Innings break Hampshire 244 for 8 (Northeast 56, Fuller 55*, J Overton 3-48) v Somerset

Royal London Cup holders Hampshire face a task on their hands with the ball if they are to retain the trophy after scrapping their way to 244 for 8. Shorn of three of the mainstays of their campaign by World Cup call-ups, a pair of half-centuries from Sam Northeast and James Fuller was as good as it got after Hampshire had chosen to bat, as Jamie Overton, Josh Davey and Somerset captain Tom Abell shared seven wickets between them.

Hampshire's batsmen struggled to impose themselves from the outset - perhaps unsurprising when two players of the calibre of James Vince and Aiden Markram, now with England and South Africa respectively, had been removed from the top three - and but for Fuller's late salvo during a 64-run stand with No. 10 Mason Crane, they might have left Somerset a target below 200.

At around the time Hampshire lost their fourth wicket, Liam Dawson was coming on for his first bowl in England's World Cup warm-up match at the Ageas Bowl. How Hampshire fans would have preferred to see him walking out to the middle at Lord's, following a Royal London campaign in which he claimed 18 wickets and averaged 45 with the bat. Instead it was Gareth Berg, with a List A highest score of 75, who came out at No. 6 to join Northeast.

Boundaries were at a premium as Somerset's bowlers bustled about their business - given the scoring rate, this could almost have been a final from 2001, when Somerset last won a 50-over trophy at Lord's. Jamie Overton broke a 49-run stand when Berg picked out deep backward square and Hampshire's hopes of an imposing target seemingly departed with Northeast as he hacked across line, patience exhausted, to be bowled by Abell for 56.

Abell had only delivered one over in the format previously but also hit Kyle Abbott's stumps in a tidy spell, while Chris Wood fell tamely to Jamie Overton, before Fuller and Crane begged and stole what they could during the last ten overs. A pair of clean-struck blows beyond the ropes from Fuller in the final over - the only sixes of the innings - suggested the pitch had runs left in it at halfway.

Perhaps hoping to follow the template of their victory over Kent last year, Hampshire chose to bat beneath low-slung cloud on a humid morning at Lord's. While not exactly a green nibbler in September, there was enough in the surface for Somerset's battery of right-arm medium bowlers to take advantage of.

Anuerin Donald struck a couple of early boundaries before hitting Davey straight to cover and although Tom Alsop and Joe Weatherley resolved to play their way in, it was ultimately to no avail. Alsop was dropped by James Hildreth at slip on 16, but obligingly recreated the chance off Davey's very next ball and this time the Somerset veteran clung on.

Lewis Gregory strove for similar virtues of line and length when replacing Craig Overton and he found enough movement back in to defeat a loose push and remove Weatherley's off stump in his second over, with Hampshire an anaemic-looking 50 for 3.

There followed a volley of retaliatory boundaries as Rilee Rossouw - Man of the Match for his 125 here a year ago - and Northeast dashed off 46 in 6.3 overs. Rossouw introduced himself to Gregory with a brusque force through the covers and then a swat over mid-on for four more but, having barrelled to 28 off 17 balls, he fell to the extra pace of Jamie Overton, cramped into edging a back-foot drive on to his stumps.

The onus now rested heavily on Northeast, Hampshire's stand-in captain, and he packed away the shots to reach an 85-ball half-century. However, Abell was to steal his Lord's limelight and help leave his team well-placed in pursuit of a first limited-overs title since 2005.

The Toronto Raptors are one win away from advancing to their first NBA Finals in franchise history.

What do Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks need to do to force a Game 7 and potentially advance to the next round? What's the key for Toronto in Saturday's Game 6? Does Kawhi Leonard have any real competition as the best player in these playoffs?

Our NBA experts dive into the big questions, including postseason MVPs, who has the most at stake and predictions for this series.

1. What are you watching most closely in Game 6?

Kevin Arnovitz: How Giannis Antetokounmpo reacts to Toronto's defense. How does he respond to the double-teams? How well is he reading the help (where, when and whom)? What is the quality of his decision-making with the ball? The extent to which Antetokounmpo performs these tasks decisively and intelligently will largely influence whether this series returns to Milwaukee.

