Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl cornerback Marlon Humphrey will miss the start of the upcoming season due to a lingering foot injury that will require surgery. 

NFL.com reported Wednesday that Humphrey, Baltimore's top cornerback, is expected to miss about a month and likely will be unavailable for the Ravens' first two games.

Head coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Humphrey will have surgery Wednesday, but was optimistic the seventh-year veteran wouldn't miss a large amount of time.

"It's not going to be a long-term deal," Harbaugh told reporters following Wednesday's practice. 

"It's been a lingering thing," Harbaugh said of Humphrey's injury. "It's something we want to take care of now instead of waiting."

The Ravens have already been hit hard by injuries at the cornerback spot this summer.

Damarion Williams, a candidate to be the team's primary slot defender, underwent left ankle surgery earlier this week and is expected to be out until October. Rock Ya-Sin, the projected outside starter opposite Humphrey, has not practised for nearly two weeks due to a knee injury but is expected to be fine for the season's start.

"We have guys ready to play, and we'll see what we can do," Harbaugh remarked. 

Humphrey earned his third career Pro Bowl nod in 2022 after recording 71 tackles, three interceptions and three sacks while starting all 17 games. The 27-year-old has started at least 12 games for the Ravens in each of the past four seasons.

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 August 16.

Football

England’s players celebrated reaching their first Women’s World Cup final.

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The country celebrated the Lionesses reaching the World Cup final.

A tennis great was privileged to be there.

Jurrien Timber has a long road to recovery.

Jose Mourinho counted down to the new Serie A season.

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David Beckham reflected on a big night for Inter Miami.

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Jude Bellingham responded to some teasing.

Cricket

Ben Stokes came out of retirement.

Golf

Justin Rose thanked the Chicago Cubs for a fun evening.

Tennis

Ridiculous from Carlos Alcaraz.

Chris Evert enjoyed some tennis.

Porta Fortuna could be set for a step up in trip for the Moyglare Stud Stakes following her second in the Phoenix Stakes.

Donnacha O’Brien’s youngster was unbeaten in her first three starts, landing a Curragh maiden before scooping Group Three honours at Naas and moving on to Royal Ascot, where she provided her handler with his first winner at the big meeting when finding the target under Frankie Dettori in the Albany Stakes.

Tasked with both taking on the colts and moving up to Group One company at the Curragh, she may have lost her unbeaten record, but her reputation remained unblemished having chased home impressive winner Bucanero Fuerte for the silver medal.

The daughter of Caravaggio is now set to return to competing against her own sex as connections contemplate a move up to seven furlongs for the Moyglare on September 10, with Newmarket’s Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (September 30) another Group One contest for which Porta Fortuna holds an entry.

“She ran really well and we were delighted with her,” said O’Brien.

“We’re still not 100 per cent sure, but there’s a good chance we will take a look at the Moyglare and we will train her towards that and see. She will have the option of the Cheveley Park after that also.

“I think she has plenty of speed, so I think six or seven furlongs won’t be a problem either way and she’s open to either.

“The winner looked a good horse and to go against the colts isn’t easy but she ran really well.”

Regal Reality will try for a second win in the Tattersalls Sovereign Stakes at Salisbury, three years after his first success in the race.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the eight-year-old showed he was as good as ever when winning the Diomed Stakes at Epsom on Derby day under Ryan Moore.

Richard Kingscote takes over in the saddle on this occasion, just as he did three years ago, but Regal Reality must shoulder a 3lb penalty for his Epsom success.

The consistent Chichester has his first outing for Charlie Johnston.

With Stoute in his early days, he joined Dalgleish for 30,000 guineas in October 2020 and won on his first start for new connections the following April.

Just touched off at Newcastle on All-Weather Finals Day, his last outing for Dalgleish saw him win a Listed race at York.

Kevin Stott takes the rides and said: “He’s very straightforward, easy to ride and always tries his heart out. I personally think he is good enough to win a Group race and the mile at Salisbury looks ideal.”

Mighty Ulysses represents John and Thady Gosden, who claimed the prize two years ago with Megallan.

A Listed winner last year, Mighty Ulysses was off for almost a year after finishing down the field as the beaten favourite in the Strensall Stakes at York last August.

He made his comeback recently in the Summer Mile at Ascot, where he was fifth to Master Of The Seas.

