Bangladesh coach Steve Rhodes said that they are disappointed with their exit from the World Cup, but hoped that they would be remembered as the "people's team" for the fight they have shown against top sides.

In a must-win game to qualify for the semi-finals, they fell 29 runs short of India's 314, but their wins over South Africa, West Indies and Afghanistan added excitement and a bit of drama to the World Cup, particularly at stages when rain threatened to turn the tournament into a farce.

Rhodes also said that they were happy to bring down India's score to 314 as they looked to be pulling ahead towards a 350-plus score at the halfway stage of their innings.

"I wish luck to the guys who are in that semi-final, but I wish it was us," Rhodes said. "I am very proud with the way we played against the big teams. Maybe we will be the people's team for the amount of fight we have shown.

"I think we did well after that opening blitz by Rohit Sharma. We were very happy at the halfway stage to be chasing that score. It could well have been 370-380, or 400 at one stage. We showed a lot of spirit and fight to come back. It was pleasing to see. It was a reflection of the team. We have three victories but we also pushed these big teams throughout the competition. With a little bit of luck, we may have been one of these top four teams.

Rhodes added that when playing against top teams, Bangladesh needed to start better, and that the toss had also been a point of difference.

"There are a lot of disappointed cricketers and coaches in the dressing room," he said. "We were desparate to do well in the competition to take it further. It wasn't to be. We played against a good team, a side that are currently ranked No 1 in the world. We pushed them but we made a few early mistakes. I think you need to get out of the blocks really well against a team like India. We were playing catch-up for a lot of the match.

"In the defense of some of the batsmen, the toss was crucial. As you saw in the England match, the cutters and slower balls were difficult. When you get out to a slower ball, and chip it to someone in the ring, it looks like a really soft dismissal. Sometimes you have to give credit to the bowlers for deceiving the batsmen. The toss probably cost 20-30 runs, so 29 runs made it an even game."

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The Rugby Football Union says it is comfortable with the set-up at the Women's Rugby Super Series, despite concerns over facilities in San Diego.

The five best teams in the world - New Zealand, England, France, Canada and the USA - are meeting in a highly-anticipated round-robin tournament.

Most matches are taking place on a dry training pitch, with pop-up changing tents and limited seating for fans.

England started the event with a 38-5 win over the USA on Friday.

While it is believed the England camp have been surprised by the low-key nature of the event, RFU women's rugby chief Nicky Ponsford is satisfied the facilities are in line with what was agreed before the competition.

It's understood Ponsford has spoken to the other teams involved in the last 24 hours.

USA Rugby - who are running the tournament - add that the "practical set-up was something discussed with all teams before the tournament" and that the venue "is not specifically set up to host a large number of spectators".

"Moving forward, we will continue to support the teams and produce this important event for the international audience," added a USA Rugby statement.

World governing body World Rugby are not involved in the delivery of the competition but have assisted with the pre-tournament logistical costs. The west coast of the USA was one of very few possible locations given the travel and time-zones involved.

The final two of the eight scheduled matches are away from the Chula Vista Training Center at the better-equipped Torero Stadium, where England will play New Zealand and France meet the USA a week on Sunday.

England's next match is against Canada on Sunday July 6.

MADERA, Calif. — Madera Speedway, Naake-Klauer Motorsports and Race Face Brand Development officials have jointly announced the inaugural Junior Late Model Challenge Camp, for drivers between the ages of 10 and 15.

The camp will give 12 drivers an opportunity, free of charge, to compete for the chance to drive a Naake-Klauer Motorsports-prepared junior late model during 51FIFTY Championship Weekend at Madera on Oct. 5.

Applications will be accepted through July 12 at noon ET. To apply, visit jrlatemodelchallengecamp.com.

The Junior Late Model Challenge Camp is an extension of the highly-successful 51FIFTY Junior Late Model Series, which was created by Madera Speedway owner Kenny Shepherd in 2016 to give younger drivers the chance to grow their skills in full-size race cars, with national television exposure on MAVTV.

Graduates of the 51FIFTY Junior Late Model program at Madera include NASCAR K&N Pro Series winner Hailie Deegan, JR Motorsports CARS Tour regular Adam Lemke and Toyota Racing Development midget driver Jesse Love.

“The goal with our Junior Late Model Series is to create the sport’s next superstars,” noted Shepherd, “And the Junior Late Model Challenge Camp is a nationwide talent search that I’m extremely excited about, as this leads us closer to a real farm system to ensure we are propelling the best talent to the top of the sport.”

