logo
England flags and hats spotted in Cardiff as hundreds flock to city

England flags and hats spotted in Cardiff as hundreds flock to city

Wales Online2 days ago

England flags and hats spotted in Cardiff as hundreds flock to city
Merchandise is being sold in the city centre with hundreds seen waiting in queues
Merchandise is sold at Cathedral Road in Cardiff as the English flag waves in the air
(Image: Richard Swingler )
Seeing English flags waving in the air in Wales is a rare sight. But that is the scene in Cardiff today as England take on the West Indies in the men's one day international cricket series. Hundreds were pictured flocking to Sophia Gardens this afternoon to watch the second ODI.
Merchandise is being sold on Cathedral Road outside the cricket ground, including England hats and flags as fans make their way in to watch the game.
The game marks the first time that West Indies have headed to England and Wales for a white-ball series since 2017. Fans could earlier be seen queuing outside the ground with some still waiting to get in as of the 11am start time, though the crowds have since dispersed.
Fans queue to get into the game
(Image: Richard Swingler )
Speaking ahead of the event, chief executive officer at Glamorgan Cricket, Dan Cherry, said: 'We always look forward to announcing our International fixtures each year and are proud to be hosting South Africa and West Indies in 2025.
Article continues below
'It will be fantastic to welcome the West Indies back to Sophia Gardens after eight years and will allow us to continue our excellent relationship which strengthened in the 1990s due to the great Viv Richards representing Glamorgan with great distinction."
There was a significant wait
(Image: Richard Swingler )

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Man City boss Pep Guardiola keen on Newcastle star who featured in all but one Premier League game last season
Man City boss Pep Guardiola keen on Newcastle star who featured in all but one Premier League game last season

Daily Mail​

time42 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Man City boss Pep Guardiola keen on Newcastle star who featured in all but one Premier League game last season

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is keen on Newcastle United defender Tino Livramento. The 22-year-old, who joined Newcastle from Southampton in 2023 in a deal worth up to £40million, made 37 appearances in the Premier League last season. He still has three years left on his current contract and Newcastle want to keep him. City therefore know that bringing the former Chelsea youth to the Etihad could prove expensive. Guardiola has other names on his wish-list and City have accelerated talks with Wolves regarding left back Rayan Ait-Nouri. The plan is to get the Algeria international signed before the Club World Cup begins later this month. Ait-Nouri has told City that he wants to join. Meanwhile, City last week opened talks with Lyon over a deal for midfielder Rayan Cherki. Guardiola, who is bringing in former Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders as his new assistant, gave the green light for City to bid for Cherki after holding talks with the 21-year-old. Cherki is valued around £35million after scoring 12 goals in 44 games this season, including two against Manchester United in the Europa League. He was also part of the France U23 team that won a silver medal at last summer's Olympic Games. Cherki has not yet been capped by France at senior international level, but he was recently handed his first call-up and could make his debut in Thursday's UEFA Nations League semi-final clash with Spain.

Viktor Gyokeres has an incredible goal record and is a ready-made star, but Benjamin Sesko is proven in a major European league and has huge potential... so who should Arsenal sign this summer?
Viktor Gyokeres has an incredible goal record and is a ready-made star, but Benjamin Sesko is proven in a major European league and has huge potential... so who should Arsenal sign this summer?

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Viktor Gyokeres has an incredible goal record and is a ready-made star, but Benjamin Sesko is proven in a major European league and has huge potential... so who should Arsenal sign this summer?

