Rafael Nadal will make his comeback following a year out at the Brisbane International later this month.
The 22-time grand slam champion has not played a competitive match since suffering a hip injury during his second-round defeat by Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in January.
Having initially hoped the lay-off may only be a few weeks, Nadal admitted in May that he was staring at the end of his career and that he hoped to be able to play a final year on tour in 2024.
He had surgery in June and has been gradually building up to a return that he has now announced will be at the Brisbane International, a key warm-up event for the Australian Open, beginning on December 31.
In a video on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Nadal said: “After a year away from competition, it’s time to come back. It will be in Brisbane the first week of January. I’ll see you there.”
The 37-year-old is currently ranked down at 663 having seen his 18-year stay in the top 10 end in March.
Brisbane will also mark the return of Naomi Osaka following the birth of her first child in July.
The Detroit Pistons have some positives to build off following their loss to the New York Knicks, but Monty Williams is not a fan of "moral victories".
Detroit went down 118-112 to the Knicks on Thursday, marking their 16th straight defeat.
They are 2-17 for the season and the first team since the Philadelphia 76ers in 2015-16 to lose every game in a calendar month.
Williams saw some bright sparks from his team, though he is looking for actual wins rather than moral boosts.
"I saw the fight and resiliency that we can build on," Williams said. "That's a game that we can build on.
"I'm not into moral victories. I don't know where that came from. Doesn't make sense.
"But that was something - that game, that output, that energy, production from our group - [that] is something that I'm proud of.
"That's the kind of competitive edge that we have to play with every single night.
"When you lose this many games, you got to make changes. We're not going to leave any stone unturned. We're going to look at every lineup possible to give ourselves a chance to win games and grow as a team.
"And so there may be more changes. We're just going to do everything we can to put the guys in the position to win."
Cade Cunningham echoed Williams' thoughts, adding: "Yeah, I think it's something we could definitely build off of. That's got to be our baseline, our minimum, and we can build off of that."
Baroness Harding is in line to become the first woman in the Jockey Club’s 273-year history to be appointed as senior steward.
The role is currently held by Sandy Dudgeon, but when his term expires in July, Harding is poised to take over the unpaid position chairing the Jockey Club’s main board, which sets the strategic direction of the organisation and oversees the executive functions.
Harding was appointed to the board of stewards in 2017 and it is understood she is the only name that will be put to a vote by Jockey Club members later this month.
A spokesperson for the Jockey Club – which owns high-profile racecourses such as Epsom, Newmarket, Cheltenham and Aintree – said: “Sandy Dudgeon’s term as senior steward runs until July 2024 and we will announce his successor in due course.”
Dido Harding, who is a former chief executive of TalkTalk and initially oversaw the Government’s test-and-trace programme during the coronavirus pandemic, rode more than 25 winners as an amateur jockey and owned 1998 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Cool Dawn, the horse she had ridden the previous year to finish second in the Festival hunter chase.
She more recently won the Magnolia Cup in 2017, winning Goodwood’s charity race at the third attempt having previously finished second twice.
In an engaging finale at Campion College, the Rugby League Jamaica/Flash Ship Couriers National U19 Championship concluded on Tuesday, with defending champions Cedar Grove Academy securing their second consecutive hold on the coveted title. Displaying a dominant performance, the champs successfully fended off the challenge from BB Coke High, securing a resounding 26-6 victory.
Cedar Grove's victory was anchored by standout performances from Melvin Harris and Kaden Hunter, each contributing with two tries, while Hunter also showcased his kicking prowess by adding a goal. Additional try-scorers for the champs included Jahsemia Tulloch and Tajay Brown. BB Coke's lone try came from Tyrone Davidson, and Domique Myers added a goal.
Expressing his joy over the victory, winning coach Antonio Baker remarked, “We are elated that we won. Our victory is a culmination of years of hard work and a continuation of our dominance at the U19 level, seeing that we also won the championships last year. I am very proud of the progress the boys are making and hope that they will transition to playing the sport at the adult level.”
