If you ask Head coach Lorne Donaldson about Jamaica’s women’s football legacy, he will tell you that it started from their campaign to the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup in France, when they initially demonstrated utter resilience to accomplish the historic feat.
Then, the Reggae Girlz programme, through the unwavering commitment of women’s football ambassador Cedella Marley, as well as the Bob Marley and Reggae Girlz Foundations, experienced what could only be described as a rebirth from the ashes, after it was discarded and literally forgotten about by the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF).
Since then, the players and coaching staff –much like Marley –adopted the mentality to always focus on the task at hand, despite the financial shortfalls and other proverbial brick walls faced along the way.
So though much has been said about their recent exploits, Donaldson declared that what the world is once again witnessing is the remarkable grit of the Reggae Girlz outfit, as the players are no longer intimidated by obstacles, particularly those that come in the form of competition.
“When we got to that World Cup in 2019, I was the assistant and Hue Menzies, big praises to him, we worked together that squad, but we weren’t planning on going to the World Cup. Cedella Marley was brave in calling us up and having us help out because the football in Jamaica had diminished and we put it together and miraculously we got to the World Cup,” Donaldson shared.
“Now we think we can take it further. So, the legacy started from there, but we still have a long way to go to achieve what countries like Brazil and others have achieved, so for now we are just trying to grow,” he added.
Donaldson’s views follow the Girlz momentous run at the ongoing showpiece being co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, as they are on the cusp of bringing a dream to fruition and, by extension, rewriting their names in the annals of Jamaica’s sporting history.
To do that, the 43rd-ranked Reggae Girlz require only a point off number eight-ranked Brazil in their decisive Group F encounter at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on Wednesday.
Kickoff is 5:00am Jamaica time.
The Girlz, who secured an historic point of top-ranked France in a goalless stalemate, followed that up with their first ever World Cup win by virtue of a 1-0 scoreline over Panama, to currently sit second on four points.
Leaders France are also on four points, but with a slightly better goal difference, which matters little, as they are overwhelmingly favoured to snare all three points off Panama.
Pia Sundhage's Brazil side is third on three points and must beat Donaldson’s side, if they are to progress from the group stage for a seventh-consecutive Women's World Cup.
Though on paper the Brazilians are heavily favoured to achieve their objective, the Reggae Girlz have proven that they are not to be underestimated and they possess the willpower to once again shock the world of women’s football.
And Donaldson agrees that the Jamaicans faith are in their own hands.
"Brazil is a powerhouse and I think we relish the challenge, all along we knew we were coming in as underdogs, even throughout the qualifiers we were underdogs. So, it's nothing new to us, we have to just be ready to come out and try to match them as best as we can,” Donaldson said.
“I said it before that we have grown from the qualification phase in Mexico because we really haven't had a lot of games after that and like I said, the players are resilient, they have worked hard and I know they would want to stay (in Australia) a bit longer, so we are going to come out and give it our best,” he noted.
While Brazil suffered defeat to France, Donaldson is under no illusions that they will approach tomorrow’s game with the same tactics, especially with Reggae Girlz talismanic captain Khadija “Bunny” Shaw set to return from a red card suspension.
Shaw, along with Cheyna Matthews is expected to rejoin Jody Brown up in attack, while Donaldson and his assistants could stick with Drew Spence, Vyan Sampson and Atlanta Primus, in midfield.
At the back, Rebecca Spencer should again be shadowed by Swaby sisters, Allyson and Chantelle, flanked by Deneisha Blackwood on the left, while Tiernny Wiltshire could reclaim her staring spot at right back.
“I'm sure Brazil will make the adjustments from what happened in that France game, obviously we will try to limit some stuff and just use what we think we are capable of doing,” Donaldson shared.
“There are nerves but we just have to go in and enjoy it, we don’t have anything to lose, we just have to go out enjoy ourselves and play. A player like “Bunny” Shaw is going to pose problem for anybody, we are happy to have her back and obviously we can use her in areas that we didn't against Panama and try to be effective, but everybody has to do their job,” he ended.
Ollie Chessum is in contention to win a place in England’s World Cup squad after making a successful early comeback from the ankle surgery that had jeopardised his tournament hopes.
England feared they had lost their breakout star of the Six Nations after he was ruled out for between five and six months with the injury sustained during preparations to face Ireland in March.
