Baltic Sea Darts Open 2025 LIVE SCORES: Play on NOW as Van Barneveld CRASHES OUT, Humphries and Bunting wait
DAY 1 of the Baltic Sea Darts Open is underway - and some of the world's best will be chasing glory in Germany.
Dutch star Raymond van Barneveld went crashing out to Andy Baetens following a 6-4 defeat in round one.
World No1 Luke Humphries, the Bullet Stephen Bunting and defending champion Rob Cross will have to wait until Saturday to kickstart their tournament.
While Luke Littler misses out as the teen sensation continues his European Tour boycott.
Start time : 12pm/6pm BST
: 12pm/6pm BST Live stream / TV: PDCTV / DAZN
Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
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Times
35 minutes ago
- Times
Sarina Wiegman: what makes England head coach so special
If this is a 'proper England' team, the mantra that has helped a fearless and at times scrappy squad reach the European Championship final, then the unshakeable figure at its very core is typically Dutch. Immediately, she made us all wait. For 13 months the FA, which had announced her signing in August 2020, patiently watched Sarina Wiegman finish her contract with the national team of her homeland. She was loyal, and no amount of money or prestige would change that, eventually taking charge in September 2021. As it transpired, 13 months was rather inconsequential to the 56 years of hurt Wiegman ended by lifting the European Championship trophy on home soil in the heady summer of 2022. The 55-year-old's strong character was forged growing up in the Hague, where girls were not allowed to play in boys' teams. Instead, she cut her hair like a boy and carried on regardless, alongside her twin brother. Many times, in her formative years, she was told 'girls should not be doing that'. She resolved to take no notice. She had enough talent not just to defy the critics, but to play for her country. The 1988 Fifa Invitational Tournament was her first taste of the truly international game, as a teenager in China. She remembers the luxury of the White Swan hotel, where the Netherlands were based, something she had never experienced before. Her other memory of that tournament is that despite the thousands in attendance, they were not fans of women's football and would laugh when the players made mistakes or misplaced a pass. She did not believe a career in football, or coaching, was possible for a woman, so became a PE teacher, the basis of many skills which are now useful in her professional career. She juggled that alongside her playing years, winning 99 caps for the Netherlands, with the same steely determination and 'serious' attitude she has today. She became assistant coach of the Netherlands in 2014 and was given the head coach role on a permanent basis in January 2017, six months before the start of their home European Championship. Just as she replicated in England in 2022, she used the pressure of the home nation as a positive. She made difficult decisions too, dropping the captain Mandy van den Berg, whom she considered a friend, for the majority of the tournament. There was the cut-throat side to Wiegman which Steph Houghton, and several others, would later experience. Yet it is the foundation for her success. Euro 2025 is her fifth major tournament as a head coach — two with the Netherlands, three with England. She has reached the final in all five. To do so, her key coaching philosophies have remained the same, but she has tweaked her attitude and relationships with players. When she first arrived at the England camp in 2021, those present say there was immediately an aura around her, not least because she was someone who had done what everyone at St George's Park was so desperate to do: win. She was struck by the very English habit of talking around difficult topics instead of tackling them head on — more of a straightforward, typically Dutch approach. She told staff and players she would prefer them to be direct. 'You can just say what you think and still be very respectful,' she explained. Initially she was irritated by the jewellery and watches players wore, such were the fine details she focused on. Over time she has relaxed, realising that the players have thrived with the trust she has given them — as the bonds have grown, so too has the mutual respect. While other England teams, men's and women's, have had cliques and negative rivalry within, she has trusted them to sit with whom they wish, and authentically create friendships. Love Island, it is fair to say, is not Wiegman's cup of tea. But she is happy for her players to sit together and watch it, if it is something that helps them to relax. She has also encouraged players to share their footballing stories with one another. 