After falling to giant killers Abakaliki FC 4-3 on penalties, Kwara United won the President’s Cup.
Both teams failed to find the back of the net in regulation time, so the final, which took place at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in Lagos, immediately went into penalties.
Kwara United won the trophy for the first time after missing their first chance to score four more goals.
Read more about Super Falcons Nnadozie signing for Brighton and Hove Albion.
With their victory on Saturday, the Afonja Warriors will now play for Nigeria in the CAF Confederation Cup for the first time.
South Africa 418-9 (Pretorius 153, Bosch 100*, Chivanga 4-83)
Zimbabwe is yet to bat
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who turned 19 years and 93 days old on his debut, recorded a brilliant 153 in South Africa’s Test history, making him the youngest centurion in the country.
The Proteas won 418-9 at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on day one of their first Test against Zimbabwe thanks to the left-handed batter’s 100 off 112 balls.
Pretorius broke the previous record set by Graeme Pollock, who had 19 years and 318 days to set a record against Australia in Sydney in December 1963.
The Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter, who was 17 years and 61 days old when he scored a century against Sri Lanka in 2001, became the 10th youngest Test centurion ever to do so. On debut, he was the fourth-youngest to do so.
At 23-3, Pretorius and South Africa were in a little trouble when they faced off in their first match since winning the World Test Championship earlier this month, but he showed his intent when he hit the fourth ball he faced for six.
Shortly before tea, he clipped off Hamilton Masakadza and brought up his century.
When Pretorius pulled a short ball from Tanaka Chivanga, who had taken 4-83, into Masakadza’s hands midway through, Pretorius was eventually dismissed after getting lives on 30, 54, 55, and 127.
His 153-run knock, which included 11 fours and four sixes, was also his highest first-class score in the game.
It was incredible, I said. Even at 23-3, I was a little anxious, but it’s been a dream come true. It hasn’t sunk, in my opinion. Pretorius expressed his satisfaction that today is over.
“I just adore batting, and fortunately it turned out well for me today. For my parents and family to be here, it makes a real dream come true, and it makes a fantastic end to it.
Lhuan-dre Pretorius, who is he?
Images courtesy of Getty
The stocky leftie looks set for great things thanks to a batting style and frame that have more than a hint of Graeme Smith’s influence.
He was educated in South Africa’s private schools system before moving on to the professional game in Potchefstroom in March 2006.
With 287 runs in six games and a 57.40 average, he was the Under-19 Cricket World Cup’s top run-scorer in 2024.
At the age of 17, he made his domestic T20 debut for the Titans in South Africa, and he immediately caught the eye with an 82 off 43 balls against Gauteng.
Pretorius then scored 120 on his first-class debut for the Titans against Warriors in December 2024 before an impressive knock on his SA20 debut earned him more respect.
In January 2025, Pretorius made his career-best 97 T20 franchise debut for the Paarl Royals, which impressed England captain Ben Stokes.
“One of the many things franchise cricket has done is give young, unproven, incredibly talented players opportunities to compete against the best players in the world and demonstrate their talent.” According to Stokes in a January post on X, “Lhuan-dre Pretorius is doing that right now.”
Pretorius appeared in one game as an impact player but did not bat when Rajasthan Royals called him up to the Indian Premier League in May 2025.
We look back at one of showbiz royalty’s longest-running feuds as legend Rod Stewart prepares to open the Glastonbury Pyramid Stage…
Sir Elton John and Rod Stewart have kept up one of the longest running fallouts in showbusiness.
Despite having been friends for more than 50 years, the veteran rockers have remained tense as a result of a complex relationship that has turned from childish jokes to full-fledged assassinations.
In a seemingly never-ending battle of words, the catty pair have been handbags since the dawn of their lives.
We look back at one of showbiz royalty’s most outrageous conflicts as Rod prepares to perform on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage in a follow-on to Elton John’s footsteps.
The football loving pair pictured at Watford’s Vicarage Road ground in 1973(Image: Getty Images)
Elton and Rod changed from chart rivals to friends after starting their musical careers in the swinging sixties and amusing fans with a string of escalating pranks.
Continue reading the article below.