In an ideal world for Arsenal, Aston Villa would have beaten Man United on the final day of the season to edge Newcastle out of the picture in the race for the Champions League. There is no particular malice behind that thought, although a demoralising Carabao Cup semi-final defeat by the Magpies means Eddie Howe 's side aren't viewed particularly fondly by Gunners fans. But rather Toon striker Alexander Isak was viewed as a dream summer target for Mikel Arteta as he looks to reinforce his attacking options, yet given Champions League football will be returning to St James' Park, any move can now be ruled out. Nevertheless, it is still expected to be a big few months for Arsenal, boosted by a strong PSR position - and purse strings will be loosened as they try to strengthen across a variety of positions. There is no doubt that No 9 is the biggest priority though, with the lack of a quality option playing a big part in the third successive second place finish for Arteta's side as they drew 14 of their 38 Premier League games to finish 10 points adrift of Liverpool. Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko are the two main contenders, but Arsenal fans and those inside the club are torn on who would be the better option. Both Gyokeres and Sesko are top class strikers in their own right and each have plenty of positives - and impressive goal records - to boost their case to Arsenal's recruitment team. On the one hand, a move for Sesko would make sense given the Slovenian star has been a long-term target. The Gunners have previously done much of the groundwork on a potential deal, having been close to signing him last summer before the player became unsure over how much game time he would get. Sesko has since netted 26 goals for club and country this season and at 21, the striker, who turns 22 on Saturday, presents an ideal profile for future growth. A transfer to Arsenal also feels like the perfect next step for Sesko, who has carefully constructed his career to date. After moving to Red Bull Salzburg at 16, he initially impressed on loan at their sister club FC Liefering who play in the Austrian second tier. Two strong seasons saw him score 22 goals in 44 games when he then made the step up to Salzburg's first team to fill the void left by Erling Haaland's departure to Borussia Dortmund in 2020. Sesko thrived and in the summer of 2023 he had interest from several teams across Europe, before he ultimately chose to join RB Leipzig to stay within the Red Bull network. Sesko almost joined Arsenal last summer and the Gunners have done due diligence on him In Germany, Sesko has gained crucial experience in a major European league and performed well despite Leipzig enduring two difficult campaigns. In 2024-25 he netted 21 times in 45 games, even though Leipzig crashed out in the League Phase of the Champions League following seven defeats in eight games and finished seventh in the Bundesliga. Sesko's variety of goals are also an added positive for potential suitors, with the 21-year-old having netted just six times from the penalty spot this season. Sesko is strong with both feet and has scored multiple headers - and overall he has an impressive career record of 90 goals and 25 assists in 210 matches. His experience of the Champions League would also be useful to Arsenal, although he is yet to enjoy any real success in the competition. Across four seasons, Sesko has scored just six goals in 28 games. However, it must be noted that the 21-year-old has generally played for teams that have struggled in the Champions League and he did manage to net four times in eight matches this time around. But when Arsenal are weighing up whether or not to go for Sesko, who is valued at £92.5m, there are also several factors that may encourage them to go for Gyokeres. The Swedish forward has enjoyed an incredible two years at Sporting and he is widely expected to leave Portugal this summer. In fact, it is understood that Sporting are currently searching for a new striker to replace the former Brighton and Coventry frontman. The Portuguese side are demanding in excess of £70m, meaning the Swede's options are limited to a few clubs with the financial power and willingness to spend that on a player. But Arsenal are one such team, and new sporting director Andrea Berta is said to admire Gyokeres from his time working at Atletico Madrid. And you can see why, with Gyokeres possessing an superb record of 97 goals in 102 games since joining Sporting for a bargain £20.2m fee. A 2024-25 campaign that saw the Swede net 54 goals and add 13 assists in 52 games has meant Gyokeres' profile has risen exponentially, something that was particularly boosted by his Champions League form. On what was his first experience of the competition, Gyokeres scored six goals in eight games, included a superb hat-trick against Man City in November. His rise has been less serene than Sesko's, with the 26-year-old, whose birthday is next week, failing to make the grade at Brighton during a four-year spell that also saw him struggle on loan at Swansea. However, a flame was lit once he joined Coventry and 40 goals across two seasons as a permanent player earned Gyokeres a move to Sporting. Despite his incredible record, there are a few concerns surrounding Gyokeres, including the fact that he will be 27 at the start of next season, five years senior to Sesko. His struggles at Brighton, although they now seem irrelevant, do raise some questions given he has never played in a top five European league, something Sesko has done with the Bundesliga. Mail Sport has previously reported how this is a view echoed internally at Arsenal, with figures torn on whether the striker can hit the ground running in the Premier League. There is also the fact that 20 of his 54 goals this season were penalties, although given Gyokeres scored every spot kick, perhaps that is something to be viewed positively. He also struggled to assert himself during Sporting's 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal in the Champions League. Nevertheless, the Swede's international record is impressive, with Gyokeres having netted 15 times in 26 games in comparison to Sesko's 16 in 41 for Slovenia, although again the standard of their respective teams should be taken into account. Whatever they decide, it feels as if Arsenal will be getting a top quality striker this summer and one that they hope will take them to a trophy after more than five years. Both strikers have their qualities, with Gyokeres possessing an incredible goal record over the past two years. In fact, in 2024-25, the 26-year-old averaged a goal every 79 minutes and converted 56 per cent of his chances. This outperformed Sesko, whose goal-per-minute ratio is 156, while he has a conversation rate of 47.1 per cent. A caveat to that is the quality of their leagues and the fact Gyokeres had 3.9 shots per game compared to Sesko's 2.31. He also averaged 9.16 touches in the opposition box, almost three times that of the Slovenian's 3.29. Overall, it feels like although Sesko has a poorer goal record than his striking rival, the fact that he is proven in a major European league and on an upward curve is extremely appealing. Arsenal have also done plenty of due diligence on him as a target and they have been tracking the 21-year-old for a long-time. The Gunners have plenty of money to spend this summer and although Sesko is likely to be more expensive than Gyokeres, his physicality, age and potential mean Mail Sport favours him narrowly as the better option.

