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Tigers' Van Poortvliet 'hungry' after injury return

Published in Rugby
Thursday, 28 March 2024 05:33

Leicester Tigers and England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet says he has returned from his eight-month injury lay-off more "grateful and hungry".

He recovered from that injury in four months, but a run of hamstring problems doubled his time on the sidelines.

"It has definitely tested me, this injury," he told BBC Radio Leicester. "I learned a lot about myself."

Norwich-born Van Poortvliet, who has come through the Tigers academy and quickly established himself as one of the nation's brightest talents, came off the bench for Leicester against Gloucester last week to the rapturous applause from many at Mattioli Woods Welford Road.

While Tigers suffered a costly late defeat, the return of the playmaker was a highlight.

"I've never been out for that long in my career, so to come back on to the field was unbelievable," he said. "To hear the ovation and crowd get behind you was amazing."

When Van Poortvliet first went down injured in the pre-World Cup warm-up match he said he only thought "positively", as he refused to immediately concede his hopes of playing at last year's tournament in France had been dashed.

That all changed a day later, when England's physiotherapist outlined the full extent of the injury.

"I definitely won't forget that moment," he said. "But I can't remember what he said after 'you are out for four months and you won't be going to the World Cup'. After hearing that I didn't listen to anything more he said. I just broke down in tears."

Those emotions remained raw as he left his World Cup-bound team-mates at their Pennyhill Park training base.

"I remember my mum came to pick me up and I went around to see the boys, and Freddie [Steward] and Chez [Ollie Chessum] were at the exit with my mum.

"We all ended up crying, it was horrible."

'Toughest moments of career'

Van Poortvliet says he had "mixed feelings" when watching England at the World Cup, but "enjoyed" seeing them go on to finish with a bronze medal.

All the while, he was working on his rehabilitation.

And when it all looked to be on track, and he was 10 days from a potential return after four months out, he was hit by the first of two hamstring problems.

Both were muscle tears, the second of which was worse and took its greatest toll on Van Poortvliet's morale.

"That was the lowest I'd been in the rehab - getting to a week before your comeback only to be told you will be out for another eight weeks was pretty demoralising," he said.

"While the World Cup was going on, and my second hamstring injury, were without a doubt the two toughest moments of my career."

But he insists the time and career milestones that the injury cost him have only made him "more resilient".

"It has just helped me become a lot more grateful to be back and a lot more hungry, now that I'm working even harder to get back to performing well," he said.

Things at Ulster are 'up in the air' - Ferris

Published in Rugby
Thursday, 28 March 2024 05:10

Ulster legend Stephen Ferris believes supporters are craving answers amid great upheaval at the province.

Head coach Dan McFarland left his post in February, replaced on an interim basis by Richie Murphy.

Chief executive Jonny Petrie then departed on Monday with Hugh McCaughey now filling his role.

"What fans have been crying out for is to have a lot more clarity on what direction Ulster are going to go in," said Ferris.

He added: "There's so many questions around sponsorships, head coaches coming and going, now the CEO Jonny Petrie leaving his post two or three weeks after saying he was fully committed to seeing this project through.

"I think fans are at a point of 'what's going on here?' and I think Hugh McCaughey will be able to explain that better than most.

"He has a serious job on his hands. Is he the guy to take Ulster forward as CEO? I think the next couple of months might decide that."

Ferris does think that McCaughey has the character to make a success of the role.

"I believe that Hugh McCaughey will take this challenge head on," he added. He's not going to be somebody who sits in the back and delegates, sees the time out, and puts another few markers on the CV. Hugh McCaughey will give this 100%.

"He's a well-respected guy, he's a good fella, he's a rugby man and he'll get the backing of everyone else in the organisation. Hopefully the players that don't know him, will get to know him and they'll back him also."

'Ulster will start afresh'

On the field, with Ulster having been knocked out of the Champions Cup in January and presently sitting seventh in the United Rugby Championship, Ferris believes it is high time for a reset.

"There's so many things that are currently up in the air. Add in getting rid of your head coach, getting rid of your CEO and trimming your squad massively, it's pretty hard stuff they've done recently," he said.

"I personally feel it's a good thing, that it should have been done a few years ago, and it's only starting to catch up with us.

"People talk about deadwood, there's deadwood in every organisation, every club that there is but it's being able to identify that and sometimes it takes a bit of time.

"I think Ulster now will start afresh, open a new chapter, and hopefully the future will be bright because they've a lot of good talent, a lot of young guys who are champing at the bit, and they have to get back to enjoying their rugby."

Ulster play the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY CENTER Macklin Celebrini's path to becoming the potential No. 1 pick in this year's NHL draft is one that's about taking advantage of an opportunity that he and others like him previously didn't know existed.

Rick Celebrini said his son's dream was playing major junior hockey, like that of many Canadian teenage boys. In Macklin's case, that meant playing in the Western Hockey League, as that's what he was exposed to growing up in Vancouver.

Then the Golden State Warriors hired Rick as their director of sports medicine and performance. The family moved to the Bay Area, which led to Macklin and his older brother, Aiden, playing for the San Jose Jr. Sharks. Playing one season in the United States presented a development option that nobody in Celebrini's family had known much about.

College hockey.

"The boys came down and played with the Jr. Sharks and decided they needed more," Celebrini said. "Now we are looking at other options in the States. They wind up at Shattuck[-St. Mary's], which is an amazing place for development. Then you broaden your perspective on the different pathways."

Going the collegiate route has led to Celebrini having one of the strongest seasons by a true freshman in NCAA history. The 17-year-old has scored 31 goals while averaging 1.69 points per game, the third-best rate in the country. Not bad considering he often is facing opponents who are at least 4 years older than him.

Celebrini has already won individual accolades such as the Hockey East Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year awards. Now, with BU a No. 1 seed in the Sioux Falls region of the NCAA tournament, he's trying to help the Terriers win their sixth national title and their first since 2009, when Celebrini was just 3.

Long touted as the best talent in his birth year, Celebrini is also the latest example of a growing trend over the last few years that has seen more elite Canadians play college hockey.


Every game of the NCAA men's hockey tournament, including the Frozen Four and championship game, is on the ESPN family of networks and will be available on ESPN+. Subscribe to watch!


From 1993 through 2015, 19 Canadians who played college hockey were selected in the first round of the NHL draft. It's a list that includes top-three picks Paul Kariya, Kyle Turris and Jonathan Toews, among others. The average draft position for those players was 18th.

Since 2016, there have already been 14 Canadians who played in college and were drafted in the first round. That list includes top-five picks Cale Makar, Owen Power, Kent Johnson and Adam Fantilli, with an average draft position of 12th. Celebrini will improve those figures as he is one of three Canadians who could go in the first round this year.

The long-standing practice has been players who could be ready for the NHL at 18 or 19 typically go the major junior route, while those who need more development time spend at least two years in college. So elite Canadian-born players, such as Celebrini, have traditionally chosen major junior as their development path.

Even so, there has been a decades-long debate about which path is better. While there are still elite Canadian players who take the major junior route, how has college hockey over the last few years attracted a caliber of player that might not have been an option in the past?

"I think when you go back into the 1980s, there was not a ton of knowledge," University of Denver assistant coach Tavis MacMillan said. "There was no internet. There was no social media. Television was completely different as far as coverage. The knowledge of college hockey was limited. I was fortunate because my uncle played college hockey and usually, that's how connections were made."


GROWING UP IN Mississauga meant Power was largely exposed to the Ontario Hockey League. There was an OHL team not far from his childhood home. The fact he was a touted youth player meant he'd seen OHL facilities and had an idea of what they were like.

He was first exposed to the college game when one of his minor teams traveled to the U.S. for a tournament in South Bend, Indiana. His team was given an unofficial tour of Notre Dame, and he noticed a difference between the Fighting Irish's facilities and what he saw in the OHL.

Seeing how much of a financial investment Notre Dame made versus that of the OHL teams made Power decide he wanted to play college hockey, ultimately playing for the University of Michigan. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL draft by the Buffalo Sabres.

"I think a big thing before was a lot of parents in Toronto don't really see a lot of Canadian guys making it out of college," Power said. "A lot of them might have been hesitant to send their kids there. But once you saw more guys who grew up in Canada, went to college and were playing in the NHL, that's when they started to realize, 'OK, this is good development.'"

Power's story about his first exposure to college hockey is an example of how much the college game has grown in visibility. That wasn't the case for players such as MacMillan and Arizona Coyotes director of amateur scouting Darryl Plandowski, Canadians who played collegiately more than 30 years ago.

MacMillan had an uncle who could answer his questions about college hockey, while Plandowski learned about it through reading different publications. Growing up in Western Canada meant they were exposed to the Western Hockey League. The Junior "A" leagues, such as the Alberta Junior Hockey League and Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, were front and center.

But those leagues were known for being a feeder system to the WHL at that time instead of being a proving ground for the college game, as they're widely recognized today.

The AJHL and SJHL had nine teams when MacMillan and Plandowski played. This season, the AJHL started with 16 teams before five announced they would be joining the British Columbia Hockey League, while the SJHL had 12 teams. The WHL also expanded from 14 teams in the late 1980's to 22 this season, with six based in the U.S.

"There were not many teams. It was tough sledding to be good enough back then," Plandowski said.

Plandowski's Elite Prospects page shows he scored 42 goals as a 17-year-old while having consecutive 50-goal seasons at 18 and 19. He wasn't recruited by any colleges until his age-19 season, and even then, he had to explain to his parents what college hockey was and how it worked.

He said colleges back then would send booklets about their school as an entry point to recruit players. But Plandowski, who played four seasons at Northern Michigan University, had questions about whether he was good enough to play elsewhere because he was unsure how he compared to others beyond the SJHL.

Even as more NCAA schools began recruiting Canadians, the majority of those elite players still went the major junior route. In the 1980s, there were eight Canadians in college hockey who were first-round NHL draft picks.

By comparison, there have been six Canadians who have played or are playing college hockey that have become first-round picks since 2021.

MacMillan, who played at the University of Alaska, said there started to be a wider spectrum of people who knew about college hockey by the time he started coaching in 1996.

"You talked to some who had little knowledge of U.S. school and college hockey," MacMillan said. "Then you had some guys who knew a lot. They may have been guys who were second generation who had parents that played. Maybe the kids in Ontario had more knowledge or the kids in Western Canada if they lived in cities that were closer to the U.S. Now what you are seeing is parents with much more knowledge. It's night and day."


GARY MAKAR FIRST heard about college hockey as a possible development path in 1991 when he met Calgary Flames CEO and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Bill Hay, who played for Colorado College.

Several years passed before Makar's nephew, Mark Logan, was being recruited to play college hockey. Watching his nephew play in the AJHL allowed Makar to understand how those leagues were a gateway to college, and possibly the NHL.

