Tony Khan is hoping for an August bank holiday weekend to remember – culminating in the “most exciting” experience of his life at All Elite Wrestling’s All In show at Wembley.
Fulham’s director of football will be in the capital for their Premier League trip to Arsenal on Saturday, August 26 before spending the evening celebrating his mother’s birthday.
The next day will see professional wrestling return to Wembley Stadium for the first time in 31 years, with Khan’s own promotion – AEW – hosting a show that has already sold over 70,000 tickets without a match being announced.
“I think it’ll be a lot of emotions at once, to go to such a familiar place to me and my family where we’ve had some of our greatest memories,” Khan told the PA news agency about heading back to Wembley, where he has seen Fulham twice win the Sky Bet Championship play-off final and watched the Jacksonville Jaguars – the NFL franchise owned by his father and with whom he holds an executive position.
“If you look at my Twitter account, my header – the background – is celebrating at Wembley Stadium at the final whistle (of the play-off final).
“That was the greatest day of my life to this point, now I’m so happy that this summer I have to look forward to AEW: All In.
“It’s going to be a great weekend because August 26 is my mother’s 75th birthday – we will go up to north London for Arsenal vs Fulham on Saturday and celebrate my mother’s 75th birthday after I get done with the AEW production meeting.
“I’m sure we’ll have a lovely evening in Mayfair, hopefully celebrating a good performance at Arsenal, I hope, and then August 27 is going to be a cultural event.”
While professional wrestling has its share of detractors, Khan insists the sheer volume of tickets shifted for All In – with over 35,000 sold in a pre-sale event – proves it belongs on the Wembley stage.
Asked about the sales, Khan added: “Well, it definitely beat projections!
“It was absolutely the right choice for AEW to debut in the UK at Wembley Stadium and the support from the fans and ticket sales have been unbelievable – it was a bold choice to book AEW at Wembley but it has been vindicated and we haven’t even announced any matches yet.
“For me, personally, it is the most excited I’ve ever been for any event in my entire life.
“In 2018, truly one of the greatest experiences of my life was being at Wembley Stadium in the Royal Box when Fulham on our promotion to the Premier League and it feels like it was so long ago.
“Honestly, I was in the Royal Box and I had my notebook and certainly AEW was in there as something I wanted to work on.
“It’s my dream, truly my dream. One my dreams was to bring a big pay-per-view event to Wembley and I actually had written a script for one in 2006 when I was at University of Illinois and it wasn’t the first time I thought about doing wrestling at Wembley – that was over 17 years ago.
“I’ve always wanted to bring a great wrestling event to Wembley Stadium. It’s definitely been a dream of mine and I’m very optimistic that it can be AEW’s finest hour when we debut.”
Christian Walker homered twice and drove in five runs as the Arizona Diamondbacks outslugged the Atlanta Braves 16-13 to snap a four-game losing streak.
Geraldo Perdomo snapped a ninth-inning tie with a two-run double and Ketel Marte had three hits and three RBIs for the Diamondbacks, who scored just 11 runs during their season high-tying four-game skid.
Austin Riley went deep twice, doubled and drove in a career-high seven runs, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the National League-best Braves from dropping three in a row for the first time since May 10-14.
Arizona was involved in its first game in which each team had at least 13 runs, and it was the first such game in the majors since the Chicago White Sox beat the Chicago Cubs 17-13 on Aug. 27, 2021.
The 29 combined runs were the most in any game this season.
Riley’s first home run was a three-run shot in the fourth inning and gave the Braves a 9-8 lead.
Orlando Arcia’s two-run shot an inning later extended the lead, but the Diamondbacks scored four in the sixth on Corbin Carroll’s RBI single and Walker’s three-run blast.
Arizona’s Dominic Canzone had his first career hit in the eighth to score Walker and tie the game at 13.
Red-hot Giants sweep slumping Reds
The San Francisco Giants continued their surge with a pair of wins over the Cincinnati Reds, getting two home runs from Wilmer Flores in an 11-10 victory in the second game.
Casey Schmitt drew a bases-loaded walk in a three-run seventh for an 11-8 lead and the Giants held on to send the Reds to a season high-tying six-game losing streak.
San Francisco began the night by winning the completion of Monday’s suspended game behind Joc Pederson’s tiebreaking,10th-inning double.
The Reds lost despite home runs in the second game from Joey Votto, Jake Fraley, Will Benson and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, a pinch-hit three-run shot for his first career hit.
Rangers’ Eovaldi ties for MLB lead with 11th win
Nathan Eovaldi allowed two hits over six scoreless innings and was backed by home run from Corey Seager and Marcus Semien as the Texas Rangers won their fifth straight, 5-3 over the Tampa Bay Rays in a matchup of division leaders.
Eovaldi struck out two and walked three to become the fifth 11-game winner in the majors.
Semien opened the scoring in the third inning with his 13th home run and Seager’s 14th of the season in the seventh made it 5-1.
Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe went deep for the Rays, who have lost 10 of 13 in July.
The British and Irish Lions are set to play in front of a record crowd of around 100,000 at Melbourne Cricket Ground during their 2025 tour of Australia.
The MCG has been announced as the venue for the Lions’ second Test against Eddie Jones’ Wallabies on Saturday, July 26.
The series will begin a week earlier at the 52,500-capacity Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, with the finale at Sydney’s Accor Stadium, which can hold more than 80,000 fans, on Saturday, August 2.
Two years out from the tour, a nine-match itinerary, beginning on Wednesday, July 2 against Queensland Reds in Brisbane, has been confirmed for the Lions’ first visit to Australia since their 2-1 series success in 2013.
The Lions will have the longest preparation period for a tour in recent history thanks to cooperation from Premiership Rugby and the United Rugby Championship.
Ben Calveley, CEO of the British and Irish Lions, said: “We are delighted to announce the tour schedule as we look ahead to what is to be one of the most eagerly anticipated series in history.”
The Lions’ upcoming tour also includes a warm-up match against a combined Australia and New Zealand side in Adelaide.
They are bidding for their first tour success since beating the Wallabies a decade ago, having lost 2-1 in South Africa two years ago following a tied 2017 series in New Zealand.
Crowds were unable to attend matches against the Springboks in 2021 as the three Tests were played behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions.
Ieuan Evans, chairman of the British and Irish Lions, said: “Lions tours to Australia have always been memorable occasions and the 2025 tour promises to be no different.”