But on Tuesday he took part in a live scrummaging session during training as he closes in on making a complete recovery that should see him named in Steve Borthwick’s 33-strong squad on Monday.
England had made it clear Chessum would not be risked in Saturday’s opening warm-up match against Wales in Cardiff if not fully fit, but would be willing select him for the World Cup on the strength of his performances this year.
“Ollie’s close to a return. He’s done incredibly well and has been so diligent with his rehab. He looks really good,” attack coach Richard Wigglesworth said.
“He’s definitely a great character and I’ve enjoyed working with him over the last few years, but he’s also a top-quality player who we are keen to get fit.
“The medics said that if he’s free of complications then there’s a very good chance of him being ready for the World Cup. He’s had no complications and flew into his rehab.
“I don’t think we’re going to rush someone back from that injury and say ‘you have to play (against Wales)’ – it’s up to us to make a decision on the best 33 on the back of all the evidence we’ve had.
“Ollie has obviously given pretty strong evidence that he’s a top international player when he was fit.”
Chessum won the first of his nine caps under Eddie Jones but it was during the Six Nations that he announced his arrival as a high-calibre Test player through a series of imposing displays in an otherwise-underperforming team.
The 22-year-old can play lock or blindside flanker and made a big impression on Wigglesworth, who played alongside him and coached him at Leicester until leaving to join Borthwick’s coaching team at the end of the season.
“When Ollie’s fit and firing he brings an energy with him that’s infectious and he’s someone who’s just going to get better and better,” Wigglesworth said.
“He’s got a great attitude, great athletic ability and he’s got the mind to be in an England shirt for a long, long time if he keeps progressing the way he wants to.”
Billy Vunipola has also provided a fitness boost as he shows no adverse effects from his recent knee surgery, nudging him closer to regaining his place as England’s number eight.
“Billy looks highly motivated and he’s had a big impact in training, coming back in straight away,” Wigglesworth said.
“He’s shown his class and his form. His training is slightly modified but not much.”
Borthwick will oversee the final selection meeting in Cardiff on Saturday night before telling each player individually on Sunday whether they made the cut for the World Cup.
The date of the announcement means that the Principality Stadium clash will be the final opportunity for players to play their way into the 33.
“We pick a team to try and win a Test match, without a doubt, but it would probably be disingenuous to say we aren’t trying to get a squad ready for the tournament as well,” Wigglesworth said.
“We have to have a squad that is ready to play in France to the best of its ability. Will the same team play four weeks in a row? No, absolutely not. There will be changes throughout the four weeks.”
Jim Crowley has been banned for 20 days and fined £10,000 for his winning ride aboard Hukum in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Both Crowley and Rob Hornby, who finished second aboard Westover, were referred to the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee following a duel to the line in the midsummer highlight, with Hukum prevailing by a head.
Flat riders are allowed to use their whip six times in a race, with a four-day ban for going one over the limit and seven days for going two over. Crowley used his whip nine times, which incurs a 10-day ban and is doubled for a class one race.
Had Crowley used his whip four times over the limit then Hukum would have been disqualified.
The rider will be banned August 15-21 and August 23 – September 4, meaning he misses the Ebor meeting at York, where he was due to ride runaway Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International. He also received the substantial fine due to the class and value of the race.
On Monday the whip rules were tweaked once more by the BHA following a six-month review period and while the changes would not have affected Crowley’s punishment due to the severity of his offence, Hornby has benefitted from the revisions.
He used his whip once above the permitted level, but given he has had more than 200 rides in Britain since his last whip offence, his initial ban was cut to two days. However, that is then doubled due to the calibre of race, meaning he will be out of action for four days (August 15-18 inclusive).
Had the rules not been changed 24 hours previously, Hornby would have had an eight-day suspension imposed.
Republic of Ireland defender Megan Campbell was “gutted” not to be able to join her nation at the Women’s World Cup but believes the team’s participation at the tournament is a “catalyst” to inspire the next generation of football fans.
The centre-back for Liverpool and the Republic was not chosen as part of Vera Pauw’s squad for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand after being unable to recover in time from an unspecified injury.
The Republic crashed out of the tournament with just one point from three group-stage games after Monday’s goalless draw with Nigeria, but despite this Campbell said the support shown for the team has been “incredible”.
“I joined in with many thousands of other fans from Ireland as the whole country was backing the team and watching the games, and the amount of Irish support Down Under has been incredible,” the 30-year-old told the PA news agency.
