Football rivalries and heated feats on the track and court may leave room for surprise power plays
Sir Thomas Stanley was not, as they say in football, a “one-club man”. Or at least not a one-king man. During the War of the Roses, his loyalty bounced back and forth with the result that Richard III took his son hostage. When Stanley defected to fight for the future Henry VII at Bosworth Field, his son’s life was in danger. “I have other sons,” he said.
His decision to switch sides brought a reward that influenced several sports, since Henry VII gave Stanley the title Earl of Derby. Almost 300 years later, the 12th Earl gave his name to a horse race on Epsom Downs, while the 17th Earl awarded the Coupe Lord Derby for French rugby league clubs.
The most familiar use of the title came from English rugby league when games between StHelens at one end of the family estate and Wigan at the other were known as “derbies”. It has long been applied to any local sporting rivalry, and we have two today when Southampton host Portsmouth at noon (ITV1), and City host United in the Manchester derby at 4.30pm (Sky Sports Main).
Surprisingly, United are on a four-match unbeaten streak in this fixture and could make it five if City’s minds are on the start of their Champions League campaign. That begins on Thursday at home to Napoli, the Italian champions (TNT Sports 2, 8pm). United, of course, aren’t in Europe for the first time in 11 years. They aren’t even in the English League Cup any more, where their conquerors, Grimsby Town, go in the third round at Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday (Sky Sports +, 7.45pm).
Those who don’t want to watch football derbies today have plenty of other options. France play Ireland (BBC Two, 1pm) and England play Scotland (BBC One, 4pm) in the quarter-finals of the women’s Rugby World Cup, with their semi-final next Saturday (BBC One, 3.30pm). England have always got at least that far, while France have only once failed to reach the last four, in 1998.
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The World Athletics Championships also continue in Tokyo, where it is so hot they have moved start times half an hour earlier. The 100 metres finals are today (BBC One, 2.13pm), while Josh Kerr begins the defence of his 1500m title. He will renew his rivalry with Jakob Ingebrigtsen in the final on Wednesday (BBC One, 2.20pm).
Britain are surprisingly the No 2 seeds for the finals of the Billie Jean King Cup in Shenzhen, China. Sonay Kartal and Katie Boulter start against Japan (Thursday, BBC iPlayer, 10am), but if they get past them they have a tougher task against either Jessica Pegula’s United States or Elena Rybakina’s Kazakhstan. Britain last reached the final in 1981, when it was called the Federation Cup and they were represented by Sue Barker and Virginia Wade.
Photograph by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
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