Netball Super League Unwrapped: Top Four set in Round 13
In a match-up where only pride was at stake, it was LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons who came out on top against NIC Leeds Rhinos.
Panthers do the double
Thursday night netball with everything on the line delivered a 75-69 comeback win for Birmingham Panthers over Nottingham Forest.
A strong Forest defence, led by Jayda Pechova, stifled Panthers to take an eight-goal lead into the break.
But a virtuoso performance from Gabby Marshall in the goal attack bib for Panthers saw her side to a second win over Forest in both clubs' debut season.
The victory also meant Forest were unable to catch Mavericks to end their hopes of a top four finish.
Lightning show up on Pride Night
In one of two potential Play-Off match-ups in Round 13, Loughborough Lightning downed London Mavericks 79-58 at the Sir David Wallace Arena.
The hosts were immediately on the front foot with Shadine van der Merwe proving a nightmare for the Mavericks attackers.
The gap only grew for Lightning, who are still in the hunt for the top spot, as they sit two points behind London Pulse.
Meanwhile, despite defeat, Mavericks were able to celebrate their return to the Play-Offs for the first time since 2016.
Pulse survive a battle
London Pulse kept their cool in a 58-48 win over Manchester Thunder to book their place in the major semi-final.
The visitors seized the early advantage, but Thunder were fired up in the second quarter to reduce an 11-goal deficit to just one with 10 points in a row.
The break came almost at the wrong time for the home side, but they continued their charge to level proceedings at 27-27 with less than two minutes of the second half gone.
That prompted a regroup from Pulse, who stuck together to move themselves back into the lead and secured an 11th win of the season and return to top spot.
Dragons swoop in and take victory
LexisNexis Cardiff Dragons proved they weren't going to be messed with, winning 60-52 against NIC Leeds Rhinos.
Despite an strong start in the opening minutes for home team Rhinos, the first quarter ended 10-15 in Dragons' favour.
A standout performance came from Khanyisa Chawane as she proved herself to be a speed demon on the court with turnovers aplenty.
The Round 13 victory marked Dragons' second win of the season and disappointment for Geva Mentor, losing her last home game of the season before she hangs up her dress.
The NSL Grand Final will be held at The O2 on 6 July for the first time ever. Get your tickets to experience live elite netball!
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The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
England rugby stars marched off pitch after lightning strikes vs USA.. with match already delayed by hour due to storms
ENGLAND stars were marched off the pitch during the rugby union clash against the USA due to lightning strikes. The Red Roses were playing their first match in the States in 24 years as part of the Americas tour on Saturday. 3 3 3 The match was taking place at Audi Field stadium in Washington DC and had been delayed by an hour due to the adverse weather. The lightning also caused another 40-minute delay during the first half of the match. England Rugby confirmed that the players had to be taken off the field due to more lightning strikes around the stadium A statement read: "Due to lightning strikes in the vicinity of Audi Field in Washington DC, players have been removed from the field of play." The incident follows on from delays to matches at the Club World Cup, which was held across the US. Fans in the ground were made aware of the delay as a statement was displayed on the big screen. It read: "There is inclement weather in the area. "The match has been temporarily delayed. Please exit the seating bowl. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS "Seek shelter in the concourse and follow instructions from stadium staff." Clashes between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, as well as Chelsea's game with Benfica, were delayed because of the weather. In total, SIX games suffered delays to the action because of the threat caused by thunderstorms. The horrid weather was not able to dampen England's spirits as they cruised to a 40-5 win against the Eagles. Before the delay in the first half, a depleted England team went 14-0 up despite having two tries ruled out. Steve Borthwick 's side was missing many stars due to their commitments to the British and Irish Lions team touring Australia. Gabriel Oghre scored England's sixth try of the game as captain George Ford made four conversions. The US did score a late consolation try through hooker Shilo Klein. Ford admitted that the conditions did not help his team but was proud of their effort. He said: "The conditions were difficult but it was a good group effort and a huge experience for the new players." The result sees England stretch their winning run to seven matches under Borthwick.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- The Guardian