English mayors push for visitor levy to boost income from tourism
English mayors push for visitor levy to boost income from tourism

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

English mayors push for visitor levy to boost income from tourism

A coalition of mayors from across England are urging the government to allow local authorities to bring in a Barcelona-style visitor levy to generate income from tourism. The group, led by the Liverpool city region mayor, Steve Rotheram, argues that a visitor levy would unlock vital funding for tourism and cultural infrastructure, empower regional growth and reduce dependence on central government funding. The letter to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has been co-signed by the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham; the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan; the north-east mayor, Kim McGuinness; Richard Parker, the mayor of the West Midlands; and the West Yorkshire mayor, Tracy Brabin. They say provisions could be made in the forthcoming English devolution bill, or in a specific finance bill, to give local authorities the freedom to design and introduce a locally administered visitor levy. It would mean cities they represent, including Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham and London, could introduce charges to reap direct benefits from tourism. Many European cities have similar levies in place, including Venice, Lisbon and Amsterdam, as do Spain's Balearic Islands. In the Liverpool city region, which hosts more than 60 million visitors annually, a visitor levy could raise nearly £11m a year, the mayors said. The city hosted Eurovision in 2023, which generated £54m in direct economic impact. If a £1- to £5-a-night levy were introduced in Greater Manchester, it could raise between £8m and £40m a year, which could go towards infrastructure projects such as the regeneration of Old Trafford or airport development, the mayors said. The mayors said funds raised through a visitor levy would be ringfenced for local reinvestment, and said the government needed to act urgently, as devolved governments in Scotland and Wales are moving ahead with their own tourism levies, leaving English regions at risk of falling behind. 'The Liverpool city region is a global icon of creativity, culture and character – attracting more than 60 million visitors every year and supporting a £6.25bn visitor economy,' Rotheram said. 'That's something to be incredibly proud of – but it also comes with pressures on our infrastructure and services. 'A small charge on overnight stays – the kind most of us wouldn't think twice about when travelling abroad – would give us the power to reinvest directly into the things that make our area so special.' Burnham added: 'At a time when national resources are under real pressure, a modest visitor levy – something we all pay in other parts of Europe – offers a fair and sustainable way to support our local services.' McGuinness said: 'A local tourism tax is so mainstream across the rest of the world you barely notice it, so it should not be a big step here in the UK.' Last year, a report from the landscape charity Friends of the Lake District made a similar call. The organisation's chief executive, Mike Hill, said: 'In most of the places around the world that we've looked at that have brought in some sort of tourism levy, tourism numbers have actually increased, because the place gets better.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store