Australian Darts Masters LIVE RESULTS: Action on NOW as Luke Littler faces Puha in opener, Humphries through
Luke Littler will take to the oche in Wollongong, just two weeks on from his historic World Matchplay victory over James Wade.
The teenage sensation gets his campaign underway against Haupai Puha this afternoon.
And he'll be hoping to join Luke Humphries in the next round, who battled back from two legs down to beat Jonny Tata 6-3.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
How a Pacific Islander revolutionised swimming by bringing the 'Australian crawl' freestyle stroke to the world
In the early 20th century, Sydney 's Bronte Baths witnessed a race that would forever change the world of competitive swimming. The year was 1901, and in an ocean pool carved into sandstone cliffs, a 14-year-old Solomon Islander named Alick Wickham dived into the water to showcase a stroke that would soon be known as the Australian crawl. What started as an instinctual adaptation soon blossomed into the fastest and most efficient swimming technique, influencing generations of swimmers and revolutionising competitive freestyle events. The Australian Crawl, marked by its alternating overarm action, flutter kick and rhythmic side breathing, is the backbone of modern freestyle swimming. It is often considered the fastest stroke, and its development was not without its controversies and cultural exchanges, which ultimately led to the stroke's transformation from a local curiosity to an international standard. Born in 1886 in the Solomon Islands, Alick Wickham grew up in the Roviana Lagoon, an area where the sea was an integral part of life. Despite facing racism in early 1900s Australia, Wickham's swimming success brought national recognition and admiration from sporting crowds As a child, Wickham was taught a unique crawl stroke, later known as the Australian crawl, by his indigenous community. This stroke was adapted to tackle the challenging open-ocean currents, something that would later captivate the attention of Australian swimmers. In 1901, Wickham moved to Sydney, where he quickly became known for his swimming prowess at Bronte Beach's sea baths. It was here that the stroke caught the eye of Australian coach George Farmer. According to Farmer, upon seeing Wickham's performance, he exclaimed, 'Look at that kid crawling!' This moment marked the birth of the term 'Australian crawl' and set the stage for the stroke's future prominence. Arthur Freeman, an observer of Wickham's technique, described the swimmer's rhythmic six-beat kick as reminiscent of an outboard motor. Freeman's comparison highlighted the unique power of Wickham's stroke, which combined speed and efficiency in a way that had not been seen in Western swimming before. Despite these innovations, the world had not yet fully appreciated the significance of Wickham's stroke. The stroke's adoption was not immediate, as swimmers in Australia were still experimenting with various techniques. Yet, Wickham's performance at the 1901 Eastern Suburbs Swimming Carnival in Sydney would prove to be the turning point. His dominant victory in the 66-yard event was a clear demonstration of the crawl stroke's superior speed. His swim was described as 'romping away' from the competition, leaving spectators in awe. As the popularity of the stroke spread, it became clear that Wickham's technique had potential beyond Australia. The front crawl, once considered clumsy, was now viewed as the future of competitive swimming. Other swimmers, including Dick Cavill, took Wickham's stroke and refined it further, eventually bringing it to the international stage. However, the journey of the Australian crawl was not without its challenges. Wickham, who had grown up in a predominantly white society, faced significant racism during his rise to fame. As he gained recognition, the Australian media initially branded him with derogatory terms. Yet, with his undeniable success in the water, the language surrounding him began to change. Wickham's transition from being described with racial slurs to being hailed as a 'bronzed' Pacific Islander marked a shift in how he was perceived, his swimming talent shielding him from some of the racial prejudice of the time. Though Wickham was instrumental in the development of the Australian crawl, it was not until Australian swimmers like Cavill and other notable athletes showcased the stroke internationally that it truly gained traction. In the early 20th century, swimmers who used the crawl often faced criticism for their lack of elegance compared to breaststroke swimmers, which was considered the gold standard of 'elegance' in swimming. Yet, the crawl's unmatched speed began to overshadow these concerns, paving the way for it to become the dominant swimming style in competitive swimming worldwide. Wickham's legacy, however, extends beyond the pool. He was also an accomplished diver, setting a world record in 1918 with a 62-metre swan dive into the Yarra River, attracting over 70,000 spectators. His dive, part of a fundraising event for Australian soldiers, remains one of his most remarkable achievements. 'I could not say how I reached the water or how I struck it,' Wickham later recalled. 'But I do know that I was sore and bleeding in places from the chest to the waist.' Despite his swimming and diving accomplishments, Wickham's personal life was far from easy. After years of competitive swimming, he returned to the Solomon Islands, where he led a relatively quiet life. He remarried and had several children, and though he worked as a taxi driver and did various jobs to make ends meet, his earlier fame had faded into obscurity. However, his contributions to the world of swimming were not forgotten. In 1967, when Wickham passed away at the age of 81, his legacy as a swimming pioneer was far-reaching but not fully recognised in his home country. While he is honoured in the Solomon Islands, including a swimming pool named in his honor in Honiara, his name is not as widely celebrated in Australia. However, his story has been preserved in the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame and the International Swimming Hall of Fame. One of Wickham's relatives, Dorothy Wickham, takes immense pride in his achievements. 'He has contributed a huge, huge part to the sport by bringing the freestyle swimming technique to the outside world and enabling people to have the joy of using this technique,' she told ABC. Her words reflect the significance of Wickham's contributions, which were not just about setting records but about fundamentally changing the way the world approached swimming. The 1901 race at Bronte Baths was pivotal in the development of the Australian crawl, but it was not an isolated event in the stroke's history. According to Dr Osmond, the race itself simplified the true story of the stroke's evolution. 'It overlooks the much more complicated story that involves paying tribute to people throughout the Pacific,' he said. 'These early pioneers, who swam in the open oceans long before the Western world had recognised their techniques, were instrumental in shaping the swimming world as we know it today. Today, the Australian crawl is the standard for competitive freestyle swimming, dominating events worldwide. It is the stroke that athletes use in the Olympics, World Championships, and countless other competitions. It's the stroke that swimmers like Ian Thorpe, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky have perfected to become legends in their own right. Every year, the Roviana Lagoon Festival in the Solomon Islands honours Wickham's legacy with the Alick Wickham Swim, a celebration of his contributions to swimming and the sport he helped define. The event takes participants on a swim from the mainland to the very spot where Wickham grew up, commemorating the origins of a stroke that continues to shape the sport of swimming.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
