Category Sports News

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.

Georgia O’Connor, a professional boxer, passed away at the age of 25.

After previously battling ulcerative colitis, the Durham native announced earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

O’Connor won a gold medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games as a decorated amateur boxer.

O’Connor, who had won three fights before turning professional, signed with Boxxer promoted by Ben Shalom.

“We are devastated by Georgia O’Connor’s passing.” The boxing community has lost a talented, courageous, and determined young woman far too soon, according to Boxxer, a true warrior both inside and out of the ring.

“Georgia’s friends at Boxxer admired, loved, and respected her.” At this difficult time, we are thinking of her loved ones.

O’Connor announced her engagement to her boyfriend on social media two weeks ago, replacing her last name with Cardinali.

Claressa Shields, Jack Catterall, Jake Paul, Molly McCann, and Francesca Hennessy have all paid tribute to her.

Ellie Scotney, the reigning world champion, described O’Connor as the “most beautiful person” she had ever met.

“I had a sister for life for the entire time,” said Scotney, “who was a wonderful person.”

You never let anything dim the light of yours, even when it was on a timer. A heart that will endure forever in many ways, as well as a smile that never ever fades.

She won medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Youth Worlds, and European Championships, according to England Boxing, highlighting her accomplishments.

She had a lot of things to do before her, but I know our boxing community will honor her memory, said 5 Live commentator and retired boxer Stacey Copeland. “It’s hard to comprehend how cruel life can be.

Is it time for cricket to alter its formula and allow teams to replace injured players?

When Richard Ngarava, the frontline bowler, was forced to be helped off the field due to a back injury, Zimbabwe were already struggling on day one of the one-off Test against England at Trent Bridge.

The tourists were potentially playing with 10 men because an injured player could be replaced on the field but couldn’t bat or bowl.

Later in the day, Ngarava was able to bowl because of how long he had been away from the field, and he looked unwell before once more making his way to the changing rooms.

The Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC) regulations allow the umpires to substitute a player who has “been injured or become ill and that this occurred during the match” or for “any other wholly acceptable reason.”

The Law further states that a substitute may only act as wicketkeeper with the approval of the umpires and not bowl or play as captain.

The only circumstance is a concussion, which occurs.

Since 2019, concussion replacements have been permitted (Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne famously became the first concussion sub in Test cricket when Steve Smith was replaced in the Ashes). They can bat and bowl.

There are numerous instances where games have been impacted by injuries.

After James Anderson suffered a calf injury for four overs before day one, England effectively played the entire first Test of the 2019 Ashes at Edgbaston with ten players.

Australia’s spinner Nathan Lyon suffered a calf injury on day two of the second Test at Lord’s in 2023.

Famous players have been fighting their way through injuries, which has enhanced the spectacle.

In cricket, substitutes are not completely absent.

Supersubs were introduced to one-day internationals in 2005, with England’s Vikram Solanki the first to play for Australia at Headingley, but they were dropped in 2006.

The Indian Premier League’s impact player rule, which allows teams to substitute one of four players, was implemented between 2020 and 2022, while Australia’s Big Bash had a similar X-Factor player rule.

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain,

In the first innings of the match, players should not be able to play in injured-related cricket. An independent physician should be present. You should be able to play a sub if the doctor determines a player is unable to continue playing.

Only the first innings should be used. There might be some skullduggery if you let it continue into the second inning. The game and the entertainment that fans pay to watch are affected if a real injury occurs in the first inning. To make things fair, the first innings are a good cut-off.

Former England bowler Jonathan Agnew, the BBC’s chief cricket commentator, is here.

A team’s failure to deliver results in a number of Tests. How can it be proven? Another instance of potential conflict is here. It is extremely challenging to demonstrate.

Of course, common sense says yes, but you also need a convincing way to demonstrate without a doubt that the player is seriously injured. That would be open to various arguments, in my opinion.

Vic Marks, a former England off-spinner,

It merits consideration. Just to make sure the injury is completely genuine, there would need some administration. You wouldn’t want to see someone who can fake injuries to alter a team’s personality due to poor form or circumstances.

We used to spilt fake blood in rugby, so we want to stay away from that. Although it should be looked into, you need that proviso to ensure that the system isn’t used abusively.

Henry Olonga, a former seamer in Zimbabwe,

I’m open to the idea of substitutes, perhaps with a limited number, but not necessarily like-for-like and limited to injuries. Make the game more similar to other sports with subs allowed if you want to expand it globally.

Think of football tactically: If a game is moving in a certain direction, substitutes can change the direction. Why not switch out a spinner if a fast bowler is only going for a few runs? Although I don’t believe it will be widely held, I’m sticking with it.

Alison Mitchell, a TMS analyst,

Yes, it needs to be looked into, but a system that can’t be used is required. If a player is concussed, like-for-like substitutes can already be used. Therefore, they should be used for other injuries.

Simon Mann, a commentator for TMS,

I’ve long held the view that in a test match, there can’t be a substitute. It’s present in every other sport. Why not cricket, though?

I understand the difficulty of proving an injury, but a halfway house might be the first two days of a test as a replacement.

Stephan Shemilt, the chief cricket correspondent for BBC Sport, is in charge.

Any idea of injury replacements has the potential to be abused, as many have already pointed out. Therefore, I don’t believe there could be a halfway house. If a replacement is permitted, you can also allow them for tactical reasons.

A 12th player can be named before the toss, and that player can be brought in for tactical reasons or injuries. But just one. That would ensnare the plot even more. Which player would you pick? When are they used? You risk later getting hurt if you make a tactical move. Can a team accurately assess the situation to maximize the replacement’s introduction tactically?