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October 14, 2025 | Tony Oswick

Nomads Lions set out their stall in the first week of the season in Division Oneof the Clacton League with a convincing 10-0 win over Walton A.

There were hat-tricks for Paul Hume, Adam Cuthbert (pictured above, photo by Roger Hance) and Ethan Lloyd. The tightest match of the contest saw Cuthbert narrowly get the better of Mark Gale 13-11 in the fifth in the first match of the evening.

Reigning champions Nomads Panthers were 8-2 victors against Brotherhood B, Greg Green starting as he finished last season with an unbeaten three. John Hatley and Denes Somodi each won two but both lost to Brotherhoodâ€s new signing Patrick Cheung.

Kevin Gowlett and Daniel Young led the way with undefeated performances for Brotherhood A in their sideâ€s 8-2 success over Windsor Hawks. The Hawks will, nevertheless, feel pleased to have sprung a couple of surprises, Andy Vincent and reserve Kelvin Olano-Harper taking the doubles in four against Young and Gracie Edwards, and Vincent taking match ten with an excellent 11-6 in the decider win over Edwards.

But there was an exact reverse of fortune for the Windsor and Brotherhood clubs in another fixture, the Eagles beating Brotherhood C by the same 8-2 scoreline. Gavin Price, on debut for Windsor, and John Pattrick took trebles, although Pattrick had tough matches with both Dave Miller and Graham Playle, winning 11-7 in the fifth and 11-5 in the fifth respectively.

Walton Bâ€s Graham Buxton remained unbeaten in his sideâ€s match with promoted Windsor Buzzards but the Buzzards, determined to defy pre-season predictions of an early return to the Second Division, emerged unexpected 6-4 winners. There were two each for Dave Martin and Andy Cawley, one for Andy Foster, with Cawley and Foster combining to take a crucial doubles. Almost uniquely, all 10 matches played were settled in four sets.

In Division Two, last yearâ€s runners-up, Brotherhood G, were given a stern test by promoted Brotherhood J but finally emerged 7-3 victors. Mark Boyland took three, John Gallagher two – including a win over daughter Ruby in their first-ever League meeting – and Mark Beckham one, with Boyland and Gallagher winning the doubles. Joe Sherwin picked up a couple for the ‘J†team and Ruby Gallagher one, while Tom Bryden only just failed to get on the scoresheet, going down 11-9 in the fifth to John Gallagher.

Every player picked up at least one point in the drawn match between Windsor Harriers and Lawford, the two teams sharing the four matches which went the distance. Windsorâ€s Barry Allen was the unbeaten star of the show, the closest of his three wins a 3-2 (5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6) victory over Ian Sherwood. Charlie Denholm won a couple for Lawford and, with Sherwood, took a vital 11-7 in the fifth doubles against Allen and Isabel Barton.

Four matches also went to five in the Brotherhood D v Windsor Penguins fixture and, again, each side took two. But despite a treble from Windsorâ€s Kelvin Olano-Harper, Brotherhood took the honours 6-4. Fred Gallone and Kevin Pryor each won two for Brotherhood, while Lily Liu edged out Paul Stanton by a nail-biting 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 13-15, 11-9, 12-10).

Brotherhood F defeated Nomads Tigers 7-3 thanks to a Paul Alden maximum, two from Mark Salter and one from Tricia Salter. All three Tigers†points came from matches which went the distance, Tom Wilkin overcoming both Mark Salter and Tricia Salter 11-8 in the fifth, and Matt Sage defeating Tricia Salter by the same score.

Bob Jillins and newcomer Andy Hart remained unbeaten as Nomads Jaguars beat Windsor Kestrels 8-2. For the Jaguars, Jonathan Found had a good individual win over Chris Petrou, with Found, together with Graham Bunce who only played in the doubles, taking the second Kestrels†point against Jillins and Petrou, 11-7 in the decider.