That made Makar want to learn more about college hockey because he felt it could benefit his two sons.

He was right. His older son, Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale, played at the University of Massachusetts, where he won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation's best player in 2019. His younger son, Taylor, is a junior forward at UMass who was a seventh-round pick of the Avs in 2021.

"When Cale was young, there was no College Hockey Inc. to go to for a seminar," Gary Makar said. "I did my digging and when Taylor was 14 or so, we went to a seminar. ... [Going to the seminar] was phenomenal and the one parents go to now is even better. They don't slam the CHL route, they don't say anything bad. It's information to say it is another option."

College Hockey Inc. was created in 2009 to help with the eligibility challenges that came with playing men's Division I hockey. Since then, the group's mission has been to help provide education while growing the men's and women's collegiate game.

Mike Snee, the executive director of College Hockey Inc., explained there are still barriers and perceptions to overcome. Snee said American families are going to be more familiar with the NCAA than many Canadian families because of the impact college sports have in America along with the academic eligibility requirements.

That's why College Hockey Inc. provides seminars in Canada. It gives representatives a chance to speak with players who are in their mid-teens and their families. That, in turn, allows those players and families to ask questions about navigating the college path.

"We want to make sure they understand the value of what they are doing and that they are doing what they need to do academically," Snee said. "So if they watch that Beanpot game and say that's what they want to do, there aren't any regrets."

Snee said College Hockey Inc. has hosted in-person and online events in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.

They've also had numerous Canadians with ties to college hockey who have spoken to different groups. Those speakers include former NHL defenseman Brian Benning, whose two sons, Matt and Mike, played in the NCAA. They've also relied on Turris, who played at Wisconsin, along with Gary Makar.

MacMillan said Snee and the work done by College Hockey Inc. have "given people another arm of information" that has helped grow the college game.

Snee explained how the visibility of college hockey and the American development model as a whole has been served through other ways. He said TSN showing men's and women's games such as the Beanpot and the Frozen Four has provided significant exposure.

He also noted how many of the NHL's Canadian teams have had influential players over the last few seasons who have shown college hockey is a viable path.

Former Boston College stars Johnny Gaudreau and Noah Hanifin played for the Flames. The Edmonton Oilers have Zach Hyman, who went to Michigan. Hyman's former team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, have two rookies who played in college in Matthew Knies (Minnesota) and Joseph Woll (BC), while the Montreal Canadiens have Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and Mike Matheson (BC).

And among the Ottawa Senators, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets, there are Brock Boeser (North Dakota), Kyle Connor (Michigan), Thatcher Demko (BC), Conor Hellebuyck (UMass-Lowell), Quinn Hughes (Michigan), Shane Pinto and Jake Sanderson (both North Dakota) along with Brady Tkachuk (BU) among others.

"When we go into these Canadian markets, they do want to help us," Snee said. "They want to introduce us to people and spread the word. They're almost all 35-to-55-year-olds who played college hockey. ... They look back years later and they loved their college hockey experience more than some of their American teammates."


SCORING 50 GOALS and 117 points for Shattuck-St. Mary's U-18 team as a 15-year-old meant Macklin Celebrini was going to have options.

That's when Rick Celebrini and their family started looking into the different paths that were open for Macklin. Should he go to the WHL? Or would it make more sense for him to play in the USHL for a year and then go to college, given he was being recruited by 20 or so schools?

"I don't know if there is a 'best way,'" Rick said. "I talked to Jim Hughes and Pat Brisson. The way they presented it made a lot of sense."

Brisson is an agent at CAA who represents stars such as Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Patrick Kane. Hughes is CAA's director of player development.

Hughes and Brisson, who have been advising the Celebrinis, laid out what both options have to offer. Rick Celebrini said their family was impressed by the Seattle Thunderbirds, the team that drafted Macklin with the first pick of the U.S. amateur draft in 2021.

But the college route worked better for their family for several reasons. Going to college created an opportunity for Aiden and Macklin to be teammates. With Macklin being 17, playing against older competition would be better for his development. They also felt the collegiate schedule of practices and workouts during the week and games on the weekends would allow both Aiden and Macklin to get stronger.

The Celebrinis also valued their sons getting a college education.

Celebrini said having Brisson and Hughes go through this experience as both parents and advisors helped their family. Brisson's son, Brendan, was a first-round pick who played at Michigan before joining the Vegas Golden Knights. All three of his Hughes' sons were first-rounders, with two of them -- Luke and Quinn -- going to Michigan.

Like the Celebrinis, the Hughes family had to decide whether to leave Canada as part of the boys' development. Although they are Americans, the family lived in Toronto for several years when Jim was an assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies before he became the director of player development for the Maple Leafs.

"We lived in Toronto for almost 11 years. My boys pretty much grew up in Toronto," Hughes said. "I could see the pressures of Canadian families with major junior, the OHL in particular. These Canadian kids have a very hard decision to make. If they chose the U.S. route, in particular the Chicago Steel [in the USHL], they go against the grain. It's a very difficult decision. Major junior is a great product."

Hughes said there was pressure when it came time for Jack and Quinn to leave Toronto to play for the U.S. National Team Development Program.

Drawing from that experience played an instrumental role in advising other families. Brisson and Hughes worked with Power and his family as they decided between the OHL and going to Michigan. They were also advisors for Johnson as he and his family were deliberating between the WHL and Michigan.

Power said getting a chance to speak with Quinn Hughes about his decision helped make him feel comfortable with his choice to go to Ann Arbor.

"I'm not saying one decision is better than the other, but we do believe in the path that he took," Hughes said of Celebrini. "He has a lot of flexibility. He can go back to school if he wants or if it is the right team picking him at the draft, maybe they can sign him immediately at the draft."

Rick Celebrini said his sons ended up at BU because the environment reminded them a lot of Shattuck-St. Mary's. With the Warriors playing the Boston Celtics during the 2022 NBA Finals, Rick was able to meet with BU coach Jay Pandolfo and his staff.

Aiden was already committed to BU, but talking to Pandolfo and his staff made Rick feel even stronger about the possibility of Macklin joining his brother.

Later that summer, Pandolfo and his assistants flew to the Celebrinis' home in California to spend the day with the family.

"The irony was we always wanted the boys to go to the same school and Macklin wanted to think about his own path," Rick said. "As much as they are close, he actually considered some different options. They were two independent processes. We gave them our thoughts on it as parents. Whether they chose different programs and had gone to different schools, we would have supported their decision."

Alves reports for weekly Barcelona court visit

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 28 March 2024 06:27

Former Brazil footballer Dani Alves on Thursday checked in at a Barcelona court for his mandated weekly visit, accompanied by his lawyer Inés Guardiola.

Alves, who spent about 10 minutes in court on Thursday and did not address media waiting outside the courthouse, had been released from prison on Monday after making the 1 million ($1.08m) bail payment required while he awaits the result of an appeal to his rape conviction.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

Alves wore a brown jacket over shirt, pants and shoes that were all white and upon exiting the courthouse, walked the few metres to a car waiting curbside. He is required to come to the court every Friday, and any other time when ordered to do so.

Alves last month was found guilty of raping a woman in a nightclub in December 2022 and sentenced to four years, six months in prison. He denied wrongdoing during the three-day trial.

The former Barcelona player on Monday handed over his Spanish and Brazilian passports, with prosecutors having argued against releasing him on bail because of a possible flight risk.

Alves spent the last 14 months in the Brians II prison located 45 minutes from Barcelona, since he was detained preventively by authorities investigating the rape accusation against him.

He is not allowed to leave Spain and is prohibited from approaching or communicating with the victim.

Spain's state prosecutors' office in Barcelona have asked the court to reconsider bail, saying they believed the risk of Alves fleeing increased after he was found guilty. They wanted Alves to remain jailed while awaiting his appeal. Brazil does not extradite its citizens when they are sentenced in other countries.

No date has been set for the appeals trial at a higher court in Barcelona. After that, the case could go to the Spanish supreme court in Madrid. Alves' lawyers are seeking his acquittal while prosecutors want his prison sentence increased to nine years. The victim's lawyer wants him jailed for 12 years.

Information from The Associated Press and EFE news agency was used in this report.

Fulham stadium plans include rooftop pool

Published in Soccer
Thursday, 28 March 2024 06:27

Fulham have unveiled lavish plans for their redeveloped Riverside Stand with a host of premium matchday experiences that club chairman Shahid Khan has said will be "unlike anything in football."

The Riverside Stand was closed off to fans for renovation work in 2019, with the lower tier being opened to the public in 2022. Work on the upper tier is now complete and will be open to supporters from the start of the 2024-25 season.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"My vision for the New Riverside Stand was to provide our fans, and our neighbourhood, with a destination that would continue to honour our history and tradition at Craven Cottage every day of the year, but especially so on matchdays with a premium experience that will be unlike anything in football, here in London or elsewhere," Khan said in a statement.

There are seven matchday experiences on offer to fans in the Riverside Stand, with the top three floors comprising of a "Sky Deck" -- a rooftop providing views of the London skyline and the Thames, along with "experiential food and drink pop-ups." Images released by the club also show a swimming pool on "Sky Deck."

There are two Michelin Star dining experiences available to fans in "The Gourmet" and "The Brasserie", with the latter offering dual-views of an open-air riverside terrace to one side and views of the pitch from halfway line on the other.

Fulham have said they'll be able to provide "most intimate football experience" with "The Dugout", an offering whereby fans will have the chance to sit directly behind the coaching staff and take in the action. They will also have access to a bar enabled with immersive audio-visual technology.

"The Dugout" will be open to the public from the start of next season while the rest of the Riverside experiences are scheduled to open in Dec. 2024.

"Our vision for the New Riverside Stand at Craven Cottage was to create a unique experience that has not been seen before, whether in the context of football or beyond," Philip Johnson, the lead architect of the New Riverside Stand project, said.

"It's a privilege to bring this innovative design to life, with amazing spaces set to house incredible experiences for fans and guests and a world-class terrace that will drive the atmosphere in the ground, all set in a unique location on the banks of the Thames."

The ICC has appointed Sharfuddoula in its elite panel of umpires, making him the first Bangladeshi to be included into the group. The new panel of match referees, however, doesn't include veteran Chris Broad who has officiated in the third most number of international matches.

Broad, who has been in the elite panel since 2003, has officiated in 123 Tests, 361 ODIs and 135 T20Is. He was the match referee in the final of the 2009 T20 World Cup and the 2021 World Test Championship.

"Chris Broad has been a valuable member of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees over many years and has performed his role with distinction," Geoff Allardice, the ICC CEO said in an ICC release. "He was prepared to take difficult calls in the best interests of the game and was respected by players and officials from all over the cricketing world. On behalf of the ICC, I would like to thank Chris for his long and distinguished contribution to the game.