Owner Saeed Suhail’s racing manager Bruce Raymond said: “I suppose having been off for so long his comeback at Ascot was satisfactory.

“We’ve always thought he’s quite a nice horse and I know John is heading there.

“He’s got cheekpieces on for the first time, so John must think that is something that he needs, but I’m expecting him to improve a good bit from Ascot given that was his first run for so long.”

Roger Varian’s Embesto, who lost his unbeaten record behind Stoute’s Nostrum at Newmarket, Charlie Hills’ Pogo and Roger Teal’s Dancing Magic complete the field.

The British Horseracing Authority expects to unveil the 2024 fixture list in mid-September, with approximately 160 new premier cards planned.

A shake-up of the racing calendar was announced in May, with the BHA outlining its aim to grow the sport’s reach, appeal to new fans and better engage existing customers in the hope it will generate extra revenues which will in turn boost prize money levels.

Part of the changes unveiled was the introduction of premier fixtures, which will offer higher prize money and feature better horses, with a two-hour slot on a majority of Saturday afternoons limited to two of the premier cards and one other meeting for a two-year trial period. Other fixtures scheduled on those days will have to start either earlier or later.

The 2024 fixture list is nearing publication, when details of what constitutes a premier fixture will be confirmed, and Richard Wayman, the BHA’s chief operating officer, thinks the number of premier fixtures planned indicates the desire of tracks to be involved.

He said: “If every racecourse continued their 2023 behaviour into 2024, we would have had about 115 or 117 premier fixtures that would effectively meet the criteria we’ve set.

“We are looking at the moment at around 160 premier fixtures in 2024, which I think gives an indication there is significant change in those fixtures, that racecourses are changing their behaviour and wanting to be part of staging premier fixtures.”

Wayman said around 20 premier fixtures are scheduled on Sundays, which represents “a reasonable step up in quality”, while details of a pilot for six Sunday evening meetings in the early part of the year on the Flat are being finalised.

Concerns have been raised that premier fixtures would result in less funding for lower-grade racing and Wayman added: “Part of creating premier fixtures involves investing more money.

“There is a combination of measures we are looking at as to how that extra money would be generated from requests to Levy, some redistribution of money into premier, but also asking the Levy Board for additional prize money support to support the strategy. The Levy Board doesn’t meet until September so they will consider that then.

“Racecourses are looking to invest some of their own revenues into these premier fixtures and in terms of wanting to stage some of these fixtures, they will be thinking about how they distribute their own budget across the year and one would imagine there will be some redistribution from within racecourse budgets too.”

During a media conference, the BHA’s director of communications and corporate affairs Greg Swift offered an update on ongoing work concerning Levy reform, with various pieces of work having been submitted in recent months and subsequent meetings held with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as “a sustainable Levy process” is sought going forward.

Swift also outlined the BHA’s response to proposed affordability checks for gamblers, saying “sweeping blanket checks” would be “unacceptable” whilst outlining a collective approach from across the industry to respond to the Gambling Commission’s consultation process on the matter.

Last year’s Derby winner Desert Crown remains on course for a sizzling clash with Paddington and Mostahdaf in next week’s Juddmonte International having come through his latest gallop in good style.

The four-year-old was put through his paces by Ryan Moore, who will be on Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington on the Knavesmire, in a spin on Wednesday morning.

Desert Crown has only been seen once since his Epsom victory, when he lost his unbeaten record in finishing second to Hukum in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes in May.

He was then a late absentee from the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, with familiar adversary Hukum taking home the Ascot showpiece.

“Desert Crown worked this morning, he worked nicely and everybody was happy with him,” said Bruce Raymond, racing manager to owner Saeed Suhail.

“He’s not a great worker, as has been stated before, but everyone was very happy with him this morning and everything went as well as expected.”

William Buick had been announced as his jockey in the King George before he was ruled out, but he is expected to be aboard next week.

“William didn’t ride him. Ryan Moore rode him this morning. He’s ridden him a lot of times at home and Sir Michael just sometimes likes a different opinion,” Raymond went on.

“It’s really shaping up into a great race. One thing I can definitely tell you is this horse needed it badly at Sandown, it wasn’t said at the time but Michael was quite surprised how much he was blowing afterwards.

“He had worked on the grass but nowhere near as much as we would have liked as it kept on pouring down.

