Barbados Tridents 186 for 2 (Boucher 64*, Charles 52, Duminy 43*) beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 168 for 9 (Evans 64, Drakes 34*, Lamichhane 3-22, Walsh Jr. 2-33, Holder 2-37) by 18 runs

Barbados Tridents completed their first win of CPL 2019 after youngsters Leniko Boucher and Sandeep Lamichhane contributed with bat and ball respectively to hand the visitors a 18-run win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. In the first innings, Boucher was assisted by JP Duminy's 18-ball 43 to lift Tridents to 186, while Lamichhane was ably supported by captain Jason Holder and USA's Hayden Walsh Jr. in the second.

Patriots' Laurie Evans struck a quickfire 64 to keep the hosts in the hunt till the 12th over, but the team fell away after they lost four middle-order wickets in fifteen deliveries. Barring Evans, the Patriots batting performance was so poor that their second-highest run-scorer was their No. 11. Patriots eventually finished well short, for their third defeat of the season.

A wicketkeeper-batsman with a familiar surname

Playing only his second T20 game, right-handed batsman Boucher walked in after opener Alex Hales' dismissal in the fifth over. Trying to guide a Rayad Emrit delivery to third man, Hales could only find the keeper. Early signs showed that the pitch was similar to the one where 483 runs were scored on Wednesday.

The other opener Johnson Charles, however, having a difficult time rotating the strike at that point, and it was the 21-year old Boucher who sunk anchor in the post-Powerplay period. The first signs of Boucher's dominance came in the seventh over, when he confidently skipped down the ground to lift Emrit over his head. Boucher then made the most of a dropped chance to the keeper in the ninth over by upping the tempo off left-arm spinner Fabian Allen. He began the 13th over with a six and a four off Allen, and in Charles' company lifted Tridents into triple figures.

Charles, sluggish right up that point, moved from 38 off 39 balls to 51 in 41 on the back of two sixes as they got past hundred. It was legspinner Usama Mir who bore the brunt, but he took revenge two balls later when Charles holed out to deep midwicket.

That brought in JP Duminy at No. 4, and the South African swiftly found his timing by pulling his second ball over long-on. Two balls later, Boucher moved to 48 with a six over long-on to end the 16th over. Off the next ball, he brought up his fifty in 40 deliveries.

Tridents' triple-over blitz

A tidy three-run 17th over from Emrit seemed to have stifled Tridents' run-scoring, but the last three overs was where the batting team displayed the advantage of having so many wickets in hand. With a license to smash, Duminy and Boucher struck 51 runs in the last 18 balls to take Tridents to 186 for 2. The unbeaten stand of 73 in 36 balls saw Boucher finish on 62 and Duminy on an 18-ball 43.

After Tridents finished the first innings with such a flurry, Emrit - standing in as captain while Brathwaite was off the field nursing a knock - called the Patriots in for a huddle before walking off the field, perhaps to instill the same beliefs they had the night before when they chased 243.

Evans sizzles, others not so much

The chase began with Duminy's spin, and Patriots opener Evin Lewis enjoyed the ball coming into him from around the wicket. He swept Duminy twice for fours in the first over to give the hosts early momentum, but Tridents negated that advantage when the other opener Devon Thomas edged Holder to Boucher next over. Lewis ended the second over with a square cut for four, but Holder dismissed him next over when he sliced an attempted drive to cover.

At 28 for 2, Patriots were in trouble, but Evans' shot-making didn't make it appear so. He found his footing by driving left-arm seamer Josh Lalor for four and following it up with a punched shot over midwicket two balls later. Entering the game, Evans had gone past thirty in seven of his last eight T20 games, and he proceeded to do the same once more by making full use of a dropped chance on 21. Evans was especially brutal towards the on-side, taking on Walsh Jr. for consecutive fours, before reaching his 21st T20 fifty in the tenth over. By then, No. 4 Jason Mohammad was already out and Evans was building a partnership with No. 5 Shamarh Brooks, and with eight overs to go, Patriots needed 90 off 48 with seven wickets in hand.