"I would also like to congratulate Sharfuddoula for his inclusion on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, and to acknowledge his achievement of being the first umpire from Bangladesh to be selected on this panel. This is a well-deserved reward for many years of consistent performances in international matches and ICC tournaments."

Sharfuddoula, too, was delighted with his appointment at the highest level, something that he has been aiming for, for a very long time. A former left-arm spinner who played for Bangladesh in the 1994 ICC Trophy, Sharfuddoula took to umpiring in 2007. He made his ODI debut in 2010.

"It is a great honour to be named on the ICC Elite Panel. To be the first from my country on the panel makes it extra special and I look forward to justifying the faith shown in me," Sharfuddoula said. "I have had a fair bit of experience over the years and am ready for more challenging assignments. I would like to thank the ICC and the BCB for backing me and my other colleagues for all their help and guidance. I would also like to thank my family and friends for standing by and supporting me."

He has officiated in ten Tests, 63 ODIs and 44 T20Is in men's cricket. He has also featured in 41 women's international matches.

Last year, Sharfuddoula stood as an umpire in the ODI World Cup, becoming the first Bangladeshi to do so. He also stood in the Brisbane Test between Australia and West Indies earlier this year.

ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees: David Boon (Australia), Jeff Crowe (New Zealand), Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka), Andrew Pycroft (Zimbabwe), Richie Richardson (West Indies), Javagal Srinath (India)

ICC Elite Panel of Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Christopher Gaffaney (New Zealand), Michael Gough (England), Adrian Holdstock (South Africa), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettleborough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Ahsan Raza (Pakistan), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid (Bangladesh), Rodney Tucker (Australia), Joel Wilson (West Indies)

Maruf Mridha, the young left-arm quick who plays for Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy, has risen to the top of the wicket-takers' chart with 16 scalps. At the other end of the experience scale is Legends of Rupganj's Mashrafe, with his five-wicket haul. Abahani's left-arm spinner Tanvir Islam took the other five-for this week, with figures of 6-3-7-5 against Brothers Union.

WHEN JUAN SOTO began to initiate himself with the New York Yankees, his third team in less than two years, the takeaway from those who observed it was how seamless it felt -- how comfortable he looked, how easily he found his voice, how quickly it seemed as if he had been there forever.

He's getting better at this.

"It's definitely easier than the first time," Soto said with a laugh earlier this month, about two weeks after his first official workout as a Yankee. "The first time, it was really tough."

It can be jarring to consider Soto -- the accomplishments he's had, the legends he's been compared to, the trades he's been at the center of -- and realize he is only 25 years old, younger than Adley Rutschman, Bo Bichette and Austin Riley. Before Soto, no player had ever made three All-Star teams and been traded twice before the age of 26.

The latest brought him to his sport's most decorated franchise, for whom he'll debut in an Opening Day matchup against the rival Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Thursday afternoon. The Yankees will pair Soto with fellow superstar Aaron Judge in hopes of revitalizing a lineup that often looked listless amid an 82-win, playoff-less season last year. But only the 2024 season is promised. After it ends, Soto will venture into the free agent market, potentially on the move once more.

There was a time, not too long ago, when Soto thought his career would be a steady and continuous ascension, the type reserved for only a select few of the game's greatest. Debuting at 19, winning the World Series after his age-20 season, claiming a batting title at 21 and drawing comparisons to Ted Williams by 22 will do that. He has since had to grapple with interruption, calamity, imperfection. He believes he has been hardened by it.

"The Nationals showed me the business side of the game," Soto said, "and I'm just glad they showed me that."

Soto spent an entire day crying after being traded away from the Washington Nationals, the team that signed him, shaped him, watched him become a star and helped make him a champion. In the aftermath of his trade from the San Diego Padres 16 months later, in December 2023, he was unemotional, fully adept at navigating the cold realities of professional sports.

"I've been growing a lot," Soto said. "On the business side, I've been learning a lot of things -- about different organizations, different cultures. I think I've been learning from that. I'm happy I'm learning that way, so that whenever I get to one spot I know how to react whenever I get around a clubhouse that is going to be different."

Barring an unexpected extension with the Yankees, Soto, a Scott Boras client, will become baseball's most coveted free agent in a little more than seven months. Given the heavy deferrals in Shohei Ohtani's contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers -- he signed for $700 million, but the present-day value, based on how it impacts the competitive balance tax payroll, sits at $460 million -- Soto still has a chance to sign the richest contract in baseball history.

But what he wants more than anything is stability.

"That's the best thing for me," Soto said. "Stay in one place and try to, whenever I do this deal, just finish in that one spot."


THE DETAILS OF professional sports contracts are often public, forcing athletes to live with the pressure of how much money they make. Few, though, have to live with the pressure of how much money they turn down. Soto lived that reality in the summer of 2022, during a 17-day window that began with the revelation that he declined a 15-year, $440 million extension from the Nationals on July 16 and ended with his trade to the Padres on Aug. 2.

The noise didn't just come from fans and media, but from friends and family, many of them miffed by how anyone, let alone a person with such humble beginnings, could turn down generational wealth.

"It was days," Soto said, "where I'd wake up and I'd get so many text messages, calls, phone calls, everything, that it just made you not even want to go to the field."

Roughly 17 months later, the anger over all of it becoming public still feels fresh.

"I was a guy who was loyal to the team," Soto said. "I always tried to say, 'Anything we do business-wise, it was just between the team and myself.' And it was really shocking for me, it was really tough for me. It was really frustrating at the same time, because I really trusted that team. I gave all my trust to be able to negotiate and do things like that, and when you see stuff like that, you just feel so bad. It was really uncomfortable."

The Nationals' extension offer, which didn't come with any deferrals, would stand as baseball's second-largest contract even today. But its average annual value, $29.3 million, would rank Soto behind 18 other players this season. Given the combined $54 million he will make in his last two arbitration years, Soto projects to do better than that in free agency, especially with another MVP-caliber year in 2024. Any free agent deal exceeding $386 million would net him more money in the aggregate.

Just as big a deterrent as the average annual value for Soto, though, was that the Nationals were for sale at the time.

"You're being offered a contract from a faceless owner," Boras said in a phone conversation. "And Juan Soto didn't want to place his career in that position, because he really wanted to know who he was going to be working with for years to come."

"People can judge you, but at the end of the day, it's you who has to feel comfortable," said retired outfielder Nelson Cruz, a confidant of Soto's with the Nationals in 2022 who briefly joined him with the Padres in 2023. "That made me really proud of him, to see him figure out, 'It's me who has to deal with it.' It was great to see him grow up as a player, grow up on the business side, because he understood his value and what he's worth. He's very educated with that. I hope he gets what he wants."

Once he arrived in San Diego, Soto said, "all the noise just stopped." But the 2022 season still saw him finish with only a .242 batting average and a .452 slugging percentage, by far the lowest marks of his career. The Padres won anyway, making it all the way to the National League Championship Series. The ensuing offseason saw them sign Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract. Later, near the end of February, Manny Machado was given an 11-year, $350 million extension.

It seemed like the Padres -- also tied long-term to Fernando Tatis Jr., Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish -- didn't have any more millions to give. But Soto said he maintained hope of staying, too. His conversations with owner Peter Seidler made him believe it was possible.

"He really wanted me to be part of the team," Soto said.

Boras saved his last exchange with Seidler, a short text message from Nov. 2. In it, Seidler, who late in the season had undergone an undisclosed medical procedure, wrote that he was "improving steadily" and that though doctors had told him to stay off his phone, "I'm going to keep in touch with you anyway." Twelve days later, Seidler died. Sources familiar with the team's thinking believe the Padres ultimately would have had no choice but to trade Soto; it was their best -- and perhaps only -- route to adding starting-pitching depth and getting their payroll below $200 million, two clear goals at the start of the offseason. But many wonder if Seidler would have found a way to keep Soto regardless.

"I only know everything that Peter said to me," Boras said. "Peter Seidler always said to me that Juan Soto will be on his team. He said it 50 times to me -- 'Juan Soto will be on my team.'"


SOTO HAS SAID all the right things about becoming a Yankee. But he hasn't been as effusive as one might expect for what feels like such a natural fit -- a magnetic, star-level player for a premier franchise. Some have rationalized it as another bargaining move, not unlike Soto's decision to turn down the Nationals' final offer; a way to maintain leverage in the lead-up to a free agency that will include the crosstown New York Mets, among others, as aggressive suitors.

It might be something else, though: a defense mechanism. Soto doesn't want to get hurt again, and so he won't allow himself to.

"That's how things go," Soto said. "You definitely love where you're at, you're definitely happy, excited with where you're going to be and how the team's going to be -- but they show you you cannot fall in love, like I did with the Nationals. I was more than excited to be there, and they just cracked everything open and let me go."

Boras has had precisely 52 meetings with Soto ("I keep track of them," he said) to go over "the economics of the game and his value in it." Soto is not just one of the best hitters of this era; at a time when players constantly sacrifice strikeouts to keep up with the high velocities and elevated spin rates of the modern game, his combination of patience and power is unmatched. Soto drew a major-league-leading 412 walks from 2021 to 2023, 136 more than the second-place Kyle Schwarber, but also accumulated 91 home runs, tied for 15th. His adjusted OPS of 157 is the fifth highest all-time through a player's age-24 season, trailing only Ty Cobb, Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle and Jimmie Foxx, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

That he'll be a free agent at 26 years old only adds to the possibility that his next contract will reach the $500 million threshold that had been so elusive until Ohtani. Soto, though, cares about the length of his new deal at least as much as he cares about the value attached to it. It'll be the first contract he signs, but he also wants it to be his last.

"At the end of the day, everybody wants to be where they're going to finish their career," Soto said. "This free agency was really tough for a lot of players, but I think if you ask any guy in the clubhouse, anywhere, they will be happy to be in a long-term deal and try to finish their career where they can be. That's the best thing for me -- to stay in one place and try to, whenever I do this deal, just finish in that one spot."

Soto brought up his four most prominent ex-teammates -- Machado, Bogaerts, Trea Turner and Bryce Harper. Machado, Bogaerts and Turner each signed 11-year deals that carry them through their age-40 season; Harper signed a 13-year contract after hitting free agency at a similar age as Soto will. All have full no-trade clauses.

"Long contracts," Soto said, "because they know they're going to finish their career right there. Anything can happen in the future. Maybe they get traded. But that's going to be on them if they want to get traded, instead of going to free agency and trying the market again. They just know they're going to be there for a long time."