In the battle for the third-place position, host Campion College faced a closely contested match against Calabar High, ultimately losing 2-1 on drop-goals after both teams were deadlocked in a 12-12 tie following full and extra time.
Calabar's try-scorers, Tevez Tulloch and Tyreke Hutchinson, made crucial contributions, with goals coming from Dean Griffiths and Timor Osbourne. For Campion, Deshawn Gordon and Jaleel Green scored tries, while Josiah Neil kicked two goals. In the kick-off, only Maliq Morris made a successful kick.
Australia’s Min Woo Lee produced a spectacular finish to claim a three-shot lead in the ISPS Handa Australian Open as he pursues a memorable double on home soil.
Lee, who won the Australian PGA Championship last week, carded a superb 64 at The Australian Golf Club, covering his last eight holes in six under par to get to 12 under.
The 25-year-old birdied the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th before ending his round in style with an eagle on the last, hitting a 190-yard nine iron from the pine straw under a tree to within two feet of the pin.
“[I was] a bit lucky off the tee shot on 18,” Lee admitted. “I pulled it, but I smoked it, so I knew I had a chance of carrying that bunker.
“Ended up in the nice pine straw out there and had a really good number for a nine iron, like a really big nine iron and I’ve been hitting draws all week and it kind of sat up really nicely.
“I saw the coverage and it spun left towards the hole and nearly actually went in, so really happy with that finish. It’s always nice to make an eagle whenever, but on the last hole it’s even nicer.”
Scotland’s Connor Syme and American Patrick Rodgers are Lee’s nearest challengers on nine under par after both added rounds of 70 to their opening 64s.
The ISPS Handa Australian Open brings together three separate competitions, with the men’s and women’s events and the Australian All Abilities Championship being contested at the same time.
In the women’s event, 2013 champion Jiyai Shin holds a two-shot lead over defending champion Ashleigh Buhai, while Ireland’s Brendan Lawlor shares the lead with home favourites Cameron Pollard and Lachlan Wood in the All Abilities Championship on one over.
“To be honest, this is number one for me on my schedule,” Lawlor, who won the inaugural G4D Open at Woburn earlier this year, said.
“It’s a fully inclusive event. We’re playing at the very same times as the main guys. We have full access to player lounges, practice rounds and whatever we want.
“When the guys market all abilities, all inclusive, that’s exactly what it is and it’s a joy for me to come back here.”
Officials at Newcastle have not given up hope that Saturday’s high-profile fixture will beat the cold snap, after calling a precautionary inspection for 2.30pm on Friday afternoon.
Gosforth Park is due the biggest meeting of its jumps season this weekend, with Constitution Hill set to be the star of the show in his bid for back-to-back victories in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
And having deployed frost sheets across the entirity of the track on Tuesday, the course underneath the covers was reported to be raceable on Friday morning by clerk of the course Eloise Quayle.
However, snowfall in the north east is the initial concern, and Quayle is keen to see what happens in the coming hours.
“The ground itself under the frost sheets is completely raceable, but obviously you can’t say you’re completely raceable at this stage as we’ve got frost sheets all over the track that are covered in snow, which will be difficult to get off,” she said.
“We’ve called a precautionary inspection for 2.30pm this afternoon, that is to allow for the potential snow showers to pass through before reassessing the situation.
“We’re also going to try to have a practice run of taking a sheet off the track, just to make sure that we think it’s going to be doable tomorrow morning, should it not improve much further in terms of the amount of snow that is lying on the fleece.”
Even if the course is deemed raceable on Friday afternoon, a forecast for further freezing temperatures overnight means a second inspection for raceday morning is almost certain to be called.
Quayle added: “The snow is very slowly melting very slowly in the sunshine, but temperatures-wise today we’re not looking at getting much over 3C and it will be getting sub-zero from around 4pm.
“If you were here now you’d think we were mad to even think there might be a possibility of racing going ahead, but once you actually examine the ground you’d understand why we’re going to try our best to go ahead.
