Sussex 204 and 245 for 7 (Coles 99*, Alsop 72) trail Essex 504 (Harmer 53) by 55 runsJames Coles led Sussex’s resistance with an unbeaten 99 but his efforts seem unlikely to deny Essex victory over Sussex at Hove.Coles was on the verge of a third successive Rothesay County Championship century when rain arrived at 5.20pm and play was abandoned shortly afterwards with Sussex 245 for seven in their second innings, still trailing by 55 after conceding a first-innings deficit of 300.Coles is Sussex’s man in form. He made 148 not out at Durham and 150 in Sussex’s last home match against Warwickshire and he top scored in their first innings with 52. Only five batters have scored more Championship runs this season than the 21-year-old, and he didn’t offer a chance here after arriving in the seventh over with Sussex 33 for 2.While he and Tom Alsop (72) were adding 141 in 72 overs for the third wicket Sussex harboured hopes of stalling Essex’s push for victory.But Alsop was lbw to Matt Critchley in the leg-spinner’s second over and after tea Sussex lost four wickets for 26 in 40 balls including their leading run scorer John Simpson, calamitously run out going for a second run on an overthrow.At the start of the day Essex skipper Simon Harmer clubbed three sixes to reach a half-century before he was last out for 53 as Essex’s first innings ended on 504, a lead of 300.Essex’s new-ball pair Sam Cook and Jamie Porter soon made inroads. Tom Haines nibbled fatally at Cook’s first ball and edged it to third slip beforePorter struck in the seventh over to remove Daniel Hughes, courtesy of a fine low catch at second slip by Harmer.But from 33 for two Coles and Alsop rebuilt patiently. Alsop’s fourth fifty of the season came off 104 balls and the normally more attacking Coles took 117 deliveries for his, but neither offered a chance as the Kookaburra ball quickly lost its effectiveness and Essex had to settle for containment.Having had little success himself, Harmer turned to Critchley in the 47th over and with his first ball he nearly won an lbw verdict against Alsop. But the fourth delivery of his next over straightened enough to beat Alsop’s defensive push. He faced 150 balls and hit nine fours.Essex had a breakthrough and after tea they rammed home their superiority, aided once again by some pretty poor shot selection by the Sussex middle and lower order.Dan Ibrahim (19), who’d helped Coles add 48 for the fourth wicket, got a leading edge in the first over after the resumption and Khaleel Ahmed took the catch in his follow through, while Simpson was run out by Sam Cook’s throw looking for a second run on an overthrow after a moment’s fatal hesitation between him and Coles.Critchley then struck in successive overs. Fynn Hudson-Prentice’s mistimed drive was caught well in the covers by Harmer and Jack Carson tamely picked out mid-wicket aiming to hit Critchley over the top.As the clouds rolled in, Ari Karvelas defied Critchley and Harmer for 33 balls but it would need a lot more resistance from him, Coles and Sussex’s tail to keep Essex at bay on the final day.

In the wake of a complete collapse against the San Francisco Giants Tuesday, the Baltimore Orioles are parting ways with a veteran reliever.

The Orioles have designated pitcher Craig Kimbrel for assignment, they announced Wednesday afternoon. In Baltimore's 10–0 loss to the Giants Thursday, Kimbrel surrendered six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Kimbrel pitched in 57 games for the Orioles this season, going 7-5 with a 5.33 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 52 1/3 innings.

Once one of the most feared closers in baseball, Kimbrel has nine career All-Star appearances to his name. The 36-year-old's 440 career saves rank fifth in baseball history, and trail only Kenley Jansen among active pitchers.

In an otherwise rock-solid season for Baltimore, its bullpen has been a major question mark. With Kimbrel presumably on his way out the door, pitcher Seranthony Dominiguez is now the Orioles' saves leader with nine.

Baltimore is currently 84-67, four games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East division.

