
Ex-Morecambe chair 'fearful for club's existence'
Whittingham previously said terms had been agreed with Panjab Warriors with a deal set to be formally completed shortly after.The club's board of directors had stepped down with the deal still to be concluded, having previously tried to put the club into administration in early July when the deal dragged on.Despite Panjab Warriors looking set to take over Whittingham last week said an unidentified buyer had worked to pay outstanding wages as well as agreeing contracts pending the approval of a sale by the National League.The identity of the new party is unknown, and in a statement issued by Whittingham on Thursday, he said that the club were looking to complete a deal "as quickly as possible"."We can confirm that a takeover deal is near completion with a consortium of individuals headed by people with genuine football experience, to acquire Bond Group's interest in the club," the statement said., external"We can also confirm that despite speculation on the buyers' identity, nobody from the consortium has yet been named publicly and recent guesses are not accurate."The buyers have funds available to bring payments for the club up to date and we are working to conclude the transaction as quickly as possible."
Former board member James Wakefield said he was surprised the club was still in existence and, when asked by BBC Radio Lancashire how long the Shrimps could continue operating, he theorised that they could have just "days" left."I'm amazed it's still alive today. We as a board decided that the only responsible course of action was to put the club into administration and that was on 1 July, 16 days ago," Wakefield said earlier on Thursday, before the latest club statement."It's still dragging on. It's days. It's literally days. There will be payroll again quite soon and the club's not meeting its obligations at the moment, the most important of which is staff wages."But I'm amazed it's still alive quite frankly."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
US spy chief Gabbard says UK agreed to drop 'backdoor' mandate for Apple
WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Monday the UK had agreed to drop its mandate for iPhone maker Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab to provide a "backdoor" that would have enabled access to the protected encrypted data of American citizens. Gabbard issued the statement on X, opens new tab, saying she had worked for months with Britain, along with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to arrive at a deal. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was in Washington on Monday along with other European leaders to meet Trump and discuss Russia's war in Ukraine. The UK government and Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Gabbard's statement. U.S. lawmakers said in May that the UK's order to Apple to create a backdoor to its encrypted user data could be exploited by cybercriminals and authoritarian governments. Apple, which has said it would never build such access into its encrypted services or devices, had challenged the order at the UK's Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). The iPhone maker withdrew its Advanced Data Protection feature for UK users in February following the UK order. Users of Apple's iPhones, Macs and other devices can enable the feature to ensure that only they — and not even Apple — can unlock data stored on its cloud. U.S. officials said earlier this year they were examining whether the UK broke a bilateral agreement by demanding that Apple build a backdoor allowing the British government to access backups of data in the company's encrypted cloud storage systems. In a letter dated February 25 to U.S. lawmakers, Gabbard said the U.S. was examining whether the UK government had violated the CLOUD Act, which bars it from issuing demands for the data of U.S. citizens and vice versa. Cybersecurity experts told Reuters that if Apple chose to build a backdoor for a government, that backdoor would eventually be found and exploited by hackers. Apple has sparred with regulators over encryption as far back as 2016 when the U.S. government tried to compel it to build a tool to unlock the iPhone of a suspected extremist.


Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
Injuries force Britain's Edmund to retire at 30
Aug 19 (Reuters) - Kyle Edmund has been forced to retire at the age of 30 after going through a turbulent few years due to injuries, the former British number one said. Edmund, who rose to a career-high world ranking of 14 in October 2018 after winning his maiden ATP Tour title in Antwerp, also reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open that same year, becoming the second Briton since Andy Murray to achieve the feat in the Open Era. His second ATP title came at the 2020 New York Open. However, injuries derailed his career, forcing him to undergo knee surgeries in November 2020, March 2021 and May 2022. He also struggled with wrist, abdominal, hip and foot injuries. "To look at the journey and try and bite size it as much as possible is hard. It just felt right with things and my injuries in the past," Edmund posted on social media on Monday. "Especially around 2020, 2021, I had three surgeries and I spent four or five years trying to come back and had ups and downs along the way. "But (I) never (was) fully able to get back to maybe my goal and my target. That was the main reason for the decision, but over the next weeks and months, it'll be a nice time to reflect, do different things, spend more time at home with family and just sort of appreciate the journey." Edmund most recently reached the final of an ATP Challenger Tour event in Nottingham in June.


