Browsing: hosts

Jemimah Rodrigues hit a remarkable unbeaten century as India completed a record chase to claim a stunning five-wicket win over Australia and reach the Women’s World Cup final.

Set 339 to win after a wonderful hundred from Australia opener Phoebe Litchfield, India held their nerve in a mammoth pursuit, with Rodrigues and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur leading the way with a 167-run stand.

Harmanpreet fell for 89 with 113 still needed but Rodrigues remained, reaching her hundred from 115 balls, and she was there at the end as the highest successful chase in women’s one-day international history was achieved with nine balls to spare.

Rodrigues was in tears as the India players streamed on to the field after Amanjot Kaur hit the winning runs in front of a delirious home crowd to set up a final against South Africa on Sunday.

This game in Navi Mumbai will go down as an instant classic and with the defending champions dumped out, there will be a new name on the trophy this weekend.

It could all have been so different had Australia taken their chances but a missed stumping gave Harmanpreet a life on 10, while the simplest of catches was put down to reprieve Rodrigues on 82.

Australia captain and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy was the guilty party both times with Alana King the unfortunate bowler.

But both batters were ruthless in making the most of their good fortune as they timed the chase to perfection, with Rodrigues showing intent from the off and Harmanpreet gradually building into her innings after the openers fell in the powerplay.

After Harmanpreet’s dismissal, Rodrigues benefited from another dropped catch with Tahlia McGrath letting the ball slip through her fingers from what seemed a straightforward catch at mid-off.

For all that Australia can point to costly errors, it is the brilliance of Rodrigues and an all-time World Cup innings that will live long in the memory.

More to follow.

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Australia completed a comfortable seven-wicket win in a rain-shortened first ODI against India in Perth, with Virat Kohli dismissed for a duck on his international return.

Damp conditions saw the match reduced to 26 overs-a-side, with India eventually posting 136-9 after their innings was halted for rain six times.

The visitors were plagued by regular wickets, with Rohit Sharma and Kohli, both playing their first international match since March, departing inside the powerplay, the latter for an eight-ball duck.

The dismissals of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer saw India slip to 45-4 in the 14th over before KL Rahul, top-scoring with 38, rebuilt his side’s innings alongside Axar Patel (31) and Washington Sundar.

However, the latter’s exit in the 24th over sparked another flurry of wickets, with India losing 4-21.

Josh Hazlewood led the way with the ball, taking 2-20 from seven overs, with Mitchell Owen and Matthew Kuhnemann also taking two wickets.

Australia also lost two powerplay wickets – Travis Head and Matthew Short both dismissed for eight – but made light work of chasing their revised target of 131.

Mitchell Marsh anchored his side’s innings with an unbeaten 46 (52), sharing a 55-run third-wicket partnership with Josh Philippe (37 off 29) before seeing Australia over the line alongside ODI debutant Matt Renshaw (21* off 24) with 29 balls to spare.

The second ODI will take place in Adelaide on Thursday, 23 October.

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Pakistan ended world champions South Africa’s unbeaten run by completing a 93-run victory in an entertaining and hard-fought first Test in Lahore.

The Proteas, whose 10-match winning streak in Test cricket culminated in victory over Australia in the World Test Championship final in June, were dismissed for 183 in pursuit of 277.

Having resumed on 51-2, they lost first-innings centurion Tony de Zorzi lbw to left-arm quick Shaheen Afridi to the third ball of the day to push the finely-poised chase in Pakistan’s favour.

Left-arm spinner Noman Ali, who took 10-191 in the match, removed Tristan Stubbs for two and bowled Dewald Brevis, who offered some resistence with a run-a-ball 54.

Off-spinner Sajid Khan also took advantage of sharp turn to end opener Ryan Rickelton’s stay – he lasted 145 balls for 45 runs – and Shaheen returned in the afternoon session to knock over the tail with a fine display of reverse swing.

He had Kyle Verreynne lbw for 19 and bowled Prenelan Subrayen and Kagiso Rabada to seal the win.

