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'Shami a strike bowler for us in the second innings consistently' - Kohli

Published in Cricket

Sunday, 06 October 2019 03:21

India's 203-run against South Africa was not as straightforward as the scoreline might suggest. South Africa put in a strong performance with the bat in the first innings, and were in with a chance of a draw till the fifth morning, when they blundered against Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. Here's what India captain Virat Kohli had to say about his match-winning bowlers, and other key performers from the game, in his post-match chat with host broadcaster Star Sports.

On why India's pacers have been effective in home conditions
"It's all about the attitude. If the fast bowlers step out on the field thinking spinners are going to do all the work, then it doesn't do any justice to them playing in the XI. I think the attitude and the mindset they have created for themselves, it's been outstanding in the last two years. Even in India, they are looking to make a contribution. It's not like it's hot and humid and they give up. They would ask for shorter spells so that they can give 100%, which is communication that's required from both ends. I think they have been brilliant in terms of doing that for the team.

"You see guys like [Mohammed] Shami, Ishant [Sharma], Jasprit [Bumrah] recently and Umesh [Yadav] in the past as well doing those important things in the game, which we want them to do. Even a couple of wickets in a spell help the spinners - who might be dominating from the other end - to get a bit of a breather. So it's all about wanting to make a play for the team that's setting them [the pacers] apart even when the conditions are difficult."

On Ashwin, Jadeja and Shami's performances in Visakhapatnam
"Jaddu and Ash again really, really good. Ash in the first innings was very good given the conditions. The pitch was flat, they got a few boundaries away but you have to accept that because we also got 500. It wasn't like there were any demons in the pitch. We always knew it was always going to be a second-innings game. The fact that he picked up six [seven] in the first was a great effort from his end, and Jadeja in the second making those quick breakthroughs for us in that spell.

"But Shami has been a strike bowler for us in the second innings consistently now. If you see all his four-five-wicket hauls, they come in the second innings invariably when the team needs it, the ball is reversing a bit, that's his strength. All the guys stood up. The batting heroes were obvious but the bowlers had it tougher in this game, to keep going in these conditions. So they deserve a lot of credit."

On the pick of India's batsmen in Visakhapatnam
"Rohit [Sharma] was outstanding in both innings, Mayank [Agarwal] along with him in the first innings was brilliant. And in the second innings as well he started off so well. [Cheteshwar] Pujara played with the tempo that allowed the rest of us to come in and get those extra runs so that we have ten, maybe 12 extra overs to bowl at the opposition. It was a hard grind though, because of the conditions, especially the weather conditions and the pitch slowing down as well."

On the quality of SG balls
"This lot is much better than the last lot we played with. So some improvement has been made. We would like the ball to be hard and consistent throughout the 80 overs. If it softens up after 40-45 overs, you have nothing happening in the game, which is not ideal for Test cricket. The hard ball obviously kicks a bit more, makes it difficult for batsmen.

"We would like to see that happen on a consistent basis, the ball remaining hard for at least 60 overs, if not 80. So that we are [all] in the game through and through, that's the fun of Test cricket. Bowlers keep coming at you and trouble you, you need to be able to score runs then, and both teams are in the game. That's the whole fun and essence of Test cricket."

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Passan: The overpowering art of the Astros' Gerrit Cole

Published in Baseball

Sunday, 06 October 2019 02:34

HOUSTON -- The scariest thing about Gerrit Cole is not his fastball, which is saying something, seeing as the video ribbon at Minute Maid Park spent the eighth inning in Game 2 of the American League Division Series flashing three digits. It is not his slider, either, or his dastardly curveball, which bites with the mercilessness of a mosquito in these parts, or even his Houdini changeup.

"His biggest strength," Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch said, "is his mind."

On Saturday, Hinch basked in the afterglow of Cole's latest tour de force, a 15-strikeout humbling of the Tampa Bay Rays in a 3-1 victory that staked the Astros to a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series in the MLB playoffs. But really, there is no shame in it for the Rays. This is what Cole does, who he is, how he operates -- a mind among boys.

It is easy to fixate on the pitches that come from Cole's right hand because of what they do in both action and result. They move so explicitly they should be rated TV-MA. They cause the kinds of swing-and-misses -- 33 on Saturday, his career best among a number of other career bests, including the 118 pitches he threw -- that leave hitters mumbling to themselves. They also do not exist in a vacuum.

Cole's excellence germinates from purpose, and his purpose sprouts from curiosity and his curiosity is a function of wanting to be excellent -- and it's all one big loop that marries the physical with the mental and breeds a super-pitcher. On talent alone, Cole could be very good, and on guile alone, Cole could be very good. With both, he borders on unhittable, which the Rays learned over 7⅔ innings in Game 2.

All nine Rays hitters struck out at least once. Five of the punchouts came on fastballs, five on sliders and five on curveballs. It was artistry, but it didn't seem that way, because the title of "artist" is so often ceded to pitchers without Cole's repertoire. Do not fall prey to that. This is what it looks like when the tenets of modern pitching theory and one man's physical gifts smash together like the Big Bang and make a whole new world.

Cole is often asked what allows him to throw a 100 mph fastball late in games, as he did on his 116th pitch, and his answer isn't meant to be flip: "God," he said, and, well, sure, that is as good an answer as any, seeing as he has been able to do this since he was a teenager. That was a dozen years ago. Now 29, Cole has spent thousands of hours talking about pitching, learning about pitching, studying pitching, mastering pitching so as not to take that which God or DNA or whatever it was gave him and let even an ounce of it go to waste.