“Having spoken to Richard Hills (assistant racing manager for Shadwell, owners of Hukum), their horse had been working really, really well for a long time, so we met a very fit horse that day and he’s gone on to prove again he is a very good horse as he’s one of the favourites for the Arc.

“We’re looking forward to next week. Where else could you take a horse like that? He’s got to go somewhere and when you are in his class, there are only certain races you can run in.”

The Aquatics Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) will host the 27th Goodwill Swimming Championship in Kingston, at The National Aquatic Centre from Friday, August 18 - Sunday, August 20. Three hundred swimmers from the national federations of Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks and Caicos are expected to participate in the regional meet alongside hosts Jamaica.

The Goodwill Swimming Championship is a premier swim meet in the Caribbean, and it is also seen as a launching pad toward higher levels of competition.

Friday will begin with an opening ceremony starting at 4:30 pm followed by five events in the pool. The 100m freestyle will lead off the action in the water, followed by the 50m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 4x50m mixed freestyle relay and 4x100m freestyle relay. Action will begin at 9:00 am and end at 1:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Each National Federation has a maximum of 40 swimmers - four boys and four girls in the age groups eight and under, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, 13 to 14 and 15 to 17. The member countries of the Goodwill Swimming Championship host the meet on an annual rotation basis. Trinidad and Tobago were last year’s hosts.

Patrons can expect an exciting three-day meet with fierce competition. At last year’s staging, Jamaica’s team of 25 swimmers surpassed expectations by winning 92 medals (33 gold, 37 silver, 22 bronze), setting new meet records and two age-group high point trophies.

Prior to the 26th edition, Jamaica’s highest tally was 65 medals at the 2019 staging in Suriname. The team amassed a total of 1,002 points to finish 2nd behind Trinidad and Tobago who won with 1,442 points and Barbados was 3rd with 723 points last year.

"It has been a real honour for Jamaica to have been asked to host this year's Goodwill especially when we were only ratified as a Goodwill country in 2022. I am delighted to be welcoming the various participating countries and we now wait with bated breath for the exciting competition” said Georgia Sinclair - VP Swimming ASAJ and Chairperson of Goodwill, LOC.

Jamaica’s National Swim Team Head Coach Gillian Millwood also added "The swimmers are ready to go and excited to welcome our visitors for a fun cultural exchange. It’s going to be a truly treasured Meet as over the past 5 years of our participation we’ve witnessed swimmers continuing their swimming journey. Some are headed to college in August, others are preparing for the World Junior Championship in Israel in September, while some are in El Salvador preparing for CCCAN. We are ready for more swimming!"

Jamaica's hosting the championships was made possible by the support of sponsors that include the Sports Development Foundation, Main Event, Gatorade, SportsMax, Rosh Marketing, Island Smiles, Wynlee Sportswear, Grace Kennedy, Sterling Asset Management Ltd, Everything Creative Ltd, iPrint Group, Cari-Med Group, The Herald Printers, Medical Disposable Supplies Ltd, Leo Hudson Photography, Iron Rock Insurance, Amazing Concrete Finishes Ltd, National Water Commission, National Road Operating & Construction Company Ltd, National Works Agency, Rainbow Awnings, Transport Authority, Caribbean Broilers, Scotia Insurance, Pure National Ice, Armbands Plus, Digicel and Recycling Partners of Jamaica.

World Rugby has come under pressure to act after Owen Farrell’s red card against Wales was overturned in a decision that has caused uproar across the game.

Farrell was sent off in the second half of Saturday’s 19-17 victory at Twickenham after his yellow card for a shoulder-led tackle to the head of Taine Basham was upgraded to a red by the bunker review system.

While the England captain was expected to face a ban that would rule him out of the start of the World Cup, a disciplinary hearing instead concluded that the offence was worthy of a sin-binning only, clearing him to play.

Six Nations, who oversee the warm-up fixtures, have a policy of not publishing written judgements, but are facing calls to make the detailed reasoning behind the independent panel’s decision public.

They have the power to appeal the verdict and so do World Rugby, who will examine the report before making a decision.

Progressive Rugby, a player welfare lobby group, believe the sport’s global governing body must intervene.

“World Rugby must emerge from its corporate bubble of stakeholder management and delegated responsibility to bare its teeth,” Progressive Rugby said on Twitter.

“For it to demonstrate it WON’T stand still on player welfare, that it IS the game’s number one priority and that they won’t tolerate being undermined.”

