The Los Angeles Angels have designated reliever Cody Allen for assignment.

The move comes a day after Allen gave up four runs over 2/3 of an inning in a 9-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Allen has a 6.26 ERA over 23 innings in 25 appearances and lost his closer role in his first season with the Angels.

"Obviously this year is not the bounce-back season I was hoping for," Allen said after Friday's appearance. "The only thing I can do is just try and get better. Either I'm going to get better or they're going to find someone else who does. That's the reality of the game."

After spending the previous seven seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Allen came to Los Angeles in free agency on a one-year, $8.5 million deal.

The 30-year-old righty had a run of five straight seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA before last year, when he had a 4.70 ERA for the Indians.

In a corresponding roster move, the Angels recalled right-hander Taylor Cole from Triple-A Salt Lake.

TORONTO -- Several months into his tenure as the Toronto Blue Jays' new manager, Charlie Montoyo sat in his office chair, discussing the series ahead against the San Francisco Giants.

Montoyo's office inside Rogers Centre is small and tidy, devoid of clutter. An autographed Andrew Katz painting of Herman Oliveras, Montoyo's favorite salsa music artist, hangs on the wall adjacent to his desk. A set of large conga drums stands along the back wall, a smaller set of bongos atop his desk. They aren't simply decor; when Montoyo was a coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, center fielder Kevin Kiermaier says, he would often find Montoyo sitting in the equipment room, hammering away on the bongos.

Hanging on the wall behind Montoyo's desk is the Blue Jays' full season calendar. Each series, home and away, is highlighted, and he points out the number of days until his family arrives from their home in Arizona -- just over a month to go. "People have no idea," Montoyo says, referring to how much he has to be away from his family. "They think, 'Oh, wow, [he's in the] big leagues ... but almost as soon as they get to Toronto once their school year ends, we go on the road," Montoyo says, chuckling, as he shakes his head.

Instead, he sees his family every day in photos. After spending 21 years managing throughout the minor leagues and then serving, most recently, as Tampa Bay's bench coach, Montoyo was hired in October to lead the Blue Jays. It's his first big league managing job. Montoyo has four photo collages on his desk in Toronto of his sons -- 11-year-old Alex and Tyson, 16 -- and his wife, Sam, whom he met nearly 20 years ago while he was managing the Charleston RiverDogs.

But there is one photo Montoyo keeps hidden from view, a framed 4-by-6-inch image inside of his armoire. He takes the picture out when others aren't around, he says, as a reminder to himself.

The photograph shows Alex, just before his fifth birthday, lying in a hospital bed in the intensive care unit, a stream of tubes and IVs protruding from his body and his head. He is sedated, mouth open, eyes closed, a peaceful expression on his face.

"I keep this picture here to remind me how lucky I am," Montoyo says.

The photo also brings perspective: of what he has lost throughout his journey in baseball -- namely, time with his family -- but also of what he has gained in an extended family that stretches far beyond the field.

Minutes after Alex was born in Tucson, Arizona, on Oct. 17, 2007 (which was also Charlie's 42nd birthday), doctors diagnosed him with Ebstein's anomaly, a rare but serious heart defect in which one of the heart valves doesn't function properly. He was immediately medevaced to Phoenix Children's Hospital, and doctors feared he wouldn't survive the trip. ESPN published a story about Alex's heart condition in 2008, while Charlie was managing the Triple-A Durham Bulls.

Scott Cahalane and his older daughter, Ashley, read the story the day it was published, on Father's Day 2008. Scott, his wife and their three children lived in Buffalo and had tickets to the Bisons' Triple-A game that evening. Scott explained to Ashley that Montoyo would be the manager for the opposing team. A few hours later, she handed Scott a homemade card. "I made this for the guy in the article," Ashley, then 10, said. "Can we give it to him?"

On the front, Ashley had drawn a baseball bat, ball and glove. Inside, she'd written a message: "Happy Father's Day. Since you can't be with your family today, you can be a part of ours."

At the game, after both teams had finished batting practice, Cahalane walked down to the dugout. He asked a player to see if Montoyo had a few minutes to talk. Montoyo walked up the steps and Cahalane introduced himself. The two chatted before he handed Montoyo the card. Montoyo read it, slowly. He smiled and gave Ashley a hug, telling her, "Thank you. This is wonderful." Says Cahalane: "We were just two strangers, but you could see it made an impact."

Montoyo asked if the family could come back the next day; Cahalane replied that they could, and Montoyo left them game tickets. They talked again before the next game, and Cahalane says he promised he and Ashley would be back the following year for the Bulls' series against the Bisons. Montoyo gave Cahalane his contact information, and the two exchanged emails throughout the year. Their friendship grew as they corresponded about their families, jobs and lives. Cahalane travelled frequently for work, and the two commiserated over having to spend time away from their families.

Alex spent the first few years his life in and out of hospitals. His first surgery was at Phoenix Children's Hospital when he was only a week old. He spent a month at Phoenix Children's before being transferred to UCLA Hospitals in late November 2007 for a transplant evaluation. Sam and Charlie drove to UCLA on Nov. 18; on Nov. 20, Tyson turned 5. His parents had to miss his birthday (though his grandmother hosted an "amazing party" for him, Sam says).

