Category Sports News

Callum Grigor, a British superbike rider, was placed in a coma for 17 days after suffering a head injury and fractures in a collision at Donington Park.

On the first lap of the Pirelli National Superstock Championship race in Goddards Corner on September 6th, the Scot exited his bike.

Team Grigor claimed on Facebook that the 26-year-old “has now opened his eyes and is only able to communicate briefly but is still very sleepy” and that he is smiling at all the nurses who have come to see him finally awake.

A ventilator had improved Grigor’s respiratory function, but the breathing tube has now been taken out.

His team confirmed that he had a head injury as a result of his initial collision, spinal fractures, a shoulder socket and elbow joint damage, as well as a severe puncture wound to the arm.

However, according to them, his chest and lungs suffered the most serious injuries, including multiple rib fractures.

“Callum has been able to get this far,” they continued, citing the prompt care provided by Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham and all the medical staff at BSB [British Superbikes].

“It has undoubtedly saved his life,” they said. We can’t thank everyone enough.

More than £23,000 has reportedly been raised to support the family of the Wishaw rider.

Nathan Harrison, 27, who also traveled with the Isle of Man, sustained a limb injury in the collision.

World number one Scottie Scheffler is among several US Ryder Cup players who say they will donate to charity the money they are being paid to play at this week’s event following criticism over the payments.

All 12 of the American players – plus captain Keegan Bradley – are being given $500,000 (£370,000), with $300,000 (£220,000) of that already put aside as a charitable donation.

It is up to each player to decide what to do with the extra cash. Some of the American players have not yet been asked what they are planning to do. But if all 12, plus Bradley, donate the money, then charities will benefit to the tune of $6.5m (£4.8m).

Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele said on Tuesday they would be donating their earnings.

The $300,000 is the first rise in the charity donation since it was introduced at $200,000 in 1999.

Their European counterparts do not receive any money. When asked if a fast start by Europe this week could result in home fans’ resentment over the extra payments, captain Luke Donald replied: “That could happen.”

Bradley, who said he would be giving all his money to charity, defended the extra payment to players when he spoke to the media on Monday.

“The charity dollars hadn’t changed since 1999 and they asked me to shepherd their way into making it into 2025,” he said.

“We wanted to bring the Ryder Cup into today’s age and we felt like this was the best way to do it.

“The players are going to do a lot of good with this money.”

Former US Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson is among critics of the payment.

“I don’t agree with it,” eight-time major winner Watson said on the Golf Channel. “[In the past] they gave us some money for favoured charities. That was the right thing to do for the players.

“I just don’t think they should be paid. They should be playing for their country and their team-mates.”

Scheffler – the first of the US players to speak to the media on Tuesday – told BBC Sport that he had plans for the money, but would not share the detail.

“My wife and I like to do a lot of stuff in our local community and I’ve never been one to announce what we do,” said the four-time major winner.

“I don’t like to give charitable dollars for some kind of recognition. We have something planned for the money that we’ll be receiving.

“I think it’s a really cool thing that the PGA of America has empowered us to do.

“I have a deep passion for the city of Dallas, I have a deep passion for the organisations that we support at home, and I’m excited to be able to take this money and be able to do some good in our local community.”

Scheffler’s view was echoed by Cantlay, who works with a number of charitable foundations.

“One of the great things about these team events for me is there’s always such a big charitable component to it, so I’m going to donate the money,” he said.

“Hopefully someone growing up in southern California gets that opportunity and can follow their dreams as well.”

Cantlay was at the centre of a row at the last Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, when he did not wear a team cap – reportedly in protest at the lack of a personal payment.

The PGA of America said in December that “no player asked to be compensated” to play at the Ryder Cup, and on Tuesday Cantlay reiterated his stance that “the hat didn’t fit, and this year we worked to make sure we had one, so we’re good”.

Bradley said the new payments mirrored what happens in the Presidents Cup – the Ryder Cup-style match between the US and a non-European International team.