On the mound, Cole is a con man. He relishes playing the long game. He throws a pitch in the second inning to set up one in the seventh. He realizes that the superiority of his pitches affords him the ability to toy with hitters' minds, to bait them so he can switch them. His favorite pitch of the night was rather nondescript: a 99 mph 1-1 fastball in Ji-Man Choi's second at-bat. Choi swung through it.

"I felt like it surprised him a bit," Cole said. "I felt like it bought us some leverage throughout the zone."

When Hinch is talking about Cole's mind, this is what he means. Cole struck out Choi swinging on a high outside fastball in his first at-bat. He could have recognized that as a vulnerability and pounded it again. But Cole believed Choi might be looking for that pitch. Going back inside -- challenging him on a pitch already difficult for left-handers to hit, in a moment when Choi presumably wouldn't be looking there -- illustrates the nexus of might and mind.

"You can never underestimate the 95 to 100 [velocity], the power that comes with his game, the pure dominance," Hinch said. "That's what people think of when they think big, power, physical, ace, starter. He goes to areas of the strike zone whenever he needs to, whenever he wants to, whenever he sees something. That's creative. When we talk about creative, we often talk about guys that don't have elite stuff like this. He can execute virtually any game plan for a reason.

"When you see five punchouts on the fastball, five punchouts on the breaking ball chase, five punchouts on the hard slider -- that is pure dominance across the board. Very rarely in the big leagues can you go to the same area at-bat after at-bat after at-bat. He pitches deep enough into games to get to face these guys three, sometimes four times. His mind and his ability to trust his adjustments set him apart."

Never did the Rays figure out Cole because never did he offer them a discernible pattern to do so. It wasn't just the 5-5-5 breakdown among his three strikeout pitches. It also was how cunning he was in ending at-bats with them. In order, the strikeouts came on: curve, fastball, slider, curve, slider, curve, fastball, slider, fastball, curve, fastball, slider, fastball, curve, slider. Fifteen punchouts, 14 swinging, never two in a row on the same pitch.

Sometimes there will be nights when Cole will rely on one pitch more than another. Nights such as Saturday, when everything worked, are to be savored. Cole generated 14 swing-and-misses with his fastball, 10 with his curve (out of 19 curves thrown), eight on the slider and one on the changeup, which he threw sparingly because he didn't really need it.

"He was majestic," Rays shortstop Willy Adames said. And that was a perfect way to put it: Gerrit Cole, at his apex, is almost ethereal, a see-it-to-believe-it experience, Bigfoot riding a unicorn. If he is this -- and if his rotation mate and Cy Young competition Justin Verlander is what he was in Game 1 -- keeping the Astros from the World Series will take a feat of strength seen only on Festivus.

In spring training this year, as Cole prepared for the season, he set a goal for his first few starts: no bad reps. A bad rep is a changeup that doesn't start in the strike zone or a breaking ball accidentally loosed toward a hitter's head or a fastball spiked 55 feet. It was the sort of pragmatic approach a pitcher with full control of his abilities would take -- laser-focused, purpose-oriented.

It also was the sort of thing intended for the playoffs, when one bad pitch can end a season. Cole had a couple: the double he surrendered in the eighth, the walk that followed and finished his night.

Neither turned into runs, and as he walked off the field to a raucous ovation, Gerrit Cole, at the beginning of the biggest October of his life, knew he had given the Rays everything his arm had. Even scarier, he had given them a piece of his mind too.

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American quartet advance on day one of US Open

Published in Squash

Saturday, 05 October 2019 23:31

Olivia Fiechter beats Emily Whitlock in the first round of the US Open and next up meets US number one Amanda Sobhy

‘Fans helped me through’ says delighted Douglas
By SEAN REUTHE – Squash Mad Correspondent

The opening day of the 2019 FS Investments U.S. Open Squash Championships saw an American quartet – Andrew Douglas, Olivia Blatchford Clyne, Sabrina Sobhy and Olivia Fiechter – claim victories to move into round two of the PSA Platinum tournament taking place in Philadelphia.

Today’s matches were split between the glass court inside Drexel University’s Daskalakis Athletic Center, the traditional ‘side court’ located at the same university and also the Racquet Club of Philadelphia. And it was at the glass court that Brooklyn-based wildcard Andrew Douglas claimed his biggest win on the PSA Tour as he scalped Frenchman Lucas Serme.

Douglas, ranked at World No.119, had never made it past the first round of a Platinum event before but the University of Pennsylvania junior played with poise and control to defeat the World No.36 by an 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 11-5 scoreline after 75 minutes, and he will face New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson for a place in the third round.

“I didn’t expect to be here, but it’s an amazing feeling,” said 21-year-old Douglas afterwards.

“I have to thank everybody that has come to cheer me on. It means a lot for them to come out and support me and undoubtedly I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.

“I think he was probably a bit nervous, so I wanted to put pressure on him and I wanted to really enjoy the last game without thinking too much about the score and that’s what ended up helping me win the match and maybe helping him feel a bit on edge. I just tried to enjoy every minute on this court and I played well.”

Grayson, meanwhile, got the better of Egypt’s Youssef Soliman at the Racquet Club of Philadelphia in what was the longest match of the day at 107 minutes.

Fireworks as Parker beats Richards
England’s George Parker came through a stormy four-game battle with compatriot Tom Richards at the university to complete what he regards as the biggest win of his career to date.

The World No.40 from Leicester produced a focused performance to get the better of Richards, winning 11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 15-13, despite Richards having three game ball opportunities in the fourth.

“Some people might not understand it, but confidence-wise that’s the biggest win of my career so far,” Parker said.