Last year’s Prix du Jockey Club and Coral-Eclipse winner Vadeni has been retired to stand at stud.

Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget and owned by the Aga Khan, the son of Churchill finished second to Alpinista in last year’s Prix de l’Arc de Triopmphe.

He was also third to Luxembourg in the Irish Champion Stakes but finished a long way behind that same rival when last seen in the Tattersalls Gold Cup and connections have decided now is the best time for him to head to the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval stud to stand as a stallion.

“We are delighted to have Vadeni join the team at Haras de Bonneval, and he will come to stud with a very exciting profile,” said Georges Rimaud, the owner’s racing manager on www.agakhanstuds.com.

“A Stakes winner at two, he showed a fantastic turn of foot to win the Prix du Jockey Club by a record five-length margin at three, proved the best of a stellar field in the Eclipse Stakes, and placed in both the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Irish Champion Stakes.

“He showed a great constitution and temperament that enabled him to perform with distinction at the highest level not just in France but also in Ireland and the UK.

“He is everything you would want in a racehorse – precocious, fast, sound and consistent, and a dual Group One winner. After two busy seasons, he ran a great race to come second in the Arc in testing conditions on his first try at 12 furlongs, and it possibly took more out of him than we thought. We have therefore taken the decision to retire him now and focus on the next chapter ahead of him.

“Like Siyouni, he hails from a prolific Lagardère family that consistently produces good horses, and he is bred on the successful cross of Galileo and Monsun – so he boasts an excellent pedigree to go with his race record.”

Dominic Ffrench Davis is favouring a tilt at the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at the end of next month with his star filly Persian Dreamer.

The daughter of Calyx provided the Lambourn handler with the biggest win of his career to date in the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes on the July course.

She is unbeaten in two outings at Newmarket having won on debut at the Craven meeting on the Rowley Mile, before suffering defeats at York and Royal Ascot.

Her Newmarket record, though, means French Davis favours the Cheveley Park over a trip to Ireland for the Moyglare Stud Stakes.

“It was an absolutely fabulous day winning the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes with her and it is what dreams are made of.

“She is a smashing filly and she showed us on that ground what she can do. Hopefully, we will get similar ground back at Newmarket for the Cheveley Park.

“It is down to the team what they do. She has an entry in the Moyglare, but I think she will probably only have one go at a Group One this year. It is up to them whether that is the Moyglare, Cheveley Park or Fillies’ Mile.

“My inclination is to go for the Cheveley Park. She has been to Newmarket twice and she has come away with a win both times.

“Keeping her to six furlongs as well this season would probably be the way to go forward.”

Wing Alex Cuthbert and centre Johnny Williams will make their first appearances of Wales’ World Cup warm-up schedule against South Africa on Saturday.

Williams partners Mason Grady in midfield, while there are also starts for the likes of scrum-half Kieran Hardy and hooker Elliot Dee.

Flanker Jac Morgan will captain Wales for the second time in three games, suggesting he is a firm favourite to skipper Wales at the World Cup.

Taine Basham, meanwhile, is among the replacements for the Springboks’ Principality Stadium visit.

Basham failed a head injury assessment following a shoulder-led tackle to his head by England captain Owen Farrell at Twickenham last weekend.

Farrell was sent off, but in a decision that sent shockwaves throughout the rugby world his red card was overturned by a disciplinary panel.

The Welsh Rugby Union said that Basham “was not a confirmed concussion following completion of all three stages of the head injury assessment (HIA) protocol”.

Even for Luca Cumani it is hard to believe 20 years have passed since the fabulous Falbrav landed the Juddmonte International during a solitary but sensational season on British soil.

Described by his trainer as “the Muhammad Ali of the racing world”, Falbrav had already proven himself a top-class performer by the time he joined the Bedford House maestro, having won two Group Ones in Italy and the Japan Cup under Frankie Dettori the previous year.

That international success at Nakayama proved to be his last for Cumani’s fellow Italian Luciano d’Auria as Falbrav moved to Newmarket for what proved to be his final campaign.

“It doesn’t feel like 20 years ago at all, it feels more like five or six years,” said Cumani.

“The owner had raced him for three years in Italy and he thought it was time to see what he could do on the international circuit.

“I think he came to me in around February of his five-year-old year and we started from there.”

The 74-year-old revealed that while Falbrav’s ability did not immediately shine through, it did not take him long to realise he had something special on his hands.

