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South-coast club handed reprieve by Durham after Rahul Chahar takes ten in the match

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay27-Sep-2025Surrey 147 (Washington 3-5, Abbott 3-27, Fuller 3-46) and 281 (Albert 63, Abbott 5-72) beat Hampshire 248 (Washington 56) and 160 (Orr 48, Chahar 8-51) by 20 runsHampshire were given an unlikely reprieve from relegation to Rothesay County Championship Division Two after Durham fell apart at Yorkshire.The south-coast county were resigned to the drop after losing to Surrey by 20 runs, which left Durham only requiring a draw at Headingley. But they sensationally slumped to 85 all out to allow Hampshire to stay in Division One for the 2026 season.Ironically, Hampshire’s last brush with the drop, in 2016, saw them finish in the relegation places but be reinstated after Durham were sent down over financial issues.Surrey only needed one wicket on the final day, which Rahul Chahar managed with the 42nd delivery of the day when he had James Fuller caught behind. In doing so, the India spinner claimed a career-best 8 for 51 – Surrey’s third best bowling figures of the 21st century – and ten wickets in the match.The defeat, with relegation seemingly nailed on, looked like it would compound Hampshire’s horror September. The county had been deducted eight points in the Championship for breaching the ECB’s pitch regulations, before losing in two men’s finals and a women’s final.They also saw popular head coach Adi Birrell announce he would leave the club after seven years at the helm. The South African was gifted a bull for his farm back in his homeland by the players on the final morning of the Surrey match.Instead of Hampshire, Durham will now join Worcestershire in playing in Division Two next season.Ben Brown, who took over the four-day captaincy at short notice after James Vince stepped away from red-ball cricket before the start of the season, said it had been “a really challenging year”, topped off by the Cricket Discipline Panel’s decision to dock points for a poor Utilita Bowl pitch in May – described by Brown as “unjust”.”It has been a really challenging year, off the field as well as on it,” Brown said. “There has been a lot to manage.”Then there is the points deduction on the wicket, which I stand by that it was unjust. That I feel difficult to cope with as a player. People work hard in professional sport and to have essentially clipboard stuff take eight points off us… You want sport to be decided as sport not someone deciding whether grass is right or wrong.”We have been playing under pressure for the last month with no time to think or train, and it has ended up with us losing two finals and looks like we will be going down. Everyone will need time to get their head around it before making a plan to make things better.”Requiring 33 runs to beat Surrey, 32 runs – ie. a tie – would likely have been enough to see Hampshire them remain in Division One on their own steam.Fuller and Brad Wheal were the only Hampshire batters left – the former had shaken off the collapse and dealt with Chahar carefully for 29, while Wheal had stoically blocked 22 balls before bad light brought an unsatisfactory end to the third day, and left plenty with a sleepless night.Chahar bowled the first over of the day and Fuller almost edged the first ball. A swept four eased the nerves, before Wheal nicked his first delivery to first slip – but it narrowly fell short.Fuller and Wheal looked at ease, albeit turning down a bounty of singles, until Fuller attempted to cut Chahar and edged behind to Ben Foakes.Only Kemar Roach’s 8 for 40, and Martin Bicknell’s 9 for 45 were better since the turn of the Millennium. Chahar, on Championship debut, also took ten wickets in the match.”A lot of the disappointment was last night and then today there was just a small chance in a tough situation for Fuller. It was more runs than it looked and was a tall order today,” Brown said. “We should have made a better fist of it. The new hard ball spun quite a lot and we didn’t deal with it. We were a lot of pressure in the run chase and we couldn’t stem the tide of wickets in the middle of the innings.”

Giancarlo Stanton's latest strikeout was a big one, as it put him in an exclusive club.

In the bottom of the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night, the New York Yankees' designated hitter fell behind 1-2 against reliever Garrett Cleavinger. Then, Stanton swung and missed at an 86 mph slider to record his first strikeout of the game. It was also the 2,000th of his career.

With that swing and miss, Stanton became the eighth player in Major League Baseball history to record 2,000 strikeouts as a hitter. The others are Reggie Jackson (2,597), Jim Thome (2,548), Adam Dunn (2,379), Sammy Sosa (2,306), Alex Rodriguez (2,287), Miguel Cabrera (2,105) and Andres Galarraga (2,003).

