Unbeaten 37 helps side to 177-run lead over Worcestershire

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2022

Middlesex 188 and 180 for 6 (Hollman 37*, Pennington 3-37) lead Worcestershire 191 (Barnard 69, Roland-Jones 4-60) by 177 runsLuke Hollman’s unbeaten knock of 37 tilted a see-saw contest fractionally in Middlesex’s favour as they built a 177-run advantage against Worcestershire in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Merchant Taylors’ School.Hollman – who top-scored with 62 in the first innings – shored up the lower order after Dillon Pennington’s three wickets had reduced his side to 139 for 6 second time around, extending that total by a further 41 at stumps.It sets up the prospect of an enticing finish on day three after Worcestershire had posted 191 to secure a wafer-thin three-run lead in their first innings, built around Ed Barnard’s undefeated 69.Toby Roland-Jones, who finished with figures of 4 for 60, then played a valuable role with the bat, keeping Hollman company at the crease until bad light brought play to a close.Resuming 88 behind, Worcestershire’s sixth-wicket pair progressed steadily through the opening half-hour and extended the partnership to 71 before a diving catch by Sam Robson in the slips accounted for Gareth Roderick (30).When Tim Murtagh had Joe Leach caught behind in the next over, the visitors still faced a deficit of 61 – but that was all but wiped out by Josh Baker, who dispatched Murtagh for consecutive cover boundaries and continued to go for his shots.Baker’s knock of 36 included six fours, with Roland-Jones also taking some punishment before he eventually had his man caught at midwicket by Jack Davies.Davies darted in to take a far trickier catch and remove Charlie Morris in Roland-Jones’ next over as the seamer quickly mopped up the Worcestershire tail by taking out Pennington’s off stump.Mark Stoneman restored Middlesex’s lead with the first ball of their second innings, nudging Leach to the boundary but his opening partnership with Sam Robson developed into a gritty one either side of lunch.Robson cut Barnard for four to lift the stand past 50, but Pennington immediately pegged Middlesex back with a double strike as Stoneman (27) top-edged a hook to long leg and Davies, fending one off to point, departed for a second-ball duck.Robson (35) eventually fell to a stunning return catch by Leach, flinging himself to his left to pull off a one-handed grab, while Baker removed Max Holden just before tea with a delivery that turned sharply to hit off stump.John Simpson announced his arrival at the crease by smashing Baker to the fence twice in succession, but the spinner returned after tea to trap Robbie White – who had battled hard for his 37 – leg before.Pennington prised out Simpson, taken low in the slips for a belligerent 26, before Hollman and Roland-Jones dug in to maintain Middlesex’s hopes of setting their opponents a tricky target in excess of 200.

Fair to say, Celtic’s Tuesday night visit to Dens Park was a lot more eventful than anyone could’ve forecast.

When Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan headed home the opener against his former club inside five minutes, most assumed the champions would cruise to a comfortable victory in the City of Discovery.

However, Dundee hit back not once, not twice but three times, Cameron Carter-Vickers the scorer of an unfortunate own goal mere seconds after Yang Hyun-jun had nodded the Hoops in front, the visitors thereby requiring a 93rd minute Arne Engels spot-kick to salvage a draw.

Brendan Rodgers was clearly fuming at full time, but the two points dropped has little tangible consequence, with Celtic now 16 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, ahead of Rangers’ clash with Aberdeen on Wednesday night.

When asked for an update about January transfers post-game by Sky Sports’ Luke Shanley, Rodgers said “nothing as of yet, I’ll probably find out over the next couple of days”, so could the Celts’ first signing of the window be imminent?

Celtic chasing a highly-rated teenager

As first reported by Mark McCadden of the Irish Mirror, Celtic are “leading the race” to sign St Patrick’s Athletic striker Mason Melia.