'We've made ourselves very vulnerable . . . Sarina herself has made herself really vulnerable,' Beth Mead, the England winger, told the BBC. 'I think that gives us so much more togetherness, so much more trust in each other, that we're willing to share really tough moments with each other and how can we help each other. Sarina has really instilled that into us as a team. She's got our back, we've got her back.' The squad has dealt with difficult off-pitch events too. Mead lost her mother, June, to cancer, the same disease that Ella Toone's dad, Nick, died of. Wiegman's elder sister, Diana, died in June 2022 from ovarian cancer. Wiegman now has a tattoo on her right wrist, an infinity symbol featuring a small rose, as a tribute to Diana, and of endless love. Keira Walsh reflects that Wiegman has been more open, particularly in her celebrations and what the team has meant to her, in recent months. 'She's probably one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved,' the midfielder added. As Izzy Christiansen, the former England midfielder said on The Game podcast, Wiegman is the kind of manager players wish they had the chance to play for. She does so, with a hug — like the one she gave Michelle Agyemang after her semi-final heroics — but also with blunt honesty. Each player knows their role in the squad, as starter, or finisher, her version of substitutes. That has been hugely effective in all three of her tournaments in charge, despite clear weaknesses in squads at left back, and midfield depth. She has faced criticism for her late use of substitutes (Agyemang was not brought on until the 85th minute of the semi-final against Italy), but there is no one in the footballing world — at least the women's game — less influenced by the sway of public opinion than Wiegman. She believes wholeheartedly in the way she does things and will not change. 'She's not forcing me [to start her],' Wiegman said of Agyemang. It does not matter how dire the situation, how deep into borrowed time her team appear to be, they will look over and see Wiegman calm and collected. That honesty and directness also created a pre-Euros crisis, of sorts, when Mary Earps and Millie Bright both withdrew from selection for the squad, citing mental and physical fatigue. Wiegman would have liked to select both, but it is understood she had told them that they might not be guaranteed starters. During the 2023 World Cup, Wiegman was asked whether Lauren James's brilliant performances had 'let the cat out of the bag', amusing those in the press conference room as she looked utterly confused at the idiom. Now Wiegman considers herself more English, even stating she 'doesn't beat around the bush' when explaining those conversations with Earps and Bright. She enjoys a roast dinner and chicken tikka masala, as well as the country's obsessive sporting culture. She likes to relax with yoga, which she has perfected in the close confines of hotel rooms, and walks in nature. Her family — her husband, Marten, and their daughters, Sacha and Lauren — will explore the local areas around where England play, and that suits Wiegman, to know they are happy, and every now and again touch base with a coffee. She is not able to relax fully, in 'work mode' for the length of the tournament, but finds the increased spotlight on her baffling. Her family are one of the reasons she has continued to live in her homeland. She could have tried to change herself to be the Lionesses head coach — and there were plenty of detractors saying she should have been forced to move to England — but she has done things unapologetically her way. Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive, said before the tournament that even if England had departed early, Wiegman's job would be safe. He has since added there is 'no price at all' which would see the FA part with her. Her contract lasts until after the 2027 World Cup and whenever she does choose to depart, it will be as a national hero — and with an honorary CBE which could be upgraded to a damehood if England win on Sunday. Wiegman never likes to make headlines or give any focus to non-performance matters, but she does understand, and is proud of, the wider ability of the Lionesses to effect societal change. After Euro 2022 and their celebrations in Trafalgar Square, squad members, including