18 h. ago Williamson ready to put Arsenal friendship aside for Blackstenius and Sweden test

England captain lauds ‘incredibly powerful’ clubmatePraises influence of retired Jill Scott in England campLeah Williamson has described Arsenal teammate Stina Blackstenius as an “incredibly powerful footballer” as the pair prepare to go head-to-head in the Euro 2025 quarter-final between England and Sweden.“She’s a great player and she has been for many years now,” said the England captain. “Her experience speaks for itself. We were celebrating her success at Arsenal, but not so much now. We’ll see. Stina is an incredibly powerful footballer and very intelligent with her runs. She’s a hard player to play against in that respect.” Continue reading...

Politics

40 h. ago Stokes is a destiny man who loomed over Lord’s like the angel of the north | Barney Ronay

The England captain can realistically set his sights on winning the series against India, then the Ashes“I’m not tired. I’m not tired. I’m not tired.” Really, Ben? Really? Well, you’re pretty much on your own in that case old boy, after a day where simply watching Ben Stokes being Ben Stokes felt like a full contact sport, psychodrama, soap opera, and in its stickiest moments like a man engaged in an act of public self‑medication by Test cricket.This fifth day at Lord’s was entirely dominated by Stokes, who loomed over it like the angel of the north, arms outspread, another note in his own extraordinary sporting life. It was shortly after midday that Stokes came running through at the end of his eighth successive over from the Nursery End to talk to the batter Nitish Kumar Reddy, to tell him, specially, that he wasn’t tired – hyped and pumped, eyes boggled, drawing boos from the largely Indian crowd. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago England captain Williamson believes ‘relentless’ Sweden are threat at Euro 2025

Centre-back wary of Thursday’s quarter-final opponentsWilliamson feels Swedish side deserve more respectThe England captain, Leah Williamson, has said Sweden deserve more respect and that their strong record at major tournaments should be spoken about more frequently, as the two sides prepare to meet in Thursday’s Euro 2025 quarter-final.Sweden have reached the knockout stages of every Women’s European Championship since 1995 and have been in the semi-finals at three of the past five Euros. They have also finished third in the past two World Cups and claimed silver medals at both the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. Continue reading...

Politics

43 h. ago Leah Williamson wary of Sweden threat ahead of England’s Euro 2025 quarter

Defending champions England beat Wales 6-1 on Sunday night in St Gallen to claim their place in the last eight.

Events

3 d. ago England camp hit back at India captain Shubman Gill after fiery Lord's 'time

India captain Shubman Gill was furious at Zak Crawley's antics as the England opener managed to ensure he and Ben Duckett only faced one over on Saturday evening

Events

3 d. ago ‘It’s in our blood, our DNA’: Wales captain outlines desire to knock out England

Angharad James says the pressure is all on EnglandWales need four-goal win to have any hope of progressThe Wales captain, Angharad James, says it is in the players’ blood and DNA to want to knock England out of Euro 2025 as the sides prepare to meet in Sunday’s final Group D fixture.England know victory would guarantee progress to the knockout stages and could go through without winning. Wales must win by at least a four-goal margin to have any hope of reaching the quarter-finals and need the Netherlands to lose to France. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Wales captain vows to do everything to eliminate England from Euros

England need a win against Wales to guarantee a place in the quarter-finals of the European Championships amd their opponents are out to spoil the party in St Gallen

Politics

4 d. ago Sir Andrew Strauss has Ashes warning for England after 'Red for Ruth' day at Lord's

The last England captain to conquer Australia in Ashes combat Down Under believes Ben Stokes has the batting firepower to repeat his triumph of 2010-11, but taking 20 wickets regularly remains a concern

Events

5 d. ago England left sweating on Ben Stokes fitness after injury scare against India

The England captain appeared to injure himself while batting with Joe Root at Lord’s

Events

5 d. ago Joe Root unbeaten on 99 as England dig in against India but Stokes injury a concern

Third Test, day one: England 251-4Root unbeaten on 99 while captain picks up knockEngland opted not to train on Tuesday but Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum still made a beeline for Lord’s. Two days out from the third Test – a pivotal match with the series locked at one-apiece – they were keen to speak to the groundstaff to express their hopes for a pitch with pace, bounce and a bit of sideways movement.It was too late to be making demands and, like the disappointed customers of Mr Tourette, signwriter extraordinaire from the Modern Toss cartoons, England’s captain and head coach had to settle for a slow, occasionally two-paced surface. Throw in a sluggish outfield — plus an Indian attack buoyed by their win at Edgbaston and now augmented by Jasprit Bumrah — and run-scoring was anything but straightforward. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago ‘The England we’ve been waiting for’: fans buoyed by win over Netherlands