“When it was 10-10, I felt a bit sick deep down in my stomach because I lost so many 3-2s last year to people like [Daryl] Selby, against [Adrian] Waller I was 10-9 up in the fifth and had match balls, so I had that in my mind when I was playing.

“I was probably a bit aggressive with him and it got a bit heated, but when you’re fighting at the bottom for scraps at No.40 in the world like me, it means everything.” Parker now meet’s No.7 seed Diego Elias from Peru.

In an all-English battle in the second round, Adrian Waller meets Declan James, while Daryl Selby tackles top seed Ali Farag after beating Karim Ali Fathi in four games.

Connecticut-based Spencer Lovejoy was the other US player in action in the men’s draw, and he went down in straight games to Egypt’s Mazen Hesham.

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In the women’s draw, wildcard Sabrina Sobhy marked her return to the U.S. Open for the first time since 2016 with a 3-1 victory over Egypt’s Mayar Hany to reach round two in Philadelphia for the first time.

The first two games were nip and tuck as Sobhy edged the opener 13-11, before Hany came back to take the second 11-8. Sobhy, playing in front of home support, steadied her nerves in the third to restore her lead, and she was in complete control in the fourth as she attacked with vigour to earn a round two spot against No.2 seed Camille Serme.

“I was happy with my performance today, the first match of any tournament is always a little nerve-wracking,” Sobhy said.

“Especially with it being in the US, I have family and so many friends that have come out to watch me, so I didn’t want to underperform and lose in 20 minutes after they’ve come out here all the way. I found my game, felt comfortable and enjoyed it out there. I’m looking forward to it [playing on the glass court] a lot. I haven’t really processed it a lot yet. Any tournament on the glass court is a fantastic experience and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Philadelphia’s own World No.40 Olivia Fiechter was another home heroine as she dispatched England’s Emily Whitlock in four games … and she will clash with the USA’s No.1 player, Amanda Sobhy, in the next round.

After splitting the first two games 11-9, 4-11, Fiechter gained control of the match, outplaying her opponent in the remaining two games 11-4, 11-3 in 37 minutes.

“I don’t have words,” the Princeton graduate said. “I have my coach, my family and a million friends here and I can’t imagine anything more special than getting a win here. I’m just over the moon and can’t believe it.”

Last year Fiechter, coached by former world No. 1 Peter Nicol, rose more than 100 places in the world rankings, finishing inside of the world’s top 40.

“Compared to last year, the player I am today is completely different,” Fiechter said. “Going through my first season on the pro tour last year, I learned so much and my game is constantly evolving. I’ve put in a lot of hard work over the summer and I definitely felt more confident coming into this tournament and wanted to play well.”

US No.2 Olivia Blatchford Clyne was also in action as she came up against England’s Lucy Turmel, with the match going the way of the American by an 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 scoreline.

She will now take on New Zealand’s No.5 seed Joelle King for a place in round three.

“It feels fantastic, it definitely wasn’t an easy day at the office,” said Blatchford Clyne afterwards.

“Lucy is a fantastic young player and these young ones come and nip at your heels. I’m used to being the young one and trying to nip at other people’s heels! It’s a new experience with someone trying to hunt you, but I’m very happy to be through today.”

Haley Mendez came close to making it five Americans in the last 32, but she narrowly went down 3-2 to Australia’s former World Champion Rachael Grinham, despite fighting back from five match balls down in the decider.

Round two action begins today (Sunday October 6) at 12:00 (GMT-4), with seeded players such as defending champions Mohamed ElShorbagy and Raneem El Welily getting their tournaments under way.

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

FS Investments US Open 2019, Daskalakis Athletic Center, Philadelphia, USA.

$185k PSA World Tour Platinum Men’s First Round:
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-1: 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 (56m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Karim El Hammamy (EGY) 3-1: 8-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-5 (54m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Youssef Ibrahim (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (48m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Vikram Malhotra (IND) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (31m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 3-1: 11-7, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 (56m)
George Parker (ENG) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 3-1: 11-3, 9-11, 11-3, 15-13 (60m)
Iker Pajares Bernabeu (ESP) bt Tsz Fung Yip (HKG) 3-1: 13-11, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10 (58m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8 (48m)
Mostafa Asal (EGY) bt Ramit Tandon (IND) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-9 (42m)
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Leo Au (HKG) 3-0: 12-10, 11-7, 11-3 (39m)
Raphael Kandra (GER) bt Tayyab Aslam (PAK) 3-2: 8-11, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 11-3 (47m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Richie Fallows (ENG) 3-1: 11-4, 11-13, 13-11, 11-4 (50m)
Mazen Hesham (EGY) bt [WC] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-3, 11-9 (27m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Youssef Soliman (EGY) 3-2: 11-5, 13-15, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (107m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt Arturo Salazar (MEX) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (35m)

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

$185k PSA World Tour Platinum Women’s First Round:
Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt [WC] Laila Sedky (USA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-6, 11-6 (21m)
Julianne Courtice (ENG) bt Danielle Letourneau (CAN) 3-0: 11-3, 11-9, 12-10 (31m)
Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-2: 9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9 (55m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (29m)
Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 3-1: 11-6, 5-11, 11-9, 11-7 (45m)
Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (30m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 3-2: 5-11, 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6 (61m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (31m)
Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Tsz-Wing Tong (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (36m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-2: 11-8, 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12 (59m)
Lee Ka Yi (HKG) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 (26m)
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Milou van der Heijden (NED) 3-1: 12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 (42m)
Olivia Fiechter (USA) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-1: 11-9, 4-11, 11-4, 11-3 (37m)
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-5 (19m)
Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Haley Mendez (USA) 3-2: 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-4, 13-11 (46m)
[WC] Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 3-1: 13-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-3 (48m)

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

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

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Posted on October 6, 2019

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'Red cards will change rugby forever - and for better'

Published in Rugby

Saturday, 05 October 2019 23:28

This Rugby World Cup is already a record-breaker.