In Division Three, Brotherhood H started their season in fine style with a 10-0 victory over Holland Lancasters, Owen Woollard, Danny Still and Gary Simpson all unbeaten. But the Lancasters didnâ€t go down without a fight, newcomer Peter Evans losing 11-6 in the fifth to Still, Dave Wright going down by an even closer 12-10 in the fifth to Woollard, while Evans and Wright were pipped 11-8 in the fifth in the doubles by Still and Simpson.

Three for John Plummer, two for Alan Rutledge and one for Dave Sweetland saw Windsor Magpies home 7-3 against Holland Hurricanes. Gerry Widnell won a couple for the Hurricanes and Ian Gwillim one, Gwillim narrowly losing 3-2 (11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 12-10, 5-11) to Rutledge.

Brotherhood E defeated a two-player Nomads Ocelots 6-4 but the returning Mike Wellum showed all his old class to stay undefeated for the Ocelots.

Holland Vulcans defied the pundits†pre-season pessimistic predictions with a fighting 6-4 victory in a highly competitive encounter against Windsor Falcons. Bob Keefe, on League debut, won three for the Vulcans and Derek Foxley two. For the Falcons, there were a couple for Matt Thomas who did well to edge out Foxley 11-9 in the decider, while debutant Gary Barnes beat James Horsler 11-7 in the decider, and Nigel Rolph defeated the same player 11-6 in the fifth.

RESULTS
Division 1
Windsor Buzzards 6 Walton B 4
Windsor Hawks 2 Brotherhood A 8
Walton A 0 Nomads Lions 10
Brotherhood C 2 Windsor Eagles 8
Nomads Panthers 8 Brotherhood B 2
Division 2
Brotherhood J 3 Brotherhood G 7
Windsor Harriers 5 Lawford 5
Nomads Jaguars 8 Windsor Kestrels 2
Brotherhood D 6 Windsor Penguins 4
Nomads Tigers 3 Brotherhood F 7
Division 3
Windsor Falcons 4 Holland Vulcans 6
Brotherhood H 10 Holland Lancasters 0
Brotherhood E 6 Nomads Ocelots 4
Holland Hurricanes 3 Windsor Magpies 7

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When Luka Doncic plays in his first exhibition game of the season for the Lakers against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday night, Coach JJ Redick said the plan with his star is pretty simple.

“Give him the ball,†Redick said, laughing.

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Redick paused for a second.

“You talking about minutes?” he asked.

Redick said they are “still working through what that looks like†with the Lakers†staff and Doncicâ€s team.

“I think very likely it’ll be some form of a ramp-up from tomorrow to whenever the second game is that he plays in,†Redick said. “What that looks like in terms of the total minute, I don’t know.”

But one thing is for certain when Doncic steps on the court with his teammates.

“Yeah, he’ll touch the basketball,†Redick said.

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The Lakers then play a back-to-back game Wednesday night in Las Vegas against the Dallas Mavericks, Doncicâ€s old team, but itâ€s highly unlikely he plays in that game.

The Lakers finish their preseason against the Sacramento Kings Friday night at Crypto.com Arena, which is when Doncic probably will play, especially since he said last week that he wanted to play in two preseason games.

The Lakers open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Golden State Warriors at home and that is the main thing Doncic is getting ready for.

Heâ€s done more in practice, giving his teammates a view of what Doncic is like.

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“Oh, he’s moving great,†Jarred Vanderbilt said. “Everything that I’ve seen from him, he’s being vocal. He’s leading the charge. He’s being everything we need him to be right now. So, we’re happy to have him out there right now during this week, him getting some good practices and running with us, and just starting to build that momentum towards the regular season.â€

Etc.

Redick said Marcus Smart, who has been recovering from an Achilles tendinopathy injury, will play against the Suns. … Redick said Maxi Kleber (quad) participated in the Lakers†stay-ready game Monday.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Image credit:
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Fanatics)

For baseball card and collectibles fans planning ahead, you might want to block the last two weeks of next July (into early August) on your calendar.

