Latest news with #Banton
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nottinghamshire resistant to Somerset bowling pressure on day two
Somersets Matt Henry excited the Taunton crowd with some big hitting on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship match with Nottinghamshire at Taunton. (Image: Harry Trump) Rothesay County Championship, day two: Nottinghamshire 214-3 trail Somerset 379 by 165 runs Ben Slater's 15th first class hundred spearheaded a solid Nottinghamshire batting display on the second day of the Rothesay County Championship Division One match with Somerset at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton, writes Richard Latham, ECB Reporters' Network. Advertisement The home side extended their first innings score from an overnight 275 for six to a challenging 379 all out, Tom Banton dismissed for 84 and Matt Henry making an unbeaten 41 off just 29 balls, with four fours and three sixes. By the close, Notts had posted 214 for three in reply, opener Slater contributing an unbeaten 116, off 224 balls, with 14 fours, and sharing useful partnerships with Haseeb Hameed (24), Freddie McCann (20) and Jack Haynes (34 not out). Like their opponents on day one, Somerset bowled few loose deliveries and every run had to be fought for on a day of soaring temperatures. Jack Leach conceded just 42 runs from 25 overs of left-arm spin and Craig Overton 31 from 13. Banton was unbeaten on 57 at the start of play, having been dropped on two, and shouldered major responsibility for lifting Somerset to a competitive score. With only nine runs added to the total, he lost partner Kasey Aldridge, caught at second slip by McCann low to his right off Abbas. Advertisement Overton looked in good touch, scoring 24 and helping Banton add 44 for the eighth wicket, before being pinned lbw by Hutton with the total on 330 in the 111th over, both sides having been forced to settle for two bonus points. Left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White had bowled tightly throughout the innings and reaped the reward of a second wicket when Banton, who had battled away for four hours and 17 minutes, striking 8 fours, mistimed a reverse sweep straight to Abbas at backward point. The remainder of the innings was all about Henry, who treated the 2,000 children admitted free from schools around the region, to some exciting hitting. The New Zealander survived a chance to Joe Clarke on the long-on boundary and produced numerous clean strikes in a last wicket stand of 39, to which Leach contributed just six before being caught at bowled off a leading edge by Farhan Ahmed. Abbas was the pick of the Notts attack with three for 59 from 27 overs, while new ball partner Hutton ended with three for 94. The visitors had to negotiate a tricky 15 minutes before lunch, but reached the interval on 15 without loss from three overs, Leach having opened the home bowling attack with Henry. Advertisement The afternoon session saw Somerset bowl without much luck in rising heat. They made a breakthrough with the total on 38 as Hameed got a thin edge to a delivery from Henry to be caught behind by James Rew. Slater was soon looking to capitalise on a pitch offering no more than occasional assistance to the bowlers and moved confidently to a half-century off 62 balls, with 9 fours. McCann contributed to a second-wicket stand of 66 before pushing forward to off-spinner Archie Vaughan and providing Rew with a second catch. At tea, the scoreboard read 124 for two, Clarke having begun positively to be on 14, while Slater was unbeaten on 65. The final session saw Leach strike with the vital wicket of Clarke, on 18, as the Notts player aimed a big drive at a wide delivery and edged into the safe hands of Overton at slip. Haynes had a heart in mouth moment next ball as it rapped his back pad and went straight to Overton. Somerset's huge appeal for either leg before or a catch off an inside edge went unheeded and it proved a big moment as a meaningful fourth-wicket stand developed. Advertisement Slater remained unmoved and brought up a hugely valuable century with a square cut for two off Vaughan, having faced 171 deliveries and extended his boundary count to 14. It was an innings of patience and sound shot selection on a pitch, which like the first day, required application with both bat and ball. By stumps, the partnership with Haynes was worth 71 and Notts could reflect on a decent afternoon's work.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Colorado man defies the odds after receiving record blood donation
