Graham Gooch was never satisfied with mere hundreds. “Make it a daddy,” Gooch would urge when he was England’s batting coach, meaning a score of more than 150. This week Lord’s becomes the first Test ground to make it a daddy. England v New Zealand will be the 150th Test played in St John’s Wood, a record. Only the Oval, Sydney and Melbourne have also reached three figures. Let the Old Father Time weather vane above the scorers’ box raise his scythe to all corners, re-mark his guard and press on for eternity (starts Thursday, Sky Sports Cricket, 11am).
Lord’s is long on history, but the names on the England card could be rather short if Emilio Gay and James Rew are both given their debut. Two of England’s finest batsmen – CB Fry and Peter May – had only three letters in their surname, as did Rob Key, Moeen Ali and Chris Old. Rather more difficult to fit on a scorecard was the 1890s Middlesex all-rounder Hugh Bromley-Davenport.
Jonas Vingegaard waited until the 14th stage of the Giro d’Italia before seizing the maglia rosa, but it would be a huge surprise if the Dane is not still in the pink when the race concludes in Rome. Victory would give him the full set of Grand Tours (today, TNT Sports 3, 2pm). The women’s Giro began yesterday and at 717 miles covers the longest course since 2001. The nine-stage race has a time trial on Tuesday (TNT Sports 3, 1.15pm) and concludes in Piedmont next Sunday.
“It ain’t over till it’s over,” a phrase first uttered by the New York Mets manager Yogi Berra as his side rallied from fifth place to win their division in 1973, remains a truism in sport. One team who know that too well are Ealing Trailfinders, who completed rugby’s Championship season with a perfect 26-match winning record. Yet Ealing were complacent in their play-off semi-final against the reborn Worcester Warriors, who had lost 11 matches in that time. Michael Dykes put Ealing ahead in the 79th minute, but they fluffed the restart and two passes later, Jake Garside scored the try that put Worcester into the final against Bedford Blues. It will be the first time since 2017 that Ealing haven’t been champions or runners-up, despite finishing the league season 30 and 40 points ahead of the finalists (today, Clubber TV, 3pm).
The women’s FA Cup was first held in 1970, when it was called the Mitre Challenge Trophy. Almost 540 clubs entered this season, with Brighton & Hove Albion reaching the final for the first time. They face Manchester City, who are seeking a domestic double after winning the Women’s Super League (today, TNT Sports 1, 3pm).
Photograph by Luca Bettini / AFP via Getty Images
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