Ben Stokes has been lured out of his ODI retirement ahead of the World Cup while uncapped paceman Gus Atkinson has emerged as a bolter for England’s defence of their crown in India.
Stokes called time on his 50-over career 13 months ago due to a demanding workload and concerns abound about a chronic left knee problem that meant he did not bowl whatsoever in the last three Ashes Tests.
However, the Test captain could have a specialist batting role after answering a plea from white-ball counterpart Jos Buttler to make himself available for England’s bid to retain their World Cup title.
England take on New Zealand in four tune-up ODIs next month and Stokes has been included in a 15-strong squad that is likely to strongly resemble the touring party for the World Cup in October and November.
England men’s national selector Luke Wright said: “Any series against New Zealand is closely fought and will provide us with an ideal opportunity to test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world.
“The return of Ben Stokes only adds to that quality with his match-winning ability and leadership. I am certain that every fan will enjoy seeing him back in an England ODI shirt again.”
Dawid Malan – who made ODI tons in Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh over the winter – keeps his spot ahead of Harry Brook, with the Yorkshireman seemingly the batter to make way for Stokes’ return.
While the return of a player who made crucial knocks in both the 2019 World Cup final and last year’s T20 equivalent was widely-anticipated, England have thrown a curve ball in selecting Surrey’s Atkinson.
The 25-year-old started the domestic season outside Surrey’s XI but he has impressed in all formats in recent months, especially in The Hundred where he was clocked bowling at 95mph for Oval Invincibles.
With Jofra Archer unlikely to be fit for the start of the World Cup as he recovers from his latest elbow injury, England have a chance to put their new express quick through his pace against the Kiwis.
White-ball head coach Matthew Mott intimated in the Mail on Sunday England may risk taking their 2019 super over hero to India if there is a chance he could feature in the latter stages of the World Cup.
But Archer is unavailable to face the Black Caps in a series that starts on September 8 in Cardiff, where Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow are poised for their first ODI appearances in more than a year.
Root, who has featured in just 15 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup final, missed England’s winter programme in the format due to his Test duties while Bairstow was absent because of a badly broken leg.
Big-hitting all-rounder Liam Livingstone and left-arm seamer David Willey also return to the set-up after missing England’s most recent ODI series against Bangladesh in March.
A separate squad to take on Ireland at the back end of September will be named at a later date, with England due to announce a provisional World Cup group by September 5, which they must finalise by September 28. England’s final squad will contain 15 players plus three travelling reserves.
England’s white-ball programme this summer starts with a four-match T20 series against New Zealand from August 30 to September 5, with Brook having the consolation of being named in that 15-man group.
Hampshire seamer John Turner has earned his first senior call-up while Atkinson could make his England debut in the series, with Josh Tongue, who has caught the eye in the Test side, set for his maiden experience of England’s limited-overs set-up.
Stokes is not a part of this squad where fringe contenders Rehan Ahmed and fellow all-rounder Will Jacks, plus left-arm seamer Luke Wood have been selected.
England ODI squad to face New Zealand from September 8-15: J Buttler (captain), M Ali, G Atkinson, J Bairstow, S Curran, L Livingstone, D Malan, A Rashid, J Root, J Roy, B Stokes, R Topley, D Willey, M Wood, C Woakes.
England T20 squad to face New Zealand from August 30-September 5: J Buttler (captain), R Ahmed, M Ali, G Atkinson, J Bairstow, H Brook, S Curran, B Duckett, W Jacks, L Livingstone, D Malan, A Rashid, J Tongue, J Turner, L Wood.
Even for Luca Cumani it is hard to believe 20 years have passed since the fabulous Falbrav landed the Juddmonte International during a solitary but sensational season on British soil.
Described by his trainer as “the Muhammad Ali of the racing world”, Falbrav had already proven himself a top-class performer by the time he joined the Bedford House maestro, having won two Group Ones in Italy and the Japan Cup under Frankie Dettori the previous year.
