Spain homed in on Euro 2020 by easing past the Faroe Islands 4-0 on Sunday for a sixth straight qualifying win that featured two goals each from Rodrigo and Paco Alcacer and moved them further clear at the top of Group F.

Sergio Ramos equalled Iker Casillas' record of 167 appearances for Spain on an emotional night at Sporting Gijon's El Molinon stadium, which paid tribute to the late Spain and Sporting forward Quini before kick off.

A minute's silence was also held in memory of former Spain coach Luis Enrique's daughter Xana, who passed away last month.

There followed a straightforward win that took Spain on to a maximum 18 points after six games and leaves them seven ahead of second-placed Sweden, who drew 1-1 at home to Norway.

Romania beat Malta 1-0 with a goal from George Puscas to leapfrog Norway into third place on 10 points.

Valencia striker Rodrigo tapped into an empty net to put Spain in front in the 13th minute despite being in an offside position when he received a pass from Mikel Oyarzabal.

But with video technology not in use in the qualifying phases, the goal stood.

Rodrigo doubled Spain's lead in the 50th minute on coach Robert Moreno's home debut by cutting in from the right wing and firing a left-footed shot towards goal which took a heavy deflection off a visiting defender on its way into the net.

Alcacer then furthered his reputation as a highly productive substitute by further stretching Spain's advantage with simple strikes in the 89th minute and deep in stoppage-time. Midfielder Thiago Alcantara said the team had not played as well as they would have liked due to the visitors' negative tactics.

"It was very tough at first, you expect a team like them to close you down and sit back and that's what happened and we struggled to break them down," he said.

"They had three players marking one of ours although once we got the first goal it was slightly easier. We still weren't completely comfortable but we're happy with the result."

With the top two sides in each group guaranteed a place at Euro 2020, Spain need only win two of their remaining four games to qualify for the tournament, but Thiago said his side were determined to win every match.

"We are focused on getting all the points, it doesn't matter to us when we qualify, we want every point, from the first to the last," he added.

Italy maintained their perfect record in Euro 2020 qualifying when a harsh penalty converted by Jorginho gave them a 2-1 win in Finland on Sunday.

Jorginho scored the spot kick with 11 minutes left after Nicolo Barella's shot hit Sauli Vaisanen's arm just above the elbow at point-blank range when the Finnish player had his arm across his chest.

Ciro Immobile had earlier headed Italy in front in the 59th minute with his first international goal for two years before Teemu Pukki levelled for Finland with a penalty in the 72nd minute.

"We suffered a little but we caused it ourselves by losing the ball where we shouldn't lose it," said Italy coach Roberto Mancini, who has been given the job of rebuilding the team following their failure to qualify for last year's World Cup.

"On the other hand, there were lots of things that I liked. It's very positive that we dominate games away from home. Our nature is always to attack and I've seen that again tonight, giving very little of the ball to our opponents."

Finland started aggressively, pressing Italy and causing them to make some mistakes in defence, with Emerson Palmieri pulling a muscle as he chased back to stop a Pukki run.

Italy began to assert themselves and Stefano Sensi brought a flying save from Lukas Hradecky with an exquisite volley on the turn from the edge of the area.

Francesco Acerbi had a shot deflected for a corner, another Sensi effort fizzed wide of the post and Hradecky saved with his legs to deny Federico Chiesa from a tight angle.

Finland had a chance at start of the second half when Pukki was released on the left but he skewed his shot wide.

Italy took back control and went ahead when Chiesa made space on the right and delivered a pinpoint cross for Immobile, who powered his header past Hradecky for his first Italy goal since September 2017 when he scored against Israel.

Shortly afterwards, Pukki burst into the Italy penalty area and went down under a challenge from Sensi, who also marred his fine performance by starting the move when he lost possession in midfield.

The Norwich City striker comfortably converted for Finland's first goal against Italy since 1977.

Yet Italy replied with a penalty of their own which is bound fuel the controversy over the new handball rules.

Italy lead Group J with 18 points from six games, six ahead of Finland who still remained on course for their first-ever major tournament appearance despite the defeat.

There is a scene in the film The Edge which might capture the moment England started building the side that took them to No. 1 in the Test rankings.