England and Sweden get into spot of bother with an unmissable shootout
The strongest contender that Football Daily could find for the worst penalty shootout of all time was predictably held between two English teams. In January 1998, under-10 pair Mickleover Lightning Blue Sox and Chellaston Boys faced off in the Derby Community Cup. After the regular game finished 1-1, a total of 56 penalties failed to break the deadlock, with referee Peter Shieff even moving the spot two yards closer and offering a coin toss to decide the result (which the sides declined). Despite saving 31 consecutive spot-kicks in the sudden-death decider, Chellaston Boys' goalkeeper Ben Hodder ended up on the losing side as Blue Sox romped home 2-1, after a grand total of 66 kicks had been taken, a world record verified by David Barber, the FA's official statistician. A thought, then, for the parents that day 27 years ago, stood on the sidelines, outwardly encouraging their youngsters while internally being tortured and scorched with the fires of a thousand flamethrowers. A similar feeling engulfed England and Sweden on Thursday night: after an abysmal first half left them 2-0 down, the Lionesses mounted a late comeback for the ages to force extra-time and penalties. Twice in the subsequent shootout Sweden had kicks to win the game but twice they came up short, with England somehow prevailing 3-2. Before we properly get into the drama – and oh, we will – it should be said that the actual game was as dramatic as it was full of quality. Sweden's front two of Kosovare Asllani and Stina Blackstenius were outstanding and took their goals expertly. England's Lauren James was moving like Zizou in the No 10 role – Football Daily hasn't seen a roulette that devastating since our last trip to Las Vegas. Chloe Kelly's wingplay was game-changing, providing both assists as England clawed their way back into the game. Unfortunately the same could not be said for the shootout, as nerves, fatigue and excellent goalkeeping from both England's Hannah Hampton and Sweden's Jennifer Falk ensured that just five of the 14 penalties found the net. Ultimately, it was the brilliant and bloodied Hampton, along with Lucy Bronze – who scored England's first goal, soldiered on with knack through extra time and smashed home the decisive penalty – who were England's heroes. 'Lucy Bronze is just one of a kind, I have never, ever seen this before in my life,' roared England manager Sarina Wiegman afterwards. 'What defines her is that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.' Fair play to England then, who – against all odds – found a way to win, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. As for those penalties, plenty of elite performers have failed to convert at major tournaments, from Roberto Baggio to Bukayo Saka to Diana Ross, and there is plenty of time now to practise before Tuesday's semi-final against Italy. Leah Williamson succinctly summed up how most were feeling as the dust settled on England's win, in a quote that could easily have also come from a Derbyshire-based parent in 1998: 'That was awful to watch at the end. [Penalties] are the easiest and the hardest thing in the world.' Amen to that. Join Sarah Rendell from 8pm BST for MBM coverage of Spain 0-0 Switzerland (aet; 4-2 on pens) in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals. There is such a feeling of sadness and disbelief around this awful tragedy that we wanted to make this tribute of our own as soon as we could. Like everyone else, we've been stunned by events, and we remember what a wonderful player Diogo was for Wolves during that unforgettable promotion season under Nuno and our early years back in the Premier League. His record of 44 goals at Wolves, and then 65 at Liverpool as a Premier League title winner, speaks volumes. So many fans across the game – especially in Portugal after he helped them win the Nations League this summer – are feeling his loss deeply. We saw no reason to delay this decision' – Wolves induct Diogo Jota into their hall of fame. The north (in the west) starts at the Cheshire/Staffordshire border. This puts Stoke in the midlands (yesterday's Football Daily letters) and Crewe in the north. This isn't just my opinion (I went to grammar