This came after Melia visited Glasgow last week for talks, having accepted a similar invitation from Tottenham before Christmas, while Serie A side Bologna are also mentioned as “eager” to sign him, with further interest from Bundesliga and Belgian clubs.

So who is Melia, and why is he so sought after?

Mason Melia's record at youth level

Still only 17-years-old, he’s made 54 appearances for League of Ireland side St Pat’s, scoring ten goals, helping the Red Army finish third last season.

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Back in November 2023, he came off the bench as St Patrick’s Athletic beat fierce Dublin rivals Bohemians 3-1 in the FAI Cup Final.

The match was played in front of 43,881 supporters at the Aviva Stadium, a record-breaking attendance for an Irish cup final, with Melia becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in a FAI Cup Final, doing so at the age of just 16 years and 50 days.

Journalist Conor McEvoy described Melia as a “terrific talent”, with Mark Gallagher of Extra Ireland believing he is valued at €1m (around £835,000), which would smash the League of Ireland record, currently held by Liam Scales, who joined Celtic for €600,000 from Shamrock Rovers in 2021.

As noted by Football Insider, due to Brexit regulations, Melia cannot join a British club until after his 18th birthday, meaning no move will take place until January 2026 at the earliest, but that does not mean Celtic, or anyone else for that matter, cannot agree a deal now.

How Mason Melia would fit in at Celtic

Should the teenager choose to make the move to Parkhead, he would face tough competition for a starting spot from fellow strikers Kyōgo Furuhashi and Adam Idah.

Idah became an instant Celtic hero by scoring a 90th-minute winner against Rangers in last season’s Scottish Cup Final, but has not lived up to these lofty expectations since his move from Norwich was made permanent, at the huge cost of £9.5m.

He came in for scathing criticism from Sky Sports pundits Kris Boyd, Neil Lennon and James McFadden after Tuesday’s game, with Boyd saying “he doesn’t seem to be the same player” as last season, adding “he needs to do more”.

So, perhaps there would be room in the squad for Meila to make an impression?

Regardless of current form, Idah, as well as the aforementioned Scales, are simply the latest in a long line of Irish Celtic players, 22 have made a senior appearance to be exact, some of whom are amongst the club’s biggest legends.

Pat Bonner

1978–97

646

0

12

Patsy Gallacher

1911-25

464

192

13

Sean Fallon

1950–58

254

14

6

Aiden McGeady

2004-10

252

37

7

Anthony Stokes

2010-16

192

77

7

Charlie Gallagher

1958–68

171

32

6

Chris Morris

1987–92

160

8

3

Billy Cook

1930-32

109

0

2

Tommy Coyne

1989-93

105

43

0

Mick McCarthy

1987-89

55

8

3

Roy Keane

2006

13

1

2

Robbie Keane

2010

19

16

0

Some all-time legends are on this list, none more so than Pat Bonner, only five players have made more appearances than him in the club’s entire history, while Roy Keane and Robbie Keane are at the other end of the scale as football greats, if not so much when bedecked in green and white hoops.

So, if Melia does move to the Scottish champions, he’ll be following in the footsteps of plenty of Irish legends… and Shane Duffy, but we don’t mention him.

Palma replacement: Celtic plotting to sign Hooper 2.0 in club-record move

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the talented English forward.

