Sports & Casinos UK

Visiting Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo sustains deep gashCalls intensify for ageing GIO Stadium to undergo refurbishmentCanterbury coach Cameron Ciraldo has joined growing calls for Canberra’s GIO Stadium to undergo a face lift after revealing he would need stitches after glass shattered on him in the ageing arena.While the visiting coach was left with a deep gash in his hand, Raiders boss Ricky Stuart also weighed in, calling his side’s home arena a “shithouse stadium” and claiming authorities didn’t care about the state of the 1970s-built venue. Continue reading...

New law comes into force this weekendMeasure aimed to coincide with Carabao Cup finalThe government has made entering a football ground without a ticket a criminal offence from this weekend, with fans who tailgate to be given banning orders of up to five years and £1,000 fines.The law has been introduced to coincide with Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City, after the Metropolitan police made 68 arrests of fans who attempted to gain entry to Wembley without tickets at last year’s final. Continue reading...

Igor Thiago looms over Leeds, Newcastle need to bounce back from Barça and Viktor Gyökeres aims for hero statusPremier League top scorers: latest top-flight standingsThough Manchester United continued to win after playing brilliantly against Manchester City and Arsenal in Michael Carrick’s first two games as manager, the quality and coherence of their performances decreased thereafter. Lacking balance without the injured Patrick Dorgu, they’ve been rescued on three separate occasion by Benjamin Sesko’s goals – goals which eventually forced him into the team at the expense of Amad Diallo. But though Amad is easier to omit than Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, both of whom are older, dearer and more productive, without him United lacked a dribbler: a player eager to run at opponents, who isn’t necessarily seeking the quickest route to goal, and whose quick feet in tight spaces are invaluable against disciplined defences. It is no coincidence that on his return to the starting XI, against Villa last weekend, United delivered their best display since those early weeks. Though, at some point soon, Sesko’s form will again demand his inclusion, this time it is unlikely to be Amad who makes way. Daniel HarrisBournemouth v Manchester United, Friday 8pmBrighton v Liverpool, Saturday 12.30pmFulham v Burnley, Saturday 3pmEverton v Chelsea, Saturday 5.30pmLeeds v Brentford, Saturday 8pmNewcastle v Sunderland, Sunday 12pm Continue reading...

Manchester United head coach admits to ‘aggressive’ feelingsHolland defender De Ligt could miss remainder of the seasonMichael Carrick has admitted to getting angry with his Manchester United players and said that was the emotion after the late defeat at Newcastle.United lost 2-1 at St James’ Park this month after conceding a 90th-minute William Osula goal. This is the only defeat in Carrick’s nine matches in interim charge this season, his team recording seven wins and one draw to take 22 points from the 27 available. Continue reading...

Wigan 23-22 YorkWigan recover from 14-0 down to stay unbeatenThese were the nights that critics of Super League’s decision to expand to 14 teams feared but as the new season settles into a rhythm, they are fast becoming some of the most enjoyable.Yes, the result was what almost everyone – even the most optimistic York Knights supporter – would have predicted at kick-off. But goodness, what a rollercoaster ride this was as Super League’s newest team pushed arguably its biggest and most recognisable heavyweight every step of the way on a thrilling evening in Wigan. Continue reading...

Progress to the quarter-finals of the competition that made Unai Emery’s reputation, the Europa League continues to offer sanctuary for Aston Villa. Their second leg with Lille was completed without drama, the welcome sight of John McGinn’s goal soothing fans’ nerves. Villa had sorely missed their Scottish standard bearer, though the contributions of Emi Martínez, in making a save then launching an attack, and Jadon Sancho in supplying McGinn in a flowing move that took 15 seconds were equally crucial.“The matches were not so brilliant,” said Emery, who qualified for the competition’s quarter-final for the eighth time, a record; he has won it four times previously. Continue reading...

Brit overcomes seven-time grand slam champion 7-5, 7-5 25-year-old secures first victory since JanuaryIn her first training session at the ATX Open in Austin last month, weeks after injury put an end to her Australian Open, Francesca Jones found herself in an unusual, delightful situation. Her training partner across the net was none other than Venus Williams, the most successful active female tennis player.Being able to train with such a legendary player was a dream itself, but Jones can now say that she has also defeated her, as she closed out a 7-5, 7-5 win over the 45-year-old seven-time grand slam champion in the first round of the Miami Open. The victory marks Jones’s first WTA 1000 match win in her career, breaking a four-match losing streak. Continue reading...

Well, it wasn’t supposed to be like this. For Nottingham Forest, this was anything but the meek surrender widely feared, Vítor Pereira’s side advancing to the Europa League quarter-finals after triumphing 3-0 on penalties at Midtjylland, who missed all three spot-kicks. Elias Ólafsson had celebrated his captain, Mads Bech Sørensen, winning the toss to decide penalties would be taken in front of the hosts’ most ardent supporters, but it counted for nothing and ultimately Midtjylland, who lost 2-1 on the night, were punished for being lulled into a false sense of security.Forest stunned the Danes by earning a 2-0 lead on the night, through Nicolás Domínguez’s early header and then captain Ryan Yates’s superb strike from distance, before Martin Erlic sent the game to extra time. After 127 minutes, perfect spot-kicks by the substitutes Morgan Gibbs-White, who entered just after the hour, Ibrahim Sangaré and Neco Williams reignited Evangelos Marinakis’s hopes of Forest’s European glory. Forest can fret about Sunday’s trip to Tottenham on Friday afternoon’s flight back to East Midlands airport. Continue reading...

Tiny North Carolina university stuns WisconsinNo 1 Duke survive upset scare against No 16 SienaNebraska ends NCAA drought with rout of TroyChase Johnston made his first two-point basket of the season, a fast-break layup with 11.7 seconds remaining that gave No 12 seed High Point an 83-82 victory over fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.Johnston finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers for the Panthers, who were 10-and-a-half-point underdogs. He came in shooting 64 of 136 (47.1%) from three-point range but 0 of 4 inside the arc. Continue reading...

Crystal Palace’s first taste of European competition has already taken them to Norway, Poland, France, Ireland and Cyprus. After Ismaïla Sarr finally broke down a stubborn Larnaca defence that had only conceded once in their previous seven matches in this competition, they needed more magic from their top scorer in extra time to set up a mouthwatering meeting with Fiorentina in the quarter-finals.Everything was going to plan for Oliver Glasner’s side when Sarr – who was part of the Senegal side who were stripped of the Africa Cup of Nations title they won in January on Tuesday – fired in his 14th goal of the season early on. But in their 49th match of a marathon season, Palace again illustrated their vulnerability from set pieces when Enric Saborit equalised from a corner. Continue reading...