He added: “It wasn’t immediately obvious how good he was as he was a very laid-back horse who didn’t show you much when he was just cantering, but from the first time he galloped and did a piece of work, you could see that he had instant acceleration and was very powerful.”

Falbrav headed back to the continent to make his first couple of starts for his new trainer, finishing third in the Prix Ganay in April before securing further Group One glory in the Prix d’Ispahan the following month.

He could finish only fifth behind Nayef in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, but turned the tables to win a humdinger of a Coral-Eclipse at Sandown.

Another defeat at Ascot in the King George followed, but Cumani never lost faith.

He said: “His run in the Ganay was a good start – he showed that he belonged, but he needed to improve. And sure enough he improved on his second start when he won the Prix d’Ispahan.

“He won the Eclipse in very good style and the mile and a half and the softer ground didn’t really suit him in the King George, but I remember there was some sort of bonus on offer, otherwise we probably wouldn’t have run him.”

Dropping back in trip on a quick surface at York the following month, hopes were high that Falbrav could again bounce back from disappointment in the Juddmonte International.

Always travelling well in the hands of Darryll Holland, Cumani’s ace kicked in the turbo to propel himself two lengths clear of Magistretti, with his old rival Nayef back in third.

Cumani said: “I was certainly hopeful going to York. In the whole of my career, I’ve never been confident as you never know what might happen in a race. My favourite saying was when it comes to horses and women – never confident, always hopeful!

“It definitely was one of his best performances. He sat behind the pace and when Darryll asked him to quicken with three furlongs to go, he put the race to bed immediately.

“Once Darryll gave him a bit of rein he showed a good burst of speed, got to the lead and held on to the line and won by a couple of lengths.”

Following his success on the Knavesmire, Falbrav was beaten a neck by High Chaparral in the Irish Champion Stakes. Connections attempted to have the result reversed on appeal following interference, but were unsuccessful.

Cumani’s charge gained some compensation in the QEII at Ascot, after which he was again trumped by High Chaparral in a Breeders’ Cup Turf for the ages at Santa Anita, before fittingly rounding off his career with an eighth Group One success in the Hong Kong Cup.

“The Irish Champion Stakes was slightly controversial as I think Mick Kinane rode two horses that day – he was riding High Chaparral and Falbrav!” Cumani recalled.

“He held Falbrav tight in a pocket against the rail and Darryll could never really get down to ride the horse properly and we were beaten a neck, so he was a bit unlucky.

“It was fantastic, that win in Hong Kong again showed what a good horse he was. He did it very easily and showed his trademark turn of foot with a couple of furlongs to run.”

Falbrav ran in 10 top-level races in the space of eight months for Cumani, winning five.

The trainer feels his overall record of eight Group One wins achieved in five different countries is testament to the horse’s class and constitution.

He said: “He had an amazing year with all the travelling he had to do, going to America and back and Hong Kong after that.

“He was a bull of a horse – I always used to say he was the Muhammad Ali of the racing world.

“He would definitely have to be one of the best horses I trained.”

Stuart McInally’s rugby career is over after the long-serving Edinburgh hooker was one of four players cut from Scotland’s 33-man World Cup squad.

The 33-year-old, who captained the national team at Japan 2019, announced at the end of last season that he would retire after this autumn’s showpiece in France to become an airplane pilot but, after being part of the training squad this summer, he has not made the final selection.

Scrum-half Jamie Dobie, tighthead prop Murphy Walker and back-row Josh Bayliss are the other three players who have been released from the squad.

The omission of the latter trio was not a major surprise given they have only accumulated 10 caps between them so far.

McInally won his 49th and final cap in last Saturday’s 30-27 defeat by France in Saint-Etienne.

First-choice number nine Ben White is in the squad, indicating that he has been given the all-clear after seeing a specialist this week about the ankle injury that forced him off against France a week past Saturday.

Fourteen of the 33 players Gregor Townsend has selected were also in his squad for the last World Cup, while four of them – Grant Gilchrist, WP Nel, Richie Gray and Finn Russell – will be going to the tournament for a third time.

Rookie Bobby Miller pitched one-hit ball over six innings to lead the Los Angeles Dodgers to their ninth straight win, 6-2 over the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.

Miller allowed his only hit to the first batter he faced and earned his first win since July 22. He struck out four and walked one before Ryan Yarbrough pitched three innings for his first career save.