school in Crewe) but also the opinion of a person originally from Merseyside who wrote a book about the north that started by him defining where the north started and the first chapter was him visiting Crewe' – Mike Walsh. Looking at the James, Parker, Chapman, Jack golfing quartet (yesterday's Memory Lane, full email edition), I couldn't help but wonder which one of them would have the flag showing 'Fashion, Golf, Arsenal. In that order'' – Ken Muir. Further to Yannick Woudstra (yesterday's letters) wondering if a move to Old Trafford could materialise for Jordan Henderson. I seem to recall that Alex Ferguson once put the kibosh on a move for Henderson in the early-2000s over concerns about his running style. Well the good news for Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe's brains trust is that, at the age of 35, running won't be something Henderson will be doing a lot of. Sign him up!' – Joel Flood. If you have any, please send letters to Today's winner of our prizeless letter o' the day is … Ken Muir. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. Faye Carruthers is joined by Tom Garry, Marva Kreel and Jonathan Liew to relive England's dramatic win on penalties and Italy's late heroics in the latest Women's Football Weekly podcast. A 10ft-high artwork of former England manager Sam Allardyce eating a large bag of chips has appeared on a wall near a fast food shop in his home town, sparking speculation about its creator. The mural is believed to have been pasted on to a wall in Union Street in the centre of Dudley, West Midlands, and shows the former West Brom boss lifting a partially battered orange chip – a local speciality – to his mouth, while wearing his trademark touchline suit and tie. So what did Allardyce make of it? 'Absolutely privileged to be honest with you,' he cheered. 'I thought it was a very good likeness. Chips look a bit hot, but I really enjoyed seeing it. Whoever did it, thank you very much!' After professing his love for pretty much every club that has ever existed in his time on this planet, Snoop Dogg appears to have finally landed on one he is happy to invest in. It's not Football Daily's five-a-side team, alas. Nope, the LA rapper has donned the white shirt of Swansea City and joined Luka Modric in ploughing money into the Championship club. 'My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City,' he shizzled. 'The story of the club and the area really struck a chord with me. This is a proud, working-class city and club. An underdog that bites back, just like me. I'm proud to be part of Swansea City. I am going to do all I can to help the club.' So there we have it. That's another LA native getting involved in Welsh football. But what we really want to know is: will he open up a burger van outside the Liberty Stadium? The former England footballer Paul Ince has been banned from driving and ordered to pay £7,085 for drink-driving. Switzerland, getting up for their Euros quarter-final, are taking inspiration from when their men's team beat Spain at the 2010 World Cup. 'We watched that game together because we wanted to share that piece of history with them,' declared head coach coach, Pia Sundhage. 'Johan [Djourou] spoke very emotionally about what it was like. Sharing stories brings us together and gives us strength.' Those purse strings at Old Trafford have been loosened enough to agree a deal for Brentford's Bryan Mbeumo. Alexander Isak is 'the best striker in the world', acording to Anthony Elanga, but the new Newcastle winger sidestepped questions over his teammate's future as a queue of potential suitors snaked around St James's Park. Udinese and Italy striker Lorenzo Lucca has joined Serie champions Napoli on loan for the season. And St Joseph's scored in extra-time of their Tin Pot qualifying second leg at Cliftonville to pip the NIFL Premiership side 5-4 and prove that there was drama away from Zurich in European football on Thursday. The Gibraltan powerhouses face Shamrock Rovers in the next round. Rock on! Jonathan Liew captures England's swing from shambles to euphoria on a night of pure chaos. Tom Garry dishes out the grades, with Hannah Hampton predictably top of the class. Barbra Banda is thriving for Zambia at Wafcon after a sex eligibility row. Are we on for a #content collaboration between Jack Grealish and Danny Dyer? Michael Butler explains all in the Rumour Mill. And Big Website now has a sport Bluesky account. Get following. 3 August 2015: The late John Motson is joined by a crowd of young lookalikes at the launch of a 'Motty Commentary Masterclass' at White Hart Lane. Not the best time of year to be wearing sheepskin.