“Unless we get a significant amount more snow or the removal of the sheet proves to be much more complicated than we’re hoping, I’d imagine that we’ll be reinspecting in the morning, just to double check that no frost has got into the ground overnight.
“We’ll be looking at temperatures of around minus 4C tonight and temperatures are slow to rise tomorrow, so if we’re frozen at 7.30am tomorrow there will be very little prospect of improvement. If we’re frozen at that stage, then it will be a call to be off.
“We can’t cross that bridge until we get to it and the snow could save us from the frost a bit, we’re just going to have to wait and see.
“I don’t like being stupidly optimistic, but I really wouldn’t be confident in calling it either way at this stage and we’re going to give it every chance.”
Friday’s meeting at Newbury was given the go-ahead, but a precautionary inspection has been called for 7.30am ahead of Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup card.
Covers were put down earlier in the week and they will be reapplied at the end of Friday’s meeting ahead of overnight temperatures which could dip as low as minus 4C overnight.
Newbury will fly the flag for racing in Britain on Friday, with fixtures at Doncaster and Musselburgh both called off following morning inspections.
Fairyhouse is due to stage a classy two-day fixture on Saturday and Sunday, although the opening card is subject to a 7.30am inspection.
Brendan Sheridan, Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board clerk of the course at Fairyhouse, said: “We had a slight grass frost at Fairyhouse this morning following a cold night, but the track is currently fit for racing.
“Having spoken with Met Eireann this morning, the forecast for tonight is for temperatures to get down to minus 3C and not much higher than 2C tomorrow.
“In light of that forecast, we will have an inspection at 7.30am on Saturday morning to assess the situation for day one of our Winter Festival.”
Bangor’s Saturday National Hunt meeting is subject to a precautionary inspection at 8am, while Sunday’s meetings at Leicester and Carlisle will have to pass 11.30am and 12pm checks respectively on Saturday, with Carlisle currently unraceable due to frozen patches of ground.
LeBron James will skip a Los Angeles Lakers game if it falls on the same day that his son Bronny makes his USC debut.
Bronny, 19, suffered a cardiac arrest during a team workout in July and underwent successful surgery to repair what the James family referred to as a likely congenital heart defect.
However, the teenager has now been cleared to make a return to basketball, meaning he is soon set to make his USC bow.
And a Lakers game will not stop James being there to see his son's big moment.
"Whenever he's cleared and ready to have his first game, I already told my teammates that if they play on the same day we're playing, I'm going to have to catch them the next game," James said after the Lakers lost 133-110 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"Family over everything. I've definitely got to see Bronny's first game whenever he's cleared and ready to go.
"Just a proud moment. Big-time excitement from our family for Bronny. And for USC, as well.
"It's something that he's been working towards for the last 12 weeks. And for him to get the clearance to do what he loves to do and go back to being with his teammates and put on a uniform and things of that nature, it's pretty gratifying for sure."
While Lakers coach Darvin Ham finds it difficult to assess his team's season so far, he is nevertheless thrilled to see Bronny back on the court.
"It's amazing, man," Ham said. "I'm so happy for him and their family."
Luxembourg is set to lead a four-strong team for Aidan O’Brien into battle in this year’s Longines Hong Kong International races at Sha Tin.
The son of Camelot notched a third victory at Group One level in the Tattersalls Gold Cup in the spring and was last seen going down narrowly to his dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup-winning stablemate Auguste Rodin when bidding for back-to-back triumphs in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September.
With a minor setback subsequently ruling Luxembourg out of an intended tilt at the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot, he has made the trip to the Far East to contest the Hong Kong Cup on December 10.
O’Brien said: “We were training him for the Champion Stakes in England and he got a foot bruise. It just held him up for a couple of weeks, so that’s why didn’t go there.
“Obviously it was a great run in the Irish Champion Stakes over a mile and a quarter, he’s versatile we think and he likes nice ground. We’re looking forward to him.”