“What an opportunity for the girls to be able to put Ireland on the biggest stage possible and it’s only the start for this team.
“It’s a catalyst, hopefully, for building for the future generations.”
She also commended the quality of football at this year’s World Cup, describing it as a “great spectacle” following England’s win over China in the final round of the group stage.
Campbell said England had “come out all guns blazing” after beating China 6-1 on Tuesday.
“I think it’s been a great spectacle for women’s football and shows how close the games have been… in general the scorelines have been quite narrow so this shows that the level is improving all over the world,” she said.
Campbell felt the Lionesses experienced “a lot of pressure” going into this year’s World Cup, following their European Championship win, but said they had successfully achieved their objective of winning every group-stage match.
“I think they probably have a lot of pressure coming into the tournament off the back of winning the Euros and that was to be expected, obviously, because they have done so well,” she said.
“But it’s about winning games in the group stages, and that’s what they’ve done and they’ve managed to achieve that by getting nine points out of nine.”
In a bid to make women’s football more visible, particularly in schools, Campbell and Czech Republic and Chelsea midfielder Katerina Svitkova joined more than 100 schoolgirls at Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday to inspire the next generation of children to play football.
“It’s been a lovely atmosphere here. Probably close enough to an atmosphere Down Under, I’d say, as the kids are quite loud,” Campbell said.
The Republic and Liverpool player said there were some “hidden talents” at the Football Fun Day event brought together by Visa and HSBC.
“There have been some girls who probably haven’t played football before for a team who will now sign up for teams because they love being here and feel inspired by the day,” she said.
“I think the job’s complete, and we’ve probably done a really good one if girls now want to play football.”
She hopes increased visibility of women’s football will create new role models for young children to be inspired by.
“With the women’s football team doing so well, it’s great to have this off the back of it to inspire the next generations,” she said.
“That’s what this is about, trying to inspire the next generations to play football but also just for girls in general and in life to have models to look up to regardless of if it’s football or not.”
She also hopes that more visibility of the Women’s Super League will help to inspire more children to watch the game.
“I think the league will only grow this year and participation will increase, which is the most important thing overall.
“It’s about the here and now, but it’s also about the future generations and what we can provide for them.”
Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield and Charlotte Hornets forward Kai Jones have committed to play for their native Bahamas in upcoming Olympic qualifying action.
All four are on the roster for Bahamas for its Olympic qualifier in Santiago de Estero, Argentina, from Aug. 14-20.
Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Uruguay and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also participating in hopes of qualifying for a spot in the 2024 Paris Games.
Bahamas must win this tournament to qualify for another Olympic qualifier next summer.
Bahamas has never competed in the Olympics in men’s basketball.
This Bahamian team is projected to be the strongest the country has ever had. Bahamas is coached by Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco.
The full roster is as follows:
Deandre Ayton, Dominick Bridgewater, Jaraun Burrows, Garvin Clarke, Kadeem Coleby, Rashad Davis, Buddy Hield, Sammy Hunter, Kai Jones, Danrad Knowles, Lourawls Nairn, Willis Mackey Jr, Franco Miller, Travis Munnings, Kentwan Smith, David Nesbitt, AJ Storr, Mychel Thompson
Tom Marquand executed a perfect front-running ride aboard Quickthorn to win the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
Trained by Hughie Morrison, Marquand had adopted very similar tactics last season in the Lonsdale Cup at York when beating the reopposing Coltrane by 14 lengths.
Quickthorn had failed to quite match that level of performance since, but did return to winning ways last time out back at York in a Listed race and the form was subsequently franked when the second, Israr, won a Group Two next time out.
Marquand stole a few lengths early and then once again on the brow of the hill, when the field might expect to start making ground, but the jockey ensured there was no let up in the pace.
At one stage he was around 20 lengths clear but Oisin Murphy on Coltrane, who was leading the pack, seemed content in where he was with half a mile to go.
The riders of Eldar Eldarov, Giavellotto, Emily Dickinson and Gold Cup winner Courage Mon Ami all suddenly realised Quickthorn was not stopping, but the victor had a decisive lead.
Quickthorn won by six lengths from Emily Dickinson, who prevailed in a photo for second with Coltrane, with Eldar Eldarov a further short head back in fourth.
