Author: sportsnewsuk
James Nixon | 1:37pm BST 17 July 2026 The saying “A leopard can’t change its spots” is ringing in my ears. Brendon McCullum (BMC) signalled his willingness to adapt and evolve his methods to improve England’s Test performance in the wake of the last Ashes series Down Under. Yet all he specifically promised the ECB chiefs was to make some “tweaks” to England’s approach to playing matches, with the batting in high pressure situations foremost in mind. However, to me at least, these “tweaks” have barely been discernible in the subsequent three match series against New Zealand. By the time…
(Chris Dean/Boxxer) Troy Williamson has turned the course of his career around with big 2025 wins over Mark Dickinson and Callum Simpson. The 34-year-old from Darlington faces Simpson on August 8 back at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, where he won their first bout back in December, stopping the previously undefeated Simpson in 10 rounds. Williamson is 22-4-1 (16 KOs) and has boxed the likes of Jahi Tucker, Ishmael Davis, Caoimhin Agyarko, Ted Cheeseman and Harry Scarff. Now at super-middleweight, he has talked about his struggle with the scales and has found his best form since moving up. But…
Herbert looked set to become the first player to shoot a 61 in a major and only needed a par on the 18th to create history.However, the final hole has statistically being playing the hardest on the course in round two and he pushed his tee-shot well right of the fairway – flirting with out of bounds and ultimately needing a penalty-free drop after his ball nestled close to the fence separating the fairway from the spectators.With a large posse of reporters, broadcasters and cameras behind him, Herbert chopped out of the long, wispy fescue with an approach short of…
Tottenham Hotspur have raised their price tag for Djed Spence following the full-back’s performances for England at the World Cup. Spence has gone from a squad player fighting for his future at Tottenham to one of the standout stories of England’s World Cup campaign, transforming the conversation around his valuation. The 25-year-old’s breakout moment came off the bench against Norway in the quarter-final, delivering a 34-minute cameo in which he made seven defensive contributions, won three of four ground duels plus an aerial duel, and completed 12 of his 14 passes while driving forward with energy. Rio Ferdinand was among…
The VAR decisions against Almiron and Embolo proved popular among many supporters, who felt it showed a willingness to try to eradicate diving. Yet BBC Sport has spoken to a number of domestic leagues who said the use of mistaken identity for simulation had not previously been mentioned, and it came as a complete surprise. There was a great deal of concern about the potential impact at club level.One league in particular spoke about how it could cause “chaos”, with every yellow card reviewable for potential simulation. There were other concerns, too, about the additional pressure it would place on…
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has again insisted Julian Alvarez will not be allowed to leave the club this summer, adding that Barcelona have been made aware of that stance. Alvarez has been strongly linked with a move to Camp Nou after saying he wished to leave Atleti to “fulfil his dream” of representing the Blaugrana. Atletico had previously knocked back an offer from Real Madrid for the Argentina star, who has scored 49 goals in 106 games since joining Los Colchoneros in 2024. The former Manchester City forward has 66 direct goal involvements for Atletico, more than any other…
William Hill News tipster @Footy_Tipster previews Saturday’s 2026 World Cup Bronze Final between France and England. Our Prediction: Both Teams To Score & France To Win (2/1), France 2-1 England (17/2) Both France and England would rather have not played this game but semi-final defeats against the odds means the two nations will meet on Saturday in the 2026 World Cup bronze medal match. Now, let’s take a closer look at some World Cup odds and betting angles for Saturday’s fixture: France v England – Saturday, 10pm View all available markets at William Hill France were the tournament favourites but put…
For six years the Derbyshire fighter’s career was put on hold because of her back problem.But that all changed when she dared to get back in the gym with gloves for a sparring session – and did so pain free.The difficult choice between the prospect of motherhood and aspirations of fighting for her country on one of sport’s grandest stages no longer needed to be made. She was back.And just one year after coming out of that enforced hiatus in 2023, she fought her way into the Team GB squad for the Paris Olympic Games. Another 12 months later and…
Andy Flower has ruled himself out of the running to replace Brendon McCullum as head coach of the England Test team.McCullum was sacked from the red-ball role earlier this month following a run of poor form and a number of controversial off-field incidents, but he remains in charge of the England white-ball set-up.Flower was England head coach from 2009 to 2014 and helped the team to win the Ashes on three occasions, including their last away win in 2010-11, before leaving after a 5-0 series defeat in Australia. The Zimbabwean is head coach of Royal Challengers Bengaluru and led them…
Davies believes Joshua needs a statement win on July 25 to strengthen his position before a potential Tyson Fury showdown Anthony Joshua’s July 25 comeback carries bigger stakes than simply beating Kristian Prenga, according to Gareth A. Davies. He believes Joshua must deliver a dominant performance to build momentum toward a Tyson Fury fight. “I think if he gets knocked down or he looks too stiff or he doesn’t look fluid enough or he doesn’t look like the destroyer he is, I think he’s got a massive opportunity to project himself towards the Fury fight in my view here against…