The British and Irish Lions are also exploring the concept of an inaugural Lions Women’s Tour following “positive findings arising from a feasibility study”.
Lions’ 2025 tour: July 2 – Queensland Reds (Brisbane); July 5 – NSW Waratahs (Sydney); July 9 – ACT Brumbies (Canberra); July 12 – ‘Invitational’ Australia and New Zealand team; July 19 – Australia (Brisbane); July 22 – Melbourne Rebels (Melbourne); July 26 – Australia (Melbourne); August 2 – Australia (Sydney).
Tournament favourite Gerwyn Price and world number one Michael Smith both crashed out the Betfred World Matchplay on a dramatic evening in Blackpool.
Price missed a match dart in a thrilling 13-11 tie-break defeat to Joe Cullen before Smith blew a 3-0 lead in an 11-7 last-16 upset against Chris Dobey.
The exits of the high-profile pair leave the competition wide open after reigning champion Michael van Gerwen suffered a shock first-round loss at the Winter Gardens.
World number four Price needed only bullseye for a place in the quarter-finals, having fought back from 8-5 down to lead Cullen 10-9.
But the Welshman, who averaged 100 and threw 11 180s, was unable to capitalise and then punished by the fine finishing of Yorkshireman Cullen, who secured victory with his second 112 checkout.
“It was just a case of trying to keep concentration – I knew I was playing terrible,” Cullen told Sky Sports.
“I just didn’t feel comfortable more or less the whole way through the match, but then when it came down it that’s probably the most comfortable I’ve been, so that 112 was pretty sweet.
“It was just a really funny game. Even at 10-8 down, I felt I could still win because I knew Gezzy wasn’t playing like he normally does. The finishes definitely won me the game.”
Price’s surprise elimination was swiftly followed by Dobey winning 11 of the final 15 legs to knock out top seed Smith.
“I don’t think I was ever in the game early doors, but I clawed my way back into it and, once I got in front, I didn’t want to let him come back, so I’m delighted with that,” said Dobey, who is through to his first quarter-final at the tournament.
“I thought my finishing was pretty spectacular compared to what I’m used to.”
Two-time semi-finalist Daryl Gurney awaits Cullen after he showed signs of returning to his best in dismantling 2018 champion Gary Anderson.
The Northern Irishman averaged 104 and hit 73 per cent of his checkouts in a superb 11-4 win over the Scot, who himself averaged 102.
“You were nearly thinking I was back, like the old Daryl, the one that was number three in the world,” said Gurney.
“There’s not many people that are going to beat Gary Anderson like that. For me to go and do that, I’m over the moon.”
In Tuesday evening’s other match, Nathan Aspinall defeated Dutchman Danny Noppert.
The 32-year-old from Stockport triumphed 11-9 and awaits Dobey in the last eight.
Tiger Woods has described his victory at Royal Liverpool in 2006 as the “most gratifying” of his three Open titles.
Woods has not travelled to Hoylake for the 151st Open as he continues to recover from surgery, but the 15-time major winner recorded a video message to thank the Association of Golf Writers for being given their award for Outstanding Services to Golf.
“Sorry I can’t be with you tonight,” Woods said.
“I just want to say that all my years of playing the Open Championship, starting at St Andrews in 1995, have been some of the greatest moments and greatest memories I have had, not just in my golfing career, but in my whole life.
“That week (at Hoylake) in 2006 was a very emotional one. It was the first championship I ever won without my dad being there.
“It was a tough, tough week, but also probably the most gratifying that I have ever experienced over there.”
Woods broke down in tears on the 18th green after successfully defending his Open title in 2006, his first victory since the death of his father Earl in May.
In his video message the 47-year-old fondly recalled being offered cups of coffee by journalists as he spoke after compiling a third round of 81 in horrendous conditions at Muirfield in 2002.
But he also could not resist referencing “an interesting side” to his relationship with the media and “some very creative writers and eclectic stories” that have been written over the years.
“I just want to say thank you for bringing joy to my life when I go over there to play the Open Championship; the history, the knowledge, the passing on of stories so I can pass them on to my son and to future generations,” Woods concluded.
Woods pulled out of the Masters during the third round in April, saying at the time it was due to plantar fasciitis.
However, he then had a subtalar fusion procedure in New York to address the problem caused by a previous fracture of his talus, a bone in the ankle joint.
Guyana is on course to retain the overall title at the ongoing Caribbean Area Squash Association (CASA) Junior Championships, having already secured a number of individual medals, which speaks volumes of their current vein of form heading into the Team and Doubles segment of the tournament in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Guyanese team which last year got hands on the overall championship for the first time since 2015 –after surrendering the 2017 and 2019 editions to Barbados –are now hunting a 14th overall lien on the crown.
They once enjoyed a streak of 12-consecutive wins, which was ended by the Barbadians, but if their form is anything to go by thus far, then they are on the verge of starting another streak.
Guyana have so far secured individual gold medals through Nicholas Verwey in the boys’ Under-19, Louis Da Silva, the boys’ Under-17 champion and Under-15 queen Avery Arjoon.
Kaylee Lowe, in the girls’ Under-13, Mohryan Baksh in the boys’ Under-17 and Kirsten Gomes in girls’ Under-19 category, all secured silver medals, while Ethan Bulkan in boys’ Under-11, Justin Ten Pow in the boys’ under-13 and Michael Alphonso in the boys’ Under-19, added bronze medal to the country’s tally.
The individual finals got under way with Bermuda’s Mason Smith and Benjamin Sherratt snaring gold and silver in the boys’ Under-11, following contrasting victories of Savante Padmore of the host nation and Bulkan. Mason bettered Padmore in three sets 11-3, 11-0, 11-3, while Sherratt required four sets to get by Bulkan.
After losing the first set, 11-8, Sherratt recovered the win the next three 11-9, 11-3 and 11-5 in a match that lasted 28 minutes.
Both Smith and Sherratt then required 23 minutes to settle business among themselves, with the former winning 16-14, 11-8, 11-7.
The boys’ Under-13 category was topped by Barbadian Ben Shepherd, who stamped his class in an 18-minute contest against US Virgin Islands’ Ethan Mohamed. He posted comfortable 11-1, 11-5 and 11-3 wins, while Ten Pow registered 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 against Levi Jack in the third-place encounter.