Lamichhane triggers Patriots' downward spiral

But the final eight overs began poorly for Patriots. Brooks tried to take Lamichhane on the first ball of the 13th over, but he sliced a catch to Nurse at extra cover, who had to run back and put in a dive to complete a catch. Five balls later came the bigger blow when Evans looked to paddle-sweep the legspinner away, only to top-edge one to short fine leg. Evans fell for a 41-ball 64, but his dismissal meant there were two new batsmen at the crease with the run-rate continuously rising.

Walsh Jr. then prised out the dangerous Allen after the batsman failed to pick a slider that was aimed for the stumps, and when Lamichhane returned for his final over of the night, he trapped Brathwaite with a googly to send Patriots reeling at 106 for 7. Two balls later, the skies opened up, and the teams went off for close to 45 minutes with Patriots still needing 80 off 5.1 overs.

When the teams returned, Walsh Jr. claimed his second wicket by removing Usama Mir. No. 9 Emrit briefly entertained, but he too fell trying to clear the long-on boundary in the 17th over. No. 11 Dominic Drakes brought some respectability to the Patriots total by striking three sixes and three fours to score the highest-ever T20 score for a No. 11 batsman, a 34 off 14 balls. His last-wicket partnership of 49 with No. 10 Alzarri Joseph ensured Patriots' net run-rate took a much lesser hit than it could've at one point.

Justify failed a drug test one month before the 2018 Kentucky Derby, and the California Horse Racing Board decided to dismiss the case after the colt went on to win the Triple Crown, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

According to the newspaper, Justify tested positive for scopolamine after winning the Santa Anita Derby -- and qualifying for the Kentucky Derby in the process -- on April 7, 2018. Scopolamine is a banned substance that can enhance performance, according to the Times.

Such a result should have resulted in a disqualification, purse forfeiture and the removal of his Kentucky Derby entry. However, the Times said California regulators waited until April 26, nine days before the Kentucky Derby, to inform Bob Baffert, Justify's Hall of Fame trainer.

Baffert requested a second sample be tested by an independent lab, and it confirmed the results on May 8 -- three days after Justify won the Kentucky Derby.

The racing board then diverted from its normal course of action, according to the Times, which cited emails and internal memorandums it obtained. Rather than filing a complaint and holding a hearing, nothing happened until Aug. 23, four months after the failed test and two months after Justify had completed his Triple Crown run by winning the Belmont Stakes.

The board's executive director, Rick Baedeker, took the unprecedented path of presenting the case directly to the board's commissioners, who voted unanimously to drop the case, according to the Times.

The board reportedly decided that the test results could have come from Justify eating contaminated food. However, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's former drug lab chief, Rick Sams, told the Times that the amount of scopolamine in Justify's system suggested it "has to come from intentional intervention."

In addition, the California board's medical director said of scopolamine in 2016 that the chance of "getting a positive from environmental contamination is rather low."

Scopolamine can help clear a horse's airway and optimize its heart rate to make it more efficient, Sams told the Times.

Two months after dismissing the Justify case, the California board changed the penalty for a failed scopolamine test from a disqualification to a fine and a possible suspension.

"We take seriously the integrity of horse racing in California and are committed to implementing the highest standards of safety and accountability for all horses, jockeys and participants,'' the California Horse Racing Board said in a statement.

A CHRB spokesman said the organization would have a further statement Thursday.

The Times said Baffert did not respond to requests for comment on the story.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James' attempt to trademark the term "Taco Tuesday" has been denied, but according to James' team, he still accomplished the outcome he wanted from the application in the first place.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday refused the application filed by James' company LBJ Trademarks, explaining that "Taco Tuesday" is "a commonplace term."

"The applied-for mark is a commonplace term, message, or expression widely used by a variety of sources that merely conveys an ordinary, familiar, well-recognized concept or sentiment message," the USPTO wrote.

A spokesman for James told ESPN's Dave McMenamin that the application was filed "to ensure LeBron cannot be sued for any use of 'Taco Tuesday.'"

"Finding 'Taco Tuesday' as commonplace achieves precisely what the intended outcome was, which was getting the U.S. government to recognize that someone cannot be sued for its use," the spokesman said.