And he defended Cantlay’s decision not to wear a cap in Rome, telling BBC Sport: “We blew this way out of proportion. We got him a hat that fits, he wore it, no big deal.”

Schauffele accused the media of “trying to make it a negative thing” before adding that he will also donate his extra $200,000 to charity.

“It’s something that selfishly will make me feel good about what I do,” he said.

Fifteen-time major winner Tiger Woods was influential in the US players getting paid before the 1999 contest at Brookline.

That charitable donation of $200,000 remained the same until the PGA of America announced last December it had raised the payment to $500,000, with $300,000 going direct to charity.

The extra $200,000 ‘stipend’ is $50,000 less than the players on both teams receive at the Presidents Cup, which is run by the PGA Tour.

Europe’s stance has always been to not financially reward their Ryder Cup players, with Rory McIlroy previously saying he would pay for the privilege of playing in the biannual event.

Donald said: “We all know how high the ticket prices are, averaging out at around $750 each. So it’s going to be an expensive trip out for a family of four.

“If the US players are getting paid, and they aren’t performing, the New Yorkers could make them know about it.”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Donald added: “This [payment] came up and I wanted to get ahead of it and talk to the 12 guys in Rome when it looked like the US were going to do something different with payments.

Although Dickie Bird, who passed away in 1992, did not play cricket for England, there is no denying his legacy as a legendary player.

This was the son of a miner, a young Yorkshireman from Barnsley, and a proud Yorkshireman whose heroics as umpires transcended cricket and earned him a reputation as a treasure.

On April 19, 1933, Harold Bird was born. His real passion was cricket, not football, but it was the youth team at Barnsley that made him a good footballer.

Prior to the dawn of fame and knighthoods, Sir Geoffrey Boycott and Sir Michael Parkinson were his contemporaries at Barnsley Cricket Club. Boycott and Parkinson were the opening batting partners, some years older. In their respective fields, the three lifelong friends would become famous.

When Yorkshire won the County Championship in 1959, Bird recorded its highest first-class score of 181 not out, which marked the start of a domineering era in which the White Rose county won the title six times throughout the 1960s.

However, Bird moved to Leicestershire the following year after only five matches in the summer of 1959.

Although Bird has a close relationship with Yorkshire, his main professional sports career was at Grace Road, where he played 79 first-class matches for Leicestershire and 14 for Yorkshire. His top-level playing career ended in 1964 with a modest return rate of just under 20 for Leicestershire, with one hundred.

In 1970, a remarkable life in umpiring began, and in 1973, Bird’s first test took place at Headingley, New Zealand hosting England.

Bird frequently slits a nervous figure in the middle, perhaps as a result of the incident’s tendency to follow him.

Bird’s presence in the middle, sitting on the covers, and surrounded by spectators, both foreshadowed some of the events that would come his way, and it also showed his closeness to the cricketing faithful, who appreciated his good humor.

When England faced the West Indies at Headingley in 1988, Bird had to deal with water that had oozing from under the outfield that had prevented play. Bird left the field, telling them, “I can’t help it if there’s a burst pipe,” as the Yorkshire crowd aimed to express their frustration. Water is coming up. That’s not my fault, either.

In 1995, Bird led the players out of Old Trafford because the bright sunlight was reflected off the middle, causing a distraction for the players. Once more, it was England’s opponents. Bird once more slammed the posh seats as he once more drew the crowd’s attention. “There’s something shining inside your box.

The respect Bird commanded as an official was not diminished by the chaotic circumstances. They, in fact, improved his reputation. In 1975, 1979, and 1983, he was chosen to represent England in the first three World Cup finals, which were held at Lord’s. One of Bird’s most well-known tales was won by Clive Lloyd’s West Indians in the 1975 final.

Bird’s famous white hat, which was made by a company in Luton, was removed from his head when fans erupted after the Windies won by 17 runs.

