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Hampshire enhanced their promotion prospects when they beat bottom of the table Essex by 85 runs at Southend.Star of the South Coast side’s win was Neil Johnson who hit an unbeaten 105 after opening the innings to underpin his side’s challenging total of 213-6 on a slow wicket before adding a wicket to his afternoon’s work.The Zimbabwean struck his first century in the competition from 118 deliveries that included seven fours and a six and steadily raised the tempo after starting at a subdued pace preferring to push the ball into the gaps before employing more aggression to his game.His partnership for the third wicket with Dimitri Mascarenhas in 23 overs eased his side away from an uneasy start when they slipped to 26-2. Mascarenhas played his full part, reaching a half-century with a straight driven boundary but then sacrificed his wicket after a mid wicket mix-up that left him stranded.Johnson though continued to control proceedings and gathered 45 runs in five overs towards the close of the innings with Robin Smith to take the visitors to their useful score.The target proved totally beyond the home side who made a poor start losing their first three wickets for 14 runs inside six overs as Darren Robinson and Stephen Peters departed to slip catches before Ronnie Irani pulled Mascarenhas to mid-wicket to give the bowler a second wicket.The best stand that Essex could muster was 36 for the fourth wicket between the effective Paul Grayson and Graham Napier but the latter perished on 22 when he hoisted James Hamblin to deep mid-wicket.Grayson alone looked assured and had moved smoothly to 44 when he drove a cleverly flighted delivery back to bowler Shaun Udal.The last three wickets fell quickly and cheaply to leave the home side reflecting on a dismal season that has seen them collect just one league win from their nine matches.In contrast, Hampshire were left to celebrate their sixth win in eight matches and allowed them to exact revenge for their only league defeat, which they suffered at the Rose Bowl on 3rd June against Essex.

Tottenham Hotspur are now accelerating a move for a “special” Champions League player, who is viewed as ideal for Thomas Frank.

Spurs eyeing new midfielder after Gray mistake

Just when Tottenham appeared to be building some momentum, winning two games on the spin, they were brought back down to earth with a 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Sunday, and Frank believes Archie Gray was at fault for the opening goal.

Gray lost possession after deciding against playing a first-time pass, with the Spurs manager saying: “I think it was a classic thing, you see, week in, week out. It’s ball-playing to one of the two sitters. Bounce it up, first touch, not take a touch. He will learn from that. I’m pretty sure he’ll use one touch next time.”

When asked whether Guglielmo Vicario was at fault, Frank added: “No. I think you see that every week in the Premier League, from every team, all over the world. So there’s no problem with that.”

Considering the youngster is just 19-years-old, mistakes are bound to happen, but the Lilywhites are now keen to bring in a new midfielder with a little more experience.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Tottenham are now accelerating a move to sign Inter Milan midfielder Davide Frattesi, with N17 one of the most attractive destinations for the Italian.

Frattesi is said to be a perfect fit for Frank’s style of play, given that he is a box-to-box midfielder, who makes ‘constant attacking runs’, and Spurs are willing to give him a leading role right from the off.

Having struggled for game time at Inter this season, receiving a guarantee of regular minutes will be key for the 26-year-old when it comes to deciding which club to join next, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool also named as potential suitors.

Related Archie Gray upgrade: ENIC submit offer to sign "magic" £61m star for Spurs

Tottenham need to make a signing or two in the January transfer window.

Posts 1 ByAngus Sinclair "Special" Frattesi needs to leave Inter

A lack of creativity has been a major problem for Tottenham this season, with Frank’s side recording two of the lowest three xG performances in the Premier League, and they clearly need some inspiration from somewhere.

There are signs the £88k-a-week Inter maestro could be a solution to their attacking woes, given that he has averaged 0.28 non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, ranking in the 96th percentile, when compared to other midfielders.

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Perhaps most famously, the central midfielder scored a dramatic late winner against Barcelona in the second leg of the 2024-25 Champions League semi-final.

Journalist Wayne Girard has also praised the Italy international in the past, claiming he has “something really special” about him while former Inter Milan coach Andrea Stramaccioni once hailed him as “one of the best midfielders in Europe”.