The USPTO also cited examples of restaurants that have used the term, along with several articles showing that "Taco Tuesday" is a "widely used message used by various parties to express enthusiasm for tacos by promoting and celebrating them on a dedicated weekday."

James' spokesman pointed out that the USPTO's ruling will protect not only James but anyone else from using "Taco Tuesday" for business reasons.

James began sharing videos of his family's taco nights on his Instagram account during the offseason. The videos became something of a social media sensation, with James making special "It's Taco Tuesday" T-shirts and new Lakers forward Anthony Davis even making a special guest appearance.

James had sought to monetize the videos by filing to trademark "Taco Tuesday" in August. LBJ Trademarks stated in its application that the goods and services involved with the trademark involve "advertising and marketing services provided by means of indirect methods of marketing communications, namely, social media, search engine marketing, inquiry marketing, internet marketing, mobile marketing, blogging and other forms of passive, sharable or viral communications channels."

The company also listed "podcasting services" and "online entertainment services, namely, providing a website featuring non-downloadable videos, and social media posts in the field of sports, entertainment, current events and popular culture."

France's historic FIBA World Cup victory over Team USA on Wednesday left a lot of fans wondering how a roster full of American NBA players could lose in the quarterfinals of an international basketball tournament.

While the 89-79 defeat was disappointing for the Americans, it wasn't surprising. This version of Team USA is incapable of dominating international opponents the same way previous iterations could, and the problems were fully visible down the stretch in this quarterfinal matchup in Dongguan, China. After Khris Middleton made a driving layup to give Team USA a 74-67 lead with 7:39 remaining, France finished the game on a 22-5 run, showcasing the ailment that ultimately killed this gold-medal chase: woeful offense.

In terms of offensive efficiency, this year's model of Team USA just couldn't match the firepower of its predecessors dating back to 2006:

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In each of its previous six international tournament appearances, Team USA posted an offensive efficiency of at least 122 points per 100 possessions. This year's team has managed to post only 111 because of two crucial shortcomings: half-court execution and shooting efficiency.

Check out these stats:

• Per Synergy Sports, Team USA's half-court offense ranks 18th in the World Cup by yielding just 88.8 points per 100 possessions (narrowly edging out Iran). France ranks first at 108.

• Dating back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Team USA had averaged a monstrous eFG% of 58.7 in its previous five international tournament appearances. In China, Team USA is posting an eFG% of just 51.2, and the team's six most active shooters are all shooting below that 58.7 baseline.

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Shooting has become by far the most important skill in the sport, but Team USA's volume shooters aren't hitting at high efficiencies. Primary ball handlers Donovan Mitchell and Kemba Walker have been okay, but not great, while Khris Middleton and Jaylen Brown have been less effective than expected. No player, aside from maybe Joe Harris, has been a pleasant surprise. The end result is Team USA's worst eFG% in years.

Over its past five international tournaments, Team USA converted a ridiculously strong 39.7% of its 3s -- a number so high it would've been the best such mark by any team in the NBA last season. But this version of Team USA has made just 33%. That ranks 18th among World Cup teams and would've ranked 29th in the NBA last season. Only the Phoenix Suns converted a lower share of their 3s, and folks, that's not good company for a group trying to be the best national team on the planet.

While Walker and Mitchell are both competent from deep, neither really thrives in the same ways that guys like Damian Lillard, James Harden or Stephen Curry do. This team lacks a truly deadly on-ball 3-point scorer. Besides Harris, nobody else has hit more than 36.4% from 3-point range, and half of the American roster has tried at least 10 3s but failed to make more than a third of the attempts. Yuck!

But Team USA also has struggled inside the arc. Over the past five international tournaments, the senior national team had converted 58.2% of its 2-point shots. That figure has dropped to a measly 52.6% in China, which ranks 12th overall, marginally better than Tunisia.

This group's inability to put up points inside (including getting outscored 38-20 in the paint against Turkey) reveals the frontcourt wasn't ready to compete against its international peer group, which includes phenomenal talents such as Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic and Marc Gasol.