England eased into the last 16 at the Women’s World Cup with a rout of China while the United States survived a scare against Portugal to keep their hopes of a third straight title alive.
The Netherlands swept through with a resounding victory over Vietnam while Denmark also made it into the knockouts.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at all of Tuesday’s action.
James orchestrates England’s win
Lauren James’ performance as England swatted China aside 6-1 in Adelaide to advance to the last 16 as winners of Group D might have been one of the most complete seen by an England player at a major tournament.
The Chelsea forward scored two wonderful goals and was unlucky to be denied another by a contentious VAR decision in the first half, and put in a fine all-round display as England finally found their World Cup stride.
The Lionesses’ shortcomings in squeaking past Haiti and Denmark now look like nothing more than early-tournament jitters, after they presented their credentials with purpose against China.
Sarina Wiegman’s side will now face Nigeria in Brisbane on Monday.
Holders through but rattled
The holders’ World Cup lives will have flashed before their eyes when Ana Capeta raced through on goal in added time in their final group game against Portugal at Eden Park.
But the striker’s effort crashed back off the base of a post and away to safety, meaning the United States were also safely into the last 16, scraping through with a goalless draw that gave them the point they required.
Yet they were given an almighty scare in Auckland by Francisco Neto’s team, who themselves came within a lick of paint of eliminating the four-time winners and recording one of the World Cup’s all-time great surprises.
Dutch delight
The holders’ struggles were thrown into relief by the ease with which the Netherlands navigated Group E, and the 2017 European champions have looked an increasingly serious side since arriving in New Zealand.
Esmee Brugts made the game’s outstanding contributions, curling in two almost identical efforts from range as the Dutch meted out a 7-0 thrashing of Vietnam to top the group, while Jill Roord also scored twice.
Haiti going home proud
Haiti are going home without a point or a goal to their name, but this has nevertheless been a World Cup showing for the debutants to be proud of.
Their dogged performance against England in the opening game and how close they came to taking a point from China have offered a robust argument to anyone who suggested these finals should not have been expanded to 32 teams.
Opponents Denmark, who eased through to the last 16 with a 2-0 win in Perth, will face co-hosts Australia next.
Post of the dayUp next
Group G: Argentina v Sweden (8am)
Group G: South Africa v Italy (8am)
Group F: Jamaica v Brazil (11am)
Group F: Panama v France (11am)
All times BST
Derek McInnes believes his Kilmarnock squad is “significantly stronger” after Liam Donnelly agreed a new contract with the club.
The 27-year-old midfielder, who joined Killie from Motherwell on a one-year deal last summer, re-signed on a two-year contract and will remain with Killie until 2025.
The Northern Ireland international joins new signings Robbie Deas, Matty Kennedy, Kyle Magennis, Kieran O’Hara, Marley Watkins, Tom Davies, Will Dennis, Stuart Findlay, Corrie Ndaba and Lewis Mayo in a revamped squad.
Kilmarnock finished 10th in the cinch Premiership last season in their return to the top flight and ahead of the league opener against Rangers at Rugby Park on Saturday, boss McInnes said: “There are no guarantees when you sign players but for me, we have made some good signings.
“I feel we have a bit more experience with some of the signings.
“We let a lot of players go to free up the space to give us scope to rebuild the squad.
“A lot of loan players went back but we brought Lewis Mayo back as a permanent signing which is good and we have tried to reduce the amount of loans we have in comparison to last season.
“That would be an indication that we have done the work, trying to give players contracts to become Kilmarnock players so we feel we have a good level of player in the building. The proof will be at the end of the season.
“That demand was met last season with the squad we had, and now the demand shifts, we are looking for a bit more from everybody and hopefully we can meet the demand that is on us this season.
“We still have a bit to do, we still have forward areas to be dealt with, we are still trying to get at least one in between now and the window closing.
“But if we can get a few of our senior players back who have been out, like Joe Wright, Kyle Vassell and Rory McKenzie, then the squad looks significantly stronger but as I say time will tell with that.”
McInnes is “really pleased” that Donnelly will extend his time at the Ayrshire club.
The Killie boss said: “He said if he was staying in Scotland he would be signing for us.
“We agreed a deal a while ago but he had a lot to consider with his family.
“Even this week there was a club in Scotland offering him more money to sign and he stood by his word so, really good to get him, although he is away behind everyone else (fitness wise) but we sign players for the season.”
