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Romania captures lion’s share, Kay Stumper upholds German honour

Published in Table Tennis

Monday, 07 October 2019 02:16

Star of the show was Elena Zaharia, she concluded matters the one player to remain unbeaten throughout the whole tournament.

On the concluding day of action she beat Hungary’s Dorottya Tolgyes (11-8, 11-8, 11-6, 10-12, 11-4), Croatia’s Hana Arapovic (11-9, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8) and Russia’s Vlada Voronina (11-5, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7) to seal the title. Germany’s Annett Kaufmann finished in second spot ahead of Vlada Voronina.

“I was very positive and I felt I could beat Vlada. I saw my opportunity and seized it. Before the match I studied carefully our final in Ostrava at the European Youth Championships; that experience helped.” Elena Zaharia

Tania Plaian

Impressive from Elena Zaharia, in the junior girls’ event life was more testing for Tania Plaian. She entered the concluding day with just one defeat against her name; on the opening day of action she had suffered at the hands of Germany’s Franziska Screiner (11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-5).

On the fina day she beat Poland’s Anna Wegrzyn (11-6, 11-6, 11-6, 11-2) prior losing to the Czech Republic’s Zdena Blaskova (13-11, 11-6, 11-7, 10-12, 16-14). Crucially, she recovered to beat Jamila Laurenti (4-11, 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8) and thus reserved the top stop of the podium.

“I had bad performance at the European Youth Championships. I had to prove myself I could play better. It put a lot of pressure on me; when I entered the venue and when I approached the table, I knew I could win. I felt the ball, I felt very good here. Everything came into the place.” Tania Plaian

Anna Wegrzyn, who also lost to Zdena Blaskova (11-5, 11-9, 11-2, 11-8) finished in third position behind Jamila Laurenti.

Darius Movileanu

One defeat entering the concluding day of play, it was the same for Darius Movileanu. On the second day of play had lost to Poland’s Milosz Redzimski (11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-6). One day later, he accounted for the Czech Republic’s Simon Belik (12-10, 3-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8), Germany’s Mike Hollo (11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8) and Belgium Louis Laffineur (7-11, 5-11, 13-11, 13-11, 11-6, 13-11) to seal the title. Iulian Chirita, also from Romania finished in second place behind Simon Belik.

“I came here believing I could win the tournament but I knew it would only happen if I kept my focus and approached every match seriously. You do not have time for mistakes when the best players are on list.” Daruis Movileanu

Kay Stumper

Likewise Kay Stumper had one defeat against his name prior to commencing the last day of play. On the opening day of action, he had lost to Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse (11-9, 13-15, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9). On the concluding day he experienced a further defeat he lost to Frenchman Vincent Picard; however wins against Poland’s Samuel Kulczycki (11-8, 11-9, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7) and Csaba Andras ((12-10, 11-8, 11-6, 11-2) proved sufficient to secure the top prize.

“The match against Adrien was the really hard one. I lost it 9-11 in decisive game. I could not sleep that night. It haunted me.” Kay Stumper

Samuel Kulczycki finished in second place followed by Frenchman Lilian Bardet.

2019 Europe Youth Top 10: full results and final positions

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New horizons for Adam Klajber and Poon Yat, winners in Otocec

Published in Table Tennis

Monday, 07 October 2019 02:25

Success for Adam Klajber and it was success the hard way; in the later rounds he was severely tested.

At the quarter-final stage he beat Romania’s Andrei Istrate (11-6, 5-11, 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-9) before, following success against the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Kveton (11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 10-12, 11-5), he overcame Croatia’s Ivor Ban to secure the title (5-11, 5-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8).

Similarly, for Ivor Ban there were testing times; at the quarter and semi-final stages he needed six games in each encounter to secure victory. In the quarter-final round he beat Brazil’s Kenzo Carmo (11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 14-12), prior to ousting Belgium’s Nicolas Degros (11-6, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-2).

Disappointment for Ivor Ban and Nicolas Degros but there was success; together they won the junior boys’ doubles title, at the final hurdle accounting for Croatia’s Leon Santek and Lovro Zovko (11-8, 11-8, 11-9).