Not in terms of delivering the first 'three-peat' winners, although New Zealand may well be in a month's time.

Not in terms of a first appearance in the knockout stages for hosts Japan, although that might well be confirmed next weekend.

Instead, Tomas Lavanini's red card against England was the 2019 tournament's fifth, which is more than at any previous World Cup. And we are not yet out of pool stages.

Some would say that by introducing new guidance for referees on high tackles four months before the tournament and criticising officials last week, World Rugby has got its timing all wrong.

They would argue that this crackdown on high tackles is ruining games while the sport is in the spotlight.

For me, World Rugby's timing could not be better.

We have to leverage the stage that rugby has at the moment to bring about a culture change right through the sport.

There is going to be the short-term pain, with controversy, column inches and some unbalanced games - but millions of people around the world are watching these games. This is the chance to teach that lesson about high tackles.

When players and officials at junior and mini rugby grounds around the country got together this weekend, they will all have seen that the type of tackle Lavanini put in on Owen Farrell - a shoulder direct to the head with force and no mitigating circumstances - is a straightforward red card.

Decisions like Nigel Owens' in that game will have a dramatic effect on how the game around the world is played and the shop window of a World Cup that will make that happen.

It probably should have happened 10 years ago.

When I was playing it was a different era and mindset. It used to be a badge of honour to get smashed off the ball and get up and get on with it, or to get whacked round the head, or to be targeted with late hits for being a cheeky scrum-half.

Maybe 90% of the cards dished out today would not have been shown back then.

That mindset is regarded as ridiculous now, rightly so considering the power and intensity these players have, and the dangers involved.

Thankfully, World Rugby has understood that the change has to be dramatic. You can't tinker around the edges with the small print and leave things up to subjective decisions. It has to be a policy shift that floods through the game and into the grassroots.

Too good for their own good?

In some ways, England have been too good for their own good so far in Japan.

After three games of the 2015 tournament they were already out. This time, with a game still to play in the pool, they are already into the quarter-finals.

Back then, they had suffered defeats by Wales and Australia by this stage. Now, they have collected comfortable wins by margins of 32, 38 and 29 points respectively.

That is to England's credit. They have put themselves in very strong positions in matches so far, but very rarely at the World Cup are you going to win the tournament by winning seven straight games by 20, 25 points or more.

There is going to be a game that comes down to the wire, one when they are going to need to crawl over the line.

Eddie Jones has in the past questioned their ability under pressure. After they wasted a 31-0 lead over Scotland in March - a draw which followed costly second-half lapses against Wales, New Zealand and South Africa in the previous 12 months - the Australian compared his team to a vehicle "with hand grenades in the back".

"Sometimes they go off when there's a lot of pressure. We have a few of them and we've got to get rid of them," he said.

Jones brought in psychologist Corinne Reid to run "honesty sessions" in the run-up to this tournament to try and improve that part of their game.

So far, that work has gone untested.

For that reason, I hope that France give them a real test in the second half to force England into fourth or fifth gear, rather than cruising around in third.

'Breakdown bromance'

Although Lavanini's red card led to a strangely disjointed game, there were some real bright spots for England in their win over Argentina.

George Ford dictated the game really well. He was clinical when he needed to be, used the right runners and put the ball into space behind the Pumas defence to gain territory.

It was astute, assured and a step toward the sort of commanding top-level performance that I have wanted to see from him for some time.

The combination of Sam Underhill and Tom Curry on either side of the scrum was really good. Like Australia pair David Pocock and Michael Hooper, these two are developing their own little 'breakdown bromance'. They dovetail so well, making great decisions about when to commit and when to stand off.

Maro Itoje went relatively under the radar. Normally he is all bulldozing runs, big hits and standing over players. His performance against Argentina was more unseen, but he looked quietly assured going about his business, making tackles, hitting rucks, guiding driving mauls and stripping players of possession.

It is going to be difficult for Jack Nowell to find a way into the starting XV, with Anthony Watson, Jonny May and Elliot Daly playing well in the back three.

But, as he showed in beating three defenders to get into the corner late on, he is a game-breaker.

He can create something from nothing and has little downside, with a low error-count and huge work-rate. Added to which he is versatile, covering outside centre as well.

I think against the right opposition, he could go from the start.

On the biggest stage you need certain types of player - "Test Match animals" as my former mentor at Northampton and British and Irish Lions, Ian McGeechan, used to call them.

Nowell always seems to step up. I don't think that will be different at a World Cup.

Matt Dawson was speaking to BBC Sport's Mike Henson.

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11-try All Blacks overpower spirited Namibia

Published in Rugby

Sunday, 06 October 2019 00:05

World champions New Zealand stretched out to a comprehensive 62-point winning margin over lowly Namibia, but only after the underdogs had held them up with a brave first-half display.

With 35 minutes gone, Namibia, ranked 23rd in the world, were within one point of the three-time winners.

But the All Blacks were in clinical mood in the second half, finishing with 11 tries.

New Zealand will top Pool B if they beat Italy next weekend.

That would set up a quarter-final against the runners-up of Pool A, which is boiling down to a three-way fight between Japan, Ireland and Scotland.

Namibia defy rankings and expectations

Pre-match expectations of a New Zealand rout were initially confounded as Namibia, the lowest-ranked side in the tournament, showed no sign of being awed by the prospect of taking on the world number one side.