Tim Bontemps: The role players on both sides. At this point it should be safe to assume Kawhi Leonard and Antetokounmpo are going to play well and produce numbers. As in the other five games in this series, who wins Game 6 will come down to which supporting cast is better. For the past three games, that edge has gone to Toronto. If it remains that way Saturday, the Raptors will be going to the NBA Finals.

André Snellings: The Raptors' 3-point shooting and their ability to get to the rim to draw fouls. Those things are related, and they've been the hallmarks to Toronto's success against Milwaukee this season. In the Bucks' five wins, the Raptors have shot only 29.5 percent from downtown and have averaged about one free throw per six field goal attempts. Meanwhile, in the Raptors' four wins, they have shot significantly better from deep (39.4 percent) and drawn twice as many fouls.

Malika Andrews: Antetokounmpo. For the most part, Antetokounmpo has been good -- not great -- in this series. The Bucks will be tested in Game 6 in a way they have yet to be this season. If the Bucks want the series to return to Milwaukee for Game 7, like Antetokounmpo said would happen after the Game 5 loss, Antetokounmpo must be exceptional. Yes, he will need help from Milwaukee's shooters to space the floor, but Antetokounmpo will set the tone for his team. Also, he tweaked his ankle in Game 5. His health will be of interest.

Kevin Pelton: Whether the Bucks can get the stops necessary to get out in transition. Teams generally score better after a defensive rebound, but Milwaukee's offense has been stuck in the mud after Toronto makes. Per Inpredictable.com, the Bucks have averaged 1.14 points per possession after a defensive rebound and just 0.96 after a made shot. (Leaguewide during the regular season, those averages were 1.09 and 1.06, respectively.) So Milwaukee needs to get stops and run. The Bucks are 9-0 in the playoffs when the pace exceeds 100 possessions per 48 minutes (using Basketball-Reference.com's definition) and 1-4 in their five slowest-paced games.

2. What has been the biggest surprise in this series?

Snellings: Either the Raptors' ability to find another gear or the Bucks' inability to adjust. The Bucks won five of the first six matchups against the Raptors this season by beating them at their own game, with Antetokounmpo having his way inside despite the dominant Raptors defensive frontcourt. In the past three games, the Raptors have tightened the screws on Antetokounmpo, which should have opened up opportunities for the other Bucks -- but they haven't been able to take advantage. If head coach Mike Budenholzer can't find the right counter for Milwaukee, this series will end Saturday.

Andrews: Fred VanVleet's Game 5 performance. As incredible as Leonard was in the fourth quarter of Thursday's game, it is hard to imagine a scenario where the Raptors win without VanVleet's clutch 3-pointers. Time after time, he hit the deep shot that Toronto needed to maintain its edge. That sort of performance is expected from Kyle Lowry or Leonard. But, as Nick Nurse said before Game 5, what separates the good teams from the great teams is how the "non-superstars" play.

Pelton: Antetokounmpo's sudden inability to make free throws. Since making 75 percent of his foul shots in Games 1 and 2, both Milwaukee wins, Antetokounmpo is 12-of-26 (46 percent) in the past three games. That has made it difficult for him to score efficiently against a Toronto defense allowing nothing easy, and those points are crucial in games that have mostly been close.

Arnovitz: The inability of the Bucks to find consistent offense. By no means is it a surprise that the Raptors are executing their defensive game plan, but the Bucks typically demonstrate the spacing, penetration and flow to unlock the half court. Not so in this series. Milwaukee has been thwarted at the point of attack, and its offense has lacked the order and rhythm we've been accustomed to seeing all season.

Bontemps: The sudden reemergence of VanVleet. It's hard to overstate how dramatic his turnaround has been. In the 10 games from the start of the conference semifinals through Game 3 against the Bucks, VanVleet shot 7-of-44 from the field and 3-of-25 from 3. Over the past two games, VanVleet is now 12-of-19 from the field -- including an absurd 10-of-12 from deep. If the Raptors continue to get production from VanVleet and Norman Powell off the bench in Game 6, they'll feel great about their chances of advancing to the NBA Finals.

