Wrexham opens its Down Under tour without its Hollywood owners but with a 3-0 win
The result was a good one, though — 3-0 over A-League side Melbourne Victory — despite missing the Hollywood actors' star power off the field.
Midfielder Tom O'Connor scored for Wrexham in the 42nd minute, with Ryan Hardie and George Evans adding goals in the second half.
Scottish striker Hardie, signed from Plymouth Argyle for the Red Dragons' long-awaited return to English football's second tier, was in place to poke home from close range after being introduced as a substitute at halftime.
Evans ended the scoring when his long-range shot squeezed under Victory substitute goalkeeper Daniel Graskoski.
The official attendance Friday was listed as 37,020 in the 53,000-seat Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. For comparison, Wrexham's Racecourse ground has a capacity of 12,600.
The Wrexham squad is using the visit to prepare for a first season in 43 years in English soccer's Championship, having just secured a third straight promotion.
Playing in Australia and New Zealand — after recent preseason tours to the United States — is part of an effort to spread Wrexham's global footprint which has been enhanced by the popular 'Welcome to Wrexham' fly-on-the-wall TV documentary.
The major reason for making the 16,000-kilometer trip to Australia? McElhenney, who recently changed his name to Rob Mac, previously said that Australia is the third-biggest audience for the 'Welcome to Wrexham' series after the United States and Britain.
'We're not here on a holiday,' Wrexham captain James McClean, who played 103 times for Ireland, said after the team arrived. 'It's great to come and see new things, new experiences but we're here to work, we're here to prepare for the new season. It's going to be the toughest challenge yet, by far.'
Wrexham plays again next Tuesday against Sydney FC in Sydney and on July 19 against the Wellington Phoenix in the New Zealand capital.
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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'Greatest all-rounder of this generation': Ravindra Jadeja refuses to celebrate his fifty as India continue to fight at Lord's
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New Indian Express
an hour ago
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Meeting CD Gopinath: India's oldest living Test cricketer and a hero of our first Test win
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I rarely knew what they were speaking about during the tour. In the match, the captain asked me in Hindi to shift my position to a certain spot. He knew I couldn't understand. I managed only by asking one of my teammates and getting to know what was needed. "But when we were back into the dressing room, Hazare was very angry at me. He told me to come and see him at the hotel. Once there, he asked me why I hadn't followed his instructions. I explained the difficulty I had and wondered why he couldn't have told me in English. His reply was that if he told me in English the batsman would know. I found his reasoning silly. "Remember I was just 22 then. A little worked up, I told the captain 'I thought we were playing cricket. What is wrong in the batsman knowing where the fielder is. He has the right, does he not?'. Hazare got back by telling me "This is not 'Madhraas cricket'. I told him I didn't know it as Madras cricket or Indian cricket. I only knew it as cricket and stomped out of his room. Naturally, the captain didn't like me from then on." This meant that for the duration of the England series, Gopi was forced to bat at No 8, and in one instance at No 9, despite being a specialist batsman. The only exception was when India encountered a wet wicket or sticky wicket as these were called. A razor-sharp and compelling raconteur, Gopinath shares what followed when that happened. "An exception was this match where it had rained and the wicket was wet. You must remember that those days the wickets were left uncovered and we also did not have helmets or the level of protective equipment that players now have. So, the captain told me to pad up to go in at No 4. He meant to offer me as one of the sacrificial wickets. But I was excited since I could at least bat up the order now. It was however not to be. By the time my turn came, the sun had come out and the wicket was drying up. I was told to wait. Those days Bombay dominated. He sent in a Bombay player. When that player got out and No 5's turn came, I was again held back. Nos 6 and 7 also went in and returned. I only got to bat at No 8 again. "I was almost in tears. I was terribly upset. I went to Hazare after that and said, 'Skipper, I am sorry, but I won't take this from you again. Don't do what you did to me today. Don't do this ever again'. The spat didn't do me any good. It was unfortunate," Gopinath recalls. He talks of how he and the great Hyderabad off-spinner Ghulam Ahmed, a fellow 'Madhraasi' in the days when the idea of India had not quite sunk in and when provincial mentality still ruled, "cried on each other's shoulders" for the almost six months the tour lasted. The experience scarred both players. It left Gopinath "pretty frustrated and pessimistic about his immediate cricket prospects" as he has recalled in Beyond Cricket: A life in many Worlds. He applied and took up a position in the Chennai-based Gordon Woodroffe at his father's suggestion and would later rise to be the first Indian Chairman of the 100-year-old British company. But cricket wasn't about to leave him alone this early. He was "unexpectedly" named in the squad to the West Indies. Gopinath was delighted at the prospect of going there. But a call from Ghulam Ahmed asking if "You are going? Are you sure?", while saying he himself had decided not to after what happened in England and what was likely to happen in the West Indies, led to Gopi also dropping out. A wet patch in Pakistan and the 'patriotic