It had already been announced that the National, the biggest convention of the year, will be taking place in Chicago from July 29 through Aug. 2. Now, Fanatics has confirmed rumors that the third-annual Fanatics Fest will be taking place weeks prior at the Javits Center in New York from July 16-19 in what is an expansion of the event from three to four days for 2026.

This year’s Fanatics Fest, which drew more than 100,000 fans across three days, took place in June—more than a month before the National. It’s rumored that the 2026 Fanatics Fest was pushed back to coincide with the World Cup soccer event, the final of which will be held at MetLife Stadium in nearby New Jersey on July 19. The July dates for Fanatics Fest not only will allow more high-profile soccer guests to appear, but will also mean a large contingent of sports fans visiting from around the world will be able to attend.

Proximity to soccer notwithstanding, the event also features a huge baseball presence. Last year’s event included autograph guests such as Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols and Mike Schmidt.

Fanatics, which owns the Topps baseball card company, says the event will feature more than 250 vendors and athletes guests from across all major sports, plus trading nights, interactive activities and more.

The two previous versions of Fanatics Fest have also offered event-exclusive trading card products. The inaugural event in 2024 featured a Fanatics Fest version of 2024 Topps Chrome, and this year’s event offered an exclusive Fanatics Fest version of 2025 Topps Series 2.

Fanatics says tickets for Fanatics Fest will go on sale this November.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs forward will suit up in his first big-league game on Monday against the Detroit Red Wings, he told reporters Sunday. And if practice was an indication, he’ll play on a line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.

Cowan, 20, will likely draw in for fellow forward Steven Lorentz, who suffered an upper-body injury Saturday against the Red Wings.

The 29-year-old did not skate in Sunday’s practice and is “doubtful” to participate in the rematch against Detroit, head coach Craig Berube said.

His absence opens the door for Cowan, who made the Maple Leafs’ opening-night roster but has been a healthy scratch in each of the first two games.

The Mount Brydges, Ont., native is making his first push into the pros after spending the past four seasons in the OHL. In 46 games with the London Knights last season, Cowan potted 29 goals and 69 points to help lead the Knights to their third-ever Memorial Cup.

Toronto selected Cowan 28th overall in the 2023 draft.

In the wake of the Lorentz injury, Berube shuffled each of the Leafs’ forward lines. With Cowan skating on the Matthews line, winger Mattias Macelli moved to a second line with John Tavares and William Nylander. Consequently, Bobby McMann dropped to a third line alongside Nick Robertson and Max Domi, while Dakota Joshua joined Nicolas Roy and Calle Jarnkrok on the fourth line.

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MILWAUKEE — What do six days in July say about what might be in store for the coming days in October?

As the Brewers prepare to take on the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, they hope those midsummer meetings say a lot. But they realize they probably donâ€t.

The Dodgers exceed the Brewers in star power and outspend the Brewers by the GDP of a developing nation, but Milwaukee owned the regular-season series, sweeping three-game sets that straddled the All-Star break while the club was in the midst of an 11-game winning streak.

That doesnâ€t happen very often. The Brewers had never before swept their season series against the Dodgers. And no team had swept a season series of five or more games against the Dodgers since the 2006 Cardinals (seven games). Before that, it hadnâ€t happened since the 1994 Braves (six games).

“Itâ€s a bunch of guys nobodyâ€s ever heard of,†Brewers manager Pat Murphy said lovingly of his Crew.

It was July 20 at Dodger Stadium. Every player in the Brewers lineup had tallied a hit and the Dodgers committed three errors as Milwaukee made a comeback from an early 3-0 deficit for a 6-5 win. Murphyâ€s office was filled with reporters representing Japanese outlets who typically follow Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, but were enamored with the upstart Brewers, their gregarious manager and their 6-foot-7 rookie right-hander, Jacob Misiorowski.