YANKEES GENERAL MANAGER Brian Cashman lowered the expectations early. On the first day of spring training, when he met with the New York media, he essentially stated that, barring something unforeseen, Soto will play out the 2024 season in the Bronx and then become a free agent. It was a reaction to a conversation Boras had with managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner shortly after the trade, during which Boras relayed Soto's desire to "learn what it's like to be a Yankee" before making a long-term commitment.

It was also an acknowledgment of the obvious.

"Scott Boras is his agent," Cashman said plainly. "Scott takes his guys to free agency. That's typically what he does. It's just reading the landscape and recognizing that that is the most realistic avenue. It doesn't mean that's what's going to happen. I don't rule it out. But I just feel like under-promise, overperform is probably, in the New York market, the best thing you can do."

The Yankees are expected to be aggressive in their efforts to bring Soto back this offseason, even if it means giving him a contract that tops the one signed by their captain, Judge, who landed a nine-year, $360 million deal as a 30-year-old in December 2022.

The results of 2024 could have a lot of sway.

The Yankees are coming off one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory and will be without their ace, Gerrit Cole, until at least May or June while he recovers from what has been diagnosed as nerve inflammation and edema in his right elbow. Soto has never needed to be more of a difference-maker, and the early signs were promising. His first seven Grapefruit League games saw him hit four home runs, leaving his new team in awe.

"I feel like he's going to kill the ball every time he swings," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said at the time.

"I knew I would enjoy watching him," Cole said, "but I love watching him."

There are no questions surrounding Soto's ability to hit, but there are plenty surrounding his ability to defend, so much so that there are already talks -- among fans, but also among scouts and executives -- about him eventually transitioning to designated hitter, perhaps sooner than later. It's the one aspect of his game that could prevent the massive contract he once seemed pre-ordained for, and he knows it.

"I want to show people that I can play outfield, I can play defense," Soto said. "I saw those comments and everything, that they say I'm not going to be [much] longer in the outfield. But I feel like I can."

By Statcast's Run Value metric, Soto was a minus-30 from 2018 to 2023, though the number was heavily skewed by an abysmal showing in 2022. He was worth four outs above average in 2021, but minus-16 in 2022 and minus-9 in 2023. In hopes of getting him closer to the metrics of three years ago, Yankees outfield coach Luis Rojas spent a large portion of spring training working with Soto on pre-pitch techniques in hopes of improving his first step, usually by taking live reads during batting practice. His desire to improve has been obvious.

"I noticed that from the first day we talked," Rojas said. "You can sense it right away, when a player takes over a conversation and basically owns it. You see the sense of responsibility that he has for his career, in all areas."

Cruz sees Soto as the prototypical Yankee, for reasons that extend far beyond a short right-field porch. Cruz, 43, spent 19 years in the big leagues and struggled to find someone more focused, more disciplined and more mature than Soto. Those traits, while coupled with a strong demeanor and a hard exterior, have at times distanced Soto from teammates, as some around the Padres can attest to. But Cruz believes they'll be a major benefit under New York's magnifying glass.

"The fans are going to love him," said Cruz, now an adviser with the Dodgers. "He's the type of player the Yankees are looking for."

Soto made fast friends with fellow outfielder Alex Verdugo, his new throwing partner and locker mate at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, Florida. One locker over was Trent Grisham, the veteran center fielder who came over with Soto in the most recent trade. Grisham was on the same Padres team where Soto admittedly struggled to adapt and was surprised to see Soto now so comfortable, so at ease, at such an early stage with the Yankees. He told him as much before the end of the first week.

"He looks happy," Grisham said a few days later. "He looks excited."

He's done this before.

The latest news on cross-country, road, track and fell events including full results from the SIAB Schools International in Dublin

SIAB SCHOOLS INTERNATIONAL CROSS COUNTRY, Dublin, March 23

For a report click here

Inter boys
1 Jake MEYBURGH England 19:26
2 Joseph SCANES England 19:40
3 Alexander HUGHES England 19:51
4 James ALEXANDER Scotland 19:55
5 Michael CLARK England 20:01
6 Jacob HURRELL England 20:05
7 Daire MATTHEWS Ireland 20:06
8 Finlay GOODMAN England 20:08
9 Odhran MCBREARTY Ireland 20:11
10 Jack SANDERSON England 20:14
11 Leo MURRAY Ireland 20:23
12 Alexander LENNON England 20:24
13 Lorcan FORDE DUNNE Ireland 20:26
14 Tristan ROBIN Scotland 20:28
15 Harry MCKENZIE Ireland 20:31
16 Lachlan THOMAS Scotland 20:36
17 Calum DICK Scotland 20:38
18 Declan OCONNELL Ireland 20:38
19 Howie ALLISON Scotland 20:40
20 Rhys JOHNSON Ireland 20:49
21 Daibhidh KINNAIRD Scotland 20:58
22 James FOOT Ireland 21:37
23 Samuel BOYCE Wales 21:45
24 Andrew BAIRD Scotland 21:55
25 William CHALK Wales 21:57
26 Rhys PLADDY Wales 22:02
27 Tomos HORN Wales 22:28
28 Joshua BARNETT Wales 22:40
29 Elis MARTIN Wales 23:21
TEAM:
1 England 25
2 Ireland 73
3 Scotland 91
4 Wales 158

Louie Muir with Fred Jones and Freddie Gibson (ESAA)

Junior boys
1 Louie MUIR Scotland 13:18
2 Fred JONES England 13:19
3 Freddie GIBSON England 13:30
4 Rory MACMILLAN Scotland 13:36
5 Ewan SPAREY England 13:38
6 Harrison MACMILLAN Scotland 13:41
7 William DELAMERE England 13:42
8 Ewan WITHNALL England 13:42
9 Tom GARROD Wales 13:45
10 Thomas FORD England 13:46
11 Yaried ALEM England 13:52
12 Lewis DAVIES Wales 13:56
13 Caspian HOLMES England 14:02
14 Adam NOONE Ireland 14:04
15 Rhuairdh LAING Scotland 14:05
16 Robert COOGAN Ireland 14:08
17 Finlay BURNS Wales 14:14
18 Alfie BARTLEY-ROSE Wales 14:14
19 Ronan KEANEY Ireland 14:21
20 Luke SEDMAN Scotland 14:22
21 Cormac GREENE Ireland 14:26
22 Jack OCOILEAIN Ireland 14:26
23 Cameron MITCHELL Scotland 14:27
24 Finlay LASKEY Scotland 14:29
25 Joel GILLAN Scotland 14:33
26 Aaron AGNEW Ireland 14:37
27 Alan HALLINAN Ireland 14:50
28 Evan BARRY KEANE Ireland 15:03
29 Zac CAMPBELL Wales 15:13
30 Osian PARRY Wales 15:36
31 Osian ROWE Wales 16:01
TEAM:
1 England 35
2 Scotland 69
3 Wales 115
4 Ireland 118

Inter Girls
1 Olivia FORREST England 14:09
2 Shakira KING England 14:13
3 Libby HALE Wales 14:14
4 Caitlin PYE England 14:32
5 Sabrina COPPOLA JOHANSEN England 14:42
6 Holly CROSS England 14:44
7 Ellarose WHITWORTH England 14:49
8 Emily BOLTON Ireland 14:53
9 Millie GOLD Wales 14:55
10 Zara REDMOND Scotland 14:57
11 Maya JOBBINS England 15:01
12 Emily MORRIS Ireland 15:02
13 Clara CASEY Ireland 15:04
14 Dearbhla ALLEN Ireland 15:11
15 Amelia WILLIAMS Wales 15:12
16 Florence EAST England 15:14
17 Jessica TAYLOR Scotland 15:15
18 Eimear COONEY Ireland 15:17
19 Madison HUGHES Wales 15:18
20 Ava DIVER Ireland 15:20
21 Elsa MCGREGOR Scotland 15:29
22 Abigail DOHERTY Wales 15:30
23 Millie PIERCE Wales 15:31
24 Eilidh DALLAS Scotland 15:34
25 Scarlett WILSON Scotland 15:38
26 Cora SCULLION Ireland 15:41
27 Matilda FREW Scotland 15:48
28 Sioned JOHN Wales 15:53
29 Sholah LAWRENCE Ireland 15:56
30 Lois MACRAE Scotland 16:13
TEAM:
1 England 25
2 Ireland 85
3 Wales 91
4 Scotland 124

Freya and Holly Renton with Kitty Scott (Athletics Ireland)

Junior girls
1 Freya RENTON Ireland 10:27
2 Kitty SCOTT England 10:50
3 Holly RENTON Ireland 10:52
4 Summer SMITH England 10:53
5 Ellie BIRCHALL England 10:59
6 Ava KING England 11:00
7 Jorjia MARCH England 11:04
8 Emma HAUGH Ireland 11:05
9 Zoe ALLAN England 11:09
10 Ezrah HARROLD England 11:10
11 Poppy GUEST England 11:16
12 Bryony BOYCE Wales 11:22
13 Rachel KEANEY Ireland 11:22
14 Holly SIMPSON Scotland 11:24
15 Eimear FALLON Ireland 11:30
16 Cerys WRIGHT Scotland 11:31
17 Nansi GRIFFITHS Wales 11:33
18 Emma FLYNN Ireland 11:34
19 Rachel CAVES Scotland 11:37
20 Heather WATSON Wales 11:40
21 Martha BOWN Wales 11:43
22 Ella Grace OSBORNE Ireland 11:53
23 Jennifer MCCARTHY Ireland 11:57
24 Emily CHRISTIE Scotland 12:00
25 Sali OWEN Wales 12:04
26 Anna MEEK Scotland 12:16
27 Emily STANFORD Scotland 12:19
28 Isabella WILSON Scotland 12:26
29 Lucy TAYLOR Scotland 12:40
30 Eleanor WRIGHT-NICHOLAS Wales 13:00
31 Lily MORGAN Wales 13:18
32 Poppy TURTON Wales 13:40
TEAM:
1. England 33
2. Ireland 58
3. Wales 125
4. Scotland 126

Inter Mixed Relay:
1 England 19:16
2 Scotland 19:46
3 Ireland 20:04
4 Wales 20:42

Junior Mixed Relay:
1 England 20:16
2 Scotland 21:19
3 Ireland 21:46
4 Wales 22:01

TRACK & FIELD

BOURNEMOUTH SPRING OPEN, Bournemouth, March 24

U23 mixed events: TJ: 1 W Langridge (Wborne, U17) 13.57; 2 Z Richings (Poole, U17) 13.26; 7 L Hill (Wborne, U20W) 11.41