Drivers for the Junior Late Model Challenge Camp, which will be held Aug. 16-17 at Madera, will be selected by a five-person panel based on factors including racing accomplishments, history and experience.

The pool of applicants will be narrowed to 50 prospects on July 13, before 12 finalists are selected from that group three days later.

Once the 12 finalists are determined, six drivers will take to Madera Speedway on Aug. 16, with the other six drivers getting their turns behind the wheel on Aug. 17.

Each driver will have the chance to have 90 minutes of on-track time, as well as participate in off-track training seminars during their time at the camp. The 12 finalists will be graded on both on-track and off-track potential, and on-track speed will not be used as a deciding factor.

The camp winner will be announced on Aug. 30, earning a ride with Naake-Klauer Motorsports during the Madera junior late model finale at no cost, with no crash clause due for the opportunity.

The Junior Late Model Challenge Camp will be taped for broadcast on MAVTV as a one-hour special, as an offshoot of the successful Junior Late Model Series television package on the network.

It has been five years since the KRAVE Group took over America’s top motorcycle road racing series and Wayne Rainey, three-time world champion and successful team owner, has learned a lot.

“Being a racer, I thought the guys that ran the sport didn’t know what the hell they were doing most of the time. I quickly figured out they knew more than I thought,” Rainey said. “This side of the fence has been a lot of work. As a team owner or a racer, you are working for yourself and what it takes to be competitive. Representing 130 or 140 racers, each with their own situation, has been eye opening for sure.”

Half a decade in, the series thought to be near death’s door when Rainey’s group took control, has survived and even seen some marked improvements. The competition level of the series has vastly improved and Rainey’s group has its best TV deal yet for 2019. There is more progress to be made, but the foundation of the series is much stronger. “It’s taken five years to get to this point,” he said. “We’re excited.”

MotoAmerica, as the series was rebranded when Rainey’s group took the helm, had plenty to improve upon back then. Motorcycle road racing in America was in total shambles, with no TV, a limited schedule of a half-dozen events and a dwindling number of teams. There was no real post-recession recovery for the motorcycle industry and the Daytona Motorsports Group was ready to give up on road racing.

Rainey and his partners had numerous philosophical differences with the previous series organizers. While DMG wanted to make the series insular and uniquely American and perhaps a two-wheeled version of NASCAR, MotoAmerica wanted to realign with the world championships to help Americans contend on an international level.

“We had to do something to try to give our riders an opportunity to race in the world championship, if they wanted, and to get international riders to come into our championship and have a competitive ride,” Rainey noted. “In our case, how we ended up in the series and the partners I am with, there was a real need to get the championship and get it stable and get it where our racers and teams can be competitive — not just here but abroad. That was our main point. I think, in general, it worked.”

Changes seen throughout the motorsports landscape also meant a new reality in motorcycle road racing. MotoAmerica couldn’t just change course and go back to doing what had been done in the past.

“What we didn’t see coming was racing 10 or 15 years ago was a heck of a lot different than what it looks like now,” Rainey explained. “Back then, there was a lot more manufacturer participation in the series, there were more riders and teams, there were more international riders. Twenty years ago, the American championship was very competitive. A lot of the international riders came through our championship. The rest of the world started getting their (national) championships under control and that worked well for them. For us, it went a little stagnant.”

With four factory bikes left in the premier class and only a handful of “real” Superbikes remaining to augment them, the first obstacle was to boost those numbers. It was no surprise that Rainey, with his ties to world championship organizer Dorna, looked to the World Superbike championship for a rules package. The goal was to make things competitive and bringing the machines the rest of the world uses back to America.

“The way our rules work, we follow the FIM World Superbike rules,” Rainey said. “There are spending caps put on the electronics, so this keeps the factory teams from running away. The competition in every class has been the part we haven’t had to mess with much. It seems every race, somebody’s duking it out for the lead. It’s going well.”

Privateer J.D. Beach and Attack Performance scored a surprise victory at Virginia Int’l Raceway earlier this year.

“It was massively popular in our series, not just because J.D. is a popular rider and Attack Performance is one of the teams coming on the past coupe of years. The way the rules are laid out, it shows you can be competitive on a privateer team and a privateer bike against the factory teams,” Rainey explained. “A good example of that was J.D. winning at VIR. It was mixed conditions, half-wet, half-dry and they were able to put together a package and he won the race. They have been knocking at the door, along with the Westby team and Mathew Scholz. They are right there as well. Kyle Wyman has brought a Ducati to the series and he led when it was really wet in that race. BMW is there, Kawasaki has some bikes in the series, Jake Lewis on his Suzuki with John Ulrich’s team and also Jake Gagne coming back from World Superbike and riding the BMW. He’s been injured a bit but I think when everyone is healthy, it is very competitive. It shows the rules are working.”