“No disrespect to the great fans of Japan baseball,†Murphy told the room that day, “but they canâ€t name five guys in our lineup. And thatâ€s just a credit to hungry, hungry players.â€

Those players just gave the Brewers a chance to play for a trip to the World Series.

“Weâ€re always the underdogs,†said longtime Brewers right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who missed the NLDS because of a lat injury and will miss the NLCS, too. “But winning this series against our division rival, first time we won a [playoff] series since 2018, weâ€ve got nothing to lose. Weâ€re going to play free. I think getting over this hump is huge.â€

Woodruff had just rejoined the Brewers when they met the Dodgers for six games in a 14-day span from July 7-20. To say it was a memorable stretch of Milwaukeeâ€s season is an understatement.

The opener marked the arrival of Andrew Vaughn, the former first-round Draft pick who was stuck at Triple-A with the White Sox when right-hander Aaron Civale asked the Brewers for a trade in June. Milwaukee and Chicago agreed to a swap, Vaughn was called up on July 7 and promptly homered off Yamamoto to become the fifth player in the franchiseâ€s 57-season history to hit a home run in his first plate appearance.

The next night, Jacob Misiorowski outdueled Clayton Kershaw and the Brewers won again. Misiorowski gave up a leadoff home run to Ohtani before staging a strikeout clinic, whiffing 12 of the next 16 hitters on the way to six commanding innings. Before that day, the last pitcher to record 12 strikeouts against the Dodgers was Ohtani, then with the Angels, on June 21, 2023.

To complete their first-ever series sweep of the Dodgers in Milwaukee, the Brewers needed a comeback on July 9. They got it, with Vaughn driving in the tying run in the ninth inning and Jackson Chourio delivering his first career walk-off hit in the ninth to deal the Dodgers a sixth straight loss.

“It was an incredible moment,†Chourio said. “Iâ€m happy that we were able to finish the sweep off with that hit. Itâ€s special. Itâ€s a great group of guys here.â€

What does all that mean now, with the teams set to meet again?

“It means nothing. It means absolutely nothing,†Woodruff said before thinking of one thing. “It tells us as a group that we can play with them, and we know we can. But it means nothing when it gets to this time of year. Itâ€s going to be a battle.â€

The Dodgers will be rested and ready. They have not announced any pitching plans, but one scenario has Blake Snell starting Game 1, followed by Shohei Ohtani, Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow in that order.

The Brewers have two starters at full strength in Priester and Peralta, who are lined up in that order for Games 1 and 2 unless Jose Quintana, just back from a right calf strain, figures in. Length options likely to play significant roles in getting through a seven-game series include Misiorowski and perhaps Robert Gasser, though he struggled in his lone NLDS appearance. Tobias Myers, who is healthy but didnâ€t make the NLDS roster, could be in play, as could rookie righty Logan Henderson, who has been throwing in Arizona as he comes back from an elbow injury.

“Our whole year has been about playing together,†Priester said. “Theyâ€re a great team. You look up and down the lineup at the MVPs and you can be like, ‘Holy cow, itâ€s the frickin†Dodgers.†Or you can look around and see the guys in our room, committed to each other and playing for each other. Thatâ€s what I choose to believe in.â€

For players, the preparation begins with a workout on Sunday. For the front office, itâ€s already well underway.

“Weâ€ve been working on it,†Arnold said. “You canâ€t just roll out of bed and be ready for the Dodgers, so weâ€ve been planning for all of the scenarios, and weâ€ll be ready.â€

The first pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 7:08 p.m. CT at American Family Field on Monday.

“We had to get through the Cubs and we have to get through the Dodgers to get where we want to get,†Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said. “And weâ€re up for it.â€

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  Jesse RogersOct 11, 2025, 11:04 PM ET

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  Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.

MILWAUKEE — Perhaps some divine intervention had a hand in the Milwaukee Brewers advancing to the National League Championship Series for the first time since 2018 after they defeated the Chicago Cubs in Game 5 of the NLDS on Saturday night. More than once, general manager Matt Arnold said he looked “to the heavens’ for some inspiration from former Brewers icon Bob Uecker who passed away last offseason.