At UCLA, Alex remained in the ICU as doctors evaluated his shunt, which had been implanted at Phoenix Children's. They determined it was too big, so surgeons shrunk the shunt in another open-heart surgery, in December 2007. Alex remained in the hospital for three months.

At 18 months old, Alex returned to UCLA for his third open-heart surgery. Through this one, known as the Glenn procedure, doctors rerouted Alex's circulatory system to allow for the blood from the top half of his body to bypass the right side of his heart.

Each time Alex had a surgery, or if his team had a rare off day, Montoyo would fly back and forth from Durham, North Carolina, scheduling a red-eye return flight so he could be at the ballpark the next morning. When Alex needed another surgery, this time on his stomach, in May 2008, Charlie missed a game for the first time in 16 years. He flew across the country and back within 48 hours for the procedure, all on no sleep.

Sat down with Charlie Montoyo in his office today. And no, we didn't talk Vladi Jr... We just had a little salsa fun! This is how he relaxes! Hoy con Charlie Montoyo no nos pusimos a hablar de Vladi... nos divertimos con el gran José Alberto "El Canario"... ¡Qué talento! pic.twitter.com/0a9bbxVXtb

— Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) April 24, 2019

Still, Montoyo rarely talked about Alex's heart complications around the team.

"Us players had no idea what was going on, because he kept it so hush-hush," Kiermaier says. "He probably thought about it every second when he was at the field. But the way he balanced that out and never brought a sad or negative attitude, that's Charlie, 24/7. He's the absolute best."

Montoyo's demeanor wasn't always so calm. Prior to Alex's health scares, Montoyo's fiery personality showed on the field when he argued calls and ripped up lineup cards. But almost losing his son brought about a changed perspective -- and a new leadership style.

Before Alex's final major surgery at UCLA Medical Center, in 2012, Cahalane emailed Montoyo to ask who from his family would be there. Sam's father, John Startt -- who is also Alex's blood donor, as they are both Type A-negative -- and Charlie's cousin, Jose Montoyo, were the only other family members present, Charlie told him, beside Sam, Alex and himself. (Sam's mother, Suzanne Startt-Wilkes, stayed home with Tyson).

So Cahalane, who travels frequently as part of his work for a software company, bought a plane ticket and flew to Los Angeles. He landed while Alex was in surgery and, a short while later, texted Montoyo from the waiting room: "I'm here. You don't need to come down, but if you need something, I'm here." After the surgery, while Alex was taken to another area of the hospital, the Montoyos met with their friend.

"It was really, really nice," Sam said of Cahalane's impromptu arrival. "Sometimes it's nice to have someone to sit in the cafeteria with, someone who knew us well enough to know that now is not the time to ask me stupid questions. Just sit there with me and be there and be supportive. It was very thoughtful."

A few years later, following a long road trip for the Bulls, Cahalane flew Sam, Tyson and Alex to Buffalo for the Bulls series. He picked them up from the airport and drove them to the team hotel. When Charlie stepped off of the elevator to head to the stadium, Alex ran out and gave him a big hug. Another time, as the Bulls endured an eight-game losing streak on the road and Charlie hadn't seen his family in almost two months, Cahalane traveled to each game, supporting him from the stands.

"It's a really good friendship," Montoyo says of Cahalane. "He'd be my friend even if I weren't in baseball -- and that's what I like about him."

Alex underwent his first major open-heart surgery just seven days after he was born. Among hospital and hotel stays, medications and more, the Montoyos saw that their expenses would quickly grow. They had a modest house, drove an old car and lived "like minor league people," Sam says. While they had some money saved, they didn't have the expansive amount they would need in the ensuing months and years.

As they pondered what to do, a friend told Montoyo about B.A.T., the Baseball Assistance Team. Founded in 1986, the MLB-affiliated organization provides confidential financial assistance to applicants who need financial help for a variety of reasons, whether medical bills, retirement care, obtaining a college degree and the like.

B.A.T. began as a handful of former players who wanted to help retired major leaguers in financial distress; it has grown into an organization that also assists minor leaguers, umpires, scouts, major and minor league front-office personnel, former Negro League players, widows and more.

"Really, the entire baseball family," Erik Nilsen, the executive director of B.A.T., says. "If someone has had a pro baseball-related paycheck for at least two years, they're eligible to apply for a grant."

Last year, B.A.T -- which has a staff of five and a board of 15 members, mostly retired MLB players -- received 475 grant applications, and the organization spent $4.5 million to help applicants.

When the Montoyos learned that they'd need to spend several months in L.A. for Alex's first UCLA-based surgery, Sam called Jim Martin, then B.A.T. executive director, in tears. It was November 2007, at 8 on a Saturday night. A few hours later, the B.A.T. board held an emergency midnight call and approved the Montoyos for a grant.

"The medical care wasn't the problem --- insurance covered those things," Sam says. "What it didn't cover was how the hell you move to another state and take care of your kids." She found a one-bedroom apartment in Westwood that was a five-minute walk to the hospital, utilities included, with a month-to-month lease; the rent was $4,800 per month. While Charlie's former and then-current teams in Montgomery, Alabama, and Durham held fundraisers for the family, the bills still grew.