To the delight of Welsh coach Phil Davies, the underdogs scored the first points of the match when impressive scrum-half Damian Stevens landed a penalty from out wide.

As well as a fast defensive line and a determination to get involved in the breakdown, Namibia showed some slick hands and incisive lines to make regular incursions into the All Blacks defence.

Hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld led the way for Namibia as they stayed close, before replacement prop Angus Ta'avao and full-back Ben Smith went over just before the break to give New Zealand a more comfortable 15-point cushion at the break.

All Blacks revitalised after second half

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen, who gave Brodie Retallick his planned 30-minute outing on his first appearance since suffering a shoulder injury in July, seemed to fire up his side for the second half.

Prop Joe Moody went over within two minutes of the restart, the first of seven second-half tries as New Zealand pared their game down to basics to grind down Namibia.

TJ Perenara saved the best score for last as he and fellow replacement Brad Weber exchanged extravagant offloads - Weber's being a behind-the-back pass - before diving into the corner to dot down. A packed Tokyo Stadium stood to pay tribute to both sides on the final whistle after an entertaining encounter.

'We had poor attitude' - what they said

New Zealand coach Steve Hansen: "The first half was pretty disappointing. We didn't turn up with the right attitude and Namibia made us pay for that. It's a good lesson, isn't it?

"Second half, there was pretty good stuff in it. I was really pleased with Jordie Barrett at 10, [he] played very, very well.

"To be the third-choice first-five [fly-half], and our two superstar first-fives not playing, he got us round the back well. We ended up scoring tries so there's a lot to like about it.

"It didn't happen in the first half because we had a poor attitude. They had more intent than us and played better than us in the first half."

Namibia coach Phil Davies: "We were just pleased that what we talked about before the game we were actually doing on the field against the best team in the world. So we're really pleased.

"The scoreboard's not very pretty at the end but the effort and the commitment ... so proud of the players with how we tried to play and certain things that we actually did, which is pleasing."

New Zealand: Smith, Reece, Goodhue, Lienert-Brown, Bridge; J Barrett, Smith; Moody, Taylor, Laulala, Retallick, Whitelock, Frizell, Cane, Savea.

Replacements: Coles, Tuungafasi, Ta'avao, Tuipulotu, Todd, Weber, Perenara, Ioane.

Namibia: Tromp, Klim, Newman, Deysel, Greyling; Kisting, Stevens; Rademeyer, Van Jaarsveld, De Klerk, Van Lill, Uanivi, Gaoseb, Forbes, Venter.

Replacements: Nortje, Theron, Coetzee, Retief, Booysen, Jantjies, De La Harpe, Du Toit

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Anna Wegrzyn and Elena Zaharia the stand out names, unbeaten records maintained

Published in Table Tennis

Saturday, 05 October 2019 22:38

Impressively on the second day of action Anna Wegrzyn accounted for Slovakia’s Ema Lobosova (11-4, 13-11, 11-9, 11-5), followed by success in opposition to Isa Cok of France (6-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3, 11-5) and Germany’s Franziska Schreiner (7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8, 11-4).

However, for Anna Wegrzyn there can be no hint of complacency, hot on her heels is Romania’s Tania Plaian. Only one defeat against her name, that being on the opening day against Franziska Schreiner (11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-5), on the second day of action it was a highly focused Romanian. She overcame Poland’s Katarzyna Wegrzyn (11-5, 9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6), Emine Ernst of the Netherlands (14-12, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5) and Russia’s Olga Vishniakova (11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5).

Major challengers

It is a somewhat similar situation for Elena Zaharia, with just one defeat against their names both Croatia’s Hana Arapovic and Russia’s Vlada Voronina are very much in the hunt to reserve the top step of the podium.

Elena Zaharia continued her good form by beating the Czech Republic’s Helena Sommerova (9-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5), followed by success against the German duo of Naomi Prnjakovic (11-3, 6-11, 17-15, 11-3, 11-8) and Annett Kaufmann (8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8).

Meanwhile for Hana Arapovic and Vlada Voronina, who alongside Annett Kaufmann had ended the first day unbeaten, life was more testing. Vlada Voronina beat Naomi Prnjakovic (11-9, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4) but lost to Annett Kaufmann (11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7); Hana Arapovic accounted for Annett Kaufmann (11-8, 11-7, 3-11, 5-11, 11-4, 14-12) but experienced defeat at the hands of Romania’s Alina Zavarkyn (5-11, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10, 7-11, 11-4).

No players unbeaten

Unblemished records, in both the junior boys and cadet boys’ events the situation is somewhat different; there are no unbeaten players.

In the junior boys’ competition, Hungary’s Csaba Andras started the day the one unbeaten player; he continued his good form by beating Frenchman Dorian Zheng (11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-4) and Lode Hulshof of the Netherlands (11-7, 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4) but sandwiched in between experienced defeat at the hands of Lilian Bardet, like Dorian Zheng from France (5-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5).

The result means that alongside Poland’s Samuel Kulczycki and Germany’s Kay Stumper, Csaba Andras has one defeat against his name.

On the opening day of play, Samuel Kulczycki lost to Lilian Bardet (7-11, 11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 6-11, 11-4, 11-8); Kay Stumper was beaten by Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse (11-9, 13-15, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9).

One day later for each player it was three matches, three wins. Samuel Kulczycki beat Adrien Rassenfosse (11-7, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5) before overcoming Frenchmen Vincent Picard (11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8) and Dorian Zheng (11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8). In a similar manner, Kay Stumper accounted for Belgium’s Olav Kosolosky (12-10, 11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4), prior to overcoming Dorian Zheng (11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-8) and Lilian Bardet (11-9, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5).