the defender Lotte Wubben-Moy, spoke on the team bus of how important it was that their victory should make real change for young girls. That was the foundation of a government pledge to ensure that girls and boys are offered the same sports during PE lessons and extracurricular periods. Wiegman was fully supportive and encouraged her players to use their platform for things they were passionate about. Aside from the external significance of Sunday's final, it is also the final match in which she will sit alongside her assistant, Arjan Veurink, on the touchline. He will depart to become the head coach of the Netherlands, having been integral to England's success. In the 2023 World Cup, his suggestion to change formation took an injury-hit squad all the way to the final. The duo are close, often huddled on the bench looking over an iPad or tactics board and if anyone is to convince Wiegman a different approach is needed against Spain, it will be him. There lies the complexity of Wiegman's leadership, an ability to delegate, valuing the opinion of others, with a caring touch of someone whom the players consider as similar to a mum. Make no mistake though, her word is final, her approach steadfast. In doing so, she has forced change, on the pitch and in society, in a way that felt simply impossible to deny. Now her team operate in the same manner, never beaten, even when the odds are stacked against them — the same grit that led Wiegman to the grandest of stages in the first place. England v Spain
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Italy withdraw from World University Games after gymnast seriously injured in fall
July 25 (Reuters) - Italy have withdrawn from the rest of the World University Games in Essen, Germany, after gymnast Lorenzo Bonicelli suffered a fall during his routine, sustaining a serious neck injury that required surgery, news agency ANSA reported on Friday. Bonicelli remains in intensive care but is stable and his life is not in danger, the Italian Gymnastics Federation (FGI) said, after the 23-year-old was rushed hospital where he underwent surgery following the incident. "From the University Hospital in Essen... we (learned) that today, the athlete, who remained conscious after the accident until the moment of surgery, was awakened from a medically-induced coma and is showing positive signs," the FGI said in a statement on Friday. Italy have withdrawn from the competition due to the emotional impact the incident had on the rest of the team, ANSA reported.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Tour de France 2025: Arensman pips Pogacar and Vingegaard to win stage 19 on La Plagne
Update: Date: 2025-07-25T19:04:13.000Z Title: Stage 19 report: Content: Thymen Arensman clinched his second stage win while Tadej Pogacar comfortably defended his GC lead Luke McLaughlin Fri 25 Jul 2025 18.31 CEST First published on Fri 25 Jul 2025 12.30 CEST 6.26pm CEST 18:26 And there you have it. Pogacar keeps his commanding GC lead, Onley looks to have sewn up fourth, which is a remarkable performance over three weeks, and Arensman now has two Tour stage wins to go with his two Vuelta wins from 2022. Jonathan Milan is odds-on to seal the points classification and Florian Lipowitz will be the best young rider. Pogacar tops the KOM classification with 117pts, Vingegaard is second with 104, Martinez third with 97. Arensman, after today's win, went fourth with 85pts. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon. Updated at 6.31pm CEST 6.25pm CEST 18:25 Pogacar speaks: 'We did a really good job until the last climb. Then some teams, some riders, think they can sprint 19km of the climb. The pace was incredibly high at the start. I was thinking maybe Jonas wanted to win a stage, but then he was just holding on to my wheel. 'Arensman went on a good attack. I decided not to follow, set my rhythm. A defensive rhythm that I feel comfortable with. And yeah, in the end, it was like this. I am just happy it's over, and two more days to Paris. 'I had to pull the whole climb in the end. Of course I came quite tired to the finish line. But also, it was tough, the last three days for me. I'm happy that today is over. We go tomorrow. 'You never know. It's Tour de France. We keep concentrated, and yeah, let's go.' 6.16pm CEST 18:16 1) Milan 352pts 2) Pogacar 272pts 3) Girmay 213pts 4) Vingegaard 182pts 5) Turgis 169pts 6.13pm CEST 18:13 The sprinters have rolled in with five minutes to spare. Hence, Jonathan Milan is looking very good for the points classification. Updated at 6.14pm CEST 6.11pm CEST 18:11 'It's a game,' Gasparotto says of Red Bull-Bora's tactics. 