The Dodgers sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs in the sixth to knock out starter Adrian Houser.

J.D. Martinez doubled off the wall in left to score Will Smith, who reached on a throwing error by third baseman Andruw Monasterio.

Pinch-hitter Kike Hernandez singled home a pair of runs off reliever Hoby Milner and scored on Miguel Rojas’ single before Mookie Betts’ RBI single made it 6-1.

Los Angeles has outscored opponents 54-21 during the nine-game streak to open a nine-game lead over San Francisco in the NL West.

Carlos Santana homered for NL Central-leading Milwaukee, which had a four-game winning streak snapped but remained 3 ½ games of the Cubs and Reds.

 

Elder goes 7 as Braves 1-hit sliding Yankees

Bryce Elder was nearly unhittable for seven innings, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Marcell Ozuna went deep and the Atlanta Braves beat the struggling New York Yankees 5-0.

The Yankees’ only hit of the night was a second-inning DJ LeMahieu single off Elder, who bounced back from losses in his previous two starts to pitch his best game of the year.

A.J. Minter and Kirby Yates pitched an inning each to complete the one-hitter for the MLB-best Braves, who have won seven of their last nine.

Acuna stayed on his MVP-caliber pace by hitting his 26th home run and scoring two runs. He is hitting .368 this month with a 1.040 OPS.

The last-place Yankees continued their slide, falling to 11-18 since the All-Star break and dropping to .500 for the first time since May 1.

 

Mariners recover to beat Royals

Ty France singled home a pair in the 10th inning and the Seattle Mariners topped the Kansas City Royals 10-8 after blowing a seven-run lead.

Seattle took an 8-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth but were unable to hold a late lead for the second straight night.

An error and two walks loaded the bases with two outs before Michael Massey delivered a two-run single. Salvador Perez followed with another hit to make it 8-8.

Seattle scored seven runs in the fourth inning off Jordan Lyles, starting with back-to-back home runs by Eugenio Suarez and France before Teoscar Hernandez followed Cal Raleigh’s walk with a longball of his own.

Jose Caballero doubled home a run later in the inning and scored on Josh Rojas’ first home run of the season.

Hernandez tied a career high with five hits and had three RBIs, while France went 4 for 6 with three RBIs.

Kansas City cut the deficit to 7-5 in the fifth, highlighted by Bobby Witt Jr.’s second grand slam in 18 days.

Despite being out of competition for a while, Sean Morris showed no signs of rust, as he outclassed rivals in the Jamaica Golf Association (JGA) two-day Independence Golf Classic at the Sandals Golf & Country Club in St. Ann recently.

Morris, who was the only golfer to post an under-par score during the tournament, won by five shots. He shot six over par 77 on the first day but roared back on the second day with a two under par 69 for a total score of four over par 146 in the Men Senior 0-6 section.

"A lot has been happening in my game for the last couple months where I started getting back into the heat of competition. I actually had some new shaft installed in my driver and in my three wood and my irons. This is about the fourth outing since the irons have been fitted, so the win is a significant one in the quest for getting the golf game sharper and more consistent. The game is rounding into shape,” Morris said.

“I went there with a lot of resolve and determination to play the best that I could. My short game was really in good form, and it was the key to the victory. The greens are small at Sandals and require a lot of short game performance, so I am just happy for the win," he added.

The first day leader, Tenny Davis, who shot par 71 then, had a rough second day after scoring 10 over par to end on a combined score of 10 over par 152, which saw him pacing third. Delroy Johnson, who shot 74 and 77, was one stroke ahead on 151 in second place.

On the Ladies side, Diane Hudson posted scores of 90 and 93 for a total score of 41 over par 183 to take the category by two shots, ahead of Judith Slater 185 (93 and 92) and Jennifer Davey 200 (104 and 99). They competed in the 13+ handicap category.

The top three men in the Men Senior 7-12, were Philip Gooden 165 (84 and 81), followed by Raymond Campbell 178 (89 and 89) and Nigel Davey 191 (96 and 95).

In the Men Senior 13-24 handicap category, Mark Samuels 179 (92 and 87) secured a four-stroke win over American Owen McPherson 183 (92 and 87) and Delroy Anderson 199 (99 and 100).

The Men Super Senior 0-12 category was very competitive with two players getting identical scores across both days. Mike Gleichman and Greg Chong both scored 80 and 79 to end on a total score of 159 each. Robert Chin was three strokes behind on 162 (82 and 80) in third place.

