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A special Congress of the Camogie Association has voted overwhelmingly in favour of allowing shorts to become part of the sport’s official kit.

The ballot on Thursday night saw 98% vote in favour of the change which will result in players across Ireland having the option of wearing shorts or skorts.

The change will come into effect from midnight on Thursday, in time for this weekend’s games in the All-Ireland senior, premier junior and under-23 championship matches.

The Camogie Association, which governs the sport and is made up of both male and female committee members, held their meeting at Croke Park.

Following Thursday’s vote Camogie Association president Brian Molloy said: “We are pleased to announce that delegates have voted by an overwhelming majority in favour of giving players greater choice in their playing attire.

” From midnight tonight, each individual player will have the option to wear skorts or shorts – adding choice while maintaining the professionalism and uniformity of our team kits in both colour and design.

“I want to sincerely thank our incredible volunteers for their ongoing support over the last few weeks, and to our delegates for voting on behalf of over 120, 000 members, including 94, 000 playing members”.

The controversy over whether camogie players should have the option of wearing shorts or skorts had intensified in recent weeks, with protests staged by turnouts in shorts rather than the regulation skorts, leading to match postponements and delays.

Rules had dictated that camogie players must wear a skort, or a divided skirt, for matches, although many players train in shorts.

The skort has the appearance of a skirt, but has built-in shorts underneath.

A recent Gaelic Players Association survey indicated 70% of players had experienced discomfort while wearing skorts and 83% of players believed they have the option to choose.

In a statement the Gaelic Players ‘ Association welcomed Thursday’s development.

“The GPA would like to put on the record our admiration for camogie players across Ireland and beyond, both at inter-county and club level, who made their voices heard to ensure this outcome.

” To our own membership who have led the campaign for choice, we salute your willingness to stand up for both yourselves, and future generations of camogie players.

Before scoring 124 in the first test against Zimbabwe, opener Zak Crawley claimed he was not feeling any extra pressure to play for England.

At the end of last year, the 27-year-old went on a rough tour of New Zealand and appeared to be threatened by Jacob Bethell along with number three Ollie Pope.

However, both Crawley and vice-captain Pope made a centuries-long comeback as England won the match 498-3 at Trent Bridge with Bethell out of the Indian Premier League.

When asked if he and Pope felt the strain in the starting lineup, Crawley responded, “I can’t speak for Ollie, but I certainly don’t feel like that.

The pressure is going to be on you whenever you play for your country, and that pressure is going to be on you constantly.

“Throughout my career, from the time I was very young up to now, people around me have consistently made me better by doing well and compelled me to do better.”

Later it was clarified that Stokes was speaking of Bethell’s return to the England squad rather than the first-choice XI.

Crawley continued, “I didn’t know what the captain said,” referring to the captain’s remarks. He didn’t need to speak with me.

In the three Test matches before Christmas, New Zealand’s Matt Henry abused the Kent player.

Crawley’s 8.66 was the lowest average by an England opener who had played at least six innings in a single series, and Henry dismissed him in all six of those innings.

But he has maintained a strong backbone among the management since Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum took over the England team in 2022.

Crawley praised the support of two people who I genuinely respect. They are certain that I have the right skills for the position, but they are undoubtedly wrong. I always want to honor that faith in myself and give it back.

Nathan Aspinall secured the final Premier League play-off spot while Luke Littler set a new seasonal points record in Sheffield.

Englishman Aspinall defeated Michael van Gerwen 6-2 in the quarter-finals to eliminate the seven-time champion.

Meanwhile, table-topping world champion Littler averaged more than 114 as he broke his own points record, reaching 42 after earning two in thrashing Stephen Bunting 6-1.

Aspinall, 33, had finished in fifth, one place below qualification, in the previous two seasons.

But he will join Littler, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price at the London finale on 29 May after beating Van Gerwen, the only player who could stop him going through.

Every Thursday, the eight players go head-to-head in a straight knockout tournament. So, each player will be entered at the quarter-final stage, before moving to the semi-finals and then a final.

These matches are all played over the best of 11 legs (or games of darts).

Players take home points from each of these rounds. The winner of the night gets five points, the runner-up three points, and each semi-finalist wins two points.

All eight players are re-entered into the tournament for the next round on the following Thursday.

The players meet each other once at the quarter-final stage from weeks one to seven, and then again in weeks nine to 15. The matches in weeks eight and 16 are played based on position in the league at that point.

The four players at the top of the table by the end of night 16 qualify for the final play-offs, which take place on Thursday, 29 May.

Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall are through this year.

Oscar Piastri might be the most innovative Formula 1 driver ever.

The Australian exudes a sense of calmness that seems to permeate his entire being.

He doesn’t criticize his rivals. He doesn’t shout on the team radio. He really avoids controversy.

This quality has been notable since he made his debut in F1, just over two years ago. One of his biggest strengths as he navigates his first title campaign is the fact that he is seven races into a season that he could end by achieving his life’s dream at the age of 24.

Piastri says this “comes quite naturally”, but as in many cases in elite sport, it’s the work that’s done to hone the talent that makes the difference.