Poon Yat

Tense moments for Adam Klajber, it was somewhat the same for Poon Yat. After ending the hopes of the Czech Republic by beating both Jana Vasendova (12-10, 10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9) and Linda Zaderova (11-8, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8), she secured the title at the expense of the host nation’s Katarina Strazar (11-8, 11-2, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8). In the opposite half of the draw in the later rounds, Poon Yat had beaten Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi (11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8) and Serbia’s Radmila Tominjak (10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-7).

Bronze for Radmila Tominjak, as with Ivor Ban and Nicolas Degros there was consolation; she partnered colleague Reka Bezeg to junior girls’ doubles success, the pairing receiving a walk-over in the final when scheduled to meet Bulgaria’s Kalina Hristova and Patricia Ianau.

Bronze medal

Success for Poon Yat but in the cadet girls’ singles competition, she had to settle for the third step of the podium; at the semi-final stage of proceedings she was beaten by Italy’s Nicole Arlia (11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11). Alas for Nicole Arlia there was no gold; in the final she experienced when facing Poland’s Anna Bryska (11-7, 11-3, 11-5), the semi-final winner in opposition to Brazil’s Laura Watanabe (4-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8).

A penultimate round defeat for Laura Watanabe but in common with those who just missed out in the singles events there was doubles success; she partnered colleague Giulia Takahashi to cadet girls’ doubles gold, at the final hurdle the duo overcoming Chinese Taipei’s Liu Zi-Fei and Yeh Yi-Tian (11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6).

Romanian gold

Silver for Chinese Taipei, it was the very same in the cadet boys’ singles competition; at the final hurdle, Chao Po-Yu experienced defeat at the hands of Romania’s Andrei Istrate (11-9, 8-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8), the semi-final winner in opposition to colleague Horia Ursut (11-13, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4). In the adjacent semi-final, Cha Po-Yu had beaten Belgium’s Nolan Lerat (11-3, 11-7, 11-8).

The top step of the podium for Andrei Istrate; in the cadet boys’ doubles event partnering Horia Ursut it was the second step. At the final hurdle the duo suffered when facing Hungary’s Balasz Lei and David Santos (11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 1-11, 11-9).

Play concluded in Otocec, attention now turns to Skopje, the North Macedonia Junior and Cadet Open commences on Tuesday 8th October.

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Aiming one step higher, Ivor Ban heads Skopje list

Published in Table Tennis

Monday, 07 October 2019 02:30

Likewise, he is the top seed in the junior boys’ team event alongside Lovro Zovko; in Slovenia with Leon Santek added to the line-up, they finished in the bronze medal position.

Notably Lovro Zovko is the no.4 seed in the junior boys’ singles competition behind Slovakia’s Filip Delincak and Peru’s Carlos Fernandez. All three have yet to make an impact in the junior scene this year but Carlos Fernandez has enjoyed cadet success. On this year’s ITTF World Junior Circuit, he won in Chile, in Thailand he reached the quarter-final round.

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Significantly in Skopje, he is the top seed in the cadet boys’ team event alongside Belgium’s Tom Closset and in the same spot in the cadet boys’ singles competition. He appears ahead of Romania’s Andrei Istrate and Paul Szilagyi; Norway’s Martin Froseth is next in line.

At the recent Slovenia Junior and Cadet Open, Andrei Istrate secured the cadet boys’ singles title.

Radmila Tominjak

Meanwhile, the young lady very much at the forefront in matters is Serbia’s Radmila Tominjak. She is the top seed in the junior girls’ team event alongside colleague Reka Bezeg, the duo occupying the respective top two places in the junior girls’ seeding.

Next in line is Italy’s Elisa Armanini followed by the Czech Republic’s Martina Novakova. All are players who have yet to make an impact on the international scene; Skopje provides a major opportunity.

It is the same situation in the cadet girls’ singles, a major opportunity to gain international success is presented. Chrysi Fotiadou of Greece is the top seed ahead of Belgium’s Julie Van Hauwaert and Sara Devos. Romania’s Evelyn Ungvari is the no.4 seed. In the cadet girls’ team competition, Sara Devos and Julie Hauwaert occupy the top seeded spot.