Killie start the season with Rangers at home, Hearts away then Celtic at home in the ViaPlay Cup and McInnes revealed he had an Old Firm “itch to scratch” this season.
The former Ibrox midfielder said: “I think it is a great opening fixture for us.
“We beat every team in the cinch Premiership last season except Rangers and Celtic.
“We know what we are capable of but we also have to demonstrate our capabilities of getting results against the best two teams.
“We have to have the confidence, assurance and personality on Saturday to try to do exactly that.
“It is an itch we need to scratch. We need to try to overcome that, the fact that we never took points off Rangers and Celtic last season.
“We expect a tough game on Saturday. It is important Rangers get that as well.”
Frankie Dettori opened his account at this year’s Qatar Goodwood Festival as Kinross gained a second success in the World Pool Lennox Stakes.
It was a case of experience prevailing over youth as the six-year-old Kinross pulled clear with the three-year-old Isaac Shelby.
Having won the race in 2021 and finished second 12 months ago, seven furlongs with cut in the ground are the ideal conditions for Ralph Beckett’s Kinross.
When the split came up the inside, Dettori took advantage as Audience weakened but Isaac Shelby still looked a danger.
Despite a 6lb pull at the weights, Isaac Shelby, runner-up in the French Guineas, could not quite do enough and the 10-11 favourite began to pull away at the line to win by a neck.
Dettori said: “He tries, he loves the ground and loves the track. I think seven (furlongs) is his best but he can do six and a mile. He’s my ATM machine!
“From the Prix de la Foret he might go to somewhere else, maybe Doncaster and I think Marc (Chan, owner) is keen to run him in Hong Kong. I promised I’ll go.”
Beckett said: “We’ve never had one like him. He’s spent most of the last 48 hours with his left fore in a bucket because he trod on a stone, he’s got very thin soles and he feels every pin prick. He should have won it last year really, he got trapped in and got there too late.
“What a horse to train, he’s a joy to train.
“We’ll take the same route again with him and try to dance every dance. Santa Anita again and in between he might go to York for the City Of York and Doncaster for the Park Stakes. I hope he’ll go to Longchamp for the Foret and the sprint at Ascot.
“We’ll dance every dance again – he’s a gelding, he’s got to dance every dance.”
Of a possible Hong Kong challenge, Beckett added: “There is an idea that might happen, we might have to duck one of the races here to ensure he gets there – it’s a good problem to have.
“He needs no work, he’s very clean winded and you really don’t have to gallop him at all. He is very easy to train but he wasn’t initially, he didn’t get his act together until he won the Hyde Stakes but once he’s in a groove, he stays in that groove and you don’t have to do anything to keep him that way.”
Should Kinross line up in the Foret at ParisLongchamp in the autumn, he could well clash again with Isaac Shelby.
His trainer Brian Meehan said: “I am disappointed he got beat but pleased he got that close to showing himself to be a genuine Group One horse, which I’m sure he is.
“I’m where I want to be with him and he will only get better.
“I shall talk to the owners and see what they want to do and they will ask the same about me.
“But the ground has never been a factor. Sean was very happy and I guess the cutaway helped Kinross somewhat.
“The Foret is the obvious race for him, but let’s see.”
Zak Crawley was "a revelation" for England in The Ashes, according to batting great David Gower.
England recovered from 2-0 down against Australia to draw the five-match series 2-2 and may have even forced a famous victory had the weather not intervened in the fourth Test at Old Trafford.
Crawley scored a magnificent 189 from 182 balls in that Manchester contest and finished the series as England's top scorer with 480 runs at an impressive 53.33 average.
Having also hit fifties at Edgbaston and The Oval, Crawley is now established at the top of the order after what had been a mixed start to his Test career.
Prior to this summer, the 25-year-old averaged just 27.60 and had only produced 10 scores of 50+ across his first 61 innings in the longest format.
Gower, who with 3,037 runs is England's second-highest run-scorer in Ashes history, hopes the opener has turned the corner.
"Look at the way Zak Crawley batted – for the last three years he has been an enigma," Gower said to Stats Perform.
"You look at the man thinking he has got enormous talent. You look at the way he hits the ball and you think this man must make thousands of runs. And yet, he's averaging 20-odd.
"Suddenly, in this series, that style has been proven to be worthy.
"The trick for Zak Crawley now would be to carry on doing that wherever else he plays in the world and hopefully the lesson will have stuck.