I’m not sure whether that’s due to my genes, according to Piastri. “But there is a lot of conscious effort on maintaining that. It may come more naturally, but it’s trying to find a place in which to be calm and know what works best for you.

” I’m still a human and I still have emotions, so I still have to control it. And I have a strong reason for that.

He is starting to gain a lot of fans thanks to Piastri’s Zen-like personality and the desert-dry humor that go along with it.

But he is a simple soul, and it comes as no surprise to hear he cares not for the trappings of F1.

According to Piastri, “I don’t get bothered by much of the fanfare that goes on.”

“And I appreciate all the support that I get. However, I’m here to operate race cars. I like driving race cars. I enjoy moving quickly. I like trying to beat other people. That’s why I’m here.

” I feel like I’m a pretty simple person. And yes, I don’t give much because my humor is a little dry. But that’s just me being me.

“In this sport, it’s very easy to get lost trying to be something you’re not and sort of fit in.”

” I feel like I can just be myself. And I believe you can develop a little more of your own skin once you have some positive results and feel more at ease. But for me there’s not that much shell. That’s how I’m acting.

Piastri credits some of his mentality on having to make it to F1 from so far away.

He was 14 when he moved to Europe. His father, Chris, stayed with him for the first six months, but then he returned to Australia and Piastri went to boarding school in England.

According to Piastri, this led to his “growing up quite quickly; you get a lot of life experience very early.”

” It was definitely a big decision, but I never had to question it too much, “he adds.

My initial reaction was, “OK, I want to become a professional racing driver.” If I can do it in Formula 1, then that’s even better. And traveling to Europe is the only way to get there.

Piastri is leading the championship by 13 points from his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris heading into this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.

His most notable year came in 2024, when he won his first grand prix in Hungary and won a second there thanks to his brave, diligent, and decisive overtaking maneuver that has become his signature.

Those incisive racing skills have paid off this year. He already has two of the season’s best overtaking maneuvers in place.

A brave pass on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari in the wet around the outside of the fastest corner on the track in Melbourne and – even better – on Hamilton again in the dust around the outside of the kink approaching the high-speed chicane in Saudi Arabia, a move that was critical in ensuring he took the lead from Verstappen around the pit stops in Jeddah.

Does his unflinching personality have a similar effect to his strong resolve?

“I don’t know if it’s a parallel”, he says, “but they’re certainly linked.

They’re kind of opposites in some ways, don’t you think? My calm personality and some of my moves are on the aggressive side. However, I do believe that having a calm mind and clarity of thought are the driving forces behind those movements.

Although Verstappen caught him unawares with his stunning pass into the first chicane in Imola on Sunday, Piastri has already shown he is not intimidated by the four-time champion’s uncompromising approach to racing.

Verstappen said in a rare insight into his racing philosophy last year, “When I race with someone, he will not be able to overtake me around the outside.”

But Piastri has already proved he has what it takes. In Jeddah, he took Verstappen’s place in the first place, and he did it again in Miami with a move that started with a circle around the outside, which forced the Dutchman to brake too late, allowing Piastri to cut back to the inside.

” Even without Max saying that, just from watching him through the years and now racing against him, I already knew that, “Piastri says.

And I have to be honest, I have it, even if it’s a less brutal approach, but it’s definitely not dissimilar.

“Max and I race each other in quite a similar way. We both push the boundaries, in my opinion, and they are very strong and unyielding.

” I always try to be fair, but it’s a very fine line between good, hard racing and just overstepping the mark, and it’s always difficult to find that balance.

What impresses about Piastri in battle is the preciseness. He doesn’t waste any time. He doesn’t go for a move that’s not on, or try a half move that is not going to come off. When the moment is right, he waits and pounces.

“I learned pretty early on in my career that normally when you do things half-heartedly in a race car, that’s normally when things go wrong”, he says.

The best way to avoid getting into trouble is typically to simply commit to things, whether that means pushing on a qualifying lap or especially overtaking someone.

” That’s obviously a bit of a mental hurdle to get over, but I feel like once I got over that in my karting days, then it’s been more or less a strength of mine ever since. “

In Piastri, the racing prowess have been present from the beginning of F1. Where he has stepped it up this season is in his outright performance.

Unquestionably, Norris was McLaren’s lead driver last year, with Verstappen typically taking the stage. Piastri beat the Briton only four times in qualifying in the whole season, and his average lap-time deficit to his team-mate was 0.147 seconds.

The average time advantage for him now stands at 0.146secs, making Piastri’s score in his favor over all qualifying sessions, including the sprints, this season.

This is the foundation for his four wins, to Verstappen’s two and Norris ‘ one.

How has he managed to reverse the situation so successfully?

” The team’s done a great job with the car, “Piastri says”. Additionally, the team did a fantastic job with me. That part goes both ways. Every single area has improved for us. The driver being one of them.

“Basically, just trying to chase performance in every way possible.

” Last year what was hampering me was my qualifying performances, which I think ultimately came down to a slight lack of pace overall. And it was undoubtedly a challenging but incredibly worthwhile exercise to try to find that pace.

The answer, he says, has been” trying to just find the last couple of hundredths (of a second) in every category you can. They all come up in the total.

