Latest news with #KatieThompson
Times
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Meet the next-door sisters: ‘We're like neighbours on steroids'
Milo, the youngest and only boy of the four cousins, comes running down the garden to his aunt and uncle's home, past the runner ducks, silkie chickens, guinea pigs, cats, dogs and koi carp — it's like a modern-day Doctor Dolittle set-up with a splash of The Waltons. For any child it's idyllic because not only are there animals galore (23, in fact) but there is double everything, from parents to children to pets. The sisters Katie Thompson and Sophie Parish decided that bringing up the four children they have between them — Tabitha, nine, Aurora, seven, Poppy, six, and Milo, three — would be more fun if they did it together, so they bought houses next door to one another and now raise
The National
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
UAE cricketer Katie Thompson
Katie Thompson arrived in the UAE in 2021 and will now be a part of the national team in the T20 World Cup Asia qualifier
The National
06-05-2025
- Sport
- The National
From Harrogate to Ajman, then the world: Katie Thompson is living the dream after UAE call up
Up until four years ago, Katie Thompson had never been on a plane. The first flight she took brought her from the UK's northwest to the unlikely destination of Ajman. Now she could soon become a globe-trotting international cricketer, having been called up to the UAE women's team for the first time. Currently she is in Thailand, where the national team are finalising their preparations for the Asian regional qualifier for the Women's T20 World Cup. The top two sides in the nine-team tournament will advance to the global qualifier at the start of next year. The top sides in that would in turn make it to the main event, to be staged in England next year – which is where Thompson started out her journey. 'I am super excited,' Thompson, 28, said ahead of her first tour with the national team. 'It is every child's aspiration to represent their country at something. I am so close to doing it, and I really hope I get the opportunity. 'Just getting the kit – the huge bag of kit, I put everything on. The jumpers, hats, everything. Every time I put the kit on at home, I just feel so proud. 'I feel proud because it is the case that: I made it. I have been working really hard, like everyone has, and now I am hoping to get that extra step and get onto the international stage. It might sound like a cliche, but to make my debut would be a dream come true.' Thompson, who has debuted for the UAE team in their warm-up matches against China and Kuwait, is the second English-born player to represent the country at cricket. Mahika Gaur, the first, is now back in England where she represents the country of her birth. Thompson arrived in the Emirates in August 2021 when she took up a job as a PE teacher at Victoria English School in Sharjah. It was a step into the unknown for someone who had lived all her life till that point in Harrogate in Yorkshire, which was the county she represented in cricket. 'It was Covid, all the rules were in place and my brother had just moved out of our family house,' she said. 'We had grown up being best friends. It wasn't a lonely time as I love my mum and dad to bits, but with all the rules in place, I thought to myself, 'Let's see what's out there. Let's have an adventure.' 'I started looking at international job websites and I thought, 'Why not apply?' The next thing I know, I'm having an interview, accepting the job in February 2021. Then in August, I am on my first ever flight – my first time on a plane – out here to the UAE.' She had been abroad to France before, by ferry, but Ajman – where she has lived for the four years since – in August was a significantly different experience. 'It was a big change,' she said. 'I was apprehensive and excited. There were a few of us moving out at the same time, so we made a WhatsApp group, and I asked if anyone was flying from [Manchester]. 'I flew out with a maths teacher and it was also his first time on a plane. We were both sat there, really excited.' One of the unknowns facing her was whether she would ever play cricket again. She did not know if there was a cricket scene for women in the UAE, and was focused on her job, anyway. Unbeknown to her, her dad had contacted Darjeeling, the oldest club side in Dubai, to see if they could accommodate her. They were more than happy to enlist her for their side. It was an opportune arrangement: during one match she played for Darjeeling at the ICC Academy in Dubai Sports City, she was spotted by the UAE national team. 'I was playing a game for Darjeeling, and the girls were netting,' she said. 'Someone looked over and noticed they had a woman playing. We finished the game, then one of the coaches stopped me and asked how long I have been here, and wanted to know about the residency and whether I would qualify to play. 'They took my number, then I did my first training session here in November, and it has developed from there. Once I started becoming more involved, I realised this is something I would love to be a part of.' Now she is part of the tour party for the first time, in a side who are thriving. This weekend it was confirmed the UAE women's team will have one-day international status, on the basis of the continued progress they have made in the T20 format. They came close to qualification for the last T20 World Cup. If they can achieve it this time around, it would make for a poignant trip home for Thompson. 'They have been telling everyone,' she said. 'Mum has been telling all her work colleagues in the office, and dad as well. All my family have been nothing but supportive. 'The dream for us girls is to get to the World Cup, which is England next year. If everything works out, then hopefully my mum and dad can come and see me play. 'I'm where I am now because of the help of them; driving me training, taking days off work to drive me to games, getting me the kit, paying for memberships. 'It would mean the world to be able to give this back to them, either watching me on TV, or watching me in person wearing the UAE kit.'