“I kept saying ‘Bob we need you,'” Arnold said in the Brewers’ champagne-soaked clubhouse following the tense 3-1 win in Game 5. “We know he’s with us.”

His prayers were answered as Milwaukee hit three solo home runs while perfectly navigating their own bullpen game — just as the Cubs were attempting to do — holding Chicago to just a solo home run of their own. Midseason pick-up Andrew Vaughn went deep again, while midseason call-up Jacob Misiorowski pitched the bulk of the game — four innings — allowing just that one Cubs run.

Vaughn, in particular, felt the meaning of the moment more than most. Discarded by the Chicago White Sox after a terrible start to his season, he found new life with the Brewers. He compiled a 1.126 OPS in the series which included two home runs.

“The journey has been kind of crazy,” Vaughn said. “But not taking anything for granted. The opportunity to be with this group, it’s changed my life.”

For Misiorowski, it was the first time in 17 appearances dating back to the regular season that he didn’t issue a free pass. He gave up three hits and struck out three in a masterful performance.

“I think I was giving everything I’ve got,” he said. “And I think I left everything out there.”

The other four Brewers pitchers held the Cubs scoreless.

“It kind of went according to plan,” manager Pat Murphy said. “But then, we saw (Aaron Ashby) was a little bit not as sharp as he could have been. It’s his fourth time seeing them. And then Chad Patrick was maybe the player of the game because you don’t expect him to be that good, pitching an innings plus.”

Patrick relieved Ashby in a potential turning point moment in the sixth. With Milwaukee up 2-1, Ashby gave up a hit and then hit a batter, putting runners on first and second with no outs. But then he threw the pitch of the game, a nasty 98.6 mph fastball on the edge of the zone to Kyle Tucker on a 3-2 count which he swung through. Patrick entered next, getting Seiya Suzuki to fly out and then caught Ian Happ looking. It would be the last rally of the season for the Cubs.

“Ashby made a pretty darned good pitch, 3-2, to Tucker,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ‘Looked like right down away on the corner. It was a nasty pitch. Seiya had a good at-bat against Patrick…And then they got out of it essentially.

“It’s really the only inning you could talk about. We just didn’t do much. We had six base runners. You’re going to have to hit homers to have any runs scoring in scenarios like that.”

The win completed a back-and-forth series where the home team held serve throughout. The Brewers admitted the environment in Games 3 and 4 in Chicago got to them, allowing the Cubs to even the series after Milwaukee took a 2-0 lead. Would Milwaukee give it away, just as they did in the wild card round last year when New York Mets star Pete Alonso beat them with a late home run in the deciding game?

Longtime Brewers star Chrisitan Yelich was asked what he learned from that heartbreaking experience.

“Just go at it fearless,” he said during the postgame, clubhouse party. “You can’t really lose them tougher than we did last year. So going into the night, you just play with a bunch of freedom. You know you’ve got belief and trust in your teammates that we’re going to be able to get the job done. That’s exactly what we’re able to do.’

The Brewers said all the right things about beating the Cubs though it had to feel extra special taking down a big market payroll whose manager left them for greener pastures just two years ago. As has become the norm since he took the job in Chicago, Counsell was booed every time he poked his head out of the dugout.

Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio was asked if he had any doubts about his team continuing its winning ways after Counsell left the organization before the 2024 season.

“I believed in the process and the system and the people,” he answered. “The Cubs were really good this year. It’s just a testament to this whole organization.”

In terms of big market/high payroll teams, the Cubs were just the appetizer. Next up for the Brewers are the defending world champion Los Angeles Dodgers who reside in the sport’s second largest market, and own the highest team payroll in the sport, more than $200 million ahead of the Brewers.