That international success at Nakayama proved to be his last for Cumani’s fellow Italian Luciano d’Auria as Falbrav moved to Newmarket for what proved to be his final campaign.
“It doesn’t feel like 20 years ago at all, it feels more like five or six years,” said Cumani.
“The owner had raced him for three years in Italy and he thought it was time to see what he could do on the international circuit.
“I think he came to me in around February of his five-year-old year and we started from there.”
The 74-year-old revealed that while Falbrav’s ability did not immediately shine through, it did not take him long to realise he had something special on his hands.
He added: “It wasn’t immediately obvious how good he was as he was a very laid-back horse who didn’t show you much when he was just cantering, but from the first time he galloped and did a piece of work, you could see that he had instant acceleration and was very powerful.”
Falbrav headed back to the continent to make his first couple of starts for his new trainer, finishing third in the Prix Ganay in April before securing further Group One glory in the Prix d’Ispahan the following month.
He could finish only fifth behind Nayef in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, but turned the tables to win a humdinger of a Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.
Another defeat at Ascot in the King George followed, but Cumani never lost faith.
He said: “His run in the Ganay was a good start – he showed that he belonged, but he needed to improve. And sure enough he improved on his second start when he won the Prix d’Ispahan.
“He won the Eclipse in very good style and the mile and a half and the softer ground didn’t really suit him in the King George, but I remember there was some sort of bonus on offer, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have run him.”
Dropping back in trip on a quick surface at York the following month, hopes were high that Falbrav could again bounce back from disappointment in the Juddmonte International.
Always travelling well in the hands of Darryll Holland, Cumani’s ace kicked in the turbo to propel himself two lengths clear of Magistretti, with his old rival Nayef back in third.
Cumani said: “I was certainly hopeful going to York. In the whole of my career, I’ve never been confident as you never know what might happen in a race. My favourite saying was when it comes to horses and women – never confident, always hopeful!
“It definitely was one of his best performances. He sat behind the pace and when Darryll asked him to quicken with three furlongs to go, he put the race to bed immediately.
“Once Darryll gave him a bit of rein he showed a good burst of speed, got to the lead and held on to the line and won by a couple of lengths.”
Following his success on the Knavesmire, Falbrav was beaten a neck by High Chaparral in the Irish Champion Stakes. Connections attempted to have the result reversed on appeal following interference, but were unsuccessful.
Cumani’s charge gained some compensation in the QEII at Ascot, after which he was again trumped by High Chaparral in a Breeders’ Cup Turf for the ages at Santa Anita, before fittingly rounding off his career with an eighth Group One success in the Hong Kong Cup.
“The Irish Champion Stakes was slightly controversial as I think Mick Kinane rode two horses that day – he was riding High Chaparral and Falbrav!” Cumani recalled.
“He held Falbrav tight in a pocket against the rail and Darryll could never really get down to ride the horse properly and we were beaten a neck, so he was a bit unlucky.
“It was fantastic, that win in Hong Kong again showed what a good horse he was. He did it very easily and showed his trademark turn of foot with a couple of furlongs to run.”
Falbrav ran in 10 top-level races in the space of eight months for Cumani, winning five.
The trainer feels his overall record of eight Group One wins achieved in five different countries is testament to the horse’s class and constitution.
He said: “He had an amazing year with all the travelling he had to do, going to America and back and Hong Kong after that.
“He was a bull of a horse – I always used to say he was the Muhammad Ali of the racing world.
“He would definitely have to be one of the best horses I trained.”
Stuart McInally’s rugby career is over after the long-serving Edinburgh hooker was one of four players cut from Scotland’s 33-man World Cup squad.
The 33-year-old, who captained the national team at Japan 2019, announced at the end of last season that he would retire after this autumn’s showpiece in France to become an airplane pilot but, after being part of the training squad this summer, he has not made the final selection.