It centred on a team meeting just after England had been bowled out for 51 in Jamaica in early 2009. In that meeting, for the first time in a while, the players were encouraged to be honest with one another; to criticise one another; to try to pinpoint the exact reasons why they were underperforming.

The conclusion, in short, was that England weren't as good as they thought they were. They weren't training as hard as they should be; they weren't living the lifestyles they should be. And only by acknowledging their short-comings could they understand where they needed to change and improve. Diagnosis is the very step towards recovery.

Might England be in a similar place now? Yes, we know some of this team have excellent records in white-ball cricket. And yes, we know some of them are hugely talented. But it increasingly seems several of them are living on the promise of what they might achieve rather than what they have. Eventually, such promises must be kept.

Also Read: Root wants to carry on as captan despite Ashes defeat

There is a danger, perhaps, that England may focus on positive moments in this series - their admirable resilience under pressure; their stubborn refusal to accept they are beaten; the glimpse of victory offered at Lord's and the miracle of Leeds - and allow it to obscure their weaknesses. But if they're really honest with themselves, they will admit that their batting unit - a unit that has lost 10 wickets within a single session four times in three years - has been painfully fragile for several years and that their faults this series were, for a while at least, simply obscured by Ben Stokes' brilliance at Headingley.

Certainly that seemed to be a theme of Joe Root's post-match media conference. It focused a little too much on the positives - and yes, his side is engagingly hard to kill off - without acknowledging that good sides don't get themselves into the position where they have their backs against the wall this often. It was hard to avoid the impression that Root is increasingly in denial about the holes within his England side. Only one man in the team averages as much as 36. They're not as good as they think they are.

Now, it may be that there is no combination that England could have selected which would have won this series. Australia have been, by some distance, the better side. Steve Smith has been exceptional and Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins not far behind. Without the Stokes-inspired miracle of Leeds, the scoreline in this series might be 3-0 already.

But England's selection requires attention. For asking players to fulfil at Test level roles they do not fulfil at county level is irresponsible and foolish. The failure of Jason Roy, a man who has never batted for two sessions in his entire first-class career, as opener was not just predictable but raises questions about the judgement of the selection panel. His technique - his hands pushing in front of his pad offering the hope of an edge to the slips and a gate onto the stumps - was apparent long before it was exposed so brutally by this Australian attack. It's both weird and worrying that the selectors couldn't see it.

And it's not as if Roy is a one-off. Ollie Pope, who had never come in before the 20th over of a first-class game and batted No. 6 for Surrey, was asked to come in at No. 4 - and in the first 10 overs of the innings - when he represented England last year. Joe Denly, who gave up opening years ago, has been asked to take up the role once more at the higher level.

Remember Sam Curran being preferred to Stuart Broad in Barbados? Dom Bess being preferred to Moeen Ali last year? The grim refusal to accept that Keaton Jennings wasn't up to it or that Denly wasn't the spin-bowling all-rounder England required ahead of the World Cup? Increasingly, the judgement of Ed Smith is looking suspect.

And then there's the captain. Root now averages 40.87 as captain of this side, compared to 52.80 when not captain. All of which provides compelling evidence that the leadership is compromising his ability to perform his primary role in the side: run scorer. At the same time, England have won 16 and lost 13 of his matches at the helm. Having inherited a side that seemed to have the potential to build into something special, he has instead presided over what increasingly looks like its disintegration. Moeen Ali has already gone, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler may not be far behind. There's not much evidence to suggest he has the tactical or rhetorical skills to lift this side.

Most of all, England should acknowledge that this disappointment was the result of choices made long ago. When Andrew Strauss was appointed as director of cricket, he made a clear decision to prioritise white-ball cricket. The coach was chosen with that in mind, the domestic schedule was changed with that in mind and players were selected with that in mind. The entire landscape and language of English cricket was altered and, without it, England would not have won the World Cup.

But there were also negative consequences. And they have been increasingly apparent in this series. If England do still value Test cricket, there has to be some recalibration of the balance between the formats. The white-ball window that dominates the 2020 season schedule suggests the ECB's talk is not matched by their actions. While they have that window, they have a problem.