It was both sides’ first match of the 2025-27 Test championship cycle and moves Pakistan straight into second place behind leaders Australia.

Their victory was built around contributions of 93 by opener Imam-ul-Haq and, crucially, number seven Salman Agha which lifted them to 378.

From there spinners Noman and Sajid took advantage of favourable home conditions, as they did in their Test series win over England last year, to maintain their advantage.

The second and final Test begins on 20 October.

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India wasted little time in completing a clean sweep over West Indies to give Shubman Gill his first Test series win as captain.

Opener KL Rahul hit an unbeaten half-century as India sealed a seven-wicket win on the fifth morning in Delhi.

It keeps the hosts third in the early stages of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings,, external behind Australia and Sri Lanka.

The win was set up by centuries in the first innings by Yashasvi Jaiswal (175) and Gill (129*).

West Indies were bundled out for 248 in reply but did manage to fight back and make India bat again with a better second-innings showing.

John Campbell and Shai Hope hit dogged centuries, taking the tourists to 271-3 before Hope was bowled by Mohammed Siraj and the middle order collapsed.

Six wickets fell for 40 runs, before some late hitting by number 11 Jayden Seales added enough runs to give India a chase of sorts.

However, the hosts were always going to win once Rahul and Sai Sudharsan, who added 39 to his first-innings 87, put on 79 for the second wicket.

India’s next assignment is a white-ball tour of Australia, which will be broadcast ball by ball on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, before they welcome South Africa for a two-Test series.

West Indies begin a tour of New Zealand on 5 November. They are sixth in the WTC standings, with New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa only below them because they are yet to complete a Test in this latest cycle.

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October 13, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Englandâ€s women were defeated 3-0 by seventh seeds and host nation Croatia as the European Championships got under way in Zadar.

With every Croatia player ranked significantly higher than their English counterparts, it was always a tall order for England to get anything out of the match.

However, Tin-Tin Ho (pictured above with coach Carlo Agnello) raised hopes of striking an early blow as she took the first game 11-8 against world No 72 Lea Rakovac, fighting back from 6-3 down.

The next two games followed an almost identical pattern as Rakovac forced an early lead and maintained it to the finish line as she got her nose in front.

Ho (WR 247) took her timeout at 1-4 in the fourth but it was to no avail as Rakovac brought up six match points and, although Ho saved two, the Croatian completed her 3-1 victory.

Tianer Yu (WR 290) started a little nervously against Hana Arapovic (WR 111) in match two and lost the first four points. She fought back and at 4-6, could have got into the game – only for her opponent to win the next five points.

The second was tight throughout and Yu was the first to bring up a game point at 10-9. However, the chance could not be taken and Arapovic ruthlessly took her own first chance.

Yu led the third 6-0 but was forced to take her timeout as Arapovic fought back to 6-3. The Croatian led 8-7 and then 10-8. Yu saved the first match point but not the second.

Jasmin Wong (WR 806) had the double challenge of facing a player much higher than her and a defender – Ivana Malobabic (WR 118).

Wong started positively and led 5-2 but again Englandâ€s opponent ruthlessly exposed the gap in class as Malobabic reeled off eight points in a row and went on to win the first 11-7.

Thereafter it was a bit of a procession as a frustrated Wong could only win six points across the remaining two games and Englandâ€s fate was sealed.

Their remaining match in Group G is against Italy, the ninth-ranked team, at noon on Tuesday UK time.

Wales began their campaign with a 3-0 defeat to top seeds Romania in Group A, despite Anna Hursey almost turning around her match against Andreea Dragoman, who eventually won 3-2 (12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 8-11, 11-9). Adina Diaconu bear Charlotte Carey in four in the opening match and Elizabeta Samara completed victory with a 3-0 win over Danielle Kelly.