Frattesi is experienced at Champions League level, having made 24 appearances in Europe’s elite competition, and he could be a solid signing for Tottenham, who could clearly do with bringing in players who pose an attacking threat, given their creativity issues.

	Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s stellar 2007 was recognised during the WIPA awards © AFP

Shivnarine Chanderpaul won all three major awards at the annual West Indies Players’ Association’s awards on Sunday night. The fifth edition of the award saw him voted the international cricketer of the year, Test cricketer of the year and one-day international cricketer of the year.The accolades cap a superb year for Chanderpaul during which he was the mainstay of the West Indian batting line-up. He averaged 111.60 in Tests in 2007, going past 50 in six of his seven innings. It was also his most fruitful year in one-dayers: he plundered 913 runs, including four centuries, at 76.08.Trinidad and Tobago batsman Daren Ganga, who was last year’s Test player of the year, was named the first-class cricketer of the year while 17-year-old Adrian Barath was bagged the emerging cricketer of the year award, after an impressive first season. Barbadian Shamarh Brooks, who lead the West Indies during the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia in February, was declared the U-19 cricketer of the year.

The Australian government does not want Australia and Zimbabwe to play their scheduled series in September © Getty Images

The Australian government has indicated it might help Cricket Australia (CA) get out of its scheduled tour of Zimbabwe in September, should it decide not to make the trip. Alexander Downer, the Australian foreign minister, said the team could face fines of up to US$1.6 million from the ICC if it failed to go ahead with the series of three ODIs.”I don’t want them to tour Zimbabwe,” he told . “I think that is the wrong look.” Robert Mugabe’s regime in Zimbabwe has attracted increased criticism this month over its violent crushing of dissent.However, CA are under contract to tour each ICC member nation at least once every five years. Downer said there could be ways for CA to avoid the heavy financial penalties.”We’ll sit down with Cricket Australia when they get back [from the World Cup] and we’ll go into all that sort of detail about what the contract says,” Downer said. “It might be that they are able to get out of the tour on the back of the rising violence in Zimbabwe.”We’ll have to look at the contract in detail. Just simply to breach the contract, that could be expensive but there may be other ways around it.”Downer said cancelling the series was unlikely to hurt Mugabe and his allies. “A lot of them are not interested in or enthusiastic about cricket,” he said. “[But] the whole concept of the world’s greatest cricket team and the biggest names in world cricket visiting Zimbabwe and giving a blessing to that country is one I feel uncomfortable with.”

Trouble flares following the abandonment © Getty Images

The future of Guwahati as an international venue is in doubt following the serious crowd disturbances which followed the abandonment of Sunday’s ODI between India and England.The ICC has asked for a report on events, and the assessment of Roshan Mahanama, the match referee, is believed to be vital in the decision over the venue’s future. If local security is held responsible, then the Nehru Stadium may well be cast into the wilderness.An ICC spokesman told the BBC that the Indian board was not entirely at fault for the match being scheduled at a venue which rarely hosts such high-profile games. “India came up with an itinerary and England agreed to play a match in Guwahati,” he said. “If a board proposes a venue it’s up to the visiting country’s board to accept it or not. If the ECB had had any doubts about it they could have sent a security delegation to inspect the ground.”However, the Deccan Herald was in no doubt where the blame laid. “The events of Sunday are certain to cast a huge shadow over Guwahati’s status as an international venue,” it reported. “It wasn’t so much the anger of crowd as the lack of response from the nearly 2,000 policemen present at the stadium that was most galling.”

The race for India’s next coach reached one step closer to the finish line when the four short-listed candidates – Mohinder Amarnath, Greg Chappell, Desmond Haynes and Tom Moody – began the process of final interviews for the job on Thursday afternoon.A BCCI-appointed committee began the interviewing process at 2pm local time (0830 GMT). Those chosen to sit on the panel include former India captains Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri and Srinivas Venkataraghavan. The first candidate in was Amarnath, and the rest were to follow in alphabetical order.Speculation has reached fever-pitch over who will eventually get the job, and a clear front-runner is yet to emerge. Chappell and Moody are thought to be the most likely to get the job. Haynes is thought to have been picked with the fact that the World Cup will be staged in the West Indies next, but his lack of coaching experience could go against him.There was also some doubt that Haynes would not arrive on time, because he had notyet obtained a visa, but the Indian external affairs and home ministries ensured that the necessary paperwork was processed in time, and he reached Delhi late on Wednesday evening. Amarnath, if you believe recent media reports, has done his chances no favours by making rather bold and provocative comments about who should be coach.