Play commences with the team events.

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Veteran Golan makes ElShorbagy graft for US Open win

Published in Squash

Monday, 07 October 2019 01:56

Mohamed ElShorbagy in action against Borja Golan in the US Open

Momen finds it tough against Al Tamimi
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

Defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily got their title challenges under way at the FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships earlier today as they booked their round three spots at the PSA Platinum event held at Drexel University.

ElShorbagy is a three-time champion at the event and will be aiming to add a fourth to his ever expanding collection after already clinching both the China Squash Open and Oracle NetSuite Open titles at the start of this season.

However, the 36-year-old Golan did not make it easy for ElShorbagy, with the veteran Spaniard pushing him all the way in a feisty four-game encounter. The Spaniard led 8-3 in the fourth, but was unable to hold on to his advantage as the 28-year-old Bristol-based Egyptian closed out the win by an 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 margin.

“When you play Borja, it is always going to be tough,” said ElShorbagy. “He is one of those players that if you are going to take them out, you have to fight for every point. He is so experienced, he knew what time to change the ball, what time to slow the pace and when to play at a faster pace.

“It would mean a lot to get my fourth title here. Every season I work on my game a lot. I finish every season and ask myself what went wrong and what I need to work on. I want to be back at No.1 again, I don’t want any other number but No.1. I’m going after that spot big time this season. Every session I did this summer was with that focus, and I’m not going to relax until I get it.”

Tarek Momen at full stretch against Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi

Meanwhile, World No.3 Tarek Momen survived a big scare as he came through a five-game battle with Qatar’s Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, winning 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 to book his place in the last 16.

Tamimi produced strong and disciplined squash in the first game to take a surprise lead over the World Championship runner-up, and fought back from 2-1 down to set up a decider. But Momen showed just how much his mental resilience has improved over the years in the fifth as he kept his composure to set up a third round meeting with Germany’s Raphael Kandra.

“I always give every player the utmost respect and never underestimate anyone,” said Momen. “I went into today’s match knowing that Abdulla has a good arsenal of attacking shots and I knew that he has a good game, but I feel the way he played today was well above his ranking. He was just unbelievable and at some points I felt like he couldn’t make any mistakes.”

Elsewhere, World No.1 Ali Farag began his attempts to win a second U.S. Open title with a 3-0 win over England No.1 Daryl Selby, while World No.4 Karim Abdel Gawad defeated up-and-coming Egyptian Mostafa Asal. Declan James, who is managed by Selby, also went out in an all-English battle against left-hander Adrian Waller, who now meets Farag.

US interest in the men’s draw came to an end at the hands of New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson as he got the better of University of Penn junior Andrew Douglas.

Raneem El Welily in confident mood

In the women’s draw, World No.1 El Welily took just 23 minutes to despatch fellow Egyptian Nadine Shahin in straight games.

The 30-year-old has already reached finals at the China Open and Oracle NetSuite Open this season – winning the former – and she will now face compatriot Yathreb Adel in the next round after she battled past England’s Julianne Courtice in a tough five-game encounter at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia.

“I’m always happy to be back here in Philly,” said World No.1 El Welily afterwards.

“I absolutely love it here and the atmosphere is always amazing. It’s definitely not been a bad start to the season. I’m pretty pleased with the way I have performed, but the season is still very long and it is only two tournaments out of 10 or 12. It counts for nothing so I have to put it behind me and keep moving forward.”

Meanwhile, United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy overcame compatriot Olivia Fiechter, despite still struggling with the effects of an adductor strain sustained at the Oracle NetSuite Open.

Amanda Sobhy clinches victory against fellow American Olivia Fiechter

The Boston-based Harvard-graduate withdrew from her quarter-final match in San Francisco and, sporting heavy strapping on her leg, battled to an 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 victory to ensure that she will face India’s Joshna Chinappa in the last 16.

“I was struggling with a little niggle in my leg from San Francisco,” said 26-year-old Sobhy.