While the Hong Kong Cup is one of the few major international prizes to so far elude the master of Ballydoyle, he has a far better record in the Hong Kong Vase, with Highland Reel striking gold in both 2015 and 2017 and Mogul providing him with a third success in 2020.
This year’s representative in the mile-and-a-half event is Warm Heart, winner of the Yorkshire Oaks and the Prix Vermeille at the highest level earlier this year before going down by a neck to Inspiral in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Santa Anita.
“We were debating what we’d do, I suppose either of them could have gone either way, but we just felt it was a very good run in the Irish Champion Stakes from Luxembourg,” O’Brien told the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“Warm Heart ran over 10 furlongs in America, but she’d won her two Group Ones over a mile and a half.
“She’s been very progressive, she’s thrived physically, loves nicer ground, she’s tactically quick and she doesn’t surrender. She’s been unbelievable really.”
The O’Brien raiding party is completed by the Hong Kong Mile-bound Cairo, who was second to prolific stablemate Paddington in the Irish 2,000 Guineas earlier in the year, and Aesop’s Fables, who would not be winning out of turn if plundering the Hong Kong Sprint, having finished third in the Prix de l’Abbaye and the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint on his two most recent starts.
“We were hopeful Cairo would get into Hong Kong, but he had to have a run and we were delighted with him (when third in a Listed race at Leopardstown in October),” O’Brien said.
“He obviously got a bit tired, the ground was very soft and wasn’t ideal, but his run before when he was second to Paddington was on nice ground and we’ve been very happy with his work since.
“He think he’s progressed plenty. We always thought and hoped he could be a horse that could go on to a lot of those races all over the world.
“Aesop’s Fables has been progressive all the time. We put the blinkers on before France, we were delighted there and then he ran a stormer in America.
“He’s a big horse, maybe he just took a bit of time to get the hang of it. His best two runs were over five furlongs, but he looks like he’s been coming home well in both runs. There’s every chance he should be OK over six, but we’ll learn a lot more about him.”
Friday’s meeting at Newbury will go ahead as planned, but a precautionary inspection has already been called ahead of Saturday’s Coral Gold Cup card.
The opening afternoon features two Grade Two contests, the Long Distance Hurdle and John Francome Novices’ Chase, and following a morning inspection, the venue is fit for action with the going described as good to soft, good in places on the chase course and good to soft on the hurdles track.
Covers were put down earlier in the week and they will be reapplied at the end of Friday’s card ahead of overnight temperatures which could dip as low as minus 4C overnight.
With another cold day forecast on Saturday, clerk of the course George Hill has called a 7.30am check to assess conditions.
An inspection will also take place at Newcastle on Friday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
Champion Hurdle hero Constitution Hill is set to make his seasonal bow in the Grade One feature, with fellow Nicky Henderson inmate Shishkin starring in the line up for the supporting Rehearsal Chase.
Covers were also deployed at Gosforth Park, but a precautionary inspection has been called for 2.30pm on Friday, with the track reported to be raceable despite just over a centimetre of snow.
Leicester’s Sunday card will have to pass an 11.30am check on Saturday with a hard frost anticipated on Friday night.
Tiger Woods felt sore “everywhere” after making his comeback at the Hero World Challenge on Thursday but the 15-time major winner could not hide the smile on his face after his first competitive round since April.
Woods was eight shots off the pace set by Brian Harman and Tony Finau in the Bahamas, dropping four shots in three holes between the 15th and 17th to finish three over par in a share of 18th place.
But for the 47-year-old, it felt good to blow off some cobwebs after undergoing ankle surgery in April.
“I’m sore, there’s no doubt about that,” Woods said. “We’ve got some work to do tonight. Tomorrow get back in the gym and activate and get ready for it. Hopefully hit some better shots.
“And now I know mentally what I need to do better. I think that’s something that physically I knew I was going to be OK. Mentally, I was really rusty and made a lot of errors in the mind that normally I don’t make.”