"There are ways he can do that because he did change his game slightly, he did become more nuanced in the way he approached the opening overs of an innings.
"So people do learn as they go. This is the great thing – people learn throughout their careers and you have never nailed it for sure. You are learning each and every day that you are out there.
"Zak Crawley certainly contended to be a player of the series, I think that was a revelation."
Gower felt it was difficult to select a player of the series, with Chris Woakes ultimately winning the award despite not playing in every match.
The former England captain added: "It is always hard picking a player of a series when you've seen so many performances. The official result was Chris Woakes, who came in to play only three Test matches.
"What was interesting to me was that, for all the preparation and all the planning, things fell into place – not entirely by accident, but by circumstance – with Ollie Pope having to be left out because of injury.
"So the balance of the team changed, Woakes and [Mark] Wood came in and the Woakes-Wood partnership actually seemed to make a huge difference to England.
"Wood's pace at Leeds was very much the difference. And Woakes [made an impact] mainly with the ball and a little bit with the bat as well.
"Woakes just had a series that he will savour for a long, long time."
England do not return to Test action until January 2024, when they will travel to India for a five-match series.
They will now turn their attention to retaining the Cricket World Cup. The latest edition of the 50-over tournament starts in October.
Paul O’Connell believes suspended Ireland captain Johnny Sexton will be concerned about his lack of game time ahead of his World Cup swansong.
Fly-half Sexton, who is set to retire following the tournament in France, will miss each of his country’s warm-up matches after being hit with a three-match ban for misconduct.
The 38-year-old has not played competitively since March, having been forced off by a groin injury in the final match of the Guinness Six Nations against England.
Forwards coach O’Connell insists Sexton’s extended absence is not a major worry for Ireland’s management team but concedes his former team-mate is likely to feel uneasy about the situation.
“Whenever he’s come back from injuries (previously), he rarely needs a lot of games to get back up and running,” said O’Connell.
“It’s a real strength of his. He’s trained since the start of pre-season pretty much, he hasn’t missed a training session.
“He seems to watch an awful lot of rugby, he thinks a lot about rugby, so I think that kind of helps him hit the ground running when he comes back.
“(But) I’d say it’s a worry for him, you know. He wants to finish playing really, really well, and I’d say he’d love to have a few more games under his belt.
“It is what it is. It’s not something I’m worried about.”
Ireland face Italy, England and Samoa this month before beginning their World Cup campaign on September 9 against Romania in Bordeaux.
Sexton’s prolonged spell on the sidelines – in the wake of his behaviour following Leinster’s Heineken Champions Cup final defeat by La Rochelle on May 20 – has opened the door for rival number 10s Ross Byrne, Jack Crowley and Ciaran Frawley.
O’Connell says the opportunity for the three understudies is a significant “silver lining” of the undesirable circumstances.
“They’re all playing for places – Johnny’s selection allows those guys to own it a little bit,” said the 43-year former lock, who represented Ireland at four World Cups.
“It puts us in a good position heading into the World Cup because those guys get to accumulate more experience; not just of playing on the big day, but of owning it and running the week, driving some of the detail as well.
“Johnny’s suspension is unfortunate for us. But there’s a real good silver lining for us as well.”
Jim Crowley is set to miss the ride on Mostahdaf at York after picking up what is believed to be a significant suspension for his winning ride on Hukum in Saturday’s King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
Crowley and Westover’s jockey Rob Hornby, who finished second, were both referred to the British Horseracing Authority’s Whip Review Committee in the wake of what was unforgettable finish to the midsummer showpiece.
Flat riders are allowed to use their whip six times in a race, with a four-day ban for going one over the limit and seven days for going two over. Crowley reportedly used his whip nine times, which incurs a 10-day ban and is doubled for a class one race.
Had Crowley used his whip four times over the limit then Hukum would have been disqualified.
The punishment is doubled-edged for Crowley as he was due to ride runaway Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Mostahdaf in the Juddmonte International at the Ebor meeting.
On Monday the whip rules were tweaked once more by the BHA following a six-month review period, but the changes would not have affected Crowley’s punishment due to the severity of his offence.
Speaking to ITV Racing before any official publication of the committee’s findings, Crowley said: “It’s a huge punishment. I spoke to Rob and neither of us knew we had gone over.