In June of this year, Bird claimed on the Test Match Special podcast that “I was on a London bus some years later.”

“I don’t know what I’m doing on a London bus, but I did notice a bus conductor wearing a white cap that resembled mine.”

“I told you, man, please explain to me where I got that white cap,” I replied, “Sorry, man, I forgot.” ‘. In the 1975 World Cup final, he said, “Have you heard of Mr. Dickie Bird? I pinched it off his head? ” ‘. “

Bird was the target of numerous pranks, and he was loved by players, even those who were irritated by his refusal to make decisions.

Allan Lamb, a former England batter, once jumped out of the middle when Bird was standing. Bird might have persuaded the umpire to take care of his cell phone by claiming that Lamb had forgotten to leave it in the dressing room with some artistic license. This was back in the days when cell phones were not that small and difficult to ignore.

Bird claimed in a frequently repeated story that he was at square leg when the phone rang. A well-known voice rang out as he answered.

In the dressing room, there is Ian Botham. Tell that lamb to take some shots or leave.

His 66 Tests, which he had won in 1996, set a world record for the time Bird retired from his position as an international umpire. The players from England and India stepped on to the Lord’s outfield for his final Test and received a guard of honor from there as well.

In the first over of the match, the famous not-outer Bird, who was tears in his eyes, gave a marginal lbw to England captain Michael Atherton.

Bird’s celebrity status endured even after his retirement. He won numerous awards for his books and gained acclaim for his speaking abilities.

He received an OBE in 2012 after receiving an MBE in 1986. Bird revealed that he and Queen Elizabeth II had met on 29 occasions in an interview with the Telegraph in 2023.

Bird was once invited to a lunchtime lunch at Buckingham Palace and arrived at the gates at 8.45am, always worried about arriving late.

A statue in Barnsley made bird famous in 2009, but the statue had to be raised above ground level four years later because his raised umpiring finger was frequently decorated with crude objects.

Bird claimed to be married to cricket, but he never got married. He said, “I’ve missed having a family, which is one thing.” I believe I would have made a good father. However, I’ve witnessed so many divorces in cricket, and as a result, my marriage would have been in jeopardized. I never got married because of this.

He remained a constant presence at Headingley, paying for a balcony outside the dressing room for the players to watch the action. His name appears on both the balcony and the ground clock.

England’s top bowler Kate Cross revealed this on the eve of the Women’s Hundred in August, revealing that she had lost her central contract with the national team.

The 33-year-old was dropped during this summer’s one-day series against India and was not chosen for the upcoming World Cup. She has led England’s seam attack since Katherine Sciver-Brunt retired in 2023.

“Probably one of the toughest weeks I’ve ever had,” said Cross, “the toughest week of my career.”

“I started the India series by opening the bowling for England as vice-captain, and I didn’t even manage to make the 13-man field for the series’ final game.”

In a conversation before the game, Lottie [England head coach Charlotte Edwards] stated to me that it was a must-win game.

It was difficult to hear as a cricketer who had always praised myself for being a trustworthy bowler for my captain who would stand up in difficult situations. That made me feel very quickly that a lot of trust had been lost.

Making her debut against West Indies in 2013, Lancashire bowler Cross has played eight Tests, 76 ODIs, and 18 T20s for England.

Due to a back injury, Cross was a member of the England squad that won the Women’s Ashes in Australia in 2013-2014 but missed the most recent series, which saw England fall to 16-0 on points.

She was recalled after figures of 0-60 against India in the first ODI of a series, which the visitors then won 2-1, but she was able to play in one-day internationals against West Indies.

On their No Balls podcast, Cross addressed former England team-mate Alex Hartley, who stated, “Our appraisals were about ten days after that series.”

“I drove myself back home after going down to Loughborough, where I believe I spent about six minutes there.”

We had the chance to include a member of the Professional Cricketers’ Association in our evaluation.

