The Guardian

England win but fewer than 1,000 legal balls bowled MCC says it is ‘naturally frustrated’ The MCC has apologised for the quality of the Lord’s pitch prepared for the opening game of the series against New Zealand, after the venue’s showpiece 150th Test became its first since 1888 to feature fewer than 1,000 legal deliveries. England wrapped up victory over the tourists by 115 runs shortly before …

Premiership Women’s Rugby: Exeter 50-24 Sale Chiefs will play Saracens in playoff semi-final Claudia Moloney-MacDonald is hitting her best form at just the right time for Exeter as her performance was pivotal in the hosts’ victory against Sale. The England back, who was a part of the Red Roses’ grand slam-winning Six Nations campaign , scored four tries to confirm the club’s semi-final against Sa…

Bath 24-22 Leicester Bath will host Exeter, Leicester to visit Northampton Bath-Leicester is about as earthy a rivalry as it gets, and, boy, in this era of free-flowing, almost surreal, rugby, here we had a proper throwback to times past. Brutal. And with this hardest of wins, Bath, the champions, have chiselled out the right to play at home in Saturday’s semi-final. You think Bath-Leicester is e…

Italian teenager becomes youngest winner of race Lewis Hamilton second but Russell pays penalty Kimi Antonelli won the Monaco Grand Prix for Mercedes with a dominant drive from pole to flag, becoming at 19 the youngest victor on the streets of Monte Carlo, in only his second F1 race at the circuit. In a dramatic close to the race he held his nerve through two restarts under immense pressure. The …

It was another season to remember for Lamine Yamal and Barcelona, along with Getafe, Rayo and one naughty fan Lamine Yamal wore the crown and flew the flag. With the last kick of the opening game of 2025-26, Barcelona’s new No 10 – the teenager handed the shirt Ladislao Kubala, Luis Suárez, Diego Maradona, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi once wore, the kid Spain coach, Luis de la Fuente, had…

Fallout from declaring Benvenuto Cellini a non-runner at Epsom highlights perils of trying to micromanage racing How long must Epsom wait to catch a break? The main elements were all in place for a feelgood running of the Derby on Saturday: a double-figure field, the major trial winners all in the lineup, and fresh incentives launched to encourage walk-up punters back to the infield. The weather …

Gymnast says experience was one of scariest of her life 29-year-old says she will give more details at later date Simone Biles suggested she came close to death after a medical emergency that left her in hospital. “I’m not one to normally share things like this because I value privacy in today’s age, but almost dying wasn’t on my bingo card earlier this week,” Biles wrote in an Instagram story on…

Enhanced security will be in place for game at MSG New York City hosting first finals game since 1999 The New York Knicks are warning fans to bring as little as possible to Monday night’s Game 3 of the NBA finals, which Donald Trump plans to attend . The Knicks are encouraging fans to arrive at least two hours before tipoff as part of enhanced security measures due to the president’s attendance. …

Game-by-game tennis updates from 2pm UK time You can email Daniel | Sign up for The Hotspot Also going on: Salut à tous et bienvenue à Roland-Garros 2026 – dernier jour! Continue reading...

Theodore’s 2OT winner gives Vegas 2-1 series lead Hurricanes erase four-goal deficit before falling short Marner records fastest hat trick in Cup final history Shea Theodore scored at 5:38 of the second overtime, avoiding what could have been a potentially devastating loss for the Golden Knights after they blew a four-goal lead, and Vegas beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2…

Ten years in the making, the greatest show on earth is set for a six-week sprint through Trump’s America This is the end, of our elaborate plans, the end. Of everything that stands, the end. It seems fitting that football’s latest stopping point on its voyage upriver into the blank parts of the map, a mission so choice that when it’s over you may never want another one, should be a World Cup over…

Drawing on his own family’s experience, the Real Madrid and Germany defender is advocating for refugees and challenging stereotypes As a child, Antonio Rüdiger would look out of his bedroom window to see whether anyone was playing on the field it overlooked. It was not a big pitch, but it had two goals, enough room for six-a-side and was where a young Rüdiger honed the skills that would take him …

The British rider and unvarnished free spirit is in a good place heading into the Tour de France next month When Tom Pidcock talks about how it feels to chase down the greatest cyclist of his generation, his language is so vivid you can almost taste the salt-baked sweat on Tadej Pogacar’s jersey. But as we discuss the pair’s epic duel at the Milan-San Remo classic in March , and what it was like …

A new book looks at how rituals, charms and curses are central to the identity of America’s pastime It’s a Chicago legend, nurtured like a hot dog with everything except ketchup. During the 1945 World Series, local bar owner William Sianis brought his pet goat, Murphy, to a game between the hometown Cubs and the Detroit Tigers. Murphy was denied entry, because he smelled. Thus began the Curse of …

Live county cricket updates from 11am UK time You can email Tanya | Sign up for The Recap Good morning and welcome to The Oval. Hampshire have arrived for a rogue one-off match, out of step with the rest of the Championship, which restarts properly on Friday, and tickled into place because of fixture congestion. The two teams play keepy-uppy at opposite ends of the ground, the groundstaff hammer …