“I had absolutely no idea. When we go out we are aware of the whip rules and aware of the severity of them.
“In the finish we are both thinking, ‘don’t go over’, as one thing and secondly you are trying to keep the momentum of your horse, you can’t cause any interference as a slight bump and you could get chucked out. You are trying to stay in rhythm with the horse and you are really in the zone.
“That is not to say you are not thinking about the whip because you are, but it is very difficult to be counting the strokes when you are in that scenario. It’s not a win-at-all costs ride, but it is so difficult, until you are in that situation yourself – it is hard to explain.
“Neither of us were aware we’d gone over, that’s the worrying thing. We got back to the weighing room and got a tap on the shoulder and straight away a feeling of dread comes over you.
“Imagine a tennis player in the Wimbledon final, you are not counting numbers in your head – it’s very difficult.
“The rules are the rules. Does the punishment fit the crime? I don’t think so, but I would say that. It’s going to be a tough pill to swallow.
“Some jockeys were consulted about the rules, there’s a bit of a stigma about that, but I can guarantee you know there isn’t a jockey in that weighing room who agrees with the rules.
“Neither jockey went out there to win at all costs. It was a mistake, it’s very unfortunate. He’s my favourite horse, it’s a shame it’s worked out this way.”
Ralph Beckett, the trainer of Westover, said: “I think once you put a finite number on it, you run into more problems than you solve and that is where we are now, we’ve created more problems than we’ve solved.
“Westover is fine, he bounced out of it and if I showed you a video you’d say he was ready to go again.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman lauded the Lionesses’ adaptability after a system shake-up sparked a thumping 6-1 victory over China at the Women’s World Cup.
The Lionesses had not scored more than once in their opening two matches but came alive on a crisp night in front of 13,497 at Adelaide’s Hindmarsh Stadium to seal top spot in Group D.
Wiegman took a gamble as she swapped England’s usual 4-3-3 for a 3-5-2 formation, and she was rewarded with goals from five different players including a brace from Chelsea prodigy Lauren James, who also picked up three assists.
“I think we are growing into this tournament,” said Wiegman, whose side will travel back to their Terrigal, New South Wales base camp before flying to Brisbane to meet Nigeria in the knockout stages.
“I think tonight we had a great performance. Of course we made a choice and went for it.
“Everyone really believed in it [the formation] straight away and you could see that on the pitch. They were really excited about it. We want to use the qualities of the squad as optimal as possible. The team showed they were really adaptable.
“I think you could see from the whole team that we were enjoying ourselves, you could tell that we were really connected, the ball is going around and we have different ways to go in attack, and of course Lauren James was one of them when she scored the goals.
“You saw that the team was enjoying every goal, except the one from China.”
Alessia Russo got things started for England after just four minutes, while a dangerous-looking Lauren Hemp marked her return to Wiegman’s starting XI by doubling England’s advantage.
James struck her first after 41 minutes, but was denied a retrospective hat-trick after Australian referee Casey Reibelt turned to VAR and the stoppage-time strike was chalked off.
Lucy Bronze, who was ruled offside in that build-up, found herself at the wrong end of another call to the monitor after the restart and was aggrieved when she was punished for a handball and China were awarded a penalty, converted by Wang Shuang.
Chloe Kelly and Rachel Daly wrapped up the victory with late strikes.
Bronze said: “I knew it hit my hand, but it wasn’t deliberate.
“Unless I cut my arm off I don’t know how I get my arm out the way. Again, we sit down with referees every tournament to discuss the rules, the rules are if I’m trying to put my hand next to my body.
“I said to the girls she’s going to give the penalty because it hits my hand but [England keeper] Mary [Earps] was behind me, if I was trying to hit the ball away I would have hit my hand in the air. I knew it wasn’t deliberate but I guess she just wanted to give me a yellow card for fun.
“It wasn’t a fun game in that respect, the referee for me. So, I was quite disappointed with that game to come off with that performance. The most important thing is we won, we’re through to the next game, no one else got injured.”
James, who became the first England player to be directly involved in five or more goals in a game at the men’s or women’s World Cup, admitted it would have been the icing on the cake to complete the hat-trick.
She said: “I was disappointed in the moment obviously but that’s football for you. In the moment I just had to be focused for the game to continue.
“I think just playing with freedom, just enjoying my football and I think tonight showed that. Hopefully I can continue doing that and take it into the next round.”
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