Two men teed-off in the Men Super Senior 13-24 category, with Philip de Waal 182 (92 and 90) winning the category by 12 shots ahead of Guyan Arscott 194 (97 and 97).

The master's category saw seven competitors. Dorrel Allen 162 (79 and 83) topped the category by one stroke ahead of Carlyle Hudson 163 (82 and 81), with Philip Wilson 166 (84 and 82) in third.

One junior player in the Boys 14-15 category joined the golfers on the course. He posted scores of 92 and 86 for a total score of 36 over par 178.

Dan Evans’ preparations for the US Open hit another stumbling block with a first-round defeat at the Western and Southern Open.

Evans began the US hard-court swing in sublime fashion by winning the biggest tournament of his career in Washington but lost in the first round in Toronto last week.

And he suffered another swift exit in Cincinnati, going down 6-4 6-3 to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti.

The match was supposed to be played on Monday but was cancelled due to inclement weather and Evans will be wishing the rain had returned.

It was a tough draw against the world number 18 and the first set could have gone either way.

Evans started off inconspicuously and was broken in the opening game but recovered to level at 4-4.

But the British number two immediately lost his serve as Musetti again took control.

Evans did not give up, though, and forced two break points to level at 5-5, but the Italian held him off to take the first set.

A double fault from Evans handed his opponent a break early in the second set and there was no coming back, with a second break enough to send Musetti through.

Andy Murray had been set to face 11th seed Karen Khachanov, but tournament organisers announced he had withdrawn late on Monday night because of an abdominal strain.

The former world number one had also pulled out of his last-16 match at the National Bank Open in Toronto last week.

Murray is aiming to recover in time for the US Open, which starts on August 28.

Super-lightweight boxer Adam Azim has set his sights on becoming the first British-Pakistani undisputed world champion and wants to use his platform to inspire his community.

Azim, who is gearing up for his September 2 bout with Aram Fanyan, admitted he wants to follow the path of his childhood hero Amir Khan by being a role model to the next generation of athletes from Asian backgrounds.

The 21-year-old Azim, who boasts an 8-0-0 undefeated record, wants to become world champion at a young age like Khan, who did so in 2009 aged 22 when he beat Andriy Kotelnik in Manchester.

“Our relationship is really strong (Azim and Khan), he is like a big brother to me, he was my inspiration growing up,” Azim told the PA news agency.

“I’ve told him that ‘I want to be a young world champion just like you’ and that one day I’ll be the only British-Pakistani undisputed world champion, it will be good to become undisputed because that’s my dream, that’s my goal.

“He was a massive inspiration for me because he (Khan) was the only British-Pakistani in that era and everyone was massive fans of him because of his great hand speed and he was always in big entertaining fights.

“It’s a big thing for me (to represent British-Pakistanis) – I want to become a role model for the younger generation coming through and for both the Pakistani and British communities as well.”

Azim partnered with the Shazad Yaseen Foundation in 2022 to provide relief to impoverished areas within Tanzania.

And the Slough fighter aims to continue his charity work in less fortunate areas and wants to use his platform to launch his own “big charity organisation” in the future.

“I want to keep working hard in the ring and also help with my charity work as well,” he added.

“After this next fight I will be flying out to Africa to do some charity work, I want to be more passionate about charity work because there are a lot of unfortunate people who need food and money.

“We partnered with SYF because I really want to make a big charity organisation myself and it’s important to give back to those people who need it more.”

Azim is confident he can lead by example in the ring to inspire more young people from ethnic minority backgrounds to take up the sport.

He said: “I just need to keep fighting so more and more people watch me, I’m on the rise as a British Pakistani and there are others on the rise too so if we keep doing what we’re doing everything will improve (more diversity in the sport).”

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 August 15.

Football

Harry Kane worked hard in Munich.

Neymar touched down in Saudi Arabia.

New surroundings for Gary Neville and the MNF team.

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Christian Eriksen made a young fan very happy.

Manchester City headed to Greece for the Super Cup.

Bethany England was preparing for the World Cup semi-final.

Cricket

Shots fired!

Formula One

George Russell was living his best life in the summer break.

Valtteri Bottas was out enjoying a bike ride.

Boxing

Frank Bruno wants a happy breakfast show.

Respect from Campbell Hatton.