Scrum-half Jamie Dobie, tighthead prop Murphy Walker and back-row Josh Bayliss are the other three players who have been released from the squad.
The omission of the latter trio was not a major surprise given they have only accumulated 10 caps between them so far.
McInally won his 49th and final cap in last Saturday’s 30-27 defeat by France in Saint-Etienne.
First-choice number nine Ben White is in the squad, indicating that he has been given the all-clear after seeing a specialist this week about the ankle injury that forced him off against France a week past Saturday.
Fourteen of the 33 players Gregor Townsend has selected were also in his squad for the last World Cup, while four of them – Grant Gilchrist, WP Nel, Richie Gray and Finn Russell – will be going to the tournament for a third time.
Ben Stokes will be reportedly be named in England’s provisional Cricket World Cup squad on Wednesday as he ends his one-day international retirement to feature at this year’s 50-over tournament.
Stokes called time on the longest white-ball format last summer, citing an “unsustainable” schedule following his appointment as captain of the Test team and amid the growing rise of franchise cricket.
England’s talismanic all-rounder continued to play Twenty20s and inspired World Cup success in Australia last November and is now apparently set to perform a U-turn ahead the World Cup in India during October and November.
England selectors will name a squad on Wednesday for September’s ODIs against New Zealand and Ireland, which act as warm-up series for the World Cup in India before the tournament begins in October.
A provisional 18-man squad for the World Cup will also be confirmed on Wednesday, with Stokes expected to be included in a huge boost to white-ball captain Jos Buttler.
When Stokes walked away from ODIs last July, it was viewed with the long-term in mind and to give him the best possible chance to lead the red-ball team for as long as possible.
An unbeaten half-century in November helped England beat Pakistan to be crowned IT20 world champions in Australia with white-ball head coach Matthew Mott admitting at the time he would try tempt Stokes out of 50-over retirement.
It seemed an unrealistic aim with Stokes managing a long-standing left knee issue to get through all five Ashes Tests this summer, but honest enough to admit “serious conversations” were required over a potential operation.
With England not due to play red-ball cricket now until January, Stokes was predicted to go under the knife during the coming months, but could now reverse his ODI retirement.
It was Buttler and Stokes who played a central role in England becoming world champions on home turf four years ago, with Stokes’ 84 not out inspiring a tied match with New Zealand in the final at Lord’s that forced a Super Over.
Further hitting from Stokes would help England set the Black Caps 16 for victory and Buttler’s run-out sealed a maiden 50-over victory for the nation.
He concluded his ODI career with 105 matches, 2,924 runs and 74 wickets.
The PA news agency has contacted Stokes’ representative and the England and Wales Cricket Board for comment.
Referee-turned-pundit Mike Dean says he will not have any issue in telling former colleague Simon Hooper how badly he got things wrong by not giving Wolves a penalty in their defeat at Manchester United on Monday.
Hooper and VAR officials Michael Salisbury and Richard West have been stood down for this weekend by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) boss Howard Webb after they collectively failed to award Gary O’Neil’s side what looked like a blatant spot-kick in added time of the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.
Dean quit his role as a dedicated VAR and coach of up and coming officials in the summer in order to move into a role as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday.
And the 55-year-old, who made his debut on the show last week, has warned his former colleagues that he “won’t be sitting on the fence” when it comes to discussing controversial decisions.
“I’ve had a chat with a few of the referees and made it clear that if they make a bad decision, I won’t be sitting on the fence or defending the indefensible and they were OK with that,” he told the PA news agency.
“I want to be able to do the job properly and give proper insight.
“Equally, I’ll be happy to highlight good decisions as it will be good to give refs some credit.”
Dean was an on-field referee for 27 years – 22 of those in the Premier League – and was undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in the game, with his antics and exaggerated facial expressions prime content for online memes.
His final year for the PGMOL was spent at Stockley Park as a dedicated VAR and he admits he did not get the same satisfaction.
