Precocious 42-ball century breaks London’s spirit to book place in Sunday’s final at Lord’s

Valkerie Baynes30-Aug-2025Northern Superchargers 214 for 5 (Perrin 101, Litchfield 35, Carey 31*) beat London Spirit 172 for 9 (Redmayne 50*, Knott 40, Ballinger 3-22, Sutherland 3-40) by 42 runsJust one delivery stood between 18-year-old Davina Perrin and a personal piece of history, but that became a mere detail when her astonishing 42-ball century powered Northern Superchargers to a record total and into Sunday’s Hundred final against Southern Brave at Lord’s.Perrin fell just short of Harry Brook’s 41-ball record for the fastest century in the competition, but her precocious efforts were more than enough to settle Saturday’s Eliminator against London Spirit at The Kia Oval, as Superchargers won by a thumping 42 runs.”One ball? Damn,” was Perrin’s response to Sky Sports immediately after the Superchargers’ innings ended on 214 for 5, the highest total of the women’s Hundred competition to date. “I’d better hit the gym so I can send those sixes a bit further.”But this was not a moment to dwell what her remarkable innings was not. This is what the women’s Hundred is about, unearthing a star of the future in a show that had first-time viewers and loyal fans transfixed.Perrin usurped the only other century in the history of the women’s competition, scored by Tammy Beaumont off 52 balls in 2023. Ending on 101 off 43, Perrin propelled Superchargers well beyond the previous team best of 181 for 3, set up for Welsh Fire by that Beaumont ton. And Perrin played the leading hand in knocking defending champions London Spirit out of the tournament.Perrin was part of the Birmingham Phoenix squads in 2022 and 2023 without playing a game, before moving to Superchargers last season, scoring 33 runs across four matches. Her previous innings of note this year had been an unbeaten 72 in her second match of the campaign as Superchargers defeated Trent Rockets by eight wickets in Nottingham.Her latest knock was impeccable. Perrin reached fifty off just 25 balls, including three sixes, over deep square leg, over long-off and then long-on all in the space of 13 deliveries.Perrin dominated a 105-run opening stand•ECB/Getty Images

She clubbed Eva Gray for a second six in one set of five – Perrin’s fourth of five in all – brilliantly over long-on again to leave Spirit in no doubt that hers was the wicket they needed. But she looked unstoppable when she cleared the boundary once more with an 82-metre slog over deep midwicket off Charli Knott.When Alice Davidson-Richards was run out attempting a second run, it ended a 49-ball opening stand worth 105.With the fastest century in the competition in sight, Perrin pulled Sarah Glenn to deep midwicket, the ball landing millimetres short of hitting the boundary cushion on the full, and she followed up immediately with another four cut expertly through backward point.Phoebe Litchfield chimed in with six, four, four off Dean as she built a handy 35 in 19 balls.While extra cover denied Perrin a run off the 41st ball she faced, that did nothing to dampen her celebrations off Gray’s next ball, as a superb late cut for four brought up her century.And she couldn’t remove the smile from her face as she strode off the field amid warm handshakes from her opponents and a standing ovation from the crowd when she was run out off a deflection from bowler Knott, after Annabel Sutherland had driven hard back down the pitch.”It felt pretty brilliant,” Perrin said. “It’s not every day you get to find yourself in that state of flow and in the zone. I’m not thinking a lot when I’m in a state of mind like that. I’m typically looking at taking every ball as it comes.”There was a time when the keeper turned to me and went, ‘Have you thought about your hundred yet?’ and I was like, ‘What, as in the competition?’ Then I was like, ‘Oh no, the hundred.’ That was the first time I glanced up at my score and I thought, ‘Ooh, this is going alright actually.'”Perrin’s innings took her into fourth place on this year’s run-scorers’ list with 243, behind only former Australia captain Meg Lanning, current Australia regular Litchfield, and England skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt.Grace Harris, now sixth on that list after an explosive start to the tournament, had a day to forget. Her only set of five, the last of Superchargers’ innings, went for 22 runs as Nicola Carey powered her way to an unbeaten 31 off just 12 balls.Harris was then bowled for a second-ball duck as Grace Ballinger put an early dent in Spirit’s response with the first of her 3 for 22 in 20 balls. Ballinger followed with the wicket of Dani Gibson, bookending Kate Cross’s dismissal of Kira Chathli as Spirit slumped to 12 for 3 after 12 deliveries.Knott offered a fighting 40 off just 16, which included a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket with Cordelia Griffith, who was caught by Davidson-Richards to give Sutherland the first of her three wickets, and Georgia Redmayne raised an unbeaten 50 off 29. But Perrin had long since broken London’s spirit.