CBS News
26-04-2025
- Business
- CBS News
A's living up to the hype? Smaller-than-expected Sacramento crowds, cheaper-than-predicted tickets
WEST SACRAMENTO — For the "not-Sacramento" Athletics, Monday will mark one month since the A's inaugural home opener in its three-year stint at Sutter Health Park before the team ultimately moves to Las Vegas. So far, attendance has not proven to be as high as the pre-season hype -- many area leaders had predicted and hoped to see a near-nightly sellout crowd. Of the A's thirteen home games so far this season, the only sellout has been the home opener versus the Chicago Cubs. Since then, A's attendance has not once dipped below 9,000 ticketed fans at any home game. On average, ticket sales are sitting at about 10,800 per game: a good-sized crowd, but nearly 3,000 shy of a sellout. What sold out early were season tickets, which account for about 6,000 seats. Katie Thompson is one of the A's inaugural season ticket holders. "I think the ballpark, because it feels smaller, it feels like it's more crowded," Thompson said. "I think people were also thinking they were going to get season tickets and resell them for a lot of money, and that's not what is happening." Regional economic leaders eyeing an MLB expansion team in the Sacramento area after the A's move on know these next three years are a trial run. The MLB will be watching for local fan support: Can the region consistently put up sellout crowds in the West Sacramento ballpark? So far, more than 130,000 fans have walked through Sutter Health Park's gates since March 31. But is it enough to prove the Sacramento region can support professional baseball long term? "It is sad to see that this is a Triple-A ballpark and we can't sell it out, you know?" said Vanessa Waszczuk, a lifelong A's fan. The A's have some sellout games down the pipeline, like two games in the San Francisco Giants series on the July 4th weekend. But there is a plus side to the smaller-than-expected crowd sizes — ticket prices are also lower than predicted. Ticket companies pre-season predicted that an A's ticket on average would be "the most expensive ticket in Major League Baseball." For some upcoming games like the Yankees, Dodgers and Giants, it's likely. But for all, not quite. An hour and a half before first pitch at Friday's home game versus the Chicago White Sox, dozens of tickets in the stadium were still available on sites like Ticketmaster and SeatGeek for $25 to $30. Some were even seats as low down as the 9th row. "We definitely overpaid to be here. We bought the tickets over three weeks ago," said White Sox fan Joey Snella. Snella and his dad are in town from Chicago, traveling to every MLB stadium in the country before he turns 30. They're ranking each one down to the very last detail. Friday, Sutter Health Park was their latest stop. "So far I've given them a 5 [out of 5 ranking] on mobility inside the stadium, so far great on average weather," Snella said about the ballpark. With ticket prices coming down, families like the Danielsons in town from Redding are seeing more A's action than they expected. "I was really surprised, it's really fair," said mom Kasey Danielson, with her daughter and husband. "My birthday present was tickets tomorrow night. We were already coming down and looked at ticket prices, they were reasonable, so we are here this evening too," father Jason Danielson said Friday. Friday night's game attendance was just over 10,000 ticketed fans.