U17: TJ: 5 J Munden (Bmth, U15W) 9.87/1.8

U15: HJ: 1 W Blackmore (Poole R) 1.76

Men: SP: 1 P Evans (Woking, M55) 10.78. HT: 1 F Hanham (Read, U20) 61.16; 2 G Holder (Bexley, M50) 52.29; 3 M Hicks (Salis, M50) 40.56; 4 P Kelly (Woking, M55) 36.13; 5 P Evans (Woking, M55) 30.16

Mixed events: 3000: A1: 5 I Cherrett (Bmth, U17W) 10:00.73; 7 A OBrien (Bmth, U15W) 10:48.76. 400H: r1: 1 E Hughes (Chelm, U17) 58.27. PV: 1 S Cotterill (Bmth, M45) 3.20. LJ: 2 L Sinnott (Bmth, M40) 6.37/0.1. WT: 7 P Evans (Woking, M55) 11.56. WT: 3 S Wise (Lut, W35) 13.57; 4 I Shepherd (Bmth, W) 12.58; 5 S Armstrong (Bmth, M60) 12.27

U20: DT: 1 F Hanham (Read) 41.42

U17: HT: 1 J Burgess (Ports) 49.31

U15: 200: A1 (0.4): 1 S John (Wborne) 23.40. 300: A: 1 S John (Wborne) 37.68

M50: DT: 1 G Holder (Bexley) 36.71; 2 P Evans (Woking, M55) 35.81

M60: SP: 1 S Dobson (Bmth) 11.01; 2 S Armstrong (Bmth) 10.93. DT: 1 S Armstrong (Bmth) 36.76; 4 N Hooker (G&G, M70) 30.10; 5 B Scott (Mil K, M70) 29.69. HT: 1 S Armstrong (Bmth) 35.45

Women: DT: 1 M Farrar (Wley, U17) 31.96; 2 R Roberts (Worth, U17) 31.93; 3 S Wise (Lut, W35) 30.54. HT: 2 S Wise (Lut, W35) 40.29. JT: 1 J Lewis (And) 38.82; 2 S Turner (And, U20) 36.03

U18: DT: 1 B Mballa (Win, U17) 33.49; 2 A Stobart (Wborne, U15) 27.03

U17: 100: A2 (3.8): 1 D Coslett (Lnelli) 12.35. 200: A2 (-0.8): 1 D Coslett (Lnelli) 25.28. 300: A1: 1 D Coslett (Lnelli) 39.54. HT: 1 A Howie (Worth) 62.44; 2 B Mballa (Win) 45.42

U13: DT: 1 L Myers (Poole) 23.98. JT: 1 M Desborough (Wborne) 32.73; 2 L Myers (Poole) 28.66; 3 B Cassidy (Wborne) 25.57

50 YEARS OF CAC PRE-SEASON OPEN, Grangemouth, March 24

Mixed events: 300: r3: 2 G Knight (Lass, M40) 38.81. HJ: B: 5 J Lanahan (Shett, U13) 1.54

Men: PV: 1 R Todd (Centr, M60) 3.31

U20: HT: 1 L Shaw (Kilb) 44.19

U13: LJ: 1 J Lanahan (Shett) 5.60

M50: HT: 1 R Rogers (Dund H) 32.06

M60: HT: 1 R Todd (Centr) 36.30

Women: TJ: 2 C Allan (VPCG, U15) 9.79/0.7

W50: DT: 1 L Brown (Falk) 27.72; 2 C Cameron (VPCG, W65) 24.63. HT: 1 L Brown (Falk) 29.65; 2 C Cameron (VPCG, W65) 23.58. JT: 1 L Brown (Falk) 25.12

BASINGSTOKE THROWS WINTER SERIES NO HAMMER OR DISCUS, Basingstoke, March 23

U17 mixed events: SP: 1 T Adeniran (BMH, U13) 10.14

Men: JT: 1 J Dibble (Yeov O) 56.86

Mixed events: JT: 1 P Brown (Swan, W) 40.71

U17: JT: 1 H Watson (Yate) 57.34. ?: 1 D Dubras (Jer) 49.91

U15: JT: 1 H Bucher (Chelt) 43.53

U17 women: JT: 1 H Court (Padd W) 48.61; 1 J Howells (Win) 47.00

WINDSOR, SLOUGH, ETON AND HOUNSLOW AC SPRING OPEN MEETING, Eton, March 23

Mixed events: 100: r1 (1.4): 1 L Szalai (WSEH, U17) 11.03. r5 (0.8): 2 M Barough (Oxf C, M45) 12.05. r7 (0.9): 3 S Beak (Woking, M55) 12.86. 200: r1 (0.3): 1 L Szalai (WSEH, U17) 22.10. r3 (0.0): 4 K Kazemaks (Woking, M35) 23.47. r4 (1.6): 3 M Barough (Oxf C, M45) 23.90. r7 (0.4): 3 S Beak (Woking, M55) 26.47. 300: r1: 6 G Sikora (WSEH, U17W) 40.83. r2: 2 B Musa (Read, U15W) 42.03. r4: 2 L Bartlett (Walton, W45) 45.77. 400: r2: 2 A Whiteley (Brack, U20W) 56.97. r3: 4 A Hector (Western Tempo, W40) 63.50. LJ: A: 4 S Taylor (WSEH, U13W) 4.34

U20 men: HT: 1 W Larkins (Harrow) 53.46

Women: JT: 1 F Witheat (WSEH) 42.89

U17: SP: 1 M Hewitt (Chelm) 12.50

SWINDON HARRIERS INVITATIONAL WINTER THROWS, Swindon, March 23

U20 men: HT: 1 B Dickinson (Swin) 46.23

U17: HT: T A Kinneir (Swin) 45.61

U17 women: HT: 1 H Scott (Swin) 42.29

U13: DT: 1 O Powell (Yate) 21.17

W55: SP: 1 R Bird (Chelt) 9.59. WT: 1 R Bird (Chelt) 11.39. HT: 1 R Bird (Chelt) 35.09

INDOOR

ENGLAND ATHLETICS ENDURANCE INDOOR MEET 2024, Lee Valley, March 20

Mixed events: 1500: r3: 1 O McGhee (R&N, U17W) 4:39.41; 2 M Kindler (B Beagles, U13W) 4:43.24; 3 J Walker (Send, U17W) 4:43.96. 3000: r1: 1 M Sanderson (B Beagles, U17) 8:53.69; 3 B Rivero-Stevenet (AFD, U15) 9:24.47; 4 G Watkins (Harl, U15) 9:37.50. r2: 2 O Forrest (B Beagles, U17W) 9:42.53

ROAD

CHEADLE SPRING 5, Cheadle, March 24

Overall: 1 A Mayne (Stoke) 27:25; 2 E Clowes (Newcastle (Staffs) Tri Club, U20) 28:13; 3 B Barrett (Ruge) 28:39

M80: 1 G Bagnall (Alsager Runners) 48:06; 2 A Lewis (Trent) 51:36

Women: 1 E Merrison (Stoke) 31:16; 2 A Kelly (Stoke, W35) 31:46; 3 H Wall (Staffs M, W35) 32:20

W60: 1 C Higgs (Trent) 35:16

EASTLEIGH 10km, Eastleigh, March 24

Gemma Kersey won the womens race in 34:22 with Lucy Elliott going very close to her British W55 record with 36:16 in third.

Lucy Elliott

Overall: 1 J Woods (Worth) 30:19; 2 A Miell-Ingram (Rad) 30:27; 3 A Lennan (Soton) 30:32

M40: 1 A Greenleaf (Win) 31:49; 2 B Brett (Ebne) 32:44

M45: 1 S Hoenig (Soton) 32:39; 2 D Lipscomb (E&E) 33:04; 3 B Underwood (Poole) 33:11

M50: 1 S Cooper (AFD) 34:46

M55: 1 D Allaway (Has B) 35:56; 2 C Oosthuizen (Tone Z) 36:06

M60: 1 K Miyazaki (AFD) 37:13; 2 W Yonge (Hedge End) 38:26; 3 D Shepherd (Lords) 39:18; 4 A Graham (Lords) 39:52; 5 P Coleman (Ton) 40:00

M70: 1 G Ruffle (Hart RR) 42:18; 2 C Fox (New F) 45:12

Women: 1 G Kersey (Bas) 34:22; 2 A Mann (Win, U20) 35:45; 3 L Elliott (Winchester RC, W55) 36:16

W40: 1 D McDermot  37:23

W55: 2 J Gandee (Win) 39:49; 3 T Lake (Salis) 41:17

W60: 1 L Mead 44:21

W70: 1 J Radford (Winchester RC) 52:03

Sri Chinmoy 100km/50km inc British Masters Championships 100km/50km, Perth, March 24

The full report of the event is here

The BMAF Championships were incorporated into a Home International including Ireland and the British Championships, Walter Hill reports.

At most British Championships the podium is dominated by athletes under 35 years of age.

Sarah Webster

At the marathon and beyond this is not always the case and on Sunday Sarah Webster was first W40 with Melissa Gibson second W40 and Julia Davis third the leading W35.

The men who stood on the 100km podium were all younger as M35 Douglas Selman won from 33-year-olds James and Joseph Turner though the first three men in the 50km were all M40s.

The aim for next year is to promote the second British Masters Championships at 50/100km on the same weekend as the British Masters Relays at Mallory Park.