ByDan Emery Jan 14, 2025

The ECB and Sky Sports have extended their broadcast partnership by a further four years, until the end of 2028.The new deal, which is set to begin in 2025, includes a commitment to 90 extra hours of cricket each year, and guarantees that the Hundred – the new competition that was a major factor in the last rights cycle for 2020-24 – will continue for at least another five seasons.That hike in live coverage includes a commitment to a 50 percent increase in the number of Vitality Blast fixtures being broadcast, including one game per round being shown free-to-air on Sky Sports’ YouTube channel.The exact details of the new deal’s free-to-air provisions will be confirmed at a later date – the BBC’s current agreement extends until the end of 2024 – although at least two women’s T20 internationals each year will be broadcast on terrestrial TV, as well as eight women’s Hundred matches – an increase of two from the current deal.Sky have also pledged to continue supporting grassroots cricket through the ECB’s Dynamos Cricket programme.Clare Connor, the ECB’s interim chief executive, said: “Sky have been fantastic partners for cricket for over 30 years. Their broadcast coverage is rightly lauded as the best in the world, but more significantly than that we have a shared commitment to growing the sport and investing in more opportunities, not only for people to watch and follow cricket in all its forms, but also to pick up a bat and ball.”Thanks to Sky and the support of other partners, we saw a record 14 million people playing, attending or following cricket in 2021. This year alone, 10,000 children will get the chance to have a free taste of cricket through Sky Dynamos Intros, while many, many more will benefit from facilities and opportunities to play which are only possible because of Sky’s investment. It shows this media rights model is working, and we are very grateful for Sky’s ongoing support.”We have worked closely with the wider game and our First-Class Counties to agree this new deal with Sky, which will see not only more live women’s and men’s cricket on Sky, but also more on free to air TV as well. I would like to place on record our thanks to the First Class County Chairs, to all of the Sky teams involved and to ECB colleagues including Tony Singh and Tom Harrison, who have played the central role in delivering this outstanding result for cricket.”Our shared values and vision with Sky will make cricket accessible to even more people over the coming years and will use the power of sport to inspire the next generation, while safeguarding the wonderful traditions which are such a key part of our game.”Stephen van Rooyen, Sky Sports’ EVP and CEO UK and Europe, added: “This is an exciting time for English cricket and we’re thrilled to be furthering our long and successful partnership with the ECB. Together we will continue to help grow the game while boosting participation in the sport by children from all backgrounds through initiatives like our Dynamos Cricket Intros.”On screen, we will continue to push boundaries in our BAFTA-winning coverage, bringing Sky Sports viewers even more live action from 2025 – including more women’s cricket than ever before – with men’s and women’s England internationals and domestic cricket. Sky’s investment over the last 30 years has contributed to a great deal of success on the pitch, and we hope to be at the forefront of much more to come.”

علق أحمد حسام ميدو عضو اللجنة الفنية بنادي الزمالك، على رحيل جوزيه بيسيرو من منصب المدير الفني لفريق الكرة، وتعيين أيمن الرمادي بدلًا منه.

وكان مجلس إدارة الزمالك، قد أعلن في وقت سابق من اليوم، تعاقده رسميًا مع أيمن الرمادي لقيادة الفريق حتى نهاية الموسم الجاري، خلفًا للبرتغالي جوزيه بيسيرو الذي تم فسخ التعاقد معه بالتراضي.

وقال أحمد حسام ميدو في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “أشكر بيسيرو على الفترة التي قضاها مع الزمالك، ولا يمكن تحميله الأخطاء بمفرده، والأزمة لم تكن في بيسيرو وحده، بل كانت هناك مشاكل في تكوين الفريق بسبب الغيابات، بالإضافة إلى أزمة زيزو”.

وتابع: “النتائج لم تخدم بيسيرو، ما أدى إلى انتهاء تجربته مع الزمالك، وقد أوصت لجنة التخطيط مجلس الإدارة بضرورة تغيير المدير الفني، ولدينا هدف مهم جدًا، وهو إنهاء الموسم بشكل جيد، ونحلم بتحقيق بطولة كأس مصر”.

طالع | الزمالك يكرّم بيسيرو قبل الرحيل: احترام متبادل ونهاية دون شروط جزائية

وبسؤاله هل كنتَ من اختار الرمادي لتدريب الزمالك؟، أوضح: “هذا كلام عارٍ تمامًا من الصحة، كنا نبحث في أكثر من اتجاه، وكان من بينهم أيمن الرمادي، ونحن ندعمه بشكل كبير جدًا، ونقف إلى جانبه، ولدينا ثقة كبيرة بأنه سيقدم أداءً جيدًا في الفترة المقبلة، من خلال خبراته وشخصيته”.

