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Sport shorts: Fallon Sherrock makes darts history and Tyson Fury would ‘love’ to spar with Anthony Joshua
Ten things from the world of sport on Wednesday 18 December
The 25-year-old from Milton Keynes, who was only the fifth woman to ever play in the event, is through to the second round after a stunning 3-2 win over Ted Evetts at Alexandra Palace.
Speaking after her victory Sherrock said: “I have proved that we can play the men and can beat them.”
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Women’s world No.9 Laura Turner, who was commentating for Sky Sports, added: “I’ve sounded like a broken record but I’ve been championing the women’s game for so long. I knew they could do it.
“I’m just so proud of the performance that Fallon put in. That’s where it needs to be. You need to forget it’s a woman, forget it’s a man and realise these are just top-quality dart players.”
Sherrock will face Austrian Mensur Suljovic in the second round at Ally Pally.
2. Fury would ‘love’ to spar with Joshua
Tyson Fury could have training help from an unlikely source ahead of his proposed rematch with WBC champion Deontay Wilder on 22 February.
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Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has offered to spar with his British rival and Fury would welcome AJ into his training camp.
Fury said: “I would love to have you in camp, work out for this fight and give Deontay Wilder a proper beating. I hope you mean it, as I’d love to have you in training camp with me. When I do beat Wilder I will fight you AJ no problem.”
3. No rush over Jones contract
Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive Bill Sweeney has told the BBC there is “no rush” over a contract extension for Eddie Jones.
England head coach Jones has a deal until August 2021 and Sweeney said any new terms have to work for both sides. “Those conversations are ongoing,” Sweeney added. “Both sides need to want this.”
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4. Serie A apologise for chimpanzee images
Serie A chief executive Luigi De Siervo has apologised after the Italian football league used images of chimpanzees in its anti-racism campaign.
De Siervo said: “I realised it was inappropriate. What cannot be questioned is the strong and constant condemnation by Serie A against all forms of discrimination and racism, and we are committed to eradicate this from our beloved league.
“Serie A is working on its official anti-racism campaign, which cannot be identified with Simone Fugazzotto’s work, and it will be presented by the end of February.”
Tonight’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid will see the joint leaders of La Liga go head-to-head at the Camp Nou. Both sides are level on 35 points after 16 games, with Barca top on goal difference.
This fixture was originally meant to be played in October but was postponed because of unrest in Catalonia. Despite the huge build-up and extra tension Real head coach Zinedine Zidane just wants to see a good match between the rivals.
He said: “On the outside, this can be a week where many things are said, but people just want to watch a good football match. In the end, we have to put our energy out on the pitch. We believe the match is going to be played.”
(Image credit: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images)
6. Haaland set for United
Manchester United have won the race for Erling Braut Haaland, reports The Sun, with the paper claiming that the Red Devils will sign him next month in a £76m deal before loaning him back to Red Bull Salzburg until the end of the season.
Another Red Bull Salzburg star on the move is Takumi Minamino. The Japanese attacking midfielder will have a medical at Liverpool today ahead of a proposed move in January. Minamino, 24, has a £7.25m release clause in his contract.
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8. No excuses for Red Bull in 2020
Red Bull Racing advisor Helmut Marko says the Formula 1 team have “no excuses” and must compete with Mercedes and Ferrari in next year’s championship.
“We have taken a lesson and next year we will not have any excuses,” said Marko. “Our Honda power is top, Max [Verstappen] is also top so now we have to deliver a good chassis. At the moment we are two weeks ahead of our schedule. It goes better than ever before.”
Meanwhile, reports in Turkey suggest that Fenerbahce are in the closing stages of finalising a move for Arsenal’s German midfielder Mesut Ozil.
10. Reds are focussed on victory in Qatar
Jurgen Klopp has questioned why the Fifa Club World Cup is held mid-season, but the Liverpool manager says his side are in it to win it.
When asked about the scheduling of the Fifa event, Klopp said: “We don’t fly 3,000 miles not to show up. We are here now and completely focussed. If, however, you asked me if there should be a Club World Cup in the middle of our season, I would say no. I speak constantly about this kind of competition.
“We are here so, for us, it is the most important competition in the world.”
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