3. Fact or fiction: Kawhi Leonard is the postseason MVP so far

Bontemps: Fact. At this point, I'm not sure how anyone could argue otherwise. Leonard has been a one-man wrecking crew in these playoffs, following up on his historic output against the 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a stellar showing against Antetokounmpo in this series. Anyone who forgot just how great Leonard was in San Antonio, or thought he couldn't reach those heights again after his lost season a year ago, has been given a crystal-clear reminder of just how good he has been.

Snellings: Fact. This should be unanimous. Leonard has put together a storybook run so far. He's the leading scorer among all conference finals players (31.4 PPG), he has the iconic moment with the immortalized crouch in the corner and his defensive play on Antetokounmpo has helped swing this series.

Andrews: Fact -- but the Finals reveal all.

Arnovitz: Fact. All postseason long, the Raptors have been variable in their shot-making with one exception: Leonard. Whether he's rattling in one of the more historic shots in recent league history to close out Philadelphia, or embracing the assignment of Antetokounmpo, he has been both the most reliable and most memorable performer across both conferences. The individual numbers are astounding: 31.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, with a true shooting percentage of 63.1 -- and that's before you factor in his defensive work.

Pelton: Fact. I don't think it's particularly close. Long-eliminated Nikola Jokic is the only player within one win above replacement (WARP) of Leonard in the postseason by my metric. Antetokounmpo and Leonard rate relatively similarly on a per-minute basis, but given how much more the Raptors have needed from Leonard -- averaging 38.5 minutes in the playoffs to Antetokounmpo's 33.8 -- and his Game 7 heroics against Philadelphia, this seems like an easy choice.

4. Who has the most at stake on Saturday?

Pelton: It has to be the Raptors, who with a loss would flip from heavy favorites to huge underdogs to reach the NBA Finals for the first time given the importance of home court in a Game 7. The Bucks can't take additional opportunities for granted, but with Leonard, Kyrie Irving and two 76ers starters all free agents, the East could be less challenging next season. It might be now or never for Toronto.

Snellings: Obviously, it's Drake. But among the actual entities on the court, the Raptors have the most at stake for two key reasons. First, this is their moment after years of heartbreak. But, more importantly, there is Leonard's looming free agency. A win Saturday night and a trip to the Finals could seemingly go a long way toward convincing him to stay this offseason.

Bontemps: The Raptors, on several levels. This is their chance to close out the series. If they do, they go to the NBA Finals for the first time and become the first international team to do so. President of basketball operations Masai Ujiri will be given even more vindication for his decision to trade for Leonard last summer -- and probably will have a better chance of retaining him as a free agent this summer. For veterans like Lowry and Marc Gasol, this presents the best chance of their careers to reach the league's championship round.

Sure, Toronto could still win this series if it loses Game 6. But with a home game and a chance to close out this series, the Raptors cannot afford to let it slip away.

Arnovitz: The Raptors. Nobody knows the precise criteria Leonard will apply when determining whether he will make Toronto his long-term home. But it's fair to say the probability of his staying North increases if the Raptors are playing in June. The Bucks will be crestfallen if they lose, and though it will impact a busy offseason, we can expect them to be contenders for the foreseeable future.

5. Who wins the series and advances to the NBA Finals?

Andrews: I predicted the Bucks would win in six games before the series started. There is no scenario now that allows the Bucks to fulfill that prediction. Although teams that win Game 5 in an even series go on to win the series 82 percent of the time, according to ESPN Stats & Information, I will be consistent and stick with the Bucks. For that to happen, Milwaukee needs its bench to step up the way it did in Games 1 and 2. Also, Eric Bledsoe must play at least as well as he did in Game 5.

Arnovitz: Toronto, because it is far easier to win once than win twice.

Snellings: At this point, the Raptors have to be the favorites. They've won three straight and been the better team for the majority of the series. They're playing at home and this is their window to win. With that said, I picked the Bucks at the start of the series because if Antetokounmpo is in MVP form, and his supporting cast plays to its level, they have the higher upside. So if Toronto doesn't win Saturday, the Bucks become the favorites again moving into Game 7.