New Zealand A 14 for 0 trail Sri Lanka A 276 (Daniel 124) by 262 runs
ScorecardIan Daniel gave Sri Lanka A a real cheer with a stroke-filled century that took his team to 276 on the first day of their five-day match against New Zealand A at Lincoln. At the end of the day, New Zealand A had negotiated seven overs safely and put 14 runs up on the board.On a day when most batsmen got starts, only Daniel went on to build a significant innings, while his team-mates played around him and constructed small partnerships. His 124 came off 222 balls with 25 fours, and he was the rock-like presence while wickets fell around him. Sri Lanka A began poorly, and found themselves at 124 for 4, with the captain, Naveed Nawaz, back in the pavilion. Thilina Kandamby then hung around, and made merry in his brief stay at the crease, scoring 34 in 45 balls before becoming the first of Paul Wiseman’s three victims. Together, the two put on 69 runs, but after Kandamby’s knock, the fight went out of the innings, and soon they were all out for 276.

Thursday 6th of February saw the first of our two matches against the Indians. After some disappointing results against Australia and New Zealand we were looking forward to getting some runs on the board and winning a match.We lost the toss and were put into bat on Lincoln 3, a traditionally low, slow wicket. We made 208 runs with Lottie batting well to make 79 not out. The Indians chased well and were in a position to win the match after 40 overs with only 40 odd runs required and six wickets in hand. Some tight bowling from Connor and Collyer and two crucial run outs involving the specialist fine leg Pearson, left them with 11 runs from 18 balls with four wickets… surely a winning position!A concerted team effort got us a win on the very last ball, Collyer bowling Goswami with India only needing two runs for the win. Very exciting stuff!After an injury to Mandie Godliman, I’ve been keeping wicket. With only four matches worth of keeping under my belt since September it’s been good to get back behind the stumps for England, something that I’ve always wanted to do since I joined the squad in 1998.The very next day we played India again in the third-fourth play-off match on the Bert Sutcliffe Oval. Preparation for the match was the same as for other days although livened up by Spraggy setting the canteen on fire trying to melt butter in the toaster. Again we batted first but were disappointed to only put 191 on the board, Leng batting well for her 80 runs.England built up pressure early on the Indian top order and they were soon four down for 40. We gathered together as a team and talked about not letting them get away. We talked about tying down one end and giving the Indians a blue wall to hit the ball through. It worked. Sarah Collyer bowled 9.5 overs for nine runs, three wickets and we bowled the Indians out for 101, a 90-run victory much more comprehensive than the one-run victory of the day before!That night was spent in quiet celebration at a local ale house, sharing a few pints of the local brew with the team and the supporters who had travelled over from the UK. We were home by 10.30pm; a very showbiz evening!The final of the World Series was contested by Australia and New Zealand. Australia’s domination of the tournament was once again in evidence, Belinda Clark making 80 runs to ensure that Australia posted a high total. Early pressure on the New Zealand batting from Cathryn Fitzpatrick dented chances of a repeat of the Kiwi win in the World Cup final of 2000. The English highlight of the day was the victory celebration of Julian Lillington after winning $150 in the “Can you catch” competition in the break. Robbie Keane eat your heart out!That evening we all went out into Christchurch to celebrate the end of the series with all the other teams. Winning the “How late were you out?” medal was veteran Clare Taylor finally making it home at 5am – good one!The team relaxed on Sunday, spending the day shopping, packing and recovering from the excesses of the night before (too much dancing!). Early (very early) on Monday morning we left Lincoln, our home for the past two weeks. We were on the bus by 4am and on our way to the airport for flights to Sydney then onto Brisbane. Check-in and departure tax out of the way we headed over to the nearest café for a much needed caffeine fix. We were in Brisbane six hours later getting used to the heat and humidity.Training on Tuesday left us tired and dehydrated. Two hours of nets followed by a short fielding session were enough for most of us. The afternoon was spent learning how to body board on a beach on the Gold Coast. Our Australian coach, John Harmer, had decided that this was an important part of the knowledge that he could impart to us. We had a lot of fun playing in the waves and even managed to catch the odd one.Now its back to preparation for the Test series with a two-day practice match against an Australia Youth side. Concentration will be important in the longer version of the game and we’ll have to get used to conditions.