Asked where he felt sore, Woods added: “Everywhere…My leg, my back, my neck. Just from playing, hitting shots and trying to hold off shots. It’s just different at game speed, too. Game speed’s a lot different than at home speed.”
Woods birdied the third and fifth holes, but bogeys on the fourth and sixth immediately cancelled those out. He put the mental errors he made down to a lack of rhythm after so long out.
“Instead of reacting to it, I was thinking about doing it,” he said. “Then as I was thinking about it, should I do this or not, by then I’m pulling the trigger. I shouldn’t really pull the trigger. Hit a bad shot. I kept doing it time and time again.
“It was a lack of commitment to what I was doing and feeling. I’ve got to do a better job of it…
“I wanted to compete, I wanted to play. I felt like I was ready to compete and play. I hit it solid most of the day. As I said, I just didn’t mentally do the things I normally would do and I need to do.”
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns as his side downed the Seattle Seahawks at home in a high-scoring 41-35 win.
The 30-year-old completed the winning play for the Cowboys, finding Jake Ferguson with just minutes left to win their fourth game in a row.
Prescott threw for just 299 yards, while his opposing quarterback Geno Smith threw for 334 yards, matching Prescott with three touchdowns.
The Seahawks led at halftime 21-20, thanks to two touchdowns from DK Metcalf and one from Zach Charbonnet, with Smith grabbing his own touchdown just two minutes into the second half.
But the Cowboys refused to go away, scoring a touchdown in the third quarter through Tony Pollard to stay within touching distance.
In the final quarter, Metcalf ran over for his third touchdown for the Seahawks, giving his side an eight-point lead with less than 15 minutes left.
But the Cowboys rallied again with two field goals and the Ferguson touchdown pushing them to nine wins on the season.
Former British number one Johanna Konta announced her retirement from tennis on this day in 2021.
Konta, then 30, had struggled with a persistent knee problem and slipped to 113th in the rankings.
She made the announcement on social media with a post headed ‘Grateful’.
She wrote: “This is the word that I’ve probably used the most during my career and is the word that I feel explains it best in the end.
“My playing career has come to an end, and I am so incredibly grateful for the career that it turned out to be. All the evidence pointed towards me not ‘making’ it in this profession.
“However my luck materialised in the people that came into my life and impacted my existence in ways that transcended tennis.
“I am so incredibly grateful for these people. You know who you are. Through my own resilience and through the guidance of others, I got to live my dreams. I got to become what I wanted and said as a child.
“How incredibly fortunate I count myself to be. How grateful I am.”
Born in Australia to Hungarian parents, Konta moved to Europe to pursue her tennis career as a teenager, settling with her family in Eastbourne and becoming a British citizen in 2012.
A relatively late developer, Konta’s emergence at the top of the game began in 2015, and the following year she reached her first grand slam semi-final at the Australian Open and climbed into the top 10.
Her best season was arguably in 2017, when she became the first British player since Virginia Wade to make the semi-finals at Wimbledon, won the biggest of her four career titles at the Miami Open, and peaked at fourth in the rankings.
Konta slipped down the rankings in 2018 but was resurgent the following year, making another grand slam semi-final at the French Open as well as quarter-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open.
Her final match was a three-set loss to Karolina Muchova at the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati.
She made no secret of her desire to start a family – something she did not want to do alongside her career – and gave birth to daughter Emmeline the following September.
Tristan Jarry scored into an empty net and stopped 39 shots to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 4-2 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
With the Penguins protecting a 3-2 lead, Jarry stopped a dump-in and sent the puck end-to-end with 68 seconds remaining.
Jarry is the fourth goalie to score in the past 10 years, and 14th overall in the regular season. He is the first Penguins netminder to score a goal.
Jeff Carter scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Sidney Crosby and Drew O’Connor also found the back of the net for Pittsburgh, which is 2-0-1 in its last three games.
Steven Stamkos and Tanner Jeannot had first-period goals as Tampa Bay dropped its third straight following a 4-0-1 surge.
