'We'll just miss out again' - Walcott on trophies at Arsenal
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
Bursary student looks to break boundaries in professional cricketing world
A talented cricketer is hoping to make his name in the professional game after signing for one of England's top counties. South African-born student Caleb Falconer, 18, has joined Middlesex on an academy contract and hopes to turn professional. The all-rounder has already appeared for the county's 2nd XI after moving to the UK to study in the sixth form at Millfield School in Somerset with a sports scholarship. Caleb, from Gqeberha, South Africa, has now achieved D* D grades in BTEC sport and a C in his business studies A-level. ' Cricket was in my life from as early as I can remember,' said Caleb, who from the age of two would follow his father Stuart, an elite cricket coach, to sessions at schools and clubs around his hometown. 'Throughout my childhood I tagged along to the sessions my dad would be taking and looked to pick up whatever I could. 'That's where my love of cricket was born and I went from there.' During those formative years Caleb looked up to iconic South African batter AB de Villiers, widely renowned as one of the finest players of his generation. 'For any young cricketer growing up in South Africa at that time, they would all say AB de Villiers is the player that inspires them,' he said. Caleb was the 2024 recipient of the Middlesex CCC youth player of the year award after scoring 1,062 runs for the U18s, including a double century against Sussex. That led to playing for the county 2nd XI and scoring a century against Lancashire before being called up for an England Invitational XI. The teenager moved to England having found his opportunities to play cricket in South Africa were reduced because of the quotas system in place to encourage the development of ethnic minority cricketers. His family based themselves in Berkshire, while Caleb joined the school as a full-time boarder. Mark Garaway, Millfield's director of cricket, said: 'It has been a privilege to work with Caleb over the past two years. 'He is an exceptional talent, as demonstrated through his performances for both Millfield and Middlesex CCC throughout the 2024 and 2025 seasons. 'His time here has been filled with moments that will be long remembered. Beyond his ability on the field, Caleb is a remarkable individual and natural leader. 'He has earned the respect of staff, coaches and fellow students alike, who have all admired his maturity, composure and calmness, especially in high-pressure situations. 'These are the hallmarks of a truly great leader. We are all excited to follow Caleb as he takes the next step in his cricketing journey with Middlesex CCC, and we wish him every success in the professional game.'
Daily Mail
17 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Aston Villa given fitness boost for key man ahead of Premier League opener against Newcastle
Aston Villa are increasingly hopeful that Morgan Rogers will be fit for Saturday's Premier League opener against Newcastle. The forward, a contender for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, damaged his ankle in a pre-season friendly against Roma on August 6 and did not feature in the preparation games against Marseille and Villarreal. But Rogers has been involved in training this week and confidence is growing that he will be ready for the clash with Eddie Howe 's team at Villa Park. Rogers, 23, was one of the breakout stars of the last Premier League campaign, hitting double figures for goals and assists in all competitions, and breaking into the senior England squad. Aston Villa are hopeful Morgan Rogers will be fit for Saturday's Premier League opener against Newcastle He signed a new deal with Villa less than a year ago but his progress has been so rapid that the club are expected to offer him improved terms in the coming weeks, as first revealed by Daily Mail Sport on July 21. Villa have been relatively quiet in the market this summer, though they remain in talks to sell homegrown midfielder Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for about £40million, after Villa brought in Evann Guessand from Nice for about £28m to bolster their attack. Instead, the focus has been on securing the futures of their key players, with Boubacar Kamara and Lucas Digne signing new deals and others, including Youri Tielemans and John McGinn, expected to follow. Villa are also looking at a deal to bring back Marco Asensio, who spent the second half of last season at the club on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Arne Slot makes Liverpool title claim as new deal sees transfer spend pass £300m
Liverpool will be favourites to defend their Premier League title this season after spending over £300million on new players, but Arne Slot is clear on the challenges they face Arne Slot believes this Premier League season will be harder than ever. The Reds have splashed the cash with their spending to go north of £300million once they complete the capture of Giovanni Leoni today for £26m. But they have also lost key men such as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz in a summer of change at Anfield for the reigning champions. While their title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City have also spent big to strengthen their squads for what could be a titanic title tussle this season. Slot said: "The reason that is so difficult is there are so main competitors who can also win the league here. To win it once is already very, very special. That is unbelievable if you are able to do it [twice] in this league. This year it is probably going to be harder than before." The Reds kick off their campaign on Friday night against Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool will have some new weapons in their artillery for their title defence. Not least the £116m signing of Florian Wirtz. The British transfer record fee will heap pressure on Wirtz but Slot is not concerned about it having an affect on the 22-year-old midfielder. 'He might be young but he already won a lot,' he said. 'Factually, we can see him as a young player but in terms of his experience, I don't see him as a young player. 'He won the league with Germany, won the cup, has played for his country numerous times and apart from that, his mentality is his biggest strength. That says a lot because if you see him play, you're like: 'Are you serious because he's so creative'. But how mentally strong he is, he doesn't get distracted at all by a transfer fee or anything else.' But there will be some adaptation needed for Wirtz after arriving from Bayer Leverkusen, where he worked under Xabi Alonso. Slot added: 'Good players always find a way to play well in good teams and he is a good player in a good team. 'He does like all the others (need help). We have a very good player care department so I'm not looking for houses with him or these kind of things. 'But on the pitch, on the training ground and in videos, he needs help in how we want to play. That's not different than Xabi Alonso. The system is different but we want to be intense like Xabi Alonso wanted him to be intense. 'Xabi wanted to bring him in positions we try to bring him in. But it's true he adjusts to England, the league, the intensity and to his new team-mates but if you saw the games, his adjustment went better than even expected and we expected a lot.'