Throughout the fall of 2007 and winter of 2008, as the Montoyos waited for Alex's body to grow strong enough for him to breathe without his ventilator, they lived in Los Angeles. Sam went to the hospital each day while Charlie and Tyson played at home; Charlie took the hospital night shift. In March, Alex was finally discharged. The Montoyos flew home to Tucson; two days later, Charlie left for spring training.

Once back home, though, their medical challenges -- and costs -- mounted. Alex's prescriptions totaled around $1,100 a month. He had to learn to use a feeding tube and couldn't eat solid foods until he was 3. Sam enlisted a feeding-tube therapist to come twice a week to teach Alex to eat. Her rate was $400 per hour.

The pediatrician told Sam that Alex needed a helmet, which was considered "cosmetic" and thus not covered by insurance. A physical therapist came to the house twice weekly to teach Alex how to walk and move; an occupational therapist taught him speech therapy, because one of his vocal cords had been paralyzed during a surgery.

Because Charlie was with his team across the country, Sam slept in Alex's room each night, administering nighttime medications when he needed them. After months of cumulative exhaustion from her sleep-interrupted nights, B.A.T. funding allowed Sam to hire a special-needs physical therapist who came to the house two nights a week; on those nights, Sam slept in her own room for a solid eight-hour stretch.

"They were always right there," Sam says of B.A.T. "They said, 'You do what you have to do, and we'll take care of it.'"

In 2003, B.A.T. began a payroll deduction program, whereby major league players could opt to have a portion of their paycheck deducted each year to go toward B.A.T. Representatives from B.A.T. visit each team during an annual spring-training fundraising tour, explaining the purpose of the organization and asking recipients to share testimonials of how the funding has affected their lives. Nearly 1,600 players, coaches and managers from all 30 teams donated a record $3.4 million this past spring.

"It's always good seeing people in a better situation once we're done assisting, rather than a worse spot," Nilsen says. "That's the ultimate goal -- being a short-term bridge."

Each year, the American League and National League teams that collectively donate the most funds each receive the Bobby Murcer Award. During spring training this year, Montoyo spoke to the Blue Jays, opening up about how much B.A.T. had helped his family over the years. The Blue Jays collectively donated over $200,000, winning the AL award for the first time.

The Cahalane family began its annual visits to Montoyo at spring training several years ago. While two of the Cahalane children are now in college, Scott still visits every spring. Montoyo called Scott on the day he accepted the Blue Jays job last fall. Ashley, now a rising senior at Central Florida who plans to work with children with special needs following graduation, has grown particularly close to Montoyo, whom she calls "Uncle Charlie."

While Alex's surgeries, by all indications, were successful, the side effects have remained. He will likely eventually need surgery on his right leg, which is longer than his left one. He has secondary cerebral palsy and has difficulty writing because of limited motor skills in his right hand, so he uses a computer to type notes in school, and his hands tire quickly regardless of the activity.

Still, "for what he's got going on, he's doing great," Sam says.

Beginning in 2010, the Montoyo family began joining Charlie in Durham once the school year ended, a practice they continued when he joined the Rays' big league staff.

While Tyson loves being around his dad, he doesn't love being around baseball all the time. He is a lacrosse player, and he loves playing video games. Alex, while he doesn't play organized sports, loves playing outside and P.E. class. And he always wants to be at the ballpark. He typically arrives in the early afternoon, rattling off the lineup to the players, walking around the clubhouse to offer handshakes and high-fives -- and flashing his big, all-encompassing grin.

"When people say, 'Oh this guy lights up the room,' they don't always mean it," Kiermaier says. "But when you talk about Alex, it's no cliché; he puts a smile on everyone's face. He's such a goofy, fun-loving kid, and he's so sincere about everything. He just makes your day."

Kiermaier remembers telling Alex, who then weighed 68 pounds, that he needed to work on his strength training. He asked if he could bench-press Alex, who responded, "No way!" But Kiermaier persisted: "Alex, it's for the team!" Alex relented, so Kiermaier lay on the bench, hoisted Alex above him, and bench-pressed him eight times. "I told him I'd hit a homer that night. I didn't hit a homer, but I did hit a deep double," Kiermaier says, laughing.

Alex excels at video games, particularly Fortnite, and several Rays are his favorite co-players. Rays pitcher Blake Snell said he and Alex hung out almost every day in 2017. "When Alex wouldn't come to the clubhouse, I'd be upset," the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner says. The two played video games together, talked baseball and just hung out. "Every time he came to the park, it always made my day better."

Montoyo is only the third Puerto Rican native to become a big league manager, and he is leading a team with two sons of former major leaguers on the active roster: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (son of Hall of Famer Vladimir) and Cavan Biggio (son of Hall of Famer Craig). Montoyo appreciates the father-son bond, whether through baseball or outside of it. And because of baseball, his and his family's circle has grown much wider, thanks in large part to his affable nature, and the friends they've made throughout their journey, including the Cahalanes.

"I don't care if he's the manager of the Blue Jays or the plumber down the street, because it's not about what he does," Scott Cahalane says. "Every time he sees my wife and kids, no matter what's going on in his life, he's Uncle Charlie, smiling and giving them big hugs. There's a reason we became friends."

And as that friendship has evolved, so has Montoyo. He took the long road to the majors, enduring trials along the way, but at 53 he can take the broad view.