“So I didn’t really know what to expect coming here and whether I was playing or not playing, playing and making it worse. But this tournament means so much to me and I wanted to at least try, so no matter what happened I gave it a shot and tried my best. I’m pleased to win and move to the next round.”

Sobhy’s younger sister, Sabrina, bowed out to No.2 seed Camille Serme while US No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne lost out to New Zealand’s Joelle King.

The day’s biggest upset saw Malaysia’s World No.48 Sivasangari Subramaniam down World No.13 Alison Waters to set up a meeting with England’s Sarah-Jane Perry, marking the first time she has reached the last 16 of a PSA Platinum event.

The third round begins today (Monday October 7) at 13:30 (GMT-4) local time, with all matches taking place on the glass court in Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center.

The action will be broadcast on SQUASHTV (rest of world), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and the official Facebook page of the PSA World Tour.

PSA World Tour Platinum FS Investments US Open 2019, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. (Equal prize money: $185,500 for both men and women).

Men’s Second Round:
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (38m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Declan James (ENG) 3-1: 11-2, 8-11, 13-11, 11-8 (59m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 3-1: 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (70m)
[8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 3-1: 11-9, 5-11, 11-1, 11-7 (49m)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) bt George Parker (ENG) 3-1: 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4 (47m)
Joel Makin (WAL) bt Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) 3-1: 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-2 (55m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Cesar Salazar (MEX) 3-1: 8-11, 13-11, 11-5, 10-6 retired (61m)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt Mostafa Asal (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 15-13 (49m)
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 3-2: 7-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (65m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Fares Dessouky (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7 (59m)
Zahed Salem (EGY) bt Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 12-10, 13-11, 11-5 (51m)
[5] Simon Rösner (GER) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 11-3, 12-10, 5-11, 11-7 (49m)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 3-0: 13-11, 11-6, 11-3 (53m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 3-2: 9-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 (61m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [WC] Andrew Douglas (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (45m)
[2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 3-1: 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-9 (68m)

Men’s Third Round (Top Half, October 7):
[1] Ali Farag (EGY) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [8] Miguel Rodriguez (COL)
[7] Diego Elias (PER) v Joel Makin (WAL)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)

Men’s Third Round (Bottom Half, October 8):
[3] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Raphael Kandra (GER)
Zahed Salem (EGY) v [5] Simon Rosner (GER)
[6] Paul Coll (NZL) v Mazen Hesham (EGY)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [2] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY)

Women’s Second Round:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (23m)
[15] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Julianne Courtice (ENG) 3-2: 11-3, 11-9, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5 (47m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [10] Alison Waters (ENG) 3-1: 11-5, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9 (41m)
[6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) bt Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 3-1: 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 11-5 (43m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt [11] Victoria Lust (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-3, 11-5 (26m)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-2: 12-10, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-4 (70m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-1, 11-1 (19m)
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Nele Gilis (BEL) 3-1: 11-1, 5-11, 11-2, 11-9 (45m)
[13] Salma Hany (EGY) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (25m)
[16] Joey Chan (HKG) bt Lee Ka Yi (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (25m)
[8] Tesni Evans (WAL) bt Melissa Alves (FRA) 3-0: 11-1, 17-15, 11-9 (40m)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Olivia Fiechter (USA) 3-1: 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 (34m)
[12] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Donna Lobban (AUS) 3-2: 7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9 (50m)
[9] Annie Au (HKG) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-1: 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 (39m)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [WC] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (26m)

Women’s Third Round (Top Half, October 7):
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) v [15] Yathreb Adel (EGY)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) v [6] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
[5] Joelle King (NZL) v Rowan Elaraby (EGY)
[14] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) v [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)

Women’s Third Round (Bottom Half), October 8):
[3] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [13] Salma Hany (EGY)
[16] Joey Chan (HKG) v [8] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [12] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[9] Annie Au (HKG) v [2] Camille Serme (FRA)

Report by SEAN REUTHE (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Posted on October 7, 2019

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Typhoon Hagibis: Rugby World Cup and F1 could be affected

Published in Rugby

Monday, 07 October 2019 04:33

The organisers of the Rugby World Cup and Formula 1 bosses are monitoring a powerful typhoon forming to the south of Japan which could bring fierce winds and torrential rain over the weekend.