“For me refereeing was the best job in the world, and I felt lucky to be able to be paid for basically doing my hobby,” he said.
“But after 27 years of refereeing, and 22 in the Premier League, I felt like I had done my time and wanted to start the next chapter of my life.
“It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me. Having to travel down to London to then be stuck in a room, telling on-field referees whether their decisions were right or wrong didn’t give me the same enjoyment.
“I spoke to Howard about this and luckily he supported me in my move away from the role.
“I only ever tried to be the best referee I could be. I don’t shy away from the fact I did the job in a different way to some others, but this just came from my enjoyment of it.
“I loved my career, seeing Premier League football every weekend from the best seat in the house. I got to referee some amazing games like Man City against QPR when they won the league in the last minute, and make some great mates.”
Webb has had a tough induction to the top job at the PGMOL since taking over from Mike Riley in December but has been committed to making his officials accountable for their errors and also improved communication.
Dean insists the former World Cup final official is the “best man for the job”.
He added: “I have no doubt that Howard is the best man for the job, he has a real presence and is respected in the game.
“He’ll be in contact with Premier League managers this year and will have no problems being up front and honest with them – this communication should only help this season.
“Premier League football and decisions in big games will always get attention, and it is the nature of being a referee that you will get criticised when you make mistakes just like players.
“The difference for referees is that you will rarely get called out for refereeing a game well, or making good decisions. That’s why I’m not a fan of the idea of refs being interviewed after games, as they’d only want to be spoken to when they’ve made an error.”
:: Mike Dean has a new role as the face of the Family & Friends Railcard. Research from Railcard.co.uk reveals that fans opting to travel by train to football matches can save over £50 per adult and child just by using the Family & Friends Railcard.
England’s Rachel Daly is one of six World Cup stars who have been shortlisted for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year award.
Forward Daly hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer.
Her form last season has made her a first choice up front at the World Cup for England manager Sarina Wiegman.
The 31-year-old from Harrogate is joined by five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list, including Australia striker Sam Kerr, Norwegian duo Frida Maanum and Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Spain’s Ona Batlle.
Kerr and Reiten were key components of a Chelsea team which secured a sixth WSL title last season, with Kerr scoring the winner as the Blues claimed the domestic double with victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
Reiten’s international team-mate Maanum was a major asset to Arsenal last term.
Her versatility in midfield has made her a vital part of Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners team since her arrival from Linkoping in July 2021.
Full-back Batlle was part of a Manchester United squad which pushed Chelsea close in the league all season and helped the team qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
She returned to Barcelona earlier this summer when her United contract expired.
Shaw was a shining light in what was a disappointing season on the whole for Manchester City, scoring 31 goals in 30 games in all competitions.
Her performances earned her a contract extension through to 2026 earlier this summer.
Rookie Bobby Miller pitched one-hit ball over six innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to their ninth straight win, 6-2 over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Miller allowed his only hit to the first batter he faced and earned his first win since July 22. He struck out four and walked one before Ryan Yarbrough pitched three innings for his first career save.
The Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs in the sixth to knock out starter Adrian Houser.
J.D. Martinez doubled off the wall in left to score Will Smith, who reached on a throwing error by third baseman Andruw Monasterio.
Pinch-hitter Kike Hernandez singled home a pair of runs off reliever Hoby Milner and scored on Miguel Rojas’ single before Mookie Betts’ RBI single made it 6-1.
Los Angeles has outscored opponents 54-21 during the nine-game streak to open a nine-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West.
Carlos Santana homered for NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which had a four-game winning streak snapped but remained 3 ½ games of the Cubs and Reds.
Elder goes 7 as Braves 1-hit sliding Yankees
Bryce Elder was nearly unhittable for seven innings, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna went deep and the Atlanta Braves beat the struggling New York Yankees 5-0.