Rod Rodney once described Elton as a “fierce enemy” in the music industry, but claimed that their public outbursts only started at a “playful” level before things actually started to go wrong.
In the 1970s, Elton ordered that billboards with his own face be displayed on the opposite side of the street with the message “but Brunettes make more money” when Rod started his Blondes ‘ave More Fun Tour.”
In another incident, Rod hired a sniper to shoot down blimps Rod hired to play music from the sky in another incident.
The pair loved to play pranks on each other(Image: Mirrorpix)
Like a married couple, we had the worst row. Rod previously admitted, “It went on forever.
In his 2019 autobiography Me, Elton dedicated a whole chapter to his dislike of Rod and makes some incredible digs at him along the way.
Rod slated him during a TV interview, thereby bringing their disdain for one another to a boil in the soul of Elton’s voice.
The singer claimed that Elton’s epic 300-date Farewell Yellow Brick Road retirement tour was “dishonest” and “stunk of selling tickets.” ‘
Elton went on to dedicated an entire chapter to the paperback version of his autobiography, Me on his dislike of Rod(Image: WireImage)
Rodd added that because music is not very “rock and roll,” he would never have thought to announce his retirement from the industry. ‘
In his no holds barred autobiography, Elton exacted his revenge after the public dig, which left him reeling for months.
Putting pen to paper, he scathed: “I certainly didn’t feel like I needed a lecture on the feral spirit of rock and roll from someone who’d spent most of the last decade crooning his way through the Great American Songbook and Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”
And he continued on…
“I certainly didn’t feel like I needed a lecture on the feral spirit of rock and roll from someone who’d spent most of the last decade crooning his way through the Great American Songbook.”(Image: Mirrorpix)
The hitmaker blasted the accuser, “He was accusing me of being dishonest about one of my biggest decisions of my life.”
Additionally, I thought he was f****** up when he complained to me about promoting a tour while he was sat on a TV show to promote his own tour. “
Rod apologised when the book was released. of various kinds.
She doesn’t like me at the moment, according to Ellington. I suddenly became disorderly. He told reporters that he was correct but out of line.
Rod admitted his digs at Elton’s retirement tour had been ‘bang out of order’(Image: Reuters)
Roddy blamed TV producers for shoddy drinking before the show for Rod’s loose tongue.
“I knocked them all back with four big shots of neat vodka, and I’m a butch man.”
I thought 300 dates in three years might be a little pricey to me. Look, I am aware of his origin.
He recently gave birth to two kids, but I’m making travel plans for them. He’ll miss it, in my opinion. The next performance is on my radar. ”
Rod said Elton declined the chance for his kids to come and play football at his pitch(Image: Maxppp/PA Images)
Rodney, the Rocketman singer, vehemently declined to invite Elton’s young sons to play football on his personal pitch, pleading for peace.
Elton began to feel a little thaw when he claimed he wanted to end the row with his former pal in time for Christmas in November 2020.
Rod received a “big hug” and a card, but he later admitted, “In the end, I just sent an email to his assistant.”
It stated that although we’ve known each other for a while, the relationship is still under the bridge, and that I initially wanted to be p****d. Who is concerned? Good luck with your newest album. “
When Rod retorted that he would now only speak to Elton in interviews, any chance of a face-to-face conversation vanished quickly.
He will say something in our morning papers and I will publish it later that evening. We fight our battles in that manner, he said.
There’s hope for the pair yet….(Image: WireImage)
In an effort to resolve the situation, Elliot attempted to speak with Rod personally, but Rod’s manager informed him that he was receiving “constant vocal rest” between his performances and unable to speak.
Elton rebuffed it, “Until I realized his complete vocal rest didn’t prevent him from airing more chat shows and radio programs where he was called “money grabbing” and “slagging off [my film] Rocketman,” incensed him.
“He was happy enough chatting away on Loose Women, he just didn’t want to speak to me.
He said, “I haven’t heard from him in a while. It just seems so strange and depressing, not the least of which is because it prevents me from highlighting how much better my tour is selling. ”
In another glimmer of hope of the two pals reuniting, just before New Year 2021, Rod was asked what he would say to Elton as he appeared on a US chat show.