Celtic’s annual general meeting collapsed into acrimony on Friday as open conflict between supporters and board members forced proceedings to be abandoned. Interim manager Martin O’Neill, who was warmly applauded upon his introduction, later described the morning as "one of the saddest" he had witnessed in his long association with the club.

• A bitter AGM ends early amid chants and accusations

  The meeting, held at Celtic Park, descended almost immediately into hostility. Within minutes, chants of “sack the board” echoed around the room, prompting a temporary adjournment less than five minutes after it began. Attempts to resume were short-lived. Shareholders erupted again when director Ross Desmond, son of the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, read a statement accusing a section of the fanbase of "bullying" behaviour. The atmosphere deteriorated further, and the AGM was brought to an early close.

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  O'Neill speaks of a "sad morning"

  Speaking afterwards, O’Neill cut an emotional figure as he reflected on a morning filled with tension and division.

  The 73-year-old said: "I thought it was a really sad, sad morning, really sad morning. I just wonder what the great Jock Stein would have thought of it all, who preached unity at the football club, said that a club not united would never be successful. It's as sad a morning as I've seen."

  O’Neill, who has attended several AGMs during more successful periods, noted the stark contrast.

  "I mean I've been to a few of these AGMs before and I suppose because we've been doing well at the time that it was nice," he said. "Not even sure I was ever asked a question in them at the time. But that was rather raucous."

  The board acknowledged mistakes, particularly regarding the summer transfer window and failure to qualify for the Champions League, but the apology did little to soothe tempers.

  "There were people who would have wanted to ask questions and the board have said that they've made mistakes," he said. "There's only so many times that you can apologise and then you have to get on with things again. So we'll start again and hopefully that will start when the new manager comes in. A united Celtic will be far better equipped to compete and try and win again."

• Supporters demand change as board relations hit new low

  Desmond’s statement branding some supporters "bullies" appears to have worsened tensions, with many fans calling it “provocative” and "tone-deaf". The relationship between the board and the fanbase is now at its most strained since O’Neill’s first arrival more than 20 years ago. But the interim manager believes bridges can be rebuilt.

  "It shouldn't be impossible, really it should not be impossible," he said. "There's got to be a coming together again from this. There's an obvious disconnect at this minute, but that surely can be rectified. You asked me a question, would my interim period fuse things together? I don't think that was ever going to happen.

  "But you've got to now realise that that has happened, mistakes have been made, and they can be rectified and hopefully rectified quickly. If I'd got an opportunity, I would probably be saying what I'm saying here, so I wish now I had said a few words. Listen, my words don't go down all that well in my own household, so I don't think it would really make much difference."

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  A club at crossroads

  Celtic’s AGM meltdown laid bare the fractures within the club. Anger aimed toward the board, accusations of bullying from senior figures, and rising frustration from supporters have created one of the most fraught atmospheres in recent memory. Speculation about Brendan Rodgers’ permanent successor intensified after reports suggested the club was closing in on Columbus Crew manager Wilfried Nancy, leading bookmakers to suspend betting. But on Tuesday, the club clarified that O’Neill and Maloney will remain in charge for the foreseeable future. The pair will lead the first team into Saturday’s Premiership clash with St Mirren. O’Neill’s return has sparked nostalgia among supporters who remember his first spell fondly. Between 2000 and 2005, he guided Celtic to seven major trophies and the 2003 UEFA Cup final, where they fell 3–2 to Jose Mourinho’s Porto after extra time.

Tottenham Hotspur’s activity in the transfer market over the summer was largely successful, with numerous of their additions already making a huge impact in the Premier League.

Mohammed Kudus was the most expensive addition during the recent window, joining the Lilywhites in a £55m transfer from London rivals West Ham United.

The Ghanaian has already adhered himself to the supporters, with his tally of one goal and four assists the highest tally of any player in Thomas Frank’s first-team squad.

However, not all of their big-money additions have hit the ground running in North London, with Xavi Simons only able to register a single league assist after his £52m switch from RB Leipzig.

At just 22, he will have bags of time to adapt to life in England’s top-flight, but the same can’t be said for another first-team member who will likely be on borrowed time in the near future.

The total cost of Spurs’ deal to land Richarlison

Back in the summer of 2022, Spurs paid a reported £60m for the signature of striker Richarlison, with the Brazilian moving to North London from fellow Premier League side Everton.