“It doesn’t get any more big market and small market than Brewers-Dodgers,” Yelich said with a smile. “We’re up against it. We know it. We love being in those situations. It’s fitting the season for us is going to come down to that series, that team and all that star power. You have the average Joe’s coming there. We’re going to do what we did all year, compete are asses off, go hard and see what happens.”

Attanasio added: “Let’s go! I can’t wait.”

The Brewers went 6-0 against the Dodgers in the regular season and have home-field advantage in the series, but will be the decided underdogs. Uecker’s spirit might be needed now more than ever as taking down the Dodgers despite everything that Milwaukee has accomplished will be their toughest task yet.

“I’m grateful for the guys we’ve had in the room,” Murphy said. “They’ve been doubted every year. Everyone. There’s no one predicting the Brewers playing the Dodgers in the series.”

Arnold added: “We’ve been planning for this. You can’t just roll out of bed and play the Dodgers.”

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Two new matches have been confirmed for next weekâ€s AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view, including a huge trios team rematch.

During Saturdayâ€s episode of AEW Collision, it was confirmed that Thekla and Jamie Hayter would face off in the ring. Alongside them, The Demand will also face off against The Hurt Syndicate in a big trios team rematch. Hayter and Thekla have been feuding for months now and brawled backstage tonight during Collision.

AEW WrestleDream is set to take place on October 18, 2025, from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The fully announced card for the show as of now is as follows:

• “I Quit†Match: Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley
• Jurassic Express (Jack Perry and Luchasaurus) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson)
• AEW World Championship: “Hangman†Adam Page (c) vs Samoa Joe
• AEW Womenâ€s World Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs Toni Storm
• AEW TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Mark Briscoe
• AEW World Tag Team Championships: Brodido (Bandido and Brody King) (c) vs. The Don Callis Family (Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita)
• The Demand (Ricochet, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) vs. The Hurt Syndicate (MVP, Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin)
• Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter

READ MORE: AEW Collision Results: Review, Grades, Card For October 11

What do you make of the AEW WrestleDream card so far? Which match are you most looking forward to? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

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  Dave McMenaminOct 9, 2025, 05:23 PM ET

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  • Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
  • Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who has yet to participate in training camp, will be sidelined an additional three to four weeks because of sciatica on his right side, the team announced Thursday.

James, 40, missed the Lakers’ first two preseason games and has yet to participate in a full practice because of what coach JJ Redick described as nerve irritation in his glute.

Sciatica describes the symptoms of irritation, inflammation or compression of the sciatic nerve, according to ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell. The nerve originates from a cluster of nerve roots in the lumbar (lower) spine and travels through the gluteal muscles and the hamstrings before branching into other smaller nerves in the lower leg and foot. Symptoms can range from pain that can be sharp or burning to numbness and tingling or pins and needles. Resolution time varies widely and depends on the source of the problem.

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When asked Thursday for an update on James’ progress with the injury, before the Lakers released the sciatica diagnosis, Redick said James was “on his own timeline.”

Should James continue to be sidelined for the full three to four weeks, he would miss the Lakers’ opening-night game against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 21.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this week that James would likely miss the preseason but had been targeting opening night for his return to game action.

James is embarking on a record-setting 23rd season, breaking a tie with Vince Carter for the longest career in NBA history.

Since James joined the Lakers in 2018-19, Los Angeles is 248-171 (a .591 winning percentage) with him on the court. When he does not play, the Lakers are 56-78 (.418).

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Few young openers have begun their Test careers in such a thumping fashion as Indiaâ€s Yashasvi Jaiswal has done.

The young left-handed pocket dynamo has gone from strength to strength in quick time, already putting his name alongside some of the legends of world cricket at a young age, while threatening the records of past greats.

After ending the five-Test series in England on a high, with a 118 at The Oval, Jaiswal has slammed a brilliant unbeaten century on day 1 of the second Test against the West Indies in Delhi.

In good batting conditions at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to bat first.