Continue reading the article below.
Rod responded, “Love you, baby.” “Good luck, and I’m so incredibly irritated that you have a Number One album. “
Has the US and Israel’s actions increased the likelihood that more nations will demand them?
Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel, who claimed it couldn’t possess nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies trying to build.
Nine nations possess nuclear weapons, including the US and Israel.
Who determines who can possess nuclear weapons, then? And have Israel’s and the US’s actions increased the likelihood that more nations will demand them?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Former Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s policy coordination for verification and security Tariq Rauf.
Expert on nuclear weapons control and non-proliferation, Laicie Heeley is the editor-in-chief of Inkstick Media in Washington, DC.
Editor and historian Tariq Ali of the London-based New Left Review.
Lois Leaver of Great Britain won the bronze medal at Saturday’s Prague Canoe Slalom World Cup competition, joining Adam Burgess of gold.
Despite the 23-year-old Scot receiving a penalty, Leaver finished third in the women’s kayak final by just 0.01 seconds.
Camille Prigent of France and American Evy Leibfarth won gold, while Leaver has already taken bronze in all three of the previous year’s World Cup competitions.
At the start of this month, Burgess won the men’s C1 silver, and the Olympic silver medalist clinched gold on Friday to finish off that feat.
Burgess won the short course format after missing out on the final run in Spain, and it made its debut in the Czech Republic with 12 gates rather than the standard 21.
The 32-year-old defeated Slovenia’s Ziga Lin Hocevar to claim bronze while Olympic champion Nicolas Gestin of France won the C1 team gold at last month’s European Championships.
After taking the stunning pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix, Lando Norris said he felt like he was back in the form he had been lacking for the majority of the season.
The McLaren driver’s season has been hindered by repeated mistakes in qualifying, but he won by more than a second on one of the Red Bull Ring’s shortest laps of the year.
Briton Norris described his pole lap as “as close as I would probably ask for” in a statement.
Norris will start alongside Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, while Oscar Piastri, the championship leader, and team-mate and McLaren champion, will take the starting spot.
Norris remarked, “It’s nice to occasionally see the old me back.”
“It’s more of a feeling than the feeling I’ve missed for a while, the understanding of where the grip is and how to exploit it,” I said.
When he attempts to push the car’s maximum qualifying limit, Norris has come to the conclusion that a lack of emotion from the front axle has been making mistakes.
McLaren changed the front suspension at the most recent Canadian race to lessen what the team called “numbness.” Although Piastri believes he doesn’t need it, Norris has continued with that in Austria.
The car’s front wing and suspension were upgraded to the highest possible margin in all-season thanks to aerodynamic improvements, which included the largest percentage increase any pole winner has ever had.
A big thanks to them, Norris said, “To come into this weekend and at least move in the right direction was very positive and very comforting for me most of all but probably for our as a team as well,” so it was that.
When they are more my way and more where I want them to be, I can put on better performances and have days like today, as I’ve been requesting.
In the championship, Norris is 22 points clear of Piastri, which he partially contributed to by crashing out of the race in Canada after colliding with the Australian.
Therefore, he needs a convincing result on Sunday in Austria to take Piastri’s lead.
From a delivery perspective, Norris said his Saturday session was “easily my best qualifying of the year.”
Verstappen, “Basically everything felt bad”
Images courtesy of Getty
Max Verstappen, the McLaren drivers’ closest rival, is in third place, 21 points adrift of Norris.
The Dutchman, however, finished seventh overall, had a difficult qualifying day.
Verstappen was unable to complete his final lap because Pierre Gasly had to turn his Alpine through 720 degrees in front of him, despite posting the sixth-fastest time on that first turn.
The Dutchman claimed that Red Bull’s lack of grip had taken them by surprise.
Verstappen remarked, “Basically everything felt bad in qualifying.” I simply didn’t have the balance because every corner was a struggle. It either slowed down or increased. Every lap I completed, I behaved slightly differently around the car. That’s not ideal, then, so yeah.
No one on the team, in my opinion, did it so badly in qualifying. Therefore, we must consider that.
However, Verstappen and Norris both stated that they would not prevent him from competing.