Many supporters were excited upon his arrival, no doubt due to the size of the fee, but it’s safe to say the 28-year-old’s spell at the club has been nothing be plain sailing.

During his three years with the Lilywhites, he’s racked up a total of 108 appearances across all competitions, but has only scored a total of 24 goals in such a period.

However, he’s also taken home a small fortune in wages, with his £90k-per-week wages seeing him earn a total of £18.72m in wages alone since his transfer.

When combining his transfer fee with his wages, Richarlison has cost the hierarchy a total of £78.72m – a simply staggering amount of money given his lack of impact.

Given his tally of 24 goals, he’s cost around £3.28m per effort – further highlighting how much money the board have wasted on his signature over the last few seasons.

The player who could end Richarlison’s Spurs career

The numbers behind Richarlison’s deal at Spurs are nothing short of mind-boggling, but his underlying stats from the current campaign further indicate his lack of positive impact.

The Brazilian has only scored four times in the Premier League to date, but he has missed six big chances in the process, which has no doubt hindered his ability to provide the goods.

He’s also registered the least amount of touches of any player on the pitch in four of his 11 league appearances, often being unable to make a real impact on proceedings.

When in possession, the 28-year-old has struggled to find a teammate, only completing 63% of his passes – a tally which ranks him in the bottom 12% of all players in the division.

His lack of quality, coupled with his staggering cost, should see the club look to move him on in the near future, with Frank desperately needing to drop him from his starting eleven.

However, that may be a tricky task given the recent injuries to Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani, but the Dane does have an excellent option in the form of Mathys Tel.

The Frenchman originally joined on a season-long loan from Bayern Munich last campaign, but he made such a move permanent in the summer – costing a fee in the region of £27m.

However, he’s found minutes hard to come by under Frank, with the 20-year-old only starting three matches out of a possible 11 in England’s top-flight to date.

Tel, who’s been labelled “one of the best finishers in Europe” by Ben Mattinson, has managed to impress despite his limited minutes, as seen by his tally of two goals.

Such a tally is all the more impressive when delving into his minute per goal ratio, with his 124-minute goalscoring record the best in the current squad in North London.

The youngster has also caught the eye with his dribble success, often taking the ball past the opposition and handing the side a more nimble and off-the-shoulder type of centre-forward.

Despite his small frame, Tel has managed to make a nuisance of numerous backlines, even impressing out of possession and winning the ball back 1.1 times per 90 in the final third – which places him in the 95th percentile.

There’s no disputing that Tel is still a young and raw talent, but he’s already demonstrated glimpses of his quality, which should see Frank hand the Frenchman a consistent run of starts.

As for Richarlison, he could find himself on the fringes in the coming months, with the hierarchy needing to cash in as soon as possible to avoid losing a small fortune on their investment.

Forget Simons: Spurs have an academy sensation who could be Dele 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur already have a sensation who could replace Xavi Simons in North London.

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Ethan Lamb

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The win helped Amazon Warriors get their campaign back on track after two losses in a row

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2025

Barbados Royals continued their winless run in CPL 2025, sliding to their fourth defeat in five games thanks to Shai Hope and Dwaine Pretorius in the main, as Guyana Amazon Warriors bounced back from successive losses to register their third win in five games in a rain-hit contest in Bridgetown.Asked to bat at home, Royals didn’t have a great start, losing Quinton de Kock in the fourth over and Kadeem Alleyne in the seventh, but Brandon King ensured they had a decent powerplay on the whole, reaching 43. But he was gone by the eighth over for a 27-ball 39, and then it was over to Rassie van der Dussen to keep things on course with Eathan Bosch and Sherfane Rutherford following King back to the dugout quickly.Royals needed a partnership, and got it from van der Dussen and captain Rovman Powell.

Manchester United are being put through their paces as Ruben Amorim implements an unforgiving training programme designed to rebuild standards. Despite having no European fixtures this season, Amorim has refused to scale back demands. Instead, he has kept his squad active six days a week, allowing only Mondays as their guaranteed break.

Amorim’s six-day work week reflects ruthless standards

According to , the Portuguese coach has granted his players a two-day rest on just one occasion since taking charge. The message is unmistakable, as last season’s struggles will not be repeated, and the road back to the elite level begins on the training ground. United’s absence from midweek European action offers an unusual luxury, but Amorim has opted for the opposite approach. With rivals Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Aston Villa balancing Premier League football with continental commitments, United find themselves uniquely placed to train with consistency, and Amorim intends to use that advantage to lay the foundations for a return to European competition next season.