Men (100km): 1 D Selman (M35) 6:34;28; 2 James Turner 6:34:38; 3 Joseph Turner  6:35:37

M45: 1 C McGonagle 6:50:28

M60: 1 J Duffy 8:50:59

Women: 1 S Webster W40 7:03:48; 2 M Gibson W40 7:13:23; 3 J Davis W35 7:25:48; 4 S Hudson dos Santos Figueira W40 8:00:14

W50: 1 K Wilton 9:10:17

Men (50km): 1 R Richmond M40 2:48:25; 2 A Davies M40 2:48:33; 3 T Charles M40 2:57:45

M50: 1 P Stoddart 3:41:48

Women: 1 J Wetton W35 3:29:03; 2 A McGill W40 3:47:47; 3 N Ni Mhaoeileoin 4:03:18

W50: 1 D Warner 4:24:30

W60: 1 F Rennie 5:21:01

GEOFF SMITHS BANBURY 15, Banbury, March 24

Overall: 1 S Smith (C&C, M45) 85:52; 2 M Lock (Wit) 86:26; 3 S Garforth (Head) 87:05

Women: 1 R Weston (Banb) 98:10; 2 M Scott (Head) 1:42:36; 3 A Dewhurst (Sbridge) 1:44:14

HILLINGDON 20, Hillingdon, March 24

Overall: 1 N Impey (Dulw, M40) 1:54:16; 2 R Hogan (Rane, M35) 1:54:19; 3 L Maskew (W&B, M35) 1:55:24

M40: 2 L McIntyre (RunThrough) 1:58:22

M60: 1 A Jordan (St Alb S) 2:17:11; 2 M Turney (Chilt) 2:22:04

Women: 1 L Biemolt (Herne H, W40) 2:19:28; 2 K Riches (Fare, W35) 2:23:21; 3 S Birkin (Metros, W50) 2:24:45

W65: 1 M Jackson (Dac) 3:04:41

KEITH HALL MEMORIAL 10km, Thorney, March 24

Overall: 1 D Hudson (Hunts, M40) 32:36; 2 J Orrell (Hunts) 33:15; 3 S Cameron (Helpston) 34:07

M60: 1 A Leach (N Herts) 35:00

M75: 1 J Stocker (Hunts) 48:30

Women: 1 L Mapp (Hunts) 37:49; 2 M Gracova (Hunts, W40) 39:12; 3 M Skinner (PNV, W40) 40:36

MORAY ROAD RUNNERS 10km, Miltonduff, March 24

Overall: 1 J Wilson (Moray) 31:54; 2 S Cumming (E Suth) 32:21; 3 D MacDonald (Iness, M45) 33:01

Women: 1 C Heggie (Iness, U17) 36:38; 2 G Cormack (Moray) 38:08; 3 H Leigh (High H) 38:31

BERKLEY 20 & HALF FISSION, Gloucestershire, March 23

Overall (20M):  1 S Nott (Calne) 1:50:37; 2 M Bees (Swan) 1:51:09; 3 L Stoppard (Stroud) 1:54:05; 4 A Jones (W tempo) 1:56:42; 5 I Newnes (Stroud, M40) 1:58:48; 6 M Hudd (Stroud) 1:58;52; 7 A Uscott (Stroud) 1:59:22; 8 J Willgoss (CLC) 2:00:11; 9 S Burrows (M45) 2:00:53; 10 G Ware (Stroud, M45) 2:02:42

M40: 2 P Daniels (Calne) 2:02:45

M45: 3 D Thomas (B&R) 2:03:22; 3 B Haines (Weston) 2:04:12

M50: 1 P Francis (Les C) 2:06:25; 2 J Vassallo (Les C) 2:09:50

M55: 1 A Hope (Sev) 2:12:55

M60: 1 G Walker 2:20:05

M70: 1 B Merron (Swin) 2:44:25

M75: 1 M Ford (Chelt) 3:10:25

Women: 1 A McEwing (Erme V) 2:09:57; 2 A Thorn (Erme V, W50) 2:10;45; 3 A Stainthorpe (Calne) 2:11:03; 4 A Halton-Hanley (Chipp, W45) 2:12;45; 5 A Bullingham (W Tempo) 2:18:28

W50: 2 N Jukes (P Bryn) 2:24:41; 3 E Millman (Sev) 2:26:34

W55: 1 T Hill (Stroud) 2:34:50

W60: 1 D Phipps (Stroud) 2:53:06

W65: 1 B Sullivan (Staple H) 3:01:27

Overall (13.1M):  1 A Tedd 74:32; 2 A Payne (Ppridd, M40) 75:06; 3 G Wadsworth (Sville, M40) 75:56

M60: 1 T Marshall (Chep) 81:47

Women: 1 R Stowell (Bitt, W40) 86:19; 2 S Bell (Chep, W40) 88:25; 3 G Collier (Sev) 90:04

W50: 1 M McClachlan 99:18

CHESTERFIELD 10km, Derbyshire, March 24

Overall: 1 P Nind (Holme P) 34:36; 2 S Canning (Sheff RC) 35:39; 3 R Orton (Ripley) 35:40

M70: 1 M Rose (N Der) 45:07

Women: 1 H Gill (Mat, W40) 37:31; 2 S Iliffe (N Der) 40:15; 3 E Baynes (N Der) 41:14

W50: 1 S Atkinson (Dfield) 42:16; 2 S Monicol (N Der) 43:22

W60: 1 A Barker (N Der) 47:08; 2 S Nyland 48:50

W70: 1 I Shorrock 58:04

HULLAVINGTON 20, Wiltshire, March 24

Overall:  1 N Smith (Spa) 1:54:43; 2 M Passmore (Swin, M40) 1:59:12; 3 T Dudden (T Bath, M40) 1:59:27

M40: 3 P Beach 2:01:29

M50: 1 G OBrien (Swin) 2:10:40

Women:  1 H Stables (B Trail, W40) 2:13:06; 2 L Richens (Wbury, W40) 2:15:40; 3 E Hines (Swin, W50) 2:16:20; 4 V Ratcliffe (T Bath, W40) 2:16:43; 5 G Holden 2:21;16

W50: 2 L Midwinter-Brown (Corsh) 2:33:50

OAKLEY 20, Bedford. March 24

Overall: 1 D Ball (R&N, M40) 1:58:32; 2 J French (Wboro, M40) 2:00:12; 3 B Corleys (Bfield, M45) 2:00:30; 4 O Karalskou (Ampt & F) 2:01:33; 5 R Santon (Rside) 2:02:45

M45: 1 I Bryson (Harp) 2:04:25

M55: 1 C Dyce (Saffron) 2:06:59

M60: 1 A Chambers (Ivanhoe) 2:17:31

Women: 1 E Prejac (Dunst, W40) 2;19:49; 2 C East (C&C) 2:20:31; 3 K Godof (Olney, W45) 2:21:31;

W45: 1 R Arnott (NHRR) 2:26:27

W55: 1 J Swinburn (Ampt & F) 2:46:41; 2 A Lynch (Ampt & F) 2:50:50

W60: 1 C Brown (St Ed) 2:51:43

BATTERSEA SPRING FEST 10km, London, March 23

Overall: 1 R Hall (Morn, M40) 34:02; 2 A King (Clap, M40) 34:06; 3 N Henderson (E&E) 34:11; 4 M Gazzelloni (E&E, M40) 34:43

Women: 1 C Scotchbrook (Datch) 37:31; 2 T Best 41:30; 3 E Ganko 41:47

BALLYMENA GOLDEN MILE, Ballymena, March 23

Overall: 1 T Scullion (Ballym R, M40) 5:23; 2 B Kerr (Ballym R, M40) 5:35; 3 D Hanna (Ballym R) 5:36

Women: 1 A Smith (B&A, U17) 6:03; 2 K Hilditch (B&A, U17) 6:24; 3 J Blaney (Lag V, U20) 6:27

FOXTRAIL MT SERIES, Dunbar, March 16

Overall (16km): 1 A Fraser (NBR, M40) 67:17; 2 T Marshall (Edin TC) 69:26; 3 D Sharkey (Cthy, M50) 70:07; 4 Euan Ryan 71:00; 5 Tom Fendick (M40) 71:08; 6 Graham Eastwood 72:18

M60: R Peppiette (NBR) 74:00

Women: 1 V Reid (NBR, W35) 73:56; 2 Sally Barr (W35) 74:12; 3 R Halliday (Dunb RC) 74:24; 4 Anna Aitken 79:03

W55: A Craig (Cthy) 95:12

FLORET FRADLEY 10km, Lichfield, Staffordshire, March 17

Overall: 1 P Ball (B&R) 34:14; 2 B Barrett (Ruge) 34;28; 3 R Meredith 34:45

M40: 1 A Evans 34;56

M50: 1 C Nicholl (Der Tri) 34:40; 2 M Lay L Eaton) 36:46; 3 P Westwood 36:54

Women: 1 T Freeman (B&R) 37:27; 2 E Watters (Bir) 39:33; 3 O Harris (RSC) 40:41

MAGNIFICENT EASTNOR CASTLE 7 MT, Ledbury, Herefordshire, March 17

Overall (tough 7M): 1 T Kennedy (W tempo) 47:06; 2 K Evans (Malvern, M50) 47:26; 3 W Kennedy (W tempo) 47:45

Women: 1 C Plant (Here, W50) 57;15; 2 C Smith (W40) 60:33; 3 J Harris (W40) 61:39

SCOTTISH YOUNG ATHLETES CHAMPIONSHIPS, Greenock, March 17

The cream of Scotlands young athletes swarmed to Battery Park as they vied not only for medals but also for places in the Mini London Marathon.

Oliver Patton and Amy Teasdale took the under-17 titles while Alistair Street lifted a third individual medal for Kibarchan AAC in the under-15 event.

Other gold medallists were Corri McGougan (Falkirk Victoria Harriers) in the under-15 girls race and under-13s Alexander Wotherspoon (Law & District) and Fearne Jarrett (Dundee Hawkhill Harriers).

Team-wise the dominant club was Giffnock North AC who took five of the six titles, missing out only in the under-15 boys event which went to Cambuslang Harriers.

U17 men (5km): 1 O Patton (Kilb) 14:53; 2 O MacDonald (Giff N) 14:56; 3 K Fulton (Moorf) 14:57; 4 J Connor (Giff N) 15:06; 5 J Wallace (Giff N) 15:09; 6 A Nugent (Giff N) 15:13; 7 R Crawford (Adeen) 15:17; 8 R Brown (Tm E Loth) 15:23; 9 A Maclean (Giff N) 15:26; 10 L Thomas (Ross C) 15:36; 11 R Taylor (Lass) 15:40; 12 K Hardie (Harm) 15:41; 13 S Beattie (Harm) 15:41; 14 T Reynolds (Adeen) 15:46; 15 I Wright (Lass) 15:50; 16 R Treharne (Gars) 15:52; 17 S Rice (Kilk) 15:55; 18 F Mackenzie (Metro) 15:59; 19 K Day (Living) 16:03; 20 F Lupton (Harm) 16:07; 21 Z Seenan (Cambus) 16:08; 22 Z Meiklejohn (Giff N) 16:08; 23 C Hendry (Falk) 16:08; 24 J Wotherspoon (Harm) 16:08; 25 D Alexander (Harm) 16:08; 26 C Black (Cambus) 16:20; 27 J Mungin (Kilb) 16:22; 28 A Thomson (E Kilb) 16:24; 29 G Vickers (Cors) 16:28; 30 K Thomas (Ross C) 16:30

