Latest news with #ofSteel
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hull KR end 45-year wait to snatch Challenge Cup from Warrington
Tom Davies touches down for Hull KR with less than two minutes left of the final at Wembley. Tom Davies touches down for Hull KR with less than two minutes left of the final at Wembley. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/Shutterstock Hull KR secured their first major trophy in 40 years in dramatic fashion with Tom Davies's try two minutes from full-time and Mikey Lewis's conversion seizing the Challenge Cup away from Warrington. The Robins trailed in a pulsating final after Josh Thewlis's first-half try and Marc Sneyd's conversion made it 6-2. At that stage, it looked as though Rovers' lengthy wait for a major trophy would continue for at least another few months. Advertisement Related: Hull KR are out of the darkness and ready to end 40-year wait in Challenge Cup final Davies grounded a bouncing ball Warrington failed to deal with to level the scores before Lewis, the reigning Man of Steel, delivered the conversion to take the cup back to east Hull for the first time since 1980 and secure Rovers' first trophy of any kind since 1985. Hull KR took a huge gamble before a ball had even been kicked, naming Michael McIlorum in their starting lineup six weeks after a ruptured biceps that initially was thought to sideline him for three months. McIlorum's inclusion was merited, with the veteran providing a level of calm to Rovers as they began on the back foot. After navigating a tricky period in difficult conditions, they went ahead when Lewis kicked a penalty after he was caught high by Ben Currie. For large periods of an engrossing and attritional opening 40 minutes, it looked as though that would be the only score of the half. Advertisement But with two minutes to go until the break, Warrington struck. Sneyd's kick bounced off a defender and into the arms of Thewlis, who scored in the corner before Sneyd nervelessly converted from the touchline to make it 6-2. Rovers offered little in the way of a meaningful threat and Warrington seemed to have the game within their grasp, with Sneyd kicking them safe on multiple occasions. But then, as time ticked away, Warrington failed to deal with a Tyrone May kick, Davies pounced and Lewis converted to create history for the Robins. Rampant Wigan set record final win Wigan Warriors underlined their dominance of women's rugby league by dismantling St Helens 42-6 to win the Challenge Cup for the first time. The Warriors, who invested heavily in their women's side and brought in former Great Britain player Denis Betts as head coach, had promised to shake up the status quo and they did that in some style. Advertisement The Saints had won the past four Wembley finals but they were no match for Wigan. Tries from Megan Williams, Mary Coleman and Emily Veivers put the Warriors into a commanding 18-0 lead by half-time and though you wondered whether St Helens' big-match experience could help them mount a comeback, they were once again second-best after half-time. The Warriors made it 24-0 when Isabel Rowe scored before converting her own try. Katie Mottershead's try briefly gave the Saints some hope, but the Warriors soon restored their advantage with their fifth try. Eva Hunter scored it and Rowe once again converted, before Grace Banks's superb long-range try added further gloss to the scoreline for the Warriors. They would then score again to secure the biggest winning margin in a women's Challenge Cup final in the WSL era, as Anna Davies scored in the corner and Rowe superbly converted to keep up her perfect record from the tee.
Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
From full-back to front row, the battles that will decide Challenge Cup final
The return of captain George Williams has given a major boost to Wire's chances but Rovers, streaking away at the top of Super League, have the edge in plenty of other departments. Here the PA news agency take a closer look at the key areas that could determine the destiny of this year's trophy: Full-back: Matt Dufty v Jack Broadbent Matt Dufty, left, and Jack Broadbent have key roles to play (Jess Hornby/Richard Sellers/PA) Having made his name as a flashy and thrusting full-back, Australian Dufty has added another dimension to his game this season, holding together a Warrington spine decimated by injuries to the likes of Williams, Marc Sneyd and Danny Walker. Meanwhile Rovers will have no qualms about dropping Broadbent into the role temporarily vacated by the cup-tied Arthur Mourgue. Broadbent has excelled when called upon by head coach Willie Peters and scored two tries and delivered a man of the match-winning display in their crushing semi-final win over Catalans. Half-back: George Williams v Mikey Lewis George Williams drives Warrington forward while Mikey Lewis is the reigning Man of Steel (Mike Egerton/Richard Sellers/PA) All attention will be on the Warrington captain and star scrum-half, who will make his comeback less than eight weeks after undergoing surgery on an injured ankle. Williams' match-fitness could be key to his side's hopes of lifting the Cup. Lewis, the reigning Super League Man of Steel, is equally essential to Rovers' prospects. His tenacity and accuracy with the boot has been integral to his side's surge to the top of Super League, and there few for whom bringing an end to Rovers' 40-year trophy hoodoo would mean more. Hooker: Sam Powell v Jez Litten Sam Powell and Jez Litten can add a Challenge Cup win to their accolades (Richard Sellers/PA) Despite a trophy-laden career with Wigan, Powell has never been on the field for a Challenge Cup win. But the 32-year-old will get another chance in place of the injured Danny Walker, and Wire hope his previous experience of Wembley will play a crucial factor. Having played second fiddle for much of last season to Matt Parcell, Litten has emerged as one of the success stories of Rovers' continued rise this term, his relentless and pinpoint attacking threat making sure his side maintain momentum through the sticky moments that have come their way. Front row: Paul Vaughan v Dean Hadley Paul Vaughan, left, and Dean Hadley bring the muscle up front (Martin Rickett/Mike Egerton/PA) Irresistible forces and immovable objects abound in both finalists' respective front rows and are encapsulated by Vaughan and Hadley. The 6ft 4in Vaughan has brought relentless power and passion to a Wire side struggling with so many injury setbacks this season. The value of the equally uncompromising Hadley was underlined by being the only Rovers regular to be rested for last week's Super League win over St Helens. With neither player prepared to give an inch, Vaughan and Hadley will provide the base for their respective sides' cup-winning chances.
UPI
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
DC Comics announces new Black Label series 'Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum'
"Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum" #1 cover by Martín Morazzo and Chris O'Halloran. The five-issue Black Label series goes on sale Aug. 13. Photo courtesy of DC Comics May 16 (UPI) -- DC Comics announced on Friday a new five-issue Black Label series titled Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum. The series, which will begin on Aug. 13, will follow Superman as four new Kryptonites are discovered in deep space. The Man of Steel must discover what effect these new Kryptonites have on him with the help of Batman. Kryptonite is Superman's main weakness, a material from his home planet of Krypton. Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum hails from W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo and Chris O'Halloran, the creative team behind the Eisner Award - nominated Ice Cream Man from Image Comics. "Superman: The Kryptonite Spectrum is a story about new types of Kryptonite, and the effect those new types have on Kal-El and his world," said DC group editor Paul Kaminski. "The series offers an opportunity to unleash the acclaimed Ice Cream Man creative team on the DCU, with episodic tales that play with storytelling styles. These tales are often warped, suspenseful and occasionally horrific, and lean into the rich stylings of the silver age Superman franchise," Kaminski continued. Black Label is a DC Comics imprint that feature standalone stories for a more mature audience. DC Comics and Warner Bros. will be releasing the new Superman film from director James Gunn in theaters on July 11. David Corenswet stars as Superman, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor.
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
'I was a World War II steelworker - men were so nasty to us but we showed them'
Kathleen Roberts tenaciously fought for more recognition for the 'women of steel' who contributed so much to the war effort "You can bugger off, we don't want you here". That was the charming welcome from workers for young women arriving for their first shifts at Sheffield's steelworks in World War II. But these scowling old-timers, hadn't bargained for 'little but powerful" Kathleen Roberts, just 19, who was having none of their bad behaviour, and responded: "Don't you bloody well speak to me like that again because I don't like it." She told The Mirror: 'It was the first time I'd ever sworn, I was furious. The man called Joe who was working on the next machine was killing himself laughing at me. He put his thumbs up and said 'that was great Kath'. 