Table-toppers bounce back from 0 for 2 to post formidable first-day total against Derbyshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay22-Jul-2025Leicestershire 357 for 3 (Hill 132*, Rehan 115, Handscomb 99*) vs Derbyshire Leicestershire displayed the quality and character of promotion contenders to stage an impressive fightback on the opening day of the Rothesay County Championship match against rivals Derbyshire at the Central Co-op County Ground.The Division Two leaders recovered from 0 for 2 to close on 357 for 3 with England all-rounder Rehan Ahmed and Lewis Hill scoring centuries.Ahmed’s 115 was his third consecutive hundred in the championship and his fourth of the season while Hill and skipper Peter Handscomb celebrated personal milestones.Hill marked his 100th first-class appearance with an unbeaten 132 and shared an unbroken fourth wicket stand of 188 with Handscomb who was not out 99 in his 200th red-ball game.Hill also added 169 with Ahmed which turned the tide after Luis Reece and Blair Tickner made such an encouraging start for the hosts before Leicestershire took control.The pitch had been used for three T20 matches which would have influenced Leicestershire’s decision to bat but that looked questionable when both openers were dismissed in the space of six balls.Cloud cover hinted at assistance for the seam bowlers and Reece found enough away movement with the third ball of the day to have Rishi Patel caught behind.When Tickner straightened his second ball to bowl Sol Budinger, the morning was threatening to go badly wrong for the leaders but Ahmed and Hill counter-attacked to dominate the rest of the session.Ahmed scored his maiden century at Derby three seasons ago and he quickly imposed himself on the bowlers to relieve the pressure.When Derbyshire turned to spin in the 15th over, he came down the pitch to dispatch Jack Morley for six before reaching his 50 from 54 balls in the next over.Hill’s role was less eyecatching but just as valuable and by lunch the pair had transformed Leicestershire’s fortunes at 118 for 2.Ahmed quickly closed in on his hundred, reverse sweeping Alex Thomson for his 13th four to move to 99 and then squeezing a single past gully to reach three figures from 118 balls.Hill completed his 50 before Ahmed whipped Zak Chappell in the air to deep mid-wicket where Caleb Jewell took a fine catch on the run.The rest of the afternoon belonged to Hill and Handscomb who accumulated steadily against bowling that lacked the consistency to put them under pressure.The pattern was repeated after tea with Handscomb reaching 50 off 84 balls three overs before Hill raised his bat to celebrate the 9th first-class hundred of his career which had come from 194 balls.Not surprisingly, Derbyshire claimed the second new ball as soon as it became available but although Reece beat the bat several times, could not make the breakthrough as Hill and Handscomb put their side in a commanding position.

Another game, another set-piece goal and another win for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta's leaders extended their advantage at the top of the Premier League table to seven points with a 2-0 success at Burnley on Saturday. It was another dominant afternoon for the Gunners, who had already seen Bukayo Saka waste a golden opportunity by the time they went in front on 14 minutes through Viktor Gyokeres' close-range finish from Declan Rice's corner.

It was Arsenal's eight set-piece goal from their opening 10 Premier League, but they showed they could be just as dangerous from open play soon after the half-hour mark when Rice finished off a superb counter-attack to double their advantage. 

With the game done and dusted by half-time, the visitors took their foot off the gas after the interval. There were still chances for them to extend their lead, however, with Ethan Nwaneri shooting wide and Christian Norgaard having a shoot well saved before the full-time whistle went to make it nine wins in a row in all competitions for Arteta's early pace-setters.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Turf Moor…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  David Raya (7/10):

  Another game where he had little to do, but was tidy with his feet when the ball went back to him and did his job well.

  Jurrien Timber (7/10):

  Up and down the right-hand side all afternoon. Just failed to get his foot to one opportunity when he was furthest forward.

  William Saliba (7/10):

  A surprise selection having been a major doubt heading into the game. Was rarely tested, but dealt with everything that came his way.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (8/10):

  He didn't score from a set-piece, but his cushioned touch to set up Gyokeres was superb. Another dominant display.

  Riccardo Calafiori (7/10):

  Linked up very well with Trossard down the left. Burnley struggled to pick him up when he went forward.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Martin Zubimendi (7/10):

  Some of his passes in the first half were out of this world. One in particular that he put through for Trossard deserved to end in a goal. Limped off in the second half.

  Declan Rice (9/10):

  Superb header to make it 2-0. Another excellent performance in the heart of midfield, he just didn't stop working. The set-piece delivery he puts in are pretty much un-defendable.

  Eberechi Eze (6/10):

  Picked up some really good positions and was always involved in the first half. Faded after the interval.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Bukayo Saka (6/10):

  Not his day in front of goal. Missed a couple of chances he would have expected to score.

  Viktor Gyokeres (8/10):

  His best 45 minutes in an Arsenal shirt. Got his goal obviously, but his hold and link-up play was excellent. Everything was sticking and his pass in the build-up to Rice's goal was exquisite. Replaced by Merino at half-time, presumably due to an injury issue.

  Leandro Trossard (8/10):

  Good battle with Walker throughout. Set up Rice's goal with a lovely cross and was unlucky not to score when his shot was cleared off the line. Strong performance.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Mikel Merino (5/10):

  On for Gyokeres at half-time and just didn't have the same sort of impact. Did a job as the striker, but couldn't run the channels like the Swede and Arsenal were worse off a result.

  Ethan Nwaneri (6/10):

  Produced one moment of real quality when he drove towards goal, but his shot drifted just wide.

  Piero Hincapie (6 /10):

  More important minutes as he continues to build up his fitness.