Starting center Myles Turner has averaged only 7.3 points per game on 50% shooting. Lopez, the backup, has converted just 5-of-20 field goals. Against Gobert, when the bigs needed to step up, the centers combined to score two points. Coach Gregg Popovich opted to play small ball, despite the fact that Gobert was controlling the game on both ends of the court.

That didn't work in part because Gobert was the best player on the floor and he's more than capable of defending smaller players. But it also didn't work because Team USA just lacked the kinds of shooters and ball movers to even play that way.

Since the 2004 and 2006 losses, Team USA's rosters have included a hodgepodge of NBA superstars who generally out-talent other teams that may be more cohesive or more experienced units. If this tournament tells us anything, it's that the world is now full of national teams ready and able to expose disjointed American squads. If USA Basketball wants to dominate these tournaments going forward, it has to improve both roster architecture and superstar participation rates.

Though these stats and the overall performance of Team USA should trouble American hoop heads, they are more a reflection of the state of Team USA participation than the state of American basketball. If guys such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Curry and Harden participate, these stats and this result would be different. The team almost certainly wouldn't be chasing fifth place, starting with a Thursday matchup against Serbia (7 a.m. ET on ESPN+).

But not only did those guys skip this tournament, they also missed the 2016 Rio Olympics. In the era of sports science and load management, it's fair to ask whether these absences are just a blip on the radar or if they mark a larger trend. We will find out more next summer as Team USA once again tries to reassert its dominance on basketball's biggest international stage.

NEW YORK -- New York Mets manager Mickey Callaway says it is "likely" that Noah Syndergaard will pitch to catcher Wilson Ramos on Friday in his first start since Syndergaard's misgivings over Ramos' defense became public.

Callaway said Wednesday that Ramos would sit out Thursday afternoon in the series finale against Arizona, setting up New York's primary backstop to start Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The New York Post reported Monday that Syndergaard and his agents have lobbied to let the right-hander pitch to backups Tomas Nido or Rene Rivera.

Callaway said he plans to make lineups that are best for the team, and that means keeping the hot-hitting Ramos in the lineup as often as possible, including Friday.

"That's something that's a likely possibility," Callaway said. "I wouldn't just go ahead and print that he's catching that day, because anything can happen.

"But Noah obviously understands at this point that whoever is in the lineup, he's going to go ahead and compete."

Syndergaard has a 5.09 ERA in 15 starts with Ramos as his catcher and a 2.22 ERA with Nido or Rivera.

Ramos leads the National League with a .402 batting average since Aug. 1, and general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and Callaway made it clear to Syndergaard that Ramos will catch most of the starts the rest of the way. The Mets began Wednesday three games behind the Chicago Cubs for the second NL wild card.

NEW YORK -- Todd Frazier and Jeff McNeil each homered twice, helping the surging New York Mets stun Diamondbacks ace Robbie Ray and beat Arizona 9-0 Wednesday night.

The Mets scored their nine runs on 11 hits on a night that Major League Baseball honored those whose lives were lost or affected on Sept. 11, 2001. The Mets wore hats honoring first responders during batting practice and had first responders on the field for the national anthem.

"What a great day. Just to have all the first responders on the field, getting to stand in between [them]," Mets manager Mickey Callaway said. "I know I had some pretty cool conversations with the guys around me; I'm sure everybody out there on the line did. He was just talking about that day, and all the cleanup after -- it's amazing. So that was neat in its own right; and then to come up and win a game for them, and to get nine runs on 11 hits, that's even cooler."

The Mets (75-70) have won the first three games of the pivotal four-game series to move past the Diamondbacks (75-71) in the race for the second National League wild card. New York entered Wednesday three games behind the Chicago Cubs, who played later Wednesday at San Diego.

Arizona has lost four straight since going 11-1 to rush back into the crowded NL playoff picture.

Steven Matz (10-8) tossed six scoreless innings for the Mets, who jumped on Ray (12-8) for five runs before chasing him with two out in the first. Wilson Ramos (groundout) and J.D. Davis (single) had RBIs before Frazier and Brandon Nimmo homered on consecutive pitches.

McNeil hit a solo homer in the second, and Frazier hit his 20th homer of the season, a solo shot, in the third. McNeil then joined Frazier in the 20-homer club with a two-run drive in the sixth.

