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The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Worst display of darts ever' – Rashford's Barcelona transfer brokered by agent who played in World Darts Championship
MARCUS RASHFORD'S Barcelona transfer deal was brokered in part by a darts fanatic agent who played at a World Darts Championship event. Simon Leaf, of law firm Mishcon de Reya, helped broker Rashford's loan deal to 4 Marcus Rashford made his escape from Man Utd when he signed a season-long loan with Spanish giants Barcelona Credit: Getty 4 The deal was brokered in part by lawyer and darts fanatic Simon Leaf (top right) Credit: INSTAGRAM @danerashford Leaf, who heads up his firm's sport and technology division, was drafted in by Rashford's brother and agent Dwaine Maynard to help with the financial details. He has previously worked alongside Premier League clubs, sports stars, and whole nations to provide financial advice and insight. However, away from the world of glamorous contract deals, Leaf was previously known for his involvement in the world of darts. While studying at Cambridge University, Leaf participated in a televised darts match against counterparts from Oxford. READ MORE IN SPORT Leaf took on Mark Carpenter of Oxford from the 2005 World Darts Championships at Lakeside Country Club in Surrey. The match was calamitous, with both players at one point becoming stuck repeatedly shooting for double one. The game dragged on so long that caller Rab Butler had to be brought a chair as the pair fumbled for the final double. In the end it was Carpenter who found it, adding insult to injury on top of what was already a slightly embarrassing stage appearance for Leaf. Most read in Darts CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 4 Both Leaf and his opponent had shockers on stage as they battled over a double one Credit: BBC 4 Leaf took part in a televised varsity darts match between Cambridge and Oxford universities at a World Championship of Darts event Credit: BBC Carpenter's awkward attempt to hug the referee in his relief summed up a rather uninspiring match, a far cry from the sporting royalty that has blessed the stage at Lakeside. Outside of darts, Leaf has also refereed semi-professional football. Marcus Rashford can't contain his excitement after agreeing Barcelona transfer The Rashford will be thanking all this experience as it helped negotiate his move away from Manchester United after he was frozen out from the main squad by manager The striker has Amorim has made it clear he will not play for United while he is in charge. Rashford has been given the No14 shirt previously worn by big names including Johan Cruyff, Thierry Henry and Ronald Koeman . We revealed that Rashford She took his photo, then moved behind him to take another and seemingly checked his shirt before
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘Worst display of darts ever' – Rashford's Barcelona transfer brokered by agent who played in World Darts Championship
His negotiation skills are evidently sharper than his throwing was Rash display 'Worst display of darts ever' – Rashford's Barcelona transfer brokered by agent who played in World Darts Championship Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MARCUS RASHFORD'S Barcelona transfer deal was brokered in part by a darts fanatic agent who played at a World Darts Championship event. Simon Leaf, of law firm Mishcon de Reya, helped broker Rashford's loan deal to Barcelona from Man Utd earlier this month. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Marcus Rashford made his escape from Man Utd when he signed a season-long loan with Spanish giants Barcelona Credit: Getty 4 The deal was brokered in part by lawyer and darts fanatic Simon Leaf (top right) Credit: INSTAGRAM @danerashford Leaf, who heads up his firm's sport and technology division, was drafted in by Rashford's brother and agent Dwaine Maynard to help with the financial details. He has previously worked alongside Premier League clubs, sports stars, and whole nations to provide financial advice and insight. However, away from the world of glamorous contract deals, Leaf was previously known for his involvement in the world of darts. While studying at Cambridge University, Leaf participated in a televised darts match against counterparts from Oxford. READ MORE IN SPORT NOU START Marcus Rashford back with ex-fiancee Lucia Loi as she joins him in Barcelona Leaf took on Mark Carpenter of Oxford from the 2005 World Darts Championships at Lakeside Country Club in Surrey. The match was calamitous, with both players at one point becoming stuck repeatedly shooting for double one. The game dragged on so long that caller Rab Butler had to be brought a chair as the pair fumbled for the final double. In the end it was Carpenter who found it, adding insult to injury on top of what was already a slightly embarrassing stage appearance for Leaf. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS 4 Both Leaf and his opponent had shockers on stage as they battled over a double one Credit: BBC 4 Leaf took part in a televised varsity darts match between Cambridge and Oxford universities at a World Championship of Darts event Credit: BBC Carpenter's awkward attempt to hug the referee in his relief summed up a rather uninspiring match, a far cry from the sporting royalty that has blessed the stage at Lakeside. Outside of darts, Leaf has also refereed semi-professional football. Marcus Rashford can't contain his excitement after agreeing Barcelona transfer The Aston Villa fan has refereed at National Conference and Premier League U23 level. Rashford will be thanking all this experience as it helped negotiate his move away from Manchester United after he was frozen out from the main squad by manager Ruben Amorim. The striker has signed a year-long deal with Barcelona, who have an option to buy him next summer for around £26million. Amorim has made it clear he will not play for United while he is in charge. Rashford has been given the No14 shirt previously worn by big names including Johan Cruyff, Thierry Henry and Ronald Koeman. We revealed that Rashford has rekindled his relationship with former fiancée Lucia Loi — and she was with him when he was unveiled by Barcelona. She took his photo, then moved behind him to take another and seemingly checked his shirt before the Man United exile posed beside a traditional red British phone box.
