SIR CLIVE WOODWARD: The Lions' victory over Australia was like watching men against boys - here's why that's a worrying sign
It was not what a Lions series should all be about.
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lionesses set for bus parade celebration after dramatic Euros win
The Lionesses are set for an open-top bus parade in central London as part of the celebrations following their historic Euros win, but there are no plans for a bank holiday. England fans erupted with joy across the country as the team defended their Euros title in a penalty shootout win over Spain in the final in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday. Chloe Kelly scored the winning spot-kick following two huge saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton – sending supporters in fan zones into raptures. The King said the team had the royal family's 'warmest appreciation and admiration' following their victory, adding: 'The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can.' The team will attend a homecoming celebration event on Tuesday, with a ceremony due to take place outside Buckingham Palace. There will be an open-top bus parade along the Mall before the ceremony at the Queen Victoria Memorial, the FA said. Fans can attend for free and it will be broadcast live on BBC, ITV, and Sky. However, it is understood Downing Street has no plans for a bank holiday to mark the Lionesses' triumph. Supporters stood on tables, waved flags, threw drinks in the air and excitedly hugged each other as England claimed victory, while the Prince of Wales and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer watched on from the stands in Basel. Alessia Russo gave the Lionesses hope of retaining their Euros title with her second-half equaliser after Mariona Caldentey netted the opener for Spain in the 25th minute. In a statement posted on X after the game, Charles said: 'This brings you, your manager and all your support team my most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025. 'For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant 'football's coming home'. 'As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true. 'For this, you have my whole family's warmest appreciation and admiration.' The King added: 'More than that, though, you have shown through your example over past weeks that there are no setbacks so tough that defeat cannot be transformed into victory, even as the final whistle looms. 'Well done, Lionesses.' A picture of the Prince of Wales with his arm around his daughter Princess Charlotte was posted to X following the presentation of the trophy to the Lionesses, with the caption 'champions of Europe'. The pair congratulated the team in a short statement, saying: 'What a game! Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment England.' The statement was the first message Charlotte has personally signed on the Prince and Princess of Wales's X account. Tower Bridge was lit up in red and white following the Lionesses' victory, the City Bridge Foundation said. Sir Keir was the first to congratulate England on their win – posting on X: 'Champions! Congratulations Lionesses – what a team. What a game. What drama. 'You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers.' William was spotted in the stands applauding and celebrating with those around him – including Princess Charlotte. As the presentation ceremony took place, the Prince of Wales was among those to congratulate star striker Michelle Agyemang on being named young player of the tournament. William exchanged words with Agyemang, appearing to say 'well played, fantastic, well done'. Agyemang, 19, who had one England cap before the tournament, scored crucial equalisers in the Lionesses' quarter-final and semi-final comebacks. There was non-stop applause in her home town of South Ockendon as fans saw the Arsenal forward step through a guard of honour to pick up her award. Supporters at her old club Brandon Groves AFC danced a conga line to the sounds of Vindaloo after England's victory. The club's vice-chairwoman, Paula Howes, said Agyemang will help give youngsters the 'motivation and drive' to progress from grassroots football to the top of the game. She said: 'I think she (Agyemang) has got that determination and that drive on the pitch, and the girls can connect with that. 'It is also knowing that she is a local girl as well, I think that helps give them the motivation and drive, to know that you can start at grassroots football and progress up to the higher level, if you work at it.' The National Autistic Society congratulated their ambassador Lucy Bronze on the Lionesses victory, adding: 'We hope she has inspired the next generation of autistic girls to follow their dreams.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy also gave her reaction to the win, saying: 'What an absolutely extraordinary achievement by our Lionesses – once again they have made history and united the country with pride and joy.' England's path to the final was marked by late drama. They sealed their spot with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy, following a penalty shootout victory against Sweden in the quarter-finals after nearly crashing out in extra time.