DENVER (KDVR) — It's the gift of life that saved the life of a Colorado man following a bad crash last year. Ahead of World Blood Donor Day this Saturday, FOX31 spoke to a former patient who defied the odds and is now thanking hundreds of blood donors after he received a record blood donation. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox 'I learned that your life can be gone in an instant,' said Nicholas Jackson. 'I hit a nasty patch of road and gravel and I lost control of the motorcycle I was on.' Jackson says that the crash was a defining moment in his life, on June 15, 2024, along Highway 105 near Castle Rock. 'I was launched into a field – and I had to be found,' Jackson recounted. 'My injuries, oh man, they were out of this world.' Jackson suffered a traumatic brain injury, two broken femurs, spine and neck injuries, broken hands and trauma to his abdomen in the crash. 'He was really touch and go,' described Dr. Kaysie Banton of HCA Health One Swedish Hospital, who led his care team after he was airlifted to the hospital's ICU, where he stayed for 48 days. 'His injury severity score would put him in the probably not salvageable, not survivable – grave condition,' Banton said. Arvada organizers join national 'No Kings' protest movement ahead of Saturday rally Despite the grim outlook, Jackson did survive, thanks to more than 500 life-saving blood donations that amounted to 274 units of blood. 'We had to drain our own blood supply, borrowing from six different hospitals, borrowing from two different blood banks … but you can see what we've done with that,' Banton said. The donations gave Jackson a second chance at life and a chance to help others who need life-saving blood. 'Life savers—that's exactly what they are,' Jackson said. 'I am just so thankful for everybody involved, who has ever done that, who has ever contributed or donated- I am so thankful for each and every one of them … it's because of them, I'm still living.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman sentenced to 23 years for shooting friend to death at Brooklyn vigil
A woman was sentenced to 23 years-to-life in prison for the cold-blooded execution-style slaying of a longtime friend on a Brooklyn sidewalk where mourners had gathered to light candles and pay tribute to a mutual pal. Claudia Banton, 46, had attended the same funeral as victim Delia Johnson a day before the 2021 killing and had even chatted with her at the service, officials said. But when they crossed paths at the vigil the very next day, Banton singled 42-year-old Johnson out on a crowded Crown Heights sidewalk and pumped a bullet into her head, shooting her a couple more times after she fell. 'This shooting was a cold-blooded execution of a woman who was attending a ceremony to honor a late friend,' Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said Monday. 'It is especially shocking that the defendant was so brazen as to carry out this murder among a crowd of mourners, causing chaos and fear as they ran from the gunfire' The caught-on-camera murder was compounded by the confusion that ensued in the moments after the attack. At least one witness told responding cops that a man had gunned the woman down. Police, armed with a description of the double-parked getaway car, even stopped Blanton mere blocks from the crime scene but let her go when she didn't match the misleading description. Only when cops got a look a couple of hours later at the video of Blanton approaching Johnson from behind along Franklin Ave. and firing the fatal shot did cops realize their big mistake. Detectives linked the license plate of the getaway car, a Mercedes-Benz, to a Claudia Williams in Georgia, one of the names and addresses Banton used. Cops tracked Banton down three months later in Jacksonville, Fla., and she was extradited to New York City. Jurors watched chilling video of the shooting and of police officers frantically trying to revive Johnson as she gasped for breath and blood poured from her head. They also saw bodycam footage of police pulling over the shooter and letting her go. The motive for the killing remains unclear. 'This is not a case where an argument escalated. This is not a case where the victim was shot by a stray bullet,' prosecutors wrote in a sentencing recommendation. 'Just the opposite, what the court saw during this trial is that this defendant took advantage of the unsuspecting people around her. Those who truly were there to mourn a friend. This defendant exploited the emotions of the night and was able to get within feet of her target, raise her gun to Delia's head and let off at least five shots.' Banton was a longtime friend of Johnson's family and Johnson's mother treated her as another daughter, the victim's family said.