TEAM: 1 Giff N 11; 2 Harm 45; 3 Kilb 63

U15 (4km): 1 A Street (Kilb) 12:14; 2 A Wilkinson (E Kilb) 12:21; 3 D Kinnaird (Cambus) 12:32; 4 E Reid (Cambus) 12:36; 5 A Reid (Giff N) 12:39; 6 A Dalgliesh (Gala) 12:45; 7 A MacFadyen (Dund H) 12:50; 8 R MacMillan (Centr) 12:53; 9 D McIntyre (Harm) 12:58; 10 R Charters (E Kilb) 12:59; 11 A ONeil (Cambus) 13:02; 12 H MacMillan (Centr) 13:17; 13 J Frood (Cambus) 13:24; 14 C Campbell (Gars) 13:30; 15 O Hastie (Gala) 13:32; 16 B Baillie (E Kilb) 13:36; 17 D Fletcher (Loth) 13:39; 18 C Nugent (Giff N) 13:39; 19 C Mitchell (Giff N) 13:39; 20 C Chambers (Law) 13:49; 21 T Gornall (Tm E Loth) 13:51; 22 J Smith (Tm E Loth) 13:51; 23 J Daunt (Edin) 13:55; 24 G Adamson (Gala) 13:57; 25 B Heslop (E Kilb) 14:01; 26 H Hoffmann (Edin) 14:09; 27 A Loch (Gars) 14:13; 28 A Stubbs (Annan) 14:15; 29 E Thorpe (E Kilb) 14:19; 30 C Vargesson (Adeen) 14:24

TEAM: 1 Cambus 18; 2 E Kilb 28; 3 Giff N 42

U13 (3km): 1 A Wotherspoon (Law) 10:00; 2 E Tyler (Giff N) 10:13; 3 R Beattie (Harm) 10:13; 4 E Kennedy (Giff N) 10:20; 5 B Upfold (Falk) 10:22; 6 K Dick (Giff N) 10:25; 7 T Mitchell (Falk) 10:28; 8 F Sharp (Living) 10:34; 9 T McInally (Cors) 10:41; 10 L Mcnulty (Giff N) 10:44; 11 S Oliver (Harm) 10:51; 12 M Stubbs (Annan) 10:58; 13 A Forrest (Harm) 11:02; 14 A Tortolano (Giff N) 11:02; 15 H Howl (Harm) 11:02; 16 J Crosbie (Giff N) 11:15; 17 M Connolly (Gars) 11:17; 18 A Watson (Harm) 11:18; 19 F Hamilton (Giff N) 11:21; 20 L Sinclair (Kilk) 11:24; 21 B McAree (Gala) 11:29; 22 M Finlayson (Giff N) 11:35; 23 T Turnbull (Law) 11:47; 24 M Gerrard (Iclyde) 11:57; 25 S Robertson (Gars) 12:01; 26 D Hare (Law) 12:09; 27 C Tunmore (Gala) 12:11; 28 W Heasman (Helen) 12:18; 29 E Tyler (Gars) 12:21; 30 S Currie (Iclyde) 12:22

TEAM: 1 Giff N 12; 2 Harm 27; 3 Law 50

U17 women (5km): 1 A Teasdale (Kilb) 17:03; 2 Z Redmond (Kilb) 17:18; 3 C Heggie (Iness) 17:21; 4 K Sandilands (Fife) 17:22; 5 J Inglis (Law) 17:27; 6 J Taylor (Edin) 17:30; 7 R Walsh (Giff N) 17:36; 8 L Todd (Shet) 17:47; 9 F Campbell (Giff N) 17:52; 10 A Stewart (Storn) 17:59; 11 S McNulty (Giff N) 18:00; 12 S Wilson (Giff N) 18:29; 13 I Ogg (Falk) 18:44; 14 N Luxford (Fife) 18:51; 15 K Woods (Shett) 18:58; 16 L Gibson (Falk) 19:10; 17 B Kitchin (Lass) 19:23; 18 E Konig (Fife) 19:31; 19 A Andrew (E Kilb) 19:35; 20 I Munro (Giff N) 19:41; 21 N McKinlay (Centr) 19:55; 22 S Marshall (Harm) 20:11; 23 O Shepherd (Edin) 20:30; 24 L Brechin (Harm) 20:33; 25 S Taylor (Adeen) 20:36; 26 N McGregor (N Ayr) 20:51; 27 N Padmanabhan (Gars) 21:22; 28 S Cunningham (Giff N) 21:25; 29 C Murrison (VPCG) 21:53; 30 I Hubbard (Giff N) 21:56

TEAM: 1 Giff N 27; 2 Fife 36; 3 Falk VH 64

U15 (4km): 1 C Mcgougan (Falk) 13:42; 2 E Dallas (Strathe) 13:48; 3 C Wright (Lass) 13:57; 4 M Frew (E Kilb) 14:02; 5 H Simpson (Giff N) 14:06; 6 N Corrie (Harm) 14:19; 7 E Stanford (Centr) 14:22; 8 J Needs (Adeen) 14:30; 9 A Gallagher (Giff N) 14:34; 10 M Gairn (Aird) 14:40; 11 E Caldow (Giff N) 14:46; 12 E Gillespie (Aird) 14:50; 13 A Ross (VPCG) 14:59; 14 L McGhie (Giff N) 15:00; 15 N Yates (Giff N) 15:09; 16 I Wilson (Giff N) 15:27; 17 M Meade (Pit) 15:27; 18 M Meade (Pit) 15:40; 19 J Hirst (Edin) 15:40; 20 J Macleod (Cnauld) 15:40; 21 E Reilly (Giff N) 15:42; 22 E Wilkinson (Giff N) 15:52; 23 F Lawson (Tm E Loth) 15:52; 24 G Bruce (Harm) 15:55; 25 M Ovens (Fife) 15:56; 26 E Langdon (Giff N) 15:58; 27 C Charters (E Kilb) 15:58; 28 B McWilliam (Lass) 16:00; 29 L Gibb (Dunf) 16:04; 30 A Kealy (Harm) 16:05

TEAM: 1 Giff N 25; 2 Harm 60; 3 E Kilb 65

U13 (3km): 1 F Jarrett (Dund H) 10:43; 2 E Taylor (Adeen) 10:48; 3 S Robertson (Falk) 10:49; 4 E Nicholson (Kilb) 10:51; 5 I Madhra (Lass) 11:01; 6 L Tonner (Giff N) 11:02; 7 E Cameron (Giff N) 11:05; 8 L Finnigan (N Ayr) 11:06; 9 E Tait (Giff N) 11:09; 10 Z Roberts (Shett) 11:21; 11 H Reid (Dund H) 11:23; 12 B Walker (Cambus) 11:27; 13 E Murdoch (Banc) 11:40; 14 Z Gillespie (Aird) 11:46; 15 M Curley (Kilk) 11:47; 16 A MacFarlane (Harm) 11:50; 17 M Jackson (Giff N) 11:54; 18 H Steele (Adeen) 11:54; 19 P Warner (Dunf) 11:55; 20 A McIlroy (Iclyde) 11:56; 21 C Simpson (Giff N) 11:57; 22 Z McPherson (Helen) 12:00; 23 B Dawson (Spring) 12:01; 24 N Munro (Iclyde) 12:04; 25 E McMillan (N Ayr) 12:06; 26 A De Luca-Ruane (Edin) 12:09; 27 E Hodgson (Dund H) 12:09; 28 E Birrell (Giff N) 12:10; 29 Z Baillie (E Kilb) 12:14; 30 L Martin (Giff N) 12:15

TEAM: 1 Giff N 12; 2 Harm 27; 3 Law 50

Fell races

DON MORRISON EDALE SKYLINE, Edale, March 24

Overall (34km/1373m): 1 J Oldfield (Mat) 2:51:57; 2 T Harrison (Mallam) 2:55:31; 3 M Kenyon (Dron) 2:57:49; 4 Nicholas Hopley 3:07:58; 5 P Montgomery (Dark Pk) 3:08:28; 6 T Barry (Penn) 3:09:36; 7 T Perry (Dark Pk) 3:14:00; 8 T Peel (Dark Pk) 3:14:36; 9 Luke Hornby 3:14:58; 10 E Cowper-Coles (Denb D, W) 3:15:00

M40: C Donnelly (Sale) 3:18:06

M50: S Knowles (Penn) 3:19:24

M60: Toby White 4:25:59

M70: K Holmes (Dark Pk) 5:09:28

TEAM: 1 Dark Pk 20; 2 Penn 35; 3 Ashb 116

Women: 1 Cowper-Coles 3:15:00; 2 Robyn Cassidy 3:20:09; 3 A Watkinson-Powell (Dark Pk) 3:23:34; 4 V Sewell (Knave) 3:23:55; 5 A Berquez (Soaks) 3:31:39; 6 K Sloane (Unsa Ath) 3:36:15

W40: R Marshall (Scar) 3:39:25

W50: N Davies (Green) 3:48:05

W60: R Browne (Bowl) 4:38:37

TEAM: 1 Dark Pk 27; 2 H&R 31; 3 Scar 69

HEPTONSTALL, March 24

Overall (15.4M/3170ft): 1 L Foley (Horw) 1:53:25; 2 J Baxter (P&B) 1:54:40; 3 F Macdonald Oulds (Chorlton) 1:55:37; 4 N Leigh (Horw, M40) 1:58:28; 5 O Beilby (Wharf, M40) 2:00:33; 6 M Malyon (Bail, M40) 2:06:10

M50: A Storer 21:55

M60: I Ferguson (Bing) 2:27:04

M70: J Maxfield (Nburgh N) 3:15:02

TEAM: 1 Wharf 22; 2 Horw 36; 3 Holm 38

Women: 1 A Wall (Horsf) 2:27:39; 2 H Jarvis (Ross) 2:29:32; 3 N Jackson (N Leeds F, W40) 2:32:58; 4 J Wells (Ross) 2:36:11

W50: R Patrick (Tod) 2:43:54

W70: A Baldwin (Stain) 3:39:56

TEAM: 1 Calder V 44; 2 Skelm B 47; 3 Holm 71

CHICKEN RUN, Hayfield, March 23

Overall (13.4km/433m): 1 G Parr (Pstone FPR) 60:47; 2 J Fearn (Bux) 61:07; 3 T Davies (Mercia) 61:33; 4 J Bligh (Mat) 61:49; 5 N Crisp (Manc RR) 62:07; 6 B Martin (Penn) 64:01; 7 C Marchington (Macc) 65:08; 8 L Ashwood (Disl, M50) 65:12; 9 A Francis (Stock H) 65:15; 10 G Brittain (Stock H) 65:38

M55: I Fraser (Penn) 71:08

M65: B Foreman (Mat) 71:45

M70: T Mackey (Dark Pk) 94:05

M75: K Jones (Dark Pk) 1:46:30

Women: 1 Joanne Mosley 71:31; 2 C Leigh (Penn) 75:14; 3 Z Barton (Gdale, W45) 75:15; 4 E Mylchreest (St2jog) 77:04; 5 J Ellis (Penn, W45) 77:17; 6 H Allinson (Penn, W55) 78:01

W60: J Searle (Dark Pk) 83:03

CRAIG DUNAIN, Inverness, March 16

Overall (6.5M/1280ft): 1 R Gollan (E Suth) 37:17 (rec); 2 R Sinclair (HHR) 37:57; 3 A Coupar (E Suth) 38:34; 4 P Vokes (HHR) 38:43; 5 J Yells (HHR) 39:00; 6 J Espie (Dees R) 39:01