Sir Richard Hadlee’s Invitation XI triumphed in a star-studded charity opener to Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club’s Superkings Weekend of Legends.The Chairman of Selector’s team, led by South African captain Shaun Pollock beat Sir Garfield Sobers’ Invitation XI by seven wickets at Trent Bridge on Saturday.The weekend’s matches were arranged to raise money for the Pavilion Appeal at the top Test venue.Sir Richard told Cricinfo before the early conclusion how he was "very anxious about the result."This determination to win was passed to Shaun Pollock in a pre-match pep talk. Sir Richard told his team’s leader, " I want it to be a competitive game. I want to win."In contrast Hadlee’s childhood role-model, Sir Garry, was keener on a close result to entertain the 5000 plus crowd.Sobers’ side, led by Courtney Walsh, made 166/6 between showers, with another former West Indies captain, Jimmy Adams, top-scoring with 47 not out.Shoaib Akhtar, back after three weeks out with stomach problems, took two for 33, removing Aravinda de Silva lbw with a characteristic quick yorker. He also bowled Lance Klusener, commenting afterwards, "I was really looking forward to bowling at Klusener. I’m coming back gradually and slowly. I’m feeling pretty good and didn’t try to bowl too fast."Klusener later spoke of his doubts that Allan Donald, who took one for 19, would follow through his stated intention to retire from Test cricket to concentrate on the next World Cup, to be held in South Africa. Jonty Rhodes has the same plan. Rhodes later hit the winning runs, living up to his statement, " there’s only one way I know how to play and that’s flat out."Donald spoke of the recent announcement that his former South African captain, Hansie Cronje, will be prosecuted for match fixing. Donald said he believed Cronje should not be prosecuted as it "could push him over the edge."Hadlee’s team scored the winning runs with over 16 overs to spare, with Gary Kirsten making 74 not out.Sir Richard told Cricinfo of his return to Trent Bridge, where he played from 1980-87, " it’s always a great experience coming back. It’s like a second home. Playing county cricket was the greatest opportunity I had in my career."

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side have been dealt a setback ahead of their Premiership Old Firm meeting with Rangers this weekend.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Rob Page (via the Daily Record), with the Wales manager suggesting that, despite himself hinting the 31-year-old may have picked up a knock in the World Cup play-off win over Austria last Thursday, the central midfielder will be fit to face Celtic on Sunday.

Speaking about the condition of the Juventus loanee, Page said: “There was no injury.

“It was a no-brainer. What we have to do is show respect to the clubs as well. We’ve got their players and Aaron is 30-plus years old now. I made that decision not to have him in the 23.”

Bad news for Celtic

While it is undeniable that Ramsey is yet to rediscover his best form at Ibrox, the news that the midfielder will be fit for Sunday’s Old Firm clash is nevertheless bad news for Postecoglou and his Celtic side.

Indeed, despite having played just 113 minutes of Premiership football so far this season, the £4.5m-rated dynamo highly impressed last time out in Gers’ 2-1 win over Dundee FC, with the 31-year-old scoring Rangers’ equaliser, as well as hitting the target with three shots, completing 22 passes, winning four duels, making one clearance and winning one tackle.

These returns saw the £45k-per-week midfielder earn a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.6, ranking him as the second-best player to feature in the game.

Furthermore, the former Arsenal playmaker also played extremely well in Wales’ aforementioned 2-1 victory over Austria last week, enjoying 52 touches of the ball, making two key passes, winning four duels and taking two shots at goal – with these metrics seeing the Welshman earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.3.

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As such, should Ramsey continue this run of form in Sunday’s potentially title-deciding derby, it would undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Celtic’s chances of taking all three points back to Parkhead – an outcome that would leave everyone involved with the Bhoys gutted.

AND in other news: Ange set for further disaster on “hugely talented” gem who’s “run his race at Celtic”