Beau Greaves emerged victorious from a 6-5 thriller against Luke Littler as she became the first woman to reach the final of the World Youth Championship.
Littler came into the tournament in Wigan on the back of his 6-1 demolition of world number one Luke Humphries in the World Grand Prix final on Sunday.
The 18-year-old had breezed through his three matches in the round-robin phase of the event, with wins over Dutchman Jeffrey Keen, Iceland’s Alexander Thorvaldsson and Belgium’s Matthias Moors.
However, the world champion put in a below-par last-16 display against fellow Englishman Charlie Manby.
Littler was on the brink of defeat at 5-3 down to the 20-year-old, before winning the next three legs, then rediscovered his touch in the quarter-finals with a 6-1 victory over Jamai van den Herik of the Netherlands.
Warrington teenager Littler found himself 2-1 down in the semi-final against Greaves but responded by winning three consecutive legs to seize the upper hand.
But three-time WDF women’s world champion Greaves – who is set to accept a PDC Tour card for 2026-27 – rallied to level the match at 4-4 and 5-5.
Greaves then blew Littler away in the decider as she threw an 11-dart leg – the 21-year-old from Doncaster sealing victory with a checkout of 80.
She will meet defending champion Gian van Veen in next month’s final after the Dutchman, 23, clinched a 6-4 win over Sebastian Bialecki of Poland in the other semi-final.
The World Youth Championship final will be played on 23 November in Minehead, before the Players Championship final on the same day.
Littler, who averaged 107.4 to Greaves’ 105, posted on Instagram after his defeat: “Fair play to Beau. All the best in Minehead. Some talent.”
Players aged between 16 and 24 are eligible to compete in the World Youth Championship.
President Donald Trump is in the region Monday to cement his plan for peace in Gaza.
US President Donald Trump has made a last-minute trip to the Middle East in the wake of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
He landed in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh late on Monday after flying in from Israel, where he addressed the Israeli Knesset.
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The first phase of Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan has now been completed, with Hamas releasing all 20 living Israeli captives in Gaza and Israel freeing Palestinian prisoners in the occupied West Bank.
So will this deal finally bring peace to the region?
And what does Trump’s plan mean for the broader Middle East?
Presenter: Neave Barker
Guests:
Sarah Eltantawi – Professor at Fordham University in New York City; political analyst and writer
Yezid Sayigh – Senior fellow at the Malcolm H Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut
Robbie Savage’s Forest Green Rovers will visit Jack Wilshere’s Luton Town in the FA Cup first round.
Former Arsenal and England midfielder Wilshere, 33, was named as Matt Bloomfield’s successor at Kenilworth Road earlier on Monday.
Eighth-tier Maldon & Tiptree will travel to League One Port Vale, while 2013 winners Wigan Athletic host Hemel Hempstead Town of the National League South.
Essex-based side Maldon & Tiptree are the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.
The Jammers currently lead the Isthmian League North Division – 103 places below third-tier Port Vale in the English football pyramid.
Elsewhere, Tom Cleverley’s Plymouth Argyle will take on Wycombe Wanderers at Home Park, with Huddersfield Town travelling to Bolton Wanderers in three all-League One ties.
Vertu Trophy holders Peterborough United are at home to Cardiff City, while Oldham Athletic host Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra will face Doncaster Rovers.
Should seventh-tier Gainsborough Trinity beat Hartlepool United in their fourth qualifying round replay, the Lincolnshire side will welcome League Two Accrington Stanley to The Northolme.
The ties will be played across the weekend of Saturday, 1 and Sunday, 2 November.
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FA Cup first round draw in full
Weston-super-Mare v Aldershot Town
Salford City v Lincoln City
Luton Town v Forest Green Rovers
Gainsborough Trinity or Hartlepool United v Accrington Stanley
Colchester United v Milton Keynes Dons
Tranmere Rovers v Stockport County
Wigan Athletic v Hemel Hempstead Town
Newport County v Gillingham
Cheltenham Town v Bradford City
Barnsley v York City
Reading v Carlisle United
Bromley v Bristol Rovers
Peterborough United v Cardiff City
Oldham Athletic v Northampton Town
Crewe Alexandra v Doncaster Rovers
Tamworth v Leyton Orient
Stevenage v Chesterfield
Boreham Wood v Crawley Town
Farnham Town or Sutton United v AFC Telford United
Eighth-tier Maldon & Tiptree will travel to League One Port Vale in the FA Cup first round while 2013 winners Wigan Athletic host Hemel Hempstead Town of the National League South.