Dewar has hat trick in Wild’s win
Connor Dewar recorded his first career hat trick and added an assist as the Minnesota Wild rolled to a 6-1 rout, ending the Nashville Predators’ six-game winning streak.
Dewar appeared to score a fourth goal with just over four minutes remaining but was taken away after the Wild were ruled to be offside after a video review.
Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who have won both games under new coach John Hynes.
Hynes served as Nashville’s coach for parts of four seasons before being relieved of his duties this past offseason by new general manager Barry Trotz.
Marner carries Maple Leafs to shootout win
Mitch Marner scored three times in regulation and added the shootout winner to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 4-3 win over the Seattle Kraken.
Marner ended an eight-game drought with his second career hat trick, also accomplished in a four-goal game against Detroit on Feb. 26, 2022.
Auston Matthews also scored in the shootout and had two assists to help the Leafs improve to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.
Jared McCann scored twice as Seattle lost its third in a row (0-2-1).
Trae Young scored 45 points and drew a charge with 2.7 seconds left to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 137-135 win Thursday over the San Antonio Spurs, who lost their 13th straight game.
Dejounte Murray had 24 points and five steals against his former team as Atlanta avoided a third straight loss.
Jeremy Sochan tied his career high with 33 points on 11-of-13 shooting and Victor Wembanyama had 21 with 12 rebounds and four blocks, but the Spurs have remained winless since Nov. 2.
Young scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, going 3 for 5 from the field and 7 for 8 on free throws.
Sochan stole the ball from Saddiq Bey and was driving for the potential tying basket but was called for charging to seal San Antonio’s latest defeat.
The Spurs dominated early, leading by as many as 15 points in the first half.
Butler, Heat overcome Haliburton, Pacers
Jimmy Butler scored 36 points and the Miami Heat used a huge fourth quarter to overcome a career-high 44 points from Tyrese Haliburton in a 142-132 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Miami trailed by 13 early and took its first lead early in the fourth quarter, using a 28-6 run to take control in the opener of a two-game series.
The Heat’s 45 fourth-quarter points were the second-most in team history, topped by only a 48-point fourth against New York on March 2, 1989.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. had 24 points and Josh Richardson added 19 to help the Heat snap a three-game skid.
Haliburton scored 28 points in the first half and had 10 assists, giving him the NBA’s first game of at least 44 points and that many assists since Donovan Mitchell’s 71-point, 11-assist game for Cleveland on Jan. 2.
Brunson, Knicks send Pistons to 16th straight loss
Jalen Brunson scored 42 points and Julius Randle had 29 points with 10 rebounds as the New York Knicks extended the Detroit Pistons’ franchise-record losing streak to 16 with a 118-112 victory.
RJ Barrett had 15 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 12, hitting a pair of key 3-pointers down the stretch to help the Knicks win their third in four games.
Cade Cunningham scored 31 points and Killian Hayes contributed 23 as Detroit completed a winless November and lost their 13th straight against New York.
The Pistons haven’t won since a victory over Chicago on Oct. 28 left them 2-1.
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers took criticism of their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers "to heart" as they bounced back with a comfortable 133-107 win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
The Lakers suffered a heavy 138-94 defeat to the 76ers on Monday, with the 44-point losing margin the largest in James' long career, one that stretches back to 2003.
But the Lakers hit back with an easy win over an overwhelmed Pistons team, and James felt he and his team-mates utilised the scathing assessments of the 76ers defeat to their advantage as they got back to winning ways in emphatic fashion.
"I think we responded well and we played a lot better," James said after the win. "We gave ourselves a better chance defensively.
"We got out to a lot of their shooters that we thought could make shots from the perimeter, but we also controlled the paint. And, you know, that was very key.
"We just took constructive criticism, and we took it to heart and then we applied it to the game.
"It [the criticism] got me a little bit, [but] the next day when we left to come here, it was time to focus on the Pistons."
Willie Green believes Zion Williamson is "starting to find his rhythm" after his 33 points led the New Orleans Pelicans to a 124-114 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday.