Too many players in this England side are doing just enough to retain their places but nowhere near enough to shape games. Take Bairstow, who is averaging 20.57 this year (and 26.38 since January 1, 2018), Denly, who averages 24.92 after seven Tests and could have been caught at deep mid-wicket - yes, deep mid-wicket - as he batted for a draw on Sunday, and Buttler, who has now played 35 Tests and scored only one century. None of them are improving in this England set-up. None of them are doing enough to shape games for their side.

Indeed, it may be Buttler who most exemplifies this team. Yes, he's talented. Yes, he can hit a white ball as well as anyone in the world. But he goes into the final Test of this series as a specialist batsman coming in at No. 7 and averaging just 16.25. Various other players - the likes of Pope, Moeen, Bairstow and Stokes - have been moved to accommodate him. But the return on the investment is modest and the reputation, in Test cricket at least, is bigger than the achievement.

His returns shouldn't surprise us. He averages just 32.12 in first-class cricket. He's made only five first-class centuries in his entire career of 99 games. But his raw talent - his ability to hit balls to the boundary, really - has seduced the selectors into thinking he's something he's not and concluding that he can turn those figures around at the higher level. It's poor logic. He's been living off promise for years.

That's, basically, the story of this England side. It's full of batsmen with big reputations and small averages. Batsmen who can impress for an hour or two but lack the old-school skills required to build match-defining innings. And bowlers who, while honest, were put in the shade by the sustained excellence of Cummins and Hazlewood. Yes, England did wonderfully well to win the World Cup. But in Test cricket, at least, they're not as good as they think they are. They need an honest appraisal of where they are - much like Jamaica in 2009 - if they are to move forward.

Guyana Amazon Warriors 180 for 4 (Hemraj 63, Pooran 61*, Rutherford 32*, Primus 2-35) beat Barbados Tridents 133 (Nurse 40, Shepherd 4-13, Shadab 2-39) by 47 runs

Guyana Amazon Warriors kept pace with Trinbago Knight Riders on the opening weekend of CPL 2019, as a fiery half-century from Nicholas Pooran helped them score 72 off the final four overs at Providence, putting a total on the board in the process that was well out of reach of Barbados Tridents. It gave them a 47-run win, which meant that Amazon Warriors ended their initial home slate with three wins from three to equal the Knight Riders on six points, while the rest of the teams remained winless.

Pooran struck 61 off 30 balls with five sixes to light up the ground. Romario Shepherd then lit up the stumps in the chase, sitting on a hat-trick at one stage in the process of taking 4 for 13 in just 2.4 overs, as Tridents were bowled out for 133 in just 16.4 overs.

A rough night for Nurse

Ashley Nurse had a rough night. Having to go solo after his legspinning wingman Sandeep Lamichhane left the field after one over due to a bad reaction from a tropical cream, Nurse went wicketless for 38 runs in his four overs. But worse, he spilled Chandrapaul Hemraj on a fairly straightforward chance off a full toss spliced to extra cover on 37. It allowed the opener to sustain momentum after a pair of early setbacks.

Jason Holder had bounced out Brandon King in the second over while Shimron Hetmyer's sliced drive was intercepted by a brilliant effort diving left at backward point by USA's Hayden Walsh Jr., on as a sub for Lamichhane. Shoaib Malik was the third batsman to fall for a single-digit score when he edged Roshon Primus behind attempting to run a single to third man, and the tenth over ended on 63 for 3.

But the home side scored 117 off their last ten overs, aided in part by the platform laid by Hemraj. Nurse atoned for his error in the 16th, running back from point to claim a skier off of Raymon Reifer's bowling, but Hemraj had made 63 by that stage, and done a solid job laying the platform for Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford to launch from.

Pooran turns it on

The wicketkeeper-batsman put on a sensational hitting display in the waning overs. Rutherford had provided an appetiser with four sixes muscled over the leg side and long-off in a stretch from the 17th through the first ball of the 19th. But Pooran came on strike and provided fans with the main course to lap up when he creamed five sixes off the last eight balls of the innings. He started with a pair of flicks over long-on before working his away around to long-off and finally cover. Almost every ball was pitched on off stump, but his clever use of the crease allowed him to spray the ball at will over different parts of the boundary. The pair left the Tridents shell-shocked heading into the innings break.