Results

Womenâ€s Group G
Croatia 3 England 0
Lea Rakovac bt Tin-Tin Ho 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6)
Hana Arapovic bt Tianer Yu 3-0 (11-4, 12-10, 11-9)
Ivana Malobabic bt Jasmin Wong 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-2)

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And he added: “Knowing that you can get there, it all feeds in, it all feeds in on top of the players and the individuals progressing at their clubs. Definitely the confidence is as high as I’ve seen.

“In the first camp, we’ve done a lot of good work. This camp we need to continue that to make sure we’re in that position in November so that we’re really confident it’s in our own hands and we believe we can do it.

“I don’t think we’ve been in a better place in terms of players getting minutes. For an example of where they’re at, look at Aaron Hickey, who’s coming back from what’s been a torrid couple of years and looking like a different animal.

“You’ve got John McGinn, Robbo (Andy Robertson) who are leading it and they’ve had real success at club level. So in everything around performance, we’re in a great place.”

One salutary lesson about the vagaries of football comes in the form of Thursday’s opponents. The last time Greece were at the national stadium earlier this year, they cruised to a 3-0 win to knock Scotland down to the second tier of the Nations League.

However, Naismith is confident lessons have been learned from the 3-1 aggregate defeat.

“We’ve got a clear idea of what needs to be better, what we’re really good at as a team,” he explained.

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October 1, 2025 | Chris Bryden

Luton, UK – On 20th September 2025,the Over 50s Black Men Forum (O5BM) proudly hosted UKâ€s First Older Black Men Community Table Tennis Competition, bringing together seven (7) of our community centres for a day of spirited competition and joyful connection.

Centres from Luton North, Luton South, Stevenage, Chelmsford, Grays, Thamesmead and Southend gathered in Luton to compete in both singles and doubles matches. The atmosphere was electric, filled with cheers, laughter, and a shared sense of pride.

Chelmsford triumphed in the singles contest and Luton claimed victory in the doubles match. The winning teams were proudly presented with trophies by the Mayor of Luton, Councillor Amy Nicholls, in a moment that crowned the dayâ€s achievements.

We were also delighted to welcome Chris Bryden, Area Manager for Table Tennis England, who attended to support and observe the tournament, adding a valued presence to the dayâ€s proceedings.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Luton Borough Council, our members, volunteers, and every supporter who helped make this landmark event a success.

This event was made possible through the generous support of our funders. We are deeply grateful for the continued commitment of:

• The National Lottery Community Fund
• Sport England
• Active Essex
• The Stevenage Community Fund

Your belief in our mission empowers O5BM to create spaces where movement, joy, and community thrive, championing the health and wellbeing of older Black men across the UK.

Two short videos – Event summary (1m 40s) and Table Tennis England segment (1m 20s)

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September 23, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Hosts Nottingham lead the way after the first weekend of Senior British Clubs League, Championships Division action.

A competitive weekend saw all 10 clubs pick up at least two points, with Nottingham managing three wins and a draw to finish on 7pts, one clear of BATTS II and Urban, who both also remain unbeaten.

Nottingham started with a 7-1 win over Perry Dale, the most emphatic scoreline of the opening round of fixtures, which included two draws.

One of those saw BATTS fight from 4-2 down to claim a point against Finsbury, for whom Munib Ahmed won twice. Jack Bennett, who had earlier beaten Ho Yin Tam in a decider, won the seventh match 3-2 (8-11, 11-5, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4) against Jonathan Lancry and Ethan Walsh completed the comeback for BATTS with victory over Abdullah Ubaidullah in match eight.

The other draw was between Wymondham and Woodford Wells. Adam Alibhai (pictured above, photo by Michael Loveder) put Woodford in front by coming from 2-0 down to beat Umair Mauthoor 3-2 (5-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-6), but Wymondham led 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 before Aarav Pariharâ€s win over David McKenzie sealed a draw for the young Woodford team. Alibhai won twice, as did Dan Ives for Wymondham.

Ormesby II started with a 6-2 win over Hurricane, pulling away from 2-2 as Thomas Rayner and Zac Greenhough won twice each.