Times
24 minutes ago
- Times
LTA ‘breaking law' by letting trans women play in female contests
The Lawn Tennis Association has been accused of breaking the law by encouraging tennis clubs to allow transgender women to play in internal competitions for female players. In January this year the LTA, Britain's national governing body for tennis, banned trans women from competing in the women's category for most domestic tournaments. However, the ban did not extend to social tournaments and championship competitions held within tennis clubs, in which many female grassroots players compete. Instead, in an update of its trans and non-binary participation policy, the LTA ruled that it was at the discretion of the individual clubs as to whether trans women should be allowed to take part in these internal 'non-specified competitions'. The guidance also goes a step further by encouraging tennis clubs to permit transgender women to participate in female competitions they hold internally. It states: 'We strongly encourage venues to start from a presumption of being inclusive for trans and non-binary players by ensuring they provide competitive opportunities which allow them to take part in the category which matches their gender identity.' In addition, it says that officials and organisers need to think about what is more important at this level of competition: 'Ensuring absolute fairness in the competition or making trans people feel included and a part of your tennis community by enabling them to compete in the category that matches their gender identity.' Campaigners lobbying for female sporting categories to remain single-sex claim that the LTA's policy is 'unlawful', which the tennis governing body denies. They say it leaves tennis clubs open to being sued, particularly in light of the Supreme Court judgment earlier this year. The Supreme Court ruled in April that under the Equality Act 2010 the legal definition of a 'man' and a 'woman' refers to their biological sex. In the wake of this judgment many sporting bodies moved to amend their transgender inclusion policies to ban trans women from competing in female categories. Su Wong from SEEN in Sport, one of the campaign groups opposed to the LTA's guidance, said: 'Most people are unaware that the LTA is encouraging clubs to adopt a policy that exposes them to risk of litigation. 'They are encouraging tennis players to be allowed to self-ID as the opposite sex, which is not recognised in UK law, and they have not adjusted this policy following the Supreme Court ruling. 'Inclusion' somehow never includes the women who want to play single-sex sports.' Former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who has campaigned to keep women's sport single sex, wrote on X: 'This is an insane & illegal position by the LTA.' Sharron Davies LIA TOBY/GETTY IMAGES A senior LTA source rejected the suggestion that the Supreme Court judgment requires sporting governing bodies to ban trans women from playing the female category at levels including recreational play. He told The Times that it was important clubs had flexibility to set their own rules about trans inclusion in internal competitions for a number of reasons. For example, he said it would be 'nonsensical' if a club specifically set up for LGBTQ people could not hold a competition which was trans and non-binary inclusive. He made the further point that banning transgender women from all forms of competition in the female category would mean that they could not play in the gender with which they identify at any time, even with people who were perfectly happy to do so. But Wong questioned: 'Why don't the LTA recognise that trans players are already included in their own sex and mixed-sex categories and focus on making them feel welcomed and included there?' • A spokesman for the LTA said 'A policy which allows clubs the freedom to make their decisions locally is compliant with the law. 'However, we will continue to keep the policy under review, in particular in the context of any further guidance from government and other relevant public sector bodies'. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has issued an 'interim update' on the practical implications of the Supreme Court judgment, said it will address the rules about when competitive sports can be single sex in due course.