The Mets have four players with 20 homers for the fourth time in franchise history. Pete Alonso leads the majors with 47, and Michael Conforto has 29.

Matz allowed four hits and three walks while striking out seven. He issued all three walks to open the second before striking out Carson Kelly and inducing a double-play grounder from Kevin Cron.

Ray gave up five hits and struck out one.

REMEMBERING 9/11

Alonso coordinated the purchase and production of custom 9/11 cleats for Mets players on the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. The shoes were painted red, white and blue and included "We will never forget" and lettering for first responder units. After winning the All-Star Home Run Derby in July, Alonso donated $50,000 of his $1 million prize to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation.

Prior to first pitch, children who lost parents or grandparents to 9/11-related illnesses ran to each position before being joined by the Mets' starters. Alonso gave baseballs to the two children at first base while Amed Rosario went to one knee at shortstop to talk to the children there.

The Mets ended the game with nine runs on 11 hits.

IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY

Ray endured the shortest start by a Diamondbacks pitcher since T.J. McFarland gave up seven runs while recording just one out against the Minnesota Twins on Aug, 20, 2017. It was the shortest start ever for Ray, who lasted 1⅓ innings for the Detroit Tigers against the Twins on Aug. 22, 2014 and 1⅓ innings for the Diamondbacks against the Washington Nationals on Apr. 29, 2018.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Diamondbacks: RHP Luke Weaver (right flexor strain) is scheduled to throw 35 pitches or two innings for Class A Visalia in a playoff game Friday. Weaver hasn't pitched for Arizona since May 26.

Mets: RHP Robert Gsellman (lat) played long toss Wednesday and holds out hope he can return this season.

UP NEXT

Diamondbacks: LHP Alex Young (7-3, 3.38 ERA) is coming off the best start of his rookie season when he gave up two hits and struck out 12 over eight innings in a 2-0 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Mets: RHP Marcus Stroman (7-13, 3.42 ERA) has recorded just one quality start in seven tries for the Mets, who acquired him from Toronto on July 28.

The Baltimore Orioles' Jonathan Villar hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning at Camden Yards on Wednesday night, the 6,106th homer of 2019, setting an MLB single-season record. It comes with 18 days left in the regular season.

The previous mark was set in 2017. Prior to that season, the mark stood at 5,693 homers in 2000.

Villar's three-run shot off Caleb Ferguson of the Los Angeles Dodgers was the 22nd home run of Wednesday night. It was Villar's career-high 21st homer.

"Somebody told me after the homer. That's unbelievable,'' Villar said. "That's impressive for me, not for me, it's for the team because we hit it here. That's awesome. They put the bat in the Hall of Fame. I'm excited for that.''

Baltimore has allowed a single-season record 280 homers, so manager Brandon Hyde enjoyed Villar's blast more than many he's witnessed this season.

"The home runs are up everywhere and it's tough to keep the ball in the ballpark. It's tough to keep the ball in this ballpark on a humid night when the ball was traveling,'' Hyde said. "I've seen enough home runs here from the other side so it's nice to get one from our side.''

In this season of the home run, 16 teams are on a pace to set franchise records. According to Elias Sports Bureau research, 12 teams set the record for their franchise in 2000. Five teams -- the Dodgers, Twins, Yankees, Padres and Astros -- have already set their franchise mark this season.

The 2017 season saw 17 different teams with at least 200 home runs, the most in a single major league season. There have already been 18 teams to hit 200 homers this year, and five more are on pace to reach 200.

Oakland's Marcus Semien hit the record-tying 6,105th homer earlier Wednesday night.

New York Mets rookie Pete Alonso began the day with a major league-leading 47 home runs.

The Twins led the majors with 277 after Jorge Polanco connected in the third inning Wednesday against Washington ace Stephen Strasburg at Target Field. The Twins' total is the most for a team in a single season.

In August, big league batters broke the monthly home run record for the third time this year when they hit 1,228 home runs, the Elias Sports Bureau said Sunday. That surpassed the 1,142 in June and 1,135 in May.

There were 5,585 home runs last year.