'If you want to win big, you have to risk a little bit, otherwise you don't win big. 'We did a lot of analysis of Lipo's performance [yesterday]. We were quite confident, staying on the wheel of Onley, that Lipo could be superior in the final.' Updated at 6.12pm CEST 6.09pm CEST 18:09 Enrico Gasparotto of Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe speaks to Hannah Walker on TNT Sports and is asked about their tactics: 'I would say it was clear yesterday that Primoz really wanted to win a stage. He knew our team goal was to finish on the podium, but for himself, he badly wanted to win a stage. At the end, this is what he did, he tried yesterday … at the end he missed the opportunity. Today was the last opportunity, he wanted to go flat out from the start. For us, for Lipo, it could work also for him. This is what he did. At the end, it's a tactic we agreed on.' Updated at 6.16pm CEST 5.57pm CEST 17:57 Roglic has dropped to eighth in GC, 25min 30sec down on the leader. A spectacular drop after his stage-winning attempts earlier. Updated at 6.02pm CEST 5.50pm CEST 17:50 Arensman, the stage winner, has a chat: 'I'm absolutely destroyed. I can't believe it. To win one stage, from a break … now against the GC group, the strongest riders in the world, it feels like I'm dreaming. I don't know what I just did. 'After the descent to La Plagne, we were talking in the radio … I said to the DS in the radio, today is the last mountain stage, I have no GC to ride for, but I will try to hang on for a few kilometres in the climb, and see how the legs feel. Tobias [Foss], I told him straight away swing off, then tomorrow is your day. 'I started the climb, I thought, I have no GC [aims]: maybe they will look at each other? You know what, I'll just try it. I just don't take no for an answer. 'Everyone knows Tadej and Jonas are the strongest in the world, almost aliens. Then just as a human, I still want to try to beat them. I just can't believe I beat them today. 'I tried to not look behind, just go as fast as I could, and it was enough. It's crazy. I was the first two weeks in the Giro, it was really good for me, the first two weeks, but then I got sick and someone crashed into me, and my knee was hurting a lot. I got to Rome … but to get to the Tour, to get two stage victories. It's just crazy. I don't know!' Updated at 6.18pm CEST 5.44pm CEST 17:44 1) Tadej Pogacar 69hr 41min 46sec 2) Jonas Vingegaard +4min 24sec 3) Florian Lipowitz +11min 09sec 4) Oscar Onley +12min 12sec 5) Felix Gall +17min 12sec 6) Tobias Johannessen +20min 14sec 7) Kevin Vauquelin (+22min 35sec) 8) Primoz Roglic (+25min 30sec) 9) Ben Healy (28 min 02sec) 10) Ben O'Connor (+34min 34sec) So Onley is 1min 03sec behind Lipowitz now. Updated at 5.59pm CEST 5.42pm CEST 17:42 The worst-case scenario for Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe, after Roglic's kamikaze attack for the stage win, was for Onley to skip away from Lipowitz on the final climb. But ultimately the German was much stronger. Updated at 5.45pm CEST 5.40pm CEST 17:40 1) Thymen Arensman 2hr 46min 06sec 2) Jonas Vingegaard +2sec 3) Tadej Pogacar +2sec 4) Florian Lipowitz +6sec 5) Oscar Onley +47sec 6) Felix Gall +1min 34sec 7) Tobias Johannessen +1min 41sec 8) Ben Healy +2min 19sec 9) Valentin Paret-Peintre +3min 47sec 10) Simon Yates +3min 54sec 5.36pm CEST 17:36 Vingegaard came in second, two seconds behind the winner. 5.35pm CEST 17:35 Now here comes Ben Healy. What a race he's had for EF Education–EasyPost, by the way. Arensman collapses with exhaustion near the finish line. He appears to be weeping with joy. And why not? Updated at 5.35pm CEST 5.34pm CEST 17:34 Pogacar appeared to collide with a member of staff at the line, but it was a minor knock. Onley comes in 45sec behind Arensman. The other three were nothing more than three, four seconds behind the stage winner. 5.33pm CEST 17:33 A second stage win of the race for the Ineos Grenadiers rider. He clings on, but only just. What a brave victory. Updated at 5.45pm CEST 5.32pm CEST 17:32 200m to go: Arensman is going to cling on! 5.31pm CEST 17:31 500m to go: Arensman kicks! He's got six seconds! 5.31pm CEST 17:31 600m to go: Only 8sec for Arensman! 5.30pm CEST 17:30 800m to go: Lipowitz is setting the pace for the chasers. Onley battles on back down the road but he will not get back in touch. 