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“My netball career is over.”

That was England shooter Eleanor Cardwell’s immediate thought when surgery failed on a significant knee injury.

The 31-year-old was recovering well from having snapped one meniscus and suffered a full root detachment of her lateral meniscus during a three-match series against Australia in October 2024.

But her first contact training session since the knee was repaired ended with another setback. As she leapt for the ball, Cardwell felt the cartilage again.

“Straight away I knew. I was like, ‘That’s it, it’s gone’,” she said.

“After the first surgery, my surgeon did tell me ‘If you do it again, you won’t ever be able to play netball again because we won’t be able to fix it’.

“So after that, I went into panic mode – thinking the worst, thinking ‘That’s it, I’m going to have to retire from netball’.”

Cardwell has won four Netball Super League (NSL) titles with Manchester Thunder and one Suncorp Super Netball (SSN) title in Australia with Adelaide Thunderbirds, as well as claiming a silver medal at the World Cup with England.

That stellar career seemed poised to come to a premature end, but Cardwell was not prepared to go out without a fight.

Cardwell has 71 England caps and has been a mainstay in a Roses team packed with attacking talent since her debut in 2022.

Having enjoyed success with Thunder and Thunderbirds, Cardwell moved to new franchise Melbourne Mavericks in 2024 to play under former England boss Tracey Neville, helping them to fifth place in their inaugural season.

It was while training with some of her Australian team-mates that Cardwell noticed her knee was feeling “grumpy”, and she was “struggling to walk” after sessions.

Scans showed a slight meniscus tear, a common netball injury, but Cardwell was advised to keep playing.

But when she was barely able to get through the opening quarter of England’s first match against Australia she knew something was seriously wrong.

“I was basically playing off one leg,” she said.

“My knee kept locking, I was in a lot of pain. I was like, ‘What am I doing here? Get me off this court’.”

“I just thought, ‘I’m not finished, I don’t feel like I’m finished, but my netball career is over’. I felt like punching a wall – I was really, really angry, I was in tears,” she said.

“There were some pretty dark days. I felt pretty alone in Australia, away from my family and friends.

“I remember going home and ringing my partner Tom, and it was 2am in the UK.

“He was panicking and I’m in floods of tears. That was probably the hardest point in my netball career to date.”

Fortunately, despite previous forecasts, the damage to Cardwell’s knee was fixable, but more surgery and recovery time was required.

Cardwell credits Mavericks team-mate Maisie Nankivell for “dragging” her through those tough days. Enlisting a psychologist eased the mental load, and Cardwell found a passion for weight training and running.

Cardwell’s return to the NSL for the 2026 season was a standout announcement in the recent transfer window.

Having felt isolated at times in Australia while rehabbing, the move made sense.

“The loneliness, I think that overwhelmed me. I’ve never felt so lonely before. I was very happy to get on that plane and come home,” she said.

Aside from a stint with Severn Stars in 2017, Blackpool-born Cardwell’s entire NSL career has been spent with Thunder – who she calls “family” – but there is unfinished business in Australia.

“I wouldn’t say I’m finished in the SSN. I feel like it’s a bittersweet ending to it all,” she said. “I felt like I did have more to give.”

Cardwell felt a tinge of letting others down by leaving Australia, before figuring that personal happiness was paramount – even for bringing out her best netball.

Being back with England is where Cardwell feels most settled.

After the Silver Ferns series, there are matches against Jamaica in December, and next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

For now, Cardwell intends to show she deserves her place in England’s highly competitive shooting end.

Cheltenham’s meeting on Saturday will go ahead after passing an inspection following heavy rain as Storm Claudia continues to hit the UK.

The seven-race card features the Paddy Power Gold Cup (14:20 GMT), with the going described as heavy, soft in places.

Racing took place on Friday, the opening day of the three-day meeting, but 35mm of rain fell throughout the day.

An inspection was held on Saturday morning but the course was passed fit to race.

Racing at Uttoxeter was also given the go-ahead although the meeting at Irish track Navan was called off, with races rescheduled for Monday.

The bend turning into the home straight at Cheltenham will be reconfigured to avoid unraceable areas and the penultimate fence on the chase course will be bypassed.

Conor Benn is seeking revenge and looking to bounce back from his first defeat when he faces bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr in a rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Eubank and Benn reignited a family feud in April – 35 years after their fathers, Chris Eubank Sr and Nigel Benn, began the story with two all-action contests.

All three judges scored the first bout 116-112 in Eubank’s favour at the same venue in April, but some argued it was a much closer fight.

You can follow live text and radio commentary of Eubank v Benn 2 and the undercard action from 19:00 GMT on BBC Sounds, the BBC Sport website and app.

Will Benn gain revenge? Or will the Eubanks’ perfect record against the Benns continue?

“I’m going for a Eubank points win. He’s a bit more experienced and it’s easier when you’ve done it already. When the fight gets tough, which it certainly will, he will have the extra edge because he’s already done it – he won’t want to lose.”

“Chris Eubank can’t keep Conor Benn off him, he’ll be all over him like a rash. Eubank could catch him hard and stop him but I think the quick turnaround will favour Benn. I think he will outwork Eubank and might stop him, but I’m edging towards a Benn victory on points in an absolute thriller.”

“I think Benn wins because I don’t believe Eubank is motivated enough for this rematch.”

“When this fight got first announced I thought there is no way Eubank can get beat. But this time round, with the confidence he sustained and surviving the bigger man, I think Conor Benn wins. I think he will be better. I think Eubank’s will to win surpassed Conor’s last time, but I don’t think it will this time.”

“Eubank has invested more in himself this time, bringing ‘Bomac’ [trainer Brian McIntyre] back in and that shows he’s really preparing for a fight. I think he underestimated Conor the first time but this time he won’t.”

“Eubank knows the power Benn possess now and should be in much better shape physically for the rematch. I’m backing Eubank to win on points.”

“I think Eubank is going to be better prepared. Conor Benn couldn’t have done a better job in preparing himself for that first fight. He says he’s going to control his emotions – he can’t. He’s a hothead. I think Eubank in the coming days will get under his skin enough. He should and I want him to win. I want him to be able to box the distance and I think he might get to him late.”

“I think it is another really competitive and close fight, but I’m backing Eubank to win on points and put in a solid performance. I like Benn, I think he’s a solid fighter, but I’m not sure if he has made the adjustments needed to win this fight.”

“I’m going with a close points win for Eubank but I think it’s all up in the air. Benn was more competitive the first time than I thought he would be. I think Benn is at a point in his career where he can probably only get better, where Eubank can probably only get worse from here.”

“I think it will be similar to the first fight in April but with a little bit less emotion. I’ve got Eubank winning on points.”

“Benn has to listen to his trainer but with Brian McIntyre in Eubank’s corner it’s very interesting now. The first four rounds are going to be interesting – whoever wins those wins the fight. I would love Benn to win but Eubank is a stubborn guy.”