While KL Rahul, centurion from the Ahmedabad Test, failed to convert his start into a substantial score, getting out on 38, his opening partner, Jaiswal, who himself had failed to convert his start into a substantial score in Ahmedabad, scoring 36, bedded in for the long haul in Delhi.

Jaiswal batted the entire day 1 and remained unbeaten on 173 runs, scored off 253 balls at a healthy strike rate of 68. The southpaw cut, pulled, drove, swept, lofted, and showed his full range of shots around the ground in ransacking 22 fours.

Jaiswalâ€s 173* is now the fourth-most amount of runs an India opener has scored on day 1 of a Test match. He is on the third spot as well, with his 179 against England last year in Vizag.

Jaiswal eyes century records of Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir as Indiaâ€s Test openers

Meanwhile, this was Yashasvi Jaiswalâ€s 7th Test century, to go with 12 fifties, in what is only his 26th Test match. This hundred has now put him on level with Shikhar Dhawan for centuries by Indiaâ€s openers in Test cricket, and now Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir are in his sight.

As Indiaâ€s Test openers, Rohit and Gambhir hit 9 Test centuries in 38 and 57 Tests, respectively.

Let us check the list of India openers with the most Test centuries:

1. Sunil Gavaskar – 33
2. Virender Sehwag – 22
3. Murali Vijay – 12
4. KL Rahul – 10
5. Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma – 9
6. Navjot Singh Sidhu – 8
7. Yashavi Jaiswal, Shikhar Dhawan – 7

Jaiswal is currently averaging 53, which is the highest by any batsman on the above list.

And he has done all of this while heâ€s still not turned 24 years old. Only three batsmen in Test cricketâ€s history have scored more Test centuries than Jaiswalâ€s 7 before turning 24: Don Bradman: 12 centuries; Sachin Tendulkar: 11 centuries; and Garry Sobers: 9 centuries. Jaiswal is sitting in the most elite company in Test cricket.

Meanwhile, at stumps on day 1 in Delhi, India are 318/2, with Jaiswal and Gill at the crease. Earlier, Sai Sudharsan notched up his second Test fifty but fell 13 runs short of what would have been his maiden Test hundred.

Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.

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October 10, 2025 | Paul Stimpson

Tom Jarvis says heâ€s ready to “step up and contribute more†when England start their European Team Championships campaign in Croatia.

In the absence of the injured Liam Pitchford, Jarvis is the team leader in terms of world rankings – though he defers to both Paul Drinkhall and Sam Walker in terms of experience.

Speaking during the teamâ€s preparation camp at the Elite Training Centre in Sheffield, Jarvis admitted Englandâ€s squad will feel a bit different without Pitchford at the forefront.

How to follow England at the Championships

Keep up to date with the latest from Zadar by following Table Tennis England on Instagram

The tournament is also being streamed live on ETTU.TV

England’s group matches (UK time) are:

• Sunday 12 October (6pm): England women v Croatia (T3)
• Monday 13 October (9am): England men v Portugal (T2)
• Tuesday 14 October (9am): England men v Greece (T3)
• Tuesday 14 October (12pm): England women v Italy (T3)

“Itâ€s the first time in about 10 years weâ€ve not had the normal four players, with Pitch not available and Connor (Green) coming in,†said Jarvis, “so it will be a bit different. Maybe itâ€s time for me to step up and contribute more.

“Weâ€ve still got Paul, whoâ€s been there and done it all and can still play to a really high level when we need him, and Sam with all his experience.

“Weâ€ll all have to try to step up and bring the best out of each other.â€

Jarvis travels to Zadar, on Croatiaâ€s Dalmatian coast, with a couple of good wins under his belt at the China Smash, where he says he showed his best form since his run to the last 16 of the World Championships in Doha in May.

The fourth member of the squad is Green, who is fresh from winning bronze at the Europe Youth Top 10, and Jarvis credits the teenager with helping him during his memorable run in Doha.

“Connor brings a really good new energy to the team,†said Jarvis. “He had a good result at the Youth Top 10 and weâ€re all really pleased for him.

