Rhinos beat debutants Panthers in season opener
Leeds Rhinos came from behind to inflict a 71-63 defeat on Netball Super League newcomers Birmingham Panthers in the opening round of the new season.Panthers led 38-36 at half-time, but Rhinos put the new super shot rule - which allows shooters to score double points for a shot made from a certain area in the circle during the last five minutes of each quarter - to good use to overturn the deficit.Rhinos shooter Joyce Mvula was named player of the match for an impressive showcase of her shooting range, both under the post and from distance.Panthers showed promise of a late comeback but were unable to close the gap enough to earn a point - another new rule for this season which rewards losing teams with a deficit of five goals or less.The Birmingham side are one of two new additions, along with Nottingham Forest, to the relaunched eight-team division after Team Bath, Surrey Storm, Severn Stars and Strathclyde Sirens were left out.Meanwhile, London Mavericks also overturned a two-point deficit at half-time to claim their first victory of the 2025 campaign with a 65-56 triumph over Cardiff Dragons.
The matches were the first of the 2025 campaign, the first of the relaunched league as it moves towards professionalisation.Round one provided the first opportunity for fans to see the new rules in action, the standout one being the super shot - a chance for shooters to score a two-point goal from a certain area of the shooting circle during the last five minutes of each quarter.Along with the awarding of a point for a less than five-point loss, it is hoped the super shot will increase competition and create more exciting matches.Round one fixturesSunday, 16 MarchLondon Pulse v Nottingham Forest (17:00 GMT) - BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website and appManchester Thunder v Loughborough Lightning (18:30 GMT)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
U.S. Open underway as Oakmont awaits tournament favourite Scheffler
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania, June 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Open began under partly cloudy skies on Thursday at challenging Oakmont Country Club where Bryson DeChambeau hopes to make a fast start to his title defence while tournament favourite Scottie Scheffler was hours from teeing off. Amateur Matt Vogt, a former Oakmont caddie and current full-time dentist who qualified for the U.S. Open last week, had the honour of hitting the tournament's opening tee shot from the par-four first hole. Two-times U.S. Open winner DeChambeau, who went close at the year's first two majors, will set out at Oakmont in the company of British Open champion Xander Schauffele and Spain's Jose Luis Ballester at 7:29 a.m. ET (1129 GMT). World number one Scheffler, who counts the PGA Championship among his three wins in his last four starts, will head out in the company of two-times major winner Collin Morikawa and world number 14 Viktor Hovland at 1:25 p.m. ET. Oakmont, a quintessential U.S. Open venue where punishing ankle-high rough frames narrow fairways that lead to slick greens, is expected to be a brutal test of skill, mental toughness and resilience this week. Rory McIlroy, who has struggled off the tee since completing the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors with his Masters win in April, is scheduled to start from the 10th tee at 7:40 a.m. ET in the company of Shane Lowry and Justin Rose. Notable players going out in the afternoon when temperatures at Oakmont are expected to reach 87 degrees Fahrenheit (30.6 degrees Celsius) are Dustin Johnson, who won the 2016 U.S. Open at Oakmont, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Crystal Palace's fight to stay in the Europa League explained - and why Nottingham Forest are getting involved
Crystal Palace are waiting on tenterhooks to discover if their European tour will be cancelled before it even begins. The Eagles thought they had secured their place in continental competition after defying all the odds to win the FA Cup - their first-ever major trophy - which resulted in them qualifying for the Europa League. However, their dream of European football - something they've never had in their 120-year history - hangs in the balance as Uefa decide whether Palace have breached the tournament's multi-club ownership rules, which do not allow teams under the same owner to compete in the same competition. Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest have since piled in on Palace's woes, writing to the governing body to voice their concerns over the breach. Here's everything you need to know about Crystal Palace's fight to stay in the Europa League. Are Crystal Palace in breach of multi-club ownership rules? Much of this saga centres around American businessman and Eagle Football Holdings owner John Textor. Eagle Football holds a 43 per cent stake in Crystal Palace, but also owns a 77 per cent stake in Ligue 1 outfit Lyon, who akin to Palace have also qualified for next season's rendition of the Europa League. To prevent collusion, Uefa does not allow multiple clubs under the same owner to compete in one of its competitions, and in the case that two teams under a multi-club model qualify for the same tournament, the side that achieved the better finish in its domestic season gets priority. Lyon finished sixth last term and qualified via their league position, while Palace finished 12th. However, there was a way around this. Under Article 5 or Uefa's rulebook, clubs had until March 1 of this year to have complied with the requirements to prove they are not "simultaneously involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration, and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition". What this often entails is the adaptation of shareholdings - such as putting shares in a blind trust - to follow regulations, with the likes of Ineos, the City Group and, most recently, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis all doing so to ensure their teams face no barriers to compete in Europe. Marinakis was preparing for the eventuality that Forest would qualify for the Champions League alongside Olympiakos, who are also owned by the Greek billionaire. Uefa's deadline of 1 March is clear, but Palace missed it. After all, their route to such a conflict was incredibly unforeseen at that point - they were sitting in the bottom half of the table and were only in the FA Cup fifth round. Meanwhile, Lyon only managed to gain European qualification in the season's last breath, moving into a Conference League spot thanks to a 99th-minute Le Havre winner at Strasbourg on the final day, before Paris Saint-Germain won the Coupe de France to bump Lyon into the