BBC News
21 minutes ago
- BBC News
The Hundred: Curran & Cox star as Invincibles beat Brave
Update: Date: 21:30 BST 18 August Title: Goodbye Content: We've had two games at Southampton today where teams moved clear at the top of the table and showed why they're the team to beat in their respective competitions. Unbeaten Southern Brave beat Oval Invincibles by a record 89 runs in the women's competition, but the London franchise got their revenge in the men's game. A seven-wicket win sets the back-to-back champions at a tilt at three in a row - take a read of Matthew Henry's report to see how they dominated this encounter. We'll be back tomorrow for a double-header between Trent Rockets and Manchester Originals - the women's game starts at 15:00 BST, while the men's match begins at 18:30. You will be able to watch both games lives on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer, while you can also follow ball-by-ball commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and the BBC Sport website and app. See you then! Update: Date: 21:28 BST 18 August Title: 'It's special being out there in the middle with Cox' Content: Oval Invincibles all-rounder Sam Curran: "A really big win. I think with the way the table is placed at the moment we knew it was such a big game. They are such a great team and thankfully we got another win on the board." On taking three wickets and racking up 50 runs: "I'm really enjoying it out there and I'm playing with a really good bunch of guys and staff. I've said it before but we have been together for a while, so it's kind of like turning up to work and playing with your mates. Fingers crossed we can keep this momentum. There's still a long way to go but the boys are really happy." On Jordan Cox's form: "It is special being out there in the middle with him. He is playing really well and striking the ball so cleanly. He was suffering from a bit of cramp there as well. From ball one you could tell he was on form, with the way he was timing it down the ground and hitting everywhere. He is a nice partner to have and he helped to take the pressure off early." On sitting at the top of the table: "There's not really too much focus on the table. We know if we keep focusing on ourselves and our strengths, then we will be fine. It is always nice when you're winning, especially when the games come thick and fast." Update: Date: 21:24 BST 18 August Title: How's stat?! Content: Kieran ParmleyCricviz analyst Only Sai Sudharsan (49.8 average in the IPL) has batted as frequently as Jordan Cox in a major T20 domestic league with a higher average than Cox's 48.1. Update: Date: 21:21 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Oval Invincibles were already top courtesy of net run-rate, but they now go clear of Trent Rockets and Northern Superchargers with their fourth win from five. Southern Brave might have some hope having had them 18-2 after 17 balls, but a superb 101-run partnership from Jordan Cox and Sam Curran took Invincibles most of the way to victory. The home side remain in fifth with two wins and three defeats. Full table Update: Date: 21:16 BST 18 August Title: How's stat?! Content: Kieran ParmleyCricviz analyst Sam Billings has finished not out in six successful run chases in the men's Hundred, the joint most for a player alongside Liam Livingstone. Update: Date: 21:16 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Oval Invincibles absolutely look the team to beat. Another really good run chase, this is their fourth successful run chase out of five. They had to bat a little bit differently to what they're used to tonight, but that's skill and experience for you. The batting conditions were harder and the bowling unit was better but they still had it in them. A top effort from Sam Curran as well, staying unbeaten on 50 runs. A lot of credit to Jordan Cox for his innings as well, their partnership set things up nicely for Oval Invincibles. Update: Date: 11 balls left Title: Invincibles win by seven wickets Content: Invincibles 134-3 Game won, fifty up - job done for Sam Curran. He pushes Jordan Thompson out to the deep cover fielder and runs the two required to bring up the landmarks. His 50 comes off 32 deliveries, the win with 11 balls to spare - a very good night for the all-rounder. Update: Date: 12 balls left Title: Invincibles 132-3 Content: 2 runs needed A third four for Sam Billings, striking Jordan Thompson's second delivery