Passion, inclusivity and family bonding are on show at an England supporters watchalong in west LondonTables were thumped, hugs shared and arms raised in the air. There was a palpable sense of relief in the room at the Toca Social bar in White City as Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses romped to a commanding 4-0 win over the Netherlands to keep their Euro 2025 dreams alive.More than 50 people had gathered at the bar, in which the England captain Leah Williamson is a stakeholder. The event was organised by members of the advocacy group Women In Football (WIF) and every England tackle and pass forward were cheered. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago ‘He’s very determined’: England look to Archer before pivotal third Test

Seamer’s pace has potential to upend India’s dominance, but England’s batting needs urgent improvementNearly six years after Jofra Archer made his Test debut against Australia at Lord’s he will finally return after England confirmed that he will replace Josh Tongue as the only change to the team so comprehensively beaten by India at Edgbaston last week.Archer is a man of few words and, as he has battled through a string of injuries across those intervening years, also not a lot of action. So the conversation that confirmed his return to Test cricket was entirely typical, said England’s captain, Ben Stokes: “I went: ‘Are you ready this week?’ And he went: ‘Been ready.’ That was literally it.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Lions captain Maro Itoje backs Owen Farrell for England return

Former captain Farrell is eligible for England again after agreeing a return to Saracens for next season from Racing 92.

Politics

8 d. ago Owen Farrell set for British and Irish Lions tour debut after training return

Former England captain won’t face the Brumbies, but should feature against AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide this weekend

Politics

9 d. ago How Shubman Gill’s time in south Wales prepared him for India captaincy success

India’s young captain is leading the way with the bat against England after impressing during a 2022 County Championship spell with Glamorgan

Politics

9 d. ago England have a Ben Stokes problem – but there is a radical solution

The England captain’s poor run of form with the bat risks making him a passenger in his own team

Politics

9 d. ago Wayne Rooney 'lands £800,000 BBC deal to be Match of the Day regular' with ex

Wayne Rooney looks set to swap the dugout for the studio, with a report claiming the former England captain has landed a lucrative deal to become a regular pundit on Match of the Day.

Economics

9 d. ago England call up Gus Atkinson to bolster bowling ranks after India defeat

Stokes ponders changes after bowling 234 overs‘It’s no secret that we have spent some time in the field’England have called up Gus Atkinson for Thursday’s third Test against India as they seek to refresh a bowling group that toiled through 234 overs at Edgbaston in a losing cause.Ben Stokes admitted his side’s travails on the way to a humbling 336-run defeat had left them needing to repair both their bodies and their morale, with barely 72 hours in which to do it. “We’re disappointed, but we’ve got three days to turn around, so we need to get over this one just like we got over the enjoyment and the excitement of winning the first game – we need to flip our heads around,” the England captain said. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ‘Cheap’ defending cost England in Euro 2025 opener, admits Leah Williamson

Captain says England were not good enough on the ballJess Carter: ‘We were a bit scared, not aggressive enough’Leah Williamson admitted England were not good enough on the ball and said “cheap, one-versus-one defending” cost the Lionesses badly in their 2-1 defeat against France, but vowed her side would improve before facing the Netherlands on Wednesday. The defending European champions looked second-best to France for large portions of their meeting in Zurich and the Lionesses captain said: “When you’re losing the ball really cheaply, and then you’re in emergency defending, and when you’ve done four or five counterattacks in a row against quality like that, it is tough, but we hold ourselves to higher standards, in the individual battles.“The positive is that I’ve not seen us like that, in terms of turning over the ball so much, for a while now, so yes [while it is] really frustrating, I think that’s how we’ll take today. Tomorrow, back on it.” Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Anxiety and excitement combine for Williamson with Wiegman’s new England

Lionesses captain admits much has changed since 2022 with the manager stressing that team has to move on as they prepare for FranceLeah Williamson said she had felt anxious in the buildup to ­England beginning their European title defence against France on Saturday night, the Arsenal defender having missed the 2023 World Cup after an anterior cruciate ligament injury.“I’ve probably held some anxiety up until this moment just because I wanted to be here and I wanted to be here with the team and I wanted to experience another ­tournament with England,” said the ­Lionesses’ captain. “It’s special when you come to another country, to ­represent your country and just take ­everything in. It’s a bit different to England in 2022. I’m very excited but so much has changed, so I’m intrigued to come back and enjoy this ­tournament football.” Continue reading...

Politics