The Yankees’ only hit of the night was a second-inning DJ LeMahieu single off Elder, who bounced back from losses in his previous two starts to pitch his best game of the year.
A.J. Minter and Kirby Yates pitched an inning each to complete the one-hitter for the MLB-best Braves, who have won seven of their last nine.
Acuna stayed on his MVP-caliber pace by hitting his 26th home run and scoring two runs. He is hitting .368 this month with a 1.040 OPS.
The last-place Yankees continued their slide, falling to 11-18 since the All-Star break and dropping to .500 for the first time since May 1.
Mariners recover to beat Royals
Ty France singled home a pair in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners topped the Kansas City Royals 10-8 after blowing a seven-run lead.
Seattle took an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth but were unable to hold a late lead for the second straight night.
An error and two walks loaded the bases with two outs before Michael Massey delivered a two-run single. Salvador Perez followed with another hit to make it 8-8.
Seattle scored seven runs in the fourth inning off Jordan Lyles, starting with back-to-back home runs by Eugenio Suarez and France before Teoscar Hernandez followed Cal Raleigh’s walk with a longball of his own.
Jose Caballero doubled home a run later in the inning and scored on Josh Rojas’ first home run of the season.
Hernandez tied a career high with five hits and had three RBIs, while France went 4 for 6 with three RBIs.
Kansas City cut the deficit to 7-5 in the fifth, highlighted by Bobby Witt Jr.’s second grand slam in 18 days.
Usain Bolt shattered his own 100 metres world record to win World Championship gold in 9.58 seconds, on this day in 2009.
The triple Olympic champion stormed to victory in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, comfortably beating the mark of 9.69secs set in Beijing the previous year.
Defending champion Tyson Gay set an American record of 9.71 to claim the silver with former world record holder Asafa Powell third in 9.84.
Britain’s Dwain Chambers was sixth in 10.00, a season’s best for the then 31-year-old.
In the semi-finals, Bolt had shrugged off two false starts – the second of which saw Britain’s Tyrone Edgar disqualified – to breeze into the final.
Bolt was guilty of the first false start, which meant any athlete guilty of another would be disqualified.
But after Edgar had committed that second misdemeanour and left the track, Bolt was quickly out of his blocks and almost as quickly began easing down to a brilliant time of 9.89.
That indicated something special was on the cards and the Jamaican superstar duly delivered, powering out of the blocks at the first time of asking in the final and seizing control of the race within 30m.
From there it was only a matter of the time and the large crowd exploded as Bolt streaked across the line to create another piece of sporting history.
England boss Sarina Wiegman believes simply nullifying the threat posed by Australia striker Sam Kerr will not be enough to see the Lionesses through to a first-ever World Cup final.
The European champions take on the Matildas in their semi-final tonight at 11 am BST at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia, where the majority of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts.
Captain Kerr is her country’s leading goal-scorer of either gender, but has not yet started a match in the global showpiece after injuring her calf pre-tournament, making her much-anticipated return as a substitute in Australia’s 2-0 last-16 victory over Denmark.
Though the Chelsea forward is, at least in Australia, the poster-woman for this tournament, Wiegman insisted: “Australia is not just Sam Kerr. Yes, we have a plan [if she starts]. She can play and she can start on the bench, so that’s the situation. Of course she is a threat, she’s a very good player, so a lot of respect [to her].
“But there is more than Sam Kerr, because at the end it is always a team performance. When the team does really well an individual can do even better. That’s the same for Australia and it’s the same for England.
“There is a lot of pressure on her because everyone expects things from her. I think Australia have grown in the tournament too, they had some difficult situations they had to come back from and they did really well. We expect a very strong Australia tomorrow.”
The winner of Wednesday night’s contest will take on Spain for the trophy, after they beat Sweden 2-1 on Tuesday to book their trip to the final.
Kerr’s calf was arguably the most talked-about calf in Australian history when it was announced she would miss the first two matches of the Matildas’ World Cup campaign, and speculation has swirled about her fitness ever since.
