The Guardian

54-year-old admitted to hospital on Boxing Day with meningitis Martyn played 67 Tests for Australia between 1992 and 2006 The former Australian Test cricketer Damien Martyn has been admitted to hospital and placed in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis. The 54-year-old “is in for the fight of his life”, according to former AFL player Brad Hardie, who first revealed Martyn’s cond…

Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt score in 2-0 win Rangers six points off top after beating St Mirren 2-1 Motherwell piled the pressure back on the Celtic manager, Wilfried Nancy, as goals from Ibrahim Said and Elliot Watt completed a 2-0 win at Fir Park. The visitors’ hopes of hauling level with the Premiership leaders, Hearts, were hit when Said headed home his first Motherwell goal before Watt capi…

Arsenal will enter 2026 with a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League as they continue their quest for the club’s very own holy grail, and judging by this game of two halves against putative title rivals they may need it. A scrappy, angst-ridden opening 45 minutes was followed by a performance of complete dominance kickstarted by two goals in the space of five minutes from Gabriel Magal…

Manchester United missed eight frontline players so Wolves, who arrived as the Premier League’s bottom team with only two points, seemed ideal opponents. Yet Ruben Amorim’s side struggled – badly – and while Bruno Fernandes, Bryan Mbeumo and Harry Maguire headed those unavailable, the display still provokes questions regarding United’s cohesion. In the contest’s closing phase they were potent onl…

Enzo Maresca has been talking up his relationship with Chelsea’s supporters but the love was not returned during this 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. There was open dissent from the Stamford Bridge crowd when Cole Palmer, who is still feeling his way back from a groin injury, went off midway through the second half and there was more grumbling when a wild game was over. This was another bad night for …

It is, ultimately, only the result that matters in football. Newcastle almost stopped playing after going two goals ahead inside seven minutes and spent the remainder of the game desperately holding on for their second away win of the season, leaving Burnley wondering what more they could have done. Burnley were dominant in all areas after the early shock, showing the spirit and grit required in …

Things are beginning to get a little twitchy for Nottingham Forest and Sean Dyche. Forest have made strides under Ange Postecoglou’s successor but after a miserable defeat by Everton, Dyche’s previous club, it is now three straight defeats and a bruising January run of fixtures are on the horizon. Five of their next six matches are away, including a trip to West Ham, now only four points behind F…

So December – the busiest month on the Premier League calendar – comes and goes without a single win for West Ham or Brighton; 12 matches played between them, but only occasional draws to show for their endeavours. At least this meeting of the winless was not short on entertainment, with two goals apiece in just the Premier League’s second ever game to see three first-half penalties awarded. But …

Carlsen captures ninth blitz world title in Doha Norwegian completes fifth rapid-blitz double Assaubayeva beats Muzychuk in women’s final Magnus Carlsen’s domination of chess showed no sign of weakening when the world number one won the blitz world championship title for the ninth time on Tuesday, two days after taking the rapid title. The Norwegian beat Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov 2½…

Fury and Usyk pay tribute to Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele Joshua recovering in Nigeria after fatal collision Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have passed their condolences to the families of Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, the two friends who died in a car crash in Nigeria this week in which Anthony Joshua was also injured. Ayodele, also known as Latz, was a personal trainer of Joshua, while Ghami act…

A 3-2 series scoreline may make it hard to change coach but you don’t reward a failure of planning because the players clawed a bit back when it was too late There’s a good origins-story-style video in the Sky Sports masterclass archive. Filmed at Edgbaston in 2016, it shows the blue-sky brothers, Brendon McCullum and Rob Key, back when the world was still young, looking sharp and chiselled, laug…

Debutant continues stunning run to reach quarter-finals ‘I’m not used to it. I usually get hate messages. It’s mad’ The underdog Justin Hood reeled off a record 11 consecutive doubles en route to a stunning 4-0 win over Josh Rock in the last 16 of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. The 32-year-old debutant continued his stunning run in the tournament and missed his first double…

Diggs charged with felony strangulation, denies claims Judge considers sealing records before arraignment Case unfolds as Patriots chase NFL playoff bye New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from an alleged incident earlier this month, as a Massachusetts judge considers whether key court records should remain sealed ahead of his arraignm…

Fire destroyed home near Stanley, North Carolina Hamlin’s father Dennis died; mother critically injured Cause of blaze remains under investigation The father of Nascar driver Denny Hamlin died and his mother was critically injured after a weekend fire heavily damaged the North Carolina home where they lived, officials said Monday. Firefighters arrived Sunday night at a two-story home near Stanley…

Robert Lawrence recalls a home fan’s astonishment at his skill. Plus David Whitehead on Brian Clough’s faith in the ‘little fat guy’ My fondest memory of John Robertson is a mid-80s visit to Highbury for an Arsenal versus Nottingham Forest clash ( John Robertson was a ‘scruffy, unfit’ genius who did not get the kudos he deserved, 26 December ). Robertson was in possession outside the Arsenal pena…