Archive May 3, 2025

Perhaps Luton Town’s previous relegation was forgiveable.

The Hatters were not the only team to find the transition from the Championship to the Premier League to be too significant a step in recent years.

However, following a poor performance and a 5-3 defeat at West Bromwich Albion on the final day of the season, there will be far less understanding about their second successive relegation a year later, this time to League One.

As the goals arrived at The Hawthorns, supporters began to vent their frustrations, it became clear that they were not going to witness the heroic feat required to save themselves from relegation.

In fact, it was exactly the opposite as they went down with more of a whimper, causing boos and some fans’ questions about whether the players were fit to wear the shirt when their demotion was confirmed at full-time.

Sorry to our supporters, Matt Bloomfield, head of BBC Three Counties Radio said. “Sorry to our supporters who are supporting us this season. Right now, we are aware of their disappointment and rage.

In the second half of April, Luton’s hopes of staying in the top three had been revived by three straight victories against Derby County, Bristol City, and Coventry City.

They were second bottom before that run. They were out of the playoffs by a certain point, with their fate in their hands on the final day of the season.

Safety was guaranteed if you defeated West Brom’s opponents with nothing to play for.

The Hawthorns’ performance and their form would not have been possible without them.

Prior to the championship’s conclusion, Luton only had lost once in nine games.

Since conceding three goals in a game just once on January 21st, which was a 4-0 loss at Burnley, which was automatically promoted, in March.

No wonder Bloomfield described their horrifyingly timed collapse as “I don’t know]where that display came from.”

“Over the past two months, we’ve been incredibly resilient to really shore up at the back, but it’s just not there,” we said.

Although Bloomfield has been in charge of their relegation, rot had already begun to appear as a result of his appointment in January.

When Rob Edwards led Luton Town to the Premier League via the play-offs against Coventry in 2022-23, the club claimed that he had “given a generation of Luton Town supporters the greatest day of their lives.”

Even if Luton were ultimately unable to defy the odds and maintain their lead, many more unforgettable moments followed in their first top-flight season since 1992.

When a push for an immediate return to the Premier League did not materialize as it did for the two sides they came into contact with, Burnley and Sheffield United, Luton gave Edwards as much time as they could, and far more than other clubs might have.

After accepting that their season had “clearly not progressed as anticipated,” they had little else to do but wait.

That was particularly true when traveling abroad. This season, Luton only won one championship game and lost 11 of those 13 on the road.

At the time of Edwards’ departure, Luton were just two points above the relegation zone and 20th in the Championship table.

Despite being in that dangerous position, Bloomfield was persuaded to leave Wycombe halfway through their League One promotion campaign. When he switched clubs, they were only two points clear of the top spot.

After all, his former club may switch divisions with his current one in 2024-25, but Wycombe has made the playoffs, despite his inability to keep Luton’s Championship status.

However, defiant Bloomfield’s thoughts were instead beginning to turn toward reversing the club’s trajectory as the pain and reality of Luton’s relegation began to weigh in.

They have no fewer leagues to climb than anyone else. Their remarkable 10-year rise from the National League culminated in their one-season stay in the Premier League under Edwards.

Bloomfield said, “This club must bounce back, and we will.”

Zhao Xintong is tipped to be the sport’s new “megastar” if he becomes the first Chinese player to win the World Championship despite having been suspended from snooker for the first season following a match-fixing scandal.

The 28-year-old, who lives 10 minutes walk away from Sheffield’s Crucible venue, is one match away from becoming the only qualifier to win the tournament’s biggest prize since its 1977 relocation to South Yorkshire.

If he wins on Monday, he will become the youngest amateur winner since Murphy won in 2005 and the only amateur to do so in the Crucible era.

Zhao, who was born in Xi’an in north-central China, moved to the UK in 2016 and will compete in his third career final.

Chinese snooker player Mark Williams will face three-time champion Zhao in a championship match on Sunday.

“It’s still very far because I have one more game to play than one of the world’s best players.” No Chinese player has ever won it, according to everyone, but I’ll make an effort to enjoy it.

It was my first time playing snooker when I was eight to ten years old, and it has taken me a lot of effort to get to this point. Even though it is challenging, you must do this to become a good player. “Remove from home.”

He had previously won the German Masters in 2022 and the UK Championship in 2021, but an investigation into match-fixing led to an abrupt end to his protracted career. As a result, he was one of 10 players from China who were sanctioned in 2023.

Zhao accepted the charge of being a party to another player who had been involved in two matches and having himself-bet on matches, and he was given a 20-month ban for those offenses.

He won events in Manchester, Sweden, Austria, and Belgium on the amateur Q Tour in September, and he also qualified for the UK Championship, where he lost to Shaun Murphy in the first round.

To reach the semi-finals of the World Championship, Zhao had to advance through four qualifying rounds before defeating 2024 Crucible finalist Jak Jones, Lei Peifan, and Chris Wakelin.

Zhao, who was given the nickname “The Cyclone,” won his 46th match win in 48 games against Ronnie O’Sullivan, who is now seven-time world champion after retiring from his suspension with a session to spare in the final four.

The Chinese sports industry was hampered by the match-fixing scandal.

Following what Jason Ferguson, the chairman of the WPBSA, described as a “heartbreaking” episode that also featured former Masters champion Yan Bingtao, gives the audience an almost immediate chance of winning.