AdvertisementGOALA demanding weekly schedule meant to instill identity

Amorim’s typical week at Carrington is structured with meticulous precision. Monday is a day off, followed by a high-intensity session on Tuesday. Wednesday sees more than two hours of physical and tactical work with a recovery-based session on Thursday. A shorter session focused on match tactics is held on Friday, followed by the matchday and recovery on Sundays. Unlike many modern coaches who rely heavily on video sessions, Amorim blends analysis with physical walkthroughs. The former midfielder believes players learn more effectively by doing, and not watching.

He said: "I was a football player. Videos more than 12 minutes? Forget! Because they lose concentration. Instead of video, we do it like walking and jogging – it’s a way to do it. Showing some video."

Missing out on Europe 'a blessing in disguise'

United’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, sealed by their defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final last season, was widely viewed as a major setback. But Amorim insists the squad simply wasn’t ready for Europe, and that the break will prove beneficial.

"I think we were not prepared to play Europe," he said earlier this season. "That is my feeling; to have strong games in the Champions League and to play Premier League we need time to develop as a team."

Amorim has repeatedly stressed that his first priority is establishing a tactical base the squad can rely on. Only once that bedrock is set, he argues, can United truly handle the twin demands of domestic and European football.

"I said last season we need time to prepare for every game," he said. "The games are really competitive and we need to build to our base and then to perform. And then in the future we need to have Europe for everyone to play games."

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AFPEverton clash demands "100 Miles an Hour" Start

Attention now turns back to the Premier League, where United host Everton at Old Trafford this weekend. Fresh from the international break, Amorim wants his squad to shift gears and re-enter the rhythm of club football quickly.

In his pre-match press conference, Amorim said: "I think everybody is fine, is ready to go. Now it’s about changing the mindset. Forget a little bit about the national team, focus on our league understanding that we need to start at the first minute, 100 miles an hour to be ready for the game. We work today already, we analyse the last game to try to close that chapter. Now we’re preparing for the Everton game. It’s going to be a tough game."

United’s recent run of results has reinvigorated the atmosphere around Carrington, with players responding positively to the manager’s intensity and clarity. But Amorim is wary of complacency.

 Amorim added: "Yes, but we need to understand it’s by winning games, so let’s do everything to win games. We know that Old Trafford is going to be in full spirit. They just want us to run, to fight, and then to play good football, so we will try to do that.

"That is the best thing [missing playing at Old Trafford again], because in the recent past it was hard to play at home. But nowadays you miss playing at home, that is a feeling we should have in our club. I’m really excited to be back playing at home and the players also. We need to continue winning at home."

Amorim’s regime is shaping a new Manchester United, which is disciplined and demanding. The six-day work weeks, the physical walkthroughs, and the insistence on tactical cohesion all signal a manager determined to drag United back to the highest level.

Projections said the league would have many more matches per season but we’re still at 74 and that doesn’t look likely to change soon

Matt Roller23-Apr-2025Something almost unheard of happened in the world of sports broadcasting recently. The number of IPL games a season, stipulated to increase to 84 in 2025, according to the IPL’s lucrative media-rights contract of 2022, remained at 74 for the fourth successive year.The decision defied a global trend of incessant growth in sports leagues and events: football’s World Cup and Champions League have both swelled in recent years, while the Club World Cup is growing from seven matches to 63. But in the IPL, even an incremental expansion has been treated with caution, to the point of being deferred.This has been true across the league’s 18-year history. The IPL has become a commercial behemoth since its launch in 2008, but its season has only grown from 59 matches between eight teams to 74 between ten. In fact, the current format is two matches than that used in 2012 and 2013, soon after the IPL’s first expansion to include additional franchises.Related

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A significant change has been the dramatic decline in the number of double-headers. The past two seasons have seen only 12 games played in the afternoon slot, less than one in six; back in 2011, that proportion was more than one in three. The result is a longer IPL window, with the season now stretching past nine weeks.Players much prefer evening games, as demonstrated by Ishant Sharma’s obvious discomfort after bowling in the 40-degree Ahmedabad heat on Saturday. But the decline in the number of afternoon games owes primarily to the decline in broadcast ratings for games that start at 3.30pm compared to 7.30pm – around 30-40% percent lower for the earlier-starting matches.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said the move was planned in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government