M40: D Rowe-Leete (HHR) 41:28

M50: R Burnett (Iness) 45:44

M60: D Weir (Forres) 47:56

TEAM: HHR 11

Women: 1 S Hodgson (HHR) 45:05 (rec); 2 C Graves (HHR) 45:53; 3 H Leigh (HHR) 46:46; 4 J Stephen (Dees R, W40) 47:41

W50: R Mackenzie (Dees R) 55:52

W60: L Smith (Moray) 66:12

TEAM: HHR

HEARTBEAT HOBBLE, Whitby, March 17

Overall (11km/290m): 1 O Shaw (Loft) 46:02; 2 E Sewell (Knave) 46:38; 3 D Bateson (Scar, M40) 47:00; 4 S Leadley (Loft) 47:13; 5 P Lawton (Scar) 49:04; 6 R Preston (Scar) 50:04

M50: A Bushby (CoH) 52:02

M55: J Rodgers (CoH) 54:03

M60: D Hughes (N Yrk M) 55:24

M65: N Ridsdale (Esk V) 58:35)

M75: N Scruton (Scar) 71:09

TEAM: Knave 30

Women: 1 V Sewell (Knave) 50:24; 2 P Browell (Elvet, W50) 58:14; 3 Georgia Campbell 60:40; 4 H Butterworth (Scar, W50) 62:50

W65: S Haslam (Scar) 69:59

TEAM: Knave 14

Speed and control spring footwear 2024

Published in Athletics
Thursday, 28 March 2024 01:53
As marathon season approaches so do the latest road racing shoes aiming to propel us to faster times. Here we take a look at some of the latest carbon racing shoes as well as some supportive training options

Built for speed

Saucony Endorphin Pro 4 230.00

Saucony.com

The update to the Endorphin Pro takes some inspiration from the brands Elite model of last season. Now featuring a midsole which combines the PWRRUN HG foam of the Elite with the PWRRUN PB foam we have a lightweight, yet highly propulsive midsole that when combined with the full-length carbon plate and Speedroll technology provides a super-quick ride.

The overall stack sits just under the World Athletics 40mm limit at 39.5mm and an 8mm drop into the forefoot naturally aids forward motion. The cushioning feels a little softer, especially in the heel but its a welcoming sensation, especially after a few miles and gives a smooth transition from heel to forefoot. Its a pretty snappy feel as you push off, the carbon plate making the most of the Speedroll geometry.

Its light and fast and a great option for racing over the half and marathon distance.

Saucony Endorphin Pro 4

New Balance FuelCell SuperComp Elite v4 260.00

NewBalance.co.uk

With an aggressive rocker design and geometrically sculptured high-stack midsole, the Elite v4 makes a striking entrance to the start line.

A refreshed FuelCell midsole uses a PEBA-based foam sandwiching the brands Energy Arc full-length carbon plate. The Energy Arc maximises potential energy return with the use of void in the midsole to allow it to compress on impact before the push-off, propulsive phase of the stride. It works well and also makes for a very stable ride given the soft overall feel of the foam cushioning.

A rocker design from heel to forefoot makes the whole shoe roll along very smoothly for a soft, efficient and propulsive ride.

The Elite v4 is a great update to the previous model providing a gently revised model that feels familiar enough to go straight to the start line.

Its another race-day option that offers exceptional cushioning and versatility making it a good choice for any distance from 10km and beyond.

New Balance SC Elite v4

Mizuno Rebellion Pro 2 210.00

Emea.mizuno.com

Arguably the most aggressive-looking racing shoe of this line-up, the Rebellion Pro 2 revises the previous version with improvements to stability, cushioning and energy return.

Its still a shoe very much focussed on faster runners and its when travelling at speed that the best of the shoe becomes apparent.

Despite the illegal appearance of the shoe, its stack height (at the point of measurement for WA rules) is 38mm, but we do see additional cushioning in the forefoot of the new model, increasing to 36.5mm.

A new carbon-infused plate uses a ribbed texture to increase the snappy feel of the ride and energy return is said to have been improved by 32%!

Its the unusual-looking geometry of the midsole that does the magic here, encouraging a more midfoot strike and a larger contact area. On impact, the cushioning is soft and more stable than the previous model thanks to a broader midfoot section. The foot quickly rolls forward thanks to the rocker shape and plate creating one of the most obviously propulsive feeling shoes on the market.

Theres no denying the propulsive nature of this shoe, its simply screaming to go faster and its at speed that you get the best of it.

Whilst more efficient runners can tackle the marathon in this model, I personally felt I was getting the most benefit from the shoe at between 5km and half-marathon distance. Nonetheless, its a fast and highly propulsive model and given the technology on offer a relatively competitively priced option alongside the competition.

Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro 2

Adidas Boston 12 140.00

Adidas.co.uk

Offering a little more versatility as well as good value, the Boston 12 is a shoe thats capable of tackling races as well as faster-paced daily training.

The shoe uses the brands glass-fibre-infused ENERGYROD 2.0 system as opposed to a carbon plate. These rods follow the foots metatarsals and provide the more propulsive forefoot push-off. A combination of Lightstrike Pro cushioning found in the out-and-out racing models is combined with Lightstrike 2.0 EVA foam to sandwich the rods giving a good combination of cushioning, propulsion and durability.

The Boston 12 sits neatly between the brands line-up of training shoes and competition models and provides a good option for faster-paced training, tempo runs and interval sessions on the roads. Its perfectly capable on race day and offers increased durability over specific race models.

Its a fast feeling, versatile option making it a great allrounder.

adidas adizero Boston 12

Training options

Saucony Guide 17 135.00

Saucony.com

This very popular support-type shoe from Saucony sees a major change in this, the 17th edition. Gone is the traditional medial support in favour of a midsole that, thanks to its shape and structure helps control pronation.

A broader base, flared heel cushioning and straighter last through the medial aspect of the shoe all contribute to helping to keep pronation under control. The deep stack of cushioning also features higher side walls that cup the heel for a stable yet natural ride.

Theres plenty of cushioning from the PWRRUN midsole and a soft PWRRUN+ innersole makes the step-in sensation very plush and welcoming.

An engineered mesh upper wraps around the foot neatly and is nicely padded in the tongue, ankle collar and Achilles. The design allows plenty of breathability and its typical of the brands good-quality uppers.

The new Guide 17 offers great all-around support and cushioning and does it in a package that disappears around the foot leaving you to concentrate on the running.

Saucony Guide 17

Brooks Glycerin GTS 21 165.00

Brooksrunning.co.uk

A DNA Loft v3 Nitrogen-infused midsole sees an increased stack height over the previous generation of this range-topping support shoe from Brooks. This additional 2mm of cushioning gives the shoe a slightly softer and slightly springier feel to improve what was already a very popular model that above all else excelled in terms of durability.

Brooks nitro-foam midsoles have proven to be among the best when it comes to retaining their cushioning properties mile after mile and with the improved stack on offer here that should only be even better.

Support comes by means of the GuideRails system and provides a natural feeling amount of control that performs well for a wide range of runners.

The upper is very plush, with high levels of all-around padding in keeping with the highly cushioned nature of the shoe.

Its the brands premium support model but given its durability, it offers good value. We found previous models continued to offer great cushioning when competitor shoes had lost the spring from their step many miles earlier.

Brooks Glycerin GTS 21

HOKA Arahi 7 130.00

Hoka.com

Remaining largely unchanged from the Arahi 6, the Arahi 7 retains the J-Frame support and

CM-EVA cushioning. The J-Frame is a firmer section of the midsole sitting around the edge of the rear of the shoe in a J-shaped structure. The combination of a softer cushioning core within the frame provides the support.

Its a unique method of providing control and works effectively for those requiring milder levels of control. The lightweight EVA also helps to keep the overall weight of the shoe low.

Of course, the brands meta-rocker is present and this gives the whole shoe a relatively smooth riding sensation.

A new zonal engineered, flat-knit upper with plusher tongue and ankle collar are the revisions this season and only serve to improve the overall fit, so fans of this shoe will be grateful the model hasnt strayed too much from its formula.

Its a lightweight, supportive shoe with a lower heel drop perfect for those wanting a shoe that offers control but is light enough to pick up the pace in.

HOKA Arahi 7

Hylo Impact 150.00

Hyloathletics.com

The second shoe from the brand, the Impact, aims to do just that with a new midsole comprised of supercritical nitrogen-injected foam with a bio-based EVA to create a responsive yet stable ride.

A flared medial aspect of the midsole helps keep the ride stable and works relatively well for those requiring milder levels of control.

The overall ride of the shoe is a soft and welcoming feel that sits between that of a well-cushioned training shoe and a more tempo run focussed option. The midsole feels soft on initial impact and a little firmer and more responsive on toe-off.

The brand aims to create shoes with less of an environmental impact, so all areas of the shoe feature varying levels of bio-based and recycled content from the laces and upper to the cushioning and sole.

The outsole is inspired by a racing car tyre, with long strips of rubber for durability and cut-outs to dispel water in the wet.

The shoe feels like it sits between a training model and a racing shoe and as such is a relatively versatile option. It could be a one-shoe does-it-all-all model for some runners. The use of bio-based EVA is certainly a great consideration and here, combined with the supercritical foam makes for a nice feeling midsole. Its great to see this type of execution in a technical running shoe and only bolds well for the future of such materials and products.

HYLO Impact

Soccer

USWNT's Albert apologizes after Rapinoe criticism

USWNT's Albert apologizes after Rapinoe criticism

EmailPrintUnited States women's national team midfielder Korbin Albert apologized on Thursday for pr...

Leicester sack women's boss for breach of conduct

Leicester sack women's boss for breach of conduct

EmailPrintLeicester City manager Willie Kirk has been dismissed from his position after an internal...

Davies' agent blasts Bayern's contract 'ultimatum'

Davies' agent blasts Bayern's contract 'ultimatum'

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe agent of Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies has criticised the...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

Basketball

Hornets shut down LaMelo (ankle) for season

Hornets shut down LaMelo (ankle) for season

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCharlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball will not play again this season...

Lawyer: Ex-G Leaguer won't face death penalty

Lawyer: Ex-G Leaguer won't face death penalty

EmailPrintFormer G League player Chance Comanche, who was charged with the murder of a woman whose b...

Baseball

Heroic debut: Soto's throw saves Yankees in 9th

Heroic debut: Soto's throw saves Yankees in 9th

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsHOUSTON -- That Juan Soto's first signature Yankee moment happened...

Ohtani welcomed, helps Betts, Freeman drive win

Ohtani welcomed, helps Betts, Freeman drive win

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was pleased with the quality of his at...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

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