Williamson went 11 of 12 from the field as the Pelicans moved to 10-9, taking advantage of the absence of reigning MVP Joel Embiid and ensuring the 76ers fell to 12-6.
Pelicans head coach Green is delighted with the play of Williamson, who has now scored at least 26 points and managed five assists in his last six games, saying: "He was great. He attacked the basket. Getting to the paint was something we were big on.
"He's been knocking off some rust. You can see he's getting better and better as we progress. He's starting to find his rhythm.
We're putting him in different situations and he's thriving, so it's fun to see."
With Embiid out through illness, Philadelphia struggled without their key man, and 76ers head coach Nick Nurse was frustrated with his team's display after the game.
"We cannot use that [Embiid's absence] as an excuse, and we won't," Nurse told reporters. "What put us in a big hole is we didn't go out and execute our defensive schemes the way we wanted to from the start of the game."
Downbeat Ronnie O’Sullivan has warned he will continue “stinking out gaffes” after he limped into the quarter-finals of the UK Snooker Championship with a 6-5 win over Robert Milkins in York.
O’Sullivan, who is playing in trainers due to suffering from the heel injury plantar fasciitis, made his frustration clear as he almost blew a 5-3 lead before rallying to earn a last-eight slot against Zhou Yuelong.
“I don’t understand how this game works,” shrugged O’Sullivan. “I gave up a long time ago. I just keep turning up and stinking out gaffes. I stunk it out today and I’ll stink it out tomorrow. You’ll have to get a mask to watch me play.”
Despite hitting a 142 in frame five, O’Sullivan, who is aiming for a record eighth UK crown, was far from his best, and expressed his irritation after serving up one of three glorious opportunities for Milkins in the decider by dropping his cue onto the table.
But Milkins, whose solitary win over O’Sullivan in 11 previous attempts had come at the single-frame Shoot-Out in 2002, failed to capitalise, missing a pink then a simple red to middle, before finally dangling a red over the bottom pocket that effectively sealed his fate.
The win extended O’Sullivan’s stay in the city for at least one more day, ring-fencing enough ranking points to give him hope of preserving his status prior to the festive period, when he intends to skip the Scottish Open then jet off for a Christmas Day exhibition in Macau.
“I just don’t want it bad enough any more,” added O’Sullivan. “I’m having to dig deep. When I was younger I didn’t have to dig deep, I was so hungry, and now I’m just thinking I don’t really care.
“It’s nice if I get through but I don’t actually want to work that hard. That’s why I like doing my exhibitions, my own shows in China. It’s still competitive but it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, you can have a drink after and a bite to eat.
“Competitive sport is hard, it’s not just about how good you are but how much you want it. I still want to play, I still like the lifestyle and the travelling. But I’m not going to kill myself out there, it’s not worth it.”
O’Sullivan’s judgement was off from the start, allowing Milkins, whose career has been revitalised since his first ranking title win at the Welsh Open in February which sent him into the world’s top 16 for the first time, to capitalise and establish a 2-0 lead.
It should have got even better for Milkins, who had a glorious chance to go 3-0 in front before a simple missed red allowed O’Sullivan to produce a quickfire response of 86, followed by a 53 in the fourth frame which took him into the interval level at 2-2.
A brilliant 142 total clearance sent O’Sullivan in front for the first time, and another Milkins error in the next, when he broken down on a black on 52, allowed O’Sullivan to sweep up to go 4-2 in front.
The game’s momentum continued to swing, as Milkins reduced the deficit with a coolly-dispatched 91, then O’Sullivan responded with an 83 to edge one frame from victory.
Milkins hit back again, with a superb 120 before O’Sullivan missed a simple missed blue in the next, showing more frustration with a rash attempt to escape from a snooker that served up his opponent with the simplest of chances to pull level.
Milkins could hardly have hoped for a better chance to end his career-long drought over multi-frame matches, but the nerves clearly got the better of him, and he was inevitably made to pay for his misses as O’Sullivan rallied to clinch a thoroughly underwhelming win.