Scottish Sun
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
Darts legend retires from Premier League Darts immediately after Luke Littler vs Luke Humphries final
DARTS icon George Noble has retired from the Premier League. The referee has stepped down after officiating the 2025 final between Luke Littler and Luke Humphries. 2 Referee George Noble has quit Premier League Darts Credit: Getty 2 His last Premier League match was the final between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler Credit: PA Noble, 56, has been one of the top callers in darts for the last three decades. He has worked on the PDC Tour since 2007 - prior to that he was part of the BDO team. That means he has witnessed the best in the world over the past three decades, culminating in the two biggest stars fighting it out to win the Premier League. Noble began his career as a referee in 1992 and he has been a regular caller on the Pro Tour ever since. READ MORE IN DARTS SHOWING FAITH Luke Littler's rumoured girlfriend Faith Millar cheers star on at darts final He called every BDO World Championship final between 1995 and 2007. He joined the PDC Tour later in 2007 , where he called the first ever nine-dart finish in PDC World Darts Championship history when Raymond van Barneveld hit a perfect leg against Jelle Klaasen in 2009. Since then he has been the voice of a total of 21 televised nine-darters - more than any other referee. While he has taken part in 18 World Darts Championships. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 'The Puppy' already called time on his work as a referee on the European Tour, stepping away after the Dutch Darts Championship last week. After confirming his retirement plans, Noble spoke about the future of refereeing, saying: "I think it's time we had the first female referee at a major tournament…and maybe even the first non-British one, too."
The Irish Sun
30-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Darts legend retires from Premier League Darts immediately after Luke Littler vs Luke Humphries final
DARTS icon George Noble has retired from the Premier League. The referee has stepped down after officiating the 2025 final between Advertisement 2 Referee George Noble has quit Premier League Darts Credit: Getty 2 His last Premier League match was the final between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler Credit: PA Noble, 56, has been one of the top callers in darts for the last three decades. He has worked on the PDC Tour since 2007 - prior to that he was part of the BDO team. That means he has witnessed the best in the world over the past three decades, culminating in the two biggest stars fighting it out to win the Premier League. Noble began his career as a referee in 1992 and he has been a regular caller on the Pro Tour ever since. Advertisement READ MORE IN DARTS He called every BDO World Championship final between 1995 and 2007. He joined the PDC Tour later in 2007 , where he called the first ever nine-dart finish in PDC World Darts Championship history when Since then he has been the voice of a total of 21 televised nine-darters - more than any other referee. While he has taken part in 18 World Darts Championships. Advertisement Most read in Darts JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 'The Puppy' already called time on his work as a referee on the European Tour, stepping away after the Dutch Darts Championship last week. After confirming his retirement plans, Noble spoke about the future of refereeing , saying: "I think it's time we had the first female referee at a major tournament…and maybe even the first non-British one, too." Fans sing along to Luke Littler's walk-on song as darts star shares footage from stage
The Guardian
26-01-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
MPs in new freebie row after accepting darts hospitality from betting firm
Two MPs received VIP tickets for the sold-out World Darts Championships courtesy of a betting company – weeks after a national outcry over politicians accepting freebies. Labour MP James Frith, who has campaigned for safer gambling, and Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, the deputy speaker of the House of Commons, were gifted 'platinum' hospitality tickets by Paddy Power worth up to £1,000 each. Platinum packages typically include Michelin-star meals, alcohol, prime seats and table service. At face value, standard entry tickets cost up to £95. Frith's ticket, worth £1,000, covered his attendance at the 3 January final at Alexandra Palace in north London, won by 17-year-old Luke Littler, while Nokes received two tickets, each worth £700, for her and a plus one to attend an earlier round event on 23 December. Both declared the gifts in the MPs' register of interests, although Frith's entry mentioned only that Paddy Power paid for his 'attendance' at the event, which it sponsors, with no mention of hospitality. It is not clear who used Nokes's second ticket, and a spokesperson for her would not say. The freebies raise questions for both MPs for different reasons. Frith has positioned himself as someone concerned about gambling harms. During Safer Gambling Week in November, he posted about the impact of gambling on his constituency of Bury North. 