Striking gold

Hemraj's night wasn't done after his first-innings half-century. He began the chase wiping out prized CPL recruit Alex Hales for a golden duck with a delivery that kept low and Tridents failed to get the wheels going after that. Shoaib continued to cycle through his spinners for the first eight overs as more breakthroughs followed.

Shadab Khan struck twice - Johnson Charles caught at deep midwicket and debutant Leniko Boucher at mid-off - before Jonathan Carter dragged Shoaib on defending away from his body. Holder then committed a blunder with a slow response to a drive over cover by JP Duminy, allowing Keemo Paul's relay to Chris Green to catch him short. Duminy soon dragged on to Paul as well, leaving the score 75 for 6 at the strategic time-out.

Shepherd then wiped out the tail in quick time. Nurse's aggressive counter-attack ended when he was brilliantly caught down the leg side by Pooran, who anticipated an attempted scoop to pull off a fantastic diving catch to his left. Reifer lost track of his stumps shuffling across and was bowled behind his legs first-ball to put Shepherd on a hat-trick. He ended the match in his next over. Primus flat-batted a slog to long-on before Lamichhane was yorked to send everyone home early.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Kyler Murray did Kyler Murray-like things in the fourth quarter of his NFL debut Sunday against the Detroit Lions.

And it led to a dramatic 27-27 tie.

Murray led the Cardinals back from an 18-point deficit to tie the game with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Once in the extra period, Murray led the Cardinals quickly down the field but the offense stalled at the 10, settling for a field goal. Detroit matched the kick, setting Murray up for a potential game-winning, which did not develop.

Murray, who finished with 308 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 29-for-54 passing, orchestrated the comeback with a dazzling fourth quarter that included his first two NFL touchdown passes, a display of his renowned accuracy, impressive footwork and a command of coach Kliff Kingsbury's much-anticipated offense.

He was much less effective through the opening three quarters, throwing for 100 yards and an interception on 9-for-25 passing.

Then Murray turned it on. He went 15-for-19 passing for 154 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, leading the Cardinals back from a 24-6 deficit.

He hit running back David Johnson for a 27̄-yard touchdown pass with 6:04 left in regulation to bring Arizona within 24-16. On the game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter, Murray hit wide receiver KeeSean Johnson on a nearly side-armed throw. On the next play, Murray ran out of the bounds, gaining nine yards, but showcasing the extent of his quick and nimble his footwork.

Murray relied on both Larry Fitzgerald and David Johnson heavily late in Sunday's game.

Johnson had 58 all-purpose yards in the fourth quarter, including 40 receiving, while Fitzgerald had five catches for 59 yards, including the game-tying touchdown catch on a rollout by Murray. The Cardinals all but replicated the play on the two-point conversion to Christian Kirk that tied the game at 24.

But for the first three-and-a-half quarters, Murray was unable to lead the Cardinals into the end zone.

He got close a few times.

With 1:19 left in the second quarter, the Cardinals had possession at the Lions 2, but Murray couldn't turn the corner on a run right and then threw an incompletion to force the Cardinals to settle for a field goal, their first points of the game. At that point, they trailed 17-3.

Murray also led the Cardinals to the Lions 24 and 16 in consecutive drives at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarters, but both resulted in a field goal.

Murray said earlier in the week that he had heard regular-season football was different than the preseason. He figured it out quickly. He had four passes batted down, including one late in overtime, and was sacked three times in the first half and five overall.

He tried to use his mobility to escape pressure but wasn't able to evade defenders for long. He was sacked in the second quarter on a second-and-seven play after outrunning two Lions. But he couldn't avoid the third, Lions linebacker Devon Kennard, who got the sack.

They went three-and-out four times in the first half and five times overall, gaining just 58 yards in the first half.

The offense showed much of what was expected: three, four and five receiver sets; no-huddle; tempo; designed runs for Murray. But early in the game, none of it was effective.

Murray was 1-for-6 on throws more than 10 yards downfield for 12 yards with an interception, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He had two drop backs against the blitz in the first two quarters. He was sacked on one and intercepted on the other. And when the Cardinals went with an empty set, meaning no running back on the field, Murray was 0-for-6 without a sack.

It got to a point where fans inside State Farm Stadium began booing each subsequent three-and-out.