Two names at top of order

Three players level at the top of the junior boys’ order, in the cadet boys’ event it is two names; those being Romania’s Darius Movileanu and the Czech Republic’s Simon Belik.

Alongside Frenchman Hugo Deschamps, Darius Movileanu entered the second day unbeaten. He overcame Hugo Deschamps (11-4, 15-13, 12-10, 11-7), who also lost to Belgium’s Louis Laffineur (11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-6), before experiencing defeat at the hands of Poland’s Milosz Redzimski (11-8, 11-8, 11-7, 11-6) and then recovering to account for the host nation’s Gabrielus Camara (11-7, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8).

Somewhat differently, Simon Belik who the previous day had lost the Hugo Deschamps (11-4, 11-9, 13-11, 12-10) was very much a young man in form. He beat Milosz Redzimski (11-2, 2-11, 12-10, 10-12, 13-11, 6-11, 11-6) and Gabrielus Camara (11-7, 11-2, 11-6, 11-8), before ending the day with victory in opposition to Romania’s Eduard Ionescu (8-11, 11-5, 11-13, 11-2, 11-1).

Play in Noordwijk concludes on Sunday 6th October.

2019 European Youth Top 10: Results (Friday 5th & Saturday 6th October)

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Team champions make successful start

Published in Table Tennis

Saturday, 05 October 2019 22:47

Shim Joon is only 15 years old, in the junior boys’ singles he was beaten by Chinese Taipei’s Chao Po-Yu (11-7, 11-5, 15-13, 11-8); conversely in the cadet boys’ singles competition, where he is the top seed, he accounted for the Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Baca (11-6, 11-8, 11-5) in his opening contest.

Noteworthy efforts from Shim Joon, it was the same in the junior boys’ singles event from Nicolas Degros and Kenzo Carmo; in their opening engagements Nicolas Degros, the no.3 seed, beat Croatia’s Lovro Zovko, the no.5 seed (11-7, 11-6, 11-5, 11-2), Kenzo Carmo accounted for the Czech Republic’s Radim Moravek (11-8, 12-10, 11-13, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7). The reason for the earlier than status anticipated first round meeting between Nicolas Degros and Lovro Zovko was because Lovro Zovko had finished in second position in his initial phase group.

An earlier than expected departure for Lovro Zovko, it was the same for colleague, Leon Santek, the no.4 seed; he was beaten by Romania’s Radu Miron (12-14, 11-9, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5). Problems for highly rated players, for the very highest there were no problems whatsoever; Croatia’s Ivor Ban and Slovenia’s Adam Klajber, the respective top two seeds, both received direct entries to round two.

Host nation success

Meanwhile, in the junior girls’ singles event, the only leading name called to order in round one was the host nation’s Katarina Strazar, the no.7 seed, second place in the group stage of play had been her lot. She beat Croatia’s Marta Jurcevic (11-6, 11-5, 11-6, 12-10) to secure progress to round two.

Similarly in the cadet girls’ singles event, those who had reserved main draw places were not in action; rather differently, the first round of the cadet boys’ singles event was completed. Notably, in addition to Shim Joon, Belgium’s Nolan Lerat, the no.3 seed, enjoyed success but there were opening round defeats for Tim Giltia, the no.2 seed also from Belgium as well as for the Czech Republic’s Vit Kadlec, the no.5 seed.

Nolan Lerat beat Slovakia’s Alexander Katona (11-4, 11-8, 11-4); conversely Tim Giltia and Vit Kadlec both suffered at Romanian hands; Tim Giltia was beaten by Matei Dumitrescu (11-2, 11-4, 11-9), Vit Kadlec experienced defeat at the hands of Luka Opres (11-6, 11-9, 11-8).

Semi-finalists known

The last 16 realised in the singles events, in the doubles competitions, the semi-finalists are known.

In the junior boys’ doubles, Ivor Ban and Ncolas Degros meet Kenzo Carmo and Shim Joon; Leon Santek and Lovro Zovko oppose Slovakia’s Dalibor Diko and Adam Klajber.

Visitors to the fore, in the counterpart junior girls’ doubles event, the host nation is very much in evidence; Lea Paulin and Katarina Strazar face the combination of Bulgaria’s Kalina Hristova and Romania’s Patricia Ianau, in the adjacent half of the draw Serbia’s Reka Bezeg and Radmila Tominjak play Korea Republic’s Kim Taemin and Lee Seungeun.

Undoubtedly an impressive partnership, the names of Kim Taemin and Lee Seungeun also appear in the cadet girls’ doubles semi-final line-up; in the penultimate round they oppose Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi and Laura Watanabe. Awaiting in the final is either the Polish combination of Anna Bryska and Zuzanna Pawelec or the Chinese Taipei pairing of Liu Zi-Fei and Yeh Yi-Tian.

Play in Otocec concludes on Sunday 6th October.

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Wales lock Ball puts 'frustrating' catalogue of injuries behind him

Published in Rugby

Saturday, 05 October 2019 14:00

Wales lock Jake Ball says he has put a "hard and frustrating" catalogue of injuries behind him to become a key World Cup performer in Japan.

Second row has been an injury problem position for Wales during their campaign so far, with Cory Hill ruled out of the tournament and Adam Beard yet to feature after having his appendix removed.

So it is ironic Ball has played a pivotal role in the early successes against Georgia and Australia after suffering an injury-ravaged couple of years himself.

His catalogue of ailments include a biceps rupture, concussion and torn toe ligaments.