'It's estimated that the cost of problem gambling in Bury North is £1.6m and that one in seven people in our constituency are at risk of problem gambling,' he wrote in a Facebook post. He also sits on the influential culture, media and sport committee, which is responsible for holding the government to account on gambling legislation. Paddy Power – owned by gambling company Flutter Entertainment – has previously been fined for aggressive marketing, including sending push notifications to people who had signed up to exclude themselves from gambling. Frith said: 'I always welcome the opportunity to meet industry and so it was good to meet with Flutter, hear their plans for responsible gambling and discuss their pioneering partnership at the World Darts Championship final, in support of Prostate Cancer UK – a cause very close to my heart and one I specifically involved myself in, following the approach by a constituent of mine who is living with prostate cancer.' Nokes has previously opposed calls for tighter rules for the gambling sector, including raising concerns about affordability checks that request personal financial details such as bank statements or payslips from customers, which are designed to protect problem gamblers. A few weeks before the gift from Paddy Power, she had attended a charity event sponsored by the company in Westminster where MPs played darts alongside some champions. She later wrote a blogpost saying it had been 'fun' and referring to Paddy Power by name. A spokesperson for Nokes said she had been 'pleased to support' the event in support of the prostate cancer charity and that her visit to watch the darts had been declared 'in the usual way'. The gifts follow increased scrutiny of MPs' acceptance of freebies from private donors – from concert and sports tickets to clothes and helicopter trips. In September, the prime minister, Keir Starmer faced claims of a conflict of interest after accepting free tickets to a Taylor Swift concert for him and his family. Sign up to Observed Analysis and opinion on the week's news and culture brought to you by the best Observer writers after newsletter promotion It came after revelations that the singer was granted extra security, including a blue-light escort usually reserved for senior royalty and politicians. Downing Street denied there had been a conflict of interest. Several other Labour MPs also accepted Swift tickets. That same month, Labour's top team said it would stop taking clothes from donors after it emerged that Labour peer Waheed Alli helped fund Starmer's work wardrobe, as well as paying for clothes for his wife, Victoria, that were not initially declared. Rachel Reeves and Angela Rayner also received donations for work outfits. In all, more than £700,000 of free gifts and hospitality was given to MPs in the year to September 2024, an Observer analysis found. As well as the donations to Labour MPs, 141 Tory MPs received £359,891 in free gifts, including tickets paid for by the water industry and thousands of pounds of clay-pigeon shoots and helicopter rides from wealthy donors. Campaigners say freebies raise the risk of conflicts of interest and the potential for undue influence. The Electoral Reform Society has described them as the 'tip of the iceberg' and pointed out that it would be illegal for civil servants to receive similar gifts. It said: 'Just as with cash donations, we must ask: what do these wealthy donors expect in return?' Gambling companies and executives are among the biggest benefactors, with one Guardian analysis revealing the sector paid almost £225,000 in wages and freebies to 28 MPs in a single 18-month period. The Lib Dem peer Don Foster, chair of Peers for Gambling Reform, said: 'MPs absolutely must stop accepting freebies like this from the gambling industry. It's time they realised that in doing so they give tacit approval to an industry that is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people every year.' A spokesperson for Flutter UK & Ireland, which owns gambling brands including Betfair, Sky Betting & Gaming and Paddy Power, said: 'James Frith and Caroline Nokes are among a large number of MPs who have been passionate supporters of Paddy Power's 'Bigger 180' partnership with Prostate Cancer UK – a partnership backed at this December's World Darts Championship by Sir Chris Hoy. Like any other business, we welcome the chance to meet with MPs, showcase our partnership with Prostate Cancer UK and the considerable support we give to sports enjoyed by millions of constituents across the country.'