Urban saw off Ormeau II 5-3, who threatened a draw when Paul McCreery beat Niall Cameron and Thomas Earley led Leon Thomson 3-2 in match eight – Thomson came back to win 3-2 (6-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-9, 11-8) to seal overall victory.

Nottingham had to chisel out a draw from 4-2 down in the Saturday afternoon round of matches as Ormeau took charge of the tie early on – the Belfast club also led 2-0 and 3-1. Joseph Dennison started the revival by winning in five against Adam Faulkner, and Adam Fuzes sealed the draw as he beat Thomas Earley in the final match.

Finsbury got their first win, claiming the final two matches to prevail 5-3 against Perry Dale, with Ubaidullah winning twice. There were 6-2 victories for BATTS over Hurricane, Ormesby against Woodford Wells and Urban against Wymondham.

The only 8-0 scorelines of the weekend came on Sunday morning, BATTS defeating Woodford Wells and Nottingham dismissing Wymondham.

There were two drawn matches too, including a first point for Perry Dale, who fought back from 3-0 and 4-3 down against Ormeau. All four Perry Dale players contributed a win, including Daniel Moses beating Thomas Earley 3-2 (7-11, 6-11, 15-13, 11-6, 11-9) in match four and Harri Doherty overcoming Faulkner 11-8 in the fifth in match six.

The other draw was a see-saw encounter between Ormesby and Urban. The Londoners took the first match, then trailed 3-1 and led 4-3 before Josh Weatherby beat Thomson to seal the point for the Teessiders. Weatherby won twice, as did Alim Hirji, who came from 2-0 down to beat Greenhough in match six.

There was a first win for Hurricane, who trailed Finsbury 2-1 after Tam beat Joe Sawyer 13-11 in the fifth and Ubaidullah saw off Pawel Orzechowski in a decider. Hurricane came back to lead 4-2, but Ahmed kept Finsbury alive by defeating Adedapo Onakomaya – but Orzechowski won it for Hurricane as he beat Kevin Kan in four.

Sunday afternoon saw Nottingham make sure of top spot by easing to a 7-1 win over Ormesby, but elsewhere there were two draws and two narrow victories, with Ormeau and Woodford Wells notching their first wins, both by 5-3 scorelines.

Ormeau built a 4-0 lead over Finsbury but saw their opponents hut back to take the next two matches, including Tam beating Sophie Earley 12-10 in the fifth. McCreery made sure for Ormeau in the penultimate match.

Woodford led Hurricane 2-0 and 3-1 but were pegged back to 3-3, before Alibhai overcame Onakomaya in the fifth and Parihar completed victory for the Essex side in four against Richard Jermyn.

Perry Dale picked up a second successive draw as they recovered 2-0 and 4-2 deficits against Wymondham, for whom Oleh Biletskyi and Mauthoor won twice – the latter 14-12 in the fif th against Mohammad Salameh. For Perry Dale, Neil Pickard won twice, including the draw-clinching 3-2 (11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 6-11, 11-7) win over Adam Gigli.

Urban and BATTS both preserved their unbeaten records in a 4-4 draw – and it will be BATTS who are the happier as they came from 3-0 and 4-1 down after Gabriel Achampongâ€s double for Urban, including from 2-0 down against Josh Bennett (7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4, 1-8). But three wins in a row for Jack Bennett, Ryan Choong and Ethan Walsh saw BATTS rescue a point.

Two players remain with 100% records in the averages – Ormeauâ€s McCreery won all eight of his matches and Nottinghamâ€s Hobson won four out of four.

Hobsonâ€s team-mates Adam Dennison and Max Stevens, and Urbanâ€s Hirji, all have seven victories from eight matches played.

The next weekend of the SBCL Championship is 8-9 November.

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September 18, 2025 | Susie Venner VETTS England players dominated the Veterans Home Nations Championships 2025 winning a total of…

Opener Smriti Mandhana scored a brilliant hundred as hosts India claimed a thumping 102-run win over Australia to level the…