The host nation was not to be outdone in the boys’ Under-15 category, which was won by Jayden George, who scored a three set 11-5, 11-3, 11-1 win over Bermuda’s Owen Rosorea. Daniel Sealy of Barbados won the third-place contest 11-4, 11-2, 11-8 over Charlie Makin of Bermuda.
After enduring two highly competitive semi-final contest against Vincentian Jaydon Williams and Andrew Cox of Bermuda, Da Silva and Baksh battled out a pulsating boys’ Under-17 final.
Da Silva won the almost hour-long four set showpiece 17-15, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7. Prior to that, he defeated Williams in five sets 6-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 in a 54-minute-long match, while Baksh was comfortable 15-13, 11-4, 11-5 victor over Cox in less than half-hour.
Verwey was also comfortable in victory in the boys’ Under-19 gold medal match in which he bettered Barbadian Alex Stewart in straight sets 12-10, 11-1, 11-6.
Alphonso, who lost his semi-final contest to Stewart, bounced back to defeat, British Virgin Islands Jace Jervis, who had earlier succumbed to Verwey, in the third-place match. Alphonso won the five-set encounter 12-10, 11-7, 11-7, after losing the first two sets 13-15, 8-11.
On the girls’ side of action, Trinidad and Tobago’s Gia Ghuran won the Under-11 gold medal, following a 14 minute 11-5, 11-7, 11-5 win over Delilah Grace Pease of British Virgin Island, while Bermuda’s Taylor Kyme defeated Barbadian Peyton Marshall-Brancker 11-1, 11-2, 11-9 in the bronze medal match.
Lenna Hamati of Barbados copped the girls’ Under-13 top medal in a four-set match with Lowe which ended, 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-2. Bermuda’s McKenna Kyme won the bronze with an 11-8, 11-5, 12-10 win over Guyana’s Tiana Gomes, who fought hard and won the second and third sets 11-2, 11-5.
Arjoon took only 16 minutes to crown herself queen in the Under-15 category, with straight sets, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 win over Bermuda’s Somers Stevenson.
Josie Thong of Trinidad and Tobago took bronze with a 11-6, 11-3, 11-2 triumph over Guyana’s Emily Fung A Fat.
In the Under-17 final, Barbadian Eboni Atherley, was comfortable in victory over Jamaica’s Sanjana Nallapati, scoring 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 to wrap up victory in 25 minutes.
Another Jamaican, Mehar Trehan took bronze, as she too brushed aside her opponent Safirah Sumner of Guyana, 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 in under 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, the Under-19 crown also went to Barbados courtesy of Sumairaa Suleman, who rallied to beat Guyana’s Kirsten Gomes 11-8, 11-9, 11-6, after losing the first set 6-11 in a final that lasted just over half-hour.
It was an all-Jamaica battle for the bronze, with Savannah Thomson coming up trumps over Katherine Risden in an entertaining 49-minute five-set contest that ended 12-14, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11.
The simplest helmet in the NFL is getting even simpler.
For three games in the 2023 regular season, the Cleveland Browns are trading their classic orange, logo-less helmets for white ones.
The Browns will don an all-white look - white helmets, jerseys and pants - for their Week 2 Monday Night game on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers, at home against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6 and in their final home game of the season against the New York Jets on Thursday Night in Week 17.
The white helmet features an orange stripe down the middle sandwiched around two brown stripes, similarly to their orange helmet with a white stripe down the middle flanked by two brown ones.
This will mark the first time the Browns will wear white helmets since 1951.
Cleveland began wearing its familiar orange, logo-less helmets in 1952 after sporting white ones for its first six seasons as a franchise.
A change to the classic look could be just what the team needs to end its championship drought.
The Browns are one of 12 NFL teams to have never won a Super Bowl and are one of just four franchises never to have even played in one, along with the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.
Their last NFL title came in 1964 – two years prior to the advent of the Super Bowl.
The Browns finished in fourth place in the AFC North last season with a 7-10 record to miss the playoffs for the 19th time in the last 20 years - the 2020 season being the lone outlier - but open this season with raised expectations with quarterback Deshaun Watson set to play a full season after being suspended for 11 games in 2022.
Sports stars and clubs across the world continue to provide an insight into their lives on social media.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the best examples from July 18.
FootballMarcus Rashford extended his Manchester United stay.
There was some good news on another United great as Edwin van der Sar left intensive care.
James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario and Manor Solomon enjoyed their Spurs debuts.
View this post on InstagramView this post on InstagramAnd Harry Kane was glad to get some minutes in his legs in Australia.
But West Ham came out on top in Perth.
Antonio Conte enjoyed Venice.
View this post on InstagramGabriel Jesus donned Arsenal’s new kit.
Cristiano Ronaldo was back at work.
Manchester City turned the clock back.
CricketAlex Carey finally got his haircut!
Stuart Broad was sledged.
Rugby unionGeorge North enjoyed Switzerland.
TennisHome comforts for Stan Wawrinka.
Formula OneKevin Magnussen welcomed a new arrival.
Mika Hakkinen enjoyed being back in a car.
SwimmingAndy Jameson was sad for swimming.
SportTNT Sports replaced BT Sport and underwent a rebrand.
Marketa Vondrousova must follow the example of Elena Rybakina to ensure her shock Wimbledon success results in becoming a top-10 regular, according to Marion Bartoli.
The 24-year-old became the first unseeded player to win the women's singles at Wimbledon with a shock straight sets victory over favourite Ons Jabeur in the final.
Vondrousova had previously reached the French Open final four years ago but had endured a tumultuous period since due to injuries and inconsistent form, while grass was seen as her weakest surface.
Her victory is the latest in a long line of shock major wins in the women's game, with Bianca Andreescu and Emma Raducanu among the others to cause upsets in recent years.
But the lack of a dominant group of players in women's grand slams is not a big concern to Bartoli, who made two Wimbledon finals in her career, winning once.
She has urged the crop of recent major winners, including Vondrousova, to take up the challenge of proving their successes were not flukes.
Bartoli cites the example of 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina, who is now ranked three in the world and reached the last eight this year before losing out to Jabeur, as one to follow.
"I don't see it as an issue – there is nothing you can do about it," Bartoli, who won Wimbledon in 2013, said to Stats Perform when asked about the recent trend in grand slams.