Times
11-07-2025
- Times
Lee Trevino: I can't wait to get up each day just to hear what I say
The day I speak to Lee Trevino marks 50 years since he was struck by lightning. Cue the line about how he would deal with being caught in another electrical storm during a round. 'I said I'd hold a one-iron to the sky because even God can't hit a one-iron.' It is a typically sharp line that masks painful experience and is the entry point to stories of near-death dalliances, Open titles, a king-size bed in his gym, a cast of hustlers and the grim loneliness of the outsider. 'I can't wait to get up in the morning just to hear what I have to say,' Trevino begins. Dallas-born of Mexican heritage, Trevino is 85 and still lives ebulliently in his native city in a house with an enormous swimming pool built by a former Olympic water polo player. He won six majors, including back-to-back Opens in 1971 and 1972, and had another nine top-five finishes on the biggest stages. He might have had a grand slam had he not boycotted the Masters in his prime after a dispute with the Augusta National chairman, Clifford Roberts. 'I tried to cover it up by saying the course did not fit my game, but it was him. He was not a nice person,' Trevino says. The row emanated from playing a practice round with a caddie who did not have a pass for that day. 'Here come the boys from the clubhouse, Cliff Roberts and all. I got in his face and came this far from left-hooking him. I went back but from that day I had a bad taste in my mouth. We never spoke again.' By contrast, as another Open arrives, it is hard to think of a player more in thrall to the event's romance, history and its 'cathedral' at St Andrews. 'Get me a shack there and I'd be happy to live right at the end by the greenkeeper's house,' Trevino says. They can have his ashes too. The Open fitted Trevino, who never had a golf lesson and had learnt to play by blocking, 'keeping my left hand and club face square'. A perceived weakness thus became a strength. 'The problem in my game was I couldn't hit the ball high, but as far as links courses, oh my God, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It suited me because I hit the ball so low they were putting helmets on the birds.' This affection for the British and Irish encompasses players. Christy O'Connor Sr was 'smooth as silk, a swing like melted butter', Peter Oosterhuis was 'one of the finest', and he is forever embedded in the Tony Jacklin story. When Trevino chipped in on the 17th at Muirfield in 1972 the effect on Jacklin was profound. 'I was never the same,' Jacklin once told me after losing that Open. Trevino's take is typically colourful. 'Tony would never admit this but he didn't have a life. They were running him to death. Get up at 6am, do a clinic, play 18 holes, go to this dinner, that cocktail party. The managers are at home taking 25 per cent and they ran him ragged. 'But God, what a handsome guy! He's still got that sweet swing, boy, but not nearly as fast — he couldn't get a citation in a school zone now.' Another Jacklin story highlights Trevino's maverick mischief. 'Yeah, Wentworth, World Match Play. Tony walks up to me on the 1st tee and says, 'I don't want to talk today, I just want to play golf.' I said, 'I don't want you to talk either, just listen.' Anyway we had 26 birdies and three eagles between us. I beat him on the last hole.' The natural penchant for one-liners fuelled his popularity, but it was also a defence. Anti-Mexican bigotry was an issue, and Trevino would become a loner living on room service when on tour. Eventually, he began drinking and derailed, but you could understand the culture clash when he arrived with his Latino looks and home-made swing. 'I didn't know my dad and my grandfather raised me,' he says. 'We had nothing and I mean nothing. In summer we'd walk five miles to pick cotton and sleep under a tree in a tent. Then my grandad got a job as a gravedigger and we moved to another sharecropper's house, no electricity, no plumbing. 'I dropped out of school at 15, got in trouble and joined the Marine Corps at 16. I was a machine gunner in the Pacific. Got out and went to work on a construction crew building a nine-hole course in Dallas. I welded the irrigation system and started hitting a few balls.' That was the start but he says the Marine Corps had averted a premature end. 'I should be dead or in prison,' he says. 'I had no discipline. When you're 15 and doing what the hell you want, that's not cool. Somewhere along the line someone's going to shoot you or you're gonna shoot somebody. 'I mean, what do you do when you're hungry and broke? You turn to violence. All the kids that I knew, all my friends, they're gone. I'm still looking up. I don't think they're up there but anyway . . .' After getting out of the Marines, Trevino's life of diversions took him into the golfing underbelly and the hustlers. As a caddie he began playing for a buck, two, $10. 