Japan's Meteorological Agency (JMA) says Typhoon Hagibis is expected to reach the highest level of "violent".

The JMA added: "It could be the strongest to hit Japan this year."

World Rugby says it is heading in a "north-westerly direction" and could bring disruption to southern Japan.

The typhoon is predicted to hit the southern island of Kyushu on Saturday.

There are two fixtures on the island over the weekend - a potentially crucial match for Ireland against Samoa in Fukuoka on Saturday, while Wales face Uruguay in Kumamoto on Sunday.

World Rugby insists it has a "robust contingency plan in place" should the adverse weather impact tournament fixtures.

However, any games cancelled at the World Cup because of the weather are registered as scoreless draws.

Ireland need a bonus-point victory against Samoa to ensure their passage through to the quarter-finals.

Ireland's defence coach Andy Farrell said World Rugby is as "keen as we are to get this game played", adding: "The weather forecast changes all the time anyway, so we won't probably know until 48 hours out from the game.

"The boys haven't even spoken about it - we just go from day to day, get on with our preparations."

Wales might have already sealed their place in the quarter-finals before they face Uruguay with victory over Fiji on Wednesday, and head coach Warren Gatland says he does not want to "waste any negative energy on something that I can't change".

"We've had some updates in the past from World Rugby about potential weather stuff, and we will deal with that when it comes," Gatland told BBC Sport.

"We won't be thinking about that, we will just be focusing on the game."

Meanwhile, motorsport's governing body the FIA is also monitoring the situation ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka.

In 2014 the race was affected by bad weather, and was halted prematurely when Jules Bianchi crashed heavily, suffering severe head injuries which led to his death nine months later.

Analysis

BBC weather presenter Ian Fergusson

Super Typhoon Hagibis is looking set to approach western Japan by Saturday. Although the exact track is uncertain and some weakening is expected on reaching Japan, the risk of direct impacts at Suzuka this weekend from both rain and wind do look increasingly concerning.

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Lavanini given four-match ban for high tackle on Farrell

Published in Rugby

Monday, 07 October 2019 01:54

Argentina lock Tomas Lavanini has been given a four-match ban for a high tackle on England captain Owen Farrell at the Rugby World Cup.

Lavanini was shown a red card in the 18th minute of the Pumas' 39-10 defeat, which ended their chances of reaching the quarter-finals.

The 26-year-old, the most sin-binned player in Argentina's history, admitted committing an act of foul play.

Lavanini will miss the Pumas' final Pool C game against USA on Wednesday.

The lock is set to join his new team-mates at Premiership club Leicester after the tournament, and he will miss his first three matches with the Tigers.

Lavanini can return to action on 1 November, so he will be eligible for Leicester's Premiership game with Gloucester at Welford Road the day after.

He becomes the eighth player to be suspended at the World Cup for dangerous tackles, the subject of a major crackdown by governing body World Rugby as it seeks to reduce impacts to the head.

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Scotland boss Townsend 'surprised' by penalty that led to Japan bonus try against Samoa

Published in Rugby

Monday, 07 October 2019 03:40

Japan benefited from "an incredible call" to earn a bonus point in their World Cup victory over Samoa, says Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend.

The host nation crashed over for a stoppage-time try in a 38-19 win after Samoa were punished for a squint scrum feed on their own five-metre line.

Japan meet the Scots in the hosts' final pool match on Wednesday.

"I've never seen a crooked feed [penalised], certainly at the World Cup or in the Six Nations," said Townsend.

"I think it's an incredible call to be honest. It's something that has not been refereed and there's been an agreement that there is more latitude for scrum-halves putting the ball in because you are the team that's won the scrum.

"To see it in a World Cup really surprised me. To see it as we went into injury time for a game-changing decision was an even bigger surprise."

Scotland must secure a bonus-point victory over Russia on Wednesday to close the gap on Japan to four points going into Sunday's meeting in Yokohama.