That's some fairly lofty company. Jackson and Thome are Hall of Famers, while Cabrera will be in when he's eligible. If not for performance-enhancing drug scandals, Sosa and Rodriguez would be in as well. Only Dunn and Galarraga aren't Hall of Fame-level players.

While it's a dubious club to enter, Stanton is in some pretty great company.

Entering Wednesday night's action, the 35-year-old is slashing .275/.351/.510, with seven home runs and 20 RBIs in 30 games played. Injuries to both of his elbows have cost Stanton most of this season.

Celtic are currently searching for their next permanent head coach after they were rocked by the resignation of Brendan Rodgers last month.

The former Hoops boss decided to move on from Parkhead after a 3-1 defeat to Hearts that left his side eight points adrift of first place in the Scottish Premiership at the time.

As shown in the graphic above, the Northern Irish head coach enjoyed a largely successful second spell with the Glasgow giants, winning four trophies in two full seasons.

Martin O’Neill has been in interim charge of the Hoops since Rodgers moved on from Parkhead, and one manager who has been linked with the permanent role is Lee Carsley.

The latest on Lee Carsley to Celtic

It was recently reported that the Scottish giants are eyeing up the England U21 head coach as a potential replacement for Rodgers in the coming weeks.

Manager Focus

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Celtic are said to be long-term admirers of the Irish tactician, who has won two U21 European Championship titles, and that he is one of the names under contention for the job.

However, it was also claimed that Carsley is not one of the frontrunners for the vacant position at this moment in time, which does not suggest that he is likely to arrive in Glasgow in the next few days.

The Hoops board, however, should push to bring the England U21 boss to Parkhead because he could unearth the club’s own version of Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer.

Celtic have their own Cole Palmer in the making

One of Carsley’s biggest selling points is that he has worked with and developed some of England’s finest talents. Per Transfermarkt, he has coached Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Noni Madueke, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, and Conor Gallagher. Just to name a few.

Palmer delivered five goals and five assists in 17 matches as an attacking midfield player for the head coach at England U21 level, per Transfermarkt, and he has scored 45 goals in 101 games for Chelsea so far.

Celtic could unearth their own version of the England international in Arne Engels, who could take his game to the next level under Carsley, who was hailed as “refreshing” by midfielder Declan Rice

The England U21 manager typically plays a 4-2-3-1 system, per Transfermarkt, rather than a 4-3-3, which would allow the Belgium international to push on and play as a number ten, providing him with more opportunities to showcase his quality in the final third.

Engels, with ten goals and 13 assists in 52 matches, showed glimpses of his attacking quality in the 2024/25 campaign for Celtic, but he has yet to find the back of the net in the current campaign.

As you can see in the table above, the former Augsburg central midfielder excelled among his positional peers as an attacking force in the Scottish Premiership last season.

These statistics suggest that Engels can provide a regular threat at the top end of the pitch as an outstanding contributor, just as Palmer has for Chelsea, with 45 goals and 29 assists in 101 matches, per Transfermarkt.

Engels, who assisted the winning goal against Sturm Graz in the clip above, has the potential to thrive as a natural number ten in Carsley’s 4-2-3-1 set-up.

He is also a young player, aged 22, who has time ahead of him to develop and improve, which is the profile of player that the manager has been used to working with throughout his time with England’s U21s.

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2

By
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Nov 1, 2025

Therefore, appointing Carsley, who has shown that he can win trophies with England’s youth team, could help them to turn Engels into their own version of Cole Palmer in the number ten position, because of his attacking potential.

Liverpool have not been very good this season. Viewed through the prism of extensive summer spending – more, in fact, than any other club in a single summer transfer window – some of the criticism concerning Arne Slot’s side has been justified.

But some of it has been blown out of proportion. The Reds are a team in transition, and while six defeats from seven matches in all competitions were inexcusable, the response to put Aston Villa and then Real Madrid away in the space of four days underscores the quality rippling through this team.

One of the Premier League champions’ biggest problems this year has been a lack of physicality and control in the engine room. And so, against Los Blancos on Tuesday evening, Slot reverted to type.

How Liverpool won the midfield battle vs Real Madrid

In short, Liverpool played like they wanted it more. Gone was the lethargy and limpness of recent months, and Slot grinned as he watched his outfit rekindle that irresistible quality of last year.