  Christian Norgaard (N/A):

  On for Zubimendi late on.

  Myles Lewis-Skelly (N/A):

  On in injury time.

  Mikel Arteta (7/10):

  Arsenal's boss will be delighted with yet another win. Rotated his team well after the interval at the start of another busy week.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani suffered a shoulder injury during Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. Although he played through the injury, it was clear that he was in pain throughout the remainder of the series and that the ailment impacted his ability to swing the bat.

On Tuesday, just under one week after the team clinched its eighth World Series title, the Dodgers announced that Ohtani had undergone surgery to repair his injured shoulder.

The Dodgers indicated that Ohtani had sustained a torn labrum in his left shoulder. After undergoing surgery, the team said it expects the 30-year-old to be ready for spring training.

Ohtani suffered the injury while sliding after stealing a base in Game 2. He remained in the leadoff spot for the remaining three games of the series but struggled at the plate. In Games 3, 4, and 5, Ohtani tallied just one hit in 14 plate appearances and could often be seen grimacing in pain when swinging.

This marks the second major surgery Ohtani has undergone in the past year-plus, having also had a procedure in September of 2023 to repair the UCL in his right elbow.

In 2024, Ohtani slashed .310/.390/.646 with 54 home runs, 130 RBI, and 59 stolen bases. Virtually a lock to win NL MVP, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to record 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a single season.

A “promising” Glasgow Rangers player may not make a decision regarding his Ibrox future until Russell Martin has been sacked, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Martin still under huge pressure at Rangers

The pressure on Martin isn’t easing at all currently, with the 39-year-old struggling badly since arriving at Ibrox before the 2025/26 season.

There is almost an inevitability about the Englishman being sacked at some point in the near future, unless there are drastic improvements on the pitch, with potential replacements already being mentioned.

Former Everton and Burnley manager Sean Dyche is reportedly considered a “serious option” to come in and replace Martin at Rangers, and he is thought to be keen on taking the job, having most recently been in charge of the Blues.

The current Gers boss has alienated certain players, with Nicolas Raskin only recently returning to the fold, and now a new update has emerged regarding the future of an individual in a similar position.

"Promising" Rangers player waiting for Martin to be sacked

Speaking to Football Insider, O’Rourke claimed that Clinton Nsiala is waiting for Martin to be sacked, and that could open the door for his future to still be at Ibrox under a potential new manager.

“Obviously he’s not figured under Russell Martin since the former Southampton manager’s arrival at Ibrox. It doesn’t appear that he does have a long-term future under Martin, but we know things could change at Ibrox, especially if a new manager is appointed to replace the under-fire Martin.

“That would mean a clean slate for everybody. So Nsiala will be waiting to see what happens there because that might give him the opportunity to win back his place in the plans of a new manager as well.

“While Martin remains in charge, I don’t think he is going to change his mind on Nsiala and he will continue to find himself on the sidelines. As we said, with so much pressure on Martin, things could quickly change and then Nsiala could be back in favour under a potential new manager.”

Nsiala is a talented footballer, with The Rangers Review calling him a “promising” player, so it has been frustrating to see him not feature much for Rangers of late.

In fact, the 21-year-old defender hasn’t featured at all this season, highlighting what Martin thinks of him, so if he remains in charge of the Gers moving forward, he will surely feel the need to move on.

For Nsiala’s sake, though, he will hope that a change in manager happens sooner rather than later, which, in truth, is likely to be the mindset of many supporters who have already lost faith in the current boss.

"To be honest" – Miovski explains why Rangers have better players than people realise

The Gers are still seeking their first away clean sheet of the season.

By
Ben Goodwin

Oct 4, 2025

It would be disappointing to see the £10,500-a-week centre-back leave Rangers so soon after arriving, having only joined from AC Milan last year, but hopefully, that isn’t the case.