"I mean, you just can't say to a player, 'Oh, but why don't you win every single grand slam like Serena Williams?' All those [top-ranked] girls are trying their hardest when they're on the court, sometimes they're losing when they should have won, like Ons losing that final.
"But it's not like you can go and say to her 'Oh, yeah, but why don't you try harder?' She tried her heart out on the court and tried absolutely everything to win. It just didn't happen.
"You have new names, some newcomers are coming and winning, it was the same when Raducanu won her first grand slam, it was the same when Andreescu won.
"Now it's Marketa winning her first. It was slightly more of a shocker when Raducanu won because she came from the qualification. That was an even bigger story and then to become this £20million girl that gets all those contracts in the UK. She was into US Open qualifying and then three weeks later she was a mega superstar.
"Was tennis different back then when I was playing? Of course. Then you had 15 or 20 names who were coming back all the time.
"It was extremely difficult just to get yourself inside the top 20 or into the top 10 because you had Serena and Venus, Kim Clijsters and all the Russians, you just didn't have the space.
"But I like those news stories. I like those fairytale stories. I just hope that those girls can now stay there.
"For Marketa [I hope] that she can bring that level constantly so she can be a face in the top 10 and people can come back to Wimbledon next year and say ‘OK, I know her now, she's top five, she has done this, she has this result somewhere’, like Rybakina in some ways.
"Rybakina won last year but she came back this year and she was top three, so it's not like she was a fluke.
"So if those breakthrough girls can now say 'I'm still part of the conversation, I'm coming back and I'm top five or top 10' then we are in for a great WTA Tour."
Vondrousova is the sixth unseeded player to win a grand slam title in the last decade, after Jelena Ostapenko, Sloane Stephens, Iga Swiatek, Barbora Krejcikova and Raducanu.
Bartoli feels it will take a while for the magnitude of her win to sink in, particularly when it was so unexpected. Vondrousova had only won four matches on grass before the tournament.
She added: "It's difficult to actually soak it in that quickly – for me, it took several days, even several weeks to be able to really understand what I just achieved, especially when you win for the first time.
"For Novak [Djokovic] or Roger [Federer] or all those players who have won Wimbledon on multiple occasions, then it almost becomes normal for them. Of course there is the happiness of achieving winning another grand slam, but it's not as much as a big deal as when it's your first one or your first Wimbledon in the case of Carlos Alcaraz.
"Especially for Marketa Vondrousova, being unseeded, it was completely unexpected for her to have that sort of run and being the total outsider in the final and coming out, playing great tennis and winning in straight sets as well.
"At the beginning of the tournament, no one would have thought to put her into the top five or top 10 contenders to go and win the title, and it is even more of a surprise after all the injuries she suffered.
"But all credit to her. She had some really tough matches, when you really have to push yourself that much you absolutely deserve to win your first grand slam title."
A new host is needed for the 2026 Commonwealth Games after the Australian state of Victoria announced on Tuesday it was pulling out.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the key issues in this story.
What has happened?
At a 3.30pm meeting in London on Monday, a Victoria state government representative informed the Commonwealth Games Federation it was withdrawing as hosts of the 2026 Games. Eight hours later, Victoria state premier Daniel Andrews went public with the news, citing estimated costs which were way above original budgets – he claimed up to seven billion Australian dollars (£3.6bn).
What happens next?
Before consideration is given to who can step in as hosts, the CGF must first agree a compensation settlement with Victoria. PA understands the CGF has already received half of its hosting fee and all of the development grant for 2026. Victoria has now entered into discussions with the CGF on settling its outstanding obligations.
“We entered into a contract with (Victoria) to deliver a Games. They are defaulting on that contract,” CGF chief executive Katie Sadleir said.
“There are a series of clauses that articulate the kind of cash flows that would have happened if the Games had gone on. We are sitting down to look at options to come to a resolution that we will be happy with.”
So who could host?
Sadleir says all options will be considered, including the UK.
“The UK are fantastic hosts and we would be very open to having a conversation with them about it, if that’s something they would be interested in doing,” she told the PA news agency.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said he hoped a “viable solution” could be found for Australia to host the Games. Asked if the British Government would encourage a UK bid, the spokesman said: “We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.”
Hasn’t this happened before?
Not quite. Durban had the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games stripped from it in 2017, with Birmingham ultimately winning the race to replace the South African city as hosts.
Doesn’t Victoria’s decision prove that staging Commonwealth Games has just become too expensive?
The costs set out by Andrews on Tuesday, if correct, are eye-watering and way above the cost of staging Birmingham 2022 (put at £778million by the British Government).
However, the CGF argues Victoria’s approach to hosting was a factor in some of those costs – it chose, for example, not to use existing sports facilities in Melbourne in favour of developing temporary sites in the regional state hubs it planned to use for the Games.
Victoria was the first Games host that was able to benefit from a new CGF hosting ‘roadmap’ which, among other things, reduced the number of compulsory sports from 16 to two and removed the requirement to provide a bespoke athletes’ village.
The British Government and Birmingham City Council would disagree that staging a Games is necessarily a money pit.
An independent report published in January this year said Birmingham 2022 had contributed £870.7m to the UK economy, with over half the economic impact generated (£453.7million) benefiting businesses and communities across the West Midlands.
Does the Commonwealth Games have a future?
Victoria’s withdrawal will again spark a debate about the relevance of the Games in the modern world. But organisers have worked hard to provide hosts with flexibility on hosting to keep costs to a minimum, while the CGF is keen to work with international sports federations on providing a global showcase for their new innovations.
Birmingham 2022 broke new ground with the introduction of 3×3 basketball, with T20 women’s cricket also making its debut at a multi-sport event and setting world attendance records.
Jonas Vingegaard seized control of the Tour de France with a huge victory in the stage 16 time trial.
The defending champion began the day just 10 seconds ahead of two-time winner Tadej Pogacar after two mountain stages over the weekend failed to find any meaningful difference between the two men who have won the previous three Tours.
But in the only race against the clock this year, Vingegaard blew away the entire field over the 22.4 kilometres between Passy and Combloux, putting 98 seconds into Pogacar to open up a significant lead with only two mountain stages remaining.
After much speculation over tactics, Pogacar chose to change bikes midway through the stage, getting on to his regular road bike for the final climb to the finish while Vingegaard stuck to his time trial machine.
Pogacar was already more than 30 seconds down on Vingegaard at that point, and the bike change brought no benefits as Vingegaard only continued to make up time. Given the way the Dane was riding, it surely did not matter what Pogacar was riding – there was no way for him to win this day.