Bontemps: Toronto. I thought coming into the series the Raptors were the better team, and throughout the majority of the first five games they've proved that. With home-court advantage, an edge in experience and having Leonard on their side, the Raptors should win Game 6.

Pelton: Toronto in 6 is now the most likely outcome given home court, followed by Milwaukee in 7 with Toronto in 7 the least likely remaining result.

World number nine Elina Svitolina, who has won 13 singles titles on the WTA Tour, will be writing columns for the BBC Sport website during the French Open, which runs from 26 May to 9 June.

The Ukrainian, seeded nine, is hoping for a successful run in Paris, having become known as one of the WTA's leading players on the clay, twice reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros.

The 24-year-old, who was a career high ranking of three last year, has struggled with a knee injury in recent months, meaning she has not won on clay this year.

In her first column, she talks about how she felt being drawn against Venus Williams in the first round, how the injury has affected her form and her much-publicised romance with fellow tennis player Gael Monfils.

I grew up on clay courts in Ukraine and playing on the surface is almost like playing at home - so that's why Roland Garros is my favourite Grand Slam.

But in the first round I've probably got one of the toughest draws I could have got - Venus Williams.

I also started my title defence at the Italian Open in Rome against Victoria Azarenka so it is another tough draw.

I don't know why I got this punishment!

I was actually talking recently with Gael about drawing Venus, about drawing someone who is a great champion, a legend of our sport and has won seven Grand Slams.

Gael told me it would be quite some draw for someone - and now I'm playing her. It's so funny!

She's a role model for many athletes and girls in general, both her and Serena, what they do for our sport is great. They are still competing, Serena coming back after having a baby, they are still top players.

You need to have lots of willpower to keep coming back and having such a great and long career.

I have played her a couple of times, and Serena as well, and as I know a little more about this experience, I'm more relaxed and focusing on what I'm doing and what is in my power.

You have to be ready mentally and physically when you're playing one of the world's greats.

'Every match will be like a final after injury problems'

We had some thoughts that I might not be ready for Roland Garros because of my knee injury, but I was 99% sure I was going to play because it is my favourite Slam.

I would be really disappointed if I didn't make it so we did everything in our power to really focus on recovery and being at least 80% ready.

But that means I don't have any expectations for this tournament.

What I have been through has not been easy because it is the first time I've had such a setback like this and struggling with a pain like that.

I have to take it one match at a time. Every match that I get to play here will be like a final for me.

When I got injured it was in the semi-finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships against Belinda Bencic where I led 5-3 in the deciding set before losing 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-3).

I started feeling worse and worse towards the end of the match and then I had some scans in Indian Wells. They told me the patella was a little bit damaged.

I needed to play Indian Wells and I was in good form, so reaching the semi-final there too was a good result. Then my body said 'no'.

I couldn't really play in Miami which was disappointing because I thought I had good form and then I took six weeks off.

Slowly I tried to practise on the clay but clay is harder to move so you have to be really physical and trust your body. That's what we've been working on and trying to prepare.

When I decided to play in Madrid and Rome - where I lost both matches - I said to myself I have to think about what I do on court, not about injury.

Blocking out injury can be very difficult but it is about experience, being strong mentally and not letting negative thoughts take over.

'Hiding our relationship would be waste of energy'

Gael and I have been very public about our relationship and that includes having a joint Instagram account.

It's tough to escape when you're both famous tennis players, it is tough to be really private and I think it is a waste of energy hiding things.

Gael is a very open person and for me it is natural too. If fans want to see something then we will show them and try to share.

It is important not to close yourself and make it uncomfortable.

Every week we are under the camera, we can be seen on television supporting each other, so I didn't see the point of hiding on purpose.

I'm sure there are some people, some 'haters', who are saying I've been playing worse since I've been dating Gael, but for me I don't think it matters.

I feel happy at the moment and for me it is important. When I'm on court I'm thinking only about what I have to do and when I'm off court I'm enjoying my life and my time for him.

This is the first time I'm playing in front of a French crowd with Gael as my boyfriend so I'll have to see if I get more support because of him. Although I know I won't get as much support as he does, obviously.