Europa League. While a lack of foresight may prove unforgiving, it is understood that Textor's position means he cannot be enforced by the club to place his shares in a blind trust due to a lack of legal authority. With the deadline long gone, Palace have told Uefa that they are ready to take immediate steps to comply with their requirements, but are also arguing against the claim that they are in serious breach of the requirements at all. What is Crystal Palace's defence? Crystal Palace are arguing that their historic FA Cup triumph and subsequent Europa League qualification were achieved on their own merit rather than via the benefits of a multi-club system, and that the response to eject them from the competition is disproportionate. They also refute that they operate under such a multi-club model, with Textor holding just 25 per cent of the voting rights - crucially, less than 30 per cent. This could prove pivotal as Uefa's rules state that "no individual or legal entity" can hold a majority of shareholder voting rights - and thus the ability to have the final say on decisions - at two clubs in the same European tournament. Palace chairman Steve Parish and his top brass are widely accepted to be the key decision-makers at Palace, with Parish having the determining vote, while Textor has comparatively inferior influence. As such, there is an argument that Palace's operation is entirely independent, claiming not to have been assisted by Textor's Lyon connection in their FA Cup triumph last term. According to the club, this is in the sense that there have been no employee or coach sharing, no joint strategy, no collective scouting, and the fact that the last transfer between the two outfits came in August 2023, when now-Everton defender Jake O'Brien left Palace for Lyon. Why are Nottingham Forest getting involved? Nottingham Forest have written to Uefa to express their concerns and a desire for clarity over Crystal Palace's involvement in the Europa League when they might be in breach of the governing body's multi-ownership rules. As previously stated above, Forest were in a similar boat in regard to the possibility of falling foul of these regulations, only in the Champions League, which led to Marinakis diluting his control of the club. Forest missed out on Europe's premier competition on the final day of the Premier League season, allowing Marinakis to retake the reins, but now stand to gain from Crystal Palace's failure to change their ownership structure by the March 1 deadline. This is because they finished the season in seventh - at present a Conference League spot. There is no guarantee, but they could be lifted into the Europa League if Palace are expelled. What could happen next? Palace are doing all they can to convince Uefa that they are not in serious breach of the regulations, with Parish and Textor being invited to the governing body's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, for crisis talks. Textor has been part of the contingent to argue that his influence at the club is minimal - something he has publicly made known he is frustrated about, with the current leadership structure meaning he actually wants to sell his stake. As such, Textor is willing to resign as director of Palace to ensure their involvement in Europe next season, which would mean the American would lose any and all influence at the club. When will a verdict be reached? Uefa will continue to deliberate in internal meetings, primarily with their Club Financial Control Body, over the coming weeks and are expected to come up with a decision by the end of the month, forcing Palace to endure an anxious wait to see if their European dream lives or dies. While it may appear the simple compromise is to drop Palace to the Conference League - avoiding the ownership clash but keeping Palace in continental competition - a similar issue would arise due to the positions of shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer. They also own Danish club Brondby, who have qualified for the competition through finishing third in the Superliga. Palace are hopeful that if a sanction is imposed, it does not act as an injustice to their competitive achievements. It's reported that Palace believe a hard ban from European football would contradict Article 2 of Uefa's rulebook, which set out to ensure 'sporting values always prevail', and would instead be more receptive to a fine or oversight measures, such as the temporary monitoring of transfers.
BreakingNews.ie
4 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Palace co-owner John Textor would sell shares for Europa League chance
Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is willing to sell his shares in the club in order to ensure the Eagles can enter next season's Europa League, according to reports. The American, whose Eagle Football Group owns 43 per cent of Palace, has imperilled the club's chance of a first-ever European campaign owing to his involvement with Ligue 1 side Lyon, but is ready to offload his stake to his fellow co-owners in order to bring the saga to an end. Advertisement UEFA does not allow clubs with the same ownership to compete in the same European competitions in a season. Eberechi Eze scored the winning goal when Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final (Adam Davy/PA) As well as his stake in Palace, the 59-year-old has a controlling stake in the French club, also via Eagle Football. However, it is also reported that the European governing body does not consider Textor's influence at Selhurst Park to be decisive and is leaning towards allowing the club into the Europa League regardless. The PA news agency understands no formal decision is likely on Palace's fate until the end of June. Advertisement Textor has previously spoken of his frustration at how little influence his stake entitles him to over football matters. Victory for Oliver Glasner's side over Manchester City in last month's FA Cup final gave them their first major trophy and with it a first crack at Europe. Nottingham Forest, who are owned by Evangelos Marinakis, have written to UEFA challenging Palace's involvement in the Europa League (Mike Egerton/PA) However, Nottingham Forest have since written to UEFA to challenge Palace's Europa League spot and in the hope of taking their place. Forest's owner, Evangelos Marinakis, who also owns Greek side Olympiacos, placed his shares in the club in a blind trust before the governing body's March 1 deadline, anticipating Nuno Espirito Santo's side's European qualification. Advertisement At present Forest, who finished seventh in last season's Premier League, are set to enter the Conference League but would take Palace's Europa League place, should they be deemed ineligible.
