. He was also part of the Australia team that won the World Cup in 1987, beating England in a thrilling final.

Best remembered for his innings of 210 in the tied match between Australia and India in 1986, in his 164 one-day internationals, he averaged 44.61.

He also had spells in county cricket with Derbyshire and Durham, and, after retiring from playing, had further careers as a coach and broadcaster.

Following the news of his death Cricket Australia chair Earl Eddings said: "Dean Jones was a hero to a generation of cricketers and will forever be remembered as a legend of this great game.

"Anyone who watched cricket in the 1980s and 1990s will fondly recall his cavalier approach at the crease and the incredible energy and passion he brought to every game he played."

On his Twitter Australia batsman Steve Smith wrote: "Awful to hear the news of Dean Jones passing away in Mumbai. He was a wonderful player for Australia and he will be missed. My thoughts are with his family" Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting said he was "heartbroken" by the news of Jones' passing.

Former England captain Michael Atherton said Jones was a pioneer in cricket and "played the game as it would become in the years after he would retire", whilst another former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted: "This is so sad ... A hero of mine has gone far too soon ... always offered so much advice to us younger players when he played at Derby."

Aaron Finch, Australia limited-overs captain, wrote: "Still in shock hearing the news of Deano's passing. Thoughts are with Jane and the family at this incredibly tough time. A great man with an amazing passion for the game."

He was 59.

Following the Government announcement on September 22 that fans will not be allowed back to sporting events, the BBL (British Basketball League) are currently assessing the impact this will have on professional basketball in the UK.

The UK is a great sporting nation and the positive impact that sport has on communities and on physical and mental health can be seen at all levels from grassroots through to elite levels.

As such, it is no exaggeration to say that the impact of this decision will be deeply felt by all 11 BBL clubs and the communities they operate in.

They say that they recognise that the Government is taking these measures in the interests of the nation’s health and we fully support them in that.

However, to remove the possibility of such a vital source of income only a week before they were due to start their season means they have no option but to call on the Government for immediate support at this crucial time.

“The viability of the league, the only professional men’s basketball league in the UK, is predicated on the ticket income as thousands of fans show their support each week,” a spokesperson said.

“And without this support we are in danger of losing clubs who work in the heart of their communities, as well as the current and future generations of talented sportspeople.”

As part of the Mayor’s Giving Day in the West Midlands, Warwickshire County Cricket Club’s Official Charity, the Edgbaston Foundation, has partnered with West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) on a new cricketing initiative which is designed to get more children active.

Launched with Warwickshire CEO Stuart Cain and Captain Will Rhodes at Edgbaston Stadium, the Edgbaston Foundation and WMCA are giving away 1,000 children cricket bats across the region over the next year to encourage more youngsters to stay fit and get involved in the game.

To kick start Mayor’s Giving Day this year Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, Warwickshire CEO Stuart Cain and Men’s Team Captain Will Rhodes have already virtually handed over the bats to some of the region’s worthy recipients. The project follows on from previous bat giveaways and last year’s inaugural Mayor’s Cricket Cup at Edgbaston, where West Midlands Mayor Andy Street invited adults and children of all ages and backgrounds to take part in the first of its kind intergenerational tournament on the stadium’s hallowed turf.

Ravi Masih, Head of Community Engagement at Warwickshire CCC and lead of the Edgbaston Foundation, said: “Through the Edgbaston Foundation and Warwickshire CCC we’re committed to using cricket to make a difference within our local community by making the game more accessible than ever before.

“The last few months have been a tough for everyone but getting out into the great outdoors has provided some welcome relief. We hope that by providing more equipment and opportunities like All Stars and the upcoming Dynamos programme, we can get many more youngsters involved in cricket.”

With a further 1,000 cricket sets pledged by the Edgbaston Foundation in collaboration with the WMCA over the next 12 months, it will have taken the charity’s total giveaways to 4000 over four years.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said: “Even though we are in different times this year the principle is exactly the same.  The ability to give children and community groups the ability to play sport by donating these bats and balls is part of the combined initiative of ‘giving’. 

“Edgbaston Foundation are supporting the Mayor’s Giving Day for the second year running and as always, I am extremely grateful for all their work within the community and by providing this kit will enable so many young people to be part of this great sport.  Who knows we may see a new star from within our Region.”

Footballer Lionel Messi can register his name as a trademark after a nine-year legal battle, the EU's top court has ruled.

The European Court of Justice dismissed an appeal from Spanish cycling company Massi and the EU's intellectual property office, EUIPO.

The Barcelona footballer first applied to trademark his surname as a sportswear brand in 2011.

But Massi argued the similarity between their logos would cause confusion. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said that the star player's reputation could be taken into account when weighing up whether the public would be able to tell the difference between the two brands.

In doing so, it upheld a ruling by the EU's General Court in 2018 that the footballer was too well known for confusion to arise.

Massi, which sells cycle clothing and equipment, was successful in its initial challenge to the Barcelona striker's application. But it lost out when Lionel Messi brought an appeal to the General Court, which ruled in his favour.

Messi, 33, who wears the number 10 shirt, has been crowned world football player of the year a record six times and is the world's highest-paid soccer player, according to Forbes. It puts his total earnings for 2020 at $126m (£97m).

In August, he made headlines by sending a fax to his club declaring his intention to leave.

But when Barcelona responded by insisting that any team that took him on would have to honour a €700m (£624m) release clause, he changed his mind, saying he did not want to face "the club I love" in court.