Having started his effort two minutes behind Pogacar, Vingegaard could see his rival up the road by the time they neared the finish – knowing he now has him where he wants him with five days still to go.
Vingegaard’s Jumbo-Visma team-mate Wout van Aert was third on the stage with Simon Yates fifth and Adam Yates seventh.
That result for Adam Yates was enough to move him up to third overall, five seconds ahead of Carlos Rodriguez, although there was little sense of celebration around the UAE Team Emirates bus after Pogacar’s time losses.
It was only a second career time trial win for Vingegaard, and one with massively more significance than the one he took at the Gran Camino at the start of the season.
“I was feeling great today,” Vingegaard said. “I think it’s the best time trial I’ve ever done. I’m really proud of what I did today and really happy about the victory.
“I think today I even surprised myself with the time trial I did. I didn’t expect to do so well.”
Asked if the Tour was now over, Vingegaard added: “No. There’s still a lot of hard stages to come. We have to keep fighting the next days and we’re looking forward to it.”
Pogacar must now regroup, hoping that the Tour is not over by the time they crest the top of the Col de la Loze, the highest point of this year’s race, on Wednesday.
“There was nothing I could do more,” Pogacar said. “Maybe it was not my best day… we’ll see.”
Hot Fuss will head to the Acomb Stakes at York after breaking his maiden in style at Salisbury on Saturday.
Owned by Keith, David and Stephen Trowbridge and trained by Tom Dascombe, the son of Calyx made it third time lucky when scoring by five and a half lengths in the seven-furlong Byerley Stud British EBF Novice stakes under Liam Keniry.
Victory was compensation for a narrow defeat at 50-1 in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot under Richard Kingscote, a loss that Dascombe largely blames on himself.
“I sort of slightly kicked myself,” he said. “Our horses were not running great when Ascot was on and I suggested to Richard to ride the horse and try to finish placed. We got beat a length and a quarter.
“I said to Liam the other day, ‘boot him out the gates and this will not get beat’. I wish I’d done the same at Ascot!”
The shrewd Upper Lambourn handler will now head to the Group Three contest on the Knavesmire on August 23. Last year’s renewal went the way of subsequent Qipco 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean.
“The plan was to wait for him until Salisbury, because if he’d won by July 13, he wouldn’t be qualified for the Acomb, but (winning on July 15) now he is,” Dascombe added. “He will go there. We think he is a proper horse. Honestly, his mind is so good. He has breezed, he has run three times and he doesn’t give a monkey’s.
“From day one, I think we knew he was a good horse, but when they come from the breeze-ups you don’t really want to rev them.
“We got beat in the maiden, but I still ran him in the Chesham as I knew he was a good horse. I didn’t have the confidence in myself, rather than confidence in the horse.”
Dascombe is picking up the pieces of his training career after leaving Michael Owen’s Manor House Stables in Cheshire following a 12-year stint, a move that came as a “complete shock” to him.
Fortunately, the future is brighter and he said: “I hope we’re getting there. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it has been bloody hard. We have got some nice horses, though.”
Misty Grey, like Dascombe, is on the comeback trail. The six-year-old ran some fine races in defeat in Group company last season and having his first run since being injured at Meydan in January, was beaten a length and a half in a Listed seven-furlong contest at Chester on Saturday.
“Misty Grey’s comeback run the other day was… honestly, I nearly cried,” admitted Dascombe.
“I love that horse. I can’t explain, I absolutely adore him. He had an injury in Dubai in the winter and basically I have been too soft on him, because I didn’t want to hurt him.
“He has come out of the race great and he’s a superstar. If everybody in life tried as hard as he does, there wouldn’t be any problems in the world. If I could let him live in my house I would.”
Barbara and Alec Richmond’s gelding will now head to Newbury on August 19 for a seven-furlong Group Two contest.
“I think we will probably give him a go in the Hungerford Stakes,” said Dascombe. “He wants a flat, galloping track. On his day, he is good enough to finish in the first three.
“It will suit him and I really do think it is horses for courses.”
Dascombe is already looking ahead to next season with two promising juveniles, Bigbertiebassett and Odonnell’s Orchard.
The trainer holds the former in high regard, although admits talk of running in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket last Saturday, following an easy win in a seven-furlong Doncaster novice on his second start, was a little far-fetched.
“Bigbertiebassett is a very nice horse,” said Dascombe of the David Foy-owned colt. “He doesn’t even know he’s born. He is absolutely clueless about life.
“He is going to go for a seven-furlong Listed race at Ascot next weekend (Flexjet Pat Eddery Stakes). He is so simple, that’s the thing about him. It is like pushing a button and he’s off.
“I don’t think an Almanzor should be running over six furlongs by now, but he just finds life so easy. He is a bit like Hot Fuss. You put him in his bed and he eats, you take him up the gallop and he gallops. He’d never be your best mate, like Misty Grey, because he has got little character, apart from saying ‘let’s get on with it’.
“I was thinking about the Superlative. That was my initial reaction, but I was probably being a little bit stupid and I’m pleased we didn’t run him as I’m not sure we’d have beaten the winner (City Of Troy).
“He will go to Ascot and that just gives us another week. I just think I’m asking the horse to be doing things he shouldn’t be doing right now, but he is doing them.
“He is 100 per cent a horse for next year. We will see how he gets on at Ascot, then leave him for the autumn and see what he wants, which is probably a mile on soft ground.”
Odonnell’s Orchard was an unfancied 33-1 chance in a decent Newbury six-furlong novice earlier this month, where he finished fourth to Starlust.
However, Dascombe is expecting big things from the Caroline Ingram and partners-owned son of Invincible Army.
“He is really nice horse and he’s going for a Listed six-furlong race at Newbury on Friday (the IRE-Incentive – It Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl Stakes), he’s good.
“He’s proper and he’ll be all right. We’ll probably get beat, but I think he’s a nice horse and deserves the opportunity to run in a nice race, even though he is a maiden,” he added.
Matt Fitzpatrick described it as “interesting” and, perhaps keen to avoid making headlines, was unwilling to expand any further.
Tommy Fleetwood called it “very penal” and believes it could be pivotal to the outcome of the 151st Open Championship, while Jon Rahm’s verdict of “I see what they tried to do” was hardly effusive praise.