"Going through all of this with Alex, it made me a better man," Montoyo says. "Because now, if it's bases loaded, two outs ... I know, 'OK, it could be worse.'

"It's all given me perspective."

Genzebe Dibaba, Juan Miguel Echevarria, Holly Bradshaw and Andrew Pozzi are among the stars competing at the Meeting International Mohammed VI D’Athletisme

Just a few days after the fifth series stop in Oslo, the IAAF Diamond League moves on to Moroccan capital Rabat on Sunday.

After her return to form in Rome last week to clock her fastest 1500m time since her world record, all eyes will be on Genzebe Dibaba to see if she will go quicker than her 3:56.28 world lead.

Demonstrating tremendous range following her recent 65-minute half-marathon, Sweden’s Sifan Hassan is also in the line-up, although the 2016 world indoor champion may not be quite the force she was at that distance. Jenny Simpson, the 2017 world silver medallist, is also on the entry list along with Morocco’s Rababe Arafi and Britain’s Eilish McColgan and Sarah McDonald.

Olympic silver medallist Nijel Amos goes in the 800m, trying to bounce back from defeat in Rome. Out to stop him will be the man one place behind him in Rio 2016, Clayton Murphy, and the sixth fastest man in history, Emmanuel Korir.

The women’s race will not feature Caster Semenya, even though she can compete “without restriction” while her appeal against the IAAF’s new rules on female classification is pending. According to the IAAF, the Olympic champion was invited to participate in the 800m in Rabat but declined. The race will feature home athlete Malika Akkaoui, plus Britain’s Lynsey Sharp and Switzerland’s Selina Buchel.

The women’s pole vault boasts a quality line-up. British record-holder Holly Bradshaw will be joined by world and Olympic champion Katerina Stefanidi, world indoor champion Sandi Morris and European indoor champion Anzhelika Sidorova.

Double world 200m champion Dafne Schippers and world 100m and 200m silver medallist Marie-Josée Ta Lou go in the 100m, while the 400m includes Phyllis Francis and Salwa Eid Naser.

New long-jump sensation Juan Miguel Echevarria will be looking to bounce back after a surprise defeat in Stockholm.

The 2018 world No.1 will be hoping to be back to the form which saw him leap a windy 8.83m last year as he faces world champion Luvo Manyonga and world bronze medallist Ruswahl Samaai.

World discus No.1 Daniel Stahl aims to continue his winning form, with Diamond League champion Fedrick Dacres, European champion Andrius Gudzius and Olympic champion Christoph Harting the challengers. Sandra Perkovic and Denia Caballero head the women’s event.

After getting his Diamond League sprint hurdles title defence back on track with a win in Rome, Sergey Shubenkov will be up against  Britain’s Andrew Pozzi and world champion Omar McLeod, while the men’s 200m features Olympic silver medallist Andre De Grasse and world champion Ramil Guliyev.

The Moroccan crowd will have plenty to cheer in the men’s steeplechase as their winner from Doha, Soufiane El Bakkali, lines up.

Entry lists and a timetable can be found here.

New courts spring up across the UK as Andy Murray invests in padel
By ALAN THATCHER – Squash Mad Editor

Squash clubs investing in adding padel tennis courts to their mix of facilities are reporting significant financial benefits.

There are more than 60 padel courts in the UK, many of them built during the past year and a half, and that figure is certain to escalate in the coming months.

Padel is best described as a cross between tennis and squash. It is for doubles only, making it a fun and sociable sport to play, uses the tennis scoring system and has very similar balls, and is played on a court with enclosed glass walls much like a squash court. Padel is often stated to be the fastest growing sport in the world. Just like squash used to be.

Using plastic rackets, and featuring an under-arm serve, it is an easy game to learn. Head to YouTube to dig out some crazy rallies as players dive around the court, and even race through the door to head outside the walls to keep the ball in play. Professional events attract huge crowds, and make for great television. This video even reveals that our famous court cleaner at Canary Wharf, Ken Narain, has an international rival!

The leisure industry is a rapidly-changing environment and businesses that fail to adapt to changing times and trends are likely to struggle. The current enthusiasm for padel certainly brings back memories of the rapid growth of squash in the 1970s and 1980s.

Clubs that provide both options (plus racketball, of course) would appear to be on to a winner.

Squash enjoyed the popularity of cult status 40 to 50 years ago as new courts sprung up all over the UK and beyond.

Tennis, cricket and rugby clubs added courts to generate extra revenues and cute entrepreneurs realised the commercial attraction of building facilities that reflected the aspirational lifestyle of those distant times.

Many of those entrepreneurs have since sold up, cashing in on the escalating property value of their premises.

Adding to a dusty backdrop of demolition workers bulldozing clubs to make way for offices and apartment blocks, especially in the city of London, came the anguished cries of squash players seeing their clubs taken over by so-called health and fitness chains.

These companies have adopted an all-out slash and burn attack on squash, converting courts into rooms filled with gym machines, or kicking out squash to make way for cross-training sessions, as David Lloyd Club squash members know only too well.

Many squash players consider gyms to be miserable, soulless places. But, just like padel, the money men love them.