واستطرد: “ثقتي كبيرة في أن أيمن الرمادي سيُقدّم كرة قدم جميلة مع الزمالك، وسيحقق نتائج جيدة، ونحن متفائلون بإنهاء الموسم بشكل جيد”.

وأضاف: “الاتفاق أن الرمادي سيستمر حتى نهاية الموسم، ونحن نثق في قدرته على تصحيح الأخطاء في الفترة المقبلة”.

وأكمل: “الرمادي، بالنسبة للاعبين، مدرب مقنع، وفي كل نادٍ تواجد فيه، قدم كرة قدم جيدة، ويدير المباريات الكبيرة بشكل جيد، وكلنا نقف خلف الجهاز الفني”.

وحول أزمة زيزو؟، أوضح: “ملف زيزو تحوّل إلى الجانب القانوني، ونحن مسؤولون عن جميع اللاعبين، وزيزو لا يزال لاعبًا في نادي الزمالك حتى الآن، ويتواجد يوميًا في النادي”.

وأشار: “لا يستطيع أحد أن يتعرض له، نحن نحترم عقودنا مع اللاعبين، سيحصل على جميع الحقوق والخدمات التي يحصل عليها أي لاعب محترف”.

وواصل: “لا يوجد شخص في مصر كان ليقبل بهذا المنصب إلا أنا، ونفس الأمر ينطبق على حازم إمام وعمرو الجنايني، رغم الظروف الصعبة التي يمر بها النادي، وعندما استلمنا المسؤولية، لم يكن هناك قطاع كرة منظم، ولا مناصب محددة، وكان كل شخص يعمل في اتجاه مختلف، فاضطررنا إلى أداء أدوار ليست من اختصاصنا”.

واختتم: “الفريق مبني بشكل خاطئ؛ عقود لاعبي الزمالك متفاوتة بشكل كبير جدًا، هناك لاعبون حصلوا على 60% من عقودهم، وآخرون لم يحصلوا إلا على 20%، وهناك تباين كبير في صرف نسب المستحقات، ودورنا الرئيسي هو التخطيط لقطاع كرة القدم في نادي الزمالك”.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola might just be ruing the sale of one of his former players, who has since become Europe's most lethal striker.

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Guardiola sold forward in 2022Has been thriving since move to BarcelonaHas found the net once every 81 minutesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona forward Ferran Torres scored another goal on Wednesday night to help his team book a Clasico clash in the Copa del Rey final after eliminating Atletico Madrid. Indeed, a striking stat has revealed that the Spaniard needs less minutes to find the back of the net than any other player across Europe's top leagues.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT IS THE STAT?

Per Opta, Torres has the lowest minutes-per-goal ratio of all the players in the top five European leagues who have scored at least 10 goals in all competitions this season. Indeed, the 25-year-old has scored 16 times in 35 games while spending just 1,292 minutes on the pitch, equating to a goal every 81 minutes. It's even more eye-catching when one considers the fact that Torres has started just 12 games all season for Barcelona.

DID YOU KNOW?

The in-form striker has caught the attention of Premier League clubs like Arsenal and Aston Villa. While his future remains uncertain, it’s clear that Torres is currently thriving in Catalonia, despite having a rotation role. Indeed, Hansi Flick would have to make the bold call of dropping one of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, or Raphinha in order to make room for the Spain international in the starting XI.

GOAL ARWHAT NEXT FOR FERRAN TORRES?

The former Valencia and Man City man will be hoping to impress again when Barcelona host an in-form Real Betis side on Saturday, April 5. Flick's troops are currently leading La Liga with a three-point advantage over rivals Real Madrid, but will face a stern test from Manuel Pellegrini's men, who have won six consecutive games since losing 3-2 to Celta Vigo in February.