No Half Measures stuns July Cup rivals
As the six-furlong event reached the business end she was picking off rivals and after locking horns with Big Mojo, it was No Half Measures who came out on top by a neck with a further length and three-quarters back to Run To Freedom in third.
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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Edwards left with food for thought as India edge England in first women's ODI
Fifty-over cricket is Charlotte Edwards's Big Project. The day she was announced as the new England head coach, she declared England had 'underperformed' in the one-day format of late and that she was making it her 'first priority' ahead of the World Cup in India in October. All eyes, then, on England's three-match one-day international series against India, which began on Wednesday at Southampton with a four-wicket win by India, albeit a narrow one. After England's sloppiness in the T20 series defeat, India returned the favour, putting down catches off the two players – Sophia Dunkley and Alice Davidson-Richards – who crafted England's recovery from 97 for four to 258 for six. India then did their level best to mess up what should have been a relatively straightforward run chase: the lowlight was a horrendously casual piece of running by Harleen Deol which led to her being dismissed purely because she couldn't be bothered to ground her bat. The opener Pratika Rawal struck a neat 36 but was bowled going back to Sophie Ecclestone's arm ball and was visibly frustrated, shoulder-barging Ecclestone on the way off the pitch – evoking a whiff of the tensions which have beset the men's teams of late. The captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, was then out lbw trying to sweep Charlie Dean, after a judicious referral to DRS by England. A 90-run partnership between Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues – built around sensibly putting away the one bad ball an over for four – looked like it would see India home; but Rodrigues ditched the sensible approach with 45 runs still needed, caught behind attempting a ramp to Lauren Filer. Deepti herself could easily have gone for 40, struck in line trying to sweep Lauren Bell, but England bafflingly failed to back up Bell's half-hearted appeal. Deepti progressed to 62 not out and a neat cameo of 20 not out from 14 balls by Amanjot Kaur, including two well-placed fours in the 49th over, finished the job with 10 balls to spare. Earlier, England had wobbled perilously after choosing to bat first. Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones – who shared consecutive double-century partnerships earlier in the summer against West Indies – fell within the opening four overs, and the usually solid Nat Sciver-Brunt met with relative failure in her first innings back after a groin injury, falling to a sprawling catch by Rodrigues at short midwicket for 41. England, though, found a measure of salvation in the unlikely shape of Dunkley and Davidson-Richards, who shared a 106-run partnership for the fifth wicket across 23 overs. Unlikely because, under Jon Lewis, Dunkley failed to find a settled role in the ODI side (batting anywhere from No 1 to No 5), while Davidson-Richards failed to find any role at all – this being her first ODI since September 2023. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion Theirs was a partnership built on the most unglamorous of foundations – 69 of the 106 runs were singles – and both were dropped along the way, but given the track record of England's brittle middle-order, it did offer hope that players who do not have the name Heather Knight or Nat Sciver-Brunt might be capable of digging England out of a hole. Acceleration did eventually come in the last nine overs: Davidson-Richards dashed down the track and was stumped; then Dunkley proceeded to score 33 more runs off 22 balls, bowled swinging off the final ball of the innings. Edwards watched on from the same balcony, at the same ground, from where she commanded Southern Vipers to five domestic titles, mentally assessing whether this is the XI who might win her similar glory on the international stage. The jury is out.
The Herald Scotland
11 hours ago
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A Boy Named Susie impresses in winning start at Killarney
Dial Me In was sent off the 4-5 favourite for Joseph O'Brien, but it was his brother Donnacha who was celebrating, as his Starspangledbanner newcomer showed a real turn of foot over a furlong out when asked by Gavin Ryan. O'Brien said of his 100-30 scorer, who is owned by his sister and holds a Group One entry in the National Stakes at the Curragh: 'We thought he was good as he did a really, really good piece of work up the Curragh a few weeks ago. 'This auction race looked a tough ask as he was giving away weight to winners and it is a tough track first time out, but he is obviously just smart. 'For an auction race at Killarney, it has thrown up Iridessa, Luxembourg and last year Lambourn and a few Group Two winners as well, so it's a nice start for him. 'They hacked and then sprinted, but I think he could be a proper one. He has plenty gears for a big horse.' Regarding a serious fall suffered by the successful owner at the track in July 2017, he said: 'It is a better experience for Ana than the last time she was here and that's her first winner as an owner as well.' Ana O'Brien added: 'In fairness Donnacha always liked this horse and I'm delighted he came out and did that. It's my first time back here since my fall, so thankfully this is a much better day.'
Rhyl Journal
a day ago
- Rhyl Journal
Candy still sweet on big sprint prizes for evergreen Run To Freedom
Although a dual winner in Listed company, the seven-year-old has run his best races in defeat, most notably filling the runner-up spot as a 150-1 shot on Champions Day in 2022 and in the the July Cup the following summer. However, having only made it to the track once last season and failed to make a major impact on his first two starts this term, Run To Freedom was 40-1 for his second tilt at July Cup glory – but outran his odds to finish third, beaten two lengths by the surprise winner No Half Measures. Candy said: 'I thought it was a great run. He's got it in him, he just wants thing to go right. 'He's done that in the Champions Sprint and he's done it in the July Cup before. You always hope he's going to do it again, but then you look at the strength of the field he's up against and see what price he is and think 'oh dear, I've made a mistake!'. 'But he keeps delivering, hopefully he'll grab one one day and all being well we'll go to Haydock and then we'll go to Ascot. We won't go to the Prix Maurice de Gheest (at Deauville), I don't think he's a horse that wants running too often. 'A little bit softer ground would definitely help him.'