Accountants working for multi-sport clubs with a variety of activities available to members and the wider public are delivering upbeat reports and forecasts as the padel boom accelerates. Clearly, a new breed of entrepreneur likes the look of padel. And squash clubs, if they are smart, should think about investing. One company advertises installation costs for as little as £20,000 per court.

No wonder Britain’s greatest tennis player, Sir Andy Murray, has recently invested in a new padel construction company, Game4Padel, based in Edinburgh. 

In the same city, Edinburgh Sports Club were way ahead of the curve. They installed their first padel court five years ago, to add to their excellent squash, tennis and gym facilities. And they have recently installed a third.

Club manager Jonathan Tait said: “We built the first padel court in Scotland five years ago now. We are officially the Home of Scottish Padel. And I am the chair of the Scottish Padel Federation.

“Padel was so successful in its first year that we made the decision to build another immediately. We erected a canopy on our first court and that has ensured that for 95 per cent of the year we are playing padel. You can get canopies that will allow 100 per cover but we decided on a more aesthetic look.

“Such is the demand for padel here , we will be putting another canopy on court two and are building a third court. We have upwards of 80 players who are members, and we have a further 100 registered players who are non members who play either in a league, as a corporate activity, or infrequently. We do allow pay and play but only in padel.

“I get an enquiry every other day about padel. Importantly, we have players that gave up sport at the club and are now back playing. We have a Spanish coach and we have 20 or so Spanish members we did not have before, so we are all taking Spanish lessons! Players have become total addicts very quickly.”

You can check out the Edinburgh Sports Club Padel facebook page here: www.facebook.com/padelESC

We know Andy Murray loves padel because he was filmed playing squash fan Roger Federer opposite one of Dubai’s leading hotels. And guess how Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp relaxed ahead of the club’s triumphant flight to Madrid for the Champions League final? Why, playing padel, of course.

The Merseysiders have installed a court at their Melwood training ground, making the club even more attractive to stars from Spain and South America.

The sport of padel started almost by accident in Mexico , when a wealthy businessman built a court in his back yard, and spread throughout South America before crossing the Atlantic to Spain, where there are now six million players.

Sweden has also caught the bug, with around 400 courts, including a new centre launched by former soccer superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

In London, padel courts first appeared at the up-market Chelsea Harbour Club and the Hurlingham Club.

Now, new new centres have grown up at Stratford, east of the city, and at Bishop’s Park in Fulham, which will host a World Padel Tour event in October. 

In picturesque Maldon, the Park Drive Club has built three courts next to the promenade and the club is now widely billed as “the” Essex padel centre. Annual membership is a very modest £80 and court fees are £6 an hour per person.

Further up the east coast, the Middlesbrough centre has recently installed two covered courts that are floodlit.

The Padel Court Company, based near Winchester in Hampshire, is one of the main padel businesses in the UK. It is run by squash lovers Jon Foster and Chris Herridge, a former WSF technical director for more than 30 years.

They are keeping busy with regular orders for new courts in a scenario that is reminiscent of the rapid growth of squash in the 70s and 80s. Their courts are shipped from Austria, where they are made by Wolfgang Denk’s famous Courtwall company, maker of the glass court used at the Citigold Wealth Management Canary Wharf Classic. Wolfgang now reports that he is producing far more padel courts than squash.

The Padel Court Company team built a court at their rural headquarters in Stockbridge to show potential customers. Word gradually spread and the court has become a popular club in its own right, spreading the news about padel by word of mouth!

Squash players in the London area who fancy a peep at padel should head to Canary Wharf next week for the annual Pop-Up Padel event.

For three weeks, from June 17 to July 4, an outdoor padel court is installed at Montgomery Square offering city workers, locals and tourists the chance to enjoy free taster sessions and get a feel for the sport.

 

A Corporate League is already up and running for company teams and the event will also feature a two-day World Padel Tour Exhibition, with some of the world’s greatest players showcasing the sport to promote the tournament in Fulham later this year.

The Courtwall website lists some fascinating historical facts about padel. The sport was first played in 1965 in Acapulco, Mexico, when the billionaire Don Enrique Corcuera built a special tennis court matching the available size in his back yard.

The first court in Europe was built at the Hotel Puerto Romano de Puerto Banas in Marbella in 1968. From Spain the Padel sport found its way 1976 to the famous Ocean Club in Mar del Plata in Argentina. By 1995 there were more than 500 padel clubs in Buenos Aires and today in Argentina an estimated six million enthusiasts play Padel on more than 40,000 courts.

Spain boasts similar popularity for padel, with an estimated six million players and an incredible array of 14,000 courts in Madrid alone.

And before you ask, yes, there are specialist travel companies offering package holidays for padel, with Benidorm a popular destination. 

Coinciding with Andy Murray’s investment in the padel business, the sport was recently adopted by the Lawn Tennis Association, a move which will inevitably lead to development funds becoming available for the expansion of this fun game. Three courts are going up at The Roehampton Club, where the LTA is based. 

Like many squash lovers, I am keen that our sport does not miss a trick here. A few years ago we had to deal with the pig-headed nonsense spouted by the anti-racketball brigade. Now, many squash clubs rely on racketball to keep them ticking over.

For squash clubs who are keen to take a look at padel, to give the place a buzz, to encourage new members, and increase your footfall all-year-round, I have compiled a list of useful contacts below. Many more can be found on Google. Other search engines are available.