Star-studded gala provides inspiration for Ukraine work

On Thursday I went to Cannes to attend a gala for AmfAR - it is a charity which fights Aids and they hold a famous annual fundraising event.

It was amazing to see so many stars - Eva Longoria, Milla Jovovich, Antonio Banderas and Tom Jones were all there - coming together to help fight what is important in the world.

I have a foundation in Ukraine and have been looking to hold a similar type of event which would raise money for new tennis facilities to be used by Ukrainian kids.

That would mean building new courts all over Ukraine, which is important because some cities need them in schools.

We are working really hard to find resources, it is not easy, but we are slowly trying to get a good team to reach our goal.

I also have connections now with tennis academies across Europe so another goal is to see if we can get kids, who need help with practice or a training base, into places in France or England or Germany.

So it was important to attend the event in Cannes to see how it was organised, talk to people how they run the event, and it was a great experience.

Elina Svitolina was speaking to BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko.

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Paul Nienhiser won Friday night’s Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Cars Delivered by Morrow Brothers Ford feature at Jacksonville Speedway.

Veteran Terry Babb had command of the race early, but Nienhiser worked his way to second and began challenging.

Fortunately, for Nienhiser, he was able to find some traction on the restart and worked past Babb, entering turn one on the high side.

Nienhiser never looked back over the remaining seven laps of the feature as he picked up his second win of 2019 with the MOWA Sprint Cars, his 14th career victory.

“This feature was one of those where you definitely had to stay out of trouble, the leaders had a couple close calls. The track was pretty dominant so I knew whenever somebody would move, I needed to be in the right place at the right time – and tonight I was,” Nienhiser said.

Babb finished second, ahead of Jacob Patton, Joe Miller and Jeremy Standridge.

The finish:

Feature [25 Laps] : 1 – Paul Nienhiser 9X (3), 2 – Terry Babb 47 (2), 3 – Jacob Patton 79J (9), 4 – Joe B Miller 31 (7), 5 – Jeremy Standridge 10S (4), 6 – Jason Keith 28 (5), 7 – Kyle Schuett 9K (11), 8 – Andy Bishop 33 (18), 9 – Jim Moughan 1M (8), 10 – Logan Faucon 52F (12), 11 – Austin ODell 97 (19), 12 – Dustin Barks 22 (13), 13 – Christopher King 13K (22), 14 – Joey Moughan 29 (1), 15 – Brayton Lynch 29X (16), 16 – George Crawford 57 (23), 17 – Bret Tripplett 83 (15), 18 – Mario Clouser 6 (20), 19 – Robbie Standridge 17* (14), 20 – Chris Urish 77U (17), 21 – Brayden Fox 53 (6), 22 – Cory Bruns 42 (10),

FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — One day after the fourth anniversary of his last USMTS victory, Brad Waits snapped his winless streak by coming out on top of a wild thriller in the 11th annual Coca-Cola Spring Shootout presented by Fast Shafts at the Mississippi Thunder Speedway.

A multi-time track champion dating back to the days of the former Tri-Oval Speedway, the 51-year-old veteran dirt track racer from Rochester, Minn., held off repeated challenges from Ryan Gustin and then fended off Jake O’Neil in the closing laps to secure the $3,000 triumph.

Waits’ win was the third of his USMTS career at the three-eighths-mile high-banked clay oval and his ninth overall. He remains the only driver to win on both the old and new track layout.

O’Neill, who started 14th was the FK Rod Ends Hard Charger as he advanced to snag the runner-up spot with national points leader Rodney Sanders, Gustin and 17th-starting Zack VanderBeek following close behind in the top five.

Of the nine career wins for Waits, four of them have occurred at the Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., which is where the rugged USMTS road warriors return to Saturday for the 17th annual Crenlo Southern MN Spring Challenge.