Having knocked the proverbial cobwebs from his fist, Jamaica’s Kevin “Bus Boy” Hylton is eagerly anticipating the remainder of the Jamaica Boxing Board (JBB)-sanctioned Wray and Nephew Fight Nights series, as he seeks to possibly end his career on a high.

The journeyman fighter, who was a prominent feature on the now defunct Contender Boxing Series, made a return to the ring for the second Fight Night stop in Arnett Gardens last Saturday, and certainly entertained the large crowd at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex.

Hylton squared up with American Christopher Rodriguez in one of two professional bouts where he displayed improved tactical and technical skills, and surprisingly, took his opponent to the maximum six rounds.

In fact, it was Hylton that held the upper hand at one point, as he registered a knockdown mere seconds into the opening round, and maintained a steady rhythm throughout, though winded at the backend of the fight.

At the end of it, the judges scored the contest a stalemate, moving Hylton's record to seven wins, seven losses and two draws, while Rodriguez remains unbeaten at 12 wins and a draw.

While disappointed that he didn't came out tops, Hylton, now coached by another Contender veteran Ricardo "Surgeon" Smith, expressed pleasure with his performance, especially given the fact that he was given short notice of the fight.

“In my opinion, I won the fight because the knockdown is scored as 10, so I don’t see how it ended as a draw. But I am truly proud of myself for putting in a performance like that, especially because the fight was sudden for me," Hylton told SportsMax.tv. 

With the much-needed run now run now under his belt, Hylton, though reluctant to share his age, admits that he is career is now winding down, and, as such, wants to grasp every opportunity to go out with a bang.

The Wray and Nephew Fight Nights series which started on July 1, at Cling Cling Oval, will continue until 2024, with a pro-am night of boxing matches every six weeks. The next stop is yet to be decided on.

Professional boxers earn a purse starting at $US150 (about J$23,000) per round, with a complete match purse of US$600 (about J$93,000) per bout.

Hylton, who balances a work schedule and training, vowed to continue putting in the work to not only add entertainment value to the programme, but to prove that much has changed in terms of his patient and technique.

“So from here it will be just willpower and determination going forward because I am at an age now where I don’t have much time left in the sport. So I am just trying to make the most of this opportunity as best as I can. I am grabbing it with both hands and will be working even harder going into the next fight," he declared.

Meanwhile, American Rodriguez, who also believes he won the fight, is optimistic of a rematch with Hylton. 

“I think I won it because I was hitting him more, but he got the knockdown and I think that is what evened it out. But I think I landed more punches, and I added more pressure to the fight.

"But it is what it is, I just want to stay more focused and keep my hands up. It was a great learning experience and he was a tough Jamaican guy, so hopefully I can get a rematch, if not, then it is on to the next one," Rodriguez shared.

In the other professional fight, top-rated heavyweight boxer, Jermaine "Breezy" Richards took his record to 4-0, as he bettered debutant Omar ‘Crane’ Headman in a fourth-round technical knockout.

The 34-year-old Richards, who hails from Mountain View, has been a fast-rising sensation, who trains in Colombia where he has significantly improved his craft.

“It’s an elevation of self and talent. Being in Colombia showed me that sometimes you have to leave the nest and really spread your wings and the experiences I’ve had so far is testament to that," he noted.

The Amateur fights were nothing short of exciting, as Chevaun Gordon defeated Everton Levy of Trench Town, while Kevin Brown and Commonwealth Games representative Jerone Ennis, both of Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) Boxing Club, also topped their respective opponent unanimously.

Brown outclassed Kimarley Samuels of Suga Olympics and Ennis was a dominant force against GC Foster's Malcolm Peck.

D’mitri Moore of Hit Box Gym also displayed immense potential in his unanimous decision win over another GC Foster boxer, Daniel-Elijah Linton.

Pavel Smith, Wray & Nephew White Overproof Rum, Marketing Manager, stressed the significance of this initiative in creating a platform that allows amateur and professional fighters to compete regularly without needing to travel overseas for opportunities.

"Jamaica has a love affair with boxing and Wray & Nephew remains a bedrock in the advancement of the sport in Jamaica. We noted great support for the boxers at the last event, we reviewed that outing and have made some adjustments to enhance the experience for patrons," Smith said.

"This series gives our talented boxers more opportunities to increase their visibility and fight counts that will, in turn, make them contenders for larger global opportunities," he added.

 

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