Information from ESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press was used in this report.

It's official: 2019 is the Year of the Home Run.

Jonathan Villar of the Baltimore Orioles hit the 22nd home run of Wednesday night, and the 6,106th of the season, setting the major league record. The former mark of 6,105 was set in 2017.

Here's a look at the record-setting night and a deep dive into the numbers behind the record-setting season.

Countdown to the new MLB home run record

With 14 games on the schedule Wednesday (Yankees-Tigers was rained out) and an average of 2.8 home runs being hit per game this season, it was clear the record would fall. That meant the biggest question of the night was which player would be lucky enough to hit the record-setting blast.

Most home runs hit in a single season

2019: 6,107 ... and counting

2017: 6,105

2000: 5,693

The Year of the Home Run is a team effort

An incredible 16 teams are on pace to set a franchise record for home runs this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the most to set a franchise record in a single season was 12 in 2000. Five teams -- the Dodgers, Twins, Yankees, Padres and Astros -- have already set their franchise mark.

The 2017 season saw 17 teams with at least 200 home runs, the most in a single season in MLB history. There have already been 18 teams to hit 200 HRs this year. We're on pace to have 23 teams hit 200 homers this year.

Both the Twins and Yankees have blown past the previous single-season mark for a team (267 by the 2017 Yankees) and are in a back-and-forth battle to end 2019 with the title.

Someone's probably going to get to 50 home runs

Six players have already hit at least 40 home runs this year, highlighted by MLB-leading Pete Alonso, whose 47 homers put him just five away from tying Aaron Judge's rookie record set in 2017.

His season-ending knee injury means Christian Yelich won't add to his career-high 44 homers -- but these sluggers all have a legitimate shot at joining the 50-home run club:

Pete Alonso: Current total, 47; projected, 53

Mike Trout: Current total, 45; projected, 50

Cody Bellinger: Current total, 44; projected, 49

Eugenio Suarez: Current total, 44; projected, 49

Jorge Soler: Current total, 43; projected, 48

Name a benchmark and these guys are hitting it

While the names at the top of the leaderboard are impressive, we wouldn't be talking about a new standard for home runs for a season if it wasn't for the league-wide rise in long balls. In all, a whopping 523 players entered Wednesday having hit home runs this season and there are staggering totals for number of players hitting every round number.

Players with ...

30 home runs: 40

20 home runs: 108

10 home runs: 256

Pick a day, any day

Yes, the single-season record fell on a Wednesday night -- but players are going deep on every day that ends in a "Y." Saturday currently stands as the leader for home runs by days of the week, with Monday (often a baseball travel day) lagging behind the others.

Here's the breakdown by day this season:

Sunday: 950

Monday: 659

Tuesday: 967

Wednesday: 856

Thursday: 712

Friday: 937

Saturday: 1,003

If you are more of a monthly tracker

MLB has rewritten the record books for home runs in every month played this season. While early long ball totals had fans wondering if the pace would eventually slow down, the answer has been a resounding "no," with players actually going deep more frequently as the season has progressed.

Home runs hit by month

March/April: 1,144

May: 1,135

June: 1,142

July: 1,057

August: 1,228

Danny Cipriani claims he would have had to "turn water into wine" to convince England coach Eddie Jones to include him in his Rugby World Cup squad.

Fly-half Cipriani, 31, was part of pre-tournament training camps but was dropped before the final 31-man selection was made.

Jones instead opted for Owen Farrell and George Ford as his fly-half options

"Going into a big competition I would've had to turn water into wine to really sway him," said Cipriani.

Despite being named as the Premiership's player of the season for his performances with Gloucester last term, Cipriani has only made two international appearances since Jones took charge at the start of 2016.

Asked if he had a fair chance to press his case for World Cup selection, Cipriani said: "What is a fair crack of the whip? I can't go in there demanding any time.

"Eddie is in a high-pressure situation being England coach and he has done a great job.

"He has put his faith in George Ford and Owen Farrell and they have done well for him.

"I can completely understand why he made his decision. Do I think it was the right decision? I don't know. I am going to support England and hope they do great."

