TV Guide: The ‘Prem’, cricket world cup and golf heroes return

This is nonsense. But it does differentiate the English second tier, which began yesterday, from other Championships, such as the one with the four southern hemisphere nations that has been so exciting this season and the Celtic-Italian-South African competition I still think of as the Magners League.

An interesting focus of this year’s Champ are the resurrected Worcester Warriors, who have the only ground with capacity for over 6,000 never mind the 10,000 the RFU would like in the Prem. After facing Coventry yesterday, they next travel down the M5 to Hartpury University, who had the second worst home attendance last year (932) but finished sixth. If you want to cheer on the underdogs (Saturday, 2.30pm), all the fixtures are streamed on an Irish website Clubber.ie. I wonder if the branding men thought this through: after all, champ in Ireland is mashed potato.

Crossing codes, there has been a controversial end to the Super League season, marring a successful year in which attendances rose 9% and TV audiences 52%. First the RFL apologised to Leeds after a try by St Helens in the eliminator match should have been disallowed. Saints won 16-14. Then Leigh, chasing their first title since 1982, threatened to pull out of their semi-final with Wigan Warriors in a dispute over ticket allocation. The Grand Final, whoever gets there (Hull KR were also in contention), is on Saturday (6pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

After the Red Roses’ rugby success last weekend, can England’s women deliver another World Cup in cricket? England, who have won the World Cup four times, began against South Africa and next face Bangladesh on Tuesday and Sri Lanka next Saturday (both 10.30am, Sky Sports Cricket).

I was at Wembley last Sunday, watching Oasis as the Ryder Cup singles played out half a world away. It was just as well that the mobile signal was dire so I missed the blue on the scoreboard fade away. Fortunately Europe could roll with it. Some of their heroes, such as Tommy Fleetwood and Matt Fitzpatrick, returned to action in Scotland this week at the Alfred Dunhill Links (Friday to Sunday from 11.30am, Sky Sports Golf) where a slew of former US Ryder Cup players made a strong start. They included Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed, all major champions but not wanted at Bethpage. Don’t look back in anger.

Photograph by Harry Murphy – The RFU Collection via Getty Images