Real Madrid might have won 55% of the duels on the evening, but Liverpool’s midfielders were economical in their performances, far more reliable and robust than we have been forced to watch for much of the campaign.

Dominik Szoboszlai was as brilliant as ever in the ten role, unplayable at times and unquestionably in the form of his Liverpool career. Moreover, Ryan Gravenberch instilled calm in an assured showing as the anchor. It is no coincidence that Liverpool’s return to form comes after last season’s midfield have been moulded back together.

After all, it was Alexis Mac Allister who bagged himself a goal after Szoboszlai’s whipped delivery, showcasing the direct danger this midfield can pose against opponents, marrying that with slick passing and crisp defending.

A header from a midfielder against a Spanish giant on a big European night. It was reminiscent of Gini Wijnaldum against Barcelona.

However, there was another man on the field to show Slot that he could be his version of the iconic Dutchman, with a statement showing in a red shirt.

Slot's own Gini Wijnaldum

Liverpool were deserving victors against Real Madrid on Tuesday, and Wirtz played a crucial part in claiming three points, hailed post-match by Szoboszlai, who said, “What a game! He just kept on running.”

Wirtz has flattered to deceive since joining Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen for £116m this summer, but he looks to be turning a corner, settling into the rigours of football in Slot’s Anfield side.

Despite still searching for that elusive first goal in a Liverpool shirt, the German international oozed class of a different kind against Xabi Alonso’s side, and marrying that with a remarkable physical shift, he has set the foundation for an upswing in performances over the next months.

Florian Wirtz

88′

11.37km

Dominik Szoboszlai

90′

10.61km

Aurelien Tchouameni

90′

10.51km

Jude Bellingham

90′

10.50km

Hugo Ekitike

79′

9.87km

Hailed as being “something special” by writer Eddie Gibbs, the 22-year-old glittered against the most dominant and destructive European side around, and it’s curious that he has shuffled into a wider berth than the number ten role assigned to him for much of the season so far.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger offered an interesting take on the situation. The 76-year-old suggested that the inculcation of Wirtz into the midfield had been to the detriment of Liverpool’s overall fluency.

But, shaped into a more unnatural role on the left, Wirtz’s energy and incredible work ethic played into Liverpool’s victory.

In this way, he could become Slot’s own version of Wijnaldum, who would not have envisaged a permanent remould into an industrious, box-to-box midfielder at the heart of Jurgen Klopp’s team when joining the Reds from Newcastle United in 2016.

And yet Wijnaldum became one of the staples of Liverpool’s incredible successes, featuring 237 times for the club but only posting 22 goals and 16 assists across all competitions.

Wirtz will still hope to provide a prolific dimension at Liverpool over the years of his stay, but it might be that his adaptation to this new land requires something of a shift akin to Wijnaldum’s way back when.

And with such indefatigable performances as the one earlier this week, it’s surely only a matter of time until he announces himself as a superstar.

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ByKelan Sarson Nov 5, 2025

Stirling, Carmichael made fifties before Ireland lost seven wickets in two sessions

Mohammad Isam11-Nov-2025Bangladesh’s spinners wrested back control from Ireland at stumps on the first day of the Sylhet Test. The visitors lost their way after a strong first session, ending the day on 270 for 8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three wickets while Hasan Murad, the debutant left-arm spinner, picked up two wickets.Ireland started losing their way in the middle session as they went from 96 for 1 to 184 for 4. Four more fell in the last session as they ended the first day in a disappointing note. Paul Stirling and debutant Cade Carmichael had given Ireland a bright start with a 96-run second-wicket stand. Stirling, opening for the second time in his career, made 60, with a dominant display through square on the off-side. He struck seven of his nine boundaries through that region.The 22-year-old Carmichael was composed in his first day of Test cricket, batting confidently in his 59. Stirling and Carmichael struck fifties while Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker got out in the forties. Towards the end of the day, the 19-year-old debutant Jordan Neill impressed with his drives in his unbeaten 30.Bangladesh had to wait for about half an hour in the last session to get their first breakthrough. But once they had removed Campher, who struck six boundaries including two sixes in his 94-ball 44, Bangladesh made more headways into the Ireland innings.Campher, who was caught at slip, was Murad’s first Test wicket. It was followed by the wicket of Tucker, who was beaten by Murad’s flight and stumped for 41 off 80 balls. Tucker was looking good and hit three fours and two sixes, but he got sucked into an aggressive false shot by Murad. Mehidy got the big wicket of Andy McBrine, also stumped, for five.Ireland however fought back with the eighth wicket stand between Neill and Barry McCarthy, who added 48 runs till the end of the day. Neill made 30 with three fours and a six before falling on the last ball of the day.Bangladesh could have had a much better start to the day, had they held on to three chances in successive overs in the morning. Stirling was dropped twice, at slip and gully, while Taijul Islam spilled Carmichael’s chance at short square-leg. All of this happened betwen overs 4 and 7.Already a wicket down and with Bangladesh creating regular chances, Stirling and Carmichael rode out the difficult period. They found regular boundaries, particularly Stirling cracking numerous hits through backward point. Carmichael was circumspect during the first session, hitting three boundaries.Ireland started losing their way in the middle session. Nahid Rana removed the well-set Stirling in the first over after lunch, getting caught at second slip. Mehidy Hasan Miraz trapped Harry Tector lbw for one in the next over, before Carmichael reached his fifty off 110 balls. Miraz however removed him for 59. Najmul Hossain Shanto then dropped Lorcan Tucker on 11 late in the second session.