Cipriani made his first England start as a 20-year-old, picked ahead of Jonny Wilkinson in the 33-10 win over Ireland in March 2008.

However he has made just four more since with personality clashes, moves abroad and off-field problems all limiting his chances.

'It was almost like I'd died'

Former England captain Dylan Hartley says the reaction to his omission from Jones' final squad was as if he had died.

The 33-year-old hooker, who won his 97th and most recent cap against Australia in November, has not played since suffering a knee injury playing for Northampton a month later.

"When the World Cup squad was announced, it was almost like I'd died - friends getting in touch and seeing if I was OK," he said.

"For four years we have talked about winning the World Cup with Eddie, and I have led that group, been a part of that journey, so to fall at the final hurdle... I don't know the feeling.

"I wake up most nights thinking about it. It doesn't sit well with me, but I have come to terms with it. You have to crack on."

However Hartley promised that if his team-mates do lift the William Webb Ellis trophy without him, he will gate-crash the celebrations.

"I hope they go and win. I'll get on and be a glory supporter - remember me guys?" he added

"I'll be hanging off the side of the open-top bus, in my 97th appearance shirt."

READING, Pa. – Tommy Johnson Jr. has had no trouble finishing his NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series season on a high note.

After arguably the most consistent regular season in his Funny Car career, the veteran standout hopes it translates into more clutch performances in the Mello Yello Countdown to the Championship and possibly his first career world championship.

Johnson heads into the six-race NHRA playoffs in third place, 30 points behind leader Robert Hight. With a history of strong Countdown to the Championship performances in his 11,000-horsepower Make-A-Wish Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Johnson, who has finished in the top three in four of the past five seasons, will look to continue that trend at this weekend’s 35th annual Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals presented by Pennzoil at Maple Grove Raceway. He knows what it will take to compete for a world title and Johnson will try to send an impressive opening statement at a track where he has two career victories.

“The biggest thing you have to do in the Countdown is avoid mistakes,” said Johnson, who has 19 career victories. “You have to eliminate them and minimize them, because one bad race kills your chance for a championship. The key definitely is minimizing the mistakes and being consistent. You have to bring it every round from now on. Everybody has to focus on their job and do it perfectly. You don’t get many chances to make it up in this Countdown.”

Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car), Vincent Nobile (Pro Stock) and Hector Arana Jr. (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were last year’s winners of the event. Both Torrence and Todd used that momentum last year to win their first world titles, and it’s a trend Johnson would love to repeat at the 19th of 24 total races during the season. It’s a year that has already included two wins, four final rounds and six semifinal appearances, but Johnson wants more.

Specifically, he’s after his first world title, but his team, led by crew chief John Collins, is built for the arduous playoff road. It’s a group that has been together for a number of years, building the chemistry and cohesiveness necessary to win a championship. Johnson continues to be impressed with the maturity of the team, something that is needed during the tense moments of the playoffs. Starting that journey in third also adds momentum for what’s at stake.

“It definitely gives you more optimism,” Johnson said. “It makes it a little easier to get to the top if you don’t start clear at the back. I know this is a time where we shine, so that gets me excited. We’ve ran better all season than we have in the past and knowing in the past we’ve done well (at Maple Grove), and getting off to a great start definitely sets the tone. You still have to do the job, but it’s nice to know this is the time of the year where your team usually does the job.”

With a loaded championship field, nothing will come easy. Hight and teammate John Force, who won at Indy, are in the first two spots, while the Don Schumacher Racing foursome of Johnson, Jack Beckman, Ron Capps and Matt Hagan follows. Add in title contenders Bob Tasca III, Todd, Shawn Langdon and Tim Wilkerson, and Johnson knows he has his work cut out for him over the final six races of 2019. But he’s thrived in the Mopar-sponsored races this year, winning in Denver, and that added attention seems to fuel Johnson’s focus during an otherwise busy weekend.

“It would be cool if we could win another Mopar race,” Johnson said. “There’s no more diehard fans than the Mopar and Dodge people. They turn out in droves for these races, and it’s cool because Reading has such a long history. The race fans are so passionate out there. It’s just cool to go out there and I look forward to it. It’s all about hitting our stride at the right time.”