Glamorgan’s Norton claims hat-trick on debut, Sibley on song for Surrey: county cricket – as it happened

Eighteen-year-old Tom Norton charged about Sophia Gardens chased by cock-a-hoop Glamorgan teammates, who clapped his back and rubbed his beard, as he became the youngest County Championship debutant to take a hat-trick, ruining Somerset’s innings in the process. Norton first removed James Rew for a duck, in what will count as a failed experiment to push him up the order, before Tom Lammonby pecked behind and Archie Vaughan doddered in front of his stumps.“I don’t think I can put it into words to be honest. It’s the most mental 45 minutes I’ve ever had on a cricket field,” said Norton, the first championship debutant to take a hat-trick since 1906.“I never thought this would happen

Aryna Sabalenka shocked by Sorana Cirstea’s comeback win at Italian Open

Aryna Sabalenka, the world No 1, suffered her earliest defeat in more than a year as she was toppled in the third round of the Italian Open by the soaring Romanian veteran Sorana Cirstea, who brilliantly held her nerve to close out a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 win.The defeat marks a second successive surprise loss for Sabalenka, who started the clay-court season in some of the best form of her career after consecutive victories at the WTA 1000 events at Indian Wells and Miami. Until her quarter-final defeat to Hailey Baptiste at the Madrid Open last week, where Baptiste spectacularly saved six match points, Sabalenka had started the year by winning 26 of her first 27 matches.This is also the first time Sabalenka has lost before the quarter-final stage at any tournament since February 2025 and she will head to the French Open having failed to reach the semi-final in any clay-court tournament this year. Sabalenka also has fresh injury concerns to address after struggling with a lower back injury in the final stages of the match

Bobby Cox, Hall of Fame manager and Atlanta Braves icon, dies at 84

Bobby Cox, the Baseball Hall of Famer who led the Atlanta Braves to their 1995 World Series title and was a four-time Manager of the Year, has died at the age of 84.The Braves announced Cox’s death in a statement on Saturday. The team did not give a cause of death.“We are overcome with emotion on the passing of Bobby Cox, our treasured skipper,” the team said. “Bobby was the best manager to ever wear a Braves uniform

Leicester hit Northampton for six as league leaders crumble in fiery derby

You can play all the classy rugby you want, you can be leading the table with a few matches to play, but certain elemental truths still apply. One of them is that if you find yourself overpowered up front away from home in a sold-out East Midlands derby, you will be blown away.Northampton could have secured themselves a place in the playoffs here if they had won with a bonus point, but – how to put this – they did not. In a ferocious atmosphere, records tumbled as Leicester claimed that bonus-point win to move third, within one point of Bath, who play Exeter on Sunday, and five shy of Saints. They scored more points than they ever have in this fixture; there were more cards than there have ever been in this fixture

Wigan humiliate scoreless St Helens to reach Challenge Cup final

The Challenge Cup kings have done it again. For the first time in a long time, Wigan Warriors were underdogs going into this semi-final against their fiercest rivals, St Helens, with four successive Super League defeats before stopping the rot last week against promoted Bradford.In contrast, St Helens sit joint-top of Super League and had won their past five games. It all leaned into their being only one winner, but for the 34th time the Warriors have reached the final.Wigan will face either Hull KR or Warrington Wolves, who square off in the second semi-final on Sunday, at Wembley on 30 May and whoever gets through they will face a side hungry for silverware having failed to win anything last season: the first time that has happened during Matt Peet’s first four years in charge

Marlie Packer terrorises Italy to keep England’s Six Nations defence on track

Marlie Packer made her England debut 18 years ago, but she is playing some of her best rugby, with the openside flanker once again key as the Red Roses set up a Championship decider against France next Sunday. The former England captain has won back the starting shirt because of the unavailability of other players after falling down the pecking order.At the World Cup last year Packer played one match, against Samoa in the pool stage. She has said she will be there for the team that “means so much” to her in whatever capacity she is needed by the head coach, John Mitchell, but is proving she can still do more than a good job. The 36-year-old scored four tries and brought her leadership experience too