Shashank Kishore14-Sep-2025No handshakes were exchanged before or after India’s seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup on Sunday as tensions between the two countries spilled out onto the field in Dubai.Suryakumar Yadav, the winning captain, said India had decided before the match – in alignment with the BCCI and the Indian government – that they would not shake hands with the opposition, a move that left Pakistan visibly disapppointed. Mike Hesson, the Pakistan coach, said the team had been waiting after the game to shake hands only to discover India were snubbing them.Related

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Asia Cup: India-Pakistan set to go ahead after Indian government clarifies stance

That led to their captain Salman Agha not appearing for the post-match TV interview, as is a broadcast norm. Pakistan’s displeasure over these events has extended as far as match referee Andy Pycroft.Hours after the match ended, the PCB said in a statement that Pakistan’s team manager had registered a “formal protest” against him, because he had “requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss”.This was the first meeting between the two sides since India and Pakistan exchanged cross-border hostilities following the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and uncertainty had surrounded the match in the intervening months, with several calls for India to boycott it.Clarity only emerged when the Indian government came out with its official policy for sporting engagements with Pakistan, greenlighting meetings in multilateral events while refusing to engage in bilateral contests. All that remained to be seen was how the match would play out against this backdrop.”Our government and BCCI – we were aligned today,” Suryakumar said at his post-match press conference. “Rest, we took a call [about not shaking hands]. We came here to just play the game. We have given a proper reply.”The match was played against the backdrop of heightened political tensions between India and Pakistan•Associated PressAsked if their refusal to shake hands was against sporting spirit, Suryakumar said: “Few things in life are ahead of sportsman spirit also. I’ve [said] it at the presentation as well, we stand with all the victims of Pahalgam terror attacks, stand with their families, and express our solidarity.”Hesson expressed “disappointment” at India’s stance.”We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, we obviously are disappointed that our opposition didn’t do that,” he said. “We sort of went over there to shake hands and they’d already gone into the changing room.”That was a disappointing way for the match to finish, and a match we were disappointed for the way we played, but we were certainly willing to shake hands.”Hesson said Agha’s absence from the presentation ceremony was a “follow-on effect” of India’s refusal to shake hands. The PCB statement confirmed this, terming India’s actions to be “against sportsmanship”.”Manager Naveed Akram Cheema has registered a formal protest against the match referee’s behaviour,” the PCB statement said. “Match referee requested the captains not to shake hands during the toss.”Pycroft’s response to Pakistan’s statement is awaited.

Mark Goldbridge has commented on how Arsenal look when managing the absence of a key part of their attacking line.

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Brian Brobbey scored a last-gasp equaliser as high-flying Sunderland held Premier League leaders Arsenal to a 2-2 draw at the Stadium of Light.

A stop-start first-half suddenly sparked into life when former Arsenal academy product Dan Ballard sent the hosts ahead with a thumping finish, ending the Gunners’ run of eight consecutive clean sheets in all competitions.

Bukayo Saka levelled with a low effort after the break and, with Arsenal having controlled most of the game for the second half, Leandro Trossard sent the visitors ahead with a stunning effort from outside the area.

Late drama followed as Brobbey stabbed home from Ballard’s header to earn a point for the hosts against the division’s top side.

Roefs then denied Calafiori at the death, with Ballard blocking Merino’s follow-up after the save, as the Black Cats held on for the point.

During the game, a comment was made about the Gunners going forward when they are without one of their summer additions.

Gyokeres "massively" missed by Gunners

Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Goldbridge noted how much Arsenal were missing Gyokeres, who picked up an injury in their game against Burnley. The content creator said:

Signing in the 2025 summer transfer window, much has been said about Gyokeres since he arrived at Arsenal, having been signed to solve their striker problems. The Swede has not yet found a consistent string of goalscoring form, but has had a positive impact on the team in other ways.

Against Sunderland, Mikel Merino picked up an assist for Saka’s opener, having been deployed as a makeshift striker. Otherwise, however, the Spaniard, who is a natural midfielder, struggled to have much of an impact, with Arsenal facing initial struggles in breaking the Black Cats down.

Unflinching at their status as a newly-promoted team, Sunderland’s stoppage-time equaliser against the Gunners ensured a point that, based on their display, was certainly deserved. Arsenal can only hope that it does not go onto hamper their Premier League title hopes.

It is apparent, however, that the club lack a certain fluidity in attack when Gyokeres is absent from the first team, which was a contributing factor in them failing to come away from the North East with three points.

Arsenal have best finisher since van Persie for Arteta