The finish:

Brad Waits, Jake O’Neil, Rodney Sanders, Ryan Gustin, Zack VanderBeek, Hunter Marriott, Cory Crapser, Jacob Bleess, Dereck Ramirez, Lucas Schott, Matt Leer, A.J. Diemel, Josh Angst, Erik Kanz , Mike Striegel, John Doelle, Grant Southworth, Brett Bumgardner, Adam Hensel, Chris Oertel, Joe Horgdal, Steve Bangart, Jake Timm, Brian Albrecht, Taylor Ausrud.

ATTICA, Ohio — It has been nearly six weeks since the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 last made a competitive lap, but despite the frustrating stretch of poor weather resulting in a long gap in the schedule, Aaron Reutzel never missed a beat.

The reigning series champion and point leader picked up $5,000 for his first victory at Attica Raceway Park on Friday night.

Although dominant during the second half of the 40-lap program, the pilot of the Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports entry was forced to chase fellow All Star full-timer Brock Zearfoss for the first 21 circuits.

It was not until lap 22 when Zearfoss, who was attempting to navigate heavy lapped traffic, hooked a rut and spun all alone at the front of the field.

Zearfoss’ mistake was an obvious lucky break for Reutzel, but the reigning Series champion was in close proximity of the top spot up until that point, actually earning command for a brief stint after a caution on lap 13.

Reutzel’s slide job attempt during the ensuing restart failed, but the Texan never lost track of the Premier Motorsports entry.

When the 40-lap main event’s dust finally settled, it was Buddy Kofoid who chased Reutzel to the final checkers, followed by Cap Henry, Shawn Dancer and Jac Haudenschild.

“We had a really great race car here tonight. Grant and the guys have been busting their butts in trying to make me better at these tracks in Ohio, Attica included,” Reutzel explained. “I felt like we could make good laps here. Luckily, we started up front and didn’t get caught up with Brock’s [Zearfoss] spin. I’m happy that we were able to capitalize on our starting position this time.”

After inheriting the top spot on lap 22, Reutzel’s next challenge was in the form of lapped traffic, eventually coming into play for the first time for the new leader on lap 28. Buddy Kofoid, who started second on the grid, but faded to third after the initial start, was starting to make up ground on Reutzel as the traffic started to intensify.

The California phenom chased Reutzel down to a car length by lap 33, soon pulling even with the familiar No. 87 at the entrance of turn one on the following circuit. Despite the effort, Reutzel’s championship-earning experience with traffic proved to be too strong, as a bold, three-wide move to split a pair of slower cars sealed his winning fate.

Although Reutzel was able to stretch his late-race advantage to nearly a straightaway, utilizing the very topside of the speedway, an uncooperative lapped car nearly caused a similar fate that Zearfoss faced. Luckily for Reutzel, his outcome was different.

“That last lap, I had a lap car change lanes on me and that had me all mixed up. It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t know I was there. Luckily, I was able to maintain control and not spit out, because that’s what I thought was going to happen,” Reutzel continued. “You gotta go whenever you’re leading like that. Racing with Brock early in the race and watching him in traffic allowed me to know where to go when I was leading.”

“He’s always fast wherever he goes,” Kofoid said. “I gave it everything we got, but we came up one short. So far, this is four podiums in a row for this team at Attica. We’ve been in every finishing position except the one Aaron is in right now, but we’ll keep working and try again soon.”

Paul Weaver won the 305 sprint car feature and Rusty Schlenk topped the late model main event.

The finish:

Feature (40 laps): 1. 87-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 2. 11N-Buddy Kofoid [2]; 3. 4-Cap Henry [7]; 4. 49-Shawn Dancer [8]; 5. 3-Jac Haudenschild [5]; 6. 25M-Chris Andrews [6]; 7. 11-Dale Blaney [4]; 8. 13-Paul McMahan [13]; 9. 16-DJ Foos [19]; 10. 49X-Tim Shaffer [17]; 11. 70X-Spencer Bayston [22]; 12. 99-Skylar Gee [16]; 13. 70-Brock Zearfoss [1]; 14. W20-Greg Wilson [24]; 15. 23-Max Stambaugh [9]; 16. 33W-Caleb Griffith [14]; 17. O7-Gerard McIntyre [25]; 18. 35B-Stuart Brubaker [18]; 19. 26-Cory Eliason [20]; 20. 40-George Hobaugh [26]; 21. 5T-Travis Philo [11]; 22. 57X-Andrew Palker [21]; 23. 83M-Broc Martin [10]; 24. 8M-TJ Michael [12]; 25. 1-Nate Dussel [23]; 26. 8-Jordan Ryan [15] Lap Leaders: Brock Zearfoss (1-21), Aaron Reutzel (22-40)

CLERMONT, Ind. — Kyle Hamilton pocketed $14,750 for his first USAC Silver Crown Series victory during Friday night’s Dave Steele Carb Night Classic at Lucas Oil Raceway.