Ball's woes all started with a dislocated shoulder against New Zealand in November 2017 which ruled him out of action for nearly 10 months.

The Scarlets forward can painfully recall having a "hole" in his back where a muscle had stopped working due to nerve damage after undergoing shoulder surgery.

"It was just unlucky," said Ball.

"There was nothing I could have done to prevent a lot of things that have happened.

"The most frustrating thing about my shoulder was they said it was meant to be a four-month return. Then there was a bit of a complication because I had some nerve damage from the operation.

"That set me back and it was hard. There was a point where it just wasn't getting any stronger.

"I had a hole in my back where the muscle had just stopped working, and at one point I wasn't sure that was going to get any better.

"I was seeing the nerve specialist and he was saying 'look, this is probably going to take between six and 10 months'. I remember thinking 'I can't see it taking that long,' but in fairness to him, he was about right."

Ball admits the injury issues were a new situation he had to deal with.

"To go for the best part of five years without an injury, which is probably what I had, and I was very durable, playing 80 minutes a game," he said.

"To then having that patch was very frustrating from a mental side as well.

"I had patches where I would come back and was just starting to get going again and playing some good rugby, and I would get hit with something else. That was the annoying bit.

"I just tried to use the time wisely, did a lot of gym work and put my head into that. I am not going to lie, it was hard and frustrating."

Wales resume World Cup action against Fiji next Wednesday, when victory in Oita would secure a quarter-final place with Ball in line to win his 39th cap by starting again alongside captain Alun Wyn Jones.

It is crucial both Jones and Ball remain fit given Wales' lock injury worries so far in Japan.

Dragons captain Hill was ruled out of the tournament with a leg injury to be replaced by Bradley Davies, while Beard had his appendix removed just before Wales flew out.

This has left captain Jones and Ball as the only fit specialist locks for the victories over Georgia and Australia.

Ball, 28, was man-of-the-match against Georgia, while Jones made 25 tackles against the Wallabies to mark the occasion where he became Wales' most capped player.

"Alun Wyn seems to be the constant," said Ball.

"Over the years everyone has revolved around him. It's a big challenge for me, Alun Wyn is obviously a talisman - is to push him and outdo some of his stats.

"That's a goal, to work harder than him. He's unbelievable. A top-class pro, I hold a lot of respect for Al and what he's done in the game is brilliant.

"His leadership has been great over the last couple of years as well. I am enjoying playing alongside him, he gives me a lot of confidence as well.

"World-class players come up with the goods in the key moments of games. He's done that time and time again."

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Scotland's Toolis fired up to grab World Cup chance

Published in Rugby

Saturday, 05 October 2019 14:00

You didn't need to have the investigative powers of Jim Taggart to know that Ben Toolis' World Cup has felt like murder to the big second-row. It was all there in his unsmiling face and his big angry head.

Toolis is one of five Scottish players who have yet to see a minute's action in Japan - George Turner, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn and Henry Pyrgos being the others. All five will enter the fray when Scotland play Russia in Shizuoka on Wednesday and clearly Toolis feels that the opportunity is overdue.

"If I am being honest, it's been really frustrating," he said on Saturday in Kobe. "For the last couple of years the main goal has been to get to a World Cup. You put in the hard work, you play consistently well, but there is a lot of competition in the second-row. That's sport at the end of the day and boys are going to miss out.

"I don't think my performance levels have dropped. I feel like I've played consistently well. I can be very hard on myself when I know I've not been performing. I've had stages in my career where I haven't been playing well and you have to be honest with yourself. This time I don't feel as though I have had a dip in form.

"You have to be a good team mate at the point and make sure everyone else has prepared well. It's tough, but you have to try and help the team get a result and that's what I have been trying to do. Hopefully I will get my opportunity on Wednesday."

Toolis came here as third choice second-row behind Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist but he's dropped a place in the pecking order after the elevation of Scott Cummings, who has appeared off the bench in both of Scotland's games so far.

That was something of a surprise given that Toolis played in four of the five games in the Six Nations just gone, starting against Italy and England - he played 80 minutes at Twickenham - and featured in three of the four warm-up games. Toolis started against France in Nice and played poorly, along with everybody else, but he bounced back and played strongly in the win against Georgia in Tbilisi a fortnight later, scoring a try into the bargain.

Toolis is a tough player, but Cummings offers something different. A little more footwork, a little carrying, a little more dynamism with ball in hand. The older man is on a mission, though.

"I have been playing well, Gregor (Townsend) just wanted something different off the bench. Grant and Jonny have been playing really well. You take confidence from the fact that all the second rows are good players. It's tough, but that's life.

"You do get feedback from the coaches, but it's not been with anything I have done wrong. They've just been rewarding other boys. I haven't been disappointed with what I've been doing. I've been doing the same for the last couple of years. I feel as though I'm on top of my game and I need to make sure I'm not too hard on myself for something I haven't done wrong."

His views were not delivered in rant mode - Toolis is a measured individual - but there was no mistaking his irritation. Townsend now appears to have a fired-up player with a steely focus on showing what he's made of. That's no bad thing for the Russia game, Russia being a team of fired-up players with a steely focus on showing what they're made of. They won't deny Scotland a winning bonus point but on current form they're likely to make the Scots work hard to get it.

Demotion rankles with Toolis

Toolis has 21 caps and has been pretty much a mainstay in a match day 23 for much of the last few years. On top of playing in three warm-up games and four Six Nations matches, he was involved in two of the four November internationals and all three of the games in last year's summer tour in Canada, USA and Argentina.