Essex-based side Maldon & Tiptree are the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition.
The Jammers currently lead the Isthmian League North Division – 103 places below third-tier Port Vale in the English football pyramid.
Meanwhile, new Luton Town boss Jack Wilshere will come up against Robbie Savage if Forest Green Rovers beat Worthing on Monday evening.
Former Arsenal and England midfielder Wilshere, 33, was named as Matt Bloomfield’s successor at Kenilworth Road earlier on Monday.
Elsewhere, Tom Cleverley’s Plymouth Argyle will take on Wycombe Wanderers at Home Park, with Huddersfield Town travelling to Bolton Wanderers in three all-League One ties.
Vertu Trophy holders Peterborough United are at home to Cardiff City, while Oldham Athletic host Northampton Town and Crewe Alexandra will face Doncaster Rovers.
Should seventh-tier Gainsborough United beat Hartlepool United in their fourth qualifying round replay, the Lincolnshire side will welcome League Two Accrington Stanley to The Northolme.
The ties will be played across the weekend of Saturday, 1 and Sunday, 2 November.
FA Cup first round draw in full
Weston-super-Mare v Aldershot Town
Salford City v Lincoln City
Luton Town v Worthing or Forest Green Rovers
Gainsborough Trinity or Hartlepool United v Accrington Stanley
Colchester United v Milton Keynes Dons
Tranmere Rovers v Stockport County
Wigan Athletic v Hemel Hempstead Town
Newport County v Gillingham
Cheltenham Town v Bradford City
Barnsley v York City
Reading v Carlisle United
Bromley v Bristol Rovers
Peterborough United v Cardiff City
Oldham Athletic v Northampton Town
Crewe Alexandra v Doncaster Rovers
Tamworth v Leyton Orient
Stevenage v Chesterfield
Boreham Wood v Crawley Town
Farnham Town or Sutton United v AFC Telford United
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Dan Roan
Sports editor
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The new independent football regulator has published plans for a licensing regime that it says “will go further than anything currently in place by assessing the full financial picture of a club”.
For the first time, all 116 clubs across the top five divisions of the men’s game in England will be required to hold a licence to compete from 2027-28.
Being granted one will depend on submitting financial plans, meeting corporate governance standards, and consulting directly with fans on key matters.
Under its proposals, the IFR would have the power to cap clubs’ spending, and require them to reduce their debt.
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“We are making substantial progress on bringing the Independent Football Regulator regime forward,” he added.
“We will support clubs at every step to reinforce these higher standards.”
In a statement, the IFR says it will place “significant emphasis on clubs’ liquidity positions and the sources of funding on which they rely.
“The IFR will work with clubs to stress-test their finances, to improve decision-making and ensure long-term resilience.
“Should clubs be unable to demonstrate sound financial planning, the IFR will have the ability to require clubs to take steps to better manage day-to-day spending, such as increasing cash reserves, controlling costs or reducing debt,” it warned.
The licensing measures have been opened to consultation for the next seven weeks.
Once introduced, they will require clubs to consult with their fans on matters such as business priorities, club heritage and ticket prices. Supporters’ views must be taken into account when decisions are made, though they will not have a veto.
Clubs will also have to publicly report on how they are meeting a new code “to foster good governance, decision-making, and improve overall club management”.
Last week Kogan told BBC Sport the watchdog would have the power to force unsuitable owners to sell a club “as a last resort”.
Ramallah, occupied West Bank – The morning dawned full of anticipation as thousands of Palestinian families prepared to welcome their imprisoned relatives, who were scheduled to be released as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
Some had spent decades in prison, some were serving consecutive life sentences, and most had been rounded up wholesale by Israel in Gaza during its two-year war on the besieged enclave.
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The Ramallah Cultural Centre was where the families of political prisoners being released to the West Bank gathered on Monday, and tears, embraces, and anticipation were everywhere.
But the tears flowing down one woman’s face seemed different as she leaned against her brother, weeping bitterly.
They were shocked and saddened by the news they had just gotten about their brother, prisoner Muhammad Ahmad Imran from Hebron, who was detained in December 2022 and handed 13 life sentences. And their joy at hearing he would be released had just been dashed.
‘All words fail’
Ibtisam and her brother Raed Imran had come to Ramallah two days ago, after they got a call from Muhammad from the Israeli prison where he was held, telling them that he would be among the prisoners to be released to the West Bank.