NEW YORK -- Rafael Nadal's 19th Grand Slam trophy went from inevitable to suddenly in doubt in a thrill-a-minute US Open final.

What had all the makings of a crowning morphed into a real contest Sunday thanks to Nadal's opponent, Daniil Medvedev, a man a decade younger and appearing in his first major title match. Down by two sets and a break, Medvedev shifted styles, upped his level against a rattled Nadal -- and even received an unexpected boost from Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators.

Truly tested for the only time in the tournament, the No. 2-seeded Nadal managed to stop Medvedev's surge and hold off his historic comeback bid, pulling out a 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 victory in 4 hours, 50 minutes of highlight-worthy action and Broadway-worthy drama to collect his fourth championship at Flushing Meadows.

"An amazing final. Seems that I had, more or less, the match under control," said Nadal, who covered his face with his hands while crying when arena video boards showed clips from each of his Slam triumphs. "One of the most emotional nights of my tennis career."

Now at 19 majors -- a total Medvedev called "outrageous" -- Nadal is merely one away from rival Roger Federer's record for a man.

But this one did not come easily. Not at all.

Sure seemed it might, with Nadal ahead by two sets and a break in the third at 3-2.

At that moment, the No. 5-seeded Medvedev would joke afterward, he figured the match was about 20 minutes from ending, and so this is where his thoughts were: "OK, what do I say in the speech?"

But the 23-year-old from Russia did not go gently into the night. He broke right back to 3-all, then again to claim that set and yet again to end the fourth.

"The nerves were so high," Nadal said. "A crazy match."

Not since 1949 had a man won the US Open final after trailing by two sets to none. Never before had Medvedev won a five-set match. Only once before had Nadal lost a Grand Slam match after taking the opening two sets.

And yet the tension was real.

Even at the very end -- or what appeared to be the very end -- Nadal couldn't close it out. After breaking to lead 3-2 in the fifth, in a game Medvedev led 40-love before flubbing an easy forehand, Nadal broke again and served for the championship at 5-2.

The way this back-and-forth tale was spun, though, it probably was inevitable that Medvedev would break there. And so he did, because Nadal double-faulted on break point after he was docked a serve for his third time violation of the evening, which elicited loud boos from the stands.

In the next game, Nadal held a pair of match points, but Medvedev, of course, avoided defeat yet another time, erasing one of those with a backhand winner, the other with a service winner, earning a standing ovation.

With Nadal's backers screaming, "Close it out!" at the ensuing changeover, he once more stepped to the baseline to try to serve it out, this time at 5-4. Naturally, he was forced to deal with another heart-in-throat break point, but came up with a stinging forehand that drew a long forehand from Medvedev.

Two points later, it was over, and Nadal was splayed on his back on the court, the victor at Flushing Meadows for the fourth time.

Add the Spaniard's haul in New York to his 12 titles at the French Open, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open, and the 20-19 gap between Federer and Nadal is the closest it's been in 15 years. Federer led 1-0 after his breakthrough triumph at the All England Club in 2004, and he had four by the time Nadal got his first at Roland Garros in 2005.

Federer, who lost in the quarterfinals at the US Open, is 38, while Nadal is 33 -- making him the oldest male champion at Flushing Meadows since 1970. He's also the first man to win five majors after turning 30.

Nadal says he wants to finish his career at No. 1 in the Grand Slam standings -- ahead of Federer and Novak Djokovic, in third place currently with 16 -- but also insists he won't base his happiness on how it all shakes out in the end.

This particular match ended the way he wanted it to. The journey just took more detours than anyone could have anticipated.

When Medvedev sensed the loss approaching, he turned into a trickier foe. He alternated serve-and-volley surprises with a penchant for outhitting Nadal at the baseline. For a stretch, it felt as if Medvedev simply could not miss, and he finished with a 75-62 edge in winners

It was the kind of ballstriking Medvedev showed while going 20-2 during the North American hard-court circuit, reaching four finals in a row. But he also switched tactics, winning 22 of 29 serve-and-volley points.

"The way that he was able to fight, to change the rhythm of the match, was just incredible," Nadal said.

The Flushing Meadows fans who jeered Medvedev in Week 1 because of his on-court behavior -- he trolled his detractors by sarcastically thanking them and telling him their vitriol was why he won -- were pulling for him.

