Sport shorts: Britain’s worst football team finally win and Beckham wants English players at Inter Miami
Ten things from the world of sport on Thursday 1 August
1. ‘Unbelievable stuff’ for Fort William FC
Britain’s worst professional football team, Fort William FC, have finally won a match!
The Scottish side had gone on a 73-game losing streak over 840 days, but they broke the sequence with a 5-2 victory over Nairn County in the North of Scotland Cup.
Fort William FC said on Twitter: “Unbelievable stuff. A great night at Claggan Park. An unbelievable feeling. We would like to thank everyone who came along to Claggan Park.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“And we would like to thank everyone online, around the world who have celebrated with us. Your support doesn’t go unnoticed.”
2. Murrays through to Citi Open quarters
Andy Murray and brother Jamie Murray are through to the quarter-finals of the Citi Open in Washington. The Scottish siblings beat French pair Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 6-4, 6-7 (7), 10-5. They will now play New Zealand’s Michael Venus and South Africa’s Raven Klaasen tomorrow.
3. Englishmen in Miami
David Beckham’s Inter Miami will look to recruit players from England. Inter Miami join Major League Soccer in 2020 and co-owner Jorge Mas told the BBC: “We’ve looked at some English players. We’re having some conversations with some English players and we anticipate Inter Miami will have some English presence.”
4. Ill Lewis won’t feature in Netflix German GP show
GPFans.com reports that Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won’t allow footage of him at the German Grand Prix to be featured on Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive if it shows him while he was ill. The Briton said: “I won’t be in the Netflix show much, because I was sick the whole time. I won’t allow them to release that.”
5. Fifa reveal Best men’s player nominees
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been included on the ten-man shortlist for the 2019 Best Fifa Player of the Year award. The duo have both won the award five times and they are joined on the shortlist by Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Kane, Eden Hazard, Sadio Mane, Kylian Mbappe, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Fifa Best awards 2019: Liverpool trio nominated but Man City are left fuming
6. Dybala wants more dosh
If Paulo Dybala is to play for Manchester United then he expects to receive a post-tax salary of about £10m a year. Juventus are ready to offload the Argentine striker after new boss Maurizio Sarri announced he’s not part of his plans for the coming season. It’s believed that Juventus will swap Dybala for Romelu Lukaku, but before that happens an agreement has to be reached between United and Dybala.
Premier League transfer news: Dybala, Maguire, Zaha, Cancelo, Rugani
7. Spurs fans start #BackPoch social campaign
Tottenham Hotspur fans have launched a social media campaign urging the club’s board to show their backing for first-team boss Mauricio Pochettino in the transfer market. With the club now settled into their magnificent new stadium fans believe that it’s time to #BackPoch or risk losing him to a rival club in Europe.
#BackPoch: Tottenham fans urge Daniel Levy to back boss Mauricio Pochettino
8. Peckham teenager to be first jockey in hijab
A London teenager is to be the first woman to ride a competitive horse race in the UK wearing a hijab. Khadijah Mellah, an 18-year-old student from Peckham, has been riding for seven years and will take part in the all-female Magnolia Cup, an amateur charity race. Former cyclist Victoria Pendleton and TV presenters Alexis Green and Vogue Williams are also competing.
9. What’s on in August?
August is a crossover month with summer and winter sports all on the schedule. The month’s action begins with The Ashes cricket series between England and Australia and the Women’s British Open golf major at Woburn. The English domestic football season kicks off with the Community Shield clash between Manchester City and Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday.
2019 sports event calendar and live TV guide: what’s on in August?
10. Let the Ashes battle commence
The Ashes cricket series dominates the newspaper back pages with the first Test match between England and Australia starting this morning.
Australia are the holders of the legendary urn and they take on an England team that are enjoying an 11-match winning run across all formats at Edgbaston, the host ground for the first Test.
The Aussies won the toss and decided to bat first.
England XI for the first Test
Rory Burns, Jason Roy, Joe Root (captain), Joe Denly, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Australia XI for the first Test
David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (captain, wicketkeeper), James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon
The Ashes 2019 guide: England vs. Australia predictions, squads, fixtures, dates, TV, betting odds
Today’s back pages: Australia captain Paine taunts England fans
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Mason Greenwood: footballer arrested on suspicion of rape and assault
Speed Read Man Utd confirm the striker will not train or play until further notice
By The Week Staff Published
-
Handball: swapping bikini bottoms for tight pants
Speed Read Women competitors will be required to ‘wear short tight pants with a close fit’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Cristiano Ronaldo’s second coming
Speed Read Last week, Manchester United re-signed the forward on a two-year deal thought to be worth more than £400,000 a week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bank holidays and boycotts: are MPs trying to jinx England?
Speed Read Declaring a bank holiday would be ‘tempting fate’, says Boris Johnson
By The Week Staff Published
-
Weightlifting: Olympic Games set for transgender first
Speed Read New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard will make history at Tokyo 2020
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sport shorts: Champions League expansion plan to be agreed
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Joachim Low and the Lions women’s team
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Sturgeon slams Rangers fans over title celebrations
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Keely Hodgkinson and Bryson DeChambeau
By Mike Starling Published
-
Sport shorts: Klopp’s unwanted record as Liverpool lose again at Anfield
Speed Read News and reactions from the world of sport, featuring Tiger Woods and Tom Brady
By Mike Starling Published