5.30pm CEST 17:30 1km to go: Flamme rouge for Arensman! But he has only 15sec! I think they might just catch him … 5.29pm CEST 17:29 1.3km to go: Lipowitz leads Pogacar. Vingegaard is there, but has again been helpless to make any inroads into Pogacar's lead. 5.28pm CEST 17:28 1.5km to go: Onley is now distanced slightly and Lipowitz, sensing weakness, ups the pace. Onley's chance of the podium looks to be gone unless he can make up time tomorrow or on Sunday. Updated at 8.50pm CEST 5.28pm CEST 17:28 2km to go: Onley is suffering. He drops off the back of Lipowitz's wheel for a few seconds. Pogacar looks happy simply to mark Vingegaard and let Arensman have the stage. 5.27pm CEST 17:27 2.5km to go: It's now or never for Pogacar? And indeed now or never for Onley to try and make up that 22sec. 5.26pm CEST 17:26 3km to go: The crowds are huge and noisy now. Arensman makes his way through a large, screaming group of fans. The group of four, the top four in GC at the Tour de France, follow 19sec later. Is Pogacar happy to let Arensman have the stage win? Updated at 8.51pm CEST 5.24pm CEST 17:24 3.5km to go: Vauquelin is in a group of six, five minutes down on the leaders now. A tough day for the Frenchman who will be overhauled in the GC and certainly be knocked down to eighth, at least. Updated at 8.51pm CEST 5.23pm CEST 17:23 4km to go: Onley sits third wheel. Lipowitz remains glued (not literally) to the 22-year-old Scot's back wheel. 5.22pm CEST 17:22 4.5km to go: It's a 25sec lead for Arensman. Pogacar has clearly upped things a bit behind, but it looks like Arensman has responded. Gall and Johannessen are now alone, third group on the road, having dropped the former yellow jersey-wearer Ben Healy. Updated at 8.51pm CEST 5.20pm CEST 17:20 5km to go: Arensman stands up and dances on his pedals, maintaining a strong rhythm. He still has 24sec. La Plagne's ski chalets dot the sides of the road. Updated at 8.52pm CEST 5.19pm CEST 17:19 5.5km to go: Pogacar continues to control the pace in this group of four. The gap shrinks to 25sec, between them and Arensman. Neither Onley nor Lipowitz look to have the legs to attack at this stage. But of course they are riding their own head-to-head race, like Pogacar and Vingegaard, above them in GC. Updated at 8.52pm CEST 5.17pm CEST 17:17 6km to go: Arensman looks a tiny bit ragged but is still putting plenty of power into the pedals. He knows a second stage win of the race is in reach … But he also knows there is a big threat in yellow back down the road. 5.16pm CEST 17:16 6.5km to go: Pogacar, Vingegaard, Onley, Lipowitz, in that order, in this second group on the road. Arensman, grinding it out up front, has 31sec. 5.15pm CEST 17:15 6.5km to go: Pogacar attacks! Vingegaard follows, and Onley too, and momentarily a gap opens up to Lipowitz! But the German manages to get back on. 5.14pm CEST 17:14 7km to go: Arensman has 35sec. Is Pogacar waiting for the steepest slopes? Is Lipowitz going to try and attack? 5.12pm CEST 17:12 7.5km to go: Vauquelin is over 4min down now and has slipped to eighth in virtual GC. Pogacar rides on at the front of the group, apparently playing at being a domestique. Maybe his own domestique? Updated at 5.13pm CEST 5.11pm CEST 17:11 8km to go: Arensman has 36sec now. He and his team will be starting to dream … Updated at 5.12pm CEST 5.10pm CEST 17:10 8.5km to go: Pogacar sits first wheel in that group of seven now. He looks in total control, barely out of breath. He stands up on the pedals and ups the pace a bit, but it's not a concerted attack. He glances back at his rivals, gauging if they are in pain, calculating if and when to launch the attack that might win him the stage. Updated at 8.53pm CEST 5.08pm CEST 17:08 9km to go: Arensman powers on alone. The pain is etched on his face. But he knows, from recent experience, what it feels like to win a Tour de France stage. And he wants some more of it. Pain is merely temporary, after all. Updated at 5.09pm CEST 5.07pm CEST 17:07 9.5km to go: It's wet on the road. There are lots of fans, although not yet the kind of crowds we've seen on other mountains. Slovenian flags are out in force. 5.06pm CEST 17:06 10km to go: A group of seven now, second on the road, half a minute behind Arensman: Pogacar, Vingegaard, Healy, Lipowitz, Gall, Onley, Johannessen. Roglic has indeed collapsed and is 4min 19sec behind the leaders. Ouch. Updated at 5.06pm CEST 5.04pm CEST 17:04 10.5km to go: Arensman, out front on his own, has 28sec. He won last Saturday so is in flying form: Updated at 5.05pm CEST 5.03pm CEST 17:03 11km to go: Gall, Onley, Lipowitz and co have rejoined 'Pogi' and Vingegaard.