But when they arrived at the cultural centre on Monday morning, they were told that Muhammad was on the list, yes, but that he was among the more than 100 prisoners whom Israel had decided to exile from Palestine.
According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, Israel will be exiling 154 out of 250 Palestinian political prisoners it is releasing.
These men will likely face severe constraints on their movements and activities in the countries they will be taken to, and travel will be difficult given that they only have Palestinian citizenship.
Tamer Qarmout, associate professor in public policy at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, told Al Jazeera these exile orders amount to forced displacement of these individuals.
In addition, because Israel makes it nearly impossible for some Palestinians to travel outside Palestine, these prisoners’ families may never see them again.
Raed was still in disbelief, going over the past few days and all the things that had happened that made him sure his brother was coming home.
“I got a call from an Israeli officer … He told us not to show joy or receive well-wishers,” he said, describing a common experience for Palestinian families: threats by Israeli security forces – of violence, arrests, and worse if they showed any joy that their loved one was coming home.
Raed, left, and Ibtisam Imran were shocked to hear their brother Muhammad would be exiled from Palestine [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
“The Israeli army raided our home that night, asking where Muhammad would stay after his release. They warned against any celebrations, support for the resistance, or even messages of solidarity with Gaza. We told them we only wanted my brother’s freedom, and that we were prepared to shut our doors to any well-wishers.”
Ibtisam looked exhausted and tearful.
“I was so happy when I heard Muhammad would be released. We left Hebron two days ago … I wanted to be the first to receive him. But all that exhaustion from moving around and finding a place to stay here, it was all worth it; I was so sure all the fatigue would disappear at the moment of meeting,” she said with a sad smile.
“The occupation’s threats spoiled our joy and made us turbulent,” she added. “The manipulation of names and information was intentional, and this is what burned our nerves. [But] I will remain here until the last prisoner is released. I can’t describe what is in my heart … all words fail.”
Joy for the al-Zeir family
Also at the gate of the Ramallah Cultural Centre stood Bassam al-Zeir, a 60-year-old man from Dura, south of Hebron, his face tired but excited.
He was anticipating a reunion he had awaited for 23 years, with his brother Hani, a 50-year-old father of seven, and with their cousin Arafat al-Zeir.
Hani was arrested on June 28, 2002, and sentenced to 25 years in prison, of which he served 23 years. Arafat was arrested at the same time and sentenced to 35 years.
Bassam said it had been “a joyful thunderbolt” to learn that the two men were going to be released.
“My cousin Arafat’s name was on the first list then, at exactly 2am, my brother Hani’s name was released. We couldn’t believe it and started preparing to go to Ramallah right then.”
Bassam hasn’t seen his brother in more than two decades, as the family was denied any visits, likely because Bassam himself had been previously detained.
“I was arrested more than once, and they prevented me from seeing him, even during family visits, as if they wanted the separation between us to remain eternal.”
But, he added: “Freedom is coming … even if it’s delayed by 23 years.”
Despite his joy, Bassam is frustrated and saddened.
On the one hand, he said, he knew that the release of prisoners comes at an indescribable cost that the people of Gaza had to bear for two years.
And on the other hand, the restrictions the Israelis impose on prisoners’ families prevent them from expressing their joy at having their loved ones home again.
Bassam al-Zeir at the Ramallah Cultural Centre in Ramallah on October 13, 2025 [Mosab Shawer/Al Jazeera]
“We waited a quarter of a century [for this release] … but they even prevented joy from reaching us,” he says, his eyes welling with tears.
‘Cannot be described’
Then the bus arrived and prisoners began coming out, and Bassam surged forward with members of other families, eager to catch a glimpse of his brother and cousin.
But the crush of people at the doors of the bus was too much, and Bassam faltered, falling back a bit and shouting out “Hani! Hani!” in hopes that his brother would hear him.
Eventually, the brothers were reunited and tears flowed as they embraced and tried to pack a lot of feelings into those moments.
Asked about what was going through his head, Hani shook his head and said, “This feeling cannot be described in words…”
Arafat was not part of this tender moment. His health had deteriorated so much in Israeli prison that he had to be helped off the bus and whisked away immediately to be checked by doctors.
Relief at being out and seeing his brother after so long was apparent on Hani’s face, as was the weariness of his time in prison.
He and Arafat had been held in Ramon Prison until they were told shortly before their release that they were being moved to Ofer, another facility that Palestinians know is usually a last holding area for prisoners about to be released.
They were threatened, Hani said, but the joy of being moved to Ofer Prison was stronger.
“I felt my breath return, as if life had returned.