“I’m so pleased I took him in, looking back. Before I started the appraisal, I chatted with him about what I thought my scenario was, which I didn’t understand.

I cried out and went in, but within 45 seconds I learned I wasn’t getting my contract renewed, so it all happened really quickly.

I think I was strangely more composed than I was before talking. I had a lot of my stats and other things to talk about when I entered the room, but I had no chance to open my book. A pretty brutal day was had.

Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, claims that despite a demanding fixture schedule, he must “take care” of his players like “a father and mother take care of their sons.”

City thrashed Napoli and Manchester United in a weeklong saga before conceding a stoppage-time equalizer at Arsenal on Sunday.

With a growing injury list, City travels to League One Huddersfield Town on Wednesday for the third round of the Carabao Cup.

“We can be a stable team, and we can learn from each other’s mistakes when injured players return,” he said.

Erling Haaland, who was injured in the 76th minute against Arsenal because of a back issue, will not play in West Yorkshire, but Guardiola is optimistic that the Norwegian will be okay for the Premier League game against Burnley on Saturday.

At half-time, Abdukodir Khusanov struck Rayan Cherki and Omar Marmoush at Emirates Stadium, and it’s not yet clear whether Rayan Ait-Nouri will recover from a knock.

City came out of the gate last year, failing to win a significant trophy, and coming off consecutive defeats before the international break, but they have since won three games without losing in any other division.

Since taking over as manager of the second team at Barcelona up until now, Guardiola has always pleaded with the players to give everything to the pitch.

We didn’t do it in some ways last season, but this season, especially in the USA, we started to recover many aspects of our team’s identity that had been missing for many years.

I had no control over the fact that Arsenal could do better when this happened [conceding an equaliser there]. Yes, we can make better decisions, and we will do so.

Because Guardiola claimed he is traveling to London “to become a father for a second time,” midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who has spent the past two seasons on loan at West Ham and Ipswich, is unlikely to play for Huddersfield.

After returning to a 5-5-0 formation on Sunday in an effort to win, Guardiola’s tactics were questioned, and City’s 33% possession was the lowest he had managed in his 601 top-flight games.

He declared, “I’m really proud and satisfied.”

“We made many things up that the previous season didn’t.” Our spirit was incredible. I give the opponents incredible power, but we can’t sustain playing the way we did and don’t want to.

Arsenal are able to do that to other opponents for the majority of their games, and I want to learn that when we draw a game in the same way that we did against them, who are a strong contender and advanced to the Champions League semi-final. That’s a moment I want to remember.

At the World Parasitic Championships in Singapore, Faye Rogers won the 400-meter freestyle race, and Alice Tai won the 100-meter butterfly competition.

Rogers won the S10 freestyle in a time of 4:32.34, up from his silver medalist from Monday, winning the 200-meter individual medley on Tuesday.

Bianka Pap, Hungary’s Bianka Pap, and Rogers, who won gold in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2024 Paralympics, finished third in 3.92 seconds.

“My race plan was just focusing on swimming,” I said. Mission accomplished there, Rogers said, “I still believe I went out a little too fast, but we didn’t die off as much toward the end.

I can’t ask for much more than that, because that was a record-breaking PB and a gold medal.

In the same vein, Tai won her third gold medal of the year in the S8 100m butterfly competition in 1:11.20, placing third behind teammate Brock Whiston.

Tai has won the S8 100m backstroke and S8 400m freestyle, respectively.

Tai said, “I didn’t anticipate winning that one.” My fly is “always a little unpredictable, but it just worked out today.” The LA 2028 Paralympics cycle seems to be headed in the right direction.

Iona Winnifrith, age 14, won silver in the SB7 100-meter breaststroke.

The Briton set a new national record by finishing second to Mariia Pavlova, who was the youngest Paralympics participant at the 2024 Games.

Olivia Newman-Baronius won bronze in the same event’s female category while Harry Stewart won bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke SB14.