Townsend's side would then need to prevail against the hosts to reach the quarter-finals but could miss out with a win if Japan picked up a losing bonus point.

Townsend has made 14 changes to his starting line-up for the match with Russia, keeping key players fresh for the weekend.

Star men such as Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg are left out completely, with Blair Kinghorn, Pete Horne, Ben Toolis and George Turner making their first appearances in the tournament.

"We have had a long rest into this game," said Townsend. "Obviously, we don't have too much of a rest into our final game.

"A three-day gap between games is the shortest you can get. What we can do with the players on Thursday depends on what happens in Wednesday's game.

"We've obviously got Japan on the back of our minds but the front of our minds is all about Russia and delivering a winning performance and getting a bonus point. It's important we build on the momentum that we created against Samoa.

"Russia have gained in confidence. They look a fit team. They've been better in the second half in their last two games. Their defence has certainly improved. They had 90% tackle completion against Ireland. They have some physical players, who are good rugby players too. They have a solid scrum, one of the best you'll see.

"It's their last game, so they will throw everything into this. We're expecting as good a performance as they gave against Ireland, maybe another level up."

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England appoint Chris Silverwood as men's head coach

Published in Cricket

Monday, 07 October 2019 02:20

Chris Silverwood has been appointed as England men's head coach.

The 44-year-old Silverwood was promoted from the role of bowling coach to head coach across all formats, succeeding Trevor Bayliss, who left the post at the end of the 2019 season.

Silverwood emerged as the frontrunner for the job last week after Alec Stewart pulled out of the running and Gary Kirsten was also interviewed.

Silverwood impressed the ECB's selection panel, comprising Chief Executive Officer Tom Harrison, Managing Director of England's Men's Cricket Ashley Giles and Head of Coach Development John Neal, through a strong interview and his intimate knowledge of the current set-up and systems.

Giles said Silverwood was "the standout candidate".

"I believe he is what we need to take our international teams forward," Giles said. "He is somebody we know well, but it is his intimate understanding of our structures and systems and his close relationships with Test captain Joe Root and white-ball captain Eoin Morgan that will help us develop our plans for the next few years.

"He has performed exceptionally well during his role as an assistant coach and has the ultimate respect of the players that have worked with him.

"Chris demonstrated in his interview a clear understanding and strategy of how both the red and white-ball teams need to evolve. He has some detailed thoughts on what it will take to win the Ashes in Australia and win major ICC white-ball tournaments."

Giles also said Silverwood's relationships with county coaches and directors of cricket would be "invaluable".

"Having led Essex to the County Championship title in 2017, his legacy is very much in evidence this campaign, which saw Essex win the domestic double of the Specsavers County Championship and the Vitality Blast," Giles said. "Ultimately, his highest quality is that he is a winner and that will be an important part of the job as we look to strive to become the most respected team in the world across all formats."

Silverwood's first competitive series at the helm will be England's tour of New Zealand, which includes a five-match IT20 series starting on November 1 in Christchurch and two Tests against the Black Caps from November 21.

"I aim to continue the great work that has been done over the past five years and build on our future, especially in the Test arena," Silverwood said. "I have enjoyed working with the players over the past two seasons, and developing the best crop of talent in the English game.

"I am excited to get started and build teams that the whole game can be proud of. There is a tremendous amount of talent coming through, and there is enormous potential for growth. The hard work starts now, and I am confident we can make a positive impact during our winter tours of New Zealand and South Africa."

Silverwood became England's full-time fast bowling coach at the end of 2017, working with the team throughout the past two seasons, including the victorious World Cup campaign.

Silverwood played six Tests and seven ODIs for England between 1996 and 2002 and spent 13 years at his home county of Yorkshire, before three more seasons at Middlesex. In that time, he took 577 first-class wickets at an average of 27.41.

After his retirement from playing, Silverwood joined the coaching staff at Essex in 2010. He was appointed head coach ahead of the 2016 season, leading them to promotion that same season and then on to the Championship title the following year.