The Kia Oval will host an England Test match in June for the first time next year, but will revert to its status as the home of the final Test of the summer for the 2027 men’s Ashes, while the long-awaited maiden women’s Test at Lord’s, against India from July 10-13, has been confirmed as a four-day fixture.Surrey have traditionally hosted the last Test of the English season and will do so for the 12th time in 15 years next week when The Oval stages the finale of England’s series against India. But they will instead host New Zealand from June 17-21 in 2026 after consultation with other counties, with development projects limiting the availability of other venues.England’s men will play six Tests in the 2026 summer, three each against New Zealand (June) and Pakistan (August-September), and will also host India (July) and Sri Lanka (September) for white-ball tours. Their women’s international summer is headlined by a home T20 World Cup (June-July), with New Zealand (May), India (May-July) and Ireland (September) also touring.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Some counties have raised eyebrows at the fact Lord’s will host three of England’s seven Tests next year, including its historic women’s Test against India. Robert Lawson, the MCC’s chief executive, said it was “only fitting” after strong ticket sales for its recent women’s ODI, but one county official told ESPNcricinfo: “The South always gets the cream.”Lord’s was guaranteed two men’s Tests per year as part of the ECB’s international match allocation for 2025-31, and was awarded a women’s Test as part of the board’s response to the Independent Comission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) report in 2023, which criticised the fact Lord’s had never hosted one as “truly appalling”.England, India and New Zealand were due to play a women’s T20I tri-series of four matches each, as per the initial Future Tours Programme, but will instead both play bilateral series. This will be India’s fourth women’s tour to England in six years and is split either side of the T20 World Cup, with the Test match scheduled for the week after the final.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The Hundred retains a clear window in England’s international schedule – both men’s and women’s – and is expected to run from July 21 until August 16. The 2026 season will be the tournament’s first in which the eight teams are run as privately-owned franchises, with the ECB hoping to announce imminently that deals with new investors have been finalised.Richard Gould, the ECB’s chief executive, said that the women’s T20 World Cup will “undoubtedly” be “the highlight” of the summer. “With world-class opposition visiting iconic venues across the country, fans will have the chance to witness the very best of the men’s and women’s game,” Gould said.England men’s schedule
England women’s schedule

Benjamin Sesko’s form in a Manchester United shirt has taken a real upturn in the last couple of weeks. The Slovenian forward has scored twice in his last two games, scoring against Brentford in the 3-1 loss away from home, and the second in a 2-0 win at home to Sunderland.

United content creator Dev Bajwa has certainly been left impressed by the young centre-forward. He called his all-around play “impressive” and said that his “technical qualities are clearly there” in his game.

The United number 30 has certainly started life at Old Trafford well.

Interestingly, he has not had a faster start to the season than Rasmus Hojlund, the man he replaced.

Hojlund’s start to the season compared to Sesko

After struggling to nail down his spot in the starting lineup under Ruben Amorim, Danish striker Hojlund went out on loan to Napoli for the 2025/26 campaign. Like Sesko has at United, Hojlund has hit the ground running in Italy.

The 22-year-old, who was born in Copenhagen, has already found the back of the net four times for Napoli this season, in just six appearances, double Sesko’s tally. Half have come in the Italian top flight, and the other in the Champions League.

So, not only has Hojlund outscored Sesko this season, but the Dane is also bettering him when it comes to minutes per goal.

The on-loan Napoli star averages one goal every 117 minutes, with Sesko’s goals coming every 237.5 minutes.

Napoli’s Scudetto-winning boss, Antonio Conte, was full of praise for the striker. The Italian said that the 22-year-old “has great potential, he can grow and improve,” suggesting the best is yet to come.

So, a loan move away from United clearly worked for Hojlund, allowing him to get minutes under his belt and thrive. Another young Red Devils striker is currently on a similar path.

The United striker on the same path as Hojlund

It is a shame things did not work out for Hojlund at Old Trafford. Just looking at how well he’s playing this season is enough to be able to tell just how much of a talent he is.

He certainly could have been excellent at United if platformed well.

Well, United may have a striker headed down a similar path under Ruben Amorim. It has not been an easy season for 17-year-old Chido Obi. There are simply no opportunities for youth under Amoirm, which goes against the DNA of the club, and Obi has fallen foul of that.

In fact, the former Arsenal youth striker, who was described as a “monster” of a centre-forward by football analyst Ben Mattinson, has not even been on the bench for the first team this season.

That might be a surprise to many, given how much trust Amorim placed in Obi last term. The 17-year-old played eight games for the Red Devils, but did not manage to find the back of the net.

He also became the youngest ever player to start a Premier League match for United.

Let’s not forget how clinical Obi has been at youth level. The Dane, born in Glostrup, has an exemplary record for both United and Arsenal in academy football.

He’s currently sat on 49 goals across under-18 and under-21 level.

Arsenal u18s

21

32

Man United u18s

10

12

Man United u21s

11

5

Denmark u17s

19

12

Denmark u18s

4

2

Denmark u20s

4

2

It is easy to see how this situation is similar to Hojlund’s last season. The Napoli star fell out of favour under Amorim, and needed a loan move to revitalise his career.

Whilst Obi is only 17 and not at that sort of stage yet, he would surely have been hoping for more first-team minutes given his involvement last term.

Perhaps, like his compatriot, a loan move is the way forward for Obi. It will guarantee him regular first-team minutes, and if he is able to score a few goals like Hojlund has managed, it would do his confidence the world of good.

Worth way more than Hojlund: Man Utd have struck gold on "incredible" star

Manchester United have a top-level talent who has seen his value soar over the last few months.

ByEthan Lamb Oct 11, 2025