'They were nasty with us, they didn't want us there, they didn't think we were any good but we soon changed their minds,' she said. "We were so good because our fingers were so nimble. Our crane driver Ruth Miller was like a monkey and could drop a load on a sixpence, she was absolutely brilliant'. Feisty Kathleen was so proud of how she and her colleagues contributed to the war effort that 16 years ago she started a campaign to get the 'Women of Steel' recognised, and met then Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Along with three other women, who have all since died, their campaign raised enough money for a statue to be erected. They were determined to get the nation's recognition after being spurned for years since their war-time graft. Gran Kathleen, now 103, from Sheffield says: 'On our last day we were given his small envelope with a five pound note inside and two pence and it said; 'You're no longer required'. We all felt dreadful about it. There was no thank you, no anything.' She worked on the strip rolling mill at Brown Bayleys steelworks, in one of the more dangerous roles. She told The Mirror how they had to roll seven inch drums of steel as 'thin as ribbon' during their 72-hour six-day working week. The day started at 6am after a five-mile walk from her parents' home as there were no trams. 'We never knew what we were making," says Kathleen, "that was a secret. We just did it with no questions asked. 'It was quite dangerous when it was going through where the steel was soldered together because it could break the joint and then you had it all over the place, it could chop your head off, it was dangerous. There were no safety regulations. I saw many a finger chopped off. 'Occasionally I'd hear screams somewhere and I think, 'oh goodness, somebody else has lost a finger because there were these huge guillotines with no safety guard in front. At first I was scared but I got used to it. 'There were a lot of nasty accidents. One time I heard this scream and there was this young man and a steel rod had gone through his hip, it was red hot, terrible. His colleagues rushed to him and chopped the rest of the steel off but he was injured very badly. 'There were a lot of awful injuries in the factories but these women kept on working because they knew how important it was." They did eight to 12 hour shifts and worked six days a week, and that was their life for six years. But Kathleen recalls being 'more frightened of the rats' recalling; 'they were massive. I used to get up on the desk frightened to death.' VE Day: 80th Anniversary Magazine Specials To commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we bring you two special special collector's magazines that look back at events that led to the end of World War II in Europe and marked a new era. In the VE Day 80: Anniversary Collector's Edition we share photographs from the street parties that were held all over Britain, while esteemed author and journalist Paul Routledge paints a picture of how the day was bittersweet, mixed with jubilation and hope for the future, as well as sadness and regret for the past. Routledge also recounts the key events of the Second World War, including Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain and Pearl Harbour. The magazine costs £9.99. Also available is World War Two - A History in 50 Photographs, a definitive pictorial account of the war. Carefully chosen from hundreds of thousands of images, this commemorative magazine shares 50 exceptional photographs - including many rarely seen shots - that capture the devastating moments, horror, hope and eventual triumph of World War Two. The magazine costs £6.99. You can buy your copies here! Sheffield's steelworks were a vital cog in the nation's war effort, producing everything from crankshafts for Spitfires, to artillery shells and tank treads. The lights would go out when the German planes moved overhead. And Kathleen recalls how whenever a shooting star was seen going over a factory, they would see it as a sign another soldier had fallen and a telegram bearing the bad news would be delivered soon afterwards. She got her telegram after D-Day, it was the second time her husband Joe, an infantry sergeant in the East Yorkshire Regiment, had been wounded. 'My dad came to my works with a telegram from the War Office. To say that Joe was wounded and in transit. He'd been shot on Gold beach in Normandy. He was carrying this injured lad when a shell went off.' It was not his only act of extreme heroism, as he'd once braved a minefield to save his injured commanding officer. Kathleen was allowed a few hours off work to visit her husband and said: 'He came to the old Royal Hospital in Sheffield, it was his voice I heard first, it was this person shouting his head off. He was shouting: 'I'm not going back I will kill myself first'. 'He thought they were going to patch him up and send him back but he wasn't fit to go back. He was shot out in the Middle East first by a sniper who blasted half his shoulder off. This time he was left with a few fingers working on his hand. In the hospital there was a sergeant stood by his side. He was suffering from stress after D-Day. What he had seen was terrible. He was in hospital for 15 months.' Joe was eventually released just before VE Day and then, and as the world celebrated, Kathleen and Joe walked for miles in silence across Sheffield. 'There were fireworks and people enjoying themselves because the war was over. But as far as Joe was concerned it wasn't over. He'd lost too many of his colleagues. He wouldn't join in. He didn't seem to know I was there with him walking by his side, I could just see the tears. He never spoke. He was completely lost. ' Showing us a picture of her husband, taken as he proudly stood next to his five comrades, Kathleen says: 'After D-Day Joe was the only one left alive. They were all dead. 'Over the years I'd often find him sitting in his chair with tears rolling down his cheeks, I used to just leave him because I knew what he was thinking about. He never forgot them.' Author of the Women of Steel series, Michelle Rawlins, said: 'The women of steel were a remarkable generation, who sacrificed so much, for little reward, to do their bit. Many of the women worked up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, in dangerous circumstances, without a second thought for their own safety. "It took nearly 70 years for them to be officially recognised and thanked by government, an accolade they rightly deserved. Their contribution to the war effort should never be forgotten."