Padel Contacts.

The Padel Court Company
www.thepadelcourtcompany.co.uk

Courtwall Padel
www.courtwall.com/padel-courts

EliGrass Padel
www.eligrass.com/products/sports/padel/

Melior Squash 
www.meliorsquash.co.uk

Padel Tennis London
www.padeltennis.co.uk

Game4Padel
www.game4padel.com

LTA Padel
www.britishpadel.org.uk

Club Directory
https://www.britishpadel.org.uk/clubs/

Pop-Up Padel
www.wearepadel.com

Stratford Padel (pay and play)
www.stratfordpadelclub.org

Maldon Padel Club at Park Drive Health Club
www.parkdrivehealthclub.co.uk/facilities/padel-tennis/

Middlesbrough Padel Club
www.britishpadel.org.uk/club/middlesbroughpadelclub/

Padel Holidays
http://www.internationalpadelholidays.com/
 

COMING SOON: Elliot Selby on “Why I love padel.”

ABERDEEN, S.D. — Scoring his first win of the season, and second career victory with the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by the MAVTV Motorsports Network, Scott Bogucki worked from the sixth starting spot to win Friday night at Brown County Speedway.

Scaling the back of his car to the cheer of the crowd, Bogucki was quick to thank those who have kept him going, “I can’t thank everyone who supports me enough. Without Sawblade.com, Dissolvalloy, Lee at Ostrich, just everyone who believes in this team, we couldn’t be here. Thank you so much.”

The fifth winner on the season, Bogucki trailed the first nine laps to 2018 winner Matt Covington.

Working into slower traffic, Covington nearly went for a wild ride on lap eight after contact with Jeremy McCune off the fourth turn put the T&L Foundry No. 95 atop the McCune’s left rear. Able to work free and continue rolling, the near crash was just what the driver of the Sawblade.com No. 28 needed.

Working to a low pass off the fourth turn to complete lap nine, Covington held the point, but would not be able to fend off the charge of Bogucki who grabbed the lead away on the following revolution.

“That’s never the way you want to get the lead, but at the same time we all have to race the lapped cars and after that, I knew I just needed to keep my nose clean,” said Bogucki.

Slipping off the top of the first and second turns while working slower traffic near the race’s mid-point, Bogucki altered his line slightly to cheat the cushion and keep his speed up. Not giving much to anyone to capitalize on, even with caution on lap 14, the moment of truth came as it looked like Scott was ready to take the checkered flag, only to see the caution lights come on.

With a trio of lapped cars between himself and Blake Hahn, who had worked to 11th on the low side of the Speedway, those cars took a right-hand turn to the Pits; leaving a clear shot for Hahn into the first two turns. Peeling to the bottom as Bogucki raced to the cushion, clean air and momentum were to the favor of the No. 28.

“That was not ideal at all,” chuckled Bogucki. “That’s normally when the wheel fall off the wagon, but when the called out the lineup, I just knew I had to get my speed up, hit my marks, and bring it home.”

In the end, Bogucki opened up his lead to 0.808 seconds over Blake Hahn, who was the night’s Hard Charger. Matt Covington ended up third after his mishap with Sam Hafertepe Jr. fourth. Advancing seven positions, Harli White completed the top five.

The finish:

Feature (30 Laps): 1. 28-Scott Bogucki, [6]; 2. 52-Blake Hahn, [11]; 3. 95-Matt Covington, [2]; 4. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr, [5]; 5. 17W-Harli White, [12]; 6. J2-John Carney II, [4]; 7. 14-Jordon Mallett, [8]; 8. 11-Roger Crockett, [7]; 9. 2X-Tucker Doughty, [14]; 10. 77X-Alex Hill, [10]; 11. 17B-Ryan Bickett, [15]; 12. 86-Donovan Peterson, [1]; 13. 5-Eric Lutz, [3]; 14. 21P-Robbie Price, [9]; 15. 2K-Kevin Ingle, [13]; 16. 77-Damon McCune, [16]; 17. 69-Brandon Rekow, [17]; 18. 0J-Jeremy McCune, [18]; 19. 11M-Mindy McCune, [19]

GAFFNEY, S.C. — Mike Marlar ran away with the 21st annual Grassy Smith Memorial on Friday night at Cherokee Speedway. Marlar led flag to flag for his second Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season.

A terrific battle for the second spot took place between several drivers in the last five laps of the race. Davenport held Ross Bailes to secure the second-spot finish at the checkers.

Jimmy Owens came from the eighth starting position to finish in third. Completing the top five were Tim McCreadie and thirteenth starting, Don O’Neal, with Bailes slipping back to sixth on the final lap.

Marlar’s previous trip to Lucas Oil Victory Lane this season, came just two weekends ago in the Clash at the Mag at Magnolia Motor Speedway in Columbus, Mississippi. Tonight, he stamped his eleventh career series win in front of a packed grandstand at Cherokee Speedway.

“We got a good qualifying lap here tonight and it just set us up for success,” Marlar said. “I don’t feel like I drove my best race. I made a few mistakes out there. The cautions really helped me. They cleared out the lapped traffic. The guy leading here is really at a disadvantage because the cars in the back are just as fast as you are.”