'I never played a tournament so nobody knew.' Enter the tremendously titled Titanic Thompson. 'One time there was a poker game in a little town outside of Dallas. Titanic told this farmer to put 600 melons in his truck and break down opposite the hotel. At two o'clock the poker game breaks and they all come out for a smoke. Titanic says, 'That's a lot of melons over there. We should bet $2,000 apiece and figure out how many there are.' They couldn't resist. So the farmer counted them. There's a lot of gullible people out there. He was one of the greatest hustlers I ever saw.' One day in 1960 Raymond Floyd came to El Paso and Thompson convinced him to play against a lad called Trevino for $1,000 a round. 'Titanic gave me $100 a day plus expenses to play these matches. Anyway, I won the first two matches against Floyd. Lost the second.' When his reputation grew and challenges were harder to find, he took to playing with a soda bottle. 'It was a par-three course. I could back-spin it, hit it 100 yards. I used to shoot two over par and never lost a match with it. I've still got that bottle.' His rise was rocket-fuelled as well as soda-propelled, and he won the 1968 US Open at Oak Hill in only his second year on tour. In the space of 21 days in 1971 he won the US Open, Canadian Open and the Open Championship. He married Claudia, his third wife, in 1983, and it is clear he loves his life and the game that gave him a passport to fame and fortune. He lets autograph requests pile up until there are about 150 and then sits down at his kitchen table and answers them all. 'I go to the range and it makes me sick to see how a guy is swinging,' Trevino says. 'I straighten him and he says thanks. I say, 'God dang it, the game's not that hard, the ball's not moving.' Everyone goes to an instructor. I can show you everything you need in 30 minutes.' The old ones are often the best, especially in an age of anodyne PR filter, but Trevino is not frozen in the past. Indeed, he has known Scottie Scheffler, the world No1, since he moved to Dallas at the age of six. 'His dad was looking for a club and I was a member of Royal Oaks. The teaching pro there was a good friend of mine, Randy Smith [still Scheffler's coach]. We advocated coming inside on the ball and Scottie did it better than anybody because of his right foot shuffling back. That's why he doesn't pull many. He's closer to the ball. 'He always had something. The summers are scorchers here and the kids would wear shorts, but Scottie would always come out in a pair of slacks. He'd say, 'I'm going to be a pro someday and pros don't wear shorts.' The nicest guy. If he's not another Arnold Palmer I've never seen one. He doesn't play up like Arnie, he's more quiet, but nothing bothers him.' In April Trevino was glued to the Masters, pulling for Rory McIlroy and thrilled when he won, and will watch every shot next week. 'I don't know of anyone playing who's more of a shot-maker than Rory,' he says. 'That's what you'll need at Portrush.' He can also understand McIlroy's grumpiness when news of his non-conforming driver emerged during the US PGA Championship. 'He's going to the tee, these guys are full of Bud and they're saying, 'Rory, is this driver legal?' You don't need that shit. 'He could have used some humour. I'd have said, 'I'm trying to be No1 and if I can get another five or six illegal clubs in this bag, I'm going to try.' ' With two children, he says he is as happy as June bug and still goes to the course every day. 'I respect it, I worship it. And when I get beaten up I go to the shop and reshaft my clubs.' We rewind to the start and he tells me about being struck by lightning during the 1975 Western Open. 'It helped me more than hurt me,' he says. 'I'd got to the point where I was partying too much. I wasn't doing the right thing and my life was going backwards. Socialising will kill you in the end. In the back of my mind I wanted to prove to people I'm still good. So I started running, weightlifting.' Remarkably, he won another major, the 1984 US PGA, as well as another four at senior level. This fitness regime has continued and he describes his location, a giant house gym where he sleeps in his king-size bed. 'If I get up in the night to go to the bathroom, I'll pick up a barbell. I work out four times a day. I think I'm going to live until 150 but my life is getting dim and you can fall over at any time.' Intriguingly, he says there is no memorabilia or golfing photographs on show in his house. It is all stuck in the bedroom, stacked floor-to-ceiling, the furniture removed for mothballed memories. 'Yesterday's gone,' he says. Gone, but thankfully, not forgotten.