The 29-year-old declared she would be available for Australia’s final group stage contest against Canada but remained on the bench, before appearing to a raucous reception for the first time in the 80th minute against Denmark.
She featured more in her side’s quarter-final against France, coming on for Emily van Egmond in the 55th minute and scoring one of the penalties that would see Australia win a 7-6 shootout and advance to the final four for the first time.
England captain Millie Bright, Kerr’s club team-mate at Women’s Super League champions Chelsea, echoed her manager’s assessment, adding: “I think everyone knows [Sam] pretty well. On the worldwide stage, I think she’s made a name for herself.
“It’s pretty hard not to know Sam and her abilities, but like Sarina said there’s other players in the team. I think we’re prepared to play against Australia as a team.”
Those other players have stepped up considerably in their skipper’s absence. Mary Fowler and Hayley Raso – who has netted three times this tournament – are emerging alongside Kerr as new household names Down Under.
It remains to be seen if Kerr will make her first World Cup start against England, or if Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson will once again use her as a talismanic threat off the bench – either way, Wiegman insists England have a plan.
Gustavsson perhaps hinted at the latter in his press conference on the eve of their historic encounter, where one side will become a World Cup finalist for the first time,
The Swedish boss said: “We’ll look at all of this trying to start as strong as possible, but finish even stronger. Meaning, what kind of starting line-up do we want to have, what finishing 11 do we want to have?
“What kind of tools and game-changing do we think we need in a game like this? Type of players, whether it’s speed or aerial presence. There will be some tough decisions to be made because a lot of players deserve to start, but a lot of players also deserve to finish the game and win it for us.”
Ben Stokes will be reportedly be named in England’s provisional Cricket World Cup squad on Wednesday as he ends his one-day international retirement to feature at this year’s 50-over tournament.
Stokes called time on the longest white-ball format last summer, citing an “unsustainable” schedule following his appointment as captain of the Test team and amid the growing rise of franchise cricket.
England’s talismanic all-rounder continued to play Twenty20s and inspired World Cup success in Australia last November and is now apparently set to perform a U-turn ahead the World Cup in India during October and November.
England selectors will name a squad on Wednesday for September’s ODIs against New Zealand and Ireland, which act as warm-up series for the World Cup in India before the tournament begins in October.
A provisional 18-man squad for the World Cup will also be confirmed on Wednesday, with Stokes expected to be included in a huge boost to white-ball captain Jos Buttler.
When Stokes walked away from ODIs last July, it was viewed with the long-term in mind and to give him the best possible chance to lead the red-ball team for as long as possible.
An unbeaten half-century in November helped England beat Pakistan to be crowned IT20 world champions in Australia with white-ball head coach Matthew Mott admitting at the time he would try tempt Stokes out of 50-over retirement.
It seemed an unrealistic aim with Stokes managing a long-standing left knee issue to get through all five Ashes Tests this summer, but honest enough to admit “serious conversations” were required over a potential operation.
With England not due to play red-ball cricket now until January, Stokes was predicted to go under the knife during the coming months, but could now reverse his ODI retirement.
It was Buttler and Stokes who played a central role in England becoming world champions on home turf four years ago, with Stokes’ 84 not out inspiring a tied match with New Zealand in the final at Lord’s that forced a Super Over.
Further hitting from Stokes would help England set the Black Caps 16 for victory and Buttler’s run-out sealed a maiden 50-over victory for the nation.
He concluded his ODI career with 105 matches, 2,924 runs and 74 wickets.
The PA news agency has contacted Stokes’ representative and the England and Wales Cricket Board for comment.
Despite being out of competition for a while, Sean Morris showed no signs of rust, as he outclassed rivals in the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) two-day Independence Golf Classic at the Sandals Golf & Country Club in St. Ann recently.