Davenport, who has yet to finish outside the top-five this season, recorded another podium finish.

“We had to burn our stuff up a little too much,” he said. “Ross and I had a good race for a long time. I am not sure what happened to him at the end. The cautions didn’t go in our favor tonight. I thought maybe Mikey would come to us when we got into traffic, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Owens charged through a pack of cars to get to third and was challenging Davenport for second when the checkered flag came out.

“The middle was really good. I was able to move around well. I went to the top there a few times and I thought I was going to end up in the wall. It really sneaks up on you here. Moving down there was really good for the car. I didn’t want to burn off the right rear, but we ended up with plenty of tire left.”

The finish:

Mike Marlar, Jonathan Davenport, Jimmy Owens, Tim McCreadie, Don O’Neal, Ross Bailes, Chris Ferguson, Brandon Overton, Josh Richards, Tyler Erb, Shanon Buckingham, Dennis Franklin, Earl Pearson Jr., Kyle Bronson, Zack Mitchell, Hudson O’Neal, Chris Madden, Stormy Scott, Billy Moyer Jr., Devin Moran, Adam Yarbrough, Michael Brown, Derrick Ramey, Scott Bloomquist.

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — For Brady Bacon, it was the best of times. For Steve Buckwalter and Chris Windom, in particular, it was the worst of times.

That about sums up the roller-coaster ride of emotions among the top-three drivers during the final laps of Friday’s Williams Grove 100 USAC Silver Crown race at Williams Grove Speedway.

For Bacon, the times couldn’t have gotten any better as he avoided the misfortune in front of him. On the 100th and final lap, second-running Windom got into the rear bumper of Buckwalter, sending Buckwalter spinning out of the lead.

On the restart, Windom, the new race leader, led the field into turn one on the final lap only to see his right rear tire give out, handing the lead to Bacon who ended the drama once-and-for-all by cruising the last three-quarters of a lap to capture his first career USAC Silver Crown win.

Bacon’s score came in his 23rd series start aboard his Beast Chassis – Wilwood Disc Brakes – Hoosier Racing Tire-sponsored Beast/Ford, the second-straight win for the Klatt Enterprises No. 6 following Kyle Hamilton’s victory on the pavement at Indiana’s Lucas Oil Raceway in May.

Bacon, the two-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champ, started third, but dropped to sixth on the opening circuit which, though had him a tad worrisome, became an afterthought as he preserved his equipment and steadily moved up as the race wore on, running fourth as late as nine laps remaining with Buckwalter, Kody Swanson and Windom sitting ahead of him in the pecking order.

Following the lap-90 restart, Bacon surged from fourth to third to second between laps 91 and 93 and was challenging for the lead. Just a lap earlier, Swanson had slid by Buckwalter for the lead in turn one with just a bit too much gusto, sliding up just out of the bottom groove as Buckwalter didn’t fret and drove back by underneath.

That opened up the door exiting turn two, allowing Bacon to sweep past Swanson to second as the field passed under the legendary back straightaway bridge, while Windom presented an inside challenge to Swanson entering the third turn.

Windom’s right front and Swanson’s left rear tangled not once, but twice in between turns three and four, forcing Swanson wide off turn four and allowing Windom to take the third position.

Bacon challenged Buckwalter for the lead entering the outside of turn three on three consecutive laps to no avail.  With five to go and Bacon unable to make the lane up from the bottom work to his liking, Windom took advantage and skirted underneath on the low line to grab second.

“It took me a lap to get going before I could start trying to squeeze on the outside of turn three,” Bacon recalled. “But Buckwalter was really smart. He races a lot here, so he was keeping himself just far out enough to where I couldn’t get a run on him, and then I slid out.”

The top four of Buckwalter, Windom, Bacon and Swanson ran practically nose-to-tail entering the conclusion. Heading into turn one on the final lap, though, local favorite Buckwalter from Royersford, Pa., a nine-time wing sprint car and five-time ARDC Midget winner at Williams Grove, seemed poised and primed to capture his first career Silver Crown victory in his 25th series start.

That’s when the complexion of the race, and seemingly the universe, turned on its figurative head.  Second-running Windom entered turn one a couple car lengths behind Buckwalter.

Windom tagged Buckwalter’s rear bumper with his own front bumper, turning Buckwalter sideways and, ultimately, to a stop in the middle of turn one. Windom barely escaped to the outside behind Buckwalter’s tail tank while third-running Bacon snuck by underneath without getting caught in the melee.

Buckwalter didn’t mince words in his thoughts of what happened just three-quarters of a lap away from payday.

“I knew I had to get in low and protect the bottom,” Buckwalter explained.  “I was running as hard as I had to (in order) to make that happen. I just feel bad for all the PA fans. We had them beat. I don’t know what else to say. I guess he just didn’t want to get second, but he just drove through me.”

Windom admitted he just plainly misjudged the entry to turn one.

“I obviously misjudged it and I feel terrible about it,” Windom admitted. “I’d been battling brake issues the last 40 laps of the race and he got in so slow and low to protect the bottom. Once the white flag came out, I got excited going down the front stretch and I got in too hard. I had my left foot through the floor trying to slow the car down. I just knew at that point that I had gotten in way too hard. I tried to turn up at the last second, but it just ended up catching him even harder with the bumper and spun him.  I can’t change it now. I had a bad misjudgment there.”