“Last year, it didn’t seem like anything could go right mechanically,” Hamilton recalled.  “Our Little 500 car broke, my teammate Brady (Bacon)’s dirt car broke, we broke right out the box here at (LOR) and had to start the race from the tail with no practice laps. This year, we’re on the front row of the ‘Little 500’ and we qualified third tonight at LOR. I thought, ‘Well, this is going a lot better.’ But, honestly, tonight was the night I was a little bit more worried about being slow. We’ve always struggled here, and I didn’t want to disappoint my team, but I was a little nervous inside.”

Hamilton put his Klatt Enterprises/Beast Chassis – Wilwood Disc Brakes/Beast/Ford on the outside of the front row for the 100-lapper at the .686-mile paved oval.

Meanwhile, up front was Kody Swanson who started from the pole after taking the Fatheadz Eyewear Fast Qualifier Award and $1,000 bonus from Mac and Carol Steele. Swanson dominated the first half as he attempted to go three-for-three in pavement races on the season and extend his series-record of consecutive pavement Silver Crown wins to seven.

Four-time LOR Silver Crown winner Bobby Santos charged past Hamilton on the ninth lap with an inside turn one pass to move to second. From there, Santos began to reel in Kody and applied pressure for the lead as those two separated from Hamilton in third.

One of the major storylines developing throughout the race was Tanner Swanson’s decision to accept the “Come from the Back Challenge” during driver introductions.

By doing so, he forfeited his outside front row spot to start from the tail and go for a $10,000 bonus by way of Legacy Motorsports and Gatekeeper Services. By lap 13, Tanner was already in the top-ten, and by lap 30, had entered the top-five, reminiscent of his 22nd to second charge through the field one year prior.

On the 33rd lap, Hamilton caught up to Santos, driving to the inside of Santos in turn one before prevailing off turn two with the second spot, but trailing Kody in the lead by over a second.

Swanson and Hamilton weaved their way through lapped traffic, Hamilton mimicking every Swanson move and not allowing the four-time Silver Crown champ to slip away just as Matt Goodnight stopped on the back straightaway to bring out the caution just one lap short of halfway.

Under yellow, fifth-running Tanner Swanson pitted to let air out of his left rear tire, to which he later admitted to using up too much of his tires early on.

With the yellow, that cleared the traffic situation for the time-being, although, for Hamilton in second, he couldn’t have imagined what occurred next when Kody Swanson failed to take off on the lap-54 restart, handing over the lead to Hamilton with a clear track ahead of him. Kody Swanson coasted around to the pit area with an apparent engine issue that put an end to the four-time LOR Silver Crown winner’s bid for five.

Hamilton continued to build his lead up through lap 63 when the caution came out for Chris Windom, who’s nightmarish 24 hours came to an end crumpled against the turn-one wall after smoke poured from the back of the car entering one. Derek Bischak was also caught up in the incident, riding over Windom’s front end, putting an end to the evening for both drivers.

Windom rode out a hellacious flip during the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Thursday night, and rode out a frightening Indy Lights wreck on Carb Day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Friday afternoon.

On the lap-73 restart, Santos used a run on the inside of Hamilton, sliding up in front of Hamilton in turn one to secure the position as the pair exited turn two. One lap later, the roles were reversed, and Hamilton drove it hard into turn one underneath Santos to slot into the top spot.

“Honestly, I don’t have a ton of experience leading Silver Crown races,” Hamilton admitted.  “I didn’t know how aggressive to be on the restart.  I’d say Santos is one of the more aggressive guys and one of the best who does it.  He sent it on down there and it stuck.  Immediately, once I got behind him, I could tell I was really digging better than him coming off the corners.  I had to throw another haymaker at him going into one and it stuck again.”