Or, as he noted during the trophy ceremony, pulling for more bang for the bucks they spent on tickets.

They certainly got that.

HOUSTON -- Gerrit Cole celebrated his 29th birthday by allowing one hit with 15 strikeouts in a season-high eight innings, and the Houston Astros routed Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners 21-1 on Sunday to complete a four-game sweep.

Cole (16-5) won his 12th straight decision and joined Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in major league history with 14 or more strikeouts in three straight games. Cole leads the major league with a career-high 281 strikeouts, and his 2.73 ERA in second in the AL behind the 2.52 for teammate Justin Verlander.

Chris Devenski struck out two in a perfect ninth, finishing a series in which Houston outscored the Mariners 41-15.

Jake Marisnick and George Springer homered, and rookie Yordan Alvarez had six RBIs and hit three of Houston's team-record 11 doubles. The Astros are 16-1 against Seattle this year, winning 11 in a row.

Hernandez (1-6) tied his career high, allowing 11 runs. He lasted just two-plus innings and gave up seven hits.

With runners at second and third and two outs in the second, shortstop Dee Gordon couldn't handle Martin Maldonado's grounder, allowing two runs to score on the error. Marisnick sent Hernandez's next pitch into the left-field seats for his 10th homer and a 4-0 lead.

Seattle's day got even worse during a nine-run third that included six doubles, including a pair by Alvarez that drove in three runs. Aledmys Diaz, Kyle Tucker and Maldonado also doubled in runs off Hernandez, who slumped his shoulders and shook his head as he watched Maldonado's ball skip into the outfield on his final pitch. Hernandez's face was expressionless as he slowly walked off the field.

All nine Astros starters scored a run in the first three innings for the first time since June 12, 2015 -- also a game Hernandez started.

Erik Swanson allowed a two-run homer to Springer, who returned after a concussion that caused him to miss three games.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mariners: OF Jake Fraley sat out on Sunday after leaving Saturday night's game with a sprained thumb. Manager Scott Servais said X-rays were negative but that Fraley would have an MRI on Monday to further assess the injury.

Astros: 1B Yuli Gurriel was out of the lineup for a second straight game with a sore left hamstring but was doing better on Sunday, and manager AJ Hinch said Gurriel should return Tuesday or Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Seattle is off on Monday before LH Justus Sheffield (0-1, 5.51 ERA) starts the opener of a three game series against Cincinnati on Tuesday. Sheffield scattered five hits over five scoreless innings in his last start but did not factor in the decision in Seattle's 5-1 loss to the Cubs.

Astros: RHP Zack Greinke (14-5, 3.09) will start for Houston on Monday in the opener of a four-game series against Oakland. Greinke lost his first decision since being traded from the Diamondbacks in his last start after yielding four runs and eight hits over six innings of a 4-2 loss to Milwaukee.

Lucy Elliott, Clare Elms and Penny Yule add to GB gold medal tally at the European Masters in Italy, while Portuguese legend Rosa Mota impresses in her vets debut

British cross-country runners failed to quite match the domination that the 1500m runners demonstrated on Saturday at the European Masters Championships but the women still enjoyed success on a twisting but mostly flat if uneven course at Caorle held over just 4km.

First off was the W55-W80 races which started in heavy rain and a thunderstorm – weather conditions that caused some mid-afternoon events to be cancelled.

After a careful start following her 1500m win of the night before, Clare Elms eased away halfway around the first of two laps and won easily in 14:33 from Austria’s Sabine Hofer (14:57) and Spain’s Esther Pedrosa (15:00), losing her silver medal streak behind the Briton which she had done in all her previous major championships this year.

Elms picked up her third gold by being in the winning team along with Christine Anthony who was fourth (15:40) and Jane Pidgeon (15:55) sixth.

In the W70 race, Penny Forse who has been third in the 1500m the previous night, improved for a clear win over 1500m champion Ros Tabor – with 17:40 to Tabor’s 18:29.

The event also included the W60 race and that was won by the great Rosa Mota, 37 years after she first took a European title in Athens which was then the very first international marathon championship.

