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BBC News
28-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Rhodes was 'just trying to make cut' in maiden win
"I was just trying to focus on making the cut," says golfer Mimi Rhodes, fresh from claiming her first victory on the Ladies European 23-year-old showed great composure to produce a bogey-free final round to win by two shots at this month's Women's NSW Open in Australia."I wasn't expecting any of it," she told BBC Radio Somerset."It all feels like a bit of a dream and a bit of a blur. Being in Australia, a new country, it was all just an unbelievable experience."To have got my first LET win there, it's just the cherry on top."Competing on the tour for just the fourth time in her career, the rookie stunned by hitting a course record nine-under 62 to take a share of the lead after two led by one shot heading into the final round in Wollongong, with a two-under score of 69 leading her to finish on 17 win over Australia's Kirsten Rudgeley and Italy's Alessandra Fanali followed missing the cut at the Australian Women's Classic the previous week."It's kind of weird how that happens in golf. Going from a missed cut and then suddenly a nine under," Rhodes said."That day was some of the best golf that I have played in my life. Every putt just kept rolling in. The Open on the horizon Having enjoyed some time celebrating the victory, Rhodes' attention now turns to the new doors that have opened for her, including a place at The Open."I can pretty much get into every event except for the US Open and The Evian [Championship], but there's still a lot of golf to be played," she said."It's a bit of a shock to know that I can now play in all of those events in my first year."I had no idea that I'd get into the British Open. My mum did, but she never told me, obviously, until I won."This summer's event will be played at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club on the south coast of Wales from 31 July to 3 August, which is not all that far from Rhodes' hometown of Taunton. Somerset."I'm for sure going to have a lot of family coming to support. It's going to be really special," said and her sister Patience were introduced to golf by their grandmother Susan at a young age. They were regular visitors to Somerset's Burnham and Barrow Golf Club, from where their progress is still followed."There are quite a few people who come up to me and remember me through my grandparents," she said."It's really lovely that they are supporting me and watching me from there." Two sisters following their dreams After returning to Somerset, Rhodes' parents joked that they could not believe that the victorious golfer that they had been watching on television was sat in their rookie is looking to keep her head on the ground, but certainly is not short of aspiration, with next year's Solheim Cup at the back of her mind."I obviously do think about it because it's one of my goals as well as all of the majors," she said."I was sat next to the LET director on the plane back and he mentioned to me about the Solheim Cup and showed me the table of points and I'm actually quite high up. "The Solheim Cup, the Olympics, it's all on everyone's bucket list, but I'm not really going to put too much pressure on myself."The one thing that would make the dream of playing a major championship even sweeter, would be to do it together with her younger sister."It's a long career, I've got a lot of a lot of time to do it and hopefully when Patience comes into the into the pro ranks, we can do it together," Rhodes said."She's got this year and then two more years [at university]."Hopefully she doesn't beat me too many times."
BBC News
17-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Dunn has 'monkey off back' with Bath cup win
Bath hooker Tom Dunn said he has got the "monkey off his back" as he won his first trophy after 13 seasons at the club with the Premiership Rugby Cup on has made nearly 250 appearances for Bath, and is the longest-serving player in the 32-year-old scored two tries in the 48-14 win against Exeter Chiefs, as Bath ended a 17-year wait for silverware."When you see retired players come on the TV and underneath it says '200 caps or 170 caps' - I just didn't want to be that person where it said 'won nothing'," Dunn told BBC Radio Somerset."I didn't want to be that player or that pundit - if I ever am one - but for me, it's the monkey off my back."I can show my little boy the trophy, show my kids the medals, and I'm excited." Dunn, who made his Bath debut in 2012, came into their Premiership Rugby Cup team for the knock-out stage of the competition, after a side largely made up of academy players won five out of six matches in the group stage to ensure Bath topped their pool. He said the trophy was a "great reward" for those young players. "Every week in the Premiership you don't see those boys playing, you don't see those boys on the team sheet but they're the ones pushing us, making us better," Dunn added."They're the ones prepping us, running plays that they don't need to learn to make us better. "It's a selfless job and I remember when I was 20, 21 I wasn't playing, that was my role, and it's a tough role to have and this is their reward. They train so hard, they work so hard, and they've got their opportunity and they've taken it."Bath return to Premiership action against Gloucester on Sunday six points clear at the top of the table, as they look to avenge last season's final defeat by Northampton Saints and claim their first league title since are also into the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup, and could win a treble this season if things all go to plan. Dunn said the Premiership Cup win is hopefully just the "start"."Rugby clubs are massive ships and it takes time to turn them around, and I can't speak highly enough of the people in charge at the moment," he added."That goes from the nutritionist Sarah [Jenner] all the way up to the head coach Johann [van Graan], to the kit man Middy [Steve Middleton]. It's such a group effort... and I'm very excited this is just hopefully the start and the beginning."
BBC News
05-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Weston has 'eye on top step' at World Championships
Great Britain's Matt Weston has his "eye on the top step" of the podium only at the skeleton World Championships, which begin on Thursday in Lake Placid, month Weston secured the skeleton World Cup overall title for the second successive year. The 28-year-old won world gold in St Moritz in 2023 and came within 0.23 seconds of doing so again last year, but had to settle for silver."Training's going pretty well so far and that's all I've got my eye on, the top step of the podium," Weston told BBC Radio Somerset."I set myself two goals this year - win the [World Cup] overall again, which I have managed to do, and win the World Championships, so that's the main goal." Weston will complete four runs of the Lake Placid track over two days of heats at the Worlds."This track is really tough, really technical and [you need] consistency - not only over four runs but over two days where you could be in a good position after day one and then for some people the pressure might get to you to go and perform the next day," he said."That's part of a toughness of the World Championships but it means a lot to me." While Weston said his focus is very much on competing at his best this week, part of Team GB's efforts will also be looking towards the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina next finished 15th at his first Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022."We are practising things in preparation for Milan - how we work with coaches, equipment, personal things for me like how to get my headspace in the right place for racing, how do I overcome this problem, that problem," Weston said."Most of the things we do are with Milan in mind as well, so it's definitely there and the fact that it's less than a year to go kind of makes you a bit nervous as well but very excited." Weston is the first British male to win back-to-back World Cup titles and the third overall to do so, following Alex Coomber (2000, 2001 and 2002) and Kristan Bromley (2004 and 2008).He has trained with the Great Britain team in Bath for the past eight years, where the UK's only skeleton and bobsleigh track is the eight-race World Cup series from November to February, Weston only missed out on a place on the podium once."For me personally, it's pretty crazy to think I'm writing history. It doesn't really sink in at the moment because the sport is so compact over six months, you're very much almost week-in, week-out, day-to-day, I've got this new goal to hit, I've got this new target to try and achieve," he said."I think it'll probably only be when I retire that I'll think 'OK I didn't do a bad job when I was in the sport'."