New York Post
19-05-2025
- New York Post
Cold-blooded NYC killer who gunned down childhood friend in ‘evil act' learns her fate as victim's family tears into her: ‘No remorse'
A cold-blooded killer who gunned down her childhood friend on a crowded Brooklyn street has shown 'no remorse' in the years since the shocking slaying — and the motive remains a mystery even as she was sentenced on Monday. Claudia Banton, 46, deserved to rot in prison for the 'evil act,' victim Delia Johnson's grieving relatives said in Brooklyn Supreme Court before the convicted murderer was slapped with a 23-year-to-life prison sentence. 'It's an act of pure evil and what makes it even more painful is that she showed no remorse for what she did,' Johnson's brother, Mathis Lemons, 51, told Justice Margaret Martin at the hearing, urging the judge to throw the book at Banton. Advertisement 4 Claudia Banton, 46, received a 23-years-to life sentence for murdering childhood friend Delia Johnson. Gregory P. Mango 'My sister's killer should never see the world again,' Lemons said. Banton showed no emotion as Johnson's family expressed shock that the woman they once took into their home had turned out to be their kin's killer. Advertisement 'I saw you as family at one point in my life,' Johnson's daughter, Ladeya Jenkins, 21, told Banton. 'To say this hurt, I cannot even say that. That's putting it lightly.' Johnson's sister, Khadijah Berry, 31, echoed the heartrending sentiment. 'You and her were friends… but what broke my heart is knowing you did it and knowing how you did it to my sister,' she said. Advertisement 4 Delia Johnson's grief-stricken family expressed shock that the killer was a friend. Gregory P. Mango Banton was convicted last month of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon for the gruesome execution-style killing, which took place outside another friend's funeral on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights on Aug. 4, 2021. Banton and Johnson were former friends, but no information about the killer's motive came out over the course of her trial. Authorities said Banton blasted the 42-year-old mom at least five times in front of shocked mourners, sending them running for cover. Advertisement 'The first shot wasn't enough for this defendant,' Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Michael Diamond told the court during the sentencing. 'She stepped over and pulled the trigger again and again as people ran for their lives.' 4 Delia Johnson's slaying was captured on surveillance footage. Chilling police bodycam video shown during the trial captured a wounded Johnson bleeding out from her eyes as she lay face-up gasping for air. Her slaying was also caught on surveillance footage. Police stopped Banton in her white Mercedes moments after the shooting, but she was let go after witnesses claimed the shooter was a man. Banton spoke to police like 'nothing happened' when she was pulled over, the prosecutor said. 4 Delia Johnson was shot multiple times by childhood pal Claudia Banton. Brigitte Stelzer Advertisement Three months later, US Marshals tracked Banton down in Jacksonville, Fla. after she changed her appearance — including by wearing a blonde wig — and deleted her social media. It remains a mystery why Banton killed her former friend, whose family let her live with them multiple times. 'The first time I saw you with chains on, it broke me,' Johnson's mom, Delia Berry, recalled inside the courtroom as she shook with emotion and held photos of her beaming daughter. Advertisement 'It broke my heart,' she said. 'I took care of you.'