umpires' there India's first tour of Pakistan though was an entirely different proposition. Vinoo Mankad had taken over as the captain and that was a relief. Ghulam Ahmed was also selected and would be Gopi's roommate. This meant that Ghulam's relatives in Pakistan were always around to shower them with hospitality except on one occasion when, with no houses for the players to be put up in, they had to stay in the train compartment for a few days! Gopi had a good overall tour ending up with an average of 58 in the first-class matches. But he got to bat in only three innings in the Test series. The one where he made his highest Test score of the tour, a 41, had a memorable story that would be passed down generations. A patch of the ground, a little ahead of the crease, was alone wet while the rest of the wicket and the ground was dry. "When we protested, we were told that it was because of the rain. 'How could it have rained only here,' we wondered. The umpires (both Pakistanis of course, since it was a home series) were to be the final adjudicators. They agreed to delay the start by 15 minutes to help the very wet patch dry! I was left to counter the wet area by stepping out and standing on it," Gopinath remembers. He talks of how the team was happy to have drawn the series against the Pakistan team, which had the original 'Little Master' Hanif Mohammad and bowling great Fazal Mahmood, among others, in its ranks. "The Pakistan umpires were patriotic. So, we were happy to return with the honours even," he recounts. Friend named Sir Frank Worrell, and Sachin and Dhoni memories Cricket gifted Gopinath many friendships. He remembers his comradeship with English great Denis Compton and with Ray Lindwall, the brief meeting with whom at Kolkata led to Gopi landing the Australian great's cap as a souvenir. But his abiding trans-sea friendship was with Sir Frank Worrell, the West Indies captain in the first-ever tied Test, as recalled earlier. 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"He was as good as Gavaskar (incidentally Vishy's brother-in-law). He had a lot of time to play his shots and that is always a true sign of class. And what a lovely human being to boot." His all-time great, though, is not anyone from his eras as either player or selector or Indian manager, which he later became. It is Sachin Tendulkar, "the man who had the right shot for every ball." Another favourite is MS Dhoni. "I remember saying at a felicitation function that the Chennai Super Kings is my favourite team and pointing to Dhoni who was in the front row as the reason." Gopinath says he told people there that this was because "Dhoni is never demonstrative; never puts down any player, even if they are from the opposition. It is simply because he is Captain and Player Cool" that he adored him. That quality sums up Gopinath too at 95 and underlines why, as his son-in-law the renowned Supreme Court lawyer Aryama Sundaram observes, he was a legend all those years ago and continues to remain a legend. A truly well-played century beckons...
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Trump's appearance in middle of Chelsea trophy celebration baffles Cole Palmer, fans; ‘Are you going to leave?'
President Donald Trump stole the limelight during the trophy celebration of English club Chelsea after the FIFA Club World Cup final, leaving soccer players and fans baffled. eece James #24 of Chelsea FC holds the FIFA Club World Cup trophy after their team's victory as U.S. President Donald Trump interacts with Robert Sanchez #1 of Chelsea FC following the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final match between Chelsea FC and Paris Saint-Germain at MetLife Stadium on July 13, 2025 in East Rutherford, New Jersey./AFP (Photo by David Ramos / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP) As the London team defeated Paris Saint-Germain of France 3-0 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Trump joined them on the pitch. Trump presented the medals to the runners-up, the tournament trophy, and individual prizes to players along with FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Usually, the person who presents the trophy to winning captain walks away when the victor lifts the trophy. However, Trump was met with jeers at the stadium as he joined Chelsea's players for their spotlight moment. Trump arrived there on the one-year anniversary of the assassination attempt on his life in Butler, Pennsylvania. The displeasure of crowd was also recorded in social media videos. Also Read: Jannik Sinner net worth 2025: All about Wimbledon champion's earnings, Alfa Romeo cars, luxury Monte Carlo apartment Cole Palmer was surprised to see Trump on stand Chelsea attacking midfielder Cole Palmer, who helped his team defeat favorites PSG with their first two goals, seemed perplexed. 'Wait, wait, what's he doing?' Palmer told Chelsea captain Reese James before the traditional celebration. 'Are you going to leave?' James inquired Trump before raising the golden-globed trophy. As captain Reese James raised the trophy, several supporters found it hard to believe that Trump was stealing the players' moment. 'I knew he was going to be here, but I didn't know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused,' Palmer stated, as per The Associated Press. 'I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay,' he added. Chelsea fans react One user commented on X with a picture of Trump smiling next to the team, saying, 'I am crying man, how is this a real image?' The post has received seven million views. 'Love him or hate him, this is legendary. After handing Chelsea the Club World Cup trophy, Trump was supposed to leave the podium. He didn't. Instead, he stayed up there celebrating with the players, just soaking in the win like one of the squad. You can't script this,' another commented. 'This is going down as the funniest trophy lift ever,' a third person stated.