Incredibly, Hamilton proceeded to reel off his best four laps of the race on laps 74-77. But on the move was Tanner Swanson, who ripped around the outside of Santos in turn two on the 76th lap. Tanner Swanson began to chip into Hamilton’s lead, cutting the interval down to less than a second as the two began to work lapped traffic with less than 20 laps remaining.

Hamilton dipped under the lappers down the stretch as Tanner Swanson tried everything he could to keep up the pace, but Hamilton’s car seemed to get better and better in the final laps, stretching out to a comfortable advantage that proved to be a tall and impossible task for his closest competition.

“As the laps went on, the car kept getting better and better,” Hamilton explained. “I have to give hats off to Bob East. He sure knows how to set up a car to get around here. We just kept working at it and working at it. It really wasn’t as much the setup as it was Bob’s coaching. He just kept telling me to keep my momentum up and explained to me how LOR is such a momentum track. We were able to roll the center a lot better than we’d ever have here.”

Hamilton closed out his winning performance with a victory margin of 4.186 over Tanner Swanson, Santos, Justin Grant and Eric Gordon.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

New York Cosmos owner Rocco B. Commisso is close to completing a deal to purchase Serie A club Fiorentina for around $150 million, according to ESPN FC sources.

Billionaire Commisso moved to the United States from Italy when he was 12 and is the founder of cable company Mediacom.

Sources have told ESPN FC the deal could be finalised as soon as Monday, with La Viola's Serie A future to be decided on Sunday where defeat to Genoa could see the club relegated to the second tier.

Fiorentina are owned by shoemaking tycoons Diego and Andrea Della Valle, who have put the club up for sale for the past year.

The Della Valle brothers bought the club in 2002 when bankruptcy saw Fiorentina re-branded and start again in the fourth tier. However, failure to progress and a tendency to sell the club's best-players led to fan protests.

Commisso took over the Cosmos in 2017. At the time, both the club and the North American Soccer League were struggling and Commisso effectively saved both financially.

Should the deal go through, Commisso, 69, would become the latest in a series U.S. businessman to purchase a Serie A club.

AC Milan are owned by hedge fund Elliott Management, while Roma's president is James Pallotta. Joey Saputo is the Bologna chairman.

England's World Cup hopes may have sustained a serious blow after injury scares to both of their fastest bowlers.

Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, the two men in the England squad who can regularly surpass 90 mph with the ball, were obliged to leave the pitch within minutes of one another in the opening hour of the warm-up match against Australia in Southampton.

First Wood, after one ball of his fourth over, stopped halfway through his run-up and left the pitch having indicated that he may have an issue. Just two balls later Archer, a surprising choice as substitute fielder for Wood, slid as he attempted to stop a ball on the midwicket boundary and appeared to sustain an injury. He left the pitch moments later, but returned to the field after treatment half an hour later.

An ECB statement confirmed that Wood had experienced some "left foot discomfort", a concern given his lengthy history of ankle problems. "He will continue to spend some time with the medical team before a decision is made on whether he will return to the match."

Archer, meanwhile, is understood to be carrying a minor niggle in his leg that contributed to his limited involvement in the ODI series.

It meant that Paul Collingwood, one of England's assistant coaches, was briefly forced into service as a substitute fielder. Collingwood turns 43 tomorrow, and retired as a player at the end of the 2018 season. Joe Root, who was due to miss the game following the death of his grandfather on Thursday, was also pressed into service as a substitute fielder.

England are also without the injured pair of Eoin Morgan, who sustained a fractured finger in training on Friday, and Adil Rashid, who has a long-standing shoulder injury. They also confirmed that Chris Woakes, who is expected to open the bowling in the World Cup, was playing in this match as a specialist batsman and would not bowl as they seek to manage his even more long-standing knee problems.

According to the ICC's playing conditions for the World Cup, substitute fielders are not permitted from outside the 15-man playing squad, although those rules do not apply to the warm-up games.