A-League club fighting for survival after being stripped of men's and women's licences following FIFA ban
Defiant Western United have vowed to fight the stripping of their A-Leagues licence as the embattled club stands on the brink of folding. Football Australia on Friday confirmed United would have their licence withdrawn as the current ownership were unable to satisfy the financial criteria required to maintain it. The news, which leaves players and staff in limbo, comes just three years after United's first A-League Men championship. United have been in financial turmoil for months, with players and staff paid late in April, May and June while superannuation payments were also delayed. United, based in Tarneit, in Melbourne's western suburbs, have also been unable to register players due to a FIFA ban related to an ongoing dispute with former striker Aleksandar Prijovic. That ban meant new signing Jaiden Kucharski and captain Ben Garuccio could not be registered in time to play in United's Australia Cup round of 32 loss to Sydney FC. Western United Football Club is bitterly disappointed by today's decision by Football Australia and the FIB and will be exercising its right to appeal immediately, with confidence of a positive outcome. Full Club Statement: — Western United FC (@wufcofficial) August 8, 2025 The club, led by chairman Jason Sourasis, had hoped their issues would be solved by a planned takeover by American group KAM Sports, which was announced in May - but that is yet to be completed. Football Australia's First Instance Board (FIB), an independent body responsible for club licensing, met on Thursday. A Football Australia (FA) spokesperson said the FIB had: 'determined that Western United FC has failed to meet the criteria required to be granted an A-League license. 'As such Western United FC's license has been withdrawn, effective immediately. 'Western United FC can appeal this decision to the Appeals Body established under the regulations on certain grounds outlined in the regulations. 'This outcome, while regrettable, reflects Football Australia's ongoing commitment to upholding the integrity, stability, and fairness of competitions for all clubs, players, and stakeholders.' United responded on Friday, confirming they would immediately appeal the decision. 'Western United Football Club is bitterly disappointed by the decision taken by Football Australia (FA) and the First Instance Body (FIB) today,' United said in a statement. 'The club will be exercising its right to appeal the decision immediately, with confidence of a positive outcome as the sale of the club and injection of capital from KAM Melbourne continues to progress. 'We wish to assure every single member, supporter and the broader Australian football public that we will fight for our club with the same spirit, belief and resilience that has defined us from the very beginning. 'We will continue to stand together as we have done in the face of adversity in the past, and we will exhaust every avenue to continue being able to represent our community with pride. 'As this is a regulatory process, the club will be making no further comment at this time.' Championship-winning coach and Socceroos great John Aloisi signed a new two-year deal in July. It is also unclear what the decision means for players, who are receiving support from the players' union, Professional Footballers (the PFA). United's men's players are in pre-season while it is the off-season for ALW players. 'We have communicated directly with all players affected by this decision and will continue to do so as this matter progresses,' a PFA spokesperson said in a statement. United have experienced a turbulent existence since they were granted an expansion licence in 2018 - beating several other bids - and entered the league ahead of the 2019-20 season. Their bid was successful largely based on Western Melbourne Group's commitment to build a purpose-built stadium in Tarneit. That project was delayed by several years, with the club playing games in Geelong, Ballarat, Footscray and Tasmania, before a far smaller training ground, Ironbark Fields, was constructed. Despite the setbacks, Aloisi was able to lead the club to their first ALM championship in 2021-22 while the ALW team reached the grand final in their inaugural season the following year. 'We've been advised by Football Australia on the determination by FIB to withdraw Western United's conditional licence,' APL executive chairman Stephen Conroy said in a statement.
North Wales Chronicle
3 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Chris Woakes could reject surgery on shoulder in bid to be fit for Ashes
Woakes produced an astonishing display of bravery in England's six-run loss to India in the fifth Test of a thrilling series earlier this month when he decided to bat at number 11 with his arm in a sling after a dislocation of his left shoulder on day one of the match. The 36-year-old has had a scan on his shoulder and while he is still waiting to receive the results, he is hopeful an eight-week period of rehabilitation could be enough to ensure he makes a miraculous recovery to feature in the Ashes, which gets under way on November 21. Will Chris Woakes be fit for the Ashes? 😬 This is what he said 👇 — Test Match Special (@bbctms) August 8, 2025 'I'm waiting to see what the extent of the damage is but I think the options will be to have surgery or to go down a rehab route and try and get it as strong as possible,' Woakes told BBC Sport. 'I suppose naturally with that there will be a chance of a reoccurrence, but I suppose that could be a risk that you're just willing to take sort of thing. 'What I've heard from physios and specialists is that the rehab of a surgery option would be closer to four months, or three to four months. That's obviously touching on the Ashes and Australia so it makes it tricky. 'From a rehab point of view you can probably get it get it strong again within eight weeks. So that could be an option, but again obviously still waiting to get the full report on it.' Woakes is the most experienced member of England's bowling unit after the retirement of Stuart Broad two summers ago and the decision to move on from record-wicket taker James Anderson in 2024.