John Higgins’ hopes of setting up another showdown with his long-time rival were dashed when he fell 6-3 to Zhou in another erratic affair, sending the Chinese player into the quarter-finals for only the second time in his career.
Zhou was whitewashed in both previous meetings with O’Sullivan in York, in 2018 and in last year’s last 16, but said: “I have beaten some good players this week and it has given me confidence that this time against Ronnie it will be different.”
The Owners Group were celebrating at Taunton as the well-regarded Will Carver made a winning reappearance on Thursday afternoon.
The Nicky Henderson-trained eight-year-old impressed when a novice hurdler, but then suffered an injury that kept him sidelined for over 600 days and has only been seen once since the summer of 2021.
Following an uneventful comeback run in February the gelding has spent another 278 days waiting for suitable conditions – but made connections’ patient approach worthwhile when sent off the 3-1 co-favourite for the Stables Business Park Handicap Hurdle in Somerset.
Not far off the lead throughout in the hands of James Bowen, he made smooth headway to hit the front with two flights of hurdles to jump, with even a blunder at the last not enough to stop him romping to an eight-length success from fellow market leaders Decorated and Afadil.
Having scored readily off a mark of 126, bigger days could now lie in wait for Will Carver, including a possible switch to the larger obstacles if his Seven Barrows handler deems him ready for a change of discipline.
“He’s only had one issue after his run in Perth in 2021 and we gave him loads of loads of time,” said Dan Downie of Owners Group.
“Because we gave him loads of time, we didn’t want to run him back on very quick ground and that is why we only ran him once last season. He’s only had the one issue and we’ve just had to be very very patient with him.
“He’s a horse that we have always been quite excited about anyway and particularly going chasing. I haven’t spoken to Nicky and I’m not sure if we’ll go straight to chasing or stick to hurdles for a bit longer, but the plan was always to go chasing at some point.
“He’s a horse we’ve always held in high regard, but when they have had that much time off you can’t be expecting too much, so we are delighted.”
Peter Scudamore is well aware Ahoy Senor has plenty on his plate when he bids to become the first horse since Denman to carry top-weight to victory in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday.
The eight-year-old produced a tremendous performance to land a Grade Two novice chase by 31 lengths at this meeting in 2021 and went on to round off his novice campaign with a Grade One success at Aintree.
He found life more difficult when stepping into open company last term, but did manage to win the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham and was second to Shishkin on his return to Aintree in the spring.
For the second year in succession Ahoy Senor failed to fire on his reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, but Scudamore – partner and assistant to trainer Lucinda Russell – hopes he can at least take a step forward under the welter burden of 12st back at the Berkshire venue.
“We’re hoping for a big run. It’s a big ask for him, but he’s won round Newbury and we’re looking forward to it,” he said.
“He’s come on since Wetherby – I’m happier with him than I was going into the Charlie Hall.
“He’ll be a big price and if he finished in the first four, I’d be delighted.”
Denman twice won the historic handicap under top-weight, carrying 11st 12lb to victory in his Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning season in 2007 before regaining his Newbury crown in 2009.
Ahoy Senor will concede upwards of 12lb to his rivals this weekend in the hands of Derek Fox, with the Sam Thomas-trained Stolen Silver next in the weights on 11st 2lb.
Denman’s trainer Paul Nicholls this year relies on the well fancied Complete Unknown as he goes in search of a fourth victory in the race as a trainer. He also won back-to-back runnings of what was the Hennessy Gold Cup during his riding career aboard Broadheath and Playschool in the 1980s.
Jonjo O’Neill’s Monbeg Genius and Dan Skelton’s Midnight River are also prominent in the market, as are the Irish pair of John McConnell’s Mahler Mission and the Gavin Cromwell-trained Stumptown.
Jamie Snowden has declared Datsalrightgino and Ga Law, although the latter’s first preference is to run against Shishkin in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle if the meeting survives.
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