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STATESVILLE N.C. – GMS Racing has announced that Digital Ally Inc. will sponsor John Hunter Nemechek in two NASCAR Xfinity Series races this year.

The company, which develops, manufactures and markets advanced digital technology products for law enforcement, homeland security and commercial security applications, will sponsor Nemechek Friday at Daytona Int’l Speedway and Aug. 3 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) Int’l.

Nemechek has one Xfinity Series start at Daytona with GMS Racing in the season opener in February and collected a top-10 finish after finishing eighth. The Mooresville, N.C., native will make his first Xfinity Series start at Watkins Glen in the Zippo 200.

“I am really excited to have Digital Ally on board the No. 23 at both Daytona and Watkins Glen,” said Nemechek. “They are a great organization and to represent their brand on the track is an honor. We will do all we can to try and park the No. 23 Digital Ally Chevrolet in victory lane.”

“Digital Ally is extremely excited to sponsor John Hunter’s No. 23 Chevrolet at Daytona and Watkins Glen,” said Stan Ross, CEO of Digital Ally. “John Hunter is one of the best young, up and coming stars in the Xfinity Series and we are confident he will continue his success in the No. 23 Digital Ally Chevrolet.”

INDIANAPOLIS – IndyCar has consolidated its Marketing and Communications teams into one department while adding two award-winning motorsports veterans.

IndyCar named Mike Zizzo as Vice President of Communications and Kate Davis in the newly formed position of Director of Communications as part of a reorganization to create an integrated and strategically aligned Marketing and Communications department.

Zizzo and Davis will join Vice President of Marketing S.J. Luedtke, who joined IndyCar in February after serving as a Nike executive for nearly the past decade, in developing and executing a comprehensive marketing communications plan.

“Mike and Kate provide IndyCar with a tremendous amount of motorsports knowledge and communications experience, especially from sanctioning body and promoter perspectives, and they are highly respected both inside and outside the industry,” IndyCar President Jay Frye said. “They will complement SJ on the marketing side and provide INDYCAR with a stronger, more integrated Marketing and Communications department.”

Zizzo, who had been serving as a PR consultant for IndyCar since February, is an award-winning communications executive with 23 years of motorsports experience in his field. He has served in management roles for two sanctioning bodies – CART and NASCAR – and most recently spent the past 13 years as Vice President of Communications for Texas Motor Speedway.

Zizzo is the only two-time recipient of NASCAR’s national series track public relations representative of the year award and also received the sanctioning body’s “Best Youth Marketing Initiative” honor for his Speeding To Read educational program at TMS. He also is a previous winner of the esteemed Jim Chapman Award for motorsports PR excellence.

His motorsports career began with CART from 1996-2002 and the tenure was highlighted by serving as Vice President of Competition Public Relations for the open-wheel sanctioning body. He then joined NASCAR from 2002-2005 as a Senior Public Relations Manager with an emphasis on competition before moving to Texas Motor Speedway later in ’05.

Davis is a veteran communications and content executive who has spent the past 17 years with NASCAR in various broadcast or digital-related capacities. She joined NASCAR in 2001 and served as the Senior Manager of Broadcast Communications before spending the last 12 years with NASCAR Productions and NASCAR Digital Media.

In her most recent role as Senior Director of Content, Davis oversaw the development and production of content that was distributed to NASCAR’s television; radio and digital partners; third-party clients; and television and radio affiliates throughout the country. During that tenure, she was part of a team that produced an Emmy Award-winning documentary.

In related moves of the restructuring, Curt Cavin will shift to the role of Senior Manager of Digital Content Editorial while Communications colleagues Kate Guerra and Arni Sribhen continue in the department in similar or redefined roles.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Blues have re-signed restricted free agent Sammy Blais to an $850,000, one-year contract.

Blais, 23, had a goal and two assists in 15 playoff games to help St. Louis win the Stanley Cup. The forward had two goals and two assists over 32 regular-season games for the Blues and spent part of the season with the AHL's San Antonio Rampage. The Canadian made his NHL debut during the 2017-18 season, scoring one goal and having two assists in 11 games.

St. Louis drafted Blais in the sixth round of the 2014 draft.