The subject in question was the new par-three 17th at Royal Liverpool – a hole appropriately named ‘Little Eye’ given its length and the scrutiny it continues to receive ahead of the year’s final major.
“I was chatting to one of the players who were there last week and they were saying somebody could make a really high number on that hole,” 2019 champion Shane Lowry told the PA news agency.
“I think short par threes are the best in the world as long as they’re not too tricky.”
Much will depend on the strength and direction of the wind, with the hole measuring 136 yards on the card but capable of playing even shorter.
“I see what they tried to do,” Rahm said. “The old par-three, the 15th, was the complete opposite. You had a short downhill hole, most likely downwind, with basically all the edges sloping towards the centre of the green.
“I thought it was a good hole. You could make a birdie, and if you miss the green, a bogey was lurking.
“This time they made a really difficult turtleshell par-three. If you hit a good shot, put it on the green, you have a clear look at birdie. If you miss the green, you have a clear look at bogey.
“It’s way more difficult than it was before. I get that you’re going for that on a championship Sunday. You have a one-shot lead, that hole can be pivotal.”
Tommy Fleetwood, who made his Open debut at Royal Liverpool in 2014, said: “You can be hitting anything from a seven iron to a lob wedge and honestly I’m not sure whether into the wind or downwind is easier.
“But it’s a very penal hole if you get it wrong. It will be really interesting to see how it plays and one thing’s for sure is that the Open won’t be over until you’re through with that hole.
“I would like the tee to be raised a bit so you can see the actual green where you’re trying to land it, but it’s a good hole. I think it’s better than what was there before.”
The organisers of the Commonwealth Games say they will listen to any offer from the United Kingdom to step in as emergency hosts for the 2026 event after the Australian state of Victoria’s sudden withdrawal.
State premier Daniel Andrews announced Victoria was pulling out on Tuesday, citing rising costs.
Katie Sadleir, the chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF), said her organisation was “open” to discussions with all members with a view to replacing Victoria as hosts – including the UK.
Before that, Sadleir said the CGF will work with its lawyers on agreeing a suitable compensation deal with Victoria following its withdrawal.
She told the PA news agency: “The UK are fantastic hosts and we would be very open to having a conversation with them about it, if that’s something they would be interested in doing.”
Birmingham stepped in as hosts of the 2022 Games after the CGF stripped South African city Durban of hosting rights back in 2017.
Asked if the British Government would encourage a UK bid for 2026, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman said: “We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves.”
The Downing Street spokesman had earlier said he hoped a “viable solution” could be found to hold the event in Australia.
Asked if Australia remained the CGF’s first preference, Sadleir said: “We’re open to all opportunities, but Commonwealth Games Australia are a partner with us in terms of the hosting contract that we’ve all been working to for quite some time.
“I will be meeting with (Craig Phillips, CGA’s chief executive) to talk about what other (Australian) cities and states are interested, so we will have that conversation with them. But at the same time, we must be open to having discussions with our wider members as well.”
Victoria’s withdrawal will inevitably reopen the debate about the Games’ future and the cost of staging it.
Andrews said the estimated costs to his state for the bid were now up to seven billion Australian dollars (£3.6billion).
Victoria were the first hosts who were able to take advantage of the CGF’s new ‘roadmap’, which was designed to make staging the event more cost-effective. Among the measures within the roadmap were a reduction in the number of compulsory sports from 16 to two, and the removal of the requirement for a bespoke athletes’ village.
Sadleir believes Victoria had the flexibility to stage the Games much more cheaply, but chose not to, opting to hold the event over five provincial hubs rather than centring it on Melbourne.
“The cost of the Games is in relation to what the host country wants to get out of it,” she said.
“This was an expensive, unique Games, but it was driven by what the Victorian Government wanted to do.”
Sadleir, who described the news of Victoria’s withdrawal as “devastating”, said the CGF had been given eight hours’ notice of the decision to pull out.
Sadleir said CGA chief executive Craig Phillips was “correct” in his statement earlier on Tuesday that Victoria had “wilfully ignored” recommendations that could have reduced costs, such as using existing facilities in Melbourne.
“At all times we questioned whether or not they had really thought through the dispersed model,” added Sadleir.
“They increased the number of hubs from what the original bid was. They added additional sports, they decided to invest in facilities outside of Melbourne, some of them which had limited legacy because of the pop-up nature of them. But those were decisions that they made.
“We did go back to them several times to say, ‘are you sure?’ and were assured.
“We were aware there was a budget submission, it was a paper that went to the (CGF) board in mid-April. So we were aware (of an increase in estimated costs), but we did not have those figures that are (now) in the public domain.
“We definitely did provide a variety of solutions to actually reduce the cost of the Games. They said it was their unique model and they wanted to invest in regional economic development. They did not want anything in Melbourne that was existing, they wanted to invest in the regions and at all times we were led to believe that they had the funding to do that.”
The British Government put the cost of staging the Birmingham Games last year at £778million, and an independent report published in January said the Games had already contributed £870.7m to the UK economy by that point.
Asked if she could assure athletes there would be a Games in 2026, Sadleir said: “What I can assure them is that I will be working very hard to make that happen.”
On the subject of compensation from Victoria, Sadleir said: “We entered into a contract with (Victoria) to deliver a Games. They are defaulting on that contract.
“There are a series of clauses that articulate the kind of cash flows that would have happened if the Games had gone on. We are sitting down to look at options to come to a resolution that we will be happy with.”
Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s big-hitters and emerging stars have been backed to inspire a new generation after a hugely successful showing at the Para Athletics World Championships.
Reigning Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft took gold in the women’s T34 100m and T34 800m, while Aled Davies secured a fifth world title in the men’s F63 shot put and Sammi Kinghorn a third in the women’s T53 100m.
However, 19-year-old Scot Ben Sandilands also led a group of potential future stars onto the podium in Paris with victory in the men’s T20 1500m to demonstrate the effectiveness of GB’s National Lottery-funded para athletics strategy drawn up in response to a disappointing return at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Paula Dunn, head coach for para athletics between 2012 and 2022, told the PA news agency: “We had a strategy in terms of not just looking in the short term at athletes, but building a sustainable programme, having a clear pathway of talent coming through, having talent identification and recruitment drives ahead of 2012, which was an amazing opportunity to create some role models and just increase that profile and awareness of the sport.