“Itâ€s nice to see the programme getting good results – weâ€ve all been waiting for that next person to come through after me.

“I was sharing a room with him at the World Championships in Doha and it was a really good vibe and helped me to perform well.â€

England are in Group D and face Portugal at 9am UK time on Monday, followed by Greece at the same time on Tuesday.

Jarvis said: “Portugal are obviously a strong team and have won it before (in 2014) with a similar team. Theyâ€re a bit older now but still know how to win as a team.

“I think Greece is tough for us. Their No 1 (Panagiotis) Gionis is a defender and is tricky so weâ€ll have to think about who will match up best and try to take a point off him, and their other players are good as well.â€

England would normally be plotting a way to qualify for the 2026 World Championships by reaching the last 16 in Zadar – but as hosts for the Worlds, qualifying is not something they need to worry about.

Head coach John Murphy says the approach is to aim to reach at least that stage but also to build momentum in the team running into London 2026.

“Obviously we would like to advance in the group,†said Murphy, “That’s the first goal, to make the knockout stages.

“To lose the player of Pitchâ€s qualities is obviously very difficult for the team, that’s never easy to lose your No 1 player, but it does open up doors for younger players like Connor Green.

“We’ve obviously got Paul and Sam, who have played in multiple World and European Team Championships. And Tom had a very good World Championships.

“Portugal probably start as favourites in the group, I would say, and I would say it’s probably a 50-50 between ourselves and Greece.

“But both matches are winnable when we play at our best and so I think the goal is to obviously qualify from the group.

“I think, aside from performance, it’s about trying to have a good team spirit leading into the next team championships, which is the Worlds in London and to come out of this Europeans – regardless of the result – with some kind of momentum into London.

The womenâ€s team of Tin-Tin Ho, Tianer Yu, Jasmin Wong and Ella Pashley secured their place at the Euros via the qualifying tournament in Sarajevo earlier this year.

There is no doubt Ho is the leader of a young quartet, with Yu and Pashley each making their major tournament debut and Wong having featured at the last team Europeans two years ago.

Ho was undefeated at the qualifying tournament and says the squad is aiming to build on their performance in Bosnia.
“We had a very good team spirit,†said the Londoner. “We were quite disciplined as a team and when we had any bad moments that pulled us through. Hopefully we can continue with that.â€

England are in Group G, where they meet hosts Croatia as 6pm UK time on Sunday and then Italy at midday on Tuesday.

“Itâ€s a good group, thereâ€ll be a lot of good matches,†said Ho. “Both teams are strong and have good players and there are different styles as well – I think Croatia have a defender.

“The aim is just to do the best we can do and itâ€s a chance for the team to get experience. Theyâ€ve had some at the qualifying event and itâ€s good for them to continue and get more experience at big events. I think itâ€s good weâ€ve got keen young players coming through and itâ€s looking positive.â€

And on the horizon of course is the 2026 Worlds in Hoâ€s home city. She added: “Iâ€ve not played a Worlds for a while and obviously never played a home Worlds – everything weâ€re doing now at the WTTs and in training is aimed towards that and itâ€s great to have that buzz and excitement around what weâ€re working towards.â€

Coach Carlo Agnello will be on the womenâ€s bench and feels the team can go in with no pressure.

“I hope Tin-Tin can pass her experience on to Ella and Tiana, who will play their first European Championships and try to learn for the future and have a good experience.

I think just being around best players in Europe and see them in the practice hall, see how they prepare and then being against them in the match, it’s an experience that’s priceless for the future and something you need to go through if you want to become a good player yourself.

“Qualifying was a was a great step for them, I think was a great achievement. And now that weâ€ve reached the final stage, I think we should go in there without pressure, try to go every match 100% and see what’s possible.

“If everyone’s playing on their top level and we can be a team on the bench, I think something is possible.

“Let’s go and enjoy, give everything and see where we end up.â€

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