Sports & Casinos UK

Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy lead on four underRory McIlroy makes progress after poor opening day“Golf should be a pleasure,” wrote Donald Ross, the man who designed Aronimink, “not a penance.” And a fine sentiment it is, too, even if it wasn’t immediately clear that any of the many men competing here for the PGA Championship were having very much fun doing it. Shane Lowry didn’t seem to be when he shanked the ball into the water at 17, nor did Scottie Scheffler when he threatened to slam down his wedge after hitting one thick on the 6th, and Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley didn’t look too enthused when they were busy ranting at the rules officials who put them on the clock for slow play.The pleasure, such as it was, seemed to be mostly in purists’ appreciation of the high standard of lag putting on show, and everyone else’s schadenfreude at watching the world’s best golfers endure the same sort of frustrations amateur hackers suffer every weekend. Continue reading...

FA Cup final will be 24th trip to stadium as City manager Spaniard aiming to win 17th major honour in decadePep Guardiola has described his ­decade managing Manchester City as “fucking fun”, and suggested Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea might not be the last time he leads the team out at Wembley.While Guardiola’s contract expires in summer 2027, there is increasing expectation that he will depart the club in the close season. Saturday’s final will be City’s 24th cup appearance at the national stadium under the Spaniard, with Guardiola aiming to claim the 17th major trophy of his 10 years in charge. Continue reading...

Captain has been offered coaching role at club Coleman may continue playing elsewhereDavid Moyes has described Séamus Coleman as “the glue that kept Everton together” during their relegation fights and vital to the club’s survival in the Premier League.The Everton manager’s tribute came after Coleman announced his distinguished 17-year playing career with the club would end when his contract expires next month. Everton have offered the 37-year-old a coaching role from this summer but he wants to continue playing for the Republic of Ireland and may look for another club. Continue reading...

Wigan 24-4 LeedsRhinos punished for sluggish startThis was not so much a crucial Super League victory as it was a statement to the rest of the competition. Six days on from Wigan’s dismantling of great rivals St Helens in the Challenge Cup semi-finals, Matt Peet’s team have now humiliated the side that were top of the table heading into this weekend.If you did not know the first trophy of the season was on the verge of being handed out, you certainly do now. With their date against Hull KR just a fortnight away at Wembley, Wigan have clicked into gear at precisely the right time – just as they have done so many times over the past four or five seasons. Continue reading...

It almost felt like Aston Villa were trolling Liverpool as someone inside this throbbing stadium pressed play and the operatic Champions League anthem blared over the speakers. Villa had just qualified in style, a stirring victory superbly spearheaded by Ollie Watkins that exposed the kind of blind spots that have undermined Arne Slot’s meek title defence. For Villa, this was the perfect tonic before Wednesday’s Europa League final in Istanbul and for Unai Emery, arguably his greatest triumph yet given the financial muscle of their rivals. Well, for a few days at least.Somehow, Emery was left off the Premier League’s six-strong manager of the season shortlist. Afterwards Villa basked in the achievement and Emery yelled into a microphone: “Up the Villa!” And then: “We’re going to Istanbul!” It was a rare break from Emery’s cold laser focus; after the final whistle he shook hands with Slot and clenched his left fist in celebration as he marched towards the tunnel. Continue reading...

Saints break records in rampant Prem winHendy scores four tries in blowoutAll kinds of scoring records were spectacularly broken by a rampant Northampton on a lovely clear evening in the East Midlands. Never before have the Saints scored more points in a top-flight fixture and never have Bristol endured such a grisly 80 minutes. To say the Bears finished a horribly distant second is to put it politely.By the time the carnage finally concluded the home side had scored 14 tries with George Hendy bagging four of them and Archie McParland and Rory Hutchinson collecting two apiece. Saints scored no fewer than 61 points in the first half alone, assisted by a visiting defence who were chasing green, black and gold shadows from a very early stage. Continue reading...

The idea that one day Mourinho might return to the Bernabéu had hung in the air, if not really as a serious possibility. Now the impossible is probableThe last time José Mourinho was at the Santiago Bernabéu, he parked up in the bus. That night in late February the Benfica manager was suspended, a red card from the first leg of the Champions League playoff meaning he wasn’t allowed on the touchline he had prowled 13 years and a lifetime ago, so Real Madrid prepared a media booth for him to watch from. Situated on the eighth floor, Spanish radio to the left of him, Portuguese to the right, Cabin No 6 had been supplied with nuts, fruit, salad and jamón sandwiches. As kick-off approached, a crowd gathered by the door. But if the camera phones were out, he wasn’t.Mourinho never showed. Instead, he stayed in the basement 10 floors below, watching from an iPad on board the bus and leaving the post-match press conference to his assistant, João Tralhão. The next time he comes, which could be as soon as this season ends, it is likely to be different, poised to be welcomed back as a saviour and their manager now, not hidden away. For a while his has been the only candidate’s name that has remained constant and never dismissed from within, seeming more real with every day. Continue reading...

A defiant performance against Manchester City could deliver silverware in a year in which the club has already sacked two head coachesChelsea fared well as underdogs in their most recent outing in a final. They surprised Paris Saint-Germain in last summer’s Club World Cup, racing into an unassailable 3-0 lead by half-time and disrupting the European champions thanks to a clever tactical approach from Enzo Maresca.Perhaps there will be more of the same at Wembley. Chelsea have form when it comes to upsetting the odds in a big game, although the one problem with bringing up the PSG win before Saturday afternoon’s FA Cup final against Manchester City is that the challenge of coming up with a plan smart enough to beat Pep Guardiola is no longer Maresca’s responsibility. Continue reading...

Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth and Jonny Bairstow scored centuries against Surrey while James Rew made 86 against SussexAn early wicket, here at Headingley, the Howard stand impassive as Luxton clips old Yorkshire boy Fisher to midwicket for eight. Yorks 23-1.And, while I’m here, happy, happy 10th birthday to my nephew Cian who unwrapped Playfair 26 this morning with his cereal. Continue reading...

Claims being reviewed by police and FAJamie Austin runs girls’ club Red Star LionessesParents have accused the owner of the girls’ football club Red Star Lionesses of taking more than £28,000 in payments for tournaments that did not happen, kits that did not arrive and sessions with Women’s Super League players that did not take place.James (also known as Jamie or Jay) Austin, who has two fraud convictions, one of which resulted in a two-year jail term, faces allegations made by more than 70 parents involved with the grassroots club. The claims are being reviewed by Greater Manchester police and are part of an investigation by the Football Association, which has issued Austin with an interim suspension while that investigation continues. Continue reading...