“We are just reaping the benefits of that long-term continued investment in the sport, which we’re really fortunate in this cycle amounts to around £9million of lottery support.
“That’s critical for our continued success. It’s nice when a strategy comes together and it starts delivering.”
In all, lottery support for para athletics has totalled £214million and the success that has helped to generate – Britain finished fourth in the medals table in Paris with 29, 10 of them gold – has made athletes such as Cockroft and sprinter Jonnie Peacock, one of the stars of the 2012 Paralympics in London, household names.
Asked how their profile has helped to attract new blood to the sport, Dunn said: “It’s critical. The children who turn on the TV this year – and definitely next year when the Paralympics are on – will see somebody who looks like them, and if you see somebody that looks like you, you’re more likely to go and have a go at that sport.
“For us, it’s critical to make sure we keep the profile high to keep that fresh blood coming into the sport.”
Success at the World Championships will only increase excitement levels ahead of next summer’s Paralympic Games, which are also taking place in Paris, although Dunn knows only too well the hard work ahead of those hoping to thrive on the global stage again.
She said: “We always deliver. Is it going to be hard? Absolutely. The Paralympics now is exceptionally competitive. We can see that there are very small margins now between success and failure.
“We’ve got a great high performance system, we’ve got funding, so we’ve got everything in place now to deliver. But these guys now will be coming back, have a short break and then again their eyes will all be on Paris 2024 to go there and deliver on the global stage once again.”
:: National Lottery players raise more than £30million a week for good causes including vital funding into sport – from grassroots to elite. Find out how your numbers make amazing happen at: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk #TNLAthletes #MakeAmazingHappen
Alflaila will make his belated return from injury at York on Saturday week in the Group Two Sky Bet York Stakes.
The Shadwell-owned colt won four times from six starts as a three-year-old last term before sustaining an injury ahead of a run in Bahrain in November.
Trainer Owen Burrows feels he has had plenty of time to recuperate and thinks an outing on the Knavesmire, where he won the Strensall Stakes last August, will bring him on.
Though not having raced since defeating Ottoman Fleet in the Group Three Darley Stakes at Newmarket in October, he is entered in the Group One Juddmonte International.
Connections are keen to see if he will cope with 10 furlongs for the first time in his career, in preparation for a possible run at the top level in the August 23 contest at York.
Burrows said: “He will run in the Group Two at York on Saturday week. He was injured in Bahrain a few days before he was due to run.
“He has had his rehab back at Shadwell and touch wood it has all gone well.
“We have had plenty of time to prepare him and there was the Listed race at Newbury on Saturday or this race, and we’d have had a penalty in the Listed race, so we thought we’d have a punt and see how he fared in the Group Two.
“He won the Strensall at York, so he is a track winner and it would be nice to get him back on the track.”
Hukum, who made a winning return following a long injury lay-off in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown, heads to Ascot for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes on the same day.
However, Prix d’Ispahan winner Anmaat is set to take his place on the sidelines due to a foot problem that ruled him out of the Eclipse.
“Losing good horses (through injury) is what I think they call ‘character-building’,” quipped Burrows. “With Anmaat now likely sidelined for the rest of the season, I think I’ve done enough character-building for now.
“Hukum is in good form, though. It will be a big weekend for us, that’s for sure.”
Shadwell decided not to supplement Al Asifah into Saturday’s Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh, with no imminent plans.
The three-year-old daughter of Frankel, trained by John and Thady Gosden, was a runaway winner of a Goodwood Listed heat in June, before finishing a lacklustre sixth to Warm Heart in the Ribblesdale Stake at Royal Ascot 11 days later.
Angus Gold, racing manager to Shadwell, said: “We have left her alone since Ascot. We will just give her a little bit of time and will bring her back gently later in the season.”
Novak Djokovic will remain a force at the top of men's tennis despite the disruption to his dominance that has been caused by Carlos Alcaraz.
That is the view of former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli after the Serbian missed out on a fifth consecutive title, which would have been a record-equalling eighth overall, at the All England Club on Sunday.
Roared on by the Centre Court crowd, Alcaraz produced a dynamic performance in the final to earn a spirited five-set victory, storming back to win having lost the first set 6-1.
Despite only just turning 20, the Spaniard now has two grand slam titles to his name, having won the US Open last year.
And it is in New York where Djokovic will look to respond to only his second loss in nine Wimbledon finals.
Despite Djokovic's setback, Bartoli is confident 23-time grand slam winner is primed to win multiple further majors and one day reach 25, saying the veteran remains the man to beat.
"As the champion it is never nice to lose for sure and it will sting for a few days," Bartoli said to Stats Perform.
"I don't think he's going to come out of this match like 'yeah, it's fine I just lost it', as you don't win 23 grand slams without being a fierce competitor and without hating to lose.
"But there is the US Open coming up this year, so there is a lot on the line for him.
"He has absolutely no points to defend [in the US Open] and then he has the year-end championship [ATP Finals] that he won at the end of last year.
"On the other end Alcaraz has the US Open to defend so it's more than likely that Novak Djokovic will be able to regain that number one ranking spot at the end of the US summer swing.
"He's going to get himself ready for that. I'm not sure what kind of schedule he will play, whether he's going to play the two Masters events before or maybe just one and go to the US Open because he's 36 and you just can't have the same schedule as someone like Carlos Alcaraz has, that is obvious.
"But can he pass and go over Margaret Court [on 24 major titles]? Absolutely. He's going to be the favourite to win the US Open equally with Alcaraz and he will be the overall favourite to win the next Australian Open.
"So absolutely it is very much more than achievable for him [to pass Court] and obviously I think by the end of 2024 that's where he should stand — at least 25 Grand Slams and alone on top of the world."
Djokovic had not lost at Wimbledon since going down to Tomas Berdych in the 2017 quarter-finals and the final was his first loss on Centre Court for 10 years, since Andy Murray beat him in the famous 2013 final, the same year when Bartoli won on the women's side.
Bartoli added: "So for sure it's just going to sting for him when he looks back at those tapes and sees back those points that he missed – two backhands during the tie-break, the drop shot that he missed in the net at 3-2 for him in the breaker, sees the swing volley that he decided to actually take in the air – maybe just let it drop and see if the ball actually will stay in the court or not.
"It is just two or three crucial points here and there that made the whole result at the end of the match change. He had set point to go up two sets to love. I think if he covered there, it is completely different.