Newcastle United made their biggest sale in the club’s history over the summer, in perhaps the biggest Premier League transfer saga of all time.

Liverpool signed Alexander Isak from the North Eastern side for a fee of £125m, which was a British record deal.

Controversy aside, that move represented the change Newcastle have undergone over the past few seasons, since their takeover.

The Magpies more than doubled their money on the Swedish striker, having paid £60m for him. The fact that they can sign expensive talent and flip them for profit shows the positive financial state of the club.

In fact, there are a couple of other Newcastle players who could be future £100m stars, including – but not exclusive to – Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes.

Why Tonali & Guimaraes already are £100m stars

There is no doubt that Tonali and Guimaraes form one of the Premier League’s best midfield pivots. The Brazilian said it himself earlier this year, describing his partnership with the former AC Milan star as “one of the best midfields in the league.”

Newcastle’s number 39, Guimaraes, has already been valued at £100m by the club, and has previously had a release clause of that value.

Given his importance to the club, it’s easy to see why. The Brazil star has 21 appearances across all competitions and has ten goal involvements this term.

As for Tonali, the Italian is of equal importance to Eddie Howe’s midfield. He’s played 20 times this season, sitting at the base of their midfield and controlling the game, with Guimaraes operating just ahead of him.

Whilst there has never been an official report valuing the midfielder at £100m, it is clear he is a player worth that much.

Paul Scholes even said he is “better than Declan Rice,” with Arsenal paying £105m for the England star back in 2023. It is safe to assume Tonali can hit those heights.

However, it is not just Newcastle’s dynamic pivot who are future £100m stars at St James’ Park.

Newcastle’s latest future £100m player

Newcastle fans certainly adore the midfield, which Guimares says is among the Premier League’s elite. Tonali was lauded by one notable supporter earlier in the season as the “best” player he’s ever seen play for the Magpies.

It isn’t just Tonali, though, whom he heaped praise on. The content creator said Malick Thiaw is “a very strong contender for the best defender” he’s seen pull on that famous Black and White shirt.

Indeed, the German could easily earn a £100m price tag one day. His performances have been exceptional, as already alluded to, with scout Antonio Mango suggesting he was “one of the best signings of the summer.”

It is another example of a great investment from the Magpies, with Thiaw costing only £34.6m.

He’s cemented himself as Howe’s first-choice centre-back, playing 19 times in all competitions this term and even offering a threat from set pieces. Thiaw bagged twice against Everton in a 4-1 win last month.

Indeed, his stats reflect just how good a centre-back he is.

The 24-year-old averages 4.53 progressive passes and 3.81 aerial duels won per 90 minutes, ranking him in the top 17% and 15% of Premier League centre-backs, respectively.

There is perhaps a case to be made that Thiaw is just as important to Howe’s side this term as Tonali and Guimaraes. He’s certainly played a similar number of games, completing 90 minutes in the Premier League ten times in a row now.

If the midfield duo are worth £100m, it is easy to see how that can be the case for Thiaw in the future.

He has all the attributes to go to the very top, and is highly rated by Newcastle fans and How alike. The German has been exceptional this season and will be hoping this form continues.

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