Morris, who was the only golfer to post an under-par score during the tournament, won by five shots. He shot six over par 77 on the first day but roared back on the second day with a two under par 69 for a total score of four over par 146 in the Men Senior 0-6 section.
"A lot has been happening in my game for the last couple months where I started getting back into the heat of competition. I actually had some new shaft installed in my driver and in my three wood and my irons. This is about the fourth outing since the irons have been fitted, so the win is a significant one in the quest for getting the golf game sharper and more consistent. The game is rounding into shape,” Morris said.
“I went there with a lot of resolve and determination to play the best that I could. My short game was really in good form, and it was the key to the victory. The greens are small at Sandals and require a lot of short game performance, so I am just happy for the win," he added.
The first day leader, Tenny Davis, who shot par 71 then, had a rough second day after scoring 10 over par to end on a combined score of 10 over par 152, which saw him pacing third. Delroy Johnson, who shot 74 and 77, was one stroke ahead on 151 in second place.
On the Ladies side, Diane Hudson posted scores of 90 and 93 for a total score of 41 over par 183 to take the category by two shots, ahead of Judith Slater 185 (93 and 92) and Jennifer Davey 200 (104 and 99). They competed in the 13+ handicap category.
The top three men in the Men Senior 7-12, were Philip Gooden 165 (84 and 81), followed by Raymond Campbell 178 (89 and 89) and Nigel Davey 191 (96 and 95).
In the Men Senior 13-24 handicap category, Mark Samuels 179 (92 and 87) secured a four-stroke win over American Owen McPherson 183 (92 and 87) and Delroy Anderson 199 (99 and 100).
The Men Super Senior 0-12 category was very competitive with two players getting identical scores across both days. Mike Gleichman and Greg Chong both scored 80 and 79 to end on a total score of 159 each. Robert Chin was three strokes behind on 162 (82 and 80) in third place.
Two men teed-off in the Men Super Senior 13-24 category, with Philip de Waal 182 (92 and 90) winning the category by 12 shots ahead of Guyan Arscott 194 (97 and 97).
The master's category saw seven competitors. Dorrel Allen 162 (79 and 83) topped the category by one stroke ahead of Carlyle Hudson 163 (82 and 81), with Philip Wilson 166 (84 and 82) in third.
One junior player in the Boys 14-15 category joined the golfers on the course. He posted scores of 92 and 86 for a total score of 36 over par 178.
Reading manager Ruben Selles praised the “intensity” of his young players as they edged out Cheltenham 1-0 in League One.
Selles included four teenagers and three 20-year-olds in his starting line-up, with 18-year-old Caylan Vickers creating what turned out to be the winner in the 33rd minute.
Vickers’ mazy run from deep ended with a looping deflection from Cheltenham midfielder Will Ferry that arced over keeper Luke Southwood into his own goal.
It was relegated Reading’s first league win in 16 games across two divisions.
“I’m very proud of the performance that the team put together,” Selles said. “We knew that we had to play with all that intensity and that’s why I made the team selection.
“In the first half especially, we were exactly where we wanted to be. The team showed character, togetherness and the way that we do things here.
“We’ve been talking about the young players during the whole pre-season and they have been working fantastically from the very beginning.
“We have been annoyed with the situation with the club, when trying to get new players. So we have to work with those that we already have and they have showed how good they are.
“It doesn’t matter whether you are 18 or you are 32, you do all the proper things and you have first place in this team.
“We had to make a game plan that would show our identity and I think that we did that.
“We decided to go with the team that can bring more intensity to the game and it is the first time that we win [in the league] this season.
“We go home with that feeling and also that happiness.”
Struggling Cheltenham have lost all four league and cup matches this season, without scoring a goal.
Head coach Wade Elliott said: “I thought we were excellent in the second half.
“I didn’t think that there was a lot in it in the first half but some of the breaks that are going against us are tough, like the own goal.