That set up a green-white-checkered finish. Though there was a tad fretfulness at the beginning, Bacon’s car had come to life late. Once he gained a close-up look of the leader’s tire situation, he knew there was blood in the water.

“I knew we had a better car at the end,” Bacon noted. “I was a little worried when we weren’t very good at the beginning, then I saw some tire issues come about. Buckwalter’s tire was looking pretty bad and Windom’s was looking bad. Once they had that little altercation over there, that gave us an extra lap. I knew that wasn’t good for Windom because I could see his cords.”

As Windom’s tire went down, forcing him to slip up the race track in turn one, Bacon scooted underneath and it was in the books as Bacon drove away and got out of Dodge to claim one of the most drama-filled last laps in USAC Silver Crown history.

“Coming off turn two, maybe,” Bacon explained. “But then I’m like, there’s no telling who’s behind me.  I don’t know how much I slowed down to miss (Windom), but I was pretty confident I had it. I was just hoping they didn’t throw the yellow. It feels like I should’ve won a couple of these, but glad to get my first one. I love coming out here to PA. This is a really cool place to win a race.”

Swanson finished six-tenths of a second behind Bacon in the second spot ahead of Justin Grant in third.  Mike Haggenbottom earned a career-best fourth from the 15th starting spot while Eric Gordon rounded out the top five.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

ATTICA, Ohio — Ohio Sprint Speedweek has certainly been kind to Kyle Larson, as each of his Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victories have occurred during Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Indy Metal Finishing.

Larson, pilot of the Chevrolet Accessories/Finley Farms/Priority Aviation/Howard Johnson of Lima/No. 57 sprint car, dominated Friday night’s Speedweek opener at Attica Raceway Park, leading 25 of the 40 laps and winning by nearly eight seconds.

The $5,000 victory increased Larson’s Series win total to nine, now with two at Attica Raceway Park; his first since 2016.

“Just a great car all night,” Larson said. “It was either starting to clean off, or take a little bit of rubber through turns three and four. That made things pretty technical. At times, I felt like I needed to cheat it and run below it to stay on a clean track, but I knew I needed to be in the rubber at the same time. Definitely a fun track. I haven’t raced Attica too much, but this is the slickest Attica I’ve been on, so it’s pretty neat to get a win.”

Although starting from the pole, ‘Larson was beat to the initial punch, forced to follow defending All Star champion and current Series point leader, Aaron Reutzel, for the first 15 circuits.

A pair of cautions, one appearing on lap five and another on lap ten, gave Larson a set of opportunities to earn the advantage over Reutzel, but the Clute, Texas-native remained strong and in control.

Unfortunately for Reutzel, but a fortune circumstance for Larson, lap 16 proved to be drama-filled for the front-runners, as a spinning car would create a definite road block leaving Reutzel will little time to react and nowhere to go.

Eventual contact with the spinning car ended with Reutzel laying on his side, ultimately ending his evening at Attica Raceway Park. Reutzel’s early retirement inherited the lead to Larson, and that is where he stayed.

Despite Buddy Kofoid’s ability to hang with Larson during the first 15 circuits, actually showing Larson his nose on multiple occasions, the driver of the familiar Ed Neumeister-owned, No. 11n entry was no match for Larson during the latter stages of the main event.

Larson eventually escaped in traffic, extending his lead to nearly eight seconds with over half of the field left a lap down.

Six-time All Star champion Dale Blaney eventually snuck by Kofoid on lap 27 to secure the second position. Kofoid held on to finish third at the final checkers, followed by D.J. Foos and 12th-starting Tim Shaffer.

“I obviously caught a big break when Reutzel got caught up in that wreck. We were a little bit lucky tonight,” Larson continued. “It’s tough when you’re in second and the track is really dirty. I felt like Reutzel was a little bit better than me when he was leading, but then, once I was the leader, I felt like I was better than I had been when I was behind him.”

The finish:

Feature (40 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson [1]; 2. 11-Dale Blaney [5]; 3. 11N-Buddy Kofoid [4]; 4. 16-DJ Foos [7]; 5. 49X-Tim Shaffer [12]; 6. 70X-Spencer Bayston [9]; 7. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [10]; 8. 5X-Justin Peck [11]; 9. W20-Greg Wilson [18]; 10. 23-Hunter Schuerenberg [21]; 11. 5R-Byron Reed [19]; 12. 26-Cory Eliason [22]; 13. 8M-TJ Michael [6]; 14. 70-Brock Zearfoss [20]; 15. 13-Paul McMahan [25]; 16. 1ST-Gary Taylor [13]; 17. 99-Skylar Gee [26]; 18. O9-Craig Mintz [16]; 19. 35B-Stuart Brubaker [14]; 20. 3J-Trey Jacobs [15]; 21. G1-Caleb Helms [23]; 22. 1-Nate Dussel [24]; 23. 87-Aaron Reutzel [2]; 24. 17B-Bill Balog [8]; 25. 25M-Chris Andrews [17]; 26. 14-Tony Stewart [3] Lap Leaders: Aaron Reutzel [1-15], Kyle Larson [16-40]