“The first place you look at is obviously the driving and the data, and no two people will drive in an identical way. However, typically, one driver has qualities that are superior to the other. And some from another that are better than your team-mate’s.

Lando has obviously been a great example of that, because he has been very quick throughout our relationship.

“I am maybe a faster driver. But I don’t believe it’s because I can do things I couldn’t do before. It’s just that I’m able to tie it together a lot more.

It is obvious how different from Norris, who has spent the majority of his year explaining why the car doesn’t work as he wants and how that has been hindering him.

But both McLaren drivers are in the title fight – Verstappen is currently third, 22 points behind Piastri.

Does Verstappen’s presence matter when he and Norris compete against one another in the middle as they take points?

” It is a possibility, yes, “he says”. However, because we’ve been the best team, including against the other car in the team, we want to win on both sides of the garage. You always want to earn things on merit and you want to be able to beat everyone, including your team-mates.

“So that gives Lando and I the best chance to achieve both our personal goals of striving to win the constructors’ championship and achieving both of our individual goals,” he said.

” If we do get beaten by Max, of course that would hurt, but we would know that we both had the same opportunity, we were racing everybody out there and that’s just how it panned out.

“We have asked for it because it’s the most straightforward and fair way to compete,” he said.

And does he think about the fact he can end the year as world champion?

He responds, “A little, yes.” “But I’ve also thought about it before this year as well.

It’s very simple to say, “Yes, that’s the situation I’m in,” but what I’ve been doing over the past ten years, particularly the last two, has been building to try to get ready for when I’m in this situation.

“And it’s very easy for me to just go: ‘ Well, if I execute this practice session, execute this qualifying session, execute this race, naturally my championship’s going to start to look pretty rosy. ‘

The pressure builds up once the season gets closer to the end of the year, which is obvious.

A summer filled with opportunity awaits Tottenham. With a bounce in their step, they can enter the season’s season thanks to their historic Europa League victory in Spain.

They are now back in the Champions League after 17 years of being a losers.

With that, swings can open particular doors. With better financing, you can attract players or managers who wouldn’t have ordinarily given your team a second chance.

The elite players compete in the Champions League. The best emerging talent dreams of reaching through this platform.

In the Champions League, Daniel Levy can find solace in the fact that it is easier to live through a busy summer.

The identity of their head coach will undoubtedly be the biggest development over the summer.

On Wednesday night, Ange Postecoglou etched his name into the folklore of Tottenham, but his position as manager is still a mystery.

Whether the euphoria of what transpired in Spain affects Postecoglou’s future should become clear in the near future should be.

Prior to this week’s success, people had anticipated Postecoglou would leave before the following year, with the Australian ultimately footing the bill for a terrible domestic year.

BBC Sport is aware that the club is in the process of identifying potential Postecoglou replacements some time down the line.

If Spurs have the convictions they did before, Postecoglou may still be on borrowed time with that in mind.

How do you fire a manager who has just given you such a boost, though?

What is clear for Tottenham is that they must carry out the change in leadership if it is to be so, smoothly, in contrast to their previous managerial search, which saw them scurry from candidate to candidate before finally resting on Postecoglou, over the course of several days.

Thomas Frank, Marco Silva, and Oliver Glasner are reportedly in contention as the contenders, who are reportedly in a relationship with technical directors Johan Lange-Andoni Iraola and Oliver Glasner.

Fabio Paratici’s potential re-appointment should also be taken into account.

After the highest sports court in Italy rejected his appeal against a two-and-a-half-year Fifa ban for alleged financial irregularities from his time at Juventus, Paratici left his position as managing director of football in 2023. He is currently in talks with his former team for a return when his suspension is lifted in July.

How much of an influence could he have on Postecoglou’s choice and his potential replacement?

How would Lange and Paratici coexist in essentially the same roles, despite having some interest from clubs in Saudi Arabia?

Levy will soon grant Postecoglou a £2 million bonus for winning the club’s first European trophy since 1984.

The players will also receive a roughly £3 million performance-related compensation for their success, though it is understood that any personal contractual agreement that automatically increases pay for Champions League qualification is not applicable.

You’d think Levy will be happy to pay for his club’s historic success in any way.

However, we shouldn’t anticipate the chairman of Tottenham spending a lot this summer. It’s not his style, according to history.

However, significant costs will be involved in constructing the euphoria from Wednesday night.

BBC Sport is aware of the club’s recruitment team’s desire to add more experience to their young squad.

For instance, this summer’s club is rumored to have a seasoned central midfielder on their radar.

If Cristian Romero is replaced by them in La Liga, they will look to find a replacement for the Argentina international.

Spurs are still interested in the centre-back despite their January attempts to sign Crystal Palace and England international Marc Guehi.

They will make every effort to maintain the club’s experience. Initial discussions have spanned a potential extension, with Rodrigo Bentancur holding talks about an extension until next year.

Son Heung-min’s contract extension has already been exercised by the club until the summer of 2026.

With Southampton’s teenager Tyler Dibling as a target, Tottenham won’t abandon their goal of signing young talent.

And as you’d expect, the manager will have a lot of influence.