Daily Mail
24 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ben Stokes sees his pain as a friend not a foe after channeling late father's spirit to deliver brave, bicep-straining spell in gripping fourth Test
Before the fourth Test became a long and frustrating succession of strangled England appeals and stubborn India resistance, before the match turned into a vaudeville of full tosses and slogged sixes, the morning session provided some of the most compelling theatre of even this wonderful series. It centred on Ben Stokes and his relationship with pain. It is an interesting correspondence that these two share. Sometimes, it almost feels as if they are friends, as if Stokes welcomes pain as just another thing for him to overcome, something to make him feel worthy of this gift that he has been given, and of his father, Ged. It became evident from the first ball he bowled that the England captain was carrying an injury to his biceps tendon in his right arm. He clutched at it after every delivery but he would not submit to it. He ran in time after time after time, over after over, long after the toll he was exacting on his body began to make many in the ground feel uneasy. And even though he was clearly in agony, he was still England's best bowler on a day that was to end in disappointment and anticlimax. Only he, and briefly Jofra Archer, caused India any real discomfort. Only he extracted enough life out of redoubtably flat pitch to suggest that England might yet force the win that would have clinched the series. One of the things that makes Stokes such an inspiring leader and the most charismatic character in English sport is that his career appears to be guided by the principle of sacrifice of self in the service of the team. If that means staring down pain, in refusing to submit to it, then so be it. Some of it is learned behaviour. His late father, Ged, an indomitable rugby league player, was a famously courageous player who, to less formidable human beings, was almost comically resistant to physical discomfort. The most celebrated example of his defiance was an injury he sustained to his finger in a match in his native New Zealand in 1982. 'I thought to myself, "I don't really want to come off for a dislocated finger",' he said later, 'so I put it back in myself — and broke it. I spent the year playing in England with it strapped up. When I came back, I had to get my knee cartilage trimmed, so I got my finger off at the same time.' Ged later accepted that spending a season in England with a finger permanently pointing straight ahead was cumbersome'. The England captain paid an affectionate tribute to his dad when he reached his century here on Saturday, looking to the sky and folding his middle finger under his palm to imitate the effect of his father's amputated digit. It has been his favoured celebration since before Ged passed away in 2020. But he pays tribute to his father every time he plays because of the manner in which he plays, because of the courage with which he plays, because of the way that his first thought is for the team not for individual successes or, indeed, his own wellbeing. Only Stokes, only an injured Stokes, ever looked like denying India a famous draw. He bowled his heart out for eight overs in succession in his morning spell, sacrificing himself with the old ball to keep his strike bowlers fresh for the new ball, which was due 17 overs into the day. From Stokes's first over, when Shubman Gill survived a loud appeal for lbw, and played and missed twice, the England captain, who is this series' leading wicket taker, looked like the most dangerous component of the attack. Stokes nearly claimed Gill's wicket in his second over when the India captain lofted a shot to extra cover. Ollie Pope leapt to try to catch it and got both hands to it at the top of his leap but the ball was just too high and it spilled from his fingers. After the match, Stokes admitted he had been in agony — but insisted 'pain is just an emotion' and said he was unlikely to miss the Oval Test It was not long before Stokes finally broke India's 188 third-wicket partnership by trapping KL Rahul lbw by rapping him on the pad of his back leg. Rahul was plum and Stokes did not even bother turning to look at the umpire as he ran towards the slips celebrating. By now, Stokes, who took five wickets in India's first innings, appeared to be in considerable pain. He grabbed at his shoulder after every delivery, wincing and trying to massage the joint with his left hand. When he was fielding in the covers, he let his right hand hang loose by his side to try to get some relief. Soon, it became obvious he could not field with his right hand after a delivery. But still he did not seek release. The first ball of his fifth over reared up off the pitch and hit Gill on the glove and then smashed into his helmet. Gill leapt away from the crease, shaking his hand. The Indians were not strangers to pain in this Test, either. Rishabh Pant batted with a broken foot earlier in the match. Stokes bowled on. The drinks break came and went and he resumed from the Sir James Anderson End. Some worried that it was madness, that he might be risking the kind of injury that would stop him travelling to Australia for the Ashes this winter and appearing at the Oval for the fifth Test this week. But Stokes does not think like that. 'The likelihood of me not appearing at the Oval is very unlikely,' he said after the game. Pain is just another adversary to be conquered. He only yielded when the new ball was due, his job and his duty done. 'How are you feeling physically?' Stokes was asked after the match. 'Been better,' he said with a grin. 'I said a few times to the guys out there, "Pain is just an emotion".'