However, some in the game fear that if a long-awaited Asian world champion is crowned on Monday, the nature of that transgression will derail the celebrations.

I’ve found the flowery language since Zhao’s return somewhat inappropriate given the circumstances, said snooker journalist Nick Metcalfe, ” Zhao’s ban has been served and he is perfectly entitled to be competing again.”

When he received the title for the UK, I was in York the night the announcer yelled, “A star is born.”

This is not some brand-new snooker player, so. It occasionally feels like praise has taken the place of scrutiny, to be honest. If Zhao wins the world title at this point, I’m not sure if the timing is ideal.

Some of the headlines from outside the snooker industry may be the last thing the sport needs because it came so soon after the ban.

A first Chinese world champion would likely be a special moment for everyone involved, almost like an uncomfortable moment, but Zhao’s claim to the title this weekend will not be one of them.

Zhao has been banned for what some people would consider to be a very minor offence, according to Barry Hearn, president of Matchroom Sport, which owns most of the professional game.

He is a good player, and I consider him to be a nice young man. You slam rules against yourself. You don’t look backwards, you look forward in life if you make a mistake.

Apart from 2010 and 2023, when Australia’s Neil Robertson and Belgium’s Luca Brecel enjoyed success, there has never been a British winner at the Crucible.

Two days after his 18th birthday, Ding Junhui defeated seven-time world champion Stephen Hendry to win the 2005 China Open. Since then, the game’s popularity has grown exponentially.

The country’s hopes of a first world champion have largely restated on Ding, who finished second to Mark Selby in 2016 after that encounter, which was watched by a reportedly 110 million people in the country on television.

O’Sullivan thinks Zhao will provide the nation with a player with the talent and temperament to fulfill that dream.

It would be amazing, in my opinion. He would be a megastar, O’Sullivan said, if he did win.

He continues to be very significant in China. But if he wins the world championship, it would be incredible both for snooker and his life. He is undoubtedly capable of breaking the law.

More than 50% of snooker’s global audience comes from China, which accounts for the majority of its global audience.

There is no denying that a Chinese player would become a national hero if they won the world championship, according to Ferguson, the WPBSA’s boss.

“I can’t tell you the media frenzy it would cause for snooker around the world,” he said. “It would be magical, historic, and a real change in the sport.

We have been talking about it for years, “says John Parrott, who won at the Crucible in 1991.”

Zhao being the final act means Zhao will have off-the-top viewing rates, despite Ding’s closeness and reputation as a true ambassador for China. Imagine for the game what it will do there.

Betfred Super League

Leigh (12) 26

Ipape, McNamara, O’Neill, Trout Goals: McNamara 5

Catalans (14) 24

Leigh Leopards defeated his father Steve’s Dragons and Catalans in the opening game of the 2025 Magic Weekend with a personal 14-point haul led to a comeback victory.

After Matthieu Laguerre and Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet’s brilliant solo effort gave the Dragons an early lead, McNamara scored a try and kicked five goals out of five.

Leigh was in control after Edwin Ipape and McNamara scored two points at half-time. Reimis Smith increased the lead once more with tries from Ethan O’Neill and Owen Trout, plus McNamara’s flawless kicking record, and McNamara added more.

Both teams advanced to St James’ Park after winning four straight games, which included the Challenge Cup semi-finals and next week’s top six.

Catalans appeared to be the team that was carrying that form into this game as they took a 12-point lead in 16 minutes when Laguerre leapt ahead of Josh Charnley to collect Theo Fages’ chip and send it over the line.

Aispuro-Bichet, a youngster who is currently playing full-back for the French side, lit up the Newcastle venue by weaving through a dubious Leigh defense for another score and added both conversions to give his side the lead.

Leigh finally woke up as Ipape span out of a fifth attempt before another one of the posts appeared to be sluggish and veered off.

Leigh were back within two points by half-time thanks to McNamara’s quick play-the-ball and penalty, which Aispuro-Bichet scored again to open up space between the teams.

Leigh and the other teams clearly gained momentum as a result, especially as Catalans’ inspiring captain Ben Garcia missed a second half recovery from a broken foot.

Smith rose from his knees after an unfinished tackle, but Aispuro-Bichet’s conversion attempt hit the post, a miss that would cost. The Dragons then extended their lead.

With McNamara adding the extras and a penalty to give Leigh the lead for the first time in the game, Lachlan Lam’s high kick was intercepted by O’Neill to give them the lead at the break.

Catalans suddenly needed two scores after Trout added another try and McNamara’s accuracy again.

Adrian Lam, head coach for Leigh, stated:

When you’re playing a team like Catalans, it’s the last thing you want to do, and we gave them a little bit of a start very early in the game.

I was pleased with our team’s resilience and perseverance, as well as being unified to win the game right away at half-time, which is a significant play.

It definitely helps those games where there are so many players out. With a lot of new faces and a lot of changes, it definitely brings the team together, in my opinion.

Steve McNamara, the head coach of the Catalans, stated:

“I thought our performance was terrible. You must credit the opposition for getting the job done, and they have already found ways to do that.

Wilde, Brogan, Davis, and Dwyer make interchanges.

Catalans: Yaha, Laguerre, Smith, Cotric, Keary, Garcia, Bousquet, Sims, Whitehead, Partington, Yaha, Laguerre, Smith, Cotric,

Da Costa, Satae, Navarrete, and Sironen are the exchanges.