through mid-wicket after not making contact with his first. He then takes a single off a push, with Jordan Thompson missing the stumps with a kicked attempt to run out the visiting skipper. Two runs needed for both the win and Sam Curran's fifty. Update: Date: 21:13 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Tymal Mills has had an off-day. Southern Brave needed him to fire tonight, especially because they are trying to defend a below-par score. It hasn't been a good day at the office. Update: Date: 15 balls left Title: Invincibles 127-3 Content: 7 runs needed Invincibles captain Sam Billings comes in to try and finish the job. He gets four off his legs from his second ball, sending the ball through backward square, then edges Mills' last ball through an empty cordon. Required runs in single figures now, Mills has gone for 1-37 from 15 balls and I'm not sure we'll have time to see him again... Update: Date: 21:08 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra What a catch! That went so quickly to Hilton Cartwright but maybe the reason he even caught it at all was because it went straight at him. Jordan Cox timed it beautifully, it came straight out of the middle, and even he couldn't believe it had been caught. One foot to the left or to the right and there is no chance he's getting a hand to that! Update: Date: 19 balls left Title: WICKET Content: Cox c Cartwright b Mills 56 (Invincibles 119-3) But now the 101 run partnership comes to an end! Jordan Cox won't finish not out in consecutive matches, he smashes Tymal Mills' first ball straight to Hilton Cartwright at cover. That absolutely flew at Cartwright, even if he didn't have to move. Update: Date: 21:06 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra These last 15 runs are going to come quickly now that Jofra Archer and Craig Overton have finished their sets. Update: Date: 20 balls left Title: Invincibles 119-2 Content: 15 runs needed Back comes Jordan Thompson and Sam Curran guides his second delivery neatly through third for four with a late shot. Jordan Cox then smacks the penultimate delivery of the set through mid-wicket for a boundary of his own, bringing up the hundred partnership off 62 balls. Update: Date: 21:03 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Oval Invincibles could do this in singles but, after seeing through Jofra Archer's set, they might want to see if they can do it with seven or eight balls in hand. They definitely don't want to take it to the last set because then eight wickets in hand doesn't matter. Update: Date: 25 balls left Title: Invincibles 108-2 Content: 26 runs needed A Sam Curran single down to third ends Jofra Archer's evening. The seamer finishes with figures of 0-19 from his 20 balls. Update: Date: 21:03 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Another good knock from Jordan Cox. This is very different from the knock that he played out the other night, he is playing a lot more within himself and a lot more controlled. This current partnership is worth 90, so they are doing so well chasing down this total. This could've been a very tricky run chase. Update: Date: 26 balls left Title: 50 for Jordan Cox Content: Invincibles 107-2 Consecutive fifties for Jordan Cox! He awkwardly jams Jofra Archer's penultimate delivery into the leg side and there's a bit of a scramble by the fielder as Cox hurries through a single. It comes from 33 balls - he had to wait a little while after reaching 48 from 26. Update: Date: 20:58 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Deep DasguptaFormer India wicketkeeper on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra Jofra Archer is back to bowl his last set. If he manages to pick up a couple of wickets in this set, things could look a bit different! A lot of credit has to be handed to Jordan Cox and Sam Curran. They have managed and shepherded this run chase well. They have been really smart in picking out the bowlers they want to attack. Update: Date: 20:58 BST 18 August Title: Post Content: Nicole HarveyFormer Welsh Fire player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra James Coles' quicker ball is rushing the batters here because his run up doesn't really look too different. He isn't turning the ball massively but he is changing up his pace, flight and trajectory really well. But both Oval Invincibles batters look like they are in fine form - I hope these last 30 balls are entertaining!