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R Ashwin back in top ten for Test bowlers

Published in Cricket

Monday, 07 October 2019 04:56

R Ashwin is back in the top ten for Test bowlers after his match haul of eight wickets in his first international match in 2019, the first Test against South Africa in Visakhapatnam. Rohit Sharma, who marked his Test opening debut with twin hundreds, vaulted 36 places to a career-high 17th while his captain Virat Kohli had his points drop below 900. Steven Smith continues to lead the Test batting rankings with 937 points, opening up a 38-point lead over Kohli.

During the Test, Ashwin also became the joint-fastest to 350 Test wickets along with Muttiah Muralitharan. The triumphant return has helped him move from 14th place to tenth among bowlers.

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Rohit also enjoyed a productive Test, setting several records as a Test opener. Notably, he hit 13 sixes, the most by a batsman in a Test match. Mayank Agarwal, Rohit's opening partner who converted his maiden Test hundred into a double-century, jumped from 63rd place to 25th. Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, dropped three places to tenth.

Among the South Africans, Quinton de Kock, who made 111 in the first innings in Visakhapatnam, broke into the top ten, claiming seventh place ahead of openers Tom Latham, Dimuth Karunaratne and Rahane. Opener Dean Elgar also gained five places and made it to 14th, having struck 160 in a big partnership with de Kock in the first innings.

ALSO READ - Shami hits his stride to bust subcontinent stereotypes

Mohammed Shami, who enhanced his reputation as a second-innings specialist, moved up two places to 16th, achieving a career-high 710 points on the table led by Australia's Pat Cummins.

Ashwin broke into the top five among allrounders too, while Ravindra Jadeja has gone past Shakib Al Hasan to the second spot. West Indies' Jason Holder tops the rankings with 472 points.

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Raptors guard Lowry gets 1-year, $31M extension

Published in Breaking News

Monday, 07 October 2019 04:42

Kyle Lowry and the Toronto Raptors have agreed on a one-year, $31 million contract extension that takes the five-time All-Star guard out of July's free-agent market, agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told ESPN.

The extension guarantees Lowry two years and $64 million on the books -- including the $33.3 million left on his expiring contract this season.

Toronto president Masai Ujiri, general manager Bobby Webster and Lowry's camp had been motivated to hammer out an extension for months. Over the weekend, the sides closed on a deal that delivers the Raptors options as they evaluate how they'll construct a post-championship roster -- and delivers Lowry the opportunity to extend his stay with a franchise with which he's wanted to complete his career.

"We are so appreciative of how Masai and Bobby handled every aspect of this negotiation," Bartelstein told ESPN. "Once again, they displayed how they look after their players in a first-class manner, especially someone like Kyle who they recognize has such a legacy with the franchise."

Lowry had not been enthusiastic about entering the free-agent market as a 34-year-old in July. Now he gets a deal that delivers him into some historical context: He becomes the first player older than 33 to get an extension that includes a first-year salary-cap hit north of $30 million.

Lowry has earned $157 million in a career that's starting its 15th season, including his eighth as the longest-tenured active member of the Raptors.

Despite the loss of NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in free agency, the Raptors return a core that is still expected to compete for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.

Toronto still has flexibility to create a maximum salary-cap slot for 2020-21 free agency. Toronto has two key frontcourt players -- Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol -- on expiring contracts this season. If Toronto management doesn't love its team's chances of making a deep run in the Eastern Conference playoffs, it will have the option of testing Ibaka's and Gasol's value on the trade market. The NBA's Most Improved Player, forward Pascal Siakam, is negotiating a possible rookie extension now. He is expected to be the offensive focal point of the post- Leonard Raptors.

Lowry's extension tightens the Raptors projected salary-cap space in 2020-21, lowering it from $60 million to $26 million. Lowry is still eligible to be traded during the 2019-20 season.

Lowry joined the Raptors via trade in 2012, and has been integral part of its unprecedented success -- including five straight All-Star appearances. In the 2020-21 season, Lowry will now join a 30-30 club of elite point guards that are making over $30 million annually after the age of 30 -- including Russell Westbrook, Kemba Walker, John Wall, Steph Curry, Chris Paul and Mike Conley Jr.

ESPN front-office insider Bobby Marks contributed to this report.

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