The Guardian
10-04-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
‘Something clicked' – Somerset's Tom Banton on the secret behind his record 371
Not content with plundering a club-record 371 for Somerset to start the season, Tom Banton followed it up a couple of days later by nailing his first albatross on the golf course. Given the way England operate these days, taming the seventh hole at Minehead may have impressed Brendon McCullum more. It is Masters week, after all. Either way, Banton is on the rise, his cross-format form glowing and culminating in that epic at home to Worcestershire. Having never before faced 200 balls in a first-class match, the 26-year-old stitched together 403 at the crease, slotting 56 fours, two sixes, and marching past Graeme Smith (311), Jimmy Cook (313no), Viv Richards (322) and Justin Langer (315 and 342) to sit top of leaderboard at Taunton. 'I'm not sure I will ever have a week like it,' says Banton, on the team bus en route to Hove for round two against Sussex on Friday. 'I joked with our captain, Lewis Gregory, the day before saying: 'I don't understand how people can bat for so long'. But something kind of clicked and I just kept reminding myself to keep going, to not throw it away. 'When I was on 329, Alfie Ogborne ran out and told me about [Langer's] record. There were three overs to go in the day. I thought: 'Right, I'm going for it'. To hear the crowd cheer was just a 'wow' moment and I was pretty emotional in the dressing room afterwards. There were a few tears and the boys were absolutely buzzing.' The albatross probably comes second, hearing this, but even that shot – reward for risk and aggression that had him haring around the links like a maniac – underlines the sweet spot Banton finds himself in. Over the past 12 months, he has made five centuries in all formats, averaging 50 at a strike rate of 98. The catalyst – ditching the side-arm ball-thrower that has become so ubiquitous in modern coaching – is fascinating. 'I picked it up from watching Harry Brook,' he says. 'I saw him just having standard throwdowns out of the hand a while back and I decided to go with that. I now do small drills that get me into a good headspace and I have stuck with it. The sidearm, for me, just feels too different to a bowler, the point of release and the angle. I would walk out of nets in a worse place than I went in. Bad habits were creeping in. 'I also used to get so worried about getting out in red-ball cricket, how it looked, but now I'm trying to emulate how I feel in T20; to make the formats as close as possible when I am out there. You're probably going to get out whatever happens so for me it's trying to put pressure back on the ball and scoring as quickly as possible.' Talk of Brook, England's new white-ball captain, and the desire to put pressure back on bowlers brings us inevitably on to international cricket. Banton ended the winter in the setup – an unused reserve during the Champions Trophy after one outing in India – and on current form looks a good bet to break back into the white-ball XIs at least. Given McCullum's general approach, a first Test cap could very much be in the offing. The question that follows is where? England's established Test middle order of Joe Root, Brook and Ben Stokes means any possible vacancies are likely to appear higher up. Banton says he would naturally take any opportunity but is enjoying life at No 5. 'I have tried opening for Somerset,' he says. 'It did not go well.' Thoughts of Dan Lawrence's tortured stab at opening last summer spring to mind here. But then, by his own admission, Banton is a different beast to his younger self. Having drawn early comparisons with Kevin Pietersen due to their height and dominance down the ground, and won the first of 21 white-ball caps in late 2019, he did not quite put up the numbers and has since admitted to briefly falling out of love with the sport. It all came a bit too quickly, with Banton beamed up to franchise cricket, in parallel with England, before he truly knew his own game. As well as that notable tweak in training, his revival this past year has been down to re-embracing the County Championship and a club that has spent 134 years trying to win its first title. 'I would love to play Test cricket but there are a lot of great players pushing their case,' he says. 'I do not want to get ahead of myself, I just want to keep doing well for Somerset. Winning our first County Championship, that is the main goal for me. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion 'Sometimes people take [county cricket] for granted. On day one last week, I think we walked out to 3,000 people in the stands and it was such a buzz. It is such a well-supported and special club and I think there are special things happening here.' Next up is Sussex, and while Ollie Robinson misses out with a foot injury, there is still a Test-quality new-ball bowler in West Indies' Jayden Seales to negotiate. Coming after such a huge score in the opening round – but also what was an agonising draw with Worcestershire nine down – the question is asked whether Banton would have swapped that triple century for a win. 'I want to win,' Banton says, without a pause. 'Coming back into the changing room after, having not won, everyone was pretty broken to be honest. It was a tough one to take but we have to forget about it and focus on what is ahead. 'The triple century was amazing. I don't think it will probably ever sink in or feel real, to be honest. I never believed it would be possible. It is crazy what you can do if you put your mind to something and it's quite weird when it actually happens.' Having learned a few things about himself this past week – and got the albatross off his back on the links at Minehead – a season of possibilities has opened up for Banton.