“But in the second half I was really proud of the performance. They players left absolutely everything out there.
“I’ve just told them in the dressing-room that, as tough as it is, you just have to put yourselves back on the line to be knocked down again.
“So we have to get round each other and support each other. We can feel sorry for ourselves or get ready to go again.
“If we keep putting ourselves up there, the breaks will fall the other way for us.
“We’re creating enough opportunities but it’s the last little bit [the finishing] that was missing tonight. I thought everything else was good.”
Carlisle boss Paul Simpson was proud of his side’s second-half performance as they held Wigan to a 1-1 draw at Brunton Park.
The Cumbrians fell behind to former striker Charlie Wyke’s first-half finish for Latics, but Simpson was delighted with the response from his team.
Carlisle equalised through Owen Moxon’s close-range finish.
“I thought we were positive and energetic tonight, but in the first half we struggled against a really good Wigan side,” admitted Simpson.
“Second half we certainly stood up to that challenge. That’s what we need to do every single game.
“We stuck at it. We were more aggressive in the press and more aggressive with our passing in the second half.
“I think in the end we thoroughly deserved the point tonight and it’s important that we can build on that on the weekend.
“Jordan Gibson was creative. The goal comes from him working and chasing. He’s got real ability and if he can put the work in that he has for the first part of this season, for the rest of it, he’s going to be a real handful for other teams.”
Wigan left Cumbria with a point and missed out on the chance to move off the bottom of the League One table.
Boss Shaun Maloney believed if his side kept their first-half level then they would have gone home with all three points.
He reflected: “I think anyone who was here saw the first half was as good a performance that I’ve had since I’ve been here.
“My only criticism is that when you’re that good you’ve got to put teams away.
“In the second half the last 40 minutes or so was a proper game and that’s what happens if you don’t put teams away.
“We made a mistake on the ball and they punished us and that’s football.
“It’s as good as we’ve played and I’m pleased with a lot of today. That first half is as good as it’s been since I’ve been here.
“Charlie Wyke is playing at a very good level at the moment. I’m asking a lot of him with a lot of minutes. He ran himself into the ground for us and the quality he showed is very good.
“My priority is trying to win the game, not give players minutes and I thought the substitutions we made gave us the best chance.”
John Mousinho called on his Portsmouth team to be more ruthless after seeing them beat Exeter 1-0 at Fratton Park.
Colby Bishop’s second-half strike was enough to settle a keenly contested game.
Mousinho said: “I thought we were excellent in the first half. The only thing we didn’t do was put the ball in the back of the net.
“It was a different story in the second half. Exeter made some changes which I thought would leave them a bit exposed in places for the counter-attack.
“If I could criticise anything, it’s that we need to take our chances. We had some good opportunities up to and after the goal.
“We also have to learn to manage the game better. We didn’t do that particularly well in the last 10 minutes.
“We made some rash decisions and although we are a youngish team, I think we’ve got enough experience on the pitch to deal with it.
“Having said that, it was a well-deserved win off the back of a totally different game at the weekend. I’m absolutely thrilled.”
With both sides coming into the game unbeaten, it was Bishop who ended Exeter’s run with the only goal 20 minutes from time.
He rifled home from just inside the box after picking up substitute Jack Sparkes’ pass with his back to goal.
Exeter boss Gary Caldwell said: “We weren’t ourselves in possession tonight. We can play much better but, having said that, in the first half, we were dogged and resilient and defended the box very well.
“We improved in the second half. Most of the chances were from set pieces and I thought those chances were better than our overall performance.
“It’s a newly formed squad, we’re still developing in terms of partnerships, have come to a big stadium for the first time and we have to learn from experience.
“We didn’t make good decisions throughout the game. We kicked long when we could have played out and played out when we should have played long. We’ll analyse it as a group but I want them to be braver, to be a team.
“Their keeper has made some good saves and sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Even when we are not at our best, our set-pieces cause teams problems.”
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