Still enjoying her running, the 1987 world and 1988 Olympic champion, was persuaded to compete by some fellow Portuguese masters and enjoyed her first taste of masters competition and runs the 10km next weekend.

Entered as Correia Dos Santos Mota, few realised it was the all-time great who won on the same day as the Great North Run – a race which she won in 1985 and 1990. Mota (pictured below) ran 15:14 to beat Ireland’s Pauline Moran by 12 seconds.

In the W65 race UK’s Dorothy Kesterton finished second in 17:16 to Sweden’s Lubov Popeshina (16:51) while Betty Stracey won W75 bronze in 26:48.

In the W35 to W50 race that followed in better conditions, Lucy Elliott (main image, above) provided the highlight winning her race in style just behind the leading W35s.

Like her Hampshire colleague Yule, she went two places better than the 1500m. Her time was 13:50 and she won by 18 seconds from Agnes Schipper of the Netherlands (14:08) and her run led Britain to team gold too.

Belgian Mieke Gorissen won the overall W35-50 women’s race in 13:29.

Apart from the W50 and W55 team gold, the W35s finished second to Spain and the W65s and W70s were both second to Germany.

British men found medals harder to come by on the country. Richard Pitcairn-Knowles won a M85 bronze in 28:44 while the M60 team took silver behind Italy and the M70 bronzes as Italy won again there.

Ireland’s Bryan Lynch won the M65 race in 14:18 as double 1980 Olympics medallist Kaarlo Maaninka of Finland finished 12th.

There was also an Irish win in the M45s for Maurice McManon (12:07).

Brian Lynch of Ireland wins M65 plus race at Euro Masters cross country @emacvenice2019 pic.twitter.com/AP2l1fvdfk

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 8, 2019

Luigi del Buono of the home nation ran the fastest time overall in winning the M40 gold in 11:44 to cap a good day for the hosts with 10 titles in both men and women’s events. Germany won the two oldest men’s and women’s categories and Britain were the third most successful team with two golds and five minor medals.

The 10,000m men’s races were also held on the day in Eraclea and the races took up over 10 hours although numbers were down due to the rather peculiar clash with the cross-country.

For most of the day it looked like it was going to be a barren time for Britain. However, luckily the last two races – the M55 and combined M60/65 race proved fruitful.

In his first major track championships, Andrew Leach decimated the field in the M55 race. Through halfway in 16:38.0, he ran 33:33.04, to win by over a minute from Franco Torresani of Italy.

Paul Fletcher then followed up his superb M60 1500m win of the night before with yet another gold medal run. Utilising his superior speed, he covered the last 1000m in 3:22 to win in 37:53.42 from Netherlands’ Jaap Stijlaart’s 38:02.10.

After winning 5 golds in XC – Elliott, Elms and Forse plus W50, W55 teams, Britain won two more golds in late evening men’s track 10000’s as M55 Anthony Leach and M60 Paul Fletcher (pictured right) strike gold on day of torrential rain and thunderstorms @emacvenice2019 pic.twitter.com/cHJD8vtoFe

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) September 8, 2019

The only other medal winner was M65 Anthony Whitehouse who was second in 38:51.42 behind Boyan Lefterov’s 37:59.43.

In the field, Guy Dirkin won a British bronze in the M65 weight with 15.45m in an event won by Vasileos Manganas of Greece in 17.48m.

The decathlon has proved tough for British medals but Adrian Essex gained silver in the M65 event with 5823 points as he lacked the throwing power of Finland’s Markku Rautasalo, who won with 5873 points.

Penny Butcher won bronze in the W60 heptathlon with 4770 points as Wiebke Baseda won with 5529 points.

Finland’s Leo Saarinen won the M90 shot in a world record 9.89m.

In the 400m qualifying, M80 Anthony Treacher (87.28), M65 Stephen Peters (62.68), M60 John Wright (56.71) M35, David Awde (51.35), W65 Caroline Powell (71.12) qualified as fastest for Monday’s finals.

A total of 29 nations have now won gold medals and the success on the country now means Italy top the medals table with 41 golds, 31 silver and 30 bronzes to Germany’s 38, 35 and 31 and Britain’s 33, 25, 32 which puts them well ahead of Finland’s 14, 8 and 8 and Spain’s 13, 22 and 21.