The demotion has rankled with him, but he said he has to stay positive. "I know that things can change really quickly. You see boys playing for other countries and when they get back in the team they're outstanding. If you're negative the whole time you wouldn't be ready to go straight back in there. You just have to stay as positive as you can. I'll keep doing what I am doing.

"It's something that's a mental skill. As you grow up you want to play professional rugby and do the best you can. You think a few years ago, if you'd been in this position you would be completely stoked, but as you get more and more you want more and more."

His chance will come in a much-changed Scotland side due to be named on Monday. Toolis is likely to start in the second-row with the player who has usurped him from the first-choice squad, Cummings. It's possible that Townsend will make 14 changes for the Russia game with Darcy Graham appearing to be the one in the frame to go again after starting against Samoa.

Many frontliners will be held in reserve, or given a break entirely, with an eye on the do-or-die game with Japan just four days later.

"You need to take every opportunity and that's the way it is," said Toolis. "You see it all over the world - players maybe have missed out and come straight back in and have had a great game. You see these boys getting man of the match awards and you need to use that as fuel."

Toolis is not lacking in motivation, that's as plain as the frown on his face.

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Josh Berry Banks $44,000 In Martinsville Rout

Published in Racing

Saturday, 05 October 2019 20:15

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Put simply, there was no one in the same universe as Josh Berry Saturday night during the 25th annual ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.

Berry, who qualified fastest with a new track record 24 hours earlier, started from the pole in the No. 88 All Things Automotive Chevrolet and never looked back. He led all 200 laps and swept all three stages of the main event for his first victory in Martinsville’s late model stock car special in eight attempts.

Adding together the winner’s share of $32,000, the pole bonus of $5,000, the two stage bonuses of $1,000 apiece and $25 for each lap Berry led, his total payday came out to a whopping $44,000.

“That’s unbelievable,” Berry said as he reflected on his feat. “What a night. I’m speechless right now.”

From the outset, Berry simply appeared to be a cut above the rest of the field, able to manage his restarts to perfection and pull away from anyone who was pursuing him, no matter who it was.

Through 10 caution periods – including the two stage breaks at laps 75 and 147 – no one could even come close to making a move on the 28-year-old Henderson, Tenn., native.

It was those rock-solid restarts that Berry circled as one of the most important keys to his victory.

Josh Berry en route to victory Saturday night at Martinsville Speedway. (Ryan Willard photo)

“We all learned a lot last year as a team,” noted Berry, who dominated the 2018 edition of the Martinsville event as well, but came up empty for his efforts. “I went home; I watched that race. I studied the restarts, I studied what I could have done better and just really focused on that at the end. We were able to work on the car a little bit (during the breaks), and I think it helped, but a lot of times these things come down to restarts at the end … and we were fortunate enough to get clear each time.

“Plenty of times here, you have that caution at the end, but we were able to stay clean and when the two behind us got to racing, we just built a gap,” he added. “It was just unbelievable, what we did here.”

That caution that Berry alluded to did end up waving with 18 laps left, when Stacy Puryear’s engine expired in a plume of smoke on the backstretch, leading to another yellow on the ensuing restart with 12 to go for the spinning machine of Travis Swaim at the exit of the fourth corner.

All the while, Berry stayed consistent and pulled away each time.

Following a red flag with 10 to go, conserving precious green-flag time for the fans, Timothy Peters chose up to the outside of the front row for the final restart of the night with six revolutions remaining.

Lee Pulliam lined up directly behind Berry in third, with Peyton Sellers beside of Pulliam in fourth. Berry was just too strong, however, and gapped the field by 2.244 seconds en route to victory lane.

Pulliam got past Peters on lap 197, but by then, Berry was long gone – and Pulliam knew it.

“We were all racing for second tonight,” the four-time NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion and two-time Martinsville winner noted after his fifth runner-up finish in the event.

“I lined up there on that last restart behind Josh, and I’ve been in his position. A few times it’s worked out and other times I’ve gotten dumped leading,” Pulliam added. “I never had any respect for any of the guys that dumped me, so I wanted to race him clean. He was the best car and the best car won tonight.”

Despite the disappointing second-place run, Pulliam’s effort was good enough to clinch the Virginia Triple Crown Series championship by one finishing position over Peyton Sellers, who crossed sixth.

Peters ended up third after his late scrap with Pulliam, followed by Bobby McCarty and Bubba Pollard, who was racing as a teammate to Berry at JR Motorsports third weekend.

Sellers, Justin Carroll, Kyle Dudley, Dustin Rumley and Kres VanDyke closed the top 10.

After his media center interview, Berry was quizzed if he’d ever had a car as good as his ride Saturday night was. Berry just cracked a small smile before responding.

“Last year’s was,” he said. “This year, we just finally were able to close the deal.”

The finish:

Josh Berry, Lee Pulliam, Timothy Peters, Bobby McCarty, Bubba Pollard, Peyton Sellers, Justin T. Carroll, Kyle Dudley, Dustin Rumley, Kres VanDyke, Colin Garrett, Jacob Heafner, Travis Swaim, Mike Darne, Brennan Poole, Justin Hicks, Zack Clifton, Jimmy Wallace, Grayson Cullather, Davin Scites, C.E. Falk III, Trey Crews, Matt Leicht, Stacy Puryear, Derrick Lancaster, Layne Riggs, Trevor Noles, Ryan Wilson, Jason York, Sammy Smith, Taylor Gray, Jonathan Findley, Dexter Canipe Jr., Eric Winslow, Tommy Lemons Jr., Chad McCumbee, Mike Looney, Craig Moore, Austin Thaxton, Tyler Matthews.

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