"He had a break point at the beginning of the fifth to go 2-0 up after winning the fourth and was carrying the whole momentum with him, so he was extremely close."
Bartoli thinks the rise of Alcaraz epitomises the new style of modern players, but thinks Djokovic's complete game means he is still well-placed to mix it with rising stars.
Alcaraz is the youngest player in the Open Era to win the singles title at both the US Open and Wimbledon.
But asked if the win for Alcaraz was a changing of the guard, she replied: "No, but I felt it was a new tennis.
"It was very much a sort of new complete tennis that we'll be able to witness from the new generation of players coming in. I include in that Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner as the same [style] as Alcaraz.
"The defence is there, the court coverage is there, the speed is there, coming to the net is there, playing the dropshot is there, play aggressive and defensive, and they can last for whatever time is required on the court. And in some sort of way in the middle, there is Daniil Medvedev and Stefan Tsitsipas too.
"That's what the new tennis on the men's side is looking for. Maybe for the next 10 years or so. And I think very much Novak was up to the task [against Alcaraz].
"So I don't think it was a change of the guard. I just felt it was a new tennis and because Novak has that type of tennis obviously he can sustain that level."
Savethelastdance could have stablemate Warm Heart among eight rivals when she has another crack at Classic honours in Saturday’s Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh.
Aidan O’Brien’s charge was sent off favourite for the Betfred Oaks at Epsom after a 22-length demolition job in the Cheshire Oaks, but she could not quite catch Soul Sister and was beaten a length and three-quarters.
Fellow Ballydoyle runner Warm Heart appears to be her chief threat, with that filly stepping up from a Newbury Listed win to claim the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot. O’Brien also has Be Happy, Lambada and Library in the field, while his son Joseph can call on Ribblesdale runner-up Lumiere Rock.
The Ralph Beckett-trained Bluestocking is familiar with Warm Heart, having been beaten a head at Newbury and just under four lengths when third at Ascot.
Dermot Weld’s Azazat and the Jim Bolger-trained Comhra complete the list of possibles.
Art Power has won each of his three starts at the Curragh and Tim Easterby’s charge leads 11 contenders for the Barberstown Castle Sapphire Stakes after finishing a fair fourth in the July Cup last weekend.
Karl Burke’s ParisLongchamp Group Three winner White Lavender has been supplemented for the five-furlong contest, which also features Ladies Church, Go Athletico and Moss Tucker.
Emily Dickinson could drop back to a mile and six furlongs in the Comer Group International Curragh Cup after coming home fourth over two and a half miles in the Gold Cup at Ascot.
Fellow Aidan O’Brien contenders include Broome and Gooloogong, winner of a Navan maiden, with Joseph O’Brien’s Duke of Edinburgh Stakes winner Okita Soushi a possible for the Group Two affair.
Valiant King, who was just touched off by Desert Hero in the King George V Stakes at the Royal meeting, is another to note for O’Brien junior, as is Rosscarbery for Paddy Twomey after her luckless Pretty Polly Stakes run.
The Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesey Stakes has a rich history and after saddling Little Big Bear to win 12 months ago, Aidan O’Brien has five to pick from, headlined by narrow Chesham second Pearls And Rubies.
Twomey houses one of the key performers for Sunday’s Romanised Minstrel Stakes in Just Beautiful, winner of a Curragh Group Two when last seen in May.
Jumbly finished second on that occasion and could try her luck again, while Ger Lyons has three contenders, including recent Group Three scores Zarinsk and Power Under Me.
Coronation Stakes third Sounds Of Heaven is the star name in the Michael John Kennedy Memorial Stakes as she drops back to Group Three level and inches up to nine furlongs for Jessica Harrington.
Wigan head coach Matt Peet hopes to give out-going joint-owner and chairman Ian Lenagan a fitting send-off with more Challenge Cup glory at Wembley.
Lenagan, 77, announced last Saturday that he will stand down at the end of the season in November, ending his 16-year association with the club.
Wigan, who lifted the Cup at Wembley last season for a record-extending 20th time after victory over Huddersfield, take on Hull KR at Headingley on Sunday for a place in this year’s final.
Peet said: “I think everyone understands how much he has committed to the club, financially obviously, but in terms of emotion and dedication of his life and his family’s life.
“It would be fitting if we could get him to at least one more final. We’ll take this opportunity this week to try and do it, but we’re up against another proud club with plenty of motivation of their own.”
Since Lenagan bought the Warriors from Dave Whelan in 2007, they have been Grand Final winners four times and have won three League Leaders’ Shields, three Challenge Cups and a World Club Challenge.
Peet, promoted from assistant to head coach after Adrian Lam’s departure in October 2021, said: “I think it’s where (Lenagan) picked the club up and on and off the field, where the club was at and where he’ll leave them.
“Everything that’s gone on between will be the biggest indication and history will remember Ian Lenagan as one of the greatest leaders in the history of the club, and rightly so.
“The influence he’s had on the education in the town, community, the engagement and obviously on the field.
“He’s also made his mark on the game as a whole. Internally, we always make decisions which are best for Wigan, but he always has the bigger picture in mind of what’s best for the game.”
Peet has warned his side must produce top form if they are to beat Hull KR on Sunday to set up a Wembley showdown against either St Helens or Leigh on August 12.
Wigan lost 27-18 to Hull KR at Craven Park on the opening day of the Super League season in February and edged a 26-22 golden-point win in the return in May.
“They’ve outplayed us twice so it’s obvious anything less than our best performance of the season and we’ll not be in the final,” added Peet, who has no new injuries following Friday’s 26-12 win against Warrington.
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters, appointed as Tony Smith’s successor for the start of the season, is waiting for fitness reports on doubtful trio Ryan Hall, Jimmy Keinhorst and Elliot Minchella.
Rovers, who lost in the semi-finals to Huddersfield last season, have seen a strong Super League challenge hit by a string of injuries.
Australian Peters, 44, who played on the losing side for Wigan in the 2000 Super League Grand Final defeat to St Helens, said: “If we can beat a club like Wigan to go and play at Wembley, it would be huge.
“Everything we’ve been through, the adversity in terms of injuries, it would be massive.
“We need to enjoy ourselves, celebrate the little wins along the way, like getting to the semis, but every team wants to get to Wembley.
“If we were to do the job, it would give the club huge belief, that’s for sure.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
